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THE BEACON OF TRUTH

March 22, 2015

A tale of greed, avarice and money laundering in the Caribbean

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WHAT'S INSIDE: Navratri 2015 observances…

Page 3

Hari Narayen Ramkarran, aka Ralph Ramkarran

ECD taxi driver burnt to death after car explodes Page 17

Understanding Maa Chandraghanta or ChandraP6 khanda P10 Guyana observes World Water Day 2015

Wedding Expo 2015 Meagre salary biggest constraint in Magistracy P16 – Chancellor Leopold P18 Street man arrested for Crum-Ewing’s murder Wedding Expo 2015 takes the streets by storm! On Saturday, Guyanese were given the opportunity to win some prizes if they caught the bouquet that was tossed by this bride on Camp Street, Georgetown (Carl Croker photo)

APNU+AFC calls for $100M Rice Cereal Factory to be constructed more investment from overseasat Anna Regina based Guyanese Page 9

– to create 200 jobs

Page 19

Nigel Hughes admits tourism industry growing P19 Controversial "Vote like a Boss" campaign...

IRI/USAID funded, P19 organised GNYC launches

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SunDAY, march 22, 2015 | guyanatimesGY.com

NEWS

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sunDAY, march 22, 2015 | guyanatimesGY.com

BRIDGE OPENINGS

The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Sunday, March 22 –05:30h-07:00h and Monday, March 23 – 05:00h-06:30h

A tale of greed, avarice and money laundering in the Caribbean

The Berbice River Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Sunday, March 22 – 05:20h-06:50h and Monday, March 23 – 06:00h-07:30h

FERRY SCHEDULE Parika and Supenaam departure 08:00h and 14:00h daily

WEATHER TODAY

Thundery showers can be expected in the morning, with cloudy to overcast skies dominating throughout the remainder of the day and into the evening over coastal regions and near inland locations. Temperatures are expected to range between 23 degrees and 28 degrees Celsius.

Winds: North-easterly between 3.57 metres and 4.47 metres per second.

High 05:48h and 18:12h reaching maximum heights of 2.94 metres and 2.86 metres respectively.

Low 11:45h reaching a minimum height of 0.26 metre.

saturday, MARCH 21, 2015

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Sherene Mongroo

W

hile the talk of "cold cases" is in the air after President Donald Ramotar's admonition to the Police, there is one "hot" case that is about to be concluded. It is the high-profile case from 2013 that had all the elements of an object lesson in fraud and greed.

It concerns the US$4 million estate of an 83-year-old recluse Yusuf Mongroo, four Wills that the man was supposed to have made while on his deathbed, supposedly disinheriting his two daughters and giving all his wealth to his maid and an employee from his business.

But more titillating, the case involves high profile lawyer Ralph Ramkarran, SC, being accused by the even higher profile Khemraj Ramjattan of being knowingly involved in perpetuating a fraudulent Will.

Since all the submissions have been made but one, Guyana should soon be given a decision by the judge but since the lawyers are politicians involved in the ongoing elections, it is feared that the decision may be put off.

Yusuf's daughter, Sherene Mongroo-Parisi, who is contesting the will because she claims the will is fraudulent told this news-

paper this weekend that she believes believes that "justice delayed is justice denied".

The case was precipitated when Yusuf passed away at the St Joseph’s Mercy Hospital on August 15, 2010.

He was the owner of Horseshoe Racing Service in Georgetown, where one Sasedai Kumarie Persaud worked as a cashier. He also operated similar services in Barbados. He was a very rich man, but lived a reclusive life.

The aged man had been hospitalised at Woodlands Hospital, from July 20, Yusuf Mongroo (left) and Malcolm William Deane

Hari Narayen Ramkarran, aka Ralph Ramkarran

2010 and was discharged on August 1, 2010. At his home, where he only had a housekeeper, Indranie Mulchand, his condition became critical and he was admitted to St Joseph’s on August 9, 2010.

He developed a cerebral edema ("fluids in and swelling of his brain") and other serious medical complications that caused his death within a week. Mulchand did not inform Yusuf's daughters who lived overseas of his condition.

Right after his death, two Wills surfaced in Guyana − both allegedly made on August 12 and both witnessed by two doctors from

St Joseph's Mercy Hospital.

An attorney-at-law said that he prepared one of the Wills after Yusuf had summoned him to the hospital after being admitted. He said that Yusuf had been his client for nearly 30 years.

The looting of the estate did not stop with the forgery of Wills in Guyana. The greed and avarice of the conspirators who would defraud the rightful heirs of the for-

but filled out by Persaud in her handwriting and made out to herself, purportedly on August 3, 2010 right after he was discharged from Woodlands and held incommunicado at his home at New Market Street. The "s" in the "August" differs significantly from the "s" in the signature "Yusuf".

This cheque was presented to FCIB in Cayman on September 13, 2010 en-

tune of Yusuf went after monies that were stashed away in the tax-haven locale of Cayman Islands.

A US$4 million cheque (exactly US$4,391,851) was written in Guyana, drawn on First Caribbean International Bank (FCIB) in the Cayman. (See below) It was evidently a blank cheque signed by Yusuf

dorsed in Persaud’s handwriting at the back to a partner in a law firm in Barbados, Malcolm William Deane. E-mails produced

by Sherene show that Ramkarran, the lawyer for Persaud, communicated with Deane to negotiate the cheque through its account in a Barbados Bank. turn to page 7

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guyanatimesgy.com

SunDAY, march 22, 2015

Views

Sunday Editor: Michael Younge Tel: 225-5128, 231-0397, 226-9921, 226-2102, 223-7230 or 223-7231. Fax: 225-5134 Mailing address: 238 Camp & Quamina Streets, Georgetown Email: news@guyanatimesgy.com, sales@guyanatimesgy.com

Editorial

The fallacy of financialisation

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t is our hope that the Opposition would eschew raising racial tensions and begin discussing its programme. Today we raise the question of "financialisation" which some propose as a quick fix for "development".

If our economy is permitted to continue on its present growth trajectory – that is, if the Government is reelected – we have to be careful that we continue to focus on real productive activities and eschew the excesses the mirage of financialisation of the economy, which have crippled the advanced economies in the west.

Financialisation has been defined as the long-run shift in the centre of gravity of the economy from production to finance. This change has been reflected in every aspect of the "developed western" economies. This includes increasing financial profits as a share of total profits; rising debt relative to GDP; the growth of FIRE (finance, insurance and real estate) as a share of national income; the proliferation of exotic and opaque financial instruments; and finally, the expanding role of financial bubbles.

In 1957, manufacturing accounted for 27 percent of US GDP, while FIRE accounted for only 13 percent. By 2008 the relationship had reversed, with the share of manufacturing dropping to 12 percent and FIRE rising to 20 percent.

Most mainstream economists have downplayed the historical significance of the financial crisis starting in 2008 viewing it as an extremely rare “black swan” phenomenon.

Others consider it as the product of a perfectly ordinary, recurring, and predictable process, subject to systematic analysis.

The progenitor of this ‘white swan’ approach, has been the obscure but now prophetic Hyman Minsky. Minsky built on JM Keynes’s fundamental insight about “the fragility introduced into the capitalist accumulation process by some inescapable properties of capitalist financial structures”.

Minsky sought to refine Keynes’s theory, especially his analysis of financial instability, by placing it entirely in shortrun business cycle terms, ignoring the long-run tendencies, in which Keynes had largely couched his financial-crisis analysis.

Keynes’s own argument was therefore quite different from the theory that we have become accustomed to via Minsky.

He stressed that the stagnation tendency – or the decline in expected profit on new investment in a capital-rich economy – served to increase the power of money and finance.

Thus, for Keynes, Minsky noted, “Money rules the roost as the expected yield of real assets declines.” As Keynes puts it: “Owing to its accumulation of capital already being larger” in a mature, capital-rich economy, “the opportunities for further investment are less attractive unless the rate of interest falls at a sufficiently rapid rate”.

The uncertainty associated with the tendency of expected profit on new investment to decline gave an enormous boost to “liquidity preference” (or as Keynes also called it “the propensity to hoard” money) and to financial speculation as an alternative to capital formation, compounding the overall difficulties of the economy. We have already seen this tendency in Guyana via the T-Bill preference of our local banks.

None of these thinkers, it should be noted, focused initially on the macroeconomic relation between production and finance, or on finance as an outlet for surplus. However, the 1970s and ’80s saw a deceleration of the growth rate of the major economies, resulting in ballooning finance, acting as a compensatory factor. Lacking an outlet in production, capital took refuge in speculation in debt-leveraged finance – hedge options, futures, derivatives, swaps, etc).

Speculative finance increasingly took on a life of its own.

Although in the prior history of the system financial bubbles had come at the end of a cyclical boom, and were short-term events, financialisation now seemed, paradoxically, to feed not on prosperity but on stagnation, and to be long lasting.

Central banks keep this process going as “lenders of last resort”, tasked with bolstering and ultimately bailing out the major financial institutions whenever necessary , based on the “too big to fail” principle.

Could the political parties comment on this principle rather than on "jackasses"?

A warm and mellowing sunset off the shoulder of the Demerara Harbour Bridge

Kaieteur News hoisted material from another source without acknowledgement Dear Editor, The Kaieteur News Editorial, "The race drum sounds", is dangerous as it is deceitful and discrepant. The Editorial is fraught with misconceptions and apprehensions, and reflects slothful journalism. There is so much wrong with that Editorial that I am not sure from where to start.

The Editorial is rather hazy and baffling. Is it referring to utterances of racism from one, or several factions in the country - or in the world? Is it rail-roading racism to one particular ethnic group - as it seems to be the case in the animadversion? Please permit me to quote the first paragraph of the editorial: "The Times of India (TOI) is the largest English language newspaper in India.

It is a daily publication that examines sensitive issues in the country. Recently, it examined politics in India and the issue of racism.”

The comments follow.

"Reading this paragraph, one gets the impression that the Times of India recently did an article or a series of articles on the issue of politics and racism, and what follows in the rest of the Editorial is a commentary by readers and analysts on this subject.”

That first paragraph is replete with blatant errors.

First, the content of the KN material that followed that paragraph was taken

verbatim from an Indian newspaper Editorial - not from the TOI, but from the Economic Times (ET) - entitled, "Where is the moral fight against racism?"

The ET communique is not "recent", as stated in the KN; rather, it was published on October 18, 2014.

The ET is a sister publication of the TOI, but they are not one and the same; they are sold as completely different newspapers.

It is common for news media to print other newspapers' Editorials. However, there is always an acknowledgement of the source, accompanied with information on the date of publication.

KN risks libel in hoisting material from another source without acknowledgement. In the academic world, this is called plagiarism!

What many don't seem to know is that intellectuals, journalists and leading media personnel in India regularly address sensitive issues - not only in newspapers, but also in other forms of media, including television.

India should be commended for their openness in addressing their (many!) short-comings - including that of racism and a mentality that favours lighterskinned folks. I thought of my good friend, Freddie, as I flew in one of the more reputable airlines of India less than a week ago.

Almost all of the attendants were of the very fair complexion. I intend to call on the airline’s head office and do my bit to redress this situation.

It must be noted that India has been kind and generous to foreign students, including those of the African continent. The unfortunate (isolated) incidents of violence against African students is similar to that which foreign students encounter in countries such as Australia and China.

I whole-heartedly agree with the ET that "Indians are some of the most racist people on earth". However, one could also easily substitute the word "Indians" with "Africans", or "Chinese" – or whatever - in that sentence - depending on the context.

The Editor of the ET should be commended for their direct and in-your-face critique to shock readers on the severity of the problem.

There are scores of African countries - and hundreds of African newspapers; how often have we read in their newspapers that "Africans are some of the most racist people on earth"?

Following the word-forword copy of the ET missive, the KN editorial stated, "The question of racism affects Guyana the same way that it does in India and influences decisions in the country".

What is the point of this statement? Is it to show that

since Indians in Guyana are "some of the most racist on earth" because of the DNA they inherited from their forebears?

