Berbice Times

Issue No. 029

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he Upper Corentyne Industrial and Skills Training Centre (UCSTC) last week successfully staged its first Career and Open Day on the lawns of its compound.

The event themed “Acquisition of skills, the gateway to success” saw hundreds of students in attendance from the upper Corentyne area, exploring career options from the 30-plus entities that participated.

Among those were GuySuCo, the Guyana Police Force, the Guyana Bank of Trade and Industry, the Guyana Power and Light Company and the Guyana Fire Service.

UCSTC Board Chairman Adrian Anamayah said the institution serves to equip the youths with the requisite skills to enter the world of work.

“They enter the workforce as trained and competent persons and in this way they will contribute to nation-building and to the upliftment of themselves and their families.”

Anamayah stressed that masonry and furni-

ture are two programmes which have become a dying art. He urged persons to take advantage of these underutilised programmes as they can very lucrative.

“There’s been a challenge to recruit trainees for these programmes… the work by students in the furniture making course is a masterpiece. I want to urge you to look at it when considering a career, it is a very lucrative field for those who want to make a career of it and who want to establish a business.”

He posited that since the establishment of the institution in 2006, over 900 skilled persons from the school have joined the labour force. Claude

Students explore the booth of the Guyana Forestry Commission

Students at the Guyana Police Force’s booth

A section of the gathering

Johnson, a repr e s e n tative of the Regional Education Department, said the Education Department recognises skills training as the bedrock for society’s development, hence, the need for regular career opportunities for young and senior persons.

“This exercise is one in the right direction because it aims at guiding our young people towards meaningful career paths.” He added that too often students leave school without a sound mindset on a career.

“We need to guide our young people on informed choices about careers, the earlier the better because too much time is spent fiddling around on career paths.”

Regional Executive Officer Imran Ally lauded the UCSTC for the worthwhile and timely initiative. He said Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) provides students a second opportunity in life and more importantly, a tool for empowerment.

Students, who spoke with this publication, said they are thankful for the opportunity to explore the many career options.

One student from Tagore Memorial expressed an interest in the Guyana Police Force, noting that she finds it interesting to solve crimes.

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guyanatimesgy.com

MonDAY, june 23, 2014

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he recent spate of unscheduled power outages in Berbice has been frustrating residents who are calling on the Guyana Power and Light Company (GPL) to remedy the situation.

For the past two weeks, almost every day there have been at least two interruptions of power, many times for lengthy periods.

Ms Bhajan, Principal of the Cyril Potter College of Education Rose Hall Centre told Guyana Times that this situation has been consistent for over two weeks.

“This situation is really frustrating, there seems to be absolutely no logical explanation in the daily pattern of the outages and its making life very difficult,” she said.

Several business owners also expressed similar sentiments, saying that the unscheduled outages can cause major damage to their appliances and electronic devices.

“You want reliable service and its GPL’s man-

routine plan maintenance and that is what compounded the entire problem, because we already stripped the other engine, a total of 10 megawatts loss,” he revealed.

Rehabilitation commenced

GPL Berbice Manager Ayube Bacchus

date to provide it,” one business owner commented. The blackout has also affected students who are writing examinations as they cannot study.

In an invited comment, GPL Berbice Operations Manager Ayube Bacchus, explained that the Canefield Power Plant is experiencing a shortfall in generation.

He said the main rea-

son for this is the fact that one of the large engines had to be taken out for unscheduled maintenance and with that being inoperable, there is a temporary short fall in generation.

“We depend solely on the small Caterpillar units to pick up that slack in generation. Secondly, we have an additional engine which has been taken for

Bacchus gave the assurance that rehabilitation of the engines has commenced, but this would take approximately two months to fix. He reiterated that five Caterpillar engines are assisting to alleviate the situation, with two more expected to complement those this week. Additionally, support generation is being

derived from Onverwagt and Skeldon, which is very beneficial. He assured that this situation will be remedied by this coming week.

