GuyanaTimes

Page 6

August 10 is Budget Day Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana guyanatimesgy.com

Issue No. 2571

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Friday, July 31, 2015

Govt pilloried over ethnic, gender imbalance Page 6

– Outrage over composition of State Boards

Essequibo mothers protest scrapping of $10,000 cash grant Page 14

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WHAT'S INSIDE:

14-year-old girl disarms gun-toting bandit P2 Ramsaran on self-bail for verbal assault P8 charge

House P10 collapses with elderly woman

Westford/Bheri fallout

PPP/C to assess P13 impact of criminal charges Essequibo mothers and two of their male counterparts protesting the scrapping of the $10,000 school grant in front of the Region Two Department of Education office

Mother, Bandits rob daughter burnt Ryhaan Shah at gunpoint to death Rising crime wave

Page 3

...escape with cash, other ...by hungry, drunk son-in-law personal items Page 2

...says will return to Parliament for Budget

Tight-lipped Sean Hinds released without charge P14

2 news

friday, july 31, 2015 | guyanatimesGY.com

14-year-old girl disarms Bandits rob gun-toting bandit Ryhaan Shah Rising Crime wave

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14-year-old high school girl used a cutlass to disarm a man who had just robbed her family at gunpoint. The incident occurred on Wednesday evening at Stanleytown, New Amsterdam, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne).

Reports are that three men entered the home of Gordon Gomes around 20:00h on Wednesday and carried out the attack before one was caught in his attempt to flee. According to Gomes, the workers who were involved in a construction project at his home had just completed it and were paid before leaving.

Subsequently, he was on his veranda and saw three men approaching, but he left to go inside without paying much attention to them. “When I

go inside something say look and see where these men going so I turned around and looked through the window, but did not see them so I go to the door and look and...no one.”

Gomes said when he went on to the veranda again he saw two of the men at his front door and one at the back of his home. At the time, both doors were open.

“When they come in, they tell them girls to lie on the floor, but they didn’t and then they ask me for money and I told them that I don’t have any.”

According to the overseas-based Guyanese who is home to continue construction on his new house, one of the three robbers ordered the one with the gun to shoot. With the gun point-

ed at Gomes, the trigger was pulled several times, but the weapon did not go off.

“So I run out on the veranda and start shouting out to the neighbours for thief and I call out to the Coast Guard for help.”

Amid Gomes’ shouts, two of the intruders fled while the other who held the gun went into a bedroom and removed a wallet, a tablet and gold earrings. “He open up the draw and tumbling up and then he run outside with the things in his hand and run out the front door.”

It was at this point that the 14-year-old made her move to disarm him and leave him almost helpless.

Gomes said that she picked up a cutlass, went to the back landing, and threw the cutlass, using the sharp

edged instrument as a missile. The escaping man wobbled before falling after being hit. Gomes said he then asked his wife for another cutlass and went downstairs. “He fall down and the gun on the ground with everything that he take from the house, so I give he some good broadside, but I slip in the drain and he take the cutlass and chop me.”

Residents and officers from the Coast Guard rushed to Gomes’ rescue and took custody of the robber.

Gomes was rushed to the New Amsterdam Hospital where he was treated and sent away. There are reports that as he left for the hospital, residents took care of the robber. He was handed over to Police after receiving a ‘thief man’s’ welcome.

at gunpoint

...escape with cash, other personal items

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usinesswoman and writer, Ryhaan Shah was on Thursday afternoon robbed by two guntoting bandit just as she arrived home from an overseas trip.

Cultural activist and columnist of the Guyana Times, Shah, told this newspaper that she had just arrived home and drove her car into the garage under the house. She said as she was approaching the front door two men armed with hand guns walked into the yard. Shah said at the time her gate was still open. “At first I thought they needed help with directions or something until they came right up to me and started to tug at my handbag,” Shah related.

She said at that point she told the criminals she had no money in the bag but that it had her ID and driver’s licence. However, one of the bandits pulled a gun from his waist at which point she released the bag.

“I also had a plastic bag with two pieces of fish I just bought from Bonny’s Supermarket. I guess they’ll have some fish stew for dinner. They looked hungry. I had a Samsung phone, my ID and driver’s licence and about 10,000 in cash,” Shah related. She told this newspaper that the shock of the ordeal with a gun being casually pulled for a few thousand dollars and the humbug of having to replace her driver’s licence and ID card are frustrating. She also lost her reading glasses.

Other armed robberies

Shah is the latest of several other persons who have been robbed in recent times upon their return from overseas. Back in June two men were held after they were nabbed by Police ranks in D Division (West Bank Demerara/East Bank Essequibo) moments after robbing an overseas-based Guyanese and his family at Goed Fortuin, West Bank Demerara (WBD) in the wee hours of Sunday morning.

Alex Roberts, 35, of Lot 324 Goed Fortuin, Squatting Area, WBD and his wife arrived at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) at about 00:30h and after clearing immigration, the couple left the airport and arrived home at about 02:00h. Reports were that Roberts and his wife, were collected at the airport by his brother-in-law and sister-in-law, had and upon their arrival home, he exited the car to open the gate.

It was here that he was con-

Ryhaan Shah

fronted by three men armed with handguns. The men relived the family of US$140, G$55,000, jewellery, four mobile phones and travel document, along with two bags. From all indications, it appears that the perpetrators trailed the family from the CJIA, since records at the Demerara Harbour Bridge (DHB) proved that Roberts’ vehicle crossed the bridge at 01:47h and the vehicle the perpetrators was travelling in, bearing registration number PSS 9566 crossed at 01:48h.

In the same month another US-based Guyanese woman who had returned to Guyana to visit her family in Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara was attacked and robbed at gun point, hours after landing at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri. Seerajie Shivram, 56 years old of Florida, was attacked and robbed by two gunmen as she was making her way into her house at Lot 2 Mon Repos. The woman was relieved of over US$3000, her asthmatic medication, her United States (US) passport, and US identification card and driver’s licence, among other important documents.

Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum had explained that there are normally Police roadblocks along the East Bank Corridor from the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) in Timehri to Georgetown, and Police Officers would usually stop suspicious vehicles, make inquiries and take the necessary action if something seems amiss. However, considering the progressive increase of these attacks on travellers, not only USbased Guyanese en route from the airport to their destinations, Blanhum had said the Police will definitely have to intensify their work to ensure the country is safer for tourists and returning Guyanese.

news

Friday, july 31, 2015

BRIDGE OPENINGS The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Friday, July 31 – 14:30h-16:00h and Saturday, August 1 – 05:30h-07:00h The Berbice River Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Friday, July 31 – 16:35h-18:05h and Saturday, August 1 – 17:00h-18:30h

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

Thundery showers can be expected throughout the morning, with heavy to light rain showers expected in the afternoon. Thundery showers will return in the evening. Temperatures are expected to range between 24 degrees and 29 degrees Celsius.

Winds: East South-easterly between 2.68 metre and 4.47 metres per second.

High Tide: 04:14h and 16:42h reaching maximum heights of 2.76 metres and 2.71 metres respectively.

Low Tide: 10:15h and 22:32h reaching minimum heights of 0.43 metre and 0.49 metres respectively.

Wednesday, July 29, 2015

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Mother, daughter burnt to death ... by hungry, drunk son-in-law

BY INDRAWATTIE NATRAM

WEATHER TODAY

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DISCLAIMER: WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY ERRORS IN PUBLICATION. PLEASE CALL THE HOTLINE FOR CONFIRMATION - TEL: 225-8902

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| guyanatimesGY.com

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man went berserk on Tuesday night at Huist Dieren, Essequibo Coast, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), killing his mother-in-law and her mother in a drunken rage which he said was provoked by the lack of food in the house.

Dead are Omrowtie Chammawatti, age 74, also known as “Bhohoo” and Chammawatti Caustury Persaud, age 54, also known as “Reshmi”. Both women resided at Lot 75 Huist Dieren Public Road, Essequibo.

Both women sustained second degree burns about their bodies. The 24-year-old suspect Sarwan Darshan, of Diamond Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara, is presently in Police custody. He is expected to appear in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts next week to answer to relevant charges. He was also said to be abusive and an alcoholic.

According to information reaching Guyana Times, Darshan came home around 19:00h on Tuesday evening requesting food. His wife, Devika Persaud told him that she was not finished preparing dinner and an argument ensued. “He came home drunk, he said he was hungry, I told he I was frying potato for my grand-

Dead: Chammawatti Persaud, aka “Reshmi”

mother who is a vegetarian. He then got angry and took the hot oil and kerosene stove and threw it on my mother and grandmother on the bed,” the young woman related.

Persaud said that after her husband threw the oil and stove on her mother and grandmother, a fire quickly engulfed the house, burning two mattresses, a sofa and scorching the wall of the kitchen. The fire was however extinguished by fast acting neighbours. Devika Persaud is presently pregnant with the couple’s child.

Neighbours immediately came to the rescue of the injured women and rushed them to the Suddie Public Hospital.

Chammawatti Persaud received treatment and later succumbed on Tuesday night while

Dead: Omrowtie Chammawatti

her mother Chammawatti pitalised and

Omrowtie was hossuccumbed

on Wednesday evening.

According to daughter of Omrowtie Chammawatti, Gaitree Persaud, she was shocked when she received the news. She said when she went to the hospital she could not believe her eyes. “My mother was lying in pain on the hospital bed, she was saying what had happened, her skin was beginning to fall off,” the distraught daughter related.

Omrowtie Chammawatti was a mother of eleven while Chammawatti was a mother of two. Family members are presently preparing for the burial of the two women.

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guyanatimesgy.com

Friday, july 31, 2015

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

Editorial

Foreign Aid and Primary Health care

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ne of the first actions of the new Ministry of Public Health, was to negate the Specialty Hospital, a project which was on stream and which the Donor, the Indian Government, was prepared to continue.

Health Minister, Dr George Norton, claimed that the Indian Funds were better spent on primary health care, little being aware that all donor countries have bureaucracies which simply cannot change to a new policy overnight.

And further, what could have put off the Indian Foreign Aid Office somewhat, was when the Envoy of a foreign State, as reported in the press, publicly advised the Government on how it should use the Indian funds.

In any case, primary health care is the stock-in-trade of every Health Ministry throughout the world and any donor would scarcely ever give tens of millions of US dollars to any Health Ministry to do its normal remit. All donors may give a little bit here and there, but no donor could treat primary health care as a main project per se.

Accordingly, one of the first actions of the Ministry, was to cause Guyana to lose millions of US dollars of aid funds. It should be underlined too that, to renegotiate new assistance which seems to be the direction the Government is going, would take nearly a year.

Opportunely, the Envoy referred to above, offered his own Government’s support for our health services and among the things he mentioned was the need to establish another (Georgetown) Public Hospital. Perhaps the Minister of Health and the Government could immediately begin to negotiate with the said Government assistance to establish another of its kind (GPHC) in either Essequibo or Berbice or elsewhere in Demerara.

No progressive Health Ministry could ultimately omit a Specialty Hospital from its agenda for the following cogent reasons: Having comprehensive world-class medical help available in any society is a great boon. Today, only Parliamentarians and the rich could access such help by being able to go abroad. With a local Specialty Hospital, many ordinary folk would have had timely access to the required high grade medical treatment and their lives would have been saved.

And it would save the humiliation of many distraught parents from desperately importuning the public for donation to send their sick children abroad for treatment.

Having a cadre of high-grade specialists locally would allow the younger doctors the opportunity of further perfecting their skills.

Some of the specialists could help the University of Guyana Medical Faculty and students both clinically and academically.

Most important, it would allow the thousands of retired Guyanese in the Diaspora to return home, often bringing their pensions with them. Most retirees cannot return to this country because the high grade medical services they enjoy in North America and Europe are not as yet available in Guyana.

The Specialty Hospital would have met this need.

And finally, it could attract some medical tourism from the developed countries earning funds which could be used to subsidise poorer Guyanese patients.

In essence, the Specialty Hospital is an initiative aimed at improving the nation’s health in the most fundamental way, and would allow health care of the highest quality to be afforded to persons of all walks of life. In every part of the world, the right to proper, competent and modern medical care is regarded as a basic human right; and stakeholders ought to encourage, support, and even pressure the authorities to ensure that these facilities are available; especially to sections of the population that, because of their financial and economic standing, would be unable to enjoy such facilities.

We therefore urge all stakeholders, especially civil society actors, to collectively lobby the Government to reverse its decision to halt this project. We are convinced the Administration is dealing with the matter from a purely political as against a consumer/ nationalist standpoint. This project is in the nation’s interest as it will benefit every single Guyanese who, at some point in time, would require the type of medical procedure and attention A Specialty Hospital is intended to provide.

Female ranks of the Guyana Police Force don an array of colourful, traditional African attire in anticipation of the 175th Emancipation anniversary

The appointment of IMCs are not a creation of the PPP or the PPP/C Dear Editor, 1) The appointment of public servants to be part of depleted and mismanaged Neighbourhood Democratic Councils and Municipalities; the dissolution of some Councils and their replacement by appointed Interim Management Committees (IMC) are not a creation of the People’s Progressive Party or the PPP/Civic but are captured in the relevant legislative provisions on local government.

No doubt, the legal luminaries of the day who worked to prepare these important pieces of legislation envisaged that there could be occasions when for one reason or another, the Government of the day finds itself unable to hold local elections within the constituted timeframe and has to make an interim arrangement. What the PPP/C Government did was merely follow what is set out in the legislation.

The legislation sets out under what conditions we can use public servants, and again, under what conditions we can install IMCs. The PPP/C and its Minister of Local Government and Regional Development followed strictly what is in the legislation and sought to make the process as transparent and inclusionary as possible.

In other words, the actions we took were not ad hoc or premised on a desire or plan to insert the PPP in these Councils or to interfere or monopolise/control the management of the Councils; but to enhance transparency and accountability and to improve efficiency in the management of the Councils in the interest of people’s development; moreso since people’s re-

sources in the form of rates and taxes and other fees, coupled with Government financial support by way of subvention/grants were involved.

2)The implications of not having Local Government Elections over the past two decades due in no small measure to the political machinations of the then political Opposition as they sought to stymie and to prolong the Local Government reform process, are well known to all decent/honest Guyanese.

It must be noted that the neither the PPP nor the PPP/C placed any encumbrance in the way of the People’s National Congress Reform-1 Guyana – PNC/ PNCR/PNCR-1G/APNU/ AFC [A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change]… to prevent them from working with us to accelerate the process. That is why the PPP/C Government, in keeping within the Legislative provisions, was compelled in some instances to invite public servants to be part of depleted Councils, and in other instances of mismanaged Councils, to install IMCs to replace these.

In the latter instant, the action taken arose out of the recommendation of a Commissioner of Inquiry appointed by the Minister of Local Government and Regional Development to investigate a petition of residents dissatisfied with the way their NDC or Municipality was being managed. The resultant enquiry allowed the petitioners and other concerned residents to attend and air their views and to offer their comments and recommendations to address the anomalies that needed to be corrected so that the

Council could move forward.

It is obvious that ‘any concerned Guyanese’ could have attended such an inquiry. Indeed, the date/time/ venue of the inquiry and the name of the Commissioner were placed in at least two national newspapers and on the concerned NDC/ Municipal offices. It ought to be apparent that the Enquiry provided opportunity for Councillors, residents including those with political interests to be heard.

At the end of the inquiry, the Commissioner prepared a report that captured, inter alia, the views , comments, concerns and other representations including the recommendations of the Commissioner and others present.

3) Let me emphasise that the IMCs are not and were not set up by the PPP/C in any willy-nilly fashion without due regard for what is set out in the laws; as has been the case recently under the Minister of the Communities. IMCs have been installed by this Minister at the Anna Regina, Rose Hall and Corriverton Municipalities without due regard to the Legislation and the procedural requirements set out in that Legislation and the accompanying regulations and without even the courtesy of notifying or involving the Regional Chairman of the Administrative Regions concerned. So much for the Change that the APNU/AFC have been shouting about.

One wonders what will happen next. Furthermore, it could not be by accident that the three Municipalities targeted are in Towns that have significant PPP support as reflected in the recently held 2015 General

and Regional Elections.

Why not target the City Council and the Town Councils (notably the Linden Town Council) that have been the most poorly managed in our country.

Surely the cries of the frustrated residents of those latter Municipalities with respect to the poor quality of core services offered to residents and the obvious lack of will on the part of the Councils that mismanage available financial, human and material resources must be falling on deaf ears.

Surely there is a case for “forensic audits” that have become so popular (at least in words) to be done with respect to the operations of these Councils.

Talk about trampling on the rights of people to vote for leadership of their choice!

Let me remind all that it was the PPP that restored this voting right and others to the people of Guyana. We have not; nor are we about to change this position.

Refer Section 35 of the Local Government Act, Chapter 28:02 which addresses the issue of the “appointment of a public officer to be a member of a Local authority”. Refer also Section 30 of the same Act which speaks to the issue of the dissolution of a Local Authority.

Note also that Section 305 (1) b of Chapter 28:01 the Municipal and District Councils Act which sets out the course of action the Minister could take if an inquiry has determined that the Municipality “has failed to maintain a reasonable standard of efficiency and progress in the discharge of its functions”.

