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Issue No. 3050

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Thursday, November 24, 2016

PRICE

SOCU accused of coercing businesses into donating to D’Urban Park

WHAT'S INSIDE:

Diaspora P17 disappointed with APNU/AFC governance ‒ presents “resolution” to President Granger

Woman sets self on fire after row with daughter- P7 in-law

Page 3

Corentyne carpenter’s murder

Bulletin issued for alleged mastermind Page 17

$80 vat included

Security guard shot in foiled robbery at Handin-Hand Trust Page 10

Taxi driver shot, gunmen escape with car

Importers protest F&DD P11

Page 12

Serious P13 crime down by 40% in F Division ‒ Christmas Policing Plan launched

Police burn $147M worth of ganja Page 7

The Police Narcotics Branch on Wednesday burnt 294.2 kilograms of ganja that were confiscated over a two-year period (2015 and 2016) at the incinerator at Princes Street, Georgetown

Govt’s new housing plan lacks “proper study” – Ali

Page 2

...lack of land “lazy excuse for discontinuing housing development”

East La Penitence execution

Warlock man arrested with gunshot P9 wound Guyana, China sign US$45M road widening agreement P17

2 news

thursDAY, november 24, 2016 | guyanatimesgy.com

Govt’s new housing plan lacks “proper study” – Ali ‒ lack of land “lazy excuse for discontinuing housing development”

G

overnment’s rush to move in the direction of constructing apartments, condominiums and duplexes could yield much disaster since, apart from it being a backward move, there were obviously no studies carried out to determine the needs of the people.

Former Housing Minister Irfaan Ali, said too that talk of there not being enough land for further housing development is nothing more than a lazy excuse for not continuing what could have been a booming sector.

On Tuesday, Minister with responsibility for Housing, Valerie SharpePatterson, said there was an issue with the availability of land in the country and that Government would be mov-

ing to begin the construction of apartment complexes by the first quarter of 2017.

The new housing project will see some 3300 apartments and 1000 duplexes being constructed in five regions across Guyana.

Ali, who had previously criticised the project after it was first announced, said it is obvious that a needs assessment was not done before implementing the plan.

“I don’t think that a proper study has been done in relation to the project, and the idea that we don’t have enough land is because the thinking of Government is concentrated in one area. If you put infrastructure and investment, you are going to open up new opportunities to develop new land. That is a lazy excuse for not con-

Minister with responsibility for Housing, Valerie Sharpe-Patterson

tinuing to expand the housing sector,” he told this publication on Wednesday.

He said if such decisions are going to be made, then some study or analysis of

Former Housing Minister Irfaan Ali

the markets must be carried out.

“First of all you need to ensure that people are inclined to go in this direction,” he argued. According to Ali, this new project will

most definitely move away from what has been in existence for some time, including the Young Professional Scheme, which had allowed persons to even move to the construction of their own homes.

On the question of the subsistence of these apartments/duplex, Ali questioned whether all the resources would be put into these apartments. “How are we going to deal with the housing demands in Region Six and 10? Are we saying that we are going to move all these people to a central location?”

He said that consideration should have also been given to the “mix”.

He explained that taking up equity value for affordable homes, the former Government did a mix between middle-income and private development, which he said drove up the value of land around that area.

Private development invest-

ed huge sums of resources in the development of housing and that ultimately drove up the value of other areas.

“If you do a survey among potential home owners, you will see that the majority of them will not want to go in this direction. How will these apartments be financed, secured with equity value the mortgage act sales? Was this discussed with the banks or is this suitable, how it will be managed? These are all important questions that need to be answered. I think this is a step backwards and in the wrong direction,” he said.

Land availability

On the issue of the availability of land, Ali said Guyana has enough land across the country. He said one of the problems was that persons did not want to relocate from places they grew up, particularly on the East Coast of Demerara. turn to page 7

news

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thursDAY, november 24, 2016 | guyanatimesgy.com

BRIDGE OPENINGS

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

Thursday, November 24 – 14:00h-15:30h and a night retraction at 01:30h (Friday morning) and Friday, November 25 – 14:30h-16:00h and a night retraction at 02:00h (Saturday morning).

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Thursday, November 24 – 13:25h-14:55h and Friday, November 25 – 14:05h-15:35h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY Light Sunny weather with interruptions of light rain showers can be expected throughout the day, while clear skies can be expected in the evening, with temperatures ranging between 24 degrees and 31 degrees Celsius.

Winds: Easterly to East North-easterly between 3.12 metres and 4.47 metres.

High Tide: 00:38h and 01:08h reaching maximum heights of 2.20 metres and 2.29 metres respectively.

Low Tide: 06:36h and 19:07h reaching minimum heights of 0.97 metre and 0.93 metre respectively.

SOCU accused of coercing businesses into donating to D’Urban Park

T

he Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) of the Guyana Police Force coerced, directly or indirectly, members of the business community into making contributions to the construction of the D’Urban Park Jubilee Project, through a privately registered company that was set up to solicit donations— Homestretch Development Inc. The matter was first raised by former Minister within the Finance Ministry, Bishop Juan Edghill, during a debate on a parliamentary motion he unsuccessfully piloted in the National Assembly, owing to the majority held

According to Bishop Edghill, “During the same time of these calls for the extraction of donations, there was heightened SOCU activity.”

The former Minister charged that during that period, businesses were being called and told to make donations.

“Businesses were called and told (to donate) $10 million,” Edghill alleged.

He said that the heightened activities on the part of SOCU were simultaneously happening. “SOCU was raiding people’s homes and businesses started feeling pressure that if they don’t give this list of places where SOCU could visit that you would be next and people actually started forking out money because they

Minister within the Public Infrastructure Ministry, Annette Ferguson

that he wanted Government to clarify that SOCU played no role in the entire sordid affair, but a clarification was not forthcoming since none of the Government speakers at the debate delved into the matter.

Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson

that this was among the reasons the Opposition was clamouring to have the list of contractors involved in the project disclosed, since “we will be able to look and

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by Government, where he openly questioned what role, if any, SOCU played in the solicitation of funds through coercion or intimidation.

Political investments

Daily Millions

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Education Minister, Dr Rupert Roopnaraine

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Evening Draw

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Edghill subsequently met with members of the media at the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic’s Freedom House Headquarters and reminded them of a policy being pursued by the coalition A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Government, which speaks to persons being rewarded for political investments.

Former Minister within the Finance Ministry, Bishop Juan Edghill

didn’t want to have SOCU raiding their homes at six o’ clock in the morning.”

According to Edghill, “All of this was happening simultaneously”, with the extraction of donations from the business community.

The PPP/C Member of Parliament told media operatives that it was in this vein, he raised the matter of SOCU’s involvement in the construction of the D’Urban Park Jubilee Project during the debate, since he wanted Government to offer clarifications.

He told media operatives

Edghill at the time sought to query if Homestretch Development Inc was an outfit that was being used to have business that did not contribute to the APNU/AFC’s campaign “fall in line”.

He posited that not all Guyanese businesses would have supported the coalition’s campaign, “because not all of them supported, but they were made to fall in line after the election”.

The former Government Minister suggested too that “this was a facility to come and say you will work with us, put your money where your mouth is”.

Bishop Edghill said too

Larry London

see”.

He questioned the accuracy of reports that persons who donated to the development of the Jubilee Park “benefited from tax writeoffs”. turn to page 10

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thurSday, november 24, 2016

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

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

Editorial

Sugar's end?

S

lowly but inexorably, it is clear that the production of sugar in Guyana is grinding to a halt. At the beginning of this month, the Board of Governors of GuySuCo briefed the Cabinet on several options in the face of what they considered to be an unsustainable level of subsidies demanded by the ailing Government-owned corporation.

In 2015, the latter had received $12 billion; $11 billion in 2016 and requested $18 billion for 2017. They estimated that GuySuCo would subsequently need an average of $10 billion annually to cover operating expenses under the present plan in addition to the $90 billion debt it is saddled with.

What has been troubling observers, however, is the decisions on GuySuCo seem to be driven more by politics than economics. When on assuming office, the Government was informed GuySuCo needed a massive infusion of funds, the Government said it was a "political gimmick". They insisted that a Commission of Inquiry (CoI) examine the industry and make recommendations on the way forward. The $52 million CoI was duly constituted with the Chairman of GuySuCo, Dr Clive Thomas as a member, and delivered its report last October. It was presented to Parliament at the end of the year and made public at that time.

Essentially what it recommended was GuySuCo be privatised in toto within three years. “In the interval, as the privatization process is awaited, the new management of GuySuCo must focus on basic essentials to rehabilitate the fields, factories and infrastructure of GuySuCo. There should be no accommodation for any projects which will demand limited funds. This is aimed at making the estates more saleable and attractive to investors, local and foreign.

A few expressions of interest both formal and informal have been received.”

However, the ink had barely dried on the copy of the CoI to Parliament and the public when this newspaper broke the news that the Government had decided to close the Wales factory on the West Bank of Demerara. After a period of denial, the Government conceded this was indeed the case and that with the closure of the factory, some of the lands would be diversified into fish farming, some sold off and the remaining cane especially those from private cane farmers would be transported to the Uitvlugt, West Coast Demerara factory for processing. This would necessitate the construction of roadways that would cost at least $1 billion.

This decision, which violated the central recommendations of the CoI, demonstrated conclusively that the exercise was simply window dressing. Additionally, further details surfaced that showed the plan on processing Wales' cane at Uitvlugt was not feasible and most farmers would have to abandon cane farming. Now it has been reported that Wales was only the tip of an iceberg that involves actually closing four of the seven factories – Enmore; Rose Hall, Canje; Skeldon, and of course, Wales.

The Chairman of GuySuCo, Clive Thomas, announced that in addition to design flaws in the US$200 million Skeldon Factory, the present equipment was "falling apart" and the cost to rehabilitate it would be a prohibitive US$60 million or G$12 billion. The Skeldon Modernisation Plan, which included the new factory, had been the centrepiece of a move to reduce the cost of sugar production in Guyana to make it competitive outside of the then existing preferential prices in protected European markets.

According to one report, the abandoned lands of the closed sugar estates would be leased to "redundant workers" to produce crops identified in a yet undisclosed "diversification plan". Specifically the Skeldon lands would be producing premium selling "aromatic rice".

Since a sugar factory cannot be transformed to mill rice, this essentially means that the US$200 million investment would be abandoned and probably a like amount will be deployed to transform cane fields into rice and other "fields". The scheme as revealed, in addition to rejecting the advice of the CoI, seems harebrained and designed only to hasten the end of sugar in Guyana.

Up and away! This young athlete takes a big leap in the long jump event at the 56th Ministry of Education/ Guyana Teachers Union National Schools Cycling, Swimming and Track and Field Championships at the National Stadium, Providence (Marceano Narine Photo)

Stunning blow to Government

Dear Editor, The recent D’Urban Park debate in the National Assembly presented a stunning blow to the credibility of the David Granger-led A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Government with its staunch reluctance to make full disclosure about the operations of this scandalous project. None of us as taxpayers should be comforted by such attitude where the Government dictates its own terms, outside of the Constitution and financial laws for accountability and transparency.

It is absolutely clearly that almost one year after the commencement of the Durban Park project, the Government of Guyana is stubbornly refusing to tell us about the millions of dollars in cash and other resources donated to this project, a full list of the principals who meddled in its execution and

the millions of outstanding amounts to contractors and service providers.

How could you have a state project utilizing state resources and donations from civil society without proper account for the monies and other resources collected and utilised for this project?

We have no obligation as taxpayers to accept this unaccountable and nontransparent behaviour by the Government which during the elections campaign promised Guyanese, higher levels of accountability, transparency and good governance. So far, with some 26 and counting corruptible and scandalous acts by the Granger-Administration the nation is frightened by the intensity with which the Government’s credibility is shrinking.

The parliamentary debate on the D’Urban Park Project also exposed the APNU/AFC Government’s

attitude of ‘might is right’ as its representatives in the National Assembly utilised the full range of diversionary tactics, puerile postures and futile masquerading to dodge the real issue of the motion which sought answers to the many shady aspects of the D’Urban Park project.

The debate did grave damage to the Government despite its last minute effort of pitching Minister David Patterson into the ring to fight-off rapid punches from the parliamentary Opposition that was obviously armed and well prepared. No doubt Patterson was unhelpful as his contribution deepened suspicions and complicated the matter as he failed to bring recovery to the Government’s credibility with his sketchy offering of murky details leaving the nation with a plethora of unanswered questions.

The APNU/AFC

Government lost out on an opportunity to assert itself as a genuine subscriber to accountability and transparency.

There was nothing difficult about the motion; all the Government had to do was prepare the list with all the donations in cash and kind, the players and the mechanisms utilised for engagement parties in the project and hand over to the parliamentary Opposition. That would have been a better strategy which would have forced the parliamentary Opposition to either retreat or sing to itself during the debate.

But the entire display of the Government side appeared mocking accountability and transparency while the nation is still without clarity about the D’Urban Park Project.

Sincerely, Todd A Morgan

GuySuCo’s blame casting will not help Guyana Dear Editor, The Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) continues to be a major topic in national conversation. I have contributed to this topic and will continue to do so using facts in my contributions. It is because my conviction is that sugar is important and remains relevant in Guyana’s economy. I support restructuring but not restructuring from an accounts balance-sheet perspective.

Balance-sheet perspective will lead to closure of each estate progressively over time. The talk of sale will always be in the arena as another option. The possible outcomes for that option can be no purchaser, a purchaser interested in sugar business or a purchaser not interested in sugar business but some other enterprise. Which outcome will GuySuCo choose?

A strategy to restructure sugar through closures and sale will prove

to be a colossal failure in due time. It is simply because other agro-manufacturing businesses being touted such as juices, milk, beef, and fish remain hamstrung by cheap and reliable power, cost of other inputs, shipping costs, etc.

Despite having the best juice, milk, beef or fish in the world, the fact remains that other countries can produce these items at lower unit cost

than our country.

For the sugar industry to emerge from its current state, there must be political will and know-how.

The chart below demonstrates this point as it shows production levels at different periods in time in Guyana’s recent history. Guyanese, especially the young population can make their individual assessments. continues on page 5

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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2016

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

What will be the fate of sugar workers?

Dear Editor, In June 2015, Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo at the Enmore Martyr’s Day event spoke about the appointment of the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) for GuySuCo and emphasised that ‘the Commission will not sit in an office. It will go to every estate and it will talk to the sugar workers and find out from them what can be done to save sugar.’ Yet the findings of this COI are now thrown aside and letter writers, commentators, GuySuCo and Government officials are now singing different tunes but with one objective in mind to sell-off GuySuCo! The CoI was set up and $52 million in taxpayers’ money were spent to find the answers and to save the sugar industry.

What is important to note is the fact that Skeldon Estate was singled out for a ‘special’ investigation and one would have expected that the Skeldon Factory would have been thoroughly investigated. I want to submit that such a thorough investigation was indeed done and that the team was competent enough to give a graphic account as to what the problems are at Skeldon to believe otherwise will lead to the conclusion that the Commission was an

exercise in futility and $52 million was wasted.

What is alarming is the fact that the Report of this Commission was submitted in October 2015 and it took more than one year after for the Chairman of the GuySuCo Board to come to the conclusion that the Skeldon Factory is a ‘ticking time bomb’ and that it is falling apart after an audit was done by an anonymous ‘international firm’. The Report recommended that the Capital requirements for the entire GuySuCo will be approximately $26 billion from 2016 to 2020. Out of this amount Skeldon was budgeted for $5.2 million US, while Uitvlugt, Albion and Rose Hall Rose will be requiring US$6.9 million - a CDB soft loan for Harvesting and Levelling Equipment.

Nowhere did it mention that the Skeldon Factory was falling apart and that it was a ‘ticking time bomb’.

In fact just a while ago the same factory was grinding 260 tonnes of cane per hour and both GuySuCo and the Government bragged about it. It was getting closer to the 350 TCH it was built for.

Even the TC/TS had improved. Is it not an anomaly that no money was allocated to fix a factory which was falling apart? Again, was it delib-

erately allowed to become ‘a ticking time bomb’? If so then the objective is obvious! This is so even though the COI’s Terms of Reference specifically targeted the ‘Factory Operations’. The Report itself did not mention the state of the machinery and equipment at the Skeldon Factory.

I wish to submit that if they were in a deplorable condition at that time, then the Report would have highlighted that fact, but again they were not. Therefore, the time frame when the audit by the ‘international firm’ was done and the CoI Report in October 2015 would again suggest that the deplorable state of the Skeldon Factory occurred after the CoI was done and not before!

