Guyana Times Daily

thursDAY, september 11, 2014 | guYAnAtimesgY.com

Guyana recognised for supporting Grenada during Hurricane Ivan

On September 7, 2004, Hurricane Ivan, a Category Three storm, struck the Caribbean island of Grenada, causing widespread destruction. Eight-nine per cent of the country’s housing stock and most schools on the island were damaged. There were as well, severe destruction of the health services and the agriculture sector.

A decade later, Grenada remembers Hurricane Ivan, and in its remembrance, the country has also shown its appreciation to those countries and organisations that contributed to its restora-

tion following the disaster.

On Friday, September 5, when the country hosted its Annual Disaster Awareness Showcase under the theme “ Remembering the Past, Celebrating the Present and Preparing for the Future” at the Grenada Trade Centre, Morne Rogue, St George’s, Guyana was among the countries honoured for their support and hospitality in the aftermath of the devastation, the Government Information Agency (GINA) reported.

Minister within the Finance Ministry, Juan Edghill, who represented

Guyana at the event, received the award on behalf of the country from former Governor General, Sir Daniel Williams.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Ivan, the financial cost of the devastation to Grenada was estimated at more than US$900 million, more than twice the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The hurricane had damaged an estimated 27,000 homes, displacing over half of the population. It affected nearly every school on the island, prompting the Government to declare it a priority sector. Further, 69 per cent of the infrastructure in the health sector was damaged

and as a result, health services continued to be available in the aftermath of the disaster only on a limited scale. Hurricane Ivan also caused widespread damage to the island’s principal agricultural crop – nutmeg.

In Guyana, the Government and the Private Sector jointly responded to the plight of the sister Caribbean country, and there was the provision of humanitarian aid, both by air and sea.

There was the sensitisation of Guyanese to the Government’s offer of repatriation, and tangible assistance on Government’s part. Twenty-six containers containing relief items

were sent to Grenada from Guyana.

Guyana’s assistance also included taking up the $40 million bill for sugar supplies that were in Grenada when the hurricane struck. The Government of Guyana repaid the Guyana Sugar Corporation for the shipment. In addition, 100 Guyana Defence Force (GDF) soldiers were deployed to Grenada for a sixmonth period to assist in the rebuilding process. Among the party of soldiers were carpenters and electricians. The Guyana Government financially supported the soldiers’ mission there and their upkeep for the six months.

Guyana has tremendous opportunities for yachting

– GTA Director

... second Nereid’s Rally hosted

With more than seven yachts already in Guyana and an estimated 12 to participate in the second Nereid’s Yachting Rally hosted by Guyana, Suriname and Saint Laurent, French Guiana, this event promises to be yet another success, paving the way for tremen-

dous opportunities in the local tourism industry.

During an interview with the Government Information Agency (GINA), Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA) Director, Indranauth Haralsingh, said that Guyana has remarkable opportunities for yachting, not only for its scenic beauty, but as a very competitive market in terms of clearance, entry procedures and fees.

In September 2013, about 25 yachts sailed into the Essequibo River in the first Nereid’s Yachting Rally. The Caribbean is the number one cruise market in the world, and Guyana

is considered a safe haven for yachts, as it is south of Trinidad and out of the hurricane zone. The Essequibo is also the third largest river in South America.

Haralsingh said that yachting presents numerous opportunities for investors to spend on either marinas, or boatyards and docks. “You can imagine the number of jobs that can be created; this can lead to a lot of investments, attracting foreign currency and eventually attracting thousands of yachts to Guyana and then persons storing their yachts can come and sail off from here to elsewhere in the Caribbean,” Haralsingh further noted.

As part of the Nereid’s Yachting Rally, there will be a reception today for the yachters, followed by a beach party on Sunday at the Hurakabra Resort at a cost of US$75, US$60 and US$35. This includes lunch and transportation and tickets can be uplifted at the Tourism Ministry, Oasis Café and Nigel’s Supermarket.

The beach party is also part of the wider activities organised by the Tourism Ministry in the Essequibo region, complementing the Leguan and Wakenaam Nites. Activities include beach volleyball, lime and spoon races, watermelon competition and a tour to the mega yacht currently in our waters.

Former Governor General of Grenada, Sir Daniel Williams hands over the plaque of appreciation to Minister in the Ministry of Finance Juan Edghill

Two of the yachts that came on the first Nereid’s Rally last year

BRIDGE OPENINGS

WEATHER TODAY

Specialty Hospital contract:

“On thin ice” US$4M paid to contractor

By Bhisham mohamed

overnment on Wednesday admitted that the over US$4 million paid to Surendra Engineering Corporation Limited (SECL) to design and build a Specialty Hospital at Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown might be difficult to recover, even as it vowed to pursue legal action against the firm to recoup the funds.

After announcing it was terminating the contract of the firm owing to fraud and undue delays in complet-

ing the project, Government said on Wednesday that the engineering company had collected in excess of US$4 million as payment for mobilisation work, which commenced at the site. The money collected is reportedly 23.5 per cent of the project cost.

Asked whether the company had lodged a security bond, Cabinet Secretary, Dr Roger Luncheon answered in the negative, although mentioning that one previously existed.

“The long and short of it: You’re right. It is unsecured. There was a bond. There was a point in time when this money was secured, but there is no bond now and the fraud that was attempted sought to do was to have another bond put in place to secure our money,” he said.

Dr Luncheon said it was the Supervisor of the works, Vikab Engineering, that uncovered the forged document that was written on a letterhead of the Central Bank of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. “Vikab’s contributions to unravelling the behaviour of Surendra have been significant, have been

enormous,” he said.

He explained that the supervisory firm had had some reservations about bonds being issued in Trinidad for works being executed in Guyana.

Government first announced on Tuesday that it had written the firm about its deep concerns about its execution of the contract for the design and construction of the Specialty Hospital.

Government said since late June, it had been engaging SECL on a number of issues regarding allegations of fraud and financial irregularities.

Concerns

“Initially, the Government’s concerns related to delayed milestones and inadequate accountability by SECL for public funds the company had received on signing the contract with the Health Ministry. Subsequently, the Government of Guyana discovered that SECL’s representative in Guyana had submitted a fraudulent document purporting to emanate from the Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago.”

According to the Government, since the fraudulent act by SECL was confirmed by the Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago, it wrote the company informing of its intention to: terminate the contract, pursue legal action for fraud and recover public funds from SECL for which it has failed to account fully.

At his weekly post-Cabinet briefing at the Office of the President, Dr Luncheon noted that the decision was taken after intense investigations, both in Guyana and overseas. The document that was forged was a prerequisite of the contract award which, he said, is estimated at US$150 million.

He added that the pos-

sibility of blacklisting the company is eminent, based on the outcome of the legal proceedings.

At a separate news conference, Health Minister, Dr Bheri Ramsaran reaffirmed Government’s commitment to building the hospital.

He admitted that there are rough roads ahead, but was sure that the Government would live up to its promise to the people of Guyana. He also reiterated that the deficiencies were first detected by his Ministry after they requested invoices to justify the spending of US$4,285,440 by SECL. While perusing the document, they realised that

something was amiss. Moreover, he said, sub-contractors had contacted the Health Ministry to complain of not receiving payments for works that were completed. The company, he added, then requested additional monies, but in the absence of a security bond, the monies were not released.

The Health Minister said it was while they were in the process of getting the bond, the irregularities were picked up; hence, an investigation was launched which definitely took some time.

Attorney General Anil Nandlall, who is handling the legal aspects of the proceedings, recapped how Surendra Engineering was awarded the contract to construct the Specialty Hospital. He pointed out that Government promised to build a Specialty Hospital and in doing so, it engaged a process with the intention of making the hospital a reality. He added that the funds for the project were coming from the Exim Bank in India and, to an extent, the Government of India, thus the stakeholders shortlisted a few contractors to complete the task. During a fair and transparent process, he said, Surendra Engineering Company was selected.

Attorney General Anil Nandlall

An artistic sketch of the Specialty Hospital

Cabinet Secretary, Dr Roger Luncheon

Editor: Nigel Williams

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Editorial

Heritage and change

The acceptance of Amerindian Heritage Month, and its commemoration that is in full swing, should remind us of the multicultural nature of our society. Rather than being a source of division as some posit, this should rather be seen as a repository of strength.

Culture can be broadly seen as a people’s response to their environment – the latter being, by definition, geographically and chronologically diverse. It should, therefore, surprise no one that cultural responses are also correspondingly diverse.

The Guyanese people arrived here from different places at different times and, therefore, brought different cultures, but all that means is that they brought different responses to their circumstances. These responses are the bases of the strength we mentioned earlier. In biology, an organism may be so specialised that if the environment changes, the entire species is wiped out, because its members do not have the variation in responses to deal with the new environment.

In the lives of nations, the same rule holds. The international environment is ever changing and that generates pressures within countries to deal with these changes. In the present age of globalisation, this process has accelerated to such an extent that many countries have proven themselves unable to cope with the brave new worlds that are being created every day. They have either fallen by the wayside or will fall by the wayside eventually, once their momentum dissipates.

With us in Guyana with our diverse cultures, we will be able to deal with most of the exigencies that may come our way – once misguided policymakers do not resuscitate the old benighted insistence for Guyanese to jettison their cultures and “assimilate”.

Some may ask, how come with this diverse background and repertoire of responses, we have descended into the politics of violence and bullyism, which was most recently invoked by the Leader of the PNC and the Opposition when he threatened to take “action” against the Government if his recommendation on Local Government Elections is not followed.

But as the late, great, assassinated scholar Dr Walter Rodney reminded us, Indian and African Guyanese coexisted from 1938 without any major violent incident between them – until 1962. And in that year, it was outside forces, in the form of the US’s CIA, with their own agenda, that unleashed that particular genie from the bottle.

The record showed that up to that time, cooperation and not conflict characterised the relations between those two groups. Guyanese should, therefore, reject those forces that are always using the threat of violence to get their own way. It is not the “Guyanese way”.

But this does not mean that cultures should be set in stone and should not be allowed to evolve. And that is the key word: “evolve”.

As conditions change, some responses will be dysfunctional in the new context – but because there are other responses in the society from other groups, the individual can appreciate that maybe change is necessary. As this is being written, the country is commemorating the International Day for Suicide Prevention. Guyana has the dubious distinction of being one of the countries with the highest rate of suicide – and in 2012, the highest. But if the figures are disaggregated, it can be easily discerned that Hindu males form the highest “at risk” group.

Institutions or individuals that want to make positive interventions to deal with the social problem can and should conduct comparative studies to identify why individuals living in the same environment exhibit different behavioural patterns. The answer has to lie in socially transmitted cultural habits or responses of the affected and non-affected groups.

In a similar fashion, when one looks at the economic achievement of citizens of the country, a correlation between cultural practices and that variable is soon discerned. Again comparative studies can be done – without making odious comparisons – to learn what cultural patterns are probably conducive to economic advancement.

Celebrating Vivekananda

Dear Editor,

On September 11, 1893 the western world, particularly the Americans were given the best introduction to Hinduism presented by an unknown monk of India who subsequently became a global fame to both the ordinary and the intellectual. His legacy continues to grow and inspire to date.

On the 121st anniversary of this historic day in the Parliament of Religions held in Chicago, it is appropriate to share as a tribute, a brief introduction on the life and work of this great soul, Swami Vivekananda. The following is taken from the preface of his biography written by Swami Nikhilananda:

“Swami Vivekananda’s inspiring personality was well known both in India and in America during the last decade of the 19th century and the first decade of the 20th. The unknown monk of India suddenly leapt into fame at the Parliament of Religions held in Chicago in 1893, at which he represented Hinduism.

“His vast knowledge of Eastern and Western culture as well as his deep spiritual insight, fervid eloquence, brilliant conversation, broad human sympathy, colourful personality, and handsome figure made an irresistible appeal to the many types of Americans who came in contact with him. People who saw or heard Vivekananda, even once, still cherish his memory

after a lapse of more than half a century.

“In America, Vivekananda’s mission was the interpretation of India’s spiritual culture, especially in its Vedantic setting. He also tried to enrich the religious consciousness of the Americans through the rational and humanistic teachings of the Vedanta philosophy.

“In America he became India’s spiritual ambassador and pleaded eloquently for better understanding between India and the New World in order to create a healthy synthesis of East and West, of religion and science.

“In his own motherland, Vivekananda is regarded as the patriot saint of modern India and an inspirer of her dormant national consciousness. To the Hindus he preached the ideal of a strength-giving and man-making religion.

“Service to man as the visible manifestation of the Godhead was the special form of worship he advocated for the Indians, devoted as they were to the rituals and myths of their ancient faith. Many political leaders of India have publicly acknowledged their indebtedness to Swami Vivekananda.

“The Swami’s mission was both national and international. A lover of mankind, he strove to promote peace and human brotherhood on the spiritual foundation of the Vedantic Oneness of existence. A

mystic of the highest order, Vivekananda had a direct and intuitive experience of Reality. He derived his ideas from that unfailing source of wisdom and often presented them in the soulstirring language of poetry.

“The natural tendency of Vivekananda’s mind, like that of his Master, Ramakrishna, was to soar above the world and forget itself in contemplation of the Absolute. But another part of his personality bled at the sight of human suffering in East and West alike.

“It might appear that his mind seldom found a point of rest in its oscillation between contemplation of God and service to man. Be that as it may, he chose, in obedience to a higher call, service to man as his mission on earth; and this choice has endeared him to people in the West, Americans in particular.

“In the course of a short life of thirty-nine years (1863-1902), of which only ten were devoted to public activities – and those, too, in the midst of acute physical suffering – he left for posterity his four classics: Jnana-Yoga, BhaktiYoga, Karma-Yoga, and Raja-Yoga, all of which are outstanding treatises on Hindu philosophy.

“In addition, he delivered innumerable lectures, wrote inspired letters in his own hand to his many friends and disciples, composed numerous poems, and acted as spiritual

guide to the many seekers who came to him for instruction.

“He also organised the Ramakrishna Order of monks, which is one of the most outstanding religious organisations of modern India. It is devoted to the propagation of the Hindu spiritual culture not only in the Swami’s native land, but also in America and in other parts of the world.

“Swami Vivekananda once spoke of himself as a ‘condensed India.’ His life and teachings are of inestimable value to the West for an understanding of the mind of Asia. William James, the Harvard philosopher, called the Swami the ‘paragon of Vedantists.’ Max Müller and Paul Deussen, the famous Orientalists of the nineteenth century, held him in genuine respect and affection.

“‘His words,’ writes Romain Rolland, ‘are great music, phrases in the style of Beethoven, stirring rhythms like the march of Handel choruses. I cannot touch these sayings of his, scattered as they are through the pages of books, at 30 years’ distance, without receiving a thrill through my body like an electric shock. And what shocks, what transports, must have been produced when in burning words they issued from the lips of the hero’!”

Regards, Pandit Charranlall Nandalall

Former crocodile hunter George Craig, 84, has no illusions that Cassius, the 18-foot, 2200 pound, 111-year-old crocodile, would eat him if given the chance. The largest crocodile in the world in captivity goes by the name of Cassius. George Craig who is the owner has been feeding Cassius for 27 years at his Australian sanctuary on Green Island in the Great Barrier Reef. He captured him in the old-fashioned way – with ropes and a brave spirit. Cassius was loaded onto a truck and transported 1850 miles to Cairns, and then was boated to Green Island where he was named after Cassius Clay the boxer because of all his battle scars (Yahoo News)

Do unto others what you wish others do unto you

Dear Editor,

It is with great amazement that I read the publisher of Kaieteur News, Glenn Lall’s contention that the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) is on a “witch-hunt” against him. Lall, along with his Editorin-Chief Adam Harris on a daily basis perpetuates the same thing he is accusing the GRA of with Kaieteur News.

Have you ever paid close attention to some of the stories that are carried by the Kaieteur News, stories that are outlandish, sensational, speculative and are never grounded in facts?

Kaieteur News under the leadership of Lall has seen a barrage of attacks on the character and livelihood of persons causing untold suffering and agony to the said persons and their families, only to satisfy his “witch-hunting” ambitions.

Life has a way of balancing itself out and I guess this is what is happening with Lall. When he utilised all the nasty tactics to bully and cajole information out of persons and spread misinformation

when that information was not obtained, he never once thought to himself what his actions were doing to persons who he interacted with.

Now that somebody has stood up to him and is fighting him the same way he fights others, he is crying out. He does not want it known that he is involved in nefarious activities or else his lucrative empire of deceit and sensationalism would topple.

People believe in genuine persons who champion the cause of truth but when you fool the people and make them believe that you’re credible and just, when the truth of that deception is uncovered there goes your credibility.

This is what Lall is trying to avoid. He doesn’t want the public to know that his moral compass appears more skewed than the persons he accuses of being corrupt and that given the opportunity, he would likely engage in deceit to turn a profit.

