Guyana Times Daily - December 21, 2015

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THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Issue No. 2714

Monday, December 21, 2015

8 homeless as fire ravages Lusignan home Page 8

PRICE

$80 vat included

WHAT'S INSIDE: NICIL/AHI Forensic Audit

Goolsarran accused of ignoring NICIL’s P3 opinion – gives deceptive facts on LINMINE

As out-of-control crime spirals

Bandits shoot Minibus driver businessman succumbs Liliendaal shooting

– motive unclear – Police

Page 8

Page 12

President gifts $2M to Good Hope-Lusignan Learning Centre Page 2

Govt moves to establish P10 Public Procurement Commission Guyanese busted with cocaine in Atlanta P14

P12 National Tourism Policy to prioritise eco-tourism development

President David Granger presents a $2 million cheque to Administrator of the Good Hope-Lusignan Learning Centre, Annette Roopchand, in the presence of Ministers Amna Ally and Annette Ferguson

Eccles residents complain of stench, rodents at Haags Bosch site Page 9

Businesses suffering ‘massive blows’ – Berbice Chamber Page 10

Despite sugar industry P7 surpassing target, workers left empty pocketed Public-spirited citizens nab Linden thief – "Operation P9 Dragnet" reels in unlicensed firearm, rounds

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MONday, december 21, 2015 | guyanatimesGY.com

President gifts $2M to Good Hope-Lusignan Learning Centre At the Wilson Gas Station tarmac in Buxton, the President thanked Morris and Jocelyn Wilson, who for several years have been instrumental in ensuring that children in that community experience the joy of the festive season.

He also spoke of the importance of family, saying that it was for this reason that he made the decision to pardon 11 mothers from the New Amsterdam Prison.

The women, who were imprisoned for non-violent, non-drug related crimes,

will be released to their families tomorrow.

The President was accompanied by Social Cohesion Minister Amna Ally and Junior Public Infrastructure Minister Annette Ferguson.

Cane Grove Reunion team spreads Christmas cheer Little girls queue up to receive a Christmas gift from President David Granger, who was being assisted by Minister within the Ministry of Public Infrastructure Annette Ferguson to distribute toys at Buxton

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resident David Granger on Sunday handed over a $2 million cheque to the Good Hope-Lusignan Learning Centre, East Coast Demerara to support its work in 2016.

The President made the presentation during a visit to the Centre to spread holiday cheer to children in the community.

“This is our commitment to ensure that the work of the Learning Centre continues into the next year. I am very happy with the results that have been coming out of this Learning Centre year after year‌ as far as I am concerned, this Learning Centre is helping you to help yourself,â€? the Head of State said.

President Granger also

assisted in the distribution of toys to hundreds of children from Lusignan and its environs, as well as at Buxton-Friendship.

At both locations, he encouraged residents to continue to maintain an atmosphere of peace and goodwill as Guyanese prepare to celebrate the Muslim holiday Youman Nabi on Thursday and Christmas on Friday.

Elders received hampers from the Cane Grove Reunion Inc

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he Cane Grove Reunion Inc continues to spread its Christmas cheer with its grand annual gift-sharing activity to the elderly folks in the Cane Grove/ Strathavon communities.

This activity has become an annual event organised by the Diaspora group Cane Grove Reunion Inc, which is located in New York. The projects are usually spearheaded by the local chapter which is supervised by parliamentarian Dharamkumar Seeraj.

This year, supersized hampers were distributed to more than 70 persons.

Hampers included basic cooking ingredients such as flour, sugar, salt, onion, garlic, potatoes, milk, among other household necessities.

In addition to the distributions at Christmas time, the group would make monetary donations every month

Dharamkumar Seeraj

to the elderly and disabled residents of the community.

Apart from the community, the Group has been giving support to the less fortunate through its many programmes including the distribution of pharmaceuticals and health supplies to health centers, as well as clothing, and footwear.

news

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monday, december 21, 2015 | guyanatimesGY.com

BRIDGE OPENINGS The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Monday, December 21 – 13:30h-15:00h and Tuesday, December 22 – 14:30h-16:00h.

The Berbice River Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Monday, December 21 – 12:50h-14:20h and Tuesday, December 22 – 13:45h-15:15h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

By Edward Layne

Weather: Thundery to heavy rain showers can be expected in the morning, with light rain showers and sunshine expected in the afternoon. Partly cloudy conditions are expected in the evening. Temperatures are expected to range between 24 degrees Celsius and 28 degrees Celsius.

Winds: East North-Easterly between 5.36 metres and 6.70 metres per second.

High Tide: 12:40h and 13:07h reaching maximum heights of 2.38 metres and 2.51 metres respectivley.

Low Tide: 06:35h and 19:12h reaching minimum heights of 0.81 metre and 0.70 metre respectively.

Saturday, December 19, 2015

LOTTERY NUMBERS 05 07 08 23 27 28 16 Bonus Ball

FREE TICKET

Daily Millions

01 07 19 21 22 LUCKY 3 2

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Draw De Line 02 04 06 09 10

Goolsarran accused of ignoring NICIL’s opinion

– gives deceptive facts on LINMINE

WEATHER TODAY

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NICIL/AHI Forensic Audit

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

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ormer Auditor General Anand Goolsarran has gained the spotlight once again for reportedly deliberately misrepresenting facts regarding the accounting by the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) during his forensic audit of the holding company.

NICIL, in a statement on Saturday, said that over the past two weeks, the final draft forensic audit report of NICIL and Atlantic Hotel Incorporated (AHI) has been serialised in the media, even before NICIL was given the opportunity to review and comment, despite being assured in writing by the “forensic auditor” Goolsarran, that the final draft would be available to the holding company.

The statement said that Goolsarran in his final report claimed that the audited accounts of NICIL for 2012 showed some $103.2 million as having been written off as loss on disposal and based on explanation, this was a consequence of the fire in Linden which destroyed buildings belonging to NICIL. However, he is contending in the audit report that in accordance with Section 346 of the Companies Act, bad debts can only be written off with the approval of the Minister and there was no evidence to show this approval was granted.

But, NICIL disputed this claim and noted that the forensic auditor was

Former Auditor General Anand Goolsarran

misrepresenting the facts, pointing out that Section 346 of the Companies Act does not speak to the writing-off of bad debts.

Section 346 of the Companies Act states that “a Government company shall not later than six months after the end of each calendar year submit to the Minister a report containing an account of its transactions throughout the preceding calendar year in such detail as the Minister may direct; and a statement of the accounts of the company audited in accordance with Section 345.”

At no point did this Section refer to bad debts.

“The forensic auditor’s statement is inconsistent because it refers to loss of assets and bad debts as interchangeable terms which can be accounted for in a like manner. Since the assets were complacently destroyed and non-recoverable, management applied the accounting concept of prudency. IAS states: An asset should be removed

from the statement of financial position on disposal or when it is withdrawn from use and no future economic benefits are expected from its disposal. The gain or loss on disposal is the difference between the proceeds and the carrying amount and should be recognised in profit and loss,” NICIL stated.

Goolsarran also claimed that in 2003, LINMINE was recorded in the books of NICIL as a subsidiary with a value of $3.483 billion; however, in 2004, the value was reduced to zero, and up to the time of reporting LINMINE remained a subsidiary of NICIL. He said that in 2002 and 2003, the Auditor General disclaimed his opinion of LINMINE’s financial statements because of uncertainties of a fundamental nature mainly relating to fixed assets, inventories, accumulated losses and lack of evidence that the entity had the ability, for the foreseeable future, to survive as a going concern.

NICIL, in its defence, said that on December 8, 2004, LINMINE was privatised to OBMI, a joint venture company with the Government of Guyana and the remaining assets that did not form part of the privatisation were transferred to NICIL, pursuant to Cabinet’s Decision and Vesting Order# 36 of

2004.

“It was prudent to write down the value of the investment to zero, since the company ceased operations of its core business and all of its remaining assets were transferred to NICIL,” it stated According to NICIL, every question asked by the forensic auditor was answered prior to submission of his report, adding that there was no evidence of Goolsarran seeking to clarify any of these matters.

“The audit fails to show what information was sought, what NICIL provided, and how the conclusions were arrived at. All vouchers of expenditure were made available for inspection from 2002 to 2014.

All of the funds of NICIL that reflect average annual expenditure of G$150 million are gross expenditure figures before netting off revenue; the associated revenue reduced the net expenditure... More importantly, these funds are properly accounted for and audited by the Auditor General in each year’s audit report, all of which received clean audit opinion, NICIL stated.

Meanwhile, NICIL had contested most of Goolsarran’s report into the Marriott on the basis that he did not request the source documents on many occasions, but formed illinformed opinions.

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guyanatimesgy.com

monday, december 21, 2015

Views Editor(ag): Michael Younge Tel: 225-8697, 225-6695, 225-5634, 225-8696, 225-6707 Mailing address: Queens Atlantic Investment Estate Industrial Site, Ruimveldt, Georgetown Email: news@guyanatimesgy.com, sales@guyanatimesgy.com

Editorial

For goodwill in our country

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his week, through pure serendipity, we will be observing the birthdays of the founders of two major world religions – Jesus Christ of Christianity and Prophet Muhammad of Islam. We have only recently commemorated Diwali, a festival that commemorates, among other events, the return of Sri Ram, to his native land after defeating the forces of darkness.

Whether we believe, as most Hindus do, that God incarnates repeatedly as he did as Sri Ram, or sent his son Jesus Christ or sent prophets, such as the last one Muhammad as Islam holds, all the major religions assure us there is a Divine Being behind the world we experience and that we are exhorted to live in harmony.

There are those who hold such a position is untenable and, in fact, recently their ranks have swollen with followers of “New Atheism”. Such individuals unfortunately demonstrate a dogmatism that is frequently mirrored in the attitude of others who vouch for the “universality” of their religion and would actually kill “non-believers” or even those who do not follow their “path” in the exact manner as they do. We witness this playing out in a large swathe of countries from the Middle East through East Asia and the horrifying results should give pause to any among our midst that would want to take such a stance.

Guyana is a multireligious, multicultural and multiracial society, created by European nations that began their existence as states that insisted after a prolonged period of war between Catholics and Protestants, “Cuius regio, eius religio, which meant “Whose realm, his religion”. In our early phase, this was also our reality as Africans were tortured to abandon their religions to accept Christianity of the Protestant variety. As late as the 1950s, Hindus and Muslims and Chinese had to convert to Christianity to become school teachers, the profession most accessible to move out of the sugar plantations. The Catholic Portuguese formed their own churches and schools. There were, also, the social pressures.

With the spread of the value of “equality” in everincreasing areas of life, we have reached a point where the notion of “forcing” someone to change their religion should be condemned. It has been pointed out, however, that the “stick” might have been replaced by the “carrot” by practitioners of some religions, leading to great resentment among those who are targeted to be “rescued”. This is a source of possible increased tension in our society that must be addressed sooner rather than later.

The Prophet Muhammad, whose birthday falls on December 24, preached that “there is no compulsion” in religion and whatever might be the practice elsewhere, in Guyana this has been observed scrupulously. Many have “converted” to Islam, but through observing the living practices of that religion and undergoing personal transformations in their lives. This is as it ought to be since it acknowledges the individual as an autonomous being who should make choices of their own, uncoerced volition.

Jesus Christ’s birthday falls on December 25 by the tradition of Christianity in the West due to a historical anomaly: the Eastern churches observe the event on January 6 because they are following the Julian Calendar, in force at the time Jesus was born, and not the Gregorian calendar, proposed by Pope Gregory of Rome in 1582, just when the state system was forming. The Eastern churches have a different focus in celebrating Jesus’ birthday, being less sentimental and focusing more on the divinity of Jesus Christ.

During this week, let us then reflect on the value – that autonomy as we celebrate Youman Nabi and Christmas. Let there be no resentment generated in “others” who may have a different take on matters secular or religious. Let goodwill reign among us so that we may become a beacon of hope to the world not only for a “low carbon economy” but for a “low tension society”.

A brave young lady engages President David Granger’s full attention, while the others look on during his visit at the Good Hope-Lusignan Learning Centre, on the East Coast of Demerara on Sunday

PPP should have suggested amendments to local govt bill Dear Editor, Regarding a news item on the local government bill published in the December 19 edition of the Guyana Times newspaper, the bill will have no effect on governance; it is about how local representatives will be elected. The population wants substantive power to control their own destinies. Instead of walking out from the debate, the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) should have countered with an amendment to the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) bill, proposing its own reforms to make local government work better.

The APNU/AFC bill will not improve local governance; shaming the Government for not giving autonomous powers to the local governments.

Is the PPP opposed to empowering local communities? Although the APNU, AFC and PPP use language of local government empowerment, none has been willing to devolve power away from central government to the local bodies; all three parties want to hog power at the centre for themselves, fearing powerful local

communities.

So far, none of the parties have consulted with the citizens on determining whether there should be more or less power for local governments or what kind of local governance they desire. The parties discuss and debate in Parliament without ever once thinking of the view of the constituents; it is as though the people in Georgetown know what is best for the people in Black Bush Polder or Charity or Tiger Bay – how arrogant!

Consultations with the people would have yielded views for draft legislation with a view of amending several acts of the (fraudulent) Constitution to give greater autonomy and responsibilities to local government.

Nearly useless local government reform (hardly anything to do with power) is being forced upon the population without giving them additional powers to manage their destinies. The three parties need to allow the local communities to take charge of their own affairs and govern their own communities with power to tax, spend, pass bills, enforce laws, control local

schools and be in charge of sanitation, etc. That is real local government reform.

In neighbouring Trinidad, the newly elected People’s National Movement Government (PNM) is holding public forums to give greater responsibility (in fact autonomy) to local government to run their own affairs and be in charge of all matters falling within their jurisdiction (education, sanitation, law enforcement, tourism, markets, tax, spend, etcetera). Guyana should do the same as is also the case in the US, Canada, India, Australia, among other nations. Guyanese Americans in Richmond Hill and Flatbush have a lot of power to manage affairs in their communities. The Trinidad Government plans to emulate that model and add more powers to the people in their local areas. The PNM Government plans to give people the power in the local communities to approve budgets and expenditures. The local bodies will be tasked with the responsibility of collecting and using for the development of their own areas

with additional revenues coming in from the central government. The local government will decide how land should be used and decide on construction, etc.

People from the local areas will be awarded contracts to fix roads, attend to infrastructural issues, build and maintain schools, etc. This will reduce corruption and lead to greater accountability and prudent use of scarce resources. That is community empowerment.

When local government is empowered with real power, the best minds from the communities will take an interest in the quality of life in their communities. More enlightened people will want to become involved in building and improving their communities. Empowering local government will lead to significant improvement in citizens’ lives. It is not too late for the PPP (the People’s National Congress and the AFC) to suggest legislation in Parliament that will give full powers to the communities.

Yours truly, Vishnu Bisram

guyanatimesgy.com

monday, december 21, 2015

Rethinking Christmas bonuses for public servants Dear Editor, Unlike the Annual Production Incentive (API) in the sugar industry which is a negotiated condition tied to a production target, a bonus is a nonnegotiated gratuitous payment based on management’s discretion unless it is stipulated as a condition in an employer’s manual, contract of employment or union agreement. In the absence of either, there is no need to consult a union prior to which, by implication, will set a precedent for future negotiations thus eroding the rights of an employer to make a unilateral decision in favour of their employees, provided it is not contrary to any law, or dishonest and dangerous to the health of the employees. Giving a bonus obviously is a boost to employees’ morale, but it is difficult to understand the rationale for payment of a bonus to public servants given all the horror stories of poor service and other

practices that citizens are faced with when trying to access essential services within most public institutions.

Rather than giving a bonus, the Government should have negotiated with the union as per collective agreement a salary package effective from January 1, 2016 which will provide a sustained monthly increase throughout the year.