All the findings highlighted gross neglect and the lack of repairs and maintenance during the past 17 months and can be seen as a deliberate ploy to run down the factory to justify its sale and blame ex-Presidents Bharat Jagdeo and Donald Ramotar.

It’s killing two birds with a single stone! Very ingenuous indeed!

From the audit findings it is clear that preventative maintenance is sorely lacking and even routine repairs and maintenance was not done in a timely manner so how

can we not expect the factory to deteriorate to its current state? The current debilitating condition can be attributed solely to inept management and an equally inept APNU/AFC Government.

The entire economy is crumbling under this Government in a matter of 17 months, much less GuySuCo! All they are concerned about is enriching themselves.

Moreover, it is sickening to listen to some politicians deliberately lying to the public. Politicians must be able to speak the truth on issues so that the public is not given a distorted picture of what is actually going on. Can the Government or GuySuCo please tell us exactly what the fate of the Skeldon Estate is?

There are many different reports circulating such as diversifying to rice and aquaculture and privatising. The estate employs over 2500 persons and they have a right to know what the future holds!

The Burnham Era is here again. In 1991, the privatisation of GuySuCo was stopped in a nick of time but this time it seems that the PNC will have its way to continue to deliberately destroy and sell.

Yours sincerely, Haseef Yusuf

The US Embassy and Guyana elections 2015 (part 2)

Dear Editor, The People’s National Congress (PNC) understands geo-politics and so has always been willing to kowtow to the US in foreign affairs and be on the good side of Washington.

Hence, the PNC’s re-installation in office in May 2015 by the Charge or acting US Ambassador Bryan Hunt.

The respondents in the survey felt the US Embassy was very biased in the general elections, and they identified several factors that helped the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) and hurt the People’s Progressive Party (PPP).

The US Embassy provided financial support (through a Washington funded programme) to groups allied with the Working People’s Alliance (WPA)-PNC-AFC coalition to educate them to vote as well as to bring out voters. Groups allied to the PPP did not receive similar financial assistance. So the PPP was disadvantaged from the outset. It was noted that the US Embassy gave out over 40,000 visitors’ visas mostly to adult Indians during the preceding two years of the election to encourage them to migrate.

This reduced the number of Indians in the electorate boosting the PNC chance of a victory without having to resort to massive blatant electoral rigging that took place between 1966 and 1992. Business folks also noted that af-

ter the counting of ballots when one vote separated the PNC-AFC and PPP in one region for a parliamentary seat, Bryan Hunt vocally opposed the recounting of the ballots and received support from his Canadian and UK colleagues. In all three countries, such a close outcome in an election would immediately trigger a recount. The PPP requested a recount and the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) Chair agreed saying he would put the infrastructure in place to do the recount as reported in the media. Immediately, Hunt voiced objection and GECOM backed down from a recount. It is not known whether a recount would have given the PPP the seat.

But given there were some 50 “spoilt” ballots with most intended for the PPP, Hunt and his colleagues could not take a chance with a recount and neither did GECOM for reasons unexplained. The US Embassy did not expect such a close election; polls facilitated by the Embassy projected a coalition victory of between 58 per cent to 62 per cent.

A NACTA poll I conducted found a dead heat.

A PPP victory in the disputed region would have given it control of a majority in Parliament, and it is self-explanatory why Hunt would have been opposed to a recount given his anti-PPP position during the campaign.

It is also noted by some in the business community

that Hunt also objected to a recount of ballots in Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) even amid fake Statement of Polls, evidence of ballot stuffing, unusually high turnouts at some polling stations including some that had over 100 per cent turnout, evidence of some multiple voting, violence that was used as a cover (distract observers’ attention) for ballot box stuffing, and use of washable ink at some locations.

A recount could have reduced PNC support by several thousands, possibly throwing the elections PPP way. We would never know.

A few businessmen told me that a high-level meeting was held by the Ambassadors of the ABC countries with prominent members of the business community after the declaration of results in favour of the APNU/AFC. Some of

the businessmen made comments congratulating the ABC Ambassadors for removing the PPP from office.

The Ambassadors reportedly smiled. Some businessmen told me that representatives of other countries felt there was “too much monkey business” by Bryan Hunt in the election. The arrival, illness, and departure of Jimmy Carter was not coincidental – he did not want to be a part of the monkey business of an election.

The businessmen who supported the PPP felt the leadership had become too arrogant for its own good.

Removing them from office, even if done illegally, was a necessary good. Has the PPP leadership learned any lesson from that experience?

Yours truly, Dr Vishnu Bisram

GuySuCo’s blame casting...

FROM PAGE 4

To aid that assessment, it is useful to note that average sugar production in the period 1985-1992 was 199,500 tonnes. For the period 19932015, it was 257,700 tonnes or a 29 per cent increase.

Average production from May 2015 to present day is about 200,000 tonnes, a 23 per cent decline or back to 1985-1992 era.

The year 2016 is not yet complete but from all indications, production for the year will probably be the lowest

since 1990. The Chairman, Board and Interim Management Committee of GuySuCo should be spending their hours formulating strategies on how to improve production and efficiency rather than taking the easy route of making balance-sheet decisions, issuing political statements, casting blame and making excuses. This will not help our country!

Sincerely, Sookram Persaud

Are Nagamootoo and Ramjattan prepared to sell all their principles?

Dear Editor, Why did Desmond Hoyte separate himself from Hamilton Green? Because Hoyte, a man of class, wanted to separate and segregate himself from ‘thuggism.’ He wanted to construct a national force to contest the elections and wanted nothing to do with ‘thuggism’ and “rig-o-metrix”. He failed on this mission but history will always remember that he tried honourably.

Why did Guyana’s most progressive and well known Pan-Africanist, Dr Walter Rodney segregate himself from what Hammie represented? He took a stand against bigotry and did not compromise ever. He stood against ghetto attacks against our people because of their race and gender and religion and for that he paid a heavy price – his life. People like me will never let Walter’s struggle die. We shall not let bigots advance – not then, not now, not ever.

So those who think I am attacking Hammie, they are wrong, I am attacking bigotry, “ghettoism”, thuggism and domestic terrorism that is being rewarded today with a $16 million per year pension.

Let me share a dark part of our troubled history that even President Granger surreptitiously refuses to acknowledge. Only people who live in South Georgetown will know this history, which repeated itself again and again in the late 1970’s, in the 1990’s and again during the electoral riots in the 2001 elections that caused Guyana Indian Heritage Association (GIHA) to issue a formal report to the world.

During the 1960’s riots, marauding bands of thugs carve a swathe of terror across the city. Many of them operated out of the YMCA in

Albouystown. Does Hammie deny that he does not know and commanded domestic terrorists like “Coosi”, “Pointer”, “Booleegee”, “Whitee”, “Limpee”, “Tommy Borne”, “Smithee”, “Tinee Man”, “Sergeant”, and the “Marcus Brothers”?

Does he deny not knowing the House of Israel thugs and being their "go to" person in the late 1970’s? Does he deny his role in the 1992 riots when the streets were dug up to create stones to throw on the Elections Commission building on Croal Street?

It is extremely disrespectful for the Granger Administration to ask the under 35-year-olds to bend their backs and toil so that they can pay Hammie a $16 million pension every year.

Is this a continuation of the defilement of the Order of Roraima which was rewarded to an intellectual author of many of the violent troubles of Guyana’s history? What next; the Order of Excellence for “Fine Man” and the “Marcus Brothers” (posthumously) for long and dedicated service for high criminal activity?

I shall fight this sort of bigotry every step of the way.

This Hamilton Green Pension Bill reveals a deep sort of intellectually bankruptcy and ideological corruption on the part of our ruling politicians.

Is Moses Nagamootoo and Khemraj Ramjattan also prepared to fight this sort of bigotry every step of the way?

Or have they morphed into domestic cowards and willing accomplices in this ethical transgression?

Are Nagamootoo and Ramjattan prepared to sell all of their principles for position, perks and prados?

Regards, Sasenarine Singh Maryland, USA

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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2016

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BY JILLIAN MICHAELS

Y

ou’ll find plenty of information out there on the Internet, but rather than consulting Dr Google, I honestly recommend a lactation consultant. There are so many factors to consider!

I remember thinking our son was suffocating, when he was actually latching correctly.

New moms tend to not put enough of the nipple in the baby’s mouth, and a hands-on demonstration (don’t be embarrassed) by a lactation consultant is worth a thousand words.

Ask to have a lactation consultant visit you as soon as possible after the birth – most hospitals have them available – and keep asking for help while you’re in the hospital until you feel comfortable.

Attend a breastfeeding seminar for new moms.

I highly recommend at least one session to help you and your little one work out the kinks – breastfeeding shouldn’t hurt, and if it does, you probably need further instruction. Once you get going, you’ll be amazed by how wonderful it feels and how close it helps you feel to your baby.

Mastitis

If you are wondering what this is, you obviously have not experienced it, because you’d know. Mastitis is the swelling of the breasts because of a bacterial infection. Your breasts will get engorged, incredibly painful, and hard to the touch. You may also get a fever and feel like you’re getting the flu. The infection can happen when the milk ducts get plugged, or

guyanatimesgy.com

Foundation

bacteria can get introduced from sore, cracked nipples.

This is a serious medical condition and warrants an immediate call to your doctor. It’s likely he or she will put you on antibiotics. If the infection is caught early enough, it should clear up fairly quickly.

Mastitis can occur anytime you are breastfeeding, b u t i t ’s most

pump to get the rest of the milk out.

Apply wet heat and massage the affected breast to help get the milk out.

Repeat throughout the day.

Wear well-fitting nursing bras. Avoid those that are too small or have an underwire.

Above all, keep going!

Even if you have mastitis,

helpful.

Some people try nipple shields for this problem, but a nipple shield can cause latch problems, and most lactation specialists usually recommend against them. However, they have helped some women nurse who might not have nursed otherwise, so the verdict isn’t exactly in on these.

Before you go that route, however, try applying a bit of breast milk to your nipples after every feed – freshly expressed breast milk can help heal cracked nipples because it offers antibacterial protection. It’s an old midwife’s trick that’s been proven to work!

Thrush

common in the first month of your pregnancy, before you and your baby get the hang of nursing. Here are a few tips to help you avoid mastitis or manage it (should you get it) in conjunction with treatment from your doctor: Get rest. Mommies who are fatigued and stressed are more at risk.

Make sure your latch is solid. Good breastfeeding techniques will help prevent sore or cracked nipples.

Nurse or pump frequently to keep the milk flowing and your breasts empty.

Drain your breasts thoroughly at each feed. If your breasts still have milk after your baby is done eating, be sure to use a

continue to breastfeed. It will help empty the milk from your breasts, and it will not hurt the baby. (The only exception would be if your infant is in neonatal intensive care. That’s because mastitis can increase the amount of sodium in your milk, and it’s not recommended for little ones in neonatal intensive care. Otherwise it’s perfectly safe.)

Sore or cracked nipples

Ouch. In many cases, latch issues cause this because the baby is essentially gumming the end of the nipple instead of mouthing the whole nipple in a way that pushes the milk out. This is when a lactation specialist can be so

Thrush is basically an oral yeast infection that babies often get and pass on to their nursing moms.

Then it can get passed back and forth so it is very hard to get rid of. Women who’ve had C-sections may be more susceptible to this, due to the antibiotics prescribed after the surgery, which tend to let yeast overgrow. To help avoid this, I highly recommend taking probiotics and slipping some baby-appropriate probiotics into your little one’s bottle of pumped breast milk. As previously mentioned, BioGaia is a great brand that you can find nearly anywhere. Also back off sugar in your diet, which feeds yeast. You can talk to your doctor about prescription nipple cream, but avoid the ones that can facilitate fungal growth (which is why prescription may be necessary – some over-the-counter brands will be counterproductive.

You can also try coconut oil, which is a natural antifungal.

(MSN)

TO BE CONTINUED

BY ELIZABETH PANTLEY

W

e working moms can handle career advice, but when it comes to advice about our babies, well...

A new job – the advice you get is mostly easy to take. A new baby, not so much. The abundance of unsolicited “expertise” you’re offered comes from all kinds of sources, and it can make you frustrated and confused.

Here, 10 ideas to help you handle everyone’s unwanted advice and find more confidence in your own parenting decisions.

1. Understand the other’s motivation

Most often, the underlying impetus here is wellintentioned and not meanspirited. Just as your child is an important part of your life, he is also important to others. Relatives and close friends usually dispense advice from a position of love and concern for your baby.

People who care about you and your family are bonded to you in a special way that invites their counsel.

Knowing this might make the advice easier to tolerate, might help you find your sense of humour, and might even give you a reason to handle the interference gently, in a way that leaves everyone’s feelings intact.

Regardless of who’s offering the advice, how many times they give it, or why, it’s about your child. And in the end, you’ll make your own decisions and raise your child the way that you think best. No one can make you do anything. So it’s rarely worth going to war over a well-meaning person’s advice – no matter how unhelpful it may be. Instead, you can respond in a variety of ways. The method you choose for each situation will depend on your person-

ality, your mood, the topic and your relationship with the advice giver.

2. Listen first

It’s natural to feel defensive if you get the impression that someone is judging the way you’re parenting your own child, and this can sometimes get in the way of really hearing someone else’s idea. Chances are you’re not being criticised; rather, the other person is sharing what she feels to be valuable insight. Try to truly listen to the person giving her opinion – you may learn something new and valuable – or maybe not. But unless you listen with an open mind, you might miss some-

thing helpful. Sometimes reining in our own pride can result in learning something valuable.

3. Disregard

This is a helpful approach if you’re confident in your own choices and know there’s no changing the other person’s mind. For example, a sister or close friend who’s already a mom offers “I did it this way and you should too” kind of advice. Simply smile, nod, and make a noncommittal response like, “That’s interesting!” Then go about your own business in your own way. It is rarely worth compromising your relationship over a differing parenting style.

4. Agree (yes, agree!)

If you can pick out one point of the advice to agree with, jump into the conversation with wholehearted buy-in on that one point and take the conversation in that direction. By acknowledging the bit of advice you value, you can shift the focus away from the other parts that are intrusive. (MSN) TO BE CONTINUED

news

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thursday, november 24, 2016 | guyanatimesgy.com

26% minimum wage increase Police burn $147M worth of ganja for Private Sector workers T

P

rivate Sector workers can look forward to at least a 26 per cent increase in the minimum wage next year.

A national labour tripartite committee had recommended increasing the minimum wage in the Private Sector from $35,000 to just over $44,000 and Cabinet has granted its approval.

Social Protection Minister Volda Lawrence on Wednesday announced that the increase will take effect on January 1, 2017.

T h e minimum rate of pay was increased from $202 to $255 per hour.

With this new pay structure, the minimum daily rate would be $2040, weekly rate $10,200 and the monthly rate $44,200.

Back in January, Junior Social Protection Minister Keith Scott had said that

Government was in the process of reviewing Guyana’s minimum wage with the view of raising it, through the law, for Private Sector workers.

The current minimum wage paid to public servants stands at $50,000, while that of Private Sector employees is about $35,000.

The

The minimum wage for Private Sector workers will increase by 26 per cent

Social Protection Ministry, in its statement, reminded that the normal working hours are eight hours per

day, five days per week.

The Ministry also advised that with the imminent arduous Christmas period, employees may be required to work extra hours and employers must ensure adequate rates are a p plied.

Meanwhile, members of the Board of Directors for the national tripartite committee, include Minister Lawrence, representatives of the Consultative A s s o c i a t i o n of Guyanese Industries (CAGI), the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) and the Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana (FITUG).

Among other things, the committee deals with matters relating to industrial relations, human resource management and labour policies. (Devina Samaroo)

Govt’s new housing plan...

He said the previous Housing Ministry had identified new phases of lands, which included Cummings Lodge, the entire Ogle area with close to 500 acres of available land space. He said they had also moved to expand the road between Diamond on the East Bank of Demerara, and Ogle on the East Coast; an agreement that was already approved by the Indian Government.

He said the road link between Diamond and Ogle had opened up thousands of acres of new land for the construction of houses and that infrastructure would

have catered for easy connection between the East Bank, East Coast and even leading into Georgetown.

Ali explained that along that new highway, the housing sector had also identified four additional locations for exit off to the city, which would have been shorter.

That road, he said, was designed to create new value for the land in that scheme.

That new road would have created new front lots, opening thousands of acres of new lands. There were also areas set aside for industrial and commercial development.

from page 2

“These industrial and commercial areas set aside, would have created jobs and opportunities for the people living around there.” He said it’s not just building the homes; it is ensuring that an entire infrastructural and investment mechanism is put in place to take care of the livelihood of people.

