Guyana Times Daily - December 15, 2015

Proactive approach needed to lessen impact of climate change – Harmon P16

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

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Issue No. 2708

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

$50,000 tax-free bonus for public servants Page 3

PRICE

$80 vat included

WHAT'S INSIDE:

Region 2 rice farmers struggling for water in fields P11

– Opposition Leader welcomes decision

7 busted in gun, ammo find Page 9

Serious crimes jump by 9% Page – Police 7 – 300 reports of rape; 133 murders; 112 fatalities

LGE 2016

P13 PPP/C scrutineers ejected from registration offices – Rohee

Fireworks expected at Thursday’s sitting of P2 National Assembly

– declaration of MPs tax returns to come up

Agriculture investments

Talks between Trinidad and Guyana at P13 standstill

The USAID Democracy and Governance Assessment Team met Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo on Monday. The USAID Eastern and Southern Caribbean (USAID/ ESC) Mission is in Guyana conducting a Democracy and Governance assessment

3-year-old killed in WBD accident Page 11

APNU, AFC divided on marijuana decriminalisation

NA municipality presents $140M Budget for 2016

Page 9

Page 12

Alleged visa fraudster P8 on bail Mazaruni River accident

Bodies retrieved

P10

2 news Fireworks expected at Thursday’s sitting of National Assembly tuesday, december 15, 2015 | guyanatimesGY.com

– declaration of MPs tax returns to come up

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s the National Assembly prepares to reconvened on Thursday after a prolonged break, fierce debates are expected as People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) Member of Parliament Juan Edghill will move a Motion calling on all MPs to make available their Income tax returns for the past ten years.

In addition, a motion calling for the annulment of the exorbitant pay increase members of the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) cabinet ministers gave themselves last September will also be discussed.

The Motion on MPs tax returns states that all MPs are required to file annual income tax returns to the Guyana Revenue Authority in compliance with the

Income Tax Act, Chapter 81:01.

The Motion is seeking to have it resolved: “That all members if this National Assembly, in the interest of transparency and accountability in public office, make available to the public their tax returns to the Guyana Revenue Authority for the past ten years.”

The motion wants MPs to make this submission before 31 December 2015.

It also calls on government to move “expeditiously” to table legislation to give effect to the motion.

The motion follows repeated calls by leader of the Opposition Bharrat Jagdeo for MPs to make public their income tax returns for the past decade.

Jagdeo had earlier called on MPs to declare all their assets, especially those held overseas, not just to the

PPP/C MP Juan Edghill

Integrity Commission but to the general public.

This proposal came in light of the many accusations against him and other PPP/C officials about having large sums of monies hidden in private accounts.

“I said to the President (David Granger) that since there have been lots of charges about people stashing money abroad and since we are in this transparency mode, some of the things we can work on are, first of all, why don’t we get all of our Members of Parliament to make public, not just to the Integrity Commission, but to make public their assets held outside of Guyana because there are claims that it is difficult to access that because they say you can find things in Guyana, but they have a hard time tracking things around the world,” Jagdeo told the media after a meeting with President David Granger back in September.

Prior to coming into power the APNU/AFC coalition had made several promises to the nation including that should it be elected

into office, its ministers and officials would ensure that everything was done in a “transparent” manner.

But, a war of words is expected when it comes to the debate on the motion which seeks to annul the exorbitant salary for the Prime Minister, Vice Presidents, Ministers and MPs, which has already generated much national outrage, especially as it was taken merely four months after the coalition assumed office .

This motion was scheduled to come up last month, but was delayed after government moved to have sitting of the National Assembly delayed.

The PPP/C has already declared its MPS will not take the increase, but rather will be donating it to charity.

The motion seeks to have it resolved that the National Assembly annul The Constitutional Offices (Remuneration of Holders) Order No 15 of 2015, published on September 18, 2015 in the Official Gazette under the Ministers, members of the National Assembly and Special Offices (Emolument) Act Chapter 1:07 setting out the various increases for Cabinet ministers and others.

Thursday’s sitting will also see questions from Edghill calling on the gov-

ernment to list the entities, cost, legality, and procurement procedure in award of contracts for the ongoing controversial forensic audit into a number of state agencies.

Additionally, Edghill is seeking answers on the Terms of Reference of the auditors, as well as the experience and qualifications of the auditors, among others.

The sitting will also see the tabling of amendments to the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing for Terrorism Bill which was only amended in June of this year.

Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo is also expected to move a motion calling for unequivocal support from the National Assembly for the action taken by the government in defence of Guyana’s territorial integrity in the wake of Venezuelan aggression.

The Anti-Terrorism and Terrorist Related Activities Bill, The Law Reform Commission Bill 2015, The Coroners (Amendment) Bill 2015 the Credit Reporting (Amendment) Bill and the Municipal and District Councils and Local Authorities (Elections) (Amendment) Bill are also expected to be tabled at Thursday’s sitting.

Linden ambulatory staff dissatisfied with working conditions

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oncerned employees of the St John’s Ambulatory Services at Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) are seeking to engage the attention of the relevant authorities over a number of unresolved issues, which led to a protest by some members of staff late last week.

The Ambulatory Service is contracted to provide transportation services to the Linden Hospital Complex (LHC), but, according to the protesting staff, there are several issues affecting them, which they would like to see addressed, lest future protest action be undertaken. A staff member who spoke to this newspaper on behalf of affected workers explained that staff downed tools, since they were “fed up” with working under “unrealistic” conditions.

Salary

Workers have registered discontent since their salary was below minimum wage – approximately $18,000 fortnightly. The employees are also alleging that they do not receive the appropriate salary for working on Sundays and holidays. Employees are required to work eight hours

per day for five consecutive days, followed by two days’ off from duty.

“It’s like since 2012 we get a raise of salary and after then, nothing more ... we ain’t even know about the contract, under what conditions we working, nothing... every year they keep saying wait budget, now they’re saying wait on the 2016 budget,” an employee stated.

Uniform allowances

Another member of staff further explained that the uniform allowance of $3000 and a “piece of cloth” given to employees once a year in an effort to provide workers with uniforms have been deemed “insufficient”. It was also noted that in some cases, no allowance is given.

The employee also explained that meetings with area commissioner Pauline Melville regarding the issues affecting them have proved futile, since nothing has changed. In addition, the employee related that staff were tasked with other duties which were unrelated to their specific services.

“It really difficult; we really need someone to look into our situation,” they stated.

news

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tuesday, december 15, 2015 | guyanatimesGY.com

BRIDGE OPENINGS The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Tuesday, December 15 – 05:00h-06:30h and Wednesday, December 16 – 08:30h-10:00h.

The Berbice River Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Tuesday, December 15 – 06:35h-08:05h and Wednesday, December 16 – 07:20h-08:50h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY Weather: Thundery showers can be expected in the morning, while heavy rain showers can be expected in the afternoon. Light rain showers to thundery showers are expected in the evening. Temperatures are expected to range between 25 degrees Celsius and 28 degrees Celsius.

Winds: East to East North Easterly between 2.23 metres and 4.02 metres per second.

High Tide: 06:59h and 19:15h reaching maximum heights of 2.56 metres and 2.63 metres respectively.

Low Tide: 12:47h reaching a minimum height of 0.69 metre.

Saturday, December 12, 2015

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$50,000 tax-free bonus for public servants – Opposition Leader welcomes decision

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ublic Sector workers earning less than $500,000 per month will be benefiting from a tax-free payment of $50,000 as a Christmas bonus.

Some 30,700 persons, including nurses, teachers, members of the Disciplined Services and semi-autonomous agencies, will benefit from this initiative, which will cost the Government over $1.5 billion.

According to a press release from the Finance Ministry, the payment will be effected in December.

Former President and Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo, in a media statement shortly after Government made this announcement, said he was very happy that public servants would be receiving the well-deserved bonus.

Given that public servants in 2015 did not benefit from salary increases that were retroactive to January 1 of the year, Jagdeo noted that the Christmas bonus would serve them well.

He, however, questioned the Government’s intention behind this initiative, pointing out that when the new Administration assumed office, it declared that the country was bankrupt. “Yet $1.54 billion was found to pay public servants,” he stated.

Additionally, Jagdeo said he was extremely dis-

Finance Minister Winston Jordan

appointed that the sugar workers and rice farmers, who contribute significantly to the growth of the economy, have been once again neglected by the Government.

Also, from an analytical perspective, Jagdeo indicated that the Christmas bonuses would not be of much significance to households because of several adjustments to support measures.

“The measures of support announced by the Administration when matched against other actions taken leaves Guyanese worse off in a net sense.

While some public servants will benefit from the $50,000 bonus, Guyanese have seen the removal of the $1.67 billion cash grant for all public school children, the

removal of electricity and water subsidies for pensioners and the removal of other support measures – all aimed at improving the livelihoods of our people,” he stated.

Notably, in the seven months since the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Administration took office, public servants earning over $50,000 received a 15-16 per cent salary increase while those on the lower end of the scale received a higher percentage increase.

Additionally, the basic salary was increased by roughly $8000.

Also, in those seven months, the APNU/AFC Administration awarded itself a 50 per cent salary increase – much to the condemnation of the general public. Moreover, the Administration increased several benefits and made adjustments to several structures that saw Government officials being entitled to greater sums

of money than during the previous Administration.

Meanwhile, Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) First Vice President Mortimer Livan, in an invited comment, said that public servants deserve an adequate increase which would see the minimum wage hovering around $124,000.

During the campaign trail, the APNU/AFC coalition had promised to provide a 20 per cent salary increase for all public servants within 100 days of assumption to office. This was not achieved.

Against this backdrop and compounded by the public’s outcry over the 50 per cent ministerial salary increase, Government made another promise to further increase the Public Sector workers’ salaries.

Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo had explained that Government could not afford to deal with public servants’ increases at this point in time and the situation would be addressed later.

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tuesday, december 15, 2015

Views Editor(ag): Michael Younge Tel: 225-5128, 231-0397, 226-9921, 226-2102, 223-7230 or 223-7231. Fax: 225-5134 Mailing address: 238 Camp & Quamina Streets, Georgetown Email: news@guyanatimesgy.com, sales@guyanatimesgy.com

Editorial

Economic development plan needed

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t is now clear even to the most rabid supporter of the Government that it needs some help to craft an economic development programme that would lift us out of the slippery slope to recession on which we are careening. We repeat the advice proffered before – that the Government adopt without reservations the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) developed by its predecessor and yoke the 17 “Sustainable Development Goals” (SDGs) we signed on to last September. This, of course, would need strong State intervention.

Even though the Washington Consensus made a frontal attack on the idea of an interventionist state starting from 1989, when the chickens came home to roost in 2008, even the US had to jump in feet first to rescue its corporations through massive investments. The sheepish rationale offered was that the failing corporations were “too big to fail” (TBTF).

We should not be deterred because the world has now accepted this new paradigm.

After 2008, a much more chastened group of industrialised countries now accept that lesser developed countries would have to go beyond their present frantic “Qualitative and Quantitative Easing” (QE) to stimulate their economies and, in fact, attempt to replicate the role of the State in their early industrialisation. But this has not been achieved without a fight that is still being waged, of which the UNCTAD 2012 meet in Doha is instructive.

In 2008, amid the debris of the collapsed northern economies, the Accra UNCTAD meet had agreed on the need for an “enabling state” – one that would directly intervene into the economy so that specified goals could be achieved as with the Eastern Tigers during the 20th Century. However, four years later in Doha, the new liberals had regrouped and argued for at most an “effective state” – a trope for the night watchman state.

One of the present tragedies of Guyana is that the politicians in the new Government have not indicated where they stand in this debate. They, therefore, ignore the implications of their waffling for not only achieving the SDGs but to even getting started. Their statements on economic development have been ad hoc at best and reflexively anti-development at worst. Their evident discomfort is their refusal to accept that whether they look at Taiwan, Singapore, South Korea or post-WWII Japan, development means assisting specific businesses to initiate a process of export-oriented manufacturing. And the creation of a class of individuals and families that inevitably became wealthy, whether it is Mitsui in Japan or Samsung in South Korea.

If they are not historically minded, they can look at modern China and note that one -third of the 1.8 billion persons lifted out of absolute poverty to give the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) some respectability were from China. In October of this year, China passed the US in the highest number of billionaires sweepstakes 596 to 536.

The billionaires in China are not as rich as those in the US, signalling that the gap between the top and the bottom is not as wide.

One scholar offered some characteristics of the development State: “...a set of encompassing institutions where the State is both an initiator of development policies and builder of development institutions...The State provides disciplined support for export-oriented sectors through directed credit and other subsidies. The State also coordinates investment across sectors and within industries.

It invests itself in areas where private risk absorption capacity is too low. This is important in building up a national system of innovation in particular. The State also steps in to manage sectoral and macroeconomic crises ensuring a relatively smooth accumulation process to proceed”.

In our country, the Minister directly responsible for “business” always takes time off to criticise the local businessmen for not “investing” without asking whether the Guyanese state – of which his APNU/AFC coalition are in charge for the next five years – was “enabling” that innovation process.

An sunset view in Bel-Air, Georgetown (Marceano Narine photo)

Martin Carter’s poetry should be taught in schools

Dear Editor, As we commemorate another death anniversary of our late National Poet Martin Carter, I believe his poetry should be taught in our schools and private education institutions in our country.

It is my firm conviction that the poetry of Martin Carter and many of our literary greats should be taught in our schools today. I give below a thesis of our late eminent poet Martin Carter which I believe would be of great interest to our country and education institutions around our nation and the Caribbean.

For our younger generation Martin Carter may be just another name listed among one of our National heroes in Guyana. Since literature died a long time ago in our poor system of education, it’s about time our educators re-introduce the poetry of Martin Carter into our education system as well as many other Guyanese writers.

On 22 October 1963,

Carter made a very mind boggling prediction about the publishing of poetry in Guyana which is as follows: “Publishing poetry in this country is like lending books to corpses. Few read and those who do are not equipped either by curiosity or sensibility to understand what is confronting them.’’

This prophetic statement came to pass in our Nation because very few read poetry and many are not equipped with a background in literature to comprehend poetry.

Many may ask the questions: who was Martin Carter? What was his role in the history of Guyana? Many may ask: why were his poetry important to this Nation?

Martin Wylde Carter was the greatest poet Guyana has produced. He was one of the Caribbean’s greatest intellects and a distinguished literary personality, whose creative imagination left an indelible mark on the English-speaking Caribbean

and the Western Hemisphere.

He ranked among literary exponents like Derek Walcott, VS Naipaul, Wilson Harris, Ian McDonald, AJ Seymour and Kamau Braithwaite.

He was an important figure in the National Independence movement and very active in liberating Guyana from British Colonialism until we gained Independence on 26 May 1966.

He lived a matured life of 70 years, devoted 40 years of his life to his country and literary pursuits that will remain in the annals of Guyana history and the wider Caribbean.

His literary works are now being studied at Caribbean and British Universities and the wider world.

Dr Gemma Robinson from the University of New Castle Upon Tyne in England wrote her PhD dissertation on the life and writings of Carter.

Carter’s poems can be compared to those of Tagore, TS Eliot, Ezra Pound, WH Auden and WB Yeats. He was a great teacher of mankind

and an ardent seeker of truth.

His poems are rich in symbolism, philosophy, theology and some very profound and complex imagery.

In Carter’s lifetime, he was a man of wisdom and wit, a gracious and elegant personality, a unique and fascinating figure. The quality of his poetry will be remembered. As we contemplate to remember him let us now see him as the poet-philosopher from his intricate lines below: ‘’Wanting to write another poem for you I searched the world for something beautiful The green crown of a tree offered itself Because it’s leaves were combed just like your hair.’’

Let’s comb through his words of truth and life and remember his words ringing in our ears like the rains singing in the wind in the placid night.

Sincerely, Rev Gideon Cecil

Diamond New Housing Scheme waiting in vain Dear Editor, It took years of hard work and renting, but I was able to acquire a very good plot of land in the middle class community of Diamond after waiting years for a house lot.

Over the years the small number of ‘pioneers’ (using Minister Keith Scott’s word), built their homes with very little basic amenities such as roads and water. We heard as more persons build they will come and add these ameni-

ties. It has been over a decade for some of us and we still do not have proper roads, proper water supply and adequate street lights in this so-call biggest housing development.

Concerns were raised over the years on several occasions to every Minister of Housing and NDC chairman only to hear it will soon happen. We heard the same with the new government and waited patiently but it seems as if only squatting areas are being tak-

en care of. This is not a knock on the residents of from squatting areas, but it seems that if we rename our community a squatting area we might finally get attention.

Squatting is illegal in this country and the thousands of residents in Diamond were abiding by the law and spent millions on purchasing a land the correct way yet we are forced to live worse than persons who decided to take the law into their hands and

squatted. Sophia and Angoy’s Avenue residents will enter into a New Year with proper roads and street lights, while residents who gave the country’s treasury million of dollars from land acquired the correct way will enter into the New Year as if they are squatting for more than ten years.

