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Guyana participates in grand Muslim P16 festival in UK Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana guyana-times.com

Issue No. 2945

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Friday, August 12, 2016

PRICE

Pharmagate

Cabinet took decision to deliberately exclude NEW GPC Page 3

… Minister Norton to offer public apology for “blatant lies”

$80 VAT INCLUDED

WHAT'S INSIDE:

Region 2 gets New DREO – assumes duty with no office P2 ... AFC leaders against appointment

First Lady empowers young girls to be fearless, break gender stereotypes in workplace

CPA has no established criteria P2 for child placement

First Lady Sandra Granger surrounded by the Guyana Girl Guides Association ‘Be Your Best You’ workshop students and facilitators

Hundreds of Linden CIIP workers issued termination letters Page 14

Buxton man shot in execution attempt Page 14

State Assets Recovery Bill consultations

Additional $500M still unaccounted for on Durban Park project – Jagdeo

Page 11

Page 10

Concerns of political influence, directorial powers raised

56% of Guyanese P7 youths contract STI’s – GRPA study P11 More international commitment needed for Iwokrama – President

Armed bandits hijack car from ECD man P2

2 news

friDAY, august 12, 2016 | guyana-times.com

CPA has no established Region 2 gets new DREO criteria for child placement - assumes duty with no office

T

he Childcare and Protection Agency (CPA) has no established criteria to determine which facility children are placed in once they are taken into the State’s care, a recently released ChildLink report has revealed.

The report “An Analysis of the Nature and Extent of Institutionalization of Children in Guyana” stated that the agency reported that based on “informal determination” of the facilities’ strengths as well as the care facilities’ preferences with regards to age and sex, a child is placed.

However, it highlighted that the consultants at the agency were not in an informed position to indicate clearly where, for instance, an abused child−whether physical, sexual, neglected or otherwise−would be placed, as against a child whose family could not adequately provide food and shelter for them.

The report questioned, based on this revelation, the type of criteria being used to place children in foster care.

As of March 2016, the CPA recorded that 803 children were in alternative care (foster and residential), of which 624 of these children are in residential care while 179 are in foster care. These children were placed in alternative care because of various forms of abuse, poverty, disasters, disability of a parent, and the death of a parent.

Child Counsellor Abbigale Loncke had stated that

... AFC leaders against appointment By: Indrawattie Natram

H

The Childcare and Protection Agency office

Guyana does not have separate facilities to cater for children who have either been abused or taken in because of wandering or poverty. She stated that while children enter alternative care for various reasons, they are all put in one type of facility − there is no distinctive facility.

In Guyana efforts have been made to strengthen the legislative framework of the childcare and protection sector. During 2007 to 2011, a number of legislations were presented in Parliament, however a bill which addresses alternative family-based care remains inconclusive.

During the period 2010 to 2015, the ChildLinK in collaboration with the agency, UNICEF, EU and Family for Every Child implemented the Foster Care initiative which led to developing the Kinship Care Initiative (KCI) and subsequently the Alternative Care Initiative (ACI). But its final position is uncertain.

The bill is yet to be presented in the House.

The report indicated that while the CPA continues to

manage the foster care service, records show that the number of children being institutionalised has grown over a ten-year period by almost 50 per cent.

Additionally, it stated that caregivers were not considerate with respect to the circumstances faced by a child, which gave rise to their admission to the facility before the placement was made.

“Rather they were informed that the child would be assigned there and the facility was required to make the necessary arrangements for his or her admission,” it said, adding that this posed many challenges, since the caregivers did not know what to expect and therefore were unprepared for the circumstances presented by each child.

“Some form of dialogue is, therefore, necessary between the residential facility and CPA before a child’s admission so that an informed response based on the particular needs of the child could be provided,” the report recommended.

aimraj Hamandeo, former Senior Welfare Officer and physiologist, has been appointed by the Public Service Commission as the new Deputy Regional Executive Officer (DREO) for Region Two (Pomeroon/ Supenaam) but even as he assumed duties, members of the coalition government have prevented him from taking up his position.

Hamandeo has replaced Sunil Singh who was transferred from Region Two to another region. Hamandeo has a BSc in psychology and a Master of Arts degree.

In February, the Public Service Commission had written to Region Two Regional Executive Officer (REO) Rupert Hopkinson for the filling of the vacancy. In that letter it stated that approval was given via the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of the Presidency Department of the Public Service for the creation of the vacancy. It was advised for the position to be advertised.

After the vacancy was advertised, Hamandeo, 28, had applied, was interviewed and was the most qualified applicant, hence he was chosen for the position. Hamandeo has assumed duty, but to date there is no office or orientation given to him since there was an objection to

Armed bandits hijack car from ECD man

P

olice in C Division (East Coast Demerara) are on the hunt for three suspects who robbed an ECD man at gunpoint and hijacked his vehicle.

According to police reports, the incident occurred

sometime around 23:00h on Wednesday. It was reported that Marlon Somerset of Vryheid’s Lust, ECD, was two villages away in Sparendaam, when he was approached by three males, one of whom was armed with a handgun.

The bandits relieved him of his valuables before escaping in his car. A report was made to the Police who acted promptly, resulting in the vehicle being recovered right in Sparendaam.

However, the perpetrators managed to evade the

Police; as such investigators are in pursuit of them.

Guyana Times was told by sources close to the investigation that Police have since gotten a lead about the identity of the suspects and are diligently perusing it.

AFC Councillor Naithram

his appointment by Alliance For Change (AFC) members in Region Two. At the recent statutory meeting of the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) on August 9, 2016, Region Two Chairman Daveanand Ramdatt informed the house that the Region has a new officer but he has not been oriented by REO Hopkinson. According to Ramdatt, Hamandeo was appointed because of his qualifications and according to his assumption letter he is on one year probationary period. That letter was signed by Personnel from the Public Service Commission.

However coalition Councillor and AFC Chairman Naithram and Secretary for AFC, Karan Chand, spoke out about the appointment. In their letters addressed to Ministers of Government, they stated that the new DREO Haimraj Hamandeo is 28 years of age and does not have the requisite experience for the position. They further explained that the job specifications stipulate that the DREO must have, "at least 15 years of experience in the Public Sector,

Senior School Welfare Officer Haimraj Hamandeo

at least five years of which must be at a senior management level.” They stated that there is no way a 28-year-old could have fulfilled these requirements.

However, several RDC councillors spoke out about the AFC leaders trying to block the DREO from entering his office.

People's Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) Councillors Showkat Ali and Arnold Adams said Hamandeo was appointed through the right procedures by a Commission that is highly recognised in the Government. They also noted that the Public Service Commission is an independent body and makes decisions for itself.

In responding, REO Hopkinson said that he was on leave when the appointment was made. He said that when he returned he was told about the new DREO and said however, the Ministries of the Presidency and Communities are unaware of such an appointment. Hopkinson said he works according to instructions from relevant authorities and ministers, and he has not yet received such orders.

news

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friDAY, august 12, 2016 | guyana-times.com

BRIDGE OPENINGS The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Friday, August 12 – 12:00h-13:30h and Saturday, August 13 – 13:30h-15:00h.

Cabinet took decision to deliberately excluded NEW GPC

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Friday, August 12 – 10:55h-12:25h and Saturday, August 13 – 12:20h-13:50h.

… Minister Norton to offer public apology for “blatant lies”

T

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY Weather: Heavy rain showers with sunny intervals can be expected in the morning, while light rainfall is expected in the late afternoon. Clear skies can be expected in the evening with temperatures ranging between 25 degrees and 31 degrees Celsius.

Winds: Easterly to East North-easterly between 1.78 metres and 4.02 metres.

High Tide: 11:21h and 23:49h reaching maximum heights of 2.13 metres and 2.19 metres respectively.

Low Tide: 4:47h and 17:16h reaching minimum heights of 1.02 metres and 1.10 metres respectively.

WEDNESday, august 10, 2016

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he Government of Guyana deliberately opted to exclude the New Guyana Pharmaceutical Corporation (NEW GPC INC), when it began exploring available options for the storage of drugs and medical supplies for the Public Health Ministry in July of this year.

Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman made the startling revelation on Thursday when he presented a report of the findings of a Cabinet sub-committee that had been established to investigate a contract entered into between the Public Health Ministry and Linden Holding Inc. Questioned about the reasons for not utilising a public competitive bidding process to secure the services of a storage bond, Trotman, who chaired that Cabinet SubCommittee said Government needed to find space immediately and that was the “mood” of Cabinet, and the invoices totalling US$137,000 received from the NEW GPC pushed it to move in that direction.

Sole sourcing NEW GPC opted to submit an invoice for use of its facility – which was provided free of cost over the past decade – since Government had terminated the arrangement which saw the company providing its facility free to the Public Health Ministry.

“Cabinet felt that with the NEW GPC being a supplier and now a competitor and open bidder, since Government was moving away from the sole sourcing, that it would have been unfair for other bidders to compete in a process where NEW GPC was also conveniently providing warehouse space for Government.”

According to Minister Trotman, it would have been highly unfair for other persons to know that Government continued in a relationship with one of the competitors… So with that in mind, the Minister was told to make the issue a priority and he knew very well that time

The Sussex Street bond

was of the essence.”

He suggested too that Government felt that the immediate demand for payment of US$137,000 from NEW GPC seemed ‘beyond coincidental.’ Minister Trotman disclosed however that Government did in fact owe NEW GPC for the use of its facilities and a decision has been taken to make the necessary payments.

NEW GPC submitted invoices to Government for use of its facilities from March 1, 2016.

Meanwhile, Trotman said that among the recommendations coming out of the Cabinet Sub Committee’s investigation, is that there be an urgent review of the contract between the Public Health Ministry and Linden Holding Inc. Public apology He said too that it was also recommended that in light of the statements made by Minister Norton and based on his explanation, which Government said it has accepted, that the Health Minister makes a public apology for the statements he made in the National Assembly, and explain that those statements were made in light of the advice he had received.

He said members of the Committee were satisfied with the answers provided

by Minister Norton and understood better the context in

which he made his comments.

Norton came under fire earlier this week, when he revealed in the National Assembly that some $25 million out of a $930 million Contingency Fund advance was paid to Larry Singh for the use of his building – Linden Holding Inc – for the storage of Government medicines. This is in addition to another $12.5 million paid as the first month’s rent.

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo on Wednesday had accused the Public Health Minister of telling “blatant lies” to the Members of the National Assembly when he was grilled on the contract on Monday last.

Tour Trotman nonetheless defended the use of the storage bond owned by Linden Holding Inc, saying the facility is on par with international standards, in terms of temperature, cold storage, security etc.

“It was found that the building had been prepared and was about to receive the first shipment of drugs when the proposal was made that a central air conditioning be installed”, Trotman told journalists on Thursday.

On Wednesday, Minister Trotman along with the Health Minister and other officials toured the Sussex Street bond, where everything, according to Trotman, seemed to be in order. He did

point out however, that there has not yet been any storage of drugs at the facility, as was indicated by Dr Norton.

Concerns But concerns still lingered over the procurement of the bond since the building was reportedly bought in March this year for $25 million.

Minister Trotman said he sees the situation as nothing more than a coincidence, since there is no way Government could have paid for the building in March when approval for the payment of $25 million to Singh’s Linden Holding Inc, was only made in July.

Trotman told media operatives that the Public Health Minister is not in the business of procuring buildings, since that is not within his remit as Minister. He explained that Norton was asked by Cabinet in July to find a building.

“We were informed in July that there is a possibility of this building. I see it as nothing more than a coincidence that the price paid and the price of the security deposit and the first month rental are the same. Because there is no way Government could have paid for the building in March because Cabinet did not approve any payment until July,” he said.

He said after Cabinet informed the Minister about the urgency to find a building, it would be the task of his officials of the Ministry, to get around to doing such.

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fridAY, august 12, 2016

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

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

Editorial

WOW and empowerment

T

he announcement that the Women of Worth (WOW) microcredit programme has been further extended to the hinterland regions of Guyana is a much welcomed initiative.

Started under the previous Administration the programme empowers women, more specifically single parent women to take advantage of the economic opportunities around them, and so increase their participation in society.

Since its launch in June 2010 thousands of women’s lives in Guyana have been impacted in a positive way as the programme seeks to remove the obstacles single parent women face in society, to enhance their self-esteem, to empower them to take advantage of the economic opportunities around them and increase their participation in society.

The ultimate goal of the project is to provide intervention and financial support to ensure WOW participants manage and sustain successful business ventures.

To finance the project, the Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI) has provided $500 million and the Government of Guyana will provide an estimated $50 million per annum. However, that figure has been adjusted to $40 million over time. As such women can borrow between $100,000-$250,000 from the bank to build their businesses, while the interest rate applicable to the loan is very low, providing that it does not exceed 24 months.

Empowerment and education is both an elevator and a springboard. It allows women to raise themselves up and to break down the divides that keep them from succeeding.

At its best, empowerment is a breaker of shackles. A World Bank research shows that half of women’s productive potential globally is completely underutilised, and if that was compared to men, for men it was just a fifth. Women represent half of the world’s population but yet they represent far less than half of measured economic activity.

A study of 60 developing countries estimated that the economic loss from not empowering and educating females at the same level as males amounted to $90 billion a year.

