Guyana Times Daily - May 18, 2015

Andrew Lazarus

Shawn Xavier Alex Greene

Sheldon Adams

Regan Greene

Henry Xavier

ECD, EBD land grab:

Squatters illegally occupy state, private lands

...coalition says Police to maintain order

Residents of several villages on the East Coast and East Bank of Demerara went into frenzy over the weekend, swooping down on empty state lands evidently under the impression that in the new administration all the rules imposed by the PPP/C government would be jettisoned..

not be misled by persons who may have encouraged these actions and rest assured that all Guyanese will be given fair and equitable access to land under the new Government’s land

distribution policy,” it said.

The coalition disclosed that the Police and other lawful authorities have been instructed to maintain peace and good order in all locations where at-

‘land grabbers.’

As news got around, persons turned up with their land titles issued earlier this year by the Central Housing and Planning Authority, thwarting any

Meanwhile, the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance for Change (APNU/AFC) says it is disturbed at recent reports of illegal and unauthorised grabbing of land in some communities.

“The coalition wishes to inform the public that President David Granger has not authorised any of these illegal activities. To those participating in these activities we say please do

tempts have been made to stake illegal claims to land. From reports gathered this occurred in villages such as Enmore, Lusignan, Mon Repos and Mahaica on the East Coast of Demerara (ECD), and Diamond, Providence and Grove on the East Bank of Demerara (EBD).

At Enmore on Saturday, dozens of persons from villages such as Haslington, Golden Grove, Nabaclis, Victoria and Paradise converged on an empty plot of land just obliquely opposite the now defunct ice factory, fully equipped with cutlasses, measuring tapes, shovels and signs with their names affixed to them to solicit a piece of land.

“Dis is we time; dis land is all ah we own,” one woman blurted as curious passersby stopped to catch a glimpse of what was unfolding.

As the entire area was demarcated, those who did not manage to secure a piece there moved to empty lands on the edges of the Railway Embankment, even planting pickets in the garden of a private farmer.

Later on in the day and early Sunday morning, squatters had descended on what is dubbed ‘GuySuCo’s reserves’ aback Enmore, just metres east of the sugar estate. Residents of Enmore also got into the act, noting that they too were in desperate need of land.

Over at Foulis Housing Scheme, residents also marked off an empty space, which was designated for a playground when the scheme came into being close to two decades ago.

Two rows of house lots along the roadway leading to the sugar estate, which were given out by the Housing Ministry almost two years ago, also came under threat as unoccupied lots became the focus of the

takeover of their lands, which were acquired through legal means. Some of the rightful owners were later seen erecting makeshift fences around their lands in a desperate bid to ensure they remain secure.

Guyana Times also understands that a prominent businessman from Good Hope turned up on Saturday with an envelope of documents, purporting to be the owner of a plot of land on the northern end of the Enmore public road. The man was reluctant to display the documents he had, leaving persons to believe that his motive was to secure the area for himself. They then proceeded to erect pickets to demarcate their desired spots. Notably, no Police officer was at the various locations.

However, at Lusignan, more than 100 persons were seen plotting off pieces of land. The land, however, was already leased to cattle farmers in the area over a 50-year period. Despite them being advised by the farmers, the squatters proceeded to take up the empty lands. This was also seen happening at Enterprise, ECD.

Meanwhile, more than 200 persons were rushing to occupy lands in the New Diamond Housing Scheme, EBD. One man told Guyana Times that as he sat on his verandah, he saw persons hustling beyond the 21st Avenue with pieces of wood and board bearing their initials.

Upon enquiring, he was told that the “people ah tek land like crazy”. He stated that he decided to take a look and as he did, he saw scores of people indulging in the illegal act. It has also been reported that the Turn-Key homes as Providence, EBD was invaded by unknown persons.

Pickets erected on a plot of land obliquely opposite the now defunct ice factory in Enmore, East Coast Demerara

A section of the turnkey homes

BRIDGE OPENINGS

The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic from Saturday, May 16 - 14:30h-16:00h and Sunday, May 17 - 14:30h-16:00h

The Berbice River Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Saturday, May 16 – 15:20h-16:50h and Sunday, May 17 – 16:05h-17:35h

FERRY SCHEDULE

Ferries will be departing the Parika and Supenaam stellings on:

Saturday, May 16 – 05:00h and 17:00h

Sunday, May 17 – 05:00h, 14:00h and 17:00h

WEATHER TODAY

Today, all regions can expect cloudy to overcast skies with frequent moderate to heavy showers, light intermittent rain and isolated thundershowers over some areas. Gusty winds are likely to occur before and during showers. The highest rainfall is expected over Regions Three through Six, Seven, Eight and some areas in Region 10. Please note that with the forecasted weather conditions, water accumulation is likely to occur in flood prone and poor drainage areas.

Winds: North-easterly between 3.57 metres and 5.36 metres per second.

High Tide: 02:54h and 15:23h reaching maximum heights of 2.73 metres and 2.67 metres respectively.

Low Tide: 08:55h and 21:12h reaching minimum heights of 0.47 metre and 0.54 metre respectively.

Spring Tide Advisory will be in effect from today. The forecasted rainfall along with the Spring tides can cause coastal flooding. Residents are advised to take necessary precautions.

PPP/C to mount elections petition ...challenging validity of GECOM’s announced results

The People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) is moving to the High Court within the legally prescribed timeframe to mount an elections petition challenging the results declared by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) on Saturday after Guyana went to the polls on Monday last to elect a new Government.

The Party, which is the oldest political entity in Guyana, is maintaining that it was cheated out of another term in office because of electoral rigging of votes cast by thousands of Guyanese and inaccuracies in the tabulation of final results by the local electoral body.

When contacted on Sunday, former President and now Opposition Leader Donald Ramotar confirmed that the PPP/C was taking active steps to institute legal proceedings against the Commission and all other necessary agencies with responsibility for the conduct and declaration of elections results here.

Ramotar said that the proceedings would commence as soon as the Party has completed all of the necessary preparatory work to have the matter filed, heard and tried.

The petition is likely to be presented by former Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall in the courts.

When contacted, Nandlall would only say that work has commenced and the Party will do all that is legally necessary to ensure that recourse is had and justice is served.

He would not divulge details about the grounds for the court action or the quantum of evidence that the Party would have accumulated thus far, to support its accusations against GECOM.

Nandlall explained that the next few days were criti-

cal for the Party and referred all other questions about the PPP/C action plan to its General Secretary, Clement Rohee and the Party’s Executive en bloc.

Ramotar even though handing over responsibility for the state and citizenry to incoming President David Granger had maintained that he was never defeated at the polls, but was rather cheated.

In his last address to the nation as Head of State and President on Saturday, the Guyanese politician explained that his Party had

requested that GECOM conducted a final count before declaring the elections results because of concerns his Party had about the accuracy of several Statements of Polls.

Ramotar said that the election results “were shrouded in controversy” as he appealed to thousands of Guyanese who voted for the PPP/C to remain calm in the face of widespread provocation “associated with triumphalism”.

The PPP/C has accused the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) , along with the election body of colluding on Polling Day, resulting in the Party’s failure to secure higher numbers.

He said while the Party has been illegally removed from office, it will remain steadfast in its commitment to the principles of freedom and democracy.

New phase

Ramotar, who is also an Executive Member of the PPP/C, said that Granger and the leadership of APNU/ AFC coalition must ensure the preservation of peace, respect and protection for all citizens over the next few

years regardless of their race, creed or political affiliation.

“As we enter into a new phase of our country’s political life, the PPP/C will continue to strive for a strong democracy, a cohesive society and a better Guyana,” he said in a statement to the media.

Ramotar stressed that adult suffrage appeared to be under attack in Guyana because of recent developments, pointing to worrying occurrences which could have easily undermined and subverted the will of the electorate who participated in the democratic processes to elect a new Government on May 11.

