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AIETEUR
Almost 6 months after 'non-binding' MOU... Sunday Edition
Govt., GTT silent on negotiations for - Outstanding US$40M in tax liberalisation remains at centre of negotiations
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September 01, 2019
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Three captured during botched robbery at Republic Park home Belt and Road initiative... Tanzania Guyana doing more
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US$720M Liza Destiny to be leased to Guyana
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Kaieteur News
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Sunday September 01, 2019
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
Overcoming partisan ambitions – A daunting challenge The not-so-small hill of house-to-house registration rests. Now the next hills, minimountains in themselves, wait to be scaled. Those would be the businesses encompassing Claims and Objections (C&O), Preliminary List of Electors (PLE), and the Official List of Electors (OLE).From the standpoint of this publication, the outlook is filled with pessimism. It is to the point of grimness, as more of the contentiousness that has torn apart this year gathers steam to deliver more in what is left of it. Media coverage from major houses carried several consistent strains. It is the same story that promises more of what leads to those most troubling places: heavier distrust, more animosities, and greater division.What was heard, and was interpreted, is that there is going to be some blending of the old list with the now curtailed body of raw electors’ information, to get to an agreeable place. This paper sees this as seeking to obtain the best of two clashing worlds; an attempt at compromise to address the provisions of the Chief Justice’s ruling, as understood, and to satisfy the adversarial parties involved. It is seeking to remove the oceans of fear and discontent that separate two formidable political landmasses. We wish the Gecom agency the best of luck, while hoping for the best possible outcome: one that is acceptable across the chasms of hard differences - because to get from PLE to the final OLE will prove to be the next battleground, and is already shaping up to be an unreachable star. Even to mention approaching and examining the two competing and problematic lists has unleashed the less than comforting, the more than disturbing. Troubling, to say the least, and as was confirmed by what came from the political adversaries. This newspaper reported: “Opposition-appointed Commissioner (Sase) Gunraj stated that given the decision by the Chairman to use the information from House-to-House, the secretariat must come with a plan with how that information will be integrated.” Encouraging, but not so fast. For Mr. Gunraj added, “I maintain that the information contained in the House-to-House process is unverified data and as a consequence it should not be used….”The position of government-appointed Commissioner Alexander is the diametrical opposite. The two points of view are articulations of inflexible stances through careful, but unambiguous, phraseology. There is nothing incomprehensible about the utterances. The grounds for future judicial escalation and review are carefully plotted. This publication urges the determined political foes to work untiringly and genuinely to prevent matters from deteriorating beyond the judicial. Undoubtedly, the C&O period and both the PLE and OLE, as and whenever extracted, are going to be the next minefields of controversy and hard conflicts. The outlook is fraught with raving uncertainty.It is against these roiling backdrops that KN reminds of Gecom’s position, “Cognizant of all that has transpired over the past months, GECOM has an obligation to produce a credible Official List of Electors (OLE) in the first instance and ultimately credible elections within the shortest possible time.” In the context of stated, unswerving political positions, “credible OLE” leading to “ultimately credible elections” and in “the shortest possible time” all appear to be unrealizable contradictions in both terms and expectations. Well-meaning, but doomed to despair. The reception has not been positive. Far from it.Confirming this, KN notes that, “According to the PPP, the positions seem intent on confusing the Guyanese electorate. First, the Party stressed that the headline of the press statement – ‘Data garnered from House-to-House Registration will be merged with existing National Register of Registrants Database’ – leaves more unanswered questions.” And that the planned merger of data from the house-to-house registration will not improve the quality or ‘credibility’ of the database – rather it will further contaminate the National Register of Registrants and cause further delays in the holding of Elections”. The opposition was very clear as to where it stood following the Gecom announcement on Wednesday last, “This is an attempt to distort the ruling of the High Court. Nowhere in the ruling of the Chief Justice did she direct any such merger of data garnered from the house-tohouse registration with the National Register of Registrants.” And that should be that; except that it isn’t. For what may have appealed to the chairwoman as profound and the miracle of splitting the atom, ended up attracting sentiments just short of the outright scornful, the doggedly dismissive. Now when all the immediate reactions were gathered and analysed, the reluctant view of this publication, therefore, is that this season is far from over. Indeed, it is just beginning, and there is the growing sense that the toughest terrains are still ahead. For, after all, the fight over a credible chair was, at the end of the day, over an agency that will ensure a list that is acceptable across the political spectrum. Today, this seems to be most unpromising. Unless, there are some adjustments of outlooks, the anguish continues while a country is held hostage with no ransom commitment or arrangement forthcoming.With this modus operandi now the settled modus vivendi in Guyana, it is the apex of embarrassment that men and women have the shameless vulgarity of calling this a developing nation. How? Since when? By what measurement? By what semblance of principled intellect and reasoning and conscience?If we really are serious (even manly about the obligations at hand), then there is vital necessity to adjust and adapt to more flexible positions. By one. By both. By all. The chairwoman tries valiantly to please everyone (merged lists). In so doing, no one appears to be pleased at all. This is dispiriting, severely so. Surely, we can rise to the challenges threatening to overwhelm and do better by overcoming them? With gritty determination. Through indomitable will. Through authentic visions of real nationhood. This is only achievable by overcoming partisan ambitions, calculations, and visions first. By putting the welfare of all the people first. First! This paper hopes that this is not asking too much; that our leaders have what it takes to find this within themselves.
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.
Please, Mr. Jagdeo, let the GECOM Chairperson do the job she was assigned to do!
(This is an open letter to Bharrat Jagdeo.) DEAR EDITOR The events that are unfolding before us in our beautiful land provide an opportunity for us to display unity, magnanimity and generosity of spirit, despite temptations towards the contrary. Time elapses as individuals run back and forth from court to court in an effort to justify their stance on a matter, decisions are made, then appeals are heard and the cycle repeats itself as another matter arises and is appealed...and we rush and scramble trying to reach unrealistic deadlines. I was happy when the Government and Opposition finally agreed on the choice of a new GECOM Chairperson, the well-respected Madam Claudette Singh. Now as she moves forward, with ears to the ground, it seems like all and sundry want to advise her as to the wrongs and rights of her every decision! There was a hue and a cry against House-
to-House registration. She put an end to the process and now she is being criticised for merging the old data with the new. I read in Kaieteur News of Fri. Aug.30th. that, “ Jagdeo had said that, because the PPP did not support the exercise, it would not send scrutineers to participate. He worries now that the exercise could have registered ‘fake people’...” Have you shot yourself in the foot, sir? Is this fair to this noble lady? She is selected “in good faith” then everyone wants her to dance to their tune. Let her do the job she was assigned to do! Had it not been for the noconfidence motion, elections would have been Constitutionally due early next year. I’m sure that Charrandass did not anticipate that his vote would create a rippling effect stretching far beyond the reach of his opportunistic hand. In your capacity as “Caretaker” leader of the opposition, it’s in
your power, to put an end to this ongoing and seemingly endlesss ‘to-and- fro…ing’ by encouraging those in your circle to be part of a two-thirds majority that will give consent for the present “Caretaker” Government to continue for whatever time Parliament deems necessary for credible elections. Thus, Parliament would have pronounced, GECOM will be prepared, and political parties and party hopefuls will have a chance to showcase their manifestos! Rise to the challenge! One simple move will bring an end to these interminable wrangling. The GECOM chairperson will be able to effectively carry out her tasks, the Guyanese populace will breathe a sigh of relief, and you will go down in history as one who, at a critical moment, chose to put the interest of the Nation above scoring cheap points! Yours sincerely Claudia Heywood
Sunday September 01, 2019
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Kaieteur News
Kaieteur M@ilbox
Kaieteur M@ilbox
In Guyana, you have to filter out the fake, fiction and spam
UNLICENSED BOAT OPERATORS SEEM TO HAVE MORE PRIVILEGES THAN LICENSED OPERATORS
DEAR EDITOR, A letter by Lincoln Lewis on August 24, in the KN“The no -confidence issue is a first for the nation. Guyanese are operating in the dark and must tread the unknown carefully”, is biased, deceptive and lacking in context of the political realities surrounding the NCM. Lincoln wrote, “The responsibility for the current political environment is not that of the Government or Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), collectively or alone, it is also that of the Opposition. It is a tripartite responsibility requiring action on the part of the interim Government, the interim Opposition, and the constitutional independent GECOM.” The opposition in my opinion is nothing more than an innocent bystander, calling on GECOM and the Govt to deliver the prize (elections) it won on the 21st December and should have received on or before March 31. It seems Lincoln went gleaning in his political hard drive for the term “interim opposition”. Lincoln quoted line 7 of
the CCJ decision, “Article 106 of the Constitution invests the President and the National Assembly (and implicitly in GECOM), responsibilities that impact on the precise timing of when the elections must be held.” Article 106 said elections in 90 days, that having expired on March 31 on account of the govt procrastinating with their ludicrous contentions and GECOM going into a sleeper mode- whilst the matter moved to the CCJ. The CCJ gave a new timeline, starting on July 12. Has the president or GECOM shown any intent or capability in honouring this new timeline? I think not. Despite all the procrastinations on the issue by the govt. Lincoln found it expedient to mention, “Respect for the Rule of Law would now see the MPs returning to the Assembly and granting the extension of time consistent with the “or such longer period” as outlined in Article 106(7).” Surely, the constitutionalist in Lewis ought to know that the framers had to contemplate some kind of natural
disaster or a threat to our sovereignty, which could necessitate the sentiments of opposition MP’s to deliver a 2/3 majority to extend the 90-day timeframe, after winning a NCM. Context suggested that the opposition initiated a NCM because of the prizeGovt resign and elections in 90 days- offered by the constitution at 106(7). It is difficult to figure by what scope of the imagination Lewis contemplates that the opposition should cooperate in the extension and collection of their prize in the face of grand pretense and gerrymander tactics by the govt and GECOM before its new chairwoman. Lincoln conveniently fails to mention that when the CCJ adjudicated on the NCM they also adjudicated on the unilateral appointment of Patterson for GECOM chair, Patterson appointment was deemed unconstitutional. The CCJ give their consequential decision in one piece because it was recognised that GECOM readiness is a big factor in the constitutional (Continued on page 6)
DEAR EDITOR, I am a businessman who travels regularly from Essequibo to Georgetown and I use the speedboats to transport my goods to and fro. However, on Thursday 29th August, 2019 about 17:00hrs while the sun was still up and shining bright, I arrived at the Parika Stelling with my family and my goods which were brought from Georgetown to Essequibo to stock my business for the new school term. My family and I, along with fourteen other passengers were on the Parika Stelling, when one of the MARAD representatives was standing on the stelling, it caught my attention when there was a Supenaam boat loading, which could not have accommodated my load and my family, so I enquired as to the next boat that will be loading for Supenaam and I was told by the operators that they could not have loaded because a MARAD representa-
tive told them that they have to tie their boats and if they move or load their boat, she will report them and cause them to be grounded, but during that time as I was standing and enquiring, I saw a boat was loading, namely “Dreams Express”, so I decided to ask the man who was at the steering wheel where the boat was going and his response was Bartica. To my amazement, that boat will take about ninety minutes to arrive at Bartica and the MARAD official did not offer a single word to those Bartica Operators. It is known that from Parika to Supenaam, it only takes about twenty five to thirty five minutes, then why are these officers being biased? At 17: 05hrs, there were sixteen passengers on the stelling, why couldn’t the
officer dispatch a Supenaam boat? Instead the officer waited their till the Supenaam operators took their boats to the boat house and moored them. While standing there, the MARAD official saw another boat, which was loading, and then the official walked off the stelling. That operator of this boat, which is said to be unlicensed, charged each passenger $3000 per person. Why couldn’t the boat that is in the association, of a rightful system load? A boat that pays for a yearly licence and pays taxes and contribute to this country’s development are not allowed to work and an unlicensed boat with an uncertified captain is allowed to operate anytime. It looks (Continued on page 6)
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Sunday September 01, 2019
Kaieteur News
Kaieteur M@ilbox
Kaieteur M@ilbox
PUBLIC URINATION IS A DISGRACE TO GUYANA DEAR EDITOR, Almost every part of Guyana you travel, it is a disgrace that we in Guyana are faced with this despicable and disgraceful behaviour. It is disappointing that some of our male counterparts have no shame in this disorderly
behaviour. It is as if they have no regards for women, children and our country at large, particularly as it pertains to hygiene, discipline and our tourism. Over the years, I have repeatedly voiced my opinion on this matter but the issue
has never been picked up. Due to the escalating rise in the issue, I have decided to speak on this topic again since these incidents are becoming worse. I find that many of them seem to think that they have a democratic right to urinate
In Guyana, you have to filter out ... From page 5 requirement for elections in three months. It is in this regard the CCJ advised that the opposition leader has a role to play in upholding his constitutional mandate to supply a list of six candidates for the president to appoint a new GECOM chair. The opposition leader played that role in the appointment of Claudette Singh. The govt has been calling for credible elections; the opposition wants the same too. The onus is on the independent GECOM to deliver credible elections. There had been
numerous letters from Govt supported commentators pontificating the Govt position that H2H registration is needed for credible elections. Likewise there were numerous letters from opposition commentators, trying to extol that a credible list could be achieved through claims and objections. Lincoln, in his bias, made no mention of the Govt commentators but he opined that the opposition,” has to be much more than creating chaos, disorderliness and disunity, for such stand to further destabilise this country and the institutions of gov-
ernment.” The fact that Lincoln used the term “institutions of Government” mirrors the quintessential undoing of our democracy. When a commentator of the caliber of Lincoln Lewis cannot find it in his heart to separate “state from govt”, even on paper. It paints a dismal picture of our state of affairs in Guyana. In Guyana, one has to learn to adopt the mode of selective listening and selective reading. You have to filter out the fake and the fiction or the spam before it reaches your brain and compromise your sanity Rudolph Singh
whenever and wherever they want. Publicly fouling our surroundings is held up as a symptom of societal decline. At the end of the day, it’s about decency. Exposing the genitals in public is an act of indecent exposure. If persons, particularly women and children are present, it will have a negative impact on their lives. Not only will the lives of those present be impacted, but also our society, our children and the children of those who commit the act. Male children mimic their fathers while girls idolise their dads. So when their fathers commit these nonsensical and vulgar acts, it will have an impact on their lives, the community and their country. Sadly, I have seen many influential men in big cars, stop on the public road to urinate.
A popular example would be by the Turkeyen Sea Wall. It is extremely frustrating that our landmarks, roads and public surroundings are turning into a cesspit. It is all the more alarming given the rise of tourism into our country. How embarrassing it is for our tourism, where our landmarks and streets are smelly and unsightly. This uncivilised behaviour damages the image of our country and has a very negative impact. It portrays us as undisciplined, uncivilised and generally, a nasty set of people. These traits are generally a turn off for tourists and those who wish to settle in the country with their families. In my extensive travels around the Caribbean, I have not seen an incident of public urination on the streets or landmarks. For this reason, I believe that this nasty trait by many of our Guyanese men
deserves serious and immediate attention. There should be patrols by the police department, City Hall, or by those responsible for the maintenance, hygiene and positive outlook of our city and surroundings. Youth volunteers can be appointed and trained to educate the citizens in their communities so as to make them aware of the negative impact such incidents have on their country’s image or the Ministry that is responsible for tourism can raise awareness via the media (television, radio and newspapers). In addition, vehicle numbers could be noted then forwarded to the appropriate personnel for action to be taken. There should be serious fines in place for offenders who violate these social ethics. Sincerely, Hajji Roshan Khan
UNLICENSED BOAT OPERATORS ... From page 5 like we are heading backwards or it pays off to be illegal rather than legal. Without a doubt, I think this is something MARAD needs to use their discretion on. Essequibians are left to wonder what next to do because sometimes you are caught in a traffic jam at the DemeraraHarbour Bridge resulting in lateness and when
you have arrived at Parika, you have to pay extra just to meet your destination. There are persons who have to reach home to look after their loved ones and there are some who are even bedridden, and some are even single pare n t s t r ying to make an honest living and then you have to deal with this situation.
I am calling on the government and President David Granger to look into the welfare of Essequibians. Please bring some relief to this situation, so our fellow travellers can enjoy the good, safe and reliable service offered to us by the PSSA – Parika Supenaam Speedboat Association). Yours Sincerely, Essequibians
Sunday September 01, 2019
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Kaieteur News
Hurricane Dorian: Storm strengthens to category 4 (BBC) - A powerful storm threatening the Bahamas and south-eastern coast of the US has grown to category four, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) says. Hurricane Dorian has maximum sustained winds of nearly 145mph (225km/h). It is expected to grow even stronger, its centre potentially crossing the Bahamas before skirting Florida’s east coast early next week. Reports from the Bahamas described tourists scrambling to leave before the closure of the international airport. States of emergency have been declared in Florida, Georgia, North and South Carolina. Residents have been urged to stock enough food, water and medicine to last at least a week.Forecasters warn Dorian could be the region’s worst storm since category five Hurricane Andrew killed 65 people and destroyed 63,000 homes in 1992. US President Donald Trump said he was monitoring Dorian, which he described as “an extremely dangerous storm” on Twitter.
How do hurricanes form? Hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones: What’s the difference? Hurricanes, whose strength can range from category 1 to 5 on the SaffirSimpson scale, tend to get stronger as they move over warm waters like those off Florida.By the middle of the week, forecasters expect Dorian to shift eastwards, putting the coasts of Georgia and South Carolina at risk. What’s the forecast? “Dorian is anticipated to remain an extremely dangerous major hurricane while it moves near the north-western Bahamas and approaches the Florida peninsula into early next week,” the NHC said. The NHC warned that Dorian could cause “incredibly catastrophic damage”. In an advisory on Saturday, the NHC said Dorian was not expected to make landfall in Florida but the possibility that it will cannot be ruled out. “Life-threatening storm surge and devastating hurricane-force winds are still possible along portions of the
Florida east coast by the early to middle part of next week,” the NHC said. Residents of Georgia and South Carolina have been told to keep an eye on the forecast as Dorian churns towards the US coast.Dorian’s exact path toward Florida remains uncertain but millions of people could be affected, as well as holiday attractions such as Walt Disney World and President Donald Trump’s Mar-aLago resort. Dorian is expected to drop up to 12in (30cm) of rain on the coastal US, with some areas getting as much as 18in. Tides in the region are already at some of their highest levels of the year, owing to a naturally occurring event. A new moon, combined with the coming autumn equinox, has created what are known in Florida as “king tides”. These are likely to exacerbate dangerous levels of flooding, forecasters warn. How is Florida preparing? Governor Ron DeSantis has declared a state of emergency for the whole state, as has President Trump. The
governor has activated 2,500 National Guard troops, with another 1,500 on standby. Shoppers in Florida have been queuing around the block to snap up supplies such as medication and fuel. Some petrol stations reported fuel shortages, while a few shops had run out of bottled water. The coastal city of Miami ordered the removal of electric rental scooters from the streets to avoid any potential hazards.Officials fear the rental scooters, operated by firms such as Lime, Lyft and Uber’s Jump, could be swept away by strong winds, turning them into projectiles. No immediate mass evacuations have been ordered by state authorities but President Trump, who had warned that Dorian “could be an absolute monster”, said a decision could be made on Sunday. People have been asked to bring their pets with them in case of evacuation. On social media, the names of hotels that accept pets are being shared.Orlando International Airport announced it was halt-
ing commercial flights from 02:00 (06:00 GMT) on Monday “out of an abundance of caution”. Tourist resorts in the city remained open, however. President Trump cancelled a planned trip to Poland because of the storm, sending Vice-President Mike Pence instead. What about the Bahamas? The NHC has issued a hurricane warning for the north-western Bahamas where water levels could rise by as much as 10-15ft (3-4.5m) in some areas. Near the coast, it said, the surge would be accompanied by large and destructive
waves.Bahamas Prime Minister Hubert Minnis announced an evacuation order for parts of Grand Bahama and the Abaco Islands, both in the north of the archipelago, and said flights were being increased. “I’m appealing to residents who are able to [leave] to seek shelter among family members and other suitable accommodations for their safety,” he said in a news conference. “I urge you, do not be foolish and try to brave out this hurricane. The price you may pay for not evacuating is your life or other serious physical harm,” he said.
Kaieteur News
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Sunday September 01, 2019
Almost 6 months after non-binding MoU… Govt., GTT silent on negotiations for - “outstanding” US$40M in tax liberalisation remains at centre of negotiations
There has not been much information coming out about the telecoms liberalisation process for the last six months.
Almost six months after signing a “non-binding” agreement, both the Government and the USowned Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GTT) has maintained radio silence on the status of the liberalisation process of the telecoms sector. A number of projects, including the landing of a submarine fibre optic cable by Digicel, to bring another link are among those in limbo. Sources familiar with the situation indicated that the sticking point in the delays remains millions of US dollars in taxes dating back to the early 90s that the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) is reportedly claiming on advisory fees paid by the company to its US parent company, Atlantic TeleNetwork, Inc. (ATNI). GTT is reportedly offering to pay a few millions in settlement but it is not being accepted by the Government. In the meantime, the entire liberalisation process appears to be waiting on a closure of the negotiations so that applications can be accepted and processed from other investors, which have been waiting to enter the lucrative telecoms market. In March, after mounting
pressure on a liberalisation date, both the Government and GTT announced that they have inked an agreement. However, it was made clear, in a statement, that the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was non-binding in its nature. Still, the two parties argued that it will spell significant advancement in the ongoing negotiations. GTT, a US-controlled company that has been here for 28 years, taking over the crumbling state-owned Guyana Telecommunication Corporation in the early 1990s, has also been insisting on a number of concessions, including more spectrum, and reportedly tax breaks, to give up its monopoly on landline and international calls. Several companies have been applying to operate internet TV, mobile services, and the landing of submarine cables to bring data. However, the ongoing talks have stalled the processing of the applications. Minister of Telecommunications, Cathy Hughes, has committed to granting an interview when she is back from overseas. GTT has landed a submarine cable a few years
ago and is busy rolling out its services from this fibre link, which it says has 1,000 times the possibilities of the old, slower copper wire and satellite-linked connections. The delays in closing the current negotiations have allowed GTT to continue rolling out its Blaze service to new areas. Since coming into Government in 2015, the issue was high on the agenda of the Coalition to end the monopoly. It entailed talks between the Government and the company about taxes, concessions and other issues. Currently, only the Irishowned Digicel is here, and it is limited to mobile services. Government had committed to opening up the sector mid-last year, but it was delayed to the end of last year and then onto this year. New laws allowing other players were passed in 2016 with the Guyana Te l e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s Telecoms Agency established. The National Frequency Management Unit has been taken over by the Ministry, which is a new one established under this Coalition Government.