As the old adage says, “if you educate a boy, you train a man. If you educate a girl, you train a village.”

It therefore means that education is the key to women empowerment. As Malala Yousafzai, the Nobel Peace Prize winner says, “One child, one teacher, one book, and one pen can change the world.” And nowhere is it truer as in the case of women, meaning that empowered, educated women will become leaders with the right mindset, making the right decisions at the right time. In ancient India, a divine code of conduct said “Yatra naryastu pujyante ramante tatra Devata, yatraitaastu na pujyante sarvaastatrafalaah kriyaah”. This means where women are respected, there the Gods make their home; where they are not respected, all human action remain unproductive.

Translating this code locally, as the WOW programme enters the realms of the interior of Guyana, hinterland women, more so hinterland single parent woman, like those living on the coastland, are going to get the opportunity to support themselves through this microcredit initiative.

This will empower these women to seize the opportunity to control their own future. They will have a voice in their community in a way in which, perhaps, they have not had such a prospect in the past.

Helen Clark, the administrator of the United Nations Development Programme, in her speech, women’s economic empowerment for sustainable development, in March 2016, said that strengthening women’s economic opportunities is an essential contribution to eradicating poverty.

Barriers in the economic and social spheres for single parent women has certainly reinforced inequalities but, empowerment is an entry point to opportunity that can have positive ripple effects within the family and across generations.

As Hillary Clinton has observed, women empowerment and equality is not only the right thing to do, it’s also the smart thing to do.

The architect of the WOW programme should be commended for the initiative.

Innovation at its best. A man is seen peddling his creation of a ‘bicycle-trailer’ along Mandela Avenue during the hot midday sun on Thursday (Carl Croker photo)

Mental health unhealthiness

Dear Editor, He posted a heart wrenching appeal, sometime after midnight, a few days on the Face book page of The Caribbean Voice (www.caribvoice.org), asking for help because he was having familiar feelings of the kind that had driven him to attempt suicide once before.

Immediately, some members of the group sprang into action. As we engaged him in chat, someone from the Mental Health Unit of the Ministry of Health joined in and quickly phone-messaged a counsellor. It took a while, but eventually the doctor called and set up an appointment for him at the Georgetown Public Hospital, at eight 08:00h. We continued to engage him until he went to bed sometime after two that same morning, promising that he would do nothing foolish, but instead would keep the appointment the following day.

As daylight chased away darkness, he informed us that he was keeping his appointment, thankful that he was getting professional help.

But his arrival at the hospital created confusion and frustration as no one could direct him to the doctor he was seeking. Frustration was turning to resignation as he texted that he was leaving and going to the seawall to end it all. As one member of The Caribbean Voice kept him engaged, the same personnel from the Mental Health Unit, who had put him in connection with the doctor, hurried to the hospital, some two hours plus after the 19-yearold had arrived. Yet it took that person almost another hour before she could connect him with the help he needed.

The young man was given attention but refused to stay over for observation, as he was under the popular misconception that only ‘mad’ people are held back at the psych ward and he most definitely was not mad. And while he initially agreed to keep the subsequent appointment some three days later, he later changed his mind.

So, The Caribbean Voice continues to engage him, as we

usually do with regards to all our cases, hoping that we can still persuade him to take the additional counselling.

This experience begs the following questions: 1.Why was it impossible for hospital staff to direct the young man to psych ward? Surely this information should be available at reception desks and known by all staff?

2.Why was there no mental health professional to meet with the young man until close to 11:00h even though he had an 08:00h appointment? Surely the staff at the mental health unit knows that delays and consequent frustration can concretise the final act of suicide?

In any case the young man is in an upbeat mood, since he found a temporary job, as his lack of employment was a trigger for his suicidal mindset, especially since it clearly created tension between him and his parents with whom he lives, and for whom he feels responsible.

And, having once before attempted suicide, suicide ideation came very easy to him.

Frighteningly, however, is that youth unemployment is 40 per cent according to the Caribbean Development Bank, a state of affairs that is fertile ground for youth suicide ideation and actual suicides, and may well already be impacting both, given that so many suicides go unreported. Thus our concern that government seems to be going back on its election campaign promise to provide jobs for the youth.

While we applaud the efforts being undertaken thus far, especially by the Police and the First Lady, we strongly urge that these be extended nationwide, be as inclusive as possible and be followed by job placements, perhaps in collaboration with the various business associations.

We suggest too that all high schools implement summer, work study internships for students moving into fifth forms and perhaps extend this to weekends/evenings where possible during the fifth form years. A job placement programme is also

needed for all tertiary level educational institutions.

Alarmingly too, the myth that dealing with counselling and the psych ward or the psychiatric institution means someone is ‘mad’, holds tremendous sway in Guyana and that may be why transparent and obvious warning signs are ignored by caregivers and loved ones.

Far too often, after a suicide, we hear or read that so and so had talked about wanting to take his or her life but those around him/ her thought he/she was joking and/or did not take that person seriously. Thus TCV strongly urges the Ministry of Health to embark on a sustained education campaign to combat this myth.

As well, we urge the Ministry of Health to make sure that mental health professionals are available 24/7 at public hospitals, especially where there are psych wards and that mechanisms, including signage providing directions, be put in place to make access to such wards easy and quick for anyone seeking help, given that delays and consequential frustration/anger can lead to loss of lives.

This particular case also brings to the fore the suicide hotline. Empirical and anecdotal evidence indicates that Guyanese are hardly utilising the hotline and we do recall that an appeal last year for figures to be released was met with deafening silence in spite of claims of its success.

The Caribbean Voice has been publicising the hotline via our self-esteem pledge which has been distributed to schools and communities in many parts of Guyana.

However, it is critical that the Ministries of Public Security and Health embark on an ongoing, national campaign to make the suicide hotline a household item and to encourage citizens to make use of it with the promise of absolute confidentiality every time. As well as statistical and related evidence proving its extensive use and success ought to be made public, as this will bolster widespread confidence in its effectiveness. After all, it would have

been quicker for the young man to call the hotline and get help than to reach out to TCV via Face book.

On the issue of confidentiality, TCV has also found that too many Guyanese are still sceptical of counsellors and counselling because of claims that confidentiality is not often kept. In fact, the grapevine revealed that a suicide prevention activist, who committed suicide last year, might have done so partly because the confidentiality she was promised was breached.

That is why the promise of confidentiality with regards to the suicide hotline is so absolutely critical. And perhaps that is why, far too often, those seeking help emphatically refuse counselling in Guyana and/or by Guyanese, when we place that on the table for them.

Also, this case and many others that TCV has handled over the last two years, make it clear that mental healthcare has to be national in scope and easy of access. Thus TCV reiterates its call for mental healthcare to be integrated into the physical health care system, per the recommendation of the World Health Organisation, for nations like Guyana. And we urge that a look be taken at the Shri Lankan Model in this respect, as that nation has very successfully implemented this integration. For the record our interventions are pro bono and while we do have our own complement of counsellors we also do sometimes refer cases to various counsellors in Guyana with whom we have developed relationships, and who also offer their services free of charge to our referrals. Incidentally, not all of our cases are related to suicide. In fact we have handled domestic violence, sex abuse and rape, child abuse and alcoholism cases as well, and while most of our cases are from Guyana we have dealt with cases in a number of other countries as well, since people seek us out through our Internet and social media presence.

Sincerely, The Caribbean Voice

guyana-times.com

friDAY AUGUST 12, 2016

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

The First Lady is a real lady Dear Editor, First Lady Sandra Granger, wife of President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, David Granger, is in my opinion one of the finest first ladies that this country has ever seen.

Being a strong advocate for women’s rights and national unity, with her role models being impressionable women such as Michelle Obama and Viola Burnham, Guyana’s First Lady is indeed a positive influence for women and children across Guyana and beyond.

Since becoming First Lady, Sandra Granger has been engaged in many programmes that aim to build and stimulate the advanced development of the lives and people of Guyana and in doing so; she has become a major role model for many both young and old.

First Lady Granger is a strong advocate of equality on every plateau, regardless of gender, race and religion.

As the National Chairman of the Universal Federation of Peace (UPF) - Guyana Chapter, an organisation dedicated to peace, harmony, cooperation and growth, I do believe that in years to come, Her Excellency will be a force to reckon with in the social development of our country.

After becoming First Lady, she stated that one of her biggest concerns in Guyana is children and their safety and education, and claimed that she desperately wanted to make a difference in these areas. I am very happy that these

ambitions were not in vain. I do believe that she will fulfil every promise made to the Guyanese populace.

A project of hers that has been highly praised was her promoting of the Science Technology Engineering Mathematics (STEM) projects in various communities. She recently launched a STEM Guyana Robotic Camp in Buxton/Friendship, mentioning that she saw all the possibilities of robotics and the increase of knowledge for the young men and women of the varying communities. I honestly cannot wait to see what she does for the people of Guyana during her remaining time in office.

Another aspect of her life to be admired is her partnership with her husband, President Granger. In pervious media interviews, the love, respect and admiration for her husband was quite obvious. The First Lady had stated that she believes President Granger was born to fulfil a greater purpose and she was proud to be by his side as he strives to make Guyana greater. In my opinion, this is the epitome of a great partnership.

The relationship between the two should be appreciated by all Guyanese and I personally believe that Guyana would have moved further ahead if every politician possessed a partner of the same characteristics as that of First Lady Sandra Granger.

Haaji Roshan Khan National Chairman, UFP

Region 6 Tender Board breaches Procurement Act

Dear Editor, Procurement Act 2003, is intended ‘to promote fairness and transparency in the procurement process’, but the Region 6 Tender Board has failed to give effect to the legal provisions provided therein. The Tender Board has also failed to provide fair and equitable treatment to all suppliers and contractors. Despite the fact that the Procurement Act specifies that certain standardized features and requirements relating to the characteristics of the good to be procured many dietary and other items are tenderedwithout due diligence to this requirement(Section 13). This has resulted in a potpourri of substandard goods being procured. The Act also makes it clear that contractors who have supplied substandard goods in the past should be

disqualified but unfortunately this has never seen the light of day in Region 6.

Despite the fact that Section 39(6)(a) makes it pellucid that ‘all evaluation criteria for the procurement of goods, works and services in addition to price, will be qualified in monetary terms and the tender will be awarded to the lowest evaluated bid’, There are circumstances where this subsection has been blatantly violated, attesting to cronyism and corruption. For instance, in the case of the repairs to Whim Branch Road, the Engineer’s estimate was,$4,058,104 but the contractor with the lowest bid of $3,507,720 was not awarded that contract. It was given to another contractor who bid $3,968,364. Another instance is the case of the repairs to Black Bush Public

Road-Johanna Three Bridge.

The Engineer estimated this work for $6,043,749 and the lowest bid was for $5,446,492 but again the award of the contract was given to the same contractor as before who bid at $5,829,661 and not the lowest bidder.

In addition to the above, the Procurement Act provides that contractors who were not successful should be notified by the Regional Tender Board as to the reasons why their bids were not successful. This was never done and this constitutes a clear violation of the Procurement Act. This question was raised at the RDC meeting on 4th July but no reason (s) was given by the Chairman of the Tender Board or any of the members who were present.

There is also evidence to support incidents of conflict

of interest where the son of a Works Committee member bids for contracts on behalf of his father. This matter has been confirmed by the Chairman of the Tender Board who acknowledged that bids were received from that person. This is the type of cronyism and corruption which will destroy progress in the Region. Additionally, there is an urgent need for a forensic audit of the Tender Board in Region 6 to dig into these practices of the Tender Board. The records of the proceedings, the awards of contracts and the background and experience and qualifications of these contractors should come under microscopic scrutiny.

Yours sincerely, Haseef Yusuf Regional CouncillorRegion 6

It is time for the deep dark secrets of City Hall to come to light Dear Editor, Oh how times have changed! Just over a year ago, when the present Mayor of Georgetown was the Deputy Mayor and the Town Clerk was the Public Relations Officer, they used to grab every opportunity they could to interact with the media, to be seen on television, to appear in the newspapers or on radio almost daily. That was when they had ambitions of higher office, and an agenda of undermining their former bosses. Today with the discovery of four secret bank accounts, with the parking meter scandal and the bankruptcy of the Council, they are dodging, stonewalling and avoiding these same media personnel. What an irony!

The parking meter saga particularly, brings to the fore a very serious state of affairs at the Council, and that is, the venality of its system of awarding contracts. The parking meter deal which was attempted since 1996 but which fortunately was

thwarted by the then central government and which they then attempted again last year where they were successful in having the Council sign a contract containing clauses that in some instances were outside the scope of the Council, making it null and void at best, but worse which are brutishly in favour of the contractor and considerably to the detriment of the citizenry, should have every citizen asking what about the many other contracts the Council has clandestinely entered into, and which has been kept under wraps?.

Remember, the parking meter debacle only came to the fore because of the decency and rectitude of the present Deputy Mayor who expressed his discomfort with this furtive deal, but what about the scores of other contracts and deals that the Council has entered into and to which he or other Councillors and citizens are unaware of?.

What about the illegal granting of interest waivers

to wealthy business persons and other errant home owners worth tens of millions of dollars?

What about the rental of portable toilets for millions of dollars or the hiring of one contractor to weed parapets and clean drains for hundreds of millions of dollars without adherence to tender board procedures or national procurement policies?