“The right to universal adult suffrage and its exercise of ‘one person, one vote’, which the PPP won for the Guyanese people in 1953, is

again under threat,” he remarked.

Ramotar explained that the PPP/C requested the Elections Commission conduct recounts of ballots cast in various districts because of several irregularities which appeared to have compromised the integrity of the process, but it denied the Party’s repeated requests. He maintained that his Party is convinced that if these recounts were conducted, it would have won the elections and the discrepancies would have exposed the rigging which took place.

“GECOM by its constitutional mandate and the observer missions, have made their pronouncements on the elections without taking into account the real concerns that have been brought to their attention by our Party,” he said.

Former President Donald Ramotar

Newly sworn-in President David Granger

GECOM’s Chairman, Dr Steve Surujbally

Former Attorney General Anil Nandlall

Editor: Nigel Williams

Tel: 225-5128, 231-0397, 226-9921, 226-2102, 223-7230 or 223-7231. Fax: 225-5134

Mailing address: 238 Camp & Quamina Streets, Georgetown

Email: news@guyanatimesgy.com, sales@guyanatimesgy.com

Editorial

The first 100 days

The PNC-led APNU/AFC coalition that is now in office made a special point of what the promised to deliver in its first 100 days in office. There were a total of 21 items enumerated.

Today being Day 2, we thought we would remind the expectant populace, fortified in the knowledge that the coalition will be governing for "all Guyana" as to what is in store for them within the next three months. This, of course, assumes that the coalition can deliver what it promised.

The first promise is a "Reduction in the Berbice Bridge toll". This was probably inserted as an inducement for the AFC to make its own promise to APNU - to deliver 11 % of additional votes from the East Berbice Region.

Even though the AFC promise was not kept - the coalition actually received less votes that it garnered in 2011, it would be difficult for APNU to now renege on its campaign promise so early in the day.

But during the campaign, the Private Sector Commission had signalled the fly in the coalition's ointment:

"A unilateral decrease in toll by the government or any government will not be received very well by private business, and it’s tantamount to price control and any such unilateral decision, governments need to be very careful of and I believe there are adequate mechanisms in the entire Berbice Bridge deal…that provides for information to be shared between the government and the Board and there are formulas that are in place how such decisions are to be made.”

The Berbice Bridge was financed on the Public Private Partnership (PPP) mechanism encouraged by the World Bank and the IDB for poorer countries to install vital infrastructure to facilitate economic growth.

While the investors in the Berbice Bridge are all local business, the move by the government to reduce tolls would place additional pressures on the management of the Bridge, which has been criticised by the private investors for not paying any dividends on their investment since the Bridge was opened in 2008.

The present toll structure has delivered approximately $1.5 billion annually and if the reduction is to, be meaningful, would have to be on the order of at least 50%.

The new government would therefore be opening up a can of worms that has long been locked away from the public's sight, since the private companies are contractually bound to receive a specified return on their investment.

If the tolls cannot service this return, then the government would have to provide a subsidy to the Berbice Bridge. Which would have to come from the Consolidated Funds.

The new government would also have to find some more money to implement its second promise:

"Significant salary increases for government workers, including nurses; teachers in primary, secondary and tertiary education; security personnel; and civil servants on the traditional payroll."

With at least 40,000 workers receiving "significant salary increases" the government will have to source at least $5 billion additional revenues every year.

Even in looking at just the first two promises, the question as to where the money will be coming from, should strike even the most fervent supporter of the new government. In the 21 promises to be delivered within the first 100 days, there is not a single revenue-generating proposal.

In fact, the third promise will actually reduce the present level of revenues from the largest contributor to the Consolidated Funds: "Immediately implement a phased reduction of VAT and the removal of VAT from food and other essential items."

Here again, as many of the new Government's economists have pointed out, reductions on the order of 3-5% reduction in VAT will not have an appreciable impact on income flow for the average Guyanese.

One does not need to be an economist to appreciate that if the country's expenditure increases and its income falls, bankruptcy is not far away.

New Japan volcano island ‘natural

lab’ for life

PPP/C must file injunction for forensic election audit, like PNC did in 1997

Dear Editor,

The belief is very deep that the PPP/C Government had to be removed because their corrupt and vagabond thieves had hidden their bounty in plain sight. Well, not all are thieves. Some are excusable Ministerial saints soon to leave Guyana.

If the wealth was hidden in harmony, things could have been different. With easier access and experienced in plundering, the belief grew that the new lavish housing dwellers were not playing fair.

Naturally some believe whatever is not hidden must also be shared. “All are involved, all are consumed,” reminds poet Martin Carter.

Immediately, the PPP/C should file a court injunction to legally seize and secure all ballots, boxes and records for a forensic recount.

It’s been done before. After the 1997 elections, Desmond Hoyte’s PNC refused to ac-

cept GECOM ‘s results and demanded a forensic recount later done by a Trinidadian judge. The PPP/C was again declared the winner afterwards.

By GECOM’s fake Statements of Polls (SOPS), they have rigged Guyana’s 2015 elections in favour of the PNC-led alliance. It was done with the usual PNC spices, by hook, by crook and by targeting those who support the PPP/C.

Better believe it, but financial compensation is mandatory. So far the rigging may have succeeded with the veterinarian Chef repositioning complete confidence in GECOM’s staffers to do as they wish.

They were the insurance guarantee for a PNC win and they delivered as usual. Given the tunnel vision of the international election observers unfamiliar with PNC cunning, what they declared as

free and fair elections does not later impact their lives.

How did fake SOPs enter the GECOM electoral system? They do not know. They do not care. The election observers noted all went well during voting with only a few hiccups.

But Barbados’ Dame Biller of the Carter Center says she can explain them all. Can she explain fake ballots or SOPS surfacing at the 2015 elections? Neither can Caricom or the Commonwealth observers. The OAS, UNASUR and our local EAB have been most proper and guarded in their pronouncements. But who’s making note?

Democracy allows Dame Billie to say as she wishes. But election malpractices are not minimized because of say so, my lady. Who has shamed and polluted the Carter Center is frightening by what it forbodes, my lady.

Would it be most im-

polite to remind, my lady, that President Carter was not asked to go home? The American icon has faced and conquered far mightier foes. But Guyana’s PNC rigging virus can be a far deadlier infection with no known cure. When the Nobel laureate exits permanently, who will Guyanese turn to for deliverance? Not Caricom or the CCJ for sure. Certainly and respectfully, not your ladyship. But do come again, to visit and enjoy our big yard and its zoological prize winners on display. Your’e welcome.

Forthwith GECOM’s many 2015 election malpractices which favoured the PNC now demand inquiry ,answers and rectification. When were these fake SOPs printed up and distributed? The fake SOPs appeared like the real thing but they were not.

Diversity is a celebration of life

Dear Editor,

In the year 2015 we are still discussing the fundamental idea that there should be tolerance and respect for every group within our society including ethnic and cultural groups.

Because our race relations have erupted into violence, there is a fear of diversity. There is the notion that it breeds separateness and divisiveness. The argument is that if we take away the labels the problem will go away. So which labels should disappear and who decides, anyway? Muslims can no longer be Muslims? Or Rastafarians? The Wai-Wais must give up their tribal identity? ACDA and the APA, too, must disband?

I am proposing these examples while hoping that it is not the Indian identity alone that is the issue with all the letter writers proposing race-

lessness, Guyaneseness, maya, DNA traps, and even the absurdity that race relations are some sort of culinary tourism where everyone delights in everyone else’s food. Diversity is a celebration of life and any fear of it is driven by suspicion and, almost always, by a lack of knowledge and information about those feared.

I want to believe that most of us have the individual maturity, self assurance, and knowledge that it takes to be respectful of every other citizen no matter their colour, creed, gender, race, etc. This is the Guyana we all want to live in.