Respectfully, Norman Whittaker

guyanatimesgy.com

friday, july 31, 2015

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AFC supporters feel betrayed Maduro is endangering good people Dear Editor, I was very instrumental in the last A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) General and Regional Elections campaign like so many others here in Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam). I can say without a doubt that it was the AFC supporters who caused the victory for the coalition because if both parties had chosen separate paths in contesting the elections, neither could’ve beaten the People’s Progressive Party (PPP).

Judging from the election results, with 33 seats for the coalition against 32 for the Opposition, it was a close call and a good decision from party leaders such as Khemraj Ramjattan to enter into the coalition.

I think both Ramjattan and Moses Nagamootoo, who are seasoned politicians, knew that the only way the Burnham led People’s National Congress could beat the Jagan PPP was to enter into a coalition with Peter D’Aguiar’s The United Force (TUF) party in 1964, after Britain changed the electoral system to one of Proportional Representation. APNU can also claim that it secured the majority of supporters because it was the larger party in the coalition. At the end of the day, no one seems to know how many seats or votes each party got individually because they went on one ticket.

AFC had an impressive, multiethnic, multiclass slate of candidates, and at every AFC/APNU meetings and rallies, the crowds were flamboyant with the six races, mainly due to AFC supporters. The messages promised during

the election campaigns, however, didn’t hold up to expectation of AFC supporters after the coalition won the elections and they felt betrayed. The people voted for a change,but instead,it’s an exchange.

For the past 23 years, racial marginalisation continued under the PPP, yet this current Government seems to be no better. When I look at the appointments to State Boards and other positions, hardly any AFC supporter is a member or Chairman, although there are qualified candidates.

This Government has started on the wrong foot and if it continued in this manner, will certainly lose votes in the local government election and the next general election. The indication I am getting from supporters of the AFC is that they will abstain from voting.

Many have become frustrated the way things are being done without consultation at the grass root level, so there is no grass root democracy according to them.

Although it’s too early to forecast what will be the outcome of the five years, we have seen some progress in areas like cleaning up corruption, going after State assets and recovering lost finances. It is true that the new Government was given a basket to fetch water and received broken infrastructures.

Most of the time and energy is being spent to clean up 23 years of mess created by the past Administration, but all the industries like rice, sugar, bauxite and gold are now down and money and subsidies will be needed to keep them above water.

Crime is somewhat decreased but there are still

too many petty crimes in the country which need to be tackled, as some Policemen are still lackadaisical in performing their duties and do not act when they requested on crimes scenes. They don’t even appear on scenes when they are requested to.

The Public Security Ministry is one of the most difficult ones to manage without modern technology and trained professionals in the field of crime fighting.The Government is moving too slow to modernise and restructure the Guyana Police Force, while criminals remain 10 steps ahead of the Police.

Since the election was won, no one from the coalition has visited the interior and other regions to thank their voters and their polling agents and to listen to their problems. This is a grave mistake since these same people will be needed for the next election. No thank you letters were even ever sent out to them.

I have noticed only the Prime Minister is replying to emails and letters, while some of the other Ministers don’t even acknowledge letters or emails. It seems like the Government is following in the footsteps of the previous Administration, which has caused its downfall after 23 years in power.

Some Ministers aren’t performing to expectations since they would’ve assumed office.

It will be interesting to address more problems facing the people, especially since the 100-day are closing in and much promised hasn’t been fulfilled.

Yours faithfully, Mohamed Khan

The PPP must prepare its return to office Dear Editor, I have no doubt that if there was a redo of the general election right now, the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) would win and with such a large majority that no amount of skullduggery could overturn the victory.

Every rice farmer and sugar worker, every sex worker who saw “I is Broomes” at work, every parent of a schoolaged child, and every Indian and Amerindian Guyanese who are seeing the ethnic cleansing of the civil service would vote right now for a return of the PPP. It is not even a 100 days yet and we have already learnt our lesson, and a

bitter lesson it is.

Even with its warts and all, the PPP would be better than the current ineptitude and insensitivity that the Granger Administration is displaying.

There is not even a twinge of embarrassment or discomfort when talking about a return to rice flour? It is not even rice flour per se but all that it represents. It is a symbol of everything that had to be endured and suffered during the long People’s National Congress (PNC) dictatorship.

The PPP must rebuild and regain the moral high ground and get itself ready to return to office. Its landslide victo-

ry at the next election will be so large and clear that no amount of fraud would be enough to overturn the win.

To regain its moral authority, the party needs to take some tough decisions like shedding itself of its liabilities.

Mr Anil Nandlall, Dr Bheri Ramsaran and Ms Jennifer Westford have to go. They cannot be Parliamentarians.

The PPP must understand all that is at stake for the country’s future and show that it has the integrity and toughness to do the right thing. It cannot be business as usual.

Sincerely, Shanie Jagessar

Dear Editor, Expansionism by any act of aggression is no longer a facilitation of the world today. A significant number of United Nations charters, conventions, and other international provisions are legally in effect pertinent to Laws of the Sea, airspace navigation, sovereignty and territorial integrity, human rights and border limitations. These all specify the relations of acceptable political conduct that exemplify a respectable Head of State in this category of distinguished world leaders.

President Nicolás Maduro has seemingly chosen to exempt the Government and Opposition leadership of that country from respect of the UN representations, along with the consorted power of regional administrative and integration bodies and the rule of law for neighbouring territories, herein: the Caribbean Court of Justice.

President Maduro’s map of his country by which he has decided Guyana is simply

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to be approximately 33,000 square miles, has plunged them into The Hague Court to defend considerations of such charges: 1. Fraudulent Conversion – stating definitive ownership of the vast majority of assets the independent and sovereign properties of Guyana: a Venezuelan intent to steal 2. Threatening peaceful existence of the Guyanese people by external incursion of Venezuela and internal unrest of the citizenry of both countries; applicable to orders of President Maduro for maritime surveillance and actions to attack Guyana if necessary 3. Breech of immigration, administrative and territorial laws by documenting parts of Guyana’s landmass, therefore drafted parliamentary legislation and proposing Venezuelan citizenship by issuance of ID cards to Guyanese citizens from Essequibo 4. Breech of international protocol by demonstrating

total disregard for up-front negotiations by authorised universal legal authorities and in so doing set-aside friendly relations between nations so as to disrespect the leadership and people of Guyana.

Our country is internationally recognised and is known to be engaged in peaceful relations with others. Guyana’s Foreign Affairs Minister and our battery of Senior Counsels along with their worldwide Associates are now offered the opportunity to use their expertise.

I am a Guyanese born and passionately in defence of Essequibo. The ‘espirit de corps’ of my fellow officers, regional and international formations integrated us to happily provide “rice for anyone’s meat”. With new found oilfields, Guyanese defenders of territorial integrity are considered to be all Guyanese citizens.

Yours sincerely, Arnold W Christiani

Rare blue moon today

f anything unusual happens to you today, you'll be right to say it was "once in a blue moon."

The July 31 appearance of the month's second full moon will be the first such occurrence in the Americas since August 2012. Every month has a full moon, but because the lunar cycle and the calendar year aren't perfectly synched, about every three years we wind up with two in the same calendar month.

But Earth's satellite will most likely not appear blue at all.

Typically, when a moon does take on a bluish hue, it is because of smoke or dust particles in the atmosphere, such as during a cataclysmic volcanic eruption.

Celestial events in the sky One example of this happened in 1883, when the Indonesian volcano Krakatoa erupted, spewing so much ash into the atmosphere that the moon took on a cerulean tinge for years, night after night.

After the massive explosion, which scientists believe rivaled a 100-megaton nuclear bomb, the volcanic debris caused vibrant red sunsets and the moon to have a bluish tint.

The dark blue tone of an evening sky can affect the coloring we perceive, as well.

So when the phrase "once in a blue moon" was coined, it meant something so rare you'd be lucky (or unlucky)

to see in your lifetime, according to NASA's National Space Science Data Center.

The most recent blue moon that was truly blue in hue was in Edinburgh, Scotland, in September 1950.

Astronomer Robert Wilson of the Royal Observatory observed the event and concluded that the moon was blue in color because the satellite's light was traveling through a patch of clouds that had particles of smoke and ash from forest fires burning in Alberta, Canada. Those particles crossed the Atlantic Ocean and hovered over Scotland during the lunar event, creating a rare spectacle, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. (Excerpt from CNN)

6news

friday, july 31, 2015

Outrage over composition of State Boards

Govt pilloried over ethnic, gender imbalance T

he David Grangerled Administration has been trenchantly criticised for alleged ethnic and gender imbalance in the composition of the recently announced State Boards. The A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Administration has also been criticised for failing to consult adequately with the main Opposition People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C), breaching an agreement brokered by the late Opposition Leader Desmond Hoyte and then President Bharrat Jagdeo back in 2003.

Over the past few days, views have been expressed on the paltry number of women selected on these boards, as well as those appointed to chair them.

Additionally, persons have expressed dismay at the ethic imbalance reflected in the new appointees, stating that only a meagre number of Indo-Guyanese were included.

On Wednesday, the Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA) flayed the APNU/ AFC Administration’s actions, deeming it an affront to women, referring to the unbalanced representation of females on the State Boards. “All Government functionaries responsible should feel ashamed over today’s announcement that only three (9.4 per cent) of the new Chairs of the 32 State Boards in the Finance Sector are females,” the organisation said in a release. According to the GHRA, while the full

Minister of State Joseph Harmon

membership of only 20 out of the 32 boards were disclosed so far, only 18 per cent are females, that is, 22 persons out of a possible 125 as it relates to Boards in the Finance Sector with only one woman named a member on three boards and another woman on two boards.

Turning to the agriculture sector, the GHRA pointed out that out of the 13 new members gazetted on the Guyana Rice Development Board, only one female is named. The organisation also underscored the fact the only three females were named as chairs of the various revamped State Boards.

“That the appointments could be released without any attempt to explain or excuse this affront to women, suggests that gender parity had not been a consideration… Whether this insult to women is a one-off

thoughtless act or more institutionally determined… is a matter for continuous monitoring,” the GHRA remarked.

Also commenting on the issue of gender imbalance, Chairperson of the Guyana’s Women and Gender Equality Commission (WGEC) Indra Chandarpal, posited that women should not only be included in politics but in all decision-making aspect of society. She noted that there should be a one-third representation of females on all the boards.

Furthermore, Chandarpal urged all sectors to channel their thinking in this direction. “I want the Private Sector, trade unions and other parties that have to appoint additional members to these boards, to consider the fact that the Constitution Reform Process provides for women’s involvement (in all sectors),” the WGEC head stated.

Contacted on Thursday for a comment on these concerns raised, Minister of Social Cohesion Amna Ally, said she is not aware of these issues and has not had a chance to examine the list of the gazetted members, which Cabinet, of which she is a member, had approved. “I don’t know… I can’t really comment because I didn’t go through (the list) with a fine tooth comb,” Ally, who is Government’s point person on racial harmony told this newspaper.

Racial discrimination

Meanwhile, on the issue of ethnic imbalance, Businessman and Civil Society Activist Clairmont Lye who in 2007 had returned his National Award owing to what he declared then was “the deterioration of democracy in Guyana” in a letter in another section of the media stated that he was expecting persons to be selected based “purely” on their qualifications and not ethnicity, however he was disappointed. Lye, a former Cacique Crown of Honour awardee and one of the founders of the Electoral Assistance Bureau said: “I was full of expectation that this new Government would have been the first to establish this new political culture.

However, I couldn’t help noticing that 80 per cent of the recently announced 35 chairmanship positions to State Boards have been filled by non-Indo-Guyanese,” he stated.

According to Lye, these State Board appointments were preceded by the recent list of national awardees, which causes one to revisit the promise of “inclusivity and promotion of racial unity”. He pointed out that while the Government may not have deliberately set out on such a divisive course, the situation only serves to lend credence to the PPP/ C’s pre-election warning of race politics by APNU/ AFC. “Our Government ought to realise that in politics, perception is reality.

And whether supporters or not, we need to keep them

mindful of that,” he noted.

In addition, another letter writer, Gordon Forte, outlined that of the 35 persons announced as chairs of state-appointed boards, only seven have “Indiansounding” names. “I find it intensely painful that in my country ? indeed in my world ? qualifications of personal worth and potential contribution have to include racial division, and that responsible people would actually make a count like that,” he declared.

Forte stated that the country’s recent history forces Guyanese to use concepts like inclusiveness and racial unity. He explained “Perceived discrimination on grounds of race seems more offensive to Guyanese than that on grounds of gender, ability or performance record.

So I am dragged into a nasty arena, to say to the Cabinet (though we know they’re not listening), “Ow, man, look bad… look so bad…” Moreover, the man said that while many rational arguments can be put forward for the choices made, even idealists have to face up to the degrading nature of the local political environment. He reminded of the power of “filthy racialism” and the long road Guyanese have taken towards its elimination.

Former President and Executive Member of the

PPP Donald Ramotar, on Wednesday said that there was no consultation between the present Administration and his Party as it relates to the composition of the various recently announced State Boards. Ramotar, in a telephone interview with Guyana Times acknowledged that the Government has said that it would offer a few seats on specific boards to the PPP. However, the Opposition party is far from satisfied with such actions by the APNU/AFC Government.

“When I was the President, we had offered them seats on more Boards in comparison to what they are offering us. There were no consultations this time about the seats being offered to us. We had given them a lot of membership and it is not being reciprocated,” stated Ramotar.

He said that because of the lack of consultation and also the limit to the Boards in which the PPP/C was being given membership, there would be need for talks with the Government.

According to Ramotar, he expects this issue to be discussed soon, and it is unclear as to whether the PPP/C will accept the seats that are presently offered to them before the discussions with the Administration take place.

August 10 is Budget Day

S

ome two months after the being elected into power following the May 11th General and Regional Elections, the A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) Government will be making its first National Budget presentation in two weeks’ time.

During Thursday’s sitting of the National Assembly Finance Minister Winston Jordon informed the House that the presentation of the 2015 National Budget will be done on August 10. This year’s budget estimates will only be covering the remaining few months of 2015. Government’s focus in this Budget will be a recovery for the country’s economy, which has seemingly taken a dip following the elections. High on the expectation list is a stimulus package, which the Private Sector had recommended that Government

include in the budget.

Meanwhile, some of the other top priorities for the new administration centre around the increase of pension and wages, provision of jobs, reduction in the Berbice River Bridge tolls and tax reforms, among others. On the other hand, in order to facilitate the presentation of the 2015 Budget Government has moved a motion to have the Parliamentary Recess be suspended. According to Standing Order 9, “unless there are special reasons for doing so, no sitting of the National Assembly shall be held between 10th August and 10th October in any year”.

Foreign Affairs Minister and Second Vice President Carl Greenidge moved the motion and it was subsequently passed by the Government’s Members of Parliament in the absence of the Parliamentary Opposition.

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friday, july 31, 2015 | guyanatimesGY.com

Guyanese urged to join fight House clears Bill to give against human trafficking constitutional bodies – perpetrators warned of serious penalties financial independence

G

uyanese were encouraged to join the fight against human trafficking as the Government of Guyana will be recommitting to consistent enforcement of the Trafficking In Persons Act of 2005 with severe action taken against perpetrators.

This is according to Social Protection Minister Volda Lawrence at an awareness exhibition, in observance of World Day Against Trafficking In Persons on Thursday in the compound of Parliament.

Minister Lawrence told attendees that Trafficking In Persons was one of the most despicable acts against humanity and was usually described as modern-day slavery. She shared that this act stripped persons, especially women and children, of their dignity and profited organised crimes, stating that all around the world, men, women and children were kidnapped, tricked, blackmailed and manipulated into this form of slavery that includes prostitution, forced labour, and organ removal.

Lawrence added that, invariably, Trafficking In Persons was a result of poverty, oppression, lack of human rights, lack of social or economic opportunity, political instability, civil strife and other occurrences that push and pull people in search of a better life. “The people who perpetuate this crime against humanity are those who are trusting and promise to provide a better life. The better life then becomes a nightmare for many,” the Minister stated.

In addition, the Social Protection Minister stated that the United Nations estimated that at any given time, there were about 2.5 million people, many of whom were children trapped in this global industry. Such a revelation warrants immediate action from Government, society and individuals to raise awareness worldwide and end human trafficking. In an ideal world, we would be able to eliminate this scourge.

She mentioned that Guyana has now joined the rest of the world in registering its voice and committing to action against Trafficking In Persons.

“Guyana is steadfast in this call and wishes to recommit to consistent enforcement of the Trafficking In Persons Act of 2005, which clearly states penalties for convicted traffickers, recruiters, transporters and exploit-

Social Protection Minister Volda Lawrence

ers.”

Persons associated with the trade will be exposed and punished according to the law. The Act states that persons charged for such a crime, should stand the cost of medical and psychological treatment, necessary housing, transportation, lost income, attorney fees and compensation for emotional distress and pain among others.