What about the Merriman Mall catastrophe where hundreds of millions of dollars are being wasted on unnecessary and silly initiatives, all of which were handed to one contractor without a public tender?

What about the rental of a motor car for over a year now that has been placed at the disposal of a senior officer from a relative of that same senior officer?

What about the granting

of permission to one advertising agency to erect massive billboards all over the city at the exclusion of all the remaining advertising agencies in Georgetown?

What about the granting of permission exclusively to one person for the erection and maintenance of bus sheds that allows that person to make millions in advertising?

Citizens of Georgetown, a petition should be made urgently to have all of the contracts and deals from the last 23 years made public. If not then at least they should be presented to all Councillors, who are the elected representatives of the people.

It is time for the deep dark secrets of City Hall to come to light.

Sincerely, Mark Roopan

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friday, august 12, 2016

guyana-times.com

Page Foundation How to raise a Choosing your child of character (Continued from Thursday)

BY KAREN RUSKIN

Compromise and negotiation In an effort to help your child develop the ability to compromise and negotiate, provide her with the “proud technique.”

Communicate the following types of statements: “I’m so proud of you when you ______.

Are you proud of yourself?” and “When you _______ it must make you not feel so good about your choices. Next time what are other options so you can feel great about your choices and who you are? What can you say to your friend? That is a great plan, I will be so proud of you when you _________ and I see you’ll be proud of yourself when you __________.”

Sharing that you are proud of your daughter helps develop her sense of self-worth. Also, exploring your child’s options with her of what she can do when she is not being her best is respectful. By sharing with her that both you and she will be proud when she implements positive behaviours relays that you believe she will.

Use examples that are in sync and fit with your child’s life that include

themes such as negotiation with other children, compromise, and taking turns as it applies to the proud technique. If you teach your child how to handle these social interactions by offering

healthy options, then she will have a toolbox to use when situations arise that include challenging negotiations. This instils the skills to negotiate and compromise rather than express her wants through controlling and disrespectful methods that can lead to bullying.

Ownership It is important to teach your child to take ownership of his behaviour, as his skill impacts his choices and thoughts about himself and others. When he takes ownership of his actions

and words, he can choose to grow, enhance, improve, and not blame others for what he needs to improve upon.

The following state-

ment to share with your child is a “self-talk technique” he can use when he feels frustrated, hurt, angry, sad, disappointed, or any other emotion with regards to someone else’s actions and/or any event that causes emotional distress, “I cannot control another’s behaviour or words. What I can do is control my reaction to another and my own choices and actions.”

In an effort to feel in control of one’s self, which is an important part of character development, teach your child to use the “self-talk technique” in times when

he should remind himself not to react impulsively or behaviourally, and rather to think first before he reacts, thereby being in control of his actions.

Words Teach your child to use her words to share her feelings and opinions instead of “acting out” her feelings with her negative behaviour.

Teach your child the following communication script to use when she interacts with you and with her peers. “When you ______, it makes me feel _____. When I feel _____, it makes me want to ________.

Instead, I will _________, and hope _________.” (For example, “When you whisper to Mary and laugh, it makes me feel embarrassed.

When I feel embarrassed, it makes me want to push you.

Instead, I will go have fun with Laura, and hope that we can work it out and be friends.”)

Remember, on your parenting journey what you say and do matter immensely, and you play a significant role in your child’s character development. (psychcentral.com)

(Continued from Thursday)

How to get into the best mood After you imagine the mood that's best suited for your task or situation, it's time to get into that mood.

Think "P for positive" and focus on these 6 things that can help you reset your mood:

Purpose.

Get clear on what you want and need to do. For example, you might want to get your studying done as fast and well as possible so you can go to a party later.

"I can d o this!" you've used self-talk to get into the right mood for a situation. Self-talk doesn't just create the mindset that supports your mood, it also helps you keep a mood going. That's why pep talks work so well for athletes.

How to get out of an unhelpful mood To get out of a mood that's unpleasant or unhelpful, think "U for U-turn."

Try these mood changers:

Undo.

Place.

Put yourself in the right situation – environment influences mood. If you need to study, it's better to find a table or desk in a quiet room than to go to the coffee shop where you might see friends who distract you.

People.

Do something to break the train of thought that keeps your old mood going. Distract yourself with a game of Sudoku or simply focus on what's going on outside your window for a few minutes. Distractions are like rebooting your mind – they create a space between moods.

Who can help you feel the way you need to feel? A focused classmate is a better study companion than a chatty friend. Sometimes, just thinking of a particular person is enough to help you feel confident, inspired, strong, or supported.

Playlist.

Music is one of the most powerful influences on mood because it's all about communicating and inspiring emotion. Create playlists for the moods that are the most helpful and positive for your life.

Posture.

Move your body into the right mood. For studying, try exercises that help you focus on your physical posture like yoga or t'ai chi. For energy, try a workout that gets your heart rate up. To prepare for sleep, try deep breathing, gentle stretching, or other soothing activities.

Promotion.

Encourage yourself with self-talk. Self-talk is a way of using thoughts to influence your mood. If you've ever said to yourself, "OK, let's get serious for a minute" or

Unstick.

Change your body posture. If you're sitting, stand up. Do some jumping jacks. Stretch.

Walk around the room.

Moving your body changes your mindset and mood.

Unwind.

Sit quietly, breathe gently, and focus on each breath.

To keep your mind from wandering back to a mood you're trying to change, every time you take a breath, say to yourself: "I'm breathing in" and "I'm breathing out." Focus on feeling calm.

You've probably chosen your mood before without even realising it – many times people choose a mood naturally without thinking about it. But practicing ways to choose your mood intentionally can help you get good at it.

So next time you feel a strong mood, stop and name it. Ask yourself if it's the ideal mood for what you're trying to accomplish.

Sometimes, even the happiest of moods might not be right for a particular situation (as anyone who's excited about weekend plans during Friday afternoon classes knows). (Kids Health)

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friday, august 12, 2016 | guyana-times.com

Broomes meets union reps on 56 % of Guyanese youths contracted STIs – GRPA study GGMC industrial relations

Minister within the Ministry of Natural Resources Simona Broomes

M

inister within the Ministry of Natural Resources Simona Broomes on Thursday met officials of the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) as part of an ongoing dialogue between Government and the union on industrial relations matters regarding the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC).

Minister Broomes used the occasion to reiterate her commitment to good industrial relations between the Ministry and the workers

during the meeting held at the Ministry.

“I am committed to working with you even when we disagree…You the workers are the most important pillars in the Ministry as you are the ones to implement policy,” she stressed.

Minister Broomes told those in attendance that even though there will be disagreements between the Ministry and the union over industrial relations there must be a culture of respect.

She vowed to embrace the principles of good labour relations in accordance with international conventions signed on to by Guyana.

According to Broomes, she wants to see a departure from how things obtained just a few short years ago when workers of GGMC felt it necessary to take to the streets in protest. The minister said it is her vision that the Ministry of Natural Resources becomes an “exemplar of stellar labour relations with its employees and those of the agencies which fall under it…We can be a model for other ministries to show what decent labour relations could be.”

Present at the meeting were Gregory Gaspar –chairman of GPSU Branch No. 72; Sandrene Abrams – floor member GPSU Branch No. 72; Dennis English – GPSU, Unata De Freitas, the GGMC/GPSU workers’ representative and Beatrice Roberts-Austin – GGMC/GPSU branch secretary.

F

ifty-six per cent of youths in Guyana who are sexually active have contracted a Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) at some point in their lives, a Guyana Responsible Parenthood Association (GRPA) study revealed, stating that over a quarter are not using condoms.

The study “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: A snapshot of sexual knowledge, attitudes, and practices among Guyanese youths age 14-25” examined the sexual activities of youths in eight Administrative Regions, with 44 per cent of the respondents from Region Four.

The majority of the youths who contributed to the study were still attending school while a third was out-of- school youths.

The report was completed

by Sherlina Nageer, of the Ministry of Public Health and commissioned by the GRPA. The report indicated that most youths conflated sexually transmitted diseases with HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus), meaning that most of their knowledge about sexually transmitted infections centred around HIV only and they were generally unaware of the other STIs. It stated that while 69 per cent of sexually active youths did report using condoms during their sexual encounter, a distressing 29 per cent were not using condoms while having sex. A fifth of these youths, the report added, said their reason for not using condoms was because they and/or their partner did not have any.

On the other hand a quarter of those who were not using condoms said that was because they “trusted their partner and/ or were in a committed relationship” while six per cent said they did not like it.

More than half of these youths, 51 per cent, reported not using birth controls with only 15 per cent revealed knowledge of the specific birth control methods.

“Worries about cancer and other side-effects and believing that it was ‘wrong’ and a sin were also cited as reasons for not using birth control,” the study revealed, adding that 36 per cent of these youths have either been pregnant or had gotten someone pregnant.

The study expounded that most of the youths are learning about sex from the internet or their peers.

Thus, the study recommended that a comprehensive sexual and reproductive health rights education be implemented in all public schools in Guyana.

“Youths need and want more information about sex and related topics. There is a clear need for additional unbiased and non-judgmental sources of information about sex, sexual health, and wellness for the young people of Guyana,” the report stated, adding that the educational sector, predominantly, remains an under-exploited avenue for providing such crucial information.

Chief Medical Officer Dr Shamdeo Persaud had outlined that there is a need to re-examine the National HIV/AIDS campaign since there is a growing number of new HIV cases, particularly in youths.

Dr Persaud stated that statistics explained that it is mostly the younger population that has been engaging in unprotected sexual activities, declaring that nearly 60% of youths begin having sex at an early age, while most of them have little to no knowledge on how HIV/AIDS is contracted or know how to protect themselves.

8 news

friDAY, august 12, 2016 | guyana-times.com

IN THE COURTS

La Grange Police Station escapee

Fugitive’s mother arraigned for threatening witness

A

woman who is said to be the mother of a murder accused who fled custody from the La Grange, West Bank Demerara, Police Station nearly one month ago, has threatened a witness in her son’s case.

Chardamani Jhagroo of Good Intent, WBD, appeared at the Wales Magistrate’s Court on Thursday where she entered a guilty plea on the charge which stated that on August 6, 2016, she used threatening language against the virtual complainant, VC [name withheld] who police said is a witness in the murder investigation of which Anthony Jaghroo is the main suspect.

Jhagroo, 20, had been held in connection with the Bell West, WBD, murder of mechanic Yogeshwar Shivcharran who died six days after he was severe-

R

Backwardness...

B

The gap in the wall where the young man reportedly escaped

ly beaten by a group of his neighbours.

The trial of Chardamani was held in camera.

Reports had indicated that the fugitive Jhagroo escaped during the wee morning hours of July 13, 2016, when there was a power outage in Region Three. He escaped through a gap in the wall of lockups at the Police Station, despite two ranks on duty at the time.

The Bell West mechanic, 31, was beaten by a group of drunken neighbours, earlier in July.

Shivcharran suffered regular seizures and in a mental episode, he had removed his clothing and approached his neighbours, who were at that time consuming alcohol nearby.

These neighbours reportedly pelted him with beer bottles before beating him.

On the run: Murder suspect Anthony Jhagroo

Police had questioned and released three women in connection with the incident while Jhagroo had been held at the Station on July 12 before making his escape, the next day.

Police later issued a wanted bulletin soliciting the public’s help in recapturing the murder suspect. He is still on the run,

Man bailed for assault Lindener remanded for gun possession

aymond Dayberdeen of Moblissa, Region 10, has been placed on $10,000 bail for an assault charge when he appeared at the Wales Court on Magistrate’s Thursday. It was alleged that on Sunday, August 7, following an altercation, Dayberdeen assaulted Elizabeth Rodrique, the virtual complainant (VC).

According to the police prosecution facts, at 10:00h on the day in question, the defendant and VC had an argument where Dayberdeen became annoyed and pulled the VC’s hair, which caused her to fall. After the VC composed herself, she made a report to the Police after which the defendant was taken into custody.

When presiding Magistrate Christel Lambert questioned the defendant for an explanation

Eyew tness

over all that transpired, Dayberdeen expressed that he and the woman shared an on and off relationship.

He further explained that while Rodrique was visiting him, the argument ensued after which threats to him were hurled at that time and later on.

“She left me for one week [and] went with another man, they threaten me; they say they would burn down my house,” expressed the defendant.

Though he acknowledged that the altercation did occur, Dayberdeen however denied that he ever pulled the VC’s hair, which made her fall.

As such, a guilty plea was entered on his behalf after which his bail privilege was granted.

The matter was transferred to Linden Magistrate’s Court for September 7.

A

Coomacka Mines, Linden, Region 10 (Upper DemeraraUpper Berbice) man was on Thursday denied his pretrial liberty when he appeared in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts to answer to a possession of firearms charge.

Devon Blount called “Banga”, pleaded not guilty to the charge which was read to him by Magistrate Leron Daly.

It was alleged that on August 10, 2016, at North Fort, Konawaruk, Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni ), he

had in his possession a 12 gauge double-barrel shotgun without being the holder of a firearm licence.

Blount was refused bail and will make his next court appearance before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan on September 8, 2016.

A police report earlier Thursday said that sometime around 10:00h on Wednesday ranks in the area were on patrol when they stopped and searched Blount.