However, since my own words seem insufficient to the discussion, I would like everyone who subscribes to the idea that Guyanese citizens should be raceless, or that Indians, in particular, have no right to

their heritage and culture, to ponder the following quotes:

Marcus Garvey: “A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.”

Elie Wiesel: “Without memory there is no culture. Without memory there would be no civilisation, no society, no future.”

Actress Salma Hayek: “I have never denied my background or my culture. I have taught my child to embrace her Mexican heritage, to love my first language, Spanish, to learn about Mexican history, music, folk art, food, and even the Mexican candy I grew up with.”

William Shakespeare: “This above all; to thine own self be true.”

Queen Latifah: “Be bold, be brave enough to be your true self.”

Writer Milan Kundera:

“The struggle of man against power is the struggle of memory against forgetting.”

V.S. Naipaul: “To be converted you have to destroy your past, destroy your history. You have to stamp on it, you have to say ‘my ancestral culture does not exist, it doesn’t matter.’ ”

V.S. Naipaul: “Men need history; it helps them to have an idea of who they are.”

V.S. Naipaul: “But we go back and back, forever; we go back all of us to the very beginning; in our blood and bone and brain we carry the memories of thousands of beings.”

Mahatma Gandhi: “Intolerance is itself a form of violence and an obstacle to the growth of a true democratic spirit.”

Mahatma Gandhi: “Intolerance betrays want of faith in one’s cause.”

The newly-created Nishinoshima Island at the Ogasawara island chain, 1000 kilometres south of Tokyo, pictured on March 25 (AFP Photo)

Looking forward to fulfillment of promises for first 100 days

Dear Editor,

The Guyana Islamic Trust congratulates His Excellency David Arthur Granger and the APNUAFC on their victory in the just concluded General and Regional Elections.

We join with the entire Muslim community in urging the new government to approach this great responsibility with the highest level of integrity, commitment and statesmanship, and we eagerly look forward to the fulfillment of the promises made for “the first 100 days” after assuming office for the benefit of all Guyanese.

Furthermore, we look

forward to working with the new government towards the upliftment of the moral standards in our country, as well as the promotion of love, unity, care and concern among all Guyanese without discrimination of any kind, since Islam teaches equality of all people.

Our Holy Prophet Muhammad (upon whom be peace) has said: “All people are equal like the teeth of a comb. No superiority is given to an Arab over a non-Arab or a white person over a colored person except by the fear of God.”

We commend the Guyanese people on the ma-

turity, patience and peacefulness they have demonstrated in the last few days since elections, and we urge all to continue in the same vein to ensure the continued security and stability of our nation.

We wish to also thank the previous administration for its support to the Muslim community while in Office. We look forward to a warm and cordial relationship with the new government in working towards a brighter future for all Guyanese.

Administrative Council Guyana Islamic Trust

PPP/C must file injunction...

Who in GECOM gave away the real ones to be copied and printed up? Were they printed in Guyana, Caribbean, the USA or Britain? Who, how and when were they distributed and used at the polling station which absolutely no election observer group knows not a clue? Strange isn’t it?

Were the fakes commingled exclusively at GECOM’s Kingston Kitchen (GKK) during their “authentication” recount?

It’s common knowledge that decades of demands seek racial balance of our country’s armed forces. It is also common knowledge our armed forces overwhelmingly support the PNC because of race loyalties.

Why the big fuss to hide by commingling their election voting results? Why only stamp them when all Guyanese voted on May 11 rather at the time they voted one week earlier? It fools no one.

One week is long time for those armed forces votes to be tampered with in the meantime. Guyanese must know what percentage of ballots, as well are fakes, are in the 2015 elections.

Since fake SOPs exist then it is conceivable that fake ballots also exist. The percentages of genuine ballots and genuine fakes must be clarified. In fact all the official election material printed in Canada had special embossments on special quality printing paper which cannot be easily duplicated by other printers.

It’s like the paper money is printed on. The pictures may be same, but the paper is specific and most difficult to duplicate. How were the fakes so quickly readymade in time for the Returning Officer to get and use them on May 11?

So Region Four, a known PNC stronghold, is again with its many problems. What else causes that region

to be plagued with problems, without resolution except stinking garbage?

Karma’s past sins can be most debilitating. No secret but Region Four was the last to hand in the SOPs when they are the closest to GECOM’s Georgetown’s Kitchen! Did they need extra time to adjust the figures when only GECOM’S Lowenfield “discovered” fake SOPS?

Who signed the Region Four SOPS five days later? All the party agents had gone home on May 11 after elections was completed. Why so long to add and subtract? If not Region Four, GECOM must publicly identify from which other regions, specific location and by boxes, where its handpicked election officers had submitted fake SOPS.

It is a criminal offense for even GECOM to forge election documents and rig elections. They must be held accountable. All the usual suspects must step down while the investigation takes place.

All election information must become public knowledge. Which GECOM staffers had access to the official ballot to give it away must also be identified and disclosed.

In the USA the total amount of all election material is prepackaged by plastic sealing before it is delivered at each polling station. Before polling opens on voting day the polling staff are required to record what is in hand.

At the close of polling all materials used must add up. All spoiled ballots are recorded as are all left over ballots at the end of voting. The good ballots are what constitute the final tally. A person not registered to vote may be allowed to do so, but the ballot is placed in a separate envelope and this is sent to election HQ to be verified.

When all is found clean

Diversity is a celebration...

Catholic priest Henri J Nouwen: “Over the years, I have come to realize that the greatest trap in our life is not success, popularity or power but self-rejection….Self-rejection is the greatest enemy of the spiritual life because it contravenes the sacred voice that calls us ‘Beloved’. Being the Beloved constitutes the core truth of our existence.”

I agree with the sentiments and views expressed in these statements and feel, as Father Nouwen does, that self hatred is the worst form of racism in that it is directed inwardly at the self and outwardly to the very group to which the self belongs. It is the only racism that is two-pronged in its attack.

I have memory, history and a great heritage be-

From page 4

and valid, depending how many voted by affidavits, only then are the ballots counted to the already announced totals. GECOM must account at the end of the 2015 voting process how many ballots and SOPs were assigned to the specific station before the start of voting.

GECOM’s record must be produced to verify what occurred. The records will show at what stage the fake ballots or SOPS originated and how they entered the system. GECOM’s official record will reveal its rigging for which the PNC is so well known.

Guyana has now been declared open for another PNC dictatorship because of GECOM’s rigging and possibly by election observers’ disavowal of complicity. Foreign forces as in 1964 have again aided and abetted the PNC to destroy Guyana’s democracy.

USAID’s funded and managed election project was brazenly used to divert Guyanese youths against the PPP/C. The Western embassies and diplomats were not passive but active cheerleaders to effect regime

change in Guyana. Christmas is nowhere in sight but like in today’s Europe, Greeks themselves need gifts which Guyana’s militarized PNC has been showered.

If lowering rivalries and tensions was the laudible motive, it has instead set up a perfect storm of victims for the fully armed rata-tat-tat laser ‘Weapon of Moses Destruction’ (WMD) to destroy the base degrees of their origins.

We may be tempted to believe we are free at last with the APNU married to its AFC trophy bride. If so simple, then national unity has been achieved. After 28 years of the PNC, Guyana was destroyed. After 23 years of the PPP/C Guyana, was restored with some US$800 million left in foreign reserves for the PNC to inherit.

No evidence can disprove that most Guyanese are any less averse to be free at last. One day it must come and will come. It must begin today for us to free to survive. These are human rights which none can deny.

Sultan

Mohamed

queathed to me by my ancestors. It is the greatest gift we receive from our foreparents and we should never dishonor or squander it. For these reasons, I am a very proud Indian Guyanese. I count myself among the billions around the world who are the Beloved.

