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: 225-8465, 225-8491. Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210
EDITORIAL
TRAGIC LOSS A few weeks ago, the nation mourned the loss of 12 year-old Amber Richards who was crushed to death when her aunt’s house at La Bonne Intention, East Coast Demerara fell on her. It was a tragic event that was heartbreaking to many in the country. A few days later, the nation mourned the suicidal death of 15 year Ricardo Niranjan of Non Pareil, East Coast Demerara. Ricardo had lived with his mother and sisters, however, his family went to visit a relative in Suriname at the same time of Amber’s death and left him to look over the property. It was alleged that Ricardo was in a relationship with Amber, and because of her death, he became depressed and stayed at home. After not seeing Ricardo in days, a close relative went to his house in search of him only to see him hanging from the ceiling. It was suspected that he died on Monday, three days after the death of his alleged girlfriend. Guyana has experienced some serious problems before, but nothing could be worse than someone committing suicide, which continues to plague the nation. Suicide remains a national epidemic in the country. It affects everyone directly or indirectly. It is not only about the loss of a life of one individual; it is also a tragedy for relatives and friends who are left to grieve. It is a very serious social problem in Guyana which has one of the highest suicide rates in the world based on per capita. According to the World Health Organization, Guyana has a suicide rate of 44.2 per 100,000 person and that for every female suicide, there were 3.2 male suicides. By comparison, Suriname has a suicide rate of 27.8 per 100,000 and Venezuela’s rate is 2.6 per 100,000, the lowest in the region. There is no single reason that can explain the shockingly high rate of suicides in Guyana, other than the deep poverty in the rural areas, alcohol and drug abuse, rejection in a love affair, family pressures to marry young, arranged marriages and culture, among others. Studies have shown that mental health-related issues including sadness, hopelessness, despair, low self-esteem, depression and anxiety could lead to alcohol and substance abuse, and ultimately suicide. In Guyana people of East Indian ancestry accounted for most of the suicides. Young people in the 14 to 35 age group comprise the vast majority of persons who commit suicide. Most suicides are by hanging or by the ingestion of poison or pesticides. With a shortage of psychiatrists, psychologists and trained social workers in the country, there are limited options for those contemplating suicide to seek help. Suicide is a major problem in Guyana, but every problem, no matter how unsolvable it may seem, has a solution. Suicide remains a taboo subject, and even though it could be linked to witchcraft, the unnerving silence has done nothing to solve it. Stigma and misconceptions have contributed to a lack of constructive conversations; but the nation can no longer cower, because suicide could be seen as an indictment on the government’s failure to address it. Attempts by the government to address the issue of suicide have been stymied by political wrangling. Last year, an opposition Bill which was introduced in Parliament to decriminalize suicide and to allocate funds to treat mental health and suicidal issues was voted down by the government. It is time to end the political rhetoric and address the suicide issue.
Sunday September 10, 2017
Kaieteur M@ilbox Send your letters to Kaieteur News 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown or email us kaieteurnews@yahoo.com
UG and the failed leadership of Granger and Nagamootoo Dear Editor, The editorial of this newspaper for Monday, September 4, 2017 on UG observed the following, “After a year of new leadership, many students believe that the philosophy of UG has changed from meeting their needs and improving the services to one of elevation of senior personnel. According to the students, the new leadership at UG seems bent on making things more difficult for them to acquire an education. It is known that UG is a cash-strapped institution which depends on public funds to cover the cost for most of its operations. Yet, the leadership was about to rent a building on Lamaha and Camp streets to house a School of Business for G$6 million per month. How would such a school benefit the taxpayers? Why not a school of computer science or engineering or mining or public management which would be beneficial to the country?
“As if this idea was not silly enough, the Vice Chancellor has added three new Deputy Vice Chancellors to the roster of UG hierarchical structure, thus making UG with less than 5,000 full-time students, top-heavy more than most large, wealthy North American Universities with over 20,000 students. Presently, UG’stop bureaucracy consists of a non-resident Chancellor, a resident Vice Chancellor, a ProChancellor, three deputy Vice Chancellors, a Registrar, four deputy Registrars, a Vice Chancellor for Cabinet, a Chief of Staff Vice Chancellor and several Directors, deputy Directors and Heads of Department. It seems that the new leadership at UG is not getting the message that the institution has deteriorated to the point where it is hardly conducive to proper higher learning. Almost all areas at UG—from
its dorm to the library to the compound, the computer and science labs, lights, toilets, classrooms accommodations and other basic necessities—are in very poor shape. How can the leadership at UG expect students to dwell and learn under such difficult and poor conditions?” (end of quote) That editorial did not attract any comment(s) from the political directorate, the media, political society or civil society. But it is a deadly reminder of how dead this country is and even with oil money, it will not come back to life. Here is a quote from my column on the coming oil money, “With all the talk about steady income to the state from oil money which will allow for social development leading to economic elevation, Guyanese are concerned about how this money will be spent and they believe it will be used for (Continued on page 6)
Sunday September 10, 2017
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Adumbrations on the cruel manifestations of capitalism DEAR EDITOR, In a letter by Rudolph Singh dated Sept.08, 2017 and captioned, “ The arguments denouncing capitalism are flawed” He seeks to criticise Gerald Perreira for unscientifically criticising Peeping Tom”s article captioned“Capitalism cannot exist where there is socialist thinking”. He says that after reading Perreira’s article four times, “I still could not grasp the writer’s concept that socialism is a superior system to capitalism”. Now I am not here to defend Mr. Perreira. I do have serious questions re: his article but I am wondering why Mr. Singh chose to reply to Perreira’s criticisms of Peeping Tom. I do not know If Mr. Singh read my articles in the Kaieteur News dated June 22, 2017 and captioned “Cultural hegemony and “Massa” ideology determine how we think” or my letter dated Au-
gust 20, 2017 and captioned “Capitalism versus socialism; an argument” as I have not seen any response. I am hoping that Mr. Singh as he has expressed an interest in the topic would read those letters and respond so the debate can continue. Mr. Singh should ponder in the mean time if he is a product of “cultural hegemony” or whether he has escaped the socialisation process. Mr. Singh says to Mr. Perreira, “Sir! If you’re on the path of refuting someone’s knowledge of something or concept you have to provide a clear and concise description of your knowledge of that something or concept”. I do not have a problem with that. Mr. Singh continues;
“your point about socialism is a superior system to capitalism puts the onus on yourself to explain the concepts and the pros and cons and your reason for giving socialism superior status”. I have no problems with that too. However after saying, “Me! I don’t have a clue” Mr. Singh continues, “What I do believe is that socialism on paper is a glittery concept. It seems to offer a fair distribution of a country’s wealth”. Here Mr. Singh seems to have fallen prey to his own
criticisms of Mr. Perreira as he has failed to explain his concept of socialism especially since earlier in his letter he stated, “the Peeper could have been speaking of a different type of socialism than the one Perreira was alluding to”. Mr. Singh continues, “What the proponents of socialism failed to understand or grossly underestimate is the inherent greed in humans that
commands them to strive and struggle to achieve wealth and prosperity for themselves”. Here again which socialism, French utopian socialism, the Christian Communism of Jesus Christ or Marx’s scientific socialism. Mr. Singh then proceeds to declare his ideological persuasion stating exactly what the capitalist information dissemination has been pedaling to the masses. He states cat-
egorically, “State ownership of the forces of production under socialism practically killed the human spirit in that regard. Ultimately it failed leaving a trail of dictators around the world” I wonder what 16 hours sweat shops, slavery, colonial subjugation and neo colonialism under private ownership have done to the peoples that were subjected to them. (Continued on page 7)
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Magistrates need to understand the law in relation to bail DEAR EDITOR, I seek your indulgence and ask that you publish the following opinion on the question whether a Magistrate who has convicted an offender and sentenced him to prison can grant bail pending an appeal. There seems to be a misconception by the Magistracy and Prosecutors to the effect that once a Magistrate finds a defendant guilty and sentences him, the Magistrate is functus officio and cannot grant bail pending an appeal that was filed by the convicted person. One of my colleagues in Berbice informed me that a Magistrate in Essequibo, to whom he had made an application for bail pending appeal after that Magistrate had convicted and sentenced his client to imprisonment, refused to grant the bail as the Magistrate said he was functus officio that is, the matter having been concluded, he cannot any longer deal with it not even for the purpose of bail pending appeal. However, once an appeal is filed against that Magistrate’s decision and the fees for filing are paid and a copy of the appeal is served on the complainant- the person who filed the charge - the
convicted person (the appellant) has a Statutory right to apply for bail to the Magistrate pending appeal and the Magistrate has a discretion to grant bail. Onto 1977, the filing of an appeal automatically suspended the decision and sentence of the Magistrate and there was no need to apply for bail—section 12 of the Summary Jurisdiction (Appeals) Act, Chapter 3:04Green volumes-1973 edition. That section reads: “When the provisions of sections 4 and 5 have been obeyed, the execution of the decision under appeal shall be suspended until the appeal is determined by the Court or is abandoned, and if the Magistrate, unless he has elected to continue to undergo his sentence pending the appeal”. In 1977 Parliament passed Act No. 17 of 1977 which repealed section 12 of Chapter 3:04 and provided that a sentence of imprisonment passed by a Magistrate was no longer suspended by the filing of an appeal. Section 2 of Act No. 17 of 1977 provides that the Magistrate who passed the sentence can grant bail pending an appeal. Section 2 of Act No. 17 of 1977 reads: “Section
12 of the Principal Act (the Summary Jurisdiction (Appeals) Act, Chapter 3:04) is hereby repealed and the following section substituted there for. 12. (1) Subject to this section, on compliance by the appellant with the provisions of section 4 and 5 the execution of the decision under appeal shall be suspended until the appeal is determined by the Court or is abandoned”. (2) Subject to subsections (3) and (4) subsection (1) shall not operate to suspend the execution of any order for the imprisonment of the appellant. (3) An appellant who has complied with sections 4 and 5 and who has been sentenced to imprisonment may elect to undergo his imprisonment; if he does not elect to do so, he shall, unless granted bail under subsection (4), be kept in prison and treated in like manner as a prisoner awaiting trial. (4) An appellant referred to in subsection (3) may be admitted to bail upon application by him to the magistrate from whose decision appeal is made or on petition to a Judge of the High Court, which petition shall be heard as soon as practicable. Thus it is clear that a Magistrate who convicted and sentenced a Defendant can grant bail pending the hearing of an appeal. This was recongised by the Caribbean Court of Justice in the case of Kevin Dhanpat -v- Hasrat Mohamed (2014) CCJ 9. Further by section 6(4) of Act No. 4 of 1980 passed by
Parliament on the 1st April, 1980 such a Magistrate is permitted, in his discretion, to grant bail pending appeal in any case tried by him. That section reads: In relation to any appeal from any decision given by a Magistrate after the coming into operation of this section in respect of an indictable offence dealt with summarily, sub-section (4) of section 12 of the Summary Jurisdiction (Appeals) Act Shall be construed and have effect as if it reads“(4) An appellant referred to in sub-section (3) maybe admitted to bail upon application by him to the Magistrate from whose decision appeal is made or on petition to a Judge of the Court or, on refusal of any such petition, on petition to a Judge of the Court of Appeal, and any such application or petition shall be heard as soon as prac-
ticable”. Strictly speaking there was no need to give any statutory discretion by Act No. 4/1980 to the Magistrate to grant bail in an indictable matter tried summarily as the Magistrate already had such a discretion under the 1977 Act. It was, however, necessary for discretion to be given to a Judge of the Court of Appeal to grant bail pending appeal where a similar application was refused by a Judge of the High Court in the case where a Magistrate had earlier refused such an application. The Law officers in 1980 probably thought that since Magistrates were authorised to deal summarily with nearly all indictable offences by virtue of the Administration of Justice Act of 1978 it should be made clear that Magistrates can grant bail in all indictable matters taken sum-
marily pending appeal. That, most likely, was an over-sight, as Magistrates always had jurisdiction to try certain indictable matters summarily by virtue of section 61 of the Summary Jurisdiction (Procedure) Act Chapter 10:02 and to grant bail in those matters pending appeal since 1977. The time is more than ripe for the magistracy to understand that it is given a statutory discretion to grant bail in cases where a Magistrate convicts and sentences an offender to imprisonment. It should be noted that if such a Magistrate refuses to grant bail an appellant can apply to a Judge of the High Court for bail pending appeal and, on that Judge’s refusal, apply to a Judge of the Court of Appeal for bail pending appeal in any indictable matter tried summarily. Murseline Bacchus Attorney-at-Law
UG and the failed leadership of ... From page 4 lavish extravaganza.” Thursday, July 6, 2017, “Spending new money in an old political culture.” Here is another quote from another column on how the oil money will be spent, “You can see from the mentality of these leaders that there is going to be huge spending without commonsense. That oil money in the hands of the PPP leadership that we had in control of Guyana and the PNC and AFC that are now in control, as my mother used to say, “Will melt like butter against the sun.” People with-
out commonsense do not know how to use money wisely.” Tuesday, August 22, 2017, “Money without commonsense evaporates into nothingness.” That editorial left out that a dimension of UG behaviour is so crucial to an understanding of the type of visionless and mediocre leadership that we elected after May 2015. From the time that new leadership came into being, there has been an extraordinary amount of money spent on trips and entertainment that the Guyanese people and the staff at UG would never have believed if they were told that this would happen after the change of government in May 2015. UG’s multi-layered leadership is always out the country and the money spent on inconsequential frivolities
calls into question the leadership of Granger and Nagamootoo because it is taxpayers’ money these UG jetsetters are spending. Granger and Nagamootoo found themselves at the coronation of the new Vice Chancellor that cost dozens of millions. UG never had a coronation for a Vice Chancellor. I don’t have frustration with the lack of leadership qualities of Granger. It is quite clear to me that after two years in power, the type of thinking Granger embodies he would see nothing wrong with the type of spending taking place at UG. I don’t think Mr. Granger has a grasp of Guyana’s enduring problems. But certainly not Nagamootoo. This man has over forty five years experience and now that he is in power, he is not shaping a legacy. He will bow out without leaving a legacy. Tell me Moses, did you enjoy yourself at the coronation for the new Vice Chancellor? Frederick Kissoon
Sunday September 10, 2017
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This government had adopted Jagdeo’s secrecy mentality DEAREDITOR, It is now public knowledge that some of the major contracts or business deals inked by the PPP/C regime contained secrecy clause. These include the Berbice Bridge, Sanata Complex, Marriot Hotel etc. The “petroleum exploration and production agreement” framed in 1986 by the Hoyte Government had a secrecy clause. “Subject to subsection (2), no information furnished, or information in a report submitted, pursuant to this Act by a licensee shall be disclosed to any person who is not a Minister, a public officer or an employee of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission except
with the consent of the licensee.” These words were added by the PPP/C in 1997. They show that the PPP/C had sinister intentions long before we struck oil. Denying that would entail denying the secrecy clauses in Berbice I can understand a ‘pork knocker’ locating a significant gold deposit on a piece of “no man’s land” and wants to keep it a secret. History on gold rush is saturated with stories of men discovering large deposits and were robed or bullied out of their find by other men or companies. It is difficult to comprehend a Government entrusted to administer the business of an independent State
adding a secrecy clause to an existing agreement with the intent of withholding information from the citizens long before oil would have been found in the realm of that state. To add injury to insult, they deterred the breach of that clause by a “fine of seventy-five thousand dollars and imprisonment for three years” as penalty. I have never heard of a precedent where an oil company was robbed of its find by any of its competitor by virtue of “striking oil”, becoming public knowledge to all oil companies or the citizens (the legal owners) of the country where the oil is found. On the contrary; there are
Adumbrations on the cruel ... From page 5 Now I know we had the socialist block but when one speaks of leaving a trail of dictators around the world he definitely could not be speaking of socialism. It had to be capitalism. Do we want to start with South Africa, How about Rhodesia? Hitler, Mussolini, the Shah of Iran. Democratically elected Allende was replaced by Pinochet. Least Mr. Singh is not keeping in touch let me remind him that the private sector, the military industrial complex, and the privately owned financial oligarchies; the eight persons that own more than the entire third world need wars to make profits. So the capitalist world is presently bombing over 7 countries under one pretext or another but the reason is what I have described as destructive consumption. We make bombs and war machines and we have to destroy them in order to create demand for more thus ensuring profits. So Mr Singh, I am just providing some alternative facts
for you and others like you to ponder on. I want to say this to you though; I know your information is primarily from the western press. But in 1917, the time of the Russian Revolution. Russia was 90% feudal. It had 97% illiteracy; by 1941 it fought 2/3 of the German army; it lost 20 million people. It, according to the UN, had one of the best education systems in the world and so does not have to depend on draining brains from the third world to run its productive forces like the West. Even though there is a cruel blockade you have to complement the Cuban people re their achievements notably in the field of Medicine. The biggest dictatorship in the world fell without a drop of blood. Russia is now capitalist but do you believe the workers are now better off?
Look at the capitalist world today after 400 years of capitalism and the high technology that has been developed. It is a shame that a billion people are without pure water and 10,000 children die each year because of poverty. It is time for thinkers to question the system that dominates the world Baring in mind that we had communal society, slavery, feudal society and now capitalism. In the mean time the present elites through their propaganda has demonized any possible. We have to begin to seriously question what we know, what we believe to be true. Rajendra Bisessar
instances where people in governments had colluded with oil companies to deprive citizens of their oil wealth and where oil companies had deprived nations of benefits from their resources because of bad agreements. The present draft policy states that the petroleum resources of Guyana belong to all its citizens, (when could this have been any different?) and represents an asset of intrinsic value which once removed, diminishes the wealth of the nation. Was this such an alien concept to the PPP/C in 1997? It seems as if they had a vision in which they saw Exxon as a colluder – considering that the Liza find was declared just a few days before the 2015 elections by Exxon. Despite public outcry for information on the present oil deal with Exxon and the APNU/AFC Government, the coalition, citing the “secrecy clause” added to the 1986 agreement in 1997 by the Jagdeo regime for not revealing information is no less guilty of conspiracy. I have not heard Jagdeo give any logical explanation for the secrecy clause except for saying that no oil company will walk away from its find if the government reveals the contract with Exxon and in the same press conference he advocated that any Government must honor contracts made by their predecessor. Grossly ludicrous! Previously, he had said that Government had two years to draft a “sovereign wealth fund”
(SWF) and that they are behaving as if it is a” herculean task”. Ironically he proposed that he could set up one (SWF) in one month with the appropriate separation of the political from the “people’s interest.” Shameless hypocrisy! Why was this such an alien concept to Jagdeo in 1997 when amending the petroleum exploration and production agreement with a secrecy clause? Secrecy seems to be a disease that afflicts politicians only while in power- Jagdeo was the architect of “secrecy clause” while in power. The APNU/AFC despite all its promises of transparency and accountability while in opposition became infected as soon as it got into powersecrecy seems to be synonymous with power. The coalition has amassed its fair share of atrocities over its two years in power. Having spent millions on COIs they have not revealed the findings and recommendations of those COIs The rulership style of the Coalition has taken on a dogmatic approach. Imagine 14000 signatures to recall the VAT on private education. The refusal to allow
more consultation on the amendment to the broadcasting bill despite calls to do so from various free press advocates. The refusal to give the tobacco company a hearing on their concerns on the tobacco bill saying that the nation’s health is more important than the company’s concern are just a few instances where what is written cannot be changed and have to be carried out. It seems that they are of the opinion that going back on anything they had done in haste would make them look ignorant in the eyes of the people, unaware of the increasing resentment they are creating for themselves in the hearts of the people. The coalition’s obsession with secrecy runs deep. They muster the audacity to tell the people that the oil agreements with Exxon should be kept secret because of National Security reasons. They would never answer how, where and in what way any oil contract can compromise national security because they have adopted the stance that they are not obligated to answer to the people. Rudolph Singh
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Canada-based firm bidding for million dollar contracts in Guyana keeps track record “confidential” Most companies are usually very proud to spread the word about the quality and quantity of work they
have executed ever since their existence. They are in most cases, even eager to declare to the
Dem boys seh...
City Hall tek child abuse to new heights De amount of lawlessness that happening in de City Council enough to mek people wonder if dem got any decent person n de council. De City Council people get blame when dem vendors find out that while some of dem could sell pun de street others get move. Now de council tek child abuse to a new level. De other day some slackness come to light. A senior council officer mek it he duty to go out pun de road to arrest young boys. If he see a boy peeing by de post bet you last dollar that boy got to sleep at de city council. De man does put dem to sit down pun a bench. Is only last week dem boys realize wha going on. One of de constables who wukking deh go back to de constab to collect a weapon. When he enter he see a li’l boy sitting down pun de bench and de senior officer sitting down behind he desk. De constable know that this was not de first time that de senior officer pick up li’l boys fuh mischief but he didn’t know was a practice. He sit down at he desk in another office and start to fill out a form fuh de weapon. That was when he hear a sound like somebody groaning. He wonder of de li’l boy sick suh he peep in de room. He coulda dead. He tell dem boys that he see de senior officer bending over and de li’l boy standing behind him. He give a statement to de Mayor and de rest of de councilors. When de man think he was doing a duty he didn’t know that he was starting a big cover up, something more big than Watergate. City Hall now got a Councilgate. Patsy and de King decide that dem gun keep de thing secret. Dem call de officer and ask him to stop using li’l boys. But dem boys seh dem gun mek de story public because dem want to know if Patsy and de King does do de same thing. Talk half and watch out fuh council child abusers.
world, the credible partners they have cemented partnerships with. But this is not the case with one Canada-based firm which is bidding for millions of dollars in contracts regarding solar energy solutions in Guyana. When it comes to Greenheart Tree Energy Guyana, this company believes that the media has no business poking around its track record. In fact, the company holds the belief that its track record outside of Guyana is “confidential”. According to the company’s website: http:// www.ghtenergy.ca/#whatwe-do-section, it clearly states that, it “provides infrastructure and energy solutions to Guyana, South America and the Caribbean.” Kaieteur News contacted the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Greenheart Energy Guyana, Esmonde Klass, to ascertain what other works or energy solutions it has provided to Caribbean territories and other countries in the South American Region. Klass instantly took a defensive line. He questioned why the newspaper was even asking this question in the first place. The CEO said, “I won’t even tell you much because that is confidential information. But what I can
say at this point is that we have done work in Brazil, Trinidad and Tobago and St. Vincent. These questions, as CEO, I don’t get involved in.” There was not a single line of information that could be found to support Klass’s statement. He was informed of this. The CEO then said, “The website does not look at quarter of the work that we do.” Be that as it may, the website speaks extensively and proudly about the work the Canada based group has done in Guyana. Continued on page 13
CEO of Greenheart Energy Guyana, Esmonde Klass
Public Relations Officer for Greenheart Energy Guyana, Lindsay Davidson
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La Parfaite Harmonie Health Centre is up to standard Following a visit to La Parfaite Harmonie Health Centre on Thursday, Minister within the Ministry of Public Health Dr. Karen Cummings said the statements regarding the upkeep of the health facility were not factual. On September 6, a published article stated that the water, sanitation, hygiene services and healthcare waste management at the La Parfaite Harmonie Health Centre were not up to standard. “(La Parfaite Harmonie Health Centre) environment is clean and I am happy because it was reported to be in a very deplorable state, but that is not so. I am happy that I am able to have a firsthand look at what is happening in this health centre and community,” Minister Cummings said. The health facility offers
- Minister Cummings several services including antenatal and post-natal care, an infant clinic, outpatient clinic and family planning. The Minister expressed her satisfaction at the operations of the health centre, but observed that there was room for improvement. This, she assured, will be addressed by the ministry to ensure that all Guyanese are provided proper health care delivery. It was highlighted during an in-house meeting with the West Demerara Regional Hospital’s department heads and representative of the Regional Democratic Council (RDC), the maintenance and infrastructure of La Parfaite Harmonie Health Centre is undertaken by the
Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) once every quarter. The Minister said that the period of time selected to upgrade those facilities should be adjusted to twice every quarter. “Maintenance of the health facility slated for once a quarter, I do not think is adequate for a health facility.” Dr. Victor George Allen attached to La Parfaite Harmonie Health Centre, thanked the minister for her visit and expressed optimism that it would speed up the process for the necessary requirements from the Health Ministry in the near future. Minister Cummings also promised to address the issue of appointing a pharmacy assistant to the health facility.
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Family blames GPHC for baby’s death The sudden death of one month old Hailey Henry has brought the Georgetown Public Hospital [GPHC] into the spotlights once again. Parents of` the deceased infant, Marlon Henry and Michelle Gonsalves, are still baffled as the Infant’s cause of death still remains vague. Though the infant endured complications during pregnancy, sudden death following more than a month of “recovery” seems questionable. The young couple of Lot 224 Richmond, Essequibo Coast, is struck emotionally as they continue to mourn the death of their first born whose life ended on September 3, 2017. Mother of the deceased, Michelle, told this publication that her daughter, Hailey, developed a swollen stomach during pregnancy. Michelle believes how-
…mother believes infant was overdosed with antibiotics ever that her baby daughter suffered and died, as a result of negligence on the part of the GPHC. She believes that in addition to an overdose of antibiotics, her daughter may have also starved to death. Michelle further explained, “After they ruptured my water sack, some three hours later a doctor said the baby heart stopped beating and she died in me.” The woman said she later delivered the baby, but to her surprise to declared dead child was alive. “They took the baby out and the baby start crying and they say they carrying the baby to the maternity ward. The doctor came later and he said that the baby ain’t messing but I gotta express breast milk because the baby tummy
was swollen. “The Tuesday they took her for surgery, and she start showing signs of recovery cause she start move and so when she went on the machine. Then later they put her on oxygen. After I expressed the breast milk for a seven-day period she started passing stools.” Little did the family know that Hailey’s complications were far from over, as just seven days after surgery, another disaster surfaced. Michelle added, “Shortly like after a day we gone back they said they stop feeding her because some green fluids coming up back from her. So they removed the line from her hands because they say maybe that’s what caused the infection. “So the doctors said they
Anna Regina Multilateral School awaits renovation The Anna Regina Multilateral School is currently in a worrying state, which affects students in the Information Technology (IT) department. Principal, Laljit Rooplall, said that he accounts for over 830 children. The IT lab has been infested with wood ants and there are holes on the ceiling. The lights are ‘falling out’ and the washroom facility is also in a much depressing state. The Head Master also complained of a lack of furniture. He noted that the school had received a donation of $1million which is to be utilized in the science department. Quotations were made according to him, but the actual purchases were not yet made. The renovation of the ceiling in the IT lab will cost the school approximately $300,000, which will be funded from the donation. The Anna Regina Multilateral School is a secondary school which was established in 1973 in Anna Regina, Region Two, Pomeroon/ Supernaam.