Sunday September 01, 2019
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Kaieteur News
A synopsis of the Chief Justice’s ruling on removing the name of a person who is currently on the list of registrants during house-to-house registration
L
ast month Attorney-at-law and Chartered Accountant Christopher Ram challenged the constitutionality of the recently concluded house-tohouse registration exercise in which he argued that it will result in the possibility of thousands of Guyanese being unlawfully deregistered and will omit to register thousands of qualified registrants resulting in their loss in their right to vote at the next elections. Chief Justice Roxane George dealt extensively with this issue in her written judgment. At paragraph 172 174 of her judgment, Justice George gave a synopsis on the issue Can a person whose name is currently on the list of registrants and electors, but who is not registered during the house-
to-house registration exercise, be removed from the list of registrants and thereby the list of electors for the next general and regional elections which flow from the validly passed No-Confidence Motion. According to the Chief Justice, residency is not an additional qualifying requirement for registration pursuant to Article 159 (2) (c) of the Constitution of Guyana. She added, “And therefore the names of persons which are currently on the list of registrants and electors, but who are not registered during the houseto-house registration exercise cannot be removed unless the persons are deceased or become disqualifies pursuant to Article 159 (2) of the Constitution with the provisions for such removal
in the National Registration Act to be complied with.” Justice George explained that where persons are already registered it would be unconstitutional if they are removed for the sole reason that they now reside in another jurisdiction or another part of the country vis-à-vis where they reside as regards their place or district of registration in Guyana where they would be able to vote. She said that the same would apply if it is that they are simply not present for whatever reason when the registration officer or enumerator visited or visits. The Chief Justice noted, “Once they fulfill the criteria in Article 159 (2) and are already registered, they are entitled to remain so unless it is proven that they are dead or have become disqualified or that Article 159 (3) or (4)
Gunmen escape in taxi after robbing Rambarran’s Enterprise Two gunmen made good their escape yesterday after robbing the employees at Rambarrans Enterprise located on Middleton Street, a stones throw away from the Rama Krishna Primary School. They escaped with an undisclosed amount of cash. According to reports received, two gunmen approached the entity and held the staff at gunpoint demanding all the cash they had. The staff fearful for their lives complied and one of the men proceeded to jump over the counter and emptied the cash register. The men reportedly left in a white car, HC 5373, which was said to have two other persons occupying it as well, the employees carried on their business as usual. When this publication visited the scene of the incident, one employee seemed visibly shaken and the others appeared calm. They refused to speak to the media saying, “yall cant do more than the police can, so we aint talking to no media.”A conversation with the security guard revealed that he was not at his post of duty at the time of incident. The guard claimed that he went to get something to eat and it was upon his return that
The business place shortly after the robbery occurred he learnt of the incident. So far, no one has been arrested and the matter was still under investigation up to press time.
Chief Justice Roxane George applies.” According to Article 159 paragraph (3), no person shall be qualified to be so registered who on the qualifying date is a person certified to be insane or otherwise adjudged to be of unsound mind under any law in force in Guyana. Article 159 paragraph (4) further adds, No person shall be qualified to be so registered if during such period (not exceeding five years) preceding the qualifying date as may be prescribed by Parliament, has been convicted by a court of any offence connected with elections that is so prescribed
or has been reported guilty of such an offence by the High Court on proceedings under article 163. In determining that residency is not a requirement necessary for qualification for registration and by extension as an elector, Justice George said that she agreed with Nandlalls contention that the residency requirement was removed when the 1980 Constitution came into force. She noted that the extant 1980 Constitution sets out the requirements for eligibility to be registered as an elector for the purposes of voting in an election. She reasoned at paragraph 154, “Having concluded that residency is Guyana is not a qualifying requirement, it would follow that Guyanese who are living overseas do not cease to be qualified to be registered by the sole reason that they are not residing in Guyana at the time of the house to house registration once they have been registered before.” “For that matter, if for example, a person who has been registered in a district in Region 4, has , since the last registration cycle or the last
2015 general or 2018 local government election when he or she voted, become resident whether permanently or temporarily in Region 8, that person cannot be removed from the register of registrants and ultimately the list if electors because they did not return to the relevant district in Region 4 to be registered during the house-to-house registration process, more so if they consider their residence to be in Region 4.” Furthermore, she held that if these persons have changed their addresses and thereby changed the division where they reside, then one would expect that they would apply to do so during the house-to-house exercise or at a divisional of district office. If they care to be re-registered in the Region in which they now reside, where they are there permanently or not, they would have to re-register and the requisite provisions would apply for the removal of their names from the list for the district in which they were previously resided pursuant to subsection 8 and 11 of the NRA (National Registration Act).” According to Article 159 (Continued on page 64)
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Kaieteur News
Sunday September 01, 2019
Energy Director, Tullow Oil Guyana doing more offshore drilling than T&T – Ex-T&T Energy Minister Management Team visit Stena Forth Guyana Government officials may not know but drilling activity has increased so much that there’s more offshore drilling here than there is in Trinidad and Tobago. This is according to former Energy Minister of T&T, Kevin Ramnarine. During an address to stakeholders of the party he represents, the United National Congress (UNC), Ramnarine was addressing what he termed to be a decline in the performance of the T&T economy. He said that drilling activity in the Caribbean island had fallen 57 percent in the last four years, and that that represents a major slowdown in the country. “Rigs are leaving T&T instead of coming to T&T,” Ramnarine said. He said that a rig which has worked in the country for eight years is now departing the island to drill in Guyana.“There is now more offshore drilling activity taking place in Guyana than in T&T.” According to his calculations, for the first six months of this year, there were 489 offshore rig days there.
Former T&T Energy Minister, Kevin Ramnarine “I did a calculation of what was happening in Guyana at the same time, 556. So there is more drilling activity taking place offshore now in Guyana than in T&T.” The former Minister said that the centre (Continued on page 63)
Director, Department of Energy Dr. Mark Bynoe (front, centre) along with British High Commissioner to Guyana, Greg Quinn and members of the management team of Tullow Oil on the helideck of the Stena Forth The Stena Forth Drillship offshore Guyana
Director of Energy, Dr. Mark Bynoe, on Friday said that the visit to the Stena Forth to get a first-hand look at the drillship was tremendous as it brought a new appreciation of the entire cycle of operations involved in the petroleum sector. Bynoe made the disclosures after travelling to the vessel with a management team from Tullow Oil, Executive Vice President (New Ventures) Mr. Ian Cloke; Tullow Oil Guyana B.V. Country Manager, Mr. Joachim Vogt; Tullow Oil plc Head of Operations and External Affairs (New Ventures and Exploration) Mr. Eric Bauer, along with Environmental Protection Agency, Executive Director, Dr. Vincent Adams and British High Commissioner to Guyana, Mr. Greg Quinn.
”[The visit] allowed us an opportunity to assess the work that is currently being carried out as well as to interact with those who are at the front end… It is vital that we have a full appreciation of the range of services and expertise that are required that if, as Guyanese, we are moving to manage, but also take greater control of the sector. We’re able to allow for those expertise to be developed and ultimately be employed within the sector going forward,” the Energy Director said. The UK-based Tullow Oil Plc wholly owned subsidiary Tullow Guyana B.V. Jethro-1 exploration well, drilled in the Orinduik Block offshore Guyana, announced that it discovered oil in commercial quantities on August 12.
Sunday September 01, 2019
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Sunday September 01, 2019
GuyOil denies mid-yr report that fuel shipment was contaminated The state-owned Guyana Oil Company Limited (GuyOil) has denied the Ministry of Finance’s halfyear’s report, which said that shipment of fuel in February was contaminated. The company was last week correcting what it says were a few inaccuracies in a report carried by this publication. The Finance Ministry, in its report of GuyOil’s performance had this to say: “Mogas, Kerosene and Gasoil sales were 35,701 barrels, 4,632 barrels and 33,624 barrels lower than 2018, respectively. In addition, given price competition and the contamination of a shipment of Super 95 Gasolene in February 2019, overall sales declined. However, a market plan is in place to address this, and includes public outreaches, volume discounts and a dealers’ rebate programme.” Back in February, a number of vehicles caught fire and there were accusations. GuyOil has denied that its fuel had a problem. However, in a letter to Kaieteur News last week refuting this, the company had this to say: “Additionally, GuyOil wishes to inform you that at no time in 2019 was any shipment of fuel contaminated. GuyOil subscribes to Global Fuel
Standards as set out by the American Society for Testing and Material (ASTM), and all imported fuel is tested at the port of loading by an independent certified laboratory. GuyOil is compliant with local and international standards and has quality assurance systems that are strictly adhered to. At GuyOil, we always strive to supply products of high quality to our customers.” The company is also clarifying that its half year sales did not drop $1.3B as stated in the headline but rather $859M when compared to the same period in 2018. “However, as stated in the article, it was the cash flow receipts that declined by $1.3B. Further, it should be pointed out that both lower sales volume and lower acquisition costs were the factors that contributed to the lower sales value (revenue).” The situation of GuyOil’s sales have been under scrutiny for a number of years now amid evidence of significant smuggling and direct competition to the company. Significant sales to the ‘gold bush’ and hinterland locations have accounted for a big slice of the fuel market to smugglers and other private individuals who have been granted import licences. It was reported in December that GuyOil lost
GuyOil has denied there was any fuel that was contaminated in February. ground in its gasoline sales in 2017, thanks to smuggling among other things. In its 2017 Annual Report, it was reported that net profit had decreased almost 29 percent. GuyOil competes mainly with SOL and Rubis. The company’s business involves the importation, storage, distribution and marketing of motor gasoline, gasoil, kerosene, fuel oil, and Castrol lubricants. The products are distributed through the large network in
the petroleum business in Guyana, comprising 52 dealer-owned, dealeroperated, and eight company-owned, companyoperated service stations. Its three terminals are at Adventure, Region Two; Providence, East Bank Demerara and Heathburn, Berbice. Since the loss of the Venezuela supplies in 2015, Guyana had turned to the Petroleum Company of Trinidad and Tobago (PetroTrin) refinery in Trinidad
which is the main supplier of Mogas, Gasoil, Kerosene, and Jet A1; and Staatsolie Maatschappij, Suriname. It is now reportedly sourcing from Jamaica. According to Chairman Mark Bender’s report of 2017, “Despite the increasing manifestation of smuggled/ illegal fuel and the increased number of licensed private importers, GuyOil maintained its dominant position in the Guyana market and continued to be the leader in stabilising fuel prices, to the benefit of
the Guyanese consuming public and industries.” According to the sales revenues, in 2017 sales were $35.259B, compared to $31.939B in 2016, an increase of $3.32B or 10.39%. Cost of sales was $30.465B compared to $25.889B in 2016, an increase of $4.576B or 17.68 percent. With regards to the sales volumes, GuyOil managed to reach 1,309,093 barrels compared to 1,287,211 barrels in 2016, an increase of 21,882 barrels or 1.7 %.
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Sunday September 01, 2019
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North West man accused of biting woman on the head during quarrel over shovel An 18-year-old man was yesterday hauled before the courts where he was accused of biting a woman to the head during an argument over a shovel. Ron Bovell pleaded not guilty to the charge, which said that on August 27, 2019 at Turn Basin Port Kaituma,
North West District, he assaulted a woman so as to cause her actual bodily harm. The charge was read to the defendant by Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan in the Georgetown Magistrates Courts. Bovell, who was not represented by an attorney, told
the court that he is a labourer who resides in the North West District. Police Prosecutor, Gordon Mansfield, disclosed that the parties are known to each other. On the day in question, the parties got into an argument and Bovell allegedly bit the woman on her
forehead causing injuries. He added that the matter was later reported and the defendant was charged for the present offence before the courts. When given an opportunity to address the court, Bovell said: “I went to borrow and shovel from the neighbours and she [victim]
dont talk to them so because I went and got the shovel from them. She say me and them is friends and thats what cause the argument but I didnt injure she.� Magistrate McLennan then adjourned the matter until November 5, 2019 when it will be recalled at the Matthews Ridge Magistrate
Court, Region One. The defendant was released on self bail. Both parties are to undergo counselling sessions pending the hearing and determination of the matter before the court. Bovell was ordered not to go within 50 feet of the woman.
Police hunt prime suspect in Diamond fish shop fatal stabbing Police have launched a manhunt for the main suspect in the recent Diamond, East Bank Demerara fish shop brawl that ended with 18year-old Friendship, East Bank Demerara resident Rivaldo Williams, succumbing. At the Diamond Diagnostic Centre, doctors found he had suffered several stab wounds. Yesterday, police sources indicated that since the incident occurred on August 25, they have been able to come up with credible leads as to who the main suspect is. They said that the suspect has since been on the run. Relatives had disclosed said that several family members were returning from a wedding ceremony in Diamond and decided to stop at the Sin City Nightclub and Fish Shop for food when the incident occurred. His sister, Faneisa Jairam, said that her brother had entered the fish shop with a few
friends. After a lengthy time passed and they did not come out, she ventured into the shop and realised that her brother and his friends were in a heated argument t with a group of young men, who were consuming alcohol. Other relatives who were waiting in the bus outside the fish shop had indicated that they had seen a group of young boys sprinting from the facility. They entered the place and saw the teen lying on the ground in a pool of blood, with stab wound to the left chest, abdomen, face and head. He was rushed to the nearby Diamond Hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival. Meanwhile, relatives at the home yesterday are still in deep grief and are calling on police authorities to ensure they receive swift justice in the matter.
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Kaieteur News
“I didnt know I was stealing” - man tells court By Renay Sambach A man who was charged for simple larceny and appeared in court on Friday, last, told the court that he had no idea the items he was asked to transport were stolen from the Guyana Public Service Union. Thirty-eight-year-old Collin Miller, of 7th Avenue Diamond, East Bank Demerara, made his court appearance before Senior Magistrate Leron Daly in the Georgetown Magistrates Courts, where the charge was read to him. Miller denied the charge that alleged on August 28, 2019, at Thomasland, Georgetown; he stole one metal door valued at $47, 000, property of Public Service Union. Police prosecutor Sanj Singh made no objection to bail being granted to the defendant since the article was recovered. The defendant then asked to explain to the court what happened, Miller said, “I had some problems at home so I came down to town but I had no place to go.” “I was in Thomasland when some men approached me and asked me to deliver some items to some people; these men give me the impression that they own the articles.” “After I delivered the first one and went back at
Charged: Antonio Maraj Thomasland to pick up the other items, some police officers hold me and told me that someone report a man is stealing metal doors, I had no idea that I was stealing.” After the defendants lengthy explanation, Senior Magistrate Leron Daly granted the defendant bail in the sum of $15,000, and instructed him to make his next court appearance on September 30, 2019. Moreover, an Agricola man who was slapped with three counts of robbery under arms had two of the three charges dismissed against him when he ap-
peared in court on Friday. Meanwhile, 23-year-old Antonio Maraj, a mason and a father of two was arraigned before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan in the Georgetown Magistrates Court where three charges were read to him. Maraj who was unrepresented denied the charges. The first charge alleged that on August 12, 2019, at Hadfield and Breda Street, Georgetown, while in the company of others, and armed with a gun, he robbed Mark Whittaker of $86,000, cash and a Samsung cellphone valued at $64,000. The second charge stated that on the same date and location, while in the company of others, and armed with a gun, he robbed Tavia Daly of a cellphone valued at $80,000, a silver chain valued at $10,000, and $2,500. The final charge stated, on August 17, 2019, at Durban Street, Work-en-rust, Georgetown, while in the company of others and armed with a gun he robbed Kester Peters of $40,000, cash, a cell phone valued at $48,000, a gold ring valued at $127,000, a knife valued at $8,000, and two flash drives valued at $4000. Police prosecutor Gordon Mansfield made objections to bail being granted to the defendant based on the seriousness of the allegation, preva-
lence and the fact that a gun was used in all three of the robberies. However, the virtual complainants of the first two charges, Whittaker and Daly stepped into the witness box and under oath, they said that they
would no longer want to proceed with the matter against Maraj. Chief Magistrate McLennan dismissed the first two charges against the defendant and he was granted bail in the sum of $100, 000, on the final charge.
Maraj is expected to make his next court appearance on September 6, 2019, and he was ordered to report to the Ruimveldt Police Station everyday at 08:00hrs until the completion of the matter.
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Sunday September 01, 2019
Kaieteur News
Speedboat mysteriously disappears from under nose of Essequibo farmer The speedboat that was stolen
A Melville Village, Wakanaam, Essequibo River farmer got the shock of his life recently when he returned from his farm, to find that his speedboat had disappeared. It had been tied close to his farm. Mohamed Kalam said that he was working on his farm for a few hours and was in the act of fetching some farm produce to the boat. He almost had a heart attack when he arrived at that location. He said that on arriving at the edge of the water, all he saw was rippling waves in the area, which indicated that boat had left moments before. The man said that while working on the farm, he had heard the
revving of a boat engine, but did not pay attention since many speedboats would normally traverse the area. He said that the person/persons who stole his boat would have had to ‘hotwire’ the vessel since he had walked with the keys in his pocket. Kalam is desperately trying to recover his 17-foot with its 40-horse power single engine. The farmer said it is the only transport he has to move his produce to the market locations in Essequibo. He’s offering a $100,000 reward to anyone with information that can lead to him recovering the vessel and engine.
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Kaieteur News
30 GPHC staffers for French, Hire-car driver charged with Spanish classes after gambling money death language barriers challenges Staffers at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) are soon to be exposed to foreign language training, according to officials at the medical institution. As indicated by top officials yesterday, management at this facility has taken this course of action since they have been encountering difficulties when attempting to administer medical service to foreigners coming to the hospital. Officials noted yesterday
that over the months the institution has seen a great influx of Haitians, Brazilians, Cubans and Venezuelans seeking medical services. They said that because of the language barrier, there have been problems. Medical staff there has encountering difficulties when attempting to solicit the necessary particulars of patients to facilitate treatment, and to also gather vital information that can assist them with the proper and correct diagnosis. Already, the GPHC has
singled out 30 employees who will be exposed to both intermediate and advanced foreign language courses which will be conducted in the training room at the institution. This will include persons shortlisted from departments that houses doctors, nurses and administrative personnel as well. The courses will last for six months after which successful participants will be certified. Those selected will be taught French and Spanish.
Several GPHC staffers are to be trained to speak French and Spanish after a growing problem in communicating with Cubans, Venezuelans and Haitians.
A 29-year-old hire car driver of Kildonan Village, Corentyne, Berbice was remanded to prison on Thursday for the murder of Nigel Matthews, 49, of Springlands, Upper Corentyne. Neshawn Williams called “Blacka” appeared at Whim Magistrate’s Court before Magistrate Renita Singh and was not required to plea. Bail was refused and the case was postponed to September 19 and transferred to the Springlands Magistrate’s Court. Williams was arrested along with another after Matthews’ lifeless body was found at Rampoor Village, Corriverton. A police source had stated that Matthews was at
Nigel Matthews a gambling location in Skeldon and after winning, Williams decided to force Matthews to hand over his winnings. This caused a scuffle
between the two and Williams allegedly stabbed Matthews. The money that Matthews won was taken away. Malcolm Hernandez, a (Continued on page 60)
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Sunday September 01, 2019
Retired Trini judge admitted to local Bar Larry Lalla, a former Supreme Court Justice of Trinidad and Tobago, was admitted to the bar on Thursday by Justice Sandil Kissoon. The application was made by Attorney-at-law Devindra Kissoon of the London House Chambers law firm. During the application, Kissoon explained that Lalla
was the youngest Supreme Court Justice ever to be appointed in Trinidad, being appointed at the tender age of 35. He presided over murder and fraud cases. After demitting the bench, Lalla served as a Government Senator in the Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago and contributed to the debate on several important pieces of legislation including the Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Property Act, 2015 and the Planning and Facilitation of Development Bill 2013. He also served as member
of the Council of the Law Association of Trinidad and Tobago for 12 years. As a practising attorney, he has handled a wide range of public law and civil matters. Lalla disclosed that he was eager not only to contribute to the Guyana bar, but was looking forward to continue learning from the talented local bar and judiciary. He is also admitted to the New York Bar and Florida Bar. He is a consultant to commercial firm London House Chambers, where he will lead its alternate dispute resolution practice.
Attorney-at-law, Larry Lall (2nd l). From left is Dr. Samatha Lalla, Justice Sandil Kissoon and Attorney-at-law Devindra Kissoon.
Kaieteur News
Sunday September 01, 2019
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China's Belt and Road Initiative…
President of Tanzania, John Magufuli
Tanzania rejects “exploitative” US$10B port from China An artist impression of the port project.
T
he Government of Ta n z a n i a h a s suspended a US$10B port project, which would have seen the country handing over a range of lopsided benefits to the Asian emerging superpower. A key component of China's US$900B Belt and
Road Initiative (BRI), the Bagamoyo port would have been the largest gateway in East Africa. It would have included railways and roads to oilfields. According to several publications, Tanzanian President, John Magufuli, described the deal as
“exploitative and awkward”, and its conditions as tough ones “that can only be accepted by mad people”. The project agreement had been signed under former Tanzania President, Jakaya Kikwete, in March 2013. It would receive
financial backing from China, as well as Oman, according to Reuters. It was expected that China Merchants Holdings International, China's largest port operator, would build the port and a special economic zone. The project had
commenced preliminary works in 2015, with some residents being relocated to facilitate it. The current Government, which took office in that very year, decided that it did not want to continue with the deal. That had frustrated the construction. Some aspects of the terms expected by the Chinese were that China would own and operate the port for over three decades; that the Tanzania Revenue Authority would not benefit from those operations; that Chinese companies could come and go as they please without interference from
the Government of Tanzania, and that Tanzania shouldn't develop other ports to compete with Bagayomo. In explaining his suspension of the project to a delegation of business people in June, Magufuli said, “They want us to give them a guarantee of 33 years and a lease of 99 years, and we should not question whoever comes to invest there once the port is operational. They want to take the land as their own but we have to compensate them for drilling construction of that port,” he said. Tanzania Ports Authority Continued on page 60
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Sunday September 01, 2019
. s… ar ye 50 r fo y et ci so l ga le e th in g in Serv
Former Judge Stanley Moore S.C. is a ‘Special Person’
Former Judge Stanley Moore S.C.
In spite of his p r o f e s s i o n a l accomplishment, the lawyer said he is forever humbled by life's lessons. “I'm a perennial student of life, so I am forever learning.” IT TAKES A VILLAGE Justice Moore with some of his closest family, including his wife, three of his children and grandson. By Rehanna Ramsay
W
hile most people would consider themselves retired by the age of sixty-five, Stanley Alfred Moore, Attorney-at-law and Senior Counsel, at the ripe age of 84, refuses to relent where providing legal services to the nation and people of Guyana is concerned. In fact, the seasoned lawyer is observing his 50th year of
practice and service to the bar and bench. His work stretches beyond Guyana and the Caribbean to the most distant lands of Botswana and Swaziland located on the African Continent — places he once referred to as home. But although having achieved notable success in his career, this week's 'Special Person' spends most of his days, usually slumped over a pile of court files, cooped up in a small corner
office at the law offices of McKay and Moore, located on Croal Street, Georgetown. Moore admits that he is not as sharp as he once was, but notes that his mind is ever-ticking. Despite his age, Moore still attends Court. His goal is to stay active and remain au fait with the discipline of law for as long as possible. “I just can't retire and go home. I think it's the way we lawyers are built. We don't
stop working until our mind stops,” Moore reflected. The lawyer noted, however, that “these days,” he takes life in stride. His satisfaction comes from relishing in the memories of his prime years of private practice and work as a judge, locally and overseas. Photographs from that time, some of which hang on his office wall, are among some of his most valued treasures.
parents, Olive Isabella Wa l c o t t - M o o r e a n d Llewellyn ***Cornett Moore, left the Ancient County when he was still very young. The family relocated to Thomas Street, Kitty.
“I just can't retire and go home. I think it's the way we lawyers are built. We don't stop working until our mind stops...” Perhaps, this modest perspective has something to do with Moore's simple upbringing. He told Kaieteur News that his life started out quite simple. He was born on Monday, July 1, 1935 “in a pleasant little lane called Asylum Street in New Amsterdam, Berbice.” However, his
“That's where my brother, Carlyle Moore and I grew up.” T h e q u i e t neighbourhood of Kitty, Georgetown, in the preindependence era of what was known then as British Guiana, is where the former judge gave his first recollection of life. Continued on page 55
Stanley Moore S.C. in ceremonial attire as a Bahamian Judge
Seated (second from left) Justice Moore is pictured among a group of Judges from the Commonwealth.