We could each commit, at an individual and personal level, to practising tolerance, such as Gandhi teaches; respect for everyone’s history and culture as stated by Marcus Garvey; and to see self-rejection as the enemy, as preached by Father Nouwen.

I would like us all to ponder also two subsections of two of the articles from the UN Declaration of Human Rights which were agreed on by most of the nations of the world after WWII and the defeat of Hitler and Nazism.

They were written to protect all the world’s peoples including us here in Guyana whether we are Indians, Africans, Amerindians, Chinese, etc.

Article 1: “All peoples have the right of self-determination. By virtue of that right they freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development.”

Article 5: “Nothing in the present Covenant may be interpreted as implying for any State, group or person any right to engage in any activity or perform any act aimed at the destruction of any of the rights and freedoms recognized herein or at their limitation to a greater extent than is provided for in the present Covenant.”

This brings me to the statements made, as reported on page 27 of Kaieteur News of May 15, 2015, by UN Resident Coordinator Khadija Musa that Guyanese citizens are to view themselves “as

Guyanese without divisive racial identities”. She expanded that we are to “market” a “full identity” as Guyanese.

The UN views no racial identity, or any other identity of the world’s peoples, as divisive. Nor does the UN ever suggest to any people what they should have as their “full identity”. Nor does the UN ever propose or promote any such idea as “one national identity” for any nation.

It is not the role of the UN to tell any nation or people who or what they should be. Any such role would contradict its own covenant on the right of self-determination. Ms Musa’s statements also contravene Article 5 in that it is aimed at destroying rights and freedoms.

I have had interactions with past UN representatives on the issue of race and identity and, as far as I am aware, all UN personnel promote peace and reconciliation through understanding and tolerance among peoples and groups of people.

I was then President of GIHA (Guyana Indian Heritage Association) and every UN official we met with respected and supported our right to our ethnic and cultural identity.

Ms Musa’s statements directly contravene every single covenant and tenet sanctioned and upheld by the UN. By her own words, she shows herself unfit to hold the office of a UN representative.

She can retract her statements fully and apologise to the peoples of Guyana. Failing this, a formal petition citing Ms Musa for human rights violations will be drawn up and circulated for signatures then sent to the UN Secretary General. The petition will demand her removal from office.

Ryhaan Shah

Page Foundation

Brain training exercises for children and teens

Elevator Breathing. Practicing deep breathing (“elevator breathing” or moving the breath to all parts of the body) helps improve memory as well as emotional control. Children love doing this, so do it often. Start out by having your child sitting in a crosslegged position or lying down and breathing naturally. After she has practiced breathing naturally, say:

“Imagine that your breath is like an elevator taking a ride through your body. To start the elevator, I want you to breathe in through your nose. Now breathe out all your air. Now breathe in and take your elevator breath up to your chest. Hold it. Now breathe out all of your air. Now breathe in and take your elevator breath up to the top floor, up through your throat into your face and forehead. Hold it. Now breathe out and feel your elevator breath take all your troubles and worries down through your chest, your belly, your legs and out the elevator door in your feet.”

The Brain/Body Coordination Workout. Our brains and our bodies are part of our whole self, and both parts need exercise. When we “exercise” them together, we are actually helping various functions of the brain work more collaboratively and stay in sync. Motor coordination is a function of our brain as well as our body. “Exercises” like those below promote integration between essential brain functions, leading to an overall better performing brain.

Toe wiggling. This greatly helps coordination. Children of all ages can easily learn to do this. Every morning before getting out of bed, have your child slowly begin to move all their toes on both feet up and down, and then change to just the two big toes.

Your other hand. Have your child try doing things with their non-dominant hand. If they are righthanded, have them use their left and if left-handed, use their right for things like writing, getting dressed and eating.

Get moving. You can do simple exercises with your child like sitting and touching your right elbow to your left knee. Do this five times and then do left elbow to right knee. Repeat several times. Or you can do the “windmill” by standing with feet spread apart and alternate between touching your left foot with your right hand and vice versa. Repeat several times.

Tickle the ivories. Learning to play either the piano or an electronic keyboard is one of the best ways to improve brain integration. An Internet search will bring up instructional videos you can use at home. The Concentration Game. Activities to improve

memory and concentration are important for all of us!

For younger children, you can take a few of their toys and line them up. Then cover them and take one away. See if they can tell you which one is missing. You can also have them try to remember short lists of familiar objects in the home. Try remembering them forward and backward.

For older children and teens, try putting random objects in front of them for 15 seconds, then remove the objects and see how many they can remember. Start out with five and keep increasing the number as they master the task. You can also help auditory memory by giving them a random list of numbers or words orally and having them repeat them. Start with only two or three and work up from there.

Family Game Night. Playing games like checkers and chess, as well card games including UNO, Hearts, Go Fish and Speed teach problem solving, planning and cooperation (such as taking turns and handling frustration). Board games are also great for this, such as Monopoly, Sorry! and Yahtzee. Games like Jenga and Operation improve attention, concentration, coordination and frustration tolerance. Another plus is that playing games together is fun for everyone and helps strengthen family bonds. Try it once a week and see what it does for your child and your relationship.

Play games online. There are many great websites offering free games that are both fun and improve a wide variety of academic skills. This is “screen time” parents can actually feel good about! Check out www.childrenknowit.com, www.childrenmathgamesonline.com and www. learninggamesforchildren.com.

Daily talk time/triumphs and challenges. In today’s world of constant texting, talking – really communicating – is getting to be a lost art. Taking time each day with each child to learn about their triumphs and challenges and sharing yours will greatly improve your child’s communication and conversational skills. Sharing your triumphs and challenges can also help them to learn problem solving skills. Family dinnertime is an awesome time to do this and a great tradition to start. Or read a book with your child and ask questions about what was happening. Discuss the events and also the feelings, not only how the characters were feeling but what your child was thinking and feeling as well. Share your thoughts and feelings as well.

By Dr roBert Myers, ChilD PsyChologist

When you look at children and people in general, it’s easy to see that we all have differences in our “wiring”, in how our brains work. As a parent, you see these differences between your children every day. Your son is great at

as executive functions. Executive functions also include the ability to regulate emotions, solve problems, be flexible, organised and communicate well, among others. Executive functions strongly influence your child’s ability to excel not only at certain tasks, like being able to plan ahead so all their homework gets done on time, but also

figuring out how long it will take him to write that English paper, while your daughter always seems to think she’ll get it done in an hour, even though she never does. Or one child remembers everything she’s told, while the other can’t remember a log-in and password a minute after you just said it.

The ability to plan, manage time and remember details are all mental abilities—or brain functions—known

play a part in determining how successful they may be in school, work and other roles in their lives.

The good news is that science has shown that we can change our brain wiring and improve our executive functions. What this means for parents is that while your child may have difficulties at home or at school that are at least partially based on delays or differences in executive functions, through training and practice he or she can develop these lagging skills. Strengthened executive functions will enable your child to be more successful academically, become better able to cope with life’s daily challenges and improve their ability to relate with others –leading to a more satisfying and productive life.

You can help your child develop these skills through brain training exercises – or better yet, games. Children naturally learn through play. Play involves the whole child in the experience and thus intensifies the learning experience. Practice is also important. In the brain, each time a behaviour is repeated it strengthens the brain’s “wiring”, the ability to do the behaviour more successfully the next time. Think of it this way: helping your child learn an executive function is no different than when they learn to ride a bike or recite the alphabet. Make it fun and keep at it, and you’ll see gains.

Here are six activities you can do with your child to promote healthy brain development that will result in improvements in several key executive functions. By the way, these exercises not only help children; they work for adults as well!

Taking time to teach, encourage and participate with your child in these activities will not only improve brain function, but build relationships and reduce stress in all who participate. Play may be the work of the child but it is good for adults to slip into their own inner child now and then as well. So “exercise” your brain along with your child’s, knowing you are having fun together while promoting growth.