“While we’ve made good progress in reducing power outages from last week to present – providing customers with quality and efficiency is our main aim,” Bacchus said, adding that there were some slippages, indeed.

“We addressed by replacing about five megawatts and we are working assiduously to rectify the situation and we have things under control,” he assured.

Bacchus said while the

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covert Police operation targeting the local “bottom house” drug houses netted several kilogrammes of ganja and other substances and several persons were arrested as B Division (Berbice) Crime Investigation Unit detectives continue their offensive against the scourge.

While many individuals were charged with possession or trafficking offences, a number were warned and referred to drug rehabilitation programmes after processing, Police say.

The crackdown was conducted in areas such as Angoy’s Avenue, where Police have been working to rid the community of this illicit practice and thus engage youth in more meaningful activities.

Several residents who were searched during the raids have complained about excesses and victimisation. Enid Phillu, 47, of Sheet Anchor Village, who is employed at the New Amsterdam Hospital as a maid, told Berbice Times that she has been the victim of raids for four consecutive times over a period of time and it is taking a toll on her. “The Police come to my home to search for drugs… they raise up the mattress, look in the fridge and peep in the microwave, that is all and when them done they want money…we have to bribe them,” she alleged.

The woman is alleging that a particular detective is “victimising people and soliciting money from them

power company has the responsibility to generate electricity for commercial and residential use, they are not entirely to blame for the current crisis since maintenance has to be executed.

“We are indeed addressing the situation and I want to express our regret to our consumers as we ask them to bear with us… we will have our normal generation supply as soon as possible,” he assured. Bacchus took the opportunity to encourage consumers to conserve electricity, especially during the peak hours (18:00h to 21:00h).

Company but his contract was up, however, he has been seeking other jobs but to no avail. He bemoaned the lack of job opportunities in Berbice, citing that as one of the reasons youth are involved in illicit activities.

“People calling the Police to come and victimise we, they working on phone calls you understand…these Police working on phone calls to lock up people for no reason and this ain’t right; it can never be right it gotta stop,” he angrily stated.

Angoy’s Avenue residents said they are being victimised by the Police

for his personal gains.”

Her two sons and another male family member were arrested and placed in the Reliance lock up for three days, she said. Leroy La Rose, 19, son of Phillu who is currently unemployed, recalled what transpired on the day in question. He said he was sitting at home having his lunch and watching a movie when the detective, accompanied by several ranks in a Police vehicle, called him out of the house and informed him that they have to visit the Police station. “ I didn’t know anything what going on. He just tell me go to the station and them lock me up for three days you hear…and I keep asking why is it I get lock up and nobody ain’t answering,” he said.

He further stated the he was contracted with the Guyana Power and Light

Neighbours

Another Angoy’s Avenue woman is also alleging corruption, that the ranks conducting the raids are corrupt. She cited that because of an ongoing conflict between her and a neighbour, the detective would victimise her and solicit cash from her. Meanwhile, it was disclosed by the Police that every avenue, tipoffs and sources of information pertaining to the drug house and sales will be acted upon, since their motive is to stamp out this scourge that is creating a negative and terrible impact on the lives of youths.

In an invited comment, a senior officer in B Division said he is encouraging anyone who has experienced Police corruption to come forward and report it. He also pledges his assurance to investigate the allegations thoroughly and any rank found culpable will be disciplined.

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MonDAY, june 23, 2014

D The new soldiers on the Drill Square at the Colonel John Clarke Military School at Tacama, Upper Berbice

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ernon Harding, who was “accidentally” shot while on training at the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Tacama base last month, was promoted to Private even as he undergoes recovery at the Army base at Camp Ayanganna.

Harding’s promotion was announced when 276 recruits completed the GDF’s Basic Recruit Course last Friday. In a statement following the shooting, the GDF had said that approximately 16:30h on May 18; two ranks stationed at the Colonel John Clarke Military School at Tacama were injured when two rounds were accidentally discharged from a firearm.

The injured men were listed as Lieutenant Othneil Hope and RCT Vernon Harding. Both ranks were taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital for treat-

ment.