Sunday September 01, 2019
Kaieteur News
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The poor have little to get
P
eople have wondered why it is that there has been no public outrage against the oil deals which were signed by the APNU+AFC government. Not a single protest has been launched against these deals. It is not that the Guyanese people do not understand that these deals constitute the biggest ripoff in history. They know that. This newspaper has been in the forefront of exposing the scandalous deals signed in 2016. But the political leadership of Guyana is controlled by middle class and oligarchic political interests. And they will ensure that they benefit from these deals, and therefore they are not interested in protesting on behalf of the poor and working classes. The poor have little to get. By the time oil production commences, cost recovery would have dented what Guyana has earned. And it is this little which the middle class wants to control.
Oil production in the Orinduik Block has not yet started, but already the costs have begun to oil up. This newspaper is reporting that Tu l l o w, a B r i t i s h o i l company, has billed Guyana some G$64M in pre-contract costs. To this latest bill must be added the US$460M precontract costs racked up by ExxonMobil for its work, prior to signing the 2016 contract. Since then, there would have been contract costs and Guyana can end up being in debt to the tune of more than US$ 2 billion even before a drop of oil begins to flow. From its oil share, Guyana has to pay precontract costs. It also has to pay the costs of producing the oil, which is known as operational costs. A number of other costs have to be paid also, by virtue of the contract signed by the government. If the oil companies drill a well and it is empty, then the cost associated with that empty well is apportioned to the costs for the wells that are producing oil. This is because Guyana's brilliant
government did not incorporate ring-fencing arrangements into the contract. Guyanese therefore had better lower their expectations about oil wealth. There is not going to be that much coming their way, and the monies that will come will be deposited into a natural resource fund which will then ration what can be spent. But it gets worse for Guyanese. The government is saying that it will restore free university education. But where will the money come from for free education. This is not difficult to answer. It will come from the oil revenues. University education is elitist. It caters for less than 1% of the population. And 80% of those graduating from university find their way overseas. In other words, Guyana is unable to benefit from its investment in university education, because 80% of its university graduates opt for greener pastures. In 1996, the National Development Strategy found that one quarter of
secondary school expenditure was being spent on a single school and for CXC examinations. That school was the President's College, which was a residential school. What this shows is that trying to keep this single school going was depriving teachers of decent wages. Instead of scrapping this burden on taxpayers, the government found that it was unable to do so, because there was opposition to closing a school built by the Founder Leader. Then, it was one school that was haemorrhaging the educational system. Twenty-five years later, it will be one institution that will be creaming off much of our oil revenues – the University of Guyana. The University of Guyana is a factory, which churns out Guyana's professional middle class. It is therefore this class, which
will benefit more from Guyana's oil wealth than the poorer classes. And they will do so because the middle class controls the APNU+AFC government. The middle class will continue to benefit in the future, because they also dominate the leadership of both the PNCR and the AFC. This is why there has been such stern resistance to the WPA's proposal for cash grants to families. Not that there was much money to finance the grants in any case. But the resistance is because the middle class, which dominates these two parties, decide the policies of the parties and government, and they intend to ensure that their class benefits from it. Yet the working classes will come out in their numbers next year to vote for political parties, which act against their own interests. There is no
working class party in Guyana at the moment. The working people, however, are too blinded to see this. They see another variable: race, and this is what drives them into the respective political camps. The little which will be thrown Guyana's way by the oil companies will be swooped upon by middle class interests. And for the poor man, it will only amount to an egg ball every month. The middle class would have creamed off the two other loaves of bread. (The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper)
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Sunday September 01, 2019
Scotiabank: Is might, right? By Sir Ronald Sanders
The Canadian-owned Bank of Nova Scotia, or Scotiabank, has more than US$1 trillion in assets; the Gross Domestic Product of the small island state, Antigua and Barbuda, is just US$1.5 billion. Yet, there is what the Canadian newspaper, Globe and Mail, described, on August 26, as a “stand-off” between Scotiabank and the Government of Antigua and Barbuda over Scotiabank’s desire to sell its holdings in Antigua without consulting, or in any other way involving, the Government in the sale to Republic Financial Holdings (RFH), headquartered in Trinidad and Tobago. Scotiabank’s decision not to discuss the sale of its holdings in nine Caribbean jurisdictions with the governments concerned, in advance of concluding an agreement, was extraordinary, particularly as, in Canada, no bank or bank branch can carry on business without obtaining the approval of the finance
minister and the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions. The Bank appears to believe that it could contravene in the Caribbean what it would be obliged to obey in Canada. Apart from ignoring the law in Antigua and Barbuda, and elsewhere, to first obtain the agreement of the governments for a sale in order to secure a ‘vesting o r d e r ’ , S c o t i a b a n k ’s decision demonstrated a lack of good corporate judgment. It could not have been difficult to engage governments about plans to sell before concluding a sale agreement with RFH. Unless it assumed its clout would hammer acceptance of the sale. Equally disdainful behaviour by Scotiabank was the way in which it informed the nine Caribbean jurisdictions that it had settled the sale arrangement. That information came through a public announcement, issued to the media, on 27 November 2018. Governments of the nine jurisdictions and their Central Banks, the regulatory bodies for banking, learned of the sale arrangement simultaneously with the general public. Why would a Canadian financial institution that has been present and moneyspinning in the Caribbean since 1889 and which reported a profit of CAN$1.98 billion a year ago, treat the Caribbean region so disparagingly? Is this another demonstration
of the persistent contemptuous behaviour that small countries confront in the international arena – the doctrine of ‘might is right’? On its website, which was designed to attract business from the region, Scotiabank still declares that: “Over the past century, Scotiabank has developed the most extensive representation of any bank in the region, with approximately 370 branches in 23 countries. Scotiabank is proud to be your “Banker to the Caribbean”. N o w, i t s e e m s , Scotiabank is not so proud to be “Banker to the Caribbean” despite over a hundred years of repatriating profits to Canada gained from the labours of its Caribbean customers. I n t h e s a m e announcement through which it informed the public, including governments and regulatory bodies, that it was selling its holdings, it also made the remarkable and revealing statement, clearly targeted at its shareholders, that: “These transactions are not financially material to Scotiabank”. Indeed, it s a i d , “ S c o t i a b a n k ’s common equity tier one capital ratio will increase by approximately 10 basis points on closing”. So, it appears to say, all will be well with Scotiabank’s shareholding and that’s all that matters. However, Caribbean governments are also
entitled to make decisions that fulfil their duty of care to their people, who also matter. Every country in the Caribbean, without exception, is faced with a major threat to its banking sector and to its participation in the global financing and trading systems subsequent to the withdrawal of the correspondent banking relations (CBRs) by many global banks. The greatest value of Scotiabank to the region is that it supplied its own CBRs because of the relationship between its headquarters in Canada and its Caribbean branches. When Scotiabank departs the nine jurisdictions, it will effectively deprive them of that crucial CBR. That is why, Caribbean governments, including the Government of Antigua and Barbuda, have made the point, repeatedly, that they are not pushing Scotiabank out of the region and would prefer that it remains. In the case of Antigua and Barbuda, the Government has made it clear that building resilience in its banking sector is vital to the maintenance of CBRs. Therefore, it prefers Scotiabank to sell its Antigua holdings to a local bank or banks in order to strengthen their attractiveness for the provision of CBRs. In other words, the objective is to make the rewards to global banks of providing CBRs to a larger indigenous entity, worth the risk of doing so. This would
give the Antigua and Barbuda banking sector greater strength and durability. S c o t i a b a n k ’s sale of its Antigua holdings to RFH would not achieve that objective, nor would it fill the hole that the departure of Scotiabank would leave for CBRs, since RFH, like all other indigenous Caribbean banks, encounters the same obstacles to securing CBRs. Despite all this, instead of talking with the Antigua and Barbuda government about selling the Antigua holdings to local banks, Scotiabank is insistent, as it told the Globe and Mail, that it remains “bound by the terms of this agreement”. Remarkably, Scotiabank has stated that if it is unable to consummate the sale to RFH, it will reexamine all options, “including the closure of our operations in Antigua and Barbuda”. The Bank’s haughty position – our way, or no way – elicited from Prime Minister Gaston Browne the response, that his government “considers it highly irresponsible” that Scotiabank “could so casually threaten to close the b a n k ” w i t h o u t acknowledging its fiduciary responsibilities to depositors and employees and committing to fulfil them. In the circumstances, he pledged “to insist on the most scrupulous attention to the interests of employees
Sir Ronald Sanders and depositors” should Scotiabank “decide to close rather than to sell to Antiguans and Barbudans from whose transactions the Bank made its considerable profits”. Small states face many struggles to achieve justice in the international community; the struggles are sometimes political, but they are mostly economic. Being realistic about the restrictions of their size does not include denying rights because they are small. David is once more called upon to confront Goliath. (The writer is Ambassador of Antigua and Barbuda to the United States and the Organisation of American States. He is also a Senior Fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies at the University of London and at Massey College in the University of To r o n t o . The views expressed are entirely his own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper) Responses and previous c o m m e n t a r i e s : www.sirronaldsanders.com
Sunday September 01, 2019
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Kaieteur News
---Hinds’ Sight by Dr. David Hinds---
It is the role of government in Guyana to directly and indirectly create employment for citizens Let me start today’s column by saying, emphatically, that I hold firmly to the belief that one of the biggest roles of government in contemporary Guyana is to directly and indirectly provide employment for citizens. In this regard, I differ with the thinking of some leading members of the APNU+AFC Coalition. I advance this position against the backdrop of four universally accepted functions of government First, government must provide for the welfare of citizens. Second, government must do for citizens what they cannot do for themselves. Third, government must promote equality, including protecting the weak from the strong. Fourth, it is government that must determine who gets what, when and how. I have been alarmed at the thinking of some members of this Coalition Government that it is not the role of government to create jobs for citizens. This is a new thinking that is out of place in a country like Guyana. It is a borrowed thinking that was introduced by the IMF, three decades ago, that does not take into consideration the political and economic realities of Guyana. It is an economic theory and ideology that has failed to put an end to the structural socio-economic problems which we inherited from almost four centuries of economic and political bondage. It is a thinking that has led and would continue to lead to the worst anti-people policies. It is a thinking that would in the final analysis alienate important segments of the poor and the powerless. It was not the thinking of Jagan’s PPP, Burnham’s PNC and Rodney’s WPA — they all embraced a thinking and practice that saw government as a vehicle for uplifting the poor in all areas of life, To begin with, it is absurd for persons to ask citizens to vote them into government and then turn around and tell
the very voters that it is not the role of government to provide for them. Second, it is nonsensical to look at a post-plantation society with a mini-private sector that is mostly engaged in “ buying and selling” and then tell people that it is not the government’s role to provide jobs for them. I ask—if not the government, then who? Third, it is equally foolish to suggest to people to create jobs for themselves in the absence of an overarching policy aimed at producing and sustaining new entrepreneurs. Entrepreneurs do not produce themselves—they are produced by intentional government policies, including government subsidies. Of course, this minimalist role of government is part of conservative orthodoxy in First World capitalist countries where the government is expected to stay out of the economic sector. The private sector is seen as the engine of economic growth. But, if one follows what happens in those countries, there is a role for government in the economic sector—when the private sector messes up, the government steps in to bail them out. Further, when the private sector cannot provide jobs, the government steps in with unemployment relief for workers and assistance to businesses to help them generate jobs. So, in these big capitalist countries, there are big private sectors that generate jobs for the people. The government helps to create and subsidize the private sector. Government does provide jobs in the government sector such as the public service, but that sector is not as big as the private sector. In other words, there is some justification for the politicians in these countries to say that it is not the role of government to create jobs. The government gives the resources to the private sector in the form of tax breaks and other subsidies
with the hope that the latter creates employment for citizens. Those conditions do not exist in Guyana—our country has developed differently. Guyana and our Caribbean cousins are particular types of societies with histories that are different from the First World countries. We do not have a thriving and diverse private sector. It is therefore the government’s role to provide employment for citizens until they can do so for themselves. Guyana’s private sector can only provide jobs which pay a livable wage for a small fraction of the population. The small “roadside businesses” that poor people engage in, do not and cannot provide most of them with a livable wage, much more create jobs for others. There are many farmers who produce food for which they cannot find adequate markets. Yes, the government does not own 80 percent of the economy as it did back in the early decades of independence. But Guyana’s economy is still not driven by the private sector. So, government still has to play an active role in directly and semi-directly creating jobs. Oil and Gas are here, but they will produce very few direct jobs. Government has to figure out how to use the revenue from the oil and gas to create employment. It is frustrating to hear some leaders blame widespread unemployment on some cultural defect on the part of the unemployed—that they don’t want to work. This class-denigration on the part of the privileged and semiprivileged in our society is dangerous, because it informs policy. For example, some leaders are opposed to cash transfers to poor people, because they feel they will spend the money on unimportant things, or it would encourage them not to work. That economic thinking is grounded in a socio-racial view of the world that has its
The Baccoo Speaks The back to school move is on and with it will be the irresponsibility of the minibus drivers to make up for what they failed to collect during the out of school period. This is going to lead to a series of accidents, one of which will see a minibus crashing and the driver fleeing the scene. ** The police are going to arrest a man whom they were seeking for a murder.
The man would be hiding in the interior, but someone who knows him would give him up. And of course there is the
strange case of a man who killed his wife 21 years ago. It would be difficult for the state to convict him on that murder. ** The police are going to make a large drug bust in the eastern part of the city. This would result from a stakeout that had been going on for a while. The person arrested would have been arrested in the past for a similar offence.
origins in slavery. Our leaders must stop that wrong talk. The WPA and AFC have come out for cash transfers. I understand the PPP is coming out with a version of it. At least one leader of ANUG is for it. The PNC and the other parties in APNU are the only ones who have not embraced it. Cash transfers can be used by people to create employment for themselves. Unemployment is a scourge. It is the root of many
social evils. I, therefore. urge poor people to hold on to your votes until the parties confirm to you that they are seeking government to find work for you. It is crazy to ask unemployed people for their vote and then tell them it’s not your job to find work for them. I am not into that nonsense. (The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper)
Dr David Hinds More of Dr. Hinds’ writings and commentaries can be found on his YouTube Channel Hinds’ Sight: Dr. David Hinds’ Guyana-Caribbean Politics and on his w e b s i t e www.guyanacaribbeanpolitics.news. Send comments to dhinds6106@aol.com
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Kaieteur News
Sunday September 01, 2019
Where in heavens is Multi Fernandes? By Michael Jordan Where in heavens is Multi Fernandes? It’s been some 17 years since the canecutter allegedly fled from a street on the East Bank
of Demerara, leaving a mortally wounded woman at the scene. Roshanie Sooklall and her four siblings grew up dirtpoor in a back street in Herstelling, East Bank
Demerara. By the time she was ten, both her parents had died, and at the age of 14, Roshanie and her four siblings moved to a tiny shack in a squatting community at Diamond, East Bank
Demerara. At around the age of 17, Roshanie started a relationship with a young man from an area at Soesdyke known as Sand Road. By the time she was 18, she had borne the young man a son, and had moved to Soesdyke to live with the man’s family. The couple would eventually have two more children. Roshanie’s spouse worked on and off as a canecutter at the Diamond sugar estate. He was also reportedly quick with his fists when he had too much to drink. Time and again, Roshanie ran away from her abusive spouse, leaving her children behind to live with her brother in the Diamond squatting area. But her brother, Hardyal Damroo, would always urge her to return to her spouse and children. For Roshanie, the final straw came when her reputed husband chopped her on the arm. She packed her belongings and moved back to her brother’s Diamond squatting area home. This time, despite repeated pleas by her reputed husband, she refused to return. On Saturday, January 26, 2002, Roshanie paid a visit to a female friend, Marcie Williams, who lived about 200 yards away in the same squatters’ community. The two women spent the entire night at Williams’ home. However, at around midnight, Roshanie told her friend that
she was leaving, despite suggestions by the friend that she remain until daybreak. Eventually, Marcie Williams decided to accompany Roshanie on her short journey home. Williams was walking in front of Roshanie down a dirt track leading to their destination when she heard Roshanie scream. On looking around, Williams saw Roshanie struggling with her reputed husband, who, from reports, was armed with a knife. As she watched, the man threw Roshanie to the ground. Squatting on the helpless woman, Roshanie’s assailant then slashed her throat from ear to ear. The man then turned his attention to Marcie Williams, who was still standing nearby. He told Marcie that she was next, since she had witnessed the act. Screaming, Marcie Williams ran in the direction of her home, with the killer in pursuit.A swipe from the killer’s knife sliced her right thumb open. Luckily, her screams had alerted a female resident, and Williams managed to scamper into the woman’s residence in the nick of time.The killer then fled from the community. Roshanie’s brother was resting at home when he
heard Marcie Williams scream out his name. He rushed to the scene of the commotion and saw his sister’s mutilated body lying on the ground. He recalled that her neck was almost severed. It is alleged that after killing Roshanie Sooklall, the suspect fled to Soesdyke. He reportedly then collected the couple’s three children. According to Roshanie’s brother, Hardyal Damroo, neither his sister’s killer nor her children have been seen since. The suspect, Multi Fernandes, of Grant Sand Road, Soesdyke, is believed to be around 43 now. Fernandes, at the time, was said to be slimly built and fair in complexion. He reportedly had a gold tooth at the time of his disappearance. If you have any information on the whereabouts of this man, please contact the police.you can also write to us at our Lot 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown office. We can also be reached on telephone numbers: 2258458, 22-58465, 22-58473 and 22-58491. You need not disclose your name. You can also contact Michael Jordan at his email a d d r e s s : kamarangnight@gmail.com.
Sunday September 01, 2019
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Kaieteur News
==THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN==
The music has stopped; the singer is dead
I
don’t believe there is a human on earth who is over forty years of age and doesn’t invoke their memory bank about childhood days when they hear a certain song or the name of a certain singer . This is a common trait about people that will never die. If I am driving or walking and I hear a song, any song by Ken Lazarus, I think of my teenage days on D’Urban Street in Wortmanville. In the early and mid-sixties, Jamaican reggae singer, Ken Lazarus, was by far more known among Guyanese youths than even Otis Redding. Lazarus had a string of hits for almost four consecutive years in Guyana. I remember on Friday nights, the radio would have a hit parade show of the most popular tunes for the week ending Friday. At one time Lazarus had five hits among the top ten. My preferred Lazarus song is not a favourite among his fans worldwide. But I like it for its philosophical foundation. It was composed by German big band leader, James Last for Italian-American teenage idol of the fifties, Connie Francis. In covering
the last composition, “Games That Lovers Play,” Lazarus went to heights that Francis’ vocal cords could not have allowed. The song is done without the reggae rhythm and remains one of Lazarus’ most beautiful hits. Whenever I hear the name Ron Robinson, I think of my growing up days in Wortmanville. Early morning, Monday to Friday, Robinson had a music programme. It was through his selections, Guyanese came to know of Italian saxophonist, Fausto Papetti. All Georgetowners loved the romantic sax of Papetti. When I hear the music of Papetti, Wortmanville shoots straight to my mind. A strange thing happened at the University of Toronto where I met this Italian woman. I told her how much I liked the music of Fausto Papetti. She said, “who?’ and I said the Italian saxophonist, Fausto Papetti. I will never forget this encounter. She told me she is from Italy and does not know and never heard of Fausto Papetti. I was stunned. Here was an Italian artist whose music I grew up with in Guyana, but he was unknown in Italy. I actually bought several of his albums
in Toronto. How do you explain this peculiarity? There is an explanation, but space will not provide for it, because I have to move on to Johnny Braff. Braff is a Guyanese whose presence always reminded me of how I grew up in Wortmanville. Braff at one time, despite the eminence of our politicians, was the most popular personality in Guyana in the sixties, at least among Georgetowners. He shot to fame with his hit song, “It Burns Inside.” Good looking, he was of the type we in Guyana call, “Redmaan”. In those days when you were a “Redmaan” or Portuguese, you were automatically visited with privilege and status. I have done three columns on Braff, so I am not going to repeat how I met him and how brilliant a singer he was (see, Johnny Braff and Aznavour’s Hit Song,” December 6, 2015; “At Johnny Braff’s 81st Birthday last Tuesday Evening,” July 5, 2018 and; “Johnny Braff: An Autograph from a bed that breaks the Heart,” May 4, 2019). I still cannot understand how such talent and success could end up at the night shel-
ter home and then the palms? He died last week. I once asked him, why his children were not there for him? With smooth nonchalance, he told me he could not recollect how many children he had. He said he could remember 27 children with women of different ethnicities, and they are all over the world. He could not remember most of them or their mothers. As he spoke, there was a little smile on his face. Will we see some of those children at his funeral? Do they know he is dead? Well, the music has stopped, but it will keep on burning inside of those who admired him. The burning will keep alight the elusive flame of that philosophical question – how could someone so famous, so talented, so admired, end up
like this? When I did my first column on Braff, I reproduced the words from one of the famous songs of that French crooner, Charles Aznavour . I close with a few lines. Yesterday, when I was y o u n g So many lovely songs Were waiting to be sung So many wayward pleasures Lay in store for me And so much pain My dazzled eyes refused to see I ran so fast that time And youth at last ran out I never stopped to think What life was all about (The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper)
Frederick Kissoon
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Sunday September 01, 2019
Fake birth certificates and strange faces The AFC has received reports that more fake birth certificates and other personal identification documents have surfaced in Region 9 (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo). Some of the reports were submitted by GECOM scrutineers and other workers conducting houseto-house (HtH) registration. This exercise in all administrative regions came to a halt yesterday, the end of August.
