Guyana Times - April 1, 2017

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Stop targeting local doctors – Medical Association to Govt guyanatimesgy.com

Issue No. 3170

Saturday, April 1, 2017

… blasts Public Health Ministry for silence … as “doctors on call” allowances now being taxed Page 7 ... working under deplorable conditions

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WHAT'S INSIDE:

Dataram’s wife busted contraband at Mazaruni P9 Prison

Sledgehammer ‘hero’ slapped with fraud charge P2

GAWU pledges continued fight to safeguard P12 sugar industry

The Guyana Medical Association has joined the voices calling on Government to reverse the measures it has taken against benefits medical doctors formerly enjoyed. In photos are the state of the accommodations made available for doctors on call at a medical institution in Guyana

P2 Region 2 contractors, residents protest REO’s office

High Court drama

AG sends lawyer’s letter to Guyana Times Page 3

…threatens to sue if apology not published

Police probing $941M fraud Body of missing woman at local bank 6 months after disappearing

Page 10

Page 17

found in 4-foot grave

…suspect conned gold dealers out of millions

Gun-toting P8 ‘Granny’ on $100,000 bail UG to hike student fees by 35% P9 …despite billiondollar budget allocations

2 Region 2 contractors, residents protest REO’s office A SATURDAY, APRIL 1, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

rmed with placards, scores of persons, including contractors, on Friday protested in front of the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) building in Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam), alleging that Regional Executive Officer (REO) Rupert Hopkinson is incompetent, inactive, and shows favouritism in the way contracts are awarded within the region.

Chanting, “REO must go!

Rupert must go!” the protesters marched along the public road leading to the RDC building. Placards read “Please, Mr President, we cannot bear this anymore.

Get rid of REO. From friends to foe, REO is determining

Region Two contractors protested on Friday in front of the RDC building

Collins, said the protest was provoked after contractors realised that allocation of contracts within the region is selective. He said the protest was not political but was

Protesters pleading with President Granger to intervene

who eat or who starve”.

Heading this protest was local contractor Prince Holder, who alleged that the REO was awarding contracts to his friends alone. One of the protesters, Vincent

aimed at protecting and safeguarding the people of the Essequibo Coast. He said that contractors within the region are being treated unfairly, and proper procurement procedures are not being followed. He noted that in

one instance a contract was taken back from a contractor without a valid explanation, and he declared that the region cannot afford this REO; thus he must go, since he is living at the expense of poor residents.But as this protest was ongoing, a group of REO supporters also staged a counter-protest. These counter-protesters chanted, “REO must stay!” “The contractors are not qualified!”

One such protester, Diane Peters, said the REO is “doing a good job”. She said that most of the protesters lack knowledge of what was going on in the region. Other supporters of the REO said that ever since the REO assumed that duty in the region, there has been a transformation, especially with his beautification drive.

This newspaper was unable to reach the REO for a comment on the protesters’ allegations.

(Indrawattie Natram)

Protesters in front the RDC compound on Friday

Sledgehammer ‘hero’ charged with fraud T he parking meter ‘hero’ who, in a Facebook video that went viral, was seen “Thor handling” a vehicle clamp with a sledgehammer a few weeks ago, was on Friday morning slapped with a fraud charge which had him appearing before Chief Magistrate Ann Mc Lennan at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

The court heard that Mikhail Rodrigues, a businessman of Coldingen, East Coast Demerara was, on August 11, 2015 at Georgetown, solely entrusted with a motor Canter by Raghubeer Paul, in order

Mikhail Rodrigues

that he may use the vehicle and return same to the VC, but he fraudulently con-

verted same to his own use and benefit. Rodrigues allegedly sold the vehicle but did not hand over the proceeds of the sale to the virtual complainant – a charge which the 37-year-old father of three has denied.

Police Prosecutor Arvin Moore did not object to bail being granted Rodrigues, and the Chief Magistrate set bail at $200,000. This newspaper understands that the businessman is later this month set to face another charge -- damage to property -- stemming from the parking meter ordeal. This matter is set to continue on April 7.

NEWS

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SATURDAY, APRIL 1, 2017 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

BRIDGE OPENINGS The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Saturday, April 1 – 05:30h-07:00h and Sunday, April 2 – 08:30h-10:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Saturday, April 1 – 07:00h-08:30h and Sunday, April 2 – 07:50h-09:20h.

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

WEATHER TODAY Weather: Thundery to light rain showers cab be expected throughout the day, while light cloud cover can be expected in the evening.

Temperatures are expected to range between 25 degrees and 29 degrees Celsius.

Winds: East North-Easterly to Easterly between 3.57 metres and 5.36 metres.

High Tide: 07:26h and 19:59h reaching maximum heights of 2.73 metres and 2.55 metres respectively.

Low Tide: 01:01h and 13:29h reaching minimum heights of 0.57 metre and 0.49 metre respectively.

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High Court drama

AG sends lawyer’s letter to Guyana Times …threatens to sue if apology not published

F

ollowing up on threats made last week to sue two local newspapers, Attorney General Basil Williams has sent a lawyer’s letter to Guyana Times indicating that the company should make a monetary settlement within a week, or face legal proceedings for libel.

The letter, dated March 29, 2017, is addressed to the publisher of the company, was sent by Attorneys-atLaw Michael Somersall and Hewley Griffith, and was received on Friday, March 31.

Notably, one of the lawyers retained by the Attorney General, Somersall, is one of the six special prosecutors reserved by the State, and he has issued fiats to prosecute a number of high profile matters being pursued by

Attorney General Basil Williams

Justice Franklin Holder

adjourning the proceedings that were before him.

The legal document sent to this publication contained snippets from the article,

erences that his client engages in criminal activities and conduct, and that he is a person without character (and) integrity, and (is) unfit

“…unless you do pay him damages to be donated to a named charity for the aforesaid libel, sign a written apology and undertaking not to repeat the same libel or any similar defamatory statements of and concerning him in the future, we shall have no alternative than to commence, on his behalf, legal proceedings against you in the High Court of the Supreme Court of Judicature without any further notice, in order to vindicate his good name and character, you are given (7) seven days within which to effect a settlement in this claim, if you wish to do so, failing which a Writ will be filed against you in the High Court without further notice.” the Coalition Government.

The lawyer’s letter referred to an article published on page 14 of the Guyana Times of Friday, March 24, 2017 under the headline “Judge walks off after threats from AG Williams”. That article, the attorneys say, contain certain libellous statements concerning their client. The article was written following an exchange between the Attorney General and High Court Judge Justice Franklin Holder on March 23. That exchange had caused the judge to storm out of the courtroom without

including: “the cross examination was coming to end, a frustrated Williams accused the Judge of not accurately recording the evidence, and Justice Holder took umbrage (at) the accusation…” and “…an angry Williams, in a loud tone of voice, repeated the accusation and the Judge again admonished him about the accusation and about his tone of voice…but Williams then blurted out loudly, “the last Magistrate who did that to me was later found dead””.

The AG’s lawyers contend that those words are clear imputations and ref-

to hold any public office.

“You are fully aware that our client, Mr Williams, (is) the Honourable Attorney General of Guyana, Minister of Legal Affairs, Senior Counsel, Member of Parliament, Chairman of the People’s National Congress, his political party, and a prominent citizen in Guyana, the Caribbean and worldwide, and as a result

of your aforesaid libel of our client, he (has) suffered humiliation, hurt and shame, and has been held up to public odium and ridicule both nationally and internationally…” the letter sent to Guyana Times outlined. “…in the circumstances, therefore, unless you do pay him damages to be donated to a named charity for the aforesaid libel, sign a written apology and undertaking not to repeat the same libel or any similar defamatory statements of and concerning him in the future, we shall have no alternative than to commence, on his behalf, legal proceedings against you in the High Court of the Supreme Court of Judicature without any further notice, in order to vindicate his good name and character. You are given (7) seven days within which to effect a settlement in this claim, if you wish to do so, failing which a Writ will be filed against you in the High Court without further notice.”

This move by AG Williams comes on the heels of the incident between himself and the High Court Judge being looked into by the Judiciary. In fact, newly sworn-in acting Chancellor of the Judiciary, Justice Yonette CummingsEdwards, had told this newspaper earlier this week that she is in receipt of information on the matter, and the issue is currently being “addressed”.

TURN TO PAGE 13

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guyanatimesgy.com

saturDAY, april 1, 2017

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

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

Enough back and forth A

fter months of back and forth, it appearing as if the appointment of a Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) will not be agreed upon by the President and the Leader of the Opposition anytime soon. Even though they both have expressed a desire to see the process come to finality soon, the signals coming from both camps indicate that they are very convinced with their own interpretation of the Constitution regarding such appointment.

In his most recent comment on the matter, President David Granger said he sees no reason for any difficulty in finding suitable nominees for the post. In fact he was quoted by the media as saying there are lots of Guyanese who meet the new criteria set out by him to guide the Opposition Leader in compiling a new list of potential candidates, noting that the Constitution was written in a way to emphasise the qualities which he has asked for.

After rejecting the initial list submitted by the Opposition Leader, the President had outlined the qualities that the nominees for the GECOM Chairmanship should possess.

The new criteria state that the candidate should be qualified to be a Judge of the High Court, or should have been an attorney for a minimum of seven years. In the absence of those requirements, the President has said, any other “fit and proper person” could be considered, providing he/she is deemed to have wide electoral knowledge and is capable of handling electoral matters, since he/she is qualified to exercise unlimited jurisdiction in civil matters.

For the President, that person should not be an activist in any form — gender, racial or religious; nor should that person have any political affiliation or belong to any political party in any form – overt or covert. The person must be able to discharge his/her functions neutrally between the two opposing parties, as he or she would have done in court between two opposing litigants.

Additionally, the person must be able to discharge the functions attached to the post without fear or favour; not allowing any person or organisation to influence him or her to compromise his or her neutrality. Of note too is that the person should have a general character of honesty, integrity, faithfulness and diligence, which would enable him/her to discharge his/her duty as Chairman of GECOM. As expected, finding persons who satisfy these requirements has proven to be quite a challenge for the Leader of the Opposition. Certainly, while he may have good intentions, there are many problems with the President’s criteria; and while we do not intend to delve into detail with them here as they have already been ventilated in the media; we believe the focus of the Constitution regarding such an appointment was the integrity and the independence of the post holder.

It is believed that the process is being unnecessarily dragged out for too long. It is hoped that the major political stakeholders here have learnt a lesson from this entire episode. We have seen the complications that have arisen from what in the normal course should have been a simple and straight forward process. It is quite evident the problem rests with the interpretation of the Constitution.

There is therefore need for the process, and criteria to be satisfied for such a post, to be clearly spelt out in the Constitution. Accordingly, we suggest that either the Courts or politicians lead the process in correcting the grey areas in the Constitution. This is something that must be done to avoid future problems.

That said, with National Elections due in 2020, it is necessary that the President and the Opposition Leader achieve common ground on this issue soon. Once the appointment is made, it will allow for the political situation in the country to settle itself; if not, it could exacerbate.

Finally, the sooner the issue is sorted out, the better it would be for the new chairman to familarise himself/ herself with the entire electoral process and the running of the organisation (GECOM) which we know is very huge and complex.

We therefore urge the President and the Leader of the Opposition to find a quick resolution to this problem; the nation has had enough of the back and forth.

Eight delegates will this Saturday at the Leonora National Stadium, West Coast Demerara (WCD) be vying for the crown at this year’s Region three (3) Cultural Pageant with the winner to represent Guyana at this the Caribbean Cultural Pageant to be held later this year

AG's behavior exemplifies being above the law Dear Editor, The media has reported that the Hon Justice Franklin Holder, in a letter has stated that Guyana’s attorney general and PNC party chairman, Basil Williams, has shown disrespect in the judge’s courtroom during a matter heard on March 23, 2017.

Admonished by the judge, the attorney general responded as follows: “I could say what I want to say and when I want to say it. I have always been like that,” causing the judge to leave the courtroom (see letter by Hon. Justice Franklin Holder to

Hon. Chancellor (ag) Yonette Cummings-Edwards, dated March 24, 2017).

The justice went on to note that the attorney general made an incorrect statement about Mr Anil Nandalall, and that he found the attorney general’s tone and/or behavior to be “truculent” (that is, confrontational), “highly contemptuous,” and “insulting, disgraceful and calculated to scandalise and lower the authority of the Court in the face of the Court.”

One is tempted to argue that Mr Williams’ behavior is an attribute of Guyana’s cor-

rupt body politic.

However, it ascends further not only a threat to the judiciary but a danger to democracy, in that the attorney general’s behavior embodies a steadied mindset of being untouchable. A law onto himself.

As the judge noted, this behavior was “calculated” to reduce the Court’s authority. One recalls the past (despite the new narrative of a new PNC) when the PNC flag was flown at the Court of Appeal building to show who had jurisdiction and who did not.

Criticize the attorney

general but what has occurred is the inevitable result of a national culture including the judiciary that has largely ignored PNC attitudes over the past 20-plus years.

These attitudes were repackaged as a celebrated vision in documents such as the Declaration of Vreed-enHoop, implying that the PNC did no wrong in the past, and can do no wrong in the present. Nothing has changed.

Thus the supposed comment: “I have always been like that.”

Sincerely, Rakesh Rampertab

Time for dallying has long past Dear Editor, What is really amazing is that protests have been successfully organised against the Parking Meter Project and Value Added Tax (VAT) on private education but no such efforts have been placed behind the immediate bread and butter issues affecting the entire nation; the VAT on water and electricity. Admittedly, the poor are exempted from the direct application of this tax, but they will have to bear the ultimate burden of its imposition as businesses raise their prices to recover costs associated with paying VAT on these inputs. It is entirely possible that businesses will roll back their cost increases once VAT on water and electricity are removed.

But within the context of all of the hulla-ballu generated over VAT and the parking meters, the real tragedy is that President Granger apparently does not understand enough of economics

to know that Winston Jordan has flushed the People’s National Congress (PNC) coalition down the loo with the 2017 Budget. Worse, his advisors are turning out to be either yes-men or completely daft about the implications of the VAT policies in the budget. How can anyone make a decision when they can't see or understand the problem? To compound all of this, enough discussions have been made available in the public domain to facilitate clarification on the issues, but this matter has apparently moved beyond the professional to the personal, a showdown between the Finance Minister and the Opposition to see who’s the boss. The Finance Minister apparently carries some bad blood over being canned by them, and intends to make his point while the population suffers.

The Private Sector understands the situation clearly, but is not willing to play ball

with a hardhead. So the coalition's out, but does not know, or does not want to ‘fess up” and change. Granger's inaction will bury the economy and his Government.

The stark fact is that the coalition’s problems on account of VAT are going to get worse because the budget has pitted the Government against the entire country.

The Private Sector with whom the Government was supposed to be collaborating has recognised the futility of dealing with the coalition and the Finance Minister as its point man. They have buckled in for the long haul and are looking forward to 2020 as they navigate the wellknown territory of inflation and eroding exchange rates.

Granger has to think about surviving 2020 if he wants his party to survive at all, because there is no Burnham after him to hold the PNC together. If going down is not an option, then some policies and/or bodies

have to be put on the block.

More than this, there has to be some tactical engineering to regain the confidence of the Private Sector. What is clear is that the Finance Minister, who has been baptised Mr Ludicrous by a blogger because of his 2017 Budget, isn’t worth his salt.

The question now is how to get rid of him?

Additionally, this business of monitoring foreign currency accounts and controlling imports is the road to hell, because we’ve come from there already. What is needed is some radical decision-making to recover the Government’s image and the country as a destination for FDI. And an anti-business Finance Minister and an uncontrollable run on the exchange rate is not going to help this. Granger has some decisions to make. The time for dallying has long past.

