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THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Issue No. 3098

Wednesday, January 18, 2017

Secret deal for Skeldon Estate takeover revealed

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WHAT'S INSIDE:

Repossession threats will further delay P7 private developers – Ali

Page 3

Region 2 flooding

T&T company with no experience to: Produce bulk rum Develop solar power Produce ethanol

Govt to: Provide lands for cultivation Provide infrastructure Provide massive tax incentives Guarantee pricing formulae

Opposition to table Bandits motion in Parliament strike again to reverse MMA/ADA in Berbice rate increases MMA/ADA refuses to meet with RPA Page 2

Hundreds of acres of rice damaged P16

Father shoots at daughter’s boyfriend P2 NYC-based Guyanese P8 jailed for narco trafficking

Page 9

‒ rob Spready’s Supermarket, Kildonan business

Page 11

Bartica Massacre trial

Prosecution closes case

P10

Man remanded for stabbing stepbrother P16

…Region 5 Admin supports farmers’ rejection of land rate increases

Ramjattan displaying double standards ...opens party to criticism over constitutional breach ‒ Dr Hinds Page 13

Curtains P12 down on USAID’s YCP programme

2 news

WednesDAY, January 18, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Bandits strike again in Berbice − rob Spready’s Supermarket, Kildonan business

B

andits struck almost simultaneously at two locations on the Corentyne on Tuesday afternoon, as crime on the Corentyne continues to keep law enforcement officers on the edge.

At about 15:00h a lone gunman went into Spready’s Supermarket, located at Port Mourant on the Corentyne, however his target was not the supermarket which had a few customers at the time, as the man went to the MoneyGram money

Spready’s Supermarket located at Port Mourant

transfer outlet in the building.

He took the money which the attendant was at the time counting, and then jumped over the counter and opened two drawers, emptying the cash into a black bag he was carrying at the time.

According to an eyewitness, within minutes the man escaped, riding off on a motorcycle. Reports are that the bandit, who was wearing a helmet to conceal his identity, stole $80,000 from the money transfer outlet.

The business which the bandits invaded at Kildonan Village

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Father shoots at daughter’s boyfriend A

father, on Tuesday, was forced to discharge several rounds after finding his teenage daughter in company of a young man in his house, who turned out to be wanted by the Police for questioning into the fatal shooting outside the Rio nightclub, four months ago.

According to information reaching the Guyana Times, the incident occurred sometime around 13:00h at the man’s West Ruimveldt, Georgetown home.

It was reported that the father, who is an ex-cop now employed as a security attached to the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), received information that there was a young man at home with his 19-year-old daughter, and so he went to investigate.

Upon arriving home, this newspaper was told that the security guard confronted the young man, who reportedly attacked him. An altercation subsequently ensured between the two men, during which the father pulled out his licenced pistol and discharge several rounds in the air. This caused the young man to escape from the home.

At the time, this publication understands that the ex-cop was unaware that the young man, who is said to be in his 20s, was wanted by the Police for questioning in rela-

ed.

The boyfriend is wanted for questioning in the death of Ryan Sergeant (pictured above)

tion to the murder.

When contacted by the Guyana Times on Tuesday, Deputy Commander of A Division (Georgetown and East Bank Demerara), Calvin Brutus, confirmed the shooting incident. He explained that after neighbours heard the shots, the Police were alerted and upon further investigation it was found that the young man, who hails from East Ruimveldt, was a “person of interest” in the investigations of the fatal nightclub shooting.

“We have been looking for him for some time now and now we know that he frequented that area… but I’m not sure he will return after this incident,” the officer not-

He related that in a statement to the Police, the teenager said that she and the young man shared a relationship for some time now, however further details were withheld by the Deputy Commander.

Meanwhile, the father also gave a statement to the Police and according to Brutus nothing can be done to him unless there is a report from the victim who was shot.

This, he said, is unlikely.

“The victim will not be willing to come to us on his own because he knows we’ve been looking for him since last year,” Brutus noted. The young man is said to have had previous brushes with the laws during his teenage years. On September 26, 19-year-old Ryan “Harry” Sergeant of Lot 2530 Layon Street, North Ruimveldt, Georgetown, was shot once to the jaw during an exchange of gunfire, which started in the Rio nightclub and ended on the outside. He was picked up and dropped off at the Woodlands Hospital.

A second person, Jeffrey Ferrel also of North Ruimveldt, was also shot and injured during the gun battle.

It was reported that the incident stemmed from a gambling spree within the nightclub.

news

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WednesDAY, January 18, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

BRIDGE OPENINGS

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

Wednesday, January 18 – 09:30h-11:00h and Thursday, January 19 – 10:30h-12:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Wednesday, January 18 – 08:30h-10:00h and Thursday, January 19 – 09:20h-10:50h.

Secret deal for Skeldon Estate takeover revealed

T&T company with no experience to: Produce bulk rum Parika and Supenaam departure times - 05:00h, 11:00h and 16:00h daily Develop solar power WEATHER TODAY Produce ethanol FERRY SCHEDULE

A

Sunny intervals in the morning are expected to be followed by thundery to heavy rain showers, with light cloudy conditions in the evening. Temperatures will range between 23 degrees Celsius and 28 degrees Celsius.

Winds: Easterly to East-north easterly between 0.89 metre and 3.57 metres.

High Tide: 08:29h and 20:51h reaching maximum heights of 2.39 metres and 2.36 metres respectively.

Low Tide: 14:24h reaching a minimum height of 0.85 metre.

Trinidad and Tobago firm is likely to rake in major benefits from the Guyana Government, including favourable tax incentives for the development of an integrated sugarcane processing facility at the Skeldon Sugar Estate, after a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was inked in December.

Government, through its Guyana Office for Investment (GO-Invest), signed the MoU with D Rampersad and Company Limited (DRCL) on December 8, 2016, for the undertaking of a feasibility study to determine the success of such a venture which will see it taking over the Skeldon Estate. The MoU was signed without full disclosure to the Guyanese

From left: DRCL Representative Ivan Cabrera, DRCL Director Avinash Rampersad, DRCL Chairman Nirmal Rampersad, Minister Noel Holder, GuySuCo CEO Errol Hanoman, DRCL Local Representative Noel Shewjattan and GO-Invest CEO Owen Verwey

cultural sector.

Meanwhile, in the MoU, which was seen by this publication, the Company believes that the sugar industry in Guyana can be

SATURday, January 14, 2017

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DISCLAIMER: WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY ERRORS IN PUBLICATION. PLEASE CALL THE HOTLINE FOR CONFIRMATION - TEL: 225-8902

public and without any public notice or public tender.

The company has no experience with any agricultural enterprise, and provides engineering services to the automotive and oil industries in T&T. Notably, however, as witness to the signing was Noel Rupie Shewjattan, the owner of Auto Fashion Store on Garnett Street, Campbellville, Georgetown.

Auto Fashion Store also has no experience in the agri-

Govt to: Provide lands for cultivation Provide infrastructure Provide massive tax incentives Guarantee pricing formulae

“regenerated” by the proposed project, which would not be producing sugar.

Massive incentives

DRCL is slated to benefit tremendously if its project proposal is approved by the current coalition Administration. From the size of DRCL’s operations in Trinidad, it appears doubtful it would be able to finance a project of the magnitude proposed.

According to the MoU, some expectations in the event a definitive agreement is entered into would include access to key infrastructure, favourable combination of tax incentives, and land for sugarcane cultivation and infrastructure.

The company is also set to receive reasonable approval cycles, guarantees on minimum product take-off by the Government with respect to electric power and fuel ethanol, guaranteed pricing formulae and power export provisions.

This means that while the company will convert sugar cane into ethanol and electricity from bagasse, the Government will assume the responsibility of purchasing the products at some yet undisclosed price. For ethanol to be used as fuel by motor vehicles, their engines would have to be modified. It was not disclosed if the Guyana Government or DRCL would bear the cost of the engine modification.

The feasibility study is proposed to commence on April 3 and to be completed in the first quarter of the year.

Project

The integrated sugarcane processing facility will include developing an integrated sugar-to-ethanol and electric power project.

While sugar will not be produced, the Skeldon factory will still have to process the sugar cane all the way to the molasses stage, but the diffuser for extracting the sugar will become redundant.

Basically, the feasibility study will examine the cultivation and harvesting of sugar cane and sugarcane processing.

It will also look at the production of fuel-grade ethanol, and the production of bulk rum for local, regional and international markets.

The feasibility study will also focus on power production from bagasse, production of high-test molasses, the construction of a liquid bulk terminal and the development of a solar power generation facility. The findings of the feasibility study will provide critical information and set the platform to make a definitive project proposal to the Government of Guyana.

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guyanatimesgy.com

wednesday, January 18, 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

Towards Sustainable Tourism

T

he United Nations 70th General Assembly has designated 2017 as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development.

Expressed simply, sustainable tourism can be defined as, “Tourism that takes full account of its current and future economic, social and environmental impacts, addressing the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment and host communities.”

The 2017 designation marks a unique opportunity to raise awareness on the contribution of sustainable tourism development among public and private sector decision-makers and the public, while mobilising all stakeholders to work together in making tourism a catalyst for positive change. In the context of the universal 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the International Year aims to support a change in policies, business practices and consumer behaviour, towards a more sustainable tourism sector than can contribute to the SDGs. Guyana has, in the past, made significant strides towards the promotion of Sustainable Tourism, and the destination has been recognised for its efforts; Guyana’s Rupununi region had justified the resources poured into its development, as it copped the regional spotlight by winning the 2012 Caribbean Excellence in Sustainable Tourism Award. The award from the Caribbean Tourism Organisation and Travelmole (CTO/Travelmole) was accepted by Guyana’s Rupununi Learners Inc, for improving the quality of life of the district’s inhabitants.

In 2011, this award was shared by the Surama Eco-Lodge, also located in the North Rupununi, Region Nine (Upper TakutuUpper Essequibo). This tourist destination was recognised by the CTO for harnessing the economic power of the visitor industry in a responsible and sustainable way. The 2011 award was shared with Barbados’ Harrison’s Cave. Guyana’s Karanambu Lodge Inc were among the big winners of the TravelMole 2013 sustainable tourism awards handed out by the CTO. The country, for the second consecutive year, emerged as the big winner, copping three of the six prizes presented. These awards pointed to the hard work and commitment of stakeholders in Guyana and to the policy direction of the Tourism Ministry and Authority.

President Granger, in his remarks at the Annual Awards Dinner of the Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana last year, acknowledged that the promotion of eco-tourism would be essential to the enlargement of our national economy over the next two decades and beyond, and he assured that his administration would work towards ensuring that the sector would be developed more deliberately and more methodically over this period.

He emphasised also, that Guyana’s eco-tourism product, however, cannot be developed without improvement in investment, infrastructure and information technology. He therefore called for investment by the private sector to develop more eco-resorts and lodges, and to open new attractions.

He assured that the Government would aggressively court investment for the eco-tourism sector. While there has been private sector investment, the slowdown in the economy has resulted in little returns on those investments and with the added taxes, many companies are grappling with introducing higher rates at the risk of losing business.

Sustainable tourism development requires the informed participation of all relevant stakeholders, as well as strong political leadership to ensure wide participation and consensus building. Achieving sustainable tourism is a continuous process and it requires constant monitoring of impacts, introducing the necessary preventive and/or corrective measures whenever necessary. Clearly, 2017 will be a challenging year and for the Tourism Sector, and as Guyana moves towards a sustainable development path, it will be up to the Government to ensure viable, long-term economic operations, which will provide socio-economic benefits to all stakeholders, which are fairly distributed, and which includes stable employment and incomeearning opportunities.

Guyana is set to host the prestigious 24th Inter-American Congress of Ministers and High Level Authorities of Tourism this year. This forum will serve as a platform for the promotion of sustainable development of tourism through the sharing of experiences, technical cooperation, and bilateral engagement.

It is hoped that Guyana can benefit from the exchanges and aggressively move towards the promotion of its tourism sector, and move away from simply acknowledging the country’s potential.

US Ambassador Perry Holloway handing over a token of appreciation to representatives of Help and Shelter (fourth from left) and Guyana National Youth Council (fifth) for their partnership in the implementation of the USAID funded Youth and Citizens’ Participation (YCP) programme which wrapped up on Tuesday. Also in the photo are Project Director Rawle Small and Coordinator Norwell Hinds along with a representative from Counterpart International, which coordinated with local organisations to implement the YCP Programme

Time long past to pass Tobacco Control Bill Dear Editor, Russia, where almost half of the population smokes, is considering banning tobacco. Between 2001 and now, I have been urging a global ban of tobacco by 2040. We need to introduce a Tobacco Control Law in Guyana. We need to also increase tobacco taxation.

The Government has unreasonably increased more than 200 taxes in 2016 and 2017, but inexplicably ignored tobacco.

In May 2001, as Guyana’s Health Minister, I committed to bringing a Tobacco Control Bill to Parliament.

After much consultation and technical support to draft the Tobacco Bill, I was ready to introduce the Bill in 2009. The then Cabinet and President, Bharat Jagdeo, took into consideration the urgings of the Private Sector Commission, which thought that excluding the Tobacco Companies from consultations was unfair. It is true that the tobacco companies were ex-

cluded from the intense and comprehensive consultations. But that was because the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), which Guyana was a signatory to, prohibits consultations with tobacco companies. The FCTC was the first and still the only global health treaty ever. Guyana was an early signatory and 2016 marked our 10th anniversary since becoming a part of the FCTC. To satisfy the Cabinet and the Private Sector, we started another round of consultations.

I explained to the private sector that I could not invite the Tobacco Companies.

The private sector invited the General Manager of DEMTOCO to lead the private sector team to the consultations. In 2011, I prepared again to introduce the Bill. But Parliament was dissolved for elections.

By 2012, I was shifted to the Agriculture Ministry and the new Health Minister decided to resume consultations. By the time he was

ready to bring the Bill to Parliament, the Parliament was prorogued and subsequently dissolved for the 2015 elections.

I heard more than a dozen times that Ministers Norton and Cummings would be introducing the Bill at the “next meeting of Parliament”. But each time, the sitting comes and goes and nothing happens. This is a bipartisan issue. It affects all Guyanese, those who smoke and those who do not. I am again appealing to the new Public Health Minister to bring the Bill to Parliament. Let Parliament invite the public to make presentations. In the end, let Guyana have a Tobacco Control Bill. We have been dithering for too long. While we dither, more people are exposed and get sick.