In addition to these false documents, the scrutineers also found a number of Guyana National Identification Cards in the possession of non-nationals. Further investigations revealed that there are no source documents in existence, e.g. birth certificates, passports or naturalization documents, to prove that these persons are Guyanese citizens. The same thing occurred
in a few villages in the North Rupununi. Fake birth certificates with no official signatures, no valid numbers, and most of all, missing the official seal of the Registrar of Births and Deaths, were presented during the Registration exercise. That was not all. The Scrutineers also collected birth certificates that were obviously tampered with, documents with names
that the records did not have, and others showing signs that the information was changed. Guyanese Birth Certificates are hand written which make them easily identifiable, and the fakes easy to spot. A few persons who held the fake documents allegedly said that they obtained their Guyana ID Cards “many years ago” after presenting the same tampered birth certificates. An officer at the Coalition’s Lethem office was not surprised by reports about these fake documents because she knows its history. She said that this issue of Fake Birth Certificates is a regular practice in the region, and it is done through a certain Party office. The process, she said, bypasses official channels, i.e. the Government Department that issues certificates of Births, Deaths and Marriages to every citizen. Corroborating this was a Justice of the Peace (JP) in the Region. The JP said that many people visit his office to transact business with fake birth certificates. He related that one woman approached him with a fake birth certificate. When she realised he
was suspicious she allegedly admitted knowing that the certificate was not ‘legal’, and informed him where it was acquired from. The JP said, “Well, across the region I have come across birth certificates that don’t have the stamp of the Registrar General’s Office. We try to question the (holders) and they say they got help from a certain party branch office. The JP said that he knows of a few persons who have no birth certificates yet they have Guyana’s National Identification Cards. Many are foreigners who may not be naturalized Guyanese . He is sure that Guyana’s proximity to the Brazilian Takutu border makes the situation more prevalent. STRANGE FACES AT CERTAIN HOMES In addition to the allegations of a certain party facilitating the acquisition of fake documents, stories are continuing to surface about ‘busloads of non-nationals’ being transported into Lethem and nearby communities. One Scrutineer said: “Strange faces at various homes are claiming to reside there, and these claims are supported by the known occupants”. She told a story of
visiting one home in which nine (9) persons with ID cards presented themselves to be registered, but each of them had a different surname. We already knew that similar incidents occurred during the pre-Local Government Election (LGE) period when people who don’t live in Lethem were listed as residents, and they were able to vote in the LGE. GECOM has promised to investigate the reports and we all hope that the investigations will be thorough; that the holders of fake ID cards and birth certificates will be dealt with within the confines of Guyana’s laws. We intend to utilize the Claims and Objections period to ensure that these citizen complaints, the reports made by the HtH Scrutineers, the Regional Officers and other concerned persons are properly addressed. We also have to make sure that the fake documents are not used, and ultimately do not deprive Guyanese citizens from voting for the chance to live the Good Life in a growing environment. (The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper)
Sunday September 01, 2019
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Kaieteur News
My column
It’s back to school for some Schools open tomorrow. There will be the tears for the first-timers. There will be tears in the eyes of some parents who will watch their precious cargo take their first steps at leaving the nest, not that leaving will come anytime soon. There will be screams in the schoolyards as returning children meet their friends, some of whom they had not seen for the past six or seven weeks. Then there will be the teachers, many smiling and some glaring at children who could be real darlings, and nuisances at times. In the recent weeks I saw parents behaving like the proverbial squirrels, putting away little things at a time for the back-to-school. I saw many going to the stores to buy footwear and uniforms and other accessories. Watching them took me back to so many decades ago. My mother had to get five of us to primary school at any one time. I was the eldest and I learned to work during the holidays to help raise money for my back-to-school items. There were no free exercise books back then, but there was the slate and pencil. I don’t see slates anymore. But they were ubiqui-
tous back then. Children up to fourth standard, which is today’s equivalent of today’s grade six, used slates. They could not keep notes for revision, as is the case with the exercise books, but they were good for writing. We would scrub or scrape the frames so that they looked new. We took pride in our things. Desks had ink wells and the bigger children wrote with fountain pens (I haven’t seen one in ages). People talk about the good old days, but they were rougher than today. Money was scarce. We walked long distances to school compared to today when many children board buses for drops no more than one or two miles. There were no fast food outlets, but there were the vendors who sold the things children love — sugar cake, channa and other tidbits. For the greater part we walked with our lunches in bowls. There were no plastic containers. Teachers were respected; everyone was ‘Sir’ or ‘Miss’. Discipline was rigid. The headmaster had the cane on a wall behind him or on his desk. Schools had no cleaners
back then. It was the duty of children to clean the school and they did it by classes. There were no classrooms in the primary schools. Back then focus was on reading, writing and arithmetic - the three Rs. Almost every child who left primary school could read and write. We would be called to the front of the class to read a passage from the textbook, which in my day was the Nelson West Indian Reader. Whenever a parent had to visit school, the entire school was quiet, because each child knew that his colleague was in trouble. And it did not always have to do with school business. There were those parents, mothers in particular, who asked the headmaster to discipline her child, because boys sometimes get too big for their mothers, the ever present person in our lives. Today’s parents are different. Many of them see the school as a kind of daycare centre for their children. Many do not check their children’s books to even see whether they went to school. My mother was no scholar, but I could ask her to help me at times. I remember me getting
some arithmetic homework and going home to get my mother to help me get the answers. I never did after that experience. My mother got every sum wrong and I got a licking in school. I decided to pay more attention to the subject. My brother and sisters had it a bit easier, because I was there to help them. Back then, too, the entire village was our parent, so we were always on our best behaviour before the news of our indiscretion reached home before us. Especially in Georgetown, adults say nothing to errant children on the road, because there is always some parent who would say that no one should talk like that to her child. With that support, many children do not even bother to listen to even the teacher. I have heard of numerous cases of parents going to a school to fight with a teacher. There were fights and sometimes the teacher won. There were more men in schools back then. Today, people talk about child abuse, something that was unheard of in my day as a child. I always believed that
my mother would kill me if she so desired and I did not want to die. Male teachers were there to keep us growing boys in line. They played cricket with us and sometimes walked along the road with us. Some had bicycles, but none had cars. I cannot forget the days when inspectors visited the school. Even teachers seemed scared, because their promotion depended on it. Many schools have never been visited by inspectors. Teachers had ‘Notes of Lessons’ that detailed how and what they would teach. I don’t believe that such things exist. Teachers analysed children; they knew who had problems at home and sometimes would visit the home. We had hungry children, but no matter what, they always got something to eat in rural Guyana. Many of those children later left these shores to do well in an adopted country. In fact, it was as if Guyana was preparing children for life outside the country. Anyhow, tomorrow is going to be the start for some and a new start for others. Secondary school should be
Adam Harris a challenge for all, but there would be those who would simply move through without even being able to read. In my lifetime, this is the largest number of illiterate young people I have seen. I go to police stations and I hear, repeatedly, “I can’t read and write,” from miscreants. Why? I note the drive by the Education Ministry to turn things around. There have been efforts to recruit retired teachers. There is a move to get the slower child to look at technical vocation. Yet, tomorrow is going to be full of excitement. (The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper)
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Kaieteur News
Sunday September 01, 2019
A list we can trust... to hold elections we can trust “It is my desire that credible elections be held in the shortest possible time. I shall continue to ensure that Government’s actions are consistent and in compliance with the Constitution, and assure citizens of a credible electoral process. I urge everyone not to be intimidated by incendiary insinuations aimed at instigating disaffection which could affect preparations for elections. I assure everyone that the Government will spare no effort to protect your fundamental rights and freedoms. I am confident that the path we have chosen is the best for the nation.”- HE David Granger - 2019.03.15. In an address to the members of the Diplomatic Corps, His Excellency David Granger, was clear when he said, “Free, fair and credible elec-
tions are essential to representative democracy but can be assured only if certain minimum conditions are met. These include - an independent and functional Elections Commission; an acceptable and credible Official List of Electors; and an efficient and competent secretariat to manage these elections. The independence of the Elections Commission is safeguarded by the Constitution. It is insulated from political influence, instruction and interference”. The Constitution of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana mandates that; “the Commission (GECOM) shall exercise general direction and supervision over the registration of electors and administrative conduct of all elections of members of the National Assembly”. A Partnership for National
Unity - APNU - has always advocated for fair, free and credible elections. Along with our Coalition partners, we have always respected the independence of GECOM and the important role that the Commission plays, in delivering credible elections in Guyana. The recent ruling and decisions that were made by the Chief Justice and the Chairman of the Elections Commission are in accord with several of the statements we have issued over the last eight months. We are in agreement with the Chairman of GECOM that, a credible list is critical to a fair and free election. It is noteworthy that the PPP is prepared to go to the polls with any list; they don’t care if the list is corrupted…. Why? One can only imagine why the PPP is not interested in fair, free and credible elec-
tions. However, it is essential that we hold fair, free and credible elections and we cannot do so if the people of Guyana believe that the list is outdated and corrupted. We are encouraged that data gathered from the current house to house registration will be considered in the new list of electors. The p r o c e s s t h a t GECOM will now employ to sanitize the new list of electors must therefore take into consideration all of the concerns expressed. Guyanese need a voter list they can trust; to hold elections they can trust, to give them a government they can trust. This is central to our democracy and our future. When GECOM informs the President that they are ready to conduct general and regional elections, and a date is announced, the Coalition will be ready. In just four short years much progress has been made, but we know that real change takes time. We have made a good start, but there is more work to be done. With the honest leadership of President David Granger, we will embark on a decade of development. We will deliver more jobs, infrastructure development,
higher wages, safer communities, a roof over every head and free education from nursery to university. Under the leadership of President David Granger, the coalition government has provided good governance for all Guyanese. We have created tens of thousands of jobs in new industries, building and maintaining infrastructure, improving the standards in our schools and hospitals, cleaning up our streets, maintaining safe and secure communities. We must not forget that the people of Guyana voted the PPP out of office just four years ago, in 2015. The PPP was voted out of office bec a u s e t h e P P P failed to govern the country in the interest of all the people of Guyana; the PPP failed to provide jobs for our youth; the PPP failed to keep our capital city clean; they failed to deliver public services to all the people of Guyana; the PPP lost the trust of the people of Guyana and they failed to address the country’s most pressing problem – the public security crisis. The PPP has never accepted its responsibility for the high rate of armed robberies, the murderous maritime piracy, the rampant gun-run-
ning and contraband smuggling and other violent crimes that raged along the coastland during its 23 years of governance. During their 23 years, the PPP brought our country to the point of collapse . They destroyed the economy by aligning themselves with narco-traffickers that destroyed job opportunities, especially for our youth. They allowed our infrastructure to crumble through dishonest deals with cronies and friends. They neglected our education system, leaving our young people with no future or hope of securing real jobs. They neglected the public health sector and allowed GuySuCo to fail. The PPP have had their time and their track record proves that they are dishonest, unscrupulous, and too incompetent to govern our country again. This election will be a referendum on leadership. David Granger, a man of integrity and honesty; a statesman and leader who has earned the nation’s trust, will easily prevail. (The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper)
Sunday September 01, 2019
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Kaieteur News
Depression: The deadened feeling thats different from just feeling sad By Dr Zulfikar Bux Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine
W
e all have our moments of feel ing down when things didnt go our way. Most of the time that feeling is usually that of disappointment and not depression. Depression is more than simply feeling unhappy or fed up for a few days. Most people go through periods of feeling down, but when you’re depressed you feel persistently sad for weeks or months, rather than just a few days. Unfortunately, some people think depression is trivial and not a genuine health condition. They’re wrong it is a real illness with real symptoms. Depression is not a sign of weakness or something you can just “snap out of” by getting yourself together. It affects over 300 million persons worldwide and its worst, it can lead to suicidal thoughts or suicide. Today we will discuss it, so that we can all appreciate this awful state of mind. WHATARE THE SYMPTOMS OF DEPRESSION? Depression affects people in different ways and can cause a wide variety of symptoms such as these listed below: · Feelings of sadness, tear-
fulness, emptiness or hopelessness · Angry outbursts, irritability or frustration, even over small matters · Loss of interest or pleasure in most or all normal activities, such as sex, hobbies or sports · Sleep disturbances, including insomnia or sleeping too much · Tiredness and lack of energy, so even small tasks take extra effort · Reduced appetite and weight loss or increased cravings for food and weight gain · Anxiety, agitation or restlessness · Slowed thinking, speaking or body movements · Feelings of worthlessness or guilt, fixating on past failures or self-blame · Trouble thinking, concentrating, making decisions and remembering things · Frequent or recurrent thoughts of death, suicidal thoughts, suicide attempts or suicide · Unexplained physical problems, such as back pain or headaches For many people with depression, symptoms usually are severe enough to cause noticeable problems in dayto-day activities, such as work, school, social activities or relationships with others.
Some people may feel generally miserable or unhappy without really knowing why. WHAT CAUSES DEPRESSION? Common causes of depression include: ·Family history- Youre at a higher risk for developing depression if you have a family history of depression or another mood disorder. · Early childhood traumaSome events impact the way that body reacts to fear and stressful situations. · Brain structure- Theres a greater risk for depression if the frontal lobe of your brain is less active. However, scientists dont know if this happens before or after the onset of depressive symptoms. · Medical ConditionsCertain conditions may put you at higher risk, such as chronic illness, insomnia, chronic pain, or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) · Drug use- A history of drug or alcohol misuse can impact your risk. · Low self- esteem or being self-critical · Personal history of mental illness · Certain medications · stressful events, such as loss of a loved one, economic problems, or a divorce. The cause for depression is not always known and
sometimes your doctor will go ahead to initiate treatment although he/she cannot figure out the cause. WHEN TO SEE A DOCTOR It’s important to seek help from your doctor if you think you may be depressed. Many people wait a long time before seeking help for depression, but it’s best not to delay. The sooner you see a doctor, the sooner you can be on the way to recovery. WHATARE THE TREATMENT OPTIONS? Treatment for depression can involve a combination of lifestyle changes, talking therapies and medication. Addressing the trigger is most often the first and most important step. Your recommended treatment will be based on whether you have mild, moderate or severe depression. If you have mild depression, your doctor may suggest
waiting to see whether it improves on its own, while monitoring your progress. This is known as “watchful waiting”. They may also suggest lifestyle measures such as exercise and self-help groups. Talking therapies, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), are often used for mild depression that is not improving or moderate depression. Antidepressants are also sometimes prescribed. For moderate to severe depression, a combination of talking therapy and antidepressants is often recommended. If you have severe depression, you may be referred to a specialist in mental health for intensive talking treatments and prescribed medication. LIVING WITH DEPRESSION Many people with depression benefit by making lifestyle changes, such as
Dr Zulfikar Bux getting more exercise, cutting down on alcohol, giving up smoking and eating healthily. If you suffer from depression, know that you are not alone. There is help out there. Confide in someone trustworthy and seek medical help if you feel that you cannot manage it alone.
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Sunday September 01, 2019
COUNTRYMAN
- Stories about life in m and out of Guyana, fro ve a Guyanese perspecti
It's not always a good thing to get flowers L By Dennis Nichols
ess than two weeks ago, and in the space of four days, two women were murdered by their husbands. (One reputed) Such horror has become a virulent trend in Guyana. The following poem written by a woman named Paulette Kelly, prefaces today's story, and will likely resonate with every victim or survivor of domestic violence, including those who stay in abusive relationships for the sake of 'love', marriage, children or whatever it is that keeps them trapped in what we call toxic relationships. Its title is “I Got Flowers Today” “I got flowers today. It wasn't my birthday or any other special day. We had our first argument last night. He said a lot of cruel things that really hurt me. I know he was sorry and didn't mean the things he said. Because I got flowers today.” “I got flowers today. It wasn't our anniversary or any other special day. Last night he threw me into a wall and started to choke me. It seemed like a nightmare; I couldn't believe it was real. I woke up this morning sore and bruised all over. I know he must be sorry. Because he sent me flowers today.”
“I got flowers today. It wasn't Mother's Day or any other special day. Last night he beat me up again. And it was much worse than all other times. If I leave him what will I do? How will I take care of my kids? What about money? I'm afraid of him and scared to leave. But I know he must be sorry. Because he sent me flowers today.” “I got flowers today. Today was a very special day. It was the day of my funeral. Last night he finally killed me. He beat me to death. If only I had gathered enough courage and strength to leave him, I would not have gotten flowers today!” Too often, death is the deliverer that frees women (and occasionally men) from intimate partner violence, or IPV. It shouldn't be. 'Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness' isn't just a phrase in the US Declaration of Independence. It is a universal right that should be protected in every country and community; taught in every home and school. Some will say this is already the status quo in civilised societies but statistics mocks that assertion. In America, the trumpeted home of democracy, for example, the National Domestic Violence Hotline reveals that on
average 24 people are victims of physical violence, rape, or stalking by an intimate partner every minute. Let that sink in – in a country that prides itself on upholding the notions of justice and equality including its advocacy of women's rights, and where, of course, women comprise the majority of casualties. Globally, the United Nations, in a 2018 report, noted that 137 women were killed daily by intimate partners or relatives. The emblazoned caption read 'UN finds the deadliest place for women is their home'. Its Office on Drugs and Crime said about 87,000 women and girls were killed worldwide the previous year, with more than half of them succumbing to domestic violence. To make matters worse, it stated what most of us know – that incidences are almost universally underreported to authorities. Again, most of us know the reasons why some women endure abuse without retaliating or seeking help. Fear, proverbially, is the key. Fear of fighting back, fear of not being believed, fear of ridicule and reprisal, fear of economic hardship, and fear of being stigmatised. In Guyana, there are countless stories of women reporting domestic abuse to the police,
after which a warning, a reprimand, or a restraining order may follow; and sometimes a plea from the abused party not to follow through with a course of action. The consequences of some of these half-measures are that the abuse continues, until a knife pierces a 'lovewracked' heart, or hands that once lovingly caressed become claws that garrote a slender neck. Or worse. Outrage flares. Words of solace, anger, and vengeance tumble over each other, i m p o t e n t a n d inconsequential. Then the verbal furor wanes until the next sure-as-the-sun-rises episode unfolds in this endless, badly-scripted soap opera. In previous articles on the subject of intimate partner violence, I have offered and proffered advice and tentative solutions. Others have done the same, and more. Many of us are tired of the repetitive madness. What more do we say or write? It seems to make little difference. It has come to the point where people like me, who see ourselves as progressive thinkers, throw up our hands and pronounce, at first hesitantly, then with increasing viscerality, the two words we hoped we'd
never have to say, “Hang them!” (The perpetrators, after lawful trial of course) The fact that I still generally oppose capital punishment tells how strongly I feel about IPV. There are tons of data on IPV, in databases around the world. They include the scope, and all the definitions, reasons, conclusions, and tentative solutions thoughtful professionals can come up with. But all the resources; all the meetings and global initiatives, workshops, seminars, resolutions and action plans put forward by hundreds of organizations seem to go only so far. And gains that are made in one area are all but reversed by some new or unforeseen atrocity in some part of the world. It seems almost pointless to go on about the oftensenseless brutality of domestic violence. To what end? Maybe things will get better. Or maybe not. Eight years ago, a man committed one of the most egregious acts of domestic violence in this country. But not on his wife, although she may well have suffered a fate worse than death. He murdered their three young children while they were asleep in bed. Forty-two years before that, in 1969, a man shot and killed his wife
Dennis Nichols and two daughters then took his own life. I saw one of the girls still in her school uniform with a hole in her side. Less than two weeks ago, a woman was stabbed to death by her husband as she was putting his clothes out in the yard. I don't know for how long she had lived in an abusive relationship, or how many times, if any, she had sought to resolve or end it. They reportedly had eight children. She is dead. He appeared in court last Friday. I've heard nothing about the children. Had this woman ever received flowers as a symbol of her husband's remorse over some insult or injury? Oh, and did she receive flowers on her 'very special day'? (The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper)
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Mr. Jagdeo, go to work and stop buzing Mr. Bharrat Jagdeo is failing the people by throwing the nation into steady 'rickaticks.' As a participant in the process whereby he was elected to the National Assembly (and a taxpayer who pays his monthly pension of $1.2 million, his transportation, driver, 24hour security, electricity and water bills, his gardener, household assistants and office staff, medical bills for him and dependent members of his family, vacation allowance equivalent to two first class return airfares to wherever he chooses, and for the Queenstown office), he must know it would be an abrogation of my civic duty not to hold him to account. Somehow, he thinks opting for the presidential package as against the Opposition Leader's salary exonerates him from constitutional duty for the job he holds. He thinks living off our sweat means receiving benefits to cuss and buze. A check of the Constitution of Guyana for his job description shows it falls under the Executive, which means he has a responsibility for day-to-day governance, but he has opted to engage in reckless conduct. The reason he has succeeded so far is because as Julius Caesar said, judgment has fled to brutish beasts and men have lost their reason. What we are seeing in Guyana is a similar demonstration to the Stockholm syndrome, where he who presided over a nation of fear, rampant corruption, death squads and those who were his likely victims, demonstrate a psychological alliance to this display of Hitlerite tendencies. It is recklessness and hunger for power that consume him. From the time of the no confidence vote (NCV) to now, it has been nothing but bedlam. There has been the refusal to take a manly or statesmanlike approach to the issues at hand, preferring instead to resort to ghetto politics, cuss out, buze out, break down. It is political immaturity that will not value the necessity of coming to this nation with a proposal of how together we can move forward, other than shouting 'get out!' Look at the other
Opposition Leaders, whenever the nation faced crises, they delivered leadership by making proposals to resolve differences, arriving at agreement, in the quest to move the nation forward. National interest was placed above partisan interest. Dr. Henry Jeffrey, a few days ago in his Stabroek News' column, reminded us what President Desmond Hoyte and Opposition Leader Cheddi Jagan together did in the 1990s to resolve electoral differences. In 2001, during a national crisis, Mr. Hoyte made a proposal and signed an agreement with Jagdeo as to how the nation could move forward together. In 2003, during another crisis, Mr. Robert Corbin put to the nation a proposal which resulted in a communiquĂŠ with Jagdeo. None he honoured. Jagdeo is not a team player. Neither is the nation or common good his interest. He's a man without a plan, other than the constant media brawl, creating mischief and mayhem. When he is not engaging in such conduct, he has Anil, who is starting to look like a battered person, running to the court to ask of it to do what the voters elected him and President Granger to do. What we are witnessing is symptomatic of the way he governed - no respect and regard for institutions, the nation, its people, and another's opinion. It is his way or the highway. Critically, he is ignoring that under the present circumstance, the best thing to do is sit with the President and agree how the nation will proceed in a lawful and orderly manner. If he thinks telling the nation that the government is illegal and expects an illegal government and president to name a date for election, he is of a confused or wicked mind. An illegal president cannot make a legal decision. He is ashamed to let his supporters know he has to return to the National Assembly, instead ranting and raving like a big bravado that he will not. Jump high, jump low, he has to return, not because I say so, but because of the Constitution. The three months period has passed for an election to be
held, given that during the period the NCV issue was in litigation. Any decision made now by Mr. Granger for a date of election can see the election or the result being challenged in the court of law due to the fact that the date has been determined outside of the Constitution as stipulated in Article 106(7)
and reiterated in the Caribbean Court of Justice ruling. Mark my words, Jagdeo will be among the first to turn around and challenge the election if he doesn't like the results. Political expediency must not trump the Rule of Law. It remains to the nation's detriment to have an opposition leader with
passion and anger and no plan. The similar conduct displayed as president he seeks today to employ, holding the nation to ransom. This PPP renegade is a destroyer, threat to humanity, governance and Guyana's stability. I shall continue to hold him to account for his performance and in so doing, I speak not
only for myself but for tens of thousands. Instead of seeking to ensure law and order in the here and now, we're hearing of promises to do what he as president had the opportunity to do but did not. After initiating the process of depriving university students their constitutional Continued on page 49
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Sunday September 01, 2019
Sunday September 01, 2019
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THE
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STORY WITHIN THE
By Leonard Gildarie In the everyday run of the newsroom, the stories come
from myriad sources. Very often, someone would walk off the road, just coming off a flight from the United States,
Sunday September 01, 2019
Those tax incentives and local businesses to complain about their property being stolen by siblings or the NDC not doing its job.