(Empoweringparents.com)

Granger to be inaugurated on Independence Day

– Harmon temporarily appointed HPS, Ministers to be announced

When Guyanese all across the globe will be celebrating Guyana’s 49th Independence Anniversary on May 26, a major subsection will also be rejoicing over the grand inauguration of the country’s eight Executive President David Arthur Granger.

Granger will be inaugurated on Independence Day at the Guyana National Stadium Providence to officially mark the beginning of his term in office as President of the Democratic Republic of Guyana.

After years of battle with the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) for executive power, Granger

and his A Partnership for National Unity/ Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) team are now given the chance to prove their worth by demonstrating to the nation that they can govern the country in “a better and more resourceful manner.”

Granger, during the grand swearing-in ceremony on Saturday took an oath to serve with honour and dignity the people of his beloved nation. During his maiden speech as President, he declared that his wingman, Joseph Harmon, who

was the APNU General Secretary, will be appointed Head of the Presidential Secretariat – a position that was once held by the ailing Dr Roger Luncheon.

At his inauguration ceremony, the new President is expected to set a date for the opening of the 11th Parliament. At the commencement of the 11th Parliament, Moses Nagamootoo will be sworn in as Prime Minister and Leader of the House.

According to the Cummingsburg Accord, Granger as President will bestow the powers of Leader of the House upon his running mate Nagamootoo.

In the construct of his new Government, Granger said he will review the entire organisational structure of the Administration and put a limit to the number of ministries established.

Additionally, he will be disclosing which APNU/ AFC Candidates will be appointed as Ministers.

For APNU, during the

life of the 10th Parliament, Carl Greenidge was Shadow Finance Minister; Amna Ally was Shadow Education Minister; Joseph Harmon was Shadow Tourism Minister, Housing and Water, and Public Works Minister; Christopher Jones was Shadow Youth Minister; George Norton was Shadow Health Minister; Basil Williams was the Shadow Legal Affairs Minister; and Rupert Roopnarine was the Shadow Natural Resources and the Environment Minister while Ronald Bulkan served as the Shadow Local Government Minister and Winston Felix, the Shadow Home Affairs Minister.

The APNU/AFC Government also extended a friendly arm to the PPP/C to form an inclusionary Government to work towards building a stronger and more united Guyana.

However, it was previously noted by Nagamootoo that this offer will only be available to those PPP/C

Candidates who have exemplified a level of professionalism and true willingness to serve the Guyanese public.

Also slated to be announced during the inauguration ceremony are those persons who will be named the Vice Presidents.

According to the Cummingsburg Accord, APNU will be entitled to one Vice President while the AFC will be entitled to two.

Wanted teen might have confessed murder to friends

Shivanand Roopnarine of Grove, East Bank Demerara (EBD), who is wanted for the murder of 17-year-old Alissa McPherson, contacted two of his friends moments after the stabbing incident, telling them that he had done “something wrong.”

Information reaching Guyana Times revealed that the wanted 21-year-old man told his close friends that he had stabbed the young woman after seeing her with an ex-boyfriend at a dance in Sophia on April 19.

The young man was described as a quiet individual who took care of the McPherson. He reportedly offset all the expenses for the teenager’s school, and paid for her to sit seven subjects at the Caribbean Secondary Examination Certificate (CSEC) examination.

“After he get the call from a friend who tell him that Alissa was dancing with someone at Sophia, he went and when he reached he saw it was her ex… an argument started and he (the suspect) claimed he didn’t know what went into him but he stabbed the teen,” an anonymous friend told Guyana Times.

After he committed the act, he reportedly went home, packed a haversack and left the village. The friend stated that there are rumours that Roopnarine had absconded to Venezuela, Brazil and Mahdia but did not divulge his whereabouts.

Meanwhile, Denise McPherson, the dead teen’s mother, is holding out that the fugitive has been in contact with his immediate family and friends. In a recent telephone interview with this newspaper, she called on the Guyana Police Force to apprehend the young man, noting that justice must be served.

Days after the teenager was murdered, the suspect was seen boarding a bus in Soesdyke, EBD en route to Mahdia. He had already taken off his long hair that he was sporting.

On the night in question, Alissa McPherson, of Cappies Place, ‘C’ Field Sophia, Georgetown went to a party with a few relatives, and someone informed the suspect that she was having an affair with another man. Roopnarine subsequently arrived and an argument ensued between the couple. It was further reported that he took the young woman into a corner where he stabbed her about her body. McPherson was picked up and rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital where she succumbed around 07:30h on April 19 while receiving treatment. Guyana Times was made to understand that the couple was having problems, and prior to the incident, the teenager caught the suspect with another woman at his mother’s home.

This newspaper was also informed that a torn photograph of the couple was found in the teenager’s handbag. A post-mortem examination conducted on the teen’s body revealed that she was stabbed at least 41 times.

McPherson reportedly sustained stab wounds to her eyes, chest, hands, neck and abdomen among others. She suffered a punctured lung and her uterus was severely damaged as a result. The cause of death was given as haemorrhaging and shock due to multiple stab wounds.

Wife of murdered Sophia businessman roasts Police for slothfulness

Aminata Anys, wife of murdered businessman Shawn Anys of Sophia who was gunned down during a robbery earlier in the month, slammed investigators probing her husband’s death for their slothfulness.

In a telephone interview with Guyana Times, the woman explained that that since her husband was shot and killed on the night of May 2, not one Police officer returned to the crime scene to further gather evidence.

The frustrated woman stated that she is now living in fear noting that she is now forced to close her business at a particular time and confine to her home with her four children. She

told this newspaper that the Police had arrested one man who was found with the laptop computer stolen during the robbery but he was released.

“At no time, the Police contacted me to visit the station to verify if the computer was mine…they just give up with the whole story…”, the woman stated. She learnt about the arrest when she overheard residents in the neighbourhood discussing the matter.

Upon learning of the arrest, the woman reportedly visited the Turkeyen Police Station where she was told that the person handling the matter was not at work. She said that her patience is thin; however, she hopes

to get some answers today when she revisits the Police station.

She is holding out that the perpetrators reside in ‘C’ Field Sophia and on the night of the robbery, the men came well prepared with instrument to cut the bard wire to gain entry into the yard. She is calling on the Police to speed up their investigations into her husband’s murder.

Shawn Anys, 37, of Lot 743 Section ‘D’ Turkeyen was reportedly shot at least two times by two bandits during a robbery committed on his premises. He was shot to his head and chest by the men who scaled the fence to gain access to the enclosed yard.

It was reported that the bandits, both armed with firearms, reportedly cut a barb wire along the fence at the back of the house.

According to reports received, the now dead businessman went into the yard to check around since the dogs were barking continuously.

As he looked around, the two men emerged from among the trees and shot him to the chest during the confrontation. The shooting was witnessed by the man’s two eldest sons who were awake.

After he was shot once, he attempted to run into the house but did not reach far as the men gave chase. One of the men was masked

while the other’s face was exposed. Nevertheless, as he entered the house and was about to close the door, the men gained entry and shot him another time, this time to his head.

The Police in a release stated that Anys of Turkeyen, East Coast Demerara, went out into his yard to check after his dogs were barking continuously, and was confronted by two men, one of whom was armed with a handgun.

During the confrontation, Anys was shot to his body by the perpetrators who then entered his home and took away a laptop computer, two cell phones and $40,000 before escaping.

Alissa McPherson

Guyana’s Eight Executive President David Granger

Shawn Anys

Head of the Presidential Secretariat Joseph Harmon

Prime Minister-elect Moses Nagamootoo

Selection of Opposition MPs… PPP/C urged to introduce “new blood” – Sam Hinds

Former Prime Minister of Guyana and longstanding member of the People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C)

Samuel Hinds has recommended that his party allow new and vibrant faces to lead the administration and let the aged and experienced be the guidance for those upcoming souls with a clear vision to take the country forward.

