Guyana Times Daily

Parfaite Harmonie Primary gets P16 new library Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana guyana-times.com

Issue No. 2827

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Friday, April 15, 2016

PRICE

GuySuCo to close LBI operations Pages 3 and 14

– 800 workers to join 1700 from Wales on breadline

“Another blow to the working class” – Jagdeo

$80 vat included

WHAT'S INSIDE: Berbice River taxis

Govt to assess P13 operation of service

– discontinuation not ruled out

Mocha, P11 Diamond access roads to get lights

Region 5 farmers sue Govt over P9 revoked land leases

The La Bonne Intention (LBI) Sugar Estate, East Coast Demerara, which will be closed later this year leaving some 800 workers on the breadline

Harmon clears air on media attacks ...says 34 political advisers appointed by APNU/AFC – jet was organised by State-owned Chinese company – GRA intervention was to preserve Guyana/China relations

Thief shot in Stabroek Market

Page 7

Changes to NGSA

Page 15

Bandit nabbed after daring supermarket robbery Page 7

Page 10

Names on papers could result in victimisation – Manickchand

No date set for by-elections in tied Local Authority P10 Areas Deadly prison riot

2 inmates reportedly died before fire – Fire P15 Officer

Security P13 beefed up outside Camp St Prison …after 13 prison officers report sick

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friDAY, APRIL 15, 2016 | guyana-times.com

news

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friDAY, APRIL 15, 2016 | guyana-times.com

BRIDGE OPENINGS The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Friday, April 15 – 12:00h-13:30h and Saturday, April 16 – 13:30h-15:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Friday, April 15 – 11:05h-12:35h and Saturday, April 16 – 12:20h-13:50h.

– 800 workers to join 1700 from Wales on breadline

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

By Devina Samaroo

WEATHER TODAY Heavy rain showers with sunny intervals can be expected throughout most of the day, while light cloud cover is expected in the afternoon and into the evening. Temperatures are expected to range between 25 degrees Celsius and 29 degrees Celsius.

Winds: Easterly to East North-easterly between 2.23 metres and 5.36 metres per second.

High Tide: 11:15h reaching a maximum height of 2.12 metres.

Low Tide: 04:43h and 17:29h reaching minimum heights of 1.17 metres and 1.06 metres respectively.

wednesday, April 13, 2016

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GuySuCo to close LBI operations

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S

ome 800 workers may lose their jobs as the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) moves to shut down the remaining operations at the La Bonne Intention (LBI) Sugar Estate, making this the second sugar estate to be closed within a year under the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) coalition government.

The two trade unions representing workers, the Guyana Agriculture and General Workers Union (GAWU) and the National Association of Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial Employees (NAACIE), met with GuySuCo on April 12 where the announcement was made; according to a joint press statement of the unions.

During the discussions, GuySuCo informed of the decision to have operations of the Field Workshop, Mill Dock, Field Lab, Stores and Administrative Offices at the LBI Estate to be merged with similar operations at the Enmore Estate, the unions stated.

In 2011, GuySuCo under the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) administration, had closed the LBI Sugar Factory however the Corporation had assured that the other operations of the Estate would remain functioning.

GAWU President Komal Chand in an invited comment to Guyana Times expressed that the Sugar Corporation has “once again changed its commitment and position”.

Both unions have since expressed utter surprise at this decision by GuySuCo. “When the LBI factory was closed and its workers were transferred to Enmore Factory, both unions were assured by a member of the current Interim Management that there will be no closure of any other department after the closure of the factory. Thus, it was never expected that the

GuySuCo to fully close LBI operations

Corporation under the same management could decide to dismantle the costly buildings at LBI Estate and end the operations which it approved about five years ago,” the unions asserted.

Though GuySuCo assured that workers will be deployed to the Enmore Estate, both unions are doubtful that fulltime and regular employment will be available.

Chand explained to Guyana Times that the Enmore Estate already has a full complement of workers therefore, it is likely it does not have the capacity to accommodate 800 more employees.

Both unions explained that during the meeting, GuySuCo did not disclose when the operations would be closed nor was vital information about employees’ future provided.

“It is a similar experience to that of Wales where the company, to date, has failed to provide full information on the status of the future of 1700 workers from Wales Estate,” the unions observed.

Earlier this year, GuySuCo announced the closure of Wales Estate by yearend and that some workers will be deployed to the Uitvlugt Estate while the others would be made redundant.

GuySuCo and the Agriculture Ministry are yet to devise a plan for the future of the affected sugar workers.

Notably, the closures of both estates follow assurances by government that no estate will be shut down any-

time soon.

In fact, following the announcement of the closure of Wales Sugar Estate, government promised that no other estate will be shut down.

The closures also come on the heels of a multimillion dollar Commission of Inquiry report which advised against closure of any sugar estate or operations at this time.

Meanwhile GAWU and NAACIE have expressed hope that the “unsavoury and oppressive” situation at the Wales Sugar Estate is not repeated at LBI Estate.

The unions are also calling on the Sugar Corporation to revisit its decision on the full closure of LBI Estate.

GuySuCo’s response

Meanwhile, GuySuCo released a statement shortly after expressing disappointment over the Union’s position.

According to the Sugar Corporation, both unions were well aware from the inception that the complete closure of the LBI was in the making.

“Since in 2011, GuySuCo, GAWU and NAACIE met

with each worker in the LBI factory over a five-day period to discuss the closure of the LBI factory and their redeployment. The factory was then closed in the same year and workers were redeployed to other positions within the Enmore Estate. In some instances, the authorised manning levels were exceeded to accommodate the workers,” the Sugar Corporation stated.

GuySuCo explained that the integration process was not fully completed, since there were still two Mill Docks, two Field Workshops, two Field Laboratories, two Field Offices and two stores within the East Demerara Estate operations.

Therefore, GuySuCo pointed out that the recent meeting was basically to discuss the completion of the integration.

In fact, the Sugar Corporation said that the process should have been completed since 2011.

Moreover, GuySuCo stated that the state of affairs must be compared with the Albion Estate which produces more than twice the amount of sugar as produced by the East Demerara Estates and operates efficiently with one Mill Dock, one Field Workshop, and one Field Laboratory.

Against this backdrop, GuySuCo said it was strange that, having been involved in the integration process over the years and having made commitments to see the completion of the process, the two unions would now issue a contradictory statement to the press.

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friDAY, APRIL 15, 2016

Views General Editor: Michael Younge News Hotliine: 231-8063 Editorial: 231-0544 223-7230,223-7231,231-0544, 225-7761 Marketing: 231-8064 Accounts: 225-6707

Mailing address: Queens Atlantic Investment Estate Industrial Site, Ruimveldt, Georgetown Email: news@guyanatimesgy.com, sales@guyanatimesgy.com

Editorial

Firm stance needed on sourcing pharmaceuticals

T

here has been a lot of debate by the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Government on the importation and distribution of medical supplies and pharmaceuticals. Its last escapade being its uncertainty about whether or not to sole source drugs – in one instance it is in favour of sole sourcing and on the next, it is condemning it.

The APNU/AFC Government has now outlined its intention to no longer facilitate the established practice of prequalifying pharmaceutical companies to supply medicines and equipment to the Ministry of Health and the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).

The Public Health Minister, Dr George Norton had told the media that the Administration was moving away from prequalifying, since he believes that the process is skewed in favour of one company and its removal would level the playing field so that smaller companies can come on board and bid for the supply of drugs. His contention was that the drugs would be divided into lots and the respective companies can bid for the different lots.

International bodies such as the World Bank (WB) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) have outlined international best practices to be used in the procurement and distribution of pharmaceuticals and equipment. One of those practices, the establishment and utilisation of prequalification, has been the golden standard for the procurement of quality pharmaceuticals and supplies.

Simply put, prequalification is a stringent procedure that evaluates the drugs being manufactured and imported by companies that submit themselves to the process. Once a company successfully meets all the required criteria established under the prequalification process, it joins a list of international suppliers who are automatically prequalified and against which the local entity will have to bid. This list includes the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO); Inter-American Development Bank (IDB); United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF); WHO and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

The “prequalification process” for suppliers or contractors is used

by Governments across the world and was introduced here by the Procurement Act of 2003. For certain types of goods and services, especially of a complex and detailed nature as pharmaceuticals, the prequalified suppliers reduce the administrative burden by obviating the need for assessing tenders for each batch of goods.

The move by Government to now curtail the process might be an ill-advised one, taking into consideration the amount of “knock off” drugs, which have been cooked up in bottom houses and passed off as legitimate copies, entering the local economy.

By relaxing or removing the prequalification process, the Government is invariably weakening the mechanisms in place to ensure that drugs are sourced from a credible entity which has been vetted and can attest to the quality of drugs being manufactured and supplied.

Further exacerbating the situation is the fact that these overnight companies are being allowed to supply equipment and drugs when most seek out the most cost-effective avenue to do so, many a times against the best interest of the consumer.

The level of uncertainty and apparent lack of a cohesive structure on the part of the Government could spell trouble in this particular area, since a weak structure leaves room for the proliferation of sub-standard drugs and medical equipment in the economy, the consequences of which can be detrimental to the health and lives of the Guyanese people.

Last November, a company, which just has an address at Parika, with no sign of employees or business activity, won its first solesourced contract to supply $35.1 million in HIV rapid test kits for the Public Health Ministry. The company, Caribbean Medical Supplies Inc, has just recently been awarded another sole-sourced contract to supply $135 million worth of medical equipment such as Biohit Pipette Tips and Devices; Nova Express Test Strips; two sets of Beckman Coulter Reagents and Becton Dickenson Syringes, needles and tubes.

In fact, Minister Norton, in addressing the observations made about the credibility of the company to deliver such large contracts, had said: “I must tell you that my Cabinet colleagues, they argued strongly against that particular company, because people wanted to know why is it that this company only formed in 2013, have a large proportion of contracts. I don’t know anything about this company, where it was formed and so on except for the fact that they were recommended by NPTAB [National Procurement and Tender Administration Board].”

This just serves as an example of what is already happening; should the prequalification criteria be changed to reflect the inclusion of entities not credible enough to provide the requisite drugs, then God help us all.

Students enjoy a game of snakes and ladders at the new library in Parfaite Harmonie Primary School

Freddie misunderstands Trotman and grovels for job Dear Editor, This is in reference to your news item (Guyana Times April 3) quoting the controversial Freddie Kissoon (April 2) wherein Freddie claimed he viewed a videotape showing Minister Raphael Trotman uttering “racist comments against Indians at a LGE campaign meeting in Bartica”.

Freddie offered no evidence (what is new?) to substantiate his charge of racism against Trotman. People take Freddie’s claims with a pound a salt since they are unbelievable.

When I read Freddie’s claim against Trotman, I did not place much credibility in it because the discredited columnist has had a reputation of misunderstanding, misstating, and misreporting what he reads or views, and of misinforming and falsifying data. (As an aside, this is one of several reasons why Freddie was denied PhD at University of Toronto and sent back to Guyana).

Lo and behold, on April 8, Freddie admitted that he misunderstood and misreported Trotman’s “racist” statement.

Sources say Freddie’s job (as a columnist and as letter editor) was threatened unless he disavowed everything he wrote about Trotman that he saw on the tape. Freddie did not want to lose his meagre income. Freddie grovelled profusely apologising to Trotman and promising never again to write anything negative against the minister or the government.

That is the nature of Freddie when it comes to his livelihood – self-gain trumps principles, honesty and intellectual integrity, a continuation of his behaviour from the 1970s.

As an aside, when a number of us were publicly opposing National Service and organised student strikes on the Corentyne against the victimization of teachers, Freddie did not support the movement fearing it would hurt his chance of getting a Burnham scholarship. So he did not oppose National Service or joined the protest against rapes committed on several national service participants, and Freddie did not provide solidarity, unlike Walter Rodney, Eusi Kwayana and Rupert Roopnaraine, among others, to striking students and teachers on the Corentyne.

On the videotape issue, Freddie claimed that Trotman appealed to Africans and Mixed “to vote race” and not to “split their vote” away from APNU/ AFC to competing African groups. Freddie claimed that Trotman stated that there were no competing Indian groups against PPP and as such the Indians would not split their vote.

The truth of the matter is some Indians in Bartica did vote for APNU-AFC in the LGE and a large number also voted for the APNUAFC in the 2015 general elections helping to trigger the defeat of the PPP/C. Indians also split their vote in 2011 when Moses Nagamootoo defected from the PPP and linked up with AFC. But in general, Indians vote ethnic analogous to how Africans and most Mixed vote ethnic.

Africans largely did not vote for PPP or any other Indian group or split their vote. In spite of the abuses heaped on the nation by the PNC between 1965 and 1992, Africans did not split their vote in 1992, reject-

ing Clive Thomas WPA and sticking with PNC. Appealing to members of a group to vote ethnic is not in and of itself racist. All ethnic leaders in Guyana and around the globe appeal to ethnicity.

Donald Trump has been appealing on ethnicity and attacking other ethnic groups to win the republican nomination.

Barack Obama appealed to ethnicity to win the Democratic nomination in 2008.

Daniel Arap Moi appealed to ethnicity in Kenya.

Ethnic appeal is the nature of politics in all multi-ethnic societies including America.

Freddie interpreted Trotman’s election race appeal campaign rhetoric as “racist”. Merely appealing to vote race is not racist. But attacking or demeaning an ethnic group is racist and Trump, like Burnham, were branded as racist for their prejudice.

Freddie offered no evidence that Trotman denigrated Indians. Denying people their ethnic food or religious freedom is racist or confiscating their land and giving same to their supporters. Burnham and several PNC leaders were guilty of such policies, and as such were/are racist.

Trotman is on record, when he was a member of the PNC, of calling on the PNC executive to apologise to Indians for its racist policy. Trotman was excommunicated from the PNC and linked up with Khemraj Ramjattan who himself was expelled from the PPP, and Sheila Holder who was excommunicated from the WPA to form the AFC. It is difficult, therefore, to accept that Trotman

would attack Indians. And although Freddie offered no evidence that Trotman did attack Indians, it is disappointing that Trotman appealed to “Africans and Mixed not to split their vote because Indians would not split their vote”. The AFC was supposed to be the party that does not campaign on race and that holds the key to open the lock on race voting.

Freddie claimed that Trotman stated that he and Granger met in Nassau, Bahamas, around 2005 and concocted a plan on how to split the Indian vote to defeat the PPP. It is not clear if teaming up with Ramjattan was part of that plan to split the Indian vote or that the strategy itself is racist. The Indian vote did split in 2011 when Nagamootoo defected from the PPP, causing it to lose its majority. The PPP/C lost power in May 2015 when the AFC linked up with the PNC. The PPP’s unwillingness to compromise with Nagamootoo led to its loss of majority in 2011.

And PPP’s refusal to reconcile with Nagamootoo and Ralph Ramkarran (who was excommunicated in 2012) led to its loss of power in 2015.

Freddie concluded that Trotman does not belong to the politics of the future because of his race appeal.

Freddie did not make a convincing case with supporting evidence. If Trotman uttered denigrating remarks against Indians or other groups, then he must be punished. And Freddie should not grovel coming across as a coward.

Yours truly, Vishnu Bisram

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

Power struggles of a regime Coalition can’t help you Bharat!