Hence, the reasons why he is involved in an alleged duty-free concession scam

to rob the Government of more the $100 million in taxes for two luxury vehicles that he now claims were never his, but he borrowed from his family friends.

As if that is not damning enough, Lall was again exposed by the GRA in another duty-free concession infringement, this time involving the importation of printing inks for his company.

He benefited from dutyfree concessions for the importation of inks thought to have originated from Trinidad, but was made abroad and reportedly falsified to look as if it was a Caricom product to benefit from tax exemptions under the revised Treaty of Chaguaramas.

When these facts are laid out before him, he cries out “witch-hunt”. Society is no longer falling for those tricks and Lall’s credibility is on the line. The good book says do unto others what you wish others do unto you!

Yours sincerely,

Faruk Mohamed

If it’s a crime for one, then it’s a crime for all

Dear Editor,

I would like to extend commendations to the Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs

Anil Nandlall for his excellent piece that he released to the press pronouncing on the AFC’s leader Khemraj Ramjattan remarks in the media.

Ramjattan said Government is interfering in the Police investigation of Finance Minister Dr Ashni Singh for his spending of $4.5B that were disapproved by the combined Opposition.

Ramjattan’s sentiments that he was “reliably informed that the Government is in fact interfering with the investigation, with ranks being told to delay the process”, is in its entirety too far flung a reason for him to make such a damning pronouncement, which seems clearly intended to paint the Government and the Guyana Police Force (which he had faith in to levy the complaint) in a bad light.

It is for this reason that I praise Nandlall for his apt and eye opening response, rubbishing Ramjatan’s loose and in the words of the Minister “unsubstantiated”

allegations.

The AG rightly pointed out that not one iota of evidence was put forward suggesting that the Government interfered in any process and quite frankly if Ramjattan was “reliably” informed, it means he is operating on the assumption of hearsay, and using that for the basis for your argument is indeed irresponsible.

Moreover when I read the AG’s response, it dawned upon me that if Dr Singh is guilty of committing a crime, then every single member, including the Speaker of the National Assembly and the combined Opposition, is guilty of aiding, abetting and conspiring to commit the same crime.

The reason is say this is because, as the AG factually pointed out, the same actions that were taken by the Finance Minister to restore parts of the budget, even though it was disapproved in 2014, was taken in 2012 and 2013, and were never challenged.

It is therefore bewildering that the Opposition parties would come and say to the people of Guyana that the restorations made by the

An African must lead AFC under racial rotational agreement

Dear Editor, I am disappointed to read that the Alliance for Change (AFC) has decided to break the precedent established in 2006 on racial rotation of the Presidential and Prime Ministerial candidates for the next General Elections likely next year.

Moses Nagamootoo’s name is being touted as the party’s Presidential Candidate. This would violate the agreement made in 2006. There was a publicly announced agreement that leadership positions and candidacies would be rotated.

In 2006, Raphael Trotman was selected as the Presidential Candidate and Khemraj Ramjattan appointed as the Prime Ministerial candidate. It was announced at the time that the two candidates will switch place for the 2011 elections and that there would be racial rotation every election.

In 2011, Trotman initially declined the Prime Ministerial position and was replaced by a female candidate. After her illness and sudden death, and amid appeals by party executives, Trotman reversed his decision and agreed to become Ramjattan’s number two.

Finance Minister are “illegal” when they assented to restorations that were disapproved in 2012 and 2013.

So if the combined Opposition (the Alliance for Change [AFC] and A Partnership for National Unity [APNU]) seems so hell bent on articulating that a “crime” was committed, then they themselves are guilty of supporting such “crimes”, as it happened in 2012 and 2013.

I think the Guyanese people are smart enough to understand the political games that the AFC and APNU are playing and know that at the end of the day with all the cuts and disapprovals, we are the ones that suffer.

Just ask the sugar workers, the University of Guyana (UG) students and the Amerindians, just to name a few, who felt the direct blows of the cuts levied at the hands of the combined opposition in the 2014 budget.

Nothing happens in isolation of the other and when one sector or part is denied growth, then we are all collectively stagnated.

Yours sincerely, Stephen Kissoon

Enforcing the racial agreement that was made by the founders of the party, the next election should be an African turn to lead the party. It would be

most unfair for an Indian to lead the party into the General Elections as such an act would violate the agreement made by the founders and executive of the party.

Moreover, it would create an unjust situation in which Africans are not being given their fair share of the leadership of the party. The AFC is largely viewed as an Indian party as it received most of its votes in 2011 from Indians with a sprinkling from Amerindians, Mixed and Africans.

In order to attract more African and Mixed support, and to implement the suggestion being promoted by Mahadeo Persaud that an African should lead an Indian party and vice versa, I am recommending an African (say someone of the stature of Nigel Hughes or Trotman or Cathy Hughes) as the AFC Presidential candidate and an Indian (perhaps Nagamootoo or Ramjattan) as the Prime Ministerial candidate.

Nigel or Cathy would expand support for the AFC whereas Nagamootoo’s leadership would lead to declining support for the party. Instead of the six (seven) seats it currently has, it could end up with only four seats (one each for Moses, Raphael, Khemraj and Cathy –this means nothing for Veerasammy Ramayya).

In another media outlet, prominent figure

Oscar Ramjeet penned that Berbicians he interacted with are unhappy with Nagamootoo being touted as the leader of the AFC and for linking up with the PNC.

Ramjeet wrote that Berbicians want Nagamootoo to return to the PPP/C fold and not lead the AFC into an election. Indeed, polls I conducted in Guyana in 2013 and 2014 nationally also showed that PPP/C supporters want Nagamootoo to return to his PPP/C home and for the PPP/C leadership to reconcile its differences with Moses and Ralph Ramkarran.

Moses should not accept any nomination as the Presidential Candidate of the AFC as this would violate an agreement for racial rotation leading to polarisation of the society. It would lead to unnecessary tension in the society showing AFC’s Indian executives as power driven and as individuals who can’t be counted upon to honor an agreement.

Putting Moses as the Presidential Candidate will also cost the AFC votes as they have shown they will not vote for a party not led by a fellow African. I humbly request AFC leaders to honor the racial rotational agreement so it can increase its support.

Yours truly, Vishnu

Bisram

Page Foundation

Words hurt

Words can wound our children deeper than a slap at times. Many of the seemingly harmless words that so easily pop out of our mouths like “Why can’t you be more like your sister?” can cause severe emotional injury and chip away at a child’s selfesteem. The words parents use form the basis of a child’s sense of self. Words are like a mirror reflecting back to our children vital information about who they are and what they will become.

It’s easy to verbally harm our children in subtle ways, often in the mistaken belief that we are doing what is best to teach them to behave. Most children are resilient and can handle an occasional hurtful comment from their parents.

The more we are aware of potentially harmful statements, the more likely we will be to find other ways to influence our children. If you find that you habitually use the 10 red-flag statements described below and can’t stop yourself, you should seek help from a professional counsellor.

A group of mental-health professionals and a group of parents were asked what parental verbalisations, if any, they considered so potentially harmful to a child’s selfworth that the words should never be used.

Although the two groups did not regard parental nagging, shouting or criticising to be serious problems, they were in remarkable agreement about what parents

should not say to their children. Here are the results.

Name-calling “Dummy” … “You’re a bad boy” … “What a klutz” –all of these are harmful!

Harmful: Parents’ words are like word of God to a child. If you label a child as a “jerk,” “brat” or “baby,” he is likely to believe it’s true. Since negative labels assault a child’s personality rather than a specific behaviour, his self-esteem will be diminished. Labels tend to become self-fulfilling prophecies. The child who is told she is “clumsy” might avoid dancing or playing sports. The child labelled “shy” may seek to avoid contact with peers and adults.

Helpful: Direct your child’s attention to a particular behaviour that needs changing, eg, “This room is getting messy!” “The paper and pencils you left on the floor need to be picked up now.”

Rejection

“I wish you were never born” … “Nobody could love you.”

Harmful : Rejection means you state a strong dislike or a desire to separate from your child. To a child, being

unloved by the person who brought you into the world means you really must be unlovable. What children need more than anything else from their parents is to feel that they are loved unconditionally, ie, that they are loved for who they are rather than for what they do or fail to do.

Helpful: On a daily basis, openly communicate your affection for your child with both verbal (“I love you”) and physical (hugs, pats on the shoulder) expressions.

Negativity

“You’ll never amount to anything” … “You’re going to be locked up on jail

someday.”

Harmful: Children tend to live up to or down to what we believe about them. A pastor once visited a prison to speak to a large group of inmates. He asked how many of them were told when they were children that they would end up in jail. The pastor was shocked when almost everyone present raised their hand. Parents need to believe in their children and predict a good future for them.

Helpful: “You’re going through some hard times right now, but I want you to know that I’ll never give up on you.”

Scapegoating

“You made me lose my temper” … “You’re the reason your mother and I are getting a divorce” … “Your brother would never do that. You must have done it.”

Harmful : Scapegoating means blaming a child for the actions of others. Children are a convenient and easy target to fault for the troubles of other family members. If our children are to learn to take responsibility for their actions, we must set an example of being personally accountable for our mistakes and weaknesses.

Helpful: If you lose your temper, as soon as you cool

(Conclusion)

down, apologise to your child by saying something like, “I’m sorry I yelled at you. I’m feeling very tired today and I need to work harder on con trolling my temper.”

Perfectionism

“How come you only came in sec ond?” … “You only got a 97 on your exam? What hap pened to the other three points?”

Harmful

Perfectionist par ents push or pressure their children to be the best soc cer player and/ or get straight A's in school. The message behind the demand is, “You’re not good enough the way you are.” To hold children to unrealistic expec tations only leads to their loss of self-confi dence.

Helpful: To accentuate the positive, you might say things like, “Nice work on getting so many A's on your report card,” or “You really ran a good race. You started strong and finished with a burst of speed.”

Comparing

“Why can’t you be more like your sister?” … “When I was your age, I used to walk

three miles to school.”

Harmful: When you inform your child that he isn’t as well behaved or high achieving as his sister, you sow the seeds to resentment and bitter rivalry between your children. Children should not feel in competition with other family members because one will inevitably feel devalued and inferior to the others. Even positive comparisons can backfire.

When you say, “You’re better at tennis than your brother,” you instil competitive feelings and discord among siblings.

Helpful: Rather than saying, “You’re much better at pitching than your brother was at your age,” say, “Over the past year, your control has improved a great deal when you pitch.”

Shaming

“You should be ashamed of yourself – you’re acting like a baby!” … “I can’t believe you’re afraid of a little kitten.”

Harmful: In shaming, a child is made to feel defective and inadequate about a mistake or misdeed. Shaming demoralizes a child rather than empowering her to change. Some parents publicly humiliate a child by pointing out a child’s weaknesses, eg, bed-wetting, to others. Shame tends to lead to a compelling urge to hide or withdraw from the source of shame.

Helpful: Rather than saying, “You’re too old to cry,” say, “Sometimes it’s hard to share. Next time we’ll put your special toys away.” (loveourchildrenusa.org)

Govt calls for clarity on Granger’s threats

Government said it will be seeking a meeting with Opposition Leader David Granger for him to explain the reason behind his ultimatum regarding the holding of Local Government Elections.

In a letter to President Donald Ramotar on Tuesday, Granger called on Government to, on or before Monday, announce the date for Local Government Elections to be held countrywide; to issue the ‘Commencement Order’ to operationalise the Local Government Commission, and to initiate a process by which the Local Government (Amendment) Bill could be returned for assent.

Reacting to the letter on Wednesday, President Ramotar described Granger’s call as “pushing at an open door”. The Head of State said too that

Granger was quite aware of Government’s concerns and commitment to Local Government Elections, pointing out that there are some specific areas that must be examined, before he gives a response.

Making an announcement by Monday is not the most important thing, Ramotar stressed, pointing out that “I really have to consider all the angles and then I will give him a response”.

For his part, Head of the Presidential Secretariat and Cabinet Secretary, Dr Roger Luncheon, dismissed Granger’s ultimatum, saying that the Administration was not prepared to yield to his demands, while surmising that there might be more to the issue than what was being disclosed by the Opposition Leader.

“There is a little bit more to the mortar than the pestle”, he said noting that the

letter may just be a political ploy. “What is he really getting at with this proposal – this whatever you want to call it? … what does the Leader of the Opposition really wants?” questioned the Cabinet Secretary.

To this end, Dr Luncheon pointed out that the Administration will be looking to engage the Opposition Leader to clarify what was said in his brief epistle addressed to the Head of State.

“He can’t call for the impossible, the messiah ain’t coming tomorrow…why would he ask President Ramotar to do the impossible? There’s a reason and we need to enquire what the reasons are,” said the Head of the Presidential Secretariat.

Local Government Elections have not been held in Guyana for over 20 years and in recent times, Government has come under pressure from the international community as well as political parties and civil society to hold these elections.

President Ramotar is also on record as saying that it was the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government that brought back Local Government Elections to Guyana.

"And the fact that we did not have these elections has nothing to do with the lack of will on our part… I know that it is badly needed, because many of the problems we face are due to the fact that we did not have Local Government Elections,” President Ramotar said.

Infectious disease specialist completes second stint at

Following a 10-day stint in November 2013, Dr Peter Akai, an infectious disease specialist, returned to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) to work in the capacity of Head Doctor, Diabetic Foot Centre, in the absence of Dr Kumar Sukhraj, Diabetic Foot Care Specialist. During the period August 4-15, Dr Akai helped assessed patients on a daily basis, treated various types of wounds and counselled diabetic patients on their lifestyle and eating habits. Dr Akai also gave a lecture to nurses on infectious disease control, which was very beneficial to the medical staff present, a release from the GPHC said.

Dr Akai is a Canadabased Guyanese who is currently the Wound Care Consultant Physician at the Misericordia Hospital in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. He is also the lead physician for the Wound Care Clinic, which provides outpatient management for patients with wounds from peripheral vascular disease; diabetic neuropathy, including diabetic foot infection; venous stasis; and pressure due to decreased mobility, including paraplegia.

He is a member of the Canadian Infectious Disease Society and the Founder/Medical Director of the ‘DOT for HAART’ (Directly Observed Therapy for Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Treatment) Society, which

“Saddam” found guilty of murder

Naresh Ramjohn, also called “Saddam”, of Angoy’s Avenue, has been found guilty of murder by a mixed jury at the Berbice Assizes.

The jury returned a unanimous verdict of guilty on Wednesday at the end of the eight-day trial. Ramjohn was on trial before Justice Navindra Singh for the July 2, 2008 murder of 28-yearold Anthony Sameroo, a member of the “Scare Them” brothers crew of Angoy’s Avenue, New Amsterdam, Berbice. However, the murderer will not know his fate until September 25 when he returns to court for sentencing.

After the verdict was presented to the court, Justice Singh ordered a probation report on Ramjohn which is due by September 14. When the trial continued on Wednesday, both the defence and the State addressed the jury.

State Prosecutor Renita Singh, in her address, told the jury that judging the deceased, because he had a criminal past and so deserved his death was wrong.

The Prosecutor reminded the jury that two of the deceased’s brothers gave evidence that they witnessed his death.

She noted that from the evidence of the two siblings, the accused was no stranger to them, as he lived one dam away and was seen by the witnesses daily.

She recalled that during the trial, the deceased was acting as the protective brother, since Tejpaul Sameroo said he was unfairly beaten by the accused and his brothers during an attack in the alleyway – contrary to the story of the defence which states that the incident took place on Levi Dam.

GPHC

is an HIV treatment adherence programme for marginalised HIV-positive individuals with a history of homelessness.

Coming out of his most recent visit, Dr Akai has made recommendations for new wound clinics to be started at the GPHC to treat patients with nondiabetic wounds such as stasis leg wounds. These clinics would help to provide care to patients who are seen at the Emergency Rooms and other locations where wound expertise would be less thorough.

“As always, GPHC is grateful for the visits made by Dr Akai and look forward to his continued partnership with us in improving the quality of service provided to our patients,” the release said.

In her address, the Prosecutor noted that the deceased’s brother Ryan said that he was in the lockups together with the accused and subsequently told Police that he was the person who killed his brother two

years ago. She recalled that Government Pathologist, Dr Vivekanand Bridgemohan, in his evidence under crossexamination, said the injury to the deceased’s back could have been caused by a spare and Ryan, in his evidence, said that he saw the accused with a spare which he referred to as a pitch fork. “The doctor, also in his evidence, said the injury to the lung could have been caused by a sharp pointed instrument.”

Deliberations

The Prosecutor argued that the witnesses may have been of questionable character, but this should be no reason to disbelieve what they said. Before going to deliberate on the evidence and coming up with the verdict, the jury was asked by Justice Singh to consider a few questions: Did the witnesses sound honest? Did the witnesses have reason to remember the incident? Was the evidence given by any particular witness consistent?