Sincerely, Frustrated Resident Diamond New Housing Scheme

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tuesday, december 15, 2015

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You can send your letters with pictures to: Guyana Times, 238 Camp & Quamina Streets, Georgetown, Guyana or letters@guyanatimesgy.com

Govt should re-open investigations over Cricket Board situation

Dear Editor, In a December 5 Trinidad Newsday article “Territorial Boards need changing”, former West Indies Players’ Association (WIPA) President Dinnath Ramnarine made a very poignant statement that should resonate strongly with those in the Guyana cricket fraternity.

Speaking on the Caricom sub-committee of Cricket Governance report, Ramnarine said, “I’m not dealing with the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) which is a shell because it is made up of the six Territorial Boards. The territorial boards must be examined. Take, for example, the issue with Guyana, they haven’t had a democratic election for the last five years or so, but yet they’re allowed to determine who the President is of the WICB.” Considering that Ramnarine famously took the WICB to court and won all the cases for WIPA, members of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) should be quite nervous that he has them in his sights.

Since the fiasco of the India tour pullout, under the leadership of Dave Cameron, the WICB is in tatters, leading to Caricom’s call for the WICB to be disbanded and an interim committee take over.

As Ramnarine noted because the WICB is a shell of the boards like the GCB, these governance problems can be traced back to 2012 when the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government tried to implement an Interim Management Committee (IMC) to take over Guyana cricket. This is not a coincidence; it reinforces the point of if domestic board problems are not fixed – their cancers will filter into how the WICB operates.

The cancer goes fur-

ther up to ICC level also.

Tim Wigmore, 2015 English Cricket Board Young Journalist of the Year awardee, writing on December 7 in the UK Guardian article “Both the WICB & ICC are to blame for West Indies decline”, said: “Two weeks ago, Shashank Manohar, the BCCI President and new ICC Chairman, criticised “the three major countries bullying the ICC”. His words were a reminder that, for all the self-inflicted element to the West Indies’ decline, the ICC’s iniquitous running of world cricket today has accelerated their descent.”

The ICC has long been noted as the worst governing body in world sports and even though FIFA corruption issues are being well exposed currently, when it comes to proper administration of a sport, it is light years ahead of the ICC. How the ICC and FIFA have dealt with the Guyana cricket and football controversies in the past four years is plain for everyone to see.

In the last two years, FIFA has overseen two democratic GFF elections while implementing a Normalisation Committee to tackle almost identical issues in the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) & GCB. The ICC never sent a representative to Guyana, placing full responsibility on the anarchic WICB – while FIFA and CONCACAF sent representatives to deal with the GFF. Dave Cameron visited Guyana in July for a townhall meeting, but he dodged questions from critics regarding WICB’s handling of the GCB situation like a batsman facing a bouncer from the great Windies pace attack of the 70s and 80s.

It has become quite obvious over time that Cameron never has had any intention of solving the Guyana cricket issues – simply because the GCB voted for him in

both WICB elections.

The general hope is that Caricom is ready to flex its muscle and read WICB the riot act and forcefully disband them - despite their predictable procrastination response at the Directors meeting in St Lucia over the weekend.

President David Granger, Minister Rupert Roopnaraine and Director of Sport, Christopher Jones need to be on the ball regarding these developments. Do not be fooled

by Guyana’s current onfield success in the regional First-Class competition, because the standard of domestic cricket is poor and the Jaguars are just repeating what the Jamaicans did a few years ago by being the best among an average bunch.

Guyana is not suddenly producing a trailerload of West Indies ready talent.

Cricket remains the only sport where young Guyanese have a guaranteed option of making money as an elite athlete - it is imperative that at this stage the Government re-opens investigations over the Demerara Cricket Board situation so that a fairly elected body is constituted to represent Demerara, review the Cricket Administration Bill and make sure in the upcoming GCB elections Berbice votes.

It would be ludicrous if these aforementioned problems are repeated for a third election. If it does, Guyana should not be allowed to vote in the next WICB election nor host games in the next year’s tri-series against Australia and South Africa. It is time perpetrators of maladministration at the GCB and WICB be kicked out once and for all!

Sincerely, Colin Benjamin

Guyanese-American elected VP of Queens Civic Congress Dear Editor, I write to congratulate Guyanese-born Ashook Ramsaran, formerly of Bloomfield, Corentyne, for his election as Vice President of Queens Civic Congress (QCC) at the annual QCC Legislative Election and Reception held on December 6, 2015 at the Douglaston Club. QCC is among the most prestigious civic organisations in New York that has the attention of New York lawmakers.

Ramsaran emigrated Guyana in 1968 and is currently president of Global Organization of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO International). He is a board member of the Fresh Meadows Civic Association and Secretary of New York Presbyterian/Queens Hospital Community Advisory Council, among several other notable positions in prominent organisations and institutions.

Several Caribbean and South Asian community leaders also attended the event.

Highlighting the event was the swearing in of the newly elected QCC team by US Senator Charles Schumer who commended QCC for its representation and advocacy. As a non-profit organisation, its contribution was more particularly lauded for the sacrifice of the members’ own time and resources which they put in working so hard all year long.

Queens Civic Congress, formed in 1997, is

a registered New York State non-profit organisation representing more than 100 civic and other community organisations throughout the Borough of Queens in New York City, is committed to the protection and advancement of the “Quality of Life”, to provide a forum for the civic associations and neighbourhood organisations, to develop and present common policies and positions, and to furnish effective leadership and advocacy for the advancement of the welfare and interests of Queens’ neighbourhoods.

Since its formation, representatives of the various affiliate organisations gather to elect an executive and hold a reception. The group has enormous influence on Queens politicians at the national, state, local, borough, and community level. Politicians patronise

the group’s many activities to build up political capital and campaign funds for elections.

Speaking after the swearing in ceremony, Harbachan Singh narrated the many challenges Queens residents were facing.

Ashook Ramsaran remarked that, “it is vital that we the residents of Queens, the most diverse borough of New York, be actively involved in civic and community associations to monitor and address issues of interest and concern which reflect our participation in making a positive difference in our neighbourhoods and quality of life in New York. I am grateful for the opportunity to be involved with QCC and contribute to a better Queens and New York.”

Yours faithfully, Vishnu Bisram

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tuesday, december 15, 2015

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By Mark Kennedy

I

t has taken me 14 long years, but I think I have discovered the secret to parenting: improvisation.

The ability to solve problems in the moment – to improvise – requires experience, confidence and a sack full of magic tricks.

Here are two examples of spontaneous parenting from just the last 10 days.

While shopping for groceries last Saturday with my two sons, ages 9 and 14, I experienced a momentary brain lock about their favourite brand of pancake syrup.

“Oh, what is it called?” I whispered to myself.

“It’s called Ain’t Yo Mamma,” my older son said confidently. “Ain’t Yo Mamma syrup. Actually, I think we buy Ain’t Yo Mamma Lite.”

I frowned and instantly turned to my nine-yearold son, who is our family’s M. Peabody. Years of living with these two guys has taught me that our nineyear-old is the go-to child for fact retrieval. Using him as the family’s random access memory has become second nature.

“Actually,” our younger son corrected, “we buy Aunt Jemima Lite syrup.”

A couple of days later, I learned that even a smart nine-year-old occasionally needs a miracle.

As we were leaving for school, he came up to me in a panic. In fact, he had that

guyanatimesgy.com

Foundation “I’m about to cry” look on his face that every parent knows.

“Daddy, I forgot to study my spelling words!” he said.

I glanced at my watch and quickly computed that we had about 90 seconds to learn a list of spelling words.

As a parent skilled in improvisation, I exhaled and told myself, “I got this.”

But by then I only had 88 seconds left.

Even though my nineyear-old son has a good memory for facts, he is not an intuitively good speller — a problem that seems to run

the words contained an “ir” or a “ur” interior letter combination. I quickly determined that our third-grader would have to learn these words as sight words, not phonetically. His ears would be useless on this quiz.

I mentally sorted the words into two lists, and realised that to memorise one list is to know them both. If you know all the “ur” words, for example, the words containing “ir” are learned by default.

“Listen and repeat after me,” I told my son, who was looking at me with the ear-

in our family. Studying his weekly spelling list is usually a two- or three-night process for him.

“Just relax,” I told him as my brain spun for a solution.

“Get your word list, and let’s look at it. Quickly. Quickly.”

He produced the list and I immediately dug into my writer’s toolkit to improvise a solution. I examined the spelling words and instantly saw a pattern. All but one of

nestness of a crippled child in the presence of a faith healer: “The kid with curly hair turned and hurt the nurse.”

“What?” he said.

“Just say it,” I insisted.

“We don’t have time to argue.”

“The kid with curly hair turned and hurt the nurse,” he repeated dutifully.

“Now, if one of your spelling words is in that sen-

tence, it has a ‘ur’ in the middle,” I explained. “That’s all you have to remember to ace your spelling test today.

All the other, except ‘serve,’ are ‘ir’ words.”

He looked at me with amazement.

All the way to school he repeated the sentence, turning it into a rather troubling song.

“The kid with curly hair turned and hurt the nurse.”

“The kid with curly hair turned and PUNCHED the nurse.”

I corrected. “’HURT the nurse’, son, not ‘PUNCHED the nurse.’ ‘Hurt’ is on the spelling list, ‘punched’ is not. You are about to mess yourself up if you monkey with my sentence.”

“OK, OK,” he said. “Hurt the nurse, not punched the nurse.”

I’m sure this little instant tutorial broke all kinds of teaching rules, but when it’s 7:43 a.m. and your child is about to have conniption, you do what you must.

I realise that hurting nurses is an unspeakable thing to teach a child.

But hey, if I had three minutes instead of 90 seconds I would have thought of something more politically correct, maybe like: “The hurt child with curly hair turned to the wonderful nurse.”

In the meantime, I will continue to practice improvisational parenting.

Because, well, that’s the way I roll. (timesfreepress)

– paediatric dietician offers five tips for encouraging healthy holiday eating habits in children to avoid weight gain Part 2

By Stephanie Thomas

Plan for success

You may not be able to control dinner at the grandparents’ house or lunch at the school Christmas party, but you can plan around those celebrations.

“Stock your fridge with easy-to-grab options like cut cheese, washed fruit, veggie sticks and dips, and hot soups for snacks or light meals,” Natalia suggests. “And serve a variety.

Believe me, after the sugar avalanche, your kids will be craving some savoury, comforting foods.”

Planning ahead allows you to bring balance to the mix, so your children not only get the full range of nutrition but are also able to experience a full range of flavours. Despite what Buddy the Elf thinks, the four main food groups are not candy, candy canes, candy corn and syrup.

Address others’ comments head on

One of the best parts of the holiday season is that it brings family together. We meet up with aunts, uncles, cousins and distant relatives we haven’t seen in months or maybe all year. But with this reunion comes a lot of

welcome and not-so-welcome comments.

Statements about your children’s eating habits or weight are probably innocent. Still, you should prepare a few responses beforehand, because, Natalia says, negative comments can be both “truly damaging to your child’s feeling of self worth and embarrassing for you to address”.

Preparation also helps you to remain civil and ensure your words are productive. For example, if a relative or family friend mentions how much your son eats or notices aloud your daughter’s chubby legs and cheeks, you might be inclined to fib. You’re better off to acknowledge your child’s healthy growth and appreciation for good food.

Then, steer the talk toward other non body-related topics, like your son’s academic skills and hearty laugh and your daughter’s favourite hobby and strong athletic abilities. This lets your child –and the offender – know that worth isn’t found in looks, but in character, effort, and substance.

Create traditions that aren’t centred around food

Most of us associate the Christmas season with two things: presents and food.

Food in particular plays a “disproportionately big role in creating and maintaining the festive spirit,” says Natalia. “Show your child how to enjoy the season in many ways, beyond baking or eating cookies – .... read books under the Christmas tree, make a family video, cook a special holiday breakfast, play board games, have a movie night.”

And remember, a healthy lifestyle all year long is more effective than a holiday boot camp.

“The work than can prevent [overeating during Christmas] has to be done during the year, in a calmer and more predictable environment. No amount of pressure you put on yourself or your child in this season will improve the situation,” says Natalia.

So do what you can to promote smart eating over the holidays. Then relax, enjoy time with your family and commit to making improvements in the new year.

(Excerpt from parenting.com)

news

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tuesday, december 15, 2015 | guyanatimesGY.com

Serious crimes jump by 9% – Police – 300 reports of rape; 133 murders; 112 fatalities

T

he Guyana Police Force on Monday admitted serious crimes have increased by 9 per cent.

In a statement issued

by Police, it is stated that serious crimes increased by 9 percent at the end of November 2015 when compared to the corresponding period in 2014.

Among the serious crimes policed by the force are murder, robbery under arms, robbery with violence, robbery with aggravation, larceny from the person, break and enter and larceny, burglary, rape, and kidnapping.

A total of 133 murders were recorded at the end of November 2015 in comparison to 130 at the end of November 2014, an increase of two per cent.

Of the 133 murders, a whopping 53 were as a result of disorderly behavior; 22 were committed during robberies; 20 as a result of domestic issues; 10 were execution style killing, 27 are yet to be determined, and one comes under ‘other’.

In addition, the report further revealed that 46 murders were committed in A Division while 23 were

done in F Division; 21 apiece for B and C Divisions followed by 8 each in D and G Divisions and six in E Division.

The police also stated that at the end of November 2015, robbery under arms overall has increased by four per cent in comparison to the same period in 2014.

The statistics also indicated an increase of 6 per cent in the armed robberies inv o l v ing the use of firearms; while the figures are almost similar in relation to the number of armed robberies where instruments other than firearms were used by the perpetrators.

Also, the police recorded 26 per cent increase in reports of rape, with 300 reports at the end of November this year compared to 238 for the same period last

year. Break and Enter and Larceny and Burglary have shown an overall increase of 11 per cent.

At end of November this year, a total of 103 illegal firearms have been recovered by the police comprising 1 sub-machine gun, 56 pistols, 28 r e volv-

ers, 11 shotguns, 6 rifles and 1 pen-gun.

This compares to a total of 81 that were recovered unto this time last year.

Meanwhile, in relation to traffic, the Guyana Police Force have recorded 112 road fatalities from 95 accidents at the end of November 2015 when com-

pared to 130 fatalities from 121 accidents for the same period in 2014, a decrease of 21 per cent.

Pedestrians has been the main category of road users affected in road fatalities with 40 such persons having lost their lives at the end of November 2015. In addition 11 pedal cyclists, 28 in vehicles, 15 motor cyclists, 14 drivers, three pillion riders and one pillion rider on a bicycle also lost their lives.

Speeding has been the major contributory factor of fatal accidents, having been the cause of 43 of the 95 fatal accidents.

However, traffic enforcement by the police has resulted in a total of 50,715 cases for this year being made against errant motorists at the end of November.

Of this total, 21,576 cases were for speeding, 2206 for driving under the influence of alcohol, 1156 for using cell phone while driving and 2046 for failing to wear seat belt.

Up to Sunday last, a total of four more persons lost their lives from 4 fatal accidents for the month of December.

Opposition confident of LGE majority – Rohee ... gives administration an “F” Grade on performance

By Kristen Macklingam

A

s Guyana continues to prepare for the upcoming and longawaited Local Government Elections (LGE), the Opposition People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), is confident it will excel in the 18 March 2016 polls.

General Secretary of the Party Clement Rohee told reporters during a media briefing on Monday the PPP/C is in an “excellent” position for the upcoming polls.

“Unlike the APNU/AFC coalition, which is now in government, the people have judged them upon their record whereas when they were in the Opposition they could have made a lot of promises. Well, they will be judged on the basis of their records short as it would have been. We would be judged on the basis of what we have been calling for as an Opposition Party since we got in Opposition,” he declared.

According to Rohee, the PPP/C is “stronger” regardless of government can

“ride on the crest” of the delivery of programmes and policies.

“The Party has its machinery and in the LGE as we did in the General Elections we proved that our machinery was still effective. The fact that we have 32 seats in the National Assembly and the fact that we have seven of the Regions under our control is I think a…manifestation of the Party…”

Rohee posited.

The General Secretary also stated that in relation to the works the APNU/ AFC coalition has executed to date since it took office some seven months ago, appraising the government, Rohee stated he would issue the administration with an “F” Grade.

He explained that he and the rest of the PPP/C were not grading the government with an “F” merely because the Party is in Opposition but because the performance or lack thereof has been observed by the Party as well as citizens in the country thus far. (kristenm@guyanatimesgy.com)

8 NEWS

tuesday, december 15, 2015 | guyanatimesGY.com

Taxi driver on bail for inflicting grievous bodily harm – claims VC damaged his car

A

taxi driver was on Monday placed on $30,000 bail by Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan after he appeared before her charged with inflicting grievous bodily harm.

Neshawn Mohammed, 30, of Lot 34 Grove Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara (EBD) pleaded not guilty to the charge which stated that on 8 December, at Grove Squatting Area, EBD, he unlawfully and malicious-

ly inflicted grievous bodily harm on the virtual complainant (VC) Visnarine Singh.