Assistance of many needed

Also, victims are to be supported in their recovery and reintegration into society at the expense of those convicted of the heinous crime. The Minister shared that the government intended to enforce the law but would need the commitment and assistance of many to bring an end to human trafficking.

“We need citizens and the national security organisations to be more vigilant and responsive and the judiciary to be fair and just, and to also address these matters in a timely manner.”

She stated that Trafficking In Persons was a threat to the fundamental human rights of freedom and human dignity, and Guyana’s counter actions must, therefore, be at least as strong as the threat. She declared that the Government intends to boost the capacity of the responsible department to improve its operations and expand its reach, and noted that “it is a matter of urgency and we must further decentralise our efforts to allow for wider geographic coverage and strengthen networks to prevent this crime”.

Lawrence stated that it was crucial that the Government formed partnerships with civil society groups and communities to identify and report suspected cases, and mobilised greater resources, especial-

ly trained human resources to strengthen the response from the time a report is received to the time of rescue.

The awareness exhibition presented by the Social Protection Ministry will conclude today and strives to impart greater knowledge of human trafficking and ways the issue can be brought to an end for the citizens of Guyana. In 2010, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted the Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking In Persons, urging Governments worldwide to take coordinated and consistent measures to defeat this scourge. The Plan calls for integrating the fight against human trafficking into the UN’s broader programmes in order to boost development and strengthen security worldwide. One of the crucial provisions in the Plan is the establishment of a UN Voluntary Trust Fund for victims of trafficking, especially women and children.

In 2013, the General Assembly held a high-level meeting to appraise the Global Plan of Action.

Member States designated July 30 as the World Day against Trafficking In Persons. This resolution declared that such a day was necessary to “raise awareness of the situation of victims of human trafficking and for the promotion and protection of their rights”.

T

he Fiscal Management and Accountability (Amendment) Bill 2015 was finally passed in the National Assembly during Thursday’s sitting in the absence of the Opposition People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C).

This Bill will ensure that constitutional bodies gain more independence in managing their affairs with full flexibility and fiscal autonomy which the Constitution allows. Finance Minister Winston Jordan, who presented the Bill to Parliament, emphasised the need for such changes, stating that these constitutional bodies would be allowed to access monies for their operations directly from the Consolidated Fund.

With such a method, the Finance Minister will not have the responsibility of ensuring that these agencies have funds when necessary thereby cutting the power that was once given to the Minister of Finance in the previous government.

While ministerial oversight will be removed from these agencies, oversight will be entrusted to the National Assembly.

Jordan stated that this move will also see that the constitutional bodies operate and function without “fear or favour” and “outside interference”. These bodies include the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM); the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions

Finance Minister Winston Jordan

(DPP); the Office of the Ombudsman; Supreme Court; Police Service Commission and Teaching Service Commission.

However, with autonomy being given to these agencies, it is expected that they will operate and utilise monies within their annual budget.

They will also be subject to the same regulations as other budgeted agencies.

The Finance Minister noted that any monies which were not utilised during the fiscal period must be returned to the Consolidated Fund.

However, if there should be a downturn in the economy, Jordan (as Finance Minister) will still have the authority to “cut back” on spending for these constitutional bodies, but in order to do so, he would first need approval from the National Assembly.

Meanwhile, Vice President and Foreign Affairs Minister Carl Greenidge, during his address in support of this Bill, posited that this was a step in the right direction since previously the Finance Minister was given the powers of these agencies causing them to be financially dependent instead of independent. He noted that should the Bill have not been passed, his party would have sought alternative ways to deal with the Bill as it was, one of which was “going to the Courts”.

The Vice President added that during his perusal of the Bill in its previous state, he discovered that the list had 39 agencies which were documented as constitutional bodies. However, 10 of these agencies should not have been included on the said list. Also voicing his support for the Bill was Junior Finance Minister Jaipaul Sharma who lamented the time-frame it took to finally see this Bill passed in Parliament.

Reference was made to the 10th Parliament when the PPP/C was in Government, but did not have enough seats in Parliament to vote against the passing of this Bill. Minister Sharma said that the former President Donald Ramotar had refused to assent the Bill but in this 11th Parliament the new President, David Granger, would not do the same as his predecessor.

8 NEWS

friday, july 31, 2015 | guyanatimesGY.com

Ramsaran released on selfbail for verbal assault charge F ormer Health Minister, Dr Bheri Ramsaran was on Thursday morning granted self-bail when he appeared before Magistrate Charlyn Artiga at the Whim Magistrate’s Court in Corentyne, Berbice.

Ramsaran pleaded not guilty to the charge when it was read which accused him of using insulting language against women’s rights activist Sherlina Nageer. He was instructed by the sitting Magistrate to return to court on September 21. On July 22, the Director of Public Prosecutions, Shalimar AliHack recommended that charges be brought against the former Health Minister for his “slap and strip” comments while protesting at the Whim Magistrate’s Court in May. The charges stemmed

Former Health Minister, Bheri Ramsaran

from a verbal confrontation between Ramsaran and Nageer during which he threatened to slap and strip her naked outside the court, during the hearing of a case against former President Bharrat Jagdeo brought by accountant Christopher

Ram. These comments were recorded on video and immediately went viral. Several rights groups and civil society had called for the dismissal of Ramsaran, but he apologised to the women’s right activist. Ramsaran, in apologising for his remarks, explained that he was “rudely interrupted and provoked” by the young woman.

Nevertheless, following the continuous calls by the groups, the then President, Donald Ramotar announced that Minister Ramsaran was relieved of his post and condemned his remarks against Nageer although later he had said he felt sorry for his former Minister who was “entrapped” and “provoked”.

The former President also said the second set of comments made by the Minister in which he called

the rights activist a miscreant and said she needed psychiatric help took on a life of its own and was taken out of context.

According to reports, Nageer was outside the Whim Magistrate’s Court where she spotted Ramsaran giving an interview to two reporters. It was while he was speaking to the reporters that she approached him, interrupting his interview.

The activist was clearly heard being provocative and loud, asking the Minister why he was outside the Magistrate’s Court while the incidence of maternal mortality continues to rise.

She suggested that he was wasting her money and the monies of other taxpayers by travelling to Whim to support former President Jagdeo.

Store owner murder suspect remanded to jail

T

he alleged murderer of store owner Abdool Farouk Ghanie Hamid was refused bail at the Providence Magistrate’s Courts on Thursday after his first appearance.

Anthony Rammit of Kaneville, East Bank Demerara, was not allowed to make bail by Magistrate Leron Daly due to the nature of the charge against him.

With good reason, the Police are alleging that Rammit killed Hamid between April 15 and 16 in the course of a robbery committed on his Lot 97 Collingswood Avenue, Nandy Park, East Bank

Demerara home.

Police Inspector Michael Grant revealed that on April 15, the businessman left his home and went to his place of business on Regent Street and returned later at about 18:00h. However, it was at 20:00h that night that the accused and two other men were seen at his home, leaving quite hurriedly.

On April 16, around 07:20h, neighbours found the body of Hamid lying at the back of his yard in a pool of blood. There were wounds to his left side chest and cheek.

When apprehended by the Police, Rammit had admitted fully to the crime,

even giving a caution statement that should make things interesting during the trial. However, in court, he was not required to plead to the murder charge.

It has been reported that Rammit and his accomplices concealed themselves in Hamid’s yard and waited for him to return home as they had planned to rob him. It was not stated whether it was the men’s intention to kill the store owner but it is expected that all will be revealed when the trial commences.

When Hamid arrived in his Toyota Tundra, the duo surprised him, hitting him to the side of the head with

a piece of wood, dragged him off to the side of his yard then stabbed him twice.

Guyana Times understands that Rammit told the Police that he did not do the actual killing but he gave the knife to one of the accomplices who committed the act.

To add insult to injury, the men purportedly made their way around the deceased’s home where they looted it completely.

If this admittance holds up in court, the trial shall be quite cut and dry. Rammit faces quite a long sentence if convicted.

He is expected back at the Providence Magistrate’s Court on October 12.

Eyew tness

Exclusivity...

W

...or payback time?

ell...well...well, it's only been a couple of months in the new regime - even the "other" foot hasn't fully dropped as yet. But you don't need "signs" to figure out what's up ahead. Weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth by anyone who's not in the new leadership's good books, that's what!

Imagine even the GHRA came out swinging about the dearth of women on the twenty or so STATE BOARDS, just announced. The GHRA, in case you hadn't noticed, dear reader, would never, ever comment on anything that would put the APNU/AFC in a negative light. Ever heard of the term "lapdog" or "doormat" used in an anthropomorphic sense? That's what the GHRA is to APNU. But why's the GHRA surprised women were scotched from State Boards?? Hadn't they read Africo Selman's testimony about what goes on in the party she'd served for years? "Barefoot and pregnant" pretty much sums up APNU's position on women. Didn't they have to amend their list of candidates because it failed the 33 per cent women threshold required by the law?? Didn't they have the same problem with women in the Cabinet? So enough with the squeals GHRA...let's see you protesting with placards outside OP, OK? But while the GHRA saw only the sex (sexual?) disparity in the Boards, the even more glaring ethnic one went unremarked. Surprise!!! So it was left to Clairmont Lye, philanthropist, humanitarian and un-hyphenated Guyanese without any ethnic baggage to point out the state of nakedness of this particular emperor in the ethnic realm. Lye, owner of the Coalpot restaurant and founder of Beacon Foundation had left the bright lights of Gtown for the bucolic pleasures of the Rupununi. So maybe he can see a bit more clearly than us on the coast? Views from the Rupununi do tend to be a bit less obstructed - in more ways than one.

The PPP had been making the point about the Government firing Indio-Guyanese from state jobs to the point where it can be dubbed "ethnic cleansing". So what do you call a situation where one ethnic group doesn't even get a shot at state jobs - supposedly open to all citizens? Ethnic discrimination?

Cheddi once accused Burnham of practicing "racial discrimination" against Indian-Guyanese supporters of the PPP. Burnham looked the Marxist Cheddi right in the eye and asked, "Comrade, what's the socialist content of race?"

This Eyewitness can just hear Granger's riposte to Nagamootoo - if he were man enough to raise the topic about the 11% he delivered.

"My Whim friend, what does ethnicity matter to a man who's denied his ethnicity?"

...on Rodney's COI

As he pointed out right after being declared President, Mr Granger didn't see any point in having the Rodney COI hearings continuing. He'd been catapulted over several senior officers and made head of the GDF right after Rodney was accused of torching Congress Place - and just months before Rodney was killed. You'd think he'd want to have his name cleared - not to mention the name of the PNC , the party he now leads, - wouldn't you?

But what does this Eyewitness know? Anyhow, the new Minister of Governance, Raphael Trotman, just offered a "reason" for not extending the life of the COI. He said it was a choice of either subsidizing the Berbice Bridge tolls and helping 60,000 Berbicians or looking in the death of one man!!

Now this kind of "reasoning" is known as the logical fallacy of "false dilemma". The choice isn't really between these two things, is it? The toll subsidies will cost billions every year, while extension would've cost at most $20 million.

But a fella gotta earn his keep, no?

...in data?

Funny thing happened on the way to the economic charts! Why else would ECLAC announce that because of "buoyant agriculture", growth will be 4.5%?

Sugar's dead, rice's on the ropes but because coconut's floating, this is "buoyant"??

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

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friday, july 31, 2015 | guyanatimesGY.com

Govt pledges support to struggling mining industry

Observing Purnima

President David Granger and Government Ministers meeting with representatives of the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA)

M

embers of the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA) said that they have been assured that priority areas affecting the industry would be addressed, as the Administration has committed to working with the Association to address these issues.

According to a Ministry of the Presidency release, President David Granger and other members of his Cabinet, met with GGDMA President Patrick Harding, and other members of the Association, at the Ministry of the Presidency on Thursday.

Members of Cabinet present at the meeting were Minister of State, Joseph Harmon; Minister of Business and Investment, Dominic Gaskin; Minister of Social Protection, Volda Lawrence and Minister of Governance, Raphael Trotman.

The President of the GGDMA, in an invited comment, said that President

Granger has indicated that he would stand by the commitments he made during the elections campaign. “He noted our concerns and we are to continue discussions further with the relevant Ministers in the industry.

We are going to meet early next week, where we will discuss these concerns further in order to agree on the incentives that...will keep the industry alive,” Harding said.

Some priority areas which the GGDMA and the Government will be working to address include exploring possible concessions that can support the reduction of production costs for mining operations.

“We are looking at ways to bring down the cost of production and that hopefully will aid miners in coping with the drop in the price of gold,” the GGDMA President said.

He said, “Our main input is the price of fuel, and we are hoping that we will get concessions on the import taxes and duty on fuel

which will immediately bring assistance to the industry.

The GGDMA is also looking forward to the re-constituting of the Board of Directors of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission.

The Association has been asked to submit two names for membership on the Board and have committed to doing so by today.

Another sore point for the Association is the condition of access roads to mining areas.

“As you know, we are coming out of the rainy season and we have impassable roads,” the GGDMA President said.

The Association is calling for repairs and regular maintenance to those roads so that miners can get back to work.

In the interim, Harding said that the GGDMA will continue to purchase gold from miners at the world market price so that the effects of the decline in prices are cushioned as they await Government’s intervention.

Pres Granger off to UWI

First Vice President and Prime Minister, Moses Nagamootoo being sworn in to act as President

P

rime Minister Moses Nagamootoo was sworn in as President Thursday afternoon at Parliament Building after President David Granger winged out for an overnight trip to the University of the West Indies, Trinidad and Tobago.

It is unclear what is the purpose of the trip since Government has not divulged much. Since his inauguration, President Granger has made several overseas visits. Only last week he was in the United

States of America to speak at a security conference and also hold talks with State Department officials. Just about two weeks into his presidency, he travelled to the US on a private trip. He then attended the Caricom Heads of Government meeting in Barbados earlier this month, and then later a United Nations meeting on Sustainable Development in Ethiopia. Just last week, he attended the Southern Common Market (Mercosur) conference for South American leaders in Brazil.

T

oday, Friday, July 31, 2015, the occasion of Guru Vyasa Purnima will be observed. This is a very sacred day on which the first light was lit, the light has not wavered since then and is forever, though worlds may change and eras may end and begin again. That is the light of wisdom, which destroys the night of ignorance. And so, this is the day of eternal celebration, it is the day of joy for all pious people. Others, of course, are not interested in the festival of bliss.

Vyasa is the benefactor of all this joy; he is beyond doubt, the Guru of all who walk in the path of God. Vyasa planted and nurtured the seed of Struti (revealed texts); Sastra (religious treatises) and Smriti (texts written by sages) – the Vedas, the Mahabharata and the Gita. He gave the world the philosophy of Devine Leela, the idea of the basic Atma immanent everywhere and the secret of this changeful creation. The sacred literature that arose from his effort is the very head and crown of Hinduism; and so, he is the universal teacher of humanity. Vyasa Purnima is, therefore, the day on which man has to remember him with gratitude.

He was the grandson of Vasishtha, the son of Parashara and the father of that celebrated gem among Rishis, the famous Suka.

It is said that he was the Amsa of Vaasudeva himself, come in human form to teach the ways of the Lord to man. Since he collected the Vedas and elaborated upon their teach-

ings in a number of work, he is known as Vedavyasa. His name, respected and remembered by his disciples, reminds us also of his relationship with Vasudeva.

His life-story is a series of strange miracles. Though it might appear as ordinary and even queer to the general observer, for those delve deeper, it is both meaningful and sweet. For it was laid down so by the Lord.

Vyasa was born of Parashara and Sathyavati, the daughter of a boatman on the Ganga. The child grew up with his father, initiated into the mission on which he had come, rejoined the mother, played his part in the growth of the Pandava line and finally attained the Vassudeva from whom he had come. He came from Vassudeva, he announced to the world the Leelas of Vassudeva…. This was his life work.

But it may be asked, what is the connection of this day with the life and work of Vyasa, the sage of Sages? For those who want to cross the Bhavasagar (Ocean of Samasara), the Guru is the veritable ship.

Who then is the Guru? Not every person who instructs, not every scholar learned in the Sastras. The Guru must tread the path of Sastra, devoid of any trace of lust, greed or anger, full of all traits of right conduct.

Such a person alone deserves to be accepted as a Guru. Again, he should have the skill to illumine in the disciple of the flame of Gyaan to dispel the darkness of his ignorance. He must avoid dragging him down into samsara by any thoughtless words of his life. The Guru will be true to his role only if he gives the disciple the Mantra and the meaning and instructs in this fundamental reality. To the human community struggling in the dark, unaware of the divine, Vyasa brought the resplendent message of the Lord, which scattered the night and lit the lamp of wisdom in the heart of man.

It established the era of upliftment of man through constant recitation of the Name of the Lord. He is thus Guru par excellence of every man. I offer my adoration at the feet of Vedavyasa and all Gurus on this holy day of Guru Vyasa Purnima.

Besides, today is Purnima, the full moon day. Today the moon (mind) that sails in the firmament of the heart is shining in full glory untarnished by sensory desires and free from makings of impulse and passion. The moon reminds one of Paramatma, full, untarnished and unblemished. Vyasa first revealed the secret of making manas (mind) in everyone as clear and full as the moon on a full moon day.