I urge the Parliament to raise the tobacco tax.

It is unconscionable that the Government has introduced or increased more than 200 new taxes, but did not touch tobacco. This

is reprehensible. Tobacco is the world’s greatest extra-judicial killer.

The United Nations have agreed on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for a better world by 2030.

With the SDGs, there is specific recognition of the importance of the NCDs. This is encouraging. There is also recognition that tobacco is a killer and globally, we need collective action to reduce and eliminate the negative impacts of tobacco. Now that the SDG has embraced the goals of the FCTC, it is time we are more robust in our action to stop BIG TOBACCO. In this regards, we must strictly enforce our agreements in the FCTC to increase taxes on tobacco.

Research has shown clearly that increased taxes do reduce tobacco use. I am hopeful that my earlier call to ban tobacco by 2040 will become a global initiative.

Dear Editor, It is known that I am not a political personality and as I try to get my points across, I always try to be a fair commentator. Of course, when one is a fair commentator, one will get ‘blows’ from both sides, but that goes with the territory of impartiality.

I recall well that while the Guyana Marriott Hotel was being built, and even after its construction and during its opening, the then

opposition was making demonstrations and protests about the Guyana Marriott Hotel. They had promised to turn the Hotel into a Children’s Hospital and/or make it into a section for the University of Guyana.

I had written a letter glorifying the project, as I am a customer and a lover of the Marriott Group, in which I had advised that Guyana needs a true fivestar hotel to house Heads of

State, Diplomats and special events on behalf of our Government and embassies.

After the elections, I was looking out in awe, as I feared that as soon as the new Government took power, they would have eliminated the Marriott brand and do exactly what they said they would do.

However, I observed that they were not taking any such action and I personally felt happiness and pride at

the awakening of the reality of the new Government as to the importance of an entity of this calibre.

I am noticing now, as I did in the various newspapers prior to the New Year, that the Casino and Entertainment Centre for Marriott is officially underway. In other words, they have moved ahead with the construction of the casino and entertainment centre.

Sincerely, Dr Leslie Ramsammy

Guyana Marriott Hotel

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Wednesday, January 18, 2017

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

Unfortunately, everything Self-help the order of the day boils down to racism

Dear Editor, I refer to Mr Vishnu Bisram‘s letter which was published in the Guyana Times on January 9, 2017, under the caption, “Apata a real Rodneyite not Hinds and Ogunseye”. Generally, I read most of Bisram’s letters and whether or not I agree with his view point, I have refrained from commenting, even when I believe that there are instances when he has raised issues that can lift the consciousness of the masses, if they are engaged by way of debate.

We live in a society where public polemics degenerate into public ‘cuss outs’, lies and deception.

This is now the order of the day. Unfortunately, when the letter writers are of different ethnicities, everything boils down to racism.

Truth and objectivity are thrown out the window.

Mr Bisram’s letter which I have referred to, is yet another example of this cul-

tural deterioration in public discourse. Frankly, he is being nasty. In his letter he wrote, “…like David Hinds and Tacuma Ogunseye who crawled back to the PNC, supporting its racism for two bits of silver selling out Rodney.” I am ignoring his accusation of selling out Rodney for the moment.

However, I note the cultural degeneration reflected in his chosen verb, “crawled”.

Let me move on. He sees our working with the PNC as personal decisions and not as a result of the WPA making an informed political decision based on our collective understanding of what is best in the interest of the nation. This line of attack is not surprising since it is not the intention of the writer to be objective. I have never read anywhere where Bisram has accused African political activists who joined the PPP as individuals, and importantly, not as a result of a party decision, of supporting PPP and doing so for

Guyana Marriott... from page 4

I recall that the initial protest had chased away an original investor for the casino, but now we are moving ahead with it.

I should say that I personally do not believe in casinos and gambling, as a person of religion. However, I have seen casinos in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Malaysia, etc, which are supposedly Islamic countries.

And so, for the sake of the development and growth of Guyana, and to create em-

ployment for our people and bring us up the ladder of success by making Guyana a premium tourist destination, this hotel is a prerequisite for development.

So, congratulations to NICIL and the Government of Guyana for agreeing now that the Marriott is a good thing.

Sincerely, Roshan Khan CEO/Chairman/ Founder

two bits of silver. Readers should not be surprised if Bisram, in response to what I have just stated, argues that there is no PPP racism, that it is only the PNC’s, Hinds’ and Ogunseye’s racism the country has to be concerned about.

When I read of the likes of Bisram, who, while purporting to be disciples of Rodney, have allotted to themselves the role of being the authority on who is a “Rodneyite”, I am forced to ask, how hypocritical can one get? These political Judas’ only love for Rodney was because he was actively opposing Burnham and the PNC. Walter Rodney’s conviction that a united working class/working people are essential to their self–liberation and, his opposition to ethnic domination, meant nothing to these opportunists. That is why, now that he is dead and is in no position to prove them wrong, they feel emboldened and rude enough to claim that Rodney, if he was alive during the years of the PPP regime, would not have modified his political approach to the PNC, even after he had experienced the hostile and demoralising racial and political polarisation of the PPP, decades after the end of Burnham/PNC rule.

In politics and life talk is cheap, but actions speak louder than words. In my more than four decades of political activism, I have

been deemed a racist by both PNC and PPP supporters, in spite of these accusations, my record would show that I worked with, and also opposed both parties in a principled manner. As a young activist in ASCRIA, in the early 1970s I spoke at public meetings with the PPP at a time when few Africans had the courage to do so. Bisram, was this because I was at the time a recipient of gold and silver bars from the PPP? Bisram said that Hinds and I joined the PNC to remove Indians from power.

It is instructive to note that he did not say the PPP but “Indians”. Given Bisram’s logic when I worked with the PPP in and out of the PCD against PNC, that party is justified in its historic position that I and other Africans activists in the WPA, including Walter Rodney, teamed up with the PPP to remove Africans from power. If this is true, it is therefore only reasonable to assume that in all of the years of my activism I have practiced an enlightened form of racism, and Guyana will be a better country if the majority of its citizens were to emulate my politics.

Let me take this opportunity to assure Bisram and company that I will never be deterred by their ramblings.

Sincerely, Tacuma Ogunseye

Dear Editor, Recently, residents of the forgotten community in Providence have resorted to contracting a private individual to weed the road shoulders along the road leading into the community.

This is the road close to the Green Field Park entrance.

Editor, I say forgotten because since the last election, nothing has been done in the community with regards to maintenance, sanitation and least of all, drainage and irrigation.

This community was birthed out of the Housing Ministry’s ‘Turn Key’ initiative, under the previous administration. It was once brimming with potential.

What a sight it was to see all of the brightly coloured homes lining the streets, which, because it was a new community, was finished with crusher run. Three years on and the streets are almost impassable. Nothing has been done since that time, even though the community has about 97 per cent occupancy. We were told that the roads would be completed when the community became populated.

Again, this was under the previous administration and we have all been forgotten.

With regards to the overgrowth of vegetation, the

road leading into the community, which I mentioned earlier, is unsafe due to the thick vegetation on the sides.

Cars passing on this stretch, made for two lanes, would have to take turns to pass each other, and the cattle walking on the already narrow roadway does not make it any safer. Concerned residents contacted the NDC who explained that the scheme was not yet handed over. When contacted, the Communities Ministry said that the NDC has responsibility for the area.

The residents are now being given the royal push around. But, since the area is still our home, as citizens, we took it upon ourselves to repair the roads (using builder’s waste) and most recently, some have taken on the responsibility to clear the road shoulders.

Even though it is commendable that the community is banding together, it is absolutely shameful that the Regional Authorities and the Ministry officials have totally forgotten this community. A community of young, tax-paying professionals. I gather that the future of community development is through self-help.

Sincerely, Annmarie Singh

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wednesday, January 18, 2017

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guyanatimesgy.com

Foundation

The brain-based formula for teaching your child to READ and write – baby to age 7

W

ant to know how to teach reading to your baby or toddler?

The secret is revealed in the acronym READ-RepetitionEnthusiasm-AttentionDrawing. It works for any parent, grandparent, or preschool caregiver. And it's supported by history, science, and literature.

Let's start with the formula: READ-RepetitionEnthusiasm-AttentionDrawing. Here's what you do: Repetition Joyfully repeat the reading of favourite books with your child in your lap. Begin in babyhood and do this on a regular basis – preferably every night. Long after you are exhausted rereading favourite books, your baby or toddler will thrill in reading them over and over. Hang in there. Her brain LOVES repetition, and she loves the bonding that's happening in this read aloud session. She loves your voice, and she's taking in data and learning how to speak your language. She loves your touch, your attention, your smell and research shows that you love her more by doing this!

(Researchers discovered the phenomenon through "bonding studies".) Amazingly, the familiarity of a favourite book and the repeated firing of neural circuits along with establishment of new synapses and new concepts as she responds to familiar text are growing her mind as a reader. She will start mimicking you from babyhood, and uniquely human mirror neuron cells in her brain will likely take advantage of the fact that humans are hard-wired for imitation.

She will imitate you sticking out your tongue in the first

week of life, and soon imitate your speech, actions, intentions, and emotions surrounding book reading. She'll learn how to pick up a book, how to hold it, where to start, how to turn the pages, and she'll be entertained by it. She'll soon have her favourite book – and you will get sick of reading it!

But stick with the repetition.

Repetition strengthens the neural pathways for particular sounds, words, and

phrases. Repetition works!

Enthusiasm Forget about the so-called "reading wars" that lasted a century over whether "phonics" (matching letters to sounds) or "whole words and meaning" (sometimes referred to as "whole language") come first for beginning reading.

Feelings come first! You've got to work hard to ensure that early literacy activity is joyful and fun. And why wouldn't it be if you choose to share glorious easy books, poems, and nursery rhymes from the start. Who wouldn't be enthusiastic and have fun reading Good Night Moon to a threemonth-old baby. And remarkably, the baby will love it too!

She's not quite understanding it yet but you are making her

feel good by holding her and she recognises the love in your voice, your smell, and your gentle touch, the special attention you are giving her, and if you are enthusiastic about doing this reading stuff-she is going to be enthusiastic about doing it too!

Attention When you read or write with your baby or toddler, you are constantly making decisions about how to

direct his attention. After all, the terrible twos is all about the fact that your baby has more brain cells than you do and is so smart that he's getting too much stimulation and perhaps has some difficulty processing and managing all that incoming information and finding it hard to focus. When reading aloud, parents constantly switch off between attention to sounds, attention to meaning, attention to the rhythm or musicality of language, attention to expression, attention to feelings, attention to letter naming, and attention to letter formation to name just a few. It's easier than you think.

Just ask yourself, "What is he thinking?" "Did I choose a book that's right for him? One that is simple, clear, and happy?" "How can I respond in a way that is warm, nurturing, stimulating and support-

ive?" Don't worry about when to start phonics lessons. When he's a three-year-old writer and needs to know phonics he will ask you about letters and sounds!

Drawing (and pretend writing) Early readers are most often pencil and paper kids who scribble, draw, and learn to write-before they learn to read! Babies and toddlers communicate with paper and pen by constructing narratives from memory representing them both symbolically and two dimensionally – and they talk about their drawing and writing. They experience joy and satisfy an urge to make meaning. (Remember, feelings come first. This drawing and pretend writing is an expression of thoughts and feelings!)

Everyone knows that you are supposed to read aloud to your kid – the surprise is that many kids who read before kindergarten learn to read by writing!

So what's the history and science that supports READ? • History: You probably already know about the success of Montessori schools for teaching beginning literacy.

Over one hundred years ago Maria Montessori put it this way: "Contrary to the usual accepted idea, writing precedes reading." She pointed out that very young children can easily put the skills of reading together after "an explosion of writing".

• Science: In the classic study of children who read early, researcher Delores Durkin reported that virtually all of the 206 early readers that she studied learnt to print before they learnt to read and that their parents answered lots of questions about sounds and spelling during their "interest binges" in early writing. (psychologytoday.com)

Drinking and driving:

a social illness

D

rinking and driving is a social illness that plagues societies across the globe: from the welldeveloped to the Third World.

In Guyana, it is wellknown that accidents on the roadways account for a large percentage of deaths in the country.

Recently, there have been measures such as a curfew put in place Ashley Anthony to curb the number of drunk drivers who will be on the roads. However, I think that even though we can put measures in place to deal with consequences of alcohol abuse, we should put measures in place to prevent alcoholism to begin with.

In our country, alcohol use and, in many cases, abuse, is something of a culture. Our idea of a good time is often centred on the consumption of alcoholic beverages. Our regional and local music that we're expected to support encourages it. It's not to say that drinking alcohol is inherently bad, but our culture promotes excess: Drink until you lose consciousness; drink one more; how can you have fun if you don't drink? It normalises the overuse of alcohol.

Of course, this is not unique to just Guyanese or Caribbean culture, but particularly in Guyana I believe it has far-reaching consequences. Guyana has one of the highest suicide rates in the world. This speaks volumes of mental health care. Persons with mental illnesses often times feel stigmatised, and are afraid to speak about their problems. This is because many Guyanese believe that mental illnesses aren't real sicknesses. They think that they're made up, are an overreaction, or just cries for attention. When there isn't anyone one feels comfortable talking to, and you've grown up with alcohol being used casually, it becomes easy to turn to the bottle. If this happens, and one becomes dependent upon alcohol to solve one's problems, alcoholism is quick to follow.

While that may just be one reason why people drink excessively, it is of course not the only one. There are many cultural and social influences that engender the "alcohol culture". However, one thing that shouldn’t happen under any circumstances is drunk driving.

This endangers not only oneself, but innocent people around you.

What can we do? I think the first step has to happen in our homes. We need to encourage everything within limits. We have to show the younger generation the meaning of the phrase "drink responsibly", rather than just stating it and never giving them real-life examples.

It is not an easy task to accomplish, but it starts with the individual. If you notice someone drinking excessively, step in. It takes an active rather than passive effort.

We cannot see something going wrong and say that it's someone else's problem. That same drunk driver could end up killing a dear friend or relative of yours. We also have to encourage our friends to take it easy. Often, we tend to encourage our friends to do just the opposite in the interest of "fun". However, if you care about that person, you should care about their safety.