A hole in the ceiling which awaits renovation
One of the light-bulbs dangerously hanging over a main passageway
gonna put a tube on her big vein. Nobody told me that finding this big vein involved cutting, cause when we showed up at the parlor only then we discovered a long tube running through the right side of her body.” The family also believes that a daily increase in the
dosage of antibiotics may have somehow contributed to the infant’s medical relapse. “Every day we go them always changing antibiotics. When we asked what the infection is, they said they don’t know, so like they don’t know what they were treating her for; they just try-
ing out to see which antibiotic would work.” The Henry family also expressed their dissatisfaction as they were not promptly informed of the baby’s death. “The baby died since 4 am or so. When I showed up at the hospital there in the morning I waiting, but nobody telling me anything, nobody even called me,” said Michelle.
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Floridians scramble for safety as Irma closes in FORT MYERS, Fla. (Reuters) - Hurricane Irma turned its menacing sight toward the Florida Keys yester-
day as it completed a destructive march along Cuba’s northern coast and set off an 11th hour scramble for safety
by Americans who may have ignored warnings to evacuate. Irma, one of the fiercest Atlantic storms in a century,
was expected to rip through Florida’s southern archipelago today morning. It will make landfall on the Florida
peninsula somewhere west of Miami and then head up the state’s west coast, by Tampa, forecasters said. Irma, which has killed at least 22 people in the Caribbean, was likely to inflict billions of dollars in damage in the third largest U.S. state by population. The storm could bring winds in excess of 130 mph (209 kph) and a storm surge up to 15 feet (4.6 meters), which is expected to trigger flooding. Irma is expected to regain strength as it steams over warm waters south of Florida, according to the NHC. It was likely to regain Category 4 status before striking Florida, said NHC spokesman Dennis Feltgen. The wide reach of Irma’s deadly winds and its size, more than its numerical ranking, has rattled veteran hurricane watchers. It could rival any storm in Florida’s history, Governor Rick Scott said. Irma will dump 10 inches to 20 inches (25 cm to 51 cm) of rain over Florida and southeast Georgia from yesterday through tomorrow. But unlike with Harvey, dangerous winds will barely abate once Irma makes landfall this morning. A long line of people in
Estero, Florida lined up to enter an arena that officials converted into an evacuation shelter, one of hundreds that have opened up across the state. Officials in Florida have ordered a total of 6.3 million people, or about a third of the state’s population, to evacuate, creating massive traffic jams on highways and bringing huge crowds to shelters. In Palm Beach, President Donald Trump’s waterfront Mar-a-Lago estate was under evacuation order. Trump and his cabinet were at Camp David in Maryland, receiving updates on the storm. Irma was already whipping south Florida with winds yesterday, and the governor said thousands of people were without power. About 9 million people in Florida may lose power, some for weeks, said Florida Power & Light Co, which serves almost half of the state’s 20.6 million residents. The window for people in evacuation zones to flee was drawing to a close yesterday, officials said, warning that gas stations would soon be without fuel and bridges would be closed in some areas.
Sunday September 10, 2017
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Kaieteur News
No changes to public service classification in 20 years The Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the Public Service was completed and handed over in May 2016. Observers of the public service have since commented on the position of the public sector as it relates to its structure. These opinions have been expressed by commentators in the letter pages of the press. Recently, one letter writer, Earl B. John, stated in a letter in Kaieteur News titled ‘Job Classification in the Public Service of Guyana’ that the Guyana Public Service instituted for more than two decades, an unchanged classification of jobs. This conclusion was supported by Human Resources Management Expert, Nowrang Persaud, in his letter published in the Guyana Times, titled ‘Need to update, contextualise job evaluation/classification systems’. According to John, 14 grades were established in relation to five classes of
public servants— administrative, senior technical, other technical and craft skilled, clerical and office support, and semi-skilled operatives and unskilled. John said that one question that needs to be asked is how these classes could have remained static in light of the technological advancements that would have changed the nature and structure of functions and even of the same jobs together with reconstructed agencies. Further, he said that the CoI made a number of observations. One such is that job classifications cut across almost all grades. “The most alarming are grades under the respective classifications: ‘Administrative’ and ‘Senior Technical’ starting from GS2 and continuing from GS4 – GS14.” Another observation of the report that John highlighted was that the job classification system cannot
be used for positions which do not match in terms of their duties and responsibilities. He said that the report also suggested an adjusted job structure as a model despite it being a shortcut to a more comprehensive job evaluation exercise. Further, he said that the current classifications in the 2017 National Estimates indicate that nothing has changed. He suggested that this is so since it is possible the report has not been read by its sponsors; particularly since no plans have been announced to implement any of the recommendations in the immediate future. Meanwhile, Persaud in his comment on the issue said that John did an honourable service by highlighting the deficiencies of Human Resource Management and the improprieties in the classification of jobs within the public service. “I feel obliged to support John’s repeated calls for urgent remedial action,
Canada-based firm bidding for million... From page 9 Klass said that his company was formed three years ago with the intention of focusing its operations on Guyana. He noted that the company was set up as a response to President David Granger’s call for Guyanese in the Diaspora to return and invest in their homeland. The CEO also noted that his company has interest in executing housing projects in Guyana as well as in other parts of South America. But when it comes to revealing the works done outside of Guyana, Klass stressed, “We are very silent in the environment. The people who need to look at our record know it. Our reputation is something that should not even be questioned given what we are doing for Guyana and how much we are investing. “This newspaper has been reporting on us for three years now so why these questions now...We went through the Guyana Office for Investment (Go-Invest) and so did all of our partners. We were vetted and we don’t need to answer any detractors.” Klass then informed this newspaper that any further questions should be directed to Lindsay Davidson, who he said is in charge of public affairs. He said that Davidson may provide “a different flavour.” Moments after that telephone discussion with Mr. Klass, Davidson contacted this newspaper. The former reporter of the Guyana Chronicle newspaper was eager to learn why
Kaieteur News was probing the company’s history. Kaieteur News informed Davidson that this is nothing new for the entity. It has constantly placed the spotlight on many foreign companies seeking to enter business deals in Guyana. He acknowledged that he is aware of this. He said that Greenheart is all for transparency. Kaieteur News then posed a few simple, basic and straightforward questions to him. He declined to answer them immediately. Davidson requested that the newspaper send it questions via email. Two of those questions requested that the company should list some of the places in the Caribbean and South America in which it piloted projects, and a list of all the names of the companies it is in partnership with. But following a “Dem Boys Seh” piece on the company in the newspaper’s Thursday edition, Davidson subsequently wrote back stating that Greenheart Tree has taken the decision to take a step back and seek legal counsel. It was only yesterday that the Public Relations Officer made contact with the newspaper stating that the answers to all of its questions are on its website.
But this is not the case. The company is still to list the work it has done outside of Guyana. It did however; provide the names of its partners. According to the website, Greenheart Tree has signed Non Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) and Memorandums of Understanding (MOUs) with its partners. They include TCI Ecology & New Energy Tech Company, Henley Engineering Management (Shanghai) Co., Ltd, SCEGC Equipment Installation Group International Engineering Company, Shanghai Jinling Intelligent Electric Meter Co., Ltd., LS Tech Homes Royal Europa Sp.zo.o and Franken Solar. Greenheart tree noted too, “On many of our projects, we are engaged in Joint Venture Agreements (JV(s)) with our partners. In some projects, they act as suppliers and provide direct savings to GHTE. These signed NDA(s), MOU(s) and JV(s) ,with established international partners , are an indication of the financial strength and project completion capacity that GHTE brings to the table on any project where our partners are involved. GHTE benefits by having a worldwide basket of experience to draw upon.”
which, incidentally, resonate with the recent report of the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the public service of Guyana. He pointed out that there are a number of systems of job classifications used around the world and Guyana’s is among the oldest. He said that a significant consequence of the system being used by the Guyana Public Service is the
multiplication of ‘finite’ grades or classifications, a total of 14. Moreover, he said, “I know of another arm of the government where there are 15 grades which in my view can be beneficially halved.” He added, “Undue multiplication of grades with corresponding increases in the number of narrow salary scales tend to result in steep hierarchical, top-heavy
organisational structures with invisible walls or ceiling which often frustrate career growth by constraining natural job enlargement/ enrichment – the epitome of employee commitment, job satisfaction and growth.” He said that current human resource management philosophy and practice, favour fewer grades and flatter organisational structures.
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Sunday September 10, 2017
Kaieteur News
FINANCIAL LITERACY:
Young People and Numeracy Understanding financial literacy and financial concepts Exposing young people to financial concepts is particularly important. The earlier that young people can develop basic financial skills, the more likely it is that they will make good financial decisions when they become adults. According to the research literature, “there is an undisputed link between the need for adequate basic skills in numeracy and literacy and financial literacy.” Financial literacy is generally defined as, “being able to make informed judgements to take effective decisions regarding the use and management of money.” A lack of financial literacy and numeracy is often the direct result of poor basic skills. The key objective of this article is to raise awareness to numeracy and financial literacy. All young Guyanese as well as most adults must be able to use mathematics at a level necessary to function and progress at work and in life. The world requires us all to have a high level of competence in basic numeracy skills. In fact, financially capable people are
able to make informed decisions. They are numerate and can budget and manage money effectively. Studies have shown that they understand how to manage credit and debt as well as assess and
manage the different risks and returns involved in investment options. Being numerate means more than just being able to use addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. As the world advances, we have to understand complex information presented in financial charts, deal with percentages and solve time management problems. Numeracy covers the ability to understand and use mathematical information and interpret results and communicate mathematical information. During my research for
this article focusing on numeracy alone, it was noted there are several studies documenting its impact on important financial decisions. In fact, two researchers, Lusardi and Mitchell found
that those individuals who cannot do a 2% interest rate calculation (i.e., respond with “do not know”) are much less likely to plan for retirement and be successful planners (i.e., figure how much they need to save, develop a plan, and stick to a plan). Moreover, those who are not numerate are less likely to accumulate wealth. However, this finding is not specific to the United States, but it is true in many other countries. Another interesting finding is that those with higher numeracy are much more likely to own stocks.
Basic numeracy skills requirements The Government of the United Kingdom has prepared the following table that displays key basic numeracy skills:
United States and other countries have implemented studies and surveys that show the level of numeracy among their populations to be very low. In fact, one particularly interesting piece of research shows that, “the lack of numeracy is not only widespread but particularly severe among some demographic groups, such as women, the elderly, and those with low educational attainment.” This has potential consequences for individuals and for society as a whole because numeracy is found to be linked to many financial decisions. The basic financial literacy and financial questions are as follows: 1. Numeracy – Suppose you had $100 in a savings and the interest rate was 2% per year. After 5 years, how much do you think you would have in the account if you left the
Part 1
money to grow? 2. Compound Interest – Suppose you had $100 in a savings account and the interest rate in 20% per year and you never withdraw money or interest payments. After 5 years, how much would you have on this account in total? 3. Inflation – Imagine that the interest on your saving account was 1% per year and inflation was 2% per year. After 1 year, how much would you be able to buy with the money in this account? 4. Time Value of Money – Assume a friend inherits $10,000 today and his sibling inherits $10,000 3 years from now. Who is richer because of the inheritance? 5. Money Illusion – Suppose that in the year 2016, your income has doubled and prices of all goods have doubled too. In 2016, how much will you be able to buy with your income? Concluding remarks It must be noted that people of all ages must be capable of making effective financial decisions. Based upon global economic and social trends young people must be equipped with the skills to make sound decisions, from a young age. This includes basic commercial transactions as well as transactions including the costs of tertiary or further education or training and choosing from a complex array of available
Dr. Terence Smith, Deputy Governor, Bank of Guyana financial products and services. According to Lusardi, there are high returns to improving numeracy and teaching mathematical skills in school and among the young. Such skills can be used not only in the job market but also in making good financial decisions throughout one’s lifetime. Not only are young people required to make one of the most important decisions of their lifetime, whether to invest in higher education during high school, but according to the research, they are also confronted with numerous decisions of economic consequence: having a car, a cell phone, a bank account, and a debit or credit card. Next week we will continue more on financial literacy and numeracy. Thanks for all your comments and support. As usual, please send your comments or questions to deputygovernor@ bankofguyana.org.gy
Sunday September 10, 2017
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Kaieteur News
Over 1,200 Guyanese ‘Dreamers’ in US limbo US (www.ohio.com) -The Ukrainian man got the news alert on his mobile phone while sitting in class at Kent State University. Life for the undocumented immigrant in the United States — where he has lived for nearly 20 years — was now even more uncertain. “I was feeling let down by this country,” he said, recalling that the news alert told him the program shielding him from deportation was being phased out. “I feel numb. I’ve been living on pins and needles for so many years,” said the man, whose parents brought him to this country in 1998, when he was 13. He lives in the Cleveland area. The Beacon Journal is not identifying the student at his request. The man is one of 800,000 young undocumented immigrants who are enrolled in the Obama-era program called Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) that prevents their deportation. Brought to this country as children, they are known as “Dreamers.” U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, in making the formal announcement about DACA this week, said the program was “an unconstitutional exercise of authority by the executive branch. In ending the program, President Donald Trump gave Congress a six-month window to approve legislation to preserve DACA protections.
About 4,400 people in Ohio are enrolled in the program that provides recipients with a Social Security number and work permit for a two-year period. After the two years, participants can renew their status. DACA provides relief The Kent State student said he’s battled anxiety for many years. “My life has been turned upside down for 20 years” as an undocumented immigrant, he said. Still, he said, DACA provided relief and was a pathway to a college education. Barack Obama signed the executive order on DACA in 2012. Soon after, the Ukrainian Dreamer enrolled at Kent State to “finally pursue my dreams of getting a college education.” He was 28. The student, who is going to school while working parttime, renewed his DACA authorization early this year, meaning that he will keep his status until early 2019. Under the phase-out plan, DACA recipients whose permits expire on or before March
5 can apply for a two-year renewal if they apply by Oct. 5. “It was a little bit nervewracking. … I knew my extension period was coming up and I was going to have to file right around the time of [Trump’s] inauguration,” the student said, noting that Trump, during his campaign, had said he would end DACA. Relatively few Dreamers are from Ukraine. The country is not among the top 14 countries of origin, according to a list from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Guyana ranks at No. 14, with 1,266 people from that country who are Dreamers. The vast majority are from Mexico. More than 200,000 of the roughly 800,000 Dreamers live in California. Seeking a better life The Kent State student said he and his mother and father came to the United States nearly 20 years ago as tourists. After being denied a visa extension, the three stayed, joining the ranks of undocumented immigrants. “The plan was obviously
to come here for a better life and better opportunity,” the man said, explaining that his father was unemployed in Ukraine and his mother was supporting the family on a lowpaying job at a grocery store. A relative living in the United States steered the family to the Cleveland area, which has a sizable Ukrainian community. After high school, he signed up with temporary work agencies and did a lot of low-paying jobs in hotels, he said. “I just pretty much tried not to lose hope that sooner or later something was going to change [thinking], ‘I’ll get my pathway to citizenship
somehow,’?” he said. This week, all 14 Ohio public university presidents, in a letter to U.S. Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, urged Congress to take action to allow Dreamer students to stay in this country and continue with their studies. Kent State officials declined to discuss how many Dreamer students are enrolled at the university. A University of Akron spokesman said he did not know the number at UA. DACA recipients this week also got support from Ohio Gov. John Kasich. He said on CBS This Morning that “reasonable Republicans
and Democrats from the middle” need to come together “and build out a solution to this.” The Kent State student offered a similar opinion: “This is a good issue for both Republicans and Democrats to come together and get something done.” Legal challenges have been filed to the president’s decision to end DACA. On Tuesday night, Trump appeared to soften his position, tweeting: “Congress now has 6 months to legalize DACA (something the Obama Administration was unable to do). If they can’t, I will revisit this issue!”
Sunday September 10, 2017
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Kaieteur News
Stronger legal support and protection for victims of sexual crimes Demanding stronger legal support and protection for victims of sexual crimes, the Public Health Ministry this past week launched its Early Childhood, Adolescent and Men’s Health programmes in Region Nine (Upper Takutu/ Upper Essequibo). The move, which is being dubbed a ‘triple initiative’, has the backing of the global United Nations Children’s Fund [UNICEF] and endorsements from the Ministries of Education and Social Protection. Regional Chairman, Mr. Brian Allicock, was elated that the Upper Takutu/Upper Essequibo area was singled out for the launch of the new initiative. But Dr. Oneka Scott, Adolescent Health Focal Point person of the Public Health Ministry, could not help expressing her pain on the lukewarm national attitude towards the crisis faced by Guyanese adolescents. Validating Dr. Scott’s sentiments was LeAndre Stellingburg, a nurse employed in the Region, who exposed the alleged tepid response of the Guyana Police Force ranks and the Village Council to the plight of rape victims. Stellingburg said police ranks consistently seem “unwilling to
- as Public Health Ministry launches new three-prong initiative act” when complaints of sexual crimes are reported and Village Council authorities routinely revictimise complainants. “Legal representation is needed for the mothers,” Stellingburg said reminding the audience at the launching ceremony that some girls became parents against their will. When he spoke, UNICEF’s Deputy Representative, Mr. Paolo Marchi, highlighted numerous jeopardies faced by adolescents and pleaded for “special support” from the wider Guyanese society for girls to help them make more informed choices. Criminal violence, domestic violence, trafficking in person (TIP), drugs and alcohol, lack of quality education, lack of access to key resources – whether financial or social “are all traps waiting for adolescents,” Marchi counselled. Guyana “needs to ensure that services are made available for this critical grouping,” the UNICEF official said. He said, too, that sexual reproductive health should be openly discussed in Guyana since 21 per cent of the population is adolescent girls [in the 10-19 age group] who must delay becoming parents as that
Dr. Oneka Scott, Adolescent Health Focal Point Person within the Public Health Ministry. can “constrain your growth.” The UNICEF official lauded the Public Health Ministry for launching the novel three programmes simultaneously. “This is important for Region Nine and the country.” During her keynote address residents heard Dr. Scott referring to statistics which indicate that more than 50 per cent of the countries of the Americas have adolescent fertility rates
The Baccoo Speaks The police would respond to the sighting of an escaped criminal in the eastern part of the country. The reports are that the escaped prisoners are desirous of reaching Cayenne where the country has an aversion to the death penalty. It will turn out that the police are going to be unlucky because the person sighted would be warned. ** Scam artistes are surfacing in the depressed communities. Three men will visit a
home pretending to represent the power company. In reality they will be sizing up the property for a later visit. As
fate would have it the homeowner would unload his suspicion to a neighbor who would then notify the police. The final game is still to be played out. ** The advent of the new school buses would be a talking point. The drivers who preyed on young schoolgirls are going to be disappointed and would actually force an accident with one of the buses. He police would not be amused.
higher than 72 out of every 100,000 in the 15-year old group.
In Guyana however, the figure is 74 per 100,000, Dr. Scott said. She further noted that in indigenous communities some 20 per cent of the girls become mothers before the age of 16. Dr. Scott, who is also an Emergency Room physician, is troubled that adolescent health is not given the attention it deserves in Guyana. “No one reports on adolescent health,” Dr. Scott bemoaned. Moreover, she is unhappy that public institutions are increasingly forced to take more responsibilities for the welfare of adolescents because of the systemic breakdown in the local family structure. According to Dr. Scott, more and more Guyanese parents have accepted, as inevitable, their children
becoming sexually active from an early age. Meanwhile, ‘machoism’ still constrains men and boys in Guyana from accessing critical health services. A recent survey here has highlighted the need for more “malefriendly” clinics, according to Dr. Scott. She said clinics that specialise in issues mainly affecting the male population “are dynamic and go beyond mere physical check-ups.” The Men’s Health aspect of the triple programme is functioning under the theme ‘Healthier men for a Stronger Healthier Nation’. During the working group session with Dr. Dennis Bassier targeting males, there was heightened interest among them on the issue of prostate cancer which reportedly kills approximately 29 out of every 100,000 men living in the Caribbean.
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Kaieteur News
Sunday September 10, 2017
The Leonora axe murders By Michael Jordan -he lured his family into the house, and slaughtered them one by one… This is part horror story, part ghost story, and now that I have your attention, let me tell you some of what happened at Lot 118 Sharp Street, Leonora, West Coast Demerara on Thursday, May 29, 1980. They say that it was raining that day, but several workmen were repairing the roadway, when 13-year-old Isardi Haripaul returned from school. She rapped on the door and her father, 32-year-old Devakaparsaud Haripaul, opened it. Now things were not going well in the Haripaul household. Mr. Haripaul had been u n e m p l o y e d for several weeks and there were frequent arguments between the man and his wife, Rajdai. Everything had appeared to be normal that day. Around 14:00 hrs, Mr. Haripaul had visited a shop in the neighbourhood, where he
bought a ‘half’ bottle of rum and a pack of cigarettes. The couple had five children; Ganesh, 16; Ramdar, 12; Naresh, 10; Chandradai, six; and three-year-old Savatri. Isardi was about to enter the house when her father informed her, in a rough voice, “Your mother, brothers and sisters packed and moved out.” Her father’s rough tone of voice made her pause. She peered into the house and saw something that made her very uneasy. There was a polythene rope dangling from a beam in the sitting room. Isardi would later recount that her father then tried to grab her. She managed to elude him and run all the way to an aunt, who lived nearby. Isardi’s story made the aunt uneasy and she decided to contact the police. A party of policemen then arrived at the Haripaul’s residence. After calling repeatedly and getting no response, the policemen forced their way into the house.
There, they found Haripaul hanging from a polythene rope in the hall-
way. Someone had also soaked the house with kerosene. Scouring the house further, the policemen and neighbours came across a scene of unimaginable horror. In the last bedroom in the house, covered with clothing, lay the mutilated bodies of
Mrs. Radjai Haripaul and three of her children. They found a fifth mangled body in another bedroom. A sixth child, the eldest, with similar mutilations, was found in a chicken pen under the house. Mr. Haripaul had apparently used an axe to slaughter all, except one, of his family members before taking his own life. Police would later learn that Haripaul had made repeated threats to kill everyone in his household. From all indications, Haripaul killed his wife and infant daughter first. He then killed the other children, one by one, as they returned home from school. But like I said before, this is also a ghost story. Residents claim that one day, a Guyana Electricity Corporation employee, unaware of the tragedy, visited the premises to read the meter. He left the yard grumbling, and some villagers sought to find out what had annoyed him. The meter reader explained that he had called and rapped and no one had answered.
But just as he was about to leave, he looked into the house and saw a man, wrapped in a towel, emerge from one of the bedrooms but the man never came to the door. The villagers then explained the history of Lot 118 Sharp Street. They told the meter reader that the house had remained empty since then. A post-girl reportedly had an even more scary experience. She reportedly went up the stairs to deliver mail, peeped in the house, and saw a man, his wife and children going about their business inside. She promptly fainted when villagers told her that the property was empty. If you know of any unusual cases please contact us at Kaieteur News. We can be reached on telephone numbers 22-58465, 22-58491, and 22-58458. You need not disclose your identity. You can also reach Michael Jordan at his email address mjdragon@hotmail.com.
Sunday September 10, 2017
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Kaieteur News
Who owns lands in this country? A very interesting piece of information came out of the Lands Commission Inquiry by Mr. Aubrey Charles, General Manager of the MMA scheme. It was not commented on by anyone in the society but it is important for an understanding of the class structure of this country. Mr. Hemraj Kissoon, patriarch of the AH&L Kissoon family (no relation to me and a family I don’t know at all except that I know it is a rich, well established Guyanese business), testified that when the MMA scheme was engineered by the Guyana Government in the seventies, his company lost 2000 acres of leased land to the east of the MMA and he wants the Lands Commission to return such to the Kissoon family. He said that the family owned the land for more than a hundred years. He went on to state in that in the vicinity of the
MMA, at the present time, the family possesses 8000 acres leased by the colonial governor Two opposing emotions struck you when you read what Mr. Kissoon said. One is why after so long, he wants the 2000 acres back or why shouldn’t his family get back the acres after all. Kissoon told the commissioners the government of the day never told his family why it needed 2000 acres of his land. But Kissoon’s picture was not the complete portrait. The entire canvas was revealed when the GeneralManager of the MMA took the stand. What he had to say was quite revealing about the nature of class society in Guyana. Mr. Kissoon wants his 2000 acres back but Charles’s testimony dissolves any sympathy you may have had for the Kissoon family. First, Charles testified that there is no documentation to show that the Kissoon family
requested compensation at the time. Secondly, lands to the east of the MMA that the Kissoon family possessed as leased land that included the 2000 acres taken by the State were not occupied for 30 years prior to the establishment of the MMA. Try to understand the scenario that Charles described if you are going to make a decision as to whether the State should return 2000 acres to the Kissoon family. Here is that scenario. The Government is establishing a colossal agricultural scheme whose square miles are longer than some of our Caricom neighbours. The scheme would revolutionize agriculture in Guyana. It found out that it needs to take in 2000 acres of leased land that is in private hand. But it is not land that was being used but land that was never touched for over 30 years.