Public Servants are already enjoying the following benefits: (a) Security of tenure: cannot be dismissed at will, unilaterally (b) One month’s passage allowance at time of leave plus bonus – a double whammy (c) Non-contributory pension scheme, payable at age 55 unlike in the Private Sector (d) A 36 and ½ hours work week, less than in the Private Sector (e) Average of four working days per week

when taking into consideration public holidays, Saturdays and Sundays, annual leave, casual leave, maternity leave, etc. (f) Guaranteed NIS pension at age 60 unlike many employees in the Private Sector (g) Immeasurable time loss due to lateness, absenteeism, malingering, bathroom usage and gossiping (Simona Broomes should do a sweep at some governmental office rather than harassing Private Sector employers) (h) Additional perks due to bribery In the meanwhile, sugar workers who toil under poor conditions are still fighting for a negotiated API of less than five days and other employees have to cope with a minimum wage of $40,000 per month, while our new Government bask in the glory of their 50 per cent increase.

Yours sincerely, D Singh

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GHRA welcomes postponement and beneficial ownership Dear Editor, The Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA) commends the decision by the Government to postpone passage of the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Bill in one parliamentary sitting. While calls for further consultation are welcome, the GHRA’s primary concern is the absence of assessment by agencies familiar with such legislation worldwide, particularly the United Nations. A further troubling issue is how consultation is understood by Government agencies.

The fact that none of the GHRA recommendations was accepted in the Anti-Terrorism consultation would have been defensible if there were evidence of amendments from elsewhere having improved the original draft. In the absence of such evidence, an explanation of what ‘consultation’ means for the Attorney General’s Chambers in particular would be helpful.

The early months of the new Government saw a blizzard of consultations: civic bodies such as the GHRA were hard-pressed to do justice to the many requests for input to these process-

es, which often involved trekking out to the Arthur Chung Convention Centre.

In some cases, these activities became building blocks for more constructive relations between civil society and Government, reflected in superior policy-making outcomes. In others, they appear to have been little more than symbolic gestures to international funders, without strengthening relations between civic and Public Sector agencies.

The length of time the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Act has been shunted on and off the parliamentary agenda in recent years offers more justification for completing all remaining stages in one session. Nonetheless, the Government needs to dispel any suggestion that Parliament is an inconvenient process. Efforts to curtail the parliamentary budget debate are still fresh in peoples’ minds. What comes across as short-circuiting democracy may in fact be more accurately ascribed to poor planning in which sidelining consultation becomes the quickest route to make up for lost time.

On a more positive note, the GHRA welcomes the amendment of the term “beneficial ownership” in Section 2 (1) of the AntiMoney Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Act. Transparency campaigns are being waged worldwide to legally enforce a requirement that the real names of natural persons who own or benefit from businesses be made available to the public. Too often, real ownership is veiled behind anonymous names, encouraging widespread financial criminality. The new definition will require all persons to be named, who through their exercise of significant ownership and control of companies are major beneficiaries.

Equally significant in the interests of transparency, is the amendment to Section 15(4) (c) of the new Act which extends the beneficial ownership requirement to business partners when establishing a business relationship.

Sincerely, The Executive Committee Guyana Human Rights Association

It is okay to express the Christian faith in the Hindustani culture Dear Editor, One “Vassan” penned a loaded letter, “One cannot be a Hindu Christian to gain predatory rights of conversion” (Guyana Times, December 20, 2015).

The missive contained a myriad of questions that I would love to address, but I am unable to do so adequately in a letters column. Consequently, I shall broach only the salient points in the letter.

The contents of the letter denote that Vassan is not versed on the motifs of the Christian and Hindu faiths.

He also needs to distinguish nuances in terminologies – the subtle difference between ‘Hindustani’ and ‘Hindu’, for example. (The former refers to an ethnic people; the sphere of the latter points to a culture). I am a Hindustani; God has made me “Indian” (my roots are from Uttar Pradesh) – and I am proud of them. Therefore, I am a Hindustani (Indian) Christian!

Vassan compares my love for Hindus to that of a lion’s “love” for his prey – the lion could make mince meal out of the prey! How could one who respects and honours Hindus wish for their annihilation? On the contrary, my prayer is for the world (including Hindus) to experience spiritual sustenance, as

the Christian faith is compared to “one beggar telling another beggar where he found bread”.

Christianity is not a new faith found by Jesus Christ, as rebellion against Judaism, as asserted by Vassan. God created humankind, who sinned – resulting in an estrangement.

God has had ‘moksha’ (deliverance, freedom, salvation) in mind from the genesis of time. This was substantiated hundreds of years before the birth of the Messiah. This promise of moksha came in the form of Jesus Christ (approximately 2015 years ago), as he was born from a virgin mother. He was fully man and fully God, lived a sinless life. He lived, died, and rose again after the third day – and is alive today, and gives humankind new life, accompanied by hope and peace. I have experienced this darshan (spiritual encounter) and that is why I love and serve him.

And I delight in doing so in the Hindustani genre!

Glorifying God in a disparate religious setting is not tantamount to agreeing with all the premises of another’s religious convictions. It is not a case of syncretism; rather, it is appreciating one’s spiritual commonality and appraising that ubiquitous spiri-

tual need of humankind.

And if given an opportunity, I love to express my Christian faith by singing bhajans and kirtans. My son is an excellent musician; he plays the harmonium and tabla, and from time to time bestows a great rendition of a raag in Satsanghs – glorifying God in the name of Jesus!

Vassan claims that I cannot comprehend “Sanatan Dharma as a way of life”. I would be grateful if he could elucidate on this “way of life”. What does it entail – what does it look like?

The letter writer also claims that I “target” Hindus, and ignore Muslims, Jews, etc. My ‘target’ is the world, as I’ve shared God’s Good News

with countless Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, atheists as well as “Christians”!

This “sharing” is not necessarily expatiated by speaking; I often do so by being ‘salt’ and ‘light’.

Vassan is correct to note that the Christian faith “originated in the Mideast but the strain in Guyana and the entire world is strongly European”.

Therefore, unfortunately, Christians in Guyana and elsewhere feel that to express their faith, they need to embrace Western culture. In Guyana, Christians know only about Western and “Caribbean” music, clothing, and culture. (I read in the media how a famous Guyanese visited a high-profile church in Georgetown – and he

donned white shirt, navy blue tie, black trousers with black shoes to show respect for those in attendance!).

Fortunately, Christians in many parts of the world are realising that one needs to distinguish between faith and culture – and the Christian faith could be appropriated in all cultures

of the world, including the Hindustani culture.

I would like to take this opportunity to say “Pranaam/Namaskaar” and “Merry Christmas” to Vassan Ji and all my fellow Guyanese.

Sincerely, Devanand Bhagwan

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monday, december 21, 2015

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By Katie Hurley

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ast year my daughter requested to sit on Santa’s lap for the very first time. It was a departure from the usual Saint Nick fly-bys we engage in between Thanksgiving and Christmas every year. She was seven, and she was ready.

We deliberately went to visit the big guy during a low traffic time. She doesn’t like to be the centre of attention, after all. Although we only waited for about 20 minutes, we saw plenty of tears from toddlers trying desperately to escape the jolly old elf. My daughter was visibly upset by what she saw.

“Why do the children have to sit on his lap?” she whispered, over and over again.

Countless children will sit on Santa’s lap this holiday season, and many of them will hate every second of it.

There will be tears, primal screams and attempts to run, but time and time again, these mini protesters will be placed back on his lap to capture that perfect holiday picture — the so-called “rite of passage.”

It might feel like this holiday ritual is no big deal, and you might even wonder how much children actually remember from these events. The truth is that these seemingly small moments feel significantly upsetting for the screaming toddler left in the lap of the stranger and for siblings caught in the middle. Forcing children to sit with that kind of fear can have lasting effects.

Before you spend hours in line to create that essential holiday memory, consider these potential pitfalls:

guyanatimesgy.com

Foundation It’s traumatising

Strangers and people in costume rank high on the list of common childhood fears for toddlers and preschoolers, and for good reason. While Santa looks cute on paper, he’s big and imposing in person. It’s the same

weeks to come. If an experience is particularly upsetting, they can even develop a fear of men with beards or glasses.

It sends mixed messages about stranger danger

From the moment children

chat about what will happen.

Reassure your child that you will be right there, and Santa, although technically a stranger, is kind. If your child resists, find another tradition to focus on this year. There are plenty of other ways to make memories.

It triggers the worry cycle

reason your toddler freezes up in the face of Mickey Mouse when you finally find an opportunity to meet him. Viewing images in books or on a screen in the safety of your home is one thing, but when those same images show up in person and larger than anyone you’ve ever met, it can be frightening.

Some children are so upset by their visits with Santa that they experience nightmares and other forms of sleep disturbance for

can talk, parents warn them about stranger danger. We tell them not to talk to strangers.

We tell them not to go anywhere with a stranger. We even develop code words and backup plans in case we’re late for school or daycare pickup. Then we sit them on the lap of a complete stranger and implore them to smile for the camera.

It’s best to preface the visit with Santa with a quick

If you happen to have a little worrier on your hands (the child who doesn’t separate easily, for example), this is not the time to experiment with meeting new people. Santa visits tend to be overwhelming both visually and emotionally. Long lines tend to be loud as squirmy children lose their patience. His house is usually large and overwhelming.

It’s a lot to process, and worriers are easily overwhelmed.

Understanding each individual child’s temperament plays an important role in helping children thrive. What works for one of your children won’t necessarily work for another. You might have genuinely enjoyed visits with Santa as a child, but that isn’t a guarantee that your child will feel the same.

An anxious child needs extra time to prepare for potentially worrisome situations.

Transitions and new experiences can be difficult. Forcing your little worrier to sit on Santa’s lap will likely exacerbate the worry cycle and leave your child feeling anxious and upset.

It breaks the trust

Children love their parents unconditionally, and they trust their parents to take care of them and help them when life feels hard. Leaving your child screaming and crying on the

lap of a stranger and yelling to your child to smile or shake it off, or laughing while your child struggles, breaks the trust between child and parent.

Sure, those pictures might seem funny when they show up on late night television, but what kind of a message does it send your child? If you want to build a trusting relationship, you have to be there for your children.

scared. Empathise with them.

Then work together to create new holiday traditions that work for everyone. (Parenting.com)

It minimises their feelings

The single best way to raise happy children is to teach them how to cope with their emotions. Life isn’t always easy, and children will confront a range of emotions each day. If we teach them how to recognise and cope with their feelings, we set them up to work through the hard stuff independently as they grow.

If we minimise their emotions (by telling them sitting on Santa’s lap is no big deal, for example), we teach them to stuff their feelings. We leave them feeling alone in a sea of emotions. All feelings are important, and it’s important for parents to put their own needs aside for a moment to help their children through difficult moments.

It lacks empathy

This practice — this need to get the holiday picture no matter the outcome – lacks empathy. We teach children to think about others. We tell them to be kind and compassionate.

Then we turn our backs and do the opposite.

The truth is that memories are made by spending time together as a family. Listen to your children when they feel

The Late, Late Show e attend Midnight Mass. Last year, we brought my fourmonth-old daughter with hopes she would mostly sleep during the service.

However, she was wideeyed and bushy-tailed the entire service, just taking in all the hymns and even babbling during some.

When we got home, my husband and I enjoyed a cup of hot cocoa while our daughter enjoyed a bottle and we each opened one Christmas present.

We intend to continue this tradition for as long as possible as it made for a fantastic memory.” – Michelle Schutzman

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Take-out tradition “With all the brouhaha of the holidays, my mother, after years of suffering in silence, had finally had it with planning (and washing up after) two special meals, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, back to back. She found the only place that was open late in our small town on Christmas Eve was The Golden Dragon. She all got our favourites, and because it was Christmas, she splurged... We ate out of cartons with those disposable chopsticks and cheap paper napkins, making hardly any dishes at all. So my mom transformed Christmas Eve into something that everyone enjoyed.

Now I’m the mom, and to my little family Chinese take-out is as traditional to Christmas as candy canes and stockings.” – Margaret Preller Osako Movie night “What’s Christmas Eve without watching How the Grinch Stole Christmas and A Christmas Story?” – Heather Wilbanks No chimney, no problem “We don’t have a fireplace, so we hang out a magic key for Santa and put out cookies for him, too. We also make reindeer dust, which is oatmeal and glitter. The glitter is to guide the reindeer to the house, and we sprinkle it just before we go to bed!”

-Susan Bailey Davis (parenting.com)

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monday, december 21, 2015 | guyanatimesGY.com

Despite sugar industry surpassing target, workers left empty pocketed

The Skeldon Sugar Factory

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or the first time in over 25 years, sugar workers are being denied their hard-earned annual wage increases and will consequently be having a bleak Christmas.

And with just 10 days left before 2015 comes to an end, the industrious sugar workers will also be heading into the New Year with literally empty pockets.

Commenting on the situation, former President Bharrat Jagdeo, in an invited comment on Sunday, expressed complete remorse over the way in which one of the country’s most significant labour forces is being treated.

“We were told that they did a wonderful job, at working hard and surpassing targets, and so one. [We] would have had expected that they would have been rewarded for this but the Government rewarded themselves and the Ministers and did not find any resources to give the sugar workers even a bonus, much less a salary increase,” Jagdeo related.

The former Head of State pointed out also that the sugar workers, who worked diligently all year long, were also denied their Annual Production Incentive because of the “unconscionable act” by the new Administration to increase the tonnes one would need to meet to qualify for a single day’s work.

“It must be really bleak and sad in the household as we approach Christmas day because they will have nothing to look forward to,” Jagdeo stated.

In an invited comment to the Government Information Agency recently, Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo said that the nation is behind the sugar industry, adding that the Administration is determined to save it. “Over the last few years, the national treasury has funded the sugar industry perhaps with over $50 billion. This year was over $12 billion, and next year they will also have a bail out from the national purse,” he stated.

The Prime Minister fur-

ther remarked that the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) is indebted some $82 billion, therefore it has to be more viable over the medium- and long-term, otherwise it will become a millstone around the neck of the sugar industry.

However, to date, while the Government has praised the sugar industry for its success in 2015, the sugar workers are yet to be rewarded or given what they are entitled to.

Over the past few weeks, the sugar workers were told that because of the financial position GuySuCo is in, they will not be paid their annual bonus which usually amounts to five per cent of their wages and they will have to wait until March next year to collect their Annual Production Incentive (API) for 2015.

Guyana Times understands that this will be the first year in decades that the workers would not be paid their annual wage increase despite the total annual pro-

duction of 230,000 tonnes being surpassed.

To add to the sugar workers’ pain, the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Administration recently announced that all public servants earning less than $500,000 per month will be given a Christmas bonus of $50,000 this month.

Reports are that the processing of this bonus has already begun and public servants are beginning to receive their extra bonuses, adding to the five per cent retroactive to January that they were already given and the five per cent salary increase that was announced in the 2015 Budget.

Meanwhile, sugar workers were left with nothing in their pockets despite pleas from their Union – the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) – for them to be included in the lot to receive the $50,000 since all sugar workers are considered to be workers of the Administration.

It must be reminded that during the campaign trail leading up to the 2015 General and Regional Elections, during which the APNU/AFC was voted into office, the coalition had gone into communities where sugar workers predominantly lived and make tall promises of a better life for sugar workers.

In spite of all the difficulties and hardships the workers face, they were once again slapped in the face when Prime Minister Nagamootoo sought to empty-handedly commend sugar workers for

their diligent work in helping to realise this year’s production target.

Only recently, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo called out Government in the National Assembly on their actions. He noted that the sugar workers, whom Guyana were told did so wonderfully by working hard and surpassing the target, were merely congratulated by Member of Parliament Raphael Trotman and offered nothing as a reward.

“What did they get Mr

Speaker? The people who are providing sugar for this country, who are providing revenue for the State, who are providing income and foreign currency, what do they get for surpassing the target?

Thank you from the National Assembly! Thank you from the Honourable Member Mr Trotman (but) zero increases for the year,” Jagdeo stated.

The former President pointed out that this has never happened in the 20 plus years the People’s Progressive Party/Civic was in power.

