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THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Issue No. 2985

Thursday, September 22, 2016

Halt it now!

SARA Bill unconstitutional 5 homeless after fire ravages West Berbice home See story on page 3

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WHAT'S INSIDE:

Hughes, Nandlall P11 call for establishment of industrial court …in light of public servants wages standoff

… legal opinion recommends special unit revise objectives

Page 7

Canje family terrorised, robbed by gunmen Page 5

Page 2

DDL vs Rudisa: A very disturbing development – GCCI President

Rape is rape!

Page 12

– Manickchand blasts Lawrence over “deflowering” comments

La Jalousie P2 house destroyed by fire

Berbice Chamber President robbed P17

GNBA seeking to regularise P9 cable broadcasters

…launches investigation into allegations against two board members

Pomeroon River schools in dire need of maintenance – coalition Councillor P11

2 NEWS DDL vs Rudisa: A very disturbing development – GCCI President T THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2016 | GUYANA-TIMES.COM

he flipside of denying imports into Guyana to compete with local products would be a complete ban on such imports, but Guyana has had its share of unfavourable experiences in this arena.

This is according to President of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI), Vishnu Doerga, who in an exclusive interview with Guyana Times on Wednesday, decried as very worrying the fact the Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL) could not meet the requirements with regard to the supplying of juices for the Government’s school feeding programme.

That multimillion-dollar contract was recently awarded to Suriname-based Rudisa Beverages, generating significant debate over the pros and cons of such a move.

The GCCI President told Guyana Times, “I don’t want to believe it was as a result

GCCI President Vishnu Doerga

of wilful neglect, or any form of favouritism.”

He was at the time speaking to the professionalism of the evaluators of bids.

Procurement transparency

Doerga said too that the incident spoke to the need for a greater level of transparency when it came to the procurement requirements, and pointed to the fact that

DDL might not have met the requirements, which led to the Suriname-based company being awarded the contract.

The GCCI President said it was clear that a local company securing the contract would have been better for all the local stakeholders involved, but local suppliers and manufacturers need to also do more with regard to raising their standards and competitiveness.

He pointed, however, to the fact that even with the onerous shipping and other costs, including the payment of taxes, that a foreign company could still supply products competitively.

The GCCI President was adamant that local manufacturers and suppliers must improve their capacity.

According to Doerga, “it is very disturbing that DDL could not have met the desired specifications.”

He pointed to reported reasons that speak to the

labelling and juice content of the product being supplied by DDL and Rudisa Beverages Inc. Doerga maintains that there needs to be a greater understanding and transparency on procurement policies and requirements across the board.

He pointed to some of the programmes being run by GCCI and said that the entity was looking to do its part in terms of raising the standards of competitiveness among local suppliers and producers in areas of agroprocessing and other industries.

Meanwhile, a source close to DDL speaking to Guyana Times in the absence of an official statement, said that the issue has to be looked at in a larger context.

It was pointed out that DDL does not grow cherries or guavas or any of the fruits that are used to make its Topco Juices.

“While it may be re-

flected in a financial record somewhere that DDL did not win the contract, it is the small farmer who is going to be finding it hard… it is the small farmers that will be affected the most,” the source said.

Rudisa Beverages Inc was awarded the juice contract despite DDL being the lowest bidder at the recent bid for the contract.

fact guided by the National Procurement and Tender Board Administration’s recommendation that the contract should be awarded to the third highest bidder.

Government further justified its decision, noting that Rudisa met the requisite administrative, as well as technical requirements.

In July 2015, the Surinamese beverage com-

DDL, in making the announcement, had stated that after milk was replaced as the preferred beverage to offer to students, along with biscuits and a snack in schools, DDL had supplied Topco Juices to Government’s national school feeding programme since 2010.

On Saturday last, Government said it was in

pany had agreed to slash over US$1 million off of the settlement awarded by the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) to be repaid by the Government of Guyana for taxes it had imposed on imported beverage bottles.

This was from the US$7.72 million (G$1.6 billion) that the CCJ had ordered Guyana to pay the beverage company.

La Jalousie house destroyed by fire

The completely gutted structure at La Jalousie, WCD

M

illions of dollars were lost when a house at La Jalousie, West Coast Demerara (WCD), went up in flames on Tuesday night.

Guyana Times understands that the fire reportedly started at about 22:00h in the lower flat of the building, which formally housed a beer garden.

The fire, suspected to be electrical in origin, completely gutted the two-storey wooden and concrete building. According to reports, the building was uninhabited at the time.

Speaking with this newspaper, a resident said he heard shouts of a fire by other residents and subsequently saw the building on fire. He added that fire fighters responded promptly, but there was little they could

have done to save the building. As such, they focused on containing the fire from spreading.

Owner of the burnt building, Sarwant Tapsi, who also owns Kishans Aluminium Windows and Doors, said he was informed of the incident on Wednesday morning.

He explained that he was not properly briefed as to what occurred, while noting that this was the second fire at the location in recent times. The first fire, he noted, was set by someone who is now serving time in prison for arson.

The matter was reported to the Vreed-en-Hoop Police Station and investigations are currently underway. Officials from the Guyana Fire Service have also launched a probe into the incident.

NEWS

3

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2016 | GUYANA-TIMES.COM

BRIDGE OPENINGS

The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Thursday, September 22 – 09:30h-11:00h and Friday, September 23 – 10:30h-12:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Thursday, September 22 – 08:30h-10:00h and Friday, September 23 – 09:35h-11:05h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY Sunny weather with a chance of light rain showers can be expected in the morning while sunny weather is expected to prevail in the afternoon. Clear skies can be expected in the evening, with temperatures ranging between 24 degrees and 31 degrees Celsius.

Winds: Easterly to East South-easterly between 2.68 metres and 4.47 metres.

High Tide: 08:28h and 20:46h reaching maximum heights of 2.45 metres at each scheduled high tide.

Low Tide: 01:56h and 14:17h reaching minimum heights of 0.60 metre and 0.84 metre respectively.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2016

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Halt it now! SARA Bill unconstitutional … legal opinion recommends special unit revise objectives

T

he proposed bill legislating the State Asset Recovery Agency (SARA) is not only dangerous and disingenuous in its current construct but it has been found to be in violation of numerous sections of Guyana’s supreme law – the Constitution – and there has since been a call made for a halt of further consultation until Government can more clearly outline its desired objectives.

This is according to a legal opinion sought by the Private Sector Commission (PSC) that has reviewed the Bill and has since also recommend that Government set up a small team, “possessing and having access to relevant skills and expertise, to consider how best to achieve the objectives.”

It was suggested that, “In this regard, Hong Kong adopted an informed model, including a study and publication done in Hong Kong in 2006, entitled Civil Forfeiture for Hong Kong?

A Discussion Paper of the Hong Kong Civil Forfeiture Project.”

The PSC’s legal team has since also suggested that the State use existing mechanisms, including the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), the Double Taxation Treaties (Canada, UK and Caricom) and the Tax Information Exchange Agreement with the USA, to pursue suspected acts of illicit enrichment misfeasance and other violations using both the civil and criminal avenues.

SARA head, Professor Clive Thomas

Unconstitutional

On the matter of aspects of the SARA Bill being unconstitutional, the PSC’s legal opinion sought to point to the fact that Article 187 of the Constitution of Guyana confers on the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) “exclusive powers to institute, undertake and discontinue criminal proceedings against any person before any court.”

It was pointed out that the Constitution provides that in the exercise of these powers, the Director shall be subject to the direction or control of no other person or authority.

The mandatory requirements proposed in the SARA Bill, however, seeks to direct the DPP to inform the Director of any criminal investigation or criminal proceeding involving State property which may become subject to forfeiture, confiscation or civil recovery.

The PSC’s lawyers have

since concluded that this provision seems to be in violation of the Constitution.

Another of the requirements the SARA Bill seeks to impose on the DPP is the disclosure of information relating to any unlawful conduct, tax or financial impropriety of any person.

The lawyers have since said that this too “seems similarly unconstitutional.”

Proposals in the SARA Bill that seeks to give directives to the Commissioner of Police are also being described as contrary to the Constitution.

It was found that one of the mandatory requirementsof the SARA Bill is that the Commissioner of Police inform the Director of any criminal investigation or criminal proceeding involving State property which may become subject to forfeiture, confiscation or civil recovery.

It was observed that this provision “seems to remove any exercise of judgment in connection with investigations being carried by the Police.”

It was suggested that when all the powers and functions of the SARA Director are taken as a

whole, together with the status of corporation sole, the Director has more powers and is subject to fewer restrictions, than the Commissioner of Police, the Commissioner General and the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Pointing to many of the concerns with the application of the Bill as proposed by Government, the legal opinion sought by the PSC said “the model for the SARA Bill is an extreme form of asset forfeiture in which the presumption of innocence is at least, reversed.”

It further charges that the bill, if enacted into law, will empower the Director to include, as part of the civil recovery application, “property, other than State property.”

In fact, according to the legal opinion sought by the PSC, while the draft legislation proposes to deal with the recovery of State assets, there is no actual definition for State asset in the bill neither is there a definition for State Property – another term used liberally throughout the proposed piece of legislation.

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4

guyana-times.com

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 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

SARA: Star Chamber for Guyana

W

hen Parliament reconvenes on October 10, notwithstanding the strenuous objections of the Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA), the Private Sector Commission (PSC) and the Opposition PPP, which has only a single seat less than the Government, the latter will pass the State Assets Recovery Agency Bill 2016.

Most well-known for his aphorism “Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely”, Lord Acton was called the “magistrate of history” because of his profound study and understanding of that subject. The flipside of his scepticism about power, not surprisingly, was his abiding devotion to individual liberty, and he further noted: “Liberty consists in the division of power; absolutism, in concentration of power.” The Government has ignored both Acton’s aphorisms and their historical justifications if reference is made to the powers of the State Assets Recovery Agency (SARA) created by the Bill –- and also its director.

The clear and present dangers posed by this Bill is illustrated by the “Star Chamber” created with all good intentions by the Tudor monarchy in England to supplement the activities of the courts in both civil and criminal matters against the upper class that ordinary courts balked at convicting. But by the time of the Stuarts, however, it had become an instrument for the King to persecute and punish those he dubbed his enemies. Its name became synonymous in judicial circles down the ages, with arbitrary prosecutions and punishment. The US Supreme Court in this millennium charges it operated within the following themes: “brutality, abuse of power, oppressive state might overpowering the helpless individual and persecution.”

Upon evidence presented, it would not be hyperbolic to suggest if the legislation is enacted, Guyana would be taken backwards in history to create our own “Star Chamber”. We can begin with the objections of the GHRA to SARA, which it claimed were triggered by “the sweeping powers available to the Director of the Agency and the manner of his/her appointment....With respect to the powers, the following private and State institutions are only a selection of those which must comply with ANY request from the Director of SARA for information they hold: the Commissioner of Police, the DPP, Head of CANU, the Bank of Guyana, private banks, and the Chairperson of the Gold Board.”

More insidiously, the GHRA continued, “Rather than the established procedure whereby other agencies provide the Guyana Revenue Authority with information on which it can act, the new Bill requires the opposite: the GRA must provide information on which the SARA will act.

The Director of SARA is effectively a political commissar exercising enormous powers.”

The PSC’s objections were guided by a legal opinion it solicited. In addition to echoing the objections of the GHRA, the PSC pointed out that the appointment of the Director failed the “fit and proper test”: “The Schedule to the Bill provides that the person appointed as Director or Deputy Director of SARA shall be a fit and proper person.” There are no specifications of what constitutes “fit and proper”, but one of the criteria must include independence and exclude “politically exposed persons”, senior politicians and important political party officials. The application of this test would exclude Professor Clive Thomas, a co-leader of the Working People’s Alliance, a party in the ruling coalition. “In addition to the Director being a member of a political party in the Government, one of the members of the Agency is also a member of the WPA, Desmond Trotman and another is Eric Philips, a member of the Reparations Commission who has taken a strong public position accusing the Opposition PPP of appropriating State assets. There is the danger of political persecution.

The PSC contends the Bill has a “frightening array of overlapping laws, concentration of power, violation of the Constitution and constitutional principles, violation of the Standing Orders of the National Assembly, and a potential reduction of the civil liberties: due process and the presumption of innocence.”

The rule of law is under threat.

The rising sun seen near Frankfurt, Germany (Telegraph)

Deplorable conditions for doctors at Suddie Hospital Dear Editor, For the past six weeks the air condition unit in the doctor on call room at the Suddie Public Hospital is broken. Doctors working during the nights cannot rest there since there is no ventilation/window in the room provided.

Doctors are also susceptible to Zika and all the other mosquito-borne diseases.

The Administrator, Medical Superintendent and the REO were informed on several occasions but nothing is being done. Doctors are forced to use the patient’s bed, the outpatient department, examination rooms and their cars, for those who have.

A few years ago there was need for a microwave oven for the same room.

After many unsuccessful requests were made through the hospital, doctors eventually made contributions and bought it themselves.

Do doctors have to do the same thing now? The toilet is also not working.

The Public Health Ministry should not be surprised if doctors refuse to turn up for duty in the nights. There is need for a fridge to store

food; many times there is no water for doctors to drink.

These vital things do not cost much. The hospital and the Region have money and should spend it on the people who serve the public.

Kindly assist in resolving these issues urgently.

Best Regards, Doctors, SuddiePublic Hospital

All media houses should attend GOA’s 2016 elections Dear Editor, Did Guyana ever fully recover from boycotting the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games, led by former President LFS Burnham?

As a reminder, Guyana was slated to win gold by ‘Gilkes’ and to many, that boycott killed sport in Guyana; mainly track. I have spoken to many over the years and they all agreed. Some even asked me not to take them

down that avenue because that situation killed the souls of many and they do not want to revisit that era.

Burnham failed Guyana with that decision of boycotting. Yes, we stepped on the road to recovery, but nothing much to talk about. Can we get a total transformation?

Yes, but we have to collectively be sheltered under one roof and firstly establish the objective of the mission and

if we can afford huge sums for sports during the 2017 budget. A section of the media has started this new drama of blaming the current Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) President KA JumanYassin for Guyana’s failure at the just concluded 2016 Rio Olympic Games, which to my mind, in utter rubbish in its highest form. Guyana is a democratic country and it’s everyone’s right to chal-

lenge Juman-Yassin for his chair of the GOA and I welcome such a challenge.

I expect every media house to have the same interest with every sport fraternity election in Guyana and not side out GOA’s elections. All media house should make it their duty to be present during the 2016 GOA elections.

Yours faithfully, T Pemberton

Grading Goolsarran Dear Editor, Anand Goolsarran in another section of the media on September 19, 2016 misled the public. I give him a ‘C’ grade due to his obfuscation of the material available to him and his tendency to ignore the substance of the transaction.

If my grading was done at Ivy University level, the grade would have been lower, due to his convenient omissions.

1. The Chairman of the GWI Board issued a statement... False 2. Where in accounting or law – does it define that property, building and erections sold, exclude a water well or similar asset?

3. NICIL’s position on who owns the well is omitted. Who owns the well is a question Goolsarran should ask NICIL. GWI awaits the sale agreement from NICIL for the entire property with building and erections thereon.

4. Vesting Order Number 14 of 2002 according to Goolsarran, does not detail the assets transferred to GWI. 5. Goolsarran says via Order No. 40 of 2010, the Sanata Complex was transferred to QAII, then makes a convenient and illogical disconnect between the Public Corporation Act and the Companies Act. 6. There is no evidence

that several buildings and erections are included in the Valuation of June 2007, including the well.

7. It is revealing that items certified by the external auditor provide sufficient grounds for Goolsarran to treat as the Auditor General findings as irrefutable evidence as published in the media on September 20.

8. Goolsarran does not state when and how the well was included in GWI asset register.

9. What rational basis does Goolsarran use to pontificate that QAII is a customer of GWI for the property formerly known as Sanata Complex, when QAII is the

owner of the property, buildings and erections; where the well is located.

10. Based on several references to absence of evidence – Goolsarran still manages to conclude that QAII does not own the well.

11. Is Goolsarran suggesting that QAII should pay electricity costs incurred, related to the 9000 plus residents receiving water from the well?

It strikes me that Goolsarran undermined several positions he took during the NICIL audit.

NICIL should issue a statement on who owns the well.

Kind regards, Nigel Hinds

NEWS

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THURSDAY, AUGUST 22, 2016 | GUYANA-TIMES.COM

Canje family terrorised, robbed by gunmen

F

ive armed bandits assaulted a young couple after breaking into their East Canje, Berbice home, carting off cash, jewellery and other valuables in the wee hours of Wednesday morning.

Navindra Singh, also called ‘Surish’, said it was the third attempt to get into his Bristol Street home over the past four days.

Of the five masked men, one was armed with a gun and three with cutlasses.

The men gained entry through a window situated in the washroom.

At the time Singh, his wife and a baby were at home.

Singh, speaking with Guyana Times, he explained that one of the men entered through the window and then

The window through which one of the bandits entered the home

opened the back door for the others.

Singh said as soon as he realised that bandits had gained entry to the house, he alerted neighbours.

