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Issue No. 3126

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Thursday, February 16, 2017

PRICE

Wales closure fallout

$80 vat included

WHAT'S INSIDE:

PPP condemns Govt’s “callous decisions” on sugar industry

GTT restructuring

120 jobs on the line, 6 P12 already gone

Page 9

…says Wales workers right in demanding severance package …GAWU slams Govt for misinformation over severance

Bartica woman gang raped – rapists charged

P12

Parking meter scandal

TIGI raps PNC gang for leading onslaught on public Page 3

…warns of aftermath if deal not rescinded

Parking meter scandal

Jilted contractor seeks millions in compensation from P10 City Hall

5 remanded for Berbice domestic P15 worker’s execution

The Public Health Ministry on Wednesday held a welcoming ceremony for 22 Peace Corps Volunteers at the Herdmanston Lodge in Queenstown, Georgetown.

Guided by the theme “Engaging Health Partners and Individuals for Community Change (EHPICC)”, the group represents the 2017 Peace Corps batch to Guyana, and will be attached to the Public Health Ministry

Constitutional challenge

Ruling deferred to February 21 Page 7

11 homeless as fire guts 2 buildings Page 11

Caricom P5 Intersessional HoG meeting opens today

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news

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THURSDAY, february 16, 2017| guyanatimesgy.com

BRIDGE OPENINGS

The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Thursday, February 16 – 08:30h-10:00h and Friday, February 17 – 09:00h-10:30h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Thursday, February 16 – 07:50h-09:20h and Friday, February 17 – 08:20h-09:50h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY Heavy rain showers with sunny intervals can be expected throughout the day, while light cloud cover with light rain showers can be expected in the evening. Temperatures are expected to range between 24 degrees and 27 degrees Celsius.

Winds: North-easterly to East North-easterly between 2.68 metres and 4.91 metres.

High Tide: 07:48h and 20:10h reaching maximum heights of 2.52 metres and 2.45 metres respectively.

Low Tide: 01:23h and 13:43h reaching minimum heights of 0.69 metre and 0.71 metre respectively.

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Parking meter scandal

TIGI raps PNC gang for leading onslaught on public …warns of aftermath if deal not rescinded

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ocal transparency watchdog Transparency International Guyana Inc (TIGI) has issued a scathing criticism of the People’s National Congress (PNC) officials, who have been exposed in the orchestration of the corrupt parking meter deal.

TIGI also warned of the grave repercussions for future generations if the authorities refuse to heed the calls of civil society to terminate the contract, which it said has bequeathed the city streets and its people to Smart City Solutions (SCS).

In a detailed missive released on Wednesday, the organisation called out Georgetown Mayor Patricia Chase Green and Town Clerk Royston King for their lead role in the creation of a contract riddled with terror clauses and their subsequent attacks on those who have stood up against it.

TIGI also recognised that other persons had a role to play in the disastrous negotiation, including Central Government which it lambasted for its initial laidback approach and failure to nip the project in its bud.

Georgetown Mayor Patricia Chase Green

Movement Against Parking Meters (MAPM).

The body noted that these attacks by the Mayor and Town Clerk, while in poor taste, are unfortunately consistent with the alternative reality that explains the actions of the top echelons of the City Council.

“The MAPM has galvanised the people into action against sustained abuse and

According to the body, “equally damning is the sustained vilification of those who dare to stand up, including some Councillors”.

TIGI lamented that the collusion between City Hall and the contractor was such that boundaries have been obliterated as exemplified by a SCS Director (Ifa Cush) boldly, defiantly and repeatedly hurling derogatory remarks at citizens.

The organisation noted that the Director’s attacks were as a result of the security and immunity the contract provided to the contractor.

Central Government

TIGI also berated Central Government for its role in the development of this ordeal, which itself had recognised was not in the best interest of the population.

“It is significant that Central Government, including the President, Cabinet and the responsible Minister,

TIGI explained.

Notably, Central Government had several opportunities where it could have prevented the deal from materialising, but yet failed to act accordingly.

Beginning from the initial review of the contract by the Finance Ministry and Attorney General’s Chambers to the signing off of the by-laws

by Communities Minister Ronald Bulkan, Government could have stopped the project from commencing.

Flaws

PNC gang

The signatories of the parking meter contract are Chase Green; King; City Hall’s Finance Committee Chairman and PNC General Secretary, Oscar Clarke and Clarke’s predecessor and Councillor, Junior Garrett.

TIGI noted, “The Mayor and Town Clerk are at the forefront of this onslaught, but have not monopolised this function.”

The body expressed that the “lack of transparency in the handling of the deal is a telling blow to good governance and the repercussions will visit future generations if the deal is not rescinded”.

TIGI pointed out that it was the ordinary man who would bear the burden of the poor governance and in this regard, condemned the Mayor as well as the Town Clerk for retaliating against the

Town Clerk Royston King

TIGI encouraged citizens to always ensure their voices are heard, and to spare no effort to communicate their views to their leaders, within the law and the provisions of democracy

disregard. The Movement is based on the legal and governance issues of which the economic burden on citizens and the implementation maladies are merely symptomatic. The Movement is consistent with democratic principles and exemplifies free thinking that transcends social divides and political ideologies. This is predictably abhorred, opposed and denigrated by City Hall.

The parking meters’ debacle and the civil action against the deal resulted from the poor governance of the M&CC,” the organisation explained.

invoked a non-interference stance even while the people were unable to access needed information about the deal,”

TIGI reiterated that the problems with the parking meter deal were a combination of lack of transparency and secrecy surrounding the contract, violation of procurement laws, alignment of interests of the M&CC and the contractor in the trip to Mexico and the inaction of Central Government, given the Finance Ministry’s review of the contract as “a telling blow to transparency, accountability and good governance”.

TURN TO PAGE 12

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thursday, February 16, 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

Sovereignty of the people

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vents unfolding in Britain as they implement their “Brexit” decision, have highlighted a fundamental difference between their structure of Government and ours – notwithstanding that we claim to be following in their “Parliamentary Tradition”. This difference lies in the locus of “sovereignty”, which is the ultimate authority over the state, which gradually was extended from the person of the monarch or “sovereign”, from medieval times. In Britain, sovereignty was left as residing in their Parliament, composed of the monarch and the representatives of the people.

Thus it was, even though the British people voted in a referendum to exit the EU, their Parliament must now vote to ratify – or deny – this move. The US, however, in its Constitution declares sovereignty to reside ultimately in its people. Our Constitution was crafted to reflect this latter principle rather than the British.

Possibly because America had fought a war to secure their independence from the British Monarch at a time when their Parliament was still struggling to pry authority from him, Americans have cultivated a national narrative that stresses the “power of the people” at the collective and individual levels. As such, Americans are very alert to the overreach of those in public office. In Guyana, however, independence was conferred to a People’s National Congress Government that was authoritarian to its core and simply used the Constitution and other laws as fig leaves for its dictatorship. Guyanese have never been socialised to view themselves at the repository of sovereignty.

As such, even though Guyanese trek to the polls to elect their leaders, as soon as these individuals enter office – at all levels of government – they assume the outlook of the monarchs of yore: they have absolute power over their “subjects”. Those in Central Government can, for instance, award themselves whatever salaries and benefits necessary to live pampered lives while telling ordinary persons there is nothing for them in the treasury.

At the municipal level, we can have elected officials in Georgetown refusing to follow the laws that govern their office and award billion-dollar contracts without public bidding and then refusing to make the details of the contract available to the full City Council, much less the citizens of Georgetown. And this pattern of high-handed officials flow though all institutions of Government and also the State.

Citizens requiring services to the central, regional or local bureaucracy must present themselves as supplicants for personal favours rather than getting from “public servants” – as they are ironically described – services that are their right.

The Police continues their arbitrary and peremptory stops, even though they have been publicly informed that this practice is illegal. And this is but the most minor quotidian indignity those in whom “sovereignty” supposedly resides, have to suffer.

But why has the US been able to foster a civic culture that privileges the rights of citizens over the powers of government? There is, first of all, the “national narrative” encapsulating this perspective that is purveyed and reinforced in schools, books, movies, TV, and other socialisation institutions. This narrative is based on the “social contract” between the governors and the governed on which the constitutional order rests: to wit that citizens have the duty to protest any infringement of their rights since in so doing, the Government would have broken the contract.

The protest can be legal. There are various bodies, such as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), that are willing to litigate official overreach in the courts, at no cost to the violated citizen. The protests can also be in the form of direct citizen action – marches, sit-ins and petitions etc – to bring to the attention of the officials, the disagreement of the citizenry of their actions and policies. In American today, we see all these avenues being utilised to articulate citizens’ disapproval of some actions of their administration.

An old Guyanese folk proverb says, “A hint to Beneba mek Quashie tek notice.”

This young lady proudly depicted Guyana’s rich flora in her costume during the Children’s Mashramani Costume Parade held last weekend

Political maturity is what is needed Dear Editor, I must confess that while I do periodically read Mr Bisram’s writings in this space, I am increasingly at the dilemma where I fail to see the constructive nature of his arguments. In his recent letter on constitutional reform, again – after a critique on local action, or rather inaction as he seems to believe – goes on the myriad comparisons of other systems which he views as better than ours. Now I must be clear in that I am in no way saying that Guyana has the best system of governance, rather my issue is with the amateurish comparisons of very distinct constitutional structures.

The first point Mr Bisram made was that the current Constitution – which evolved from the ‘Burnham constitution’ is unacceptable because it was not approved by the population. The notion that constitutions must be approved by the people at a physical referendum to be acceptable is an idyllic dream. While that is the best case scenario, the absence of popular approval of constitutional instruments does not equate to those instruments being unacceptable. As a former British colony with a modified Westminster system, it is prudent to look at other commonwealth countries. Many constitutions today were derived from Independence Acts and Orders-in-Council, hardly any of those being adopted by referendum, with the closest example to us

being Trinidad and Tobago.

Mr Bisram would no doubt counter with examples of India and the US. He would have to understand that the circumstances existing in India in 1950 made popular approval of a Constitution a matter of routine nature, where still it was a constituent assembly that drafted the Constitution from local suggestions. The US is not a good example because as a teacher, Mr Bisram would know that at the time the US Constitution was ratified, the franchise was severely limited and excluded, among other groups, slaves, former slaves, and women.

Mr Bisram’s next point is the nature of the new constitutional arrangement. Again, citing the US, he calls for a directly elected President (either by the people or the National Assembly), shared Government where various parties control different Ministries, capping of presidential powers and the like.

In response to this, I must elucidate the following: 1. The President of the US is not directly elected. Constitutionally, the President is elected by the Electoral College which is under no legal obligation to follow the ‘vote’ which occurs in November.

2. The President of Guyana in comparison is more directly elected in a sense because when people cast their vote, they are voting for a list, including a person identified as presidential candidate. While some

may rightly say that this is technically an indirect election, it is clear that each individual vote goes into electing the President as it does the National Assembly.

In fact, I would remind Mr Bisram that even the Prime Ministers of Canada, Australia, and the UK (who are heads of government much like our President) are not directly elected to that position. Rather they are appointed, and in the same way we know who is designated by a party to become President, the same way voters in those countries know who will be appointed Prime Minister if a particular party wins.

3. It is actually the National Assembly that is not purely representative as we lack the basic constituency system of electing MPs as in Canada, UK, and many of our Caribbean neighbours.

Our MPs can be replaced by the political parties without our say, which in turn defeats the nature of a representative body.

4. No other ‘developed’ country has the system Mr Bisram is calling for, yet they function properly.

That is because the institutions to secure the individual vote are strong. Why can multicultural Trinidad and Tobago have smooth transfer of power and we can’t.

It’s not because they have the system that Mr Bisram advocates for, but rather because the institutions that protect the integrity of the vote works better than it does here.

I can keep on listing points but I shall stop here.

Maybe Mr Bisram has forgotten but we did have extensive constitutional reforms in the early 90s. Sure more could have been done, but there were significant changes that came about including the increased participation of the Opposition Leader in various constitutional mechanisms and the limiting of Executive power. Further to that, Mr Bisram should be reminded that up till the court (in exercising judicial review of a law) struck the provision down, we did have term limits signed into office by a sitting President, popular enough to take his party into more election cycles.

At the end of the letter, the issue of race is brought up. I’m not going to argue on this, but in almost every letter of this nature, Mr Bisram hints at race when it helps his arguments. By taking a constitutional issue and painting it lastly with the race brush, Mr Bisram has defeated any well intentioned thoughts in his own letter. Do we struggle with race – yes, of course. But that is not the answer to the issue Mr Bisram raises. We can have the best and most inclusive Government on paper which will mean nothing without political maturity from everyone. And at the end of the day, that is what’s needed – political maturity.

Sincerely, Hemsworth J Carter

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Caricom Intersessional HoG meeting opens today T

he 28th Intersessional meeting of the Caricom Heads of Government opens today at the Marriott International Hotel, in Georgetown.

Guyana’s Head of State and Caricom Chairman, David Granger, will chair the two-day proceedings which will see Heads of the 15 member states discussing issues of national and regional importance.