“Especially if you’re going into affordable homes, you don’t want people going too far away for work and other things.” He said that is why Government had moved the second phase of the affordable homes on Eccles, East Bank Demerara.

he Police Narcotics Branch on Wednesday burnt 294.2 kilograms of ganja that were confiscated over a two-year period (2015 and 2016).

A quantity of marijuana was seized following raids conducted by the Narcotics Branch, while another quantity was collected from several court cases.

The huge quantity of marijuana, which had an estimated street value of $147 million, was destroyed at the incinerator at Princes Street, Georgetown. This activity is done on an annual basis by the Guyana Police Force. A similar exercise is planned for Friday at the same location.

The destruction which started at 11:30h, and lasted for more than an hour, was witnessed by representatives from the Georgetown Mayor and City Council, the Public Security Ministry, the Guyana Fire Service, the Guyana National Bureau of Standards and the media.

The huge quantity of marijuana, which had an estimated street value of $147 million, was destroyed at the incinerator at Princes Street, Georgetown

The Customs AntiNarcotics Unit (CANU) on a yearly basis would also destroy cocaine and marijuana seized during operations.

In August of 2014, the drug enforcement agency destroyed over two tonnes of cocaine and marijuana, with an estimated worth of over US$30 million.

The cocaine and marijuana that were destroyed were part of an accumulation of drugs seized over between 2013 and 2014. The illegal drugs were released to CANU following the conclusion of the court cases. Approximately 730 kilos and 1970 kilos of marijuana were destroyed by the agency.

Woman sets self on fire after row with daughter-in-law

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he charred remains of a mother of six were discovered on Tuesday by her daughter-inlaw in a dried canal behind her Mahaicony, East Coast Demerara home.

Rajpattie Singh, 63, of Recess, Mahaicony, is suspected to have set herself alight following a heated argument with her daughterin-law. Guyana Times understands that the deceased left a suicide note, which is now in Police hands.

Reports are the discovery was made after the daugh-

Dead: Rajpattie Singh

ter-in-law returned home. It is believed that after the argument, the daughter-in-law

left the house to “cool her mind” and the elderly woman was left at home alone.

It was during this time she reportedly doused her body with kerosene and set herself on fire. A bottle suspected to have contained the flammable substance was in close proximity to the charred remains. The daughter-in-law told Police that based on the instruction in the note left behind, she was able to find her motherin-law’s charred body. The Police have launched an investigation into the matter.

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NEWS

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2016 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

IN THE COURTS

Eteringbang stabbing

Guyanese charged for killing Venezuelan friend

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ony Rampersaud, 21, of Eteringbang, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), was on Wednesday charged with the capital offence of murder when he appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

It is alleged that on

Say it ain’t so…

November 19, 2016 at Eteringbang Landing, he murdered Henry Mendonca, a Venezuelan national.

According to the facts, Rampersaud and Mendonca who both resided in Venezuela, came to Guyana on the day in question and were drinking at the Eteringbang Landing.

However, an argument

ensued between the two and Rampersaud allegedly broke a bottle and stabbed Mendonca to his abdomen.

The injured man was taken to San Martin Hospital in Venezuela where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Rampersaud is scheduled to return to the Kamarang Magistrate’s Court on December 13, 2016.

Tony Rampersaud

cannabis. The charge stated that on November 20, 2016, at 111 Miles Mahdia, Region Eight (PotaroSiparuni), he had three grams of cannabis in his possession.

The defendant pleaded guilty to the charge and told the Magistrate that the drug is used for him to “cool himself out” as he is a

hard worker who has never had brushes with the law.

He further relayed to Magistrate McLennan that he is a dredge operator, who has been working in the interior for 18 years now and would usually spend long periods in the interior which is difficult for him, as he would be away from his family who

reside in Berbice.

As such, he said that he would take his “lil smoke and is no harm to anyone” and begged for leniency.

He was fined $10,000 and sentenced to serve eight weeks of community serve. Failure to pay the fine or execute his community service would result in six months imprisonment.

L

Proud ganja user fined

A

man proclaimed to be a “proud user” of marijuana was fined when he appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan, at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

Compton Adams, 45, of Lot 22 Bel Air Park, West Coast Berbice, was charged with being in possession of

…Dr Roopnaraine

ife is full of surprises. And your jaded Eyewitness received a whale of a surprise when he discovered that Dr Rupert Roopnaraine was one of the Directors of Homestretch Development Inc (HDI) - the company seeking to make a killing on the old D’Urban Park racetracks. Dr Roopnaraine’s from the WPA, which has always held itself as a model of rectitude for their new political culture that was supposed to give Guyanese an alternative to the old, fossilized and corrupt one.

The PPP and PNC both came out of the Cold War era that made them make compromises in order to deal with the ground realities created by the US and the USSR. Maybe one can give them a “get out of jail” card on the corruption front because of that experience? Once you’ve made one Faustian bargain, it gets easier to make others including with yourself.

But back to Dr Roopnaraine. What in the world could’ve made him get involved with what was clearly a hustle? We now know he’s a director of HDI - but was silent when the cock crowed in Parliament. Common sense would suggest he was in from the beginning - months before the company was incorporated when monies were solicited from various and sundry companies. After all, business folks are more susceptible to dig deep into their pockets when a Senior Minister of Government’s involved.

Regardless, he’s as complicit as could be for all the dirty, degrading details that’ll eke out now that “mouth open and story jump out”. Some see the WPA as irrelevant and are irritated they get so many column inches in the press. But there’s a reason for that. They once represented a “possibility” out of the morass into which our politics had sunk - and in which it’s still mired.

Dr Walter Rodney in turn represented the quintessence of that possibility. And Dr Rupert Roopnaraine shone in the penumbra of Dr Rodney’s legitimacy. No one’s ever pointed a finger at Dr Rodney, who gave up potentially lucrative foreign academic postings to make his contribution to Guyana. But so did Dr Roopnaraine. The man was a Guyana Scholar who graduated from Cambridge and went on to earn a PhD from Ivy-league Cornell - and teach there.

So did he succumb to the blandishments of the known suspects because even though he’s on his own personal homestretch, the material rewards he might’ve expected - augmented by his senior ministerial salary and perks weren’t enough?

After all, look at the pension for Hamilton Green - the WPA’s nemesis back in the day when Dr Roopnaraine and others were mauled, jailed and killed.

All compasses - including moral ones - do move!

…Deputy REO

What is this world coming to? Imagine on the same day that Dr Roopnaraine was busted as a participant on the D’Urban Park private trifecta, came news that the Deputy REO of Region 3 - Aleena Hinds - was nabbed in Texas for smuggling cocaine. Now Ms Hinds was one of those persons with such a squeaky clean image, you’d never suspected her of becoming a “mule”.

Here’s a single parent, coming from the island of Wakenaam, who serves on the PTA of her daughter’s primary school - to ensure the kid gets the best schooling.

And to no one’s surprise, the child does well - because she has a parent who cares and is involved. She then goes on to compete for the “Miss Renaissance” crown as the woman who’s done it all. Environmental Officer with the EPA, Health Officer of Region 3, and moving up to Deputy REO. While Ms Hinds seemed to have it all, in modern Guyana, we’re proving “the more we have, the more we want.”

But then greed was there from the beginning, no?

…Mr Philanthropy

Meanwhile over in the ancient county comes the grisly story of a young US millionaire philanthropist, who’s accused by four murder-accused, of ordering a killing because he was sexually rebuffed.

In addition to greed, there’s lust.

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

NEWS

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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2016 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Public Service College opens … students receive free laptops

A

training college for aspiring public servants was officially opened on Wednesday, with the first batch of 60 students receiving free laptops to aid in their studies to become workers of the Government.

Named after an individual who was instrumental in the post-independence public service reform process,

the Bertram Collins Public Service College is designed to train young professionals desirous of commencing a career in the modern public service.

The public service has been heavily characterised by a number of disdainful attributes such as widespread corruption, laziness, and unfriendliness – all issues that

have plagued the sector for decades and stymied development in all aspects.

Together with independent robust training at the upper and middle level management, the entire public service will be transformed into an entity ready to serve the populace and the government of the day, regardless of political persuasions and

on the basis of integrity, impartiality and objectivity.

During the opening ceremony, the College’s Senior Executive Director, Lawrence Paul, explained that the mandate of the institution is twofold and will be executed by highly trained staff.

“The mission of this college is simply to develop dy-

that the training will aim at eradicating consistent issues in the public service.

“Over the years, the public service has been struggling to deliver services to the general public. Some of those issues are surrounding matters such as public servants who are not time oriented, rather than task oriented, resulting in lower

vide can be efficient and effective,” Harmon expressed.

Recognising that with the arrival of trained workers into a plagued environment could pose a problem and potentially reverse all efforts, the Minister explained that training will be provided to existing upper management and middle management to ensure their professionalism

East La Penitence execution

Warlock man arrested with gunshot wound

A

s Police continue their investigation into the murder of 31-yearold Paul Rodney, also called “Shirts”, a Warlock man was arrested on Tuesday evening.

Police acting on information went to the house where the suspect was apprehended. He was found with a gunshot wound to one of his legs. From all indications, the suspect might have been shot during the altercation on Monday morning.

New information reaching Guyana Times revealed that the now dead man might have been killed by his own firearm. The firearm is suspected to be illegal.

This newspaper understands that Rodney, who is a known character to the Police, was beaten mercilessly by his attackers during an altercation following an argument over a deal that went sour. The confrontation started at a party in East La Penitence and ended at Avocado Avenue where Rodney’s body was found with at least seven gunshot injuries.

He attempted to escape,

Dead: Paul “Shirts” Rodney

but was shot to one of his feet and collapsed. A source close to the investigation told this newspaper that based on investigations, it was at this time that his assailants walked up to him and pumped several more bullets to his abdomen and chest. This newspaper was also told that the now dead man reportedly begged for his life when he was cornered, but his murderers did not spare him.

The suspect is assisting with the investigations.

Police revealed that at about 02:55h on Monday, a mobile patrol on Mandela Avenue heard several loud explosions and went to investigate. Upon arrival, a group of men were observed running as they discharged several rounds into the air.

Upon checking the area, the Police noticed Rodney lying motionless on the ground and covered in blood.

Without hesitation, he was taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC) where he succumbed to his injuries.

At the dead man’s house, his uncle, Derrick Rodney, confirmed that his nephew was at a function when he was killed. He could not say what could have been the motive for the murder, but held out that his nephew was not involved in any criminal activities.

In fact, he stated that the man provided for his ill father on a 24-hour basis, but the Police on the other hand posited that he was a known character. Police are continuing their investigations.

The first batch of students of the newly-opened Bertram Collins Public Service College

namic public servants with appropriate knowledge, skills and attitudes to meet the everyday challenge of the workplace in the best interest of the Government of the day and society at large,” he stated.

Paul outlined that the college will design and provide a wide range of quality training based on the needs of the public service and provide development opportunities to improve the capability of individuals who will eventually be working at varying areas in the public service.

Additionally, the college will seek to provide career guidance to the students to help eliminate one of the prevailing problems in the sector which is the absence of direction and motivation within public service staff.

Overall, Paul explained

levels of productivity, lateness, refusal of complete assignments tasked and work beyond working hours,” he outlined.

He also said public servants are not properly trained and therefore deliver meagre service, show disrespect to customers, are not career orientated and are often involved in widespread corruption.

Minister of State Joseph Harmon, in delivering the feature address during the ceremony, charged the students to strive for excellence in the execution of their functions as representatives of the executive.

“Be the kind of public service that is educated, is the engine of the executive, is innovative and understands the reality of Guyana so that the service which you pro-

is on par.

He also underscored the importance of the public service to the development of the nation, noting that Singapore having gained independence one year before Guyana, succeeded in moving its country to a first world nation by investing in the Public Sector.

The Bertram Collins Public Service College is located at Ogle, East Coast Demerara and will be providing 17 subject areas for its students, who will undergo one year of training.

The training will be divided into six months of theoretical studies and six months of on the job experiences.

Qualification for entry is a minimum of six subjects at the Caribbean Secondary Examination Certificate (CSEC) level.

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guyanatimesgy.com

thursday, november 24, 2016

News

Security guard shot Maternal death in foiled robbery at Physician should have better Hand-in-Hand Trust managed situation – report

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The scene after the security guard was shot during the robbery attempt at Hand-in-Hand

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female security guard attached to the ISS Security Service is nursing a gunshot wound after being shot during a shootout with armed bandits on Wednesday at Hand-inHand Trust, Middle Street, Georgetown.

Natasha Williams, 32, of Stewartville, West Coast Demerara, was shot to her right foot by one of the two bandits, who attempted to rob the financial establishment about 14:00h.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the two suspects were observed entering the building with pieces of cloth over their

faces. Williams and her supervisor, who were reportedly armed, attempted to approach the suspects, but one of them discharged a round hitting the guard below the ankle.

In a quick response, her supervisor returned fire, but missed the suspects; however, the supervisor managed to grab one of them. A scuffle ensued during which the suspect’s snub-nosed revolver with five live rounds of ammunition fell to the ground. The supervisor without hesitation grabbed the gun.

The two men then quickly left the premises and fled

the scene in a waiting motor car, which was parked a short distance away.

The injured woman was picked up and rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital where she remains a patient.

Thanks to Police intelligence-gathering efforts, the motor car bearing registration number PVV 40 was located in East La Penitence, Georgetown. The driver, of West Ruimveldt, was taken into custody. The now impounded car is being dusted for fingerprints, while the suspect is assisting with investigations.

he report on the death of Carol Suniram – the mother who died at the Diamond Diagnostic Centre in July after carrying a dead five-month-old foetus in her womb for five days – has disclosed that the physician should have better managed the situation.

This was revealed by Public Health Minister, Dr George Norton on Wednesday. The Minister stated that the report recommended that the doctor be further trained.

When asked if the doctor or any of the medical personnel who last dealt with Suniram will be sanctioned, Norton said that decision is in the hands of the Chief Medical Officer, Dr Shamdeo Persaud. He stated that Persaud can order that the physician be sent to the med-

Dead: Carol Suniram

ical council to decide whether he should be taken to the disciplinary committee which is chaired by a sitting judge.

Suniram, of Diamond Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara, had suffered a miscarriage five days before her death and was pre-

scribed pills by a doctor at the Diamond Hospital to birth the five-month-old foetus.

Her sister-in-law, J Singh, stated that the 39-year-old woman was told that the baby had died inside her and that the doctor prescribed a pill and instructed her to return the following Monday for a medical procedure.

Singh said Suniram went to the hospital but died after going into cardiac arrest.

While Guyana’s maternal mortality rate has dropped within the last 12 months, a United Nations report has stated that Guyana was among five countries in the Region with the highest maternal mortality rate.

The maternal mortality ratio has decreased from 270 per cent in 1990 to 86 per cent in 2012.

SOCU accused of coercing...

Disclosures

“So the ordinary man out there wants to know,” and according to Edghill, all of the speculation could be avoided if Colonel (rtd) Larry London would come clean on the affairs of Homestretch Development Inc. The company has since come under intense scrutiny after information surfaced that it was only registered earlier this year, while donations were being solicited since last September.

Colonel (rtd) London and Education Minister, Dr Rupert Roopnaraine are among the key directors of that company – informa-

tion that only came to light during the parliamentary debate in the House on Monday.

Edghill opined that the former Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Colonel who, “is an honourable gentleman, well trained with years of experience in the army and now holds a high office as Chairman of the GCCA (Guyana Civil Aviation Authority)… [should] just come to the microphones”.

He has since called on Colonel (rtd) London to come clean on the donations made to the company prior to the Public Infrastructure Ministry taking over the

from page 3

project on April 20, 2016.

According to Edghill, should Colonel (rtd) London come forward to provide a list of monies received by Homestretch Development Inc in addition to the expenditure, “then the matter will be closed”.

Efforts by Guyana Times to contact Colonel (rtd) London – who is currently in Florida, USA – proved futile.

Calls to Ministers David Patterson, Annette Ferguson, Dr Rupert Roopnaraine and other top Government officials also went unanswered.

NEWS

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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2016 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Importers protest F&DD S

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Growing pains or teen depression?

arenting can be tough at any stage of the process and even though the physical load can ease as our children get older, the challenges during their teenage years are possibly the most difficult to get through. The host of pressures, including changes during puberty and questions about identity and belonging, can bring turmoil and uncertainty and subsequently teenage mood swings or growing pains.

Lorraine Ince-Carvalhal Regrettably, these pressures are increasingly developing into more than just moodiness; sometimes turning into teen depression. The initial difficulty for parents and carers is to differentiate between normal growing pains and this serious health problem that impacts every aspect of a teen’s life.

