Kaieteur News

Kaieteur News

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KAIETEUR NEWS Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana. Publisher: GLENN LALL Editor: ADAM HARRIS Tel: 225-8491, 225-8458, 225-8465 Fax: 225-8473 or 226-8210

Editorial

LOOKING BACK AT COLONIAL EDUCATION Education has historically played a critical role in the development of Guyana. It has imparted knowledge and skills and has empowered the people to solve everyday problems in society. It has supported capacity building in the plantation economy and has built critical areas of thinking. Education has made Guyana very competitive in its pursuit of economic growth and development. Guyana’s experience since independence has shown that its educated and skilled population has provided greater opportunities in the area of human and economic development with the main spin-off being the creation of decent paying jobs and a better quality of life for all. After 50 years of independence, this has not been achieved and most Guyanese continue to struggle to survive. However, the education system bequeathed to Guyana by the British during the colonial era was designed to keep the nation in ignorance. There was evidence that the intent of the British was to educate a small section of the population so that they can function at a minimum level, while keeping the majority illiterate. This was the belief of many including the Mighty Sparrow whose song “Dan is the man in the van” expressed outrage at the education system. The song high-lighted the triviality of the colonial education system and made the critical link between a modern and a regressive education system. The truth is that the education system was fashioned after the system in the Mother Country, thus providing the Mother Country with a trained and qualified labour force in the colonies. That is why so many of us migrated to London and easily gained employment. We were trained for life in the Mother Country, albeit at a lower level. The poems and the lessons that were taught to Guyanese by the British for decades were not about their history or culture. They were about British verses. Other than rhymes, nothing was educational about the poems. It was trifling and had no bearing on educating the nation. Unfortunately the local teachers were part of the system. Many have inadvertently perpetuated the status quo. As a result, students ended up not knowing their country’s history, culture or geography and many generations have been deprived of a good education. Today, not much has changed from the colonial education system. Education is still not seen as a social equalizer especially for those in the lower socio-economic strata. It is still part of the British colonial system. Efforts to modify it have been unsuccessful. The failure of the education system must rest on the colonial education and the inability of the government to improve it. Lateral thinking is no longer part of the system. The result is that we are failures at Mathematics and the sciences. There are only a handful of teachers in Guyana who have inspired students in their early academic years. It was not because of what they taught them, but what they represented as an authority figure, a leader and consummate educator. Teachers are respected not only for their ability to teach but also for their skills to encourage and help students, especially those who are slow to learn and are likely to drop out of school. The ultimate objective of all teachers is to provide a sense of hope to students, regardless of their status. Education should advance the social, economic and spiritual well-being of children. They must be at ease to know that education is the best chance for them to realize their maximum human potential. It should be the means of achieving social satisfaction. Forbes Burnham once said that the future of Guyana lies in education. The ultimate irony is that many students today are not even aware of his legacy.

Sunday September 18, 2016

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Rawle Welch replies to Yassin’s accusations Dear Editor, Mr. K. Juman Yassin in his response to an article that I had written earlier questioning his stewardship of the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) once again displayed his ability to misinform this nation by his attempt to render Guyana Defence Force Javelin thrower, Leslain Baird as the subject of my evaluation. The palpable try by the GOA Head was noticeable for all to see since more than 70% of his angry reply was focused on attempting to sidetrack the substantive issue which was clearly about his poor leadership of the Association that after two decades and more has yielded nothing of consequence. Instead of addressing his

undesirable performance the learned former Chief Magistrate / Sports Administrator inexplicably or perhaps deliberately sought to promote Baird as the theme of our exchange. In my earlier missive, Baird’s mention was only to lay emphasis on Yassin’s poor understanding in the study of Sport and nothing more. Any person who understands Sport, especially athletics would know that athletes’ improvement over long periods of intense training is usually marginal. Just to give an example, a sprinter the caliber of St. Kitts & Nevis, Kim Collins, a World Championships gold medalist who has been around for as long as Yassin, dipped under 10 seconds no more than six times in his entire

career. There is no disrespect to Baird, as Yassin sought to signify, in me giving the readers a true perspective of how difficult it would be for him to move from his national record of 67. 60 metres to the standard 80-85 metres at age 29. His age is two years shy of what the great Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt intends to retire at following next year’s World Championships in London. I further explained that the GOA should seek a coaching stint for him instead of believing that he could make up that 20-plus metres needed to be a contender on the world stage. Contrary to Yassin’s belief that I had disrespected Baird I do not have to convince him that I’m a consistent advocate for athletes’ development and my track record of (Continued on page 5)

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Kaieteur M@ilbox Kaieteur M@ilbox 3 names I would like to see in a new political party DEAR EDITOR; My father was a wholesale farmer to vendors at the Bourda Market. It was that income that educated three children. All of us in the family voted for the PPP until 2011. As an educated voter, I could not have voted any longer for the PPP. We grew up hearing my dad

complained about the times his truck was intercepted on the road and he had to pay policemen. At one time, my father set aside a monthly amount to pay the cops on the road. This is my experience growing up in Guyana. The situation with the Bourda Market vendors was not different.

My brother and I would listen to vendors telling my father how the City Constables treat vendors like if they were prisoners in the jail. My experience was not limited to one year or five years but as young children we saw these things for a long time. We are all grew up and these things continued and all

this time we were voting for the PPP and they couldn’t change a damn thing. I would like to share an experience. My father brought in a new canter truck and the custom officers told him this and that was wrong with his papers. We decided to speak to a lawyer.

This was a kind gentleman who told my father that his fee was just a little under what the customer officer wanted so why not settle with him. Believe it or not, this customer officer did that to several other businessmen who just paid up. My father went up to one of the big names in the

PPP at a Hindu wedding and told him what life was like in Guyana. I was there when this powerful man told my dad this was how the PNC behaves and that it was the PNC that controlled the police and the City Council. My father is not an educated man and he just (Continued on page 6)

Rawle Welch replies to Yassin’s... Canal Polder No. 2 people in From page 4 persistent articles could attest to this despite not being in an administrative position to practically do so. Every discipline that I cover I always seek to inject advice to the relevant stakeholders with the GOA being one of the recipient of such goodwill. I have been sought on no less than two to three occasions to make presentations with the last one being on the subject of Performance Enhancing Drugs Use by athletes. My good friend Garfield Wiltshire, whom I’ve known for close to forty (40) years and who sits on the GOA executive usually contacts me to solicit my assistance whenever they conduct workshops, so my advice to Yassin is to check the records to ascertain my input in Sports Development. Additionally, Yassin and I occasionally engage in conversations about sports development after press conferences that I would cover, so here once again is his deceit. I have much to offer and I do so in my interaction with

many local sports administrators, athletes and colleagues in the media. This fact is easy to verify and I challenge Yassin to know more about sports and its development in most disciplines than me. It’s my work and I take it seriously. On the subject of me just finding things to write about for fear of losing my job I must remind the GOA Boss that I do write for a living, but my whole existence is in the Lord’s will and no man. I’ve lived my life on this principle and will die thinking this way. I’m never scared to lose a job, but thankfully I work for a publisher who understands the business very well and gives us the scope to hold persons like Yassin accountable. I have carefully studied Yassin’s response and conclude that his latest effort to evade my examination of his lingering tenure in office is another act of deception. On the subject of me writing the same facts every four years and going into hibernation after, which is totally untrue, Yassin should take no delight

in making such an erroneous statement, but rather see it as an indictment on his performance. Why is he continuously presenting me with the opportunity to highlight his uselessness in office? I guess only he knows the answer. I’m usually a reserved human being content on sharing my expertise with anyone seeking such, but I’m compelled to let Yassin know that I’m the recipient of three national sports awards, during a period that I was forthright in calling out Sports Ministers and the Director of Sport for their inept governance so I must have excelled in my job, but could Yassin speak of such excellence in his administrative endeavour after so many years. I doubt it; let December be D- (DISMISSAL) Day for Yassin and his Establishment. Rawle Welch.

a desperate appeal for help

DEAR EDITOR, Kindly permit me space in your newspaper to let the public know about my village, Canal No2 Polder. It’s on the West Bank of the Demerara River, situated only about sixteen (16) Kilometers from Georgetown and it’s about eight (8) kilometers long. It starts a Rambarrack’s Dam and end at the Conservancy Dam. The road was built in the late sixties by contractors named Hack and Lewis despite all those heavy duty vehicles including those tractors and trailers fully laden with sugar cane approximately ten tons about 100 per day for at least, four months twice a year. These didn’t and couldn’t damage it until now. The road now is virtually impassable. If one has to

drive that 8km piece of road it will take them at least thirty minutes. You can’t drive more than 20km per hour. If you want to avoid those pot holes which are many, you have to do at lease 10km per hour even then it’s impossible to avoid all. The past and present Government didn’t care to do anything in this village which was once the bread basket of Guyana and by extension the Caribbean. Since the late sixties, we had two things done in Canal No2 Polder road and electricity by the late President Mr. Forbes Burnham. That was the end of development in this village. In this age of technology we can’t even have land line phones, thus having access to the Internet. If it rains for thirty minutes the whole village floods. We can’t even

plant the lands now; can’t even have easy access to our home via the main road. I do hope that this letter can get someone in authority’s attention so that they can at lease fix this road and give us the badly needed Internet Service for our children via the land line phones. We are mostly people of Indians decent and the previous Government didn’t see it fit to fix this road for the past 23 years. I do hope that this new Coalition Government does something for us. Please we are pleading to this Government. Thank you Sir, for publish my letter so that we the villagers of Canal No2 Polder W.B.D can get some badly needed help. Suluianan Mahadeo DeBuff Canal No2 Polder W.B.D

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GOA elections have always been Junior police ranks are a transparent victimized, oppressed group

DEAR EDITOR, I, unfortunately, have to write with respect to the article written by Mr. Rawle We l c h i n t h e K a i e t e u r News of September 14, 2016. He alleged that “the operations of the GOA have been shrouded in secrecy with the staging of elections and its process and eventual outcome very often being disseminated to the media sometime after being held so there is little or no chance of scrutinizing the elections.” These allegations are b a s e l e s s a n d unfounded and he is again making sweeping assertions without referring to any source. There has never been any complaint by any Association or individual that any of our elections were unfair or that no notice was given or shortage of any notice announcing the elections. I challenge Mr. Welch to prove otherwise. The GOA operations and programmes have always been open and the

press has never been barred from attending any elections or Council m e e t i n g . We h a v e h a d countless press briefings over the years and for the past four years I cannot recall Mr. Welch attending. If he had he would have known better! The GOA has an executive of seven persons and they are all experienced and knowledgeable sports persons. The executive meets at least once every month and sometime twice. There is the monthly Council meeting w h e r e every Association has the right to attend and participate. The decisions or plans of the executive are announced at the Council meeting and every member present can participate and express their views freely and frankly. The decision of the executive is either approved or rejected. I do not recall on any occasion over the years of any member complaining of being stifled or disagreeing with the decision of the executive. Any major decision is

approved by the Council before being implemented. Mr. Welch must give an example or examples to back up his assertions. The GOA has a constitution which has not been breached and I challenge anyone to prove otherwise. Mr. Welch in his article scoffed at the assertion of T. Pemberton that he did not know me or that we had never met. I wish to state that I do not know T. Pemberton and to the best of my knowledge we have never met. Mr. Welch went on to give the names of four competent persons whom he felt could lead the GOA. He was particular to say that he did not discuss this point with any of the four persons. I have been reliably informed that Mr. Welch is very much inaccurate in this assertion and that on the contrary he is the de facto campaign manager of one of the four and his role is to test the waters. K.A. Juman-Yassin Guyana Olympic Association

3 names I would like to see... From page 5 listened. I was there just fuming with anger. How can we have a government that allows citizens to be treated like this and the government says it is helpless to act? I didn’t believe the Minister. None of my siblings followed in the business. Had I done so I know I would have ended up with a murder charge. When the AFC came on the scene, we voted for them in 2011 and 2015. I do not think I could vote again for them on their own or with the coalition. I believe the time has come for a third party in this country. My mind has been made up after one incident. I know people will say that there are more

important things to quarrel about but for me this one has made up my mind. It is what the Town Clerk did to those Robb Street vendors. I never believe I would see this thing happening again in Guyana after we voted in Mr. Granger and Mr. Nagamootoo. I have made up my mind I will not vote again unless there is a good, third party running in the election. I hope Guyana gets one. I can count on many people I know that will vote for such a party. They like people like Freddy Kissoon, Ralph Ramkarran, Mr. Nigel Hughes and others. I am not in the least interested in politics but I think we need people like these gentlemen to give us a fresh start.

Mr. Kissoon seems like someone who has the poorer classes in his heart. He is always writing about the injustice of poor people. He is always picketing for their cause. I think he has a very fine mind. I see him as the most honest among the lot though I do not know him personally only seeing him in the traffic and on the roads. This is my little offering to my fellow Guyanese. Things will get worse as I see it. I don’t know how worse it will get before we have another general election. I would not like my name to be mentioned. I fear victimization just like my father did. Small businessman

DEAR EDITOR; I was motivated to write this letter after listening to Assistant Commissioner David Ramnarine in the media lashing out at the police about soliciting from members of the public and other corrupt practices, Freddie Kissoon’s constant attack on traffic and other patrol ranks regarding routine stop and search and Minister Ramjattan’s constant misconception of the police, but first I’ll address David Ramnarine. I’ve served the Guyana police force for thirteen years, and I choose to resign four years ago with an unblemished record due to my moral value and the dirty administrative practices within the Guyana Police Force. I am not in support of police ranks taking bribe, soliciting and other malpractices, but I’ve known this to be an administrative problem within the GPF since ranks are forced to solicit

from the public for personal or administrative gain. I often keep in contact with some of my former colleagues in the force to know what’s going on and with the information I usually receive makes Ramnarine looks like his head is buried in the sand, but in this letter I will exhume it. I noted that at the recent conference held at the police officers mess by Ramnarine had mainly junior ranks from traffic and patrol section of the police force and a large number of media houses, which I saw as another one of David Ramnarine’s bluff in his boast mode coupled with his scape-goating plans if, that’s right IF he becomes the next police commissioner. The practice of the junior ranks within the GPF today is to be blamed on the administration of the GPF. It was the same Ramnarine that boasted to the media in 2011, that he had to solicit money from business people to feed

the ranks in his division during the 2011 election period and was sanctioned. Did the money and other items that Ramnarine had solicited went through the Commissioner of Police, which is in keeping with the standing order? And was it properly recorded, well that was Ramnarine boasting to the media back then not conscious that he’d done something wrong. At the conference, Ramnarine was telling his ranks to have better relationship with the media. How foolish it looked of him to say such. How can you tell the junior ranks to have a better relationship with the media, when they are not allowed to talk to the media? It made me question whether Ramnarine was conscious that he’s addressing junior ranks and not the various divisional commanders. In the GPF the junior ranks are at a (Continued on page 7)

Guyana has to do away from accepting the PPP and PNC DEAR EDITOR; The United Republican Party (URP) would like to ask the citizens of Guyana – especially the supporters of the Coalition – just one question. Here’s the question: How much more corruption does the Coalition have to engage in before you admit that they are just as corrupt at the PPP? The Guyanese, both locally and from the Diaspora have been hoodwinked into believing that with choosing the Coalition, they were electing the better of the parties. We were sold a manifesto of lies and suppositions. Crime is higher than when the PPP were in power. Accidents on the roads have not abated. More young people are unemployed. More

businesses are being forced out of business. The country’s economy is lifeless. And our recently elected officials are steeped in corruption. The United Republican Party offers itself as an alternative to both the current PNC administration and the previous PPP government. However, we do not offer ourselves because of any vindictive, pie-in-the-sky, reasons. Every Guyanese can take a candid look at the constant and prevailing morasses that have plagued this country over the last 50 years. There is no end to the daily claims of corruption and ineptness. As it regards the PNC, no amount of pressure seems to be getting to the Granger administration. It is

as if the PNC and the AFC are locked up in a bubble and sealed tight. From the Joseph Harmon BK/BishanLin trip to China, which he said was primarily to collect the one billion dollars owed to the consolidated fund. (which we are yet to collect or get an honest explanation for), to the skullduggery of the George Norton bond embezzlement, the PNC has proven their parallel levels of corrupt actions and thinking, and their similar inability to listen to the Guyanese people. What is clear is that apart from some token acts – such as the road repairs, the cleaning of the city, etc – the government is making sure that like the PPP they fill their coffers with the taxpayers’ funds. It is obvious as reflected by the doubling of their salaries and now the constant unexplained financial engagements that (Continued on page 7)

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Venezuelans stranded in the Demerara River beg for help DEAR EDITOR, Our nightmare began when we were hired by Mr. Uwem Augustine Jackson to locate the tanker M/T MELISSA JAY, at the time registered as “Pollux A”, in order to take her from Dominican Republic to Venezuela. She was due to enter at DIANCA, the Venezuelan shipbuilders and repairer’s dry dock. 4 Venezuelan crewmembers arrived from our country to Dominican Republic on February 9, 2016. Once in there we travelled to the city of Barahona where the ship was anchored. Once on board we began to prepare the ship to take her to the shipyard. We set sail on March 4, destined to Aruba. Arrived in Aruba on March, 07, 2016, where we waited for fuel. When anchored in Aruba M r. Uwem Augustine Jackson, who

was the captain of the vessel at the time, said the ship would not go to the Venezuelan shipyard, but to Georgetown, Guyana instead, to be repaired in there. We sailed on March 17, for Georgetown Guyana, where we arrived on March 27, 2016. Since that time we have been anchored in the Demerara R i v e r. Progressively seafarers have arrived to complete the crew, since navigation from the Dominican Republic to Georgetown was performed on a reduced crew of only 5. Time went by and we have spent the days and months in this predicament. Salaries have accumulated and the owner only offers promises to pay that he never fulfilled. Situation got worse and brought us many unfavorable conditions, and to all of our families consequently. We

are currently only 4 Venezuelan crewmembers, as 5 Guyanese crew members left because they were tired of so many lies f r o m M r. A u g u s t i n e Jackson. At present time we are 4 crew members of M/T Melissa Jay, Saint Vincent and Grenadines flag. Vessel registration number is 401000. IMO number: 740308; currently anchored in the Demerara River in Position: 6° 47.230‘N, 58° 1 0 , 7 6 0 ‘ W. The ship belongs to AJ Marine INC, located at the following address: 217 BB ECCLES PARK. c/o PETER’S BOAT BUILDING AND REPAIRS. Grant Unity Charity, Pomeroon, Esequibo. We would like to bring to the attention of the media our case, in order to make the country and the competent authorities to know the problems and agony we are living in

Junior police ranks are a... From page 6 disadvantage and the force has a serious marginalization problem. Here are some of the things that are forcing junior ranks to go solicit money from the public; (1) junior ranks are spending a lot of money from their already small salary to travel to attend court on countless occasions and are not being refunded. (2) the GPF that receives billions of dollars from the annual budget are constantly holding Bar-B-Q, take away lunches and raffles and are giving the junior ranks five to ten tickets to go sell on the road. (3) Senior officer in the force are holding these said activities and are giving the tickets to traffic ranks to sell to motorist. (4) the force administration is taking money out of the junior ranks salary without their consent for parties and other ventures. (5) there are many times when junior ranks are forced to go into their pockets to purchase items required for their duty, such as stationeries and safety items. (6) there are divisional commanders and officers who are sending junior ranks on the road to solicit from the public for staff parties and other ventures. David Ramnarine can attest to the above situations, since he was also forced to solicit from the public and his conscience would tell him if he does send or ever sent his subordinates to do such. The practice of corruption in the Guyana Police force is a monster created by the force administration and is also

being practiced among commanders and other senior officers. Let me continue to exhume Ramnarine’s head from the sand by asking him these questions (1) When will the practice of only persons who are relatives of senior officers having little or no qualifications being selected for immigration? (2) When will the senior officers who are the owners of mining operations and poultry/cash crop farms stop sending junior ranks to work on their farms with the police force vehicles? (3) When the police ranks that are stationed in some interior locations are giving their commanding officer those large amounts of cash and raw gold, do they enquired from these ranks where they got it from? (4) When will we see officers stop physically assaulting junior ranks and nothing comes out of it? (5) When will the force administration stop exploiting the junior ranks financially? (6) When will the victimization and verbal abuse on junior ranks by their superiors stop?(7) When will senior officers allow junior ranks to prosecute their friends who violated the law, and stop obstructing and victimizing them for doing their job? And (8) when will the force administration stop flouting the standing orders? Those are some questions that Ramnarine must answer. I will like for Asst. Commissioner hold a conference of that nature with his administrative officers in the presence of the media and deal with the said corruption

issues. There are many senior officers in the force who need purging like these junior ranks, but due to their status, their corrupt acts are being cover up. I now turn to Mr. Freddie Kissoon who is constantly writing about the traffic and other patrol ranks routine stop and search; this made me question whether Freddie is really a social activist or someone who’s looking for attention in the media by expressing his obsession with the police. Under the laws of Guyana, the police have powers to stop, search and detain under reasonable suspicion at the same time I want to know what authority does Freddie Kissoon has to obstruct the police duty, or is it a case where he’s looking for attention from those police. Today Guyana is being plagued by increased gun crimes and the presence of illegal firearms. It is those said routine stop and search that caused the success of intercepting illegal firearms, narcotic drugs and wanted persons, and it amazes me how it now became Freddie’s obsession. Is Freddie concerned about the constant terrorizing on citizens by criminals? I guess not, because they haven’t stuck him up and take away his dog. I will ask Kissoon to weigh the pros and cons in regards to the police routine stop and search and the present criminal activities. Former policeman Editor’s note; because of its length, this letter will continue in our next edition

(agony we are experiencing d u e t o o w n e r, U w e m Augustine Jackson ill manners and cruel behavior). He is from Sierra Leone, Africa, subject. He ceased to fulfill its commitment as ship owner. He left the crew abandoned, without sending fuel, water and food. In many occasions we go to sleep on our empty stomachs for not having food on board, sometimes we are more than 3 days without bathing for not having water board. Most nights we sleep in the dark, due to complete lack of ship lighting. Sometimes we have to take the mattresses outside our cabins and sleep at the open, on deck, because temperature in the cabins is unbearable. We would like to let everyone be informed that we are victims of the ship owner Augustine Jackson‘s irresponsibility. We h a v e a l r e a d y applied to several

authorities, like the Harbor Master, The head of the Guyana‘s Maritime Authority, The Marine Registrar, Mr. Robert Millington, who tried to mediate in this case; but Mr. Augustine Jackson never responded to the call of such authorities. They made a call to him through the ITF but he ignored them together with our requests. It should be noted that when Mr. Jackson comes on board is to offend, humiliate, mistreat and threaten. He always tries to terrorize the crew, saying that he is a rogue. When we demand our money to be paid because 7 month has already passed without receiving our wages, he laughs at us. When we tell him that we just want be paid and be repatriated to our country Venezuela, his answers are: “I pay when feel fit”. “No one will force me to pay, because this is a country without law and

here I do what I please”. We respectfully make this call before the authorities to ask for justice to be served in our case, because it should not b e a l l o w e d t h a t M r. Augustine Jackson makes fun of laws. In addition, he has caused so much damage to us and to our families. We would like the authorities of this country to prove Mr. Augustine Jackson that he is wrong, that the legal system really works in Guyana, and laws are respected and enforced, such as in any democratic country. Also, to teach a lesson to Mr. Augustine that he cannot play with the needs of people and their good faith.This is justice that we hope to receive in Georgetown Guyana. M/T Melissa Jay crew: Master: Luis Sánchez Electrician: Wilmar Chávez Fitter: Richard Gonzalez.

Guyana has to do away from... From page 6 the PNC wants to leave the government with their personal lives fully funded. And just like the PPP they are not concerned about who says what. Recently the previous Attorney General, Nandalall, said that those PPP crooks who stole from the country cannot be penalized under the new SARU laws. He was careful to note that all stealing in the past are exempt for the new legislation and that the new laws cannot be retroactive in scope. And while he was speaking, the current Minister of Public Security, Ramjattan, agreed with him. Only that he (Ramjattan), said it a different way. Minister Ramjattan said that no one wants to testify against those who stole billions of Guyanese dollars from the country’s treasury.

He said that if no witnesses come forward, those who stole all those billions of dollars will get to keep it. The URP sees clearly how the PNC and the PPP are conning the Guyanese people and taking them for a ride. The PPP said that the laws don’t apply to ‘old’ thieves, while the PNC says no one wants to testify against those old-crooks. What this does, it that it clears the way for the current administration to also fill their coffers with the Guyanese taxpayers’ money, without any fear of incrimination. All that has to happen is that the word has to get out, that hurt and sever damage will be done to anyone who seeks to testify against the crooks. The PPP has been able to “scare” (according to Minister Khemraj) witnesses off. Therefore, all the PNC has to now do is “scare” their

witnesses off. The corruption in Guyana perpetuated by these two major parties proves a vicious cycle. It is the United Republican Party’s belief that a fresh breed of political minds need to raise to the fore. We cannot any more trust the country to the leadership of the PPP or the PNC. Guyana will remain a hell-hole of fattened political leaders and a chronic under developed populace, if we continue to award the reigns of leadership to the PPP or PNC. For the sake of our children and grand children, for the sake of the holistic development of Guyana, we have to move away from electing the PPP and PNC parties. This is the stated position of the URP and we know that most right-thinking Guyanese support this view. Dr. Vishnu Bandhu Leader, URP

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UG confident with Medical School’s push for accreditation Vice-Chancellor of the University of Guyana, Dr Ivelaw Griffith, has said that he is comfortable with the position the UG medical school is in with respect to being re-accredited by the Caribbean Accreditation Authority for Education in Medicine and other Health Professions (CAAM-HP). Griffith said last Friday during a media conference at the Education Lecture Theatre that there are certain conditions which have to be met before the school is reaccredited. “I am very confident that we would have met some of those conditions. We are working to improve some of the physical facilities He said that the medical school had suffered some setbacks when a minor fire in the building caused some degree of damage. As a result, classes had to be cancelled and classrooms relocated until the necessary repairs were done. “We are moving progressively to organize and deliver a better curriculum. We are working to ensure that we tighten the clinical arrangement between the University of Guyana and the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation and the other

clinical relationships that we have.” According to Dr Griffith, he believes that UG is well along the journey to being reaccredited. He admitted that the university has not met all the conditions necessary but said that there is institutional intention and plan to arrive at that place where the medical school needs to be. He said that he had asked for the creation of a supplementary budget to be made since it was realised the university could not finish the year on what it was allocated from the 2016 budget. The university has since made a request for $225M; he said that the Cabinet and the National Assembly approved $180M. According to the VC a substantial amount of that sum was directed towards getting the medical school back on track. The accreditation of the school was revoked last year following a visit by the CAAM-HP. During that visit it was revealed that a number of recommendations to improve the institution were not adhered to. Due to this, graduates from the school had to sit the Caribbean Association of Medical Councils (CAMC)

UG’s Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Ivelaw Griffith examination in order to use their degrees outside of Guyana. It was once questioned whether the fees to do the programme needs to be addressed. The tuition per year at the school is set at US$4,000 whereas around

the region fees are either US$10,000 or US$20,000. The CAAM-HP is expected to conduct a site visit next month to make an assessment on the state of the institution’s medical school to determine whether its accreditation can be renewed.