In a telephone interview with the Guyana Times on Sunday 17, Hinds said he believes the time is ripe for the young people to become the leaders of the country.

“It’s time to start bring in some new blood,” Hinds stated.

After continuously serving as Prime Minister of Guyana under the PPP/C since it took office in 1992, Hinds stepped down from the position to make way for Elisabeth Harper to take over.

However, after 23 dedicated years of building the nation, the PPP/C lost the General and Regional Election 2015, paving way for the leadership of the A Partnership for National Unity/ Alliance For Change (APNU/ AFC) coalition, with David Granger

as the new President and his running mate Moses Nagamootoo as the new Prime Minister.

The PPP/C opposition gained 32 of the 65 seats in the National Assembly and is expected to, very soon, announce who will be the Members of Parliament representing their party in the policy and decision making of the country.

New and youthful appearances on the PPP/C’s List of Candidates and possible options for the Member of Parliament positions are Clinton Urling, Roshini Boodhoo, Mahendar Sharma, Romel Roopnarine, Kwame McCoy, Alexei Ramotar and Charles

Ramson.

Hinds said he strongly believes the new faces can significantly contribute to the development of the country.

Asked whether he will be returning as a PPP/C MP, Hinds said he is unsure of the position the party will take.

However, he noted that if he is asked, he will willingly serve his party in whatever way he can, although, still recommending that the young people be given a chance to shine.

Hinds said for now, he will focus

on reflecting on his past years.

“I just want to spend it quietly and peacefully,” he noted.

Asked what would be his message to the PPP/C supporters who are inevitably in a state of despair over the party’s lost, Hinds encouraged them to “cry for a while but not for too long.”

He noted that, despite not holding executive power, his party will continue to work for the betterment of Guyana.

“There will be another election soon in which we will be competing… We have been in the government benches and now we are in the opposition benches. Wherever we are, we are working for people and country,” Hinds calmly assured.

Samuel Archibald Anthony Hinds is a representative of the Civic Component of the PPP/C.

He is Guyana’s longest serving Prime Minister and also briefly served as President of Guyana in 1997, making him a veteran in the National Assembly.

Hinds, an outstanding individual, was awarded Guyana’s highest national award, the Order of Excellence in 2011.

Eyew tness

Ruminations...

...on voting choices

Just so he’s not accused of being churlish, your humble Eyewitness’ gonna give a shout out to President Granger and his team who’re about to roll into their new offices. Good luck, Brigadier!

But your Eyewitness must bring up a point that continues to be most studiously avoided or when it becomes impossible to do so - to unceremoniously sweep it under the rug: the strength of ethnic voting.

One of the remarkably unique features of Guyanese politics is that even though both of the two major groups in the country - (African and Indian Guyanese) vote along ethnic lines - those who do so for the PPP/C (Indian Guyanese) are dubbed “racist” for doing so.

Interestingly, foreign observers don’t fall into this evident ethnic myopia or blindness - they routinely report that our political participation overall, cleaves along ethnic identifications. Only Guyanese seem to suffer from the disease.

Back in 1992, after 20-odd years (VERY odd!!) during which the PNC destroyed the very fabric of Guyana and plunged practically EVERYONE in Guyana into poverty - they yet got 42% of the vote - the same as in 1964.

Which was the previous free and fair election and universally conceded as the most ethnically influenced one in our history. And it wouldn’t be stretching things to assert that it wasn’t Indian Guyanese voting for the PNC in 1964 and 1992, would it?

But the vote of the African segment became “nationalists” for choosing the PNC - even though they could’ve chosen the multi-racial WPA in 1992.

Enter the PPP/C and free and fair voting since then. And the labelling continued. Never mind the PPP/C improved the country by every conceivable measure: when African Guyanese voters barely shifted their voting preferences, they were again doing their “nationalist duty” and the Indian Guyanese were “racists”.

And we arrive at the just concluded anointing of President Granger - (one has to invoke biblical allusions since he claimed it was ordained by “the Lord”).

The Stabber did a favour to all Guyanese by publishing the votes by polling stations arranged by villages. And an unfortunate fact of Guyanese life is villages are generally monolithically one ethnic group or the other.

And once again the vote was split ethnically. And once again ONLY the Indian Guyanese are being castigated for being “racist”.

The point of the matter is that folks can’t assume that African Guyanese or Indian Guyanese are “racist” when they vote for parties that they identify with ethnically. Whether it’s “reality” or “perception” this is where Guyanese are at when it comes to choosing governments.

The task of leaders is to deal with that FACT in a manner that’s positive for the entire country.

...on attire

Clothes, they say, maketh the man. So what are we to say about the clothes worn by President Granger and his Prime Minister-to-be, Moses Nagamootoo? Granger wore a formal black Shirt Jac which showed the same attention to Guyanese history choosing Parliament Buildings as the locale for his swearing in ceremony.

The Shirt Jac was introduced in 1969 - after independence - as attire suitable for wear to the Parliament of Guyana.

Both Burnham and Jagan enthusiastically supported the innovation because of what it signalled: not just arriving at a sartorial modus vivendi with our humid and hot tropical climate, but telling the nation that we were free to define what was “proper” - not only to mimick our departed “masters”.

Nagamootoo, on the other hand, arrived in a black suit, a burgundy shirt and a psychedelic argyle-patterned tie. He appeared to be parodying a down-and-out Mafia hit man.

...on BB King

Your Eyewitness is disconsolate. First it was Percy Sledge, then Ben E King. And now BB King. BB was the granddaddy of Blues, and an inspiration to all that followed - rhythm and blues, Rock and roll... And the best guitarist next to Jimmy Hendrix. RIP.

Former Prime Minister Samuel Hinds

Clinton Urling

Roshini Boodhoo

monday, may 18, 2015 | guyanatimesgy.com

Essequibo maternal death…

Grey’s relatives want justice, full probe

Fin Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam) are calling for a thorough investigation into the death of the mother of one.

Grey, 20, died on May 10 after delivering a bouncing baby girl at the Suddie Public Hospital. According to medical reports, she died due to eclampsia – a condition in which one or more convulsions occur in a pregnant woman suffering from high blood pressure.

A port-mortem examination which is scheduled for today will, however, determine the woman’s cause of death. She was admitted whilst being pregnant with a 37 weekold-baby.

Relating the ordeal, the mother- in-law Nelli Grey

boss murder probe...

said her daughter-in-law was admitted on May 10 at the Charity Oscar Joseph Hospital after experiencing severe vomiting and immense pain to her abdomen.

The saddened mother-inlaw further added that while her daughter- in-law was admitted at Charity she was not properly attended to by medical personnel. “I am saying the negligence was caused at Charity, when I went there, no doctors were there and the nurse said her pressure was high,” Grey related.

She further added that the incident occurred around 2:30h.

Grey said that at around 6:00h then the ambulance rushed her daughter-in-law

to the Suddie Public Hospital where she was forced to undergo an emergency surgery.

She further related that while the ambulance was transporting the young mother, she experienced a seizure. “At no time was there any oxygen in the ambulance, the nurse tried but no oxygen was inside, she ordered the driver to drive faster,” the woman recalled.

While the mother was admitted at Suddie Public Hospital she was rushed into the theatre room where she under-went a c-section and the baby was delivered. The young mother was then placed on a life support system, and air dashed to the Georgetown Public Hospital

Former Assistant Commissioner, Sergeant to confront “Two Colours”

BY BISHAM MOHAMED

AFormer Assistant Police Commissioner and a Sergeant (names provided) who were implicated in the murder of Mohamed F Khan are expected to face Lennox Wayne also called ‘Two Colours’- the murder accused who claimed that he was contracted to kill the now dead businessman.

The two former policemen were detained on Friday evening but were subsequently released on Saturday after denying any involvement in the businessman’s murder.

