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NEW GPC donates to UG Nursing Students Society P2 Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana guyana-times.com

Issue No. 3018

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Tuesday, October 25, 2016

PRICE

PPP/C flays Govt over billions cut from constitutional agencies Page 3

Female prison officer busted with ganja Page 9

Teen died after falling off truck in Berbice Page 12

Public Infrastructure staff protests for 10% increase

Page 7

$80 vat included

WHAT'S INSIDE:

City vendors decry P11 Council’s harassment

Bartician P8 jailed, fined $16M for narco trafficking

Public Health Laboratory still not P2 in use

Diarrhoea outbreak in Kamarang contained P17 – Norton

Disgruntled protesting employees of the Ministry of Public Infrastructure (MPI) Special Project Unit speaking to members of the media expressing their dissatisfaction over the decision to leave them out of the promised retroactive 1 to 10 per cent salary increase (Dexter Ceres photo)

Lusignan Prison escapee nabbed

P2

AG report 2015

Govt flouts regulations to finance Linden Hospital

Page 9

Respect the labour laws – Scott P17

2 news

tuesDAY, october 25, 2016 | guyana-times.com

NEW GPC donates to UG Lusignan Prison Nursing Students Society escapee nabbed

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he NEW GPC INC has made a contribution towards the University of Guyana’s Nursing Students Society for its annual graduation and award ceremony, which is scheduled to be held on November 12.

The company’s Marketing and International Sales Associate, Elisabeth Ram stated that the donation was aligned with NEW GPC’s corporate responsibility towards ensuring that Guyana’s medical system and personnel, including our hardworking nurses and those who are aspiring to be nurses, are provided with the recognition they so rightly deserve.

She congratulated the graduating class of 2016 for their success in their nursing careers and reiterated that the NEW GPC stood committed to providing quality pharmaceutical items to the people of Guyana and around the world.

The Society was developed to represent nurses studying for a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing at the University of Guyana. Its aim is to ensure that all students complete the programme in a timely manner.

The donation was presented to the President of the Nursing Society, Garfield Bryan by Ram.

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UG Nursing Society President Garfield Bryan receiving the cheque from NEW GPC INC Marketing and International Sales Associate Elisabeth Ram

Captured: Fayouse Shakir

Wanted: Rajendra Deonarine

ive weeks after two men escaped from the Lusignan penitentiary, one of them was arrested on Monday at Kitty, Georgetown in a Route 44 minibus.

Fayouse Shakir, 27, of Lot 65 Le Ressouvenir, East Coast Demerara, and Rajendra Deonarine, 22, of Richmond Housing Scheme, Essequibo Coast, escaped from prison on September 19 while clearing overgrown vegetation from the penitentiary’s fence.

About 09:15 on Monday, Police ranks, acting on information, intercepted a

minibus in the vicinity of the Kitty Service Station and apprehended Shakir, who denied that he was a prison escapee, but subsequently retracted his statement after prison officers positively identified him.

Shakir was serving a two-year sentence for break and enter and larceny at the time of his escape. He will now be slapped with an escape from lawful custody charge. Deonarine, who was serving a three-year sentence for possession of narcotics for the purpose of trafficking, remains on the run.

Public Health Laboratory still not in use

National Public Health Reference Laboratory

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he Public Health Ministry continues to send blood samples to Trinidad and Tobago for testing, although the National Public Health Reference Laboratory has been set up for local testing for mosquito-borne diseases and other viruses.

A source at the Laboratory has indicated that the institution still does not have the capacity to carry out testing, especially for Zika and other mosquito-related viruses. The samples are being sent to the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA), where Guyana would have to wait over a week to know the results.

Meanwhile, there are 37 confirmed cases of Zika in the country. However, the incidence might be higher given the fact that Zika is asymptomatic. According to the source, they are unaware as to when in-house testing will commence.

Two Guyanese medical technologists from the

Laboratory were sent to Trinidad to be trained to test for three vector-borne diseases – Zika, Chikungunya and dengue. Shameza Ally Sonaram and Johanna Vaughn had completed training at the Agency and were expected to work along with a number of other specialist staff identified by the Ministry to perform specific duties in helping them complete these tests. However, the source noted that the Ministry has procured equipment to enable testing and has been awaiting the shipment.

So far, there have been 5375 reported cases of Chikungunya, with 264 confirmed cases, and 303 confirmed cases of dengue fever in Guyana. There have also been four cases of babies born with microcephaly, which has been linked to Zika infection in pregnant women.

The climb of these mosquito-borne diseases has influenced the move towards facilitating local testing.

news

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tuesDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2016 | guyana-times.com

BRIDGE OPENINGS

The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Tuesday, October 25 – 14:00h-15:30h and Wednesday, October 26 –14:30h-16:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Tuesday, October 25 – 13:10h-14:40h and Wednesday, October 26 –14:05h-15:35h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

Parika and Supenaam departure times - 05:00h, 11:00h and 16:00h daily

WEATHER TODAY Weather: Early morning sunshine with heavy rain showers throughout the rest of the day, while clear skies can be expected in the evening.

Temperatures are expected to range between 25 degrees Celsius and 30 degrees Celsius.

Winds: East South-easterly to Easterly ranging from 2.68 metres to 4.47 metres.

High Tide: 12:56h reaching a maximum height of 2.21 metres.

Low Tide: 06:19h and 18:52h reaching minimum heights of 0.99 metre and 1.02 metres respectively.

PPP/C flays Govt over billions cut from constitutional agencies

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illions of dollars will be slashed from the budgets of constitutional agencies, preventing these bodies from optimally carrying out their functions for the upcoming fiscal year.

According to the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), these reductions are yet another flagrant attempt by Government to interfere with the rights of these autonomous bodies and to evade scrutiny.

PPP/C Chief Whip Gail Teixeira, during a Monday afternoon news conference, highlighted that the total budgetary allocation for the constitutional agencies in 2016 amounted to some $8 billion, while the Finance Ministry’s proposed amount for 2017 is a mere $6 billion, a major reduction of approximately $2 billion.

Even more alarming, she noted, is that the constitutional agencies altogether requested some $11 billion, but Government is only willing to approve some $6 billion, a difference of over $5 billion.

Unacceptable

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“This slashing of the requested budgets to lessen what they received in 2016 is highly unacceptable…

This is a clear case of the abuse of the Constitution which guarantees and protects independence of these bodies,” Teixeira asserted.

She contended that these agencies would be incapable of functioning optimally with these major budget cuts and questioned why any sensible government would make such a decision.

“How can the Indigenous Peoples Commission be slashed when most of their budget goes to bring commissioners to the meetings? How can you cut the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and the Supreme Courts budget when the issue of the backlog of cases and there is dire need for more prosecutors and the timely hearing of cases. How can one cut the Guyana Elections Commission budget, when we’re aware of the GECOM decision to hold a new

PPP/C MP and former Attorney General, Anil Nandlall; Opposition Chief Whip Gail Teixeira and PPP/C MP and former Junior Finance Minister Juan Edghill at a news conference on Monday

house-to-house registration in 2017?” she outlined.

Former Junior Finance Minister Juan Edghill, during the conference, reminded that a budget was a financial plan which articulated the direction of an organisation and the cost to get there.

Therefore, he argued, by cutting the budgets, these organisations will now have to re-organise priorities and neglect funding for some critical undertakings.

“Whenever the Government reduces the allocations for constitutional agencies, they are actually preventing themselves from being scrutinised. For example, the Auditor General would say this is what we need, if you cut the auditor office, the Auditor General would have to re-organise his priorities and so something will be left out, which means less scrutiny for Government,” he explained.

Moreover, he expressed concerns over the cutting of the budget for Parliament Office and the repercussions for the Office of the Leader of the Opposition, which is funded by this constitutional entity.

“If additional monies were sought for Parliament Office, why are you cutting for the Parliament Office almost $200 million? I hope this does not mean the Leader of the Opposition allocation will be reduced…

If it is cut by $200 million, the Clerk of the National Assembly will be in a mad frenzy to determine how

he will spend this money,” Edghill explained.

Additionally, Edghill totally disregarded Finance Minister Winston Jordan’s explanation for the slashing of the requested sums.

The Finance Minister, in documents dispatched to the Office of the Opposition, explained that the monies were reduced “in the context of existing fiscal space and the consideration of the agencies’ request within national development priorities”.

Non-existent agencies

Furthermore, the PPP/C is concerned about the allocations of monies to agencies that do not even exist.

Edghill pointed out that there were several agencies such as the Public Service Appellate Tribunal, the Human Rights Commission, the Office of the Ombudsman and the Public Procurement Commission, which were not functioning, yet the Finance Ministry allocated sums for their operations.

The former Finance Minister explained that these constitutional agen-

cies were the ones to determine their priorities and how they intended to operate for the fiscal year and, therefore, would make submissions. He posited if these bodies were inactive, “then who made the recommendations for monies?”

More alarming, he expressed, is the situation with the Public Procurement Commission (PPC), which has a proposed budget of $76 million. “Something is terribly wrong here,” Edghill registered. He explained that since the Commissioners were not sworn in, they could not possibly engage with the Public Actions Committee to discuss emolument packages and the terms of reference to determine the scope of work; therefore, there is no possible way for the body to determine how much money it would need to perform its duties. Edghill questioned how Government arrived at the figure for the PPC and, in the same breath, demanded the immediate establishment of the Commission.

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guyana-times.com

tuesday, october 25, 2016

Views Editor: Tusika Martin News Hotline: 231-8063 Editorial: 231-0544, 223-7230, 223-7231, 225-7761 Marketing: 231-8064 Accounts: 225-6707

Mailing address: Queens Atlantic Investment Estate Industrial Site, Ruimveldt, Georgetown Email: news@guyanatimesgy.com, sales@guyanatimesgy.com

Editorial

Celebrating United Nations Day

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ctober 24 marked UN Day, “the anniversary of the entry into force in 1945 of the UN Charter.” Each year, the organisation hopes to communicate the achievements of the United Nations, and to outline goals for the UN moving forward.

This year’s UN Day was used to highlight concrete actions people can take to help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

At the Sustainable Development Summit on 25 September, 2015, UN Member States adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which includes a set of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, fight inequality and injustice, and tackle climate change by 2030.

The SDGs, otherwise known as the Global Goals, build on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), eight anti-poverty targets that the world committed to achieving by 2015. The MDGs, adopted in 2000, aimed at an array of issues that included slashing poverty, hunger, disease, gender inequality, and access to water and sanitation. Enormous progress has been made on the MDGs, showing the value of a unifying agenda underpinned by goals and targets. Despite this success, the indignity of poverty has not been ended for all.

The new Global Goals, and the broader sustainability agenda, go much further than the MDGs, addressing the root causes of poverty and the universal need for development that works for all people.

UNDP Administrator Helen Clark noted: “This agreement marks an important milestone in putting our world on an inclusive and sustainable course. If we all work together, we have a chance of meeting citizens’ aspirations for peace, prosperity, and wellbeing, and to preserve our planet.”

The Global Goals will now finish the job of the MDGs, and ensure that no one is left behind.

On Sunday, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in a statement said: “This year’s observance of United Nations Day occurs at a time of transition for the world and for the United Nations. Humanity has entered the era of sustainability — with a global commitment to fulfil the great promise of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.” Under the agenda are 17 goals that will “propel us towards a better future for all on a healthy planet.”

As the most representative intergovernmental organisation of the world today, the United Nations’ role in world affairs is irreplaceable by any other international or regional organizations.

The United Nations has made enormous positive contributions in maintaining international peace and security, promoting cooperation among states and international development.

Today, people of the world still face the two major issues of peace and development. Only by international cooperation can mankind meet the challenges of the global and regional issues.

The United Nations can play a pivotal and positive role in this regard. Strengthening the role of the United Nations in the new century and promoting the establishment of a just and reasonable international political and economic order goes along with the trend of history and is in the interest of all nations.

In order to strengthen the role of the United Nations, efforts should be made to uphold the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations. The authority of the Security Council in maintaining international peace and security must be preserved and role of the United Nations in development area should be strengthened. To strengthen the role of the United Nations, it is essential to ensure to all Member States of the United Nations the right to equal participation in international affairs and the rights and interests of the developing countries should be safeguarded.

The United Nations, through its UNDP Representative to Guyana, recently reaffirmed the Organisation’s commitment to supporting the Government and country in achieving our developmental objectives and to working with Guyana to achieve SDGs for a better life for everybody, thereby ensuring that no one is being left behind.

In his message the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon noted too that even as the world is in transition, so too the United Nations is also in transition, from its eighth Secretary-General to the ninth. He therefore urged all to give their full backing to Secretary-General-designate Antonio Guterres in continuing the UN’s global mission of peace, sustainable development and human rights.

“I have been honoured to serve ‘we the peoples’ for the past ten years. Together, we have put in place some solid foundations for shared progress – which we must build on by working even harder to empower women, engage youth and uphold human rights for all,” the Secretary-General stated.

President David Granger, during his State visit to Chile, took some time out of his schedule to pay his respects and lay a wreath at the Monument of the Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins

Electricity woes Dear Editor, The growing power problems of the last two weeks have been giving me nightmares: are we stepping back to the ’70s and ’80s? And the talk about ending the operations and maintenance contract with Wartsilla, and a sole-sourced Wind Farm with Lloyd Singh: are we, GPL and the customers, being set up to be exploited?

Adequate provisions for electricity in a small but growing economy like ours needs constant knowledgeable and appropriately experienced attention, with regular, timely and economic investments to stay ahead of growing demand and to allow for the ageing of the installed equipment, both generation and distribution.

Of course the quantities of money available to GPL, the cost of fuel and the ability and willingness of customers to pay are important considerations.

The damage to the cable crossing the Demerara River (it is said by their own dredging contractor) must be considered a great failure at all levels of GPL. How did it happen?

Everyone knows that there is an underwater cable and GPL knows exactly where it is and should have had sure methods of avoiding its damage. Also, thinking of the number of days being taken to find a suspected fault on the five kilometre line linking Kingston and Sophia, one wonders whether GPL, including its Board, are not already stretched. There is word about other incidents being kept quiet.

That is why the talk of ending or changing the operations and maintenance contract with Wartsilla seems ill advised at this

time, when it doesn’t appear that the board and management of GPL are ready to take on additional load; nor can I imagine GPL ending the contract with Wartsilla to hand it to any other.

Losses, both technical and commercial, have been the big problem of our electricity sector.

The fact is that except for studied and selected hydro sites (such as Amaila), renewable energy highly desirable as it is, and it is the energy of the future, is still generally today not directly competitive with fossil fuels.

Looking back now, there can be no doubt that the calls by the new Coalition Government for a green Bartica and a green Guyana were not fully informed and created confusion so that Bartica and Anna Regina (Essequibo Coast) have been suffering electricity outages of about 12 hours per day and there will likely be a fifteen-month delay in providing an economic, reliable supply of electricity.

These evident misinformation and misjudgements of the Coalition Government deepen concern about whatever arrangements would be made with whomsoever for the Wind Farm at Hope Beach or elsewhere (or other renewable energy).

With our current income levels and where we are in Guyana, lowest lifetime cost should prevail and apart from Amaila, diesel engines are difficult to beat (except in the hinterland and wherever homes are so far apart that the distribution cost is prohibitive).

As everyone should recognise, solar and wind do not provide continuous, always-available power. It is economic for GPL to pay

only for the avoided fuel and maintenance costs discounted by the arrangements to offset/absorb the variations in the renewable energy supply.

With such an understanding we of the PPP/C kept our doors open to proposals for solar and wind generation and we would be looking to see that such principles are respected by our Coalition Government (if not, GPL consumers may well end up subsidising the investors).

No doubt the generationmix in the long-term was something to start thinking about.

For the record, on seeing a call from the Government of Japan for developing countries to apply for 1 to 3MW demonstration, utility-grade solar photo-voltaic (PV) plant we immediately applied, prepared and submitted a proposal, but along the way the Japanese Government suspended the programme, pleading budget cuts. Also, we kept on extending an MOU first entered into in the late 1990s or early 2000s for a Wind Farm at Hope Beach.

In about 2014 Lloyd Singh who had lately become a partner in the company, brought a particularly attractive proposal in which the Chinese Manufacturer was offering about 75% financing at a very low interest rate. It began to appear that a Government guarantee of the loan may be required and shortly after we were told that that Chinese Manufacturer had withdrawn the offer.