Attorney Rex Mckay representing the accused, told the Court that on the day in question his client approached the VC and requested he compensate him for damages caused to his car during an accident that was reportedly caused by the VC. The accused allegedly suffered a fractured skull due to the

accident.

The lawyer said as a result of this request, his client was attacked by the VC. He stated that his client made a complaint at the Police Station but police failed to file act.

An application for reasonable bail was made and granted in the sum of $30,000. The matter was transferred to the Providence Magistrates’ Court for January 13, 2016.

Sunil Das

requested reasonable bail.

Police Prosecutor Deniro Jones did not divulge the details of the charge in Court; however, he made no objections to bail.

Das was granted bail and is to return to Court on 12 January 2016.

resident of Diamond New Scheme, East Bank Demerara (EBD) was on Monday sentenced to serve 12 months in prison when he appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan on a charge of breaking and entering and larceny.

Sachin Bishwah, 24, accepted the charge, which stated that between 7 and 10 December, he broke and entered the dwelling house of Floyd Alexander and stole two amplifiers; computer speakers and a camera, all to a total value of $165,000.

Police Prosecutor Deniro Jones told the court that Police on patrol duties saw the defendant at the Stabroek Market with a black and red shopping bag in his possession acting in a suspicious manner. As such, they stopped him and conducted a search of the bag.

The stolen items were found and the defendant admitted

Shameless…

T

The accused: Neshawn Mohammed

Diamond resident Alleged visa jailed for breaking fraudster on bail and entering A A resident of Cane Grove, East Coast Demerara (ECD) was on Monday placed on $100,000 bail by Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan when he appeared before her at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts charged with unlawfully obtaining money under false pretences.

Sunil Das, 28, pleaded not guilty to the charge which stated that between 3 and 7 December at Georgetown, with intent to defraud, he obtained $500,000 from Deomattie Raynauth by falsely pretending he was in the position to obtain a United States of America 10-year visa for her, knowing same to be false.

The accused was represented by Attorney Paul Fung-A-Fat who stated his client has never been in trouble with the law and

Eyew tness

Sachin Bishwah

to breaking into Alexander’s house and stealing the items.

Alexander was contacted and summoned. He positively identified the items and the defendant was charged.

When asked by the Magistrate if he had anything to say in relation to the charge, the accused remained silent. He was sentenced to 12 months in prison.

…blame game by Govt

his Eyewitness has just heard everything. The Government’s complaining that the Opposition PPP’s only criticising them and not “helping”. One even posited that “Opposition’s part of the “Executive”.

Well, talk about the pot calling the kettle black!! When the present Government was in Opposition, not only did they NOT help, but they actively SABOTAGED the efforts of the then PPP Government to guide our country through some pretty treacherous waters.

Take the Anti-Money Laundering/Countering the Financing of Terrorism Bill. We were told by G20’s FATF that unless we had legislation in place – for starters – we’d be blacklisted, resulting in all our international financial transactions grinding to a halt. So we’re not talking about a partisan issue here …all the Opposition had to do was state their objections – which the PPP assured would’ve been taken aboard.

But the AFC decided to blackmail the Government – they’d only sign on the dotted line IF the Government adopted Procurement Legislation. They were willing to play “chicken” with Guyana’s financial viability. The APNU were worse – they just dragged their feet with the patently risible excuse they wanted to “consult” with their constituency! What’s to consult on a topic where there was no wriggle room for whatever party was in Government?

The denouement of the recalcitrant spiteful actions to actually take the offensive and “expose, oppose and depose the PPP” was the “no confidence” motion the Opposition threatened unless the Government actually treated them as “the Executive”. Their one-seat majority in the National Assembly gave them “spunks”.

But what makes the Government spokespersons even more shameless was in reality the PPP didn’t unleash a “do fuh do na obeah” policy after they returned as Opposition. They offered right off the bat to help with the Budget – even as they were kicked in the teeth with firings and witch-hunts. Their offer was refused. But the Government ended up with mud on its face when their ineptitude caused even the State-owned Chronicle to report the Govt “blundered” on the budget estimates.

There is a God! Then the Opposition offered to help with the numbers on Amaila, which they claimed were “inflated” – even after Norway insisted on giving us US$80 million towards its costs. PPP offers poured in to intervene with Venezuela on the rice-for-oil deal that’s gone sour. To no avail. And, of course, only the Government would pretend to forget that Jagdeo personally promised to help with some pending tax cases that could garner $20 billion to the Consolidated Funds.

But why continue with this litany of shame for the Government’s shamelessness. But then, they have to grasp at even straws to shift the blame, no?

...on our coat of arms – Jaguar’s skin

“Shameless” doesn’t even begin to describe Ramjattan’s crassness in refusing to remove the skin of our national mammal from his walls. And this even after Cathy Hughes, Minister of Tourism, personally wrote him about the ignominy he was heaping on Guyana’s ecotourism drive. But it went even deeper – to our national pride, since the rampant jaguar’s on our coat of arms.

Can you imagine the Brits allowing PM Cameron – who once did unspeakable things to a pig – to nail the skin of a British Bulldog on his wall? And he’s a Prime Minister!

But your Eyewitness’ upset because in the new picture that nailed Ramjattan as the troglodyte he is – the US Ambassador and his Chargé d’Affaires are blithely signing away grants to the wanker.

Have they forgotten the outrage America expressed when Cecil the lion from Zimbabwe was killed by the US dentist?

Does our Jaguar not bleed also?

…on toothlessness

While Ramjattan attempts to raise his libido by nailing a jaguar’s skin on his office wall, he was exposed as the impotent poseur he really is. The wife of a staunch supporter complained in the press about the run-around the Police’re giving her to investigate his death.

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

9 7 busted in gun, ammo find news

tuesday, december 15, 2015 | guyanatimesGY.com

APNU, AFC divided on marijuana decriminalisation S

AFC Chairman Nigel Hughes

W

hile the Alliance For Change (AFC) faction of the coalition government is standing firm that marijuana should be decriminalised, the larger A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) component seems to have a sceptical outlook towards this development.

President and APNU Leader David Granger speaking during his weekly television show Public Interest, disclosed that government is already working towards reducing the frequency of tobacco smoking and therefore the decriminalisation of marijuana would be wholly contradictory.

“We have already taken a position on smoking. The Ministry of Public Health is preparing legislation to deal with smoking so it would be quite contradictory for us to bring legislation to prohibit smoking elsewhere and bring legislation to encourage smoking of another substance,” the President affirmed.

The Public Health Ministry is currently reviewing the Tobacco Control Bill, which will see a ban on public smoking and controls on tobacco advertisements.

On the other hand, Attorney and AFC Chairman Nigel Hughes is vigorously pushing for the laws regarding marijuana usage to be reformed.

In fact, Hughes along with another prominent Attorney Mark Waldron compiled a draft Narcotics Drug and Psychotropic Substances (Control) (Amendment) Bill 2015 which seeks to soften the penalties for marijuana possession.

This Bill is expected to be tabled by AFC Member of Parliament Michael Carrington when Parliament resumes on December 17.

Additionally, Prime Minister and AFC Vice Chairman Moses Nagamootoo had extensively spoken about the

need for such reforms. He stated that the current laws in Guyana were too strict and that these laws needed to be humanised.

“In Guyana, we are not traversing new grounds.

We believe that too many people are in our jails today for the use of the drug.

I don’t see anyone in jail for tobacco or alcohol and so we have to be careful that we do not criminalise our young people and condemn them to jail for the possession of marijuana,” Nagamootoo had declared during the campaign trail.

This governmental dilemma creates apprehension in the public domain, as supporters and stakeholders alike, await the administration’s formal stance on marijuana decriminalisation.

Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Basil Williams had disclosed that government, even amid the increasing calls for a legislative reform, has not yet discussed the issue comprehensively.

He noted that wide consultations would have to be

Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Basil Williams

embarked upon before government comes to a final conclusion.

The Rastafarian Council, one of the key stakeholders pushing for this reform, is scheduled to meet with the AG on Wednesday to discuss the tabling of the new legislation.

The legalisation and decriminalisation of marijuana is currently a burning social issue worldwide. In Guyana, groups have come forward and pressed the government for a review of the laws; which they deemed as archaic.

This call was recently heightened after local football star Vibert Butts, Guyana’s first World Cup football scorer, was sentenced to three years imprisonment for possession of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking.

The law currently stipulates that any person found in possession of cannabis

even men were busted in two separate raids, during which a number of weapons were unearthed.

Two men were busted in the wee hours of Monday after they were found with an unlicensed .375 Magnum pistol and six matching rounds of ammunition.

Reports are ranks from a mobile patrol under “Operation Dragnet”

President and APNU Leader David Granger

shall be liable to a fine of not less than $10,000 or three times the monetary value of the drug and a minimum of three years’ imprisonment. Trafficking the drug carries a heavier penalty.

searched the two men at Warlock, East Ruimveldt, Georgetown, during which the gun and ammunition were discovered.

They were questioned and could not produce the firearm licence and, as such, were taken into Police custody. They are expected to be charged shortly.

Meanwhile, ranks of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) on

Saturday conducted a search on a house at Westminster, Parfaite Harmonie, West Bank Demerara (WBD) where an unlicensed .380 semiautomatic Colt Pistol and two rounds of ammunition were found.

The five men who were in the house at the time were taken into custody.

They are assisting with the investigations. Charges are expected to be laid soon.

Suspect in Brazilian national's murder arrested

T

he prime suspect in the murder of Brazilian national Jose Oliveira Silva was arrested on Friday last at Kaikan, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni). The suspect is in police custody and is expected to

be charged with murder shortly.

Jose Oliveira Silva was found at Arau, Wenamu River, with marks of violence on 5 December. It was reported that the Brazilian miner and the prime suspect were involved in an

altercation at a popular drinking spot at Arau.

However, the Brazilian left but was discovered dead a few hours later.

The police had launched an investigation and based on information received, the suspect was arrested.

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guyanatimesgy.com

tuesday, december 15, 2015

News Mazaruni River accident:

Bodies retrieved

Scores of curious onlookers assembled at the Seventh Avenue Beach, Bartica

T

he lifeless bodies of Captain Roy Roopnarine and Trevor Persaud, the men involved in the Mazaruni River mishap were discovered floating on Monday.

At the break of dawn, the search and rescue team resumed operations after a tiring day of endless searching on Sunday and found the bodies floating at about 05:00h.

One of the bodies was discovered in the vicinity of Karrau and another was

missing following the collision of two vessels along the Mazaruni River on Saturday.

The captain of the other vessel Cleon Fortune, also known as “Tom” is currently hospitalised at Bartica Public Hospital. He is assisting Police with investigations.

Fortune and Persaud were travelling in the same vessel from Itabali to Bartica while the other boat, driven by Roopnarine, was heading in the opposite direction when they collided.

It is alleged that neither speedboats were equipped

discovered near Bamford Point area.

The bodies were taken ashore at the Seventh Avenue Beach, Bartica where scores of curious onlookers had already assembled.

The bodies were transferred to Georgetown Public Hospital’s Mortuary and are awaiting postmortem.

Roopnarine, and Persaud known as “Rope”, both of Itabali, Region 7 (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) went The two bodies brought ashore at the Seventh Avenue Beach, Bartica

with lights nor none of the men were wearing lifejackets.

Notably, regulations prohibit boats from travelling on the waterways after dark.

Meanwhile, in an invited comment to Guyana Times Regional Chairman Gordon Bradford noted he is disheartened about the accident, especially since the captains should have known better.

“From time to time, we’ve been talking, trying to educate our boat captains about the need for safety. We have been encouraging captains and passengers to wear lifejackets at all times. But ever so often you see boats plying rivers without lifejackets and it’s disheartening,” he stated.

Bradford explained that traveling at nights is prohibited but if, for whatever reason, there is a need to travel, captains must ensure their boats have lights and that everyone wear the lifejackets.

“Let’s say, maybe when the accident occurred, the injury might not have been enough to kill them instantly and if they had on lifejackets, they could have been rescued. But without lifejackets, if you are rendered unconscious it means that you will go down,” the Regional head explained.

Politically Correct

T

hat we should be politically correct (PC) more often than not is overkill. In a nutshell, the definition of politically correct or political correctness is that one has to be careful what to say to avoid offending, insulting or discriminating against anyone at any time, particularly to those who are considered to be from marginalised backgrounds.

Dr Lomarsh Roopnarine Put simply, one has to watch his or her P’s and Q’s when speaking. Of course, some political correctness is fine but is it too much? Is it too taxing?

Political correctness has certainly penetrated the public space –work place, markets and institutions - as well as the private space – family and home - at unexpected speed. Most employers have policies and guidelines outlining what their employees should say to protect political correctness and avoid a tense working environment. Discussing someone’s sexual orientation, for example, is a big no, no. Parents too are careful about what they say in the presence of their children fearing that their children may repeat what they say at home at their school.

Political correctness is intended to right historical wrongs and to promote equality. PC surfaced in the US in the 1980s and 1990s but has since picked up momentum almost everywhere in the world. PC shows how society has evolved with regard to sensitive issues like race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, religion, political affiliation, etc.

Thus, when someone uses an inappropriate label, he or she is politically incorrect or has crossed the line or has violated a basic norm, which in many cases, can be excused with an apology. But under some other circumstances, one can be fired from the job or even face civil action in court.

In Guyana, political correctness is not as intense as in the United States. One unique characteristic about Guyana is that everyone is given a “right” name or birth name but rarely is everyone recognised by that name, unless that individual is at school or a public figure. Instead, most Guyanese are given “call” names and they are known by that name for the rest of their life. It is not uncommon to hear names like Tall Boy, Red Boy, Fat Girl, Star Log, Mice, Sweet Wine, Spotthe-Ball, Duck Sauce, etc. These names are given according to appearance and actions. One young man in a village in Berbice is called Combine Shaker because he moves his waist like a Rice Combine Harvester when he dances. Of course, some of these names are offensive, inflicting enormous emotional pain, especially when they are used as a source of amusement.

During the 2015 political campaign, political correctness was fanned to a different level when the former Health Minister said that one female social activist should be slapped and stripped. Bharat Jagdeo found himself on the other side of law for allegedly using inappropriate language.

The heightened sense of political correctness occurred because of social activism as well as of political motivation and manipulation to gain votes. The aim was to remove the PPP/C from power.

Since the May 2015 general election political correctness has become meaningless as evidenced by the “Coolie” remark

by Moses Nagamootoo, the hauled off stage remark by MP Charandass Persaud to former MP Vindhya Persaud and the “Coke in Poke” headline in the Kaieteur News. Had these jawdropping remarks occurred during the political campaign, would they have received enormous attention? The mere fact that Ministers have refused to apologise for uncalled and unnecessary reckless comments and have shown little or no remorse demonstrate that offensive remarks, political correctness, have been reduced to personal matters rather than a problem that affects all. This view is complemented by the fact that no one in the current government has uttered a single word on the use of offensive language by Members of Parliament. Whatever happened to the language in the 100-day manifesto that speaks to the protection of women?

The silence is simply shocking especially at this time when women from all walks of life continue to experience violence.

Public officials must realise that they are role models and must act in the expectation of that role. To do otherwise will raise questions like: What sort of message are they sending to the younger ones about how women are treated? Is there a double standard with regard to the treatment of women since the regime assumed power in May 2015? It certainly feels like it. (lomarsh.roopnarine@jsums.edu)

tuesday, december 15, 2015

guyanatimesgy.com

11

News

Region 2 rice farmers struggling for water in fields BY: INDRAWATTIE NATRAM

R

egion Two rice farmers are once again plagued with a major challenge, this time they are struggling for water in their fields.

This newspaper was told farmers are in the process of sowing but even as this is happening, the Region is faced with shortage of water.

Guyana Times understands there is a significant drop of water in the conservancies and many drainage and irrigation structures are vandalised, broken or falling apart.

Farmers particularly in Cozier, Reliance, Somerset and Berks, Windsor Castle and other low lying areas are frustrated over the new development.

Several farmers from the affected areas said they can-

not get water in their fields for sowing and many of them have commenced pumping water into their fields.

Speaking with this newspaper, Regional Vice Chairman Nandranie Coonjah, who has responsibility for drainage and irrigation in the Region, said indeed the water level in the main conservancies are dropping and farmers are suffering. She said she visited several areas and confirmed the reports.

The vice chairman said the situation could be resolved with intervention by central government. When questioned about this intervention she said if the Dawa pump station is put into operation then relief would be had by farmers. She said however the region is not in a position to proceed since there is a lack of resources for such an operation:

Good Hope relief structure falling apart

“The only way we could resolve this is for pumping to start at Dawa pump station; water will be sourced from the Pomeroon River; pumping requires fuel and from the Region level we don’t have sufficient. Intervention will have to be made from

central government for the purchase of fuel for pumping to commence.” Meanwhile, the vice chairman said during her visit to several backdam areas, she observed many drainage and irrigation structures were vandalised, tampered with or

broken. This, she said, is unacceptable and advised that legal action will be taken against anyone caught tampering with government structures.