The event opens today at 09:00h and re-

marks will be delivered by Caricom Secretary General Irwin LaRocque; outgoing Chairman of the Conference of Heads of Government, Dominican Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit; and President David Granger.

During the two-day confab, some major issues which will headline the forum include the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME), crime and security in the region and economic devel-

opment and international relations.

The Secretary General said on Monday 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,” LaRocque said. He noted that fully utilising the provisions of the CSME will help all

CFU’s impending decision of withdrawing from CONCACAF Dear Editor, The likelihood of the Caribbean Football Union’s withdrawal from CONCACAF –the regional hemispheric body for football governance which is better known as the Confederation and is directly affiliated to FIFA, was further compounded with the resignation of former CONCACAF and CFU President, Mr Austin “Jack” Warner who was also a former FIFA Vice President.

Caribbean football with the largest bloc of votes (25) within the confederation, may never be able to recapture its glory once enjoyed under Warner.

Trinidad and Tobago hosted the Under 17 Youth World Cup in 2001. Compounded by the Reggae Boyz participation in 1998 and T&T in 2006 – both at the senior level.

Nevertheless, with USA, Mexico and Canada being the most powerful within CONCACAF, both economically and infrastructural.

In relation to the USA, as a previous World Cup host in 1994, no new stadium had to be built, just upgraded.

Surely, this accolade may well be the envy of FIFA’s affiliates with World Cup dominance, as a host.

Additionally, there would be no need for major infrastructural upgrade either; that is, airports, road and rail networks along with accommodation. Canada, in this endeavour, would

occupy the second spot with Mexico, a former two-time World Cup host, a distant third.

Meanwhile, at this crucial juncture in CFU history, after a period of 39 years in existence, parting ways from CONCACAF, founded in 1961 would more than likely have significant effects regionally, since an “Extraordinary meeting” of its affiliates would have to be convened first and foremost. Suffice it to say, additionally a comprehensive study would also have to be undertaken. The submission of a number of proposals would have to be submitted to FIFA, in pursuit of attaining Confederation Status, which can take quite a few years locally, depending upon how the GFF votes. Would there ever be true and meaningful development?

Taking into consideration the cost of internal travel locally, more so by air, which may well be the most expensive within the CFU! Waramadong, for example, cost the Kashif & Shangai organisation $1.7 million for the return trip, utilising two planes, boats and ATVs, in a school’s championship.

What of other remote areas, but due to transportation costs can never under the given circumstances be shortlisted in a national squad. Then inter-regional travel i.e. Guyana, Cuba, Haiti, Martinique and Guadeloupe return? Would

the Caricom Secretariat be approached too provide the relevant logistics? Are national teams exempt from paying Airport Departure Taxes within Caricom?

My point, if there was, then we don’t need assistance but what I do know, assistance is needed in all facets of the sport. With constitutionality, By-laws, laws, statutes, professional league, bi-annual regional championships; juniors and seniors for both male and female all within a calendar of activities; Editor, the reality of CFU becoming a confederation must be pursued at all costs. While not foregoing bargaining with FIFA for at least 1½ playoff spots in World Cups.

Respectfully yours, Lester Sealey

prospects for growth. The Ambassador said 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, LaRocque 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 and Venezuela and Belize and Guatemala border controversies and the 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 the region begin pursuing a single ICT space which will include largely regional harmonised ICT polices 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.

“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 a number of issues emerging internationally. He said the new issues on that front require that Heads of State strategise 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 do 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”.

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Foundation

BY THE FACULTY OF SCIENCE – UNIVERSITY OF COPENHAGEN

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hildren improve at Maths when instruction engages their own bodies. This is one of the findings from a recent study coming from the University of Copenhagen’s Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports. The results also document that children require individualised learning strategies.The project investigated whether different types of Mathematics learning strategies changes the way children solves Maths problems. Wellbeing and learning among school age children has a significant impact on how children fare later on in life.

Therefore, frameworks for elementary school teaching and learning must be optimised. The 2014, Danish School Reform emphasised physical activity during the primary and lower secondary education years – as part of academic instruction as well. Researchers from the Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports have investigated the effect of different types of primary school Mathematics instruction.

the topic at hand.”

After just six weeks of the study, all of the children improved their scores in a standardised 50 question national test. Children whose instruction included whole body activity performed best.

Their performance improved by 7.6 per cent, with nearly four more correct responses than the baseline, and twice as much improvement as the sedentary fine motor skills group.

Differentiated instruction is crucial

It helps to use the whole body

Results from the study underscore that many children improve at Maths when their bodies are engaged during instruction, and that Maths instruction should be individualised.

“The children learn more if they move and use the whole body to learn,” according to head researcher and Associate Professor Jacob Wienecke of the University of Copenhagen’s Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports. “Compared to previous studies which demonstrated that intense physical activity could improve learning outcomes, we have been able to show that lower intensity activities are just as effective, or even more effective, as long as movement is integrated into

W h e n children were grouped according to pre-study math performance, the results demonstrated that children with average and above average performance benefited most from using the entire body in learning. Children who weren’t very good at math prior to the study received no particular benefit from the alternative instructional forms.

“We need to keep this in mind when developing new forms of instruction,” according to Associate Professor Wienecke, who continues: “The new school reform focuses on, among other things, the incorporation of physical activity during the school day, with the aim of improving the motivation,

the whole body during Mathematics education.

Teaching took place on the classroom floor, with tables and chairs set to the side.

Students were included in problem solving by, for example, making a triangle or shaping numerals with their bodies, or using one another when being asked to add or subtract.

Another group of students was sedentary and

well-being and learning of all children.

However, individual understanding must be taken into account. Otherwise, we risk an unfortunate combined outcome in which those who are already proficient advance, and those who have not yet mastered concepts cannot keep up.”

The researchers are now investigating which areas of the brain are involved in these various learning strategies. At the same time, researchers will be testing the School Reform’s positive effects on other academic skills, such as reading.

Results of the study have just been released in the article, Motor-enriched Learning Activities can Improve Mathematical Performance in Preadolescent Children, published in the internationally renowned scientific journal, Frontiers of Human Neuroscience.

About the study

The University of Copenhagen’s Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports studied the effect of various instructional types related to Mathematics instruction for Danish primary school students. One hundred and sixty-five Danish first grade students, divided among three schools in the Copenhagen area participated in a six-week study.

The children were divided into three groups: One group used

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worked on Maths using fine motor skills. These children worked independently or in small groups using LEGObricks in a classroom setting. For example, they used bricks for arithmetic or to build models for solving geometry tasks.

A control group engaged in regular mathematics instruction, using pencils, paper, rulers and the like. (sciencedaily.com)

new theory regarding how the brain first learns basic Maths could alter approaches to identifying and teaching students with Maths learning disabilities. Published in the Behavioural and Brain Sciences journal, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) researchers offer a better understanding of how, when and why people grasp every day Maths skills.

The most widely accepted theory today suggests people are born with a “sense of numbers,” an innate ability to recognise different quantities, like the number of items in a shopping cart, and that this ability improves with age. Early Mathematics curricula and tools for diagnosing Maths-specific

theory. Other theories suggest that a “sense of magnitude” that enables people to discriminate between different “continuous magnitudes,” such as the density of two groups of apples or total surface area of two pizza trays, is even more basic and automatic than a sense of numbers.

The researchers argue that understanding the relationship between size and number is critical for the development of higher Maths abilities. By combining number and size (eg, area, density and perimeter), we can make faster and more efficient decisions.

Take for example the dilemma over choosing the quickest checkout line at the grocery store. While most people intuitively get behind someone

learning disabilities such as dyscalculia, a brain disorder that makes it hard to make sense of numbers and Maths concepts, have been based on that consensus.

PhD students Naama Katzin and Maayan Harel and Professor Avishai Henik, all from the BGU Department of Psychology and the Zlotowski Centre for Neuroscience, collaborated with Dr Tali Leibovich from the Numerical Cognition Laboratory at the Department of Psychology and Brain and Mind Institute, University of Western Ontario.

Dr Leibovich was formerly a PhD researcher at BGU’s Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences and the Zlotowski Centre.

“If we are able to understand how the brain learns Maths, and how it understands numbers and more complex Maths concepts that shape the world we live in, we will be able to teach Maths in a more intuitive and enjoyable way,” says Dr Leibovich. “This study is the first step in achieving this goal.”

The study challenges the prevalent “sense of numbers”

with a less filled-looking cart, a fuller-looking cart with fewer, larger items may actually be quicker. The way we make these kinds of decisions reveals that people use the natural correlation between number and continuous magnitudes to compare magnitudes.

The researchers also urge colleagues to consider the roles other factors, such as language and cognitive control, play in acquiring numerical concepts.

While the theoretical models presented in this review may raise more questions than answers, the researchers hope their hypothesis will reveal new ways of identifying dyscalculia, which can currently only be diagnosed in school-aged children. By this stage, children with the disorder are already lagging behind their peers.

“This new approach will allow us to develop diagnostic tools that do not require any formal Maths knowledge, thus allowing diagnosis and treatment of dyscalculia before school age,” says Dr Leibovich. (sciencedaily.com)

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THURSDAY, february 16, 2017| guyanatimesgy.com

Constitutional challenge

Ruling deferred to February 21 C

hancellor of the Judiciary (ag), Carl Singh has deferred his ruling on the presidential term limit case until February 21.

He was expected to rule on a State-sponsored appeal against former Chief Justice (ag) Ian Chang’s ruling that the two-term presidential limit was unconstitutional.

Chang’s ruling was appealed by then Speaker of the National Assembly, Raphael Trotman and current Attorney General, Basil Williams.

The constitutional challenge case was filed by Georgetown resident Cedric Richardson in February 2015, who had sought the court’s interpretation of the provisions in the Constitution regarding the two-term limit for Guyana’s presidency.

The case, which was filed

by Attorneys Emily Dodson and Shawn Allicock, on behalf of Richardson, argued that Act 17 of 2001, which was passed by a two-third majority in the National Assembly, unconstitutionally curtails and restricts his sovereign and democratic rights and freedom as a qualified elector to elect former President Bharrat Jagdeo as the Executive President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana.

Richardson had contended that the limit was unconstitutional and illegal. He sought the court’s interpretation to determine whether the amendment with referendum should not have been

representative democracy, such representative democracy cannot encroach on popular sovereignty from which it derives and which is entrenched by the requirement of the referendum.

Appeal

Former Chief Justice (ag) Ian Chang

held, instead of the two-third majority in the National Assembly having the powers to decide to limit the number of terms.

Chang, in his written ruling, said that the purported alteration of Article 90 by the Act No 17 of 2001, in substance and effect, undoubtedly diminishes the democratic rights of the electorate in electing a person of their own choice as President.

The court views that Act 17 of 2001 needed a referendum and is invalid and without legal effect for reason of non-compliance, the ruling stated.

The acting Chief Justice further noted that Act 17 of 2001, which purports to alter Article 90 of the 1980 Constitution, seeks to dilute the pre-existing democratic rights of the electorate to elect a President of their choice.

As such, while the Constitution provides for

But Trotman and Williams, not satisfied with the Chief Justice’s interpretation of the Constitution, filed an appeal.

On August 7, 2015, the then Solicitor General Sita Ramlall and Attorney Roysdale Forde filed the appeal on five grounds, including the fact that the Chief Justice blundered in law.

In the appeal, the through Government, Ramlall contended that, among other things: The Chief Justice misdirected himself in law when he ruled that the National Assembly, which passed Act No 17 of 2001 purporting to alter Article 90 of the Constitution by way of a two-third majority vote of all members, was unconstitutional and of no effect as it failed to comply with Article 164(2a).

The appeal also opined that Justice Chang erred when he ruled that the purported alteration of Article 90 by Act No 17 of 2001 in substance and effect “diminishes the democratic rights of the electorate in electing a person of their own choice as President by excluding from presidential candidates citizens who have served for two terms as a President.”

It also argued that Justice Chang erred when he ruled

Chancellor of the Judiciary (ag), Carl Singh

that the proviso to Article 164 (2b) of the Constitution affected the purported amendment to Article 90 insofar as it seeks to “trench on and di-

lute” the pre-existing democratic right of the electorate to elect as President a person of their own choice and is invalid and without legal effect for reason of non-compliance with Article 162 (2a) and or repugnancy with Article 1 and Article 9, both of which require a referendum for the amendment for any alteration.

The appeal advanced the argument that Justice Chang erred when he ruled that while the Constitution provides for representative democracy, such representative democracy cannot encroach on popular sovereignty from which it derives and which is entrenched by the requirement of a referendum.

Additionally, it said

Attorney General Basil Williams

Justice Chang erred in law in not satisfying himself that the court had jurisdiction to grant the reliefs sought by the plaintiff.

8 news

THURsDAY, february 16, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

IN THE COURTS

Bartica woman gang raped – rapists charged

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20-year-old woman from Bartica Region Seven (CuyuniMazaruni) was allegedly gang raped on February 13, by three men from the Potaro area.

The woman, who is said to be unemployed, was raped by the men around 13:00h on Monday.