Lloyd Singh brought another Chinese manufacturer but it was much more expensive, unacceptably so. Aware that the development of the Wind Farm at Hope Beach

whenever it might happen had to be coordinated with our projections for Amaila for a number of considerations, we the PPP/C administration, took a turn towards: A public invitation for proposals for a Wind Farm (coordinated with our projections for the development of Amaila); A government guarantee should not be expected to cover any loans.

But by then the 2015 elections were in the air.

As indicated by our Leader of the Opposition, the Coalition Government recognising the huge conflict of interest in an AFC Minister and Party Executive negotiating a large sole-sourced award with an AFC financier, should have seen an open invitation to tender as a minimum requirement for good governance.

We have some protection in that whatever the outcome of the Government’s sole-sourcing negotiations with Lloyd Singh, the Law requires the PUC to approve any Independent Power Producer (IPP) agreement which GPL intends to enter into.

Public hearings with an open-book presentation are to be expected, disclosing all cost items and in particular the financing and the rate of return of each component of financing.

We the PPP/C are proud of how we steadily improved and extended our electricity supply in an economical way and we will expect and accept no less from our Coalition Government.

Yours truly, Samuel AA Hinds Former Minister responsible for Electricity and Energy

guyana-times.com

TUESday, october 25, 2016

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You can send your letters with pictures to: Guyana Times, Queens Atlantic Investment Estate, Industrial Site, Ruimveldt, Georgetown, Guyana or letters@guyanatimesgy.com

Chancellor/Chief Can you imagine? GT&T is lagging Justice should issue practice direction Dear Editor, I read with great interest the concerns of the acting Police Commissioner in Guyana about the method of granting of bail by judges and magistrates in the country, Acting Commissioner David Ramnarine had to be hopping mad to publicly criticise judges and magistrates for granting bail to accused persons who have no regard for law and order.

It seems to me that the Top Cop is correct to be concerned and although he might be criticised in certain quarters I think he is quite in order to let the public know how he feels and something should be done by those in authority to correct the situation.

I do not know if there are guidelines for the granting of bail in Guyana. If not the Chancellor and/or Chief Justice should issue a Practice Direction setting out the guidelines. Like murder and treason, no bail should be allowed to persons charged with gun related offences and if the accused persons are likely to flee or tamper with witnesses.

Of course bail should not be granted if the offence was committed while the accused/defendant/ is on bail.

Judicial Officers should

follow the guidelines in Archbold and other text books on criminal law. It does not auger well for the police and magistrates and judges to be at loggerhead.

They ought to work in harmony in the dispensation of justice. I gather that lawyers move swiftly to the High Court for bail after they were denied by magistrates, and it seems that some judges are too quick to override decisions made by the interior court.

On the other hand the prisons are overpopulated and maybe that is taken into consideration in bail applications.

All in all a broad and closer look should be taken in the judicial system in the country. The Head of the Judiciary, Carl Singh, has been acting as Chancellor for more than a decade and Ian Chang has retired before being confirmed as Chief Justice and I recall that Jai Narain Singh Jr who acted as a judge for a decade was never confirmed before his retirement.

I note that David Ramnarine is acting and not yet confirmed as Commissioner.

Sincerely, Oscar Ramjeet

IAC calls for assistance for victims of high winds on Corentyne Dear Editor, The Indian Action Committee (IAC) has learned that uncommonly high winds associated with a thunderstorm adversely affected the village communities of No 19 and Warren, Lower Corentyne, Region Six, Berbice, during the early hours of Sunday morning, October 23, 2016.

The IAC understands that many of the damaged buildings have already been repaired but that the home of Allimudeen Gobin, 54, who is currently staying with relatives, was completely destroyed, and the organisa-

tion will be meeting with him shortly to make a monetary donation.

The IAC has a history of assisting persons whose dwelling has been damaged by high winds.

The IAC takes this opportunity to call on the private sector, and members of the public, including government agencies, to assist Gobin, a cane harvester employed at Rose Hall Estate. to rebuild his home.

Sincerely, Indian Action Committee

Dear Editor, Imagine coming home from a hard day’s work, and for the fifth time find your front door splintered and bashed in by burglars.

Imagine finding that they have crossed the threshold, that your home has been violated, your belongings ransacked, some of your most valued possessions stolen. After a few minutes of adrenalin-fuelled panic and mounting anger, what is the first thing you do? Call the Police obviously, because that is what they are there for.

Imagine crawling (tired) to the Police Station to hear that they have no patrol on duty to visit your house or to take finger prints. Imagine waiting there tired, restless and tearful, for an officer to come to work and for them to say that I have to find MY OWN transportation to take that officer to my home, for them to do their job of investigating or taking a report.

Imagine sitting there for hours while they laugh and gaff while you are awaiting this patrol to come to work.

Crucially, the great Sir Robert Peel (1829) stated (and these quotes are all from his famous principles) that: “The ability of the Police to perform their duties is dependent upon public approval of police existence, actions, behaviour

and the ability of the police to secure and maintain public respect.”

But this doesn’t seem to be the case here in our beautiful land of many waters.

He also stated that the “basic mission for which police exist is to prevent crime and disorder” and that “the test of Police efficiency is the absence of crime and disorder “.

In other words, when crime occurs, the police have some catching up to do.

I live in Plantation Block 11 Providence, East Bank Demerara, the other half is called Herstelling along the Mocha/Arcadia Road.

Over the last few months, there have been a number of break-ins within the areas mentioned that I have become aware of.

Most recently - mine.

It has been five times that these defiant robbers have broken into my home. I thought that they were done with me last month, but they came back four days ago.

Do you still think there are things left for them to steal?

Two of my close neighbours’ homes have also shared the same misfortune.

People of Guyana – have you heard anything from anyone else on this? I would do everything in my power to get the word out about this so that we can hopefully deter whoever is responsible

- or hopefully do anything in my power to get this person/s caught, with or without the help of the failing Police Force.

I do not know the exact number of homes that have been broken into, but I do know that it has been several just within the past couple of months.

All of the break-ins are occurring during the morning/early afternoon (working hours/bright daylight) when persons are at work.

Stolen items include laptops, cameras, jewellery, Televisions, stereos - large items that I am assuming that someone must be seeing these robbers exiting your home with.

On the fourth occasion they broke my window to enter the house. Didn’t anyone hear? Did they call the Police? Oh yes, the Police probably didn’t have a patrol available to visit!

There are a lot of people on edge right now (including my daughter who is petrified to sleep alone - all of her school things for the new term stolen) because of this, my hope is that the Police know of the recent activities and that they would be conducting additional patrols in the area, if possible.

Sincerely, Pretrina Quintin

Dear Editor, GT&T is lagging too much in its responsibility to rectify my defective land line phone, which has been out of order for some time now, despite repeated reports made at the complaints desk in Anna Regina.

A more worrying and disturbing aspect is the internet which is hooked to this line and which becomes automatically unserviceable whenever it is not functioning, to further compound the unbearable and unacceptable situation.

The company needs to have an expeditious action plan to ensure that the service is restored to normalcy within the shortest possible time.The internet connection was made to benefit my 14-year-old daughter, who attends secondary school but she is very much upset for being without the use of the internet for such a protracted period.

A monthly charge of $10,000 to pay for the internet service when it is not provided is unfair and unreasonable.

The company needs to see it as an obligation to maintain a reliable and efficient service to its customers at all times.

Thank you.

Sincerely, Latiff Baksh

Blackout woes: What do we do next?

Dear Editor, I felt compelled to speak on the issue of blackouts in Bartica, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), not necessarily in response to those who delight in using print media to masquerade secret agendas. But more specifically because it seems that even us, the beautiful members of my township, have allowed a blurring of facts again on account of political stirring.

I am the least to add judgment, but I beg of you to allow me the premise to not add blame, but instead to propose that GPL has added so much frustration that we don’t even know how to assign reason.

Indeed, it seemingly has ‘become’ a heavy burden on the township, but one must also be able to define ‘become’. I would agree to ‘become’, except I rec-

ollect that it became quite a long time ago. Of course, I would only ask reasonable citizens, those not shadowed by the need to prove that our Mayor and Councillors aren’t serving to the best of their ability. Even greater, I can only ask level minded citizens to view the progress seen as an indication that sooner as opposed to later, this problem that has existed for decades (irrespective of central government leadership), will soon be rendered not an issue.

Those of us who are spirited, who utilise our time to become informed of all that is being done, would have already known the level of lobbying, proposing and conversations being had between local leadership and GPL. But as I have said before, such citizens cannot be found guilty of having

hidden political agendas.

I wish to also point out Editor, that the measure our progress towards establishing ourselves as the “model green town”, cannot simply be in view of the ‘woes of GPL’.

Frankly, to do so would again point to an inability to clearly reason. Conversely, one can say that tackling head on a garbage disposal giant of a problem, addressing inherited drainage infrastructure that was problematic to say the least, are better measures of quantifying the level of greening. Balance given, I must at this time, point out that the Mayor and Deputy Mayor must have only been available for a few photo ops, because they were either at our newly transformed dumpsite, or overseeing projects including, but not limited to, build-

ing parks and green spaces, overseeing cleaning efforts across constituencies, managing road rehabilitation works, meeting needs for resident consultations of new projects, engaging investors both local and foreign, sourcing funding, supplying water to areas like 5 Miles Housing Scheme and Byderabo Road and beautifying the burial grounds.

Again, I would only ask citizens who are level minded to concur that over the short time of being in office, much has been done. Do I think that GPL must do better? Yes. Do I think the leadership here is to be blamed? No. Do we still need a solution? Yes. My question to all citizens then is: What do we do next?

Yours respectfully, Devon Nedd-Fordyce

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TUESday, october 25, 2016

Page

By Paula Spencer

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t’s time to leave the store. My daughter, the usually cheerful Page, does not want to go.

Let’s set aside the fact that it’s tempting fate to bring a twoyear-old to a toy store when the goal is to buy somebody else a birthday present. And that it’s a really bad idea to do so as one last stop during a morning of errands, squeezed in perilously close to naptime. The net result: a full-out Limp Noodle, a tired, angry child who does not happen to agree with you. The arms go slack. The body sinks heavily to the floor. “No! No go!” the Noodle screams. “Not my choice!”

Ordinarily, the great thing about having a toddler is watching her develop her sense of self. That, however, includes the discovery that she has a will of her own. And where there’s a will, there’s also a won’t. The good news: Resistance is not only normal, it’s healthy (it’s your kid gaining confidence, learning independence, and figuring out who she is). The better news: There are tricks for guiding her to a more cooperative attitude.

We’ve rounded up some of the best for five of the most frustrating toddler tussles you’re likely to face:

“My toddler won’t let me buckle him into his car seat” Worth a battle?

Absolutely. Buckling isn’t just the law, it’s a matter of life or death. Keep your toddler in a five-point-harness seat as long as possible. They’re safer, and harder to unfasten in mid ride.

Tactics to try: Keep it light “I make games out of things that they must do,” says Harrisburg, NC, mom Shannon Mathews of her four kids, including two-year-old twins.

“We make it a race to see who can get buckled into their car seat first.” Distracting play, like silly songs or goofy faces,

guyana-times.com

Foundation

works, too. “If I have just the babies, I make them laugh as I’m strapping them in so they forget what I’m doing, and then I quickly give them each a toy off the floor of the van—there’s always a toy on the floor of our van!”

Bribe them, pure and simple One snowy winter when Ann Nibbio, a mom of three, was repeatedly having a hard time getting her brood into their car seats, she stashed a bag of chocolate kisses in the glove compartment. “On the way to the car, I’d say, ‘Hey! I just remembered those kisses in the car. You can have one when you’re all buckled up.’

“My kid won’t kiss Grandma”

Worth a battle?

Nah, says psychologist Debbie Glasser, PhD, founder of N ewsfo r p a re nt s . org.

“I don’t r e c o m m e n d forcing toddlers to kiss relatives. That approach tends to backfire and make children less likely to greet their relatives and more likely to make a scene.” Anyway, a coaxed hug is seldom sincere – which misses the point in the first place Tactics to try: Warn your child A better way is to prep her so she’s not put on the spot: “Aunt Linda is coming to dinner tonight. She’d love a big hello!”

Then, before you answer the door, prompt her: “Aunt Linda loves hugs, but even if you just smile, she’ll be so happy to see you!

Demo your own PDAs Nibbio’s father resides in an assisted- living facility, where his fellow residents sometimes ask her toddler for a kiss. “I just laugh and say, ‘She doesn’t give kisses, but I do’ – and then

I plant one on the person’s cheek.” Seeing you give hugs and kisses may help her become comfortable with the idea down the road

“My tot won’t let me brush her teeth”

Worth a battle?

It depends on your feelings about dental hygiene. I personally never brushed a single one of my kids’ teeth, although I gave each child a soft brush and modelled the general idea. But I stopped short of forcing the issue or using timers, or even having them open wide so I could do all the work myself.

Maybe I just got lucky, but I found that with

enough praise and by emphasising the fact that they got to gargle and spit (both fun), the job got done. Paediatric dentists, however, recommend twice-a-day brushing from infancy, and say you should lend a hand until at least age 5 or 6.

Tactics to try: Blame someone else That’s how Suellen Durdaller navigates must-do situations with her daughter. “I tell Alysa, ‘The dentist says you must brush your teeth.’ This takes the pressure off me. I just state it as a fact and move on,” says the

mom of three.

Sidestep the “no” Being matter-of-fact can be useful, says Glasser. “Instead of making a request that requires a ‘yes’ or ‘no,’ try rewording it to pull the response you’re looking for.” Don’t ask, “Ready to brush your teeth?” Instead, say, “It’s toothbrushing time. Will this be a red-brush day or a yellowbrush day?”

“My child won’t eat vegetables”

Worth a battle?

A small one. Toddlerhood is often a period of strong preferences and weird food jags (okay, picky eating), and that’s fine –within reason. Even if your child is on a veggie boycott, there’s no need to panic. Odds are his food choices will balance out over time, says Marilyn Ta n n e r- B l a s i a r, RD, a paediatric dietician at the Washington University School of Medicine, in St Louis. Which isn’t to say you shouldn’t keep (subtly) working on getting him to acquire a taste for green (and red, orange, and yellow) things.

Tactics to try: Make it a raw deal Most veggies taste stronger when they’re cooked, which is why most little kids prefer theirs straight out of the crisper (or lightly steamed). Serve yogurt or salad dressing for dipping matchstick-cut carrots, peeled celery, soy beans, and broccoli “trees.”

Fall back on fruits To balance an overall diet, pick fruits, particularly those high in vitamins A (cantaloupes,

apricots, mangoes) and C (oranges, strawberries, kiwis).

A multivitamin may ease your mind, too; ask your paediatrician.

“My child won’t come when I call”

Worth a battle?

It’s not realistic to expect a two-year-old to abandon, say, the close study of the TV remote that he’s conducting just because you tell him to.

That said, you don’t want to be at the utter mercy of his whims.

“When you repeatedly call, but your child doesn’t show up until he’s ready, you’re actually teaching him to ignore you,” says Elizabeth Pantley, author of The No-Cry Discipline Solution and a mom of four.

Tactics to try: Make it sound worth the trip When 17-month-old Isabella Covert, is in a run-the-other-way mood, her mom, Juanita, pours as much excitement into her tone of voice as she can. “Then I’ll scoop her up to show her I’m happy she’s with me.” At home, Covert sometimes lures Isabella

by waving a puppet or playing a musical toy and dancing.

Count down “Instead of calling ‘Come here now!’ give two warnings,” says Pantley. In the toy store, I might have tried “Page, you’ll need to come in five minutes.”

And then, in five minutes, “Page, please come now.” Pantley suggests waiting a minute, and if your child still doesn’t respond, taking him by the hand and saying, “When I call, I expect you to come.” A toddler can’t tell time but will quickly catch on to your progression of heads-ups. (You can also say something like “Two more trips down the slide.”) It helps, Pantley adds, to let your child know you understand his point of view: “I bet you wish you could stay in this toy store forever, but it’s time to go now.

Hug the toy doggy one more time. Now here are my keys to hold.” Warn, distract, have your way. Of course, sometimes even your best efforts will still net a full Limp Noodle. But a little creativity and practice may spare you a steady diet of them.