I admit that Indians are "some of the most racist on earth". But ditto for the Africans, the whites, Chinese, etc. David Hinds, however, pointed out in a booklet on racism in Guyana, "there is no guilty race". Actually, I disagree profoundly with that statement; in the Guyana context, both of the major races are equally guilty!

It would have been helpful if the KN Editorial were more specific regarding the era of "ethnic insecurity" that has been referred to, and the advent (and dismantling) of the Ethnic Relations Commission. The references to Rwanda and Dou Dou Dienne's visit are also rather nebulous.

One would have expected a statement of summary or conclusion on the content of the Editorial in the last paragraph. Instead, there was cursory mention of former President Bharrat Jagdeo's reference to.

The redeeming feature about the Editorial is that it ended the way it started; it laboured ardously as it feebly (and dangerously!) attempts to paint Indians (alone) as the "most racist on earth" - and as the lone guilty race in Guyana.

Devanand Bhagwan

NEWS

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sunDAY, march 22, 2015 | guyanatimesGY.com

Rohee to Granger:

“Confess your National Service 1973: Racist, sins and cleanse your soul” oppressive PNC mechanism Part 5

T

here has been the tendency by PNC’s leaders (now parading as APNU) to extoll the virtues of National Service which was introduced in Guyana in 1973. These leaders sought to white wash and deny this repressive institution created by the PNC in its militarization of the Guyanese society and the creation of a further mechanism in the racist agenda of the PNC. National Service as an institution of state oppression must be seen in context of our society as it existed in the 1970s. Guyana at that time could be best described as an authoritarian, militaristic society in which personal freedom and liber-

ination in the employment opportunities and here we must remember that, at that time, there existed a centralized economy with the state controlling 80 per cent of employment opportunities and an environment of very little private sector economic activities.

This was an atmosphere of rigged elections, loss and suppression of personal freedom and rampant racial discrimination in jobs, housing and scholarship opportunities. It is in this environment of the 70s we must examine National Service as a further mechanism of PNC’s oppression and racist policies.

No less a person than David Granger, leader of

National Service came into existence in 1974 with an original proposal that students aspiring to higher education at the University of Guyana would require one year of National Service in the under-developed interior

menting on National Service.

In his speech to the National Assembly in 1973, Burnham in a very ominous and thinly veiled manner stated the intention of National Service as follows: “National service, when

ty was suppressed and very limited press freedom existed.

The country would have already endured two rigged elections by the PNC, that of 1968 and 1973. There was an absence of democracy which was evident in the national life of this country.

The majority of Guyana’s population was denied the democratic right to choose a Government of their choice.

There was rampant discrim-

APNU and presidential aspirant lamented the abolition of the Guyana National Service. One can only presume that Granger, following in the footsteps of Forbes Burnham embraced what National Service stood for and its practices.

It is interesting to note that there was not a single condemnation by Granger of this racist and oppressive mechanism of the National Service.

APNU+AFC Presidential Candidate David Granger

ome Affairs Minister Clement Rohee on Friday called on the Presidential Candidate of A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and Alliance For Change (AFC) coalition, David Granger to confess his sins and cleanse his soul.

Rohee made the remark while speaking at a public meeting held at Cummings Lodge, East Coast Demerara which attracted scores of Guyanese from all walks of life.

He said Granger, who is a retired Brigadier in the Guyana Defence Force, must testify at the Rodney Commission of Inquiry (CoI) which is currently probing the circumstances which led to the death of Renowned Guyanese Historian, Dr Walter Rodney.

Rohee argued that Guyanese must be suspicious of Granger’s promise to conduct a wide-ranging CoI into alleged extra-juridi-

cal killings under the ruling People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) given his own unwillingness to be a part of the historic Water Rodney CoI. The PPP/C General Secretary also doubted Granger’s promise to probe the death of Satyadeow Sawh, a former Agriculture Minister who was assassinated on April 22, 2006 at his residence.

He also reminded Guyanese that Granger said he would discontinue the investigation into the death of Rodney should he be successful in becoming Guyana’s President after the May 11 elections.

Rohee singled out Granger and argued that he has an obligation to testify in the Rodney CoI. “Cleanse your soul! Make your confession,” Rohee expressed, to which residents responded with shouts of agreement.

H National Service as an institution of state oppression must be seen in context of our society as it existed in the 1970s

The period of National Service as a requirement of entrance to the UG varied between 12 to 18 months

Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee

of the country.

Burnham in delivering an address at the official opening of the Faculty of Education Building at the UG campus on October 17, 1973 made the very first announcement about the Government’s intention to introduce National Service.

He said at that time, “I think that a young man, or young woman, in these times, should be exposed before entering an institution of higher learning, especially if the State pays for that learning, to the society and giver service to that society.

“If I have my way, and subject to the approval of Parliament, aspirants for a degree at the local University would be required to enter into a period of National Service after leaving secondary school.”

This lofty ideal stands in stark contrast to Burnham’s mocking language in com-

introduced, will be used as a vehicle for the national orientation of large sections of our population; it will also give the opportunity to various sections of the community, in terms of categories and ethnicity to meet on common ground and to share common experiences.

“It is an operation which so far as its concept is concerned carries in it the seed of bringing about a more cohesive nation.” The period of National Service as a requirement of entrance to the UG varied between 12 to 18 months and this period of National Service had to be served in identified locations in the hinterland in Guyana.

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SunDAY, march 22, 2015

Page

Foundation

Medicine and social justice “One of the fundamental reasons why so many doctors become cynical and disillusioned is precisely because the abstract idealism is worn thin, they are uncertain about the value of the actual lives of the patients they are treating. This is not because they are callous or personally inhuman: it is because they live in and accept a society which is incapable of knowing what a human life is worth" - John Berger.

I

Anu Dev

n school, we’ve covered the fundamental principles of medical professionalism and ethics and last week, I touched on one of them - the principle of patient autonomy. Basically this means that physicians should be honest with their patients and empower them to make informed decisions about their treatment.

People aren't objects to be prodded and probed at the doctor's will.

I had quite a discussion with some friends as to whether patients will ever be in a position to be "really informed"- not only in our Caribbean locales, but ANYWHERE - since the public's knowledge of human anatomy and physiology is generally very rudimentary.

But, we agree that the attempt must still be made.

It was noted that "informed consent" is more widespread in the US primarily because of doctors fearing

guyanatimesgy.com

medical malpractice suits!

Today I'd like to share a few thoughts on "the principle of social justice". Now I know that some of you might be saying (with bitter memories of you or some close relative not being not able to secure vitally needed medical care)."Say what??

Doctors and social justice in the same sentence?!"

But there it is. We're taught that the medical profession must promote justice in the health care system - including the fair distribution of health care resources. Physicians should work actively to eliminate discrimination in health care, whether based on race, gender, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, religion, or any other social category.

The way I see this is that as doctors, we'll be practising in health care systems at various levels of development. In Guyana, while my dad tells me that things have improved tremendously since he returned in 1990, it is still much below Trinidad.

But with whatever re-

source set we have at our disposal, we must be fair in our treatment to one and all. It does seem to me that our people are conditioned to defer to the "big ones" in society - and I suspect that doctors also do this - as the John Berger quote above cautions.

One troublesome area is that we're cautioned about the physician’s professional responsibility for appropriate allocation of always limited resources - both of the institutions, especially governmental and of the patients' finances.

Doctors, then, should practice a scrupulous avoidance of superfluous tests and procedures, shouldn't we? After all, the provision of unnecessary services not only exposes one’s patients to avoidable harm and expense but also diminishes the resources available for others.

But from what I already have seen - both during my visits and readings about the U.S. Health system and even in my native Guyana in a couple of private hospitals - there is a lot of over

prescription of tests.

In the States, doctors may be doing this because of an overabundance of caution from fear of being sued? But what's the local excuse?? Making big bucks? While it may be a judgement call to assist in a better diagnosis, I do believe that a doctor should be aware of the social circumstances of the patient and be prudent.

Overall, returning to a previous discussion I had about our more "socialised medicine" than that of the U.S. I am firmly committed to our system. And based on what we've been taught, doctors also have a duty to work towards a medical system that is based on social justice.

While I happen to believe in free enterprise, I believe that medical care falls into "public goods" that must be guaranteed by the state. And I am happy that in Guyana we spend such a large portion of our Budget on health. The private medical care should supplement and augment the private system.

Navratri 2015 observances…

Understanding Maa Chandraghanta or Chandra-khanda

Maa Chandraghanta

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n this form Durga is 10-armed and rides a lion. This is a terrible aspect and is roaring in anger. This form of Durga is completely different from earlier forms and shows that when provoked, she can be the terrible or malevolent. Chandraghanta is worshipped on the third day of Navratri.

Her forehead is bedecked with the crescent moon. That is why she is called Maa Chandraghanta by devotees.

By her grace, all the sins, distresses, physical sufferings, mental tribulations and ghostly hurdles of the devotees are eradicated. Riding on the lion, the mother inspires her devotees with fearlessness. She is the very embodiment of serenity.

The devotees who adore and worship her with their deeds, minds and speech develop an aura of divine splendor. They easily achieve success in every walk of life.

Maa Chandraghanta is always ready to destroy the wicked, but to her devotees she is seen as a kind and compassionate mother

showering peace and prosperity.

The complexion possessed by Maa Chandraghanta is golden. She possesses 10 arms which wield weapons and missiles like the sword, the bow, the mace and arrows.

During the battle between the gods and the demons, the horrible sound produced by her ghantaa had sent thousands of wicked demons to the abode of the death-god.

She is ever in a warring posture which shows her eagerness to destroy the foes of her devotees so that her devotees may forever live in peace and prosperity.

Divine vision is acquired by her grace. If a devotee happens to enjoy divine fragrance and hears diverse sounds, he is said to be blessed by the mother.

Maa Chandraghanta should be adored and worshipped with great purity in mind and heart.

Having acquired her grace, her devotees rid of all worldly turmoil and enjoy supreme bliss. Devotees should always have her gentle form in their minds while meditating on her.

NEWS

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SunDAY, march 22, 2015 | guyanatimesGY.com

JR Enterprise taking “sushi” to another level

J

R Enterprise has been a household name for many years. It has been one of the most successful local fast food chains in Guyana. The business has taken many leaps and turns since introducing Guyana’s premier roof top bar “Altitude Cocktail Bar & Lounge” as well as the country’s premier fine dining restaurant “Silhouette”. JR Enterprise is proud to introduce and launch its newest product to Guyana, “sushi.”

Sushi is one of the fast-

est growing food industries in the world today, and JR Enterprise has brought it to Guyana for the first time. Training was done by a master sushi chef, who held an intense one week training course on the fine art of sushi preparation.

JR Enterprise is currently offering its sushi menu at both Silhouette Restaurant and Altitude Cocktail Bar which is soon to be renamed and rebranded as Altitude Sushi Bar & Cocktail Lounge.

This new concept will

The new Altitude Sushi Bar & Cocktail Lounge concept will allow guests to have the total sushi experience while lounging in an open air setting

A tale of greed, avarice...

From page 3

The illegality did not even have to do with the authenticity of the cheque, but that Ramkarran arranged for its clearing in full knowledge that the maker had died. The mandate of all such cheques expires on the death of the drawer.

However, the cheque was returned by the Barbados Bank to FCIB in Cayman on the grounds of insufficient liquid funds in Yusuf’s current account: the bulk of his funds being kept in a certificate of deposit. Ramkarran allegedly knew of how much money Yusuf's Cayman account had - he bungled in not finding out whether it was all liquid.

Ramkarran and his client Persaud have been stymied in their attempt to defraud the estate of Yusuf.

But they were not about to give up. The money was just

too much.

Cayman caper

Ramkarran, enlisted the help of Ali Mudeen, the then Managing Director of ATC Trustees (Cayman) Limited, to gain unauthorised access to the funds in the Cayman account at FCIB. Mudeen had once been an employee of Ramkarran in his law office of "Cameron And Shepherd" in Guyana.

Cayman is the second largest tax haven in the world, and US President Barrack Obama explicitly

Ali Mudeen

named it in the US efforts to curb the activities of this "shadow banking" centre, that is expert in the art of laundering funds.