Guyana Times understands the woman shared no intimate relationship with any of the men but would talk with them from time to

time.

About two weeks prior, she was raped by another

man from her community.

Commander of F Division (Interior locations)

Ravindradat Budhram confirmed that both matters were reported to the Police and an investigation was immediately launched.

All four men were charged on Wednesday at the Bartica Magistrate’s Court based on advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

The trio men involved in the second incident of rape were placed on bail while the fourth suspect was remanded.

3 years in jail for thief A

West Ruimveldt, Georgetown man was on Wednesday jailed for three years by Magistrate Faith McGusty when he appeared before her charged with break and enter.

Carlos Braithwaite appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts where

the sentence was handed down to him.

The charge against him stated that on January 16, 2017, at Cummings Street, Georgetown, he stole a Sharp TV, valued $69,000, an iron and a DVD player, valued $14,000, property of Hemechadra Kissoon, whose home he broke into.

The court had first heard that on the night of the incident, Kissoon has secured her premises and was asleep with her children when she was awakened by a noise.

Upon checking, she saw Braithwaite lurking in the house. Kissoon quickly gathered her children and fled to her neighbour, who is a

Police Officer.

However, the defendant managed to escape. He was later apprehended in the Bourda, Georgetown area.

Even though Braithwaite has always maintained his innocence, Magistrate McGusty said that the evidence was sufficient and found him guilty as charged.

Grove shop owner charged with robbery

A

shop owner of Grove, East Bank Demerara (EBD) accused of robbery was brought before the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on Wednesday to answer to the charge against him.

Dextroy Cordis, 45, made his appearance before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan.

He denied the allegation which stated that he, on February 9, 2017, at Saffon Street,

Charlestown, robbed the Virtual Complainant (VC) Balachandra Hardwar of US$5000, G$1,043,749, and a number of documents; property of the VC. The prosecution detailed to the court that there is

Obsolete…

F

…Caricom

or the longest while your Eyewitness has been pointing out that institutions, like canned food, have expiration dates. In the case of institutions, the conditions that demanded their formations have changed so much they’re just irrelevant! And this is the case with Caricom, which had passed its expiration date over five years ago – when it decided to put the CSME process “on hold”.

What do you call an organisation that was formed way back in 1973 – before most Guyanese were born – that set as its goal the formation of a single market and economy announcing it just doesn’t have the mojo to consummate its mission? “Obsolete” is one word that comes to mind!

“Parasitic” is another when you consider that rather than folding its tent and retiring in the sun and sand – which at least we have in abundance – Caricom’s bureaucratic machinery and its inhabitants have decided to continue drawing their super salaries as they contemplate the beatitude of “pause”.

Caricom followed Carifta – which was just a free trade zone. It imitated the European Economic Community – a free trade zone – that morphed into the European Union that was basically a CSME writ large. Now if Caricom’s seen its model and ideal falling apart at the seams with the exit of Britain (Brexit) what hope is there for us to expect our politicians will hit the Caricom “reset” button? But then again, hope beats eternal and all that – especially in the hearts (and wallets) of the old boys’ network that Caricom has now become.

Now, this is not to say Caricom hasn’t done some good work: CXC is one. The CDB is another. But these are institutions with specific mandates that can be run even more efficiently if the sarcophagus of Caricom were thrown into the deep blue Caribbean Sea. For the longest time before the “pause”, the collective wisdom was that Caricom had failed because our parochial politicians couldn’t see past their short noses and concede some power to some central policy executing body for Caricom. With this super executive body, all the wonderful declarations made at the HOGs (!!!) Biennial getaways at exotic resorts, could be implemented. And would solve all the problems of the Region in this globalised world.

Well, the EU model tried that, didn’t they? They even had a Parliament with teeth that passed laws which became the laws of its member state. They even had a unified currency and a European Central Bank. Jeez…they were practically a country!! But Britain exposed the contradictions with its Brexit, didn’t it?

We already did that with Jamaica in 1962. And we don’t need to repeat history, do we?

Bury the carcass of Caricom!!

…view of the Opposition

Dextroy Cordis

video evidence which shows the vehicle in which the defendant was allegedly in.

However, Attorney for the defendant, Adrian Thompson defended his client explaining that there is no footage or witnesses, which would link his client to the robbery.

He relayed to the court that the father of five children was picked up by Police Officers and held for 72 hours, without being informed of what he was being charged with.

Bail was objected to by Police Prosecutor Deniro Jones, who told the Magistrate that the defendant is currently being investigated for several offences.However bail was granted as the defendant has no prior convictions.

He was ordered to lodge his passport with authorities and report to the Brickdam Police Station every Friday.

Your Eyewitness doesn’t easily concede a more succinct statement of a point he wants to make. But dig these quotes from the Indian Supreme Court: “In a democracy, the political opponents play an important role both inside and outside the House. They are the watchdogs of the Government in power. It will be their effective weapon to counter the misdeeds and mischiefs of the Government in power. They are the mouthpiece to ventilate the grievances of the public at large, if genuinely and unbiasedly projected. In that view of the matter, being a political opponent, the petitioner is vitally interested party in the run of the Government or in the administration of criminal justice in the State.”

And “It is a well-established proposition of law that a criminal prosecution, if otherwise justifiable and based upon adequate evidence does not become vitiated on account of mala-fides or political vendetta.”

Go PPP… Jail them!!

…info on Lithium

Imagine one of our Natural Resources Ministers extolling the virtues of a Lithium exploration company: “Lithium is one of the strategic minerals in electronic appliances – cellphones and other micro-electronic applications- space explorations, capsules.”

And doesn’t mention its greatest demand at this point is driven by electric cars!!

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

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thursDAY, february 16, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Wales closure fallout

PPP condemns Govt’s “callous decisions” on sugar industry … says Wales workers right in demanding severance package … GAWU slams Govt for misinformation over severance

T

he People’s Progressive Party (PPP) has again come to the defence of the hundreds of displaced cane harvesters of the Wales Sugar Estate, who over the past week have been clamouring for what they said are their well-deserved severance packages.

The party, in a statement issued on Tuesday, condemned the “high-hand-

for National Unity/Alliance For Change Government had refused to comply with the Severance Pay Act. This forced the union to approach the courts for an order compelling [Guyana Sugar Corporation] GuySuCo to negotiate with the union”.

The parliamentary Opposition said even after obtaining the order of the court, and following negotiations with the union,

redundant workers from Wales Estate were paid their severance payments.

“The Ministry’s assertion is plainly misleading and our Union wonders whether the Ministry is intently misinforming the public.

So far, less than a hundred workers, who are GAWU members, have received their severance pay. Those payments were settled belatedly last September rath-

The Wales Estate workers protesting in front of the Ministry of the Presidency earlier this week

ed approach of Government in its dealings with the sugar industry” and pointed to the rigorous economic toll it is taking on the country.

Alluding to the situation at the West Bank Demerara sugar factory, the PPP stressed that it does not support Government’s callous decisions.

“The cruelty of the Government is demonstrated by the treatment meted to the workers of Wales Estate.

Having closed the industry without any consultations with the workers or their union, the A Partnership

GuySuCo still refuses to pay the agreed severance packages to the workers, causing the current protest action.

“The PPP strongly supports the workers in their just demand that their severance package be paid immediately and accordance with the law,” the Party said in a release on Wednesday.

Misinformation

Meanwhile, the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) has also lashed out at the Agriculture Ministry which on Monday stated that all

er than, as was expected, in late April 2016.

As it regards the demand by the cane cutters and cane transport operators for their severance, GAWU is urging the Ministry and its advisers to acquaint themselves with the Termination of Employment and Severance Pay Act (TESPA). There, it said they will quickly see that the workers’ entitlement for severance is upheld.

“Moreover, we must reiterate that GuySuCo, in our Union’s presence, last December communicated to

a number of workers that their jobs were redundant and they were entitled to severance, if they chose not to go to Uitvlugt. Here, we must point out that those workers who were already severed declined GuySuCo’s offer of going to Uitvlugt and demanded their severance which the company rightly obliged. We ask then why is a different ‘yardstick’ being applied to the current contingent of workers?” the Union questioned.

GAWU said the Ministry and GuySuCo have also assured of the availability of company transportation for the workers. It said this is not a new idea since for decades now, sugar workers have been transported to work. Such a benefit, like others, came into being due to the struggles by workers in the past.

The Union said its workers are labelled as disingenuous; however, that label best fits GuySuCo and, seemingly, the Agriculture Ministry.

“There is no merger of Wales and Uitvlugt factory operations as asserted in the statement. The fact is that

cane cultivation and sugar processing have ended at Wales and the estate is now sadly closed. No amount of semantics can wish away this depressing fact,” GAWU said.

The Union said workers were concerned about their job security, and expressly called for Wales not to be closed in order to save their main source of livelihood.

“They, at no time, promoted the transfer of their jobs some 22 miles away to Uitvlugt. Their call unfortunately fell on deaf ears and did not find favour with the Administration. Now, GuySuCo is seeking to rub salt in the deep wounds it inflicted by trampling on their right to severance pay and seeking to cover its insensitivity by resorting to hackneyed and old claim of ‘politically instigated”.

“The Ministry’s statement also exclaims that there is no option than for the workers to accept employment at Uitvlugt”.

GAWU said it was clear that the Ministry and those in charge are at “sea” or they have been receiving bad advice from the Sugar

GAWU President Komal Chand

Corporation.

“We urge that those in authority to note that Section 21(4) (b) of TESPA requires an employer to provide workers with their severance payments if the employer is unable to provide a similar job “at the same place of employment or within a radius of ten (10) miles therefrom under no less favourable conditions than those such employee enjoyed immediately prior to the termination”. The Sugar Corporation, by its actions, and the Ministry, by its insistence, are promoting positions that are contrary to law, apart from being unsympathetic to the workers’ welfare.

GAWU, at this time, stands solidly with the workers and is supportive of their just demand”.

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thursDAY, February 16, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Parking meter scandal

Jilted contractor seeks millions in compensation from City Hall

T

he contractor who was sidelined in the parking meter project, Astroloble Technology Inc is engaging the courts to claim millions of dollars in compensation from the Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC), for circumventing an agreement between the two parties for the implementation of a paid parking system in the city.

Completely ignoring a contract it had with the company since 2007, City Hall entered into an agreement with Smart City Solutions (SCS) for the rollout of metered parking in Georgetown.

Astroloble Technology Inc Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Saratu Phillips filed an injunction in the High Court last July, to block the M&CC from executing the project with SCS; however, the matter had its final hearing just last month and the injunction was denied.

According to Phillips, the outcome was “shockingly shocking”.

The CEO explained to Guyana Times that his company was currently engaging with its lawyers to advance legal action, claiming millions of dollars in compensation.

The M&CC signed the contract on October 1, 2007; representing the company was its CEO and the Council was represented by then Town Clerk, Beulah Williams.

Present Town Clerk Royston King acknowledged the existence of the contract via a letter to Astroloble Technology dated October 6,

He explained that it was going to cost the City Council close to US$2 million to implement a simple parking system, but according to Phillips, City Hall did not have the funds at the time.

In the meantime, he was assembling investors and technology to put everything together.

However, Phillips decided that he would not start works until the municipality amended some of its by-laws.

Valid contract

“Back and forth we were debating the by-laws and I eventually decided that I would pay to get them done in 2008. After I submitted the by-laws, the issue arose that the Government was not giving them the go-ahead to raise funds on their own. We were then stuck at this point,” Phillips explained.

However, he said the understanding between the parties was that the contract The letter from Town Clerk Royston King in 2015 acknowledging the existence of the first contract

2015.

In the letter, which was seen by Guyana Times, King provided guidelines for the company to begin rolling out the parking meter project.

The letter advised the company to visit its designed areas with a view to begin paid parking as a pilot project under the conditions of the contract.

However, Phillips subsequently learnt of the M&CC entering into new contract with a company called

National Parking System (NPS) – which was eventually usurped by SCS. He said no one from the City Hall has since contacted him to explain the change of plans or why his contract was disregarded.

Phillips had explained to the media that his team worked with the M&CC since December 2006 until October 2007, when he obtained an exclusive contract, valid for 25 years, to design the parking system.

Saratu Phillips

remained valid and would continue as soon as permission was granted.

Unlike the existing contract with SCS, Phillips’ agreement was neither draconian nor oppressive.

In fact, the contract stipulates that certain vehicles would have been exempted from paying for parking – unlike the case with the current contract.

These categories of vehicles include those belonging to all Ministers of Government, all Members of Parliament, Doctors, priests and pastors as well as two vehicles from each ministry, and all City Council vehicles.

The fees were also less abusive, at rates of $60 for 30 minutes whereas high priority parking zones would have attracted a $150 fee.

Special parking spaces would have been made available for two-wheel vehicles at $50 per hour.

The charge to unclamp a vehicle was set at $2500.

The city had given the company permission to conduct the paid public parking on Avenue of the Republic, Brickdam, South Road, North Road, Main Street, Church Road, Robb Street, Regent Street, America Street, Camp Street, Middle Street, Croal Street, Water Street, Thomas Street and Longden Street.