Surely, there isn’t a government in the world that would hold up a similar scheme like the MMA because it cannot get 2000 acres that the colonial government leased to a family that at the time was one of the richest in the country. Thirdly, four reasons were offered by the Guyana Government why the State needed 2000 of leased land in order to engineer the scheme (remember it is important to distinguish leased land from land bought through payment) and they included absence of payment of rent by the Kissoon family for the leased asset. There were some startling revelations by Mr. Charles one of which included the policy of the MMA not to renew leases if rent was not paid. In his own words he told the commissioners that the Kissoon family was in the
habit of not paying rent for state resources that it rented Charles announced at the hearing that in 1999, the Kissoon family had owed the State in excess of $20 million. Here is the part that involves class privileges in this country. Charles stated that the MMA Board took the decision to waive the sum. It is for this reason I am doing this column on the land issue. Would the State have waived money owed by policemen, civil servants and army personnel who borrowed it from their respective places of employment within the State to buy a home or a car? There should be no question in the mind of any citizen that the government is not going to waive monies owed by UG students that they borrowed from the State. Space would prevent further discussion on the rebut-
Frederick Kissoon tal testimony of the MMA manager to what the Kissoon patriarch presented but his testimony is so intriguing that editors, commentators, political activists and concerned citizens ought to read his rebuttal. I will be testifying at the commission when it resumes hearing on October 2. I intend to press a case for lands for the poorer classes of this country
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Sunday September 10, 2017
Kaieteur News
Preserving miners’ health & the environment The Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) staged its annual Mining Week from August 20 to 26 last under the theme “Mining Clean, Living Green”. In keeping with the most talkedabout topic among the world’s leading environmentalists, green energy, climate change and deforestation specialists, Guyana’s Mining Week 2017 had as its primary focus the removal of Mercury from the gold recovery cycle. The symposia, tours and other events also focused on improving worker safety at the operations of small and medium scale miners. This issue of safety will remain under the microscope until every single miner operates his/her gold and diamond extraction in compliance with human safety regulations and the tenets of environmental preservation. Miners, porkknockers up to medium scale precious metal extraction operators have been utilizing elemental mercury to ‘collect’ gold in the field for all the years that gold has been mined in Guyana. Generally, Mercury is
mixed with gold-containing ore from the ground or river bed forming a mercury-gold amalgam which is then heated to vaporize the mercury then obtain the gold. This process can be very dangerous, and it causes miners and the people living nearby the camp to be exposed to the Mercury-tainted air and water which then lead to health issues particularly in children. Ridding the global environment of Mercury has occupied the attention of global environmentalists since before the 1980’s, and countless studies and recommendations have been conducted and tabled, even in Guyana. (Recall former Minister Robeson Benn leading a charge in the 2000’s to encourage miners to utilize alternative gold retrieval methods). These environmental and health concerns, the wish to clean up or avoid the use of bad gases and chemicals around the globe have formed the axis for the new Minamata Convention on Mercury. This Convention is a global agreement among a large
number of nations to reduce and eliminate the prevalence of mercury pollution. The agreement was formally put in force on 16 August 2017, and the 75 member countries will have their first Meeting of the Parties to the Minamata Convention on Mercury (COP1) from 24 to 29 September 2017 at the International Conference Centre, Geneva, Switzerland. The theme is “Make Mercury History”, and among the Convention’s objectives is to amplify the benefits of Mercury-free mining techniques that are safer for miners and local communities, and which ultimately lessen the market prices for gold and other mined minerals. Today we present the first set of gold recovery techniques that do not require the use of Mercury:CONCENTRATION METHODS Concentration means increasing the amount of gold in the ore or sediment by removing lighter particles. Before concentration can begin,
the ore must be crushed or milled to liberate gold particles from rock and to decrease grain size. Concentration works best when the grain size of the milled material or sediment is relatively consistent, i.e. most particles are of similar size. Appropriate grain size can be achieved using screens or sieves. Most concentration methods rely on the high density of gold relative to other minerals in the ore or alluvium mixture. These are referred to as Gravity Methods. Each mining operation is unique. You can select which Concentration Method best suits your operations by assessing the type of ore or sediment, i.e. finding out what other minerals are present in the soil, determining the gold particle size, and the availability of water and electricity. There are several Gravity Concentration Methods PANNING Panning uses water to separate heavy gold particles from other lighter particles within a medium sized pan. In this process, sediment or ore containing gold is placed in a wide, curved pan along with water. The miner moves the pan in a series of motions de-
signed to eject lighter sediments. The high density of gold keeps it on the bottom of the pan as the lighter materials float up to be ejected into the surrounding water. After a series of repeats, the gold would be exposed for the miner to recover. Panning works best when the gold particles are coarse. For amalgamation, miners can employ direct smelting. Panning offers miners a low-cost method of gold recovery but it requires time and skill. One of the major drawbacks is the small amounts of ore that can be handled at any one time. In addition, panning is done after other methods of gravity concentration such as sluicing have completed. SLUICING Sluices use water to wash ore or alluvium down a series of angled platforms. As water washes sediment down the sluice, gold particles sink and are captured by the carpetlike lining at the bottom of the sluice. Sluices are usually inclined at 5 to 15 degrees. The moving water generates greater force as it travels which keeps gold particles from sinking easily. In this way, most of the gold is captured at the first
part of the sluice. Carpets or other devices on the bottom of sluices could be removed after the process and washed to recover captured denser materials. The design of the Sluice can yield higher gold recovery, e.g. if the force of the water traveling through the sluice is decreased, or if you construct the sluice with a series of riffles to help break the water flow. A zig-zag sluice also raises your recovery if a drop is installed between the first and second platforms. This drop disrupts the velocity of the water as it travels down the sluice. A consistent supply of water is necessary for a wellfunctioning sluice since the constant flow of water is better than a bucket-driven flow which is interrupted. On the downside, while sluices are good for concentrating large amounts of ore and sediment in a relatively short time, but they may not yield high amounts of gold concentrate. Plus, the recovered concentrate would have to go through at least 2 other processes, i.e. panning and amalgamation. (To be continued with shaking tables, spiral tables, and more)
Sunday September 10, 2017
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My column
The plight of people with depression Two things caught my attention this past week and they all involved people close to me. It is not that these people are really related but in recent times I have been spending most of my waking hours with them. At the start of the week I got a call from a woman whose voice I barely recalled. I had to wait until I met her two days later but during that phone call the woman spoke of being tired of fighting. I imagined that she was in trouble with the people around her. Then she spoke of needing help with preparing her will. When she came I saw a tired woman but the reason was shocking. She suffers from depression. Now this is something that I do not profess to understand. The woman spoke of waking up each day to fight the demons in her head. There were distractions in the form of her young children. She enjoyed the opening day of school when her son took to his class. She spoke of him fitting right in talking with a friend about accessing the internet. Now this is indeed the new generation. When I went to
school the conversation was about the games I played during the holidays. These days the children have smart phones that allow them to do so much. The young boy played games on his phone and even chatted with relatives and friends overseas. In my days it was a case of out of out of sight, out of mind until the letter arrived. So this boy created a distraction for his mother but she had to go back to work. She told me about the voices in her head and the fight to keep them out. On occasions she slashed her wrists. Surprisingly, she never sought medical help. It could be that we do not advertise out psychiatrists for fear of a stigma. Many of us still feel that when we go to a psychiatrist it is because we are mad and Guyana does not look kindly on mad people. The result is that this young woman relied on over the counter medication for what she saw as headaches. But the medication she used actually made the situation worse because she had problems sleeping at night. The result is that she resorted to
sleep aids. That could have been the start of an addiction. I have promised to help her seek psychiatric help. When someone contemplates suicide and you know about it the situation becomes frightening. Death is something that we never get accustomed to; suicide is even worse because we can see it coming. The next frightening thing was presented by a colleague who gargled with aspirin. This young mother was allergic to aspirin but she never knew it. I would have expected that in her younger days her mother at some time would have given her aspirin for a fever. This probably was not the case. There she was sitting at her desk and calling out to me. When I looked there was swelling under her eyes followed by the scratching. Immediately I knew that she was having an allergic reaction to something. “Did you take aspirin?” I asked. Within minutes she was a mess. Her eyes were almost shut and her face was swollen. I told her to go home and seek an antidote. To her credit, she wanted to finish the story she was writing. In the end
she was off the job for two days. I have another colleague who presented some horrible symptoms. She too was allergic to aspirin and her case was even worse. Her throat began to constrict; she could have died but for a frantic dash to the doctor. But on one occasion a trip to the doctor actually killed a woman. I worked as a teacher with a friend Bejimal Beepat while I was resident in Bartica. Beepat’s sister accompanied a woman to the Georgetown Public Hospital for some routine reason. While there for some reason the doctor gave her an injection. She never left the hospital. She was allergic to the injection and went into shock. She died. Here was a woman who was healthy and who had many more years to live. But one injection killed her. There was the case of a very close friend who opted to die his hair. As he told it, before long his scalp began to itch. Then the swelling came. His face looked like a grapefruit. He immediately shaved his head and tried something to combat the allergy. That should have been
his experiment with hair dye but like most men he wanted to avoid grey hair so he began to read the labels on the hair dye packages. He found one that he thought was safe and experienced the same problem. This man was to try two others with the same dire results. Thanks to fate he is still alive. I have no known allergies or as we say in Guyana, I have no kina. I eat any and everything. In my home I never had to reason to cook two pots (except for when I cooked my favourite karila which children seem to abhor.) It came as a shock when I found out that one of my sons was allergic to pork. He had eaten the meat throughout his childhood. But there was this day when his mother informed me that the boy was allergic to pork. I asked her how. She told me that he vomited. I thought that his case of vomiting was a freak. Lo and behold the next time he not only vomited but developed rashes. The same thing happens to people who eat pumpkin or shrimp. One of my daughters was allergic to peanuts. At my office we keep sup-
Adam Harris plies of Claritin but this is a drug that is not easily bought. I tried to buy two packets in the United States and could not get without the help of my daughter and later, my son. The sale was entered into a computer so that if any of them had gone to another pharmacy the record would have popped up. My son managed to get the second packet because he informed the clerk that his father was leaving the United States and that he was not a drug dealer. Young people now use these prescriptive drugs to get a high. How do people know that they have an allergy or that they are allergic to something? I suppose it is a case of trial and error but the error could prove fatal.
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Sunday September 10, 2017
Pan-Africanism and nationalism Pan-Africanism has its roots deeply embedded in two historical events. The first, the Trans-Atlantic Trade in Captive Africans, resulted in the forced removal of millions of Africans from the continent to the Americas over a period of more than four centuries. The second, the Scramble for Africa, resulted in the invasion, occupation, division and colonisation of most of Africa’s territory from the late 19th century. Enslavement and imperialism were based, broadly, on the domination of Africans by Europeans and were predicated, consequently, on the notion of racial superiority. Resistance of Africans to such enslavement and imperialism represented a rejection of the notion of racial superiority and are the bases for the African peoples’ desire to reassert their dignity. Pan-Africanism, at its very core, therefore, is about ensuring respect for the dignity and equality of Africans and people of African descent. It is both an ideology, or a set of ideas, and an institution which is based on the organisation and mobilisation of persons to support its ideas. Pan-Africanism, at the institutional level, promotes solidarity amongst Africans around the world. The constituent elements of PanAfricanism, as a set of ideas, could include: - solving problems faced by Africans and people of African descent; - supporting self-determination for all African peoples; and - strengthening African cultural retentions and pride. Pan-Africanism, in the pursuit of human dignity, is concerned with the conditions under which Africans, and people of African descent, find themselves in the world. Pan-Africanism will remain relevant as long as there exists a need to address or redress the conditions of African people all over
the world. Pan-Africanism and the International Decade for People of African Descent The Pan-African Movement (Guyana Branch) has been a clear and consistent voice calling for respect for the rights, the recognition of the condition and the retention of African-Guyanese culture. The Movement has been toiling to improve the conditions and to promote greater consciousness of African culture in Guyana for almost three decades. The Movement, expectedly, joined likeminded organisations to observe the International Decade for People of African Descent. The United Nations General Assembly, through Resolution 68/237 on 23rd December 2013, proclaimed the period – commencing 1st January 2015 and ending on 31st December 2024 – as the International Decade for People of African Descent. The General Assembly, also, adopted on 18th November 2014, Resolution 69/16 which outlines a Programme of Activities for the Implementation of the International Decade for People of African Descent. The ‘Programme’ called for the removal of all obstacles which prevent People of African Descent from the “equal enjoyment of all human rights, economic, social, cultural, civil and political, including the right to development.” The pursuit of right to development, as prescribed by the ‘Programme’, cannot ignore the economic infrastructure – including acquisition of land, accumulation of capital, access to markets and training of labour – which are the bases upon which a person provides for his or her well-being and that of the family. It demands that steps be taken to enhance the economic empowerment of persons of persons of African descent. Pan-Africanism and reparative justice The Trans-Atlantic Trade in Captive Afri-
cans was the worst crime against humanity in the history of the world. The Trade involved the shipping of millions of Africans to the Americas (including Guyana and the Caribbean). The atrocities, brutalities, cruelties and indignities associated with enslavement are unmatched in human history. The Trans-Atlantic Trade lasted for more than four hundred years. Pan-Africanism is an important means for mobilising public opinion at the personal, national, regional and international levels in the cause of ‘reparative justice’ for the crime. The case for reparation – in Guyana and the Caribbean – is based, principally, on three grounds: - First, acts of enslavement and genocide are crimes against humanity under international law. There is no statutory barrier to prosecution for “crimes against humanity whether committed in time or war on in time of peace.” Crimes against humanity are prosecutable at any time. - Second, the massive expropriation of the wealth – which was the patrimony of the Region’s people – enriched Europe during the commission of these crimes. That wealth was extracted through enslavement or forced labour. It impoverished those whose servitude generated that wealth. - Third, colonisation and enslavement left a legacy of underdevelopment which can be corrected through corrective justice. The Caribbean Region, as a consequence of European conquest, conflict and colonisation, became the weakest and most Balkanized region in the world. Its economic structures still bear the stamp of the ‘plantation economy’ with a high concentration on primary production for export to western markets, including Europe. Pan-Africanism and economic empowerment Programmes for the economic empowerment of Guyanese people of African descent could well originate in our villages which, famously, became the cradle of African economic empowerment after Emancipation in 1838. African-Guyanese initiated the Village Movement. The freed Africans pooled their pooled and invested their savings to buy abandoned plantations. They converted
those plantations into human settlements which stretched from the Corentyne to the Pomeroon Rivers. The Village Movement has been described as: “the most spectacular and aggressive land settlement movement in the history of the people of the British Caribbean and a movement which seemed to one planter in British Guiana to be certainly without parallel in the history of the world!” Villages are vital centers of human settlement and economic enterprise. Two out of every three Guyanese still live in villages. Villagers are repositories of accumulated knowledge and expertise. Villages must be revitalized to provide the bases for small- and medium-sized enterprises, including cottage industries, to be established to provide employment and generate wealth. Villages must be restored as incubators of entrepreneurial zeal. They have the potential, for increased agricultural, agro-processing and value-added production. Villages, also, can expand the range of services which they present provide for residents. Pan-Africanism and Guyanese nationalism Pan-Africanism is inseparable from Guyanese nationalism. It has, at its heart, the struggle for human dignity and equality. The pursuit of dignity and equality is based on respect for the cultural economic, human, social and political rights, including the right to development. People’s right to a life of dignity and equality can be fulfilled only if their economic rights are respected. Organizations must mobilise for the task of economic empowerment, beginning in the villages. The Pan-African Movement (Guyana branch) has a place in this country and a role to play in the economy in order to develop initiatives to reenergize our villages – one enterprise at a time. It would be a fitting contribution to the national programme for the International Decade for People of African Descent. It will promote the economic empowerment of our villages. It will advance the pursuit of greater dignity and equality for Africans, the core values of Pan-Africanism in the Guyanese nation.
Sunday September 10, 2017
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Gastrointestinal bleeding: Internal bleeding that can be deadly By Dr Zulfikar Bux Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine Gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding is a very common cause of Hospitalization worldwide. Symptoms can be life threatening when not treated quickly. While the symptoms of GI bleeding are themselves dangerous, it is also a sign of a more serious condition. For patients with signs of gastrointestinal bleeding, it’s important to know as much as possible and to seek medical treatment immediately. Today we will shed some light on this potentially deadly condition so that you can help to detect it earlier and prevent its progression. WHAT IS A GI BLEED? “GI” stands for “gastrointestinal.” “GI system” (or “GI tract”) is the medical term for all the organs in your body that process food. The GI system includes your: - Esophagus (the tube that connects your mouth to your stomach) - Stomach - Small intestine (also known as the small bowel) - Large intestine (also known as colon or large
bowel) A GI bleed is when any of these organs start to bleed. Often you do not know you are bleeding, because it’s happening inside your body. But sometimes there are signs that it is happening. There are 2 common types of GI bleeds. “Upper GI bleeds” affect the esophagus, the stomach, and the first part of the small intestine. “Lower GI bleeds” affect the colon. What are the symptoms of a GI bleed? The symptoms are a bit different depending on whether you have an upper or lower GI bleed. Some people have no symptoms. They find out they have bleeding when a doctor does a rectal (anal) exam on them or a blood test shows they have anemia. (Anemia is when a person has too few red blood cells.) The symptoms of an upper GI bleed can include: - Vomiting blood or something that looks like coffee grounds - Diarrhea or bowel movements that look like black tar (this can happen with lower GI bleeds, too, but it is less common). Sometimes your stool can be dark brown which may indicate a stomach bleed. The symptoms of a lower GI bleed can include:
- Bowel movements that look bloody (this can happen with upper GI bleeds, too, but it is less common) Symptoms that can happen with either an upper or lower GI bleed include: - Feeling weak, lightheaded, or woozy (especially if- A racing heartbeat (if you lose a lot of blood) - Cramps or belly pain - Diarrhea - Pale skin WHAT CAN CAUSE A GI BLEED? The most common causes of GI bleeds include: - Ulcers in the stomach or small intestines (ulcers are sores on the lining of the GI tract) - Swollen veins in the esophagus called “varices” - Abnormal blood vessels called “arteriovenous malformations” (or AVMs, for short) - Diverticulosis (a condition in which tiny pouches form in the lining of the gut) - Crohn disease or ulcerative colitis (conditions that can cause sores to form in the lin- Hemorrhoids, which are swollen veins in the rectum (the lower part of the colon), or tears around the anus - Cancer (rarely) Is there a test for a GI
bleed? Yes. If your doctor suspects you have a GI bleed, he or she will order 1 or more of these tests: - Blood tests to: •See if you have enough red blood cells (the cells that carry oxygen) •See if your blood is clotting normally •See if your liver is working normally - An upper endoscopy – For this test, a doctor gives you medicine to make you sleepy and relaxed. Then he or she puts a thin tube called an endoscope in your mouth and down your throat. The tube has a light on the end and a camera that sends images of your GI tract to a TV screen. If the doctor sees any spots that are bleeding, he or she can use tools that go through the endoscope to help stop the bleeding. - A colonoscopy – This test is similar to an upper endoscopy, but it involves going in through the rectum. - Imaging tests that involve putting a dye or weakly radioactive chemical into the blood so that doctors can trace where the blood goes. HOW IS A GI BLEED TREATED? Depending on how much
blood you have lost and what seems to be causing your bleeding, you might get 1 or more of these treatments: - Oxygen through a mask or a tube that sits under your nose - Blood or fluids into one of your veins (to replace blood you lost) - Medicines to reduce stomach acid - Medicines help clean out and empty your gut (so that doctors can see clearly what is happening inside) - Antibiotics - A small tube that goes up your nose and down your throat so doctors can rinse out your stomach Depending on where the bleed seems to be, you might also have an upper endoscopy, a colonoscopy, or both. This can help the doctors find the spot or spots that are bleeding. Plus, doctors can sometimes use the upper endoscope or colonoscope to seal off blood vessels and stop them from bleeding. Can a GI bleed be prevented? You can lower your chances of getting a GI bleed by: - Not taking medicines called NSAIDs too often, unless your doctor tells you it is OK. These medicines can
Dr. Zulfikar Bux cause ulcers. Examples of NSAIDs include aspirin, diclofenac, ibuprofen (sample brand names: Advil, Motrin), and naproxen (sample brand names: Aleve, Naprosyn). If you have to take these medicines on a regular basis, your doctor might give you another medicine to decrease your risk of bleeding. - Being treated for stomach ulcers if you have them - Avoiding smoking, excessive alcohol consumption and coffee use. - Eating foods high in fiber can help minimize your risk for some of the causes of lower GI bleeding. Avoiding a GI bleed is your best bet. Eating and drinking correctly and using the right medications will help you to minimize your chances of getting a GI bleed.
