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P17

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Issue No. 3080

Thursday, December 29, 2016

Hydropower project

Amaila Falls only realistic path for Guyana – Norway report

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WHAT'S INSIDE:

Red House lease invalid P9 – AG

…as Govt moves to reclaim Cheddi Jagan Research Centre

Page 7

... only way for Govt to fulfil its LCDS commitment to UN

Bandits torch way into hardware store, escape with safe Page 2

Teen injured P2 in Pomeroon boat collision Illegal aircraft

Police, GDF deny ranks’ involvement P10

Wales Estate’s final days CJIA revenue collection P13 up by 13%

Orphanage accident

Residents call for electricity, water subsidies

Teen to be P17 charged for manslaughter

Page 3

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo meeting with residents of Patentia and Wales, West Bank Demerara (WBD) on Wednesday as they vented their fears and concerns about the imminent closure of the Wales Sugar Estate factory (Marceano Narine photo)

Prison warden chops wife to death Page 8

Dead: Lonnett Nicholson-Prince

SciMed, Western Scientific blacklisted Page

by IDB 12

– several local companies on list

“Dougla” P10 killed during fist fight at Iguana Creek

2 news

thursDAY, december 29, 2016 | guyanatimesgy.com

Bandits torch way into hardware store, escape with safe A

s crime continues to spiral out of control, bandits in the wee hours of Wednesday morning torched their way into Hardware Emporium General Store and carted off a safe containing an undisclosed sum of cash.

The men reportedly gained access to the Church Street, Georgetown premises by scaling a fence which separates Guyana Telephone and Telegraph (GTT) company and Hardware Emporium General Store, after which they torched a square opening in the metal gate.

According to reports,

bandits also cut the main power supply to the building which ultimately shuts down the security system and cameras.

When Guyana Times visited the location on Wednesday morning, detectives were taking statements from employees and the caretaker of the entity. A supervisor, Errol (only name given) told Guyana Times that when he arrived at the location at about 07:55h, he saw a trolley in front of the building and thought something was amiss since only him and another employee had keys to the building.

“It is only me and an-

iterated. However, by this time, the Police had arrived, leaving the man no other assumption other than the business was burglarised.

“We get information from the people at the Bank that

outside.

Balwant Bhaichandeen, a brother of the business owner told Guyana Times that he received a telephone call from a Police Officer at about 07:35h and enquired

The opening that the men cut to gain access to the building

The Hardware Emporium located at Church Street

The power cable to the building the bandits cut

they then made their way into the building but not before locking the door to the living quarters of the caretaker from the outside. The

other employee have keys… and we have to open the door simultaneously… so when I saw the trolley, I know something wrong,” he

they saw movements in the place but by the time they come over, the bandits had already left.” He said a number of items were removed from the office but was not at liberty to disclose such, since his employer was not available at the time this newspaper visited the scene.

He is also of the belief that the office was the intended target for the bandits. In addition, he noted that the elderly caretaker had to break the bottom of the door to get out of his dwelling quarters since the door was locked from the

if he was related to the owner of the store and after he responded in the affirmative, he was told that the business had been robbed.

He immediately sent two employees over and arrived at the scene himself a little later. Bhaichandeen was told that a safe that was in his brother’s office was removed and the area ransacked. “I was also told that the bandits torched a hole into the metal gate to gain access to the building,” he noted. He could not say with certainty what was in the safe but was almost sure it

would have contained money.

He also thinks that it is quite unusual that days after a new security system was installed, the place was burglarised. This is the first time the business was bro-

ken into since its 15 years in existence.

The Police have dusted the area for fingerprints as they continue their investigations. No arrests have been made in connection with the robbery.

Teen injured in Pomeroon boat collision

P

olice at Charity, Essequibo Coast, are currently grilling the captain of a boat which was involved in a collision at Kabakaburi, Upper Pomeroon River.

Reports are that at about 12:00h on December 27, Noreen Thomas, 39, of Kabakaburi, Pomeroon River and her daughter were heading home in her boat which was powered by a 15-horsepower engine when another boat collid-

ed with hers. As a result of the impact, Thomas’ 15-year-old daughter was flung from the boat and into the river. She was rushed to the Suddie Public Hospital where she was admitted.

The 52-year-old captain, also of Kabakaburi, was detained by Police.

This newspaper understands that the man has since admitted that he caused the collision and will be charged shortly.

news

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thursDAY, december 29, 2016 | guyanatimesgy.com

BRIDGE OPENINGS

The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Thursday, December 29 – 05:00h-06:30h and Friday, December 30 – 05:00h-06:30h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Thursday, December 29 – 16:35h-18:05h and Friday, December 30 – 05:00h-06:30h.

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

WEATHER TODAY Thundery to heavy rain showers can be expected throughout the day, while light rain showers can be expected in the evening. Temperatures are expected to range between 23 degrees and 28 degrees Celsius.

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

High Tide: 04:26h and 16:37h reaching maximum heights of 2.51 metres and 2.65 metres respectively.

Low Tide: 10:12h and 22:37h reaching minimum heights of 0.70 metre and 0.55 metre respectively.

wednesday, december 28 , 2016

LOTTERY NUMBERS F

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Wales Estate's final days

Residents call for electricity, water subsidies

By Shemuel Fanfair

T

he communities which stand to suffer from the imminent closure of the Wales Sugar Estate factory should be awarded subsidies on essential utilities such as electricity and water. This was the contention of residents in Patentia and Wales, West Bank Demerara (WBD) who vented their frustrations to Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo on Wednesday.

The Opposition Leader visited the communities and held a meeting with villagers at Patentia in response to definitive moves made by the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) to shut down the Estate’s factory, premised on the boiling process being completed last Friday. Listening to residents’ concerns on Wednesday afternoon, Jagdeo heard of the impending hardships that various villagers will face after their livelihood is “taken away” by this month-end.

The residents pointed to long-standing State subsidies on electricity granted to residents in the mining town of Linden, noting that the same, in addition to water subsidies, should be awarded to WBD communities to offset expenses from January 2017. A male resident echoed the call, pointing out the difficulties that parents will face being without a job and still having to send their children to school.

“Can we fight for subsidy like Linden?” the man asked.

After the point was suggested, the Opposition Leader encouraged the gathering at “Big Bridge” Patentia Housing Scheme to have a petition signed by residents across the villages which stand to face the brunt of the closure. Jagdeo explained community and religious leaders should front the initiative, which would include all of the demands of residents. The gathering was told that the petition

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo meeting with aggrieved WBD residents at Patentia on Wednesday

would then be submitted to Government with copies attached to the United Nations Development Fund (UNDP) and other international donor agencies.

Meanwhile, the Opposition Leader also highlighted the benefits garnered from the sugar industry by way of the 1976 sugar levy.

“Sugar paid over US$250 million to the State in that period [1976-1996],” he pointed out.

He reasoned that from the positive net contribution sugar has made to Guyana, the country was able to subsidise bauxite.

“From the 1980s, we have been subsidising the bauxite industry…we [the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic] worked to keep bauxite alive to get investors and we helped the community and continued the subsidy. In 1992, we got two per cent of the vote in Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) yet we kept the industry alive because Guyanese were employed there,” the Opposition Leader noted.

Drawing parallels to the current situation with sugar, Jagdeo opined that even though sugar remains a main source of earnings for many on the WBD, the current Administration still opted for the closure of the Wales Estate.

“Sugar in this area is the

biggest source of income, yet this Government can callously decide to shut it down,” he expressed.

He further highlighted that while Government had noted that $1.7 billion would have been spent to keep Wales Estate open, “over $2 billion” is being spent on electricity subsidy in Region 10.

“There is no parity, no comparison because it is a political decision,” the Opposition Leader claimed.

Jagdeo further reminded that Government’s own Commission of Inquiry had recommended that there be no closure of Estates and he expressed that the Administration did not factor in the economic impact the closure would have on residents, farmers and business people.

Moreover, the residents who gathered also raised concerns over the implementation of the supposed conversion plans for Wales.

One worker with 35 years of service questioned the rice and fish cultivation ventures, noting that no moves have been made on the latter.

Further, other residents refuted Agriculture Minister Noel Holder’s claims that rice would be ready for March next year. Some claimed that much land was prepared in the area, but in many instances, no rice was

planted and weeds have reportedly taken over some of the plots. Another concern raised was the non-payment of the Annual Production Incentive (API) for 2016, which had been paid every year for 60 years, dating back to British colonial rule.

Jagdeo highlighted that the API was paid throughout the years that former President Forbes Burnham ruled. The Opposition Leader opined that for sugar workers, this era is “worse” than the Burnham years.

It was last Friday that Agriculture Minister Holder claimed that the first crop of rice at the Wales Estate was expected by March 2017. Holder further said that rice cultivation had already started and it was the hope of management that the first crop would be reaped in a few months. In February, the Minister had told the National Assembly that the sugar factory would be converted into a business establishment that will see the rearing of poultry and livestock.

The closure of the factory has affected some 1700 workers directly and thousands of persons in the Wales and surrounding communities indirectly. The decision to close the entity was confirmed by Government in January 2016 after Guyana Times broke the news earlier that month.

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guyanatimesgy.com

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 29, 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

Stopping the corruption rot

I

n addition to crime, corruption was one of the issues at the top of the agenda during the last elections. One of the major reasons for the change of government in 2015 was that the PNC-led opposition was able to have the charges of “corruption” against the PPP administration become an article of faith in the minds of many. Even wellwishers of the PPP began to concede that after 23 years at the helm of governance, inertia might have set in to vitiate efforts against that scourge, which had become entrenched prior to 1992.

Against this background, the new PNC-led Government had inevitably established a de facto standard to evaluate their performance once in Government, in reference to probity and corruption. But very early on, there were signals that rather than resolving the problem, the coalition Government was going to simply redefine it.

At the opening of its new headquarters in Kitty, the leader of the AFC felt no compunction in publicly hailing one of its major campaign contributors as financing the building.

This recognition of a contributor would ordinarily be innocuous, excepting that another leader of that party, and now a senior member of the Cabinet, had only recently in a burst of candour, announced that the self-same campaign contributor had been awarded a massive contract to introduce wind power to Guyana. This necessitated several governmental approvals, including a much-coveted “Power Purchase Agreement”. But rather than leaving any nexus between governmental largesse and campaign contributions to the imagination of the audience, the minister proposed that businessmen make “investments” in political parties for which they expect “returns”. While the candour might have been refreshing to some, it was sobering to most Guyanese.

The question on the minds of the citizenry was how would corruption ever be controlled if payments were now openly accepted by the government as “political investments”?

Recent revelations that $768 million was expended by private business contributors to build the Jubilee Stadium at D’Urban Park for the government have raised questions as to who actually made these “investments” and which government contracts may be awarded as “returns”?

Another instance, where in the public concluded that there has been “corruption”, was their “sole sourced” award of the contract for the Speciality Hospital on a government of India loan to the Indian Company Fedders Lloyd, for which Vice President Khemraj Ramjattan had lobbied before, during and after the previous government had awarded and then rescinded the contract to another company. The “explanation” that Fedders Lloyd had not paid Ramjattan a fee strained the credulity of the jaded populace, especially when the company was subsequently blacklisted via a World Bank appraisal for shady “procurement violations”.

The British statesman Lord Acton had posited, “All power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely.” But in Guyana, it would appear we have turned the aphorism on its head: Corruption is power and absolute corruption is absolute power. We had seen this ironic, but ultimately tragic inversion during the first period of PNC’s rule in Guyana after elections began to be routinely rigged after 1968. The lesson, we would posit, is once the rot of corruption is given an excuse – back then “to keep the communist PPP out of office”; now “to give returns on political investments” – it inevitably spreads throughout the body politic until the entire political, social and economic edifice crumbles, as it did by 1989.

What is most insidious when corruption becomes endemic is while the corrupter from outside the government and the “corruptee” from within both satisfy their immediate desire for quick material gains, the corrupters who are members of society now accept the status quo and corruption quickly becomes institutionalised. Everyone soon seeks to have someone who he/she can bribe – from the Policeman on the roads, to the Minister in his office and boasts about having “lines”.

Soon the corruptors themselves are seen to possess power – the power of lines and access – and corruption becomes power. Guyanese must ensure history does not repeat itself.

Picador Rafael Torres reacts while being pinned under a horse as a bull charges at it during a bullfighting festival at the Canaveralejo bullring in Cali, Colombia

Values are receding Dear Editor, The world is becoming a more dangerous place. With a loss of shared values, the rise of unpredictable leaders, the increasing concentration of wealth and power, the rejection of science, logic, expertise and even truth, increasing nationalism and division, a disregard for the needs and desires of the young and of future generations, the headlong destruction of environmental resources and life support systems, the weakening of the climate, and a debt-driven economic and financial system raping the planet for short-term profit.

These contrary winds are sweeping away many hopeful signs of progress, and seem to be leading us to a disaster of multiple dimensions and unimaginable consequences.

Just for a moment, let’s reflect on the moral dimensions of corruption, particularly in the light of some recent political events.

Corruption is traditionally defined as the abuse of public office for private gain, including bribery, nepotism and misappropriation; extralegal efforts by individuals or groups to gain influence over the actions of the bureaucracy; the collusion between parties in the public and private sectors for the benefit of the latter; and more generally influencing the shaping of policies and institutions in ways that benefit the contributing private parties at the expense of the broader public welfare.

But on reflection, the corruption eating into the energies of global society today is more than just the material corruption of bribery for personal gain. It is any undue preference given to personal or private gain at the expense of the public or collective interest, including the disloyalty of a public trust or office in Government. It is also the manipulation of a corporate responsibility for self-enrichment, the distortion of truth and denial of science to manipulate the public for ideological ends, and even the misuse of a sacred responsibility to acquire power and wealth.

Corruption is just one expression of the priority given to one’s self over others, of egoism over unselfishness, of personal over collective benefit.

We often underestimate the impact of corruption on environmental destruction and mismanagement because, as an illegal activity, it escapes from statistics— but it causes the failure of many efforts at environmental protection and management, whether from traffic in endangered species, illegal logging and fishing, and ignoring or evading environmental rules.

It is like the struggle between good and evil, it is nothing new, but it is expressed in complex new forms which all begin with human morality. Morality starts with the nature and purpose of human beings.

We are born with an animal nature and the potential for

much more, a potential realised through education, an education with material, intellectual and ethical dimensions. Without the right education, our ego and selfish desires dominate, our lives driven by self-interest and physical passions. It is perfectly natural to be selfish and aggressive, and for some, you can’t change human nature. Corruption is an expression of this, as are war, crime, dictatorships and the many other ways that self-interest expresses itself today.

Every civilization in which these forces of disintegration become dominant has eventually collapsed.

Self-contentedness in all its forms has become the philosophy for self-justification behind the conservative movements of today—whether in the no-liberal economy that drives the concentration of wealth and power; political ideologies of total individual freedom that reject any constraints or regulations in the common interest; national sovereignty that leans to isolationism and self-protection behind strong borders; racism that places one ethnicity or culture above all others; multi-national corporations for which the right to profits overrides all other interests; and even criminal organisations for which illegal activities form the fastest route to money and power. These ideologies forget that Adam Smith’s invisible hand of self-interest was initially balanced by an individual sense of moral responsi-

bility. They assume that the larger good will somehow naturally emerge or trickle down from all these selfish drives, while in practice they only serve to entrench the rich and powerful.

Paradoxically, human beings have the capacity for much more, as the history of the rise of civilizations has repeatedly demonstrated. Education is what allows culture, science, innovation and social cohesion to develop. It cultivates all the potentials available in each individual, whether the physical capacity for athletic performance or feats of endurance, the intellectual capacity for rational thought, scientific investigation and cultural creation, the emotional capacity for unselfishness, empathy, solidarity and cooperation, or the spiritual capacity for love, humility, forgiveness, volition, generosity, and self-effacement into a higher collective entity. All these dimensions of education complement and mutually reinforce each other, and neglecting any of them can lead to undesirable outcomes. Important to all of this is the shared morality on which any society must be built, with values that contribute to social cohesion, favour unity in diversity and leave no one behind.