Sunday September 18, 2016

Police witnesses testifies in Travis Rudder murder PI Two Police Corporals were called to testify when the preliminary inquiry (PI) into the murder of Travis Rudder Sr., continued on Thursday before Magistrate Judy Latchman in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts. Orpheus Johnson, 28, of Craig, East Bank Demerara is currently on remand for the murder of Rudder, which occurred on June 21, 2015 at Nandy Park, East Bank Demerara. Gunmen firing semiautomatic pistols through a bedroom window pumped 12 bullets into Rudder Sr., and a few more rounds into his wife and baby son, as they slept in the bedroom of their Lot 130 Nandy Park, East Bank Demerara home on June 21, last. By the time the gunmen’s clips were empty, 26-year-old Rudder lay sprawled and lifeless on his bed; his 18month old son, Travis Rudder Jr., badly wounded, with six gunshot wounds to the stomach and back, and Rudder’s reputed wife, Mawanza Gill, bleeding from gunshot wounds to both legs. Detective Corporals Carlson Rockcliffe and Prim Narine, who are both stationed at the Criminal

MURDER ACCUSED: Orpheus Johnson Investigation Department (CID) Headquarters, Eve Leary, Georgetown, were called to give evidence. Corporal Rockcliffe is attached to the Crime Laboratory; he is a crime scene photographer and technician. Corporal Narine is attached to the Major Crimes Investigation Unit. They assisted with investigations. Police Corporal Bharrat (Continued on page 63)

Sunday September 18, 2016

PAGE 9

Kaieteur News

US$150M CJIA Expansion Project moving apace - Patterson - $3.8B already expended thus far Passengers who utilise the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) will soon be able to breathe a sigh of relief. The Airport is currently going through a transformation, specifically in the area of accommodation. This project is moving apace and is scheduled to be completed by the end of next year. This was according to the Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson, during a recent media conference hosted at his Ministry in Kingston, Georgetown. The US$150M expansion project includes the construction of a new terminal

building, which is slated to be completed by March next year. The existing terminal building will be renovated to accommodate departures only. These works detailed in the project, also include the extension of the runway; the construction of a new diesel generator room; construction of a new fire pump station; the implementation of a new boarding corridor with boarding bridges and several relocation exercises which are currently ongoing. The project is being funded through the EXIM Bank of China with the China Harbour Engineering Corporation (CHEC) carrying

Works being carried out at one section of the CJIA. out the construction works. The MMM Group and CEMCO Inc. are the consultancy agencies that are carrying out the supervisory

Dem boys seh...

Remember de smart fly Everybody in de world think ee smarter than de other person. Dem boys know a set who think that dem so smart that dem does walk in groups. If one of dem see a friend he does call de man and start up a conversation. De next thing you know is that de man buying drinks fuh him and all he friends. If one day de man see this friend before de friend see him, de fuss thing de friend gun do is to attack and call pun de man to buy a drink again. This friend never buy. When de man stop buying that is de end of de friendship. That is how dem boys think about Anil Chat 3. He did get rich before he tun a Minister. He think he smart and that he can always mek a dollar from everybody. He see Dr Nutten and think this is a great opportunity to teach de doctor a lesson and earn an easy $50,000 so he goes to Dr Nutten clinic. Chat 3: “I have lost my sense of taste.” Dr Nutten: “Nurse, bring medicine from bottle number 22 and put three drops in this patient’s mouth.” Chat 3r: “Ugh… this is kerosene!” Jamaican: “Congratulations, your sense of taste is restored. Give me $10,000.” Chat 3 get vex because he don’t like spend money. And besides Dr Nutten smart him so

easy. He decide that he got to get back he money, and even extra. So he go back after a few days to try to recover his money. Chat 3: “I have lost my memory. I cannot remember anything.” Dr Nutten: “Nurse, bring medicine from bottle number 22 and put three drops in this patient’s mouth.” Chat 3: “No way! That is kerosene. You gave it to me last time for restoring my taste.” Dr Nutten: “Congratulations. You got your memory back. Give me $10,000.” Chat 3 get really vex. He decide to get back de money ee pay Dr Nutten plus de extra. He comes back a week later, walking with a white cane. Chat 3: “My eyesight has become very weak.” Dr Nutten: “Well, I don’t have any medicine for that, so take this $1,000.” (hands him a note) Chat 3: (staring at the note) “But this is $50. Not $1,000.” Dr Nutten: “Congratulations, your eyesight is restored. Let me have it back and give me $50,000.” He end up like de smart fly. It end up under de cow tail, Talk half and don’t try to smart nobody

aspect of the project. According to Minister Patterson, this project is moving apace, with all funds allocated for 2016 already expended. He said that at the end of August $3.8B had been exhausted. The Project commenced on January 16, 2013 and works were expected to last for 32 months making the initial completion date – September 16, 2015. However, due to several delays, this deadline has been extended to next year. Meanwhile, the issue of truckers working under hazardous conditions remains a sore one. Despite the progress of the expansion works, local truckers are still concerned. They say that

they’re being underpaid, receive late payments, are exploited, have their vehicles damaged almost daily in addition to their bosses asking them to their lives on dangerous roads leading to and from sandpits. Most of the contractors speaking to this publication said that in the contract signed with the Chinese company, it was stipulated that they would be paid 14 days after the 21st of every

month, a stipulation that was never honoured by China Harbour. Another monetary issue is the fact that they (contractors) are being underpaid. One contractor said that after buying fuel and paying employees, there is no money left to pay auto dealers from whom they would have purchased trucks to work on the Airport expansion project. As a result, some have missed as many as two months of instalments and are on the brink of having their matter taken to court. Another issue raised by the trucking contractors is that they are being paid the same price for trucking sand over longer distances than in the initial stage of the project. An example related was that in the beginning of the project, they used to truck sand from the pits to the area of expansion for a distance of one kilometre, now in the latter stages they are being paid the same money for carrying sand as far as five kilometres.

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Sunday September 18, 2016

Kaieteur News

TV reporter/ anchor robbed at gunpoint

Rehana Ahamad

Tw o m o n t h s a f t e r bandits “cleaned out” her La Parfaite Harmonie, We s t B a n k D e m e r a r a (WBD) home, a Safe-TV reporter and news anchor is frustrated and terrified after being robbed at gunpoint around 19:00 hrs on Thursday. Rehana Ahamad was robbed by one of two bandits on motorcycles while walking out of David Rose Street, South Ruimveldt Gardens, Georgetown after work. The bandits escaped with the reporter’s handbag containing her Passport, Identification card, money and other valuables. I n a n i n t e r v i e w, t h e reporter said that she was heading to Aubrey Barker Road, to get transportation

when she observed two motorcycles speed past her. Ahamad said that at first she paid no attention to the men since she thought that they were normal civilians. “I’m walking, next thing I know, a young man who looks just about my age is yanking on my bag.” The first thing that came to her mind was to grab the man by his throat but before she could have raised her hand, the youngster pulled a gun out from his back pocket and pierced it to her abdomen. Frightened and helpless, the 21-year-old reporter surrendered after which the men escaped. What is strange though, a woman viewed

the entire ordeal from her window and when the men left, she locked the window without trying to offer any help to a frightened and confused young woman. Instead, the reporter was

forced to continue walking out of the lonely street where someone was waiting on her on the main road. A report was made to the East la Penitence police

station where the matter is under investigation. Anyone who may have come across the reporter’s passport of ID is asked to drop the items to any media house.

Ombudsman Winston Moore passes away Ombudsman, Winston Moore, who has been fighting cancer for some time, passed away Friday night. Moore was first appointed as Guyana’s Ombudsman in January 2014. Condolences have since been expressed by President David Granger, who recalled that Justice Moore began his legal career as an Attorneyat-Law in 1983. Granger said that in 1998, he was appointed High Court Judge. In 2007, Justice Moore served as the Judge Advocate for Guyana Defence Force. The Head of State also extended his heartfelt sympathy to Moore’s wife, Ms. Viera Moore, his children; Nichole, Gary, Gavin and Kevin, as well as other family members and friends.

The late Ombudsman, Winston Moore

Sunday September 18, 2016

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Kaieteur News

More questionable spendings…

GECOM doles out $92M to radio supplier for ink toners …now saddled with large inventory GECOM’s CEO, Keith Lowenfield

The radios that were supplied last year for the elections and from all indications never put into use by GECOM. As state auditors continue their probe of a questionable $100M purchase of high frequency (HF) radios for last year’s General and Regional Elections, there are concerns over another set of questionable transactions. From financial records, the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) paid over $92M last year for tonersused for photocopiers and printers. No big deal with that except it seemed that GECOM ordered far more than it needed. It has now been left with a huge stock on hand. As a matter of fact, reportedly there is an entire roomful of it at the Coldingen, East Coast Demerara bond. The contracts for the toners were handed to M-

Tech Business Solutions, which is owned by Water Street businessman, Michael Brasse. Brasse’s other business, Mobile Authority, is the same one that that supplied the 50 radios that cost $100M. The purchase last year by GECOM is a major scandal that is now being investigated by the Audit Office of Guyana. The purchase of the toners has several stationery suppliers upset with many of them saying they did not even know GECOM wanted them. What would make matters worse for GECOM is the fact that M-Tech reportedly received orders for toners for different printers and photocopiers. It is normal for most companies to go directly to

local suppliers. For example, in Guyana, the local agent for Canon copiers and printers is Laparkan. GECOM has several Canon copiers and printers. It also has equipment from Brother, Xerox and reportedly from Hewlett-Packard (HP). Yet there is little evidence that other local agents were approached. As a matter of fact, payment records for contracts of toner suppliers indicated that GECOM paid over $92.2M last year to MTech. Laparkan received just $1.35M while another business, Andrews Enterprise, received $4.96M for supplying toners last year. These latest revelations would follow that of the radio deal last year with Brasse. Just over a week before

the May 11, 2015 elections, the then administration of the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) approved $99.5M for the purchase of 50 high frequency (HF) radios. Those radios were supposed to be used by GECOM for communications in the outlying areas on polling day and after. However, there are indications that the radios were never put into use. From documents seen by Kaieteur News, local suppliers were asked to submit quotes in mid-April 2015. Cabinet granted the noobjection to the award of the contract that same month, April, leaving GECOM just days to have the supplier order and import the radios. GECOM insiders and Government officials insisted, yesterday, that based on past

experience and other factors, it would have been nigh impossible for the radios to have been delivered by the supplier; checked to ensure that they are operational and

Mobile Authority owner, Michael Brasse then delivered to the outlying areas in time for use on Elections Day, May 11, 2015. What makes observers and others more convinced (Continued on page 16)

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Sunday September 18, 2016

Kaieteur News

Investigators seize communications equipment from Yupukari plane - residents recall suspicious overhead flights, motorcycles

The plane that was found hidden off the Yupukari runway, Region Nine. Members of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), the Guyana Police Force’s Criminal Investigations Department (CID), the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU), the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) and other related agencies, over the past two days conducted an assessment of the twin-engine Cessna

Aircraft, which was discovered at Yupukari, Upper Takutu- Upper Essequibo (Region Nine). The team is busy gathering evidence that will assist investigators in uncovering the circumstances under which the aircraft came to be abandoned at the location. Yesterday morning, a team including Head of

CANU, James Singh, and GCAA officials, ventured into the area to further assess the aircraft for damage and capabilities in order to make recommendations on what should be done with it. Additionally, the CANU team is seeking to determine whether the aircraft may have any links to the narcotics trade, the Ministry of the

Presidency said yesterday. During a search of the aircraft, several pieces of communication equipment were discovered. These have been secured to be further examined for any potential leads. The ministry said that the police and army are speaking with nearby residents in the hope of turning up leads in the case and this has resulted in a number of them sharing information they deemed as ‘suspicious activity’, such as the presence of motorcycles frequently at midnight in the

area. They also reported that the abandoned aircraft has previously been sighted circling the area on numerous occasions in the past. The plane, bearing registration number N767Z, was first brought to the attention of officials on Tuesday by a resident of the area. The following day, Wednesday, a joint army and police patrol, that included CANU, was dispatched to the location to conduct a full investigation. Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, in an

invited comment, said that while the Government is yet to receive a full report on what would have transpired over the last few days, President David Granger and the entire Government are committed to ensuring that a full investigation into the matter is completed. The Minister noted that reports received from residents near the area where the aircraft was discovered have raised serious concerns for those involved in the investigation.

Sunday September 18, 2016

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Kaieteur News

How BaiShanLin and other Asian timber log traders robbed Guyana billions of dollars in taxes By Kiana Wilburg Forest specialists, John Palmer and Janette Bulkan, have found a worrying case where Chinese transnational logging company, BaiShanLin Forest Development Inc. and other Asian traders of timber logs have robbed, and are robbing Guyana of billions of dollars in plain sight. According to Palmer, Customs law in Guyana requires the declaration of who is exporting what, to whom and where. It also requires of exporters to state the quantities and quality of what they are shipping as well as what the fair market price is. The duo said that these are requirements in international Customs laws and in the Customs law of Guyana (cap. 82:01, sections 23 (1) (b), 215 (1) and 231 (1)). They opined that brokers who act for exporters must also follow the rules. Captains of ships carrying the exports are likewise liable if they are found making false declarations under sections 157 and 158 of the nation’s laws. It is important to note that false Customs declarations facilitate transfer pricing in the

timber log trade, as has been pointed out by Janette Bulkan in the independent Press, for almost a decade. Based on their investigations, the forest experts found that Bai Shan Lin, using its own name and false names of exporters, had a much larger profit margin in Guyana than they were declaring. They found that the Chinese company was making false declarations in the FOB (Freight On Board) price it declared to the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) and to the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) Customs and Trade Administration. He told Kaieteur News that Bai Shan Lin under-declared the FOB value as well as falsified the volume/value ratios for the containerized timber and thus paid less than the correct export commission per cubic metre. He said that this is usually set as a percentage of the Free-On-Board; that 17 percent in the case of wamara. Palmer asserted that the super-profit made by the controversial logging company should also be reflected in the audited accounts submitted for taxation by the GRA.

The forest expert said that the undeclared super-profit which has not been included in the declared FOB value is the transfer price, presumably paid into some secret tax haven. He said, “We do not know how much of the super-profit has been paid as bribes in Guyana.” To put real figures to this troubling scenario Palmer said that production and export data recorded by the Guyana Forestry Commission for wamara – a dark-coloured impact-resistant timber favoured for luxury flooring in China – were over 100,000 m3 in 2014, with 82,000 m3 exported. He said he was able to confirm that the profit made was US$200 per cubic metre. The forest expert said that the declared FOB value for wamara logs logging companies was and still is in the range US$160 to $220 per m3, according to the Forest Products Development and Marketing Council, a subsidiary of the GFC. Palmer said that the estimated CIF value ( cost, insurance and freight) for delivery to a Chinese port is less than US$250/m3, using GMSA fig-

ures for containerized freight. However, for China Customs records , Palmer said that the declared FOB CIF value for wamara timber logs from Guyana was in the range US$ 700 to $1000+ per m3 during 2015. “How do we explain the difference between US$ 250 and US$ 700-US$1000+ as the CIF value of wamara logs delivered to a Chinese port, bearing in mind that China Customs are strict about accurate declarations by importers?” “Clearly there was no processing of the logs while they were in transit in the shipping containers, so no value was being added in transit.” Spelling out the implications of these estimates, Palmer said, “82,000 m3 of wamara logs x excess profit of US$ 500/m3 x 17% GFC log export commission = G$1394 million (US$ 6.97 million) as uncaptured Government revenue for wamara alone in 2014`.” “Similar estimations can be made for the log export of

other high-value timbers such as purple heart by the Malaysian-owned Barama Company Limited. Even more extraordinarily, Bai Shan Lin and Barama and indeed most, possibly all, of the holders of large-scale long-term logging concessions have been allowed by the GFC to build up

huge unpaid tax debts, and to carry these debts over from year to year while making fortunes from log exports.” MAKING THE POLICY WORK Palmer said that it has been national policy since 1926, to add value to timber (Continued on page 15)

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Sunday September 18, 2016

Kaieteur News

Two killed, four injured after two-vehicle Smash up at Mahaica

The damaged SUV that was involved in the accident

The ill-fated car at the Mahaica Police Station Two persons are now dead and four others injured following an accident involving two vehicles about 19:30hrs Friday evening on the Unity Public Road, East Coast Demerara. Dead are Kelvin Cort, 26; and Jennifer Grant, 41. Cort was the driver of motor car PFF 6778 with five occupants. He was proceeding east along the northern side of the road when motor pickup GMM 426 which was travelling in the opposite direction suddenly swerved into the path of the car and collided with the front of the car. Those injured are Jancey Grant, 18, of Betsy Ground, East Canje, Berbice; Sayol Thom, 38 and Mark Thom, 16, all of Liverpool Village Corentyne. They were rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation. According to reports, Cort and Grant died while receiving medical attention. The driver of the pickup is in police custody.

Petal Thom

Feola Thom

The dead driver, Kelvin Cort

Sunday September 18, 2016

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Kaieteur News

Tatoo artiste “Muscle How BaiShanLin and other... head” freed of teen murder A man who allegedly murdered a teen back in 2012 following some family disputes and was on trial in the Berbice High Court has been freed of the charge following a defence no case submission. The man Shayandial Ramroop, aka Shyamdyal Ramrup, ‘Muscle, or Muscle Head, and “Tattoo Man”, 36, a Tattoo Artiste of Tain Settlement, Corentyne, Berbice was on trial before Justice Jo Ann Barlow and a mixed jury. Ramroop was on trial for the murder of Ajai Cecil who was 18 at the time, of Rose Hall Town Corentyne Berbice which was committed on Sunday November 11, 2012. The prosecution’s case was presented by state Prosecutor Attorney at law Stacy Goodings. Appearing for the defence were attorneys at law Kim Kyte and Tanya Warren Clements. At the close of the prosecution case defence attorney Kyte made her no case submission. The prosecution star witness, Deonarine Bishram, called ‘Rakesh who claimed to be at the scene gave conflicting evidence which proved to be manifestly unreliable. There were also a number of inconsistencies among the prosecution witnesses. The judge after listening to the defence submission subsequently directed the jury to return a formal verdict of not guilty. The state’s case was

Ajai Cecil

Shayandial Ramroop, aka Shyamdyal Ramrup

that on the day in question Ajai had earlier attended a fun day at Rose Hall, Corentyne. During the time at the ground they saw the accused. Subsequently while Ajai was on his way home with his cousin he was attacked and stabbed in the same village. He was first rushed to the Port Mourant Hospital by his father, but after it was found that the gate was locked they diverted to the New Amsterdam hospital where Cecil was pronounced dead on arrival. Dr. Vivekanand Brijmohan testified to performing a post mortem examination on the body of the deceased at the New Amsterdam hospital. He gave the cause of death as shock and hemorrhage and stab wound to the heart. Police Detective Corporal

Primus Sam testified to receiving a report of the incident and the part he played during the investigation. Detective Constable Andel Doris testified to visiting the scene and taking photographs. The photographs were presented in court as evidence. It was reported that Cecil was the only son for his parents and had three other siblings. The young man would have celebrated his first wedding anniversary the day after he died. His wife was reportedly eight months pregnant with their first child at the time. He had reportedly worked with his father as a wholesale vendor of fried nuts and Channa. The Preliminary Inquiry was conducted by Magistrate Roby Benn at the Albion Magistrate’s court.

From page 13 in Guyana instead of exporting raw logs for value addition by processing in other countries. He said that adding value would mean that the consumer pays a very different price for luxury carved furniture made from purple heart or impact-resistant luxury flooring made from wamara, compared to temporary-use sawn wood from kabukalli. However , Palmer said that making that policy workable means estimating the costs of each stage of processing (each adding some value) in extra skilled staff, training, better equipment, better packaging and marketing, etc., compared with the sale price of the added-value product. He said that Andrew Mendes of Farfan & Mendes has shown repeatedly that properly sawn and dimensioned timber produces a higher return on investment than the sale of raw logs. The forest and governance specialist said that more advanced processing, to make decking and mouldings and furniture, costs more but the sale price is correspondingly higher. For Guyana, Palmer noted that the export sale price of

furniture makes the processed timber worth about 14 times more than the sale price of the log volume needed to make the furniture, per cubic metre of log. He said that Economist Pradeepa Bholanath, at the GFC, has also shown repeatedly that Guyana has installed milling capacity, by volume, to saw all the logs which are produced. He said what that simply means is that is, there is no reason to export logs because Guyana does have enough saws or sawmills. In order to promote local milling, Palmer believes that Governments conventionally dissuade log exports by imposing taxes on excess profits on unprocessed logs, and stimulate local processing by fiscal incentives for importing good quality wood processing machinery, training and

retaining workers, and supporting Guyanese addedvalue wood products at international trade fairs. “Bai Shan Lin said that it would invest US$ 70-US$100 million in a wood processing factory and so has been allowed duty-free import on a huge range of machinery and supplies, but no factory has been even started.” He concluded, “Some of the duty-free imports have been used for purposes not included (apparently) in the original FDI agreement, such as trucks used to compete with local truckers for moving stone from hinterland quarries to the coastland; excavators used in gold mining but not mentioned in the FDI agreement; enormous quantities of cement and steel and paint, some of which has been sold illegally on the domestic market.”

FUNERAL FOR FRANK MALONEY The funeral for the late Queen’s College master, Frank Maloney is slated for tomorrow. Viewing of the body will be done at the Lyken’s Funeral Home from 12:00pm to 01:00pm. The body would then be taken to the Central S.D.A church located on Church and Ornoque Streets. Burial will take place at the Le Repentir Cemetery. Wake will be held tonight at Stadium View, Providence at 07:00pm.

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Kaieteur News

Sunday September 18, 2016

GECOM doles out $92M to radio supplier... From page 11 that the whole deal was a clear plot to dump old radios, that had been brought years before, was the fact the equipment needed installation in the hinterland

areas. “These radios need a base station, cables, pipes, a power supply and then technicians to install them. How possible is it to order them, have them delivered in

the country, clear Customs, delivered and checked by GECOM and then deployed?” a Government official familiar with the situation asked last week. “Logistically, it would

have been impossible to make in time for Elections Day.” That $100M contract was awarded under questionable circumstances to Mobile Authority. Brasse’s Mobile Authority and his two other businesses, M-Tech Business Solutions and Mibra Trading, were awarded almost $290M in contracts last year. He supplied toners, stationery, office equipment, electrical items, Duracell batteries and even furniture, raising suspicions of sole sourcing. From payment records, it appeared that several of the payments could be linked to what is known as contract splitting, an arrangements where contracts are deliberately kept below a certain amount to avoid attracting attention from oversight bodies like the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB). Another strange thing that is being investigated by auditors is the fact that

GECOM apparently collected two different brands of radios- 30 of the ICOM 718 models and 20 of the older Barrett radios. GECOM appeared to have asked suppliers in mid April for quotes of newer Barrett ManPack radios which have the capabilities of sending faxes, going online and making voice calls. Instead, GECOM collected something else. The reports of the radio purchases have drawn the attention of Barrett Communications, the manufacturer of some of the radios that had been delivered. Through its European office, Barrett in a statement to the newspaper, said that it never delivered radios for the 2015 elections in Guyana. Rather, several of its radios that were seen in photos published by Kaieteur News were from a purchase made since 2006. According to Barrett, it stopped manufacturing those radios since 2009. That raises

questions of the warranties GECOM was offered by Mobile Authority. Barrett also claimed that through its local partner, Advanced Office Systems Inc., it tendered for the contract last year but the order was inexplicably cancelled. The company complained it learned that a “noncompliant” company (Mobile Authority) was instead chosen. GECOM had declined to comment on the radio purchases, saying that an investigation is currently ongoing by state auditors. Chairman, Dr. Steve Surujbally, had made it clear that while the Commission would in principle agree to purchases and other transactions, the actual transactions are left to GECOM’s Secretariat. GECOM’s Chief Elections Officer (CEO), Keith Lowenfield, who is responsible for the day to day running of the secretariat, has also remained silent.

Sunday September 18, 2016

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Kaieteur News

Education COI visits Region Seven

Need for Amerindian languages, special education in curriculum highlighted The introduction of Amerindian languages in the school’s curriculum; more support to address the high cost of living in the Region Seven and the need for special education teachers were highlighted when head teachers, teachers, parents, officials from the Region Seven had their say at the Commission of Inquiry,(COI) into the Education system. Representatives from several schools across the Region were present at the meeting to make their contributions to the COI held September 2, last. The consultation was held at the Kamarang Primary School. Some of the schools and communities represented included Phillipai, Kako, Jawalla, Waramadong, Quebanang Wax Creek, Paruima, and Imbamadai. Chairman of the Commission of Inquiry, Ed Caesar, in his opening remarks, briefed the gathering on the importance of having an effective education system that services the entire nation. “We have to hear from our brothers and sisters about how the education system affects them. Nothing

Head Teachers at Education COI at Kamarang, Region Seven is too small or too big to talk about,” Mr. Caesar stated. Explaining the link between an effective education system and the role of all and sundry, Mr. Caesar said that, “we want the country to prosper but it cannot happen unless the education system so facilitates.” This is the first

Hinterland Region that the COI has engaged. he participants included the community’s doctor and law enforcement officers of the significance to the COI. This is towards the strengthening of the Ministry’s Strategic Plan, also referred to as the Education Sector Plan. A number of issues affecting

The Baccoo Speaks The police, as a result of their stepped up campaign, would be pulling in many errant drivers. With the use of technology they are seeking to curb the recklessness. One man would deny a particular infringement until he is shown that he had committed multiple. The fact that each infringement mandates an additional financial penalty would make him an advocate of proper road use. But old

habits die hard. ** The murders continue to occur with alarming regularity. On the heels of shooting of a

guard by another, another murder is going to take place in the hinterland. The source would be a refusal by the victim to honour a debt. The perpetrator would attempt to escape justice but there is only so far that a person could run. ** News of the death of a prominent citizen would send shockwaves across the country. This individual would have served in some of the highest offices.

the delivery of education in the Region were raised with the Commission. Several speakers stated that the pupilteacher ratio ‘was too high’ and did not allow for effective s u p e r v i s i o n .

recommendation was made that for the Nursery level the teacher-pupil ratio should be 1:15; Primary 1:20; and Secondary 1:30. Calls were made for the Ministry to bring secondary schools in the Region up to par with those on the coast by ensuring that the curriculum includes technical subjects such as Home Economics, Woodworking, and Information Technology. Other recommendations included the need for welfare officers to cater to the needs of both teachers and students; disbursement of benefits before retirement age, introduction of Amerindian languages in the school’s curriculum; more support to address the high cost of living in the Region; need for special education teachers and opportunities be presented to allow persons to pursue studies at the University of Guyana via the distance mode. Regional Education Officer (R.Ed.O), Charles Holmes, in highlighting

a few of the successful initiatives implemented by the Ministry, said that the hot meal programme has been successful in the region. He said that 11 of 16 schools have access to computer labs and plans are ongoing to ensure that the remaining schools have access by the end of 2016. Teachers in the Region are encouraged to utilize Information and Communication Technology to aid their work especially as it relates to the timely completion of reports and lesson plans. Public consultations have been held,also, in Region One—Port Kaituma, Mabaruma, and Moruca. The Guyana Teachers’ Union, representatives from Religious Organisations, private education institutions, the University of Guyana, Cyril Potter College of Education, and a number of individuals have made recommendations to the Commission. The COI commenced last April and is expected to conclude in December 2016.