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ThursDAY, february 16, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

11 homeless after fire guts 2 buildings A Free education for all??

C

an you claim free education for all if the standard of that education fails to offer children an opportunity to reach their full potential? What would you deem satisfactory schooling for your child?

Since the early 1800s, elementary education in Guyana was underpinned by a range of religious orders. In the 1960s, the Government assumed control of schools and the Education Ministry was established.

Lorraine Ince-Carvalhal Following independence from the British in 1966, the inherited British curricula was tuned to align itself with the country’s political, ethically and economic needs and soon after came the promise of free education to all whether it be academic, technical or vocational.

While the vision and intent were well placed, overcrowding and underfunding, scarce educational materials, poorly maintained equipment and untrained teachers were the reality.

Poor salaries failed to attract good quality teachers; many of whom left to seek employment elsewhere. Despite education being prioritised as one of the main development areas for Guyana over the past decades, and despite obvious advances during the new millennium, the same challenges remain for schools across the country today.

Taxation is a necessary facet of any society; it has been since the days of old. While we can all accept that taxes are vital to support the infrastructure that citizens rely on at the local, state and national levels and acknowledge their necessity in the support of national defence programmes, social service programmes, public health and indeed education, there will always be conflict over what should be taxed. Of course the fingers generally point to luxury and choices.

The tax being levied against private education may come under the guise of luxury and choice, but that view is somewhat skewed. Until each citizen of Guyana can send their child to a public school and be confident that they will be issued with a full set of study materials, have teachers teach them in lessons they are timetabled to do so and be exposed to a well-rounded curriculum that will allow them the opportunity to pursue any career goal, the alternative of a private education that can offer our children a sound education should not be taxed as a choice.

If the idea is to hit the elite, it will fail. There are admittedly many amongst the populations of private schools fortunate enough never have to wonder how they will find the fees, but let us be clear, many have worked hard to get where they are today and for the very reason that they want the best for their children. Others are supported by helpful relatives and friends.

Some may have no difficulties finding the extra 14 per cent but many will have to step out and settle for what is on the whole, an extremely poor education system.

The suffers will be those children of parents who despite financial challenges are sacrificing to expose their children to an education that empowers them; school leavers from public schools who failed to achieve, whose system failed them, that need alternative qualifications; future rulers of this country who will have to set aside the dreams their parents worked so hard to allow them to pursue.

The real losers in the taxation of education are the sons and daughters of Guyana, some of whom have decided to put what education has already given them to good use by eloquently expressing their views about the situation. Sixth form pupils from The School of the Nations, a school set up by two parents experiencing the limitations of public schools, the very school that offers programmes designed to give unsuccessful school leavers an affordable second chance at gaining qualifications, have been addressing the public. They will be taking their concerns through the correct channels in the hope to engage in dialogue that will highlight the damage this tax directive will cause. Dialogue they are hoping will dispel the misconceptions attached to what is seen as an elite school and show the realities of what opportunities are being offered, the type of people benefiting and the relatively low fees in comparison to like institutions. Fees which when increased will be out of reach of so many.

When a parent employs extra means to educate their child, it should be viewed as positive and encouraged by a system that is unable to offer more; not shot down, obstructed or punished.

The burden will fall more heavily on the State if the option of private education for people of more modest means who sacrifice is pushed out of reach. The future of Guyana depends on the education of its young people; this area, public or private, should be sacred, not taxed. Ironically, the public system will not improve without more revenue from taxes, however they must be garnered from elsewhere.

fire of unknown origin has completely destroyed two buildings on Bishop Street, between Princes and Norton Streets, Georgetown leaving at least 11 people homeless and millions of dollars in losses.

The fire reportedly started about 18:30h in the upper flat of the Lot 32 Bishop Street home and quickly spread to the other building.

Based on reports received, the house in which the fire started was occupied by two families.

The first apartment was occupied by a deejay, Clifton Mosley, and his wife, Gloria Barry, while the other apartment was occupied by the couple’s grandchildren.

According to Barry, she left her apartment and went into the yard to fetch some water and within minutes, she saw smoke billowing from the upper flat of the apartment. She immediately raised an alarm and ran to safety. Her grandchildren also made it to safety.

Speaking with Guyana Times at the scene, Mosley related that he was out and as he returned home, he saw heavy smoke in the air and upon en-

The blazing fire at the Bishop Street homes on Wednesday evening

quiring, he was told that his house was on fire. The devastated man, who sat on his motorcycle helplessly, stated that everything that he worked for over the years went up in flames.

He noted that his most prized possession, his laptop computer was in the house. He could not say what started the fire, but he was thankful that no one was injured.

One man who noticed the fire during its initial stage explained that he immediately went to assist several people who had already formed a bucket brigade, but owing to the dryness of the wood, the houses were quickly engulfed.

He further explained that by

the time the firefighters arrived at the scene, one of the houses was already unsalvageable and they concentrated on the nearby houses.

He is of the belief if the firefighters had used the Princes Street entrance, they could have saved the second building, but they used the Norton Street entrance.

At the scene, Divisional Operations Officer Compton Sparman told media operatives that the Guyana Fire Service received the call about 18:30h and deployed four units, including two bowsers with almost 4000 gallons of water.

Nevertheless, he noted that as the firefighters assessed the fire, they had to tap into a wa-

ter source since there were no fire hydrants. He noted that the firefighters worked extremely hard to save the nearby buildings, adding that the area is known for its circle breeze effect.

On this note, he recalled that 13 buildings were destroyed in the same area as a result of the circle breeze effect and as such, commended the firefighters for their exemplary work to contain the blaze.

Meanwhile, at least two persons who occupied nearly buildings were rushed to the hospital. Their conditions are listed as stable. Officials of the Guyana Fire Service have launched an investigation into the cause of the fire while members of the Guyana Police Force were seen taking statements from the occupants of the houses.

This is the third fire for the week. On Sunday, three people, including a oneyear-old perished in a fire at Beterverwagting, East Coast Demerara, after the house was purposely set ablaze. On Tuesday, another house was set alight by a jilted man at Covent Garden, East Bank Demerara.

12news

thursDAY, february 16, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

GTT restructuring

120 jobs on the line, 6 already gone

S

ome 120 employees attached to Guyana Telephone and Telegraph (GTT) will be laid off over the coming months as the company announces a restructuring of its operations.

In a statement to the media on Wednesday, the local telecommunications giant explained that the restructuring is aimed at aligning the company with the new environment in which it provides services. A move which, it added, will see about 120 positions be made redundant over the next 12 months.

This announcement coincides with the separation of the first six employees under the restructuring programme, whom were chosen from multiple departments within the company. Nevertheless, GTT assures that these employees will receive the necessary benefits they are entitled to.

“All employees affected by the restructuring are receiving their full benefits and severance. In addition, the

Additionally, the company also prioritised the completion of negotiations with Government with the aim of arriving at a “mutually beneficial” agreement as it relates to the liberalisation of the telecommunications sector.

For the first time in 20 plus years, GTT says liberalisation of the telecoms sector creates the opportunity for the company to operate on a level playing field. In this regard, the company outlined GTT headquarters

company is providing opportunities for these employees to receive training to prepare them for their new endeavours,” the statement outlines.

Moreover, according to GTT, these employees were already briefed by Chief Executive Officer, Justin Nedd, during several staff meetings about the “need to right size the company in order to remain viable.”

In fact, in an internal

that it is likely that competitors in the same sector pay the same taxes and fees as GTT has over the last 26 years.

According to Nedd, “At the end, we will come out stronger as we shift from a technical centric organisation to an organisation that is focused on satisfying the customers’ needs and, eventually, consistently delighting our customers.”

TIGI raps PNC gang for...

from page 3

memorandum to all employees on Wednesday, Nedd said, “We are on the verge of really creating a company that is built for the future and we must position ourselves to ensure that everyone understands his or her role and is driven in the same direction.”

Moreover, the public missive further outlined that among GTT’s top priorities for 2017 includes talent management in order to ensure

that the right employees are in the right roles.

“Through improving talent management, GTT expects to provide more training for employees, better tools and the leadership that would lead to improved productivity. The goal of talent management is to enable GTT to delight its customers and to grow revenue,” the statement details.

Customer care was also named as one of the company’s top priorities this year and through restructuring, GTT says it expects to be able to meet and exceed customers’ expectations.

The body noted that the laundry list can be expanded to include the implementation of penalties prior to ratification of the by-laws necessary to support such actions, the exorbitant penalties for parking infringements and SCS’s absolution from responsibility for vehicles they take possession of.

In this regard, the transparency body lauded the efforts of those members of civil society as well as the contributions of the Councillors who stood up to defend the rights of the people even in the face of at-

tacks by City Hall.

“The people have a right to know what the city is doing and given the circumstances, we believe that you have done your job…We commend the public on taking up its duty to reject unilateral impositions of such dire consequences.”

Further, TIGI encouraged citizens to always ensure their voices are heard, and to spare no effort to communicate their views to their leaders, within the law and the provisions of democracy.

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thursDAY, February 16, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Court challenge

Govt, GPL to defend $4.6B contract to Chinese firm

T

he Government and the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) Incorporated will have to show why their decision to award a $4.6 billion contract to a Chinese group for the rehabilitation of the power company’s low and medium voltage distribution network should not be quashed when the matter is called up in Chambers at the High Court today.

This is following an application for an Order or Rule Nisi of Certiorari by rejected bidder Fixit Depot, filed by owner Paul James, who is contending that the contract awarded to China National Machinery Import and Export/China Sinogy Electric Engineering Co Ltd Consortium is “in flagrant breach” of the Procurement Act and the bid invitation did not meet the tender evaluation criteria.

The court action was filed on January 31, 2017, and during a hearing on Monday, acting Chief Justice Yonnette Cummings-Edwards granted an order directing the respondents, namely: Guyana Power and Light Inc; Public Infrastructure

Minister David Patterson; the Ministry and its Permanent Secretary, Balraj Balram, and the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) and its representatives, to show cause why a writ of Certiorari should not be issued quashing: firstly, the rejection of the applicant’s (Fix-it Depot’s) tender for the rehabilitation works and secondly, the award of the contract to the Chinese group.

According to the court documents seen by this newspaper, the application is made on the grounds that the process of rejection of tender and award of the contract was in violation of the provisions of the Procurement Act 2003 and in violation of the terms of the Invitation for Bids.

The Main Street,

Georgetown establishment is further contending that the decision was “made and issued arbitrarily, unreasonably, irrationally, unlawfully, illegally, erroneously, in bad faith and in breach of the rules of natural justice,” and were “procedurally improper, unfair, and unreasonable without the requisite transparency by failing sufficiently to disclose contract award criteria and weightings in advance and by failing to properly apply those criteria which were disclosed; and (iv) are null and void and of no legal effect” .

The court noted that the application would not be granted “unless cause can be shown why the said Order or Rule Nisi of Certiorari should not be made absolute”.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 17

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guyanatimesgy.com

thursDAY, february 16, 2017

News

Mother, child in BV fire died of smoke inhalation – autopsy T

he 26-year-old woman and her one-year-old child who were among three persons killed in an early morning fire last Sunday, died as a result of smoke inhalation, according to post-mortem examinations.

Latoya Telford and her daughter Nakasia Pollard were reportedly set on fire by Telford’s jilted lover, Leonard Pollard, who hung himself after starting the blaze. The charred remains of the three persons were pulled from the ruins hours after the fire was extinguished.

Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum could not confirm rumours that the woman and the child’s limbs were severed before they were set alight.

He noted that the post-mortem examinations did not prove that was the case. He however redirected questions pertaining to the removal of the charred remains to fire officials.

When contacted, Divisional Operations Officer,

Leonard Pollard

Latoya Telford

Nakasia Pollard

Compton Sparman noted that he was not in receipt of any information that the limbs of the woman and her daughter might have been severed before the house was set alight.

Nevertheless, he confirmed that once the duo died as a result of smoke inhalation, it meant that they were still alive when the fire started.

Based on reports received, Pollard and Telford shared a rocky relationship but things

got worse after the jealous man reportedly found several text messages in the woman’s phone that were allegedly from another man.

The woman who was at her grandfather’s residence prior to the blaze was reportedly invited to Pollard’s house after his brother left for work.

The woman, however, did not go alone but rather took the couple’s one-year-old daughter with her.

Guyana Times under-

stands that an argument was heard between the two as the child cried in the house, after which there was silence for a while. However, not long after, huge flames were seen emanating from the two-storey wooden structure.

It is believed that Pollard reportedly tied the woman and their daughter together, doused them with a flammable substance and set them alight. After doing so, he hung himself. The charred

remains of the child and her mother were found together.

The woman’s mother who was too distraught to speak, confirmed the couple was having serious issues due to his family. She said she had encouraged her daughter to return home since there was an extra room. In tears, she noted that Telford took up her offer but it was not long after she was lured back to the house by Pollard.

The woman noted that her daughter and Pollard have been together for the past one and a half years and on many occasions, she was forced out

of the house due to constant interference from the man’s relatives.

The dead man’s brother confirmed that the couple was having problems and he would have encouraged Pollard to move on with his life.