Education transmits those values and ensures the sustainability of the society.

Today, it seems those values are receding.

Yours faithfully, Rooplall Dudhnath

guyanatimesgy.com

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 29, 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

Breaching own promises Dear Editor, The APNU/AFC, while in Opposition, alleged repeatedly, that NICIL was used by the PPP/Civic Administration to hoard billions of dollars and to siphon off from the treasury billions of dollars. The Minister of Finance cannot now make the vacuous statement that “NICIL not as rich as it used to be”.

As the custodian of public funds, the Minister must now explain to the public where have the billions which were allegedly hoard-

ed by NICIL under the PPP/C Government gone.

The billions simply cannot vanish.

Either it was stolen under this Administration, or the APNU/AFC lied to the nation when it made those bold allegations that NICIL was hoarding billions of dollars. The Minister cannot eat his cake and have it. He is obliged to choose one of the two options which I have listed if he wishes to be taken seriously.

Since the Minister is speaking about NICIL and

its not-too-rich status, the Minister ought to also update the nation on the status of the US$5 million owed to NICIL for the sale of the GT&T shares. The time for the payment of that sum of money under the agreement by which those shares were sold has long expired. The nation needs to be told what steps, if any, are being taken by this Administration to recover those monies.

It may also be opportune for the Minister of Finance to say how much of the billions of dollars which were

in commercial bank accounts and in accounts held by extra-budgetary funds have been transferred to the Consolidated Fund.

During the 2015 Budget debates, the Minister had promised to transfer all these monies into the Consolidated Fund. In fact, this was also a major platform promise made in the election campaign by the APNU/AFC. Nineteen months after, the Minister ought to account to the nation how much money have been

Criminalise NIS laws

Dear Editor, I had written several letters and expressed various opinions on this matter via social media, television, radio, and on my own Electric Mosque – Teachings of Islam show.

The theft of NIS has become an industry among employers in this nation.

The theft of NIS by self-employed individuals is another form of money garnering for them. Of course, the employees, and even self-employed persons, when they realise they are not covered for various illnesses or old age dawns on them, having slowly crept up and unleashing itself on the reality of their psyche.

Obviously, the NIS will be affected financially and the cash flow can be stymied. No Government, since I started writing on this matter from the 80’s to now, has ever done a single thing to improve the situation.

I am writing again, to say the following: 1. The NIS Laws must be criminalised as it pertains to

the theft of monies (NIS contributions) by the employer from the employee.

2. Serious jail for employers who do not register or see that their employees are registered for NIS or at least pay the sums upfront for the individual with their name and date of birth, until the registration takes place.

3. In the absence of laws in this country, as it pertains to the theft of NIS, other than civil action, the

thief could be privately charged criminally and taken to court. This would send a rather serious message at the time, while laws are being put in place to criminalise this.

4. I know ministries that do not pay the sums of workers for NIS and sometimes it takes the lifetime of an employee for them to do that only when the claim is made.

5. I know one security service who for decades

have stolen contributions and if the employee falls ill and makes a “hue and cry”, then they will give them some cash as hush money, this this dishonest service and others are able to get compliances for tenders for security services. Two such security groups have even declared bankruptcy and changed their names to avoid taxes and NIS. I am hereby encouraging the Government of Guyana to move towards these suggestions and sit and watch the money pour in.

It is known that once the charge is instituted and they have to appear in court and are exposed, they try to settle. Civil settlement individually does not work.

Sometimes the NIS tries to settle matters individually for decades and I don’t believe it ever worked.

Just another humble suggestion from yours truly.

Sincerely, Roshan Khan CEO/Founder RK’s Security Services

transferred from these accounts to the Consolidated Fund and if all the monies have not been transferred as he promised, he must

give the reasons why he is breaching his own promise.

Sincerely, Anil Nandlall

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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2016

Page

Foundation

Teens, tweens and cellphones: Advice for parents

BY MICHAEL RUBINO

I

guyanatimesgy.com

n today’s society, many people, including teenagers, view cellphones as a necessity of life. However, it’s a privilege, and we need to remember that fact.

Many people have forgotten that cellphones are privileges – especially teens and children in middle school. This is a common argument I encounter between children and parents.

The other argument that is common between parent and child is how much and where the cellphone is being used. Teens basically accuse parents of child abuse if they say no to a phone or if the parent sets limits.

You are not being abusive, you are being a responsible parent.

Remember being a parent is not a popularity contest. You need to do what you feel is best for your child.

This is an area where technology has moved faster than our ethics. If you think about it, iPhones and smartphones were not around in the year 2000. Now everyone, including a majority of teens, have an iPhone or smartphone. In my opinion, an adolescent does not need a cellphone until they enter middle school, and at that point, all they need is a basic cellphone. They need a basic phone so they can check-in with you if their plans change, or if they feel they are in need of help.

There is no reason that a teenager really needs a smartphone. They are not taking care of a family, nor are they running a business.

Therefore, a basic cellphone should be adequate for their needs. I understand that given the way our society has changed, some parents may find that it is helpful to their family if a child in middle school has a cellphone. This is a decision that every parent needs to make based on their family’s situation.

The parent needs to make this decision, not let the child guilt them into buying them a cellphone. If you are divorced and have

children, this may be extremely difficult, but the decision about if your child gets a cellphone or not, should be a joint decision by both parents – and one on which you both agree.

One parent should not buy a cellphone without consulting the other parent, and they should not use it as a weapon in divorce. If you decide that your middle school- or high schoolaged child is mature enough for a cellphone, you should discuss the rules and guidelines about using the phone prior to getting a

phone.

Some things to discuss are to whom they give their cell number, not texting during class or while driving, and not taking it into the bedroom at night. Many children will text with their friends until 02:00h or 03:00h and then be too tired for school.

Also there should be a discussion about sharing photos.

You never know what someone will do with a photo if they get mad with you. Also there needs to be a discussion about the law. It is not uncommon for teens to send their boyfriend/ girlfriend nude photos of themselves. What they don’t understand is they are under the age of 18 years old. Therefore, if they have a nude picture of their 15-year-old girlfriend, they can be charged with possession of child pornography. Many may say this won’t

happen to me, but I have had a number of teens in psychotherapy because they were charged with having child pornography.

Also you need to remember, once those pictures are out there – they are out there forever.

There also needs to be a discussion about on-line perpetrators, too. There are many paedophiles online trying to lure unsuspecting teens into their plans. Your children need to understand this is a real risk and what to watch for.

Finally, it should be made clear that the phone does not belong to the child – that the phone belongs to you, the parent. If you ask for it back, then the child hands it over, no questions asked.

Also if you feel they are using their phone in an inappropriate manner, all you need to do is call your cellphone carrier and request that their phone line be suspended. It cost you nothing and it is an easy way to control the phone. When you feel that your child has earned the right to have the cellphone back all you do is call your carrier to reinstate that phone line.

It is very important that you and your teen have an agreement about conditions regarding their cellphone use.

All of these conditions and agreements should be written down in an agreement that you sign and the child signs.

You each get a copy of the agreement, and one copy is posted on the refrigerator. If there are any disputes about a rule, you simply go back to the agreement, and you follow what is written.

A written agreement is very important because I have seen parents have conversations, make agreements and then six months later there is a disagreement.

Everyone’s memory is slightly different, so you have a big fight.

Also, given how many adults have gotten into trouble with their smartphones, if you are going to allow your child to use any kind of cellphone, you must discuss the pros and cons so the child does not get into major trouble with the phone. (Excerpted from patch.com)

Freedom in technology not from technology - how to build a healthy relationship with your phone

BY NANCY COLIER LCSW, REV

T

hese days it can feel impossible to get just 5 minutes with no distraction and dare I even say it, quiet. The noise and demands of technology are relentless and seemingly inescapable.

We are living without any distinction between on and off, public and private time, or space. Even at home, the world keeps coming in through our devices and our attention remains on call; we are still on.

Consequently, our nervous system is in a state of perpetual fight or flight; we are “twired” all the time, both tired and wired, with the prospect of relief nowhere in sight. Ironically, even computers need to be shut down every once in a while, to reboot, but we humans somehow think we can do without it.

The average person checks their smartphone 190 times per day or every five minutes. At this time in history, we are bingeing on technology as if we were at a cruise ship buffet, using it to maintain a constant state of distraction and entertainment, and ultimately, to escape the present moment, and ourselves. We continue using, and even increase our use, despite being aware of the negative consequences that it causes.

Our more evolved self wants to cut down but we won’t, can’t, don’t. The only difference between technology addiction and other addictions is that we have all drunk the Kool-Aid; we’re all in on this one. It used to be that an addiction caused us to be excluded from society, but technology addiction makes us an insider, part of the club. In truth, technology is not doing this to us. Rather, it is simply making it easier and more acceptable for us to act out the most primitive aspects of who we already are. Technology is the perfect partner and tool for our reptilian self. (The reptilian self is our inner five-year-old, that part of us that wants what it wants and wants it now, regardless of whether it’s good for us – and yes you have one!)

Thus far we have been building bad habits and allowing ourselves to fall into a kind of entertained sleep, letting technology decide how it will use us rather than the other way around. But the great news is that each of us can start building a healthy relationship with technology right now, by simply making different choices, little ones, like not playing games on our phone when riding the bus, not putting our device on the table when we’re with a friend, not checking our phone when we wake up in the night, not posting every thought that appears in our mind, not taking selfies each time we have the impulse to do so… little things that radically change the way we live, and feel.

Technology is not going to start make mindful choices on our behalf. It is us, the humans using technology, who must make mindful choices for ourselves, take ownership of our behaviour, if we want to regain control and bring our lives back into sync with what really matters to us.

Change happens one individual, one moment, one choice at a time. Why not start now? (Psychology Today)

NEWS

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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2016 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Hydropower project

Amaila Falls only realistic path for Guyana – Norway report …only way for Govt to fulfil its LCDS commitment to UN

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo

T

he independent assessment of the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project (AFHP) has revealed that the only realistic path for Guyana moving towards an emission-free electricity sector is by developing its hydropower potential and the fastest way forward is to maintain the AFHP. The report, which was compiled by Norconsult, an engineering and design consultancy firm out of Norway contracted by the Government of Norway, detailed an “objective and facts-based” assessment of the Project on the agreement of the two Governments, and was released on Wednesday.

According to the report, which was handed over to the Government of Guyana (GoG), the first needed step for revitalising the Project is a decision by the Government to maintain the AFHP as the priority project in the transition to a green generation regime, as recommended in the "Initial Study on System Expansion of the Generation & Transmission System" of 2014, and reiterated and embraced by Government in "Guyana's Power Generation System Study" of June 2016.

“It is our opinion that BOOT (Build, Own, Operate, Transfer) type public-private partnership model should be maintained for the project implementation. An internationally well-merited investor and operator in the hydropower industry should be invited to take the majority position and the driving seat (main sponsor) in the project company. The main spon-

sor and the EPC Contractor (Engineering, Procurement, and Construction) should not be associated in any way.”

Importantly, the independent assessment team noted that by restructuring the current financial model, the risk for Guyana’s economy can be reduced. “The annual payments from GPL may possibly be reduced by 20 per cent, which are significantly lower than the current fuel costs paid by GPL for its oil-fuelled generation. The risk to Guyana’s economic stability would be at the same level with other projects generating the same amount of energy, as the investment would be of a similar magnitude,” the team concluded. In their opinion, the EPC tenders from 2008 are outdated and need to be replaced by a new EPC tender process, noting that be-

Global from the project company and expenses for services by an engineering company engaged for support until a new main sponsor is established are covered from a portion of the US$80 million deposit in IDB for later being turned into equity con-

The first needed step for revitalising the Project is a decision by the Government to maintain the AFHP as the priority project in the transition to a green generation regime, as recommended in the "Initial Study on System Expansion of the Generation & Transmission System" of 2014, and reiterated and embraced

by Government in "Guyana's Power Generation System Study" of June 2016. tribution from GoG to the project company,” the report noted.

In the report, it was estimated that three years would be required from a decision being taken to resume

The independent assessment of the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project Report

fore that, certain technical features of the Project should be reviewed and the EPC tender documents updated.

According to the report seen by Guyana Times, to get on with these activities, the GoG will need continued support by the InterAmerican Development Bank (IDB), or a similar institution, and the Guyana Light and Power will need technical and management support by a highly-qualified engineering company with extensive experience in the international hydropower industry.

“We may suggest that the cost for buying out Sithe

alternatives.

The report noted that Amaila Falls alone could not provide a 100 per cent emission-free power generation in Guyana in the future.

Other generating sources will have to be added in parallel like sun, wind and

project preparation for the AFHP until Financial Close and Notice to Commence to the EPC Contractor. “From this point in time, we estimate another 3.5 years for construction until start of commercial operation of Amaila Falls Hydropower Project.”

Full feasibility study

The AFHP was prioritised as the first hydropower plant because it was the only project with a full feasibility study completed, with a higher plant load factor than the alternatives, a smaller reservoir and a levelised unit cost in the same range as the most attractive

thermal production based on emission-neutral fuel (bagasse) for back-up in the dry periods when the water flow to the AFHP may be insufficient for full capacity operation. As the power demand is growing, and to reach the goal of 100 per cent emission-free generation by 2025, as assumed by the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS), a second hydropower plant of capacity comparable with the AFHP will have to be commissioned by 2025. In parallel with preparations for the AFHP, therefore, prefeasibility studies will have to be carried out for promising candidates for the second hydropower project and a full feasibility study be performed for the selected candidate.

The environmental and

An artist’s impression of the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project

social impacts of the AFHP are well established in the performed studies. No resettlement is required and there is limited human activity in the area directly af-

fected by the Project.

According to the report, about 23 square kilometres of rainforest would be inundated by the power plant's reservoir. TURN TO PAGE 12

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NEWS

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2016 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Prison warden stabs wife to death A

prison warden on Wednesday fatally stabbed his wife at the National Psychiatric Hospital, Fort Canje, Berbice, where she worked.

Dead is 23-year-old Lonnett Nicholson-Prince of Lot 11 Levi Dam Angoy’s Avenue, New Amsterdam.

The mother of a threeyear-old daughter was stabbed 15 times to her body by her husband, who later turned himself over to the Police in the company of an attorney.

The man, a prison warden stationed at the

Hollyann Daniels who escaped

Mazaruni Prison, and the now dead woman separated some five months ago as result of domestic violence.

Guyana Times understands that the prison warden walked into the cosmetology department at the National Psychiatric Hospital, whipped out

Dead: Lonnett Nicholson-Prince

a knife and attacked Nicholson-Prince, a hairdresser.

At the time of the attack, one of the woman’s colleagues, Hollyann Daniels, was in the room.

Speaking with this publication, Daniels said the man entered the room and asked to speak with NicholsonPrince. “Then she turn and ask him if is just so he does kick open somebody door and then she get up and say that they have nothing to talk about.”

She related that the man then whipped out a knife and began stabbing the woman.

She said that he continuously stabbed her colleague to the upper part of her body.

Daniels explained that as she raised the alarm, the man turned his attention to her and attempted to stab her also. She added that she managed to escape the bloody attack. This newspa-

per was told that after stabbing the 23-year-old, the man ran out of the Hospital with two employees in hot pursuit. However, they were unable to apprehend him.

Meanwhile, the badly injured Nicholson-Prince was pronounced dead on arrival at the New Amsterdam Hospital, which is located opposite the National Psychiatric Hospital.

The dead woman’s father, Michael Nicholson told Guyana Times the couple had been having marital problems over the past five months. According to

related that his son-in-law requested for the matter to be settled out of court, noting that he had promised to file for divorce.

Nicholson said his sonin-law was in the habit of hitting his daughter in her head but seemed to have changed recently and approached him for prayers.

The father related that he dropped his daughter off to work on Wednesday morning and noticed his son-in-law in the vicinity of the Canje Bridge.