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Kaieteur News

Sunday September 18, 2016

– they killed…they fled…and no one seems to be pursuing them… By Michael Jordan The woman was at her window that afternoon on November 30, 2009, when the minibus carrying schoolchildren stopped near her Lot 69, Bagotville, West Bank Demerara home. She watched as her eightyear-old grand-daughter, Jasmine Harding, exited the bus. The child just needed to take a few short steps. Just a few short steps, and she would be safe in her home. Jasmine was just about to cross the roadway when a speeding car, which was heading out of the community, slammed into her. Family members reportedly blocked the roadway, thus preventing the driver from escaping. They then put the mangled and unconscious child in the driver’s car and took her to the West Demerara Regional Hospital. Doctors later transferred Jasmine to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation’s Intensive Care Unit, where she was hooked up on a life support machine. She had severe head injuries, a broken right arm and a broken right leg. Meanwhile, police detained the driver, Mohammed Zamrudeen, an overseas-based Guyanese who was staying at Meten– Meer–Zorg, West Coast Demerara. But after 72 hours had passed, he was released from the La Grange Police Station on $30,000 station bail, with instructions that he report there daily. Furious at his release, Jasmine’s relatives and Bagotville staged a fiery protest on the Canal Number One roadway, blocking the road with tyres and other debris before setting them alight. Nine days later, and still on a life support machine, little Jasmine Harding passed away. As he had been instructed, accused driver Mohammed Zamrudeen had been reporting to the police. But before charges were laid against him, Zamrudeen disappeared. The word is that he has fled the country. A police official had explained that only the court had the authority to instruct the man to lodge his passport. I visited the Harding’s home twice and discovered that this incident has a sad and disturbing twist, which I’ll reveal later. But let’s take a look at another ‘killer driver’ who has apparently disappeared without trace, leaving relatives of the victim unable to find closure. Herbert

The speeding car

Thompson and his wife Mavis know this feeling all too well. And in their case, they can rightly claim that lapses on the part of some police ranks denied them justice. On the night of Monday, December 17, 2007, 23-yearold Quacy Thompson, the youngest of the couple’s three children, travelled to Kairuni on the Soesdyke/ Linden Highway to fix a blocked fuel line on a Canter truck which his father was driving. Thompson slipped under the vehicle, which was parked off the highway. He was fixing the fuel line when a speeding car, PKK 5885, driven by 40-year-old Winston Hinds of Blue Berry Hill, swerved off the roadway and slammed in to the back of the Canter. The truck rolled forward. One of the back wheels crushed Thompson’s skull. On Wednesday January 2, 2008, Winston Hinds, called ‘Sonna Boy’, appeared before Magistrate Gordon Gilhuys on a charge of causing death by dangerous driving. He was unable to post the $250,000 bail and was remanded to prison. Mavis Thompson, the victim’s mother, recalled that Hinds, who had also sustained injures during the accident, was lifted into court and allowed to lie on a bench. She said that Magistrate Gilhuys suggested to a traffic rank that the accused be placed in the infirmary at the Georgetown Prisons or kept in a hospital. The rank recommended that Hinds be kept in the Mackenzie Hospital under guard. But Mavis Thompson wondered whether the driver who had caused the death of her youngest child was as helpless as he seemed. Seventy-seven-year-old Rural Constable Winston Proctor remembers what happened next. Mr. Proctor told me that he was at home that

Wednesday night, when a rank from the Mackenzie Police Station asked him to go to the Mackenzie Hospital to relieve another police rank who was guarding a prisoner there. “I say ‘no problem’ and he say he would get somebody to take me to the hospital.” Mr. Proctor alleged that a woman arrived at his home in a bus and the vehicle took him to his destination. The Rural Constable claimed that when he entered the hospital he saw the police constable standing by a male patient’s bed. He alleged that there were other persons with the patient, who had a cell phone on his stomach. He also recalled that the man on the bed was not handcuffed. Mr. Proctor is adamant that no one informed him that the prisoner, Winston Hinds, was the accused in a fatal accident. “If I had known he responsible for a hit and run I woulda been more responsible.” After relieving the police rank, Mr. Proctor reportedly sat outside the ward, and “dropped into a doze.” When the RC eventually awoke and went inside, the prisoner’s bed was empty. “I ask: ‘where the chap deh?’ and the boy (a hospital employee) say he believe that he (Hinds) gone in the urinal.” Mr. Proctor checked the urinal. No one was in there. Again, Mr. Proctor asked about the prisoner’s whereabouts. This time, he was told that Hinds had “passed out” the gate. The R.C said he then contacted a sergeant at the Mackenzie Police Station. They then launched a fruitless search for the missing prisoner. Mr. Proctor’s account is supported somewhat by the victim’s mother. Because of her suspicions the prisoner might have been feigning weakness during his court appearance, Mavis Thompson had also gone to the hospital that night. She

recalled seeing a familiar bus there “When I went inside, he (the accused) was on a cell phone and the Rural Constable who was with him was leaning back (in his seat).” Mrs. Thompson said she went outside for a short while and observed that the minibus had gone. This made her suspicious and she went back inside, only to realise that Hinds had vanished. She believes that he was whisked away in the minibus via the hospital’s back entrance. All reports indicated that he fled the country and is in the United States, where some of his relatives reside. This was confirmed in 2008 by Hinds’s attorney, Michael Sommersall, when Magistrate Ann McLennan issued an arrest warrant for the accused, following his failure to appear in court. Attorney-at-Law Sommersall told the court that Hinds is undergoing physiotherapy for the injuries he sustained in the crash. But that was seven years ago. A female relative who spoke with me by phone said that she has no information about her brother’s whereabouts. She also told me that her mother, who resides in the US, also has no idea where her son is. Meanwhile, Herbert and Mavis Thompson say they are determined to do all they can to have the fugitive located and apprehended. Reportedly living overseas and still at large is a hit-and-run driver who allegedly killed 17-year-old Alicea Goveia. The former St. Joseph High School student was close to her parents’ Oleander Gardens home on August 23, 1996, when an allegedly drunk driver struck her down. The suspect fled the scene but was apprehended shortly after. The accused appeared in

court and was released on $700,000 bail. He subsequently disappeared, reportedly slipping out of the country via the Cheddi Jagan International Airport on a Bermuda passport. But the agony is even more acute for some families, where the identity of the ‘driver’ is unknown. It was Monday, September 21, 2009, and Rawle Mohan was driving near Farm, on the East Bank of Demerara, when he observed several people standing around a man’s body on the western parapet. Curious to know the identity of the victim, Mohan exited the car and went over to the onlookers. He peered at the corpse and got the shock of his life. The victim was his brother, 36year-old Rory Mohan. Rory spent most of his time at Howes Street, Charlestown, where his ailing mother lives. However, he would also ride daily to Grove, East Bank Demerara, to check on a family property and to feed the dogs there. Relatives last saw him alive at around 17:00 hrs on Sunday, September 20, 2009, when he left the Howes Street residence for the East Bank of Demerara. Traffic ranks retrieved Mohan’s bicycle, a trafficator and a large mirror from the scene of the accident. They surmised that the victim was heading back to Georgetown when a vehicle— reportedly a Canter truck— struck him. But police have never been able to identify the driver. And in the 2010 case of Ramona Harris, police know what vehicle ran her over, but the identity of the driver is in dispute. Just before 22:00 hrs on Good Friday night, Harris, a 27-year-old waitress, put her one-year-old daughter to sleep and headed to a Chinese restaurant on the main road in Diamond Housing Scheme. She then left the restaurant and was walking home when a vehicle struck her from behind. She was dragged some 70 feet. Ignoring the mangled woman on the roadway, the driver of the silver-grey car continued east before turning into Grove Housing Scheme. Ramona Harris passed away shortly after. A shattered headlamp with the licence number HB

6471 inscribed on it was found at the scene. Initially, police had assumed that the vehicle was a hire car. But the following day, a 40-year-old Better Hope resident turned up at the Brickdam Police Station with an attorney. According to the police, the man claimed that he owned the car, a silver-grey Toyota, licence number PMM 3248. But he is alleged to have told investigators that he had loaned the car to a US-based relative on Good Friday. According to him, the relative brought back the vehicle and returned to the US. The man claimed that after observing that the vehicle had sustained some damage, he decided to speak to the police. At the time, Traffic Chief Neil Semple repeatedly told me that every effort was being made to get to the bottom of the matter. Will the “overseas-based relative” ever be brought back for questioning? I don’t know. I doubt it. And that brings me back to the death of little Jasmine Harding. In 2008, I visited the family’s Bagotville home and spoke with the child’s mother, Cindy Miggins, and to the victim’s grandmother. They indicated that they were still traumatised by the tragedy and angry that the driver had not been apprehended. I observed that the police had painted white lines on the spot where Jasmine was killed. Jasmine’s mother told me that she would be overcome with terror when she walks near that spot. I then rang the telephone number for the Meten-MeerZorg residence where the accused driver, Mohamed Zamrudeen, had stayed. The woman who answered said she had no idea where the accused driver was. She told me something else. What she said made me realise that I had to speak to Jasmine’s family again. But for some strange reason, I was unable to reach Jasmine’s mother or grandmother on the phone numbers they had given me. I had no option but to return to Bagotville. This time, I received an unusual reception. A middle-aged man, accompanied by Jasmine’s mother, came to the front (Continued on page 59)

Sunday September 18, 2016

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Kaieteur News

Morally irredeemable Guyanese politicians Living in Guyana is not for the decent minded. Having to bear up with the relentless hypocrisy, immorality and depravity of the PPP leadership cannot be an achievable task. At some point the mind will be unable to soak in the quotidian nastiness and become sicken. Pick up any newspaper and there you will see letters by powerful leaders in the PPP who had formidable quantities of raw power for almost 23 years. Heading the list of frequency is the current Secretary of the PPP’s executive committee, Hydar Ally, followed by Anil Nandlall and former President Donald Ramotar, followed by Gail Teixeira and a few others. Pick up the newspaper for any given day and there will be reports on press conferences held by Clement Rohee and Bharrat Jagdeo. The refrain is identical to the PPP letter-writers –lamentations on the violations of democracy, lack of accountability and transparency, incestuous politics, discrimination and corruption in the Government of the APNU+AFC Coalition. The entire picture is one of surrealism. Are we living in the real world when we see these accusations of the PPP? Could it

be that it is all a mirage, a phantasmagoria of imaginary nightmares? The frightening truth is that everything is real. The People’s Progressive Party beginning with Dr. Jagan himself in 1992 ran an undemocratic machine that reached its pinnacle of debauchery, racism, corruptibility, kleptomania , egomania, and philistinism under Bharrat Jagdeo and Donald Ramotar. When the PPP leaders speak of favoured jobs for APNUAFC friends, they do so within a kaleidoscope of amnesia that has more impetus than the most destructive tsunami. As we write, the CEO of the Gold Board is the daughter of Donald Ramotar. This detail should not be missed; she secured the appointment while her father was President. The amnesic booklet is always present when the PPP leaders take to the street corner, hold their press conferences and write their newspaper letters. Always forgotten was the fact that Donald Ramotar’ s son, while Ramotar was President, was the head of the e-governance cable project. Now fast forward the tape to the Coalition Government and use your imagination. Do you know what will happen inside the concrete walls of the PPP

headquarters on Robb Street ironically named Freedom House if Moses Nagamootoo’s son turns up as the CEO of the NIS or Forestry Commission; or President Granger’s daughter becomes CEO of GuySuco or the revenue authority? War drums will beat up and down Robb Street. But it is not the beating of the drums that is the essential point but what the sound will be saying. The sound will be saying that incestuous politics is the culture of the Coalition Government. Here now is the essential point of this column. For sixteen months we have had a deluge of PPP’s newspaper letters and press conferences lamenting the lack of democracy in Guyana since the May 2015 general elections but not even an obscure footnote of a halfbaked apology can be found tucked away in the pages of these voluminous outpourings. Rohee and Gail Teixeira were Cabinet powerhouses for 23 years. Jagdeo coveted

the presidency for a dozen years. Ramotar held the presidency for three years. Bringing up the rear were other powerhouses like Leslie Ramsammy, Robert Persaud, the Amerindian “ t e e t h ” M i n i s t e r, t h e d a n c i n g “Satyra Gyaal” Education Minister, the “extra-judicial killing” Minister who went to the Indian sub-continent and others too many to mention. In all this time of semi-fascism, naked corruptibility, incestuous animalism, morbid corruptibility and demoralizing philistinism, Guyana became a virtual moral cesspool. Are we living in the real world of Guyana when against this backdrop, Gail Teixeira wrote the Prime Minister to complain about a certain APNU+AFC official is displaying nasty Facebook comments about her? Maybe we should move on and forget about the infantile masquerades of a has-been politician like Teixeira but in every line we write, history is

recorded. It was this same Teixeira, along with Roger Luncheon, Robert Persaud, HydarAlly and Donald Ramotar that during the presidency of Jagdeo set up a propaganda hit squad. Its de facto leader was David DeGroot, who as editor of the PPP newspaper, got paid from the Office of the President’s pay role. When De Groot died, Kwame McCoy took over the unit in addition to his own unit that he operated. The objective of the outfit of Ms. Teixeira and company was to dirty the independent critics of the PPP regime including people like

Frederick Kissoon Christopher Ram, myself, Mark Benschop etc. The most scandalous things were said about us and our families. Do you think a tiny apology will ever come? Are we living in the real world?

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Kaieteur News

Sunday September 18, 2016

Telecommunications Minister reports on consultations with Huawei International Two weeks ago, a delegation from the Ministry of Public Telecommunications and the Citizens Security Programme, (Ministry of Public Security) began what can only be described as an exceptionally successful fact-finding mission to China. It revealed the most advanced, state-ofthe-art technologies in the field of ICT. The official delegation included Floyd Levi, Head of the EGovernment Unit, and Clement Henry, Manager of the Citizen Security Strengthening Project. We had accepted an invitation from Chinese technology giant, Huawei Technologies, the company that some years ago built Guyana’s Coastal fibre optic network. The visit afforded us several opportunities: v To meet with the key officials of this reputable global Company v To discuss all aspects of the ongoing maintenance and expansion

of Guyana’s fibre optic and 4G LTE networks v To explore opportunities for training, for creating new skills e.g. in ICT engineering, and upgrading existing tech n o l o g i c a l talent. This is the system that the Government of Guyana is currently utilizing to provide internet access to schools and government’s agencies along the coastal plain. The inter-connectivity programme is progressing w ell and the ultimate objective is to have every single public service entity connected to the national network. The Ministerial team had fruitful meetings with Huawei’s principals on possible areas of cooperation at their Shenzhen (Guangdong Province) headquarters. We also toured their factories, universities and installations in Shanghai and Beijing. In addition, the team

Minister, Catherine Hughes participated in “Huawei Connect 2016”, a three-day global integrated technology conference held in Shanghai. This conference attracted some 20,000 ICT leaders and experts from over 120 countries, and it provided a platform for the leaders in the ICT industry around the

world to view the latest technological developments in action. The conference included information workshops on cutting-edge solutions such as Cloud Computing & big-data management. China’s development has been amazing and our tour allowed our Ministry, especially the EGovernment unit, to explore new directions for Guyana’s development from an ICT perspective. Our experiences in China have added substance to the plans and strategies we already had to propel the creation of a newer model of a green, smart, information-driven Guyana. It is clear to me today that we cannot solve Guyana’s problems in the traditional way. We have to go technical and utilize high tech digital solutions for everyday life, for commerce, for education, for healthcare and law enforcement. What is exciting is that with the technologies we already have, we hold in our hands numerous opportunities to truly connect, to transform, to innovate. We are talking about establishing an interconnected digital platform that will provide government services to citizens in an efficient, cost effective and time saving manner. It is about establishing 21st Century systems that can manage all

government and private sector data in a safe and secure manner. There will be no more collecting file cabinets full of paper; no more disposal of mountains of paper by shredding; and no more disposal of tons of files into the community dump sites. There will be no more loss of important information that was only available on paper. However and most importantly, this is about increasing bandwidth and improving levels of internet accessibility. It is about better telephone and other kinds of communication services between communities and among our citizens. It is an undisputed fact all over the world that improved bandwidth access by citizens has a corresponding positive effect in their rate of development, their level of education and the country’s per capita income. So interconnectivity is the foundation upon which we will build this integrated, cross-sectoral platform. What does that platform look like? It offers citizens the benefits of tele-medicine, i.e. having a doctor at a hospital in Georgetown connect with a patient in Mabaruma or Nappi Village, seeing and communicating with the patient and healthcare worker in real time and recommending treatment

options. In the area of teleeducation it’s about having lessons delivered in a high school in Georgetown being received in interactive format in far flung hinterland regions where teachers are limited. It’s about the use of e-books to reduce the imbalance between those who can and those who cannot purchase textbooks. In short, it’s about online training and education. There’s also the exciting opportunity for e-Commerce. As you have been hearing in the media recently, the use of digital technology will soon allow you to apply for a passport or driver’s license wherever you live. Ecommerce will impact business and trade – imports, exports, industry, finance, social services, tourism. It will also develop a new green energy sector and implement new, innovative ways for Agricultural endeavours. The technology already exists to make this change. So we have to change the focus, identify our own priorities as a nation. This is the time for Guyana to think big but act in a manner reflecting our small country. It’s about implementing strategies to bridge the digital/ technological and economic gaps we have today. And it IS about creating smart cities, safe cities and a smart nation – A Smart Guyana.

Sunday September 18, 2016

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Kaieteur News

My column

The dilemma this government faces I was amazed at how easy it was for a group of people to bamboozle a government. In fact, the conditions were such that Governments felt obliged to be subjugated to these people. On Thursday I learnt that the government was bending over backwards to make these people feel completely at home. At issue here are the people who profess to be contractors but who, to my mind, are nothing more than a bunch of money grabbing people. I was around when Guyana gained its independence. The infrastructure was nothing to shout about. The main thoroughfares were nothing but strips linking the major towns and stretching along the coast. For example, what linked Vreed-enHoop and Parika and provided access to the villages along the way was such a strip that became almost impassable once one passed Uitvlugt. It was as if who lived beyond that point were unimportant. It was the same along the eastern part of the country. To the colonial rulers, the link with the train was sufficient so the roadway was merely a redbrick stretch. Cars refused to use it so it was not an unusual sight when cars rode the trains to the city.

Forget the interior areas. There was no way one could reach Linden by road. Worse. Communities along West Bank Demerara and even those along East Bank Demerara were largely ignored. That changed in the post-independence years. Initially, Guyana did not have the capability for roadwork beyond men with shovels and spades, supported by a heavy road roller, spreading burnt earth and stone to fill the Omni-present potholes. Guyana needed vastly improved communication links so it went to tender. Bids came from firms like Taylor Woodrow and B.B. Mc. Cormick & Sons, all reputable overseas-based companies. The demand for better roads and the volumes forced Guyana to turn to local capacity. Many of these projects were undertaken by Governmentemployed people with engineering skills. They were also supervised by foreigntrained engineers who took pride in their job. It was only a matter of time that Guyana felt that it had the skills to replace the expatriates once the projects were not large enough to attract foreign bids. But time moved on and a

new batch of engineers appeared on the scene. These were locally trained, were not exposed to challenging situations and might not have been properly interned. They became public servants rather than specialists. I now understand that they are paid the money that engineers in other countries would refuse. Those desperate enough would accept the pittance and provide supervision commensurate with the pay. The result is that some of the worst roadwork became the norm. Six month after construction or rehabilitation, the road had to be resurfaced. In this way Government spent tons of money on the same road, thus encouraging other shoddy work. I was with Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson, when I learned that the graduate engineers—those from the University of Guyana—were refusing to accept jobs with the government. The pay was not encouraging. To his credit, former President Bharrat Jagdeo, used the power to appoint contracted workers. The government was not confined to paying the

Adam Harris employee rates dictated by the Public Service Commission. So it was when Minister Patterson complained about an inability attract engineers for the volume of work at hand, I asked him about the possibility of employing the very engineers under contractual conditions. He admitted that he had adopted this approach and that the Public Service Commission had increased the pay three-fold. But even at that rate the engineers were not prepared to work in the hinterland so one could imagine what he initial rate was. Some private contractors employ their own engineers and

so would guarantee that they get the better jobs. It is here that they hold the government to ransom. Having developed a reputation they would easily catch the eye of the National Procurement and Tender Administration. The result is that they would bid and get many contracts. Now I find out that these people secure the contracts and the advances but do not attempt the work because their hands are full. They have taken too many contracts and do not have the resources to execute them in a timely manner. This could be tantamount to fraud. For sure it is dishonesty. If I can arrange to get a few million dollars up front then I would place that money in a high interest-bearing account. If I fail to undertake the contract, all I need to do is to return the advance and all is well. I would come out ahead. Minister Patterson told me that he cannot move against the contractor until the contract period has expired. If the contract is for two years then my advance would earn significant interest. At the same time I am working on those other contracts that I won, making even more money. To crown it all, there has been no penalty for substandard work

because the government cannot be bothered to have an issue in the courts for so long. I pondered those things and compared them with what I recently saw overseas. I saw roads with surfaces like billiard tables; I saw overpasses that meandered all over the place. Had some of them been constructed in Guyana under the present circumstances, I am certain that they would have collapsed. What set me thinking about these things is the clamour that jobs are not being provided. I remember the chief government spokesperson, Joseph Harmon, saying that contractors on roads in certain communities would be requested to recruit labour from those areas. But if the contractor is not undertaking the job but leaving the contract idle, he is contributing to the non employment of people. The government would cop the blame while the contractor is the real culprit. And the government does not see this. Certainly the laws nee changing but for now Guyana, for all the great designs at economic transformation, is no better than a chained pit bull trying to be the aggressor.

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Sunday September 18, 2016

Christianity and social cohesion His Excellency Brigadier David Grangerto the 5th Anniversary Celebration of Solomon’s TemplePhillipi Farm, East Berbice-Corentyne Region2016.08.21 This Church is an appropriate ‘Temple’ in which to worship God. This village is a proper place for this Church. Phillipi Village was bought over 100 years ago by a group of 28 Africans who established a thriving farming community. The name, most likely, had its origins in the Holy Bible. Phillipi was the site of the first Christian Church in Europe and was established by the Apostle Paul himself. This Church, from the start, was dedicated to God’s work. It is written in the Holy Bible at Psalm 127: E x c e p t

theLordbuildthehouse,theylabourinvainthatbuildit: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, t o e a t t h e bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep. This Church, this congregation and this community belong to a big and beautiful Region – the East Berbice-Corentyne Region. The Corentyne covers a large area of 36, 234 km² that makes it three times the size of Jamaica and seven times the size of Trinidad and Tobago.

This Region is not poor. It is a major producer and exporter of bauxite, fish, rice, sugar and timber. The Region possesses a diverse landscape – coastal plain, rainforests, savannahs and wetlands and is sandwiched between two great rivers. There is no reason why the Corentyne cannot provide ‘a good life’ for all of its citizens. This Region is ethnically diverse. It has significant Amerindian, African and East Indian communities and there are still reduced numbers of persons of Chinese, European and Portuguese ancestry. It is renowned for its eminent

sons and daughters among whom are some of Guyana’s finest academics, attorneys, businessmen, composers, doctors, engineers, entrepreneurs and sports personalities. This Region, however, faces challenges which cannot be ignored. The Region’s population, is falling; it declined by almost one-third from 152,386 in 1980 to 109,431 by 2012. Migration out of the region has been particularly high over the past 25 years, mainly between 1991 and 2012 when the population fell by 23.23 per cent. This Region, also, is under threat from crimes such as armed robberies, fatal road accidents, murders, piracy, rapes and suicides. We recall that: an atrocious traffic accident occurred in this village when three children were crushed to death by a speeding motor car two years ago. an outrageous murder-suicide occurred when a man chopped his wife to death then hung himself in this village three years ago. The Church must have a solution to these social problems. The Church must uncover their causes and work to improve the quality of life of its worshippers and citizens. This Region is the cradle of Christianity in this country. The Lutheran Church was established in October 1743, two hundred and seventythree years ago in this Region. The Mission Chapel Congregational Church was established 197 years ago in this Region. Other Christian churches followed and were joined by Hindu and Islamic places of worship after the arrival of East Indians. The Christian Church, as one of the oldest institutions, together with the Hindu and Islamic faiths, has a duty to act to help to eliminate the social problems that afflict the Region. The Church must a t t e n d t o a p e r s o n ’s spiritual as well as material needs. The Church’s mission has a social character. It is written, in the Holy Bible, in

the Gospel according to St. Luke (Ch. 14), that Christ said: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised. Christians believe that it is Christ’s commandment “to preach the gospel to the poor.” This Region is made up of a string of neighbouring villages many of which are poor. The residents should see themselves as neighbours. Christ linked the love of God to the love of your neighbour. We cannot love God unless we love our neighbour. It is written, again, in the Holy Bible, in the Gospel according to St. Matthew (Ch. 22), that Christ, when asked which is the great commandment in the law, said: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. (Matthew 22: 37-40). This Church must ask itself, who is ‘thy’ neighbour? ‘Thy’ neighbour is he or she who needs your love and your compassion. It is written, in the Holy Bible, in the Gospel according to St. Luke (Ch. 10), that Christ said: A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, And went to him, and bound up his wounds,

pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise. This Church, and any other church, mandir or masjid on the Corentyne, must reach out to its neighbours. The Church cannot separate itself from society, village cannot separate itself from village and citizens cannot separate themselves from each other. Faith cannot be divided into the personal and the public. There is one God and Christianity has only one doctrine, one that does not separate the spiritual and from the social. That doctrine is the bedrock of social cohesion in this country: Social cohesion involves creating a moral community that is safe and secure and that offers opportunities for the improvement of everyone’s quality of life. Social cohesion involves promoting cooperation and trust among citizens and combatting exclusion and marginalization. A cohesive society is characterized by a sense of sympathy and solidarity. The Church must promote social cohesion by: promoting nonconfrontational ways of settling differences and by becoming a peacemaker and a bridge-builder; providing spiritual and physical relief to those in need and mending the emotional wounds caused by violence; and protecting the vulnerable from malice and injustice and by advancing religious, ethnic and gender harmony. The Church has a moral mission and the moral authority to reach out to its neighbours. The Church also has the responsibility of upholding the long and proud tradition of Christianity in this Region. The Church can contribute to the quality of life by becoming a champion of social cohesion.

Sunday September 18, 2016

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Kaieteur News

Counting carbs: An important means of blood sugar control By Dr Zulfikar Bux Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine In Guyana we tend to eat culturally and it is leading to poor health. We inherited the rice, roti and sweet diet, and eating in large amounts. These foods are high in carbs and are leading to poor blood sugar levels and health. Keeping count of your carb intake is vital to controlling blood sugar levels in both diabetics and non-diabetics. Today we will discuss how to monitor your carb intake. WHAT ARE CARBS? Carbs (short for “carbohydrates”) are sugars that come from food. When we eat, our body breaks the food down into different nutrients. These nutrients are carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. The body uses carbohydrates for energy. Foods with a lot of carbs include: Ï%Bread, pasta, rice, roti and cereal Ï%Fruits and starchy vegetables Ï%Milk and other dairy foods Ï%Foods with added sugar (such as many cookies and cakes) WHAT DOES “COUNTING CARBS” MEAN? Counting carbs (also called “carb counting”) is a type of meal planning that many people with diabetes use. It involves figuring out the number of carbs you eat.