Yours faithfully, Lance Cumberbatch

guyanatimesgy.com

saturDAY, april 1, 2017

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

Why has GECOM Chairperson become a burden? Little support for VAT and parking meter

Dear Editor, The question right now is: Why has the GECOM Chairperson become a problem? And the answer is: because the PNC-led Coalition has taken time off to make it "their problem." If you trace back in history, you will find that in the selection of a chairman vis-a-vis the holding of national elections, there has always been a problem whenever this party is in power.

Hoyte took two years to make up his mind. Elections should have been held in 1990, but Hoyte kept his dilly-dally up for two long years, and a chairman was selected as well as elections held.

It is a lifelong malignancy of the PNC, as we come up to

that time again. You ask me if we have become used to it, and I would give you an honest answer: No! We just have to hold our collective breath and hope and pray that God speaks to the "good conscience" of the PNC, and it listens.

And should I say it all has to do with the constitution.

Just as it did in Hoyte's time, the same convoluted reasoning is put forward this time around: a falsified interpretation of the law governing the selection. The Carter Center and the participating committee who framed the constitution were very clear in its details: the most favoured selectee being a judge and also "any fit and proper person."

Definitive words that need no

further clarification, at least not from Granger nor his crazy Attorney General -- especially with the present attorney-general being very limited where legal interpretations are concerned. That clause is crystal clear, so what is Granger's gripe? What is his problem?

If we should acknowledge their gerrymandering of the term "fit and proper person", then wasn't Dr Surujbally a "fit and proper person"? He is a veterinarian, who headed the Commission for the longest period so far. At least Granger and the PNC knew fully well what "fit and proper person" meant when Dr Surujbally pronounced them winners of the last election. He is not a judge, and could only have oc-

cupied that post on the merit of "fit and proper person." So how come it is a problem now that a judge and fit and proper person must be interpreted as one and the same thing? So do not try to insult our intelligence with your posturing of the meaning of the clause "fit and proper person".

We are now in the season of selecting a chairperson who would be "fit and proper"; or, simply put, one who would be "fair", one who would uphold the constitution and ensure that Guyana again returns to free and fair elections and elections that are free from fear. That is all we are asking.

Respectfully, Neil Adams

Someone at City Hall has a sick, twisted sense of humour Dear Editor, Driving along Church Street or North Road, Georgetown, one cannot help but notice on the Merriman Mall between Cummings and Light Streets, a most unattractive and unsightly area that is occupied by a number of barbers and cosmetologists who were scooped up from the pavements of America, Longden, Regent and Croal Streets in the downtown area of Georgetown and dumped there.

Indeed officials of the City Council themselves said that the condition of the area is like a shantytown, and that the place was an embarrassment to the City Council. They even conceded that they were not in compliance with public health guidelines, which state that they should operate in enclosed spaces equipped with facilities to sterilise instruments used and that they provided unfair competition to established barbershops

and hairdressing salons who had to rent stations at not insignificant prices costly and who had to be licensed by the Public Health Department, whilst those on the Mall were unregistered and unlicensed and operating without even paying the $1000 environmental fee.

But do you think those dark forces at City Hall corrected the situation? Of course not! They allowed these ven-

dors to cover the base of the work stations with new vinyl and replace the old tents with new tents and continue in violation of the public health guidelines and in competition with the established barbershops and hairdressing salons who pay their property rates to the Council and taxes to the Government. Just so sick and irresponsible!

But that is not all. The Council has now facilitated

the erection of two huge billboards at both ends of this cluster of makeshift business places captioned ‘Georgetown Beauty and Body Promenade’.

Is this not a mockery? The word beauty which means the quality of being physically attractive, cannot in any way be assimilated with that area. It cannot even refer to the services the vendors provide as their operations are unregistered, unlicensed and not compliance with public health guidelines.

But then again, the Town Clerk could be seen on Facebook being treated to a pedicure there, and is well known to have delusions of grandeur in affixing the name of Parliament View Mall to a squalid and overcrowded vending area. The erection of such a sign is not only taunting but a waste of money. Poor Georgetown!

Sincerely, Modi Sankar

Dear Editor, As found in my recent travels around Guyana earlier this month and last month, in conversations with people as well as obtained in my NACTA opinion survey (with 402 respondents representing the demographics of the population), there is very little support for the parking meter programme; and for VAT on private education, health services, parking meter charges; and on fees paid for usage of water and electricity.

People are very disenchanted with these and other policies of the coalition regime, which they feel have led to a worsening standard of living. And they are very disappointed with what they describe as the arrogance of officials of the central government and the Georgetown City Council.

People say that Government officials are not listening to their cries and protests against policies that are hurting them.

Only a small percentage (18) of people (primarily Government supporters) support the VAT on fees paid for private education.

Almost no one (four per cent) supports VAT on water and electricity charges, except for industrial use by large businesses.

Government also finds very little support (14 per cent) for VAT on charges paid for private health service.

People disagree with the Government’s position that if people can afford to pay for private education and private health services, then

they can afford the VAT. With regard to parking meters, people residing far away from Georgetown show very little interest on the matter.

They feel they are not affected by parking meters, and have shown little interest on the issue. Those (closer to, or working in the city) impacted by parking meters are almost totally opposed to it. Some Government supporters fully back the parking meter programme.

Needless to say, opponents of parking meters are also against VAT on parking meter charges. Businesses in Georgetown say their revenues have declined between 40 per cent and 60 per cent since the introduction of parking meters.

This, they say, has forced the laying off of staff, or to rotational work days, to avoid laying off workers. The interactions with people took place before the suspension of the meters by the central government last week.

Yours truly, Vishnu Bisram

Wales Estate can help to save Uitvlugt Estate Dear Editor, The Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) Inc would like to respond to the letter that was published in the media titled ‘Injustices to sugar workers are being perpetrated anew’ and penned by Seepaul Narine, General Secretary of the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU).

In the letter, Mr Narine was essentially focusing on what he claims ‘the company’s (GuySuCo’s) wrong decision to deny some 300 workers from Wales Estate their rightful severance entitlement’.

The Corporation wishes to appeal to GAWU on behalf of the workers and in the interest of the sustainability of the industry as a whole, to provide advice to the workers that would see them securing continuous employment to sustain their livelihoods. Quite apart from the Corporation, these workers have a responsibility to their families and communities.

The Corporation is in fact more interested in the future welfare of its employees and their families.

In offering the cane harvesters and cane transport operators from Wales Estate continued employment, they will retain their benefits and be better able to sustain the future of their children.

Some of the benefits include medical services for their spouses and children under 18 years, particularly in emergencies; access to financial assistance through the Corporation’s Bursary Award Programme; opportunity for their children to be selected to become an Apprentice at the GuySuCo’s Training School/Port Mourant; among others. Further, the income they earn will also contribute to the community in which they reside.

The Uitvlugt Estate has a severe labour shortage and needs these employees to assist in harvesting. The immediate reality is that the turnout at Uitvlugt

Estate for the crop so far, is as follows:

plus employees from Wales Estate, disregarding the

The implications of this low attendance is that canes are not being harvested in a timely manner, the factory cannot operate continuously and if the Corporation does not produce sugar, then revenue will not be earned.

It is ironic that GAWU is talking about sustainability, but the Corporation has to earn revenue in order to be sustainable.

Despite the precarious position of the Corporation, GAWU has narrowed this matter down to one of mere severance payment for 300

need at Uitvlugt Estate.

However, it is important to note that a greater problem could be imminent if the labour crisis at the Uitvlugt Estate is not addressed and arrested immediately. The Estate simply cannot survive with an average harvesters’ turnout between 41 and 56 percentage.

In the light of the above, the obvious choice for the Corporation’s is to transfer its employees, in this case the cane harvesters and cane transport operations, where the need for labour is great and as a part

of its strategy to sustain the Uitvlugt Estate and to maintain some degree of stability in its business.

The Uitvlugt Estate gives support to communities from Cornelia Ida to Boeraserie in West Demerara. It provides community services such as employment and business opportunities for residents in West Demerara; drainage; also these villages are directly drained by the sluices that are maintained by the Estate; fresh water is provided for agricultural usage; emergency services such as, ambulance and fire tender services are provided to the communities; recreational and sporting facilities and programmes are provided and maintained; and primary health care to families as well as pensioners and their families in addition to other support services to our pensioners.

The Corporation is therefore appealing to GAWU to seriously help to keep Uitvlugt Estate open and to support its expansion and

upgrading programme so that it can continue to provide the economic, social and other opportunities for these communities.

The Corporation extends an invitation to its employees, in particular the cane harvesters and transport operators of Wales Estate, not only to reflect seriously on their and their families future, but also on the process, how they can contribute to the economic health of their neighbours and the community as a whole.

The question to be asked of the Union is, how can they insist on the Corporation maintaining the industry, while on the other hand arguing that its workers should not sustain Uitvlugt Estate?

Yours faithfully, Audreyanna Thomas Senior Communications Officer Guyana Sugar Corporation Inc

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SATURDAY, APRIL 1, 2017

Page

BY KATRINA SCHWARTZ

D

igital classroom tools like computers, tablets and smartphones offer exciting opportunities to deepen learning through creativity, collaboration and connection, but those very devices can also be distracting to students. Similarly, parents complain that when students are required to complete homework assignments online, it’s a challenge for students to remain on task. The ubiquity of digital technology in all realms of life isn’t going away, but if students don’t learn how to concentrate and shut out distractions, research shows they’ll have a much harder time succeeding in almost every area.

“The real message is because attention is under siege more than it has ever been in human history, we have more distractions than ever before, we have to be more focused on cultivating the skills of attention,” said Daniel Goleman, a psychologist and author of Focus: The Hidden Driver of Excellence and other books about social and emotional learning on KQED’s Forum program.

“Children I’m particularly worried about because the brain is the last organ of the body to become anatomically mature. It keeps growing until the mid-20s,” Goleman said.

If young students don’t build up the neural circuitry that focused attention requires, they could have problems controlling their emotions and being empathetic.

“The circuitry for paying attention is identical for the circuits for managing distressing emotion,” Goleman

guyanatimesgy.com

Foundation said. The area of the brain that governs focus and executive functioning is known as the pre-frontal cortex. This is also the part of the brain that allows people to control themselves, to keep emotions in check and to feel empathy for other people.

“The attentional circuitry needs to have the experience of sustained episodes of concentration – reading the text, understanding and listening to what the teacher is saying – in order to build the mental models that create someone who is well educated,” Goleman said. “The pulls away from that mean that we have to become more intentional about teaching c h i l d r e n .”

He advocates for a “digital sabbath” every day, some time when children aren’t being distracted by devices at all. He’d also like to see schools building exercises that strengthen attention, like mindfulness practices, into the curriculum.

The ability to focus is a secret element to success that often gets ignored. “The more you can concentrate the better you’ll do on anything, because whatever talent you have, you can’t apply it if you are distracted,” Goleman said. He pointed to research on athletes

showing that when given a concentration test, the results accurately predicted how well each would perform in a game the next day.

Perhaps the most wellknown study on concentration is a longitudinal study conducted with over 1000 children in New Zealand by Terrie Moffitt and Avshalom Caspi, psychology and neuroscience professors at Duke University. The study tested children born in 1972 and 1973 regularly for eight years, measuring their ability to pay attention and to ignore distractions. Then, the researchers tracked those same children down at the age

of 32 to see how well they fared in life. The ability to concentrate was the strongest predictor of success.

“This ability is more important than IQ or the socio economic status of the family you grew up in for determining career success, financial success and health,” Goleman said. That could be a problem for students in the US who often seem addicted to their devices, unable to put them down for even a few moments.

Teachers say students are unable to comprehend the same texts that generations of students that came before

them could master without problems, said Goleman. These are signs that educators may need to start paying attention to the act of attention itself.

Digital natives may need help cultivating what was once an innate part of growing up.

“It’s very important to amp up the focus side of the equation,” Goleman said.

He’s not naive about the role digital devices play in society today, but he does believe that without managing how devices affect children better they’ll never learn the attention skills they’ll need to succeed in the long term.

“There’s a need now to teach children concentration abilities as part of the school curriculum,” Goleman said. “The more children and teens are natural focusers, the better able they’ll be to use the digital tool for what they have to get done and then to use it in ways that they enjoy.”

Some argue that the current generation of students grew up with digital devices and are much better at multitasking than their parents.

But the idea of multitasking is a myth, Goleman said.

When people say they’re “multitasking,” what they are really doing is something called “continuous partial attention,” where the brain switches back and forth quickly between tasks. The problem is that as a student switches back and forth between homework and streaming through text messages, their ability to focus on either task erodes.

That trend is less pronounced when the actions are routine, but it could have significant

implications for how deeply a student understands a new concept.

“If you have a big project, what you need to do every day is have a protected time so you can get work done,” Goleman said. For his part, when he’s writing a book, Goleman goes to his studio where there is no email, no phone, nothing to distract him. He’ll work for several hours and then spend designated time responding to

people afterwards.

“I don’t think the enemy is digital devices,” Goleman said. “What we need to do is be sure that the current generation of children has the attentional capacities that other generations had naturally before the distractions of digital devices. It’s about using the devices smartly but having the capacity to concentrate as you need to, when you want to.” (ww2.kqed.org)

BY J E ORMROD

particular ways, we are talking about situated motivation.

W

hen it comes to art, Anya is highly motivated. We can reasonably draw this conclusion based on her close attention in class, her eagerness to draw whenever she can, and her career goal. Motivation is something that energises, directs, and sustains behaviour; it gets students moving, points them in a particular direction, and keeps them going. We often see students’ motivation reflected in personal investment and in cognitive, emotional, and behavioural engagement in school activities.

Virtually all students are motivated in one way or another. One student may be keenly interested in classroom subject matter and seek out challenging course work, participate actively in class discussions, and earn high

How motivation affects learning and behaviour Motivation has several effects on students’ learning and behaviour.

Motivation directs behaviour toward particular goals. Social cognitive theorists propose that individuals set goals for themselves and direct their behaviour accordingly.

Motivation determines the specific goals toward which learners strive. Thus, it affects the choices students make – for instance, whether to enrol in physics or studio art, whether to spend an evening completing a challenging homework assignment or playing videogames with friends.

Motivation leads to increased effort and energy.

Motivation increases the amount of effort and energy

marks on assigned projects.

Another student may be more concerned with the social side of school, interacting with classmates frequently, attending extracurricular activities almost every day, and perhaps running for a student government office. Still another may be focused on athletics, excelling in physical education classes, playing or watching sports most afternoons and weekends, and faithfully following a physical fitness regimen. Yet another student – perhaps because of an undetected learning disability, a shy temperament, or a seemingly uncoordinated body – may be motivated to avoid academics, social situations, or athletic activities.

When Anya comes to school each day, she brings her strong interest in art with her. But motivation is not necessarily something that learners bring to school; it can also arise from environmental conditions at school. When we talk about how the environment can enhance a learner’s motivation to learn particular things or behave in

that learners expend in activities directly related to their needs and goals. It determines whether they pursue a task enthusiastically and wholeheartedly or apathetically and lackadaisically.

Motivation increases initiation of and persistence in activities. Learners are more likely to begin a task they actually want to do. They are also more likely to continue working at it until they’ve completed it, even if they are occasionally interrupted or frustrated in the process. In general, then, motivation increases students’ time on task, an important factor affecting their learning and achievement.

Motivation affects cognitive processes. Motivation affects what learners pay attention to and how effectively they process it. For instance, motivated learners often make a concerted effort to truly understand classroom material – to learn it meaningfully – and consider how they might use it in their own lives. (www.education.com) TO BE CONTINUED

NEWS

7

SATURDAY, APRIL 1, 2017| GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Stop targeting local doctors – Medical Association to Govt …blasts Public Health Ministry for its silence …as “doctors on call” allowances now being taxed ... working under deplorable conditions

T

he Guyana Medical Association (GMA) has joined the voices calling on Government to reverse the measures it has taken against benefits medical doctors formerly enjoyed.