“One jump on the chair and push a gun in from over

the wall and tell me to be quiet or he gon shoot. Two of them kick and kick and brake open the bedroom door,” he related.

The bandits managed to steal two cellular phones, an electronic tablet and a lap-

top computer, along with $270,000 worth in jewellery and $40,000 in cash.

During the eight minute ordeal, Singh observed that two of the bandits had a small row over the money collected from the wardrobe.

He noted too that one of the bandits identified him by his calling name.

Meanwhile, Singh explained that neighbours had called the Police and the fifth man who stood at the door alerted the others that they had to leave as he grew suspicious of the Police arriving.

They hurriedly left the premises by scaling the back fence.

The homeowner told this publication that the persons who broke into his home seem to be very familiar with

Navindra Singh

the layout of the building.

He noted that the house was previously occupied by questionable characters, leading him to believe that they may be behind the crime.

Meanwhile, Singh sus-

pected that the bandits attempted to break into his house previously.

He told this publication that on Saturday night he heard strange sounds coming from the yard and his dog was continuously barking.

He also noted that on Sunday morning he discovered that one part of a window had been removed but he had replaced it during the day. That night, he said he heard someone on the roof of the house and raised an alarm.

Singh said neighbours came out and they noticed movement in a clump of bushes behind his house. The Police were called but never showed up.

An investigation has been launched into the incident.

Region 1 leg of Education Dataram, reputed wife fled country – source CoI consultation ends

A section of the gathering in Port Kaituma, Region One during the consultation

T

he Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the education system recently concluded in Region One (Barima-Waini).

The public consultations were held in Moruca, Port Kaituma and Mabaruma where a number of issues were highlighted and recommendations made.

Teachers, parents and regional education officials were among those who turned out to make their contributions. The CoI Chairman, Ed Caesar, said he was very pleased with the attendance in the Region One leg of the consultations. “Persons were even standing outside the venue with umbrellas… So I was pleased, very pleased with the attendance,” Caesar is quoted by the Government Information Agency (GINA) as saying.

One of the issues raised by teachers in the Region was that they have to conduct classes in an unclean and unfavourable learning environment. “Teachers and parents have been tasked, according to the report of the consultations, with having the place cleaned and our teachers are not very happy with that,” the Chairman explained.

A request was made by both teachers and parents for the CoI to make the necessary representations for the appointment of cleaners to the schools.

Teachers and parents also spoke of indiscipline

exhibited by students and called for the placement of welfare officers in schools.

The problem of indiscipline, the Chairman said, is not a one-sided matter, as “the welfare officers must not deal only with students, but also teachers”.

Additionally, upon conclusion of the consultation, the Chairman noted that it

was realised that teachers were very much interested in their students’ development. However, Caesar pointed out that teachers were not given the opportunity for higher education; hence, the development of the students is stagnated.

“There should be facilities to allow teachers either online, if the system is

put in place Internet wise, or to be permitted to go to (University of Guyana) UG to get further training, so they can impact on the development of the young people,” the chairman stated.

Another concern coming out of the consultations was feedback from teachers and parents, stating that they were concerned that nothing would be done to address their problems.

“I am going to ensure that the necessary recommendations are made and the Minister has indeed promised he will do whatever he has to do to cause some better things to happen based on the recommendations from the Commission of Inquiry,” Caesar stated.

The Education CoI will be taken to Bartica, Linden and Lethem next. The CoI is expected to conclude in December 2016.

…Magistrate to deliver decision Friday

Self-confessed drug lord Barry Dataram

A

lthough Magistrate Judy Latchman issued arrest warrants for both Barry Dataram and his reputed wife, Anjanie Boodnarine, a source close to the family confirmed that the duo has fled the country.

Guyana Times was told that the self-confessed drug

trafficker and his reputed wife, who were due to appear at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on Tuesday, absconded sometime over the weekend. The duo, along with Komal Charran and Trevor Gouveia, was expected to be present for the court’s ruling on a cocaine trafficking charge.

The four were on trial for allegedly being in possession of 129.230 kilograms of cocaine. The Customs AntiNarcotics Unit (CANU) reported that the narcotics were found in shrimp on April 16, 2015, at Dataram’s residence, located at Lot 661 Silver Dam, Fourth Avenue, Diamond Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara.

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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2016

Page

guyana-times.com

Foundation

The strengths of the oppositional defiant child

BY KIM ABRAHAM AND MARNEY STUDAKERCORDNER

D

o you have an ODD child or teen that constantly argues and fights your authority, refusing to follow the rules of your home? When the number for his school shows up on your caller identification, do you cringe in fear of what trouble he’s in now? When you have an oppositional, defiant child, it’s painful to read the seemingly endless Facebook statuses of proud parents beaming about how wonderful their child is. One mom recently shared with us, “I’m happy for my friends that they seem to have such great family lives. But it’s hard to see posts about their children getting straight A’s, when my son swears at me every night about his homework.”

We understand it’s hard to stay hopeful when you’re raising a child with ODD. Let’s be honest. Every time they challenge us, they push our emotional buttons,bringing to the surface our feelings of hurt, anger, frustration, embarrassment – and even insecurities and fears because their behaviour scares us.

But believe it or not, there are some definite strengths that go hand-inhand with that challenging, ODD personality.

This week, we’re going to show you how to see your child through a different lens, including stories of ODD children with whom we’ve worked.

If you can stop for a moment and see the positive aspects of your ODD child’s personality, it can strengthen you. Your child can actually be a good teacher – if you are open and willing to learn.

Look at your child. Does he/ she have these strengths?

Creativity. ODD children can be extremely creative when it comes to getting what they want. The same adolescent girl who can’t solve the problem of how to deal with a sibling can design a plan to get out of a locked house when grounded that would impress Houdini.

Thirteen-year-old Jack was mechanically gifted. He fought with his parents about everything from going to school to his choice of friends. But put him in front of a car, and he could fix even the toughest problem. Wanting to build on that strength, his parents finally gave in and purchased the old, rundown car he begged for. “He’ll never get it running,” said his father. Six months later, Jack was tooling around town in his “beater.” His law-abiding parents set the rule: no driving until you have a license! Jack, of course, drove it anyway. His parents came up with the idea of putting a “club” on the steering wheel, locking it in place.

They were quite proud of their creativity until, a few months later, the car was parked just a little bit off centre in the driveway. Jack had (very creatively) purchased a separate steering wheel, which he stashed in the woods. When mom and dad left, he simply removed the original steering wheel – club and all – replacing it with his spare and he was off and running. Was this a dangerous and defiant behaviour? Absolutely. Were his parents frustrated at his level of defiance? Sure. But

they learned to appreciate their son’s

all these

strays!” Friends and family were critical,

― some mistakes should be encouraged and others should be avoided

BY ROBERT J MAURER PHD

A resourcefulness!

Ten years later, Jack never has to pay a mechanic to fix his vehicles.

Determination and strength. Children with oppositional and defiant personalities are the most determined individuals you’ll ever meet. Some children follow rather than lead, quickly complying with rules and traditions. Others “go with the flow,” rarely making waves for fear of disappointing others or possibly failing. ODD children have none of these traits.

Their motto: While you’re all paddling downstream, I prefer to swim upstream – it’s more challenging and interesting! And the more you oppose me on it, the more determined I’ll be to swim upstream.

Fifteen-year-old Lindsay argued daily with her parents, skipped school and often stayed out past curfew.

She also had an unflinching love for animals. It became her mission to save as many lost, abandoned or abused animals that she possibly could. Her mother warned her constantly, “One of these days you’re going to get hurt. Stop picking up

saying her efforts were pointless.

Since she couldn’t keep all the animals who needed her – it was against her mother’s rules and simply wasn’t possible as there were hundreds of them – she used her strengths of creativity and determination.

She educated herself on how to safely rescue animals, minimising the risks to herself as much as possible. She became connected to local animal rescues – some as far as a hundred miles away – that would care for the animals she found. When she couldn’t link with such resources immediately, she broke her mother’s rules and kept an animal in the garage for a day or two while she worked on a placement for it.

Lindsay’s determination was an endless frustration for her mom. But it led to hundreds of vulnerable and voiceless animals finding safe haven over the years.

Today, as an adult, she is a noted animal advocate and has earned the admiration of those around her, including her mother. Many of us are determined but not all of us have the strength – and courage–to pursue our goals in the face of opposition from others. (empoweringparents.com) TO BE CONTINUED

s I’ve mentioned previously, successful people assume that life is a trial-and-error experience. Winston Churchill’s wise declaration: “Success is going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.”

He alludes to the fact that mistakes are often necessary for growth and, in some situations, they are to be encouraged. Other mistakes, however, we would like to avoid if at all possible. With this, the topic of mistakes becomes more complex. Just how do we sift the “good mistakes” from those we seek to avoid? To provide some insight in this regard, I’d like to propose a model which distinguishes between three types of mistakes – goal, soul, and hole mistakes.

Let’s begin with Goal mistakes. These refer to mistakes that occur when we choose purposefully to take on risk, usually as we endeavour to expand our lives in some way. They may arise when we are learning a new skill, such as golf or public speaking, or when we pursue new challenges or opportunities in our relationships or careers. To achieve success in these situations, two essential ingredients are necessary: coaching and trial-and-error learning.

Our willingness to risk challenges our self-esteem or the threat of failure. Success requires our willingness to accept honest feedback and continue trying. While mistakes resulting from such endeavours may seem painful in the moment, the longterm costs are generally not as steep as other kinds of mistakes, while the potential rewards are enormous.

We should encourage risking mistakes in this realm in order to grow.

Next, let’s look at Soul mistakes. These are typically the result of weaknesses in our skill set, character, or awareness. These are mistakes we unintentionally make when we don’t know ourselves as well as we could. Soul Mistakes are usually much more serious, costly, and painful than Goal Mistakes. They can cause havoc in our lives, especially if they occur after we have achieved success. It is usually in our best interest to avoid these. When we know where our weaknesses are, we can work toward improvement and watch for potential hazards. For example, suppose you have lived all your life in a warm climate, but you’re flying to Boston in the middle of winter. If you are aware that you lack the skills necessary for safe winter driving, you might choose to use a taxi or the train rather than tak-

ing on the icy roads yourself.

However, if you aren’t aware that you lack this critical skill, you might make a mistake that could be very costly to yourself and others.

The same holds true in other important life situations.

For example, when you get a promotion or fall in love, it’s essential that you know what skills and qualities are needed, and which you possess, in order to be successful. At work, although you may be an expert in product sales, the skills of leadership and negotiation may be more important in a management role; and when falling in love, awareness of your own character strengths, as well as any unhealthy emotional blocks or needs, may help you to succeed and to avoid self-defeating mistakes in the process. Not having particular skills will not doom you to failure in work or in love, if you are aware of the need to develop the skills.

We will delve further into this complex idea in an upcoming blog.

The final type of mistakes in this model are Hole mistakes. Mistakes of this type are more costly than Goal Mistakes as well, as they often result in significant regret that transcends the moment or situation. These mistakes reveal themselves at significant moments in life, such as when a doctor gives us bad news, or on decade birthdays when we revisit our priorities and perhaps realise we have not spent our time and energy where it was most wise. We may wish we had given more to our health or our relationships and the regret that washes over us can be very painful. While we typically want to avoid these types of mistakes, when they do occur they can provide us with important information to guide our future choices.

If you are human, you have likely made all three types of mistakes – goal, soul, and hole – at some point along your way. Goal mistakes we may want to encourage in order to continue our growth. Soul and hole mistakes are usually the most painful, and we may want to avoid these when possible. However, when they do occur, we can appreciate them for the gift of awareness they bring, as they can lead us toward new, ever more important goals.

In upcoming blogs, I will expand on the complex nature of Soul mistakes, then share with you some strategies for minimising the quantity of mistakes and maximising learning when they do occur.

Together, we will discover how to make mistakes stepping stones instead of stumbling blocks. (psychologytoday.com)

NEWS

7

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2016 | GUYANA-TIMES.COM

5 homeless after fire ravages Lusignan Prison escape No new leads West Berbice home

on fugitives

The house completely engulfed in flames

F

ive persons are now making alternative living arrangements after a fire of unknown origin completely razed their Paradise, West Coast Berbice, home earlier this morning.

Based on reports gathered, smoke was seen billowing from the building at about 10:30h and quickly engulfed the entire building. No one was at home at the time. The wooden building was owned by Melissa

Halt it now...

On the matter of the far reaching powers of the SARA Director, the PSC’s legal opinion has actually called some “frightening.”

Under the proposed law, the Director can do “anything” which he considers appropriate, incidental to the discharge of his function.

This effectively means that the “Director can assume functions of Commissioner General, the Commissioner of Police as well as the Director of

Public Prosecutions.”

According to the legal opinion sought, “most frighteningly, the Director can actually contract out the power, functions, and duties conferred on him.”

The PSC’s legal opinion had observed too that the Bill contains some striking similarities with the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 of the UK – that Act has been a major failure and has been effectively abolished.

It was concluded that

Hutson.

According to reports received, one of Hutson’s sons left home minutes before flames were seen coming from the house.

Guyana Times could not ascertain whether any

electrical appliances were left plugged into outlets.

Reports suggested however that a kerosene stove was left alight.

The Guyana Fire Service has launched a probe into the cause of the fire.

FROM PAGE 3

the Bill is seriously and conceptually flawed and it appears that the drafter was not sufficiently familiar with Guyana’s Constitution, its statutes and certain applicable legal principles.

“The powers given to a single person, with no reporting obligation other than an annual report to the National Assembly, free to conduct any operation he chooses and the manner in which the operation is executed, with

the power to delegate his almost limitless powers to any person, makes for a very dangerous scenario.”

The legal opinion also found that there are overlaps with several main pieces of legislation and functions and that the possibility of Special Organised Crime Unit, other investigative branches of the Police, SARA and the DPP engaging in simultaneous exercises is real.

Wanted: Rajendra Deonarine

Wanted: Foas Shakir

hree days after two inmates of the Lusignan Prison escaped while working outdoors; the joint operation to recapture the duo has yielded no success.

Rajendra Deonarine, 22, of Richmond Housing Scheme, Essequibo; and 26-year-old Faos Shakir, of Le Ressouvenir, East Coast Demerara, were clearing overgrown vegetation from the penitentiary’s fence when they made good their escape sometime around 10:30h on Monday.

According to reports, Deonarine was serving a two-year sentence for possession of narcotics for the purpose of trafficking, while Shakir was sentenced to three years for several robbery offences.

Director of Prisons, Carl Graham, when contacted on Wednesday evening told Guyana Times that they

have exhausted all possible leads that were at their disposal. He confirmed that they have not received any new leads but members of the Guyana Police Force and the Guyana Prison Service are optimistic that they will recapture the duo.

He nevertheless urged members of the public to contact the nearest Police Station once the men are seen. However, the Police have since questioned the relatives of the two men but they have claimed that they were not contacted. Police have reportedly searched several areas including the East Coast Demerara corridor, Mocha Arcadia and Diamond on the East Bank of Demerara.

Both the Prison Service and the Police Force are urging citizens to take the necessary precautions in securing their premises.

T

8 NEWS

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2016 | GUYANA-TIMES.COM

IN THE COURTS

Berbice woman jailed for narco trafficking – fined $25.6M

T

he woman who was nabbed with 9.5kg of cocaine at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) will be spending the next three years behind bars after she was jailed on Wednesday.

Tricia Elizabeth Loo, of 651 Fort Ordinance, East Canje, Berbice, was jailed and fined by Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan at the

Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

The 44-year-old woman admitted that on September 20, 2016, at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, she had in her possession 9.5kg of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking. In addition to the three-year jail sentence, she was also fined $25.6 million.

On the day of the incident,

Tricia Elizabeth Loo

the businesswoman was to board a flight for New York when she was questioned by Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) ranks. An examination of her suitcase revealed the illicit substance, which was concealed in false walls of the suitcases that she was carrying.

She was arrested and subsequently charged with the offence.

Bahamian charged with murder of Guyanese teacher

A

Bahamian man was on Tuesday charged

by Police for the murder of Guyanese school teacher, 34-year-old Marisha Bowen and is expected to make his appearance in the Supreme Court during the week.

The accused, 30-year-old Alister Williams, would not be allowed to plea until he is formally arraigned for the brutal murder.

At the time the woman was killed, she was pregnant.

She was found in a lifeless state with her throat slit in her Summer Street, Nassau Village, Bahamas apartment just over a week ago.

However, the accused will return to the Magistrate’s Court on October 24 for a presentation of a voluntary

Dead: Marisha Bowen

bill of indictment, which will facilitate the transfer of the case to the higher court.

Before he was remanded to prison to await trial, his lawyer Nathan Smith made allegations that his client allegedly suffered significant injuries while in Police custody and as such, Chief

Murder suspect Alister Williams

Magistrate Forbes ordered that Williams be seen by a physician at the prison.

It was reported that Bowen, who taught at the Charles Saunders High School, appeared to have been stabbed multiple times.

At the time of the discovery,

all the apartment doors were reportedly locked.