He asked the jury to determine whether it was the accused that inflicted the injury that caused the death of Anthony Sameroo. Justice Singh said that the prosecution produced two witnesses who both gave evidence that

they saw the accused inflicting wounds on the murder victim. “It is up to you to determine whether or not you believe those witnesses.”

The jury was also asked to determine whether it was the accused that inflicted the fatal injury to the deceased as described by Dr Bridgemohan.

“However, the State was asking you, the jury, to accept that the accused acted in collusion with the others spoken of during the trial and, as a result, he is accountable for what you believe transpired.”

Before closing its case, the defence called the accused, Ramjohn, to provide a defence and he gave an unsworn statement. In it, the accused claimed that he did not commit the act.

“I am innocent. I never involve in any story with Anthony or his brother... On July 2nd, I was at Levi Dam with my three brothers. Anthony, Ryan and ‘Paulie’ run into my yard with a cutlass in their hand and upstairs in our house. I get scared and go through the back door and return in the afternoon and been home. I did not have no problem with anyone, neither Anthony or ‘Paulie’,” The accused said. The jury took two hours before coming up with its verdict.

President Donald Ramotar

Convicted murderer: Naresh Ramjohn, also called “Saddam”

thursDAY, september 11, 2014 | guYAnAtimesgY.com

Hog Island man remanded on murder charge

An 18-year-old Hog Island resident, Randy Katwaroo was on Wednesday remanded to prison for murder.

Katwaroo was arraigned before Magistrate Sunil Scarce at the Anna Regina Magistrate’s Court.

Katwaroo was represented by Attorney Onassis Granville. He will return to court on September 24. Police re-

ported that on August 11 he shot and killed Rudolph Persaud.

Investigators recovered an unlicensed 12-gauge shotgun in a clump of bushes at Hog Island, in the vicinity of where Persaud as well as another man, Roy Williams, were shot.

The post-mortem conducted by Government Pathologist, Dr Nehaul Singh confirmed that Persaud died as a result of

multiple gun shot wounds. He was shot to his head, neck, and stomach.

Williams, who was injured during the shootout, was later discharged from the Suddie Public Hospital.

Police in a release had stated on August 11, Persaud, 51, was shot dead and Williams wounded when a gunman opened fire on them while they were drinking on the island.

$500,000 bail for Corentyne man on charge of causing death by dangerous driving

A20-year-old man was placed on $500,000 bail when he appeared before Magistrate Rabindranauth Singh at the Whim Magistrate’s Court on Monday.

Darshan Babulall of Number 46 Village, Corentyne was charged with causing of death by dangerous driving. He was the driver of the 4x4 pickup truck that killed 52-yearold Roy DeSouza of Alness Village, Berbice. According to Prosecutor Sergeant

Phillip Sheriff, on August 31 Babulall was driving vehicle GPP 8240 at a fast rate and while in the vicinity of Alness, he reportedly lost control and struck DeSouza who died on the spot. The vehicle then turned turtle, jumping some 10 feet into a drain and hitting a mango tree. Babulall, along with his 17-year-old brother Yudesh Babulall and a female friend Priyanka Outar were in the vehicle at the time of the accident. They all received serious injuries

and were hospitalised.

According to one eyewitness, as a result of the accident, the driver and the other two occupants were thrown from the vehicle. Darshan was found at the side of the road in an unconscious state, with his legs broken, while his brother Yudesh was flung out some distance away and sustained serious head injuries. The trio were reportedly intoxicated.

According to another eyewitness, the vehicle was

seen from a distance “blazing through”. He went on to say that “... After the truck hit down the old man, like the driver lost control and he end up in the tree, all I see is them people pitch out and the people pick them up quick”.

Another person at the scene related that after she heard the impact, she rushed out only to see three persons lying by the side of the road covered in blood. Darshan Babulall will make his next court appearance on October 8.

Eyew tness

Ultimatum...

... by PNC to Govt

There’re all kinds of sayings to confirm that “nature will out”, no matter how hard you try to suppress it. “Once dog suck egg, he cyaan stop”; “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks”. The PNC genes are rooted in violence from the early 60s and we’ve seen it erupt like a volcano with regularity after periods of dormancy. Violence is always “Plan B” for the PNC. And sometimes “Plan A”.

Well, the PNC’s volcano’s been bubbling for quite a while now – ever since Linden and Agricola back in 2012. Like a well-rested satiated satyr, the urges can’t be contained after what must be two loooong years. The PNC has been advised by a host of its friends that it shouldn’t give in to those urges... it scares away possible cross-over voters. It scares away investors. It scares away its own decent supporters. But like we said, nature will out.

So here we have Granger warning the PPP/C that unless they announce a date for Local Government Elections pronto, the party’ll take condign “action”. Well, he didn’t use the Founder Leader’s signature word “condign” but “legal” – even though everyone knows that when the PNC talks about “action”, it’s action in the streets, comrades!

The merchants must’ve already started to shutter up their shop windows on Regent Street. PNC protests always begin “peacefully”... They even wear tags that say “peaceful protests”. But Guyanese know better: they’ve experienced it one time...two times...20 times – they’ve learnt the hard way. But what’s pushing the PNC to go down the road of protests at this time – apart from their predilection, when it’s clear it’s the road to perdition?

It could be that Granger wants his troops to forget his rigging of the PNC’s internal elections. All history has demonstrated when in trouble internally, create an external enemy against which every man Jack (and Jill) will have to rally.

You don’t support the “leader” at that time and you’re a traitor. Some of the best organisers in the PNC, like Aubrey Norton, have become alienated – and with that snap election around the corner, this could be disastrous.

Granger also wants to show he’s not quite the wimp he’s made out to be by one section of the PNC. He must’ve concluded that notwithstanding all the talk about “Indian disenchantment” against the PPP/C, he’s not going to pick up many votes from that quarter. So when the “peaceful action” inevitably degenerates into violence, he doesn’t lose much.

And might even gain, since voter turnout is increased after “troubles”.

... to MPs by Speaker

Raphael Trotman was an Opposition MP for quite a while – first under the PNC and then with the AFC. So you’d think he’d have some insight into the life of an Opposition MP, no?? Well, he said the present lot of Opposition MPs are a bunch of slackers. He looks out from his High Chair and obviously sees them nodding off most of the time. Becoming alert when it’s time to participate in the $1.7 million food fest that’s thrown during every sitting.

Trotman would’ve seen the salaries for MPs quadrupled from the time he entered the House back in the 1990s. He knows Opposition MPs scoop in at least $1 million monthly on the two duty-free vehicles they’re allowed in their five-year term.

We guess he’s asking where’s the value the Opposition’s getting for all this money? Especially from his erstwhile co-leader Ramjattan who didn’t even mention him as a possible AFC Presidential candidate. How quickly they forget!!

... to contractors

Looks like President Ramotar’s living up to his reputation: he doesn’t just jump to hasty conclusions. He listens to the facts THEN makes up his mind. Once the firm evidence came in that Surendra was futzing around with the Speciality Hospital contract, they were gone!! Way to go, Prezzie!!!

Murdered: Rudolph Persaud

Parfaite Harmonie resident slapped with fraudulent conversion charge

Appearing at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts before the Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry on Wednesday morning was Robert Forrester, a resident of Lot 536 Parfaite Harmonie, West Bank Demerara (WBD). He stood in the docks of Court One to answer to the charge of fraudulent conversion.

The charge alleged that on May 19 at Georgetown, being solely entrusted by

Anson Weekes with $1.5 million to purchase a house lot, converted the money to his own use.

The unrepresented defendant pleaded not guilty to the charge. There were no facts presented in court on this matter. With no objections to bail put forward by the prosecution, the defendant was granted bail in the sum of $150,000. Forrester is said to return on October 3 for statements.

Caribbean Chemicals employee accused of stealing $7.8M

Diane Mosley, 25, of Lot 115 Albert Street, Georgetown, on Wednesday morning appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts before Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry to answer to a simple larceny charge.

The charge read that between August 14 and September 6 at Georgetown, being employed of Caribbean Chemicals, she stole $7,842,902 cash.

Mosley pleaded not guilty to the charge laid against her. She was repre-

sented by Attorney Khemraj Ramjattan who told the court that his client was employed as a Clerk at Caribbean Chemicals for the past three years and is of good character. He also mentioned that she has no previous convictions or pending matters in any court.

Police Prosecutor, Inspector Michael Grant had no objections to bail being granted to the defendant. As such, it was granted in the sum of $200,000. She is to return to court on October 3 for statements.

Mabaruma men charged for simple larceny

Rondel Fernandez, 23, and 18-year-old Fernando Willis of Mabaruma, North West District, were placed on $200,000 bail each when they appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts for a larceny charge, on Wednesday afternoon.

The duo appeared before the Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry.

The charge read that between September 6 and 7

at Mabaruma, they allegedly stole one All Terrain Vehicle, bearing registration number CF 5438 valued $2.4; belonging to the Health Ministry. They pleaded not guilty to the charge. Both of the men were represented by the same attorney who requested reasonable bail for her clients and said that they are not flight risks. Along with that, she stated that her clients have no pre-

vious convictions or pending matters before the courts.

Police Prosecutor Michael Grant had no objections to bail being granted to the defendants. With this, the Chief Magistrate granted the defendants bail in the sum of $200,000 each ordered that they report to the Mabaruma Police Station every Friday at 17:00h. There case is set for November 17.

Guinness Bar handyman fined for using threatening language

Fifty-six-year-old Charles Cains appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts before Chief Magistrate Priya SewnarineBeharry on Wednesday morning for a threatening language charge.

Cains who is employed at the Guinness Bar as a handyman was charged for allegedly using threatening language to Virtual Complainant (VC) Litisha Archer on September 9.

The unrepresented man pleaded guilty to the charge. According to Police Prosecutor Michael Grant,

Charles Cains

US$4M paid to...

Further, the loaning bank would have requested bids, which were subsequently examined by a committee, and the Surendra company was adjudged the most suitable contractor for the job; hence, the contract was rewarded and the work at the site commended.

The Government of Guyana subsequently realised that the work was not proceeding in the manner described by the contract, which was being supervised by a team of engineers, the Government and a consulting firm.

Deficiencies

Nandlall further admitted that over the years, technical deficiencies were identified by the contracting company and efforts were made to rectify them, but these proved futile. In addition, he noted that the contractor had to provide certain documents to facilitate advance payment as well as security guarantees that would ensure quality work. This security bond was initially undertaken by CARICOM Insurance Firm,

From page 3

but it was not renewed after the first payment in excess of US$4 million was collected. As a result, the engineering company had to get another bond that would allow them to collect other payments to continue the construction work.

In attempting to secure the bond, Nandlall explained, the documents that were produced did not withstand scrutiny. “In face of the performance security document as well as the advance payment document emanating from a company in Trinidad and Tobago bearing the name World Wide Bankers Limited… when these documents were produced to the Attorney General’s Chambers for examination, we requested some form of authentication about the company.”

As a result of the request, another document was produced, emanating from the Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago. Upon inspecting the document, it was observed that there was a notary seal affixed, which raised concerns; hence, a probe was launched.

there was a misunderstanding between the VC and the defendant; however he did not state the relationship between the two. He noted that he had threatened to kill her. Supporting this, Cains told the Court that he did indeed threaten the VC but did not mean it. His words to the court were “What I gon kill she fo?”

Listening to the Cains and Grant, the Chief Magistrate fined him $25,000, giving him a time period of three months to pay the fine or spend an alternative of two weeks in prison.

The AG noted that contact was made with the Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago which confirmed via telephone and in writing that the document was fraudulent. The signatory on the letter, D Singh, was not in any way associated with the Bank; more interestingly, it was discovered that the World Wide Bankers Limited was not a registered company under the Insurance Act of Trinidad and Tobago.

The Legal Affairs Minister added too that they are engaging the Police and pursuing civil litigation against the company for compensation damages and breach of contract. The Guyana Government has already briefed the Indian Government through the Indian High Commission and the directors of the Exim Bank.

There were several other lawsuits involving the company over the past few years. Recently, a firm in India won a lawsuit against SECL for delays and other irregularities. (bhisham@ guyanatimesgy.com)

Robert Forrester

Diane Mosley

Ramsaran defends his Ministry’s anti-suicide strategies

… says media missing the “big stories”

By Vahnu Manikchand

Under pressure to respond to the staggering suicide statistics recently released by the World Health Organisation, Health Minister, Dr Bheri Ramsaran said efforts by his Ministry to tackle the scourge are being undermined by negative reporting.

Ramsaran made the comments during an interview with Guyana Times on Wednesday. Under his stewardship, the Gatekeepers programme intended to educate members of target communities to be aware of tell-tale signs exhibited by individuals contemplating suicide has virtually collapsed and Guyana topped the world in suicides in 2012.

Mental health capacity

Dr Ramsaran explained that his Ministry is tackling the societal scourge by boosting its mental health capacity to deal effectively with patients and victims. According to the Minister, he is looking to bring in professionals to conduct training sessions so that there is a diffusion of the best mental health practices offered to the public.

He disclosed that earlier this year, approximately 250 persons underwent training on mental health issues.

The training was conducted by overseas-based Guyanese Deo Jairam, who is a mental health nurse. He noted that these persons were trained to identify suicidal tendencies and to also take part in antisuicide drives to educate the community on the scourge.

The training was done both in Georgetown and New Amsterdam, and the participants included personnel from the Guyana Police Force, the Guyana Prison Service, the Human Services and Social Security Ministry. “It was so effective that the nurses and the nursing students who experienced that interactive session which lasted about a week, wanted it to be inte-

grated into the original nursing programme, that has been lost to the media, so we have 200 souls who now should be better able to deal with issues relating to basically suicide and depression,” the Minister pointed out.

Dr Ramsaran went on to say that the Ministry also contracted the services of another “fully trained” psychiatrist in order to supplement the efforts of State Psychiatrist, Dr Bhairo Harry, who has been doing a good job with the help of other psychiatrists such as Dr Frank Beckles and Dr Mayda Grajales. The Health Minister continued that another training session was

held earlier this year, which saw some 88 personnel being trained in mental health. He noted that his Ministry had facilitated this training session.

According to Dr Ramsaran, while the Ministry had implemented various initiatives in the past such as the “Gatekeepers” programme, which was launched under the stewardship of former Health Minister, Dr Leslie Ramsammy, they have experienced setbacks as it relates to the design of the programmes or technical glitches.

Training exercises

Nevertheless, the Minister said he was committed to having more psychiatric training exercises done. In addition, he noted that the Ministry is also looking at boosting the capacity at the level of the community health centres to reduce the workload of the national psychiatrists so that they can channel their focus into other important areas. Dr Ramsaran said that they are striving to have a mental health professional at each health centre who will be able to deal with and identify psychiatric problems rather than referring them to State Psychiatrist Dr Harry.

Continues on page 11

Paper man get fingered again

De fingers and de thumb are useful parts of de human hand, which in turn is a useful part of de human body.

But de fingers and de thumb does be used fuh both good tings and bad tings, especially de fingers.

So some people does get thumbs up when dem do good and some people does get a raised up middle finger when dem mess up tings. On de night of de CPL final in Saint Kitts, dem fellas from Barbados and dem officials ain’t behave like saints at all.

That is why dem get a lotta raised middle fingers from de crowd, especially one of dem umpires. And you bet, he is also a Bajan. Word is out a long time now that dem fellas in that sister Caricom country does tek this sister thing literally.

That is why some body seh dem Bajans was so happy after de match. At first people thought it was because de officials cheat fuh mek dem win. Is only later people realise that it had to do more wid de middle fingers whah de crowd give dem.

Well, it look like a paper man in Guyana gettin just like dem Bajans. De paper man get fingered de other day in one duty-free scam, and it look like it was de middle finger because paper man jump up from he seat when de fingerin start up.

But he eventually sit down back and pretend as though nutten never happen. That is how accutom he get to gettin fingered. Now, like jello pun ice cream, de paper man just get fingered yet again in yet another scam.

De paper man own reporter seh that de paper like to get fingered since he was small. And as he get bigger and bigger, it was more and more fingerin from more and more people. Now paper man trying to finger other people.

Ting-a-ling-a-ling…friend tell friend…mattie tell mattie! And Rum Jhaat give Nogel Hugly a middle finger. But it look like Nogel happy wid any one of Rum Jhaat, or fuh that matter, any body finger.

Obama orders US air strikes in Syria against Islamic State

President Barack Obama told Americans on Wednesday he had authorised US air strikes for the first time in Syria and more attacks in Iraq in a broad escalation of a campaign against the Islamic State militant group.

Obama’s decision to launch attacks inside Syria, which is embroiled in a three-year civil war, showed the seriousness of the threat American officials see from Islamic State. A year ago, the President shied away from air strikes against Syria’s Government for its use of chemical weapons against Syrians.