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WEEK IN REVIEW SUNDAY CHINA’S MODUS OPERANDI AROUND THE WORLD MIRRORS EVENTS IN GUYANA -PART 6 …CHINAALWAYS HOLDS THE CLEAN END OF THE STICK IN IMPORT/EXPORT RELATIONS “Where will it all end? As far as Beijing is concerned, it will stop only when Africa no longer has any minerals or oil to be extracted from the continent,” stated Andrew Malone in an article he wrote that was published on Mail Online. That excerpt is pertinent to this week’s article as we continue to highlight China’s obsession with getting its hands on valued commodities in vulnerable and underdeveloped countries. China’s modus operandi in Africa indeed mirrors events in Guyana. Many African countries have natural resources like those found in Guyana. China has no inhibitions in going after these resources. The story of the relationship between Africa and China is indeed one that highlights the art of trickery. Across Africa, the red flag of China is flying high. Lucrative deals are being struck to buy Africa’s commodities – oil, platinum, gold and minerals. While China has been constantly reminding Africa of the “beneficial” trade relations, any real evaluation of that relationship would show that it is only China that is really benefitting. Many contend that Africa is getting the short end of the stick, importing cheap Chinese toys and goods, while exporting valuable commodities like oil and timber to China’s shores. The Financial Times reported, “From Libya and Zambia to Ghana and Mozambique, Chinese businesses have gained a reputation for unbridled extraction, whether of oldforest timber, oil, gold or illegal ivory.” GUYANA The story of China and Guyana carries a very similar plot to that of China and Africa. Gold, timber and diamond have been shipped out of Guyana on a large scale to China. And like Africa, Guyana got little in return. Local workers here are treated inhumanely, as they are in Africa. TIMBER Former Auditor General, Anand Goolsarran had conducted a forensic audit into the affairs of the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC). During his investigations, Goolsarran found that China was literally raping Guyana. Goolsarran reported that during 2007 to 2015, BaiShanLin and four companies owned/ controlled by it, exported a total of 50,928 cubic metres of logs with an FOB (“Free On Board”), value of US$4.483 million. BaiShanLin is partially owned by the government of China. However, despite all that BaiShanLin has been able to take
from Guyana, the company has developed a reputation of mistreating the few Guyanese workers it employs. Former Region Ten Chairman, Sharma Solomon, had said that some workers attached to BaiShanLin, frequented the Office of the Regional Democratic Council complaining of the way the company had been violating their rights. GOLD Since 2012, Kaieteur News reported the concerns of local miners that Chinese were taking over the gold mining industry. Over the years, the Chinese presence continued to grow stronger without any interference. Just last year, Minister of Finance Winston Jordan told the National Assembly that billions of dollars were lost because of poor management of the concessions for foreign investors. Checks with other Government officials revealed that the Chinese alone have been allowed access to hundreds of thousands of acres of mining lands. Two of the large beneficiaries are Rong-An Inc. and BaiShanLin. These two companies, despite their large scale gold mining, on a number of locations across the country, have not been making the corresponding declarations of gold, government officials say. Rong-An barely declared 150 ounces in 2014. There was no declaration in 2015 by the said company. Because the new government clamped down on BaiShanLin’s logging operations, the focus is now on gold. A few years ago, Rong-An Inc. was reportedly removed from mining in the vicinity of the Kaieteur Falls. It was affecting residents who lived downstream in the area. Recently, the Government announced that it has awarded a forest area of 417,809.23 hectares of forest lands to Rong-An Inc. The land is located in the Essequibo region (North West, Mazaruni Potaro District) and would represent a quarter of the 1.6M hectares that Malaysian-owned Barama Company Limited has relinquished within the last year. AHI INITIATES LEGALACTION AGAINST MARRIOTT HOTEL CONTRACTOR -SAYS STILL DEALING WITH DEFECTS EVERY MONTH Atlantic Hotel Inc. (AHI) has initiated legal action to have workers for the contractor of the Marriott Hotel, Shanghai Construction Group (SCG), removed from the hotel’s premises. The workers of the company have been squatting in a section of the Hotel for months now. They refuse to move, claiming that they are owed payment to the tune of US$4M. But according to AHI’s Chairman, Hewley Nelson, there are serious defects which management continues to face on a monthly basis. Nelson said that the cost to deal with
these problems is also in the neighbourhood of US$4M. He noted, however, that since the issue remains unresolved, AHI’s team of lawyers is considering initiating the process to go to arbitration. Nelson told Kaieteur News, “We have serious problems with the hotel which still need to be fixed and it is likely that we will have to go to arbitration. The contract stipulates where the arbitration takes place. They are still squatting and we have instituted legal proceedings to have them removed. According to my intelligence, it’s around seven to 10 of them squatting in there.” The AHI head said that some of the defects are in relation to the quality of materials used in the construction of the hotel. “We had to bring in contractors to have some of those defects addressed and we continue to deal with defects…the cost is in excess of US$4M and it is all documented for the arbitration process. We have had to deal with leaking, air conditioning issues, poor quality of infiltration equipment etc. We even had some issues with the elevator, and we had to end up bringing in people to address it. This was all documented.” As for the future of the Hotel, AHI directors have confirmed that it is the intention of the Government to divest the structure. This is likely in the next four years. Junior Finance Minister, Jaipaul Sharma had also confirmed to Kaieteur News that government intends to divest the hotel. The Junior Finance Minister also sought to explain that selling the hotel is not as easy as ABC. He said that the previous government has tied the nation to a most unfavourable and technical Management Agreement with the Marriott International brand. He said that anyone interested in buying the hotel would have to take it with the Marriott brand. The purchaser would not be able to change the name of the hotel, since Guyana signed on to a contract that would inhibit this for the next 30 years. Additionally, Sharma explained that even if the Government wants to sell shares, the Marriott Interna-
Sunday September 10, 2017
tional brand can have a say in that process. He said that the brand owners can object to it being sold to owners of competitive hotels such as the Pegasus Hotel. Picture saved in Sunday as: Marriott Hotel Caption: The controversial Marriott Hotel REGIONAL BODY QUESTIONS ACCESSIBILITY OF GUYANESE TO PROPOSED LAW SCHOOL The Association of Caribbean Students for Equal Access to the Legal Profession (ACSEAL) is sceptical about Guyanese law students having equal access to the proposed J.O.F Haynes Law School to be established here. This is so since the school will
come under the auspices of the Council for Legal Education (CLE) and will be open to students from across the Caribbean region. However, the ACSEAL believes that the rules of the CLE governing admission to the region’s law schools are discriminatory. The treaty establishing the CLE, stipulates in Article 3 what grounds Caribbean law graduates can gain access to law schools in the region; particularly, the Hugh Wooding Law School in Trinidad and Tobago, the Norman Manley Law School in Jamaica and the Eugene Dupuch Law School in the Bahamas. This system places Guyanese law graduates at a disadvantage since only the top 25 students in the graduating year are allowed (Continued on page 33)
Sunday September 10, 2017
(From page 32) automatic access to the Hugh Wooding Law School. All other graduates are required to write an entrance exam that costs US$150 per sitting. The ACSEAL is calling on law students in Guyana to pay keen attention to whether there would be any fundamental and sustainable reform to the CLE admission policy and the 1971 CLE Treaty which has adversely affected thousands of Guyanese and CARICOM citizens for the past 20 years. Speaking with Kaieteur News, ACSEAL’s National Representative in Guyana, Courtlee Rodrigues said that “injustice in the legal system is a paradox that we cannot allow to be a part of our reality nor that of our children’s”. Further, ACSEAL’s representative in Trinidad and Tobago, Jason Jones, said that the group’s position is that the legal profession is not merely a private vocation but rather, a public office. “Consequently, we are against the preference-based system of admission to the law school that is now in place and will support a meritbased approach for all citizens of CARICOM seeking entry to the law schools and by extension, the legal profession. No Guyanese citizen possessing the will, skill, aptitude and character to enter the legal profession should be subjected to any unfair treatment in their noble attempt to do so.” Further, it was noted by the group that CARICOM SecretaryGeneral, Ambassador Irwin LaRocque had indicated that he has been advised that the current admission policy of the CLE which affords automatic entry to graduates of UWI to the region’s law schools, is discriminatory and ought to be addressed. The regional group is an effort by past and present law students throughout the English-Speaking Caribbean that is calling on CARICOM to expeditiously address the issue of discrimination in legal education and access to the legal profession. MONDAY MAGISTRATE UNDER INVESTIGATION FOR CONDUCT, HANDLING OF CASES The Judicial Service Commission is currently deliberating on a matter related to the conduct of a Berbice Magistrate. Sources have since confirmed that the JSC has launched investigations into the handling management of cases by Magistrate Rabindranauth Singh. This newspaper learnt the Magistrate came under investigation following reports about his conduct. Magistrate Singh has been handling a number of cases at Springlands Corentyne; some of which include the widely publicized murder case involving US based Guyana multi- million Marcus
Kaieteur News
Bisram. Additionally, Kaieteur News has been following a Preliminary Investigation before Magistrate Singh relating to the murder of Berbice trader, Shameer Ali Mursalin called Kazo of Weld Tank Dam Crabwood Creek. The case attracted media attention after it was reported that Magistrate Rabindranauth Singh had allowed the main witness, (Rocky Profitt), to testify without permitting him to review the evidence or sign his deposition. Singh’s action was highly criticized by those in the legal fraternity. The Magistrate had adjourned the case without re-reading the evidence and allowing the main witness of the trial to review and sign his deposition. When contacted by this newspaper, several top ranking officials of the Judiciary had expressed the view that the Magistrate erred. One official noted it is considered good practice, because of the legal pitfalls, for the evidence to be read over and signed by the witness as soon as possible. But Magistrate Sing had argued that the law does not specify a time limit by which depositions are signed. “It could be signed at any time before the accused are called to lead their defence,” Singh explained. “I do that all the time. There is nothing wrong with it,” he asserted.
other urgent constitutional reform measures, should be a priority for all of us as Guyanese; not just for politicians. “In an electoral system in which the head of a party’s list appoints the members of Parliament and where post electoral alliances are prohibited, the opportunities for abuse of campaign financing are obvious and relatively simple.” Hughes noted the fact that election campaigns in Guyana are not expensive by international standards. He said that the money needed to sponsor an entire elections campaign is nothing to major oil companies. Ram told Kaieteur News that political parties in Guyana are filled with “a bunch of hypocrites.” He said that local politicians are not serious about addressing campaign financing “and it is the root of corruption. I can tell you campaign financing is indeed a main cause of corruption in Guyana.” Unlike Hughes and Kissoon, who expressed worry about oil companies, Ram said that they are not the main culprits. He said that the international companies may be subject to home country regulations that promote disclosures. However, Ram noted that United States President Donald Trump seems to want to relax the regulations of disclosure. Kissoon does not anticipate change either. He said that the needed laws are being held hostage by those who love the power they possess. Kissoon noted that when in opposition, the APNU and the AFC, particularly the AFC, zeroed in on the need for campaign finance legislation. “This became more urgent given the huge spending of the PPP in the 2011 elections.” Kissoon said he suspects that with the changing fortunes of the AFC and the APNU, that are now in power and are enjoying their relationship with big businesses, particularly with oil giant ExxonMobil, campaign finance laws will “become collateral damage in the country where nothing ever changes for the better.”
WITH THE PRESENCE OF INFLUENTIAL OIL COMPANIES…GUYANA URGENTLYNEEDS UPDATED LAWS TO GOVERN CAMPAIGN FINANCING The paucity of anti-corruption laws in Guyana, especially the lack of those to address election campaign financing, is being lamented by many. Those who bemoan the “hazardous” situation include attorneys-at-law, Nigel Hughes and Christopher Ram as well as political commentator, Frederick Kissoon. The consensus among the three is the need to address the lack of updated laws to govern election campaign financing is long overdue. However, Hughes and Kissoon think that Guyana is even more vulnerable to the ills that come along with unregulated campaign financing now that major oil companies are operating in Guyana. While Hughes seems to have a dash of hope that campaign financing may become regulated, Ram and Kissoon believe that Guyana does not stand a chance. The view held by Kissoon is that there is no genuine political will to make such a major and much needed change. Hughes told Kaieteur News that the need for laws to govern campaign financing was referenced in the report of the Special Committee on Constitutional Reform. This report has been with Cabinet for over a year. Hughes said that the coming of the oil industry has perhaps, highlighted the need for an updated
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TUESDAY BE WARY OFACCEPTING CHEAP HANDOUTS FROM MULTINATIONALCOMPANIE S- ECONOMIST, DR. HOSEIN – SAYS GOVERNMENT SHOULD INSIST ON CSRS THAT TRANSFORM
Campaign Financing Legislation. The attorney said that there has been significant disquiet about more insidious forms of influence in Guyana’s politics for some considerable time, prior to the discovery of oil in commercially viable quantities. He noted, however, that campaign financing seemed to have escaped public scrutiny. “Campaign financing, along with
Some may want to say that his warning may have come a little too late. Nevertheless, Trinidadian Economist, Dr Roger Hosein, has warned the government to cut its eye on the “bright and shiny” treats that may be offered by multi-national corporations as their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Already, Guyana has witnessed the government asking an oil giant like ExxonMobil to erect a fountain in the Botanical Gardens. The gov-
ernment was quite content with this initiative. However, Dr. Hosein is advocating for Guyana to demand more meaningful forms of CSRs that will bode well for Guyana’s developmental trajectory. The economist, at a recent lecture facilitated by the Guyana Oil and Gas Association (GOGA), lamented the fact that CSR fail in many petroleum based countries as firms tend to emphasize quick fixes. He said that politicians and influential persons in civil society should not be suaded by token handouts from multi-national companies. He said, “Do not practise taking hampers for Christmas as a substitute for school bags for kids. Do not practise taking funding for a carnival pageant or a carnival costume at the sacrifice of school books or funding libraries.” Dr. Hosein said that this is where many oil rich countries have gone wrong all over the world “they take quick win, low hanging fruits.” Dr. Hosein stressed that quick wins are not the type of interventions that will aid development. He said, “It will not help rural schools in Guyana produce students with five ‘O’ levels and to move on to different skills.” He said that Guyana will do well to aim for sound, solid intervention from a human capital perspective. MORE EVIDENCE EMERGES OFWHEELINGAND DEALING WITH PROVIDENCE LANDS… ‘BOBBY’ RAMROOP’S DEPUTY BUYS PLOT FOR $168M; FLIPS IT FOR $570M The questionable Providence lands transaction involving businessman Brian Tiwarie and Chineseowned BaiShanLin was not the only one of its kind. There are indications now that a right hand man of Dr. Ranjisinghi ‘Bobby’ Ramroop also benefitted from 28.8 acres for $173M ($6M per acre). Ramroop is a close friend of former President Bharrat Jagdeo whose companies questionably benefitted from billions of dollars in contracts and state assets. However, shortly after acquiring those Providence lands, without lifting a finger and laying the required infrastructure works, and in breach of his agreement with the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA), Roopnarine ‘Ravie’ Ramcharitar resold those lands for three times the price he paid– over $570M (US$2.8M). It was a well-thought out plan, according to CH&PA documents. Ramcharitar, who was a former director of the Berbice Bridge, registered a company named Luxury Realty Inc. in October 2013. He was listed then as both the Director and Secretary. An agreement with CH&PA listed the sale price of those 28.8 acres as $172.8M. However, it appeared that shortly after signing the agreement, (Continued on page 34)
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(From page 33) in August 2014, CH&PA senior officials at the Brickdam office facilitated a new sale with an unsuspecting US-based Guyanese. That Guyanese forked over US$2.8M, during a signing at the CH&PA offices. Heading the Ministry of Housing at that time was former minister, Irfaan Ali. That transaction was one of several questionable ones involving lands stretching from Eccles to Providence, sold to a number of close friends of the previous administrations. Several plots of those lands remained undeveloped despite conditions that construction of the infrastructure had to start within six months, in some cases. The Coalition Government has started moving to repossess some of those lands.
THURSDAY EDUCATION CANNOT TAKE PLACE IN A DIRTY ENVIRONMENT – SAYS GPSU The woes of sweeper cleaners in Guyana are slowly being laid to rest as the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) remain in discussion with the Ministry of Education (MOE). “Education cannot take place in a dirty environment,” said second Vice President of GPSU, Dawn Gardener, on Tuesday. It was disclosed that the MOE is presently engaging the GPSU to rectify the matter.
WEDNESDAY NEW LEGISLATIONAFOOT TO DEAL WITH PERSONS FAILING TO BUILD ON GOVT. ISSUED HOUSE LOTS Guyanese who are issued house lots from the government are given a specific time by which they must begin constructing their homes on the land. However, a number of persons would have failed to honour this obligation even as there are thousands that want land on which to build their homes. As a result, Minister within the Ministry of Communities with responsibility for housing, Valerie Adams-Yearwood, has announced that in the new year, legislation will be taken to the National Assembly to address the issue of persons failing to build on their land within the stipulated time, which is six
months. The Minister visited the Region Two Democratic Council (RDC) on Thursday to address the housing concerns of residents. “The agreement that you are going to sign, gives you a certain time by when you have to start building, and by when you have to pay. “So you have one month to pay half of the cost for the land and you have six months to pay off the balance. You don’t have to wait for the six months; as soon as you get the money bring it. The earlier you bring it, the better, so that we can begin to process your title.” She added that persons have a period of six months to one year to start building their homes from the date they were issued the house lot. The Minister said that upon visiting the region it was observed that there were a number of house lots on which nothing
is being done. “We’re gonna take a piece of legislation to parliament early next year to deal with that, because if people don’t want it, don’t come and just collect it and put it down. Other people want it. Wait until you are ready and then come for the house lot.” The Minister explained to the residents that the CH&PA will be constructing 40 houses in the region. Twenty of those will be elevated units while the remaining 20 will be single flat concrete two bedroom units. “The two-bedroom concrete flat costs $6M for the house and $100,000 for the land; the elevated unit costs $7M and $100,000 for the land.” She explained to the residents that the money being used to build the houses is through a revolving fund. “So what is hap-
pening if you want one of the houses, we give you a letter; you take it to the bank— Republic, GBTI and NBS are already onboard with us. “When the bank approves, it will give you a letter saying it has approved and when they (CH&PA employees) come you give the letter to them which means you have qualified for a house.” The issue of land that would have been sold years ago to private citizens and developers and left unattended without any sign of construction has been described as unacceptable since there are a number of persons that would have applied years ago and still cannot be given a house lot. The latest figures coming out of the CH&PA is that there are over 20,000 live housing applications in the system.
Ms Gardener said, “They are looking at regularizing the system.” The measures relate to the hours and payments for all sweeper/cleaners regardless of if they are on contract or not. She added that these workers were encouraged to do their jobs for the new school term and they complied. As a result, students and pupils across Guyana were able to meet a clean classroom on September 4. The Union intends to work tirelessly to ensure that these workers receive ‘benefits’ which include National Insurance Scheme (NIS) and others. The workers have reportedly received payment for only the time they would have provided services during the August holiday, which was an approximate two weeks. GOVT., COMMERCIALBANK BATTLE OVER BK/ BAISHANLIN HOUSING LANDS In a clear move that its patience is running thin, Government has filed court actions to take back land in Providence, East Bank Demerara, which was sold in 2014 to businessman, Brian Tiwarie, but flipped shortly after, to a Chinese investor. The lands were recently advertised for sale by Receiver/Manager, Nigel Hinds, who was appointed by a commercial bank after Sunset Lakes, which controlled the 100acres, was unable to make its loan payments. Sunset Lakes was formed by Tiwarie weeks after he acquired the land. He turned around and sold it to the local owner of BaiShanLin, a Chinese company which had spread its tentacles into a number of business sectors but ended up in financial troubles. On Wednesday, the Ministry of Communities, under which the Department of Housing falls, made it clear that it has the right to go after the lands and after Sunset Lakes, now controlled by BaiShanLin’s local principal, Chu Hongbo. The ministry disclosed that since July 20, 2017, CH&PA through an external attorney, Robert Ramcharran, attached to the law firm Luckhoo and Luckhoo, initiated legal action in the High Court of (Continued on page 35)
Sunday September 10, 2017
(From page 34) the Supreme Court of Judicature against Sunset Lakes Inc. as it relates to property situate at Parcel 130 Plantation Providence, East Bank Demerara. Among other things, the legal action is seeking declaration that CH&PA is entitled to rescind the Agreement of Sale and Purchase made and entered into between the authority and the defendant on February 7, 2014. CH&PA is also seeking an order rescinding the Agreement of Sale and Purchase made as well as an order that the claimant (CH&PA) has the right to refund to Sunset Lakes the sum of $458,180,000, representing the value of the land. The court is also being asked to allow for CH&PA to collect 10% of the sum paid as a penalty for breach of the terms and conditions of the agreement– about $45,818,000. CH&PA is also asking orders directing the Registrar of Lands to recall and cancel the Certificate of Title regarding the land and to have it reregistered as belonging to the authority. An application was also made for the court to order that the land be handed over to the possession
Kaieteur News
of CH&PA. The land was sold in 2014 by CH&PA to Tiwarie, a contractor, for development into a gated community. However, eight weeks after securing the lands from CH&PA for US$2.2M (approximately $440M), Tiwarie, who owned Sunset Lakes, turned around and flipped the company to BaiShanLin for US$8M ($1.6B). BaiShanLin was unable to pay Tiwarie the US$8M it promised and early last year, the businessman took BaiShanLin to court, asking for his balance of US$4M. Tiwarie also demanded back his company Sunset Lakes and wanted the court to forfeit the US$4M that BaiShanLin had advanced him. FRIDAY DID MINISTERS RECEIVE PER DIEM FROM EXXON DURING TEXAS TRIP? – OPPOSITION MP ASKS Former Minister within the Ministry of Finance, Juan Edghill seems to be starving for more details on the events that unfolded before, during and after the recent trip
that “the quintet plus one” made to Houston, Texas in the United States. Edghill has had many questions about the relationship between the government and ExxonMobil. His latest have to do with matters related to a recent trip. The Ministers who went on that trip were David Patterson, Winston Jordan, Raphael Trotman, Carl Greenidge and Dominic Gaskin. Those officials, with the exception of Greenidge – who went on the trip in the space of Minister Joseph Harmon – make up the Cabinet sub-committee referred to as the quintet. There is also a “plus one”—Dr. Jan Mangal. They met with ExxonMobil officials about a month ago. The trip was not announced as is the norm when government officials venture abroad to represent Guyana. It was only after the media broke the story about the trip, and after the Ministers would have returned that any information about the trip was forthcoming from the government. Edghill said that he has a serious problem with this. “Why would this government send its cabinet sub-committee to Houston to engage with officials at
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Exxon and not even announce it?” At a press conference subsequent to his return, Minister Patterson had indicated that ExxonMobil stood the expense for the all-inclusive trip. This seems to be not enough information for Edghill. The MP wants to know the cost of accommodation. Further, he questioned, “Did they receive per diem and what was the daily rate? Did they receive gifts from Exxon more than US$50? Because the Integrity Commission Act says they have to declare this, if they received more than that. And if they did receive it, have they made that declaration as yet?” And Edghill is not the only one who has concerns about the trip. Former Auditor General and anticorruption advocate, Anand Goolsarran, also has his reservations. In one of his recent articles on accountability, Goolsarran said that he was hesitant to comment on the recent visit to the Houston headquarters of ExxonMobil until the facts are known as to the purpose for the trip and the source of funding. “We now know that the purpose was to obtain an update on progress being made by the U.S. oil giant in relation to the extraction of crude oil in Guyana’s waters and that the trip was funded by ExxonMobil.” Goolsarran said that both the Government and ExxonMobil should have been aware that it is “highly inappropriate” from an ethical and moral standpoint for ExxonMobil to fund the trip. Further, Goolsarran said that in an apparent attempt at damage control, Government officials have indicated that the cost of the trip will be included in Exxon’s investment to be recovered against revenue when production begins in 2020. “This explanation should be rejected, since the U.S. oil giant’s investment cannot include expenditure incurred on behalf of the Government of Guyana. A competent and independent auditor is more than likely to reject such expenditure as a charge to Exxon in its books. This practice can also open the floodgates for all sorts of government expenditure to be incurred and included in Exxon’s
investment.” Goolsarran said that in the circumstances, “ExxonMobil should be requested to present to the Government an invoice for the expenditure incurred and reimbursement made at the approved travelling rates for Ministers and other officials. As it stands, the expenditure will not be reflected in the public accounts. One hopes that there will not be a repeat of this practice.” HOUSE BLAZE LEADS FIRE-FIGHTERS TO MAN’S BURNT BODY IN LIVING ROOM – COUSIN ARRESTED AS COPS PROBE POSSIBLE ROBBERY/ MURDER Fire-fighters early Thursday morning stumbled upon the body of a Golden Grove, East Coast Demerara man just minutes after they were called to his home to investigate a fire that had broken out in one of the bedrooms. The victim has been identified as 39-year-old Sean Prince, of 67 Sideline Dam, Golden Grove. He was managing his father’s shipping company—Prince’s Shipping—located in Muneshwers Building on Main Street, Georgetown. The man’s burnt body was found among the debris in the living room of his home around 01:30 hrs. A cousin who lives in the bottom flat of the two-storey property has been taken into custody as police probe a possible robbery/murder. The house in which the duo was residing is owned by Prince’s father, who resides in the United States of America. Fire Chief Marlon Gentle when contacted said that when his ranks responded to the scene, they had established that it was not a normal fire, based on the physical evidence present at the scene. He indicated that they are awaiting a Post Mortem examination to determine the cause of the businessman’s death. Kaieteur News was informed that residents claimed that they heard what sounded like gunshots in the village just before they noticed Prince’s home was engulfed in fire. A detective confirmed that they have received this information. Prince was last seen imbibing (Continued on page 36)
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(From page 35) with persons in the village and watching cricket late Wednesday night at a shop in Golden Grove. After the game, he reportedly left in the company of a woman, who is said to be a stranger to villagers. A relative of the deceased, who asked that her name be withheld, said that by the time she arrived at the location, the blaze had almost engulfed most of the building. “When they (firemen) put out the fire, they found the body.” The woman is convinced that something suspicious took place. One resident was heard saying, “You tell me a big strong man like that can’t scream or get out of a burning house? Something surely wrong there.” ILLEGALAIRCRAFT… INTERPOL TO ASSIST IN PROBE OF POSSIBLE COLLUSION BETWEEN COPS, PASSENGERS If you are familiar with the Santa Fe, Region Nine area, then you will find it strange to hear three persons escaped from a man-made airstrip after being spotted by law enforcement officers, said a senior police source. As such, the government is investigating suspected collusion between police ranks and the individuals who managed to escape after landing the twin-engine Beechcraft King Air on the illegal airstrip. On Thursday Minister of State Joseph Harmon said that there is information available which suggested there was some level of collusion between those linked to the aircraft and law enforcement officers stationed in the area. While there are reports that a
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large amount of cash was offered to the ranks, the Minister said that a conclusion will only be made once the probe is completed. The International Police Organization (Interpol) has been asked for assistance by local investigators. The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is in possession of two passports belonging to a Columbian and a Brazilian that were found onboard the illegal aircraft. It is believed that the travel documents belong to two of the persons who managed to escape last month. The plane has a similar registration number to an aircraft owned by a bank in neighbouring Brazil, but the authorities there have not indicated whether the registration number, PR-IMG, is authentic. A Lethem businessman and a contractor who police believed are linked to the illegal plane and airstrip were recently released on bail. It is being reported that the businessman paid the contractor to prepare the airstrip. This discovery was made just a week after soldiers found another illegal airstrip, a chain saw, aviation fuel, 12 abandoned camps and several dug out trenches in the same area. SATURDAY “CASH JET” PILOT LAUNDERED US$7.5M IN GUYANA – U.S. PROSECUTORS A Guyana-born businessman dubbed the “cash jet” pilot, from Ringwood, New Jersey, has found himself in deeper trouble. On Friday, he appeared before a federal judge on charges that he brought several kilos of cocaine into New Jersey and New York, then laun-
dered more than US$7.5M (G$1.5B) in proceeds back to Guyana. Khamraj Lall, 50, was indicted by a federal grand jury on conspiracy charges following his July 2015 arrest in connection with what authorities said was a five-kilo load carried on his plane, according to a report by the North Passaic Daily Voice on the court case. Lall, who at the time was facing charges in Puerto Rico of carrying US$600,000 in drug money in his plane, has remained in federal custody since then, Acting U.S. Attorney William E. Fitzpatrick said. Eight co-defendants from Rochester, N.Y., also were arrested at the time. Authorities identified them as Edward Mighty, Seymour Brown, Andre Taylor, Ricardo Bailey, Robert Wilson, Kenneth Harper, Desmond Bice and Christopher Samuels. Mighty, they said, headed a Rochester-based drug-trafficking ring. Lall had leased space at the Timehri airport in Guyana and built a private hangar for his two jets. The government of Guyana has since taken back the land. Lall owns Kaylees gas station, on the East Bank Demerara, and had operated a limousine service in Guyana too. The U.S. government is looking to forfeit several properties, as well as two private jets that Fitzpatrick said Lall bought with the ill-gotten gains. PREPARE FOR SHAKEUP IN POLICE FORCE – PRESIDENT GRANGER There are more indications that the administration is dead set on overhauling the Guyana Police Force (GPF). One day after Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, disclosed that significant reforms are imminent, especially heralded by a recent report of a Commission of Inquiry which found serious lapses in the police force, President David Granger on Friday commented on the issue. He is quoted as saying that the
Sunday September 10, 2017
Commission of Inquiry (COI) into the alleged assassination plot against him has exposed serious deficiencies and weaknesses in the force, and these will be corrected. While making it clear that the COI was not meant to be a witch-hunt, the Head of State said that work has to be done to ensure that the law enforcement agency is more professional and efficient in the execution of its duties and responsibilities, a Ministry of the Presidency release indicated. Speaking to media operatives on the sidelines of the Launch of the Demerara-Mahaica (Region Four) Regional Agricultural and Commercial Exhibition (RACE) at the Ramada Princess Hotel, the President said that while Cabinet has not deliberated on the contents of the report as yet, its findings point to some critical areas, which will need to be addressed as part of security sector reform. “It has brought to light some serious deficiencies and I am very confident that the work that Mr. Russell Combe is doing will point to ways in which we can correct the deficiencies. The important thing is to ensure that we get information so that we can correct faults. It is not a witchhunt. We are trying to make the law enforcement agencies more efficient,” he said. Combe is a British security expert, who is an Advisor to President Granger as part of the United Kingdom’s US$4.7B Security Sector Reform (SSR) Programme, which had been scrapped by the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) Administration in 2009. He is expected to produce an initial interim report shortly. WEANTICIPATED MORE PROGRESS ON CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM BY NOW – UK ENVOY Even sections of the diplomatic community are concerned about the fact that Guyana is still to make significant strides along the road towards Constitutional Reform.