Following the incident, Nicholson went back to the

The undertakers removing away the body

Nicholson, his daughter had moved from the couple’s home and was living with him in the interest of her safety.

He told this publication that his daughter had continuously related to him the abuse she suffered at the hands of her husband.

He said she was threatened that if she was to report the alleged abuse to anyone, she would be killed. This prompted the worried father to remove the cosmetologist from her abuser’s home and take her to his home.

The distraught father added that after his son-in-law threatened to kill his daughter, she reported the matter to the Police and he was charged. The grieving father

area where he had earlier seen the man and found the clothing which he was wearing when he committed the act.

The woman leaves to mourn four siblings, a daughter, and her parents.

Following the incident, security at the mental institution was questioned.

Director of Regional Health Services Jevaughn Stephen said at the time of the incident, there were three guards on duty, adding that it was also clinic day. Stephen said the suspect was a regular visitor to his wife, so no one thought his visit was suspicious.

However, he noted that security will be tightened at the institution.

End of year …stocktaking of Govt resolutions

N

ow that the year is slowly winding down, it’s as good a time as any to look back at resolutions made in the past year, isn’t it? When it comes to governments, their resolutions are the promises contained in their Manifestos. And for this PNC-led coalition Government, your Eyewitness, in the spirit of the season of goodwill, will be kind: he’ll just look at the promises they vowed to fulfil in the first 100 days. Without stressing it’s more than 500 days past that deadline!

Right off the bat, there’s that “significant” salary increase they had promised government workers. Will that ever be fulfilled? Whatever happened to all the monies the PPP was “siphoning off” that would’ve funded the raise for government workers? Was there in reality, no “siphoning” or is the siphoning still going on? And we can’t really buy the standing libel on government workers by the Finance Minister that they’re “lazy”.

Nor that the economy ain’t doing so well. If that’s so, how were they able to afford that 50 per cent increase for themselves? And if, as claimed, the increase was to motivate the Ministers to put their shoulders to the wheel… the results haven’t exactly been sterling, have they? And it sure hasn’t nipped the incipient kleptomania bug, has it?

Then there’s that promised “reduction of the President’s Pension and other benefits”? This, of course, was to underscore their criticisms of President Jagdeo’s pension – which, was described as “obscene”. Well, not only have we not heard a peep about establishing the Parliamentary Committee that would’ve circumcised the said pension – the Government had the chutzpah to introduce a special Bill in the name of Hamilton Green to award him a Prime Minister’s pension ON THE SAME “OBSCENE” TERMS!!!

Well, the Public Procurement Commission was finally established – albeit 400 days late. But according to Mrs Corbin, its Chair, it seems the Cabinet has to be “weaned” off the “no objection” power they still insist exercising over mega contracts!! Ahh… the dangers of suckling on the mothers’ milk of contract graft!! And while we’re on the subject, where in the world is that promised “Investigative Commission on Corruption”? Or will we continue to have Cabinet members auditing each other when caught with their hands in the cookie jar? All in the family, eh?

After a high sounding set of “principles” were announced, there’s also been a deafening silence on the “Code of Conduct for Parliamentarians, Ministers and others holding high positions in public office to abide by.” Or is it since the members of Parliament are all addressed as “Honourable”, the PNC-led Government has decided on using an “honour system”??

There is, after all, honour among men!!

…challenge

“When it rains, it pours” used to be one of those clichés that weren’t even used about the wet stuff that fell from the sky. No more – at least here in Guyana. So what’s going on? Is the present inundation a random throw of the climatic dice or is this the beginning of the big “CC” – climate change? While for lots of folks up north – like a majority of Trump’s cabinet picks - the topic is either academic at best or a figment of the fevered imagination of those “tree huggers”, we in Guyana can’t take the chance, can we?

But with us being so small, what exactly can we do? Move to higher ground, for one! First of all, we need to remind ourselves that our forefathers created most of our present living space with their bare hands. And if need be – and the “need” looks like it’s quite nigh upon us, doesn’t it? – we can do it again. The first time around, it was done through the forced labour of slavery and indentureship.

But surely we can work without whips?

…cheer

See what happened when the City Government cooperates with the Central Government and doesn’t fight a war of attrition?

Less floods!

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

news

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thursDAY, december 29, 2016 | guyanatimesgy.com

Red House lease invalid – AG … as Govt moves to reclaim Cheddi Jagan Research Centre

A

ttorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Basil Williams has stated that the 99-year lease for the lands on which the Red House is located was never formerly approved, thus rendering it invalid and allowing the President to revoke it.

Upon the coalition’s assumption of office last year, it was revealed that the land on which Red House sits was leased to the Cheddi Jagan Research Centre Inc (CJRCI) for 99 years for only $12,000 rent per year.

The coalition Government had strongly objected to this and had consequently announced its intention to review the lease agreement.

In a statement on Wednesday, the Attorney General posited that the Red House lease was birthed in darkness to hide its unlawfulness from the scrutiny of justice.

According to Williams, the Commissioner of Lands and Surveys (CL&S) is the custodian of all Government Lands granted to him by the President, thus titling him the ‘Lessor’ when creating a lease once he has a ‘Lessee’.

This is why, the AG noted, there must be evidence of the President approving leases under Section 10 of the Lands Department Act Chapter 59:01.

“It is submitted that upon a proper perusal of file number 413112/11 there is no formal evidence of sanction or approval by the President of the Day and the lease is invalid,” he stated.

Williams went on to explain that after the CJRC was incorporated in March 2000 as a non-profit entity, a lease was drawn up that year between the Government of Guyana and the National Trust as ‘Lessors’ and CJRCI as ‘Lessees’ however that document was not executed.

He pointed out that in May 2006, then General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), former President Donald Ramotar, made an application to the CL&S on behalf of the CJRCI for a lease of Red House lands. A file was

opened and in 2010 the application was re-submitted to the then Office of the President.

Williams added that as of January 2011, that resubmission was also not approved as there is no evidence of any signature of the President on the purported schedule, only those of the then CL&S, Doorga Persaud, and the Manager of Land Administration, Enrico Monize, were affixed.

In March 2012, a lease entered by Persaud on behalf of the Government of Guyana and Ralph Ramkarran SC, on behalf of the CJRCI was issued under Section 10 of the Lands Department Act, Chapter 59:01. The document stated that the Red House, comprising of Lots 65, 66, and 67 High Street, Kingston, Georgetown, was leased for a term of 99 years commencing from the first day of 2012, at an annual rental of $12,000 for the first three years with Government having the authority to revise the annual rent payable at the end of each and every three years.

“On 30th day of March,

Red House, which Government is now attempting to take back from the Cheddi Jagan Research Centre

2012 the Red House lease was purportedly executed by the CL&S and Ralph Ramkarran SC for the lessees. Again, there was no formal approval by the President of the day, nor the National Trust, rendering the lease invalid, and a nullity in law. The President can properly revoke it,” the AG outlined.

The Attorney General noted that there is no evidence of a formal approval by the Minister/President to lease the ‘Red House’ a Public Building/National

Monument/Heritage site to the CJRCI. The unsigned draft lease agreement of 2000 suggests a disinclination on the part of the Minister/President to approve such a transaction.

“It is submitted that the ‘Red House’ Lease of 99 years was not executed in the manner of a transport that is advertised and passed before the Court; nor was it filed as of record and annotation made against the Property by the Registrar of Deeds,” he mentioned in the statement.

Earlier this year, Williams had disclosed that the coalition Government wants to transform the Red House into a facility in memory of all past Guyanese Presidents.

This did not go down well with the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) and its members, with former President Donald Ramotar expressing that the move represented pure “arrogance and vindictiveness”. He had told Guyana Times last year that to share the building with other Presidents would

be a blatant dishonour to the prestigious Dr Jagan.

“Dr Jagan lived in that house, it is the perfect memorial for him,” Ramotar stated. Moreover, the PPP had also voiced its concerns over Government’s decision.

“The name ‘Red House’ is an exemplification of the fact that Dr Cheddi Jagan was, at that time, branded a ‘Red’ and Communist and due to the fact that he lived at the time in that building it became known as Red House or the Red’s House,” the Party had commented.

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guyanatimesgy.com

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2016

News

“Dougla” killed during Police, GDF deny fist fight at Iguana Creek ranks' involvement A I Illegal aircraft

man, who has so far been identified as “Dougla” was on December 23, 2016, killed during a fist fight with another man at Iguana Creek, Cuyuni River. Reports are the now dead man and the suspect were imbibing at a “bottom house” when an argument ensued. This eventually led to a fight, during which “Dougla” reportedly fell to the ground.

He was subsequently picked up and transported to the Bartica Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival. The suspect has since been arrested and is assisting with investigations.

Guyana Times understands the now dead man started working in the interior a few weeks ago and was only referred to as “Dougla”.

The Police believe that

Dead: “Dougla”

he is from the Pomeroon River, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) and have been in contact with their counterparts at the Charity Police Station to assist with the identification of the deceased.

Nevertheless, the Police are asking anyone with information that will lead to

the positive identification of the man to contact them on telephone numbers 4552238, 455-2241, 225-6411, 227-1152, 227-2272, 2271270, 911, or the nearest Police Station.

His body was then transported to the Memorial Gardens Funeral Home and Crematorium.

Alleged thief remanded

A

father of one was on Wednesday remanded to prison after he appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts charged for robbery.

Seon Neymar, 23, of Lot 154 Alberttown, Georgetown, appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan. He denied the allegations which stat-

ed that on December 24, 2016, at Stabroek Market, Georgetown he stole one gold band valued $150,000 from Robert Timberman.

In court on Wednesday, Neymar claimed that he is being falsely accused, noting that on the day in question, he was doing his Christmas shopping with his girlfriend when he was approached by

Police officers. He related that he was told of the offence of which he is being charged and then was arrested.

However, the Police Prosecutor successfully objected to bail citing the prevalence of the offence. He was remanded to prison and the case will continue on January 12, 2017.

n light of a report that surfaced in a Stateowned media outfit, which suggested that two senior members of the Joint Services were fingered in the landing and operation of an illegal aircraft at Yupukari, Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo), the Guyana Police Force (GPF) has denied the allegation that its officers were involved in the operation of the illegal aircraft.

However, the Police Force in a press statement further stated that the report was prepared after a Board of Inquiry (BoI) recommended that a Police Officer be disciplined for use of excessive force on a civilian during the course of the inquiry and not for any act prior to the discovery of the aircraft.

On the other hand, the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), in responding to the article, also refuted claims that any of its ranks were involved in any illegality involving the discovery of the aircraft. In fact, the Force stated that the misleading headlines tend to give the impression of ranks being directly involved in illegal activities.

The published report stated that a Deputy Superintendent of Police and a Second Lieutenant of the GDF were removed from their posts following the commencement of the BoI. It was reported that the final report into the investigation concerning the plane

The abandoned illegal aircraft discovered in Yupukari, Region Nine

cited the GDF officer for abandoning his post when he was asked to stake out the area where the plane was found and also he has been accused of tampering with the scene of the investigation.

With respect to the Police Officer, the news entity reported that the final report proved that he physically assaulted civilians at the scene who wanted to report the discovery of the aircraft to the authorities.

On September 13, 2016 a plane, bearing registration number N767Z, was first brought to the attention of officials by residents of the area. A Joint Army and Police team, inclusive of the Customs AntiNarcotics Unit (CANU), was dispatched to the location to conduct investigations launched into the sightings of the aircraft. The CoI was appointed on September 28, 2016.

The aircraft bearing reg-

istration number N767Z, was first reported to the authorities at Lethem by residents in the area. Following the discovery, a CoI was set up by President David Granger to investigate the landing and operating of the Colombian aircraft.

The report was due to be handed over on November 16 but Brigadier Collins requested an extension since he was of the belief that getting more information from residents about the plane was important.

When the report was eventually handed over, Brigadier Collins said his decision to host public meetings in several villages such as Katoka, Kaicumbay, Yupukari and other villages, along with the Regional Chairman and Regional Executive Officer (REO) of Region Nine, proved to be a worthwhile exercise, since it allowed him greater insight into the facts discovered during the probe.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2016

guyanatimesgy.com

11

News

3rd suspect in Laing Avenue murder charged

A

New Year, New You?

s we prepare to bid farewell to another year it is only natural to reflect upon the past twelve months and how they have, or have not, lived up to expectations. If you think back to this time last year when you thought about the year ahead, what were your plans? Your expectations? Your promises to yourself and others? How many of those have been Lorraine Ince-Carvalhal realised? If you can honestly say that they have, then sadly you are in the minority.

The majority will look back and barely remember the resolutions they decided upon. No doubt they were all made with the best of intentions but unfortunately New Year resolutions rarely last past January; if they ever get off the ground in the first place. Still, year after year people continue to make promises about changes knowing the improbability of ever seeing them through.

New Year resolutions are part of a long standing tradition dating back 4000 years ago when assurances about better conduct were made to pagan gods by the Babylonians at the time of new crops. Over the centuries the dates on which these declarations were made may have changed from March to January and the promises have shifted from the external pagan promises to Roman worshipping of their two headed god Janus, who symbolised looking back at the old year and into the new, onto religious ceremonies and pledges to God, and currently to more internal resolutions many of us set out to follow for ourselves. However, the commonality remains that moving into a New Year promises of changes and improvements are made during celebrations for the coming months.

These promises may be either a bit of fun, intentions for real life changing decisions, lame attempts at righting the detrimental ways we are living or quiet, personal determinations we keep to ourselves and slowly work on in private. The reasons may vary, but the sentiments behind them are all the same; to be better, to live healthier, to be happier and to live a more fulfilling life.

It may be that you have long decided the futility of making New Year resolutions. If so, at least reconsider your reasons. There is nothing wrong with setting goals; in fact they are a healthy practice on the road to achievement.

Goals in the quest for improvement are superlative to both short and long-term planning.

The best time to break old habits is at times associated with newness and a new year is certainly that. That fresh start somehow seems easier to embark upon as the dates change and a new routine may be devised to incorporate the reformed practices that have been set out. The key is to be realistic.

Whatever your reason or plans, a suggestion for you all; how about this year without dismissing your need for positive change, you allow the main focus to shift to what went right last year? What were your successes? What did you do that produced good outcomes or resulted in good things for those around you? If you can determine what you did that was good, what contributed to your success and how you maintained the positive things in your life, you can make sure you keep doing those things during the year to come.

However you intend to celebrate this year, however you intend to move into the new one, take time to consider a few things. Before you highlight all of your faults and claim to be able to fix them all in the coming months, maybe it would be more productive to be honest and recognise your capabilities and willpower and decide on achievable changes that will be beneficial to your physical and mental health. Remember to take account of the good that has passed this year and carry that forward with you into the next. If you are determined to make drastic changes; the best of luck to you. Stay focused and remember why you want to change when the going gets tough.

We are usually more capable than we give ourselves credit for.

If 2016 was a good year for you, may it continue. If it was a really challenging year then acknowledge the fact that you survived it and you now have the opportunity to start a new one. Putting aside those few things that remain out of our control, this next year will rely heavily on what you make of it. Go into 2017 with a positive, energised attitude that will carry you through.

H

oward Rambarose, the third suspect who was nabbed last week in connection with the shooting to death of Orin David, called “Malik” at Laing Avenue, was on Wednesday charged with the capital offence of murder when he appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

It is alleged that on August 1, 2016, at Laing Avenue, he murdered Orin David.

Rambarose was remanded to prison.

The other two murder accused are Samuel McIntyre, who was captured moments after the incident; and another identified only as “Spleen”.

David, 33, was allegedly murdered following an argument over money with the defendants.

twice; once to his leg and another to his chest.

After shooting the now dead man, the defendants reportedly left the scene in a grey motorcar. David was picked up and rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead on

Dead: Orin David

According to reports, on the night of the killing, David was confronted by the men after which an argument ensued. However, the men reportedly left the scene of the incident, but subsequently returned armed with firearms.

They confronted David after which they shot him

arrival.