Dear Editor, There is clearly a great power struggle happening amongst the ranks of the APNU+AFC regime, with Nagamootoo and Ramjattan seeing an opening and are bent on going for blood.

The catalyst for this entire episode was the announcement that Minister of State Joseph Harmon had appointed Brian Tiwari to the position of Advisor of Business.

The PNC/APNU rank and file reacted harshly to this political appointment.

They, of course, had heard so many negative things about Tiwari when the party was in opposition. Now, the man has become a ‘big shot’ overnight, travelling with a diplomatic passport with Minister Harmon on a ‘business’ trip to China.

The reaction was so sharp that the regime’s officials began shouting ‘it wasn’t me’. The President himself claimed he did not know about this arrangement, thus his resulting action of rescinding the appointment.

Nagamootoo, sensing an opening, and believing that Harmon was wounded, immediately followed the President’s reaction, stating, too, that ‘I didn’t know.’ The motive was to sink Harmon even further.

Nagamootoo’s desire for power knows no bounds.

Same goes for Ramjattan.

It is interesting to note that the Kaieteur News seems to be launching daily attacks on Harmon as well. The question that must be asked is why?

Clearly, Glen Lall feels slighted that Tiwari was bestowed with such an important status, while he, who was responsible for churning all the distortions, half-truths and

downright lies against the PPP/C administration, was not treated in the same manner.

Jealousy now seems to be the main motivating factor in this case. Lall is obviously hurt because he spread so many lies about the PPP/C administration, causing obvious damage to that party’s reputation and character. Now Tiwari is being given more prestige by the APNU+AFC. M e a n w h i l e , Nagamootoo and Ramjattan called a meeting of the AFC, which they described as a ‘retreat’.

Sensing their chances, they are once again going for the jugular.

They have advanced the notion that Harmon has too much power (this is Nagamootoo’s chance to grab even more power). The way was to weaken Harmon. This is not the only fight taking place.

Within the APNU/PNC ranks, some elements are seeking to make Harmon the ‘sacrificial lamb’ to promote their own fortunes.

Basil Williams also, judging by his comments (and the manner in which he said it), seems to be subtly indicating that he is opposed to Tiwari’s political appointment by Harmon.

Harmon, being General Secretary of the APNU, has diluted Williams’ authority as Chairman of the PNC. Political observers have long suspected that there is no lost love between these two gentlemen.

Williams also has ambitions to climb to the political summit.

Another angle that we should not lose sight of is the Trotman factor.

Freddie Kissoon had reported that in a speech at

Bartica, Trotman had declared that the prodigal son had returned (a subtle hint that he had never left the PNC). The manner in which he formed the AFC was really a trap to lure Nagamootoo and Ramjattan to leave the ranks of the PPP. He worked on their egos and thirst for power. And the fools they were, fell neatly into the net set for them.

Trotman seems to be getting closer to Granger and would also like to damage Harmon’s character so that he can replace him.

So with Harmon seemingly wounded, the vultures are circling, waiting to move in for the kill.

However, Harmon may be down, but not out. Over the weekend, he organised a counter-picket, hailing him as being not corrupt. He has fired back at Kaieteur News by instigating a protest outside the office of that newspaper.

While these fights are taking place, they have revealed one essential fact.

This is clearly a fight for the spoils. Everyone wants to be in a position of power in order to extract as much as possible for themselves.

It reveals that the government as a whole is extremely corrupt and the situation will only get worse.

Now that Nagamootoo and Ramjattan have shown their hands, we await their next move.

Will they push ahead in alliance with a faction of the APNU to destroy Harmon? And if Harmon fights back just as strong, will they retreat?

Let’s see how this fight for spoils plays out.

Sincerely, Former President Donald Ramotar

Dear Editor, I read a letter in the press recently written by Pitchan Bharat and captioned “Why is Royston King allowed to behave like this?” in which he expresses his disappointment as a staunch supporter of the Alliance For Change (AFC), at the behaviour of Royston King, who was installed by the coalition Government, as it relates to the erection of a stall between Robb Street and North Road which he constructed at a cost of a little over 3/4 million dollars, and which King has ordered him to cease all work on and dismantle the structure.

According to Bharat, he applied for and was granted permission to erect this stall which has created employment of nine persons, of which five are African youths that the coalition Government promised jobs and which he contributes for, that little space, $300,000 annually to the

city’s coffers.

He is puzzled to sort out the rationale behind the decision-making process whereby approval is granted for construction of a stall and after the work is almost completed, instructions are issued for it to be demolished.

What Pitchan Bharat fails to realise is that he is a friend of the AFC and the coalition Government but not necessarily a friend of Royston King, who is a law unto himself.

Has he forgotten what King did to the Georgetownbased Pan African Movement, headed by Dr Jocelyn Loncke, when he used the Council’s workforce to demolish two concrete walls constructed by that body and towed away a 20-ft container from the facility which they had acquired from former Mayor Hamilton Green, even as the Movement had big plans for utilising the land leased

to them, and then turned around and gave a nearby prime spot to the operators of the Jerk Hut, friends of his?

Is Mr Bharat unaware of what King did to 20 vendors who plied their trade outside the old Bedford School on Bourda Street, in Georgetown just after the School was purchased by a wealthy businessman who wanted it torn down and the area cleared up?

And this is just in the Bourda area alone. Clearly Bharat’s stall would be in competition with the new stalls built by King and leased out to his cohorts around the Bourda Market.

If Pitchan Bharat is serious about having a stall there then he has to forget about his acquaintance with the AFC and the Coalition Government, and go and talk to King properly.

Sincerely, Jermain Johnson

Misinterpretation of GFC audit Dear Editor, I refer to Anand Goolsarran’s forensic audit of the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC). It is apparent that the Kaieteur News and David Hinds seem to have corrupt and hidden agendas when it comes to the GFC forensic report as no mention of corruption was made by Mr Anand Goolsarran. But their continued rambling on corruption identified in the GFC’s forensic report is proof that they have hidden agendas. A

perusal of Mr Goolsarran’s report shows it has not mentioned any corruption at the GFC, rather he praised the work of the Commission.

Please refer to Section 5.2.18 where he stated that he is of the view that the Commission’s interpretation of its mandate is consistent with the Forest Act and that the Commission has been properly organised to discharge its responsibilities.

I am quite sure that David Hinds of the Working People’s Alliance (WPA) and

Wilburg were aware of the state of affairs of the country prior to 1992, where no national accounts report was tabled in the National Assembly for 10 years. Yes, Hinds and Wilburg should take that and figure out the kind of corruption, rather than trying to twist Mr Goolsarran’s professional report. But these two mocking birds are trying to get the attention of the public.

Yours sincerely, Peter Persaud

Social cohesion is built on justice

Dear Editor, Peter Persaud should understand social cohesion is built on justice. Not on reinforcing injustices and giving

preferences to some groups.

Economic justice is equally important as social and cultural justice.

Read the Universal

Declaration Rights.

of

Human

Sincerely, Eric M Phillips Jr

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friDAY, april 15, 2016

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Foundation

By Kate F Hays, PhD

about nothing. Go for an ice cream.

What happens instead? Typically, parents assume this is the teachable moment, the time to tell their children what they did wrong and what they should do to fix it.

S

cene: the year-end recital at a music school. Nine-year-old Sarah (as I’ll call her) steps onto the stage and walks over to the piano.

With worry in her eyes, she scans the audience of eager parents and friends, then turns back to the piano. Hesitantly, she starts her piece, pauses…and starts again. She stumbles through to the end and walks from the stage, head down.

As families later stream out of the music school, Stan, her father – newly arrived in town as principal of a prestigious school – hisses at her: “You have shamed me; you have shamed the school.”

True story….I was one of those leaving the music school at that moment and overheard his comment.

It’s a pretty dramatic example of how not to give your child feedback. It does, though, illustrate aspects of what we all do: We identify with our child’s performance and we communicate with them at the first possible moment.

Who’s performing?

We care – passionately – about how our child is performing. That identification is great – our child matters to us more than any other child. But: a central aspect of helping our children become their own people is to differentiate between ourselves and them. That task is our job, not theirs.

Stan may have always wished to play the piano; he may have messed

guyana-times.com

How about a different approach?

I recommend that you and your child develop a plan ahead of time for when to review their performance. Over and over, I hear children look for a break before this discussion, whether it’s two hours or the next day. When children and parents can agree on a time to review, everyone’s much happier – and the opportunity for constructive learning is markedly increased.

up some of his performances; he’s no doubt really uptight about his new role.

That’s his stuff to deal with – not to lay on Sarah.

Sometimes as parents we lose sight of the fact that our children are just that: children. They have their own reasons for engaging in this performance area.

What they need from us is systematic support to help them continue this learning process and to recognise of their accomplishment.

While the end-of-year recital or final game of the season may be the most dramatic moment for assessing children’s accomplishments, some approaches can be useful for any game or practice.

And as far as that goes, we adults

can apply these lessons to our own performance, too.

Two things are vital to this review: timing and content.

When do you review a performance?

Right after a performance, people are filled with emotion. Being human, we tend to focus on what went wrong, what we flubbed…or just the feeling of relief that it’s all over. Because this is a time of heightened feeling, it’s exactly the wrong time to attempt any rational assessment.

When I ask children what they’d like to do on that ride home from a game, or just after a performance, they tend to say: I want to listen to music. Text a friend. Stare out the window and think

What do you talk about?

The three questions Here are three questions that parents can discuss with their children.

These questions help people reflect and learn from the activity. They give direction for future action. They’re good questions for discussion between child and parent.

1. What went well?

2. What did I learn – or re-learn?

3. What do I want to do differently next time?

Some people find it helpful to write down the responses, so that the learning can become cumulative.

These ideas apply, whether it’s end of season or the middle of things, whether you’re a child or an adult, and regardless of your area of performance. (psychologytoday.com)

By Denise Cummins, PhD

I

n a recent Huffington Post blog post, parenting author Sarah OckwellSmith claimed parents should not insist that their children apologise because doing so will make them “less kind and thoughtful”. She justifies this claim by making additional claims about the development of Theory of Mind reasoning (TOM) in children. She states emphatically that: Young children have a very underdeveloped ‘theory of mind’. In essence, this means that they have a hard time understanding the viewpoint of others. They struggle to understand how others are feeling, particularly if it differs from what they themselves are feeling… Toddlers and preschoolers are notoriously lacking in empathy skills…

She goes on to claim that, since young children can’t yet feel empathy, their apologies can be nothing more than lies: Why does empathy matter when it comes to saying “sorry”? Because it implies that the child feels bad for what they have done, and in order to feel bad they have to understand how they have made another feel...If they have poor empathy skills (as is normal for this age), they will not have such a train of thought…Forcing the child to apologise in this instance doesn’t make the child sorry; in fact, all it does is force them to lie.

This blog post was so popular that it was shared on Facebook over 3500 times. There is only one small problem: None of the claims made are true.

Let’s start with her claims regarding Theory of Mind. This refers to the ability to attribute mental states – beliefs, intentions, desires, pretending, knowledge, etc – to oneself and others, and to understand that others have beliefs, desires, intentions, and perspectives that are different from one’s own. Even toddlers empathise with others, know that others can hold preferences different from their own preferences, and engage freely in pretence play. What causes them trouble is reasoning about other people’s false beliefs.

(psychologytoday.com)

To be continued

news

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friDAY, APRIL 15, 2016 | guyana-times.com

DNA results confirm body is indeed missing British teen’s robbing and murdering the teenager who had close to £2000 and a quantity of camera equipment. They admitted collecting the teen from the Airport on October 14, 2015 and on their way to Berbice, they stopped along Sheriff Street where they ate and drank a few beers.

The confession led to the arrest of three other persons, one of whom was Jameel

Murder accused, Aaron Hing

Murdered teen: Dominic Bernard

Murder accused, Staymon George

ll doubts have been laid to rest after DNA testing confirmed the body found at Nurney Village, Corentyne, Berbice is that of British teen Dominic Bernard.

Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum late Thursday evening confirmed that the DNA results were collected and proved to be that of the young man who went missing on the night he arrived in Guyana.

He stated that although Krystal Thomas, Sinfinee Henry and Jameel Sinclair have been granted bail by

the High Court, the two main perpetrators Aaron Hing and Staymon George are on remand.

Now that DNA testing has confirmed that the remains are that of the teenager, the Police will hand over them to the family to make funeral arrangements.

The 18-year-old was collected upon his arrival at the Cheddi Jagan international Airport (CJIA) in October last by Hing, his Godbrother, of Kildonan village, Corentyne, Berbice, but he vanished after that night.

The relatives of the teen-

ager made a missing person’s report three months later.

Two days after the report was made, the Godbrother disappeared, raising suspicions.

Hing was arrested at a house in Timehri, East Bank Demerara and Staymon George, who also became a person of interest, was arrested in Georgetown. One day after the arrest, a body suspected to be that of the missing teenager was discovered in a shallow grave at Kildonan.

Following the discovery, they both confessed to

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Bandit nabbed after daring supermarket robbery

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oments after committing a daring robbery at Cornelia Ida, West Coast Demerara on Wednesday, one of the suspected bandits was intercepted by D Division (West Demerara) Police ranks in a minibus.

According to information received, about 19:00h on Wednesday, 39-year-old Alam Hussain was in the process of closing his supermarket when he was attacked by three men, one of whom was armed with a gun.

The three men held the businessman at gunpoint and relieved him of $4000 and a laptop computer before making good their escape. Reports are immediately after the robbery, Police were alerted and based on information received, ranks arrested one of the perpetrators who had boarded a minibus in the area.

Speaking with Guyana Times, Hussain related that while the men were not masked, it would be difficult for him to identify them as Wednesday was the first time he saw them. He added that the men wore hats that partially blocked their faces.

“They had on hats, all

three of them, but the two the Police have to catch had their hats on in a way you can barely see their faces. They catch a minibus and come here and I guess that is how they leave by catching minibus. My supermarket has a security camera and when the Police come they took the footage and run it and were able to make out the man they have arrested, but the other two covered their heads with the hats so their faces aren’t too clear,” the businessman stated.

Nevertheless, Hussain praised the Police ranks for

their quick response to the robbery and for nabbing one of the perpetrators.

“The Police came within five minutes and traced them.

They were really quick and managed to catch one of them so I thank them. Someone in the village here at CI also called me today to tell me how they find my laptop on the road at the other side of our scheme, so they bringing it back for me,” Hussain also noted.

The suspect remains in custody, assisting with the investigation.

Sinclair who took investigators aback the Nurney Village where he claimed he was instructed to hide several components of the teen’s camera.

Shortly after, the Guyana Police Force charged Hing, 22; George, 23; Thomas, 20; Henry, 39, and Sinclair, 20, for the murder. They were remanded to prison on the indictable charge.

However, on Tuesday, Thomas, Henry and Sinclair were granted bail by the High Court after an application was filed on their behalf.

The petition was heard and granted by Justice Priya Sewnarine-Beharry at the Demerara High Court in the sum of $300,000 each, and the trio was instructed to report to the Whim Police Station on a regular basis.

Thief shot in Stabroek Market

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The man broke into an electronics outlet at the Stabroek Market

28-year-old man who was caught stealing in an electronics outlet at the Stabroek Market on Thursday sustained a single gunshot to his left leg after trying to attack Constabulary ranks with a knife.