Pandit Surendranauth P Tiwari

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guyanatimesgy.com

friday, july 31, 2015

News Merriman’s Mall vendors fume over House collapses M&CC wanton dumping of garbage with elderly woman

One of the M&CC’s excavators cleaning up the drains in the city on Thursday. Not far from it is the slushy mud which was dug out of the nearby drain

The home after it collapsed

A

n elderly woman escaped unscathed after her Newton, Kitty, Georgetown home collapsed on Thursday afternoon while she was still inside.

Elaine Chu, 80, had lived in the house for about 12 years, occupying the bottom flat with her grandson, while her son and his wife lived in the upper flat.

Chu told Guyana Times that her daughter had come to visit and heard a strange

noise coming from the outside of the building. As the daughter stepped outside to inspect the property, the house collapsed.

Neighbours quickly came to the rescue of the woman and assisted her out of the crumbled structure, then returned to retrieve other items from the home.

Elaine shared that some hot water had spilled on her feet during the crash, but she had suffered no serious injury.

The elderly woman had shared that she was not sure of her next move as she has no relative in the Georgetown area and also did not want to leave her valuables unguarded. When Guyana Times visited the scene, members of Chu’s church were helping her to retrieve her belongings and recently birthed kittens out of the ruins. The owners of the house reside overseas, but had permitted Chu’s family to live there.

S

everal vendors at the Merriman’s Mall, Bourda, Georgetown, have complained about the state in which workers employed by the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) left the areas surrounding their stalls after a recent cleaning exercise.

According to one vendor, who feared discrimination should her identity be revealed, said the workmen began executing their duties with heavy duty equipment early in the morning. The men began using an excavator to clean out the debris and mud from the surrounding drains and drainage areas. However, they did not dispose of the garbage and refuse in a healthy manner.

“They dig out the mud and so from the drain around us. They were cleaning and dumping the waste stuff around the area but we didn’t think they would just leave it so. But when we realise they had finished and gone on from this area leav-

ing these things this caused us to get all upset,” explained the young fruit vendor.

She told Guyana Times that such acts by the workmen are unacceptable for various reasons; the main being that it is an unhealthy practice. “First of all, they not supposed to do things like this because we pay our rental for our stalls and space, so it is supposed to be clean and healthy not dirty with stink water and mud lying around us. Next thing is that we sell eatables here, fruits and vegetables, so this is far from healthy. The last thing is that this is bad for business because people won’t want to come and walk here much less shop here,” the woman stated.

Guyana Times was further told by another vendor who sells fruits at the front of Merriman’s Mall that he pays his fees to the relevant authorities in a timely manner and expects to have a comfortable business environment.

“I’m happy they are cleaning up the place and making an effort but it doesn’t make sense if they leave the trash and things lying around near us. It is unsanitary and some of the slushy mud got on my foot and itches. People sell here and people shop here so they should know better because if you will do a job half way then it doesn’t make sense doing it at all,” said the irate man.

Efforts made by this newspaper to contact the M&CC Public Relations Officer Royston King on Wednesday proved futile.

Recently, the City Council had embarked upon a cleanup campaign where it had deployed workmen at various parts throughout the capital city to deal with cleaning of the drains.

During those occasions as well, complaints were raised by citizens about the garbage being left at the side of the drains and walkways.

3 suspected cannabis users before the court

T

he Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts read possession of narcotic charges to three persons on Thursday after they were busted with the illegal substances on their person.

Ronald Roach, a Stabroek Market Vendor, was one of the persons charged for narcotics possession. The Police caught him with 6 grams of marijuana on his persons while he was in Georgetown.

Roach initially said he was guilty and asked to be able to explain. However, he changed his plea when urged by his Attorney. His Attorney Adrian Thompson applied for bail, informing the court of his client’s basic information to indicate he is not a flight risk.

He stated that Roach has two children and lives with his wife. Also, the Attorney said the Police had not only

arrested his client, but also a group of persons where the search was conducted and the illicit substance found in his pants pockets.

Magistrate Ann McLennan presided in Court Two, informing the defendant that she was granting him $20,000 bail that allowed him to walk free. He is expected back in court on August 7.

Meanwhile, Penny Smith who also calls herself “Avril Laurine Crouter” was found with 17 grams of the illegal substance last Wednesday, while in Georgetown.

She said she was not guilty of the offence, stating that the Police assaulted and exploited her when she was obliged to take her clothes off at one time during her incarceration.

Smith told the court that she was 54 years old and lives in Cross Street, Georgetown.

The Prosecutor stated that the ganja was found in her hands when Police pulled up and searched her as she was acting in a suspicious manner.

Magistrate McLennan ordered her to return to court on August 14. Another Stabroek Market Vendor was brought into the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts to answer to the charges before him. According to the Police report, he was caught on Wednesday with 53 grams of marijuana at his stall in Donkey City, Georgetown.

Junior Maloney, 25, of 70 North Vryheid’s Lust, East Coast Demerara, pleaded not guilty to his charge as well. Thompson represented him and appealed to the court for bail.

However, this was refused. Magistrate McLennan ordered the accused to be back in court on August 17 when she may consider it.

friday, july 31, 2015

guyanatimesgy.com

11

News No more tax on imported bottles from today – treasury to lose $1B from cessation

G

uyana will cease to collect the Environmental Tax imposed on non-returnable bottles that are imported into the country following the passage of the Customs (Amendment) Bill of 2015 by the Government in the National Assembly on Thursday. The cessation will take effect from today.

The Amendment sought to repeal Section 7 (a) of the Customs Act Chapter 82:01, which allowed the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) to impose a $10 tax on all nonreturnable alcoholic and nonalcoholic beverage bottles, and further, impose a fine of $5000 if the tax was not paid.

However, a Surinamese beverage company Rudisa Beverages and Juices, and its local distributor Caribbean International Distributors Inc (CIDI), took Guyana to the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), challenging the imposition of the Environmental Tax on the grounds that it was in breach of the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas (RTC), which says that no import tax must be levied against goods from other Member States in the Caribbean Community (Caricom).

This was a view that the regional court had upheld and subsequently ruled that

Guyana had breached the Treaty, thus awarding US$6 million to CIDI for taxes paid to the Guyana Government.

Furthermore, the CCJ had ordered too that Guyana cease the collection of the Environmental Tax. Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Basil Williams informed the National Assembly that unlike the previous Administration, his Government intended to pay the judgement as it recognised the principle of adhering to the laws and conditions of the Treaty.

Williams informed the House that Government has come to an agreement with the Surinamese company, which has agreed to settle for a lesser amount that what was awarded by the court.

“The present Government of Guyana will pay the sum of US$6,200,000 in full and final discharge of the obligation we owed to Rudisa,” he disclosed.

CCJ to hear report today

The Attorney General also indicated that Guyana was able to obtain an extension of time from the company hence it now has until January 2016 to make the payments. The matter is scheduled for hearing before the CCJ today.

In addition, Williams disclosed that Guyana will cease exacting the tax effective from today (July 31).

“With the passage of this Amendment Bill repealing Section 7 of the Customs Act,

Finance Minister Winston Jordan

we will be able to satisfy the versatile judgment of the CCJ which was made since 2014, that we cease collecting tax on those non-returnable beverage containers,” he stated.

However, Finance Minister Winston Jordan, who moved the motion for the Bill to be read and passed, pointed out that with the Environmental Tax enforced, Guyana received over

$1 billion in funds. “This tax has yielded in excess of $1 billion to the treasury and obviously its removal will have a significant impact,” he remarked.

Furthermore, the Finance Minister went on to highlight an argument proffered by Guyana before the Region’s trade court in its defence. Guyana has argued that Rudisa ought not to be awarded any damages, since the monies (losses) would have already been recouped by the company in its sale of the products in the country. The Minister highlighted that the damages would have been added onto cost of the products to alleviate the imposed tax. He noted that despite this compelling argument, the CCJ posited that this could have been more attractive had it been supported by evidence to show the company would be unjustly enriched by any awards of the court.

According to Minister Jordan, by repealing the tax, all the ideals and aspirations enshrined in the Constitution for the preservation and protection of the environment should not be abandoned. He underscored that the laws clearly outlined that Environmental Tax must form part of the menu of measures established to

address conservation of the environment.

“Mr Speaker, I believe that what is needed is a broader more appropriate mechanism such as an incentive based tax mechanism to internalise the cost bore by the society at large…the Government will move to enact legislation that would enable the relevant public agencies to negotiate and adopt measures and instruments that enforce the pollutant base principle, through various incentives and nonincentive mechanisms to ensure that Guyana’s environment moves closer to an acceptable standard,” he declared.

Adding to the one-sided debate, Foreign Affairs Minister Carl Greenidge pointed out that his Administration will not foot the blame by the then People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) Government as being the cause for the fine imposed on Guyana by the CCJ. “We accept no responsibility for what was an irresponsible tax in the first place,” he declared. Greenidge explained that it took the former Administration over 10 years to realise that the imposition of the tax breached the RTC. Furthermore, the Minister outlined that in

their attempt to amend the flawed piece of legislation, the PPP/C Government instead of seeking to repeal the tax sought to extend it to manufacturers as well.

“The tax that they enforced had absolutely nothing to do with the environment…that is the basis of our refusal to embrace the Act as it was crafted. We said we will pass it if you repeal the legislation altogether,” he remarked.

Following the debates, the Bill was approved in the Committee without any amendments and was subsequently passed by the 33 seat-majority of the National Assembly after the third reading.

In May last year, the CCJ ordered Guyana to pay the Surinamese beverage company some $1.2 billion ($6 million), for imposing the controversial Environmental Tax on each non-returnable bottle imported into the country.

However, Government’s failure to repay the money in a timely manner has resulted in the cost increasing by an additional $4 million, to a total of $1.6 billion.

But the Surinamese company recently agreed to slash US$1.5 million from the cost owed to it by the Guyana Government.

12 news

FRIday, july 31, 2015 | guyanatimesGY.com

Flood-hit communities receive clean-up tools T

he Public Infrastructure Ministry earlier this week distributed tools to residents of communities within North and South Ruimveldt, Georgetown, in

drains and canals – a vital aspect to drainage and irrigation. Noelle ChowChee, Chairperson of the Shopping Plaza Community Development Group, said the tools given “will go a far

Residents of the Shopping Plaza Community Development Group with their tools

an effort to assist them in their clean-up exercises.

In a release, the Public Infrastructure Ministry said the residents of the flood prone communities received wheelbarrows, shovels, rakes and industrial gloves from Neilson McKenzie, the Ministry’s Community Coordinator.

“We have to invest in our people, a mandate I proudly execute on behalf of Minster David Patterson and the Government of Guyana,” he stated.

The objective of distributing these tools, which were donated by Muneshwers Enterprise, is to enable communities to help clear clogged

way.” She lamented that most of the tenants affected by flooding have young children, therefore cleaning and clearing the environment is important.

“We come out every Sunday and do our part. At the end of the day, we want the Shopping Plaza to revert to its former glory,” the Chairperson revealed.

Further, the Development Group is currently formulating proposals to build a ball field and play park, Julie Grimmes-Martin, the Group’s Secretary added.

The Upper Ruimveldt Empowerment Group was enthused with the additional tools given. “North Ruimveldt is a sizeable area

to cover so with what was given to us; will complement what we have been using to make sure that our community is clean,” he said. Other communities to benefit from tools include Albouystown, East La Penitence and East Ruimveldt.

McKenzie, who spearheads the exercise, acknowledged that it has been a success story so far.

Currently, he said, works are being carried out simultaneously in Werken-Rust, Wortmanville, South Ruimveldt Gardens and Roxanne Burnham Gardens. “Work in the first two areas involve removing overburden and garbage from the parapets, meanwhile in the latter area, in collaboration with the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority, (NDIA) of the Agriculture Ministry, work is being done to clear the Cane View Canal,” McKenzie explained. “This section of the canal covers the communities all the way from Meadow Bank and extends to Lilliendaal through the North and South Ruimveldt, Guyhoc and Sophia areas. The intention is to link those canal structures. Working on this section of the Cane View Canal also alleviates the flooding which frequently occurs around the Shopping Plaza area and other sections of South Ruimveldt and North Ruimveldt.”

Clean-up work was

previously carried out in the North to South canals in Middleton Street; Campbellville extending to Sheriff Street on both sides of the Railway Line; and Kitty which resulted in flooding woes in the

McKenzie noted. “Water from these alleyways and interlocking drains dump into the Sussex Street Canal which leads into the Demerara River through the Sussex Street Canal.

Only emergency works

purpose is draining water from the East Ruimveldt area,” McKenzie stated.

Culverts leading to the main drainage canal servicing East and West Ruimveldt were also cleared to improve water run-off.

Some of the residents of the Upper Ruimveldt Empowerment Group receiving their tools

Newtown area being alleviated. With tremendous support from its residents, Sophia is taking shape, as well as the Albouystown community. All the communities have benefited from improved drainage.

Meanwhile, in Albouystown, Georgetown, attention was placed on the alleyways, where a group of persons were provided with tools to clean and clear the alley heads/alleyways,

were carried out but the area requires a more thorough desilting,” he added.

“Activities then proceeded to the two major canals servicing the East Ruimveldt area, including the one separating East from West Ruimveldt, with more emphasis placed on the Trench Road Canal. This canal collects water from the East Ruimveldt area and runs it down to the Demerara River. Trench Road’s main

Generally, communities have been very accommodating and supportive, the Community Coordinator said; however, accessibility to the canals poses a challenge. Against this backdrop, the Mayor and City Council has been issuing advisories and caution notices to residents who have chosen to dwell on the reserves, constructing fences and other encumbrances close to the canals’ edges.

Melrose Henry is new Toshao of Capoey

M

elrose Henry, C o m m u n i t y Development Officer of Amerindian Communities under the Ingenious People’s Affairs Ministry in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) was elected the new Toshao of the community in Capoey.

She won the second election conducted on July 28 by one vote. Henry was tied

Capoey’s new Toshao Melrose Henry

with 97 votes with Ester Rodrigues for the position of Toshao at a first election which was conducted by the Hinterland Affairs Department of the Regional administration on July 2.

Another election for the position of Toshao was then scheduled for July 28 in the village. After the election was conducted, Melrose Henry received a total of 114

votes and Ester Rodrigues received 113. Many persons showed up at the community centre to cast their vote.

Henry said she will work collectively with her people in the village as well as major stakeholders in moving the village forward. The Amerindian community of Capoey is a rapidly developing tourist destination on the Essequibo Coast.

news

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friday, july 31, 2015 | guyanatimesGY.com

Westford/Bheri fallout

PPP/C to assess impact of criminal charges ... says will return to Parliament for Budget

Former Minister Dr Bheri Ramsaran

A

s the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) prepares to finally participate in the 11th Parliament in mid August, when the National Budget 2015 is expected to be presented, its leadership will now have to assess the impact of the criminal charges against former Ministers Jennifer Westford and Dr Bheri Ramsaran, to determine whether or not it will be in the best interest of the party to stick to its decision to have these individuals return as Members of Parliament (MPs).

This is according to PPP/C Executive, Dr Roger Luncheon, who was at the time addressing media operatives at a press conference at the Party’s headquarters at Freedom House, Robb Street, Georgetown.

“I will concede that perceptions are important… we have not made a decision, this is in the air… what we are deciding is the extent in which these perceptions of which you speak, and I concede ex-

ist, will impact and influence the decisions of the Executive and leadership of this Party,” he stated.

Currently, Westford and Ramsaran are facing criminal charges. Westford was on Wednesday charged with four counts of larceny of attempting to defraud the State of a number of State owned vehicles. She was granted $800,000 bail.

Compounding her situation is the fact that the Ministry which she headed is presently being investigated by the Guyana Police Force for massive fraud.

Ramsaran on the other hand was on Thursday charged with using insulting language against women’s rights activist Sherlina Nageer. Ramsaran had threatened to “slap and strip” the woman outside of the Whim Magistrate’s Court during the height of the election campaign season. He was subsequently fired by then President Donald Ramotar.

When the PPP/C had initially presented its list of MPs, its officials were grilled by media operatives regarding the return of certain controversial figures, Westford and Ramsaran included.

Ramotar had however defended that Party’s list of MPs, saying that a final decision had to be made regardless of individual views. “In a political Party like ours, there will be a lot of discussions, debates and disagreements, but, in the final analysis, when we come to a decision, that’s it, it’s the final decision.

There were people in our Party who were probably not in favour of every sin-

Police probe alleged poisoning of NA nurse

P

olice in Berbice are still trying to ascertain which colleague of Nurse Tameca Carter was responsible for tampering with a beverage she left in a fridge at the New Amsterdam Hospital on Wednesday.

According to information reaching Guyana Times, Carter, of Fort Ordinance, East Canje, Berbice, arrived at work on Wednesday for the 13:00h21:00h shift. She and a few other colleagues, however left to attend the funeral service of another nurse,

but not before she placed some homemade Passion fruit drink in the refrigerator.