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WednesDAY, January 18, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Repossession threats will further delay private developers – Ali

G

overnment’s daring threats to repossess lands given to private developers will result in further delays in the development of the respective housing projects, former Housing Minister Irfaan Ali has warned.

Ali, during a phone interview with Guyana Times on Tuesday, lambasted the present Administration for sending negative signals to the Private Sector and banking sector, with its recent threats to repossess lands on the East Bank of Demerara (EBD) given out by the previous Administration to developers.

According to the politician, these threats will drive fear and will result in the loss of confidence by investors and the banking sector, who will withhold from further investing in order to safeguard their financial positions.

“Continuous threats and a high-handed approach to the issue, inclusive of repossession, will only lead to further delays, erosion of confidence and lack of motivation. It would also affect the banking institutions as they become more sceptical in financing these private developers, based on the constant threats by the Government,” Ali told this newspaper.

He argued that Government’s contentions of little progress being made by the private developers was nothing more than misleading rhetoric, as there were at least two major projects which have made significant strides under the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Administration.

“When we were in Government, we had tremendous progress by the private developers – look at Windsor Estates and Republic Gardens,” he highlighted.

Former Housing Minister Irfaan Ali

Mixed signals

In contrast, Ali opined that the progress began to decline upon the assumption of the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) coalition Administration to power, as there were many uncertainties in the business environment.

Flash-forward several months and Ali said that decline has further increased as Government continues to send mixed signals and issue threats, which cause investors to hold back on spending.

Wakeup call

Ali further contended that these repossession threats would have an overall adverse effect on the economy and the livelihood of many Guyanese as they would result in the poor performance of the construction sector.

“The 2016 review of the economy should have been a wakeup call for the Government, since construction fell drastically and construction as a singular activity has the most trickle-down benefits to an economy,” he explained.

He pointed out that the housing initiative during his tenure sought to incorporate a range of options for home solutions to different segments of the population, including partnerships

with hinterland communities, and Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs).

Ali explained that the aim of the PPP/C was to accelerate investment in the housing sector, and to add private capital to the development, among other benefits.

He also noted that the private developers, over the years ,would have invested heavily in relation to housing development, infrastructure development and plant and machinery, and, therefore, it would be detrimental if these investments would just have been in vain.

In this regard, Ali urged that the coalition Administration work together with the private developers as their initiative would complement the traditional housing programme.

“For example, a gated community in Eccles automatically carries up the value of other homes in the Eccles housing schemes,” he highlighted.

Impacts of repossession

However, he warned of the negative impacts if Government moved ahead to repossess the lands for the purpose of pursuing its housing project of developing duplexes and townhouses.

For the sake of the coun-

try and the housing programme which has made significant strides over the years, Ali urged that Government focus more on the PPPs and in winning the confidence of the private developers, and to work with them in expanding the housing sector.

“The Government must see the private developers as partners and you cannot issue threats continuously to your partners; you have to work with your partners to achieve a common goal,” he underscored.

Communities Minister Ronald Bulkan told a recent news conference that advice has been sought from the Attorney General’s Chambers regarding grounds for repossessing those lands.

Some of the private developers include businessman Brian Tiwarie, Chinese logging company BaiShanLin, Windsor Estates and Dax Contracting Services.

Bandits strike again...

FROM PAGE 2

Meanwhile, at Kildonan Village, about ten miles away, three men clad with black clothing, two of whom were masked, entered the home of Nirmala Devi Persaud, 50, a vendor who operates a vegetable stall from her Lot 17 Kildonan Village home.

According to Devi, the unmasked man carried a hand gun, while another carried duct tape.

"Them duct tape me hand from outside and drag me and carry me upstairs and them tumble all them room and suh. Then them duct tape me mouth, me head, me foot and ask for money and gold, me na get wah me been go give them," the traumatised woman related.

She explained that the bandits were able to take her jewellery away from her. "The one with the gun take off the lil bob earring me had on me ears. Me had one purse here with couple twenty dollar, me think $80, them pick it up."

The men left when a customer approached and began calling for Devi; they escaped with one gold earring, one cellular phone and $5080 in cash.

Divisional Commander, Assistant Commissioner Ian Amsterdam, when contacted, stated that the Police are currently investigating both reports of robbery. While no arrests have been made, the Police were on the hunt for a known man.

8 news

WednesDAY, January 18, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

IN THE COURTS

NYC-based Guyanese jailed for narco trafficking T

he overseas-based Guyanese who was on Saturday intercepted at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) with a large quantity of cocaine in his luggage was brought before the Chief Magistrate, Ann McLennan on Tuesday.

Haslin O’Neil Thom, 46, originally of West Ruimveldt, Georgetown and currently of Brooklyn, New York, pleaded guilty to the narcotics trafficking charge brought against him and was sentenced to spend the next three years of his life in jail.

On January 14, 2017, at the CJIA, Thom was found to be in possession of 1.5

kilogram of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking.

The court heard that the defendant was intercepted after the Airport’s scanner revealed suspicious objects in his luggage. The suitcase was pulled and a search was carried out.

During a closer inspection of the objects, authorities discovered the illegal substance.

Thom was then taken to the Customs AntiNarcotics Unit (CANU) headquarters where he admitted to having the illegal substance, which had been weighed in his presence.

The defendant, however, told the court that he was ill and in need of an

Jailed: Haslin O’Neil Thom

expensive surgery, and that motivated him to traffic the drugs.

He also told the court that he bought the drugs from a known individual for US$4000.

“I am sorry for my actions; I am very ill and need to have a surgery done on my stomach, I am begging for leniency,” Thom pleaded.

After the defendant’s appeal, Chief Magistrate McLennan sentenced and fined the man $4.1 million, which is the street value of the drugs.

On the day of his arrest, Thom was heading back to Brooklyn, after he spent the holidays in Guyana.

Knock got knock back…

I

…in the US transition

t’s clear the American establishment just doesn’t know what to do with Trump. How’d you deal with a man who’s about to step into the most powerful office in the world - bar NONE - who takes time to tweet a vicious riposte to the actress Meryl Streep who’d rapped him on the knuckles at the Golden Globes Awards for belittling a disabled journalist. He called the THREE-TIME Academy Award winner “overrated”!!

But as your Eyewitness has pointed out before, in his refusal to play the diplomatic game with his instinctive lashing out at critics, Trump’s uncovering a lot of skeletons that had long been buried. Like his calling out the US intelligence agencies, not only on their reports of alleged Russian “hacking” and the usually sacrosanct Middle East orthodoxy, but also on the release of a dossier that claimed he had been compromised by the Russians.

Said Trump to a press Conference, in which he refused to take questions from CNN, “I think it was disgraceful, disgraceful that the intelligence agencies allowed any information that turned out to be so false and fake out. I think it’s a disgrace, and I say that… that’s something that Nazi Germany would have done and did do.” Now these are fighting words from the President-to-be who’ll be briefed every morning by these agencies.

This ability to shape the President’s take on world affairs has up to now given the intelligence agencies tremendous power in shaping his views. There are sixteen of these agencies with a total budget of US$53 BILLION!!

The CIA alone uses more than one-quarter of that. Trump and his transition team have not backed away from the confrontation with the CIA− even though in the last case its head has vehemently denied Trump’s allegations.

Release of declassified documents revealed that Presidents all the way from Truman after WWII had problems with agencies such as the FBI, under Hoover.

But all swept their differences under the rug − some say because the agencies had the “goods” on them. Nixon had severe reservations about the CIA, accusing them of being an insular, elitist, East Coast secret society who thought they knew what was “good’ for America more than the President and the elected Government.

Trump’s team has hinted they might reduce the agencies’ briefing to a once-a-week event − something that will immediately cut their influence very dramatically.

All the leaders who in the past have suffered from their briefings in the past − such as their assessment of Cheddi Jagan as a “fellow traveller” of Moscow during the Cold War, must be smiling.

Revenge, they say, is best served cold!

…on Government corruption

The PNC-led coalition Government sneaked into Office largely because they’d gotten all hot and sweaty about nailing the PPP’s hide to the wall on corruption. After 23 years in Office, most folks figured enough incumbents would’ve been softened up to “inducements” and succumbed. Hadn’t Jesus warned in his last speech at Gethsemane, “The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak”? And last week, Government Minister Cathy Hughes, insisted “The APNU/AFC Government is committed to reducing corruption.”

But all that elicited was a collective shrug, and a rolling of eyes from the bemused populace that had become jaded to the point of bitter cynicism in just a year and a half. How extensive has been the corruption? Let your Eyewitness count the ways! Contracts for the boys? Nepotistic hiring?

Bypassing the tender board? Jobs for the boys? Padded rentals? Licences for chicken!!? Billion-dollar stadiums?

Folks figure no government can practice corruption so quickly and so completely without years of planning and plotting!

If only they’d spared some time for “good governance”!!

…in insults

Asked to house Burnham’s papers next to Jagan’s in Red House, the latter’s faithful responded this “epiphany of surrealism” (imagine that!) would “contaminate” the doctor’s memory!!

Do fuh do, na obeah?

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

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WednesDAY, January 18, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Opposition to table motion in Parliament to reverse MMA/ADA rate increases I

n the wake of the Government’s hike in lease fees and other charges for land in the Mahaica/Mahaicony/AbaryAgriculture Development Authority (MMA/ADA), Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo confirmed to this publication that his party will be moving to lay a motion in Parliament to review the increases.

Rice farmers in the project area are now being commanded to pay $15,000 per acre, a major increase from $3500 just last year for land rent and drainage and irrigation charges. Cattle and other crop farmers are now forced to pay $3900, a more than 100 per cent increase from the previous fee.

The Guyana Rice Producers Association (RPA) and the Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice) Administration have indicated their solidarity with the farmers and condemned the more than 600 per cent increase. Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo, during his recent press conference, also condemned the increases imposed on the farming population. He pointed out that farming is the main economic activity in the Region and was at a loss to understand why Government would want to put additional burdens on a segment of the population that has no alternative for earning a livelihood other than depending on agriculture.

Rice land in Guyana

On Tuesday, farmers protested outside the MMA/ ADA office in Region Five.

The more than 100 protesters held placards expressing their disapproval over the

unilateral way the decision was made.

The representative body highlighted the fact that there were no consultations with the farmers prior to im-

Secret deal...

FROM PAGE 3

Meeting

The present Administration has been very critical of the Skeldon Estate and has conveyed impressions of wanting to privatise the factory and its corresponding operations.

Agriculture Minister Noel Holder had told media operatives that Government received a number of Expressions of Interest from parties desirous of purchasing the Skeldon Estate, as well as the overall Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo).

Late last year, Holder met with a delegation from DRCL to discuss its proposal.

During this meeting, the Agriculture Minister maintained that Government was open to investing through land leasing agreements.

At that meeting, DRCL was represented by its Director, Avinash Rampersad. The company’s local representative, Shewjattan was also present.

Government is pushing towards this project in an effort to promote its green economy initiative, while at

the same time dismissing the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project (AFHP)) – which a Norwegian firm recently deemed as the only realistic path for the country to move towards an emissions-free electricity sector. Norway has already allocated US$80 million towards the realisation of AFHP. Instead, Government wants to pursue wind energy even though the Norway Report considered hydropower the best option for Guyana.

In fact, the report proves that wind energy – at least

in the capacity in which Government is currently pursuing – will not support Guyana’s commitment to reach 100 per cent renewable energy by 2025.

Lloyd Singh, a known Alliance For Change (AFC) financier who constructed the AFC headquarters, is currently negotiating with AFC General Secretary and Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson for a Power Purchase Agreement that was never tendered for, for the development of a wind farm at Hope Beach.

posing the new fee “draconian” structure.

The MMA/ADA later reneged on a promise to meet with the RPA on the increases, prompting more outrage.

“The RPA is calling on all farmers to resist this draconian increase and show solidarity with all as we join in the call for the reversal of this decision which was taken without any consultation with farmers, their association or any other stakeholders,” the RPA urged.

The MMA/ADA and farmers have been at loggerheads since 2015 when Government moved to cancel the leases for several farmers. This resulted in a group of West Coast Berbice rice farmers filing a lawsuit against Government. After months of hearings, former Chief Justice Ian Chang in February 2016 quashed the cancellation of the leases in favour of the farmers

10

guyanatimesgy.com

wednesday, January 18, 2017

News

Bartica Massacre Trial

Prosecution closes case

A

fter nearly three months of lengthy testimonies and at times gruelling cross-examinations by the defence counsel, the State has rested its case against Mark Royden Williams, Dennis “Anaconda” Williams and Roger Simon, who are standing trial for the February 17, 2008 Bartica attack where twelve persons lost their lives.

This disclosure was made

by Lead Prosecutor Diana Kaulesar, who on Tuesday announced that the State does not intend to call any other witnesses. Her comments followed the brief appearance of Police Inspector Eon Johnson, a ballistics expert, who discontinued his testimony after a series of objections and applications from the Prosecution and Dennis Williams’ Defence Counsel,

Mark Williams, Dennis “Anaconda” Williams and Roger Simon are the three accused standing trial for the Bartica Massacre

Shaphier Husain.

Citing the law, Justice Roxanne George, SC ruled that while Inspector Johnson’s evidence could not be tendered, he however could testify to his expert analysis of what was found at the site.

Bartica businessman Chunilall Babulall, called

“Vulture”, took the stand during the afternoon session, and testified that on February 13, 2008, he had left Bartica for Georgetown only to return on February 18 to discover the doors to the entrances and rooms of his home, and ‘CB&R’ office to his mining company on the lower flat

were vandalised, while several items were missing.

He pointed out that his home and office are located in the same building at First Avenue, just seven corners from the Police Station, which was also attacked.

Babulall told the court that his bedroom was ransacked and a safe was missing, which the witness explained contained his transport, jewellery, approximately 25 ounces of gold and cash. The 12-member jury heard that the jewellery set was made out of platinum and blue diamonds.

Babulall further noted that an office safe was also stolen.

Previously, two witnesses, Clebert Reece and Dwane Williams who are self-confessed gang members, had testified that safes were opened which had contained several articles. On January 6, Reece had stated that after he set the boat adrift at a camp, two safes were opened, in which one contained raw gold, diamonds, a necklace and a gemstone, while the other had $1 million inside with a set of keys and a ziploc bag with two diamonds.

Babulall also recalled that he had last seen watchman Irving Ferreira at his company on February 12, 2008.