When people count carbs, they keep track of how many carbs they eat for each meal and snack. People with diabetes need to know how many carbs they eat because eating carbs raises a person’s blood sugar level. HOW DO I COUNT CARBS? If your food has a nutrition label, you can look at the information on the nutrition label. You need to look at the: Ï%”Total carbohydrate” number – This tells you how many carbs are in one serving size of the food. If you eat one serving, then the number of carbs you eat is the same as the number of total carbohydrates. Ï%”Serving size” – This tells you how much food is in one serving. If you have two servings, the number of carbs will be two times the number of carbohydrates listed. Ï%”Dietary fiber” – Fiber is a carbohydrate that is not digested, which means it does not raise blood sugar. Foods with a lot of fiber can help control a person’s blood sugar. If a food has more than five grams (g) of fiber, less insulin is needed for that food. Many foods, such as fresh fruits and vegetables, don’t have a nutrition label. For these foods, you will need to learn about the usual serving sizes of different foods. You will also need to learn how many carbs are in one serving.

CAN COUNTING CARBS HELP ME MANAGE MY DIABETES? Yes. Counting carbs can help you manage your diabetes by keeping your blood sugar level under better control. Counting carbs can help keep your blood sugar level from getting too high (especially after meals) or too low. It’s important to keep your blood sugar level under control, because blood sugar levels that are too high or too low can lead to immediate and serious problems. In addition, having high blood sugar levels for a long time can lead to kidney, nerve, and eye problems later on. Counting carbs can also help you plan your meals and snacks each day. Knowing how many carbs you can eat at each meal or snack can help you choose foods to eat. WHAT ELSE SHOULD I DO? The following tips might help when you count carbs: Ï%Spread out your carbs over four to six small meals each day instead of three big ones. Ï%Eat the same number of carbs at each meal, for example, at each dinner. Ï%Eat your meals at the same time each day. Ï%Plan your meals ahead of time. Ï%Check your blood sugar before you eat and one hour after you eat. This can help you learn how certain foods affect your blood sugar. You can check your blood

sugar level at home using a device called a “blood glucose monitor.” Ï%Keep a record of your meals and blood sugar levels. Show it to your doctor or nurse so that he or she can change your treatment as needed. Ï%Remember that

other things besides carbs can raise your blood sugar level. These things can include, getting sick, drinking alcohol, travelling, and stress. The mainstay of controlling your blood sugar lies in keep check of your carb intake. Both diabetics and

Dr. Zulfikar Bux non-diabetics should moderate their carb use. It’s a key factor in blood sugar control and healthy living.

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11 Things Women With Perfect Skin Do Every Day Everyone knows at least one woman with seemingly perfect skin. Every time you see her glowing face, you think, Seriously, how does she do it? What kind of magical procedures is she getting? Which expensive creams is she using? Here's the thing: Her secret is simple - she has flawless skin because she's nailed the best daily routine. Another secret? So can you. 1. She uses the correct cleanser for her skin type. "For oily or acne prone skin, a salycylic gel or benzoyl peroxide wash works great," says Dr. Ava Shamban, a dermatologist in Santa Monica. "For dry mature skin, use either a moisturizing glycolic or milky cleanser. For skin with brown spots or melasma, use a brightening wash, such as an alpha hydroxy acid cleanser." 2. She drinks the right liquids. Though it's tempting to grab a coffee the minute you wake up, Joanna Vargas, a skincare facialist in NYC, says choosing the right beverages can be a game changer. "Drink a shot of chlorophyll every morning to brighten, oxygenate, and hydrate your skin. Drinking chlorophyll also helps drain puffiness by stimulating the lymphatic system, so it's also good for cellulite." If you're not keen on downing a shot of the stuff, chlorophyll supplements can be found at many drugstores and health food stores. She also advised drinking green juices with lots of veggies in them: "It will transform your skin in a matter of days — and it helps oxygenate the skin and stimulates lymphatic drainage, so it's de-puffing, too." 3. She maintains a healthy diet. "Your skin has a natural barrier to retain moisture, and essential to that is omega-3 fatty acid," Joanna Vargas advises. "Flax seeds on your salad or even walnuts will be an instant boost to your omega-3, thus increasing your skin's ability to hold onto moisture." And be sure to eat a diet low in foods with a high glycemic index (simple and complex carbohydrates). 4. She moisturizes every day and night. "The best times to moisturize are right after you get out of the shower and right before you go to bed," explained Dr. Janet Prystowsky MD, an NYC-based dermatologist. Avoid lotions with heavy fragrances and be make sure you find a moisturizer gentle enough for every day use with zero irritation. 5. Her fingers never touch her face. Dr. Julia Tzu, an NYC-based dermatologist, says this is very important. It doesn't just spread bacteria and cause breakouts — it can lead to scarring, an increase in wrinkles, and even the flu. 6. She doesn't use too many products. Using more than one or two all at once is a big no-no, says Dr. Tzu. It can be harsh on the skin, resulting in more breakouts and clogged pores. 7. She wears sunscreen 365 days a year - rain or shine. "Many people feel they only need to protect themselves on sunny days or when visiting the beach," says Dr. Debbie Palmer, a New York dermatologist. "But the truth is that we need to protect our skin even when we're driving a car, flying in an airplane, or running errands. It's the daily UV exposure that contributes to the visible signs of aging." What kind of sunscreen is best? Choose a broad-spectrum sunscreen with a SPF of 30 or greater - and remember that it needs to be reapplied every 2 hours. 8. She hydrates - in every way possible. Every skin expert we spoke to emphasized the importance of hydration. "A lack of water means less radiance and more sag," says Dr. Mona Gohara, a

Sunday September 18, 2016

Stars Among The Stars ACRUX ALTAIR ANTARES ARCTURUS ASTAIRE BALL BARNARD'S BLYTH BOLGER CAGNEY CANOPUS CANTOR CAPELLA CARON CASTOR CHAPLIN CROSBY DENEB DIXON DURBIN EDDY GABLE GRABLE HADAR HARLOW HOPE JOLSON KAYE KEELER KELLY LAMARR LAMAS LOMBARD MIMOSA MIRA MORENO POLARIS POLLUX

POWELL PROCYON RAFT

RIGEL ROGERS ROONEY

dermatologist in Connecticut. She suggests choosing products (cleansing, moisturizing, and anti-aging) that have hydrating formulas. And, of course, drink around eight glasses of water a day. 9. She avoids direct heat exposure. Don't just watch out for the sun — getting too close to heaters and fireplaces can also wreak havoc on your skin. "It causes inflammation \and collagen breakdown. I recommend staying at least ten feet away," explains Dr. Palmer. So next time you're roasting chestnuts or s'mores over an open fire, take a step back. 10. She exfoliates a couple times per week. "We lose 50 million skin cells a day, and without a little extra nudge, they may hang around leaving the skin looking sullen," says Dr. Gohara. To fight this, you should "choose a product that is pH neutral so it doesn't dry as it exfoliates." And don't just stop with your face — the skin on your body needs exfoliation, too. 11. She doesn't just eat her vitamins. A balanced diet is important, but there's more than one way to give your skin vitamins. There's also topical antioxidants, which are serums and creams that contain ingredients that nourish the skin. "These can really help to repair the skin from sun damage and they also have natural sunscreen properties," says Dr. Palmer. Not sure how to use them? The best time to apply them is right after cleansing, or they can be layered under your sunscreen for added protection.

SAIPH SIRIIUS SOTHERN

SPICA VALLEE VEGA

SOLUTION FOR LAST WEEK’S SEARCH & FIND

Sunday September 18, 2016

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SUNDAY $100M PURCHASE OF 50 RADIO SETS… MANUFACTURER DISTANCES SELF FROM GECOM TRANSACTION A state audit probe into a suspicious $100M purchase last year of communication radios by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has dragged in the manufacturer who over the weekend, said that it had ceased making the equipment since 2009. The disclosures by the Australian-owned Barrett Communications, through its European office, would n o t o n l y r a i s e questions as to where Mobile Authority sourced the radios from, but whether GECOM officials, including its accountant and procurement personnel, conducted due diligence. Not ordering from an authorized supplier or agent has implications on warranties and even spare parts, among other things. GECOM is supposed to ensure that the equipment comes with the necessary warranties and even security of spare parts. Investigators from the Audit Office of Guyana are currently probing the radio purchases which were delivered shortly before the elections, but apparently were never put to use. GECOM has declined to comment, saying that the probe is ongoing. There are questions whether the radios are even working. Mobile Authority is owned by Water Street businessman, Michael Brasse. He has two other companies, which from all indications benefitted significantly from GECOM contracts for the May 11th elections. Last year, Brasse’s businesses collected around $290M in payments for supplying items to GECOM, sparking suspicions of sole sourcing, a form of public procurement which has been heavily frowned on in recent times because of the possibilities of corruption involved in the process. The radio purchases would be a major embarrassment for GECOM, which is tasked with management General and Regional Elections and Local Government Elections. Brasse appeared to be a preferred supplier for stationery for GECOM. He also delivered items such as toners, office furniture and equipment, photo paper and scanners, printing accessories, and even Duracell batteries.

Businessman, Michael Brasse

Justice Claudette Singh

the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) to privatize State lands. NICIL is the body tasked with overseeing the privatization of State assets. It reportedly spent more than $200M to develop the seafront community without the knowledge and blessings of the National Assembly and other relevant bodies. The said lands were then secretly sold to former Ministers and known friends and associates of the previous regime. At the time of the sale, the report said, the lands were grossly undervalued and sold at a price substantially below the market value, thereby depriving the state of its full benefits. SARU said, “There is a direct link between the misconduct and the abuse of powers and duties of their position. The former Cabinet members knew they were doing a wrong in transferring State lands to their names and that of their acquaintances for undervalued market prices for the land. The lands were sold for $114 per square foot at the time.” The SARU report lists the DPP, Mrs. Shalimar Ali-Hack, as a beneficiary of the controversial Pradoville Two deal. The report said that on September 7, 2011, the DPP bought Lot 184 Sparendaam, ECD, Block IV, which is 0.2767 acres of land. Asked how this looming situation of con-

flict of interest would be dealt with, Williams had said, “She would have to recuse herself in the determination of the matter.”

SARU STALLING PRADOVILLE TWO CASE – POLICE LEGAL ADVISOR The State Asset Recovery Unit (SARU) is now being accused of holding up the highly controversial Pradoville Two Case. In a interview with this newspaper, Police Legal Advisor, Justice Claudette Singh said that it is now well over three months since the Unit has been unable to provide her with the valuation of the lands in the case. Justice Singh opined that the lack of valuation of the controversial lands was one of the loopholes in bringing criminal charges against those implicated in the Pradoville fiasco. Justice Singh said she made it clear to the investigators that if their claim is that the public officials got state lands at “dirt cheap prices”, and then resold it for a fortune, they must first determine what the original cost of the lands was at that time. In early October 2015, SARU completed a report which stated that in 2010, the Bharrat Jagdeo Cabinet made a decision authorizing

Some of the steel being seized last Sunday from BaiShanLin’s Coomacka operations in Linden.

$100M PURCHASE OF 50 RADIO SETS… MANUFACTURER SAYS GECOM INEXPLICABLY CANCELLED ITS TENDER -CONTRACT AWARDED TO “NONCOMPLIANT” SUPPLIER The manufacturer of a number of radios supplied to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) is complaining that his company was rejected when it tendered for a multi-million dollar contract last year. According to BARRETT Communications, an Australian-headquartered firm, it tendered for the supply of new radio equipment for the 2015 General and Regional Elections last year, but the order was strangely cancelled. Instead, the contract was awarded to Mobile Authority, a Water Street-registered business owned by Michael Brasse, which was not the official local dealer. BARRETT has a local partner in Guyana Advanced Office Systems, which it used to tender for the contract. Those radio purchases are now the subject of a major investigation by the Audit Office of Guyana. The manufacturer’s European office wrote

Kaieteur News over the last weekend clarifying the role it played in tender. “With respect to the procurement for the 2015 election, we did indeed tender through the Advanced Office Systems for the supply of new radio equipment for the 2015 Guyana elections.” According to Andrew Burt, General Manager of BARRETT’s European office, GECOM cancelled the order. The manufacturer made it clear it was not involved in the supply of the radios. The delivery would have happened days if not hours before elections. As far as BARRETT is concerned, the supply of the radios, which were to be used by GECOM to communicate with outlying areas during the elections period, were given to a business that not compliant with the specifications. “We had subsequently been informed that another OEM (original equipment manufacture), non-compliant with the tender specification, was inexplicably selected and purchased.” BARRETT’s claims over the weekend would not only raise questions as to where Mobile Authority sourced the radios from, but whether GECOM officials, including its accountant and procurement personnel, conducted due diligence. Not ordering from an authorized supplier or agent has implications on warranties and even spare parts, among other things. GUNS DRAWN IN SHOWDOWN BETWEEN GRAAND BAISHANLIN -AS OFFICIALS MOVE TO SEIZE MACHINERY, OTHER ASSETS OVER BREACHED AGREEMENTS The rift between Government and BaiShan Lin over the company’s breached agreements escalated last week Sunday into an ugly showdown in which guns were reportedly drawn, as Guyana Revenue Authority officials swooped down on the Chinese firm’s Coomacka, Linden concessions to seize its assets. Kaieteur News understands that the drama began early in the day when the GRA team visited the area to confiscate the company’s equipment. A staffer at BaiShanLin contacted Kaieteur News by phone to claim that the GRA operatives had stormed their Linden operations and seized billions in duty-free equipment. The staffer also alleged that the officers also made off with laptops, cash and other personal items. According to sources at Linden, both sides filed complaints at the Mackenzie Police Station. The BaiShan Lin officials allegedly stated that they were robbed, while the GRA officers said that they met with resistance while carrying out the operation. The GRA officers, according to a source, also claimed that some of the Bai ShanLin employees were heavily armed, and that the weaponry on the site included sub-machine guns. A senior police official also confirmed that both GRA and staffers from the Chinese logging firm had filed complaints at the (Continued on page 42)

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(From page 41) Mackenzie Police Station. Kaieteur News understands that GRA officials had visited the company’s Cacique Palace offices last Friday and had notified officials of its intention to visit Coomacka. Sources within the GRA said that officers took possession of some building material, while refuting the claims that “billions in equipment” and other items were seized. Yesterday’s clash came just five days after the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC) announced that it was moving to repossess over 600,000 hectares from BaiShanLin International Forest Development Inc., which has been under fire for its operations here. The GFC statement, made on Tuesday, came hours after Cabinet met and gave it blessings to the commission for actions to be taken against BaiShanLin. According to GFC, the decision was taken after the cash-strapped BaiShanLin failed to deliver on agreed actions to introduce investors to the commission and failing despite being given time to prove that it had an acceptable plan to clear an approximately $80M debt.

Where is the money?- BaiShanLin’s local boss, Chu Hongbo MONDAY DRUNK 19-YEAR-OLD DRIVER KILLS FOUR-YEAR-OLD GIRL A family outing came to a horrific end at around 22.00 hrs last week Saturday, when an allegedly drunk 19-year-old rammed a van into a car on Sheriff Street, killing a four year old girl and injuring her mother. Ambeka Providence, of Lot 133 Dandrade Street, Newtown, Kitty, sustained multiple injuries and perished on the spot. Her mother, Abiola Trotman, 23, has been admitted to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, where she underwent a CT scan. The driver of the car the child was in escaped unhurt and was taken into police custody. Angry citizens assaulted the teen who was driving the van. Police said that a breathalyser test revealed that he had consumed above the legal limit of alcohol. The child’s grandmother said that she was with Ambeka and her mother, who were returning home by car after visiting the Giftland Mall. The child, her mother and Cheryl Williams, another relative, were in the back seat of the vehicle, PMM 1426, which was proceeding south along Sheriff Street. The driver then

Sunday September 18, 2016

stopped at the Sheriff and Garnett Street junction. It was in that moment that a White Toyota Tacoma bearing licence plate PRR 3500, and heading north on Sheriff Street, struck the left side of the car. Four-year-old Ambeka was flung through the window onto the roadway and perished on the spot. Her mother sustained injuries to her head and face. She was taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital and admitted along with Cheryl Williams, the relative. Relatives of the child’s mother said that she was scheduled to undergo a CT-Scan to ascertain how severe her head injuries are. The family is still in a state of disbelief over the four-year-old girl’s death. At the scene of the accident, onlookers said that the driver of the SUV and two other young men in his company appeared to be intoxicated. They said that the driver got out of his vehicle and attempted to remove his licence plate. This angered some citizens who began beating the young man. Eventually the driver managed to seek refuge in his vehicle and lock the doors. He apparently called his relatives who showed up within minutes. It was reported that someone drew a gun in order to clear the way for the driver to be escorted into another vehicle.

Gangaram, 24, of No. 46 Village, Corentyne; rice farmer Rameshwar Mangar, 31; and Mahendra Ramprakash, 24, also of No. 47 Village. According to previous reports, the five occupants of a Toyota Spacio bearing license plate number PPP 4744 were proceeding along the Corentyne public road in the No. 50 Leeds area at a fast rate when they collided with a horse causing the driver to lose control of the car. The car then collided with a culvert and flipped several times before ending up in a nearby trench. Kaieteur News spoke to survivor Prakash Gangaram called “Boyie” who told this publication that they were all heavily intoxicated at the time of the accident. According to him, they were drinking beers at the home of the now dead driver. “We been drinking beers by Butcher and we left deh like about 8 to drop me home but we decide to go for a drive. When we reach bout like (Number 50 Village) side, the horse run out and Butcher couldn’t stop in time so we ram into it and all me can remember is waking up in de hospital next day.”

TUESDAY WHERE IS BAISHANLIN’S MILLIONS? CHINESE BANK SAYS NO EVIDENCE BAISHANLIN DIVERTED MONIES

There are indications that a quantity of communication radio sets supplied to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) for last year’s elections was bought since 2006. That meant that someone held onto the radios all that time before they were dumped on GECOM in what appears to be a well orchestrated deal. Over the last weekend, the Australian manufacturer, BARRETT Communications, said that the radios were of the older BARRETT 2040 series. “BARRETT Communications state, for the record, the radio equipment pictured are almost certainly from a much earlier equipment purchase in 2006 and for a product that officially ceased production in 2009.” The disclosures by the manufacturer would raise shocking questions over the internal controls of GECOM and how the radios were allowed in. There are unconfirmed reports that the radios were offered to GECOM since 2006 but were rejected as another supplier had already made a delivery. The BARRETT radios were part of (Continued on page 43)

The Government of China had gone out its way to assist BaiShanLin International Forest Developments Inc. in its expansion throughout Guyana. According to a report of the China Development Bank (CDB) prepared in November 2014 and shared with the Government of Guyana, the Chinese government had granted the BaiShanlin’s wood processing plant project a 10% sea freight subsidy and a loan discount. The company also benefitted from export tax rebate for its materials to Guyana. In turn, the Government of Guyana implemented duty-free concessions for the imported equipment. The report would signal how high an interest that Chinese had in the operations of BaiShanLin. The logging company is turning out to be a major embarrassment to both China and Guyana as it owes CDB US$67M in loans it

OUTDATED RADIO SETS DUMPED ON GECOM NINE YEARSAFTER PURCHASE

Dead: Ambeka Providence took for the wood processing plant. That plant was crucial to BaiShanLin receiving billions of dollars in duty free concession from the Government of Guyana. However, there is no wood processing plant and there are no signs of the money that BaiShanLin took from the Chinese bank. OCCUPANTS WERE DRINKING -SURVIVORS OF NO. 50 VILLAGE HORRIFIC ACCIDENT SAYS Following the Corentyne accident on Sunday that claimed two lives, survivors disclosed that they were heavily intoxicated at the time of the incident. Those dead were identified as Richard Ramnarine, 45, of No. 46 Village, Corentyne; and Ramesh Rampat, 23, also of No. 46 Village, Corentyne. Injured in the accident were Prakash

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(From page 42) a $100M order by GECOM last year. The approval for the purchase happened days before the May 11, 2015 elections but despite the urgency GECOM had proposed for the radios, they were reportedly never put into use. WEDNESDAY SARU KEEPS WATCHFULEYE ON CONTROVERSIAL SANATA COMPLEX WELL DEAL Troubled by the makings of the deal, the State Asset Recovery Unit (SARU) says that without a doubt, it is now “keeping a watchful eye” on the controversial situation involving a well that is located in the Sanata Textile Complex in Ruimveldt. This was confirmed by Head of the Unit, Dr. Clive Thomas. Thomas said, “I find it alarming that a public well can be sold as part of a deal to a private citizen. I can understand if the well is being leased but I just can’t wrap my head around the idea that Ramroop was gifted this state asset as part of some deal with the former regime. So we are definitely keeping an eye on this matter. It is marked on our list.” For more than three decades, it was under the control of Government. Then in the late 2000s, a water well at the Sanata Textile Complex, Ruimveldt, was sold under questionable circumstances by the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) to Queens Atlantic Investments Inc. (QAII), a group of companies under the direction of Dr. Ranjisinghi ‘Bobby’ Ramroop. Why the administration of former President Bharrat Jagdeo decided to sell the well which was managed by the Guyana Water Inc. (GWI) is now the big question. Jagdeo is a close friend of Ramroop. While the well was located in the Sanata complex, it served and continues to serve over 9,000 customers in the Ruimveldt area, including D’Aguiar Park, Alexander Village, Meadowbank and West Ruimveldt. Each month, GWI has been paying almost $3M in electricity bills for the well as well as sending its technicians daily. Its technicians access the well through QAII security. The ownership of the well came up recently when technicians attempted to conduct checks of water connection at the QAII at the Ruimveldt facility, but were later asked by management of the water company to suspend all investigations until further notice. FATF/ICRG TEAM IN GUYANATO CONDUCT ON SITE INSPECTIONS BANKS, MONEY TRANSFER AGENCIES AMONG FINANCIAL UNITS TO BE TARGETED The high level meetings between Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Basil Williams, and the Financial Action Task Force/ International Coordinating Review Group (FATF/ICRG) are slated to commence today, at the boardroom of the Ministry of Legal Affairs. According to reports from the Ministry of Legal Affairs, yesterday, the team is said to be visiting Guyana over two days from September 14 to conduct a meeting with the Attorney General and his AML/CFT Compliance Team. During the visit, the team is expected to visit the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), the Bank of Guyana, Guyana Securities Council (GSC), money transfer agencies and the commercial banks. Among the things that they will be looking for is to ensure that Guyana is criminalizing money laundering and terrorist financing; that

An overhead shot of Sanata complex with the well inside. Guyana has adequate measures to confiscate assets related to money laundering and that the country has the legal framework to identify, trace and freeze terrorist assets. Last July, Minister Williams announced that FATF/ICRG team will be conducting onsite inspections of several of Guyana’s institutions in order to verify Guyana’s progress and its readiness to come off of its watch list. Williams had explained that a favorable report from the team will allow Guyana to begin the process of removing itself from the FATF/ICRG review list, at the October plenary meeting. He noted that the team will also be ensuring that the FIU is functioning effectively. The FIU is supposed to oversee SOCU. Other reforms which the onsite visits will seek to confirm is that there is enhanced transparency with these financial systems and that the mechanisms for reporting suspicious transactions are in place. GRANGER TO PRESS VENEZUELA BORDER CONTROVERSYAT UN MEET Guyana’s President David Granger is expected to raise the border controversy with Venezuela with several international bodies at the 71st session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly. The annual meeting of 193 countries officially opened last week, at the UN’s headquarters in New York. Foreign Affairs Minister, Carl Greenidge, said that President Granger is expected to raise the issue during his presentation to the General Assembly on September 20. “He will doubtless also be addressing issues pertaining to the greening of Guyana and Guyana’s controversy as regards the border with Venezuela,” Minister Greenidge said during a round table discussion on the Foreign Policy Fact Files Programme. The President is also expected to highlight issues of global governance during his presentation. “He will touch upon the problems of global governance, the issues pertaining to how the small and the voiceless can be given the opportunity to have their messages heard, and to have the UN act in a manner that is consistent with their interests,” Minister Greenidge said. Guyana will have marginal meetings with Heads of Commonwealth Foreign Affairs Ministers during the General Assembly where a sub-committee is expected to address this country’s border controversy with Venezuela, Greenidge pointed out.