(Parenting.com)

How to prevent drug use at every age

(Part 2)

For older teens: When it comes to drugs, teens are a savvy bunch.

Drugs and messages about living drug-free have been part of their lives for years.

They can make distinctions not only among different drugs and their effects, but also among trial, occasional use and addiction. They’ve witnessed many of their peers using drugs — some without obvious or immediate consequences, others whose drug use gets out of control. By the teen years, kids have also had to make plenty of choices of their own about drug use: whether they should give in to peer pressure and experiment with drugs, or go against some of their peers and stay clean.

Here are six tips to help you help your teen continue to live a healthy, drug-free life: Don’t speak generally about drug- and alcohol-use — your older teen needs to hear detailed and realitydriven messages. Topics worth talking about with your teen: using a drug just once can have serious permanent consequences; can put you in risky and dangerous situations; anybody can become a chronic user or addict; combining drugs can have deadly consequences.

Emphasise what drug use can do to your teen’s future.

Discuss how drug use can ruin your teen’s chance of getting into the college she’s been

dreaming about or landing the perfect job.

Challenge your child to be a peer leader among his friends and to take personal responsibility for his actions and show others how to do the same.

Encourage your teen to volunteer somewhere that he can see the impact of drugs on your community.

Teenagers tend to be idealistic and enjoy hearing about ways they can help make the world a better place. Help your teen research volunteer opportunities at a homeless shelter, hospital or victim services centre.

Use news reports as discussion openers. If you see a news story about an alcohol-related car accident, talk to your teen about all the victims that an accident leaves in its wake. If the story is about drugs in your community, talk about the ways your community has changed as drug use has grown.

Compliment your teen for all the things he does well and for the positive choices he makes. Let him know that he is seen and appreciated.

And let him know how you appreciate what a good role model he is for his younger siblings and other kids in the community. Teens still care what their parents think.

Let him know how deeply disappointed you would be if he started using drugs. (Excerpt from drugfree.org)

news

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tuesday, october 25, 2016 | guyana-times.com

Public Infrastructure staff Early Budget an attempt to avoid scrutiny – PPP/C protests for 10% increase T W hile public servants across the country will this month receive Government’s promised retroactive 1 to 10 per cent increase, workers at the Ministry of Public Infrastructure (MPI) Special Project Unit, will lose out.

Workers of the unit took to the streets on Monday, protesting what they said is downright disadvantage and abuse of power by those in authority.

They told Guyana Times that they are utterly fed up of the system robbing them of any opportunity of a decent livelihood.

The more than 100 employees, working under contract with the Ministry, said they don’t know where else to turn for help, as the very system they are working for, is also against them.

Their concerns border around their wages and salaries and particularly safety on the job. Of utmost concern for them is news that they will not be paid the announced 10 per cent increase for public servants.

“They promise us better minimum wages and so.

I mean to say, all the other workers get that $50,000. We are the only set of people who ain’t getting. Civil aviation get, airport get, transport get. And it is rough. That is not right.

All of us have bills to pay, especially me”, one worker said.

“All of we got children, some of we have five, six children to maintain and take to school and it is very hard. We need for them to at least make some changes to be made”. He said the junior minister had promised to take the matter to Cabinet, but up until now, there has been no word.

“Nobody aint looking into it”, another worker said.

The workers said they have been sitting silently saying nothing since last December, when they were denied the $50,000 across-the-board payment. According to the employees, while the work is great, the salary remains under $50,000.

The workers are hurting, saying that they are the ones that are called upon to complete unfinished tasks by private contractors. One such project is the D’Urban Park site, which was left unfinished, with billions of dollars already spent by the first contractor.

Another employee working in the hot mix section said he has been working in that area for over four years. In the hot mix area, workers are required to sometimes manually lay out

Workers of the MPI Special Project Unit during the protest on Monday

the hot tar-mixed-bricks on the area and then pan it out, standing on the heated worksite with work booths that do not reach the required standard.

“We are not getting gears.

Maybe one time a year we will get it and the next year we will not get it at all. The President needs to urgently look into this, because we can’t take it no more”.

“Majority of the project that council (M&CC) suppose to do, it not doing the work, we have to end up turning back and do the work.”

They said the situation is so sickening, that persons who have spent decades in the unit, come off, many with injuries, but receive nothing at their retirement.

“We don’t want that, we want that we are working a certain number of years under the government, at least we get something when we come off, because it is very hard on we.”

Another worker said, “I work here for 11 years and nothing has changed. All that was changed was the name of this Ministry; otherwise, everything has been the same.

The President is passing the instruction to all the Ministers of all the Ministries, but they not doing it here.”

Efforts to contact both Minister of, and Minister within the Ministry of Public Infrastructure David Patterson and Annette Ferguson, respectively, were unsuccessful.

(Alexis Rodney)

he People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) does not support the passage of an early budget, saying the dynamics of the situation limit its scrutiny of Government’s performance.

Finance Minister Winston Jordan had announced that the National Budget 2017 would be presented in early December and would aid in the timely implementation of Government’s agenda.

However, the PPP/C is contending that it will not get to examine and compare the actual expenditure for 2016, since the 2017 Budget will be presented and debated while the 2016 Budget is still being implemented.

Former Junior Finance Minister Juan Edghill, during a news conference on Monday, explained that the books for the fiscal year close on December 31; therefore, if the Budget is presented before that date, then figures on the various Ministries and agencies’ performance will not be available for comparison during the budget debates.

“We will be debating and examining a budget where a current budget is being executed and we don’t know for sure actuals. For example, between December 21 and December 31, do you know what the expenditure of this country can be? If the books are not closed, we don’t know how much they spent, how much is their capital expenditure, how much is their current expenditure to find out what we are doing for 2017; so we will be at a disadvantage,” Edghill explained.

Given these circumstances, he suspected that Government’s early budget presentation could be its sneaky way of evading public scrutiny.

“We are very concerned if this is another three-card trick that is being played out in the public where we are going to be duped. Is this another form of corruption to hide underperformance and create opportunities for greater levels of corruption….?” he mused.

Edghill maintained that there was no haste for an early budget presentation, noting historically, the country’s budget was presented in the first quarter of the fiscal year. He noted too that there were already mechanisms in place for the interim spending of the Government, which is 1/12 of the previous budget, until the new budget is presented and passed.

8 news

tuesdAY, OCTOBER 25, 2016 | guyana-times.com

IN THE COURTS

Bartician jailed, fined $16M for narco trafficking

T

roy Van Doimen, of Lot 51 Fifth Avenue, Bartica, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), was on Monday afternoon sentenced to four years in prison and fined $16 million after he pleaded guilty to a charge of narcotics trafficking when he appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan.

The 46-year-old man appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts, where he admitted that on October 22, he was found to be in possession of 14.61 kilograms of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking.

The prosecution revealed that on the day in question, Police Officers acting on information received, searched the man’s home where several bags containing leaves, seeds and stems were found.

They were later identified as the illegal substance.

The discovery was brought to the defendant’s attention, he was told of the

Magistrate that the marijuana did not belong to him, but was given to him for safekeeping.

However, the Police revealed that the defendant admitted ownership of the drug when he was being taken to the Bartica Police Station on the day of the incident.

As such, McLennan handed down the sentence.

Troy Van Doimen (red shirt)

offence and cautioned, at which point he admitted to ownership of the drug.

The items were weighed and turned out to be 14.61 kg of cannabis.

In court, Doimen told Magistrate McLennan that he did not wish to waste the court’s time and as such, he wanted to plead guilty.

However, he did request a minimum sentence.

He also told the

The marijuana which Police unearthed

Man remanded on possession of narcotics charge

A

Camp Street, Georgetown, man was Monday morning remanded to prison when he appeared before the Chief Magistrate at the

Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

Dwayne McFarley, 21, of Camp Street pleaded not guilty to the charge stated that on October 20, 2016, at Georgetown, he had in his possession 250 grams of cannabis for the purpose of trafficking.

According to the Prosecution, a raid was being carried out when the cannabis was found in a garbage bag next to a shop where the accused was standing. He was told of the offence and arrested.

However, Police reported that upon his arrest, the defendant pleaded for leniency saying, “I don’t thief, just hussle,” as such he was charged.

He was remanded to prison and is to reappear in court on November 7, 2016.

Freedom...

A

…from blacklist?

fter all the “sturm und drang” from the APNU/ AFC over the last four years on the AML/CFT Bill intended to satisfy the FATF, not to blacklist us and make us international financial pariahs - your Eyewitness fully expected AG Basil Williams to lead the Government ministers to shout from the top of Bank of Guyana: “Free at last!! Free at last!! Thank God Almighty, Guyana is free at last!” After all, Guyana’s now officially off the blacklist, under his government!

But seeing as how the Minister of the Presidency bitch-slapped him silly over his “compulsory acquisition of friendly property” gambit, maybe he has other things on his mind as he licks his wounded ego! But let’s look at the whole affair - which looks from where your humble Eyewitness is sitting, as pretty sordid. Firstly, we now see that the crisis was totally manufactured by the APNU/AFC by refusing to sign the AML/CFT bill since there wasn’t much else THEY did as the government to get off the blacklist. Any “beg pardon” to the PPP? Not in this life!!

But the other gripe is the FATF was formed to seek and destroy ALL those responsible for “money laundering” which could then lead to “financing terrorists”. Yet the only countries pulled up by the seat of their pants and threatened with blacklisting have mostly been little pawns like Guyana. In the meantime it’s been shown ad nauseam that the biggest centres of laundering are Britain and the US!! The latest exposé has been the Panama Papers which showed how the game’s played.

Corporations in Britain routinely register thousand of paper/shell companies either in London itself, the Channel Islands, or in British territories, etc, and funnel money through tax havens like Panama. The quantities make the Kaieteur and Niagara Falls look like your kitchen faucet! Yet no one’s hauling THEM up before the FATF. In the US, for decades Delaware’s been doing the same and has recently been joined by Nevada and Wyoming… but who asks?

OK, your Eyewitness knows it’s money that makes the (financial) world go around (is that a tautology?) and since we don’t have much of that stuff, we have to grin and bear it. But at least Basil Williams should now ask banks that had cut reciprocal relations with our banks - like Bank of America - to reverse their decisions. BoA, which was fined US$16.5 million for funnelling drugs money from Mexico, obviously has no shame. But Basil can seize the moral high ground and put them on the spot.

If nothing else, this should help him to regain some equilibrium (if not ground) in the Cabinet!!

...to move among the masses

One of the interesting revelations coming out of the Auditor General’s Report was $13.5 million allocated for a Land Cruiser for the Office of the Prime Minister. Now this was interesting since we’d already had a big brouhaha when, after the 50 per cent salary increases of Ministers, the Prime Minister spent some $22 million for a Land Cruiser.

In the outrage that followed the government’s refusal to give government workers the “significant” raise they’d been promised, Prime Minister Nagamootoo had explained that he needed the special ride so that he could visit his “constituents” in Berbice. So the question arising is what’s this new Land Cruiser for? Is it for the PM to visit his constituents at Wales? Or is it perchance for his shill in the OPM? In either case, how does he balance this kind of splurging with the austerity of a salary freeze on sugar workers that forced them into a national strike?

But then, some folks more equal than others, no?

...from stereotyping

The papers used to print some “name and shame” reports of persons caught “Driving Under the Influence” (DUI). Problem was only – only - Berbicians were cited.

This week they’ve included Essequibians.

When will Demerarians be given an equal opportunity to show they’re also “real” Guyanese?

Readers are invited to send their comments by email to eye@guyanatimesgy.com

news

9

tuesday, october 25, 2016 | guyana-times.com

Govt flouts regulations to Femmale prison finance Linden Hospital officer busted with ganja

T

he Audit Office has recommended that the Finance Ministry take a definite decision and action toward regularising the status of the Linden Hospital Complex (LHC) since it is operating as an autonomous body, while still receiving funding from the Public Health Ministry as though it is a “department.”

During 2015, the Public Health Ministry transferred to the LHC amounts totalling $261.129 million from its current provisions. The sum was to have met the operational costs of the hospital. However, the operation of the current appropriation to fund the hospital was questioned since funding for that entity was included under a programme in the budget of the ministry, as though it was a department, while funding was disbursed as if it was a subvention agency under the ministry, the Auditor General’s Report disclosed.

It stated that the Linden Hospital Complex was approved by Cabinet decision dated November 24, 2015 to function as a board during the period of December 1, 2015 to November 30, 2016.

It was highlighted that the Complex was not an autonomous or semi-autonomous body regulated under an

A The Linden Hospital Complex

Act of Parliament and that it was managed by a Board of Directors and was not required to provide the ministry with financial or other reports that would indicate that some form of ministerial supervision was exercised over its processes.

Nevertheless, the report indicated that it was explained by the Head of the Budget Agency, that the hospital provides receipts and statements to cover all expenditures incurred to the ministry.

Therefore, the Report suggested that the ministry take affirmative action to discuss this matter with the subject minister and, if necessary, the Office of the Budget of the Ministry of Finance, with a view to hav-

ing definite decisions and actions toward regularising the status of LHC. Additionally, during 2015, audit checks the hospital revealed a number of other discrepancies; examination of the payroll and other related documents revealed that pay change directives for the termination of employment in respect of one employee was forwarded late to the Central Accounting Unit of the hospital, as a result, the employee was overpaid; the Stores Regulation require that a master inventory be maintained, however, the hospital has not adhere with this requirement, since this record was not maintained for the period under review; and log books presented

for audits were not properly maintained to reflect the signature of the authorising officer for the journeys undertaken. As a result it could not be ascertained whether proper control was exercised over the use of the complex’s fleet of vehicles.

The Report noted that the ministry acknowledged that overpayment of salaries is an issue but stated that they are trying to retrieve money.

The Audit Office recommended that action be taken to recover the overpaid money, put systems in place to ensure that all records are maintained, as required by Store Regulation 1993, and present all outstanding documents for audit examination.

female officer at the New Amsterdam Prison was on Sunday taken into custody after she was allegedly found with a quantity of cannabis at the New Amsterdam Prison.

Reports are that the officer asked an inmate to take a bag into the prison and give it to another inmate.

According to information reaching Guyana Times, when the prisoner enquired, he was told that it was medication for another inmate.

According to reports as the inmate was going through the second checkpoint, the officer at that gate ordered that he present the bag to be checked.

At that point, the female officer who was a close nearby moved up and attempted to take away the bag. There was a tussle which caused a senior officer to investigate.

The senior requested possession of the bag and upon checking its contents, a quantity of leaves, seeds and stems was discovered. The matter was reported to the Police and the female officer taken into

custody.

Meanwhile on August 28 last, the same female officer was fingered in another drug bust at that very prison.

On that occasion, a convicted inmate was found with 7 grams of cannabis sativa and implicated the said officer. The illegal drug was found when convicted inmate Ayube Rangasammy was seen acting in a suspicious manner. A search conductedof the bag he was carrying revealed a quantity of leaves, seeds and stems of the illegal plant.The inmate told investigators that a female Prison Officer took the drug into the prison and placed in a bucket by a sink for him to uplift. Rangasammy subsequently pleaded guilty to trafficking in narcotic within the prison and was sentenced, while the Director of Public Prosecutions had advised that no charges be brought against the officer since the Police had failed to produce evidence that she may have knowledge of the bag—and its contents.

(Andrew Carmichael)

10

guyana-times.com

tuesday, october 25, 2016

News

Suspects in Herstelling murder for court today A Dougla Identity I t least two persons are expected to be arraigned for the murder of 42-year-old Abdool Subrati of Peters Hall, East Bank Demerara today at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

This newspaper understands that those to be charged were positively identified during an identification parade on Saturday by the relatives of the now dead man.

Based on information received, the case file was sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions, who recommended that charges be instituted. On the night of the shooting, the now dead man had gone to the location to visit holidaying family members when five armed men attacked the premises. One of the armed men reportedly hid in the bathroom, while

The house where the robbery took place

Dead: Abdool Ameer Subrati

the four others stayed in the toilet.

Amika Appiah, one of the visiting overseas-based Guyanese, was confronted by one of the men after she went to take a shower around 02:00h. After realising what was happening, she raised an alarm, but it was then that the four other men ran out of the toilet

area.