Even though Ramkarran constantly professed to be "just the attorney for Persaud", the document above shows that Ramkarran formed a Joint

Venture Agreement (JVA) with Mudeen and Persaud.

It is against all the Canons of Legal Ethics for lawyers to engage in this type of activity with a current client on a matter in which he is the legal representative. The JVA was formed to facilitate the acquisition of a banking account in St Lucia that would receive the funds from the FCIB in Cayman by laundering it through the Bahamas.

Mudeen's role was to facilitate the second attempt

to withdraw the funds from his account in the Cayman.

With his background in Cayman Island "financial services" industry, this was not difficult to do.

It involved the production of a third Will produced by a Trinidadian cousin of Sherene, allegedly made by Yusuf on August 6, 2010, and expressed to be limited to his assets in the Cayman Islands. This would have been three days after the cheque was supposedly made out to Sherene to clean out the account.

It was not presented to FCIB until or about January 28, 2011, by which time the first attempt had failed and enough time would have been available to make another, more elaborate attempt.

A Caymanian woman, Debra Mary Rankin, a low level airline employee purporting to be the executrix of the probated Will presented herself to the Cayman FCIB. The "probate" in Guyana was shown to be fraudulent. A Cayman court broke several of its rules to certify that the Will was valid.

The woman, since arrested by Cayman Police, instructed FCIB to wire transfer the balance of US$4,399,237.28 in Yusuf’s account to the Bank of The Bahamas for the account of the purported sole beneficiary of his Cayman estate, a mysterious and hitherto unknown Bahamian entity called the “YM Guy-Caribe Foundation”.

This would be typical mechanisms to launder money and known to financial operators like Mudeen.

By this time, the certificate of deposit had become liquid and the money was transferred.

FCIB complied with this request via its correspondent bank JPMorganChase, ignoring that the socalled “YM Guy-Caribe Foundation” had not been established until November 5, 2010; in other words, almost three months after the Cayman will had purportedly been executed. How could a Will specify a beneficiary that does not exist?

On or about February 1, 2011, the Bank of The Bahamas received the sum of US$4,399,237.28 from JP Morgan Chase Bank, New

York, for the account of “YM Guy-Caribe Foundation” account number 1350002508.

Smoking gun

On April 11, 2011, Hari Narayen Ramkarran, aka

allow guests to have the total sushi experience while lounging in an open air setting. Sushi can also be catered for your event no matter the size. Have them prepare platters to serve at your event or take it one step further and have them prepare sushi live in front of your guest.

There has always been the misconception that sushi means “raw fish.” As a result, many people have become hesitant in trying.

The word “sushi” actually is Japanese for vinegared

rice which is the most integral ingredient in the entire process. By using this knowledge and information they are hoping to intrigue more people to come out and try sushi for the first time.

JR Enterprise is encouraging everyone to come out and try its sushi and take part in this new venture.

There will be a brief sushi demonstration tomorrow morning on the “chef it” segment of Morning Times on TVG Channel 28.

Ralph Ramkarran, opened an account number 651968-0 with the Bank of Saint Lucia International Limited (BOSIL). According to a copy of the account application form (see below), Ramkarran was introduced

to BOSIL by Mudeen.

According to the witness’ statement to the Barbados Police, the judge in the Cayman that presumably certified the third Will, received US$1 million according to Mudeen, Persaud US$1 million, Ramkarran, $750,000 and Rankin, the purported executrix’s share was in excess of $642,000.

Ramkarran told the bank that the activity over the account would represent “deposits from income and overseas investments” and that the average monthly balance would be US$150,000. The initial deposit to the account of US$20,000 was described as being “repayment by Mudeen of a loan to him”.

Mudeen left or had to leave ATC Trustees (Cayman) Limited, an oldline century old British firm and joined J&T Financial Group - a Czech-Slovak investment group's J&T Bank and Trust in Barbados.

J&T also did business in Cayman.

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news

SunDAY, march 22, 2015 | guyanatimesGY.com

Some lecturers not attending classes, refusing to teach – UGSS …slow progress on campus

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resident of the University of Guyana Student Society (UGSS) Joshua Griffith disclosed that following the resumptions of classes as provided for under the Terms of Resumption Agreement, some lecturers are still not attending classes while some are refusing to teach the topics some students have missed as result of the five week strike and protest actions on the lawns of the University of Guyana (UG).

During a telephone interview with the Guyana Times on Saturday Griffith said there is slow progress at UG on both the end of the University’s Administration and the Unions − University of Guyana Workers Union (UGWU) and the University of Guyana Senior Staff Association (UGSSA)/lecturers.

Griffith said for the most part, lecturers have resumed classes and have been teach-

UGSS Griffith

President

Joshua

ing in accordance to the curriculum but there are a few who are adamantly refusing to teach back what some students have missed. He said some classes are still without lecturers.

Nonetheless, Griffith is optimistic that the minor disorder will be addressed and fixed during the course of this week.

“By the end of the week all classes should have lecturers,” he said.

On the part of the administration, Griffith said they have kept their end of the bargain by providing refurbished blackboards/whiteboards and projectors to some classrooms.

According to the UGSS president, the administration is working to install the facility in the respective rooms.

“They have purchased all the materials, I think it’s just that they need to get the people to install them…,” he said.

But meanwhile, as the progress is forthcoming, some lecturers are utilising their personal equipment, such as laptops and projectors, to assist with the learning sessions while others are waiting on the administration to provide the relevant equipment.

The latter, Griffith noted, puts the students as a great disadvantage because their learning experience is limited.

In relation to release of grades, he noted that some

lecturers are yet to make the submissions.

Notwithstanding, Griffith explained that the administration normally imposes certain measures to get the lecturers to submit the grades.

“The administration has to do what they need to do to get the grades out…sometimes they threaten to withhold salaries to get the lectures to submit grades,” Griffith explained.

Additionally, he indicated that some grades have been submitted to the administration but progress is slow in publishing it online.

In the midst of it all, students are still in the dark about their performance in certain courses.

Meanwhile, reports indicate that the UG workers have been paid their wages with agreed increases.

The Unions were promised a 10 per cent interim salary increase once they returned to work.

Eyew tness Lies, dammed lies...

F ...and Lalloo Ram

or a while there, your Eyewitness was getting a bit worried. You see, dear reader, to put out a daily satirical piece, you need stuff that calls out for satire.

You can’t be beating up on little, old ladies trying to cross the street, can you?

But little, old, wizened men in suspenders – particular those saying the most outrageous things just to be noticed? They’re fair game! Your Eyewitness is talking about Lalloo “Suspenders” Ram, of course, who was a bit subdued of late. And starving your Eyewitness of material!!

But here he is – jumping on Jagdeo (where else but the Muckraker??) for not achieving the growth rate that Greenidge achieved for the last two years of his run as PNC’s Finance Minister!!

Talk about lies, dammed lies and statistics!! First of all, if you want to compare two regimes ...you’ve got to look at their overall performances – not cherry-pick as Ram did. And even then very dishonestly.

During Greenidge’s 10-year regime at Finance (19831992), Guyana’s economy had contracted so precipitously (think of starting off with an 11 per cent shrinkage in 1983!) that it had nowhere else to go but up with any programme that lifted the yoke of the PNC’s disastrous “cooperative” policies for the previous two decades.

And that’s just what Hoyte was forced to do when he signed on to the IMF bailout in 1989. It was like a fella squeezing a balloon being forced to remove his grubby little paws – the balloon’s gonna pop back towards to where it was. Nothing to do with Greenidge. What the heck could he have changed in two years?? Zilch!!

What happened is just an economy bouncing back to its “production-possibility frontier”. Like Hoyte taking off wage controls from the sugar industry – on IMF’s insistence – and sugar workers positive responses to the wage incentive.

The economy continued to grow for this reason till 1997. The trick was to keep the economy growing beyond that frontier – by increasing efficiencies in the existing industries and productive factors, while simultaneously diversifying into new areas. This takes time, money and upgrading of skills and rebuilding infrastructure and a whole host of other factors that must be put in place.

And that’s what Jagdeo did so that the economy was able to achieve a decade of uninterrupted growth for an entire decade since 2006. This is unprecedented in Guyana’s entire history.

But what can you say to a bitter old man like Lalloo, who’s trying so hard to get into APNU?? Just look around, wanker!! It’s called progress!!

... and jackasses

Addressing a gathering of businessmen at the Pegasus, Granger bad mouthed the state of Guyana and said this was because “Guyanese are jaguars led by jackasses”.

Now for an audience that had been bombarded by Granger and APNU for two weeks about Jagdeo’s “lack of class” when he advised Ramotar that he needed to “kick some asses” in the Opposition, even his spin doctors had to admit he’d put his foot in his mouth.

After all, while Jagdeo never backed away from his pugnacious attitude, Granger’s been trying oh so hard to suggest that butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth. Jettisoning PNC’s baggage!!

So the aforementioned spin doctors advised him to say he was just alluding to the WWI aphorism about British soldiers: “lions led by donkeys”!! Are “donkeys” any different from “jackasses”?? Or saying “ass” will ruin his image??

But Granger actually appears to know a lot about “jackasses”. During the last budget speech, he claimed, “Jackass ears long but he na hear ‘e own story”.

He should take his own advice.

...and grass

It also appear that while jackasses eat grass, they don’t smoke it. The Rasta “Theocracy Party” announced they’d hooked up with the APNU/AFC – then Basil said – not so fast. They had to be vetted!

So Nagamootoo’s rum drinking’s OK, and ganja smoking ain’t??

NEWS

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SunDAY, march 22, 2015 | guyanatimesGY.com

$100M Rice Cereal Factory to be constructed at Anna Regina – to create 200 jobs

longer a dream but a reality for the people of Essequibo, Morning Glory will be a preferred cereal on the market, to the Opposition this is not a dream, we are making it a reality today”.

By Indrawattie Natram

T

he Government is investing $100 million on the construction of a rice cereal factory at Anna Regina in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), which when completed will employ some 200 persons.

President Donald Ramotar, a delegation of ministers and other officials journeyed to the community on Saturday for the historic sod turning ceremony.

Ramotar in his address to a large gathering said the rice industry continues to be a driving force of Guyana’s economy and the factory will take this contribution to another level; value added production.

Committing that a People's Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) Government will never let the industry down, the President noted that rice production has grown and market is consequently becoming more competitive. “ You don’t have to get “A” quality to produce this cereal, from the broken rice it can be produce and still can fetch a good price on local and international” he said, adding that the project is a classic example of how science and technology, can help to change the lives of many Guyanese.

The rice cereal crisp project which is branded under “Morning Glory” is under-

The Tourism Minister also spoke of the small business development programme under which a grant is provided to a young person wanting to start up small business. “This programme will give young

A section of the audience at the sod turning ceremony

taken through collaborative arrangements between the Tourism, Ministry of Industry and Commerce and the Institute of Applied Science and Technology (IAST).

“We will continue to work to create more employment, to ensure that we use science and technology to improve the people live, we will build a Specialty Hospital, West Demerara Highway, more efficient and faster travel and ensure security, I look to you as we begin this project to add value and also to highlight Essequibo both locally and internationally, the region will become famous, with this cereal,” Ramotar noted.

He called on the private sector to adopt same simi-

lar initiatives of adding value to the rice commodity such as ‘pre-cooked rice’ and ‘five minute rice’.

Director of IAST Professor Suresh Narine said markets locally and in the Caribbean will be targeted. A box of cereal will be sold for $600-$700 per box of 400 grams. Narine further explained in addition to the rice cereal crisp, a convenience nutritional bar will be made.

Initially, some 105 persons from within the region will be employed. Those persons will be trained and given food handling certificates.

The facility he said will have a capacity to produce 20,000 tons of rice cereal, which will increase to 30,000 tons as time progresses. The

facility will be constructed

by Vish Turbo Contracting Service.

Also in attendance was Commerce and Industry Minister Irfaan Ali, who stated that the lives of many Guyanese have been changed positively under the PPP/C Administration. Ali said that development is all about having a vision and implementing same.

According to him, he has advocated for the rice cereal crisp factory for Region Two and diversifying the economy in Leguan and Wakenaam establishing a plantain chips factory, “Island Chips”.