Minister Greenidge and a team from his ministry, along with Guyana’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Michael Ten-Pow, will be in attendance at the General Assembly. Last year, Venezuela upped its claim to a large section of Essequibo, including the oilrich waters of Guyana. However, the new Granger administration immediately signaled intentions to protest and bring global attention to Venezuela’s bullying. The border controversy has been simmering for more than a century now. GOV’T TO ESTABLISH MONITORING CENTRE TO CRACK DOWN ON INFERIOR DRUGS Director of the Government Analyst Food and Drug Department (GA-FDD), Marlan Cole, on Tuesday announced that by December 2016, a pharmacovigilance centre for monitoring and inspecting drugs will be set up. Pharmacovigilance is the practice of monitoring the effects of medical drugs after they have been licenced for use, especially in order to identify and evaluate previously unreported adverse reactions. This announcement came during brief remarks at a Pharmacovigilance awareness workshop at Duke Lodge where the GA-FDD in collaboration with the Pan American Health Organisation/World Health Organisation (PAHO/WHO) is creating sensitisation among health officials. Making reference to a presentation made earlier, Cole said, “The presentation would have indicated to us, those that are members of the WHO reporting system and all those countries that are currently not being represented. I can assure that we at the Food and Drug Department are working and as of December 2016 we would be in blue as well.” Guyana is currently not a reporting country, which means there is no system for nurses at health facilities to report any adverse reaction to drugs that have been administered to patients. There is also no tracking system that would allow for one to identify the production date, batch number and other necessary information that help the identification process. Cole pointed out that, “…a pharmacovigilance centre will allow us to ensure that drugs are of the requisite quality.” Director of the Government Analyst Food and Drug Department, Marlan Cole;

WHO team officer Leticia Megias; Medicine Safety representative, WHO Geneva, Dr. Shanthi Pal; Minister within the Ministry of Public Health, Dr. Karen Cummings; PAHO/ WHO representative Dr. William Adu-Krow; team leader of the BRICS medicine alliance, Dr. Gurumurthy Parthasarathi (all seated at front) with participants of the Pharmacovigilance sensitisation workshop. ARMY FINDS ILLEGALAIRCRAFT ATYUPUKARI The Guyana Defence Force (GDF) says it has found an illegal aircraft in the Region Nine area. According to the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), on Wednesday, it received information of an illegal aircraft at the Yupukari Airstrip, Region Nine, Upper Demerara/Upper Takutu area. On Wednesday, a joint GDF and a police patrol were conducted to the area and a twin engine Cessna Aircraft was discovered at approximately 09:50hrs. Investigators from the army, police and Customs Anti Narcotic Unit (CANU), are in the area conducting investigations. Additional information will be provided as they become available, the army promised. BABY ELECTROCUTED Seven-month-old Corlene Williams was electrocuted Wednesday | morning at her home, 334 Second Field, Kaneville. Mother of the dead child, Olando Cambridge, told Kaieteur News that she had put her child down and went over to her sister’s house to fill drinking water to take home. “Whilst I fulling de water I hear she grandmother holler out, and by time I reach back I see she running out and when I run in I see me daughter. And all I could do is pick she up and run out fuh meet de Hospital.” According to Cambridge, she doesn’t have a clear idea of how her daughter was electrocuted. She said that her mother was the only person left in the house with the child. The grandmother was inconsolable and unable to relay exactly what transpired. According to police information, the incident happened around 10:20Hrs. The child was reportedly left unattended in the living room on a chair next to a fan. At that time, the child’s father had left to take another child to school. The seven-month-old was found (Continued on page 44)

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(From page 43) wrapped up with electrical wire attached to the fan. It is unclear whether the electrical wire on the fan was exposed or whether the child was playing with the switch. It was reported that the grandmother found the child holding on to the power cord with her eyes turning up. The police have since taken the fan to have it examined. SURVIVORS OF BLANKENBURG FATALACCIDENT STABLE Mark Halley and Michelle Miguel, who were both involved in a tragic accident which claimed the lives of their two children, 10month-old Baby Marvin and seven-year-old Tina, have been listed as stable at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC). A source at the hospital told this publication that the doctors have prohibited the young man from seeing anyone. The reason for this, the source could not explain. According to reports, the duo along with the two children was heading to Parika when tragedy struck along the Blankenburg Public Road. A Police source had informed this publication that the car, PRR 38, which was reportedly being driven by Halley was proceeding west at a fast rate when he lost control and slammed into two vehicles that were parked south along the thoroughfare. Both children succumbed on arrival to the Leonora Diagnostic Centre whilst Halley and Miguel were rushed to the GPHC’s Intensive Care Unit (ICU). The death of these children came at days after four-year-old Ambeka Providence passed away after she was involved in an accident with her mother. Prime Minister, Moses Nagamootoo, has since made an appeal to all drivers to practice caution along our roadways. BLOCK-MAKER PLUNGES TO DEATH IN BERBICE RIVER An East Bank Berbice family is now mourning the tragic demise of 25-year-old Elroy Lewis who allegedly plunged to his death in the Berbice River after an outing with friends on Tuesday. According to information received, Lewis, of Lot 72 Sister’s Village who is employed as a block maker left his home on Tuesday at around 8:00 am to join friends on the fishing outing which turned sour after he allegedly plunged from the boat they were traveling into the river. Lewis’s fiancée, Venita Ally, told this publication that her husband did not state where he was going when he left home on Tuesday. She later received the message of his demise from one of his friends. “He left home and nah seh where he going and he friend come in de afternoon and seh dem been swimming and he drown. Dat is all the friend seh.” According to his father, he was aware that his son left with his friends to “catch iguana in the river”. “He friend come and seh that dem jump off 100ft from shore to bathe and li’l bit after dem see Elroy going down and fighting up.” The man said that he was told that efforts were made to rescue his son but all proved unsuccessful. “Me hear dem try fah go back to way he was but de engine stap wuk so dem start use paddle but when dem reach, dem ain’t see he no more.” Relatives are suspicious about the circumstances surrounding the incident since it was reported that the young man was an avid swim-

Kaieteur News

Sunday September 18, 2016

mer and frequents the waters. ‘GREY BOY’ FREED OF CRUM-EWING’S MURDER A teary-eyed Regan Rodrigues slowly walked out the courtroom uttering “I didn’t do it. I didn’t kill your son,” to the mother of Courtney Crum-Ewing, the slain political activist. The preliminary inquiry into a murder charge was discharged against him, by Magistrate Judy Latchman on Wednesday. Rodrigues, 32, also known as ‘Grey Boy’ of Riverview, Ruimveldt, Georgetown, was discharged on the murder of Crum-Ewing which occurred on March 10, 2015 at Diamond, East Bank Demerara. According to reports, the bullet-riddled body of Crum-Ewing was found at Third Avenue, Diamond New Scheme EBD. The 40 year-old was shot twice to the temple, once to the back of the head and twice to the stomach. The police in a statement had stated that the political activist was accosted by four men in a car, one of whom discharged several rounds, hitting him about the body. It was reported that the killer (s) used a .32 pistol to execute Crum-Ewing. Crum-Ewing was well known for his oneman protest outside the office of former Attorney General (AG) Anil Nandlall. Minutes before he was gunned down, he was reportedly heard via bullhorn urging residents of the nieghbourhood to vote against then ruling party PPP/C. The decision was handed down in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts, after Attorney Nigel Hughes made his closing submissions, on behalf of the prosecution. Despite Rodrigues being told that he was free to go, he remains imprisoned. Nevertheless, before leaving the courtroom, he expressed gratitude towards the Magistrate for her decision. Earlier this year, the father of three, was jailed for three years by Magistrate Fabayo Azore for escaping from police custody. On July 13, 2015 at Riverview, Ruimveldt, the police were at Rodrigues’s home conducting a search. It was alleged that a gun was found under a chair in his home. Rodrigues was arrested by the lawmen and while being escorted to the police station, he pushed aside the arresting officer and made good his escape. However, he was arrested the following day in the vicinity of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Headquarters, Eve Leary, Georgetown. Rodrigues was also charged for possession of an illegal firearm and ammunition. These charges were dismissed against him by Magistrate Azore, after she found that the elements of the offences were not proven beyond reasonable doubt by the prosecution. Crum-Ewing’s mother and step-father were present at the hearing. After brief submissions from Hughes, the Magistrate retired to her chambers to review the evidence. She returned to the courtroom in about 30 minutes with her ruling. In essence, she said that Rodrigues had no case to answer to since the prosecution failed to make out a Prima Facie case against him. During her ruling, Magistrate Latchman told the court that based on evidence led during the Preliminary Inquiry (PI), she believed that the .32 revolver used to kill Crum-Ewing was the same gun seized by police from the home of Rodrigues during a raid. However, she pointed out that there was no evidence to support the contention that that firearm was used by Rodrigues to kill the political activist. According to the Magistrate, she believed that Crum-Ewing died as a result of gunshot wounds. This, she said, was supported by a

Regan Rodrigues testimony from Pathologist, Dr Nehaul Singh, whom she said, gave the cause of death as shock and haemorrhage due to multiple gunshot wounds. In addition, Magistrate Latchman stated that 14 statements allegedly made by Rodrigues were a focal point in the prosecution’s case. But she noted that these statements never formed part of evidence in the PI. The reason for this, she informed, was because of the prosecutor’s failure to request the court to rule on the admissibility of the statements. While stating that several inferences can be drawn from those statements, the Magistrate pointed out that they did not implicate Rodrigues in the murder of Crum-Ewing. But Prosecutor Hughes, during his submissions, argued that the statements made by Rodrigues during his time in custody at the CID Headquarters, Eve Leary, Georgetown proved that he had the gun for four years and that he had knowledge of activities the gun was used for. Hughes said that Rodrigues was arrested and taken to CID Headquarters after police ranks swooped down on his Riverview, Ruimveldt home and found an illegal firearm. According to Hughes, Rodrigues told Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Mitchell Caesar , “Is my gun. I buy it four years now to protect my family.” He also said that Rodrigues also told three policemen, “Officer gave me a chance nah. I can’t tek turn in with this gun…this gun do nuff things.” Hughes stated that Rodrigues never denied making the statements even though he had the opportunity to do so during the PI. The prosecutor told the court that it is now left to the jury to decide what inferences can be drawn from those statements because a Magistrate has no jurisdiction to do that during a PI. Rodrigues appeared visibly upset at Hughes’s contentions. He shifted restlessly while seated in the prisoner’s dock and shouted offensive remarks at the prosecutor. He eventually, calmed down and remained silent until the end of the proceedings. Further, Hughes added that after detectives processed the murder scene, spent shells were sent to Ballistic Expert, Inspector Eon Jackson for analysis. Hughes stated that there was a direct match with the spent shells recovered from the murder scene and those retrieved from the body of Crum-Ewing by the pathologist. “At the time Courtney Crum-Ewing was shot and killed the accused (Rodrigues) was in possession of the firearm and was involved in the commissioning of the offence”, Hughes asserted. The prosecutor added that the circumstantial evidence in its entirety leads inevitably to the conclusion that Rodrigues was directly

involved in the murder of Crum-Ewing. At an earlier court hearing, Rodrigues’s Attorney Adrian Thompson had made closing arguments. The lawyer had contended that there was no evidence to prove that his client was in possession of a gun when CrumEwing was murdered. He had urged the court to exclude evidence from the PI that linked his client to being in possession of a firearm. Thompson had argued that illegal firearm and ammunition charges were dismissed against his client by another Magistrate, after she ruled that the prosecution failed to prove the elements of the offence. Addressing this yesterday, Hughes said that this court has no knowledge whether evidence was led in relation to that matter, which was presided over, by another Magistrate. As such, he added that evidence led in another court cannot have bearing on proceedings in this court. Magistrate Latchman was in agreement with this. (Feona Morrison) TROUBLE AT THE PUBLIC SERVICE COMMISSION… PRESIDENT APPOINTS TRIBUNAL TO DETERMINE CARVILDUNCAN’S FATE As if an ongoing court case involving fraud is not enough, Chairman of the Public Service Commission (PSC), Carvil Duncan, is now facing more troubles. This time, the trade unionist, is set to be investigated by a tribunal which will determine whether he is fit to continue as Chairman of that body. The official has been facing pressure to resign after he was slapped with fraud charges earlier this year. Those charges stemmed from findings that he, as director of the Guyana Power and Light Inc. (GPL), took it upon himself to pay himself almost $1M in backpay. Former Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Aeshwar Deonarine, who has since fled the country, was also accused of conspiring with Duncan to pay himself more than $27M. The case against Duncan is currently before the Georgetown Magistrates Court, and in the closing stages. According to Government officials, the tribunal was appointed by the President to investigate whether Duncan ought to be removed because of misconduct or other reasons. The tribunal would have to determine whether Duncan is also physically and mentally capable of running the commission, a senior Government official confirmed yesterday. The commission is critical, having been tasked with making appointments to public offices and to remove and exercise disciplinary control over persons holding or acting in such Offices. Its responsibilities include recruitment, promotions, dismissals; resignations; secondment, reclassifications and transfers. In April, there were calls for Duncan to step down from the commission. Prime Minister, Moses Nagamootoo, in a Government statement, said that he had written to the trade unionist requesting that he show cause why a tribunal should not be established, as provided for by Article 225 of the Constitution of Guyana, to address the question of his removal from the constitutional offices. Duncan not only sits as Chairman of that commission, he is also a member of the Police Service Commission and of the Judicial Service Commission. ”Prime Minister Nagamootoo wrote to (Continued on page 45)

Sunday September 18, 2016

Under fire: Carvil Duncan (From page 44) Mr. Duncan in view of the offences for which he has been charged, which are at present engaging the attention of the court,” the release said in April. Nagamootoo advised Duncan, in the letter, that the procedure has been invoked on the basis that the offences for which he has been charged, place him in a position where it is necessary for him to defend the charges before the court. ”And further, that there is concern that during this period he will be unable to perform the duties imposed upon him by the Constitution, in relation to the aforementioned constitutional offices that he holds.” Nagamootoo advised Duncan that he regarded the letter as his opportunity to inform the exercise of his (the Prime Minister’s) discretion to advise President David Granger whether to establish the tribunal. The letter was dispatched on March 29, 2016 and the Prime Minister requested a response within 14 days of receipt. A defiant Duncan, however, has resisted the calls to step down. ”I do not see it that way. The matter is being looked at by my lawyer,” Duncan told Kaieteur News in an invited comment back in February. $100M SPENT ON 50 RADIO SETS… MANUFACTURER SAYS GECOM INEXPLICABLY CANCELLED ITS TENDER . PPP CABINET APPROVED CONTRACT DAYS BEFORE 2015 ELECTIONS There are disclosures now that just over a week before May 11, 2015 the then administration of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) approved $99.5M for the purchase of 50 high frequency (HF) radios. Those radios were supposed to be used by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) for communications in the outlying areas on polling day and after. However, there are indications that the radios were never put into use. From documents seen by Kaieteur News, local suppliers were asked to submit quotes in mid-April 2015. Cabinet granted the no-objection to the award of the contract that same month, April, leaving GECOM just days to have the supplier order and import the radios. GECOM insiders and Government officials insisted, yesterday, that based on past experience and other factors, it would have been nigh impossible for the radios to have been delivered by the supplier; checked to ensure that they are operational and then delivered to the outlying areas in time for use on Elections Day, May 11, 2015. What makes observers and others more convinced that the whole deal was a clear plot to dump old radios, that had been brought years before, was the fact the equipment needed installation in the hinterland areas.

Kaieteur News

“These radios need a base station, cables, pipes, a power supply and then technicians to install them. How possible is it to order them, have them delivered in the country, clear Customs, delivered and checked by GECOM and then deployed?” a Government official familiar with the situation asked yesterday. What would make the orders of those radios more scandalous is the fact that GECOM would have needed to train its personnel to use them. “Logistically, it would have been impossible to make in time for Elections Day.” That $100M order is now the subject of an investigation by the Audit Office which decided to make checks a few weeks ago. What was found has raised suspicions and has brought the spotlight down on GECOM, the body tasked with overseeing elections in Guyana. That $100M contract was awarded under questionable circumstances to Mobile Authority, an entity owned by Water Street businessman, Michael Brasse. Brasse’s Mobile and two other businesses, M-Tech Business Solutions and Mibra Trading, were awarded almost $290M in contracts last year. He supplied toners, stationery, office equipment, electrical items, Duracell batteries and even furniture, raising suspicions of sole sourcing. From payment records, it appeared that several of the payments could be linked to what is known as contract splitting, an arrangements where contracts are deliberately kept below a certain amount to avoid attracting attention from oversight bodies like the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB). FRIDAY DISCOVERED CESSNAAIRCRAFT HAD FALSE US MARKINGS A Cessna aircraft discovered hidden near a Region Nine airstrip had false registration markings, a top Government official said yesterday. The aircraft was discovered Wednesday morning after security forces received a tipoff the previous day. A team of officials, including army and police ranks, has since taken possession of the aircraft located near the Yupukari airstrip. Yesterday, Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, during the post-Cabinet press briefings, disclosed that the registration on the Cessna plane, N767Z, appeared to be false. This was verified by aviation investigators who confirmed that there is an aircraft currently flying in the US that bore the same registration, Harmon disclosed. According to the Minister, the aircraft was found partly hidden in bushes, and covered in a camouflage net. Subsequently, a team comprising officials from the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) and the Guyana Police Force (GPF), immediately began an investigation. Harmon noted that the area is one that is heavily patrolled by security forces. The ranks have an excellent relationship with the communities in that area, he said. Region Nine borders Brazil with mining, cattle rearing and farming taking place there. The Minister added that Yupukari and its surrounding areas have had regular and constant surveillance. Hinting that there is a suspicion that the plane is involved in the drug trade, the Minister disclosed that another airstrip not very far from Yupukari is a favourite for operators. Investigators are now trying to determine if the plane had cargo and what exactly it was

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It was clear that attempts were made to hide the plane because of the shrubs and other materials used to shield it from prying eyes. fetching, if anything. According to Harmon, the plane could not have been there long as the area is heavily patrolled. Pit-bulls kill one, injure two A Leonora, West Coast Demerara (WCD) woman ran from her home early yesterday after her four pit bulls ran out of the yard and killed a man before attacking two others in the village. When this newspaper visited the scene early yesterday, two police ranks were observed waiting in front of the house for the arrival of the pit bulls’ owner, Marceline Small, the wife of Jarvis Small, who was sentenced to 96 years in prison for the 2010 murder of Neesa Gopaul. Up to press time, ranks failed to locate the woman. Small had locked the pit-bulls in a kennel before leaving her home, preventing the police from getting access to the dogs. Calls to the acting Divisional Commander, Leslie James, for a comment on the way forward went unanswered. According to reports, the dogs ran out of the gate which was left opened late Wednesday night and created havoc in the village. The victims were attacked some time between 03:00 hrs and 06:00 hrs yesterday. The body of the dead man was discovered shortly after 06:00 hrs with bite marks. Villagers identified the dead man as “Boxers,” a vagrant who would wonder the streets. They believed that he was killed while sleeping on the street, a couple of houses from Small residence. The injured persons have been identified as Wilmark Adams, a GUYSUCO worker of Cornelia Ida and Ramanand Bhikam, a security guard of Stewartville, West Coast

Demerara (WCD). Both men were bitten on the legs. According to Adams, he was riding to work when the four dogs rushed out of the yard and attacked him, forcing him to defend himself for more than an hour, armed with only a piece of wood. Adams said that the wood did not scare the dogs away. He said that he screamed for help but no one came to his rescue. “I see they (owner) had a window open and I screaming but no one came. After an hour, a car came and the dogs run back into the yard,” the estate worker said. Adams was taken to the hospital where he then made a report. Meanwhile, around 05:00 hrs, Bhikam was returning home from work when three of the four dogs attacked him. “I see the dogs in the streets but dogs does normally be in that area so I continued and when I reached close, the dogs attacked me. They bite up my food and I pulled a cutlass and chop them,” the guard said. While the dogs were injured, none of them died. According to Bhikam, when the dogs ran back into the yard, he called out for the owner but no one answered. He then made a report to the police at Leonora before heading to the Cottage Hospital there. It was there that he learnt that he was not the only person attacked by the vicious animals. It was while there that both men later learnt that the police picked up a body not far from where they were attacked. One resident who has been identified as Mohan said that neighbours have made numerous reports about the dogs, since it was not the first time the dogs attacked persons. Neighbours said that after the police removed the body, Small got into her vehicle (Continued on page 58) The yard where the dogs ran out from.

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Family Council

Help the

BULLY By Uncle Roy

School for me is a great place, To learn and be with friends, But sometimes things do happen, That can bring this to an end. Some children like to bully, And make fun of fellow students,

Sunday September 18, 2016

And sometimes even cause them harm, That leaves so much discontent. I wonder why they act so badly, They surely must have problems; The answer may be to help them, By showing them you can be their friend. WHILE Rosette was only occupied with smiling and pleasant thoughts, the king, the queen and the princesses Orangine and Roussette were choking with rage. They had all assembled in the queen's apartment. "This is too horrible," said the princesses. "Why did you send for this Rosette, who has such dazzling jewels and makes herself admired and sought after by all these foolish kings and princes? Was it to humiliate us, my father, that you called us to the court at this time?" "I swear to you, my beautiful darlings," said the king, "that it was by the order of the fairy Puissante I was compelled to write for her to come. Besides, I did not know that she was so beautiful and that" "So beautiful!" interrupted the princesses. "Where do you find her so beautiful? She is indeed ugly and coarse. It is her magnificent attire alone which makes her admired. Why have you not given to us your most superb jewels and your richest robes? We have the air of young slovens by the side of this proud princess." "And where could I possibly have found jewels as magnificent as hers? I have none which would compare with them. It is her godmother, the fairy Puissante, who has lent her these jewels." "Why, then, did you summon a fairy to be the god mother of Rosette, when you gave to us only queens for our godmothers?" "It was not your father who called her," cried the queen. "The fairy Puissante herself, without being called, appeared to us and signified that she would be Rosette's godmother."

"It is not worthwhile to spend the time in disputing and quarrelling," said the king. "It is better to occupy ourselves in finding some means of getting rid of Rosette and preventing Prince Charmant from seeing her again." "Nothing easier than that," said the queen. "I will have her despoiled tomorrow of her rare jewels and her beautiful robes. I will order my servants to seize her and carry her back to the farm which she shall never leave again." The queen had scarcely uttered these words, when the fairy Puissante appeared with an angry and threatening air. "If you dare to touch Rosette," said she, with a thundering voice, "if you do not keep her at the palace, if she is not present at all the parties, you shall feel the terrible effects of my anger. You unworthy king and you heartless queen, you shall be changed into toads and you, odious daughters and sisters, shall become vipers. Dare now to touch Rosette!" Saying these words, she disappeared. The king, the queen and princesses were horribly frightened and separated without saying a single word but their hearts were filled with rage. The princesses slept but little and were yet more furious in the morning when they saw their eyes heavy and their features convulsed by evil passions. In vain they used rouge and powder and beat their maids. They had no longer a vestige of beauty. The king and queen were as unhappy and as despairing as the princesses and indeed they saw no remedy for their grief and disappointment.

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Kaieteur News

Sunday September 18, 2016

Poets’

TEEN TIME Whether you are a student returning to finish your schooling, or you have graduated and are now embarked on a career, you can do well to take some time to purposely make an effort to improve your personality so as to achieve your goals in life. There is one method you can use to succeed in this effort, and I strongly advise that you start this course so as to realise your greatest potential, and become the best allround person you can make of yourself. You may know about that part of your personality that is your Intuition. This is the quality that enables you to make spontaneous decisions on the best course for you to follow in any situation without having to consciously thinking about it. But you have to work on it so as to produce the results of what you would like to become. The first step in the development of your intuition or inner wisdom is through reflection, contemplation or meditation. To enable your intuition to work efficiently to guide you towards your purpose and goals, you will need to inform it of the values that you have chosen to serve as your guideposts, such as honesty, Deciding to fairness, willingness to work conscientiously, make the best concern for others and your of yourself is environment. When you the start to consciously consider the succeeding in things that matter to you, and the degree to which this endeavour they do so, you will make

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK

Making Envelopes

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Corner

You Have What It Takes

available that information in a manner clear enough to your inner guide to facilitate its functioning to guide you into the best decisions without you having to keep thinking consciously about these. The way forward is to think clearly and positively about yourself, optimistic about being able to accomplish the most productive life for yourself possible. When you have achieved this clarity of vision and harmony of spirit, whenever you are faced with any situation in which a decision has to be made, you will be guided by a feeling of what is right so you can go boldly forward and make the choices that would produce the best in you and for you.

You have what it takes to succeed -, You have within you everything you need to become anything you want to be, And the zeal to approach your tasks enthusiastically. You have power within you to apply yourself energetically; You have wisdom within you to wisely take the necessary steps to your good; You have all within you to answer the call to be whatever you want to be; You have imagination within you to see in your mind what you want manifested; You have love within you to be loving in all your methods and ways; You have life within you to pursue the happiness that is your birthright; You have strength within you to hold and pursue true and lofty ideas; You have intelligence within you to renounce every bad thought and action; You have faith within you to fulfil your destiny and make the best of yourself.

Step 1: Gather supplies! A straight edge, exacto knife, bone folder (optional), glue stick, click here to download the printout, and tape (optional). Step 2: Cut out the envelope by using the black line as a guide. It is best to keep the knife inside the guide, just so no black peeks through. Step 3: Fold four lines from corner to corner. For best results, use a bone folder. Glue the edges to the inside of the back flap. Step 4: Gather leaves, and press them in between wax paper and some heavy books for a few days. You're ready to go! It's the perfect way to brighten up the mail this fall.

Fill in the missing numbers across and down using only the digits given above the diagram. Each of the given digits will be used only once. Always perform the mathematical operations in order from left to right and from top to bottom.

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Kaieteur News

Sunday September 18, 2016

country profile

Sierra Leone Aditi goes Mila Kunis' way

P

ost Mila Kunis, Aditi Rao Hydari to be the face of a global campaign for an international jewelry brand. Aditi, who's known for her timeless beauty and delicate looks has been roped in to be the face of the global campaign for a leading international jewelry brand. This international brand, that is known for its heritage designs and heirloom jewellery has a special campaign designed, celebrating the bond b e t w e e n d i ff e r e n t g e n e r a t i o n s grandparents and their grandchildren. Having been someone who's always credited her mom and grandma for shaping her into who she is today, She also owns some beautiful heirloom jewellery passed on to her by her grandmother.

Aditi is known as the free and independent girl who is also very rooted and connected to her family and heritage.The brand felt that she was a perfect connect for their global campaign given her timeless beauty, her heritage and deep knowledge about heirloom jewellery. Interestingly, Hollywood actor Mila Kunis was the face of their previous international campaign and this time it's Aditi who's taking over for their new campaign. Both Aditi and Mila are known for their grace and stunning yet dainty looks and thus fit the brief perfectly to take the baton ahead from the Hollywood stunner. Aditi will be soon seen in an ad film for the brand showcasing the irreplaceable bond between a young girl and her grandmother.

Sierra Leone, a country in West Africa, has a special significance in the history of the transatlantic slave trade as the departure point for thousands of west African captives. The capital, Freetown, was founded as a home for repatriated former slaves in 1787. But the country's modern history has been overshadowed by a brutal civil war that ended in 2002 with the help of Britain, the former colonial power, and a large United Nations peacekeeping mission. Sierra Leone has experienced substantial economic growth in recent years, although the ruinous effects of the civil war continue to be felt. The country is also rich in diamonds and other minerals. The trade in illicit gems, known as "blood diamonds" for their role in funding conflicts, perpetuated the civil war. The government has attempted to crack down on cross-border diamond trafficking and to persuade foreign investors that blood diamonds are a thing of the past.

Ernest Bai Koroma won a second and final term as president of Sierra Leone in November 2012, in the first elections the country has held without UN supervision since the end of the civil war in 2001. His convincing win in the first round over main contender and former military ruler Julius Maada Bio confirms Sierra Leone's transition from failed state to democracy with a fast-

serving the maximum two permitted consecutive terms.

Media freedom in Sierra Leone has its limits; media rights monitors say highlevel corruption is a taboo topic, with officials using libel laws to target errant journalists. Challenges facing broadcasters include unreliable power supplies,

growing economy, although the president still faces the challenge of widespread poverty. President Koroma, an insurance broker by profession, has pursued freemarket policies and encouraged foreign investment to rebuild the damage caused by the civil war. His predecessor, Ahmad Tejan Kabbah of the nowopposition Sierra Leone People's Party, ended the war by inviting in first Nigerian and then British troops to drive out rebel groups. He stepped down in 2007 after

poor funding and low advertising revenues. There are dozens of radio stations, most of them privately owned. A national public broadcaster, the Sierra Leone Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC), was formed in 2010 by a merger of the former state-run broadcaster and a UN radio network. Dozens of newspapers are published in Freetown, despite low literacy levels. Most of them are privatelyrun and are often critical of the government.

MEDIA

FACTS Full Name: Republic of Sierra Leone Capital: Freetown Population: 6.1 million Area: 71,740 sq km (27,699 sq miles) Languages:English, Krio (Creole language derived from English) and a range of African languages Major religions: Islam, Christianity Life expectancy: 48 years (men), 49 years (women) UN, World Bank LEADER President Ernest Bai Koroma

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Kaieteur News

Alocclusions - crooked teeth By Dr. Neromini Fagu Occlusion in dental terms refers to how your teeth are aligned in your mouth. Ideally, your teeth should fit easily in your mouth without any crowding or spacing issues. Also, none of your teeth should be rotated or twisted. Abnormalities from ideal occlusion are known as malocclusion which translates to “bad bite”. Your bite refers to the way your top and bottom teeth fit together when you close your mouth such as in chewing or biting. For a normal bite, the top set of teeth slightly overlaps the lower teeth and there are no crowding, spacing or rotating issues. Causes of Malocclusion The most common cause of malocclusion is genetics, meaning that it is usually an inherited condition which can be passed down from one generation to the next. However, some conditions or habits may also change the shape and structure to the jaw leading to malocclusions and these include: · Thumb sucking in early childhood · Frequent use of a pacifier after the age of three · Prolonged use of bottle feeding in early childhood · Development of abnormally shaped or impacted teeth · Premature extraction of baby teeth causing bad alignment of adult teeth · Serious injuries that result in the misalignment of the jaw · Cleft lip and palate · Tumors in the mouth or jaw

· Improperly fitting dental fillings, crowns, or braces · Airway obstruction (mouth breathing), potentially caused by allergies or by enlarged adenoids or tonsils Symptoms of Malocclusion Depending on the classification of malocclusion, the symptoms of the disorder may be mild or severe and may include: · Improper alignment of the teeth · Discomfort when chewing or biting · Frequent biting of the inner cheeks or tongue · Speech problems, including the development of a lisp · Alteration in the appearance of the face · Breathing through the mouth rather than the nose Diagnosing Malocclusions Orthodontists are dental specialists who are trained to diagnose and treat malocclusions. The orthodontist will conduct an exam and carry out dental x-rays to determine if your teeth are properly aligned. Malocclusion was first classified by Edward Angle, the father of modern orthodontics, into three major classes. Class 1 malocclusion is diagnosed when the upper teeth overlap the lower teeth. In this type of malocclusion, the bite is normal and the overlap is slight. Class 1 malocclusion is the most common classification of malocclusion. Class 2 malocclusion is diagnosed when a severe overbite is present. This condition is known as retrognathism and indicates that the upper teeth and jaw significantly

overlap the lower teeth and jaw. Class 3 malocclusion is diagnosed when there’s a severe underbite. This condition is called prognathism and occurs when the lower jaw protrudes forward causing the lower teeth to overlap the upper teeth and jaw. Treatment of Malocclusion Treatment will depend on the type of malocclusion you have. Most people with mild malocclusionwill not require any treatment. For severe conditions your dentist will refer you to an orthodontist. If the condition is treated early in childhood it may take less time and be less expensive. If treated in adulthood,

treatment it will generally be more expensive and take longer. Some of the various treatment methods include: · Removal of teeth to correct overcrowding · Braces to correct the position of the teeth · Reshaping, bonding, or capping of teeth ·Wires or plates to stabilize the jaw bone ·Surgery to reshape or shorten the jaw Unfortunately, preventing malocclusion is difficult because it is mostly an inherited condition but early detection may help to reduce the severity of treatment needed. Parents of young children need

to look at habits like pacifier use and thumb sucking which contribute to the condition. Also, children should practice good oral hygiene at a young age to avoid premature extraction of their baby teeth. For more information contact OMNI DENTAL at 295 Quamina Street, Georgetown Tel: 227-0025, Parika Tel: 260-3133 or send emails to nerominifagu @hotmail.com.