In addition, the representative body wants the Public Health Ministry to urgently sit down with doctors and consult.

The Association lamented that doctors are being forced by the Government to join the Public Service as

now have their allowances for “on call” services taxed.

According to the medical association in a recent statement, these allowances fall under overtime services.

“This betrayal of their reasonable expectations is unilateral, thus further compounding the sentiment of distrust and resentment that prevails among the affected young doctors”, the GMA has said, even as it has dispatched a memorandum to the Director of Medial

7(1) of the Income Tax Act, Chapter 81:01. The allowance had always been treated as non-taxable, but, according to reports, a recent review has changed this position.

According to the association, there has been a breakdown in communication between the Government and the young doctors, who are in the process of fulfilling their contractual obligations. The GMA has made it clear that since the Government is yet

The conditions under which doctors who are on call sleep

pensionable public servants during their five years of service, as stipulated by their contract. The switch from gratuity, which the doctors once enjoyed, to pension, as currently obtains, was not preceded by consultations.

This newspaper was also told that doctors will

and Professional Services (DMPS) of the Georgetown Public Hospital, and has copied same to that institution’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

The memo informed the officials of the decision to tax the doctors’ allowances in accordance with Section

to provide a reasonable explanation for these policy decisions, it would not be supporting the new policies.

“The GMA has maintained contact with the young doctors, many of whom are members of the Association.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 10

The memorandum giving notice of the allowances that will now be taxed

8 NEWS

SATURDAY, APRIL 1, 2017 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

IN THE COURTS

Gun-toting ‘granny’ on $100,000 bail

T

he 69-year-old woman who reportedly discharged a loaded firearm at a handyman as he was cleaning weeds off a fence that separates his employer’s premises from her premises was on Friday released on $100,000 bail.

Leila Jagdeo appeared before Magistrate Alisha George at the Sparendaam Magistrates’ Courts to an-

swer to a charge which stated that on Thursday, March 30, at Lot 3 Ogle, East Coast Demerara, she discharged a loaded firearm at Brandon Collins, a maintenance worker attached to the Alpha Hotel at Ogle, East Coast Demerara, with intent to cause him grievous bodily harm.

The incident reportedly occurred at about 06:50h on

the day in question, when the man was cleaning weeds off of a zinc fence which separates the hotel’s premises from the woman’s premises.

This newspaper understands that the woman told Police officials she reasonably believed Collins to be a bandit who was trying to jump into her yard, thus, being a licensed firearm holder, she did not hesitate to make

use of her revolver, discharging in the direction of the young man one shot which pierced the fence and hit him to the abdomen.

Police authorities were alerted after Collins had been shot, and the injured man was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where he remains in stable condition. The case will continue on May 22.

Deportee charged with murder of Corentyne fisherman

A

Canadian deportee of Number 67 Village, Corentyne, Berbice was on Thursday charged with the 2016 murder of a fisherman, whose decomposing body was discovered in a sandpit a short distance away from his home.

Days after his arrest, Monilall Sarjou, 47, appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts to answer to the charge.

Sarjou was not required to plead to the indictable charge which stated that between August 22 and August 24, 2016, at Number 68 Village

in Corentyne, he unlawfully murdered fisherman Levan Chanderpaul.

The Police Prosecutor requested two weeks to prepare the case, and as such, the Attorney-at-Law for the accused, Leslie Sobers told the court that the prosecution had no evidence and was going to utilise the two weeks to primarily salvage and attempt to pull things together.

Sarjou was remanded and the case was transferred to the Springlands Magistrate’s Court in Berbice where he is expected to reappear on April 19, 2017.

On August 24, 2016, the battered and bound body of an alleged pirate gang member was found in the backlands of Number 68 Village.

Reports indicated that it was the body of 28-year-old Levan Chanderpaul. The discovery was made about 19:30h by a teenager who was returning to the village from the back dam.

Chanderpaul’s body at the time bore several marks of violence.

The now dead man was in December 2011 charged and placed before the court after he was suspected to have

been a part of a notorious pirate gang.

He was slated to appear at the Springlands Magistrate’s Court on the day before his body was found, on a simple larceny and threatening language charge, but was absent.

Post-mortem results on Chanderpaul’s body revealed that the victim suffered a fractured skull and succumbed from shock and haemorrhage.

Sources revealed that the accused, Sarjou, was deported from Canada in 2009 for allegedly slashing a woman’s throat.

Fake news…

I

…in Venezuela

t’s a mad, mad, world in the world of media. But at least nowadays - with the cover blown on what we always knew was “fake news” in Washington, the very hub of its creation - we can talk openly about it.

Hopefully. This morning, your Eyewitness woke up to his newsfeed blaring from every agency about the “coup” Maduro had executed in Venezuela. BBC, CNN, AP, Reuters, Al Jazeera and so on and so forth.

Your Eyewitness was puzzled at the seeming oxymoron: a sitting President needed to stage a coup?

So he started to read the fine print. Seems the National Assembly, which was controlled by the Opposition since last year, has been locked in a struggle to oust Maduro. Nothing strange there... this has been going on for decades, no? So what’s new? Since last July, the National Assembly had been ruled in contempt of court for violating an order by the Supreme Court, since they had gone ahead and sworn in 3 deputies who’d been accused of vote-buying.

The Court was then asked last week to make a ruling on a matter that needed the decision of the National Assembly - and was then forced to point out that the National Assembly could not legally do so, since it was incapacitated by its contempt violation. What the court then did to allow national life - and business to go on – was to rely on the Venezuelan Constitution, which allows it to take “corrective measures” in the case of an “unconstitutional parliamentary default”. The Court also indicated it would assume the legislature’s constitutional responsibilities until the three offending legislators are removed.

And this is what was reported as a “coup”!! One is reminded of what happened in Guyana when the APNU/ AFC Opposition also controlled our National Assembly after 2011. Led by Moses Nagamootoo of the AFC, they threatened to remove the Government on a “no confidence” vote - which they were legally entitled to do. No one accused them of trying to stage a coup - it was constitutionally allowed.

What President Ramotar, leading the PPP government, did was to prorogue Parliament and schedule elections within the prescribed time. All of which he was constitutionally mandated to do. But he was drawn and quartered for this. He should have gone like a lamb to be slaughtered! So here it is the Supreme Court of Venezuela that acts in accordance with the Constitution and it is declared to have staged a COUP!!

…in Guyana

And of course, in Guyana -- never to be outdone -we have more than our share of fake news. And we’re not even referring to the outside forces that like to stir the pot ever so often. The Muckraker, doyen of local fake news, received a bit of poetic justice when Basil Williams, one of its sources of fake news against the PPP, accused it of scandalising his name. The case of the Threatened Judge”.

Well, we now have the Judge’s letter, in which he labelled Williams as “loud and bellicose”, “truculent”, “egregious”, “contemptuous,” and “insulting, disrespectful, and calculated to scandalise and lower the authority of the Court in the face of the Court”!! He demanded Williams apologise “both to me and to the Members of the Bar, since they, too, were scandalized by his despicable conduct.”

And the threat? The Judge wrote that Williams told him, “The last person who told him what he should not say was a Magistrate, and he is now dead”. But for days, when the Chronic was the only paper to have seen the letter, not one of the above adjectives was mentioned!!

And denied that Williams had even uttered a suggestion of a threat.

But will they recant now? Fake news means never having to say you’re sorry!

…in governance?

Pressie was reported to’ve instructed Guyana’s mayors and their deputies to meet the people, hear about their problems, and then solve them.

Did he forget to pass this on to his Ministers?

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

news

9

SATURDAY, APRIL 1, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

UG to hike student fees by 35% …despite billion-dollar budget allocation

V

ice Chancellor of the University of Guyana (UG), Professor Ivelaw Griffith, has announced a proposal to hike student tuition fees by 35 per cent over a three-year period. The proposal, which was made known at a town hall meeting with sections of the student body on Tuesday last, has been met with resistance and protests from students.

In 2016, some $2.9 billion were allocated to education sector improvement

by Central Government, which, according to the 2017 budget estimates, had encompassed UG. This followed other allocations towards the institution, such as $208.5 million which were meant for construction and maintenance works spanning 2015 and 2016.

According to several frustrated students, who took to social media in the aftermath of the meeting, the Vice Chancellor made a lengthy presentation at the meeting, after which a few questions were fielded – which, according to participants, were unsatisfactorily addressed.

On Thursday, the dissatisfaction of students manifested itself into protests, as students organised themselves outside of the Education Lecture Theatre. At the time, the UG Council had been meeting with the Vice Chancellor, who only took office in May of 2016.

Health Sciences, Natural Sciences, Social Sciences, Technology, School of Education and Humanities, and the School of Earth and Environmental Science

Troubled waters

UG Vice Chancellor, Professor Ivelaw Griffith

Many of the students complained about issues such as poor and sometimes non-existent internet connectivity, as well as poorly ventilated classrooms and inadequate equipment to do their school work.

It was observed that with such a large influx of money into the university from the budgets, better management of funds should negate the necessity for further increases in tuition fees. Expressing outrage at the proposed increase, the students are adamant that no one is doing students a favour by enhancing facilities on the Turkeyen campus, since the students are mandated to pay separate facilities fees. Each student presently pays $60,000 per annum in facilities fees.

There are in excess of 5000 students at UG, spread out across the faculties of Agriculture and Forestry,

During the recently held Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) Annual General Meeting (AGM), Professor Griffith had been one of the featured speakers. At that occasion, Griffith had spoken of plans to seek funding for the university outside of Government allocations, though no mention of a hike in tuition fees was made.

Describing the University as a “sea with troubled waters”, he noted that the problems with the institution will not be managed by “simply standing and lamenting and hoping to cross the sea.” He therefore expressed the need for funding for the university besides Government allocations.

“We all know (the) University of Guyana is a significant player in our society in the construction of social, economic and political architecture.

But we are accustomed to a university with significant investment from the Government and very minimal from other stakeholders. Ladies and gentlemen, those days are over”, Professor Griffith had said.

“We cannot look to the Government to be the most significant contributor

Dataram’s wife busted with contraband at Mazaruni Prison

A

njanie Boodnarine, the reputed wife of Barry Dataram, is once again in hot water after she attempted to smuggle a prohibited item into the Mazaruni Prison, where Dataram is severing time for cocaine trafficking.

Based on reports received, the woman was attempting to smuggle cigarettes among a quantity of chocolates into the penitentiary on Friday. The discovery was made by prison officials during a mandatory check on the contents that were being taken into the prison.

A probe has been started, but officials at the prison confirmed that the Police were called in to assist. The chocolates were also confiscated, and will be checked to determine if they are laced with any illegal substance.

In 2016, Boodnarine was charged with possession of ammunition after one hundred and eighty .223 rounds of live ammunition were found in her Diamond, East Bank Demerara home. She

Anjanie Boodnarine

Barry Dataram

was also charged for having 129.23kg of cocaine in her possession for the purpose of trafficking.

However, Boodnarine and Dataram absconded to Suriname mere days before the trial Magistrate made her ruling in the drug possession case. In their absence, Dataram was sentenced to 60 months’ imprisonment and fined $164,268,000.

The couple, however, was arrested and extradited to Guyana, where they were slapped with forgery related

charges. Dataram was initially sentenced to five years for cocaine possession, and an additional 48 months for forgery.

Subsequently, the court found Dataram guilty of possession of ammunition and he was sentenced to three years imprisonment and fined $60,000.

Meanwhile, sources told Guyana Times that Boodnarine remains in custody and is expected to be charged in the new week.

Students at the University protested on Thursday

only and continuously. We have to broaden the base and bring under the tent every possible stakeholder.

The business community, in my view, is a significant shareholder in the educational investment called the University of Guyana, even if only in the School of Entrepreneurship,” Griffith had said.

It is not the first time students have pushed back when confronted with increases in tuition at the tertiary institution. Last year, plans to hike tuition by five per cent were put on hold after students pro-

tested the hike. As with the Town Hall announcement, there was no warning or consultation process.

Instead, the tuition-increase announcement was made to students via email just over a month into the semester. The email caused massive outbursts from students, particularly on social media. The email which came from the office of the Registrar read, “The University administration informs the University Community that the Finance and General Purposes Committee of the University had ap-

proved the increase in tuition fees for 2016/2017 and 2017/2018 academic years.”

It said the annual tuition fee for the 2016/2017 Academic year is now $168,000 instead of $160,000. The email went on to state that the University regretted any inconvenience caused, and advised that all invoices will be amended accordingly. It said the difference, without penalty, becomes payable on or before November 15, 2016, while the facilities fee remains unchanged.

10 news

SATURDAY, APRIL 1, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Police probing $941M fraud at local bank …suspect conned gold dealers of millions

A

known fraudster of Bartica, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), who has allegedly robbed and conned his colleagues of hundreds of millions of dollars over the past years, is now in Police custody for ripping off a local bank of $941 million over a short period of time.

Saddiqi Rasul of El Dorado Mineral Trading was a taxi driver in the mining community, but was given a break in life in the gold industry. He now has hanging over his head several pending lawsuits from businesses and gold dealers whom he had conned over the years.

In fact, a few years ago, Rasul collected close to $200 million from miners and gold dealers to purchase gold, but instead converted the money to his own use. He had subsequently made an arrangement to repay the money, but that promise has never been fulfilled.

This resident of Third Avenue Bartica and of Prashad Nagar in Georgetown also owes the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) millions of dollars after an assessment was done on his operations. Guyana Times was told that Rasul is the cousin of the man who had conned Mohamed’s Enterprise of close to $1B during a gold trading (purchasing and selling) operation.

Rasul’s cousin, Eon Ferrier, had been charged with robbing the entity.

Ferrier, who supervised Mohamed’s Enterprise Office

with immediate effect and is now part of the criminal probe that is underway. The fraud was pulled off at the local bank’s office at Bartica.

Based on reports received, Rasul, a gold dealer of Bartica, Region Seven, deposited $941 million in cheques into his bank account at the bank that is presently under investigation. The cheques were, however, from another local bank, but the staff

Saddiqi Rasul

in Bartica, was charged, but denied that between June 22 and 28, 2015 he was given a large sum of cash by the company’s Managing Director, Nazar Mohamed, to purchase gold for the company but he fraudulently converted the cash to his own use and benefit. In that case, it was alleged that Rasul had reportedly conspired with his cousin to pull off the multimillion-dollar fraud against the company. Ferrier was granted $15 million bail by the High Court.

Meanwhile, following the revelation that Rasul had defrauded the local bank of $941 million, Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum on Friday confirmed that the Police have been called in to investigate the matter.

Blanhum noted that the main culprit in the illegal transactions turned himself in at the CID Headquarters in the company of his lawyer. The female bank manager who was fingered in the transaction was dismissed

of the bank at which the cheques were deposited went ahead and effected payment without the cheques being cleared. Guyana Times was told that managers of the two banks had colluded with Rasul to withdraw millions of dollars.

It is believe that after the manager of one of the banks realised that Rasul had used up the money for his personal use and could not repay,

he closed the account. Rasul, however, was not aware that his account was closed, and with a few remaining cheques on his hand, he went to another bank to encash same. It was during this process that bank officials realised that the cheques were bounced. The matter reached the hierarchy of the bank and the police were called in to investigate. The bank in question has promised to re-

lease an official statement on the issue today.

Following his detention, members of the Major Crimes Unit conducted searches at his homes in Prashad Nagar, Third Avenue Bartica, and office in Kitty, Georgetown but came up empty-handed. The Police are continuing their investigation into the matter, and it is expected that more persons will be questioned.