The deceased was earlier this year freed of the murder of a Mahaica farmer, Lakhram Bishundial, who was shot and killed during the course of a robbery at Hope Turn, East Coast Demerara.

Cocaine possession lands man in jail

A

North West District (NWD), Region One (Barima-Waini) man was on Wednesday slapped with a possession of narcotics charge.

Lawrence Joseph, 63, a farmer of Mabaruma, Region One, appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan.

He denied the charge

which alleged that on December 25, 2016, at Mabaruma, NWD, he had in his possession two grams of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking. The Prosecution had no objections to bail, although the illegal substance was found in the defendant’s bag. He was released on $170,000 bail and the case will continue on February 21, 2017.

12

news

thursDAY, december 29, 2016 | guyanatimesgy.com

SciMed, Western Scientific blacklisted by IDB

– several local companies on list

T

rinidadian companies, Scientific and Medical Products Limited (SciMed) and Western Scientific Company Limited operating in Guyana were debarred by Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) for fraud and collusion practices on local projects funded by the Bank.

Scientific and Medical Products Limited (SciMed) was debarred from March 31, 2016 to October 15, 2020 for fraudulent practices. The company is a distributor of laboratory and process equipment, and exclusively represents a number of leading manufacturers in the UK. Additionally, another four-year sanction over the same period was meted out to Western Scientific Company Limited also over fraudulent practices. This Trinidadian company is a marketing, sales and distribution firm specialising in the areas of scientific, clinical/medical, furniture, audio-visual, education, technical service and consultancy.

Meanwhile, former head of the Citizen Security

Programme, Khemraj Rai, is among several entities, including individuals and firms, who have been debarred by the IDB. According to the IDB, these firms and individuals were sanc-

tioned b y the IDB Group’s Sanctions Committee because they were found to have engaged in fraud, corruption, collusion, coercion, or obstruction in violation of the IDB Group’s anticorruption policies.

The list, which is published on the Bank’s website, named three individuals and two firms from Guyana as well as two individuals and two firms from Trinidad that

were involved in IDB fundedprojects in Guyana and who were debarred from working on any projects funded by the Bank over a period of time.

The IDB has sanctioned Abel Khemraj Rai for eight years, that is, from August 23, 2016 to August 22, 2024 for “fraudulent and collusive practices”.

Rai had resigned from the IDB-funded US$19.8 million Citizen Security Programme in 2013 after there were allegations that he used his position to grant contracts to himself using someone else’s name. IDB had sent a team down to Guyana to investigate the allegations made by a former construction supervisor under the project, Viddiadat Jaisari.

It was reported that a company was set up to benefit from small contracts and was in the name of the West Coast Berbice contractor. The company had a joint bank account with Rai as one of the principals.

However, Jaisari had alleged that his company’s name was being used to bid for contracts, reportedly without his knowledge. He had claimed that Rai mostly managed and

President of Western Scientific Company Edwin Mackoon (second from right) signing a contract in Guyana (GINA photo)

withdrew money from the account of the company under his (Jaisari’s) name.

Also debarred from IDB projects was West Coast Berbice farmer Siddhartha Rai, who was sanctioned from June 30, 2016 to June 29, 2019 for collusive practices. His companies Sidrai Radiators Works and Sidrai Enterprises were the two local firms also sanctioned for collusive practices over the same three-year period.

The other Guyanese debarred from IDB-funded projects was Ron Jaisari, who was sanctioned from June 30, 2016 until June 29, 2022 over collusive and fraudulent practices.

Mario Ricard Dell and Edwin K Mackoon, both of Trinidad, were debarred over fraudulent practices for a period spanning March 31, 2016 to October 15, 2020.

The IDB noted that the findings against these firms and individuals were made through an administrative process that permitted the accused firms and/or individuals to respond to the allegations

pursuant to the Sanctions Procedures. Sanctions are meant to prevent and deter fraud and corruption in IDB Group-financed activities.

The Sanctions Committee may impose any sanction that it deems to be appropriate under the circumstances, including but not limited to reprimand, conditions on future contracting and debarment.

Debarred firms are declared ineligible to be awarded and participate in any IDBfinanced contract for the periods indicated.

Ineligibility may extend to any firm or individual who directly or indirectly controls the debarred firm or any firm which the debarred firm directly or indirectly controls.

In the case of a debarred individual, ineligibility may extend to any firm which the debarred individual directly or indirectly controls.

Amaila Falls only...

from page 7

The live storage volume is small compared to the annual water flow and the plant would be operated mainly as a run-of-river plant with little impact on the downstream river hydrology, except for the about four-kilometre stretch of the river between the intake dam and the tailrace outlet from the powerhouse.

The most serious threat to the environment that may result from the Project is the access road, which is almost completed and has already – while the further progress of the Project itself is uncertain – created easier access for mining and exploitation of the forest along its alignment. A strict control regime is required for obstructing such activities. It is important to take up again consultations with all affected parties as soon as resuming the project preparations.

Other hydropower plants that could have replaced the AFHP as the first hydropower project to be implemented would require one to two years of investigations and studies, including environmental and social impact assessments meeting today's standards, to reach an updated feasibility study stage comparable to the AFHP, but none of them match it on economic, environmental and social costs.

Blind eye

But turning a blind eye to the recommendations of the independent assessment, Government, through Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson, said the Administration believed that the report highlights several risks and flaws in the design of the project, which will threaten its long-term effectiveness and prove too costly and burdensome to the people of Guyana and the country as a small developing state.

The review, according to Patterson, stated that the Amaila Falls Project would not be optimal in its current model and rectifying the many issues identified would increase the total cost substantially, thereby impacting the tariff rates from the outset. But, the report contradicts this statement by the Minister. Additionally, there

are at least six more years of work to be completed, including a minimum three years of water flow study and analysis on the Project. Having committed to a ‘green agenda’, the Government now proposes to utilise a mix of energy options, starting with what it described as “less risky options” such as solar and wind, as outlined in Budget 2017.

Before taking office, the governing coalition partners the Alliance For Change (AFC) and A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) were opposed to the Amaila Falls Project.

Only recently, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo called for the release of the facts-

Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson

based assessment of the AFHP. The Project, which would be the largest Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the country’s history, has the potential to reintegrate the country with the global capital markets for the first time in over 40 years.

If approved initially, Amaila Falls could have been almost operational by now and consumers could have been close to seeing the end to expensive, unreliable and dirty electricity and Guyana would have been entering into the ranks of the top 10 users of clean energy worldwide.

In 2013, Guyana had secured a best-in-class US private investor to be the major sponsor for Amaila Falls and the contractor to build the project was selected through an open, competitive, international process.

13 CJIA revenue collection up by 13% NEWS

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2016 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

“Hands-on approach” needed in cleaning schools – Region 10 Councillor

I

n light of numerous complaints surrounding the effective execution of the cleaning of school compounds across Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice), Councillor Charles Sampson has called on the Region's Education Committee to take a more “hands-on approach” to the issue.

Sampson alluded that as a result of the ineffectiveness of the approach to cleaning areas around schools, there has been various complaints about the sightings of snakes and other reptiles. Addressing Regional Officials at the recently held statutory meeting of the Regional Democratic Council (RDC), Sampson said it is his hope that the schools move towards the prospect of a clean and green environment.

"It is my view that a lot of issues that we would have discussed in the past and even over the past period of this RDC have not been taken seriously. Either they're not been taken seriously or they are not being dealt with in a way that is beneficial to this Region. What we have found is that the issue of the cleaning of schools is one that is not so nice. In Linden, the cleaning of schools is not properly done. It is not being done in a systematic way,” he said.

The Councillor further slammed the appearance of school compounds across the Region, noting that the approach to cleaning the compounds is not being taken seriously.

"Why are we getting problems? Why are the compounds not being cleaned? I'm saying we need to put a system in place. Even if we have to give people contracts on a yearly basis. We have to have a proper system in place. We don't have that,” Sampson continued.

He added that if the Council is going to put an effective system in place, it must be aware of costs. He urged further that cleaning jobs must also be inspected to ensure that the work is properly executed. He noted that there is usually a last-minute rush to clean school compounds, but urged education administrators to desist from this practice.

"Not when school near open you rushing to do it. If we do it on a monthly, bi-weekly or six-weekly basis, you ain't got to rush when school open. It will always be clean

Councillor Charles Sampson

and there will be fewer complaints coming from the schools about snakes… We want to see our schools in the Region look like schools, not a set of bush and grass," Sampson stressed.

Additionally, he noted that the Education Committee of the RDC must play a major role when cleaning contracts are awarded, and the Council must be able to award those contracts based on reliability. As such, he noted that the Education Department, which is presently responsible for the task, must focus more on education delivery.

In response to the issues, Regional Chairman Renis Morian said he wants his administration to pay keen attention to the work of handymen. He noted that based on his own observation, handymen are not keen on performing their duties effectively and pointed out that this is not only an issue schools, but administrative buildings as well. He further called on the Region's Education Department to get rid of obsolete equipment, chairs and benches from within school compounds. Morian further urged that such issues be emphasised at monthly head teachers meetings and for all to do their part and lend support where needed.

T

he Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) Corporation has raked in 13 per cent more revenue collection this year, which was attributed to the processing of more passengers at the country’s main port of entry.

According to the Government Information Agency (GINA), Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson, during the recent 2017 budget presentation, had reported that the CJIA is projected to earn $1.3 billion by December 31, 2016.

At the end of November 2016, revenues amounted to $1.168 billion, in comparison to the corresponding period of last year when it was $1.033 billion.

“The CJIA, I’m pleased to announce, the Corporation recorded 513,444 processed passengers as of November 2016, compared to 459,346 that is up compared from last year and the CJIA was twice successfully audited by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) of USA in 2016,” Minister Patterson explained.

Minister Patterson also reported to the National Assembly that works on the CJIA Expansion Project were

The Cheddi Jagan International Airport

moving apace and that several aspects have been completed. To date, excavation and foundation works are 100 per cent completed, while about half of the runway has been finished. The latter should be completed by May next year.

Works have also commenced on the new terminal building and are expected to be completed in May 2017.

In 2016, $4.450 billion was provided for the continuation of the CJIA Expansion Project which is slated for completion at the end of 2017. No funds were allocated for the project in the 2017 Budget.

The project would see the runway extended from 7500 to 10,800 feet, double aircraft

position from four to eight, with eight passenger boarding bridges that will improve safety by eliminating the mixing of passengers and ground support vehicles as currently obtains on the apron, CCTV (Closed Circuit Television) system with approximately 300 cameras, two elevators and escalators, and a departure control system for the convenience of airlines to manage their passengers at the terminal.

In 2011, the then Government inked a US$150 million contract with China Harbour Engineering (CHEC), for the CJIA expansion project.

14

guyanatimesgy.com

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2016

Regional

Dominica Govt to help 20 families 14-year-old girl sentenced for murdering St Vincent after massive Boxing Day blaze schoolmate

I

ntense work is expected to get off the ground this week to rebuild houses for 20 families who lost all their possessions in a massive blaze on Boxing Day. Raging fire swept through the community of Silver Lake around 21:50h on Monday, destroying two eight-room apartment buildings. No one was injured in the blaze.

The Dominica Government has come to the rescue of the affected residents, promising its full support for the fire victims, with Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit declaring that the affected families would not have to depend on charity and other efforts.

The families lost all their possessions in the fire that swept through the Silver Lake community

As early as Wednesday, the affected families will receive US$1000 and, in the coming weeks, an allowance to support themselves.

“Following this $1000, the families will be provided weekly or fortnightly or monthly – and that will be determined – an income support allowance,” Skerrit

said while touring the affected area on Tuesday, adding that they will also be receiving food, clothing and other necessary items. He also gave the assurance that the affected children will be fully ready for the start of the new school term next month.

The Prime Minister stressed that rebuilding the

houses was a priority and a contract would be issued today to get the work going.

“Another set of apartments will be constructed and we are hoping the contractor can be mobilised as early as Thursday this week to commence construction,” he said. (Excerpt from Caribbean360)

Final results of Haiti election to be announced today

T

he Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) is set to announce the final results of the November 20 presidential elections today even as one local human rights group contends that there had been no transparency in the verification process.

CEP Executive Director Uder Antoine said that December 29 had been “confirmed as the date for

the release of the final results of the presidential election in Haiti”.

He said that the electoral advisors had not postponed the date and that the process of verification of the November 20 vote was continuing.

Last week, the Electoral Court ordered a review of the preliminary results of the elections, handing a lifeline to three politi-

cal parties that have been challenging the victory of businessman Jovenelle Moise.

Deputy of Delmas Gary Bodeau, who is also the Quaestor of the Office of the Lower House, said the strategy of dragging the electoral process beyond the February 7, 2017, of to prevent the installation of the President-elect is undemocratic.

The Electoral Court in its ruling ordered that 12 per cent of randomly drawn presidential minutes be verified and that the verification exercise be carried out in the presence of the parties concerned and the national and international electoral observation organisations. The court had set no deadline for completing the process. (Excerpt from

Jamaica Observer)

4-year-old boy in ICU since birth close to getting life-saving surgery

T

he four-year-old boy who has been living inside the Intensive Care Unit (ICU)

In February 2017, little Kenrick Bogle will be given a date for admission to Canada’s The Hospital for

Health Minister, Dr Christopher Tufton interacts with Kenrick Bogle on Christmas Day during his visit to long-term paediatric patients at Bustamante Hospital for Children

at Bustamante Hospital for Children since he was four days old will soon have a chance of living a normal life.

Sick Children, popularly known as SickKids, to correct his tracheooesophageal fistula and tracheomalacia, thanks to donors

and a commitment from Jamaican Canadian business leader Wes Hall.

Lyndsey McDonnough, Managing Director of Market Me Consulting Limited, who has been championing the cause to get help for Kenrick, explained that, since the initial Jamaica Observer article outlining the need for urgent financial assistance to get Kenrick his muchneeded surgery, many donors have come on board.

McDonnough said after a review of Kenrick’s file by SickKids Canada, through the SickKids Foundation, they are now required to pay US$80,000 or J$10.4 million to cover the surgery and ICU costs – a major drop from US$500,000 or J$65 million that was first

quoted.

According to McDonnough, SickKids reduced the amount to a humanitarian rate on recognising that Kenrick’s father and the money raised so far could not meet the full amount for “covered services”. In addition, all physicians have agreed to provide their services under the “covered services” free of charge.

Covered services include the surgery and other aspects of medical care that SickKids will provide.

Meanwhile, Peter Bogle has expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the people who have given his son a chance at a normal life through donations of cash and kind.

(Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

Tobago man dies trying to retrieve kite

A

44-year-old man died after he fell down a 20-foot precipice while attempting to retrieve a kite that had been stuck in a tree in Scarborough,

Tobago on Tuesday.

Police said that Darren Boyce was out with family members when the kite got caught in a tree.

Boyce climbed the tree in

an attempt to dislodge the kite; however, he lost his grip and fell down a nearby precipice.

The Police and emergency health services were noti-

fied and with the assistance of fire officers, Boyce was removed and rushed to the hospital for medical treatment, where he later died.

(Jamaica Observer)

A

14-year-old St Vincent student was sentenced to 12 years in custody for the murder of a fellow student two years ago.

High Court judge Justice Kathy Ann Latchoo handed down the penalty in what is believed to be the first time in the country’s history that someone so young was charged, convicted and jailed for murder.

The 14-year-old had on November 30 pleaded guilty to murdering the 15-yearold student during an altercation on June 8, 2015.

In sentencing the accused last week, Justice Latchoo ordered that she receive periodic reviews

and that she continue her schooling during incarceration. The accused is not being kept among the prison population at Her Majesty’s Prisons.

The girl’s guilty plea earned her a one-third discount on her sentence, which would take it down to about eight years. The Education Ministry is to provide the court with reports on the girl’s progress, at the periodic reviews, while the prison authorities will provide the court with reports on her conduct.