United Kingdom High Commissioner, Greg Quinn recently told the media, “We would have liked to see that more had happened by now” on Constitutional Reform. Quinn said that Guyana is very much in need of such strengthening of its Constitution, and it is indeed worrying that so little progress has been made. The envoy did not cast his blame on the government for the stalling. He said, “Constitutional Reform is not just a government issue. It cannot take place without 66 per cent of parliamentary vote.” Quinn said, “I understand that the people may be frustrated by the lack of speed. But it is not just one group of individuals who should or can be held responsible for the lack of progress.” The envoy suggested that maybe the lack of progress can be blamed on all Guyanese who do not see the importance of Constitutional Reform, and who do not want to call for it and make their input. He said, “If enough people say it is important enough, then it will happen.” Quinn expressed hope that there may be a change soon and that Constitutional Reform will be deemed a priority by all right-thinking Guyanese. The High Commissioner stressed the fact that Constitutional Reform will be a benefit to the overall health of the nation. He even noted that there is no need for Guyana to start from scratch or reinvent the wheel. Quinn said that there are many other jurisdictions that have satisfactory legislation that Guyana can in some way emulate. However, the envoy was keen to note that it is all up to Guyana to decide how it wants to go about addressing Constitutional Reform. “The UK cannot decide that for Guyana, the process has to be led by Guyana. The plan was to give the process a nudge and we have not completely failed in that regard.” Quinn said that he plans, before he goes off on leave later this month, to meet with President David Granger. He said that Constitutional Reform is among the list of issues he wants to discuss at that forum.
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Drug dealer, 21, nabbed for the fourth time Ron Cadogan, 21, a drug dealer, who is well known to the authorities, has been nabbed again even as he is on bail for another drug related offence. His latest arrest is the third within a year. He was found guilty on a previous arrest for being in possession of cocaine and marijuana. Cadogan, of Lot 365 Third Street, East Canfield, East Canje, Berbice, was among a group of men liming at the corner of Galaxy Street, Canefield, East Canje Berbice. Police were on mobile patrol around 20:30 hrs in the area when they notice the men acting in a suspicious manner. Upon seeing the police they began to run. The police gave chase and Cadogan who was among the lot was seen throwing a red and white gift bag into some nearby bushes. The bag was retrieved and was found to contain what appeared to be leaves seeds and stems of the marijuana plant.
...third time within a year Cadogan who was found hiding in some nearby bushes was arrested and taken into custody at the Reliance Police Station. The item was weighed and tested and found to be 167 ½ grams of marijuana. He was charged and appeared in the New Amsterdam Magistrate Court before Magistrate Alex Moore and was granted bail in the sum of $40,000. The matter has since been transferred to the Reliance Magistrate’s Court. Cadogan was previously charged with on January 24, last, for being in possession of five grams of cocaine and 104 grams of marijuana at his home. He was arrested along with his 49-year-old wife, and his 21-year-old step daughter. He was granted bail in the sum of $75,000. That matter is still pending. The police had swooped down on the premises around 22:00 hrs and conducted a
search. They discovered a quantity of leaves, seeds and stems of marijuana stashed in a corner in a bathroom along with a container of a creamlike substance which was later tested and found to be cocaine. Cadogan was earlier that said day found guilty on a charge of possession of narcotics. He had four grams of marijuana in his pocket on March 10, 2016. He was found guilty and fined $3,000 or four months in jail. He was also arrested in April 2013 when he was 17 years old with four grams Cocaine during a police sting operation. The police had secreted themselves in the neighbourhood and used a decoy to purchase the cocaine. During the transaction the cops moved in made an arrest. The police have once again expressed reservation at the granting of bail.
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Kaieteur News
From an £18m win to an unmarked grave:
The life of Britain's first big lottery winner The freshly-dug grave offers no clue to the enormous wealth once enjoyed by the man who lies within it. A muddy mound in a Berkshire cemetery, topped by a few hardy plants and a withered bouquet of carnations, it is not even marked with a nameplate. It is just plot Q1147. Nor was there anything special about his funeral, late last month, at a nearby mosque. No limousines or grandiloquent speeches. Like most of the mourners, the imam who conducted the service knew nothing of the extraordinary life he had led. His death rated no more than a few paragraphs in the local papers. However, 23 years ago, Mukhtar Mohidin made history by becoming Britain’s first National Lottery multimillionaire. The draw had been launched, amid frenzied excitement, in November 1994, and the following month he scooped the first rollover jackpot, winning the then unimaginable sum of £17.9 million. When he bought the magic ticket in Tesco, he was a 42-year-old chemical factory shift-worker, living with his wife, Sayeeda, and their three young children, in a redbrick terraced house in Blackburn, Lancashire. The astonishing windfall utterly transformed his life — but, as we shall learn, certainly not for the better. No sooner had the massive cheque been deposited in his new account at the Yorkshire Bank than he began to transform himself from a popular, hard-working, devoutly religious family man to a drunken, violent, womanising playboy. Shunned by the local Muslim community, who declined to accept his charity as gambling is against Islamic teaching, he and his family fled Blackburn to start a new life in the Home Counties. But there his marriage quickly fell apart, and his relatives were riven by jealous feuds as they fought for a share of the spoils. His descent became a parable for the ills of instant wealth. Those morally and ethically opposed to the Lottery cited it as a counterpoint to the uplifting testimonies of other winners, which organisers Camelot were only too eager to publicise. The lurid red-top headlines about Mr Mohidin, and his so-called ‘£18m Indian takeaway’ abated during the late Nineties, when the family changed their names, and his wife obtained a court injunction preventing their children from being identified. Thereafter, they vanished into obscurity.
Twenty-three years ago, Mukhtar Mohidin (pictured with Charlotte Doyle) made history by becoming Britain’s first National Lottery multi-millionaire. It transpires that after Mr Mohidin’s wife divorced him, in 1998, he recreated himself as ‘Mike’ and posed as a wealthy investment banker. He would gamble compulsively in London’s top casinos and hire high-class callgirls, whom he pathetically attempted to impress with gifts and exotic holidays. One of these £800-a-night escorts — a shapely AngloIndian named Charlotte Doyle — actually became his mistress and bore him a love child who is now a teenager. She claimed, perhaps fancifully, that they fell in love, and that he took her out of prostitution, living with her in a Barratt home in Kingstonupon-Thames, Surrey. His, then, is a salutary story that says much about the age in which we live, and underscores once more that age-old adage that money really doesn’t buy happiness. Mukhtar Mohidin was typical of many East African Asians who arrived in Britain in the Seventies. Settling in Blackburn with his parents, he worked hard, and by his early 40s he was supplementing his income from the chemical plant by renting out a workshop he had bought. His wife earned £100 a week in the local factory. The cash that bought the winning ticket was provided by his tenant, Ismail Lorgat, who handed him £50 to pay a £46 electricity bill in that fateful week in December 1994, and told him to spend the £4 change on the exciting new Lottery. Mr Lorgat, 64, who runs a Blackburn kitchen business, still recalls his words, as he urged his landlord to have a flutter: ‘I’ve been very lucky all my life. Don’t stop dreaming.’ The agreement, he says,
was that if their numbers came up, they would split the prize; but Mr Mohidin reneged on the deal. After the winning numbers were drawn on Saturday evening TV, they never spoke again. Mr Lorgat did take out a writ, served on the grounds they had a verbal contract, and says a Mohidin relative offered him £50,000 as a settlement. But his father was an Islamic teacher, and counselled him against accepting any money, saying it was so contrary to Islam it would ‘bring about the destruction of my offspring’. Though Mohidin had ticked the ‘no publicity’ box, the Press soon tracked him down. There was a strong suspicion that someone inside Camelot had tipped them off. There was then a major political debate about the ethics of naming the family, before a judge decided the public had a right to know. With their cover about to be blown, the Mohidins were spirited away, first to a relative’s flat in North London — where there was a heated argument over how the spoils should be divided (eventually a dozen family members received £100,000 each) — then on a luxurious world tour, costing £20,000 for the air tickets alone. Even before they left, cracks began to appear in the Mohidins’ 13-year marriage. When Indian-born Sayeeda, who had always been more westernised than her husband, splashed out on outfits for the trip, her husband complained. Their differences over how the millions ought to be spent continued in Mauritius, where he checked them out of an expensive hotel and into a cheap package resort; and in Singapore, where he baulked at paying £3.60 for a beer.
Worse, he started going off alone to drink (Johnnie Walker Black Label became his favourite tipple), leaving
his wife to care for their three children. When they returned, they rented a modest home for a while, then moved into a modern, detached house with a pool, on an affluent road in the Home Counties. It is worth more than £2million today. Within months of the £17.9 million pay-out, though they professed to be living ‘amicably’ together, the couple became embroiled in a tit-fortat legal battle. Mr Mohidin issued a High Court writ to stop his wife securing half the money. She countered with a writ, issued under the Married Women’s Property Act, claiming a joint share of cash. The wrangle appeared to have been settled when he conceded they could have a joint bank account, with every cheque requiring both their signatures. In reality this did not resolve the matter, for whenever he disapproved of a purchase she wished to
make, he would refuse to sign. It became so intolerable that she ran away to a hotel with the children. When her husband went to fetch her back, police were called and he spent a night in the cells.The marriage staggered on for four more years. Then in 1998, after he reportedly hit her and threatened her with a gun, Sayeeda obtained a divorce. According to one source, she received a £5 million settlement, plus possession of the house and £60,000 per year in maintenance for each of their children. She is evidently enjoying her affluent life in the Home Counties today. Mr Mohidin’s life took a very different course. Among his old circle in Blackburn he became a pariah, perceived to have cheated his tenant out of a share of the winnings, turned his back on the Muslim community, and (Continued on page 66)
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Kaieteur News
Acid Reflux: Try Going Vegetarian
A mostly vegetarian diet may provide relief similar to widely used medications for people with acid reflux, a new study suggests. The study looked at close to 200 patients at one medical center who had been diagnosed with laryngopharyngeal reflux. It’s a condition where stomach acids habitually back up into the throat, and it’s distinct from the much betterknown gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) — or what most people call heartburn. People with laryngopharyngeal reflux usually don’t have heartburn, explained Dr. Craig Zalvan, the lead researcher on the new study. Instead, they have symptoms like hoarseness, chronic sore throat, persistent coughing, excessive throat clearing and a feeling of a lump in the throat. Still, the problem is often treated with GERD drugs known as proton pump inhibitors (PPIs). PPIs include prescription and over-thecounter drugs like Prilosec, Prevacid and Nexium, and they rank among the top-selling medications in the United States. PPIs do help some people with laryngopharyngeal reflux, said Zalvan. He’s chief of otolaryngology at Northwell Health System’s Phelps Hospital, in Sleepy Hollow, N.Y. And Zalvan, himself, used to prescribe them regularly. However, it became clear that the medications were not effective for many patients, Zalvan said. At the same time, he noted, studies began raising concerns that PPIs are not as safe as thought. Research has linked prolonged PPI use to slightly in-
creased risks of heart attack, kidney disease, dementia and bone fractures — though it’s not clear whether the drugs are the cause. For Zalvan, it all led to a new direction: prescribing a “dietary approach.” Based on research into diet and various chronic ills, Zalvan began advising patients to take up a mostly vegetarian diet that he describes as “Mediterranean style.” He encouraged patients to go 90-percent plant-based — eating mainly vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains and nuts. Meat and dairy were to be limited to two or three modest servings per week. In addition, Zalvan gave his patients the standard reflux-soothing advice to avoid coffee, tea, alcohol and fried or fatty foods. For the new study, Zalvan’s team looked back at patient records to see how that diet approach compared with the old PPI way. The investigators focused on 85 patients who’d been treated with PPIs and standard diet advice between 2010 and 2012, and 99 who’d been advised to go mostly vegetarian. When it came to treating the patients’ symptoms, “the diet was as good, if not better than, PPIs,” Zalvan said. After six weeks, 63 percent of patients on the diet were showing at least a 6point drop on a scale called the reflux symptom index. That’s considered a “clinically meaningful” improvement, Zalvan noted. That compared with 54 percent of PPI patients, according to the report. The findings were published online Sept. 7 in JAMA Otolaryngology—Head & Neck Surgery.
According to Zalvan, patients in the diet group typically lost eight pounds — which may help explain their symptom improvement. But it’s not possible to tell how much credit goes to the weight loss, versus the diet itself. Sonya Angelone is a registered dietitian and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. She also recommends a largely plant-based diet for managing acid reflux. What’s critical is picking healthy plant foods, Angelone said — creating a diet high in beans, vegetables and nuts, not pasta and bagels. Healthy plant foods tend to calm inflammation in the body, Angelone explained, whereas a diet heavy in processed foods does the opposite. And there’s been a growing understanding of acid reflux as an inflammatory disorder, Angelone said. That is, the acid itself might not do the real damage; the body’s inflammatory response may. “I think this study offers more evidence that you should aim to eat more plants and fewer processed foods,” Angelone said. Zalvan acknowledged the study’s limitations. It was not a clinical trial that specifically tested the vegetarian diet against medication, which is considered the “gold standard” for proving a treatment works. Plus, it’s not clear whether patients have to rigorously stick with the 90-percent vegetarian plan — or whether more-moderate changes would do the trick. What’s important, Angelone said, is that people make healthy changes they can live with for the long haul.
Sunday September 10, 2017
Daydreaming Behind the Wheel Many people catch themselves daydreaming, but new research reveals it often happens when they’re behind the wheel of a car. Researchers analyzed the brain activity of volunteers during a driving simulation to determine how often their minds wandered. The investigators also looked for specific brain patterns that would indicate when this daydreaming occurred. During the simulation, the participants were hooked up to a monitoring system that measured electrical activity in their brains. The volunteers completed two 20-minute driving simulations each day for five consecutive days. The simulations weren’t set up to be thrilling or technically challenging. Instead, they mimicked a typical steady commute to and from work along a boring stretch of highway. Between the two sessions, the drivers took a written test to duplicate the mental drain that would occur on a normal workday. During the simulations, a buzzer went off at random intervals. Every time this hap-
pened, the participants were instructed to use a tablet computer to record if they had just been daydreaming. If their mind had been wandering right before the buzzer, the drivers were asked to reveal if they were aware of it or not. “We found that during simulated driving, people’s minds wander a lot — some upwards of 70 percent of the time,” said lead researcher Carryl Baldwin, of George Mason University in Fairfax, Va. The researchers noted the driver’s minds were more likely to wander on the second simulation, or the “commute” home. On average, the volunteers were aware of their distraction only 65 percent of the time. Daydreaming among the drivers was also betrayed by their brain’s electrical activity, the study published recently in the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience found. “We were able to detect periods of mind wandering through distinctive electrophysiological brain patterns, some of which indicated that the drivers were likely less receptive to external stimuli,”
Baldwin said in a journal news release. Drivers must be fully alert and aware of other cars on the road while driving so they can respond quickly to sudden or unexpected events. Distraction among drivers is a major factor in car accidents and related deaths, the study authors warned. Cellphones and other mobile devices are well-known sources of distraction, but the researchers said there’s less focus on daydreaming among drivers. “Mind wandering may be an essential part of human existence and unavoidable. It may be a way to restore the mind after a long day at the office. What we are not sure about yet is how dangerous it is during driving,” Baldwin said. “We need additional research to figure this out. “In terms of improving safety in the future, one option could be ... self-driving cars that allow people’s minds to wander when it is safe to do so, but re-engage when they need to pay attention,” she said. https:// medlineplus.gov/news/ fullstory_168251.html.
A Healthy Body Keeps the Mind Sharp Want to stay sharp as you age? A healthy lifestyle can help, according to a new American Heart Association/ American Stroke Association advisory. In many people, blood vessels become narrowed or blocked over time. This is called atherosclerosis. And this condition increases the risk of heart attack and stroke. But a healthy lifestyle can reduce the risk of atherosclerosis. Collected data “convincingly demonstrates that the same risk factors that cause atherosclerosis are also major contributors to late-life cognitive [mental] impairment and Alzheimer’s disease,” advisory writing group chair Dr. Philip Gorelick said in an association news release. “By following seven simple steps — Life’s Simple 7 — not only can we prevent heart attack and stroke, we may also be able to prevent cognitive impairment,” he said. Gorelick is a vascular neurologist at Mercy Health Hauenstein Neurosciences in Grand Rapids, Mich. Life’s Simple 7 was developed by the American Heart Association (AHA). The program encourages people to: manage blood pressure; control cholesterol; keep blood sugar normal; be physically active; eat a healthy diet; lose excess weight; and avoid smoking.
It’s crucial to take these steps to protect your brain as early as possible because atherosclerosis can begin in childhood, according to the AHA. “Studies are ongoing to learn how heart-healthy strategies can impact brain health even early in life,” Gorelick said. Further research is required, but “the outlook is promising,” he added. The advisory’s conclusion that following Life’s Simple 7 may help people keep their brain healthy into old age is based on a review of 182 published studies. If current trends continue,
about 75 million people worldwide could have dementia by 2030, according to the advisory, which was published Sept. 7 in the journal Stroke. “Policy makers will need to allocate health care resources for this,” Gorelick said. Tracking rates of dementia in areas where public health efforts are improving heart health “could provide important information about the success of such an approach and the future need for health care resources for the elderly,” he noted. https:// medlineplus.gov.
Sunday September 10, 2017
Lady Gaga Tears Up While Addressing Chronic Pain Lady Gaga refuses to let life’s darkest moments break her down. In her upcoming Netflix documentary Five Foot Two, the pop music superstar pulls back the curtain on her personal struggles—including a years-long battle against chronic pain. Gaga addressed the film’s most vulnerable scenes during a press conference at TIFF, in which she visibly got emotional while speaking to reporters. “It’s hard, but it’s liberating, too,” the Joanne artist said after taking a moment to collect her thoughts when asked what it was like to document the less-than glamorous experiences. Five Foor Two’s director Chris Moukarbel then remarked, “It was incredibly hard... Beyond just filming, I felt compelled to continue to roll. I know that she wanted me to because it’s something that should be included in the film.” In a teaser for the documentary, Gaga seeks medical help for the pain, and there are shots of the celebrity receiving injections on a surgical table. The “Million Reasons” songstress explained at the Toronto International Film Festival, where Five Foot Two will premiere tonight, “There is an element and a very strong piece of me that believes pain is a microphone. My pain does me no good unless I transform it into something that is [good].” “I hope that p e o p l e watching it that do struggle with chronic pain know that they are not alone,” she continued. Lady Gaga then addressed those skeptical of the degree to which she suffers. “It’s freeing for me because there’s a degree of self-deprecation and shame that goes along with feeling in pain a
lot,” she said. “I want people that watch it that think there’s no way I live that way because they see me dance and sing, to know I struggle with things like them and that I work through it and that it can be done.” “We have to stick together,” Gaga continued, “and I don’t have to hide it because it’s weak. It’s a part of me and I’m grateful to Chris for caring. The compassion is overwhelming and that’s why it makes me emotional. It’s very touching.” More than a year ago, the 31-year-old first revealed her struggle with chronic pain was linked in part to a sexual assault. “I feel physical pain,” she said during a radio interview. “I actually suffer from chronic pain and it’s from this paralyzing fear that I’ve experienced for almost 10 years.” “When something traumatic happens, your brain disconnects so that it can handle it,” she elaborated. “But, it stays in your body, in your tissues, physically in
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Kaieteur News
you.” A 2013 hip injury also required Gaga to undergo surgery and cancel the remainder of her Born This Way Ball tour. At Friday evening’s premiere, Gaga surprised fans and attendees with an impromptu, piano performance of “Bad Romance,” which she dedicated to her director. An eyewitness tells E! News the documentary delves deep into her relationship with Taylor Kinney, at one point referencing a good luck gift the actor gave her before her Super Bowl halftime performance. “Nothing like getting flowers from your ex-fiancé,” Gaga said. Other topics in the documentary include her alleged feud with Madonna, her starring role in A Star Is Born and the aforementioned health issues. Five Foot Two hits Netflix Sept. 22. http:// www.eonline.com/news/ 878822/lady-gaga-tears-upwhile-addressing-chronicpain-i-don-t-have-to-hide-it.
Gina Rodriguez Won’t Be Sacrificing Her Happiness to “Kill” Herself in the Gym Gina Rodriguez is feeling strong and fearless. The stunning Jane the Virgin actress is October’s Shape cover girl and inside the magazine she’s opening about her life, health and how she won’t give up her joy to hit the gym. Working long hours on her TV show, Rodriguez doesn’t get a lot of free time to train, but she’s learned to be OK with that. “…when I started working on Jane again, there was no time for training, even at night…I couldn’t fit into certain clothes, and I was a little curvier,” Rodriguez tells the magazine. “Before, I would have beaten myself up. But my boyfriend gave me some great advice. He said, ‘Don’t be angry with your body—it changed because your routine shifted.’ And that was like a gift.” Rodriguez continues, “As an actress, there are so many pressures to look a certain way and fit into a sample size. But I’ve got to embrace the fact that when I’m shooting Jane, I can’t work out as much. My body is going to look different, and that’s OK. I’m not willing to wring the joy from my life to kill myself in the gym.” When the Golden Globe winner does get some time to work out, Rodriguez loves Muay Thai. “Doing Muay Thai taught me so much about my body,” she shares. “Now I view it as an engine that keeps me active and healthy. To do Muay Thai, you have to build up your strength and stamina. It’s mind over matter; you’re pushing yourself. What I like best about it is the sense of inner strength it gives me. Knowing I can protect myself is a powerful.” And when it comes to food, Rodriguez uses it to fuel her. “Food fuels me now, and
that feels so good,” she explains. “It doesn’t make me lethargic anymore. Now I’m eating when I’m hungry and to power my body, I’m not feeding my emotions. Which I did. And which I’ll do again in the future, let’s be real. But I’m trying to be conscious of not doing it right now.” Rodriguez wants us to celebrate every body type on the spectrum, because we’re all beautiful. “I love my shape because it makes me strong and fearless,” Rodriguez says. “There’s a huge spectrum of body types, and we need to celebrate all of them—the model shapes, the beautiful new wave of curvy full-figured women, and those who are in between. I feel blessed to be part of that spectrum.” Rodriguez took to Instagram to share her upcoming cover, telling her fol-
lowers how she really feels about being on the magazine. The actress wrote, “It feels incredibly bizarre and unnatural to celebrate during these times. My mind is constantly working to try and see where I can help, contribute and grow. So then maybe it is right to share this cover of @shape magazine because it marks a time in my life where I pushed myself to the max. Where I learned that being healthy was self love. That putting myself, vulnerabilities and all, out there for the world to judge isn’t as scary today.” Rodriguez continued, “We must make those risks in order for change and growth to occur. I love this cover. Not because I feel good and myself and real in it but because it pushed me to a place that wasn’t easy and I conquered.”www.eonline.com.
Taylor Swift, Kelly Clarkson, Sam Smith: Oh My! A Guide to Musical Comeback Singles I t ’s t i m e t o g r a b a jacket, slap on your shoes and hit play. As fall slowly settles in, the musical stars have come out of hiding to put their own stamp on the change of season with newly minted tracks. From Taylor Swift ‘s first single in three years to Sam Smith ending his m u s i c a l h i a t u s t o d a y, s o m e o f H o l l y w o o d ’s biggest hitmakers have returned just in time for the leaves to change. From a melancholy serenade from Smith to a soulful and flirty anthem
by Kelly Clarkson, her newest music in two years, the options range the musical spectrum. B o t t o m l i n e : t h e r e ’s a tune for everyone this season. Here’s a breakdown of the newest hits to climb the charts: British crooner Sam Smith is back with “Too Good at Goodbyes,” a piano ballad about being dumped, complete with powerful backup vocals. This is a jam fit for belting in the shower—at least, to start. If you haven’t heard
o f Ta y l o r S w i f t ’s f i r s t single, “Look What You Made Me Do,” you’ve definitely been living under the thickest rock. The song and accompanying video have broken virtually every record since their surprise releases at the end of August. It seems everyone has an opinion about the revenge track and there’s plenty to unpack in the four minutes of melody, so give it a listen and add yours to the list. After a decade, Aly & AJ are about to release a new album and are lead-
ing their release with an airy ’80s-esque tune called “Take Me.” With nearly a million hits on Yo u Tu b e , t h e f a n s c e rtainly seem to dig it. Leave it up to Kelly Clarkson to give us options! After two years, the songstress has released not one, but two singles off of her upcoming eighth (yes, eighth!) studio album. One is slow and smooth while the other has an upbeat g r o o v e . E i t h e r w a y, you’ll be singing along in no time. www.eonline.com.