In a release, GDF said that the 276 new soldiers graduated from 10 weeks of training on its first Basic Recruits Course for the year. The passing out parade for this latest batch of entrants was held on the Drill Square at the Colonel John Clarke Military School at Tacama, Upper Berbice.

In his feature address to the new soldiers, Chiefof-Staff, Brigadier Mark Phillips congratulated the soldiers for their endurance, leading to their successful completion of the course.

He expressed the hope that the process of training has instilled in the new soldiers, the qualities of serving correctly and being effective Ambassadors of the GDF, and by extension, the country.

In this regard, he sin-

gled out the core value, ‘discipline’, and stressed that to be good soldiers, they must also understand their rights and obligations under military law, and, at all times, practise and uphold the values and standards of the GDF.

Continuing education

Importantly too, Brigadier Phillips reminded them that it was incumbent that they keep continuing education in focus, as they perform their duties as soldiers.

“During your career, work hard, be disciplined and make use of all the opportunities available to you for your professional and educational development,” he urged.

Three hundred and five recruits started training at the end of May. A total of 30 withdrew for various

reasons. Two-thirds of the new soldiers were trained at the Colonel John Clarke Military School (CJCMS) at Tacama, while the remainder were trained at GDF Base Camp Seweyo on the Linden-Soesdyke Highway.

Those trained at Seweyo, have been posted to the technical and speciality units of the Force.

Delroy Blacket, a resident of Paradise Village on the East Coast of Demerara and Mabaruma, North West District resident Brendon Holder, graduated as Best Students of the Seweyo and Tacama stints, respectively.

The Basic Recruit Course provides induction training for entrants at the Ordinary Rank level. It is intended to produce fit, obedient, loyal and disciplined soldiers who possess high standards of skills and marksmanship abilities.

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he Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI) Port Mourant branch last week handed over prizes to three lucky customers who won in the bank’s New Account Promotion.

The promotion commenced in March and concluded in May. Branch Manager Ghoeblall Mahadeo stated that persons who have opened new accounts with the bank were eligible for the promotion.

He related that the Port Mourant branch saw it as an opportunity to give back to the community and customers.

Mahadeo said since the opening in December, the response has been overwhelming. The first prize of a refrigerator was won by Bibi Zulika Persaud, while the second prize of a flat screen television was won by Chandrawattie Totaram and the third prize of a microwave was won by Mahandra Sahadeo and Kalowtie Hetnarine.

The winners were over-

Port Mourant Branch Manager Ghoeblall Mahadeo hands over the first prize to Bibi Zulika Persaud

joyed to be new owners of the appliances and extended gratitude to GBTI

for the opportunity.

They lauded the bank for its great customers’

service and pledged to continue doing business with them.

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epending on the environment in which we grew up, we are sure to deal with loss differently among each other. A few things we all need to accept is that it is okay to cry in front of anyone regardless if they are family, friends or even strangers. In times of distress, we need to release our emotions and tears are a physical way to do it well.

However, talking to a professional Narine Dat Sookram bereavement counsellor and discussing the emotions we are feeling is a good first step. Some of us may not have access to professional help; but in cases as such, it is important to talk with other people who have been through a similar experience as yours, because it can be of great help.

Not everyone has access to the Internet, but it can be a good way to access information and support, particularly if we are not comfortable seeing people faceto-face or in some cases, travelling may be an issue for a variety of reasons. The key here though is to use well established websites to get the help we are looking for.

Usually, when someone commits suicide, people tend to feel guilty thinking it is their fault entirely.

That is why it’s not uncommon for us to hear some people say: “If only I’d done more to help, maybe they would still be alive.”

For various reasons, people often feel guilty even though they are not responsible for what happened.

The reality is many factors contribute to someone taking their own life, so talk to someone about how we feel can surely help lessen the feeling of guilt, which will however take time.

