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Digicel Guyana celebrates 10th anniversary today P16

Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana guyanatimesgy.com

Issue No. 3124

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Tuesday, February 14, 2017

PRICE

Parking meter scandal

$80 vat included

WHAT'S INSIDE:

PPP rejects Granger’s sympathies, blames Central Govt for ordeal …contract can only be terminated through arbitration Pages …City officials announce 50% reduction 7,9&11 …as citizens continue call for complete revocation

Guyanese busted at JFK with cocaine in shoes

PPP to file private criminal charges against Govt P7 officials

Mother to be charged for attempting to kill children P10

Page 16

Wales Estate closure

GuySuCo reneges on severance Page pay for cane cutters 9

Unidentified body washes up on Wales Estate Wharf P11

CJIA access road to be completed within first quarter P17 Parking P17 meter official previously jailed in US for theft

…President picketed for justice After weeks of protesting at the Wales Sugar Estate and their cries falling on deaf ears, frustrated cane cutters stepped up protest action by moving to the Ministry of the Presidency on Monday

Cummingsburg Accord’s 2nd anniversary

Govt’s performance nothing worth celebrating – Jagdeo …gives Administration “F” grade

Page 3

28th Caricom Heads confab

Crime, security, CSME to headline P2 summit

2 news

tuesDAY, february 14, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

28th Caricom Heads confab

Crime, security, CSME to headline summit W

ith the 28th InterSessional Meeting of Caricom Heads of Government set to commence later this week, Caricom Secretary General Ambassador Irwin LaRocque on Monday, highlighted some of the major issues that would headline

the two-day agenda.

The Regional meeting will open on Thursday at the Guyana Marriot International Hotel, Georgetown and will be chaired by President David Granger.

Among the issues to be addressed are the Caribbean

Single Market and Economy (CSME), crime and security in the Region and economic development and international relations.

Ambassador LaRocque, speaking to journalists at the Caricom Secretariat on Monday, said the CSME remains undoubtedly the best

vehicle to promote economic growth and development, and integration.

“The focus on that aspect of our integration is key at this time, as our member states seek to maximise opportunities for growth,” LaRoque said. He noted that fully utilising the provisions of the CSME will help all prospects for growth. The Ambassador said that while there has been significant progress made in the area of a “single market”, more still needs to be done for the “single economy.”

Last July, at the 37th Regular Meeting of the Conference of the Caricom Heads of Government, Regional leaders had asked for a review of the CSME. This review will be presented at the confab this week LaRoque assured.

Meanwhile, LaRocque said crime and security continues to pose a threat to the Community. He said it is not just a national issue in individual countries, as it also affects Caricom as a whole.

“It’s a Regional problem and hence it requires a Regional solution. You can very well appreciate that with the movement of people and free movement of cargo and the like the transport of crime, it is something that needs to be addressed.”

He said Caricom will continue to look at what can be done to address the issue at both the national and regional level, and will be pursuing more options as it seeks to reduce the level

of criminal activities in the Region.

Other areas of special interests include the Guyana/ Venezuela and Belize/ Guatemala border controversies, and Information and Communication Technology (ICT). ICT, he said, while it is a sector, it is also an enabler of the economy. Heads of Government over a year ago, had recommended that

“In general, we have mounted a very active advocacy initiative and we have at least raised the awareness and engaged in discussions with various parties regarding the plights of the Region with regard to the withdrawal of correspondence banking.”

Meanwhile, LaRocque said Heads will also look at number of issues emerging

Caricom Secretary General Irwin LaRocque flanked by other officials of Caricom on Monday

the Region begin pursuing a single ICT space, which will include largely regional harmonised ICT policy legislations, regulations, technical standards and best practices, along with network and services. This, he said, will effect roaming rates and provide for a single record, as well as address spectrum and broadband matters.

Where economic development is concerned, LaRocque said Caricom will be looking at corresponding banking, which also has an impact on financial transactions, including trade and remittances.

internationally. He said the new issues on that front require that Heads of State strategize how the interest of the Community could be best served. He was asked specifically about Caricom’s intention to engage on the immigration policies enforced in the United States by the Donald Trump Administration.

“Our discussion will centre on how we engage to advance those issues that are critical to us going forward.

That will be the tenure of the discussion that we’ll be having.”

news

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tuesDAY, february 14, 2017| guyanatimesgy.com

BRIDGE OPENINGS

The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Tuesday, February 14 – 05:00h-06:30h and Wednesday, February 15 – 08:30h-10:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Tuesday, February 14– 06:45h-08:15h and Wednesday, February 15 – 07:20h- 08:50h.

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

WEATHER TODAY Sunny intervals up to late morning followed by light rain showers throughout the rest of the day, with partly cloudy skies in the evening.

Temperatures are expected to range between 24 degrees and 28 degrees Celsius.

Winds: East North-easterly to north-easterly between 3.12 metres and 4.91 metres per second.

High Tide: 06:36h and 18:54h reaching a maximum height of 2.66 metres respectively.

Low Tide: 12:28h reaching a minimum height of 0.55 metre.

saturDAY, febrUARY 11, 2017

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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2017

DAILY MILLIONS 04 16 17 20 21 LUCKY 3 0 0 2 Afternoon Draw

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Cummingsburg Accord 2nd anniversary

Govt’s performance nothing worth celebrating – Jagdeo …gives Administration “F” grade

T

oday marks the second anniversary of the formation of the coalition, but their performance in government is nothing worth celebrating, according to Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo who, on Monday, ridiculed President David Granger’s “A” grade of his Administration.

Jagdeo said the President’s assessment was proof that he was trapped in a cocoon and completely out of touch with reality.

“They are increasingly growing aloof and out of touch with reality and that it’s permeated the entire Government all the way to the top, all the way to the presidency…in the face of all the evidence that his Government has underperformed, has failed in many areas, has demonstrated an unbelievable level of incompetence, he gives his Government the top grade,” he told media operatives during a People’s Progressive Party (PPP) press conference at Freedom House.

In relating his personal assessment of the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) coalition’s performance over the past 19 months, Jagdeo contended that they deserve a “bold red “F” grade” for failure in all aspects of managing the country.

According to the former President and now Opposition Leader, it appears that the coalition is more focused on politics

provision of jobs.

Taxes

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo

than on doing what is best for the country and its citizenry.

Investments

Jagdeo noted that the President promised to provide jobs, but failed to secure investments that create these opportunities.

“The reason they don’t want to invest in Guyana is because of the policies of this Government. They’ve scared away not only current investors but future investors. The people do not want, based on the signals they are getting, to put their money at risk. They can’t do so with a capricious Government that changes its policies on a daily basis and has no long-term vision for the future of this country,” he explained, noting that the Government deserved a failing grade in the subject of investments and

The PPP General Secretary also reminded that the APNU/AFC campaigned on the promise of reducing the tax burden on the people of Guyana, but did the complete opposite after being elected to office.

He declared that they needed to be graded “F” for this as well.

In addition to increasing the tax burden tremendously, Jagdeo highlighted, the Government has increased the fees for basic transactions, which contributed significantly to the expenses endured by Guyanese.

Moreover, he noted that the administrative burdens have been increased, making it more challenging and bureaucratic for persons to complete transactions.

He argued that Government could not be lauded for the two per cent reduction in the Value Added Tax (VAT) because of the whole chain of VATable items they have introduced.

Crime

Jagdeo also asserted that the coalition deserved an “F” grade for its performance in the security sector.

“The crime as we know is ravaging the entire country and we have a minister who makes these unilateral pronouncements, a government totally at sea in how to address this growing cancer in our society,” he stated.

The former President

President David Granger

said the most worrisome aspect was that there seemed to be no expression of sympathy or acceptance of responsibility for the countless people who have gotten murdered under their watch.

“It seems to be routine, the routine order of the day,” he said.

He noted too that the APNU/AFC’s performance was compounded by a long list of unbroken promises and countless instances of corruption.

In light of this bleak performance, Jagdeo found it amusing and worrying that President Granger was hopeful of a second term in office. “He’s already talking about a second term…he probably knows something that we don’t know that would allow people, with this dismal performance, to ever vote for them again,” he stated.

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tuesday, February 14, 2017

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

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

Secret contract, clauses, consequences

O

ver the last few days, the public has been enlightened on details of the secret contract signed between the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) and Smart City Solutions (SCS) for parking meters, which had been withheld from the public eye and had escaped public scrutiny, until now.

This revelation came on the heels of protest action, spearheaded by civil society activists, the Movement Against Parking Meters (MAPM), and supported by concerned citizens and businessmen who collectively called for a revocation of the project. As pressure mounted, President David Granger then changed Government’s position and said that he believed now that the rates were high and that there should have been certain parking exemptions from the inception. However, Government had initially maintained that it was not going to intervene into the matter as it was giving the M&CC its independence to run the city.

The Government had remained silent on the matter until it finally announced that it would undertake a review of the contract. This brings us back to the crux of the matter, the now infamous contract. Since the signing of the contract, the document has been closely guarded with Council members only allowed viewing. After concerns were raised, Cabinet directed that the contract be reviewed by the Finance Ministry and the Attorney General’s Chambers during which it was found that most of the terms are overwhelmingly in favour of Smart City Solutions and contains a ‘terror clause’.

The media got wind of the contract and subsequently exposed the deal for what it was: a burden which was foisted upon the citizens and which was agreed to and implemented without proper consultations.

Now there is public outcry as the details of the deal emerge, which justify the previous concerns over division of profits, the exorbitant amount being charged for parking, the development, as well as the terms of the agreement, and the credibility of the company undertaking the initiative.

Stakeholders had earlier pleaded with the M&CC to revise the initiative, pointing to the fact that the contract may have violated tender procedures. To add to the mounting muddle over the entire deal, Smart City Solutions has now come out swinging in defence of the contract and through its spokesperson, has challenged the accuracy of the media’s publication and has even questioned the legitimacy of its obtaining the contract. SCS is claiming that the subject of the commercial content of this contract and its publication has been under public scrutiny for many months. The company maintains that the media and the general public were well aware that the original contract itself had been substantially amended to accommodate Government and public concerns, and pointed to advertisements which outlined these amendments. SCS noted too that anyone’s publication of the contract has violated the confidentiality clauses of the contract itself, and which means, in effect, that the possession of the contract by anyone not so authorised represented misappropriation, and certainly that public dissemination of the contract triggered legal implications resulting from any such misappropriation. Is SCS, therefore, attempting to intimidate the local media from highlighting unfavourable clauses of the contract that will affect the lives of citizens?

Despite the ongoing deliberations over the contract, the clauses and the consequences of revealing the details, and the back-and-forth among stakeholders, there is still a collective call for the scrapping of the deal, which has proven to be bad for business. Whether they will heed this collective call in the end is uncertain; however, officials have announced that the parking meter rates are set to be slashed by half. While many are rejecting the implementation outright, the Council is now saying that rates would be reduced to $28 VAT inclusive for 15 minutes or about $100 per hour. In addition, the booting fees and how long after expiration time should vehicle wheels be clamped are still being examined by City Hall and Smart City Solutions.

However, they have also announced that the parties would be examining ways of offering complimentary park-and-ride and garage parking. While the battle over the parking meters ensues, MAPM members and other civil society members have vowed that they would not give up their struggle for the contract between the M&CC and SCS to be revoked. It is unlikely, therefore, that these concessions will sway the public resolve.

Times Square Arts has unveiled its latest project “We Were Strangers Once Too”. The team responsible for the sculptural work, the Office for Creative Research (OCR), is a group whose past projects include performing the 120,000-object collection database from New York’s Museum of Modern Art

GuySuCo’s bombshell on Guyana

Dear Editor, GuySuCo dropped another bombshell on the nation.

