Kaieteur News
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Sunday September 09, 2018
Kaieteur News Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana. Publisher: GLENN LALL Editor: Adam Harris Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491. Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210
EDITORIAL THE UNVEILING OF A NEW POLICE STRUCTURE The recent swearing-in of Leslie James as the new (Republished fromhasThe Post) Commissioner of Police, sent Washington a clear message that the current administration is intent on a different dispensation emanating from the Force’s hierarchy, and a general change in culture of the institution.. James’ wealth of experience as the former Crime Chief, former head of the Special Branch and former commander of three police divisions has commanded the support of the Opposition Leader, who said that he and his party fully support the Commissioner, who must have the trust of the whole country to do his work. In addition to James’ appointment, the President elevated Lyndon Alves, Maxine Graham, Nigel Hoppie and Paul Williams from Assistant Commissioners to Deputy Commissioners. The unveiling of this new police structure is meant to enhance the operations of the Force. Assistant Commissioner David Ramnarine, who had acted as the Commissioner, was not considered for one of the top posts, and has since stated that he will proceed on annual leave, while contemplating his options. Like many other commissioners before him, Mr. Ramnarine seemed to be the victim of a force with low morale, low self-esteem and rife with corruption, theft, dishonesty, rogue cops and antiquated policing methods. He headed a force in which trust among senior officers was patently non-existent, police stations were in a state of disrepair and the tools of modern technology to fight crime were in relatively short supply. In fairness to Mr. Ramnarine, he was given the proverbial basket to carry water, thus could only achieve marginal success, despite what he would have felt were his best efforts.Commissioner James appears to have settled in his new job. He says that recognizes the gravity of the responsibility placed on his shoulders. As stated by President Granger, one of the daunting tasks for Mr. James is to weed out rogue cops and reform an entity which has proven to be highly corrupt at all levels. The culture of corruption in the force is so virulent that nothing outside of major reform can save it. Such reform must include a complete overhaul. President Granger believes that the current setup will allow for greater specialization and efficiency. Mr. James is fully aware that he will have to insert himself directly into the daily operations of the force in order to stamp out corruption and all other illegal practices, and to develop a friendlier relationship with the public. While the new Commissioner seems to have the vision and leadership qualities to lead the force, his success would rest heavily on ending the strongarm tactics used against the public by some officers for personal benefits and others who are inclined to forcibly extract information from the people. Ending these practices could restore public trust and confidence. Solving crime requires - to a great extent - the cooperation of the public, modern policing and better skill sets than those of a bygone era when brute force and blatant disrespect of the citizens were representative of policing in Guyana. One of the things that has impeded the effectiveness and efficiency of the operations of the force in the past was political interference. Commissioner James must not allow such interference to rear its ugly head under his watch. The force must be protected from the destructive grasp of politicians in order to carry out its functions without fear or favour and improve its image and reputation. The security of the state and the safety of the entire nation rest on the shoulders of Commissioner James and his senior colleagues who have been recognised by the president and police service commission as having the requisite intelligence, integrity and impartiality. The preservation of peace and the security of the nation are imperative now more than ever before. We must hope that the recent choices made will have the desired effect.
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.
Are there moves to sabotage talks between the government and opposition? DEAR EDITOR, I had earlier written a letter in which I pointed out a pattern that has emerged over a year or so which shows that whenever President David Granger and Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo meet the Pradoville issue resurfaces just after. I pointed out then that Granger and Jagdeo met on July 19th, 2018 and ‘Pradoville’ resurfaced via a Kaieteur News article on July 22nd, 2018, under the caption ‘SOCU completes Pradoville 2 file, charges ready to be laid’. The situation was quite similar following the January 3rd, 2018 meeting of the two. This time INEWS, via its January 5th 2018 article under the caption ‘Sittlington to return as Mentor/Advisor to SOCU’, talked about a foreigner continuing his work to ensure that there are convictions in the cases being addressed by SOCU. Even more interesting was that the news of Sittlington’s return not only came two
days after the GrangerJagdeo meeting, but it came EIGHT MONTHS after Public Security Minister, Khemraj Ramjattan, asked for him to return to SOCU. A third case was seen after the Granger-Jagdeo meeting on October 19th, 2018. After that meeting on November 28th, 2017, there was the Kaieteur News article under the caption ‘Pradoville Two probe…Assessor moves in to value properties’.Again we saw this pattern with the
June 12th, 2017 meeting and the article that same month by the Kaieteur News under the caption ‘Suspected Pradoville ‘schemers’ closer to climbing court step’. Not surprisingly, the two met again on August 30th of 2018 and lo and behold the Guyana Chronicle’s lead story on September 8, 2018 had a headline which screamed, ‘Charges to be laid soon – as SOCU about to wrap up ‘Pradoville 2’ probe’. Once again, I’ve detailed these examples to
demonstrate that what we are seeing is a pattern. And with that said, the question as to whether or not moves are afoot to sabotage talks between the government and opposition must be asked.Secondly; is it the President’s office behind this move? Or is it the Prime Minister’s office?In my view, it seems more likely that it may be the Prime Minister’s office. You only have to look at the big picture to see why.If the PPP and (Continued on page 6)
Our teachers deserve their demands and the matter must be expeditiously settled DEAR EDITOR, Our National School Teachers rang their bells for far too long but they should have made their demands in a most timely manner, because the children for the September 2018 term were affected. However, I take this opportunity to congratulate them for calling off the strike and the matter now receiving arbitration, with full resumption of school on Monday, 10th September, 2018. A teacher is one who teaches and educates students according to guidelines provided by
the national curriculum framework under the overall guidance of the competent education authority. In addition, to educate students according to the educational needs, abilities and attainment potential of individual students entrusted to his/her care by the Head of School or Head Unit of which is funded by the government.Our teachers deserved their demands and the matter must be expeditiously settled by the relevant authorities. Best wishes teachers. Yours sincerely, Parmanand Ram
Sunday September 09, 2018
Kaieteur M@ilbox The Council should be rateful for this $280 million dollar container windfall DEAR EDITOR, Mahatma Gandhi once said ‘There is a sufficiency in the world for man’s need but not for man’s greed.’ This was the thought that came immediately to mind when I read the releases through the local newspapers that the Georgetown’s municipality was pressuring the Private Sector Commission to agree on a fixed fee for the unloading of shipping containers in the city. One has to remember that there is no law, ordinance, statute, regulation or charter that obligates the shipping companies nor the receiver of containerized goods to pay the City Council a single cent. If they wish to impose a container tax then they have to go to Parliament to amend the archaic colonial laws that governs the Council on such matters, particularly for imports that enters Guyana at privately-operated wharves. All that has happened was that one day some rapacious municipal official had an epiphany that here was another way that the Council could impose on the already overtaxed citizenry, another burdensome and unjust levy, so that they can fill their pockets even more. It was merely out of the goodness of the hearts of the PSC particularly the shipping companies that they offered to give them Five Thousand Dollars per container. It seems as though the Council has mistaken this kindness for weakness that they could further exploit. To imagine that the Council has capriciously earned $57 million in 2016 since the decision by the PSC to help them out in August of that year, earned another $183 million in 2017, and over $40 million for 2018 so far of free money, so far and yet hungering for more is just simply mind-boggling. This $280 million dollar container windfall the Council should be grateful for, instead of being usurious and demanding five times that amount. They will not earn a fraction of that through their notorious parking meter scheme nor from their other unscrupulous programs. The Council sounds like the famous story of the life of a hustler named Joe, who wakes up every morning broke, hustles as much as US$10,000 during the day and then loses most of it by the time he goes to bed. Sincerely Sean Moniz
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Kaieteur M@ilbox
It’s time President Granger and his team tackle this crime situation before it escalates DEAR EDITOR, The constant rise of crime in Guyana has been a worrying phenomenon to the business and working class. Every day decent citizens are robbed and sometimes injured and killed but there is no improvement in our security system. Last Thursday I went to church for 6 p.m. to conduct a prayer meeting. I was alone so I came out to sit on the church bridge on a chair as other members were coming in.A Chinese store was just about three hundred meters from where I was sitting. Suddenly I saw the police vehicle come in to the store I was told the store was robbed by bandits. It’s the second time this store was robbed in just a few weeks. A next Chinese store that’s further up the road was robbed the first day it was opened and a regular supermarket was robbed over ten times. Now these rogue elements will sit at culverts smoking dope and rob people going to work early in the morning. They even jumped into my church yard and climbed
on top the building to cut the zinc to get into the building but were unable to make an entry. It cost me another six hundred thousand dollars to put razor wire on my church fence. Just yesterday they robbed a poor lady selling coconuts and sweets on a stall and all these crimes are committed in broad daylight and the police never seem to be catching anyone. Agriculture Road needs a Police Outpost and more police patrols. Sometimes I will see motorbike police just strolling along to ‘gaff’ or drink a few beers but they never catch anyone. The crime is not only here in this road it’s all over Guyana. I recently saw a new police commissioner and five deputy commissioners sworn in by the President but I really want to know what is their prerogative and vision about solving crime. These bandits are coming with high powered guns and many police officers are afraid to respond to calls when a robbery is in progress. The outgoing American Ambassador mentioned to
this Government that they must increase their security system as an oil producing nation but what he is saying to us seems to have gone on ‘’deaf ears.’’ If our businesses are robbed daily and our hard working citizens are robbed daily, then they will migrate and our business community will be closed down and Guyana will become a ghost town full of rogues, thieves, drug pushers, prostitutes and dope smokers. Crime seems to be a very profitable job. I was amazed to see some alleged Bank Robbers were out on half million dollars bail. Our judicial system needs a complete overhaul. also the DPP because the crime gets worst The Scientist Albert Einstein wrote:’ ‘This world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything.’’ This Nation is not going to progress by speeches and cutting of ribbons. Good governance is about putting people’s interest above our
own. It’s about time President Granger and his team of Vice Presidents step up their game to tackle this crime situation in Guyana before it escalates. V.S. Naipaul was hated for his explicit writings when he said.‘’The world is what it is; men who are nothing, who allow themselves to become nothing, have no place in it.’’ My questions are: What have we achieved as a nation after 52 years of independence? Are we safe in this nation? How do we protect our citizens from crime? How do we reform the judiciary that seems very compromised and corrupt? I need a response from our erudite political leaders of this nation. It’s either we get rid of crime and criminals or they will get rid of us. May God help us. Regards, Rev.Gideon Cecil
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Sunday September 09, 2018
Kaieteur News
Kaieteur M@ilbox A brighter future for Skeldon Estate DEAR EDITOR, It is indeed encouraging to see letters like the one by Mr Yusuf in the Stabroek News of 8/8/18 adverting to a bright future for Skeldon Estate, and by extension, the upper Corentynecommunity.There is no doubt in my mind that there can be a brighter future for sugar production at Skeldon Estate. What is also becoming a source of increasing encouragement is the recent expansion and enhancement of Skeldon Estate Senior Staff Compound as a RECREATION and TOURISM site being run commercially as another income-generating operation which is already attracting increasing usage by residents in the community as well as an increasing number of visitors including foreigners and Guyanese emigrants who return to the area for various family affairs and who are attracted to the upscale facilities including boarding, lodgings and recreational.The rate at which the facilities are increasingly being used point to the possible feasibility of expansion…..perhaps even an additional swimming pool to augment the existing playgrounds and other entertainment activities. Bravo Skeldon Management!!! Those who have not recently visited are encouraged to come and see for yourselves!PS: I have just learned that the Estate is being prepared to resume sugar production shortly; this is indeed fabulous news and credit must go to the management staff and workers in Field, Factory and Administration as well as the cane farmers for their diligence and responsiveness. Nowrang Persaud
Kaieteur M@ilbox
THE PPP CONTINUES TO LIBEL ME DEAR EDITOR, The PPP has been libelling me on Social Media. Please permit me the opportunity of correcting the lies being peddled to defame my person. I would also show how pettiness prevented development in the agricultural sector by no other than the Ex President Bharrat Jagdeo. I was employed as Personal Assistant to the President. In 2007 I met the CEO of a company who expressed an Interest in setting up a 300 Million dollar modern cargo facility at CJIA.. President Jagdeo told me not to delay but to expedite the project by working with the investor and GOINVEST. There were a number of meetings with GOINVEST. During this time the president indicated to me that he received some negative information regarding the company, including that it had a little trucking service in NY City. I decided to investigate and obtained a report from the Guyana High Commission regarding the company’s operations at JFK inclusive of the contract that the company had with JFK airport in NY City. This refuted the information the then President had received. At a final meeting GOINVEST had organized
with the CEO of the company it was agreed that the company would build the facility on a build, own, operate and transfer basis. This entailed not a single dollar in expenditure by the Guyana Government. In fact I negotiated for the company to place 100,000 USD (one hundred thousand US dollars) in an escrow account to demonstrate its commitment. GOINVEST informed me that the only thing that remained was for the identification of the land and this was in the hands of the president. I visited CJIA and we identified a spot that was not too far away from where Laparkan has its operations. Later I wrote an internal Memo to the president which included the JFK contract. A few days later I was informed that the President wanted to see me. I went to his office. Dr. Luncheon, the HPS was there.The President was angry. He told me that he had instructed me to stop the project. I told him, no! Then he indicated to me some negatives that he heard about the project. I told him that the memo to him had explanations. He said to me that the man had a little trucking service and I indicated to him that I had enclosed a copy of the contract the company had with JFK Authorities and a report from the High Commission in NY. He then angrily asked who gave me permission to speak to the High Commission and I responded saying that I was his Personal Assistant and that I wrote to Foreign Affairs requesting a report.
He asked me who he must believe. He then told me he was going to terminate my services, that he does not need a Personal Assistant but instead he told DR. Luncheon to find another work for me. The point is, how could he have told me to stop the project when GOINVEST continued to develop the Project? Why would he even think of terminating me on the basis of an internal memo meant for his eyes alone? We lost a very important project that would have seen the transformation of agriculture and tremendous benefits to the Farmers. Years later I went to NY and the owner CEO of the said company drove me to JFK. He pressed the remote and the entrance to his establishment opened. We drove in and he closed the door then he again pressed the remote and the other door opened and in front of me was the tarmac of JFK. He then closed it. Apparently he had security clearance of a very high order. In fact planes would come to his facility, be loaded and then take off for multi destination. I was transferred to the Ministry of Labour. I was Adviser to the Minister. I have Emails to show the Minister was pleased with my work. Six months later I was asked by Michael Carrington to be on the AFC TV programme. We were going to discuss taxation and the need to have a more progressive tax regime where a family can put in for allowance for children. By this time I was frustrated and sickened by the corruption within the PPP
government. I did not really want to continue being a part of the government. Michael Carrington told me that I would be fired but I did not care as I had enough. On the programme I criticized the corruption and the growing gap between the rich and the poor. On July 1st 2009 I reported to work. I was having normal discussions with the Minister re the days work and then I exited his office. The PS met me and told me that the Office of the President had instructed him to terminate me. They even refused to give me basic benefits owed to me. Two years later because I joined the AFC the PPPites commenced to libel me. They accused me of stealing 5m then 10 then 15 million and recently it went to 20m of flood money re flood of 2005 and as a consequence my services was terminated. The reality is that my three-year contract with OP was signed in March of 2006. They ignored a basic chronological detail, ie, the flood was in 2005 and my contract was signed in March 2006. But that is what the PPP has become. They did not stop there they commenced all types of attacks on me and my wife and this continues to today. I cannot even mention here the type of accusations. I will state a recent one though they accuse my wife of collecting draw back from GWI contracts. However, my wife has no connection to any government agency. This represents the deterioration of the PPP and its leadership Rajendra Bisessar
The weekly circus Jagdeo hosts can hardly be described as a press conference DEAR EDITOR, The Leader of the Opposition, Mr Jagdeo should be the last person to talk about the rarity of President Granger holding press conferences. The weekly circus that Mr Jagdeo hosts can hardly be described as press conferences by any standard. These weekly events where the Leader of the Opposition rambles on to the press can more accurately be described as an orchestrated lecture in fake news and this weekly circus ought to be called out for what it is. There are hardly any defined messages that the public can take away from these events and the questions often posed by our journalists lack focus, are hardly penetrating and as a result ineffective. Consequently Mr. Jagdeo is allowed to get away with
his weekly circus of fake news. Mr Jagdeo needs to understand that his weekly orchestrated circus acts are by no standard press conferences and be called out for what they are. The Leader of the Opposition needs someone to show him a few YouTube videos of what real press conferences are about in order to demonstrate credibility.
At best these weekly comic shows put on by Mr Jagdeo can best be described as an escalating study of fake news manufacturing. Mr. Jagdeo and his press team ought to be informed that the nation deserves better from someone who holds the important seat of Leader of the Opposition and stop taking the Guyanese public for granted. Lunthass Lall (jr)
Are there moves to... From page 4 APNU engage, the AFC becomes more irrelevant . Their relevance is diminished because they are not among the political players dealing with moving political dialogue forward; the AFC has no seat at the table. If the PPP and APNU engage and reach agreement on issues, what use is the AFC serving? They have no constituency. Isn’t this reason enough to want to sabotage the government and opposition talks, to make sure that the AFC remains somewhat relevant? Regards Attiya Baksh
Sunday September 09, 2018
Kaieteur M@ilbox Teachers are exhibiting symptoms of the “Wealth Effect” DEAR EDITOR, Teachers were on strike demanding more compensation, not because students are doing well in their exams or on a national standardized testing for kindergarten through secondary, but because they want a raise based on government’s future cash flow. That is, I believe teachers were striking for more money because of the pending significant wealth that would be created by the massive oil finds – this is tantamount to the economic term known as “The Wealth Effect.” The “Wealth Effect” refers to the premise that consumers feel wealthy when asset prices rise because of a dynamic shift in the e c o n o m y, i n G u y a n a ’s case, the inevitable boom from oil beginning two years or earlier from now. This effect causes people’s desire to spur personal consumption. For instance, the news recently reported that a lo-
cal businessman earned billions selling a piece of real estate to an American oil service provider. This transaction is highly likely to have a knock-on effect on everyone’s personal and property values. Teachers are no different from other members of society; besides, they are a crucial cog in the local economy both as consumers and producers of the next generation of talent i.e. very important group that is also unionized. Therefore, if the govern-
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ment would not agree to give every Guyanese a piece of the oil action (monetary), teachers are making the first move to ge t t h e i r s h a r e (40% cross the board and 5% increase through 2020) They intuitively believe that the government can afford their demand given the potential w i n d f a l l f r o m o i l f inds (future cash flow to service debt). My suggestion, issue IOUs (inflation adjusted) to the teachers to be cash in 2021. Keith Bernard
Kaieteur M@ilbox GUYANA IS NOT A CHILD DEAR EDITOR, I notice with much amusement two articles on social media, one by ex- President of Guyana Mr Jagdeo calling for overseas involvement in the nation’s elections, and the other by Mr Lyte of the Guyana Teachers Union calling for overseas involvement in the matter of industrial disputes between the government and the teachers union. While both articles show a lack of trust by both individual in the local professionals, they also show that these two gentlemen are thinking very much alike ,or one is an echo of the other. Whatever the case may
I had to call the PUC when GPL failed to fix leaning poles near our home DEAR EDITOR, Recently, on a Saturday afternoon, two utility poles, one on the northern side and the other on the southern side of our home broke at their bases, bursting some power and telephone lines and disrupting service to several homes in the neighbourhood.
How to attract and keep teachers and nurses DEAR EDITOR, Teachers / Nurses are essential workers and should be treated as such. Therefore, to keep them from migrating and to attract young people into those professions, the following should be considered. 1.All trained Teachers and certified Nurses should be given free house lots and interest free mortgages to build their homes. 2. They should also be given duty-free concessions on one motor vehicle and household effects, including appliances. This will cost the Government $0 and would pay longterm dividends. I’ve suggested the above to the previous Government more than 20 years ago, only to fall on deaf ears. Hopefully, this Government will consider my proposal before discarding them. Respectfully, Ray Ramroop
Our home was now sandwiched between the poles dangerously supported only by the main power cables. We called the GPL emergency number and within an impressive twenty minutes, the crew was there and removed the dangling live wires. When they left the poles were still leaning precariously over the road, and we were still without power. Early the next morning, I called GPL and was told confidently that the workers would be there during the morning. With memory of the initial quick response, I waited with trust and hope. However, midday came and there was no crew. Another call - “yes they’ll be there”- mid afternoon, more assurances and so it went till darkness de-
scended. On Monday, poles over the road, no power, yet with hope still alive, contact was made with the Public Utilities Commission (PUC). Assurances were given and these were not empty. True to their word, they kept in touch with me throughout the long day. I say thank you to the Complaints Department of the PUC, especially the head, Ms. Bourne, who was in touch with me way past the end of the working day, as just before the shadows of the setting sun began to fall, a large contingent of GPL workers arrived, replanted the fallen poles, reconnected the wires and restored power to our home. Sincerely, Joan Collins
be, I think that their request is an insult to our national sovereignty. Fellow Guyanese, have we not come of age as a nation after 50 years, that we cannot settle our own internal affairs? During the dark times of Mr Jagdeo’s presidency no such call was made, even when there was evidence to suggest that the elections under him were rigged, and there were many human rights violations. Never was a call like Mr Lyte’s ever made by past trade union leaders for an internal labour issue. . I stand corrected by Mr Lincoln Lewis on this one. Mr Lyte’s call suggest that there will be a collusion by local professional to defraud the teachers of Guyana of what should be made available to them . His stand also implies that the government in power is the most unfair government to teachers ever in Guyana. I do not know where he got his numbers from, but those I have seen suggest
otherwise . I wish to finally say , that if there is anything still childish about independent Guyana, it is our politics . Where selfish political figures are not ashamed to behave themselves like ball field bullies, who when not allowed to have their way, will choose to mash up the game. I pray that in spite of such follies Guyana and the promise of a bright future of all Guyanese will not be aborted . Apostle Adrian Wade. Lunthass Lall (jr)
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Body of labourer found in his backyard The body of Malcolm Corlette, a 29-year-old labourer ,was discovered last Thursday in the back yard of his premises at Number 54 Village, East Berbice, Corentyne. The man’s head was bashed in and his hand appeared to be broken. His body was discovered by a young man who was passing through the yard at the time.The dead man’s father, Dennis Corlette told this publication that he was at home when he received a phone call informing him that his son’s lifeless body had been found behind his house. The grieving man said that he immediately went to his son’s residence where he saw the body surrounded by a party of police officers. A post mortem will be conducted tomorrow.
Kaieteur News
Sunday September 09, 2018
Gov’t lacks funds to implement key anti -corruption laws - Attorney General Despite its passage into law, Attorney General (AG) and Minister of Legal Affairs, Basil Williams has said that the Government lacks the finances needed to fully implement the whistleblower and cybercrime legislation. The two pieces of legislation are essential among a number of anti-corruption laws recently passed. The whistleblower law is designed to combat corruption and other wrongdoing by encouraging and facilitating disclosures of improper conduct in the public and private sectors. And the cybercrime law was enacted to guard against pornography, child luring, cyber-bullying and identity theft.During a meeting with the press last Monday, Will-
Attorney General Basil Williams
iams disclosed that Government has been unable to secure funding to fully implement these laws.
He noted, however, that persons still have requisite protection under the laws. “They could blow the whistle, they have normal protection under the law, and anyone who wants to blow the whistle, feel free to come forward and blow the whistle,” Williams stated. The AG noted that the government is exploring funding options for implementing the cybercrime legislation. He said the IDB was approached about funding in this regard for the training of police of-
ficers, prosecutors, magistrates and judges, however, because of donor fatigue suffered under the previous regime; the IDB was unable to provide funding. So far, only officers of the Guyana Police Force have been exposed to training in combating cybercrime legislation.Meanwhile, whistleblower protection law which was passed earlier this year provides for the formulation of a commission to act as the governing body. Formerly the “Protected Disclosures Bill”, the whistleblower law makes provisions for the establishment of a Protected Disclosures Commission, which would be tasked with receiving, investigating and dealing with disclosures of “improper conduct.” The law encourages and facilitates the making by employees of specified disclosures of improper conduct in good faith and in the public interest; to regulate the receiving, investigating or otherwise dealing with disclosures of improper conduct; and to protect employees who make specified disclosures from being subjected to occupational detriment. The implementation of the legislation marks full compliance with the InterAmerican Convention against Corruption that came into effect in 1996, and to which Guyana is a signatory.
The convention requires member states to consider creating, maintaining and strengthening the system to protect public servants and private citizens who in good faith report acts of corruption to the relevant authorities. The law contains six parts: Preliminary; Disclosures qualifying for protection; Provisions against occupational detriment; Receiving, investigating and otherwise dealing with disclosures; Oversight functions; and Miscellaneous. It speaks to disclosures qualifying for protection and to whom disclosures can be made.Under the whistleblower law, disclosures made by an employee to an employer qualify for protection if it is made to the employer where no procedure is in place for making disclosures. The law stipulates that disclosures can be made to a Minister, the Auditor General; Bank of Guyana; Guyana National Bureau of Standards; Rights of Child Commission; Commissioner of Police; Public Procurement Commission; Director of Public Prosecutions; Guyana Elections Commission; Competition and Consumer Affairs Commission; Integrity Commission; Guyana Revenue Authority; Environmental Protection Agency; Public Utilities Commission; and the Ombudsman.