The vice chairman also explained that several trenches need desilting and the region does not have sufficient machinery to execute these jobs.

Speaking about drainage in the south of the Coast, Coonjah said since she took office she has been advocating for the Good Hope relief structure to be fixed.

She said while farmers in the north of the Coast are struggling for water, those in the south are experiencing a high build-up in their fields. She further explained that the main reason for this is because the Good Hope relief structure not being in operation: “That structure is wast-

Regional Vice Chairman, Nandranie Coonjah

ing the majority of the water and although reports were forwarded to the Minister of Agriculture nothing has been done.”

Over 4000 acres in that area are under threat.

Bladen Hall accident:

3-year-old killed in Victim still critical WBD accident

A

three-year-old lad died while receiving medical attention at the West Demerara Regional Hospital (WDRH) after he was stuck down while crossing the La Grange Public Road, West Bank Demerara, on Sunday. The lad was identified as Michael Blackman of Parfait Harmonie, WBD. According to information, Blackman was in the company of an older cousin when he suddenly ran across the public road and was stuck by the vehicle.

He sustained injuries and

was rushed to the WDRH where he died.

The driver of the vehicle is in police custody assisting with investigations.

When contacted, the mother of the young child told Guyana Times she was not in the frame of mind to discuss anything about the accident.

However, Guyana Times understands the lad was standing by the roadside with his cousin and as the cousin turned his back the little child ran onto the roadway.

U

dai Manieram, the man involved in the Bladen Hall, East Coast Demerara, accident on Friday last is still in a critical condition.

Doctors on Friday performed a CAT scan on the victim and discovered he suffered a cracked skull and had internal bleeding, he was taken to the Intensive Care Unit.

According to Manieram’s daughter, he is still in a critical condition at the Georgetown Public hospital.

Speaking with Guyana Times Reshma Manieram emotionally stated that since the accident her fa-

ther is not responding and is incoherent.

She added that the only movement is the occasional opening of his eyes for about 30 seconds or less and the uncontrolled occasional movement of his right arm.

The man’s daughter further added that a tube was inserted in his head to prevent his blood from clotting.

She also said he still

needs respiratory help to breathe since he is unable to do this on his own.

On Monday this newspaper learnt that the driver of the minibus who struck Manieram was released on bail.

Udai Manieram, 54, of Lot 27 Bladen Hall, Strathspey Public Road, ECD, was heading home after work and was attempting to cross the Blanden Hall Public Road

The injured: Udai Manieram

when the minibus which was overtaking another vehicle struck him.

Public spirited individuals rushed him to hospital.

12 news

tuesday, december 15, 2015 | guyanatimesGY.com

NA municipality presents President Granger delivers gifts to Sandvoort children $140M Budget for 2016

New Amstredam Town Hall

T

he New Amsterdam Municipality has submitted a proposed budget of $140 million for 2016 and has promised to go after defaulting taxpayers in an effort to raise needed funds.

Defaulting taxpayers owe the municipality in excess of $70 million this newspaper was told. The council is to collect $73.8 million in property taxes this year.

In presenting the 2016 proposed budget, acting Treasurer Verna Newyear noted that the largest portion of the budget will go to wages. This, she said, represents 39 per cent of the budget, while 11.9 per cent will go towards maintenance works. In terms of dollar amounts, $16.6 million will be spent throughout the town on maintenance work.

There will be no major maintenance works on roads in 2016. The biggest revenue earner for the Municipality

will be the Municipal Market which is expected to rake in $29 million while the abattoir should earn $600,000, but according to Newyear, they will be spending $2 million on the abattoir.

She said 14 per cent of the budget or $20 million will go towards capital expenses as the council is expected to chalk up a further $17 million in operating expenses which does not include wages and salaries. In the 2016 budget proposal, provisions have been made for a government $10 million annual subvention.

Mayor of New Amsterdam Claude Henry in brief remarks said the Municipality will continue to implement measures that will ensure the municipality receives the monies it is owed, even if rates do not come in. He also hinted on Pirate Execution [a process to get monies from] to ensure the council gets what is

owed to it. While not referring to the move as a threat, he said the council needs to get the money.

The Mayor also noted they will recommence removing signboards which were illegally erected in the township. That project started in 2013 but was put on hold. According to Henry, individuals and businesses must pay their fair share to the Municipality.

When the 2015 Municipal Budget was being presented for New Amsterdam, Mayor Henry had called on government to do more for the town, saying the time had come for government to give to New Amsterdam, which is the largest town in the country, some of the revenue it collects annually from vehicle operators. According to him, these road users are responsible for most of the damage to the town’s roads.

Some staff at the Municipality are still being paid below the minimum wage despite almost 40 per cent of the budget goes toward wages and salaries.

The 2016 proposed budget has no real strategies to be implemented that will allow the New Amsterdam Municipality to boost its revenue earning; it is only expected to earn $140,000 from the several parks and playfields around the town while the Municipal Cemetery is expected to bring in $3.4 million while a large sum will be spent on its maintenance.

President David Granger presents a little girl with a Christmas gift

P

resident David Granger continued to deliver Christmas cheer with a visit to Sandvoort, West Canje, Berbice, on Monday.

Social Cohesion Minister Amna Ally accompanied the President. More than 200 children received gifts, as the President used the opportunity to continue to

push for a strong focus on education.

“If you are to inherit this country, you must be educated. You must go to school and that is one of the important elements of our Administration,” he said.

President Granger also invited the Community Development Council (CDC) to submit proposals for ed-

ucational projects to the Ministry of the Presidency for possible support.

Additionally, the Head of State called on the residents of Sandvoort to work towards building a strong economic community, as Guyana prepares to celebrate its 50th independence anniversary.

DTL corrects labour breaches

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Minister Simona Broomes interacts with workers at Demerara Timbers Ltd

he Management of Demerara Timbers Ltd (DTL) on Monday undertook to immediately correct breaches in the labour laws pointed out by a team from the Labour Department, led by Minister within the Social Protection Ministry Simona Broomes during a visit to the company’s Mabura, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) location on Thursday last.

A statement from Minister Broomes’ office stated that Martin Ting, the company’s general manager, led the DTL team that met the Minister and a team of officials at her Brickdam office Monday morning.

The meeting followed the dispatch of a letter to the company on Friday following the visit to Mabura by the minister and her team on Thursday.

Arising out of the visit, numerous complaints were made by workers, prompting the minister to instruct that company officials be summoned to the ministry

to meet with her.

Previously, the company had failed to attend meetings at the Department and during yesterday’s meeting Minister Broomes expressed disappointment over the company’s delinquent posture.

At the meeting minister said she had taken seriously the various serious complaints made by workers and directed that requisite remedial action be taken as a matter of utmost urgency.

The infractions observed during the visit to the DTL operations included substandard protective gear used by workers, absence of clean drinking water, workers being forced to fetch water from a stagnant, vile-smelling pond to operate a machine and becoming victims of a rash as a consequence, hazardous working conditions, inadequate transportation and substandard housing.

It was also noted that a worker who has worked with the company for over 24 years and whose eyes

are now damaged due to exposure to saw dust, reportedly continues to be denied benefits due to her, but who management are reportedly not prepared to pay benefits owed.

At Monday’s meeting the minister reminded that while government welcomes investors, that accommodation could not take place at the expense of workers’ rights.

“All we say is that you must follow the law; if you have unsatisfied workers your company’s production will be affected. Your managers on the ground are dealing with the workers in a very disrespectful manner,” admonished Minister Broomes.

Meanwhile, Labour Department Consultant Francis Carryl told the meeting there was also cause for concern over DTL’s “disrespect” in failing to attend meetings scheduled to engage the recognised union, Guyana Agriculture & General Workers Union.

news

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tuesday, december 15, 2015 | guyanatimesGY.com

LGE 2016

Agriculture investments

PPP/C scrutineers ejected from Talks between Trinidad and Guyana at standstill registration offices – Rohee

By Kristen Macklingam

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he People’s Progressive Party/ Civic has raised concerns about reports that its scrutineers have been targeted by the staff of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) and pro-government scrutineers at various locations across the country following the commencement of the Claims and Objects period for the upcoming local government polls.

General Secretary of the Party Clement Rohee during a media briefing on Monday stated that some PPP/C scrutineers have been “ejected” from Registration offices and are being ‘put to work’ in the compound of the offices.

“In other cases, the gates are locked and the scrutineers are not afforded anywhere to work. This was the case at Bell West, West Bank Demerara and Charity, Pomeroon, Essequibo. Racial slurs and epithets are hurled at PPP scrutineers by APNU/AFC scrutineers and GECOM employees at some registration offices; this occurred at Canje,” he explained.

Rohee told the media there have been reports of fake birth certificates being circulated and the PPP/C is “on the lookout” for any such document.

He said if such docu-

PPP/C General Secretary Clement Rohee

ments are discovered and acquired by the Party it will be handed over to the Guyana Police Force (GPF) with hopes that necessary action(s) will take place.

Meanwhile, another area of concern for the PPP/C in the upcoming LG polls is the issue of the status of the Ministerial Orders issued establishing Lethem, Mabaruma and Bartica as Municipalities.

It was noted by Rohee that questions have arisen about the status of the ‘Old Orders’ versus the ‘New Orders’ as to whether the ‘Old Orders’ should be rejected to give effect to the ‘New Orders’ establishing these Municipalities.

In addition, questions have also resurfaced with respect to the number of

nominators or ‘backers’ that are required to support a list of candidates and the fact that in a number of Constituencies there are insufficient numbers of nominators/backers due to the small size in population of these Constituencies: “The Commission is yet to resolve a number of outstanding matters with respect to voting by the Disciplined Forces at the Local Government Elections. In this connection, there are a number of laws that will have to be amended if problems are to be avoided long before March 18, 2016.”

Guyana Times was also told that the handling of the votes by the Disciplined Services in the May 2015 elections ‘gave rise to several highly suspicious occurrences.’

As such, in this respect, amendments will be needed to several sections of the Principal Act to avoid recurrences of a similar nature at the upcoming Local Government Elections Rohee further stated.

In the meanwhile, the Party will continue to uphold its principled position with respect to the lack of transparency and the imbalanced ethnic composition regarding the recruitment of GECOM staff in general and for elections day itself, he added. (kristenm@guyanatimesgy.com)

A

lthough there have been recent talks between Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago about the twin island supplying this country with fuel, there is no word about the duo pursuing any deal, which would see Trinidad investing in large-scale agricultural activities here.

Trinidad is yet to signal its interest in utilising land in Guyana for suitable food production as it had done last year with the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) administration.

In early October, Guyana’s Agriculture Minister Noel Holder had signalled his intention to raise the topic in Mexico during the convening of the International Agriculture Conference. Minister Holder had told the media that discussions between his Ministry and Trinidad’s Food Production Ministry have been at a “standstill” for months.

However, noting the economic benefits that could be derived from such a partnership between the two countries, he assured that the proposal would have been placed “high on the agenda.”

“We are Caricom partners and so we prefer to have that kind of investment than even investment farther afield, at least the money going out will be within Caricom,” he had previously told the media.

But to date, there has been no feedback about what transpired in Mexico between Trinidad and Guyana with regards to this proposal or what steps either governments will be taking as to the way forward.

One year ago, a number of Trinidadian investors representing over 15 commercial entities from the twin-island republic began scoping Guyana’s economic landscape with hopes of investing in areas such as corn, soyabean and fruits.

The visit in last December by the investors along with the then Food Production Minister of Trinidad Devant Maharaj, was in keeping with a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in 2013 between Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago.

It must be reminded that this MoU which has since expired, would have allowed the twin-island Republic’s investors into Guyana for agricultural production, resulting in huge economic benefits for Guyana.

However, to date, since the APNU/AFC government has taken office discussions relating to the MoU and previous discussions between the two countries are yet to take place.

Previously, the Trinidadian Food Production Ministry had expressed interest in utilising 10,000 acres of land in Guyana for

sustainable food production, but Guyana was only offering 1000 acres during the initial stage, had the MoU borne fruit.

The expired MoU had addressed programmes and activities, core areas of cooperation, monitoring and coordinating mechanism, mutual responsibility, commitments and settlements, rights and obligations, and scope for termination.

It had also addressed the need to improve food security and reduce the food import bill of the two countries.

The then Trinidadian Food Security Minister reportedly described the venture as a “win-win” situation for both countries; explaining that investors with the finance and technology who have no lands in Trinidad to do large-scale farming can turn to Guyana without affecting local formers and improve infrastructure and create employment.

Meanwhile, efforts to contact Minister Holder on Monday for an update on the proposal between Guyana and Trinidad proved futile.

Permanent Secretary of the Agriculture Ministry, George Jervis, when contacted by this publication stated that he was in a meeting at that time and assured he would return a call when the meeting concluded.

Up to press time, the Permanent Secretary had not returned the call.

14

guyanatimesgy.com

tuesday, december 15, 2015

Regional

Argentine Police bus crashes; Authorities arrest 60 people in 12-nation child 42 dead, 9 injured

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bus carrying Argentine border patrol officers crashed into a ravine in the northern province of Salta on Monday, killing 42 people, while nine were being treated for injuries, provincial emergency official Francisco Marinaro told local television.

“We have 42 dead so far,” he said in a TV interview from the scene, where an overturned bus was shown, swarmed with emergency workers.

Nine people were rescued and being treated in local clinics.

“The bus fell about 18 metres (59 feet),” Marinaro said.

The vehicle was part of a three-bus convoy carrying officers of Argentina’s gen-

Aerial view of the overturned bus which was carrying Argentine border patrol officers before it crashed into a ravine in Salta on Monday, killing 42 people, while nine were being treated for injuries

darmerie, which patrols the country’s borders.

Salta borders Bolivia,

Chile and Paraguay.

Passengers on the other two buses were the first peo-

ple on site to attempt to save the officers trapped in the wreckage, officials said.

Border security has become a hot issue in Argentina as the country has emerged as part of a route used for smuggling Andean cocaine to Europe and for human traffickers sending Syrian refugees to the Western Hemisphere.

President Mauricio Macri, elected last month on a platform that included improving Argentina’s rural roads, sent his condolences to families of the victims of the crash.

“We need to improve our highways so these things don’t keep happening,” he told reporters on the sidelines of a news conference in Buenos Aires province. (Reuters)

Man charged with death of former university professor in Grenada

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kim Frank, a 26-yearold man of Jean Anglais, St George’s, has been formally charged in connection with the death of former university professor Linnea Veinotte.

Veinotte went missing Sunday, December 6 while on an early morning jog with her dog. Her decomposed

body was found by Police in the south of the island on Friday.

On Thursday night, the Police reported a breakthrough in their investigations into the disappearance of Canada-born Veinotte after seizing a vehicle.

Details of the charges were not disclosed by Police

in an early Monday morning press release.

Her husband, Matt Veinotte, in a statement said his wife’s body was found after Frank had surrendered to law enforcement authorities.

“We are, of course, devastated at the loss of our beautiful Linnea, mother,

wife, daughter, sister, and a friend to so many. We would like to thank the many hundreds of people who helped in the search and the many, many thousands in Grenada and around the world who have offered their support, kindness and prayers.

Thank you all,” he said in the statement. (Stlucianewsonline.com

pornography operation

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exican officials said on Sunday local time that 60 people were arrested on child pornography charges in an operation that stretched across 10 Latin American countries, the United States and Spain.

“Under the framework of action entitled “Operation Without Borders”, 97 search warrants were executed in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Spain, the United States, Guatemala, Mexico, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela, resulting in the arrest of 60 alleged perpetrators of this crime,” said a statement from Mexico’s National Commission of Security (CNS), which handles matters of public security in the country.

The multinational operation discovered around 320,000 photographs and 45,000 videos of child por-

nography.

The material was broadcast on the Internet, and distributed via email and social networks.

Computer and smartphones were also seized during the raids.

The CNS added that at least three girls were rescued, aged 9, 14 and 15.

According to the statement, the operation was aimed at “breaking various structures dedicated to the distribution of pornographic material of children via the Internet.”

Interpol’s Argentina division, Chilean Police’s cybercrimes investigation brigade, and the FBI also contributed to the investigation. In October, Spanish Police arrested 81 people involved in a massive child pornography distribution network, marking one of the largest crackdowns on the illicit material in years. (Deutsche

Welle)

IDB urges Region to step up trade as exports decline

and Jamaica Observer)

Police Officer among two gunned down in T&T

A

The crime scene where the two men were killed in Aranguez, Trinidad

Police Constable and another man were gunned down Monday morning along the Aranguez Main Road in Trinidad.

According to a Police report, about 05:30h, the Constable, who has only been identified as PC Ramnarine, was found slumped on the side of the

pavement just outside a car while another man, who is yet to be identified, was found dead in the car.

Ramnarine was last assigned to the St Joseph Police Station.