8 NEWS

monday, december 21, 2015 | guyanatimesGY.com

8 homeless as fire Eyew tness ravages Lusignan home ‘Tis the season…

Fire ravages home just days before Christmas

By Devina Samaroo

C

hristmas has been ruined for a family of eight after a midnight fire completely destroyed their two-storey home at Lot 99 Lusignan Pasture Road, East Coast Demerara.

Family members were thrown into a state of shock and despair as they watched the ravaging flames reduce the building to nothing but ashes.

It was just minutes to 00:00h Saturday when the frantic cries of several chil-

dren alerted family members that there was a fire.

When Guyana Times visited the scene late Sunday afternoon, family members gathered around the ruined structure, providing much-needed emotional support for each other.

The owner of the house, Patrick Sebastian explained that everyone was sound asleep when the fire had started in one of the bedrooms in the upper flat.

By the time they were fully awake and aware of what was happening, the

family only had time to rescue the children who were trapped in the upper flat.

Sebastian noted that his two children and his two nieces were in the bedrooms in the upper flat at the time of the incident.

During the rescue of the children, he sustained minor burns on his back, which were later treated at a city hospital.

The Guyana Fire Service was immediately summoned, but, by the time it arrived, it was too late – nothing could have been salvaged.

Sebastian explained that the winds were too strong and the house just could not have been saved.

“I wouldn’t criticise them because they did their best. The period of time they took from Georgetown to here, it was commendable. And with the high winds and everything, it was so out-of-control,” he related.

He estimated that approximately $8 million went up in flames.

Furthermore, he dismissed reports that the fire started as a result of the children playing with matches.

“How can children be playing with matches at 12:00h? They were dead asleep!” he stated.

However, he noted that he was at a loss as to how the fire would have started.

He explained that he switched off all the fairy lights and electrical appliances before the family went to bed.

The family would now have to split up and stay with other family members until they are in a position to start rebuilding their lives, he said.

Liliendaal shooting

Minibus driver succumbs

By Kristen Macklingam

J

ermaine Barrow, the minibus driver who was shot while driving along the Liliendaal Railway Embankment, Greater Georgetown,

drew his last breath at the Georgetown Public Hospital on Saturday.

The 28-year-old man, who was shot to his side during a foiled robbery, succumbed to his injuries after spending almost a week in

the Hospital battling for his life.

Guyana Times was told that Barrow, who was transporting passengers at the time, was shot by a gunman who had attempted to board the vehicle with an accomplice.

Reports are that on December 14, the now dead man was about to pick up passengers at Liliendaal around 22:00h when the incident took place.

A passenger in the minibus had told the media that the vehicle was proceeding towards Georgetown when two men flagged the driver down.

However, when the driver stopped to pick the duo up, an occupant of the vehicle apparently suspected that the two men were robbers and pulled the door shut.

It was then that one of the men pointed his gun at Barrow and shot him to the side, but this did not stop the wounded man from ensuring that he, along with the passengers, escaped the clutches of the gunmen.

Guyana Times under-

stands that the wounded man managed to drive his vehicle a short distance away from the gunmen before he veered into a trench at Blygezigt Gardens.

He was then rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he underwent emergency surgery.

Some of the passengers sustained minor injuries which occurred when the minibus swerved into the trench. They were treated at the Hospital as well.

Shortly following the incident, heavily-armed Police ranks scoured East Coast Demerara (ECD) areas searching for the gunmen, but to no avail. The perpetrators had already made good their escape.

According to a Police press release on Sunday, investigations are still ongoing into the matter.

Recently, Police statistics have revealed that there have been 22 robbery-murders, and 791 gunpoint robberies at the end of November since the start of the year. (kristenm@guyanatimesgy. com)

B

…for more firings

ack in the Middle Ages when the “executioner” was a real fella wielding an axe, and huge crowds would show up to watch him ply his trade (so to speak), there had to be an intermission on busy days. The executioner’s arm would get tired. It appears something similar must’ve happened to the fella in charge of “cleansing” the Government middle-tier workers.

The moment APNU/AFC slipped into office, their axe flew fast and furious. It wasn’t just a matter of “killing seven in one blow” like the brave little tailor; in one case, 1972 heads were rolled in one fell swoop! But then they were just “hinterland people”, so the Government probably equated them to seven.

There were so many bodies thrown out of the Government bus that one was reminded of the days of rage back in 20022008 when folks would morbidly pick up the paper in the morning just to check “who gone”. People breathed a collective sigh of relief when it was over. Or when they thought it was over. Over the last week, it appears that the axeman was just resting. The Government had also been stung by a wave of disgust at their Cowboy Justice and hunkered down for the “audit ploy” by their hired guns to come in.

The week began with a Big Fish over at the GRA – the biggest fish of all, who actually thought he was a shark and a “Great White” at that – sent off on “leave”. Now how the heck does someone “accumulate” 200 days of leave, when it was public knowledge the fella was regularly taking vacations with his family abroad? Most folks thought the GREAT WHITE would’ve been out in the early GREAT PURGE and his replacement was even named and identified in the press. Of course, he was an ex-military officer…and from foreign: who else can give us the discipline we need?

Well, at the end of the week, the Government trumped up some charges against a fella who ran the Scrap Metal operations for the Government under the “investigation” of hired gun Chris Lalloo Ram. Fella tried to defend himself.

But the one they’ve been gunning for all along, however, showed that “knock got knock back” and he would not go quietly into the night.

Hired gun Goolsarran concocted his trumped-up charges against the head of NICIL, Brassington – who delivered a world-class hotel to Guyana for which he should’ve gotten a medal. Goolsarran never realised his crude allegations would be exposed so thoroughly.

He should be hauled before the Accountancy Disciplinary Committee for disgracing the profession.

…for freeing criminals

This Eyewitness isn’t sure why we have a judiciary and we make such a fuss about it. Just last week we had a big parley about appointing an acting Chief Justice and finally the good lady’s appointed. But if the judiciary’s supposed to be dispensing “justice” and we are appointing “qualified” persons like the new acting Chief Justice, what does the insistence by Prezzie to keep on freeing persons convicted of crimes signal to those worthies?

From where this Eyewitness sits (and it’s not on the Bench, be assured) it signals that either Judges are too harsh or the law’s too draconian. If the former, Prezzie is demotivating the Judiciary and if the latter, he should be using his majority in the Assembly to alter the law.

As it is, the signal to the ordinary citizen is crime pays.

The President’s continued reference to “cell phone thieves” as “no big thing” creates a slippery slope.

As cars become more common, would hijacking one soon be “no big thing”?

…to be jolly – up to 2am

This is the time of the year that will show whether the Minister of National Security will put his money where his mouth is on his 2am curfew.

Especially on New Year which BEGINS at 12 midnight.

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

news

9

monday, december 21, 2015 | guyanatimesGY.com

Eccles residents complain Wakenaam to benefit from improved ferry services of stench, rodents at Haags Bosch site R

Haags Bosch Landfill

By Kristen Macklingam

T

he Haags Bosch Landfill has once again come under the spotlight, this time for the stench coming from it on a regular basis which is affecting nearby residents.

Despite the Communities Ministry earlier this year stating that improved sanitary conditions remained its goal for solid waste management, persons living in Eccles, East Bank Demerara (EBD), were concerned about health and sanitation issues resulting from the Landfill.

When Guyana Times visited the area on Sunday, a number of residents complained bitterly, stating that they were at a loss as to what measures could be put in place to curb this situation.

A father of three young children told this publication that while he understood that there would be some “unwelcome scents” coming from the dumpsite, it becomes unbearable whenever it rains.

“On the hot days, it isn’t so bad but you see when it rains here, the smell gets higher and higher and then it is so horrible. This isn’t good for anyone much less children and their health.

As time goes by and the garbage becomes more and more that they are dumping there, it will get worse,” the man stated.

Another resident who lives one street away from the Haags Bosch Landfill explained that from the inception many persons were worried about whether or not their health would be affected by the dumpsite.

“Ever since they started bringing the garbage here, people continue to move in their homes and so on. But not only the smell, sometimes you worry about flies and roaches, and whether they will come in your house. As for the smell, you have to lock up all your windows many days just not to get the scent inside which is horrible,” the older woman said.

A young couple who recently moved in to the area told this publication that

they have been plagued with rats invading their homes.

As a result, they had to construct mesh barriers in front of their windows so that they could be left open for air, and their front door is hardly ever open unless someone is in their balcony.

“When we first moved in, I had roach problems then mice and rats started to bother us. I don’t know how they got here or where they came from, but after we battled with them, then the snakes became a problem. Fine snakes used to be crawling in by the door sometimes,” the young lady explained.

However, some residents told Guyana Times that they did not have the rodent problem but rather were faced with the stench from

the dumpsite.

Guyana Times visited the Haags Bosch Landfill where a security guard said he had not seen any rats.

“I am here working almost every day and until now I don’t see any rats, so they aren’t around when I am here if they have any. I don’t think rats would leave here and go anywhere since all the foodstuff and garbage is here anyhow. Some people like to exaggerate and seek publicity by saying these things,” the guard said.

This publication made several attempts to contract Communities Minister Ronald Bulkan to determine whether or not the Ministry was aware of this issue, but those calls were to no avail. (kristenm@guyanatimesgy.com)

esidents on the island of Wakenaam, in the Essequibo River, will benefit from greater ferry services, Minister within the Public Infrastructure Ministry Annette Ferguson announced.

Ferguson visited the island on Friday, a week after she would have made an initial trip to the island.

During her first trip to the island, Minister Ferguson had visited several sites on Wakenaam and interacted with both officials and residents, with residents being particularly vocal about what they deemed substandard service at the Wakenaam stelling.

Following these expressed concerns, Minister Ferguson had indicated that she would return to the island shortly, along with officials from the Public Infrastructure Ministry.

On Friday, residents again emphasised that there was a need to put a proper system in place that would see them benefiting from better service. They highlighted problems they experience, the most recent being just last week.

Among the complaints were erratic services, long waits, and unprofessionalism on the part of staff of the Transport and Harbours Department (T&HD).

“It’s not fair for us to sit on a ferry for hours and this

Public-spirited citizens nab Linden thief – “Operation Dragnet” reels in unlicensed firearm, rounds

P

ublic-spirited citizens apprehended a 15-year-old on Saturday evening after the teenager stole a handbag from a young woman, which contained her cellular phone, cash and house keys.

According to reports, the incident occurred around 21:30h at Co-op Crescent, Linden.

Reports state that the teen snatched the handbag belonging to 22-yearold Nazeema McLean of Rainbow City, Mackenzie and attempted to escape.

Guyana Times understands that the teen failed in making good his escape, as public-spirited citizens gave chase and soon apprehended him.

The thief was then handed over to the Police and the stolen items were recovered.

Charges are expected to be instituted soon.

Meanwhile, about 00:40h Saturday, Police ranks, who were on patrol under “Operation Dragnet”, conducted a search of a man at Princes Street, Georgetown.

During the search, the ranks discovered an unlicensed .32 revolver and 19 matching rounds in his possession.

Charges are expected to be made shortly.

This newspaper was told that the man who was bust-

ed with the gun was previously charged with unlawful possession of another firearm during June 2015.

This matter is currently before the courts. (kristenm@ guyanatimesgy.com)

Minister Ferguson addressing residents of Wakenaam during her visit to the island

is happening very often,” a resident said. One resident, a driver by profession, further said that he has lessened his work hours due to the ongoing situation. He emphasised that he has no other job. “Nobody wants to turn up and hear the time change or the boat ain’t coming,” another resident said.

Others complained were raised, with emphasis being places of the high cost of alternative transportation; that is the speedboat, which residents claim is too expensive for those with small families and young children.

Several residents further provided suggestions on how the situation could be rectified. Residents indicated that if a fixed schedule is in place, regardless of the time, they would make themselves available.

These suggestions were noted by Minister Ferguson and the officials and after brief discussions, a solution was put forward.

Minister Ferguson indicat-

ed than an extra day would be added to the ferry services to Wakenaam. This day was set as Monday.

Furthermore, it was agreed upon that the ferry would ply directly from Wakenaam to Parika rather than stopping at the island of Leguan. This, it was agreed, would save much time for the residents of Wakenaam.

Furthermore, Minister Ferguson indicated that T&HD General Manager, Marcelene Merchant, would speak with technical persons to determine ways to lessen travel time.

She said too that the professionalism of T&HD employees would come under scrutiny.

“If employees of T&HD cannot adhere to what they are supposed to do, then somebody will have to feel the brunt of it,” Minister Ferguson emphasised.

She added that those who do poor jobs will be disciplined.

The new arrangement took effect on Sunday.

10

guyanatimesgy.com

monday, december 21, 2015

News

Businesses suffering Govt moves to establish Public ‘massive blows’ – Procurement Commission Berbice Chamber

BY KRISTEN MACKLINGAM

A

lthough the festive season is in full swing and only four more days to go before Christmas Day arrives, for many Berbicians, this year will not be as enjoyable as they would have hoped.

This is according to Berbice Chamber of Industry and Commerce (BCIC) President Rajnauth Ramroop, who told Guyana Times that at present, the Berbice economy is suffering and there are no signs that things will get better anytime soon.

In fact, he noted that although Christmas shopping has already begun, a number of persons are unable to spend their monies as they had done in previous years.

Ramroop recently told this publication that the observation in Berbice thus far is that many households are not spending as they usually would and this is devastating the economy.

He explained that the main places where persons are frequenting would be supermarkets and stalls so that they can buy food and food items which is a necessity.

Unfortunately, with regards to Christmas shopping, there is not much be-

BCIC President Rajnauth Ramroop

ing done at this point in time in Berbice, Ramroop said.

“It all goes back to what has been happening this year, due to the fall of rice prices. Then you know the year had elections and a lot of things happen this year in the sense that a lot of people felt that they should just look at what is happening… the circulation of money is the problem right now,” The BCIC President stated.

However, it is hoped that with the recent awarding of $50,000 for each public servant who fits the criteria, some spending would be increased in his region.

He told this news-

paper that even though Government workers would receive this bonus, it does not necessarily mean that Berbice would benefit much since many of the workers there are not employed by the Government.

“It is not looking like Christmas but we are hoping that when the $50,000 is being paid to the Public Sector, we will have an impact here,” he added.

Meanwhile, in Demerara, Chairman of the Private Sector Commission (PSC), Norman McLean told Guyana Times that in the city, there seems to be a “pick up” of sales presently.

“In Georgetown it seems as if it is picking up but...

I don’t anticipate that this would be a dramatic improvement but certainly what I have seen in Georgetown, it seems as if business is picking up but this is only for the Christmas season. I don’t know if the roll over into the New Year, that is what we have to wait and see,” he stated.

According to McLean, the PSC will be paying keen attention to this situation with the hope that next year, more money will be spent in order to boost the country’s economy. (kristenm@guyanatimesgy.com)

Government has spent over $133 million in audits since coming into office in May of this year

G

overnment is making moves to have the Public Procurement Commission (PPC) finally established.

While on the Opposition side of the house, the new A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance for Change (APNU/AFC) Government was very critical of the then People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) Government’s approach to the distribution of contracts and had called out to PPP/C to have the important commission established.

The Public Accounts Committee of the National Assembly has advertised, inviting stakeholders, political parties, civil organisations and individuals to submit names of persons eligible to be considered Commissioners.

According to Guyana’s Constitution, the PPC shall consist of five members who shall have expertise and experience in the procurement, legal, financial and administrative matters.

The PPC is usually made up of Government

and Opposition parliamentarians, and is traditionally chaired by a member of the Opposition in the House.

Government itself had come under fire for failing to establish the PPC earlier – a promise it made in its manifesto. The absence of the PPC had caused even more outrage against Government, particularly because of its move to carry out a number of forensic audits at State entities across Guyana, without carrying out the requisite tendering process.

Only on Thursday last, it was revealed that Government, since coming into office in May of this year, has spent over of $133 million in audits, all with an objective it said of “understanding” how the agencies work and to detect the existing malpractices and develop initiatives that can address them.