Obama laid out his emerging plan for tackling the group in a widely anticipated White House speech, two weeks after coming under fire for saying: “We don’t have a strategy yet” for the group in Syria and six months after declaring that groups like Islamic State were minor players. “Our objective is clear: we will degrade, and ultimately destroy, ISIL through a comprehensive and sustained counter-terrorism strategy,” Obama said, using an acro-

nym for Islamic State.

He said he would hunt down Islamic State militants “wherever they are.”

“That means I will not hesitate to take action against ISIL in Syria, as well as Iraq.

This is a core principle of my presidency: if you threaten America, you will find no safe haven,” he said.

He said he would expand the list of targets inside Iraq beyond several isolated areas. He will send 475 more American advisers to help Iraqi forces, joining more than 1000 already there. They will not engage in combat.

Training camps

In a significant move that could help rally Gulf Arab states behind the US-led coalition, key ally Saudi Arabia will host inside its territory a US training effort for Syrian rebels, senior US officials said. The effort is dependent on the US Congress approving US$500 million to train and arm the rebels.

The Saudi decision emerged after Obama spoke by phone earlier in the day with Saudi King Abdullah, who has pressed

the American Government to do more to resolve the Syrian conflict. Obama has staked much of his foreign policy record on having extracted US forces from Iraq after running for President in 2008 on a pledge to end what he felt was an unnecessary conflict begun by his Republican predecessor, George W Bush. Obama’s move to deepen US involvement in Iraq in its fight against Islamic State follows opinion polls that show Americans feel the President has been too cautious in tackling the group. Obama has struggled with a host of foreign policy crises this year, bringing his overall public approval record down to near record lows of about 40 per cent. Obama vowed he would not send large numbers of US combat forces to the region but would rely instead on assistance from a broad coalition involving Sunni-led governments in the region and Western allies. US officials want allies to join in attacks on the group as well as in training and equipping Iraqi forces and Syrian rebels, providing humanitarian relief and intelligence.

Health Minister, Dr Bheri Ramsaran

GPSU again threatens strike over Public Sector pay hike

The Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) has threatened to take serious action against the Government if it fails to meet its end of the bargain in addressing the issues affecting members of the Public Sector.

President of the Union, Patrick Yarde said if Government cannot act responsibly and meet with the Union to address issues surrounding wages and salaries, it may take industrial action. The last time GPSU called strike action over pay increases, workers shunned it.

At the institution’s statutory meeting on Wednesday, Yarde described Government’s failure to meet with the Union as callous, discourteous, and disrespectful.

He complained that since May of last year the GPSU has been seeking out Government in this regard, pointing out that a proposal was submitted to the Public Service Ministry for wages, salaries and allowances for the period 2013-2015.

He said that while promises have been made by Government to hold discussions, nothing has yet materialised. “To date, we have had no meeting. The lack of response is in breach of the agreement for the avoidance and settlement of disputes between the GPSU and the Government of Guyana, which requires the two parties to meet without unreasonable delay and in the case of general policy matters which category these matters fall under, there is a mandatory 10 days’ deadline to meet after the receipt of such a request which is specifically stated in the existing legally binding agreement.”

Menial wages Government has failed in that regard, he pointed out, noting that Public Sector employees continue to feel the brunt of menial wages and salaries.

Yarde stated that its callousness in dealing with the concerns, hardships, and economic difficulties experienced by Public Sector workers is unfair.

He noted further that three months have elapsed since the Union received a correspondence from the Public Service Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Hydar Ally, indicating that it was engaging the Finance Ministry on the modalities regarding the issue of salary negotiations for public servants.

“We had given the Government five days to meet with us and they said that they were in the process of meeting with the Ministry

of Finance. Because of that response, it was felt that since they were discussing the matter, we would be a little more patient in dealing with them. That was three months ago,” he stressed.

Seeking support Yarde said that the organisation will not continue to accept lawlessness from Government and will be seeking out supporters to take any form of action, including civil unrest, to bring an end to the abuse. “No respect, no courtesy and this is not the only practice in this matter, it is like they have absolutely no regard or respect for people. I’m saying to you that it affects the livelihood of workers. We are looking at everything, including civil disobedience.”

He noted, however, that while the Union will be moving toward industrial action, there is a constitution by which it is guided. “We have a constitution which guides us and we must notify the members, bring them up to date and there, take a decision on how to proceed. Very soon we will meet .We feel it…. we can take no more excuses,” he said

Citing the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention ratified by Guyana’s Parliament, Convention 151, Yarde stressed that Government has breached all protocols surrounding public service. “President Donald Ramotar and the Minister of Public Service, Dr Jennifer Westford had promised that the Government would pursue negotiations for wages, salaries and allowances with the Union. This has not happened.”

Article 147 (3) of the Constitution of Guyana states that “neither an employee nor Trade Union shall be deprived of the right to enter into collective agreements”, Yarde said.

The GPSU has also dispatched memorandums to its membership to mobilise and discuss for eventual determination, forms of industrial action that should

Ramsaran defends...

“You need to be able to deal with them at the community level and only after filtering through those who need to go up to higher specialists,” he pointed out. He opined that professionals are intimidated by mental health issues, but noted that it was for this reason that they had trained the 200plus personnel and not doctors.

The Health Minister further stated that there are also a number of other initiatives that are being undertaken by his Ministry to ensure that the population is mentally stable, putting mental health on the front burner.

be pursued to effectively bring about a more responsible, reasonable and respectful response from the Government of Guyana, Yarde said.

Dr Ramsaran pointed out that suicide is not only a mental health problem but a societal problem. He noted that it is for this reason that a multi-sectoral approach is necessary hence the initiative by the Ministry to have a multiplicity of doctors to

from page 10

conduct training. He added that even though the Health Ministry has been besieged by criticism about its approach to suicide, it has not given up its responsibilities. However, he did emphasise that society also has its role to play.

Bigger issue

“In many cases, suicide or the victim only comes to the attention of the healthcare provider when they are either chopped up in a hospital, attempted hanging or when they are in the mortuary. Suicide is a bigger issue,” he said.

Dr Ramsaran recognised the need for society to be trained to recognise the emerging tendencies of suicide and, as such, he is trying to get a programme launched at the community level

“How do you get religious communities to be trained so they recognised the signs

and symptoms… should not the community and community-based health-care professionals be empowered to recognise where the mental health issue is emerging and treat it right there,” Dr Ramsaran said. On October 10, World Mental Health Day will be observed and Dr Ramsaran disclosed that the Ministry is looking to launch a Mental Health Strategy, which was prepared by Dr Harry along with other local psychiatrists.

Meanwhile, he disclosed that there is a collaboration between Guyana and Argentina for another training session to be conducted on how to better manufacture prostheses.

Furthermore, another alliance with the Cuban Government will see the construction of a Regional Rehabilitation Centre in the West Demerara Regional Hospital Compound. (vahnum@guyanatimesgy.com)

GPSU President Patrick Yarde

thursDAY, september 11, 2014 | guYAnAtimesgY.com

US lauds Guyana’s HIV/AIDS fight

With assistance from the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), Guyana has made tremendous strides in the fight against HIV/AIDS but renewed focus should be placed on vulnerable populations, US Embassy Charge d’ Affaires Bryan Hunt said on Tuesday.

The Charge d’ Affaires was making an address during the opening ceremony of the Health Ministry’s HIV/ AIDS Seminar at the Grand Coastal Hotel, East Coast Demerara. He said Guyana has made gigantic steps in the provision of HIV coun-

sustained transmission.

“These include miners, loggers, migrant labourers, men who have sex with men, and sex workers. These vulnerable populations must be provided with safe and supportive environment in which to obtain necessary HIV/AIDS-related services,” Hunt explained.

He further stated that proactive steps should be taken by providers in both the Private and Public Health Sectors, to create conducive environments that would be welcoming to all.

“We need to continue working together to increase access to treatment for groups experiencing stigma

selling and testing, in addition to the provision of treatment and uptake.

Support services for HIV care such as lab testing, case navigation, and Government-supported complementary programmes have also recorded remarkable improvement, Hunt said, positing that the significantly decreased HIV-related mortality rate ought not to be forgotten.

But the Charge d’ Affaires said in an effort to sustain the gains and achieve epidemic control, renewed focus is needed for groups at elevated risk for

and discrimination – whether actual or perceived.”

Hunt also alluded to the transitional process which will remove Government’s dependency on international financial support. Programmes established under PEPFAR are now being integrated into the National Health System.

“As we make this transition, we look to you, our incountry partners… for your knowledge and expertise about HIV in Guyana and in charting the way forward to achieve epidemic control,” he said.

National AIDS

Beharry Inc channels $3.3M into Habitat housing drive

For the second consecutive year, the Edward B Beharry Group of Companies has reaffirmed its commitment to housing development in Guyana with a $3.3 million donation to the Habitat for Humanity organisation on Wednesday.

The funds will go towards the construction of homes for Guyana’s underprivileged. The partnership with the two entities commenced a year ago in July 2013 when an executive with the company had the idea to provide Habitat For Humanity with the requisite funding to construct homes in Guyana. That executive was Beharry’s Chairman, Edward Anand Beharry, who saw it fit to give back to Guyana in this unique manner.

Programme Secretariat Manager, Dr Shanti Singh; Chief Medical Officer, Dr Shamdeo Persaud and Centre for Disease Control (CDC) Guyana Country Director, Dr Grant Greene were among the Officials present at the ceremony.

The two-day seminar, which will conclude today, is being held under the theme “Controlling the Epidemic and Achieving a Sustainable Response: Diversity and Sensitivity Training. The inter-disciplinary training programme has attracted health professionals from across Guyana, Jamaica and the US.

Company Director Anjuli Beharry-Strand, who presented the cheque to Habitat, underscored the need for housing development in Guyana. Beharry-Strand maintained that ownership of a home should not be a privilege for some but a “right” for all.

She posited that a home was also seen as imperative for proper child development, since some children without homes resort to playing in the streets which has serious social implications and repercussions.

Beharry-Strand explained that every single item branded Chico, Champion and Indi has the potential to create homes for your “aunt, cousin, your

neighbour”. A dollar from each purchase of these products goes towards that goal of providing homes for persons who desperately need it; the product purchased could be something as simple as gum, she stated.

Habitat Guyana National Director Rawle Small, who accepted the check on behalf of the Non-Governmental Organisation, highlighted that the money will go a far way in securing homes for less fortunate Guyanese. Small said that the partnership with Beharry comes at an integral time, given the need for bonds to be built and communities to be established.

Small explained that this involves the family volunteer-

ing their services in building their home. He noted that a sector in Guyana is considered “unbankable”, since they have absolutely no means of building homes, as they are not considered good risks for loans or even mortgages. “Affordable housing”, according to Small, is defined as not spending more than 30 per cent of your annual income to build your home. It was noted that Habitat for Humanity does not charge anything for the construction of the homes but rather requires the family’s assistance in the actual construction process. The Beharry Project is currently being implemented in Regions Three, Four and 10; however, plans are in the pipeline for an expansion.

NGOs need cash to help fight suicide

As World Suicide Prevention Day was observed on Wednesday, stakeholders emphasised the need for a multisectoral approach to curb this social scourge, which they said is consuming the youths of the country.

The Caribbean Voice (TVC) hosted an interactive session with local stakeholders as they observed the day under the theme “Suicide Prevention is Everybody’s Business”.

Dawn Stewart, a member of the TCV Board of Directors, said that while there is not much being done by Government, communities should step up and start playing a part in addressing the issue.

She expressed her concern that the people of Guyana are not driving suicide prevention action.

“We look at Government for everything, but Government is not everything… look to the NGOs [Non-Governmental Organisations], demand that the NGOs be given resources to be able to take care of the people in the community.

"The Government is not in the community, they are not in every community, they have NGOs in the community, they have people in the community and we in the community are responsible for our welfare and well-being and then the Government will become accountable once we are responsible,” she urged.

She noted that society will

first have to accept the fact that suicide is a problem before they can proceed to address it.

Stewart emphasised the need for more training and professional psychiatrists to deal with the high rates of suicide.

“We don’t have the resources, but each one of us can provide some type of resource; each one of us can get some type of training to learn how do we cope with this? How do we listen to someone that is pending suicide?” she said.

Surveys

She disclosed that from surveys done, it was revealed that most suicide victims are males between the ages of 15 and 35.

She pointed out that the main factors are alcoholism, depression, and poverty. “In 90 per cent of those cases, there were alcohol related issues… so it’s important in our community that we must address our problem of alcoholism,” she said.

Dr Faith Harding, another Director, said that while suicide prevention day is ob-

served around the world to highlight the issue of suicide, for Guyana, it is much more important since it is cited as the country with the worst suicide rates recorded.

She noted that suicide has been listed as the leading cause of death among young people.

Scourge

Dr Harding explained that enough is not being done to curb the scourge locally, otherwise Guyana would not have topped such a horrific list.

She recalled last year when the study was done by the World Health Organisation (WHO), the country had the highest suicide rate in the Caribbean and the fourth highest around the world; but now it has jumped to the top as the country with the highest suicide rate among young people.

She noted that Guyanese have to come together to address the issue regardless of whether they get support from the Government or political fraternity.

“It’s our young people and our youths, we are leading in

the highest number of teenage pregnancies as well and this too is cause for a lot of the distress in our country,” she stressed.

Reverend Patricia Sheerattan-Bisnauth of the Guyana Responsible Parenthood Association (GRPA) also reiterated the need for a multisectoral approach, as she underscored the importance of faith-based organisations in communities playing a part in ensuring that the youths are guided along the right path.

She added that community leaders should also equip themselves with the skills that would enable them to help address the issue.

Other organisations that deal with suicide prevention were present, along with a representative from the Caribbean American Domestic Violence Awareness (CADVA), Diane Madree.

The international theme for World Suicide Prevention Day is “Suicide Prevention: One World Connected”. The WHO has reported that suicide rates have doubled over the past 10 years.

US Embassy Charge d’ Affaires Bryan Hunt addressing the ceremony on Tuesday

Some of the participants during the workshop

Company Director Anjuli Beharry-Strand presents the cheque to Habitat Guyana National Director Rawle Small

Members of The Caribbean Voice at their interactive session as they observed World Suicide Prevention Day

Ramotar says Umana Yana will be rebuilt

By Jomo Paul

One day after a fire suspected to be electrical in origin destroyed one of Guyana’s most prestigious cultural establishments – the Umana Yana – President Donald Ramotar declared that his Government is committed to rebuilding the structure.

Speaking during a live interview on Radio Guyana Inc (RGI) 89.3/89.5/89.7 FM on Wednesday, President Ramotar said that initial estimates and bids will have to be sought but his Government will be sure to rebuild the landmark.

On Tuesday, at approximately 15:00h, a fire started at the High Street, Kingston structure and quickly engulfed the building.

Response

Although the response from the Guyana Fire Service (GFS) was prompt, there was little that could have been done to save the building, since it was primarily constructed with dried palm branches which quickly burned. At 16:00h, all that remained of the 42-year-old structure were some exterior pillars and debris.

For her part, Amerindian Affairs Minister Pauline Sukhai, during an exclusive interview with Guyana Times, on Wednesday, said the Umana Yana held much significance for the indigenous populace.

“… it holds for us a very significant and historical mark in Guyana itself…. Guyana will not be complete culturally, if we do not have the Umana Yana,” Sukhai said. She too maintained that the Umana Yana has to be rebuilt, noting that the Government will have to seek funding to do such.

Both of the parliamen-

tary Opposition parties have already signalled their intention to support the reconstruction of the facility.

The Alliance For Change (AFC), in a release on Wednesday, said the destruction of the Umana Yana during Amerindian Heritage Month is “especially poignant”.

The AFC noted that “the Umana Yana was a national landmark and represented the pride, not only of our Amerindian people who designed and built it, but the pride of all Guyanese.

Investigation

The People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) on Tuesday had said it was saddened by the destruction of the Umana Yana by fire and called on the Home Affairs Ministry to immediately launch an investigation into the cause of the destruction of the country’s “iconic landmark”.

"Everything must be done to ensure that this historic and iconic landmark is rebuilt as soon as possible,” the PNCR said in a statement.

The Umana Yana, currently one of the gazetted monuments of Guyana, is a conical shaped palm thatched hut also called a

2 women, man held after ganja found at their home

Two women and a man were on

Tuesday morning taken into Police custody following the discovery of a quantity of marijuana at their home in Corriverton, Berbice.

According to information received, Rod Steven, Shanella Byass, and Shinella Byass were in the house when ranks of the Springlands Police Station carried out a raid.

The Police operation

was led by Cadet Officer Jermaine Dufu. During the operation at Back Street, Dukestown, Corriverton, six houses were searched and the compressed Marijuana was found in a bag that was on a chair in the house occupied by the persons arrested.