Further investigations revealed that Bowen, who has a 16-year-old son and 10-year-old daughter, may have been slain shortly after 07:00h on September 9 since it was at around this time that “loud screams were heard in the community from the complex, after what was thought to be a domestic dispute inside.

According to the report, no one called the Police. The Police went to check on the woman after she failed to show up at work. The owner of the apartment assisted the Police in gaining access to the locked premises and it was then, the discovery was made. The suspect was later apprehended.

Mother of 5 jailed for stealing $280,000

A

woman was on Wednesday jailed when she appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts, charged for robbery.

Melinda Beaton, 31, of 45 A Field Sophia, Greater Georgetown, pleaded guilty to the charge when it was

read to her.

It is alleged that on September 5, 2016 at Independence Boulevard, she stole $280,000 in cash from Curt Steele.

The woman told the court that she offered to sell the Virtual Complainant a phone for $6000, but instead he indicated that he preferred to

have a sexual favour , a request with which she complied. After the intimate act occurred, the man fell asleep, and she stole the money and left.

The mother of five told the Magistrate that she needed the money to buy school supplies. She was jailed for 18 months.

Melinda Beaton

Jamaican on $60,000 bail for overstaying in Guyana

A

Jamaican was on Wednesday granted bail when he appeared before the Chief Magistrate, charged with overstaying in Guyana.

Marlon Brown, 33, pleaded not guilty to the charge which read that between May 4 and September 20, 2016, he overstayed his time in Guyana.

The man explained to the court that he was spending time with his father in Linden, but lost his passport and could not return home.

The prosecution objected to bail, stating that the defendant had overstayed for a period of six months.

Nonetheless, bail was granted in the sum of $60,000. The case will continue on October 7, 2016.

Eyew tness

Judicial…

T

…depth

he address by President Anthony Carmona of T&T to the Commonwealth Magistrates and Judges Association (CMJA) Conference, suggested that Burnham might've thrown out the baby with the bathwater when he did away with the "titular" Presidency. Carmona demonstrated with panache why one needs some sober and educated voices at the top of the state - to balance the inevitable partisanship of an Executive Presidency.

Our own Arthur Chung, like Carmona, was also a judge and by the time he acceded to the Presidency as designed by the British in a reflection of their own "titular" Monarch, he'd been imbued with wisdom about the faults and foibles - as well as the strengths - of the Guyanese people. Carmona reminded all of us in his speech about "what might've been".

He reminded us, as another one did the English way back in 1936, that justice was not a cloistered virtue. When Judges handed their judgements from their Olympian chambers, what is the ordinary plebes to do when all they get is the effect passed down by the ubiquitous Policemen at various and sundry roadblocks? He pleaded (pun intended!) for judges to write their opinions in plain and ordinary language. The Americans have made this mandatory decades ago… and the sky hasn't come crashing down. Carmona suggested that the Bar Association ought to place a greater role in making the public an "informed" one, as far as the "law" and their rights.

Carmona also suggested that perhaps our local judges oughtn't to be such pedants about "positivism" in interpreting the law - "what is" cannot ignore "what ought to be". How else are we ever going to have an "autochthonous law" to go along with our "West Indian Civilisation" that is now taught in our Law Schools? Carmona accepted that while judges have to know the law, he spoke about judges being "steeped in a type of social and global consciousness" that -as in the US - guide the evolution of law.

This was brought out even clearer in his pointed exhortation for the judiciary to be "intellectually ambitious" so they can craft the necessary "transformational judgement law" that gives life to the constitution. Too often we see in Guyana rather pedestrian judicial opinions - with the noted exception of former Chief Justice Ian Chung. Say what you may about the man - but he was "intellectually ambitious".

And that reminds this Eyewitness about one of his pet peeves in judicial interpretation: the painful insistence of our judges not to use the opening of Justice Brennan in Mabo to extend the rights of our Indigenous Peoples to THEIR land.

How long are we going to split hairs to maintain the status quo?

...settlement

Pressie gave his 15 minute in the spotlight at the UN to push our case for the Venezuelan sword of Damocles over our (development) head, be removed. He called the recent Venezuelan shenanigans (extending maritime boundaries, chasing off oil exploration ships from our waters, etc,) "a scandalous revival of the conquistadors all disease that once plagued their own history. They are a crime against our humanity clothed in the verbiage of national honour. "Whew!! Talk about a "feral blast"!!”

Since the Venezuelans placed their concocted Border Controversy in the hands of the UN Secretary General (SG), Pressie called upon the incumbent Ban Ki-moon to leave as his legacy a solution. Among the options the SG has is a "juridical settlement" meaning we and Venezuela present our cases to the World Court at The Hague.

Problem is… Venezuela has to agree. But with their case so weak, they ain't going down that road willingly.

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

9 GNBA seeking to regularise cable broadcasters NEWS

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2016 | GUYANA-TIMES.COM

…launches investigation into allegations against two board members

T

he Guyana National Broadcasting Authority (GNBA) is seeking to regularise all cable broadcasters and to have them take necessary steps to become fully compliant with the existing legal framework.

This is according to GNBA Chairman Leonard Craig, who in a statement on Wednesday said that one necessary step for full compliance is for all cable broadcasters to enter into a settlement agreement with the GNBA to pay all required fees with respect to the period during which they were unregularised.

“It was agreed that the Chairman of the Legal, Fees and Other Matters Committee led a meeting with unregularised cable broadcasters on the Essequibo Coast to arrive at a negotiated settlement only with respect to payment of fees up to the end of 2016,” Craig said.

These operators, he said, are expected to (re)apply for licences to operate in 2017 and beyond.

The GNBA Chairman said separate meetings were held with both entities that were currently operating on the Essequibo Coast and following the rounds of meetings, Charles, a cable broadcaster, asked for a meeting with him.

GNBA slothfulness

Meanwhile, Craig also used the opportunity to respond to criticism about the “slothfulness” of the Board.

licences and grant new ones in time for January 2017.

Investigations

GNBA Chairman Leonard Craig

According to Craig, “I wish to admit that our work is not as advanced as I had envisaged it should have been at this juncture.”

He, however, sought to explain, saying that this state of affairs was attributable to the fact that when “we assumed office, the Authority was a far cry from what a regulator of this nature should be”.

“As much as there was a regulator in place, the broadcasting landscape remained largely unregulated; weak administrative and compliance structures existed… As such, through its various committees, we set out to build an Authority literally from scratch.”

Craig added that he understood the impatience of those who have applied to become broadcasters, but wished to assure those applicants and the general public that he shared this burden and was working hard to guide the Board in the direction of reviewing all existing

On Wednesday, Craig, in a public statement said the GNBA has launched an investigation into an allegation that two members of the Board attempted to persuade, Kenwin Charles of Northwest TV Inc into selling his operations.

According to Craig, Charles pointed out that the two members attempted to improperly force him out of doing business on the Essequibo Coast where he had made significant capital investments.

He has since confirmed too that at the meeting with Charles, he indicated that he met with Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo and a similar complaint was lodged.

“I gave him every assurance that his matter will be given urgent consideration and that I will address this matter with the Board as soon as he makes a formal written complaint.”

According to Craig, “If indeed his allegations can be substantiated, it will constitute a major blow on the integrity of those members concerned.”

“I will carry out a complete investigation of the facts relating to matters raised by Mr Charles, I will review the reports of the meetings, elicit a response from the members concerned and will release an official statement in the coming days,” he said.

Dataram, reputed wife...

The family source claimed that the couple’s two children were left with relatives, noting that the couple left for neighbouring Suriname.

Dataram, who was once wanted by US authorities for conspiracy to traffic cocaine and cocaine trafficking, had accused CANU ranks of facilitating the shipment of cocaine out of Guyana.

Following the revelation, CANU’s Head, James Singh said Dataram’s “savagery” against CANU may be as a result of his uneasiness owing to the commencement of

his trial.

However, President David Granger had ordered an inquest into the allegations against the CANU officers.

The inquest was conducted by Brigadier Bruce Lovell over a two-month period.

After completing the inquest, Lovell stated that he was positive that the Government would find favour with the recommendations, as well as the conclusions and take the appropriate actions.

During the trial, a CANU rank testified that 428 parcels of plastic wrapped cocaine

FROM PAGE 5

were seized from Dataram’s home at Diamond. He added that the parcels were in a white fridge.

On Tuesday, Magistrate Latchman cautioned that if Charran and Gouveia failed to return to court on September 23, arrest warrants would also be issued and she would not recall the case. The Magistrate is expected to deliver her verdict in the case tomorrow. If found guilty, both Dataram and his reputed wife can be sentenced in their absence.

10

NEWS

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2016 | GUYANA-TIMES.COM

Guyana-Venezuela border controversy

Ambassador takes direct appeal to Maduro …plugs peaceful resolution at Non-Aligned Movement Summit

Guyana’s Ambassador to Venezuela, Cheryl Miles

I

n the presence of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, a top Guyanese diplomat accused the Bolivarian Republic of continuing to present a potential threat to the peace and security of Guyana, as that country continues to ignore an 1899 Tribunal Award in laying claim to two-thirds of Guyana’s territory.

Speaking at the XVII Summit of Heads of State and Government of the NonAligned Movement (NAM), being hosted on the island of Margarita, Guyana’s Ambassador to Venezuela, Cheryl Miles, reminded that the sacred principle of the Non-Aligned Movement was respect for territorial integ-

Venezuela’s President, Nicolás Maduro

rity.

“As delegations are aware, more than two-thirds of my country is subject to a claim by the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. This represents a potential threat to our peace and security,” she told the Summit being chaired by President Maduro.

Speaking directly to President Maduro, Ambassador Miles said she was convinced that cooperation, friendship and mutual respect were underlying principles for the maintenance of peace and stability and for the success of integration movements in the Latin American and Caribbean Region, as in the

wider world.

“Therefore, I wish to use this opportunity to reaffirm that Guyana is committed to the search for a peaceful solution to the controversy with Venezuela,” she stated.

She noted that since the last meeting of the NonAligned Movement in Iran back in August 2012, there have been significant developments with regard to the long-running controversy, including a decision by Guyana not to continue with the United Nations Secretary General’s Good Officers’ process, which has been ongoing for two and a half decades without very little success.

The Ambassador, how-

ever, noted that Guyana was continuing to cooperate with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, who is considering the exercise of his mandate under the Geneva Agreement of 1966 to resolve the controversy.

She also reminded the Summit of the position of the Caribbean Community (Caricom) Heads of Government at their 37th Regular Meeting held in July 2016, where they signalled their full confidence in the Geneva Agreement to bring the controversy to a definitive and judicial conclusion.

“Mr Chairman, Guyanese are peace-loving people and our sister Republic of Venezuela likewise advocates diplomacy of peace, as is evident in the theme of this Summit. This is the basis on which we have built, and which we hope to continue to build, good neighbourly relations with Venezuela in the true spirit of NonAligned unity and mutual respect,” she stated.

Ambassador Miles is attending the Summit on behalf of Guyana’s President, David Granger, who is currently participating in the 71st Regular Session of the UN General Assembly in New York.

During a news conference in New York on Monday, ahead of his address to the Assembly, President Granger said that he was satisfied with the efforts of the UN Secretary General in trying to resolve the border controversy. He said that while the Government had hoped that the process of ending the decades-long controversy would have been further advanced, it is not due to a lack of effort by the Secretary General’s Office, but rather the slothful pace at which the Venezuelan Government was moving.

“I am satisfied with what the Secretary General has done; I am not satisfied that the Bolivarian Republic has acted in good faith. It is clear that much more needs to be done by Venezuela if this matter is to be resolved… In my experience over the last 50 years, I have not seen a Secretary General so engaged in this matter; he has done everything possible over the last year since first meeting in Bridgetown. I am convinced of his sincerity in trying to bring this matter to closure,” the President declared.

He explained that since the signing of the Geneva Agreement in February 1966, Guyana has abided by all of its provisions.

This agreement has given the Secretary General specific responsibilities in the absence of Guyana and Venezuela reaching a mutually accepted position.

Keeping it real

Indians will mark the centenary abolition of migration to Guyana in 2017

T

he year 1938 marked a special one for Indians in Guyana.

It was 100 years after the first two Indian cargo ships, the Hesperus and the Whitby, departed the loading docks of Port Calcutta, largely influenced by the British East India Company. The ships sailed across the kala pani and landed in another colonial establishment of the British Dr Baytoram Ramharack Empire, not far away from Sir Francis Drake’s mythical El Dorado. To celebrate their accomplishments after 100 years of indentureship, the British Guiana East Indian Association (BGEIA) brought together the elite Indians in the colony to examine their accumulated achievement over the century.

Their accomplishments were deep and widespread, but participants agreed that much had to be done for Indians to mark their presence in their adopted home.

If one thing is certain, it is that the system of indentureship was a brutal experience for many Indians. Walter Rodney referred to indentureship as “neo slavery”, while Joseph Beaumont, the author of The New Slavery, who was the Chief Justice of British Guiana (1863-68), described the indenture system as a “rotten, monstrous system” that was “rooted upon slavery, grown in its stale soil” and “emulating its worst abuses”.

History attributed the birth of this system to John Gladstone, a Scottish merchant who had made a fortune trading in corn with the United States and cotton with Brazil. Desperately trying to influence the British Government, Gladstone wrote on behalf of other plantation owners, including John Moss, a close friend and partner, proposing to Lord Glenelg that, given the size of his Demerara plantation in British Guiana, a ship should be sent to Calcutta "for the purpose of conveying about 150 of these 'Hill Coolies’” from Bengal to Demerara to be “hired and engaged” in the same manner as in Mauritius.

The rest is history.

The migration, which started in 1838, continued to the year 1917, which in itself marks another watershed year in the history of Indians, not just for Guyanese Indians, but for Indians in the wider diaspora. As a result, 2017 will mark one hundred years since the British Government issued a declaration to abolish official Indian migration to its colonial holdings. Under pressure from Indians in India, all migration was suspended permanently under the Defence of India Act on March 12, 1917. Even though an official date was established, there were still a number of attempts to encourage a continued Indian immigration flow to British Guiana, the most notable of which was the Nunan-Luckhoo scheme of 1923-24. This attempt generated a certain level of controversy, given the views expressed by “abolitionist” groups in Britain and the reluctance of Gandhi and the British Government to do so. No doubt, there were concerns by other groups in the colony also, including the Negro Prigrass Convention, which considered the increasing number of Indians to the colony as a threat to the limited economic and political status achieved by Africans.

Remarkably though, the BGEIA and its leaders understood that their political actions had to be tempered out of consideration for Guyana’s delicate ethnic and racial balance. Members of the BGEIA, including Jung Bahadur Singh, a leader of the BGEIA, tirelessly advised the young Cheddi Jagan (confirmed

by Dr Mohan Ragbeer) about this political reality in Guyana, but the radical communist brushed aside those concerns.

An assessment of the hundred years after 1917 will demonstrate that Indian arrival, and their continued presence, helped transform the Guyanese political and cultural landscape. The current ethnic divide, and the animosities and conflicts associated with the demographic composition of the nation, is rooted in this new turning point which dates back to 1838. Like the slaves, the indentured Indians were perceived, and in many cases treated as "property", rather than "bounded labour" by the planter class.

A number of events are being organised to mark the 100 years since 1917. These events are being planned by Indian Diaspora communities which will allow Indians to assess the experience of indenture and the role of Indians in the communities in which they now live, as well as their relationship with members of other communities.

(Part of this column is excerpted from a forthcoming book on Jung Bahadur Singh).

Send comments to Bramharack60@gmail.com

NEWS

11

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2016 | GUYANA-TIMES.COM

Hughes, Nandlall call for establishment of industrial court …in light of public servants wage standoff

T

he establishment of an industrial court to hear matters on workers’ grievances and other labour issues is necessary, Attorney Nigel Hughes told Guyana Times in a recent interview.

Similar views were expressed by Member of Parliament and former Attorney General Anil Nandlall, who also made the call during an interview with this newspaper.

Both Attorneys pointed out that there were many cases of ongoing grievances and work-related issues plaguing employees, who sometimes received no justice. The most recent is the deadlock between the Government and the Guyana Public Servants Union (GPSU), who had proposed a “living wage” for workers.

Hughes stated that it would be good to have the specialised court established because cases would be dealt with in a timely manner with little to no backlog.

However, he proposed that before the court was built, the Administration needed to bring the existing judicial institutions up to an acceptable level, whereby there was no backlog of cases.

Also, he said it was important for the Administration to consider if the country had the capacity to build another court.

“Although adding another layer to the system is good, it might create more frustration for us,” he said.

Attorney Nigel Hughes

The People United and General Workers Union (PU&GWU) had circulated a letter to the media, requesting the coalition Government and the Opposition to move to Parliament to establish an Industrial Court, with the status of the High Court, to hear and determine disputes relating to employment and labour relations.

The Union stated that it was pushing the parties for consent since both of them, in power and on the campaign trail, as well as at Labour Day rallies and marches, promised the working class and their trade unions a good and strong labour sector.