Dr. Neromini Fagu

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Kaieteur News

Sunday September 18, 2016

(From page 45) and drove away. Shortly after, her brother went to the house and was eventually taken into custody. When the police left, neighbours claimed that the woman’s father visited the house and washed the blood off the dogs and then penned them. GUYSUCO TO PLANT RICE ON 485 ACRES AT WALES ESTATE -PILOT PROJECT TO HELP DIVER SIFICATION PROGRAMME, SAYS CEO The Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) is moving to convert 485 acres of lands at Wales Estate to plant rice. The move, according to Chief Executive Officer, Errol Hanoman, is part of a bigger programme of diversification by the cashstrapped Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo). In an ‘Invitation For Bids’ advertisement published by the Guyana Chronicle yesterday, GuySuCo, through its Engineering Services Department, LBI, said that it wanted proposals that will see the clearing of 485 acres (206.3 hectares) at the Wales Estate. GuySuCo said that lands were used to plant cane which were taken out of cultivation. “Lands are required to be cleared of all vegetation to facilitate laser land leveling for rice cultivation,” the advertisement disclosed. GuySuCo asked that bidders assemble at the Administration Building, Wales Estate this afternoon, from 14:00hrs for a site visit. The planting of rice would be a major shift in the way the country’s sugar company is doing its business. GuySuCo last experimented with rice planting in the 1980s, explained Hanoman. Hanoman said that as was announced, the entire Wales Estate, West Bank Demerara, will be taken out of cultivation- about 7,000 acres of it. A number of private cane farmers in the Canal Polders area have opted to remain in the business, but quite a number of them have decided to convert to rice and other crops. “Yes, this pilot project of the 485 acres is part of GuySuCo’s diversification

GuySuCo’s CEO, Errol Hanoman

Seated from left are FATF’s Senior Policy Analyst, Kevin Vandergrift; ARRG Assessor, Gonzalo Gonzalez de Lara; President David Granger, Attorney General, Basil Williams; CFATF’s Executive Director, Calvin Wilson and CFATF’s Financial Adviser, Roger Hernandez Force and International Cooperation Review Group (FATF/ICRG) recognises that all of these changes have been achieved in a relatively brief period of time. The disclosures were made yesterday when the group met with President David Granger at the Ministry of the Presidency. The team was accompanied by Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Basil Williams. The visiting delegation included CFATF’s Financial Adviser, Roger Hernandez; CFATF’s Executive Director, Calvin Wilson; and FATF’s Senior Policy Analyst, Kevin Vandergrift. President David Granger reiterated his Government’s commitment to compliance and its importance to Guyana’s security, a Ministry of the Presidency statement said. “We welcome your coming here and the work you are here to do and we look forward to favourable outcomes… We are committed to ensuring that there is full compliance in every respect,” President Granger said. With regards to the political will to comply, the President explained to the visiting team that his Coalition Government is made up of six different political parties, each of which has a firm stance against financial impropriety. He also spoke of the menu of measures that his Administration has taken, in just a little over a year, in keeping with the recommendations of the FATF/CFATF, including the passage of required legislation. He reminded that as a small country with porous borders, Guyana is vulnerable to transnational crimes such as human trafficking and contraband smuggling and as such, the country has been doing its best to tackle these problems within the limit of its resources. In addition, Minister Williams noted that while there is still some resistance to the new measures, the Government has been doing a lot of work to ensure that the population gets a better understanding of the importance of fighting money laundering and the financing of terrorism. Guyana passed new laws this year which called for local financial institutions to put stricter controls in place to ensure dirty money does not enter the banking system.

At a press conference at the Ministry of Finance Board Room, Jordan signed 20 debentures payable to the NIS for an aggregated value of $5.6B. This is also in keeping with the Parliamentary Resolution that mandated the government to provide financial relief to NIS for its misdirected funds. At February 28, 2009, CLICO’s liability to the NIS amounted to $5,482,446,199 for 13 Executive Flexible Premium Annuity (EFPA) Policies with maturity over the period 2009 to 2012. In an effort to prevent the loss of benefits to the NIS contributors and beneficiaries, Parliament approved Resolution No.82 of 2009, dated March 12, 2009 which called upon the then Government to secure the investments made in CLICO by the NIS. Subsequent to Resolution 82 of 2009, on September 10, 2010, CLICO was placed into liquidation by the High Court. On November 22, 2011, in keeping with the Government’s decision, the Camp Street CLICO Building was transferred to the NIS at a cost of $600 million, thereby reducing the reconciled amount to $4,882,446,199. By way of a Cabinet decision, approval was granted for the Government to make payments to the NIS through the issuance of 20 Non-negotiable Debentures, to be redeemed annually over a period of 20 years, at a fixed interest rate of 1.5 percent per annum. The first payment of $317,359,002.94 will be made to NIS in January 2017. Clico Life and General Insurance Company (South America) Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of CL Financial Limited, a company incorporated in Trinidad and Tobago. The Company was placed under judicial

management on February 25, 2009 and subsequently ordered liquidated on September 10, 2010. The late Central Bank Governor, Lawrence Williams, was appointed as its liquidator. Minister Jordan explained that since the appointment of the liquidator, the then PPPC government committed $3.6 billion received from the CARICOM Petroleum Stabilisation Fund to finance the pay-out to holders of investment annuity policies and other insurance liabilities not in dispute. This was subject to a maximum limit of $30 million per policyholder. MAN CHOPS WIFE, DAUGHTER, DRINKS POISON A Leonora, West Coast Demerara (WCD) man succumbed to poison on Thursday, hours after he chopped his wife and daughter at their Lot 116 Leonora home. Dead is Seewsana Rookmin. The man’s wife, Rookmin (only name given) and their daughter, Salicreen Rookmin were chopped about their bodies. According to information, the trio was involved in an argument during which Seewsana Rookmin armed himself with a cutlass and chopped his wife and daughter. They were immediately rushed to the Leonora Cottage Hospital where they remained in a stable condition. Kaieteur News understands that a few hours after the incident, Seewsana was found under the house with a green substance coming from his mouth. He was taken to the hospital where he succumbed.

programme,” Hanoman disclosed. FATF/CFATF PLEASED WITH GUYANA’S PROGRESS IN SHORT PERIOD A team that is in Guyana to assess progress with the implementation of new antimoney laundering laws is pleased with the steps taken. Assessor from the Americas Regional Review Group (ARRG) Assessor, Gonzalez de Lara, yesterday disclosed that the team is happy with Government’s efforts and the work being done by the various law enforcement agencies. He also said that the Financial Action Task

SATURDAY GOVT. TO THE RESCUE… NIS TO RECOVER $5.6B CLICO INVESTMENT OVER NEXT 20 YEARS –FINANCE MINISTER By: Kiana Wilburg It was a “happy day” for the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) yesterday. Finance Minister, Winston Jordan, made good on Government’s promise to service the debt NIS incurred when it made a reckless investment of over $5B in the now defunct Colonial Life Insurance Company (Guyana) Limited (CLICO).

Finance Minister, Winston Jordan hands over a copy of the Agreement to NIS General Manager, Doreen Nelson

Sunday September 18, 2016

CONSUMER CONCERNS

LITERACY ENHANCES LIFE - ECONOMICALLY, CULTURALLY, SOCIALLY By PAT DIAL September has been designated “Education Month” by the Ministry of Education and it is likely that among the reasons September has been so designated are that the new school year usually begins in this month and secondly, International Literacy Day is marked on September 8, each year. The Ministry of Education, led by its Minister Dr Rupert Roopnaraine, has mounted a comprehensive programme for the month in which Literacy is one element. In this offering, we shall focus on Literacy since Literacy is of primary concern to consumers and indeed the public as a whole. Literacy is often interpreted in Guyana as the ability to sign one’s name, to read and write a short letter and to read some parts of the newspapers. UNESCO’s definition of Literacy is much more realistic and in effect outlines what should be the goal of any programme of Literacy. UNESCO’s definition is “the ability to identify, understand, interpret, create, communicate and compute, using printed and written materials associated with varying context.”To fully elucidate this definition would take up too much space in this short article; we would simply say that the literate person is one who could read and write, understand and assimilate what one has read and be able to use such knowledge in the real world. The person should be able to write in a way that communicates to others. The effects of the absence of Literacy on adults and children are very depressing. In the words of Madame Irina Bokova, the Director-General of UNESCO: “ These women and men are more vulnerable to ill-health, exploitation and human rights abuse. They are more likely to be unemployed and paid less. Unable to read or write, they are held back from their full potential and whole communities are locked into vicious cycles of poverty that lay the conditions for violence and strife.” By the time a child finishes the third grade at school, he/she should be able to read fairly fluently and when he/she goes into the fourth grade, the learning process seriously starts. From there he/she begins the journey to the CXC Examinations and entrance to Tertiary Institutions.Very many children do not master the reading and writing skills of the Third Grade but this tends to be treated as something

not of critical importance since it is assumed that the child would improve with time. The child is promoted to the upper grades and without realizing the cause, he/she begins to find the CXC journey difficult. Many children fail, not because they lack innate capability, but simply they did not master the reading-writing skills at the Third Grade. Most of such children would have had their career to further education and a better economic livelihood tragically ended. This problem of having children successfully clearing the hurdle of literacy in the lower school lies in the hands of parents more than in the hands of the teachers: In the first place, parents must ensure that their children attend school every day. Among poorer parents, for various reasons, this may require some sacrifice on their part, but they must make it. In the second place, parents must encourage their children to read and help them along and realize that they can’t be wholly dependent on the school. The UNESCO Director-General states this succinctly: “In fact, the motivation children have towards reading is strongly affected by beliefs, values, attitudes and the expectations their parents have about Literacy and schooling.” In the third place, parents should introduce their young children to the available library facilities. The librarians at the National Library and its extensions such as the travelling libraries would be happy to guide young children in their reading. (The Guyana Consumers Association has written the Ministry of Education recommending the establishment of public libraries in the various Regions and school libraries.) In the primary schools, the Ministry of Education, the head teachers, and indeed the teaching profession as a whole should give special attention to the second and third grades to ensure that all children become proficient in reading and writing skills. This could be emphasized by the award of certificates from the Minister and by book prizes. Some public recognition could be given to good performers in these grades as is done each year with the highfliers at the CXC. Publicity work should be carried out at the local level to educate the public as to the value of Literacy and the community leaders should be drafted in this effort. Short remedial classes should be organized for adults as this would meet a long-felt need.

Kaieteur News

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Sunday September 18, 2016

Kaieteur News

Health Minister says Jamaica’s implementing 10-year strategic plan

Dr. Christophe Tufton (second left) addressing PAHO conference WASHINGTON - CMC – Jamaica’s Health Minister, Dr. Christopher Tufton, says the Caribbean island is implementing a 10-year strategic plan to improve health and attain its vision of a healthy and stable population. Tufton made the declaration at the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) headquarters here during a presentation on the country’s health situation, priority health issues and needs. Tufton said demographic changes, especially an increase in the elderly population, are likely to increase demand for medical and diagnostic services to manage acute and chronic conditions and increase the need for long-term care. Although Jamaica has high life expectancy of 73.8 years and low infant mortality, currently 19 deaths per 1,000 live births, the country faces rising rates of chronic diseases including heart disease, cancer, and diabetes, “which have become the leading causes of death,” PAHO said. Tufton said physical activity levels are down, and the percentage of Jamaicans who are overweight is up to 26.4 per cent. He said managing the consumption of sugar, salt and fats in the diet is a priority.

The health minister said Jamaica’s 10yearstrategic health plan calls for improvements in health service delivery, the health workforce, health information and governance. He said the challenge of financing these and other needed improvements, including better use of technology for such as telemedicine and electronic patient administration, is “a real one.” With the majority of Jamaica’s 318 government health facilities and 24 hospitals now being over 50 years old, the country also faces the challenge of refurbishing or rebuilding many of these facilities, Tufton said. He said that vector-borne diseases, such as chikungunya and Zika, are affecting people in Jamaica, and that the country has recorded 110 cases and 10 deaths from Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). Tufton said it costs around US$13,000 to treat each patient with GBS, which is linked to Zika virus infections. Although the country does have a vector control programme, “We need greater emphasis on mosquito control,” he said. In health financing, Tufton said Jamaica is developing national health insurance, focusing on compassionate care and expanding charitable contributions.

Sunday September 18, 2016

Kaieteur News

No taxes, no concessions - Finance Minister The uncontrolled manner in which concessions was granted under the former regime is no more. According to Finance Minister, Winston Jordan, no individual or company would be granted concessions if it is not in “good standing” with the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA). The Minister made this comment during his press conference on Friday at the Ministry of Finance. There, Kaieteur News asked the economist to say what policy his government is formulating to prevent the “wild” and “discriminatory” manner in which concessions used to be granted. The concessions which have been granted under Investment Development Agreements (IDA) have been particularly worrying, he said. Jordan said, “In our review, it was found that in many cases there were breaches of various kinds of the laws which state how con-

cessions are to be granted and under what conditions.” The Finance Minister said that he has worked along with GRA, the Guyana Office for Investment (GO-Invest) and the Ministry of Business to create a framework that encapsulates what the law says about concessions and the circumstances under which they can be granted. “So in that sense, it is a most closely watched and examined process. Some persons in the Private Sector complained that there was a sudden slow down. There was, indeed, because of these further measures we had put in place,” the economist said. “Many of them were caught off guard because the law was changed earlier this year which says that no individual or company seeking a concession from the Government can get it if they are in arrears or if they are not in good standing with GRA.” The Finance Minister said that even though an IDA may

Brazilian miner chopped to death at Puruni A 47-year-old Brazilian miner was killed Saturday night, after he was chopped about the body with a cutlass by a man with whom he had an altercation, at Sourie Backdam Puruni. The dead man has been identified as Helio Batista Xavier Neves. Police in a release said that they are investigating the alleged murdered which occurred around 20:00hrs. So far,

investigations have revealed that Xavier had an altercation with another male over some parts for an excavator machine. It is alleged that the suspect armed himself with a cutlass and dealt the now dead man several chops about his body. Xavier was rushed to the Bartica Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival. Police are yet to apprehend the suspect.

Finance Minister, Winston Jordan, be in place for an investor, it does not in any way mean that they should not file on an annual basis, their income tax return. He said, “So if you didn’t file then you are not in good standing. Therefore you cannot get any concession.” The Finance Minister said that during a review of the concessions system, a number of these cases came up where businesses were not in that “kind of good standing.” He said that it became imperative for them to take the necessary corrective action and place themselves in GRA’s “good graces.” Jordan said that what was also worrying was the fact that several cases clearly showed that the concessions granted were not even warranted. The Finance Minister said that while it cannot make the almighty promise that “nothing is escaping the net”, he assured that from now on, there are stricter and tighter controls of concessions.

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SERVICES PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY,ETC.-CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 2161043; 677-6620

SALON - Make-up Courses with Mac, Bare Minerals, etc. - Cosmetology Courses: $120,000 - Technician Course: $45,000. Call: 647-1773/660-5257

Visa Application: U.S.A, C a n a da & UK; Guyana passport application. Graphics design, advertisement. Tel: 6267040; 265-4535. INNOVATIVEMARKETING & PUBLISHING INC –TEL: 600-4212: We create A/ works, logos, business cards, posters, etc, placements of ads included. RAMDASS VISA APPLICATION & immigration services, room A-4, Maraj Building, Georgetown. Call Samantha: 227-0295; 615-9295 A&TTRAVELAGENCYINC: TICKETS GOING VERY CHEAP!! OFFICE IN USA. CALL: 223-1332/ 613-7542/ +1-347-617-7582/EMAIL :OMKARLILIAH@GMAIL. COM Passport, permanent & visitor visa application, Professional Immigrant Consultant – Sabita Immigration Services. Call: 225-6496; 662-6045 Repairs at affordable prices: fridge, air conditioner, washing machines, dryers, TV, microwaves & freezerCall: 610-5846 or 661-8158

TO LET Furnished apartments & rooms for long term and short rental. Call: 668-0306/2181400/694-7817 One bedroom bottom flat located in Great Diamond, E.B.D, single or couple $35,000- Call: 216-0146/ 6858513 Stylish comfortable 2 bedrooms apartment for vocation rental. Web: Airbnb Georgetown, FB: Prestige Property Vocational Rental. Call: 592-678-6690

FOR RENT PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY, ETC. CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620 Vreed-en-Hoop Junction: office, church, storage bond lessons, internet, stationery & photocopy shop, other place -$20,000 per month. Call: 603-6400 Newly renovated three bedrooms top flat @ Pike Street, Blygezight. Telephone and Parking- Call: 601-3268/ 227-2543

VEHICLE FOR SALE Nissan Bluebird 2011 Model, Nissan Tiida Latio 2010 model (reverse camera). Call: 655-3400 3 TON CANTER ENCLOSE AND OPEN BACK WITH 4D ENGINE, PRICE -$3.6M, NEVER REGISTERED – CALL: 617-2891 Unregistered vehicle; Toyota Spacio 2004. Call: 227-5950/681-5470 Toyota Allion PTT series $1.6M- Call: 592-676-4051

Michelle’s Touch of class beauty salon station to rent. Call:226-4388/ 661-0946

Mitsubishi Colt plus –Call: 610- 3746/ 603-5367

Bachelor’s Apartment to rent. Call: 233-0327 from 6:00pm to 9:00pm

One flat tray Nissan Pickup in good condition. Call: 6623997/610-4879

2 Bedroom Apartment in exclusive residential Airport, close to Ogle Airport , with all modern amenities. Call for appointment 622-5725.

A4 Audi -$3.9M, IST-$2.1M, 318i BMW-$2.9M, Fielder$2.1M, Spacio-$2.1M, Forklift-$1.2M. Contact#6500402

Apartments for rent @ Nandy Park; 2 bedrooms $70,000. Call: 227-5194

Unregistered Corolla Fielder 2009, Axela 2011, dark interior, rims, TV, navigator, rear spoiler. Call: 617-5536

2 Bedrooms lower flat @ 2nd Bridge Diamond Housing Scheme -$40,000 negotiable. Call: 647-4195/ 603-4539 One snackette @ Stabroek Market. Call: 687-8783

Toyota Sienta: AC, 17" Mags, sound system, remote start alarm, never work hire, in excellent condition -$1.450M. Call: 619-1047

1-3 Bedrooms house in Grove Housing Scheme, modern convenience, semi-furnished. Call: 266-2911/672-2121 EDUCATIONAL IAE – CXC Jan/June 2017 – full time school; lessons/ classes for students, adults, repeaters & beginners. Call Mr. Roberts: 683-5742

Guytec Repairs Services & Spares to washing machines, pressure washer, dryer, stoves, refrigerator, treadmill, vacuum, etc –Call: 680-2377

Register your child at Hidden Treasures Play School and after class in Reading and much more. Call: 675-4379 PEN PAL

Brian Moe @ 642-3543: Computer Technician: FB/ Brian.Moe.165: Home and Office v i s i t s a t y o u r comfort!!

Business man seeking female for serious relationship, preferably, single mother, no texting & no restricted number. Call: 670-0711

Hair station for rental, convenient location, discounted price for new customers. Call: 638-1106 Upper flat for rent: furnished or unfurnished located in Eccles- Call: 602-8703 Self-contained rooms in Prashad Nagar. Tel: 227-2993 Self contained apartment @Vreed-en-Hoop- Call: 2540453 between 1-6pm. House for rent in Golden Grove, EBD - $65,000. Call:692-8513/ 617-0465 Spacious bottom flat in Prime Business area- Call: 226-1647

LAND FOR SALE 85.6 Acres titled farm land with timber/water access, located @ Loo Creek E.B.D River. Call: 625-8589; (518) 859-5313

Improve your health with Herbal Supplements. Contact Hazel’s Herbal Store. Call: 226-9136 Stop suffering from Diabetes, Hypertension and other sickness, follow me sexual enhancers for men. Call: 645-9528

PROGRESSIVE CAR RENTAL: CARS& SUV FOR RENTAL- $4,000 & UP PER DAY- CALL: 643-5122, 6560087 , EMAIL: PRO_ AUTO RENTAL@YAHOO. COM WINGS CAR & PICKUP RENTAL: LOW DOWN PAYMENT, CHEAP REATES,SPECIAL OFFER FOR THE SUMMER. CALL: 690-6494

CAR RENTAL DOLLY’S CAR RENTALCALL: 225-7126/226-3693 DOLLYSAUTORENTAL@ YA H O O . C O M / W W W. DOLLYSAUTORENTAL.COM AIDAN’S CAR RENTAL: 4WD PICKUP, CHEAPEST RATE & SPECIAL RATE FOR LONG TERM. CALL: 698-7807

PROPERTY FOR SALE Transported property @ Grove and Diamond $16M negotiable. Call: 625-5461

1 Empty land at Zeeburg (transported) -$4M, 1 empty land in La Parfaite Harmonie -$1.3M- Call: 642-1252 Land at Friendship, E.B.D $2.5M per lot. Call: 692-8513/ 617-0465

FOR SALE LARGE QUANTITIES OF HIGH PURITY MERCURY (QUICK SILVER) 99.99995% PURITY$19,000 PER POUND CALL: 592-227-4754.

High value transported land and 2 bedrooms newly built house, Greater Diamond E.B.D -$14M negotiable. Call: 265-4338

Cargo Trawler. Call: 682-8724; 616-5954

Brand new property @ Craig E.B.D 3 rooms, 1 self contained, House: 28X45ft land: 90X50ft -Call: 679-8091 or 718-213-6496

Aluminum heat resistant paint, 2 USA made, 37 KVA transformer, 120-240V, S.Q.D – $350,000 each. Call: 2653541/ 6163411

New Road, WCD: Land 177’X40’, building 15’X36’. Call: 226-9788

Gas/stove range GEAmerican made, stand up freezer, hot dog machine, supermarket mirror. Call: 680-3863

La Parfaite Harmonie, 124 Recht Door Zee, WBD: 2 storey house, 3 bedrooms upstairs, toilet & bath upstairs & downstairs & a guess room. Call: 623-5566 2 (2) Story house in Tuschen (front) - 1 for $23M negotiable, the other one for $20M negotiable. Call: 6421252 One transported land with small house in Tuschen (front) - $3.4M – Call: 6421252 One house and land in La Parfaite Harmonie -$3M. Call: 642-1252 Double lot of land with building @ Festival City Entrance-$30M negotiable. Call: 665-3622/ 610-5437/2256485 Sale & Removal: 1 conventional 1 storey bungalow roof @ Plantation Walk, Vreed-en-Hoop, W.B.D (810.00 sq.ft)- $3M negotiable. Call: 617-1034

LAND IN 11 STREET DIAMOND. CALL: 2253234 FOR SALE ROAD TO BELWASA & A DIP AT THE SANGAM. AVAILABLE @ AUSTIN’S BOOK STORE- TEL: 2267350/7 & AT LATCHMANSINGH DRUG STORE. TEL: 226-5053

Toyota Premio 2008 PSS series with chrome mag rims and remote start, alarm $1.9M. Call: 658-5897/6732692 Brand new fridge, Ashley Furniture, Norditruck Treadmill, washer, dryer, swing and more for one big deal. Call:673-2692/ 658-5897 One “45” feet comp l e t e cabin cruiser, trout seines, excellent condition. Call: 654-2817/648-6815 One new 1000W generator $30,000- Call: 676-1697 Junior Din 1 55ft Fishing boat, 2 Engines, GPS, Compass & 2000 lb seine, price -$4.5M. Call: 676-1363/ 652-5184 Muscovy Ducklings –Call: 602-7203 Baby Chicks for sale – any amount. Berbice-$140, Essequibo- $170, East Bank Demerara-$135. Call:6269589 1 5L Hilux pickup, 1 transported property at Covent Garden E.B.D –Call: 265-3586 1 Flat bottom boat 8HP Yamaha, Banga Mary net, cat guts net -$800,000 negotiable. Call: 600-9770/ 225-9693 2- 250 HP Yamaha outboard engine, 2 Jet Ski boat, 9.9 HP Yamaha outboard engine. Call: 600-9770/ 225-9693

5 Acres coconut and other fruit bearing, no chemical, lease or sale – Demerara River across Timehri docks. Call: 261-2988

7,000 BM Crab wood (rough sand) @ $2.50USD, 1500BM Locust (rough sand) @ $2.50USD. Call: 667-5038

Land at Tuschen Housing Scheme, near school, 3 minutes away from main road. Call: 261-2988

Water tanks, used clothing, living room suites, wares & doors. Please call for any inquiry on: 231-1284

LEARN TO DRIVE

Elevator (good condition), Diesel Generator (23KVA, 110/ 220V). Call: 231-1284; 223-9719

Genuine Yamaha parts for sale from 2HP to 250HP. Call: 670-4056/629-8522

25 Acres transported land, main road to Mahaicony River, suitable 800 – 18 months coconut plants. Call: 221-2075

1 Perkins V8 Turbo Charge 170KVa Generator in working condition, Call 223-7380

CAR RENTAL HEALTH

Sunday September 18, 2016

Kaieteur News

C. Persaud & N. Outar Driving School formerly Soman & Sons Driving School @ Maraj BuildingCall: 644-5166; 622-2872; 6150964; 689-5997 (affordable packages)

Reusable train line iron and H beam. Call Sherwin: 6887256/ 662-2078 XBOX one with Kinect and 3 games also Xbox 360 games- Call: 683-8386

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Sunday September 18, 2016

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Kaieteur News

STANDARDS IN FOCUS

There is a standard for cassava bread As we celebrate Amerindian Heritage Month this September, the focus is on our Amerindian people and the various contributions they have made to our nation. They are known producers of cassava bread for which the CARICOM Regional Organisation for Standard and Quality (CROSQ) has developed a Regional Standard. The”Specification for Cassava Bread” was adopted by the Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) as a National Standard and approved by the National Standards Council. The standard specifies requirements for cassava bread and related products, intended for human consumption, obtained from the processing of bitter cassava. The standard requires that cassava bread be manufactured, packaged,

transported, stored and sold in accordance with the latest edition of the CARICOM Regional Code of Practice for Food Hygiene or other international Codes of Practice. Cassava bread shall be crisp with a uniform texture in appearance. The product s h a l l h a v e a n agreeable flavour, typical of its type and also free from any bitter or unpleasant taste. Cassava bread must be free from fungus or moulds, traces of insect and rodent infestations and rancid flavours or odours. When analysed for contaminants, the product must also be free from lead, cadmium, copper, iron and zinc in amounts which may present a hazard to the health of consumers. In relation to packaging, the standard requires that cassava bread be packaged in such a way as to protect

the product from breakage. Materials used inside of the package shall be new, clean and of such quality so as to avoid external or internal damage to the product. In addition, containers shall not impart a n y t o x i c substance, undesirable odour or flavour to the product. Labelling as a requirement of the standard is also very important, particularly if cassava bread is produced for sale. A batch or lot number shall be included in the label, together with an expiry date in the form of a “Best Before” or “Use By” indicating the last date on which the manufacturer can be sure that the product will be acceptable. Finally, the standard includes procedures for sampling of cassava bread, the determination of moisture content, determination of ash

yield by incineration and the detection of cyanogenic glycosides. The standard specification for cassava bread can be acquired by manufacturers from the GNBS, especially those manufacturers inclined to sell and export their products in the CARICOM Region. Through conformance to the requirements of the standard, our indigenous people can move beyond making cassava bread for personal consumption; organized production and promotion of cassava bread that comply with the available CARICOM standard can make the product a significant revenue earner. For further information, please contact the GNBS on telephone numbers: 2190065, 219-0066 or visit the GNBS website: www.gnbsgy.org or facebook/gnbsgy

Police witnesses testifies in Travis Rudder murder PI From page 8 Mangru is representing the prosecution. The testimonies of both policemen were suspended until September 28. E a r l i e r t h i s y e a r, Johnson, a pork knocker, was committed to stand trial in the High Court for the murder of Gladson George, 32, who was killed on April 22, 2015 at Agricola Public Road, East Bank Demerara. George, called ‘Brother’, 32, of Brutus Street, Agricola, was pronounced dead at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), minutes after he received two bullets to the head while he was sitting in a minibus. The

man had just joined the bus and from all indications, his killer was trailing him and waited for the opportunity to strike. Magistrate Latchman had ruled that a Prima Facie case was made out against the accused based on evidence led by Police Prosecutor Vishnu Hunt. Police Sergeant Michael Ramdass, who is stationed at the Felix Austin Police College, w a s t h e p r o s e c u t i o n ’s main witness. Johnson is well known to law enforcement authorities. His criminal career dated way back to 2009, when he faced multiple charges; including

murder, attempt murder and robbery under-arms. H o w e v e r, J o h n s o n w a s not convicted on the charges. He was tried and freed in the High Court for the 2009 murder of Brendon Charles, whose body was found in a yard a short distance from his Kaneville, East Bank Demerara residence. Meanwhile, Rudder was accused of the March, 2007 murder of his 17-year-old exgirlfriend Donnis King, who was shot in the stomach at her Bagotstown, East Bank Demerara home. Rudder was arrested some six months after the killing, but was found not guilty in 2011.