Stop targeting local doctors... from page 7

They have informed the steering Committee of the recent woes that they are experiencing at the hands of the Government of Guyana through the Ministry of Public Health. These grievances have crystallised in the face of the recent ultimatum(s) declared by the Government, important among which is the provision of their monthly gratuity payment. The GMA will not support unconscionable and unilateral acts of the Ministry of Public Health in the absence of reasonable explanation, particularly by the authority, to the predicament of young doctors”, the GMA memo has detailed.

Deafening silence

Since it was first revealed that as of March 24, temporary workers and contract workers with a GS 3 to GS 14 salary scale (including doctors) would be switched from gratuity benefits to

pension, the Public Health Ministry and Government officials have maintained a carefully guarded silence on the matter.

This fact has not gone unnoticed by the Medical Association, which noted that while the Public Health Ministry has remained silent, it is still adamant “in seeking to enforce their unilateral and oppressive measure.”

“The GMA remains steadfast in solidarity with the young doctors as they face an uphill battle that impinges on their means of survival”, that body has said.

The GMA is urging Government to withdraw its ultimatums and meet with representatives of the doctors to address mutual concerns in order to arrive at agreeable solutions. The body notes that this needs to be done as soon as possible.

While a pension is a con-

tributory arrangement, gratuity is a sum of money paid at the end of a stipulated tenure of service, or upon retirement. In most cases, there is a prescribed formula for calculating gratuity, thus removing payments from the employer the onus of determining those payments.

Doctors were eligible, upon satisfactory service being provided, for gratuity at a rate of 22.5 per cent of their basic salary, calculated on the basis of three months. However, at one time, doctors could choose to receive their gratuity at sixmonth intervals.

It is common for such categories of workers to have a personal preference for gratuity instead of pension.

Guyana Times understands that the move has left some doctors disillusioned and frustrated, as many had begun their training with gratuity enshrined in their contracts.

The Parliamentary Opposition has been critical of the move, stating that doctors were always allowed their gratuity in order to keep them incentivized.

There are concerns that once doctors have completed their stipulated years of service, they will simply move to other jurisdictions with better compensation packages.

As if the yanking of the contractual benefits doctors enjoyed was not enough, this publication was able to view the condition of residential quarters provided for doctors at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation. It has been observed that the quarters where doctors who are on call have to sleep sometimes have gaping holes in the ceiling, and the overhead fans have their blades exposed. It is these doctors who will now have a chunk of their on-call allowances decimated.

NEWS

11

SATURDAY, APRIL 1, 2017 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Alleged narco trafficker CoI members appointed to on $200,000 bail investigate suspected cocaine vessel A T

he members of a commission (CoI) set to investigate the entry of a private vessel into Guyana’s waters with suspected cocaine were sworn in on Friday during a ceremony which took place at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan.

Chairing the Commission is Brigadier (retired) Bruce Lovell, who will be joined by retired Assistant Commissioner of Police Winston Cosbert and Technical Officer and Economist to Cabinet, Christine Bailey.

The Commissioners are tasked with investigating the entry, interception, detention, and subsequent release of the vessel into Guyana’s waters between February 11th and 14th, 2017.

This newspaper understands that the vessel was suspected to be carrying cocaine and was escorted inland to be searched.

However, investigators came up empty-handed and subsequently released the vessel.

The CoI team is now tasked with assessing the legality of the initial search conducted on the vessel to determine whether it was done in accordance with the laws of Guyana. As such, the respective roles of the Guyana Defence Force Coast Guards and the Customs

The three members of the Commission of Inquiry are seen with Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan at the swearing-in ceremony

Anti-Narcotics Unit are also being questioned as the CoI seeks to determine whether narcotics or other prohibited substances were aboard the ship at the time it entered into Guyana in February.

Moreover, the authorization that enabled these two units to conduct the search is to be examined.

The Commissioners have been empowered to summon and interview all persons in question, and request the presentation of relevant documentation. The team of three is also to examine the details of the vessel, which includes its capacity and information of those on board, so as to properly conduct the investigation.

The Commission of Inquiry was launched on March 30th, and is expect-

ed to produce its findings to President David Granger on or before April 12. This move is in accordance with the Commission of Inquiry Law, Chapter 19:03, which gives the President the authority to establish a commission of enquiry. Furthermore, the Minister of State has the jurisdiction to add a secretary or any other member to the group. The three are to meet beginning on Monday, and their sessions will be conducted in the Conference Room of the Department of

Public Sector of the Ministry of Presidency.

The ambiguity and paucity of information in the matter relating to the entrance and search of this private vessel is what prompted the launch of this CoI. The Commission comes less than a month after the Head of the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit, James Singh, was sent on leave. Singh, who is still on suspension of duties, will be among those to be questioned during the investigation.

30-year-old father of two was on Friday slapped with a narcotics trafficking charge that arraigned him before Georgetown Magistrate Leron Daly.

Ras Paris denied the charge, which stated that on March 29, 2017, at North Ruimveldt Georgetown, he had in his possession 908 grams of cannabis for the purpose of trafficking.

In a bail application, defense attorney Mark Waldron told the court that his client’s home was searched but no narcotics were found in his possession. According to the lawyer, during the course of the raid, a member of the search party alerted the others to the presence of some plastic bag containing a substance suspected to be the illicit drug, which was discovered in an alley behind Paris’s premises.

Waldron argued that it would be unreasonable to draw the inference that the narcotics found in a place over which the accused had no control belonged to the accused.

The Prosecution’s case, however, disputed the attorney’s position. The prosecution asserted that the cannabis was found concealed in a black plastic bag in the kitchen area of the home, and that

Ras Paris

another set was discovered in an area behind the house.

Paris’s lawyer contested this information, contending that the premises houses multiple occupants with regard to the first set of marijuana unearthed in the kitchen; thus ownership cannot be attributed to his client. He iterated that the second find does not amount to possession by the accused, maintaining that there is no nexus between the two finds, and that it is unreasonable to combine the separate parcels in order to initiate one charge against his client.

Paris was granted $200,000 bail, and the case has been adjourned to April 21.

12 News

SATURDAY, APRIL 1, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

GAWU pledges continued fight Protected Areas System receives $26M boost from CI to safeguard sugar industry T I n commemoration of celebrations done in the past week, which included International Day of Forests, World Water Day, as well as Earth Hour, Conservation International Guyana (CIGuyana) has signed two separate grant agreements with the Protected Areas Commission (PAC) and the Protected Areas Trust (PAT), aimed at building capacity in the effective management and expansion of the National Protected Areas System (NPAS).

The US$100,000 grant awarded to PAC is aimed at

system by producing a fundraising plan, materials and capacity to promote the organisation’s vision and mandate.

The signing occurred in the boardroom of the Department of Environment, and was witnessed by Director of the Department, Ndibi Schwiers, who noted: “I think this is happening at a good time. H E President Granger mentioned that an additional two million hectares will be protected, and this will help in the achievement of our Government’s vision. What will result from this [support] will help us with determining how we

CI-Guyana is also to provide technical and other support to the PAC and PAT. CIGuyana’s Executive Director, Dr David Singh, indicated that the Government, having signed the Paris Climate Change Agreement, has committed under its Emissions Reduction Programme to conditionally realise conservation of an additional two million hectares of terrestrial areas.

The support provided by CIGuyana will contribute to the meeting of this commitment.

“It also meets a longstanding commitment under the United Nations Convention

building the Commission’s capacity to realise the expansion of the NPAS through strategic planning and organisational capacity development. One key deliverable of the funding will be the production of a baseline study and strategy for the expansion of the NPAS which will recognise the critical importance of involvement of people in biodiversity conservation. The PAC will also increase its capacity and skills in several areas across the organisation.And the US$25,000 grant to the PAT will build its ability in financial management of the expanding protected areas

move forward and how fast we will move forward. We’re very pleased to partner with CI. CI has really been a trusted partner,” Meanwhile, CI-Guyana Technical Director Curtis Bernard declared at the signing: “We are going to talk about strategically expanding the protected areas system, then we have to talk about strategically building the financial capabilities to at least be able to support minimal management of the system, as it is now and as it expands.”

Thus he highlighted the possibilities which this funding will provide for the two units.

on Biological Diversity,” the executive director said.

C o n s e r v a t i o n International Guyana is operating in partnership with all key stakeholders while using ecosystems-based resource management approaches and models. Its staff is dedicated to assisting in the shaping of policies and institutional change at all levels to ensure a healthy, sustainable Guyanese economy that reflects a countrywide long-term sustainable development model which incorporates human well-being benefits provided by Guyana’s ecosystems.

he Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) has announced that it remains committed to the fight to safeguard the sugar industry as well as the workers.

The workers Union made the statement while addressing the Guyana Sugar Corporation’s (GuySuCo) contention that there is need for continuous employment of the Wales workers.

In a letter to the media, the sugar entity’s Public Relations Officer had stated that the obvious choice for the Corporation is to transfer its employees in an effort to save the livelihood of the workers. But GAWU on Friday indicated that the Union finds GuySuCo to be most superficial and with their words simply not being reflective of the real situation occurring in the industry.

“It is GuySuCo, the State-owned company,

which closed Wales Estate and has put hundreds on the breadline. Additionally, it is the very GuySuCo which is advocating further miniaturisation of the industry through further estate closures and sell-out. We ask, how can the same GuySuCo expect its statement to be reasonably accepted in view of the harsh measures it is meting out to sugar workers and the industry,” the Union pointed out in their rebuttal.

The Union went on to say that the statement is bold and clear, and confirms their view that the Corporation’s intent is to transfer the over 300 workers from Wales to Uitvlugt.

GAWU further emphasised that the Corporation’s intent is contrary to the laws of the land and our Union cannot countenance the perpetuation of an illegality.

“GuySuCo should hang its head in shame… for those who aren’t aware we hasten to point out that the sugar

company is advocating the closure of its dispensaries and other healthcare facilities by year-end. GuySuCo is also actively considering the closure of its training centre at Port Mourant; an institution which offered so many poor and disadvantaged youths a second chance at a ‘Good Life’.”

It is with this hit back at the recently published statement from GuySuCo that GAWU echoed its many grievances with the sugar entity’s intentions and actions, as well as indicated that they remain supportive of any plans which will safeguard the sugar industry.

GAWU and GuySuCo have been at loggerheads ever since the announcements that the sugar industry will be downsized.

GAWU voiced heavy criticisms against the coalition Government for moving forward with plans to close estates.

US Embassy holds blood drive

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he US Embassy in Georgetown partnered with the National Blood Transfusion Service (NBTS), more commonly referred to as the ‘blood bank’ and the Public Health Ministry to conduct a blood drive earlier this week.

The NBTS relies on blood donations from public-spirited individuals and organisations to ensure that safe blood is available, particularly when blood transfusions may be the only viable option to save a life.

Embassy staff, as well as officials from other diplo-

This kind gentleman took time out of his busy day to donate blood as part of the US Embassy’s blood drive

matic missions and international organisations, donated a record 54 units of blood in this 14th year of partnership.

A contributing factor to the success of this relationship has been an increased commitment to the development of an adequate, safe supply of blood for the people of Guyana.

Over the past decade, the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has provided technical support to the Public Health Ministry on blood safety activities in order to enhance blood collection procedures and policies, recruit and retain low-risk blood donors, and ensure 100 per cent testing of all donated blood units for HIV and other transfusion-transmissible infections.

The US Embassy looks forward to continued collaboration with key stakeholders to help Guyana achieve the goal of having a sufficient blood bank to meet its projected national need.

News

“Carve your own path and hold onto your dreams” – First Lady

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irst Lady Sandra Granger joined members of the Buxton Theatre Arts Company on a school programme, aimed at inspiring students at the Beterverwagting Secondary School to make better choices during their formative years as they approach adulthood.

The programme, which is a collaborative effort between the Education Ministry and the Buxton Theatre Arts Company, was first launched on March 3, 2017, at the Bladen Hall Secondary School, under the acronym REACH, which is meant to encourage young people to Respect themselves and others, to be Empowered, Aspire for greatness, Conquer their fears and challenges and Hold on their dreams, values and dignity.

Delivering the feature address, Mrs Granger urged the students on Friday to remain focused on accomplishing their goals. “I urge you [to] discover the beauty

The students were encouraged to write down their dreams and aspirations as a reminder that they are worthy and important

in yourself. Carve your own path, hold onto your dreams and keep moving forward.

Whatever your faith, each one of us is unique. No one else can take your place in this place at this time. We all have dreams and some idea of who we would like to become and were we would like to go in this life. So hold on to your dreams,” Mrs Granger said. The First Lady also spoke on the impact of social media and Information Communication Technology

(ITC) and its potential to both positively and negatively impact their lives. “Social media can be very cruel because it encourages bullies to believe that they can hide behind a code name and be as abusive as they wish to other people. They are neither kind nor considerate. I love all the fantastic things that we can access through Information and Communication Technology.

But I fear that these new innovations may be depriving

us of the ability to empathise with each other. That is, to put ourselves in another person’s shoes and try to understand what that person is experiencing in his or her daily life,” Mrs Granger said.

President of the Theatre Company, Tremayne Henry, said drama is used as a tool to inspire and motivate members of society.

Meanwhile, Cassandra Fernandes, who is also a member of the Theatre Company, said the group saw the need to implement the programme to ensure that young people are given the tools to protect themselves at a time when there are so many negative reports.

Over 2000 students have so far benefited from this initiative since it was first introduced, including students from Bladen Hall Secondary School, Buxton Secondary School, Annandale Secondary School and Lusignan Secondary School.

AG sends lawyer’s letter ...

from page 3

Moreover, President David Granger on Thursday told reporters that he has asked Williams to formally give a detailed explanation of what transpired, and he noted that the Attorney General has since submitted his explanation.

“The Attorney General has responded. I have asked for an explanation of the matters which were reported to me, and when I have that opportunity, I will respond to him and the Chancellor of the Judiciary,” he stated.

President Granger has indicated to reporters that he is confident the matter would be resolved after hearing from all the parties involved in the matter.

“You know (that) in law there is a principle of (hearing) the other side, so you mustn’t jump to conclusions.

So I want to hear both sides.

We’ve heard one side in the media, and I’ve asked the Attorney General for his side,” the Head of State noted.

The day after the incident, Justice Holder formally complained to the acting Chancellor of the Judiciary that he had abruptly walked out of the courtroom last Thursday because of statements made by the Attorney General. He quoted the AG as saying, “I could say what I want to say and however I want to say it. I have always been like that.”

The High Court judge said in his complaint that he felt disrespected by the Attorney General’s behaviour, and has called for an apology in open court.

However, Williams is holding out that he is not to be blamed for causing the High Court judge to walk out of the courtroom. He has also insisted that his comment was not a threat.

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SATURDAY, APRIL 1, 2017| guyanatimesgy.com

Giftland adopts Sophia projects

From right: Chairman of Giftland Mall, Roy Beepat; Sophia Project representatives Colin Marks and Odessa Primus sign the contract for the project

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he Giftland Mall on Friday signed over an agreement with stakeholders in the Sophia community as part of its Sophia project.

The contract signing was held in the vicinity of the mega mall which saw Chairman of the company, Roy Beepat, making a pledge to ‘adopt’ the community, as it entity seeks to develop the area.

When Guyana Times spoke to those responsible, they noted that the Beepats, who have established a number of industries in the area, will be looking to be a part of the development of the community via providing sponsorship and investment in the area.

Beepat, in his address, stated that the company will be offering a Giftland group apprenticeship where youths will be taught skills such as masonry, carpentry, plumbing, home economics and plumbing.

He alluded to the estab-

lishment of a supermarket which would see the employment of approximately 400 persons. Beepat highlighted the importance of such an investment, as youths in Guyana are often times marginalised, added that if given the chance most of them would take up the opportunity. The Chairman expressed his joy in being a part of same.

The programme concluded with the signing of the Sophia Project Partnership

by Beepat and Marks Project Representative.