A firearm was recovered at the scene and it is believed to be the Officer’s gun. Investigations are continuing. (Trinidad Guardian))

Colombia, rebels to sign Bahamas human pact on reparations rights group wants for war victims Jamaican released

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he Colombian Government and leftist FARC rebels have reached a deal on reparations for war victims and could be near a pact on the terms of confinement for ex-combatants who would be tried in special tribunals once a definitive peace agreement is reached.

Any partial accords would help put peace talks back on track toward reaching a March 23 deadline for a comprehensive plan to end Latin America’s longest war, which has killed 220,000 people and displaced millions since 1964.

Representatives of both sides said on Monday they would hold a signing ceremony for victims on Tuesday, while the rebels said they

would release long-awaited details of how to punish former combatants who lay down their arms.

“We are very pleased with this agreement (on victims) which no doubt is transcendental for what we are doing in this process,” Government Spokeswoman Marcela Duran told reporters in Havana, site of the peace talks for three years.

FARC representative Marco Leon said the rebels would make public details on the justice talks, but it was unclear whether the two sides had a final agreement on the terms of punishment.

“With this important step, it is nearly certain that this is irreversible,” Leon said of the peace process.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

T

he Grand Bahamas Human Rights Association (GBHRA) has criticised the Bahamas Government over the continued detention of a Jamaican national “for the better part of a decade”.

The GBHRA said it was also appalled at the response given by Foreign Affairs and Immigration Minister Fred Mitchell to the case of Matthew Sewell, “an innocent Jamaican man incarcerated in The Bahamas for the better part of a decade”.

“The last stage of Sewell’s harrowing ordeal, at the hands of …(the ) Immigration Department, was indeed the result of an error: even after he was declared innocent of all charges by the courts, this poor

man continued to be held for another year under an article of the Immigration Act which does not even exist.

“That a man could be held in detention for so long over a mere slip of the pen – with Government lawyers fighting tooth and nail to keep him there, even after the error came to light – is indicative of the troubling level of disregard for human liberty displayed by the authorities in The Bahamas today,” the GBHRA said in a statement.

It added that relatives of those held at the Carmichael Detention Centre have routinely been ignored, impeded or turned away from the gates when trying to point out cases of wrongful detention. (Excerpt from CMC)

“This trade contraction, which is the worst since the 2009 collapse, is a wake-up call on the need to implement export diversification policies” – IDB Economist Paolo Giordano

E

xports from Latin America and the Caribbean will drop about 14 per cent in 2015 due to a steep decline in prices and weak demand for the Region’s main exports from key trading partners, according to a new report from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

The IDB’s “Latin American and Caribbean Trade Trend Estimates 2016” Annual Report notes that exports dropped for the third year in a row, with the decline intensifying and spreading to virtually all nations in the region. Only two countries posted positive, albeit moderate growth, while in most of the economies the drop in overseas shipments exceeded that of the rest of the world.

“This trade contraction, which is the worst since the 2009 collapse, is a wake-up

call on the need to implement export diversification policies,” said Paolo Giordano, Principal Economist of the Bank’s Integration and Trade Sector and coordinator of the report.

Oil-exporting countries were affected the most by the sharp drop in petroleum prices. Venezuela and Colombia posted the biggest contraction rates, followed by Bolivia, Ecuador, and Trinidad and Tobago.

El Salvador and Guatemala were the only two countries where exports rose, due to a strong increase in their sugar shipments to China.

The report includes detailed data from 24 countries in the Region. For the first time, it includes data from six Caribbean nations: Barbados, Belize, Guyana, Jamaica, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago. (Excerpt

from Caribbean360)

tuesday, december 15, 2015

guyanatimesgy.com

15

Around the world

Senior Saudi and Emirati World Bank: Climate literacy officers killed in Yemen - a must for businesses

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wo senior officers from the Saudi-led coalition supporting Yemen’s Government have been killed near the city of Taiz, Saudi and Emirati authorities say.

Saudi Colonel Abdullah al-Sahyan and Emirati officer Sultan al-Ketbi were killed at dawn on Monday “while they were carrying out their duties in supervising operations to liberate Taiz” province in Yemen’s southwest, the official Saudi Press Agency news agency said.

The Emirati state news agency WAM separately confirmed Ketbi’s death.

The deaths come ahead of a ceasefire agreed to coincide with United Nationsbacked peace talks to resolve Yemen’s war.

Taiz province, where the warring sides have been locked in conflict for months, overlooks the Bab al-Mandab Strait between the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

Sahyan on Saturday met Yemeni President Abd-

W

The Saudi-led coalition is backing Yemeni forces trying to push back the Houthis [Reuters]

Rabbu Mansour Hadi who awarded him with a medal of courage, according to Yemen’s official sabanews. net website.

Saudi-led forces, backing Hadi, launched an offensive in Yemen in March to push back the Houthis.

The fighters, backed by forces loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, have seized large parts of the country, including the capital, Sanaa.

The Houthis and Saleh’s

former political party, the General People’s Congress, are sending representatives to Switzerland on Tuesday for talks with Yemen’s internationally recognised Government under Hadi.

A seven-day renewable ceasefire was scheduled to come into effect on Monday to coincide with the talks.

Two previous attempts at ceasefires, in May and July, were followed by accusations of breaches by both sides. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Turkey says its patience with Russia ‘has a limit’

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urkey’s Foreign Minister said Ankara’s patience with Russia “has a limit” after Moscow’s “exaggerated” reaction to a weekend naval incident between the two countries, an Italian newspaper reported on Monday.

A Russian warship fired warning shots at a Turkish vessel in the Aegean Sea on Sunday to avoid a collision and summoned the Turkish military attaché in Moscow over the incident.

“Ours was only a fishing boat. It seems to me that the reaction of the Russian naval ship was exaggerated,” Mevlut Cavusoglu told the Italian daily Corriere della Sera in an interview.

The incident is likely to heighten tensions between the two nations which are at odds over Syria and Turkey’s downing of a Russian fighter jet last month.

“Russia and Turkey certainly have to re-establish

the relations of trust that we have always had, but our patience has a limit,” the Turkish Foreign Minister said.

Cavusoglu said Russia had already “put itself in a ridiculous position” with accusations by its President, Vladimir Putin, that Turkey had shot down the jet to protect oil supplies from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

“No one believed it,” he said. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

orld Bank President Jim Yong Kim has hit back at critics of the Paris agreement on climate change and said major corporations need to familiarise themselves with the potential impacts of global warming.

“I would encourage every single business in the world, if they haven’t done it already, to become climate change literate,” Kim told Al Jazeera in an interview.

“There is not a business in the world that can afford to ignore climate change.

The investment strategies are going to change – the

World Bank President Jim Yong Kim

things we invest in are going to change.”

The World Bank has already pledged US$6 billion for building climate resil-

ient infrastructure, Kim said.

“We think that we need US$10 billion more than that,” he added. (Al Jazeera)

Merkel: Migrant crisis ‘historic test’ for Europe

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he German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, has described the migrant crisis as a “historic test” for Europe.

Defending her policy on migrants at the annual conference of her CDU party, Merkel said that Germany was standing by its humanitarian duties.

But she said the flow of migrants would be reduced – a step that some members of the party have been calling for.

More than one million refugees have come to Germany so far this year, officials there say.

Her decision to welcome refugees fleeing Syria’s civil war has not been popular within her own party.

Merkel told the conference in Karlsruhe that the influx would be “noticeably reduced” – the wording of a compromise agreement reached on Sunday with her CDU colleagues.

Such a reduction was in

More than a million migrants and refugees have arrived in Germany in 2015

the interest of Germany and in the interest of the migrants themselves, she told the conference.

Merkel has rejected the idea of an upper limit on migrant numbers, sought by some in her own party and by the leader of the CDU’s powerful Bavarian sister party, the CSU. Despite the tensions of the weekend’s discussions, Merkel appeared relaxed and smiling as she arrived

at the conference to address her party, and her speech was repeatedly interrupted by applause.

She described 2015 as “an unbelievable year”.

The German leader said the decision by Germany and Austria to allow in migrants stranded in the Hungarian capital, after many started walking towards the border on September 4, was a humanitarian imperative. (Excerpt

Nigeria’s Sambo Dasuki charged over Boko Haram arms fraud Detained Chinese tycoon surfaces

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igeria’s ex-national security adviser has been charged with 19 counts of fraud related to the alleged diversion of US$2 billion of Government money meant to buy arms to fight Boko Haram.

A Government investigation found that Sambo Dasuki awarded “ghost contracts” to buy 12 helicopters and four fighter jets which never materialised.

Dasuki denied the charges and says the case is politically motivated.

President Muhammadu Buhari ordered his arrest two weeks ago.

He is the most senior official to be charged as a result of an investigation into arms procurement during the previous administration of Goodluck Jonathan.

Dasuki was charged on 19 counts of fraud, money laundering and criminal breach of trust at the High

G

Sambo Dasuki was a key figure in Nigeria’s fight against Boko Haram

Court hearing in the capital Abuja.

He appeared in court alongside a former Finance Director in his office, Shuaibu Salisu, and a former General Manager of the State oil company, Aminu Babakusa.

All three pleaded not guilty. The trial continues.

Islamist militant group Boko Haram has killed thousands in north-eastern Nigeria in its six-year campaign to create an Islamic

state. (Excerpt from BBC News)

uo Guangchang, the high-profile Chinese tycoon detained by Police last week, has made an appearance at his company’s annual meeting in Shanghai.

The Fosun International Chairman was first reported missing on Friday. The company later revealed he was assisting authorities with a probe.

Fosun President Wang

Qunbin said the investigation mostly concerned Guo’s personal affairs, not company business.

He said he could not give more details as the investigation was “sensitive”.

The website Caixin reported early on Monday that Guo had been released by Police. Guo received a standing ovation at the company meeting, a person in the audience told Reuters.

from BBC News)

A string of senior executives at Chinese companies have temporarily gone missing this year amid a crackdown by Beijing on its financial sector.

Citic Securities, the country’s biggest brokerage, said earlier this month it was unable to contact two of its top executives following reports they had been asked by authorities to assist in an investigation. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Chennai schools reopen after floods

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chools have reopened in the southern Indian city of Chennai (Madras) after a month of heavy rains and deadly floods.

Schools and colleges in the city and neighbouring districts of Tamil Nadu were ordered shut on November 12.

At least 280 people died in the floods, which brought normal life to a standstill and closed Chennai’s international airport for six days.

The rains, the heaviest in 100 years, were blamed on climate change.

With the rains stopping last week and water levels

receding, the city has been limping back to normal. A major clean-up operation is under way.

“Normal life was restored in a week, but we decided to open schools and colleges only today, because we wanted all the institutions to be cleaned and washed before the students

came in,” Vikram Kapur, chief of the city’s municipality told BBC Hindi’s Imran Qureshi.

School examinations were postponed because of the floods, and even the city’s university, one of the oldest in the country, had to put off semester examinations. (BBC News)

16 news

tuesday, december 15, 2015| guyanatimesGY.com

Climate change talks:

GPL staff yet to get Proactive approach needed 5% salary increase to lessen impact – Harmon

By Akeem Greene

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he Guyana Public Service Union has expressed concerns that the senior and junior managers of the Guyana Power and Light are yet to benefit from the 5 per cent increase in salary as was announced in the 2015 Budget.

At a media briefing on Monday, first Vice President of the Union Mortimer Livan said GPL is the only state run entity, whose employees have not benefitted from any increase in remuneration for 2015.

Livan said concerns rose after the union had submitted a proposal which addressed the increase for senior and junior managers.

“The management of GPL procrastinated in

Mortimer Livan

November 11, 2015 sent by the GPSU to Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson who has oversight of GPL it stated that “… employees have not benefitted any increase in remuneration nor from the interim payment made to public sector employ-

“GPL only state run entity whose employees have not benefitted from any increase in remuneration” dealing with the proposals and it has again come to the end of the year and still this matter is not resolved to the satisfaction of the employees,” Livan said. He further added: “A change of attitude was expected with a change in government but instead the same old behaviour patterns prevail.”

In a letter dated

ees of five per cent and $5000 as approved in the National Budget 2015.”

Divisional Director Human Recourses Manager of GPL Bal Persaud had sent a letter to GPSU on 23 November, with a proposal of an increase in salary of 5 per cent for calendar year 2015, inclusive of a two per cent across the board increase and 3 per cent in

scale increment, this newspaper was told.

However the union pointed out the fact that “the proposal is not a true reflection of what was told to our delegation when we met on November 18, 2015.”

As such the union rejected management’s offer to pay 2 per cent across the board salary increases and proposed 5 per cent across the board with respect to the one-off-payment of $120,000.

The union’s proposal is that the $120,000 is added to the current annual salary with effect from January 2015 to senior and junior managers and not be treated as a one-off payment.

Meanwhile, Livan further alluded to the fact that employees are not benefitting from necessities such as meal allowances and travel allowances in keeping with the proposal.

Considering the frustration of the union, Livan was quizzed on the possibility of the union taking any industrial action but he stated that such a decision will be decided by members.

“Any action can be taken, from a sick out to a full strike; the members will decide,” he revealed.

This issue comes on the heels of public servants who make less than $500,000 a year is expected to get $50,000 tax free bonus at the end of the year.

Some of the participants in the CRSAP workshop, including Major General (Ret’d) Joe Singh

M

inister of State Joseph Harmon said it is imperative stakeholders understand the risks and vulnerabilities Guyana faces as a result of climate change, and take a proactive approach to reduce them as the nation can ill-afford to be complacent.

The minister made this call during his address to participants at the development of Guyana’s Climate Resilience Strategy and Action Plan (CRSAP) workshop, held at Regency Suites Hotel yesterday morning.

“It is already an established fact that without action now, the impacts of climate change, which is already manifested through increased rainfall and other environmental anomalies, will become more frequent and occur with greater intensity. This will have deleterious effects on every sector of our economy and undermine our growth prospects,” Minister Harmon said.

Therefore, he added, the “do-nothing” alternative is

not an option for Guyana.

With this in mind, and as a small state; a developing, low-lying coastal state, it is imperative, he added, for Guyanese to understand the vulnerabilities to climate change: “Whilst being aware of the impacts of climate change on our economy are admirable, that knowledge without an understanding of how to reduce our risks as posed by a changing climate is counter-productive and will literally ‘sink’ us.”

He noted that a ‘Green Economy’ would safeguard Guyana’s economic prosperity, ensure its environmental security and foster social well-being for all Guyanese: “Additionally, this pathway will also help the country achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and other internationally agreed development goals without compromis-

ing the environment and our natural resource base.”

The workshop, which will focus on getting feedback from stakeholders on the Climate Resilience Strategy and Action Plan document, advances the vision of a ‘Green Economy’.

It consolidates work done over the years concerning climate change and identifies key climate risks and priority resilience building actions.

This will be a comprehensive, forward-looking document that will over the next five years, guide advanced projects in sectors that are prone to extreme climate effects such as agriculture, drainage and irrigation, health and sea defence.

Additionally, it provides a set of building actions that will enhance Guyana’s capacity for national adaptation planning and becoming climate resilient.

Little Rock lights up NA

Public Health Ministry visits Region 1 – $700M hospital under way for Port Kaituma

F

ollowing a two-day visit to Region One (Barima-Waini) to assess the public health issues of the Region, Junior Public Health Minister, Dr Karen Cummings, in a statement on Monday, noted that a $700 million hospital was under construction for the community of Port Kaituma.

Leading a high-level team of Ministry officials to the Region last Wednesday, for the visit, Dr Cummings visited the building site of the new state-of-the-art hospital being constructed there. She was given a full tour of the facility, for which Phase One is being completed.

The Junior Minister was informed by the consulting firm overseeing the project that Phase One is to begin shortly which will result in the hospital being fully equipped with the latest and best medical equipment.

The commissioning of this new facility is scheduled for December 2016.

Junior Public Health Minister, Dr Karen Cummings

The new Port Kaituma Hospital will house male and female wards, a fully functioning world-class operating theatre, minor operating room, maternal/child healthcare facilities, dentist care facility laboratory, infectious diseases centre, pharmacy, radiology department, and modern storage facilities.

During her tour of the Region, the Minister also

made several stops in other villages including Mabaruma and Matthew’s Ridge.

At Mabaruma, Minister Cummings met with the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) and listened to their concerns about the current state of public health facilities in Mabaruma and the Region at large, as well as services currently being offered. It was determined

that much work needed to be done to significantly increase the quality of health services being delivered, as well as the nature of public health infrastructure in the Region.

Meanwhile, at Matthew’s Ridge, the Minister said that she was particularly pleased with the physical infrastructure at the community’s Hospital, which was clean and obviously properly maintained.

She noted, however, that there was an obvious need for the regional administration to work in line with the Ministry in fixing many of the issues affecting Region One in the area of public health. There is a recognisable disconnect between what is seen as priority by the regional administration and what in reality are the pressing matters that are in dire need of being addressed by the regional administration with a degree of urgency, she added.