Ferreira was one of the victims slaughtered in the attack. The State presented Babulall’s cancelled passport and National Insurance Card to be identified in court amidst objection by the Defence on the grounds that the items had no relevance to the trial.

Meanwhile, the cross-examination of Police Detective, Inspector Suraj Singh concluded during the morning session. Roger Simon’s attorney, Peter Hugh grilled Singh over the Police procedures in identifying similar subjects in the identification (ID) parade, but the Police witness responded that he never interviewed Simon or any of the other persons in the line-up.

Under questioning by Dennis Williams’ attorney, Shaphier Husain, Singh noted that he was “nowhere

Mash fuh so

S

atiricus was grinning from ear to ear. Since it had been raining steadily every day for the last week, and the fellas knew he hated rainy weather, his imitation of the proverbial Cheshire Cat – or the Joker, if you will! – did raise some eyebrows among the faithful patrons of the Back Street Bar. Not that they minded, since a happy Satiricus meant more free beers.

“Suh wha’ mek yuh a skin yuh teet’ all de time?” asked Bungi who couldn’t keep his curiosity under wraps any longer.

“Maybe he win the Lotto,” grinned Hari as he ordered another beer. “That’s the only thing that could perk him up so much!”

“Or if ‘e wife gat hassa curry waitin’ fuh am, w’en ‘e guh home!” Bungi chortled. Satiricus’ love of hassar was legendary.

“Better than that, fellas!” Satiricus said brightly. “We already start getting’ ready for Mash 2017!!”

“Who is ‘we’?” Hari wanted to know. “I barely survived Christmas and New Year!” “‘We’ is we Minister of Culture, my friend,” said Satiricus.

“Didn’t you read the announcement? She said we will be assembling at Stabroek Square, revelling along Brickdam and culminating at the D’Urban Park!”

“Yuh guvment close dong de suga fact’ry,” Bungi pointed out with some heat. “Me nah gat jaab, suh how me guh celebrate afta wan hard day wuk?”

“Bungi is making a good point for a lot of other workers, Sato,” said Hari soberly. “And so the vendors who move back to Stabroek Market Square have to move again?”

“C’mon fellas,” pleaded Satiricus. “It’s a good sport for us to enjoy. Think of the fireworks at Jubilee Durban Park!”

“Budday! Yuh know wha’ wood ants do to dem woodstand in dis rain?” Bungi wanted to know. “Yuh guh tek yuh life in yuh han’!

“Well, my leader Nagga Man tell me they will find seats for the PPCee people this time!” smiled Satiricus. He ordered another round of beer. around” when Williams was making his statement and rejected the suggestion that the accused was forced to sign the statement.

Aside from the three accused, two others, Clebert Reece and Michael Caesar, had both pled guilty to manslaughter late last year, and were sentenced to 420 and 1080 years imprisonment respectively.

Additionally Reece and fellow gang member Dwane Williams identified the two others as being part of the gang that carried out massacres at Lusignan, Bartica and Lindo Creek. The two main witnesses, how-

ever, claimed the other accused, Roger Simon was not a part of the gang that executed the attack. It was while residents were watching a game of 20/20 cricket on that fateful night that gunmen stormed the Essequibo community and slaughtered three Policemen and nine civilians.

The victims included Police Lance Corporal Zaheer Zakir, Constables Shane Fredericks and Ron Osborne; and civilians Edwin Gilkes, Dexter Adrian, Irving Ferreira, Deonarine Singh, Ronald Gomes, Ashraf Khan, Abdool Yasseen, Errol Thomas and Baldeo Singh.

Wednesday, January 18, 2017

guyanatimesgy.com

11

News

MMA/ADA refuses to meet with RPA …Region 5 Admin supports farmers’ rejection of land rate increases T

he Mahaica/Mahaicony/ Abary Agriculture Development Authority (MMA/ADA) Board has refused to honour an agreement to meet with representatives from the Rice Producers Association (RPA) to discuss Government’s decision to increase rates for land users.

The RPA had been promised that the MMA/ADA Board will meet with them on Tuesday to discuss plans by the Agriculture Ministry to increase the cost of land rentals in the Region Five (Mahaica/ Berbice) agricultural scheme.

The team, headed by General Secretary of the RPA, Dharamkumar Seeraj went to the MMA office situated at Onverwagt on the West Coast of Berbice for the proposed meeting. However, shortly after, the team was seen leaving the building.

Seeraj told this publication that the board did not honour a commitment made by General Manager of the MMA/ADA, Aubrey Charles to the RPA. The Agriculture Ministry is seeking to increase land rent from $3500 to $15,000 per acre, which will represent a 600 per cent increase and land rates from $1000 to $7000.

Seeraj, before the proposed meeting, addressed scores of cash crop, rice and cattle farmers on the issue of the propose increases.

He said these increases, if allowed to be implemented, will bring a great burden to the farmers in the rice industry; one which they will not be able to cope with.

He said no one in the agricultural sector supports the

RPA General Secretary Dharamkumar protesters

proposal.

“It is the high-handiness of the Minister of Agriculture to come to Region Five and impose that increase of $15000.

How are we going to survive?

How are we going to contribute to development? How are we going to contribute to the economy? How are we going to contribute to exports? How are we going to contribute to foreign exchange earning, if we are unable to cultivate to plant our lands? The Minister simply doesn’t understand this,” Seeraj said.

Seeraj pointed out that if Government wants to go ahead with the proposed increases, then it should ensure that they get to $3200 per bag of paddy, which was promised to the farmers by the Coalition.

Meanwhile, a letter is to be penned by the RPA to the MMA Board seeking a meeting with them.

Support

The Region Five Administration, on Tuesday, also signalled its support of rice and cash crop farmers on their opposition towards a decision

by Agriculture Minister Noel

Seeraj addressing the

Holder to implement increases in the rates MMA will charge them as land users.

This was after rice farmers protested outside of the MMA office in Region Five over the decision to increase rates. The more than 100 protesters held placards expressing their disapproval over the unilateral way the decision was made.

The farmers’ actions were aimed at the Minister and the MMA Board of Directors who were having a meeting at the time.

Regional Vice Chairman, Rion Peters, addressing the farmers, assured them that the administration supports their call for the Government to rethink its proposal of increasing land rates by 600 percent.

Regional Chairman Vickchand Ramphal said Agriculture Minister Noel Holder erred by not consulting with stakeholders before making a decision.

“At the RDC we are in solidarity with the farmers of this Region, this proposed increased implemented will only create hardship among our people.

This process should be done with consultation with our peo-

ple. We should meet with them first and listen to what they have to say and then decide on whether we should increase or not. I am of the view and I am with the farmers that there should not be any increase in land rentals or D&I charges,” the regional Chairman told the protesters.

President of the Rice Producers Association (RPA) Leikha Rambrich, stressed that if Government is allowed to ahead with the proposal, which will affect rice farmers in Region Five, then Government

will move to implement such measures in other rice producing regions.

“This is a testing ground, once they test the soil here and realise that the $15000 will work for some farmers in Region Five, especially the MMA area it means that it will be spread right across the country and the RPA will not stand and allow this to continue. We are with you, we want yours as well,” he said.

Meanwhile, rice farmers say they cannot afford to pay $15,000 per acre of rice land

which they cultivate. The farmers had been paying $3,500 per acre. The fee is implemented so that the MMA can take care of drainage and irrigation. Cattle and other crop farmers are not spared, as pasture users are being proposed to go from $200 to $1400 The RPA is calling on all farmers to resist this draconian increase and show solidarity in the call for the reversal of this decision which was taken without any consultation with farmers, their association or any other stakeholders.

12 news

WednesDAY, january 18, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Curtains down on USAID’s YCP programme

T

he United States Agency for International Development (USAID) funded Youth and Citizens Participation (YCP) programme has finally wrapped-up after one-year of efforts to strengthen and develop the capacity of civil society in Guyana, with emphasis on having increased civic participation among women and youths.

The programme was implemented by Counterpart International, and was launched on January 6, 2016 with a scheduled conclusion date on January 31, 2017. Counterpart’s mission was to partner with local organisations – formal and informal – to build inclusive, sustainable communities, in

Project Coordinator, Norwell Hinds, presented an overview of the programme, during which he posited that that the YCP provided a unique opportunity to present to the country and its communities, a model of social and political partnership for community building.

“The two objectives of the YCP were part of a single theory of change; first, get people involved and excited about voting, about their role in their democracy and secondly, bringing those people together with their elected leaders to all work together on a shared vision of democratic change in their communities,” he stated.

Hinds went on to state

US Ambassador Perry Holloway addressing the gathering at the closing ceremony for the YCP Programme

which their people thrive.

The YCP Programme had two components, Phase One – which promoted voter education efforts for the March 18, 2016 Local Government Elections (LGE), under which the ‘Vote like a Boss’ and ‘You’re Still a Boss’ initiatives were born. Meanwhile Phase Two of the programme, focused primarily on leading the social cohesion process with the involvement of political parties, elected leaders and constituents. The latter component saw the parties involved undergoing training and the implementation of cohesion building activities, as well as projects in 10 communities throughout the country.

that in order to ensure that partnering organisations have the capacity to further the cohesion work done under the YCP, several micro-grants were distributed.

“The micro-grants became a symbolic demonstration of that theory of change where the communities, through dialogue, passes identified issues that they want to solve, local councillors receive training and then both work together to finalise a proposal and receive a grant of up to $200,000 (US$1000) to implement that micro-grant in their communities,” the Project Coordinator outlined.

TURN TO PAGE 16

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WednesDAY, janUARy 18, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Ramjattan displaying double standards ...opens party to criticism over constitutional breach−Dr Hinds

A

lliance For Change (AFC) Leader Khemraj Ramjattan has decided to accept a third term at the helm of his party, if so nominated by delegates at his party’s upcoming convention.

This move, however, will inevitably lead to criticism of the AFC’s previous stance on issues like a possible third term for former President Bharrat Jagdeo.

This is the view of political activist Dr David Hinds, who noted the contradiction in the two stances. Ramjattan has

Contender for the top spot: AFC General Secretary David Patterson

been leader of the AFC since 2012. According to Article 19 (1) of the AFC’s constitution, no leader would be allowed to serve more than two consecutive terms in the same office, in the interest of “a broader activism in leadership positions by the membership”.

“The one big problem for the AFC leaders is that they

lenged in February by the Government, through its Solicitor General.

The AFC has been staunchly against a third term for Jagdeo and had made its sentiments known, even while the former Head of State was in his final term as President.

When questioned on Monday about the Article 19 (1) provision, Ramjattan, who is the Public Security Minister, had stated that the

F

ifty hours community service was the sentence handed down to a South Amelia’s Ward, Linden resident on Tuesday, who pleaded guilty to having cannabis

offence and escorted to the Amelia’s Ward Police Outpost where the suspected cannabis was weighed in his presence and amounted to three grams. The de-

in his possession.

The defendant, James London, was caught by Police ranks with three grams of cannabis sativa on January 5, 2017 at South Amelia’s Ward.

The Prosecution’s facts on the matter, presented at the Linden Magistrates’ Court, indicated that on the said date, at approximately 21:45h, Police on mobile patrol saw the defendant in the area approaching from the opposite direction.

Upon observing the ranks, he began acting in a suspicious manner, which led to ranks to conduct a search on his person, which revealed a quantity of leaves, seeds and stems, suspected to be cannabis, hidden in his right-side back pocket.

He was then told of the

fendant told ranks, “I just buy it from a man down the road.”

The man was arrested and subsequently released on bail, on his own recognizance, to attend court. However, the defendant failed to attend court and an arrest warrant was issued by presiding Magistrate Clive Nurse.

Following the presentation of the facts on Tuesday, the defendant agreed with all that was stated, while he explained to the court that he has never been charged with any similar offences.

The hours of community service are expected to be carried out from January 18 to 31. Failure by the defendant to attend will result in a default sentence of three months’ imprisonment at the Camp Street jail.

AFC Leader Khemraj Ramjattan

Political activist, Dr David Hinds

would be open to criticism that they opposed a third term for Jagdeo, while they went against their own constitution in wanting third terms for themselves. There is some inconsistency there,” Dr Hinds stated.

He notes that there is the letter of the constitution and then there is the spirit of the constitution and sometimes the two are at odds. Dr Hinds observed that in the case of the AFC constitution, the spirit seems to be against more than two terms, while the letter is vague.

The academic said that if the AFC membership did indeed want its leaders to run again, it would be advisable to amend their constitution beforehand.

In 2015, it was ruled by former acting Chief Justice Ian Chang that former President Jagdeo could run for a third term. This ruling is expected to be chal-

Amelia's Ward man on 50 hours’ community service for possession

Contender for the top spot: Public Telecommunications Minister Cathy Hughes

provision was not exclusionary.

Since Ramjattan was elected as AFC Leader in 2012, his stint has lasted for four years, or the equivalent of two terms. According to Article 7 of the party’s constitution, “A national convention shall be held every two years at a place and time decided by the National Executive Committee.”

It is here that elections for the positions of the party Leader, Chairman, Vice Chairman, General Secretary and 12 National Executive Members will be held.

Although Ramjattan will be looking to be re-elected to serve in the leadership capacity, he is expected to face stiff competition for the post at the upcoming elections, which will be held at the party’s National Executive Conference (NEC) later this month.

In addition to Ramjattan, Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson and Public Telecommunications Minister Cathy Hughes are seen as contenders for the post.

The AFC’s NEC will be hosted on January 28 at the Vreed-en-Hoop Secondary School in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) – the party’s first NEC outside of Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica).

14

guyanatimesgy.com

wednesday, January 18, 2017

Regional

Brazil: Prisoners clash with Police Uber’s in Trinidad,

but Govt questioning legality

B

razilian Police used rubber bullets and tear gas on Tuesday to break up a renewed clash between drug gangs in a prison where 26 inmates were butchered by rivals in recent days.

Major Eduardo Franco, spokesman for Police in the state of Rio Grande do Norte where the Alcaçuz prison is located, said authorities managed to keep the rival gangs apart and so far prevent another massacre.

Brazil has been hit by a wave of deadly gang clashes in prisons in the north and northeast regions of the country since January 1. At least 140 inmates have been killed in the intense violence.

President Michel Temer's office said the federal government decided on Tuesday to allow Army troops to reinforce security at state prisons if governors made requests. As of late Tuesday afternoon, no governors had requested such help.