The judge also ordered that the convicted girl spend a minimum of six years behind bars. (Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

Colombia kidnappings down 92% since 2000, Police say

P

olice in Colombia say the number of people kidnapped has fallen 92 per cent since 2000. The head of the counter-kidnapping Police Force, Fernando Murillo, said 188 people had been abducted in 2016.

Colombia was for years the world’s kidnapping hotspot with human rights groups estimating that almost 33,000 people have been seized since 1970.

A peace deal with Colombia’s main rebel group and improved security have led to the “historic shift”, Police said.

General Murillo said that the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) had not kidnapped a single person in 2016. The FARC signed a peace deal with the Government in November

ending 52 years of armed conflict.

The rebel group had been notorious for kidnapping soldiers and Police officers and holding them hostage for long stretches of time, sometimes tied to trees in their jungle camps.

The FARC also carried out large-scale kidnappings of civilians for ransom, dubbed “miraculous fishing expeditions”, stopping buses and seizing anyone they thought could be a lucrative target.

General Murillo said 88 per cent of the kidnappings in 2016 had been committed by “common criminals” who did not belong to either the farc or Colombia’s second-largest rebel group, the National Liberation Army (ELN).(Excerpt from BBC News)

Mexico’s Interjet grounds 11 Russian-made planes over safety

M

exican airline Interjet has grounded half its 22 Russian-made Superjet100 planes after doing a mandatory safety inspection of the aircraft.

Mexico’s civil aviation agency says in a statement that 11 jets will be out of service while unspecified measures are taken to guarantee their safety and restore them to flight status. The other 11 were found to be in “perfect condition.”

Wednesday’s statement

doesn’t say what fixes or modifications are being done, but it says the work will be completed in January.

Interjet has had to cancel some flights during the holiday travel season due to the safety inspection order issued December 23 by Russian authorities after cracks were found in a part on one of the Sukhoi planes.

Interjet is one of the biggest customers for the Superjet.

(Yahoo! News)

thursday, december 29, 2016

guyanatimesgy.com

15

Around the World

Indian train derails Kerry defends US decision not to veto UN resolution against Israeli settlements injuring 61; latest crash raises concern T

A

train derailed in India on Wednesday injuring 61 people, police and rail officials said, the third significant accident in recent months that have raised concern about the safety of the ageing rail network.

The train came off the tracks and crashed near the northern city of Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh state early in the morning. “Our latest assessment is that 61 people got injured in the accident and two sustained grievous injuries,” said Anil Kumar Saxena, spokesman for Indian Railways.

The train had just pulled out of the station and its speed was “rather slow”, he said. Television footage from the scene showed mangled, toppled carriages.

Two coaches had fallen off a bridge into a small canal while some passengers were seen picking up their luggage from near the tracks.

India’s creaking railway system is the world’s fourth largest. It runs 11,000 trains

A man cuts an iron frame in front of a damaged coach of a passenger train after it derailed near Kanpur in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, India, December 28

a day, including 7000 passenger trains carrying more than 20 million people.

But it has a poor safety record, with thousands of people dying every year in derailments, collisions and other accidents. This was the third accident significant in recent months. On November 20, at least 146 people were killed when a train derailed near the same city.

A train rammed into a van taking children to school at a level crossing in north India in July, killing eight of them. Railways minister Suresh Prabhu has promised to replace old tracks and upgrade safety systems.

The government spends more than 90 per cent of the railways’ revenues on operational costs, leaving little for upgrades of the colonial-era system.

he US Secretary of State, John Kerry, has offered a blistering defence of the US decision to allow a UN resolution condemning Israeli settlements, saying if Washington had vetoed it, Israel would have been given a licence for “unfettered settlement construction” and the end of the peace process.

Framing a two-state solution as “the only way to achieve a just and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians”, Kerry took aim at the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu,

for building a coalition that was “the most rightwing in Israeli history, with an agenda driven by the most extreme elements”.

Kerry’s speech was the latest chapter in a highoctane diplomatic drama marked by a war of words between the Obama Administration and Israel, since the vote on Friday that called Israeli settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem a “flagrant violation” of international law.

The speech was immediately condemned by Netanyahu, who described it

as “skewed” and “obsessively” focused on the settlement issue. The exchange between Kerry and Netanyahu marked a new low in the relationship between Israel’s Government and the Obama Administration.

The US abstention in Friday’s security council resolution drew unprecedented Israeli fury directed at its closest ally – and other friendly countries that voted for the resolution – and accusations of betrayal and underhand dealings. (Excerpt from

The Guardian)

Berlin truck attack: Tunisian man detained by German prosecutors

(Excerpt from Reuters)

Chinese Police kill 4 after Xinjiang attack

C

hinese Police have shot dead four people who attacked a Communist Party building in western Xinjiang province, local Government officials say.

The four drove a vehicle into the compound in Karakax county, and set off explosives that killed one person and injured three others, they said. State media said it was a terrorist at-

tack.

The area, predominantly Muslim Uighur, has suffered years of unrest.

The authorities blame the history of violence on Islamist militants.

Human rights and exiled Uighur groups accuse the government of repressing the Muslim community.

State news agency Xinhua did not specify whether the four people

were killed by authorities on the spot or later in the day.

Last month Chinese authorities began confiscating passports from people in the region, saying it was a move to combat violence.

Uighurs, which makes up about 45 per cent of Xinjiang’s population, have often complained about having restrictions put on their freedom of movement. (Excerpt

from BBC News)

Turkey and Russia ‘agree’ on nationwide Syria ceasefire

T

urkey and Russia have agreed on a countrywide ceasefire plan for Syria, except for areas where Government forces are battling armed groups declared terrorist organisations by the United Nations.

Turkey’s State-run Anadolu news agency reported on Wednesday that a ceasefire plan had been submitted to Syria’s rival parties and could come into force as soon as midnight 22:00 GMT. Citing a source who requested anonymity, Anadolu said “terrorist organisations” would be excluded from the deal.

This would most certainly exclude the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group and Jabhat Fateh alSham, the group formerly known as al-Nusra Front.

The source also said that

Firefighters inspect the truck that crashed into a Christmas market in Berlin. Twelve people died in the attack

G

erman prosecutors have detained a Tunisian man they suspect may have been involved in last week’s truck attack on a Christmas market in Berlin.

The 40-year-old, who was not identified, was held during a search of his home and business, federal prosecutors said.

The man’s telephone number was saved in the mobile phone of Anis Amri, a fellow Tunisian believed to have driven a truck into the market on December 19.

Amri, 24, was killed in a

shootout with police in a suburb of Milan early on Friday.

Of the new suspect, prosecutors said “further investigations indicate that he may have been involved in the attack”.

Twelve people died in the truck attack. Islamic State has claimed responsibility, and released a video on Friday in which Amri is shown pledging allegiance to the Isis chief, Abu Bakr alBaghdadi.

Prosecutors have until Thursday evening to determine whether the case against the 40-year-old is

strong enough for them to seek a formal arrest warrant.

That would allow them to keep him in custody pending possible charges.

Investigators are trying to determine whether Amri had a support network in planning and carrying out the attack, and in fleeing Berlin. Tunisian authorities announced on Saturday that they had arrested Amri’s nephew and two other men suspected of being members of a “terrorist cell” connected to Amri, though they made no direct link to the Berlin attack.(Excerpt from The Guardian)

Trump lashes out at Obama over ‘inflammatory’ statements Almost 11 million Syrians have been displaced by the conflict

if the ceasefire succeeded, political negotiations would start in the Kazakh capital, Astana, under Turkey and Russia’s guidance.

Samir Nashar, a Syrian Opposition figure, said that there were “tremendous efforts being exerted by the Turkish government to implement such a ceasefire with

the help of an Arab country” before a proposed meeting takes place in Kazakhstan.

Labib Nahhas, foreign relations head for another rebel group, Ahrar al-Sham, confirmed to AFP news agency that the faction was “aware of ongoing discussions between Russia and Turkey...”. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

P

resident-elect Donald Trump lashed out at President Obama on Wednesday, tweeting that he is doing his “best to disregard the many inflammatory” statements and “roadblocks” coming from his soon-to-be predecessor.

“Thought it was going to be a smooth transition,” Trump tweeted, tacking on “NOT!” But on a daily conference call with reporters, Trump’s incoming Press Secretary,

Sean Spicer, said Obama’s team has been “very helpful and generous.” Spicer also said Obama and Trump “continue to talk” and will remain in contact through the inauguration on January 20, 2017.

Trump didn’t directly say which Obama comments he found especially inflammatory, but he took exception to the current Administration’s approach to Israel.

Additionally, in an Obama speech during

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s historic visit to Pearl Harbour on Tuesday, the President appeared to criticise Trump for stirring xenophobia during the divisive US presidential election.

“It is here that we remember that even when hatred burns hottest, even when the tug of tribalism is at its most primal, we must resist the urge to turn inward,” Obama said. “We must resist the urge to demonise those who are different.” (Excerpt from Yahoo! News)

16

thursday, december 29, 2016

guyanatimesgy.com

Athalyah Yisrael: Spreading the joy of play

Athalyah Yisrael

S

life.

houts of childish delight.

That is the soundtrack of Athalyah Yisrael’s work

“I really like children…

They make you so happy around them; there is never a dull moment,” the vivacious 28-year-old said and she has made it her business to return the favour, opening Fun Park Rentals, whose mission is to deliver memorable excitement to children.

Yisrael figured out where her passion lay as she put it, while babysitting in London as she prepared to pursue studies in law. “Like many young people, I had no clue what I wanted to do, so my uncle suggested law because he said I liked to argue and I would make a good lawyer, so I studied law at St Stanislaus (Sixth Form – after graduating from St John’s College).” But

law was not for Yisrael, “it was so much reading” and she realised that she wanted to base her life around helping children, so she came home and went to the University of Guyana where she pursued a bachelor’s degree in social work while working at the Demerara Distillers Limited as a secretary to finance her studies.

“Throughout my working career, I knew I wanted to own my own business. People can work for a company for 20 years and at the end have nothing but thanks.” So when the opportunity came to invest, the Eccles resident took it.

Established in 2014, Fun Park Rentals delivers thrills to children through trampolines, bouncy castles, push cars, etc, for rent as well as face painting and other services to expose the current generation to positive, fun activities which provide physical and mental stimulation, beyond the screen of an electronic device. Trained attendants, who are required to have first aid certification, set up the strictly maintained equipment and supervise the activities so that parents can have peace of mind, knowing that their children are having fun in a safe environment.

“Organising a party is really time-consuming so I thought of what I would want as a parent,” Yisrael noted in explaining

the level of service she offers customers. “Children really enjoy it and the parents really appreciate it.”

Extolling the power of play, the socially-minded entrepreneur says her ultimate goal is to become the premier fun learning centre in Guyana and the Caribbean,

revolutionising early childhood play. “For now we are mobile, we bring the fun to you, but the intention is to have a centre.”

Yisrael has even organised the nation’s first-ever “National Play Day” held on August 28, 2016, at D’Urban Park.

Why is corporate governance important?

C

orporate governance is the way a corporation polices itself. In short, it is a method of governing the company like a sovereign state, instating its own customs, policies and laws to its employees from the highest to the lowest levels. Corporate governance is intended to increase the accountability of

your company and to avoid massive disasters before they occur. Failed energy giant Enron, and its bankrupt employees and shareholders, is a prime argument for the importance of solid corporate governance.

Well-executed corporate governance should be similar to a police department’s internal affairs unit,

weeding out and eliminating problems with extreme prejudice. A company can also hold meetings with internal members, such as shareholders and debtholders – as well as suppliers, customers and community leaders, to address the request and needs of the affected parties.

Market statistics Cur

Buying

Gold Prices – Guyana Gold Board Calculated at 94% purity, December 21, 2016

Selling

USD

$1134.40

GBP

$251.79

$255.00

Gross

$219,217

CAN

$151.71

$153.47

USD

$205.98

$208.44

Net

$203,872

$ 214.28

$217.04

EURO

less fortunate. Yisrael holds her own end-of-year party for orphanages complete with the fun rides and activities that epitomise Fun Park Rentals.

“I believe success comes when you become your greatest self…kind, giving… success is about having a purpose…the impact you are making on the world.” The young entrepreneur – who cites the “classy, in-control, composed, influential” Phylicia Rashad as her dream mentor and her soul sister, close friend Kamadyah Yisrael as her biggest influence – observed that greatness is attracted to those who improve themselves and nurture their greatest qualities.

She advised those thinking of getting into business for themselves that “if you want comfort, remain employed. If you want to take the risk and work endless hours, go do it; it’s quite challenging, but yet rewarding.”

Yisrael then cautioned: “Learn what you need to do, do it the right way, do the right thing, be in compliance [with business regulations]…do it with an open and righteous

heart”, and praised the Small Business Bureau, which she says has lots of programmes, for helping her. Through the Bureau, Yisrael was able to access a grant of $300,000, training opportunities as well as support services to expand her business.

“To succeed you have to fail. People [wanting to get] in business have an illusionary idea of business….Learning to overcome failure is a lot of what it takes to succeed,” she noted, adding that resilience (to keep getting up in the face of failure) and nurturing your leadership quality (to inspire a team to bring your vision to life) are the most important traits of an entrepreneur.

“I live my life like a GPS. I put in my destination…I may make a lot of wrong turns, but I reroute to get to my final destination.”

Yisrael continues to impress adults with her professionalism and children with her trampolines and bouncy castles.

Contact: 617-0173; funparkrentalsgy@gmail. com; facebook.com/pg/

Business News

Digicel disagrees with report on debt

T

elecommunications company Digicel says it “fundamentally disagrees” with a report by independent research provider CreditSights that the company was facing an uncertain future due to high debt, currency fluctuations and change in consumer behaviour.

The report, published on Saturday in the Irish Examiner, quoted CreditSights analyst Michael Chakardijan as saying in London last Wednesday that Digicel’s high debt levels of more than US$6 billion left

little room for manoeuvre.

It also contended that the change in Digicel users’ habits may hamper the company’s ability to increase margins by 24 percentage points

by March 2018, while cutting costs by using technology and changing back office functions.

It said the company had been suffering from a decline in phone call revenue as users switch to the likes of Viber, WhatsApp and Skype.

Asked by Barbados Today to respond to the report and if there were any implica-

tions for the Barbados market, Chief Executive Officer of Digicel Barbados Conor Looney said: “Digicel fundamentally disagrees with the conclusions of the report”.

“Digicel’s outlook remains positive with robust plans to deliver by monetising our network investment and through realistic cost management initiatives,” he added.

Digicel has said it was focusing on growing its earnings in order to reduce the company’s debt-to-earnings ratio while cutting costs.

(Barbados Today)

Investors’ Guide

Cambio Rates Bank of Guyana

The Georgetown native, who confessed that she grew up in many places and having personal experience of a humble as well as an opulent lifestyle, places a high premium on spreading joy and happiness, particularly to children, offering special rates for those treating the

Indicators as on December 28, 2016 Indicators

US$ per barrel

Crude Oil

$56.09

Price

USD

Rough Rice

$209.44/ton

London Sugar

$491.00/ton

Live Spot Gold

Change %

+1.66 Change %

+3.37 0.00 USD Per Ounce

Bid/Ask

$1144.40

$1145.40

Low/High

$1136.30

$1145.60

Change

+2.70

+0.24%

Business Concept – Niche Strategy A marketing approach for a good or service with features that appeal to a particular minority market subgroup. A typical product marketed using a niche strategy will be easily distinguished from other products, and it will also be produced and sold for specialized uses within its corresponding niche market. (Business Dictionary)

Largest drop in 2 months as Wall St rally loses steam

U

S stocks fell in low volume on Wednesday in a broad decline triggered in part by a sharp drop in home resales.

Contracts to buy previously-owned US homes fell in November to their lowest level in nearly a year, a sign that rising interest rates could be weighing on the housing market.

The PHLX housing sector index fell 1.2 per cent to close at its lowest in three weeks. The S&P 500 posted its largest daily decline since October 11.