It announced that first crop 2017 at Skeldon Estate will be suspended. The reason given by GuySuCo’s management is that Skeldon Energy Inc (SEI) “informed” GuySuCo that the cogeneration plant is unsafe to operate. This reasoning sounds good. At face value, anyone would agree that it is a solid decision. In reality, GuySuCo has embarked upon a grand scheme to deceive this nation and justify its “close-down and sell-out” vision.

Firstly, SEI is not a foreign company.

Like GuySuCo, it is owned by Government of Guyana, so SEI and GuySuCo have the same owner. Secondly, Skeldon ended operations in December 2016 and programmed its start-up for March 18, 2017, giving the boilers and sugar factory

12 to 13 weeks of maintenance time. Instead of capitalising on this time, SEI continued to operate the “unsafe” boilers in a poor manner with less than competent staff after sugar operations ended. Why continue to operate the “unsafe” boilers? Why weren’t repairs planned during the available three months or was the period too short? We also recall that GuySuCo ceased operations in first week of December 2016 and incurred production losses to facilitate boilers inspection by “international experts”. This confirms that GuySuCo and SEI knew about the magnitude of work since December 2016.

GuySuCo’s CEO, Chairman and Management gloated about those findings in the press. Thirdly, GuySuCo must have discussed its production schedule with SEI before February 2017, which would reason that SEI knew

about GuySuCo’s intentions to start operations on March 18, 2017. Why a sudden advisory from SEI about boilers being unsafe? Is it that these two companies are not communicating with each other, or the two CEOs have been warming seats for the past weeks? Fourthly, Skeldon is projected to produce a meagre 8,871 tonnes sugar in first crop 2017. With crop suspension, production will now be zero, therefore, the industry’s target is now at 65,301 tonnes. This is the lowest ever in recent memory and must be an embarrassment to Government.

GuySuCo will cleverly argue that canes will be carried over to second crop 2017, and sugar will still be made.

While, it is true that canes can be carried over, it is also true that, as much 60 per cent of sugar will be lost and this is being very conservative. A 60 per cent sugar loss equates to 5,323 tonnes sug-

ar or G$381,896,550 (using US$350/t sugar and US$-G$ at 205). Who will be held responsible for this loss of revenue to Guyana’s already sluggish economy? Do we afford this loss at this time?

If Government will not hold anyone accountable from SEI or GuySuCo for a such spectacular failure in basic planning, costing the nation hundreds of millions, it confirms that SEI, or GuySuCo, or both companies have a deliberate plan to drive Skeldon further into indebtedness to strengthen further a case for “sell-out” and at the same time reduce the estate’s value to enable prospective buyers to pay few dollars for assets. My fellow taxpayers, this is our returns for paying the millstone management team at GuySuCo G$14.1 million/ month.

Sincerely, Sookram Persaud

Is Ramjattan condoning DUI? Dear Editor, Last year the Commissioner of Police reported an increase of 90 per cent in driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol cases and more recently, the Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan has confirmed that there has been an increase in DUI cases.

However, even these in-

creases which are being reported are far from what is really happening on our roads. Many persons who are the friends and relatives of the ‘big boys’ are allowed to go ‘scot free’. Recently, the media reported that a CPG liaison officer of Number 50 Village was arrested and charged for driving under the influence and the CPG vehicle he was driving was

impounded at the Number 51 Police Station. He was placed on station bail. The breathalyser test proved that he was above the alcohol limit.

All charges have been dropped and the man is again merrily driving the same vehicle. While some CPG persons are being booted for simple infractions, some ‘rogues’ are allowed to

enjoy the ‘good life’ no matter how big their crimes are.

I do hope that the Minister is able to offer some explanation as to why this ‘animal farm’ mentality exists in under his watch! Is he condoning it?

Yours sincerely, Nowbatt Ram Upper Corentyne Resident

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tuesDAY, february 14, 2017

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

Entire parking meter project AFC squandered must be cancelled political capital Dear Editor, On Thursday, February 9, 2017, I joined a massive protest at City Hall to oppose the parking meter project, which has recently been implemented in Georgetown. The protest saw Guyanese of all races, religions, cultures, professions, ethnicities and political affiliations at one location, calling for transparency, fairness and a retraction of this corrupt deal between the City Council and the Mexican company, Smart City Solutions.

The undersigned was there protesting in principle. I was interviewed by several reporters and I used the opportunity to call on the Government to realise that the citizens of Georgetown are not ready for parking meters.

I, Roshan Khan, am not against parking meters; I think that it is a good thing.

But it should be at the right time; it should come when our economic status has improved, when the oil money is flowing and the standard of living has risen, we must not forget that we are one of the poorest nations in the Western Hemisphere.

Important to note is that when governments or cities introduce parking meters, it is usually done after they have established proper public transport systems and facilities, with private partnerships enhanced with a subway system. It is unfair to have an improper transport system in this city and install parking meters. I could imagine all the people who are sacrificing revenue to own a vehicle

and then having to pay an entire vehicle instalment to park in Georgetown. It is absolutely ridiculous.

Governments usually forget that they are hired by the people and so the people can fire them! If all the business people and their staff come out in numbers and stop working and resist this project, then both the local and Central Government will have to listen.

From the initial stage, the City Council should have had the Attorney General study the contract which would have ensured that Georgetown received the maximum benefits possible under this project. A more puzzling issue is that we are liable if we retract from the contract, however, it has not been gazetted, which means that it is not law. Therefore, it would appear that this company, Smart City Solutions, may be operating illegally and obviously they are very, very smart.

My view is that the entire project must be cancelled. I also believe that the signatories to this draconian contract show that their intentions are sinister and conspiratorial. I believe that they should face a commission of inquiry.

The parking meter project appears to be a form of vengeance against the people of Guyana, specifically residents and visitors to Georgetown. A form of establishment of hate. The language used by persons like Ifa Kamau Cush, one of the original principals behind the controversial parking meters, where he stat-

ed: “You’re not progressives.

You are freeloaders. You lack the intestinal fortitude to control your own destiny.

You all possess the mentality of slaves, indentured servants, incapable of generating wealth and building capacity.” This proves the lack of respect for the people of Guyana by this company and its agents. In my view, he is opportunistic, and is desperate for a rapid flow of cash; his words prove that he does not understand the beauty, brilliance and history that formulate to produce a Guyanese. Our ancestors who went through slavery and who were indentured labourers is something that we are proud of, that struggle for independence made us who we are today.

It is a pity that the city government agreed to give 80 per cent of the earnings to this foreign company which cares nothing about Guyana. When the Movement Against Parking Meters (MAPM) calls for another protest, I will be there to support my fellow citizens of Guyana and I hope more of you will join this movement. I call for businesses to shut down for the two-hour protest and let their workers and management listen to Ralph Ramkarran and be part of a non-violent and silent civil obedience.

My dear brothers and sisters, never forget that we can fire a government whenever we want to: central or local government.

We, the people, are the bosses. A few years ago a particular Government had to reduce its term to three years when the constitutional limit was five years. If the City council was strapped for cash, then a small fee of $100 or $200 could have been added to the driver’s licence and the revenue licence which would have been given to the coffers of City Hall. At this point, we are just not ready for parking meters. Most Guyanese are not against the ideology of parking meters as there are many benefits, however, the fees are too high and it is too sudden and drastic.

I believe that at times, even persons of peace must take a stand, such as this writer, for the good of the people and this country. Be advised City and Central Government… listen to your people. I wish for a prosperous Guyana led by any Government once elected by the people.

Yours sincerely, Roshan Khan

Dear Editor, On the eve of the second anniversary of the uniting of the APNU and the AFC to remove the PPP from Office, it is apt to speak of the AFC. Like the ancient mariner, the AFC has shot an albatross. It has squandered sacred political capital given to create a new political canon characterised by democratic reform.

To say it has lost its “focus” as one newspaper (SN) columnist wrote recently is to fail to measure the depth of the blunder. Indeed, history offered the AFC a tiny window into time to stage an assault against the politics of race. Not easy, but possible.

But the AFC failed to capitalise on the moment.

It is now gone. Forever.

More than losing its “focus”, its entire moorings

have become unhinged by allowing the removal of a PPP regime to become its purpose instead of the removal of a politic that prohibits democracy.

The Irish musicians, U2, once sang that: “Desperation is a tender trap; it gets us every time.” Yes. Between the militants on the outside from another party and the mercenaries from within this party, there is no hope for democracy.

So much lost so quickly. Not even the legendary Icarus fell this rapidly from such tremendous heights.

Now that they are in Government, what exactly have they achieved, except to become just another party to be taken for a bus ride by Congress Place?

Sincerely, Rakesh Rampertab

Parking meter scam

Dear Editor, The parking meter project lacks an iota of transparency. To date, the city has failed to produce studies, surveys and assessments that accompany projects of this scale. The absence of a tendering pro-

cess is the hallmark of corruption. The secret signing of the contract indicates that there is something to hide.

I am sickened by the politicians who are debating rates and fines, when an investigation into cor-

ruption, bribery and nepotism should be the call.

The APNU/AFC coalition’s acceptance of this deal indicates that they condone skulduggery.

Sincerely, M Craig

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tuesDAY, february 14, 2017

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F

Foundation

single mom Christine C o p p a says, my advice to single moms on Valentine’s Day – enjoy the greatest love of all – your kid.

Don’t sweat not having a date or a man. I didn’t have a date, but I was excited that Valentine’s Day fell on a Tuesday, because I work from home and my son doesn’t attend school (since he goes to day care Mon-Wed-Fri).

There are V-Day ideas to enjoy with your kid(s):

orate yourselves with temporary heart tattoos.

Cosy up on the couch

one who finds the most wins a special V-day treat, like a new book.

irst

off,

Bring out the pillows and blankets, and get comfy for a V-Day favourite, like “A Charlie Brown Valentine” or a sweet Disney classic, like “Lady and the Tramp”, “Finding Nemo” or any fun appropriate movie.

Add a splash of colour

guyanatimesgy.com

Deck out your dining room in red, white, and pink with streamers and heart-shaped place mats made from paper. Heck, go ahead and dec-

Eat in Cupid’s kitchen

Put a twist on dinner with a Cupid-inspired menu. Serve a Slice of Heaven (pizza) and In the Clouds (a root-beer float) for dessert.

Create a house of hearts

Hide a few construction-paper hearts all over the house for the kids to find, suggests Kim Stoegbauer, a children’s party designer and blogger with Thetomkatstudio.com. The

– how working parents can learn to navigate a world with too many choices

By Yael Schonbrun, PhD

T

he classic working parent’s quandary: realisation hits late.

You have an important work meeting the following afternoon…and your kid’s play. Torn up, you fantasise declaring that you can’t make either engagement.

Back to your reality. For working parents blessed to have a choice to make, the pressure to decide whether

another is perpetual. With job flexibility, there is that theoretical possibility of being able to be present for any given work and kid event; and pressure to be there for all of them. But making a choice to attend one particular event means that you cannot be physically present for the other.

Unlike professionals who (by choice or circumstance) have little flexibility in their workdays

consumers who were given more items to choose from were less likely to be satisfied with their pick than those given fewer choices.

In a second study, students writing an essay wrote more skilfully when they were given fewer topics to select from. In other words, individuals are more satisfied when they have fewer choices and perform better with fewer options in hand.

Psychologist Barry

or stay-at-home parents (whose main time demands are already kid activities), parents with flexible professional lives are constantly faced with the choice of where to direct their resources. And while more choice seems like an obvious good – and a right for which we have long fought and continue to fight for – the stress, exhaustion, and self-doubt that sets in for individuals juggling roles in both of these worlds is unavoidable.