She was held at gunpoint and they demanded that she hand over a “white bag”, which she later confirmed had a sum of money and important documents.

The gunmen then proceeded to discharged rounds and it was during that time, the father of one was shot to the neck. Appiah, however, was flung to the ground by one of the bandits and used the opportunity to secure herself along with other rel-

atives.

The men then went into the upper flat of the house where they found the bag and made good their escape, but not before discharging several other rounds.

The injured Subrati was picked up and taken to the Diamond hospital where he was treated and transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he underwent surgery to remove the bullet, but subsequently died.

am not sure where the word or the term dougla comes from but I think it is of Hindu origin meaning mix. In Guyana, a dougla is a mixed person of African and Indian heritage. An estimated 12-14 per cent of Guyana’s population is dougla. Douglarization, which refers to the biological and cultural mixing of Africans and Indians, began when Indians arrived in Guyana in the nineteenth century as indentured servants. Continuous contact between both ethnic groups has undoubtedly led to a noticeable dougla reality and a distinct dougla identity.

What is not certain, however, is the concept and interpretation of douglarization, which remains largely ambiguous mainly because its level of acceptance varies according to time and place.

Historically, and especially during indenture, the mere presence of a dougla person was a sense of shame, born out of the plantation tensions between Africans and Indians and Dr Lomarsh Roopnarine sustained mainly by the ruling European class to ensure their security. The presence of dougla person then, and less so now, represents bastardisation, an embarrassment to ethnic loyalty and cultural patrimony from both Africans and Indians.

Research as well as ethno-graphic observations reveal that a dougla person is accepted more in the African than in the Indian community for two broad reasons. The first is that Africans have been in Guyana for a longer period of time than Indians and have experienced racial mixing, free or forced. They have over time displayed less reservation to racial mixing than most ethnic groups in Guyana.

The second is that Indians arrived in Guyana with a caste structure that encouraged insular ethno-relations such as endogamy. The practice of caste insularity did not survive in Guyana but the ideology of ethnic exclusiveness, rightly or wrongly so, did survive in some sections of Guyana.

To maintain traditional cultural norms (such as arranged marriages) of their departed homeland, Indians went to great lengths to protect themselves from racial mixing. Those Indians who did mix normally had closer relationships with Africans or had been, for the most part, at the lower end of Guyana’s class structural continuum and distant from the everyday life of Indians.

Later in the middle of twentieth century, particularly during the period of gradual urbanisation, douglarization became more noticeable among the upper and middle class Indians and Africans.

Professor Bridget Brereton argues that the practice of rejection of other cultural norms amongst Indians emerged from the desire to protect the Indian culture from being absorbed in the Creole culture. Put differently, the rejection of other cultural norms means the reconstruction of Indian culture within or among their cultural domains. For example, Brahmin Indians were influential in resisting Christianisation of their children and community.

Whenever douglarization occurs, whether according to class or location, there is this question of acceptance, which is not normally associated with other forms of racial mixing, like for example, between Indians and Europeans, between Africans and Chinese or Amerindians in Guyana. What this implies is that douglarization is strictly an Indian-African cultural uniqueness in Guyana, and of course, in Trinidad.

What is also interesting is that the level of acceptance of douglarization does not begin with the dougla offspring but with the mixed couple union. If an Indian woman marries or lives with an African man, she is most likely to be ostracised by her Indian family, sometimes for life, although this rejection is seen more in rural than urban areas. If an Indian man marries or lives with an African woman, he will most likely be able to enter both communities—African and Indian—although with some apprehension. He may be ridiculed by his Indian family for marrying an African woman. If the above situation is reversed, there is less apprehension towards the African man or woman in the African community. Also, if a dougla person is raised in the African community, he or she is most likely to assume a Creole identity and develop little in-depth knowledge of the Indian side of the family. The opposite generally happens if the dougla person is raised on the Indian side of the family.

Paradoxically, a dougla person inherits a bi-biological and bicultural world at birth but experiences neither fully through life primarily because of agnostic social relations between Africans and Indians, although, again, this varies according to class and location. One question generally asked about douglarization is whether or not it is a one-generation experience. Speaking from a biological perspective, it is only for one generation since further mixing would dilute biological aspects of douglarization, that is, the 50 per cent African and the 50 per cent Indian. One must caution that the reality of douglarization is not grounded in only biological concepts, but it can be broadened to include cultural mixing such as in music: Soca and Chutney.

(Send comments to: lomarsh.roopnarine@jsums.edu).

tuesDAY, october 25, 2016

guyana-times.com

11

News City vendors decry Council’s harassment

This 74-year-old vendor said the treatment by the M&CC is unfair

R

eferring to him as “Zaccheaus the tax collector”, Town Clerk Royston King has come in for more bashing from vendors of some City markets, who said that he is taking his position a bit too far, “boxing food” out of the mouth of the poor.

These were said by vendors who gathered in a peaceful protest outside City Hall Monday.

According to the protestors, King has been passing orders without considering the affairs and circumstances of the poor - persons who have been vending since he was a young child.

“I think to myself Mr Royston King is overstepping his marks. To me he is behaving as if he was not a poor person. Why is it only that you are only attacking the vendors? They are no other working class person that you can attack? Maybe because he believe that we are sitting at the road corner selling, we are doing a legitimate job, he should allow us to sell our time,” one vendor told Guyana Times.

She said the complaints from City Hall are that vendors sometimes leave the area untidy. While that is true to some extent, she claims that council is re-

ceiving fees from vendors and they must know who vends where. “They must be able to tax them, but Peter mustn’t pay for Paul and Paul pay for all. He is punishing poor people and God will (sin) him, he has to stop it,” she said.

The vendor went on to compare the mode of operation between the council now and the one which existed under former Town Clerk, Carol Sooba, and Mayor Hamilton Green.

She said such things never occurred under the stewardship of Sooba, whom she said looked into the interest of the vendors.

“It’s better she (Sooba) was still here, better, much

Vendors protesting

better,” she said.

One vendor of Bourda Market said the council has passed a new rule that vendors could only sell until 12 midday. She said it is most certainly unfair as they are also collecting the same amount of money as if they were selling for the entire day.

Then there is a shoe vendor from Stabroek Market who had her bit to say.

“I heard they want to remove us from there, but I don’t think that is right, because she (Mayor ChaseGreen) came and met us there. And we are paying our rent, we are here through rain and sun to make a dollar and I can’t

This Bourda Market vendor said she preferred former Town Clerk Carol Sooba in office

see why they would want to remove us, because they are collecting millions of dollars in revenues from the rent we pay.”

She too said that the current Mayor and Council is nothing compared to the former system.

“I don’t know why Mayor Chase-Green and Mr Royston King doing this to us. I don’t think this is right at all. I think that they should pray and ask God to lead them to make the right decisions… We try our best to do the right things. I don’t think that is right at all,” she lamented, continuing that everyone is

seeking to make a honest living.

Another vendor, in tears, pleaded with the council to return her bread and cheese. She said since last Thursday, an officer she identified as Mr Langevine “took away her bread and cheese and currently has it lodged in a room at the constabulary office.” “I am a single parent mother with three children. I sell my bread on wheels. I lose my capital and my profit. I need justice; I need my bread and cheese. That is how I look after my children,” she said. (Alexis Rodney)

12 news

tuesDay, october 25, 2016 | guyana-times.com

Woodlands Hospital launches Teen dies after falling off truck Zika testing in Guyana W

oodlands Hospital on Monday announced its partnership with Co-diagnostics, a US molecular diagnostics company, to commence cutting-edge Zika virus testing.

Managing Director of the hospital, Dr Neville Gobin, assures the population that they will know if they are infected in less than an hour.

He stated that the hospital is moving away from rapid testing for the virus as research has shown that many of the devices used for rapid testing have yielded false positive results.

Co-diagnostics is at the forefront of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology, creating a new class of molecular diagnostics, providing fast, reliable, accurate and affordable PCR testing, causing clients to save thousands of dollars.

It has made a giant leap forward in DNA test design by making PCR more accurate, faster to develop and much less expensive to administer.

Among its wide line of specialised testing is the detection of the Zika virus. Codiagnostics own the most modern-patented technology that tests for Zika and other mosquito-borne diseases.

Co-diagnostics President Dr Dwight Egan said the company is looking to change “the way molecular

A Zika testing kit

diagnostics and infectious disease testing are done in Guyana.”

He stated that the device, which comprises a computer and a testing kit, has the capacity to test 48 people at a time.

Guyana is among the first of South American countries to be on board with the PCR Zika Technology.

Egan stated that they would use a blood or saliva sample from the individual and place it into one of the tubes, which would then be inserted into the box. The test can distinct between Zika and its cousin viruses, especially Chikungunya and dengue. The cost of the equipment ranges from US$75 to US$900. “The goal is to provide molecular di-

agnostics tests that are inexpensive through inexpensive equipment,” he said.

He stated that the company owns all of the intellectual property and that Woodlands Hospital was chosen because Codiagnostics learnt that it was a premiere hospital within the country with an international laboratory.

The company will start training Woodlands laboratory technicians once the decision between the company and institution is inked.

“There would be no need to export samples of blood for testing to be done.

Hopefully this will put an end to that… this is the type of goal that we have for you so that you can become independent as a hospital, as a

country in providing these kinds of tests for your population,” he asserted.

Egan said the test gets down to the molecular level to show that the Zika virus is alive in that patient, while many of the other tests do not identify the virus’ presence “instead it shows that the body has developed some antibodies”.

“So you might give someone a rapid test and it might show positive because that patient had the virus in their bodies long ago or they may have not had Zika but Chikungunya or dengue,” he said.

He added that Zika is rather benign as a virus because 80 per cent of persons infected have no symptoms.

He affirmed that “microcephaly: that’s the problem with Zika. The cost to take care of a microcephaly baby is between one and ten million (dollars).”

“I have never seen anything get the national attention like Zika has. Every week it comes up,” he said.

The company also met with Public Health Minister Dr George Norton later in the day to pitch the test to him.

The molecular diagnostic test can also test where there is a mutation of mosquitoes that can possibly be infected with Zika. Dr Egan explained that devices can be placed at strategic locations to catch the mosquitoes, grind them and use the samples to test for the presence of the Zika strain.

in Berbice A

teenager died on Sunday evening after he allegedly fell off a moving truck, which was transporting a music system in the vicinity of the Number Five Village Public Road, West Coast Berbice.

Dead is Travis Blair, 18, of Lot 118 Peters Street, Ithaca Village, West Bank Berbice. Reports are that the teenager, along with others, was at the back of the lorry, which was packed with several speaker boxes when one of the pallets shifted causing the young man to lose his balance and subsequently fall off the truck.

Guyana Times understands that the now dead teenager and a group of youngsters had accompanied the owners and the DJ of the music system to a horse race meet at Rising Sun, West Coast Berbice, on Sunday and were heading home when the accident occurred.

Blair, from all indications, sustained a broken neck upon landing on the roadway. An eyewitness told Guyana Times that the speaker boxes shifted on account of a heavy wind in the area. He noted that another young man managed to hold onto the rail and the screams of those in the back of the truck alerted the driver to the mishap.

Upon bringing the vehicle to a halt, the driver and the group of young men ran to-

Dead: Travis Blair

wards Blair and found him in an unconscious state. He was bleeding profusely from the head. He was picked up and taken to the Fort Wellington Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Shevon Nicholson, an aunt of the dead teenager, explained that she was informed of the incident by way of a telephone call: "We get the call that he fall off the canter and we rush to the scene, by time then the ambulance did taking him to Georgetown Hospital, we drive behind the ambulance; before we reach, them said he dead.” Blair would frequent events at which the “Thunderbolt” music system was hired to play.

He was described as a very helpful individual. He leaves to mourn his parents and two siblings. The driver of the truck was taken into Police custody and is assisting with the investigations.

news

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tuesday, OCTOBER 25, 2016 | guyana-times.com

Fighting obesity with soda tax

By Devina Samaroo

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besity is the main risk factor for NonCommunicable Diseases (NCDs) in Guyana, particularly cardiovascular problems and diabetes, which is the third leading cause of deaths locally.

Around the world, the obesity epidemic continues to expand, but several nations have taken the step to impose a tax

on sugary beverages to battle with this growing contagion.

Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Dr Shamdeo Persaud, during an interview with Guyana Times, noted that obesity was quite widespread in the country, but lamented that the lack of funding has severely hampered public awareness campaigns.

He disclosed that obesity in children under the age of one saw a threefold increase over

the past five years and that observations show that excessive weight gain was prevalent among schoolchildren who had unlimited access to a variety of unhealthy food, especially sweetened beverages.

Dr Persaud said a soda tax would make significant strides in reducing public consumption of aerated drinks and would generate enough revenue to fund impacting awareness campaigns that can

Stigma, discrimination against sex workers

Knowledge management team set up to increase education

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he Pan Caribbean Partnership against HIV & AIDS (PANCAP) has set up a knowledge management team to increase education in an effort to reduce stigma and discrimination against sex workers.

The organisation recently participated at the Caribbean Sex Work Coalition Sex Worker Implementation Tool (SWIT) Meeting. Its Knowledge for Health (K4Health) project engaged more than 20 participants of the CSWC SWIT workshop in a ‘net-mapping’ activity to determine how stigma and discrimination affect their ability to advocate for human rights, access to HIV prevention and care, and HIV/AIDS education.

K4Health Project Knowledge Management Adviser Sarah Fohl stated that net-mapping was a knowledge management tool that allowed “participants to determine the relationships, actors, barriers and opportunities within their communities that significantly affect their lives”.

She explained that the net-mapping exercise allowed participants to work together and identify barriers and opportunities to adequate access to condoms and education about safe sex and HIV/AIDS. Dr Shanti Singh-Anthony,

PANCAP Knowledge Management Coordinator, Dr Shanti Singh-Anthony the Knowledge Management Coordinator, stated that sex workers face a great amount of discrimination because of their line of work.

“It was important for the participants of the workshop to clearly identify what prevents them from gaining sufficient knowledge on HIV/ AIDS, as well as prevention tools so that advocates can identify solutions to remove these barriers with the aim of eliminating the spread of AIDS,” she noted.

The net-mapping activity complements the goal of the workshop to educate participants on the SWIT, which offers practical guidance on effective HIV and Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI) programming for sex workers.

It provides evidence of the importance of decriminalising sex work, the involvement of sex workers in developing policy, and the empowerment and self-determination of sexworking communities as a fundamental part of the fight against HIV. It was agreed upon that the aim was “for sex workers and leaders of the groups represented to propagate the messages and lessons learnt through the PANCAPK4Health activity among their peers in their respective countries so that more sex workers are playing an active role in responding to stigma and discrimination barriers to HIV prevention tools and education”.

The idea for the workshop was generated after leaders of the CSWC participated in the Global Fund SWIT workshop in October 2015 in Ecuador, as well as additional SWIT training activities earlier in 2015 organised by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). SWIT was created by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and is based on its 2012 recommendations on HIV and Sex Work.

PANCAP Director Dereck Springer is advocating for more attention to be focused on the issue of stigma and discrimination within the sex work environment.

compete with high-budget advertisements which promote unhealthy lifestyles.

In recent months, the concept of a soda tax has been brought to the forefront and Public Health Minister, Dr George Norton already indicated that Guyana could explore this option in an attempt to encourage healthier lifestyles among citizens.

In fact, Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) Country Representative, Dr William Adu Krow, during a health forum at the Regency Hotel in October, disclosed that a representative from the Finance Ministry sought his advice on the implementation of a soda tax.

Former Health Minister, Dr Leslie Ramsammy underscored the effectiveness of a soda tax, noting that by introducing such taxes, Governments would ultimately be helping poor communities who least can afford the health care that would be demanded by diseases, such as diabetes and heart diseases.

Soda’s connection to the obesity epidemic is so intertwined, Harvard researchers have calculated each additional soda consumed increases the risk of obesity 1.6 times.

Incessant soda consumption eventually leads to increased risk of diabetes, osteoporosis, reproductive issues, heart diseases, and kidney issues, among other health dangers.

Research shows that while less than 800 million people go hungry every day, more than

Chief Medical Officer, Dr Shamdeo Persaud two billion people consume diets that are making them sick.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) on October 10 also endorsed the soda tax movement which has proven to successfully advance the fight against obesity.