Sulkiness, negativity, irritability, antisocial behaviour and withdrawal are often synonymous with growing up, but they are also early warning signs of depression.

While hormones and stress can explain teenage anxiety, continuous and unrelenting unhappiness, lethargy and irritability, along with persistent changes in personality, mood, or behaviour indicate that a deeper problem may exist.

Teen depression can be triggered by a number of occurrences including social rejection, family turmoil or failing exams. While the triggers or causes of teenage depression may not appear to be significant events to many adults, the importance lies within the sufferer’s perception. The problem can be exasperated by the generation gap and lack of understanding between parents and children that appears to be continually worsening.

There are many symptoms of teen depression, each impacting on the other to form a cycle. Sadness and hopelessness can be overwhelming and lead to tearfulness and frequent crying. Often the sufferer’s frustration is that they are unsure why they are having these feelings and it magnifies the hopelessness.

Other symptoms such as changes in eating and sleeping habits may contribute to the low energy levels, fatigue and inability to concentrate. Couple this with a loss of interest in activities and lack of enthusiasm or motivation and the ensuing negative impact on school performance in turn increases feelings of worthlessness and guilt. This may be mistaken for laziness, but generally a parent knows if this is part of a child’s personality or a significant change.

Feelings of restlessness and agitation can lead to destructive or defiant behaviour, anger and hostility that damage relationships and cause withdrawal, often from the people who are needed more than ever for support during such a desperate time. This increases isolation and the risks that the depression may intensify thoughts of suicide.

Depression is very damaging when left untreated, so it is imperative that parents do not wait and hope that worrisome symptoms will go away. If you suspect that your child is depressed; act. The normal teenage behaviours may have similarities, but the questions to ask are how long the behaviours have been presenting, how severe they are and whether they are a complete contrast to how the child normally behaves.

The key is to approach the issue in a loving, non-judgmental way and provide a safe environment to open up dialogue. It is highly likely that an immediate response will not be forth coming but it is important that you gently persist. Many teenagers will insist that there is nothing wrong and be very reluctant to discuss an issue they themselves do not fully understand.

Keep encouraging them to share their feeling and be ready to truly listen. That means to be empathetic and try not to gauge how they feel by how you think they should. Do not dismiss or underestimate the strength of their feelings despite your own inability to comprehend or fully understand. There is little point in attempting to talk them out of the depression, especially if your stance is going to be one that fails to acknowledge the enormity of it all for them.

Identifying there is a problem is the first step and if you are unsure whether it is depression or difficult teenage development, then seek advice from those who know.

Untreated teen depression can lead to many difficulties in both adolescence and later in adult life.

Be sure not to dismiss or berate your teen for ungrateful, wayward behaviour without really looking at the problem. It is your job to ensure your child is safe and healthy, both physically and mentally. That means not explaining away their behaviour or waiting for them to grow out of it when deep down you have a feeling something more is wrong. Depression needs to be treated by a professional and you as the parent are the link to getting the necessary help. Offer them a chance at a happier childhood and an opportunity to learn coping mechanisms for the inescapable challenges of life.

everal local importers on Friday staged a protest in front of the Ministry of the Presidency claiming that they are denied basic rights, including the right to be heard by the F&DD Head, Marlon Cole.

Speaking to the media, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Sueria Manufacturing, Frank Sanichara said that several importers have written to the President on the issue with F&DD. “We wrote to the President and I want to thank him for acknowledging our letter. And he said he has forwarded it to the Minister of Health, but if the Minister cannot direct this man, who do we go to?”

He said the group has made several complaints to officials to address their concerns, including Prime Minster Moses Nagamootoo and Business Minister Dominic Gaskin.

“They have received different correspondence from different companies but what is it they have done to address our problem?” He said to date, the importers are still awaiting a meeting with Government to discuss the issue.

“If we are writing you for months, and you are not taking care of us, why do you think other people would want to come? You have to take care of your local investors here so that they can make a good recommendation for you. This is total nonsense,” Sanichara said.

He said many brokers, investors and importers are afraid to speak out for fear of further victimisation.

The importers are claiming that Cole has been deliberately preventing products from coming into the country and the importers have already filed a lawsuit against him.

However, F&DD through numerous press statements have been imploring on importers to have their products registered as required by law. According to the regulations importers of food items that are to be released on the local market must be accompanied by the relevant documentation which includes and in some cases is notlimited

Protesting businesspersons outside the Ministry of the Presidency on Wednesday

to: a Free Sale Certificates or a Health Certificate and/or a Certificate of Analysis.

The laws of Guyana Chapter 34:03, Section 32(2) ; and its regulations # 10 of 1977 part 13 states that “ Except as provided by the regulations, no article of food , drug, cosmetics or devices shall be imported into Guyana unless the Article wholly confirms to the Laws of the country in which it was manufactured or produced and is accompanied by a certificate in prescribe form and manner that the article does not contravene any know requirements of the laws of that country and that its sale therein would not constitute a contraventions of the law.

Only recently at an importation awareness session at the Grand Coastal Inn, Cole

pointed out that iimporters are only 50% of importers are actually on the department’s register. While not naming anyone, Cole said that only one company in Guyana presents importation documents, which are readily in order. “If you come to the department and your document is not right, we say request a waiver from the country that the product is shipped from, “ he said. However, in many cases persons would abuse the measure put in place , “and so we have problems with authenticity of products,” he had said.

Only recently, the F&DD had to stamp its authority on the importation of the Lilac Milk and issued the recall of the milk on two grounds – the product’s noncompliance with

Food and Drug Regulation (12) of 1977, which prohibits distributing a product in Guyana that is not distributed in its country of origin.

The distribution company, International Pharmaceutical Agency (IPA), have since admitted its LAILAC product was not sold in France, the country of origin but only in the Third World.

Meanwhile, Guyana Times made futile efforts to contact Cole on Wednesday for a comment on the protest by the local importers.

When contacted on Wednesday, Business Minister Dominic Gaskin told this publication that he indeed received complaints from the importers but such issues do not fall under his purview.

(Alexis Rodney)

12 NEWS

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2016 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

No Cuba-trained doctors awaiting placement – Ministry

T

he Public Health Ministry has announced that no Cuban-trained doctor is still awaiting placement as was recently indicated by the People’s Progressive Party (PPP).

Director of the Regional Health Services at the Public Health Ministry, Dr Kay Shako, clarified that in 2015, 151 doctors completed 18 months of rotation with their institutional registration. Currently, all of these doctors are fully registered with the Guyana Medical Council and are strategically placed throughout the entire public health sector.

She added that a twoday orientation session was held at the Regency Suites, Georgetown on October 13 and October 14, 2016 at which 79 Guyanese Cubantrained doctors and one doctor who was trained in China attended.

“The 80 doctors met both Ministers as well as other senior officials of the Ministry of Public Health, and were given a concise outline of the functioning of the Ministry and its key programme areas,” Dr Shako stated.

This batch, she outlined, was registered and have received their institutional licence to practice for 18 months in different locations; namely,

Director of the Regional Health Services at the Public Health Ministry, Dr Kay Shako

Suddie Public Hospital, West Demerara Regional Hospital, Georgetown Public Hospital, New Amsterdam Regional Hospital and Linden Hospital Complex.

These doctors, except the one trained in China, have officially started working since November 7, 2016.

“The Public Service Commission appointed these 79 doctors on Tuesday November 1, 2016 and the final doctor will collect his registration from the Medical Council by the end of November 2016,” she explained.

The Director noted that the Regional Health Services (RHS) Department of the Public Health Ministry is

primarily responsible for the delivery of best quality healthcare and healthcare services across the 10 administrative regions of Guyana. As such, it is also within its mandate to ensure that all public health institutions, regardless of their level, are adequately staffed with appropriate personnel. The RHS Department is principally responsible for the placement of doctors throughout the 10 regions of Guyana.

She noted that the Ministry is working assiduously to fill the infrastructural gaps and build capacity of its human resources through the process of health system strengthening with a focus on equity and equality in delivery and access to public healthcare.

“The addition of the 80 doctors will certainly improve the efficiency and effectiveness in healthcare delivery throughout Guyana.

Timeliness in healthcare being an important component in the reduction of mortality, the population’s access to more doctors will have a positive impact on the system,” she stated.

Dr Shako posited that the Ministry, in its placement of these doctors, focused on areas where they resided previously; hence, persons were placed closer to their homes.

She reiterated that in Guyana, there are no Guyanese Cuban-trained doctors currently in need of

placement.

She chided the PPP for spreading false information and urged the Party to arm

itself with valid and reliable data before making spurious comments in the public domain.

Taxi driver shot, gunmen escape with car

A

taxi driver is now nursing a gunshot injury to his abdomen after he was shot during a robbery and carjacking on Wednesday morning at D’Urban Backlands, Georgetown.

Leroy Blair, 38, formerly of Lot 377 Stanley Town, West Bank Demerara and of Lot 528 Block X, Liliendaal, East Coast Demerara, was reportedly shot by a lone gunman who relieved him of an undisclosed sum of cash and his motor car.

Reports are the now injured man had travelled to the area to drop off a pas-

senger when he was allegedly attacked and shot. The father of three was picked up by public-spirited citizens who rushed him to the hospital.

The Police have since recovered the man’s car and it is being dusted for fingerprints. Joel Blair, one of the man’s sons, told Guyana Times that he received the news of the shooting from his father’s ‘child-mother’.

Upon receiving the news, he reportedly went to the hospital, but learnt that his father was in surgery and the doctors refused to

give information about his condition.

When asked what he heard, he said, “Is all sort ah story you hearing… I hearing the shooting happen at 2:30h this afternoon and then I hearing it happen this morning… I didn’t even go to the police station… all the doctors tell me is to come back tomorrow morning (This morning).”

He explained that his father has been in the taxi business for quite some time. Blair is recuperating after undergoing a successful surgery.

Speedy trial ends with teen jailed for robbery

A

lfred Taylor, 18, of Lot 30 West Front Road, West Ruimveldt, Georgetown, who requested and was granted a speedy trial, was on Wednesday jailed for 24 months after he appeared before Magistrate Annette Singh at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

Taylor was found guilty of the offence of robbery.

The charge stated that on October 28, 2016, at Front Road and Hunter Street, Georgetown, he robbed Oneal Shoults of one gold chain valued $180,000.

On the day of the incident, the defendant and Virtual Complainant (VC) were both passengers in a minibus.

The prosecution proved that Taylor exited the mini-

bus to allow the VC to exit.

He then placed a gun to Shoults’s head, snatched the chain and ran off.

He was later apprehended and charged when the VC pointed him out to the Police.

After three witnesses gave their testimonies, Magistrate Singh found the

evidence against the defendant to be sufficient to prove the prosecution’s case and as such, handed down her sentence.

The decision was accepted by Taylor who was seemingly calm. He was then led out of the courtroom and taken to the Camp Street Prison.

NEWS

13

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2016 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Sinister Govt plot afoot to silence PPP/C members – Opposition … as MP gets hauled to ‘parliamentary court’ for challenging salary increases Edghill via a letter/summons dated November 22, 2016, that he is expected to attend a meeting of the said Committee on November 25, 2016 at 11:00h.”

The Party has since signalled anticipation at not having a fair hearing since, “we are of the view that the Government along with a Speaker who is yet to demonstrate impartiality, will ensure that the process is less

T

PPP/C MP Bishop Juan Edghill

he political Opposition has sounded a warning of a sinister Government plot afoot to silence its members and supporters by openly perpetrating its politics of oppression, vindictiveness, bullyism, intimidation and fear – the latest victim being former Minister within the Finance Ministry, Bishop Juan Edghill, who has been summoned to appear before the Parliamentary Committee of Privileges.

Edghill in December 2015 had challenged the 50 per cent salary increases Government had given itself and its Ministers but was accused of misleading the House and was subjected to being referred to the Parliamentary Committee of Privileges in May of this year.

According to the Opposition Peoples’ Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), “we have now learnt that the Clerk of the National Assembly (Sherlock Isaacs) has informed Bishop

moved a motion to haul the Public Health Minister before the Committee for deliberately and repeatedly misleading the house and lying on his Ministry’s shameful procurement of a bottom-house bond to store pharmaceuticals and medical supplies.”

Speaking to the genesis of the action against the PPP/C Member of Parliament, the Opposition directed attention to the fact that Edghill had moved a motion in December 2015 which called on the Government to annul an order which was specifically designed to ensure that it’s Ministers of Government “benefit from enormous salary increases which they had

Speaker, Dr Barton Scotland

than fair.”

The Committee of Privileges – akin to a parliamentary court – is tasked with dealing with any matter which appears to affect the powers and privileges of the Assembly by its members.

Revenge

The PPP/C in a strongly worded and ‘urgent’ public statement on Wednesday said “we also view this decision to summon Bishop Edghill before the Committee at this time, is part of a revenge plot by the Government since the Opposition successfully

Carvil Duncan

not earned.”

Edghill at the time had argued that the move to enrich the Ministers would place a significant burden on the public Treasury since it would cost taxpayers close to $1 billion.

He had maintained that

it was also in bad faith and bad taste considering that the Government had repeatedly stated that they inherited a “bankrupt Treasury” and could ill afford to pay public servants, teachers and servicemen significant increases.

According to the PPP/C, “Government in a classic attempt to avoid the issues being raised by the Opposition parliamentarian tried to create a distraction by moving a spurious motion to send him to the Privileges Committee of the Parliament, as they alleged that he misled the house during the debate of his motion… This took place in May this year.”

Executive abuse

The political Opposition has since voiced its support for its MP saying, “Bishop Edghill is not alone as all of his colleagues are in full support of him and join in rebuking the Government’s misuse of the parliamentary rules and procedures as well as its continued disregard for standing parliamentary norms and traditions.”

According to the PPP/C, the moves against Edghill is also reminiscent of recent threats by Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson to accelerate prosecution against PPP/C Members of Parliament and former members of the Government following the Opposition’s refusal to sit in the Parliament Chambers during President David Granger’s address in October last as a protest against his Executive abuse of power.

Serious crime down by 40% in F Division

— Christmas Policing Plan launched

S

erious crimes in F Division (LethemInterior Locations) are down by 40 per cent, but a whopping 70 per cent increase was recorded with respect to the seizure of cannabis in interior locations.

This was revealed by Division Commander, Senior Superintendent Ravindradat Budhram on Tuesday as he presented the Division’s Christmas Policing Plan to stakeholders at the Regional Democratic Council Administrative Building Board Room, Bartica, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni).

Budhram further highlighted that out of the 19 murders that were committed, 15 of them were solved. He also pointed out that a total of 33 illegal firearms were seized when compared to 16 in 2015.

Moreover, he added that several marijuana fields were discovered and subsequently destroyed.

However, during his presentation, the Commander assured stakeholders that var-

Police Officers on bicycle patrol

ious forms of patrols will be executed primarily during the Christmas season as a means of building confidence among the communities and residents, saying that the Police Force is taking all the necessary precautions.

He also noted that busy areas where people traverse to conduct business will see an increase of Policemen on foot

ready and alert to serve and protect members of the public.

In addition, bicycle patrols will be deployed in wider areas as well as Mounted Patrols which are stationed at Lethem, Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) will be deployed to several areas as the Police intend to further reduce the amount of criminal activities being committed.

More importantly, he announced that Marine Patrols will secure the water tops from piracy and banditry.

Meanwhile, the Commander took the opportunity to highlight some of the challenges the ranks in his Division encounter on a daily basis. These include manning the porous borders, disruption and incommunicable areas, road and trail conditions and language barrier among others.

Those present at the launch of the Christmas security plan were the Chairman of Region Seven, the Mayor of Bartica, members of the business community and members of the public.

Only recently, A Division (Georgetown-East Bank Demerara), D Division (West Demerara-East Bank Essequibo), C Division (East Coast Demerara) and B Division (Berbice) launched their Christmas security programme that will come into full gear from December 15, 2016 to January 15, 2017.

14

guyanatimesgy.com

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2016

Regional

Haiti Police clash with protesters Venezuela Opposition says Vatican-brokered awaiting poll results talks “frozen”

P

Counting is under way but a result is not expected until Sunday at the earliest, officials said

olice in Haiti have clashed with supporters of presidential candidate Maryse Narcisse, as the country awaits results of Sunday’s elections.

Both Narcisse’s party and that of another presidential candidate, Jovenel Moise, are claiming victory.

But official results are not expected before the end of the week.

Vote counting in elections is often slow but has been further delayed this time due to widespread destruction caused by Hurricane Matthew.