The trio was told of the offence, cautioned and arrested. While at the Police station, the seeds, leaves and stems were weighed and amounted to 98 grams.

Shaped like the WaiWai benabs found in Guyana’s hinterland, the Umana Yana is so named because it means in Wai Wai, “meeting place of the people”.

The benab was constructed to host the inau-

gural meeting of the NonAligned Foreign Ministers Conference in 1972.

The Foreign Affairs Ministry was charged with the erection of the building. Seeking assistance from the Department of Interior Development, an all-Amerindian team of

the Wai Wai tribe led by Chief Elka, accompanied by some 60 others, was recruited for the job, although architectural drawings and plans were commissioned from Architect George Henry.

Located on the lawns of the former Mariner’s Club at the north-eastern end of High Street and Battery Road, next to the Pegasus Hotel, it is now a permanent and much admired part of Georgetown’s scenery, often used as an exhibition and conference centre.

Structure

The structure, measuring 55 feet (16.78 metres) in height with a diameter of 26.8 metres, occupies an area of 460 square metres, making it the largest structure of its kind in Guyana.

Utilising traditional materials and building techniques, it is made

from thatched allibanna and manicole palm leaves, and wallaba posts bound together with mukru, turu, and nibbi vines.

Notably, nails were not used in its construction.

Completed in a mere 80 days at a cost of $26,000, on August 8, 1972, the flags of more than 80 nations fluttered proudly along the eastern edge of the Umana Yana’s compound as the conference was convened.

Housed in the compound is the African Liberation Monument “in memory of all of those who have struggled and continue to struggle for freedom from Human Bondage”, it was unveiled by former President Forbes Burnham on August 26, 1974. This monument, like many others across Guyana, is collectively our heritage and a reminder of the history from which we have all emerged.

benab.

The burnt-out remains of the historic Umana Yana

Haitian beats Jamaican in democratic party primary election

AHaitian American candidate has created history by becoming the first politician of Haitian descent to win the Democratic Party Primary election for a seat in the New York State Legislature.

Rodneyse Bichotte, who was born and raised in Brooklyn to Haitian immigrants, handsomely defeated Jamaican-born economist and accountant Rickie Tullock by 20 percentage points to win the Primary in the 42nd State Assembly District in Brooklyn, according to the preliminary figures released on Tuesday night.

Since New York is heavily Democratic, winners in the Primary elections are considered shoo-ins to win the general elections in November. With 100 per cent of the Polling Precincts reported, Bischotte, who was the District Leader of the 42nd State

Rodneyse Bichotte

Assembly District, received 47.4 per cent, or 2669 votes, to Tulloch’s 29.7 per cent, or 1592 votes.

The other candidates in the race were Haitian Michele Adolphe, who received 800 voters, or 14 per cent and Guyanese Victor Jordan, who received 306 votes, or 5.7 per cent. “We did it!” exclaimed Bichotte to jubilant supporters at her campaign headquarters.

“I am humbled and exceedingly grateful to have received the confidence of the people of the 42nd Assembly District to serve as their next Assemblywoman in the New York State Assembly.

“Our success…at the polls would not be possible without the support and effort of a dedicated team of volunteers, campaign staff, and supporters who came together to make (the) victory possible,” she added. (Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

Venezuela’s annual inflation rises to 63.4

Venezuela’s annual inflation rate has risen to 63.4 per cent, the highest in Latin America, according to official figures published on Tuesday.

The figures are the first released by the central bank since May, which has led critics to accuse the Government of withholding data for political reasons.

The poor state of the economy, among other issues, triggered mass antiGovernment protests earlier this year. They have since died down, but many continue to grapple with shortages.

per cent

The central bank did not publish its scarcity index, a measure of goods that are missing from store shelves, but shortages of basic items such as flour, milk and toilet paper continue to be the bane of many shoppers.

While the bank said that month-to-month inflation had eased in August for the third straight month to 3.9 per cent, the annual inflation rate reached a six-year high. The Government of President Nicolas Maduro blamed the soaring inflation on the protests, which rocked the country earlier in the year. (Excerpt from

TT Chamber of Industry and Commerce: No value for money in budget

TT’s largest business group, the TT Chamber of Industry and Commerce, said on Tuesday that billions are being spent annually and the country is not seeing value for money.

President Moonilal Lalchan said the Chamber continues “to ask for value for money as it relates to Government expenditure. When billions of dollars are allocated to an initiative, it must be assessed to determine any positive returns on the investment.”

Education has again received the lion’s share of the budgetary allocation for fiscal 2014/2015 and the Chamber is “happy that focus is being placed on provision of education.” “We have seen over the years that Government funding for tertiary education has certain-

ly delivered in making it more accessible to the population, and the chamber acknowledges its value to the country’s social and economic development.

“However, while enrolment in tertiary programmes has increased, so too has underemployment, which underscores the fact that value for money is not being realised,” Lalchan said.

He asked the Government “to truly consider that the subsidisation of any tertiary programme should be based on both a prospective students’ financial needs basis, and on the country’s current and future needs. Funding should be directed towards programmes that are aligned to the country’s diversification thrust and away from areas that are over saturated.” (Excerpt from Trinidad Guardian)

Police charge known convict with murder of Antiguan PM’s nephew

Steve “Cripto” Urlings has been charged for the murder of Prime Minister Gaston Browne’s 18-year-old nephew Albert “Pressure Man” Browne, who was gunned down in an alley on September 1.

Urlings, who is in his 20s, was expected to appear in court on Wednesday when he was to be given a date of his return for committal.

During committal, the Magistrate reviews the prosecution’s case file and determines whether there is sufficient evidence to warrant forwarding the case to the High Court for trial.

Urlings was picked up on Friday last, hours after Police issued a wanted

bulletin describing him as armed and dangerous.

Browne was gunned down at about 20:45h on September 1 while hanging out with friends in the Point area. Residents at the scene had reported that the teen was shot multiple times. The dead teen’s father said his son went to the area about an hour before being shot to death.

“I came over to Point after him and was sitting around the corner near the alley when I heard the shots. I got up and went to check, and saw him lying on the ground in the alley. He never said anything to me,” the father reported. He said his son was shot in the chest. (Antigua Observer)

Famed US Hindu palm reader killed on vacation in Trinidad

Trinidad Police say they are working on the theory that a United States resident was shot and killed during a botched robbery in San Fernando, south of Port of Spain, earlier this week.

Media reports said that famed Hindu palm reader Mahadeo Jerrybandhan, 74, a resident of Key West, Florida, who was on vacation, was shot and killed at his son’s home on Monday night.

He was shot once to the head in a bedroom and his daughter-in-law, Sharlene Mootoo, said she last saw him with his two nephews preparing for Pitri Paksh, an auspicious period in the Hindu religious calendar.

“When we looked we saw someone running out of the front gate. We went to the front bedroom and saw him (Jerrybandhan) lying in the bathroom of the front bedroom. He had one gunshot wound to his head,” she told reporters.

Mootoo said Jerrybandhan, a retired secondary school teacher, came to Trinidad annually to observe the religious period.

“This is weird. Just out of the blue this happened. We are still in shock. He was a man who exercised, did yoga and ate healthy all the time. I believe he knew his attackers and in a panic they shot and killed him because he would have been able to identify them,” Mootoo said.

(Excerpt from Caribbean360)

Former Haitian President placed under

house

arrest on corruption charges

Former Haitian

President JeanBertrand Aristide is now under house arrest, according to a ruling issued on Tuesday by Judge Lamarre Belizaire investigating allegations of corruption, money laundering and drugs smuggling, blamed on the former leader and a number of his allies, when he led the Caribbean country between 2001 and 2004, judicial sources told HCNN on Tuesday.

Aristide’s residence in the district of Tabarre will be surrounded by agents of the prison administration, known as APENA, while the perimeter of the residence will be guarded by agents of the Central Department of the Judicial Police (DCPJ),

according to Belizaire’s ruling.

The investigating judge characterised the new ruling as part of precautionary measures to ensure that Aristide remains available for judicial authorities and that he can be brought to the judge’s office, as needed, to be interviewed.

After listing and citing a series of legal provisions to justify his decision, Belizaire concluded that Aristide will be put under house arrest.

“For these reasons, (we) say and declare that the named Jean-Bertrand Aristide is under house arrest since force must remain with the law,” read the order, dated September 9, of which HCNN has obtained a copy. (Excerpt from Caribbean News Now)

When scarce staples become available, Venezuelans often take advantage and buy in bulk

Former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide

Around the world

Kerry in Iraq backs government, says Baghdad a partner against Islamic State

US Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday endorsed Iraqi Prime Minister Haider alAbadi’s plans to mend Baghdad’s relations with Sunnis and Kurds, and said Iraq was a partner in the fight against Islamic State militants.

Kerry, on a tour of the Middle East to build military, political and financial support to defeat the militants controlling parts of Iraq and Syria, said: “We all have an interest in supporting the new government of Iraq.”

“The coalition that is at the heart of our global strategy I assure you will continue to grow and deepen in the days ahead... because the United States and the world will simply not stand by to watch as ISIL’s evil spreads.” he said, using an alternative acronym for Islamic State.

“A new and inclusive Iraqi Government has to be the engine of our global strategy against ISIL. Now the Iraqi Parliament has approved a new Cabinet with new leaders, with representation from all Iraqi communities, it’s full steam ahead.”

Kerry’s visit comes hours before a

speech in which Obama will try to rally Americans behind another war in a region he has long sought to leave, backed by what Washington hopes

will be a coalition of NATO and Gulf Arab allies committed to a campaign that could stretch beyond the end of Obama’s term in 2016. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Syria rebels name slain leader’s replacement

also known as “Abu

Ahrar al-Sham, a Syrian rebel group, has announced its new leadership after it lost its top brass during a bomb attack on a high-level meeting in Idlib province.

Hassan Abboud, the head of Ahrar al-Sham, was among up to 45 people killed in an underground bunker

near an ammunition dump outside Ram Hamdan on Tuesday.

The new head is Hashim al-Sheikh, also known as Abu Jaber, while his deputy is Abu Saleh Tahan, the group announced on Wednesday. It pledged to keep fighting against Syrian government forces and the

Islamic State armed group, Reuters news agency said.

Along with Abboud, about 50 of the group’s leaders had been gathered at a house when the blast went off, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a group that monitors the conflict.

There has been no claim of responsibility for the blast. The Idlib meeting brought together Ahrar and a number of other opposition groups fighting as the Islamic Front alliance, including Abdallah Azzam and the Iman brigades, to discuss a strategy to confront the Islamic State.

Activists said others killed in the attack were Abu Yazan al-Shami, a member of the Ahrar’s shura council; military field commanders Abu Talha al-Askari and Abu Yousuf Binnish; and Abu al-Zubeir, the head of the Iman brigade. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

China says South China Sea land reclamation justified

China says its land reclamation work in the South China Sea is “totally justifiable” as it has “sovereignty” over the area. Its Foreign Affairs Ministry Spokesman Hua Chunying was responding to a BBC report which documented China’s construction work in disputed waters.

The Philippines has accused China of illegal building in the area. China is locked in a dispute with several countries over maritime claims in the South

China Sea. The BBC report by Rupert Wingfield-Hayes said China was building new islands on five different reefs.

He and his team documented Chinese work to dredge tonnes of rock and sand from the sea floor to pump into Johnson South reef in the Spratly islands, which are also claimed by Manila.

At a daily press briefing on Tuesday, Ms Hua was asked by the BBC why China was reclaiming land.

She responded: “We have answered this question many times before, and I suppose you must be fully aware of China’s position.”

Using the Chinese name for the Spratly islands, she added: “China asserts indisputable sovereignty over the Nansha Islands and the adjacent waters, and China’s activities on relevant islands and reefs of the Nansha Islands fall entirely within China’s sovereignty and are totally justifiable.”

(Excerpt from BBC News)

Ebola threatening Liberia’s existence, Minister warns

Ebola is threatening the very existence of Liberia as the killer virus spreads like “wild fire”, the defence minister warned, following a grim World Health Organisation assessment that the worst is yet to come.

After predicting an “exponential increase” in infections across West Africa, the WHO warned that Liberia, which has accounted for half of all fatalities, could initially only hope to slow the contagion, not stop it.

“Liberia is facing a serious threat to its national existence,” Defense Minister Brownie Samukai told a meeting of the UN Security Council on Tuesday.

The disease is “now spreading like wild fire, de-

Russia tests ICBM,

as

vouring everything in its path,” he said.

The WHO upped the Ebola death toll on Tuesday to 2296 out of 4293 cases in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea and Nigeria as of September 6. Nearly half of all infections had occurred in the past 21 days, it said.

The agency also evacuated its second infected medical expert, a doctor who had been working at an Ebola treatment centre in Sierra Leone.

Emory University Hospital in the United States admitted an American on Tuesday who had contracted the disease in west Africa, but declined to confirm whether the patient was the WHO employee. (Excerpt from Yahoo! News)

Putin says nuclear deterrent must be maintained

President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday Russia must maintain its nuclear deterrence to counter what he called growing security threats, after Moscow testlaunched an intercontinental nuclear missile.

With ties between Moscow and the West frayed by the crisis in Ukraine, Putin also took greater control of a commission that oversees the defence indus-

try and made a new call for Russia to become less reliant on imported Western equipment.

He said NATO was using rhetoric over the Ukraine crisis to “resuscitate itself” and noted that Russia had warned repeatedly that it would have to respond to such moves.

Shortly before he spoke, Russia successfully tested its new submarinelaunched Bulava intercon-

tinental missile, a 12 metre long weapon that can deliver a nuclear strike with up to 100 times the force of the atomic blast that devastated Hiroshima in 1945.

“We need a reliable and complete assessment of the potential threats to Russia’s military security. For each of these threats, a sufficient, adequate response should be found,” Putin told a Kremlin meeting of Government defence officials. (Excerpt from MSN)

Chlorine gas used systematically in Syria, says weapons watchdog

The world’s chemical watchdog on Wednesday confirmed the “systematic” use of chlorine as a weapon in Syria, according to a report by its team investigating alleged attacks there.

The fact-finding mission established “compelling confirmation” that a toxic chemical was used “systematically and repeatedly” as a weapon in villages in northern Syria earlier this year, the Organisation for

the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said in a statement.

“The descriptions, physical properties, behaviour of the gas, and signs and symptoms resulting from exposure, as well as the response of patients to the treatment, leads the mission to conclude with a high degree of confidence that chlorine, either pure or in mixture, is the toxic chemical in question.”

The OPCW said that reports of chlorine attacks

in Syria dropped off after the fact-finding mission was established in April, “but there was a spate of new allegations in August”. Spokesman Michael Luhan said the new claims would be investigated.

The fact-finding mission’s initial report in June said that evidence ‘lends credence’ to the view that chlorine had been used in attacks in the villages of Talmanes, Al-Tamana and Kafr Zeita. (Excerpt from France24)

US Secretary of State John Kerry pauses during a news conference at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad September 10

Hashim al-Sheikh,

Jaber”

The Yuri Dolgoruky, a Russian nuclear submarine, is seen in the waters off Severodvinsk in this July 2, 2009 file photo. The Borei-class submarine was designed to carry the nuclear-capable Bulava intercontinental missiles, which the Kremlin hopes to make the cornerstone of its arsenal over the next decade

“Don’t mix politics with rice” – Ramsammy cautions farmers

– announces establishment of soil test lab

By IndrawattIe natram

Agriculture Minister,

Dr Leslie Ramsammy has announced the establishment of a spanking new National Soil Laboratory by 2015, to keenly monitor and test soil for the cultivation of rice.

Ramsammy was at the time speaking to hundreds of rice farmers from various rice growing regions in Guyana at a farmers’ field school day activity on Wednesday held at Perseverance Estate.

Dr Ramsammy said that while the yield per acreage is increasing via the six points of management practice, there should also be a keen study of the soil. He said the laboratory would check the soil to ensure that it has op-

to the intervention by the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) and the Rice Producers Association’s introduction of GRDB 10 – a new variety.

He said that yearly the GRDB and the RPA are tasked with identifying farmers throughout Guyana who are reaping low yields and then later work along with those farmers in introducing the six-point practice and the new variety so that their yield will increase.

GRDB General Manager Jagnarine Singh told the farmers that the field day sessions are part of the mandate of the Board to promote the rice industry. Singh said over the years while the other regions were receiving high yields, yields in Region Two had remained low.

crediting much of their success to the intervention by the GRDB.

GRDB Extension Manager Kuldip Ragnauth told the farmers that researchers have identified six management practices that have proven as being essential for high yields.

Ragnauth said the six strategic points must be employed in an integrated manner and with precision, for large yield increases, approximately two to four tonnes per hectare can be obtained without increase in producing per cost per hectare.