Former Junior Finance Minister and now Opposition PPP/C Member of Parliament (MP) Bishop Juan Edghill had posed the question for Government to

provide a detailed list of every entity where audits have or are being conducted.

According to a notice paper presented in Parliament, the total amount covers some $133,045,900. The audits range from investigations into the operations of the Guyana Oil Company (GuyOil) to the New Guyana Marketing Corporation (New GMC).

Government’s response to the validity or legal authority to the audits detailed that it is being done in accordance with Section 4 of the Audit Act of 2004 which sites Government’s legal right to carry out the investigations. In addition, it noted that Cabinet had given its approval of the audits to be conducted on the selected agencies.

Topping the 50 listed entities at a cost of $8,049,800 is the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC). Ram and McRae is listed as the auditor. The Guyana Gold Board followed in this order at a cost of $7.750 million, a job that was also offered to the Ram and McRae Auditing Firm.

The report showed too that funding for five of the major entities was undertaken by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

They include the Guyana Power and Light, Guyana Water Inc, Guyana National Shipping Limited, Lethem Power Company and the Guyana Revenue Authority.

Among the big names giving its service in this regard are Nigel Hinds Financial Service, Dr Anand Goolsarran, Harry Parmesar, Nizam Ali and Company and Charles Sugrim.

Government said the audits were not intended to go after the former Ministers of Government, but were to understand the workings of the relevant agencies since the coalition hardly had any knowledge of the financial and operational status of the various agencies.

11 Russia mulls investing in hydropower in Guyana R news

monday, december 21, 2015 | guyanatimesGY.com

ussia is exploring the possibility of investing in the development of hydropower stations in Guyana.

In restating its commitment to contribute to the economic growth of the Guyanese economy, Russia noted that another possible area of bilateral cooperation is that of renewable energy.

This proclamation comes at a time when Russia and Guyana have enjoyed 45 years of diplomatic relations.

“Forty-five years is an age when everything just begins,” the Russian Embassy noted in a statement.

The Embassy disclosed that a Russian company, MNTO INSET has plans to build mini-hydropower stations in Guyana, which will contribute to the country’s green energy development initiative. To discuss specific projects, both sides are preparing for the first meeting of the bilateral Working Group on cooperation in the field of geology, as was agreed between the Ministries of Natural Resources of Russia and Guyana in 2014.

In addition to hydropower plants, Russia said it stood ready to exchange mining knowledge; explore new relations and market opportunities; teach and train more students and policemen; host special courses for Guyanese diplomats at the Russian Diplomatic Academy; and to generally continue to con-

Foreign Affairs Minister Carl Greenidge and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov shaking hands after signing the bilateral visa waiver agreement in September

tribute to the growth and development of the Guyanese economy.

It was explained that countries have the ability to accomplish more when working together, and this was the direction Russia foresaw for the relationship between itself and Guyana.

“We are looking forward to signing agreements on promotion and reciprocal protection of investments, mutual recognition of diplomas and cooperation between law enforcement agencies including counter-drug investigation and cooperation,” the statement noted.

The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) commonly called the Soviet Union was among the first States to recognise Guyana after it gained independence in 1966.

The political cooperation between the Soviet Union and the newly independent South

American nation developed rapidly throughout the years.

Guyana’s then Prime Minister Linden Forbes Burnham paid an official visit to Moscow in April 1978.

Late President Dr Cheddi Jagan travelled to the Soviet Union more than once.

The Delegation of the Supreme Soviet visited Guyana in 1988.

Throughout the 19701980s a number of bilateral agreements were signed, covering cooperation in the fields of trade, economy, culture, science and fishing.

Under these agreements on trade and technical cooperation, the Soviet Union exported machinery to Guyana including three Mi-8 helicopters and four Tu-154 jet planes for the national air carrier “Guyana Airways”.

On January 8, 1992, Guyana officially recognised the Russian Federation as the USSR’s successor. In

1995, the bilateral protocol on political consultation between the Foreign Ministers of both countries was signed.

Since then, several rounds of talks have taken place, the latest – in October this year.

In 2004, Russia and Guyana concluded the intergovernmental agreement on the settlement of Guyanese debts, which resulted in the Russian Federation cancelling US$16.2 million, without any political preconditions and requirements. In 2013, the remainder of the debts – US$266,000 – was written off.

This beneficial arrangement for Guyana was reached after a meeting between former President Bharrat Jagdeo and President Vladimir Putin in Moscow in 2003.

Although bilateral trade is relatively small, Russian investments are quite significant, exceeding US$150 million. The Russian company, RUSAL, a major global aluminium producer, has contributed to Guyana’s economic growth since 2004 after setting up a joint venture enterprise. The company employs more than 500 Guyanese. Despite the current difficulties on the world market, the company continues bauxite exploration in Guyana. During 2013-2015, it invested US$90 million in the industry and started new exploration in Region 1 (Upper Demerara-Berbice).

During this time, RUSAL has been pursuing a socially responsible policy, providing water and television transmission in Kwakwani, Aroaima and Hururu, bus service to schoolchildren as well as computers; grants to teachers; professional heavy machinery training to young workers. RUSAL also provided a number of scholarships to the prestigious People’s Friendship University in

Moscow. Other Russian companies have also invested in exploration of mineral resources in Guyana, including gold mining.

Additionally, the Russian Federation grants scholarships to Guyanese students in various fields on an annual basis. More than 200 Guyanese graduated from Russian universities as doctors, engineers and diplomats.

12 news Region 2 women receive Bandits shoot businessman empowerment training – motive unclear – Police – urged to become self-sufficient A monday, december 21, 2015 | guyanatimesGY.com

By Kristen Macklingam

50-year-old businessman is now battling for his life at the Georgetown Public Hospital after being shot to his abdomen by gunmen in the wee hours of Sunday.

Lebert Thomas, who hails from Melanie Damishana, East Coast Demerara (ECD), is now fighting to stay alive after sustaining severe injuries which have resulted in him already losing one kidney.

Reports are that the man was parking his motor vehicle in his yard around 00:15h on Sunday when two gunmen pounced on him.

One of the perpetrators

By Indrawattie Natram

M

ore than 40 women from the Essequibo Coast are being trained in the fields of catering, embroidery works and floral arrangements at the Marias Lodge Learning Centre.

These women were drawn from communities throughout Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) with the main aim of empowering them with skills to become marketable and more self-reliant.

Head of the Suddie Women’s Group, vendor Shondell James said that some women were confined to their homes as housewives and had to depend on their husbands for financial assistance. She said with that in mind, the women’s group was formed with the goal to change that mental bond and engage women in a skill so that they could be more economically independent.

“We want women to feel independent; they can earn and buy the things they need. Having them

Women at the classes learning to make floral design

involved in a skill is the way out,” said James.

Facilitating the classes is Hilon Khan, who told this newspaper that the participants were eager to learn. She said classes commenced in June 2015 and so far, the women were taught catering, embroidery works and floral arrangements. Khan said each month she focused on different skill areas.

At the end of the classes, there is a special “market day” where partici-

pants market their work to the public at Suddie Market. That way they are reimbursed financially for their investment. She said already participants were taking Christmas cake orders for the holiday season.

She also said that the women’s work was on display at the centre and anyone desirous of buying embroidery designs could visit and do so on Thursdays and Saturdays.

after confronting Thomas shot him to his abdomen.

The two culprits then fled the scene following the shooting.

Police on Sunday said that no arrests were made as ranks were still carrying out investigations into the matter to determine motive.

Meanwhile, the injured man’s mother, Yvonne Isaacs, told Guyana Times on Sunday that her son was “not in a good shape”.

“I went with him last night to the hospital, we wait a little, and then they take him to the operation room to perform operation(s) on him. He wasn’t looking too nice…one of his kidneys damaged, they had to take

it out, and along with that, there are a lot of internal injuries also. The doctors had to burst him down and try to see what they can do,” the distraught woman told this publication.

She explained that relatives of Thomas have been at the hospital since the man was rushed to the emergency unit and they told her that he was in a conscious state.

“My sister and her children, her nieces, they went down to the Hospital. By the grace of God I am hoping he gets better soon. I am praying a lot for him,” Isaacs stated. (kristenm@ guyanatimesgy.com)

National Tourism Policy to prioritise eco-tourism development

T

he development of the eco-tourism industry in Guyana will be given heightened emphasis in the Tourism Ministry’s National Tourism Policy, as the Government moves to further advance the sector. This was disclosed recently by Tourism Minister Cathy Hughes in an interview with GINA. The Minister is of the view that it is not widely known that the eco-tourism industry is still the fastest growing industry in the bigger tourism model.

“For eco-tourism, there are some very specific things that need to go with that, the whole issue of organic... The issue of sustainable tourism, and in most places of the world, there are few models that can be called eco-tourism and therefore it’s a process of growth, and so we want to say that it’s more sus-

Tourism Minister Cathy Hughes

tainable tourism right now with adventure tourism, but we want to identify with the recent study that we did, a few packages that we are going to be able to sell to the world.”

The eco-tourism industry is growing in Guyana and is expected to contrib-

ute to the conservation of the largely intact natural environment. In the past years, the number of resorts and lodges has increased, offering adventure and eco tourists an experience different from the typical island experience.

Last month, the Tourism Ministry completed an assessment of the eco-tourism sector in Guyana and identified areas for further development. Eco-tourism has been identified as one of the more important niche markets which Government intends to promote fully.

The Minister has advised that “one of the very important things we’re focusing on is each region identifying the opportunities for tourism, the products, the businesses that could be developed with assistance from the Private Sector, so we did that initiative in Region Eight [PotaroSiparuni]. I personally went out to Region 10 [Upper Demerara-Berbice] on two occasions and we’ve looked at possibilities there. To go hand in hand with that, I also went to the Rupununi area, Surama and Rewa looking at their community tourism model which is an excellent model that can be duplicated elsewhere.”

Eco-tourism has been touted as one of the many unique niches for ‘Destination Guyana’ simply because the country is endowed with massive pristine tracts of tropical rainforest, high species biodiversity, amazing wildlife, majestic rivers and waterfalls, mountain ranges, savannahs, wetlands, and indigenous communities with low carbon lifestyle. All these make Guyana’s ecotourism potential unsurpassed.

The National Tourism Policy is expected to be completed by January 2016.

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MONday, december 21, 2015 | guyanatimesGY.com

First couple make merry with children Zorg community hosts Christmas fete at State House Christmas party

President David Granger shares Christmas gifts to the children

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irst couple, President David Granger and First Lady Sandra Granger brought together more than 350 children from around Georgetown

on Sunday, for a time of merriment on the lawns of State House, as the first couple hosted the annual Christmas party.

The children, who were

drawn from all 15 wards in the capital city, were feted with an afternoon of singing, music, food and other goodies.

The event was coordi-

nated jointly with the Social Cohesion Ministry and featured face-painting booths, a bouncy castle and other forms of entrainment, much to the children’s delight. Even more delightful for the children, was being served with their meals by the President and the First Lady, the Government Information Agency reported.

The couple wished the children a merry Christmas, and President Granger reminded them that as they eat and make merry during the season, to take time to give thanks and to always remember that Christ is the reason for Christmas.

Referencing the story of Jesus’ birth, the President said while Christmas is a time to eat, drink and be merry, it should also be a time to reflect on Christ, his birth and teachings.

A Santa Mission Christmas

Roraima Airways hosts 20th children’s Christmas party

Christmas celebrations.

The event was hosted at the Arrowpoint Nature Resort, which is nestled in the Santa Mission reservation. The Roraima Airways team catered for children between the ages of four and 12. At the event, the gifts were distributed by Santa Claus, and apart from the gifts, the children were also treated to drinks, food and entertainment.

Additionally, Roraima also sponsors the refurbishing of the Santa Mission Primary annually in the month of August and sources books for the school’s library, which the group explains is one of their ways of giving back to the people of Santa Mission.

A child smiles happily after receiving his present from Santa on Saturday

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fter 23 years of adopting the Santa Mission Primary School, Roraima Airways once again shared the joy

of the Christmas spirit with the indigenous village, as it hosted yet again its children’s Christmas party on Saturday.

This event, which was launched in 1994, has become one of the major activities for the villagers of Santa Mission

Some of the children at the Zorg Christmas fete

BY INDRAWATTIE NATRAM

I

n fostering social cohesion, appreciation and a true sense of giving, the community of Zorg, in Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam) hosted a Christmas fete for children and elders within the neighbourhood. Children as well as elders were treated to a meal and were given a gift as part of the festive season.

The activity fostered togetherness as residents came out in their numbers and participated in the joyous event.

The event was sponsored by residents and Ramesh Deonarine, a member of the Association of Concerned Guyanese.

Region Two Chairman Devanand Ramdatt who participated in the celebration spoke about the transformation that has taken place over the past two decades in the community.

During his address, he said that young Guyanese have a serious responsibility to continue the development process, underscoring that both generations have an equal responsibility to build their communities and

the nation.

During the activity, the Chairman presented long serving Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) official Deonarine Takhurdin of Queenstown with an award and gift in recognition of his 21 years of dedicated service.

Takhurdin recently resigned as the Chairman of the Aberdeen/Zorg-en-Vlygt NDC. In addition to the social held at the Zorg Sports Club, Women and Junior Arms hosted its first ‘Day of Interaction and Christmas Village’ on Sunday at the Zorg playground. Proceeds from the Christmas Village will go towards the building of an empowerment centre as the organisation focuses on expanding its function.

The community hosted its inaugural Zorg Village Day in August, 2015, where members agreed to initiate several commemorative activities. The activities will not only keep the youth and elders actively involved but they are aimed at fostering togetherness among persons living in the fast growing community.

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monday, december 21, 2015 | guyanatimesGY.com

New library opened in Corentyne

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Children being taught to read at the new library facility

undreds of children are to directly benefit from a new library facility at Kilcoy, Corentyne, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne).

The project, which includes teaching children to read, is also aimed at benefiting adults who also cannot read from the Kilcoy/ Chesney community.

That is according to Chairman and Committee Action Officer of the North Kilcoy/Chesney/Fryish Citizens Development Committee (CDC), Arjundan Veerasammy who said the project was intended at improving the lives of students as well as adults.

His comments came as the ribbon was cut for the formal opening of the Kilcoy/

Chesney Community Centre library last week.

The project is the brainchild of fourth-year Social Science students of the University of Guyana Berbice Campus (UGBC) and forms part of their course work.

According to Veerasammy, who is tasked with assisting early school dropouts by providing the needed skills for them to make a success in life, before the library was established, the space at the community centre was periodically used for literacy classes which were conducted by the Headteacher of the nursery school in the community.

“This will also benefit children not only from this community. They can all

come to the library,” he told this publication.

The Kilcoy/Chesney Community Centre was established on March 28, 2013, but there was no formal programme to encourage reading being held in the space which was earmarked for literacy programmes.

Project Coordinator Arlene Alicock-Campbell, a fourth-year student of UGBC, explained that an assessment conducted in the Kilcoy/Chesney area revealed that most adults worked as either cane harvesters or weeders on the nearby sugar plantation owned by the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) and did not spend much time with their children teaching them to read.

“From the needs assessment, it was found that a library is a must in the Kilcoy/ Chesney area, so that is how we started to work with the students from October up to the first two weeks in December…” Classes were held weekly for three hours on Saturdays.

“We will read with the students and teach them to read, because that was the problem. We all know that reading is power and knowledge and if you can read, you can be in touch with anything,” Alicock-Campbell added.

She said five students were initially identified after they were assessed, and explained that most of them could not identify sight words “like ‘am’, ‘are’, ‘is’ etc”. “We did our evaluation and out of the five weak students, we were able to achieve progress in four.”

Other children and adults will now be targeted in an effort to enable them to read. Meanwhile, three volunteers from the community are being trained to take over and run the project, which was started by the university students.

Guyanese busted with cocaine in Atlanta

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Guyanese woman was busted with cocaine at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

According to reports, the woman travelled from Barbados to Atlanta with more than five kilograms (10 pounds) of cocaine stashed in her suitcases.