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Sunday September 10, 2017
The life of Britain's... (From page 49) shamed his religion. Vandals wrecked his old terraced house, which he had kept, perhaps with thoughts of returning to his home town. ‘He has been airbrushed out of existence here,’ says his former tenant Ismail Lorgat. Without friends or a family home, and cut off from his roots, Mr Mohidin drifted from club to bar to casino, using his cash to buy company. With his slicked-back hair, Armani suits, diamond ear-studs, and a wallet bulging with £50 notes, ‘Mike’, as he started styling himself, seemed to be having fun. But according to Charlotte Doyle, the escort girl he fell for, he was a ‘troubled and confused’ man at odds with his true identity. They met when he sauntered into a Kensington escort agency one day in 1998, and ran his eye over the girls waiting to be picked up in the softly lit lounge. ‘I think he chose me because I offered the best of both his worlds,’ she says. ‘My heritage is half-Indian, but I had blonde hair then.’ She was 24 at the time. That first night, he took her for an expensive dinner then whisked her to Stringfellows nightclub, jumping the queue by tipping the doorman generously. Then they went back to the Hilton Hotel on Park Lane. ‘I kept asking what he did for a living, but he wouldn’t say. At one point I asked whether he was a drug-dealer and he thought that was hilarious. Eventually he said he was an investment banker.’ Thereafter, he stopped hiring other escorts and booked only her, sometimes several times a week. He lavished her with designer clothes, flying her on shopping trips to Paris and weekends on the French Riviera. They had been seeing one another for six months before she learned his true identity. It emerged when one of his casino gambling acquaintances, angry that Mr Mohidin refused to advance him £40,000, sold the story to a red-top paper. Miss Doyle says she found it ‘deflating’ to discover her rich benefactor had merely won his money on the Lottery. Her disillusionment subsided, however, when he flew her to New York on Concorde by way of an apology, then installed her (with her seven-year-old daughter by a previous relationship) in a house, worth £600,000 at today’s prices, in the Surrey suburbs. Soon, however, she discovered he had deceived her into thinking she owned the house, when it had been bought in his name. He claimed he had been forced to do this for ‘tax reasons’. This led to a lengthy legal wrangle, the upshot of which was that she secured possession. Miss Doyle, 43, who says the couple were engaged but never married, insists their baby was planned and that Mr Mohidin was ‘very proud’ when she was born, attending the birth at Kingston Hospital in January 2002 He stopped buying me beautiful jewellery and would come home with cheap trinkets, such as a £2 watch, from Southall Market. I had to ask him for pocket money for shopping. He behaved horribly towards my daughter, and he would turn photos of her upside down. ‘He didn’t want my mother to visit me, either, and threatened to bash her head in with a parasol. When I argued, he became very violent. During a holiday in Portugal he battered me round the head so badly that I had to see a doctor. He would even threaten to kill me. He’d stroke my face menacingly and say: “For £100,000 I could have you killed, darling.” ‘He was still drinking and smoking, and I’m sure he was sleeping with other girls. But he’d started praying several times a day, and going to the mosque. He’d try to make me religious and wear traditional Indian clothes, but I refused.’ During his final years, Mr Mohidin appears to have been torn between his piety and decadence. He was last seen in Blackpool, a few years ago, staying in a £35-a-night bed and breakfast boarding house, accompanied by a woman he met in Thailand.He was only 64 when he died, on August 23, in a Berkshire hospital. Officially, he succumbed to complications from a urinary tract infection. ‘People could have remembered him and sung his praises, (but) he was a weak man who succumbed to temptation and carnal desires.’ He could have had a wonderful life,’ says his doublecrossed friend, Mr Lorgat. Sadly, it seems, that must serve as the grim epitaph for Britain’s first Lottery multi-millionaire. Full story can be found on: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/ news/article-4866834/From-18m-win-unmarkedgrave.html#comments (Daily Mail)
A mini health check is the first step to donating blood
Sunday September 10, 2017
Kaieteur News
DNA to solve puzzle of missing farmer and burnt human remains Investigators are hoping that a deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) test can solve the puzzle of a missing 63-yearold farmer and what seemed to be burnt human bones, teeth and hair on a farm at Silicone Green, Kuru Kuru, on the Soesdyke/Linden Highway last May. Bisundial Vasquez was taking care of the same farm where the police found the human r e m a i n s a m o n g burnt debris on May 17, last—just one week after the man had been reported missing. Kaieteur News was informed that it was during an alleged break-in at the farm that the father of three went missing. The owner of the farm had suggested to the cops that the elderly man might have taken the stolen items which included a boat engine and fled. However, after the man did not show up or try to make contact with his children, they made a missing person report and subsequently went to the farm to search for him or any clues that would lead to them finding him. On their first visit,
MISSING: Bisundial Vasquez Hema Mattan said that they found her father ’s slippers, a shovel and bag next to a creek, a short distance from the shack in which her father was living. Kaieteur News was informed that on their second visit to the farm, they were accompanied by ranks from Timehri Police Station. It was during this visit that ranks searched the burnt heap next to the creek and made the shocking discovery. They also discovered a marijuana farm about 10 miles from where the
STANDARDS IN FOCUS
human remains were found. It is suspected that the murder is linked to the marijuana farm, but this is yet to be confirmed. Reports are that the caretaker would usually bathe at the creek. If indeed the remains a r e t h a t o f Va s q u e z , i t would mean that the 63year-old man was killed while on the camp and his killer(s) used the jute bag to take the body to the creek where they burnt it. Mattan yesterday confirmed that samples were taken from them and they were promised that the DNA will be done as soon as possible. Crime Chief, Wendell Blanhum could not be reached to comment on whether the samples left Guyana. Reshma Bisundial, another daughter of the caretaker, said that her father had made contact with her early in March, when he informed her that he was heading to work. The elderly man would usually spend about three months at the farm before returning to his Friendship, East Bank Demerara home to spend about a week with his family.
An international standards on the horizon for educational organisations The Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) has for long advocated that in order to create a true culture of Standardisation in Guyana, significant focus must be placed on the education system and educating children at the school level. With this in mind, the Bureau has been utilizing means such as school lectures, fairs and exhibitions and competitions to have the younger folks understand standards, their purpose and the benefits which can be derived from their use. Other standards organisations all over the world have also concluded that Standardisation must start with the youths and more so the education system. The International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) is a great example of such organisations. According to an article published by Clare Naden in March of this year titled: Loving to learn: A new management system standard for educational organizations, ISO is developing a new standard for educational organisations. Her article goes on as follows: Education is not only a basic right, but a fundamental part of society, so the quality of educational providers is everyone’s concern. While they can’t necessarily guarantee outcomes, there is a lot that educational institutes can do to stimulate learning and ensure learners are getting the level of quality they expect. A new standard is being developed to help them do just that, and it has just reached a critical stage. While an educational organization can never guarantee the success of its learners, there are a number of ways that it can more effectively meet their needs and contribute to better learning outcomes. ISO 21001,
Educational organizations – Management systems for educational organizations – Requirements with guidance for use, is a management system standard that is partially aligned with ISO 9001:2015 for quality management systems. It provides a common management tool for educational organizations aiming to improve their processes and address the needs and expectations of those who use their services. The future standard will also help educational providers align their activities effectively with their mission and vision and offer more personalized learning, both of which benefit not only learners but, thanks to improved processes and a system in place for their improvement across time, educators, parents and other stakeholders who will also reap results from the more consistent outputs. The standard has just reached Draft International Standard (DIS) stage, meaning that interested parties can submit feedback on the draft, which will be considered before it is published as a standard early next year. ISO 21001 is intended to be useful to all kinds of educational providers, from kindergarten to higher education, vocational training centres and e-learning services. The GNBS believes that when this standard is finalized, local educational institutions should acquire a copy and implement the requirements to offer improved levels of teaching and learning to their students. For further information, please contact the GNBS on 219-0066 or visit the GNBS website: www.gnbsgy.org or like us on Facebook: gnbsgy
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Visiting Guyanese accused twice of indecent assault
Barbados (Barbados Today) - A Guyanese visitor known only as Mankad has been remanded to HMP Dodds for the next 28 days on an indecent assault charge. The 47-year-old vendor who lives at an apartment in Pine Road, St Michael arrived in Barbados on August 17, last, and was scheduled leave next week. He is accused of committing the offence against a woman on August 24. The Caribbean Community national was denied bail after prosecutor Sergeant Vernon Waithe informed Acting Magistrate Sandra Rawlins that he was already on bail from the
Holetown Magistrates’ Court on a similar offence. “I have no court story in Barbados,” Mankad said in his application for bail, stating that he had a previous case in which he was reprimanded and discharged by the magistrate. However, a second check by police showed that he did have a case pending. Rawlins inform the accused man that the charge before the court was “quite serious” and as such he would spend some time on remand. Mankad is to make his second appearance on October 6 before the No.2 District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court.
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VACANCY Experienced s a l e s m a n , generaldomestic , p o r t e r . Apply with hand written application & recommendation @ Keyfood, McDoom Village. SERVICES PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY,ETC.-CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 2161043; 677-6620 Visa Application: U.S.A, Canada & UK; Guyanapassport 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. Passport, permanent & visitor visa application, Professional Immigration Consultant – Sabita Immigration Services. Call: 225-6496/ 662-6045 Budhram landscaping services, free advice. Call: 656-1326 Repairs at affordable prices: fridge, air conditioner, washing machines, dryers, TV, microwaves & freezer-Call: 610-5846 or 661-8158 Do you have a job that requires the skills for a mason,tiler, plumber/general construction? Tel: 618-6304/ 638-8544 R.Jacobs. RAJ PAWN SHOP, MAHAICA MARKET SQUARE. TEL: 691-1333
TAXI SERVICE GR TAXI SERVICE. CALL: 219-5000; 227-1982 & 2257878 (24HRS)
WANTED One part–time gardener, preferably from East Coast. Call: 622-4364. Attractive live in waitressCall: 327-0252/674-4665 Need Land/Property to Buy in Eccles Area 50’x100'.Call:592-2701885 or 592-668-1102. Experienced person to work in a body workshop. Call Neil: 655-0807 Office Clerk Senior /Junior, CXC English/ Mathematics, Computer Knowledge an Asset. Call 223 – 7500 Live In Live out Babysitter / Domestic 223-7500 Call: Monday to Saturday 8:15 4:15 pm Experienced salesgirl & handy boy, Christine’s Variety Store on Lombard St. Call: 227-8529 Night Security Guards. Previous experience would be an asset. Call 629-3141 We buy land in Parfaite Harmonie, Covent Garden,Eccles,Herstelling, Providence,Farm,Zeelugt. Call: 656-0701,651-1969 Female worker wanted sound secondary education, computer literate-Tel: 6225518 One experienced cook, ages 20-45 to work in snackette & bar. Call:663-7741/ 223-5798 Experience garbage truck drivers &labourers. Call: 670-7920 Responsible Hire Car Drivers. Call: 231-7200 Urgently-one live-in/liveout car/van driver. Tel:2271830 One truck driver to drive a bedford truck and 2 able bodied porters. Contact Dhari 226-1716, 6516846
One real estate agent at General Marketing Enterprise (Call or text) Shawn at 231-7805,648-2345 Mechanic for maintenance & repair of vehicles & equipment. Experience & references required. Call: 6182020,231-2250 Waitress for bar Call: 612-2522 1 Hair dresser & 1 nail technician @ Natural Beauty Salon & Spa located @ Grove Market Street, EBD. Call Ms Rashari: 652-5800 One Full Time Auto Body Technician. Previous experience would be an asset. Call 626-8698 Jobs available at the Plant Shop/Maintenance, Georgetown, 18-25yrs. Tel: 643-7193 Experienced bartender. Call: 225-8572 between 7AM and 9AM One (1) experience welder/ fabricator. Tel: 222-3844 Experience skilled carpenter. Apply at Alabama Trading, Georgetown Ferry Stelling, Stabroek. PERSON FOR OFFICE WORK, 9AM-5PM, G/ TOWN AREA, GOOD SALARY, NO EXPERIENCED NEEDED. CALL: 641-4035/ 223-2540 One female cook, age between 25yrs to 45yrs. Call: 677-8236 from 8AM to 4PM Driver, 2-labourers, apprentice-mechanical & machining background a must. Apply in person Technical Services Inc, 18-23 Eccles Industrial Site. Nursery, grades 1&2 teachers needed for full-time & parttime service. Georgetown area. Call : 690-9378
LIVE IN BABYSITTING WORK, GOOD SALARY. CALL: 699-4669 One female age 36 to 50 to live-in and take care of an elderly person. Call: 690-0122 VEHICLE FOR SALE Toyota 2007 Allion, accessories included. Tel: 6620803,669-7203 Unregistered Axela 2010 $2.7M, dark interior, fully loaded, Nissan pickup double cab $2.3M. Call: 6175536. Axio 2006 only 51,000km. Good condition $1.600,000.00 Contact :670-8675
Sunday September 10, 2017
Kaieteur News
LEARN TO DANCE Dance to keep fit, loose weight, build self-esteem and have fun. Call Studio 87- 6766312
FOR SALE LARGE QUANTITIES OF HIGH PURITY MERCURY (QUICK SILVER) 99.99995% PURITY$19,000 PER POUND CALL: 592-227-4754. 1 - Mitsubishi Fuso 7 1/2 ton Canter. Year: 2007 - $ 3.8 M. Contact: 650-0402/ 603-1402 2-20" Grizzle surface planers, 114’ aluminum boat, 1- 15HP Yamaha outboard engine (short foot), 1 table saw, 1 LT 15 woodmizer mill. Call: 664-5807 One 40ft anchor seine boat complete. Tell: 231-1817 Lawn Mower, AB Dick printing machine, plate burner, Maronthon motor, 7 1/2 HP single phase, transformer. Call : 233-2725/2439,680-9827 1-MF 165 Tractor with front bucket, 1-new generator 12,000 WV Call:609-5672 One Raptor 4 door 2013 model Call:670-7920 M11 Cummings Engine $600,000; 10 Forward gear box - $200,000; Double axle back end - $500,000. Call: 6159227 Corner lot at Festival City Entrance. Call: 218-5401,6653622,610-5437 Clean garden earth, builders waste. Delivery to spot, also excavating grading and levelling done. Call: 616-0617 or 663-3285 1-Complete 6 base music set with all amp are Q.S.E all speaker R.C.F & 1-Carina 212. Tel:698-8828 Besler and chromega photo enlarger 35mm up $160,000 each, sencore Oscilloscope 5C6100 $155,000 Call Terry 686-9126,269-1401 Air condition , fridge repair manual $12,000, juice extractor $16,000 Call Terry 6869126,269-1401 Button assemble kit $52,000, 3 jaw puller $34,000, 46pc puller kit $42,000 Call Terry 686-9126,269-1401
SALON - Make-up Courses with Mac, Bare Minerals, etc. -CosmetologyCourses:$120,000 - Technician Course: $45,000. Call: 647-1773/660-5257
LAND FOR SALE
Kastev, Meeten Meer Zorg, W.C.D: 3 bedrooms, 6 bathrooms, verandah overlooking Atlantic ocean. Owner migrating -$36M, negotiable.Call:676-7974/615-0173
Farm (East Bank )100ftx50ft, prime residential houselot $3M Call:656-0701, 651-1969
Property at Kaneville Grove, E.B.D Access Main Road. $6.5M negotiable. Call: 2661316,616-5433 Building with 3 apartments for sale. Income property at Diamond. Contact: 680-5944, 656-4211 House & land Parfaite Harmonie incomplete house $2M, Tuschen incomplete house $2.7M, $5M, Hague Public Road $35M. Call :6046724,686-9608 Plaisance-big land transported 65feet by 260feet, $14M or best offer. 2 lots joined Contact 670-8675 Anderson 3 bedroom house @ Middle Road La Penetence 56ftX25ft. Call: 653-2477/ 685-6874 House & land at Republic Park. Call :233-6777 Lot 11 Middleton Street, Campbellville, Georgetown, Guyana. Contact owner: 240605-8877 (USA) No Agents! One 3 bedroom property with bond, big land space for building house, poultry rearing, farming, etc. Call: 627-5607 House & land @ Lot 73 Village Upper Corentyne Main Road, Berbice. Price negotiable. Call: Daveanand Mohabir 651-2635,6122644,628-2503
PEN PAL You deserve to be in a relationship filled with love and excitement. Call Harmony Singles 676-6312
Car suspension coil spring clamp $29,000, Yamaha keyboard $30,000, bushing bearings 19pc kit $27,000 Call Terry 686-9126,269-1401 Windows 30x48 Sash $12,999, Sliding $9,999, Arch 30x15 $4,999, Arch 60x15 $9,999. Easy to Install Tel 231-1118/226-4465/ 679-3325
DRESS MAKING Jean offers courses in dressmaking, designing curtains, floral arrangement, cake decoration, 153 Barr Street, Kitty. Call:670-2653,638-8449 Turn your flair for fashion into an exciting career or hobby. Call Studio 87 : 6766312
PROPERTY FOR SALE
LEARN TO DRIVE C. Persaud& N. Outar Driving School formerly Soman& Sons Driving School @ Maraj Building- Call: 644-5166; 6222872; 615-0964; 689-5997 (affordable packages).
EDUCATIONAL Register @ IAE: full-time, afternoon, day/evening CXC/CSEC classes for adults & repeaters: Mathematics & English A. Call: 683-5742/ 621-7365 Lesson classes, Abeka Syst e m - P h o n i c s , Reading,Language and Maths.Age 4-12 years old. 197 Roxanne Burnham Gardens. Call :218-2076,619-4355 Lessons: Mathematics & English, Wednesday & Fridays, 3 Students per session -$1,000 per hour. Call: 659-8401
Uitvlugt New Scheme,1st Street (100ftx50ft) $4M, Parfaite Harmonie $1.5M & $1.8M, Covent Garden $4M Call: 656-0701,651-1969 Parfaite Harmonie $3.5M,$1.4M,$1.3M, doublelot $3M, Farm $4M, Herstelling $2.5M, $3M. Call: 604-6724,686-9608 Parfaite Harmonie $1.2M,$1.6M,$3.5M, Tuschen $2.3M, Tuschen house & land $5M, Herstelling $2.3M, $3M. Call: 666-2326 Prime land to build that dream home. Not far from Princess, New Thriving, Massy, HJ water world. Price reduced for quick sale. $12M - Call: 6698397. 35 Acres located in Port Kaituma. Call: 619-5173 1-Acre land for sale at Independence St. La Grange W.B.D, Price $8.3M. Call: 6211223 Transported corner lot, approved building plan, at 90 Garnett and Republic Sts.,Newtown,Kitty.Call:6002828
TO LET 2-Bedroom apartment in Kitty, for rent. Working professionals preferable. Contact: 652-3593,652-3587 Rooms in Albertown. Call:225-3234 Lodge apartments (Vlissengen/Durban): unfurnished, 1 bedroom - $50,000, studio - $40,000, furnished (for visitors) -$US600-1,000 monthly. Call: 668-7687/ 6779638/ 697-6421 Lodge (Vlissengen/Durban): professional/office/business space (no food retailing). Call: 668-7687/ 677-9638/ 697-6421 1-Apartment 2 bedroom. Delph Street, Campbellville Tel:225-4242 KITTY APARTMENTS: UNFURNISHED GRILLED, 2-BR, NEW, GRANITE, SECURE -$80,000 MONTHLY, NO AGENTS. CALL: 641-4035
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CONSUMER CONCERNS
The PUC welcomes consumers to its public hearings by PAT DIAL In this offering, we will consider the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) and its role in Regulation of the Public Utilities. We will also touch on the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Co. recent petition to have the PUC amend its Order No.2/ 2017. This petition to have the PUC amend its Order had been discussed at a public hearing at the PUC headquarters, 106 New Garden Street, Queenstown, Georgetown on 8th September. Members of the public are always welcome and to give their views. Relevant PUC documentation could be accessed at www.puc.org.gy The PUC encapsulates its role as Regulating Utilities for efficient services and protecting consumers’ interests. Despite not being funded adequately to employ more researchers, engineers, personnel to comb in detail the finances of the Utility companies and inspectors for other activities, the PUC has been doing a remarkable job with its limited resources. The chairmen who had served the PUC from its establishment over 25 years ago were all very distinguished persons and
have each helped to develop and shape the organization for the better. Two chairmen, Mr Joseph Tyndall CCH and Justice (retd) Prem Persaud CCH have left their indelible footprints on the PUC. The PUC has helped the Utilities to be more efficient and people-oriented and has been an effective defense and refuge for consumers. The consumer protection aspect of the PUC was a particular concern and involvement of Justice Prem Persaud and this could be seen in all his Orders where consumer interests were always taken into account. The new Chairman, Ms Dela Britton, a prominent, experienced and respected lawyer promises to act within the PUC traditions, contributing her own specialty to enriching its development. Order2/17 which has been the subject of the public Hearing on 8th September was made by Justice Persaud. The Order is enlightening to read as it articulates what consumers have long felt. For example, it exposes some deep-rooted myths such as that the GTT profit of 15% and over was not a guarantee as GTT had long been falsely declaring, but merely an entitlement which was dependent on performance.
The core of Order 2/2017 was the following: 1. GTT must complete the end to end provisioning of FTTX Phase 1 in La Grange, and to commence the commercial launch of services in the areas which they have identified 2. GTT must submit quarterly detailed appraisal of progress showing the number of new services rolled out, inclusive of rural areas. This should not be less than 1000 lines per quarter which may include up to 25% reissue lines. 3. The Commission finds GTT has been tardy in its response time and remedial actions with respect to fault reporting. To this end, the Commission requests a quarterly report from the date the rates take effect showing details of the average time taken to receive consumers’ complaints - residential and business. And for the company to determine a daily compensatory credit for consumers which will be contingent on its failure to comply. 4. The new Order prescribes rates for overseas and landline calls as well as new charges for other services such as Installation charges; monthly rental; wireline switched features which would include such
China's global record of substandard... From page 19 victim of China. Recently, a US$10M Chinesebuilt bridge in western Kenya, personally commissioned by President Uhuru Kenyatta, collapsed. At least 27 workers were injured when the bridge broke on June 26, last. The collapse occurred less than two weeks after President Kenyatta visited the site as part of a campaign tour before general elections in August. https://qz.com/1015554/a-chinesebuilt-bridge-collapsed-in-kenya-two-weeksafter-it-was-inspected-by-the-president. Again, it was China Overseas Engineering Group that was contracted by the Kenyan government to build the 100-meter bridge. Portions of a Chinese built road in Zambia were washed away by rains in 2009. Read more at https://www.lusakatimes.com/2009/03/20/ rains-damage-lusaka-chirundu-road/. Nigeria and Zimbabwe have had similar stories to tell about having to pay good money for bad works undertaken by Chinese companies. But closer to home, Trinidad has had to foot the bill of a project where it did not get its money's worth. In 2015, the TT$500 million National Academy for the Performing Arts (NAPA) in Port of Spain had to be completely shut down, six years after it was built. Trinidad had labeled the building a hazard and said that it did not meet health and safety standards. The safety concerns of NAPA were outlined in an OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Authority) report which was submitted to Cabinet and then to the Works Ministry. NAPA was constructed by the Chinese company, the same company that constructed Marriott Guyana. SCG International (Caribbean) Managing Director Michael Zhang had said that the company had often been called upon to fix small problems at the Trinidad facility, and “we
are still willing to support the building management to fix the issues.”A similar story of consolation was given to Guyana with regards to the Marriott Hotel. The 197-room hotel was completed at more than US$50M with real cost for lands and other concessions estimated at more than US$80M. But the government is now faced with finding US$4M to do necessary repairs needed. The workers of the company have been squatting in a section of the Hotel for months now. They refuse to move, claiming that they are owed payment to the tune of US$4M. But according to AHI Chairman, Hewley Nelson, there are serious defects which management continues to face on a monthly basis. Nelson said that the cost to deal with these problems is also in the neighbourhood of US$4M. Then there is the Convention Centre which the Chinese said they gifted to Guyana. The Building is now under repairs because it begun to sink. China Railway was recently given a US$46M contact for the upgrade to the East Coast Demerara Road. China Railway is the same company that worked on the bridge that collapsed in Kenya. China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) is currently working on the modernization of the US$150M Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA). CHEC has had its fair share of controversy up to very recently even in its home country with regards to substandard work and material. (Read more http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/ politics/article/2095805/construction-andcertification-industries-under-threat-after.) Already, it has been reported that CHEC is using low grade blocks for the expansion works being done on CJIA. Read more: https:// w w w . g o o g l e . c o m / search?q=CHEC+substandard+blocks+at+CJIA+&ie=utf8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-b.
services as Caller ID; Voicemail; Ring Again and Operator Assistance. GTT has not so far informed subscribers of the new rates and charges and as such, we highlight some of them for the benefit of consumers. Installation charges : Domestic goes from $500. to $2000. Business from $1500. to $4000. Monthly Rental: Domestic 1-2 lines goes from $500. to $750. while Business 1-4 lines goes from $1500. to $2,250. Wireless switched features: Call waiting goes from Domestic $142. to $170. Business from $300. to $360. Voicemail: Domestic goes from $143. to $170: Business from $320. to $384. Caller ID: Both Domestic and Business go from $320. to $384. Ring Again: Domestic - $255. and Business $360. Domestic Directory Assistance: $140. There is little that consumer advocates could do to reduce or dispute these new rates except a few like ring again. Ring Again which used to be without charge is now $255. Instead of using Ring Again, it is just as simple and without charge to manually ring again. Domestic Directory Assistance used to be without charge but is now $140 per number. There should be no charge before the annual Directory is issued or if the number does not appear in the Directory. GCA
will seek clarification of this. In the undated letter captioned BLAZE sent to subscribers with their July 2017 bill, it was indicated that GTT would effectuate the new rates as from 1st August but said nothing of those activities of consumer benefit which it had to address simultaneously when the new rates and charges were imposed. The GCA is asking that GTT return the increased charges they have collected since they have not performed their precedent obligations. The next PUC Hearing will take place on 13th September, 2017 when decision on GTT’s petition is expected to be given and members of the public are enjoined to attend and participate.