The six points encompass: Time of Planting, Density, Seed Treatment, Weed Control, Balanced Nutrition and Water Management. Farmers from

timum nutrients for cultivation of rice or any other crop.

During his address, the Minister also called on farmers to protect and promote the rice industry and cautioned them not to “mix politics with rice”.

“We will continue to revolve the approximately $8 million the Government has in the system for farmers to get timely payments, we will continue to negotiate for better prices, but we will not abandon traditional markets,” Dr Ramsammy said.

Speaking specifically about the Farmers’ Field Day, Dr Ramsammy said that the activity serves as a very informative session. He noted that the farmers’ field schools focus on highlighting successful fields that have high yields owing

He said the six-point practice had to be introduced in an effort to increase competitiveness on the export market. He said the idea was to work with ‘low yield’ farmers so as to increase their yield per acre, and three farmers were selected.

“These farmers were getting low grades and less bags; with this intervention, farmers will receive 12 more bags, we are helping farmers to increase their productivity via the six-point practice”.

Singh said farmers’ field exercises are geared towards knowledge sharing among farmers. Farmers who were present at the event said that the major rice stakeholders should be commended for the higher yields being produced currently,

'Kero stove' burn victim succumbs

Days after a cane harvester sustained second degree burns to his body after a kerosene stove exploded on him while preparing meals, he succumbed to his injuries at the Georgetown Public Hospital on Tuesday.

Dead is Emmanuel Ramdoo, 34, of Patentia Estate Reserve, West Bank Demerara who was admitted at patient at the Burn Unit of the Georgetown Public Hospital on Sunday in a critical state. His relatives were told by medical officials that he had a 50/50 chance of surviving due to the extent of his injuries.

His mother, Geeta Lakeram said her son took his last breath at about 07:00h on Tuesday morning, moments after she visited him in hospital. She recalled going for the 06:00h visit and as she waited in the compound of the facility, the doctors informed her of his demise.

She said that while they were advised to brace themselves for the worst, she was still fearful of losing her son so early in his life. Lakeram admitted that her son was in tremendous pain, adding that “God knows best”. She said that his loss is a major blow, especially to his two

daughters who lived with him.

Ramdoo, also called “Joshua” was severely burned on Sunday morning while he was at his rented apartment preparing meals for his two daughters. Based on reports received, the father of three had returned home from a wedding house in the area and was about to prepare meals for his two daughters, who were at his mother’s house a short distance away.

He reportedly told hospital officials that the kerosene stove suddenly exploded. However, residents are

of the belief that he might have set himself on fire, claiming that he was a depressed young man. This might have stemmed from the separation between him and his reputed wife. The two separated about three years ago.

When Guyana Times visited the house on Sunday morning, most of the damage appeared to be in the bedroom area. Next to the bed was a white bottle of kerosene that was partially burnt.

It is believed that after the stove exploded, the flames caught Ramdoo’s clothes but rather than running out of the house, he ran into the bedroom where he attempted to put out the blaze.

Residents formed a bucket brigade and quickly put out the fire but, by this time, the man’s clothes were already burnt off his body. Ramdoo was taken to the West Demerara Regional Hospital where he was kept for some time before he was transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he was admitted up to the time of his death. He leaves to mourn his three children, mother and siblings. He is expected to be laid to rest today.

OAS unveils four-pronged attack against narco trafficking

The Organisation of American States (OAS) has announced that there is consensus in the Region on the need to jointly move forward on four points of the drug issue, which must be concretised at the Special General Assembly that the Organisation will hold in Guatemala later this month.

The four approaches include: a public health initiative; seeking alternatives to incarceration; remaining vigilant against organised crime; and working towards institutional strengthening within the Region.

Regions Two, Three, Four, Five and Six said that from observation, after implementing the practices, they noticed fewer pests attacking their crops.

Region Two Chairman Parmanand Persaud welcomed the various farmers to his region. Persaud said it was important for farmers to meet, socialise and network in an effort to share their knowledge on the rice industry.

He noted that the National Drainage Irrigation Authority plays an integral role in the rice sector. “Rice is a day-to-day activity ... 32,500 [acres] planting in Region Two, more rice planting, 36,700, many persons moved from coconut to rice, the management of the rice industry is being done prudently,” Persaud said.

OAS Secretary General José Miguel Insulza was the keynote speaker at a talk organised by a Washingtonian thinktank, the Inter-American Dialogue in Washington, DC, during which he spoke on the challenge of drugs in the Americas, 10 days prior to the Special General Assembly, whose main theme is “For a Hemispheric Drug Policy in the 21st Century” .

Drug problem

The conclusions of the Special General Assembly will be presented to the 2016 General Assembly of the United Nations that will focus its debates on the world drug problem.

The Head of the hemispheric organisation indicated that the debate on drug policy in the Region stemmed from the report prepared by the OAS on

OAS Secretary General José Miguel Insulza

the Drug Problem in the Americas, led by Secretary General Insulza and presented in May 2013 to Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos. The report was in response to a mandate from the VI Summit of the Americas held in Cartagena, Colombia in April 2012.

The head of the OAS said that 16 months after the debate began, there is widespread agreement in the Hemisphere as to the drug problem being a public health issue, not a public safety matter. He further recalled that no one in the Region speaks of the “war on drugs”, referring to the policy that had been followed by the Region during the past four decades.

The OAS Secretary General also noted that the Region agrees on the need to

address the issue of prison overcrowding, which is closely related to drug use. In this regard, he said, there are 3.6 million prisoners in the Americas, of which “more than 1.5 million people are detained for drug-related problems, most of them for possession or consumption”.

Insulza added that there is growing support for the adoption of measures such as alternatives to incarceration or the implementation of Drug Courts for offenders involved in minor drug-related offences.

Vision At another point in his speech, Secretary General Insulza stated that the new vision on drugs in the Region in no way means that we give up the fight against organised criminal gangs. On the contrary, he said that “in this area there is also consensus on the need to combat these groups operating outside the law”.

As to the strengthening of institutions, the OAS Secretary General recalled that one of the conclusions of the OAS Report on drugs is that “when there are fewer institutions, there is more crime”.

In this regard, he stated that “there are countries in which institutional overflow is what produces an increase in crime,” noting that when there is a vacuum of authority, criminal groups often take the place of the state, “something we must avoid”, he concluded.

Dead: Emmanuel “Joshua” Ramdoo

A section of the rice farmers at the event

Another section of rice farmers at the event

Demerara Rotary Club conducts medical outreach at Dora

The Rotary Club of Demerara last Sunday conducted a medical outreach in the Dora community on the Linden-Soesdyke Highway.

Dora is a small community of about 120 persons. The medical team that conducted the outreach comprised four general doctors, an orthopaedic specialist, a pharmacist, a nutritionist and a dental service team, the Club said in a release. During the outreach, the team was able to service 83 persons in the community. In addition to providing the medical service, the Club also presented several items of clothing to community members.

The Rotary Club of Demerara supports the health sector by partnering with the Health Ministry and other private doctors to provide health services to the rural communities across Guyana. “Rotary Club of Demerara wishes to thank the Doctors and the other health work -

ers from Linden Hospital Complex, the Georgetown Public Hospital, the Dental School and the Ministry of Health who joined us in our drive to provide health care. We wish also to thank the Rotaract Club of Linden for their cheerful support of this project and all the persons who donated clothing.”

Elderly man to stand trial for murder

Sixty-four-year-old Charles Goodluck, formerly of Betsy Ground, East Canje, was committed to stand trial at the Berbice Assizes, after Magistrate Rabindranauth Singh ruled that a primae facie case had been made for the offence of murder.

The ruling was made during a special sitting at the Albion Magistrate’s Court last week where the

murder accused stood motionless during the ruling. Goodluck called “Charlie” has been committed to stand trial for the murder of Chandradat Hussain called “Deo”, 39, of Good Banana Land, East Canje, Berbice. It is alleged that on August 20, 2013, at Coredyke Backdam, Kwakwani, Berbice River Goodluck killed Hussain. Police Prosecutor

Sergeant Phillip Sheriff led several witnesses who supported the prosecution’s case which revealed that on August 20, 2013, Goodluck murdered his colleague, a chainsaw operator as they worked at Coredyke Backdam. A caution statement in which the accused confessed to committing the alleged crime, was also admitted into evidence.

Mother of differently able child pleads for special needs school in Region 5

The mother of a 12-year-old boy who suffers from cerebral palsy is calling on the authorities to build a special needs school in Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice) to cater for children with disabilities.

Cerebral palsy is considered a neurological disorder caused by a non-progressive brain injury or malformation that occurs while the child’s brain is in the developmental stage. Cerebral palsy primarily affects body movement and muscle coordination. Though cerebral palsy can be defined, having cerebral palsy does not define the person that has the condition.

The child’s mother, Sherry Persaud of Number 30 Village, West Coast Berbice, told Guyana Times that there are no provisions for children who are differ-

ently able in the region to receive an education. “You don’t have any school for him or other disabled children to attend… not even a classroom. He is very intelligent and I know that there are other children in Region Five who need to go to school.”

According to the mother of one, she has been teaching her son at home but feels this is not enough, saying that her son needs to be engaged in an atmosphere of learning with other children. “They need special teachers to take care of them. The regular school, Number 29 Primary... it is so full, it has stairs and cannot accommodate children in wheel chairs.”

According to Persaud, the only schools in the Region that could accommodate persons in wheel chairs are some of the nurs-

ery schools. There is a centre at Number 40 Village, West Coast Berbice but it is a craft centre which does not cater for children and has no teachers. The building itself does not cater for persons who are confined to a wheel chair.

Too costly

The concerned parent said she raised the issue with a privately owned daily newspaper and also with a state owned daily but none of them paid attention to her concerns. There are two special needs schools in Region Six, the closest one being the Vrymens Erven Special Needs School in New Amsterdam which is fully equipped. According to Persaud, her son’s condition has forced her to become a stay at home mom and attending school in New Amsterdam is not an

thursday, september 11, 2014

Packed programme for Rose Hall Town's 44th Anniversary

Rose Hall Town will be hosting two weeks of activities to celebrate the town’s 44th anniversary. The activities will commence on September 14 and conclude of September 27. The Rose Hall Town Day Committee, in association with the Rose Hall Town Municipality has organised the events under the theme, ‘Unity for a better community’.

Public Relations Officer (PRO) Andrew Griffith told this publication that the opening ceremony will be held on Friday, September 19, in the compound of the Municipality while in the evening; there will be a candle light vigil. The following day, which is the anniversary day, there will be the much anticipated fair and exhibition at the Rose Hall Community Centre.

The celebrations will move to the Rose Hall beach the following day where

several sporting activities have been planned including beach volleyball. That day has also been set aside for a basketball competition involving the top basketball teams in East and West Berbice.

Meanwhile, on September 23, there will be the annual Spelling Bee competition involving schools from that community; Rose Hall Town Primary, Port Mourant Primary, Tain Primary and Cropper Primary. September 24 has been designated Senior Citizens Day and residents of the town will be treated at Lucky Dollar while the following day differently able children will be the focus of attention as a programme for them will be held at the Children’s Rehabilitation Centre at Port Mourant. The curtains will come down on September 27 when ‘Comedy Nite’ is held at the Community Centre.

Latin American, Caribbean bankers on exchange visit to China

option because she cannot afford to take her son to the Vrymens Erven Special Needs School. “In the first place the buses on the road don’t want to pick you up when you have these children in wheel chairs. And if I am taking a child to New Amsterdam in a wheel chair I will have to pay for two seats, that is if I get a bus.”

For children in wheel chairs on the West Coast of Berbice, to attend the Vrymens Erven Special Needs Schoo, it costs parents approximately $1500 a day. Persaud said some parents have made arrangements for accommodation for one class room space at a private school in the Region but they will still have to find teachers who are trained with the skills to teach children with special needs.

Eleven senior representatives of trade finance and international commerce departments of financial institutions from Latin America and the Caribbean are participating this week in the first China Insights Programme – an immersion programme focusing on the economic, financial and cultural reality of China.

The programme was organised by the InterAmerican Development Bank (IDB) to help banks from Latin America and the Caribbean improve the commercial and financial ties between their client firms and companies from China.

Inaugurated by IDB President Luis Alberto Moreno and He Jianxiong, head of the International Department of the People’s

Bank of China, the China Insights Programme will cover key aspects of the Chinese financial and commercial regulation, including current important trends such as the internationalisation of the Renminbi. The programme will help participating bankers from Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, The Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay, and Peru to better assist their clients closing import and export transactions to and from China.

“We know that the potential of the Chinese market is huge and yet, still quite unknown to the financial intermediaries of Latin America and the Caribbean,” said Gema Sacristan, Chief of the IDB’s Financial Markets Division. “For that reason, a deeper knowledge of the Chinese financial system will help reinforce the commercial relations between both sides of the Pacific.” Programmed activities include expert panels, networking events for the LAC bankers and their Asian counterparts, visits to the financial authorities, the People’s Bank of China and the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade. China is the first stop of the Insights Programme, expected to be replicated in other countries in order to help other banks from the region in their support of the internationalisation of companies from Latin America and the Caribbean.

IDB President Luis Alberto Moreno

Accused: Charles Goodluck

Residents waiting to be attended by a doctor

Local domino players excel at WCDF championship

A30-member

Guyana domino contingent finished third overall at the World Council Dominoes Federation (WCDF) 16th biennial championship in Barbados recently, following outstanding performances from both the male and female teams.

The men created history by winning the male three-hand team competition for the first time, while the ladies finished third on the distaff side.

The Guyanese men accumulated 14 points, followed by Antigua and Barbuda on 13.5 and host Barbados on 12. They entered the sixth and final round against the USA and Anguilla on 11 points, trailing Antigua and Barbados.

However, the South Americans dominated the final round, notching up 85 games, with Anguilla scoring 64 and USA 61. Martin Permaul marked the maximum 18 games for Guyana, while Godfrey Samuels Kevin Boston supported with 15 and 13 respectively.

The victory by the men, along with the third place finish by the females, ensured Guyana finished third overall, ahead of Anguilla and USA and behind Barbados and Antigua. Yonette Christmas was named the overall Most Valuable Player for

Guyana.

The overall finish matched Guyana’s performance in the last tournament in 2012 in Florida.

The contingent was selected following one month of trials organised by the Guyana National Domino Federation.

The players selected after the trials then went through one month of

training before heading to compete in Barbados.

The male team included Martin Permaul, Godfrey Samuels (Captain), Kevin Boston, Kurt Caesar, Errol Seymour, Gilbert Mendonca, Rawl Peters, Hubert Wright, Anatoly Moti and Gladstone George (Player/ Manager).

The female team com -

prised Faye Joseph, Loraine Solomon-Rodney (Captain), Yonette Christmas, Diane Telford, Jillian Hyman, Nancy Tanner, Claire Benjamin, Rita Scarder, Sheron Jerome, Sandy Welch, Andrea Green, Alverene Jaundoo, Andrea Marks, Andrea Lewis and Denise Griffith-Jacobis.

GABF to hold council meeting on September 20

The Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation will be hosting their General Council Meeting on September 20 at the Cara Lodge on Quamina Street from 16:00h to 18:00h.

All affiliate members are asked to attend especially with the posts of GABF Secretary and Assistant Secretary/

Treasurer up for elections. Also scheduled for the agenda is an update on the fines and suspensions of the men’s national basketball team that were disciplined by the federation for off court misconduct at the 2014 Caribbean basketball Confederation (CBC) Championships.

The basketball scholarship from Odessa College offered to Ginelle Ifill as well as the GABF’s policy on social media will also make the 10 itemed agenda.

Meanwhile, members whose fees are partially paid or not paid, and potential members will have up to September 17 to pay their fees and attain vot-

ing rights at the General Council Meeting.

According to a press release, fees are due from the following: Guyana Women’s Basketball Association, Georgetown Masters Basketball Association (Veterans), GT Pioneers Basketball Association (Veterans) and The Coaches Association.

PPP/C congratulates Lloyd on appointment as Chief Selector

The People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) has extended congratulations to Clive Hubert Lloyd on his appointment as Convenor of the Selection Panel for the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB).

A PPP/C release said that Lloyd, a son of this soil, has brought with him a wealth of experience and talent, due to the fact that he was the West Indies most successful captain, having represented the region at the test level for almost two decades.

During his test career, Lloyd played 110 test matches and scored 7515 runs at an average just below 50, including 19 centuries and 39 fifties.

"Lloyd was no doubt a

crucial ingredient in the rise of West Indian cricket in the 1960s and 70s and was a critical link in the regional side that dominated world cricket during that era.

"We believe he has what it takes to help in the process of returning West Indies cricket to its glory days," the release said.