It was reported that three days ago, Pollard collected the woman’s phone and gave it to his brother who read the text messages, thus confirming that the woman was involved with someone else.

This prompted Pollard to carry out the heinous act.

3 in custody for vigilante killing

A

third suspect has now joined an Alliance For Change Councillor and her father for the beating to death of a 22-year-old fisher-

Dead: Shereffudeen Nazamudeen

man who was accused of attempting to snatch the bag of the regional Councillor.

Shereffudeen Nazamudeen, called “Sheriff’, of Lot 117 Ruby, East Bank Essequibo (EBE), was tied and beaten to death on Tuesday at Hope, EBE. Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum told Guyana Times the third suspect was arrest-

ed on Wednesday after detectives revisited the area to conduct further investigations. He noted that while charges are expected to be instituted, the Police are continuing their investigations.

It was reported that the young lady was cornered by the now dead man who snatched her bag and attempted to escape. However, the woman raised an alarm and residents went in hot pursuit of him.

He was caught in the ruins of a house that was set alight just last year, resulting in the deaths of an elderly couple.

He was reported beaten by the Councillor and her father along with other persons in the area.

Following the beating, the man suffered severe injuries about his body and was taken to the Leonora Cottage Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries. Three pieces of wood, suspected to have been used in the fatal beating, were recovered from the scene.

The Councillor and her father were arrested on Tuesday and are cooperating with the Police.

Acquitted murder accused remanded for attempted murder

A

man who was previously found not guilty of murder was on Wednesday remanded to prison after he was slapped with an attempted murder charge and another for discharging a loaded firearm.

Leon Duncan, 27, of Festival City, Georgetown, appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts and had the charges read to him.

It is alleged that on January 8, 2017, at Main Street, he discharged a loaded firearm at Seon Nedd. The second charge against Duncan stated that on September 26, 2016, at Oronoque and Forshaw Streets, he attempted to murder Geoffrey Pharrell.

Duncan’s Attorney, Mark Waldron told the court that since the defendant was previously found not guilty of the murder charge, the Police have since been pinning multiple other charges on his client with the intention of having him incarcerated.

However, while both Virtual

Accused: Leon Duncan

Complainants (VCs) in the matter failed to appear in court, Police Prosecutor Deniro Jones told the court that they were available. The Prosecutor added that the files on both charges were incomplete, so he requested time for their completion.

The matters were subsequently set down for February 27, 2017, and were transferred to Court Two before Magistrate Leron Daly.

Duncan was previously charged with the murder of Intaz Roopnarine at Cool Square.

thursDAY, february 16, 2017

guyanatimesgy.com

15

News

5 remanded for Ali writes Ramjattan on lack Berbice domestic of ‘impact assessments’ worker’s execution GuySuCo takeover

D

espite recommendations to privatise the local sugar industry and expressions of interest from foreign investors, Opposition parliamentarian Irfaan Ali is of the view that no “informed” decision can be made on the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) without any impact assessments being carried out. To this end, Ali has written Second Vice President and Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan on the matter.

At one of its stakeholder consultation meetings earlier this month when asked, the State’s delegation disclosed that no social or economic assessments were done before, particularly ahead of its decision to close the Wales Sugar Factory to ascertain the implications.

It noted that Government officials felt there was no need for such assessments.

Hence, in his letter to Ramjattan which was seen

by Guyana Times, Ali asserted that the parliamentary Opposition believes that no proper analysis, decision or recommendation on this industry can be derived without a complete social study and assessment of the impact on communities, regions and the country as a whole; a comprehensive economic study of the impact on communities, regions and the country as a whole, and full diversification study with feasibility study, market analysis and comprehensive assessment of each alternative area recommended.

“At our last stakeholder forum, you advised that these studies were not done.

We made it clear to you that there is no way you can take an informed decision on this industry that will affect

eign exchange. It also plays a critical socio-economic and environmental role in the predominantly low-income coastal communities where cultivation and processing are concentrated.”

Agriculture Minister Noel Holder had explained in a subsequent interview with Guyana Times that due to time constraints and the need to resolve the operating expenses at GuySuCo, Government could not conduct a social and economic

Opposition parliamentarian Irfaan Ali

Second Vice President Khemraj Ramjattan

thousands of families, hundreds of communities and businesses and the national economy as a whole without these studies,” Ali outlined in the letter.

He went on to point out that moving forward without any of these analyses on the sugar industry would be like “shooting in the dark”.

“We will never play with the livelihood of tens of thousands of Guyanese directly and indirectly and the health of Guyana’s economy in such manner. I therefore propose that if these documents continue to be unavailable, the next meeting focuses on developing a plan of action to have these reports, studies, documents and assessment completed,” the Opposition parliamentarian said in this letter to Ramjattan.

According to the Caribbean Development Bank Mechanisation Report December 2014, “the sugar industry still contributes around five per cent of GDP; provides direct employment for approximately 16,000 (in 2013) (95 per cent male); supports over 300 services providers; and is the third largest contributor of for-

the economy could not afford to maintain the system and the bailouts.

“So if the PPP wants to do an (assessment), they can go ahead and do it. But we don’t have the time, at this stage. We’re at crunch time now. It would take nine months to a year to do a proper study. So who is going to finance GuySuCo during that time? We had to make a decision,” he remarked.

However, President of the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers’ Union (GAWU), Komal Chand had stated that this move by Government was irresponsible. He explained that a social economic impact study should have been done, especially since Government will soon be making a decision on the beleaguered sugar industry.

“Having not done a study or assessment on an industry that has such a widespread effect is big and having not done any, they say they will not do one now… It does not show that they are a responsible Government and a Government that cares about the people,” Chand noted.

Agriculture Minister Noel Holder

impact assessment before closing down estates.

“Why wasn’t it done for 20 years? The PPP Government knew that sugar could not continue the way it was going. The selling price (was low) and operating costs were too great… So the (coalition) Government came in and realised that the bailouts couldn’t continue. A study like that would take a long time. It’s not something you can do overnight,” the Minister had stated.

According to the Minister, an impact assessment would take between nine months to a year to be completed. The Minister stated that Government and

F

Dead:Lilawatie Muhammed

ive persons were remanded on Wednesday for the execution of a Corentyne domestic worker, Lilawatie Muhammed last week.

The five suspects: Oliver Permaul, 36, of Lot 100 Tain; his wife, Nazeema Permaul, 42, a businesswoman of the same address; Andre James, also called “Andy”, 26, a tattoo artist of Lot 46 A George Street, Rose Hall Town; Rohan Johnson,

Andre James

Oliver Permaul

T

A Dominican Policeman guarding the FM 103.5 radio station after the murders (BBC News)

"Two people have died and one has been injured," national Police spokesman William Alcantara told reporters. He identified the injured person as the station's secretary.

The attack occurred at

the radio station's office in San Pedro de Macoris, East of the capital Santo Domingo. Medina was presenting the influential investigative news show "Milenio Caliente," or "Hot Millenium," on Tuesday

morning in the Caribbean nation, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti and is a popular beach destination for foreign tourists.

The Miami-based Interamerican Press Society (SIP) condemned the 103.5 FM "tragedy" in a statement. Media rights watchdog Reporters Without Borders says that journalists who tackle corruption and drug trafficking in the Dominican Republic often fall victim to attacks.

Other journalists have said they were victims of hate campaigns after speaking up for the citizenship rights of Haitians born in The Dominican Republic.

(Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

hired by a barber, who was said to have been in a secret relationship with the businessman’s wife, to make the hit.

When the woman was executed, the businessman’s wife was reportedly out of

also called “Jamakie”, 38, a carpenter of Clardon Jamaica and Lot 107 Second Street, Rose Hall Town and his reputed wife Shabikie Alber, also called “Shabikie Thompson”, appeared at the Number 51 Magistrate’s Court. They were jointly charged for the February 7, killing of Muhammed, 45, at her Lot 198 Sixth Street, Tain Settlement, Corentyne Nazeema Permaul

Journalists shot dead mid-broadcast in the Dom Rep wo journalists were shot dead during a live radio broadcast in The Dominican Republic, Police and media said.

Unidentified attackers burst into the 103.5 FM studio as presenter Luis Manuel Medina was reading the news on air on Tuesday and shot him dead, station employees were quoted as saying by local media.

Moments before that the station's director Leonidas Martinez was killed in his office, they said. In a video of the broadcast, which was streamed on Facebook, gunfire is heard as Medina reads the news and a woman's voice is heard calling "Shots, shots!"

Police, stating that it was the Jamaican who pulled the trigger, killing the woman.

The now dead woman was rumoured to have been involved in a relationship with a wealthy businessman, who operated a lumber yard on the East Bank of Berbice and lived at Tain, in close proximity to where she lived.

The tattoo artist and the Jamaican living in Rose Hall Town, reportedly told Police that they were allegedly

Shabikie Alber

home and were not required to plead to the indictable charge.

The matter has been transferred to the Whim Magistrate’s Court for May 4.

Muhammed was shot dead last Tuesday night by two men who broke into her home at Tain.

It had been reported earlier that a tattoo artist and a Jamaican had confessed to being the hitmen. It was also reported that both gave confession statements to the

the country; she has since returned and Police are trying to ascertain her whereabouts. She reportedly contacted the Police through a lawyer claiming that her life was threatened and she was going to turn herself in. It is alleged that after his initial release from custody, the barber had made threats to the woman.

Rohan Johnson

16

thursday, february 16, 2017

guyanatimesgy.com

Richard Vaughn: Everything Guyana

R

ichard Vaughn’s biggest inspiration is people development and he has found a way to combine that with a love of country in Everything Guyana, his e-commerce platform.

The eloquent and urbane 34-year-old’s start-up is aimed at making local products readily accessible to buyers craving them all across the globe and right at home, to fuel the growth of Guyanese producers. “…Our society will not

progress properly if only a few of us grow – lots of us have to grow. It’s the solution to crime and other demoralising factors that plague us: if people are positively occupied and earning, they are happier….”

Calling his nascent company “…Guyana’s most creative and promising concept for reaching local and international markets with Guyana’s produce”, Vaughn says: “Everything Guyana is a drop shipping company that sells Guyanese products

overseas and locally. We list your products on our site and other third-party sites like Amazon, eBay, Google Store, Facebook Stores, etc; we find the market for your products; we advertise your products online using media such as Facebook, banner linked ads, email campaigning, call centre marketing, etc; we accept all your payments (credit cards, etc); we ship your items (anywhere in the world where people want to buy our products).

All you have to do as a lo-

Business News

GraceKennedy moves to increase investment in agriculture

G

raceKennedy plans to pump more money in its post-harvest and packaging facility in Hounslow, St Elizabeth, Jamaica.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the conglomerate, Don Wehby, told the Jamaica Observer that the company was now in talks with Agriculture Minister Karl Samuda and would be engaging farmers in

Hounslow, St Elizabeth, as it moves “to significantly increase investment in the agriculture sector”.

“I’m going to be making a formal announcement very soon,” Wehby told the Business Observer on Tuesday, the day of the company’s 95th anniversary.

GraceKennedy opened its Hounslow facility in 2011 after investing more

than J$43 million to set up the plant. The company also contracted farmers to supply over 45,000 pounds of peppers, among other vegetables, allowing AgroGrace to become net earner of foreign exchange instead of importing peppermash — the raw material used to manufacture jerk seasonings and spicy sauces.

Verizon close to Yahoo deal, price cut of US$250-350M – sources

V

e r i z o n Communications Inc is close to a revised deal to buy Yahoo Inc’s core Internet business for US$250 million to US$350 million less than the original agreed price of US$4.83 billion, according to a source briefed on the matter.

Since last year, Verizon

had been trying to persuade Yahoo to amend the terms of the acquisition agreement to reflect the economic damage from two cyberattacks. A source told Reuters that the deal, which could come as soon as this week, will entail Verizon and Yahoo sharing the liability from potential lawsuits related to the data breaches.

Another person familiar with the situation said the price cut was likely to be around US$250 million, a figure that Bloomberg reported earlier on Wednesday.

A representative from Verizon declined to comment. Yahoo did not immediately respond to requests for comment. (Reuters)

Market statistics Cambio Rates

Gold Prices – Guyana Gold Board

Bank of Guyana Cur

Buying

Calculated at 94% purity, February 9, 2016

Selling

USD

$1241.75

GBP

$255.83

$259.09

Gross

$240,744

CAN

$157.52

$159.35

$223,892

USD

$205.98

$208.44

Net

EURO

$ 217.31

$220.11

Indicators as on February 15, 2017 Indicators

US$ per barrel

Crude Oil

$55.97

Price

USD

Rough Rice

$206.36/ton

London Sugar

$548.80/ton

Live Spot Gold

Change %

+0.68 Change %

-1.11 0 USD Per Ounce

Bid/Ask

$1234.00

$1235.00

Low/High

$1216.20

$1236.20

Change

Business Concept – Marketing Mix

+0.80

+0.06%

A planned mix of the controllable elements of a product’s marketing plan commonly termed as 4Ps: product, price, place, and promotion.