The Little Rock Christmas light-up

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ew Amsterdam residents were thrilled on Sunday evening when the Little Rock Suites Television and Radio Station held its annual Christmas light-up which had been absent from the town at Christmas time for a few years.

More than 2000 persons crowded the roadway outside the Little Rock Suites Hotel on Main Street, New Amsterdam, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) for the festive occasion.

The event was a collab-

orative effort between Little Rock and Republic Bank, and provided the community with some Christmas cheer. Scores of young children also received gifts as part of the event as Santa and Mrs Clause along with several Disney cartoon characters also graced the stage and preformed.

In what could also be referred to as a night of carolling, many churches from within the community contributed dances, poetry and songs to the packed programme.

17

news

tuesday, december 15, 2015 | guyanatimesGY.com

School boat and learning Gaskin confident Linden can centre for Baracara – President develop through enterprise

B

Children flock to President David Granger at Baracara

P

resident David Granger has announced that the Government would be giving residents of Baracara, Region Six (East BerbiceCorentyne) a school boat and setting up a learning centre for the community.

He made the commitment during a visit to the community on Sunday. He noted that while the main purpose of his visit was to bring Christmas cheer to the children, he was also there to ensure that the community was not left behind and had equal access to the assets of Guyana.

He noted that Baracara needed to become a productive economic unit, adding that the Administration was willing to work with the community to determine the feasibility of the development of agro-processing opportunities.

“If you are producing pumpkin, cassava, banana, mango and you can’t get them sold, don’t throw up your hands in despair. You’ve got to be innovative. Every single plantain can be made into plantain chips. Every single cassava and sweet pota-

to could be made into chips.

Every single mango, every single orange can be made into juice. What you need here is the equipment to do agro-processing,” the President declared.

Residents of the community, who are primarily involved in logging and farming, were urged to become producers, as building a strong economy would ensure that they were no longer dependent consumers and were able to escape poverty. The residents welcomed the suggestion for agroprocessing opportunities.

President Granger went bearing gifts in the form of a 46-inch television and a DVD player for the community and toys for the children.

The President also announced that the community would benefit from the gift of a school boat under the “Three Bs Programme” before Guyana’s 50th independence anniversary next year. The “Three Bs – Buses, Boats and Bicycles” Programme is part of the President’s push to ensure that every child is able to attend and complete school.

He said, “We are opening

up a new chapter in the history of Baracara and on the first page of that chapter, the word that is written there is education … you can only free yourselves from poverty if you acquire education.”

The Head of State added that because of the importance of access to the information superhighway in a technological world and the need for adult learning opportunities, he was prepared to discuss with community leaders the setting up of a learning centre for adults which would provide access to computers.

“We have to ensure that you have the power; you have the machinery; you have the equipment; you have the computers to enable your access to the World Wide Web,” he said.

Following the community activity, the President sat down with Community Development Council (CDC) members and other village leaders who raised a number of concerns including drainage, land titling and other issues.

Lindeners must collaborate on waste disposal –Town Clerk

L

inden Town Clerk Jenella Bowen has urged the Linden community to work collaboratively with the Linden Mayor and Town Council (LM&TC) in relation to the proper disposal of both residential and commercial waste, more so as the Christmas season approaches.

In an interview with Guyana Times Bowen stated that despite a number of financial and other issues which has been plaguing the municipality, all efforts would be made to ensure the community receives proper waste disposal services during the festive season. In that light, she said residents should feel free to engage the Council on any waste disposal issues they may be facing, so that those can be amicably rectified.

“You (residents and businesses) may have issues… somebody may have passed with the tractor and may not have picked up your garbage, but feel free to call in to us and let us know what is happening so that we can do what we have to do to help to alleviate that problem. In addition to that... if you have garbage for a few weeks, don’t allow it to meet to a month before

you can call us. Let us know what is happening and we can try to see how we can assist”, Bowen stated.

It was also noted that with the increase in cleaning and clearing activities around this time of year, there is usually an increase in solid waste disposal, however Bowen said with a collaborative effort, the Council will try its utmost to ensure the community remains garbage free. She emphasised the importance of having a clean and clear environment, also in ensuring that the environment is free of certain related diseases.

“The situation has been on my mind and I want us to work together as citizens in

ensuring that we keep our environs healthy... the community needs to work closer with each other especially as it relates to the issue of garbage”, she emphasised.

The municipality has over the years been criticised by the Linden community of not performing its duties effectively as it relates to solid waste management, however in commenting further on the issue, the Town Clerk explained that it has indeed been challenging.

Despite the situation, she emphasised that cohesiveness and understanding of the situation by citizens will assist in curbing some of the challenges.

usiness Minister Dominic Gaskin believes that Lindeners understand the need for diversity and the importance of branching out into a broader range of economic activities to achieve a thriving and sustainable community.

During the recent launch of the Linden Enterprise Network (LEN), the Minister extended a message of hope, noting that one of the best ways to grow economically was by promoting innovative business solutions. Some $155 million was set aside in the last budget for the advancement of LEN, which would assist in the promotion and development of business-related ventures for Linden and Region 10 (Upper DemeraraBerbice).

“It is expected that the $100 million invested by Government in this programme for the year 2015 would kick-start a number of sustainable business activities that would be role models for the community and showcase Linden as a place where businesses can prosper,” the Minister said.

Gaskin spoke of the importance of credit loans in assisting small and medium sized businesses, stating that the level of frustration felt by borrowers who were tasked with undergoing lengthy processes to meet the requirements of lenders has been recognised.

He, however, stressed that it was important to establish the viability of proposals before lending could take place. This may be nec-

Business Minister Dominic Gaskin

essary, he established, as a precautionary measure. He said it was not Government’s intention for businesses established from these loans to fail since failure did not send the right signal to future investors. Additionally, Gaskin warned against defaulting on the loans.

“The success of the programme (LEN) will depend on how well it is implemented, how well the funds are utilised by the recipients and most importantly, the rate of default. Because unrepayment is a problem for most levels, and this is why the criteria for borrowing is so stringent in the first place...all in all, default is not something that we want to see and it also does considerable harm to the programme itself, because it prevents the people coming further down the line from enjoying the same opportunities that you would have had to access credit for your business project.”

Minister Gaskin added

that creditworthiness was a very important aspect of the process of borrowing. He said unless borrowers ensured that they had a track record of such, it may be difficult down the road to acquire financing.

The Business Minister said the ultimate goal should be to establish a larger business at which point acquiring credit loans may become a necessity.

He continued by stating that LEN played a major role in business development by offering business advisory and incubator services which were critical to capacity building thus enhancing the chances of success for small businesses in the community.

The Minister said he was confident that there were innovative young people in the community who would use ideas to create and develop successful business ventures.

The entrepreneurial spirit, he noted, must be given room to develop fully in all regions of Guyana.

$450 risk allowance for psychiatric nurses insufficient – report

T

he risk allowance paid to staff attached to the National Psychiatric Hospital (NPH), Fort Canje, Region 6, (East BerbiceCorentyne) is far too low and needs to be revised. This is one of the recommendations of the Regional Health Committee Region Six. The committee recently reported to the Regional Administration that the $450 paid monthly to staff attached to the National Psychiatric Hospital is insufficient for the nurses. “These allowances are ridiculous and shameful. These allowances need to reflect the current situation,” the committee said in its December 2015 report.

According to Chairman of the Health Committee Haseef Yusuf, many of those who are responsible for taking care of patients at the Psychiatric Hospital receive $43,000 monthly along with the $450 risk allowance.

“These people face serious risks from mentally ill patients in addition to a poor security system, yet they are paid just a small pittance while Dr Norton [Health Minister] and his colleagues are getting 50-100 per cent salary increases with trained security personnel.

The recommendations in the report came after a recent site visit which was also highlighted in the report. According to the docu-

ment shown to this publication, Chief Executive Officer of NPH Leila Clark reported that there is an acute shortage of staff at the Fort Canje Hospital. The institution needs an additional 30 staff including able-bodied men to deal with violent patients.

Clark noted there is little or no training for staff at the hospital which has only three registered nurses to cover the eight wards which has in excess of 190 patients.

There is only one functioning Psychiatrist. According to the report, the CEO said the three Cuban Psychiatrists do not speak English and, “they do practically nothing.”

She also reported that there is a need for the institution to have its own transport facility as food items are transported in ambulances.

The CEO also lamented the poor infrastructure in the compound.

“There is need to repair the main access road in the compound which is quickly deteriorating. There is no electrician or carpenter on site and even minor repairs have to be tendered. The supply of water from GWI [Guyana Water Inc] is irregular and the supply is normally cur off at 09:00h. There is a need to resuscitate the old well in the compound,” the report quoted Clark as saying.

Meanwhile Yusuf said the health committee has ob-

served there is a long delay in processing Purchase Orders at the institution: “For instance, an order made on September 27 was not received at the time on the visit (in November). The staff complained of substandard quality items being sourced with some being close to the expiry dates.”

There is an acute shortage of basic items in the kitchen. The report mentioned that channa, chick-pea and onion have been out of stock for a long time while spoons, knives, frying pans and strainers are in short supply and added that the kitchen is badly in need of a facelift.

According to the report which was presented to the Regional Administration, there is need for more security at the wards. A large number of bulbs are not working and the roof at some wards are leaking when it rains.

“There is infestation of mosquitoes in the wards.

There is a poor supply of water and patients would normally drink from the taps in the washroom,” the report said.

The report also recommended repair and maintenance of the telephone system, out of order for several months, and called for a medical to be on hand to treat ailments such as hypertension and diabetes.

18

guyanatimesgy.com

tuesday, DECember 15, 2015

ARCHIE

You will have an impact on others if you take charge.

(March 21- Let your heart and passionate April 19) beliefs lead the way, but not at the expense of your health or financial well-being.

ARIES

Reconnect with old TAURUS friends. Make a point to rem(April 20- inisce and consider what you May 20) might have done differently.

It’s never too late to make a change. Use your intuitive intelligence and forge ahead.

dilbert

You may think you have GEMINI (May 21- everything under control, June 20) but if you have taken on too much, you will fall short.

Ask for help in order to bring about positive change.

CANCER (June 21July 22)

Peanuts

Don’t get worked up over nothing when you should be enjoying all the festivities.

‘Tis the season to be jolly and to forgive and forget. Bearing grudges is a waste of time.

Your relentless drive will LEO be just what is called for. Bold (July 23actions coupled with good Aug. 22) ideas will help you present your game plan to those who can help make your dreams come true.

Calvin and Hobbes

You need to pace your VIRGO every move. Taking on too (Aug. 23much will cause you to worry Sept. 22) and doubt yourself. Own your ideas and present them with confidence. A small gain is better than none at all.

Changes can be made if LIBRA (Sept. 23- you are driven by passion and Oct. 23) desire. Make your move based on your skills, knowledge and confidence. Mix business with pleasure.

SUDOKU

Keep your life and current SCORPIO emotional situation in per(Oct. 24spective. Strive to be unique, Nov. 22) and use your imagination to come up with a plan that will work for you. Travel and romance are encouraged.

Soul-searching will help SAGITTARIUS you put your life in perspec(Nov. 23tive. Getting back to basics Dec. 21) and away from indulgences will help you establish a new beginning. Believe in yourself.

CAPRICORN Someone you respect will (Dec. 22- raise questions and concerns Jan. 19) about your personal life. Reevaluate your current situation and consider how to keep everything running smoothly. Balance and equality will be key.

solution for Last Published Puzzle AQUARIUS

Don’t make physical changes based on unreliable (Jan. 20information. Consider the Feb. 19) pros and cons before you commit. Better health will come from proper diet and exercise.

Don’t take on too much or PISCES (Feb. 20- overspend on items that aren’t March 20) necessary. You can have fun without compromising your bank account. Love shouldn’t come with a price tag.

tuesday, december 15, 2015

WICB retains noted lawyer as ‘advisor’ on Caricom proposal

I

n the clearest sign yet it intends to resist the recommendations of Caricom’s Governance Review Panel, the West Indies Cricket Board says it has retained the services of Dominican lawyer Anthony Astaphan.

During its regular quarterly Directors meeting in Rodney Bay here Saturday, the WICB announced that Astaphan would serve as an “advisor to look at the recommendations for the Caricom final report on governance of cricket”.

Astaphan, a Senior Counsel and former president of the Bar Association of Dominica, delivered a presentation to directors during the morning session of the meeting on Saturday.

A WICB release quoted Astaphan as saying that the way forward “will look at how both organisations can work together for the benefit of the improvement of cricket on and off and the field.”

“A full paper will be prepared and will be available for presentation to the Prime Ministers’ committee,” the WICB said.

The move is a significant development especially following on the heels of a meeting between Caricom and the WICB in Grenada

Dave Cameron

recently – the first between the two bodies following the release of the controversial Governance Report which has recommended the “immediate dissolution” of the WICB. The report also calls for “the appointment of an interim board whose structure and composition would be radically different from the now proven, obsolete governance framework.”

Chairman of Caricom’s Cricket Governance Committee, Grenada’s Prime Minister Dr Keith Mitchell, said last month he was confident the WICB would get on board with the recommendations.

“Since they (WICB) were

part of the process that agreed to set up this committee and to accept its recommendations and to implement it, I don’t see how they can afford to do otherwise,” Mitchell said at a press conference in St George’s to announce the recommendations of the report.

WICB president Dave Cameron has since expressed concerns about the involvement of governments in the affairs of the regional cricket body, stressing that it was important for sporting bodies to remain autonomous.

“We’re not saying we don’t want the Governments to participate. We’re saying that the decisions of the organisations must not be influenced by governments,” the Jamaican said last month.

The Governance Report Panel was chaired by UWI Cave Hill Campus principal, Professor Eudine Barriteau, and also comprised Sir Dennis Byron, president of the Caribbean Court of Justice; West Indies cricket legend Deryck Murray; Warren Smith, president of the Caribbean Development Bank, and Dwain Gill, president of the Grenada Cricket Association. (Jamaica Observer)

CAS dismiss Nakhid’s FIFA presidency appeal

David Nakhid

C

AS have backed FIFA’s refusal to accept David Nakhid’s candidacy for the election to replace outgoing president Sepp Blatter in February.

David Nakhid’s appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) over FIFA’s refusal to accept his candidacy for the presidential election has been denied.

The former Trinidad and Tobago midfielder sub-

mitted his bid with the backing of the required five federations, but he was deemed ineligible by the FIFA Ad-hoc Electoral Committee (AEC) as one of the member associations had also supported another candidate.

Nakhid filed an appeal with CAS which he hoped would overturn the decision and enable him to stand in February’s election to replace outgoing

president Sepp Blatter, but CAS dismissed his case.

“The CAS has dismissed the appeal and upheld the FIFA AEC decision,” a statement said.

“In appealing to the CAS on November 13, 2015, Mr Nakhid sought the annulment of the challenged decision and an order that his candidacy be reinstated.

“In line with the FIFA AEC, the CAS Panel found that one member association had issued declarations of support to two candidates, including one for Mr Nakhid, in violation of the applicable FIFA rules.

“As a consequence, those letters of support were disregarded, meaning that David Nakhid had not met the qualifying criterion of obtaining declarations of support from at least five member associations, and accordingly, his candidature could not be validated.” (Digicel Sportsmax)

19

WICB to set up bowling review committee Marlon Samuels - predominantly a batsman who bowls off-breaks - was suspended from bowing in international cricket for 12 months on Sunday after receiving his second suspension within a two-year span.

The International Cricket Council deemed Samuels’ action to be illegal after assessment at a testSunil Narine

A

fter Marlon Samuels and Sunil Narine were banned from bowling in internationals, the WICB has ordered a review committee to be set up.

The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) is to implement a bowling review committee to study players whose actions have come under scrutiny in the international game.

Marlon Samuels

ing centre in Brisbane. His action was reported during the Windies’ first-Test defeat to Sri Lanka in October.

Samuels’ ban followed that of spinner Sunil Narine, who received a suspension in November after being reported during the Windies’ third one-day international with Sri Lanka last month.

A statement on the WICB website read: “The Board of Directors of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) today approved a bowling review committee to look closely at the players who have been reported and/or suspended for illegal bowling actions in international games.

“The committee will review, assess and make the relevant recommendations of all the international players before they are allowed to bowl in domestic competitions.” (Digicel Sportsmax)

McGregor claims title with record 13-second KO of Jose Aldo

J

ose Aldo ruled the featherweight division for seven years. His fall to Conor McGregor took 13 seconds.

McGregor (19-2), the brash, outspoken, Irish phenom who has taken the sport by storm since he signed with the UFC in 2013, claimed the UFC featherweight title Saturday night, knocking out Aldo (25-2) with a clean counter left hand just 13 seconds into the fight. It marked Aldo’s first loss in 10 years and extended McGregor’s win streak to 15 fights.

It is also the fastest finish in UFC title-fight history, beating former female bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey’s previous mark of 14 seconds set at UFC 184 in February.