Gaitri Ramjohn, Chairperson of the conference, in her brief remarks after the contract was signed on the Giftland Cares Raffle which is set to be hosted soon, stated that by purchasing a $500 increase, one has the opportunity to win a 55-inch smart television.

All the proceeds from the raffle will go to the development of the community as part and parcel of the Giftland cares project.

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guyanatimesgy.com

saturdAY, april 1, 2017

Regional

Venezuela’s Supreme Court to Temporarily Assume Role of National Assembly

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enezuela’s Supreme Court (TSJ) released a ruling Wednesday, announcing that it will temporarily assume the functions of the National Assembly until the body ceases to be “in contempt of court”.

The Venezuelan legislative branch has been in violation of a Supreme Court order since July 28th 2016, when opposition lawmakers swore-in three deputies from Amazonas state in breach of a December 2015 TSJ ruling barring them from taking office. All three delegates are currently under investigation into allegations of vote-buying during their election, alongside a pro-government legislator from the same state who was never sworn in.

Wednesday’s decision came in response to a request for legal interpretation from a subsidiary of state oil company PDVSA, regarding whether Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro could change the conditions of “mixed” public and private enterprises without the approval of the legislative branch. The case was submitted after the president approved a string of economic measures via executive decree this past Monday, including reforms to some joint public-private ventures.

Venezuelan law states that presidential initiatives involving mixed-public-private enterprises must be authorised first by the legislative branch. However the TSJ ruled Wednesday the legislature was "incapacitated to carry out its constitutional obligations for political control over state management” due to being in contempt. The judicial branch also ruled that there was “no impediment” to the economic measures going ahead.

Appealing to article 336.7 of the Constitution, which allows the TSJ to take “corrective measures” in the case of an “unconstitutional parliamentary default”, the Supreme Court decision also indicated that it would assume the legislature’s constitutional responsibilities until the three offending legislators are removed.

“This tribunal decides that the National Assembly, acting in a de facto manner, cannot modify the proposed conditions or attempt to establish other conditions (in relation to the mixed enterprises),” reads the statement.

“While a situation of contempt (of court) and the invalidity of the actions of the National Assembly persist, this Constitutional tribunal will guarantee that parliamentary functions are exercised directly by this tribunal or by another body at its disposition, in order to maintain the rule of law,” continued the ruling.

Support for OAS democracy clause

The stand-off between

governments of Colombia, Argentina and Mexico released statements “expressing concern”.

JMA chides Jamaican Govt over new property tax regime

Opposition courts controversy in National Assembly

Opposition supporters demonstrated against Maduro in Caracas

the Venezuelan branches of government has drawn increasing attention in the international arena, and Wednesday’s ruling comes just a day after an extraordinary session was held at the Organisation of American States (OAS) to address the issue of Venezuela’s democracy.

The session was promoted by OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro, who submitted a 75 page report earlier in March calling on member states to suspend Venezuela from the organisation due to a series of alleged political rights violations.

Venezuelan opposition legislators publicly rallied to Almagro’s proposal, issuing a statement on March 21st entitled “the Agreement to Reactivate the Application of the Democratic Charter” in support of Venezuela’s suspension. High profile opposition spokespeople also appeared alongside Almagro at an OAS press conference.

Nonetheless, the National Assembly’s controversial statement was also nullified by the TSJ in a separate decision this past Tuesday.

Responding to an official complaint filed by pro-government legislator, Hector Rodriguez, the TSJ emphasised once again that “the leadership of the National Assembly, alongside legislators grouped under the denominated Unity {opposition} Bloc, have stubbornly decided to maintain their state of contempt of court” through their refusal to disincorporate the three barred legislators.

In addition to declaring the statement invalid, the TSJ also ordered the initiation of a “control procedure” to ensure that the constitution and the rights of the nation are upheld.

The ruling also stated that there were grounds to believe that opposition lawmakers had committed treason, as outlined in the Venezuelan penal code, and reminded legislators that their parliamentary immunity was not in place due to the National Assembly’s contempt of court.

Article 132 of the Venezuelan Penal Code prohibits Venezuelans from “soliciting outside intervention in Venezuela’s

national politics”.

Opposition eeaction

Opposition spokespeople have reacted angrily to the rulings, and accused the government of arbitrarily “dissolving the National Assembly”.

In a public act outside the legislature, National Assembly President Julio Borges for the Justice First party tore up a copy of the TSJ decision and said that the legislature would refuse to recognise the Supreme Court. He called the TSJ’s rulings “trash” and said they amounted to a state coup.

Meanwhile a scuffle broke out when members of the National Guard blocked an attempt by three opposition legislators and their supporters to spontaneously march on the Supreme Court in protest.

In the international arena, the Pedro Pablo Kuzcynski government of Peru immediately withdrew its ambassador from Caracas in reaction to the ruling, while the

Venezuela’s opposition won a parliamentary majority in December 2015 for the first time since 1999.

Although opposition lawmakers originally respected the TSJ’s decision to block the three legislators under investigation, they eventually flouted the order by swearing in the deputies in July 2016.

Prior to July, the legislature managed to pass four pieces of legislation into law.

However, three of the laws, including a highly controversial amnesty law and a project to privatize social housing, were subsequently thrown out by the Supreme Court for violating the constitution. The opposition-promoted Law for Food and Medicine Bonuses for Retirees and Pensioners was upheld as constitutional by the TSJ and subsequently passed into law.

Since July, the National Assembly has refused to remove the three lawmakers at the centre of the controversy.

In January, opposition legislators also provoked backlash from the Supreme Court when they passed a resolution calling for the president to be removed, claiming that he had “abandoned his post”. The TSJ hit back accusing the National Assembly of overstepping its powers under the Constitution. (venezuelanalysis.com)

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Jamaica’s Finance Minister Audley Shaw

he Jamaica Manufacturers’ Association (JMA) on Thursday chided the Government over its new property tax regime and submitted five recommendations which it believes will soothe growing anger over the measure.

According to the JMA, a survey of its membership found that the revised rates will impact property owners with increases from as low as 25 per cent to over 600 per cent. In addition, the measure will result in large variations in rates to be paid on similar properties by different owners.

As such, the JMA recommended an indexed-linked annual increase to allow for incremental increases; an open and transparent appeals process; consultation before drastic measures such as these are implemented; penalties waived for the first year of implementation; and comprehensive tax reform,

instead of a cherry-picking of individual tax measures.

“Whilst we agree in principle that the property tax regime needed to be reviewed, asking us to remit large sums of payment in one year (even with a payment plan), which does not take into account the current financial situation of those being impacted, is out of favour with the people,” the JMA said in a statement.

“We must ensure that in our effort to implement tax reform we do not erode other efforts to enhance business competitiveness, expand homeownership and increase net income,” the association added.

The JMA’s statement came a day after Finance Minister Audley Shaw explained in a news release that the adjustment to the property tax rates satisfies the Government’s broader tax reform objective of lowering and unifying the rates.

(Excerpted from Jamaica Observer)

Barbados Private Sector warns of job cuts

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arbados’ Private Sector has put the Government on notice that it can no longer maintain current job levels as it struggles to withstand the pressure from the deteriorating economy.

President of the Barbados Chamber of Commerce Eddy Abed told the grouping’s monthly business luncheon yesterday that businesses have been able to maintain employment for well over 100,000 people, but this was a result of “restraint and maturity.”

“This has however come at a cost of lower profit levels and reduced capital investment in new and exist-

Barbados Chamber of Commerce President, Eddy Abed

ing ventures,” he warned.

Though staying clear of saying the layoffs were imminent, Abed cautioned that it could not be business as usual.

He advised Barbadians to brace for further austerity measures, as he expressed concern that the country’s economic future remains uncertain.

Abed lamented that the island was headed in the “wrong direction with only over-optimistic promises to comfort us.”

Citing a string of economic woes, the BCCI president said Government had failed to halt the economic slide, resulting in staggering debt and successive economic downgrades by rating agencies, among other things.

Stressing the need for an urgent overhaul since time was running out, Abed said Barbadians have to play their role by adjusting to paying their own way for critical services that the Government could no longer afford to fund. (Caribbean360.com)

Trinidadian listed as global terrorist

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Trinidadian man who made headlines last year when he admitted to killings in his homeland and urged Muslims still living there to wage jihad in the twin-island republic, has now been categorized by the United States as a global terrorist.

Shane Dominic Crawford – whose also goes by the names Abu Sa’d at-Trinidadi, Asadullah, Shane Asadullah Crawford and Asad – is among five people whom the US Department of State yesterday added to its list of Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs)

under an executive order which imposes sanctions on foreign persons determined to have committed, or pose a significant risk of committing, acts of terrorism that threaten the security of US nationals or the national security, foreign policy, or the country’s economy.

The 31-year-old Crawford is “believed to be a foreign terrorist fighter in Syria carrying out terrorist activity on behalf of ISIS, including acting as an English language propagandist for the group,” the US State Department said. (Caribbean360.com)

saturDAY, april 1, 2017

guyanatimesgy.com

15

Around the World

Gujarat: India state approves EU rules out early trade talks with UK life term for killing cows in Brexit process

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he western Indian state of Gujarat has passed a law making the slaughter of cows punishable with life imprisonment. Under an amendment to the state’s Animal Preservation Act, those found guilty of transporting beef will also be jailed for 10 years.

The cow is considered sacred by India’s Hindu majority, and killing cows is illegal in many states. But the new amendment means Gujarat now has the toughest laws on the issue in the country.

Offenders will face heavy fines, as well as time behind bars. The penalty for either act has been doubled from 50,000 rupees (US$771; £618) to 100,000 rupees.

Gujarat Minister of State Pradipsinh Jadeja told reporters that the cow was a symbol of Indian culture and the amendments to the act had

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The cow is considered sacred by India’s Hindu majority

been made “in consultation with the people”.

Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has also spoken repeatedly of “harsh”

punishment for those who kill cows.

The new law will come into effect once approved by the state’s governor. (BBC News)

Brazil ex-speaker Eduardo Cunha jailed

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judge has sentenced the former speaker of the lower house of the Brazilian Congress, Eduardo Cunha, to 15 years and four months in prison.

Cunha was found guilty of corruption, money laundering and tax evasion.

He led the impeachment process against President Dilma Rousseff and was one of Brazil's most powerful politicians before his arrest in October.

Judge Sergio Moro said he should be held in custody even while appeals

Eduardo Cunha

are under way.

Judge Moro argued that, even though Cunha no longer held political office, there was a risk he could continue engaging in corruption, intimidation and extortion.

"There is no bigger crime than that of trying to use one's parliamentary mandate and the sacred trust the people place in it to obtain personal gain," Judge Moro said.

Cunha, from the centre-right PMDB party, was expelled from the Brazilian Congress in September 2016. (Excerpt from BBC)

raft EU guidelines for Brexit rule out starting free trade talks with the UK before "sufficient progress" is made on other issues. The paper presented by European Council President Donald Tusk will have to be approved by the 27 member states.

Other issues include the status of three million EU citizens in the UK and a million Britons in the EU. Separately, another top EU official suggested the bloc could manage without the UK in defence and security matters. The UK formally triggered the Brexit process on Wednesday after calling for simultaneous talks on exit terms and future trade ties.

At a news conference, Tusk said: "Starting parallel talks on all issues at the same time as suggested by

some in the UK will not happen.

"Only once we have achieved sufficient progress on the withdrawal can we discuss the framework for our future relationship."

It is clear the UK will face a tough divorce, the BBC's Gavin Hewitt says, but there were some hints at flexibility from Tusk.

Talks would be "difficult, complex and sometimes even confrontational", Mr Tusk predicted, but the EU would not "pursue a punitive approach". UK Prime Minister Theresa May formally triggered the Brexit process by sending the Article 50 notification letter to Tusk on Wednesday.

The two are to meet in London ahead of an EU summit on Brexit, which will not include her, on April 29. (Excerpt from BBC News)

UN slams Israel over Emek Shilo settlement

Extradition orders signed

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he Jamaican Government has signed requests for eight Jamaicans, including two women, to be extradited to the United States on charges related to a multimillion-dollar lottery scam ring.

An order was made by Parish Judge Vaughn Smith in the St Andrew Parish Court earlier this month when the eight accused — including a former member of the Jamaica Constabulary Force — appeared before him to challenge the

request by US authorities.

The ex-policeman, Jason Jahalal, and his co-accused — O’Neil Brown, Dahlia Hunter, Alrick McLeod, Xanu Ann Morgan, Dario Palmer, Karae Gray, and Kimberly Hudson — have each been indicted on 48 counts of wire fraud, 15 counts of mail fraud, one count of conspiracy and attempting to commit wire fraud, and one count of money laundering in North Dakota, United States.

The accused are alleged to be part

of a criminal organisation, headed by 27-year-old St James businessman Lavrick Willocks, who was himself extradited to the United States on similar charges in January. Willocks is alleged to have masterminded the lottery scamming network that defrauded a number of Americans of more than US$5 million. He was nabbed at a Kingston hotel and waived his right, before the court, to an extradition hearing. (Excerpted from Jamaica Observer)

China Uighurs: Xinjiang ban on long beards and veils

The Uighurs say they face widespread discrimination in Xinjiang

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hina has introduced new restrictions in the far western region of Xinjiang in what it describes as a campaign against Islamist extremism. The measures include prohibiting "abnormally" long beards, the wearing of veils in public places and refusing to watch state television.

Xinjiang is the homeland of the Uighurs, a traditionally Muslim group who say they face discrimination. Recent years have seen bloody clashes in the region. The Chinese Government blames the violence on Islamist militants and separatists.

But rights groups say the unrest is more a reaction to repressive pol-

icies, and argue that the new measures may end up pushing some Uighurs into extremism.

Though similar restrictions have already been in place in Xinjiang, they become legally sanctioned as of this weekend. Reuters news agency reports that the new laws also ban: Not allowing children to attend government schools; not abiding by family planning policies; deliberately damaging legal documents; marrying using only religious procedures.

The rules also state that workers in public spaces, such as stations and airports, are now required to "dissuade" those who fully cover their bodies, including veiling their faces, from entering, and to report them to the Police.

The restrictions were approved by Xinjiang lawmakers and published on the region's official news website.

Chinese authorities had previously imposed other measures, including restrictions on granting passports to Uighurs. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Israeli settlements are considered illegal under international law

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he United Nations has lambasted the Israeli government after it approved the construction of its first new settlement in the occupied West Bank in decades.

A spokesman for UN chief Antonio Guterres said that the Secretary General expressed "disappointment and alarm" at the Israeli security Cabinet's decision on Thursday to build a new settlement – considered illegal under international law – on land stolen from the Palestinians.

The decision to build a new settlement in Emek Shilo, close to the Palestinian city of Ramallah, came less than a week after the UN criticised Israel for not taking any steps to halt construction on occupied Palestinian territory, as demanded by the Security Council in a resolu-

tion it passed in December.

Settlements are seen as a major stumbling block to peace efforts as they are built on land the Palestinians see as part of their future state.

The Israeli government's move also drew instant condemnation by Palestinian leaders, international rights groups and activists.

International human rights group Amnesty International also condemned the decision, saying "all settlement activity ... constitutes a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law and constitutes a war crime".

Israel has long pursued a policy of constructing Jewish-only settlements on land captured in the 1967 war, with more than 600,000 Israelis currently living in illegal settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

16 NEWS PYO calls for action against UG tuition increase T SATURDAY, APRIL 1, 2017 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

he Progressive Youth Organisation (PYO), youth arm of the People’s Progressive Party, has expressed distress at the University of Guyana’s recent declaration that tuition fees are going to be increased. UG Vice Chancellor Professor Ivelaw Lloyd Griffith has announced that tuition fees are to be increased by 35 per cent, with a further 14 per cent attached for Value Added Tax (VAT).