Upon her return, Guyana Times understands, Carter consumed some of the drink and soon after collapsed and was immediately placed in one of the wards there. Medical checks revealed that someone may have laced her juice with pills.

The nurse is said to be in a stable condition, as Police continue their investigation.

gle person on the list… it would be totally unnatural if everybody were to agree on everyone there, but in the end, that is the final decision of the Party and these are the people they want to take to Parliament and I will do my best to support them,” he said, noting that the Party was very well aware of the circumstances surrounding each individual when it made its decision.

But now with criminal charges instituted against two of the Party’s soon-tobe MPs, the question again is being raised as to whether or not the Party will go ahead with allowing Westford and Ramsaran to represent its constituency.

Ramotar had noted before

that, if the need arises to make amendments to the list, the PPP/C will be capable of doing so. His statement pertained to the reconsideration of Ramsaran and Westford, among others.

Attending Parliament Meanwhile, the PPP/C, after boycotting Parliament since it was convened on June 10, has finally decided to occupy its 32 seats in August when the budget is expected to be presented by Finance Minister Winston Jordan.

Former President Bharrat Jagdeo will be Opposition Leader and Gail Teixeira is slated to be Chief Whip. The Party had

Former Minister Jennifer Westford

floated Anil Nandlall for the Deputy Speaker position, however, this has not yet been confirmed.

On Wednesday, the PPP/C’s new MPs attended

an induction session at the Parliamentary Chambers, Parliament Building.

During the session, they were briefed on basic parliamentary procedures.

The MPs were also introduced to key parliamentary staff and were briefed on the various parliamentary services offered by the different departments of Parliament.

Those in attendance were Harry Gill, Dr Clive Jagan, Gillian Burton, Zulfikar Mustapha, Adrian Anamayah, Alesie Charles, Yvonne Pearson, Charles Ramson Jr, Nigel Dharamlall and Collin Croal.

Gail Teixeira, a longstanding PPP/C MP, was also in attendance.

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friday, july 31, 2015

News

Essequibo mothers protest scrapping of $10,000 cash grant

By Indrawattie Natram

S

cores of women on the Essequibo Coast on Thursday converged in front of the Department of Education Building at Cotton Field in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) protesting Government’s scrapping of the “Because We Care” $10,000 cash grant initiative.

Parents who chanted “no vouchers, no school” were armed with placards which read, “Unite parents, uniforms for students, meals for students”, “Is this the change? 100-day plan APNU keep your promise, Minister of Education is a sell-out”, “Is this the change to send parents to the street?”, “We want our $10,000 nothing more nothing less”.

The demonstration attracted a large number of parents and was organised by concerned parents.

They were joined by Region Two Chairman Daveanand Ramdatt who held a plac-

AFC), Government and the Education Minister, Dr Rupert Roopnaraine to rethink and support the grant initiative.

In voicing their frustration and dissatisfaction about the scrapping of the programme, parents deemed the move as “heartless” “Why would a Government that claims it cares for people do such a thing? That money was very beneficial to our children, it assisted me a lot, this is a big injustice to poor parents,” one parent told this newspaper. Several other parents explained that if one should examine the cost for all school items and school clothes for a child, one would discover that it is more than $1500 that the Government agreed to give in vouchers. Parents said it was only fair that the school voucher along with the grant be provided as a form of assistance.

“Businessmen are laying off workers every day; only last week my husband got send

Mothers protesting for the grant

ard which read “Is this the change to see parents on the street”. Ramdatt was accompanied by Regional Vice Chairman Juliet Cunja and Arnold Adams as well as other Regional Councillors.

Parents who joined the protest said they were calling on the A Partnership for National Unity and Alliance For Change (APNU/

home, how we go provide for our family when the help is taken away from us?” another parent lamented.

The “Because We Care” cash grant was launched by the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Administration in 2014 to help parents offset school-related expenses for their children. The programme saw

Parents gathered in front of the Department of Education in Region Two protesting for the continuation of the “Because We Care” $10,000 grant to their children

each public school child in Guyana receiving $10,000 at the commencement of the school year.

Disingenuous campaign

In defending its decision to stop the cash grant, the Education Ministry said it would significantly enhance the school voucher assistance and also provide transportation for targeted communities as part of a more comprehensive package to address the needs of students living in difficult circumstances. In a statement, earlier this month, the Ministry said it noted with concern the “Opposition’s disingenuous campaign in response to the Government’s decision to review and very likely not renew the Education Cash Grant, originally represented as a means to boost flagging nursery to secondary enrolment and poor student attendance under the previous Administration”.

According to the Ministry, as the then Opposition, the new Government supported the grant, via budgetary approval, on its professed merits as a one-off initiative intended to provide critical intervention on a significant problem in our education system. This support, the Ministry said, was offered despite vibrant criticism from several sections

Ganja user freed of charge A

suspected user of the illegal drug cannabis sativa, was freed of a narcotic possession charge on Thursday when the prosecution was unable to prove that the drug he was found with was indeed an illegal substance.

Minibus Driver Deo Williams walked out of Court Two of the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts a free man on Thursday morning after a Police witness was proved unreliable in his testimony.

Magistrate Judy Latchman called out the witness on his error where he had mixed up the labelling of packaged evidence that had been allowed as part of the prosecution’s case. However, with that particular evidence being deemed inadmissible,

Deo Williams

the court had no choice but to dismiss the case against Williams.

The Magistrate said that the Prosecutor was able to

prove successfully that the defendant was indeed smoking in Campbellville but the “what” that was being smoking could not be proved without the evidence.

Williams had been in court since he was apprehended for smoking suspected marijuana on July 11. He was caught around 11:30h with the purported marijuana by the Police Officer while they were in the vicinity of Stone Avenue, Campbellville. The accused was apparently sitting when he saw the Police Officers and threw the weed away.

The freed man was represented by Attorney Paul Fung-A-Fat, who had led a garbled defence regarding just who was smoking, his client or the cigarette itself.

of society that the programme appeared ill-conceived though ostensibly well-intended, and would turn out to be an electioneering gimmick on behalf of the then incumbent.

“As evidenced by the kitsch branding of the grant with the “Because We Care” slogan and the mobilisation of several senior Government officials for photo opportunities at disbursement centres in the months leading up to elections, the latter criticism was

in retrospect not unfounded.”

The Ministry said that under this Administration, the priority for education development is measurable, costeffective service delivery with a strong focus on monitoring and evaluation to ensure that programmes result in tangible benefits to those the public education system is intended to serve – the young people of Guyana. Recommendations under active consideration by the Ministry include: the

expansion and intensification of the school feeding programmes to include, for example, the provision of breakfast for targeted students. “The provision of meals has been a proven and tangible method of increasing or sustaining attendance preceding the previous Administration.”

It added that the provision of transportation services for targeted student populations, particularly those in Hinterland and riverine communities will also be pursued, noting that with the help of the business community, for example, a 40-seater boat was recently procured to ferry children living along the Pomeroon River to and from school. Increasing the value of the uniform voucher to more accurately reflect rising costs in related goods and services, over the past few years, the exploration of the establishment of a fund that will provide additional direct financial support for students in difficult circumstances and the contextualisation of education assistance within a holistic programme of poverty alleviation that includes a review of the taxation system and salary increase among other measures are also areas the Government said it was looking at.

Tight-lipped Sean Hinds released without charge S elf-confessed death squad member Sean Hinds was on Friday afternoon released from Police custody after the 72-hour detention period expired, but was instructed to report to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) headquarters on a regular basis as Police continue their investigations.

Up to late Thursday evening, Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum told this newspaper that Hinds refused to cooperate with investigators unless his attorney, Nigel Hughes was present. Once the lawyer was there, Blanhum said, he would instruct his client not to reveal any information.

Now that Hinds is out of custody, the investigators are expected to pursue other leads with respect to the recent revelations made by the ex-Policeman. The Police are presently reviewing the recordings of the controversial interview with Hinds that was aired on HGPTV Nightly News. The recordings were handed over to the Police following a request by the Police Commissioner.

The former cop made some shocking and scurrilous allegations to another media house two Tuesdays ago, where he disclosed that he was an integral part of a “death squad” which had a rampant operation during the mid 2000s. Hinds claimed that he was directed by the CID and if he was not part of the “killing squad, this country wouldna got law and order…”. He also claimed he was being fingered

Sean Hinds

for the killing of political activist Courtney Crum-Ewing.

The death squad was reportedly responsible for going after criminal elements, particularly those who emerged after the massive jailbreak of February 2002, when five high-profile criminals escaped from the Camp Street Prison.

The men – Andrew Douglas, Dale Moore, Shawn Browne, Mark Fraser and Troy Dick – were all killed after having confrontation with Police ranks.

Meanwhile, Police said Hinds’ allegations came as a surprise to the country and more so, the Guyana Police Force since they never implicated him for the murder of Crum-Ewing. So far, the only person which solid evidence has linked to the murder is Regan Rodrigues whose illegal firearm matched the one used to execute the father of three. “At no point in time Hinds’ name was raised as a suspect for the murder

of Courtney Crum-Ewing…,” it was stated. Hinds, two Tuesdays ago during the television interview, stated: “Somebody implicate me in Crum-Ewing murder, saying that I was the person who pass the money or the person who went with the killer. At no time, I did not went with no killer.”

The ex-Policeman was also accused of staking out Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo’s home about three weeks ago, but has since denied the allegation. “I don’t even know where the PM lives … and two weeks ago… if the presidential guards de see me, Bannas, believe me, they would ah done find me … they know where I live, they know all meh contacts and this new issue come a shocker to me and I must say that this is bare politics playing out.”

On Saturday, PM Nagamootoo had confirmed that security personnel attached to his residence noticed a strange car parked close to his house about two weeks ago, and when they approached the car, they recognised Hinds as one of the occupants. Before the guards could have got closer, the car sped away.

In response to statements that the Police had visited his homes, looking for him, Hinds stated that every day he would review his surveillance cameras and he had not seen any Police car or any vehicle that looked like a Police vehicle in front of his house.

friday, july 31, 2015

guyanatimesgy.com

15

News

Local Govt polls likely by December – Bulkan tells House

By Kristen Macklingam

T

he long-awaited Local Government Elections in Guyana are expected to be held before the end of December 2015, Communities Minister Ronald Bulkan told the National Assembly on Thursday.

He stated that he spoke with the Chief Elections Officer at the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), and was advised that the Commission would be expected to make a “formal decision” at its next statutory meeting on August 18 as to proceeding with the elections. “Once such approval is granted, GECOM will be able to hold the elections in early December or well before the Christmas, so whilst I earlier said that it is our desire for these elections to be held in November or before the end of November, I have today been advised that GECOM are assuring that they will be in a position to hold these elections in early December,” Minister Bulkan said.

Local Government (Amendment) Bill 2015 passed

Bulkan was at the time making his presentation as Government

rammed through the Local Government (Amendment) Bill 2015 – the last of the four pieces of legislation crucial for the holding of Local Government Elections under the local Government reforms regime. The Local Government (Amendment) Bill was passed in the 10th Parliament, but then President Donald Ramotar had refused to assent to it. The bill vests financial and administrative powers in the Local Government Commission, removing them from the subject ministry. The other three bills – the Fiscal Transfer Act, the Municipal and District Council Amendment Act, and the Local Government Commission Act have been passed and assented to.

Meanwhile, during his address to the House, Minister Bulkan referred to a press releases which was sent by the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) and subsequently published in the Mirror Newspaper dated July 11 and July 12, 2015.

He explained that the PPP/C stated that he (Bulkan) was fully aware of the reality that Local Government Elections cannot be held this year and that such an article proceeded to create its own re-

ality arriving at its own conclusion. “My response to the PPP and its General Secretary is that these elections like time or the tide will wait on no one. It will not be delayed. It will be deferred any longer.”

Minister Bulkan acknowledged that ensuring these elections occur would be a costly venture but he said it was definitely one which was necessary.

“These elections have little to do with politics and everything to do with giving people their constitutional right(s) to take care of their communities.” With the passing of the National Budget, it is expected that GECOM will hold these elections after funding is made available.

Bulkan lashed out at the Opposition party which was once again a ‘no-show’ during the sitting. “They (Opposition members) have a fear of people being liberated and it can only be out of a desire to keep our people subjugated, to exercise control. It is regrettable that once again the Opposition benches are vacant and the PPP and Opposition members of the House don’t have the opportunity to retreat from their position (in the Mirror Newspaper press release). Or to see the er-

Burrowes finally resigns from Go-Invest

... to preempt sacking

C

hief Executive Officer of the Guyana Office for Investment (GOInvest) Keith Burrowes has finally resigned from the State entity, citing that there were alleged moves to sack him.

Guyana Times was told that the former Presidential Adviser had tendered his resignation with effect from July 27. When contacted on the issue, Burrowes confirmed that he indeed tendered his resignation. He said he had proceeded on leave last week, following the first meeting of the new board of the investment regulatory body and decided to resign while still on leave.

Burrowes told Guyana Times that he was informed that Minister of Business Dominic Gaskin had recommended to Cabinet that he be fired for not being in sync with the national priorities of the Government.

Burrowes said while he cannot confirm whether this is indeed the case, he has never received a verbal or written warning about his performance. He however acknowledged that he has been adversely affected by sickness which sometimes kept him away from work.

Keith Burrowes

Back in June, Burrowes had resigned from the entity, but then withdrew the resignation. During an interview with this publication, he had explained that he was about to tender his resignation after reading a newspaper article that insinuated that the Business Ministry may terminate his services.

The Business Minister had noted that once the Government discovered that the management of GOInvest was responsible for the agency’s low productivity, then one of the means of addressing the situation would be to get new management. That statement, Burrowes had explained,

left him worried and thus he began entertaining thoughts of resigning. However, he claimed that the Business Minister subsequently told him that the article was a misrepresentation of his words and that the Ministry was not particularly looking to dismiss anyone at the moment. “I hope if I remain with GO-Invest, it will become one of the best investment agencies in the Caribbean,” Burrows had said. In proving he is the man needed to turn the agency around, Burrowes outlined a number of areas in which GO-Invest needed to improve on in order to effectively and efficiently execute its mandate.

Firstly, he said, GOInvest desperately needs an intelligence unit or a research and development unit, where the entity compiles comprehensive data about the economic opportunities for each district in Guyana.

Burrowes explained that having such information readily available would be extremely beneficial, as investors would now have a clearer and more concise breakdown of what their investment would be worth.

ror of their ways and support the Local Government Amendment Bill.”

Since 1994, Local Government Elections have

not been held in Guyana.

Elections could not be conducted from then to now because of the coincidence with the General and Regional

Elections of 1997 in the first instance and were subsequently repeated postponed.

Prior to 1994, these elections were last held in 1970.

16 NEWS

friday, july 31, 2015| guyanatimesGY.com

Berbice Expo launched

Business Minister Dominic Gaskin was joined by Region Six Chairman David Armogan and other officials at the launch of Berbice Expo

T

he David Grangerled Government is keen on supporting trade fairs, so says Business Minister Dominic Gaskin as he launched the 10th edition of the Berbice Expo and Trade Fair 2015 at the Central Corentyne Chamber of Commerce office building, Rose Hall Town, Corentyne, Region Six (East BerbiceCorentyne).

According to the Business Minister, trade fairs are a different component of business development which allows businesses to showcase their products and services, and also functions as a form of advertising which gives the customer direct access.

“It allows the customers to interact with you and allows the customers to feel or taste your product. So it is a far more conventional tool that some of the other marketing methods, so it is very important and very commendable that you in Berbice have an event such as this.”

This year, the Berbice Expo and Trade Fair will be held from Friday, September 18 to Monday, September 21 under the theme “Fostering National Pride, Advancing National Progress”.

Speaking on the theme, Minister Gaskin said it was fitting and appropri-

ate while noting the importance of national pride to Guyanese. “When Guyana shines, all Guyanese feel proud,” he said.

He added that national unity has a role to play in business, since all local Guyanese benefit when the economy grows and develops. Guyana, the Minister said, has not fully achieved economic development and this is an indication that efforts must be made to stimulate the Private Sector.

The Berbice Expo and Trade Fair was first held in July 2005 by the Central Corentyne Chamber of Commerce (CCCC) which was formed eight months before. The CCCC, Gaskin said, plays an important role in Region Six.

Advance economic progress

Meanwhile, President of the Chamber Tajpaul Adjodhea speaking at the launch said the event this year is being held in collaboration with Government through the Business Ministry.

The Expo, he added, helps to promote tourism, and as such, he extended an invitation to Tourism Minister Cathy Hughes to come on board. He noted that over the past 10 years,

the Berbice Exop has developed into a national event and sees in excess of 20,000 persons visiting each year. In explaining the reason for choosing the theme, the Chamber President said there is need to showcase Guyana on the national stage while noting that there has been proof of economic development.

“A lot more has to be done in terms of our economic progress. We want the Berbice Expo and other trade fairs to be a catalyst to kick-start and advance economic progress. As a Chamber we don’t believe that economic progress should be confined to a few... This country can only grow if everyone moves in that direction.”