From page 28

WANTED Electrician for wiring elevator sequences- Call:227-1830 One domestic worker and one cashier to work in Trinidad. Call or text 1868683 1528

VACANCY Cashiers for supermarketCall: 624-0033, salesgirls – Call: 624-0033, Pump attendants –Call: 680-3863 Heavy Duty Diesel Mechanic to work @ mining site, age 25-45, 3 yrs experienced. Apply @ Technical Services, 18-23 Eccles Industrial Site

Site, safety & electrical engineer- experienced need, age 25-45, very good salary & conditions. Call: 261-2280; 261-2280; 697-4344 One female office/sale clerk to work in Vreed-en-Hoop (W.B.D), email application to roytech@gmail.com Cook/baker for the Interior location, applicants must be experienced. Call: 618-2020 Salesgirl/cashier @ New Market Street- Call: 638-1106 Welder – apply in person at Alabama Trading Georgetown Ferry Stelling, Stabroek.

From page 26 door. None of them appeared to be happy to see me. The man wanted to know what I wanted. He then told me in no uncertain terms that the child had died and as far as the family was concerned, the matter was finished. I was flabbergasted. Was this the same family that had staged that fiery protest over the driver’s release? Was this the same family that had greeted me with smiles the first time? Was this the same mother who had told me of breaking down in tears at the sight of a school bus? Of her daily trauma of living near to the spot where

her little daughter was killed? I informed him that I had called the Meten-Meer-Zorg residence where the accused driver had stayed. I let him know that a woman who answered had told me that the victim’s family had been compensated. I asked him if this was true. He ignored the question, and repeated that the child was dead a n d t hey were finished with the matter. I later learnt that the family collected a pittance as compensation. On my trip back to Georgetown, I reflected on how angry I had been at those callous drivers, how furious I was at the apparent indifference by the police to

locate them. I still am angry at them. But, for me, the reluctance of family members to relentlessly pursue those who have killed their loved ones, is the most cruel twist of all… If you have any information about other unusual cases, please contact Kaieteur News at our Lot 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown location. We can be reached on telephone numbers 225-8465, 225-8491 or 225-8473. You need not disclose your identity. You can also contact Michael Jordan at his email a d d r e s s mjdragon@hotmail.com

FOR SALE Reconditioned appliances: double door fridge -$45,000 up, washer & dryer -$30,000 up -3 months warranty – Call: 661-5099

Experienced Drivers, cashiers, Roti/Puri cook, cleaners. Apply @ Hack’s Halaal with written application, 5 Commerce Street. Factory workers from 18yrs and older with working experienced for more information. Call: 223-0090

Welder/fabricators to work @ mining site, age 25-45, 3 yrs experienced. Apply @ Technical Services, 18-23 Eccles Industrial Site

MURDERED: Travis Rudder Sr.

WANTED

Ramnarine Mining Enterprise: welders, operators & labourers –Call: 679-0550/ 624-0501 One professional seamstress, apply within Roxie’s Fashion, 301 Church Street, South Cummingsburg, Georgetown. Call: 227-8538

TAXI SERVICE GR TAXI SERVICE. CALL: 219-5000; 227-1982 & 2257878 (24HRS)

Receptionist, desk staffs (male) between 25-45yrs apply within 233 South Road, Lacytown. Call: 225-0198 Straight Stitch/over edge sewing machine operators – Call: 222-2541 8:00am4:00pm, Mon-Fri We buy A&B grade hardwood, we accept the best offers. Call: 658-5897/ 673-2692 Cashiers, Cooks & Cleaners; call 226-9000 or 225-6255 for more info. We buy land in La Parfaite Harmonie, Eccles, Providence, Herstelling & Farm. (title only). Call: 6585897/673-2692 1 Male able bodied clerk. Call: 616-5954 Driver & Security wantedCall: 225-7417 Live in waitresses to work in bar– Call:692-4649/604-6606 Female worker wanted sound secondary education, computer literateTel: 622-5518 1 Entertainment manager to work at Hotel in Charity, experience will be asset- Call: 226-9768/ 698-7083 1 Bartender, 1 waitress, 1 maid, 1 snackette attendant to work at Hotel in Charity, preferably from Essequibo – Call: 226-9768/ 698-7083 Driver/ expeditor to work with mining firm in Georgetown, must have car/van and lorry license- Call: 226-9768/6987083 Driver & Porter must have lorry license to deliver water at Nimbus Water System. Tel # 231-7002/ 622-0445 Land to buy in Uitvlugt, Zeelugt, Tuschen and La Parfaite Harmonie. Best price offered! Call: 642-1252 Responsible hire car drivers and contract cars- Call: 2317475

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GWI’s boss, Board clash over questionable procurement, management style Managing Director of the Guyana Water Inc., Dr. Richard Van West Charles, is facing pressure at the entity over a number of issues, including accusations of sole sourcing and a poor management style. Last week, the board met on a motion by Chairman Nigel Hinds, to send him on leave pending a full investigation into alleged abuse of authority and possible practice of favoritism at the water company. However, the Board decided not to accept the motion. Instead, the board approved an amended motion that will see a number of meetings set for tomorrow with senior staffers and the board. The Managing Director was recently under fire for hiring a two-time US convicted person, Lear Goring, to manage its Debt Recovery Unit. The board later ended the services of Lear Goring, saying he was unqualified for the job. A number of senior staffers have given statements to the board raising questions about decisions by the Managing Director. For example, he allegedly approved an $11M contract for the supply of jerry cans in August to his neighbour in Meadowbrook Gardens. A full investigation was carried out with a number of procurement breaches cited. He was also accused of bypassing established procedures, by going out and hiring a number of officials to key positions. There were also a number of procurement breaches cited. Van West Charles reportedly took a

GWI’s chief, Dr. Richard Van West Charles GWI’s Chairman, Nigel Hinds questionable decision to shift GWI”s Internal Audit Department to another location away from the Vlissengen Road headquarters. On one occasion, he reportedly demanded the keys to boxes that had tender documents secured inside. However, he was refused and later allegedly abused the staffers. There were also several instances of consultants being hired to do work on GWI’s ICT network but proper procurement procedures were not followed. The tension between the Managing Director and the Board has attracted the attention of the Ministry of the Presidency with Minister of Communities, Ronald Bulkan, who has responsibilities for the water sector. Recently GWI retracted a

claim by Van West Charles that the entity collected $1.8B in arrears over the past year. The Managing Director was out of the country. The official came under public scrutiny recently when it became known he was a director of Atlantic Fuels Inc., a company that was granted a fuel import licence late last year. Van West Charles, the son-in-law of former President Forbes Burnham and a onetime Minister of Health, denied that he ever used his office to get the licence. The company is linked to prominent businessman, Alfro Alphonso. Contacted over the weekend, Board Chairman, Nigel Hinds, admitted that a motion to send the Managing Director on leave was tabled last week but it was amended to now see a number of meetings with staffers to gauge the morale of GWI, among other things. He said that matter is engaging Minister Bulkan.

Sunday September 18, 2016

Kaieteur News

Venezuela summit draws few leaders in blow to Maduro MARGARITA ISLAND, Venezuela (Reuters) - Only a handful of leaders has traveled to a meeting of a large Cold War-era bloc in Venezuela this weekend, in an embarrassment for the crisis-hit socialist government. Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro has touted the 17th meeting of the NonAligned Movement as one that would “be remembered for centuries,” as the unpopular leftist seeks to bolster his international legitimacy. Yet turnout has paled compared to past meetings, including the previous summit in Iran in 2012, attended by some 35 heads of state. The half-century old movement formed by nations wanting to avoid aligning with the United States or Soviet Union has dwindled in relevance over the years. But it appears that heads of states’ attendance at the summit in recessionstricken Venezuela is particularly low, perhaps even in single figures, although the government did not respond to a request for a list of attendees. Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe, Iran’s Hassan Rouhani and Palestine’s Mahmoud Abbas, as well as regional allies from Cuba, Ecuador and Bolivia are among the few heads of states who have landed on the Caribbean island. Venezuela’s opposition, vying to remove Maduro in a recall referendum, has jumped on low attendance as a sign of his isolation. “Millions of dollars of Venezuelans’

Nicolas Maduro money spent for the government’s ego,” said opposition leader Henrique Capriles. “Many of the countries didn’t come to the show!” In one glaring absence, co-founder and key member India did not send Prime Minister Narendra Modi, only the second time the country’s head of state has missed a summit since its 1961 founding. Venezuela is undergoing a major economic crisis that has sparked worsening food shortages and triple-digit inflation.

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Syria says U.S.-led jets hit its Canada’s Trudeau sees potential troops, dozens reported killed for stronger ties with China Members of the civil defense rescue children after what activists said was an air strike by forces loyal to Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad in al-Shaar neighbourhood of Aleppo. REUTERS/Sultan Kitaz

Reuters - U.S.-led coalition forces bombed Syrian troops near Deir al-Zor airport yesterday, the Syrian army said, allowing Islamic State fighters to briefly overrun their position and putting new strains on a ceasefire in effect elsewhere in the country. The United States military said it had ceased air strikes against what it had believed

to be Islamic State positions after Russia informed it that Syrian military personnel and vehicles may have been hit. The ceasefire, which took effect on Monday, is the most significant peacemaking effort in Syria for months but has been undermined by repeated accusations of violations on both sides and by a failure to bring humanitarian

aid to besieged areas. Russia, along with Iran and Arab Shi’ite militias backs President Bashar alAssad, while some of the Sunni rebels seeking to unseat him are supported by the United States, Turkey and Gulf Arab states. All those warring parties are also sworn enemies of the Islamic State jihadist group, whose territory extends along the Euphrates valley from the Iraqi border, including around Deir al-Zor, up to land near Syria’s frontier with Turkey. In its sixth year, the conflict has cost hundreds of thousands of lives, displaced half of Syria’s pre-war population, prompted a refugee crisis in the Middle East and Europe and inspired a wave of jihadist attacks across the world. Yesterday’s air strikes were reported by Russia and a war monitor to have killed dozens of Syrian soldiers, and were said by Moscow to be evidence of what it called Washington’s “stubborn refusal” to coordinate strikes with Damascus.

Reuters - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, speaking days after a Canadian man was released from prison in China, said yesterday there was “tremendous potential” for stronger and more stable ties with the Asian country. Trudeau won a diplomatic coup last week after China deported Kevin Garratt, who had been detained for two years on allegations of spying. The release came shortly after Trudeau’s official visit to China earlier this month and ahead of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang’s arrival in Canada next week. Asked whether Canada is open to more

investment from China, which is seeking a free trade deal with Canada and more relaxed investment rules, Trudeau said there was scope for closer ties. “What we have demonstrated (with the official visits) is that there is tremendous potential for a stronger, more stable relationship with China than there has been for Canada in the past,” he told reporters on the sidelines of a global health conference. Garratt, who was arrested in 2014, was charged in January with spying and stealing state secrets, convicted on Tuesday, released on bail and then deported to Canada on Thursday.

Global Fund collects almost $13 bn to fight AIDS, malaria and TB Montreal (AFP) - Donors pledged nearly $13 billion yesterday in the fight to eradicate AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria by 2030, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced at an international conference. “It is my great honour to announce that for the fifth replenishment conference for the Global Fund to end AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, we have reached our goal together,” he said at the close of the donors’ meeting.

“We have raised almost $13 billion, and in doing so, we have saved eight million lives.” Trudeau hosted the conference, which was attended by several heads of states as well as UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, Microsoft founder and philanthropist Bill Gates, and pop singer Bono — who co-founded the nonprofit group ONE, which works to reduce poverty and disease in Africa. The U2 frontman praised world leaders for coming together to make “the single largest multilateral investment in a global health project in human history.” “We can deliver a knockout punch to three of the deadliest killers of our time, and today’s accomplishment makes that possible,” he said. Created as a public-private initiative, the Global Fund has

so far spent $30 billion on programmes to fight the three deadly diseases around the world, with most going to Africa. It has been credited with helping to save 22 million lives and preventing 300 million infections over the past decade as it pursues a UN target of eradicating AIDS by 2030 and the other diseases even sooner. But it needed to raise another $13 billion to fund its operations over the next three years through 2019. The United States, which has provided nearly a third of the total funding so far, pledged an additional $4.3 billion. The second-largest donor, Britain, pledged $1.4 billion, followed by France ($1.2 billion), Germany ($900 million), Japan ($800 million) and Canada ($600 million).

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Second restaurant celebrating Bolt’s success opens in Jamaica OCHO RIOS, Jamaica, CMC-A second restaurant celebrating the success of sprint super star Usain Bolt has opened in Jamaica. The restaurant, located in Ocho Rios on the north coast tourist belt, was opened Wednesday to a large gathering which included officials and celebrities. Jamaica’s sports Minister Olivia Grange has applauded Bolt on the opening and says she is confident that the Usain Bolt Tracks and Records franchise will play a major part in promoting

Jamaica’s sport, music and cuisine. “It is always a great recipe that uses three of our country’s best ingredients – sports, music and food,” Grange told the opening. “But when we then add Usain Bolt and the beautiful Ocho Rios to the mix, then ‘everything sell off’.” Tracks & Records is being promoted as the first to solely focus on Bolt, a triple Olympic gold medalist and Jamaican legend who is recognized throughout the world.

Operated by the KLE Group, the flagship franchise was opened in Kingston eight years ago. “You all have what it takes to succeed in this very competitive business,” the sports minister told Bolt and the franchise owners. “I wish you nothing but success as you continue to prosper and share this authentic Jamaican cultural experience with the world”. This new venue is expected to be a major attraction for tourists and locals alike.

Sunday September 18, 2016 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) You will have to make changes in order to eliminate the tension. Keep busy and let them fume while you're not around. Try not to be too aggressive or judgmental when talking to your mate.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) One of your female friends may try to disrupt your day. Stand up for your rights. Coworkers may not be on your side. Use your high energy and dynamic approach to win favors from superiors.

TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20) You will be a real chatterbox today. Don't let anyone take credit for a job you did. Either way, you're up for a passionate encounter with someone special.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) You should regain some of your self esteem if you get involved in organizational functions. Some time spent with that special someone should be your intent. You can make major gains professionally by completing projects on time.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20) You may exaggerate your emotional situation. Try to have patience and refrain from being judgmental. You should be able to make major career gains if you plan your intentions carefully. CANCER (June 21–July 22) Opportunities may come up at prestigious affairs. Take time to visit someone who has been confined due to illness. LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) Losses are likely if you have left your financial affairs in other people's hands. Try a barbecue or a day at the beach. Look into projects that you feel would contribute something to your appearance. VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Sudden trips may take you by surprise; try to include your mate, mixing business with pleasure. Problems with financial investments could make you nervous. Don't believe everything you hear.

SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) If you are not already, think about going into business for yourself. You may find yourself in the limelight for the wrong reasons. Family responsibilities are escalating. CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) Don't allow colleagues to put unreasonable pressure on you. Don't hesitate to sign up for lectures or seminars that will enlighten you. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20–Feb. 18) You'll find it easy to deal with government agencies or large institutions. This is a great day to start that new health regimen you've been talking about. PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Today will be rather hectic on the domestic scene. Sooner or later your partner will have had enough. Don't back down but don't ignite the situation.

Bolt speaking at the opening of the Ocho Rios franchise.(picture courtesy loop)

Aeron Jamaludeen... (From page 70) 7 overs bowled. No. 64 had reached 19 for 4. The UCCA has since launch an investigation into the matter since there was time for a reduced overs match. The match was awarded to No. 72 Cut and Load.

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GCB Jaguars 3-day League

Day two washed out at Tuschen hurts W/Dem Moore wants more than 3 points today By Sean Devers Thunderous overnight rain left the Northern Boundary at the Tuschen ground on the East Bank of Essequibo water logged yesterday forcing the Umpires call off play for the second consecutive day without a ball being bowled in the GCB Jaguars threeday Franchise cricket League between West Demerara and Upper Corentyne. Unless today produces the most dramatic day ever in local cricket, both are assured of three points for the predictable draw, but West Demerara’s Coach Julian Moore wants more.

The sun was out by Lunch and the ground staff is confident that if it did not rain yesterday afternoon or last night into this morning, play could start at 09:30hrs today. Moore said his team was very disappointed that two entire days have been lost due to unpredictable weather at a venue hosting only its second ‘big’ game after tournament leaders and 50over Champions, Lower Corentyne beat Essequibo there in the opening stanza. “We are presently second on the points table and were really looking to continue stacking up our points. So yes, we are very disappointed not to have any

play here so far. But there is little we can do about the weather,” said Moore, a former Berbice and Guyana youth team batsman. We s t D e m e r a r a rebounded from defeat against East Coast to rattle up a win against East Bank at Everest. They then enjoyed an emphatic two-day win against West Berbice, skittled out for 34 before Raymon Reifer’s century finished off the job. With 42 points coming into this round, Moore said that with three rounds to play after today and with little predictability in the weather pattern, West Demerara were eager for every point available to vie for the

inaugural title. “While many would think that starting a threeday match on the last day with a result almost impossible is meaningless. Tomorrow (today) is very important for us. We are keeping our fingers crossed that there is no rain tonight (last night) and we could get both batting and bowling p o i n t s t o d a y, ” M o o r e disclosed. While there are no points for first innings lead, a team can get a maximum of five batting points for making 450 runs in their first 110 overs of the first innings with a point rewarded for each increment of 50 runs scored after 200.

Julian Moore

A maximum of three bowling points are awarded, with a point being earned for 3-5 wickets, one more for 68 wickets and another for 910 wickets in 110 overs of the first innings. Every wicket taken by a fast bowler earns the team .1 of a point. The West Demerara team includes First-Class left-arm Bajan all-rounder Reifer, fast bowling all-rounder Romario Shepherd, U-19 off-spinner Richie Looknauth and Guyana U19 Captain Travis Persaud. Persaud should be under

investigation for alleged poor conduct during this year’s under-19 tournament in St Vincent. Manager David Black has already submitted his report and a debriefing held. If Persaud is found guilty of misconduct, he could miss We s t D e m e r a r a ’s remaining matches in the League which would be a major loss for the team since he is one of their best batsmen. Upper Corentyne sits at bottom of the points table and are no longer in the title race.

Cuba, the only Olympic medalist to play at the National Sports Hall, May 1977 Statistician Charwayne Walker recollects today that the only time an O lympic medal w inning country graced the floors of the N a t i o n a l S p o r t s Hall was May 1977 when the 1972 Olympic Bronze Medalist Cuba National Team trounced Guyana three nil. The Cuban star players were Luis Calderon, Angel Padron, Alfred Fenti Spencer and Florian Ferrer. The Guyanese hero of the series was Raven’s Aubrey Chalmers, who finished the three match series with an aggregate of 55 points averaging 18.3 points per game. His 31 points in Game Two was the highest score of the series. Chalmers received admirable support from skipper Mike Brusche, Orin Cumberbatch, Compton Hinds and the Fitzalbert brothers Melroy and Merton. Eon ‘Watusti’ Andrews was in his debut series. Game one Venue: National Sports Hall Result: Cuba won 72 to 43. Olympic star Luis Calderon top scored with a

game high 22 pts, Angel Padron 14 pts, Alfredo Fenti Spencer 10 pts. Aubrey Chalmers top scored for Guyana with 14 pts, Orin Cumberbatch 13 pts. Game Two Venue: National Sports Hall Result: Cuba won thriller 74 to 72. Luis Calderon 21 pts, Angel Padron 18 pts, Alfredo Spencer 14 pts. Aubrey Chalmers had a game high and career high 31 pts, skipper Mike Brusche 18 pts, Orin Cumberbatch 15 pts. Cuba vs Guyana B Team Venue: National Sports Hall Result: Cuba won 88 to 43. Luis Calderon 26 pts, Angel Padron 23 pts. For Guyana B Team: George Sharples 11 pts, Melroy Fitzalbert 10 pts, James Devonish 9 pts, Eon Andrew 9 pts and 7 rebounds. Game Three: Cuba vs Guyana A Team Venue: National Sports Hall Result: Cuba won 58 to 54. Florian Ferrar 9 pts, Alfredo Spencer 9 pts, Luis Calderon 8 pts. Skipper Mike Brusche, Merton

The members of the Guyana basketball team that faced Cuba’s bronze medalist back in 1977 during their tour here. Fitzalbert top scored for Guyana with 12 pts each, while Aubrey Chalmers supported the duo with 10 pts. Please note that Guyana featured an A Team and B Team for that historic series. The series was dubbed the friendship tour and the Cubans also walked with

their Olympic Volley Ball Te a m w h i c h p l a y e d unbeaten against the Guyana National Volley Ball Team. The Guyana A Team vs Cuba: Mike Brusche –Captain Orin Cumberbatch Aubrey Chalmers Phillip Daniels Brian Gonsalves

Neil Williamson Merton Fitzalbert Compton Hinds Keith Hinds Hewley Harry Keith Alexander Guyana B Team vs Cuba 1977 Melroy Fitzalbert –Captain R. Duke

Eldrich Watson Leon Somerset Eon Andrews Brentnol Carmichael George Sharples Trevor Paul James Devonish Pelham Vigilance Michael Lgte Shannon Patterson Hewley Henry- Coach

Kaieteur News

Sunday September 18, 2016

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Parris hits brace as Young Boyz whip Bermuda 6-2

Jamaica’s Raewin Senior (centre) goes for the ball ahead of his Bermudan opponent Brandon Jones during their game Friday. Senior’s teammate Nickque Daley looks on. (Photos: Dexter Philip/Trinidad Express) Jamaica Observer COUVA, Trinidad and Tobago — Jamaica’s Under17 Reggae Boyz made a winning start in a patchy display, but it was sufficient in the end to brush aside Caribbean minnows Bermuda 6-2 in their opening game of Group A in Caribbean Football Union (CFU) men’s World Cup qualifying tournament at the Ato Boldon Stadium Friday. The Jamaican display, while workmanlike in nature, was not as polished as it ought to have been, as their control of the game faded in and out, resulting in them conceding goals,

which was never part of the plan. Still, the margin of victory was comfortable. For Jamaica, Kaheem Parris led the scoring with a brace (17th-penalty, 72nd), followed by one each from Raewin Senior (fifth), Kendall Edwards (37th), Nickque Daley (42nd) and a Keishon Bean own goal (90th). Bermuda’s goals were scored by Rahzir SmithJones (30th minute) and Tokia Russell (80th). In the other game of the double-header yesterday, Haiti defeated Trinidad and Tobago 2-0.

Jamaica’s next game will be against Haiti tomorrow, while hosts Trinidad and Tobago take on Bermuda. Bermuda threatened as early as the second minute when Jaquari Paynter timed his run, latching onto a perfectly weighted ball from midfield, but the Jamaica goalkeeper Tajay Griffiths was down early to smother the danger. But in their first real attack of the game, the young Reggae Boyz broke the deadlock when the crafty Parris cleverly scooped the ball over the heads of the Bermudan defenders to find a wide open Raewin Senior.

ECD in control against West Berbice at Enterprise East Coast Demerara (ECD) put themselves in a formidable position for an outright victory against West Berbice when the Guyana Cricket Board Jaguars threeday league continued yesterday at Enterprise. Batting a second time, West Berbice were nine without loss at stumps on the second and penultimate day, needing another 177 to make East Coast bat again with Avishkar Sewkarran on four and Leon Andrews on three. The start of play was delayed due to seepage on the bowlers’ run-up which prompted an early lunch, and when play was called at 11:55hrs, ECD resumed on 294-6 with Amir Khan on 39 and Vivian Albert on three. Khan was then run out for 44 with five fours while Albert was lbw to Collis Butts for 21, leaving the score on 3268. Off-spinner Andrew Dutchin wrapped up the innings with the wickets of P a u l Wi n t z ( 11 ) a n d Jermaine Martin (00) as

Paul Wintz ECD were bowled out for 346; Steven Sankar remained unbeaten on 17. Butts finished with 6-98 and Dutchin 2-72. Pacer Jermaine Martin provided ECD with the breakthrough by having Sewkarran caught for seven before left arm spinner Chanderpaul Hemraj removed Brentnol Woolford (14) and Arthley Bailey (10) to leave the visitors on 62-3. Opener Leon Andrews slowly got into his stride and dumped Albert for a four and

a six but the bowler had his revenge by having him caught at short mid-wicket for 30. However, Sherwin McPherson and Andrew Dutchin added 50 for the fifth-wicket with levelheaded batting on a decent pitch. McPherson played aggressively hitting two fours and three sixes before he was taken off Kamesh Yadram for 39. P a c e r P a u l Wi n t z , bowled impressively in his second spell - he had Dutchin (19) and Quacy McPherson (00) both lbw before disturbing the stumps of Kevin Jawahir (14) and Butts (00). Hemraj then had Brandon Bess caught at the wicket for four as West Berbice were bowled out in the final session for 160; Keyron Fraser remained unbeaten on 14 as Wintz finished with 4-24 and Hemraj 2-22; there was one each for Martin, Albert and Yadram. Play is expected to start at 09:00hrs today the final day.