Charging heavy taxes on soda will pressure distributors to pass the cost along to businesses and consumers. Should they increase the price of their products – and this is the straightforward effect – the additional cost could reduce soda consumption by encouraging people to select healthier, cheaper options.

Additionally, a taxed industry will act as an “anti-soda” public health campaign since people tend to understand that product-specific taxes are only levied when a substance can cause harm.

Such a shift occurred with tobacco when countries around the world implemented the tobacco tax.

Several countries have in-

troduced taxes on sugar sweetened beverages, including Chile, France and Hungary, which tax food and drinks with high sugar, salt and caffeine content. More recently, the United Kingdom announced that it would introduce a tax on some sugar sweetened beverages by 2018.

Perhaps the most popular success story is that of Mexico, where implementation of the soda tax resulted in the purchase of soda decreasing by an incredible 12 per cent within a year.

The recent imposition of the soda tax in Barbados also proved effective, with a 26 per cent reduction in the intake of sugary beverages within a year.

But in addition to the soda tax, the fight against obesity requires a major cultural shift whereby the population becomes more health conscious and favours making healthier decisions as opposed to being forced.

The CMO explained that for starters, Government should replace the sugary beverages in the school feeding programmes with healthier options like milk, water or pure fruit juice.

He noted that there are many more initiatives Government could embark upon to control the obesity problem in the country, which has not yet escalated to severe heights as in other nations.

Dr Persaud also encouraged healthier eating habitats such as meals containing lesser sodium and fat.

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guyana-times.com

tuesday, october 25, 2016

Regional

Venezuela, Opposition to hold “Dallas Buyers Club” company dialogue as protests brew going to T&T for Govt talks

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enezuela’s socialist Government and Opposition will hold surprise talks on Sunday amid a worsening political standoff and protests since the suspension of a referendum drive to remove unpopular President Nicolás Maduro.

The two sides will meet on Margarita island to talk amid the oil-rich country’s brutal economic crisis, the Government, Opposition, and the Vatican’s envoy to Venezuela said on Monday.

“This dialogue is now crystallising,” Socialist Party official Jorge Rodriguez told reporters. He said the Vatican and regional bloc UNASUR will accompany the talks.

Past conversations between the bitterly polarised sides have led to little progress.

The Opposition says Maduro is inept and must leave office before the crisis worsens, while he vows not to be pushed out by a powerhungry elite seeking a coup.

Maduro, a former bus driver and union leader, made an unannounced trip to the Vatican on Monday

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A demonstrator speaks to members of the Venezuelan National Guard during a student rally demanding a referendum to remove Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro in Caracas, Venezuela on October 24, 2016

to meet Pope Francis, who urged him to alleviate people’s suffering to solve the crisis.

The Vatican agreed in September to accompany a dialogue between Maduro and his foes, although formal rapprochement had yet to happen.

There was no indication Maduro would participate in Sunday’s talks.

The Opposition is calling for nationwide protests on Wednesday as Venezuela’s third year of recession has many skipping meals due to

widespread food shortages and spiralling prices.

Several hundred students on Monday burned rubbish and set up roadblocks in the volatile border city of San Cristobal near Colombia. The city, a hotbed of anti-Maduro sentiment, was the site of the worst violence during protests two years ago that led to 43 deaths around the nation.

“We want freedom!” chanted the protesters, who closed several roads under the watch of police and troops. (Excerpt from Reuters)

he US company behind the 2014 Academy Award-winning movie “The Dallas Buyers Club”, arrives next month for talks with Government on T&T’s film industry, Trade Minister Paula Gopee-Scoon has said.

Gopee-Scoon made the announcement in the Senate last Friday during the 2017 budget debate. The US company, Truth Entertainment Now (TEN), is headed by Texas producer Joe Newcomb.

“The Dallas Buyers Club” starring US megastar Matthew McConaughey is the true-life story of AIDS victim, Ronald Woodroof.

After Woodroof was diagnosed with AIDS in the 1980s, he started a venture called the Dallas Buyers Club, which distributed AIDS treatments not yet approved by US authorities, to those who couldn’t afford

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noting that the intervention is intended to reassure users of foreign exchange that the BoJ is standing behind the preservation of orderly conditions in the market.

Additionally, the Central Bank says it will be paying out specified foreign currency denominated certificates of deposit ahead of their original maturity dates, which will add significantly to the volume of US dollar liquidity available to institutions and individuals.

The total value of the securities is US$258 million.

The Jamaica Chamber of Commerce (JCC) has also

expressed its displeasure at the increased pace of devaluation of the Jamaican dollar.

“Our concern is that if this rate of devaluation is left unchecked, it could contribute to an erosion of confidence, which could in turn contribute to further devaluation, increased inflation and prove to be a damper on investments,” said the JCC. “The JCC is, therefore, calling on the BoJ to play a more active role in the management of the exchange rate – including direct intervention – as a matter of urgency.” (Excerpt from Caribbean360)

Antigua: UPP to boycott independence anniversary celebrations

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he Opposition United Progressive Party (UPP) will be boycotting the official activities to mark the 35th Anniversary of Independence.

(UPP) Spokesman Damani Tabor said the party’s executive unanimously made the decision as it and others believe the theme “Building an economic powerhouse together” is political.

“Based on the hurtful policies, based on the stupid and divisive theme – which the UPP condemns – and as a result of this divisive theme, the UPP executive has taken a unanimous decision that we will

not officially participate in anything that has to do with Independence. It is not in keeping with the standards of previous themes which emphasise togetherness,” Tabor said during an interview on OBSERVER AM. Although the executive will not be officially recognising the theme, it is encouraging the public to support the vendors at the Food Fair.

“Even though we are not participating officially, of course, we expect you to buy food at the food fair, the vendors need a little food to ‘nyam’ especially since they are not getting economic relief,” Tabor said.

However, during this year’s Independence Launch, which took place on Thursday, Culture Minister EP Chet Greene said the theme was well accepted by his regional colleagues and should be embraced by nationals also.

“I had the pleasure to speak at a Services Symposium on Monday put on by Caricom, and I can tell you, the regional support that theme won when I referenced it. As a matter of fact, I challenge Caricom to join and make this not only a region-wide slogan, but a call of action. Alone we will grow fast, but together we will go far. (Excerpt from Antigua Observer)

treatments.

The film copped six 2014 Academy Awards for Best Motion Picture, Best Actor (McConaughey) Best Supporting Actor, Best Writing (Original Screenplay), Best Achievement in Makeup and Hairstyling and Best Achievement in Film Editing.

Trinidad Guardian)

Thousands of Chileans put on wrong voter rolls

Jamaican dollar devaluation C “unwarranted” nwarranted and disruptive!”

That’s how the Bank of Jamaica (BOJ) has described the most recent devaluation of the local currency.

The Jamaican dollar is now being sold for J$129.19 (one Jamaica dollar = US$0.08) as the US dollar gained four cents in trading on Friday.

At the start of the year, the Jamaica dollar was valued at J$120.37 for US$1.

In a counter move, the BoJ has revealed that it has sold US$30 million to the foreign exchange market,

Trade Minister Paula Gopee-Scoon

Gopee-Scoon said Government was pleased with strengthening of the local film industry and will be seeking to partner with international players to help develop the industry.

Several large international films will be made in T&T and at the end of the process, Government would want to have a local production house.

She then named Truth Entertainment Now, noting it was the company which made “The Dallas Buyers Club”.

Gopee-Scoon said TEN would be coming next month for talks with the Ministry and CreateT&T within the creative industries film sector. Talks have been occurring in recent months with TEN for T&T links. TEN Chairman/CEO Newcomb has a background in the oil and natural gas industry, US reports state. (Excerpt from

hile’s electoral service has mistakenly listed hundreds of thousands of voters as living in towns far away from their actual place of residence, casting a minor pall over Sunday’s local elections.

According to the Government, about 475,000 voters in the country of 17.6 million people have been placed on the wrong voter roll.

While some voters are listed as living in nearby municipalities and thus may be able to vote with some added inconvenience, many are listed as living far from their actual home.

Among them is Guillermo Ponce, a civil engineer living in the Santiago neighbourhood of Nunoa, who found out recently that the electoral service had changed his residence to Chilean Antarctica, a largely unpopulated province well over 2000 miles (3219 km) southward.

“I don’t know Antarctica, I’ve never been there, I’ve never done any administrative dealings there,” Ponce said.

“So, all the explanations that (the government) offers, that two addresses could have gotten mixed up during an administrative process or a transaction at the Civil

Registry that caused this address to be assigned, none of that is valid in my case.”

On Thursday, Chilean Justice Minister Javiera Blanco resigned among calls by lawmakers that she be sacked due to the registering errors.

In Chile’s local elections for mayors and councillors, the right is set to make gains against President Michelle Bachelet’s centre-left governing coalition, potentially providing conservatives with a boost going into next year’s presidential and parliamentary elections. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Manhunt on after prison break in hurricane-hit Haiti

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ore than 170 inmates of a northern Haitian prison have escaped after killing a guard and stealing firearms, according to authorities engaged in a manhunt with support from United Nations peacekeepers.

Judge Henry Claude Louis-Jean said the jail break occurred on Saturday in Arcahaie, a coastal town about 50 kilometres north of Haiti’s capital Port-au-Prince.

Police in the Caribbean nation have set up checkpoints on roads leading from the jail and detained several people without identity cards.

However, the 266 inmates of Arcahaie prison do not wear uniforms, making it easier for the escapees to hide from authorities. Eleven inmates were caught during the jail break, which happened when some prisoners were released in to a relatively less secure area for bathing.

Many Haiti jail inmates spend years in pre-trial detention [Dieu Nalio Chery/AP]

The inmates broke into an area used by the guards, stealing at least five rifles among other weapons. One guard was shot to death.

Haitian Justice Minister Camille Edouard Junior said one inmate also died during the jail break after falling off a wall and hitting his head.

“One guard was killed during the incident,” Edouard Junior told Reuters news agency.

“Three prisoners were wound-

ed, including one who died as a consequence of his wounds.”

In the aftermath of the escape, videos circulating online showed the guard’s bloodied body lying on the floor surrounded by escapees’ discarded sandals. The Government condemned what it called a “mutiny provoked by heavily armed individuals”, according to a statement quoted by the news website Vant Bef. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

tuesday, october 25, 2016

guyana-times.com

15

Around the World

Belgium blocks key EU Mosul offensive: Iraqi Kurdish forces trade deal with Canada besiege key town of Bashiqa

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elgium cannot sign a key European Union (EU) trade deal with Canada, Prime Minister Charles Michel has said, because of objections led by its Wallonia region.

Michel said talks with Wallonia and two other elected bodies had failed.

His comments appeared to dash hopes the Ceta deal could be signed on Thursday, but European Council President Donald Tusk said it was still possible.

This is the EU’s most ambitious free trade deal to date, but Belgium needs its regions’ approval to sign it.

Michel said he had told Tusk that Belgium could not sign Ceta (the acronym for the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement).

The other 27 EU Governments want to sign the agreement, which has been in the pipeline for seven years.

The European Commission had set Belgium a Monday deadline

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There have been demonstrations in several EU cities against Ceta and TTIP

to make its decision on the deal.

In a tweet on Monday, Tusk wrote: “Together with (Canadian) PM @ JustinTrudeau, we think Thursday’s summit still possible. We encourage all parties to find a solution.

There’s yet time.”

For the deal to pass, Belgium’s federal, regional and community bodies (seven in all) must give their approval.

Wallonia, a staunchly socialist region of 3.6 million people, has led objec-

tions to the deal, demanding stronger safeguards on labour, environmental and consumer standards.

But at talks with Martin on Monday, it emerged that two other bodies, Brussels and that of the Frenchspeaking community, also opposed Ceta.

The Belgian socialists’ fears echo those of anti-globalisation activists, who say Ceta and deals like it give too much power to multinationals – power even to intimidate Governments.

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ated with sorrow during the inter-religious service where they sang religious hymns.

The official death toll from the accident is expected to rise further, with an unspecified number of unidentified bodies being kept in a Yaounde morgue, according to State television.

The work has been complicated by the fact there were no official lists of passengers since many did not have tickets.

“I still cannot find my brother who was on this train,” said Arouna in Yaounde, who did not want to give his full name.

ground around Bartella, 10km to the south.

Abdul Wahhab al-Saadi told the BBC they had stormed the villages of Khazna, Khazna Tabba and Tob Zawa.

The operation to retake Bashiqa is the second launched by the Peshmerga.

Last week, they had to pull back after fierce clashes with IS militants dug in there.

The second assault began on Sunday, and by Monday morning the Peshmerga had encircled the town and begun digging trenches in

preparation to storm it, a commander told Kurdish news agency Rudaw.

The BBC’s Richard Galpin in Irbil says that if they do succeed in retaking Bashiqa, it would give the Peshmerga a clear run to north-eastern Mosul, with no other towns or villages lying in between.

Iraq’s Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi meanwhile insisted that claims that Turkish troops had taken part in the battle for Bashiqa were “baseless and untrue”.(Excerpt from BBC News)

Calais migrants: Hundreds moved from “Jungle” camp

(Excerpt from BBC News)

After rail crash, Cameroonians vent grief, frustration with longtime ruler ameroon observed a day of mourning on Monday for victims of a deadly rail accident that has killed at least 75 people and exposed widespread frustration with one of Africa’s longest-ruling Presidents.

At the Eseka train station near where a packed passenger train carrying more than 1300 people from Yaounde to the port of Douala derailed and flipped over last week, thousands of people gathered to mourn.

Many wore black and carried small branches from the local “peace tree” associ-

urdish forces taking part in the offensive to retake the Iraqi city of Mosul from Islamic State militants are besieging a key town to the northeast.

Peshmerga fighters have surrounded Bashiqa, which lies on a crucial supply route 12 kilometres (eight miles) from Mosul, and are preparing to launch a full assault.

But the threat of suicide bomb attacks means they are advancing with caution.

A Counter-Terrorism Service commander also said its troops had gained

“Nobody has been able to help me since Friday.”

In Eseka, some residents said they had seen many more bodies than had been officially reported although this could not be independently verified. Around 600 people are still being treated for injuries and officials made urgent calls for blood donations to help those who still needed transfusions.

On the streets of the capital Yaounde, many openly criticised the reaction of President Paul Biya’s Government to an accident which they say should have been avoidable. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Almost 2000 migrants have been moved from the “Jungle” refugee camp in Calais

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lmost 2000 migrants have been bussed away from the “Jungle” in Calais as French authorities clear the camp.

At least 7000 people have been living there in squalid conditions.

Migrants queued peacefully to be processed, but there are concerns some will refuse to go because they still want to get to the United Kingdom.

Almost 200 children from the camp have been brought to the UK, some of them under the “Dubs” arrangement, according to UK Home Secretary Amber Rudd.

The number includes 60 girls who were at high risk of sexual exploitation, she said.

But the process of transferring some of the estimated 1300 unaccompanied children from the camp was halted on Monday at the request of the French.

The dismantling of the camp is expected to start today.

Long queues formed earlier outside reception centres in the camp as the French authorities worked to determine whether individual migrants were with family members or travelling alone, and whether they were

deemed to be vulnerable.

After processing, they boarded buses to different parts of France where they will be given the opportunity to claim asylum, or face deportation.

At least 40 of the 60 coaches planned to transport them have now left, according to BBC correspondents at the scene.

In a statement (in French), French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said 2318 migrants had been “given shelter” on Monday.

He said 1918 adults had been taken away on 45 buses to 80 reception centres. (Excerpt

from BBC News)

Mumbai mosque to lift ban on women CO2 levels mark new era in world’s changing climate famous mosque in

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India has agreed to scrap a ban on women entering its inner sanctum after a bitter legal battle about the restriction.

The Haji Ali Dargah trust has barred women from the mausoleum off the coast of Mumbai since 2011, insisting the presence of women near the tomb of a revered saint is a “grievous sin” in Islam.

The trustees had appealed to the Supreme Court against a lower court’s decision in August to overturn the ban as a violation of constitutional rights of equality.

But the trust told the Supreme Court on Monday it would now admit women, but needed several weeks to set up special entry areas to the tomb in the 15th-century building.

“The trust has decided to give women access to the sanctorum housing the saint’s tomb,” its lawyer

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The trust “would need several weeks” to set up special entry areas [Divyakant Solanki/EPA]

Gopal Subramanium told the court. A Muslim women’s rights group hailed the decision as a victory which would likely put pressure on other places of worship that have gender restrictions.