The PYO has noted that with the increased fees and additional VAT, tuition at the university will be amplified by almost 50 per cent. The organisation is therefore calling on students and relevant authorities to speak out against this burdensome increase.

The PYO has pointed out, “At a time when we should be creating opportunities for our young people – empowering them and expanding opportunities in the oil and gas industry, and preparing them for the new economy and opportunities, the APNU/AFC Government has announced a most regressive step in the territory education apparatus of our young people. This follows

on the heels of previous announcement of VAT charges on education fees.”

The PYO has posited that the proposed increased tuition fees are not only unacceptable, but are a direct attack on young people, and a hindrance to human resource development. The organisation highlighted that cre-

ating financial barriers to hinder access of education by young people is an act of defiance against the works of the popular human rights organisation UNESCO. The body has quoted a UNESCO declaration in its outcry, which states “Education is a fundamental human right and (is) essential for the exercise of all other human rights.

It promotes individual free-

dom and empowerment, and yields important development benefits. Yet millions of children and adults remain deprived of educational opportunities, many as a result of poverty.”

The PYO recalled that the APNU/AFC partnership not only opposed, but committed itself in its campaign to a policy that would see no increase in tuition fees at the University of Guyana. This new move has been viewed as a betrayal of young people, and must be opposed by youths across Guyana, the PYO posited.

“Students are already taxed with increases in every aspect of living expenditure, including transportation, rental, electricity, water and food,” continued the PYO. The PYO calls on the University of Guyana administration and the APNU/ AFC Government to cancel all efforts to increase the tuition fees at the University, “so that our young people could have an affordable opportunity to improve their qualifications and expertise”. Such opportunities, the PYO believes, will inherently have a positive effect on the development of the economy and country at large.

President welcomes new Brazilian Military Attaché

Maa Skandamata

– Fifth Manifestation of Devi Durga

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he fifth manifestation of Devi Durga is known as Maa Skandamata. She is fifth among Nava Durgas, that’s why she is worshiped on the fifth Navratri.

Devi Maa is the mother of Kumara Skanda or Kumara Kartikeya also called Lord Murugan in south India. Kumar Skanda was chosen by Gods as their commander in “Deva-Sura Sangram” (the war of gods & demons) against the demons.

According to Hindu Puranas, when all devtas (deities), manushya (mankind) and rishis (sages) were tired by the atrocities of demon Tarkasur, they sought help from Brahma to help end this demon’s tyranny. Brahma, who was earlier pleased by the hard penance of Tarkasur, granted him with the boon of invincibility from all, except Lord Shiva’s son.

Upon being urged by all the devtas, Lord Shiva agreed and got married to Parvati, the daughter of Himalaya and later, their son Skanda destroyed the demon.

Thus being the mother of Skanda she is Skandamata.

Worshipping Skandamata has on the fifth day of Navaratra has very importance for Yogis & Sadhaks. This day devotee’s mind reaches Visuddha Chakra and stays therein. In her image the Lord Skanda in his infant form is always found.

She holds him in her lap.

Using a lion as a vehicle, Mother Goddess has four arms & three eyes. She holds Lord Skanda in her right upper arm and a lotus flower in her right lower hand, which is slightly raised upward.

The left upper arm is in a

pose to grant boon and in left lower hand, which is raised, she again holds lotus. She is Golden color. She is seated on lotus flower so she is called Padmasana.

The planet Budha (Mercury) is governed

by this Devi.

The scriptures are very eloquent in glorifying the fifth day of Navaratra period. As the mind of the aspirant on this day, is in the Visuddha Chakra. So all his actions

internal as well as external completely stop and the mind bereft of all thought-waves, is calm like a wave less ocean. It would be advancing towards the state of pure consciousness. It is completely submerged in the meditation of Mother Padmasana, quite devoid of worldly thoughts or coats of Maya. It is time when the aspirant should be most careful and cautious on the path of his Sadhana.

By worshiping the goddess in the form of Skandamata, the devotee gets all his desires fulfilled. He starts tasting the Supreme joy even in this very mortal world. The gateway for salvation to him is spontaneously opened. Her worship automatically includes the worship of Lord Skanda in his child form.

Only she has got this pride of place. So the sadhak should particularly be attentive to her worship. Being the presiding deity of sun god, she bestows an uncommon luster and radiance on her devotee. He is always surrounded by an invisible divine halo, which always maintains his ‘Yoga-Ksema’.

Therefore, we should try very sincerely to take refuge under her. There is no better way to moksha from this world.

Ya devi sarva bhutesu, Skandamata rupena sansthita Namastasyai, namastasyai, namastasyai, namo namaha!

The goddess who is omnipresent as the divine Skandamata.

I bow to her, I bow to her, I bow to her again & again.

“Poison” admits to robbery, jailed for 2 years New Brazilian Military Attache, Colonel Emerson Deni da Silva;, outgoing Attache, Colonel Oswaldo Benedito Romao da Silva; Guyana’s Head of State David Granger; Brazilian Ambassador Lineu Pupa De Paulo and Chief-of-Staff of the Guyana Defence Force, Brigadier Patrick West

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resident David Granger on Friday attended a simple ceremony to mark the formal handing over of responsibility of the Brazilian Defence, Naval and Army Attaché to Guyana, Colonel Oswaldo Benedito Romao da Silva to Colonel Emerson Deni da Silva. The ceremony was held at the Marriott Hotel.

Colonel da Silva who began his tour of office in March 2015, said it was

an honour to represent his country in the friendly, neighbouring state of Guyana. “I’ve learnt a lot from the Guyanese people and today I am proud to look at myself as a small part of Guyana’s history and understanding the tradition of this wonderful nation will be the biggest legacy for me,” he said.

His successor, Colonel Deni da Silva, is a well accomplished military of-

ficer. He completed the Military Officer’s Basic Course, Infantry Captain Career Course, the Jungle Warfare Training Course, Commander General Staff Course and the Advanced Military Tactics Course. He is also decorated with several military awards from the Brazilian Army, including the Silver Military Medal for 20 years of service and the Silver Troop Corp Medal.

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herwin “Poison” Pindar, a convicted felon of West Ruimveldt, Georgetown, now faces two years in prison after he confessed before the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts to a charge of robbery brought against him on Friday morning.

Pindar was sentenced to Lot 12 Camp Street, Georgetown, after he plead guilty to the offence which stated that on March 8, 2017, at Hadfield Street, Werk-en-rust, Georgetown, while in the company of another, he relieved Donald Cummings of some $30,000 cash and during the course

of the robbery used physical violence towards the victim.

Prosecutor Bharat Mangru related to the court on Friday that on the day in question, Pindar along with his accomplice approached Cummings and choked him, dealing him several blows in the process; before making good their escape with the aforementioned cash.

Mangru told the court that Pindar was previously convicted of a similar offence; in addition, he was committed to stand trial at the High Court in 2014 for the attempted murder of Carsdale Aaron, dating back to October 2013.

The Prosecutor had related that Aaron and Pindar had a dispute over a lost cellular, causing an aggravated Pindar to stab Aaron several times about his body with a knife. The victim was hospitalised for some time after the incident; subsequently losing a kidney as a direct result of his injuries.

According to reports, Pindar was also charged in April 2013 for chopping Clifton Lolawattie to his face for not sharing his stash of cocaine, and was in 2008 sentenced to one year in prison for the unlawful possession of ammunition.

news

17

SATURDAY, APRIL 1, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

6 months after disappearing

Body of missing woman found in 4-foot grave

By Andrew Carmichael

T

he skeletal remains of a Black Bush Polder woman was on Friday morning dug up from a grave at the back of her yard at Mibicuri, Black Bush Polder, Berbice.

The woman went missing since September last year and her husband kept telling his children that she had migrated to the US. The woman Lilwantie Balack, also called “Darling”, 39, of Mibicuri North, Black Bush Polder, Corentyne, was last seen on September 3, 2016, by her children.

At about 11:30h on Friday her remains were found in a four-foot grave situated about 120 meters behind the house.

Her 21-year-old daughter, Dharshni Davi Balack, said her father gave conflicting reports about the whereabouts of her mother. She related to the media that her father told herself and siblings that their mother migrated to the US and when other relatives asked him about her, he told them a different version.

Suspicion grew as no phone calls were received from Lilwantie and her husband; Sunildat Balack, also called “Red Man”, 43, took a 21-year-old woman to live with him. The three Balack children soon discovered that their new stepmother was wearing their mother’s wedding band.

On Thursday morning, Major Crime Unit and investigators from B Division went to the grave, which was identified by the suspect.

Government Pathologist Dr Vivekanand Bridgemohan was also present.

Investigators dug for about two hours then found bones and another two hours of digging were able to get the entire skeleton.

Divisional Commander, Assistant Commissioner Ian Amsterdam said they will

The grave in which the body was found

migration records confirmed that she did not leave the country. Investigators then pressured the suspect who crumbled and confessed.

Guyana Times understands that that on September 6, 2016, the man and his wife had an argument over her wanting to go to the USA. This newspaper

Dead: Lilwantie Balack

as told that the argument escalated after the man refused to allow his wife to go on vacation.

The man told investigators that he coked his wife, who passed out and fell to the ground. He said that after she passed out he became scared and dug a hole in the back yard and buried her.

At the time of the incident, the Balacks’s had a 17-year-old daughter living with them. However at the time of the incident she was

matter but were threatened by her father’s relatives.

She said from the first day she was told that her mother had migrated there was the suspicion that something was amiss. She said the fact that her mother’s clothes were intact suggested that she did not go anywhere.

Her brother Khemraj Balack tried to hold back the tears as he watched his mother’s remains being placed in containers by Police. The young man expressed no sympathy for his father and said whatever happens to him he deserves. “Let him feel how me Mummy feel…,” he said as tears bubbled in his eyes.

Residents in the community describe the late Balack as a peaceful farmer, who never spoke much.

They said in recent months the suspect had become obnoxious and had been consuming more alcohol that he was previously known to consume.

Reports also indicate that since the disappearance of the woman, the suspect had never gone into his farm alone and would pay a neighbour to accompany him. The body was discovered buried in the said farm.

The father of the now dead woman Chattergoon Budram was also on the scene on Friday.

Gowmatie Edwards, who lives next door said that she was also told that the wom-

Investigators exiting the crime scene

have to conduct a DNA to confirm the woman’s identity.

Meanwhile, Police who arrested the suspect on Tuesday were also initially told that the woman had migrated. However local im-

not at home and when she returned she was told that her mother had left home for the USA. The dead woman’s daughter, Dharshni Balack told the media that after sometime they attempted to get the Police involved in the

an was overseas.

Residents in the community describe the woman as a peaceful farmer who never spoke much. They say in recent months the suspect started to drink regularly.

The Police are continuing their investigation.

Sales rep injured in 2-vehicle collision

S

udhakar Jagobin, a sales representative attached to Sueria Manufacturing Inc, was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) on Friday evening after the vehicle he was driving slammed into an oncoming car at Houston, Greater Georgetown.

According to reports reaching the Guyana Times, the accident occurred at about 20:45h, as Jaigobin, of Herstelling, East Bank Demerara, was heading to Georgetown and had turned off the East Bank Highway (opposite Rent-A-Tent) into the western carriage. There, he lost control of his white motor car, PNN 8155, which then slammed into a utility pole in the middle of the road before ending up on the eastern carriage, hitting oncoming car PNN 8233 and bracing it into a nearby fence.

Jaigobin, the only occupant of his vehicle at the time, was removed from the wreaked vehicle by public-spirited persons and rushed to the hospital with head injuries. The driver of the other vehicle, Tito (only name given), remained on scene. He reportedly suffered minor injuries.

The two vehicles after the collision on Friday evening

Tito told the Guyana Times that he was heading up the East Bank when the white car came out of nowhere and hit him off the road and into the nearby fence. He also was the lone occupant of his vehicle, which he recently bought, and collected only three days ago after redoing the exterior.

Meanwhile, a young man, Bacchus (only name given), related to this newspaper that he had just come off of work, and was riding on the road when the accident occurred. He said the vehicle “barely” missed him, as his bicycle was a few inches from where the cars ended up on the eastern side of the road.

“I just cross the road (from western to eastern carriageway) and then I hear the crash. When I turn, I see this

(white) car just come over this side of the road straight into the other car, and paste the man up to the fence,” the young man related. He continued: “Jah went with me, ‘cause this car pass me by couple inches, or else I won’t be here talking… God went with me and with (Tito).”

The entire driver’s side of Jaigobin’s car, as well as the back, has been severely damaged. Up to press time, Guyana Times was unable to ascertain the medical condition of the sales representative. This newspaper was told that Jaigobin was heading to a city hangout spot where his company was having a promotion. His colleagues were also travelling to Georgetown, but were way behind his vehicle after he had reportedly “flown past” them.

Critchlow Labour College returns to Linden – new programmes being offered

A section of the gathering at the opening of the Critchlow Labour College, Linden

F

ollowing several years of absence from Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara- Berbice), the Critchlow Labour College was re-launched in the community with offers of newer and more diversified educational opportunities for students.

The re-launching exercise took place at the Linden Enterprise Network (LEN) in the presence of numerous officials and residents.

Among those present were Member of Parliament (MP) Audwin Rutherford, Trade Unionist Lincoln Lewis, and Regional Vice Chairman Elroy Adolph, among numerous others.

In delivering the feature presentation, MP Rutherford said the institution’s role in making students job-ready and also assisting them in matriculation is very important, as he pointed to the scores of persons who have benefited over the years, noting that the country would forever be grateful to the institution.

The MP encouraged all to make best use of the

services offered, while he stressed the need for an Organisation of Tertiary Education Providers in Guyana, and urged the institution to fill this gap. “I think it’s timely that we provide skills for the oil and gas industry,” he posited.

In addition, Rutherford said the institution must also understand the present shortcomings of employees, and must fashion its programmes according to challenges which Guyana faces, as well as to seek collaboration with non-governmental organisations (NGO) and community development councils. He said Critchlow Labour College must also assist students in becoming entrepreneurs, in addition to equipping them to become job ready.

In his remarks, the Principal, Ivor English, noted that it is significant that the event took place at a time when the institution is preparing to observe its 50th anniversary. He expressed how proud he felt to be part of that history. He said the intention is not only to focus

on the social sciences area, but to have an active programme in agriculture.

The Principal outlined that the flagship course continues to be the industrial and social studies programme, and that it will be commencing with that programme, since it allows persons access into the University of Guyana and Teachers College.

English noted that programmes such as Social Work, Caring for the Elderly, Child Care, Sociology, Psychology and English are presently being offered, in addition to Certificate courses in Further Access to Education.

The Principal said Texila University has found its footing out of that institution, and noted that the institution has developed a syllabus for Master’s Degree in Food Security, which will be launched in collaboration with Texila American University.

Additionally, he said the institution has a synergy with the MatPal Maritime Training Institute.

New Programmes (1 year) include Certificate in Sustainable Agriculture, Certified in Sustainable Forestry, Certificate in Fisheries and Agriculture, and Certificate in Sustainable Mining.

According to the Principal, the institution, which will operate out of the Linden Technical Institute, is awaiting a minimum of 30 students before commencing.

18

guyanatimesgy.com

SATURDAY, APRIL 1, 2017

ARCHIE

Show how resourceful you are and take pride in what (March 21- you do. Believe in yourself April 19) and your ability to get things done on your own. Someone prying will have ulterior motives.

ARIES

Take charge, but don’t TAURUS make assumptions based on (April 20- what others tell you. False May 20) information is likely to be offered to throw you off guard.

Fact-checking will be necessary.

DILBERT

A little charm and a whole GEMINI lot of charisma will set you (May 21apart from any competition June 20) you face. Make love, romance and family fun priorities. Reevaluate business partnerships and joint ventures.