Sunday September 09, 2018
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$12B of $17B in new taxes went to shore up bureaucracy By Kiana Wilburg
T
he Federation of In dependent Trade Unions of Guyana (FITUG) is alarmed by how much it is costing taxpayers to support the administration of the APNU+AFC government. To support its case, it cited the findings of a report prepared by the Guyana Budget and Policy Institute in relation to the 2018 Budget. That report says, “…more than $12 billion of the $17 billion in new tax revenues [went] to shore up the government bureaucracy instead of better aligning public investments with social and economic needs. The total cost of running the government increased by 29% for a total of $54 billion, the second largest share (20%) of the total budget.” The document went further to say: “…the budget cuts the investment to improve the country’s poor and aged infrastructure by 8%. Likewise, it cuts the investment in the agriculture sector for the third consecutive year by 7%. These cuts will hurt agriculture and infrastructure labourers, most of whom are low-skilled workers from lowincome households. Moreover, unemployed and dis-
- FITUG highlights alarming cost of running APNU+AFC Govt. placed workers from the closure of multiple sugar estates and those subject to privatesector payroll cuts are unlikely to find gainful employment in these sectors.” FITUG said that clearly, this is a less than pleasing situation, as such; it wants the Government to give serious attention to re-aligning its expenditure with the needs of the country. As bothersome as those facts are, FITUG said that the frightening increases in tax revenues tell a worrying tale and illustrate how much taxes have eaten into workers’ income in spite of across-theboard imposed increases which have been awarded over the last few years. The Union said that
clearly, the increases awarded have to some extent been eaten away by the taxation. On this matter, it called on the government to consider, in view of the developments, a few changes to the tax regime. MOST EXPENSIVE GOVT. FITUG would not be the first to point out how costly it is to run the APNU+AFC government. Last year, Chartered Accountant and Attorney-atLaw, Chris Ram had said that when one takes into account, the configuration of the APNU+AFC Government, along with its lineup of nonstatutory bodies, Commissions of Inquiry and the like, it becomes quite clear that it is the most expensive government of our time.
Ram did not mince words as he criticized the government for its poor public expenditure management skills as well as its questionable approach to governance mechanisms.“Our current administration is the largest, single government in Guyana’s post-colonial history. It has the most ministers, least number of technocrats, and the highest costs. Add to that the nonstatutory bodies and you have one of the highest levels of public administration
you will find anywhere…” He added, “Employment costs in the country are also rising at dangerously high levels. What we need in this country is good management of the economy and it is absent. You look at all your mechanisms needed for oversight and you realize that they do not exist, and when they exist, they are not being used.” Ram also noted that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) had presented a report to the Government based on
its most recent mission to Guyana. He said that the IMF’s publication speaks to the national economy while being critical of the Government’s expenditure. Ram was quite critical of the fact that the Government is yet to make such a crucial report public.“Why is the government not telling us these things? Why is it that the report is not being made public so that the public can see what is happening? There are serious issues,” he had said.
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Sunday September 09, 2018
GTU calls on membership to report any attempts at victimisation
E
ven as the Guyana Teachers’ Union [GTU] prepares to have its deadlock with the Ministry of Education over teachers’ salary matters thrashed out by an arbitration panel, the union is calling on its membership to resume by tomorrow. “The union will ensure that there is full resumption of work at all schools where the strike was in effect no later than 9am September 10, 2018,” said GTU President Mark Lyte, as he addressed a press conference on Friday. According to Lyte, based on the Terms of Resumption the union agreed to with the Ministry of Education, “there will be no victimisation on either side and there shall be no loss of pay or seniority and the status quo ante will prevail.” Moreover, Lyte added, “We call on our members to promptly report any attempt of victimisation or pay cut to the union.” At Friday’s press confer-
...as it prepares to discuss TOR for arbitration panel with Education Ministry ence, too, he revealed that the Terms of Resumption also stipulates that “within 24 hours after there is full resumption, the parties will meet to determine the Terms of Reference [TOR] for the arbitration panel as guided by the Memorandum of Agreement between the union and the Ministry of Education dated April 10, 1990.” During the press conference, the GTU President also expressed gratitude to the nation’s public school teachers who supported in earnest a nine-day strike action. The strike action, which followed on the heels of an impasse between the union and the Ministry of Education, saw thousands of teachers from across the country staying away from and engaging in protest action school to retaliate against an unac-
GTU President, Mr. Mark Lyte.
ceptable offer from government. “The Guyana Teachers’ Union wishes to express a hearty thank you to all our
members and non-members who stuck it out over the past nine days during the period of strike. Your sacrifice was not in vain; we shall overcome...we have learnt many lessons through this period, which has made us stronger, more united, determined and focused,” Lyte underscored. Even as he vocalised his
words of gratitude, the GTU President reiterated the union’s position that “we do not trust the Labour Department within the Ministry of Social Protection to conciliate with strict impartiality.” As he alluded to the union’s attendance of a meeting last Thursday at the Georgetown Labour Department in Brickdam, Ly t e said, “Our presence...was to discuss the current impasse with a view to returning to normalcy at the workplace. We wanted at the conclusion of the strike, the substantive issues must be referred to an arbitration panel.” Lyte shared too that while it was revealed in some sections of the media that that meeting should have seen the Ministry of Education proposing a revised offer to the union, this was not the case. “Our insistence in going to arbitration because of a lack of confidence in the Department of Labour conciliating in an impartial, fair and just manner is justified,” s a i d Ly t e , a s h e n o t e d that initially the union was informed that the Department - including Chief Labour Officer, Mr. Charles Ogle; Minister within the Social
Protection Ministry, Mr. Keith Scott, and the Senior Minister, Ms. Amna Ally, as well as Labour Adviser, Mr. Francis Carryl - was involved as a member of the employer’s team advocating on the employer’s behalf. The inability of the Department of Labour to be impartial was further reinforced, Lyte said, by Minister Scott’s recent public derogatory remarks about teachers. The Minister was quoted in the media saying that teachers are “uncaring” and “selfish” for engaging in strike action. The GTU President noted that while the Minister did apologise subsequently, “it should be stated that the deprecating remarks about workers and the trade unions have occurred more than once and apologies offer only after public condemnation.” Moreover, Lyte said, “In extreme caution and to avoid the potential of such repetition during negotiations which could derail the process, arbitration remains the next best recourse.” The union, according to Lyte, remains committed to a stable industrial relations climate and is therefore only eager to see the return of normalcy.
Sunday September 09, 2018
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Kaieteur News
IMF questions integrity of data at GRA
…Cites weak IT system, document tampering as reasons By Kiana Wilburg
tional framework of GRA has been weakened by the ab-
this is necessary to modernize the way GRA conducts tax
sence of a strategic planning management system. It stressed that the lack of a strategic plan and structured risk management approaches, have led to uncoordinated programmes related to day-today operations and reform initiatives. To overcome the aforementioned, the Fund said that GRA must undertake a suite of reforms. It said that
administration. The IMF said that GRA must develop a three- to fiveyear strategic plan as a roadmap to guide operational delivery. It said that GRA must establish a dedicated reform unit to coordinate the implementation of reforms, and improve management control through performance targets. It also called for the au-
T
he integrity of data and its availability are two major issues plaguing the efficiency of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA). This was noted by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in its 2018 report on Guyana’s economic health. According to the Fund, these two problems directly affect compliance management and credible reporting. The Fund has noted on several occasions that the reliability of data at GRA is often compromised by its weak IT system, as well as officials who may tamper with its paper system. In its 2018 report, the IMF highlighted that weak filing and payment compliance are pervasive. It said that there is no e-filing facility at GRA, which impacts the cost of compliance and increases the burden for taxpayers to meet their filing obligations. Furthermore, the Fund said that disjointed case selection and management of audits compromise audit outcomes. Overall, the financial institution said that the opera-
thority to improve information technology systems, particularly in the use of third party data, business process simplification, and data analytics, to build an evidence-driven compliance strategy. Further to this, the Fund said that GRA needs to address inadequacies in the integrity of the taxpayer register and accounts, institutionalize a compliance risk management programme to enable risk profiling and assessment, reorganize its structure to place all core specialized functional areas of Customs under the full purview of the Head of Customs and reorganize field offices along segmentation principles. The Fund also called for GRA to be established as the single revenue collection agency for the petroleum sector, and that it creates a specialized petroleum revenue team within the Large Taxpayers Unit. GOOD PRACTICES While the revenue authority has a number of areas to improve on, the Fund did note that there are some areas of good practice in tax adminis-
GRA Commissioner General, Godfrey Statia tration. In this regard, the Fund said that its recent Tax Administration Diagnostic Assessment Tool identified strong performance in several areas. It said that GRA’s includes a highly qualified cadre of staff, extensive information available to taxpayers through a variety of channels, withholding and advance
payment mechanism in place, independent graduated dispute resolution mechanism and strong external oversight mechanisms.The International Monetary Fund also stated that fiscal structural reforms such as those required by GRA are important as Guyana prepares to become an oil producer.
Guyana spends over US$150M for repairs, and a few new... From page 3 was said that the old airport terminal building was not capable of meeting peak traffic demand or expanding to meet the desired growth in passenger volume. It also could not accommodate state-of-the-art terminal systems for passenger comforts, convenience and efficiency. The one-storey buildings could not accommodate aircraft boarding bridges forcing passengers to walk to and from the aircraft along the apron. But still, all that was said could not have justified the cost for the project, neither the financial and execution models it took. In November 2011, a few weeks before the General Elections and at the end of the Constitutional two terms for Bharrat Jagdeo, Guyana learnt of a major contract via Jamaica media reports. China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC), the current contractor, is the one who let the proverbial cat out of the bag. CHEC told the Jamaica Observer that it secured a contract to modernize the CJIA. A Government statement, in response to that leak in the Jamaica media, hurriedly said then that the Jagdeo Cabinet had approved a US$138M design and construction contract with CHEC.
Construction was supposed to start in 2012 and be completed in 32 months. The monies were coming from China’s Export/Import Bank and would have excluded all taxes, duties, royalties and fees of all kinds imposed by the Guyana Government. However, it took an entire year after the announcement in the Jamaica Observer, specifically on October 31, 2012, for Government to sign the financing agreement for US$138M. Guyana was supposed to plug US$12M as its part. It was clear then that the contractor was chosen without the procurement procedures being followed. In March 2013, the sod was turned and CHEC agreed to complete the job by the end of 2015. Fast-forward to today, the project remains incomplete with a 2018 year-end date being floated. The entire project design has been altered drastically. Instead of a brand new terminal building, CHEC decided to renovate and expand the old one and build an arrival area. The Chinese contractor was also accused of using its equipment and material it brought in for the CJIA project for the MovieTowne mall at Turkeyen. It is the contractor for the multimilliondollar mall as well.
It is unclear how much of an impact CHEC’s attention to the MovieTowne project would have had on the delays on the airport. Hired to supervise the project was MMM Group, said to be a Canadian firm, in collaboration with CEMCO. They are being paid millions of dollars. Kaieteur News found that project ran into major problems when works were being executed on the northern side of the runway. CHEC found out too late that the soil was not good for the foundation. By then, several million dollars had been spent to dump thousands of truckloads of sand there. CHEC was forced to abandon the northern side of the runway and start instead at the southern end. When the Coalition Government, under President David Granger, entered office in May 2015, they found that almost 70 percent of the monies were expended with just over 30 percent of the work done. This is no new phenomenon with Chinesefunded projects. Many countries continue to complain about this. The project was suspended but was allowed to continue after the Ministry of Public Infrastructure carried out a review. CHEC was supposed to extend the primary runway
1,066.8 metres, to reach a total length of 3,336.8 metres in order to satisfy the operational requirements of wide-body aircraft. A turning area was to be provided at the end of the extension. Navigation facilities such as lighting are to be installed and a service vehicle lane is to be provided as well as emergency facilities such as firefighting systems. Regarding the terminal building, a new two-storey terminal building was to be built next to the existing one, and was to be divided into two parts – the terminal building and the departure lounges/gates and arrival concourse. On the second floors of the terminal building, it was the plan for a Departure level with space for airlines’ backof-counter office space, concessions and security check point (x-ray). On the first floor (the arrival level), it was planned that there will be baggage make-up rooms (outbound), Immigrations, baggage claim (inbound), Customs, greeters’ lobby, ground transportation, 20 check-in counters and a passenger drop-off zone. The concourse on the second floor was also supposed to house departure lounges with ‘B’ loading bridges and sterile corridors. There were also plans for a new, larger car park, a reconfigured internal roads
area, and a bigger handling equipment area. However, that plan is far from what Guyana is getting for over US$150M. THE REALITY Instead of a brand-new terminal building, CHEC has basically gutted the old one and made some extensions. It will be the new departure area. Nearby, a smaller building will house the Arrivals terminal. There were supposed to be at least six passenger bridges. Currently, there are only two bridges. Earlier this year, Government asked the National Assembly to approve some extra money— $346.5M—which is intended to be used for the purchase and installation of two additional boarding bridges for the project. The money was approved. The request for more money went to the National Assembly despite the fact
that last December, the National Assembly was told that there will be no additional costs to the people of Guyana, other than the US$150M. Minister David Patterson had said that the project cost went up because prices for materials escalated as the exchange rate fluctuated, causing difficulties. There were no explanations or disclosures whether it was all CHEC’s fault that the project was delayed or whether the supervising consultants, MMM Group/CEMCO were held responsible. There were no talks of whether CHEC has been penalized. What is known is that Guyana is getting a much, much smaller airport than originally envisaged, for what was regarded as one of the biggest loans in the country’s history.
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Kaieteur News
Sunday September 09, 2018
SCLAN secures grant for HIV prevention project - First Lady is Guyana’s representative in organization First Lady Sandra Granger is Guyana’s representative in the Spouses of CARICOM Leaders Action Network (SCLAN) – and the organization, according to a release from CARICOM, has secured via grant, funding from American Biopharmaceutical Company, Gilead Sciences Inc. The grant was awarded for initiatives under the theme: “Transforming Lives through innovation: Implementation of high-impact prevention programs for adolescents, young men and women”. With this grant, the group will establish the SCLAN Secretariat in Belize, and focus on projects to be demonstrated
in Guyana and Belize. The Guyana project is said to be similar to an initiative by the US Government, called the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, which was established to address the global AIDS epidemic in 2004. This project encompasses HIV testing, treatment and prevention, with social interventions to keep girls in school, for economic development, end gender-based violence, and link boys and men to health services. The projects in Guyana and Belize will be tailored toward youth development; targeting people aged 16-24 with the aim of helping them to secure healthy and productive
First Lady Sandra Granger (second from right) with fellow representatives of SCLAN futures for themselves, their families and, by extension,
their communities. The initiatives are intended to sensitise youth on HIV/AIDS/TB prevention, and to inculcate skills on how to prevent and/or manage sexual and domestic violence in their communities. The success of this project will depend on coop-
eration with various Sexual and Reproductive Health Providers, youth groups and organizations that represent key populations, such as the Guyana Responsible Parenthood Association (GRPA), Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD), and ASPIRE Youth
Network, Guyana. News of this project comes on the heels of an announcement by Public Health Minister, Volda Lawrence, who suggested that her ministry has noticed a n i n c r e a s e i n trends of HIV transmission among the youth population. The Ministry of Public Health is yet to expound on this announcement, through the publication of the long awaited CMO (Chief Medical Officer)’s report.
Sunday September 09, 2018
Kaieteur News
GPL Upgrade Programme to benefit from US$20M Islamic Dev. Bank loan The Ministry of Finance revealed yesterday that Guyana has received approval from the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) for a loan of US$20M for the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) Utility Upgrade Programme. The Ministry noted that the loan will help GPL to effect a comprehensive turnaround of its electricity distribution. This loan is the first sum to be disbursed from the resource envelope of US$900M that was extended to Guyana by the IsDB in 2017. Guyana has already benefitted from two grants from the Bank totalling more than US$500,000.00. The Utility Upgrade Programme is part of GPL’s Development and Expansion for the period 2014 to 2021 which aims to reduce the overall losses in the power system. The loan is expected to cover several expenses for the Programme. These include: the rehabilitation of 153 km of GPL’s medium voltage and low voltage network and 6,941 smart meters, including the associated transformers, service lines and distribution boxes; and the rehabilitation and extension of two 69/13.8KV substations at Kingston and Vreed-en-hoop. The loan will also finance consultancy services for the preparation of designs and specifications for the sub-stations and the site supervision for the works related to the Kingston and Vreed-en-hoop substations, as well as support the existing project management unit by financing additional specialised engi-
neers and technicians to reinforce the existing team. GPL is the Executing Agency for the project and will operate under the aegis of the Ministry of Public Infrastructure. Minister of Finance, Hon. Winston Jordan will sign the Agreement with the IsDB on September 19, 2018 in Saudi Arabia. Since becoming a member of the Bank, Government has been aggressively pursuing projects that will increase Guyana’s infrastructure and optimise its productivity in the areas of agriculture, trade and competitiveness and human and rural development having committed to the diversification of Guyana’s economy in preparation for first oil in 2020. The Guyana Power and Light has long been challenged by its inability to provide a reliable supply of electricity and suffers high levels of losses. This has been compounded by a rapid increase in demand for energy by residential and commercial users. The GPL Utility Upgrade Programme is co-financed by the Inter-American Development Bank and the European Union, and upon completion will reduce losses, realize a more efficient and reliable service, and deliver a better quality of electricity for households and commercial users. IMF CONCERNED It was only yesterday that this publication reported on the concerns of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as it relates to the financial health of the Guyana Power and Light. According to the Fund,
the reliability of electricity in Guyana continues to be low and it is linked to technical and institutional deficiencies GPL. The financial institution said that GPL’s technical losses in electricity transmission are about 10 percent, while commercial losses are about 30 percent. What was also troubling to the Fund was the fact that GPL reported a loss of US$3M ($600) last year. The Fund said that GPL has turned to the government for financial support to upgrade its power generation and electricity grid so that it can be able to increase reliability and meet the growing energy demand. The Fund noted however that any significant investment that is being requested by GPL would likely require additional borrowing or a Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement. Minister of Public Infrastructure with some responsibility for energy, David Patterson, acknowledged that indeed, GPL is facing financial constraints. Patterson said that since last year, GPL has been grappling with rising fuel prices but it took a decision not to pass it on to consumers. He said that this is the reason for the company sustaining $600M in losses.
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Kaieteur News
Sunday September 09, 2018
Cash transfer proposal to be discussed following Dept, of Energy recommendations President David Granger on Friday said all matters regarding the oil and gas industry have been transferred to the newly established Department of Energy (DoE). The Head of State was speaking to the media on the sidelines of the opening of the 50th Meeting of the Council of Legal Education. The president told journalists that the proposal put forward by economist Dr. Clive Thomas last month, that there be direct cash transfers to citizens from the expected oil and gas revenues, will be discussed by Cabinet if it receives a recommendation from the Department of Energy. “All matters concerning oil and gas have been transferred to the Department of Energy. The matter has not been discussed and will not be discussed until it receives a recommendation from the Department of Energy,� the president said. Early last month, while addressing com-
munity members in Buxton, East Coast Demerara, Dr. Thomas said the government should consider annual cash transfers of $1Million (US$5,000) to citizens. President Granger had later said that there was no evidential basis for the suggestion and indicated that the proposal was not made to him by Dr. Thomas. The Head of State had said that the proposal for direct cash transfers falls outside of the recommendations of the Natural Resource Fund. The recently established Department of Energy falls under the Ministry of the Presidency and will focus primarily on the country’s burgeoning oil and gas sector. The establishment of the department follows a proposal by Natural Resources Minister, Raphael Trotman, to have specialised attention placed on the petroleum sector, given the complexity of tasks associated with its administration. (DPI)
Sunday September 09, 2018
E’bo coast blues… GPL admits rented Caterpillar units may not have been the ‘perfect choice’ The Guyana Power and Light [GPL] says that through observations, it was realized that the Caterpillar sets rented from MACORP for powering the Essequibo Coast, may not have been the perfect choice. This statement was made by the power company’s chief executive officer Albert Gordon, who met with residents of Region Two last Friday for a meeting hosted in the RDC boardroom. The CEO was at the time responding to a question asked by a resident, who inquired whether or not the caterpillar sets are capable of running a base load system. The resident added, “There are two types of sets; Primer power sets and standby sets. From all indications those sets are standby generators, which are capable of working for about eight hours. These aren’t the best units for base load.” In response, Gordon who
was appointed CEO of GPL just mid-February of this year said that the generator sets are not the best choice and that rental is not the way to operate a power company. Nevertheless, he pointed out that the generating systems need to work together and while his company does not have reliability of sets, there is capacity. He further explained, “We are trying to get more units to full more capacity. We currently have four units online - units 3, 9, 12, and 14. These units total 4 megawatts, which is enough for the day peak. The evening peak, however, is about 4.6 to 4.8 megawatts, so we are trying to bring two additional units back online by this week, and we are also bringing in another.” Kaieteur News understands that a number of the rented Caterpillar sets have suffered burnt rotors, due to overuse. Gordon said that it
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Kaieteur News
is also essential to keep multiple sets on standby, which will allow working sets to cool down and be maintained. While there are still shorter periods of power interruptions on the coast, GPL said that it still stands committed in ensuring that reliable power is available by Mid-December. According to (Continued on page 65)
The three new engines presently being installed at the Anna Regina Power station
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Kaieteur News
Sunday September 09, 2018
Three years later…
Govt. undecided about approach to local content framework for oil and gas sector Stakeholders will have to wait until next year for Government to deliver on a promised local content policy which is to ensure that the services and supplies of locals are
givenpriorityintheoilandgassector. A second draft of the policy, whichwascompleted one year ago by Local Content Expert, Trinidadian Anthony Paul, has
been with the Ministry of Business, which assumed responsibility for local content in January, last. In an interview with Kaieteur News,MinisterofBusinessDominic
Gaskin said that no decision has been made as to how to approach local content. “The decision hasn’t been made as yet as to whether it requires specific local content legislation; whether it requires simply the incorporation of stronger local content provisions in the production sharing agreement or whether it can simply be an amendment to the Petroleum Exploration Production Act; or whether it would make more sense to have a collaborative approach with contractors on local content,” Gaskin stated. The Business Minister noted that Government will lean on the advice from another consultant. But hiring the consultant is proving difficult. Gaskin said that because the Ministry assumed responsibility for local content in January, they did not budget for a consultant. “We are looking for funding to fund the consultancy fees to complete the exercise. The Ministry of Finance is assisting us with that, and we are also looking at sourcing funding from
…searching for $$$ to hire new consultant
Minister of Business, Dominic Gaskin another organization,” Gaskin stated. According to Gaskin, the second draft prepared by Paul was fairly general and nonspecific; hence, the decision was taken to hold further consultations. “Upon examining the issue, we
decided we have a plan of action whichinvolvesfurtherconsultations and also the services of another consultant to finalise the policy.” “There is no sense consulting withanumberoforganisationsifyou don’t have someone with the necessary expertise to actually pull together the comments and views and incorporate them into the final policy,” Gaskin noted. Last week the private sector bemoaned the delays in finalising the policy and submitted draft local content legislation to Government. Gaskin stated that while the Government is yet to put in place the policy, the existing PSAs have provisions for local content. “We still need to have that policy and it’s pretty urgent, and depending on how it is resolved, we may need legislation or not. The bottom line is that there is something currently in place that we are working with, so it is not as if there is absolutely nothing and there is a big freefall,” Gaskin noted.