Speaking from experience, in losing a brother who took his own life, it can be much harder to understand and you may feel as if others do not understand. In a case like this, I would suggest talking to someone or asking for some extra support, because this will be helpful in the long run. The bottom line is, it helps to talk about how we feel and how it is affecting our life.

This can help us understand some of the feelings we have as a result of the suicide.

Many people do not feel comfortable talking to a close friend or relative, because they feel as if they don’t seem to understand what they are going through.

Some people find it difficult to understand mental illness and even much harder to understand suicide.

However, talking to friends whom we trust and are willing to listen can ease feelings of loneliness.

Therefore, we should not hesitate to seek out someone who will support us, because many people will be pleased to help along the way.

Grief does affect everyone, but not necessarily in the same way, but with support, it can help us to cope with loss. Therefore talking to someone or a counsellor or even the decision in joining a support group can be beneficial to look at ways to deal with our grief.

Some people will say that we need to stop grieving and move on. However there is not always a clear beginning or end to grief. Everyone has the right to take the time to grieve in their own way and time as well.

If this does not happen, the feelings we do not express may return and be even more challenging to deal with later on. So take the time we need to grieve before we move on with our everyday life.

Please don’t’ forget to send your comments, questions and feedback to mcnarine@rogers.com.

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guyanatimesgy.com

MonDAY, june 23, 2014

Truth

Simply the

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erbice has just one road. It is a two-lane ribbon.

There are small veinlike streets on either side of the one two-lane road. In Region Six, there may be more rum shops than little veins of streets. People enter these rum shops as early as 10:00h and drink way into the night.

Then they get behind the wheels of vehicles and drive. Vehicles then become weapons Professor Daizal Samad that kill.

I have seen our Policemen and women and neighbourhood Police patrolling. They notice the drinking and they see the cars parked for hours at the rum shops. They seem helpless. This happens day in and day out, many people drinking and driving. It is only when some dreadful thing happens that we get our Police involved.

Last week, three children were murdered on the Corentyne. Latoya Bagot (18), Wanita Bagot (15) and baby Shemaine Cort (3) were killed, while two others were seriously hurt. The driver of the car faces multiple charges.

There is the usual bleat from some Opposition politician or the other, and the usual hapless silence from the Government side. One can only imagine the grief of these families. Even with great imagination, we cannot come close to feeling what they must be feeling.

And yet, even in the midst of this unfathomable grief there is nobility, humility, and civility. The parents of the slain children welcomed the parents of the alleged perpetrator. This does not ameliorate the hurt and terrible sense of loss. Nor does it lessen the anger, but it does show that the goodness of people shines through even under these circumstances.

It also took courage for the parents of the alleged perpetrator to go and pay their condolences. This is grace under fire indeed.

We simply must work harder at preventing more of these murderous incidents on our roads. Every law-abiding member of our community must be encouraged to get involved. Our law enforcement must be motivated to be more aggressive in their vigilance, and our bar owners need to be more civic-minded.

For instance, if we notice that there are people drinking for protracted hours and then getting behind the wheels of vehicles, we need to be able to contact law enforcement in immediate and confidential ways.

There would be no need for us to leave our names – simply report the drunkards by identifying the location of the rum shop, and licence plate number and colour of the vehicle, and let the Police take action. Our Police could have units or unmarked vehicles strategically positioned to nab these potential killers.

It is also not too much to ask bar owners to cut off people from drinking more, if they are driving.

Each rum shop owner can have a list of taxi drivers whom they can call to take drunk customers home.

The drunks may be upset for the moment, but they will be grateful the next day.

Of course, some taxi drivers are themselves not exempt from this drunk-driving crime. We all need to show ourselves to be more responsible. We need to stop this carnage now. Driving drunk and driving recklessly is NOT one of our rights.

Houses in the Zorgenhoop Squatting Area where GPL 69 KV power lines run

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quatters are seeking to have the Zorgenhoop Squatting Area regularised, but the local Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) is advising them to relocate.

However, the squatters say the area which has the capacity to house at lease 40 house lots is their home, although acknowledging that they cannot move forward if the area is not regularised.