After the bout -- which headlined UFC 194 inside the MGM Grand Garden Arena, drew an attendance of 16,516 and took in a U.S.record gate revenue of $10.1 million -- McGregor expressed sympathy for Aldo regarding the brevity of the fight, but insisted his victory was all but inevitable.

“I feel for Jose,” McGregor said. “He’s a phenomenal champion. He deserved to go a little bit longer. I still feel, at the end of the day, precision beats power, timing beats speed. All day, it would have happened.”

As he nursed a cut on the bridge of his nose, Aldo, 29, immediately said he wanted a rematch.

“He threw a cross at my

Conor McGregor (left) lands a hard shot to the face of Jose Aldo at UFC 194

chest I wasn’t expecting,” Aldo said via a translator. “I think we need a rematch. It wasn’t really a fight.”

The two met in the middle of the cage the second referee John McCarthy started the fight. After a McGregor left broke the ice, Aldo came in hard with a lead right hand and left hook. McGregor, a southpaw, slipped the right hand and threw the counter left that dropped Aldo instantly. As he fell, Aldo’s left hook came through and grazed McGregor across the face.

Aldo fell to his back, where McGregor followed with two hard hammerfists from a standing position.

McCarthy had already started to dive between them as the second blow came down.

“Nobody can take that left-hand shot,” McGregor said. “He’s powerful and he’s fast, but precision beats power, timing beats speed. That’s what you saw there.

“These are fundamentals.

That’s all it takes. These are fundamentals, especially

when you have my left hand.”

McGregor could remain at featherweight and face No. 1 contender Frankie Edgar (20-4-1), a former lightweight champion who is on a five-fight win streak and is coming off a knockout win against Chad Mendes.

The 27-year-old could also move up to lightweight and challenge for that title. In UFC history, only two men have ever won belts at different weight classes: Randy Couture and BJ Penn.

Current lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos is scheduled to defend the title against Donald Cerrone next week in Orlando, Florida.

“I think that was always his plan,” UFC president Dana White told SportsCenter. “He wanted to fight Jose Aldo and then move to 155 and fight for that title.

“Whoever wins this fight [on Saturday], between Dos Anjos and Cowboy Cerrone, we’ll see who wins that fight and go from there.”(ESPN)

20

guyanatimesGY.com

tuesday, december 15, 2015

GFA/Banks Beer Cup

Western Tigers maul Hope FC 6-0 on opening night – Police FC secure 2-1 win over East Veldt United mined East Veldt United to secure a 2-1 win.

Police opened their account in the fifth minute with a goal by Leron Charles.

However, East Veldt produced a stunning equaliser thanks to David George in the eighth minute.

The first half ended 1-1 as either of the teams was able to penetrate despite several chances being created. The second half was reminiscent of the first half as spectators vented frustration with the game seemingly headed to extra time, but an error by the East Veldt goalie allowed Keron Boston

to easily stab the ball into the goal.

The fifth annual Banks Beer competition was opened

by Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan who urged all participants to perform at their best and be ambassadors of the sport.

The Minister also made the ceremonial kick-off.

GFA President and Commander of A Division, Clifton Hicken told the participants that they should strive to become the catalyst of well-rounded players while urging them to take the skills associated with the game back to the communities and encourage oth-

er young persons to play the game.

Director of Sport, Christopher Jones was also in attendance and alluded to the fact that this year, the fifth year of sponsorship by Banks illustrated the success of the league. Jones also charged other corporate entities to support sports in Guyana more.

The next games are scheduled for Saturday, December 19 at the Number Five Ground in Berbice where Blackwater FC will take on New Amsterdam United from 19:00h then Rosignol FC will take on Cougars FC from 21:00h.

The competing teams at the opening ceremony

By Akeem Greene

T

he opening night of the Georgetown Football Association (GFA)/Banks Beer Knockout Competition lived up to expectations as teams produced stellar performances on a night filled with goals.

Playing at the Guyana Police Force Ground, Eve Leary on Sunday, touted title favourites Western Tigers stamped their authority in the competition with a 6-0 thrashing of the Berbice team Hope FC. From the starting whistle, Western Tigers, dressed in black and yellow, at-

tacked with superior ball control, constantly creating chances.

Playing on the left side, talented winger Randolph Wagner was a headache for the Hope FC back four as he constantly made runs on goal.

However, in the 21st minute, it was Western Tigers’ Dwayne Ali that broke the deadlock with a ball that was easily placed in the right side of the goal.

Soon afterwards, Dwain “Peazy” Fore had a wonderful chance when he went one on one with the goalie, but he spilled it wide down the left.

Winger Wagner’s persistence then paid off when he scored in the 39th minute to end a dominant first half by the Tigers.

The second half saw a more competitive game, as the Hope FC made a flurry of counterattacking runs but failed to provide the final touches needed for a goal.

It soon went haywire for the Berbice side as Western Tigers’ Daron Benjamin scored in the 60th minute followed by Wagner in the 70th and Jamal Pedro in the 72nd and 85th r.

Meanwhile, in the first game, the Guyana Police Force FC overcame a deter-

GPF Keron Boston on his way to scoring a goal

Wagner paves way to NZ’s 122-run victory I

n conditions where the old ball did nothing and New Zealand’s three first-choice quicks produced innocuous mediumpace, Neil Wagner ran in relentlessly with tremendous stamina, sending down a barrage of short deliveries, harrying the batsmen at around 140 kph and broke Sri Lanka’s resistance. Until Wagner came on, Dinesh Chandimal and Angelo Mathews had been untroubled and scored freely, but once he broke through his one wicket quickly led to many, and New Zealand completed a 122-run victory after lunch on the final day in Dunedin.

Before Brendon McCullum turned to Wagner, Sri Lanka made 45 runs in 15.5 overs, and Mitchell Santner and Doug Bracewell had just begun to control a previously brisk run rate. Wagner immediately resorted to a shortpitched attack from over the wicket - like he had done on the third day - targeting the right-hand batsman’s ribs with men catching close on the leg side.

Chandimal had been cover-driving and cutting Trent Boult and Tim Southee, his

New Zealand haven’t lost at home since March 2012. (Getty Images)

fierce punishment of anything loose taking him swiftly to a half-century.

Mathews had played with softer hands and a straighter bat, batting with calm.

Wagner gave them no width, no opportunity to get on the front foot, hustling them with pace, forcing hurried evasive actions and awkward fends off the body.

Wagner’s method of attack had become so ingrained in the batsman’s psyche that they expected little else from him. And so Mathews, after moving hurriedly towards the off side to let two consecutive short balls whizz past his ribs, began to play the third de-

livery in a similar manner. Except that this time Wagner bowled a full length.

The ball crashed into the inside of his front pad, shot between his legs and flattened middle stump. Mathews had not even played a shot, and was the first Sri Lankan batsman to not be caught in this Test.

Chandimal had to shelve his cavalier approach against Wagner. He had got to 50 off 90 balls - scoring 19 off 26 this morning but made only eight off his next 41 deliveries. Subdued into a defensive mind-set, he padded up to a ball from the left-arm spinner Santner that went on with the arm,

and was adjudged lbw not offering a shot. After a partnership of 56, Mathews and Chandimal had fallen with the score on 165.

Wagner now went around the wicket to aim at the ribs of the two left-handers Kithuruwan Vithanage and Milinda Siriwardana. He pinned them to the crease with his length, and then bowled a fast full-toss at Siriwardana, who was hit on the back pad as he squared up in his crease. The umpire Nigel Llong gave him lbw but Siriwardana successfully reviewed the decision, replays surprisingly suggesting the ball would have missed off stump, perhaps

because Wagner had delivered from extremely wide of the crease.

Wagner was given the second new ball for the last delivery of his first spell, which comprised eight overs at speeds that did not ebb.

Southee took two deliveries to strike with the new ball, swinging it back into Vithanage from over the wicket, hitting the lefthander’s pads. Vithanage had played an enterprising innings, a run-a-ball 38 full of shots.

The slide was swift after lunch. Boult struck in the

third and fifth over of the second session - drawing an edge from Rangana Herath and having Siriwardana caught at short cover, both batsmen not bothering with defence.

Sri Lanka went down swinging, and were bowled out for 282. However, the fact that an inexperienced batting line-up had lasted 95.2 overs after playing 117.1 in the first innings will be some consolation for a team rebuilding from the retirements of Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene. (Cricinfo)

SCOREBOARD New Zealand 1st innings 431 Sri Lanka 1st innings 294 New Zealand 2nd innings 267 Sri Lanka 2nd innings (target: 405 runs) FDM Karunaratne c †Watling b Southee 29 BKG Mendis c †Watling b Southee 46 MDUS Jayasundera c †Watling b Wagner 3 LD Chandimal† lbw b Santner 58 AD Mathews* b Wagner 25 KDK Vithanage lbw b Southee 38 TAM Siriwardana c McCullum b Boult 29

HMRKB Herath c Guptill b Boult 6 PVD Chameera b Santner 14 RAS Lakmal c & b Bracewell 23 N Pradeep not out 4 7 Extras (b 2, lb 4, w 1) Total (all out; 95.2 overs; 412 mins) 282 Fall of wickets: 1-54, 2-64, 3-109, 4-165, 5-165, 6-213, 7-236, 8-249, 9-268, 10-282 Bowling: TA Boult 152-58-2, TG Southee 216-52-3, DAJ Bracewell 19.2-5-46-1, MJ Santner 22-653-2, N Wagner 17-5-56-2, KS Williamson 1-0-11-0.

21

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Ramdass wants to represent Canada

tuesday, december 15, 2015

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F

ormer West Indies opener Ryan Ramdass wants to represent his adapted country Canada at the international level and has already begun intense preparations to make it a reality.

In an exclusive interview with this publication, Guyanese Ramdass stated that in two years time he would be eligible to play for the North American team after taking up permanent residence in 2014.

Currently featuring for Vikings Cricket Club in the Toronto and District Cricket Association Elite limitedover tournament as the skipper and performed creditably.

Primarily, Cricket Canada uses the competition to select their team for International Cricket Council’s assignments.

Ramdass, who mentioned it was an honour to play for West Indies in just a solitary test and ODI, believes consistency is the key

Ryan Ramdass

now to catch the eyes of the selectors in Canada and already churned out some fine innings so far over the past two successive years.

“I [am] anxious to play for Canada now at the highest level; I am prepared to work hard on my game and make runs consistently,” the 32-year-old right-hander declared.

In his 21 first-class appearances for Guyana, Ramdass registered three centuries but felt he could have contributed more to Guyana’s cricket and is still in a mood of disappoint-

ment.

“I still feel I could have went on to play for Guyana more long but I was ignored too many times by the selectors despite some injury problems; however, my focus is now on Canada’s cricket and I am really looking forward to bring my skills here,” Ramdass, who plays for Everest Cricket Club in Guyana, related.

Ramdass also plied his trade for several years in Trinidad and Tobago where he had some outstanding seasons reminiscing on the facts that the cricket there is always competitive and expressed total satisfaction with his performances.

He played for Clarke Road Cricket Club and accumulated over 600 runs on every occasion with a number of impressive hundreds as well.

“I definitely enjoyed my cricket in Trinidad; it was very competitive and I learned a lot; cricket in Canada is also very competitive given the fact you have got players from all part of

the world playing here on an annual basis, so sometimes cricket here is very tough,” Ramdass commented.

He acknowledged his fitness problems and having successfully completed a shoulder surgery, Ramdass is now very optimistic it would not affect him from pursuing his goal to turn out for Canada.

In 2013, Ramdass fashioned a double-century in the Brampton/Etobicoke League while his highest score in the Elite was 92 but is very confident of making a greater impression from the next season starting in early May. Since Canada began participation at the highest level, a great number of former Guyanese cricketers have been able to wear the national colours and some names are: Sunil Dhaniram, Nicolas DeGroot, Fazil Sattaur, Eon Katchay, Damodar Daesrath, Jeremy Gordon, Hemnarine Chattergoon, Shiv Seeram, Latchman Bhansingh among others.

GTTA/NSC hot successful table tennis workshop

T

he Ministry of EducationDepartment of Sport/National Sports Commission in collaboration with the Guyana Table Tennis Association hosted a one day Umpire Table Tennis Work Shop last Saturday at the National Gymnasium, Mandela Avenue Georgetown.

Participants totaling 16 from Essequibo, Linden, Berbice, East Coast, East Bank and Georgetown are now better equipped with the necessary knowledge on

table tennis umpiring after the a one-day work shop.

The work shop was organized and executed by level two table tennis coach Linden Johnson.

During the work shop the participants were openminded on the basics of table tennis umpiring and weregiven the module on the laws of table tennis.

Gervy Harry, Administrative Officer of the NSC at the closing said that he was very impressed with the participants and mentioned they were fast learn-

Linden Johnson

ers. He urged the participants to be actively involved in the sports and promised a

follow up will be done in the near future.

The workshop objectives were to enable the participants to understand the laws of table tennis, comply with the requirement of the laws, be able to effectively umpire a match, as an umpire, justify your decisions according to the relevant laws and to create an integrated umpiring structure that incorporates umpire education, participation and development at the club, national and international levels.

CGI Local Franchise League

Hemraj ton highlights last round of games

– Essequibo, Upper Corentyne and NA Canje secure wins

A

s the action continued in the Cricket Guyana Inc (CGI) Local Franchise League, young Chanderpaul Hemraj highlighted Sunday’s play with a stroke filled century as East Coast Demerara secured a huge 231-run victory over East Bank Demerara.

Hemraj’s knock of 115 was composed of 12 fours and one six off just 79 balls.

Hemraj was given ample support by Steve Ramdass with a third wicket partnership of 109.

Ramdass cracked seven fours in his 59. Amir Khan known more for his leg spin bowling ability smashed a quickfire 74 inclusive for 7 sixes and four boundaries. Kamesh Yadram made 47 (5x4s, 1x6) and medium pacer Paul Wintz chipped in with 33 not out as East Coast amassed 379-6 in 50 overs, batting first. Shivram Persaud claimed 2-45.

In response East Bank were bundled for 148 in 42.4 overs . Dexter Solomon (39)

Chanderpaul Hemraj

and Danny Narayan (24) were the principle contributors with the bat as Khan returned with the ball to captured 3-27 while Rajindra Naikbaran and Ramdass took 2-12 and 2-17 respectively.

Georgetown suffered a six runs defeat at the hands of Upper Corentyne . Playing at Port Mourant, Georgetown took first strike and made 124 all out in 45.4 overs. Kemol Savory hit 28, Jeetendra Sookdeo 24 and Kwame Crosse 21; Eon Hooper captured 4-17 and Rajiv Ivan 2-25. Upper

Corentyne responded with 126-4 in 25 overs. Jonathan Foo led with 43 and Jason Sinclair 30; Devon Lord had 2-52.

Kevon Boodie’s run-aball 90 highlighted the play at Enmore as Essequibo defeated West Demerara by 121 runs. Coming of two successive defeats, Essequibo’s talent Boodie hit two fours and one six off 90 balls and played a vital role in Essequibo posting 203 all out in 46.1 overs after they were inserted. Ricardo Adams (26) and Royan Fredericks (25) lednt support with the bat as Barbadian seamer Jevon Searles bagged 5-34 and supported by national under-17 player Malcolm Hubbard with 3-41. In a horrid batting display, West Demerara were bundled out for 82 in 22.5 overs in reply.

Only Chandrika Persaud and Joshua Paton made any valuable contribution with scores of 19 respectively. The experienced Trevon Garraway claimed 3-40,

Fredericks 2-2 and Adams 2-15.

Lower Corentyne/New Amsterdam Canje continued their unbeaten runs with a six wicket win over West Berbice. Playing at Cumberland, West Berbice took first strike and were bowled out for 127 in 30.4 overs.

Kevin Jawahir struck 44, Keon Fraser 18 and Brentnol Woolford 16; Former National Under-19 fast bolwer Romario Shepherd snared 4-28 and Nial Smith 2-39. NA Canje replied with 130-4 in 28.2 overs thanks to solid knocks

by Kevin Ramdeen (36), Devon Clements 30 and Gajanand Singh 26 not out.

Krishundat Ramoo claimed 2-32.

Matches continue today as West Berbice take on Upper Corentyne at Port Mourant; Essequibo battle Lower Corentyne at Wales; East Bank and Georgetown play at Bourda and East Coast Demerara play West Demerara at Enmore.

22

guyanatimesGY.com

tuesday, december 15, 2015

Zorg Sports Club to host Grove, Soesdyke to clash in Christmas Village final after contrasting wins on December 20 Sun Burst/EBFA U-17 League

D

efending champions Grove Hi Tech continue to roll over all opposition, with a solid 12-1 whipping of Mocha Champs to book their place in the final of the Sun Burst/East Bank Football Association (EBFA) Under-17 competition.

Playing at home on Saturday last, the Grove lads were again in a no-nonsense mood as they took their tally of goals in the tournament to 30 from the previous 18. They have booked a date with Soesdyke Falcons, who took down Herstelling Raiders 4-3 in an epic battle that went to extra time.