Don’t fear being different or offering unusual solutions.

(June 21- Take ownership of the posiJuly 22) tion you are in and make your point clear.

CANCER

PEANUTS

Don’t let anyone take adLEO vantage of you financially, (July 23emotionally or contractually.

Aug. 22) Look for ulterior motives when dealing with people who seem too accommodating or complimentary.

CALVIN AND HOBBES

Emotional manipulation VIRGO will set you back. Before you (Aug. 23Sept. 22) let someone take advantage of you, consider his or her motives and what you could lose by entering into an unstable situation.

Discussions will clear up LIBRA any unfinished matters with a (Sept. 23friend, relative or partner. Let Oct. 23) your experience guide you in making wise choices regarding prospects and future joint ventures.

WORD GAME

SUDOKU

A gamble will lead to emoSCORPIO tional duress. Don’t take (Oct. 24chances, even if those around Nov. 22) you are pressuring you to do so. Be smart and play it safe to avoid a loss.

Share your feelings. It’s SAGITTARIUS important to make sure that (Nov. 23- you are on the same waveDec. 21) length with the person or people who will be influenced by your decisions. Make romance a priority.

SOLUTION FOR LAST PUBLISHED PUZZLE

Socialising is best kept to CAPRICORN a minimum.

Getting involved (Dec. 22in emotional situations that Jan. 19) could lead to lifestyle changes would not be in your best interest. Don’t let temptation be your downfall.

Host a get-together or reAQUARIUS connect with someone you (Jan. 20haven’t seen for a long time.

Feb. 19) Explore your options and consider making a commitment or signing a contract that will change your lifestyle.

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

Copyright 2015, Distributed by Universal Uclick for UFS

Emotional disillusionPISCES (Feb. 20- ment will surface if you don’t March 20) look at the facts and listen to good advice. Weigh the pros and cons before you decide to make a permanent move.

thursDAY, march 30, 2017

19

Miami Open 2017…

Konta beats Venus Williams to maiden reach – Federer, Nadal on course for another final showdown American salvaged one of those breaks.

Williams struggled with her first serve and saved five break points early in the second set before breaking Konta to take a 3-1 lead.

But the British number one

Venus Williams (right) has won the Miami Open on three previous occasions

J

ohanna Konta defeated seven-time Grand Slam champion Venus Williams 6-4 7-5 to become the first British woman to reach the Miami Open final.

The 25-year-old will face world number 14 Dane Caroline Wozniacki, who overcame Czech second seed Karolina Pliskova 5-7 6-1 6-1.

Konta said: “Caroline’s one of the best athletes on tour, so I know I am going to be running for a lot of balls.

“I’m looking forward to it, it is going to be a battle and I will try my best.”

Konta broke Williams twice in the first set as she moved into a 3-0 lead, before the 36-year-old

Ashwin out of IPL with injury

battled back to b r e a k Williams on three occasions on her way to sealing victory

Johanna Konta

shortly after midnight local time.

Konta will reach a career-high world number seven ranking if she lifts the trophy on Saturday.

Earlier, Roger Federer continued his stunning start to 2017 by reaching the men’s semi-finals with a dramatic win against Czech 10th seed Tomas Berdych.

The 35-year-old Swiss survived two match points i n the deciding tie-break before winning 6-2 3-6 7-6 (86). Federer has now won 17 of his 18 matches this year.

He will now face Australia’s Nick Kyrgios who defeated Federer extended his winning run against Berdych to seven matches

Germany’s Alexander Zverev 6-4 6-7 (11-9) 6-3.

Federer, who claimed his first major for five years at the Australian Open in January, served for the match at 5-3 in the deciding set, only for Berdych to break to love and go on to force a deciding tie-break.

However, he choked at the crucial moment as his losing streak against Federer - which goes back to March 2013 - was extended to a seventh match.

Federer’s progression means a meeting with long-time rival Rafael Nadal in Sunday’s final remains a possibility.

Spain’s 14-time Grand Slam champion Nadal, who lost to Federer in Melbourne, recorded a 6-2 6-3 win over American Jack Sock to reach the last four.

He faces Italian Fabio Fognini, who became the first unseeded player in 10 years to make the semi-finals by beating Kei Nishikori. (BBC Sport)

Petra/Milo U-18 School’s Football Quarterfinals …

BHS square off with Sir Leon’s Lesson in mega clash

Imran Khan

Ravichandran Ashwin picked up 10 wickets from 14 matches for Rising Pune Supergiant in last year’s IPL

R

avichandran Ashwin, the India offspinner, is set to miss IPL 2017 for Rising Pune Supergiant because of a sports hernia. Ashwin is likely to be out of action for six to eight weeks, but is expected to regain full fitness ahead of India’s title defence at the Champions Trophy in June. He is scheduled to begin his rehabilitation soon.

M Vijay too is in danger of missing the tournament for Kings XI Punjab because of a wrist and shoulder injury that he has played with for a better part of India’s home season.

It is likely that Vijay may have to undergo a shoulder surgery. The franchise is awaiting a report from India phsyio Patrick Farhart before taking an-

other step in the matter.

Ashwin, 30, has had an unprecedented workload during India’s marathon home season that featured 13 Test matches against New Zealand, England, Bangladesh and Australia.

During the period, Ashwin bowled 738.2 overs - the most ever by a bowler in a Test season - and picked up a record 82 wickets. Along with Ravindra Jadeja, Ashwin claimed 153 wickets at an average of 24.14 to become the most successful bowling pair in a season.

Ashwin first picked up the injury immediately after the Test series against England in December. In the aftermath, he withdrew from Tamil Nadu’s Ranji Trophy quarter-final against Karnataka. (ESPNcricinfo)

Players from BHS control the passage of play in their last game against QC

T

he Petra Organised Milo schools under-18 Football championships continues today at the Ministry of Education Ground, Carifesta Avenue and spectators can look forward to exciting action as the quarter-final matches gets underway.

The first clash of the day brings together a spirited Bishops’ High School (BHS) and the formidable Sir Leon’s Lesson at 13: 00h which will be followed by Morgan’s Learning Centre against Carmel Secondary from 15:00h with semifinal places in mind.

The Bishops’ High School will be high in confidence after disposing

nemesis Queen’s College last weekend but will face their toughest test to advance to a new territory in the five years of the tournament. The Carmichael Street based school who have never made it past the quarterfinal stage fancies their chances today as inspirational captain Imran Khan who have played in the tournament since its inception, has been exceptional.

Other than Khan, Keiron Niles and Mark John are some experienced players who are expected to come to the party as well.

For Sir Leon’s unit the talented

Adrian Aaron and company will be a great threat as he has been in terrific goal scoring form.

The other encounter will have an unbeaten Morgan’s starting as favourties against an inconsistent Carmel unit. However, the formers have the ability to spring a surprise and upset.

Thirty-two secondary schools are competing for the $500,000 first prize; while second, third and fourth placed finishers will pocket $300,000, $200,000 and $100,000 respectively – money that will go towards a school project.

20

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

saturDAY, april 1, 2017

MMA meets boxing at Giftland Mall – 5 MMA bouts included at Locked and Loaded

By Romario Samaroo

T

he Guyana Boxing Board of Control’s (GBBC) card Locked and Loaded will now see the introduction of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighting at the Giftland Mall, Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown on April 23.

Originally set for April 9 and only seeing boxing, this change was announced at a press conference at the fight venue on Friday.

According to President of the GBBC, Peter Abdool this move was made to facilitate the inclusion of the MMA fights. “MMA has been extremely successful in the last few years, it has rivaled and in some instances surpassed boxing in its popularity. It has not come here for the want of not trying because there are gentlemen here who have been trying very very hard to bring it to Guyana. Because our platform has been set up and our card has been set up, I was approached

by Mike [Michael] Singh and introduced to Jason and in point

of fact what had happened was for the first time we have an absolutely unique opportunity to bring MMA to Guyana as part of this fight. Consequently to facilitate this happening we have moved the card from April 9 to April 23,” Abdool said.

While the local boxers were training for the Locked and Loaded card, it had significant implications.

Abdool said “You would recall the event was meant to be two things, an amateur programme which was intended to facilitate the launching of the WBC amateur programme in Guyana and as such a singularly important event in itself. The professional programme involved the likes of Dexter Marques. While our boxers have been training and all has been going well we have been the beneficiary of I would say a bit of luck that we could not afford to pass up.”

In listing the order of events of the night the GBBC President

Jason Fraser

informed the gathering that “there will be the launch of the WBC amateur tournament which will supplement amateur boxing in Guyana and their amateur fights and then the professional fights and then for the first time MMA fight.”

Meanwhile, President of the Trinidad and Tobago MMA Federation and representative

of International MMA federation for the Pan American region, Jason Fraser noted that it was a delight to bring the sport to this country after launching it in Jamaica recently.

“I am proud to say that our federation is definitely happy to be a part of this historic event and partnering with fight central out of Guyana headed by Michael Singh,” Fraser said The MMA boss noted that amongst the cards set for the night there is all possibilities that there will be the inclusion of MMA star out of Guyana, Shanice Bobb who has already made an impact in the Trinidad and Tobago arena.

“This event is going to be a very unique one as we are not just going to bring mixed martial arts alone but three champions, the Ruff n Tuff champion out of Trinidad and Tobago Josh Welkins and martin Joseph. We will be bringing five undercards which will bring about the best

GT Beer/Star Party Rentals/NAMILCO Futsal...

Quarterfinalists decided

talents in Guyana to be a part of, Shanice Bobb out of Guyana won a fight in Trinidad and Tobago and we are hoping to have her in the event against an opponent from Tobago,” Fraser added.

The event will see the three amateur fights for the local boxers clashing before the MMA fighters take to the ring and finally the three professional fights with admission remaining the same set at $1,000 general admission and $2,000 ringside.

Abdool added that the prices are set at this in an effort to attract a larger viewing audiences as well as a means of bringing back Sunday night fights as was the tradition of the past while Fraser applauded Giftland Mall and their administration for coming on board and being a part of history as they has always been, noting that they will go down in history as the “first soil in Guyana to host MMA fighting.”

$3M up for grabs at Horse Racing & Duck Curry extravaganza

– Sparta Boss, Broad Street make cut

Bent Street’s Okini Fraser on the ball against Sophia (Photo courtesy of Orlando Charles)

T

he overwhelming support continues at the National Gymnasium for the GT Beer/Petra Organised Futsal Championship on Thursday evening, as usual favorites Broad Street Bullies and Sparta Boss are among the eight teams that have qualified for the knock-out stage.

The other teams achieving quarter-final berths were Back Circle, defending champions Bent Street, North East La Penitence, Sophia, Tucville and West Front Road-Gold is Money.

Sparta Boss who had to win their final group match against Tiger Bay to qualify, did so by 4-2 margin. They were led by a Devon Millington hattrick, who sunk goals in the 10th, 16th and 24th while Sheldon Shepherd had his chance in the 9th. For Tiger Bay, Deon Alfred and Alpha Fletchman scored in the 14th and 21st respectively.

Similarly, a hat-trick by Darren Benjamin and a double by Kevin Cummings led Bent Street to a 5-0 win and condemned Albouystown to their

third successive loss. Benjamin had goals in the 10th, 21st and 27th while Cummings scored in the 11th and 17th.

Tucville gave West Front Road their first defeat when the trio of Jermin Junior (5th), Dennis Edwards (12th) and Jahaal Greaves (14th) powered their team to a 3-1 victory while Carl Tudor (10th scored for the opposition.

A Konata Manning double led Bent Street to 4-2 victory over Sophia. Manning netted in the 20th and 22nd while teammates Colin Nelson (8th) and Joshua Browne (26th) were the other marksmen. In Sophia’s response, Dwayne Lowe (6th) and Joshua Browne (26th) scored goals.

Meanwhile, North East La Penitence hammered West Back Road 7-1 on the back of a hat-trick

by Calvin Moore (1st, 3rd & 18th), Omallo Williams ( 5th and 29th) and additional goals by Shaquille

Browne (2nd) and Romario Andrews (8th); Jarel Tyrell (25th) netted for the opposition.

Likewise, Stephon McLean (22nd & 26th), Akeemo Anthony (12th), Curtez Kellman (13th) and Selwyn William (25th) led Back Circle to 5-0 thumping of Agricola.

The quarter-final round will commence on Tuesday at the aforementioned venue.

Winner of the tournament will receive $400,000 and the championship trophy while second, third and fourth place finishers walk away with $200,000, $100,000 and $50,000 respectively. The event is slated to conclude on Easter Saturday, April 15.

Final Point Standings Group-A Team

GP W

D

GF GA

GD

Pts.

Back Circle

3

2

0

L

1

10

4

+6

7

Sparta Boss

3

2

1

0

7

5

+2

6

Tigerbay

3

1

1

1

7

8

-1

4

Agricola

3

0

3

0

2

5

-7

0

Group-B Team

GP W

L

D

GF GA

GD

Pts.

North East

3

2

1

0

9

3

+6

6

Tucville

3

2

1

0

8

5

+3

6

West F/Road

3

2

1

0

5

3

+2

6

West B/Road

3

0

3

0

3

14

-11

0

GP W

L

D

GF GA

GD

Pts.

Bent Street

3

2

0

1

15 5

+10

7

Sophia

3

2

1

0

9

6

+3

6

Broad Street

3

1

1

1

9

5

+4

4

Albouystown

3

0

3

0

1

18

-17

0

Group-C Team

Horse racing action returns to Bush Lot Farm on Sunday like never before

T

he Kennard’s Memorial Turf Club (KMTC) collaborates with Anirude and Son Construction Company to take things to a different level on and off the track at Bush Lot Farm, Corentyne on Sunday.

Thousands are expected to throng to the famous venue to be a part of the grand one day horse race meet and Duck Curry Competition.

Seven races are listed on the days programme with over $3M in cash trophies and other incentives up for grabs.

The feature event is for horses classified E and lower over a distance of seven furlongs for a first prize of $400,000M and trophy. Among the runners are Golden Blue Echo, Goodwill Boy, Settling Star, Brace Sky, It’s MY Choice, Got To Go and Campador.

The horses running in the event for H and lower animals will be racing for a winner’s purse of $220,000 over six furlongs.

There is an ‘I’ class six furlongs event for a winners money of $160,000 and trophy.

The three years maiden event has attracted a winners take of $150,000 and trophy over five furlongs.

Horses classified K and lower will be racing for a winning package of $120,000 and trophy over five furlongs.

There are two L class races with the first being for L non winners over five furlongs for a winning pocket of $100,000 and trophy.

The other event is for L non earners with the winner set to ride away with $80,000 and trophy also over five furlongs.

Outstanding performers will receive trophies and other incentives compliments of Ramesh Sunich of trophy stall Bourda Market and the organisers.

Other attractions will include games and a fun section for kids including trampoline, face painting and bouncy castle.

The duck curry competition will begin boiling at 10:00h while race time is 12:00h.

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7

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he second round of cricket in the second annual Digicel Triple Treat for teams on the Essequibo Coast concluded with seven teams advancing to the next round.

After a high scoring opening round with a few one-sided affairs, the action last Sunday at the Perseverance Beach was more competitive.

Ganesh Mangal was among the runs again for Affiance Storm but his 33 was not enough to save his team from defeat against Richmond Warriors. Batting first Affiance Storm managed 101-5 from their 10 overs with Mangal hitting the top score and getting support from Latchman Rohit with 30 as F. Ali claimed 2-14 from his two overs.

In reply, Richmond Warriors raced to 104-2 to come up with the eight-wicket win with seven balls to spare. S. Ahiram led the chase with an even unbeaten 50.