As Sigmund Freud noted, “Love and work are the cornerstones of our humanness.” Yet keeping a foot in both worlds comes with some important challenges. For one, trying to cover all bases without cloning yourself is a near impossibility. And it turns out that having multiple roles doesn’t give you a pass on performance in any of them. Instead, having so many roles in which you are able to make choices creates a pressure to be more excellent. Laboratory research backs up the idea that more choice leads to our own insatiable expectations. In one set of studies,

Schwartz writes in The Paradox of Choice that as “the experience of choice and control gets broader and deeper, expectations about choice and control may rise to match that experience.” Taking part in multiple roles increases the number of choices we make daily. With flexibility built into your day, you may be compelled to make decisions about where to direct your resources on a seemingly moment-to-moment basis. The privilege of being able to make these choices then increases expectations of satisfying ends. But as our expectations rise, so does the likelihood of our disappointment. But hold on: We cannot conclude that we were better off when women’s choices were restrained to the domestic sphere. Nor should we conclude that the only viable choice is to outsource parenting if you are a professional. Instead, it is incumbent upon us to develop ways to make the freedom to juggle multiple roles saner and more satisfying.

Say “I love you”

Go around the table and have everyone share five reasons they love each member of the family, or have them write down their lists beforehand and pass them out at dinner. (Help smaller children with this.) Download free love notes at Thetomkatstudio.com.

Happy Valentine’s Day! (parenting. com)

to prioritise one role over

(Excerpt from psychologytoday.com)

to be continued

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TuesDAY, february 14, 2017| guyanatimesgy.com

PPP to file private criminal charges against Govt officials

T

he Parliamentary Opposition, the People’s Progressive Party (PPP), has signalled its intention to file private criminal charges against Government officials and is hoping that these charges will also test the immunity of the President.

This was announced by PPP General Secretary and Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo during a press conference on Monday morning at Freedom House, Robb Street.

He said these private criminal charges will include charges against Government officials who

have enriched themselves from the exorbitant salary increases in 2015.

“The argument they are making about enrichment, the asset and enrichment. The basis for which they are looking at the Pradoville issue is that people illegally transferred assets to enrich themselves, then we can prove a case in court that they have taken financial assets of the State, based on a Cabinet decision to give themselves an increase bigger than anyone else, that is enrichment also,” he explained.

He noted that this is why he has grave concerns

ed.

President Daivd Granger and his Cabinet

about what will happen at the Integrity Commission.

“They have sent home all the staff and now they

are in possession of all the returns so we know that many of them broke the law and did not file their

returns and we are worried that they just stick these things in there and tamper with the records,” he stat-

Parking meter burden

Contract can only be terminated through arbitration

T

he highly controversial contract between the Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC) and the parking meter company, Smart City Solutions (SCS), can only be terminated through arbitration.

According to the contract seen by Guyana Times, if in any event a dispute arises over the terms of the agreement and there is need for it to be terminated, it must be done through arbitration by the International Centre for Dispute Resolution (ICDR) in Miami, Florida.

The contract states under the “Dispute Resolution” clause that “the Parties expressly declare that any disputes arising in connection with the interpretation, performance, breach and termination of this Agreement shall be settled through arbitration.”

It specified that the arbitration must be administered through the ICDR in accordance with the

current agreement, subject to the approval of City Hall; the company was given the option to operate in Guyana for almost one century; the contract’s ‘terror clause’ pro-

City Hall

applicable rules of the Arbitration Committee of the International Business Council.

There has been much resistance against the Parking Meter Project since the idea was flouted by the City Council.

Since its implementation, that resistance has grown into a mass movement calling for the initiative to be shelved and the contract which was signed in total secrecy to be scrapped.

But it appears that the

parking meter company has taken all precautionary steps to ensure it is protected in any turn of events regarding the initiative.

The contract stipulates that City Hall must be liable for any expenses incurred by the company as a result of a third party action.

Among the shocking clauses in the contract are: the fact that the company can extend the duration of the 49-year agreement for an additional 49 years under the same terms of the

tects Smart City Solutions, as it includes a clause intended to scare the Mayor and City Council over the prospect of terminating the agreement. TURN TO PAGE 15

Jagdeo argued that this should never be the case where a constitutional agency and their records fall under the control of the Executive.

Moreover, he said these criminal charges will also provide an opportunity to test the immunity of the President against prosecution.

Prompted for more details on the matter, the Opposition Leader declined to comment, however, he assured that the legal documents are currently being prepared.

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IN THE COURTS

Conspiracy charge dismissed against Dataram’s reputed wife

T

he conspiracy and immigration charges against Anjanie Boodnarine, reputed wife of Barry Dataram, were on Monday dismissed as a result of lack of evidence

by Magistrate Renita Singh.

Boodnarine, 22, was accused of conspiring with person/persons to forge a Guyana passport, attempting to defeat the administration of the law and departing Guyana without presenting herself to an immigration officer. She was charged with the offences in October 2016.

Magistrate Singh ruled that the prosecution had failed to provide sufficient evidence to convict Boodnarine, leaving the court in significant doubt as to whether the accused had directly or indirectly conspired to forge the said passport.

Additionally, the Magistrate, in handing down her decision, said that the evidence presented by the prosecution was inconsistent and contradictory, noting that the court was unclear whether the offence took place in

Anjanie Boodnarine

2015 or 2016 and as such, the matter was dismissed.

Boodnarine, along with Dataram, was arrested in 2016 by Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) ranks after a Police raid was conduct-

ed on a house at Lot 661 Fourth Avenue, Block X Diamond, East Bank Demerara. The search led to the discovery of a large quantity of cocaine stuffed in frozen seafood. The couple were arraigned and charged with the offence. Dataram was found guilty of the offence and the charge against Boodnarine was dismissed.

Dataram had recently taken full responsibility for the possession of illegal ammunition, which was found in his home during the raid, leading to Boodnarine being acquitted of the charge. The conspiracy and immigration charges arose after Boodnarine and Dataram fled the country before sentencing on the drug and related charges would be handed down. They were recaptured in Suriname and conspiracy and immigration charges were laid against them of which Dataram was found guilty.

The woman has pending matters before the courts and is set to face Magistrate Leron Daly on Wednesday in another case.

Exposed…

W

…venality

ell… the gig’s finally up on the Gang of Four at City Hall. The contract the Mayoress and her henchmen signed with Smart City Solutions (SCS), which they tried to “deep six” for over a year has finally surfaced. No thanks to the government officials, of course! Like most dead bodies, the putrid gases released from the rotten carcass will eventually cause these kinds of shady deals to surface. It was just a matter of time - and that time has come!

In contract law, your Eyewitness was informed, there’s such a thing as an “unconscionable” contract… but it doesn’t even begin to describe the half of what this “Parking Meter” contract’s all about. Forget the “terror clause” that places the city in hock to the “Smartmen” group for two more Jubilees. Forget the eye-pass of the city getting 20 per cent of the cut, while the Smartmen walk away with everything, including the kitchen sink.

What about forbidding private parking garages being built by any Guyanese on his own land?! What about death by a thousand cuts inflicted on our citizenry? Like the 50 City Constabulary being paid below the minimum wage to be the enforcers of the Smartmen?! Or City Hall committing to have all VAT and other taxes waived on the Smartmen’s revenues?!

In an unconscionable contract, it’s generally someone taking advantage of a child, moron or anyone in a very weak position, so that undue influence, duress makes the hapless victims sign away their firstborn. But in this contract, the Gang of Four - PNC officials all - wilfully inflicted a “ton of flesh” penalty on the Guyanese people. And they and all those who examined the contract - including Bulkan and the Attorney General - should be charged with Criminal Conspiracy - more specifically, Criminal Conspiracy to defraud.

All these officials knew from the beginning that any contract of this magnitude on behalf of the city had to be subject to a public bidding process. So, in conspiring to bypass that process - and not even having their illegal signing ratified by the full Council! - and then extracting moneys from the public for parking on what remained public property, is fraud of the most heinous complexion.

The final nail in the coffin of these venal public officials is the revelation - and confirmation - of your Eyewitness’ description of both sides of the contract as “grifters” - that all the “non-slave and non-indentured” entrepreneurs and owners of Smart City Solutions from New York had been convicted at one time or another of various criminal actions - such as grand larceny and smuggling - that made them do jail time!!

Was it during one of these incarcerations they met and hatched the parking conspiracy?

…widening militarisation

The moment the PNC-led coalition Government was installed, the PNC announced it would be relaunching the Guyana Youth Corps (GYC). It didn’t just “announce” but plunged right into setting the stage by appointing Aubrey Norton as Presidential advisor on Youth Empowerment. He then established a “Guyana Youth Corps Inc” and began training about 50 specially selected youths to become the trainers of the organisation the President will launch in Jan 2018.

What Guyanese should know is the PNC’s simply recapitulating their history - which we all know was a disaster for all Guyanese. The GYC was launched in 1968 for the same reason as is being stated today - to instil “discipline” in unemployed youths - especially those who may’ve dropped out of school. But it failed and was converted to the Guyanese National Service which was a fully militarised outfit.

But as far as its goals, THAT also failed, didn’t it? But not in its real purpose to feed the PNC enforcement machinery.

…prod for children

The Finance Minister insists that imposing VAT on private school fees is “a fiscal tool” on education.

But rather than using VAT as a prod, wouldn’t it be better to improve public schools so private schools become moot?

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

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Wales Estate closure

Parking meter burden

Jagdeo rejects Granger’s GuySuCo reneges on sympathies, blames severance pay for cane cutters Central Govt for ordeal …President picketed for justice

P

eoples Progressive Party (PPP) General Secretary and Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo has called out the Government for failing to nip the Parking Meter Project in its bud, as he rejected the sympathies now being expressed by President David Granger and his administration in relation to the corrupt initiative.

Jagdeo highlighted that the Central Government had more than enough opportunities to prevent the project from materialising, but refused to act on the premise of not wanting to interfere with local government affairs.

But the Opposition Leader finds it odd how Government suddenly changed its views full circle, after civil society reacted in uproar and demanded that the shady deal be scrapped.

Government was privy to the contract some five months ago, but yet allowed the Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC) to grant the green light to the private investors, despite the contract consisting of clauses which allows the parking meter company to take full control of the capital.

Jagdeo highlighted that Government could have stopped the project from go-

W

One of the meters installed under the controversial project

ing forward right there, especially since they have majority Councillors on the M&CC. “The ministry had an adverse review of the contract and yet they proceed to support it and they can’t claim that they did not support this project,” the former President observed.

He noted too that the Government had another opportunity to terminate the deal when the By-laws came to the Communities Minister Ronald Bulkan for approval.

“So they not only had the contract, (they) had a review done of the contract, gone against their own review of the contract, but then they had one of their Cabinet ministers help to bring this contract into being so who takes approval for that, is it not Granger himself,” he stated.

Jagdeo also argued that

the concerns now being expressed by the Alliance For Change (AFC) arm of the coalition Government are not even genuine as its members were part and parcel in the process of supporting the controversial project.

The Opposition Leader also contended that a reduction in the rates of the paid parking will not solve the problem, as he reiterated calls for the entire initiative to be scrapped. “There are so many other features of that contract that are unbelievably stacked in favour of the investor… they have he has now saddled us with unbelievable liabilities if this contract should be repudiated now… and we can only put the blame at the doorstep of this Government,” he emphasised.

ith no favourable response yet from the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) and Government, cane harvesters of the now inoperable Wales Sugar Factory on Monday took their cries for severance pay to the Ministry of the Presidency.