The star for the Timehribased Falcons who is getting better with every game is Tyrel Khan, who first netted the equalising goal after they found themselves trail-

Tyrel Khan

now face Grove for the second time in the tournament.

Grove, having won all the Association’s junior tournaments last year, are yet to win any this year and are focused on making it right in the third tournament for 2015, having given up the Pee Wee Under-11 title to Herstelling and the Under-13 title to Agricola.

ing Soesdyke Falcons in Saturday’s championship match.

Rocking the net for Grove were Alwyn Haynes, who scored a hat-trick (25th, 48th & 64th); Nicholai Matthews (22nd & 40th); Gregory Stephens (55th & 62nd); goalkeeper Randy Smartt (17th); Threvon Pluck (36th); Tevin Millington (38th); and Denzil Crawford in the 44thh minute.

The first semi-final produced a fierce battle between Soesdyke and Herstelling, with the latter team easing into the lead from the penalty spot in the fifth minute. Daniel Nedd, who had a brace in the game, handed his side the initial advantage.

That lead was secured for some time, but it was eventually nullified when

Grove Hi Tech's Denzil Crawford (left) in control for his team against Mocha Champs

ing before he found the winning goal in the second period of extra time to send his side into the final. They will

The Under-17s are not in a mood to let this one go just yet, but will have to overcome the ever-improv-

Tyrel Khan, who also scored a double, drew Soesdyke level in the 31st minute. Khan’s brother, Tyrone, then put

Soesdyke ahead in the penultimate minute before halftime (34th minute) from the penalty spot.

Herstelling, even with national Under-17 custodian Quazim Yussuf between the uprights, could not keep the Soesdyke boys at bay. It was Herstelling who equalised in the 48th minute, with Nedd achieving his second of the match.

Herstelling even regained the lead following a good period of play to go ahead 3-2 when Seon Alfred breached the Soesdyke defence and goalkeeper Dyonta GrantStuart in the 51st minute.

But even as Herstelling went ahead with the minutes winding down, Soesdyke never let up their offensive ambitions and were rewarded with the equalising goal to tie the game at three-all in the 52nd minute, thanks to a well-placed shot by Tavin Marshall.

The remaining eight minutes of regulation time could not separate the sides and based on the rules, 30 additional minutes in the form of extra time in two equal halves of 15 minutes each were required to arrive at a winner.

It was in the first period of extra time that Soesdyke sealed the deal. Tyrel Khan was the hero for his side when he blasted his shot past Yussuf in the 83rd minute. Soesdyke were able to defend that advantage for the remaining 17 minutes to earn a date with Grove in Saturday’s final.

– ushering the festive season

By INDRAWATTIE NATRAM

T

he Zorg Sports Club, Women and Junior Arms will be hosting its first day of interaction and Christmas Village on December 20, 2015 at the Zorg Playground in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam).

The community which is located to the South of the Essequibo Coast recently hosted the inaugural Zorg Village Day in August, 2015, where members agreed to initiate several commemorative activities. The activities will not only keep the youths and elders actively involved but they are aimed at fostering togetherness and social cohesion amongst persons living in the fast growing community.

Zorg community over the years has suffered tremendously due to excessive use of alcohol by males. The sports club as such came on board in an effort to stop such trends by implementing programmes to deal with the social issue.

According to the Vice President of the Organization Arlyne Ramdatt,over the past three months, noted that the organization has collaborated with the Guyana Police Force "G"

Division, hosting several skills training and development programme for persons living within the neighbourhood. She said that those programmes, thus far have received overwhelming support from persons within the community, who are already using the training to transform their lives.

Speaking on the Christmas village day, Ramdatt said the activity is to usher the festive season of Christmas hence promoting togetherness amongst the people.

During the Christmas village there will be cultural programmes, novelty games, Santa Clause and cricket matches.

While the Christmas village is a fund raiser, the proceeds will go towards the building of an Empowerment Centre as the Organization focus to expand its function.

"While celebrations will be done in each home, this activity allows for the village to usher in the festive season in a spirit of togetherness" Ramdatt further explained.

Already residents can be seen cleaning their surroundings, drains and preparing the ground for the activity. On weekends youths can be seen at the playground participating in a game of cricket.

Mobile Wizard 10/10 Cricket

Speedboat, Settle XI, Vipers XI, Omesh XI win under lights – Savage Masters exact revenge in over-40 clash

T

he Mobile Wizard 10/10 Softball Cricket tournament, organised by the Guyana Softball League and sponsored by Mobile Wizard, Trophy Stall, Wolf’s Furniture Store, V&P Supermarket, Miss Love Trading and Rohan Furniture Establishment, saw some of the most exciting matches over the weekend at the Ruby Ground, West Coast Demerara.

Vipers XI humiliate Power XI by 38 runs Vipers XI won the toss and batted first, but were soon in trouble, as the first over brought the downfall of the two openers. However, Man of the Night and skipper, Arif Hussain, with 60 (1x4, 7x6s) off 20 balls, and Vickash Totaram, with 40 (2x4s, 4x6s), got together to put on 95 to put the side back on track. Vipers ended on 146-7 off their 10 overs.

Heraman Suknanan of Power XI was in top form with the ball, taking 6-17 in two overs.

In Power XI’s turn at the

crease, they lost their first wicket with the score on 35.

Amit Hussain’s quick and accurate bowling resulted in four quick wickets that had a telling effect on the score. He was devastating in claiming 5-16 off his two overs, and Power XI were all out for 108 in 9.5 overs, with only Shane Sookmangal showing any sign of coping, but he departed for 20 (2x4s,1x6) . Vipers XI have now opened up the race for a quarter-final berth with this victory.

Omesh XI gain a narrow victory over Leonora Youths by 3 runs in nail-biter Omesh XI held their nerve to achieve a narrow victory over Leonora Youths in a battle that left the spectators in a quandary. Omesh XI won the toss and batted, scoring 120-5 in their 10 overs. That target was thought of as enough to gain them victory, but Leonora Youths, who started to show fight late, had other ideas. However, three runouts in the last over when they needed just eight took

Arif Hussain on the go during his swashbuckling 60

all the fight out of them.

They ended on 117-7, with Skipper Imtiaz Hack leading the scoring with 47 (5x4s).

Extras on both sides contributed heavily.

Nevertheless, Leonora showed that they can be a handful when it comes to the big arena and sent a warning to the others.

Settle XI outplay Crossbreed Warriors XI to remain unbeaten This match was a clash

of the unbeaten teams and Settle XI kept their record intact, as they held their nerve to achieve victory. Crossbreed Warriors XI batted first and rattled up a challenging 106 -9.

Mahendra Persaud, with 28(3x4s, 1x6), led the way before he was run-out. Skipper Nazim Azeem took 2-18 off his two overs.

In reply, Settle XI were on the ropes at the end of the fifth over with 5-53. But then

in strode Hakim Khan, who proceeded to blast the bowling to all parts of the field, scoring 39 off 12 balls to take his team to victory with five balls to spare.

Speedboat XI outclass Wolf’s Warriors by 5 wkts The previously unbeaten Wolf’s Warriors batted first and scored a challenging 137-6. Amrit Rae, with 48 (3x4s, 4x6s), and Vickash Dhaniram, with 31(4x4s, 1x6), led the way. Shazim Hussain was the pick of the bowlers with 3-16 from two overs.

Greg Singh, who has a penchant for big matches, started things off for Speedboat by taking 19 off the second over bowled by Imran Khan. Singh then went on to show just how it can be done with 56 (7x6, 1x4). Together with Lennox Marks, who scored 29 (1x4, 3x6s), he took Speedboat a long way to their target.

After Singh’s and Marks’ dismissal, the scoring slowed and the required rate soared, but Ganesh Narine and

Wazir Hussain in a partnership worth 29 took them to victory with just two balls to spare.

Savage Masters get past Parika Defenders In an over-40 masters exhibition, Parika Defenders won the toss and batted first, scoring 103-5, with Alim Khan scoring 35 (1x4, 3x6s) .

Hafiz Hamid took 2-21 in his two overs.

In reply, Savage Masters started briskly, but lost their first wicket with the score on 32. However, they recovered nicely owing to Skipper Nadir Baskh who played a responsible innings and remained unbeaten on 33 (3x4s, 1x6). With Troy Ramsaywack, who scored 21 (2x4s, 1x6), he ensured victory by four wickets.

The quarter-finals are billed for Saturday, January 16 under lights at a venue to be announced and much action is planned for that day.

The tournament continues this Sunday at Ruby and Leonora Primary.

guyanatimesGY.com

tuesday, december 15, 2015

23

Cricket for Unity showpiece Kwakwani hold off GTI in January at Providence in exciting final L YBG Titan Bowl VI

The successful Kwakwani team pose with their trophies and medals

K

wakwani continued their dominance of school basketball by adding another title to their large collection when they won the Youth Basketball Guyana (YBG) organised Titan Bowl VI on Sunday evening at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.

Kwakwani defeated the Government Technical Institute (GTI), who played in their first major school final in 10 years, 75-70.

The Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) squad did not hesitate to attack the paint through perimeter penetration with their explosive guards.

Despite their post play and tough defence, along with the play of Nathan Saul, GTI could not slow the offence of Kwakwani.

Stanton Rose dropped a double-double in the win for Kwakwani with 20 points and 10 rebounds along with five steals as the team’s chief

perimeter stopper.

Damair Gladstone had 18 points and six steals, while Jamal Gilkes had a double-double performance of 10 points and 11 rebounds.

Kerrol Phillips also had 10 points for Kwakwani.

Saul scored a game-high

23 points and 16 rebounds in the loss, while Sebastian Duke had 20 points for GTI in the loss.

Saul was the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the tournament with an average of 22 points and 10 rebounds.

Stanton Rose drives to the basket

Motie spins Guyana Jaguars to 5th straight win

G

and Nicholas Pooran should all be in action for an All Stars team, which will face a President’s XI under lights.

The organisers are expecting confirmation from three of the top T20 players from across the globe by early next year.

The atmosphere at Providence should be absolutely electric since the game will be broadcast live by NCN Radio’s top commentators, while three cheerleaders for each team will compete beyond the boundary by strutting their stuff to pulsating rhythms from the sound system.

Local-based players Leon Johnson, Rajendra Chandrika, Christopher Barnwell, Jonathon Foo, Veerasammy Permaul, Devendra Bishoo, Anthony Bramble, Steven Jacobs, Raymon Reifer, Jevon Searles and Shivnarine Chanderpaul should be among the names featuring in the match.

There will also be softball cricket from some of the

country’s leading teams in both male and female categories, with the softball final also being played under lights.

According to the Public Relations Officer of the event, Sean Devers, the fun will begin from as early as 10:00h and will include ferris wheel rides, trampoline and other activities for children.

Devers informed that tickets, which should go on sale early next year, will allow fans the opportunity to witness the cricket and have unlimited rides in the fun park with no additional cost.

“This is an ideal occasion to bring out the young, the old and the in-between for a New Year’s treat and come back in the evening or stay the entire day to see international cricketers display their talent in T20 cricket, which has captured the interest of many young fans who have little passion for Test cricket,” Devers noted.

He also informed that an official event launch will be held shortly.

7 races carded for KMTC’s Boxing Day meet

The season-ending seven-race card is set for December 26

WICB/PCL 4-day cricket

udakesh Motie picked up his fourth five-wicket haul in his short five-match FirstClass career to lead Guyana Jaguars to a 117-run thumping of Jamaica Scorpions in fifth round action in the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) Professional Cricket League (PCL) Four-Day competition.

Set 326 for an outright win, the Scorpions succumbed to the left-arm spin of Motie, who claimed 6-33 in 23 and a half overs. The Scorpions were dismissed for 208 moments before tea on the final day at Sabina Park.

Final scores in the match: Guyana Jaguars 189 and 282; Jamaica Scorpions 146 and 208.

Fast bowler Keon Joseph and off-spinner Steven Jacobs supported well with

egacy and 007 Promotions, in collaboration with corporate sponsors and support from the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) and the Guyana Floodlight Softball Cricket Association (GFSCA), will hold a day of fun and frolic for the entire family at the National Stadium, Providence, on Saturday, January 30.

The event will climax with a scintillating T20 cricket match under lights, involving the Caribbean’s best cricketers.

Last week, the organisers received a letter of approval from the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) for the game, which will see some of the biggest names in West Indies cricket in action for what should be a capacity crowd of more than 15,000 fans. There will be a winner’s prize of $1 million and the President’s Trophy.

T20 stars Lendl Simmons, Dwayne Smith, Darren Sammy, Andre Russell, Krishmar Santokie

two wickets each, and it was one of those rare occasions when senior left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul did not feature in the wickets column.

The victory extended Guyana Jaguars’ lead at the top of the points table, as they remain the only team

to win all five matches to date. Motie’s performance also increased his tally of wickets to 34, the most by a bowler this season.

The Four-Day competition will now take a break for the holiday season and the NAGICO Super50, and will resume in February.

SCOREBOARD Guyana Jaguars 1st innings 189 Jamaica Scorpions 1st innings 146 Guyana Jaguars 2nd innings 282 Jamaica Scorpions 2nd Innings J Campbell LBW Jacobs 26 P Palmer ct Bramble b Joseph 13 D Thomas ct & b Joseph 31 A McCarthy st wk Bramble b Jacobs 16 T Lambert ct Jacobs b Motie 30 C Baugh Jr ct & b Motie 17 R Powell ct Joseph b Motie 23

D Jacobs lbw Motie 12 S Cottrell ct Joseph b Motie 23 N Millier lbw Motie 12 M Mindley not out 2 Extras 14 Total (all out; 100.3 overs) 208 Fall of wickets: 1-35, 2-48, 3-80, 4-100, 5-137, 6-148, 7-151, 8-178, 9-197, 10-208.

Bowling: R Reifer 12-4-280, K Joseph 13-4-43-2, S Jacobs 26-8-38-2, C Barnwell 3-0-11-0, V Permaul 23-349-0, Motie 23.3-11-33-6

T

he Kennard Memorial Turf Club (KMTC) at Bush Lot Farm, Corentyne, will come alive on December 26 when it stages its annual Boxing Day horse race meet.

The seven-race card is slated to bring the curtains down on the 2015 season. It will be headlined by the C and Lower race, which will be ran for one mile and carry a top prize of $1 million.

The second- to fourthplace finishers will receive $500,000, $250,000 and $125,000 respectively.

The main supporting six-furlong race will be the

E and Lower, which will see the top horse and jockey carting off $500,000 and the runner-up collecting half that amount.

The one-mile race for G1 and Lower and Three and Four-year maidens has a winning purse of $300,000, while the H1 and Lower six-furlong showdown has $250,000 set aside for the champion.

Other races carded for the day include the J1 and Lower and Two-year-old Guyana bred, with a winning purse of $180,000, while the J3 and Lower and the K1 and Lower have a

top prize of $140,000 and $120,000 respectively.

Interested jockeys/stables/owners are required to enter their animals on or before December 19, as no late entries will be accepted.

Horses can be registered by calling Roopnarine Matadial (325-3192); Ivan Dipnarine (331-0316); Justice Cecil Kennard (623-7609, 2254818 or 226-1399); Fazal Habibulla (657-7010) or Dennis Deroop (609-9143).

The day’s activities will be in strict adherence to the rules of the Guyana Horse Racing Authority.

Toure may win African award for 5th straight year

Y

aya Toure could continue his unprecedented domination of the African Footballer of the Year accolade after being named on Monday as one of three finalists for the 2015 award.

Manchester City’s midfield powerhouse will go up against Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Andre Ayew, the Confederation of African Football announced, as he bids to win the prize for a fifth successive year.

Last year Toure, who

captained Ivory Coast to the African Nations Cup title in Equatorial Guinea in February, became the first player to win the Footballer of the Year award four times.

Toure has not played for his country since the Nations Cup but has shown signs of returning to his best after suffering a form dip with City.

Ayew was the leading figure for Ghana in Equatorial Guinea, where they finished runners-up after a penalty shootout, and also shone for

Olympique de Marseille in the second half of last season before the forward joined English Premier League Swansea City.

Gabon striker PierreEmerick Aubameyang, who like Ayew is French-born, was nominated for his goalscoring exploits in the Bundesliga with Borussia Dortmund. The winner will be decided by a vote of national coaches and technical directors and announced at a gala ceremony in Nigeria on Jan. 7. (Reuters Sport)

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

tuesday, december 15, 2015

GFA/Banks Beer Cup

Western Tigers maul Hope FC 6-0 on opening night – Police FC secure 2-1 win over East Veldt United

Pg 20

A Hope FC player (red t-shirt) does battle for the ball against two Western Tigers players (Marceano Narine photos)

WICB/PCL 4-day cricket

Cricket for Unity showpiece Motie spins in January at Providence Guyana Jaguars

to 5th straight win

Pg 23 Andre Russell

Darren Sammy

Pg 23

Krishmar Santokie

Lendl Simmons

Gudakesh Motie claimed his fourth five-wicket haul on Monday

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