Haiti voted in presiden-

Jamaican cops terrorising inner city residents – Amnesty

A

mnesty International in a report on Wednesday said that Jamaican authorities and local Police are promoting fear among women and families in marginalised communities to hide thousands of alleged Police killings. In a new report titled ‘Waiting in Vain: Unlawful Police killings and relatives’ long struggle for justice’, the international organisation said the Jamaican Police have used a number of illegal tactics to ensure that the families of victims of Police killings do not pursue justice, truth and reparation for their loved ones.

“Jamaica’s shocking culture of fear and violence is allowing Police Officers to get away with hundreds of unlawful killings every year,” Amnesty Director Erika Guevara Rosas said.

“Unlawful killings of young men and terrorising their relatives into silence seem to be the alternative to proper investigations into crimes.

Over the last two decades, Jamaica’s ‘fight violence with violence’ approach to crime is not only short-sighted but has proven utterly ineffective in tackling the root causes of violence,” she added.

Jamaica has long had one of the highest homicide rates in the world. In 2015 alone, there were 43 murders per 100,000 inhabitants. Eight per cent of these were at the hands of law enforcement officials, Amnesty International said. Since 2000, law enforcement officials in Jamaica have allegedly killed more than 3,000 people – mostly young men living in marginalised communities. (Excerpt from Jamaica

Observer)

tial, parliamentary and local elections on Sunday.

Supporters of Narcisse and her Fanmi Lavalas party threw rocks and set tyres alight in the capital, Portau-Prince, on Monday and Tuesday.

Election officials called for calm and for people to be pa-

tient while the counting continued. They said more than half of the tally sheets had now reached the capital from outlying areas.

They also warned the public not to believe what they called “pseudo-results”.

Twenty-seven candidates ran in the much-delayed presidential election. It was held more than a year after the previous poll was annulled following allegations of widespread fraud.

Observers said that Sunday’s elections went off relatively smoothly.

Supporters of Moise, of the Parti Haitien Tet Kale (Haitian Bald Head Party), even sent out text messages saying that a second round would not be necessary given the size of his lead.

In Haiti, a presidential election goes into a run-off if none of the candidates wins more than 50 per cent of the vote. (Excerpt from BBC News)

V

enezuela’s Opposition said on Wednesday that talks with the Government were “frozen” after officials failed to attend meetings the previous day, throwing cold water on Vatican-brokered attempts to bridge the country’s deep political crisis.

Though the formal talks, which began last month, appeared to have led to the release of a handful of detained activists, hopes for real rapprochement were always slim.

The two sides are fundamentally at loggerheads, with the Opposition seeking the ouster of Socialist President Nicolás Maduro, while authorities vow he will not leave office before his term ends in 2019.

“The Government, in an irresponsible manner, froze the dialogue process by not showing up to two technical meetings last night,”

Opposition coalition leader Jesus Torrealba told Reuters.

Opposition activists suggested Maduro backed away after the National Assembly on Tuesday held a heated session in which they slammed him over a drug scandal involving his family.

Two nephews of Cilia Flores, Maduro’s wife and a ruling party lawmaker, were found guilty this month on US charges that they tried to carry out a multimilliondollar drug deal to help their family stay in power.

Venezuela’s Information Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the dialogue.

It was not clear if the talks could be revived or if the opposition would resume a more militant agenda, which before the talks included street protests and putting Maduro on trial before the National Assembly. (Excerpt

from Reuters)

Prince Harry told to take reparations message back to UK

T

he Antigua and Barbuda Reparations Support Commission has urged Prince Harry to help seek reparatory justice for the descendants of enslaved Africans or have his visit here condemned as “another paid holiday”.

In an open letter to the British royal on Tuesday, Dorbrene O’Marde, the Commission’s Chairman, called on Harry to “be mindful of the fact that your country and people extracted more wealth from our enslavement and colonisation than any other.”

“We call on you to communicate these facts to those in your country already aware of its responsibility to promote human rights and make amends for crimes committed against humanity.

We call on you to urge

Prince Harry and Governor General Sir Rodney Williams at Government House, Antigua

them to rise with us, in the interests of human dignity and the future, to a commitment to reparatory justice,” O’Marde wrote.

Prince Harry ended a three-day visit here on Tuesday on behalf of his grandmother, the Queen of England, to mark Antigua

and Barbuda’s 35th anniversary of Independence.

O’Marde warned the Prince that his visit will be “condemned as simply another paid holiday jaunt of a descendant of a privileged British class continuing to wallow in the spoils of the European ‘economic power-

house’ created by the blood and labour of African peoples and their descendants”.

The Commission said it welcomed Harry in Antigua as a representative of the UK Government but not “simply on the nature of his birth.” (Excerpt from Antigua

Observer)

Colombian Government and FARC Peru slams UN agency for hiring to sign new peace deal former First Lady under investigation

C

olombia’s Government says it will sign a new peace accord with FARC rebels on Thursday, after a previous deal was rejected in a referendum last month.

The new revised agreement will be submitted to Congress for approval, rather than put to a popular vote.

But Opposition groups say it still does not go far enough in punishing rebels for human rights abuses. The deal is aimed at ending five decades of armed conflict, which has killed more than 260,000 people.

After four years of formal talks between rebel and gov-

P

President Juan Manuel Santos (left) and FARC rebel leader Timochenko signed the original deal on September 26

ernment negotiators, the two sides reached an agreement earlier this year. The deal was signed in an emotional ceremony before world leaders in the Colombian city of Cartagena on September 26.

A bilateral ceasefire was

extended until the end of the year to give the two sides time to plan their next steps.

President Santos met former President Alvaro Uribe, a vociferous opponent of the peace deal, to listen to his objections.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

eru rebuked the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation on Wednesday for hiring former First Lady Nadine Heredia as a Genevabased Director while she is a suspect in a money laundering inquiry.

The South American country’s Foreign Affairs Ministry issued a statement expressing its “displeasure and protest” over the appointment, which comes amid allegations by public prosecutors that Heredia and her husband, former president Ollanta Humala, took illicit funds from the Government of Venezuela and Brazilian construction companies.

“We see this as interference in a public investigation of enormous national sensitivity,” Foreign Affairs Minister Ricardo Luna said on local broadcaster

RPP. Earlier this year a judge barred Heredia from leaving Peru while her finances were probed, but prosecutors have yet to press charges against her or Humala in the high-profile case.

Peru’s objections come as current President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski has sought to shore up his anti-corruption credentials after his adviser was ousted for appearing to plot corrupt acts in leaked audio and a deputy minister resigned after facing possible jail time in a separate graft case.

The FAO defended its decision to hire Heredia as director of the agency’s liaison office in Geneva, saying travel restrictions for her expired in October and to its knowledge were not extended. (Excerpt from Reuters)

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2016

guyanatimesgy.com

15

Around the world

Iran warns of retaliation if Egypt to hold mass trial of suspected Islamic State militants US breaches nuclear deal

E

E

gypt’s public prosecutor is to bring nearly 300 suspected Islamic State militants before the country’s military judiciary in one of the biggest trials of alleged violent extremists in recent years.

The accused include members of Isis’s networks in Egypt and Saudi Arabia who plotted to kill the Egyptian President, Abdel Fatah al-Sisi, and Saudi Arabia’s crown prince Mohammed bin Nayef, officials in Cairo say.

Isis has generally steered away from ambitious plots to assassinate such highprofile figures as Sisi and Bin Nayef, who is also Saudi Arabia’s Interior Minister.

It is unclear whether these alleged efforts – which date back to 2014 – had the sanction of senior commanders of the group.

The 292 suspects in the coming mass trial are accused of belonging to 22 cells and carrying out 19 attacks

A member of the Egyptian security forces stands guard in Tahrir Square, Cairo

in total, including the killing of three judges who were overseeing a parliamentary election in restive northern Sinai, which borders Gaza, Israel and the Suez Canal.

Almost all are alleged to be members of the Wilayat al-Sinai, Isis’s Egyptian af-

filiate; 151 are in custody, seven are out on bail, and the rest on the run.

According to prosecutors, the suspects include members of a network consisting of six former Police Officers and a dentist, who plotted to kill Sisi in Egypt by target-

ing his motorcades, while a linked cell, based in Saudi Arabia, wanted to strike in a hotel in Mecca where they mistakenly thought Sisi would be staying on a pilgrimage to the holy city.

(Excerpt from The Guardian)

India’s rape problem is exaggerated, says Minister for Women

I

ndia’s Minister for Women has been criticised for claiming that the country’s rape and sexual violence problem is exaggerated by the media, driving away tourists.

Maneka Gandhi, the Minister for Women and Child Development, told a workshop for female journal-

ists that India ranks “among the lowest four countries in the world” for rape cases, according to a number of people in attendance.

Replying to a question about Government inaction on rape, the Minister said: “I went to Sweden two years ago when, because of the Nirbhaya incident, cas-

es were being reported every day,” the Times of India reported her as saying, referring to the Delhi gang rape which focused international attention on India’s rape crisis.

Gandhi claimed that the Indian media’s supposed overemphasis on rape was driving away foreign tour-

ists, who are told that India is unsafe for women. She said: “In those [foreign] countries [rape] does not become big news, as their newspapers don’t report these cases like we do. We have zero tolerance towards rape and our newspapers will write about it every day.

(Excerpt from The Guardian)

Trump picks Nikki Haley and Betsy DeVos as first women for Cabinet

U

S President-elect Donald Trump has appointed the first two women to his incoming

the UN and Betsy DeVos as Education Secretary. Both are former critics of Mr Trump, with Haley once

Trump’s presidential primary rival Ben Carson also hinted he would soon be named for a post. “An an-

Nikki Haley, left, and Betsy DeVos will need Senate approval

Administration.

South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley was nominated as US envoy to

saying she was “not a fan”, and DeVos branding the Manhattan tycoon an “interloper”.

nouncement is forthcoming about my role in helping to make America great again,” Carson wrote on Facebook.

Trump tweeted on Tuesday that he was “seriously considering” Carson for the US Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The appointments of Haley and DeVos will need to be approved by the Republican-controlled Senate.

Trump called Haley “a proven dealmaker, and we look to be making plenty of deals”.

“She will be a great leader representing us on the world stage,” he added.

Mrs Haley said she was “moved” to accept the assignment and would stay on as South Carolina governor, pending her congressional confirmation.

During the Republican primaries, she supported Florida Senator Marco Rubio and then Texas Senator Ted Cruz. Mrs Haley also strongly attacked Mr Trump’s proposal to ban Muslim immigrants, describing it as “un-American”.(Excerpt from BBC News)

xtending US sanctions on Iran for 10 years would breach the Iranian nuclear agreement, Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei said on Wednesday, warning that Tehran would retaliate if the sanctions are approved.

The US House of Representatives re-authorized last week the Iran Sanctions Act, or ISA, for 10 years. The law was first adopted in 1996 to punish investments in Iran’s energy industry and deter Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons. The Iran measure will expire at the end of 2016 if it is not renewed. The House bill must still be passed by the Senate and signed by President Barack Obama to become law.

Iran and world powers concluded the nuclear agreement, also known as JCPOA, last

year. It imposed curbs on Iran’s nuclear program in return for easing sanctions that have badly hurt its economy.

“The current US Government has breached the nuclear deal in many occasions,” Khamenei said, addressing a gathering of members of the Revolutionary Guards, according to his website.

“The latest is extension of sanctions for 10 years, that if it happens, would surely be against JCPOA, and the Islamic Republic would definitely react to it.”

US lawmakers passed the bill one week after Republican Donald Trump was elected US President. Republicans in Congress unanimously opposed the agreement, along with about two dozen Democrats, and Trump has also criticised it. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Dutch lawmakers debate ban on Muslim headwear

D

utch lawmakers on Wednesday debated a limited ban on facecovering headwear worn by some Muslim women that would outlaw veils in places such as schools, hospitals, and on public transportation.

Only a few hundred Muslim women in the Netherlands wear concealing full-face coverings, but successive governments have still sought to ban the garments, following the example of other European countries such as France and Belgium.

Interior Minister Ronald Plasterk said the Dutch proposal did not go as far as the complete bans in those countries. He called the legislation “religion-neutral”, but conceded the debate about people wearing veils on Dutch streets had played a major role in the proposal.

Plasterk said in a free country such as the Netherlands people should be allowed to appear in public with their faces covered, if they want to, but in government buildings and in health

Only a few hundred Muslim women in the Netherlands wear full-face coverings

and education settings – such as hospitals and schools – people need to be able to look each other in the face.

It was not immediately clear when lawmakers would vote on the issue. If the legislation passes parliament’s lower house as expected, it must also be approved by the Senate before becoming law.

A small group of people wearing full-face veils watched the debate from the public gallery. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Kashmir clashes: Indian shelling "kills 9 on bus"

O

fficials in Pakistan say at least nine people were killed when cross-border shelling from India hit a passenger bus in the disputed Kashmir region.

Eleven others were reportedly wounded. Officials say two people also died in Indian shelling elsewhere in Pakistan-administered Kashmir.India had earlier vowed to avenge the killing of three soldiers, one of whose bodies it said had been mutilated.Tensions have risen since militants killed 19 Indian troops in September.Both countries accuse each other of violating a 2003 truce accord.

The passenger bus reportedly came under fire from India’s side of the de fac-

to border as it was travelling from Kel to Muzaffarabad in the Neelum valley region.

Pakistani officials accused India of deliberately targeting civilians. There was no immediate response from India. On Tuesday the Indian army promised “heavy” retribution” after one of its patrols was ambushed in the Kupwara sector.

Pakistan says more than 30 civilians and 11 soldiers have been killed on its side in fighting since August. India says 12 civilians and 11 of its soldiers have died over a similar period. Dozens more have been injured and thousands of people have left the area or are trapped in their homes.(Excerpt from BBC News)

16

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2016

guyanatimesgy.com

Holy Moly! Sean Major, serial entrepreneur “H oly Moly Chipotle”, “Kickin Thai Chili”, pasta bowls and pita breads, with a side of pulsating music, the flavours in food and entertainment that Sean Major has introduced to Guyana are fresh and full of verve and colour, much like the man himself.

The go-getter entrepreneur, who was raised in the US, first burst on to the scene with his hopping concept parties, but soon diversified into the food business with The Publik Wing & Burger House, before opening up the Pasta Bowl and then the Pita Bar a few years later in quick succession. A tall order, but for Major it was almost seamless after he set up his entertainment and promotional company, Sean Major Entertainment.

“The Publik Wing & Burger House is the brain-child which I’m extremely proud of and its evolution. It’s very rare that an idea materialises beyond your expectations, but my belief is: once you’ve given 100 per cent into anything you desire and set out to do…there will be 100 per cent reward. The Publik is a local “Made In Guyana” brand with

Sean Major

an international influence.”

According to Major, at the cool yet cosy Publik, which is pork FREE and halaal, they specialise in freshly-made, hand-packed gourmet burgers on daily-baked buns and 14 flavours of wings, including “Mango Habanero” and “Teriyaki Ginger”, in addition to the two mentioned above. There are two locations: the Food Court of the Giftland Mall and 5 Duncan Street, Bel Air Park – Bella Vista Mall (2261545/653-9200). The Pasta Bowl is another creative restaurant which offers freshly made pastas and salads at affordable prices. It

is also located in the Food Court of the Giftland Mall and has been recording great reviews, Major said. In explaining the genesis of his most recent chain, the Pita Bar, he said healthy eating and fitness had become a big part of his life and he observed that this was true for many others in Guyana, but the Georgetown food scene was lacking healthy food options, so

Business News

How Suriname is cashing in on drought conditions in the Caribbean

T

he little to no rainfall which has left taps dry in several Caribbean islands has turned into a nightmare for several Governments. But it’s a dream come true for waterrich Suriname which is more than anxious to flood its regional neighbours with the precious commodity.

This week, the Dutch Company Amazone Resources will tow a FlexTank, a giant modular water bag made from PVC-coated material, carrying two million litres of surface water to Barbados and Curacao to test run technology.

This will be the first time ever a bulk water bag will be towed over such a long distance (approximately 1000 kilometres).

“Water is our blue gold,” Erlyn Power of Amazone Resources told Bloomberg. “I visit islands where people are having their water turned off and here we have so much of it that it’s just flowing into the sea.”

Since last year, prolonged drought conditions in Barbados, already deemed a water scarce country, have virtually depleted the island’s reservoirs.