Adjodhea noted the need to nurture both small and large industries equally, since they both create employment. In explaining why the event was being held in September and not in July as is the norm, Adjodhea noted the fact that there was a change of Government and the CCCC wanted to give the new Administration a chance to settle in. “The Berbice Expo has always been touted as a family event and we want to keep it that way.”

In delivering brief re-

marks, Chairman of Region Six David Armogan congratulated the CCCC for being able to sustain the trade fair for over a decade.

However, he noted that he wishes to see more exhibitors coming from the nonetraditional industries.

Among those industries mentioned was agroprocessing. “For too long we have been focusing on primary production; sugar and rice has been the mainstay of the Berbice economy, and both are in trouble. So the prognosis in terms of our major production in Berbice is not so good and so for us to come out of this situation that we have found ourselves in, we need to take greater risks in terms of venturing out into other kinds of businesses where we can make money.”

Director of Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA), Indranauth Haralsingh said GTA is hoping to work with the organising committee to establish a best booth competition and also a Berbice Expo magazine.

He said GAT will also be coordinating and seeking the participation of a number of tourism related businesses across the country in a project to invite people to explore domestic tourism.

At the Berbice Expo, a domestic tourism survey will be done to find out how people travel. Booths for the Expo are priced between $30,000 and $50,000 while persons involved in craft will be offered free space or heavily subsidised rates under a special package which has been arranged to attract young entrepreneurs.

Among those sponsoring this year’s Expo are Digicel, Nand Persaud Rice Mills, the Guyana Sugar Corporation, Comfort Sleep, Banks DIH Ltd, ANSA McAL Trading, Beharry Group of Companies, E-Networks, Republic Bank, Demerara Bank and the Berbice Bridge Company Inc.

Lotto money will be channelled to Consolidated Fund from next year – Trotman

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overnment has announced that the monies flowing out of the Lotto Fund will now be directed to the Consolidated Fund, bringing an end to a contention which saw a court challenge and internal bickering in the 10th Parliament.

The A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) component of Government, while in Opposition in the tenth Parliament, had raised several concerns over the use of the Lotto Fund, claiming that it was unlawful for it to be anywhere else than in the Consolidated Fund.

The then People’s Progressive Party/Civic

(PPP/C) Government’s contention had always been that it is perfectly lawful and constitutional to place those monies in a fund separate and apart from the Consolidated Fund.

Foreign Affairs Minister Carl Greenidge had moved a motion in the House seeking to compel former Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh to deposit the monies directly into the Consolidated Fund.

During the debate, the then PPP/C Government had argued that the motion was misconceived and that the provisions of the Fiscal Management and Accountability Act, Article 216 of the Constitution, and the Lotteries Act per-

mit those monies to be kept outside of the Consolidated Fund and in a development fund.

On Wednesday, Governance and Patrimony Minister Raphael Trotman reported that Finance Minister Winston Jordan had indicated that the 2015 National Budget will reflect the lotto flowing into the Consolidated Fund.

While he could not give the figure as it stands at the moment, Trotman said it was found that many agencies had been drawing monies from the Fund for various matters including training, travel, attendance of conferences, etc.

And while that may not be

a bad way to go, he said Government needs to do some streamlining, since there should have been some protocols in place in terms of “how and who and when and for what specific purposes”.

The Fund, he said, was originally designed to take care of community and cultural development; however, this has not been happening. “Even if it was spent, don’t think there has been value for money”. He said individual agencies will have to make a request of the Consolidated Fund for monies from the fund, instead of assigning their expenses to the Fund.

New Local Govt Bill gives NDCs power to set up constabularies

Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan

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he National Assembly on Thursday passed the Local Government (Amendment) Bill 2015, which vests financial and administrative powers in the Local Government Commission, removing them from the subject ministry.

Three other three bills – part of a suite of local government reforms the Fiscal Transfer Act, the Municipal and District Council Amendment Act, and the Local Government Commission Act have been passed and assented to.

The bill was piloted by Minister of Communities Ronald Bulkan with the aim of strengthening the local government system in Guyana.

Meanwhile, Vice President and Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan, in supporting the bill mentioned in his address that with the bill there would be the establishment of constabularies in the various local government bodies (Neighbourhood Democratic Councils) across the country. “This amendment seeks to diffuse lots of power away from a central level and to also give powers as regards to constabularies to the body namely the NDCs for the simple reason that they would know more or less what it is that they have to enforce,” said Minister Ramjattan.

He explained that the NDC is a peculiar body which will deal with local issues hence requiring knowledge about the geography of the area it governs and the nature of circumstances which occur there require “efficiencies and capabilities” to handle the said issues.

‘So there is need then since we are de-centralising power away from the central authority for all the powers that normally the central authority would have to now go to the NDC. One such very big power is the enforcement of the laws within that NDC,” he stated. Minister Ramjattan ac-

knowledged that the country already has a police force but said that sometimes all the issues occurring at the NDC level cannot be in relation to law enforcement being executed by the Guyana Police Force. “If we do have what is called a constabulary at the NDC level that can enforce and probably do the work of policing these NDC laws we can have at least at the larger level, the central level, policemen under the police act doing more core policing work. Having a constabulary within the NDC ensures that these other matters be dealt with a t that level…Establishing another institution of law and order at the NDC level will have the powers of enforcement,” he noted.

It was further explained that this is in no way conflicting with the Guyana Police Force. “The Police Force under the Police Act will always be superior but this constabulary is going to be an auxiliary at the level of the NDC. Indeed the big question would be who is going to pay this auxiliary but the Act , the Amendment here is making it quite clear, members and ranks of each NDC must be maintained through the resources of that NDC.” The Security Minister highlighted that this is consistent with the fact that if you want to take away powers from the central level you must ensure that the NDCs and local levels get powers. He continued to say that such a move at the local level would ensure that persons understand all the difficulties which sometimes come along with power as well as the role of being in positions and offices in power. The National Assembly was told that it is largely the responsibility of the communities to take up these matters and deal with the matters themselves.

While doing so citizens will have to understand if they want to have better policing at the level of the NDCs they will also need to find the money to ensure this.

It was further noted that the police force will play a role in at least the training of these members that form the NDC constabularies. They (members of the constabularies) can have powers of arrest after this training and members of the constabulary may bear arms in accordance of the regulation by the Minister.

“This is but a great innovation to ensure that there be an institutionalising of these bodies for law enforcement at the local level,” Minister Ramjattan added.

Friday, July 31, 2015

guyanatimesgy.com

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very year, the African Cultural and Development Association (ACDA) aspires to raise the bar on performances at the National Park, Thomas Lands, Georgetown, by providing some of the best local, regional and international performing groups.

This year is no different, as the group vows to make 2015 one of the biggest festivals in honour of celebrating the future of Guyana.

For the first time ever in 2013, ACDA was able to bring performers from Africa via the USA and the Association has managed to continue to expand its international acts since then, in the hope of fostering the growth of professionalism and diversity within the Guyana Performing Arts field, especially among local groups.

The aim is to bring something different every year to the festival which does not already exist in

Guyana.

For the past two years, The Association has managed to bring to Guyana a Nigerian mime, acrobats from Kenya and a juggler from Ethiopia, as well as a ventriloquist, among other acts – all talents that were relatively new to the Guyanese people.

This year, ACDA has expanded their reach by bringing the Djoniba Dancers out of the USA and Blakk Rasta, Ghana’s number one Reggae Star.

The Djoniba Dancers will thrill the audience come August 1 at the

National

Park. The group is known their electrifying dancers and drummers, dazzling fire eaters, intriguing masks and breathtaking acrobat-stilt walkers.

On the other hand, Black Rasta was voted and won Best Reggae Song

Rastafarianism and spiritual love. Sometimes the music has some Jamaican influences and touches. The music is produced in English, Jamaican Patois and some African languages.

The local line-up for the massive show down at the National Park will include recently crowned Miss World Guyana Lisa Punch, Guyana’s

ambassador, the initiative is bound to draw a large following.

The Jamaican artiste’s popularity grew throughout 2012, with significant airplay in Jamaica, and performances at festivals such as Reggae Sumfest and a show in December at the Tracks and Records

nightclub/restaurant in Kingston, which was attended by Usain Bolt.

In 2013, he had hits with “Smile Jamaica” and “Here Comes Trouble”, and he toured The United Kingdom and the United States with the Zincfence Redemption Band. The local artistes will be backed by the Irits Band out of the mining town of Linden.

In March 2013, he travelled to Kenya, where he has a large fan base, as a Peace Ambassador during the country’s general election, and performed at the Tuka Rada Peace Concert in Nairobi. In May 2014, he won Culture Artist of the Year, Best New Artist, and Entertainer of the Year at the Linkage Awards in New York. His singing career has blossomed since and there is definitely no holding him back.

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amaican reggae artiste Jamar Rolando McNaughton Jr, popularly known as “Chronixx” will be performing at the “Plant It” Guyana Concert slated for Saturday, August 8 at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence, East Bank Demerara.

The show is being promoted by Rastafarian Advancement Creed Empowerment (RACE) and is being held to encourage Rastafarians to plant organic food for the sustainability of Rastafarians across the world.

The Jamaican artiste will be the headlining act, with several others slated to perform. Those who will grace the stage on the night of August 8 are Guyana’s own First Born, Ila Man, Benjie Diamond and Gad Kid, Empress Idama and Empress Igina, along with Sister Petra and others.

Chronixx is expected to arrive in Guyana on August 3 with the Zincfence Redemption Band out of Jamaica. The concert is a collaborative effort by Rastafarians in Guyana and Overseas and is one of the biggest initiatives promoting the planting of organic foods. With Chronixx as the

of the Year at the Ghana Music Awards and the National Award for Cultural Excellence in his homeland.

Blakk Rasta performs Reggae music, pouring out conscious lyrics about blackness,

very own Natural Black, Mystic Dance Group, Devine Star, X Factor, Charmaine Blackman, Junior Calypso, Shantel Gittens and former Chutney King Roger “Young Bill Roger” Hinds.

Apart from the live performances, there will be a fashion display, activities for the children and a number of food and beverage booths.

The celebration of emancipation comes at a time when the African Cultural and Development Association is celebrating its 22nd anniversary. It is also hosting its 21st Emancipation Day Festival at the National Park on Freedom Day, Saturday August 1.

This is ACDA’s first emancipation during the International Decade for People of African Descent (IDPAD) which began in January 2015 and will end December 31, 2024.

ACDA’s theme for Emancipation 2015 is “Rekindling Our Past Glory Through Youth Innovation”.

In Guyana, he will be making several television and radio appearances, among other activities.

Tickets for the “Plant It” Guyana Concert cost $2500 in advance and $3000 at the gate.

Advance tickets can be picked up at Corner Kick Restaurant and Bar, B&D Boutique, Uprising Beverage and Car Rental, White Castle Fish Shop, Two Brother’s Service Station, King of Kings Organic Shop and the Irits family in Linden.

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friday, july 31 , 2015

tonight

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ought sometime in the 1840’s by enslaved Africans after emancipation, the village of Hopetown, located on the West Cost of Berbice (54 miles from the capital Georgetown) has a very rich history and cultures bounded by its ancestors.

Soiree remains one of the cultures which has survived the times, but has been slowly dying over the last decade.

This is why keeping the culture alive is so important to a group of young people who grew up seeing their elders celebrate their freedom from slavery.

Starting today, the Multi Action Association (MAA) will

strive to bring the true meaning of Soiree to both young and old, in the “Rebirth of Soiree”.

The hope is that over time, they will bridge the gap between the younger and older generations in the rehabilitation of the cultures of the community.

During the days leading up to, and on the day of Emancipation, August 1, the team of young, ambitious minds which comprises of Emerson Benjamin, Alister “Mr Fathead” Roberts, Tasia Allen, Ludwig Joseph and Melissa “Vanilla” Roberts will be engaged in various activities, including honouring their Elders on August 1.

The most important of the lot will be the Adult Candlelight Parade at midnight and the newly added Children’s Soriee Parade and cultural games earlier in the day.

The adult parade this year will be in the form of a candlelight precession with inclusion of the Army Band Corp, bringing vibrancy and the real feel to the Soiree vibes as they did years ago.

The parade usually begins at 20:00h from Forth Wellington to Bel Air Village and return, as persons march into Hopetown with their candles lit, since at this time, all lights in the village are expected to go out

so as to get the feel of when the ex-slaves emancipated themselves, celebrating their freedom and the purchase of their village.

The MAA would like to extend special thanks to The Guyana Police Force especially the Commander of B Division Christopher Griffith and officers and ranks of the Fort Wellington Police Station, Bermudez, Banks DIH, Digicel and the Guyana Defence Force for their kind cooperation in making these events possible.

See you in Hopetown this evening. Remember to be there early to catch the candlelight parade.

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he First of August Movement of Buxton (FAM) will be hosting an Emancipation weekend of activities in the village to mark the 177th anniversary of the end of slavery.

This year’s theme – “175 Years as a Community” highlights the 175th anniversary of the founding of the historic village.

The FAM hopes to use this year’s observances to launch a village revitalisation movement, aimed at addressing the problems in the community through

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socio-economic and cultural development initiatives.

On July 31, there will be the annual Emancipation Eve Extravaganza. The night’s activity starts with a Libation and Spiritual Service at the Emancipation Monument at the Market Square at 18:00h.

This would be followed by a cultural programme at the Buxton Line Top starting at 20:00h. The programme includes drumming, drama, dancing, storytelling, steel band music, calypso, Nancy Storytelling and folk singing.

The main attraction would be the legendary Yoruba Singers band. On August 1, Emancipation Day, there will be an Emancipation Get-together where young people would host the elders of the village at a day of “Feasting and Merriment” at the Friendship Primary School beginning at noon (midday). In addition, a major village imitative is expected to be launched at this activity. On Sunday, August 2, there would be a programme called “Education Groundings”, which will be addressed by Education Minister, Dr Rupert Roopnaraine.

amaican artiste Tony Matterhorn will be performing live at Club 704 on the evening of Saturday, August 1 for Freedom Fete 2015.

The event is promoted by Club 704 and it is keeping with Emancipation celebrations. Tony Matterhorn is no stranger to Guyana since he has performed here on several occasions. His most recent show was in Berbice a few months ago.

The Jamaican deejay whose birth name is Dufton Taylor Jr is a dancehall reggae deejay and sound system selector from Kingston, Jamaica.

Matterhorn got his start in the sound system arena in the early 1990s on Inner City Sound System, then landed on King Addies in Brooklyn, New York alongside Selector Babyface.

After leaving Addies in 1998 to form his own sound, he went on to win several international clashes, including World Clash Jamaica and the UK Cup Clash.

Tony Matterhorn eventually crossed over into deejaying, and his Dutty Wine became both a hit single and a controversial dance craze in 2006. Matterhorn continues to record and tour, as both a deejay and soundman. The nickname “Tony Matterhorn” comes from Matterhorn, a brand of cigarettes sold in Jamaica.

Alongside Matterhorn will be Deejay Puffy and Deejay Breeze who are expected to hit the right tunes to keep patrons on the dance floor. There will also be a Guinness special all night, whereby patrons can purchase three bottles of the power beverage and get one free. Tickets for the event cost $2000 and will be available at the door. Showtime is 21:00h until 04:00h.

he Miss Global International (MGI) Pageant is a prestigious beauty pageant where delegates from around the world gather to showcase their countries of origin in the most spectacular manner. The pageant is watched worldwide.

The brainchild of renowned Jamaican businessman Lachu Ramchandani, JP, he has worked tirelessly to lift the standard of the pageant over the years.

The aim of the pageant is to boost the tourist industry and economy of the host country by bringing delegates, directors, patrons, family members, friends and international media from all over the world to view the various attractions and familiarise them with the rich culture of the host country. The pageant’s motto is “Uniting the World through Beauty and Tourism”.

Another aspect of the pageant is to allow the bright, beautiful and intelligent young ladies a chance to vie for the title of Miss Global International which is on par with Miss World and Miss Universe.

The pageant has been successfully staged in Jamaica for the past 10 years and this year, the Chairman has decided to spread its wings to other countries.

Ramchandani opted to host the 11th edition of the Miss Global International in the twin island republic of Trinidad and Tobago after taking into consideration that an international pageant was not held in that country since the hosting of Miss Universe in 1999.

The passion for pageantry expressed by the Trinidadians was also considered before taking the event to the Land of Carnival. This year, Alicia Bess will be representing Guyana in the pageant which set for September 20-25.

During this time, the delegates will participate in several preliminary competitions with the grand coronation on September 25 at the Radison Suite Hotel, Port of Spain.

However, there are several activities planned for the Guyanese beauty in order to raise funds for her trip.

The first event is set for August 22 which takes the form of a take away Bar- B-Que and lime. This will be followed by “Exotica” at the Buddy’s Night Club on August 29 and finally, the grand event which is a tea party set September 13.

Thus far, her competitors are Angola, Trinidad, Switzerland, The United Kingdom, Wales, Panama, Mauritius, Russia, Scotland, Ghana, Canada, Philippines, Ecuador, Belgium, Australia, Barbados, Jamaica and Namibia.