The houses of the two men were also searched but there were nothing substantial that could be tendered as evidence to the alleged criminal act.

A senior police source told the Guyana Times that the two men will come face to face with Wayne who disclosed that he was offered $500,000 to get rid of the businessman back in July 2014.

He added that the accusations made by Wayne are merely assumptions after he recalled seeing a vehicle similar to that of the former assistant police commissioner parked obliquely opposite Khan’s home on the West Bank of Demerara.

The two men were arrested after telephone records showed that they were in contact with the now dead man but based on reports gathered, the two men provided alibis for August 9-the day the former MFK Trading boss disappeared. Those are being presently looked at for verification.

in the area.

On July 9, 2014, the 54-year-old businessman was shot to his abdomen by a gunman at La Grange, West Bank Demerara in a failed execution attempt. It was reported that a business deal had turned sour.

At that time, he claimed

that he had sold a property, but the buyer wanted to rob him of millions and he thought that the execution attempt might have been orchestrated by the buyer. Khan left the business world about six years ago after he received death threats.

where she succumbed.

“They told us that we had no choice but to remove the baby and save its life cause the mother was bleeding and losing a lot of blood, the doctors didn’t say much but acted promptly.”

The mother-in-law, who is a domestic worker, now has to take care of the eight day old baby girl. Grey said she has no choice, noting that the baby is her son Clifton Simon

Grey’s first child. The baby has not been named or registered. The family is preparing for the funeral which is scheduled for Wednesday. The deceased was described as a very loving and caring individual. She was a clerk attached to the Darthmouth Neighbourhood Democratic Council and was married some nine months ago.

The decomposed, headless corpse was found on September 22, 2014 at Old Road, Cummings Lodge, Greater Georgetown. The head was reportedly found by workers attached to the Public Works Ministry who were weeding in the area. It was reportedly in a black plastic bag and was being carried by a dog.

Upon the discovery, the men went to the area from where the dog came and stumbled upon the body.

The businessman who resided in Venezuela after selling his Hadfield business left that country on August 21, 2014 to visit his Guyanese attorney.

He was expected to spend five days in Guyana and return to his three children and wife. After his disappearance, his family members contacted several of his friends, but no one had seen him.

After the discovery, relatives of the businessman turned up at the Lyken Funeral Home and positively identified the remains as those of Khan by the underwear and a belt that were found on the corpse. Investigators believe that the man was beheaded before his body was dumped

The senior police rank stated that after the confrontation today, and based on the outcome, a file will be sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions who will then make her recommendations.

amily members of the late Yonette Grey of Somerset and Berks

Nelli Grey holding her granddaughter

Yonette Grey

Mohamed F Khan

MFK

New Govt to name Cabinet this week

…several already touted for key positions

By Gomatie GanGadin

The newly-elected David Granger Government A Partnership for National Unity-Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) coalition says it is still deliberating on who will fill the ministerial positions and other key positions in its Government.

Speaking to the Guyana Times on Sunday afternoon, AFC General Secretary David Patterson told this publication that the deliberations team has not yet decided on the persons who will take those positions since the number of Ministries was still to be decided.

According to Patterson, the new Government was looking to have the number of Ministries reduced and as such, merges between some of the ministries have been suggested. He did not want to disclose, however, which Ministries were being considered for mergers.

However, while it is expected that the number of Government Ministries will be reduced, it has been

explained that some new Ministries will be added in an effort to demonstrate the Government’s commitment to economic stability and progress.

Meanwhile, APNU General Secretary and now acting Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Joseph Harmon said that the coalition was still in intense discussion to decide on the ministerial positions. He noted that several persons have already been touted for key positions, but he could not disclose who those were and for which positions, stating that it was premature to do so.

Cummingsburg Accord Harmon, however, indicated that the Cummingsburg Accord was being followed and it was a guide to who was getting what as were the shadow portfolios which were held by the Members of Parliament in the 10th Parliament. According to the Cummingsburg Accord, which was signed be-

tween the two parties on February 14, Valentine’s Day, the AFC would benefit from an enhanced prime ministerial position held by Moses Nagamootoo chairing the Cabinet. The AFC will significantly also hold 40 per cent of the Cabinet positions inclusive of the Ministries of Home Affairs, Tourism, Agriculture and Public Works.

Positions

Khemraj Ramjattan, Leader of the AFC, has

been touted, Guyana Times understands as the person who will be in charge of the Home Affairs Ministry, while it is expected that Cathy Hughes will hold responsibility for Tourism. It is unclear who will head the Public Works Ministry from the AFC.

Former Finance Minister under the People’s National Congress (PNC) Government, Carl Greenidge has been mooted as the one to lead the Foreign Affairs Ministry with special attention to be placed on economic diplomacy, while Economist Winston Jordan, a former Director of Budget, has been tipped to head the Finance Ministry.

It is expected that Amna Ally, who served in the 10th Parliament as Shadow Minister of Education, will transition to hold that portfolio, with Nigel Hughes being tipped to become the next Attorney General.

Dr Rupert Roopnaraine, Leader of the Working People’s Alliance (WPA) and Executive Member of APNU, is reportedly being considered for the position of one of the three Vice Presidents and Natural Resources and Environment Minister.

Speaking to Guyana Times on Sunday, when

questioned on the veracity of that assertion, he related that it was too premature to confirm or deny such at this time. He noted that discussions were still ongoing and positions were still to be decided upon and settled.

The veteran politician, however, said that he was prepared and ready to serve Guyanese people and would do so in whatever capacity required of him.

Dr Roopnaraine said, however, that even as the coalition was still discussing the number of Ministries and nothing has been finalised, he would like to see the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry relocated elsewhere since it

should not be in the same compound as the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC).

The Natural Resources and Environment Ministry currently has six other agencies under its umbrella, the Guyana Forestry Commission, Lands and Survey Commission, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); the Protected Areas Commission (PAC); and the Guyana Gold Board (GGB).

Swearing-in

Harmon said that the announcements should be made within days of the swearing-in, or as soon as the Constitution allowed since the Government had a packed agenda and wanted to start as early as possible.

In order for the Ministers to be sworn in, they would first have to be inducted as Members of Parliament. When Harmon was asked whether the new Government was considering convening Parliament before Independence Day, he replied, “Once it is possible for us to do that, I think we may. Parliament has been prorogued for far too long; it’s almost 10 months and so we need a reconvening as soon as possible.”

Today is World AIDS Vaccine Day

As the world celebrates World AIDS Vaccine Day today, the fight against the devastating disease is reinforced and given perspective.

May 18 became World AIDS Vaccine Day in 1998, one year after then President of the United States of America, Bill Clinton delivered a speech at Morgan State University in 1997 calling for the creation of a vaccine against AIDS.

This challenge by the then President has inspired the continued search for the cure of the dreaded disease. Doctors from all across the world, scientists, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and even volunteers join in the search for this vaccine, in their own way.

One such organisation, Global Advocacy for HIV Prevention, had commented on its website avac.org that an effective preventive AIDS vaccine can teach the body how to prevent HIV infection. Vaccines are the most powerful public health tools available – and an AIDS vaccine would play a powerful role in ensuring the end to the AIDS epidemic. It was stated that researchers are currently expanding on the result of a 2009 trial that showed, for the first time, that a vaccine can reduce the risk of HIV infection. They’re also pursuing groundbreaking research with other novel vaccine strategies, including broadly neutralising antibodies that target a wide range of HIV strains.

In the Region, studies have shown that Guyana has come a far way in controlling the disease that at one time killed hundreds of its people. As a result of international collaboration and efficient local bodies, the country has greatly impressed upon its citizens the need for caution and continued tests that have enabled a decrease in the population affected by HIV. It was announced in December 2014 by National AIDS Programme Secretariat (NAPS) Programme Manager, Dr Shanti Singh that a total of 5034 patients had registered with the Secretariat, with 4274 of those patients accessing Anti-Retroviral (ARVs) drugs, which help facilitate a long life. Reports have shown that presently Sex Workers and Men who have Sex with Men are mainly affected by the disease. Thus, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) with NAPS had launched a programme in 2014 targeting these groups to finally control the disease in those quarters as well.