Technology was the largest weight on major indexes, however, with Nvidia down 6.9 per cent to US$109.25 after short seller Citron Research said the market was overlooking the headwinds for the stock – which had earlier touched a record

high.

The S&P 500 tech sector fell 0.9 per cent after closing on Tuesday at its highest closing level since the year 2000.

“There was enough bad news during the day” to pull the market lower, said Keith Bliss, senior vice president at Cuttone & Co in New York referring to the housing data.

He said US Secretary of State John Kerry’s comments that Israel’s building of settlements on occupied land was endangering Middle East peace, made some traders nervous and exacerbated the decline with two allies publicly at odds.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 111.36 points, or 0.56 per cent, to 19,833.68, the S&P 500 lost 18.96 points, or 0.84 per cent, to 2249.92 and the Nasdaq Composite

dropped 48.89 points, or 0.89 per cent, to 5438.56.

About 4.82 billion shares changed hands in US exchanges, below the 7.2 billion daily average over the last 20 sessions. Average daily volume this week last year was 5 billion.

Boeing fell 0.9 per cent to US$156.10 a day after Delta Air Lines said it had reached an agreement with the planemaker to cancel a US$4-billion order for 18 Dreamliner aircraft.

Declining issues outnumbered advancing ones on the NYSE by a 2.73-to-1 ratio; on Nasdaq, a 2.72-to-1 ratio favoured decliners.

The S&P 500 posted 11 new 52-week highs and 4 new lows; the Nasdaq Composite recorded 98 new highs and 46 new lows. (Reuters)

17

news

thursday, december 29, 2016 | guyanatimesgy.com

Orphanage accident

Teen to be charged for manslaughter

F

ollowing the crushing to death of an eight-year-old girl at the Alpha Children’s Home located at 34 Gay Park, Greater New Amsterdam on Christmas Eve, a 17-yearold boy is to be charged with manslaughter.

On Christmas Eve, Neena Blaire formally of Edingburg Village, East Bank Berbice, was an occupant of the Alpha Children’s Home and was crushed to death at the orphanage where she was supposed to be kept safely until her mother serves her sentence.

According to reports, Blaire was playing in the front yard on Christmas Eve Day when a male teenager who resides at the home since birth, decided to get behind the wheel of one of the two cars parked in the facility’s compound and take it for a drive in the yard.

The teen drove the car around in the yard and when he put the vehicle in reverse, he pressed the escalator instead of the brake.

Reports indicate the vehicle hit Blaire. Nevertheless, she got up with little injuries but as the car continued

Dead: Neena Blaire

to reverse, crashing into the banisters of the stairs. As a result of the impact, one of the spindles became dislodged and struck the eightyear-old, causing her to fall to the ground. The banister then collapsed on top of her.

By the time she was picked up and taken to hospital, it was too late.

On Wednesday, the Director of Public Prosecutions recommended that the teen driver be charged with manslaughter.

An autopsy conducted on the child gave her cause of death as brain haemorrhaging.

The dead girl’s mother,

The dead child’s mother, Venus Lalloo

Venus Lalloo, also called “Anita” was charged and fined $350,000 for child neglect. She was imprisoned for three weeks until the fine was paid.

Four of the children were taken away including a baby when she was taken to prison.

The mother of 13 is questioning the safety of the Alpha Home and is seeking the intervention of the authorities so she can be reunited with her two daughters who remain at the orphanage and the baby that is currently at a private home.

(Andrew Carmichael)

3-pronged approach for greater youth innovation by SLED

T

he Sustainable Livelihood and Entrepreneurial Development (SLED) programme will apply a threeprong strategy to encourage youths to take up groundbreaking business initiatives.

This method is to inspire young people to come up with pioneering ideas.

Thereafter, they will seek technical assistance from the Institute of Applied Science and Technology (IAST), and the Guyana School of Agriculture (GSA). Once these proposals are feasible, provisions will be made to implement and bring them to fruition.

SLED Coordinator Jason Fraser told the Government Information Agency (GINA) that the programme range covers from agro-processing to youth developmental skills. He said it helped youths “to find a vocation what they like to do, and have them trained in that, including Information and Communication Technology (ICT) skills, agriculture and livestock, bee-keeping and added value products among others”.

The SLED programme will enable young people to form cooperatives and establish business ventures and partnerships to become

SLED Programme Coordinator Jason Fraser

self-sufficient. Fraser said the groups must be registered and checks would be done to ensure that groups comply.

“As long as you have an organised group or association, we meet with the beneficiaries, and once we see they have enough information at hand, we establish a special account with both signatories, the Government of Guyana and the beneficiaries, and we work by deliverables,” Fraser explained.

The groups are then carefully monitored to ensure the money is spent accordingly, after which training and other services in market support will be provided. Fraser noted that the programme

has seen many successes thus far. These include the Skills and Knowledge for Youth Employment (SKYE) project, which has seen about 90 youths being able to start their own business. The Swine Producers Association and several other projects, including the Women for Change, have also been fruitful. “You’d be amazed at what money and mentorship could do,” Fraser said.

Social Protection Minister Volda Lawrence, during her 2017 budget presentation, said that the SLED initiative, along with several others, were all designed to ensure that young people were better prepared to take their rightful places in society as they embark on the good life, and prepare a better life for the succeeding generation.

Minister Lawrence added that the Social Protection Ministry was considering entering into partnership with the Business Ministry to facilitate exportation of produce, fostering entrepreneurial activity, self-confidence and self-esteem.

The SLED programme, which now falls under the purview of the Social Protection Ministry, has been allocated $100 million for its continuation in 2017.

Dentsu chief resigns after overworked employee commits suicide Grenada Govt denies secret oil deal

T

he head of Japanese advertising group Dentsu has resigned following the suicide of an employee who had worked hundreds of hours of overtime.

Tadashi Ishii said he will step down in January.

Matsuri Takahashi, 24, jumped to her death in December last year and in a note left for her mother, she asked: “Why do things have to be so hard?”.

She had started working at Dentsu in April 2015 and was soon doing an additional 100 hours a month.

Dentsu has been under pressure to reduce the amount of overtime its employees do and in November it was raided by labour regulators.

In September, the Japanese Government ruled that Takahashi’s death had been caused by overwork. She would often return home at 05:00h after spending all day and night at the office.

On Wednesday, Ishii, who has been chief executive in 2011, said: “This is something that should never have been allowed to

happen.”

He will stay on until the end of March.

While Dentsu is attempting to curtail overwork – by turning off lights at the headquarters at 22:00h – it admitted that more than 100 workers were still doing an extra 80 hours a month.

Death linked to exhaustion in Japan is so common that there is a word, “karoshi”, to describe it.

According to Government figures, about 2000 people a year kill themselves because of overwork. (BBC News)

US actress Debbie Reynolds dies, a day after daughter Carrie Fisher

U

S actress Debbie Reynolds has died, a day after the death of her daughter Carrie Fisher, her son has announced.

US media said the 84-year-old had a stroke.

She was taken to a Los Angeles hospital earlier on Wednesday.

The Hollywood legend is best known for her role in the 1952 musical “Singin’ in the Rain”, opposite Gene Kelly.

Fisher – renowned for her role as Princess Leia in the Star Wars series – died on Tuesday aged 60, follow-

ing cardiac arrest on a plane.

Reynolds was taken by ambulance to Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre after being taken ill on Wednesday.

Announcing her death later, her son Todd Fisher told AP news agency: “She’s now with Carrie and we’re all heartbroken.’’

He added that the stress of his sister’s death “was too much” for their mother.

On Tuesday, Reynolds posted a statement about her daughter’s death on Facebook: “Thank you to everyone who has embraced the gifts and talents of my beloved and amazing daugh-

ter. I am grateful for your thoughts and prayers that are now guiding her to her next stop.”

Reynolds was leading lady in a succession of major Hollywood musicals and comedies in the 1950s and 60s.

She received a best-actress Academy Award nomination for the 1964 musical “The Unsinkable Molly Brown”.

In 2015, she was given a lifetime achievement award by the Screen Actors Guild.

The award was presented to her by her daughter. (Excerpt from BBC News)

T

he Grenada Government has denied signing a secret legal agreement that will allow for a British-based oil and gas exploration company to get involved in the exploration and development of hydrocarbons in a subterranean area adjoining the maritime boundary with T&T. Political leader of the main opposition National Democratic C o n g r e s s (NDC), Nazim Burke, said the Keith Mitchell Administration had “secretly” signed the agreement with “MX Oil PLC without telling anyone”.

Burke described the oil and gas sector there as the last economic frontier for the island and called on the Government to make public any agreement signed to develop the sector.

But in a statement the Government said that the signing of the MoU with MX Oil PLC did not guarantee that the company would be successful in securing a production sharing agreement and the company would update the market in due course in the event of any significant de-

velopment.

The release explained that various companies have continuously shown interest in exploring for oil and gas in Grenadian waters.

It said that after con-

t a c t ing the Energy Ministry, they are given information on available areas for exploration and that there is no seismic data for these areas since these areas have never been investigated before.

The statement noted that such virgin areas hold little prospects for investors/explorers, who eventually move to other countries with greater prospects and where data are available.

“MX Oil and Government, through the MoU, will engage in three months of discussions to

ascertain whether conditions can be reached for MX Oil to enter into an exploration arrangement with Government of Grenada.

“If an agreement is reached after the threemonth period of discussions, then the Government of Grenada will be able to say it has an investor,” the release said.

The statement noted that the area covered by the MoU includes underexplored prospective Grenada Tobago Basin acreage adjacent to the Venezuelan/ Trinidadian Patao – Poinsettia gas trend.

“The intention of the MoU is to form the basis for the negotiation of a more detailed Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) which, if signed, is likely to occur during the first half of 2017.

“It is expected that the PSA will cover matters including, but not limited to, tenure and work programme including 2D seismic and, subject to these results proving encouraging, further exploratory phases including 3D seismic data acquisition,” the release noted. (CMC)

18

guyanatimesgy.com

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2016

ARCHIE

You’ll be anxious for change. Stay focused on the (March 21- here and now and how you April 19) can make personal and professional improvements that will set you up for a brighter future.

ARIES

Making travel plans or ofTAURUS fering to help an organization (April 20- you believe in will make your May 20) day. The people you encounter along the way will be informative and influential to your thinking.

DILBERT

Expand your interests, GEMINI and research how you can (May 21June 20) master something that will help you get ahead. Don’t feel that you have to overspend.

Work with what you already have going for you.

Travel, entertainment and time spent with people (June 21- you find mentally stimulating July 22) will help you determine what you want to pursue over the upcoming year. An unusual partnership looks promising

CANCER

PEANUTS

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

Improving your surroundings, adding to your entertainment center or planning a party for friends and family will turn out well. Leave time for pampering and personal shopping.

Sales will be tempting, VIRGO but don’t go over-budget or (Aug. 23Sept. 22) make a purchase without doing your research. What you think is a good deal is likely to fall short of your expectations.

CALVIN AND HOBBES

Controversy must be put LIBRA aside.

Don’t struggle with (Sept. 23negativity when you can just Oct. 23) walk away from it. Focus on the people you love. Positive change comes from doing what’s best for yourself.

WORD GAME

SUDOKU

Make adjustments to SCORPIO where or how you live. Talk (Oct. 24to people who can offer advice Nov. 22) that will help you with your fear of failure. Trust and believe in yourself.

Someone from your past SAGITTARIUS will have an impact on the (Nov. 23changes you make heading Dec. 21) into the new year. Romance is highlighted and will improve your life.

SOLUTION FOR LAST PUBLISHED PUZZLE

Consider what you might CAPRICORN do in the new year to improve (Dec. 22your health, finances or curJan. 19) rent environment. Having a plan will give you the push you need to excel.

An unexpected gift or fiAQUARIUS nancial gain is headed in your (Jan. 20direction. Be grateful and conFeb. 19) sider how you can make someone else’s life easier. What you do for others will bring high rewards.

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

Copyright 2015, Distributed by Universal Uclick for UFS

PISCES Get together with peers (Feb. 20- for a celebration. Networking March 20) will prove valuable and could lead to greater opportunities in the coming months. Focus on getting ahead.

guyanatimesgy.com

thursday, DECember 29, 2016

19

Bolt, Biles named L’Equipe’s athletes of the year

B

at dominated ball on day three of the Boxing Day Test at the MCG. The imbalance frustrated Australia at first as Azhar Ali and Sohail Khan made hay, but David Warner and Usman Khawaja replied with aplomb to alleviate any anxieties in the home viewing area and leave a draw the most likely outcome on an increasingly friendly pitch.

Four hundred and eleven runs were harvested by the two sides for a mere five wickets. Azhar contributed 205, becoming the first Pakistani batsman to pass 200 twice in a single calendar year. He was just three short of Viv Richards’ 32-year-old record for the highest Test score by a visiting Test batsman in Melbourne when his team declared on 9 for 443.

Sohail targeted Nathan Lyon in particular, sending four mighty sixes into the crowd at the northern end of the ground. Josh Hazlewood bowled manfully for 3 for 50 from 32.3 precise and persistent overs, but Lyon’s expense was a source of discomfort for the Australians given the lack of an allrounder in the side.

Having spent six consecutive days in the field, across two Tests, Warner’s response was belligerent if fortunate.

Edges were frequent, and he was also bowled by a reverse swinging Wahab Riaz no-ball when on

far, swung presumptuously at Yasir Shah’s well-flighted delivery and heard his off stump tilt back. But the legspinner was unable to follow up with bowling of sufficient discipline, and some of Misbah-ul-Haq’s fields also caused observers to wonder.

The flow of runs continued more or less unabated in an extended final session, Warner motoring along at around a run a ball to eat into Pakistan’s advantage.

He scored plenty of his runs through the point and gully regions, and, after recording his 17th Test ton, sent a towering six down the ground off Yasir.

Wahab’s spell of reverse swing should have resulted in Warner’s dismissal short of a century, but his repeated no-balls for overstepping always seemed likely to end in tears at some stage. It was not the first time he had reprieved a batsman this year - doing likewise for Johnny Bairstow during Pakistan’s drawn series in England.

The wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed had earlier caused w i d e spread

Smith to the crease.

The start of play was delayed by more than half an hour on an overcast and sultry day due to the lightest of showers that hovered over the MCG. When it did eventually resume, Azhar and Amir commenced with intent to build Pakistan’s tally before getting the Australians in to bat. Amir made it as far as 29 before feathering

Mitchell S t a r c down the leg side to wicketkeeper

Matthew Wade.

Light rain returned after an hour’s play, but when the covers were removed Sohail launched into the bowling with rare venom swinging for the fences repeatedly, regardless of the fielders placed in the deep. No fewer than 88 runs were taken off the 10 overs leading to the lunch, including 15 from Starc’s final over of the session.

On resumption, Sohail was narrowly run out, before Azhar completed his doublehundred with a nudge behind square leg. Wahab’s dismissal, also Hazlewood’s 100th’s Test wicket, brought Misbah-ul-Haq’s closure of the innings. Australia replied with verve, but another bleak forecast for day four would not fill either side with optimism. (ESPNcricinfo)

W

Usain Bolt

orld’s fastest man Usain Bolt and American gymnast Simone Biles have been nominated as French magazine L’Equipe’s male and female athletes of the year.

Bolt, track and field’s most recognized figure, added to an already decorated resume at this summer’s Rio Olympics when he became the first man to win the 100m, 200m and 4x100m relay events at three consecutive Games. Biles was also outstanding in Rio, where she claimed four gold medals and a bronze with several gravity defying performances.

The award was the fifth for Bolt following wins in 2008, 2009, 2012 and 2015, but is likely to be among his last as he has stated the intention to retire from the sport next year. The win was the first for Biles as she claims a category typically dominated by her compatriot Serena Williams. Bolt topped the men’s vote with 979 points. Second was American swimmer Michael Phelps, while third went to British tennis player Andy Murray.

Portuguese player Cristiano Ronaldo had to settle for the fourth place.