The soldiers would be

O

Inmates from different gangs (top and bottom) protect themselves during an uprising at Alcacuz prison in Natal, Rio Grande do Norte state, Brazil, January 17, 2017

limited to inspecting the prisons and confiscating weapons, drugs and other contraband, along with searching visitors entering the facilities. They would avoid any sort of longer-term occupation of penitentiaries.

Security officials said members of Brazil's most powerful drug gang, the

First Capital Command (PCC), who last Saturday started a riot in Alcaçuz and murdered 26 members of a rival gang, many of whom they beheaded, tried to invade their enemies' prison wing again early Tuesday afternoon.

Images broadcast live on Globo TV showed pris-

oners from both the PCC and the local gang "Crime Union of RN" – RN being the Portuguese initials for Rio Grande do Norte state – atop the roofs of their respective wings, waving banners with gang insignia and wielding knives, clubs and other homemade weapons.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

Jamaican Pastor’s alleged sexual misconduct saga continues

T

here has been some serious fallout in and outside the Moravian Church in Jamaica which has been shaken by allegations of sexual misconduct within its ranks.

Church president Dr Paul Gardner and his deputy, Jermaine Gibson have resigned from the church’s highest body – the Provincial Elders Conference – which has embarked on a mission

to get to the bottom of the embarrassing scandal.

According to the Jamaica Observer newspaper, the executive is mounting a probe into the damning allegations after receiving a letter containing charges of sexual abuse.

The church’s troubles erupted after 67-year-old Pastor Rupert Clarke was charged with carnal abuse and rape of a 15-year-old

girl on January 3.

Clarke was granted bail when he appeared in court.

However, this week, the Centre for the Investigation of Sexual Offences and Child Abuse (CISOCA) disclosed that the disgraced religious leader will be slapped with a second charge of carnal abuse resulting from an alleged sexual relationship with one of the minor’s sisters.

Almost daily, the situation has been worsening. The Jamaica Gleaner reported that more women are sharing stories of being abused while they were young members of the church.

Most telling is a graphic email sent to the church by an alleged victim who detailed a series of incidents.

V

enezuela has issued new larger denomination banknotes in response to the country's soaring rate of inflation.

The three notes, ranging from 500 to 20,000-bolivars, have entered circulation with the aim of making paying for essentials easier.

Inflation in Venezuela is

forecast to reach 1600 per cent this year.

Until now, the 100-bolivar note had been the country's largest, worth just three US cents on the black market.

The new bills are aimed at making transactions easier for Venezuelans, who have had to carry huge book-

size wads of cash to pay for basic items.

However the new 20,000-bolivar note is still worth less than US$6 (£5) on the black market, which Venezuelans frequently turn to if they are unable to purchase official-rate dollars.

On Monday, Venezuelans

But in a statement issued Monday, the Ministry of Works and Transport said it was looking into the legality of Uber’s operations.

Under the country’s Motor Vehicle and Road Traffic Act, private vehicles are not allowed to operate as taxis.

“A major concern of the Ministry of Works and Transport in the operation of Uber is whether private vehicles would be used for hire,” the Ministry’s statement said. “When you travel with an authorised taxi, you are ensuring the relevant checks and balances have taken place. Further, the use of a private vehicle for hire is contrary to its registration. The public is advised that no private vehicle should be used for hire.”

It also raised the issue of insurance, stressing that “using a vehicle contrary to its registration may have far-reaching implications for the driver and passengers”.

(Excerpt from Caribbean360)

Grenada’s PM “pained”

by Grenadians’ charge of humiliation at hands of Barbadian Police

(Excerpt from Caribbean360)

Venezuela’s new high value banknotes enter circulation

The International Monetary Fund has warned that inflation in Venezuela will reach 1600% this year

nline transportation network company Uber is now in Trinidad and Tobago.

But the Government of the twin-island republic is looking into whether it can legally operate there.

The Uber app was activated in Port of Spain and San Fernando Monday, three months after the company announced it was heading to Trinidad.

The app allows consumers to submit a request for a driver in the Uber network, via their smartphones. The nearest Uber driver is alerted and sent to the location and the information about the vehicle is sent to the customer. The service typically bills a customer’s credit card through the app, but last year Uber opened up a cash option, and both options are available in Trinidad.

The Dominican Republic is the only other Caribbean country among the 66 countries in which Uber operates.

began queuing at banks and ATMs for the new notes.

"I think it is more of the same," said one man in Caracas.

"Effectively what we are doing is putting more money on the street, attracting more inflation."

In December, President Nicolas Maduro said the Government was scrapping the 100-bolivar note in order to prevent smuggling.

He said the aim was to tackle gangs which hoard Venezuelan currency abroad, a move he has previously described as part of the "economic war" being waged against his Government.

Venezuelans were given only 72 hours to deposit or change the 100-bolivar notes, leading to long queues at banks.

The deadline was extended a number of times with the latest date for the withdrawal of the 100-bolivar note set for February 20.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

Tamika Gilbert recounted that lawmen took her and her sisters to a police station and it was there the nightmare unfolded

D

amning allegations that a Grenadian family visiting Barbados was manhandled and humiliated by Barbadian Police are hurting Prime Minister Dr Keith Mitchell.

A disappointed Mitchell is, however, in no mood for a row with his Caribbean neighbour, immediately quashing angry suggestions from his homeland that St George’s abandon its ties with Bridgetown.

He has instead opted to await the outcome of investigations into the matter, even as he told the Barbados Today online newspaper that the reports were upsetting and could be a serious indictment on Barbadian Police.

“It seems to me that there might have been an overreaction from a report, and if what I saw is true, the Police may have to examine their approach in a matter

of this nature because, as it turns out, there may not be any basis for it from all reports I have heard,” Prime Minister Mitchell said.

The Gilbert family told a horrifying story of being wrongfully accused of stealing a mobile phone belonging to a store owner, which led to three members of the group being strip searched and ridiculed by Barbadian Police.

Tamika Gilbert recounted that lawmen took her family to a police station, despite no evidence they had the missing cell phone, and it was there the nightmare unfolded.

“I went to the bathroom and she [female police officer] is at the stall with her back to the door and she said ‘take your hair down’, cause my hair is in braids and it was in a bun, then she says, ‘take off all your clothes stoop and cough’.” (Excerpt from

Caribbean360)

Wednesday, January 18, 2017

guyanatimesgy.com

15

Around the World

Britain to leave EU market as Russia says ready to May sets “hard Brexit” course talk to Trump about nuclear arms, Syria B ritain will quit the European Union single market when it leaves the EU, Prime Minister Theresa May said on Tuesday in a decisive speech that set a course for a clean break with the world’s largest trading bloc.

Setting out a vision that could determine Britain’s future for generations and the shape of the EU itself, May answered criticism that she has been coy about her strategy with a 12-point plan for what has been dubbed a “hard Brexit”.

May promised to seek the greatest possible access to European markets, but said Britain would aim to establish its own free trade deals with countries far beyond Europe, and impose limits on immigration from

Britain’s Prime Minister Theresa May answers questions after delivering a speech on leaving the European Union at Lancaster House in London, January 17, 2017

the continent.

For the first time, she acknowledged that those measures would require withdrawing from the market of

500 million people, founded on principles of free movement of goods and people.

“I want to be clear: what I am proposing cannot mean

membership of the single market,” said May, who became Prime Minister in the turmoil after Britain voted in June to leave the EU. “Instead, we seek the greatest possible access to it through a new comprehensive, bold and ambitious free trade agreement.”

The media had been briefed on some of the points in May’s speech since Sunday, and the expectation she would signal a hard Brexit had caused the pound to fall on currency markets from the start of this week.

Markets rallied during the speech itself, however, especially when she announced that Parliament would be given a vote on the final terms of Britain’s exit, seen as a steadying influence. (Excerpt from Reuters)

China’s Xi tells World Economic Forum there are no winners in trade wars

President Xi Jinping said globalisation was not behind all the world’s problems

C

hina’s President Xi Jinping has told the World Economic Forum that there are no winners when nations engage in a trade war.

President Xi also told delegates in Davos, Switzerland, that there was “no point” in blaming economic globalisation for the world’s problems.

He said financial crises were caused by the excessive pursuit of profits.

His comments are being read as a rebuke to US President-elect Donald Trump, who has promised a protectionist approach.

He has criticised China for its exchange rate policy, among other things.

Trump has previously threatened a 12 per cent import tax to make the Chinese “stop playing games” – and upped that proposal during his presidential campaign to as much as 45 per cent.

Xi is the first Chinese president to make a speech to the forum in the Swiss resort.

He pressed the case

for free trade and said the world must “remain committed to promoting free trade and investment through opening up”.

He added that “pursuing protectionism is like locking oneself in a dark room.

While wind and rain may be kept outside, so are light and air”.

Xi called for international cooperation to address issues like income disparity and inadequate global governance.

He also said that while some consider globalisation a sort of “Pandora’s box” full of all the world’s evils, it cannot be blamed for the plight of Syrian refugees or the 2008 financial crisis.

N

A fighter jet struck an IDPs camp in Rann, northeast Nigeria [MSF/Handout via Reuters]

(MSF) said the strike had killed at least 50 people and wounded 120.

MSF and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) were operating at the camp when

it was hit.

The ICRC said via Twitter that six of the dead and 12 of the wounded were working for the Nigeria Red Cross.

A senior military source

to sway the US election by hacking or other means.

It has also dismissed as a fabrication a dossier written by a former officer in Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service, MI6, which suggested Moscow had collected compromising information about Trump.

Lavrov dismissed the dossier’s author, Christopher Steele, as “a fugitive charlatan from MI6” and said the dossier looked like part of a campaign to cause problems for Trump and his allies. Putin on Tuesday called the same dossier a hoax.

While cautioning that the new US Administration would need to settle in before wider conclusions could be drawn, Lavrov signalled he was encouraged by the tenor of the Trump team’s statements so far which he said suggested it would be possible to have a pragmatic relationship. (Excerpt from

Reuters)

Turkey says captures nightclub attacker

(Excerpt from BBC News)

Nigeria air strike on refugee camp kills dozens igeria’s military says a fighter jet has mistakenly bombed a refugee camp in the country’s northeast, killing dozens of people and wounding scores more, according to aid workers.

The incident occurred on Tuesday about 09:00h local time (08:00 GMT) in Rann, in the far north of Borno state, the epicentre of Boko Haram’s armed campaign, as humanitarian workers distributed food to civilians.

Nigeria’s air force said a fighter jet was on a mission against Boko Haram fighters when it accidentally struck the camp and killed an unknown number of refugees and aid workers.

In a statement, aid group Doctors Without Borders

R

ussian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday that Moscow was ready to talk to US Presidentelect Donald Trump’s new Administration about nuclear weapons and Syria, saying the two countries could together solve many of the world’s problems.

Lavrov, speaking days before Trump’s inauguration, used an annual news conference to flag potential areas of cooperation and to belittle what he described as malicious attempts to link Trump to Russia in a negative light.

Trump, who has praised President Vladimir Putin, has signalled he wants to improve strained ties with Russia despite US intelligence agencies alleging the Kremlin chief ordered a cyber campaign to help him beat rival Hillary Clinton to the White House.

Russia denies it tried

in the Borno state capital, Maiduguri, told AFP news agency the casualties were “huge”, adding: “A fighter jet hit the wrong target.” (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Flowers are placed near the entrance of Reina nightclub by the Bosphorus, which was attacked

T

urkish authorities have captured the gunman who killed 39 people in an Istanbul nightclub on New Year’s Day, an Uzbek national they said was trained in Afghanistan and had clearly acted on behalf of Islamic State.

The suspect, named by Istanbul Governor Vasip Sahin as Abdulgadir Masharipov, was caught in a Police raid late on Monday in a hideout in an outlying Istanbul suburb after a twoweek manhunt.

Masharipov, who was captured with four others, had admitted his guilt and his fingerprints matched those at the scene, Sahin told a news conference.

“He knew four languages and was well-educated,” Sahin said, adding he was born in 1983 in Uzbekistan and received training in

Afghanistan.

There were strong indications he entered Turkey illegally through its eastern borders in January 2016 and it was clear the attack was carried out on behalf of Islamic State, Sahin said.

The jihadist group claimed responsibility a day after the mass shooting, saying it was revenge for Turkish military involvement in Syria.

Masharipov was captured with an Iraqi man and three women from Africa, one of them from Egypt, in the Esenyurt district on Istanbul’s western outskirts, about 30 kilometres (19 miles) from the Reina nightclub.

Two pistols, mobile phone SIM cards, two drones and US$197,000 in cash were also seized, Sahin said. (Excerpt from Reuters)

16 news

WednesDAY, January 18, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Region 2 flooding

Hundreds of acres of rice damaged N umerous rice fields, particularly in the area encompassing Walton Hall to Sparta Villages in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), were damaged as a result of flooding between December 25, 2016 and January 5, 2017.

According to Regional Vice Chairperson Nandranie Coonjah, an assessment is currently being conducted

Inundated rice fields

Prisoner gets additional jail term for wounding fellow inmate

A

convicted prisoner, who is serving time at the Camp Street Prison, Georgetown, was on Tuesday given an additional jail sentence after he was found guilty by Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan, for maliciously wounding a fellow inmate.

The court found that on November 6, 2016, 38-year-

old Calvin Bailey of Agricola, East Bank Demerara, maliciously and unlawfully wounded Dwayne King at the Prison where they are both serving time.

According to the Prosecution’s case, on the day in question, Bailey was involved in an altercation with King, during which he stabbed the fellow convict.

Curtains down...

Meanwhile, with the YCP programme was being funded by USAID, a United States government foreign aid initiative, US Ambassador to Guyana Perry Holloway pointed out that his country recognised the importance of having youths participate in the decision-making process and governance of their communities hence its support to the YCP. “The project implementation schedule of 12 months was relatively short, but it did not diminish the importance of what was accomplished… Data suggests that many of the coun-

Bailey is currently serving a 15-year sentence for another offence, but in court on Tuesday, he begged the Magistrate for leniency before his sentence was handed down.

As such he was slapped with two additional years, which will run consecutive to the 15 years which he is already serving.

from page 12

cillors elected (during the LGE) as local representatives, including mayors and deputies in the nine municipalities, are from a younger demographic. This is encouraging as statistics from the 2012 census show that approximately 50 per cent of Guyanese are under the age of 24,” the Ambassador highlighted.