These four elements are adjusted until the right combination is found that serves the needs of the product’s customers, while generating optimum income. Sometimes the first P (Product) is substituted by presentation. (Business Dictionary)

Richard Vaughn and son

cal producer is produce the best quality and call us now or find us online at www.everythingguyana.com.”

With more than eight years of marketing experience with Dell, Dish Network, Sprint and other international companies, the Tutorial High alumnus is strategically positioned to turn the innovative concept he has spent the past two years developing into a game-changer for local producers, with more than 60 currently supplying 15 international retailers as well as individual customers.

There is so much potential for Guyanese products on the international market, he declared and called on the Government to undertake aggressive market research on global demand for homegrown products.

“Guyanese businesses are not all equipped with the capabilities to grow their businesses, so I know they need and can use all the help they can get,” Vaughn said, noting that awareness

of support companies and what they can do for startups and small businesses was also important.

In expounding on his desire to help his countrymen by sharing knowledge and tools to help create a virtuous circle in which each person’s success feeds and multiplies another’s, the Turkeyen (Sophia) resident posited that businesses can transform lives.“…. in our society, we can all agree that better needs to be done, I think that we (businesspeople) are the ones to do better and help the willing struggling ones to reach where we are; that way you will have support to go even further”.

The father of two knows well the value of mentorship, reminiscing on his own experiences: “I’m fortunate!!

My high school business teacher (Mr Pearson) started coaching me to be better, because he saw what I didn’t – “potential”. My dad (Mr Basil Blackman) is a model that any aspiring businessman would want to follow, [and] I recently encountered Mr Vishnu Doerga, who has challenged me to better what I’ve done, so I have a wall of mentors on my side.”

However, the biggest influence of all is his mother.

His advice to persons wanting to join the world of business ownership? “Go for it. Join the networks: don’t try it alone; there are groups out there and organisations that offer lots of support – find them. If you are a producer, find me.”

But he emphasised that willingness and determination were necessary to succeed as an entrepreneur.

“If you want it bad enough, nothing can stop you from getting it.”

Vaughn’s goals for Everything Guyana are many, but chief among them are growing to 50 employees (currently he has six) with a dedicated international sales team that would only work on finding markets and opportunities for things local; investment in local businesses that have huge market value but limited resources; and developing better packaging for local products. He underscored that his was a linkage-based business, and in addition, there was potential for more than 150 new employment opportunities, when he reached his first goal, for service providers in shipping and local delivery, among other areas.

The hard-working businessman, who has his eyes firmly set on the future and is already grooming his young son (pictured above) to take over the business, says success is reaching your goals and setting higher ones. “…challenges are all around and what makes us the better is our ability to face our challenges and win…”

Contact: 194 A Camp Street, South C u m m i n g s b u r g , Georgetown; 592-226-3771; http://everythingguyana. com

Investors’ Guide

Wall Street rises further into uncharted territory

W

all Street pushed further into record-high territory on Wednesday, with the S&P 500 notching a seven-session winning streak, helped by a round of robust economic data and ongoing optimism that President Donald Trump will cut corporate taxes.

Bigger-than-expected rises in retail sales and consumer prices in January reinforced confidence that the economy is growing at a solid pace following the strongest quarterly corporate earnings growth in over two years.

In a meeting with top executives from US retail companies, Trump said he would lower taxes substantially and simplify the tax code, echoing a vow he made last week and on the campaign trail.

Optimism that lower taxes and corporate deregulation will expand the economy pushed the three major indexes to all-time highs.

The S&P 500 recorded its fifth straight record close and its longest non-stop winning streak since September

2013, even as some investors worried that Trump so far has provided no substantial details of his tax plan.

Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen, in testimony before the House Financial Services Committee, stood by the stance she took on Tuesday that the US Central Bank was on track to raise interest rates at an upcoming policy meeting.

“A year ago, if Janet Yellen had come out with the statement she made, the market would have freaked out because the fundamentals were very soft,” said Brad McMillan, chief investment officer at Commonwealth Financial Network. “Now, if the Fed raises rates it’s not going to shake the world because people are confident enough about the fundamentals.”

The healthcare was the top gainer, up 1.17 per cent.

Financial stocks, which benefit from higher rates, rose 0.74 per cent. The utilities and real estate sectors, both of which do worse in high-rate environments, fell 0.39 per cent and 0.30 per

cent respectively.

The Dow Jones Industrial rose 0.52 per cent to end at 20,611.86. The S&P 500 gained 0.50 per cent to 2349.25 and the Nasdaq Composite added 0.64 per cent to 5819.44.

Fourth-quarter earnings for S&P 500 companies have risen about 7.2 per cent, the strongest expansion since the third quarter of 2014, according to Thomson Reuters data. Analysts on average expect S&P 500 earnings for the first quarter to rise 10.7 per cent.

Procter & Gamble jumped 3.71 per cent to a two-year high, giving the biggest boost to the Dow and the S&P, after Trian Fund disclosed a stake, which could pressure the company to slice costs and slow-growing divisions.

Shares of Southwest, United Continental, American Airlines and Delta rose between two per cent and four per cent after Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway reported investments topping US$2.1 billion in each of the carriers. (Reuters)

news

17

thursDAY, February 16, 2017| guyanatimesgy.com

West Ruimveldt Primary benefits from Green Generation Project

T

he students of the West Ruimveldt Primary School were delighted to be the first to benefit from the #Green Generation Guyana project, organised

by Communities Ministry in collaboration with the Education Ministry.

The #Green Generation Guyana project was launched at the school and is aimed at promoting a greener Guyana for all. Twentytwo bins – blue and green in colour and representing inorganic and organic waste – were handed over to the school, and are to be distrib-

uted to 11 classrooms.

The bins were handed over to the school by the Project Coordinator Karen Roopchand.

Chairperson of initiative, Danielle Campbell explained that throughout the initiative, students will be taught how to separate waste into materials that are harmful to the environment and those that are environmentally friendly. It also involved the reuse and recycling of materials that still have an economic value.

She noted that currently, there is a special need for

The bins that were donated

children to be made aware of proper waste disposal habits.

Chief Education Officer, Marcel Hutson used the opportunity to remind the stu-

dents that they have a responsibility to keep the environment clean.

Hutson said “I am happy that we are starting at this tender age, because it is sometimes difficult to get persons to move from a certain behaviour pattern that is why I am happy that we are starting with our young minds so that their minds can be invigorated and energised so that they could be more receptive to where we want to go”.

The practice of waste disposal includes the separation of materials such as

plastics and tins.

Hutson posited that all children need to be familiar with the whole idea of what must be buried, what must be recycled and what other practices we can use in terms of the disposal of waste.

Also present at the affair was the Deputy Mayor Sherrod Duncan who was introduced to the students as “Mr Clean”.

This initiative is expected to be taken to primary schools in all 10 administrative regions.

Govt, GPL to defend $4.6B contract... from PAGE 13

According to James in his Affidavit in Support, the essence of this dispute has to do with the legitimacy of the decision and the decision making process undertaken by the parties named in the court documents in rejecting the tender submission by Fix-it Depot to rehabilitate 328 kilometres of GPL’s medium and low voltage distribution network, despite the fact that the tender was the lowest by more than $1 billion and the fact that there was no legiti-

mate reason to reject it. Fixit Depot had formed a joint venture with Colombian civil engineer Enrique Lourido Caicedo, and bid for the contract at some $3.5 billion when the engineer’s estimate for the project was $3.8 billion.

“The decision to award the contract to [the Chinese group] in no way benefits the public since the tendered sum is G$1,093,737,993 higher than the Applicant’s tender, that amount resulting in a waste of taxpayers’

funds, being approximately 25 per cent higher than the engineer’s estimate…,” the rejected businessman stated.

Moreover, James outlined that not only did a plain reading of the tender evaluation criteria reveal that they were vague and without the requisite transparency, failing sufficiently to disclose the contract award criteria and weightings in advance, but GPL failed to properly apply the disclosed evaluation crite-

ria and in so doing, improperly awarded the tender to the Chinese group, a company which did not satisfy the tender evaluation criteria.

In this regard, James submitted that the decision to reject the applicant’s tender and subsequent award of the contract to the Chinese consortium

must be quashed in its entirety, as that decision and award was unfair, irrational, ultra vires, and without lawful basis, and the tender and contract award process fundamentally unfair, illegal and flawed.

The rehabilitation of 328km of GPL’s low and medium voltage network, in-

cluding the procurement and installation of smart meters throughout the network, is part of the Power Utility Upgrade Programme, which is intended to enhance the company’s operational efficiency. It is being funded through an Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) loan.

18

guyanatimesgy.com

thursDAY, February 16, 2017

ARCHIE

Express your thoughts and offer suggestions. You will (March 21- capture interest and impress April 19) someone who can influence your future. Partnerships and contracts look promising, and can be formulated and signed.

ARIES

A business meeting or perTAURUS sonal discussion will go well if (April 20- you listen to what’s being said.

May 20) Once you grasp the magnitude of the conversation, add positive, unique suggestions. Your candor will be appreciated.

dilbert

Put everything you’ve got GEMINI into getting ahead. Use your (May 21June 20) intellect to draw attention to what you want to see unfold and you will have a captive audience. Romance looks inviting.

You’ll be torn between pro-

CANCER fessional and personal responsi(June 21- bilities. Look for a unique way July 22) to satisfy both yourself and the

Peanuts

people counting on you. Honesty and understanding will help you overcome challenges.

Stop contemplating and LEO start engaging in the ventures (July 23that excite you. Personal gains, Aug. 22) travel and physical indulgence look appealing as well as rewarding.

Try to stay on course.

VIRGO (Aug. 23- Falling behind will result in Sept. 22) complaints from someone who can be demanding. Put your money in a safe place to avoid overspending.

Calvin and Hobbes

Look for changes that LIBRA will make your life better.

(Sept. 23Evaluate your current situaOct. 23) tion as well as your relationships. Size things up, and figure out how you can attain the happiness you desire.

WORD GAME TODAY’S WORD — BANISHED

SUDOKU

Average mark 34 words Time limit 50 minutes Can you find 50 or more words in BANISHED? The list will be published Saturday.

YESTERDAY’S WORD — HEADERS adhere dare dash dasher dear deer rase rash read reed rhea sard saree

sear seed seer sere shad shade shard share shear sheer shed sherd shred

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

could trust. Damage control will be necessary and should be implemented in a candid manner.

Get out there and have fun SAGITTARIUS today. Participate in any ac(Nov. 23- tivity that will align you with Dec. 21) like-minded people or valuable colleagues. Be a team player.

(BANISHED: BANISH’D: Forced to leave; exiled; expelled.)

hard hare head hear heard hearse heed herd here hers eared ease erase

Problems with communicaSCORPIO tion can be expected if you have (Oct. 24- revealed too much information Nov. 22) to someone you thought you

solution for Last Published Puzzle

Stop in your tracks before CAPRICORN you make a mistake. Don’t (Dec. 22follow the leader when you Jan. 19) should be the leader. Making impulsive decisions or letting someone coerce you into an argument will set you back.

A chance to make a fiAQUARIUS nancial move is best thought (Jan. 20through carefully. Don’t let Feb. 19) your emotions or romantic partner influence an important decision. You cannot buy love.

PISCES Your luck is changing, (Feb. 20- and good fortune is heading March 20) in your direction. Reconnect with someone you have enjoyed working or playing with in the past and see what happens.

thurSDAY, february 16, 2017

Bounty Farm Handicap serves off GSA season

Victories for East Coast, East Bank - 4 fifties scored

T

he Guyana Squash Association (GSA) in collaboration with its corporate sponsor, Digicel launched the 2017 season with the traditional Bounty Farm Ltd Handicap Squash Tournament on Wednesday at the at the Georgetown Club Inc. The action begins today in two categories with the better skilled players participating in the Open Category and the lesser skilled and younger players will participate in Category A. This year more than sixty six players have signed up to participate.

Defending champion in the Open category, JasonRay Khalil is away at school so Nyron Joseph starts with the most difficult handicap of -22. Some of the other players in this category and their handicaps are Regan Pollard -14, Deje Dias -2, Joseph Mekdeci +4, Taylor

Samuel Ince-Carvahal

Fernandes +4, Dennis Dias +10, Alex Cheeks +3, Daniel Islam +3, Adam Alves +7, David Fernandes +10 and Michael Atherley +10, Javid Rahaman +5 and Medhi Ramdhani +7.

In Category A defending champion Samuel Ince-Carvahal starts with a -8 handicap while other top ranked players are

19

E

Nyron Joseph

Mohyryan Baksh, Abosaide Cadogan, Kirsten Gomes, Madison Fernandes, Aliyah Persaud, Paige Fernandes, Demetrius De Abreu and Gianni Carpenter.

All matches are best of three and action starts each evening at 18:00h; the finals of all the categories are set for February 19 starting at 11:00h.

Pigeon XI lift Dave’s Variety Trophy

ast Bank Demerara and East Coast Demerara recorded comfortable victories against their respective counterparts West Demerara and Georgetown in Demerara Under 15 Inter-Association action yesterday.