But these were dismissed as a “joke” by the Opposition in Parliament.

He outlined “this is no

A sample of the finished product

“Rice is the essence of the economy, we cannot afford for the rice to fail, never allow rice to fail in Essequibo or anywhere in Guyana,” Ali said.

Ali said Government is cognisant of the need for a brighter future and as such is exploring investment options to make this possible for young people in Essequibo.

He pointed to the Government investment in infrastructural improvements which simultaneously creates employment for many. Ali also mentioned that a call centre will be established in the region.

people $300,000 to help start up business,” he said.

At the ceremony, the members of the audience were given a taste of the cereal with milk.

Others in a attendance were Minister within the Agriculture Ministry Alli Baksh, Labour Minister Dr Nanda Gopaul, Member of Parliament, Corrnel Damon, General Manager of the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB), Jagnarine Singh, Region Two Chairman Parmanand Persaud, and Regional Vice Chairman Vishnu Samaroo.

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SunDAY, march 22, 2015

guyanatimesgy.com

News

Guyana observes World Water Day 2015 Charity man

W

orld Water Day 2015 is celebrated on March 22 annually. This year, it is being observed under the theme “Water and Sustainable Development.”

Housing and Water Minister Irfaan Ali said this day coincides with a period of massive expansion of the local housing and water sector.

He said the water sector is very vital to every sector of development in a country.

“It is very vital that every Guyanese acknowledge that without the further expansion to potable water, there cannot be sustainable development.”

Minister Ali said expansions in the water sector with investments from the Government have resulted in the establishment of two new water treatment facilities in Linden, one at Amelia’s Ward and the other at Wisroc.

He further disclosed that similar facilities will be established at Uitvlugt in Region Three, Diamond in Region Four and Sheetrock in Region Six. Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) Chief Executive Officer Shaik Baksh in a message to the nation said GWI understands that without the expansion of safe water supply, critical services such as health and education would not be possible.

He pointed out that over the past five years the Government has invested

Housing and Water Minister Irfaan Ali

more than $20 billion for the expansion of safe and potable water throughout the country, including hinterland regions. The investments have resulted in the construction of seven new water treatment plants, in excess of 25 new well stations, rehabilitation of the distribution and transmission network, rehabilitation of the Georgetown Sewage System including the installation of 24 sewer pump stations, and water supply expansion in the hinterland through the construction of gravity feed systems, installation of photovoltaic systems and drilling of medium depth wells.

The former Minister stated that over $5 billion was expended to provide potable water to more than 150,000 households on the coast. He said, however, that the hinterland remains a key area and the Government is in-

vesting $800 million to improve the hinterland water supply.

GWI joins the world in celebrating World Water Day 2015 and urges every user to pause and reflect on the pivotal part that they must play in preserving Guyana’s fresh water resources.

In a separate statement, the Caribbean Community (Caricom) Secretariat said several Caricom Member States experienced prolonged droughts in 2014, severely affecting agricultural production, and water availability for domestic and industrial uses including hydro power generation. Extreme dry conditions still persist in some states in 2015.

“This creeping drought phenomenon has strengthened our commitment to continue efforts to highlight the importance of water management at the national and regional levels. At the individual level, we also have a responsibility to observe strict water conservation practices by eliminating wastage and reporting leaks to relevant authorities,” Caricom Secretariat said.

It said too that the very survival of humanity hinges upon the development of priorities to improve the management of the world’s water resources.

According to the United Nations, World Water Day is a day to celebrate water.

It is a day to make a difference for the members of the global population who suffer from water related issues.

charged with wife’s murder

Making unity real

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Dead: Quineza Benn

22-year-old man was remanded on Friday after being charged with the murder of his 26-year-old reputed wife.

Anthony Joseph, of Charity Village, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) made his first appearance in the Suddie Magistrate’s Court for the capital offense of murder, appearing before Magistrate Sunil Scarce.

Police said that between Monday March 16 and Tuesday March 17, the labourer murdered his reputed wife, Quineza Benn. The man was not required to plea and was therefore remanded to prison until April 14 for the commencement of his trial. The trial will take place at the Charity Magistrate’s Court.

Police in an earlier statement said Joseph had confessed to killing his reputed wife.

The autopsy conducted by State Pathologist, Dr Nehaul Singh confirmed that Benn died as a result of perforation to the heart due to a stab wound. The body, of the mother of two, was discovered on March 17, lying in a clump of bushes next to the Six Star Cocotal Hotel and Bar in Charity. At the time of the discovery, Benn’s body bore marks of violence – there were two deep cuts on her lip and left eye. She was last seen on Sunday last.

Her grandmother, Mary Benn, had mentioned that her granddaughter was living in an abusive relationship. Benn was often threatened and beaten by her reputed husband.

S

atiricus saw it as a sign. Here it was he’d been sent by his Editor to cover the APANU+ KFC meetings in New York. And that’s the first thing that annoyed Satiricus.

If Nagga Man and GrainJa had tied the knot, why couldn’t they join-up their names.

This “+” business wasn’t working for Satiricus. It was like he and his wife introducing themselves as “Satiricus + Antigone” instead of “Mrs and Mr Satiricus”. Now which one announced to the world that the couple were joined in holy matrimony??

And that reminded Satiricus that he was still peeved as to how GraniJa had rejected RumJhaat’s name for the coalition - Partnership Alliance for National Trust – Yes! (PANTY)... And for those that forgot the “YES” it became “PANT”.

Satiricus thought it was genius how the Jhaat had covered both males and females. (“covered”, get it?? PANT and PANTY!! Jeez, it’s not a joke when you have to explain it.)

Anyhow back to the “sign”: it was the first day of Spring in New York – and it SNOWED!! Could you believe it??

Where were all the buds sprouting on trees and couples smooching in Time Square like Satiricus saw in the movies??

But Satiricus had a job to do and “when the going got tough, the tough got going” was what Satiricus’ dad had always told him. He was so looking forward to the “unity” that Mr 11 p[er cent Nagga Man was bringing to the table with Mr 40 per cent GrainJa. Because back in old Mudland, Satiricus was really tired over all the “love and unity” that was spouted on the stage at the meetings – but only one kinda people in the audience.

“Where was the unity,” moaned Satiricus. “Guyana’s still so divided!”

This was the first time Satiricus was covering political meetings in New York. He was sure that because Guyanese of all types and species had escaped all the pressures in Guyana – they must be united in New York. Especially when Mr 11 per cent Nagga Man had hitched up with 40 per cent Mr GrainJa. So Satiricus moseyed over to Brooklyn where the first meeting was held Friday night. And was shocked to find out it was just like being at the Linden Rally – ALL ONE SET OF GUYANESE!!! He fumed over this and figured that the organisers didn’t know who was coming to dinner. “Because it look real baaaad for a ‘unity’ party”, thought Satiricus to himself.

So the next day he went to the second meeting over in Queens – some place named South Ozone. And Satiricus was even more shocked that it was déjà vu all over again.

ONE SET OF GUYANESE – this time like was Berbice.

Satiricus headed straight for the airport – which was less that ten minutes away. If this was the result of “unity” he might as well have the same thing where it was at least warm and sunny. “Good old Guyana!!” Satiricus thought, “I’m outta here!!”

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SunDAY, march 22, 2015 | guyanatimesGY.com

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sunday, march 22, 2015 | gu

rch 22, 2015 | guyanatimesGY.com

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14 NEWS

SunDAY, march 22, 2015 | guyanatimesGY.com

APNU+AFC calls for more Younge’s Take investment from overseasThe danger of based Guyanese forgetting the past

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P

David Granger addressing the gathering

r e s i d e n t i a l Candidate of the A Partnership for National Unity/ Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) coalition David Granger told hundreds of Guyanese Diaspora gathered at a fundraising forum in Brooklyn, New York to invest in the development of Guyana.

In taking the coalition’s campaign trail to the international scene, Granger told the gathering of supporters that Guyana is being predominantly dominated by investors from Brazil, China, Russia and Canada while the Guyanese investors are being left on the sideline.

“We want you to help us to transform Guyana because we cannot do it alone… we need you skills and your expertise… we need teachers, technicians, engineers,” he pleaded.

Granger lamented the fact that the Guyanese Diaspora is left out of the electoral system and that their voice cannot be used to drive change in their country.

Granger then promised to establish a “Department of Diaspora” to make it possible for overseas-based Guyanese to contribute to Guyana’s development with just the “click of a mouse” on the computer, if his party wins the May 11 election.

By presenting his promises for development in Guyana and encouraging the Diaspora to participate in changing Guyana, several supporters have indicated their interest in returning to Guyana to cast their votes on May 11.

Granger promised to improve the education sector by ensuring the annual

dropout rates and the failure rates at the National Grade Six Assessment are lowered.

He also pledged to create agricultural and technical institutions in the 10 administration regions and increase Internet access in Guyana.

Meanwhile, Prime Ministerial Candidate Moses Nagamootoo in his address told those in attendance that after more than 50 years of winner take all politics, it was time for change.

The fundraising dinner was held at New Woodbine on Church and Bedford Avenues, Brooklyn, New York and was organised by the Guyana American Patriotic Forum, a grouping of political and civil society organisations in the Tri-State area.

uyana’s pre and post independence history is replete with examples of what can happen to a people if they choose to forget their past experiences and the struggles they endured while fighting for progress and development.

Hendrik Wilhelm van Loon, in his book, “The Story of Mankind”, said “The history of the world is the record of a man in quest of his daily bread and butter.” Marcus Garvey acknowledged the importance of understanding the danger of forgetting one’s history when he said “a people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots”.

It is therefore worrying, to say the least, that some Opposition politicians from the AFC and the PNC-led APNU coalition are encouraging Guyanese to forget their past and the pain they endured so that healing can commence and Guyana can move forward.

Moses Nagamootoo, the coalition’s Prime Ministerial Candidate, in his usually flamboyant style tried desperately to paint a picture to Guyanese at Linden that could best be described as dishonest, dangerous, unrealistic and unhelpful.

Nagamootoo knows fully-well that the way to achieve healing of any ailment is not through forgetfulness or selective retention, but rather through acceptance. That is why it is so essential for him and David Granger to defend their track record as politicians.

Granger must come clean about the role he played in the Army when Dr Walter Rodney was killed during the 1980s. Granger must, once and for all, accept and address the many atrocities committed by the party he now heads against the Guyanese society with the aim of pushing for healing and reconciliation.

He must indicate his willingness to work closely with the Guyana Police Force to investigate all of the political assassinations and murders committed under his party’s Administration.

If Granger is serious at all about leading Guyana as its President, he must accept that his party rigged countless elections and participated in illegal and undemocratic processes during the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s to hold on to power.

Nagamootoo must show evidence of his claim that former President and Founder of the PPP/C Dr Cheddi Jagan had chosen him as President. He must also speak clearly to the allegations made by his former party that he is power drunk and obsessed with becoming President or Prime Minister.

Surprisingly, long standing members who have left his new yellow party have also echoed similar sentiments, explaining that he is defined by hatred and bitterness against the PPP/C. The PPP/C too has things that it must account for, but the party is not in habit of publicly appealing to Guyanese to forget the mistakes it made and move past them. Instead, the party has had to confront the stark reality of the fact that Guyanese do not have short memories and each day must live to prove that it is worthy of avoiding making the same mistakes twice.

The elections coming up will be ultimate test for the PPP/C as to whether it has managed to regain the confidence of the public and the supporters it lost.

This is not the time for Guyanese to become forgetful! They must remember their experiences under the PNC and contrast it with what is happening under the PPP/C while analyzing the promises being made by the new Opposition coalition and other parties.

In the year 2015, Guyanese can ill afford to surrender the memories they have of being part of a struggle for a brighter and more progressive country which stands tall on the pillars of freedom of expression, democracy, equality and non-discrimination.

This year, as Guyanese head to the polls to cast their ballots on May 11, they must remember the words of US President John F Kennedy: “Forgive your enemies, but never forget their names.”

If they want to understand today, they have to search yesterday with a view of defining their destiny tomorrow. Change is not blind and must come on the heels of progress and reflection.