Sunday September 09, 2018
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Kaieteur News
---Hinds’ Sight by Dr. David Hinds---
Granger’s candidacy in 2020: A mixed bag
There has been some speculation about President’s Granger’s candidacy at the top of the Coalition’s ticket at the next general election. The assumption is that the present coalition would contest again, and that president wants to lead the ticket. At the level of APNU, there is an unwritten understanding that the top of the ticket comes from the PNC. So, his candidacy depends more on whether he is put forward by his party. I don’t think any of the other APNU parties would reject a nomination coming from the PNC. And unlike in 2015, I don’t think the AFC currently has the leverage to bargain for the top spot. So, if they run as the Coalition again and President Granger wants the top spot, that’s a done deal. I think he gets the top spot partly because his party does not have an alternative leader to credibly and effectively fill the spot, and partly because of his personal integrity. While I have some difficulty with his style of leader-
ship, I don’t see a superior candidate from among the hopefuls in the PNC. So, in such a situation incumbency rules. Granger’s strength is his personal integrity, which in our political environment is a tremendous asset. If one were tempted to look elsewhere for an alternative leader, it would be hard to find one with the same degree of personal integrity. What he lacks in political nimbleness, in the eyes of his supporters he makes up in that critical area. So, I am prepared from this distance, barring any big, unforeseen political development, to forecast that he would be the presidential candidate if the Coalition contests again. And I think from everything I have seen and heard, he wants to continue. While I don’t think he would be challenged for the top spot, I am very sure that he would be pressured to broaden decision-making beyond Cabinet and the Presidency. That is perhaps the biggest problem that coalition
partners, including his own party, have with his leadership. I also think there would be more pressure on him to be less inflexible. So, he gets the top spot without challenge, but he would be under pressure to make some accommodations. This is where I think his ability to compromise would be severely tested. At the mass level, my sense is that sections of the Coalition’s support base are somewhat disappointed with his leadership. From moving around the coastland, I sense a feeling among supporters that he has not been tough enough on the opposition, that he has not paid enough attention to his ethnic base, that he is too aloof, that he is not a handson leader, that he is too rigid and that he does not handle criticism well. But he gets high marks for being decent, incorruptible and stable. So, I don’t see any big push-back among his supporters as far as the top spot is concerned. But for him to retain or regain the rock star
The Baccoo Speaks The country will record an outbreak of a mystery ailment in the hinterland. The initial belief is that it came from Venezuela with the migrating residents, but further tests will be concluded.The worry would be the speed with which this mystery ailment would spread. ** The recent exercise by the teachers would suddenly shift focus on the
public schools. It was long recognized that many teachers merely report for duty then leave to attend university, leaving the
classes unattended. Inspectors would now be paying frequent visits and the pressure would be on the heads, who for the most part are poor leaders. ** The fires are back. The less fortunate tend to take certain things for granted with the result that they often leave cooking unattended. Another fire will strike in a depressed area. Again the damage would be extensive.
effect he had in 2015, he would have to be more engaged with his base over the next two years. His speech at BV and the current handling of the teachers’ salary demands by his government should not be taken lightly. He personally would have to reassure the base that he stands with them and that he is sensitive to their concerns, interests and needs.As far as independent voters are concerned, that’s where I think there is rejection of his leadership. I believe that a small but pivotal section which had been more politically inclined to the AFC and the WPA kind of politics, is impatient with his leadership and would not be inclined to easily support his candidacy. Independents think he comes over as too inflexible and autocratic for their liking. That group puts a lot of store on democratic forms and substance, and Granger has not always been too careful about the democratic appearances of some of his in-
terventions. He appears to be more concerned with the letter of the law and less about the spirit and the perceptions. In that regard, his candidacy could lead to the formation of alternative parties, which in turn could make it very difficult for the Coalition to win a majority. So, Granger is good for the base but bad for independents. My sense is that section would be more comfortable with someone like Harmon or Greenidge at the top of the ticket, if they decide to stick with the Coalition. And those independent parties could well capture some of the disaffected voters among Granger’s base, just as the AFC did in 2006 So, with Granger at the top, you get a very mixed bag. But he can lean things more to his favour, if he is willing to critically assess his stewardship and make some necessary adjustments to his style and to the substance of his policies. His handling of the planning for our coming revenues could give him a
Dr David Hinds way out. If he continues on the straight and narrow road he is currently on, he is not going to help himself much. But if he can inspire hope in the popular masses that he would use the resources to champion their causes such as poverty alleviation, he could become an even more effective candidate in 2020. 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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By Michael Jordan
T
he young hunter crouched on the makeshift platform that he had constructed in the tree, several feet above the forest floor. It had been a good night. He had already killed two labbas and was optimistic that he could bag at least one more before the night was over. He was only 22 years old, but Joseph Brown, from the Amerindian Village of Santa Mission, was already a seasoned hunter. In fact, he had been hired to hunt ‘wild meat’ for a legal firm in Georgetown. It was around eight o’clock and, from his experience, he knew that this was the hour that labbas roamed the forest. Brown was about to clamber down the tree to pick up the second dead labba when he heard a strange sound below, somewhere behind him. And the sound was heading in his direction. Keeping his 16-gauge shotgun at the ready, Joseph Brown switched on his torchlight and trained the beam in the direction from which the sound had come. To his astonishment, by the light of the torch, he saw, not an animal as he had expected, but what looked like a tall man. The ‘man’ was about six feet tall and was standing still, just staring at him. Joseph Brown flashed his
Kaieteur News
Sunday September 09, 2018
- in the silent, pitch-black jungle, something was stalking the young hunter… torchlight on and off three times, as a signal to the ‘man’ on the ground. He assumed that the ‘man’ would respond by speaking. The strange ‘man’ made no sound. And then it suddenly dawned on the hunter that, besides his silence, there was something else very strange about the ‘man’ on the ground. Joseph Brown realized that the ‘man’s’ eyes were glowing in the dark, the way that a cat’s would. Brown sensed that he was in grave danger. He immediately trained his 16-gauge shotgun on the stranger and squeezed the trigger. The silence was shattered by the boom of Brown’s shotgun. Sure that he had hit his target, the now terrified hunter, still clutching his shotgun, scrambled down from the tree and ran all the way to his home, some two miles away, leaving the dead labbas behind. He immediately told his wife about his strange encounter in the forest. The following day, he also informed other men in the village about the ‘man’ he had shot. Taking about ten friends with him, Joseph Brown returned to the spot where he
had killed the labbas. According to Mr. Brown, the men observed splotches of blood on the ground. The trail of blood ended at the Kamuni Creek, a few miles away. However, there was no trace of the ‘man’ that the hunter had shot. Brown said that he also confided in the attorney who had employed him to supply
wild meat. According to the hunter, the attorney cautioned him not to divulge this information to the Police, since Brown could get into trouble over his strange story. “He said: ‘You must stop hunting…I had a bad dream about you.’” But that, he said, was not the end of the matter. Brown said that about six
months later, he was with some other villagers in an area about two miles from the Kamuni Creek, when they stumbled on a skeleton that appeared to be that of a human. However, they found no trace of the skull. “We wanted to find the head. The head would have told us what it was,” Brown said. The villagers concluded that the skeleton belonged to the strange ‘man’ that Joseph Brown had shot. “We waited to see if there would be any reports of anyone missing from the area but we got no reports,” Brown said. Eventually, some of the villagers eventually concluded that Brown had had a close encounter with a ‘massacurraman’, a creature that features prominently in Amerindian folklore. The ‘massacurraman is said to be a hairy, man-like creature that inhabits waterways and sometimes attacks vessels. According to Brown, at around that time, there were reports of a strange man stalking some villagers. Occasionally, also, dogs and livestock would mysteriously vanish from the village. This was also blamed on the
‘creature.’ But what does Joseph Brown believe? Now 71 years of age, Mr. Brown concludes that the thing he shot was not human. According to him, he was using buckshot that night. He explained that buckshot could stop a ‘wild cow’ (tapir) in its tracks. He pointed out that the ‘man’ he had shot had apparently fled over two miles before succumbing to his injury. Brown believes that no human could have run that distance with a buckshot injury. Although he is no longer a young man, Mr. Brown still occasionally hunts. Since then, he has killed jaguars and other dangerous animals that inhabit Guyana’s jungles. But he surely hopes that he never again has an encounter like the one that occurred at Santa Mission so many years ago… If you have information on any unusual case, please contact us at our Lot 24 Saffon Street office. We can be reached on telephone numbers 22-58465, 58491 or 22-58458. You can also contact Michael Jordan on his email a d d r e s s : kamarangnight@gmail.com
Sunday September 09, 2018
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Kaieteur News
==THE FREDDIE KISSOON COLUMN==
Aretha Franklin, Neil Simon and sempiternal memories
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ife is about stages and in each stage, memories are born that stay forever. From school to university, we embrace wonderful memories. We leave our cultural niche, travel abroad and see people and environments we never saw in our home country; the memories born are plentiful. Courtship and marriage bring countless sentiments that you cherish forever. When I was courting my wife, I introduced her to a reggae song, “Dreadlock Holiday” that had an unusual characteristic. It wasn’t recorded by a West Indian group, but a young White English band named “10cc.” After forty years of marriage, my wife still speaks fondly of her love for “Dreadlock Holiday” which remains one of her favourite tunes of all time. From tropical Guyana with a non-white population, I went to Canada to study for a higher degree at McMaster University. This was a White country, so the soul and reggae that UG students played all the time would be missing. At McMaster University, I discovered “Fleetwood Mac” and its front lady, Stevie Nicks. The most popular tune on McMaster campus when I was there was “Sara” by Fleetwood Mac. It is a haunting, maudlin song about the danger of loving someone too much. On Tuesday last, I walked into the house and saw Fleetwood Mac on television. My daughter was looking at it. She came to like
Fleetwood Mac and “Sara” for obvious reasons. She said the band were the guests on the Ellen show. As I watched Stevie Nicks singing on the television, the memories of my time in Canada and my student days at McMaster came tumbling down. No other song reminds me of student days in Canada more than “Sara”. If you like all types of music, then try listening to the unique voice of Stevie Nicks on “Sara.” Aretha Franklin and Neil Simon died days apart. Both artists hold terrific memories for me. As I read about the death of singer Franklin, and playwright, Neil Simon, two genres of memories came flashing in front of my eyes – growing up in Wortmanville in South Georgetown with soul music, and my endless days with my wife when we were students in Canada. No youth in South Georgetown could have escaped the magic of Aretha Franklin. I would say in Guyana she was only eclipsed by Dionne Warwick. All my siblings enjoyed Franklin, but we all chose Warwick in front of her and one reason explains that – the phenomenal compositions of Burt Bacharach. Simply put, Warwick’s songs were more emotionally driven. One forceful memory that came to me when I heard of Franklin’s death was that of my sister, Janet. I never knew of a playwright and screen player named Neil Simon when I lived in Guyana. I got to know him when I went to Canada. Simon’s most famous plays
were made into films. My wife and I spent some exceptional romantic times watching Simon’s movies with Jack Lemmon. It was through these movies my wife and I came to like Jack Lemmon immensely. I would say Lemmon is very much on the top of our list of favourite actors and this includes my wife’s account of her revered Bollywood artists like Shashi Kapoor, Sunil Dutt and Asha Parekh, among others Even though “The Odd Couple” was made in 1968, I never saw the film in Guyana. It was in Canada that I did,
along with “The Out of Towners,” “Prisoner of Second Avenue,” You won’t believe it, but after seeing “The Odd Couple”, my wife and I sought out every Jack Lemmon film. I n my collection at the moment, I have every film Jack Lemmon starred. Yes, I have a Jack Lemmon collection. Strangely my preferred Lemmon movie is not “The Odd Couple” but “Avanti!” My wife and daughter still cannot understand why I like “Avanti!” over so many great Lemmon movies, but I guess the answer lies deep down in
my psyche. Maybe it has to do with the special night when my wife and I watched the film. Once we continue to pass through stages of our lives, then books, songs, movies of so many talented artists will live forever in our minds. I will close with the American invasion of Grenada in 1983 where I was working when the war came. We were cut off from the outside world. Donald Rodney, Walter Rodney’s brother, was our guest at the time, so the three of us spent days in the darkness with food running out, and only a
Frederick Kissoon battery radio. All the radio station could play every day was, “Making love out of nothing at all” by Air Supply and Robert Plant’s “The Big Log.” Those two songs have become indelible memories for me.
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Kaieteur News
Sunday September 09, 2018
Interesting times are ahead as we speed towards first oil
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s Guyana prepares for the economic and social transformation expected from our oil and gas (O&G) industry, the debate about local content requirements and the deeper roles of the State is taking on new hues, a new vehemence among the newly minted ‘experts’, and John Public. The subject has tremendous implications for every single sector in our economy. It is really commendable
that our local private sector is now meaningfully engaged in these debates. Perhaps the private sector has been spurred into action by the deepening interesting that our once O&G-rich neighbour is taking in Guyana’s budding industry. The debates swing to the left and then to the right, and Guyanese have a whole lot to say about our neighbour’s intention to participate in our oil industry, one way or another. John Public says that he has concerns
about Trinidad’s ‘proposal’ for Guyana to buy into Petrotrin’s oil refinery that is about to be shuttered; and John Public is looking on at the long queue of Trinidadian entrepreneurs who plan to transfer their businesses to Guyana. John Public says he is concerned that the Guyanese private sector waited for more than eight years, doing nothing to expand and diversify their businesses despite the many sensitization and aware-
ness conferences, symposia, workshops, and visits by the real O&G experts from Labrador/Newfoundland in Canada, from the Netherlands and Norway, to name a few. These experts were coming to Guyana before 2011 to prepare Guyanese business owners for the opportunities that would open up once oil is found. By then it was a certainty that hydrocarbons existed in Guyana’s EEZ. Foreign Business owners – all categories of business – started pouring in since 2014 from India, Pakistan, the Middle East, China, Canada, Jamaica and our neighbour T&T. They made the necessary connections with GO-Invest and the various Registries and bureaux, paving the way to start up non-national business ventures, some partnerships and some speculations. John Public has a long memory, but he says he is willing to accommodate our neighbour, provided that they play fair and not try to shove us aside in our own country. Trinidad and Tobago once was one of Caricom’s most influential states until mismanagement of their oil revenue and the debilitating effects of the Resource Curse took hold, according to UWI Researcher Dr. Roger Hosein. Today, the country has already begun to institute austerity measures. When Trinidad’s current political opposition party, the United National Congress (UNC) announced that T&T is lobbying for Guyana’s oil to be refined by Petrotrin, John Public said that he now understands why our neighbours have become so bullish about putting their mark on Guyana’s hydrocarbon industry.
What T&T is doing is the essence of job creation for your own people, said John Public with grudging respect, but John is concerned that Guyanese will lose out again if a certain road is taken. Just as how T&T’s immigration wasted no time in rounding up Guyanese living on their island as recently as three years ago, detaining them in jail-like conditions, and making them pay the airfare for their own deportation, is the same way they will most likely employ all Trinis to work in the Refinery, because, as they love to point out, Guyanese have no experience, no training. The more than 100 yearold refinery at Pointe-à-Pierre near San Fernando has to be repaired, and aged equipment changed out for modern systems that can refine Guyana’s ‘sweet’, lighter crude oil. Guess whose peoples will be chosen for that rehabilitation project. It was surprising to learn that on the eve of the plant’s closure, it is massively overstaffed and working way below optimum capacity, refining about 40,000 bpd from a max capacity of 140,000 bpd. Even with this reality, the plant still has almost 3,000 workers including casuals in its employ who have little to do for eight hours daily. This situation did not begin yesterday. So, tired of bailing Petrotrin out in circumstances very similar to our GuySuCo scenario, T&T’s government took the decision to close the plant to plug the dark hole that’s draining their economy. But former PM Kamla PersadBissessar has been strongly advocating for T&T to sign an agreement with Guyana to refine Guyana’s oil purely as
a means of keeping Trinidadians employed. There is something else worrying our local private sector. They all are patently aware that most of Caricom’s expertise in oil and gas resides in Trinidad. They reason that when the refinery closes, Trinidadian workers would head straight to Guyana. Their experience will again keep us out, i.e. until our people return home with appropriate certification to chalk up some experience. So it is not unreasonable to expect the private sector to offer scholarships to young Guyanese for overseas studies in Petroleum/hydrocarbons; to fund oil-specific programmes and research at UG; to partner with Exxon and other explorers to design and get accredited an Oil and Gas polytechnic college; and to set up their own watchdog agencies in O&G Accounting and Legal requirements to partner with national agencies just to protect local industry. Our Chamber of Commerce (GCCI) argues that local companies want official support in the form of protective legislation. They have asked Government to wait until we have passed all Local Content legislation before committing to any pending MOU’s. They want to be given first consideration, and for the local legislation to be in accordance with best global practices on competition and on WTO rules. The GCCI believes that without these allowances for Guyanese businesses, foreign companies would not bother to establish joint ventures with them, or employ local skills, not if they aren’t mandated by law to do so. In addition, Knowledge and Technologies would not be transferred, and locals would not get the exposure and (re)training they need. At the forefront of the fight to ensure that Guyana gets it right is the Guyana Oil and Gas Association. GOGA began their public interventions in 2016 and next on their Agenda is a Public ‘consultation’ in November, where the uncertainties expressed by the business sector, and the opportunities for career enhancement are sure to come up.There is one particular subject that many would like to have discussed. It concerns the ramifications of foreign majority ownership in joint ventures; the locations of companies’ headquarters; and the majority nationality of employees. Interesting times are ahead as we speed towards first oil in early 2020.
Sunday September 09, 2018
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Kaieteur News
My column
The increased pay is coming, let’s see the results The past week was a most interesting week, with teachers doing something they had not done in living memory. They took strike action in their numbers, some chanting slogans that were thought to be beneath the dignity of teachers. But then again, teachers are people in the society; they are products of the society in the same way policemen are products of the society. The society has its share of corrupt people, so it should not be surprising that there will be corrupt policemen. Most of them come from the lower echelons of the society. This is something that makes the Guyana education system not as good as those in many other countries. Just this past week I happened to be reading about education systems in the world. One writer opted to compare the best education system in the world—Switzerland—with the United States, which is rated eighteenth. The writer found that the teachers in Switzerland come from the top thirty per cent of the academic system. This alone suggests that the brightest people teach the young and up and coming students.
Small wonder that Switzerland is said to have the best education system in the world. She found that teachers in the United States come from the bottom thirty per cent. But there are other researches that say otherwise. A more recent one places Britain at the top of the totem pole followed by the United States, Canada, Germany and France.Germany has a programme of streaming, to the extent that these students are some of the youngest in the world to be placed on designated academic paths. In the United States, students progress through 13 grades, from kindergarten through high school, and about 70 percent of graduating students continue on to higher education, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. The U.S. is home to eight of the top 10 Best Global Universities. The United Kingdom, which tops the education system in this recent study, has a mandatory school system for children five to sixteen. Guyana’s is patterned after the United Kingdom. A study conducted in 2015-2016 suggests that the Asian countries are the world
leaders when it comes to producing the top students. “Finland and South Korea, not surprisingly, top the list of 40 developed countries with the best education systems. Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore follow. The rankings are calculated based on various measures, including international test scores, graduation rates between 2006 and 2010, and the prevalence of higher education seekers.” “While funding is an important factor in strong education systems, cultures supportive of learning is even more critical — as evidenced by the highly ranked Asian countries, where education is highly valued and parents have grand expectation.” “In both Korea and Finland though, education is held in high regards and teachers are treated with great respect (equal to how we revere doctors or lawyers in the west).” So we have varying findings and conclusions, but nowhere is Guyana or any Caribbean country for that matter, mentioned. It is becoming clear that most of our parents do not care how the children perform, provided they get out of the house and go to school each
day. Parents in the past, although they were barely literate, ensured that children did their homework, were respectful to teachers and above all, got an education to take them out of poverty. That approach worked. At the same time teachers worked. They were never the best paid people. Even in the rich United States teachers are not among the top earners in the society, not even close, although they are paid a salary that can afford them to live comfortably. In Guyana teachers are also poorly paid, but better than their predecessors who produced some of the best students in the world. The older people were dedicated to the profession. It is that dedication that is lacking today, with the result that in increasing numbers people are leaving school barely able to read and write. I do not blame the teachers to ask for more money, but it was long proven that more money does not necessarily
mean greater productivity. I can see the teachers getting more money, but I do not see them doing anything other than what they are doing today. This may have to do with supervision. School heads seem less inclined to discipline errant teachers. I have heard some of them say that they have a few more years to their pension and they do not intend to do anything to jeopardise that pension. However, after they retire and enter the private schools, one sees an entirely different attitude, because the level of supervision is such that they must work or hit the streets. It is not by accident that the very teachers perform better during their private lesson classes. They know that their level of productivity is measured by the parents who pay. I blame the system for what occurs today. There was a time when inspectors visited the schools. They exam-
Adam Harris ined the teachers’ notes and even sat in classes to see the method of teaching. There are hardly any inspectors these days. There is nobody to see the empty classes, because the teachers have headed to the University of Guyana when they should be in school. It was good to protest for more pay, but for everything there is a concomitant responsibility. Perhaps come next year when there are the generalized examinations, one would see vastly improved results.
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(By H.E. David Granger at the launch of Indigenous Heritage Month on September 1, 2018) Guyana’s multicultural heritage is a national treasure. Chinese Arrival Day was celebrated on 12th January. Portuguese Arrival Day was observed on 3rd May. Indian Arrival Day was observed on 5th May. Emancipation Day, 1st August, celebrates the struggles and freedom of Africans.
Kaieteur News
Indigenous heritage is celebrated not for a day or a week but an entire month! Our culture is a national treasure which we all prize and enjoy. Guyanese citizenship guarantees equal rights and equal opportunities for all. The elimination of inequality, particularly between residents of the coastland and the hinterland, is essential to ensuring first-class citizenship for everyone. The Plan of Action for Hinterland Development
which I laid out in my address to the Conference of the National Toshaos’ Council three years ago on 28th August 2015 is still valid and relevant. The ‘Plan of Action’ aims at reducing inequality between the indigenous peoples and the rest of population by eradicating poverty, promoting employment and economic prosperity and by enhancing access to public services. The Plan of Action has guided government’s actions
to empower the indigenous peoples through education, employment, economic enterprises, energy, infrastructure, land rights, poverty-reduction, public services and cultural development. PUBLIC EDUCATION Education is the surest and swiftest way to reduce inequality. The government, therefore, is taking steps to improve hinterland educational access, attendance and attainment. Access to hinterland education is evidenced in the construction, extension, repairs and renovation to schools and dormitories at Assakata, Bartica, Bina Hill, Itabac, Kato, Kaibarupai, Kamarang, Kamwatta, Katoka, Nappi, Port Kaituma, Santa Rosa, Waramadong and Warapoka. School attendance has increased as a result of the hinterland schools’ feeding programme and transportation. Daily school meals were provided to 25,843 students from 204 primary and nursery schools in 2017. The Public Education Transport Service (PETS) – popularly known as the 3Bs Initiative – has distributed 28 buses, 7 boats and 1,111 bicycles to provide free transportation, countrywide. The performance gap between coastland and hinterland regions is being closed. Five hundred and sixty six (566) students won scholarships in 2017. Seventy-three of them have been able to pursue studies at the Guyana School of Agriculture, Government Technical Institute, Guyana Industrial Training Centre and Carnegie School of Home Economics. Teachers’ training is being intensified; a Mathematics Intervention Programme has been initiated and literacy coordinators are providing on-the-spot guidance to hinterland teachers. PUBLIC SERVICES Village administration, stimulating employment and investing in infrastructure, is being improved. Presidential grants, valued at more than $200M, were disbursed to support community projects. These included the construction and renovation of village guest houses, community buildings, multi-purpose centres, village markets, roads, wharves, bridges and walkways; agriculture, livestock and farming projects; sports, education and small business development. Village economies have been revitalized. Government has provided financing – under the Guyana REDD+ Investment Fund (GRIF) – for
Sunday September 09, 2018
161 community development projects aimed at stimulating village economies especially in agriculture, fisheries, forest-products, hospitality, livestock-development and transportation. Village enterprise has been strengthened by economic initiatives in valueadded processing of cassava flour, coffee, fish and crab meat. Village entrepreneurs are now producing bottled, labelled and packaged products. These include body lotions, cashew nuts, cassava bread, creams, crab oil, essences, farine, honey, dried peppers, peanut-butter, salad-dressing, soaps, sundried tomatoes, tapioca, tomato ketchup and virgin coconut oil. Employment is essential to eliminating poverty. The Hinterland Employment and Youth Service (HEYS) is providing training and seed capital to engage in economic enterprises. Grants have been provided to 3,795 young persons, stimulating 2,000 small businesses, including partnerships. Village infrastructure is the backbone of the economy. The Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs is supporting improvements in the hinterland road transportation system – including at Annai, Kabakaburi to Akawini, Karasabai, Kariako to Kokerite, Masakenari and Tiger Pond. The availability of all-terrain vehicles, boats, outboard engines and mini-buses has made life easier for more than 5,000 persons, including school children and the elderly. Bridges are being constructed at Rupanau, Tuseneng and on the KakoWaramadong road. Aerodromes – at Bimichi, Eteringbang, Iwokrama, Kamana, Kurupung and Paramakatoi – are being rehabilitated to support the movement of people and goods. Access to public services, particularly those relating to energy, health, information and water supply, has been made easier. Language classes in Arawak, Carib and Warrau have so far benefitted 280 students in Kwebanna and Waramuri. This programme will be expanded to Wakapoa and Mainstay and eventually to other communities. Energy is vital to hinterland communities. A mix of sustainable energy solutions – hydro, solar and wind – is being examined to meet the energy demands of hinterland communities. A pioneer 400 Kw solar power system Mabaruma is spearheading
government’s drive to establish solar farms. Primary health care has been expanded. The construction of doctors’ quarters, maternity waiting rooms, health posts, x-ray rooms and sanitary blocks and the deployment of medical personnel to hinterland communities attest to our government’s commitment to improve the health and well-being of indigenous communities. The Regional Public Broadcasting Service (RPBS) is providing information to four new regional capital towns – Bartica, Lethem, Mabaruma and Mahdia – and other satellites. Remote rural and hinterland communities, for the first time, can now rely on regular news from their capitals and elsewhere. Public telecommunications are expanding internet connectivity to indigenous communities. Government is improving hinterland water supply. Water improvement projects are ongoing in Oronoque, Kako, Kamwatta, Koberimo, Chinoweng, Paramakatoi, Mabaruma and Port Kaituma. A ‘frontline village policy’ has been enunciated for the security of villages in light of the influx of migrants from the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. The ‘frontline policy’ strengthens border villages by enhancing access to public services – citizenship, registration and immigration, education, human safety, public information and public telecommunication, national defence, public health, public infrastructure, social cohesion and social protection. The newly-elected National Toshaos’ Council can expect the fullest cooperation from the central government. We have urged the development of village improvement plans (VIPS) to ensure the integrated development of indigenous communities. The groundwork is being laid to ensure that inequalities in public education, incomes and access to public services between hinterland communities and the rest of the country are eliminated. Indigenous peoples are now assured of a government which aims at eradicating their impoverishment. Indigenous Heritage Month celebrates the rich customs and traditions of our indigenous peoples. These customs and traditions are valued by all and are a national treasure that benefits the nation. This month is an opportunity for us all to look to the future with confidence.