The man, who identified himself as Delwar Booker of South Sophia Squatting Area, Greater Georgetown, is currently nursing his wounds under Police guard at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation.

It was reported that about 02:30h, the Constabulary received information relating to a disturbance within the city

market so a team that makes regular checks immediately responded.

Checks revealed that security padlocks on the south-western end of the market had been breached.

Further checks revealed that one of the stalls – Electronics City – had been broken into.

Upon discovery of this, the ranks initially called out to the suspect and demanded that he relieve himself of all weapons and exit the stall. That was when the man is said to have emerged with the knife and advanced on the ranks. Despite warnings he persisted in advancing, so one round was thus

discharged, hitting the suspect in his leg.

A haversack containing a number of stolen items, which included valuable cellphones, was removed from the scene. A number of tools used in the break-in were also found at the site, among them crowbars, pliers and scissors.

Operators of the Electronics City stall expressed gratitude over the Constabulary’s quick response. They said had the suspect gotten his way, he would have carted off more than $2 million in electronic items.

Investigations are continuing into the matter.

8 news

friDAY, APRIL 15, 2016 | guyana-times.com

IN THE COURTS

Abusive language lands Eyew tness husband, wife in court Killing them – wife begs Magistrate to be lenient to husband slowly...

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alkarran Narine and Yoshoda Narine from Marias Lodge Village, Essequibo Coast, ended up in court following a quarrel at home which escalated to abusive language being hurdled. The husband and wife made their appearance before magistrate

Sunil Scarce on Thursday at the Suddie Magistrate’s Court.

It is alleged that Balkarran Narine on 10 April made use of abusive language to the annoyance of Yoshoda Narine. After the charge was read, the husband pleaded not guilty.

Even as the Magistrate was reading the charge, Yoshoda Narine began begging for the court to be lenient on her husband.

She also begged the court to dismiss the matter since she will not be offering any evidence against her husband.

When questioned by the Magistrate as to the reasons why she wanted the matter dismissed the woman explained that for her children’s sake she doesn’t want to pursue the case.

As such the case against Balkarran Narine was discharged.

Wakenaam man slapped with illegal fuel possession charge

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truck driver from Bell Plaine, Wakenaam Island, Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), was arraigned on an illegal possession charge on Thursday before Magistrate Sunil Scarce at the Suddie Magistrate’s

Court.

Beemaul (only name) is accused of having 150 gallons of diesel in his possession on December 15, 2015 without authorisation from the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA).

The 48-year-old truck

driver pleaded not guilty to the charge and told the court he was in the process of settling the issue with the Guyana Energy Agency (GEA).

The GEA officer who was present in court told the Magistrate that indeed the

matter was being discussed in an effort to resolve the issue.

As such, Beemaul was placed on $50,000 bail and the case was transferred to the Wakenaam Magistrate’s Court. It will come up for hearing on May 25.

Nigerian jailed for felony

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hief Magistrate Ann McLennan on Thursday jailed a Nigerian for two counts of conspiracy to commit a felony.

Mohamed Lainie Samara pleaded guilty to both charg-

es, the first of which stated that between April 6 and 10 at Moleson Creek, Corentyne with intent to defraud, he conspired with persons known or unknown to him to fake a passport with name Addie Wayne

Johnson, knowing same to be false.

The other charge stated that on the same day at Moleson Creek, he also presented to an immigration officer a fake national identification card.

The prosecution contended that Samara arrived in Guyana from St Lucia and was granted four months stay by immigration. According to the prosecution, Samara was heading to Suriname when he tendered his passport at Moleson Creek Immigration and it was realised that the passport number matched another person’s identity.

Samara told the Court that he was heading to Suriname when some people heard his accent and asked him if he was from

Georgetown. He said that he did not understand what they meant and they subsequently offered to get him a passport and an identification card for him to transact business. His lawyer, Attorney-at-Law Paul Fung-A-Fat told the Court that his client had a valid St Lucia passport and was a labourer and painter in St Lucia. He added that his client had three children and his wife was eight months pregnant. As such, Samara was fined $100,000 for each charge with an alternative of three weeks’ imprisonment. Fung-A-Fat opted for his client to serve his sentence and for his passport to be returned so he could return to his home in St Lucia; this request was granted by the Chief Magistrate.

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...by taxation

t’s no secret our economy’s on the rocks. Even President Granger – who’d be the last person to badmouth the economy while he’s in charge – admitted the “six sisters” – sugar, rice, bauxite, gold, diamond and forestry – show signs of “anaemia”. And we know he’s putting the best face to what’s going down. Now with all the pungent criticisms they’d made while in Opposition about the PPP’s handling of the economy, you’d think the Government would give their right arm to create SOME bright spot on the economic front, won’t you?

Well...you’ve just gone and wasted a thought, Dear Reader. In fact, in the area of manufacturing – which hadn’t contracted anaemia as yet – they’ve just gone and sucked out the blood from one sector that’s sure to lead to the same result. Lassitude and slow death. Your Eyewitness is talking about the new Government’s high taxes on alcohol.

Now we all know about what alcohol can do to people in general – and us in Guyana in particular. So none of us complain when the Government taxes alcohol way above that they slap on other items. Along with cigarettes, such taxes are called “sin taxes” to signal how folks look at the item being penalised. The theory is the Government’s killing two birds with one stone: collecting higher revenues while discouraging alcohol consumption through the higher prices.

Your Eyewitness has his doubts about the last premise – that the demand for alcohol is “elastic”. Meaning folks will cut down their drinking when the prices are raised – ain’t gonna happen. Lushes gotta have their high! So strike one for the taxman. The problem is not all alcohol is of the “sin” type. A whole lotta alcohol have very positive uses. Did you know there’s alcohol in most cough syrups?

In many other medicines! In your mouthwash? In your splash-on for that “tingly” after-shave feeling? It’s all because alcohol’s a better solvent than water for the medicine and other substances that’re good for you.

This kind of alcohol’s called “neutral spirits” and is 96% pure alcohol...it’ll knock out an elephant!! Now while even the previous Government insisted on taxing the neutral spirits used for manufacturing the medicines etc...this administration didn’t just reject their pleas, but actually raised the taxes from 40% to 60%!! And wouldn’t listen to the pleas of the manufacturers.

The irony is the Government doesn’t tax neutral spirits coming in from TT – so it’s now cheaper to import! So it’s either shut down local manufacturing or import spirits.

Does this Government think it’s a “sin” to drink medicine? Or slap on aftershave?

...by dictat

Minister of Communities Bulkan complained of the PPP being “power drunk”. So what does he think of Georgetown’s Town Clerk, Royston King? Even since the Government changed, the letters pages’ve been filled by charges of one sort or another about Royston King throwing his weight around. And then some! But you gotta hand it to Royston – he’s an equal opportunity bully.

Pan African Monument at Merriman Mall demolished?

Ask Royston why – and also who benefited? Rural vendors thrown out of their expansive spots on the said Mall and herded to huddle in microscopic cages? Ask Royston... and also who benefited? The litany of Royston’s excesses would be longer than “War and Peace” if put down on paper.

So how does this guy get away with it? Isn’t there a new regime in Local Government to get rid of fellas like Royston? Well, Bulkan’s kept the status quo – read Royston King – by not constituting a Local Government Commission.

The more things change...

...through stereotyping

After a hiatus, did you check out the mug shots of those convicted of “Driving Under the Influence”? DUI? Nothing’s changed, has it? Still all Berbicians. It is only Berbicians who drink and drive?

Turns out only info from Berbice’s collected and sent to the media!

What say you, Berbician Ramjattan?

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

news

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friDAY, APRIL 15, 2016 | guyana-times.com

Region 5 farmers sue Govt over revoked land leases

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group of West Coast Berbice rice farmers has filed another lawsuit, this time against Government after it was recently announced that President David Granger has ordered the cancellation of their land leases.

Last year farmers Phillip Johnson, Rupert Blackman and Rawle Miller had filed legal action against the Mahaica Mahaicony Abary/ Agricultural Development Authority (MMA/ADA), challenging the cancellation of State Land Leases in Rear of Seafield, West Coast Berbice.

The farmers claimed that the leases were granted by former President Donald Ramotar and only the Head of State has the right to make such a cancellation.

After months of hearing, former Chief Justice Ian Chang in February quashed the cancellation of the leases in favour of the farmers.

However, the farmers said they were subsequently informed by General Manager of MMA/ADA Aubrey Charles that President Granger has cancelled their leases. They referred to a notice that was published in Stabroek News on 18 March under the heading “Cancellation of State Land Leases Seafield and No. 40 Villages, West Coast Berbice”.

The publication stated: “Notice is hereby given that His Excellency, the President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana has cancelled all State land leases as described in the Schedules.” According

are asking the court to grant a series of orders by declaring that the cancellation of the leases of “State Land for Agriculture Purpose issued under Section 3(b) of the State Lands Act, Chapter 62:01,

The Region Five rice farmers filed the lawsuit after the cancellation of their land leases was announce

to the three farmers, their leases were among those published in the two schedules.

This caused Johnson, Blackman and Miller to file another Motion, this time challenging the President’s revocation of their leases. The court action was filed in the Const itutional and Administrativ e Division of the High Court on Wednesday and names the Attorney General and MMA/ ADA respondents in the matter.

A date is yet to be fixed for hearing of the matter.

In the Motion, the farmers

and in accordance with the Mahaica/Mahaicony Abary Agricultural Development Authority Act No. 27 of 1977… is contrary to and in violation of Article 142 of the Constitution of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is unlawful, null, void and of no effect”.

They are also requesting the court to declare that, “the decision of the President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana cancelling Lease of State Land for Agriculture Purpose… amounts to the

compulsorily acquisition of the Applicant’s leasehold interest thereof without the prompt payment of any or adequate compensation as is guaranteed by Article 142 of the Constitution of Guyana”.

Additionally, the farmers are seeking damages in excess of $5,000,000 for breach of the Applicant’s fundamental rights and freedoms as guaranteed by Articles 142 and 153 of the Constitution of Guyana.

They are also seeking exemplary damages and special damages. Johnson is asking for special damages in the sum of $692,500 and continuing for every rice crop; while Blackman is seeking $619,000 and continuing for every rice crop and Miller, $346,500 and continuing for every rice crop.

The three farmers are further seeking a Conservatory Order from the court prohibiting servants and/or agents of the MMA/ADA from entering upon, remaining, occupying or in any manner whatsoever interfering with the Applicants’ quiet and peaceful possession, occupation and enjoyment of their leases, as well as any other such Orders or such Writs and such directions as the Court may consider appropriate for the purpose of enforcing or securing the enforcement of Article 142 of the Constitution of Guyana.

Mahaicony dormitory receives much-needed supplies

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ndigenous students at the Mahaicony dormitory in Region Five (MahaicaBerbice) can now focus on their upcoming examinations, as the problems associated with the lack of adequate food has been alleviated. Guyana Times was informed that on Monday, food supplies such as chicken, eggs, sausages and vegetables were transported to the facility which houses 20 students; all from the Indigenous community of Moraikabi, located some 10km up the Mahaicony River.

The publication understands that “officials” prom-

ised that these supplies will be delivered on a weekly basis. This publication was further informed that these officials are expected to visit the facility some time soon.

The students who are currently residing at the facility range in age from 12-16 and currently attend Mahaicony, Hope, Belladrum, Novar and Bygeval Secondary Schools.

Four of the 20 are in preparations for their CXC examinations.

Two weeks ago, 25 pounds of fish, one bag of potatoes and a quantity of sausages were supplied to the dormitory. On

Saturday night, all that remained however was some of the potatoes, which was insufficient to feed the 22 residents, inclusive of the two guardians.

Guyana Times had reported on Sunday that even though the current batch of students moved into the facilities in October, there were deteriorating conditions at the premises which needed to be addressed. It was revealed that one side of the compound’s fence was damaged and repairs were also needed to the piping system.

Information reaching this newspaper indicated that offi-

cials from the region and the Education Ministry visited the facility over three weeks ago and promised that the many concerns raised would be addressed.

Rehabilitation of R/veldt Industrial Site roads to commence soon

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The damaged road at Ruimveldt Industrial Site

onstruction of the roads in Ruimveldt Industrial Site, Georgetown, are to commence soon, according to Town Clerk Royston King.

According to King as of Thursday, the Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC) workers began dismantling illegal structures and other encumbrances from around the Industrial Site, which he said were contributing to the deterioration of the roads.

On Tuesday, the M&CC issued a 48-hour ultimatum for businesses in the area to voluntarily remove illegal structures on the reserves; however, that ultimatum seemingly was ignored.

As such on Thursday council workers, armed with heavyduty equipment and blow torches swooped down on the area and began dismantling the structures and removing containers that were wantonly parked around.

King present on site, reiterated that the council was there “to remove these materials from the council’s space”.

He explained that the “carelessly-parked” containers were dangerous to persons who used the area, including children of a nearby daycare centre.

The encumbrances, including a number of abandoned heavy-duty equipment were dismantled and transported to

the Princes Street compound of M&CC, while excavators removed the containers.

King pointed out that these areas such as the ‘island’ are illegally fenced off by businessmen who use the space for their personal benefit. This act he said is unfair to other businesses in the area.

The roads in the area have been in deplorable conditions for many years, leading to damages of numerous vehicles that must traverse the area daily.

Businesses within the Industrial Site had, just recently, expressed frustration over the deplorable conditions of the roads, with some of them citing customers’ reluctance to visit their establishments due to the impassable roads.

The affected manufactures had complained that the maintenance cost to upkeep their fleet of vehicles traversing the area daily had risen exponentially due to damages caused as a result of the bad roads.

Several business entities, told this newspaper that they had lobbied endlessily to no avail for years to the previous administration, and city council for the roads to be rehabilitated.

On Thursday, several of these entities thank the town clerk for his intervention into the issue. The western part of the Industrial Site roads have already been repaired.

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guyanatimesgy.com

friDAY, april 15, 2016

News Changes to NGSA

Names on papers could result in victimisation – Manickchand

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eople’s Progressive Party (PPP) Member of Parliament and former Education Minister Priya Manickchand has again lashed out at Government over the “real” changes made to the format of the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA), noting that it could lead to subjectivity.

The NGSA, expected to be written by more than 14,000 students across the country in a matter of two weeks, now requires students to inscribe their names on the examination paper along with their identification/registration numbers.

Manickchand suggested that the move to change the format and layout of the exam from the way it has been done for decades, could be an attempt at victimisation.

But that is just a suggestion and the former Education Minister said she hopes Government through the Education Ministry could bring reason for its sudden decision to ask students to now write their names on their examination papers.

“We have as have countries all over the world, marked with examination

Former Education Minister Priya Manickchand

numbers without any problems. Why are you asking for the addition of names now? There is no value in adding the names. There is nothing you could help the Ministry administratively if you add names,” she said.

Manickchand said this new development could cause much more trouble than in any way help, and her Party is still seeking to figure out in what way the change could help. She said the Ministry has not been forthcoming with information regarding this.

A number of parents, she noted, have contacted her with concerns over the changes. That had prompt-

ed her to make contact with officials at the Ministry, including Chief Education Officer Olato Sam and the officer responsible for primary education. According to Manickchand, although she had a detailed response, she still could not fathom the reason for children’s name being written on their exam paper.

“It is just simple reason.