East Bank defeated West Demerara by 10 wickets chasing a challenging total at the Everest Cricket Club ground while host East Coast scored a comprehensive 99 run victory over Georgetown at Ogle ground.

In the match in the city, West Demerara were inserted to bat and rattled up 167-7 in their 50 overs with Andre Seepersaud (50) and Vishaul Persaud 33 the principal scorers.

At the start of the innings, West Demerara lost two early wickets but due to a solid partnership worth 120 runs between Seepersaud and Persaud they were able to set what was expected to be a competitive total.

Cameron Defreitas 3-33 from nine overs and Alex Arinda with two wickets were the chief wick takers for East Bank.

In their strong response East Bank reached 170 without loss to secure a mammoth victory. Openers Mavendra Dindyal 78 from 112 balls with eight fours and Chad Shivrattan 68 from 103 deliveries batted through the innings.

Edmond Pearson

Andre Seepersaud

Mavendra Dindyal (left) and Chad Shivrattan scored all of East Bank runs as they shared an unbroken 170-run opening partnership

Shivrattan had a good game with ball also as he bowled 10 overs for 25 runs.

East Bank also benefitted from 24 extras.

In the other match Georgetown failed to reach their target of 172 to win against East Coast, who scored 171-8 from 50 overs.

Edmond Pearson (57 not out) led with the bat for East Coast and was supported by Shoaib Shaw who made 40.

Bowling for Georgetown,

Hemant Dalit claimed 4-30 from six overs and Zechariah Mootoo got 2-15 from 10 overs.

The visitors fell for 72 in 27.3 overs in their turn at the crease as Devanand Khemraj 2-10 from 10 was destructive with the ball.

In the next round on Friday, Georgetown and West Demerara will clash at Everest while East Coast and East Bank will do battle at Ogle.

Wakenaam CUA elects new Chairman Samuel Kingston (left) hands over the Dave’s Variety Store Trophy to the skipper of Pigeon XI at Everest

T

he KPL fundraiser ended last Sunday at the Everest Cricket Club ground with three more exciting softball matches in the male open category.

In the round robin one-day tournament, it was Pigeon XI with two wins from both of their matches that emerged as the champions.

The champions beat Farm XI by four wickets in a high scoring game on a big outfield. Farm IX lost nine wickets but got to 124 from their 12 overs. Quazie Yusuf made 25 and Ralph Layne 21 with Vishan Smart taking 3-13 and Lakeram Latchman 2-31. In reply, Pigeon XI raced to 130-

6 from nine overs with Sheldon Adams hitting six sixes in 37 while Lakeram Latchman made 31 (4x6’s).

Keisho Ramsarran 2-24 and Ameer Khan 2-40 were the best bowlers.

Super Star was next on the list for Pigeons. Chasing 97 for victory, Pigeon got there with nine wickets in hand. For Super Stars, Deodat Hemraj made 27 and Steve Chan 18. Sheldon Adams and Ewart Buyrne picked up three wickets each for the victors.

In the other round-robin match of the day, Farm XI registered their lone victory by narrowly beating Super Stars by one wicket. Super

Stars made 102/5 from their 12 overs with D. Budram stroking 29 (3x4; 1x6) and Davindra Singh getting 30 (4x4). Rawl Reid then hit a quick-fire 39 (2x4; 4x4) and was supported by Kishan Ramkumar with 22 (3x6) as Farm XI got to 105/9 from 10.2 overs.

There were three wickets each for S. Vijay, Ajay Persaud and Keishor Sedebyal.

Pigeon XI received the Dave’s Variety Store of Albert street trophy for their efforts. The event was part of the continued efforts to raise funds for Samuel Kingston who requires eye surgery.

Some of the elected members of the WCUA: Looknauth Persaud, Teniram Ramnarine, Mohamed Hydar Ali and Khemraj Surujpaul after the elections

A

sif Ahmad was elected chairman of the Wakenaam Cricket Umpires Association when the body held their elections on Sunday at the Wakenaam Community Centre, Good Success.

Ahmad, who replaces

Lenny Mohammed who was the last elected chairman of the WCUA will function in the capacity for one year.

Mohamed Hydar Ali will serve as the Vice Chairman and Looknauth Persaud Secretary. The Treasurer is Khemraj Surujpaul while

the Assistant Secretary Treasurer is Teniram Ramnarine.

Vickram Ramnarine is the Public Relations Officer and the committee members are Tulchan Pooran, Safraz Mohamed, Amit Ramnarine and Vijay Persaud.

20

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

thursDAY, february 16, 2017

Powerful Pride take on dangerous hosts …winner will meet Scorpions in final

By Ravi Madholall

B

oth Barbados Pride and Leeward Islands Hurricanes will be looking to feature in the 2017 Super50 final on Saturday against the Jamaica Scorpions at the Coolidge ground in Antigua and Barbuda.

The two teams will confront each other from 13:30h today at the same venue in the second semi-final showdown and a fascinating battle is highly anticipated.

Barbados, who dominated Group B by emerging triumphant on seven occasions from the allotment of eight matches, will be looking undoubt-

edly to extend their winning streak and subsequently participate in the championship game.

They will face the potent Jamaica Scorpions who knocked o u t

twotime defending champions, Trinidad and Tobago Red Force last evening in the first semi-final also at the Coolidge Cricket Ground.

Historically, Barbados Pride and Leeward Islands Hurricanes have seven regional one-day titles since the limited-over version was introduced in 1972/73.

Kieran Powell

Leeward Islands of course shared the prestigious trophy three times lastly with Barbados in 2011, with

Guyana in 1992/93 and with Jamaica in 1977/78.

Alluding to the fact that the Hurricanes side won less matches (six) than their opponents (seven), Leeward Islands Hurricanes still have greater consistency in the batting department while their bowling also has been terrifically penetrative.

Opener Kieran Powell has been prolific chalking up over 500 runs at the completion of the preliminary-round stage inclusive of three brilliant centuries.

His self-imposed absence from cricket for two consecutive years doesn’t resonate that as he batted with supreme confidence to become the tournament’s leading batsman this season.

The flamboyant lefthander should expect good support from Montcin Hodge who has so far scored 291 runs from seven games while another inform batsman, Rahkeem Cornwall continues to impress the West Indies selectors with some all-round performances aggregating 222 runs from eight games.

The bowling will obviously pin high on the experienced fast-bowler Gavin Tonge who has 13 wickets from eight games while young and ebullient test quickie Alzari Joseph is

making a resounding impact with his pace and hostility.

Joseph has grabbed 16 wickets from seven appearances so far and both of them should get the necessary support from off-spinner Cornwall and left-arm spinner and Franchise player Akeal Hosein who has 11 scalps from his seven outings. The side also has a vote of confidence from their head coach Reginald Benjamin who spoke enthusiastically about the team’s chance of winning the title on this occasion.

“Things are going really good; it’s semifinal stage, so it’s do-or-die [today] so we are ready for the match against Barbados,” Benjamin said after Wednesday’s training session.

He further emphasized the importance of his side sticking to the game plan and once executed well, victory could be easily achieved.

“I think once we play positive cricket and be patient, we can be able to make the people of Leeward Islands very proud; Barbados is a good side and we would not take them lightly,” Benjamin declared.

Barbados Pride, who were dethroned by Trinidad and Tobago Red Force in 2015, proved their regional one-day superiority from the commence-

ment of this year’s edition trouncing Guyana Jaguars by a massive 145-run margin.

But their only defeat against Jamaica Scorpions might just be a wake-up call for them, however. Their batting will certainly hinge around their most consistent batsman Kraigg Brathwaite.

With an average of 58.28 having accumulated 408 runs attest to Brathwaite’s rich form while the righthander West Indies opener may have solid support from Jonathan Carter who has 300 runs and Shai Hope with 256 runs also from eight games.

Barbados Pride also showed great strength in the bowling region leading by the inspirational off-spinner Ashley Nurse, the tournament’s leading wicket-taker so far with 22 victims.

For a match of this magnitude, the toss would be critically important to win.

Based on what had transpired throughout the first segment, both leaders will be anxious to make the right call and have a knock first because of its responsiveness.

Both teams will also be mindful of what the first finalist, the Scorpions did yesterday

w h e n t h e y batted Red Force out of the tournament.

Kraigg Brathwaite

GCB/DMLAS/MOE/NSSCL

St Cuthbert’s Mission Secondary upset Linden Foundation Secondary S

t Cuthbert’s Mission Secondary creates one of the biggest upsets of the 2016/2017 Guyana Crikcet Board Demerara Mutual, Ministry of Education National Secondary Schools Cricket League, when they dethrone last year’s Upper DemeraraHighway District Champions, Linden Foundation Secondary in a 30 overs match played at the Bayroc ground in Upper Demerara on Tuesday.

Highway zone winners, St. Cuthbert Mission won the toss and took full advantage of such fortune by elected to field first.

Apparently having done their homework and realizing that Linden Foundation Secondary are very good at reach-

ing targets, St. Cuthbert’s Mission Secondary, tested the resolve of Linden Foundation Secondary requesting of them to set a target score. This move proved to be a very brilliant decision, as St. Cuthbert bowlers troubled the Linden Foundation Secondary batsmen, who found it very difficult to score freely, mainly due to some consistent and penetrative bowling by their opponents, coupled with high intensity fielding and motivational gestures.

As a consequence, Linden Foundation Secondary folded for a paltry 123 in just 22.5 overs, Jason Fung-Fee top scored with 27. A shocking start to their supporters, who obviously came to cheer on their proud home favor-

Mark Clenkian

ites, however, this year’s competition seemed much more daunting.

Bowling for St. Cuthbert’s Mission Aldin Kattow grabbed 3-7 off 3.5 overs, Zak Ferreira took 2-32 from 5 overs and Rabaul Poousammy 2-33 from 5 overs.

St. Cuthbert’s Mission Secondary in reply, batted aggressively to reach their target in 14.5 overs, but not before losing eight wickets. Linden Foundation Secondary must be commended for their effort in the field, which saw them making a desperate attempt to retain their Upper Demerara-Highway District title. However, it was St. Cuthbert’s bellicose-combative approach that saw them reaching the measly target of 124 for

victory, as St. Cuthbert’s Mission having been on 122 for 8 from 14.4 overs, ended the game with a six with two wickets in hand.

Batting for St. Cuthbert’s Mission Secondary Mark Clenkian made an impressive 53, which included five sixes and five fours. Bowling Linden Foundation FungFee claimed 3-20 off three overs, while Wendel Courtman and Immanuel Larose both picked up two wickets apiece.

St. Cuthbert’s Mission will now advance to play East Bank Demerara zone champions, Diamond Secondary for the Upper Demerara-East Bank District Trophy today at the Bayroc ground in Upper Demerara from 11:00h.

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MRMVDC One-Day Softball Cricket Extravaganza

Stalwarts confirmed for big clash A

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s the day draws closer to the first ever Repos Market Vendors Development Committee (MRMVDC) One-Day Softball Cricket extravaganza, the stars of yester-year have signaled their intentions of rolling back the years when they confirmed their participation for the Georgetown versus East Coast of Demerara Over50 match this Saturday February 18.

The highly anticipated 20 overs a-side game will be the curtain raiser for the cricket aspect of the Mon Repos market fund raising event which is dubbed a grand bar-b-que and family fun day at the Lusignan Community Centre ground.

The softball cricket stalwarts will take to the crease from 14:00h which will be followed by the masters’ and male and female open tournaments that will end under the floodlights.

When many of the softball stars were in the prime of their cricket careers, they converged at the Lusignan Community Centre ground and will do so once again for organized cricket that will see each player getting special medals for participation and trophies for outstanding individual performances.

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So far, 10 masters teams have indicated their willingness to participate in the 10 overs a-side competition that has an entrance fee of

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Divekanand Ramsaywack

$20,000 per team which entitles each team to 15 bar-bque.

Sponsors for the one day event include Fitness 53, Why Pay More Trading, Guyana Stationery, Naresh Grocery, Chand’s Printery, Dovie’s Trucking Service, Noble House Seafoods, K&A Indian Fashion, Lambada Sports Bar, L. Mohabir Cambio and Ramo.

The Georgetown Over 50 team will come from; Ricky Deonarain, Ryan Singh, Ramesh Sunich, Laurie Singh, Richard Persaud, Mahendra Hardyal, Wayne Jones, Lakeram Singh, Divekanand Ramsaywack, Ramchand Ragbeer, Imtiaz Mohammed, Colin Greaves, Daram Persaud, Peter Persaud, Danny Mohanram, Lnace Adams and Ramjit Singh (Manager) East Coast Demerara Over 50 team reads; Eion Abel, David Harper, Vinod Lall, Walack Joseph,

Kennard Luke, Hakeem Majid, Satro Seeraj, Lakeram Barleow, Raymond Karim, Vijay Baljit, Jaggarnauth Singh, Ishwer Parsram, R. Ramchand, Hemanchal Mangra, Jailall Deodatt, Sheik Mohamed and Ramesh Parsram (Manager/Player).

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Teams may contact MRMVDC chairman, Kishan Sarwan on 6489772 or cricket co-ordinator Seeraj Bhimsain on 6472840. All proceeds raised from the one day event will go towards the refurbishing of the Mon Repos market which houses more than 1000 vendors.