She has been identified as Delshana Christopher of West Ruimveldt,

Georgetown.

Reports indicate the woman was searched upon her arrival in Atlanta. It was then US authorities detected several packets of cocaine in her luggage.

The US authorities are now working closely with the Barbadian authorities to investigate the matter. Guyanese authorities have also been informed of the situation.

A toy for the holidays – the joy of giving toys at Christmas

By Utamu Belle

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on’t you just love the spirit of Christmas?

For some of us, the joy of the holiday season is engulfed with lots of good cheer – friends, family, food, fun and so much merry – it can be almost overwhelming at times, leaving us with so many memories, which we cherish in our hearts for years to come.

Yet, for some of us, the joy of the holiday season may not be complete without extending an act of giving. While there are an overwhelming number of organisations and individuals who donate toys and gifts at Christmas, there are countless children whose hearts would melt with just one toy for Christmas. Some believe that the holidays are meant for children, to see the joy on their faces whenever they open up a present or indulge in a container filled with their favourite goodies.

As such, the feeling of happiness a child receives from being given a toy and the happiness felt on the part of the giver may be a priceless one. Ask Vernon Todd, Executive Director of For the Children’s Sake Foundation and he will tell you just what it feels like to put smiles on the faces of children by distributing toys at Christmas. He’s not Santa Claus, but he sure knows what that feels like.

For the Children’s Sake Foundation; a non-profit, non-governmental organisation based in Linden (Upper Demerara-Berbice), was co-founded by Todd in June 2002. Todd, born and raised in what many usually refer to as the bauxite mining community and his passion for enhancing the lives of others led to the formation of the organisation.

As a matter of fact, For the Children’s Sake Foundation was created with the intention of providing youths with the knowledge, opportunities and skills to improve their quality of life.

Todd said he recognised that some youths in the community may encounter chal-

lenges, which may put them at risk for negative health, education and social outcomes. With this in mind, the organisation was created to reach out to families in need of assistance.

Christmas time is no different, as he organises a successful toy drive annually, targeting low-income families. They do not only benefit at Christmas, but there are activities all year round for children and young adults, which makes the rewards even sweeter at year end.

Toys are believed to assist in the developmental process of children and the organisation believes in donating toys which will help to bring families closer and assist with the learning process.

With donations made from individuals, companies and organisations, the Foundation’s toy drive has become something quite awesome to look forward to during the festive season.

Over the past few years, hundreds of toys have been distributed to children within the Linden community. Parents and guardians in Linden have been looking forward to the initiative and it has become one of the most anticipated events.

This year’s target, according to Todd, is 350 toys which will exceeds last year’s 150 target.

“The toy drive has been an essential part of our support services at the For the Children Sake Foundation.

Since working with families over the past 12 years, I have come to realise that the holidays may bring mixed feelings of happiness and sadness to many chil-

dren. Happiness, because it may bring families together and the children are excited about receiving their gifts and sadness because of many who may have lost a loved one and may still be grieving. The holidays may not be the same without a lost family member”, he explained.

The annual toy drive also serves as a great way of bringing the community together in a positive way, more so as a means of extending love and kindness to help others feel appreciated.

For those involved in the toy drive activity, whether on the giving or receiving end, one thing is for certain – as Todd explained, the feeling of joy and happiness is always reciprocated, and each year, the aim is to give more.

“I have learnt that the toy drive has given children a sense of hope. Many of our children are from low-income families and can’t afford to buy their children holiday gifts. For some of our families, the toys that are given to them by our generous donors are the only toys that their children receive during the holidays. Many of our toys, such as the board games have brought families together for quality and fun time. Overall, looking at a child smile and say “I love my gift” and having a parent say “thank you” and express how much these presents mean to them is rewarding.

As Executive Director, our gifts bring a ray of sunshine and happiness to families in need. For this reason we are very grateful to our supporters”, Todd said.

monday, december 21, 2015

guyanatimesgy.com

Around the world

World Trade Organisation strikes ‘historic’ farming subsidy deal

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ountries in the World Trade Organisation (WTO) have agreed to abolish subsidies on farming exports.

Developed countries agreed to stop the subsidies immediately and developing nations must follow by the end of 2018.

The WTO, which represents 162 countries, called it “the most significant outcome on agriculture” since the body’s foundation in 1995.

But longstanding talks on other trade barriers were left unresolved at the end of the summit in Kenya.

Removing agriculture export subsidies is intended to help farmers in poorer countries to compete more fairly.

“The decision you have taken today on export competition is truly extraordinary,” WTO chief Roberto Azevedo said at the closing session in Kenyan capital, Nairobi.

The summit of ministers, which finished on Saturday after five days of talks, was the first to be held in Africa.

The WTO called the farming agree-

Developing countries will abolish agriculture export subsidies by 2018

ment “historic”, while the European Commission said it would be “good for fairer trade”.

“For those who had doubts, it proves the relevance of the WTO and its capacity to deliver results,” EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom

said.

Kenya’s Foreign Minister Amina Mohamed said the summit would be “remembered as having made that leap” from a time when the WTO was divided along a “developed and developing divide”. (Excerpt from BBC News)

India gang-rapist freed despite petition

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he youngest convict in the 2012 Delhi gang rape case has been released after completion of three years of imprisonment.

Hundreds of demonstrators took to the streets of India’s capital on Sunday to protest the impending release of a juvenile convicted in the fatal gang rape that deeply shook the country.

On Friday, the Delhi High Court rejected a plea to extend his term when the Delhi Commission for Women

(DCW) filed a petition against the release of the man.

However, the Supreme Court agreed to hear the petition on Monday.

The attacker was the youngest of a group of men who brutally assaulted the 23-year-old trainee physiotherapist and her male friend on a bus in the capital Delhi in 2012.

Four adults involved in the attack were sentenced to death while a fifth hanged himself in prison. The death

sentences have not yet been carried out.

The attack triggered protests in India over the country’s high levels of violence against women.

A lawyer representing DCW, Rajesh Inamdar, said they wanted the court to set up a committee to examine whether the convict was a threat to society or not.

The convicted man’s lawyer, Ajay Prakash Singh, said there was bias against his client because he was poor. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Clinton rounds on Trump as ISIL’s “best recruiter”

U

S Democratic P r e s i d e n t i a l Candidate Hillary Clinton has attacked Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump for his proposal to ban Muslims from entering the United States.

At a Democratic debate in New Hampshire on Saturday, Clinton said the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) was using videos of the billionaire tycoon talking about his idea as a recruitment tool.

“He is becoming ISIS’ best

recruiter. They are going to people showing Donald Trump insulting Islam and Muslims in order to recruit more radical jihadists,” Clinton said.

Clinton, the favourite to secure the Democratic presidential nomination, offered no evidence for her assertions.

She also came under fire as Bernie Sanders, the second placed Democrat in polling, accused her of being too quick to support regime change in Syria at a debate that was dominated by security issues.

The two leading Democrat candidates, joined by former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, also clashed over gun control, an issue that has resurfaced after a series of mass shootings this year.

Sanders, seeking to claw back Clinton’s lead in polls of Democratic voters, criticised the former Secretary of State for advocating the quick departure of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. (Excerpt from Al

Spain elections: Exit polls give ruling party the lead

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pain’s ruling Popular Party has won the largest share of votes in Sunday’s general elections, exit polls showed, but fell short of an absolute majority.

The new anti-austerity Podemos party is predicted to come second, ahead of the Socialists and the liberal Ciudadanos party.

A poll for the Stateowned TVE channel gave the Popular Party, led by Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, 26.8 per cent of the vote.

New far left party Podemos came second with 21.7 percent, followed by the main opposition Socialist Party, with 20.5 per cent. Another new party, Ciudadanos, is far behind with 15.2 per cent.

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battle with ANSA McAL. Ambev, which passed the 50 per cent mark for control of the company on December 4, and then acquired another four per cent or about 2.5 million shares the following week on the floor of the Barbados Stock Exchange, has since received tenders for approximately 40 per cent more up to Saturday.

The tenderers included

This aerial view of the scene shows the impact of the landslide [BBC News]

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landslide at an industrial park in southern China buried more than 20 buildings and left 59 people missing on Sunday, State media and local authorities said, as more than 1500 emergency workers searched the scene.

A nearby section of

China’s major West-East natural gas pipeline also exploded, the official China Central Television (CCTV) broadcaster reported.

Rescuers pulled four people from the debris after the mudslide in the southern city of Shenzhen in the province of Guangdong bordering Hong

com)

Jazeera)

Kong, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

It said three of the victims suffered slight injuries while the fourth was unhurt.

It was unclear whether there had been any fatalities and Xinhua did not elaborate on the 59 people it said were missing. Local authorities in Shenzhen also confirmed the number of missing people.

About 900 people were reportedly moved out of harm’s way before the landslide struck late in the morning, according to the Shenzhen Evening News newspaper.

The area has been a large construction site for more than two years.

Soil that had been excavated and stored on a hill turned into mud after heavy rain, causing the landslide.

(Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Jamaican PM warns Party comrades

Jazeera)

ANSA McAL, which had acquired around 18 per cent of BHL since mid-October in its bid for control of BHL. The company now has 30 days to pay for the shares, which it will do at BDS$7.10 (US$3.55) per share.

Making the disclosures was Juliano who, perhaps in a sign of things to come, had to leave for Brazil immediately afterwards. (Excerpt from Caribbean360.

The results would give the Popular Party 114118 seats in the 350-seat Parliament, well below the 176 needed for an absolute majority and down from 186 seats in the outgoing Parliament.

The Socialists would be the second biggest force in the Assembly with 8185 seats, while Podemos would have 76-80 seats.

Ciudadanos would take 4750 seats.

Such a result would force the Popular Party to form an uneasy alliance with another political grouping or attempt to rule as a minority government.

Voting began at 09:00h on Sunday and continued until 20:00h. Partial official results are expected some two hours later. (Excerpt from Al

Dozens missing after massive landslide in China

Ambev installs new BHL Chairman; new Directors appointed

ith 95 per cent of all the shares of Banks Holdings Ltd (BHL) in the hands of Ambev’s subsidiary SLU Beverages by Saturday morning, a new Chairman of the Board was installed – Marcio Juliano – and he immediately held a press conference.

The goal appeared to be to calm things down after a vigorous, if one-sided, takeover

15

Prime Minister and President of the ruling People’s National Party (PNP) Portia Simpson Miller said “don’t test me”

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rime Minister and President of the ruling People’s National Party (PNP) Portia Simpson Miller has warned executive members of her party against fighting personal battles on social media.

Failure to respect her request to desist from washing

their dirty clothes in the public space, the Prime Minister said, would result in “severe consequences”, she told a meeting of the party’s National Executive Council (NEC), the organisation’s second highest decisionmaking body.

The first is the party’s Annual Conference. The NEC

meeting, held at the Jamaica Conference Centre, downtown Kingston, last Sunday, also saw the party leader presenting all 63 candidates who will represent the PNP in the next General Election, which those close to her believe will be held by February 2016.

Constitutionally, Jamaicans should go to the polls by the end of December 2016, but Simpson Miller is allowed a further three months to announce the date, which would take the country up to the end of March 2017.

However, word emerged earlier this year that Simpson Miller would call an early election. That information was later doused by the Prime Minister’s revelation in late November that she would not disenfranchise over 36,000 new voters whose names appear on the latest voters’ list, published November 30. (Excerpt

from Jamaica Observer)

16 news

monday, december 21, 2015| guyanatimesGY.com

VOX POPULI

What do people say about

I SAY...

The legalisation of marijuana in Guyana Ruth Autar – International Marketing Manager (Georgetown) After giving this issue some consideration, I want to make it pellucidly clear that I am not in support of legalising the usage of marijuana in Guyana.

While I understand that it may have some health benefits and can be used for medicinal purposes, the abuse of it can have significant negative impacts on individuals and society as a whole. Therefore, I do not support legalising.”

Chandrashekar Sharma – Pandit/spiritual leader, Cops and Faith (Essequibo Coast “I am totally against the legalisation of the herb in Guyana.

The major point is that smoking is bad for the health; smoking whether from cigarettes or marijuana poses a health risk to the user, should we as a society promote a product which ultimately puts our valuable human resource at risk of being affected by deadly lung cancers, amongst numerous health problems associated with smoking? Is it fair for taxpayers’ money to be used to fund medical expenses for treatment of smoke related illnesses? Our limited financial resources should be used to treat other health problems, as such, we should try to control health problems related to smoking to better manage our resources.

Secondly, marijuana has been linked to numerous crimes, victims under the influence of marijuana display more violent behaviour and often times revert to violence as a means of dealing with daily confrontations. A simple misunderstanding can escalate into a violent ordeal due to the usage of marijuana, since it reduces the capacity of the brain to have a streamlined rational thought process. As a spiritual leader of the Cops and Faith division, lesser the crimes is easier manageable over citizens protection and welfare. Individuals who have become addicted to marijuana at times even resort to violence to acquire money to buy marijuana.”

Avinash Deodhari Sharma – Pandit (Essequibo Coast) “My point of view is not to legalise marijuana in Guyana... reason being is the majority will take the concept of marijuana not as a medicine but rather an addictive drug which will not prepare Guyanese for safer health but if misused rather {than] a medicine purpose, I strongly believe the Government should reconsider this move as it will have a negative impact on society.

Scriptures have also shown that marijuana reduces the learning capacity of an individual; marijuana reduces the ability of an individual to learn and retain information. In a country where our workforce is relatively small at approximately 250,000 able body individuals of which approximately 60 per cent will have a secondary education. We cannot afford an illiterate society.”

Stefan Tappin – Linesman (Linden) “The legalisation of marijuana would have a negative effect on more than half of our population and the next generation to come. I heard some people saying if it is legal in certain states in the USA, why can’t it be legal here in Guyana? That kind of thinking is wrong. In a case like this, what’s good for the goose is certainly not good for the gander. Take for example the use of alcohol which the authorities have no control over. I am sure anyone reading this has seen a school boy or girl consuming alcohol in a public place or could be seen purchasing it from anywhere that sells it, which is clear that Guyana will have zero control over marijuana if it is legalized, so we can’t be seriously thinking of throwing marijuana into that mix. If the Government is looking at the economical benefits of legalising marijuana, they may as well consider legalising cocaine because that has economical benefits too. My advice to the Government of Guyana, do not legalise marijuana because you won’t be able to control it.”

Winston Fraser – DJ (Linden) “I’m definitely with the passing of the legislation; I don’t have a problem with it.

The only thing is I think there should be proper measures put in place to ensure that things don’t get out of hand. I think there should be specific places where you are able to use it so as to protect children, the elderly, etc. Apart from that, the legislation is definitely a ‘yes’ for me.”

Andre Murray – Clerk at City Council – (Georgetown) “Based on research, it is less harmful when compared to a cigarette and other drugs.

The only reason it remains illegal is because tobacco producers make money from their products and do not want to allow it to be legalised.

Also the side effects are more benefiting health wise. They should ban the smoking of for recreational purposes but allow to be used for medicinal purposes.”

Mark Moseley – Producer (Linden) It is high time to legalise marijuana in Guyana. I say get rid of the illegality clause completely. Cannabis sativa is a plant. A naturally grown plant with countless medicinal uses. Even the USA is getting rid of laws which make marijuana illegal... Mexico’s Supreme Court just ruled that prohibition of marijuana amounts to a violation of one’s self determination and self expression.

Tobacco has been medically proven to be many times worse than marijuana but that is legal. Alcohol is also more detrimental than weed. Let’s stop pussyfooting around and legalise marijuana.

There is no scientific reason not to use marijuana and as a matter of fact, there are countless scientific/medical reasons to use it. The US Government even owns several patents for using marijuana as medical cures and treatments. There should not be debate on how much is legal. Total decriminalisation is required.

If a person wants to have a ton of marijuana or just 200 grams, that’s their business. Speaking of business, Jamaica... the poster child for marijuana use worldwide, has decriminalised marijuana and is pushing it as a cash crop for export to the US States, wherever it is legal.”