The chants outside the office of the President were for the immediate release and payment of the severance package, which was promised to cane harvesters, prior to the shutting down of the Wales Factory late last year.

Close to 300 cane harvesters converged at the eastern gate of the Head of State’s office, continuing what they started last Monday in the West Bank Demerara (WBD) village of Wales.

According to the protesters, it would seem as if the officials of GuySuCo are forcing them to commence working at Uitvulgt Estate located on the West Coast of Demerara (WCD), which is around 40 miles from Wales.

They say they prefer to be paid their severance and then make a decision whether or not they want to commute to Uitvulgt.

“The eighth of this month they called us back for a meeting and the General Manager of Wales said that GuySuCo’s position is that

Former cane harvesters of Wales Estate protesting outside the Ministry of the Presidency on Monday

they will keep us on the payroll at Wales, but they will transfer us to Uitvlugt,” said Romeo Charles, a cane harvester on the picket line. He said it was over 22 miles just to reach the Estate, while the worksite is another 15 miles into the Estate.

“So when I calculate from Wales to Uitvlugt, it is anything like about 40 miles to reach the worksite. I said when you leave home at 4’o clock in the morning and reach Uitvlugt at 10, what kind of work can you do to get a day’s pay?” he questioned Another protester, identified as Leonard, said: “We need our severance from Wales Estate right now. The General Manager of Wales

is victimising these Wales workers; we need our severance pay now.”

The cane harvesters are casting the blame squarely at the feet of the Wales Estate General Manager, Dave Kumar, who they said cheated them into this situation. They said he went “behind their backs” and told GuySuCo that the workers were all prepared to move over to Uitvlugt.

Meanwhile, Guyana Agricultural and General Workers’ Union (GAWU) President Komal Chand, who was also at the protest, said Government was being unreasonable and needed to listen to the concerns of the cane harvesters.

TURN TO PAGE 11

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Mother to be charged for attempting to kill children

T

he Child Care Protection Agency (CPA) is moving to have the Bare Root, East Coast Demerara (ECD) woman, who fed her children a poisonous substance and attempted to kill herself, charged.

CPA Director Ann Greene told Guyana Times that the matter is still being investigated, however, the Police are also looking to have the 26-year-old mother of three charged.

When contacted, Public Relation’s Officer (PRO) of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), Mitzy Campbell said that the children and mother are all in a stable condition.

On Friday last, Vanessa Arthur mixed a snack with poisonous substance and fed it her children. She later ingested the poisonous substance.

This newspaper was

Some of the household items the 26-year-old threw out of the house

told that a relative visited the woman’s Bare Root, ECD home and realised that something was amiss after he saw a number of household items broken and thrown out in the yard.

Subsequently, the relative reported that he noticed the three children vomiting.

The relative subsequent-

ly questioned the children’s mother, who then allegedly revealed what she had done.

As such, an alarm was raised and the children, as well as their mother, were rushed to the hospital and immediately admitted.

Officials at the hospital reported that they were initially told that the children

started vomiting for no particular reason.

However, a hospital representative related that she noticed froth coming out of the children’s mouth and informed a Police officer who was in the hospital. It was then that doctors realised that the children were poisoned and immediately rushed them to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).

Shortly afterwards, the mother of the children arrived with another set of relatives and was also vomiting.

Meanwhile, on the woman’s social media page – Facebook – in a status dated February 9, 2017, she posted about being disheartened about her husband’s extramarital affair. Investigators are working on the theory that this might have been the basis on which the woman committed the act.

Investigations are continuing.

More problems with Indian indentured Caribbean historiography

I

think by now readers realise that Indian indentured historiography is fraught with problems, or at least this is my position on the scholarship. I will just discuss two more problems before I move on and share some thoughts on how we can move this field of study forward.

The first problem is the deafening silence on unclaimed remittances, which I have addressed in this and other newspapers, particularly to the Indian and British High Commissioners in Guyana. Let me repeat briefly what I have said earlier and I will not stop until I hear something from these busy Commissioners.

In the process, I ask that my call for unclaimed remittances should not be conflated with reparations.

Whatever might have been the problems so associated with not remitting savings from indentured servants in Dr Lomarsh Roopnarine British Guiana to their families in India, the point remains that the unclaimed remittances belonged to the indentured servants not the colonial government.

There is overwhelming evidence to make a case to reclaim these remittances. The records show that thousands and thousands of pounds of remittances from indentured servants went unclaimed.

The current leaders of indentured scholarship should at least ask the question: Where are the unclaimed remittances now, or what happened to them? They can even push for the holders (if they can be found) of these unclaimed remittances to hand them over so that they can be given to the descendants of indentured Indians in the Caribbean, especially in the impoverished communities. However, no one has even brought up these ideas, and the challenge to reclaim the unclaimed remittances remains a closet secret.

The second problem, which I believe, is worse than the evils of indentureship because in some ways Indians are still dragging the chains of this demonic act. This act by the Indian government, which is practically absent from Indian historiography, is the shameful abandonment of indentured Indians during and after indentureship. Those Indians who chose to settle in the Indo-phone Caribbean lost their Indian citizenship.

There seems to be no concrete explanation as to why the Indian government chose to take such action. One suspects that the Indian government was powerless since it was essentially a colonised government subjected to the more powerful British Imperial government. Certainly, more research and published studies on the Indian government’s policy of non-inclusion will bring awareness to one of the multitudes of maladies during Indian indentureship.

Perhaps this question about the Indian government’s policy of non-inclusion should be posed to various Indian High Commission Offices in the Caribbean since it had dire consequences. The loss of citizenship made Indians feel “homeless” in the Caribbean. For example, in the 1960s in British Guiana when racial riots broke out between Africans and Indians, many Indians felt they had no government protection and no place to escape to, even to their former homeland.

The Indian government now grants citizenship to overseas Indians, but this move is probably too late since a majority of Indians in the Caribbean have lost connections with India. If the Indian government had not denied Indian citizenship rights to the resident Indians in the Caribbean, a more meaningful connection would have been forged, culturally and otherwise, between India and the Caribbean through migration.

Now, on the topic of what ought to be done. Well, the study of indentured Indian history in the Caribbean should follow a revisionist approach with the intention of not merely dismissing previous studies, but fostering a focus for enquiry to better understand and advance our knowledge of indentureship. The focus should be from the memory and narrative of indentured servants and less reliance on archival records, housed in former colonial mother countries and in the Caribbean. This approach will produce an alternative, if not an equally compelling, collective memory of indentureship.

Put differently, there ought to be a better approach and a better, selective use of sources to deconstruct, in order to reconstruct historical narrative. This approach has the potential to produce a reconstruction different from the predominantly ongoing neo-slave scholarship.

To illustrate, the use of colonial records to write indenture so far has shown that there was one or two Indian heroines during indenture, for example, the leadership role played by an Indian indentured woman named Janey Tetary on plantation Zorg en Hoop in Suriname. She was eventually killed by colonial authorities.

Are we to believe that the movement of 500,000 Indians from their homeland to the Caribbean and eighty years of indentured experience produced only one outstanding female indentured servant? From the colonial perspective, this memory existed in limitation and marginalisation. However, the basic understanding to historical memory is that there are two sides, and while historical truths cannot be determined by what people tell us, both sides should certainly be examined to arrive at some degree of authenticity. (lomarsh.roopnarine@jsums.edu)

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tuesDAY, february 14, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Parking meter burden

City officials announce 50% reduction − as citizens call for complete revocation

E

ven as the public outcry against the implementation of parking meters continues, City Hall officials have announced a 50 per cent reduction in the parking fees.

This announcement was made on Tuesday, during a meeting with City officials including the Town Clerk Royston King, City Mayor Patricia Chase- Green and representatives from the various commercial banks, including Republic Bank, Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI) and Demerara Bank.

Mayor Chase-Green explained that the reduction would mean that persons will now pay $25 per 15 minutes of parking, along with 14 per cent Value Added Tax (VAT).

This totals to $100 an hour, tax exclusive.

In addition, motor vehicle owners will also now be able to utilise unused time remaining on their cards at other parking spaces in the city.

With regards to the arrangement for employees at the various commercial banks, the Mayor said these individuals will now be allowed to uti-

lise their respective company’s parking lots; the banks will be required to submit the relevant information to the Mayor and City Council (M&CC).

This means that they will also be facilitated with monthly parking permits at a lesser rate, Green added.

Moreover, the Town Clerk emphasised that conditions with regards to clamping and booting fees will also be revised.

The manner in which the Parking Meter Contract, signed in November 2015, was arranged with National

GuySuCo reneges on...

FROM PAGE 9

In a statement, GAWU reiterated that the workers’ demand for severance pay was based on their clear understanding that their jobs were now redundant, since cane growing and sugar processing have ended at Wales.

“Their right to severance pay is enshrined in the Termination of Employment and Severance Pay Act (TESPA). It is apt to point out too, that GuySuCo, with our Union present, during engagements with the workers that begun December 15, 2016, advised the workers quite correctly that their jobs were to become redundant and they were entitled to severance pay if they decided not to go to Uitvlugt Estate.

Already, a number of workers who opted not to take up work at Uitvlugt received their sev-

erance pay while the entitlements of some others are being processed,” the Union said in its release.

The public outcry for severance pay began with an equally large crowd at the

Wales Estate last week. The frustrated workers demanded that their severance packages be paid immediately, which were promised to them since December of last year.

A parking meter

Parking Solutions Inc (SCSI) has attracted heavy scrutiny in the press and has sparked public outrage.

The situation worsened when Georgetown Mayor Patricia Chase Green, Town Clerk Royston King and City Councillors Oscar Clark and Junior Garrett left on a trip to Mexico to inspect the product – seven months after the agreement was inked.

Subsequently, the Finance Ministry and the Attorney General’s Chambers conduct-

ed reviews of the contract to determine its practicality and legality. In its reviews, the glaring absence of any financial analysis or feasibility study by the M&CC had been noted. One of the observations of the Finance Ministry had been that “the contract has given complete monopoly power to SCSI over parking within Georgetown. This control could lead to exploitation of consumers as SCSI has the power to change fees arbitrarily and determine zones.”

The fees amount to at least $200 an hour. The minimum time a motorist can purchase is 15 minutes. The meters work by the user inputting the number on their parking space, the time they need and then presenting a prepaid card, which they would have purchased, to a card reader on the meters. At the time, the Mayor and Town Clerk had contended that the initiative will assist in easing congestion in the city, while generating income to push for a greener economy.

Over the past few weeks, citizens and business owners have taken to the streets in protest against the “draconian” costs and penalties and their calls have intensified after the provisions in the Parking Meter Contract between City Hall and Smart City Solutions were made public. As such, many persons are still calling for the contract to be scrapped and are refusing to accept the recently announced rate reduction.

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tuesDAY, february 14, 2017

News

Cummingsburg Accord

Two years later, much yet to materialise T

oday marks the second anniversary of the Cummingsburg Accord, the Valentine’s Day Union between the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) and the Alliance For Change (AFC). Two years on, however, what has this union really achieved, from its stated goals, for Guyana?

When it was signed just before the May 2015 General and Regional Elections, the Accord had designated considerable responsibilities to the

Prime Minister. For instance, he had been given responsibility for domestic affairs and chairing Cabinet meetings.

This had been in an effort to ensure adequate power sharing, not only between the President and Prime Minister, but between the two parties.

In actuality, this was never put into practice as President David Granger continued to host Cabinet meetings.

When these promises did not materialise, the Opposition had noted that

Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo’s role was largely ceremonial. The Prime Minister has always insisted otherwise, stating that the Accord's provisions were not cast in stone.