Sunday September 09, 2018
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Kaieteur News
Silent Heart Attacks: They happen more often that you may think By Dr Zulfikar Bux Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine We often associate having a heart attack with chest pains. Well this is not always the case with heart attacks. There are times when persons do have a heart attack but it’s silent. Recent research suggests that nearly half of all heart attacks are silent heart attacks. A silent heart attack is a heart attack without the traditional symptoms. You often don’t know you are having a silent heart attack. Many people don’t find out until weeks or months later when they visit their doctor for other symptoms or symptoms related to a complication from their silent heart attack. WHATARE SOME SYMPTOMS OFA SILENT HEARTATTACK? The symptoms of a silent heart attack are not as severe as those for a regular heart attack. They can often be mistaken for other conditions. Some people feel no symptoms at all. Pay attention when you feel any of the following: · Discomfort – You may still feel pain, but it won’t be the unmistakable chest pain of a regular heart attack. You may feel discomfort in the
upper abdomen, in your back, or in your jaw. It could feel like you’ve strained a muscle. · Shortness of breath – If you are feeling short of breath or having trouble breathing doing small activities, it could be a sign of a heart attack. · Heartburn – Mild pain in the throat or chest can be mistaken for gastric reflux, indigestion, or heartburn. · Fatigue – Physical discomfort or feeling very tired can be signs of many things. When they happen with a silent heart attack, they are often mistaken for other things. These could include poor sleep or age-related aches and pains. · Feeling lightheaded – If you break out in a cold sweat, feel nauseated, or feel lightheaded, you could be having a silent heart attack. WHAT CAUSES SILENT HEARTATTACKS? Silent heart attacks are caused by the same things that cause traditional heart attacks. This happens when part of the heart muscle is damaged or dies because it hasn’t received enough oxygen. This is often due to a blocked artery in the heart. Risk factors for silent heart attacks are also the same. They include: · smoking · diabetes · age – Risk increases for
men older than 45 and for women older than 55 (or after menopause) · high cholesterol · high blood pressure · family history of heart attack · lack of exercise · stress · obesity · gender – Women have silent heart attacks more often than men. HOWARE SILENT HEART ATTACKS DIAGNOSED? Many times, silent heart attacks are found during a routine check-up. If your doctor thinks you may have had one, he or she may order imaging tests. These could include an electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) or an angiogram. These tests can show if your heart muscle has been damaged, signaling that you’ve had a heart attack. If you’ve gone to the emergency room with silent heart attack symptoms, the doctor may order blood tests. Can silent heart attacks be prevented or avoided? A healthy lifestyle can help prevent any kind of heart attack. This includes: · Quitting smoking if you smoke, and avoiding secondhand smoke. · Keeping a healthy diet that is low in fat and low in
cholesterol. · Exercising regularly. · Managing your stress. · Controlling your blood pressure. · Managing your blood sugar level if you have diabetes. · Seeing your doctor regularly for check-ups. HOW IS A SILENT HEART ATTACK TREATED? Normally, silent heart attacks are found long after the heart attack is over. Treatment will mostly involve taking medicines. These medicines help improve blood flow to your heart, prevent clotting, and reduce the risks of having another heart attack.
Your doctor will prescribe the medicines that are right for you. If you have had a heart attack, your doctor will also talk to you about lifestyle changes. You can make these changes to prevent more heart problems. LIVING WITH SILENT HEARTATTACKS After you’ve had a silent heart attack, you are at higher risk of having another one. This one will likely be more severe and harmful. Your doctor will likely recommend heart-healthy lifestyle changes to help reduce your risk. Symptoms during a second heart attack may be different than the first
Dr. Zulfikar Bux one. If you have any new symptoms of heart attack or are in any doubt, do not hesitate to visit your doctor or an emergency room. Early treatment is the key to surviving a heart attack.
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SUNDAY Head of State says… Govt. will determine pace of Stabroek Block development, not Exxon It will not be left up to ExxonMobil to decide the pace at which the oil fields in the Stabroek Block will be developed. According to President David Granger, this will be decided by the Government of Guyana. At a press conference held on Friday, the Head of State said that his newly-established Department of Energy is reviewing all development plans for the Stabroek Block which were submitted by ExxonMobil. He said, “So it is not a matter for Exxon, it is our sovereign right.” This move by the President would be in keeping with at least part of the advice of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in one of its reports. That document was prepared by Anthony Paul, Principal Consultant of the Association of Caribbean Energy Specialists Ltd. Paul in the report said that there is an immediate need for the Government of Guyana to review the upcoming plan of development by ExxonMobil.
Sunday September 09, 2018
Kaieteur News
The Chatham House Advisor said, “It is important that the Government has its own capability to evaluate the plan provided. There is no single unique way to develop an oil or gas field. The core objectives of investors and governments are quite different and can lead to competing approaches, which can erode value for one or another stakeholder. This requires adept negotiating, based on very good data and analysis. Investors are intent on making as high a return on their investment and as quickly as possible.” The Energy Strategist continued, “Governments, on the other hand, want to extract as much of the resource as possible, all things else being equal. This is the stated objective of many countries, Norway included. Several variables impact the cost, rate of recovery and ultimate recovery (some oil and gas is always left in the ground) and choosing from the options can mean the difference of hundreds of millions of dollars or barrels of oil.” The Local Content Consultant said that these variables include the number and location of wells, both producers and injectors; rate of
depletion; location and timing of injectors to enhance recovery; and the design of facilities (FPSO, wellheads, umbilicals, etc., in this case). Paul said that making and defending these choices require strong technical capacity, which includes economists, contract analysts, modelers, tax legislation, cost data, project plans, market data, training, existing models (commercial/off the shelf). GRA begins audit process for US$900M pre-contract costs The Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) has initiated the audit process for the controversial US$900M pre-contract costs. This was confirmed Saturday by GRA’s Commissioner General, Godfrey Statia. The tax chief said that he officially wrote to ExxonMobil for a series of financial documents which would show costs incurred from 1999 to 2016. He said, “Pre-contract costs are not something that is unusual to the oil industry. These are costs which were incurred and our Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) would have allowed for the operator to recover it. I am
confident in the ability of our agency to get this job done. Our audit will help to determine if costs were inflated, among other things.” International lawyer, Melinda Janki, was one of the first persons to note that the country is neck-deep in US$900M worth of pre-contract costs. During a panel discussion on Guyana’s oil contract with ExxonMobil at Moray House, Janki reminded that the country has to pay US$460M in pre-contract costs. This covers the period 1999 to 2015. But there is a second lot. Janki noted that the contract specifically states that Guyana is to pay contract costs from January 2016 to when the deal was signed on October 7, 2016. The international lawyer said, “The costs for the whole of 2016 were about US$583M and if you apportion it to October, you get roughly US$400M. Again, Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman has agreed for Guyana to pay this. As at October 7, 2016, Government’s attempt to sell our oil costs us US$900M. I have found no law which gives the minister the authority to burden the nation with this, so it is quite possible
that he acted illegally.” (See link for more details: https:// www.facebook.com/ jerome.edwards.925/videos/ 2144978259094356/) MONDAY High end vehicles entering Guyana without records at GRA – Statia A number of luxury vehicles are making their way into Guyana with no records to show who they belong to. This was confirmed Sunday with Commissioner General of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), Godfrey Statia. He said that the problem was detected a few months ago but it was larger than anticipated. Statia said, “You know how many vehicles are in this country without license plates? It is unbelievable. Look, vehicles continue to come from Suriname. We picked up three the other day and there was no record of them coming into Guyana. There are no records with us. And another set came in at one of the wharves. And with our investigations we were able to seize it. It is rampant and it is being done in collusion with some of my officers…”
The GRA Commissioner General said that these vehicle issues are further compounded by re-migrants who continue to abuse their duty free concessions. The tax chief said, “A few days ago I sent my officers on an exercise to seize one of these high end vehicles. We had checked the records and realized that the person who owns it is not even in the country. He breached his agreement. You are supposed to be in this country for 183 days and from the time you leave before that you breached the agreement. So I sent them to seize it…” The Chartered Accountant said he will be recommending to the Finance Minister that there be a change to the system of granting duty free concessions to remigrants. Statia is of the view that duty free concessions should be given to individuals with skills and or those who left to study and wish to return to Guyana to invest in building the country. Statia said, “The current system is not fair. Some people are getting duty free and bringing in all sorts of high powered vehicles and they can’t show me the (Continued on page 33)
Sunday September 09, 2018
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Kaieteur News
From page 32 source of the funds. I have a list of all the people who have duty free concessions and that is how I can tell you that it used to be one in five who is abusing the system but it is now one in three.” Natural Resource Fund …Bank of Guyana Act does not give Governor free reign to prevent abuse by Govt. – Ramson …Says this was proven with the hiding of Exxon’s US$18M signing bonus Even though he made such utterances about a week ago, Central Bank Head, Dr. Gobind Ganga is in no position to assure the nation that he will prevent the APNU+AFC administration from abusing the Natural Resource Fund (NRF). The laws governing him do not give him the free reign to do so. This line of argument was proffered Sunday by Attorney-at-Law, Charles Ramson Jr. during an interview with Kaieteur News. The Oil and Gas Academic pointed out that the Central Bank head is appointed by the President for a period not exceeding five years. Ramson said, “Does Ganga know if his contract will be renewed and for how long? The law in Guyana is very clear about his employment and the possibilities of termination. Just have a look at Section 9 of the Bank of Guyana Act. It states that the Governor is appointed by the President for a period not exceeding five years. If he finds favour with the President he can be appointed for another term, again, not exceeding five years…The President may terminate the appointment of the governor and the minister may terminate the appointment of a director on the board of directors.” Ramson said what is also significant is the fact that the Bank of Guyana Act does not empower the Governor to prevent abuse of the financial laws by his employer. He pointed out, too, that this extends to the Sovereign Wealth Fund. The lawyer added, “The Bank of Guyana Act was never designed to deal with the implications of such a Fund. I am of the firm belief that the provisions in the Bank of Guyana Act should be changed. It should state that the Governor should be appointed for a minimum of six years. This ensures that his tenure exceeds the electoral cycle.” Another point for consideration is the manner in which the Governor of the Bank dealt with the infamous US$18M signing bonus, Ramson said.
The Attorney-at-Law noted that the hiding of the ExxonMobil bonus validates the incredibility of Dr. Ganga’s reassurance that he will prevent abuse by his employer, the government. He said, “Guyana did not find out about the signature bonus until a year later after the information was leaked. The public does not know what that money is being ‘invested’ in.” Ramson emphasized that Article 216 of the Constitution says that all revenue must be deposited in the Consolidated Fund. He stressed that this did not happen and the Bank of Guyana facilitated this breach of the Constitution. TUESDAY Strike action takes first real bite with massive countrywide turnout While assurance of strike relief from their union has certainly been a motivating factor, teachers were certainly riled-up to strike in their numbers after being accused of being “selfish” and “uncaring” by a government Minister. This was certainly reflected when they took to the streets countrywide Monday
despite inclement weather. In Georgetown where scores of teachers gathered on the picket-line outside of the Ministry of Education before heading over to the Ministry of the Presidency, they repeatedly sang solidarity songs. Among those engaged in the industrial action was a teacher bearing a conspicuous placard stating that “teachers are not selfish! We just need to be adequately compensated.” This was undoubtedly in response to disparaging remarks made by Minister within the Ministry of Social Protection, Keith Scott. GTU President, Mark Lyte, is convinced that the disrespect meted out to teachers has encouraged them to continue to strike. He disclosed that while a number of teachers did sign in at their respective schools Monday, they did sign out shortly after to join their striking colleagues. “More and more teachers were joining during the course of the day, because not everybody was able to come at the same time to be at the central point, but the impact of this strike action is being felt across the country,” Lyte said. As he spoke of sev-
eral schools being forced to close their doors because of the absence of teachers. He made reference to the sizeable turnout of teachers to support the strike action Monday. Lyte said that based on the union’s tabulation, before noon in excess of 3,700 teachers were picketing across the country. This, he said, translated to some 90 teachers in Region One, over 80 in Region Two, over 400 in Region Three, another 300 in Region Four, over 700 in Georgetown, over 250 in Region Five, over 500 in Region Six, some 70 in Region Seven, 80 in Region Nine and over 1,000 in Region 10. The union up to last evening was still tabulating its numbers since, according to Lyte, in order to afford teachers their strike relief “we have to keep a record of all those who are involved in the strike action.” Even as he considered the impact of the strike action, Lyte considered that thousands of children would have been affected as a result. “But the strike must go on until an acceptable resolution is realised,” the GTU President said.
Strategic placements among senior cops continue … Hoppie to Special Branch; Graham in charge of ‘Operations’; Hicken to head Berbice The strategic movement in the Guyana Police Force is continuing. On Monday, the Force announced that a number of senior officials have been transferred to head a number of key positions. There is a new chief in the ‘Administration’ department – Deputy Commissioner, Paul Williams. Williams was one of four Deputy Commissioners appointed last week along with new Commissioner, Leslie James. President David Granger said that the idea was to ensure specialization of skills and to make the Force more efficient. Williams himself performed the duties of Crime Chief for a short while. In the area of Law Enforcement, Deputy Commissioner Lyndon Alves has been placed there. Deputy Commissioner Maxine Graham will lead the critical area of Operations. Heading up the Special Branch/Intelligence will be Deputy Commissioner Nigel
Hoppie, DSM. Meanwhile, Assistant Commissioner, Clifton Hicken, a former ‘A’ Division commander, will be carrying out similar duties in ‘B’ Division, Berbice. The new Commander for the East Coast Demerara area, ‘C’ Division- will be Senior Superintendant Calvin Brutus. The new Traffic Chief will be Superintendent Linden Isles. The second -in-Command of ‘D’ Division (West Demerara area) will be Superintendent Dion Moore. Meanwhile Superintendent Ramesh Ashram, who has been performing the duties of Traffic Chief, has been posted to ‘A’ Division as the new Traffic Officer. The transfers come after President David Granger announced last week that he had picked Leslie James, a former head of the Criminal Investigations Department and also of Special Branch, to be the new Commissioner of Police. The President also disclosed that Williams, Alves, Graham and Hoppie would be the new Deputy Commissioners. The police have been coming under pressure for (Continued on page 34)
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From page 33 me fighting, corruption and painful reports of rogue cops. WEDNESDAY “If she can’t pay the money leh she go”… Singing, chanting teachers continue strike action on ‘rest-day’– Labour Minister apologises for “uncaring” and unselfish remarks Although the Guyana Teachers Union [GTU] declared Tuesday a ‘rest day’ for its striking membership, teachers in a few education districts continued with vibrant protest actions. Among the areas which saw teachers coming out in full force to demand improved wages and salaries Tuesday were Georgetown, Region One, Region Three and Region 10. Those who protested outside of the Education Ministry’s 26 Brickdam, Georgetown office could be heard singing ‘if she can’t pay the money leh she go’ to the rhythm of the popular Sunday School song: ‘If you happy and you know it’ much to the amusement of many passersby. From all indications the protestors were making reference to Minister of Education, Nicolette Henry who weeks earlier had informed the union representatives of government’s inability to pay teachers the 40 percent salary increase they proposed for 2016. While reports out of the union suggest that over 400 protested in Georgetown and more than 500 teachers mounted protest action in Region Three, it was Region 10 which again had the largest protesting contingent. They amounted to over 2,500 individuals of protestors inclusive of teachers, parents and community leaders, according to reports from the GTU. On Monday the protestors there amounted to just over 1,000. According to GTU President, Mark Lyte, teachers across the country will continue protest action today in much the way they did on Monday to mark the start of the new school year. Even as he responded to claims from the Education Ministry that Monday’s strike action was insignificant, Lyte said, “the numbers speak for themselves and this was highlighted in the media based on the photographs and the videos that
surfaced where the demonstration took place.” “It goes to show that they [Education Ministry] did not receive the right information from the people on the ground. They are saying that the strike saw less than 2000 when in essence the teachers came out in far more numbers,” said Lyte. According to the GTU President, the union was able to tabulate that in excess of 3,700 teachers were on the picket-line Monday. He added too that although some teachers did not join the picketing exercise, the union was able to verify that others did stay away from school in solidarity with their protesting colleagues. ”Although a number of schools were opened, many of them were operating with a skeleton staff and they were dismissed before mid-morning,” Lyte confided. Minister of Education, Ms. Nicolette Henry, accompanied by several senior education officials, including Chief Education Officer, Mr. Marcel Hutson and Permanent Secretary [ag], Ms. Adele Clarke, sought to downplay the strike action and even lauded the Ministry’s contingency plan to offset the strike action. A number of trainee teach-
ers from the Cyril Potter College of Education [CPCE] were incorporated into the Ministry’s contingency plan and according to Ministry officials their services was offered voluntarily. But this publication was reliably informed that this was not necessarily true. “Evidence is there that they force those people [trainees] and they are still forcing them. They are telling them they have no classes and they have to go to the schools…they were not given an option,” said a source close to the Education Ministry. Exxon’s Environmental Impact Assessment reveals…It could take Guyana a decade or more to fully recover from an oil spill If an oil spill occurs due to ExxonMobil’s operations, it could take a decade or more for the country to “fully recover.” This gloomy possibility was buried deep in the operator’s Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), which consists of 1418 pages. The EIA which examines how Exxon’s operations would affect the environs was prepared by the Environmental Resources Management (ERM). In the EIA, the international company uses phrases like “highly unlikely” and “very low” throughout lengthy paragraphs to con-
vince readers that the chances of an oil spill occurring are quite slim. But when ERM had done its assessment to determine the implications of Exxon’s operations offshore Guyana, it was taking into consideration that the country would be producing 100, 000 barrels of oil per day. Those projections have changed significantly. Today, Guyana is estimated to produce about 750,000 barrels of oil per day by 2025. But even at 100,000 barrels of oil per day, ERM advised that an oil spill is possible. In the EIA, the international company states, “Although the probability of an oil spill reaching the Guyana coast is very small, a spill at a Liza well would likely impact marine resources found near the well, such as sea turtles and certain marine mammals that may transit or inhabit the area impacted by a spill. Air quality, water quality, seabirds, and marine fish could also be impacted…” The document also states that a spill could potentially impact Guyanese fishermen. It said that the magnitude of this impact would depend on the volume and duration of the release of oil as well as the time of year the release were to occur (e.g., whether a spill would coincide with the time of year when some species are more common). The EIA goes on to state that although a large oil spill is considered unlikely, other
resources that could be potentially impacted by a spill include Shell Beach Protected Area, marine mammals, critically endangered sea turtles, and coastal Guyanese and Amerindian communities reliant on ecosystem services for sustenance and their livelihood. THURSDAY A hijacking in the making? Energy agreement between Guyana, T&T could have implications for Private Sector …GCCI President calls for document to be made public The Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) is worried about an Energy Agreement that the Government is poised to sign with Trinidad and Tobago (T&T)’s Prime Minister, Dr. Keith Rowley. Even if the CARICOM member does not get to refine Guyana’s oil, the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is expected to pave the way for T&T firms to participate in Guyana’s oil sector. But the Chamber wants the government to put a hold on this signing until it can make the document public. According to GCCI’s President, Deodat Indar, the Chamber is not “anti-T&T” but it needs to see if the agreement will have dire consequences for the private sector. At a press conference Wednesday, Indar said, “We
have signed MOUs with lots of nations, but in specific ways, ways in which we can learn from them and get transfer of skills. This Energy Agreement with T&T is different. We don’t know the language in this MOU…I am asking the government to put a hold on it before it hurts the private sector…” The GCCI President added, “We want to see it before anything is signed. This would be breaking the dam and opening the floodgates…I am not antianything, but I have an obligation to protect my people…” Expressing similar comments was Chairman of GCCI’s Trade and Investment Committee, Timothy Tucker. He said that while they are not against T&T businesses investing in Guyana, there needs to be an improvement in trade relations. Tucker said that for some time, T&T has been using antiquated laws to frustrate trade relations Guyana has with other nations, since it depends on T&T as a transshipment point. Being registered here not enough to be considered a local company – GCCI President…Recommends stiffer requirements It is not enough for a business to be considered “local” by mere registration. According to President of the Georgetown Chamber of (Continued on page 35)
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From page 34 Commerce and Industry (GCCI), Deodat Indar, stiffer requirements are needed. In addition to being registered here, Indar said that a business must be 51 percent owned by a Guyanese, 70 percent of the workforce must be Guyanese, its headquarters should be in Guyana, and board meetings should also be held here in order to be considered local. The GCCI President made these and other comments at a press conference Wednesday which was held at the entity’s Waterloo Street office. There, Indar said that there is an urgent need for clearly defined rules on what makes a company “local” so as to avoid abuse by foreign companies. He also pointed to the fact that the Companies Act and the Income Tax Act do not add much clarity on what qualifies as a local company. He pointed out that the Income Tax Act only speaks to a firm being registered here. Indar stressed that this is outdated, given the needs of the oil and gas sector. The GCCI President said, “We want Guyanese to have first consideration in the procurement of goods and services. We hope that the government hears our cry…” Ministry confirms increased HIV trends among youths …as it prepares to release CMO’s report Trends in HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) have suggested that there has been an increase of the disease among the adolescent population. This is according to Senior Minister of Public Health, Ms. Volda Lawrence. She, however, did not confirm recent reports of a spike in HIV, but assured that her Ministry will shortly be releasing a report on the state of the disease in Guyana. ”Very soon, we will be putting out the CMO (Chief Medical Officer)’s report, which has not been published for several years,” said the Minister. In fact, Minister Lawrence was slated to host a meeting with her HIV/AIDS staffers Wednesday to discuss the matter ahead of the release of the report. There have been reports that there has been an increase in the number of HIV cases but, according to Minister Lawrence, during a recent interview, “I can say to you that those numbers have not been confirmed.” According to the Minister, “I have been made to understand that there have been some changes in the way in
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A responder shoots low-pressure hot water on a beach at Eleanor, USA that is soaked on oil from a spill by ExxonMobil which reporting is done now…numbers are no longer collated, but there is a split in terms of how they are reported, so we are waiting to get that.” Even as she spoke of the impending release of the report, Minister Lawrence emphasised the role of her Ministry, and agencies, which fall under its purview, to keep, as far as possible, the nation safe, even from diseases including the likes of HIV/AIDS. Nevertheless, although the Ministry has been doing its part, Minister Lawrence asserted that, “if there is a rise [in HIV], I must say to you that it is not something new. We have been looking at the trend since last year; we reported that we had seen an increase in the younger age group and we did put some other measures in place.” FRIDAY Contract reveals… President Granger has no authority to dictate ExxonMobil’s pace of development The President of Guyana has no authority under the Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) to dictate the pace at which ExxonMobil proceeds with developing oil fields within the Stabroek Block—one of the largest in the world. This was confirmed by two Attorneys at Law, Christopher Ram and Charles Ramson Jr. as well as former President Bharrat Jagdeo.