At the height of the cri-

sis, news emerged from Trinidad that the Barbados Government had signed a deal with Amazone Resources to provide water to the island. But the Barbados Water Authority (BWA) later clarified that it had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the company in October to facilitate a “test run to inform future decisions relative to cost, water quality monitoring and acceptance protocols, appropriate uses of the water and design and construction of appropriate receiving and pumping infrastructure”. (Excerpt from Caribbean360)

Market statistics Cambio Rates

Gold Prices – Guyana Gold Board

Bank of Guyana Cur

Buying

Calculated at 94% purity, November 23, 2016

Selling

USD

$1213.25

GBP

$255.61

$258.86

Gross

$234,455

CAN

$153.13

$154.91

$205.98

$208.44

Net

$218,043

USD

$ 218.07

$221.13

EURO

Indicators as on November 23, 2016 Indicators

US$ per barrel

Crude Oil

$49.12

Price

USD

Change %

+0.45 Change %

Rough Rice

$210.10/ton

+0.00

London Sugar

$526.50/ton

0.00

Live Spot Gold

USD Per Ounce

Bid/Ask

$1187.60

$1227.30

Low/High

$1181.30

$1215.50

Change

-0.30

-0.03%

Business Concept – Aptitude Acquired or natural ability (usually measurable with aptitude tests), for learning and proficiency in a specific area or discipline. Aptitude is expressed in interest, and is reflected in current performance, which is expected to improve over time with training. (Business Dictionary.com)

he “decided to fill the void by offering fresh, low-calorie pitas and salads”. Soups have been recently introduced to the Pita Bar’s menu at its two locations – the Food Court of the Giftland Mall and the Bella Vista Mall. “I am a food lover and I enjoy being adventurous in the kitchen while cooking: these are my main reasons for creating a variety of specialised restaurants along with the fact that our country was lacking in range in the food and service industry. During this time, I shared the ideas with my girlfriend Shivana – she has been very supportive and has played a huge role in helping me bring to reality all of these wild ideas I dream of,” the East Bank resident and father of one said.

Along the way in starting four businesses, Major, who said there should be a lot more ease in setting up a business in terms of guidance and startup funding for young aspiring entrepreneurs, has learnt that bringing his dreams to life is a “PROCESS”. “In anything that you set out to build, you must go through the process. You can never get to 100 until you go through 1, 2, 3 etc.”

He believes that the single most important trait for entrepreneurs is to stay true to your belief and your product, while being wise and always willing to take risks.

The gourmand, who says he is an early bird and lives his life according to old-school rules, added: “This will also be my advice to anyone thinking of starting their own business. You must always take it step by step and respect the process. In the end, completing these steps will lead you to your eventual goal or dreams.” The young entrepreneur has big plans of his own – that’s almost a given when your dream mentor is Sean P Diddy Combs, who you’d watched grow from a dancer to a business mogul as you grew up in New York – “The long-term goal of my company is to set up

Though, of late business has slowed down a bit in tandem with the economy, Major says fortunately, “food will always be in demand and we are holding tightly throughout this economic slowdown”. Currently, his businesses employ about 30 trained persons. “I’m very proud that I can provide employment to these amazing folks who now have means of providing for themselves and their family.

Let me just say ‘big shout-out to my entire team, keep doing an incredible job’.” “Moving away from the restaurant talk,” the restaurateur said, “I know I have built up my popularity from Sean Major Entertainment. However, that has been on hiatus for some time now. But to everyone that craves my concept parties, look out for Black Swag 2017 – my annual birthday party.”

my brands outside of Guyana. I would love for persons to enjoy my style of modern culinary, regionally and internationally.”

“My biggest inspiration is the challenges I face; these motivate me to always be an innovator and seek self-development.

I would also like to say a big thank you to my mother who has always been by my side,” the Rockland Community College graduate, who studied arts, entertainment, and media management, later added.

Major, who believes the ability to be comfortable and happy is the true measure of success, says, “Travelling gives me the exposure I enjoy.

Meeting new people, tasting various cuisines, understanding different cultures and countries bring overwhelming happiness.”

A happiness he has passed on to his customers. Our tummies and fitter bodies thank you, Sean Major.

Contact: facebook.com/ seanmajor

Investors’ Guide

Dow, S&P 500 set record high closes ahead of holiday

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he Dow and the S&P 500 eked out record high closes on Wednesday ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday, helped by gains in industrial stocks, though losses in technology shares limited the advance and weighed on the Nasdaq.

Caterpillar rose 2.7 per cent and hit the highest in about two years, while Deere jumped 11 per cent to a record high close after the farm equipment maker reported a much smaller-than-expected decline in profit.

Industrial stocks also were given a boost by a report that showed a strong jump in orders for durable goods in October due to demand for machinery and other equipment.

The S&P industrial index, up 0.8 per cent on the day, has risen seven per cent since the November 8 US election.

The Dow transportation average jumped one per cent.

Bets that President-elect Donald Trump’s plans to boost infrastructure spending, ease regulations and reduce taxes have lifted indus-

trials as well as financials and other sectors since the vote.

Stocks had little reaction to minutes from the latest Federal Reserve meeting, which showed policymakers appeared confident on the eve of the US election that the economy was strengthening enough to warrant interest rate increases soon.

Expectations among investors remained high that the Fed will raise rates in December.

“It’s fully factored in,” said John Traynor, Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer of People’s United Wealth Management in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

“What you’re seeing right now is a lot of portfolio repositioning. Those are people who had a portfolio built for a slower-growth environment and are now moving to position themselves for a different administration and a different environment,” he said.

Volume was lighter than usual, with many market participants heading

out early ahead of the US Thanksgiving Day holiday today. The US stock market will be closed today and will close early on Friday.

The Dow Jones industrial average 59.31 points, or 0.31 per cent, to end at 19,083.18, while the S&P 500 gained 1.78 points, or 0.08 per cent, to 2204.72 and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 5.67 points, or 0.11 per cent, to 5380.68.

The Dow closed above 19,000 for the first time on Tuesday and all three major indexes along with the small-cap Russell 2000 ended at record highs for a second straight day.

The S&P 500 technology index fell 0.5 per cent on Wednesday, with HP Inc falling 6.8 per cent to US$14.87, a day after it reported disappointing results.

Traynor and others said a pullback in stocks could be in order soon given the recent sharp run higher.

“We’re advising clients the market is ahead of itself so be prepared for a pullback,” he said. (Reuters)

news

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THURSday, november 24, 2016 | guyanatimesgy.com

Diaspora disappointed with Corentyne carpenter’s murder Bulletin issued for alleged APNU/AFC governance mastermind — presents “resolution” to President Granger

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n overseas group of Guyanese in Brooklyn and Queens, New York, USA, have formulated a list of things they hope the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Administration can do to somewhat salvage what could soon be a broken relationship with Guyanese in the Diaspora.

The group headed by Dr Asquith Rose, met in Queens, New York, back in September to formulate this resolution addressed to President Granger, and which was subsequently adopted at a meeting held by the group in Brooklyn on October 8.

According to the letter written to the President – which was seen by Guyana Times – the resolution is in response to the manner in which Guyanese in the New York Diaspora felt “they are being treated by you and the Government of Guyana which they help to elect to office on May 11, 2015.

They also felt that the promises made by you to establish a Department in the Diaspora, among others has not been fulfilled and that since the election, you have not even attempted to meet with them despite your several visits to New York.” The letter stated

that the President met with an elected few upper middle class Guyanese who were nowhere around during the elections to raise funds to help the APNU/AFC get elected.

While the members of the groups bear no malice against you or anyone else, they felt disrespected and disappointed by your actions. Many have opted to no longer align or associate with the coalition,” Rose penned in a letter on behalf of the group. The letter said that members of the Diaspora have on several occasions raised funds to help elect the Government to office, and that the President had deemed the Diaspora the 11th Region of Guyana, “but he has not fulfilled his promise to appoint a Member of Parliament from the Diaspora or establish a Department in the Diaspora in order to engage its members in the decision-making process. He has not appointed anyone from the Diaspora to positions in Guyana or as diplomat or consultant.”

It said, “The President visited New York on several occasions, but has not held a Town Hall style meeting or has not met with the grassroots Guyanese who are supporters of the Government.”

According to Dr Rose, the President instead on

his most recent visit to New York in September 2016, met with an elite group of Guyanese who have done very little in mobilising support for the Government before and after the 2015 General Elections.

The overseas-based group said it is critically important for the President to understand that his actions could have consequences for his Government, and that it was therefore, important upon him and members of Cabinet to establish communication with the grassroots groups in the Diaspora and not a handful of elite Guyanese or close friends.

“The President should make himself available to address the Afro-and IndoGuyanese groups in the Diaspora that have helped to elect him to office,” the group said.

The groups, according to Dr Rose, are still waiting and arecalling for the promised “Diaspora Department” to address the concerns and needs of its members, and to facilitate and validate their contributions to the country’s development; to recognise members of the Diaspora as Guyanese who are interested in the development of Guyana and not as foreigners or obstructionists to the development of the country.

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wanted bulletin was on Wednesday issued for the alleged mastermind, Marcus Brian Bisram in the murder of Corentyne carpenter Fayez Narinedat that occurred on November 1, at Number 70 Village, Corentyne, Berbice.

The wanted bulletin was issued one day after four men were slapped with a murder charge and taken before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts for beating the carpenter to death.

The bulletin stated that “Bisram is wanted by Police for questioning for Narinedat’s death”. The Police are asking anyone with information that may lead to the arrest of Bisram to contact the nearest Police Station.

On Tuesday, Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum had said that the Guyana Police Force (GPF) was seeking help from United States law enforcement in its bid to question the alleged mastermind in the killing of Narinedat.

According to Crime Chief Blanhum, the Police Force has already made contact with its overseas counterparts.

The US-based Guyanese has been implicated in the murder of Narinedat, by the four suspects.

The men charged for the carpenter’s murder are exca-

Alleged mastermind Marcus Brian Bisram

vator operator Radesh Motie, 39; labourer Harripaul Parsram, 49; hire car driver Nirone Yacoob, 37 and Diodat Datt, 18. They were not allowed to enter a plea for the murder of 27-yearold Narinedat since the matter is indictable. According to the prosecution’s case, the four men, along with others, murdered Narinedat between October 31 and November 1, 2016 at No 70 Village, Corentyne.

The matter was transferred to the Springlands Magistrate’s Court where the four men were scheduled to make their next court appearance on December 8.

Meanwhile, the two women who are said to be the wanted man’s mother and sister and allegedly attempted to pervert the course of justice by way of bribing a Police Officer at the Major Crimes Unit (MCU) with $4 million to free the four defen-

dants were remanded.

Shermella Indarally, 45, of Lot 121, Section A, No 71 Village, Corentyne Coast, Berbice and Marriam Lionel, 25, a bank teller of Corentyne Coast, Berbice, pleaded not guilty to the charge, which stated that on November 19, 2016 at Eve Leary, Police Headquarters they offered a criminal investigative rank $4 million cash to forgo charges against the four murder accused who were at the time in custody pending investigation into the murder of Narinedatt and the involvement of Bisram who is still on the run.

The women were ordered to return to court on September 28.

The body of Narinedat was discovered about 03:45h on November 1 along the Corentyne Highway at Number 70 Village at a scene which appeared to be that of a hit- and-run accident.

Police had initially treated the incident as a hit-andrun, but reopened the investigations after relatives of the dead man kept calling for the Police to further investigate the circumstances surrounding the man’s death.

Relatives in a bid to get the Police’s attention produced and distributed flyers, which detailed the events leading up to Narinedat’s death, and the subsequent staging of the accident scene.

Guyana, China sign US$45M Linden Town Clerk pursuing legal action against Council road widening agreement

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F

inance Minister, Winston Jordan, and outgoing Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China, Zhang Limin on Wednesday, signed a Framework Agreement for a concessional loan from the Exim Bank of China for the widening of the East Coast Demerara road.

The signing took place at the Finance Ministry in the presence of Minister within the Public Infrastructure Ministry, Annette Ferguson, Director, Project Cycle Management Division, Tarachand Balgobin and other representatives from the Ministries of Public Infrastructure, Finance, and the People’s Republic of China.

At the signing, Minister Jordan noted that under the agreement, the Chinese Government will provide a loan of US$45.5M to facilitate the widening of and improvement of the East Coast thoroughfare.

The project will entail the widening of a section of the main road between Better Hope and Belfield, and will link numerous highly populated villages to Georgetown. Some of the immediate benefits to be ac-

Finance Minister Winston Jordan and outgoing Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China, Zhang Limin signing the Framework Agreement

crued from this intervention include reduced travel time, traffic congestion, vehicular maintenance and accidents, Minister Jordan explained.

The project is also expected to enhance local and inter-regional trade since a significant part of Guyana’s economic activities rely on this thoroughfare.

Additionally, the Minister pointed out that the agreement is yet another demonstration of the strong bilateral relations existing between the Governments and peoples of Guyana and China over several decades.

Guyana has contributed $2.7B towards the project.

Works including sand filling

and removal of utilities are ongoing. This would ensure that the project will not be delayed like the West Coast Expansion Project and the East Bank Demerara Road Improvement project.

Ambassador Zhang Limin said the project is a good initiative to improve infrastructure in Guyana.

Ambassador Limin gave the assurance that the Chinese Government is willing to assist in other projects.

The outgoing ambassador noted that his successor is capable of executing his roles effectively to better the relationship between the two countries.

inden Town Clerk Jenella Bowen through her attorney has issued a letter to the Linden Mayor and Town Council (LM&TC) requesting the annulment of her administrative leave.

According to Bowen’s Attorney, Yondessa Merucius, should the LM&TC fail to adhere to the letter, court proceedings will be implemented.

Bowen was sent on administrative leave in what was described as a clear violation of the Municipal and District Councils Act, Chapter 28:01,

by Linden Mayor Carwyn Holland. Holland and the LM&TC had passed two noconfidence motions against Bowen and subsequently wrote Communities Minister Ronald Bulkan requesting she be removed. But Minister Bulkan is still to make a decision, which seemingly angered Holland, prompting him to decide to take his own action against the Town Clerk.

Guyana Times has seen a letter dated October 6, 2016 that Holland wrote to Bowen, instructing that she proceed on administrative leave with immediate effect until the conclusion of “the hearing”.

“Please be informed that the Ministry of Communities has reviewed the Council’s recommendation and granted no objection,” the letter cop-

Linden Mayor Carwyn Holland

ied to Communities Ministry Permanent Secretary Emile McGarrel and the LM&TC Personnel Officer stated.

It went on to highlight that the LM&TC proceeded in accordance with the Municipal and District Councils Act, Chapter 28:0, Section 8A, Subsection G, which states that the Council shall “ensure that the municipality is managed in a professional and competent manner by a qualified Town Clerk” and Section 8A, Subsection H, which states that the Council “shall perform any other duties or functions imposed on the Council by this or any other law or by the Council”.

The Mayor’s action was deemed unconstitutional since Section 118 of the Municipal and District Councils Act, Chapter 28:01 clearly states that in the absence of a Local

Linden Town Clerk Jenella Bowen

Government Commission, the Communities Minister holds the power to appoint, discipline and disappoint any Local Government Officer.

Former Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall, in an invited comment on the issue, stated that Town Clerks, like Regional Executive Officers (REOs), were creatures of the Minister and it was only him who could discipline or dismiss them. He said what was playing out at the Linden municipality was purely authoritarian action by the Mayor and “his gang”. Guyana Times contacted Holland to ascertain the steps the LM&TC would be taking in response to Bowen’s letter, but he indicated that he was in a statutory meeting, and so could not comment. As such, he asked for contact to be made at a later date.

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guyanatimesgy.com

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2016

ARCHIE

You’ll be quick to respond and eager to get involved.

(March 21- Your contributions will be April 19) well received and will give you the boost you need to excel. Travel and education are highlighted.

ARIES

Conquer any fears you TAURUS have by facing them head-on.

(April 20- Focus on the personal changes May 20) you can make that will add to your assets and potential.

DILBERT

Go where the action is.

GEMINI Sign up and participate. You (May 21June 20) can’t bring about change by talking about it; you have to do the legwork and finish what you start.

A change at work may be good for you, but it is likely to (June 21- cause a disturbance at home.

July 22) Make your decisions based on what’s best for the people you care about.

CANCER

PEANUTS

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

Think big and pursue your goals. Your ability to field whatever comes your way will put you in a good position. Don’t let anyone deter you from acting on your own behalf.

Think about the past and VIRGO use certain experiences to (Aug. 23Sept. 22) help you out now. Temptation to overspend should be rejected. Ease stress instead of adding to it.

CALVIN AND HOBBES

Put your needs first. Get LIBRA involved in something that (Sept. 23will bring you joy, expand Oct. 23) your mind and help you use your skills and talents in ways you find more to your liking.

WORD GAME

SUDOKU

A personal improvement SCORPIO may tempt you, but before (Oct. 24making an impulsive decision, Nov. 22) you must consider the cost versus the outcome. Don’t believe all the hype. Base your decisions on facts and proof.