In the letter, the Union stated, “Due to the number of unsolved and unsettled cases, lack of enforcement of existing labour laws, failure of Guyana signing on to more international labour laws and International Labour Organisation (ILO) and International Maritime Organisation labour conven-

Former Attorney General Anil Nandlall

tions/laws and lack of addressing ongoing grievances and general work-related issues affecting the working class, the People United and General Workers Union (PU&GWU) strongly believes that the way to address these matters and to establish a strong, effective and improved labour sector in Guyana, and also to address workers, their trade unions, and their general grievances in a timely manner, thus the Government of Guyana needs to urgently establish an Industrial Court.”

Currently, labour matters are handled by the Social Protection Ministry’s Labour Department and, in some cases, these matters would be taken to the High Court – under the previous Administration, there was a dedicated Labour Ministry.

Nandlall stated that an Industrial Court would prevent this from occurring, since in some cases, employ-

ees would not have the money to hire a lawyer to represent them. He said that an established court would have specialised lawyers and judges to deliver a better quality of justice in a faster manner.

“The concept of a specialised court to deal with these matters is a good one,” he opined, recalling that under the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Administration, specialised courts were established to deal with particular issues which would have otherwise fallen into the hands of the High Court or the Magistrates’ Courts.

He stated that the formation of such an institution would have its advantages, particularly in the hearing of cases immediately rather than having to join the “long backlog of unrelated cases”.

However, he indicated that the establishment of an Industrial Court would be dependent on whether there were a significant number of disputes to engage a tribunal.

Presently, the Government and the GPSU are at a standstill on salary increase negotiations. While Government maintains that it will not budge from its 10 per cent offer, the GPSU has been holding out and has even suggested that the two parties meet again for more talks. President David Granger has, however, said that there was nothing more that could be offered at this time.

Pomeroon River schools in dire need of maintenance – coalition Councillor

E

ven as schools throughout Guyana reopened their doors since the beginning of September, children, particularly those attending primary and nursery schools along the Pomeroon River in Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam), have to face much inconvenience since their schools were not properly rehabilitated during the July/August vacation.

Children from Hackney, Malbrough and Akawini in the Lower Pomeroon are presently forced to utilise residents’ washrooms ow-

ing to the lack of proper washroom facilities at the Government schools.

According to coalition Councillor Julian Cummings, both the primary and nursery schools’ roofs in Malbrough are leaking. Cummings related that several parents from the Pomeroon areas have complained about the issues affecting their children. As such, he called for the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) to intervene in helping to fix the schools in the areas and for the Department of Education

APNU/AFC Councillor Julian Cummings

staff to be more visible, observing that most of the schools have issues, but none were ever reported.

On that note, he called for Education Officers to conduct more field visits and to serve in the best interest of

the children.

In responding, acting Regional Chairperson Nandranie Coonjah said that a team should visit the areas and access the situation. She said that having an education was important and children must be given a conducive environment to learn. She also instructed Councillor Cummings to be part of the team for the visit.

Clerk of the RDC, Regional Executive Officer (REO) Rupert Hopkinson said that no ranger or overseer reported the matter to him. He said he, however, knew that some works were conducted on schools in the Pomeroon during the summer vacation, particularly plumbing. He then promised to follow up on the issue.

By: Lorraine Ince-Carvalhal

Phobias

W

e are all afraid of something, and rightly so; there are many good reasons to be afraid. We all have diverse reasons and different ways of coping with our fears, but what happens when that fear is irrational and begins to control your life? That is when you most likely have a phobia.

A phobia is a type of anxiety disorder; a strong, overwhelming and unreasonable fear of an object or situation that provokes anxiety and avoidance, despite posing no real danger.

This is unlike our short-lived day to day fears – it is long lasting and causes intense physical and psychological reactions which can affect the ability to function normally.

Phobias are divided into three main categories; specific, social and agro (fear of open spaces). A specific phobia involves an irrational, persistent fear of a specific object or situation not proportional to the actual risk. This includes a fear of situations, nature, animals or insects, blood, injections or other phobias such as clowns. Most of us know someone who is afraid of spiders!

A social phobia is much more than just shyness. This involves a combination of extreme self-consciousness and a fear of public scrutiny or humiliation. In social situations, the person fears being rejected or negatively evaluated or fears offending others. This may not be evident to many people as it may not be openly discussed by the sufferer.

Agoraphobia is a fear of an actual or anticipated situation, such as using public transportation, being in open or enclosed spaces, standing in line or being in a crowd, or being outside the home alone. Anxiety is caused by feeling unable to escape if intense anxiety develops. This may be so severe that some people are unable to leave home.

Any of these can lead to feelings of uncontrollable panic, terror or dread when you're exposed to the source of the fear, so much so that a person may do everything possible to avoid it. The anxiety manifests itself into the inability to function. The reactions can be so strong that they produce physical as well as psychological reactions; sweating, rapid heartbeat, difficulty breathing and extreme panic.

Often, suffers acknowledge that the fears are unreasonable or exaggerated but feel powerless to control them, which in turn increases the anxiety. It can be extremely difficult for others around to understand and it can be almost impossible for a sufferer to give a viable explanation for their behaviour.

Phobias do not have a single cause, but there are a number of associated factors. It may be related to a particular incident or trauma, or may be a learned response that a person develops early in life from a parent or sibling.

Genetics may play a role as studies have shown there's evidence to suggest that some people are born with a tendency to be more anxious than others.

Childhood fears, such as fear of the dark, of monsters or of being left alone, are common, and most children outgrow them. But if a child has a persistent, excessive fear that is limiting their ability to function in daily lifewhich may present in tantrums, crying and clinginess, intervention is crucial. As parents you can help by talking openly about fears and not trivialising the problem or belittling your child for being afraid. Instead, let your child know that you're there to listen and to help.

Ultimately, avoid reinforcing phobias. Look for and create opportunities to help children overcome their fears by modelling positive behaviour, either in specific areas where you are aware of their fear or in other’s when a more general fear can be used as an example. Because children learn by watching, you can demonstrate how to respond when confronted by something your child fears. If this does not help, it may be necessary to seek professional support.

A person will sometimes choose to live with a phobia, taking great care to avoid the object or situation they're afraid of. However, if you have a phobia, continually trying to avoid what you're afraid of will only serve to make the situation worse. Almost all phobias can be successfully treated and cured. Mild ones can be treated through gradual exposure to the object, animal, place or situation that causes fear and anxiety. In more serious cases, considerations of psychological help are advised, especially if you have children, as repeatedly seeing someone else's phobic reaction can trigger a phobia in children and may be the reason many adults are suffering right now.

12 NEWS

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2016 | GUYANA-TIMES.COM

Rape is rape!

– Manickchand blasts Lawrence over “deflowering” comments

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t is both disturbing and dangerous when the agency responsible for helping victims of rape refers to this horrendous act as “deflowering” – a term which does not encompass everything that is rape.

This was expressed by former Human Services Minister Priya Manickchand, who posited that “rape is rape” and any attempt to desensitise this horrific crime must be strongly condemned.

The Social Protection Ministry, headed by the controversial Volda Lawrence, in more than one public statement, urged the end to the “deflowering of children”.

As a matter of fact, even after receiving immense public backlash over the use of the word deflowering to describe rape, the Ministry issued a second statement, again referring to rape as deflowering in its Child Protection Week announcement.

Strikingly, this is on the heels of the Minister being accused of protecting a child molester during the campaigning season of the Local Government Elections (LGE).

Manickchand, in a post on social media, highlighted that it sets a worrying precedence when the Minister responsible for the protection of children and the care of rape victims, seems to be unaware of the difference between the two terms.

“Rape is rape, Minister.

There is no need, and it is in fact dangerous, to dress it up and speak gently about it.

Deflowering has traditionally been used to indicate the loss of virginity and purity in

Former Human Services Minister Priya Manickchand

girls and women. To use this word to address the sex abuse, rape and incest of our children is foolish and backward,” she stated.

Manickchand explained that the use of a lighter word in the place of rape reminds her of when it was still taboo to openly use the words “penis”

Social Protection Minister Volda Lawrence

means in Guyana the insertion of any body part into another body part without consent and under certain ages.

So a child can be raped and not “deflowered” by being made to put into his/her mouth a penis.

A boy child can be raped without being deflowered by being anally penetrated. Don’t we

“Rape is rape, Minister. There is no need, and it is in fact dangerous to dress it up and speak gently about it. Deflowering has traditionally been used to indicate the loss of virginity and purity in girls and women. To use this word to address the sex abuse, rape and incest of our children is foolish and backward.” and “vagina” in sensitisation.

Moreover, she questioned the Minister’s comprehension of the definition of the two terms as she pointed out that a child can be raped and not deflowered.

“So once the deflowering stops, is it okay for someone to just rape the babies? We do know that rape is defined much more widely than penetration of the vagina by the penis, don’t we Minister? We should know by now that rape

know these things by now?” expressed Manickchand, who is also a parliamentarian.

Manickchand outlined that the softening of such a brutal crime contributes to the rape culture, and when the country’s chief champion against abuse fails to make clear her position in addressing these issues, it is a matter of grave concern.

However, she noted that perhaps this posture demonstrated by the Minister should come as no surprise given her

previous stance on a matter of similar nature.

“But then again, this is the Minister who thought a woman whose child was raped by her uncle and who was repeatedly making complaints about same to those in authority should have dealt differently with the matter, should have hushed it up! It was after all, she said ‘a family matter!’”

Manickchand stated.

Earlier this year, Lawrence came in for much criticism after she made some unfortunate remarks and had a casual approach in defence of a man who was charged for sexual molestation. In her defence, the Minister was quoted by another section of the media as saying, “This is a family issue that has been going on and on and on and on for whatever reason, I can’t tell you, because if I had a brother, even if there was an accusation, this is not how I would go about helping him.”

Additionally, it is alleged that the molester’s sister further alleged that she told the Minister that her brother needed to be jailed for his involvement, but Lawrence asked her not to pursue such actions. Coupled with her use of the word ‘deflowering’ to define rape, many more are beginning to question Lawrence’s capability to effectively manage the affairs of the Social Protection Ministry.

Already, several rights activists, led by human rights group Red Thread, had conducted a series of picketing exercises demanding the resignation of Lawrence following her callous statements on the accused child molester.

Academics do not necessarily provide work-related skills – CXC Registrar

Registrar of CXC, Glenroy Cumberbatch

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ersons who have gained academic qualifications are not necessarily equipped with the skills to function in the workplace. This was the contention of the Registrar of the Caribbean Examinations Council (CXC) Glenroy Cumberbatch, who made these remarks at Guyana’s accreditation for technical and vocational training on Wednesday.

Cumberbatch said many societies have found that possessing a degree or associated qualifications does not necessarily equip people with skills they need operate in the workplace. The Registrar noted that “many years ago” persons with degrees could have easily attained jobs but in the present context, this is not the case.

“Very soon [it was] recognised that the degree is not necessarily work skills and that people who have these degrees cannot function in the work place as well as they thought,” Cumberbatch

noted.

The CXC Registrar added that it is important for students to follow the CVQ (Caribbean Vocational Qualification) programme, pointing out that the combination with academic qualifications will better equip students for the work environment.

“More and more we are seeing you have lots of CSEC subjects and degrees but you’re not being employed so it’s imperative that persons follow the CVQ programme so that their skills are more work related skills and combining the two prepares them much better for the world before us,” the CXC representative opined.

Cummberbatch stressed that there are some countries that have made it “absolutely clear” that no child should leave school without their technical qualifications. He added that persons with technical skills should be seen just as intelligent as those with who attain several qualifications.

“Intelligence must not be seen only as people who get first class honours but people who contribute to your economy must also be seen as intelligent – the plumbers, mechanics… must all be recognised for the value in the social and economic development of the country,” posited the CXC Registrar.

Meanwhile, Education Minister, Dr Rupert Roopnaraine once again voiced his concern over students writing 25 subjects at CXC.

NEWS

13

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2016 | GUYANA-TIMES.COM

CTVET Programme receives accreditation of decent work,” the CANTA Chairman expressed. “[CTVET] must remain committed to equipping the workforce with the skills required for current and future employment towards economic competitiveness and sustainable development,” Dr Wesley further added.

The CVQ is a Caricom approved award that “rep-

From left to right: Caricom CVQ Director of Human Development Myrna Bernard; Technical Facilitator Vincent Alexander; Education Minister, Dr Rupert Roopnaraine; CANTA’s Chairman, Dr Wayne Wesley and CXC Registrar Glenroy Cumberbatch

T

he Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (CTVET) Programme was on Wednesday accredited by the Caribbean Community’s Caribbean Vocational Qualification (CVQ) following a recent evaluation project.

Established through an Act of Parliament in 2004, the TVET programme seeks to provide students with practical skills and knowledge related to jobs in various sectors.

At a ceremony held at the Pegasus Hotel in Georgetown, Guyana was formally given accreditation to award national vocational qualifications. Education Minister, Dr Rupert Roopnaraine underscored the need for the nation’s children to be wellrounded individuals, noting that technical vocational training was essential to Guyana’s qualification framework.

“The very future of our country by the CTVET’s of the Caribbean. The Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training Programme must be congratulated for its pioneering ef-

fort along with Government’s technical institute which has made this landmark achievement possible,” the Education Minister opined.

Dr Roopnaraine added that the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) had played a lead role in terms of bringing about “harmonisation of secondary education”.

CXC’s Registrar, Glenroy Cumberbatch also noted the value of attaining technical skills, pointing out that there has been a “mismatch” between what occurred in the Region’s education sector and what was needed.

Meanwhile, Caricom’s CVQ Director of Human Development, Myrna Bernard noted that the Secretariat stood ready to support Guyana’s efforts to achieve goals set out in the 2030 development strategy.

She added that the CVQ certification of Guyana’s CTVET Programme was only possible through the recommendation of the Caribbean Association of National Training Agencies (CANTA).

“Guyana’s accreditation only came after strin-

gent evaluation,” the Director pointed out.

In June, officers attached to CANTA conducted an assessment of the CTVET programmes to bring them more in line with international standards.

CANTA’s Chairman, Dr Wayne Wesley, who also addressed the gathering on Wednesday, opined that countries needed to focus on enhancing human resources.

This, he said, will further foster development.

“If any country wants to advance, it must place high importance on the development of its human resources,” Dr Wesley expressed.

He noted that with the recent oil find, it was even more pertinent for Guyana’s human resources to be utilised to benefit all the people of Guyana.

“I expect to see some CVQs for persons to be prepared to take advantage of what is likely to happen; the opportunities are there for the development of this country. The prosperity of the Region depends on worker productivity [and] the skills of our people which [are] the foundations

resents achievement of a set of competencies which define core work practices of an occupational area, consistent with the levels articulated within the regional qualifications framework”.

To earn an award, candidates must “demonstrate competence in reaching Caricom-approved occupational standards. These stan-

dards are organised in units.

The CTVET programme has a vision to “ensure a competent labour force to meet the changing demands of global competitiveness”.

Wednesday’s ceremony was chaired by Technical Facilitator Vincent Alexander.

(Shemuel Fanfair)

Revised safety policy by end of October

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inister within the Social Protection Ministry, Keith Scott met with stakeholders to discuss the revision of the National Occupational Safety and Health (OS&H) Policy and to create an action plan to guide the works of the OS&H Council.

The Ministry partnered with the International Labour Organisation (ILO) to host a three-day consultation on the creation of an updated Decent Work Country Programme at the Herdmanston Lodge, Georgetown on Wednesday.

The workshop is being facilitated by ILO representatives.

The revision of the safety policy was addressed during Wednesday’s consultations.

Scott, in his address at the opening of the consultation, encouraged stakeholders to ensure that their synergy created a policy that was suitable to the specific needs of Guyana’s situation.

A section of the stakeholders attending the consultation

The Minister encouraged the incorporation of the use of technology in the revised safety policy. Technology must influence the crafting and refashioning of the safety policy to help reduce workplace injuries and illness, the Minister stated.

“An examination of the primary focus and agenda of the Factories’ Act and OS&H Act provides distinct understanding that a social policy is not only absolutely necessary, it must be current and reflective of the evolving technology, which

does not in any way transgress the rights and safety of workers,” Scott noted.

Stakeholders involved in the consultation were drawn from unions, the Private Sector and Government agencies, including the Social Protection Ministry and members of the Council on OS&H. The revised policy and national action plan are expected to be completed by October. The action plan will guide the work of the OS&H Council during its two-year tenure.

14

guyana-times.com

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2016

Regional

Clinton emails reveal more ‘shenanigans’ in Haiti

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n an article entitled “More Clinton shenanigans in Haiti”, Mary Anastasia O’Grady writing in the Wall Street Journal has reported that on January 27, 2011, Clinton Foundation chief operating officer Laura Graham sent an email to then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s Chief-of-Staff Cheryl Mills, voicing concern about a rumour that the State Department was thinking about revoking the US visa of then Haitian Prime Minister Jean Max Bellerive.

Clinton Foundation staff therefore used connections at the State Department to try to influence US policy decisions involving a powerful Haitian politician.