He also commended the efforts of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), the Communities Ministry, the Social Cohesion Ministry and other organisations that were the driving force behind the activities

held under the programme.

The implementing partners of the YCP Programme were the Guyana National Youth Council (GNYC), Help and Shelter and Youth Challenge Guyana.

The successes of the programme include: 200,000 individuals benefiting from voter education; 213 voter education events conducted; 16,000 individuals reached directly through one-to-one engagement with community mobilisers; two training manuals developed; and 10 social cohesion micro-grant community projects implemented.

by officials from the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB).

Coonjah said to date approximately 320 acres of rice had been damaged in the Walton Hall-Sparta area, but farmers from Perseverance, Devonshire Castle, Coffee Grove, Hampton Court and Cullen also lost their rice crop. She said, therefore, those figures would be included in the total acreage damaged.

Meanwhile, Region Two has continued to experience heavy rainfall over the past few weeks compounded with poor drainage, which has resulted in much water accumulating on farmland across the Region. Initially, there were some issues with the pumps in the Region, including lack of fuel, but after interventions, the pumps became operational.

Coonjah said all sluices and regulators were also functioning in the various communities.

Man remanded for stabbing stepbrother

A

Warren Welcome

Port Kaituma, Region One (Barima-Waini) shopkeeper was on Tuesday remanded by Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan for stabbing his stepbrother in a dispute over an electricity bill.

It is alleged that on January 15, 2017, Warren Welcome unlawfully and maliciously wounded his stepbrother, Steven Bell, with intent to harm, maim, disfigure or cause actual bodily harm.

According to the prosecution, both parties reside in the Port Kaituma Water Front area. On the day of the incident, an argument erupted over the payment of $5000 for the utility bill. It is alleged that the Virtual Complainant approached Welcome and requested that he pay the electricity bill, but the defendant, who was intoxicated, broke a jar and stabbed the victim to his neck. As a result, he was rushed to the Port Kaituma Regional Hospital.

The prosecution contended that the VC was still receiving treatment for his injuries and as such, objected to bail. The prosecution’s submissions were upheld and Welcome was remanded to prison. The case will continue on February 7 at the Matthews Ridge Magistrate’s Court.

Ramsammy’s Ruminations Guyana’s pro-death penalty vote is another regressive step at the United Nations

R

ecently I bemoaned our reprehensible vote against LGBT Rights at the United Nations (UN). On December 20, 2016, we voted with a handful of homophobic countries against the UN appointing a Special Envoy to promote Human Rights for LGBT. On that day, the UN also voted to continue a moratorium on the death penalty. Guyana voted against the moratorium. Guyana Dr Leslie Ramsammy is gaining an anti-Human Rights reputation at the UN. The APNU/AFC administration and its Foreign Affairs Minister can be counted on to vote against progressive Human Rights provisions. These anti-Human Rights votes at the UN coincide with an increasingly ominous derailment of human rights in Guyana.

For the sixth time since 2007, the UN voted overwhelmingly for a moratorium on the death penalty on December 20, 2016.

The UN had first voted to implement a total moratorium in November 2007, on a motion moved by Italy and co-sponsored by other European countries. When the vote was taken for the sixth time in December 2016, 117 countries voted in support of a moratorium. Guyana was among 40 countries that voted against, begging the question if Guyana is about to abandon the death penalty moratorium in place for more than 20 years.

At a time when the progressive position is to abolish the death penalty, Guyana’s vote put us in a regressive category with countries such as Iran, Syria, Pakistan, Russia, China and the USA. These countries are acting in contradiction to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) which has urged nations to abolish the death penalty. Our vote contradicts Guyana’s active moratorium for the last 20 years and our commitment to the UN Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) to abolish the death penalty. In the 10th Parliament, a Special Select Committee was established to address repealing the death penalty. The 11th Parliament has totally ignored this commitment.

We have not only ignored an international commitment to abolish the death penalty from our laws, we actually extended the death penalty to new offences in the AntiMoney Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Amendment Act (2015). These laws are incongruent with the Constitution and with our international obligations. APNU/ AFC argued falsely that they included these new death penalty provisions to satisfy the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) requirements. FATF does not have any such requirements.

The UNCHR has declared that the death penalty breaches two essential human rights: the right to life and the right to live free from torture. Besides the UDHR, the death penalty also breaches the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Protocol Six to the European Convention on Human Rights and the Protocol to the American Convention on Human Rights to Abolish the Death Penalty. The UNCHR has mandated that every country must forthwith amend their constitutions and laws to reflect the international laws on human rights.

As of May 2016, 102 countries have abolished the death penalty all together, including Suriname, which abolished the death penalty in 2015 and Haiti which abolished it in 1987.

Six other countries have abolished it, but retained the death penalty for exceptional or special circumstances, such as wartime crimes. In America, Hillary Clinton had proposed that America abolished the death penalty, but retain it for acts of terrorism, such as the shooting of church members in South Carolina, the killings in Orlando and San Bernardino. Some of us have proposed that Guyana abolish the death penalty, but keep it for terror acts, such as the Lusignan and Bartica massacres.

Just five Western countries: the US, Japan, Singapore, St Kitts and Nevis, and Taiwan, actively utilise the death penalty.

South Korea, which retained the law, declared a moratorium on death sentences. Most executions today take place in Asia.

China is the most active country in carrying out the death penalty. North Korea is also active in carrying out the death sentence. Iran and Saudi Arabia are the most active of the Islamic countries in carrying out death sentences.

In 2015, 25 countries executed people. There were more than 1,634 persons who were executed under death penalty laws, the most since 1989. The exact number is unknown because China and North Korea have not released numbers.

Since Belarus, the only European country with the death penalty, did not execute anyone in 2015, Europe was completely free of executions.

Albert Camus, the French Philosopher and Author once wrote that the “death penalty is the most premeditated of murders”. Guyana needs to adopt a progressive Human Rights agenda which must include abolishing the death penalty, repealing the laws that criminalise LGBT and suicide, and abolish corporal punishment of children in schools. Our record on these matters at the UN and at home is full of stench. (Send comments to doc_ram@hotmail.com)

news

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WednesDAY, janUARY 18, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

WTO brings TBT workshop to Guyana

T

he World Trade Organisation (WTO) will today conclude a three-day workshop being held at the Marriot International Hotel Georgetown, aimed at assisting Caribbean Countries in consolidating their knowledge of the transparency principles and disciplines of the Technical Barriers to Trade Agreement (TBT), decisions and recommendations.

Erik Wijkström, Counsellor - Trade and Environment Division, WTO, said the Regional workshop is about issues relating to non-tariff barriers trade, including technical and regulatory matters and standard issues.

“The workshop is over three days and the idea is to raise issues that are important to the Region and explain what the rights and obligations are under the World Trade Organisation rules and to empower the Region to be more active at the WTO in Geneva,” he told journalists at the Marriott on Tuesday.

He emphasised that all countries have a right to protect their consumers, to ensure that food is safe. And while the WTO

does not prevent or take away that right, this must be done in a way that will not affect trade. According to the WTO representative, if a country is trying to protect the health of its consumers, it has to be done in a uniform way.

“So you cannot allow a product to come from one country and the same one you forbid from your neighbour. Then we will be talking about discrimination. You cannot be allowed to discriminate when you implement non-tariff barriers. You are however, allowed to implement barriers to trade if it’s about protecting environmental health and similar issues,” he said.

Wijkström also pointed out there is a general trend where there is the idea that with the reduction of tariffs, they can be replaced with other ways to restrict trades.

Trumel Redmond, Technical Officer - Caricom Regional Organisation for Standards and Quality (CROSQ) said the workshop comes off the heels of a successful regional intervention on the Development and Implementation of Technical Regulations and Methods of Referencing

Assessment (RIA) and Technical Regulation,” Redmond said.

He said the CROSQ was granted Observer Status on the WTO Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) in June 2016.

Given CROSQ’s role in addressing regional TBT issues, Observer Status in the WTO-TBT Committee is a natural fit as it provides an opportunity to build regional capacity, Erik Wijkström, Counsellor-Trade and Environment Division WTO

Standards in Caricom Member States which culminated in a two-day workshop held last week in Trinidad and Tobago.

The CROSQ is a regional inter-governmental organisation established in February 2002 to facilitate the development of regional standards, promote the harmonisation of metrology systems and support the sustainable production and trade of goods and services in the Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME).

That intervention which was supported by the ACPEU TBT Programme yielded three sub-regional workshops held in November 2016 followed by onsite and offsite mentoring and

Guyana, British Columbia to strengthen inter-parliament cooperation

G

uyana on Tuesday morning signed a Partnership Agreement with British Columbia with the intention of providing a framework for future joint endeavours, according to the Speaker of Guyana’s National Assembly, Dr Barton Scotland.

“The purpose of the agreement is to put in a more framework [for] our future relations,” he told media operatives.

The agreement was signed by Dr Scotland, on behalf of the National Assembly of Guyana and Speaker of the Legislative Assembly in British Columbia, Linda Reid.

Reid was accompanied by a delegation, which included Deputy Clerk of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Kate Ryan-Lloyd and Director of the Hansard Department of the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia, Rob Sutherland.

The Canadian High Commissioner to Guyana, Pierre Giroux, was also present at the signing.

Reid, whose tenure in British Columbia will end in May, explained that this “friendship” was initiated by present Health Minister Volda Lawrence a little over a year ago.

The Speaker of the Legislative Assembly in British Columbia noted that her country had much

Speaker of Guyana’s National Assembly, Dr Barton Scotland and Speaker of the Legislative Assembly in British Columbia, Linda Reid, signing the agreement

in common with Guyana, highlighting that through this partnership she now hoped to achieve “better practice” for her country.

“There’s lots of things we have in common with the Republic of Guyana, lots of mining, lots of indigenous issues, parallels in terms of how we do business and the fact that we can uplift of Parliaments at the same time, speaks to me…There are lots of lessons we can learn, we certainly want to learn some things about community, about committee…” she told media operatives.

According to the Agreement , the Partnership shall have as its objective fostering the development of inter-parliament cooperation between the Legislative Assembly of the Province

of British Columbia and the National Assembly of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana and shall thereby serve to improve understanding of the functions of both institutions, particularly in the fields of legislation, culture, economics, health, science and technology, and generally reinforce greater friendship, goodwill and mutual understanding of traditions, customs, procedures and practices of each House. Reid and the delegation arrived in Guyana on Monday, and since then, they have visited the Ruimveldt Children’s Home and Care Centre and the Mahaica Children’s Home to distribute toys.

The British Columbia representatives will be departing today. (Ramona

Luthi)

coaching work assignments to the core beneficiaries in Barbados, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago.

The exercise, he said, provided invaluable experiences and lessons learnt in researching and developing a Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) and then a Technical Regulation (TR).

“Some of the participants of the regional workshops are in fact here today so the training this week will undoubtedly further strengthen their understanding and application of the TBT Agreement.

The experiences and lessons learnt from this process will assist CROSQ during this year to write a Caribbean Guide on Good Regulatory Practice (GRP), inclusive of customised templates for a Preliminary Impact Assessment (PIA), Regulatory Impact

strengthen information dissemination systems and ensure representation of the region’s perspective in the international arena.

According to Redmond, the workshop significantly contributed to building Regional capacity in understanding the TBT Agreement and its transparency provisions, as well as the utilisation of the WTO e-tools to facilitate same.

Man gets 3 years for ganja possession

A

40-year-old man who, since November last, has been on trial after Police found him at his home packaging cannabis, was on Tuesday jailed for three years by Magistrate Leron Daly.

Louis Byas, of East Ruimveldt, Georgetown, originally pleaded not guilty to the charge which alleged that in November, he was found to be in possession of 105 grams of cannabis for the purpose of trafficking.

He first appeared before City Magistrate Judy Latchman, where the charge was charge read to him.

However, the matter was transferred to Magistrate Daly’s Courtroom where trial commenced.

Magistrate Daly, in handing down the verdict, told the defendant that the evidence provided by the Prosecution was sufficient and she found him guilty as charged.

The defendant was also fined $157,500, which is the street value of the drugs.

On the day of his arrest, Byas was found by officers cutting up the narcotics and placing it in Ziploc bags.

As such, a search was conducted on his home, where more of the drugs were unearthed. Police were also told that the defendant smoked the drug as a hobby. He was taken into Police custody where he was later arrested and charged.

18

guyanatimesgy.com

WednesDAY, janUARY 18, 2017

ARCHIE

Don’t take action based on assumptions, emotions or (March 21- frustration. Learn from your April 19) experience and take a disciplined approach in order to make things unfold to your advantage.

ARIES

Focus more on what you TAURUS can do for others without com(April 20- promising your personal or May 20) professional position. Putting in extra hours will lead to unexpected benefits. Taking action will raise your profile.

dilbert

When opportunity knocks, GEMINI you have to be ready to size (May 21June 20) up what’s being offered and make your move. Don’t trust anyone but yourself when it comes to fact-finding.

When in doubt, take a

CANCER breather and let the chaos or (June 21- confusion subside. Pour your atJuly 22) tention into self-improvements

Peanuts

that will raise your qualifications or skills in preparation for new beginnings.

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

Don’t wait for change to happen when you can be the one to initiate what you want to see unfold. Do your part and show your leadership ability. Your actions will improve your status.

Refrain from any incliVIRGO (Aug. 23- nation you have to take on Sept. 22) too much or to overspend.

Moderation, hard work and determination will be rewarding. Romance is on the rise.

Calvin and Hobbes

Stay calm, and refrain from LIBRA making assumptions or impul(Sept. 23sive moves based on informaOct. 23) tion that isn’t conclusive. Listen carefully and respond with diplomacy in order to avoid unwanted repercussions.

WORD GAME

SUDOKU

TODAY’S WORD-RUNABOURT

Avoid anyone trying to use SCORPIO guilt or emotional manipula(Oct. 24tion to sway you. Stay focused Nov. 22) on what’s important to you and strive for perfection, satisfaction and success.

You’ll face confusion and SAGITTARIUS uncertainty. Don’t be fooled (Nov. 23- by someone trying to perDec. 21) suade you to do something that isn’t healthy.

solution for Last Published Puzzle

Doing too much too fast CAPRICORN will jeopardize your chance to (Dec. 22improve your life financially, Jan. 19) emotionally and physically.