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SunDAY, march 22, 2015 | guyanatimesGY.com

16 news

SunDAY, march 22, 2015 | guyanatimesGY.com

Meagre salary biggest constraint Young people, women empowered in Magistracy – Chancellor under the PPP/C – Dr Persaud

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cting Chancellor of the Judiciary, Justice Carl Singh has pointed out that while the Magistracy has almost met its complement of 21, there is the ongoing challenge of poor salaries.

Justice Singh explained that lawyers usually show little or no interest in the position because of the meager pay and tedious responsibilities attached to the job. He noted that even the “worst of lawyers” earn more than a sitting Magistrate does.

“Who is going to leave a lucrative practice to come and accept a job in the Magistracy, and that too for a fraction of his income at the (Guyana) Bar. It (salary) is the driving reason and we need to understand that, you get what you pay for,” he stated.

According to the acting Chancellor, the more experienced and qualified attorneys have no interest in the area, as such, the Judiciary is forced to appoint the younger ones with a minimum of two years experience at the Bar. Justice Singh noted that he had even approached the Government to have the salaries of both sitting Magistrates and Judges reviewed but this request was

denied, adding that he was told that they will have to wait until the end of the year to get the normal five per cent increase along with the other public servants.

Another factor he said that is an impediment is the lack of judicial education programmes to keep Magistrates abreast with the changes in the judiciary and to refresh their knowledge. Justice Singh stated that the sector does not have the finances to fund such programme, but outlined that there are a few adhoc programmes held at no cost to the Judiciary and feature presentations from international and regional professionals.

Currently, there are 20 Magistrates sitting at courts across the country.

Appointments were made in December last year, which saw several young Attorneys being appointed.

Commentators have observed the need for an increase in the Magistracy since the work at the magisterial level continues to increase, especially for those Magistrates who preside over more than one court.

However, the acting Chancellor declared that the current complement is work-

ing and there is no need for full-time Magistrates sitting at the court, particularly at the ones located in the outlining regions where the courts do not have daily sittings. He stated that there are statutory days fixed for hearings at the courts.

“If we were to put one Magistrate to a court then for example, at the Mahaica court where there are sittings only two days a week, then the Magistrate there will work only two days per week.

The load of the court does not necessitate daily sittings.

Sparendaam used to sit two days a week but we made it a daily court because the work was increasing, so I changed it and now Sparendaam sits every day,” the Chancellor noted.

He further stated that Government has provided funding for a new court facility to be built at Sparendaam to house two court rooms with the increased work load.

On the other hand, Justice Singh underscored that Government continues to support the sector with various efforts that are aimed at improving the environment and for some programmes that will enhance judicial capacity.

Last year, the InterAmerican Development Bank (IDB) funded Modernisation of the Justice Administration Project concluded and according to the Chancellor, the sector had benefited significantly from this. The project was divided into two components; at the levels of the Legal Affairs Ministry and the court system.

According to the acting Chancellor, the project entailed legislative reviews, IT development and judicial training, among other components. The larger component of the project was the rehabilitation and construction of several courts across the country.

The refurbished Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts was one such project.

T

he People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) during a meeting with residents of Cummings Lodge, East Coast Demerara (ECD), highlighted how young people and women have been empowered after 1992.

Present at the meeting were Dr Vindhya Persaud and Dr Ashni Singh.

“We can talk of the Women of Worth (WOW) programme where single women have benefited from loans to open their own businesses,” Dr Persaud said on Friday as she addressed the gathering. She highlighted that the Opposition is yet to state any plans to help women in Guyana.

“One of the things they cut is the loans to the University of Guyana students and they cut so many things that would benefit you and they say they care,” Dr Persaud pointed out. “…

Then they come out and say we love you Guyana, we love you young people and we love you women and behind your back they are doing the opposite,” she said in reference to cuts the Opposition made in Parliament to varying Government projects.

Addressing the meeting, Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh said, “The PNC presided over when the Guyanese education system was the

Dr Vindhya Persaud envy of the world to a time when Guyanese education system was an embarrassment to us.”

“Gone are the days when you only have to attend one or two secondary schools in Georgetown if you are to do well. Gone are the days when you could only be the top student by going to Queen’s College,” said the Minister.

He pointed out that the education system has evolved to empower young people and to give them hope of realising their dreams.

The Minister said that the Government has created an environment suitable for investors to create jobs for thousands of young Guyanese.

He said the Information Communication Technology sector has created more jobs

than any other sector in the country over the last 10 years and is funded mainly by foreign investment.

Minister Singh added that “while we took to Parliament ICT legislations intended to liberalise the telecommunications sector, in contrast the PNC and the AFC conspired to block that legislation.”

The PPP/C has taken a swat at the Opposition’s promise to restore the National Service as a strategy for youth development.

“How many of you remember the young Guyanese boys and girls who could not complete university education because their parents were not prepared to subject them to the indignity of National Service?” he asked, while adding that the National Service was used by the PNC as a deliberate mechanism to prevent some Guyanese from attending university and facilitating others.

Dr Singh said “we want a Guyana where your children can realise their dreams and aspirations.”

The PPP/C has pledged that it will continue to create a Guyana where everyone can benefit from the developments and not a select few.

It was also highlighted that the Government is exploring new frontiers to create jobs and benefit thousands of Guyanese.

Elderly man gets bail after confessing to stabbing drinking buddy

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n elderly man pleaded guilty to stabbing his drinking partner when he appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on Friday.

However, Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry recorded a not guilty plea after hearing his explanation.

Lionel Class is alleged to have stabbed the Virtual Complainant (VC) Saleed Khan on October 25, 2014 in Kitty, Georgetown. He was charged for unlawfully and maliciously wounding the VC. Police Prosecutor Michael Grant told the court that the

defendant and the VC were consuming alcohol when the VC told the defendant to shut up. The defendant is alleged to have slapped the VC across his face, resulting in the VC retaliating by cuffing the defendant on the left shoulder. The defendant left but returned with something in his hand.

According to the Prosecutor, the defendant subsequently stabbed the VC several times with a broken bottle. The VC received injuries to his arms, for which medical documents were submitted to show the injuries

sustained. The matter was reported and the defendant was subsequently arrested and charged.

In answering to the charge, the defendant pleaded guilty.

However, he contradicted the details of the case presented by the prosecution, explaining that he simply retaliated when the VC left following the argument but came back and hit him with something.

With this, Chief Magistrate Sewnarine-Beharry recorded a not guilty plea and placed the defendant on $50,000 bail.

His next court date is April 17.

news

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SunDAY, march 22, 2015 | guyanatimesGY.com

ECD taxi driver burnt to Baby dies death after car explodes after receiving

By Bhisham Mohammed

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taxi driver was burnt to death after the car he was driving exploded at Plantation Hope, East Coast Demerara (ECD).

The charred remains of 24-year-old Andrew Anthony Budborgh of Lot 359 Plantation Hope, ECD were removed from the vehicle at about 15:00h on Saturday and taken to the Lyken’s Funeral Home where it is awaits a postmortem examination.

According to reports, moments before the incident, the taxi driver left his grandmother’s home and was heading to his relatives at De Hoop, Mahaica, ECD. As he approached a bridge in Hope Housing Scheme, the car reportedly exploded but attempts to get the man out of the burning vehicle proved futile.

The young man was seen in the car but the heat was too intense, hence persons who attempted to rescue him were forced to retreat.

The car which exploded while the young man was driving

At the scene, relatives gathered with puzzled faces as they tried to understand what might have occurred and why the young man did not save himself from the inferno. The shell of the car was left behind as the hearse whisked away with the charred remains of the deceased.

One young man explained that after he saw the blaze, he ran towards the car and attempted to

open to the door but they were all locked.

He recalled seeing Budborgh moving in the car and was not sure why he did not open to door so that he could have been saved.

An uncle of the deceased at the scene of the incident told Guyana Times that he was in Georgetown when he received the call but by the time he arrived at the scene, he saw his nephew’s charred remains in the

driver’s seat.

He too was confused about the entire incident and could not say the reason for the young man wanted to take his own life.

The Police have launched an investigation into the matter.

At the home of Tonya Budborgh, an aunt of the dead man, she recalled that the young man usually kept to himself and they were not aware of any issues he may have had.

She said that he was at her house to visit his grandmother and left at about 12:00h. Within seconds, she recalled seeing smoke in the air and as she looked closer she saw the vehicle in flames. The devastated aunt said that by the time they arrived at the scene, he was already burnt to death.

The young man’s mother was too distraught to speak and was heard screaming as relatives arrived at the house to offer their moral support. The young man leaves to mourn his parents and six siblings.

vaccine

A

mother of three is now mourning the death of her fourmonth-old son Kevon Critchlow after he was vaccinated at the Plaisance Health Centre, East Coast Demerara (ECD), reportedly with the vaccine.

The woman, Suemede Eastman-Critchlow of 40 Goedverwagting, ECD, is now distraught after her son passed away on Wednesday, February 18, due to haemorrhaging in his brain.

According to Critchlow, she took her son to the Health Centre to be vaccinated at 08:00h and after waiting some time, a nurse administered the vaccines to the child, after which they left at around 09:00h.

She said when she returned home, the child experienced difficulty sleeping but showed no other signs of being unwell. “He didn’t cry or anything, just that he couldn’t sleep,” the devastated mother recalled.

Oral tradition continues with World Story Telling Day

O

n Thursday, the Culture, Youth and Sport Ministry in collaboration with the National School of Theatre Arts and Drama (NSTAD) observed World Story Telling Day (WSD) at the National Library where some of Guyana’s finest story tellers met to share stories old and new from all range of cultures and territories.

WSD was held this year under the theme “Wishes,” and the stories portrayed by writers, dramatists and poets all symbolised this.

There were performances from the illustrious Ron Robinson, Lavonne George from the Allied Arts Unit, Petamber Persaud, Al Creighton, Michael Khan (aka Ol’ Man Pappy) and Vanda Radzik.

Representatives from Theatre Guild, the University of Guyana (UG), Confucius Institute, the United States Embassy and the Mexican Embassy were also in attendance.

Some of the stories told were Mr Wheeler – how

Ol’ Man Pappy in character at the National Library conference room

Anansi acquired his limb; the Master Battle Man; the Fox Borrows, the Tiger’s Terror and local favourites, Balgobin and Banwarie.

WSD has its roots in a national day for storytelling in Sweden, circa 1991-2. At that time, an event was organised for March 20 in Sweden, called “Allaberättares dag” (All storytellers day). The Swedish national storytelling network died not too long after, but the day stayed alive, celebrated around the

country by different enthusiasts. In 1997, storytellers in Perth, Western Australia coordinated a five-week-long celebration of stories, commemorating March 20 as the International Day of Oral Narrators. At the same time, in Mexico and other Latin American countries, March 20 was already celebrated as the National Day of Storytellers.

Trained anthropologists, Michael Margolis had stated in an online article that story telling still has its prevalence today, even in this day of advanced technology. He said it is a natural trait in humans to know and be enthralled with stories.

Actor Ron Robinson in his recital of the Master Battle Man

“We are constantly seeking stories”, he said, as we always are asking friends and families. This is particularly seen in the millions spent

in movies and reading materials every day, whether the stories are coming through traditional means or through the advanced technology.

Four-month-old baby, Ahreefa Bacchus succumbed after reportedly receiving wrong treatment

Eastman-Critchlow said when she got up close to midnight to check on her little one, he was found bleeding through the mouth. Little Kevon was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. An autopsy conducted on the infant revealed that the he died as a result of haemorrhaging in his brain.

The woman recalled seeing the nurse handling multiple vials of vaccines at the time and concluded that she might have administered the wrong vaccine or given the child a lethal dose.

The distressed mother then returned to the Health Centre where she confronted the nurse who denied the allegation. It was only after she made a threat to involve the Police and the media that the nurse admitted that “It was a mistake,” which the mother accepted as a confession.

She said an investigation is being launched into the matter and the family will be taking legal action.

18 NEWS

SunDAY, march 22, 2015 | guyanatimesGY.com

Guyanese call for unity Leopold Street man arrested for Crumahead of elections Ewing’s murder S A

everal Guyanese are calling for unity to be the prominent feature of preparations and political campaigns ahead of the General and Regional Elections on May 11.