Tod Vasconcellous – Attorney (Georgetown) “I think they should up the amount a person can have because anything above 15 grams carries a mandatory sentence of three years, so in terms of the amount, it should be brought to where our sister country Jamaica, which has legalised it, up to a certain amount. As it regards persons who have small amounts being given stiff penalties, the judiciary should have the ability to give slacker penalties but what the current legislation does now is take [away] the judicial function. Sentencing is an aspect of the judiciary and they should have the discretion to pass sentences.”

Raywattie Deonarine – Teacher (Essequibo Coast) “In my opinion the Government of Guyana should not legalise the substance. I strongly believe the Government should not pass the bill. In my view, I see it as giving people the opportunity to abuse the substance. If marijuana is legalized, it’s as if we are giving freedom to drug users and letting them roam the streets.

That is going to do us more harm than good, I strongly believe that marijuana should not be legalized in Guyana and the Government should not pass the bill if they have young people future at heart.”

Dennis Muhammad – Study Group Coordinator, Nation of Islam (Guyana) – (Linden) “As a Muslim, I have a firm position on this topic. I believe that people need the necessary guidance on marijuana and its intended usage, that is what is lacking in our society. From a Nation of Islam perspective, what I would like to see is us as Muslims going out to educate the people more on marijuana or cannabis sativa, because it can destroy your body. There are many Islamic schools of thought that say it is ok to smoke, but we take a hard line on smoking... It is good to know that the law is covering, it’s a good safeguard for now since youths are getting into prison for smaller amounts. I believe that marijuana is useful, but not by smoking it. Smoking is against life, it is against God’s will... my Leader has thought us not to use it. I think it is time for us to look in the mirror and say that ‘enough is enough’, it’s time for us to educate our people.”

17

news

monday, december 21, 2015 | guyanatimesGY.com

Dancehall artiste Jamaica gas dealers in battle convicted of drug with Rubis over franchise licences charges in US T

he Jamaica Gasoline Retailers Association (JGRA) is accusing Rubis of exploiting Jamaicans and is pressing the multinational oil marketing company to stop issuing one-year franchise licences to local service station dealers.

The Association says the contracts are “not bankable” and, therefore, deny many dealers from accessing credit for working capital.

And it’s further demanding an apology from Rubis, “for the callous, high-handed and disrespectful manner in which it has treated its dealers, who have for many years, carried on the business of petroleum retailing at these previously branded Shell sites”.

In a statement issued to the media, the JGRA said Rubis has been dismissive of attempts to engage in dialogue to resolve the dealers’ concern.

“Only last year, the company brought the country to the brink of disruption in the petroleum trade and have since not made enough effort to resolve the contentious issues between itself and its dealers. To aggravate the tension, Rubis has imposed strategies over the last year which has forced dealers into greater economic hardship,” the Association said.

The JGRA is accusing Rubis of exploiting

Jamaicans owing to the nonexistence of Fair Contract Laws, the deficiencies in the Fair Competition Act, as well as a weak legislative framework to protect petroleum retailers and motorists from the excesses of oil marketing companies.

“There is no evidence that Rubis has the interests of the people of Jamaica at the centre of its business strategy in Jamaica. On the contrary, there is evi-

dence of scant regard for its dealers, the institutions of Government and the general motoring public,” it said.

The dealers have asked that the Government, in the national interest, pay close attention to Rubis’ operations and take whatever actions are necessary “to mitigate the risks of disruption in the very sensitive petroleum trade”.

“The sacrifices of the Jamaican people to achieve the economic gains over the last few years should not be sacrificed on the altar of a multinational oil marketing company,” it said. “We further urge the Government to immediately implement a licensing regime for oil marketing companies which will sync with the interests of the people and Government of Jamaica, beneficial to all stakeholders, and which will result in stability and growth of the petroleum sector.” (Caribbean 360)

El Niño strengthens its grip on the globe – state of emergency in five countries as a result of weather phenomenon

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s 2016 approaches, the ongoing El Niño shows no sign of relaxing its grip on the global climate.

Five countries – Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea – have declared a state of emergency, and the United Nations is helping another 10 countries by deploying emergency resources.

El Niño, which strictly refers to the surface warming of the eastern and central Pacific Basin, has a knock-on effect across much of the world.

This naturally occurring phenomenon, which appears every two to seven years, is particularly strong this year. It is certainly the strongest since the last ma-

jor El Niño of 1997-98, and it stands every chance of being the strongest since at least 1950.

Overall, an El Niño typically adds 0.1 to 0.2 degrees Celsius to global temperatures. That these temperatures, through most of 2015, have been running at almost 1.0C above the long-term average, suggests that the El Niño contribution to the warming planet is relatively small.

Nevertheless, at a regional level, El Niño has had a major impact on the lives of millions of people.

Ethiopia is suffering its worst drought in more than 50 years. So far, donor countries have given more than US$435 million to help feed people in the worst-affected areas. Yet the Ethiopian Government is appealing for

a total of US$1.4 billion to help feed more than 10 million people.

The state of emergency in Colombia, Peru and Ecuador is largely in anticipation of events, based on the last major El Niño in 1997-98. Then, heavy rain brought widespread flooding to the Pacific coastline and the fishing industry was devastated. Ecuador is thought to have lost 15 percent of its gross domestic product to El Niño.

In Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, El Niño has brought the worst drought in 18 years. Food shortages are having an effect on Papua New Guinea, where rivers have dried up, and hard frosts have decimated the garden crops of many villagers.

The Papua New Guinea National Weather Service expects El Niño to intensify and to persist until March.

In Indonesia, the drought has undoubtedly made the wildfire situation much worse. These fires have been burning since July and cover an area of more than 20,000 square kilometres. Economic losses have been calculated at more than US$9 million, but the damage to the environment is such that the situation has been described as the worst environmental disaster of the 21st century.

If, as predicted, El Niño eases early in 2016, many of the problems described above are likely to continue as most forecast organisations expect 2016, globally, to be the warmest on record.

(Al Jazeera)

J

Andrew Davis, aka “Flippa Mafia”

amaican dancehall artiste “Flippa Mafia” is facing a lengthy prison sentence for his role in an international drug ring that shipped cocaine from California to New Jersey through the US Mail and other parcel delivery services.

The recording artist, whose real name is Andrew Davis, was Wednesday found guilty of first-degree distribution of cocaine, second-degree money laundering, and second-degree conspiracy, following a seven-week trial. The jury could not reach a unanimous verdict on the first-degree charge of leading a narcotics trafficking network. The first-degree charge carries a sentence of 10 to 20 years in state prison, while the second-degree charges carry a sentence of five to 10 years in prison.

However, his Attorney, Robin Lord plans to appeal the convictions on the grounds that he was deprived of a fair trial, based on issues with transcripts from a wiretap that recorded conversations in the Jamaican dialect, according to the Associated Press.

“He maintains his innocence,” the defence lawyer said. “He is confident when all is said and done, he will be acquitted of these charges.”

Also convicted in the same trial was Davis’ co-accused Marsha Bernard. She received large shipments of cocaine in New Jersey and distributed them to other drug traffickers under the direction of Davis and two of his brothers who previously pleaded guilty in the case, Kemar Davis and Roger Davis. (Caribbean 360)

18

guyanatimesgy.com

monday, DECember 21, 2015

ARCHIE

Avoid any type of dispute or physical activity that has (March 21- the potential to end in insult April 19) or injury. Discipline and controlled changes will bring the best results.

ARIES

You’ll have plenty to offer.

TAURUS Your co-workers will value (April 20- your input. A job opening will May 20) grab your interest. Vie for the position before it’s too late.

Romance is in the stars.

dilbert

Be observant and listen GEMINI (May 21- carefully. You don’t want to be June 20) left out of the loop, especially if it could affect your chance to get ahead. Moderation and discipline will be required.

CANCER (June 21July 22)

Peanuts

Prepare for upcoming festivities. Favours will be granted and someone you love will have a welcome surprise for you. Attend a charity event or industry party.

Emotional matters will esLEO calate if you aren’t willing to (July 23compromise. Don’t view meetAug. 22) ing someone halfway as a loss when in truth it’s a new beginning offering hope and optimism.

Calvin and Hobbes

Reunite with old friends.

VIRGO Look for ways to please the (Aug. 23ones you love. Pick up lastSept. 22) minute items or make an investment before it’s too late.

Legal, contractual or medLIBRA (Sept. 23- ical matters are best tendOct. 23) ed to before everyone breaks for the holidays. Tie up loose ends and put your mind at ease. Above all else, keep the peace.

SUDOKU

A surprise can be expectSCORPIO ed. Romance is on the rise, (Oct. 24and future plans can be made.

Nov. 22) Travel plans will give you incentive to get unfinished business out of the way.

Don’t leave anything unSAGITTARIUS finished, so you can enjoy a (Nov. 23little downtime with your Dec. 21) peers. Mixing business with pleasure will lead to great allies in the new year.

SATURDAY'S WORD – BATISTE

solution for Last Published Puzzle

Prepare your home for CAPRICORN visitors. Enjoy spending time (Dec. 22- with children or loved ones.

Jan. 19) Don’t let the hectic pace of the season lead you to neglect what’s most important to you.

AQUARIUS Someone’s generosity or (Jan. 20- deep interest in your actions Feb. 19) will be driven by ulterior motives. Make changes based on what you want, not what someone expects of you.

Do something nice for PISCES (Feb. 20- someone in order to set a March 20) standard for friends and family to follow. Your intuition will help you make the right choice. Romance is highlighted.

monday, december 21, 2015

19

BCB ‘looking into’ Gayle omission – Hassan B

CB president Nazmul Hassan has said the board is investigating Barisal Bulls’ decision not to field Chris Gayle in the BPL’s second qualifier on December 13, but did not elaborate on the matter when pressed further.

The Barisal management informed at the time that Gayle had complained of back pain on the morning of the game. The BPL was Gayle’s comeback tournament since undergoing back surgery.

During the press conference in Mirpur on Sunday, Hassan was asked if the BCB had received any information or complaints regarding specific allegations of corruption in the BPL. He said the board had not received any, but added that they were looking into the Gayle issue.

“One could hold suspicion about certain matches from the BPL’s first two seasons,” Hassan said. “But none of that caught our attention this time. Our local ACSU team, who worked during the BPL, didn’t inform us of anything, but it is

Chris Gayle made 139 runs in four matches for Barisal Bulls before sitting out the BPL’s second Qualifier (Dhaka Tribune photo)

a continuous process.

“At the same time, there is one issue which they are already working on. It is about Chris Gayle’s [non] appearance in the semifinal [Qualifier]. There is some discussion about it. We are looking into it. I am not saying there was anything untoward but we are investigating the matter.”

When asked to explain the Gayle issue further,

Hassan said it would not be wise to discuss the matter without any specific complaint.

When contacted, the Barisal franchise co-owner Rizwan bin Farouk said the team was not going to force Gayle into playing a game with a back injury.

“If the player is injured, he can’t play. You can’t force him to play. He has had an operation. When he called

the doctor, he was told to go back immediately,” Farouk told ESPNcricinfo, adding that the franchise’s contract with Gayle was for him to play “four to five matches” during the BPL season.

Gayle played four games, scoring 139 runs including an unbeaten 92 against Chittagong Vikings on December 9. During his stay for Barisal, he was also left out of the December

10 match against Dhaka Dynamites.

BPL governing council chairman Afzalur Rahman Sinha was quoted as telling the Bengali daily Prothom Alo during the BarisalRangpur qualifier that the council had learned of Gayle’s unavailability just before the game. He said the council would investigate the Barisal franchise’s decision not to pick Gayle.

“We have to examine if there was any other motive in this regard,” Sinha told Prothom Alo. “We have to find out why Gayle wasn’t played. We will investigate the matter after the tournament. They could have let us know earlier. The BCB physio and doctors could have looked after the problem. But they didn’t tell us.

“We heard that he won’t be playing a little while before the match began, and that he will be leaving [the country]. If he had an injury, he wouldn’t be able to field the full game yesterday [December 12]. It would have been revealed in the field.”

The BCB and the BPL’s

governing council and technical committee, however, do not have the jurisdiction in the composition of a team’s playing XI, according to the BPL’s rules and playing conditions.

At the toss of the same game, Barisal captain Mahmudullah said Gayle was going to join his BBL team in Australia and was hence unavailable. Their manager told the media that Gayle had notified the franchise of his back pain on the morning of the match. “He informed us this morning that he has back pain, which is why he can’t play today.

Because he just returned from injury, we didn’t force him. Gayle wants to have treatment of his back pain in Australia,” Barisal manager Saidul Islam was quoted as saying by Prothom Alo. In the post-match press conference Sabbir Rahman said the Barisal team had known of Gayle’s unavailability earlier. “After our last match, we heard that Gayle wouldn’t be playing this game,” he said. (Cricinfo)

Blatter, Platini to learn fate today Bale hits 4 as Real crush nine-man Rayo 10-2 S epp Blatter and Michel Platini will learn if they are banned from football when Fifa’s ethics judge delivers verdicts against the pair on Monday.

Fifa’s ethics investigators want both President Blatter and his Uefa counterpart Platini to have life bans.

But speaking to Swiss newspaper Blick on Sunday, Blatter said the corruption charge against him had been dropped.

A spokesman for Hans Joachim Eckert, Fifa’s ethics head, declined to comment.

Blatter, however, faces other charges, including mismanagement. Both he and Platini have denied any wrongdoing, and insist they have not breached Fifa’s code of ethics.

The case against them revolves around a £1.3m “disloyal payment” made to Platini in 2011.

Both men say the payment was part of an agreement made for work carried out between 1998 and 2002 when Platini was employed as an adviser for Blatter.

That payment was not part of Platini’s written contract - with Blatter saying recently the pair had a “gentleman’s agreement” for an additional amount of money to be paid.

The timing of the payment - some nine years late - has also come under scrutiny.

That money was paid while Blatter was seeking support for a fourth term as president and facing a major challenge from Qatar’s Mohamed Bin Hammam.

Platini subsequently endorsed Blatter for the presidency.

Eckert held personal hearings for the pair last week - which Platini boycotted.

The German judge is scheduled to announce his findings and any sanctions on

Monday morning at 09:00 GMT. In addition to corruption, both men are thought to face charges relating to conflict of interest, false accounting and non co-operation with or criticism of the ethics committee.

BBC Sport understands that sanctions previously handed down to other Fifa officials will likely provide a benchmark in the Blatter and Platini case.

In July, Harold Mayne-Nicholls, the official who headed the inspection team assessing bids for the 2018 and 2022 World Cup, was banned from all footballrelated activity for seven years for conflict of interest and breach of confidentiality.

Any guilty result will have major consequences for both Blatter and Platini.

Appeals against the decision can be made, but Platini’s hopes of running as a candidate in the upcoming Fifa presidential election would suffer a potentially fatal blow.

He can only stand if cleared of the charges against him.

Meanwhile, Blatter would be denied his wish to leave Fifa on his own terms and would exit instead in disgrace.

He has expressed a wish to attend the 26 February congress in Zurich, where his successor will be appointed, in order to say farewell to the organization he has lead since 1998.

Any hope from that he would leave quietly if banned also looks forlorn. The 79-year-old has scheduled a press conference, symbolically at Fifa’s former headquarters in Zurich, on Monday morning.

Blatter has expressed his belief in recent weeks that only Fifa’s 209 member nations - and not the ethics committee can remove him from office. (BBC Sport)

Real Madrid’s Gareth Bale in action (Reuters photo)

R

eal Madrid closed to within two points of La Liga pacesetters Barcelona and Atletico Madrid when Gareth Bale helped himself to his first four-goal haul in a 10-2 demolition of nine-man Rayo Vallecano on Sunday.

Real bounced back in some style from last weekend’s 1-0 defeat at Villarreal, with Karim Benzema netting a hat-trick and Cristiano Ronaldo scoring twice, but did not initially have it all their own way at the Bernabeu.