There is too much room for subjectivity, when a marker or administrator sees a name on a paper; too much room for subjectivity and it is unnecessary. What bothers me is why the Ministry would want to do something like this that would bring into question the integrity of the system.”

She said it is always hard to keep integrity of examinations intact. This new development, she said, will most definitely shake the integrity of the examination, which took “many years building up”.

Meanwhile, the Ministry immediately responding the Manickchand’s concerns explained that each of the four subjects written in the National Grade Six Assessment has two papers (Paper One and Paper Two).

It said as it relates to can-

Education Minister, Dr Rupert Roopnaraine

didate information, the two papers require different sets of information. For Paper One, the answer sheets will have the candidate information which will include the

candidate’s name and identification number. The candidates will also be required to sign their names as a mechanism to ensure that the candidate for whom the paper was prepared is actually the one who answers the questions. This will have no implications for marking because these answer sheets are all marked electronically.

As it relates to Paper Two, the Ministry said the cover page of the answer sheet is bifurcated and perforated. The Test Code, Subject, and Candidate Number are required on both sides. The Test Code and Subject will already be printed while candidates will be required to write in their Candidate Number – this information is provided

for them on the timetables given to every candidate.

In addition to this, the Education Ministry informed that on the right half of the paper only, candidates are also required to write in the name of their school, their full name, date of birth and gender. The right side of the sheets are all detached prior to the commencement of the marking of Paper Two and retained for administrative purposes only.

The information that would be evident during the marking process would be the Test Code, Subject, and Candidate Number only.

“These are administrative mechanisms will have no bearing on the marking process whatsoever,” the Ministry assured.

No date set for by-elections in tied Local Authority Areas

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lthough the High Court has ordered that a date be set to host by-elections in the tied Local Authority Areas, this is yet to be done.

The Opposition People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Chief Whip Gail Teixeira has since expressed concerns.

During a press conference on Thursday, Teixeira said it was worrying that the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) and the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Government continued to disregard the rule of law.

She explained that a week has passed since the High Court ordered that a date be set for the elections, but nothing has been done by either the town clerk or overseers in question, or by GECOM or Communities Minister Ronald Bulkan in this regard.

Furthermore, she chided GECOM for abdicating its constitutional responsibilities to ensure each local au-

thority area has its leadership installed.

“GECOM must be reminded that the elections process of the March 18 Local Government Elections is at this point incomplete until the by-elections of the tied Local Authority Areas are concluded,” she stated, noting that GECOM has a constitutional right to ensure these elections are held.

The PPP/C had moved to the courts to stop Communities Minister Bulkan from illegally appointing a Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Mabaruma in Region One (Barima-Waini) as well as the Chairpersons and Vice Chairpersons in five other Local Authority Areas in which the PPP/C and the APNU/AFC had the same number of seats after the LGE. Bulkan had appointed Kervin Crawford as Chairman and Gail Thomas as Vice Chairman of the Gibraltar-Fyrish Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC); Audrey Thomas as Chairman of

the Industry-Plaisance NDC; Peter Livingstone as Chairman and Royan Junior Thomas as Vice Chairman of the Malgre Tout-Meer Zorgen NDC; Carol Nurse as Chairman and Wilbert Vhypius as Vice Chairman of the Woodlands-Bel Air NDC; Gershon Clarke as Chairman of the Woodlands-Farm NDC and Rupert Henry Smith as Mayor and Astrille Gamell as Deputy Mayor of the municipality of Mabaruma.

However, the Court quashed these appointments and ruled in favour of the PPP/C on the grounds that that they were contrary to and in violation of Municipal and District Councils Act Chapter 28:01 and the Local Government Act Chapter 28:02. Justice Diana Insanally said that the decision “is in excess of and without jurisdiction, made in bad faith, is unreasonable, arbitrary, capricious, based upon irrelevant and improper considerations, mala fide, malicious, vindictive, unlawful, ultravires, null, void and of no legal effect”.

friDay, APRIL 15, 2016

guyana-times.com

News

GCCI, CDB host workshop on management development

THAG Executive Director Treina Butts, former GCCI President Lance Hinds and new GCCI President Vishnu Doerga at the opening ceremony of the MfDR workshop

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he Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), in collaboration with the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) and the Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG), will host a threeday workshop to enhance decision-making skills among organisations.

The workshop is being held at Cara Lodge, Georgetown, under the theme “Managing for Development Results (MfDR) for Business Support Organisations in Guyana”.

MfDR is a management strategy that focuses on using performance information to improve decision-making. The MfDR strategy involves using practical tools for strategic planning, risk management, process monitoring, and outcome evaluation.

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Representatives from various local businesses and Business Support Organisations (BSOs) who are involved in coordinating and facilitating technical assistance to Micro, Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (MSMEs) are participating in the intensive three-day workshop.

The sessions will see participants being trained in MfDR strategy that will empower local BSOs to improve their chances of garnering funding from international donors for developmental projects because MfDR tools are internationally recognised as the standard.

In addition, the workshop will enable the participants to design quality proposals which will display a response to the needs and priorities of the community and key stakeholders.

BSOs are being held ac-

countable by international donors to demonstrate results, and they must prove that they are providing value for money.

One of the facilitators will be Executive Director of THAG, Treina Butts, who had participated in a Training/Facilitator support workshop in Barbados last year.

Speaking at the opening ceremony on Thursday, Butts said during the three-day session she will enlighten the participants on MfDR. She noted that MfDR goals were clear and measurable, limited in number and concrete with time-bound targets.

“MfDR is more than a methodology, it is a way of thinking and acting built on practical toolbox for improved public management,” she stated.

According to Butts, the MfDR cycle involves five

core stages: setting goals and agreeing on targets and strategies, allocating the available resources to activities that will contribute to achievement of the desired results, monitoring and evaluating whether resources allocated are making the intended difference, reporting on performance to the public and feeding that information back into the decision-making process.

Meanwhile, GCCI President Vishnu Doerga encouraged the participants to share the knowledge they gained from the workshop with their respective colleagues to spread MfDR practices.

“The only way to know if you really understand something is to teach it.

So I’d urge you to get back into your organisations and teach your colleagues the things you have learnt…

It’s very frustrating to push organisations forward when nobody understands what you are talking about,” he stated.

Mocha, Diamond access roads to get lights

Mocha access road

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n light of the recent fatal accident on the Mocha Access Road, East Bank Demerara, and along the Diamond Scheme Access Road as well, the Public Infrastructure Ministry will be installing 100 streetlights along these roadways.

According to a statement from the ministry, over the years it has received several reports of accidents along the access roads of the two communities. The ministry said it is accelerating its planned installation of streetlights initiative.

“These two areas are ones that have experienced rapid development since their creations, thus leading to increased traffic and ultimately a greater likelihood of accidents... It is necessary that the infrastructure in these communities reflect their

growth,” the ministry stated.

However, the Public Infrastructure Ministry did not say when these lights will be installed but noted that further details will be announced at a later date.

On Tuesday evening, a barman attached to Banks DIH Limited Sports Bar was killed after he slammed into a horse along Mocha Access Road. Shemroy Cave, 21, of Diamond Housing Scheme, EBD, suffered severe head injuries and was pronounced dead on arrival at the Diamond Diagnostic Centre.

According to reports, the dead man left his girlfriend’s home at Mocha/Arcadia, and was riding his motorcycle along the roadway when he collided with the horse. The horse was also killed as a result of the impact of the collision.

12 news

friDay, APRIL 15, 2016 | guyana-times.com

Case of chopped student being investigated – Olato Sam I n light of the recent incident at the St George’s High School that left Auburn Campbell, 15, nursing chop wounds to his hands, Chief Education Officer (CEO) Olato Sam has indicated he is collaborating with Police to implement measures to prevent recurrence of a similar nature.

It was reported that the attack on Campbell stemmed from an altercation that occurred on Monday after the assailant allegedly made a remark that a female student “smelled of sex”.

Campbell reportedly told the female about the remarks made, which angered the assailant, resulting in a scuffle between him and Campbell.

Thinking the matter resolved, Campbell attended school as per normal the next day, only to be greeted by the assailant and his mother, who reportedly instigated the matter after allegedly commenting, “Wha he gon get, he look for” as well as instructing her son to chop his classmate.

Melinda Campbell parent of the injured student, expressed frustration with the lack of action taken by law enforcement and the school’s disciplinary system. In reference to this, Sam said there is an ongoing investigation

Chief Education Officer Olato Sam

to evaluate the situation to determine what measures can be taken.

Meanwhile, in another incident at Tucville Secondary School, a fourth form student was relieved of her cellular phone after a man approached her demanding her valuables.

The student angered the man af-

ter refusing to relinquish her items; he then forcibly took away her cellular phone and began to flee after he realised the commotion had caught the attention of other students who were coming to the young woman’s aid.

The perpetrator in possession of a knife, reportedly threatened to stab anyone that followed him, causing students to discontinue their chase.

Chanise Brotherson the student’s mother, claimed that she was informed of the incident by the school’s administration. She disclosed that she was informed that the matter would be dealt with by the Police but had not seen any progress. She blamed the school’s poor security and stated that she was told the education ministry had been working on an estimate to facilitate the rehabilitation of the fence but no work had commenced yet.

As it relates to the rehabilitation of the fence, the CEO said he is unaware of the status of such an estimate.

Guyana Times highlighted to Sam that this was not the first time occurrences of this nature had transpired at the school. He responded in the negative of being aware of any previous encounters.

Is President Granger a Federalist?

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t my presentation to the Steering Committee on Constitutional Reform I promised to ease up on my use of the “F” word – Federalism. Not that I had changed my mind on its ultimate utility for addressing many idiosyncrasies of our political culture and practice, but because I have come to accept that the change will have to be incremental. And also that time and demographics had vitiated one of the major reasons the precursor of ROAR – the Jaguar Committee for Democracy – had proposed it in 1989: the African Security Dilemma.

As was said then, “And we will now have “Local Government Elections (LGE) next month presumably taking our “democracy” deeper into the body politic as “power to the people”. But will it actually? While I believe it is a positive step – it is not more than that: a step. And that is because the framers still envisage local Government only in terms of “decentralisation”. The problem, however, is power will still emanate from a “centre” from which it is expected to flow outwards – which almost occurs without constitutional protection from the centre.” Which is the essence of Federalism.

But as one of the originators of the proposals of Federalism for Guyana, Baytoram Ramharack, reminded me recently, it appears that President David Granger might be a closet Federalist. Subsequent to the successful holding of the LGE, President Granger has been very expansive as to what he envisions these elections will lead to – and they all point to Federalism.

The most radical announcement was his announcement, “I see a Region in Guyana as being a State in America.” You cannot get more “federalist” than that, since the US led the world movement from centralised monolithic power structures towards a distributed one to return “power to the people”.

In line with his equating our regions with the American states, such as New York or Wyoming, was his early radical insistence that each of our 10 regions/states would now have its own flag – an idea that not even ROAR had floated. While flags have been used since antiquity, the modern nexus of flag and territory came about in the 17th Century, with the creation of the first modern States consequent to the treaty of Westphalia. President Granger’s announcement showed he appreciated the significance of a territory having its own flag. A flag is not just a piece of cloth but it represents an idea, or an ideal which it represents and the President emphasised what that ideal was: “regional pride”.

The President also announced each Region will have its own “Capital town” which will be its “administrative” centre providing most government services that were normally purveyed at the national capital. The President was quite unequivocal: “the Capital town can have its own banks, public services, NIS offices, GRA offices [and so on]. Anybody must be able to go to these capital towns and transact their business...

All of the Government functions which are centralised should be decentralised,” This is identical to the reality that the US states each have their own capital town or city. In a federal system, the states are also in charge of local services going beyond the normal municipal services, but ones that encompass the local ethos, such as education and medical care. And again, this is precisely what President Granger has called for: “Capital towns” must provide economic services to citizens: commerce, shipping, insurance, banking, micro-financing, telecommunication, tourism and manufacturing. The availability of these services will be an indicator of economic development within our Regions.”

Most importantly, the President seems to appreciate that economic activity must also be controlled by his “Region as State” concept. “These ‘capital towns’ are expected to lead economic development in each Region by encouraging growth through four factors: infrastructure, investment, information and communications technology, and innovation.”

With the new Local Government legislation authorising the local government organs to raise their own funds, one can understand President Granger’s charge has to be undergirded by an acceptance that “revenue sharing” with the Regions are on the cards – in addition to a Regional tax.

All we need now are some constitutional changes to demarcate the competencies of the Region/States and Central Government. Over to you, Mr Prime Minister.

News

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friDay, APRIL 15, 2016 | guyana-times.com

Security beefed up outside Berbice River taxis Govt to assess operation of service Camp St Prison – discontinuation not ruled out …after 13 prison officers report sick

Seated from left: Col Khemraj Persaud, Col George Lewis (partially hidden), Minister of Legal Affairs Basil Williams, Minister of State Joe Harmon, President David Granger, Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, Police Commissioner Seelall Persaud, Minister of Public Security Khemraj Ramjattan, GDF Chief of Staff, Brigadier General Mark Phillips and Major General (ret’d) Michael Atterly at the Ministry of the Presidency

Security beefed up outside Camp Street Prison

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uthorities were left with no other choice but to call out additional joint services officers to stand guard outside the overcrowded Camp Street Prison after only two of 15 prison wardens reported for duty on Thursday morning.

The decision was taken at an emergency meeting of the National Security Committee which was convened by President David Granger at Ministry of the Presidency after the matter was brought to his attention.

It is suspected that the 13 prison officers submitted seven-day sick leave certificates for fear of being hurt by inmates who have since become intimidating and ag-

gressive, following the threeday unrest that had recently erupted at the penitentiary.

According to a statement from Ministry of the Presidency, the Committee was informed that the prisoners have become bolder, displaying weapons and acting menacingly towards prison wardens – resulting in prison officers becoming fearful to carry out their duties.

The Committee was also informed of an increase in cases of marijuana being thrown over the prison fences and that wardens are now afraid of being harmed by prisoners who are under the influence of the drug.

Against this backdrop,

the Commander-in-Chief ordered that the outer cordons of the prison be extended to include Durban, John and Bent Streets: which will be blocked off to the public except for persons residing with the areas, as is done on Camp Street.

He also directed that the Guyana Police Force (GPF) assist prison officers in manning the facility and the Guyana Defence Force to assist in guarding the outer cordons of its precincts.

Additionally, Director of Prisons Carl Graham also sought reinforcements from the Timehri and Lusignan Prisons as well as from the administration division at the Camp Street Prison.

T

he Public Infrastructure Ministry could move to discontinue the services of the Berbice River Taxi, if an analysis to be carried out by the Transport and Harbours Department (T&HD), finds that its operation is not feasible.

Minister within the Ministry Annette Ferguson on Wednesday said she recently mandated the T&HD to carry out an analysis of the river taxi service, following which government will make a decision on whether or not it should be retained.

Government implemented the Berbice River taxi service in September last year, after it failed in its attempt to reach an agreement with the directors of the Bridge Company to see a small reduction of the toll.

Government had said it was seeking to introduce a more feasible system, which would see residents, particularly students and the elderly relieved of the financial burden. The operation of the bridge company had become burdensome particularly for vehicle owners, students and the elderly.