“It is restoring the Islamic values of what we have always believed as Muslims, that Islam is a religion of equality, democracy and women’s rights,” Noorjehan Niaz, co-founder of Bharatiya

Muslim Mahila Andolan, which campaigns for the rights of Muslim women in India, told AFP news agency.

Niaz was one of the petitioners who filed the case against the Haji Ali Dargah trust on constitutional grounds. Women in India have been intensifying their campaigns to be allowed to enter a number of Hindu temples and other religious sites.

(Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

evels of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere have surged past an important threshold and may not dip below it for “many generations”.

The 400 parts per million benchmark was broken globally for the first time in recorded history in 2015.

But according to the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), 2016 will likely be the first full year to exceed the mark.

The high levels can be partly attributed to a strong El Niño event.

While human emissions of CO2 remained fairly static between 2014 and 2015, the onset of a strong El Niño weather phenomenon caused a spike in levels of the gas in the atmosphere.

That’s because the drought conditions in tropical regions produced by El Niño meant that vegetation

A depiction of the global sources of CO2 which are dominated by the US, China and Europe

was less able to absorb CO2.

There were also extra emissions from fires, sparked by the drier conditions.

In its annual Greenhouse Gas Bulletin, the World Meteorological Organisation says the conditions helped push the growth in the levels of CO2 in the atmosphere above the average for the last ten years.

At the atmospheric monitoring station in Mauna Loa, Hawaii, levels of CO2 broke through 400 parts per million (ppm), meaning 400 molecules of CO2 for every one million molecules in the atmosphere.

The last time CO2 was regularly above 400ppm was three to five million years ago, say experts. (Excerpt from BBC News)

16 news

tuesDay, october 25, 2016 | guyana-times.com

Businesswoman’s killing

Mandela Avenue shooting

DPP recommends murder charge

Accused to know fate Thursday

The 25-year-old suspect who confessed to the murder

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irector of Public Prosecutions, Shalimar Ali Hack on Monday recommended that the two suspects in the murder of 56-year-old Bibi Nesha Shairoon be charged for the heinous crime.

Guyana Times understands that the intention was to pass the 25-year-old and 14-year-old suspects through the court today, but the advice from the DPP was a little late. Nevertheless, the teenager and the fisherman will be taken to the Cove and John Magistrate’s Court today. The two suspects on Saturday evening reportedly gave a detailed statement on how they committed the murder. The duo allegedly admitted to beating the woman in her head with a frying pan.

The 25-year-old suspect, a fisherman of Rosignol, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) reportedly told investigators

The 14-year-old boy who worked for the now dead businesswoman

that he had owed some money to a drug dealer and as such, he and the teenager planned the robbery on the businesswoman. It is believed that after the duo entered the woman’s house, she put up a fight, but was struck to the head with the frying pan and subsequently fainted. The 14-yearold boy was reportedly familiar with the woman’s home, as he worked with her, cleaning her yard and performing other duties. On the night of the murder, the teenager told the fisherman that he had a job for them to complete and was taken to the woman’s house.

From reports received, the teenager had gone to the woman’s house earlier in the night and removed several boards to gain access to the home. Upon reaching the woman’s house between 23:00h and midnight, the teenager crawled into the house through the opening

Dead: Bibi Nesha Shairoon

and opened the back door for the other suspect to enter. The woman was reportedly sitting on a chair in her bedroom and realising that she was still awake, the bandits confronted her, demanding money.

She reportedly handed over a bag containing $300,000 and asked them to spare her life, but they were not satisfied, so they tied her up but she put up a fight in the process. It was at this point, she was struck to the head with the frying pan. After killing the woman, the duo told investigators, they left the scene and split the loot. The elder of the two suspects returned to Berbice to pay his debt. The teenager was, however, arrested a few hours after the woman’s body was found with her hands and feet bound and mouth gagged.

The second suspect was arrested one day after Police received information about his whereabouts and his possible involvement in the murder.

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urder accused Lloyd Britton, who allegedly killed 24-year-old Elvis Fernandes during an argument at Mandela Avenue, West Ruimveldt two years ago, will know his fate later this week.

Britton appeared before Justice James BovellDrakes at the High Court on Monday as the defence and prosecution presented their closing arguments.

The murder accused is being represented by Nigel Hughes while Tamica Clarke and Stacy Goodings are leading the State’s case.

In 2014, Fernandes was allegedly shot dead during an argument with a minibus driver. Police had noted that the driver of the minibus and the driver of a motor car had an argument earlier at Mandela Avenue as a result of being in a ‘damage’ accident.

“The drivers of the two vehicles later crossed paths again along Mandela Avenue as the minibus stopped to put off a passenger and another argument arose. On this occasion Elvis Fernandes and a plain-clothes Policeman were in the motor car,”

The late Elvis Fernandes was shot at Mandela Avenue

Police had noted.

Somehow, Fernandes became involved in the argument along with the driver of the minibus, during which he was shot to his chest by a man, believed to be Britton, who was a passenger in the minibus and who had begun discharging rounds from a firearm.

A Policeman, who tendered evidence during the current trial, was said to have made efforts to pacify the situation and subsequently discharged a round from his service firearm, which struck the armed man.

In his closing remarks, Defence Counsel Hughes on Monday pointed out to the court and jury the discrepancies in the Police account, suggesting that it may have been a rank who shot the now deceased Fernandes. He also alleged to the 12-member jury that his client has had to spend time behind bars over a Police “cover up”.

Meanwhile, Prosecutor Clarke stated that the defence’s argument was a “fabrication”, noting that the defendant had changed his story at least three times. She added that the murder accused signed a confession that was indeed the truth and Britton’s explanation that the statement was signed during “sleep and wake” while he was at the hospital was false.

“Seriously…even a child wouldn’t believe that,” Clarke told the jury.

After the closing arguments were made, the presiding judge adjourned the matter to Thursday when he will sum up the evidence, after which the jury will be allowed to deliberate on whether they find the accused guilty or innocent.

17

news

Diarrhoea outbreak in Kamarang contained – Norton

T

he Public Health Ministry has reported that doctors in Kamarang, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) have been able to contain what seemed to be a sudden upsurge of diarrhoea.

On Monday, Public Health Minister Dr George Norton told the Government Information Agency (GINA), that a health team and the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI), which visited the area, were able to put measures in place to handle the situation.

The minister reported that about 25 persons had shown signs of active diarrhoea but the medical team was able to control the situation and treat the patients. “At this point in time there is no person who has active diarrhoea.

An aerial view of Kamarang

Public Health Minister, Dr George Norton

We had the medications on board, we had whatever was needed - medical supplies - and the doctors were on top of it,” Norton said.

Maternal and Child Health Officer, Ertenesia Hamilton, said that fourteen of the 25 cases diag-

nosed were children and those cases have subsided and are under surveillance.

Meanwhile, Norton opined that a limited supply of potable water which forced residents to use water from a nearby river may have contributed to the illness.

“We suspected it’s water-borne because the water is very low and the villagers tend to use the water for domestic purposes. We understand that the well that was supposed to be in that particular area was not completed,” Norton said.

According to the minister, the ministry is in communication with GWI which was visiting Kamarang to determine how early the well would be completed.

Norton said tanks with filters attached were distributed. “After filling the tank with water and you drain it through that nozzle it should be properly filtered and pure for human consumption,” Norton said.

The health team has collected water samples that will be tested to confirm whether the water from the river caused the diarrhoea.

A health team will remain in the area to carry out surveillance.

tuesday, october 25, 2016 | guyana-times.com

Babita Sarjou murder

PI continues T

he Preliminary Inquiry into the murder of Babita Sarjou, whose body was found six years after she had gone missing, continued at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

Sharnandand Naraine, called ‘Anand’, the exhusband of Sarjou, and Dorel Pronton, called ‘Yankee’ of Lot 54 Broad Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, both appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan.

The Court heard the testimonies of two prosecution witnesses.

Inspector Jermaine Laundry testified to putting the charge of murder to Naraine.

However, Detective Inspector Seraj Singh of the

Murder: Babita Sarjou

Major Crimes Investigative Unit (MCIU) testified to be being offered a bribe by Naraine as he was taking his statement on the day that he was charged.

The matter was set down for October 28, 2016.

On May 22, 2016, Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum accompanied by a team of detectives, swooped down at the home of Naraine located at Lot 51 Seaforth Street, Campbellville, Georgetown, where they dug up a site in the yard and the woman’s remains were found.

Sarjou went missing on November 4, 2010, after she received a called from Naraine who allegedly stated that he would accompany her to a Diwali Motorcade.

Reportedly, on that night, Sarjou was in Naraine’s vehicle when she was strangled

by Pronton who was in the backseat.

Her lifeless body was transported to the home of Naraine where it was buried.

Respect the labour laws – Scott

R

eports that the Russian-controlled Bauxite Company of Guyana Incorporated (BCGI) has been pressuring workers to sign a document derecognising the Guyana Bauxite and General Workers’ Union (GB&GWU) as their union have engaged the attention of Minister within the Social Protection Ministry with responsibility for labour, Keith Scott. This is according to a Government Information Agency report, which quoted Scott as saying, “this thing has a process – we have laws

– it has to be respected. As long as I am here, I have no problem with the negotiating and conciliating between the union and workers and employers, but I would not countenance any union busting, any law breaking and not in any way can we allow workers to continue suffering.”

The Minister said workers’ right to choose their representative must be respected and workers only must decide without being coerced who should represent them.

“If there is any attempt to derecognise the union, I

would view that as union busting. I would not look kindly on such a course of action,” the Minister with responsibility for labour said.

The call by BCGI for workers to derecognise the GB&GWU came as an ongoing feud continues between the Bauxite Company and the workers’ Union dating back to 2009 when more than 50 workers were dismissed. Since taking office, Scott had advised the Bauxite Company to prepare a severance package for the dismissed workers and also to reengage with the Union.

18

guyana-times.com

tuesday, october 25, 2016

ARCHIE

You and a loved one will come up with a good plan that (March 21- will help stabilize your life.

April 19) Stick to the budget you set.

Love conquers all.

ARIES

Taking business trips and

dilbert

TAURUS meetings, engaging in corre(April 20- spondence and making time May 20) to take care of your person-

al needs are all favored. Talks will lead to unusual deals and a chance to try something new.

You must trust in what GEMINI you can see, not in what some(May 21one tells you. Be bold and ask June 20) pointed questions. Don’t miss out on something good just because someone is jerking you around.

Attend a function or networking event that will bring (June 21- you in contact with people July 22) from different walks of life.

Discovery and experimentation should be priorities. A partnership looks promising.

CANCER

Peanuts

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

Problems at home are best dealt with intelligently. Don’t let professional stress cross over into your personal life. If you calmly share your concerns with a loved one, you’ll be offered constructive suggestions.

Don’t let the little things VIRGO get to you. Take care of your (Aug. 23Sept. 22) health by getting enough exercise and eating properly.

An emotional situation must be handled with tact and empathy.

Calvin and Hobbes

LIBRA Don’t place unnecessary (Sept. 23- pressure on yourself or othOct. 23) ers. If something isn’t going well, look for simple solutions instead of indulging in expensive distractions.

WORD GAME

SUDOKU

Work alone if you find it SCORPIO too much of a struggle to get (Oct. 24along with others or find their Nov. 22) positions untenable. Don’t be afraid to be different.

A change to your appearSAGITTARIUS ance, to the way you do your (Nov. 23- job or to how you present Dec. 21) yourself will help ward off negative criticism and jealous acts.

solution for Last Published Puzzle

Find out exactly what you CAPRICORN want and then go for it. Don’t (Dec. 22let distractions get in the Jan. 19) way. Stick to what you know in order to avoid unrealistic promises.

Apply for a better position AQUARIUS if you are bored. A change (Jan. 20will do you good and lead to Feb. 19) greater income potential.

Negotiate and get what you want in writing.

RULES OF THE GAME: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed. 3. Additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. For example, if “bake” is used, “baked” or “bakes” is not allowed, but “bake” and “baking” are admissible. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed. To contact Word Game creator Kathleen Saxe, write to Word Game, Kathleen Saxe, Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.

Copyright 2015, Distributed by Universal Uclick for UFS

PISCES It’s payback time. The (Feb. 20- more you can offer others, the March 20) more you will reap in the future. Speak up, offer suggestions and help bring about positive change.

tuesday, OCTOBER 25, 2016

Hamilton back on track after US GP

Futsal team didn’t play poorly

C

oach of the Guyana Futsal team in the Inter Guiana Games (IGG), Challus McKinnon believes that the team did not play badly despite going down to Suriname 11-1 in the first game then 12-2 the following day.

Actually our team has not played poorly, the guys showed heart despite the fact that we don’t play Futsal in Guyana, as I said before Challus McKinnon Futsal is a different game from the field football, the technique is different” the coach stated.

He added, “We have Futsal Association here in Guyana but we have not started doing anything as it pertains to Futsal.

The Futsal team comprised of the several youth footballers in Guyana but even before the tournament started, there were concerns over the time given to prepare the players.

The unit which comprised players below the age of 19 was outplayed by a team that clearly looked more organized and prepared than they were but showed promised on different occasions.

The coach immediate plan is to begin the development process for players immediately with next year’s IGG in mind.

Lewis Hamilton (centre) wins the United States Grand Prix but has some work to do to prevent Nico Rosberg (left) from taking the champion driver crown

L

ewis Hamilton cut his championship points deficit to Nico Rosberg as he cruised to a comfortable victory in the United States Grand Prix.

Hamilton’s first win since the German Grand Prix in July puts him 26 points behind his Mercedes team-mate with 75 available in the remaining three races.

Rosberg finished second after recovering a position lost to Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo at the start.

The Australian finished third ahead of Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel.

The world champion has now won 50 races in his career, with only Alain Prost (51) and Michael Schumacher (91) having won more than that number in the history of the sport.

Hamilton’s long-awaited and much-needed victory halts the momentum Rosberg had built up since the summer break, since which the German has taken four victories in five races.

But the Englishman is still up against it - the mathematics of the championship situation are that Rosberg is still able to tie up the title by finishing second to Hamilton in the final three races - Mexico next weekend, and then Brazil and Abu Dhabi.

But Hamilton can only do what is within his control, and he grabbed this weekend by the scruff of the neck from first practice and never let go.

An excellent pole position was followed by a solid start, a lead into the first corner and a dominant victory, in which he lost the lead only through the first pit-stop period.

Rosberg also made a decent start, but his focus on Hamilton into the first corner gave Ricciardo the chance to challenge the Mercedes driver and the Red Bull took second around the outside of the fast kink of Turn Two. Ricciardo held a de facto second through the first pit stop period, and then made

Position

Driver

Team

Wins

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Rosberg Hamilton Ricciardo Vettel Raikkonen Verstappen Perez Bottas Hulkenberg Alonso

Mercedes Mercedes Red Bull Ferrari Ferrari Red Bull Force India Williams Force India McLaren

9 7 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0

Points 331 305 227 177 170 165 84 81 54 52

19

Rain sends One-Day match into 2nd day – WI A 69/2 batting first

Andre Fletcher (left) and Chadwick Walton were part of the senior West Indies team in the UAE and are expected to play leading roles in Sri Lanka Ricciardo celebrates another successful attempt to get a celebrity – this time Gerard Butler – to drink from his shoe on the podium

an early final pit stop for medium tyres on lap 25 of 56.

He would have hoped to get second place back from Rosberg when the German made his second and final pit stops a few laps later.

But then Ricciardo’s team-mate Max Verstappen suffered a gearbox failure.

That brought out the virtual safety car for more than a lap as the marshals recovered the Red Bull and that gave the Mercedes team a chance to get a “free” pit stop for both cars, and allowed Rosberg to retain second place.

Ricciardo expressed his frustration in swear words over the radio but realised there was nothing he could do.

Verstappen had been running fourth until he made a pit stop by mistake

on lap 26, thinking in error that the team had called him in. The mechanics were not ready for him and he was delayed by some time as they scrambled to service the car.

It dropped the Dutchman to sixth but it became academic when the gearbox failed three laps later.

Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen was on course to take fifth behind Vettel, but the team’s decision to put him on a three-stop strategy with a third stint on supersoft tyres ultimately led to his demise.