Then US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton waves to joint, international, interagency and nongovernmental organisation representatives participating in Continuing Promise 2009 as Navy Captain Robert G Lineberry Jr, commodore of USNS Comfort, gives her a tour through one of two medical sites his crew set up to treat Haiti’s poorest residents, April 16, 2009

Back then she boasted that the foundation and the incoming administration “decided to go beyond what the law and the ethics rules call for to address even the

appearance of conflict” of interest with a “memorandum of understanding” to “address potential concerns” and ensure transparency.

However, a string of

State Department emails from January 2011 – made public through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request by Citizens United – demonstrates that Clinton’s State Department did not separate itself from the Clinton Foundation but instead collaborated with it.

The US did not revoke Bellerive’s visa, and it is not clear whether the State Department contemplated doing so. Bellerive was an important Bill Clinton ally. After the January 2010 earthquake, he worked with the State Department and inside the Haitian parliament to pass emergency legislation that created the Interim Haiti Recovery Commission (IHRC). (Excerpt from Caribbean News Now)

Brazil’s ex-President Lula to be tried for corruption

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razil’s former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will stand trial on corruption and money laundering charges over an alleged scheme at the state oil company, Petrobras, a judge has said.

Prosecutors say he accepted 3.7 million reais (US$1.11 million; £867,000) in bribes connected to the multibillion-dollar scheme.

Lula, 70, had already been charged in August with allegedly obstructing investigations.

Lula is accused of failing to declare a luxury penthouse

He denies any wrongdoing and says the accusations are politically motivat-

ed. “I am sad,” Lula said. “It is a big farce, a big lie, a big pyrotechnic show. What’s happening isn’t getting me down, but just motivates me to go out and talk more.”

Judge Sergio Moro, who is overseeing Operation Car Wash, the investigation into corruption allegations at Petrobras, said there was “sufficient evidence of [Lula’s] responsibility”.

The money that the expresident allegedly received was laundered through the purchase and renovation of a beach apartment, prosecu-

tors say.

The flat was built by a construction company implicated in the scandal.

His wife, Marisa Leticia, and six others have also been indicted. Lula was accused by prosecutors of being the “boss” of the scheme, estimated to have cost the company more than US$2 billion (£1.5 billion).

Several politicians and Petrobras executives have been arrested and sentenced as a result of the two-year inquiry. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Killer robots developed as radical solution to Lionfish crisis

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ew predators can match the devastating impact of the invasive Indo-Pacific lionfish, which can reduce a flourishing coral reef to a barren wasteland if left unchecked.

Substantial numbers of lionfish have been spreading across the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico since the early 2000s and, wherever they go, the aquatic invaders gorge on just about anything that fits in their mouths: colourful reef fish, juveniles of commercial species including snapper and grouper, and algae grazers like parrotfish that allow corals to

thrive. Millions of them now roam the Caribbean, preying on corals and juvenile native fish, which don’t recognise them as a threat.

No solution has been found to control their advance yet, but conservationists could soon have a new tool at their disposal: killer robots.

CNN reports that the idea emerged from a diving trip in Bermuda, where iRobot CEO Colin Angle met with local conservationists and learned about the extent of the damage caused by lionfish. One member of the group suggested that he

Substantial numbers of lionfish have been spreading across the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico since the early 2000s

create a machine to kill the fish, and another offered to provide funding.

Angle returned home and wrote a proposal, which swiftly became the nonprofit company “Robots in

Service of the Environment (RISE).” The design for a lionfish killer basically combines a remotely-operated vehicle (ROV) with a bespoke electrocution device. (Excerpt from Caribbean360)

French Government sends Police to Guadeloupe to help tackle crime

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ising crime in the French overseas department of Guadeloupe has prompted France to send in Police reinforcement. Their arrival had been announced by the Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve and the 70 Police Officers reached the Caribbean island over the weekend, according to Dominica News Online.

They are being mainly stationed in Pointe-à-Pitre, Abymes and Baie-Mahault.

There had been media reports linking the development to the murder of Guadeloupe national Yohann Equinoxe by a 15-year-old Dominican in Abymes last Tuesday. Equinoxe was reportedly stabbed several times by the teen who tried to steal his phone. However,

journalist Clayton Florent told Dominica News Online that the arrival of the French troops was a response to overall violence in the country.

Following Equinoxe’s killing, there were reports of tension between nationals of Guadeloupe and Dominica in the French Caribbean island.

According to Dominica News Online, a video had

surfaced on social media showing what appeared to be a man from Guadeloupe purportedly threatening violence against Dominicans and, soon after that, there was another video posted with people who were reportedly Dominicans responding and referring to the deceased Equinoxe disparagingly.(Excerpt from Caribbean360)

Panamanian leader says supporting Haiti could avoid US immigration crisis

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aiti’s economy and democracy must be fortified if the United States is to avoid a new wave of illegal immigrants, Panama’s president said on Wednesday, urging fellow leaders to actively manage immigration rather than leave it to human traffickers.

Instability in Haiti has increased emigration from the impoverished island nation while Haitians who found refuge in Brazil after the 2010 earthquake are being driven northward by a recession in Latin America’s biggest economy.

Panama is their gateway from South America to Central America and eventually the United States and Canada, President Juan Carlos Varela said in an interview on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. US border offi-

cials are struggling to find enough space to temporarily hold hundreds of Haitian immigrants. Apprehensions of Haitians in southern Mexico are also on the rise, indicating that the surge toward the United States could grow when those people travel north.

Some 3500 would-be immigrants to the US and Canada are being held in Panamanian refugee centres, 80 to 85 per cent of whom are Haitian, Varela said. His government temporarily holds people arriving from Panama’s jungle border area with Colombia.

Many arrive in bad health, having trudged three days through the Colombian jungle and then six more days on the Panamanian side of the border, the president said. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Developing nations at Caribbean summit call for greater say in UN reform

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aribbean, Latin American and other developing nations across the world are appealing for more say in the process of reforming the United Nations (UN). And they also want more say, too, in the selection of the next top officer at the world’s most important body.

Heads of State and government of the 120-member Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) met on Saturday and Sunday for their 17th summit on Margarita Island in Venezuela, where they called for more consideration of developing countries in how and when changes are made at and to the international body.

In a Declaration issued to the press on Monday morning, the NAM leaders “reit-

erated the need to recover and strengthen the authority of the General Assembly as the most democratic, accountable, universal and representative body of the Organisation.”

“In this regard,” the declaration added, “they encouraged the establishment of a harmonious and balanced relationship between the main bodies of the Organisation, on the basis of the prerogatives provided in the Charter of the United Nations.”

It continued, “They further called for the reform of the Security Council, in order to transform it into a more democratic, effective, efficient, transparent and representative body, and in line with contemporary geopolitical realities.” (Excerpt from Caribbean News Now)

Grenada prepared to offer LIAT subsidy

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rime Minister, Dr Keith Mitchell said Wednesday that Grenada was prepared to provide the cash-strapped regional airline, LIAT, with a financial subsidy for it to service the island, but was not prepared to provide funds for the airline’s operations.

“Grenada will have no difficulty providing some subsidy to LIAT, but I am not taking money and give it and say spend it as you want… That is an offer I made since Jean Holder was the Chairman,” he told a news conference.

“If the issue is the monopoly, we have to do something about it. If the issue is about imposing taxes on the ticket, then we have to do something about it. Right now we are charging our-

Prime Minister, Dr Keith Mitchell

selves outside of the market,” he said.

Earlier in the week, LIAT announced that it would be reducing the number of flights to Grenada as of Friday, but Mitchell told reporters that following talks between St George’s and the airline management, the cut has been reduced to just one flight. (Excerpt from CMC)

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2016

guyana-times.com

15

Around the World

Delhi hospitals fighting uphill battle 2 sought over unexploded NY device against drug-resistant superbugs

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ike medical centres across India’s sweltering capital, the Kalawati Saran hospital in North Delhi is bearing the brunt of an outbreak of mosquito-borne disease.

Entire families are camped out in its corridors, alongside stocks of food and water. Women sleep nearly 20 to a room on mats inside the neonatal ward. Few people wear masks and even fewer use foot covers, which might keep Delhi’s incorrigible dust from entering treatment rooms.

Hospitals such as Kalawati, a Government facility providing vital free care to Delhi’s poorest, are ground zero for antibioticresistant superbugs – described at the UN general assembly this week as the

Hospitals such as Kalawati, a Government facility providing vital free care to Delhi’s poorest, are ground zero for antibioticresistant superbug

biggest threat to modern medicine.

Nowhere is the growing global threat of antibiotic resistance as stark as in India, researchers say. One of the resistance-enabling enzymes that most concerns doctors was discovered to be

rampant in Delhi in 2008, and named after the city: NDM-1. It has since spread to 70 countries around the world.

But poor conditions inside some Indian hospitals, cities and villages are only part of the problem. A

2010 study found Indians were the largest consumers of antibiotics in the world, and the Indian Medical Association has estimated that about 50 per cent of prescriptions might be inappropriate or unnecessary.

Delhi’s newborns often bear the brunt of poor conditions and antibiotic overuse. A landmark study published in the Lancet last week followed 13,530 babies admitted into intensive care units in the city’s three largest hospitals, and found an “alarming degree” of antibiotic resistance.

Nearly 500 babies died from sepsis, many contracting the disease from the bacteria acinetobacter. Of those, 82 per cent simply could not be treated by any known antibiotic. (Excerpt from The Guardian)

UN says aid convoys ready to roll again in Syria

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he United Nations is gearing up to resume aid deliveries in Syria suspended after a deadly attack on a relief convoy near Aleppo two days ago, officials said on Wednesday.

“The preparation for these convoys has now resumed and we are ready to deliver aid to besieged

and hard-to-reach areas as soon as possible,” the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a statement.

“The United Nations continues to call for safe, unconditional, unimpeded and sustained access to all Syrians in need, wherever they are,” it said.

Elizabeth Hoff, World Health Organisation (WHO) representative in Syria, told Reuters it was preparing medical supplies for delivery on Thursday to the Damascus suburb of Moadamiya subject to the normal security risk assessments.

The Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) suspend-

ed operations in Aleppo province for three days following Monday night’s attack on a 31-truck convoy and warehouse in the town of Urem al-Kubra that killed a staff member and about 20 civilians. SARC has continued deliveries to other areas of Syria, officials say. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Zuckerberg and Chan aim to tackle all disease by 2100

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acebook’s founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan have pledged US$3 billion (£2.3 billion) to fund medical research over the next decade.

At a press conference in San Francisco, they said their ultimate goal was to “cure, prevent or manage all diseases by the end of the century”. The funds will be distributed by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, which they created in December 2015.

Tech leaders are increasingly turning their attention to health. Earlier in the week, Microsoft said it in-

tended to “solve” cancer by using artificial intelligence tools.

Google’s DeepMind unit is working with the NHS to find a way to use computers to more accurately diagnose diseases. And IBM and MIT announced a tie-up earlier this week to develop AI-based systems that could help clinicians improve the care of elderly and disabled patients.

Even so, the Chan Zuckerberg plan is marked by its ambition. Zuckerberg said that at present 50 times more money was spent on treating people who are sick than on curing the diseases

Priscilla Chan was trained as a paediatrician

that would stop them getting ill in the first place, and added that this needed to change.

Chan added that they had already committed US$600 million to creating

a new research centre called the Biohub, which will bring together engineers, computer scientists, biologists, chemists and other innovators.(Excerpt from BBC News)

T

he FBI is seeking two men pictured with a suitcase that allegedly contained a bomb which failed to explode in New York on Saturday. The pair appeared to remove the explosive device from the luggage before taking the bag with them.

Authorities are looking to question the two men and recover the suitcase.

The device was allegedly planted by Ahmad Rahami, an Afghan-born, New Jersey resident who is facing charges in connection to twin blasts.

An FBI “seeking information” poster says the two men “allegedly located a piece of luggage on the sidewalk, removed an improvised explosive device from the luggage, and then left the vicinity leaving the device behind but taking the

luggage”.

Investigators have said the suitcase was left at West 27th Street in Manhattan by 28-year-old Rahami. The 27th Street bomb never exploded.

But at around the same time another explosive device detonated on West 23rd Street in the Chelsea neighbourhood, injuring 31 people.

Police had earlier said they believed the two men did not appear to be related to the plot.

But in Wednesday’s poster it said agents are “interested in speaking to these individuals and recovering the luggage”. Rahami has been charged in relation to the New York explosion and another device that exploded harmlessly hours earlier near a race in Seaside Park, New Jersey.(Excerpt from BBC News)

Scores drown after boat capsizes off Egypt’s coast

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t least 43 people have died and 154 have been rescued after a boat carrying hundreds of refugees capsized off Egypt’s coast.

State news agency MENA reported on Wednesday that the boat, believed to be carrying around 600 people, capsized off the coast of Kafr al-Sheikh governorate, about 140km North of Cairo.

Officials said 31 bodies had been recovered - 20 men, 10 women and one child. A correspondent for Reuters news agency later saw a fishing boat bring in 12 more bodies, bringing the total to 43.

At least 154 people had been saved, according to officials, who said that search teams were looking for more survivors. “Initial information indicates that the boat sank because it was carry-

ing more people than its limit. The boat tilted and the migrants fell into the water,” a senior security official told Reuters. The boat was carrying Egyptians, Syrians and people from African countries, security sources told Reuters.

More and more people have been trying to cross to Italy from the North African coastline in recent months as the weather improves, particularly from Libya, where people-traffickers operate with relative impunity, but also from Egypt.

Some 206,400 refugees have crossed the Mediterranean this year, according to the International Organization for Migration.

More than 2800 deaths have been recorded between January and June this year, against 1838 during the period last year. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Obama welcomes Colombia peace deal as historic achievement

China space station to fall to Earth in 2017

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hina’s first space station is expected to fall back to Earth in the second half of 2017 amid speculation authorities have lost control of it.

The Tiangong-1 or “Heavenly Palace” laboratory was launched in 2011 as part of an ambitious Chinese plan to catch up with other space powers.

However, a senior space official has said the lab had “comprehensively fulfilled its historical mission”. The

lab is currently intact and orbiting at 370km above ground.

Speaking at a press conference last week, Wu Ping, Deputy Director of the manned space engineering office, said: “Based on our calculation and analysis, most parts of the space lab will burn up during falling.”

She added that it was unlikely to affect aviation activities or cause damage to the ground. But in comments reported by the

Guardian newspaper, Dr Jonathan McDowell, an astrophysicist at Harvard University, suggested China might have lost control of the station.

“You really can’t steer these things,” he said.

“Even a couple of days before it re-enters we probably won’t know better than six or seven hours, plus or minus, when it’s going to come down.

“Not knowing when it’s going to come down trans-

lates as not knowing where its going to come down.”

Most of the 8.5-tonne station would melt as it passed through the atmosphere, Dr McDowell commented, but some parts such as the rocket engines, were so dense they might not burn up completely.

Earlier this month, China launched its second trial space station, called Tiangong-2, in a bid to operate a crewed outpost in orbit by 2022.(BBC News)

US President Barack Obama receives a copy of the Colombian peace agreement during his meeting with Colombian President Juan Manual Santos in New York September 21, 2016

U

S President Barack Obama welcomed on Wednesday a peace deal between Colombia’s Government and leftist FARC rebels to end Latin America’s longest war, describing it as an “historic achievement.”

After almost four years of talks, the FARC and Government last month

reached a final peace accord that will be signed by FARC commander Rodrigo Londono, better known by the nom de guerre Timochenko, and President Juan Manuel Santos on September 26.

Colombians will have the last word during an October 2 plebiscite.(Reuters)

16

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2016

guyanatimesgy.com

Michael Patterson: Tuma Sàlà

T

he race in business as in life is not a sprint but a marathon. Michael Patterson, the owner of the first Indigenous restaurant in Guyana, knows well this truth. Two years ago when he started the landmark Tuma Sàlà (“Come let us eat” in Patamona) in Middleton Street, Campbellville to great fanfare and reviews, he could not have predicted the path his journey into entrepreneurship would take.

Presently, Tuma Sàlà – which he described as “a unique business venture that seeks to promote Guyanese culture in the form of offering for sale authentic Indigenous cuisine, while at the same time promoting Indigenous art and handicraft” as well as community-based tourism” – is in the “refining/transition stage after fallouts of key partners”.

“The business was recently re-launched at Heritage (Month) opening, and I’m in the stage of grooming my eldest children to take over. Although the response was great and encouragement [came] from our many loyal customers and friends, we will only be providing a catering and ordering service for now. We will be operating from our home,” he explained.

Any form of entrepreneurship is a tough task; it takes persistence, mental strength and dedication; partnerships are a further complication. But the man, whose ultimate hobby is marathon running and says of the sport: “…it tests your longevity, stamina and determination. It’s a long journey that few make to the end although

vation needs to be done to keep up with the times”.

The family-based business helps to provide an income for residents of remote villages. “Most of our suppliers are fishers and hunters from the remote communities. Our beverages are supplied from farmers from the communities also,” Patterson revealed.

it starts with many” – has the stamina to persevere through the challenges business ownership has thrown at him.