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FOR RENT PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY, ETC. CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620 Property for rent - 2 storey house at Republic Park, E.B.D$1200US. Call 647-1773 Fully furnished luxury apartment 2 &3 bedrooms, long & short term stay. Call:664-2143 Hair & barber station for rent @ New Market Street. Call: 638-1106 One 4 bedroom house with 2 self-contained room for rent at Creek Dam, Herstelling,E.B.D. Price$80,000. Call:692-8814
CAR RENTAL AIDAN’S CAR RENTAL:PICKUP,9-11 SEAT MINI BUS, GOOD FOR AIRPORT & FAMILY OUTINGS, CHEAPEST RATE. Call: 698-7807 WING’S CAR & PICKUP RENTAL: LOW DOWN PAYMENT, CHEAP RATES,SPECIAL OFFERS! . CALL: 690-6494
Two bedroom bottom flat, fully grilled, fenced, concrete yard @ Tuschen Housing Scheme. Call: 692-5525/2663973, 660 0483 Room for working couple/ single person. Light,water,bed included, $30,000 monthly. South Ruimveldt. Tel: 623-0076 Self-contained rooms in Prashad Nagar. Tel: 227-2993 Concrete 2546 sq.ft two flat office building for rental in Kingston. Call: 226-3862 EXT 203 77 Light Street Albertown: short stay, modern 1 bedroom apartment: A/C, hot water, kitchen, internet. Call: 268723-5999/ 592-683-7928/ addunidrakes@yahoo.com One flat concrete two bedrooms house . Please call:685-2690, 265-3616 Apartment for rent at Parfaite Harmonie Tel: 6176319 2 Bedrooms apartment in Eccles New Scheme, furnished or unfurnished from August 1 2017. Call: 2253234
CAR RENTAL PROGRESSIVE CAR RENTAL: SUV FOR RENTAL- $4,000 & UP PER DAY- CALL:656-0087,6435122 ,EMAIL:PRO_AUTO RENTAL@YAHOO.COM DOLLY’SCARRENTAL-CALL: 225-7126/226-3693 DOLLYSAUTORENTAL@ YA H O O . C O M / W W W. DOLLYSAUTORENTAL.COM
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Hamas leader in Cairo to discuss Gaza blockade GAZA (Reuters) - The new chief of Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, arrived in Cairo yesterday to hold talks with senior Egyptian officials about the blockade of Gaza on his first s u c h v i s i t a s l e a d e r, a Hamas spokesman said. In the past few months Hamas has sought to mend relations with Egypt, which controls their one international border crossing from the Gaza Strip. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah alSisi has been wary of ties between Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood, ousted from power by Sisi after mass protests. Hamas controls the Gaza Strip, a densely populated coastal territory that shares borders with Egypt and Israel, with which it has fought three wars since 2008. For much of the last decade, Egypt has joined Israel in enforcing a partial land, sea and air blockade of Gaza. Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said the
talks with Egypt will focus on alleviating the blockade and mending a longstanding rift with rival group Fatah, headed by Western-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
An Egyptian source confirmed Haniyeh’s arrival with a delegation for talks on the border crossing, security and power supplies. Haniyeh was elected Hamas leader in May.
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US Air Marshals for selected TT/US flights
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad - CMC – Flights between Trinidad and Tobago and the United States are now expected to be safer as both countries have agreed to deploy US Air Mashals on selected flights. The announcement was made via a statement by the US Embassy in Port-of-Spain on Friday. Airlines “Trinidad and Tobago and the United States, in line with their deep and expanding programme of security and law enforcement cooperation, recently agreed to deploy U.S. Air Marshals on selected flights between
the two countries. The agreement provides for the continued security presence of In-Flight Security Officers (IFSOs) between the two countries. IFSOs, more commonly known as Air Marshals in the United States, are security officers deployed on aircraft for the purpose of carrying out duties pursuant to aviation security. The renewed commitment will ensure that the United States and Trinidad and Tobago continue to be on the forefront of the latest methodologies and security concepts. The agreement also al-
lows the United States and Trinidad and Tobago to continue to be part of an evolving joint global strategy to thwart terrorism in the civil aviation community now and into the future. IFSO programs throughout the globe continue to be developed, providing a riskbased in flight line of defense for terrorist attacks against civil aviation. The U.S Embassy thanked the Government of Trinidad and Tobago for its support and cooperation in ensuring the “Federal Air Marshall programme is and remains a success.”
Cuba sends hundreds of doctors to Caribbean islands devastated by Irma’s hurricane Cuba has sent doctors to several Caribbean islands ravaged by Hurricane Irma. More than 750 health workers have arrived in Antigua, Barbuda, Saint Kitts, Nevis, Saint Lucia, the Bahamas, Dominica and Haiti. They have been told to follow the guidelines of the Ministry of Public Health (Minsap) and to contribute to aiding the recovery of regions that have been hit by the hurricane. “The collaboration of the Central Medical Cooperation Unit, together with
the Minsap Management Center, and our embassies, have maintained the communication to assess the damages and assess what help our own collaborators could provide,” Regla Angulo Pardo, the director of the Central Unit of Medial Cooperation in Cuba, told Granma. The nation of 11 million people has a history of sending medical staff when other nations are in need, having done so during west Africa’s Ebola crisis in 2014 and 2015. A brigade of more than
600 Cuban health workers went to Sierra Leone in 2014 to help tackle the crisis. They also sent 1,200 health workers to Haiti after the nation was hit with an earthquake in 2010. C u b a ’s i n t e r n a t i o n a l medical mission has won the socialist state many friends. This tradition can be traced back to 1960, when Cuba sent a group of doctors to Chile, who had been hit by a powerful earthquake, followed by a team of 50 to Algeria in 1963. (The Independent)
CCRIF to pay out millions to C’bean islands affected by Hurricane Irma G R A N D C AY M A N , Cayman Islands - (CMC) — The Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility (CCRIF) says it will be making payouts totalling more than US$15 million to three Caribbean countries affected by the passage of Hurricane Irma earlier this week. “The CCRIF board and team offer con-
dolences for the loss of life and hope these funds will provide some assistance. We stand ready to support the Government and people of these CCRIF countries as they recover from the effects of this devastating hurricane,” said CCRIF chief executive officer, Isaac Anthony. The CCRIF said it would be paying US$6.7 million to
Antigua and Barbuda, US$6.5 million to Anguilla and US$2.2 million to St Kitts-Nevis. The storm, which is now battering Cuba, the Bahamas as it makes it way to Florida in the United States, has been blamed for at least 1 0 deaths and millions of dollars in damages as it made its way through the Lesser Antilles.
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Lynden Pindling International Airport to resume operations today NASSAU, Bahamas CMC – The all clear has been given for flights to resume at the Lynden Pindling International Airport today, following the passage of Hurricane Irma. Yesterday, the Nassau Airport Development Company said the airport was not damaged by the powerful storm. “In view of the “All Clear” issued by the National Emergency Management Agency and the Meteorological Department, airport employees and stakeholders are asked to safely return to the airport to prepare for the prompt re-
sumption of operations Sunday, September 10, 2017,” the company said. Meanwhile, the national airline, Bahamasair said limited operations will resume day. “It is our expectation, that we will resume services after 1:00pm into Freeport, Marsh Harbour, Rock Sound and Georgetown Exuma provided that the “all clear” is given by the relevant authorities.” The airline added that normal operations will resume tomorrow, based on weather and airport conditions. “We note that our ability to resume services into
Florida will be contingent on the opening of the airports in the cities we support, specifically Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, West Palm Beach & Orlando. Yesterday afternoon, the islands of Grand Bahama, Bimini, and Andros were still under a hurricane warning as Hurricane Irma moved away from the country. Concerning Hurricane Jose, the Meteorological depart said the system is not expected to pose a threat to The Bahamas as the storm is expected to turn away from after passing the Leeward Islands.
Dutch King heads to Caribbean to support post-hurricane efforts AMSTERDAM - CMC – Dutch King Willem-Alexander is scheduled to fly to the island of Curacao today where he will inspect the coordination of relief efforts for the former colony of St. Maarten following the passage of Hurricane Irma. In a statement on Friday, the Royal House said the monarch, while in Curacao will assess “whether and when it is possible to visit St. Marteen” and nearby Dutch
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Kaieteur News
territories of Saba and St. Eustatius – islands that were not as severely damaged by the storm. In Curacao, officials are helping to coordinate a military operation to deliver supplies to the 40,000-strong population of St. Maarten – which shares an island with the French territory of St. Martin. St. Marteen has been autonomous since 2010, but remains part of the Dutch com-
monwealth. In the aftermath of the storm, Prime Minster Mark Rutte of St. Marteen says military forces are helping to maintain order and distribute aid across the country. Rutte and Interior Minister Ronald Plasterk say troops are helping stretched local authorities on the autonomous territory to uphold law and order amid looting of stores. Earlier last week, as a powerful Category 5 Hurricane, Irma made its trek across the region and pummeled several Caribbean territories including Antigua and Barbuda, Anguilla, the Turks and Caicos Islands, leaving a trail of death and destruction.
Hurricane Irma rips through Cuba as it heads for Florida
REMEDIOS, Cuba (Reuters) - Hurricane Irma pounded Cuba’s northern coast yesterday as it headed for Florida, where millions of residents were told to evacuate after the storm killed 22 people in the Caribbean and left devastation in its wake. Still a Category 5 storm when it crashed into Cuba in the early hours of yesterday, Irma weakened slightly as it tore along the island’s northern coastline, downing power lines, bending palm trees and sending huge waves crashing over sea walls. Maximum sustained winds dropped to
around 130 miles per hour (215 km per hour) by 8 a.m. (1200 GMT) yesterday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said, ranking it a dangerous Category 4 storm, the second-highest level. However, the NHC said Irma would regain strength as it moved away from Cuba and was expected to remain a powerful hurricane as it approaches Florida, arriving in the Keys this morning. The destruction along Cuba’s north central coast was similar to that seen on other Caribbean islands over the last week as Irma plowed
into Ciego de Avila province around midnight. In Ciego de Avila province, Irma was forecast to generate waves of up to 7 meters (23 feet), with flooding expected as far west as the capital Havana, authorities said yesterday. “I am absolutely terrified. I have lived through tropical storms before but nothing like this,” said Maybelis Viareal, 30, a receptionist at a hotel in the northern Cuban town of Remedios, as employees frantically tried to barricade doors that were busting open in the winds.
Jamaica to host ECPA energy summit in 2019 WASHINGTON DC, United States (JIS) — Jamaica is to host the 5th Ministerial Meeting of the Energy and Climate Partnership of the Americas (ECPA), scheduled to be held in 2019. Ambassador to the
United States and Permanent Representative to the Organization of American St a t e s ( O A S ) , A u d r e y Marks, made the announcement as she addressed the opening plenary of the 3rd Ministerial Meeting of ECPA, at Viña d e l M a r, j u s t o u t s i d e Santiago, Chile, late last week. The ambassador spoke of the continued commitment of the Government towards energy diversification and access, and reduced cost to the population. She said Jamaica looks forward to the next two years of leading the work of the ECPA in partnership with the team at the Development Secretariat of the OAS. “The region is rich in natural resources and we will seek to optimise this potential through various activities that will make the Americas a leader in the new energy paradigm,” the Ambassador said. Extending appreciation to President of Chile, Michelle Bachelet and the M i n i s t e r o f E n e rg y, Andres Rebelledo and his team, in partnership with the OAS, for guiding ECPA over the past two years, she noted that Chile has handed Jamaica the baton with a running start. She
expressed confidence that Jamaica will also provide strong leadership. “I am very heartened by the expressions of support from the partners of this initiative at the United States Department of Energy and Department of State as well as the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and World Bank delegations,” the Ambassador said. Also addressing the meeting w e r e President Bachelet and the Secretary General of the OAS, Ambassador Luis Almagro. President Bachelet highlighted the necessity of energy access and her country’s commitment towards more sustainable e n e rg y, a n d s u p p o r t i n g the guiding principles and Action Plan of the ECPA. During the opening cere m o n y, r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s from several countries made presentations in support of the seven pillars of the ECPA. The seven pillars include: promoting renewable energy; improving energy efficiency; making more efficient use of fossil fuels; creating energy infrastructure; reducing energy poverty; promoting regional energy integration; and developing energy research and innovation.
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Minister Henry joins Central SeventhDay Adventist Church for Education Day
Minister of Education Nicolette Henry greets Ambassador Elder Troy Torrington The congregation of the Central SeventhDay Adventist Church of Lot 293 Church and Oronoque Streets, Georgetown, was joined by Minister of Education Nicolette Henry, in their observance of Education Day. The church service which focused on Christian education was held yesterday under the theme “Education for Life; Livelihood and Life-Long Learning.” Minister Henry was inducted in the
Seventh-Day Adventist church and was also presented with a book titled ‘Education” authored by Mrs. Ellen White, a differentlyable member of the fellowship. During the feature address, the Minister talked about the many plans of the government and the Education Ministry to improve the education system. Minister Henry expressed concerns about (Continued on page 76)
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Minister Henry joins Central Seventh... From page 75 the results of the recent sitting of the National Grade Six Assessment, Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) and the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE) and noted the need for improvements. “We, the Education Ministry, recognise the need to work on ways to surpass the results for the Grade Six assessment.” According to the Education Minister, interventions are in train to ensure the reduction of disparity in education nationwide. Directing her attention to stakeholders, Minister Henry added, “I consider you to be invaluable stakeholders...we also are consulting and welcome feedback and constructive advice to see what we can do differently. This is a team effort.” She continued, “As part of this plan we will broaden the system to introduce more technical institutions nationwide. We want to use ICT (Information and Communication Technology) to improve the quality of education delivery.” The Cyril Potter College of Education (CPCE) and National Centre for
Educational Resource Development (NCERD) are leading these initiatives. “We want to ensure that every child is exposed to equal opportunities to attend schools and get an education. These include His Excellency President David Granger’s five Bs programme that include provision of transportation to and from schools,” Minister Henry stated. “We are planning to work on the Education Sector Reform which will follow the current one that ends in 2018. We will welcome recommendations from members of this congregation, from all stakeholders, to reform the overall plan.” She further emphasized that education is the key to the good life and called on all to lend their support. One elder Barbara Reynolds, during consultations with the congregation, pointed out that the system of discipline is broken within the national education sector but announced that it can be fixed. The consultations also noted that education is at no cost to the learner while it carries a hefty price/cost to the government which cannot and should not be
undervalued. Further, the education system was commended for its efforts of provision to assist the challenged. As part of the day of fellowship the congregation was exposed to information about Filaria prevention and the need for persons to share in and support the national prevention programme to remain healthy. Among those welcomed was Ambassador Elder Tr o y To r r i n g t o n w h o delivered a sermon on ‘Come up Higher’. Torrington said, “Our ideas of Education take too narrow and too low a range. There is need of a broader scope, a higher aim. True Education means more than the pursuit of a certain course of study. It means more than preparation for life that now is.” He added, “It has to do with the whole being and with the whole period of existence possible to man. It is the harmonious development of the physical, the mental and the spiritual powers. It prepares the student for the Joy of service in this world and for the higher joy of wider service in the world. Purpose!”
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Sloane Stephens beats Madison Keys to win title
US Open 2017 Unseeded Sloane Stephens completed a spectacular return from injury by beating fellow American Madison Keys to win the US Open at Flushing Meadows. Stephens, ranked 83rd, beat 15th seed Keys 6-3 6-0 in the final. The 24-year-old was ranked as low as 957th six weeks ago, having only returned from 11 months out with a foot injury at Wimbledon. She becomes only the fifth unseeded woman to win a major title in the Open era.
Both women were making their Grand Slam final debuts, and their combined ranking of 99 was the lowest for a US Open final since the rankings began. Close friends since childhood, they shared a long hug at the net after Keys netted a forehand on the third match point, and Stephens then headed into the crowd to embrace her mother. ”I had surgery in January and if someone had told me then that I would win the US Open, I would have said it was impossible,” said Stephens. “This journey has been incredible and I wouldn’t
change it for the world. ”Madison is one of my best friends on tour. I wouldn’t have wanted to play anyone else. I told her that I wished it could have been a draw.” Keys said: “Sloane is truly one of my favourite people and to play against her was special. I obviously didn’t play my best tennis and Sloane was very supportive. “If I’m going to lose to anyone today, I’m glad it’s to her.” The first American woman from outside the Williams family to win a major singles title since Jennifer Capriati at
Sunday September 10, 2017 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) Don't reveal information that is personal or confidential. Family outings that aren't expensive will be enjoyable and help strengthen ties. Entertain those who can provide you with valuable information and knowledge. TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20) You must strive to get the most important projects completed properly, rather than doling everything in a half baked way. You will be in the mood for entertainment. You will have excellent ideas and you should be able to help your partner get ahead. GEMINI (May 21–June 20) Be sure not to burn any bridges. However, be careful with luggage; it may be rerouted. You will have to make some changes regarding your direction if you wish to keep on top of your career expectations. CANCER (June 21–July 22) If they're too demanding, reconsider this union. Do whatever your mate wants; it really doesn't matter as long as you're together. You must not let fellow workers take advantage of your fine talents. LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) Be primed to use your intellect in order to get what you want. You will meet a person who may turn out to be more than just a friend. Your versatile mind and common sense will allow you to come up with various solutions. VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Heed the advice given by family or old reliable friends. Job changes are in order. Go for interviews or send out re-
sumes. Discuss your objectives with partners or peers. LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) You can make positive changes in your home. Travel and educational pursuits may help alleviate the stress you have been feeling. Real estate ventures will be to your advantage. SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Try not to allow superiors or those in a higher position to take advantage of you. You must use discretion when it comes to lending money or making donations. Don't back down but don't ignite the situation. SAGIT(Nov.22–Dec.21) Have a heart-to-heart talk with family and find out what the problems are. Take care when dealing with older relatives. Travel should be on your mind. CAPRI(Dec.22–Jan.19) Don't get talked into get rich quick schemes. Your fight for those less fortunate is not likely to end in sweet victory. Listen to the problems of others and offer suggestions where possible. AQUARIUS(Jan.20–Feb.18) Don't let jealous friends put you down, making you insecure about your capabilities. Be sure not to burn any bridges. Talk to people who can give you important knowledge. PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Get involved in volunteer work that will bring you satisfaction, not an empty wallet. Close deals that have been up in the air and move on to new ones that appear to be profitable. Your lover will cost you dearly if you let them.
the 2002 Australian Open, Stephens collected £2.84m in prize money. Keys, 22, had played superbly to win her semi-final against Coco Vandeweghe, making 24 winners to just nine errors and moving to the top of the aces chart with a display of controlled power. Stephens had come through a far more tense encounter against Venus Williams, with her athletic defensive skills all the more remarkable as her foot had been in a protective boot as recently as May. It was her calm consistency that prevailed in a final that became something of a horror show for Keys. Over the course of 61 minutes, she made 30 unforced errors to just six from the rock-solid Stephens. After the first four games went quickly with serve, Keys was broken when a forehand flew long, and a similar error gave up the set after half an hour. Keys offered up another opportunity early in the second with a woeful backhand volley, and Stephens grabbed her chance
Sloane Stephens becomes the just the second unseeded woman to win the U.S. Open. with a rasping backhand winner followed by a crosscourt forehand. The final appeared as good as over when Keys doublefaulted to fall 4-0 down, and even when she finally earned break points - three of them at 0-40 after 47 minutes Stephens would not buckle. The third of them was
seen off with a dart to the net and a confident forehand volley, leaving Stephens to serve for the match. There was a final flurry of resistance from Keys but she could only find the net on match point number three, as Stephens reeled off eight games in a row to clinch her first major title. (BBCsport)
Barnwell, Lewis hand Georgetown seven-wicket... (From page 78) 5-58, Shawn Perreira 3-66 and Demitri Cameron 2-58. At Bush Lot, West Berbice were bowled out for 164 in response to Essequibo’s first innings score of 196. Gudakesh Motie Kanhai made 35, Raffel
Briton John... (From page 79) and discipline plays an important role in a sportsman’s career, especially at a young age. “Having the talent is important, but for any athlete to achieve success at higher levels, they must train hard and be willing to give their best whenever called upon to compete.” He believes that Guyana has a number of talented cyclists but they must be given the necessary exposure so that they can continue to improve in order to achieve success consistently. The National junior champion feels that support from corporate Guyana and Government is of utmost importance for young athletes to develop, a n d w a n t s t o s e e m ore quality cycling events being organised locally. (Zaheer Mohamed)
Estraido 31 and Martin Singh 23. Left arm spinner Anthony Adams picked up 5-35 and Ricardo Adams 4-32. At Tuschen, East Bank Demerara were sent packing for 171, batting first against
West Demerara. Sherfene Rutherford struck 67, Ronaldo Ali-Mohamed 35 and Darshan Persaud 31. Richie Looknauth captured 5-46 and Daniel Basdeo 2-22. Action continues today.
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Sunday September 10, 2017
Kaieteur News
Kaieteur Sports Week in Review SPORTS WEEK IN REVIEW NEW SPORTS MINISTER WANTS COMMUNITY GROUNDS UPGRADED Newly appointed Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, 62 yearold Dr George Norton is of the belief that resurrecting sports facilities will aid the Ministry of Social Cohesion which he still heads as Minister of Social Cohesion. ”I am very excited about this. There is no doubt about my interest in sports, and I have been exposed to the various cultures across the country. In my role as Minister of Social Cohesion, I have been privileged to work with all the groups across the country, and so I have an understanding of what is needed already. I have always been vocal about youth opportunities and I certainly see the youth population as being the agents of change, who can make social cohesion a reality in Guyana. And so I look forward to doing my best in both worlds,” Dr Norton said. Minister Norton informed that he visited some rural communities including Corriverton in Berbice and other parts of the country and most of the residents raised the issue of grounds and playing fields to help foster cohesion through sports and family recreation. ”Most of them said there are these facilities in their communities but that they were not maintained and were unusable. I remember passing some of the grounds when in the opposition and now as a Government minister who is responsible for sports I will do whatever I can to have these problems fixed” said Dr Norton, the father of former Guyana Under19 leg-spinner, George Norton Jnr. Dr Norton informed that he indents to talk to the Minister of Communities and Ministry of Agriculture to see if his Ministry can utilize their equipment and Machinery for the ground rehabilitation projects which is very important, since he feels that sports venues builds unity and community spirit, reduces crime and improves health and concentration among students. CALVIN MING’S PABST RACING TEAM ARE USF 2000 SERIES 2017 CHAMPS Guyanese Calvin Ming who forms an integral part of the Pabst Racing Team comprising of Lucas Kohl of Brazil and Holland’s Rinus Veekay emerged as the top team of the USF 2000 Series for 2017, while Oliver Askew took the Individual Championship title. The weekend motored off well with young Ming managing to lead the pack with the fastest lap times during the two Friday free-practice sessions. However, he only managed to
GOA President KA Juman Yassin greets Keevin Allicock in the presence of the GBA’s Steve Ninvalle (right) and GOA VP, Dr. Karen Pilgrim. qualify in P6 on Saturday morning while his teammate Veekay qualified in P2 and Askew in P1. Starting from P6 in the race yesterday, Ming quickly charged into P3 by the exit of turn #1 with Askew in the lead and Veekay in P2 very close behind. By the end of lap #1 Rinus overtook Oliver and never looked back. Ming hounded down Oliver for the entire 30 minutes race which ran for 17 laps around the world famous Watkins Glen, 3.4 miles long circuit with 11 turns and several elevation changes.
(GBA) pertaining to his conduct and training regime, Yassin explained. President of the GBA, Steve Ninvalle noted at the press brief that, “The GBA is very appreciative of the grant because we’re the first association to benefit from this initiative.” With a projected annual earnings of G$480,000, Ninvalle further stated that, “Mathematically, Allicock will be earning more than most professional boxers in Guyana on a yearly basis.”