They were again whistled by some disgruntled home fans, who also targeted unpopular coach Rafa Benitez, after they fell 2-1 behind following a Danilo effort that put them 1-0 ahead in the third minute.

However, once Rayo lost Tito to a straight red card for a wild tackle on Toni Kroos in the 14th

minute and Jose Raul Baena to a second booking 15 minutes later Real quickly restored their lead and went in 4-2 ahead at halftime.

Bale had levelled at 2-2 with a header in the 25th minute, Ronaldo struck from the spot five minutes later after Baena had earned a second yellow card and conceded a penalty for a foul on Sergio Ramos and Bale sped clear and drove the ball low into the corner four minutes before the break.

With two men fewer, Rayo had little chance against waves of Real attacks and Benzema made it 5-2 three minutes into the second half before Ronaldo headed in a James Rodriguez cross in the 53rd.

The Portugal forward set up Bale for his hat-trick in the 61st and the Wales international com-

pleted his first four-goal haul with a 70th-minute tap-in to double his La Liga goals tally for the season to eight.

Benzema made it 9-2 in the 80th minute and Real hit double figures when the France international scored his third in the final minute.

It was the third time Real have scored 10 goals in a La Liga game and the first since they beat Elche 11-2 in 1960.

“We came out strongly but after we scored we relaxed,” Real goalkeeper Keylor Navas said in an interview with Spanish television.

“Later we regained control and we managed to get a good result,” added the Costa Rica international.

“It’s normal that the fans are unhappy as we are not in first place which is where we are obliged to be and where we want to be.”

Real have 33 points from 16 matches in third place, with champions Barca and Atletico each on 35 ahead of Atletico’s match at Malaga later on Sunday.

Barca beat River Plate 3-0 to win the Club World Cup earlier on Sunday and will play their game in hand at Sporting Gijon in mid February.

Fourth-placed Celta Vigo can trim the gap to Real back to two points with a win at Granada later on Sunday, before Villarreal, a point behind Celta in fifth, play at Real Sociedad. (Reuters Sport)

20

guyanatimesGY.com

monday, december 21, 2015

Barca sweep to another title in one-sided contest

B

FC Barcelona celebrate winning the FIFA Club World Cup Final with the trophy (Reuters photo)

arcelona swept to the Club World Cup title by outclassing South American champions River Plate 3-0 on Sunday, with Luis Suarez scoring twice after Lionel Messi had broken the deadlock in a onesided contest.

There was a hint of handball about Messi’s goal, although it did not appear to be intentional, as the Argentine brought down Neymar’s pass and cleverly flicked the ball past Marcelo Barovero.

Uruguay forward Suarez took his tally in the tournament to five goals after

his hat-trick in the semi-final win over Asian champions Guangzhou Evergrande, and 24 goals in as many games this season.

The European champions, fielding six South American players, were especially dominant in the second half when they repeatedly sliced through the River defence looking as if they could score with almost every attack.

Messi, Neymar and Suarez seemed to take it in turns to run at the bewildered River defence and the Brazilian, in particular, over-elaborated in his attempt to get on the

scoresheet.

The match emphasised the gap between club football on the two continents with nearly all the top South American players now based in Europe.

River’s team, made up mainly of journeymen with only a smattering of international caps between them, cost around 5 million euros (3.65 million pounds) in transfer fees, compared to an estimated 80 million euros that Barcelona paid for Suarez alone.

Backed by 15,000 fanatical supporters who had made the trip from

Argentina, they made a promising start as Rodrigo Mora and Lucas Alario both got into good shooting positions, only to produce weak efforts which were easily saved by Barcelona goalkeeper Claudio Bravo.

“We had a game plan that we executed for 36 minutes until Messi’s first goal, from then on we started to lose our shape,” River coach Marcelo Gallardo told reporters.

“We’re upset we couldn’t give the supporters this satisfaction (of winning).

“When you play a phenomenal team like Barcelona, you have to recognise their supremacy.”

Messi had already been denied by Marcelo Baravero before scoring the opener, although replays suggested the ball may have touched his arm as he brought it under control.

River enjoyed some possession after halftime, but only until Sergio Busquets sent Suarez clear of the River defence to score the second four minutes into the second half.

The third goal in the 68th minute was a gem as Neymar planted a cross on Suarez’s head and he placed the ball past Barovero. (Reuters

Sport)

Williamson takes NZ closer, but SL keep fighting

Kane Williamson rose to the challenge of the short ball, when the rest simply crumbled (Getty Images)

T

he sun was out, the sky was blue and the Sunday crowd added to a picture postcard day in Hamilton. Sri Lanka took a trip to Seddon Park to while the time away with a bit of cricket and were ambushed

by New Zealand’s bouncers.

Sri Lanka began the day needing one wicket to end New Zealand’s first innings; they got it in six balls. Then came their best opening stand in 2015 - 71 runs - and then they lost 10 wickets for 62 runs in 13.5 overs to hasten the Test to its climax. The hosts need 47 more to finish their Test season with a win, and they have Kane Williamson at the crease, looking at a century and the record for most Test runs by a New Zealander in a calendar

year. He is 22 runs away from both landmarks.

Sri Lanka kept the contest alive with a few late strikes, and need five more to level the series. But they would rue the batting collapse earlier in the day - a wicket every six runs. You would think Tim Southee and company pulled elephants out of their hats to make that happen.

Nope, all they did was decide they’d bowl short. Dimuth Karunaratne and Udara Jayasundera fell fending.

Dinesh Chandimal picked out leg gully. Kusal Mendis, the top-scorer with 46, and Angelo Mathews, the captain, fell hooking and to cap it all off, there was a comical run out involving the tailenders. Nuwan Pradeep and Dushmantha Chameera

were clumped at the keeper’s end, giving a gleeful Neil Wagner the time to collect the throw from third man, run to the other end and knock the stumps over.

The bounce on this Hamilton pitch has been ample and true. Batsmen were given the luxury to leave balls even on middle stump if the length was short. They wouldn’t be bowled, but no one from either side has caught onto that fact. As a result 31 of the 35 wickets in this Test have been out caught.

The other trait of this surface - its sharpish pace - may have worked against the batsmen though. So too the number of catching fielders for the defensive shot. Leg slip and short leg were permanent fixtures and as the day wore on, New Zealand dabbled with silly point, short midwicket and a fly slip as well.

The ball was coming onto the bat, so aggressive strokes seemed a pertinent option to evade them. Except Sri Lanka couldn’t.

Tom Latham and Martin Guptill fared no better in the second innings against Chameera. Williamson, even with a bum right knee, kept Sri Lanka at bay by putting on 67 runs with Ross Taylor and 52 more with Brendon McCullum. It took Chameera to break both stands and that was Sri Lanka’s problem; none of the others made New Zealand nervous, until three minutes to the stumps when a lovely Suranga Lakmal outswinger got rid of Mitchell Santner.

There has been clear cut phases of play whenever this match has turned Chandimal’s ferocity on the first day, Chameera’s burst on the second and on the third, it was Doug Bracewell’s two wickets in three balls.

Karunaratne and Kusal Mendis had controlled the innings capably until then. They had walked out with a 55-run first-innings advantage on the back of their mind and the responsibility of turning that into a match-winning one on their shoulders. They were together for 22.4 overs; an age of prosperity in the context of the chaos that followed. (Cricinfo)

SCOREBOARD Sri Lanka 1st innings 292 New Zealand 1st innings 237 Sri Lanka 2nd innings 133 New Zealand 2nd innings (target: 189 runs) TWM Latham c Pradeep b Chameera 4 MJ Guptill c Karunaratne b Chameera 1 KS Williamson not out 78 LRPL Taylor c sub (JDF Vandersay) b Chameera 35 BB McCullum* c Mathews b Chameera 18 MJ Santner c †Chandimal b Lakmal 4 BJ Watling† not out 0 Extras (nb 2) 2 Total (5 wickets; 42 overs) 142 To bat: DAJ Bracewell, N Wagner, TG Southee, TA Boult Fall of wickets: 1-4, 2-11, 3-78, 4-130, 5-142 Bowling: PVD Chameera 131-45-4, RAS Lakmal 10-319-1, HMRKB Herath 9-039-0, N Pradeep 9-1-35-0, AD Mathews 1-0-4-0.

Sports in 2016: Let’s get a move on

By Avenash Ramzan

T

here is just over a week remaining before the end of 2015, and soon it’s the dawn of a brand new year.

It is that time of the year when we start to shake off the old habits of the past 12 months and embark on all those fancy resolutions (whether we work towards achieving Avenash Ramzan them is another story), with the hope of making personal advancement, be it in the line of work, family life or even a personal project that we have undertaken.

The New Year provides a fresh perspective – a time to reflect on the past 12 months and to formulate new ways and methods to improve on what was previously achieved.

It’s a process of introspection that must take place if one is to move from point A to point B, and gradually become a better individual with the passage of time.

It is imperative that our local sport administrators adopt a similar approach, as the decisions they make will ultimately have a negative or positive impact on the discipline that they manage.

In the perfect world, the finite resolution of any progressive sport administrator should be to always improve the life of the athlete, and create a solid pathway for his/her development.

Whether some of our administrators have those ambitions is open to debate, as many, over the years, have been accused of not having the athlete’s best interest at heart. On the flip side, there are others who have a genuine interest in the growth and development of sports in Guyana, and they must be commended for the efforts they put in day in, day out.

In such a diverse country as Guyana, it has been proven time and time again that sports, especially the hugely popular disciplines of cricket and football, have the unique ability to unite the population and break down the barriers of race, colour, creed and religion.

It’s a phenomenon that the administrators, and more importantly, the Government of the day, must take note of, as an investment in sports is an investment in social development and cohesion.

Since assuming office in May, the current Administration has spoken of placing a great deal of emphasis on sports in school, and returning to the glory days when students were actively involved in the disciplines.

The previous Government focused much of its energy and resources on the construction of facilities across the country, many of which have afforded Guyana the opportunity to host world-class events over the last decade.

Going forward, there must be a fusion of the two, for an investment in the school system without having proper facilities to hone the skills of our young boys and girls will be an exercise in futility.

As First Vice President of the Guyana Football Federation, Brigadier Bruce Lovell, mentioned last week that the desire of the new Executive Committee of that Federation is to have a Goal Project in the jurisdiction of every of its 22 Member Associations.

It’s quite a colossal undertaking, given the fact that Guyana is yet to realise its first Goal Project, but it’s the type of dream that all those involved in the sport must have. However, a significant hindrance to that reality is that apart from cricket, football and athletics, the other disciplines do not receive financial assistance from their world governing body.

It’s a financial gap that must be filled by Government and corporate entities if those smaller disciplines are to make any significant breakthrough and consistently produce elite athletes.

Not just facilities, but those of world-class standards, must be developed to afford our sportsmen and women the luxury of training on surfaces that they are required to compete on internationally.

I say to all stakeholders in sports, let’s start the ball rolling in 2016. Think not of what sports can do for you, but what you can do for sports.

sports

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Badree asks ICC, governments to help floundering West Indies A

ccording to leg-spinner Samuel Badree, there is very little the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) can do to stop the free-fall of the West Indies and is turning to the International Cricket Council (ICC) for help.

Badree believes that help will need to come from either the ICC or the heads of state in the region.

“It’s disappointing and deeply painful to be a player and to see the level we have reached,” said Badree, who is in Australia to play for the Brisbane Heat in the Big Bash League.

Samuel Badree

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Badree was speaking in the wake of the West Indies one-sided loss to Australia in the first of a three-Test series in Hobart recently.

The West Indies lost by an innings and 212 runs inside three days of cricket. “… we need help.

“Whether it comes from the ICC or whether it comes from the governments of the West Indies, at the end of the day, we need some help to get our cricket back on the right track,” said Badree.

Badree and Lendl Simmons played in their first BBL game against the Melbourne Renegades but

found Chris Gayle’s team too powerful.

The leg-spinner, ranked the number two Twenty20 bowler in the world, bowled four overs for just 20 runs but failed to stop the Renegades, whose captain Aaron Finch scored 65. Cameron White chipped in with 55 to help the Renegades chase down 181 for victory.

Simmons only managed 29 when his side batted, while Chris Gayle, only got to 23, though his goldcoloured bat cleared the boundary twice and crashed into it on another two occasions. (Digicel Sportsmax)

Fielding woes afflict West Indies in draw, Bishoo gets 2 wickets

services

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Jerome Taylor

fter their heavy loss in the first Test in Hobart, West Indies needed to go back to basics in their two-day match against a second-string Victoria XI this weekend. So a rookie fielding error from Jerome Taylor will not have pleased the captain and coach as the game cruised to a predictable draw, with local opening batsman Jake Hancock finishing unbeaten on 80 when rain arrived.

Hancock was on 22, in

the 14th over of the Victoria innings, when he hooked captain Jason Holder towards Taylor at fine leg.

However, Taylor had his back to play and was looking into the grandstands while the ball flew his way. Only after his team-mates called out to him did Taylor turn around, but by then it was too late to get into position for the catch, or even stop the boundary.

West Indies coach Phil Simmons said after the

match that he had not seen the incident himself but he conceded that it was not a good look for a team aiming to lift their morale ahead of Boxing Day. “It can’t be a good look,” Simmons said.

“It’s a team trying to gain that sort of respect. Things like that, we have to make sure we cut them out.”

It was hardly the kind of attitude West Indies needed after their embarrassing performance in Hobart, where Taylor had leaked 108 runs for no wickets from his 17 overs. In Geelong, he was tighter and bowled nine overs for 14 runs, but West Indies managed just three wickets in 58 overs against a Victoria XI boasting only two players with first-class experience.

One of those men, open-

er Travis Dean, was caught for 3 when he fended Kemar Roach to point, and at 1 for 13 in the fourth over it was a good start for West Indies. However, Hancock and Tom Donnell put on 73 for the second wicket as West Indies struggled in the field, also missing a run-out chance when Hancock was on 36, and it was not until Devendra Bishoo bowled Donnell for 34 that the stand was broken.

Bishoo finished with 2 for 60 after he also had the Victoria captain Ian Holland stumped for 29 by Shai Hope, with regular gloveman Denesh Ramdin having been rested on Sunday. The Victorians moved along to 3 for 169 when the rain arrived, with Hancock on 80 and Aaron Ayre on 17. (Cricinfo)

SCOREBOARD West Indians 1st innings 303 Victoria XI 1st innings TJ Dean c Blackwood b Roach 3 JC Hancock not out 80 TF Donnell lbw b Bishoo 34 IG Holland* st †Hope b Bishoo 29 A Ayre not out 17 Extras (lb 3, w 1, nb 2) 6 Total (3 wickets; 58 overs) 169

Did not bat: M Doric, SEJ Grimwade, JR Coleman, JW Hart, DG Kight†, JE Koop, B Thomson Fall of wickets: 1-13, 2-86, 3-132 Bowling: JE Taylor 9-4-140, KAJ Roach 7-1-21-1, JO Holder 5-1-19-0, CR Brathwaite 8-1-35-0, D Bishoo 18-3-602, JA Warrican 11-5-17-0.

Chelsea restore order after Mourinho C helsea began the postJose Mourinho era with a 3-1 win over Sunderland at Stamford Bridge to ease away from the Premier League’s bottom three on Saturday while Leicester City moved five points clear at the top.

Mourinho, sacked on Thursday after Chelsea’s worst start to a season since 1978, had his name chanted by the fans while the likes of striker Diego Costa and midfielder Cesc Fabregas, who some supporters blame for the champions’ malaise, were booed.

Some sense of normality was restored in west London with Branislav Ivanovic, Pedro and Oscar on target as Guus Hiddink, confirmed on Saturday as interim coach

for the second time having performed the role in 2009, watched from the stands.

Chelsea, who began the day a point above the relegation zone, moved up one place to 15th.

Leicester’s unlikely title challenge gathered momentum with a 3-2 victory at Everton that ensures they will spend Christmas top of the table, a year after occupying bottom spot heading into the hectic holiday schedule.

Only Norwich City (198788/1988-89) have achieved a similar transformation in topflight history.