Sans Souci Jaguars roar to title

Oudit Prasad (standing at right) shares the moment with the new champions, Sans Souci Jaguars in the presence of WCC Secretary Nazeer Mohamed (standing second from left)

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eorayan Ramlakhan scored an entertaining 28-ball 90 for Maria’s Pleasure who were beaten by eight wickets by Sans Souci Jaguars in a rain interrupted final of the Badri Prasad Memorial T20 tournament last Sunday at the Wakenaam Community

Centre ground in Good Success.

Maria’s Pleasure were off to a good start with Marsh Singh and Bernard Lewis adding 52 for the opening stand before Lewis was dismissed for first to go for 19.

He was followed shortly by Kennard Lewis for 10 be-

fore Singh was run out for 32 (3x4) as Maria’s Pleasure slipped to 80-3. However Ramlakhan quickly got into his stride, driving Nokta Moses four boundaries before dumping Mohamed for a maximum over mid-wicket. continued on page 20

22

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

thursDAY, february 16, 2017

GVF/Lenny Shuffler Open Tournament

Achievers, Vanguards brush aside Castrol Strikers A

chievers and Vanguards are the respective males and females champions of the Guyana Volleyball Federation Lenny Shuffler Open Volleyball tournament after two lopsided affairs on Tuesday evening at the National Gymnasium.

In the first of the two finals, Vanguards defeated Castrol Strikers in two clear sets avoiding the

third and deciding set.

Those sets finished 2519 and 25-18. Meanwhile, consistent performers Achievers, made like work of the Castrol Strikers male unit. They claimed the five set match in three sets, winning 25-12, 26-13 and 25-21. Achievers looked superior from the start as Castrol Strikers lacked tactics to triumph.

However, there was one

issue on the night where Castrol Strikers females were displeased of how organisation of their final was managed. They believed that the match should have continued from where it left off on Sunday night as they were initially told. If not the runners up believe they should have been properly informed of the new procedures which are intact with the World Governing

The victorious Achievers team with President of the Guyana Volleyball Federation, John Flores

Female champions, Vanguards pose for a photo after their victory against Castrol Strikers

Body for Volleyball, the Fédération Internationale de Volleybal (FIVB).

On Sunday the final started and Castrol Strikers were up one set and trailing in the second. Unfortunately, there was a power outage at the Gymnasium and the final was rescheduled to Tuesday with both teams acknowledging they will replay the second set and if needs be then they will go on to the third. However, after the organisers re-

searched FIVB rules a decision was made to replay the entire match.

President of GVF John Flores apologize on behalf of his federation, stating that henceforth there will be no such mistakes.

Flores said his aim for

2017 is to let it be known that volleyball is around.

According to the President he is elated at the number of young participants and he encouraged the senior players to do the necessary to keep the juniors in the sport.

Osbourne slams 98

in GTU T20 match

T

he top wheelsmen in the country will take to the inner circuit of the National Park when it is transformed into the cyclist’s playground for the 26th R&R 11 race cycling event as the cycling season continues this Saturday.

Headlining the event of the day is the 35-lap featured school boys and invitational race while other categories are 12 to 14 years Open three Laps, BMX Boys 12 to 14 years old three laps, BMX Boys Open three Laps, BMX Boys 9 to 12 years old three Laps, BMX Boys 6 to 9 years old two Laps, BMX Girls 6 to 12 years old one Lap, Veterans Under 50 years old five Laps, Veteran Over 50 years old five Laps, Upright’s five Laps and Juveniles 10 Laps.

Despite what happened in the last race on Sunday where a poor turnout headlined the event, it is expected that this week’s 11-race programme will have a larger contingent of riders as their respective clubs seek to attain bragging rights and the riders looking to have the jump on the early events.

District Two team strike a pose just after claiming victory against District One at the Imam Bacchus Ground, Affiance

F

Flashback! Michael Anthony powers to victory in the 25th R&R cycling featured 35-lap race in the National Park in 2016

In the action last year it was Team Gillette Evolution’s Michael Anthony who stormed to victory in a time of one hour 15 minutes and 16 seconds while in the other events, John Niles won the BMX boys 6-9 years old two-lap race ahead of Shay Sue-Hang and Antoine Vandenburg respectively.

The BMX boys 9-12 years old three-lap race was won

by Zad James. Second was Jeremiah Harrison and third was Sue-Hang. The

BMX boys 12-14 years old three-lap race was won by Adealie Hodge who finished ahead of Taran Garbarran.

Zamal Khan was the winner of the boys and girls 12-14 years three-lap race. Second was Toshawana Doris and finishing third was Whitney Poyer. Warren McKay was the winner of the five-lap race for veterans under 50 years of age. Second was Junior Niles and third was Stephen Fernandes.

Andrew Spencer won

the five-lap race for veterans over 50 years of age, ahead of Shameer Baksh and Linden Blackman respectively, while Monty Parris won the five-lap race for veterans over 60 years of age. The five-lap race for mountain bikers was won by Nicholas Alphonso. Second was Sean Budhan and placing third was Keon Thomas.

The cyclists will be sent on their way in the first race at 09:00h.

ormer Essequibo senior inter-county wicketkeeper/batsman Wayne Osbourne hit a pugnacious 98 to steer District Two to a convincing 85-run win over District One in the Guyana Teachers Union (GTU) Nationwide T20 tournament.

Playing at the Imam Bacchus ground in Affiance last Friday, the right-handed Osbourne clobbered 11 fours and three sixes as District Two racked up a formidable 187-6 at the expiration of their overs.

When District One replied, they only mustered a moderate 102 all out off 15.4 overs.

Osbourne received admirable support from Bhudram Lalldas, who weighed in with an entertaining 59 laced with five fours and a maximum.

When District One appeared at the crease, only Carl Harris made a fighting 21 as left-arm spinner Amijab Bisnauth grabbed four wickets for 19 runs from his allotted four overs while Osbourne collected three wickets for 17 runs to complement a fine all-round display.

District One will continue to vie for a qualifying knockout spot when they take on District Four on February 26 at a venue to be named.

guyanatimesgy.com

thursDAY, febRuary 16, 2017

Petra/Limacol Round-robin Knock-out Football

23

CWI Regional Super50 2017

Champions Top round-robin Red Force teams receive prizes

knocked out

- quarter-finals on this Sunday

- Powell, Walton, Blackwood record career bests

T

Western Tigers played unbeaten in the preliminary rounds and fancy their chances of going deep this year

T

he Round-robin segment of the 2nd annual Petra Organised Limacol Football tournament has concluded and the top teams in the four groups have received their incentive prizes from organisers at a simple presentation on Wednesday evening at the Spice Garden Restaurant in Campbellville, Georgetown.

Western Tigers, Den Amstel and Mahaica Determinators received $100,000 for topping their respective groups while the other teams pocketed $50,000, $30,000 and $20,000 apiece in order of placement.

Speaking at the ceremony, Co- Director of the Petra Organisation Troy Mendonca stated that from the feedback the competition has served its purpose as most games in round-robin were very close and teams improved as the tournament went on.

His position was based on the fact that the final placements in the groups were decided by goal difference which exemplifies the fierce competition on the field.

Mendonca added that the matches were played at venues in Georgetown, East Coast of Demerara, West Demerara and Linden which was aimed at giving each team a chance to play at “home” and to build the popularity of the sport.

Concerning the playing of the semi-finals and final the Co-Director explained that the Mashramaini season and the start of other tournaments has caused the rescheduling of those fixtures.

He also thanked sponsors for their support as it helped the tournament

at the McKenzie Sports Club at 21:30h. Over at the Victoria Community Centre Ground also on Sunday, Police will meet Den Amstel at 19:00h followed by Mahaica and Santos from 21:00h.

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 grow from strength to strength and wished to continue in the same vein.

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.

The quarter-finals will be played this Sunday and pits Milerock against Western Tigers at 19:30h followed by Winners Connection and Eagles

he Jamaica Scorpions are through to the final of the WICB Regional Super50 after a commanding performance against the Trinidad and Tobago Red Force in the semi-final at the Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua today.

On the way to a 292run victory, the Scorpions, through centuries from Chadwick Walton and Jermaine Blackwood, racked up 434, more runs than any Caribbean team in history.

Walton, who was disappointed when he got out at 117, started the ball brilliantly with Steven Taylor, who made 88.

The two shared in a 174-run opening stand that ended in the 22nd over.

Blackwood would pick up the mantle, batting with Walton before the latter

When Powell, tournawho came on to m e n t bowl later on in and they the T&T innings, will now started carrying a w a i t over his arm, the the winners momentum from of the othhis batting spilled er semifiover and he ended nal today up with 5-36 on a between pitch that it was ashosts the sumed was good for Leeward batting.

Islands Only Jason Mohammed showed some fight, scoring a run-a-ball 62 Chadwick Walton celebrates his maiden with his captain, List A century. He also held five catches Denesh Ramdin, hanging around for 35 deliv- Hurricanes and Group B eries to score 27. The game winners, Barbados Pride. was over in the 27th over, The final is set for Saturday as Taylor took great plea- at the same venue when new sure in bowling Shannon champions will be crowned Gabriel, who may want to since two time champiforget this game as quickly ons, Red Force will not deas possible, for a duck. fend the title they won on The win is the Scorpions’ home soil in 2015 and 2016. sixth on the trot in this year’s (Sportsmax)

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

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

Group-B

Group-C

Group-D

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

Chadwick Walton (left) and Steven Taylor muscled 174 for the first wicket to bat defending champions, Trinidad and Tobago Red Force out of the tournament

went with the score on 269 for two.

By that time, Walton had faced just 96 deliveries, while Taylor took 71 to get to his total. Blackwood would then find a partner in Rovman Powell, who was just as keen to put his foot to the pedal, scoring 95 from 45 deliveries before he was bowled in the final over by Ravi Rampaul. The Red Force pacer ended with figures of 2-83 while Gabriel had bowled nine wicketless overs that yielded 91 runs.

West Indies batsman, Blackwood ended unbeaten on 108 from 88 deliveries.

If it was possible to bat a team out of a game, the Scorpions had done just that, and by the time Jerome Taylor, 3-27, and Reynard Leveridge, 2-31, had made some inroads into the top order, the game was over.

SCOREBOARD Jamaica innings (50 overs maximum) CAK Walton† lbw b Khan 117 SR Taylor c Ottley b Mohammed 88 J Blackwood not out 108 R Powell b Rampaul 95 JD Campbell c †Ramdin b Rampaul 0 Extras (b-1, lb-11, w-12, nb-2) 26 Total (4 wickets; 50 overs) 434 Did not batDC Thomas, AM McCarthy, DK Jacobs, NO Miller*, JE Taylor, RH Leveridge Fall of wickets 1-174 (SR Taylor, 21.2 ov), 2-269 (Walton, 35.3 ov), 3-432 (Powell, 49.3 ov), 4-434 (Campbell, 49.6 ov) Bowling ST Gabriel 9-0-91-0 (w-3), R Rampaul 10-0-83-2 (w1), RR Emrit 8.3-0-78-0 (nb-2, w-3), K Pierre 6.3-0-77-0 (w1), JN Mohammed 6-1-24-1 (w-1), I Khan 10-0-69-1 (w-2) Trinidad & Tobago innings (target: 435 runs from 50 overs) KA Hope c Miller b Leveridge 17

E Lewis c †Walton b JE Taylor 18 KY Ottley c †Walton b Leveridge 1 JN Mohammed not out 62 N Alexis lbw b JE Taylor 0 D Ramdin*† c †Walton b Powell 27 I Khan c Blackwood b Powell 6 RR Emrit c SR Taylor b Powell 3 K Pierre c †Walton b Powell 2 R Rampaul c †Walton b Powell 0 ST Gabriel b JE Taylor 0 Extras (b-1, lb-1, w-4) 6 Total (all out; 26.3 overs) 142 Fall of wickets 1-26 (Lewis, 2.5 ov), 2-38 (Hope, 5.1 ov), 3-39 (Ottley, 5.4 ov), 4-40 (Alexis, 6.4 ov), 5-103 (Ramdin, 17.4 ov), 6-118 (Khan, 19.6 ov), 7-136 (Emrit, 23.1 ov), 8-141 (Pierre, 25.2 ov), 9-141 (Rampaul, 25.4 ov), 10-142 (Gabriel, 26.3 ov) Bowling JE Taylor 5.3-027-3, RH Leveridge 5-1-312 (w-2), DK Jacobs 3-0-240 (w-1), R Powell 8-1-36-5, NO Miller 5-0-22-0 (w-1)

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2017

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

guyanatimesgy.com

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

Pg 23

Top round-robin teams receive prizes - quarter-finals on this Sunday

The respective group winners and Co-Director Troy Mendonca (yellow top) at the presentation ceremony on Wednesday evening at the Spice Garden Restaurant

GVF/Lenny Shuffler Open Tournament

Achievers, Vanguards brush aside Castrol Strikers

Pg 22

An Achievers player goes for the spike against Castrol Strikers at the National Gymnasium

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