You need to initiate posiSAGITTARIUS tive change and stick to your (Nov. 23- game plan. Avoid going over Dec. 21) budget. Step up and do the work yourself. Take on responsibility and aim to do your best.

SOLUTION FOR LAST PUBLISHED PUZZLE

Emotional situations will CAPRICORN escalate if they’re not handled (Dec. 22- diplomatically. An intelligent Jan. 19) approach when dealing with institutions or government agencies will help you avoid being penalized. Romance doesn’t have to break the bank.

You must speed things up.

AQUARIUS Take control and make things (Jan. 20happen. You can negotiate Feb. 19) a deal, but don’t take on impossible physical challenges.

Use your intelligence to battle your way to the top.

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

Copyright 2015, Distributed by Universal Uclick for UFS

PISCES Don’t promise more than (Feb. 20- you can deliver. You’ll be March 20) prone to talking big when you should be bringing about positive change without braggadocio.

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Marriage between education and sports important – Mendonca

At such a tender age, the hope is that many of the talented players can find a way to manage both their academics and time on the pitch to become well-rounded sportsmen

Former Barbados cricketer dies

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ormer Barbados leftarm spinner Horace King died at age of 87.

King, who passed on November 15, played three first-class matches between 1948 and 1952. He retired at the early age of 24 to pursue studies in Land Surveying in England.

He also represented Harrison College and Empire and is a former Chief Surveyor of Barbados.

King was the father of two daughters and one son, Horace Jnr, who played in the Barbados Cricket Association (BCA) Division 1 Championship for Combined Schools South while he was a student at The St. Michael School, as well as Empire where he is still an active member of the famous

Bank Hall Club.

Horace King Snr was the brother of former Empire and Barbados batsman Tony King, who was also a former West Indies assistant team manager, and Michael King, a former Empire and Barbados Youth cricketer, who served as an Ambassador of Barbados to the European Union, the UN in Geneva and the United States of America.

Michael King is now a retired Permanent Secretary of the Government of Barbados.

He was also the uncle of Dr. Jacqui King, the long-standing Barbados team physiotherapist, who worked in a similar capacity with the West Indies team as well.

Three of his nephews are Professor Sam Headley, a former Lodge School and Barbados Under-19 team captain, who also played for Wanderers and

is now associated with Springfield College, Massachusetts; Jason King, the current Treasurer of the BCA and Dr. Nigel Barker, Ophthalmologist.

(Windiescricket) The funeral took place on Wednesday, November 23 at St. Stephen’s Anglican Church.

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he popular proverb, “all work and no play makes jack a dull boy”, is one which is significantly applicable to the young sportsmen and women of the modern generation, as often times some of them find it hard to create the balancing to be successful at both.

As such, Co- Director of the Petra Organisation, Troy Mendonca says that creating a bond between sports and education is important for young players’ development.

Mendonca, speaking after hosting a successful 5th Court Pee-wee football schools football championship, the organiser felt that the “marriage” can occur if parents show their support.

We want have marriage between the two, sports and education, so if we can get the interest of the parents out at the football games, hopefully can get them to support the children to place the same emphasis on their books,” Mendonca explained.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2016

Before the tournament, Mendonca had urged parents to be more supportive of their children since at this age, holistically, there are more winners than losers.

Quizzed on his if this mission was

accomplished he posited that it has reduced to some extent and that the plan is to see it improve in the future.

Looking at the bigger picture, Mendonca says that organisation is proud that they are doing their

19

part in the creating the avenue for young players to hopefully progress into national players.

“We had Guyana Football Federation (GFF) executives here during the matches and we hope we can work with them going forward but we can safely says that what we are doing our part of the bigger picture in developing footballers in Guyana.”

He added, “We had history created in that we had team won it back to back; when we started five years ago, the level of organisation among the teams was not there since the emphasis was just on playing and now we are seeing teams more organised”.

The championship which was played at the Banks DIH Thirst Park Ground for seven weeks saw St. Angela’s arising from the 24 participating city schools to be crowned two-time champions.

Taylor to undergo eye surgery after Hamilton Test

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oss Taylor has been cleared by eye specialists to play the Hamilton Test against Pakistan, which is set to begin on November 25.

However, the batsman needs surgery on his left eye, which will be done after the Test, thereby ruling him out of the ODIs in Australia in December.

Taylor has a benign growth on the eye, called a “pterygium”. The growth is currently not obscuring his vision in any way, according to New Zealand’s physiotherapist Tommy Simsek, but will have to be removed before it gets larger.

“Ross has a pterygium on his left eye, which is gradually getting bigger,” Simsek said. “Both the specialists he has seen in recent days have advised Ross still has 20/20 vision, and Ross himself feels confident he is ready to play.

“But Ross will still need to undergo a medical procedure on his eye to remove the pterygium before it gets any larger. He’ll have surgery following the Test,

Ross Taylor has a pterygium on his left eye

which rule him out of cricket for approximately four to six weeks.”

New Zealand are leading the two-Test series against Pakistan 1-0. After it ends, they travel to Australia to play three ODIs for the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy, between December 4 and 9. Their next international assignment is a visit by Bangladesh, which kicks off with an ODI on Boxing Day

in Christchurch.

Northern Districts batsman Dean Brownlie had been put on standby by the selectors, as cover for Taylor, when New Zealand Cricket announced the squad for the second Test against Pakistan.

Allrounder Mitchell Santner returns to the squad for that Test, having recovered from a wrist fracture. (ESPNcricinfo)

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GUYANATIMESGY.COM

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2016

Rosberg cannot afford tangle with Red Bull drivers

"I felt I did nothing wrong" – du Plessis

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peaking for the first time since be- of the rules. “I just ask that everyone gets ing found guilty of ball-tamper- treated the same way,” he said. “The ICC ing on Tuesday evening, South has taken a stance against me to use me Africa’s stand-in captain Faf du Plessis as a scapegoat. All you can ask for is that used the first half of his pre-match press everyone gets treated the same.” conference to continue to claim innoHe also, along with Cricket South cence. Du Plessis began with an expla- Africa CEO Haroon Lorgat, who was nation of what he considered the differ- present at the press conference, hoped ence between altering the condition of there would be clarity on what constithe ball and merely looking after it, and tutes an artificial substance, and bethat he firmly believed he was only do- lieves his case could lead to thorough reing the latter. search into whether sugar can make the “Yesterday was the hearing and the ball swing. verdict was that I was guilty. I complete“Ninety percent of the time, cricketers ly disagree with that. I felt like I have have got sugary saliva,” du Plessis said. done nothing wrong,” du Plessis said. “Whether we are drinking Powerade, “There’s two ways of looking at it, either Coke, Gatorade, eating sweets, sucking ball-shining or ball-tampering. For me, on jellies, our mouths are always full of if you talk about ball-tampering, that is sugar. It’s such a grey area in the laws something that’s wrong. It’s picking the of cricket and its something that will be ball, scratching the ball. looked at. Us as cricketers, we think that “Shining is something that all crick- it makes a difference but we are not scieters would say is not in that same entists. We are not sure if it makes a difspace. It is something all cricketers do ference. It’s opened up a can of worms, and I think there will be a lot of empha- what’s going to happen now, going forsis after this incident on where the game ward with the game. Something like this is going, what the ICC is going to do needed to happen to create a little bit about it. I don’t believe shining is wrong. more awareness on it.”

It’s not like I was trying to cheat or anyLorgat confirmed that CSA will enthing. I was shining a ball and I see no gage the ICC on the matter at the next problem with that.” cricket committee meeting but until Du Plessis admitted he had a “mas- then, du Plessis has asked not be brandsive mint” in his mouth and was not try- ed underhanded and for the practice to ing to be insidious about what he was do- be considered acceptable. “It’s never nice ing in using saliva that had mixed with to be in a position like this because with the sweet to shine the ball, but he ques- ball tampering, it’s a really negative contioned why notation that he would gets put to it have esand the term caped charge cheat has had his acbeen thrown tions not around and been seen that’s someby television thing I do not cameras. “I take lightly,” wasn’t tryhe said. ing to actuDu Plessis ally hide it,” also thanked he said. “I his teamput a masmates for sive mint in their united Faf Du Plessis is cleared for Adelaide Test my mouth showing of and my support when mouth was Hashim Amla that wide open. Whether you shine addressed the media at the MCG last the ball with a sweet in your mouth or Friday, with the entire squad alongside whether you don’t see the sweet, and the him. “If you know the character of somesweet is still there, it’s exactly the same one like Hashim Amla, you will underthing.” stand that for him to go out and stand in And according to du Plessis, he has front of the press and say the things that received enough support from both cur- he said, he will feel very strongly about rent and former players, including it. He is just the most honest guy on Australian captain Steven Smith, who in the planet so for him to say that means his own press conference said his team a lot,” du Plessis said. “It’s speaks a lot “along with every other, shine the ball about our culture and how we don’t let the same way”, to know that it is com- any outside noise creep into our space.” monplace in the game.

The noise may not have got in, but du “The ex-players have spoken about Plessis has been warned to expect a hosit. It’s part of our game. It’s been an un- tile reception at the Adelaide Oval, perwritten rule,” du Plessis said. “Some haps from the opposition but definitely people use sunblock to shine the ball. I from the crowd. While he does not think know of people who carry lip-ice in their Smith and co will have anything because pocket and shine the cricket ball or gum. he believes they do the same thing.

So many things. It’s just so difficult to With the ball in the spotlight, du say what is right and what is wrong. To Plessis’ tactics on shining the pink ball say that when you have a sweet in your will come into focus but he has indicatmouth, it’s wrong but when you have ed it may not need as much work. “The a sweet in your mouth and the camera timing is perfect that it’s the pink ball. doesn’t pick up on it, it’s okay. It’s just a Apparently it swings more. It will be inreally massive grey area.” teresting to see how to shine the ball. I The everybody-does-it defense made will probably just touch my finger like headlines in the lead-up to du Plessis’ that and get a little bit of spit on it,” he hearing, when footage emerged of Virat joked.

Kohli shining a ball when he appeared And will he still use mints as the sugto have gum in his mouth, and David ary substance of choice? “Possibly just Warner shining a ball after applying for bad breath now, not for shining the lip-balm to his mouth. Neither Kohli ball. I still the feel exactly the same way. nor Warner were charged - the visuals Whether I was guilty or not, whether the of their actions emerged after the ICC’s sentence was different or not, I still feel five-day window for reporting incidents exactly the same way. Maybe that needs - and although du Plessis would not be to change now but possibly for this one drawn on whether they should have game, I just maybe need to stay away been, he asked for consistent application from the mints.” (ESPNcricinfo)

Max Verstappen passed Nico Rosberg for second place at the Brazilian GP but eventually finished second behind the Mercedes pair after taking a late pit stop

WHO WINS THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP? HAMILTION WINS IF...

HE WINS IN ABU DHABI...

& ROSBERG COMES 4TH OR LOWER

HE FINISHES 2ND...

HE FINISHES 3RD...

HE FINISHES IN THE TOP 3 ...

& ROSBERG COMES 7TH OR LOWER

CURRENT POINTS TOTAL: 355

R

ed Bull team boss Christian Horner has warned championship leader Nico Rosberg his drivers will “simply be going for it” at the final race of the season.

Rosberg leads Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton by 12 points and needs to finish third or higher in Abu Dhabi on Sunday to secure his first world title.

“Nico can’t afford to get tangled up with another battle,” said Horner.

“It is Nico’s to lose and we could be Lewis’ best friend if we get both of our cars between him and Nico.”

Rosberg’s win at the Japanese Grand Prix on 9 October left him in a position where he could finish second to Hamilton at each of the remaining four grands prix.

He has since done exactly that in the United States,

& ROSBERG COMES 9TH OR LOWER & ROSBERG DOES NOT FINISH CURRENT POINTS TOTAL: 367

Mexico and Brazil, and will no doubt settle for more of the same this weekend.

“Nico is driving with the championship in mind. He is a bright guy. He is playing the percentages and banking the points,” added Horner, who believes his drivers Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo can pile pressure on the German this weekend.

“He is going to be watching his mirrors more than most going into Turn One, and we have seen with our guys, they’re not in that position so they will simply be going for it.

“You can imagine him being a bit more tentative than he has been at other races.”

Verstappen, so impressive in the wet in Brazil last time out, says he will not shy away from challenging the Mercedes cars if Red

Bull are on the pace.

“You never try to crash, and we need to leave it fair, but if we are between them I will be fighting for my position,” Verstappen said.

“Lewis has a big chance to win the race and there still needs to be someone between them. Nico will be in control and managing the situation.

“If it goes normally Nico will be champion, but with Lewis pushing hard, it is up to what Nico does and how he handles it.”

Earlier this month Mercedes Formula 1 boss Toto Wolff was forced to deny claims he asked Verstappen’s father to tell the 19-year-old not to interfere in the title fight.

Wolff admitted to phoning Jos Verstappen, but added: “I didn’t say to move out of the way, nor to race in any different way.” (BBC Sport)

Ex-NBA star charged with

offence

F

ormer NBA star Dennis Rodman has been charged with a hit-and-run offence that carries a maximum sentence of two years in prison.

The 55-year-old is accused of driving the wrong way on a southern California motorway, causing another car to swerve and crash into a concrete wall.

Prosecutors claim Rodman then fled the scene of the crash on 20 July and gave police false informa-

tion.

He has also been charged with driving without a valid licence.

Rodman’s lawyer Paul Meyer, says the incident occurred on a poorly signed exit ramp. He added that Rodman corrected the driving error without the cars touching, stopped and spoke to people in the other car.

The case is scheduled for 20 January.

Rodman won two titles with the Detroit Pistons and

Dennis Rodman won three NBA titles with the Chicago Bulls alongside Michael Jordan in the 1990s

then three championships with the famous Chicago Bulls team of the mid-1990s, alongside Michael Jordan.

YELLOW PAGES THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2016 | WWW.GUYANATIMESGY.COM BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY

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uyana’s leading youth and sports organisation, the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club on Monday last launched its 17th annual youth review magazine. The Club is the only youth and sports Club in Guyana that produces an annual magazine which reviews its work during the year and educate youths on a wide range of topics.

Club Secretary/CEO Hilbert Foster hailed the Magazine as a treasure of the RHTY&SC, M.S and is one which is published annually in an effort to document the history of the organisation whose achievements and activities are unmatched.

The launching of the magazine was the 385th programme/activity for the RHTY&SC in 2016 as the club seeks to achieve its revised target of 400 by late November. The Club has set itself a 2016 target of 300 activities but revised to 400 after the first target was achieved on the September 28. The 40 page Magazine was published at the F+H Printery in Georgetown and was edited by a team that was headed by Hilbert Foster, Anil Ramnarine and Sonia Leow.

The long serving Secretary/CEO stated that the Magazine would be distributed free of cost across Guyana, the Caribbean and North America. The Magazine, he stated would serve as an official souvenir to Club members as 2016 was the year that the RHTY&SC received the historic Medal of Service from the Government of Guyana and President David Granger was inducted as the Club’s fifth Honorary Patron.

Among the articles in the Magazine are messages from President Granger, Club President Keith Foster and Secretary Hilbert Foster, Achievements of the Club for 20152016, Profile of the Patron, 26th Annual Awards Ceremony, Dolphin Awards of Excellence Awards, Berbice Christmas Village, Busta Champion of Champions, Tribute to former Patron Beverly Harper, profiles of the eight

cricket teams of the Club, TCL Cricket Academy, GUYOIL Traffic Education Campaign, Beharry Say NO/Say YES Programme, GBTI Tapeball Tournament, Scotia Bank Children Mash Parade, the Gregory Gaskin Memorial Sports Award and the Ansa Mcal Award of Excellence among others. The magazine also features special articles on the current state of Guyana’s cricket, Suicide, the activities of the National Sports Commission and the role of youths in a Green Economy. The main objectives of the Magazine are to document the work of the RHTY&SC, to honour outstanding members of the Club, to acknowledge sponsors, to report to supporters of the Club on the activities they sponsored and to inspire other organisations to follow in the footsteps of the Club. The RHTY&SC, first published the magazine in 2000 under the supervision of its Public Relations and Educational Committees. The 2016 edition of Youth Review is the 30th publication of the RHTY&SC as over the years it has also published six magazines for the Berbice Cricket Board, youth information booklets and only recently published a 40 pages booklet about the history of Guyana’s smallest township – Rose Hall Town.

The RHTY&SC, Foster proudly stated is the only youth and sports organisation in Guyana that has published an annual Magazine since 2000.