GOA PLEDGE SUPPORT TO BOXING PRODIGY, KEEVIN ALLICOCK
UNDEFEATED PANTHERS ARREST GDF TO WIN TROPHY STALL/ GRFU 7S TITLE
Guyana’s Keevin Allicock, who claimed the Flyweight (52kg) division silver medal at the Commonwealth Youth Games Boxing Championship in the Bahamas, last July, will be the recipient of a Guyana Olympic Association’s (GOA) development grant. During a press brief at the GOA’s new headquarters at Turkeyen, President K.A JumanYa s s i n , e x p r e s s e d e x t r e m e happiness at witnessing Allicock cop the silver medal in the Bahamas. ”As an attacking fighter and as a mannerly young man, I believe he can go very far. The GOA as a result will be providing him in the month of September with the sum of G$70,000 to go towards his training.” Further, the GOA will be funding Allicock with an additional G$40,000 in each successive month after his initial sum of G$70,000 to help with his preparations for a bid at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. However, the funding will continue based on conditions such as Allicock’s performances in upcoming bouts and reports from the Guyana Boxing Association
Panthers closed off the Guyana Rugby Football Union (GRFU) 2016 season in excellent style following up their win last week in the GRFU one-day 7s tournament by capturing the Trophy Stall 7s yesterday at the National Park Track and Field Pitch. Panthers matched strength with GDF, the latter team did not participate in the previous week’s tourney. Ryan Dey, who was hampered by injury from October to earlier in t h e y e a r, f o l l o w e d u p h i s outstanding performance the previous week, scoring the first try for the Panthers in the final; before the multi-talented Lloyd Anderson, who is a defensive player with Pele Football Club completed the conversion. Roger Skeete scored another try for the champions to leave the score 12-0, untouched by the overwhelmed GDF side at half time of the 15-minute game. Following the resumption of action, Panther’s Skipper Rondell McArthur finished a try to take his side’s final tally to 17 and in the clear for their second 7s title in as many weeks. One of the standout performers in the Panthers side, Ryan Dey
expressed his delight with their second title: “I feel great, the team feels great, we are finally back in tune after coming off a long break, our hard work has paid off.” It was a good scrum day for the Panthers who are now unbeaten in seven games in the 7s format. They got off the five-team competition in exciting fashion with a 52-0 demolition of the developing Police Falcons team in their opening match of the day. Panthers had a huge test against Hornets whom they dethroned the previous week in their second match, but after winning their two previous games against Hornets, confidence was high and they marched past the 2015 champions 28-5, led by 9 points from the inform Lance Adonis. JOHN TO REPRESENT GUYANA AT WORLD JUNIOR CYCLING CHAMPIONSHIPS IN NORWAY Seventeen year-old, ‘We Stand United Cycle Club’ member Briton John is set to represent Guyana at the world junior championships slated for Norway. John, who is the current national junior champion, will be Guyana’s first cycling representative at the games which is set to commence on September 20. John will be joined by overseas based Jermaine Burrowes who will represent Guyana in the Time Trials. President of the Guyana Cycling Federation (GCF), Horace Burrowes informed that Curtis Dey (2017 Junior Time Trial winner) of Trojan Cycle Club is expected to join the team but he is waiting on a response from his club. Horace Burrowes who will accompany the team as the Coach, said he is looking at the possibility of taking a mechanic on tour and he will provide accommodation for team Guyana in Norway. The GCF head added that he and John will journey to the USA
where John will be involved in gym and hills training in preparation for the championships. Burrowes said that he is impressed with John and feels he has a bright future adding that he will accommodate him to do continuous training in the USA following his Norway trip. John told Kaieteur Sport that he is elated at the opportunity of representing his country and he is looking forward to do well. He credited his mom Susan Austin and Burrowes for their support. ROSE HALL TOWN JAMMERS BOUNCE THEIR WAY TO TITLE OVER NEW AMSTERDAM WARRIORS Rose Hall Town Jammers were in unstoppable form, out-bouncing New Amsterdam Warriors to win the Nigel Hinds Financial sponsored Berbice Amateur Basketball Association (BABA) competition which concluded on Sunday last. The champs were never bothered by their opposition as they romped to a comfortable 85-55 win after trailing at the end of the first quarter by three points, 11-14. Thereafter, the Jammers took control at the half way mark for a six point cushion, 36-30; thereafter, it was smooth sailing for the winners with the score at the end of the third quarter reading, 55-44. Leading the Jammers to the title were junior National player and tournament MVP Kevon Wiggins with the game high 37 points (4 steals), he was well supported by Mikel Lewis (1 steal) who tipped in 20 and David Hope, 12. The top markers for the Warriors were Shamar France with 12 and Ramonbe Fogenay, 9 (2 steals). Emerging as the third place team was Ithaca Hardliners over Fyrish Black Shark in a humdinger (Continued on page 75)
Sunday September 10, 2017
Kaieteur News
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Kaieteur Sports Week in Review (From page 74) by a single point, 50-49. For Ithaca, Emilence Edwards poured in 16 points (1 steal), Philon Edwards backed up with 10 and Ankel Benjamin, 8. Fyrish’ leading scorers were Rayel Franklin with the joint game high of 16, Keenan Williams 12 and Garfield Benjamin 9. Six teams contested the competition, namely Canje Knight, Fyrish Black Shark, Ithaca Hardliners, Rose Hall Town Jammers, Hopetown Stealers and New Amsterdam Warriors. The tournament was organised by Vibert Garrett. ASHRAF ‘OCEAN CONQUEROR’ ALI COMPLETES 2 1/2HRS ATLANTIC OCEAN SWIM Ashraf ‘Ocean Conqueror’ Ali’ has done it again, this time achieving his goal of swimming the great Atlantic Ocean for over seven miles. He completed the feat on Saturday last in a commendable time of 2 ½ hours. Having already swam all the main rivers of Guyana, the courageous 71year-old Ali has now set his sight on the conquest of the oceans of the world. He has swam the Corentyne River to Suriname, the Berbice, Demerara (back and forth without stopping unaccompanied) and Essequibo Rivers, Lake Mainstay, The Canje River and other locations on numerous occasions. Also a pastor attached to the Christadelpian Church, Ali who
resides in the USA hails from Canefield, East Canje and has vowed to complete his intended mission by the grace of the Almighty. The swim last Saturday commenced around 13:00hrs aboard a Guyana Defense Force Coast Guard boat from the New Amsterdam Stelling. After travelling for about ten miles, Ali began his swim in the murky, choppy and dangerous waters of the Atlantic Ocean. He had reckoned that the swim would have taken about five hours but was able to accomplish the feat in half that time. Ali spoke with the media after his accomplishment: “It was a herculean task to swim nonstop for seven miles riding the high and choppy waves of the Atlantic Ocean.” Ali also expressed gratitude to His Excellency President David Granger for his support in making the swim a success.
Berbice. Organised by the Upper Demerara Football Association (UDFA), the first game of the night between the City and the lads from the Ancient County saw the former led to victory on account of unanswered goals from Dwayne McBean, Quason Benjamin and Shane Morris in the 9th, 23rd and 38th minute which was enough to seal the fate of the Berbicians. The top prize is Two Million Dollars with each of the final four teams eyeing the prize. In the semis, West Demerraa will face Upper Demerara with Georgetown opposing upstarts, Essequibo Pomeroon, the surprise team in the competition set for Sunday September 17 while the final is on Thursday 21st September at the MSC ground.
WEST DEMERARA AND GEORGETOWN ADVANCE TO FINAL FOUR
US based company, Elizabeth Styles has continued its partnership with the East Coast Cricket Board (ECCB) and has dolled out $500,000 for a 40-overs roundrobin competition which was unveiled on Sunday last at the Better Hope Community Centre. Among the officials attending the launch were Marketing Director of Elizabeth Styles Mr. Kevin Thomas a n d E C C B P r e s i d e n t M r. Bissoondyal Singh, among others which also included a number of Club Captains.
When the final round of group matches in the GT Beer Sunday Night Super Cup being played at the Inter Association level concluded on Sunday night last at the Mackenzie Sports Club ground, the unbeaten West Demerara ended as the top side in Group B following a 3-1 whipping of Bartica, while Georgetown ensured their semifinal berth with a 3-0 blanking of
FOURTH ELIZABETH STYLES/ECCB 40-OVER TOURNEY LAUNCHED
Panthers' Ryan Dey Thomas commented: “While this is the fourth consecutive year that we are sponsoring cricket on the East Coast of Demerara, we have also in the past sponsored Under17, 19 and development programmes in the County of Berbice and it gives us great pleasure to be associated with the game in Guyana. We believe that the ECCB is doing a great job and are quite satisfied with the way they have been administering these competitions and as such we wish them well.” The winner of the competition will pocket $375,000 along with a trophy; second place attracts $75,000 and a trophy, while the best player in the final will also receive a trophy. The ECCB has disclosed that this year there will be no zoning of teams since the sponsor had requested that every team on the East Coast be allowed to face each other. President of the ECCB Bissoondyal Singh in his presentation noted that while the board is facing challenging times as it relates to receiving subventions and financing from what is given to Guyana by Cricket West Indies, they have managed to maintain a high level of cricket activities. “Had it not been for businesses and companies like Elizabeth Styles it would have been a monumental task and so on behalf of the ECCB, the clubs and teams, I would like to express sincere gratitude to the management and staff of Elizabeth Styles for their generosity.” EXXONMOBIL SIGN ON AS MAIN SPONSOR OF PAHF INDOOR PAN AMERICAN CUPS 2017 ExxonMobil has signed on as the marquee sponsor for the 2017 Pan American Hockey Federation (PAHF) / Indoor Pan American Cup ( m e n & Wo m e n ) H o c k e y Championships to be hosted in Guyana next month with a significant contribution. This partnership is very important for the Guyana Hockey Board (GHB) that will be hosting this event for the first time, from October 14-22, at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall. In order to
see the successful hosting of this event the GHB had imported a plastic tile surface that is of international indoor hockey standards and the local hockey body expects this event will contribute significantly to Guyana’s efforts of becoming a top destination for Sports Tourism. ”We are excited to support youth, sports and the Guyana Hockey Board”, said ExxonMobil Lead Country Manager Rod Henson. “Sport is a great way to reach across generations and cultures to demonstrate our commitment to local development”, Henson added. This is the first time ExxonMobil has partnered with the Guyana Hockey Board and the second time for the year the company has thrown it support behind sport after partnering with the Guyana Squash Association for the successful hosting of the Caribbean Squash Arena Junior Championships in July. The 2017 Indoor Pan American Cups (IPAC) serves as the Pan American Continental Qualifier for the International Hockey Federation’s Indoor Hockey World Cups scheduled for February 2018 in Berlin, Germany. This years’ IPAC will be one of the largest in the tournaments’ history since it began in 2002. Seven women’s teams and six men’s teams from Guyana, Argentina, Barbados, Canada, Mexico, Trinidad & Tobago, USA and Uruguay will participate with the top team earning a coveted spot in the World Cup. This mix fully represents the diversity of the Americas; from the northern reaches of Canada to the southern tip of Argentina. Head of the GHB, Phillip Fernandes expressed honour to welcome ExxonMobil on board and expect this partnership will extend Guyana’s beauty, warmth and hospitality with the world. Fernandes explained the partnership as, “Very exciting, we want to have a good tournament and having good companies supporting it is a great start. The partnership and the hosting of the tournament is a first for the GHB and it is important we put on a good show.”
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Corona/Petra Invitational Football The Georgetown Football Club ground is set to come alive tonight with the semi-final matches of the Corona/Petra football tournament which begins at 19:00hrs. The first match is expected to be an exciting clash when home side GFC match skills with unexpected
Sunday September 10, 2017
Kaieteur News
Semi Finals on tonight, Rangers, GFC, Police, Western Tigers to battle semi-finalists, the unbeaten Northern Rangers FC. Rangers will be looking to their target man Sunil Logan to design another win; he has been on the score sheets in their previous two matches and hopes to continue this form. GFC has been a force to reckon with this
tournament, showing little weakness in every department. The club which hasn’t won a senior title in decades will be eager to perform in front of their home crowd and move one step closer to finally getting their hands on elusive silverware. The feature semifinal
game will be a rematch between Police and Western Tigers. Western Tigers are unbeaten and had defeated Police 3-0 in round-robin action. The Tigers were pegged as favourites to win this tournament and they have proven unbeatable so far with their 3-4-3 formation, led by Captain Phillip Rowley. Police will be aiming to not make the same mistakes they did in their 3-0 mauling by Tigers; this game will begin at 22:00hrs.
Sunil Logan
Phillip Rowley
Sunday September 10, 2017
Kaieteur News
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GABA/BANKS DIH B’ball
Double success for Pacesetters on Friday night Moses wins 16th annual Desinco Trading Friday night proved to be a productive one for Pacesetters Basketball Club as they chalked up wins in both first and Under-23 division leagues of the Georgetown Amateur Basketball Association (GABA), Banks DIH/Malta Supreme, Powerade and R a i n f o r e s t Wa t e r a t Burnham Court on, Middle and Carmichael streets. The first win came against Kobras in the Under23 division, 75-67. Marvin
Durant was the stand out player for Pacesetters yet again tipping in the game high 25 points. Quincy DosSantos backed up admirably once again with 19 points. Kobras’ Captain, Amoniki John played well for his 20 points but he didn’t get enough support from his teammates to avert the loss; Justin Algu contributed 13. Pacesetters’ second win of the night in a first division
contest was a hard fought 6359 triumph over Plaisance Guardians. Sherland Legal (15), Nathan Saul (13) and Stephon Gillis (12) were the main contributors for the winners. Despite Guardians’ Treyton Wolford (18) and Nikolai Smith (15) dominating the game with individual high scores, Plaisance couldn’t overcome the overall dominance of the inform Pacesetters.
11-race cycle programme feature race
The 16th Annual DeSinco Trading 11-race cycle programme under the company’s Degree brand was contested yesterday around the inner circuit of the National Park. T h e f e a t u r e schoolboys/novices and invitational 35-lap contest saw Kemuel Moses pedaling to victory over last year’s winner, Michael Anthony. Moses sprinted home in
a time of One Hour 13 Minutes 04 Seconds which was 5 minutes faster that Anthony’s winning time last year. Silvio Innis ended 2nd followed by Anthony, Alonzo Ambrose, Shaquille Agard and Raul Leal to round out the top six places. In earlier races, Jonathan Ramsuchit won the 12-14 Boys/Girls 3-lap event;
Junior Niles copped the Veterans Under-50 5-lap race while Kennard Lovell won the Over-50 veterans event while Nigel Jacobs pedaled to victory in the Mountain Bikers 5-lap race. In t h e B M X 9 12years 3-laps, Michael McKay was the victor with the BMX 12-14 3lap race taken by Nicholas Nirmal.
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Kaieteur News
Sunday September 10, 2017
Barnwell, Lewis hand Georgetown seven-wicket win over Lower Corentyne Led by all-rounder Christopher Barnwell and Ramaal Lewis, Georgetown defeated Lower Corentyne by seven wickets in the second round of the Cricket Guyana Inc. Jaguars three-
day franchise league yesterday at Lusignan. Georgetown, resuming overnight on their first innings score of 154 – 8, in reply to Lower Corentyne’s 165, were bowled out in the
second over of the day’s play without adding to their total. Barnwell was the last wicket to fall for 73; Kassim Khan finished with 5-49, Devon Clements 2-21 and Kelvin Umroa 2-52.
Batting a second time Lower Corentyne were restricted to 75-4 at lunch, the Georgetown spinners maintaining a steady line on a wearing pitch - Seon Hetmyer was on 24 and
Devon Clements, 7. However the latter was removed by Jamaican Lewis shortly after the interval without adding to his score before Hetmyer and Akeem Hinds added 43 for the
seventh wicket. Hetmyer timed the ball well and counted three fours and two sixes before he was lbw to Steven Sankar for 53, while Hinds followed shortly for 23. Lewis then wrapped up the innings, finishing with 535 as Lower Corentyne were bowled out for 145. Kevlon Anderson had earlier made 24 while Sankar had 3-39. Set 157 for victory, Georgetown lost Robin Bacchus (18) and Kellon Carmichael (00), both falling to Khan. But Barnwell and Raymond Perez stabilised the chase as they took the score to 126. Barnwell was severe on anything wayward and thumped five sixes in the process bringing up his second fifty of the match off 51 balls. While Perez was keen to rotate the strike Barnwell continued to play his shots before he fell for 79 with three fours and seven sixes. Perez was dismissed for 39 while Lewis fell for 13 before Georgetown reached 157-5. Khan claimed 4-45 to end with match figures of 9105. At Port Mourant, East Coast Demerara made 259 all out in reply to Upper Corentyne first innings score of 233. Amir Khan struck 92 while Joshua Persaud made 62 and Brain Sattaur made 54. Eon Hooper grabbed (Continued on page 73)
Sunday September 10, 2017
Kaieteur News
GuyanaNRA 150th Anniversary/WIFBSC C/ships
Team training continues ahead of Long and Short Range title defence
Local rifle shooters are currently getting in shape for the GuyanaNRA 150th Anniversary and WIFBSC 2017 championships, Oct. 9-15, here.
Brig. Patrick West West Indies Fullbore Shooting Council (WIFBSC) Long and Short Range defending champions, Guyana, will be aiming to retain their titles when they host this year’s championships which forms part of the Guyana National Rifle Association (GuyanaNRA) 150th Anniversary celebrations from October 915, next. Fullbore Captain Mahendra who has sat at the h e l m o f t h i s n a t i o n ’s dominance throughout the region has disclosed that Team practice will continue to be the focus of the region’s marksmen leading up to next month’s competition which will see participation from Jamaica, Antigua and Barbuda, Bermuda, Barbados, Tr i n i d a d a n d To b a g o , Australia, Great Britain, Canada, USA, Scotland, Wales and the Falkland Islands. The last Team practice session took place on Sunday last at the Timehri Rifle Range and Persaud informed that the scores recorded were impressive and augers well for the upcoming 150th championships. Persaud and countryman Lennox Braithwaite recently returned from competing at the Canadian National Championships, their participation being partly funded by the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA). The duo recorded some
impressive scores Persaud reported while both also recorded four possible’s each while notching scores of one off that is 49 and 74s. Persaud’s four possibles were - 75:7 in the Army and Navy shoot where he won the silver medal with this shoot losing out on the Gold by a single V. He shot 50:6 in the Macdougal 300 meters, 50:4 at the Macdougal 500 yards and 50:4 at the Beckett 300 meter. Braithwaite’s possible’s: 50:5 in the Macdougal 500 yards, 50:5 in the Brick 600 yards. In the Gibson 600 yards he shot 50:8 and 50:5 in the Hayhurst 500 yards. Persaud also had scores of 74:8 at the Long Range Challenge 1, 74:8 in the Ottawa Regiment, 74:11 at the LR Challenge 3, 49:7 in the Gooderham 500, 49:5 in the Gooderham 600, 49:7 in the Tilton 300m, 49:9 at the Beckett 800m, 49:3 in the Brick 600, 49:5 in the Gibson 600 and 74:4 in the Gatineau 900 meters. Braithwaite’s one off scores recorded were 49:5 in the President’s 600 yards, 49:5 at the Macdougal 300 meter and 49:3 in the Tilton 300 meter. The Captain also informed that Braithwaite, who did a course on reloading ammunition a few year ago did the reloading of ammunition alongside a former Guyana top marksman, Paul Archer who now resides in Toronto, Canada for the shooters to save on cost and to improve on accuracy.
”The reloads turned out to be fantastic and once done properly will improve accuracy and keep the cost of ammunition down. Reloading of target quality ammunition is being done by shooters from all over the world from the UK, USA, Canada, Australia and South Africa, hence their dominance of target rifle shooting.” ”It is however not being done in the Caribbean as yet. It brings the cost of shooting down by 50% where one round of factory made ammunition could cost as much as USD $1.50 to $2.00.” Participation in Canada Persaud informed forms part of the duo’s training for the Commonwealth Games next year in the Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. ”We plan to go to the CSF in Australia immediately after our 150th since it is an exact course of fire as the CG 2018 and shot on the same range. Most of the other Countries will be there having a test run. This was part of our training programme which was submitted to GOA, two years ago.” Five shooters were initially shortlisted by the GuyanaNRA but it has now been whittled down to Persaud and Braithwaite who would have been this n a t i o n ’s r e p s a t t h e Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, two year ago. At those games, the duo placed 6th in the pair’s event finishing 5 points off the bronze medal.
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Youth is Briton John has sights set on Tokyo 2020 Focus O n e o f G u y a n a ’s brightest young cycling talents Briton John has his sights set on the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. John, a member of the United We Stand Cycle Club, will be representing Guyana at the World Junior Cycling Championships in Norway later this month and is already in the United States of America fine tuning preparations. John, who started his career as a 13-year old in the
Briton John
national park, developed his skills in the sport at the annual national schools championships where he emerged as the champion b o y i n t h e U n d e r- 1 6 category in 2015. Following that feat John was further encouraged by relatives and friends to take the sport seriously, and started to train six times per week. John won the national juvenile championships in 2016 and became Guyana’s national junior champion, this year. He has credited his mom Susan Austin whom he said has always been supportive and Coach Horace Burrowes for bringing him to the point he’s at. The 17 year-old John said he is happy with his achievements so far and will continue to work hard so that
he can improve in all areas. Following the World Junior Championships in Norway, John’s next major assignment will be the Commonwealth Games in 2018. According to Coach Borrowes, John will also take part in the CAC Games and the Pan American U-23 championships next year. John said representing Guyana is always a pleasure which motivates him and he is ready for the challenges ahead. He said that as a boy growing up he always had a passion for cycling and his dream is to win gold for Guyana. He believes that talent alone cannot guarantee success, but commitment (Continued on page 73)
t r o Sp GRFU/Bounty Farm 15s
Panthers obliterate Falcons to win opening match
Lord’s defeat keeps Windies without elusive series win
The battle between Panthers and Police Falcons yesterday at the national Park. The Guyana Rugby Football Union (GRFU) commenced its 2017 season with the Bounty Farm 15s at the National Park Track and Field Pitch yesterday with one match. That game was contested between Panthers, winners of the GFRU and Trophy Stall 7s competitions in the past two weeks, and the developing Police Falcons side that is composed of mostly Under-21 players. Panthers did not hold back in this match as they obliterated the lawmen 67-7 asserting their superiority whilst continuing their dominance of the sport. The half time was an imposing 27-0 courtesy of tries from Godfrey Broomes, Osei McKenzie and Rondell
McArthur. Police Falcons managed to get on the scoresheet during the second half of the 80-minute match when their Captain Daniel De Abreu scored a try before Akino James converted to take the losers to 7 points. After that, Panthers tallied a massive 40 points in the second half to take their final tally to 67. Panther ’s Lloyd Anderson who top scored with 18 points inclusive of 2 tries and 4 conversions, was pivotal in the team’s second half blitz. Panthers have shown great versatility by carrying forward their form from the 7s format to the 15s. Lloyd Anderson, who was the team’s main man in the game,
offered this comment: “It was a very good game but we are still lacking a bit of fitness which we are currently working on.” Lloyd mentioned that after back to back 7s titles, the guys are very confident of success in the Bounty Farm 15s. He remained humble after his starring role in the Panthers win, “I don’t want to get to overconfident but I think I have a very good chance of making the GRFU national team once I continue to put in good performances.” The Bounty Farm 15s will continue this afternoon from 16:00hrs with Guyana Defense Force matching speed and strength with Yamaha Caribs.
GFF/NAMILCO Thunderbolt Flour Power U-17 League – Berbice
Hopetown United upset Cougars; matches on today P l a y i n t h e G F F / N A M I L C O Thunderbolt Flour Power National Under-17 Intra Association League in Berbice will continue today at the Skeldon Estate Ground (Back Centre) with two matches. Monedderlust will open against the home team Corriverton Links at 14:00hrs before Young Strikers of Liverpool village also in the Corentyne match skills with Paradise Invaders. In the latest match that was contested on Friday last at Burnham Park, Hopetown
United Rangers of West Berbice recorded an upset win over Cougars, thanks to the lone goal of the game which came off the boot of Dave Torrington in the 29th minute. The score line could have been much wider were it not for the many chances squandered by the Ranger’s sharpshooters in a match that was reduced 60 minutes due to a late start. In the second half, with the wind behind their backs, Cougars tried valiantly to get the equaliser but all their efforts were dismissed by
Dave Torrington the Rangers’ defensive work. Paradise Invaders and New Amsterdam United are both in contention for the top spot with both having 13 points with one more match each.
Shai Hope made an excellent half-century ©Getty Images London, CMC – West Indies’ dream of ending their near three-decade drought without a series win in England ended here yesterday, when they collapsed to a nine-wicket defeat in the decisive third Test at Lord’s. Starting the third day in need of another special effort to stay alive in the series, the Caribbean failed to repeat their heroics from Headingley and were dismissed for an inadequate 171 in their second innings. Set a mere 107 for victory, England cruised to their target to complete a 21 series win, following their innings and 209-run victory in the day/night first Test at Edgbaston. The result sent West Indies to their 16th defeat in their last 21 Tests in England and extended their dismal record of not having won a series here since 1988. Resuming on 93 for three – a mere 22 runs lead – West Indies’ fight was carried by the superb Shai Hope who top-scored with 62. Captain Jason Holder made 23 but the remainder of the batting surrendered without a fight as the tourists lost their last seven wickets for 78 runs. At the heart of the
demolition was seamer Jimmy Anderson who claimed seven for 42 while new-ball partner Stuart Broad ended with two for 35. Hope, voted the Windies Man-of-the-Series for his 375 runs at an average of 75, resumed the day on 35 and all told, faced 144 deliveries in just under four hours at the crease and counted nine boundaries. He lost partner Roston Chase before the righthander had added to his overnight three, caught at the wicket off the fourth ball of the morning, fishing at one outside off. Jermaine Blackwood followed in similar fashion after spending just over half-hour over five, wafting at a wide one from Anderson to be also caught behind. And Shane Dowrich’s miserable series ended when he tried to pull seamer Toby Roland-Jones and skied a catch to Broad at mid-on to perish for 14, leaving West Indies on 123 for six. Hope and Holder then came together to post 32 for the seventh wicket, taking the Windies to lunch without further loss on 153 for six. Unbeaten on 60 at the interval, Hope added just two before finally perishing
in the third over following the resumption, nicking a defensive prod at one from Anderson which seamed way, leaving wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow to complete a regulation catch to his right. H o p e ’s d e p a r t u r e marked the beginning of the end for the Windies as the last four wickets tumbled for 22 runs. Anderson bowled Devendra Bishoo without scoring two balls later in the same over and Holder struck four boundaries in a 54-ball knock before mis-timing a pull at Broad to give Anderson a comfortable catch at mid-wicket. Fittingly, Anderson went past Kemar Roach’s defensive stroke in the next over, to bowl the tail-ender for three and end the innings. With a small target to overhaul, England lost Alastair Cook for 17, missing a straight one from leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo and falling lbw at 35 for one. However, Tom Westley stroked 44 not out off 72 deliveries with seven fours while opener Mark Stoneman struck an unbeaten 40 off 74 balls with five boundaries, to take England to victory in a 72-run, second wicket stand.
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