Be a leader, not a follower, if you want to avoid disappointment and loss.

Expand your interests and

AQUARIUS make personal changes that (Jan. 20- will lower your overhead and Feb. 19) improve your life. Having more money to pursue what you enjoy doing most will brighten the picture considerably.

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

Copyright 2015, Distributed by Universal Uclick for UFS

PISCES Getting angry will not solve (Feb. 20- your problems, but taking posiMarch 20) tive action will. Use your intel-

ligence to cook up a plan that will encourage everyone to pitch in and help, as well as position you for advancement.

WednesDAY, january 18, 2017

Panesar joins Australia ahead of India tour

M

onty Panesar has been recruited by Cricket Australia as a spin-bowling consultant for their tour of India next month, after spending his winter as a club cricketer in Sydney.

Panesar, 34, played an integral role in England’s memorable series win in India in 2012-13, claiming 17 wickets with his left-arm spin in the final three Tests to help engineer a comefrom-behind triumph.

However, he made the last of his 50 Test appearances at Melbourne during the 2013-14 Ashes, and was not considered for selection for England’s recent 4-0 defeat in India, despite making a return to first-class cricket for Northamptonshire last summer following a spate of well-documented personal issues. Panesar’s recruitment to Australia’s ranks

came at the behest of Pat Howard, Cricket Australia’s high performance manager, whose team were whitewashed 4-0 on their last tour to India four years ago, and recently succumbed to a 3-0 loss in similarly spin-friendly conditions in Sri Lanka.

According to the Australian, Panesar will travel to the Centre of Excellence this week to work with left-arm spinner Steve O’Keefe, as well as Matt Renshaw, the opening batsman who was cleared of concussion on Sunday, following the incident that led to his withdrawal from action during the third Test against Pakistan.

“Having Monty come up is a nice way to kick-start the squad’s thinking about playing in India,” Howard told the newspaper. “We want the batsmen to be thinking about what the bowlers will

be trying to do to them over there and Monty can engage them that way as well as with the bowlers.

“Phil Jaques will run the sessions with Matt, Monty and SOK, Phil has some nice ideas about how to challenge the batsmen,” Howard added. “In Australia we love big turners, but the successful bowlers like [Rangana] Herath and [Ravi] Ashwin are more likely to get you lbw or bowled than any other way, their accuracy and their length is absolutely outstanding.”

Panesar was one of nine wickets for O’Keefe during their ongoing Grade match between Manly and Campbelltown Camden at the weekend.

“He was brilliant on the weekend and must think cricket is an easy game after taking 9 for 54,” Panesar said.

Man City midfielder Yaya Toure rejects £430,000-a-week move to China

M

anchester City midfielder Yaya Toure has turned down a £430,000-a-week offer from

China.

Toure, 33, was the subject of interest from the Chinese Super League last summer.

He decided against moving then and gave the same response when he was contacted again to say the offer remained open during the current transfer window, which closes on 31 January.

The Ivorian’s contract at the Etihad expires in the summer.

Toure’s future appeared in doubt when he was left out of the City squad by Pep Guardiola at the start of the season.

However, he has been a regular for the

club since he was recalled in November and started his seventh consecutive game in the 4-0 defeat at Everton in the Premier League on 15 January.

Toure has been free to sign pre-contract agreements with clubs overseas since 1 January but it is understood he still enjoys the English game.

Guardiola has not given Toure any guarantees about his future beyond the summer.

The Ivorian, who joined City in 2010, has become more important since Germany midfielder Ilkay Gundogan suffered a cruciate ligament injury against Watford on 14 December that is likely to rule him out for the rest of the season.

Yaya Toure

19

Fit again

De Villiers opts out of New Zealand series

A

B de Villiers has made himself unavailable for selection for the upcoming Test series in New Zealand in March though he has recovered from his elbow injury, but said that he was not retiring from Test cricket.

However, while squashing recent speculation that he was going to give up the longest format, AB de Villiers indicated that his priority was going to be limited-overs cricket in order to play the 2019 World Cup. “That’s a good question. Not yet. I’m not there yet,” de Villiers said in Johannesburg on Tuesday, when asked when he would return to the Test side.

“The reason being that I just need to settle things in my head.

Over the last few years something has come to mind, which is the fact that we haven’t won a World Cup yet. And for me to make it to the 2019 World Cup, I can’t really be serious in every format.

“So I’ve made myself unavailable for the New Zealand Test series. I will be there for the ODIs, and I’m definitely not retiring from Test cricket because I have plans to come back at some stage. For me, for now the most important thing is the 2019 World Cup. I want to make sure we get there.

I want to make sure we lift that trophy. Obviously there are other factors that play a role like family and time away from home, but the main reason for me is that World Cup and I feel that if I play all formats all the time, then mentally and physically I won’t be at my best.”

Haroon Lorgat, the CSA chief executive, said de Villiers’ comments were not a surprise because he had been involved in discussions with the batsman. “We’ve given him the latitude of taking time off, of setting himself for the 2019 World Cup. It is very much part of

our planning.

“We know it’s challenging schedules that all of the players have. What I think is, he is not going to get another opportunity like he currently has with time off.

To put it in this fashion the most he must make of it now [sic], once he gets back on the treadmill it is all the way through to 2019.”

Lorgat said he was confident de Villiers would be available for the Test series in England this summer.

“What we’re doing is taking it a series at a time. I am confident that b y

the time we get towards looking at England and the Champions Trophy, he’ll be fully fit and raring to go. His appetite would have returned because then it would be a fair amount of time he has had. I’m confident England is kind of a series that he would want to be available for.”

Earlier on Tuesday, de Villiers told South African radio station 702 that he was “not retiring out of Test cricket.” However, he said he would have to manage his workload in order to be fit for the 2019 World Cup. De Villiers said he had recovered from the elbow injury that kept him out of cricket since August last year and hoped to make a comeback in the third T20I against Sri Lanka on

January 25.

The recent speculation over de Villiers’ Test future arose after comments from South Africa’s Test captain Faf du Plesiss and coach Russell Domingo indicated uncertainty over de Villiers’ return to the side.

De Villiers, 32, has not played a Test since January 2016, when he was the stand-in captain for Hashim Amla. He took over in the middle of a four-Test series against England, which South Africa lost 2-1 in the midst of discussions over his own workload. De Villiers had spent the early part of the series explaining the need to “keep myself fresh” and “maybe not play all kinds of cricket.”

At the end of the series, de Villiers was named permanent Test captain and he accepted the job while fully committing to South Africa. However, he was sidelined with an elbow injury after the Caribbean P r e m i e r League in July and, at first, opted for a conservative approach to treatment, which involved rest and rehabilitation rather than surgery. That ruled him out of a two-Test series against New Zealand in August. By October, he had still not recovered and was forced to have surgery, which ruled him out of the home ODIs and an away Test series against Australia. Du Plessis was captain in his absence and led South Africa to series wins in both assignments.

De Villiers had still not recovered by December, ahead of the Tests against Sri Lanka at home, and stepped down as Test captain early in the month. Du Plessis was confirmed as his successor and led South Africa to another series victory. (ESPNcricinfo)

20

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

wednesDAY, january 18, 2017

Pooran frustrated with WICB handling of suspension T

Australia Open 2017

2nd seed

Serena

Williams beats

S

rinidad and Tobago wicketkeeper and hard-hitting batsman Nicholas Pooran is frustrated with the length of his West Indies Cricket Boardimposed suspension from regional cricket and the way the situation has been handled by the Board.

The left-hander also insisted that he always intended to take up his Leeward Islands Hurricanes contract upon his return from the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) Twenty20 late last year. The WICB banned Pooran from playing in its regional tournaments after he signed on to play with Khulna Titans in the BPL late last year.

Pooran also revealed that he had asked the WICB for a No Objection Certificate (NOC) to play in the BPL and it was grant-

Belinda Bencic

ix-time Australian Open champion Serena Williams progressed to the second round with a straight-set win over Swiss teenager Belinda Bencic.

The American, 35, beat her 19-year-old opponent 6-4 6-3 in 79 minutes in scorching conditions in Melbourne.

The world number two, attempting to win a record 23rd Grand Slam singles title, said she “has nothing to lose”.

“Every match I’m playing for fun. I get to travel the world and do what I do best - play tennis,” she added.

Williams lost the Australian Open final last year to Angelique Kerber but won Wimbledon to equal Steffi Graf’s Open era record of 22 Grand Slam singles titles.

She has barely played since the US Open last September because of injury, and lost in the second round of this month’s Auckland Classic.

But she eased doubts about her form and fitness with a typically powerful performance in temperatures of about 35C.

“Berbice VA going full steam ahead”

C

of the tournament starting January 24 here in Antigua and also in Barbados.

Benjamin re-affirmed his confidence in his squad and their ability to advance from the group stage of the tournament.

“I think that we have a solid team and we have people who believe that we can do it within the team so it’s a different approach than just showing up. We know that we have a lot to gain from advancing in this tournament and that’s the focus,” he said.

Addressing what has since become a highly debated topic, Benjamin said the issue of inviting players from oth-

Flashback! Action in the 2016 Inter-Guiana Games (IGG) at the National Gymnasium in Georgetown

T

cus on three main areas of development; Schools Development, Females Development and Beach Development as they aim to make the sport more popular locally.

Nedd said the idea to have the sport in the school curriculum is to provide students with knowledge of how to play the sport and actually play the sport from nursery to tertiary.

Last year was a challenging but successful year for the sport in Berbice, but the highlighted moment was the triumph by Guyana male team which comprised only Berbicians at the Inter-Guiana Games (IGG) held here.

The association also managed to field teams at local and international tournaments which also

included competitions in neighbouring Brazil in December.

On January 28 players and clubs will be rewarded for their efforts when the association hosts its annual award ceremony.

There will be eight awards up for grabs; top male and female club teams, top male and female player, most promising player, most improved player, junior player of the year and most disciplined player.

The other executives on the BVA are-Vice PresidentYeudistir Seelochan, Secretary-Ian Baggot, Assistant Treasurer Secretary- Rashaad Razak, Public Relation OfficerSamuel Whyte. The patron of the association is Gregory Rambaran.

ed. Explaining the situation last year, outgoing WICB CEO Michael Muirhead was quoted in the media, stating: “Nicholas Pooran has decided not to play for the franchise (Leeward Islands Hurricanes) that he was selected for. (Trinidad and Tobago Express)

“Hurricanes not a one-man team”

oach of the Leeward Island’s Hurricanes, Reginald Benjamin, has warned that his team’s batting will not be solely dependent on any one player during the WICB’s Regional Super50 slated to start next week.

The Antiguan was, at the time, responding to questions regarding the inclusion of experienced West Indies batsman Marlon Samuels and whether the team’s batting would hinge on the Jamaican.

“We are not going to center our batting on any one player. We are a team in which everyone holds a certain [amount of] responsibil-

he year has just began and many if not all sport organisations are getting themselves prepared for their calendar of activities. However, the extended rainy season has delayed the start of various events. Nevertheless, while some entities await sunshine others are busy off the field.

One such entity is the Berbice Volleyball Association (BVA) which held their annual meeting on Saturday in the Ancient County. Berbice is known to be the ‘Mecca’ of the sport here in Guyana therefore the authorities found it necessary to plan ahead of the season.

In its planning, the executive body of the BVA, according to its President Levi Nedd, is set to fo-

Nicholas Pooran

Marlon Samuels

ity; and we have other players that incase Marlon shows up and he is not in the best of form that they can step up.

We’re a team that depend on each other but, at the same time, the top players will be ready to step up and we welcome Marlon and he knows that,” he said. Samuels was included in the Hurricanes’ final 14 to contest Group A

er Caribbean countries to trials has been a common practice for the Leeward Islands, adding that he sees nothing wrong with the move.

“Players reach out to Leeward Islands to offer their services on the field or off the field and we as an entity saw it fit to then invite these players; but as I said before, this does not guarantee they

Reginald Benjamin

are going to play with the team. Who performs get selected and who does not perform gets left out and that’s how the process work,” the coach said. Leeward Islands Hurricanes squad: Kieran Powell (captain), Rahkeem Cornwall (vice-captain), Marlon Samuels, Nkrumah Bonner, Montcin Hodge, Jermaine Otto, Chesney Hughes, Jahmar Hamilton, Orlando Peters, Akiel Hosein, Kevon Cooper, Jason Campbell, Alzarri Joseph and Gavin Tonge.

Reserves are Jeremiah Louis, Daniel Dorram and Akiel Charles.

The Leeward Islands Hurricanes will play in Group A of the competition alongside defending champions Trinidad & Tobago Red Force, as well as Windward Islands Volcanoes, West Indies Under-19s and English county side, Kent Spitfires.

Group B comprises the Guyana Jaguars, Jamaica Scorpions, Combined Campuses & Colleges Marooners and ICC Americas along with home team Barbados Pride. (Antigua Observer)

sports

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21

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Such talents have either washed away totally from cricket or have migrated thus ending their bid for higher cricket calling.

Lost in the Mix takes you down memory lane with a look at Karan Ganesh, Zaheer Saffie and Shawn Perreira.

Shawn Pereira, is a player with good knowledge of the game thus he was entrusted with the captaincy at the under-15 and 19 levels for the national teams. He is a right-arm leg-spinner from Berbice, where he plays for the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club. He made his debut for, and also captained, the Guyana Under-19 team in Barbados in 2012, and took 6 for 40 in his very first Under-19 match.

At the club’s annual awards in 2011, he was named Under-15 Bowler and Cricketer for 2010.

However, at 20 his name is not reigning in domestic cricket, but he had some key performance late last year in the Jaguars Franchise League for his team, Upper Corentyne.

At the moment in Guyana’s cricket the former youth captain will have to drastically improve his game if he is to surpass the

part 6 likes of national spinners Devendra Bishoo, Veerasammy Permaul, Gudakesh Motie, Eon Hooper and Steven Jacobs. The mountain may seem too high for him to climb but with the potential shown at the youth level anything is possible for Pereira.

Karan Ganesh is a talented former youth all-rounder, who dominated cricket locally at the youth level, was a constant member of national youth teams but never progressed to the senior set up. He was one of the players lost to migration. However, the right hand batsman and off break bowler, who is 30 years old, presently resides in the USA where he also plays cricket.