But the joint manifesto of the Coalition was also something vividly promoted during the elections campaign. And while some of the promises were fulfilled, the Coalition is yet to make good on crucial policies aimed at improving their accountability to the

President David Granger and Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo

people and to improve the livelihood of the nation.

Significant salary increase

According to the 2015 manifesto, the Coalition had promised “significant salary increases for Government workers, including nurses, teachers in primary, secondary and tertiary education, security personnel and civil servants on the traditional pay roll.” These increases became a front burner issue, especially when the Coalition made a retroactive decision to raise the salaries of its Cabinet members and other high-ranking officials, not long after winning the elections. Based on what they were earning at the time, workers received a one to 10 per cent salary increase in the 2017 budget.

Public servants were, however, left disappointed when, instead of Government announcing a month tax-free bonus, they were instead treated to a tongue lashing by Finance Minister Winston Jordan during his reading of the 2017 budget estimates last year.

In addition to announcing marginal adjustments to the taxes paid by workers, Jordan lashed out at the public service, calling it lethargic and inept.

Failure to pay sugar work-

ers their performance bonuses also led to protests in front of the Ministry of the Presidency last year.

Code of Conduct

In the 2015 manifesto, it had stated that “A Code of Conduct will be established for Parliamentarians, Ministers and others holding high positions in government public office to abide by, including mechanisms for demitting office if in violation of the Code of Conduct.”

The draft Bill had included provisions against public officials accepting gifts of more than $10,000, conflicts of interest, and even gambling.

Its implementation was a crucial 2015 campaign promise by the Coalition, but despite draft codes of conduct being prepared and reviewed it is yet to be brought to Parliament.

Phased reduction of VAT

The manifesto had promised a phased reduction of Value Added Tax (VAT) and its removal from food and other essential items.

While VAT was indeed reduced in the latest budget from 16 per cent to 14 per cent, it has been implemented on a number of basic services such as water, electricity and even school fees and health-

care.

These moves have prompted intense criticisms and a petition was recently started at School of the Nations, a private school which caters for students from different economic backgrounds.

During the recently held National Executive Conference (NEC), then AFC General Secretary David Patterson had spoken of the Accord, which expires in February 2018. According to him, “not every element of the Cummingsburg Accord has functioned as the framers intended and a number of issues have arisen that need to be addressed in an effort to enhance its effectiveness.”

“One of the main weaknesses of the Accord is the silence on the way in which the Coalition would treat with the local government elections. The Coalition partners, despite some effort, were not able to reach an equitable political arrangement, which led to a less than satisfactory outcome for those elections.”

That being said, Patterson went on to say that the AFC was committed to the Coalition and where there are issues, they would be addressed.

According to Patterson, these issues should be ventilated within the party, rather than in public because “it becomes fuel for our enemies”.

“This Coalition is good for the country. Let us resolve any issues we have in a consultative manner, rather than in a publicly adversarial manner.”

After the results of the AFC NEC were declared, President David Granger had issued a congratulatory message to new AFC Leader Raphael Trotman. In the message, the Head of State recommitted to the Cummingsburg Accord.

tuesDAY, february 14, 2017

guyanatimesgy.com

News

Two commit suicide in Regions 6, 2

A

n 11-year-old student of the St Therese's Primary School, in New Amsterdam, Region Six (East BerbiceCorentyne) died on Monday after allegedly ingesting carbon tablets.

Guyana Times understands that Trashana King of Fort Ordinance, East Canje, a Grade Six student, ingested the poison sometime between Sunday evening and Monday morning.

She was rushed to the New Amsterdam Hospital where she later died. Carbon tablets are commonly used as a form of pesticide.

While details surrounding the incident are sketchy, this publication understands King was expected to sit the National Grade Six Assessment on April 12 and 13.

The young lady also

Dead: Kemraj Singh

represented her school at football and was considered one of the leaders in the Children Mashramani Costume Parades, which the school participated in

Trio jailed for possession of date rape drug

C

ity Magistrate Leron Daly on Monday handed down a three-year sentence to three persons who were busted with a quantity of ecstasy, commonly known as the “date rape drug” at Bourda, Georgetown.

The Magistrate found that Omalo Garraway, 24, of Norton Street, Georgetown; Chevaro Jubithana, 22, of Princes Street, Georgetown and Olivia Grimes, 23, of Durban Street, Georgetown were guilty of having in their possession 40 amphetamine tablets, amounting to 10.5 grams on June 16, 2016 at Charlotte Street,

Bourda.

The trio had initially denied the charges and were previously released on $75,000 bail each upon their first court appearance.

The Magistrate on Monday ruled that sufficient evidence had been presented by the prosecution to prove them guilty.

Garraway stood unrepresented in the prisoner’s dock, while Jubithana and Grimes were absent from the court. The sentence was, nonetheless, handed down by the Magistrate and an arrest warrant was issued for the two absent co-accused.

Contract can only...

FROM PAGE 7

Should the company be ordered by any court to take any form of action, which will incur expenses, then these will become the burden on the City Council.

The reimbursement for any loss suffered as a result of third party action is titled “Indemnification.”

The section reads, “The city shall indemnify the Concessionaire against all liabilities, costs, expenses, damages and losses including, but not limited to any direct, indirect or consequential losses, loss of profit, loss of reputation and all interest, penalties and legal costs and all other professional costs and expenses suffered or incurred by the Concessionaire.”

The contract also provides for the Company to be reimbursed if any claim, action, motion, petition, summons, writ or other proceeding whatsoever made against the Town Clerk, the Mayor and Councillors

15

of the City of Georgetown which results in the delay in the performance or frustration of this agreement.

Additionally, if such payment due from the City is subject to tax (whether by way of direct assessment or withholding at its source), the company shall be entitled to receive from the city such amounts to ensure that the net amount received, after tax, is the same as it would have been were the payment not subject to tax.

There has been widespread public outcry against the Parking Meter Project over the past months with a movement staging protest action against the “draconian” costs and penalties of the project.

Already, the New Building Society (NBS) is challenging the legality of the parking meter By-laws in the courts.

The case comes up before Justice Brassington Reynolds on February 20.

over the past years.

A post-mortem examination was conducted on the body on Monday, and confirmed the cause of death as poisoning. Police are investigating the incident and have since questioned the child’s father who is a Prison officer.

Meanwhile, in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) a differently-abled man from Hibernia village on the Essequibo Coast tragically ended his life on Friday night, after allegedly experiencing prolonged domestic problems.

The deceased, Kemraj Singh, also known as Lanka, reportedly lived with his his wife Dhranie Ramdar, and his mother Hymwattie Primlall. He was said to have been an alcoholic. According to information received, Singh

retired to bed at around 23:00h Friday night, and when his wife left to use the washroom, he locked her out. The couple were reportedly married last year.

After repeated calls went unanswered, the woman then proceeded to remove the panes of a nearby window and saw the man hanging from a rafter.

An alarm was raised and neighbours, as well as detectives visited the scene. Singh’s body was cut down and later taken to the Suddie Hospital where doctors pronounced him dead; the body was transported to the Suddie mortuary for a post-mortem examination.

Only recently, a soldier from Marlborough, Lower Pomeroon, ended his life after consuming a quantity of poison.

Unidentified body washes up on Wales Estate Wharf

T

he body of an unidentified man was on Monday afternoon pulled from the Demerara River in the vicinity of the Wales Estate Wharf.

Reports are the discovery was made at about 15:00h by a guard of the facility as he was conducting his routine checks.

Police have since con-

firmed that the body bore no marks of violence, while noting that the body is that of an East Indian man suspected to be in his 40's.

Detectives are working on the theory that the man might have drowned.

The body was taken to the Ezekiel Funeral home awaiting identification and post-mortem examination.

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tuesDAY, february 14, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Digicel Guyana celebrates 10th anniversary today

D

igicel Guyana is 10 years old today and has been celebrating its milestone by giving back to customers in a big way.

The telecommunications giant visited 10 special needs schools and orphanages throughout Guyana over the past two weeks to deliver some much-needed supplies, appliances, stationery, school shoes, food hampers and other items.

Company representatives visited the New Amsterdam Special Needs School, Tuschen Deaf Academy, Gifted Hands Special Needs School, St John’s Boys Orphanage, Diamond Special Needs School, Canaan Children’s Home, Cheshire Home, Shaheed’s Boys Orphanage, Linden Resource Unit for the Blind (Low Vision

Unit) and Prabhu Sharran Orphanage. The St John’s Boys Orphanage was the first stop in the series of visits, which commenced on January 31.

Head of Marketing, Jacqueline James, along with several members of staff, delivered breakfast, school shoes, backpacks, school items, a washing machine and other supplies which were needed by the Orphanage.

“We are happy to be here with you as we will soon be celebrating our 10th anniversary; we would like you to know that we are here to support you, young people and we will always be here to lend a helping hand,” James told the small gathering.

After the official presentation to the Director, Sister Julie Matthews, the staff were more than happy to assist the boys in finding

Students of the New Amsterdam Special Needs School posed with staff of Digicel

their sizes so they could be off to school in their new shoes and new backpacks. Sister Matthews and 14-year-old Stephan thanked Digicel for its timely donations and encouraged those present to “keep doing good”.

The telecommunications company delivered mobile aids in the form of wheelchairs, backpacks, food items, school supplies and a gas stove to the other beneficiaries.

The Headmistress of Diamond Special Needs School, Wendy Grimmond, indicated their interest in starting a feeding programme for the students and as such, Digicel has willingly donated a new gas stove and a quantity of food items to get the programme started.

Digicel continued on its anniversary quest to put smiles on the faces of special needs students and teachers in Guyana.

Its next stop was the New Amsterdam Special Needs School where it commissioned a brand new sickbay and donated several new kitchen appliances.

The staff had cleaned and gave an existing room in the school a makeover, into the sick-bay.

“We were more than happy to take some time off to come and help where we knew our help was needed. Doing this today was something that all the staff enjoyed and we were happy that we could have spent some time with the students.

Experiencing the joy on their faces as they saw the new space and as they hopped on the beds was all the thanks we needed,” Digicel Public Relations Manager Vidya Sanichara said. The team also stopped at the Canaan

Staff members with students of the Linden Low Vision Unit

Children’s Home while in Berbice.

Digicel remains committed to fulfilling its corporate social responsibility, and its focus on charity and special needs remain at the top of the list.

Special needs intervention is central to its mandate throughout the Caribbean

also be gifting 10 lucky Facebook fans with gifts based on its “Name your gift” Facebook promotion where they make a gift request and Digicel will grant their request. In addition, 10 loyal customers who have been on the network from the inception would also receive up-

A few of the mobile units donated to the Diamond Special Needs School

and Central America and the company is committed to enhancing the welfare of children with special needs across those markets.

For its anniversary celebrations, Digicel will

grades to their handsets.

This will be done during a special radio programme this morning at the company’s head office in Barrack Street, Kingston, Georgetown.

Guyanese busted at JFK with cocaine in shoes

A

Guyanese man was arrested after US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers discovered cocaine valued US$67,000 hidden in footwear, at the John F Kennedy International Airport, New York.

He was subsequently turned over to Homeland Security.

According to the CBP agency, the man arrived on a flight from Georgetown, Guyana via Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, on February 9, 2017and was about to ‘walk’ past officers, but was stopped.

During the course of the inspection, CBP officers discovered four pairs of sneakers and two pairs of

The cocaine that was found in the shoe

shoes in his luggage, which contained a white powder and which tested positive for cocaine.

“This latest seizure demonstrates the vigilance of our CBP officers, and their excellence in detecting those who would try to smuggle these illegal

substances,” said Robert E Perez, New York Field Operations Director.