One of the oldest squatters Narinekishoor Persaud, who has been occupying a piece of land in the community at Blairmont, West Bank Berbice for the past 30 years, says he has met several Government ministers on the issue.

Currently, there are about 18 squatters at the Zoorgenhoop Squatting Area and according to Persaud, the area could hold about 20 more lots. He is calling on Government to look into the issue.

“I need GPL (Guyana Power and Light), Ah can’t get it. Ah need to renovate mah house, ah can’t get a

loan from the bank. I want to set my life comfortable…

When ah say comfortable, ah mean making toilet, bathroom and dem tings,” the squatters said.

Another squatter, Deodat Daljit who has been living at the squatting area for the past six months with his wife and three children, told Guyana Times that he had applied for a piece of land in 2011 and recently when he enquired about his application’s status, he was told that currently the Housing Ministry is dealing with applications that were made in 2010.

“Black pot”

He said it is very difficult to live as a squatter without access to electricity and water, noting that it is a challenge for his wife to prepare his children’s clothes for school.

“She does got to put the iron of the stove to press clothes, then sometime it does get too hot, you got to put it to cool and sometime it does full ah ‘black pot’”.

Daljit said he will not be moving, unless he can acquire his own house lot.

“They will have to bulldoze me… I ain’t’ got nowhere else to go,” he said.

Another squatter Sylvester Smith said he moved to the community from Enmore, East Coast Demerara with his wife, but could not find any land to purchase in the nearby village of Ithaca, where he grew up. He has become a squatter since last year.

Meanwhile, last year, persons visited the community and numbered all the houses, but those who were doing the numbering could not say why they were doing it. In an invited comment, acting Chairman of the Blairmont/ Gelderland Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) Eshwarchand Budhai said one of the reasons for the area not being regularised is because the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) has its 69 KV power lines in the area running right where persons are squatting.

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round 48 staffers attached to the New Amsterdam Technical Institute (NATI) benefited from a threeday medical training, compliments of the New Amsterdam Hospital.

The training commenced on Wednesday and culminated on Friday with staffers being trained in First Aid and other disaster management techniques.

They were also given medical checkups, inclusive of blood pressure, random blood sugar and cholesterol tests, among others. These were conducted by a team of doctors and nurses attached to the New Amsterdam Hospital.

NATI Agriculture Engineer lecturer Steven Beharry explained that the

A NATI staff having her blood sugar level tested

competency – based training is a requirement for the staff.

“So we are actually preparing ourselves to carry out that training and this is part of our requirements,” he pointed out. Beharry stated that this would benefit the

participants tremendously, and at the same time, benefit the students who may fall ill or find themselves in an emergency situation.

Beharry extended gratitude to Medical Superintendent of the hospital, Dr Vishalya Sharma

“If you notice, the new Zorgenhoop Housing Scheme starts about 100 feet away from the power lines.”

He said many of the squatters did not apply for house lots at the new housing scheme located at Number One Settlement at Blairmont, which is not very far away.

“It is hoped that they will apply for house lots, there because there are still about 20 house lots available.”

According to the NDC official, efforts were made to have those squatters apply for land at Blairmont which is equipped with streets and water. “The only thing that they don’t have as yet is electricity.”

He added that the onus is on persons to apply for a house lot. “They can choose not to apply and to live as a squatter.” Budhai noted that there will come a time when some form of development will take place where persons are squatting, and then they will have to move.

for her positive response, and ready cooperation when approached.

Meantime, Dr Jalauddin Ali, the General Medical Officer (GMO) of the hospital, who spearheaded the operation, said the threeday programme will be of tremendous benefit to both NATI staff and students.

“Basically what we are training them is what is First Aid and what to do in certain situations…. First Aid is a broad topic, but we are giving them basic training for now,” he explained He continued that their aim is to orient the population, especially the various institutions about general health issues, more particularly about diabetes, blood pressure, cholesterol and to practice a healthy diet.