There would be those constant calls also, from New York, to complain about our politicians. Locally, the cleaner would call to complain and to quietly whisper about discrimination in her workplace. She knows all the goings-on of her bosses. Board members of state companies would also have grouses and in so doing, provide details of questionable transactions. In recent years, I have learnt one thing… public sentiments are sharper than before and there are channels to vent the feelings. There is a growing confidence, and people are becoming aware on whole new level of their power as citizens. It is very clear. The information sharing via the internet and television and social media have all changed, dramatically, the way we communicate. The public themselves have become journalists and roving cameramen and women. Accidents and incidents are almost instantaneously online. I tell politicians all the time that while bottomhouse meetings are all well and good, the use of social media has quickly emerged as the most powerful medium for the dispersal of information. Political parties are being judged there. It is brutal. There is a whole movement in WhatsApp chat groups and Facebook that have relegated the mainstream medium houses, save for the newspapers, to the back of the room. This coming elections will be the mother of all for Guyana. At stake are the legacies and survival of the current administration and the Opposition, the emergence of the oil and gas sector (a big game changer), and the country. It is the latter that we would want to focus on today. For the doomsayers, save for sugar, the sectors have been doing well. Sugar, unless there is a huge injection of cash to modernise the factories and look beyond just sugar, will be a tough sell for investors. Prices are down. A number of countries are shelving expansion plans and India, a big player, is cautious. The lands of GuySuCo are beyond valuable and our focus now has to remain on
the packaged sugar, for especially CARICOM markets. We have a huge demand for sugar there. A downsized GuySuCo will always make sense. There a r e o p t i o n s t o sugar…ethanol for instance. Brazil has learnt quite well how to reduce the use of gas by mixing with ethanol. Forestry, gold, rice and fishing have not done badly. T H E R U S A L EXPERIENCE While Rusal complains of the world prices, it is shipping bauxite by the boatloads from its Berbice River operations. The Rusal example, and I have said it before, is something that Guyana should never be subjected to again. The company came to Guyana in the 2000s, at a time when the country needed investors in the bauxite sector. It was granted billions of dollars in tax and fuel incentives. The tax holidays were something else. There was the firing of 50-plus workers in the late 2000s who downed tools in protest of working conditions. Among the workers were union representatives and supervisors. More than 10 years later, the matter remains unresolved. Rusal's representatives have refused time and again to turn up to meetings with Government officials. The disrespect has been almost unbelievable. No country would and should tolerate from a foreign investor what we have allowed from Rusal. No company wants to operate without profit. It is their reason for existence. It is therefore unbelievable that despite those billions in tax breaks and incentives, Rusal's books are showing no profits for more than a decade. It is either Rusal loves Guyana or our regulators are blind. To compound matters, the people of Guyana own a part of the local operations. Yet, we have reportedly never collected any dividends (our part of the profits). I raise the issue of Rusal, as it is but a clear example of the “Wild West” situation in Guyana that has been allowed with foreign investors. Over the years, we dole out billions of dollars in incentives to attract investors. It was the only
Leonard Gildarie way. We managed to attract a few. However, the coming of oil has changed things dramatically. We are no longer knocking on doors. The investors, especially in the oil-and-gas industry, are knocking on our doors. C o n s e c u t i v e governments have failed to understand their role - the raison d'être for governments. TO SERVE OR NOT… The job of government is a very simple one - to serve the people. They have to find ways to protect the borders and ensure that the revenues are t h e r e f o r t h e services…including e d u c a t i o n , s e c u r i t y, infrastructure, health and everything that comes our way. When investors come, of paramount importance will be what Guyana is getting from the deals. The taxes, the jobs, the dividends, the fees, the spinoffs…we have to ensure that there is a system and Guyana benefits. We don't want a few crumbs. That has to be the biggest consideration. There is the debate raging over the ExxonMobil deal, and now Tullow, over what we are getting. While one can probably relent on ExxonMobil because it was the first, and that the company's presence has assured of protection for our borders against Venezuela, there is little explanation for Tullow's deal which came in 2016, and which gives us a criminal one percent royalty. I am shocked at this and our representatives need to explain. But back to those i n c e n t i v e s . We h a v e investors lining up at our doors. The considerations therefore cannot be that we are attracting them. We need to revisit the billions of incentives we are giving out. There must be something we are offering, but the ballgame has changed. Perhaps, to make our local businesses more competitive and really say we are serious about the Continued on page 49
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Global Warming – a short story (Continued from last week) by Jane Bregazzi When shed done with the cat shed let it go and it would escape in some sort of disorientated frenzy. Well who wouldnt be in a frenzy pressed against Marthas fanny? The cat flopped in the shade of a large pot. She was now bald in places, the sun having singed off patches of her fur so she looked mangy. No more the sweet sensation against Marthas erogenous zones, the cat was long past care, soon shed turn on her back with her legs in the air and die. The searing heat of the sun was now blistering my nose but this always happened. Id put a hat on, it shaded what was left of me. The sun didnt bother Martha, its why she looked so old. The sun had tanned her skin till it was like l e a t h e r, i m p e r v i o u s t o everything. She was swaying backwards and forwards humming to herself. A small pool appeared on the concrete, shed peed herself again. It didnt matter though it evaporated almost instantly. Its why you look so old Martha. Its the sun. I pointed heavenward, she cackled. Stupid bloody sun, she said. They give you two minutes these days, I said to her, thinking shed know. Whos they? She said, squinting at me. Them on the telly it used to be half hour, now its just two minutes. Tw o m i n u t e s o f s u n exposure before you fried. Theyd even warned us against using oil because it sizzled. Hospitals were full of cooked bodies. There arent any leaves on the trees either. The ground gets so dry around July that the leaves are shed in June. They come early though, around January when theres some rain. Its quite tropical. It monsoons. The rain just pours out of the sky and runs off the land swelling rivers and lakes. It disappears though just as quickly as it comes. The farmer who owns the field at the bottom always sows his corn in January and collects the water for irrigation. The corn ripens before June, before the lightning and the hot winds. Then come August, its like this. The whole pattern has changed people die in August. Marthas up now doing her little dance, her rain dance she calls it. Her breasts flopping around under her baggy floral dress, her eyes still blue but narrowed now. Shes annoying
me a bit, her shadow is dancing around and shes strobing the sun. Its not like the dappling of the trees if they had leaves on, its harsh and irritating. Shes chanting now and turning in circles. The pig next door is squealing. Martha stops dancing. Stop that bloody pig, from that noise, she hurls the abuse over the fence. Cant get into my stride with that racket, she tutts and looks put out. Oh shut up yourself you silly old crone, comes the rough re-course. I feel a little indignant that the fat old cow next door should call Martha names, but indignation isnt enough. I ought to shoot the pig and put it out of its misery. Perhaps I should shoot Martha, but then Marthas not stupid. This kind of bantering could go on all morning when Martha gets a bee in her bonnet. Instead she turns on me and comes in close, a little too close for comfort. I lean back. She wags her finger. Shouldnt be allowed that squealing, poor creature out in this sun. Mutation I say its mutated. Besides pigs have got skin like you Martha. She squints one eye at me dragging the corners of her mouth down. Shes trying to focus on me. Then she pauses. What people on the telly who tells us its two minutes? The meteorological guys the weathermen. Oh she says, moving away from me, looking at me with a frown. Its funny how she suddenly thinks about things long after theyve been said. Jack Sprat could eat no fat, his wife could eat no lean, and so between the two of them they licked the platter clean, she sings in a high squeaky voice. Its her favourite rhyme. It always makes me think of next doors pig perhaps thats why Martha sings it? She lifts her dress and wiggles her scrawny bottom at me, I have to laugh and she cackles too shuffling off down the steps to the shed. I guessed she was going to siesta and dream about her dead husband, and her nought for nought son, and her once youthful body and her brilliant mind. When I went down to the shed later with her bucket of water, shed gone. Just cleared out. I sat down on the ground which was supposed to be grass, instead was dried earth like concrete. My nose felt hot again and I thought shit. So I raced back to the house and got my hat, then returned to sit in vigil. I saw the old garden trowel laying on the ground
near the shed so I tried to dig a hole but the trowel bent. There was a thin blade of grass poking out of a crack maybe Martha had peed there and left a smidgen of moisture . Then I caught a glimpse of my pink wobbly neighbour, and her pink wobbly husband sitting in the shade of an umbrella. Their pink wobbly pig mutation was there as well, and it all seemed pretty sickening that Martha had gone and left me in this desert where only cactus grow now. The corn field was bare, and soon the rain would come, then the lightning, then the wind, and then the sun again; and our exposure would be down to thirty seconds. The acceleration of geological evolution the sea would soon be lapping at our toes. The very next day the shed burnt down. I suspected my neighbours cigarette. The fat old bird may have had a twinge of conscience as she waddled down to the bottom of her garden in her flip flops, to ask me if there was anything she could do. I feebly threw a bucket of water at the glowing embers. She folded her arms which caused the crease of her cleavage to extend to her chin. Her skin was pink, but in her fatness, impervious, like Marthas. I ope the old crone werent in there? She said in her coarse voice, nodding her head in the direction of the pile of ashes, trying to sound concerned; but her stifled smile was righteous. God help us all, I thought, if she inherits the earth. I think this is why Martha left, she knew that I was doomed and that my neighbour wasnt. The fire had displaced some orange and green lizards which now scuttled around my feet. It was all right for them they liked the heat, and I had too once. Id felt happiest viewing acres of dry landscape, when I could bask. But basking was out of the question now, and the lightning frightened me and I hated the wind; and I wanted to roam like Martha. To find somewhere where dryness wasnt all consuming. It was global warming that had taken hold with a hint of self-destruction, and only the righteous would inherit the earth. Maybe we had to adapt like the seasons. Maybe Martha was a sign. Maybe I was righteous after all and would find someone elses shed more comfortable than my own. Besides, I couldnt stand the noise the pig made and knew Martha would make it rain somewhere.
Sunday September 01, 2019
Junior page
Instructions 1. You will need a square piece of paper and a pair of scissors 2. Fold your paper diagonally from one corner to one corner. 3. Repeat on the other diagonal so that when you open the sheet of paper it looks the same as in our photo. 4. Now you are going to fold it again but this time side to side, on each side (so not diagonal) 5. When you open up your sheet you should now have a “star” shape of lines made by the folds you have made. 6. A little tricky but hold the paper like I am in the photo and manipulate that “triangle” you can see so that they triangle joins as shown in Step 7. 7. See above 8. Fold down on that side so it looks like this. 9. Repeat Steps 6-8 on the other side so that you now have a larger triangle formed some paper folded under each triangle. 10. Now fold your triangle in half and turn it around so that the longer diagonal side is in the same position as in the photo. You want to make sure that the all the tips on the bottom right hand side (where my fingers are) are not joined i.e. if I let go of my finger that tip would not stay down like the other tips. That fold on
my left is what I refer to as “single folded edge” in the next step. 11. Please read this before cutting: Cut the tip where my finger was on in Step 10 into a round shape. If you are unsure - open up your sheet of paper and cut each tip individually so it looks the same as in Step 12. For Reference: In this photo my single folded edge (there is only one) is on the right hand side. See Step 10 for more information. 12. When you open your sheet up it should now look like this. 13. Now fold each top side over to the bottom, bringing the “round cut tip” down towards the tip of your shape (so it’s like the button tip of a heart shape almost). You want the edges of these folds to match the center crease line fold. 14 + 15. Now you are going to fold that bottom tip straight up and over the edge of the paper so it looks like the photo in Step 15. This
will feel strange as you will need to force the paper that far over. Don’t worry, just go with it! 16. Fold that tip over the like I have done. 17. Fold that tip you have just folded over in Step 17 inwards like this so that you are pinching in the center to make the wings rounded. Let go and you will then have a lovely butterfly. Tip: If that little triangle fold you made in Step 16 isn’t staying down use a little bit of glue to help!Happy butterfly making!
Kaieteur News
Sunday September 01, 2019
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Prepare yourself to make the most of the new school year Keep on Playing
A
fter several months away, in which you enjoyed yourself with activities so different from those at school, preparations for a new school year will need some special effort. To get back on stream for classwork, we suggest that you get ready for this by considering 4 areas to work with Preparing yourself mentally, fixing up your study space, organising your school supplies, and establishing a routine to follow. We will deal with the first two in this first instalment. To be able to move forward with confidence,
you should spend some time to review what you learnt during the last year. This will involve reviewing the subjects that you studied by rereading the notes you made or going through the lessons in your text books. Your class notes will remind you of the material you covered previously, as well as your initial reactions to the material. Do not worry if you dont fully understand all of the concepts that you review: reexamining and rediscovering specific ideas is a natural part of the learning process. Try to stress on the major topics and make a list of the ideas and theories
Proper preparation for any endeavour is a major key to its success.
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK
covered. You likely will not remember everything, but the effort to recall previous progress with get your mind ready for the work ahead. From the next lessons in your text books, try to form a list of what you will be studying in your classes and get a sense of what you will be learning. You may also get some of this material from books in your local library. Having a sense for what you will be covering will prepare you for success by attuning your mind to the relevant concepts Pick a study space that will contribute to your studying in peace and comfort. A good study space will mean different things for different people, and it can change from year to year, so try to select one that takes into consideration your own abilities and preferences.
CROSSWORD
Pick a space that is also conducive to your goals. If you want to master a complicated subject, you may need to study sometimes in a library so that you can access relevant books. Acknowledge your typical distractions. If you can, eliminate distractions in your work space or during set times. If you find it hard to ignore a television, find a suitable study space with no televisions in sight. Make an effort to spend less time on the cellphone, which may entail asking your friends to desist calling you during your study time. If noise distracts you, look for a desk in a quiet corner at home, and ask the members of your family to avoid speaking to you, unless really necessary, while you are at your studies.
by Uncle Roy The game of life, as in every sport, Is filled with losses and wins, And just as we cherish the victories we gain, We must welcome the opportunities for improving. Life is full of ups and downs, Before we can score a goal; We try to find ways to beat the opposition, And keep control of the ball. Each inning we play is a test of our skills, As to whether we give up or play on; The tougher the bowling, the more we learn, So as to score better in the next one. So hold your chin up, whatever the odds, And keep moving towards success and fame; Yours is to decide to continue towards your goals, Or give up in the middle of the game.
FUN WITH POETRY
I welcome school again by Uncle Roy I cannot wait to go to school, Now that the holidays are done, To meet again my teachers and friends, To do schoolwork and have fun. (BY UNCLE ROY) I will miss the things we did, During the holidays long, But I also know that I must learn, And school is the place I can't go wrong.
Apart from the work I have to do, I also have to enjoy with my friends, And my teachers are so kind to me, I sometimes wish school would not end.
Solutions to last week’s
Wild West world
Summer Camp
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K O O
B
Sunday September 01, 2019
The
Crossroads Life changes with every decision
sophomoric t e a r s o f victimhood. There is a spiritual and Book: Aje and The Master Key psychoanalytic depth to her narrative, an ongoing Author: Day Dream Alston existential search for Critic: Glenville Ashby, PhD meaning in a world replete In 'Aje and The Master with challenges. For those of us yearning Key', author Day Dream to know about African Alston shares a common traditions, this work is a tale, one of unrequited love. However, hers is not the run- boon. It delivers liturgical, of-the mill recount of a c o s m o l o g i c a l a n d broken heart shedding ontological lessons with
insightful lucidity. In the most tempestuous of times, when the unconscious mind pushes Aje, the protagonist, to the brink of self-destruction, her faith becomes her bedrock, an enduring salvific recourse that is ever-present. More than once, Aje is troubled by “the trajectory of her life...thrusting her into severe depression,” but her spiritual anchoring rescues h e r. S h e p e r s e v e r e s ,
searching for deeper understanding of her faith. She consults with her Baba (teacher), a man who openly expresses his concern for his troubled client. No one, though, can decide for Aje. She must make a decision. Her heart and mind fight a bruising duel – pleasure and pain, a war of attrition that is potentially deadly. It is never easy to break free from a situation that satiates every carnal desire. Aje must resist mightily, determined to heal her fractured self. Steadfast and faithful to the Orisas (deities), she begins to listen, really listen to the dynamics of self. Every answer is within, if only she knew. She leans on Esu, the messenger and nexus between the worlds. “He is the divine messenger and owner of the crossroads. He is the intermediary between heaven and earth. Nothing moves without Esu. No prayer, no ase, nothing. When we pray... we call on Esu to carry it for us. He is the one who hears our pleas and approves our prayers. He is the master key.” It is a profound lesson that Aje must absorb. Her exchange with this otherworldly figure forms the crux of Alston's work. Esu is provocatively instructive, although impish and sardonic. “ Yo u indicated that you love Stan and desire to be in a relationship with him,” he tells Aje. “I placed you in that specific thread of consciousness at your request. Are you unhappy with the experience? Every time you make a choice, a consequence follows. Some consequences are pleasant, some are not.” She learns of the many realms of existence, “the threads of consciousness,” it is called. “This stream of consciousness presents all the choices at your disposal at any given time. In any singular moment you have the option of making a multitude of choices and they are all represented right here,” she is taught in her many altered states. In addition, Alston delivers a sound psychoanalytic message: We are products of our past; our formative years offering an incontrovertible barometer of our present space. Amid Aje's turmoil, her best friend, Ona, is selflessly supportive.
She recalls her own doleful experiences, her searing supplications for relief, and her ultimate triumph. “I looked into my own eyes and saw eternity reflected back...I acknowledged my own glory.” She counsels and cajoles, “Never forget the promises of Ifa (faith). No matter what you are going through. Review the notes from all your readings and your initiation. Do that constantly as a reminder of all the blessings that are coming your way.” Aje's decision to welcome professional counsel proves fortuitous. The message is clear: We oftentimes recoil at knowing the truth, afraid to address the pain that has long dogged us. Why does Aje falter, repeatedly seeking validation from a narcissist and violent man? With guided analysis, she discovers the root of her emotional shortcoming. “I realize my search for love has been misguided. I have sought love desperately. Using it as a Band-Aid to cover up my pain...I have lacked confidence and have really made some bad choices as a result. I know what I want...I choose me...I want to be whole and heal from the trauma of my past. I choose me. I want to be whole and heal from the traumas of my past. I choose myself, healing, peace and self-love” Aje and the Master Key is a mélange of themes: culture, religion, mysticism and quantum physics, all deftly integrated into a definitive human experience.
When the curtain falls on this providential tale, we recall its indelible moments; none more so than her cry for help, “Baba, please help me t o m a k e b e t t e r choices...Help me to live in a way that supports my wellbeing and destiny. May my heart and head be in alignment. Please help me Baba, I can't take the pain anymore.” D e p l e t e d a n d confounded, she yearns for clarity. She must connect to her Ori, her higher self or spiral toward selfimmolation. “A veil lifted and Aje experiences an insight she's never had before.” In her fits of despair, we root for her. In the end, we cheer her on. Aje transcends her quotidian troubles, triumphant finally; life's purpose, she finally grasps. Aje recaptures her magic, her enduring desire to sing is now a reality. She finds the Master Key, the very Elixir of Life that rewards the seeker with strength, courage, and enlightenment. (The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper) Feedback: glenvilleashby@gmail.co m or follow him on Twitter@glenvilleashby Aje and The Master Key by Day Dream Alston © Copyright 2019 by Day Dream Alston Available at https://www.daydreamalst on.com/store/aje-and-themaster-key-ebook Ratings: Recommended
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Selecting the best lash style that suits you By Latoya Zephyr aka the Lashes Boss Some clients often have a difficult time choosing the right style for their eyes before the lash procedure. With that being said, for this week’s post, there will be guidelines and tips on how to find the best lash extensions to suit your eyes and complement your face, whether your eyes are round, almond, mono-lid, hooded or a deep set. 1) Rounded eyes. If you have large, rounded eyes, it will be possible for you to see all the white around your Iris. The best lash style for these eye shapes are whispy lashes, with a little drama gravitating towards the end or outside. This will create a seductive cat eye shape. It is also ADVISED to apply curled lashes to avoid the eye from looking flat. 2) Hooded eyes Hooded eyes are eye shapes with not so visible eyelids. Hooded eyes describe the fold of the eyelids and the hidden part of the eyelids when the eyes are open. It is advised to choose a lash style less dramatic, since super dramatic lashes can make the lashes look smaller. Along with less drama, have the lash technician apply slightly longer lashes in the center, which will create an illusion of depth. 3) Almond eyes. Almond eyes are simply
Latoya Zephyr aka The Lashes Boss
well known and can adapt to almost any lash style. For Almond shaped eyes, you won’t be able to see any amount of white above or below your Iris. To fully make your eyes pop with glory, you can try applying voluminous lashes that are evenly distributed all the way along the band. 4) Mono-lid eyes. Monolid means no crease on your eyelid can be seen. This shape is more common among Asian ethnicities. A suitable lash style is to go for a fluttery lash style with crisscross layers to open up the eyes. To give height to your eyes, ask your lash technician to go for the curly options. 5) Deep - set eyes.
If your eyes sit slightly further back under your brow bone, you are fortunate enough to add all the drama to your lashes. A long, curled lash style will open up your eyes and enhance the size. Now that you have found the right lashes to suit your eyes and complement your face, here is a brief encouragement for potential and current lash babes out there: “ With different eyes, different skins and different lives, we still have one God that loves us the same, so we should stay in unity and humility”.For more information, be sure to contact the Lashes Boss at 6708031. You can also follow her page on Instagram @LashesByToya.
Wine of the week The Antigal 1 (Uno) Red Blend is one of Argentinas most exotic blends. It features dark berry aromas while carrying sweet to tangy berry flavors, some charred oak notes, and finishes with grabby tannins. This gorgeous masterpiece was birthed in the historic winery called Bodega Antigal which is located in Maipú, Mendoza Argentina. Its origins date back to 1897. With a completed remodeling in the 2000s, the Bodega Antigal was able to achieve the very best in high-tech functionality and houses a state-of-the-art facility whose gravity-flow platform system allows for a largely “hands off” approach to winemaking thereby eliminating the need for forceful pumps and crushers. Since 2007, the company started the exports of
its mouth-watering treasure mainly to the US market, and quickly became a statewide recognized quality brand from Argentina, with its signature UNO Malbec. In fact, UNO Malbec, received its first recognition by the prestigious US Magazine Wine Enthusiast. Additionally, Antigal has been recognized worldwide for its quality, with a strong presence in America, Europe and Asia. But thats enough history for you. Lets get down to the more interesting part: taste and what to pair it with. This wine undoubtedly showcases the optimally ripe grapes of Argentinas vineyards. It has an intense, almost blood red colour and carries a powerhouse taste of red fruit, cedar, and vanilla spice. But this boldness is beautifully tapered off by smooth firm tannins. It is perfect for pairing with pasta and red meats. This Argentine master-
piece can be found at the Wine Vault located at the Marriott Hotel for $6800 VAT inclusive. You can also find it at the Hibiscus Restaurant, Nice Restaurant and Bar, Palm Court and other leading hotels and bars.
Sunday September 01, 2019
Kaieteur News
Air Pollution Can Be Deadly for Seniors Even levels of air pollution deemed “safe” by U.S. government standards may shorten the life spans of seniors, new research suggests. In fact, hundreds of older Americans may die prematurely each year due to the effects of dirty air, the study found. The finding stems from a computer prediction analysis that correlated fine particle and ozone pollution levels between 2000 and 2012 with death rates on roughly 93 percent of all Americans who were covered by Medicare at the time.“This is the most comprehensive study of short-term exposure to pollution and mortality to date,” said senior study author Francesca Dominici, co-director of the Harvard Data Science Initiative in Boston. “We found that the mortality rate increases almost linearly as air pollution increases. Any level of air pollution, no matter how low, is
harmful to human health,” Dominici said in a Harvard news release. During the study period, 22 million people covered by the investigation died. While the study only found an association, the investigators found that for every tiny incremental increase in either particulate pollution or ozone levels, the daily death rate bumped up between roughly 0.5 and 1 percent. Though the figures may seem small, Dominici and her colleagues pointed out that it adds up when multiplied across the entire population of American seniors, amounting to more than 7,100 premature deaths over the study period.What’s more, the research team noted that some groups of seniors are even more vulnerable to such exposure, with low-income seniors facing a three times higher risk than more well-off seniors. In a similar vein, women were found to face a 25 per-
Mr. Jagdeo, go to work... From page 35 right to free education, saddling them with burdensome loans, the promise is now being made to respect the constitution. Sugar workers who he trampled on and threatened their union with de-recognition are now being promised a PPP government that will treat them with respect. Who is Mr. Jagdeo fooling? As president, he closed down Diamond, the estate that provided GuySuCo the greatest yield of canes. He closed down LBI estate. Thousands of sugar workers were put on the breadline. Some had to approach the court, using the legal service of Khemraj Ramjattan, before receiving severance pay. I hope those who he seeks to fool are noting he is not promising no more corruption, no more death squads, no more bloodbaths, no more extrajudicial killings, and no more police and army torture. He has no respect for law and order, because even though he knows he cannot be elected president, he's still making promises about what a PPP government will do. His action is showing dogged pursuit to be the de facto president, a clear disregard for the
Constitution and CCJ ruling on the 'third term.' Should Irfaan Ali win the presidency, he will fear no better than Donald Ramotar, who was usurped from the opposition leader position. Shame on Irfaan for his forced displayed of contentment to be used in fronting the political mania of the power hungry and mislead this nation. Shame on those leaders in society who support or stay silent as he (Jagdeo) continues to create a hurricane of confusion with no plan for the continuity of good governance in the interim. Shame on those who allow themselves to be misled by such immoral charisma. Jagdeo will not silence me. Every time he raises my name at his press conferences, once the media permit me access, I shall respond. In Guyanese vernacular, I say to him again, “go wuk fuh de cheque yuh getting at the end of the month”. It is time to emulate your predecessors, lay before the nation a plan to work with the President, and return to the National Assembly. (The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper)
Those tax incentives and ... From page 40 growth of our people, we need to consider granting them the incentives instead. There can be no excuse. This government and any others that come will have to understand that Guyana comes first. Our business people have struggled and persevered over the years. Now that we are about to benefit, hopefully in a big way, we have to start taking stock and reverse the tide that we have been battling in the last 60plus years. (The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper)
cent greater premature death risk following pollution and ozone exposure compared with men. The same was true of nonwhite Americans, relative to their white peers. https://medlineplus.gov/ news/fullstory_170680.html.