According to the persons who spoke to Guyana Times on Saturday, unity should be the most important hallmark in the country generally but more so at this sensitive period of time.

“I think it is important for us to unite. We can't have poor leadership, poor opposition and a poor unity. I think Guyana is a very passive country. We should rise up and make our voices heard. Too often we stay quiet on matters we should speak out about. It is the only way; we'll be taken seriously as Guyanese and move forward,” said Christopher Belfield, a law student and recent graduate of Queen’s College.

Meanwhile, Reisa Roberts expressed her wish to see a united country where the race, political preference and differences of each individual is not pointed out nor judged but rather respected.

“Despite race and political choice at the end of the day we are one. We are all Guyanese. If you go overseas: to the Caribbean or any other country, they refer to all of us as Guyanese

Amar Dillawar

and I think it's time, we as a people begin to recognise that. So I think unity is very important at this time.”

According to Rochelle Christie, unity is the most important factor in Guyana becoming one of the best nations in the world.

The young lady expressed that it was her wish to witness an election season, but more so a country, where the race and the color of an individual’s skin is not looked upon.

“I feel so torn and disappointed to see the division that comes along with elections, watching the races pitted against each other for political gain is very sickening. It’s like everyone forget how great we are when we come together as one from fighting for our independence to winning a sim-

ple cricket match. Guyanese are stronger when we unite as one,” Christie expressed to Guyana Times.

On Friday, Maulana Ahsan-Ullah Manga, a leader in the Muslim community and a member of the Central Islamic Organisation (CIOG) urged Guyanese to keep the peace during the period of elections.

“The best thing is that every citizen should exercise their right of vote peacefully and with harmony like just how we are living in harmony just before elections, we should live in harmony the day after elections, we should live in harmony after elections,” he expressed.

He reminded that the polls will have to be endorsed by all and as such, he is urging persons to be calm before, during and after the elections period.

Questioned on why this was so, the respondents, particularly the young people, indicated that it was the only time they are given a chance of having a say in who is selected to lead the country to where it needs to be.

According to Amar Dillawar “elections Day is very, very important day for me as a youth, it’s the day I have my say in who I think should lead my country. I think it’s overdue for Guyanese to realize that re-

Christopher Belfield

gardless of what political party we support or what ethnic ground we come from we need to have respect and love for each other if we wish to see this country develop.”

Rochelle Christie too echoed similar sentiments noting that as Guyanese, elections day “seemed like the only time I feel like I have any kind of power as a citizen, I mean I get to have a say in how things work in this country for once.”

On the other hand, Reisa Roberts told the Guyana Times “we need a governing body. We need persons to make decisions not just one person.”

They have all indicated to that come May 11, they will ensure they exercise their franchise and right to vote.

Leopold Street, Georgetown resident is now in Police custody assisting with the investigations into the murder of ex-police rank, Courtney Crum-Ewing who was killed in Diamond, East Bank Demerara (EBD).

A senior Police rank told Guyana Times that the man was taken into custody on Thursday evening and is being interrogated. He added that a silver Toyota Primo motorcar was also impounded and dusted for fingerprints.

The car, he stated, matches the description of the vehicle caught on surveillance footage taken from residents in the area. The recording shows that type of car being used but due to the darkness, the occupants in the vehicle could not be identified. During investigations, the Police received information about the suspect they now have in custody.

The senior Police Officer said that based on investigations, the car was traced and impounded.

Initially, two men from Diamond, EBD, were taken into Police custody but were later released. A motor car bearing registration number PPP 723 belonging to one of the men was also impounded as the Police conduct their investigations.

Courtney Crum-Ewing, a father of three, was gunned

down execution style while urging residents of the Diamond Housing Scheme to go out and cast their ballots on May 11.

An autopsy report proved that Crum-Ewing was shot five times – three bullets went to the head, while one struck the back of the neck and the fifth bullet entered under one of his arms. All the bullets were fired from behind and at close range except the one that hit under his arm and exited his shoulder.

It was also reported that the bullet wound to the back of the man’s neck was at point-blank range and gun powder residue was also found on the collar of the back of the shirt that he was wearing. <<<Guyana Times>>> was told that two .38 war heads were removed from the dead man’s head.

Crum-Ewing rose to popularity after he protested for the removal of Attorney General Anil Nandlall, following the revelation of an illegal telephone conversation recorded by Kaieteur New’s owner, Glenn Lall between the Attorney General and one of his reporters, Leonard Gildarie.

Over the past week, Crum-Ewing has not only been made into a martyr, but a “political” martyr by the entire Opposition, their allies in the media and several civil society groups.

Police probing threats to murdered Foulis businessman’s family

R

anks of the Guyana Police Force have reportedly approached Digicel Guyana to assist in an ongoing investigation involving the family of slain businessman Rajendra “Sunil” Singh.

Investigators are hoping that the cell phone giant can trace a number that has been sending threatening

text messages to the wife of the slain businessman.

Singh was kidnapped on April 6, 2014 from his Lot 15 Foulis/Enmore, East Coast Demerara (ECD) home, and was later found dead at Le Repentir Cemetery, Georgetown.

According to his distraught wife Heema Singh, she received the first text

on March 17, 2015 and has since received about 45 messages. The woman said that the persons are demanding $50 million – otherwise they will kidnap her along with her 14-year-old son and kill them. The bandits are claiming that the money was owed to them by the now dead businessman for spare parts. However, the

woman related that she was integrally involved in running the business with her husband and has no knowledge of this.

Efforts to contact the Crime Chief Leslie James to get a further update on the investigation proved futile.

When contacted on Saturday, Singh told Guyana Times that she has

been following up with the Police on their investigation but was told that tracing the number will take some time. The woman noted that she is “scared as hell” not only for her own safety but that of her teenaged son.

“It’s not a case that I can hide or my son can hide.

Nowhere in Guyana is safe and I can’t give up my son or let him stay away from me.

He is my life, my soul and I don’t know what I will do if anything happens to him.

After my husband’s death, I was so distraught, I still am, and I don’t think I can handle losing my son too.

Protecting him is my main priority,” she stated.

Meanwhile, she disclosed that on Friday she received a text message around 07:30h which read “What make you go on TV, just pay we and done the f****** nonsense.

If we go to station you going to jail for the money that you pay to kill Suni. Them Police f*** stupid because you must has don brive (bribe) them good.”

The woman said that her husband’s killers are trying to scare her so that she will stop seeking assistance from the Police. Up to the time the woman spoke to this publication on Saturday afternoon, the last text message she received was at

11:50h on Friday. The message read, “Pay we and stop all the hiding. When you pay we, we done with you.”

The businessman was in his motor car in front of his business place when the wife saw two men enter the vehicle, and drove off with him in it. The car was later found along the Goedverwagting Railway Embankment, ECD. Minutes after the kidnapping, the family was contacted and a ransom of $50 million was demanded for the businessman’s safe return. The Police were contacted and an investigation was launched.

One day later, the kidnappers phoned the businessman’s wife, requesting $25 million instead after the initial amount could not be raised. They also demanded that the family hand over the surveillance footage of the kidnapping incident and gave a deadline to deliver the money at a specific location, however, the family could not have met the demand.

The businessman’s body was then discovered with his throat slit and a bullet wound to his head at Le Repentir Cemetery. His hands were tied behind his back with a piece of rope and a white cloth was tied around his neck.

19

NEWS

sunDAY, march 22, 2015 | guyanatimesGY.com

Controversial “Vote like a Boss” campaign...

IRI/USAID funded, organised GNYC launches T

he Guyana National Youth Council (GNYC) has launched its “Vote like a Boss” campaign amid the continued controversy surrounding the real intention behind its initiatives and policies.

The organisation has come in for heavy criticisms from the Peoples Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) and its youth arm the Progressive Youth Organisation (PYO) about its genuine agenda and principles.

The campaign was officially launched during a simple ceremony at the National Library on Saturday.

Addressing the small gathering was the Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the GNYC Tiffany Daniels who reiter-

dividuals and to eventually recognise their role in developing their communities and country by taking up leaderships and initiatives.

But the PPP/C and PYO, among other sections of society, are skeptical about this purpose.

One reason for being cynical is the fact that the GYNC is partially funded by the USAID/IRI through its LEAD (Leadership and Democracy) project.

At the launch, Chief of Party of the USAID LEAD Project Glen Bradbury subtly indicated that USAID provides more than financial assistance.

“When we decided to support the council…the idea was to provide assistance in terms of capacity building…but the root of it all was to assist them to go

“When we decided to support the council… the idea was to provide assistance in terms of capacity building…but the root of it all was to assist them to go forward to impart and provide knowledge and to provide expertise to youth individuals,” he stated. ated that the youth organisation is legitimate in its cause to garner youth people’s participation in the electoral process.

While not disclosing the precise number of members the Council consists of, Daniels affirmed that each member is deeply rooted in its commitment in ensuring young people are able to develop themselves as in-

forward to impart and provide knowledge and to provide expertise to youth individuals,” he stated.

Bradbury said a major element of the LEAD programme is to deal with assisting youth organisations of any type to become more active in their society and civic responsibility and roles as youths.

He prompted young peo-

Part of the gathering at the launching of the “Vote like a Boss” campaign

ple to ask questions to the “individuals” seeking their vote and support and make certain they hold them accountable for failing to adhere or uphold promised policies.

“You should not blindly support anyone,” he noted.

Moreover, the GNYC expressed their dissatisfaction with the feedbacks they have received from young people about participation in the electoral process.

GYNC members took to the podium to highlight the fact that majority of the young people they have engaged are disenchanted for various reasons.

Based on the feedback, young people especially, do not feel excited or obligated to vote because they are of the belief that their vote would not make a difference in the country.

Incidentally, GYNC claims that the “Vote like a boss” campaign will attempt to explain to and edu-

Work commences on Georgetown Ferry Stelling

R

epairs to the Georgetown Ferry Stelling have commenced with changes being made to the rails of the structure, which were previously in shambles.

These repairs are being made in light of an incident where a section of the structure collapsed in September 2014.

Major repairs are still needed on the stairwell of the structure which poses a danger to commuters as there is a risk of falling. Individuals who utilise this facility expressed their gratitude for the minor improvements of the structure.

“It’s a start”, one individual said, “but we still

The newly repaired stelling rails

have a long way to go” he continued, expressing his hope that there will be reconstruction works donr to the entire facility.

According to Public Works Minister Robeson

A view of the deteriorating Georgetown Stelling/Wharf

Benn, plans are being made for the improvement of the entire stelling. He stated that the Ministry is focusing largely on the repairs to the structure where commuters would embark and disembark, while adding that close attention is also being paid to the floating ramps.

Benn stated that further repairs and renovations are at a standstill as the fundamental problem to be addressed is funding, stressing that further rehabilitative works on the facility cannot be continued until the repairs are budgeted for in the new Parliament.

cate those disenchanted individuals about the process and present detailed information on why they should vote and then allow them to vote for the party of their choice on Elections Day. Therefore, the individuals attending the campaigns will be influenced by not only the information being conveyed during the meetings, but the tone and manner in which it is conveyed.

According to GNYC representative Francis Bailey, the GYNC will be instilling information into young people to get them upbeat about the elections process and eventually change the way they perceive the value

of their votes.

Meanwhile some of the organisations onboard the “Vote like a boss” campaign are Women’s Across Differences (WAD), Guyana Women’s Roundtable, Blue Caps, University of Guyana Student Society (UGSS), the University of Guyana Newspaper Splash and Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD).

Those are several organisations which are closely affiliated to the US Embassy here and receive massive funding through donor dollars and grant aids.

GNYC had partnered with the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to

oversee the process and ensure the information they disseminate to the public is in accordance with certain principles.

However, the PPP/C and PYO have been calling on GECOM to cut ties with the GNYC as they do not represent all youths across Guyana.

Additionally, the two entities had pointed out that the GNYC is affiliated with the Opposition parties and was using their partnership with GECOM to secure executive power.

“The PYO believes that the GNYC has deeply rooted political interests and affiliations to Opposition groups in our society which are trying desperately to access executive power through dubious means,” the organisation said.