The PPP/C endorses recent statements by former West Indies batsman Gordon Greenidge that Lloyd must be given the liberty to establish his methods to help improve the performance of the West Indies team.

"Once again we extend congratulations to Lloyd, as we remain confident he will continue to work in the best interest of cricket in the Caribbean," the PPP/C said.

Members of the Guyana contingent pose with the trophies in Barbados recently

President recommits to signing Cricket Administration Bill

By Rajiv Bisnauth

President Donald Ramotar has not yet signed the Guyana Cricket Administration Bill, but on Wednesday he said that once it reaches his desk, it will be signed into law.

“The Bill has not yet come to my desk, but when it comes I will definitely sign the bill.

“The Bill is probably at my office already, but they haven’t brought it to me, perhaps because of the volume of other things, I have but I will definitely sign the Bill,” Ramotar disclosed to this publication during an exclusive interview.

The Cricket Administration Bill was passed in the National Assembly on May 15.

The Bill seeks to provide legal administrative guidelines for cricket, which, over the years, has become a national sport.

Sport Minister, Dr Frank Anthony, who presented the Bill to the National Assembly, had said it was

drafted after extensive consultations with all stakeholders, and moreso, following recommendations in a ruling made by the High Court.

The Bill makes it legal for the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) to be established as a corporate body comprising the Demerara, Essequibo and the Berbice Cricket Boards, all of which will also be made corporate entities.

A section of the Bill will address the issue of phantom voting for the election of persons for administrative positions.

The National Assembly was also told that the Bill provides for better financial accountability.

As such, the GCB, under this new legislation will be required to present timely audited financial reports to the National Assembly, as well as the National Sports Commission (NSC).

On May 30, a letter was sent to President Donald Ramotar from West Indies Cricket Board (WICB)

President Dave Cameron, raising concerns about the Bill and requesting that the Head of State not assent to it until their concerns are addressed.

Dr Anthony was asked to respond, and the Minister wrote to Cameron requesting that he detail all his concerns with regard to the Bill.

Cameron pointed out that the response had to be dealt with under the Presidential seal.

Government has since said that it does not discount that the WICB may be looking for a scapegoat in this matter since their agents in Guyana were restrained by a Court Order from acting, or holding themselves out as officers of the GCB and as agents of the WICB.

To this end top officials of the WICB visited Guyana in late June and engaged Government on the Bill, after which a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) was reached.

The MoA serves to iron out various issues regarding the Cricket Administration Bill.

Courts on board with "Battle of the Contenders"

Courts (Guyana) Inc has once again demonstrated its commitment to the development of sport by chipping in with a sponsorship package for this weekend’s "Battle of the Contenders" boxing card.

At a simple presentation ceremony on Wednesday morning, officials of Courts (Guyana) Inc presented executives of the Guyana Boxing Board of Control (GBBC) with a cheque valued $300,000 to help with the staging of the five-fight card.

President of the GBBC, Peter Abdool, expressed appreciation to Courts for the gesture, noting that the company has been an avid supporter of the work of the Boxing Board.

He reflected that the company has been onboard with the GBBC’s flagship event, the Guyana Friday Night Fights, ever since its inception several years ago.

Apart from injecting funds in the Friday Night Fights, Courts (Guyana) Inc. would usually present hampers to the amateur boxers appearing on the card.

Marketing Manager Pernell Cummings said Courts always values the contribution of sport to national development, noting that the sponsorship is another demonstration of the company’s commitment to the disciplines.

Public Relations and Promotions Officer, Roberta Ferguson, expressed similar sentiments, adding that the sponsorship forms part of the entity’s generosity during the month of September, which marks its 21st anniversary since opening business in Guyana.

Action will get underway at 20:00h on Saturday at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall with the main bout featuring Guyanese Derick

Richmond and Jamaican Sakima Mullings in a Junior Middleweight eightround contest.

Dexter Marques and Richard Williamson will start the evening’s proceedings with a Super Bantamweight six-round clash, while Leon Moore will look to outdo Mark Murray in a Junior Welterweight six-rounder.

The third bout will be a Guyana/Jamaica showdown with local boy Winston Pompey up against Kemahl Russell in a sixround Middleweight fight, while Mark Austin and Dexter Gonsalves will go head-to-head in a Junior Welterweight scrap, scheduled for eight rounds.

The publication understands that the Jamaican boxers are due to arrive in Guyana this evening. Admission to the venue is $2000 (Ringside) and $1000 (Stands).

Caribbean Wellness Day cycling set for Saturday

By avenash Ramzan

As part of activities to celebrate Caribbean Wellness Day 2014, the Health Ministry will stage a 60-mile road race for active riders and those pursuing a healthy lifestyle on Saturday.

The race is being coordinated by national cycling coach, Hassan Mohamed, who on Wednesday divulged details of the activity during an exclusive interview with this publication.

Mohamed, who has close to four decades experience in organising race meets, will lead the coordination effort for Saturday’s race, which is expected to start at 13:00h in Georgetown, proceed to Mahaicony and return to the city for the finish.

The race will take the form of a roll start at the Square of the Revolution.

“We then turn right into Homestretch Avenue, proceed to the head of Mandela Avenue, turn left into

Sheriff Street and proceed along the East Coast highway for the official start of the race. It will proceed from there, go through the Old Road in Mahaica, go to the Half Way tree at Mahaicony and return to Ocean View International Hotel for the finish,” Mohamed explained.

The veterans and mountain bikers will go through the Old Road in Mahaica and turn by the Mahaica Police Station on the upward journey before returning to Ocean View International Hotel for the finish.

According to Mohamed, plans are moving apace to ensure that the event is a success, as more than 50 riders are expected to compete. Registration will take place on race day an hour before the scheduled start.

“We’re hoping to have a very successful race because for the longest whilesince the Three-Stage race in May – we haven’t done

The race on Saturday is expected to attract a large turnout of riders

anything on the East Coast and people there are starving for some activity,” Mohamed reckoned.

According to the longserving national coach, the first six finishers in

the Open category and top three juniors, veterans and mountain bikers will be rewarded, while there will be a special prize for the first Over-60 rider to cross the finish line.

Caribbean Wellness Day is an annual event geared at increasing awareness and promoting activities to address the epidemic of non-communicable diseases, which continue to se-

verely impact the health, economy and development of the Region. In 2014 the focus is on adults, “Preserving the workforce for national and regional development”.

Marketing Manager of Courts (Guyana) Inc, Pernell Cummings (second left), presents the

sponsorship cheque to Howard Cox of the GBBC at the entity’s Main Street branch on Wednesday. Sharing the moment are GBBC President Peter Abdool (right) and Courts’ Public Relations and Promotions Officer Roberta Ferguson (Photo: Shantanand Anude)

President Donald Ramotar Sport minister, Dr Frank Anthony Dave Cameron

PCB in talks with Saqlain to help Ajmal

Former Pakistan offspinner Saqlain Mushtaq has said he is in talks with the PCB to help Saeed Ajmal remedy his bowling action though an arrangement is yet to be finalised. While the delivery of the doosra has come under increasing scrutiny in recent times, Saqlain, one of the pioneers of the delivery, said it was possible to bowl it with a clean action.

“It is a matter of concern,” Saqlain told ESPNCricnfo, that all of Ajmal’s deliveries were found to be illegal. “I got a call from the PCB on Tuesday. We are talking but I haven’t yet committed. They have given me short notice. They asked me if I would help Ajmal. I would love to. I said definitely, but we are trying to see if the dates can be worked out. I am hopeful.”

Saqlain said he had not been paying close attention to Ajmal’s action in the recent past. The last time he saw Ajmal bowl live was at Lord’s in July, when the MCC played Rest of the World.

“I thought he must be bowling legal deliveries so I was focusing on his tactical aspects: how he is setting his field, which ball he would deliver next, how he would trap the batsman,” Saqlain, who was on commentary for the game, said. “In that match I was speaking on those lines.”

Saqlain said he had not

worked with Ajmal previously, apart from an informal chat during Pakistan’s tour of England in 2010, when they discussed a variation that did not concern Ajmal’s stock ball or doosra.

Several concerns have been raised over whether the doosra can be bowled with a clean action, and Saqlain said it could be delivered within the ICC’s 15-degree limit for straightening of the elbow.

“Of course, it can be bowled within the rules,” he said.

A spinner begins to face technical issues, according to Saqlain, if his muscles have not developed properly. “You have to work on four important things: endurance, strength and pow -

er, flexibility, and finally quickness or speed,” he said. “These are the things to be sorted out first, even before we arrive at the bowler’s action, run-up, loading and follow-through.”

When asked if Ajmal’s workload could have contributed to the deterioration of his action, Saqlain said it could be a factor. “If you tire yourself too much, it might affect your strength and power, it might affect your flexibility, it could reduce your bowling speed. So over-working or bowling wrong, or not working at all, depends on the four aspects I mentioned above.”

Despite Ajmal’s agehe’s 36 - Saqlain said he could bounce back through hard work, but making the

Graeme Smith begins corporate career

Less than six months after retiring from international cricket, former South Africa captain Graeme Smith has already picked up a pair of other jobs. Unlike many of his teammates, who chose coaching or commentary as careers after cricket, Smith has opted to climb the corporate ladder and is officially an employee of financial services company Momentum, who sponsor South Africa’s ODI and women’s team.

This is in addition to Smith signing as tourna-

ment director of South Africa’s 20-over domestic competition, a position he accepted last month.

His first project for his new bosses will be as a patron for the M2E bursary scheme, a joint venture between Momentum and CSA that provides for the financial and educational needs of talented cricketers from seventh grade upwards.

Candidates are identified according to academic results, on-field skills and monetary backgrounds and those selected have their school fees, text books, sta-

World Cup depended on how willing Ajmal was. “It depends on the individual. It depends on how much effort he puts in, how early his muscles respond to his routines and how he adjusts to the remodeled action.” Saqlain said he had two 16-year olds with suspect actions but they started bowling legally again after four months of work.

The PCB remained positive about Ajmal. Its illegal bowling committee understands Ajmal’s action needs significant remedial work and a decision on the next course of action, including the possibility of bringing in Saqlain, is likely to be taken by the end of this week.

“We can’t just fight with the scientific evidence,” a PCB official told ESPNcricinfo. “He is on the wrong side of 30 but he has done enough in terms of rehabilitating Pakistan’s image in last four years. His services are significant so we are putting every effort to help him out. At the moment we have called Saqlain and are working out an arrangement to get him here as soon as possible.”

Ajmal had his action tested at an ICC-accredited facility at the National Cricket Centre in Brisbane. He was reported by on-field umpires Ian Gould and Bruce Oxenford after the first Test of Pakistan’s tour of Sri Lanka in Galle this August. (Cricinfo)

Vuelta a Espana: Degenkolb wins as Contador leads race

Germany's John Degenkolb won the 17th stage of the Tour of Spain as home rider Albert Contador retained the overall lead.

Degenkolb narrowly beat Australian Michael Matthews on the 190.7km leg to win his fourth stage of the race.

Great Britain's Chris Froome rode in with the pack and is third overall behind Contador and Alejandro Valverde.

Froome is 99 seconds behind Contador and three seconds behind Valverde ahead of Thursday's mountainous 157km route.

The race resumed after a rest day on Tuesday and Froome suffered a setback with Team Sky team-

mate Christian Knees, of Germany, having to withdraw because of illness. Contador, 31, is aiming for a third Tour of Spain crown.

"The feelings have been pretty good and, well, it's one day fewer," he said. "Thursday's stage is completely different and we have to get the motor running at top speed again.

"Let's hope the legs are working well and we can keep an eye on those at the front and make sure the day goes smoothly.

"I think they (the remaining four stages) are all important, maybe the one on Thursday will be a bit different but all the days are important now." (BBCSport)

tionery and other costs paid for.

This will be Smith’s first foray into the field of corporate social responsibility.

“My passion is obviously cricket, however, with Momentum, I have the chance to step up my contribution. I am confident I have the leadership capability to add value to the company,” Smith said.

“Time and time again it is shown that education is crucial to our country’s success; so I am very pleased that through Momentum I can throw my support behind the bursary programme.”

Danie van den Bergh, head of the Momentum brand, told ESPNcricinfo that Smith is being primed for a “long-term career” at the company, which will also involve “a lot of cricket activities.”

Apart from financially backing the South Africa’s one-day squad and women’s team, Momentum is also involved in a corporate cricket sixes event, whose proceeds go to charity, and in the eKasi Cup, an annual tournament that takes franchise cricket to South Africa’s lower-income areas. (Cricinfo)

Al-Amin Hossain reported for suspect action

Bangladesh seamer Al-Amin Hossain has been reported for a suspect action following his team’s ten-wicket loss to West Indies in the first Test in St Vincent that ended on Tuesday. Al-Amin is the sixth bowler - and the first one who isn’t an off-spinner - to be reported by the ICC’s match officials since July. Al-Amin will have to get his action tested within 21 days at an ICC accredited facility either in Cardiff or Brisbane and can continue bowling in international cricket until the results of the tests are known. Bangladesh’s team manager Habibul Bashar said Al-Amin was not going to return to Bangladesh and would be available for selection for the second Test, which begins in St Lucia on September 20. Al-Amin’s team-mate, offspinner Sohag Gazi, had also had his action reported during the limited-overs leg in the Caribbean.

In the last few months, Sri Lanka off-spinner

the most recent bowler to have his action questioned

Sachithra Senanayake, New Zealand’s Kane Williamson, Zimbabwe’s Prosper Utseya and Pakistan’s Saeed Ajmal were reported. Senanayake, Williamson and Ajmal were subsequently banned from bowling after testing.

The issue of suspect bowling actions had come up during the ICC cricket

committee meeting in June, where there was a general consensus among members that the methods used to detect illegal actions were imperfect. It had recommended changes to help match officials get more support from biomechanists in order to identify illegal actions with “more confidence”. (Cricinfo)

Saqlain Mushtaq saw Saeed Ajmal bowl last in the Lord’s bicentenary celebration match

Graeme Smith has not taken up commentary or coaching, like several former cricketers do

Al-Amin Hossain (left) is

Contador is a two-time Vuelta winner

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Floyd Mayweather talks future

Pound-for-pound king Floyd Mayweather sees the light at the end of the boxing tunnel –retirement a year from now.

Mayweather said on Tuesday that he plans to retire at the conclusion of his six-fight Showtime/CBS contract, which likely will be next September.

He is halfway through the deal worth more than $200 million. He will have the fourth bout of the contract on Saturday (Showtime PPV, 8 ET) at the MGM Grand when he defends his welterweight world championship against former titleholder Marcos Maidana (35-4, 31 KOs) in a rematch of Mayweather's action-packed majority decision victory on May 3.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. said Tuesday that he is planning on retiring at the completion of his current Showtime/CBS contract.

"I only got two more fights left (after Saturday) and after the next two fights I just want to build the Mayweather Promotions brand," Mayweather said of his promotional company during a roundtable with a handful of reporters on Tuesday at the MGM Grand after making his grand arrival for fight week.

Mayweather typically fights in May and September and said that is what he plans to do in 2015

as he closes out his deal and, apparently, his career.

"Absolutely," Mayweather said of his plans to adhere to that schedule next year. "My next fight is in May and my last fight is in September, so a year from now will be my last fight.

"As of right now, my focus is on Maidana. I can't focus on the other two fights after that. I have to focus on Maidana. After that we can't say who's the next two are going to be but I'm pretty sure the next two will be exciting fights."

The 37-year-old Mayweather (46-0, 26 KOs) said he plans to remain involved in boxing as a promoter.

"I'll still work with my stable of fighters, still build the Mayweather Promotions brand," he said. "We have young fighters that we work with."

Leonard Ellerbe, Mayweather's close friend and the chief executive of Mayweather Promotions, was sitting next to Mayweather as he spoke about retirement.

"I'm happy. He deserves it. He's put in the work his whole career. Grinding, done everything the fans have asked of him," Ellerbe said. "He's had a remarkable career. It's time to hang 'em up. Made all the money you can make. What else

is there to do in the sport? There's nothing else to prove."

The one opponent Mayweather has not faced is fellow welterweight titleholder Manny Pacquiao. That's the match the sports world has been calling out to see for years, but it has not happened for various reasons.

However, Top Rank promoter Bob Arum, who represents Pacquiao, said late last month during the media tour promoting Pacquiao's November 22 HBO PPV fight against junior welterweight titlist Chris Algieri in Macau, China, that there have been talks between Showtime, for whom Mayweather fights exclusively, and HBO, which has Pacquiao under contract, about making a deal.

There is precedent for that because the networks made a historic deal to jointly put on the 2002 fight between then-heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis, who was signed to HBO, and Mike Tyson, who was under contract to Showtime.

The issues in making Mayweather-Pacquiao happen have not been television-related, as both are relatively new to their exclusive deals. Other issues have held back an agreement for the fight, such as how to split the money and Mayweather's insistence that Arum not be involved, among other things.