A veteran of the tourism and community-based sustainability businesses, having worked with Roraima Group of Companies and Iwokrama, Patterson had always dreamt of owning his own business.

He said, “The concept to start Tuma Sàlà was built on the passion for culture preservation – specifically Indigenous food and art and craft. I’ve included tourism as another component to sustain the business in downtime.” The bestselling item is the “Fly Wine”. Made from the red potato roots, it’s a mild red/ maroonish beverage with a fermented sugar taste, but can get stronger the longer it stays, Patterson says.

The former Charlestown Secondary School student, who grew up in Santa Mission and Georgetown, said his late father, Reverend Allan Patterson, a minister and salesman, was his biggest influence.

Holding down a full-

time job and pitching in, helping his wife at home while running his business, the father of three believes consistency, and the willpower and desire to keep on going are the most important qualities for business owners. “Know your abilities and never give up.”

Patterson says the potential for his business in Guyana’s economy is huge, particularly as one of the core foundations is community-based tourism, but easier access to finance and start-up and working capital are needed. “Although the banks are there, they all are calling for collateral and a very high interest rate. Lower the bar for Indigenous entrepreneurs. Give them that opportunity to have easy access to finance. Create a special fund for Indigenous business ventures, not as a community, but as individuals.”

Cultural sustainability and community empowerment are at the core of Tuma Sàlà, with modernisation proving a clarion call, because “more preser-

Market statistics Cur

Buying

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

GBP

$267.47

$270.86

CAN

$156.57

$158.39

USD

$205.98

$208.44

EURO

$ 229.47

$232.41

CDB warning to Barbados: Get debt act together

P

resident of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), Dr Warren Smith has sounded a stern warning that Barbados was not yet out of the proverbial economic woods by a long shot.

In fact, so worried is he about the country’s worsening debt situation that he suggested “front-end adjustments” were urgently needed to correct the economic slide.

In a frank interview with Barbados TODAY, Smith also described the island’s overall fiscal position as “unsustainable”, while cautioning that if left unchecked, it would do untold damage to the Barbados dollar.

With that said, Smith did not shy away from the dreaded “p” word – privatisation

–, naming Grantley Adams International Airport (GAIA) and the Bridgetown Port as “naturals” for divestment.

“Long gone are the days when Governments need to be involved in things such as airports and seaports,” Smith argued. “We do not believe that these types of investments need to continue to be in the hands of Government,” he added.

While acknowledging there would be political consequences arising out of the sale of these perceived crown jewels, he said Barbados was not unique in that regard.

In fact, the Jamaica-born CDB President gave the example of that country’s divestment of its Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay. (Caribbean360)

Samsung in Note 7 row in China after reports of devices catching fire

S

amsung has found itself in a row with Chinese consumers, with some accusing the firm of being biased against them.

The South Korean firm has not issued a recall of its Galaxy Note 7 in China, despite local media reports of two devices catching fire.

Samsung said it had concluded that the damage was caused by “external heating” so a recall was not necessary.

The vast majority of Note 7s sold in China were equipped with batteries made by a local supplier.

The callbacks elsewhere have been linked to faulty batteries made by Samsung itself. China is the world’s largest smartphone mar-

ket and of key importance to manufacturers.

On September 2, Samsung issued a recall of 2.5 million phones in certain countries, leaving out China.

The firm said in a statement that the phones sold there did not have the battery manufacturing error that has caused fires in dozens of phones in other places.

Samsung also assured customers that the Galaxy Note 7s in China that went on sale after September 1 were “safe to use”. In the last week, Chinese media have reported that two of the devices appeared to have caught fire.

Pictures posted online appeared to show charred Note 7 devices. (BBC News)

Investors’ Guide

Cambio Rates Bank of Guyana

The devout Christian is ready for the next step and the challenges of the future and has this advice to offer would-be entrepreneurs: “Ensure you always have a working capital and not to interfere with it. Ensure you have other means of income to keep the family and not to depend on the business, at least in the initial stage of development, and that might vary from months to years.”

Also remember: “Partnership-business is risky if partners don’t share the common goal; Returns do not come quickly; renting a building/spot to conduct business is detrimental to operations, particularly if the business is not operating with working capital and is depending on day-to-day sales to sustain itself.”

Patterson’s final words were: “Success is living the life that’s meant to be... bountiful, full of vigour, enough to give, happy in what you’re doing. All we have to do is obey His Word....”

“It’s not by might, nor by power but by my spirit, said the Lord. I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me.”

Contact: 249 BB Eccles, East Bank Demerara; 6632818/643-2622;www.facebook.com/authenticamerindiancuisine

Business News

USD

$1326.10

Gross

$256,063

Net

$238,139

Indicators as on September 21, 2016 Indicators

US$ per barrel

Crude Oil

$45.88

Price

USD

Rough Rice

$212.30/ton

London Sugar

$588.30/ton

Live Spot Gold

Change %

-0.15 Change %

-1.13 0.00 USD Per Ounce

Bid/Ask

$1333.90

$1334.90

Low/High

$1307.60

$1337.80

Change

-1.00

-0.07%

Business Concept – Partnership A type of business organisation in which two or more individuals pool money, skills, and other resources, and share profit and loss in accordance with terms of the partnership agreement.

In absence of such agreement, a partnership is assumed to exist where the participants in an enterprise agree to share the associated risks and rewards proportionately. (Business Dictionary)

Wall Street rallies after Fed stands pat on rates

W

all Street racked up gains on Wednesday after the US Federal Reserve kept interest rates unchanged, for now leaving intact the lowrate environment that has helped underpin the bull market.

The Nasdaq closed at a record high.

The central bank strongly signalled it could still tighten monetary policy by the end of this year as the labour market improved further.

Earlier on Wednesday, global markets reacted to the Bank of Japan’s abrupt shift to targeting interest rates on Government bonds to achieve its elusive inflation target.

Traders generally had not expected the Fed to raise rates, with bets before the meeting of only an 18 per cent chance of a hike, according to the CME FedWatch website.

“There was just a little bit of doubt in everybody’s mind that maybe they would go ahead and raise rates now and that got cleared up ... people felt free to put some money into equities,” said Peter Tuz, President of Chase Investment

Counsel in Charlottesville, Virginia.

“Couple that with the BOJ lower-for-longer news story from earlier today and the equity market is doing well,” Tuz said.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 163.74 points, or 0.9 per cent, to 18,293.7, the S&P 500 gained 23.36 points, or 1.09 per cent, to 2163.12 and the Nasdaq Composite added 53.83 points, or 1.03 per cent, to 5,295.18.

All 11 major S&P sectors finished in positive territory. Energy shares were the best performing sector, up 2.1 per cent, as oil prices rose.

Concerns over whether the Fed would raise rates prompted a return of volatility to the stock market in recent weeks after two months of calm. For the year, the benchmark S&P 500 is up 5.8 per cent.

The Fed has held its target rate for overnight lending between banks in a range of 0.25 per cent to 0.50 per cent since December, when it raised borrowing costs for the first time in nearly a decade.

“We are in a pretty good environment for stocks with low interest rates and companies

beginning to show signs of life although the earnings aren’t as robust as we’d like to see,” said Alan Rechtschaffen, portfolio manager at UBS in New York. “When you are comparing things to the low interest rates we have, things can look attractive that wouldn’t look attractive in a normal interest rate environment.”

Fed Chair Janet Yellen, speaking after the central bank’s latest policy statement, said US growth was looking stronger and rate increases would be needed to keep the economy from overheating and fuelling high inflation.

After the Fed’s statement, traders were betting on a 63-per cent chance of a December rate increase, up from 58 per cent just before the statement, according to the FedWatch website.

“The body language makes it sound like they’re warming people up for December,” said Stephen Massocca, Chief Investment Officer at Wedbush Equity Management in San Francisco.

FedEx shares gained 6.9 per cent after the package delivery company’s profit report. (Reuters)

NEWS

17

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2016 | GUYANA-TIMES.COM

Berbice Chamber President Trade unions want to be included in national agenda robbed – as consultations begin on Decent Work Programme for Guyana

Acting President Moses Nagamootoo along with Decent Work Caribbean Director Claudia Coenjaerts (third from right), and GTUC General Secretary Lincoln Lewis along with other officials

P

resident of the Berbice Chamber of Commerce and Development Association (BCC&DA), Ramroop Rajnauth, was robbed outside of his New Amsterdam, Berbice, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), home about a week ago.

On Thursday last, 59-year-old Rajnauth was relieved of a gold chain moments after he drove up in front of his home situated at Lot 12-18 Strand and Kent Streets, New Amsterdam.

The Chamber President told Guyana Times that he had just stepped out of his car and opened the gate when the incident occurred. He recalled that it

Berbice Chamber President Ramroop Rajnauth

was shortly after 01:00h.

Rajnauth related that after opening the gates, he was heading back to the car when he was confronted by a lone man. The per-

petrator proceeded to relieve the official of the gold chain which valued some $700,000 before escaping on foot.

The BCC&DA President, who is also a past President of the Rotary Club of New Amsterdam, told this newspaper that he was at Guinness Bar, which is located one street away, and did not see anyone following him when he left.

Meanwhile, Police in Berbice have questioned several persons in connection with the robbery.

Additionally, efforts are also being made to access CCTV footage from the area.

Investigation into the robbery continues.

Blankenburg fatal accident

Man develops heart complications …as family finally tells him about children’s death

A

A section of the gathering at the opening of the Decent Work Country Programme consultation

s Guyana commences talks on the development of a Decent Work Country Programme (DWCP) 2017-2021, activists of the local labour movement are asking that they be involved in setting the national agenda.

This call was made by General Secretary of the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) Lincoln Lewis during a presentation at the opening of the threeday consultation session, which is being held at the Herdmanston Lodge.

During the consultations, representatives of the Government, employers’ bodies and workers’ organisations will deliberate on strategic outcomes in the areas of “Ending Poverty, Achieving Prosperity and Enhancement of Social Dialogue: within the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The aim is to increase decent work conditions in Guyana, both as a means to and an end in itself to sustainable development of the country. The event, which is being held by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the Social Protection Ministry, will allow for local stakeholders to be presented with good practice, tools and examples of “what works” to establish the DWCP. Lewis pointed out that a decent work agenda speaks to respecting Guyana’s Constitution, collective labour agreements and ILO’s core labour standards, principles on which the agenda is built and, as such, they needed to be respected.

To this end, the GTUC General Secretary reminded that Articles 38, 147 and 149 (c) of the Constitution clearly outline the role of the trade

unions as major stakeholders in ensuring the pursuit of an economic path that would ensure workers are engaged in production and productivity.

He noted that Article 147 protects the rights and freedom of workers to join a trade union of choice and the employer engaging with the workers’ representative in collective bargaining, while Article 149 (c) cements the role of trade unions in participating at the national decision-making table in the management of issues that impact their members.

“It is behind this background I’m here to remind this distinguished audience that shutting labour out of what the Constitution has so designated for us is not only a violation of our rights as a stakeholder in society, but it undermines ILO Conventions 87 and 98, which 50 years ago the Government of Guyana ratified,” Lewis pointed out.

The concerns were acknowledged by Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, who delivered the feature address at the event. He posited that such a situation, whereby the labour movement is excluded from the national agenda, should not persist. “There is no justification whatsoever that the labour movement should, in any way, be excluded from the national agenda. A Decent Work [Programme] is in fact a fundamental issue to all authentic trade unions and all authentic union leaders, and they have to be sitting together with the State and business in the tripartite committee to hammer out those issues which affect the labour movement and workers,” he stated.

The Prime Minister

further stated that the Administration has recommitted itself to establishing a consultative relationship with stakeholders in all sectors. Moreover, the Prime Minister underscored the importance of the Decent Work Programme, saying that it deals with critical issues such as ending poverty, eradicating gender inequality and enhancing social dialogue within the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), while comparing and sharing good practices in the Caribbean.

Meanwhile, Director of the ILO’s Decent Work Team and Office for the Caribbean, Claudia Coenjaerts posited that decent work was the foundation for a sustainable growth path. She pointed out that while it may take some time to achieve this, the policy choices that are made will determine the journey.

“I think the next few days will be a great opportunity to build consensus among the tripartite partners to practice what social dialogue can do and to articulate how Guyana wants to take forward its commitment to the decent work agenda and how it wants to integrate it into broader policy planning, including that relating to the Sustainable Development Framework,” Coenjaerts stated. The consultation session is the second step following a scoping mission last June and preparatory analytical work shared with the constituents for their assessment. The three-day workshop will serve as a platform for tripartite consultation on the conception of Guyana’s new DWCP, to which the ILO will link its technical assistance as required.

T

he stepfather of the two young children who died in a September 13 accident at Blankenburg, West Coast Demerara was set to be discharged from hospital Tuesday; however, this publication has been informed that Mark Halley, who was also the driver of the illfated car, has developed a heart condition.

According to information reaching this publication, Halley and his reputed wife, Michel Miguel were on Tuesday told of the demise of 10-month-old Marvin

Miguel and his sister, seven-year-old, Tina Francis.

Guyana Times understands that the shock of the news affected Halley’s health and forced doctors to place him under observation at a city hospital.

Michel Miguel was discharged on Wednesday.

This newspaper was told that a post-mortem exam revealed that the 10-month-old died of a fractured skull, while his sister died from multiple injuries.

Halley, of Covent Garden, East Bank Demerara, was recovering

from a broken collar bone and three broken ribs. A Police source told this publication that based on the investigation, Halley will be charged for causing death by dangerous driving.

Guyana Times was informed Monday that Halley was en route to transport “goods” to Parika for the vehicle’s owner when he reportedly swerved to avoid a dog, and subsequently slammed into two parked vehicles (a Tundra and a minibus) on the Blankenburg Public Road.

18

guyana-times.com

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2016

ARCHIE

You should make special plans that will bring you clos(March 21- er to someone who intrigues April 19) you. Share your vision and your ambitions. Altering your living arrangement looks promising.

ARIES

An emotionally fraught TAURUS matter will get blown out (April 20- of proportion if you or a colMay 20) league becomes aggressive.

Refuse to get drawn into something that could put you in a vulnerable position.

DILBERT

You need to show greater GEMINI creativity when you are deal(May 21ing with peers or presenting June 20) your work. Someone will offer you an opportunity based on your actions, not your words.

Don’t take part in gossip or CANCER share personal information.

(June 21- Work on a project that will reJuly 22) quire your undivided attention and unique and creative skills. Home improvements are favored

PEANUTS

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

Keep your emotions out of any situation that involves money. Joint ventures will not pan out as hoped, leaving you in an awkward position. A romantic gesture will pay off.

Try not to complain or VIRGO question what others do.

(Aug. 23Sept. 22) Focus inward and aim to do things that will make you feel good about yourself and your contributions.

CALVIN AND HOBBES

Learn as you go. Let your inLIBRA stincts and intuition help you (Sept. 23find your strengths. Courage Oct. 23) comes from doing what you believe is right. Change will lead to a fortunate discovery.

WORD GAME

SUDOKU

Don’t spend money foolSCORPIO (Oct. 24- ishly. If you want to help a Nov. 22) cause, put your time and expertise to work, not your cash.

Your ideas will be a far better contribution.

If you put more time and SAGITTARIUS effort into personal relation(Nov. 23ships, you will find common Dec. 21) ground that will help you bring about positive changes at home and among your peers.

SOLUTION FOR LAST PUBLISHED PUZZLE

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

Stick close to home and CAPRICORN take measures to prevent in(Dec. 22- terference from someone who Jan. 19) is trying to make you look bad. Don’t hesitate or change your mind just because someone disrupts your plans. Do what works for you.

A chance to turn someAQUARIUS thing you love doing into a (Jan. 20profitable endeavor looks Feb. 19) promising. Set up meetings and plan your strategy to ensure a successful launch.

Celebrate with a loved one.

PISCES An experiment will turn (Feb. 20- out better than anticipatMarch 20) ed. Network with others and share your success with people who could have something to contribute to your plans.

Romance is highlighted.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2016

19

India v New Zealand, 1st Test, Kanpur

A landmark Test to start a landmark season T

here was a time until recently when India had whitewashed series’ longer than two Tests only twice in the history of their Test cricket. Then they went on back-to-back trips to England and Australia, lost everything there and decided they needed to fix their pitches back home. Since 2012, India have whitewashed Australia, were denied a similar treatment of South Africa by weather and are entering a season looking so dominant at home they can even win all 13 Tests.

It is not too difficult to imagine how. Their confidence has soared thanks to the wins. The quality is there too. R Ashwin averages 20.92 at home, Ravindra Jadeja 15.70. They take a wicket every eight overs.

Jadeja chokes the batsmen with relentless accuracy and pace, Ashwin slits their throats with sharp action on the ball. Amit Mishra, the third spinner in the attack, is capable on turning tracks. And the groundsmen are now playing ball.

This 13-Test season could potentially establish playing Test cricket in India as the toughest challenge in cricket today.