Other countries such as Brazil, Uganda, Cameroon, Malaysia and several African countries are in the process of hosting their local leg of the pageant after which the names of the delegates will be sent to the MGI committee.

friday, july 31, 2015

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Amazon Warriors gifts govt autographed cricket bat M

anager of the Guyana Amazon Warriors, Omar Khan, on Thursday paid a courtesy call on Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, at the Minister’s Shiv Chanderpaul Drive office at the Ministry of the Presidency.

Khan presented the Minister with a signed autographed cricket bat by the team of CPL Guyana 2015.

He indicated that all the players who participated in the matches and officiated in the tournament representing Guyana signed the bat.

The team manager expressed gratitude to Minister Harmon and the Government of Guyana for continued support. Khan says he is “looking forward to the future as he hopes that CPL grows from strength [to strength] and that the team can bring the trophy to Guyana next year.”

He added that the team will do its best to ensure that 2016 win for Guyana.

Minister Harmon expressed gratitude and stressed that the Government of Guyana will continue to

support CPL and the Amazon Warriors. The Minister said he is “confident that with a little tweaking of the team we are capable of winning that tournament.” He further congratulated Khan on being an “excellent manager.” Minister Harmon said the autographed bat will occupy a place of prominence within the Ministry of the Presidency.

Only last week Harmon has hailed the achievement of the Guyana Amazon Warriors and its franchise holder, Dr Ranjisinghi Ramroop. “We are very proud of Guyanese franchise and the achievement of the Amazon Warriors...” Harmon noted.

Back in June, the Guyana Government had reaffirmed its commitment to supporting the CPL and the Guyana Amazon Warriors, and said then that it was seeking a legally-sound Cabinet-approved agreement with the regional cricket league. The announcement was made when Harmon met with CPL Chief Executive Officer Damien O’Donohoe at the Ministry of the Presidency on June 10.

Manager of the Guyana Amazon Warriors, Omar Khan, presents the autographed bat to Minister of State, Joseph Harmon

An independent Economic Impact study on the tournament last year revealed that Guyana’s economy cashed in on some US$24.5 million from the overall US$166 mil-

lion that was injected into the Region’s economy during the 2014 tournament – a significant increase of 58 per cent on 2013.

“Guyana is not only a

cricket-loving country, but a cricket-crazy country so we have every reason to welcome the CPL back to Guyana and I want to reaffirm the Government’s full support

for the CPL specifically, and cricket in general,” Minister Harmon told O’Donohoe in the meeting at the Ministry of the Presidency.

Harmon had expressed regret at the ad hoc manner in which the previous Government engaged the CPL with regard to matches hosted in Guyana and conveyed to O’Donohoe that the Government would be prepared to take the requisite steps to ensure that a structured and legally sound agreement, which was Cabinetapproved is in place. Minister Harmon further conveyed that the Government was prepared to commence negotiations in this regard, at the earliest opportunity, to ensure that the agreement was in place.

Minister Harmon assured O’Donohoe that the Government would commit to ensuring that all the usual exemptions and concessions for the hosting of international cricket in Guyana were granted to the CPL for the hosting of the matches in the 2015 tournament.

Danns eager to suit up for Coach Chisholm Golden Jaguars again Boyce/Jefford Track and Field Classic…

confident GDF can win “I

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nglish Championship club Bolton Wanderers’ midfield player Neil Danns says he’s hoping for another chance to don the colours of the Golden Jaguars- Guyana’s senior national men’s football team.

The 32-year-old was at the time speaking to Bolton News about his club’s expectation for the upcoming season and earning his first international cap.

Danns made his international debut against Grenada in a friendly international match at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence, setting up both goals that were scored by striker Pernel Schultz.

Passport issues kept the midfield maestro out of Guyana’s first leg of their World Cup Qualifier against St Vincent and the Grenadines, which the Golden Jaguars drew 2-2 and was hoping for a win at Providence to see them through to the next round.

However, despite Danns’ double, Guyana drew 4-4 with the ‘Vincy Heat’ and found themselves out of the qualifiers.

“It was a great experience,” Danns said, while adding, “even though there were some complications with our citizenship, to score twice in the World Cup [qualifier] was incredible and now hopefully I get another crack at it.”

But he could get a second bite at the cherry, with a FIFA decision imminent on whether St Vincent fielded an ineligible player, which would grant Guyana a 3-0 walkover win, and further advancement in the qualifier.

Danns is hoping for a positive outcome and insists his globetrotting will not affect

Neil Danns sets off in celebration after scoring against St Vincent at Providence in June (Avenash Ramzan photo)

his form for Wanderers this season.

“We’ve all got our fingers crossed. If it turns out well for me then it would be another great experience. It’s a long way to travel, but I know players like Chung-Yong Lee who did it for years; this is all new to me. Maybe after a while it might wear you down mentally but for me it’s an adventure, it’s exciting, and I look forward to it,” said Danns.

Meanwhile, the midfielder refuses to be downbeat about the club’s chances in the Championship this season, despite many writing off any hopes of a top-six finish before a ball has been kicked. (www.gffonline.com)

think we will win because when you look around and you see the athletes that are in all the events, we stand the best chance.”

Head Coach of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Track and Field Club, Robert Chisholm, exuded confidence on Thursday when quizzed by this publication on his athletes’ chances at the Boyce/Jefford Track and Field Classic on August 15-16.

Chisholm, who noted that his team has already been shortlisted for the championships, also highlighted that he is confident of the soldier men and women going one step further and winning overall after their second place finish last year.

With the top prize of $600,000 up for grabs, the GDF will be bringing a stacked team to the competition.

With the likes of a resurgent Rupert Perry back

Robert Chisholm

from injury and currently the top sprinter in the country, Chisholm has firepower in his squad.

The squad is also expected to feature the likes of female sprint Aniquah Powley, who has risen in the ranks during the last year.

Davin Fraser is also expected to be one of the sprinters to watch, while Guyana’s national javelin

record holder Leslain Baird is also said to be part of the team. Guyana’s fastest rugby players and Boyce/Jefford long jump record holder, Patrick King, is also set to feature for the army men and women.

In addition, with new recruits such as Carifta 1500 metre bronze medalist Andrea Foster and the versatile Natrena Hooper, the army team is stacked with talent.

Meanwhile, Chisholm noted that along with his talented the team, preparation has been going well.

“We are looking reasonably good. I am confident in my team. In terms of preparations, we had a setback with the weather, so we did not get to put in the kind of work we wanted to, but it is not us alone, all the teams are on a level play field,” Chisholm stated.

The championship will take place at the McKenzie Sports Club ground in Linden.

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friday, july 31, 2015

WICB Regional U-19 tournament…

WICCBVI Regional competition…

Douglas hits 72 All-round Guyana but rain stalls whip Windward Guyanese Islands by 85 runs K A sterling all-round effort from Kassem Khan handed Guyana an 85-run victory over the Windward Islands in round six of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) Regional Under-19 50-over cricket competition on Thursday in Jamaica.

Playing at Ewarton, Guyana posted 257 all out in 49.5 overs with Khan hitting 51 and Keemo Paul 54 towards the latter half of the innings. Openers Shimron Hetmyer (40) and Tevin Imlach (36) had earlier given the Guyanese a solid start.

The Windward Islands were off to a flying start,

Keemo Paul

compliments of opener Gidron Pope, but they lost their way once he was dis-

missed. The islanders, who were 56-0 in nine overs, were eventually dismissed for 172 in 39.3 overs.

Pope made 40, while Johnel Eugene scored 27.

Bowling for Guyana, Khan bagged 4-32 from 10 overs, while spinners Akshaya Persaud and Balchand Baldeo claimed 2-27 and 2-30 respectively.

Below are the summarised scores from the other two games.

Barbados defeated Canada by 151 runs at Manchester High School.

Barbados 272-4 off 50 overs (Leniko Boucher 101, Lee-Germon Gaskin 91; Harsha Thaker 2-44,

Emmanuel David 2-52) Canada 121 all out off 33.1 overs (Arslan Khan 43, Emmanuel David 26; Keon Harding 3-30, Chemar Holder 2-19).

At Jamalco, hosts Jamaica defeated the Leeward Islands by 23 runs. Jamaica made 267 and restricted the Leeward Islands to 244.

The competition will continue today with Guyana taking on Canada, Leeward Islands versus Trinidad and Tobago and Barbados tackling Jamaica. The top two teams at the end of today’s games will clash in Sunday’s final.

Sri Lanka v Pakistan, 1st T20I, Colombo…

Pakistan make short work of Sri Lanka’s challenge

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measured Ahmed Shehzad, a spry Shoaib Malik and a belligerent Umar Akmal hit 46 runs each to carry Pakistan to 175 for 5, a total Sri Lanka's chase never had the measure of. Milinda Siriwardana

strumental to providing the platform, but it was Malik and Akmal's fourth-wicket charge that claimed control of the match for Pakistan.

They came together in the middle of the 12th over and blasted 81 runs from 45 balls, taking a particular

a leg-side heave off Anwar Ali third ball of the chase, but managed only a top-edge to mid-on.

Tillakaratne Dilshan edged a seaming Tanvir delivery behind next over, before Kithuruwan Vithanage soon fell to the same bowler, deflecting a full delivery onto his stumps.

Mathews and debutant Siriwardana attempted a recovery, but neither batsman managed the boundaries that would have kept Sri Lanka in sight of the required rate. When Mathews was bowled by Imad Wasim at the end of the 10th over, Sri Lanka needed more than 12 runs an over.

Siriwardana, one of the four T20 debutants for Sri Lanka in this game, provided some hope with clean hitting, mostly off the spinners. His strike over longon off Shahid Afridi was particularly memorable, but arguably, Kapugedera's hitting was even better.

Playing his first match for Sri Lanka since June 2012, he waltzed down the pitch to launch Malik into the sightscreen off his second ball, then hoisted Tanvir's final ball of the day over the cover rope with a languid extension of the arms.

Siriwardana was dismissed for 35 off 18, Kapugedera stayed not out at 31 from 16. (Cricinfo)

SCOREBOARD

Umar Akmal boosted Pakistan’s score with a cameo towards the end

and Chamara Kapugedera played sprightly innings from the lower middle order, but Pakistan were always favourites to defend their score, having had the hosts at 19 for 3 in the fourth over. Sohail Tanvir was prime destroyer with the new ball, and finished with figures of 3 for 29 from his four overs. The hosts fell short by 29 runs.

Shehzad had been in-

liking to Lasith Malinga, whose three overs to the pair cost 37 runs.

Debutant left-arm seamer Binura Fernando wasn't spared either, going at 9.5 in his four overs.

Though leg-spinner Jeffrey Vandersay returned the most economical figures of the innings, Malinga did not employ any of his supplementary spin options.

Kusal Perera aimed

Pakistan innings (20 overs maximum) Mukhtar Ahmed c Vandersay

b Mathews 2 Ahmed Shehzad c Malinga b NLTC Perera 46 Mohammad Hafeez c Vithanage b NLTC Perera 17 Shoaib Malik not out 46 Umar Akmal lbw b Malinga 46 Shahid Afridi* b Fernando 8 Anwar Ali not out 0 Extras:(lb-3, w-7) 10 Total:(5 wickets; 20 overs) 175 Fall of wickets: 1-10 (Mukhtar Ahmed, 1.6 ov), 2-52 (Mohammad Hafeez, 7.3 ov), 3-83 (Ahmed Shehzad, 11.3 ov), 4-164 (Umar Akmal, 18.6 ov), 5-175 (Shahid Afridi, 19.5 ov) Bowling: B Fernando 4-0-381 (3-w), AD Mathews 4-0-331 (2-w), SL Malinga 4-0-46-1 (2-w), JDF Vandersay 4-0-250, NLTC Perera 4-0-30-2 Sri Lanka innings (target: 176 runs from 20 overs) MDKJ Perera† c Shahid Afridi

b Anwar Ali 4 TM Dilshan c †Mohammad Rizwan b Sohail Tanvir 6 DM de Silva c Ahmed Shehzad b Shoaib Malik 31 KDK Vithanage b Sohail Tanvir 1 AD Mathews b Imad Wasim 23 TAM Siriwardana c Anwar Ali b Sohail Tanvir 35 CK Kapugedera not out 31 NLTC Perera c †Mohammad Rizwan b Anwar Ali 2 B Fernando not out 8 Extras:(b-1, lb-3, w-1) 5 Total:(7 wickets; 20 overs) 146 Fall of wickets: 1-4 (MDKJ Perera, 0.3 ov), 2-13 (Dilshan, 1.5 ov), 3-19 (Vithanage, 3.1 ov), 4-55 (Mathews, 9.6 ov), 5-92 (de Silva, 13.3 ov), 6-116 (Siriwardana, 15.3 ov), 7-121 (NLTC Perera, 16.3 ov) Bowling: Anwar Ali 4-0-272 (1-w), Sohail Tanvir 4-029-3, Mohammad Irfan 4-0-25-0, Shahid Afridi 4-031-0, Imad Wasim 3-0-211, Shoaib Malik 1-0-9-1

evin Douglas hit a solid half-century, but rain spoiled Guyana’s opening match against Trinidad and Tobago in the West Indies Cricket Council for the Blind and Visually Impaired (WICCBVI) Regional cricket competition on Thursday at Marsh Grounds in St Lucia.

The match started one hour late, and the game was reduced from 40 overs per innings to 33 overs. The twinislanders won the toss and decided to let the Guyanese have a bat.

The move brought immediate rewards as the Guyanese were reduced to 10-4, but Douglas held things together during Guyana’s innings, which was interrupted by showers on several occasions.

When the match was brought to a premature end in the 23rd over, owing to another downpour, Guyana had reached 176-7 with Douglas making 72, inclu-

sive of three sixes and eight fours.

The not out batters were Douglas Tika and Crystal Aulder on 10 and eight respectively.

Both teams gained a point from the washout.

According to information emanating from the island, the game was played in the most inappropriate conditions for blind cricket. The pitch was made of grass that was trimmed low and the field had no cricket pitch.

The organisers and officials had to create a pitch, this publication understands. The tall grass that was present on the area that was called the pitch made the ball bounced a lot and the B1 (totally blind) batters couldn’t cope in the early overs due to the quickness of the Trinidad bowlers, who were the B3’s (partially blind).

The Guyanese will be in action again today against the Windwards Islands.

Guyana retain...

from back page

Man-of-the-Match Kevlon Umroa collects his trophy from Nazimul Drepaul

Williams and Sinclair batted with much comfort, mixing aggression with patience, hitting some eight fours during their stay at the crease.

Sinclair was the first to go, caught at the wicket off Mika Joseph (1-21).

Off-spinner Jahseon Alexander (4-41) then unsettled the hosts’ rhythm with the wickets of Alphius Bookie (0) and Williams in quick succession.

However, Anderson and Singh then put together some resistance, exploiting the loose deliveries to their advantage to raise the team’s hundred and 150.

Thereafter, the hosts were reduced by some disciplined bowling from the Windward Islands bowlers.

St Lucian left-arm orthodox spinner Simeon Gerson (3-54) utilised the

spin-friendly conditions perfectly.

He claimed the wicket of Singh before Alexander claimed the wickets of Anderson, Orlando Jailall (0) and Haifa Walters (0) in the space of seven balls.

Rene Montoute (132) removed Nedd for 14, while Alexander claimed the wicket of Pradesh Balkissoon (12) when the overs expired.

The run-chase never gained momentum with Montoute (12) and Razim Elehie (11) the other two batsmen to score doublefigures.

Following the victory, President of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB), Drubahdur congratulated the players for winning Guyana’s fourth title at this level. Guyana won back-to-back titles in 1998 and 1999, to go along with the victory last year.

sports

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Bangladesh v South Africa, 2nd Test, Mirpur, 1st day…

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Dale Steyn became only the second South African bowler to claim 400 wickets

D

ale Steyn became the 13th bowler to take 400 Test wickets, but South Africa’s parttime spinners enjoyed most of the success on an absorbing day of grind on both sides. South Africa’s bowlers showed more intent and aggression than in the first Test, but were made to toil on a slow, dry surface that had been run ragged as early as day one.

There were signs of substantial turn, which will suit Bangladesh later on, and it placed added importance on

the hosts making the most of what will likely be the best batting conditions of the game. Mushfiqur Rahim’s 65, which included a 94-run fourth-wicket stand with Mahmudullah formed the core of the Bangladesh challenge, which started off strongly, but fell away later on. Mushfiqur’s dismissal prompted a collapse of 4 for 31 in the third session to hand South Africa the advantage.

The predicted rain did not arrive but clouds lurked around the Shere Bangla

stadium for most of the morning session. The moisture they held did not provide any swing for Steyn but he was still South Africa’s best bowler, much-improved from the first Test.

He should have had a wicket in the third over of the day when Tamim Iqbal flayed at a full delivery but the resultant edge was out of reach of debutant wicketkeeper Dane Vilas and Dean Elgar could not hold on as the ball dipped on him.

Steyn did not have to wait too long for his milestone, though. Tamim could not resist the tempting length and was loose again in Steyn’s next over when he chased a wide ball and edged to first slip, where Hashim Amla collected at chest height.