Two Riyad Mahrez penalties and a goal from Shinji Okazaki put Leicester on 38 points from 17 games, with chasing Arsenal and Manchester City, who clash

at The Emirates on Monday, on 33 and 32 respectively.

“I am very honest,” said Leicester’s former Chelsea boss Claudio Ranieri, who is now being quizzed on a weekly basis about his side’s chances of staying top. “If there are two matches left I think of the title. Now I enjoy.”

With Mourinho sacked, the managerial spotlight intensified on Manchester United’s Louis van Gaal as his side suffered a third consecutive defeat, lowly Norwich City winning 2-1 for their first victory at Old Trafford since 1989.

Tottenham Hotspur took advantage of United’s woes to move above them into fourth place on goal difference thanks to a 2-0 win at Southampton -- Harry Kane and Dele Alli scoring.

Mourinho spent the day watching Middlesbrough, coached by Aitor Karanka, his assistant at Real Madrid, playing at Brighton and Hove Albion in the second-tier Championship while 75km away his former charges finally produced a display worthy of champions, having lost nine of their first 16 league matches.

That did not stop the Chelsea fans displaying their loyalty to the Portuguese coach, who delivered three league titles and numerous other trophies in his two stints in charge.

“Delighted to get the three points today,” captain John Terry told Sky Sports. “There was pressure on us before the game but we brought that on ourselves. (Reuters Sport)

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monday, december 21, 2015

UDFA GT Beer year-end football

GFA Banks Beer KO Cup

Davidson’s hat-trick secures Rosignol United, NA United advance win for Winners Connection – Milerock ease past Eagles 3-1

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efending champions Federal Winners Connection, led by a hat-trick from their lanky forward Marmalaque Davidson, secured a 3-0 victory over Blueberry Hill on Friday when the Upper Demerara Football Association (UDFA) GT Beer Christmas knockout football tournament continued at the Mackenzie Sports Club Ground.

Milerock also produced a win, topping Eagles United 3-1 in a come-from-behind victory.

Milerock, who were set back by an early goal when their defenders were caught

Marmalaque Davidson

motionless, saw Kwesi Quintyn capitalising with a well-timed shot in the 17th minute.

However, the Petra Organisation’s champions regrouped early enough to

cancel that advantage for the Eagles. They recovered from the early shock to score in the 39th minute as a cross from Ron Fiedtkou at midfield reached Clarence Huggins who rounded his marker and eluded him to put a well-placed shot into the net. The first half would end with a 1-1 score line.

Jermain Granderson would score a penalty in the 81st minute for Milerock’s 2-1 lead before Milerock closed out the contest when a ball was sent cross field for the travelling Kester Randolph to evade his defenders and dart through to score the winning goal.

Gaskin, Sanmoogan, Fowler tipped to be Guyana’s wildcards at Rio Olympics

Jamal Butts

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osignol United and New Amsterdam United have advanced to the next round of the Georgetown Football Association (GFA) Banks Beer Knockout football tournament following big wins on Saturday night at the Number Five Ground in West Berbice.

In the feature game, Rosignol United brushed aside arch rivals Cougars 3-0 in a fast-paced game.

Cougars started with the advantage of the wind to assist them, but 10 minutes into game, their main striker Sherwin Parris was injured and had to be taken off the field.

With Parris injured, Stephan DeFlorimonte stepped up his game and in

Keon Williams

the 15th minute, he tested the Rosignol goalkeeper who had made two earlier spills.

Parris returned to the field, but could not live up to expectations, after having a chance to put Cougars ahead when he came one on one with Rosignol’s custodian.

In the 28th minute, Shane Gangroo outsmarted DeFlorimonte and took the ball away from him just off the centre line and went straight down the middle and past two defenders.

With the goalkeeper drawn off the goal line, Gangroo made a surprise turn to the right and went around the keeper before releasing a low and thunderous shot that troubled the

net and got the crowd pumping.

In the 41st minute Keenon Rajgopaul received a pass in the 12-yard box and made no mistake to send Rosignol two up to end the first half.

In the second half, with Cougars missing clear chances on goal, the game was sealed in the 88th minute when Akeem Rigby, who had been moving dangerously all game, hammered home a ball which deflected off the goalkeeper as Rosignol registered a 3-nil win.

Earlier, New Amsterdam United made easy work of Black Water when they defeated the latter 7-nil.

Jamal Butts scored a hat-trick and Keon Williams a double in the one-sided affair.

Williams opened the scoring in the 28th minute and scored again six minutes later.

One minute before the interval, Captain Leonardo Adams took a corner shot which Butts converted.

Butts then completed his hat-trick by scoring in the 56th and 88th minutes, while Germaine Samuels and Adams scored in the 71st and 89th minutes respectively.

Malta Supreme basketball tourney to continue on Wednesday Jamila Sanmoogan

By Akeem Greene

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espite the Olympics being some eight months away in Rio in neighbouring Brazil, three of Guyana’s top swimmers are positioned to be wild card entries at the games.

When Guyana Times Sport spoke to swim Coach Sean Baksh about Guyana’s possible wild card entries for swimming, he revealed that “we have two wild cards – one male and female”.

In order to get these wild cards, athletes would have had to compete in the World Swimming Championships which were held in Kazan, Russia in July of this year. “We had three athletes there: Andrew Flower, Hannibal Gaskin and Jamila Sanmoogan; one of the boys will be selected, but the girl is a foregone conclusion,” Baksh said.

Sanmoogan is currently in Colombia at the National School of Sport on a scholarship and is dubbed an exceptional swimmer by members of the swimming fraternity.

Coach Baksh said in de-

scribing her improvement, “She is currently training in Colombia; she did a 1:02s in 100 metres freestyle and her previous best timing was a 1:06s.”

As for Gaskin who seemingly might get the nod ahead of Fowler, he is set to leave in January for the United States of America (USA) on a training stint through the Guyana Olympic Association and the International Olympic Committee, which provided a grant for that purpose.

In August of this year, at the Goodwill Swim Meet held in Trinidad and Tobago, Gaskin broke the 200 metres freestyle record in the boys’ 15-17 age group when he swam a time of 1:58.66s, bettering the previous time of 1:59.29s.

Fowler, who is currently training under Coach Isabel Maria Couso Fals, is also a serious contender for the Rio trip. At the recently-held Guyana Amateur Swimming Association championship at the National Aquatic Centre, Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown, Fowler matched up against former World Championship

Swimmer Orlando McRae in the men’s open 50 metres freestyle and won in style after being behind for the early half of the race.

Guyana Olympic Association President KA Juman-Yassin explained to Guyana Times Sport that the various disciplines which received wild card entries would submit the names to the Association who would then approve or disapprove the athletes.

Guyana’s one previous swimmer at the Olympics was Britany Van Lange who competed at the 2012 London Summer Olympics.

She competed in the women’s 100 metres freestyle, finishing in 42nd place overall in the heats, coming close to qualifying for the semi-finals.

The advent of the Olympic size 50-metre pool at Liliendaal seems to be of tremendous benefit to the local swimmers who have been able to better train under an international regime with the hope of producing stellar performances at international meets. (akeemg@guyanatimesgy.com)

Neil Marks

Terron Welch

he Linden Amateur B a s k e t b a l l Association (LABA) Malta Supreme Christmas basketball tournament will continue on Wednesday at the Mackenzie Sports Club

hard court.

The night’s action will feature one game between Half Mile Bulls and the Retrieve Raiders to determine which team will top the group stage and claim

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the number one seed as the tournament heads into the semi-final round.

The Retrieve Raiders are playing some good basketball and are the likely favourites to win the whole tournament.

Their combination of perimeter scoring and low-post offence will make a tough handle for the Half Mile Bulls who have not been consistent on the defensive end of the floor.

Retrieve Raiders will depend on the likes of Abdulla Hamid and Neil Marks to come out victorious while Half Mile Bulls will need the perimeter scoring of Terron Welch and Michael Turner to pull off the win.

Action is expected to start from 19:00h

Gayle, man with the golden bat feared golden duck

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est Indies star batsman Chris Gayle admits he was a bit ‘afraid’ of getting out for a duck after all the hype surrounding his fancy golden bat on debut for the Melbourne Renegades in Australia’s Big Bash League on Saturday.

The Jamaican has been at the centre of attention following a decision by manufacturers Spartan to furnish the player with a

gold-coloured bat.

Things, however, have not going as smoothly as planned at first. Despite hitting two sixes, Gayle failed to properly catch any of the 16 balls he faced before departing for 23.

The big left-hander is no stranger to the spotlight but admits the feat was a bit intimidating having never used the bat before.

“It was the first time

(I used the gold bat),” the master blaster told the Herald Sun after a sevenwicket win at the Gabba.

“It was a bit scary at first. I said, ‘OK there’s a lot of tension and a lot of eyes are going to be on you, Gayle. I hope you don’t get a golden duck’.”

The Renegades did go on to successfully chase the Brisbane Heats’ 181 for an opening day win.

(Digicel Sportsmax)

guyanatimesGY.com

monday, december 21, 2015

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Malta Supreme Christmas Basketball tournament

GABF President makes cash donation to LABA

GABF President Nigel Hinds hands over the cash donation to LABA Assistant Secretary Danica Barker-Chase

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uyana Amateur B a s k e t b a l l Federation (GABF)

President Nigel Hinds on Saturday made a donation of an undisclosed sum of mon-

ey to the Linden Amateur Basketball Association (LABA) that will aid in the payment of officials for the ongoing Malta Supreme Christmas Basketball Championship.

Hinds also witnessed the penultimate night of the preliminary round play that saw Retrieve Raiders topping Amelia’s Ward Jets 4946 while the Half Mile Bulls got a walkover win.

According to a press release, the GABF President noted that he was approached by the Association for assistance based on the fact that while major sponsor Banks DIH, through its Malta Supreme brand, is onboard, there were areas where additional financing was needed; hence, the bid for assistance from the parent body.

Linden Amateur Basketball Association (LABA) Assistant Secretary Danica Barker-Chase said the Association was grateful for the response by Hinds at the last minute, and shared that the Federation had al-

The national players received their $10,000 stipend from GABF President Hinds in the presence of LABA officials

ways been supportive of their needs and plans for the promotion of the sport in Linden and its environs.

Meanwhile, the GABF boss also took the opportunity to donate two basketballs to the Association for use in the championship and made a cash donation of $10,000 to each of the players from

Linden who recently played for Guyana against the Antigua and Barbuda All Star team.

Those receiving the stipends were Terron Welch, Michael Turner, Dennis Niles, Harold Adams, Keon Cameron and Assistant Coach Kevin Joseph. The stipends were promised by

GABF to the players and coaching staff in appreciation for the sacrifice made, according to the Federation President.

The LABA Executive Committee will meet tonight at 19.00h at the Mackenzie Sports Club Lounge to discuss the completion of the current championship.

Windies ponder Thunder rout Kobe-less Lakers Bishoo inclusion K for 2nd Test NBA Roundup…

evin Durant had 22 points and eight rebounds, Enes Kanter added 19 points and 14 rebounds, and the Oklahoma City Thunder beat the Los Angeles Lakers, 118-78, on Saturday for their eighth straight home victory.

Russell Westbrook had 13 points and 11 assists for his 18th double-double of the season.

Kobe Bryant sat for Los Angeles with a sore right shoulder.

Lou Williams scored 20 points and Jordan Clarkson Devendra Bishoo added 15, but the Lakers lost for the 15th time in 17 est Indies coach “We’ll see what happens games.

Phil Simmons has over the next three days Rockets 107, Clippers revealed the team and we’ll see what the MCG 97 — Dwight Howard had could turn to leg spinner wicket is like, then we can 22 points and 14 rebounds, Devandra Bishoo as the make a decision about the and host Houston built a tourist look to turn around combination we’re going huge lead early and rolled their fortunes on a difficult with.” tour of Australia.

Simmons confirmed over Los Angeles.

Houston pushed the Wickets have come at a Bishoo was fully fit despite lead to 95-76 with about 7½ premium for the regional murmurings about a finger minutes left when Howard team in a lean spell so where problem. they managed a mere four “He hasn’t bowled blocked a shot by Austin in the first match at Hobart. enough on this tour to have Rivers, and Trevor Ariza The regional unit didn’t fare that issue. The last time he grabbed the ball and dished much better disturbing the had that issue he bowled it to Howard, who finished sticks against a Victorian quite a few overs in the Test with a dunk on the other XI in Geelong team most re- match at Dominica,” he said. end. The starters for both cently, taking three in a dis“Nothing like that has teams sat down a few minappointing draw. However, come up.” utes after that. it was Bishoo who took both Bishoo has played Griffin’s 22 points led wickets and Simmons con- 15 Tests, with one of his the Clippers, who lost their firmed the team might look best performances com- second straight. to the spinner in the second ing against Australia in James Harden added Test.

Dominica earlier this year.

18 points with 11 assists, “He bowled better,” The West Indies will face and Ariza scored 17 for the Simmons said.

Australia in the second Rockets.

“There was a lot more Test on Christmas Day in Knicks 107, Bulls 91 — drive in his deliveries and Melbourne. (Digicel Sportsmax) Carmelo Anthony scored everything like that.

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Kevin Durant

27 points as host New York beat weary Chicago for its fourth straight victory.

A night after losing a four-overtime game in Chicago, the Bulls started well and had a strong third quarter, but the rest of the night mostly belonged to the Knicks.

Arron Afflalo added 18 points for New York, which got back to .500 at 14-14 after winning just 17 games last season.

Lance Thomas scored 13 off the bench.

Joakim Noah had a season-high 21 points for the Bulls in his first start of the season. Rookie forward Bobby Portis had the best night of his brief career with 20 points and 11 rebounds.

The Bulls’ 147-144 home loss to Detroit fin-

ished about 20 hours before Saturday’s tipoff at Madison Square Garden, and they didn’t get to their New York hotel until after 4 a.m. Pau Gasol didn’t even make the trip after playing 48 minutes Friday, remaining behind in Chicago for rest and treatment for some recent soreness.

Grizzlies 96, Pacers 84 — Marc Gasol had 19 points and 12 rebounds, Matt Barnes finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds, and Memphis defeated visiting Indiana.

Mike Conley added 20 points and eight assists as the Grizzlies snapped a two-game skid. Mario Chalmers had 12 points for Memphis and Jeff Green added 11.

Paul George led the Pacers with 29 points, de-

spite going 8 of 22 from the field. Monta Ellis scored 13 points and Rodney Stuckey had 11 points. Jordan Hill finished with 10 points and 13 rebounds.

Wizards 109, Hornets 101 — John Wall had 27 points and 12 assists and Garrett Temple scored a career-high 21 points for host Washington.

Wall scored 20 points in the first half and then drilled a key jumper with just over two minutes left in the game after the Hornets nearly erased a 15-point deficit.

Cody Zeller’s layup cut the lead to 99-98 with 2:24 to play.

Jared Dudley matched a season high with 19 points and Marcin Gortat had 18 points for Washington.

Kemba Walker led Charlotte with 18 points, and Jeremy Lin had 15.

Warriors 121, Bucks 112 - Stephen Curry scored 26 points and Draymond Green fueled a key fourthquarter run that helped the Golden State Warriors avenged their only loss of the season by beating the visiting Milwaukee Bucks, 121-112, Friday night.

Six nights after handing the Warriors their first loss of the season and ending a 28-game, regular-season winning streak, the Bucks nearly dealt Golden State its first home loss since Jan. 27 against Chicago. (Boston Globe)

monday, december 21, 2015

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

GFA Banks Beer KO Cup

Rosignol United, NA United advance

Pg 22

The winning Rosignol squad pose after the game

Fielding woes afflict West Indies in draw, Bishoo gets 2 wickets

Gaskin, Sanmoogan, Blatter, Platini Fowler tipped to be to learn Guyana’s wildcards fate today at Rio Olympics Pg 19

Pg 21

Pg 22 Devendra Bishoo

Michel Platini (left) and Sepp Blatter share a moment Hannibal Gaskin

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