The Management of the Club would like to express gratitude to the numerous companies and organisations who contributed to the publication of the Magazine including the Guyana Tourism Authority, Ming’s Optical, Sterling Products, Scotia Bank, Busta, HA Snacks, DTV-8, Hand in Hand, BCCDA, Namilco, GWI, Ansa Mcal, DeSinco Trading, Edward B. Beharry Co. Ltd, Anamayah Memorial Hospital, National Sports Commission, Guyana Cricket Board, Metro, GDF, Impression, Bakewell and Farfan and Mendes Ltd

Ramnarine, Mohamed help Good Success thrash Sans Souci V

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SPORTS

223-7230-1 (Ext: 35)

ickram Ramnarine struck a fine half century while Nazeer Mohamed turned in a good all-round performance to guide Good Success to an eight-wicket victory over Sans Souci Jaguars when the Farmers Cup T20 tournament continued in Wakenaam on Sunday.

Batting first at the Wakenaam Community Centre ground, Jaguars scored 135-9 after they were inserted. Beesham Moses made 38 while Zameer Zaman got 26.

David Chalitar claimed 3-27 and Mohamed 2-10.

Ramnarine then struck seven fours and two sixes in an unbeaten 57 as Good Success responded with 137-2 in 15.1 overs.

Mohamed hit three fours and one six in scoring 29 not out. The duo put on 72 for the third-wicket to steady the innings after Chandreka Jairam removed Tulsieram Ramadeen and Gurnauth Khemraj for 12 and 27 respectively.

22

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2016

Blue Mountain Achilleion Tri Nation, Zimbabwe

Lewis hits classy 148, West Indies fall short by 1 E

vin Lewis, with just a handful of internationals under his name, struck a counter-attacking maiden ODI century to give West Indies more than just a sniff in their attempt to gun down a 300-plus chase for the first time in ODIs. Carlos Brathwaite and Jason Holder then came up with sprightly cameos to take West Indies to within 24 of Sri Lanka’s 330 for 7. Then, in a mirror image of Saturday’s collapse that resulted in a tie, West Indies stumbled, this time to a onerun loss triggered by panic and poor shot selection.

The result meant Sri Lanka were assured of a berth in Sunday’s final, while West Indies and Zimbabwe will play a virtual semi-final on Friday to earn the right to meet Sri Lanka at the same venue. A tie or no-result would knock Zimbabwe out and ensure West Indies’ qualification.

West Indies were in control until the last five overs of their chase. Carlos Brathwaite and Holder put together 45 for the seventh wicket, before Nuwan Kulasekara delivered an inswinging yorker that beat

Chattergoon leads Albion to backto-back wins

Seamer Nuwan Kulasekara hits the blockhole in the slog overs

Brathwaite and hit middle stump. Suranga Lakmal then took over, bowling full and taking out Ashley Nurse in the next over. Suddenly, West Indies, who were cruising for most parts of the chase, needed 19 off 10 balls.

It eventually boiled down to the final over, bowled by Nuwan Pradeep, with West

Indies needing 10. After a single and a dot off the first two balls, Sulieman Benn muscled the third over deep midwicket to spark excitement in the West Indies camp. With three needed off three, Lakmal speared another yorker, before Benn holed out to sweeper cover, leaving Holder to score three off the final de-

Kusal Mendis sets himself up for a big one

SCOREBOARD Sri Lanka innings (50 overs maximum) DM de Silva c & b KC Brathwaite 58 MDKJ Perera b Gabriel 7 N Dickwella† lbw b Holder 94 BKG Mendis c †Hope b Nurse 94 DSNFG Jayasuriya b CR Brathwaite 9 WU Tharanga* c Nurse b Holder 26 DAS Gunaratne c Powell b Holder 6 SS Pathirana not out 24 Extras (lb-7, w-5) 12 Total (7 wickets; 50 overs) 330 Did not bat: KMDN Kulasekara, N Pradeep, RAS Lakmal Fall of wickets 1-18 (Perera, 2.4 ov), 2-123 (de Silva, 20.6 ov), 3-230 (Dickwella, 38.2 ov), 4-258 (Jayasuriya, 42.1 ov), 5-277 (Mendis, 43.3 ov), 6-291 (Gunaratne, 45.4 ov), 7-330 (Tharanga, 49.6 ov) Bowling: ST Gabriel 5-0-291 (w-1), JO Holder 10-0-57-3, CR Brathwaite 7-0-64-1 (w2), AR Nurse 8-0-58-1, KC Brathwaite 10-0-56-1 (w1), SJ Benn 10-0-59-0 (w-1)

BCB/ Tenelec Inc 50 Overs 1st Division Cricket

West Indies innings (target: 331 runs from 50 overs) J Charlesc Tharanga b Lakmal 26 E Lewis run out (Mendis/†Dickwella) 148 KC Brathwaite b Gunaratne 16 SD Hope† run out (Pradeep) 25 JL Carter run out (Tharanga) 6 R Powell lbw b Kulasekara 10 JO Holder* not out 45 CR Brathwaite b Kulasekara 19 AR Nurse c †Dickwella b Lakmal 2 SJ Bennc de Silva b Pradeep 11 ST Gabriel not out

0 Extras (lb-6, w-15) 21 Total (9 wickets; 50 overs) 329 Fall of wickets 1-63 (Charles, 7.6 ov), 2-133 (KC Brathwaite, 21.3 ov), 3-175 (Hope, 29.4 ov), 4-198 (Carter, 32.2 ov), 5-224 (Powell, 35.5 ov), 6-262 (Lewis, 40.3 ov), 7-307 (CR Brathwaite, 47.2 ov), 8-312 (Nurse, 48.2 ov), 9-328 (Benn, 49.5 ov) Bowling: KMDN Kulasekara 100-73-2 (w-3), RAS Lakmal 10-0-67-2 (w-3), DSNFG Jayasuriya 4-0-20-0 (w-1), N Pradeep 10-0-65-1 (w-3), SS Pathirana 7-0-51-0, DAS Gunaratne 9-0-47-1 (w-1)

livery. Pradeep bowled another one into the blockhole, with Holder only managing to squeeze it to cover for a single as Sri Lanka pulled off a heist.

That meant Lewis’ 148, which contained 15 fours and four sixes, went in vain.

His enterprise ensured West Indies rode the mini-wobbles and stood abreast with the asking rate for most parts of the chase. Then with the equation back into familiar territory - 154 off the last 20 overs with seven wickets in hand - he slowed down just a bit before recovering from a bout of cramps for one final hurrah. Brute force was just one element of his knock. It was the other element - luck that had played an equal part in West Indies’ chase. He was first put down on 26 by Kusal Mendis at backward point off Lakmal. Pradeep then reprieved him on 41 at mid-on.

Then on 53, a close lbw shout went Lewis’ way. Given out, he reviewed the decision only for the third umpire to find the ball had pitched fraction-

ally outside leg stump.

That wasn’t it. He survived a run-out chance on 114 when Niroshan Dickwella dislodged the bails before he could collect the ball cleanly. He continued to swing his way to make 148 before being stranded mid-pitch courtesy a mix-up with his captain Holder, with West Indies slipping to 262 for 6, needing 69 off 57 balls.

Sri Lanka’s fielding nightmare extended to the end overs, with Upul Tharanga dropping a skier at mid-on to reprieve Carlos Brathwaite on 3. Sri Lanka’s fast bowlers, however, hit the blockhole with regularity in the end overs to bail the side out.

That the bowlers had as many to defend was courtesy enterprising 94s from Kusal Mendis and Dickwella that contributed to Sri Lanka’s highest ODI score against West Indies. They lost Kusal Perera, cleaned up by Shannon Gabriel in the third over, but quickly got back on track courtesy Dhananjaya de Silva’s exuberant 58. At one stage, Dhananjaya and Dickwella matched each other stroke-for-stroke; the shot of the innings being Dickwella’s adventurous ‘Dilscoop’ off Carlos Brathwaite.

Dropped on 39 when Shai Hope put down a tough chance behind the stumps, Dickwella made them pay as he stitched together a 107-run stand with Kusal Mendis, who gradually switched gears. The hallmark of Kusal’s effort against spin was in sharp contrast to his measured approach against the fast bowlers - Gabriel constantly clocked average speeds of 145kph in a lively opening spell despite battling through a hamstring niggle on a grassy surface that was half as menacing as it looked.

Getting outside the line of the stumps, the sweep and the pull was his preferred mode of operation as he peppered the leg-side boundaries with five sixes. He fell six short of a maiden ODI century while trying to play a late dab, before Tharanga, the stand-in captain, and Pathirana then lent the finishing touches with cameos which made a difference in the end. (ESPNcricinfo)

Sewnarine Chattergoon

F

ormer West Indies opener, Sewnarine Chattergoon has made an immediate impact upon his return to competitive cricket with back to back half centuries to steer Albion Cricket Club to consecutive victories in the Tenelec Incorporated 50 overs first division cricket tournament.

On Saturday, the lefthanded Chattergoon blasted 62 to ensure Albion CC put up a commendable 191/9 from their allotment of 44 overs against Rose Hall Town Gizmos and Gadgets at the Rose Hall ground.

Albion, who were sent in after early morning rain forced a late start and a reduction in the overs also got useful knocks from Sharaz Ramcharran and Devendra Bishoo with 45 and 27 respectively. Clinton Pestano was the best bowler for the home team with 2/30.

In reply, Pestano top scored with 45 while Royston Crandon got 20 and Assad Fudadin 9 as Rose Hall Town Gizmos and Gadgets were bowled out for 114 in 27 overs to fall short by 77 runs.

Balchan Baldeo snared 5/25 from his allotment of seven overs and was given

admirable support from Sharaz Ramcharran with 2/21 from five overs and West Indies leg spinner with figures of 7-4-72. The very next day, Albion hosted Port Mourant and gave the visitors a sound trashing by 58 runs. Albion won the toss and managed to put 208 on the board before being bowled out off the last ball of the 50th over. Chattergoon top scored once again with 65 while David Latchaya made 35 and Veerapen Permaul 32.

Bowling for Port Mourant; Chandrapaul Hemraj picked up 2/15 (10 overs), Demitri Cameron 2/21 (6 overs) and Kellon Carmichael 2/48 (10 overs). The visitors never really threatened in the run chase and were eventually bowled out off the last ball for 144 with Samuel Krishnasammy compiling an even half century. Balchan Baldeo good run with the ball continued as he picked up 2/19 from 10 overs and was supported by David Latchaya with 2/34 from 10 overs and Bishoo with 1/21 also from his quota of 10 overs. Albion will now meet Upper Corentyne in their round three fixture when the tournament continues this weekend.

GHB/Diamond Mineral Water Indoor Hockey Festival 2016…

DMW Hockey Festival opens, Hikers open with crushing victory

I

n the male division, Hikers opened their 2016 campaign with a crushing 8-1 victory over the Avengers while Bounty GCC and Old Fort played to a 2-2 draw and in the ladies division Woodpecker Hikers were victorious over Old Fort 4-1

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2016

23

Caesar, Phillips dominate 100m — District 10 lead after day 3 T

he Ministry of Education/ Guyana Teachers Union (GTU) 56th National Schools Cycling, Swimming and Track and Field Championships has reached its third day and the star athletes certainly came out and lived up to expectations on Wednesday at the National Stadium, Providence. Upper Demerara – Kwakwani’s Compton Caesar and North Georgetown’s, Kenisha Phillips certainly trilled those in attendance when the championships’ marquee events got underway on Wednesday.

When the starting gun went off at around 16:30h, expectations were high as to whether they would be another record breaking feat.

The boys’ under-20 was the first of the 100M finals and it placed Caesar alongside Thummim Paul and Titus Webster and the question that was luring on many minds was to whether could break the category record just as he did last year in the under-18. From the start of the gun, Caesar running out of lane round shot of the blocks like man on mission and by the 50M mark had already created distance between himself and the pack, which made crossing the finish line in a time of 10.6s an easy task. Webster of District five (West Coast Berbice) finished in second in a time of 11.12s while Paul clocked 11.13s.

In the female under-16 100M, Phillips, who is touted as the fastest in her category, had to work hard for the win as won the race in a time of 12.1s ahead of District 10’s Deshanya Skeete, who ran 12.2s for second and District 13’s Tiffauna Garnett (12.5s).

In the 800 finals Claudrice McKoy underlined her class in a another superb display of speed and stamina, winning in excess of 15 meters in a brisk (2m:28.50s) to dominate the event . It meant, second and third was occupied

by District 4’s Latoya Moore (2m:40.30s) and Sophey David (2m.43.0s) of District 1 respectively.

Her district mates,

Samuel Lynch (Boys U-18) and Maria Urquhart (Girls U-20) also recorded victories in the 800m. Meanwhile, in the overall points standings, defending champions Upper Demerara – Kwakwani currently leads with 239.5 points while West Demerara are in second with 210.5 points and North West in third with 208.

Fourth and fifth are occupied by Corentyne (149.5) and East Coast Demerara (144); North Georgetown find themselves in seventh place on 112.5 points.

Today’s events will commence at 09:00h with the 200m and 1500m events being the main crowd attraction.

Kenisha Phillips held off a strong challenge from Deshanya Skeete

All alone! North Georgetown’s Samuel Lynch strolls to the finish line way ahead of the nearest competitor

Claudrice McKoy underlined her class in another superb display of speed and stamina, winning by more than 15 metres in a brisk 2m:28.50s

T

he third annual Petra Organisation/ Smalta Girls Pee-wee Schools Football Championships will kick-off this Saturday as disclosed at the launching on Tuesday at the National Library in Georgetown.

The championship which is in its third year will commence at the Ministry of Education ground, will feature 16 schools competing in an initial round-robin format.

Troy Mendonca, CoDirector of the Petra Organization said the company is proud to be associated with event and that he is thankful to Ansa McAl, the Guyana Football Federation (GFF), the Ministry of Public Health and Ministry of Education for their continued support.

According to Mendonca, the renewed importance placed on the development of the women’s game by the GFF and FIFA has “given the organization renewed vigor to push the programme forward,” noting the fruits of their labour will be borne due to this commitment.

Smalta Representative,

(L-R) Co-Director of the Petra Organisation, Troy Mendonca; Health Officer of the Public Health Ministry, Joy Gravesande; Smalta Representative Sean Abel and Head of Physical Education Department of the Education Ministry Nicholas Fraser along with some of the girls of the participating schools

Sean Abel said the company has been hand in hand with football at every level and that their presence highlights their continued commitment to sports which will endure for the foreseeable future.

“I am pleased to say that Smalta is the sponsor of the event and I want to say good luck to the coordinators and all the teams” he added.

Nicholas Fraser, Head of Physical Education Department of the Ministry of Education said, “The Petra Organization is one of the entities that envisions the need for tournaments that benefit the populace,” adding there needs to be a continued partnership between the respective stakeholders in the sport so that continuity can occur at the various levels.

Fraser praised the tournament’s format as it allows for learning due to the amount of matches that will be played by each school, noting “Thanks to the Petra Organization as well as the cast of sponsors for supporting the event.”

Meanwhile, Joy Gravesande, Health Officer of the Ministry of Public Health said “We are pleased to contribute to the event

and we have two messages that are a part of tournament. One is that girls can do it too and two, is that you are never too young.”

She noted “The messages carry importance as the ministry wants to encourage that football is not only a sport for the boys and that if you want to go ahead and continue with it, you can do it, revealing that the intention of the ministry is to

stage educational seminars with each participating school centered on puberty.

Upon the end of the group round, the top two finishers will progress to the quarterfinal stage.

The remaining eight teams will faceoff for positions 9th to 16th until the tourney’s end on December 17.

Group-A comprises of West Ruimveldt, North Georgetown, Smith Memorial and Winfer Gardens while group-B features St. Pius, Enterprise, South Ruimveldt and St. Agnes.

Group-C consists of Stella Maris [2014 winner], F.E. Pollard, St. Angela’s and School of the Nations while group-D contains defending champ St. Stephen’s, Tucville, St. Margaret’s and J.E. Burnham.

Trophies will be awarded to all 16 teams, while medals will be awarded to the top two finishers. On the individual side, accolades will be awarded to the Most Valuable Player, the Highest Goal Scorer and the Best Goalkeeper.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2016

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

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Blue Mountain Achilleion Tri Nation, Zimbabwe Pg 22

Lewis hits classy 148, West Indies fall short by 1 Evin Lewis battled cramps to raise his maiden ODI century, but West Indies' unsuccessful streak chasing 300+ scores continues © AFP

MoE/GTU 56th National Schools Cycling, Swimming and Track and Field Championships…

Caesar, Phillips dominate 100m Pg 23

Upper Demerara-Kwakwani’s Compton Caesar did not disappoint as he won the Boys’ Under-20 100m in a time of 10.6s at the National Stadium, Providence

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