The first of the 13 Tests, also India’s 500th, starts in Kanpur. There could be no place further from home for New Zealand. Despite it being September, it is oppressively hot, still and humid. The pitch is cracked and dry, ripe for the spinners although the groundsmen don’t expect a repeat of Nagpur last year. It is a city where both the teams

are stuck indoors: there is not much to do outside and no outsiders are allowed to visit even the restaurants in their hotel.

Before they lost to South Africa, New Zealand were being considered the team best placed of the four visiting India this season. They have three spinners and reverse-swing bowlers, but they have the experience of winning only two Tests in India, the last of those in 1988. They have the ingre-

touring side, you desperately want to bat first because batting is expected to get progressively difficult from ball one. India won all four tosses last year.

Ajinkya Rahane was the only batsman to score a century in India’s last home season. There is a reason for that. He has the best all-round game among the Indians, he prepares meticulously and will again be key for India, especially in his role as the bridge be-

The pitch at Kanpur’s Green Park is everything but green and is expected to break up fairly soon

A lot of responsibilities rest on the shoulders of New Zealand’s Captain, Kane Williamson

dients, albeit raw, but they will have to discover a way to win in India; they don’t have anybody passing it on to them. While they are a team that has begun to live up to its potential in limited-overs cricket, of late they have shown a bit of fear of the big occasion. And this, with them expected to do better than they have done in recent times in India, is a big occasion.

In the spotlight On a pitch that has cracks, a pitch that is expected to break up, the toss becomes crucial. If you are a

tween the top order and the lower order, which has contributed handsomely of late.

Any visiting side to India needs a solid batsman who can trust his defence. Last year, India snatched that trust away from Hashim Amla and Faf du Plessis.

New Zealand will hope captain Kane Williamson does better and shows the rest that it is possible to bat in India.

India’s three first-innings scores last season were 140 for 6, 125 for 6, 139 for 6. They recovered from each of these crisis;

South Africa had no lowerorder contributions. In lowscoring series’, the lower order’s runs are crucial. India have the same lower order, but New Zealand have one better than South Africa’s: Mitchell Santner and Mark Craig are capable, and Trent Boult and Ish Sodhi are not mugs.

Team news With Ishant Sharma ruled out with chikungunya, a mosquito-borne viral infection, Bhuvneshwar Kumar is almost a certainty in the Indian XI. Under Virat Kohli as full-time captain, India have played the first Test with five bowlers, but this time the indications are that they believe they can win on this Kanpur pitch with four bowlers.

That could mean another chance for Rohit Sharma.

“We spoke about solidifying

the batting a little bit more.

All the teams have quality spinners and you don’t want to leave a window for the opposition teams to capitalise,” Kohli said in a press conference.

If India do go in with five bowlers, Umesh Yadav could be brought in to utilise the reverse swing available.

From the activity in the nets, it seems India have made up their minds to leave Shikhar Dhawan out.

India Squad; Virat Kohli (Captain), Ravichandran Ashwin, Shikhar Dhawan, Ravindra Jadeja, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Amit Mishra, Mohammed Shami, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Lokesh Rahul, Wriddhiman Saha (wicketkeeper), Rohit Sharma, Murali Vijay and Umesh Yadav New Zealand have had

some decisions made for them with the injuries to Tim Southee and Jimmy Neesham. They, too, are expected to play all three of their spinners. Trent Boult should play. With reverse swing expected, Neil Wagner becomes a big factor, but do they want two left-arm quicks, not least because they will only create rough for Ashwin to play with? Doug Bracewell is a better batsman than Wagner, which could become a factor. Martin Guptill should open despite his failures in the warm-up game in Delhi, and Luke Ronchi’s century.

New Zealand squad; Kane Williamson (Captain), Trent Boult, Doug Bracewell, Mark Craig, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Tom Latham (wicketkeeper), James Neesham, Henry Nicholls, Luke Ronchi (wicketkeeper), Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Ross Taylor, Neil Wagner, BJ Watling and Tim Southee.

Pitch and conditions The cracks on the pitch were plain to see two days before the Test, but the groundsmen have promised this won’t be a repeat of Nagpur. The Nagpur pitch didn’t see any water in the lead-up to the Test, this one is getting watered. The cracks are neither loose nor powdery. Yet in the heat, the pitch is expected to break up fairly soon.

Expect a lot of turn and reverse swing. Also don’t be surprised if the middle of the pitch is lifeless and the spinners’ business areas are full of action. (ESPN Cricinfo)

Formula E to race in Brooklyn

T

he Formula E electric series will have lower Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty as a backdrop next July after Brooklyn’s Red Hook neighborhood was announced on Wednesday as the venue for two season-ending races.

The track layout, still subject to final approval, was revealed at a news conference at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal.

The ePrix double-header, on a Saturday and Sunday, will feature the first open-wheel races sanctioned by the International Automobile Federation to take place within the city’s five boroughs.

“To race in New York City is a historic moment -not only for Formula E but for motorsport in general -- and again highlights the philosophy of Formula E to bring fully-electric racing to the world’s greatest cities,” said Formula E chief executive Alejandro Agag.

“When we originally started the project we could only dream of bringing Formula E to a place like New York, with arguably the most recognizable skyline of any city in the world.”

Formula One has long coveted a New York race, with a Grand Prix in New Jersey listed on the provisional 2014 calendar before

Formula E’s first race was marred with collisions

disappearing.

Electric racing, with a quieter and more city friendly format, has got there first.

“New York City is where

technology, sustainability and commerce all connect.

There’s no better home for the ePrix. Bringing this international event to the five

boroughs is a huge win for New York City,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio.

“It will bring thousands of visitors, boost Brooklyn

tourism and spur investment in our neighborhoods.”

The third season of the series, with 14 races in 12 cities, starts next month in Hong Kong.

Formula E launched in 2014 and holds races in city centers around the world.

The cars, which make little noise, are far slower than Formula One or the U.S. Indy Car series and cannot complete a race distance due to the limitations of battery technology, although that should change by season five.

Drivers currently have to change cars midway through races. (Reuters)

20

GUYANA-TIMES.COM

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2016

Pakistan receive Test mace as No 1 in the world

― No 1 ranked Test team in April will get $1M

M

isbah-ul-Haq, Pakistan’s Test captain, has expressed confidence in international cricket returning to the country soon, and said it was ironic his team’s rise to No. 1 in the ICC rankings had to be accomplished without home-crowd support.

The ICC chief executive David Richardson presented Misbah with the Test mace at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Wednesday, after Pakistan had risen to No. 1 for the first time since the current Test rankings were introduced in 2003, by virtue of their 2-2 draw in England this summer. Pakistan are the fifth side after Australia, England, India and South Africa to top the ICC Test rankings.

“There is nothing better than being No. 1 in the Test rankings,” Misbah said.

“It’s one of the best days in my life; the happiest day in my cricketing career. And there can’t be a better location to receive the ICC Test Championship mace than this ground where we last played a home Test sev-

en years ago. It is ironic for both the players as well as the fans that the journey to the No. 1 position has been outside Pakistan.

“The players have missed on the crowd support, while the spectators have been unable to watch live some magnificent team and individual performances. But I am confident that things will change and international cricket will soon return to Pakistan.

“I would like to congratulate everyone who has been part of this achievement and part of this journey; every individual, every coach, every selector who has worked hard for this No. 1 position.

“The families of the players have really sacrificed a lot too. We have to spend almost six to seven months out of the country without them and that’s difficult [for both parties]. Credit should be given to the families. It’s a proud moment for all of us and I hope we can go together at the top for a long period.”

Apart from a visit by Zimbabwe in 2015, no Full

Member country has toured Pakistan since March 2009, when gunmen attacked the bus transporting the Sri Lankan team to Gaddafi Stadium on a morning of the Lahore Test. Since then, Pakistan have had to host their home fixtures at neutral venues, primarily the UAE. “Being part of a team that is ranked No.1 in Test cricket is a pinnacle achievement for any cricketer. Pakistan is a deserving recipient of the mace,” Richardson said.

“It is all the more impressive that it has reached the number-one Test ranking despite not being able to play a series in front of its home crowd since March 2009.

“Today is all about the team, today it’s all about Misbah. One of the things that makes Pakistan one of the most watchable teams in the world is the fact that they’ve got a man for all occasions. They’ve got batsmen who can deal with a tight situation, and on the bowling side, you can’t prepare seaming wickets against them because they’ve got

Misbah-ul-Haq leads his players in a lap of honour after drawing the four-match series with England in England to move to No 1 Test team

the seamers to exploit those conditions, left-arm and the right-arm and of course you’ve got a world class legspinner, so you’ve got all the ingredients for a top team and we are looking forward to Pakistan if not staying at No. 1 then certainly challenging for good many years to come. A strong Pakistan side is good for international cricket.”

Pakistan face a challenge

to hold on to their No. 1 Test ranking. India, presently No. 2, will displace Pakistan if they beat New Zealand in the upcoming three-Test series at home. Pakistan’s next Test series is in October against West Indies in the UAE. The team that is No. 1 on April 1, 2017, will receive $ 1 million from the ICC. “The next target we have set for ourselves is to finish as the No. 1 Test side

at the April 1 cut-off date,” Misbah said. “It is not going to be easy as we have series against formidable sides like the West Indies, New Zealand and Australia. But instead of getting overawed by our opponents, we need to trust in our abilities, focus on our strengths and try to be as consistent as possible.” (ESPN Cricinfo)

Real Madrid missed record Iniesta uncertain over Messi injury after Villareal 1-1 draw L ionel Messi was forced off during Barcelona’s draw with Atletico Madrid, and captain Andres Iniesta hopes he makes a swift recovery.

Barcelona captain Andres Iniesta says the players are in the dark over the injury suffered by Lionel Messi during Wednesday’s 1-1 draw with Atletico Madrid.

The Argentina star was forced off just before the hourmark after failing to shake off the effects of a tangling with Diego Godin, with initial reports suggesting he may have sustained a recurrence of the groin injury he suffered on international duty this month.

Angel Correa struck an

Sergio Ramos climbs to head in Real Madrid’s equaliser

R

eal Madrid missed out on a recordbreaking 17th consecutive La Liga victory as they drew with Villarreal.

The hosts fell behind just before the break when Sergio Ramos used his hand to block a shot in the box and Bruno Soriano chipped in from the spot.

Ramos made amends soon after the restart, heading in from a corner.

Zinedine Zidane’s side put the visitors under concerted pressure throughout the second half, but Villarreal held on to deny Real the outright record.

Instead they will have to share the record of 16 straight wins set by Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona side in the 2010-11 season.

However a point ensures they remain top of La Liga, four points ahead of Barcelona, who could only draw 1-1 with Atletico Madrid.

Both sides of Ramos Not many players switch

between the roles of hero and villain as easily as Sergio Ramos and the volatile defender once again played both parts expertly either side of the interval.

For the second game in a row he tried to disguise a handball by pretending the ball had hit his face. But the referee was having none of it and Bruno outsmarted Real keeper Kiko Casilla with a Panenka-style penalty to give Villarreal the lead.

Ramos did the same against Espanyol at the weekend.

It is the third penalty that Ramos has conceded in seven games across all competitions this season, yet the Spaniard made amends, losing his man at a corner and producing a powerful header that gave Sergio Asenjo no chance.

It was the only one of 17 corners that the hosts converted, with Ramos also unable to persuade the referee to award Real a late penalty as he fell under the challenge of Roberto Soriano.

Real’s front three fail to fire This was the first game in which Real’s ‘BBC’ front line of Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo have all started together - a result of both injury and Zidane’s commitment to rotating his squad.

Yet there were only flickers of the trio’s best football, especially in the first half when a resolute Villarreal stopped Real’s fluid passing game and forced them to resort to shots from distance.

The hosts dominated for long spells of the second half but rarely forced Asenjo into a save, with Benzema guilty of heading over two chances when well placed before both he and Bale were substituted before the end.

A night of frustration for Real’s talisman Ronaldo was complete when he finally found the target, only to see his effort parried away

by Asenjo before slamming a late free-kick straight at the Villarreal keeper. (BBC Sport)

equaliser two minutes after Messi’s exit to compound a miserable start to the second half for Barca, who saw Sergio Busquets depart the field not long after half-time.

Iniesta, who set up Ivan Rakitic to head in the opening goal, says Busquets was struggling with illness but admits there is more uncertainty over Messi’s problem.

“I don’t know what’s up with Messi, we’ll have to see,” he said after the match.

“Hopefully it’s not too serious. Busquets has a touch of the flu.

“These are things that happen, there’s nothing you can really say. It’s just unfortunate.”

Iniesta concedes there was a degree of frustration at the final whistle that Barca could not hold on to their lead, especially with Real Madrid having been held to a 1-1 draw by Villarreal earlier on Wednesday.

“We played a very complete game, Atletico are always difficult to play, they defend very well,” he said.

“The corner [before the goal] worked well, but it’s frustrating to drop two points at home.

“It’s a game that’s decided by very small details. We could maybe have had more chances but Atletico put in a huge effort.” (Sportsmax)

Lockhart Sebastien is new West Indies Selector

T

he West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) has gone for Dominican and former Windward Island player, Lockhart Sebastien, to replace Courtney Walsh as selector.

According to the Board Sebastien brings a tremendous amount of experience to the new post having served in several capacities from as far back as 1974. The Dominican has managed the Windward Islands senior team for the last 12 years, he has served as a director on the Windward Islands board for the last ten years and was manager for the West Indies “A” team to India in 2013 and Sri Lanka in 2014. He was also an alternate selector for the last four years.

Sebastien replaces Walsh, who was recently appointed by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) as their bowling coach. The 60 year old is a former opener for Dominica, Windward Islands and Combined islands. He played first class cricket for

Lockhart Sebastien

20 years. He played 92 first class matches and scored 4,934 runs with the highest score of 219.

The appointment was ratified at the Board of Directors meeting in Dominica, September 10. When we (the WICB executives) spoke to Sebastien, he stated “I want to thank the directors for approving my term as a se-

lector. I have always been a team player and together with the other selectors, we will ensure the best West Indies team is selected at all times. Selectors have not always pleased everyone in the Caribbean but I am part of a team who will try the utmost to make Caribbean people happy”. Sebastien’s term as a selector is for two years.

21

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Aguilleira is also happy. “I am really pleased and thankful about the increase. We have been working hard as a team with huge success. I strongly believe that an increase like this will only encourage us to work harder and continue representing the people of the Caribbean to the best of our abilities.”

WICB’s CEO says “we are hoping this new package will serve as an additional incentive for the current set of women, but will serve as a drawing card to more women to be attracted to cricket.”

WIPA President and CEO, Wavell Hinds also thinks “our women senior team has been a solid elite performing group over the last decade, as such, the improvement and security in their compensation package is well deserved.

We wish the team well for

their upcoming home assignment.”

West Indies women are now in camp for a homeseries against England.

The series will consist of five ODIs, the last three of which will count towards the ICC Women’s Championship, to be contested between October 8 and 19 at the Trelawny Multiplex and Sabina Park in Jamaica.

A win in this series for the Windies women could seal a spot in the World Cup in the UK in June next year. West Indies are in second place with 20 points behind Australia. England are currently in third place.

The ICC Women’s Championship, a multiyear bilateral competition is between the top eight international women’s sides that will lead to automatic qualification for the top four teams.

T

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West Indies Women’s Captain Stafanie Taylor welcomes the increase

− Director of Sport extends condolences on Guyana’s behalf

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ffective October 1, 2016, women’s cricketers on retainer from the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) will see an increase in their pay package this is according to a media release issued by the regional board. The number of women on retainer will also move from 11 to 15.

An agreement between the WICB and the West Indies Players Association (WIPA) will see increases in annual retainer fees, sponsorship payments, match fees and captains’ allowances. The estimated increase will cost the WICB just under US$600,000 for the upcoming year. The new compensation package will benefit an unlimited number of non-retained players.

Captain, Stafanie Taylor appreciates the increase. She notes that “I believe we are stepping in the right direction. England and Australia are the two top teams where Women’s cricket is concerned and I think we can mirror what they are doing and get on their level. It’s good that the retainers and match fees have been increased and the girls love it. We hope that, as time goes by, more things will be improved.”

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St George’s Captain Dominic James dies after collapsing during Manning Cup match

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he local schoolboy football fraternity was plunged into mourning on Tuesday afternoon following the death of St George’s schoolboy footballer Dominic James who died after collapsing during a match against Excelsior.

The match was just four minutes old when James collapsed on the field at Stadium East, suffering from what appeared to be convulsions. The stricken player was taken to the Medical Associates hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

As news filtered back to the match, close to half-time, which was later postponed, players could be seen crying for the loss of their teammate and the team’s captain. The midfielder who was handed the armband this season was also a part of Waterhouse and national Under-20 teams.

Meanwhile, locally Director of Sport Christopher Jones in a statement stated “On behalf of the sporting fraternity in Guyana I extend our deepest and heartfelt condolences on the passing of Mr. Dominic James, captain of the St George’s college football team. We, in Guyana share in his family’s, St George’s College’s, the Jamaican football and sporting fraternities’ and all of Jamaica’s grief at this time. His unexpectedly and tragically passing no doubt must cause emotional

Dominic James was in the height of his career when he collapsed and subsequently died

distress.