Jamaica’s Kaheem Parris (left) and Bermuda’s Link Smith battle for possession of the ball in their Group A CFU World Cup qualifying match at the Ato Boldon Stadium. (Photos: Dexter Philip/Trinidad Express) In textbook fashion, Senior controlled and fired home low with the left boot, beating Quinaceo Hunt to his left. Jamaica doubled their tally in the 17th minute from the penalty spot. Parris, who responded appropriately to a defence-splitting pass down the right from Kimani Gibbons, was cut down in the box as he prepared to unleash. Tr i n i d a d i a n r e f e r e e Rodphin Harris, with little option, pointed to the penalty spot. Parris, voted man of the match, quickly got to his feet and made no mistake from the 12-yard mark. The Boyz could have made it 3-0 in the 24th minute, but Blake White’s effort from a sublime cutback by Parris was tame from 12 yards. Bermuda, after serving notice of their potential as an attacking threat earlier on, confirmed it in the 30th minute when Rahzir SmithJones benefited from J a m a i c a ’s i n d e c i s i v e

defensive response by beating Griffiths with a low shot from inside the 18-yard box. The Boyz responded seven minutes later in a combination of the central defenders who had come forward for a corner. From Coby Atkinson’s left-sided in-swinger, Jamoi Topey headed down for Kendall Edwards to blast home from six yards to make it 3-1. After a spell of probing, Jamaica went further ahead in the 42nd minute when Nickque Daley expertly finished off Jeremy Verley’s searching pass. In the 63rd minute Jamaica got a rare secondhalf glimpse at goal when Daley glided in from the right side to crack a leftfooted shot, but the Bermudan goalie conjured up a reaction save, diving to his right. Parris, who kept the Bermudan defenders retreating all evening with his silky-smooth footwork and penetrative dribbling, made it 5-1 in the 72nd

minute when he whipped a deceptive curler home from a 22-yard free kick. When it appeared Jamaica had tightened their grip on affairs, their defence was slow to react to a Bermudan raid in the 80th minute, allowing Tokia Russell to fire into an unguarded goal after the goalkeeper and last defender were caught out. Jamaica got a serendipitous goal in the 90th minute when Keishon Bean headed into his own goal from a corner to put the icing on the cake — the Jamaican cake. From the eight-nation, two-group tournament, the top-five teams will book places to the CONCACAF Under-17 Championship to be held April 21-May 7 in Panama City. That would be the four semi-finalists and the best third-placed team. Four teams from the CONCACAF tournament will earn places to the FIFA Under-17 World Cup in India next summer.

Floodlights vs Wakenam Hardball T-20 postponed to next Friday night The Floodlights vs Wakenam Saturday Night Hardball T-20 match fixed for the DCC ground last night has been postponed to next Friday night @ 7:00pm. Christopher Barnwell and Travis Dowlin are to make their debut for Floodlights. “G-Square Cavaliers” from Wakenam w ill tackle city team “Floodlights” in a feature hardball 20/20 cricket match at the Lance Gibbs Street, Queenstown venue

admission is free, with musical entertainment on the ground. G-Square Cavaliers Team: Heera Sukhram capt., Chandrika Ragnauth, Jagarnauth M a n b o d e w i c k e t k e e p e r, K a m a l Khan, Satnarine Sahadeo, Bhees ham Bhagpattie, Lokram Narine, Ghansham Samwaru, Mahendra Dindial, Tulsie S ahadeo, Bhumeshwar R a m k i s s o o n , Ta m e s h P e r s a u d , Ta m e s h w a r

Persaud Floodlights Squad: Ricky Deonarain- capt, Reyaz Hussein, Khalid B a k s h , A n i l B e h a r r y, Dharam Persaud, Rakesh Arjune, Patrick Khan, Travis Dowlin, Surendra Nauth, Lloyd Rooplall, Christopher Barnwell, Lalta Gainda, Yu s u f U n o s , R o m e o Deonarain. This match is sponsored by Tulsie Sahadeo, proprietor of Factory Price on King Street, Georgetown.

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Sunday September 18, 2016

Kaieteur News

Guendogan shines as Man City juggernaut rolls on

Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez scores their third goal. (Action Images via Reuters / Lee SmithLivepic) LONDON (Reuters) Manchester City maintained their imperious start to the season with a fifth straight victory on Saturday as Bournemouth were swept aside 4-0 to become the latest victims of Pep Guardiola’s table-toppers. Goals from Kevin De Bruyne, Kelechi Iheanacho, Raheem Sterling and Ilkay Guendogan, on his Premier League debut, wrapped up the points after another scintillating display from the title favourites who continue to lay down a marker to their rivals. Among the chasing pack, Arsenal made it three successive league wins for the first time since January when they eased past 10man Hull City 4-1 with Alexis Sanchez scoring twice and missing a penalty. There was also a double strike at Leicester City where new signing Islam Slimani enjoyed a league debut to remember as the champions rediscovered their domestic form to beat Burnley 3-0. Some pundits predicted Manchester City might suffer during Sergio

A g u e r o ’s t h r e e - m a t c h suspension but, after winning the Manchester derby last weekend, they tore into Bournemouth and wasted little time in taking the game away from their opponents. City were 1-0 up after 15 minutes when loanee Jack Wilshere conceded a free kick on the edge of the area and De Bruyne cleverly fired a set piece beneath the wall and into the net. They doubled the lead 10 minutes later when Iheanacho stabbed the ball home and the Nigerian then turned provider for Sterling soon after halftime. Guendogan, who made his first appearance for the club against Borussia Moenchengladbach in the Champions League on Wednesday, rounded off the scoring when he drilled low inside the post. There was a sour note to come for City when they had Spaniard Nolito sent off for a head-butt with four minutes remaining. That did little to dampen the spirits of Guardiola, however, who heralded another superb display from

Manchester City’s Kelechi Iheanacho scores their second goal. (Action Images via Reuters / Carl RecineLivepic) Belgium playmaker De Bruyne. “We are so lucky we have Kevin with us,” the coach said. “It was a fantastic performance.” FIRST TASTE It was a day of superb individual displays with Slimani whetting the appetite of Leicester fans with two goals. Slimani, who made his debut in the Champions League in midweek after costing a club record 29 million pounds last month, was handed his first taste of Premier League action and scored twice in four minutes either side of halftime. The Algeria striker sneaked between Burnley’s centre backs to meet Christian Fuchs’ inswinging free kick in first-half stoppage time and then headed home after the break when Riyad Mahrez showcased his dancing feet to shimmy into the box. Ben Mee’s own goal completed the scoring late on as Leicester took their haul to seven points from five games. Arsenal’s season has yet

to fully ignite but they made light work of a Hull side who had Jake Livermore sent off for handball in the first half. Sanchez deflected the ball home to put Arsenal ahead after 17 minutes but the Chilean then fluffed his lines as his penalty was saved by Eldin Jakupovic following Livermore’s dismissal. It was plain sailing from there on in, though, as Theo Walcott doubled the lead 10 minutes into the second half

and, although the hosts pulled a goal back from the penalty spot through Robert Snodgrass, there was to be no late fightback. Sanchez calmed any jitters in the Arsenal ranks when he rifled the ball high into the net and Granit Xhaka made it 4-1 with a bullet finish from distance in stoppage time, putting the London club second in the table on 10 points. West Bromwich Albion midfielder Nacer Chadli

marked a superb home debut with two goals, one a penalty, and two assists as they beat hapless West Ham United 4-2 to hand the Londoners a third straight league defeat. In results of the games played: Hull 1 – Arsenal 4 Leicester 3 – Burnley 0 Man City 4 – Bournemouth 0 West Brom 4 - West Ham 2 E v e r t o n 3 – Middlesbrough 1

All set for KMTC Post emancipation horserace meet today The horses have all been engaged in good gallops; the jockeys have prepared thoroughly and the track is in immaculate condition. It’s now time for action as the Kennard Memorial Turf Club stages its Grand Post Emancipation Horserace meet today at their Bush Lot Farm, Corentyne, Berbice racetrack. Over 70 of the country’s top horses will be vying for top places and a chunk of the $6M in prize monies, trophies and other winnings at stake. Eight races are listed on the day. The main attraction is the ‘A Class’ event for $1M and trophy over 7furlongs. Turfites could expect scorching action as a lineup of top thoroughbreds will be in action. Among the top class field entered are Princess She Not, Score’s Even, Jack In M Style, CP Got Even,

Just Call Me Boss, Spit Fire, Golden Blue Echo, Lady Budapest, Light UP Canada, Climate Change and Red and Lovely. The D3 maiden and E and Lower race which is also over 7 furlongs for a winning money of $600,000 and trophy will see the likes of Release the Beast, Goodwill Boy, Right to Rule and California Strike among others. Campador, Cat Messiah, Got to Go, Big Man Boss, and Captain Crook among others have been lined up in the G1 and lower race for the $280,000 first prize and trophy over 7 furlongs. Cat Messiah, Miss Lova Lova, Appealing Harvest, It’s My Turn and Rosetta leads the entries among those slated to run in the H and Lower over 6 furlongs event for a winner’s take of

$240,000 and trophy. The race for 2 years old Guyana horses will see the likes of Who Shock the S h e r i ff , T h e R o c k e t , Supreme Cat, Perfect Record and Royal Jet in contention for a first prize of $200,000 and trophy over 5 furlongs. Jockeys and their mounts will also contest several other races including the, J1 and lower event over 6 furlongs and two L class races- one for winners and the other for non-winners all over 5 furlongs. To p i n d i v i d u a l performers including best jockey, stable and trainer will be presented with special prizes compliments of Ramesh Sunich of Trophy Stall, Bourda Market and the organisers. Race time is 12:30 hrs. (Samuel Whyte)

Sunday September 18, 2016

Kaieteur News

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A sacking the WICB could have done without Getting rid of Phil Simmons as coach for not toeing the line was an inappropriate move by the board, which needed to fix its administration first

Michael Muirhead did not outline the differences between the board and Simmons, but the public record shows that selection was the biggest issue © WICB Media/Brooks LaTouche Photography Ltd

People speaking negatively of the WICB in public have become casualties; Phil Simmons is the latest © WICB Media Photo/Philip Spooner By Garth Wattley/ Trinidad Express (ESPNcricinfo) From September 2015, the term of Phil Simmons as coach of West Indies became a test; a test for the West Indies Cricket Board. That month, in a t e l e v i s i o n i n t e r v i e w, Simmons took the unusual step of complaining about his employers in public. Simmons survived a firing over his claims of “outside interference” in the selection process for the one-day international team to tour Sri Lanka. But that issue of high controversy became the defining moment of a relationship that changed for the worse; a relationship that again asked questions about the WICB’s ability to manage its affairs. More than many of the WICB’s previous appointments, Simmons came in on a wave of optimism powered by much good feeling. Not the greatest of West Indies players himself, he was always respected for his courage and commitment to the cause. His success with Ireland also gave evidence of genuine coaching ability, so his fit for the West Indies cricket team, which he had always served with pride, seemed perfect.

WICB CEO Michael Muirhead certainly seemed to think so back in March 2015 when he hired Simmons out of a field of seven, saying: “Phil has a proven ability to develop players, while cultivating great team spirit and a winning culture. We have a number of young, talented players about whom he is excited to be coaching and we believe he is the right fit.” Muirhead seemed especially impressed with one particular Simmons quality: “His independence of character and his resolve to stand up for what he believes in were also strong qualities that convinced us that Phil was best suited to usher the West Indies team into a new era of success.” Contrast that with what Muirhead, now the outgoing CEO, is saying today: “The coach has an opinion and the board collectively had another opinion, and that had happened on more than one occasion. It has been an ongoing thing, where I think Phil, in all that he has said and done, he has not aligned… the relationships were breaking down. I think he himself had ideas for a different strategic approach, notwithstanding one already having been approved and adopted by the board. I don’t think he was aligned with that.”

Evidently, the “independence of character” and “resolve to stand up for what he believes in” were not so appealing to the majority of the board’s directors, or the director of cricket, Richard Pybus, or the board’s president, Dave Cameron. Muirhead did not outline the differences between the board and Simmons, but the public record does show that one of the big bones of contention was who has what degree of say in the selection of players. As a man whose job performance was largely dependent on success on the field, Simmons naturally wanted the best players available to get those results. But in that September interview before the Sri Lanka tour, frustration spoke for Simmons when he commented on the exclusion of Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard. “The disappointing fact is that you can lose 3-2 in a vote-off but there is too much interference from outside in the selection of the O D I s q u a d a n d i t ’s disappointing for me to know that in any aspect of life… [people would use] their position to get people into a squad; or in this case, get people left out of a squad. It is wrong and I don’t like it and that is my beef with the

selection of the ODI team,” Simmons said. Cameron and Pybus emerged as the principal figures the comments appeared to be directed at. Simmons would later describe a relationship that had deteriorated to pure email communication in the case of Pybus, and none at all with the board president since Simmons’ comments and the subsequent WICB investigation. Not even his delivering a World T20 title in India in April was enough to melt the icy waters. Tell-it-like-it is Simmo had struck again, speaking in public about the real state of affairs. Maybe this was another instance where he was not toeing the corporate line. In one of his last interviews, after the Test series with India ended in farcical fashion at the Queen’s Park Oval in August, Simmons also spoke about his frustration at cricket matters that were, in his opinion, not being addressed. “There’s a lot of things that I’ve asked for, and it’s not coming to fruition. I’ve asked for coaches to meet twice, maybe three times a year, and discuss cricket. We need to make sure that whatever we are doing upstairs is going down to everybody. If we don’t have

the same objective, then we spin it up in muddles. I think that’s lacking.” Simmons has always been a team player, so the pattern of public outbursts of discontent that emerged over the last 12 months meant that for him, things behind the scenes had become u n b e a r a b l e . To u s e a Caribbean expression, it was a case of “water more than flour”. For Simmons, cricket was not winning. His public comments were, strictly speaking, inappropriate. And for his own peace of mind, he should probably have quit after making them. It was always going to be difficult going after that. But the principals in the WICB had an opportunity to heal the breach by demonstrating that fixing the cricket, not fixing the coach, was their chief concern. However, the track r e c o r d o f t h i s administration, going back to the players’ abandonment of the tour of India in 2014, has not reflected a spirit of genuine reconciliation or intent in problem-solving. Those who have spoken critically of the board in some way - players and even media personalities - have become casualties. Therefore there is a portion of the West Indian public that has been left with the view expressed by the recent head of the

CARICOM (Caribbean Community) sub-committee on cricket, the prime minister of Grenada, Dr Keith Mitchell. Commenting on Wednesday on Simmons’ firing, Mitchell said: “The board has now become an extremely inflexible and autocratic unit in which power and control dominate. Cricket development and cricket performance appear to be low on the board’s list of most important priorities.” So Simmons - who took over a team that was near the foot of the ICC one-day rankings but still managed this year to beat higherranked South Africa twice and Australia once on their way to the final of the triseries, and who triumphed at the World T20, finds that such successes in 18 months with a team at its lowest ebb were not good enough to keep him in the job. But it is the WICB, more than Simmons, that will have to deal with this “failure”. For once more it has missed the chance to establish stability in administration through skilful man-management. All that the Phil Simmons affair has proved, again, is that the WICB can wield the big stick. And nothing more. (Garth Wattley is a writer with the Trinidad Express)

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Kaieteur News

David Blacks says GCB should talk about Travis Persaud’s issue By Sean Devers Guyana Under-19 team which participated in this year’s Regional Three-day and 50-over competitions in St Vincent rebounded from a poor three-day format to beat the Windwards in the one-day final almost a month ago to retain their title. But there has been some disturbing news coming out of St Vincent concerning the behavior of their talented but temperamental Captain Travis Persaud which occurred on the day of the final. It is alleged that Persaud, who hails from Canal, West Demerara and represents the West Demerara Franchise in the GCB Jaguars 3-day Franchise League, acted in a disrespectful and disorderly manner. According to a source close to the team in St Vincent, Persaud injured his hand which had to be put in cast. Determined to play in the finals, he removed the cast against the wishes of Management and when he was not declared in the final

eleven, behaved in a disrespectful and embarrassing conduct to the Management and teammates. Persaud left the camp in the company of his mother and was not present for the game or the Presentation ceremony which followed the final. If these allegations are true then an investigation should have been conducted and Persaud should be given a fair opportunity to defend himself. If found guilty he should be punished accordingly and the results of the investigation made public since Persaud is a Sporting Ambassador for Guyana. When contacted, Manager of the team David Blacks told Kaieteur News that he had already submitted his report on the matter and that a debriefing session was held. “The Cricket Board (GCB) should talk about that. I have nothing to say, since I left St Vincent I said I am not talking to the Media and even if I am summoned

David Black to a press conference by the Board I don’t think I will go because they have my report already,” Blacks said. Under Major General (rt) Norman McLean (19801991) and for the major part of the presidency of Chetram Singh (19912011) the GCB was a stable entity but when Drubahadur took over from Fizul Bacchus, who

was named Acting President following the resignation of Ramsey Ali in February 2012, controversy has been the order of the day. Ali had been elected to the post in a contentious election in July 2011, and quit after police and court officials raided his home and the homes of other board officials. Those raids were part of the ongoing conflict between the GCB and then PPP Government, which began when the Government dissolved the board due to the dispute over the 2011 elections. Even under a new Government the GCB continues miss opportunities to demonstrate that they are an honest and transparent entity with the better good of cricket being their main objective. The Travis Persaud issue shows once again that, like the WICB, they don’t care what the public think once can do what they like, when they like, to who they like and no one dares criticize them.

Sunday September 18, 2016

All Saints, Edinburgh register victories All Saints and Edinburgh recorded victories when the Department of Sport, National Sports Commission AL Sport and Tour Promotions “Hit It For 50” Primary Schools Windball Cricket continued recently at the Welfare Centre Ground East Canje, Berbice. Playing in the New Amsterdam zone, All Saints defeated Edinburgh by 41 runs in the male category. Batting first, All Saints managed 64-1 with Nicqual Samuels scoring 20 and Ronald Mc Lennon 10. Edinburgh replied with 232. Samuel Eastman made 15. Debutant New Amsterdam Primary lost their opening game to Saint Aloysius. Saint Aloysius batted first and got to 41-2; Richard Bruce made 18. New Amsterdam Primary were restricted to 32 without loss in reply.

In the female segment, Edinburgh beat All Saints by 12 runs. Edinburgh took first strike and scored 43 without loss; Latisha Nagaswar struck 23 and Tracy Caesar 10. All Saints were limited to 31-1 in response; Ashanti Leitch scored 22. In the Canje zone, Sheet Anchor went down to St. Patrick’s by nine wickets. Sheet Anchor batted first and got to 20-1. St Patrick’s (Rose Hall Estate) reached their target just losing one wicket ending on 21-1. In the male division, Sheet Anchor defeated St. Patrick’s by 10 wickets. Batting first, St Patrick’s made 18-4. Delon Hendore grabbed two wickets for Sheet Anchor who replied with 20 without loss; Joshua Samuels made 10. Meanwhile, play will continue during the month in Upper, Central & Lower Corentyne, Region five, four and three.

Twins (Bayo) Beer Garden/UCCA U-19

Aeron Jamaludeen captures 5-wicket haul for Scottsburg United The first round of the TWINS (Bayo) Beer Garden/UCCA under-19 cricket competition bowled off last Saturday with two matches. At the Scottsburg ground, the home team defeated No. 72 All Stars by 134 runs. Scottsburg United batted first and were bowled out for 160 in 31 overs. Alex Burnett 44, Stefon Mangal 21 and Saif Ghannie 15 were the top scorers. Bowling for No. 72 All Stars Taleshwar Baichan took 3 for 11 and received good support from Khameshwar Chaterpal, Sanjay Deochand and Gavin Chaterpal with 2 wickets each. In reply No.72 All Stars were bundled out for a meager 26 runs from 11 overs. Extra top scored with 10. Doing the damage for Scottsburg was Aeron Jamaludeen taking 5 wickets for 2 runs off 2 overs and got good

Aeron Jamaludeen of Scottsburg United support from Rudy Jamaludeen with 3 wickets, while Stefon Mangal picked up 2. At the No. 72 ground: No. 72 Cut and Load won by virtue of No. 64 fighting marines forfeiting the game after the game was severely interrupted by rain with only (Continued on page 65)

Sunday September 18, 2016

Kaieteur News

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Rosberg storms to pole in Singapore SINGAPORE (Reuters) Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg took pole position for his 200th Formula One race after a stunning qualifying lap around Singapore’s Marina Bay street circuit on Saturday. The German’s best lap of one minute 42.584 seconds left him perfectly placed to retake the championship lead from British team mate Lewis Hamilton under the floodlights today. Rosberg hailed the lap as one of the best of his career and, by securing his 29th pole position at a circuit that offers minimal overtaking opportunities, the 31-yearold will be hopeful of securing his eighth victory of the season. “I am definitely happy with that one. It was one of my top three laps ever,” Rosberg, who sits two points behind Hamilton with seven rounds remaining, told reporters. R e d B u l l ’s D a n i e l Ricciardo split the Mercedes

pair to claim second spot in 1:43.115, the Australian edging out triple world champion Hamilton, a two times winner in Singapore who will start in third place. “It wasn’t clear in qualifying how we would stack up against Red Bull, so I really had to give it everything and pull it out of the bag, which is cool,” Rosberg added of his polesetting lap. Ricciardo is still searching for his first win of the season after he was denied victory by a botched pit stop in Monaco, and with Singapore providing the most similar circuit to Monte Carlo, the Australian can hope to go one better on Sunday. “I am pleased enough,” he said. “The aim was to be in on the front row, we knew it would be tough to get in front of the Mercedes but it was nice to be in front of one of them.” Dutch teenager Max Verstappen, who had a

Rosberg took pole position for Sunday’s Singapore Grand Prix at the Marina Bay Circuit. (AP) surprise encounter with a monitor lizard in practice, will start alongside Hamilton after setting the fourth fastest time for Red Bull. Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen rounded out the top five. Last year ’s winner

Sebastian Vettel will start from the back of the grid, the German complaining over the radio of an anti-rollbar issue in the first qualifying session with his Ferrari team unable to repair the car in time to set a fast lap. Vettel felt he was kept out on the track too long by

his team, shouting “That was stupid. We’re losing time” over the radio as he entered the pitlane after lapping slowest of the 22 drivers. “We decided to try and pit to fix the car but there wasn’t time,” said Vettel, who has won four of the last five races in Singapore. “I’m

very disappointed.” Behind Raikkonen, the Toro Rosso pair of Carlos Sainz and Daniil Kvyat with Nico Hulkenberg (Force India), Fernando Alonso (McLaren) and Sergio Perez (Force India) completed the top 10 on the starting grid.

Digicel, NBA bring jumpstart NPG Packaging & Plastic INC/UCCA T20 basketball clinics to Jamaica for second year (Jamaica Observer) Development of basketball talent was scheduled to shift into another gear when the Digicel NBA Jumpstart Clinic tipped off in Jamaica Friday and run through to today. Digicel NBA Jumpstart Basketball Clinics, which are run by NBA International Basketball Operations staff, focus on player development and will feature 40 boys and 20 girls from across Jamaica undergoing a three-day intensive workshop led by Adrian Alvarez Leo, senior coordinator, Basketball Operations Mexico, NBA; and Stephen Silas, assistant coach of the Charlotte Hornets. Further extending the reach of the camp, the programme will again also feature coaching development opportunities for local coaches. After successful completion of the sessions, the coaches will receive FIBA Level 1 Coaching Certification. At the end of the clinic the top five boys and top three

The Digicel Jumpstart Clinics kicked off in Bermuda, which will see the top kids in the Caribbean showcase their talents and get coached by NBA-certified coaches.

girls from Jamaica will be selected to attend the Elite Camp in British Virgin Islands. From there, the top eight boys and five girls will be selected to enjoy the NBA experience in New York in December 2016. Last year, Digicel NBA Jumpstart Basketball Clinics brought together more than 300 of the top male players age 16 and under from across

the Caribbean. The top eight players from the Elite Camp visited NBA headquarters in New York City and attended an NBA game in Brooklyn, where they watched Stephen Curry and the Golden State Wa r r i o r s t a k e o n t h e Brooklyn Nets. Friends and family will be able to follow this year’s jumpstart clinics on Digicel’s social media

pages as well as on SportsMax TV. In March 2015, Digicel and the NBA announced a multiyear partnership that delivers live games and e x t e n s i v e N B A programming to more than 30 Caribbean territories through Digicel SportsMax and made Digicel the official wireless Partner of the NBA in the region.

The second round of the NPG Packaging and Plastic Inc T20 cricket competition i n t h e U p p e r Corentyne/Black Bush area last Sunday was severely affected by rain with only one match being completed. In the game which was played at the No43 Ground No. 48 Challengers defeating No. 43 Scorpion by 53 runs. No.48 batted first and scored 164 runs for 6 off their allotment of overs with Satrohan Singh 48, Balram Samaroo 47 and Balram Persaud 29 being the top scorers. Bowling for No. 43 Scorpion Bhojpaul Deen took 2 wickets. In reply, No. 43 Scorpion were bowled out for 111 runs off 18.2 overs. Marv Harvey 30, Tej Toolsie 16 and Deen 13 were the top scorers. Bowling for No.48 Challengers, Munesh Lalu, Satrohan Singh, Balram Samaroo and J. Baijnauth picked up two wickets each. Action is set for today with 15 matches as follows: In games set to start at 10:00AM - NO. 48 Challengers will be at home t o Ya k u s a r i H o r i z o n ;

Yakusari Caribs will play host to No. 43 Joppa Warriors At Yakusari; No. 69 Red Rose take on C.W.C Bomb Squad at the No. 69 ground; C.W.C Sports Club and No.70 ‘A’ meet at C.W.C; No. 69 Vikings p l a y N o . 7 3 Yo u n g Wa r r i o r s a t N o . 6 9 ; Scottsburg United verses C . W. C A l l Family at Scottsburg and Corriverton play No. 71 at No. 73. In the games fixed for 14:30 hrs Scottsburg United and No.71 will play at Scottsburg; Corriverton verses C.W.C All Family at No. 73; C.W.C Sports Club tangle with No. 73 Yo u n g W a r r i o r s a t C.W.C; No. 69 Vikings collide with No. 70 ‘A’ At No. 69; No.69 Red Rose venue will play No. 70 M.Y.O at No. 69 ground; the No 48 ground will be the venue for the game between No. 48 Challengers and No. 43 Joppa Warriors; No. 48 Yakusari Caribs w i l l p l a y Ya k u s a r i Horizon at Yakusari, while the final game will be between No. 43 Scorpion and No. 59 Sports Club at No. 43 ground. (Samuel Whyte)

t r o Sp GCB Jaguars 3-day League

Day two washed out at Tuschen hurts W/Dem Moore wants more than 3 points today

The covers protected the pitch from the rain

Rosberg storms Guendogan shines as Man City to pole in Singapore juggernaut rolls on

Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo of Australia, Mercedes’ Nico Rosberg (centre) of Germany and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton of Britain after the qualifying session. (Getty Images)

All set for KMTC Post emancipation horserace meet today

Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne scores their first goal from a free kick. (Ian Hodgson)

A sacking the WICB could have done without

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