During the search, the ranks unearthed the weapon.

Farmer charged with unlawful assault

K

onand Ramsingh, 40, of Moblissa Highway, Region Ten (Upper DemeraraUpper Berbice) was slapped with a $20,000 bail for assault on Thursday. He appeared before Magistrate Christel Lambert at the Wales Magistrate’s Court where the allegations stated that on Sunday, August 7, he unlawfully assaulted Kumari D’Aguiar, which

caused her actual bodily harm.

The court also heard that the man, who is a farmer, has no previous convictions.

He pled not guilty to the offence and will make his next court appearance on September 6 at the Linden Magistrate’s Court where the matter has been transferred.

...at City Hall

ack in the day...the real old days, when "off with his head" wasn't just a line from a children's story - Henry II of England just couldn't get his Archbishop of Canterbury to do his bidding. (No not to approve his divorce from his wife so he could marry some other "sweet young thing!! That's Henry VIII!!)

This had to do with the Crown controlling the Clergy. So one day in court, he exclaimed in exasperation - "Will no one rid me of this troublesome priest?" And four fella's who took him seriously went and took out the Archbishop!!

In a reversal of numbers - but not in spirit - the Gang of Four over at our own City Hall (obviously inspired by their Gothic surroundings from Henry's era) must be muttering the same plea about the PPP Councillor who's exposing their shenanigans over the City's purse.

Imagine the fella had the temerity to demand an audit of City Hall's books!! Didn't he know a peon can't question a king?

It all has to do with this crassness that's crept into public life with the coming of "democracy". But as another Big Gun in Guyana had said (the Biggest Gun of them all, if you go by all the paeans sung at his birthday, recently!) - there are many ways to skin a cat. Actually, he'd talked about "killing cats" - but in these days when CoI’s findings on "killing" are disputed, we won't go there.

The nominal head of the Gang of Four claimed the obstreperous Councillor didn't "word his request" properly!! Yep!! You heard right! Asked as to whether she'd advised on the "correct wording", the Gothic Queen snapped haughtily, "Not my job, man!" Now if you, dear reader, interject indignantly that even with old and archaic "Common Law", the exact wording of a "writ" doesn't kill it nowadays, it means you still didn't get it.

"It" being that our Gang of Four are still seized of a Gothic 12th Century mindset! And it would appear all the good burghers of Georgetown are only too happy to be doormats for them. How else can you explain their studied silence as one outrage after another's committed. Imagine saddling us with reparations for the next 49 years to some fast talking salesman hocking parking meters.

But think about the container fees - didn't the Business folks made them back down? What are we Georgetowners? Men or mouse?

Squeak if you agree!

...in ware "house" gate

And who says Prezzie doesn't listen. In fact the man beams into the minds of citizens even as they utter their thoughts. Just yesterday, your Eyewitness suggested that Prezzie appoint a CoI on Ware-"house" gate and lo and behold (as the holy rollers say) the deed was done.

Now with such responsiveness, it might seem uncouth to complain - but hey! an Eyewitness has to say it as he sees it, nuh?

So what can he say about the members of the special CoI - the PM who's supposed to Chair Cabinet, the Minister of State for the Presidency and the Minister of Governance. Well for one, they all sit in Cabinet which, not so incidentally, approved the contract to rent the Albouystown bottom house to store our nation's pharmaceuticals.

And this means members of the Cabinet will be judging the propriety of another Member negotiating, contracting, approving and paying the rent (and deposit) by his lonesome!! Excepting, the said members of the Cabinet approved the contract! They'll be replicating what they're investigating the Minister about - playing judge, jury and executioner of their own malfeasance.

Or will they say, as Cabinet members, they just signed along the dotted lines?

...and US travel advisory

Just when your Eyewitness thought it was safe to get into the skies, via Trinidad, up comes this travel advisory. Guyanese will again be subjected to the degrading "search" procedures at Piarco - which can extend to body orifices.

Not to mention the supercilious Customs Officers.

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

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friday, august 12, 2016 | guyana-times.com

Additional $500M still unaccounted for on Durban Park project – Jagdeo

O

pposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo is calling on Government to come clean on the spending on the Durban Park project, since he believes that almost half a billion dollars is yet to be accounted for and this information is deliberately being withheld by the Administration.

Jagdeo made the disclosure on Wednesday last and said “we are still not sure what the final payments for Durban Park are.”

He was at the time addressing members of the local media at a press engagement held at the People’s Progressive Party, Freedom House headquarters.

According to Jagdeo, while Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson would have made representation for $406 million that was advanced to the project from the Contingency Fund, there has been a deafening silence on large sums collected from the Private Sector for the project.

Jagdeo recalled that in April last, the nation was told that the Durban Park project would only cost $150 million.

This, he said, turned out to be more than $400 million being spent from the national coffers and according to Jagdeo, “we are hearing there are still outstanding bills close to another half a billion dollars.”

As such, the Opposition Leader is calling on

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo

Government to make public all of the donations and other monies that would have come in from private interests on the project.

Jagdeo was at the time accusing Government Ministers of not giving straight answers to the National Assembly and by extension the people of Guyana, during the consideration of the advances from the Contingency Fund on Monday last.

“It happened on issues surrounding the Durban Park project,” Jagdeo said.

“Even with the Government seeking over $400 million in supplementary provisions to complete that Durban Park project, we are still not sure that those are the final payments.”

Minister Patterson had told the House on Monday last that all 16 of the con-

tractors’ engaged by his Ministry on the project had been paid, but according to Jagdeo, “we are not sure about the finances surrounding that project.”

The Opposition Leader told members of the media “first of all, there have been no answers given about the large sums of money that have been collected from the Private Sector and spent on that project.”

He said, “We do not know how much money was collected from the Private Sector, who gave the money and how it was spent.”

The Opposition Leader recalled that Government’s initial position on the project was that it would be completed at no cost to the treasury but this turned out not to be the case.

“Then we heard it would be $150 million, this turned out to be over $400 million,” he said. Jagdeo posited that Government intentionally sought to hide the reality surrounding the project.

Jagdeo is adamant that among the questions that need to be answered by Government is the totality of monies collected from private donations and who gave the money.

The former Head of State questioned too whether any of the private monies that had been fronted for the project were recorded in the official asset register for the State, in addition to a breakdown of how the money was spent.

An aerial view of the D’Urban Park Project

He drew reference too, to the announcements from officialdom that there had been public and selective tendering done for the works to be undertaken at Durban Park.

According to Jagdeo, “can you give us the details

of when you initiated the process of selective tendering?”

He questioned too whether those contracts that went to public tender had been advertised, and that among the information to be supplied in addition to the suc-

cessful contractors should be the details in the bids of the unsuccessful contractors.

Jagdeo said Government must also come clean and tell the nation whether all of the liabilities with the project had been made public.

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guyana-times.com

FRIDAY, august 12, 2016

News

State Assets Recovery Bill consultations

Concerns of political influence, directorial powers raised

T

he Legal Affairs Ministry and the Attorney General Chambers hosted a stakeholders consultation on the Draft State Assets Recovery Bill 2016 during which concerns of political influence, as well as the amount of powers instilled in the Director of what would be the State Assets Recovery Agency (SARA) were raised.

The Bill introduces the State Assets Recovery Act 2016, which seeks to establish SARA – the organisation that will be responsible for recovering, through civil proceedings, State properties unlawfully acquired by public officials or any other persons. The proposed legislation is slated to be tabled in Parliament following its August recess.

Thursday’s consultation session ran for about two hours, during which stakeholders made queries, raised concerns and even made recommendations on the drafted legislation.

Among the concerns outlined was the fact that there is a political imbalance of the Parliamentary Appointments Committee, which will be tasked with selecting the Director of SARA. This concern was made by Head of the Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA), Mike Mc Cormack, in light of concerns made by the political Opposition that most of the individuals that the State Asset Recovery Unit (SARU) – which will be incorporated into SARA – went after had served under the People’s Progressive

From left: World Bank Representative Elsa Gopala; Chief Parliamentary Counsel Cecil Dhurjon; Legal Affairs Minister Basil Williams; British Fraud Expert Brian Horne; SARU Director, Professor Clive Thomas; and a representative from the Legal Affairs Ministry at the public consultation session on Thursday

Party/Civic (PPP/C) regime and most of whom are members of the Party.

The GHRA head outlined that the presence of bipartisan involvement in the appointment of the SARU Director was in fact done in favour of the Government, which not only chairs the Appointment Committee but has majority members.

Mc Cormack noted, “It is effectively a partisan appointment given the powers that are being wielded are enormous.”

However, Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Basil Williams pointed out that in drafting the proposed legislation, efforts were made to have the best procedure that will satisfy all stakeholders. He referred to the appointment of the Director, Deputy Director and two other staff members for the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU),nothing that even though it took almost a year, they were eventually selected in consensus.

“The path of inclusivity is where we are on,” the Minister remarked. He went on to highlight that there has been a difference in the culture that is present within the Parliamentary Appointive Committee than of that which is seen on the floor of the National Assembly.

“We believe that any other route will still raise doubts about partisanship and biasness,” Williams posited.

Moreover, concerns were voiced by the President of the Guyana Bar Association (GBA), Gem SandfordJohnson over the amount of powers instilled in the Director and recommended that a Board of Directors be installed to govern the agency. However, the Attorney General explained that it would not be effective for there to be too many heads over the agency, whose work will be attended by secrecy and confidentially.

In addition, the Chief Parliamentary Counsel, Cecil Dhurjon, had commented that the Agency will be under the scrutiny of Parliament on a yearly basis. He further noted that when a Director is appointment, it has to be someone of high calibre and great integrity.

“The present Director appointed is the distinguish Professor (Clive Thomas)… you want to appoint someone to watch the distinguish Professor,” he asked.

On the other hand, the financial sector also sought to seek clarity on the impact the proposed legislation will have on its poli-

cies. Representative from the Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI), Nazla Faizoul, expressed concerns over the fact that confidential information will be in the hands of law enforcement officials and investigators.

“The banks are a bit concerned with the extent to which we are required to divulge customer information,” she stated, disclosing that currently, the bank has received requests and instructs from organisations such as the FIU, the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) among others.

“I know that we are excused from liability for divulging that information… (but) should information fall into the hands of others, others who may be asked to assist SARU with investigations, that they same level of confidentiality be applied to them… I just wanted to underscore the importance for us to limit the pool of persons as far as possible,” Faizoul outlined.

Among the stakeholders at the consultation session, which was held at the Pegasus Hotel, were members from the Judiciary, the Guyana Bar Association, transparency organisations, the Private Sector and others.

Addressing the gathering in the opening session, Minister Williams pointed out that this step is his Government’s commitment to the fight against corruption.

The Bill was conceptualised with the assistance of various international partners including the United States. To this end, US Ambassador Perry Holloway, delivering remarks before the plenary session pointed out that such legislation will bring Guyana in alignment with international conventions, as he pledged his country’s continuous support.

NEWS

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FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2016 | GUYANA-TIMES.COM

More international commitment needed for Iwokrama – President

P

resident David Granger on Wednesday called on the international community to lend support to Iwokrama, saying that it is embedded in the country’s territory, laws, economy and political culture.

The Head of State made these remarks at the Iwokrama Centre for Rain Forest Conservation and Development’s 20th anniversary celebration forum at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre.

The Head of State said that through Iwokrama, Guyana has demonstrated to the world how a single, small country can contribute to climate change mitigation, while promoting sustainable development: “Iwokrama is part of the lungs of the Earth. It is a global resource helping to mitigate climate change.

Guyana looks to the international community to commit more resources to the Centre to allow it to continue to be a model of sustainable development.”

Guyana is a signatory to the Convention on Biological Diversity, a multilateral environmental agreement, which calls for the conservation of biological diversity, sustainable use of its components and the fair and equitable sharing of its benefits. President Granger said that these international commitments reinforce Guyana’s resolve to ensure the harmonious develop-

President David Granger delivering his address at Iwokrama’s 20th anniversary celebrations at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre

ment of the great natural capital of this country.

“Iwokrama, with its rich biodiversity, is pivotal to positioning our economy onto a green growth pathway.

It is our key to preserving our environmental patrimony. The pursuit of sustainable development cannot be achieved unless there is an unobstructed obligation to the protection of our biodiversity. Iwokrama, with yet undiscovered and unexploited resources, is essential to our economic existence,” President Granger said.

He said that Guyana will continue to seek support for the establishment of an International Institute for Biodiversity at Iwokrama to complement the work of the centre’s efforts in education on sustainable de-

velopment. The institute is expected to allow students and researchers from the Guiana Shield, the Continent, the Caribbean and the rest of the world to come to Iwokrama to study its biodiversity and to increase their knowledge and understanding of vital ecosystems.

“It is my Government’s intention, with the support of international partners, to make Iwokrama into a world-class institute for biodiversity research, a centre of excellence to serve the educational needs of our students for generations to come. Guyana has a responsibility and it will uphold that responsibility to support Iwokrama. It is part of our patrimony. It is central and integral to Guyana’s

The Iwokrama Canopy Walkway

green development agenda,” the President said.

Vice President and Minister of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs Sydney Allicock in his remarks, described Iwokrama as God’s gift to Guyana and Guyana’s gift to the world.