First round batting powerhouse, Die Hard remained unbeaten after beating Golden Fleece Sports Club by 22 runs. Vijay Surujpaul 66 not out and Patrick Rooplall 33 were instrumental in Die Hard putting up 128-5 from their 10 overs against steady bowling from Golden Fleece SC. However, Die Hard also put up a spirited and discipline bowling effort to restrict Golden Fleece in the run chase to 106-7 from their 10 overs. G. Singh hit 42 while Richard Latiff and Y. Mohammed took 2-16 each.

In other matches; Adventure Sports Club (114-7 from 10 overs. G. Sharma 50 not out; J. Baljodha 2-17 from 2 overs) beat AK Dealers (75 all out from 9.5 overs. R> Beharry 26; S. Sarabjeet 3-12 from 2 overs) by 39 runs.

United Warriors (119-3 from 8.3 overs. B. Mangar 42) beat GT Warriors (114-7 from 10 overs. D. Da Silva 38) by 7 wickets.

United Brothers (111-9 from 10 overs) beat Golden Fleece Young Warriors (98-6 from 10 overs) by 15 runs.

Invaders Masters (93-7 from 10 overs. R. Gonsalves 21; K. Singh 4-8 from 2 overs) beat El-Dorado (83 All out from 9 overs. B. McKoy 43; Ramesh Narine 6-4 from 2 overs) by 10 runs.

Devonshire Castle (169-5 from 10 overs) beat Fire Station (105-3 from 10 overs) by 64 runs.

The competition which continues on Sunday at the Perseverance Beach with quarter final matches will conclude on April 22 at the Anna Regina Community Centre when the sizzling duck curry competition will be held along with the grand stage show and closing ceremony.

22

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

saturdAY, april 1, 2017

Brighto Paints presents Q Mobile Cup Series…

Buoyant Pakistan seeking knockout against deflated Windies A

buoyant Pakistan team with an unassailable 2-0 lead really demonstrates their prowess so far in this four-match T20 series against West Indies and must be psychologically advantageous for the third fixture today at the Queen’s Park, Oval, Trinidad and Tobago.

The visitors started off in clinical fashion surging to a comfortable six-wicket win in the low-scoring opener at the Kensington Oval, Barbados and, despite making only 132 in the second game at the Queen’s Park Oval, they were able to limit the West Indians.

They subsequently emerged with a thrilling threerun triumph, again thanks to some splendid bowling performances from 18-yearold leg-spinner Shadab Khan who had a dream spell on debut in the previous match.

What had transpired in these two matches, certainly espouses the talent that Pakistan have and particularly this version.

Their skipper Ahmed Sarfraz commented at the post-match presentation ceremony that the efforts have been very collective and not his astute leadership alone.

Pakistan, with their winning momentum especially against the T20 world Cup Champion West Indies will obviously begin proceedings today as firm favourites.

Apart from the successful Khan, the bowling will still have the sting of settled fastbowlers Sohail Tanvir, Wahab Riaz and Hasan Ali, all capable

the other batters will come to the fore; we have continued to work hard and I am very optimistic the side will bounce back in the next match,” Law pointedout after the second defeat.

Pugnacious middle-order batsman Keiron Pollard and another

West Indies batsman, Marlon Samuels showed that there is no substitute for experience with a fighting knock last Thursday at the Queen’s Park Oval

of making early inroads on a pitch that is expected to be very animated again making runs hard to come by.

Their batting will certainly centre round the experienced and inform Shoaib Malik whose batting gained tremendous maturity in this exhilarating format. Malik scored two vital innings of 38 not out and 28 while several seasoned batsmen have shown hints of big innings.

Pakistan’s top order was ordinary yet again, but with no obvious replacements, they may stick to the same eleven that edged the second game in Trinidad. However, replacing Kamran Akmal with Mohammad Hafeez might be a possibility, if only for the extra

bowling option he gives them.

West Indies didn’t make any changes after a dismal performance in the first game, so they are likely to stick with the side that so significantly improved four days later. The only question mark may be over the inclusion of Rovman Powell, who fell for a first-ball duck, with Jason Mohammad a possible replacement.

The home team may be getting anxious to avoid another whitewash at the hands of the Pakistanis who won three in a row late last year in Dubai.

Some encouraging performances according to their head-coach Stuart Law who told the media that they

need to move on.

“We [are] working extremely hard in every area, just the results are not there but we have to be persevering and determined to get past the Pakistani; we have seen lots of improvements too especially in the bowling department while the catching was superb but just the fielding was a little poor but we are learning from our mistakes,” stated the Australian Law. In Barbados, West Indies only managed an insufficient 111 with only skipper Carlos Brathwaite getting a considerably high score (34*) while one of their most experienced batsmen Marlon Samuel displayed rich form with an entertaining 44 in Trinidad and Tobago.

“Great effort from Marlon in this game, and I am confident

spinner S u n i l Narine has been in terrific form and not only bowled

Captain Sarfraz Ahmed (right) can dance once his new found ace bowler Shadab Khan continues to deliver the goods

T20 specialist Lendl Simmons have not made an impression as yet and may have caused West Indies to be on the backburner of the series.

The opening pair of Chadwick Walton and Evin Lewis promised with their brief starts but have not been able to carry on against the Pakistan’s much-vaunted bowling attack.

The low-scoring affairs so far continued and this penultimate engagement is promising to be riveting alluding to the fact the Caribbean boys will be anxious to lift their game with a much-needed victory to save themselves total humiliation of a whitewash.

Law spoke greatly of the bowling which manifested well with the low restriction of two those scores. Mystery off-

economically but grabbed important wickets while his Trinidadian compatriot and leg-spinner Samuel Badree in good touch as well.

Pacers Jason Holder, Kesrick Williams and Brathwaite have bowled reasonably well and more penetration is essentially important for them to help sustain the scoring against some of these quality T20 batsmen.

The pitch at the Queen’s Park Oval, as was witnessed during the second T20, is expected to favour the slow bowlers and offer plenty of turn. There is cloud cover expected in the evening, which might offer movement to the faster bowlers, but no rain. The first ball is at 12:30h.

GHB/ U-18, 2nd Division Outdoor Leagues…

GCC lead across the floor Table toppers, GCC women will look to remain standing after today’s crucial fixture

Double trouble! GCC’s Rahim Oliver (centre) and Kareem McKenzie (right) team up for most of their team’s success so far

A

s the second round of the Guyana Hockey Board’s (GHB) Under18, Second Division outdoor hockey league is set to conclude today, the current standings show the GCC teams are sitting at the top of the table across all four categories; Under 18 boys and girls and Second Division Men and Women.

In the Girls Under 18 category, GCC played just five games and have amassed a goal difference of 33, a feat accomplished since no team in the competition has been able to score a goal against their solid defence. As such, they accumulated 15 points. Abosaide Cadogan is the leading goal scorer, totaling nine goals which is more than any team’s combined tally of goals.

In second position is debutant St. Joseph High school, who have played six games and earned themselves eight points. Saints, the other school

based team in the division is in third position with seven points while Hikers sit at the bottom of the pile with only one point from five games.

Similarly, the GCC U-18 boys have been dominating their category, gathering 22 points from eight games. They lead the competition with 47 goals, the most by any team with Kareem McKenzie scoring 22 of those goals. McKenzie has maintained support and worked well with regular goal keeper, Rahim Oliver who is playing in the open field and have slotted in 10 goals to date.

In the U-18 category, GCC are trailed by Old Fort who has played the same amount of games but scored 13 points with 40 goals scored of which Omar Hopkinson has scored 14 and Courtney Marcus, 10.

Saints sit in the middle of the five-team table on eight points from seven games while St. Joseph are ranked fourth and Hikers 5th after playing eight and

seven games respectively.

Over in the second division women’s category, the GCC women are comfortably sitting on 15 points after five games to lead the table. The ladies have scored 32 goals to date with Aliyah Gordon scoring 10 of those. Shebiki Baptiste has scored eight goals as the two have managed to lead GCC to a dominating position.

Hikers has managed to sit in second position with nine points and scoring nine goals, four of which came from Kenisha Wills and three from Latacia Chung. Saints with four points take the third position while Old Fort is at the bottom having earned one point. All teams in this class have played five games.

In the Men’s second division GCC, who has two teams in the group, GCC A and GCC B have seen GCC B take the top of the group with 16 points

and 23 goals. However, this group has seen the most competition as Old Fort are in second place trailing by just one point after both teams played seven matches. GCC A is in the third position with 11 points after just as many games. Saints, the only team to play eight games are in fourth place with 10 points while Hikers sit at the bottom of the table.

The action is set to resume today at the St. Stanislaus College Ground, Carifesta Avenue with six more breath taking games. With two playing fields available action will begin at 15:00h with Saints taking on Hikers in the U18 boys while the U18 girls will see a clash between Hikers and GCC. At 15:50h, GCC A will battle Old Fort and Hikers go toe to toe with GCC B in the second division male matches while at 16:40h, the females will take to the field in the second division contest with Saints playing Hikers and GCC playing Old Fort.

guyanatimesgy.com

SaturDAY, april 1, 2017

23

Spicy tracks expected for Pakistan ODIs

– Preparation works to be fully competed Tuesday

By Akeem Greene

W

est Indies three-match One Day International (ODI) Series against the touring Pakistan will get underway next week at the National Stadium, Providence and to much relief of both fans and players some fast-paced pitches are expected to be rolled out for the matches.

Guyana Times Sport visited the venue on Thursday and spoke to Head Curator Wasim Habib who disclosed that newly laid pitches will be used and they should offer a greater balance between bat and ball.

“Based on the pitches that we are preparing it should be great for One-Day cricket; the outfield is very quick and it will get better by time the game.”

He added, “It is a new soil, a new foundation, this is a one we laid last, hopefully it will be better than the one we used to have, it should be more of a quick pitch and a little more bounce.”

Since the inaugural international game, back in March 2007 when the stadium featured a World Cup match between Sri Lanka and South Africa, the pitch

was the topic of much criticism for being too slow and low.

Four of the six pitches located on the square of the cricket field were dug up last year August and a bed of crushed stone and soil from Enterprise Village on the East Coast Demerara was added to make it firmer.

Habid who has been helm of the on-field preparation at the facility for 10 years felt the pitches would be conducive to high scores in keeping with the new norm of most 50-over matches globally.

The pitch we are trying to do is more grass based and we trying to roll it in so spin might not be a factor, we are trying to get a pitch that lasts 100 overs and gives really good and exciting cricket,” the curator explained.

On the aspect of the practice pitches Habib revealed that he will be hard at work in trying to get those pitches to mirror that of the playing surface.

Meanwhile, Assistant Manager of the National Stadium Mahinder Ghansham disclosed that in terms of the logical needs of the facility hosting the matches, they are close to readiness.

“We are about 95% ready, by

Taking shape! A view of the current condition of the National Stadium Providence ahead of the three-match series. (Marceano Narine Photo)

Tuesday we should be 100% complete. So far the media center, the venue operation center, players’ area and hospitality boxes; all those have been set and tested and are ready.”

He went to say, “We are ready to go to welcome our foreign and locals guests as all systems are in place to host a successful ODI series.”

Ghansham explained that the preparation work is an ongoing one which makes the national sta-

dium most times ready to host international matches.

“With our 15 maintenance staff, we started the power washing aspect since November, every day at the stadium we continue to maintain the facility, the facility is always up and running we are always working, we don’t wait on the last minute to get things going, it is a daily job at the National Stadium to get things up and running when it comes to cricket,” the Assistant Manager disclosed.

GCB/ DLMAS/ MOE/ NSSCL

Berbice Combined lifts title B

erbice-Combined supremacy was evident as they prevailed champions of the Guyana Cricket Board/Demerara Mutual Life Assurance Society/National Secondary Schools Cricket League Combined phase compliments of their spinners Kelvin Umroa (3-6) and Nigel Deodat (3-25) along with a solid opening stand by their openers they recorded a 10 wicket victory over the Cinderella side at the Georgetown Cricket Club ground (GCC), Bourda yesterday in the final.

The Ancient County dismissed the Cinderella County for 71 before cruising to 74 without loss to complete a comprehensive victory.

The team from the east dominated most of the match except for the start where national U-15 player and Essequibo Combined skip-

In addition, it was explained that as part of the requirements of hosting ODIs, the replay screen will be installed which will add to excitement and comfort.

The Assistant Manager also stated that they will be working with the Guyana Police Force, the Guyana Fire Service and all the other necessary stake holders to ensure patrons’ safety and a smooth flow of traffic to and from the stadium on match days.

The Providence stadium has a capacity of 15,000, making it one of the largest in the region and Ghansham urged persons to buy their tickets as early as possible.

Tickets for the matches cost $4,000 for Red and Green Stands, $3,000 for the Orange and $2,000 for the grass mound. Tickets can be bought at the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) Regent Road Office any day between the hours of 09:00h and 17:00h.

The first ODI is slated for Friday April 7 while the second and third are scheduled for Sunday April 9 and Tuesday April 11 respectively; all matches will be played in the day commencing at 09:30h.

New GPC Inc boosts local ruggers

The Champion team; Berbice-Combined with Director of Sport Christopher Jones (standing at centre)

per Orlando Jailall and Bomesh Ramdahin appeared sound before Umroa and Deodat were introduced.

Like Georgetown and Mahaicony, Essequibo Combined failed to impress

Essequibo skipper Orlando Jailall drives elegantly during his op score

against the powerful Berbicians, who are seemingly unbeatable at this level.

With a meager 18 Jailall was the Cinderella County’s highest contributor. The two starters push the score to 30 without loss but the remaining nine wickets fell for a paltry 41 runs.

Apart from Jailall’s input only Ramdahin (15) and Lance Roberts (11) reached double figures.

In reply, Berbice hunted the target quickly as Alex Algoo and Junior Sinclair wasted little time at the former international venue.

Algoo closed on an unbeaten cameo of 31 from 17 deliveries. His innings included four fours and a six while Sinclair ended on a run a ball 36 which included five fours and a six.

Umroa who took 3-6 from six overs was adjudged player of the match while Skipper Kevlon Anderson, was named the player of the tournament.

Elizabeth Ram (second from left) hands over the vital supplies to Blaize Bailey in the presence of Patrick King (left) and Natasha Andrews

G

uyana National Male and Female Sevens Teams are the latest beneficiaries of a quantity of medical supplies from local corporate pharmaceutical giants, the New GPC Inc. The much needed supplies are expected to come in handy as the teams commence their road to the 2020 Olympics with participation in the upcoming World Sevens series in Hong Kong from April 1 to 11.

The presentation was made by New GPC’s Marketing, Sales & Business Development Associate Elizabeth Ram to members of the Guyana Rugby Football Union at a simple ceremony at the company’s headquarters at Farm, East Bank Demerara.

In an invited comment, Ram declared that “New GPC Inc. is pleased to once again be associated with the Guyana Rugby Football Union. It is a pleasure and honor to support the rugby team with the medical supplies that they need to participate in the upcoming event in April. We have recognized the importance of sport development, as such, we are committed to playing our part as a corporate entity.”

The Men’s National sevens team is currently in New York on a one week training encampment playing a series of match games against top clubs before departing for Hong Kong over the weekend.

SATURDAY, APRIL 1, 2017

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

guyanatimesgy.com

MMA meets boxing at Giftland Mall

– 5 MMA bouts included at Locked and Loaded The battle lines are drawn. From left; Guyana’s main event fighter Dexter Marques, President of the Guyana Boxing Board of Control Peter Abdool, Chairman of Giftland Mall Roy Beepat, President of the Trinidad and Tobago MMA Federation Jason Fraser, Michael Singh and Gavin Singh of Ruff & Tuff Central 592

Spicy tracks expected for Pakistan ODIs

– Preparation works to be fully competed Tuesday Pg 23

Head Curator Wasim Habib directs the rolling of the two pitches that will be used for the ODI Series. (Marceano Narine Photo)

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