After weeks of deadlock between Government and the Bridge Company, the latter finally came to an agreement, accepting Government’s proposal that it would provide a $40 million subsidy.

Prior to reaching the agreement, bondholders of BBCI were asked to accept the lowering of interest rates and the significant exten-

Junior Minister of Public Infrastructure Annette Ferguson

sion of the repayment period on their investment in order to facilitate the reduction of tolls.

just recently, I have mandated the management of the Transport and Harbours Department to give an analysis of the operation. I hope that before the end of this week I receive it.”

She pointed out that while government is subsidising the bridge operation, the T&HD is offsetting fuel expenses. This she noted is what led to a decision to analyse the situation to determine if it is feasible to retain the services of the river taxis.

Meanwhile, minibus drivers have already complained about the financial strain they are experiencing because of the continued operation of the taxi service,

Berbice River taxis

The new tolls have seen private/hire cars, and minibuses paying $1900 compared to $2200 they were required to pay. Other types of vehicles were given a reduction of 10 per cent.

Speaking with this publication, Ferguson said: “I don’t have the figures on hand but

although prices for the use of the Bridge have been reduced. She said since the last meeting with drivers, herself and Minister David Patterson earlier this year, she has not been able to deal specifically with the issues raised by drivers.

14

guyana-times.com

friDay, april 15, 2016

News

Closure of LBI operations

Transfer of GA 2000 hangar

No orders were given by Ministry “Another blow to the working class” – Jagdeo of the Presidency – Harmon

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Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo

riticisms are already being piled on the A Partnership for National Unity/ Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) coalition Government as the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) announced plans to close the La Bonne Intention (LBI) Sugar estate later this year. This is the second factory to suffer this fate since the coalition took office last May. The Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) and the National Association of Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial Employees (NAACIE) on Thursday released a joint statement announcing that they were informed by GuySuCo on Tuesday that the remaining facilities at the LBI estate will be closed during the course of 2016.

During the discussions, GuySuCo informed the Unions that it will close half the operations of the Field Workshop, Mill Dock, Field Lab, Stores and Administrative Offices that are based at the LBI estate and merge them with similar operations at the Enmore Estate.

Reacting to this news, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo described the deci-

sion by Government to close the estate as “another act that reflects the secretive approach that is characteristic of the APNU/ AFC Government, in relation to decisions that affect the lives of thousands of ordinary Guyanese.”

“In the last year, we have come to expect that the Government will make decisions that affect the Guyanese people in a manner that lacks transparency and without consultations,” Jagdeos aid.

He reminded of his warning of the “callous and uncaring decision” by the APNU/ AFC Administration, saying the closure of the Wales Sugar Estate was not the end of the ‘reform’ proposed and being advanced by APNU/AFC in the sugar industry.

“I had said that the Wales Estate was the first casualty. I am deeply disturbed by the news of this impending closure. Hundreds of workers will be affected,” Jagdeo said in his statement.

He added that his People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) will stand by the sugar workers to fight this decision by the 10-month-old coalition Government.

In 2011, GuySuCo under the PPP/C Administration, had closed the LBI Sugar Factory, however, the Corporation had assured that the other operations of the Estate will remain functioning.

The workers were merged with those from the Enmore Estate.

However, at the time of that closure, the workers and their Unions were assured that there will be no closure of any other department after the closure of the factory.

Already, Government announced its decision to close the Wales Sugar Estate and transfer the workers to the Uitvlugt operations.

There have been widespread protests and industry-wide strike actions against the move in an effort to build pressure on the Administration to rescind this decision; however, it has not budged to date.

– confirms BK International submitted proposal

Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson

M

inister of State Joseph Harmon has announced that the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) coalition Government did not order that a State-owned hangar at Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) be handed over to BK International.

Internetnews website, Demerara Waves (Demwaves) reported on Thursday that the hangar which was being used by now-defunct State-owned GA 2000 was to be transferred to BK International; however, that plan was shelved to facilitate the expansion of the airport.

It claimed that the decision to hand over control of the facility was made by a top official of the Ministry of the Presidency, prior to the installation of a new Board of Directors of the CJIA, according to Demwaves.

However, Minister

CEO of CJIAC Ramesh Ghir

Businessman Brian Tiwari

Harmon in a statement issued by the Ministry of the Presidency (MOTP) denied the allegations and called the report ‘wicked and malicious’, which he said was designed to ‘feed the frenzy about his connection to Brian Tiwari.

He reminded that the CJIAC and its Board come under the direct authority of the Public Infrastructure Ministry as has always been the case.

When contacted, Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson refused to comment and told this publication “you know my answer; I have no comment, write what you want.”

Meanwhile, the MOTP statement quoted Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the CJIAC, Ramesh Ghir, who it said informed that BK International Incorporated had, during the life of the previous Board of Directors, submitted a proposal for rental of the GA 2000 hangar.

“He further stated, that though the Board had favourably considered the proposal, during a meeting, no decision was communicated to Mr Brian Tiwari or his company,” the Ministry said.

According to the statement, based on records from the CJIAC, in September 2014, the Board approved the rental of the hanger for a six-month period to BK International Incorporated; however, that contract was never executed.

Following the change of government and the appointment of a new Board of Directors, the proposal was again considered but it has been since deferred, Ghir was quoted as saying by the Ministry of the Presidency.

“The new Board of Directors would have looked at the proposal… it was placed on hold because we have the expansion of that airport taking place and we realised that some of the operators had to be relocated… we would have had to find a temporary location for them to operate and the hangar is one of the considerations, so that as we speak is actively being pursued,” Ghir was quoted as saying.

Ghir claimed that he had informed Dennis Chabrol of Demerara Waves that Tiwari was not officially granted the use of the hangar, either by rental or for purchase and that he was one of several operators who had expressed an interest in using the facility.

Ghir also denied being given instructions by the Ministry of the Presidency in this regard. “The Ministry is extremely concerned that in the rush to publish sensational stories media outlets are not exercising due diligence and this is irresponsible and can be perceived as malicious when it is not supported by fact,” the statement said.

Efforts to contact BK International’s Managing Director Brian Tiwari proved futile as calls to his mobile phone went unanswered.

BK International operates a domestic carrier, Wings Aviation and has already acquired several small aircraft.

While there are reports of BK International planning to purchase a 12-seater executive jet later this year, this could not be independently confirmed.

friDAY, april 15, 2016

guyana-times.com

15

News

Harmon clears air Deadly prison riot on media attacks 2 inmates reportedly died ...says 34 political advisers appointed by APNU/AFC – jet was organised by State-owned Chinese company – GRA intervention was to preserve Guyana/China relations

Minister of State Joseph Harmon

By Devina Samaroo

F

ollowing days of anticipation, Minister of State Joseph Harmon finally delivered on his promise and issued three statements, providing detailed explanations on the recent controversies he has been involved in.

Harmon explained that he refrained from making a public response to those earlier media reports since actions were linked to Guyana’s diplomatic relations and its pursuit of foreign investment that would ultimately be beneficial to Guyanese.

He said now that Cabinet has been fully briefed on the matter, it is now fitting to address the public on the recent developments.

GRA intervention

Harmon has been widely criticised for his intervention in an on-going Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) investigation when he ordered a halt to the seizure of vehicles from Chinese logging company BaiShanLin. In light of his actions, Harmon was accused of having corrupt dealings with the company.

But in defending his actions, Minister Harmon explained that on March 17, representation was made to him by an official of the embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Guyana on an “urgent matter” affecting one of their national’s company operations in Guyana – BaiShanLin. The GRA had visited the premises of BaiShanLin in furtherance of a tax demand of G$1.5 billion and the personnel were intent on seizing the movable assets of the company.

Harmon explained that the Chinese official stated that the principals of the company were not in Guyana and in consequence, requested a stay of execution of the GRA’s action for 14 days pending the return of those principals, at which

time they would go into the GRA to settle their indebtedness.

Harmon said the Chinese official also gave the assurance that none of the assets of the company would be removed during that grace period.

The Minister said upon considering the importance of the Guyana/Chine relations as well as the urgency of the matter, he contacted the GRA and requested the facility.

The request was granted and at the expiration of the 14 days, the GRA proceeded with its work, Harmon said.

Travel to China, photo with BaiShanLin

Moving on to the issue of his “real” reason to travel to China and the controversial photograph of himself and BaiShanLin officials on a private jet, Harmon maintained that his visit to China was strictly on official Government business.

Government had insisted that the State Minister’s trip to China was in relation to the outstanding payment of US$5 million by a Chinese company for the sale of Guyana’s 20 per cent stake in the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company.

In his statement, Harmon explained that the Ambassador of China to Guyana – who was in country at that time – made arrangements for him to meet officials of four companies that had expressed interest in making significant investments in Guyana.

According to Harmon, the companies were located in Beijing, Shanghai, Hebei and Heilong Jiang Provinces; distances far part from each other.

As a result, Harmon posited that the Ambassador made arrangements for these companies to provide transportation, both air and land, for him to travel to the respective head offices.

On March 27, an arrangement was made to visit one of the companies called Long Jiang Forest Industries Group located in Heilong Jiang Province.

Long Jiang Forest Industries Group is a Stateowned company that had acquired 55 per cent of the shares in BaiShanLin and is intended to fully take over the company in 2016, Harmon stated.

Putting the pieces of the puzzle together, Harmon pointed out that two officials from the State-owned company, along with two officials from BaiShanLin, accompanied him on the aircraft to attend the meeting.

Harmon also provided

details of that meeting, noting that the company’s Vice Director Wong Dong Xu gave the assurance that officials will be in Guyana in May to complete due diligence for the takeover and to satisfy and expand on obligations of BaiShanLin to Guyana.

Harmon also disclosed that he used the opportunity to convey the concerns and expectations of the Guyana Government with respect to foreign investment generally and with respect to BaiShanLin in particular.

Moreover, Harmon said he wishes to make no comment on the motivations of the publication of a lone photograph without seeking to investigate or report on its context.

Tiwari’s appointment

Lastly, Harmon explained that following the 2015 General and Regional Elections, many individuals indicated their interest in assisting the Government in fulfilling its campaign promises without having any interest in formal employment or remuneration.

He explained that it was agreed among senior party members that such persons would be appointed as “Honorary Ministerial Advisors” and that a certificate entitled “Instruments of Appointment…Ministerial Advisor” would be issued, as with the case of businessman Brian Tiwari.

Harmon disclosed that during the period October 6, 2015 to February 8, 2016, 34 persons were identified on the recommendation of the Alliance For Change (AFC) Leader Khemraj Ramjattan, the People’s National Congress (PNC) General Secretary Oscar Clarke and the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) General Secretary Joseph Harmon, and the instruments were accordingly issued.

However, the other 33 who are supporters of APNU/AFC are yet to be named.

Harmon said he was subsequently advised by President David Granger, who was not aware of all the appointees, that he was not in agreement with having Tiwari as an “Honorary Advisor” and the appointment was therefore rescinded. The Minister of State said he agreed with the President’s decision and his rationale for rescinding the appointment.

It is unclear whether or not the President will rescind the appointments of the other 33.

before fire – Fire Officer

A

t Thursday’s hearing of the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the deadly Camp Street Prison fire, discrepancies were found in the testimonies of Chief Fire Officer, Marlon Gentle and Commander of A Division (Georgetown-East Bank Demerara) Clifton Hicken.

Gentle, who continued his testimony from Wednesday’s session, posited that based on the reports he would have garnered, a low-order “flash-over” occurred in the building because it was enclosed, and as such, could not have been the only contributory factor to the deaths of two inmates.

“The level of injures which those bodies would have suffered – a head dethatched from a body [and] intestines protruding… I believe that in my experience, both of the bodies would have suffered other types of trauma than the fire, meaning that they were subjected to some level of force being applied to them either by striking or stabbing,” he explained.

Attorney Christopher Ram objected to these statements being tendered on the basis that “only an expert” could make such determinations.

When asked about the Fire Service’s report on the deadly blaze, Gentle stressed that he could not speak to certain aspects of the events as the investigation is still continuing. He also told the Commission that a special unit within the fire service is designated to carry out these investigations. It was revealed that someone by the name of Mr Holder – who is in charge of this investigation – has not yet submitted a statement as confirmed by Commission Counsel Excellence Dazzell.

However, in somewhat of a contrast, Attorney rep-

Commander of A Division Clifton Hicken

Chief Fire Officer Marlon Gentle

resenting the Joint Services, Eusi Anderson reportedly said that he has indeed seen this report.

Under cross-examination, Attorney Glen Hanoman sought to discredit some of the Chief Fire Officer’s statements as he did not actually witness some of the events of which he testified.

“Because you didn’t go in there, your statements are based on reports that you got and not on personal knowledge,” Hanoman pointed out.

Also under cross-examination, Gentle was questioned to disclose his knowledge of tear smoke canisters and whether they are “flammable or pyrotechnic”.

Gentle responded, “Sir, pyrotechnics fall under the terms of an explosive, that’s not my expertise.” However, when later questioned by Commissioners, the Fire Chief then recalled incidents in the 1997 riots and onwards. He noted one such incident where a tear smoke canister was thrown into Citizen’s Bank and fire investigators were called. He added that fire investigators saw the canister but it did not ignite the areas where it had fallen.

“The tear smoke triggered the fire alarms in the Bank… we responded… strangely this device found

itself on a soft chair; there was no damage to the chair,” recounted the Fire Chief of the Citizens Bank incident.

Commander Hicken, who took the stand in the afternoon session, exhibited some confusion with his recollection of the dates surrounding the March 2-4 riots. He stumbled several times in sequencing his knowledge of events and at one point said that after 01:00h (1:00 AM) on Thursday, March 3, he was not present on the scene.

Additionally, at one point, he could not recall on which day and at what time the “big fire” claimed the lives of 17 inmates.

However, some clarity was brought under re-examination by Attorney Anderson.

When questioned about the implementation of the Standard Operating Procedures by Commissioner Dale Erskine, Commander Hicken opined that the Police exercised too much caution in its approach to the riots and he conceded that there needs to be a revision of the SOPs. He however reiterated that the Prison Directors were the ones in command and as such Police Officers had to exercise restraint.

Andrew Holder of the Fire Service is expected to testify sometime today.

US health experts confirm Zika causes birth defects

T

he US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed that the Zika Virus causes severe birth defects, including microcephaly.

Hundreds of babies were born in Brazil last year with microcephaly, a syndrome where children are born with unusually small heads.

The defects coincided

with a spike in Zika infections, leading experts to suspect the mosquito-borne virus.

Research has now affirmed those experts' suspicions, the CDC said.

"This study marks a turning point in the Zika outbreak. It is now clear that the virus causes microcephaly," said Dr Tom Frieden, the head of the CDC.

On Monday, US health officials warned the Zika outbreak could have more of an effect on the United States and called for additional funding to combat the virus.

"Everything we know about this Virus seems to be scarier than we initially thought," said Dr Anne Schuchat of the CDC. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Chinese State-owned firm, US citizen charged in nuclear case – US

A

Chinese State-owned nuclear power company and a US citizen were indicted on Thursday on charges of conspiracy to produce special nuclear ma-

terial outside the United States without the required US authorisation, the Justice Department said.

The China General Nuclear Power Company and

Allen Ho, a naturalised US citizen and a nuclear engineer, were charged in a two-count indictment in the Eastern District of Tennessee, the department said in a statement.