He also spoke of the need for strong leadership at the Centre so as to bring together environmental, political, social and funding partners to promote and sustain Iwokrama.

British High Commissioner Greg Quinn read a message from Iwokrama’s patron Prince Charles, who pledged to continue to support the commitment and vision that Iwokrama represents and to ensure that it remains the beacon of conservation and research into the 21st Century.

Similar sentiments were expressed by Secretary General of the Commonwealth Patricia Scotland, who reminded of the existential threat posed by climate change to every country in the world and said that the work that is being done at Iwokrama will make an extraordinary contribution in providing the answers needed to reverse that damage caused by climate change.

Meanwhile, Iwokrama’s Chief Executive Officer Dane Gobin disclosed that over the medium-term Iwokrama will establish a world-class biodiversity institute, complete with classrooms, conference rooms, laboratories and accommodation facilities. This institute will accommodate visiting scientists, interns and researchers from Guyana

and around the world.

The gathering was given a detailed presentation

by Dr Dayna Baumeisteron on biomimicry, which is an approach to innovation that seeks sustainable solutions to human challenges by emulating nature’s timetested patterns and strategies. Iwokrama will be partnering with Biomimicry Roraima, which is a nonprofit organisation dedicated to introducing the science to Guyana.

Iwokrama is a unique reserve of 371,000 hectares of rainforest. It was established in 1996 after the passage of the Iwokrama International Centre for Rainforest Conservation and Development Act. This reservation is home to some of the world’s rarest flora and fauna.

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friDay, august 12, 2016 | guyana-times.com

NEWS

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FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2016 | GUYANA-TIMES.COM

First Lady empowers young girls to be fearless, Procurement Committee to be established for break gender stereotypes in workplace guns, ammo purchases O

n Thursday 11 August, 2016, the Guyana Girl Guides Association (GGGA) hosted a ceremony at its headquarters in Brickdam, Georgetown, to commemo-

nology, engineering, business and entrepreneurship.

Talks were even given on female sexuality, self-esteem, public speaking and safe social media practices.

The venue for the cer-

tional setting for her speech.

Aiming to engage the girls whilst she spoke, the First Lady expressed that she hoped this workshop had given the participants some insight as to what they

less. Youth Representative and Science facilitator Jenell Williams voiced that the most important thing she wanted the girls to take away from the experience, was that they could be any-

The First Lady gripping the attention of the young girls as she informally delivers her speech

rate the completion of its “BE YOUR BEST YOU” workshop.

The workshop which began on Monday, lasted a total of four days, and focused on the empowerment of girls.

In a statement released to the media, the GGGA stressed that through the workshop, they introduced young women to various academic fields, with the hope that this will encourage girls to achieve their full potential. The programme which some 47 girls took part in was lead by all-female facilitators, who introduced the girls to art, music, culture, science, information tech-

emony was well decorated with the artworks of the girls, ranging from vibrant paintings to exquisite tie dyed cloth. The girls participated wholly in the closing programme through musical renditions, dance and reflections.

First Lady Sandra Granger, patron of the Guyana Girl Guide Assiciation, was introduced

by Lushawnue Naughton, who described the First Lady as a pleasant and approachable person.

Living up to this description, Mrs Granger, donning her Girl Guides Lapel pin, opted for a more conversa-

would like to pursue as a career, emphasising that careers were lifelong commitments.

She charged the young women to put themselves first when choosing their occupations, deciding upon something that they ultimately enjoy doing, rather than following or trying to appease family and friends.

Moreover, she impressed that they should not allow themselves to be influenced by the societal perception of what is “women’s work” versus what is “men’s work”.

However, above all else, she wanted the girls to strive to be happy, brave and fear-

thing they wanted to be, and that they didn’t need to conform to any stereotypes.

She went on to say that she aspires to make this an annual event, occurring during the summer vacation.

Although this year’s attendees were contacted through invitation of various Girl Guides units in and around Georgetown, Williams stated that the programme is open to all girls over the age of 14.

G

overnment will be moving to establish a Procurement Committee under the stewardship of the National Security Committee, to look into the procurement and purchasing of arms and ammunition for the country’s security sector.

Public Security Minster Khemraj Ramjattan will oversee the new committee, Minister of State Joseph Harmon told the media on Thursday.

“At the level of the National Security Committee, a decision was made that there be under the chairmanship, under the Minister of Public Security, a procurement committee that will look at the procurement of arms for the Discipline Services so that any further purchase of arms and ammunition will be certified by that body, Harmon told journalists.

He said further that “it is also in this context that Cabinet asked that the matter be deferred so the Committee could have a look at the specification and other issues and for them to make a pronouncement whether in fact at the end of it they could say which is the best that they could take before returning to Cabinet.”

The Minister was re-

ferring to a contract by Lawrence “Larry” Singh, said to be currently under the consideration of Cabinet.

According to Natural Resource Minister Raphael Trotman, the contract at the most recent sitting of Cabinet was deferred, as more information is being sought. He said Singh is a known licensed trader of arms and ammunition to Government from as far back as the previous Administration and has been supplying the Guyana Police Force (GPF) and the Guyana Defence Force (GDF). He noted that the GDF had indicated that because of the sensitivity of materials being supplied, it had been solesourcing from Singh, an arrangement which Government has continued. However, he said, like all other relationships, that it is now under review.

Singh recently came under the microscope after information revealed that his Sussex Street building was selected by the Government as a pharmaceutical bond, with monies already being advanced for “rental” the building even though it is still under construction and might not be properly equipped to store drugs of such magnitude. (See story on page 3)

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News

Hundreds of Linden CIIP workers issued termination letters

BY UTAMU BELLE

O

ver 200 workers under the Community Infrastructure Improvement Project (CIIP) in Linden have been issued termination letters, to facilitate the rehiring of about 50 less workers under a "superior contract".

This newspaper understands that approximately 300 persons from both Wismar and Mackenzie, Linden were initially on the programme, however under the superior contract which is expected to take shape sometime next month, only 250 would be hired. This has created some amount of disagreement by some workers, who are at odds with the decision.

Speaking on the issue, Linden Town Clerk Jenella Bowen explained that the programme which is conducted through the municipality of the Linden Mayor

Region 10 Chairman Renis Morian

and Town Council (LM&TC) has undergone some restructuring, based on agreement with the Ministry of Communities.

"There were several discussions between the Ministry of Communities and the CIIP project. PS (Permanent Secretary) is aware and all the other players from the ministry, as it relates to this project.

A decision was made where

we would have 250 persons working instead of 300 persons...we would have started with Mackenzie, having termination contracts for the persons on Mackenzie.

So what happens is that the entire CIIP programme will be restructured based on the Council's agreement.

Everyone will be terminated and then people will be rehired. There were 300 persons on, but now we have

to bring that figure down to 250", the Town Clerk indicated.

She added that the decision was based on an agreement with the Ministry of Communities, which was embraced by the Council.

Bowen further stated that some workers had agreed to uplift their termination letters and that all were terminated to facilitate the rehiring process in both “fairness and justice”. The workers, she noted, were given a one month notice of their termination.

Bowen said workers under the programme will continue working 4 hours per day, for 16 days in this month for the usual payment of $12,500. However, come September 5, when the re-established work process commences, the work time will be 8 hours per day, for eight days and the payment increased to $25,000. NIS would also be deducted, ac-

Linden Town Clerk Jenella Bowen

cording to Bowen.

"So instead of working 16 days it is 8 days, 8 hours a day...I think that the system can work. I think that it's for the betterment of the community. I will embrace it. Many of the persons from what I know are single parents. Many of them mothers, and for that I am grateful... and I know the Council will also embrace the project", the town clerk said.

Regional Chairman wants letters rescinded Meanwhile, Region 10 (Upper Demerara- Berbice) Chairman Renis Morian has called for the letters of termination to be rescinded, since he noted it has created

a lot of uncertainty and uneasiness among the workers who depend on the project for a living. He said the decision was not made in “fairness” and proper consultation should have been made to prepare the workers for the changes to come.

"You have people in Region 10 who are unemployed, who are doing the CIIP work. So you have a contract that for whatever reason, you're pulling this contract because it is alleged that you have framed a superior contract. You're pulling this contract now and there's a long uncertainty period. I'm saying, pull back the letters. When you're ready with your new contracts, call the people...I'm saying to the Minister of Communities and the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Communities that those letters should be withdrawn...you don't just pull a contract and leave a man hanging in the air and you know a man was earning...it has to be discussed with them and they agree...", Morian stated.

The regional chairman said he hopes that good sense will prevail regarding the issue. He recently stated that he was given all assurance by the minister that this will be done.

Buxton man shot in execution attempt

A

n East Coast Demerara (ECD) resident is now nursing gunshot wounds to his body during a shooting incident at his home on Wednesday evening. The injured man has been identified as Brinsley David of Brusche Dam, Buxton.

According to information, the shooting incident occurred at about 23:00h.

Investigations revealed that the victim’s wife, Zion Clarke went to the washroom and upon her return,

she saw someone pointing a black object through the bedroom window.

She immediately raised an alarm and it was then the perpetrator discharged several rounds, hitting the man to the body before escaping.

David was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he underwent emergency surgery.

The police have launched an investigation into the shooting.

No arrests have been made thus far.

Woman arrested for robbery of Japanese nationals, taxi driver

T

hree Japanese nationals and the driver of the taxi they were travelling in were on Tuesday held at gunpoint by three armed men who relieved them of a quantity of equipment and cash at Ogle Seawall, East Coast Demerara (ECD).

Based on initial reports, the three had contracted Abdool Rahim, 38, a taxi Driver of Canal No 2 Polder, West Bank Demerara, to take them sightseeing around the City.

While they were in the vicinity of the Ogle Seawall, the perpetrators pounced on them and relieved them of 2 video cameras, 1 laptop computer, 4 mobile handsets, 23 video tapes and $820,000 in cash.

The men then escaped in a car without registration plates. However, based on information, the police arrested a female with one of the stolen items.

She is in police custody assisting with investigations.

NEWS

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FRIDAY, AUGUST 12, 2016 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Region 10 gets Passport Office

R Writing history

W

ith the Commemoration of the 100th Anniversary of the Arrival of Indians as Indentureds coming up next March, I've been re-looking at some of what I had written about history in general and our one-sided history in particular. We can start with my agreeing with Hayden White that all historical writings are narratives with one of four types of emplotment - romance, satire, comedy, and tragedy.

Then there's the question, “What are the uses of history?" I concluded it all Ravi Dev has to do with the present in which we are forced to make choices every second of every day. And every choice ultimately is a moral choice.

We have to begin from our Foucauldian “history of the present”, in which we interrogate intensely our “problem space” – the threats and opportunities that confront us at a sociohistorical conjuncture - that defined the context of an issue in the past.

The concept of "problem space" is from the historical theorist Reinhart Koselleck. Histories, he insists, are always written within a particular “space of experience” - the ways that the past is remembered in the present and a “horizon of expectation” – the anticipation of the non-yet-known future beyond the horizon.

In the tradition of RG Collingwood's "Q&A" methodology, we have to engage in a rigorous practice of inquiry that demands us to formulate and present questions, assemble, evaluate, analyze, and interpret evidence, and to articulate and defend an argument based upon the relationship between the questions posed and the evidence gathered. In a word, we problematise the past.

The questions, we have to remind ourselves constantly, are from our own present and framed within our horizon of expectations. The question for us is, what choices are we trying to make TODAY (out of the cornucopia of infinite possibilities) in our present problem space and what are we trying to achieve? What traces of the past questions and answers linger in our present? And most importantly, how relevant are they in today’s problem space? It is not that some of the answers to questions posed in the past might be "wrong" but they just might be "irrelevant" in the present? It is only in this manner that exemplary history can help us deal with current problems rather than just beating up on old leaders or foes.

What then should be our “horizon of expectation”?

Criticism is always strategic. What is it we want as a consequence of our criticisms, narratives, actions and exhortations? What is the “Good”? While there will never be – for the simple reason that it just cannot be – a single horizon of ends for all of us, I am pretty sure that among the various possibly competing ends that of a more harmonious society would be there in common in all formulations. With the privilege of hindsight, we should connect the past with the present in a broader narrative that is healing rather than destructive. We cannot change the past but we can certainly change the future.

Our horizon of expectation must generate strategies that speak to those normative ends rather than further dividing Guyana. So in the evaluation of our historical narratives, I would first of all ask whether the particular narrative or any narrative that seeks to connect our past to the present and envision a more positive future, fits the bill. As Nietzsche's noted historical truth is effectively defined by fitness of purpose.

Crucial to the formulation of a constructive historical narrative would be what Hayden White labelled the “content of the form” of the narrative – particularly its plot to link past, present and future. Hegel’s famous interpretation of Antigone as the paradigmatic Greek tragedy might be particularly apt to our situation. In this narrative both “sides” are morally right: the conflict is not between good and evil but between “goods” on which each is making exclusive claim. Isn’t this the situation that our mutually exclusive narratives of victimhood with its facile binary oppositions have delivered us into?

Such an emplotment within a narrative, I am suggesting, should suggest compromise rather than a battle of one side overcoming. That would be a constructive narrative for our time, place and circumstances.

egion 10 (Upper Demerara/Berbice) will be the first to have fully operationalised passport application services as the government moves to decentralise such services.