That wicket made Steyn the joint-fastest seamer to 400 Test wickets, equalling Richard Hadlee’s 80 appearances, and the second fastest to the landmark overall. He is the second South African bowler in the 400plus Test wickets club after Shaun Pollock, who finished with 421 wickets. After the early success, Steyn seemed set to add a few more to his

SCOREBOARD Bangladesh 1st innings Tamim Iqbal c Amla b Steyn 6 Imrul Kayes lbw b Duminy 30 Mominul Haque c †Vilas b Duminy 40 Mahmudullah c Bavuma b Steyn 35 Mushfiqur Rahim* c †Vilas b Elgar 65 Shakib Al Hasan c Elgar b Morkel 35 Liton Das† c Elgar b Duminy 3 Nasir Hossain not out 13 Mohammad Shahid b Steyn 1 Extras: (b-5, lb-11, nb-2) 18 Total:(8 wickets; 88.1 overs) 246 Fall of wickets: 1-12 (Tamim Iqbal, 4.3 ov), 2-81 (Mominul Haque, 31.4 ov), 3-86 (Imrul Kayes, 33.1 ov), 4-180 (Mahmudullah, 62.4 ov), 5-215 (Mushfiqur Rahim, 74.1 ov), 6-220 (Liton Das, 77.3 ov), 7-245 (Shakib Al Hasan, 87.1 ov), 8-246 (Mohammad Shahid, 88.1 ov) Bowling: DW Steyn 16.1-430-3, VD Philander 11-2-250 (2-nb), M Morkel 14-2-451, SR Harmer 23-3-76-0, S van Zyl 2-1-5-0, D Elgar 7-022-1, JP Duminy 15-4-27-3

tally but, until he generated reverse-swing later in the day, Bangladesh defied him.

(Cricinfo)

Regional Women’s Super50 starts next week D

efending champions, Jamaica, will lock horns with Barbados in the feature match of the opening round of the Regional Women’s Super50 Tournament, which bowls off next week in Trinidad.

The contest will be one of three games in the opening round which will also see last year’s losing finalists, Guyana, coming up against

North Windwards and hosts Trinidad and Tobago taking on South Windwards.

Last season, Jamaica hammered Guyana by 218 runs in the final at Windsor Park in Dominica to claim their fifth title.

T&T finished third, with Barbados taking fourth spot and St Vincent and the Grenadines finishing fifth.

Grenada and St. Lucia

finished sixth and seventh respectively.

This year, organisers the West Indies Cricket Board have combined the talent of Dominica and St Lucia to form the North Windwards while Grenada and St Vincent and the Grenadines have been amalgamated to form the South Windwards.

Each team will play each other once in a round-rob-

Moody names CPL’s...

Sunil Narine, Guyana Amazon Warriors- As always, Sunil proves to be a real handful in this form of the game, a genuine matchwinner who continues to haunt batsman during all

phases of the game.

Kishmar Santokie, Jamaica Tallawahs- Made the move to the Tallawahs this year from the Warriors and again finds himself amongst the leading wick-

et-takers where his unique action, coupled with subtle changes of pace, continues to challenge batsman in the tournament.

Twelfth man: Marlon Samuels, St Kitts and Nevis

‘CPL will be profitable...

Shortly before our meeting ended, O’Donohoe received a message on his phone. It was the great Brian Lara thanking him for rejuvenating cricket in the West Indies: the highest praise available. “’Renaissance’ is a strong word, but we have reignited cricket for sure. When I first visited these shores it struck me that kids were wearing LeBron James’ basketball shirts, but now I see CPL jerseys everywhere. A new tribalism now exists that has broken down the former political

stigma of playing for another island’s franchise, and cricket stars are once again kings to the Caribbean fans.”

The Biggest Party in Sport is living up to its tagline, but there are critics who strongly believe the WICB has sold out its potentially most profitable revenue stream too cheaply, and to a handful of Irishmen who have business and not the sport at heart -though the deal with the WICB is only three years into a 50-year contract, and the WICB certainly couldn’t have established such a successful

tournament on its own in the same period.

There is no doubt that at the current rate of growth of spectator and investor interest in the tournament, the CPL could become highly valuable. A look back to when ESPN Star Sports paid US$975 million for the ten-year TV rights to the Champions League T20, a tournament that flopped, says that O’Donohoe may be speaking a little too modestly when he says he aims to make only “a couple million a year”.

in preliminary phase with the two top teams clashing in the final on August 16 at the National Cricket Centre in Couva. Matches will be 50 overs per side.

The tournament will be also used to select a squad for the home series against Pakistan, which bowls off from October 10 to November 2 in St Lucia and Grenada. (windiescricket)

from page 23

Patriots- Marlon can consider himself unluckily not be in the final XI as he showed great consistency with the bat for the Patriots.

Editor’s note: Asterisk denotes overseas players (www.cplt20.com)

from page 22

“People think we are running off with this thing,” says O’Donohoe, “but every decision we make is in tandem with the WICB. And Digicel, the primary backer of the league, has always given its all to West Indies cricket. We also have a committee that is working together to develop young players in the region.

“Every single kid in this country [Trinidad and Tobago] wants to grow up to play for the Red Steel.”

Let’s just hope that they still want to play for West Indies as well. (Cricinfo)

22

guyanatimesGY.com

friday, july 31, 2015

‘CPL will be profitable from next year’ – the league’s CEO Damien O’Donohoe talks about season three and his hopes for the future

By Nicholas Sadleir

T

he 2015 Caribbean Premier League (CPL) offered a delightful dream in contrast to the never-ending nightmare that has been the plight of the West Indies cricket fan over the last two decades.

Capacity crowds were riveted by close finishes as the game was invigorated by this year’s tournament - as it has been in the first two editions

Bollywood mega-star Shah Rukh Khan brought a stake in the Trinidad and Tobago Red Steel ahead of the 2015 tournament

of the competition.

A league that now begins to rival the highly successful Indian Premier League and Australia’s Big Bash for the quality of cricket and entertainment on offer, enthralled the Caribbean islands at exactly the time that the shambolic WICB would learn that West Indies will not quali-

fy for the 2017 Champions Trophy.

The CPL is the hottest ticket the region has seen for some time. Scalpers were openly selling tickets for the final outside the Queen’s Park Savannah in Portof-Spain for a minimum of US$300, and tickets for the two qualifiers before that weren’t much cheaper.

The CPL is not owned or run by the WICB. A group backed by the Irish-owned Caribbean mobile network Digicel pays an undisclosed annual stipend, understood to be no more than a few million dollars, to the board for the rights to stage the event and earn revenues from it.

The CPL’s CEO, Damien O’Donohoe, a law graduate who shared the field with West Indies greats at his Dublin club Clontarf in 1995 and has a background in concert promotion across Europe, was instrumental in assembling six teams through a combination of private and public investment.

Three years down the line he says the gamble has paid off and the league is breaking even.

Massive investment

“It will never be worth even a tiny fraction of the likes of the IPL as this is a small economic region going through hard times, but we will move into profitable territory from next year,” O’Donohoe said.

“We have already invested US$20 million or so and this will never be a highly profitable league - probably

two or three million a year is a realistic goal, even taking a long-term view.

“With a few weeks to go before the inaugural match in 2013 we weren’t sure we could put it all together - it was real s**t or bust time.

Even on the day of the opening match we had only sold a couple of hundred tickets and given away 1600 more comps for a 16,000 capacity stadium. We had invested $15 million in a very difficult production and had sleepless nights. It was nerve-racking, but when the gates opened the people poured in in their thousands and we had a full house.”

With the help of Indian investment the CPL has moved on from humble beginnings, when the marquee sponsors besides Digicel were an electronics store called Courts and a skin tonic called Limacol. The tournament has now attracted much juicier endorsement from Hero Motocorp, the world’s largest manufacturer of motorcycles.

That the 2015 trophy was lifted by the Trinidad and Tobago Red Steel was convenient for organisers as that franchise was recently acquired by the owners (Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan among them) of Kolkata Knight Riders, one of the IPL sides that is as yet unaffected by the current corruption saga hampering that league. Khan didn’t make it to the final as promised, but his incessant updates to 15 million Twitter followers are extremely powerful market-

Damien O’Donohoe (far left): “We are certainly open to more investment from India”

ing in the holy land of cricket’s cash cow.

Biggest compliment

“We are certainly open to more investment from India.

KKR, one of the biggest brands in cricket, turned us down in year one, at a time that we were getting laughed out of such meetings, but then they actually approached us in year three - that was the biggest compliment. People thought it was a pipe dream when we told them we were mixing Hollywood [stars Mark Wahlberg and Gerard Butler are respective shareholders in the Barbados and Jamaica franchises] and Bollywood, but now the door is open to India.”

The WICB had begun picking their squad for the cancelled Zimbabwe tour later this year and had let Test captain Denesh Ramdin, whose ODI average over the past year is 40, know that he was no longer part of their plans - a delayed consequence for how Ramdin, as one of the senior players, managed the pullout from India last year.

Red Steel’s winning captain, Dwayne Bravo, is also on that not-so-short list. The WICB is at the risk of bankruptcy if India is not kind to them with regard to a pending and potentially crippling compensation deal; to add to it, the board is punishing many of its best players - perhaps the only ones capable of making the team competitive again.

These actions only serve to weaken the West Indies team and increase players’ incentives to choose lucrative freelance T20 cricket over the hard slog of the domestic game while hoping to be picked by the erratic WICB selectors. Foreign investment in an ever bigger and better CPL does not necessarily translate into better results for the hapless West Indies, especially in the short term.

I went from covering the disappointing Test thrashing at the hands of Australia to the CPL, and it was remarkable how the atmosphere of pessimism gave way to packed houses and exciting games.

Economic input

“In a group game here we had three hours of constant rain, but not a single member of the crowd went home,” O’Donohoe says. And it wasn’t just the stadiums that were full. “Think of the extra economic impact. The airlines were full, restaurants booked out, heads on beds in hotels - you can see for yourself the spinoffs. Last year we created 27,000 jobs and this year was greater as it attracted more than the 20,000 international travellers attending the CPL last year.

“I get some backlash from the governments,” he says. The CPL has managed to persuade almost all the host franchise countries to pay large fees in exchange for hosting games, with the knowledge that they bring an economic and international PR boost. “The backbone is the local TV rights,” O’Donohoe says, and this is where the CPL can profit in the future if its popularity continues to thrive.

“In year two we got a little too smart too soon and made the mistake of playing earlier games to try and attract the UK and Indian markets, but it didn’t work in the midday sun - we nearly destroyed the tournament.

We realised that the people who matter are the ones in the stands, who like to party at night. The World Cup got it wrong here in the same way by messing with match times and stopping people from bringing in their coolers of rum and their horns.

“We know now what our product is and have decided to stay true to our Caribbean USP. When the product is good enough, people in other

time zones will stay up and watch games more and more.

The CPL is now broadcast in 15 countries and is available to 208 million homes.”

O’Donohoe confirmed that a long-mooted foray into America for at least a handful of CPL games, probably in Florida next year, is likely to happen, and also indicated that he is working on the idea of a triangular CPL all-star series, involving a NatWest T20 combination side, given the relevance of the UK as such a large target market through the widely available BT Sport channel.

New teams?

He dismissed talk that the tournament might increase the number of franchises from six, citing the need to “keep things tight and do it right”. If a new side were to be formed - there is word that an Americanbased group of Indians with deep pockets wants a new team - it would therefore come at the expense of an existing side. Antigua is a possible venue.

The Barbados franchise is reported to be the only side losing a significant amount of money, as that government is struggling with increasing fiscal deficits and has not come on board to help the team’s private sector owners. It is however almost impossible to imagine a CPL without fixtures at the region’s highly popular and premier ground, and in an island widely regarded as the jewel of the Caribbean.

A senior Barbados board member told me this week that they hope to host next year’s final.

O’Donohoe confirmed that CPL 4 will take place in the same period, after the every-three-year player pool reshuffle of the deck, and that they will not look to move the tournament to the window left behind by the now-defunct Champions League T20 in September and October. turn to page 21

guyanatimesGY.com

friday, july 31, 2015

23

Moody names CPL’s team of the tournament W

ith the 2015 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) now over, CPL. com asked the Director of Cricket Tom Moody to name his team of the tournament.

The former Australian allrounder was more than

CPL Director of Cricket Tom Moody

happy to do so, naming three overseas players in his starting XI. Moody explains his selections below.

Chris Gayle, Jamaica Tallawahs- Chris has again had an enormous impact in CPL15, a genuine matchwinner at the top of the order. Chris scored his second CPL hundred this

year, leads the run-scoring charts, and again topped the six-hitting tables.

Andre Fletcher, St Lucia Zouks- Andre has had a very consistent tournament as the opener for the Zouks – his power and skill have been a real feature at the top of the order.

He also has the ability to keep wicket, which makes him a very valuable allround package.

Kallis*, Jacques Trinidad and Tobago Red Steel- Jacques’ first appearance in the CPL for the Red Steel, and as we’ve come to expect, he delivered a very consistent performance with bat and ball. Jacques has been the world’s leading all-rounder for well over a decade, and his performance this tournament was no exception.

Kevin Pietersen*, St Lucia Zouks- ‘KP’ showed the world he is still one of the game’s most destructive batsman. His class in the top order for the Zouks was there for all to see.

Darren Bravo, Trinidad and Tobago Red Steel- After a slow start, the classy lefthander got going when his team really needed him in their home games, playing a series of match-winning knocks and helping them to win the trophy.

Pollard, Kieron

Sport Directors for IGG meeting in August

Director of Sport Christopher Jones

D

irectors of Sport from Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana will meet on August 13-14 to discuss a way forward for the first leg of the InterGuiana Games (IGG).

Guyana was down to host the opening leg from August 6-10 at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall, but the event was put on hold after officials in Suriname indicated that they could not honour those dates.

It is understood that the reason given by Surinamese authorities was that country recently had general elections and a new sport minister is yet to be named.

Next month’s meeting will deal with several issues, including age group requirement for athletes, as well as the naming of a new date.

During the first leg, the three countries will compete

Administrator of the National Sports Commission, Gervy Harry

in Basketball, Volleyball, Table Tennis, Badminton and Chess.

Administrator of the National Sports Commission, Gervy Harry, said on Thursday that a team from Guyana will head to Suriname for the meeting, and they are looking forward to fruitful discussions with their counterparts from the host country and French Guiana.

Guyana’s contingent will be led by the newly installed Director of Sport, Christopher Jones.

The Inter-Guiana Games is an annual event geared to foster camaraderie among athletes and officials of the Guianas. Many top athletes, who have gone on to represent the countries at senior level, have passed through the programme.

Tom Moody’s team of the tournament includes three overseas signings

Barbados Tridents- Another big tournament for the Tridents captain, Kieron has mixed enormous power with calm calculated precision in the middle order, and he has also stepped up with the ball when his team has needed him most.

Dwayne Bravo, Trinidad and Tobago Red Steel- One of the game’s most dynamic players in T20 cricket, a genuine all-rounder who throws himself into every contest. This year’s leading wicket-taker with his clever change ups in the death

overs, and deservedly the winning captain.

Robin Peterson*, Barbados Tridents- Robin has proven to be a smart pick by the Tridents – he’s shown great skill with his left-arm spin, along with a fierce competitiveness.

Ravi Rampaul, Barbados Tridents- Ravi is always seen as reliable both with the new ball and in the death overs, two key periods of the game, and this year was no exception as he led the attack in style.

turn to page 21

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

friday, july 31, 2015

‘CPL will be profitable from next year’ Pg 22

– the league’s CEO Damien O’Donohoe talks about season three and his hopes for the future

Damien O’Donohoe: “We realised that the people who matter are the ones in the stands, who like to party at night”

Trinidad and Tobago Red Steel won the tournament for the first time in 2015

WICB Regional U-15 tournament…

Guyana retain Regional U-15 title – beat Windward Islands by 98 runs

By Rajiv Bisnauth

G

uyana did not have much trouble in retaining the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) Under-15 title, whipping the Windward Islands by 98 runs in the final round on Thursday at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence.

The hosts’ went into the match facing a mustwin situation, after their opponents were ahead of them by five points on the

points table.

However, they played like real champions. After mustering 199-9 off their 50 overs, their bowlers, led by left-arm spinner Kevlon Umroa, produced an exceptionally disciplined show to restrict the tourists for 101 in 38.1 overs.

Man-of-the-Match Umroa finished with figures of 5-32, while fast bowler Haifa Walters chipped in with 2-5 from his six overs. There was a wicket apiece for fast bowler Qumar Torrington and left-arm spinner Ashmead Nedd.

Windward Islands opener Dhan-Raj Cepal top-scored with 35 from 101 balls with one four, and was the only batman to offer any resistance.

Batting first after winning the toss, Sachin

The successful Guyana Under-15 players pose with GCB President, Drubahdur

Singh fell five short of a half-century, but his innings was laid by an open-

ing stand of 77 between openers Junior Sinclair (25) and Robin Williams

(38).

Kevlon Anderson scored a boundary-less 37

late down the order to help propel Guyana to a winning total. turn to page 20

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