(Reuters)

16 NEWS

friDAY, april 15, 2016 | guyana-times.com

PPP/C accuses Govt of extortion, Keeping it real threats against businessmen The Harmon Affair or shades T

he A Partnership for National Unity/ Alliance For Change coalition (APNU/AFC) Government has once again come under fire by the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C), as allegations of extortion continue to surface.

The Party’s Chief Whip Gail Teixeira on Wednesday reported that the Party has evidence the Government officials have been making demands and threats to businessmen.

“We have evidence of the head of an agency within the Ministry of the Presidency being in meeting with a member of the Private Sector to seek donation of $12 million to carry out certain works.”

According to Teixeira, the message was clear that

PPP/C Chief Whip Gail Teixeira

if they did not donate, they would be unsuccessful in the future with the contracts. The meeting succeeded in getting $8 million in donations.

She said the issue is not only the extortion but why

the extortion, when the agency has enough money, budgeted for, to carry out this work.

“Budget was only passed less than a month ago and they could not have spent out that money

in less than a month and therefore there is no shortage of money to carry out that work.

“More and more we are hearing of businessmen of goods and services are facing pressure to donate to Government and other times called directly, by the heads of these agencies and their Ministers, requesting donations, with threats of not getting work or contracts, if they did not make the donation”.

Teixeira said there is no need to call for donations since the money is available in the budget.

She said why Government is intimidating businessmen is not clear. “This is pure extortion and it is becoming a norm in Guyana currently,” she said.

Parfaite Harmonie Primary welcomes new library

Regional Executive Officer Dennis Jaikaran observes students as they play an interactive game within the new library By: Marissa Wilson

W

ith extensive aid of D Division of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) and the Commissioner of Police, the Parfait Harmonie Primary School was on Thursday able to open its newly constructed library.

Students, teachers and parents gathered to witness the opening of the library which had been under construction for the past three months.

The library project was successfully completed due to teamwork of the GDF, regional administration and parents who worked overtime to ensure the construction was completed within the stipulated deadline.

Making reference to origin of the initiative, Headteacher of the school

Shondell Chester said one member of the school’s Parent Teacher Association (PTA) had made contact with Commissioner of Police Seelall Persaud, for the force’s aid in setting up a library.

She said that without reluctance, Persaud made the decision to get on board with the rest of supporters to make the establishment of the school library a reality.

As the school over the years had been expanding academically with evidence shown by its accreditation from a Grade C to B, Chester said this would further aid the school in accomplishing its goals of acquiring an A school accreditation.

Chester cited that it was proven through research that students who are equipped with the skill

of reading have a better chance of passing exams and comprehending life situations.

With the new library, she said this would improve the reading skills of students as they prepare for internal and external examinations, and it would also benefit parents and residents of the community aiming to improve their literacy skills.

“We are looking to deliver quality education for all children so that they can become productive citizens.” Chester added.

She said the school is looking to have this library expanded so that it can be a growing factor for literacy not only in the school but the immediate environs.

Giving his remarks at the ceremony, Regional

Executive Officer (REO) of Region Three Dennis Jaikaran highlighted the importance of reading and its relation in building more productive societies.

He said this is just one step that the region has taken to promote learning.

Being one of the main supporters of the initiative, Jaikaran lauded the Police Force for its consistent work in such initiatives.

He pledged support of the regional administration in an active role in ensuring this nature of projects become constant as the country is gearing towards development.

Meanwhile, speaking on behalf of Persaud, Commander of D Division Stephen Mansell said the GPF was delighted to be part of the team responsible for establishing the school’s library.

He said this is not the only initiative of this sort the force has embarked on, as over the years they have been working with communities for the purpose of building a better Guyana.

Mansell thanked his staff for working tirelessly over the months to complete the facility, as well as the region’s administration and the school’s staff who additionally did valuable work.

The library is furnished with desktop computers, printers, tables, chairs, bookshelves, books, a television and other equipment that would make learning more fulfilling and substantial.

of Burnhamism?

W

hen Brian Tiwari of BK International talks about patriotism, as he does in his press release, in response to the furore about his relationship with Joseph Harmon, we have to treat his words with a little bit of humour. BK’s discovery of patriotism can only go so far.

Businessmen, as wealthy as Tiwari might be, will support Dr Baytoram Ramharack the Government of the day. That is the nature of business and politics.

Businessmen of his wealth are looking to protect their accumulated wealth by working out a modus vivendi with the Government of the day. It has been like this since the dawn of time. Look at Donald Trump. The Republicans cannot seem to get over the fact that Trump has financed politicians on both sides of the political spectrum, Republicans and Democrats.

We cannot blame Tiwari for linking up with the coalition Government. I would fault Tiwari for not hiring a person who is more qualified to write a press release for him. But that is another matter.

The “Harmon Affair” involving Tiwari, the Guyana Revenue Authority and BaiShanLin raised many eyebrows.

The Transparency Institute of Guyana Inc (TIGI) alleged that “in relation to the employing and rewarding of supporters and donors”, Harmon was engaged in corruption “by any international standard”. In its release, TIGI quoted a statement from Harmon regarding the Instrument of Appointment of Tiwari as Business Advisor to the Government (Harmon?) where Harmon had no qualms about saying “we (meaning the coalition?) have issued several instruments like these to persons both from the APNU and the AFC side and you would notice that I have signed it for many persons who have helped us in the campaign and those who have the capacity to help us further.”.

Apparently, Amna Ally, the Minister of Social Cohesion, responsible for uniting us, may have ignored this statement in her defence of Harmon, who apparently sees no problem with the largess of the State going to persons from “the APNU and the AFC side”. Quid pro quo is the staple of realpolitik. But an inquiring mind would ask “who are these MANY persons?” and, “what were they promised in return?”.

Ironically, similar charges of corruption were laid against the PPP, but as Donald Ramotar reminded us in a recent letter, the forensic audits have revealed no smoking guns.

Either the PPP leaders were extremely good at hiding malfeasance while in government or APNU/AFC has pulled a great con job on the Guyanese people. But even the coalition Government’s supporters are saying it is hell-bent on doing what it wants, regardless of what it had criticised before.

Despite the outcry and raising of the eyebrows, President Granger says the corruption charges against Joseph Harmon are “outrageous”. Is it because they were army squaddies?

Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, whose AFC shares a coalition with APNU, defends Harmon as an “honest person”.

But Moses Nagamootoo, the AFC’s Vice Chairman, believes that Granger should reduce Harmon’s powers. It would seem that the cause célèbre of Harmon hiring Brian “BK” Tiwari as an advisor on business development was the occasion of the war and not the cause. Harmon stands accused of acting as an entity on his own, like a cabinet within a cabinet. He felt comfortable with the fact that there was no need to tell his Cabinet colleagues, much less the President, about his political expansion.

One would think that this new coalition government would have its act together, but the honeymoon is clearly over. Joseph Harmon, the Minister of State and confidant of President Granger, may not be corruptible. But the picture of him in a private jet with executives of BaiShanLin and their family in China – when he had no official business with them, and his later staying of the GRA seizure of a BaiShaiLin SUV – sure make it hard for his defenders.

OK, so I may have gone overboard with this analysis. Let’s say that Joseph Harmon is a decent and non-corruptible individual for the sake of argument. Why does Granger not keep him on a closer leash to avoid further embarrassment? Is it because Harmon is a military squaddie? Then we may need to look beyond the issue of corruption. Let’s not forget that a handful of military men, with tremendous power, is running the country. Intimations of the Burnham dictatorship?

Send comments to BRamharack60@gmail.com

guyanatimesgy.com

W

ith the international leg of the Miss Regal International Pageant set for August 13 in Antigua, Guyana will be searching for that one special delegate who has what it takes to walk on the international stage.

The Miss Regal International Pageant will see 50 beauties from around the world assembling in one place, with the aim of winning

friday, APRIL 15, 2016

Debra Allen, is no stranger to the catwalk and pageantry. She is the Chief Executive Officer of ASX Modéles Fashion Agency; designer of ASX Designs, as well as Model Management Trainer, Event/ Wedding Planner among others.

Ladies interested in becoming that special delegate to represent Guyana at the Miss Regal International Pageant are asked to be at the Millenium Manor Hotel,

the title and fabulous prizes.

This pageant is the brainchild of Calvin Southwell; an Antiguan international fashion designer and franchise holder of both the Miss World and Miss Universe pageants in Antigua for the past 10 years.

Southwell’s ambition is to have a pageant that re-energises the beautiful concept of pageantry in the Caribbean and further afield.

Guyana’s franchise holder,

Hadfield Street, Georgetown at 13:00h.

Young ladies must be between the ages 18 and 27 and must possess a high level of intelligence, a pleasant personality and must be ready to represent Guyana. Those who are interested are asked to contact Debra Allen on telephone number 678-6902 for additional information.

– to focus on West Side 5th Auto Expo and Sound Clash

Prince JP

Pooran Seeraj

A

s Guyana celebrates 178 years of the arrival of East Indians to Guyana, Indian Culture International (ICI) will host a grand event titled “Indian Arrival Fest 2016” on May 5 on the lawns of the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, Lilendaal, Greater Georgetown.

The day’s proceedings will see various cultural activities being performed by members of the Indian Cultural Centre; a Dragon

Rajesh Dubraj

Celia Samaroo

Dance by the Chinese Dance Troupe; and presentations

by Guyana’s Leading Indian Orchestra, Shakti Strings and Troupe.

There will also be performances by members of the Ishara Dance Troupe, Nach Gaana, Jewan Ka Nritya Dance Troupe, Shelitta Dance Troupe and Apsara Dance Troupe. In addition, there will be Tassa drumming and Tadja Drums.

The programme would also feature some of

Steven Ramphal

Guyana’s legendary Golden Jubilee Singers, including Celia Samaroo and Sookranie Boodhoo, Prince JP, Rajesh Dubraj, Aarti Sookhai, Pooran Seeraj, Steven Ramphal and others.

In addition, a wide variety of Indian, Chinese, local, international and fast foods and beverages will be on sale.

Even though this event could be billed as an international one, as an incentive for Guyana’s Golden Jubilee

celebration, the admission fee has been reduced by 50 per cent and will now see patrons paying $500.

The ICI group started hosting events to celebrate Indian Arrival Day in 1989.

Things however, changed after the introduction of the Indian Arrival Committee.

The group is now certain that there will be a level playfield when planning and implementing cultural activities to promote Guyana’s rich cultural diversities.

T

he inaugural GT Expo and Vehicle Sound Off which was billed for the National Park Tarmac, Georgetown, on April 23, has been cancelled, since promoters wanted to focus on the 5th edition of the West Side Auto Expo and Sound Clash.

The organiser is of the view that more work is needed leading up to the hosting of the 5th edition of the highly anticipated event to make it the best of the previous four.

Nevertheless, it was confirmed that those who have registered to participate in the GT Expo will also be a part of the 5th annual West Side Auto Expo.

Thus far, several top vehicles have already confirmed their participation in-

cluding Avengers, Red Jet, Wolverine, Batman, Joker, Xclusive, Transformer, Street Glow, Shoppers, Call of Duty, LLF Crew, Hunter, High Voltage and Nuclear.

The entrance fee is $5000 and the registration forms can be uplifted at Westsiderz Entertainment, Vreed-En-Hoop Junction, West Bank Demerara. The event is set for July.

For more information, call Ravi on telephone number 690-3210.

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guyanatimesgy.com

friday, APRIL 15, 2016

or the third consecutive year, GEM – Guyana’s premier lifestyle magazine, is on a quest to find the cutest babies in Guyana through its much anticipated Cutest Baby Photo Contest.

This year is no different as the magazine is collaborating again with the top international baby brand, Pampers, which is distributed by ANSA McAL Guyana, to hold the 2016 edition of the contest.

The contest which was started in 2014, has shown considerable growth and popularity since then, as a multitude of parents continue to submit photos of their bundles of joy each year hoping to be featured on the cover of GEM or inside the magazine as one of the finalists. All 10 finalists also receive marvelous hampers and other gifts.

To be eligible, a child must be a resident of Guyana and 18 months of age or younger. No purchase is nec-

essary.

Interested parents are required to submit a recent high quality photo of their child along with the following information: the baby’s name, date of birth, gender, birth weight, favourite toy, favourite baby food, parents’ names and Godparents’ names to baby@gemmagonline.com.

Finalists will be chosen based on poise, quality of picture, completeness of the required information

Calvin Burnett

and the most ‘Likes’ from the Facebook phase of the contest. Each child will be judged by a closed panel of judges comprising of representatives ANSA McAL and GEM. For more information on the contest rules and terms and conditions, please send an enquiry email to baby@ gemmagonline.com and keep checking the media and the ANSA McAL Guyana and GEM facebook pages for updates.

Music Unlimited

... as they reinforce peace, love, unity and respect

O

riginally a group of young people mesmerised by Electronic Dance Music, commonly called EDM, EDM Guyana has now established its own movement.

At the time, Seweon McGarrell and Stephen Bailey – who are the founders of the group – along with friends were intrigued by the first “rave” party in Guyana hosted by Gravity Lounge and Bar. The atmosphere which encompassed the components of EDM – peace, love, unity and respect – was so profound that it sparked their desire to organise an informal group to support EDM. As a result, the group was formed and promoted on social media which gave EDM lovers a chance to express their support and enthusiasm for the music.

“This allowed more and more persons to come forward. They started asking about raves and they were all eager to know when the next rave would be”, said McGarrell.

Their interest in the EDM definitely influenced the two young men and their friends in shaping the culture of EDM in Guyana.

From a mere social media group in the beginning, EDM Guyana is now registered and recognised as a profit-making entity since December 2015.

“In order to throw these parties, we had to get sponsors and funds so we got registered”, McGarrell.

McGarrell and Bailey have thus far hosted three such events. The first two were held

at Club El Latino and the third at Club 704 – the latter being eagerly received by the EDM supporters.

According to McGarrell, “this just left everyone wanting more and more as they got deeper into the lifestyle”. These parties were solely funded by the founders and their friends.

In addition, EDM Guyana has produced two Disk Jockeys – DJ Panda who is actually Stephen Bailey and DJ Zaud (Jamaul Inniss) – who would normally play at the events they host.

EDM Guyana has also inspired other local deejays to extend their talents in the EDM world. A product of such is DJ Zave who has extended his skills on the regional level, as Suriname revellers raved to his music just last month.

However, McGarrell is concerned about the stigma surrounding rave parties relating that most people confuse them with fans of hard metal and rock. “They believe that we are demonic. EDM is completely different from other parties. What differentiates us is that we actually get to know each other at these parties.

It is a very warm and open group and it has literally become a lifestyle and culture to EDM lovers”.

McGarrell explained that people have to first like the music before they can get an appreciation of it. EDM Guyana is not in collaboration with any similar organisation, thus making it an entirely separate entity. The young entrepreneurs are working diligently towards hosting other “rave” events in the near future.

Sonia Yarde

T

he Queen’s College Theatre Arts Class of 2016 as a requirement for their School Based Assessment (SBA) will be hosting a night filled with drama, song and dance at the National Cultural Centre on April 17.

The students, along with the guidance of their teacher, have realised that there is a great sense of division in our society with respect to religion and ethnicity.

As such, the students and the teacher were able to identify a production that will bring awareness of the effects of such acts of social division among the people in Guyana.