This announcement had first been made on July 15

by Minister of Citizenship Winston Felix, at the occasion of the ‘Meet the Public’ Initiative in Linden.

On Thursday last the Minister visited Linden to participate in sensitisation activities in preparation for the Tuesday, August 16 launch on those services in Linden at the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) building. He also met with staff at the NIS when he visited the intended location.

“This initiative has its genesis in His Excellency’s [President David Granger] concept of providing government services in the towns.

It is his view that government services should be delivered in the townships created, thereby avoiding unnecessary travel to Georgetown to conduct sim-

Minister of Citizenship Winston Felix along with Assistant National Director, Community Development Councils, Sandra Adams of Linden, examine the office within the National Insurance Scheme building where the passport services will be conducted

ple business with a government agency. It is in this regard that the Department of Citizenship has taken the initiative a stage further,” Felix said.

He explained that persons applying for the renewal of passports or the replacement of lost, damaged or filled passports will be able to make their applications weekly; on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and will be able to uplift their passports the following Thursday.

Persons applying for passports for the first time, however, will still be required to visit the Immigration Office in Georgetown due to the machinery required to generate first time machinereadable passports.

The minister said that since the current location in Linden is a temporary one, the move to have first time passport applicants acquire this service would not be possible until the ministry can acquire permanent

premises. He added that efforts are being made to acquire a permanent location.

Minister Felix said that as the roll out of these services continues across the country, the ministry is also working with the E-Government Agency to provide other services such as the online passport applications and online visa applications. This, however, will take some time due to the need for capacity development with regard to connectivity in far outlying areas.

Following the implementation in Region 10, the decentralising of passport application services will expanded to other areas including: Mabaruma in the Waini, Region One (BarimaWaini); Anna Regina, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam); New Amsterdam and Corriverton, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne); Bartica, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni); Mahdia Region Eight (PotaroSiparuni) and Lethem, Region Nine (Upper TakatuUpper Essequibo).

High risk of modern slavery in nearly 60% of countries, global index finds Modern slavery has become a catch-all term to describe human trafficking, forced labour, debt bondage, sex trafficking, forced

Former slave Francisco Rodrigues dos Santos demonstrates how he clears brush with his sickle on the piece of land which he lives and farms at the Nova Conquista settlement

A

lmost 60 per cent of countries are at high risk of using slave labour in their supply chains, according to a new global index launched on Thursday, which also ranked North Korea as having the worst record of slave labour in the world.

By assessing incidents of human trafficking or slavery, national laws, and the quality of law enforcement across 198 countries, risk analytics company Verisk Maplecroft found that 115 countries were at high or extreme risk of using slaves.

“Few countries in the world are actually immune to modern slavery,” said Alex Channer, lead analyst for human rights research at Verisk Maplecroft.

Nearly 46 million people around the world are living as slaves, forced to work in factories, mines and farms, sold for sex, trapped in debt bondage or born into servitude, according to the 2016 Global Slavery Index by rights group Walk Free Foundation.

marriage and other slavelike exploitation.

“In general, most countries have moderate to excellent legal framework.

But where they vary is how effective they are at actually implementing those laws,” said Channer. (Excerpt

from MSN)

16 news

friday, august 12, 2016 | guyana-times.com

Guyana participates in grand Muslim festival in UK By: Devina Samaroo, UK

A

hmadis from across the globe will participate in the grand three-day Muslim festival which begins today (Friday) in Hampshire, United Kingdom (UK).

Guyana will be among 100 countries attending the event called the Jalsa Salana, an annual celebration now in its fiftieth year.

The weekend-long activities are marked by prayers and speeches where worshippers celebrate the teachings of Islam and esteemed leaders address pertinent issues impacting the expanding Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.

Participants also use the forum to discover new countries and experience new cultures, taste various dish-

es and perhaps even learn another language.

This unique gathering, considered the largest of its kind in the UK, is also attended by parliamentarians, civic leaders and diplomats from various countries.

The key feature is the presence of worldwide movement’s fifth Khalifa of the Ahmadiyya Community, His Holiness Mirza Masroor Ahmad.

On the final day of the celebrations, new followers pledge allegiance and existing adherents renew their pledges to His Holiness who serves as the worldwide spiritual and administrative head of this religious organisation, with membership exceeding tens of millions reaching over 200 countries.

The religion was founded

by Mizra Ghulam Ahmad in

India in 1889, however, today it is still not accepted in some countries because its faith does not recognise Muhammad as the final prophet.

While the general sect of the Muslim world believes Jesus Christ will return as the Messiah, the Ahmadis believe that the awaited Messiah came as Mizra Ahmad, who was the first Khalifa.

In fact, they are considered apostates by other sects of Islam and in some states such as Pakistan, they are banned.

Nonetheless, as time progressed, the community membership increased and eventually its first mosque was constructed in South West London in 1924.

Then in 2003, the Baitul Futuh Mosque (House of

A field of flags representing the member countries of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community

Members on Thursday preparing the stage for the hoisting of the flag of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community

Victories), belonging to the Ahmadiyya community, was inaugurated.

Stretching across approximately five acres and with an accommodation capacity of 10,000 persons, it is Britain’s largest mosque and one of the largest in Western Europe.

Leading up to the Jalsa Salana, guests from all over the world flocked both mosques, to enjoy the camaraderie through which they have meals and say prayers, all the while sharing their enthusiasm for the grand festival.

There are approximately two million Ahmadis in the world. In Guyana, the community is numbered at about 300.

Speaking to Guyana Times at the events site on

Thursday where many preparatory activities were ongoing, Head of the Guyanese arm of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community, Aftadudin Nassir explained that the culture is very vibrant locally.

“We go out there and we do the work. We preach Islam, we are out on the streets and we talk to people and give the message of Islam to them. We are a small community but we are not deterred. We know we will grow,” Nassir said.

Guyana will be hosting its 33rd local Jalsa Salana before yearend, celebrating decades of the presence of the religion within the country.

Ahmadiyya Muslims in Guyana was established

in the late 1950s in Sisters Village, Berbice. Its first and oldest mosque is located in that community. There are other places of worship across the country and the local organisation is hoping to commission a brand new mosque in Mahdia, Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni) before yearend.

The faith was introduced to Guyana through a missionary who was posted in Trinidad and Tobago to spread the message of Islam. He soon became the first missionary in Guyana and thereafter, more missionaries were posted to continue to spread the message of peace which is the undertone of the community’s motto, “Love for all, hatred for none”.

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T

he 2016 Miss Guyana Universe pageant is billed for September 17 in the Grand Ballroom of the Guyana Marriott, Kingston, Georgetown and will see 14 elegant young ladies vying for the coveted title under

a new franchise, former Miss Guyana World contestant Jyoti Hardat.

The pageant will kick start with the sashing ceremony on September 4, at Gravity Lounge, Camp and Regent

friday, august 12, 2016

guyana-times.com

Streets, Georgetown.

It will be the first time the delegates will be officially introduced to the public.However, the events during the pageant week will incorporate live entertainment, guest performers, community leaders, and also includes a talent show and a corporate sporting event.

These events are geared to entice the very broad spectrum target market consisting of families, entrepreneurs, and business professionals.

This prestigious final event presents an opportunity to boost the visibility of Guyana on an international level.

With Guyana being listed as the country with the highest suicide rate; the Miss Universe Guyana organisation plans to incorporate events

which will be educational, outlining issues and bringing more awareness to suicide education and prevention. In addition, special emphasis will be placed on domestic violence.

Moreover, there will be extensive training for the delegates to mentally and physically prepare them to be well-rounded candidates for the prestigious national title of Miss Guyana Universe.

The Miss Guyana Universe organisation assures the public that the pageant will be run with honour, fairness and transparency.

The delegates will compete in personal interview with a panel of judges, swimsuit, evening gown and on-stage question for the top five finalists.

Prior to coronation

night, there will be the preliminary evening gown and fitness competition to determine the top candidates for the final night of competition.

The crowned queen will represent Guyana in Philippines in the New Year.

The 14 delegates competing for the title are Ariella Basdeo,

Ashley Cameron, Ashley John, Meleisa Defreitas, Soyini Fraser, Odessa Grogan, Rafieya Husain, Iman Jaisingh, Aysya Kelley, Faydeha King, Xamiera Kippins, Denisha Rigers, Malika Russell and Ayana Whitehead.

18

S

even African queens will take to the stage of the National Culture Centre on Sunday evening to compete for the title of Miss Emancipation 2016.

The delegates were drawn from several villages across the country.

They are Shellon Massiah, Gobnella Chapman, Delisha Wright, Jasmine Adams, Kipenic Jordan, Faith Harding and Shamane Daniels.

On pageant night, the delegates will compete in several segments; the first being the delegates introducing themselves in the form of spoken word. This will be followed by the business wear segment, which is made from African Wax Print.

W

guyana-times.com

friday, august 12, 2016

ith only three rounds of competition left, Digicel’s amateur DJ competition has intensified. Over 100 participants signed up for this competition which began on July 25 at the Pegasus Hotel and at the end, 25 talented disk jockeys were left standing after some serious sound clashes and spinning.

Participants were judged by a panel of four judges who are experts in this field.

Each participant had five minutes to impress the judges with their spinning talents.

The second round of the competition – the Digital round – was done at the 704 Sports Bar, where participants were judged based on the most likes and shares they received on Facebook.

At the end of the Digital Round, 15 of the 25 participants emerged to take the stage in the third round in Berbice.

The delegates are also required to present their project on STEM which was done with several schools in and out of Georgetown.

This will be followed by a series of questions on their presentations. As the competition continues, the seven delegates will grace the stage in their evening gowns made of African lace. Before the finalists are selected, the seven beauties will participate in a question and answer segment.

During the pageant, there will be several cultural presentations by past beauty queens and a rendition of “African Queen” by a singing group. Tickets to the event cost $1000 and are available at the National Cultural Centre.

During round three at the New Amsterdam Technical Institute DJ LJ; SmiDJit, Mix Master Tony and Vybz; all from Berbice, along with others, gave the crowd a treat.

This round was based on crowd support and judging by categories given – Bollywood, Afro beat and dancehall.

Fifteen participants will now head to the next round in Bartica on August 12 where they will compete for a spot in the fourth round, set for Linden on August 19.

From Linden, five participants will move on to the final round on August 27 at the National Park.

This competition was launched on July 14 at Digicel’s Head office in Kingston, Georgetown, with a staff competition and the resigning of Jumo Primo as the company’s brand ambassador. Marketing Executive Ramesh Rupchand noted

#1 Shellon Massiah

#2 Faith Harding

#3 Shamane Daniels

#7Jasmine Adams

#4 Kipenic Jordan

that “Bring the Beat” is a dynamic celebration of the pulse of the Caribbean that uses music to celebrate its achievements and unite its people.

“We want to share and connect the passions that unite our audience; we are referring to this as ‘The Beat’. This DJ competition has given young aspiring DJs, both male and female who are familiar with Serato and virtual deejaying a chance to showcase their versatility, mixing skills, microphone skills and perform the music, not just play it.

All participants were required to setup relevant social media pages, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat for maximum following and fan base for voting purposes. Prizes include a Pioneer DJ Console and over $1 million in cash and other prizes.

#5 Gobnella Chapman

P

#6 Delisha Wright

lans are moving apace for the first event boat cruise organised by Xtra Entertainment billed for Sunday, August 14 on board the MV Sabanto.

The main performer, Barbados’ soca queen Allison Hinds is expected to arrive in Guyana shortly and she is all hyped to perform on her first boat cruise in Guyana.

The cruise will depart the Parika Stelling at 09:00h and travel along the Essequibo River to Supenaam where it will dock for a short time before heading back to Parika, East Bank Essequibo.

Performing alongside Hinds is Carib Soca Monarch, Jumo “Rubber Waist” Primo and adding some vibes on the console will be one of the most hyped deejays out of the United States, “D Life”.

In addition, the entertainment continues with a special performance

by Super Cat and Stitchy One Man Bands. Revellers will also be entertained

by Ramping Vibes, 71 Sound System, Skinny Hype and Platinum and no other than XTRA Beer General, Deejay Garwin.

The enjoyment starts when the engine of the boat revs and the music booms through the speakers. Advance tickets cost $2000 but more at the stelling.

friDAY, august 12, 2016

guyana-times.com

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J

amzone Summer Break 2016 has thus far been a fun-filled time for all Guyanese and it is about to get better as Alkaline, the “Vendetta Boss” returns.

Alkaline will be the featured artiste at Jamzone Summer Break Regional Night on Saturday evening at the National Park.

The dancehall deejay has been gaining much more international exposure over the last several months after the release of his studio album, “New Level Unlocked” which debuted at number one on the Billboard Reggae Album Chart back in April.

The “Vendetta Boss” whose real name is Earlan Bartley, rose to fame for being the only dancehall artiste with tattooed eyes but then captured millions with the hardcore rhymes and killer hooks his dancehall music offers. Many of his fans have said that he is undoubtedly one of ‘the baddest’ Jamaican lyrists currently producing music.