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ng ... i t es ures r te t In rea C
The
Griffon Vulture
The griffon vulture (Gyps fulvus) is a large Old World vulture in the bird of prey
Sunday September 01, 2019
(GYPS FULVUS)
family Accipitridae. It is also known as the Eurasian griffon. It is not to be confused with
a different species, Rüppell's griffon vulture (Gyps rueppellii). It is closely related to the white-backed vulture (Gyps africanus). This vulture is 93–122 cm (37–48 in) long with a 2.3–2.8 m (7.5–9.2 ft) wingspan. In the nominate race the males weigh 6.2 to 10.5 kg (14 to 23 lb) and females typically weigh 6.5 to 11.3 kg (14 to 25 lb), while in the Indian subspecies (G. f. fulvescens), the vultures average 7.1 kg (16 lb). Extreme adult weights have been reported from 4.5 to 15 kg (9.9 to 33.1 lb), the latter likely a weight attained in captivity. Hatched naked, it is a typical Old World vulture in appearance, with a very white head, very broad wings and short tail feathers. It has a white neck ruff and yellow bill. The buff body and wing coverts contrast with the dark flight feathers. Like other vultures, it is a scavenger, feeding mostly from carcasses of dead animals which it finds by soaring over open areas, often moving in flocks. It establishes nesting colonies in cliffs that are undisturbed by humans while coverage of open areas and availability of dead animals within dozens of kilometres of these cliffs is high. It grunts and hisses at roosts or when feeding on carrion. The maximum recorded lifespan of the griffon vulture is 41.4 years for an individual in captivity. It breeds on crags in mountains in southern Europe, North Africa, and Asia, laying one egg. Griffon vultures may form loose colonies. The population is mostly resident. Juveniles and immature individuals may migrate far or embark on long-distance movements. Griffon vultures have been used as model organisms for the study of soaring and thermoregulation. The energy costs of level flight tend to be high, prompting alternatives to flapping in larger birds. Vultures in particular utilize more efficient flying
methods such as soaring. Compared to other birds, which elevate their metabolic rate to upwards of 16 times their basal metabolic rate in flight, soaring griffon vultures expend about 1.43 times their basal metabolic rate in flight. They are also efficient flyers in their ability to return to a resting heart rate after flight within ten minutes. As large scavengers, griffon vultures have not been observed to seek shelter for thermoregulation. Vultures use their bald heads as a means to thermoregulate in both extreme cold and hot temperatures. Changes in posture can increase bare skin exposure from 7% to 32%. This change allows for the more than doubling of convective heat loss in still air. Also they have also been found to tolerate increased body temperatures as a response to high ambient temperatures. By allowing their internal body temperature to change independently of their metabolic rate, griffon vultures minimize their loss of water and energy in thermoregulating. One study in particular (Bahat 1995) found that these adaptations have allowed the Griffon vulture to have one of the widest thermal neutral zones of any bird. In respect to varying age ranges, the griffon vultures evidently show no difference in feeding rates. Inevitably, as resource availability increases, feeding rates tend to follow the same pattern. Upon studying the reintroduction of this species and its impact on the intraspecific competition, old adults are more inclined to display aggressive behaviour and signs of dominance in comparison to the other age ranges. In terms of comparing the male and female sexes, there are no observed differences in competitive behaviours. Lastly, the reintroduced individuals of the species and the wild-bred do not differ in dominance or feeding rate despite the differences in upbringing.
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Three captured during botched robbery at Republic Park home - cop relieving himself in bushes hears wounded suspect groaning nearby Quick response by police ranks led to the shooting and capture of one bandit and the arrest of two others, following a botched attack at the home of a Republic Park, East Bank Demerara businessman. The robbery attempt occurred at around 07:45 hrs yesterday. Sources said that Edward Hodge, 40, of Grove, East Bank Demerara, was shot in the upper left thigh, when he opened fire at police ranks who had confronted him at the scene. He has been admitted under guard at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC). One of the other suspects is a 26year-old Grove, East Bank Demerara man, while the third is reportedly from Kaneville, East Bank Demerara. Police said that the Republic Park resident, Brian Perreira, was in his yard disposing of refuse, when he saw a man scale his back fence, while two others stood nearby. Perreira immediately ran back into his
house, and alerted the police. A mobile patrol responded quickly and, with the help of residents, managed to corner the trio in a bushy area at the back of Republic Park. It is alleged that Hodge, who was armed, shot at the ranks. One policeman returned fire, shooting Hodge in the upper thigh. However, he managed to flee into the bushes, while the two others were taken into custody. The ranks continued to stake out the area. As luck would have it, at around 09:30 hrs, one of the policemen went into the bushes to answer a call of nature. He was doing just that when he heard someone groaning nearby. The cop, who had drawn his firearm, spotted the wounded and muddy Hodge hiding just a few feet away. He then escorted the suspect back to the police vehicle. Kaieteur News understands that Hodge alleged that he was fishing in the area. The handcuffed man was then taken to the GPHC and admitted under guard.
Food for thought
How Character is built
O
ften, we refer to well-known people from down the ages as historical characters or characters from history. Very often, we realize that these people had little character. But history records them as immortal anyway. Not necessarily because of their strengths and skills, but because they happened to be in positions of power or were instrumental in bringing about events of historical significance. However, reading history is bound to give us insights into characters, whether negative or positive, and that can be instrumental in helping us understand the importance of a strong, unflinching character. We read of boy kings who built kingdoms with little except good advice and a small group of brave loyalists. We also read of brothers murdering each other to gain a throne. We hear of great famines while the governments fail to take note of the peoples' hardships. We hear of culture and prosperity under the strong arm of a tolerant ruler. We hear of great wars fought for several years, even hundreds of years, on the strength of a belief. Also of ordinary people who gave up their lives willingly and became martyrs.
All of us read about and look up to people like Mahatma Gandhi, Nehru, Sarojini Naidu and other freedom fighters. We do not know them personally and we do not even have any character certificates issued in their name by our neighbours. In fact, we know that their personal lives may have been far from perfect. But we continue to look upto them because they displayed strength of character for, at least, one cause that they held above personal aspirations. Similarly, characters like Ashoka or Akbar, or Shah Jehan or Rana Pratap are not known for being good necessarily. But they did deeds, which led to the creation of something great and beautiful. For that, they have their own place in history. There are many lessons to learn from history and the characters of those who have been in power. We learn that greatness of character comes not only from power, but also tolerance and intelligence and culture. We see that the strongest are those who are the best loved. And we also learn that even the most hated characters will have some redeeming virtues, which helped them rise to the levels they did. (www.indianchild.com)
Police ranks searching for the men yesterday.
US$720M Liza Destiny to be leased to Guyana By Kiana Wilburg SBM Offshore, a Dutch global group of companies selling systems and services to the oil and gas industry, was able to put together the Liza Destiny, Guyana's first Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO), at a cost of US$720M. The contract was awarded to the firm in 2017 by ExxonMobil. According to SBM, project financing was secured by a consortium of 12 international banks. Kaieteur News understands that FPSO Liza Destiny is owned and will be operated by SBM Offshore for a couple of years. In fact, the lease and operate contract, which it has with ExxonMobil's subsidiary Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL) includes an initial period of 10 years with extension options up to an additional 10 years. There are discussions however between the two regarding a potential accelerated transfer of ownership using the purchase option in the 10 year lease contract. The outcomes of these discussions are expected to lead to a transfer of the FPSO ownership and operation to EEPGL. Kaieteur News understands that the FPSO, which is designed to produce up to 120,000 barrels of oil per day, will have associated
The Liza Destiny.
gas treatment capacity of circa 170 million cubic feet per day and water injection capacity of circa 200,000 barrels per day. The converted Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) FPSO will be spread moored at the Liza field located in the Stabroek block circa 200 kilometers offshore Guyana, in water depth of 1,525 meters and will be able to store 1.6 million barrels of crude oil. SBM also won the contract from Exxon to build perform Front End Engineering and Design (FEED) for a second Floating Production, Storage and Offloading vessel (FPSO) for the Liza development located in the Stabroek block in Guyana. Following FEED and subject to requisite government approvals, project sanction and an authorisation to proceed with the next phase, SBM Offshore will construct, install and then lease and operate the FPSO for a period of up to two years, after which the FPSO ownership and operation will transfer to EEPGL. The second Liza FPSO design is based on SBM Offshore's industry leading Fast4WardTM programme as it incorporates the company's new build, multipurpose hull combined with several standardised topsides modules. The FPSO will be designed to produce
220,000 barrels of oil per day, will have associated gas treatment capacity of 400 million cubic feet per day and water injection capacity of 250,000 barrels per day. Furthermore, the FPSO will be moored in water depth of about 1,600 meters and will be able to store around two million barrels of crude oil. All costs being handled by ExxonMobil's subsidiary for the FPSO will be recovered. KEY DIFFERENCES According to documents held by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), there are some key differences between the Liza Phase Two Development and the Liza Phase One Development. In the area of Oil Production Rates, the Phase Two production rate will be approximately 190,000 to 220,000 barrels of oil per day while Phase One's production rate is 100,000 barrels of oil per day with the ability to operate at sustained peaks of 120,000 barrels per day. With respect to FPSO Oil Storage Volume, Phase Two storage volume will be approximately 1.6 to 2 million barrels, depending on the hull selected. Phase One storage volume is 1.6 million barrels. In terms of the number of wells, Phase Two will have approximately 35-40 wells. Phase One has 17 wells.
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Sunday September 01, 2019
Kaieteur News
Meet the adorable Shazeena Ghannie. This young belle is one of the contestants in the Miss Guyana Teen Scholarship 2019. One of her favourite quotes is, "Do not let the behaviour of others destroy your inner happiness."
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Former Judge Stanley Moore S.C... From page 22 Moore said that his father was employed at the Transport and Harbours Department as a Marine Engineer and his mother worked as a seamstress to help provide for the family. The family held education in high regard, so the Moore brothers attended St. James the Less Anglican School. But in 1939, the family was separated by unavoidable circumstances. The patriarch of the family was enlisted to join the troops fighting 'for King and Country' in World War II. “(British) Guiana was a territory, so when the war broke out, the Crown rounded up troops from across the foreign territories to fight.” Moore said that his father never returned home. “And so my father was not a physical reality. Therefore my mother in actuality was a single parent.” The attorney said that this did not prevent his mother from ensuring that her two sons excelled in their academics. “My mother worked hard, but it takes a village to raise a child, really, so relatives of both the Moore and Walcott sides of the family who lived in close proximity of us in Kitty were able to support.” After completing school at the elementary level, the lawyer said that he opted to attend Tutorial High School. He explained that he chose Tutorial High over Queen's College because, in the British Guiana period, high school education was not free. “In those days, fees were attached to attending Queen's College, and I naturally did not want to burden my mother with the cost of my education. So I took advantage of a scholarship to Tutorial High School.” Moore nonetheless said that he made use of his days at Tutorial High. In fact, he said that he was among the first group of students to successfully lobby for and complete a sixth form education at the institution. “I was one of four students to sit and pass the Cambridge Higher Certificate Examinations, there.” After completing his high school education, the then teenage Moore entered the world of work. He said that he was employed as a pupil-teacher at least for one year. He taught at his old elementary school, St. James the Less, and St. Barnabas Primary. According to the lawyer, teaching gave him the foundation he needed to build his career. He recalled that next, he was among the selected few to be employed as an officer of Customs and Excise for Her Majesty, the Queen's Customs in British Guiana.
former Solicitor General of Guyana, Mohamed Ayube Ali Mc Doom; former Chancellor of the Judiciary, Aubrey Fitz-Ronald Bishop and Fellow Senior Counsel Rex Mc Kay – whom Moore regards as his mentor to this day. During this time, Moore made yet another career shift, which allowed him to further his studies. He went to work as manager at the Booker's Enterprise, a Londonbased firm, which at that time, controlled some 30 percent of the country's economy. After successfully obtaining his LLB degree via an examination set by a London University, a young Stanley Moore parted ways with the company. He now had his sights set on furthering his legal studies at a London-based institution. “It was an amicable separation. My time with the company was over and we parted ways on good terms. It was on such good terms that they offered to take me on one of their ships to London, [England]…” He recalled that the journey to London took him 11 days. Once in England, Moore enrolled at the Lincoln Inn University to study for the English Bar examination. By 1970, Moore had already completed his final bar exams and acquired a Commonwealth scholarship to read for a Master's Degree (LLM) at the University College of London. The lawyer then went on to lead an illustrious career in Guyana and the Caribbean. He reminisced that his first case in the Caribbean was the famous case of the protesting nurses in Grenada. “I acted as Mr. (Rex) McKay's junior in that case.” Moore's career led him later to serve as acting Magistrate and Judge for a short period. POLITICS After years of private practice, the Attorney had a brief stint in politics. In 1981, he was appointed under Linden Forbes Burnham's Administration to serve as Minister of Home Affairs, but resigned after serving for one year. “It was rather brief but I think everyone, at that time, had agreed A picture taken after a play that the Cabinet was too large, so I offered to resign.” during his acting years. His other political positions included Attorney General of Montserrat and later acting paths with a Guyanese scholar Governor of Montserrat. named Frederick Wills, whom, he The lawyer notes that the latter, said later became his mentor. which he served for two years “Mr. Wills was conducting (1990-1992) is equivalent to the classes for law students and I joined post of an Executive President. the class.” 'As Governor of the British Moore said that he regarded the territory, I was a representative of opportunity to be taught by Wills as Her Majesty the Queen herself.” most esteemed and humbling, given Given his association with the fact that he was among students politics, Moore was appointed as a who would later be regarded as some Member of Parliament in both of Guyana's veteran and Guyana and Montserrat. He distinguished legal minds. believes that he was quite fortunate These individuals included to hold the positions. former Chancellor of the Judiciary He said he was merely looking and former Judge of the Caribbean for work, to be close to his second Court of Justice, Desiree Bernard; wife, Cheryl Pickering, who was former Judge of the Caribbean working as a pilot in Antigua, when Court of Justice, Duke Pollard; he landed the overseas According to Moore, the position was prestigious, since in the Colonial days, non-Whites were not allowed to hold certain positions in the public service. However, by the time, Moore was selected as a Customs Officer, the British Empire was starting to lose its ruling grip on Guyana. “The times were changing and they were starting to relax the restrictions,” Moore said, recalling a time when persons of a darker hue than that of Europeans were not even permitted to apply for certain jobs. “I can tell you of instances where newspapers would advertise vacancies, but cautioned persons that if they are not fair in complexion with straight hair, they need not apply.” By 1960, Moore had married his first wife, Solita McKenzie, and they had two children. LEGAL ITCH It was while working at Customs and Excise that he developed an interest in the law. He was quite young in his marriage and worked to provide for his family a decent life, but his itch for studying law would not budge. The young husband and father considered ways in which he could fulfill his desire. “I knew I could not afford the funds to study formally, so I began the course by self-tuition.” However, as fate would have it, the aspirant lawyer would cross
Stanley Moore (at right) and a workmate during his years as a Customs Officer for Her Majesty's Customs Department.
appointments. JUSTICE MOORE With his interest in Justice never waning, the lawyer also took up senior judicial positions in The Bahamas, Grenada, and the British Virgin Islands. He would later serve in Botswana and the Kingdom of Swaziland before returning to private practice. In addition to this, Moore gave of his time and efforts to educate upcoming lawyers at the University of Guyana and at the University of the West Indies. He was also a visiting professor at the Florida State University for Comparative l a w, A l t e r n a t i v e D i s p u t e Resolution and Public International Law in the early 2000s. Speaking about his experiences, Justice Moore said it had a lot to do with his years of preparation. “I always say that preparation plus opportunity equals success, but you have to go out and find those opportunities. Also, I believe I was very fortunate.” Moore explained, too, that his work with the Commonwealth Judicial Education Institute contributed significantly to those foreign connections. In the early 2000s, the Senior Counsel was engaged in a number of programmes for the Institute. While in Canada on a forum for the Institute, where he met with four South African Judges, his conversations with the Justices piqued his interest in the South African legal system. He visited Botswana and Swaziland and between 2004 and 2014, he was appointed to serve as a Justice of Appeal in both countries.
He shared that his most memorable case is his acquittal of a South African woman who was convicted for the murder of her lover, after she found out he was having an affair. “I set her free because when I reviewed the evidence, it was a clear case of self-defence,” the former Judge said. He continued that, “I think she deserved her freedom. Sometimes, I wonder whatever became of that woman.” OTHER PASSIONS Outside of his legal career, the retired Judge said that his other p a s s i o n s i n c l u d e acting—something he developed an affinity for while in London. Justice Moore said that he loved acting and was involved in a number of plays at the Theatre Guild in his former years. “One of my most memorable parts was playing the role of Nugget Joe in a play called Stabroek Fantasy.” He also enjoyed broadcasting 'back in the day.' “I worked part-time at Radio Demerara and Guyana Broadcasting Service (GBS) providing analysis, and ball-byball cricket commentary.” Moore said that he was very much involved in other types of sports as well. However, these days Justice Moore is satisfied to spend his leisure time with his family which includes his wife Cheryl, six grandchildren and four remaining children – which include Alex Hubert Moore (Magistrate), Alfred Thompson Moore, his daughter Susan Moore Williams— the Post Master General (Ag) of Bermuda, and Adrian Moore who resides in England.
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Sunday September 01, 2019
Head teachers of Region 10 trained to become accountable school managers Under the theme: “Empowering head teachers for accountable School Management,” a conference/retreat was held by the Regional Education Department of Region 10 for 24 nursery school head teachers. The two-day [August 2829] event held at the Splashmins Resort and Hotel represented the first such event to be hosted by the Region 10 Education Department. However, word out of the Department suggests that it will be an annual affair. In welcoming participants to the event, District Education Officer for Nursery, Ms. Youlanda Mentis, said that its objective was geared towards their holistic development. In fact, she made it clear that it was poised to provide them with a platform for the general development of the quality of education and care offered at the nursery level. Among the objectives of the retreat shared by Mentis
Nursery teachers with ACEO Nursery Ms. Samantha Williams; Regional Education Officer; Rabindra Singh; DEO Nursery Youlanda Mentis and DEO Secondary Ms. Sonia Fraser-Pearce was for “nursery school administrators to acquire the necessary skills and compe-
tencies to be effective and efficient school managers; effectively implement policies
of the Ministry of Education while being creative and energetic change agents and to be able to assist teachers as they implement the Nursery Curriculum.” According to the nursery officer, the Regional Education Department is aggressively empowering and fur-
ther developing its teachers so as to ensure that the end results of students’ performances can match the investment that the region has made. “We at the Department are cognisant that for head teachers to be effective, and for them to bring about desired changes, they must be
knowledgeable of what is transpiring within the realm of education, not only regionally but nationally. Moreover, it is believed that “head teachers are the key individuals to motivate teachers within the schools and to pilot the vision of the Ministry of (Continued on page 63)
Sunday September 01, 2019
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STANDARDS IN FOCUS
INTEGRATING STANDARDISATION INTO THE EDUCATION SYSTEM Tomorrow, it is anticipated that all teachers and students will be fully back into the classrooms, all across Guyana, as the moulding of minds continues for another school year. The Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) wishes all teachers and students a successful year ahead as a combined effort is made to raise the intellect of every youth in the school system. The GNBS as the organisation, which promotes standards and quality in Guyana urges that in addition to routine academic work, opportunities are taken to introduce the principles of standardisation into the local school system. The GNBS, like many other members of the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO), considers knowledge on the application and benefits of standards crucial to all levels and organisations in society. This includes all levels of schooling from nursery to tertiary. Our students of today are the employers and employees of tomorrow and they must begin to understand how established requirements for processes, products and services help to ensure quality, consistency, repeatability, interoperability and reliability. Simple examples of the benefits of standards can be shared with students including the fact that a quality pair of footwear last longer than one that is substandard. Standardisation in the electricity network makes the voltage the same in any part of the country, and standardisation makes phone chargers fit wherever. They must also be taught that the clearest demonstration of Standardisation being applied in schools is the school’s dress code, where uniforms worn within each school must meet requirements of colour, length, size and even cuts. After school life, principles taught must be carried over by students into the
work environment. World over, it is a known fact that many public and private enterprises are developing a preference for employees with at least the basic knowledge of standardisation, as these entities are taking the necessary steps to implement standards to build stakeholder confidence and reap all the added benefits. Today, finding employees who are already privy to standardisation continue to be a challenge and resources have to be expended to offer on the job training on aspects of the discipline. Some nations including Korea, Brazil, Argentina are addressing this challenge by integrating Standardisation into their national education curricula at all levels. In Guyana, the GNBS has been conducting lectures to secondary school teachers and students. These lectures usually focus on the standards, which are available and how they are useful in enhancing industry competitiveness and ensuring consumer protection. In addition, the GNBS had successfully sought to introduce standardisation at the primary school level through its Standards in Academia Initiative, which will continue. We must underscore the need to teach standards at all levels of schooling. At the nursery and the primary levels, children will become aware that standards exist for basic things they play with or use on a daily basis. For example, there are standards for toys, traffic lights, television, shoes, clothes, safety signs, etc. In addition, children will know what could happen if there are no standards. Meanwhile, at the secondary and university levels, graduates will be familiar with the management system standards applicable for managing different types of businesses. They will immediately appreciate the benefits of implementing standards towards improving efficiency and consistency in offering quality
products and services to customers when they are employed. Generally, as consumers, they will have a preference towards consuming better
quality and standard compliant products and services. The GNBS will continue to engage the Ministry of Education and other academic institutions towards integrating
standards into the learning process. For further information, please contact the GNBS on telephone numbers: 219-0062, 219-0065 or 219-0069 or visit
our website: www.gnbsgy.org (The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper)
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Kaieteur News
Hire-car driver charged with gambling money...
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From page 17 close friend of Matthews said that he was imbibing with him at his home in Lot 14 Springlands, Sunday night when Matthews told him that he was heading out for a half hour and will return. “We were drinking Banko and then he said he going on the road and come back. He use my cycle and then when he gone, I left like around 10:00 and come back after 12:00 but he didn’t come home yet so I wait because he had my bike and then like around 02:00 he niece come and call at the gate and tell me that a body was found at Rampoor,” Hernandez said. Suspecting that it might have been his friend’s body, he contacted the brother of
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Matthews and they all went to the location where the body was. “When we go, we saw the cycle and then we go through the shortcut and saw him on the ground. His head was bashed in and he had some stab wounds,” Hernandez disclosed. The police were immediately contacted and an investigation was launched.