The Guyanese man now faces federal narcotics smuggling charges and will be prosecuted by the US Attorney’s Office in the US Eastern District Court of New York.

news

17

tuesDAY, February 14, 2017| guyanatimesgy.com

Parking meter official previously jailed in US for theft

C

ontroversial Smart City Solutions (SCS) official Ifa Kamau Cush faced jail time back in 2002, serving some four months in a US jail.

According to court documents seen by Guyana Times, Cush had pleaded guilty to grand larceny in the third degree in a county court of Nassau County, Long Island, New York, back in March 2002.

He was sentenced to four months of incarceration and five years of probation, and was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of US$7981.50. The document said Cush did not appeal and was released from custody on May 5, 2002.

The same document showed that on November 20, 2006, Cush was charged

with violating the terms of his probation. The County Court signed a Declaration of Delinquency and a warrant was issued for his arrest. Cush was returned on the warrant in November 2006 and released on his own recognisance the following month. He was then returned again on the warrant on August 30, 2011.

The document continued that on September 13, 2011, Cush was brought to court for a pre-violation hearing conference.

Although further court proceedings were scheduled for September 20, October 11, and October 24 of that year. Each of the court dates was adjourned in succession.

On November 15, 2011, the court convened the par-

Ifa Kamau Cush

ties and scheduled a hearing on Cush’s alleged probation violation. However, on December 8, 2011 and then again on December 19, 2011, the hearing was adjourned. The court adjourned the hearing until January 6, 2012, and then

adjourned it three more times, ultimately scheduling a hearing date of January 24, 2012.

Following adjournment of the January 24, 2012 hearing, Cush moved to dismiss the probation charges pending against him on February 8, 2012. A Superseding Probation Violation Report had been filed on October 7, 2011, and Cush contended that the court failed to timely file a Declaration of Delinquency for the superseding charges pursuant to local law. The parties hotly disputed the basis for many of these and subsequent adjournments.

Cush argued that proceedings were adjourned because the New York State Department of Corrections

and Community Supervision (DOCCS) refused to produce him. The respondent contended that Cush requested several of the adjournments and others were necessary, because he refused to allow DOCCS to produce him requiring dismissal of those charges.

Cush also argued that DOCCS had on multiple occasions failed to produce him for his probation-revocation hearing, which, under local law, divested the court of jurisdiction to adjudicate the charges against him and violated his equal protection and due process rights. Cush further asserted that the charges should be dismissed because the Superseding Probation Violation Report

was factually insufficient under local law in that it did not apprise him of the conditions of probation he allegedly violated. By decision dated April 13, 2012, the state court denied Cush’s motion and scheduled a final hearing for April 30, 2012. However, on April 30, 2012, the court again adjourned the hearing. On May 9, 2012, the court finally held the probation-revocation hearing, found that Cush had violated the terms of his probation, and sentenced him to one to three years’ imprisonment. Cush came under heavy criticisms last week when he made comments on social media suggesting that Guyanese have the “mentality of slaves and indentured servants”.

CJIA access road to be completed within first quarter C

hief Roads and Bridges Officer of the Public Infrastructure Ministry, Ron Rahaman said the new three-kilometre access road leading to the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) will be completed within the first quarter of 2017.

According to a release from the Government Information Agency (GINA), Rahaman made this disclosure while answering questions about the road before the Public

Chief Roads and Bridges Officer, Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Ron Rahaman

Accounts Committee (PAC) on Monday. He explained that to date, the project is 98 per cent complete.

Rahaman said too that the removal of a Guyana Telephone Telegraph (GTT) utility pole at the Timehri Police Station has delayed the project.

“All the works except for this removal of the pole (belonging to GTT) and some minor pavements are expected to be done. The contractor completed all the rest of work in the last week of December 2016 to

the first week in January,” Rahaman explained.

Rahaman noted that GTT has since given consent to remove the pole, but the contractor has to pay the company for the removal. “GTT sent an invoice with the amount to remove the pole and we have written the contrac-

tor last year to make the payment, however, the contractor has not paid yet, so we will be having a meeting to discuss further,” Rahaman said.

The Chief Roads and Bridges Officer indicated that a meeting will be held with the Permanent Secretary of the Public

Infrastructure Ministry, Balraj Balram, and the contractor to have the issue resolved so that the project could see 100 percent completion within the first quarter, the release added. In 2011, a contract for the sum of US$3 million was signed for the work on the new access road.

18

guyanatimesgy.com

tuesDAY, February 14, 2017

ARCHIE

Added discipline will help you conquer whatever you set (March 21- out to achieve. Personal relaApril 19) tionships should be nurtured if you want to avoid complaints. Don’t mix business with pleasure.

ARIES

You’ll be faced with oppoTAURUS sition if you try to do things (April 20- differently. Question whethMay 20) er your plans are lacking and what you can do to alter the outcome. Listen to good advice.

dilbert

Precision and attention to GEMINI detail will be required if you (May 21June 20) want to make a lasting impression. Get involved in an organization that shares your concerns in order to encounter someone special.

Be careful who you confide in. You are better off listening (June 21- to what others have to conJuly 22) fess. Knowledge and information can put you in a powerful position when future negotiations come into play.

CANCER

Peanuts

You can raise awareness LEO among your friends and col(July 23leagues if you share your beAug. 22) liefs or lifestyle choices. Selfawareness, confidence and a pleasant demeanor will promote popularity.

Don’t let anyone handle VIRGO (Aug. 23- your personal, financial, legal Sept. 22) or medical affairs. Take pride in what you do and how you handle anyone trying to interfere. Avoid overspending.

Calvin and Hobbes

If you say what’s on your LIBRA mind, you will affect how peo(Sept. 23ple react to your plans. Show Oct. 23) confidence and the willpower to follow through. Romance is highlighted.

WORD GAME TODAY’S WORD — SYSTEMIC

SUDOKU

Make changes that will SAGITTARIUS help you look your best and (Nov. 23- feel healthy and rejuvenatDec. 21) ed. Spending time with family and engaging in challenging physical activities or romantic encounters look promising.

(SYSTEMIC: sih-STEM-ik: Of, relating to or affecting the entire body or an entire organism.)

Average mark 20 words Time limit 40 minutes Can you find 30 or more words in SYSTEMIC? The list will be published tomorrow.

YESTERDAY’S WORD — KILOGRAM kilo grail mako kola gram mark lair grim marl lark rail milk liar raki milo lira roam mirk loam roil moil okra amir mola oral amok molar girl argil mora glair aril moral glamor magi goal mail

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 SCORPIO make personal alterations (Oct. 24that will clear up any confuNov. 22) sion or uncertainty that has been troubling you. Greater self-awareness will bring promising results.

You’ll be challenged at evCAPRICORN ery step if you try to get oth(Dec. 22ers to do things your way.

Jan. 19) Do your own thing and allow others the same privilege.

solution for Last Published Puzzle If you change the way you AQUARIUS go about your business, op(Jan. 20portunities will develop. An Feb. 19) open mind and a keen interest in money matters will improve your standard of living.

Make a commitment.

PISCES Let your mind wander and (Feb. 20- your imagination take conMarch 20) trol. The importance of feeling free to be creative will help you make important decisions and changes regarding your personal life.

TUESDAY, february 14, 2017

19

India beat Bangladesh by 208 runs

India’s fielders watch Mushfiqur Rahim’s shot race away

R

avindra Jadeja’s relentless accuracy and Ishant Sharma’s reverse swing ensured India dismissed Bangladesh for 250 in an improbable chase of 459 and secured a 208run victory in Hyderabad, extending their undefeated streak to 19 Tests.

Bangladesh’s major source of resistance on the fifth day came via a Jekylland-Hyde 56-run stand between Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah, who made his first fifty since July 2015. Though they couldn’t win their first Test in India, they did bat more than 100 overs twice in a match for a sixth time.

Mushfiqur and Mahmudullah showed sound judgement outside the off stump against the seamers but took on the spin-

ners, sometimes at great risk. Mushfiqur charged at Ashwin’s second ball of the day - a non-turning offbreak - to cover drive a boundary all along the ground. Two balls later, he used his feet again, but hit over the top against the break to hole out to wide mid-off. While it is understandable that the Bangladesh captain wanted to upset India’s best bowler, he might just have taken it too far. Mushfiqur exposed the inexperienced lower-middle order to the opposition and added to the list of inglorious Bangladesh dismissals in the recent past.

Ishant Sharma pinned Sabbir lbw for 22 in the fourth over after lunch.

Mahmudullah, who had sent Jadeja over the top for backto-back fours, continued to

live dangerously against spin. But it was pace that undid him. Ishant tucked him up with a chest-high short ball on the leg stump and forced a top-edged pull to long leg.

Mehedi Hasan and Kamrul Islam Rabbi saw off the second new ball with a partnership of 17 in 85 balls, but the re-introduction of Jadeja produced the breakthrough. He found extra bounce and turn to glance off Mehedi’s glove and into Wriddhiman Saha’s. Taijul skied a top-edge and was caught at short leg though both KL Rahul and M Vijay went for it with neither one backing out.

Ashwin completed formalities in bizarre fashion as the tea break was postponed. His slider beat No.11 Taskin Ahmed and India ap-

pealed, presumably for lbw.

Umpire Marais Erasmus went across to his partner Joel Wilson and brought the third umpire into play to check for a bat-pad catch.

The replay showed the ball had clearly spun past the inside edge, but Virat Kohli went for a DRS review that confirmed the lbw.

Ashwin bowled only 14.3 overs on the last day as opposed to Jadeja who wheeled away for 29 overs and nearly bagged his second successive five-wicket haul in the second innings. Like a popgun, he kept firing into the rough in an interrupted spell this morning. His 14-6-31-1 included the wicket of Shakib Al Hasan, which summed up the enormity of negotiating a deteriorating fifth-day track in India. Jadeja got one to explode from the rough out-

side o f f , graze the top glove of S h a k i b and loop to Cheteshwar Pujara at short leg.

Jadeja celebrated, sticking his tongue out and flashing a naughty little smile. It would only grow as the day wore on.

(ESPNcricinfo)

KL Rahul leaps on Ishant Sharma after he took out Mahmudullah

SCOREBOARD India 1st innings 687/6 decl.

Bangladesh 1st innings 388 India 2nd innings 159/4 decl.

Bangladesh 2nd innings (target: 459 runs, overnight 103/3) Tamim Iqbal c Kohli b Ashwin 3 Soumya Sarkar c Rahane b Jadeja 42 Mominul Haque c Rahane b Ashwin 27 Mahmudullah c Kumar b Sharma 64 Shakib Al Hasan c Pujara b Jadeja 22 Mushfiqur Rahim*† c Jadeja b Ashwin 23 Sabbir Rahman lbw b Sharma 22 Mehedi Hasan Miraz c †Saha b 23 Jadeja Kamrul Islam Rabbi not out 3 Taijul Islam c Rahul b Jadeja 6

1 Taskin Ahmed lbw b Ashwin Extras (b-4, lb-7, nb-3) 14 Total (all out; 100.3 overs) 250 Fall of wickets 1-11 (Tamim Iqbal, 5.2 ov), 2-71 (Soumya Sarkar, 21.6 ov), 3-75 (Mominul Haque, 24.1 ov), 4-106 (Shakib Al Hasan, 37.3 ov), 5-162 (Mushfiqur Rahim, 52.4 ov), 6-213 (Sabbir Rahman, 70.4 ov), 7-225 (Mahmudullah, 76.3 ov), 8-242 (Mehedi Hasan Miraz, 90.4 ov), 9-249 (Taijul Islam, 97.5 ov), 10-250 (Taskin Ahmed, 100.3 ov) Bowling B Kumar 8-4-15-0, R Ashwin 30.3-10-73-4, I Sharma 13-3-40-2 (nb-3), UT Yadav 12-233-0, RA Jadeja 37-15-78-4

Root named England Test Captain J

oe Root has been named as England’s Test captain, succeeding Alastair Cook, who last week stepped down after four years in the job.