Equipped with tons of hits like “Champion Boy”, “Formula”, “How It Feel”, “Block and Delete”, “Side Chick” and many more, the dancehall star arrived in Guyana last evening. He will be backed by several local artistes including Jory, Lil Million, Kwasi “Ace” Edmondson and Blue Tooth.

In addition, Alkaline will also be at Club Privilege for “Vendetta Friday” today.

Tickets for the Alkaline concert cost $2000 for general admission and $10,000 for VIP and are available at Nigel’s Supermarket, Georgetown; the Spot Fish Shop and Bar, Beterverwagting line top, East coast Demerara; Exclusive Styles, White Castle Fish Shop, That Look Boutique and Cheese Please – all in Georgetown.

E

t tu Brutus, the veteran Guyanese rock band, headlined the second annual Caxiri Metal Fest in Boa Vista, Brazil.

They appeared alongside eight other heavy metal Brazilian bands – Night Habit, Awaken, Old Page, Black Spectrum, Deadly Hatred, Carnivore and Coma State.

The event was an outdoor concert, held at the

Cultural Square, Boa Vista and was attended by 350 people.

This show was a historic one for the band, because this is the first time in 10 years that they have returned to Brazil to represent Guyana. All of its members who played at the SESC rock festival in April 2005, graced the stage again on August 6, 2016, but this time, with the ad-

dition of their newest member, Brazilian Vanderson Alencar, playing lead guitar.

At the SESC festival, et tu Brutus played to a crowd of 6000 people and the show was televised to most of Spanish-speaking South America, Mexico and Latin America.

The band was formed in 1998 in Georgetown and is the loudest heavy metal band to come out of Guyana.

The band has held over 200 hundred shows and has played in Brazil and the twin island republic of

Trinidad and Tobago.

To date, they have released three albums – “Poison” (2000), “Trippin’ at the Side” (Live 2002) and “From the Dust” (2016) and one single, “Far Removed from the Scene” (2006).

One of their songs, “Insanity” from the Poison album, was featured on an international rock compilation called Globe of Steel.

Et tu Brutus will be playing at Bunker 81 on Lime and Hadfield Streets, on August 27. Tickets cost $500 and are available at the bar.

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friDAY, August 11, 2016

Rio 2016…

Gaskin records personal best but fails to progress —Thompson, Sanmoogan to compete today

G

Jamila Sanmoogan

uyanese Olympian Hannibal Gaskin will not progress to the semifinals of the men’s 100m butterfly at the Olympic Games in Rio after he swam a personal best time of 58.57seconds in heat one on Thursday at the Olympic Aquatic Stadium in Rio, Brazil. Gaskin placed second in his race which involved two other competitors.

Oumar Toure of Mali won in a time of 57.56s while Thint Myat of Myanmar fin-

ished behind Gaskin in 1:02:54.

Gaskin timings beat his previous best of 59.98. The swimmer, who is on the Guyanese’ Olympic squad based on FINA’s universality place rules, may have also set a new national record.

The previous personal best was one he achieved after he broke Nial Roberts’ 2009 time of 1:00:02 earlier this year in Paraguay.

After the race President of the Guyana Amateur Swimming Association

(GASA), Ivan Persaud and national swimming coach Sean Baksh, were in praise of the swimmer’s personal best timings.

According to Persaud, Hannibal would have recorded his personal best in the race and with him being only 18 years old there is optimism of better things to come. Meanwhile Baksh shared similar sentiments, noting that Gaskin did well for his country and he also could only see better for the future.

The following are the results of the top two finishers in the other heats. Heat 2; Santo Condorelli of Canada 51.99s and Ryan Pini of Papau New Guinea 53.24s.

Heat 3; James Guy of Great Britain 51.78s and Quah Zheng Wen of Singapore 52.08. Heat 4 Laszlo Cseh of Hungary 51.52s and Piero Codia of Italy 51.72s. Heat 5 Tom Shields 51.58 USA and Mehdy Metella 51.71 France. Heat 6 was the fastest race of the heats and it saw Singapore’s Joseph Schooling, who swam in 51.41s to defeat world record holder American Michael Phelps 51.60s, who placed

second.

Jamila Sanmoogan and Brenessa Thompson will open their campaigns today on the seventh day of competition. Sanmoogan will compete in the 50m freestyle on Friday at 12:02h out of lane seven in heat five.

Meanwhile, 100m and 200m track and field star Brenessa Thompson will follow on Friday as she takes to the field for her heats in the 100M then on Monday for the 200M. 400M runner Winston George also gets his first shot at making the finals when his event begins on Friday. Aliyah Abrams will begin her quest on Saturday when the females 400M Heats begin.

Meanwhile, tripple Jumper Troy Doris will have his chance to leap to a medal when his event begins on Monday.

Guyana’s contingent at the game reads: Brenessa Thompson, Troy Doris, Winston George, Jamilia Sanmoogan, Aliyah Abrams and Hannibal Gaskin. The Chef-de-mission is Garfield Wiltshire.

Branessa Thompson

Barbara Engleder takes gold with Olympic record in women's 50m

G

ermany's Barbara Engleder won gold in the Rio 2016 women's 50m rifle final with an Olympic record score.

The 33-year-old fin-

ished with 458.6 points to edge out China's Binbin Zhang by just 0.2 points.

China also took bronze, with Du Li scoring 447.4 to finish ahead of Italian Petra Zublasing, who won

the qualifying competition.

Engleder's victory gave Germany their fourth gold medal of the Games, which puts them eighth in the medal table. (BBCsport)

Murray, Nadal reach last eight as Kerber cruises

R

afael Nadal and Andy Murray had contrasting wins at the Rio Olympics, but both are into the men's singles quarter-finals.

Andy Murray and Rafael Nadal booked their spots in the quarter-finals of the men's singles at the Rio Olympics with wins on Thursday.

Rain meant no matches were completed in Brazil a day earlier, but it mattered little to two of the world's best.

Defending champion Murray beat Italy's Fabio Fognini 6-1 2-6 6-3 in windy

Andy Murray

conditions, while Nadal – the 2008 singles gold medallist – was too good for Gilles Simon 7-6 (7-5) 6-3.

Novak Djokovic's conqueror Juan Martin del Potro, local Thomaz Bellucci and Frenchman Gael Monfils also claimed victories.

It was straightforward in the women's singles as German Angelique Kerber crushed Johanna Konta to reach the semi-finals along with Czech Petra Kvitova, American Madison Keys and Puerto Rican Monica Puig.

Nadal and Marc Lopez are into the men's doubles final and Martina Hingis and Timea Bacsinszky reached the last four of the women's doubles.

YELLOW PAGES thursDAY, August 11, 2016 | www.guyana-times.com

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21

sports

The original ‘Little Master’, Pakistan’s Hanif Mohammad dies aged 81

H

anif Mohammad, the original ‘Little Master’ who played the longest innings in Test cricket, has died at the age of 81. He had been undergoing treatment for respiratory complications from his lung cancer in Karachi’s Aga Khan hospital. Late on August 8, he was shifted to the ICU and placed on a ventilator. Hanif was diagnosed with the cancer in 2013, for which he received treatment in London.

Hanif played 55 Tests, including Pakistan’s first.

Imtiaz Ahmed, 88, and Waqar Hasan, 83, are the only two survivors from that team. Hanif was renowned for his immaculate defensive technique. He scored 3915 runs at an average of 43.98. His best was an epic 337 as Pakistan saved the Barbados Test in 1958 while following on. It was the longest first-class innings then.

At 970 minutes, it is still the longest Test innings.

Hanif also held the record for the highest firstclass score, 499 which he made for Karachi against Bahawalpur in 1959. The record stood for 35 years before Brian Lara surpassed the record by scoring 501 for Warwickshire against Durham.

Hanif was born in Junagadh in the Indian state of Gujarat. He and his four brothers moved to Pakistan after partition; four of the five brothers played Tests while Raees, the fifth, was a 12th man once. At least one of the Mohammad brothers played in Pakistan’s first 101 Tests.

Hanif’s son Shoaib played 45 Tests and grandson Shehzar

Hanif played 55 Tests, including Pakistan’s first

30 first-class matches. In 2010, a Cricinfo jury chose Hanif as the opener alongside Saeed Anwar in the alltime Pakistan Test XI. After retiring as an international cricketer, Hanif cofounded the magazine The Cricketer Pakistan in 1972, which he edited for two decades. He also served as the manager of the formidable Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) team, which won the domestic one-day tournament, Wills Cup, three years in a row in the 1980s.

ICC’s chief executive David Richardson paid tribute to Hanif, pointing to the impact that his triple-century against West Indies had.

“It’s sad to hear of Hanif’s death and I’d like to extend my condolences and those of everyone here at the ICC to Hanif’s family, which counts so many cricketers in its number,” Richardson said in a press statement. “Hanif took batting to great heights and many batsmen drew inspiration from him.

“His contribution to the game has been enormous and one can only imagine the kind of impact his batting had on others over the years. Hanif’s triple-century against the West Indies was a legendary innings and unsurprisingly he was one of the original inductees into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.” (Cricinfo)

WICB Regional U-19 Tournament 2016…

Windwards thrash Jamaica, Barbados record second win

W

indward Islands got off to a winning start against Jamaica while Barbados won against Trinidad and Tobago to complete their second victory at the end of the second round of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) Regional under-19 limited over tournament on Thursday in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

Barbados defeated Trinidad by eight wickets via the Duckworth Lewis Method while Windwards playing in their first match after drawing the bye in the first round got past Jamaica by a mammoth margin of 10 wickets. The other match featuring Leeward Islands and ICC Americas ended as a no result after just 10.2 overs into the day’s play.

In the Barbados versus Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) encounter, the former won the toss and invited the latter to bat. T&T reached

150-5 in 43.4 when their innings was declared closed due to rain. Joshua De Silva top scored with 65 and West Indies U-19 player Kirstan Kallicharan made 26 as Deswin Currency and Nicholas Kirton grabbed two wickets apiece.

Duckworth Lewis came in to play and Barbados were set 122 to win in 25 overs.

The Barbadians reached 124-2 in 20 overs, with Leniko Boucher on 73 not out and Shemar Springer on 27 not out.

Bryan Boodram and Shatruphan Rambaran were the lone wicket takers.

Across at the Arnos Vale Play Field in another game affected by rain, Windwards restricted Jamaica to 130-9 in 33 overs before making a solid reply of 119 without loss to win the game comfortably. Jeavor Royal (26), Javelle Glenn (24) and Dominik Samuels (20) chipped in with the bat

against destructive West Indies U-19 fast bowler Ryan John, who picked up 4-33.

Windwards raced to the target as openers Anil Matthew (58 not out) and Johan Jeremiah (54 not out) recorded half centuries.

In the other match Leewards had slipped to a worrying position of 42-3 when play was stop and eventually ended because of rain.

Guyana drew the bye for the second round. The third round is scheduled to be played on Saturday August 13 with Guyana taking on the Leeward Islands at Arnos Vale Sports Complex, Barbados tackling the Windward Islands at Sion Hill and ICC Americas coming up against Trinidad & Tobago at Park Hill.

Jamaica drew the bye for this round.

22

GUYANA-TIMES.COM

friDAY, august 12, 2016

Seagram’s Royal Stag Cup Test Series…

Caribbean Senior Squash Championship…

Guyana ladies off to Washout a big step towards draw at St Lucia positive start in title bid

G

Anil Kumble takes shelter as the 3rd day was washed out

W

est Indies 1st Innings 107 for 1 (Brathwaite 53*) trail India 1st innings 353 (Ashwin 118, Saha 104, Rahul 50, Cummins 3-54, Joseph 3-69) by 246 runs The St Lucia Test took a big step towards a draw with steady rain not allowing any play on the third day. The match had already gone at a slow pace

on the first two days with 11 wickets falling for only 460 runs. There hadn’t been any weather interruption on the first two days; the slowness was down to disciplined West Indies bowling and a slow outfield.

West Indies were 107 for 1, trailing India’s 353 by 246 runs. With two days to go and an outfield slowed down further, chances of a

result looked remote. India led the series 1-0 after the win in Antigua and draw in Jamaica.

The rain on the third day was so steady play was called off before tea, at 1.45pm. Forecast for day four was for early showers but a clear afternoon.

Play on day four is scheduled for 09:30h. (ESPN Cricinfo)

uyana began its bid to retain the ladies team title on Thursday at the 24th Caribbean Senior Squash Championships (CSSC) at the Queen’s Park Oval, Trinidad and Tobago.

They made a clean sweep of Bermuda winning five matches to nil with two matches won by walkover.

Ashley Khalil and the Wiltshire sisters all won very handily against their opponents.

Next up for Guyana, will be Trinidad who they play on Friday.

The men’s team, without number one player Sunil Seth who is out due to torn ligaments in his ankle will begin their quest for the Men’s Team title on Friday when they come up against defending champions Jamaica in the morning and then against Cayman Islands in the evening; the

Chin and Kristian Jeffery.

Meanwhile, after the team’s hopes of securing an individual gold medal at the CSSC were extinguished on Tuesday, as Ashley Khalil, Mary Fung-A-Fat and Sunil Seth suffered semi-final loses, Jason Ray Khalil and Victoria Arjoon secured wins in the respective men’s and women’s plate (9-16).