“I never get tired of the awards because they reward my work and give it meaning,” Bolt told the magazine.

In the women’s voting, gymnast Biles was the winner with 850 points, ahead of American swimmer Katie Ledecky (827) and Jamaican athlete Elaine Thompson (485).

SCOREBOARD

David Warner is bowled, off a no-ball, by Wahab Riaz but rode his luck to another ton

81. An inside edge for four brought him his first century in almost a year, which he celebrated with his customary, sponsor-friendly leap that belied his poor form in the lead up to this Test.

Khawaja’s innings of 95 was calmer, barely making a false move after he replaced Matt Renshaw at the crease. Renshaw, an impressively patient figure at the crease in his three Tests so

Matt Renshaw and Steven Smith applaud Azhar Ali after his double-ton

mirth when wasting a referral on a ball that beat Warner’s bat by almost a foot, but he redeemed himself close to stumps by successfully reviewing Ian Gould’s not out verdict on a tickle down the leg side by the opener. Warner partly gave himself away by walking halfway off before the decision was reached, ending an entertaining 144 and bringing his captain Steven

Stumps - Day 3 Pakistan 1st innings Sami Aslam c Smith b Lyon 9 Azhar Ali not out 205 Babar Azam c Smith b Hazlewood 23 Younis Khan b Bird 21 Misbah-ul-Haq* c Maddinson b Bird 11 Asad Shafiq c Smith b Bird 50 Sarfraz Ahmed† c Renshaw b Hazlewood 10 Mohammad Amir c †Wade b Starc 29 Sohail Khan run out (Maddinson) 65 Wahab Riaz c & b Hazlewood 1 Extras (b-4, lb-9, w-5, nb-1) 19 Total (9 wickets dec; 126.3 overs) 443 Did not bat; Yasir Shah Fall of wickets 1-18 (Sami Aslam, 11.3 ov), 2-60 (Babar Azam, 25.6 ov), 3-111 (Younis Khan, 42.1 ov), 4-125 (Misbahul-Haq, 46.5 ov), 5-240 (Asad Shafiq, 87.6 ov), 6-268 (Sarfraz Ahmed, 94.5 ov), 7-317 (Mohammad Amir, 105.1 ov), 8-435 (Sohail Khan, 124.6 ov),

9-443 (Wahab Riaz, 126.3 ov) Bowling; MA Starc 31-6125-1 (w-1), JR Hazlewood 32.3-11-50-3, JM Bird 34-5113-3 (nb-1), NM Lyon 231-115-1, SPD Smith 3-0-9-0, NJ Maddinson 3-0-18-0 Australia 1st innings MT Renshaw b Yasir Shah 10 DA Warner c †Sarfraz Ahmed b Wahab Riaz 144 UT Khawaja not out 95 SPD Smith* not out 10 Extras (b-1, lb-8, nb-10) 19 Total (2 wickets; 58 overs) 278 To bat; PSP Handscomb, NJ Maddinson, MS Wade†, MA Starc, JR Hazlewood, NM Lyon, JM Bird Fall of wickets 1-46 (Renshaw, 13.1 ov), 2-244 (Warner, 48.5 ov) Bowling; Mohammad Amir 14-2-44-0, Sohail Khan 12-440-0, Yasir Shah 16-0-97-1, Wahab Riaz 14-2-77-1 (nb10), Azhar Ali 2-0-11-0

Simone Biles

20

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

thursday, DECember 29, 2016

Cook century gives Proteas firm control S

t e phen Cook’s third Test hundred moved South Africa into a dominant position on a third day of rain delays and rapid scoring in Port

Nuwan Pradeep’s wicket marked the 10,000th lbw in Test cricket

Elizabeth. Sri Lanka caused a brief flutter with four wickets for 56 runs, but that only came after South Africa had moved to 221 for 1. At stumps, South Africa were 351 for 5, their lead 432 with two days remaining.

For most of the day, the only force that seemed capable of halting South Africa’s march was the weather: Bad light and rain halted play twice, either side of an early lunch break, for roughly an hour cumulatively. Then, belatedly, Sri Lanka’s bowlers began to find some success.

Nuwan Pradeep dismissed Amla with the last ball before tea, making him the 10,000th lbw victim in Test history. Dushmantha Chameera got Cook to nick behind in the sixth over af-

ter tea, before Dhananjaya de Silva, bowling his offbreaks from around the wicket to both right- and left-hand batsmen, began turning the ball appreciably. He got JP Duminy to edge to slip, and then had Temba Bavuma caught at short leg - Bavuma walked off without reviewing after being given out, despite replays suggesting there was no bat involved.

Rangana Herath could have had Quinton de Kock three overs later, but Dinesh Chandimal, possibly unsighted by the batsman as the ball spun out of the rough and between bat and pad, missed the stumping. De Kock and Faf du Plessis went on to add an unbroken 74 for the sixth wicket, at 4.82 per over, reinforcing South Africa’s hold on the Test match.

South Africa dominated right from the start of play, taking only 7.5 overs to wrap up Sri Lanka’s lower order, with Vernon Philander completing his 11th Test-match five-for, and gain an 81run first-innings lead. Then Cook, courtesy century stands for the first and second wicket with Dean Elgar and Hashim Amla, ensured Sri Lanka remained on the mat.

Amla fell two short of a half-century, Pradeep trapping him on the shuffle, spearing one full and straight the ball after that shuffle had brought the batsman a cheeky four, a leg glance off an off-stump delivery. By then, Amla had batted as fluently as he has done at any point this sea-

SCOREBOARD Stumps - Day 3 South Africa 1st innings 286 Sri Lanka 1st innings (Overnight 181/7) FDM Karunaratne b Abbott 5 16 JK Silva lbw b Philander MDKJ Perera c †de Kock b Philander 7 BKG Mendis c †de Kock b Abbott 0 AD Mathews* c Elgar b Rabada 39 LD Chandimal† lbw b Philander 28 DM de Silva c †de Kock b Philander 43 HMRKB Herath lbw b Maharaj 24 PVD Chameera c Amla b Abbott 19 RAS Lakmal c Abbott b Philander 4 N Pradeep not out 8 Extras (lb-4, w-5, nb-3) 12 Total (all out; 64.5 overs) 205 Fall of wickets 1-10 (Karunaratne, 3.2 ov), 2-19 (Perera, 6.2 ov), 3-22 (Mendis, 7.6 ov), 4-61 (Silva, 21.5 ov), 5-94 (Mathews, 31.1 ov), 6-121 (Chandimal, 41.3 ov), 7-157 (Herath, 50.1 ov), 8-181 (de Silva, 57.1 ov), 9-185 (Lakmal, 57.6 ov), 10205 (Chameera, 64.5 ov)

Bowling; VD Philander 20-7-455 (nb-2), KJ Abbott 21.5-4-63-3, K Rabada 13-3-63-1 (nb-1, w-1), KA Maharaj 10-3-30-1 South Africa 2nd innings SC Cook c †Chandimal b Chameera 117 D Elgarc Mathews b Lakmal 52 HM Amla lbw b Pradeep 48 JP Duminy c Mathews b de Silva 25 F du Plessis* not out 41 T Bavuma c Mendis b de Silva 8 Q de Kock† not out 42 Extras (b-5, lb-1, w-3, nb-9) 18 Total (5 wickets; 80 overs) 351 To bat: VD Philander, KJ Abbott, KA Maharaj, K Rabada Fall of wickets 1-116 (Elgar, 32.1 ov), 2-221 (Amla, 50.6 ov), 3-245 (Cook, 57.6 ov), 4-267 (Duminy, 62.4 ov), 5-277 (Bavuma, 64.4 ov) Bowling; RAS Lakmal 15-2-571, N Pradeep 14-0-65-1 (nb-4, w-1), AD Mathews 4-0-10-0, PVD Chameera 11-0-63-1 (nb1, w-2), HMRKB Herath 23-176-0, DM de Silva 13-0-74-2

son, delighted his fans with some vintage strokeplay including scorching drives through the covers and down the ground, his balance and timing inch-perfect.

After two days dominated by seamers, Sri Lanka may have hoped for continuing assistance from the pitch, but after some early help for the new ball - Cook and Elgar sent three edges streaking through gaps in the slip cordon in the first four overs - conditions seemed to ease out considerably. Given South Africa’s lead, Sri Lanka couldn’t attack for too long, and the innings eventually settled into a pattern of easily available runs against defensive fields.

Elgar was the dominant opening partner before lunch - which was taken half an hour early thanks to bad light and later rain - scoring 26 to Cook’s 12 and hitting three fours including a muscular swat over midwicket when Suranga Lakmal dropped marginally short and a crisply timed backfoot drive down the ground off Angelo Mathews.

Cook caught up when play resumed, with three fours in two overs - not all of them entirely controlled - when the seamers began bowling short. With singles now plentifully available against the deep-set fields, Cook’s strike rate climbed, and he reached fifty in style, punching Pradeep through the covers to bring up the landmark and slashing the next one backward of point for another four.

Elgar soon joined him in the 50s before falling to a miscued pull off Suranga Lakmal. By then, Cook and Elgar had brought up their second century partnership of the match. It was only the tenth time in Test history that an opening pair had achieved this feat.

South Africa began scoring even more freely with Amla at the crease: the second-wicket pair scored at 5.57 while the openers had gone at 3.60. Cook, who took 81 balls to score his first fifty, scored his second in 71 balls, as Sri Lanka’s bowlers went through the motions.

Cook went from 95 to 99 with the shot of his innings, a straight punch off the front foot against Chameera, before getting to his hundred the next ball with a trademark nurdle into the leg side for two.

South Africa’s day began in the best way possible. Philander struck with his very first ball, shaping it away from the fourth-stump channel to induce a poke and an edge from Dhananjaya de Silva, who, on 43 overnight, had held Sri Lanka’s

Stephen Cook celebrates his third Test ton

hopes of narrowing South Africa’s lead to manageable proportions. Five balls later, Lakmal realised he wasn’t quite to the pitch of a fullish ball to drive, checked his shot, and popped a low catch to mid-on, giving Philander his fifth wicket.

Philander and Kyle Abbott beat the edges of Chameera and Pradeep frequently, but Sri Lanka’s Nos. 9 and 11 managed to stretch their total by 20 runs along the way. There were a couple of audacious shots as well - Pradeep punched Abbott off the back foot to the point boundary, and Chameera hit Philander for a straight-bat scoop over mid-on. Eventually, having just got past the 50-ball mark, Chameera jabbed at an away-swinger from Abbott and nicked to first slip. (ESPNcricinfo)

Former world number 1 Ana Ivanovic retires

A

day on from revealing she had “important news” to share, 2008 French Open winner Ana Ivanovic has confirmed her retirement.

Former world number one Ana Ivanovic has confirmed her retirement from professional tennis, via a video announcement on her official Facebook page.

Ivanovic, who won the French Open in 2008, fuelled speculation over her future on Tuesday when she revealed she would be “sharing something important” with her fans and supporters.

And in a scheduled live broadcast at 6pm UK time on Wednesday, the 29-yearold Serbian revealed she is bringing an end to her career, citing recent struggles with injury as the primary factor behind her decision.

“There is no other way to say it: I have decided to retire from professional tennis,” said Ivanovic.

“It has been a difficult decision but there is so much to celebrate. I began dreaming about tennis when I was five and saw Monica Seles playing on TV. My dear parents backed me all the way and by the time I was ranked number one in the world and won Roland Garros in 2008, I had seen heights I had never dreamt of achieving.

“I won 15 WTA Tour titles, [played in] three grand slam finals, Fed Cup finals and I played so many memorable matches. I would say [that is] not so bad for a tiny slip of a girl from Serbia.

“But seeing those heights in any professional sport requires top physical form and it’s well-known that I have been hampered by injuries.

Ana Ivanovic “I can only play if I can perform up to my own high standards, and I can no longer do that, so it’s time to move on.”

Urging her fans not to be sad about the news, Ivanovic - who earned over $15million in her career - said: “I have lived my dreams and I really hope to help others do so as well.”

Ivanovic now intends to explore opportunities in business, beauty and fashion, in addition to dedicating more time to her philantropic activities.

Tennis great Billie Jean King paid tribute to Ivanovic via Twitter, in a message that read: “Best wishes with your future endeavors. Will miss seeing that spectacular smile! Once a champion, always a champion.” (Sportsmax)

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The Guyana Jaguars were on the hunt against Trinidad and Tobago Red Force and eventually got maximum points

By Ravi Madholall

A

t the conclusion of five captivating rounds of the annual West Indies Cricket Board Professional Cricket League (PCL) regional fourday tournament, defending champion Guyana Jaguars sitting comfortably second on the points table.

Having looked at the tabulation, the Guyanese have 64.6 points sharply behind Jamaica Scorpions who are on with 67.6 points but nothing daunting for the Jaguars who can still emerge as champion when the season wraps up next year.

Their auspicious start to the third campaign should have provided enough impetus to lurch to the third consecutive PCL title.

In every department of the game, the men from the land of many waters sparked very well.

Batsmen continued to dominate while the bowlers churned out great performances to demonstrate the kind of consistency required.

When they opposed another regional giant side Jamaica Scorpions on home soil, Guyana Jaguars inflicted a solid thrashing on them by 181 runs. They immediately proved their regional superiority.

But things went gloomy with the shock and upset defeat at the hands of Leeward Islands Hurricane on a placid Warner Park pitch.

The Hurricanes lads were stifling to save the match but the batting clicked under challenging circumstances to come out on top winning by four wickets in considerably dramatic fashion.

Guyana Jaguars, undoubtedly in a mood of disappointment, headed across to Darren Sammy Stadium in St. Lucia to

tackle Windward Islands Volcanoes but rain affected proceedings with the game ended in stalemate but the Jaguars were enjoy-

ing the exchanges and perhaps were robbed of another outright win.

Back at home, another drawn encounter kept Guyana Jaguars hunting harder, and their confrontation with Barbados Pride would not have been easy.

However, the drawn match saw Guyana Jaguars taking 10.4 points

while the Bajans collected 9.8 points.

The initiation of the PCL is understandably important for West Indies’ cricket and the double-round which began two years ago manifested the growth and the standard, at least to the year 2016.

Guyana Jaguars team is the dominant force winning the championship since then. Still on home turf, the Guyanese finished 2016 and the half-way stage in clinical manner beating Trinidad and Tobago Red

Force by a handsome tenwicket margin.

The sixth round will commence March 10 when Guyana Jaguars colliding with Jamaica Scorpions at Sabina Park, Jamaica.

The break should allow the Guyanese to rekindle any form of deficiency they would have experienced, especially against the Hurricanes players.

Only recently Chairman of the national selectors Rayon Griffith stated publicly that he was satisfied with the progress the side made so far in defense of the prestigious title and confident they will continue to do well in the other five scheduled matches.

Admirably, Guyana Jaguars have got some quality players who showcased their talent with some brilliant performances.

Shivnarine Chanderpaul, a former West Indies skipper, has been in phenomenal form while batsmen like captain Leon Johnson, Vishal Singh, Rajindra Chandrika, Shimron Hetmyer among others also supportive.

The bowling is making an impression too with left-arm spinner and test bowler Veerasammy Permaul leading from the front with another left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie backing up nicely and the pacemen Keon Joseph and Raymon Riefer with others chipping in as well.

Based on what had transpired in the last 25 matches, the Jaguars have got the right temperament for regional glory.

Notwithstanding that, the other competitors are showing they are equally formidable and anxious to lift the trophy but with the way things have unfolded, the Jaguars can still do it again this season.

22

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

thursday, december 29, 2016

Fernandes seeking more exposure for squash players in 2017

By Akeem Greene

A

12th successive Caribbean Junior Squash Association title and third place finish at the senior championships are the two major achievements of the Guyana Squash Association this year. Combined with that four players [Taylor Fernandes, Alexander Cheeks, Rebecca Lowe and Shomari Wiltshire] represented the country at the US and Canada Junior Open tournaments where they placed in the middle of the seeds.