This production was written and directed by Sonia

Clemencio Goddette

Yarde. The one-act play that is great entertainment but it also forces one to analyse an issue that is still very much prevalent among some Guyanese. The unfolding story is told of an Indian family and a black family that struggle over their children’s love.

The mothers blatantly disagree with their children’s relationship on all levels. Constant nasty and verbal battles are ongoing in this small yard until it becomes physical.

The Indian father is neutral, having been through his share of life. When it is revealed that the girl is pregnant, all hell breaks loose, leading to a forced pregnancy termination, contemplated suicide and eventually a

Mark Luke Edwards

face to face challenge of acceptance or change.

The cast includes Playwright and Director Sonia Yarde, Clemencio Goddette, Oceana Hoppie, Marisa Ann Morgan, Jairam Balram, Sunil Balram, and Stage Manager ladonna Kissoon. Apart from the play, there will be performances by Calvin Burnett, Mark Luke Edwards, Music Unlimited, Rebecca Gher and others.

The night of drama, dance and songs is set for April 17 at the National Cultural Centre at 17:00h. Tickets for the event cost $1000 and are available from members of the Theatre Arts Class of 2016 and the National Cultural Centre.

guyanatimesgy.com

Busy Signal

friDAY, APRIL 15, 2016

Konshens

First Born

A

s Guyana moves closer to its 50th Independence anniversary celebrations, corporate Guyana is coming on board in a massive way. Over the past weeks, several entertainment groups and companies have revealed their plans for the jubilee celebrations with sever-

Cecile

Benjai

Big Red

al high-level concerts ranging from “50 Shades of Reggae” to “Soca on the Beach” among others.

Joining in the big celebrations however is beverage giant, Banks DIH Limited with its concert titled ‘Banks Beer Fest’ at the Guyana National Stadium,

Amit Sooknanan

fter a huge success at the Guyana National Stadium, the promoters of “Clash of the Titans” are now making preparations to have the chutney explosion held in Berbice. It is under the premise that huge support for the show came from the ancient county, hence in all fairness, it be taken there.

On July 2, Bath Settlement ground, West Coast Berbice,

Prvidence, East Bank Demerara billed for Saturday, May 28. The concert is being held in collaboration with the Department of Culture, Youth and Sport and will feature some of the best local and internationally acclaimed artistes.

The line-up includes Busy

Karma Band

Kwasi “Ace” Edmondson

Signal, Konshens, Vanessa Bling, Cecile, Benjai, Ravi B and the Karma Band, Michelle Big Red King, Kwasi “Ace” Edmondson, Adrian Dutchin and First Born. The event is expected to be mad vibes. While ticket prices have not been released, Guyana Times Entertainment

Adrian Dutchin

understands that there will be several promotions by the beverage company, whereby members of the public can win tickets.

The event is exclusive sponsored by Banks DIH as its contribution towards Guyana’s 50th Independence celebrations.

Vanessa Ramoutar

Rick Ramoutar

Veekash Sahadeo

A

Vanessa Bling

19

Mahendra Ramkellawan

will come alive as several regional and local artistes are expected to create a whirlwind. The line-up for the show includes Ravi B and the Karma Band, Veekash Sahadeo, Amit Sooknanan, Rick Ramoutar, Venessa Ramoutar as well as Kystal (Party Done).

Shakti String Orchestra including Pooran Seeraj, Steven Ramphal and Youland Nedd and the Fire Fest Dancers will also add some

spice to the event. Mahendra Ramkellawan will also make an appearance.

General admission tickets for the event cost $1500 while VIP tickets will also be available. The event is sponsored

by Comfort Sleep, NP Fried Chicken, Team MMR, Crown Vibes and others.

The emcee for the show will be television personality, WR Reaz.

Rajan Tiwari

C

Michael Ignatius

omedy lovers on the West Bank of Demerara (WBD) are in for a treat on Saturday evening as the popular theatrical show titled “Laff till yu fraff” is held at Bell West Community Centre ground, WBD. With the cast slated to perform, those who plan to attend the show are advised to proceed with caution, as they are expected to “laugh till yu can’t laugh no mo”. If you are suffering from any heart ailments, it is advisable that you stay at home.

Heating up the ground on Saturday evening will be the Promoter Rajan Tiwari, also known as “Katahar”; Chris Gopaul; Michael Ignatius,

Mark Kazim

Chow Pow

known as “Credit”; Sonia Yarde; Mark Kazim and Lyndon “Jumbie” Jones, Kirk “Chow Pow” Jardin and Chandraka Tiwari.

Music will be provided by Power Sonic.

The event is sponsored by Banks DIH, Payless Variety Store and Smart Choice Pharmacy.

Admission to the event costs $500 for adults and $300 for children. There will also be VIP seating available at the venue.

Make sure to be early so that you will not miss any of the fun. There will be other attractions and a well stocked bar. It’s “Laff till yu fraff” at the Bell West Community Centre ground. Showtime is 20:00h.

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friDAY, april 15, 2016

Warriors eclipse Bulls win record to create history with 73 wins T

his wasn’t supposed to happen. No team could eclipse the Jordan Bulls’ hallowed benchmark of 72 wins, much less this one. In winning 125-104 over the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night, the Golden State Warriors, again, jumped the line and seized something the league still struggles to believe. They, and not Michael Jordan, now boast the NBA’s best-ever regular season.

The season-capper featured more than just win No. 73. Going in, Curry needed eight 3-pointers to reach 400 on the season and 41 points for a 30-point average. Reaching those benchmarks seemed like a stretch, and yet Curry did it in 30 minutes. Yet again, he made the extraordinarily difficult look wonderfully easy. Again, records fell with the loose flick of his wrist.

Wednesday was planned far in advance, set up to be a highly honorific “Mamba Day” to commemorate Kobe Bryant’s last game. But Curry and the Warriors do not wait for history. Kobe’s game was moved from ESPN to ESPN2

because that’s what you do when a simultaneous event might feature a team’s 73rd victory. And so Golden State crashed yet another party and made it theirs -- that is, until Kobe reclaimed the zeitgeist with 50 shots, 60 points and a thrilling fourth-quarter flourish.

That’s fitting with how it has gone. Curry’s brash, imperious Warriors didn’t wait to disrupt LeBron James’ fairytale ending in Cleveland. They didn’t pause for Oklahoma City’s steady ascent to an inevitable title.

They stepped up and took accomplishments few thought them entitled to.

First, there was the 201415 championship itself -- a feat almost nobody expected the summer before it happened.

Last summer there were doubts, a pervasive sense that luck had informed this unexpected rise. Curry was tied for the fifth-most likely MVP in a poll of NBA GMs. In that poll, the Warriors fared worse in the predictions than any team coming off a title.

That was the setup for Curry delivering quite pos-

Stephen Curry dropped 46 points in the win while creating a NBA record for most made three’s in a season with a remarkable 402

sibly the greatest individual season we’ve seen, combined with his team doing the same.

From fall through winter and spring, the Warriors achieved a crushing validation.

All that receded into the background during the delirium of Curry’s 46-point, 24-shot game Wednesday, though. He made a carnival out of Oracle early in this one, sinking six 3-pointers and scoring 20 points in the first quarter.

One of these 3s, with 3:49 left in the first quarter, was especially deft. With Xavier Munford guarding, Curry set

up his dribble as though going left, roped the ball behind his back going right while turning his body 180 degrees, then swung his body square to the hoop while flicking the ball at a steep arc. From there, it lightly floated to its target to the shimmering net. The swish was met with teammates Andre Iguodala throwing his arms up, Brandon Rush turning away in disbelief and Marreese Speights soaking up the crowd’s adoration along the baseline.

The game was more party than competition, with a coronation thrown in. After 73 was

in the books, the Warriors’ Klay Thompson spoke to the moment’s sentiment, saying, “I’m going to look back at this and think of it as the best time of my life.” Rare is the NBA player who says this in April.

Thompson is relishing moments that conventional wisdom never came close to foretelling. Nobody could get 73.

As Warriors coach Steve Kerr said after the game, “I’d never in a million years would have guessed that that record would ever be broken.

I thought it was like [Joe] DiMaggio’s hit streak, really, and I was wrong.”

It wasn’t supposed to happen. Slight Steph Curry wasn’t supposed to become the NBA’s best player. Second-round tweener Draymond Green wasn’t supposed to become the All-Star human manifestation of winning basketball. It wasn’t supposed to be the Warriors. But theirs has been an impatient greatness that only grows more greedy.

After the game, Green was asked what 73 means. He was the most vocal in pursuit of

this record, and he’d pushed incredibly in games that might have otherwise slipped away. This was not a night for equivocation: “It means I’m a part of the best team ever,” Green said. Gauntlet thrown.

That’s a bold statement, and maybe even uncouth. It might evoke the “respect your elders” admonishment.

Green wishes to respect his elders, indicating on Twitter that he would never say anything negative about the 1996 Bulls. He is and has been through with waiting, though. Green and the Warriors want all the records, all of the accolades, as much history as they can grab before time interrupts the party.

Golden State still needs 16 victories for widespread consideration as the best team ever. If they fail, it’s not for lack of motivation.

These Warriors burn to be the best, whether you’re ready or not, whether you admit it or not. History is happening in Oakland. It’s happening quickly, as men of considerable ambition dictate its shape. (ESPN)

Bryant drops 60 points in career finale P

laying in the last game of his 20-year career, Kobe Bryant put on a show for a sold-out Staples Center crowd one final time, pouring in a season-high 60 points and steering his team to a 101-96 comeback win over the Utah Jazz on Wednesday night.

After outscoring the Jazz by himself 23-21 in the fourth quarter, Bryant checked out with 4.1 seconds left, serenaded by “Kobe! Kobe!

Kobe!’’ chants.

“I can’t believe how fast 20 years went by. Man, this is crazy,” Bryant, an 18-time All-Star, said while addressing the crowd after the game.

“This is absolutely crazy ... and to be standing at center court with you guys, my teammates behind me, appreciating the journey that we’ve been on -- we’ve been through our ups, been through our downs. I think the most important part is we all stayed together throughout.”

Bryant spoke about growing up a “die-hard Laker fan” and the trade that led to him spending 20 years with the organization and winning five NBA championships.

“You can’t write something better than this,” he said.

Wednesday’s win wrapped up the Lakers’ worst season in franchise history at 17-65, but Bryant said he took pride in the down years “because we didn’t run. We played through all that stuff, and we got our championships, and we did it the right way.”

Bryant attempted 50 shots Wednesday night, the most taken by anyone in an NBA game in the past

Kobe Bryant addresses Laker Nation for the last time at the Staple Center in Los Angeles

30 seasons, according to Stats LLC. It was the sixth 60-point game of his career and marked the most points scored by a player in his final regular-season game. No Hall of Famer reached 30 points in his final game, with John Havlicek’s 29 in 1978 leading the way.

“What’s funny -- the thing that had me cracking up all night long -the fact that I go through 20 years of everybody screaming to pass the ball, and then the last night they’re like, ‘Don’t pass it!’” Bryant said, laughing.

“All I can do here is thank you guys,” he told the crowd. “Thank you guys for all the years of support.

Thank you guys for all the motivation. Thank you for all the inspiration.”

“What can I say? Mamba out,” Bryant said with a smile in closing.

Bryant’s teammates sprayed him with champagne upon entering the locker room, to which he responded: “That’s only for championships.”

Bryant said he plans to continue to work out Thursday, if only to avoid falling into bad habits.

Hours before Wednesday’s game, thousands of fans gathered outside Staples Center, creating a scene reminiscent of a championship celebration. Enormous photos of iconic moments from Bryant’s 20-season NBA career graced the walls outside the arena with the hashtag #ThankYouKobe.

Inside the arena, a sold-out crowd showered Bryant with love and adoration as lengthy video tributes played before and during the game.

“He never cheated us as fans,” Lakers icon Magic Johnson said as he addressed fans before the game.

“He has played hurt, and we have five championship banners to show for it.”

Johnson then introduced a moving tribute video that featured messages from Shaquille O’Neal, Derek Fisher, Kevin Durant, Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, Gregg Popovich, Stephen Curry, LeBron James, Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, Kevin Garnett, Phil Jackson and Jack Nicholson, a longtime Lakers fan.

“It’s been great watching you, and I hope you’ve enjoyed it half as much as me and my family have,” Nicholson said in the video. “You’ve been an inspiration to us all, and L.A. loves you.”

O’Neal, Bryant’s former Lakers teammate, called Bryant “the greatest Laker ever.”

A smiling Bryant then walked to center court and waved to the fans, who were on their feet, cheering as loudly as they have all season.

Lakers public address announcer Lawrence Tanter introduced Bryant in the starting lineup, noting that it was for “the final time” as deafening cheers rained down from the crowd.

Wearing a black suit, black shirt and black tie and surrounded by more than a dozen video cameras, Bryant told dozens of reporters standing behind a barricade in a hallway before the game that his goal for the night was to “just have some fun.”

Before the game, Bryant and his wife were presented with special retirement rings from Lakers president and governor Jeanie Buss.

Bryant gave each of his teammates commemorative shoes and jerseys.

“It’s nuts,” Lakers rookie forward Larry Nance said of the environment. “It feels like a concert.”

Flea, the bassist of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, played the national anthem Jimi Hendrix-style.

During a first-quarter timeout, another video tribute was played, featuring messages from several musicians, including Snoop Dogg, Taylor Swift, Justin Timberlake, Flea, John Legend, Ice Cube, Kanye West and Justin Bieber.

Serena Williams congratulated Bryant via Twitter, writing, “You inspire every athlete for a lifetime.”

During the game, the Lakers’ official Twitter account disappeared for 35 minutes as the social media site experienced technical issues.

Scheduled tweets failed to send, and some users experienced difficulties accessing the site and sending tweets.

The account was back up and running before long, though, and offered an explanation for the outage.

An estimated 450 to 500 media members were credentialed for the game.

“It’s surreal,” Bryant said of leaving the court for the last time. “It’s hard to describe. It’s almost like you’re in a fog and everything is moving extremely slow yet extremely fast. You’re trying to look and take it all in. You’re trying to observe, and you’re not quite sure where to look to just take it all in. Very difficult to do.

But it’s like a dream.” (ESPN)

21

sports

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Sharapova still faces meldonium hearing, says ITF M aria Sharapova still faces a hearing after testing positive for meldonium, despite the World Anti-Doping Agency issuing fresh rules for athletes who tested positive for the banned substance before March 1, the International Tennis Federation has said.

Five-times grand slam tennis champion Sharapova tested positive for the drug at this year’s Australian Open after it was added to WADA’s list of banned substances in January.

WADA said in a notice on Wednesday that athletes who tested positive for meldonium before March 1 could have bans overturned as the agency was unable to establish how quickly the drug cleared the human body.

“In light of the recent notice from WADA regarding the process for dealing with cases

Maria Sharapova

involving meldonium, the ITF can confirm that the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme case involving Maria Sharapova will proceed to a hearing in accordance with WADA’s recommendations,” the ITF said

Murray survives Paire scare to reach Monte Carlo quarters

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ndy Murray avoided following Novak Djokovic out of the Monte Carlo Masters exit door after surviving a scare against local favourite Benoit Paire to reach the quarter-finals with a 2-6 7-5 7-5 victory on Thursday.