Khalil defeated Cayman Islands Julian Jervis 3-1

Jason Ray Khalil

Ashley Khalil

Heart of Oak ‘Teach Them Young’ five-week football camp wraps up Victoria Arjoon

team is boosted by the arrival of Alex Arjoon, Richard

(11/9, 11/8, 1/11, 11/5) while Arjoon romped to a 3-0 (11/9, 11/3, 11/7) over the hosts Faith Gillezeau.

However, in the women’s classic plate (5th place) Larissa Wiltshire fell to Barbadian Amanda Haywood 3-1 (11-8 11-5 8-11 11-6); in the women’s third place Ashley Khalil won by walkover Mary Fung-AFatt.

The difficult trip to the twin Island republic continued for Guyana, as they

went down 0-5 to the hosts in the veteran team matches.

In the men’s 40+ Paul Devertile defeated Ramon Chan-A-Sue 3-0 (11/7, 12/10, 11/7), Alwyn Callendar lost to Richard Hart 3-2 (5/11, 11/4, 11/2, 6/11, 11/6) in the Men’s 60+.

For the women’s 50+ Ingrid Lloyd won 3-0 (11/1, 1/3, 11/6) against Juanita Fernandes; Men’s 50 + John Holley beat Jojo Mekdeci 3-0 (11/8, 11/6, 11/3) while the Trinidadians also won the women’s 40+ via default.

The Men’s team who have been strengthened have been placed in a pool with defending champions Jamaica and the Cayman Islands. They begin their quest for glory on today when they play Jamaica in the morning and then Cayman Islands in the evening.

RHT Pepsi Under-19 Team assist family of late Umpire Sukhdeo

T

Boys and girls learning the skills of controlling a football from early as 2 years old

By Andrew Carmichael

M

ore than eighty youths have been exposed to the basics of football while also learning essential life skills in the Heart of Oak ‘Teach Them Young’ five-week football camp which ends today.

During the five weeks of instructional activity, participants are being exposed to lectures on life skills, the laws of football and the importance of exercise.

Organiser and facilitator Neil Humphrey said the main focus of the camp was discipline. “In any sport that one wants to get involved in there is a need for discipline.

Even in the classroom and when they go to work, they will have to be disciplined if they are to be successful,” Humphrey noted.

Heart of Oak Football Club’s annual “Teach Them Young” football camp was opened to boys and girls be-

tween six and 12-years of age. Topics that were covered included diet, etiquette and basic skills needed in the classroom.

Over the years the camp has been the starting ground for scores of footballers, who went on to represent Berbice and Guyana.

The camp was held at the All Saints Ground on Princess Elizabeth Road and at the Prisons Officers Club, New Amsterdam.

he Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club, M.S Pepsi Under 19 team under the guidance of Club Secretary/ CEO Hilbert Foster handed over a large quantity of items to the family of late Guyana Junior Umpire, Guyanand Sukdeo who died recently at the age of 41 years was an outstanding umpire and a member of the Guyana Cricket Umpires Council.

The donation which included clothing, educational materials and groceries was done under the Pepsi Under -19 team, Community Outreach Programme for 2016.

RHTY&SC, M.S Secretary/CEO Hilbert Foster stated that the Pepsi Under 19 team was willing to assist the fallen cricket umpire’s family out of respect for his contribution to the game. Foster noted that the team was delighted to assist the umpire’s two young children to complete their education as

they strongly view that an educated mind is the Key to Success.

He wished the family god’s greatest blessings and stated that the RHTYSC would committed itself to assisting the two children until they complete secondary school. Foster urged the children to develop a culture of honesty, hard work, discipline and dedication.

He advised them to stay in school, to always Say No to Drugs, Suicide, Crime and to work overtime to make their late father proud of them. The experienced Secretary/CEO also urged them to be careful about choosing their friends carefully as false friends can easily lead them astray.

President of the Guyana Cricket Umpires Council, Dhieranidranauth Somwaru who received the donation on behalf of the council and the late umpire’s family stated that he approached the Club Secretary/CEO with a re-

quest to assist the family and he readily agreed.

Somwaru expressed gratitude to the Pepsi Under 19 Team for their assistance and stated that the RHTYSC, M.S was a compassioned organisation whose mission is to make a positive difference in the lives of others. Somwaru urged other cricketing association and Clubs to follow in the footsteps of the RHTYSC, M.S and assist the young children of Umpire Sukdeo to overcome the sudden passing of their father.

Sixteen years old Simon Naidu of the Pepsi Under 19 Team stated that he and his colleagues were pleased to be of assistance and would continue to work hard to make a positive difference in the lives of others. The team is led by former national players Kevin Sinclair, Slyus Tyndall, Junior Sinclair, Kevon Anderson and Plaffina Millington.

guyana-times.com

fridAY, august 12, 2016

23

Horse racing on the rise in Prime Minister Guyana says Trinidadian trainer receives special edition T Amazon Warriors bat P rime Minister Moses V. Nagamootoo was yesterday (August 11, 2016) presented with an autographed bat by the Guyana Amazon Warriors’ Manager, Omar Khan. The bat bore the signatures of all the Guyana Amazon Warriors cricketers that featured in the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2016.

Khan said it is customary for the team to present senior government officials with special autograph bats

as means of saying thank you for the support given to the Amazon Warriors.

Upon receiving the memorabilia, Prime Minister Nagamootoo said he was very happy with the team and despite not winning the team gave Guyanese fans lots to be proud of.

The Warriors played four matches in Guyana at Providence early in July with sold out crowds showing their support for the home team.

The Amazon Warriors

finished the league stage at the top of the points table with seven victories in 10 matches. The consistent team then progressed to their third final in four years with a four-wicket victory over the number two team on the points table, Jamaica Tallawahs.

The Warriors failed to lift their maiden title giving the Tallawahs their second title becoming the first team to win the championship more than once.

Sunny Basdeo to be honoured

by ICF in New York

T

he Indo-Caribbean Federation (ICF) will host their annual cricket match for the ICF Trophy on Saturday August 13, 2016 at 11:00h at Baisley Pond Park Cricket Field on Queens New York. The action in the Big Apple will begin at 11:00h with a Guyana XI taking on a Caribbean Invitational XI, with guest players from Pakistan and Bangladesh.

As is customary, the Federation honours a former cricketer annually and in 2016 the recipient will be former British Guiana national player Sunny Basdeo.

Basdeo, who hailed from the village of Leonora, West Coast Demerara featured in one First Class for British Guiana in the 1953/54 series and made five runs. With his right arm leg breaks he was also wicket-less in the same

game.

In the feature event, there will be many exciting players including those that have represented the USA in ICC tournaments and others who have played representative cricket for the land of many waters.

The game will be a 40 overs a-side contest with the two best umpires calling play. Umpires Steve Kalloo and Ashook Brijcoomar of Canada have been the regulars for over two decades and have always performed their function with distinction.

In the past years the annual ICF games have been very exciting giving fans lots to scream for in showing support for their respective teams.

Teams; Caribbean Invitation Team - Amjad Khan, Andy Mohamed,

Carlton Senior, David Mohamed (Captain), Faizal Taj, Jeetendra Sookdeo, Ralston Levy, Rasheem James, Renrick Batson, Thohidhuzzaman Rana, Wasim Haslim, Chris Powell, Imrul Hash, Javien Thomas, Rafeek Nazeer, Syed Abdullah, Glen Lorick (Manager) and Sham Ali (Assistant Manager) Guyana Akshay Homraj, Andre Kirton, Avin Gangadin, Balchan Baldeo, Chris Patadin, Derick Narine, Deveshwari Prashad, Karan Ganesh (Captain), Krisindat Ramoo, Mark Tyrell, Prakash Mahadeo, Sharaz Ramcharran, Terrence Madramootoo, Trevor Henry, Jameel Mohamed (Manager), Sew Shivnarine (Coach) and Zamin Amin (Assistant Coach)

rinidadian trainer Shaun Mohammed is of the contention that the sport of horse racing is on the upward move once again in Guyana and expects it to get better in years to come.

Speaking to Guyana Times Sport in Berbice, Mohammed said, “its lovely, from the way in which racing was here to where it now, it’s a big difference; you can see the racing in Guyana somewhere right now.”

Though calls are increasingly being made for legislation on the sport, not much progress has been seen thus far.

Legislation will allow for the free-flow of horses in and out of Guyana since it will help foster relationships with regional and international racing bodies.

The trainer explained that most of the horses in Guyana would usually come from the local breed in Trinidad.

He said “most of the local breed from Trinidad, the Guyanese connection would usually come and buy in the yelling sale, for the past four years, we have had great support from the Guyanese and it’s always nice to come

Ridge Balgobin

Shaun Mohammed

and see how far horse racing has gone in Guyana.”

Another member of the Trinidadian contingent Jockey Ridge Balgobin said that the experiences of riding in Guyana are quite unique and he is enjoying it.

Balgobin, who visited these shores before but did not ride, will have first chance at competing on Sunday said, “ the track is quite smaller than ours but it’s good to go; I’m hoping to have a nice day in Guyana and I like how the competition is coming so it means it is getting better and better every year.”

The trainer and jockey are currently in Guyana

for the 10th edition of the Jumbo Jet presentation of Guyana Cup which be held this Sunday at the Port Mourant Turf Club this Sunday August 14.

Nine exciting races are carded for the day with stables, horses and jockeys from across the Caribbean battling for $30 million in cash and prizes.

For the first time, the first prize will be $4 million as well as $500,000 bonus for the winning horse and $200,000 for the winning jockey in the ‘A’ Class and lower feature race.

Admission is $2000 for adults and $1000 for children. Race time is 11:00h.

GHB/ Lucozade Hockey indoor league…

Simon’s 5 dents Knockers, Branford scores hat trick

Guyana cop 43 medals at 12th IKD Caribbean Karate Championship — Minister Henry welcomed the returning heroes

A

Minister Nicolette Henry (centre) and the karate squad from The Association do Shotokan Karate in the free-style position

O

n Tuesday last, Minister with the Ministry of Education, Hon. Nicolette Henry, welcomed the triumphant karate squad from The Association do Shotokan Karate as they have returned from the 12th International Karate Diagaku (IKD) Caribbean Karate Championships. The championships were held in Jamaica from July 19 to 23

with Guyana’s medal haul totaling 40 inclusive of 14 gold, 18 silver and 8 bronze medals.

The Guyana Karate College were also in attendance as they made a hat trick with 3 bronze medals taking the overall tally to 43 for team Guyana.

Leah Shariff who competed in the 17 to 19 years category was the most outstanding Guyanese in cap-

turing four gold medals and one bronze.

Trinidad and Tobago won the championship while Barbados finished in second place. Seven countries participated in the annual event.

Minister Henry congratulated the squad on their outstanding performance at her Main street, Georgetown where the happy squad paid a courtesy call.

Aroydy Branford

Aderemi Simon

s action continued in the Guyana Hockey Board/ Lucozade indoor league tournament at the National Gymnasium, Mandela Avenue, on Tuesday Old Fort Stallions destroyed Old Fort Knockers 9-1 while Pepsi Hikers emerged victorious against Bounty GCC 6-3.

Aderemi Simon produced five world class goals in the Stallions confident run in the first match but it was Terry Shaw who opened the account for the Stallions in the 7th minute and came once more in the 10th before Simon took over. Simon scored two more goals, in the 15th and 16th minute to leave the score at 4-0 at the halfway mark.

Stephon Sprosta would then score in the 25th minute for the Knockers in what

looked like it would be a fight back, but proved to be the only goal the Knockers team would score in the entire match.

Jason DeSantos continued the Stallions’ impressive run, registering his first goal by the 35th minute and Simon returned to score his third and the Stallions’ 6th goal for the night in the 35th minute.

It seemed as if there was no return for the Knockers with Omar Hopkinson making the 7th Stallion goal in 37 minutes of play to signal the end of a complete Stallions’ dominance but the Knockers were loose and allowed two more before the final whistle.

Simon closed off proceedings with back to back goals in the 37th and 39th min-

utes to leave the Knockers staggering to a 9-1 defeat by full time.

In the second game of the night, Aroydy Branford’s hat trick helped Pepsi Hikers register six goals while Bounty GCC were restricted to three goals.

By the end of the first half it looked to be anyone’s game with the score locked at 3-2 in favour of the Hikers.

Devin Munroe scored the first goal of the match and for Hikers in the 6th minute but the score was quickly leveled by GCC’s Peter DeGroot one minute later.

Steven Xavier then put GCC in the lead with a penalty corner goal in minute 14 before Arody Branford scored in the 15th and 17th minute to end an exciting first half.

Branford carried his positive game into the second half and managed his third in the 25th while teammate, Colonel Heywood added to the Hikers’ tally in the 27th minute.

Kevin Spencer would not miss out on the fest and scored the third and final goal for the GCC team in the 32nd minute with Rayon Branford closing off a thrilling game with the Hiker’s 6th goal in the 32nd minute as well.

Action continues at the same venue on Friday with two more matches from 17:00h.

fridAY, august 12, 2016

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

Rio 2016…

Prime Minister receives special edition Gaskin records personal Amazon Warriors bat best but fails to progress Pg 23

Prime Minister Moses V. Nagamootoo (left) collects an autographed Guyana Amazon Warriors bat from team Manager Omar Khan

— Thompson, Sanmoogan to compete today

Pg 20

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Pg 22

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