Root, 26, had been the frontrunner to follow Cook in the Test role, having been made vice-captain in 2015. He met with Andrew Strauss, England’s director of cricket, last week and was offered the job over the weekend but will have to wait five months for his first outing as captain, when England host South Africa in July.

There were few serious alternatives to Root, who has emerged as England’s star batsman since making his debut under Cook in 2012. Ben Stokes has been confirmed as Root’s new vice-captain. The appointments had been widely anticipated, with England leaving for a one-day series in the West Indies next week.

“It is a huge honour to be given the England Test captaincy,” Root said. “I feel privileged, humbled and very excited.

“We have a very good

group of players and I’m looking forward to leading them out in the summer, building on Alastair’s achievements and making the most of our talents in the years ahead. The senior guys in the changing room play a very influential role and whilst there’s a natural progression for me it’s a huge support to know that they are there to help and advise.”

Strauss chose to give Root more responsibility when taking over as director of cricket two summers ago and he was pleased that the Yorkshire batsman had immediately accepted the promotion to captain, described him as “the right man” to succeed Cook.

Strauss said: “Joe has shown a number of admirable qualities in his Test career so far. Making his debut in 2012 at the age of 21 and going on to establish himself as one of the premier batsmen in all forms of the game in such a short period of time demonstrates his drive, determination, cricketing intelligence and an ability to learn that will serve him well in

his new role.

“He is universally respected by his team-mates, passionate about driving the Test team forward and extremely excited about the prospect of leading his country.

“I’m also delighted that Ben Stokes will take over from Joe as vice-captain of the team. He has real presence and influence within the team environment that serve as a great source of support for Joe. I have no doubts that the responsibility will also help Ben to continue his rapid rise as a world class allrounder.”

Colin Graves, the ECB chairman, called Root as the “perfect choice” to be England’s 80th Test captain. “When I spoke to him last night you could feel the excitement and sense the pride - he can’t wait to get started,” Graves said.

“Joe is a fine player and a fine person who has the respect of the players, the selectors and all at the ECB. He also has a changing room with experienced players and leaders who will support him from the start.

“The role of Test captain is an honour and a responsibility which he thoroughly deserves.

Joe has maturity beyond his years and having seen him develop at Yorkshire over the last ten years I know his qualities well. “I offer my congratulations to Joe for becoming Test captain and, once again, my thanks to Alastair Cook for the way he has developed the team, the timing of his decision and the platform he has given his successor.”

Root inherits a talented side from Cook but one that has, in its previous captain’s words, “stagnated” over recent months. England lost eight of the 17 Tests they played in 2016, including six of the most recent eight. Cook admitted a “new voice” was required in the dressing room.

While Root has little captaincy experience - he has led for only four first-class games - he is respected by his peers as a senior player and had been the team’s vice-captain. It would have been a major surprise had he not been appointed. Stuart Broad, one potential candidate

Joe Root

for the position, described Root as “ideal” for the role, while Stokes has previously suggested he harboured few captaincy aspirations. “You have to be boring like Cooky if you want to be captain,” he said when asked about the role on the recent tour of India.

There may also be some concerns over Root’s workload.

As a key batsman in all three formats of the game - and as a new father - the demands on his time and energy are already substantial. But he can point to the example of Virat Kohli, in particular, and argue that the increased responsibility may improve his individual

performance.

Root will have some time to settle into his new role. England do not play Test cricket again until July, with a four-match series against South Africa and three-match series against West Indies providing time for Root to shape his new team before an Ashes tour towards the end of the year. His relationship with the coach, Trevor Bayliss, may prove crucial. While Cook and Bayliss did not always appear to be in unison over England’s style of play, it is anticipated that Root will adopt a bolder, more aggressive approach that may be more to Bayliss’ liking.

(ESPNcricinfo)

20

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

tuesDAY, february 14, 2017

“Jaguars’ elimination a huge disappointment” – King

Reon King

By Ravi Madholall

G

uyana Jaguars’ elimination at the conclusion of the preliminary round in the ongoing Regional Super50 was a huge disappointment according to former West Indies quickie Reon King.

The lads from the South America-based franchise finished third with 16 points in Group B behind Barbados Pride with 33 points and Jamaica Scorpions on 28 points and King believes lack of consistency in every department denied the Jaguars combination further progress.

Guyana Jaguars inauspiciously began their quest for regional supremacy with consecutive defeats which set the tone for the early exit. They first went down to hosts Barbados Pride losing by an emphatic 145run margin and two days later lost to the Jamaica Scorpions by 41 runs.

King, who featured in 19 tests and 50 one-day internationals in the prestigious maroon colours pointed out that the Jaguars failed to compete and could have shown more zeal and determination to lift the championship, which has eluded them for 13 straight years.

“It was a total disappointment from the Guyana Jaguars team; they just did not live up to the expectations and based on what I have seen, they did not play to their full potential,” King related.

The 42-year-old King, who is now a Match-Referee, stated that he and probably a high percentage of Guyanese loyal supporters would have anticipated Guyana Jaguars reach at least the semi-final stage but this came about owing to the lack of consistency in every department of their

game.

“We had to play hard and committed cricket from the beginning; they had batsmen with international exposure and that should have given them t h e

confidence to make big scores and ultimately surge to victories,” the right-handed bowler King candidly declared.

One of Guyana most distinguished batsmen, 42 year old Shivnarine Chanderpaul utilized his mountainous experience emerging as one of the leading scorers and scored the Jaguars’ only century.

His captain Leon Johnson accumulated 237 runs from eight matches while Chanderpaul only appeared in 6 games to register 199 runs. Barbadian franchise player Raymon Reifer churned out some fine all-round performances tallying up 189 runs from eight games and grabbed 16 wickets.

“Apart from some outstanding, individual performances there wasn’t much to shout about; when you put it in a nutshell, the entire team did not play the standard of cricket that was Shivnarine Chanderpaul hit the only expected from century by a Jaguars batsman them,” a dejected King commented.

Since the inauguration of the regional limited-over tournament in 1976, Guyana have not been able to make a steady impact and winning their last one-day trophy in 2005 under the captaincy of

this big tournament. He divulged it is vitally important the youngsters given the chance to display their abilities once the selectors are cognizant of their talent.

Meanwhile, the first

Raymon Reifer was the Jaguars best all-rounder in Barbados

Chanderpaul, and King feels the team might have felt a little bit of pressure to end that drought.

The former Georgetown Cricket Club first-division player, who played 95 first-class games for his native country, reserved special mention for some of the young talents in the team.

He is confident and optimistic that Shimron Hetmyer is a bright prospect and would have learnt a lot from

of the two semi-finals get cracking tomorrow at the Coolidge facility in Antigua and Barbuda where Group A front-runners and defending champions Trinidad and Tobago Red Force collide with Jamaican Scorpions while the following day Barbados Pride will confront the Leeward Islands Hurricanes at the same venue. The final will take place also Coolidge on Saturday.

Valmiki Vidyalaya High School make impressive Clashes erupt over leases given windball debut for house lots on cricket field O R

verhand windball cricket made its return to the National Gymnasium since 2011 with The Forbes Burnham Foundation Inter Secondary School boys and girls tournament. The tournament is a joint effort of the Ministry of Education through the National Sports Commission and is organized by the AL Sport & Tour Promotions.

Debutant Valmiki Vidyalaya High School and Saint Stanislaus College won both girls and boys matches.

The girls had a memorable baptism beating Queen’s College by 25 runs. Valmiki Vidyalaya High School batted first and were led by a record opening partnership of 110, with Jerusha Tappin 38, Tina Ramsammy 26, extras 46 to help their team to a score of 127 of their allotted five overs.

Queen’s College (QC) in reply made 102 with Sareza Razack 34 and B. Boucher 30.

Saint Stanislaus College made 95-2 with Cherub Autar 26, Seekumarie Mangru 24 and Rebeina Chaunjie 17 getting starts. In reply, St. Mary’s Secondary were restricted to 80-4 falling short by 15 runs. Deandra Freaser 28 and Aaleyah Maxwell made 10 while extras contributed a healthy 38.

In the Boys category, Valmiki Vidyalaya High School followed in the girls’ path with a similar result. They beat QC by 28 runs thanks to their opening partnership as well.

The debutants made 107 without loss with openers Kemraj Mohabir 62 and Johanatan Ramjattan 39 totally dominating the QC bowling.

Queen’s College were then limited to 79-4 with Luke Mangal 17.

Saint Stanislaus College took first strike and made 94-1 with Veeraj Persaud scoring 45 and Kennard Moonsammy 41. Christ Church Secondary fell 15 runs short when they were restricted to 79-3 with Ariel Tilku 31, Reaz Drepaul 17 and Renaldo Mohamed 15 getting among the runs.

In the final match of the day, St. Mary’s tallied an impressive 139-1 total. Stephon Wilson hit an attractive half century scoring 79 while Michael Lynn made 42. They then restricted Queenstown Secondary to 76-2. Jeffrey Blair with 39 and O Baker 23 could not prevent their team from crashing to a 63-run defeat.

esidents of Yakusari, Black Bush Polder, Corentyne, Region Six (East Berbice/Corentyne) are calling on President David Granger to put a halt to an existing lease given to some residents of that community.

The lease is for a piece of land which is used as a community centre and also the cricket field. One person has already erected a house on the land. On Sunday it was rumored that a second person was making arrangements to transport an already constructed house to the land.

The rumors sparked protest demonstration by other residents’ mainly young persons who use the land for recreational purposes. The now disputed land is home to the Yakusari Cricket Club.

In 2012 the organisation was given $2M by government to further develop the cricket field. A pavilion was constructed and the fence rebuild.

The ‘Yakusari Community Centre’ has been the venue for several second division cricket matches in the Upper Corentyne Zone.

Chairman for the Yakusari Carib Cricket Club

Angry Yakusari residents contemplate their next move as already one house is on part of the playground

Motiechand Lalu says residents of Black Bush Polder want an immediate halt to leasehold titles for inside the community playground.

In a letter dated February 1, 2017, and addressed to President David Granger, Lalu says the Commission of Lands and Survey recently issuer leasehold tittles, “to residents inside the playground at Yakusari… According to the present plan at the NDC [Neighbourhood Democratic Council], house lots are initially located inside the playground; one which occupies the position of the pavilion and another taking half

of the cricket pitch,” the letter said in part.

It continued, “About six years ago residents received approval from the Land Selection Committee to occupy house lots inside the playfield. A delegation of concerned residents met me with you at your office and subsequently the Office of the Commission of Lands withdrew the approval.”

The letter says that residents were expecting the Commission of Lands to put all applications on hold.

Lalu, on behalf of the concerned residents, is asking to have all leases issued to persons for the occupation

of the Yakusari Playfield, revoked.

He is also seeking to have the present layout of the land where the Yakusari Playfield canceled.

Meanwhile, Region Six Chairman David Armogan has also been approached on the matter.

On Sunday, Regional Councilors including Gobin Harbhajan in his capacity, as Regional Prime Ministerial Representative visited the community centre after verbal clashes between persons representing both sides.

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21

– looking to bring closure to outstanding matters

C

ycling in Guyana has once again come under tremendous pressure as the difficulties regarding managing in 2016 took a turn for the worse.