Tanzania rejects “exploitative”... From page 19 Director-General, Deusdedit Kakoko, had said that another condition expected was that the Tanzanian Government would guarantee compensation for any losses during the project implementation and several tax waivers including lands tax, workers' compensation tax, skills development levy and customs duty and Value Added Tax. For over a year now, Kaieteur News has been at the forefront of exposing how the debt burden from China's BRI has been breaking the backs of nations which signed up for it. Sri Lanka, for example, was forced to sign over its strategically important Hambantota port to a Chinese state-owned company on a 99-year lease in 2017. The transfer of the port was to lift some of the enormous billiondollar debts Sri Lanka owed to Beijing, debts which came from loans that helped fund Hambantota in the first place. Other countries, which have landed in the same situation are Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Djibouti, the Maldives, Fiji and Malaysia. (See link for further details: https:// www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/ category/chinas-modus-operandi). In spite of the revelations made by this newspaper and the international reports warning countries about the BRI being nothing more than a debt trap, Guyana still signed onto it. Other Caribbean nations, which have done the same include Jamaica, Barbados, Venezuela, Costa Rica, Panama, Trinidad and Tobago, Dominica, and the Dominican Republic.
Sunday September 01, 2019
Kaieteur News
CONSUMER CONCERNS
PRESERVATION OF AMERINDIAN LANGUAGES FACET OF NATIONAL PLURAL CULTURAL POLICY BY PAT DIAL September each year has been set aside for the commemoration of Amerindian Heritage Month, officially known as Indigenous Heritage Month. This year, the commemoration had been launched on 9th August to coincide with the UNESCO International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples. The theme for the International Day is "Indigenous Languages" where focus would be made on the preservation of the world's indigenous languages, which are fast disappearing. The theme of our Indigenous or Amerindian Heritage Month is "Maintaining our traditional practices while promoting a green economy" and much stress would be given to the preservation of the Amerindian Languages. Indeed, Mrs. Garrido-Lowe, Minister within the Ministry of Indigenous Affairs, who appears to be spearheading the various programmes, which are being organised for the Month, has indicated that she would be giving much emphasis to the preservation and use of the Amerindian languages. The celebratory aspects of the Month would include Amerindian performing arts to which all sections of society would be invited. These shows would be along the lines of the successful Beyuka Erikida ('Musical gathering' in Arawak) which was organised by the Secretariat of the Ministry and people were given the opportunity of singing, dancing, storytelling and presenting poems in the nine Amerindian languages. The stories consisted of the traditional myths and legends, Indigenous ways and Hinterland life, and the protection of the Environment. After speaking about the performing arts at the Media Launch at the Sophia Exhibition Centre, Mrs. GarridoLowe elaborated on the language preservation activities
of the month. "The Ministry", she said, "will continue other initiatives that will ensure the Indigenous Languages are preserved. There would be the launching of a Patomona dictionary and the compilation of an Arecuna alphabet, There would also be a composition of the teachings of modules for the Arawak, Carib and Warrau languages, storytelling and musical festival, tourist hand books and academic debates on institutionalization of Indigenous languages". Reinforcing Junior Minister Garrido-Lowe's efforts at language preservation Minister of State Dawn Hastings Williams declared: "Applications for employment and contracts were recently published in the Indigenous languages. Radio Aishalton carried broadcasts in the various Indigenous languages. Though English is the second language to many Indigenous children, it is the language in which national examinations are articulated. The Education Ministry is now seeking to introduce native languages in the schools across the Indigenous Regions". The Minister then went on to point that it would be an advantage for public servants and police who would wish to work in the Indigenous Regions to learn some of the Amerindian languages. Whatever efforts are being made so far are laudable but they are of an ad hoc nature and language preservation requires a great deal more expert and professional planning. Such would include Government adumbrating a National Language Policy, which would be a facet of a National Plural Cultural Policy. A language policy would focus not only on Amerindian Languages but other languages which other groups, in particular the African groups who are demanding Swahili be taught in schools and be offered at the CXC examinations
and Indian groups who are equally demanding Hindi Urdu be officially recognized. Other than English, Hindi Urdu is the most spoken language in Guyana in that it is heard in the hundreds of mosques and temples over the country, there are regular radio and television broadcasts and Bollywood films and live performances in that language are often staged. Studying the Language Policy of Suriname would help in formulating a Guyana language policy. More immediately, in ensuring the preservation and continuum of the Indigenous languages, a number of activities will have to be addressed: Grammars and dictionaries of all nine Amerindian languages must be compiled. The words should be phonetically written and tapes should be made of speakers so that the pronunciations and accentuations could be preserved. Needless to point out, one alphabet should be used for all the nine languages. Most important, the language, which is most widespread and is spoken by most should be chosen as the Lingua Franca since this will ensure the continuum of an Amerindian language. The Lingua Franca would be learnt by all and nonAmerindians would be able to learn it. The Lingua Franca would borrow words from the various other Amerindian languages and in particular from English so that it could become a modern language. Encouragement should be given for the speakers of the other Amerindian languages to use their particular tribal language as their "home language". In this task of preservation of the Indigenous languages, interested philologists from the major universities should be invited to participate. (The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper)
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Ex-GRA employee accused of taking $1M bribe from nightclub A former employee of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) was on Friday granted bail by Senior Magistrate Leron Daly after he appeared before her for allegedly carrying out a corrupt transaction with an agent. Sirestsi Bascom, who is now a 33-year-old Security Officer of 9 Melanie Damishana, East Coast Demerara, pleaded not guilty to the charge, which was read to him. It is alleged that on December 4, last at Rio Night Club Georgetown, Bascom while being a clerk of GRA, he corruptly obtained from Paul Daby the sum of $1M for himself as reward or inducement to not seize and
Sirestsi Bascom remove all uncustomed alcohol beverages found at the said location.
At the time the charge was read to him, the defendant made an appearance in the Georgetown Magistrates Courts. According to information, on the day in question, Bascom was given instructions to go and seize all the uncustomed alcoholic beverages from the nightclub, however, he failed to do so. He allegedly collected money from Daby to prevent the seizure, which caused the matter to be reported and an investigation launched. Bascom was later contacted and charged for the offence. Police Prosecutor Sanj Singh had no objections for bail to be granted to Bascom and he was released on bail in the sum of $80,000. He is expected to return to court on September 20, next when the prosecutor will report on the completion of investigation so that the matter can proceed to trial.
Sunday September 01, 2019
Head teachers of Region 10 trained .. From page 56 Education,” Mentis said. The initiatives being executed by the department have been fully endorsed and supported by Central Ministry, Mentis said, even as she pointed out that recognising the roles played by head teachers is of paramount importance to the overall development of its teachers and students. “As a result, the Department of Education, and by extension the Ministry of Education, has invested and plans to ensure that all head teachers are equipped with the knowledge and competencies to realise this aforementioned vision, hence workshops such as these will be held,” Mentis said. The workshop therefore saw the educators being engaged in meaningful activities relating to Effective School Management and other areas intended to give them new ideas to assist and motivate their teachers to enhance their delivery in the classrooms. This, Mentis said, will in turn impact the learners’ performance for better output. Regional Education Officer (REdO), Rabindra Singh, underscored the importance of the training even as he reminded the head teachers of the very critical role they play within the education sector. For this reason, he urged them to be effective and efficient. He too enlightened the head teachers to the fact that their teachers will emulate their performances, which will in turn affect the performance of those within their charge. He went on to quiz the head teachers on a number of issues including how they usually utilise their August holiday. He said, “You are very familiar with many children who play throughout their August holidays and their parents do not mandate time for them to read or other uplifting activities before they return to school… and with the return
to school, they are unable to properly adapt.” This, he said, is similar among teachers and even head teachers who spend all of their spare time “enjoying themselves and not seeking to enhance and or upgrade their knowledge and skills set.” “I remind you about the pivotal importance of utilising some of your spare time to focus on advancing yourself so that ultimately your teachers and students can benefit significantly, as while you may have other things to do with your time, remember that you must be on top of your game so that you can continue to serve at the highest possible standards,” REdO Singh said as he made it clear that head teachers are the leaders of the institutions entrusted to them. He therefore challenged them to see improvements in every aspect of their school life, stressing the need for them to build closer relationships with parents so that they too can better impact on their children’s life. “If you are going to give direction, then you must be cognisant of what you are doing. I am saying that you have to lead and motivate, and delegate your staff with responsibilities. Remember as HMs, it’s your responsibility to help to build successful schools, so put all the negative things aside and do what you have been entrusted to do and that is to lead from the front,” the Regional Education Officer
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declared. Meanwhile, Regional Executive Officer (REO), Orrin Gordon, in his address congratulated REdO Singh and team for what, he said, has been their proactive approach to education within the region. He urged them to continue along this path while stressing on the importance of training. The REO went on to give assurance that as head of the regional administration, he will continue to lend whatever valuable assistance and support is needed so as to ensure that they can achieve their set objectives and targets. “Trainings like these are critically important for the holistic and general development of our human resources within the region, and I am happy with the initiative that the education department has been embarking upon. I trust that the participants at this conference/retreat would utilise the knowledge gained so that they can impart to teachers at their respective schools as education is a continuous process. As leaders within the sector, it’s important that they continue to remember that,” REO Gordon added. Assistant Chief Education Officer Nursery (ACEO), Ms. Samantha Williams, also graced the conference/retreat and engaged the participants in discussions aimed at helping to strengthen and further sensitise them on their roles and responsibilities.
Guyana doing more ... From page 10 of gravity of Caribbean’s energy sector is now beginning to shift away from T&T. In an Op-Ed to Newsday, Ramnarine had described the Guyana-Suriname basin as “The New North Sea”, after one of the biggest petroleum developments in the world. Oil companies operating in Guyana are in action mode, after consecutive discoveries by ExxonMobil, and one by Tullow, all proved Guyana to have world class reserves. Since the first discovery in 2015, Government has been scrambling to put mechanisms in place that would facilitate the developing sector. Guyana is months away from production.
Local Tech Company to launch Facebook developer circle in Guyana Trifinity Solutions, a local tech company is set to collaborate with Silicon Valley tech giant Facebook to help build a developer community in Guyana through the launch of a local chapter. The Facebook Global Developers Circle (DevC) is set to launch in Guyana on 21st September at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre. Attendees will enjoy panel discussions and networking sessions with local talents and representatives from the Facebook team; they will also interact with the local DevC lead, Samantha Sheoprashad. According to Sheoprashad, the Founder of Trifinity Solutions, believes that collaboration is the key to community development. “With such community development in our country, we will be able to develop and nurture tech talents for local and International opportunities. We at (Trifinity Solutions) see this as an opportunity to continue building the local tech industry and harness on our innovative and creative skills most importantly. Facebook is 100 percent committed to support emerging tech talent across Guyana and through this collaboration we can expose our community to the tools and a technology being used by one of the world’s leading tech companies,” she added. Facebook Developers
Local Development Circle lead Samantha Sheoprashad
Circle is a programme designed to create locally organised communities for technology developers. These communities allow developers all over the world to connect, learn and collaborate. Each circle is communitydriven, free to join and provide a platform for members to share knowledge, build new ideas and learn about the latest technology from Facebook and other industry leaders. Each circle is appointed a lead, who is tasked with finding unique ways to engage their local communities online and offline. These communities are meant to educate and
provide a forum for discussion and knowledge sharing around topics that are top-ofmind for developers in a particular market. Facebook has also recognised the potential of the human resources in the Caribbean through the Caricom Youth Ambassador programme and is currently negotiating to work with Caricom and introduce the programme in several countries over the next two years. Currently, there is presence in Jamaica, Barbados and Haiti from which there are great successes in empowerment of the local tech individuals, and now the focus is on Guyana.
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Sunday September 01, 2019
Public Charge Rule – Q&A to Clear Confusion By Attorney Gail S. Seeram
T
he proposed rule to change the meaning of “public charge” has no impact on the rights of U.S. citizens and permanent residents. The proposed rule is not in effect, faces numerous legal challenges, and there is still time to oppose and resist the change. DHS has revised the definition of public charge in
determining whether an alien can be denied a green card or permanent residency. If the proposed rule goes into effect, the U.S. government will at a minimum consider the alien’s age, health, family status, assets, resources, financial status, education and skills, and may consider any required affidavit of support. The final rule defines the term public charge to mean an alien who receives one or more designated public
benefits for more than 12 months, in total, within any 36-month period. The rule further defines the term public benefit to include cash benefits for income maintenance, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Temporary Assistance to Needy F a m i l i e s ( TA N F ) , Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), most forms of Medicaid, Section 8 Housing Assistance under
A synopsis of the Chief Justice’s ruling ... From page 9 (2), subject to the provisions of paragraphs (3) and (4) (both mentioned above) a person shall be qualified to be registered as an elector for elections, if and shall not be so qualified unless, on the qualifying date, he is of the age of 18 or upwards and either: (a) a citizen of Guyana; or (b) is a Commonwealth citizen who is not a citizen of Guyana and who is domiciled and resident in Guyana and has been so resident for a period of one year immediately preceding the qualifying date; and (c) satisfies such other qualifications as may be prescribed by or under any law. “By stipulating that a person who has already been registered must be at their residence at the time of
the house to house registration exercise is order to be registered, suggests that another qualifying criterion is being added for registration as an electors. A reading of all the relevant provisions leads to the inevitable and ineluctable conclusion that GECOM does not have the discretion without more to remove the name of a person from the list of registrants or electors because such a person who was previously registered has not been reregistered during a house to house registration exercise,” Justice George noted at paragraph 141 of her judgment.At paragraph 142, Justice George adds, “Section 3 of the Elections Law Act (ELA) regulates the process for registration of electors. Indeed, it merely sets out the procedure to be
followed by registration officers in the matter of registration of electors in Guyana. That is, if you live in a particular division, you will be registered in that division, but it does not seek to exclude Guyanese citizens who are residing overseas or for that matter, registrants who for whatever reason are not able to return to their district of registration from wherever they maybe within Guyana, they having been previously registered.” She continued, “Hence, if a person does not register in the division to which s/he may have moved after the last registration exercise, whether by house-to-house registration or at a district office, s/he would have to return to the district or division of their original address in order to vote.”
the Housing Choice Voucher Program, Section 8 ProjectBased Rental Assistance, and subsidized public housing. The rule does not include, for example, consideration of emergency medical assistance, disaster relief, national school lunch programs, foster care and adoption, Head Start, or student or home mortgage loans. Q1. DOES PRESIDENT TRUMP’S NEW PUBLIC CHARGE APPLY TO CITIZENSHIP APPLICANTS? A1. No. The rule impacts only applicants for permanent residence (green cards). Applicants for U.S. citizenship need not be c o n c e r n e d . Yo u c a n naturalize even if you are receiving public benefits. That’s true, assuming you were eligible to get the benefits when you applied and did not lie to get them. Q2. I GOT A CONDITIONAL, TWO-YEAR GREEN CARD THROUGH MARRIAGE. I ALREADY FILED U.S. CITIZENSHIP AND CITIZENSHIP SERVICES FORM I-751, PETITION TO REMOVE CONDITIONS ON RESIDENCE. AM I SUBJECT TO THE NEW PUBLIC CHARGE RULE?
A2. No. The rule does not apply to I-751 petitioners. That’s because you are not applying for adjustment of status to permanent residence. The law requires you to file form I-751 because you got your permanent residence within two years of your marriage. However, since you already have permanent residence, though it is conditional, the rule doesn’t apply. You are just applying to remove a condition from your residence. Q3. DOES THE NEW RULE APPLY TO GREEN CARD HOLDERS APPLYING TO RENEW OR REPLACE THEIR CARDS? A3. No. Applying for a new card doesn’t count as applying for permanent residence.
Gail S. Seeram (The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of this newspaper) For more information on public charge, text | WhatsApp | call 407-292-7730 or email gail@gaillaw.com FREE phone & inoffice consultation – FREE L i v e C h a t www.GailLaw.com Copyright © 2019, Law Offices of Gail S. Seeram. All Rights Reserved.
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Difficult to renegotiate Orinduik contract if Exxon deal remains unchanged University of Houston Instructor By Kiana Wilburg
S
ince the revelation by this newspaper that the Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) covering the Orinduik Block allows the operator, Tullow Oil, to recover a measly one percent royalty which would be paid to the government, renegotiation calls have surfaced. But University of Houston Instructor, Tom Mitro, categorically s t a t e s t h a t Guyana will have a difficult time pursuing the renegotiation of the Orinduik PSA if the lopsided deal with ExxonMobil a n d i t s partners for the Stabroek Block remains unchanged. The official said that having an unfavourable deal for ExxonMobil will mean that operators of other blocks will also try to insist on a similar deal. The Oil Consultant with over 30 years experience in the field said, “It gets harder to push for better terms in other blocks if the Exxon terms are allowed to remain unchanged. Not impossible, but definitely more difficult. The converse would also hold true.” Mitro added, “If Exxon were forced to renegotiate then consistency and fairness would dictate that the Tullow Block operator should be forced to be renegotiated also. And the model PSA might also have to be redesigned in order to be consistent, so one change will create a domino effect.” The University of Hous-
ton Instructor said that this can be a good thing, but it would require a lot of time and resources and planning. Ideally, Mitro commented that the government should develop a detailed strategy for how it would do this and still remain consistent. He commented that such a strategy would also require ensuring they have the personnel and expertise available to carry out such an undertaking before leaping in to it. Further to this, Mitro said, too, that developing the message the government wants to give to industry investors will be important. “No country wants to be known as one that is constantly changing contractual terms. Most typically, it would want to do what it can to assure current and potential investors that this is a special circumstance and not a continuing threat or something that is done without valid reasons,” the official noted. WORSE THAN EXXON In a previous interview, the University of Houston Instructor had emphatically
stated that the Tullow oil deal is worse than the Stabroek Block deal. He noted that the latter sees the nation receiving a mere two percent royalty and a 50 percent take of the profit oil while the Orinduik PSA offers a one percent royalty that can be recovered. But Mitro noted that the Orinduik PSA is also worse because it has most of the troubling characteristics as the Exxon PSA namely: taxes paid out of the governments profit oil, a cost recovery cap of 75% per year, abandonment costs allowed
to be recovered in advance of actual spending the funds, interest on loans allowed to be cost recovered without any caps, and captive insurance company premiums allowed to be cost recovered. The Petroleum Consultant with over 30 years experience in the field noted that the Orinduik PSA also has no ring-fencing provisions which ensure that costs of unsuccessful wells are not carried over to those that are successful. The University of Houston Instructor said, “At this
point, I would say the main lesson that might be learned is that taking adequate time to fully and critically review all aspects of any new Development Plan would be essential.” He concluded, “That is the point at which the government typically has the most power to influence the ultimate results, not only the technical aspects but the costs, rates of production, the local content, contractor selection criteria, PSA interpretations, and other societal and environmental aspects.”
University of Houston Instructor, Tom Mitro
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Leclerc leads Ferrari front row lockout in Williams Industries International race meet Belgian GP qualifying King qualifies with second fastest time
Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton after qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix at SpaFrancorchamps. (REUTERS/Francois Lenoir)
S P A FRANCORCHAMPS, Belgium (Reuters) - Leclerc seized pole position for the Belgian Formula One Grand Prix yesterday ahead of team mate Sebastian Vettel who completed a front row lockout for Ferrari. The Monegasque, who has topped every session but one this weekend, lit up the timing screens with a lap of one minute, 42.519 seconds. He was the only driver to go quicker than the one minute 43 second mark. Vettel, hoping to end his victory drought that goes back to last year’s Belgian race, was hindered by traffic on his fastest lap and ended up 0.748 seconds adrift. He was very nearly beaten
Sunday September 01, 2019 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) Generosity is one of your best qualities, Aries. You have the uncanny ability to give without expecting anything in return, and you gain a great deal of power and light from this generosity. TAURUS(Apr.20–May20) Every once in a while everyone must analyze his or her life. But you tend to be too pessimistic when you ponder yours. GEMINI (May 21–June 20) You'll have to use a cunning strategy today. The day will be tense and delicate. Some of your friends may try to put some pressure on you to obtain certain things. CANCER (June 21–July 22) Today, Cancer, you'll become quite introspective and reflect on your life. You probably heard some discouraging news concerning someone close to you, and it could leave you feeling blue. LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) Have your friends ever told you that you could be a great teacher? At home, you're the one who's talking all the time. VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) You've been working hard lately and giving a lot of your energy to others, Virgo. Today you're feeling tired. There will be tension in the air throughout the day. You may feel that certain people that you considered friends now disappoint you.
LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Today, Libra, you'll undoubtedly ask yourself a lot of questions. You tend to be rather introverted, and you typically need a great deal of freedom. SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) You'll be the savior of the day. Your wisdom and patience will be your best assets today, Scorpio. You'll be of great help to those around you. SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) You shouldn't work as hard as you do. You might have a lot of energy, but your body needs to rest from time to time. There is more to life than work. CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) You'll be lost in your thoughts today, Capricorn. The celestial atmosphere is right for enabling you to ponder a frustrating aspect of your life. AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) People around you might have been expecting a bit more cooperation on your part. You could be nicer and more concerned about their needs. It seems that you've been ill-tempered recently. You like acting this way occasionally. PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) If it were up to you, you'd rather stay in bed reading than confront the world. Deep inside, however, you know you need to socialize. You feel that you can't be left out of society.
by Lewis Hamilton who took third. The Briton, who leads the overall standings by 62 points from team mate Valtteri Bottas, had crashed in Saturday’s final practice session. His Mercedes mechanics worked a miracle to repair his car in time for qualifying. Yesterday’s pole was the third of Leclerc’s career. The 21-year-old, in his first season with Ferrari and only his second in Formula One, had looked favourite to seize it after topping the first two phases of qualifying building up to the poleposition shootout. But, having been denied his first win of the season by an engine problem in Bahrain where he also started from pole, he isn’t taking anything for granted, even with Ferrari’s speed advantage around the fast sweeps and flat out blasts of Spa. Behind the top three, Bottas will line up alongside team mate Hamilton in fourth, with the two Mercedes cars nearly touching as the field bunched up on their warm up laps. Max Verstappen, enjoying plenty of support from his orange-clad Dutch fans, was fifth. Daniel Ricciardo, carrying an engine-related penalty that will drop him down the grid, was sixth ahead of Renault team mate Nico Hulkenberg, who is also carrying a grid penalty. Kimi Raikkonen was eighth for Alfa Romeo ahead of Racing Point driver Sergio Perez. Kevin Magnussen rounded out the top ten for the Haas team. Robert Kubica was the first casualty of the session when the Mercedes engine in his Williams let go spectacularly, belching smoke and flames. The German manufacturer has brought an upgraded power unit this weekend. But questions have been raised about its reliability with Perez, whose Racing Point also has a Mercedes engine, suffering a failure during Friday’s practice. Alfa Romeo’s Antonio Giovinazzi also ground to a halt, with both incidents briefly halting the session under red flag conditions.
Andrew King and his RX-7 Its race day in Barbados as the Williams Industries International meet speeds off at the Bushy Park Motorsport Inc. (BPMI) circuit in Bushy Park. Andrew King, the 2017 and 2018 Group 4 Caribbean Motor Racing Championship (CMRC) winner, has qualified in grid two with a time of 1m 3.048s behind Mark Maloney, who secured the pole position with a best time of 1m 2.287s. The other two Guyanese to contest group 4 and 3 combined race are Danny Persaud (group 3) in fifth with a qualifying time of 1m 8.119s and Mohan Rangasammy (group 4) in sixth with a time of 1m 8.149 seconds.
Rameez Mohamed, the lone Guyanese competing in group two has qualified in seventh in a Honda Civic with a time of 1m 11seconds. In pole position in that category is Suleman Esuf with a best time of 1m 06seconds, while Barbadian brothers Mark (1m 7s) and Kurt Thompson (1m 8s) have qualified second and third respectively. Team Guyana consists of Rameez Momamed, who will be competing in Groups 2 and 3 with his Honda Civic, Danny Persaud in his Mazda Miata for Groups 3 and 4 action along with Mohan Rangasammy and Andrew King in Group 4, while Kristian Jeffrey is slated for action with the SR3 Radicals.