At his press conference last week, President David Granger had told journalists that the Government of Guyana will determine the pace at which oil fields in the Stabroek Block are developed. ”It is our sovereign right,” he had said. However, others are saying that while this may indeed be Guyana’s sovereign right, that right was given away based on the provisions of the standing PSA that Guyana has with ExxonMobil. ”The President said it is not a matter for Exxon, this is a sovereign responsibility of the Government of Guyana, the Government of Guyana will determine the pace of oil field development,’ Jagdeo told reporters Thursday in recalling Granger’s remark. ”Did the President read the contract, he has no say in this, practically, and this is what he says?” Also, Christopher Ram said that the contract does not allow Granger to determine the pace “and I have said that at least 10 times.” Ram said that all the President has to do is “get a lawyer to read it (the contract) for him. The President cannot be that irrational.” Ram stressed, “There is no restriction on the contractor as to their rate of exploration. He has given them a production license; does he realise that? Somebody should really talk to the President and save him the embarrassment of these statements he is making.” The perspective of
Charles Ramson Jr., who, like Ram, is an attorney at law and is qualified in oil and gas management, is also asserting that the President has no say. But Ramson said that the government can frustrate the process which will essentially cause a delay. TEACHERS END STRIKE …as GTU, Education Ministry agree to arbitration for multi-year salary package-no victimisation; full pay for protestors With no victimisation, including full pay, for teachers, the Guyana Teachers’ Union [GTU] was Thursday able to ink a Memorandum of Agreement with the Ministry of Education before Chief Labour Officer, Mr. Charles Ogle. The move in this direction came after a near four-hour long meeting at the Brickdam, Georgetown Social Protection Ministry facilitated by its Labour Department which saw the two sides agreeing to arbitration, a process that was long demanded by the union. Arbitration became inevitable after multiple attempts at conciliation failed. Signing the agreement on the Education Ministry’s side was Chief Education Officer, Mr. Marcel Hutson, and Permanent Secretary, Ms. Adele Clarke, while GTU President, Mark Lyte and General Secretary, Ms. Coretta McDonald signed for the union. After the signing of the agreement, Lyte, accompanied by his First Vice President, Ms. Lesmeine Collins;
General Secretary McDonald, and other members of the union’s executive walked out of the Social Protection Ministry where several teachers were eagerly waiting to hear the verdict. As the union executives strutted out of the Ministry’s compound, with heads held high, the gathering of waiting teachers burst into singing of their solidarity song, already confident that they had endured the struggle and emerged the victors. Shortly before addressing his membership Thursday, a smiling Lyte, speaking to media operatives, said, “Today is a good day for the union…from day one we insisted that this matter should go to arbitration and we have achieved that today much to the pleasure of our members because we did not feel that this process would have served us well.” Lyte disclosed that the meeting saw the parties involved agreeing to the Terms of Resumption which will essentially ensure that teachers return to work with full pay, or are not victimised in any way. Although the parties have not yet agreed to the timeline for arbitration, Lyte said Thursday that this will be determined at a later date. “We will be meeting to look at the Terms of Reference for the arbitration panel and that will be discussed on Tuesday,” said Lyte who also informed media operatives that the impending negotiation process will be for a multi-year salary agreement.
GRA within its right to audit ExxonMobil’s US$900M pre-contract costs –Statia to critics There has been growing concern on whether the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) can “properly, legally and meaningfully” audit ExxonMobil’s controversial $900M pre-contract costs. But GRA’s Commissioner General, Godfrey Statia confirmed Thursday that the tax authority is legally empowered to do so. In a missive to the media, Statia highlighted that Section 6.2 of the well-publicised Guyana-ExxonMobil Petroleum Agreement says, “The Minister of Government may delegate to Other Government entities to perform these or any other duties and the Contractor shall fully comply with such lawful delegation upon ninety (90) days written notice from the date of receipt of such notice.” The agreement goes on to state that the duties entail reviewing any proposed exploration work programme and budgets presented by the contractor; review of any development plan submitted by the Contractor in accordance with an application for a petroleum Production licence; ensuring the accounting procedures are followed; and ensuring compliance with the provisions of this Agreement, the Petroleum Act and Regulations. Statia said that GRA as an agent of the Government for the purposes of tax collection (Continued on page 36)
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From page 35 is therefore acting as a lawful delegate. He reminded too that GRA has been putting in place, the necessary infrastructure and professional staff to deal with this activity. SATURDAY Chairperson must bring neutral balance to arbitration panel – GTU President “It is extremely critical that we bring somebody who will bring a balance,” said President of the Guyana Teachers’ Union [GTU], Mr. Mark Lyte, of the person who is yet to be appointed to chair the arbitration panel, which will be tasked with negotiating a salary package for teachers. It is expected that the arbitration panel will see the union choosing one person, government choosing another, and both sides agreeing on the chairperson. But according to Lyte at a press conference held at the GTU’s Woolford Avenue, Georgetown headquarters Friday, “of course from the government side and the other side, you will have people with their own perspective”. He moreover noted that, “it is very important for us to look for someone who will provide a neutral balance for both teachers and government, looking at what the economy can afford and offer, and also looking at what is needed for teachers to be given liveable wage and other benefits that they deserve.” He therefore added, “The challenge is finding someone who will not be politically influenced; someone who will
bring that neutral balance to the team.”The union, Lyte disclosed, has already started to eye a number of viable candidates for the panel, including some residing outside of Guyana.“We have several affiliates around the Caribbean that we can call upon to be a part of the panel [so] it doesn’t exclude outside persons being included on the panel...so that might very well be an option going forward,” Lyte said, even as he added, “we are looking at several options right now.” It is anticipated that the members of the panel will be named by next week. The arbitration panel, once appointed, will be looking to derive a suitable multiyear salary agreement for teachers spanning the period 2016-2020. Cabinet puts nation’s business on hold for vacation-This is a departure from decades of practice - Jagdeo Cabinet meeting is the weekly forum at which key issues concerning the nation’s welfare is discussed. At this very forum, decisions are made and later disseminated to respective agencies in need of executive guidance on certain critical matters. Considering this fact, Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo told the media that he was at a loss when he found out that Cabinet is in “recess”. Jagdeo spoke about this at his most recent press conference held on Thursday last at his Church Street office. Jagdeo told the media that his “sources” told him that Cabinet is in recess, “and as
Sunday September 09, 2018
A jubilant GTU President, Mr. Mark Lyte, shares the good news with media operatives and teachers. you know, well the entire country knows, Parliament is in recess, that one is no secret.” Kaieteur News confirmed with at least two Ministers that, “Cabinet is on a break.” One of the Ministers sought to explain, “I would not call it a recess but we are not meeting, no. No, we did not meet this week.” The Ministers explained that some of their colleagues are out of the country, “Some on official business, and some are on vacation.” Indeed, at least two weeks have passed since the Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, met with the media at what is supposed to be a weekly post-Cabinet briefing. At his press conference, Jagdeo said that this is the first time he has ever heard about Cabinet going into recess. Jagdeo said, “In the 23 years of the PPP (People’s
Progressive Party) government, I have never known the Cabinet to go into recess—at least definitely not in the over 12 years that I was President. I was in the Cabinet for a significant part of the entire period and we’ve never gone into recess.” As Region’s legal minds gather…Council determines Guyana not ready for law school -AG says required details “not a big deal” Guyana’s moves to establish its own law school has hit a bump in the road. On Friday, Chairman of the region’s Council of Legal Education (CLE), Reginald Armour, disclosed that the paperwork submitted for the law school has come up short. According to Armour, the Attorney General of Guyana and Minister of Legal Affairs Basil Williams, provided the
CLE with a feasibility study for the proposed law school, on July 4th, 2018. The CLE’s sub-committee has since looked at the study and prepared a report. According to Armour, on Monday, members of the CLE’s sub-committee and the joint venture partners that proposed to set up this law school with the Government of Guyana all met. The CLE is concerned about three things. The Chairman disclosed that the feasibility was not treaty-compliant - it does not fit within the treaty that the Council for Legal Education operates under. Secondly, Armour said, the feasibility study does not satisfy the quality assurance that is required. And there is also need to see a curriculum. The official said that the discussions will be held with Government on a timetable on the proposed law school. “When those things are submitted, we will look at them.” Meanwhile, in response, Attorney General Williams said that the details that are required are “not a big deal”. In fact, the curriculum that will be used is that of the Hugh Wooding Law School. Williams said that the Government will be responding and engaging with the CLE on the issues. The officials were speaking to media on the sidelines during the 50th Meeting of the Council of Legal Education held at the Marriott Hotel, Kingston, Georgetown, which commenced Friday. Oil and gas MoU with T&T must be made public – Opposition Leader …Says secrecy arouses suspicion of Guyanese exclusion
The two sides signing the Terms of Resumption agreement
There is need for Government to make public the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which will be signed with Trinidad and To-
bago for a partnership on oil and gas. This was the view shared by Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo when he was questioned on Thursday about the concerns expressed locally, by the private sector, over the nondisclosure of the MoU. “I do not have a problem as a person who is a strong advocate for CARICOM (Caribbean Community) unity and us working together and enjoying shared prosperity by linking our fortunes. I don’t have a problem with that. I support that rhetoric about us doing more things together,” Jagdeo stated. He added, “When I hear people talk about sharing our prosperity now; those kinds of statements… and we don’t see the MoU, the framework through which that will happen, they [Guyanese] somehow believe that they are going to be excluded from the opportunities.” Jagdeo noted that Guyanese should be the primary beneficiaries of the development of the oil and gas sector, but Guyana also has some obligations as a member of CARICOM. Additionally, he explained that Guyana also has shared history and culture with migration occurring. However, he acknowledged that Trinidad and Tobago has expertise in the oil and gas sector, but due to Guyana’s experience with the secrecy in the negotiations of the agreement with ExxonMobil and the ensuing results, suspicions as a country are aroused. “I believe that this MoU should be made public. I believe that we should work with Trinidad and Tobago. They have some expertise, but I believe that there must be a situation where limited opportunities are going to come on shore, the hog share of those opportunities must go to Guyanese,” Jagdeo stated.
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Presidential Scholarship Awardee chooses Warwick University Kayshav Tewari
Eighteen year-old Kayshav Tewari was awarded Most Outstanding Candidate in Sciences and Most Outstanding Candidate Overall in 2016 at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations. The former Queen’s College student achieved 19 Grade Ones. The young scholar was later able to secure ‘A’ Grades in Economics, Law, Mathematics and Sociology at School of the Nations’ Cambridge University International Advanced Subsidiary [AS] in 2017. While there, he also attained Grade ‘A’ in Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics and Sociology in Advanced Level [AL]. Today, Tewari is the recipient of a prestigious Presidential Scholarship Award by the Government of Guyana, allowing him to pursue his academic study anywhere in the world. However, the determined scholar zeroed in on Warwick University, England, to pursue a Degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE). Driven by an insatiable and profound desire to connect with others on a human level, Tewari said he selected the PPE degree programme because he aspires to make an impactful difference in the lives of vulnerable people in our society. “Aiming to steer clear of
the damaging notion that at a very tender age one must choose a career and stick with that for the rest of his/her life, I have given myself the opportunity to find myself as I progress through my studies. What I am certain of, however, is that the welfare of my country and my people lay rooted deep within my heart, and serve as an endless source of inspiration,” he related. Despite his tremendous academic achievements, Tewari possesses an unfading humility in character. “I can say firmly that I am most proud, not of my educational prowess and achievements, but of the memories and relationships I have fostered during my academic career. I would prefer to show off the friends I have been gifted to that of shiny plastic trophies and blots of ink on paper”, emphasized Tewari. In recognition of his imperfection, the young man admitted his phase of self-discovery is not unlike any of us, and that setbacks and mistakes in life are unavoidable. Moreover, he strongly affirms that we are not defined by our tragedy, but by our ability to recover from those challenges. To this he said, “I believe that each person is different and has different strengths and (Continued on page 09)
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Presidential Scholarship Awardee chooses Warwick University From page 46 weaknesses, and it is up to us to find what we’re good at and pursue that goal relentlessly”. Many are not born in his image; by talking to him
you get a sense of greatness that oozes from his DNA. Tewari exemplifies the quality of humanness and intelligence that is a rarity found among his peers. This sentiment was
succinctly captured in his advice to aspiring academics, “The only thing I wish to impart is that anyone can learn to read and memorize a book, or recognize when to use this formula or that
one; anyone can be smart. However, that is not a prerequisite for real intelligence. There are so many intelligent people who are believed to be failures because they cannot
run, when they were born to fly or swim or even crawl”, the young scholar articulated. Te w a r i r e p r e s e n t s a source of pride for his friends, his family, and
his country - young minds of his calibre must be honoured. He embarks on his scholarship to Warwick University, England, later this month. (Cleon Maughn)
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‘Stop using BMI as measur e of health, y rresear esear cher s measure health,’’ sa say esearc hers
A new study shows that 54 million Americans whose
BMI classes them as overweight and obese are in perfect
health according to cardiometabolic measures,
while 21 million whose BMI puts them in the normal cat-
cans (2 million people) whose BMI calculation is
egory are unhealthy. The s t u d y p r o v i d e s more evidence to support the idea that a person’s body mass index (BMI = weight in kg divided by height in m2) is a flawed measure of health. In spite of this, B M I continues to be used as a yardstick for determining health status. Many employers use it to calculate workers’ health care costs, note the researchers behind the new study, who report their findings in the Internatio n a l J o u r n a l o f Obesity. And soon, if a rule proposed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission ( E E O C ) i s adopted, US employers will be allowed to charge employees up to 30% of health care costs if they fail to meet certain health criteria such as not having a BMI in the normal range (between 18.5 and 24.99). The study, led by A. Janet Tomiyama, an assistant professor of psychology at the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA), analyzed the link between BMI and cardiometabolic health using data from the most recent National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). The cardiometabolic health data available in the NHANES gives measures of blood pressure, triglycerides, cholesterol, glucose, insulin resistance and C-reactive protein (a marker of inflammation). BMI misclassifies nearly 75 million Americans as healthy or unhealthy The analysis shows nearly half of Americans whose BMI puts them in the overweight category (34.4 million people) are actually healthy according to c a r d i o m e t a b o li c m e a sures, as are 19.8 million whose BMI classes them as obese. T h e r e s e a r c h e rs also found that 15% of Ameri-
35 or higher - thus classing them as very obese are also healthy. Prof. Tomiyama says: “Many people see obesity as a death sentence. But the data show there are tens of millions of people who are overweight and obese and are perfectly healthy.” She says that these people would be unlikely to incur higher medical expenses and it would be unfair to charge them higher premiums based only o n their BMI. The study also finds over 30% of Americans whose BMI puts them in the normal range (nearly 21 million people) are actually unhealthy according to cardiometabolic measures. Altogether, say the authors, nearly 75 million adults in the US are misclassified as either healthy or unhealthy when BMI is used as the sole health indicator. ‘Final nail in the coffin for BMI’ Prof. Tomiyama says she is surprised by the large numbers they found in the new study and remarks how unfair it is that many healthy people may be penalized, while many unhealthy people will not get charged more for their health insurance, based on their BMI. She notes: “Employers, policy makers and insurance companies should focus on actual health markers.” In previous work, her lab - which specializes in diet, stress and health has also found no clear link between weight loss and improvements in blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol, glucose and other health measures. Prof. Tomiyama now intends to study people with high BMI who are very healthy. Co-author Jeffrey Hunger, a doctoral candidate at the University of California-Santa Barbara, urges people to obsess less about their weight and focus on following a healthy diet and taking regular exercise. He says their s t u d y confirms how flawed BMI is as an indicator of health and concludes that “this should be the final nail in the coffin for BMI.” In 2013, Medical News Today reported on a Science paper that discusses why BMI is an inaccurate measure of body fat content and how there is an urgent need for accurate, practical and affordable tools to measure biomarkers that can better predict the risks of disease and death. http:// www.medicalnewstoday.com/ articles/306129.php.
Sunday September 09, 2018
Janet Jackson Discusses Motherhood and Learning to Love Her Body
At this point in her life, Janet Jackson knows who she is and what she wants. The 52-year-old singer graces the cover of InStyle’s Beauty Issue. And in a wideranging interview with editor in chief Laura Brown, the living legend discusses everything from her life as a single parent to how she learned to love her body after spending a lifetime in the limelight. Jackson spent much of the last year on the road with her son, Eissa Al Mana, 20 months. Because of her jampacked schedule—Jackson’s State of the World Tour ends Oct. 2 in Atlantic City—she has him on a tight schedule. “My son, Eissa, wakes me up in the morning around 7:30 or 8. I change his diaper. Breakfast is prepared, and he has that. I’ll go back into my room. That’s when I answer my mail. Because overnight I get a ton of mail,” she says. Afterward, “I’ll wash my face, brush my teeth, climb back into bed, answer more mail, make my calls, and around 10 a.m. I’ll have my breakfast, and my son has his second breakfast with me. He sits on my lap, and we eat my breakfast together. Most of the time I’ll start getting ready at 11. So, I will have showered and everything by then. I’ll either work out or try to work out at the venue.”The “Made for Now” singer exercises with celebrity trainer Paulette Sybliss to stay fit—mentally and physically. “It’s very important. First of all, it helped me with my pregnancy. When I was in New York, I was walking and doing stairs every day. The doctor said as long, ‘As you’re not feeling any pain or having any problems and it’s not too much for you, more power to you.’” Like most people, Jackson “had major moments of slacking off,” as well as “moments when I was going for it. So, it depends on where I am or what I’m doing at that time in my life.”“There have been
times when I’ve called Paulette and said, ‘I’m not going to make the workout,’” says Jackson, who prioritizes sleep. “She knows how crazy my life is, and she understands it. Sometimes I have an emergency call and I’ll say, ‘I really want to work out, but I don’t know how long this is.’ She’ll say, ‘If you want, I’ll wait for you.’ And other times when I’ve been so mentally exhausted, we’ll just take a two-mile walk and talk, and it feels so good.” Jackson credits Sybliss with helping her stay fit while pregnant at age 50. “She’s incredible. And she never made me feel like I have to deprive myself of anything,” she says. “She would say, ‘What do you like? OK, I’m going to put that in. What do you enjoy? OK, I’m going to put that in.’” Jackson, who says she doesn’t “eat meat anymore,” will occasionally eat fish and vegetables. “I love catfish. I love a fried fish,” she reveals. “But I’m also crazy about grilled fish.” As for her guilty pleasures, Jackson says, “I love Snickers.”Admittedly, she was never much of a sweets person. “There were a lot of sweets that I have only tried as an adult,” she says. “Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. Is that the little round one? I just tried that last year for the first time. It’s very good. I finally tried a KitKat a couple of years ago.” For decades, Jackson was constantly criticized for her appearance: She’s too big! She’s too small! So, it took a while for her to get comfortable in the skin she’s in. “I remember growing up and being in this business was always this important thing. Because it was the thing. And you had to be a certain size, you had to be thin to be an entertainer. Stupid crap like that. That’s just this business I’m in. I think it’s changed, thank God. People are more accepting of others.
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01. Why is it called Alcoholics ANONYMOUS when the first thing you do is stand up and say, 'My name is Peter and I am an alcoholic'. 02. Don't steal. That's the government's job. 03. A celebrity is someone who works hard all his life to become known and then wears dark glasses to avoid being recognized. 04. Drink coffee! Do stupid things faster with more energy! 05. Why is it so hard for women to find men that are sensitive, caring, and good-looking? Because those men already have boyfriends. 06. Foreign Aid: The transfer of money from poor people in rich countries to rich people in poor countries. 07. Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it, misdiagnosing it and then misapplying the wrong remedies. 08. Just about the time when you think you can make ends meet, somebody moves the ends. 09. If your dog is barking at the back door and your wife is yelling at the front door, who do you let in first? The dog, of course. He'll shut up once you let him in. 10. A fine is a tax for doing wrong. A tax is a fine for doing well. 11. At every party there are two kinds of people: those who want to go home and those who don't. The trouble is, they are usually married to each other. 12. The journey of a thousand miles begins with a broken fan belt and a flat tire. 13. Why is a bra singular and panties plural? 14. I was thinking about how people seem to read the Bible a whole lot more as they get older. Then it dawned on me… they were cramming for their finals. 15. You have two choices in life: You can stay single and be miserable, or get married and wish you were dead. 16. Ham and Eggs: A day's work for a chicken, a lifetime commitment for a pig. 17. The human brain is a wonderful thing. It starts working the moment you are born, and never stops until you stand up to speak in public. 18. Men are like mascara, they usually run at the first sign of emotion. 19. The difference between divorce and legal separation is that a legal separation gives a husband time to hide his money. 20. It was love at first sight. Then I took a second look!! 21. Never agree to plastic surgery if the doctor's office is full of portraits by Picasso. 22. Accept it. Your parents HAVE had sex before. 23. Children in the back seats of cars cause accidents, but accidents in the back seats of cars cause children. 24. A hard thing about a business is minding your own. 25. Most women don't know where to look when they're eating a banana. 26. How many divorced men does it take to change a light bulb? — Who cares? They never get the house anyway. 27. Where do you get virgin wool? — Ugly sheep. 28. What do you call a deer with no eyes? No eye deer. 29. The first half of our lives is ruined by our parents, and the second half by our children. 30. Why do men get married? So they don't have to hold-in their stomachs any more. 31. Why won't sharks attack lawyers? Professional courtesy 32.How does NASA organise a party? 33.Did you hear about the actor who fell through the floorboards? He was just going through a stage. 34.“My New Year's resolution is to get in shape. I choose round.” 35.“My wife – it's difficult to say what she does. She sells seashells on the seashore.” 36.What did the left eye say to the right eye? Between you and me, something smells. 37.“I told the Inland Revenue I don't owe them a penny. I live by the seaside.” 38.My wife told me I had to stop acting like a flamingo. So I had to put my foot down. 39 “I needed a password eight characters long, so I picked Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.” 40. Sometimes I tuck my knees into my chest and lean forward. That's just how I roll. 41. “Toughest job I ever had? Selling doors, door-to-door.” 42.A soldier survived mustard gas in battle, and then pepper spray by the police.
Kaieteur News
Sunday September 09, 2018
Sunday September 09, 2018
Getting Rid of Dark Circles and Under Eye Bags 1. Cold Compress In the morning or evening – or better yet, in the morning AND the evening – apply a cold compress for about 10 minutes. If you have a mask you can keep in your fridge and pull out twice a day, that's the easiest way to try this dark circle reducing method. Just make sure to keep it clean and give it a good soapy scrub a few times a week! 2. Cucumbers We've all seen cucumbers used as cold compresses on television and in films – but do they really work? In fact, cucumbers have skin-lightening and mild astringent properties, so you can use cucumber slices to fix raccoon eyes naturally. 7. Potatoes Potatoes are a surprising source of lots of vitamin C, which among other things is great for the synthesis of collagen to promote healthier, younger-looking skin. To harness the power of vitamin C to treat your under eye bags, grate some potatoes. Extract the juice from the potato and soak some cotton makeup remover pads in the juice. Place the pads on your eyes for about 10 minutes and then rinse with warm water. 8. Cold Milk Dairy products like milk are a great source of vitamin A, which contains retinoids that are great for keeping skin looking bright and young. To gain the benefits of milk's vitamin A, soak a cotton makeup remover pad in a bowl of cold milk for a while. Use the pad to apply the milk to your under eye bags and let it sit for about 10 minutes, twice daily. Rinse with warm water. 9. Orange Juice Since orange juice is high in both vitamin A and C content, it can help remove dark circles from under your eyes. Add a few drops of glycerin to orange juice and then soak a cotton makeup remover pad to apply to your under-eye skin. You'll reap the benefits of orange's vitamins as well as the natural glow glycerin gives to your skin. 10. Vitamin E Oil Vitamin E helps fight the effect of free radicals that cause signs of aging like wrinkles. Before bed at night, apply a drop of oil (a little goes a long way) to your dark under eye circles, gently massaging it into the skin. Leave this on your skin overnight and in the morning, rinse with warm water. 11. Coconut Oil As a powerful natural and gentle anti-inflammatory, coconut oil is an effective method for lightening dark under eye circles. It also moisturizes while it lightens to help prevent wrinkles and fine lines under the eyes. Use coconut oil like vitamin E oil: rub it into your under eye area, leave it on overnight and then rinse it off in the morning. 12. Turmeric As yet another powerful, natural antioxidant and antiinflammatory, turmeric minimizes dark circles. Mix some turmeric powder with pineapple juice to create a thick paste. Apply this mixture to your under eye circles and leave for about 10 minutes before using a soft, warm and damp cloth to gently remove the paste. Practice this routine once a day.