As the 2017 season is upon us, President of the Guyana Cycling Federation (GCF), Horace Burrowes has indicated that there is a critical meeting today in order to move the sport into a new era.

Burrowes made this disclosure following the first GCF event, the poorly attended 75-mile road race on Sunday which attracted just 18 starters which is far below the norm at such events.

As such, the United States based Burrowes, who spoke on the issue of the turnout, indicated that he indeed heard talks of boycotting the race but claimed that this was not the way to settle issues, reasoning that it ultimately affects the sport and the riders.

“I overheard a lot of things about boycotting the race and a lot of teams didn’t

show up today as they boycotted the race. Boycotting the race is not good for the sport” adding that “every sport entity in this country is going to have ups and downs and we have to clear it up among ourselves, we can’t take it out on the sport in terms of the cyclists by pressuring them not to race because what it is doing is bringing the sport down.”

When asked about what are the Federation’s plans to remedy the issue of the boycotting, Burrowes mentioned that the main objective is to reconcile with the disgruntled clubs to plot a way forward pointing out that there is a meeting today.

“We actually have a meeting on Tuesday [today] with our executive members then we have a club meeting that we sent out over two weeks in advance, we sent out emails and hard copies.”

Burrowes said while noting he expects all the clubs to be present.

The GCF boss explained

Guyana Cycling Federation President Horace Burrowes

that the executive meeting is a mandatory meeting and according to him, is unconstitutional for them (clubs) to be absent as he indicated the importance of it as it surrounds the troubles in the sport.

Back in 2016, the GCF faced a resistance from key stakeholders who installed an interim management committee, signaling the beginning of the issues surrounding the GCF governance.

DCC extend condolences to the Harpers T

he President, Executives and members of the Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) regret the passing of Lynette Harper, the mother of two stalwart members of the Demerara cricket Club (DCC) – Roger and Mark Harper.

The club sympathizes with their colleagues and

joins with them in mourning the loss of their dear mother.

It is our sincere wish that the divine architect of the universe will endow them with strength of character, courage and fortitude to withstand and endure this difficult period of bereavement – as we are sure in the knowledge that “To

live in t h e hearts o f those we leave behind is not to die.”

Her memory will forever burn bright and clear in the hearts and minds of the Harper brothers and their extended family at the Demerara Cricket Club (DCC).

Parasram leads Imam Bacchus CC to crushing win F

ormer Guyana youth player Rovindra Parasram hit a steady, unbeaten 53 to propel hosts Imam Bacchus Cricket Club to a comprehensive eight-wicket win over Region One AllStars Teachers team last Saturday at the Affiance ground, Essequibo Coast.

The right-handed Parasram struck five fours and a six while he received good support from skipper Parmeshwar Persaud who slammed a cameo 32 as

Imam Bacchus raced to 1062 in the 18th over.

After winning the toss and taking first strike, the visitors only managed an insufficient 105 all out from the allotted 20-overs.

Carl Charles made a dogged 25 while Tony Harris and Dharshan Persaud made 16 and 15 respectively to be the other batsmen in double-figures.

Off-spinner Festous Williams claimed a hattrick, 3-12 from three penetrative overs to help skittle

Rovindra Parasram

out the opposition on a responsive pitch under blue skies.

The match was part of Region One’s tour to Region Two and to seek qualification to represent Essequibo Teachers in an upcoming tournament.

22

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

tuesDAY, february 14, 2017

Reforming of WICB remains a concern of Caricom

Caricom Secretary General Irwin LaRocque

By Akeem Greene

T

hough in recent times, there was no public constructive regional conversation on the current state of West Indies Cricket, CARICOM Secretary General, Ambassador Irwin LaRocque has stated that the indiscretions of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) are still on the ra-

ommendation to dissolve the WICB in November 2015, in a report that termed the board’s governance structure as “antiquated,” “obsolete” and “anachronistic”.

At the last the heads of government meeting, Grenada Prime Minister Keith Mitchell had stated, “We will do everything possible to effect the decision”, adding that “We’re looking at legal options on the basis that cricket is a public good run by a private institution.”

More so, controversial WICB president, Dave Cameron is set to be returned unopposed when the embattled organisation stages its Annual General Meeting next month which sends a message that the paradigm with the board will not be shifted.

Prior to his re-elec-

a problem that needs to be looked at and we continue to peruse that, the Heads of Government have established a mechanism for continuing to look at the issue and that will continue” the Dominican disclosed.

Over the last decade or

more, West Indies cricket has plummeted due to appalling performances on the field and the constant infractions between players

Savage Masters give Regal

savage treatment L

ead by a brilliant all round performance from Ramo Malone, Savage Masters won the Ogle Community Centre one-day, four-team softball invitational tournament on Sunday.

In the final, Malone made 42 to help Savage to 131/3 from their 15 overs before returning with the ball to pick up 3-27 to give his team victory by three runs.

Malone put on 80 runs for the first wicket with Unis Yusuf who made 30 while Rishie Ramsaywack made 31 at the backend of the innings. Local boy, Raymond Harper was on target for Regal picking up three for 27 in cool conditions.

The star studded Regal Masters team who will be jetting off to the Florida Cup were off to a slow start and left a lot for the middle and lower order to do against Malone, Clyde Canterberry and Imtiaz Mohammed on the huge and heavy outfield.

Linden Lyght who opened the batting with Mahesh Chunilall was first to go for one before Eon Abel played and missed in compiling a patient 23. Only

The tournament’s Most Valuable Player, Ramo Malone (left) is happy to receive his symbol of ‘a good day at the office’

WICB President Dave Cameron (left) and some West Indian players have been at loggerheads over the years

dar of the regional body.

LaRocque speaking at press briefing on Monday in the lead up to the 28th Heads of Government Conference which will be held on Thursday and Friday at the Secretariat, made it known that the board needs reforming.

“The position of the community is very clear on the need for modernizing and reforming the administration of West Indies cricket, that remains a concern, notwithstanding the instances where performances may have improved from time to time,” the Secretary General stated.

In July 2016, CARICOM reaffirmed its resolve to dissolve the WICB and said it would soon create another Prime Ministerial sub-committee that would have a wider say on cricket in the Caribbean.

A CARICOM cricket review panel had made the rec-

tion in 2015, Cameron came under fire from St Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves, who branded the WICB president’s leadership as “poor” and “embarrassing”, while calling on him to resign.

In this regard, LaRocque, insisted that the members are still perusing avenues to ensure that the regions cricket affairs is administered in a fair manner.

“By and large, there is

and officials.

In Tests, they are currently ranked in eighthplace just ahead of Bangladesh and Zimbabwe.

Since 2009 across four captains, the regional side has played 57 Tests, losing 29, drawing 15 and winning 13.

Judging by the numbers, in the One Day International (ODI), the regional side seem to struggle even more since across six different captains from the said time line, they have lost 57 of the 89 ODIs played while coming out victorious in only 28. Three were tied and one ended as a no result.

The year 2016 returned some glory with the team winning their second Men’s World T20 title, the Women, winning their first and the Under-19s winning their maiden World Cup title, there is a long road ahead for the revival of West Indies cricket.

Veteran Divakanand “Vicky” Ramsaywack (left) collects the winning trophy from Ogle CC executive member David Harper

Chunilall with 54 and Rudolph Baker 22 not out showed intent with the bat.

The well-deserved victory is Savage Masters’ second successive championship following their shared title with Mike’s Wellman the week before in the Georgetown Softball Cricket League’s Republic Cup. Before the Republic Cup triumph, Savage last championship was in 2014.

In the semifinals, Regal beat Mike’s Wellman by 36 runs while Savage got the better of Ariel Masters by 17 runs. Ariel were bowled out for 82 after doing all the hard work in bowling out the eventual champs for 99. Ariel rebounded to beat Mike’s in the third place play-off. The top three teams and Most Valuable Player, Ramo Malone received trophies.

The day’s activity was organized by the executives and members of the Ogle Community Centre to raise funds for the club as well as to have organized cricket tournaments at the venue which is also very popular for grass track motor cycle racing.

guyanatimesgy.com

tuesDAY, febRuary 14, 2017

23

Petra/Limacol Round-robin Knock-out Football

Defending champs Milerock sneak into quarter-finals T

he round-robin round of the 2nd annual Petra Organised Limacol Football Tournament has concluded with defending champions Milerock being the last team to qualify for the quarter-finals.

Playing at the McKenzie Sports Club Ground, Linden on Sunday evening, Milerock FC and arch rivals Federal Winners Connection produced a goalless draw to ensure they (Milerock) pip Grove Hi Tech to the second

qualifying spot in Group A. The scruffy exchange was marred by an abusive of physicality as it hardly brought the sizeable crowd in attendance to their feet since they failed to be a procession of offensive plays.

In the earlier match, Eagles United soared to a 3-0 win over New Amsterdam United to also book their quarter-final spot.

Randolph Lewis netted in the 8th while Kurt Johnson and Kellon Primo scored second half goals,

Eagles United goalscorers from left: Randolph Lewis, Kurt Johnson and Kellon Primo

Final Points Standings Group-A Team

GP

W L

D

GF

GA

GD Pts

Winners Connection (Q) 3

1

0

2

3

1

+2 5

Milerock (q)

3

1

1

1

2

2

0

4

Grove Hi-Tech

3

1

1

1

3

4

-1

4

Northern Rangers

3

0

1

2

2

3

-1

2

Team

GP

W L

D

GF

GA

GD Pts

Western Tigers (Q)

3

3

0

0

6

3

+3 9

Eagles (q)

3

2

1

0

5

2

+3 6

Uitvlugt

3

1

2

0

6

6

0

3

NA United

3

0

3

0

2

8

-6

0

Team

GP

W L

D

GF

GA

GD Pts

Den Amstel (Q)

3

3

0

0

7

1

+6 9

Santos (q)

3

1

1

1

4

2

+2 4

Ann’s Grove

3

1

1

1

4

6

-2

4

Pouderoyen

3

0

3

0

1

7

-6

0

Group-B

Group-C

Group-D Team

GP

W L

D

GF

GA

GD Pts

Mahaica (Q)

3

2

0

1

8

5

+3 7

Guyana Police Force (q) 3

2

0

1

5

3

+2 7

Camptown

3

0

2

1

3

5

-2

1

Riddim Squad

3

0

2

1

3

6

-3

1

Legend (Q)-Group Winner (q)-Group Runner-up

scoring in the 70th and 87th.

Meanwhile, Winners Connection, Western Tigers, Den Amstel and Mahaica Determinators will receive $100,000 for topping their respective groups.

The other teams to secure passage to the next round are Santos, Guyana Police Force and they will pocket $50,000, $30,000 and $20,000 apiece in order of placing.

The quarter-finals will be played on this coming Sunday and pits Milerock against Western Tigers followed by Winners Connection and Eagles at the McKenzie Sports Club.

Over at the Victoria Community Centre Ground, Police will meet Den Amstel followed by Mahaica and

Milerock and Winners Connection in action on Sunday night

Santos. Winner of the event will pocket $500,000 and a trophy while the second, third and fourth placed teams will receive $300,000,

$200,000 and $100,000 respectively and the corresponding accolade.

To date, Banks DIH Limited under the GT Beer

Brand, Trophy Stall and Star Party Rentals are the other companies that have thrown their support behind the championship.

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2017

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

guyanatimesgy.com

Petra/Limacol Round-robin Knock-out Football...

Pg 22

Defending champs Milerock sneak into quarter-finals Milerock and Winners Connection had an extremely physical battle throughout the match at the Mackenzie Sports Club on Sunday evening

Savage Masters give Regal savage treatment Pg 22

The overjoyed Savage Masters with the winners’ trophy at the Ogle Community Centre on Sunday

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