It is with these achievements that President of the Guyana Squash Association (GSA) David Fernandes is overjoyed but is not relishing in the success for too long as he seeks to have the players engage in more international tournaments.

“We had some juniors re-

Guyana Squash Association President David Fernandes

finished in the middle of the pack, in a group of 64 they would have brought 33 or 34 in the pack,” the President explained.

He further stated, “what we learned is that these kids play with high intensity and only through major dedication by our athletes and

The multi-talented Alexander Cheeks played at the US Junior Open and on the local circuit has shown immense promise

cently returning from the Canadian and US open, all of them did credible, they

good opportunities at international competitions, only then can I see them being in

the top 20 or 15 in these tournaments; My goal is that the athletes continue training in the new year in preparation of us hosting and they give a good show.”

In terms of the junior and senior teams’ performance, the President felt that the juniors produced an excellent showing the Cayman Islands despite a stiff challenge from Barbados in the final.

“We did very well this year especially in the juniors we did above expectations in the juniors because we knew that we had a close fight with Barbados but in the end everything worked out in our favour and we retained for the 12 time in succession Caribbean overall champions,” Fernandes said.

While in the seniors he felt they performed well despite the injury to a vital player, stating, “Our senior team was less fortunate even though we had a great team both in the men’s and women’s but unfortunately an injury to our number one player Sunil Seth’s foot caused us in the men’s side to have a weaken team”.

The squash head was enthused about the talents noticed in tournaments such as Bounty Farm handicap, Digicel National Open, Woodpecker Junior National Championships, Farfan and Mendes Juniors and the Toucan Industries Juniors.

For 2017, Guyana is expected to host the 35th annual Caribbean Junior Championships in July while a month after the seniors will travel to St. Vincent and the Grenadines for the 24th edition of the champions; in February, the junior team will play the South American Championships in Paraguay.

Ato Boldon is Best Television Analyst for 2016

T

he successes of retired Trinidad and Tobago (T&T) track star Ato Boldon have continued off the track. Boldon, a four-time Olympic medallist and T&T’s most decorated track athlete of all time, has been named as one of the best television analysts of the year by Sports Illustrated.

The 42-year-old former sprinter, who celebrates his birthday on Friday, and NBC’s Roddy Gaines were named joint best television analysts of the year by Sports Illustrated when it announced its best and worst media awards for 2016.

Boldon was awarded because of his insightful and educational commentary during the 2016 Olympics held in Brazil.

According to Sports Illustrated, “Boldon educates track viewers through his preparation, and when you listen to him, you realize how rare it is to have a sports TV analyst make you a smarter viewer.

The high point for me was when Boldon tipped Japan for a medal in the 4×100-metre men’s relay prior to that Olympic race.”

“This is a sleeper team,” Boldon had said. “They ran an Asian-record 37.68 in their heat, beating Jamaica, and they pass the baton better than

Ato Boldon

anyone else in this field… Some teams practice for a month or a week. Japan has been practicing for the entire year.”

The Japan team finished second in a new Asianrecord time of 37.60 seconds, just 0.33 behind Usain Bolt and his Jamaican teammates. (Caribbean360)

Lynn smokes 85 But four overs since Boxing Day is vastly different to the 31 overs fellow firebrand Mitchell Starc bowled at the MCG in the second Test against Pakistan.

It must be remembered that Cummins hasn’t played firstclass cricket since August 2015 and he hasn’t played Sheffield Shield or Test cricket since 2011.

Andre Russell is a T20 gun for hire and his talent with bat, ball and in the field makes him a very attractive recruit for the Thunder and other franchises around the world. Last season he averaged 23 with the bat striking at 186 and his powerhitting is very dangerous. But his big hitting may well be nullified in this tournament if teams continue to bowl short at him.

This season he has scored just 19 runs from 24 deliveries across three innings. He was bounced out by Sixers quick Doug Bollinger in game one and Heat skipper Brendon McCullum was clear with his tactics in this game. Ben Cutting bowled short at him with a

continued from page 23

leg gully and then McCullum changed the field to give Russell the impression Cutting would go full, but again he bounced him and a skied pull shot landed

just short of deep square leg.

He holed out not long after.

Russell will need to work out a plan against the short stuff.

(ESPNcricinfo)

SCOREBOARD Sydney Thunder innings (20 overs maximum) KR Patterson b Swepson 36 RJ Gibson st †Peirson b Badree 2 0 SR Watson* b Steketee EJG Morgan c Swepson b Badree 52 AD Russell c Burns b Cutting 8 BJ Rohrer lbw b Wildermuth 17 PJ Cummins b Wildermuth 6 CJ Green not out 22 1 CJ McKay not out Extras (lb-2, w-11) 13 Total (7 wickets; 20 overs) 157 Did not bat; JR Doran†, Fawad Ahmed Fall of wickets 1-12 (Gibson, 2.2 ov), 2-13 (Watson, 3.3 ov), 3-61 (Patterson, 10.2 ov), 4-91 (Russell, 14.2 ov), 5-112 (Morgan, 16.3 ov), 6-129 (Cummins, 18.4 ov), 7-130 (Rohrer, 18.6 ov) Bowling; S Badree 4-0-202 (w-1), MT Steketee 4-0-181, JS Floros 1-0-4-0 (w-1), JD Wildermuth 4-0-40-2 (w4), BCJ Cutting 4-0-24-1, MJ Swepson 3-0-49-1 (w-1)

Brisbane Heat innings (target: 158 runs from 20 overs) JJ Peirson† lbw b McKay 0 BB McCullum* b Cummins 4 CA Lynn not out 85 11 AI Ross b Cummins JA Burns b Green 10 BCJ Cutting lbw b Fawad Ahmed 1 JS Floros c Watson b Fawad Ahmed 3 JD Wildermuth c Rohrer b Green 29 MT Steketee not out 12 (lb-1, w-4) 5 Extras Total (7 wickets; 19.4 overs) 160 Did not bat; MJ Swepson, S Badree Fall of wickets 1-0 (Peirson, 0.2 ov), 2-6 (McCullum, 1.2 ov), 3-19 (Ross, 3.3 ov), 4-56 (Burns, 7.4 ov), 5-57 (Cutting, 8.2 ov), 6-63 (Floros, 10.1 ov), 7-113 (Wildermuth, 15.6 ov) Bowling ; CJ McKay 4-0-381 (w-2), PJ Cummins 4-0-46(w-1), AD Russell 3.42 0-25-0, Fawad Ahmed 4-0-19-2 (w-1), CJ Green 4-0-31-2

Heavily cost overrun Brian Lara Stadium to be completed in time for CPL C onstruction on the long overdue Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba is expected to be finished in time for next year’s edition of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL).

The project, which began in 2007, is already estimated to have cost the government an eye-watering $US118m (TT 800m) in overruns. Chairman of the Urban Development Corporation of Trinidad and Tobago (UDeCOTT) Noel Garcia, however, claimed on Wednesday that most the work was now completed and the facility was in line for completion in early February.

“All of the works are substantially completed.

The chairs would come in on the last week in January. We also are expecting the scoreboard to come in sometime in midJanuary. The other touching up work should be completed, we are anticipating by the last week in January. We are hopeful that somewhere around the 15th of February we will have a 20/20 match to open the refurbished stadium,” Garcia said. The recent refurbishing work was put at an estimated $US13m (TT90m).

“We are still within budget, we have slowed a little in time but that was because of certain adjustments we made that were at the request of Brian Lara.”

Brian Lara Stadium

guyanatimesgy.com

thursday, december 29, 2016

UDFA/GT Beer Christmas Football Championship…

Semi-finals on tonight at MSC ground

− Winners Connection face Eagles, Shattas oppose Botafago

T

he semi-finals of this year’s Upper Demerara Football Association’s (UDFA)/ GT Beer Christmas football championship is on tonight at the Mackenzie Sports Club ground with reigning three time winners, Federal Winners Connection colliding with Eagles United at 18:30h followed

by Botafago and Silver Shattas clash from 20:00h.

When the final set of preliminary games were played on Tuesday night Eagles United scored a 1-0 win to inflict Silver Shattas’ with their only defeat after they were pushed into a win or go home match.

That win allowed them to reach the final four while Botafago also reached the semifinals after they thrashed Hi Stars 5-2 and

Winners Connection’s Rawle Gittens could be lethal at the top for his side

claim the second spot in Group A. Yannick Simon was once again the savior of the Eagles team netting a penalty in the 77th minute that decided that encounter.

With the must win game won, the Eagles United ended on seven points from two wins, one draw and one loss which meant that Kwakwani Strikers were booted out of contention as Eagles netted five goals and allowed in three.

Silver Shattas will be hoping that Colwyn Drake will continue to be among the goals

To head Group B Silver Shattas after playing their four games had nine points from three wins and one loss, scoring seven goals and conceding one.

Botafago qualified after they were faced with a do or die situation but they made it through with a convincing 5-2 shutting out of Hi Stars. If they had gained a sixth goal from a missed penalty taken, they would have bettered Winners Connection to top that group.

However, it was enough for them to move into the semi-finals and they could have finished on top as against being second to champions Winners Connection as their both had three and lost once. Botafago’s missed penalty therefore still saw them into the semifinals as the number two ranked side in this ten team championship which was divided into two groups of five.

Botafago were led by goals from Kellon Primo in the 12th minute, Antwoine Gill in the 41st, Tyron Adams in the 59tth, Tevin Davis in the 77th and Jevon LaFleur in the 88th minute. An own goal in the first minute and a 58th minute strike accounted for the goals by Hi Stars.

GTTA envisions a bright 2017 − National Development Programme is closer to reality

By Delvon Mc Ewan

T

he year 2016 has been a year of consolidation for the Guyana Table Tennis Association (GTTA) according to President Godfrey Munroe but the weather in 2017 is expected to be a lot brighter as the association seek to focus on areas that can allow growth within the sport.

However, he is counting on some assistance from the Guyana Teachers Union (GTU), National Sport Commission (NSC) and the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) for the manifestation of growth within the sport by the end of 2017 with the realization of the GTTA National Development Programme.

“I think 2016 was a year of consolidation for us (GTTA), particularly we worked on a major project; getting the sport into the school in a structured way and a lot of energies were directed there. The project was two year in making based on a proposal by the GTTA based on a call from GOA for associations to provide a strategic initiative and at this point it is near the unveiling stage and hopefully by January we are hoping to have it unveiled,” Munroe detailed.

Apart from the process taken by the tennis association for future success there were other highlights

Lynn smokes 85 in Heat’s savage run chase

A

stunning innings from Chris Lynn single-handedly dragged Brisbane Heat over the line against Sydney Thunder.

The Heat needed 75 runs from 36 balls with just four wickets in hand. But Lynn and Jack Wildermuth (29 from 20) struck six sixes and four boundaries between them to run down the total with three wickets and two balls to spare. The Thunder dropped four catches, including Lynn three times.

Earlier the Thunder looked in trouble with the bat until some late hitting from Chris Green salvaged the innings. Eoin Morgan held the innings together with a composed 52 but Green launched three sixes in the final over to drag the total up to 157.

Pat Cummins ripped through the top order of the Heat with genuine pace but he could not remove Lynn.

Lynn was the star of last season’s BBL as the leading run scorer in the tournament but his 201617 domestic season for Queensland has been completely curtailed by injury.

Andre Russell floored one much to the disappointment of the fans

He produced another gem in Heat colours tonight. The Heat were 3 for 27 in the sixth over with Pat Cummins breathing fire.

Lynn crushed five consecutive boundaries to get the chase back on track. He lost three more teammates and the run-rate tipped beyond 12 an over at one stage but he bided his time against the spinners before backing his raw power against the quicks late. He had some luck but he created some of it with his power hitting.

He has now scored a century and four 50s from his last

10 BBL innings.

The Thunder dropped Sydney Sixers captain Moises Henriques twice in game one, including first ball, and he made them pay with an unbeaten 76 in a clinical run-chase. They dropped Lynn three times to lose their third consecutive match.

They also dropped a fourth catch, which was probably the most important. The Heat needed 57 off 27 when Wildermuth miscued a delivery from the off spin of Green straight down Andre Russell’s throat

23

at long-on. It burst through Russell’s hands and over the rope for six. The next ball disappeared over his head. Although Wildermuth holed out from the last ball of Green’s over, the equation was back to 45 from 24.

Ryan Gibson misjudged a flat off drive from Lynnn at long off that also went for six. Jake Doran dropped a gloved pull off Cummins and then the skipper Shane Watson dropped a sitter at cover in the last over to seal the Thunder’s fate.

Cummins bowled a spell that will leave Australian cricket fans salivating at the thought of him returning to Test cricket. He cranked up the pace to knock over Brendon McCullum and Alex Ross in the Powerplay and leave the Heat reeling.

He delivered a 150kph outswinger that knocked back McCullum’s middle stump, while a 151kph yorker made a mess of Ross’ pegs. With some luck he might have nabbed Lynn and been the match-winner for the Thunder. He regularly clocked 150kph and swung the new ball.

Continued on page 22

Godfrey Munroe

within 2016, like the coaching and referees course and the performances from the teams (juniors and seniors) that participated in international competitions. So on the international front there has been fairly good success which is good for the future, Munroe stated.

However, reflecting locally, he said one of the key areas to be focus on, is the hosting of a lot more domestic competitions to keep the players active and a s sist with

t h e marketing of the sport.

W h e n t h e National Development Programme is introduced to more than 100 primary schools in early 2017, a broader base of players will be available for training and ultimately feeding the national set up. However, a permanent ‘home’ for tennis is still a top priority for the GTTA but Munroe indicated that realistically it is a few years down the line but remains at the front burner for his association.

By the time the construction of a facility is manifested the sport should already expand and be among the budding sports here since there are new committees in Linden and Essequibo, which were given the necessary resources and training to ensure there is development in those places.

Berbice will also be back on board shortly as the expansion mission aims to touch

all three counties as outlined in the programme.

Obviously 2016 was not without challenges and the following are the areas that the GTTA will seek to improve; 1. Domestic Competition is one that truly need to be address.

2-National Team structured training; To have it ongoing yearly and not just closed to tournaments because it allows for periodised training for the athletes because the concept is to train to improve and not to tour, so the athlete would understand that it is a cycle of growth to keep improving aspects of their game whether technically or tactically. 3. Revenue Generation Planning; A lot more can be done to fund projects thus the base of the GTTA committee might be broaden in the new year. 4.

Seek Elite Support; From the GOA and Government of Guyana. It would not cover only the senior but players in the junior realm, whether for training, academic or wherever the GTTA sees the input is needed.

With these implementations Munroe believes the GTTA would be able to create a coaching career path and as a result there will be a greater nucleus of coaches and the sport will be more accessible to more people.

In addition the President will engage the Sport Ministry for a Chinese coach because in the past the GTTA have had great value inputs from the presence of a Chinese coach but this time around they will be seeking one who could play because it is becoming a global method so they could play o n the national team with the local players to bring them up to a higher level and to teach them new techniques.

In relation to females, with the new initiative, Munroe is hopeful that it will bring new and a greater number of females into the sport. He view it as a key priority for the GTTA. Other than the implementation of the project for January, the tennis body will host the Junior and Cadet Championship in April which will allow for the exposure of approximately 34 players between the ages of 15 and 18. There is an Islamic event where Guyana will send a male and female team to Baku, the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan. However, starting things off in January is a doubles tournament while 2017 will also see the return of the Mashramani and Independence tournaments.

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

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2016

guyanatimesgy.com

Pg 22

Heavily cost overrun Brian Lara Stadium to be completed in time for CPL Trinidad and Tobago Sports Minister Darryl Smith, left, speaks with former West Indies star batsman Brian Lara during a tour of the Tarouba stadium

Pg 22

Fernandes seeking more exposure for squash players in 2017 Taylor Fernandes ended her career as a junior as one of the top ranked players in the Caribbean while Shomari Wiltshire, who comes from a strong family of successful squash players is one who is expected to lead the juniors in years to come

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