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Concacaf Nations League
Golden Jaguars squad for Aruba and Jamaica matches announced With the aim to foster continuous exposure and development of young Guyana-based players on the international field, newlyappointed Head Coach of the Guyana Senior Men’s National Team, commonly known as the Golden Jaguars, Márcio Máximo has shortlisted a 20-man squad to play the first two matches of the Concacaf Nations League against Aruba and Jamaica respectively. The squad, which includes 10 Guyana-based players, comprise three Goalkeepers, six Defenders, six Midfielders and five Forwards. “Of course, I have been here just 10 days and while that time was not enough, I have been able to see the characteristics of the players to provide a good combination of Guyana and international based players in the squad,” said coach Máximo in an invited comment following the announcement of the squad yesterday. He said team preparations have been steady and going well and while the intent for the upcoming matches is to win, there’s no guarantee in international football: “Preparations have been going very well, the guys are very motivated. The guys have shown great interest and, of course, they understand the tactical
elements. While we will set out to win the upcoming matches, there’s no guarantee in football. We, however, will go to the game with optimism that we can have a good result against both Aruba and Jamaica.” A 31-man Guyana-based provisional squad has been in training at the GFF’s National Training Centre, Providence for just under a month in preparation for the CNL; Guyana’s first match is scheduled for September 6 against Aruba in Curacao. Guyana will then play its first of three home matches against Jamaica on September 9 at the National Track and Field Centre, Leonora from 19:00hrs. The team is scheduled to depart tomorrow and the international-based players will join the squad in Curacao also tomorrow for encampment before the first match. Guyana’s others matches in the tournament are as follows: October 11Antigua & Barbuda vs Guyana in Antigua; October 14 – Guyana vs Antigua in Guyana; November 15 – Guyana vs Aruba in Guyana; November 18: Jamaica vs Guyana in Jamaica. The allocation of teams for the current group stage of the tournament was determined following the oneoff qualifying phase held in September 2018 – March
2019. Guyana has been placed in League B – Group C with Jamaica, Antigua and Barbuda and Aruba based on its performance, which earned it a place at the Concacaf Gold Cup. In this current group stage, teams have been placed in three Leagues – A, B and C – with four groups and will play home-and-away matches, round-robin format for promotion and relegation. The winner of each group will be promoted while the loser will be relegated. Six nations – Mexico, United States, Costa Rica, Panama, Honduras and Trinidad & Tobago – have gained automatic qualification having reached the final qualification stage for the 2018 World Cup. The 34 remaining nations have been placed in the group qualifiers. League A contains 12 teams, with the six hexagonal participants joined by the top six teams from the qualification phase. League B contains the next 16 teams from the qualifying phase who finished in seventh to 22nd place. League C contains the remaining member associations, with the teams who finished 23rd to 34th in qualifying. The semi-finals and finals are set for March 2020 with the winners of Groups 1 – 4 in League A competing in two semi-finals.
Head Coach Marcio Maximo working with some of the players. Nations League Squad – September 2019 – vs Aruba & Jamaica Name Position Club Alex Murray Goalkeeper Santos FC Akel Clarke Goalkeeper SV WBC Quillan Roberts Goalkeeper Forge FC Sam Cox Defender Hampton & Richmond FC Sherwin Skeete Defender Fruta Conquerors FC Kevin Layne Defender Guyana Defence Force FC Raphael Edwards Defender SV WBC Matthew Briggs Defender HB Koge Liam Gordon Defender Dagenham & Redbridge FC Neil Danns Midfielder Unattached Clive Nobrega Midfielder Eagles FC Daniel Wilson Midfielder Guyana Police Force FC Delwin Fraser Midfielder Guyana Defence Force FC Stephen Duke-McKenna Midfielder Queens Park Rangers FC Ryan Hackett Midfielder Fruta Conquerors FC Kelsey Benjamin Forward Caledonia AIA Keanu Marsh-Brown Forward Newport County AFC Pernell Schultz Forward Guyana Police Force FC Terell Ondaan Forward Grenoble Foot 38 Sheldon Holder Forward Caledonia AIA Technical Staff - Head Coach Marcio Maximo; Assistant Coach Charles Pollard; Goalkeeper Coach Eon DeVeira; Lead Physiotherapist Denzil Hernandez; Physiotherapist Quacy Paddy; Head of Sports Science Wilson Toledo; Head of Recruitment Faizal Khan; Team Operations Manager Rawle Adams; Equipment Manager Trevor Burnett.
First night fixtures for Inaugural ‘592 Street Kings’ released - Leopold Street vs Tiger Bay the highlight of night one On September 7 (Saturday), come nightfall, sixteen of Guyana’s best and up and coming teams will go head to head as they vie to begin their journey towards being crowned the inaugural ‘592 Street Kings’of Georgetown street football. Powered by Ansa McAl’s 592 Lager Beer brand, the ‘592 Street Kings’ match night one is set for the Berlin Tarmac (Drysdale and High Streets) and the Coordinator of the tournament has released the fixtures ahead of the highly anticipated tournament. A mixture of the best of the best in ‘streetball’ and young, exciting up and coming teams, every match can be treated as a final. It will be a case or ‘win or go home’ as the tournament will be a straight knockout competition. Seasoned ‘streetballers’, Alexander Village who is led by Shem Porter will open proceedings against the youthful LA Ballers (a mixture of National U-20 footballers)
at 19:30hrs, while Back-Circle are assigned the Ansa McAl All-Stars at 20:00hrs. Meanwhile, East Coast outfit Melanie-B will clash with Keron Solomon’s Future Stars at 20:30hrs before a mouthwatering fixture at 21:00hrs which will see Broad Street led by Jimmy Gravesande coming up against North East La Penitence. The fifth fixture of the night which is slated to begin at 21:30hrs, will see Okeene ‘Russian’ Fraser lead his Leopold Street side against bitter rivals Tiger-Bay which is sure to have the crowd on edge, that game will be followed by renowned streetballers, Gold is Money which boasts Hubert Pedro among their ranks, against Avocado Ballers. The penultimate game will treat fans to streetball juggernaut Sparta Boss showcasing their talent against the exciting John Street outfit. The eighth and final fixture of the night can be
called a tournament final in its own right as longtime rivals Albouystown-B will look to get past the dangerous Sophia to book their quarterfinal spot. The eight winners of the night will advance to the quarter-final stage which is slated for Burnham Court (Middle and Carmichael Streets) on September 14. Each of the eight quarterfinalists will have a chance to win cash prizes as the winners will advance to the semi-finals while the losers will be eligible for the ‘592 Shield’which has a purse of $50,000 up for grabs. Meanwhile, the semifinals will also be played on match night two, while the third and final night of the tournament is set for the Durban Park Tarmac; that night will see the semi-finals and finals of the ‘592 Shield’ being played, while the third place and final of the ‘592 Street Kings’ tournament will also kick off. The inaugural ‘592 Street
Kings’ will walk away with $300,000 in cash while the runners-up will receive $150,000. The winner of the third-place playoff will pocket $100,000, while the fourth placed team will receive $75,000. Entry to the event is free and patrons can enjoy 592 Beer specials all night at 6 for $1000, every purchase guarantees patrons prizes which include 592 jerseys, caps, cozies, openers and buckets. Opening Night Fixtures (September 7): Berlin Tarmac Alexander Village vs LA Ballers 19:30hrs Back Circle vs Ansa McAl All-Stars 20:00hrs Melanie-B vs Future Stars 20:30hrs Broad Street vs North East La Penitence 21:00hrs Leopold Street vs Tiger Bay 21:30hrs Gold is Money vs Avocado Ballers 22:00hrs Sparta Boss vs John Street 22:30hrs Albouystown-B vs Sophia 23:00hrs
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Jordanana Sports Academy concludes at GFC The inaugural Jordanana Sports Academy concluded at the Georgetown Football Club ground, Bourda this week and sessions in Football and Chess were conducted with the sessions being deemed highly successful. The Organisers from Trinidad explained the reason why the clinic was held and why particularly in Guyana. “At the heart of our mission is to develop young people in the positive areas of life and this clinic allowed us to do so. The programme was a combination of football and Chess where we worked on developing both natural skills and mental agility,” the organisers informed. Chess is often referred to as the game of Kings. It promotes brain function, improved memory and cognitive abilities, strategic thinking and attention improvement which can be
Omelisha Gomes collects her top performer Prize from the Mayor of GT Ubraj Narine. used in every aspect of life. According to the organisers, idea was born after noticing during the
school holidays children were idle on the streets and wondering how could they add value to these children’s
Parika Defenders, Factory Price triumph Parika Defenders and Factory Price registered victories in their respective T20 softball matches played on Friday night at Demerara Cricket Club. Parika Defenders defeated Floodlights by 70 runs. Batting first, Parika Defenders managed 200 all out in 20 overs. Opener Mahendra Balgobin struck three fours and four sixes in a fluent 51, while Marvin Basdeo made 34 with five fours and one six, Kabesh Persaud and Desmond Hoyte made 19 each and Ucil Armstrong 12. Patrick Khan captured four wickets while Ramchand Ragbeer picked up three and Rawl Reid two. Floodlights were off to a sold start with Khan and Reid adding 65 for the opening stand, but following their separation, Floodlights lost wickets at regular intervals and were restricted to 130-9. Reid slammed seven fours and five sixes in a top score of 76 while Khan made 19. Hoyte grabbed 3-33; Balgobin was named man-of-the-match. Factory Price beat Randy XI by three wickets and five overs to spare in their encounter. Randy XI took first strike and posted 176 all out in 20 overs. Roy Seebaran led with 56 which contained five
Football and Chess sessions conducted
The Chess aspect of the Academy.
lives. “There were also many grounds throughout the country which were underutilized, it is like having a fully equipped university/school without any students. We felt the need to create opportunities for the underprivileged children so why not use these grounds to help develop the youth and have fun whilst doing it,” the organisers added. The Academy was the first in Guyana and the reality turned out much better than was expected. There were 40 plus kids with about 20 percent being girls. On the last day of the clinic there was a closing ceremony where‘away’ teams were invited for playoff games
with parents and affiliates; among them was the Mayor of Georgetown, Ubraj Narine. “We celebrated top achievements as well with prizes such as Most Improved player, Most Disciplined, Most Promising and Best Attendance, each were awarded a prize presented by the City Mayor. The award for overall player went to Omelisha Gomes, She was outstanding in both chess and football and won herself a Samsung tablet, football gears and school equipment. “We have even identified some players with outstanding potential who we would like to invest in, so we are developing plans to work with them,” the organisers
informed. JSA will continue with an ongoing football camp on the weekends at Georgetown and Berbice with Boxing in Linden and have already secured coaches and are in talks to acquire the venues. They are also embarking on an adult football tournament scheduled to start in October, where the winner will receive a cash prize of Guy$3million. This tournament will see different teams from the Georgetown area competing for a grand cash prize. JSA are excited by this as this is expected to be different from the normal playoff tournament since it’s expected to be a fusion of sports and fun. (Sean Devers)
TT karate teacher passed coaching course
Mahendra Balgobin (left) accepts his man-of-the-match prize from Romeo Deonarain. fours and four sixes, while Alex Sital made 36 with five fours and one six; he added 49 for the opening stand with Chris Singh who made 10. Sakian Jagdeo contributed 12 as Amar Gaj grabbed 4-18 and Premchand Singh 3-24. Factory Price responded with 177-7 in 15 overs. Gaj scored 41, while Ajay Kishan made 36, Toolsie Sahadeo 29
and Khalid Hanif 26. Nandsham Boodhoo took three wickets. Gaj was named man-of-the-match. The game was organised by the GFSCA and played in observance of the birth anniversary of Dharam Persaud, Steve Narine, Jailall Deodass and Ricky Deonarian; all executive members of the GFSCA.
Sirochan ‘Rocky’ Dhani
Sensei Sirochan ‘Rocky’ Dhani passed the Coaching principles course with 86% offered by the American Sport Education Program (ASEP) a division of Human Kinetics. He is a member of the Trinidad and Tobago Karate Federation (TTKF) and has his dojo in Chaguanas. This certification makes him qualified for a TTKF Technical Coaches license. He will also be pursuing his Referee licenses under TTKF and his advance karate grades. Sensei Dhani holds black belt in Kickboxing, JuiJitsu, and Shito-Ryu karate. He is karate student of Sensei Darryl Williams.
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Bumrah takes hat-trick as India dominate Windies AFP - Jasprit Bumrah claimed just the third hat-trick by an Indian in Test cricket as the West Indies were left in ruins at 87 for seven on the second day of the second and final Test at Sabina Park yesterday. India had earlier racked up 416 all out in their first innings in Jamaica. Bowling with sustained pace and moving the ball through the air and off the seam, the 25-year-old fast bowler continued his devastating form of the last
day of the first Test in Antigua a week earlier, when he took five wickets for just seven runs, snaring six for 16 off 9.1 overs. It was a phenomenal effort interrupted by cramp in his right leg which forced him to leave the field briefly. However, all the real discomfort was felt by the home side’s batsmen, and especially the trio of Darren Bravo, Shamarh Brooks and Roston Chase, who were dismissed off successive deliveries for Bumrah to join spinner Harbhajan Singh and
left-arm pacer Irfan Pathan as the only Indians to take Test hat-tricks. Bravo was caught at second slip and Brooks palpably leg-before. However it required a television review from Indian captain Virat Kohli to confirm Chase’s dismissal after onfield umpire Paul Reiffel had turned down the lbw appeal. Bumrah had already dismissed John Campbell and then added the other opener, Kraigg Brathwaite, after the hat-trick accomplishment. He also returned after
treatment for cramp and with his very first delivery back into the attack removed West Indies captain Jason Holder, leaving debutants Jahmar Hamilton and Rahkeem Cornwall to survive to the close of play. Any hope of Bumrah taking all ten wickets in the innings had ended when Mohammed Shami terminated the streaky innings of Shimron Hetmyer by bowling the left-hander for 34. - Vihari hits maiden ton Hanuma Vihari had earlier
completed his maiden Test hundred as India extended their first innings to the tea interval. On an afternoon of milestones, Vihari was last out for 111 to Holder, giving the home skipper his 100th Test victim and also allowing the fast-medium bowler to achieve his third five-wicket haul in as many Test innings at the ground. Yet as well as Vihari played through five hours at the crease in which he faced 225 deliveries, striking 16 boundaries, he was actually overshadowed in an eighthwicket partnership of 112 by Ishant Sharma who reached his first Test half-century. He was eventually dismissed for 57 as the home side laboured for most of their time in the field on another blistering afternoon. Dismissed for 93 on the last day of the first Test a week earlier in Antigua, Vihari would not be denied on this occasion as the hosts wilted in the middle passage of the day’s play. However as assured as he was for most of his time in the
middle, the 25-year-old righthander still needed more than just a little luck to survive on a challenging pitch in a testing morning session. Once again it was Holder who led the bowling effort for the West Indies with figures of five for 77 off 32.1 overs. He received good support from Cornwall, the burly offspinner claiming three for 107 off 41 consistent overs. Cornwall should have also had the all-important wicket of Vihari but Campbell could not hold on to the opportunity diving full-length to his right at slip. On 68 when he benefited from that let-off, Vihari was then thankful to be reprieved by technology ten runs later as an lbw verdict against him off Holder was reversed. West Indies were made to pay dearly for those opportunities lost as Vihari and Sharma piled on the runs after lunch. They were eventually separated with the tea interval beckoning as Sharma miscued an attempt to heave part-time bowler Brathwaite over the midwicket fence.
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GIKMAA students return home as champions Headed by Grandmaster and Soke Dr. A. Nazim Yassim, On Friday August 16, 2019, a team of eight from the Guyana International Kyokushinkai Martial Arts Academy (GIKMAA) left Guyana with five students set to compete on August 18, in the Shuriken’s 5th international martial arts championship in Suriname. Dr. Yassim’s team dominated the 2 division that they competed in, namely the Traditional Katas, and the points fighting. And have once again proven to the Surinamese that they are the Champions. The Guyana Int’l Kyokushinkai Martial Arts Academy won a total of 8 medals; 7 gold and 1 silver. Results as follows: Nazim Richard Yassim
(Son of Dr. A.Nazim Yassim) competing in his first tournament won gold in the 14 – 15 Traditional Kata, (inter-mediate division). Christian Freeman; 2gold in the 14 – 15 Traditional Kata and Kumite, advance division. Ravi Samaroo; 2 gold in the 19 – 20 Traditional Kata and Kumite division. Ganesh Persaud; gold and silver in the 20 – 22 Traditional Kata and Kumite division. Sharda Sookwah; gold in the 23 – 24 Traditional Kata division. Dr. Nazim Yassim said that he is once again very pleased with the team’s performance as they turn their attention to their seventh International Martial Arts
GAW start CPL preparations with fitness Test... From page 70 Stanford T20 when Jamaica beat them. It was under Sarwan’s Captaincy that Guyana won the 2010 Caribbean T20 by beating Barbados at the Queen Park Oval after beat T&T in the semis to book their trip to the Champions League in South Africa. Shimron Hetmyer, the Warriors’ Director of batting’ made his T20 debut with a duck against the Zouks in 2016 but then became the only Guyanese to get a CPL
century when he hammered a belligerent 100 from just 41 balls last year against the Tallawahs. Guyana Amazon Warriors squad: Shoib Malik (Capt), Saurabh Netravalkar, Shadab Khan, Ben Laughlin, Chris Green, Nicolas Pooran, Brandon King, Odean Smith, Shimron Hetmyer, Keemo Paul, Sherfane Rutherford, Anthony Bramble, Chanderpaul Hemraj, Veerasammy Permaul, Romario Shepherd, Clinton Pestano and Johan Botha (Head Coach).
Championships on September 15. Dr. Nazim Yassim and the Guyana Int’l Kyokushinkai Martial Arts Academy wishes to express their gratitude to the Gafsons Industries Ltd, Ramsundar Bisnauth, Jiunkuan Wu, Grace (Yong Li) and R. Roopnarine. Special thanks also the Parliament Office that aided, along with parents, other supporters and all who helped for their support in this team’s success and asked that they continue to support this team in the future.
Kyokushinkai Guyana Team in Suriname.
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Guyana’s DS King football team triumph in Suriname
GFF/NAMILCO Thunderbolt Flour Power U-17 League – WDFA Leg
Eagles consolidate at the top, remain the team to beat Eagles Football Club of Stewartville remain the team to beat when they racked up their third win in as many matches in the GFF/ NAMILCO Thunderbolt Flour Power U-17 League / West Demerara Football Team Eagles (Stewartville) Pouderoyen Uitvlugt Warriors Hurry-ATE Wales FC Den Amstel
The victorious DS Kings football team The Deaf Association of Guyana football team, DS Kings defeated host SV Sudobe 3-2 to win the Sudobe Deaf Association of Suriname football tournament which was contested recently in Parimaribo, Suriname. Joel Humphrey slotted in all three goals for the Guyanese who were urged on by officials of the Guyana Embassy in Suriname; Malvie Talbot, First Secretary, Guyana Embassy Paramaribo, Shellon Liddell-Selby- Administrative Attache’ and Martin Hicks- Office Assistant/Driver. Following their successful trip, the team
met with Director of Sport Christopher Jones who apart from presenting the victors with a quantity of football equipment, said later this year there will be a special needs football competition. Guyanese Travis Duncan and Sherwin Skeete were given the best goalkeeper and best defence player prizes respectively. Other members of the team were; Walton Williams, Anthonio Johnson, Kenrick Carrington, Rondel Abel, Darren Tatti, Kevin Farde, Nigel Jacsbo; Reanata Shipley and Ricky Mohamed- Organisers.
P 3 3 4 3 2 3
Association leg at the Leonora Track and Field Facility, West Coast Demerara on Friday. The young Eagles edged Den Amstel 4-3 to ensure the latter remain without a point from their three matches also. Leading the Eagles were Latest Points W D 3 0 2 0 2 0 1 0 1 0 0 0
Table L 0 1 2 2 1 3
Romel Medas (20, 42) and Roynaro Nedd (39, 58) who both netted a brace each. Responding for Den Amstel were Jamal Robinson, Junior Redon and Chris Smith with goals of their own in the 25th, 31st and 60th minutes. GD 6 2 0 3 -5 -7
Points 9 6 6 3 3 0
GBA Head applauds Elton Chase ITO’s Exams The Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) has just received official documentation that confirms that local referee/judge Elton Chase was successful at the International Technical Officer (ITO) examination held in St Lucia in April. AIBA wrote to the GBA informing of Chase’s success. The diligent Chase has now created history as he is now the first person from Guyana to be certified as an ITO. GBA president Steve Ninvalle applauded Chase’s success, claiming that it is another pillar in the development of boxing in Guyana. “Boxing and Guyana must be proud of his recent achievement. Mr. Chase remains one our most dependable officials and ascension to the rank of ITO clearly speaks of his tenacity for personal development and that of the sport. Obviously, the hope is that others will follow in his footsteps. On behalf of the executive of the GBA I take this opportunity to heap congratulations on Guyana’s first ITO,” Ninvalle said. “I feel very honoured to have successfully completed this course, the long hours of work is rewarded. That being said, I must thank
Elton Chase God, Mr. Ninvalle of GBA, the St. Lucia Boxing Association and its President Mr. Shakes and all those who participated in the course for their contributions to this success story. I anticipate contributing to the advancement of amateur boxing in Guyana, the Caribbean and internationally,” Chase said.
GAW start CPL preparations with fitness Test By Sean Devers The Guyana Amazon Warriors (GAW) commenced preparations for the seventh edition of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) with an afternoon ‘nets’ session after a fitness test was conducted during the morning. Missing from the squad, was the Guyanese pair of, Allrounder Keemo Paul and dashing left-hander Shimron Hetmyer, who are both in Jamaica with the West Indies team for the final Test against India. In sultry conditions, the Warriors, the most consistent team in the CPL with four finals and two semi-finals places in the six-year history of this tournament, went through their paces under the watchful eyes of South
African Johan Botha. This year, the Warriors will play five home matches, with the first three set for Thursday September 5 when the Warriors oppose recently renamed St Lucia Zouks at Providence from 18:00hrs. The Warriors, captained by Pakistani Shoib Malik, then face-off with St Kitts & Nevis Patriots from 20:00hrs on Saturday September 7 before battling former Champions Barbados Tridents the next day from 17:00hrs. Today, another session is planned, while tomorrow a practice game might be held but Tuesday practice game is planned ahead of their opening game against the Zouks on Thursday. The Warriors were beaten
by five wickets by the Zouks in their first ever meeting in 2013 but they progressed to their first final before losing to Jamaica Tallawahs. The Guyanese franchise reached the final on three other occasions including last year when the Knight Riders beat them in the final in Trinidad. The inaugural t20 tournament in the West Indies, Guyana, led by West Indies batting consultant Ramnaresh Sarwan, beat Trinidad & Tobago in the Stanford T20 final in Antigua to start what has a great rivalry between the two teams. After a break for the 2007 World Cup, Guyana reached the semi-finals of the 2008 (Continued on page 69)
Sunday September 01, 2019
Kaieteur News
PAGE 75
GAW start CPL preparations with fitness Test
rt o p S
The Guyana Amazon Warriors had their first practice Session at Providence yesterday ahead of the CPL.
Bumrah takes hat-trick as India dominate Windies
Virat Kohli is literally over the moon after a successful review for a Test hat-trick for Bumrah. (Getty Images) Printed and published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd., 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown. Tel: 225-8458, 225-8465, 225-8491 or Fax: 225-8473/226-8210.