Ganesh featured in nine T20 matches from 2013-2015 for the USA. Periodically he would return to the land of his birth (Guyana) with touring club teams from the USA. Like Ganesh, Zaheer Saffie reigned at youth competitions but migrated shortly after his youth days were over. Saffie was an outstanding right handed batsman, who featured for several years as one of the top youth batsmen. Although he was so dominant in youth cricket he did not stick around to seek a place

in the senior team. He still plays cricket in the USA, but whether as a career or a pastime it is unknown.

This brings the Guyana Times Sport to the final chapter of Lost in the Mix. We would like to wish the Guyana Jaguars the best in 2017.

22

Hicks

wednesDAY, january 18, 2017

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

ready for the road

By Romario Samaroo

Y

is Trinbago Knight Riders new Head Coach …Simon Helmot moves on

T

Simon Katich

rinbago Knight Riders (TKR) management on Tuesday announced the appointment of Simon Katich as head coach of TKR for the forthcoming Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) campaign. Katich replaces Simon Helmot who has accepted a long term role as Bangladesh Head Coach High Performance Programme.

Helmot was with the Trinidad & Tobago franchise for three years during which they won the Hero CPL championship in 2015. Simon Helmot said: “I would like to sincerely thank the entire TKR family for all the support during my three years with the franchise.”

Simon Katich was an outstanding international player for Australia and has had different coaching assignments. Among these is his current role as assistant coach of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the IPL. Katich said: “It’s an exciting opportunity to coach a successful franchise like TKR in the Hero CPL and also great to extend the association with the Knight Rider Family from KKR to TKR.” TKR management thanked Simon Helmot for his contribution and welcomed Simon Katich to the TKR family. (CPLT20)

Leal recovering faster than expected

– plaster casts removed

A

lot of athletes who suffer injuries throughout their career never really make it back to winners’ row while some hardly ever come back to competitive sport. However, this is not the case with champion cyclist, Team Gillette Evolution’s Raul Leal who is racing his road to recovery faster than expected.

With predictions of Leal being out of competition for the first half of the season, it now looks as if that date might be drawn closer as Leal is healing at a faster rate and is patiently awaiting his time to get back to winning ways.

On November 16 last, Leal, for the second time in his career, was one of two men involved in a collision which left him hospitalized.

Leal collided with another motorcyclist along the West Ruimveldt Front Road as he was heading to a ‘wake house’ in South Ruimveldt close to his home at about 21:15h. The youngster suffered injuries to his back, face as well as a broken right arm and toes on his right foot. The injuries to his leg were at the same spot where steel was implanted a few years ago when he suffered his first major accident.

When Guyana Times Sport caught up with the top ranked rider, the plaster casts had been removed

oung Berbican cyclist, Andrew Hicks of the We Stand United Cycling Club is one of the top leading junior riders in the country and based on his 2016 season, he has foreseen much success in the new season.

With the start of the 2017 season fast approaching, Hicks has already began preparations in the ancient county but while it is a hassle for the young man to travel to Georgetown regularly, he is pumped on making it constantly as he gets ready to come into the capital city where most of the races are held.

“This season will be a good one for me, I have had some good experience last year and my coach is training me well.” The champion rider related.

The 18-year-old, when speaking to this publication informed us that it is his desire to finish in the top three in every race he is a competitor of while indicating that it is his goal to win the National FiveStage or Three-Stage as well as the Mohamed Kadir Memorial Ounce of Gold and the Digicel Breast Cancer Awareness race.

Also, he is confident that he will ride away with overseas races if given the opportunity to take part in those competitions. However, the rising star knows that the competition is getting bet-

Andrew Hicks

ter and better on the local scene and made mention of the fact that he will be have to be on the top of his game, maintaining optimum fitness while modifying his cycle to the best possible state to better his chances.

On the other hand, Hicks is training his younger brother, David who follows in his footsteps and is ex-

Badminton season opens with GUMDAC Doubles

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pected to make his debut after excelling last year.

The older Hicks won the National Schools Cycling Championship last year and has caught the attention of many for his consistent top performances which earned him a spot to the Cycling Championship in Trinidad and Tobago where he finished on podium.

Flashback! The winners gathered for a photo opportunity after some good clean fun Raul Leal was severely injured last November

from his arm and leg. He also indicated that most of the pain had eased.

The 20-year-old said “I removed the cast from my hand on old year’s day [December 31, 2016] and removed the cast from my foot last Friday,” adding that he “has to do therapy to get his toes working back.”

Leal is not giving up on the sport he loves saying he is determined to make a comeback to the top of the sport once again, already stating that he is bound to return to cycling.

“To be honest there will

be no quitting because cycling is a hobby I really love a lot and I mean even if this throws me off one, two, three even five years, whenever, I always have the passion for the sport and will always continue with it” the Evolution rider said.

Leal said within the next two weeks he should be back on the saddle if all things go according to plan and while he cannot put his foot in the footwear currently, he is working hard on getting that back in order so that he can return to training.

he start of the 2017 season of badminton will get underway as the Guyana Badminton Association (GBA) once again collaborates with tournament sponsors, GUMDAC Music for the Annual GUMDAC Open Doubles Tournament.

The tournament is billed for February 1 and 3 at the National Gymnasium, Mandela Avenue, a change that sees it moving from the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall, Homestretch Avenue where it was hosted last year.

According to a release from President of the GBA, Gokarn Ramdhani, the competition will run from 18:00h to 21:00h on both days.

The tournament will be played in the Men’s and Ladies Doubles and Mixed Doubles. All players are asked to start training for this tournament which has been running for the last four years.

Additionally, prospective participants are advised that entries close on January 30.

In the 2016 edition of the competition, the Ramdhani siblings dominated the competition as they have been doing in the sport in recent times. In the Men’s Doubles Final, Junior Players Narayan Ramdhani & Jonathan Mangra defeated the Senior Players Darell Carpenay and Marlon

Chung: 21-16, 21-19 to take the Championship while in the Ladies Doubles Finals, Junior Players Priyanna Ramdhani & Siya Persaud defeated Ayanna WickhamWatson and Emelia Ramdhani: 21-12, 21-8 to take the Championship. In the Men’s Doubles Third & Fourth Place play off Avinash Odit and Stephan Muridall defeated Ernesto Choo-A-Fat and Ronald Chang Yuen: 2116, 21-19.

The GBA president is expecting the athletes to put their best foot forward and produce some of high level competition that the sport has been producing for the immediate past.

guyanatimesgy.com

WednesDAY, january 18, 2017

StagNations Cup rivalry resumes

23

Lara & Chanderpaul

team up in celebrity T20 match with double header – 4 teams battle for quarter-final spots W

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he intense battles of the STAG Nations Cup knock-out football championship will resume this evening with the final two matches in the round of 16 at the Grove Playfield from 19:00h.

These matches were scheduled for December 23 at the same venue but due to consistent rainfall, that double header and remaining matches were put on hold.

It’s now back to business for the teams and

home advantage, bank on the experience and collective on-field skills of Teshawn Blackman, Dexter Archer, Seon Thompson, Orson Francois, Sherman Doris, Trevor Jones, Clive Matthews, Kevin Padmore, Akel Forde, Delroy Dodson, Moses Fraser, Shane Singh, Antony Stanton, Nicholai Matthews, Denzil Crawford, Joel Dick, Mervin Squires, Devon Joseph, Akeem James, Alwyn Haynes, Jermaine Benjamin and Ronaldo Romelho to take them one step closer to the top prize and a possible third title.

Tonight’s opening clash will be just as intriguing with East Demerara’s Ann’s Grove locking horns with the West Side’s Den Amstel.

Like Grove Hi Tech, this will be Ann’s Grove’s first match of the championship and they will be hopeful of stepping over this first hurdle as they have done successfully in the past two tournaments.

Winning this match will be important to the East Coast unit as they have succumbed in the past two finals to Grove Hi Tech and would want to set that right this time around but would first have to get past a tough Den Amstel which downed Kuru Kururu Warriors 4-2 in their playoff match.

Gavin Graham and Kevaughn Ward

Trevor Jones

fans alike.

Home team Grove Hi Tech, winners of the three-association format of the what was the STAG Super 16 in 2014/15 and 2015/16 will be matching skills with Berbice’ New Amsterdam United for the final quarter final spot up for grabs.

This feature clash will no doubt be keen as both teams will want to be in the reckoning for the top prize of two million dollars and they are also the only teams left standing form their association’s quota of three and four, respectively.

Already walking the plank for the East Bank FA are Kuru Kururu Warriors and Herstelling Raiders while for the Berbice FA, Mahaicony Thunders, Cougars and Rosignol United were booted which makes this match a must win for either side and a must see for the fans.

What the sides also share in common is that they are both the number one clubs in their respective associations. NA United won an intense and nerve racking playoff match 4-3 on sudden death kicks from the penalty mark against Golden Stars to get into the round-of-16.

Their coach revealed that it was the first real competitive match for the year for the club and it is left to be seen how they will stand up to the challenge of taking on the pride of the East Bank.

They will again bank on the services of Captain Adrian Adams, Leonardo Adams, Jason Drakes, Quinn Hazel, Rei Joseph, Delroy Dean, Jamal Butts, Jeremy Samuels, Dexter Allen, Julian Success, Garfield Millington, Shkeel Grant, Ron Lyken, Omari Bentham, Jovano Dos Santos, Keon Williams, Dwayne Alleyne, Graham Thomas, Joshua Wilson, Ray Reddock, Sion Bacchus and Steffon Boucher to bring another win their way as well as a quarter final berth.

Grove Hi Tech is hoping to, apart from

Nicholai Matthews

who netted a double each for Den Amstel in their win over the Warriors would be aiming to transfer that form into tonight’s match to produce another win for their team.

They will have support from Maurice Charles, Kerwin Ward, Clevon Pryce, Travis Hilliman, Akimbo Henry, Joseph Payne, Wycliff Simon, Derron Wilson, Alista Lynch, Keon Marcus, Ryan Hunte, Prince Payne, Kevin Murray, Colin Benn, Jamal Perreira, Kerry Harvey, Welton Jordon and Anton Jackman.

Ann’s Grove will be featuring, Ryan Seales, Quincy Barry, Quincy Johnson, Antonia Jackson, Anil Hernandez, Steve Francis, Daniel Francis, Kevon Barry, Daniel Pellew, Andri Francis, Phillip Williams, Levon Adams, Jermaine Clarke, Mervin Hardy, Gerald Sobers, Odel Gulliver, Travis Allen, Maxton Adams, Navado Denny, Oswald Duke, Nickose Denny and Jamain Rogers as they go after win number one, this year.

est Indies legends Brian Lara and Shivnarine Chanderpaul were on show in Barrackpore on Saturday and thousands of fans came out to catch a glimpse of the great ones.

World record-holder and former West Indies captain Lara was the main attraction and he delivered in fine style as he led his team to a four-wicket victory over the Daren Ganga XI in the Daren Ganga Foundation Celebrity Twenty20 match.

There wasn’t an empty seat at the Barrackpore United Recreational Ground in GP Road Junction in Barrackpore as patrons filled up the small venue well before the 2p.m. start.

Many in attendance had never seen Lara, now 47 years old, bat. The iconic left-hander showed them what they were missing as he rolled back the year to produce an aggressive 67 off 27 balls which included five sixes and seven fours to set up his team’s successful run-chase.

Chanderpaul, who was Lara’s partner when the Trinidadian broke the world record in Antigua in 1994, also got a standing ovation.

The Guyanese left-hander struck six sixes in his 53 not out off 38 balls to seal the victory of the Lara XI as they raced to 184 for six off 18.2 overs in reply to the Ganga XI’s competitive 178 for seven off 20 overs.

Ganga, who is from Barrackpore, top-scored for his team, hitting 48 while Nicholas Pooran hit 31.

Lendl Simmons also represented the Ganga XI along with former West Indies Players Association (WIPA) president Dinanath Ramnarine, who picked up four wickets for 25 runs including the prized scalp of Lara, who was stumped.

Before Lara made the walk back to the pavilion, however, he had the fans

gathe r ing

start before Chanderpaul, who opened the bowling with some right-arm medium pace, bowled him with the score on 32, before Ganga and Pooran came together to revive the innings.

Pooran hit 31 off 16 balls with three sixes and a four while Ganga hit two sixLegendary West Indian batsman Brian Lara goes over the top elegantly

o n t h e boundary ropes in anticipation of what was in store.

And the ‘Prince of Port of Spain’ did not take long in warming to the task, lashing his first ball for four before going after the bowlers with sixes to all parts of the ground. Lara batted for less than half-hour and by the time he was dismissed his team were already on course for the win.

Chanderpaul played the anchor role to finish unbeaten but he was also effective with the ball grabbing two wickets for ten runs including that of Simmons for 25.

Simmons started well with three sixes and a four to get Ganga’s team off to a decent

es and two fours in his top-score which came off 31 balls. Both Lara and Chanderpaul also had a busy day off the field signing autographs and posing with appreciative fans who called for more events like these to be held in South Trinidad.

Summarised Scores: Ganga XI 178-7 (20 overs) (Daren Ganga 48, Nicholas Pooran 31, Lendl Simmons 25; Shivnarine Chanderpaul 2/10, Rajendra Dhanraj 1/27) vs Lara XI 184-6 (18.2 overs) (Brian Lara 67, Shivnarine Chanderpaul 53 n.o.; Dinanath Ramnarine 4/25, Daren Ganga 2/16).

—Result: Lara XI won by 4 wickets. (Trinidad and Tobago Express)

Shivnarine Chanderpaul drives through the covers in a good partnership with Brian Lara at Barrackpore

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2017

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

guyanatimesgy.com

SIMON KATICH is Trinbago Knight Riders new Head Coach

…Simon Helmot moves on From left to right; Simon Helmot, Kevon Cooper, Jacques Kallis, Dwayne Bravo, Hashim Amla and Brendon McCullum at the Queen’s Park Oval following the launch of Trinbago Knight Riders Kit ahead of Hero CPL 2016

Stag Nations Cup rivalry resumes with double header

Pg 22

Pg 23

Leal recovering

faster than expected

― plaster casts removed

– 4 teams battle for quarter-final spots The hopes of top Berbice side NA United rest at the feet of; from left, Leonardo Adams, Graham Thomas, Jovano Dos Santos, Steffon Boucher and Shkeel Grant

Raul Leal has made tremendous strides towards recovery and is expected to begin training within two weeks

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