As he left the pits for the final time, the team told him to stop because a wheel was not attached properly as a result of a cross-thread wheel nut, which would have led to disqualification.

Ferrari were fined £4,500 for an unsafe release.

W

est Indies “A” reached 69 for two from 12.5 overs before rain brought an early close to the first One-day match against Sri Lanka “A”.

Kyle Hope was not out on 28 and Andre Fletcher was not out on seven, after the Windies “A” won the toss and chose to bat at the Rangiri Stadium in the first of three 50 overs-a-side matches between the two sides.

The visitors lost opener Chadwick Walton for 16 and left-hander Assad Fudadin for 14 before the weather interrupted play – but the two teams have agreed to continue the match the following day from the point at which it came to a stop. Amila Aponso and Kasun Rajitha has one wicket each so far for the hosts.

SCOREBOARD West Indies A innings (50 overs maximum) CAK Walton† c Milantha b Rajitha 16 KA Hope not out 28 AB Fudadin c Shanaka b Aponso 14 ADS Fletcher not out 7 Extras (lb-1, w-3) 4 Total (2 wickets; 12.5 overs) 69 To bat: JN Mohammed*, R Powell, KR Mayers, V

Permaul, JL Jaggesar, DE Johnson, RR Beaton Fall of wickets 1-40 (Walton, 4.5 ov), 2-63 (Fudadin, 7.6 ov) Bowling: CAK Rajitha 5-0-221, B Fernando 4.5-0-30-0(w-2), MA Aponso 3-0-13-1 Sri Lanka A team TAM Siriwardana*, MD Gunathilaka, DS Weerakkody, BKEL Milantha, M Bhanuka†, KIC Asalanka, DSNFG Jayasuriya, MD Shanaka, B Fernando, CAK Rajitha, MA Aponso

20

GUYANA-TIMES.COM

tuesday, october 25, 2016

Inter Guiana Games...

Preparation and execution gave Suriname the edge in swimming

Another Regal double continued from page 22

– Guyana’s "Golden Boy" stood tall

Suriname coach Gordon Touw Ngie Tjouw

By Akeem Greene

S

uriname produced a dominant display at Inter Guiana Games (IGG) to walk away with the overall title at the National Aquatic Centre, Lilliendaal on Sunday but the success came as result of hard work.

The Surinamese amassed 268 points in the 24-event meet while Guyana swam away with 195 points after surrendering many of their races despite enjoying home advantage.

Coach of the Suriname team Gordon Touw Ngie Tjouw disclosed that the team which was in training since mid September succeeded due to preparation and execution.

“Preparation first and then execution by the athletes, we knew it would be very hard for us participating in all the events because it is back to back,

nevertheless we were physically and mentally prepared to execute our plans,” the Surinamese stated.

Only two Guyanese (Hannibal Gaskin and Jadyn George) were able to secure gold medals in the day’s events which exemplifies the dominance of Suriname but coach was quizzed on how he planned to contain Guyana’s Olympian Hannibal Gaskin.

“We knew it would very competitive and challenging but we still stick to our plans, it didn’t matter which swimmer it was since there were also female races but if you cannot compete against the other swimmers compete with yourself and better your personal times” the coach responded saying.

The Surinamese coach also stated that he has plans to improve the level of intensity of swimming in Suriname because “Our swimmers do not like to swim in the sun and it is very important to swim in different temperatures because when you go to the bigger games like CARIFTA and World Champions, it may have varying temperatures.”

He added, “also learn to swim multiple events not just one and two and then have the day off at times, some our swimmers were not mentally and physically ready to swim the multiple

events and then had to go prepare for the other event”.

Meanwhile, Gaskin produced some sparkling performances in the presence of his father, Minister of Business Dominic Gaskin.

The 18-year-old who represented the country at this year’s RIO Olympic Games, stamped his authority winning Gold in all four of his individual races, 200m IM (2:23:26s), 100m Butterfly (1:00:56s), 50m Butterfly (27:12s) and 100m Freestyle (56.85s) but had to settle for Silver in his two relays (200M IM and 200m Freestyle).

Quizzed on his impression of the performance, he bluntly stated, “I feel good, I trained hard for this meet, it was okay.”

Called the country’s golden boy by some in the fraternity, the swimmer stated that the fame does not pressure him in any way.

I guess it something I’m accustomed to, you can’t really keep your head on that, you just have to focus on the race at hand,” Gaskin said.

The Olympian, who hopes to attend the Tokyo Games said that his next international engagement will be a meet in Canada in December and he will be using the opportunity to practice different race strategies to see which works for him.

Singh’s 158 propels PC to mammoth victory

continUed from page 21

Soesdyke then held their nerves towards the end of the chase to finish on 106/9 in 14.3 overs as Ithmar Barker made 21. Ram Mangar had 3-12, Damion Inniss took 2-20 and Jeremiah Scott claimed 2-27 bowling for a spirited, but in the end dejected Houston team.

Meanwhile, in a match at DCC, St. Stanislaus College batted first and amassed 185/9 in 25 overs with Joshua Bankay leading the way with 53. Shemar Bryan and Veraj Persaud contributed 23 and 20 respectively. Bowling for Brickdam Secondary, Shane Sukhai took 2-10 and Darren Elias had 2-22.

Brickdam Secondary then limped to 89/8 in their 25 overs. Daniel Persaud was the pick of the bowlers as he took 3-2 bowling for St Stanislaus College.

At Enterprise, Hope Secondary defeated Grove Secondary by 103 runs in

David Wilson

Alphius Bookie

the first fixture of the East Coast Demerara zone after they racked up 173/6 in just 25 overs. Phillip Doodnat top scored with 52 not out.

Trevor Blair was the pick of the Grove Secondary bowlers with 3-26.

Grove Secondary faltered to 69 all out in 14.4 overs as Cordell Martin took 3-23 for Hope Secondary.

Deosarran Narine, Gopaul Applesammy and Tyrese Layne had two wickets apiece.

The match between St Stanislaus and Brickdam Secondary is currently un-

der protest as both teams had allegedly fielded ‘overaged’ players. A student must be born on or after September 1, 2000 in order to be eligible to represent his school in this year’s competition.

The NSSCL continues Monday October 24, 2016 with three matches scheduled for GCC, DCC and GNIC. South Ruimveldt takes on Lodge High School at GCC, Ascension plays Carmel High at DCC while School of Nation battles Richard Ishmael at GNIC ground.

Dinesh Vivekanand was bowled by Shaheed Mohamed looking for quick runs

Zola Telford was later named Most Valuable Player of the female tournament. In the lead up to the final, the all-rounder scored 182 runs and took 12 wickets. She had a highest score of 89 against the Trophy Stall Angels, 72 against Blue Divas and took 4-12 against Enterprise Divas.

In the first final of the day, Regal Masters beat Mike’s Wellman by six wickets in front of a good Sunday crowd at DCC. Regal won the toss and limited Wellman to 132/10 from their 20 overs. Regal bowlers never allowed the batting to get ahead with David Harper leading the way with impressive figures of 4-0-18-3. Saheed Mohamed, then bowled a hostile spell claiming 2 for 31 but it was Man of the Match Raymond Harper who cleaned up the tail with two wickets for 10 runs from two overs.

For the tournament’s dark horses Wellman, Latchman Kallicharran who came in at number 6 and batted through to get the top score of 27 not out while opener Greg DeFranca got 25 (22 balls; 1x6; 3x4) and Nandram Samlall made a run a ball 21.

Set 133 to win, Regal Masters got to 136/5 from 18.2 overs after a cautious start. Khemchand Dindayal 2-20 (3 overs) and Motielall Chumandatt 2-28 (4 overs) tried their best to stop Regal from claiming another title but Raymond Harper with the top score of 32 (22 balls; 4x4; 1x6) played a cameo to put the run chase back on track. Mahendra Arjune 25 not out (13 balls; 2x4; 1x6), Mahesh Chunilall 21 (43 balls) and Eric Thomas 20 all got among the runs in a good display in brilliant sunshine.

Captain of Superior Woods, Mohamed ‘Stiffy’ Rafeek was named Most Valuable Player of the tournament in the Master’s category for scoring 309 runs including 106 against Savage Masters and 101 against Floodlights.

In the day’s final championship match Regal AllStars had a walk in the park against Speed Boat XI. Regal who completed the double in the Guyana

Latoya Smith played a captain’s knock to see her team through

Softball Cup 2015 were looking for the double again and got it when they defeated the West Bank Demerara side by 35 runs in a onesided contest. Speed Boat’s captain Greg Singh won the toss and invited the Campbellville based team to bat and after 20 overs the score was 205/6. Patrick Rooplall got the innings off to a flying start hitting six maximums and a four in 55 while Sarfraz Easu gave the innings some life with a quick fire 26 (1x6; 2x4) while captain Fazal Rafeek made a patient 25 (2x4) but it was 61 extras that made the game go at a snail’s pace. 50 of those were wides most of which were sent down by Greg Singh (4-048-0) and Shazim Hussein (4-0-72-1). Kishore Smith (2-19) and Wazeer Hussain (2-16) bowled very well but didn’t get the support needed.

Most Valuable Player of the Open category, Lennox ‘The Assassin’ Marks then began the run chase in a hurry but lacked the support and was stopped in his tracks from performing a one man show. With more than 10 runs per over required to win, Speed Boat were off to a rush and were always ahead of the rate with Marks and Shazim Hussein (20) on the go.

Opening bowler, Tyrone

Sanasie (1-41) was dispatched to all parts of the field but with the introduction of Pritvnath Motielall and Delroy Perreira the wickets began to tumble which put the brakes on the run-scoring. Beepaul Bandoo had a late push with 27 not out with a maximum and two fours but it was not enough as Speed Boat were bowled out for 170 with one ball to go in the innings.

Man of the Match, Motielall had remarkable figures of 4-0-23-4while Perreira was wicketless from four economical overs that cost 20 overs.

The tournament which started in March 2016 was organized by the Guyana Floodlights Softball Cricket Association (GFSCA) and proudly sponsored by Wolf’s Furniture Store at Leonora Public Road.

Representatives of the organisers and sponsor were on hand to assist with the presentation in the closing ceremony. Proprietor of Wolf Furniture Store, Imran Husain who spoke briefly said the tournament was held in memory of s father, Emam Husain who died in 1995. Husain thanked GFSCA and especially Organising Secretary, Wayne Jones for their efforts while congratulating the teams for participating.

21

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t the end of the third round in the Sasha Cells National Junior Chess Championship 2016, seasoned campaigner junior Saeed Ali is enjoying a 0.5 point lead. This is his first chess competition after taking a break from his studies.

In round 2, Ali played with the Black pieces in a highly anticipated showdown against Roberto Neto, both of whom had taken round one spoils. Neto once more turned to his Queens Gambit as Ali chose the Semi Slav variation as defense. Neto was the first to blunder, pushing for space advantage with c5 only to lose a pawn at the end of the variation, earning a draw.

WCM Sheriffa Ali faced former Queen’s College student Aravinda Singh with the Black pieces. This was the game of round 2, and the Sheriffa was determined not to lose. In a Two Knight Defense Game, Singh weakened his Kingside with h3 & g4 to evade the Bg4-Nc3Qd1 pin. WCM Ali bravely kept her King in the center and launched an early counter attack on the Kingside.

The kingside and center was the battlefield and

both players were playing actively.

Sheriffa managed to settle for a draw after some accurate play by Singh.

In round 3, Ali show cased his experience and knowledge playing the Queens Gambit, this time with the white pieces against Nellisha Johnson, who lost to Neto in round one.

Johnson chose the tac- Tournament leader Saeed Ali tical Chigorin Defense By endgame, both players but received some tactical blows as Ali outplayed played safely and secure half point each. her.

Neto in second place so far, got away with a draw Final Standings after round against Ali’s sister, WCM three: Sheriffa, in round 3. Neto 1- Saeed Ali 2.5 opted for his weapon, Caro 2 - Roberto Neto 2.0 Kann Defense and Sheriffa 3 - Sheriffa Ali 2.0 used the Breyer Variation 4 - Joshua Gopaul 1.5 (1.e4 c6 2. d3. d5).

5 - Aravinda Singh 1 Unfortunately, Sheriffa 6 -Ghansham Alijohn 1 lost a piece quickly after 7 - Jaden Taylor 1 misplaying the opening, 8 - Nellisha Johnson 1 then pressed with some active plays and open lines.

Rounds four and five It was then under pres- kick off Saturday October 29 sure that Neto failed to see at Ocean Spray Hotel from a “basic fork” of his knights 10:00h. and had to return the piece.

GCB/National Secondary School Cricket League 2016

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Singh’s 158 propels PC to mammoth victory

R

ajendra Singh’s brutal century for President College laid the foundation for a massive win over Lusignan Secondary in an East Coast Demerara fixture in the 2016 edition of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) National Secondary School Cricket League (NSSCL).

At Enterprise Community Development Centre ground, Rajendra Singh’s blistering unbeaten 158 was the architect of President’s College mammoth score of 294/1 off just 25 overs. Singh pummelled the Lusignan bowlers smashing 14 fours and seven sixes as he and David Wilson who helped himself to 79 including six fours and one six shared a partnership of 224.

Lusignan in reply could barely manage 82 before being bowled out in 16.3 overs.

Dequan France made 34 out of that total.

Keeron Samaroo and Krishna Surujpaul had three wickets each for President College.

In Georgetown Zone, Charlestown registered an impressive 10-wicket victory over Dolphin Secondary at Guyana National Industrial Corporation (GNIC) ground.

Batting first, Dolphin Secondary limped to 86/9 off 25 overs as only Shemar Yearwood and Jonathan Barton were the only batsmen to reach double figures making 17 and 11 respectively. Bowling for Charlestown, Tathesh Shivrattan took 2-8 and Jamal Michael had 2-14.

In reply, the Charlestown batsmen made light work of their target racing to 86 without loss in just 6.2 overs. Jamal Michael rounded off a good all round performance scoring 41 not out while Negus Walters supported well with 16.

At the Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) ground, Christ Church Secondary posted a challenging 186/4 in 30 overs which was enough to give them an easy 91 run victory over St Mary’s High. Alphius Bookie led the way for Christ Church with 48 while Aaron Beharry made 43 not out and Trevane Wilkinson contributed 20. Bowling for St Mary’s, Akeem Christmas, Andrew Andries

Rajendra Singh

and Alex Rogers took one wicket apiece.

St Mary’s High were then dismissed for 95 in 18.2 overs as Renaldo Mohamed ran through the batting order snatching 6/27.

Aaron Beharry also was among the wickets with 2/11.

At GCC, Mae’s Secondary overpowered Queenstown Secondary by 69 runs. Batting first, Mae’s Secondary, participating for the first time in the competition finished on 136/7 off 23 overs. Jonathan Fuilay made 26. Bowling for Queenstown Secondary, Akel Fraser and David Mc Garrel had 2-17 each while Sanjay Ragebeer took 2-26.

Queenstown Secondary then folded for 67 as Ushardeva Balgobin had superb time with the ball, bagging 5-10. Koseem Amos took 2-12 to compliment the bowling.

Meanwhile, in an East Bank Demerara fixture played at Everest, Soesdyke Secondary squeezed past Houston by one wicket in a tense match. Batting first, Houston Secondary got to 102/6 in 14.3 overs with Jeremiah Scott top scoring with 41. Bowling for Soesdyke, John Blair had continue on 20 2-17.

22

GUYANA-TIMES.COM

tuesday, october 25, 2016

WI sinking to another UAE defeat

D

eclaring at lunch to give themselves five sessions to bowl West Indies out, Pakistan took emphatic strides towards an unassailable 2-0 lead, picking up four wickets even as their bowlers derived little help from a still placid Abu Dhabi pitch. Chasing 456, West Indies were 171 for 4 at stumps, with only one of the four wickets coming off a wicket-taking ball. Their hopes weren’t entirely extinguished, though, with Roston Chase and Jermaine Blackwood seeing them through to stumps with an unbroken fifth-wicket stand of 47 in 17.2 overs.

The amount of time

– Pakistan need 6 more wickets to take series ther, but Yasir Shah did not have to wait too long for his first wicket. Having faced only three balls from the legspinner, Leon Johnson tried to sweep him, and ended up dragging the ball onto his stumps, off the flap of his pad. The ball pitched outside leg stump, so Johnson may have felt the shot was on, but he was probably playing the shot Yasir wanted him to play, given all the fielders waiting around the bat for a top-edge or a bat-pad.