We in Guyana hold Dominic’s parents and relatives, the St George’s College family and the people of Jamaica in our thoughts and prayers in this time of mourning.

Meanwhile, Jamaica international Leon Bailey has added to the chorus of disconsolate voices that have been quick to pay tribute to fallen St George’s College schoolboy, Dominic James.

James collapsed with convulsions during a local schoolboy football match against Excelsior on Tuesday and was later pronounced dead at hospital.

The 18-year-old player was the recently appointed captain of the St George’s team. Bailey, who plies his trade for Belgian club Genk FC, met James when the two were just children at the

Phoenix All Stars Football Academy in Jamaica. The pair have remained friends ever since. Bailey, who has been making waves as one of Europe’s top youth prospects, was voted to the UEFA Europa League Team of the Week last week after an outstanding performance in that competition.

The player took to social media platform Instagram to express his sorrow at James’ unexpected passing.

“Waking up to the worst news of my life, in your last Instagram post you said ‘Rise Above Everything’ why couldn’t you rise above this one for us bro. I still can’t accept the fact that you’re gone.

My condolences to your family, you may be gone but your soul will remain with us forever. 10 years of friendship and brotherhood #RIP,” Bailey wrote on his Instagram page.

22

GUYANA-TIMES.COM

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2016

Massive turnout expected for “Drag Warz 2”

By Akeem Greene

T

he smoke and tyre burn will return to the tracks at the South Dakota Circuit come October 2 for the Guyana Motor Racing & Sports Club (GMR&SC) International Meet ““Drag Warz 2” and President of the GMR&SC Raj Boodhoo is expecting a massive crowd turnout.

In speaking to Guyana Times Sport Boodhoo said, “The stage is set for a massage turnout, we won in Guyana when the Surinamese came and we went over to Suriname and won three of the major titles and now we are here; for sure we will have fantastic racing”.

Boodhoo, who himself is

an avid drag racing fan revealed that preparations are in top gear for this meet and more so, they will be improved seating arrangements for the spectators.

“We are actually doing pretty good preparing for the drags race, we will have better viewing for spectators by installing mounds”, the GMR&SC President said.

He added, “ Fans follow the drag racing a lot in Guyana, it has its own fans who like the trills of the short races and then there are those who like circuit racing”.

The drag racing phenomenon has gripped the attention of many Guyanese fans and the President wants to in-

Guyana Motor Racing & Sports Club President Raj Boodhoo

crease the amount of meets per year.

“We are hoping we can have three to four drags

per year, we are looking to update the track and get a launch pad”, the Boodhoo

stated.

Despite the Surinamese will not be venturing to these shores for this meet, Boodhoo posited that “the local racers are still hyped and eager to showcase the capability of their machines”.

The Daby siblings Rondel and Peter, Sanjay Persaud, Anand Ramchand and Shawn Persaud will be among the competitors aiming to walk away with bragging rights for the season-end meet.

In May, at South Dakota, Azurdeen Mohammed stole the show in his “Godzilla” Nissan Skyline GTR. Mohamed recorded the fastest time of the day, dipping below the nine second barrier in the

A-class unlimited category.

Among the categories to be contested on the quarter-mile strip are the F Class – 14 Seconds Bracket, E Class – 13 Seconds Bracket, D Class – 12 Seconds Bracket, C Class – 11 Seconds Bracket, B Class – 10 Seconds Bracket, A Class – 9 and 8 Seconds Bracket.

The Porta Tree Timing System which is equipped with specialized starting lights and allows quarter mile speeds to be recorded will be used during the day’s proceedings.

Races commence at 09:00 hrs and admission for adults is $1000, $500 for children, while children under-12 and vehicles are free.

RHTY&SC Cricket Teams and Scotiabank launch History Booklet

T

he township of Rose Hall created history on Tuesday 20th September when it became the first township in Guyana to document its past for future generation.

The RHTY&SC, M.S and its eight cricket teams with sponsorship from the Bank of Nova Scotia launched a 40 pages booklet, that would be distributed free of cost to residents in the township and others around Guyana.

Secretary/CEO of the RHTY&SC, Hilbert Foster who edited the booklet disclosed that despite being the smallest township in Guyana, it has achieved a lot since attaining the status of township in 1970 and has a rich tradition of hard work, unity and an ability to get things done despite great hurdles.

The township, which has a population of about 20,000 residents, is considered the economic hub of the ancient county of Berbice and Foster noted that its residents have

every reason to be proud of the progress; the small town has made over the years. Rose Hall is also the home of the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club, the St. Francis Community Developers and the Central Corentyne Chamber of Commerce.

The booklet which was produced by the Educational and Research Committee of the RHTY&SC includes Messages from the Club’s Patron, President David Granger, the RHTY&SC, M.S, Mayor Vijai Ramoo and Town Clerk Natasha Munroe.

Articles includes Profile on Rose Hall Village, History of Rose Hall Town, Mayor and Town Clerks 1970 – 2016 Rose Hall Town Monument, Outstanding Residents, the Younger Generation, Places of Worship, Profile of Vic Persaud, History of Sharon Chapel Congregational Church, the Business Sector, Area ‘H’ Ground, Lower Corentyne Secondary

Fitzgerald and Allen lift Jhagroo doubles title

S

udesh Fitzerald and Joseph Allen executed well to win the inaugural Jhagroo family mixed doubles dart title on Sunday at the Malteenoes Sports Club (MSC) Pavilion Their opponents were no match for them as they comfortably claimed the crown.

It seems as though it would take a herculean effort to get past Sudesh Fitzgerald in a single or doubles encounter.

In second position was the duo of Luiz Ramirez Merlano and Sherwyn Green while finishing third was the pair of Anthony Bissoondyal and Delon Correia.

Meanwhile in the team tournament, finishing first was Team Ramirez which comprised of the following players- Luiz Ramirez - Merlano, Sherwyn Green,

Marvin Yaw and Christopher Fulton. Second place went to team Fitzgerald, Fitzgerald, Joseph Allen, Anthony Bissoondyal and Lochan Persaud. While in third place was team Chandro which included Victorine Chandro, Jamwant Bhupan, Bryan James and Delon Correia.

The Jhagroo family resides in the United States of America dart title but due to their association with n the game, they decided to sponsor a tournament.

The event came in the light of a packed season of aiming as the Guyana Dart Association (GDA) tries to intensify competition to better its players. The tournament was a very competitive one which featured some of Guyana’s top dart players.

and J.C. Chandisingh Secondary Schools, Best ever CSEC Student, Historic Achievements, Facts about Rose Hall Town and the Constabulary.

Among the outstanding residents recognise in the booklet are Vic Persaud, J.C. Chandisingh, Alex Foster, Ranji Chandisingh, Nigel Hughes, Mark Lyte, John Fingal, Mohammed Raffik among others. Foster urged the younger generation of residents to learn about their history and to be inspired by the sacrifices and hard work of their foreparents.

The energetic Secretary/ CEO also spoke broadly on the importance of sports and education in the lives of youths and the need for youths to develop a love for reading and research. He noted that the future of Rose Hall Town depends heavily on its youths and he pleaded to the attentive school children to be role models to their peers.

Town Clerk Natasha Munroe and Mayor Vijai Ramoo spoke of how proud they were about the documenting of the township’s history and the huge success of the Town Week celebration organised by the cricket teams of the RHTY&SC, M.S. Munroe pleaded with residents to learn about their history so that they can plan for the future while Mayor Ramoo stated that the township over the next few years would enjoy massive developments that would impact the lives of every resident.

Marketing Executive of Scotiabank, M.S Jennifer Cipriani hailed the publication of the booklet as historic and an investment into the future of the town. She expressed the hope that the booklet would be used for research by students and serve as an inspiration to the younger generation. She stated the Bank of Nova Scotia was proud to be partner with the RHTY&SC,

Mayor Vijai Ramoo and Scotiabank's Jennifer Cipriani launch the booklet

M.S, an organisation she described ad Guyana’s most dynamic youth and sports organisation.

The Bank, she stated was proud of its investment into the Club and announced that the relationship would continue into the future. The booklet was launched with Mayor Ramoo handing over a copy to Cipriani.

The booklet was edited by Hilbert Foster with assistance from Anil Ramnarine, Simon Naidu, Marissa Foster, Sonia Leow and David Prahalad.

Persons interested in obtaining a copy of the booklet can call 337-4562 or email foster_hilbert@yahoo.com.

West Indies preparation camp

Cornwall leads with bat and ball in 2-day practice match

A

collective batting effort from West Indies Maroon saw them past West Indies Blue first innings total yesterday on the second day of their practice match at Windward Sports Club. West Indies Maroon made 294-6 in response to West Indies Blue first innings total of 225 all out.

Leeward Island allrounder Rahkeem Cornwall completed an outstanding all round performance with a top score of 69 to follow his 5-79 in the Blue innings.

His knock was very patient as it took him 167 deliveries and included five fours and three sixes.

He was supported by Jessie Bootan who hit an unbeaten cameo of 58 from 27

Rahkeem Cornwall

Shimron Hetmyer

Jerome Jones

deliveries and in form batsman Kyle Hope who missed out on a half century by one run. West Indies Under-19 captain Shimron Hetmyer and Kieran Powell chipped in with 41 and 35 respectively while another West Indies under-19 player Shamar Springer made 24 not out.

Jerome Jones (2-20) was the pick of the Maroon bowlers while Keon Joseph, Roston Chase, Jomel Warrican and Kissondath Magram collected a wicket apiece.

On the previous day Shane Dowrich 77 and Rajendra Chandrika 57

were the leading scorers for the West Indies Blue side as Cornwall created havoc with his part-time off spin.

The match is used as preparation for the West Indies Test squad upcoming series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates and the West Indies A-team tour to Sri Lanka.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2016

GUYANA-TIMES.COM

17 shortlisted for training for Beach RHTY&SC/Hand-in-Hand Insurance 5/5 Cricket Rose Hall Estate Soccer World Cup Qualifiers

T

he Guyana Beach Football Association (GBFA) technical squad led by designated Head Coach, Abdullah Hamid, have released a 17-member squad following trials on Sunday, September 18, 2016 as they commence preparation for this year’s Beach Soccer World Cup Qualifiers 2017.

The squad will commence weekly training on Sundays in preparation for the competition scheduled for the January 29 to the February 5, 2017 on Miami Beach, USA and will have as its Assistant Coach, Dillon Roberts while a Team Manager is to be announced.

This squad, which will be further shortlisted to 15 by the end of October, was drawn from the recentlyconcluded National Beach Soccer League that was held from January – April, 2016 in Kuru Kururu Village and Linden.

According to President of the Beach Soccer

Association, Rollin Tappin, this is a great opportunity to raise the profile of Beach soccer in Guyana and he expects Guyana to do well.

“We’re using some players who have already had international exposure. Once we roll out preparations according to plan, Guyana will be making a good representation for itself; it augurs well for Beach soccer.

It will give Beach soccer the boost it needs as it’s no longer a part-time sport. With Guyana’s geography and sand, it will definitely give us a boost going forward in our development.”

Two officials from Guyana – Rollin Tappin and Abdullah Hamid – will participate in a workshop in Miami on October 17 and 18 aimed at sensitizing participating member associations of the tournament as well as participate in the official draw.

The trials were conducted at Bay Rock Beach Soccer Facility, Linden over a two-week period from September 11, 2016 and saw players from various clubs including High Stars Attention Family, Cool Runnings Kurukururu Warriors, Royal Youths, Silver Bullets, Sparta Boss and Alexander Village FC. Guyana is one of 16 countries vying for two spots in the competition within CONCACAF; only three will qualify and this is the country’s first time participating in this tournament.

Those shortlisted are; Travis Bess (Goalkeeper), Deon Tyrell (GK), Kellon Major (GK), Ethan Spartan (GK), Jermaine Grandison, Marvin Sullivan, Kenard Simon, Tshekederi Whitehead, Gishawn Moore, Trevorn Archibald, Deshawn Joseph, Cordell Johnson, Rodwyn Fraser, Michael Wilson, Keon Sears, Jamal Haynes and Tony Gilbert.

The Bayrock Beach Soccer Facility in Linden was a hive of activity as players were vying for places

GLTA hosts successful tennis programme in New Amsterdam

I

n an effort to expand Lawn Tennis throughout the country the Guyana Lawn Tennis Association (GLTA) has decided to host grassroots tennis programs to equip physical education teachers with the basic knowledge of the sport.

On Saturday September 17 at the Guyana Teachers’ Union Hall, New Amsterdam, the GLTA started its first program in district 15 of the Guyana Teachers Union sporting district which is the New Amsterdam/ Canje area.

According to the district sports representative, Heathcliff Peters, fourteen teachers from the primary and secondary level attended the workshop which was fruitful and worthwhile.

“There they learnt both the theory and practical facets of the game.”

Peters said the knowledge that the teachers would have gained from the program it is expected that they would return to their schools and implement the basic so the children would be ready for competition in November.

Meanwhile, Grace McCalman former GLTA President and current chair-

Participants of the workshop executing a drill

man of junior development participation, said it was a successful event. “It was a successful event, the teachers who attended were excited to start mini tennis again knowing that New Amsterdam is known for producing some of Guyana’s top tennis players like, Carol Humprey, who was the ladies champion, Godfrey Lowden, Reigning men’s over 35 champion and six time men’s double champion Jason Andrews.”

According to McCalman it is just the first of many such teachers’ workshop across the nation as GLTA

seeks to once again expand its grassroots program for children 7-10 and for national school’s championship.

The GLTA’s main objective is to introduce tennis to children 7-10yrs old in school in a dynamic and fun learning environment while developing good technique and to organize competitions for identification of talent.

Saturday’s program was facilitated by Shelly DalyRamdyhan, National Junior Tennis Coordinator. At the end of it the teachers were handed certificate for their participation.

23

Cricket Club lifts title

T

he Rose Hall Estate Cricket Club of Canje was crowned Champions of the first ever RHTY&SC, M.S/ Hand in Hand Group of Insurance Companies 5/5 Cricket tournament when they easily defeated crowd favourite, Tamarind Root at the Area ‘H’ Ground last Sunday.

Led by former Berbice all-rounder and Man of the Tournament Balram Samaroo, the Canje Team played unbeaten throughout the day to emerge as Champions.

The tournament was organised in observance of the 46th Anniversary celebration of Rose Hall Town.

The eight cricket teams of Guyana’s leading youth and sports organisation are organising a series of activities between September 14 -30 to mark the anniversary. Eleven teams – RHT ‘A’, RHT ‘B’, Bush Lot United, Young Achievers, Young and Restless, Good Bananen, Police, Tamarind Root, Belvedere United, Rose Hall Estate and Courtland placed in-front of a capacity crowd.

The RHTY&SC, M.S also hosted basketball and football tournament while three exciting bouts of boxing was also held as part of a 46th Anniversary Day of Sports.

Batting first in the finals Tamarind Root C.C were restricted to 36 for 7 off their allotted overs as the Rose Hall Estate fielded and bowled superbly. Dilip Regasami top scored with

The victorious Rose Hall Estate Cricket Club

15 as Balram Samaroo took 3 for 3 off his one over.

In response, Samaroo returned with the bat to blast 20 not out as Rose Hall Estate reached 40 without loss in 3.4 overs to win the finals by a comprehensive 10 wickets. The champions defeated Young and Restless by nine wickets in the semifinals after restricting their opponents to 38 for 6.

Earlier in the first round Police drew the bye while Tamarind Root defeated Courtland, Good Bananen squeezed past Rose Hall Town ‘B’ during the power over, Bush Lot United upset pre-tournament favourite Rose Hall Town ‘A’ by eight wickets while Belvedere United defeated West Berbice.

In the second round, Young and the Restless thrashed Police after blasting the tournament highest score of 72, Tamarind Root Bush Lot United after successfully defended their total of 35 while Rose Hall Estate defeated Good Bananen.

South Rose Hall

Town led by Eon Wiggins and Percy Cort defeated North Rose Hall Town by 36-34 points in a tense Basketball Match sponsored

by Anamayah Memorial tournament.

The football tournament was halted by the Management of the RHTY&SC after it was discovered that the two finalists included players not authorised to play for them. Secretary/CEO of the RHTY&SC and Chief Organiser of the Town Week Anniversary Hilbert Foster stated that the tournament would be replayed in the near future. Foster at the presentation ceremony hailed the Day of Sports as a great success and expressed gratitude to the sponsors – Hand in Hand Insurance, Anamayah Memorial Hospital and Balram Shane General Store for their support. The RHTY&SC, M.S he stated would continue to invest heavily in sports especially cricket as it strongly believes in the promoting of sports as an alternative to a life of drugs and crime.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2016

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

Massive turnout expected for “Drag Warz 2” Pg 22

The quarter mile will be a hive of activity once more when local drag racers invade the South Dakota Circuit come October 2 (Marceano Narine Photo)

Pakistan receive Test mace as No1 in the world

― No 1 ranked Test team in April will get $1M

Pg 20

ICC CEO David Richardson presents the Test mace to Misbah-ul-Haq, Lahore

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