SOLUTION TO LAST WEEK’S WORD SEARCH
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Turn the Page
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The Donkey The Donkey and theCotton Cotton and the
T
here once lived a salt merchant. He had a monkey for his assistance. Every morning, he would load a sack of salt on the donkey and go to the nearby town to sell it. On the way, they had to walk across a pond. One day, while crossing the pond, the donkey thought, "Ooh! This load is so heavy that I become exhausted very soon. I wish I could get some of this load taken off my back." Just then the donkey tripped and fell into the water. Fortunately, the donkey was not hurt. But the sack of salt on the donkey's back fell into the water. Both the donkey and the salt became wet. Some of the salt in the sack got dissolved, making the load on the donkey lighter. The
donkey felt very happy about the reduction in the weight of the sack of salt on its back. The merchant did his best to help the donkey to get up and they carried on their journey. From that day, it became a regular practice for the donkey to slip and fall in the pond whenever they crossed the pond to the market. This would dissolve some salt in the sack thus reducing the weight and relieving the donkey of some load. The merchant was not aware of the donkey's cunningness. This continued for a few days. One day, the merchant noticed the donkey deliberately slipping and landing with the sack into the water. “Oh! So this is the way I am losing my salt everyday" he thought. He decided to teach the donkey a lesson. Next morning, instead of loading a sack of salt, the merchant loaded a sack of cotton on the donkey's back. As usual they had decided to reach the
market by crossing the same pond. While crossing the same pond, the donkey, as usual, slipped and fell into the pond, hoping that after some time the weight of the sack would go reduced. As usual, both the donkey and the cotton would become wet. But this time, when he got up, the load on his back seemed heavier. “Ooh! The Load seems to have gotten heavier," thought the donkey. The donkey was astonished at what had taken place against the usual result. The merchant looked at the donkey and said, “Dear friend, I saw you fall into the water of the pond deliberately every day with the malicious intention of reducing the weight of the salt. So, I loaded a sack of cotton today. Cotton when wet gets more weight and becomes heavier. Now you will have to carry it to the town." The poor donkey had learnt his lesson.
Jack in the box C ircle every letter in th e box tha t is directly und er a J, A, C, or K. When com pleted correctly, the circle letters, w hen read friop top to bottom , w ill spell ou t an 8-letter w ord.
M J P N E F Q I C W L U K Z U A N I X A Y H I M S W E F G N
X H G E L N Y O P M
D O F I L J T Q S H
I R E R Y E V O Z E
P I T R W E M N F W
E K D E O O L V P Q
S S F D H I G C O X
B B P Z O H N U B W X O S S D D W A Y N
M R P A C D O U Z P
I Cannot Go To School Today FUN WITH POETRY I cannot go to school today, Said little Peggy McRay, My glasses just broke, I think I'm going to choke; My cat puked in my shoe, And also messed it with some poo; My skin is cracked and dry, And there's something in my right eye; All my clothes feel too tight, And my teeth hurt when I bite; How can I go anywhere today? What's that, what is it you say? You say today is Saturday? BY UNCLE ROY Whoopee! I'm going out to play.
Sunday September 09, 2018
Junior page
HOW TO MAKE
Origami Fox You'll need a square piece of paper. 1. Start with a square piece of paper. 2. Fold it in half diagonally. You'll get a triangle. 3. Fold the triangle in half – as shown on the third image above. 4. Unfold. 5. Grab the right (or left) corner of the triangle and fold it towards the center corner. 6. Do the same with the left (or right) corner. 7. Flip it around. 8. Fold the square in half as shown in the 7th and 8th image above. 9. Make sure your triangle is positioned as the one in the first photo above – the 6 layers side on facing to the left. 10. &11. Fold inwards (all layers) as shown on the picture. 12. Unfold the first 3 layers. 13. Push down the middle “two” layers as shown on the picture above – look it's a fox head! 14. You can leave it as it is or you can make the fox legs pointy by folding in the legs (diagonally). You can also fold the tail inwards to make the fox more stable.
Kaieteur News
Sunday September 09, 2018
Make the best start to your school year
For all those students who have started the new school year, it is best to first think about the things that you can do to reap the most benefit from the time and energy that you will be expending during this period. Here are some simple rules that you can follow to achieve this: 1. Try to get up early every day. You will find that by doing this your day will become more and more sufficient for all the things you have to do. This also helps to keep you healthy, as the clean air that you can enjoy at early dawn helps to refresh your body as well as your mind.
2. Make an effort to indulge in some physical exercise every day. Exercise of your body is necessary to keep it healthy and functioning efficiently, as well as keeping your brain strong and able to tackle the problems you will have to face both in your everyday problems and in your work at school. These exercises can include stretching, walking, running and lifting weights, even though the latter may be light and not taking up much time. 3. Plan a schedule for your week. When you put down on paper, and also in your mind, what you should be
working on each week, then you will find that you will be able to do much more of what is beneficial to you than if you just move on day by day with no set plans. This process will be helped by your intuition knowing what you should be doing at any given time, and prompting you to work at it even when you may not be thinking consciously about it. 4. Say no to distractions. This is probably the biggest obstacle facing any young person who is trying to make it in the modern world. There are so many things that can keep your attention away from the things that you really need to do that you can waste a lot of energy, time and resources in getting involved in these, and move in the wrong direction. Keep telling yourself not to let the cell phone, TV, idle friends and useless activities get in the way of your ambitions, both short and long term. Look out next week for some more tips on keeping on the right track during your new school year.
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The Cell-phone Craze (by Oswald Gunraj) I am a cellular phone, Coming in various sizes, shapes and tones, I'm a modern top-class invention, Made for personal wireless communication; But I'm very expensive, you see, Check it out and you'll surely agree. I am a fancy cell-phone, Making different sounds and overtones; You will look cool and exquisite, Placing me at your neck, waist or pocket; So get hungry, talk like you mad, As for me, I will eat up your phone card. I am a cell – a real attraction, Geared for your amusement and satisfaction, I am sure to make you happy, If you could only afford to own me; But remember, I like to be useful, And not just to make you look fanciful. I am a handy cell-phone, Use me in and out of your home; Go! Talk to some faces, Or let us together go places; Up, down, in or out, Whisper to me softly, don't you shout. I am a fussy cellular, And I can be very peculiar, I need for you to keep me full of money, Or I will behave very funny; So keep me topped up all the time, And I will serve you rain or shine; Yes, I am a great cell-phone, But only if and when you keep control.
Everything becomes much easier to achieve when you plan in advance for the various things you have to do towards your goals.
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK
LADDERGRAMS
FIRST, write the word that fits the first definition in space 1. Then drop one letter and rearrange theremaining letters to form the answer to definition 2. Drop one more letter, rearrange and get the answer for definition 3. Put the first dropped letter into the box to the left of space 1 and the otherdropped letter into the box next to space 3. When you have correctly solved the puzzle, the droppedletters on the left and right, when read down, will spell out related words or a phrase. 1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
Definitions: 1. Rented 2. Conducts (a tour) 3. Snow vehicle 4. Gives lessons to 5. Easily flammable material 6. Casual aatery 7. Nun's title 8. Whitewalls and retreads 9. "Your Majesty" 10. Works hard 11. Fodder tower 12. _____ Angeles, California 13. Elevated 14. Sudden invasions
Solutions to last week’s Crypto- Limerick There once was a grouchy old queen,Who needed her morning caffeine OR she'd climb out of bed Squealing, "Off with you head!"To anyone found on scene.
Off To The Beach 1. MAP 2. AS 3. PUP 4. SUN
5. NOR 6. POT 7. TOW 8. ROW
9. WAS 10. WAR 11. RAW 12. SAW
13. WET 14. WED 17. PA 15. DOG 18. GAP 16. TOP
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Kaieteur News
Sunday September 09, 2018
Sunday September 09, 2018
GPL admits rented Caterpillar units... A few of the rented Caterpillar sets, which are presently powering the Essequibo Coast
From page 15 Gordon, the three generator sets procured for the New Anna Regina Power plant, will produce a total of 5.4 megawatts. The CEO noted, however, that a 5.4 megawatts system is still not sufficient for a long term reliability programme. He added, “There will be times when we will have to bring one
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Kaieteur News
of the three sets offline for maintenance. At that time only 3.6 will be available when we will need at least 4.6 to 4.8 during our peak hours. It therefore means that a fourth generator set will have to be procured for the new power plant. In the meantime we will use the caterpillar sets to fill the gap.” [Romario Blair]
Region Ten officials want funds released for Wismar P.O. rehab During the Regional Democratic Council Monthly Statutory Meeting o n T h u r s d a y, R e g i o n a l Chairman Renis Morian urged Councillors to join him in calling on the Government to release funds to rehabilitate the Wismar Post Office which was damaged by fire during an attempted break-in several weeks ago. This call was made after it was noted that senior citizens are being placed under duress at McKenzie Post Office, especially those from Wismar. According to Regional Chairman Renis Morian, the pensioners have to pay an additional cost to get to the lone post office on the other shore and it seems burdensome on them (the
pensioners) as some are n o t h e a l t h y. M o r i a n claimed he has written letters to President David Granger and various Ministers to this effect, and also noted the inconvenience of the pensioners, such as having to stand in the hot sun for long hours. According to the C h a i r m a n t h e r e g i o n ’s engineer completed a Bill of Quantities in a timely manner for the reconstruction to the damaged post office to the tune of $14.3M. “I sent a letter to the Minister of Finance with the Bill of Quantities highlighting the plight of the pensioners. I am asking for $14.3 or $14.5M. Find the money. I’m giving it another week then I will up the
ante.” APNU Councillor Charles Sampson said that the Post office issue should be treated as an emergency and the work should have already begun. He said that even if the Post office doesn’t have the funds to do immediate repairs, it should have been started by the government. Sampson wondered why the repairs are taking so long, but hopes that by the next pension day something is done to relieve the discomfort of the pensioners. APNU Councillor Gordon Callender disclosed that a contractor is expected on Friday to visit and assess the damage at the Wismar Post Office. (Jacquey Bourne)
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Sunday September 09, 2018
Kaieteur News
New Berbice police commander seeks closer ties with businesses Ranks in ‘B' Division were on their toes for the past week with a new Commander heading to Berbice. Visible developmental works were seen at the Central Police Station (Headquarters) in New Amsterdam and its environs, while ranks were seen "up and about" under the leadership of Assistant Commis-
- commits to youth development sioner Clifton Hicken. On Friday, Commander Hicken met with businessmen and women in the heart of New Amsterdam, a location considered to be a commercial hot spot. On foot with his team inclusive of the Traffic
Head, Timothy Williams, Crime Head, Chabinauth Singh and two junior ranks, they walked the streets of the township and throughout the market. Hicken gave vendors and citizens an opportunity to vent their immediate concerns
‘B’ Division Commander Clifton Hicken interacts with two female vendors in the New Amsterdam Market on Friday. and interacted with the youths who were around. Some hire car drivers complained about a space for parking and were given an on-thespot solution by the Commander, who immediately instructed the Traffic Head to implement the strategy. Hicken also promised that more ranks will be visible around the area as a way of providing added security. This was welcomed with loud praises and smiles from particularly the business persons. He said that, "it is important that I interact with the business community so I can start having initial concerns. We want to work with the media, and not in isolation, and you are going to find me do-
ing a lot of work within a short space of time, because I need to have a proper understanding of what is going on within the community". Hicken added that one of the key communities that will get his attention is Angoy's Avenue. He further added that youths will be a primary focus since "youth development is critical to me. As somebody who has been in operation for most of my life in this force, I understand how vulnerable youths can be, so you are going to be seeing a lot of community work coming out of the division, and a lot of foot patrols where the markets are". He stressed that visibility is important since it serves as a deterrent. It was further underscored
by the Commander that it is critical for the members of the public to have access to the leadership of the division "because we can mitigate against anything that is escalating. Similarly, we would like you to call us and tell us if there is something that we need to know. We are members of the civil society, the only thing that is different between us and the public is our uniform, but when the uniform is off we are back to civilian life. The police will start to develop capacity in the community because this is a part of our role". The Assistant Commissioner divulged that there will be ongoing training of ranks in the division under his (Continued on page 72)
Sunday September 09, 2018
Kaieteur News
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 learners a successful year ahead and 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 children of today are the employers and employees of tomorrow. The 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. However, finding employees who are already privy to Standardisation continues to be a challenge and resources have to be expended to offer on-the-job training on aspects of the discipline. There is some consensus and the belief of many that the subject of standardization should be integrated in the national education curricula, as it is done in many developed and developing countries. Countries like Korea, Brazil and Argentina have successfully integrated standards in their curricula at the University level. Korea has done so from the nursery level. At the international level, ISO continues to organize regional events aimed at supporting developing countries in defining programmes targeting universities; and at developing or strengthening courses on education about standardization in their countries. In Guyana, the GNBS has been conducting lectures to secondary school teachers
and students on the standards that are available, and how these are useful in enhancing industry competitiveness and ensuring consumer protection. In addition, in late 2016, the GNBS had successfully sought to introduce Standardisation at the primary school level through its Standards in Academia Initiative. This resulted in the development of a booklet, which was taught to pupils of a number of schools. Later, an inter-school knowledge-based competition was held for schools in Regions 3, 4 and 6. The second phase of this initiative is expected to be rolled out later in this year and another competition will be held in the first quarter of 2019. 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 (Continued on page 69)
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One 2 family house. WBD Contact#683-9146
Installations, Repairs and parts for AC, Fridge, Washing machine, Stove etc call Nick 627-3206, 630-1600 Eagle’s: Re-gas –low prices, washing machine repairs, gas stove, plasma flat screen, computer repairs & more. Call: 697-2969/646-0966 Repairs at affordable prices: fridge, air conditioner, washing machines, dryers, TV, microwaves & freezerCall: 610-5846 or 661-8158 HOUSE PLAN TO BE DRAWN OR YOU JUST NEED AN ESTIMATE. CALL: 216-0671/6928464/622-0267 Guyana Business. For everything on setting up & doing business. Check: Guyanaconnection.com; (f) Guyanaconnection; Guyanaconnection100 @gmail.com
German Shepherd pups for sale, first vaccine and deworm with clinic card. Contact Sunil #683-3560/2222381 New 15 HP Yamaha engine and wooden boat. Call Tel#660-4104 Large purebred pitbull dog, fully vaccine/ears clip & well kept. #233-0570 2 Thyme young blue & yellow macaw for sale. Contact#659-7108/665-8732 Three bedroom property and household furniture 3rd Bridge, Diamond New Scheme. Contact#616-6557
VEHICLE FOR SALE White Toyota Axio 2010 Unregistered Vehicle with low mileage and reverse camera $2.6 Neg #220-9514/645-6469
We provide Job resume, Proposals, Long or short papers, Feasibility studies etc. Call: 696-7464
Allion, Primo, Fielder Wagon, Spacio, Bluebird, 212 Carina, RZ,Pit-bull, Allex, 192 & Canter – Call: 650-7501 1- 620 DAF EngineLeylandDAF Flatbed tray 30ft 10- Guysuco Lorries 1 DAF engine. owner migrating #228-5655, 649-8449 FOR SALE/RENT
IAE- Register for full time school (Grade 7-11) Lessons, Day & Evening CSEC adult classes. Call/Whatsapp #683-5742
FOR RENT
WANTED
VACANCY
SALON
PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY,ETC.-CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 2161043; 677-6620
1 Air compressor 5HP 3 Phase 230/220 volts. Call: 628-1486/698-1134.
Chef and cook- Preferably carnegie trained. Call: 2257933 or visit 173 Sheriff Street.
September Cosmetology Courses $40,000 Nail Technology $25,000 Advance Make-up $15,000, All products provided. Abby #614-6749
One Hair & Nail Salon Station. Call:647-1773
Central Hotel building @ South Road. Prime location, ideal for business with chairs, tables & birdcages. Tel: 6629755, 686-0444 TAXI SERVICE GR TAXI SERVICE. CALL: 219-5000; 227-1982 & 225-7878 (24HRS)
Brokerage/Logistics Officer. Requirements: Secondary Education, Must have a drivers’ license. Contact#665-3676/226-0395 sales@tradelinc.com
Two bedroom apartment still available at 140 BB Eccles Housing Scheme. Contact Malinda Williams @ 6656160/653-6743
Wanted land to buy in Parfaite Harmonie or anywhere on the West Coast. Tel#642-1252
1 & 2 Bedroom apartments, 3 bedroom apartments. Can be used for storage also ECD. Contact Mr. Khan #675-2550/ 656-9319
1 Diesel Mechanic to work with mining company in interior. Knowledge of Perkins & Doosan equipment required. 226-9768/500-5923
1 Three (3) Bedroom upstairs flat in Atlantic Gardens E.C.D Tel# 227-4377, 227-0613, 6246013,645-7248
Security personnel to work with private security firm in interior. Must have military/ police background. 500-5923/ 226-9768
1 Downstairs for business at Vreed-en-Hoop W.C.D Tel# 227-4377, 227-0613, 6246013,645-7248 Business place at 14 Lombard St Georgetown. Tel#227-1385 Cell: 653-0506 Self contained rooms to rent in Prashad Nagar. Tel#2272993 Warehouse located at a prime commercial spot, opposite a port facility, available for rental. #2256774/226-4455 Self contain rooms for working couple/single person $30,000 monthly light & water, S/ Riumveldt Call: 623-0076 Furnished apartments $6000 daily, Air conditioned room $3000 daily, we also do laundry $700 per load #2230994
Repairs at low cost: fridges, air conditioners, washing machines, freezers,sale of ac’s tel:6294946,225-4822
EDUCATION
Sunday September 09, 2018
Kaieteur News
Better Hope ECD Public Rd: For Retail/Food Business. Upper 2 bedroom living space & lower level available RLTY PROS 650-1234/6785827
CAR RENTAL PROGRESSIVE CAR RENTAL: CARS FROM $4000 & UP, SUV’S PER DAY- CALL:643-5122/ 6 5 6 - 0 0 8 7 , ,EMAIL:PRO_AUTO RENTAL@YAHOO.COM DOLLY’S CAR RENTALCALL:225-7126/ 2263 6 9 3 DOLLYSAUTORENTAL @YAHOO.COM/ WWW.D OLLYSAUTORENTAL.COM
Live in or live out babysitter/ domestic- Call: 223-7500 Monday to Saturday 8:15am4:15pm Land to buy in Parafaite Harmonie, Eccles, Uitvlugt, Tuschen,Covent Garden, Herstelling, Diamond, Providence & Zeelugt. Tel#686-9608 1 Experienced male or female to look after layer birds in the interior. Contact#699-4718 Wanted experienced Hire car drivers at Ramada Princess Hotel. Contact# 265-7075/ 616-5419 One live-in Domestic, must know to cook 25-50 yrs. Salary 20,000 wkly. #610-3974
Room Attendant, Deskstaff, Supervisor 25-45 years old Tel#225-0198 or visit 233 South Rd, Lacytown. One Tutor/Nanny to teach a 3 year old boy from 7:3012:30pm Pay $70,000 monthly. Call: 623-1615
Parafaite Harmonie, Eccles, Uivlugt, Tuschen, Covent Garden, Herstelling, Diamond, Providence, Zeelugt. Tel# 686-9608
Vacancy for assistant manager & shop manager at Wencai Trading. Phone 6179513
Phase (2) Tuschen $1.3M Uitvlugt $2.9M Zeelugt $2.3M Tel#697-6311
Female cleaner office & home age 25 to 50. Call: 233-2745 Maid for East Bank area to cook & clean age 25 to 50. Call: 614-4358 Cashier- CXC Required, Porters, Cleaners, Drivers. Survival Supermarket 16 Vlissengen Rd, Newtown One experienced driver, apply at Alabama Trading 65 Robb Street, Bourda 1 Grillman (Driver, license a plus) 1 Kitchen Assistant, 1 live in help from Berbice/ Essequibo. Contact X’s Grill & Cuisine. 675-2550/656-9313 One maid/cook. Apply at Alabama Trading 65 Robb St Bourda. 1 Live-in Babysitter needed, must know to cook Indian dishes. Please call: 642-7898 Office clerk between 18-25yrs, must know Microsoft Excel and Word. Call: 624-0239 8am5pm
1- 2 tons electrical chain hoist, Live in family or single male. Duties driving & parts purchasing. Tel#227-1830
1 Domestic -$25,000 weekly. Contact#617-5700
We buy soursop leaves, saijan/moringa and lemon grass. Contact Mr Waaldijk #609-8281/693-3003
1 Supervisor to work interior location, knowledge of logging would be required. $ 2 0 0 , 0 0 0 monthly.Contact#617-5700
Experienced cooks, cashiers, cleaners, pastry makers & cake decorators. Apply in person @ 112 3rd & Albert St, Albertown G/town, Guyana. Tel#225-6255/2269000
LAND FOR SALE
1 Cook- $25,000 weekly. Contact#617-5700
1 Receptionist- $20,000 weekly. Contact#617-5700
Live in or part time maid & 1 painter. Call: 611-6364 or 6955505 between 9am to 4pm
Office Assistant: 5 subjects CXC (Mathematics & English), Computer Literate. Submit application to P.O box 16005 Georgetown, Guyana / jobapp9051@gmail.com
Care-giver for 74 year old lady, Call 658-4443, for more information, between hours 9am-4pm
Vacancy exist for 2 nail technician at Natural Beauty Salon & Spa- Please contact Ms. Rasharie #652-5800
Trucks & Drivers to transport sand for 6 months & medium size contractors. Tel#648-1635 (only whatsapp)
ADOPTION FOR PET LOVERSALWAYS HAVE KITTENS FOR ADOPTION. TEL#2202156
Prime business spot for sale, located behind Mon Repos Market. For more information, Tel#609-0827/ 615-7084 Prime land to build that dream home. Not far from Princess, New Thriving, Massy, HJ water world $13M neg- Call: 669-8397 Parfaite, Transferable $2.7M & $1.3M Farm $4.5M, Covent Garden $4.5M, Uitvlugt $2.7M, Tuschen transferable $2.5M & $1.3M #604-6724 One hundred (100) acres agricultural land, right bank, Barima River, NWD, Essequibo. 668-7687/ 6779638 Walking distance to Harbour Bridge, Location Lot 19 La Grange,West Bank. Tel#6834500/674-5633 Prime Residential Houselot in Herstelling. (110ft x 60ft) $5.5M Light, water, road (soon fibre optic cable) Tel#648-1635 Farm (East Bank) $3M Schnoord $2.8M Uivlugt $3M Tel#658-5897 Parfaite Harmonie $1.6M Schnoord $2.8M Tel#6481635 TO LET 1 Business space- upper flat located @ 177 Charlotte & Alexander St & 1 Furnished apartment 390 Republic Park. Contact# 644-3555/679-1579/ 689-3462 Lodge apartments (Vlissengen/Durban): Unfurnished 1 bedroom $50,000, 2 bedroom $60,000. Furnished (for visitors) US$600-1000. Tel: 668-7687/ 677-9638/ 697-6421 Furnished (1) Bedroom apartment with modern amenities @ Durban backlands. Suitable for overseas guests. Tel# 6939494/231-0051/611-9880 Continued on page 69
Sunday September 09, 2018
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Kaieteur News
CONSUMER CONCERNS
Consumers must protect themselves BY PAT DIAL From time to time we have reiterated some of the important consumer rights and have enjoined consumers how to protect themselves. Despite such educative efforts, consumers still allow themselves to be made victims or to be exploited. In today’s offering, we will remind consumers of their basic rights and how they may seek redress in the event they may be victimized. When one purchases a good or service, one must always demand a receipt. That receipt must always have (a) The name and address of the shop or enterprise from which the purchase was made. (b) The description of the good of service should be stated on the receipt (c) The price should be stated (d) The date of the purchase should be clearly written. Why does one need to have a bill or receipt? (i) The receipt evidences that the purchaser is the owner of the good purchased. For example, if the Police are doing a search for stolen
INTEGRATING STANDARDISATION INTO THE EDUCATION... (From page 67) 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 in the education curricula and supporting the implementing process. For further information, please contact the GNBS on telephone numbers: 2190062, 219-0065 or 219-0069 or visit our website: www.gnbsgy.org
property of the type of good one has purchased and the Police visits and one has no receipt for the good, it could result in some questionings (ii) Without a receipt the purchaser may not be able to exchange the good or seek a refund. Consumers must be particularly alert when purchasing goods from certain shops, since they do not usually give receipts except one asks for them. In some shops one may see notices of the following type displayed:- GOODS ARE NOT RETURNABLE or NO REFUNDS GIVEN ON ITEMS SOLD Such notices are illegal under the Consumer Affairs Act and the shops would be committing an offence if they display such notices. Despite such notices, the purchaser has the right of returning a good purchased provided the good is defective or the purpose for which
the good was bought was changed soon after purchase. The purchaser should return the good within 7 (seven) working days of the purchase. Above, we mentioned a purchaser could return a defective good to the purchaser. A defective good is defined as follows:(1) A good which is unfit for its intended use. For example, a cell phone which works erratically or a washing machine where the timing is incorrect. (2) Where the good is dangerous or harmful for normal use. For example, buying furniture with nails or sharp ends exposed or equipment which works with electricity where one may be subject to electrical shocks or an electrical hand-saw where the blade cannot be accommodated with full precision. (3) The written instructions for the use of every piece of equipment bought
must be supplied. This is necessary for the user’s safety and also when invoking a warranty When a defective good is returned to the seller, the seller must do one of the following four things: (i) At no cost to the purchaser or consumer, the supplier must replace the goods purchased within fourteen (14) days of the goods being purchased (ii) The supplier must repair the goods at no cost to the purchaser (iii) The supplier must return the receipted payment for the goods (iv) The supplier must provide the purchaser with a temporary substitute of comparable value until the good is either replaced, repaired or restored. The next item we will deal with is warranties. When a consumer purchases a consumer durable such as a washing machine, cooker, fan
or electric toaster or various tools, there is always a warranty. Many consumers are not aware of warranties and some suppliers do not bring the warranty to their attention. When consumers purchase goods without receiving their warranties, they are left unprotected if the goods or equipment cease to work or work badly or need immediate exchange. What is a warranty? A warranty is a written guarantee given by the manufacturer or supplier to the purchaser undertaking to repair or replace the good or goods if not working properly. Defective parts are replaced free of charge as well as workmanship. A local supplier must honour his foreign supplier’s warranty. Warranties are of two types – a written warranty which the purchaser collects on his purchase and an implicit warranty. An implicit
warranty is not written but by Law, the supplier must provide an automatic warranty for six months with supply of parts and labour without charge. The smaller shops try to avoid the six-month warranty by giving a written warranty for one month. Though their prices may be slightly lower than Courts or Singer, it turns out to be more economical to buy from the big reputable shops. This is so because they provide transport of the consumer durable to the home of the purchaser, their warranties are much longer, they have the repair facilities and they honour their warranties while the less reputable shops do not even honour their month’s warranty. PROPERTY FOR SALE Lot 15 Public road #2 Vill. WCB 3 House Lots. Rice Cultivation 49ftx10,314ft length. Price $18M. Contact# 648-7109/686-4818 Lot 89 Robb Street, Lacytown, Georgetown. Next door to Mike’s Pharmacy. Phone: 617-5323, 666-8052 Payment plan on property, pay $2M cash to owner, continue paying $85,000 to bank monthly. #220-1716 Brand new 3 bedroom building land size 110ftx60ft Herstelling 3rd Bridge, Master bedroom only $13M. Tel#651-1969 2 story property, Barr St Kitty, perfect for business. Contact Ray’s Realty #627-9685 2 story property, Durban St, Wortmanville Georgetown, good for residential or business. Contact Ray’s Realty #627-9685 Bushlot WCB - 2 Story wooden building on corner lot, close to public road. Asking $8M GYD. RLTY PROS 650-1234 NOTICE REWARD FOR INFORMATION RESULTING IN CAR ACCIDENT AT WINDSOR FOREST EXIT ROAD ON 24/12/2017. TEL#227-1830 LEARN TO DRIVE N. Outar Driving School. Learn to Drive the right way. Affordable package. Call: 6445166/691-2561 ACCOMMODATION Secret Villa & Harmony Inn, Ideal for local & overseas guest. Tel#225-6337, 2181400/ 694-7817/668-0306
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Athletics: Price power gives Americas early lead in Continental Cup Prague (Reuters) DeAnna Price of the United States beat world record holder Anita Wlodarczyk in the hammer throw on Saturday, helping lift the Americas into the lead on the first day of the Continental Cup. In the women’s 100m, Ivory Coast’s Marie Josee Ta Lou edged British rival Dina Asher-Smith to give Africa its first victory at the two-day global team track and field competition. Europe are the defending champions in an event which started as athletics’ World Cup four decades ago before changing its name in 2010. It is held every four years. Price boosted the Americas’ chances in Ostrava in the Czech Republic with a throw of 75.46 metres, just over two metres further than Poland’s Wlodarczyk. “It is completely mind-blowing,” Price said. “Anita is fantastic. I am not at her level yet... but we are getting there.” The Americas ended Sat-
urday with 135 points to Europe’s 123. Asia-Pacific have 89 points and Africa 74. Ta Lou, seeking to loosen the Jamaican and American grip on the sprints, will look to add to Africa’s tally today when she goes for the double in the 200m. In the 100m she pipped Asher-Smith by 0.02 seconds with a time of 11.14. The pair share the season’s best mark of 10.85 seconds. World silver medalist Ta Lou also anchored Africa’s 4x100m relay but missed out when the squad dropped the baton. The Americas won the event, timing 42.11 seconds to beat Europe by 0.44 seconds. The Americas’ men’s 4x100m squad completed the sweep with a mark of 38.05 seconds, with the Africans again failing to finish. They got off to a flying start via Michael Rodgers, who handed off to fellow US sprinter Noah Lyles, the 21year-old lengthening their
advantage down the back straight before handing off to Yohan Blake. The Jamaican powered around the bend and after he handed over to compatriot Tyquendo Tracey with a six-metre advantage, victory was assured. Triple jump winner Caterine Ibarguen of Colombia added to the Americas’ point total. The gold medalist in the last Olympics won easily with 14.76 metres. Jamaica’s Danielle Williams raced past Americas teammate Kendra Harrison of the United States in the women’s 100m hurdles. In the women’s 400m, Bahrain’s Salwa Eid Naser cruised to victory to give Asia-Pacific some much-needed points. On the men’s side, world and Olympic champion Conseslus Kipruto of Kenya jogged to an easy win in the 3,000m steeplechase, roared on by the Ostrava crowd. “I had enough power in the last 100 metres and I asked the crowd for more support be-
Sunday September 09, 2018 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) There could be people who try to convince you that you're wrong about something, Aries. Don't fall into the trap of thinking that you're inferior TAURUS(Apr.20–May20) There's an adventurous side to today that you should latch onto. Try not to get weighed down by the little things in your life that don't really matter much. GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Unexpected people and events are likely to crop up today just as you're longing for adventure. CANCER (June 21–July 22) It's extremely important that you not be too possessive today, especially when it comes to other people. LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) Matters regarding love and romance are in your favor today, Leo. You'll find that love comes to you when you least expect it. VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Realize that you might have to leave some things to chance today, because you probably aren't going to be able to control all that you'd like to under the circumstances.
LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Things should be going quite well for you today, Libra, especially in the love and romance department. SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Express your independence today, and prove to others that you won't be pushed around anymore. Do things for yourself and have fun while you do it. SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) Things relating to love and romance are in your favor today, although you may find that issues of this nature might be unpredictable. CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) It might feel like there's a hole in your heart today, , and you could have a hard time filling it. Remember that you're the one responsible for making sure this void is taken care of. AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) Issues regarding love and romance are at a climactic point right now, and you could be rather combative. PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Don't expect a great deal of sensitivity from others when it comes to issues concerning love and beauty today. People are apt to be in their own little worlds.
Yohan Blake and Tyquendo Tracey from the victorious Continental Cup 4x100m squad (Getty Images) © Copyright. cause I love loud tribunes,” he told the International Association of Athletics Federations’ (IAAF) website. Only half the field finished, with Olympic silver medalist Evan Jager of the United States scratching before the start. Joseph Millar of New Zealand, meanwhile, made an unexpected appearance in the discus. A sprinter, Millar had just competed in the men’s 200m, won by Panama’s Alonso Edward, when he stepped up to fill a missing spot for AsiaPacific. Millar set a ‘personal best’ of 27.15 metres. Jamaican Federick Dacres’s winning throw was measured at 67.97 metres.
Sparta Boss lift... From page 76 Goals-$16,000 Gift Voucher from Colours Boutique. The tournament was organised to forge integration among the participating communities in an effort to create a better understanding among its inhabitants. Among the entities that supported the event were Banks DIH under its Guinness and Power Wine brands, Clarks footwear giants Chetsons, E- Networks Inc., KSM Investments, Yhip’s Bakery, Brass Aluminum & Cast Iron Foundry [BACIF], Ray’s Auto Sales, Insurance Brokers Guyana Limited [IGBL], Y.K. Investments, Trophy Stall, Express Shipping, Woodpecker Products, National Sports Commission, ‘C’ Division of the Guyana Police Force, Jai Signs & Auto Designs, Gaming Authority, West Vybz Sports Bar & Restaurant, Colours Boutique, Julius Variety Store and C & C Prestigious Styles.
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From page 74 American Championships t o b e held in Peru.The Penultimate day of the Championships did not start as the Guyanese girls would have hoped as they faced the Colombian ladies’ in the team quarter-finals. Despite a win from their most experienced player; Nicolette Fernandes, the ladies failed win one more match to advance to the semifinals and gain automatic qualification to Peru. However, they were placed in the 5/8 draw for another chance to qualify, with a matchup against Brazil. Nicolette Fernandes won 3-0 before Guyana’s National Champion Mary Fung-A-Fat also registered a 3-0 win while Taylor Fernandes won 2-0 to qualify for Peru which sparked joyous celebrations. In 2014, the Guyanese Women lost out on Pan American Championship qualification on a match ball situation and the memories of that close defeat is now behind them as they advanced for the first time ever. The Men’s team qualified on three previous occasions; 1995, 1999 and 2015 but failed to do so this year. “The qualification was very exciting for the ladies and was great for our squash programme and its development,” declared President of the Guyana Squash Association (GSA) David Fernandes. Fernandes added that this success is a definite motivation for the juniors that are currently coming through the system to emulate what this group has done. Chan-a-Sue said the standard of the Championships was extremely high, with twenty players ranked in the top 100 in the world, including three in the top ten in the world. When questioned about preparations for Peru, Fernandes informed that the GSA is going to have a combination of training camps, challenge matches and PSA tournaments to select and get
Kaieteur News
Sunday September 09, 2018
Sureia Manufacturing/Juicy Juice Rep. Sean Rodrigues pictured with the champions, Timehri Panthers after handing over the trophy. the team ready for Lima. CNL: GOLDEN JAGUARS BEGIN WITH DISAPPOINTING 2-2 DRAW AGAINST TRIDENTS It was déjà vu for the Golden Jaguars, Guyana’s national men’s team when they drew 2-2 with Barbados Tridents in their second consecutive meeting; this instance being their opening game of the Concacaf Nations’ League (CNL) campaign which was played at the National Track and Field Center (NTFC) at Leonora, last night. After Guyana went ahead through the fleet-footed Trayon Bobb in the 46th minute, Barbados’ Hallam
Hope banged in two goals in eight minutes to give the visitors an unlikely lead before Bury FC’s Neil Danns scored the equaliser for Guyana in the 78th minute. Newly appointed Manager of the team, Michael Johnson, explained the result as being, “A good point for Guyana but it feels like a loss,” and rightfully so. During the first half of the game played in ideal conditions, hundreds of loyal supporters of the Golden Jaguars witnessed three tremendous opportunities being squandered by the home team, and if one of those splendid opportunities had been finished, the Jaguars would’ve walked away with three points in their first CNL game.
Team Mohamed’s Matthew Truelove doing a lap of honour after winning his third race.
At the start of the second half, Bobb converted a well timed through ball from Holder to ease nerves following horrible finishing in the first half but that one-goal lead was short-lived, lasting only nine minutes. A poor back pass coupled with miscommunication in the 65th minute then allowed Carlisle United’s (10th in England’s League Two) Hallam Hope a clear opportunity to fire past Guyana’s cutodian, Kai McKenzie-Lyle who was off his line, and the professional ‘baller’ made no mistake, hammering in a powerful low shot to the right of McKenzie from about 20 yards out. Hope’s second goal was a beauty in the 73rd minute, a diving header from close range that met a powerful cross which was whipped in from the left side by his skipper, Rashad Jules; McKenzieLyle stood no chance of stopping that bullet-header. At this period, the fans were in disbelief because the score line did not reflect the way the game was playing since the Jaguars were dominating the Tridents in each aspect of play. With the panic alarm on the brink of being rung, Neil Danns drove home, hard and low from about 23 yards out, beating Broome Jr. with the ball slotting into the bottom right corner of the goal. However, Guyana could not prevent history from repeating itself as the game ended 2-2 which was the case
when these two teams last met at the Barbados National Stadium in 2015. The Golden Jaguars next match of the CNL is an away fixture against Turks and Caicos Islands on October 10th, next. IN-FORM CAMPBELLE RECALLED FOR SA SERIES St John’s, Antigua, CMC – Shemaine Campbelle earned a recall to West Indies Women following a two-year absence, in a 15-member squad named Thursday to face South Africa starting next week in Barbados. The 25-year-old Guyanese is one of seven players who missed out on the tour of New Zealand earlier this year to be included in the current squad, with Qiana Joseph, Natasha McLean, Chedean Nation and Shakera Selman also returning. Tw e n t y - y e a r- o l d Guyanese Sheneta Grimmond and 23-year-old Trinidadian Karishma Ramharack, both uncapped, join the squad for the five-match Twenty20 series in Trinidad. Chief selector Courtney Browne said the return of key players had added experience to the squad and backed the unit to perform in home conditions.Campbelle, who had not played for the regional side since the tour of India in 2016, forced her way back into the side with heavy scoring in the Women’s Championship in Jamaica in June,
which saw her score a superb 107 in the opening round. A right-hander who incidentally made her debut against South Africa nine years ago, Campbelle has struggled in both formats. She averages 19 from 71 ODIs, with her lone hundred coming against Sri Lanka in Dambulla five years ago. In 79 T20 Internationals, she has scored just 506 runs with a highest score of 37 against India in St Kitts six years ago. Meanwhile, Britney Cooper along with Akeira Peters, of those in current training squad who toured New Zealand, have been overlooked. The side will be led by regular captain and batting star, Stafanie Taylor, and includes mainstays like Merissa Aguilleira, Deandra Dottin and Hayley Matthews. Windies face South Africa in the opening One-Day International at Kensington Oval on September 16, with games also scheduled for September 19 and 22.The games form part of the ICC Women’s Championship, where the Windies lie fifth. Squad – Stafanie Taylor (captain), Merissa Aguilleira, Shemaine Campbelle, Shamilia Connell, Deandra Dottin, Afy Fletcher, Qiana Joseph, Kycia Knight, Hayley Matthews, Natasha Mclean, Chedean Nation, Shakera Selman, Anisa Mohammed, Sheneta Grimmond (T20Is only), Karishma Ramharack (T20Is only).
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We take a look back at the key events that took place and made the news in the local sporting arena over the past week CMRC STAGE 3... TRUELOVE SECURES VALUABLE POINTS FOR TEAM MOHAMED’S; ANDREW KING WINS TO STRENGTHEN TITLE DEFENCE Current Caribbean Motor Racing Championship (CMRC) Super Bike Champions, Team Mohamed’s, remained poised to retain their title after their riders Matthew and Harry Truelove made light work of their competitors at Bushy Park Race Circuit, Barbados, during the third and penultimate leg of the CMRC. Matthew Truelove won all three races in the superstock class, edging his brother on each occasion after the duo had qualified on poles 1-2 respectively following qualification. Guyanese Superbiker Matthew Vieira was on the podium on all three occasions as the ‘Land of Many Waters’ occupied 1-3 in each Super Stock Race. In the group Four Class (cars), there were wins each for defending champion Andrew King along with his Guyanese teammate Mark Vieira and Barbadian, Mark Maloney. In the group Two Class, President of Guyana’s Motor Racing authority, Rameez Mohamed finished fourth in race one, fifth in race two but did not finish race three, with Trinidad’s Justin Sanguinette winning two of those races with Marc Gill of Barbados winning the other. There were no competitors in Group three for Guyana but Trinidad’s Ronald Wortman finished on top the podium in all three races. CALVIN MING PULLS OFFAMAZING PODIUM FINISHAFTER QUALIFYING 9TH After qualifying in 9th position for the final race of the 2018 Cooper Tyres Mazda USF2000 series in Portland, Oregon, Guyanese Motor Racer Calvin Ming pulled off an incredible podium finish. Driving very consistently, he was able to move up to finish in 3rd position at the end of the 25 lap race, around the Portland International Raceway’s 1.97 miles long circuit with 12 turns. Ahead of Ming were Kyle Kirkwood who won the race and Igor Fraga that finished second. The Guyanese, who finished 3rd driving for the Pabst Racing team was elevated one podium spot after a 30-second penalty for initial second place finisher and Exclusive
The Golden Jaguars starting X1 against Barbados.
Motorsports driver, Fragga, after Stewards found the Brazilian guilty of avoidable contact. Ming, who was able to patiently move through the pack from ninth, bode his time well, getting up to fifth before a full course yellow brought out the safety car. On the restart, Ming was able to navigate through a first corner tussle between Pabst teammates Rasmus Lidnh of Sweden and Kaylen Frederick of the United States to move up to third. He defended that third for the remaining four laps of the race under pressure. TIMEHRI HOLD OFF AGRICOLA TO LIFT CHAMPIONSHIP TROPHY AFTER EXCITING DRAW; IAN DANIELS IS HGS & MVP What will be a goal to remember for some time in the future by his colleagues and himself was tucked in by Timehri Panthers’ Omar Sam in the 46th minute of an intense battle which eventually earned them the championship trophy in the inaugural East Bank Football Association (EBFA) / Juicy Juice Under-13 League which ended on Sunday last at the Timehri Red ground. This league went all the way to the final match be-
tween the two sides that kept their unbeaten records intact after a memorable match. Going into the game, Timehri had won their previous eight (8) matches while Agricola had won seven (1) and drew one. Agricola was the more dominant team but the Timehri lads kept their composure and bided their time. In the 46th minute there was a scrimmage in front of goal which allowed Sam to pounce on a loose ball that goalie Andel Manoharlall was not in control of to tap in the equalising goal and what turned out to be the most important goal of the league for them. It was a fitting end to a well contested league featuring ten (10) of the clubs affiliated to the EBFA. Diamond United, in the best showing ever at any level, took the third place trophy while fellow village club, Diamond Upsetters walked away with the fourth place trophy. Agricola won all but one of the individual awards. Timehri Panthers’ Colin David was named Best Coach of the League. Ian Daniels who ended with an astounding 32 goals in 9 matches won the Highest Goal Scorer trophy as well as the Most Valuable Player prize. Fellow teammate, Andel Manoharlall copped the Best Goalkeeper trophy. Representing the spon-
sor, Suriea Manufacturing, Distributors of Juicy Juice, Sean Rodrigues in remarks before the presentation informed the clubs that the company was very pleased to be associated with the EBFA through sponsorship of the U13 league which no doubt brought to the fore, a number of talented youths that he is confident would go on to represent Guyana. ”Our company had no hesitation in joining with the association to do this league especially since it gives our youths a positive avenue to showcase and develop their skills. Congrats to Timehri, Agricola, Diamond United and Diamond Upsetters and all the other clubs which participated in this league. You have displayed great discipline to be here every playing day to compete and that in itself is commendable. Timehri ended with 25 points, two more than Agricola with the third and fourth places occupied by Diamond United and Diamond Upsetters with 19 and 14 points, respectively. ELEGANT JEWELLERY AND PAWN SHOP SUPPORTS GSCL INC FOR PRIME MINISTER’S CUP 2 Elegant Jewellery and Pawn Shop has thrown their
support behind the Georgetown Softball Cricket League Inc. (GSCL) for the staging of the second edition of the Prime Minister’s T20 Cup. Devon Callendar of Elegant Jewellery and Pawn Shop who made the presentation to Secretary of the GSCL Inc. Telesha Ousman, said they are happy to be part such a tournament once again and is looking forward to an exciting and successful one. He added that softball cricket is a family oriented sport and is calling on the fans to support the game. Ousman expressed gratitude to the sponsor and said that the tournament has attracted some of the top teams locally and also involves teams from Canada, New York and Florida. The tournament is being held in association with the National Sports Commission and the Ministry of the Presidency Department of Social Cohesion, Culture, Youth and Sports. Ousman pointed out that lighted bails will be used in the finals and no entrance fee would be charged. The tournament will be played in the Allstars and Masters Categories and Ousman informed that the winning team in the Allstars segment will take home a trophy and $700,000 and the runner-up a trophy
and $100,000 while the champion side in the Masters Division will pocket a trophy and $600,000 and the runnerup a trophy and $100,000. Members of the finalists will also be given medals. The GSCL Inc. Secretary indicated that Florida/ Guyana Hope, one of the teams in the tournament, will present USD$20,000 to the Guyana/Florida Hope Charitable organisation during the competition which will commence on October 19 and conclude on October 21 at the Everest Cricket Club Ground. The first 12 teams that register in the Allstars category and 16 in the Masters Division will be accepted and according to Ousman, nine teams have registered so far in the Allstars category and 10 in the Masters. COACH CHAN-A-SUE ELATED WITH THEIR SHOWING AT CARIBBEAN C/SHIPS Guyana’s Squash Coach Raymon Ch a n - a - S u e i s elated with the outstanding performances of his female charges at the just concluded Caribbean Squash Championships in the Cayman Islands where they achieved their highest ranking (6th) and qualified for the first time ever for next year’s Pan (Continued on page 73)
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Sunday September 09, 2018
Kaieteur News
US Open 2018: Naomi Osaka beats Serena Williams to win title BBCsport - Naomi Osaka won the US Open after an angry Serena Williams accused the umpire of being a “thief” in some of the most dramatic scenes at a Grand Slam final. Williams was given a game penalty for her outburst, which followed racquet smashing and another code violation as Osaka won 6-2 6-4 in New York. Osaka, 20, kept her focus to become the first Japanese to win a Grand Slam. Williams refused to shake hands with umpire Carlos Ramos after the match. The American, 36, graciously congratulated Osaka at the net after the 20th seed completed an extraordinary victory and, although Williams’ behaviour will grab the attention, nothing should detract from a classy and composed display from Osaka at Flushing Meadows. ”I’m sorry it had to end like this,” a crying Osaka said. Williams was given a first code violation after Ramos judged a gesture from coach Patrick Mouratoglou to be coaching - which is allowed on the WTA Tour but not during Grand Slams. Williams insisted she had not received any tactics from Mouratoglou, telling the umpire she would “never cheat to win and would rather lose”. The Frenchman later admitted to ESPN that he had
been coaching from the box. ”I was coaching but I don’t think she looked at me,” Mouratoglou said. “Sash [Osaka’s coach Sascha Bajin] was coaching as well, everybody does it.” She then received another for a racquet smash at 3-2 in the second set, leading to Ramos docking her a point as Osaka started at 15-0 in the following game. Williams was furious, walking up to Ramos, shouting and pointing at him as the crowd started booing in support of the former world number one. The drama continued as the atmosphere in Ashe became more toxic. Williams, still angry with Ramos for the previous two violations, refused to let the issue slide and launched an extraordinary rant at him at the changeover with Osaka leading 4-3. “You are a liar. You will never be on a court of mine as long as you live. When are you going to give me my apology? Say you are sorry,” she told him. That led to Ramos docking her the next game - leaving Osaka just one more away from victory at 5-3 up. Boos continued to rain down, generating incredible noise, as Williams refused to take to the court and demanded an intervention from the tournament referee. Eventually she returned to the
baseline, serving out a game to love before Osaka showed remarkable focus to hold the final game for her first Grand Slam win. Williams is a national icon in the United States, as well as a global star around the world, and had the backing of the 24,000-capacity Arthur Ashe Stadium. But the boisterous crowd was quietened as Osaka came out firing at the six-time champion. Osaka, playing in her first Grand Slam final and against her idol, showed no fear as her aggressive approach led to multiple errors from Williams’ racquet. Williams’ first serve percentage was down at 38% and made 13 unforced errors as Osaka broke for 2-1 and 4-1 leads on her way to the opening set. The Ashe crowd, whilst remaining respectful towards Osaka, was already upset with the way Williams had been treated by Ramos and unhappiness turned to anger during the madness of the second set. Security staff ran on to the perimeter of the court as Ramos walked off and the Portuguese did not return, as he would usually have done, for the trophy presentation. More boos followed at the start of the ceremony, leading to Osaka pulling her visor down over her eyes to hide her tears.
Williams rant continued throughout the second set as she got more and more incensed with things going against her.