But GNYC has asserted that its membership consists of persons from across the diverse political spectrum and has taken umbrage to the recent comments about its bona fides by the PPP/C and PYO. However, the PYO has distanced itself from the group and has called on them to provide the names of its members who are part of the GNYC, something the GNYC contended they cannot do.

Hughes admits tourism industry growing

By Devina Samaroo

A

lliance For Change (AFC) Chairman Nigel Hughes admitted that the tourism industry in Guyana has seen massive developments under the People's Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Administration.

Hughes expressed his appreciation for the assiduous efforts being placed into the tourism industry by various stakeholders including the Private Sector, the Tourism Ministry, the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA), and the Tourism and Hospitality Authority of Guyana (THAG).

“In the tourism industry, there has been significant development and the beauty about it, it has been quiet, it has been consistent and Guyana continues to grow…fabulous developments have been happening,” Hughes said.

At the time, the AFC Chairman was speaking during a ceremony held to launch a series of new tourism initiatives being led by THAG. This declaration came as a major surprise to many, since the AFC and the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) have used their combined one-seat majority on several occasions to block funding for a number of developmen-

AFC Chairman Nigel Hughes addressing the gathering

tal projects that could have further enhanced Guyana’s tourism sector.

However, the APNU+AFC coalition, during its campaign rallies, is now saying that it supports several of the projects that were once blocked.

Commentators have argued that in undermining those proposals; the Opposition should have subsequently presented alternatives to execute such projects and ultimately indicate a commitment to national development.

But the Opposition was incapable of presenting better alternative proposals, and instead it attempted to block major projects including the Marriott Hotel, the Cheddi Jagan International Airport Expansion Project, and the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project, among others.

Only recently, AFC threatened to impose sanctions on the management of the Marriott Hotel, if elected into Government.

In a press statement, the AFC said if it forms the next Government, it would revisit, review and if necessary, impose sanctions on the agreement.

The Marriott Hotel project has been endorsed by THAG. THAG believes the introduction of the Marriott as a flagship hotel will encourage international investors.

Nonetheless, at the ceremony, Hughes indicated his optimism for continued growth in the sector by praising THAG on its launch of the three new initiatives that are expected to further promote Guyana and ultimately develop and expand the tourism industry.

20 Over $7M at stake in today’s WICB PCL 4-day tournament…

Barnwell, “Clash of the Titians” Chanderpaul H revive Jaguars sundAY, march 22, 2015

guyanatimesGY.com

orse racing fans can expect an action packed day of racing in the “Clash of the Titans” horse race meet, slated for the Port Mourant Turf Club, Corentyne, Berbice today.

More than 70 animals have registered for the eightrace event, with rivalry being foremost in the minds of horse owners.

Score’s Even, the favorite in the feature A Class event, could expect a stiff challenge from newly-imported recordbreaking Diplomatic Cat, Run Nana Run, Treacle, CP Got Even, Curfew Tower, Spit Fire, Tiz a Holiday, Western Charm, Spirit of Dixie, Lady Budapest and Storm Mark.

That race is a 1600 metres affair for a whopping first prize of $1.2 million.

Organised by the “Four Horsemen Promotion”, over $7 million is up for grabs.

The Four Horsemen Promotion is putting a number of initiatives in place to

An action-packed day is anticipated

improve standards, although the event will be held under the rules of the Guyana Horse Racing Authority (GHRA).

The organisers are accommodating the D3 maidens and non-earners in the past six months in the four-yearold West Indies Bred race.

This race will now be the 1500 metres open to all horses classified D3 maiden and non-earners in the same category for the last six months of under $300,000 and all other lower classes and ratings of horses.

A prize of $400,000 and

a trophy is available for the winner of the three-year-old event for West Indies Bred horses over 1200 metres.

The G1 and Lower 1200 metres race fetches the winner $320,000 and a trophy.

The 1200 metres threeyear-old Guyana bred and I and Lower race has a first prize of $300,000 and a trophy.

The G3 Maiden and H and Lower 1200 metres race has $300,000 and a trophy set aside for the winner.

The J1 and Lower 1100 metres event has a first-place prize of $240,000 and a trophy.

The J3 and Lower race will also be an 1100m race for $200,000 and a trophy.

The top Jockey, along with the runner up, the top stable and champion trainer will all be presented with trophies and other incentives, compliments of the Trophy Stall and the organisers.

Race time will be 12:30h.

– Chanderpaul passes 25,000 FirstClass runs, Barnwell hits maiden ton

Christopher Barnwell

A

gusty unbroken 178 sixth-wicket stand between veteran West Indies batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Christopher Barnwell rescued the Guyana Jaguars from a perilous position on Saturday as the tourists battled to 289-5 on the second day in the final round of the West Indies Cricket Board’s Professional Cricket League Four-Day Tournament at Windsor Park in Dominica against the Windward Islands Volcanoes.

When the bails were lifted, the Jaguars had already secured first innings points and were seven runs ahead.

The tourists were indebted to Chanderpaul, who is unbeaten with a tenacious 83 and Barnwell, who is on 104, his Firstclass ton.

Both batsmen played their roles in a considerable rescue act after the Jaguars were 111-5 just after lunch.

The obdurate left-hander, reprieved on 23, frustrated the hosts with his awkward crab-like stance and intense concentration to passed 25,000 Firstclass runs, and together with Barnwell ensured the Jaguars secured first innings points.

Resuming at 2-0, the Jaguars suffered an early blow with the dismissal of Assad Fudadin. The left-hander was trapped leg before wicket to Derlon

Johnson for four.

Leon Johnson (2) departed soon after off the bowling of Mervin Matthew. Chandrika and Narsingh Deonarine joined forces but both batsmen were removed by Shane Shillingford in quick succession at 70-4. Chandrika made 35, while the lefthanded; Deonarine contributed 15 to the total.

Chanderpaul and Vishual Singh took the Jaguars to lunch at 87-4 but Singh gave Johnson his second scalp soon after for 22 at 111-5.

Barnwell joined Chanderpaul to put them back on track. The pair set about steadying the ship, taking advantage of anything overpitched to keep the scoreboard ticking over.

At the tea interval, the

Shivnarine Chanderpaul

Jaguars were 144-5, with Chanderpaul on 37 and Barnwell on 12.

But with no demons in the pitch, neither batsman was troubled as they eased their way through the entire session.

Johnson and Shillingford are the most successful bowlers for the hosts with two wickets apiece so far.

SCOREBOARD WINDWARDS 1st Innings 283 GUYANA 1st Innings (overnight two without loss) R Chandrika c Robinson b Shillingford 35 A Fudaddin lbw b Johnson 4 *L Johnson c Peters b Matthew 3 N Deonarine c Matthew b Shillingford 15 S Chanderpaul not out 83 Vishaul Singh c Lesporis b Johnson 22

C Barnwell not out 104 Extras (b15, w5, nb3) 23 TOTAL (5 wkts, 92 overs) 289 To bat: +A Bramble, V Permaul, D Bishoo, R Beaton.

Fall of wickets: 1-14, 2-37, 3-69, 4-70, 5-111.

Bowling: Johnson 15-262-2, Matthew 17-7-501, Shillingford 30-6-64-2, Sebastien 11-1-45-0, Theophile 3-0-9-0, Peters 16-2-44-0.

YELLOW PAGES

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Eastman outsprints Hinds to win main event

By Avenash Ramzan

H

amzah Eastman outsprinted Orville Hinds in a two-man showdown to win the feature 35-lap race on Saturday when Star Party Rentals staged its second annual 11-race programme at the inner circuit of the National Park.

Eastman and Hinds opened up a lead on the other starters from as early as the second lap, and never relinquished that advantage, making the battle for top honours a straight two-way fight.

While they briefly exchanged the lead along the gruelling 35-lap course, it was the sprint that captivated the gathering of die-hard cycling fans, who usually visit the National Park on Saturday mornings.

After a short ‘cat and mouse’ on the final 300m, Eastman stepped on the gas, initiating the sprint finish on the penultimate turn coming down the homestretch.

It proved to be the decisive move, as he had just enough in the tank to pip Lindener

Hamzah Eastman raises his hands in triumph after beating Orville Hinds to the finish line (Photos: Avenash Ramzan)

Sookhai won the Veterans Under-50 from Junior Niles and Shameer Baksh in second and third respectively.

Linden Blackman won the Over-50 category, while Wilfred Thom was the top rider in the Over-60 division.

Andrew Hicks took top honours in the Juveniles, beating off the challenge of Jaleel Jackson and Raphael Leung, while Keon Thomas won the Mountain Bikes race ahead of Richard Charles and Sean Budhan.

Sherwin Sampson again

ing fit.

To cap the day’s proceedings, Star Party Rentals also presented a token of appreciation to Mohamed for his contribution to sports in Guyana.

Cheddi race Meanwhile, the riders will be in action again today when the third and final leg of the Cheddi Jagan memorial road race is staged in Essequibo from 09:00h.

Seasoned campaigner Godfrey Pollydore was the top rider on that leg last year,

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The top performers of the 2015 programme pose with their trophies

Hinds to the finish line.

Eastman of Team Coco’s was clocked at one hour, 17 minutes, 39 seconds, while Hinds of Team Evolution had to settle for second after trailing by a bike length.

In a spirited battle for third position, Robin Persaud took the spotlight, leaving the trio of Horace Burrowes, last year’s winner Godfrey Pollydore and Marlon Williams to round off the top six in a group sprint.

Earlier in the day, Marica Dick, Daniel Periera and Brighton John were 1-23 in the 12-14 Boys and Girls event, while Jaikarran

won both the BMX 9-12 and 12-14, while Alexander Leung was the victor in the BMX 6-9 race.

Moments before the presentation ceremony, national cycling coach and organiser of the activity, Hassan Mohamed, and Managing Director of Star Party Rentals and former national cricketer, Lennox Cush, addressed the cyclists.

Mohamed lauded Cush for once again coming onboard as a sponsor of cycling, while Cush took the opportunity to commend the riders, both young and old, for choosing cycling as a means of keep-

copping the top podium spot in a time of two hours, 10 minutes, 24.41 seconds (02h: 10m: 24.41s). The race will ride off at Supenaam, head to Charity and return to Anna Regina for the finish.

In the opening leg on the West Demerara, Hamzah Eastman emerged winner, while on stage two in Berbice, Orville Hinds was the champion.

Jagan, one of the founders of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic, was an avid supporter and follower of the disciplines. The former Head-ofState passed away in March 1997.

Georgetown softball teams to play at Crabwood Creek

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oftball fans on the Upper Corentyne area will on April 5 witness three Male/Female matches at the Crabwood Creek Cricket ground, involving top teams from Georgetown.

Guyana Softball Cup Masters champion, Floodlights, will play Corriverton Market Vendors in a T20 affair, starting at 09:00h for the Mohan and Meena memorial trophy.

The next match will be Floodlights All Stars versus Crabwood Creek/Scottsburg combined for the Bier and Prakash Singh memorial trophy in a 15/15 contest, while match three will see the coun-

try’s champion female team, Trophy Stall Angels, taking on Karibbe Girls in a 15/15 contest for the Nand Persaud memorial trophy.

Admission to the venue is $200 and all proceeds from the matches will go to the Crabwood Creek Baba Grant Mandir.

“There will be many giveaways, such as laptop, DVR, hampers, tee-shirts, pharmaceuticals etc. Spectators will stand a chance to win by simply keeping the half tickets from the gate, and listening for their number to be called,” a release from the organisers stated.

This day’s event will be

organised by the Guyana Floodlights Softball Cricket Association. The three matches will be sponsored by 4R Bearings, Nand Persaud and Company Limited and Ganesh Singh and Brothers Sawmill.

Giveaways will be donated by Ago Gopaul and Family, Survival Supermarket, Trophy Stall, 4R Bearing and Mikes Pharmacy.

“Cricket fans are urged to turn out in their numbers and enjoy the day’s entertainment, win a prize and at the same time support a worthy cause,” the organisers said.