If the fighters and their teams could work out their differences, the television networks would likely figure something out.

Mayweather, however, said there is no truth to what Arum has been saying about any kind of deal.

"Not true," Mayweather said. "I can't say what the future holds, but Arum and Pacquiao is trying to sell tickets for the (fight with the) guy named (Chris) Algieri. Trying to sell tickets for that fight. I don't know where they fighting, I don't know anything about what Top Rank is doing." (ESPN Boxing)

Bojana Jovanovski advances

Defending champion Bojana Jovanovski of Serbia endured 11 double faults and unrelenting pressure on serve to beat 2010 champ Alla Kudryavtseva of Russia 7-6 (6), 3-6, 6-3 to reach the Tashkent Open quarterfinals on Wednesday. Jovanovski next runs into Urszula Radwanska, the Pole who eliminated fifth-seeded Donna Vekic of Croatia 6-3, 6-3.

Another former champ was ousted, 2012 winner and second seed Irina-Camelia Begu of Romania, by Lesya Tsurenko of Ukraine 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (3).

Local wild card Nigina

Abduraimova, who until this week last won a WTA main draw match here in 2009, put 12 aces past Alexandra Panova of Russia in winning 2-6, 6-3, 6-4. She lined up Akgul

Amanmuradova, ensuring Uzbekistan of a semifinalist for the first time since Amanmuradova reached the inaugural final in 2009. (ESPN Tennis)

Floyd Mayweather said Tuesday that he is planning on retiring at the completion of his current Showtime/CBS contract

Bojana Jovanovski

Senior Inter-County final…

Nedd wary of Berbice backlash

By Rajiv Bisnauth

Demerara will journey to the Ancient County on Saturday where they will clash with Berbice in the final of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) senior Inter-County tournament.

Both teams reached the final on the back of contrasting performances with Demerara took a clean sweep of their preliminary games, while Berbice won two of their three games played.

Demerara trashed Berbice by 144-runs during their second round preliminary game last Saturday at the Wales Community Centre ground, West Coast Demerara, but Demerara coach Garvin Nedd insists it will be folly to write off the Berbicians after just one game.

“We are fully aware that Berbice always play good cricket at home with the support they get so you can’t write them off.

“However, we've got some game plan we have implemented among ourselves and once we can able to execute the game plan we have in mind it will not be an easy task for Berbice,” Nedd pointed out.

Nedd, who represented Guyana in fourteen Firstclass games, added “We’re going to have to put in another big performance to make sure we came out victorious.”

The 42-year-old, Nedd further disclosed that while he is satisfied with the team’s performances thus

far, he urged his batsmen to take up the responsibility and capitalise on good starts.

“Basically I am happy with the performances but I would like to see one of the batsmen get a hundred so I think once our batsmen bats well and bat in partnerships it is more than likely we would be able to put up a decent score and we know we have the bowlers who are capable of defending,” Nedd concluded.

However, what makes the clash even more interesting is the fact that the game will be played on a deck that will be favorable to the spinners.

The Berbicians must have had an eye on the Essequibo/

N&S Mattai golf tournament…

Demerara first round game and the team management would have observed how Demerara strangulated by an overdose of quality spin.

The scenario in mind, the Berbicians will look to Veerasammy Permaul, Gudakesh Motie, Krishendat Ramoo and Narsingh Deonarine to be the key in this crucial match.

The Demerara-Essequibo match has also brought to the fore that if you can make early inroads into the Demerara innings, you have a chance of taking them by the horns. The Demerara middle order also lacks a ‘worker’, someone able to find gaps, run hard and rotate the strike.

But, it is the Demerara

bowling, which may concerns the Berbicians more.

In the spin department, Demerara will continue to place their hopes in the hands of Raj Nanan, Zaheer Mohamed, Amir Khan, Yatesh Dhanpaul, Steven Jacobs and Chanderpaul Hemraj.

However, although Berbice does not have the big names as their opponents, they have a lineup that is capable of putting together huge totals.

Teams for Saturday’s final reads:

Demerara: Christopher Barnwell (Captain), Paul Wintz (V/Captain), Trevon Griffith, Robin Bacchus, Andrew Lyght Jnr, Shemroy

Barrington, Rajendra Chandrika, Raj Nanan, Zaheer Mohamed, Amir Khan, Yatesh Dhanpaul, Steven Jacobs, Chanderpaul Hemraj, , Seon Daniels, Garvin Nedd (Coach), Clive Grimond (Manager/ Assistant Coach).

Berbice: Narsingh Deonarine (Captain), Veerasammy Permaul (V/ Captain), Kandasammy Surujnarine, Seon Hetmyer, Devon Clements, Jonathan Foo, Rajiv Ivan, Anthony Bramble, Jason Sinclair, Romario Shepherd, Gudakesh Motie, Krishendat Ramoo, Keon Joseph, Raun Johnson, Albert Smith, (Manager), Hubern Evans (Coach).

Deosarran, Sukhram and Bhagwandin are category winners

Managing Director Harry Mattai of N&S Mattai and his family were over an hour early for the inaugural N&S Mattai sponsored tournament at the Luisignan Golf Course last Sunday. At the end of the competition, he declared that his eagerness was rewarded. The performance of the golfers was spectacular, and Mattai is very likely to soon become another keen golfer of the Lusignan Golf Club (LGC).

This second successive day of golf for the LGC was a wonderful experience for players eyeing up the two-day Guyana Open in November, which usually attracts players from Canada, the U.S.A., Europe, the Caribbean and South America.

While the ground was in fine condition, the intense heat of that sunny day saw a few players not being able to complete the day’s play. On the other hand, others had good fun as they played.

Sookram Deosarran, who had missed the previous day’s tournament sponsored by Courts (Guyana) Inc., was on hand to cart away the first prize in the 0-9 Flight, while second place went to Saturday’s winner Patrick Prashad.

In fact, four of Sunday’s winners had been winners in

Saturday’s play as well. The other new winner on Sunday was B. Harry, who edged out previous day’s winner Ian Gouveia for second place in the 10-19 Flight, won again by Rishi Sukhram.

Pur Persaud, first in the 19-28 Flight on Saturday, had commented that he hoped to finish on the podium on Sunday too, and he did. He brought second to Mahendra Bhagwandin, who

on Saturday had taken the runner-up spot to Persaud.

Like the Guyana Open, Saturday and Sunday’s tournaments were based on the Flight categorisation in the Medal Play system. In the Medal Play system, the golfer with the lowest net score wins the prize. In the Flight categorisation, golfers are placed in Flight categories depending on their handicap. Usually there are three

Flights: 1st Flight 0-9 handicappers; 2nd Flight 10-18 handicappers, and 3rd Flight 19-28 handicappers. A handicap is the number of points the player gets as an advantage, and is subtracted from the player’s gross total to determine his net score. Sometimes a 4th Flight, specifically a Ladies Flight, is also played. Winners and their handicap and net scores

were 1st Flight (1st placeS.Deosarran 6/67; 2nd place- P. Prashad 8/70); Second Flight (1st place– R. Sukhram 10/68; 2nd place B. Harry 15/73) Third Flight (1st place M. Bhagwandin 28/70; 2nd place P. Persaud 28/71).

Combining the scores of the seven winners, who played both days, provides an interesting forecast for the Guyana Open. If their

performances improve by November, each of them can expect to place on that big day. Net results of the seven winners were R. Sukhram 68, M. Bhagwandin 69, P. Persaud 69, P. Prashad 72, I. Gouveia 73, A. Kishore 73 and B. Harry 78.

Harry Mattai, on congratulating the winners, thanked the LGC for the opportuinity to invest in the sport. It was his first visit to the golf club, but he was very impressed and pleased with the cordial atmosphere among the golfers as well as their good performances.

“My first day at the golf course has been a pleasant one. I walked the course for some time, became acquainted with some of the play and the players, and am happy to be part of this day for the Lusignan Golf Club. I will certainly continue to support this great sport in Guyana,” he said.

Mattai lamented the sorry state of the access road to the golf course and hoped that the relevant authorities would do something urgently to improve its condition.

Club President, David Mohamad and Sectretary/ Treasurer Pandit Rabindranath Persaud expressed how very appreciative LGC was for the sponsorship of N&S Mattai.

Garvin Nedd

Yatesh Dhanpaul

Steven Jacobs Raj Nanan Amir Khan Zaheer Mohamed

From left: Rishi Sukhram, Sukhram Deosarran, Per Persaud, B. Harry, Harry Mattai, Brian Hackett for Patrick Prashad and Mahendra Bhagwandin

Tenelec Inc U-15 tournament…

Williams bowls Young Warriors to innings victory

Junior Williams produced a devastating spell of fast bowling with a dream match haul of 12 wickets as Young Warriors cricket Club spanked Rose Hall Community Center by an innings and 21 runs in the Tenelec Inc 2014 Under 15 two innings cricket compe -

tition in Berbice. The result meant that Young Warriors Cricket Club have booked a place in the quarter finals of the tournament and have joined Blairmont Community Center, Bush Lot New Generation, Tucber Park, Rose Hall Town Farfan and Mendes,

GFS to host Caribbean Firefighters Association executive meeting, Goodwill Games

The Guyana Fire Service (GFS) will be hosting the Caribbean Association of Fire Fighters Executive Meeting and Caribbean Fire Fighters Goodwill Games 2014 from October 20-25.

Delegations from seven (7) Caribbean Countries are expected to begin arriving in Guyana on Sunday October 19th, 2014.

The Executive Meeting will be held on Monday 20th October and Tuesday 21st October at the Regency Suites Hotel.

The Two-day meeting is expected to examine a number of critical issues relative to firefighting and the welfare of firefighters in the Caribbean, including the programmes and activities of the Caribbean Fire Fighter’s Association.

The forum will also see discussions on the formation of a Fire Fighters Association in Guyana.

Discussions are also expected on the resuscitation of the Exchange Training programme among Caribbean Territories.

Among the issues are

On Wednesday 22nd October, the delegations will be given the opportunity to see the beauty of our beloved country Guyana, via several tours organized by the Guyana Fire Service, followed by a football match.

On Friday 24th October the Caribbean Fire Fighters Goodwill Games 2014 will be held from 09: 00 Hours at the Police Sports Club Ground Eve Leary, Georgetown.

Organizers of the Goodwill Games commented that the hosting of this aspect of the events is a first for Guyana and will see a day of exciting sporting activities

Over 62 athletes are expected from Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Antigua, Martinique, Dominica, French Guiana and the British Virgin Islands.

Suriname pulled out of the games, after they were put on high alert during the same period, which is the driest in that country.

The events will culminate with a cocktail reception on Saturday 25th October.

Albion Community Center, Port Mourant and No 72 Cut and Load.

Batting first, Rose Hall Community Center were skittled out for a paltry 48 with Williams claiming 6-8 off six overs and Mahendra Parsram 2-10.

In reply opener Alex Algoo hit a stroke filled 70 to hold the innings together as Young Warriors were bowled out for 112. Rose Hall CC, pacer Gordon Schultz did the damage with 7-24 off seven overs.

Faced with a deficit of 74 runs, Rose Hall CC could only manage to score 53 in their second innings. Williams once again was the destroyer with 6-20 to end with match figures of 12-28 from 14 overs, the best in the competition thus far.

Special Olympics to host 8-week swimming course

Special Olympics Guyana in collaboration with the National Sports Commission will be hosting a swimming course at the Colgrain Swimming Pool on Camp Street for staff from Special Schools. The swimming course is schedule to start on Friday, commencing at 13:00h, and will continue each Friday until October 31, lasting eight weeks.

The objective of the course is to produce swimmers proficient to conduct swimming sessions for their respective institution. Currently, most institutions are faced with the challenge of funding for swimming instructors to conduct aquatic sessions.

A total of 12 participants will be representing Ptolemy Reid Rehabilitation Centre, Special Needs School East Bank Demerara, St Barnabas Special School and David Rose School for the Handicapped.

The experienced coach Stephanie Fraser will be conducting the sessions, which are being organised by Sport Officer attached to the National Sports Commission, Wilton Spencer.

Stephanie Fraser

RCA Basketball Camp a success, says Mohan

By TreisTon Joseph

Local coach and former national guard Lugard Mohan and five promising players recently returned from Suriname after attending the Regional Sports Academy (RCA) Basketball Camp which was held in Suriname last month.

Mohan was a part of the programme and took away knowledge that he impart to the players and coaches here in Guyana highlighted what the five players (Stanton Rose, Timothy Thompson, Damair Gladstone, Nathan Saul and Travis Belgrave) took away from the camp.

“We gained a lot of experience and camaraderie and friendship, you can be friends and play competitive against each other,” Mohan stated.

Talking about the everyday activity of the camp itself, Mohan related how tedious the programme was, “the camp had their peers who were there the year before so the level of competition was high, it was a case where the guys were not the best players there… so the level was high and it was intense.

“The coaches were good and knew what they were doing so you rarely had breaks,” Mohan told Guyana Times Sport.

However, Mohan expects the camp to impact the game of the five players in a positive way, “One it will do good for their confidence, they now know some of the drills that they have to do to help themselves develop.

”it is something we will keep on them with because you can’t always do

it individually, so we have to helping them develop and I think that’s what it did, help to develop their game,” Mohan highlighted.

Further, Mohan shared some of the things the Guyanese contingent imparted to the rest of the camp.

“One of the things we

shared is that we just don’t do basketball development, we do human development as well.

“We don’t just try to develop the players on a basketball level, but we also develop the players human skills and help them to be a better human being,” Mohan related.

Meanwhile how does Mohan plan to share the knowledge he has learnt as a coach? “Imparting the knowledge I learnt would be done during our camps to both the coaches and the players it would be like a follow up to what we did in Suriname,” Mohan noted. Mohan was also quick to thank, the National Sports Commission (NSC), the Ministry of Sport and the Youth Basketball Guyana (YBG) for the opportunity to be a part of the camp.

Pompey dishes on new automatic time system

By TreisTon Joseph

Guyanese sprinter and retired 400 metres icon Aliann Pompey was excited after learning that the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) recently purchased an Automatic Timing and photo finish system also known as a Fully Automatic Time (FAT) system.

Pompey who was the General Manager of the Commonwealth team in July and noted at the time that more investments needs to happen for Guyana to improve related that the move by the GOA was “step in the right direction”.

“It’s a big step in the direction that we need to get to but it doesn’t say that we are there yet but it’s definitely a big step there, it just remains to be seen how well we use the resources

we now have,” Pompey told Guyana Times Sport.

Further, Pompey shared the importance of now having both the synthetic track at Leonora as well as the FAT system.

“I think having both the all weather track and the automatic timing system would be helpful especially in the sprints because athletes won’t have to go overseas to make qualifying standards they can do that at home if there are enough meets in order for them to do so,” Pompey sated.

Pompey also talked about the overall impact the FAT system can have on a nation such as Guyana.

“it also opens the door for international level competitions to be held there because especially other countries from the region that are travelling to have their people qualify, Guyana can be one of those destination track meets where people can come to qualify and not have to worry about whether or not there times will be automatic or sanctioned by the IAAF of IOC,” Pompey noted.

The FAT system total $15,000 UDS according to the president of the GOA KA Juman Yassin at a press conference last month.

Alex Algoo Junior Williams

Lugard Mohan

Aliann Pompey

BCB donates schoolbags to students of NAPS

The Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) on Monday handed over schoolbags to 30 students of the New Amsterdam Primary School (NAPS).

The donation was part of the BCB Diamond Jubilee celebrations organised by its Special Events Committee to mark the 75th Anniversary since the BCB was established in September 1939.

Chairman of the Diamond Jubilee Anniversary Hilbert Foster at the simple presentation ceremony stated that the BCB strongly believes in the importance of education and since 2008 has placed great emphasis on promoting the “Say Yes to Education” message.

The veteran cricket administrator noted that education is the foundation to success and urged the students to make sure that a sound educational remains

the number goal in life. Foster expressed gratitude to Bobby Deonarine for his sponsorship of the schoolbags.

President Keith Foster stated that under his leadership the BCB has expanded its mandate beyond cricket as it strives to make a positive difference in the lives of youths.

First Vice President Anil Beharry disclosed that since 2008, the BCB has assisted hundreds of students to stay in school by contributing educational materials and has also promote the “Say yes to Education” message during its numerous cricket tournaments.

Headmistress of the New Amsterdam Primary School, Sherry Ross expressed gratitude to the BCB for the schoolbags and stated that she was impressed by the outstanding work of the BCB.

Three of the 30 students of the New Amsterdam Primary School (NAPS) pose with their schoolbags. The donation was made by the Berbice Cricket Doard (BCB) as part of its Diamond Jubilee celebrations

Yonette Christmas is all smiles as she proudly displays her MVP trophy