Sparta Boss lift first Guinness ‘Cage’ Streetball Championship Sparta Boss secured their first Guinness ‘Cage’ Streetball Championship, squashing Uprising 3-1 yesterday at the Haslington Market Tarmac. It was a fitting finale to a superb tournament, as Georgetown and National heavyweight Sparta Boss, battled Uprising of Golden Grove in a clash worthy of the championship. The mammoth crowd that descended on the venue, immediately made their allegiance known against the visiting Spartans, whom did not seem phased or overawed by the situation. A constant figure in the main event of tournaments, the North East La Penitence outfit who defeated Leopold Street in the semi-final round, silenced the boisterous crowd in the sixth minute when Jermin Junior slotted into the back of the net. It was a deserved lead for the visitors who began to impose their will on the youthful but plucky Uprising unit. The Spartans then doubled their advantage in the 11th minute when a Sheldon Shepherd strike was inadvertently directed into the back of the net by an opposing defender. Despite the deficit, the crowd increased their decibel level, hoping to inspire their side to another come from behind result, following their unlikely win against Broad Street in the semi-final stage. Phillip Williams and Les
Charles Critchlow threatened for the host, with the former flashing his effort off the woodwork in the 14th minute during a sustained attacking period. However, Junior responded in equal measure, tallying his second of the clash with a well placed shot into the back of the net in the 18th minute to further put the game beyond reach of their opponent. Uprising eventually recorded a consolation goal, much to the celebration of their fandom, as Critchlow netted in the 29th minute. Due to the outcome, Sparta Boss pocketed the championship trophy and $400,000 cash prize while Uprising received $150,000 and the runners-up accolade. In the third place playoff, Leopold Street downed Broad Street 2-0. Okeene Fraser bagged a brace in the sixth and 12th minute. With the win, Leopold Street copped the third place trophy and $100,000. Broad Street walked away with $50,000 and the fourth place accolade. All four teams were also presented with the 2018 Adidas Telstar FIFA World Cup ball. On the individual side of the presentation, Junior was adjudged the Most Valuable Player of the tourney and walked away with an 11 cubic foot Hisense Refrigerator compliments of Queensway. Also, Jamal Cozier of
Seretse Huntley of Uprising receiving the runners-up accolade from Three Peat Promotions Rawle Welch (right). Broad Street received a $16,000 Gift Voucher from Colours Boutique for finishing as the event’s Highest Goal Scorer with nine conversions. In the earlier semi-final round, Sparta Boss downed Leopold Street 2-0. Junior recorded the fastest goal in the history of the tournament, as he found the back of the net in two seconds. He would also score in the 17th minute to seal the result. Meanwhile, Uprising overcame a 4-1 deficit to defeat
Broad Street 5-4. Phillip Williams recorded a helmet-trick of penalty kick conversions, after Broad Street had accumulated unwanted fouls. Williams scored in the 8th, 18th, 22nd and 24th minute. Les Charles Critchlow then completed the come from behind result with a 31st minute strike. For Broad Street, Jamal Cozier tallied a hat-trick in the 3rd, 6th and 14th minute while Kevin Cummings scored in the 16th minute. Prior the commencement
of the finale, a minute of silence was observed for Back Circle and Future Stars football star Akeemo Anthony, who passed away over on Sunday 2nd, following an accident. Complete Results Final - Sparta Boss-3 vs Uprising-1: Sparta Scorers, Jermin Junior-6th, 18th, Own Goal-11th. Uprising Scorer, Les Charles Critchlow-29th. 3rd Place - Leopold Street-2 vs Broad Street-0: Okeene Fraser-6th, 12th.
Semi-final - Game-1 Broad Street-4 vs Uprising-5: Uprising Scorers, Phillip Williams8th, 13th, 22nd and 24th, Les Charles Critchlow-31st. Broad Street Scorers: Jamal Cozier-3rd, 6th and 14th, Kevin Cummings-16th. Game2 - Sparta Boss-2 vs Leopold Street-0: Jermin Junior-2 2nd and 17th. MVP-Jermin Junior-Refrigerator from Queensway Group of Companies. Highest Goal Scorer-Jamal Cozier-Nine (Continued on page 73)
Kaieteur News
Sunday September 09, 2018
PAGE 77
Lara and Lloyd back Windies Clean sheet wins for French Guiana, to repeat as T20 champions Saint Lucia and Belize mark CNL day two New York, CMC – West Indies legends Brian Lara and Clive Lloyd are backing the West Indies women to defend their ICC Women’s World T20 title when the competition bowls off in the Caribbean on November 9. In the last tournament in 2016, the Windies women defeated Australia by eight wickets to claim their first ever title. Speaking at a recent gala to mark part of the ICC Cricket World Cup trophy tour, the two former West Indies captains both said they believed the regional team had the quality of players to repeat as champions. ”This will be a special tournament for the team and for all the people of the West Indies. I’m thrilled that we are hosting another world event in our side of the world – that last one was in 2010 – so its great to see the cricket world focusing on the Caribbean again,” Lara said. ”I remember the celebration we had back in 2016 when the Under-19s won the World Cup, the ladies won the World T20 and the men won the T20 as well. We had a great run on all levels of the game and I believe they can pull it off again.” Lloyd said it would be
M
Clive Lloyd (left) and Brian Lara (right). extremely special if the Windies could lift the trophy in front of their home crowd. ”This will be a wonderful tournament and we hope to see the best players in the women’s game show what they are capable of. I was there back in 2016 when we won both events (women’s and men’s) and it was a really great occasion. ”The West Indies have paid very close attention to their preparation again, this time around, with camps focussing on specific areas where they need in order to win again. I can see them doing very well. I want to
wish Stafanie Taylor and her team all the best. It’s always great to win for the first time, but it would be superb to defend the title on home soil,” Lloyd maintained. The event will be the sixth edition of the ICC Women’s World T20 and the second time it is being hosted in the Caribbean. The tournament will feature the 10 best teams in the world. Defending champions the Windies are in Group A along with Bangladesh, England, South Africa and Sri Lanka, while Australia, India, Ireland, New Zealand and Pakistan form Group B.
Jamie Murray and Bethanie Mattek -Sands win mixed doubles title BBCsport - Jamie Murray successfully defended his US Open mixed doubles title by coming from behind to win a tight final. The Briton and American partner Bethanie Mattek-Sands beat Poland’s Alicja Rosolska and Croat Nikola Mektic on a match tie-break 2-6 6-3 11-9. The win gives Murray a fourth Grand Slam mixed doubles title and is his sixth overall. It is Mattek-Sands’ eighth Slam title but first since a career-threatening knee injury at Wimbledon in 2017. The pair were competing together for the first time and were well supported by Mattek-Sands’ home crowd. She was in tears after the winning point and cried again when asked about her comeback from injury in her on-court post-match interview. Murray then led the crowd in singing happy birthday to his mother Judy
Murray and Mattek-Sands were competing together for the first time at this tournament. who was watching in his support box. Swiss Martina Hingis, with whom Murray won the New York title in 2017, was also watching alongside the Scot’s team. ”I have got a good talent for picking the best partner,” Murray said. “I have had an amazing two weeks. Things went against us and we had to fight hard to get back into the match.” Murray and MattekSands struggled in the first set, twice losing the American’s serve, but claimed the only break in the second to level. The British-
American pair trailed 4-1 in the match tie-break before fighting back with MattekSands hitting a brilliant lob to get back on serve. They failed to convert three match points later in the tie-break before Murray put away a volley on the fourth to win the title. “I got a little emotional out there,” Mattek-Sands said. “Going from not being able to get myself out of bed last year to winning this final. ”I don’t care what anyone tells you, you can do anything if you put your mind to it.”
iami, Florida – The inaugural Concacaf Nations League continued on Friday with three matches ending in clean sheet victories for French Guiana, Saint Lucia and Belize. In the d a y ’s o p e n i n g m a t c h , visiting French Guiana used a three-goal first-half to muscle past Anguilla 5-0. The visitors settled in quickly and a hard-struck, long-range strike from Jean Eudes Lauristin gave them a 1-0 lead in the 15’. French Guiana’s luck from outside the area continued in the 29’, as Joffrey Torvic made it 2-0 with a strong right-footed effort. Les Yana Dokos stayed on the attack and after Rhudy Evens was brought down in the area, Alex Eric calmly converted the penalty kick to stretch the lead to 3-0 in the 38’. French Guiana could put the three points on ice in the 55’ when Anguilla failed to clear its lines and Thomas Issorat pounced to make it 40. The day was then capped by Warren Rino in the 84’ when he tapped in the rebound of a Joel Sarucco
shot. That was followed by a very strong performance from Saint Lucia, who registered an impressive 3-0 win away at Antigua and Barbuda. An exciting first half ended goalless before Saint Lucia’s finishing boots kicked into gear in the 50’ when Pernal Williams polished off a slick one-two combination with Shayn Paul with a right-footed shot to make it 1-0 to the visitors. Saint Lucia was off and running with the goal and it doubled the lead to 2-0 in the 67’ when Antigua and Barbuda GK Brentton Muhammad parried the ball right to the head of Andrus Remy, who sent it back into net.Antigua and Barbuda looked to work its way back into the contest, but the Saint Lucia defense proved too strong and the visitors
rounded out their superb performance with a Jevick Mac Farlane goal in the 90’ for the 3-0 final. The day was then capped by Belize downing Bahamas 4-0. Legendary Concacaf goalscorer Deon McCauley once again showed why he is one of the most feared strikers in the region, by pouncing on his own rebound to give Belize a 1-0 lead in the 40’. Three minutes later it was 2-0 to the visitors thanks to the playmaking of Nahjib Guerra’s whose deep cross was turned into the net by a Bahamas defender. Krisean Lopez stretched the leaf to 3-0 in the 80’ by latching onto a slick backheeled pass from Michael Atkinson and finishing. Lopez then added a second in stoppage time for the 4-0 final.
Amir Khan scores unanimous points win over Samuel Vargas in Birmingham BBCsport - Amir Khan survived a second-round knockdown to maintain momentum in his comeback to the sport with a unanimous points win over Samuel Vargas. The Briton, 31, floored his rival with a straight right in the second round but took an overhand right to go down and stun those at Arena Birmingham. The bell arrived to save Khan, who scored another knockdown in the third before the pace gradually slowed. He maintained control late on for a 119-108 119-109 118-110 victory. After his 39-second demolition of Phil Lo Greco in April, this proved a far stiffer test for Khan, who showed his trademark hand speed early on. But, as has been the case in the past, the vulnerability of his chin remains a question mark. Only seconds of the second round remained when he quickly stood back up after the knockdown, and in the 10th round he was again tagged heavily with a right hand moments before the bell. This is his second bout since his 23-month break from the sport, and it was watched closely at ringside by
Kell Brook, who remains keen on facing Khan and says he will drop down to the 147lbs welterweight division to secure it.”The only fight that works for me over Kell Brook is Manny Pacquiao,” Khan said after the fight. “I want him. He is my number one pick. If not, we go back to the drawing board and if it’s Kell Brook it’s Kell Brook.” Eddie Hearn - who promotes both Brook and Khan - said the domestic bout between his fighters “has to happen next or it never will”. Brook responded: “He hasn’t got the greatest chin. I wouldn’t have let him off the hook and he would have stayed on the floor.” Seven years have passed since Khan held two world titles at super-lightweight. He had not been taken 12 rounds since a points win over Chris Algieri in May 2015. Since then, he has suffered a brutal knockdown at the hands of Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez, spent time in the jungle on a reality TV series and then outclassed Lo Greco.Toronto-based Vargas - who now has four defeats in 35 bouts - was undoubtedly more game, but
he was visibly thrown by Khan’s hand speed early on. The Colombian-born fighter repeatedly ducked after throwing shots, making himself a static target and his nose quickly displayed heavy damage.Khan - working with trainer Joe Goossen for the second time - seemed to engage with more caution after the third round, when Vargas, 29, protested that his second knockdown of the night came after he was hit on the back of the head. And late on, Khan sensibly moved away from trouble, boxing close to the ropes and thrusting himself into sporadic attacks, notably finding his target when a right hand sent Vargas back to the ropes in the ninth. There was a scare late in the 10th but again Khan only needed to survive for seconds before the bell and the victory at least afforded him valuable ring time. Goossen will surely look to bolster his fighter’s defence before any meeting with Brook or Pacquiao and with Khan intent on competing again this year, time for preparing for such a step up in opponent is minimal.
Kaieteur News
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Sunday September 09, 2018
GISE, Star Party Rentals div 1 semis
Barnwell’s all-round brilliance gives DCC hard fought 1st innings lead By Sean Devers A packed DCC pavilion including a large number of University of Guyana (UG) supporters witnessed one of the most enthralling days of first division cricket in recent times on day one of the semi-finals of the GISE & Star Party Rentals twoday cricket tournament, yesterday. On a day in when there was a 35-minute stoppage due to a short, sharp shower, DCC Skipper Chris Barnwell took 5-54 with his medium pace and got support from left-arm backof-the-hand Spinner Totaram Bishun as UG, in their first Division one semifinal, were bowled out for 225 just after Lunch. Barnwell, the most dominant batman in local cricket, followed up his fivewicket haul by clobbering nine fours and 10 sixes in a brutal unbeaten 140 as DCC reached 233-8 by the close, enjoying a slim eight-run
lead of as only Nkosi Beaton (20) off the other batsman reached 15. Twenty-year-old Ershad Ali (2-48), Dennis Haywood (2-61) and Ray Newton (223) have been UG’s most successful bowlers so far. After DCC invited UG to bat on a slow track, the inform Ali, who made 59 in his last match against TSC, hit seven fours and seven sixes in 96 and shared in half-century partnerships with Lyndon Austin (35) and Devon George (22) after Omesh Danram had stroked seven fours and a six in 26-ball 44. The Defending Champions began their reply inauspiciously as Windies youth players Raymond Perez (4), Sachin Singh (7), Tevin Imlach (0) were all back in the hut before the host had reached 25 and when First-Class left hander Trevon Griffith inexplicable charged pacer Ray Newton and had his stumps dismantled after making 13,
DCC were on the ropes at 354. Barnwell, who scored a ‘big’ double hundred the last time these two teams met in last year’s competition, was joined by Joshua Persaud and the pair took the score to 62 before Persaud (3) was run out and when Beaton was LBW to Ali DCC were on the back foot on 102-6. Things got progressively worse when Steven Sankar (11) missed a wild swipe at 120-7 and when Ashmead Nedd (10) was bowled by Danram DCC were 140-8, still 65 runs away from UG’s total.But the belligerent Barnwell, like he usually does at this level, launched a one-man show with an array of murderous shots as he dominated an unfinished 73 ninth wicket stand with Bishun (8). Earlier, Godfery Matthews (2) was bowled by Barnwell at 11-1 before Parvindralall Persaud was run for one three runs later. Barnwell struck again
TKR condemns Tridents to seventh straight loss Port of Spain, Trinidad, CMC – The Barbados Tridents bowed out of the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) in humiliating fashion, as they suffered a seventh straight defeat at the hands of the Trinbago Knight Riders here at the Queens Park Oval Friday night. In a clash of two teams heading in opposite directions, the Knight Riders strengthened their stronghold at the top of the table with a nine-run win over the hapless Tridents, to complete their sixth straight victory. Having been asked to bat first by the Tridents, the home side posted a formidable 180 for five from their 20 overs, thanks mainly to a brisk half-century by Denesh Ramdin. Fawad Ahmed then delivered a masterful spell of leg-break bowling on his way to capturing three wickets, as the Tridents were limited to 171 for five in their 20 overs. The Knight Riders were given a blistering start by Chris Lynn and Colin Munro, as the duo added 35 runs inside the first three overs. When fast-bowler Chemar Holder got rid of Lynn with a pinpoint yorker for a well played 29 runs from just 10 balls, Ramdin joined Munro at the crease and proceeded to take the game away from the Tridents. The pair added 75 in eight overs, with Ramdin being the main aggressor. He belted Roston Chase for two fours and six in the fourth over, before turning his attention to Tridents’ captain Jason Holder two overs
later, smashing him for two boundaries. But once Ramdin was eventually dismissed for 51 from 31 balls, laced with five fours and two sixes, with the score 117 for three in the 12th over, the Knight Riders’ run rate slowed down. It took a late cameo from captain Dwayne Bravo, who hit three fours and two sixes in scoring 33 from 20 balls, to help push the Knight Riders up to their eventual total. Introduced into the attack in the fifth over, Ahmed struck with his first delivery, bowling Tion Webster with a googly. He also used the same delivery to also bowl Sunny Sohal, and then tricked a charging Shai Hope into playing down the wrong line to have him stumped as the Tridents slipped to 92 for three in the 12th over. A 50-run partnership between Nicholas Pooran who smashed 44 from 32 balls and Jason Holder who made 21, then brought the Tridents within striking distance of earning just their third win of the tournament. Following Pooran’s dismissal, the visitors required 39 from three overs. However, Holder holed out to long-off soon after, leaving Chase and Shamar Springer to get an unlikely 24 runs from the final over. TKR 180 for five off 20 overs (Denesh Ramdin 51, Dwayne Bravo 33, Chris Lynn 29, Colin Munro 28; Imran Khan 2-25, Chemar Holder 2-42). TRIDENTS 171 for five off 20 overs (Nicholas Pooran 44, Shai Hope 26, Sunny Sohal 22; Fawad Ahmed 3-28).
DCC’s Skipper Chris Barnwell drives for four during his entertaining knock at DCC yesterday. when he bowled Melroy Stephenson (20) at 40-3 while Danram, who dealt in boundaries and assaulted Barnwell with back-to-back boundaries before the DCC Captain had the last laugh when he rocked back the stumps of the pugnacious Danram at 73-5. The 25-year-old former
Berbice and Guyana U-19 player Austin caressed Barnwell past cover and drove him down the ground and along with Ali who played several audacious shots on both sides of the wicket, took the score to 160-6 when Griffith’s offspin breached Austin’s defensive prod and bowled
him.Darnel Douglas was removed for a duck by Nedd at 161-7 before Ali found a useful ally in George and together they carried UG to 212 before Bishun accounted for both batsmen. To d a y ’s f i n a l d a y i s scheduled to start at 09:00hrs DCC will be pressing for an outright win.
Solomon, Apple hat-trick’s power Eastveldt to comprehensive win; Pele, Masters FC triumph
Eastveldt goal scorers from left Rolan Apple, Antwone Vasconcellos and Brandon Solomon. Brandon Solomon and Rolan Apple netted a hattrick each to lead Eastveldt to a come from behind victory against Tavel FC when the Georgetown leg of the Guyana Football Federation/ Pele Alumni/Frank Watson U15 league continued yesterday at the Carifesta Sports Complex. After trailing by two goals, Eastveldt fought back feverishly to win the encounter 8-3. Shaquan Forde put Tavel FC ahead in the 4th minute before Carl Chisholm doubled the lead four minutes later. Antwone Vasconcellos then reduced the deficit in the 13th minute from inside the area before Solomon drew Eastveldt level in the 18th when he controlled a
ball on his chest before sending his shot into the net. J. Harris handed Tavel FC the advantage once again in the 20th but their lead was short-lived as Apple netted his first in the 26th as the teams went into the break at 3-3. Eastveldt stepped up their pace in the second half which proved too much for their opponents. Vanconcellos scored his second in the 49th minute before Solomon and Apple dictated the remainder of the contest. Solomon slotted home his second in the 53rd minute when he dribbled his way pass two defenders and fired home from inside the area. Apple completed his hatrick with goals in the 54th and 55th minutes to further
sink their opponents before Solomon netted his third goal in the 63rd minute. Goals from Gavin Allen in the first half handed Pele a 21 victory over Blackpearl. Allen found the back of the net in the opening minute before doubling the lead in the 17th. Vivian Graham pulled one back for Blackpearl in the 21st minute. Masters FC overcame Beacon FC 2-1 in their encounter. Masters FC took an early lead when Dexter Hector slotted home in the 2nd minute before Marcus Bansfield stretched the lead in the 32nd. Mickel Andrews netted for Beacon FC in the 39th. The competition continues on Saturday. (Zaheer Mohamed)
Kaieteur News
Sunday September 09, 2018
GHB Development Leagues
Crushing victories for Spartans and Pitbulls
Pitbulls’ Raheem Olvier (on the ball) forges ahead despite being surrounded by four players during his team’s 9-0 win over North Ruimveldt.
Tricia Fiedtkou (2nd left) tries to squeeze through two Hikers’ defenders during Pizza Hut GCC’s 5-2 victory in the second division.
G
eorgetown Cricket Club’s (GCC) hockey teams, Bingo Spartans, Pitbulls, Pizza Hut and HerRicanes all recorded victories when play in the Guyana Hockey Board (GHB), Developmental U n d e r- 1 9 a n d S e c o n d Division leagues continued yesterday at Saint Stanislaus
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College ground, Carifesta Avenue. When action hit off Bingo Spartans inflicted a 61 thrashing on Saints in the Girls U-19 category, led by two goals each from Alana Cheung and Abosaide Cadogan. In the other U-19 Girls’ game which was played simultaneously on pitch two, Her-Ricanes were
gifted a walkover victory from St. Joseph. GCC Pitbulls smacked 9 unanswered goals past North Ruimveldt Multilateral with National midfielder Kareem McKenzie being the main tormentor with 5 goals to his name. McKenzie’s national teammate, Meshach Sargeant netted two goals to add to Rahim Oliver and
S a m u e l Wo o d r o o f e ’s solitary strikes in the expected one-sided affair. Two goals by Deheron Wilkinson and one by one from Warren Williams ensured Joseph Warriors defeated Saints Splinters 31. Oshazay Savoury was the lone goal scorer for Splinters. Pizza Hut GCC won the
last battle against their rivals Woodpecker Hikers 5-2 during play in the Women’s Second Division. For Pizza Hut, Carina Miller bagged a brace to help her team fight back after N a t i o n a l s q u a s h s t a r, Nicolette Fernandes had fired Hikers ahead in the 19th minute of the 40 minute match. Meanwhile, in the
final match, Alana Cheung continued her goal scoring form from the U-19 category earlier to bang home the only field goal of the match, for Bingo Spartans during their 1-0 needling of Saints. Play will continue this afternoon with six more matches from 15:00hrs at Saint Stanislaus College ground.
GFF Elite League Season III
Limacol Football Tourney
Two draws highlight latest play Convicing wins for Den Amstel & Fruta Conquerors; Matches on today at GFC After sitting on the bench during the Golden Jaguars 2-2 draw against Barbados on Thursday, Delon Lanferman banged in yet another hat-trick to extend his leading tally to 18 goals in the Elite League, during Den Amstel FC’s 4-1 victory against Victoria Kings on Friday night. Under lights at the National Track and Field Center (NTFC), Leonora, Den Amstel’s number 11, Lanferman, opened the scoring in the 11th minute with more goals coming in the 38th and 58th minutes. Before Aubrey Gibson had pulled one back for Kings in the 71st minute, Chris Macey netted a stoppage time goal to complete the 4-1 win for the West Coast Demerara club that currently sits second on the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) Elite League table. The opening match saw league leaders Fruta Conquerors tightening their grip on the Grove Hi Tech’s Denzil Crawford (left) challenges for the ball against this Santos player. Both matches of the double header in the Limacol Football Tournament which continued on Friday were drawn in identical 1-1 fashion at the Ministry of Education (MOE) ground, Carifesta Avenue. The feature match was contested between Grove Hi Tech and Santos FC. Hi Tech, which is known as one of most clinical teams in knockout football countrywide, went ahead through Denzel Crawford in the 50th minute but Santos, which dominated play after conceding, equalised through Christopher Williams in the 75th.
In the first game of the evening, Georgetown Football Club (GFC) and Camptown FC also drew 1-1. LaVaughn Enniss opened the scoring early in the second minute for GFC that has not won a senior tournament in decades. However, Oziel Small equalised in the 23rd minute for Camptown, after which neither team could’ve found the back of the net. Games continue tomorrow at the MOE ground from 18:00hrs with Grove Hi Tech up against Beacons while Camptown will play Riddim squad from 20:00hrs.
Championship which is currently held by fourth place Guyana Defence Force Football Club (GDF FC), after ruthlessly beating Cougars FC 4-0. It was not a good result for Cougars that are in relegation territory of the competition which will conclude on September 23 this month. Today, the GFC ground will host a triple header from 16:00hrs. Western Tigers will play Ann’s Grove in the first match, followed by Fruta Conquerors against Buxton at 18:00hrs and GDF FC versus Victoria Kings at 20:00hrs. The winners of the league will pocket a handsome $5million along with entry to the Caribbean club championship, while the second place finishers will receive $2million and third $1million. Admission to today’s games will cost $500, while women and children are free to enter.
GOA makes monetary donation to GFF
T
he Guyana Football Federation (GFF) has benefitted from a generous monetary donation of four hundred thousand dollars courtesy of the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA). The donation, made on Wednesday last, was a contribution towards the Concacaf Nations League – Guyana vs Barbados match – held on September 6 at the National Track and Field Centre, Leonora. Receiving on behalf of the GFF was its Social Media Officer, Keeran Williams, who expressed gratitude to the GFF’s longstanding partner for the timely
contribution, which assisted with costs related to the execution of the match. The match ended on a 2-2 scoreline with a goal apiece from Trayon Bobb in the 46 th minute and Neil Danns in the 78th minute. Barbados’ lone scorer had a brace in the 65th and 73rd minutes respectively. Guyana’s next match is against the Turks and Caicos in October, which will be the first of two Golden Jaguars’ away matches. French Guiana will host Guyana in November and Guyana will play its final qualifier against Belize in March 2019 in Guyana.
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Sparta Boss lift first Guinness ‘Cage’ Streetball C/Ship
Devon Charles of Sparta Boss alongside his joyous teammates, collecting the coveted championship trophy and prize monies from Three Peat Promotions Rawle Welch (2nd right) following their 3-1 victory over Uprising in the finale of the Guinness ‘Cage’ Streetball Championship at the Haslington Market Tarmac.
GFF Elite League Season III
Convicing wins for Den Amstel & Fruta Conquerors; Matches on today at GFC
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Delon Lanferman - Den Amstel FC
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