The same was the case when Darren Bravo chased away from his body to try and cut Rahat, back for a second spell, in the 19th over, while making no at-

he drove Sohail on the up through cover point, and later he stepped out to Zulfiqar Babar and launched him for a six over long-on and slogged him, against the turn, for a four through midwicket. The wicket of Bravo, however, forced him into a change of approach: having made 41 off 54 balls till that

Blackwood’s approach at the crease was much like that of Samuels, and he lived on the edge to reach 41 by stumps. He was lucky to survive when he went for a big hit against Yasir in the last over of the day and ended up skewing the ball in the air but into a vacant part of the covers. Chase, at the oth-

Leon Johnson is bowled while attempting to sweep a Yasir Shah delivery

Asad Shafiq sweeps powerfully for his unbeaten 58

Jermaine Blackwood resumes on 41 looking for a big innings to save the Test

Pakistan gave themselves to take ten wickets indicated that they expected plenty of hard toil in excellent batting conditions. There was no swing available to the new-ball pair of Rahat Ali and Sohail Khan, and it took Misbah-ul-Haq only six overs to turn to spin from both ends.

There was not much help on offer for the spinners ei-

tempt to keep the ball down.

He middled the ball, and it may well have rocketed to the boundary had he placed it a few feet either side of the fielder at point, but the choice of shot played right into Pakistan’s hands.

Usually so selective with his attacking strokes, Kraigg Brathwaite also came out looking to go after the bowling. Early on,

Wolf Challenge Cup 2016

Another Regal double – Wellwoman too good for Angels

point, he made 26 off his next 78 balls, before falling in the 14th over after tea. Left-arm spinner, Mohammad Nawaz, unused until the 41st over of the innings, struck in his third over, getting the ball to skid on to beat Brathwaite’s attempt to work him into the leg side off the back foot.

By then, Marlon Samuels had also departed to an aggressive shot, stepping out to Yasir, looking to drive him against the turn, and ending up scooping back a return catch. Samuels had scored 23 off 61, looking secure enough while defending and making a conscious effort to get behind the line while defending off the back foot. But ever so often he got himself in trouble by taking a risk - slashing and missing against Sohail, hitting over the top against Zulfiqar.

er end, was calmer and more secure, only troubled when Yasir got the odd ball to rip past his defensive bat.

With Pakistan already 342 ahead at the start of the day, West Indies had set defensive fields against Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq, hoping to limit the damage the batsmen could inflict upon them. In their desire to plug the boundaries, West Indies allowed a steady stream of easy singles; Shafiq and Azhar added 50 in the first 69 balls of the day, despite hitting only three fours in that time. Then Azhar, chasing away from his body, nicked to wide slip, falling for 79 and giving Miguel Cummins his first wicket of the match.

By then, Pakistan’s lead was nearly 400. The declaration was to come very

soon, but Pakistan gave few clues, with runs coming at a reasonable clip without the batsmen really forcing the pace. Shafiq hit a couple of gorgeous shots as he approached his fifty, whipping Jason Holder between midwicket and midon, and then getting to the

landmark with a deft latecut off Roston Chase. At the other end, Younis Khan punched Holder past his left hand and all the way to the straight boundary. By the time Pakistan declared, the two had put on 63 at 3.81 runs per over while barely breaking a sweat. (ESPNcricinfo)

SCOREBOARD Pakistan 1st Innings 452 West Indies 1st Innings 224 Pakistan 2nd innings (Overnight Score 141/1) Sami Aslam c†Hope b Gabriel 50 Azhar Ali c Holder b Cummins79 not out 58 Asad Shafiq Younis Khan not out 29 Extras (b-4, lb-3, w-1, nb-3) 11 Total (2 wickets dec; 67 overs)227 Did not batMisbah-ul-Haq*, Sarfraz Ahmed†, Mohammad Nawaz (3), Yasir Shah, Sohail Khan, Zulfiqar Babar, Rahat Ali Fall of wickets 1-93 (Sami Aslam, 32.5 ov), 2-164 (Azhar Ali, 50.3 ov) Bowling: ST Gabriel 12-2-36-1 (nb-2), ML Cummins 7-0-261 (nb-1, w-1), KC Brathwaite 15-2-33-0, D Bishoo 200-77-0, JO Holder 7-0-220, RL Chase 6-0-26-0

West Indies 2nd innings (target: 456 runs) KC Brathwaite lbw b Mohammad Nawaz 67 LR Johnson b Yasir Shah 9 DM Bravo c Mohammad Nawaz b Rahat Ali 13 MN Samuels c & b Yasir Shah 23 J Blackwood not out 41 17 RL Chase not out Extras (lb-1) 1 Total (4 wickets; 62 overs) 171 To bat: SD Hope†, JO Holder*, D Bishoo, ML Cummins, ST Gabriel Fall of wickets 1-28 (Johnson, 7.5 ov), 2-63 (Bravo, 18.6 ov), 3-112 (Samuels, 41.3 ov), 4-124 (Brathwaite, 44.4 ov) Bowling: Sohail Khan 10-224-0, Rahat Ali 14-1-40-1, Yasir Shah 18-2-60-2, Zulfiqar Babar 15-5-3-0, Mohammad Nawaz (3) 5-0-14-1

T

he curtains came down on the Wolf Challenge Cup with Regal teams reigning supreme after winning the Masters and Open Categories at the Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) ground in Queenstown Georgetown on Sunday.

In the other category, Captain Latoya Smith led Mike’s Wellwoman to the female championship after a nail biting 11-run victory over rivals Trophy Stall Angels.

Wellwoman who beat 4R Lioness by eight wickets in the semi-final to book their spot in the final were sent in by Trophy Stall Angels. Latoya Smith saw wickets tumbling all around her but found a capable partner in Sherika Campbell who scored a responsible 14 from 21 balls in a 56-run partnership for the sixth wicket. The pair got together at 55/5 after Sheneta Grimmond was dismissed for 30 from 17 balls with four boundaries.

Nicola Leacock (2-13), Junelle Nero (1-18), Alicia Allen (1-21) and Anisa Persaud (1-27) picked up wickets at regular intervals

Lennox "The Assassin" Marks was named Most Valuable Player of the Male Open Category

to keep the runs flow in check.

However, Smith carried her bat and raised her half century in the final over to end on 51 not out from 38 balls. In all she hit two fours and a six.

The partnership with Campbell which turned out to be the match winning partnership knocked the wind out of the sails of trophy Stall Angels who were bowled out for 100 off

the last ball of their 15 overs to fall 11 runs short and give the Wellwoman side a welldeserved victory.

Trophy Stall Angels who booked their final spot with a seven wicket victory over the Blue Divas were off to a confident start when Odassa O’Neil with 21 from 24 balls (1x4) and Akela Castello who scored 19 (17 balls; 1 x4) put

on 45 for the opening wicket.

Since their separation, it was a steady procession to and from the pavilion with Zola Telford 3-15 (3 overs) and Haseena ‘Speedy’ Mohamed 2-23 (3 overs) breaking the back of the Angels to stifle the run chase.

Extras contributed a healthy 23 but was not enough to stop Wellwoman from lifting another female crown. continues on page 20

guyana-times.com

tuesday, october 25, 2016

Double thumbs up for IGG 2016

GKC hosts 3rd graduation of 2016

By Romario Samaroo

A

t the conclusion of the 2016 edition of the Inter-Guiana Games, Guyana’s Director of Sport Christopher Jones and his Surinamese counterpart, Luciano Mentikromo stressed that the games this have passed with flying colours.

Guyana and Suriname would have participated in stern competition across seven disciplines at four facilities in Guyana over three days with the visitors edging Guyana overall on points.

Jones pointed out this year the standards have been lifted, rating the three day event a success above the 80 percent mark.

“I would rate this year at around 85 percent, reason being, the logistics, the standards have been lifted, and athletes have been better treated from before because while they were encamped.

In previous years they (the athletes) were either at the dorms or some other small location.”

Jones added that his administration tries as much as possible to have a standard with fully air conditioned rooms, fully cable television, telephone ready and all other amenities including a swimming pool at the Ramada Princess Hotel where the delegation was housed.

The host Director explained that these were just some of the measures taken to make the athletes as comfortable as possible across the facilities.

Reminded of the backboard shattering at the Cliff

23

Guyana Director of Sport Christopher Jones

Suriname Director of Sport Luciano Mentowikromo

Anderson Sports Hall on day two of the games, Jones was pleased to inform Guyana Times Sport that as hosts, they were prepared for such a mishap after facing a similar tragedy on the previous hosting of the games. After the incident last Saturday, the backboard was replaced within an impressive four hours. Adding to that, Jones noted that in 2017 there will be expressions of interest to the relevant authorities for the acquisition of a generator for the Leonora Track and Field Facility which suffered power outage on the second day of the games.

The Surinamese Director of Sport, Luciano Mentowikromo was also in high spirits after the conclusion of the festivities between the two continental neighbours.

Mentowikromo said in his ratings he “would give Guyana a nine out of ten because nobody is perfect.”

The Dutch national spoke highly of the reception the 187 strong touring party re-

ceived while in Guyana as well as the professionalism of the transporting services, hotel accommodations and police escorts.

Mentowikromo further detailed his astonishment after utilizing the four worldclass facilities in the form of the National Gymnasium, Cliff Anderson Sports Hall, National Aquatic Centre and the Leonora Track and Field Facility.

Both representatives encouraged their respective athletes to take the spirit of sportsmanship into the relationships established as they will be future leaders of their countries. The Sport Directors pledged their countries continued support for the development of youths and the future of the Games.

The games concluded on Sunday with Suriname edging Guyana on points. The games are contested among the Guianas but the French pulled out of this year’s spectacular forcing authorities to rename the games to “Goodwill Games.”

Karatekas who underwent grading examinations at the Guyana Karate College

T

he Guyana Karate College (GKC) on October 22, held the third of its triannual grading examinations for the year 2016 for students belonging to its dojos on the Patio of the St Joseph High School on Woolford Avenue, Thomas Lands, Georgetown.

The grading examinations, which began at 13:00h sharp on a breezy afternoon saw Karatekas of all ages undertake testing for the various belt ranks from 9th kyu (white belts with yellow stripes) all the way to 1st kyu (brown belt).

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the Guyana Karate College and the grading capped off a number of activities that were held this year to coincide with this significant milestone, including a recently held Grand Bingo.

The Judging team was led by Shuseki Shihan Frank Woon-a-Tai, the Guyanese born Chairman and Chief Instructor of the

The other successful karatekas attained the following belt ranks: Moving from 10th Kyu to 9th Kyu (White to White with Yellow Stripe) - Eli Jordan, Ameer Shariff, Daniel Amos, Prosper Jacobus, Josiah Ramnarine and David Persaud. Skipping from 10th Kyu to 8th Kyu (Yellow) are Chinelo Enekwechi and Anusha Jodhan. And skipping from 10th Kyu (White) all the way to 5th Kyu (Blue) were Najuma Gibbs and Jermain Holder.

Moving from 9th kyu to (White with Yellow Stripe) to 8th Kyu was Rizwan Mahadeo. Moving from 7th Kyu (Orange) to 6th Kyu (Green) were Rishabh Ramessar, Micaiah DePeazer, Omar Shariff, Joshua Aaron and Adisa Congreaves. Whilst skipping from 7th Kyu (Orange) to 5th Kyu (Blue) were Jared Bird, Daniel Gonsalves, Jadon Lee, Laurie Baptiste, Aretha Trisho Persaud, Esha Fredericks. Moving from

Caribbean Motor Racing Championships 2016

Jamaica’s Peter Rae seeking to excite fans with “Zoom Zoom”

By Akeem Greene

N

ovember 13 marks the final leg of this year’s Seaboard Marine Caribbean Motor racing Championships (CMRC) at the South Dakota Circuit and the Jamaica’s Group four racer, Peter Rae is coming with one mission, to thrill the fans with his 1991 Mazda RX7 aka “Zoom Zoom.”

When Guyana Times Sport spoke to Rae who recently shipped his machine, he explained that “South Dakota is always a pleasure to compete at and I have quite a few fans there and we would want to put on a good show; I have upgraded my engine and so far it shows good promise and my fans can watch out for who will get zoomed.”

The racer who is competing in the Group 4 (2WD) category currently sits third on the points table with 108 points; the group is led

by Trinidad and Tobago’s Franklyn Boodhram (144) and Barbados’s Mark Maloney (118).

Rae led the group after the first round on home turf

Peter Rae where he copped 65 points but fell in Trinidad and since no points came in Barbados he is looking to do well in Guyana.

“This year’s CMRC started off with a bang for me winning two races in Jamaica and ending the day leading in the 2WD class; Trinidad wasn’t too bad with some issues getting a 3rd and 2nd but I didn’t make Barbados so in Guyana I’m hoping to put on a great performance and try to capture the 2WD class championship.”

Quizzed on whether he is concerned about who may chal-

lenge in his bid for title, he responded saying, “I’m very concerned about team strategies that may come into play during the group four events, I am a solo competitor and have no support mechanism; it’s a championship at stake and God knows how far people will go to clinch it.”

The 56 year-old says that he very thankful for the support of his wife, who was there from the beginning and also revealed that this year makes 47 yrs of active competition, three more years and I shall call it quits, what a journey it has been.”

Organisers have stated that tickets for the event cost $2000 for adults and $1000 for children.

Race car

The Third Degree Blackbelts of the Guyana Karate College L-R Leon Burnette, Tyler Orderson, Alyssa Persaud, Master Frank Woon-a-Tai, Sensei Jeffrey Wong, Alliyah Wong & Tashana Wong

IKD who is a 9th degree black belt with over fifty years experience in karate-do, and included Sensei Jeffrey Wong, a 6th Dan who is the Senior Instructor and Vice Chairman of the College, along with Sensei Dr Guy Low 5th Dan, Sensei Lavern Jones a 5th Dan and Sensei Aubrey Bettencourt also a 5th Dan Black Belt.

Leading the list of promotions for these grading examinations for the GKC was the attainment of a Sandan rank or third degree black belt by Tashana Wong, a Caribbean and World Champion who has successfully represented the GKC and Guyana at many regional and international tournaments. Ms Wong showed poise and grace as she went through her katas whilst displaying true grit, stamina and determination as she faced and defended herself against multiple attackers, predominantly males who were physically sturdier and stouter than her and who were experienced martial artists.

6th kyu (Green) to 5th Kyu (Blue) were Laurence Baptiste, Angelina Campayne, Amber De Goeas, whist skipping from 6th Kyu (Green) to 4th Kyu (Purple) was Jose Rodrigues.

Moving from 5th Kyu (Blue) to 4th Kyu (Purple) was Sherlock Scott whilst Somlata Bispat, Sophia Mittelholzer, Joshua Gibbs William Grant (Sr) skipped from 5th Kyu to 3rd Kyu. Daniel Denny moved from 4th (Purple) Kyu to 3rd Kyu (Brown), whilst Brandon Yong jumped from 4th Kyu (Purple) to 2nd (Brown).

Moving from 3rd Kyu (Brown) to 2nd Kyu Brown were Paula Louis-Grant, Jayden Jettoo-Sewnarine, Nathanael Archer, Nalini Rampersaud, whilst Javed Nurhausain skipped from 3rd Kyu (Brown) to 1st Kyu (Brown. Moving from 2nd Kyu (Brown) to 1st Kyu (Brown) were Diego De Nobrega, Zaine Bispat, Jonathan Ng-AFook, Taissa De Nobrega, Josiah Dyall.

tuesday, october 25, 2016

Sports is no longer our game, it’s our business

Pg 23

Preparation and execution gave Suriname the edge in swimming Pg 20 Pg 22

– Guyana’s "Golden Boy" stood tall

Double thumbs up for IGG 2016 Directors Christopher Jones and Luciano Mentowikromo pledged support for the future of the Games

Hannibal Gaskin displays his gold medals after successful outing

his

Wolf Challenge Cup 2016

Another Regal double – Wellwoman too good for Angels

Pg 22

Regal Masters and All-Stars teams pose with their spoils and representatives of Wolf’s Furniture Store at the closing ceremony at DCC

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