A day after world number one Djokovic suffered a stunning defeat by 55th-ranked Czech Jiri Vesely, Murray looked in trouble against Paire before subduing his opponent to set up a meeting with Canadian Milos Raonic.

World number two Murray was 5-4 down in the third set when Paire cracked under pressure and lost the remaining three games to hand victory to the Briton.

“I panicked. It’s the biggest disappointment of my career,” said Paire, who won the first set easily and was two breaks up in the second before Murray fought back.

Eight-times Monte Carlo champion Rafa Nadal was made to work hard by Dominic Thiem before advancing to the last eight 7-5 6-3 after the Austrian wasted 15 of 16 break points in the opening set.

The Spaniard will next face Stan Wawrinka after the Swiss, who won the claycourt Masters in 2014, demolished Frenchman Gilles Simon 6-1 6-2.

“From the start I was very strict with myself. I had to keep my tactics, be patient,

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attack him whenever I had the opportunity,” said fourth seed Wawrinka.

“My concentration was very good. This is important against Gilles. From the start I needed to dominate and be very present on the court. I succeeded in doing that.”

Third seed Roger Federer, back in action after a 10-week layoff, eased past Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut 6-2 6-4.

The Swiss will face JoWilfried Tsonga after he beat fellow Frenchman Lucas Pouille 6-4 6-4.

France’s Gael Monfils, the 13th seed, ended the run of Djokovic’s conqueror Vesely with a 6-1 6-2 win. (Reuters Sport)

Infantino continues to deny wrongdoing in TV deal

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TO let

in a statement on Wednesday.

“The ITF does not intend to make any further statement until completion of this process due to the confidentiality of the Tennis AntiDoping Programme.” (Reuters Sport)

FIFA President Gianni Infantino

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IFA president Gianni Infantino has again shrugged off any wrongdoing for signing a contract with two businessmen indicted in the United States, describing allegations in the Panama Papers documents as a “non-story”.

Infantino, at the time an official with European football

body UEFA, signed a contract with Argentine businessmen Hugo and Mariano Jinikis, owners of Cross Trading, for the South American broadcast rights to Europe’s Champions League competition.

The pair were among several dozen football officials who were last year indicted in the United States as part

of a huge corruption scandal which has swept the game and thrown FIFA into turmoil.

“I think UEFA has made it very clear. And I have made it very clear, that this whole situation is basically a non-story,” Infantino told Fox Sports on Wednesday.

“Everything has been done completely transparently and properly.”

Infantino denied any wrongdoing when the reports emerged in several media outlets last week as part of the leaked Panama Papers.

The Swiss attorney-general raided UEFA headquarters last week as part of an investigation into “ongoing criminal proceedings” and Infantino said in a statement he welcomed it.

Infantino also said he did not know whether FIFA still housed corrupt officials. He declined to take personal responsibility for rooting out illegal behaviour.

“It’s the responsibility of everyone,” he said. (Reuters Sport)

22

GUYANA-TIMES.COM

friDAY, APRIL 15, 2016

Brazil crisis will not affect Rio games, says IOC T

GDF, Police to renew old rivalry at Boyce/Jefford relay festival

Nawal El Moutawakel (2nd L), Chairman of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Coordination Commission, gestures, accompanied by Rio 2016 Olympic Games Organising Committee President Carlos Arthur Nuzman (2nd R) and Rio 2016 Committee Chief Executive Officer Sidney Levy (Reuters photo)

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he political and economic crisis engulfing Brazil will not affect preparations for Rio de Janeiro’s Olympic Games in August as venues are being completed on time, organizers said on Wednesday.

The lower house of Congress votes on whether to impeach President Dilma Rousseff on Sunday, in the latest chapter of a crisis that has divided the South American nation and plunged its economy into the deepest recession in decades.

Despite political turmoil,

venues are on schedule and organisation has been good so far, the chairwoman of the International Olympic Committee’s Coordination Commission, Nawal El Moutawakel, told reporters.

“We are advanced with our own work in spite of the complicated political and economic atmosphere and that has not had an impact because the preparations are on schedule,” El Moutawakel said after a three-day visit to the host city.

She said there was still last-minute work to do but

was confident the games, in one of the world’s most picturesque cities, will be a success.

“The last stretch is always the hardest,” she said.

“We believe that Rio 2016 will make the host nation proud.”

The relative calm contrasts with the last-minute rush before Brazil hosted the 2014 World Cup. Several stadiums were finished late, and many of the promised infrastructure projects have still not been finished two years later. (Reuters Sport)

he Guyana Defece Force (GDF) Athletics Club will match strides with an old rival in the Police Sports Club when the Boyce and Jefford relay Festival is held on April 24 at the Police Sports Club ground, Eve Leary.

Despite the many battles between the two factions, April 24 will present an opportunity for the Police men and women to get some revenge for their 4x100 metres loss last year at the Joint Service Sports.

The last bit of history between the two clubs have caused the Police club to call out their rivals.

The grouse blossomed because of the fact that GDF edged Police in the 4x100 metres at least

year’s Joint Service Sport despite a superb final leg from Olympian Winston George who caught GDF’s Davin Fraser for a photo finish that was given to GDF. To add fire to the fuel, GDF also won both the male and female 4x400 metres relay events at the Joint Service Sport last year.

While Police will have something to prove at the event, the GDF men and women will more than likely be aiming to keep their supremacy intact especially with the 2016 edition of the Joint Service Sports set to happen later this year.

Meanwhile, with teams from Linden, East Coast and West Coast Berbice set to compete at the event,

neither of the two powerhouse teams are guaranteed any sort of victory, since upsets do happen.

Nevertheless, the relay events include: Male and Female: 4x100, 4x200m 4x400, Sprint Medley for Females (100m,100m,200m,400m), Sprint Medley for Males (100m,200m,400m,800m), Distance Medley for Females (400m, 600m, 600m, 800m) and Distance Medley for Males (400m, 600m, 600m, 1200m).

Each relay race carries a total purse of $40,000 with $20,000 for the winner; $12,000 for second and $8,000 for third place.

Technical Director, Mark Scott has indicated that all the top clubs and athletes in Guyana will be competing in the Relay Festival.

Nation Theocracy Party hails World Cricket Champions

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xecutive members of the Healing the Nation Theocracy Party (HNTP) in a press release today hailed the West Indies men and women on their T20 World Cup victories.

“We Would like to offer our sincere congratulations to the West Indies male and Female cricket teams on their historic performances, wining the ICC 20/20 World Cup”.

HNTP continued in their release that they are extremely proud of the achievement of both squads and would like this to be seen as a stepping stone for success in the year ahead.

The chairman of HNTP, Alfred Park in his remarks

Alfred Park

said that “Cricket and sports in general is the most powerful unifying force in the world bringing together peo-

ple of all religious, political ethnic persuasions and these victories must further unite the people of the Caribbean into one nation,” Parks said.

In addition, Parks made call on CARICOM Heads of Government to use the achievements as an opportunity to further develop and expand the sport as this shows determination from the players to rise again.

“The Nation Theocracy Party is issuing a call on CARICOM to declare a national holiday for the team to travel through the length and breathe of the Region to celebrate with their West Indian fans,” the release ended.

Cavaliers beat Marias Pleasure in T20 nail-biter

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ricket fans from the Wakenaam community were on Sunday treated with an exciting T20 encounter between G. Square Cavaliers and Marias Pleasure at the Community Center Ground.

Cavilers won the toss and decided to the take the field as Marias Pleasure posted a reasonable total of 140 all-out in 19.1 overs but that wasn’t enough for the Cavilers to capture a win.

In the Marias’ innings, B. Lewis 38 and Rayan (only name given) 26 top scored for the their side with a good bowling performance from S. Prasad who bagged four wickets for 26 in 3.1 overs while being supported

by S. Sahadoe 2-19 from his four overs.

As the second innings got on its way, Cavaliers in

their reply were troubled by some seriously bowling form the Marias Pleasure that demolish the top five batsmen for just a measly 26 runs as the pressure mounted.

The seventh wicket partnership between S.Shiwnandan (62) and S.Persaud 23) provided the

stable partnership needed to help the Cavaliers register the win.

The Marias Pleasure bowlers collected eight wickets with L. Lewis having figures of 2-22 in four overs while Alex (only name given) took 3-28 in four overs.

guyana-times.com

friday, APRIL 15, 2016

Campton, Santos notch wins in Premier League

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ampton and Santos FC secured battling victories, when the latest action of the Georgetown Football Association (GFA) Stag Premier League continued on Tuesday at the Georgetown Football Club (GFC), Bourda.

Anthony Sancho was the man, who made the difference with a goal in the 70th minute to lead his side to a 1-0 victory over Beacons.

The win puts Campton in fifth place on 11 points while Beacon, who continues to struggle, remains on four points and in last position on the table.

In the other match of the double header, Santos held on to defeat Northern

Anthony Sancho

Rangers in feisty encounter.

Both sides looked threat-

ening in the first half of the match, but a series of missed chances, prevent the score line from changing in the favour of any side.

Upon, the resumption of the second half, a rocketing attempt by Rangers’ Sunil Logan, surprisingly failed the reach the back of the net.

Santos eventually found the magic needed on the night, when Anthony Hall netted in the 77th minute to push his team to second place on 11 points while on the converse, Northern Rangers did not move and remain in sixth position on seven points.

The League is scheduled to continue on Tuesday at the same venue.

23

West Berbice Football League continues on Saturday

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he West Berbice Football League, organised by the Berbice Football Association (BFA) will continue this Saturday at Mahaicony Sports Ground where Mahaicony FC will play Hopetown United Rangers FC from 16:00h.

On Sunday, Rosignol United FC will be in action against Paradise Invaders

FC at Rosignol Ground.

The BFA is attempting to keep the sport active in the area and as such agreed with its members to organize a league in a selffunding manner, where the teams cover the cost.

In order to reduce costs, there will be three leagues; the West Berbice League, the New Amsterdam League

& the Corentyne League.

The winners of each league will meet in a round robin play-off to determine the overall Berbice Champion.

Action in the League started last Saturday where, Mahaicony F.C., newcomer to the BFA, loss to the newly-reformed Paradise Invaders F.C. Paradise Invaders won the game 2 – 0 with goals from Vaughn Williams (41st) & Javell Fraser (64th).

The following Sunday, at the Rosignol Ground, the home-team trounced, Hopetown United Rangers 6-1.

Rosignal point-men were Shane Gangoo (8th & 17th), Marlon Nicholson (25th & 38th), Cornell Taylor (48th) and Gladston Green with a penalty in the 70th.

Admission to the ground is $500.

Darrell wins 50th Independence Battle rages on in latest rounds Anniversary walk race GSL/Golyn 10/10 Softball…

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he Golyn 10/10 country wide softball cricket tournament organised by the Guyana Softball League (GSL) and sponsored by Trophy Stall, and Miss Love Trading (West Coast) saw the battle continuing as the winners produced some convincing displays to move on in the West Coast Zone.

At Leonora Ground, Ruimzeight XI defeated Maracs XI by four wickets.

Maracs XI took first strike and were limited to 75 all out in 7.2 overs as Zaheer Khan 20 (3x6s) top scored while Chris Singh 2-6 from two overs; Shaffiul Hack took 2-17 from 2 overs did the job with the ball for Ruimzeight XI. In reply Ruimzeight XI breezed to 76-6 in 9.1 overs with Duhkraj Singh continuing where he left off slamming 29 (1x4;3x6s) off 10 balls to lead his team to victory. Rohit Khan took 2-3 and induced some excitement for the losers.

In the next match, Superstreet XI mauled Exclusive XI by 56 runs. Superstreet XI took first strike and rattled up 131-8 in 10 overs with Boodram scoring 34 (5x6s) off nine balls to lead the way; Ricky Persaud took 2-32.

Exclusive were bundled out for 76 in 10 overs with Nehemiah John scoring 20 (1x6). The bowling was tight with Seepersaud Persaud taking 2-14 and all the other sharing the spoils.

Vipers XI then destroyed Power XI by 97 runs.

Vipers XI won the toss and batted scoring a mammoth 176-2 in 10 overs with Vikash Totaram 75 (2x4s;9x6s) off 20 balls and Aftab Hussain 64 (2x4s;5x6s) off 30 balls in a partnership 156 runs totally dominated the opposition who seem to be clueless in stemming the flow of runs.

In their turn they were under pressure from the

onset to score quickly and were never in the hunt as the run rate climbed beyond them and they ended on 81 all out in 10 overs with only Ravi Lalldeo with 25 (3x6s) from 14 balls stayed around to offer some opposition.

Omar Mohamed took 3-9 from two overs to be the best bowler with Akram Hussain supporting with 3-12 from his 2 overs.

Crossbreed Warriors cruised to victory over Amazon Warriors XI by 73 runs. Crossbreed Warriors batted first and made a challenging 165-7 from 10 overs with Tariq Gansham with 53 not out (8x6s) off 16 balls being the top score.

Mark Grant supported with 20 (1x4; 2x6s).

Feroze Rohoman took 3-16 from his two overs and Imran Hack supported with 2-30 from his two overs.

In reply Amazon Warriors XI found the going tough and were limited to 92-4 in their 10 overs with Sham Singh blasting 39 (1x4; 4x6s) off 17 balls to top score.

The wickets were taken

by Narine Shaw with 2-14 and with all the bowlers chipping in with one each to add to their tally.

Mighty Lions gained a walkover from Omesh XI: Omesh XI was not able to take the field as they only had six players available at the start of the match and gave the Mighty Lions a much needed two points.

Meanwhile Vickram Singh copped a cell phone in the one ball Manto as he defeated all to move into the next round. The tournament continues this with several other areas commencing matches.

P

resident’s College student, Akinyele Darrell walked strategically and eventually won the first Guyana Tourism race walk event in observance of Guyana’s 50th Anniversary organised by the Cavaliers Sports and Tour Club on Monday.

Akquyl Henry finished second while Enoch Alicock was third in the race that started at President’s College in Golden Grove on the East Coast of Demerara.

The race proceeded to the village’s market before returning to the place of origin for the finish.

In the female category Karen Bobb-Semple took the top position ahead of Tishenna LaRose and Priya Outar who played second and third respectively.

Over fifty participants took part in the walk

race, mainly students of President’s College and the winners received trophies donated by Ming’s Products and Service and Herdmanston Lodge with water provided by Southland International.

Meanwhile the CS&TC will stage another Jubilee

Anniversary Race Walk on April 24 at the National Park, Thomas Lands, commencing from 06:30h.

Trophies and other prizes will be at stake for the top three finishers of each category; interested walkers are asked to be the finishing line at 06:00h.

friDAY, APRIL 15, 2016

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

GDF, Police to renew old rivalry at Boyce/Jefford relay festival Pg 22

Flashback! GDF’s Natricia Hooper (right) powers home ahead of Police’s Jevina Sampson last year in the 4x400m relay at Joint Services

Flashback! GDF’s Davin Fraser (second left) hands over to Wayne Harlequin as the GDF men stormed to victory against Police

Warriors eclipse Bulls Bryant drops 60 points win record to create in career finale history with 73 wins Pg 20

Pg 20

Golden State Warriors surpassed the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls for best record in an NBA season

Kobe Bryant finds his way to the basket as he turned back the clock for a vintage Kobe Bryant performance

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