22 Kashif and Shanghai opens in style NBS 2nd Division Cricket guyanatimesGY.com

sundAY, march 22, 2015

starts today in Berbice

– Riddim Squad, GFC secure opening wins

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The scene at the opening ceremony

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he 25th edition of the Kashif and Shanghai tournament opened in fine style on Friday evening at the Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) ground,

Georgetown.

In front of a sizeable crowd, after a colourful march past, Prime Minister Samuel Hinds declared the event opening, noting that

he hopes the tournament “becomes an Easter tradition”.

Sport Minister, Dr Frank Anthony lauded the organisers of the tournament for

their perseverance in tumultuous times while noting the efforts of the Government with sport in Guyana.

Chairman of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) Normalisation Committee (NC) was also at hand and noted that the mantra of the NC was to ensure that football is played.

Further, Director of Kashif and Shanghai, Kashif Muhammad was thankful to all those involved in making the tournament a success and also noted that the development of football while apart of their organisation’s agenda was not their exclusive right to ensure.

Meanwhile, Riddim Squad opened the tournament with 2-0 win against New Amsterdam United while the Georgetown Football Club (GFC) topped Den Amstel 2-1 on penalties after a 2-2 draw.

he 2015 New Building Society sponsored second division 40-over cricket competition bowls off today at various venues in Berbice This year eighty six teams divided into sixteen geographical Zones across the ancient county will participate.

Play in ten of the Zones is scheduled for today, with the other six Zones scheduled to bowls off next Sunday.

Today’s matches are as follow: Zone “A” 1. Golden Elparabell vs Hopetown United at Paradise 2. Bush Lot United vs Bush Lot Challengers at Bush Lot. Zone “B” 1. Monedderlus vs Blairmont Community Centre at No. 5 2. Bath vs Ithaca at Bath.

Zone “D” 1. Flying Star vs Thunderers at Kortheberaadt 2. Sisters vs Rising Youth at Sisters 3. Edinburgh vs East bank at Edinburgh Overwinning Bible Church - Bye Zone “E” 1. West Canje vs Angoy’s Avenue Achevers at Lochaber vs 2. Tucber Park Canefield at B.H.S. 3. For Canje Warriors vs Guyana Eagles at Cumberland.

Police - Bye Zone “F” 1. Rose Hall Community Centre vs Young Warriors at Rose Hall

2. Gangaram Strikers vs Canje Pathfinders at Gangaram 3. Betsy Ground Strykers vs Young and Restless at Goed Bananan Land.

Goed Bananan Land - Bye Zone “H” 1. Kendall’s Union A vs No. 1 Road at No. 19 2. Fyrish vs No. 7 at Fyrish 3. Fyrish Strikers vs Courtland All Star at Kilcoy Long Dam Seawell - Bye Zone “I” 1. Chesney vs Sand Reef at Chesney 2. Jai Hind vs Fyrish Road at Albion Front 3. Chesney Riders vs Albion travellers at Kilcoy Multipurpose Centre Kendall’s Union - Bye Zone “J” 1. Albion Community Centre vs Rose Hall Town Bakewell B at Albion 2. Belvedere Battle Steel vs Belvedere United at Belvedere.

3. Toopoo Rising Star vs Tamarind Root at Albion Primary School Zone “K” 1. Rose Hall Town Bakewell A vs Guysuco Training Centre at Area H 2. Port Mourant vs Letter Kenny Young Star at Port Mourant 3. Whim National vs Tain Block Four at Whim Zone “L” 1. Yakusari Caribs vs Mibicuri Strikers at Yakusari 2. Mibicuri Jaguars vs Big Star at Mibicuri 3. K e n n a r d ’ s Memorial vs Kildonan at Bush Lot Farm

NSC regrets passing of GOA’s Shanomae Blackmore

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he National Sports Commission (NSC) on hearing of the tragic news of the death of Shanomae Blackmore has expressed profound condolences to her immediate and extended families, the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) the Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG), the entire sports community, colleagues and friends.

Shanomae, a hardworking Administrative Secretary to both the Guyana Olympic Association (12 years) and the Athletic Association of Guyana (14 years) left these earthly shores to be with her Heavenly Father on March 18 after a short illness.

Shanomae who was loved and respected by all, served the sport fraternity with distinction. Her death is indeed a very severe loss to sport and those, whose lives she would have touched over the many years.

Because of her efficiency, effectiveness in the performances in her duties in

Shanomae Blackmore

and outside of the office, she was in 2014, a recipient of a plaque for outstanding contribution to sport at the administrative level.

At 34 years, Shanomae fought a good fight, she has finished her course. A wealth of experience and institutional knowledge has been taken away. Filling the void left by her sudden passing is difficult, but it is necessary as

recognition for her dedicated service, that the work continues as when she was present.

Shanomae Blackmore is gone; her absence must be used as a motivating factor and a driving force to those who are still here to ensure the continuity of the organizations she so selflessly served.

"May her soul have eternal rest," the NSC said.

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sunDAY, march 22, 2014 | guyanatimesGY.com

sundAY, march 22, 2015

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

guyanatimesgy.com

Guptill’s 237 blasts Windies out of World Cup A

double-century in a one-day international is not quite passé, but has become more common than ever seemed possible. A double-century in a World Cup quarter-final?

That is something truly special. Martin Guptill’s unbeaten 237 was the highest World Cup score of all time and the second-highest in all ODIs, but most importantly it ensured New Zealand’s progression to the World Cup semi-finals for the seventh time.

Nobody in the partisan crowd in Wellington will ever forget Guptill’s innings. Nor will Marlon Samuels, who in the first over of the match grassed Guptill at square leg. It is hard to imagine a costlier one-day drop, for Guptill went on to score 60% of New Zealand’s 393 for 6.

To add to the hurt, Samuels later fell to the most brilliant of catches, when a backpedalling Daniel Vettori at third man leapt and pinched a onehander above his head that would have gone for six.

It was that sort of day for New Zealand. Buoyed by the home support, they did just about everything right.

West Indies kept up with the

run-rate, just not the preservation rate required. They limped past Guptill’s individual tally at nine wickets down, and were bowled out for 250 in the 31st over.

Trent Boult had done the damage by claiming four wickets in his opening spell.

Chris Gayle pummelled 61 off 33 balls and provided some evening entertainment. Stiff with a bad back, Gayle dealt almost exclusively in boundaries. He struck eight sixes and two fours, and his innings was the most one-sided thing in a one-sided game: only one of his runs came through off. But he was bowled by Adam Milne for what was but a cameo compared to Guptill.

Guptill had faced the first ball of New Zealand’s innings and the last. He played proper cricket shots, premeditating little but punishing the West Indies bowlers when they offered up half-volleys.

He saw off 65 dot balls, respecting the good ones and making the most of the others. He brought up his 200 with a powerful crunch down the ground for four off Andre Russell from his 152nd delivery.

It was fitting, for through-

SCOREBOARD

Jason Holder was left disappointed after West Indies were knocked out

out his innings Guptill’s straight driving was so impressive you’d think he’d just had a wheel alignment.

Guptill basked in the standing ovation, knowing that this was a once-in-a-lifetime moment. When he had moved past 171, he had the highest World Cup score by a New Zealander, beating Glenn Turner’s effort in their

very first World Cup match back in 1975.

Guptill’s 163-ball innings featured 24 fours and 11 sixes, and he alone scored 92 of New Zealand’s 153 in the final ten overs. In the 50th over he even launched a six onto the roof. New Zealand knew they had the ingredients for a show-stopping product: a huge home crowd,

New Zealand M Guptill not out 237 B McCullum* c Holder b Taylor 12 K Williamson c Gayle b Russell 33 R Taylor run out (Ramdin/Benn) 42 C Anderson c Gayle b Russell 15 G Elliott LBW Taylor 27 L Ronchi+ c Benn b Taylor 9 D Vettori not out 8 Total: 393/6 (50 Overs) Extras: (lb 2, w 7, nb 1) 10 Did not Bat: T Boult, A Milne, T Southee.

Fall of Wickets: 1-27 (McCullum, 4.2 ov), 2-89 (Williamson, 15.6 ov), 3-232 (Taylor, 38.3 ov), 4-278 (Anderson, 43.2 ov), 5-333 (Elliott, 46.3 ov), 6-365 (Ronchi, 48.4 ov).

West Indies Bowling: J Taylor 7-0-71-3, J Holder 8-0-76-0, S Benn 10-1-66-0, A Russell 10-0-96-2, D Sammy 8-0-380, M Samuels 7-0-44-0.

West Indies (Target; 394) C Gayle b Milne 61

a good pitch, a toss won, a shaky opposition attack. But Guptill cooked up something that spilled out of the Cake Tin entirely.

He scored freely throughout his innings but not surprisingly the flow of runs be-

J Charles b Boult 3 L Simmons c Guptill b Boult 12 M Samuels c Vettori b Boult 27 D Ramdin+ LBW Boult 0 J Carter b Vettori 32 D Sammy c Ronchi b Anderson 27 A Russell b Southee 20 J Holder* c Anderson b Vettori 42 J Taylor c Guptill b Southee 11 S Benn not out 9 Total: 250 All Out (30.3 Overs) Extras: (w 6) 6 Fall of Wickets: 1-4 (Charles, 1.2 ov), 2-27 (Simmons, 5.3 ov), 3-80 (Samuels, 9.1 ov), 4-80 (Ramdin, 9.5 ov), 5-120 (Gayle, 16.1 ov), 6-166 (Sammy, 21.1 ov), 7-173 (Carter, 22.3 ov), 8-201 (Russell, 25.1 ov), 9-221 (Taylor, 27.6 ov), 10250 (Holder, 30.3 ov).

New Zealand Bowling: T Southee 8-1-82-2, T Boult 10-3-44-4, D Vettori 6.30-58-2, A Milne 4-0-421, C Anderson 2-0-24-1.

came an inexorable current during the late stages. His first half-century came off 64 balls and his hundred from 111. Do the maths and you’ll realise that means his second hundred came from 41 deliveries. (Cricinfo)

Golden Jaguars, St Lucia National ruggers ready for Hong Kong square off tonight

The Golden Jaguars had been hard at training over the past week

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nternational football is set for a massive return to these shores this evening when the Golden Jaguars square off with St Lucia in the first of two international friendlies within a week.

After more than two years without international football, Guyanese are expected to fill the National Stadium

for the international friendly against the islanders. The game is the Golden Jaguars second for the year, after a 2-2 draw with hosts Barbados on February 1.

While both countries will be hunting a win to boost their morale ahead of the crucial 2018 World Cup qualifiers, Head Coach of the Golden

Jaguars, Jamaal Shabazz, said on Saturday that his Technical Team will be using the game to test the players and their ability to adapt.

Shabazz said, "We need to go get a result, but not by ourselves. The fans and the entire nation need to make this trod with us.”

Shabazz, who is on his third coming as part of the Technical Team, said he is excited about the prospects that lie ahead for Guyana’s football.

He added, "I’m personally excited because there is no better feeling than building something with others who share the same goals and aspirations.”

The match will kick off at 19:30h and admission to the venue is $1,000 for general seating and $4,000 for VIP. Children under 12 will be admitted free.

Following tonight’s game, the Golden Jaguars will take on Grenada in another international friendly on March 29 at the same venue.

The national ruggers before their departure at the GOA

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he national rugby team or “Green Machine” as they liked to be called winged out for Hong Kong on Saturday to participation in a seven series.

Departing from the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA), Technical Director of the team, Angus Thompson expressed confidence in the unit.

“There is no guy on the team that I can say I’m not comfortable to take the field,

all these guys bring some different and I have all confidence in putting any of them on the field,” Thompson noted.

In addition Thompson highlighted that he hopes that they can produce some upsets against the likes of Spain and Zimbabwe who have been playing consistent rugby.

Captain of the team, Ryan Gonsalves also shred his confidence about his side,

“we just want to stay grounded, it’s a different rugby than the Caribbean and local and we hope to get a few warmup games before so we can get up to speed, but we have no pressure on our shoulders because we are the underdogs,” Gonsalves stressed.

The Green Machine will face Tonga, Spain and Zimbabwe during the series and in the 27th seed in a 28th seeded tournament.

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