AFC General Secretary David Patterson

APNU General Secretary and Head of the Presidential Secretariat Joseph Harmon

World AIDS Vaccine Day 2015

Times Notebook

Someone rigged the elections

The PPP/C has never lost an election since 1953, its first election. In 1964, they were ousted after the governor refused to invite the winning party (the PPP) to form the government.

The 1968, 1973, 1980 and 1985 elections were subsequently massively rigged against the PPP.

The PPP/C won the 1992 elections which had irregularities, but not enough to prevent the PPP/C from winning. The party won again in 1997, 2001, 2006 and 2011.

Did the PPP/C lose in 2015? The party believes that it has once again been ousted by electoral fraud.

From a cursory examination of the facts, we are persuaded that the PPP/C has a strong case that it

something happened that could have altered the votes gained in the elections has been heightened by the admission by GECOM itself, through its Chairman and through the Chief Elections Officer, that there were fake and fraudulent statements of poll.

No one really told the nation how many of these fake SOPs were found, for which box and which division and whether the votes for political parties corresponded with the authentic SOPs.

The discovery of even one fake statement of poll should have triggered a forensic audit immediately that involved all stakeholders. There should have been an inquiry immediately to find out how and

promised.

In jurisdictions like the USA, it would have halted all proceedings until all questions were answered and determination made as to the extent of the compromise. But in this case in Guyana, it was dismissed as a strategy of the PPP to delay the results of the elections. A criminal act was simply pushed under the rug.

As if the discovery of fake SOPs was not enough to question the overall integrity of the election process and the integrity of GECOM itself; there was also the discovery of discrepancies in the voting numbers between the SOPs in the possession of the DROs and the PPP/C.

The SOPs are prepared by Presiding Officers in

has been robbed by electoral manipulations. Now the courts will have to determine whether these elections truly reflected the will of the people or if a government was ousted by fraud.

The PPP/C has not made a case questioning what happened on the day of election itself. It is not contesting the overall efficacy of the proceedings on the day of elections, even if it has alleged several irregularities.

It is not questioning the counting process either, even if the party alleges that a large number of the 1,944 rejected ballots were PPP/C votes. What it is alleging is that after the counting and the transfer of statements of poll to the DROs, and then on to GECOM, something happened to change the votes and alter the results of the elections.

The suspicion that

by whom these fraudulent SOPs were introduced within the architecture of GECOM.

Clearly, why would fraudulent SOPs find their way into the GECOM machinery? The reason cannot be benign. For anyone to replace authentic SOPs with fake SOPs; there must have been evil intentions to rig the election results.

The Chairman, the Commission and the CEO should never have allowed a declaration of the results of the elections without comprehensively discounting that these fake SOPs had no influence on the results.

Yet, all of the relevant stakeholders simply dismissed the appearance as if it was a joke. But the appearance of just one fake SOP should be enough to raise questions whether the integrity of the election machinery was com-

multiple copies and signed by the Presiding Officers, the polling agents and observers if they were present. There should not be any discrepancies. But there were discrepancies in many SOPs.

This irregularity became even more confusing when the Chairman proceeded to inform the nation that the SOPs in the possession of the PPP were identical to those at GECOM. Why then the discrepancies with the SOPs in the possession of the DROs?

An election is about the will of the people. It’s an exercise of their freedom to choose their government and representatives. To dismiss the importance and significance of obvious manipulations is to disregard the sanctity of the democratic rights of the citizens.

GECOM and the international observers seemed

more concerned about expediency of an early release of results than ensuring the integrity of the elections and securing the democratic rights of citizens.

Worse yet, the discrepancies revealed a frightening pattern of mathematical manipulations to change the entire results. In all cases, the discrepancies revealed an addition to APNU and a reciprocal subtraction from the PPP/C of 10 or multiples of 10.

For an election where the difference between the two main parties is only 4,500 votes, you need only 2,250 votes for a swing of 4,500. For a per box swing of 20, one needs only 220 SOPs, about 10% of the total number of SOPs, to completely alter the elections results. That is exactly what appears to have happened and what the PPP is alleging in the 2015

elections.

The following additional facts raise serious questions about the integrity of GECOM’s electoral machinery.

The Election Day staff was never vetted with the PPP. The other political party has not made this an issue in this election. But it did not have to since on that same night a large number of the Polling Day staff donned their APNU shirts soon after they completed the counting.

That same evening they also displayed social media pictures of themselves posing with David Granger. This was a vulgar display of partisan politics by a staff that was supposed to execute its duties with impartiality.

In addition, many of them had been written up in 2011 as having flagrantly committed offenses in executing their Polling Day duties. GECOM had prom-

ised that none of them would be re-employed. Yet these same persons were prominently engaged in the Election Day processes. With so many irregularities and the significant suspicion why it is that care could not have been taken to reduce the suspicion? It appears that GECOM and the international observers had an agenda. It could be that they simply wanted an early result, but in their vulgar haste to produce an early result they may have gifted Guyana with another government born out of fraud and rigging.

We believe this to be the case because one or more of these international stakeholders is interested in Guyana’s oil deposits.

Readers are invited to send their comments by email or Facebook to times. notebook@gmail.com.

The GECOM Office

monday, may 18, 2015 | guyanatimesgy.com

We are not

broken, but strengthened – Irfaan Ali

...PPP/C will continue struggle for betterment

By Michael younge

People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Executive Member

Irfaan Ali says the Party will continue the struggle to better the lives of thousands of Guyanese, explaining that it is not broken, but strengthened to work harder to ensure that progress continues here following the declaration of the May 11 elections results on Saturday

ers and contributions to modern-day Guyana, the evidence is before us,” he said during the interview.

The PPP/C executive encouraged all of the party’s supporters and well-wishers to stay focused and remain calm during this period of disappointment admitting that the leadership of the party was hurt and shared their pain but was not broken or demotivated.

“Let us recommit to work

“Let us not despair … hope is built on the foundation of commitment, vision and belief and these must be our watchwords as we contemplate our future …The leadership of our Party remains yours in service … There is no other way but the path of justice and freedom,” the former Minister said.

by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).

Ali speaking with the Guyana Times on Sunday during an exclusive interview said that his Party has always worked in the interest of the Guyanese people and would continue to do so even as it takes on a new role in the governance of the country now.

“Today we enter a new era in the history of our country,” Ali said, stating that “our Party’s resolve remains stronger now than any other time because of the support shown by thousands of Guyanese who rallied with us”.

He said that as he reviewed the “venom on many social media sites” against the supporters and leaders of the PPP/C, he was further emboldened to defend his party and to work harder for the people of Guyana.

“As it relates to our lead-

tirelessly for our Party, hold our heads high…You must know that you have served your Party well,” Ali said, as he spoke directly to the thousands who wanted no change in Government.

“You leaders are proud of all of you … we will be with you in the forefront of the struggle that lies ahead … Our leadership has decided on a course of action and we will pursue those to the end,” he said.

He called on all Guyanese to work with the PPP/C over the next few years with the aim of creating higher levels of internal inclusiveness and zeal.

Ali said, “We welcome each of you to join us in working in the interest of the people … Together we will in the coming days, we will reach out to our supporters and all Guyana … We are with you, side by side”.

Ali’s comments come at a time when there is increasing worry in the society especially in PPP/C strongholds about their future under the new Government

They also come on the heels of reports of APNU/ AFC supporters verbally assaulting and abusing sup-

porters of the PPP/C and its sympathisers.

Meanwhile, the former Housing and Water Minister, who also held responsibility for the Tourism, Industry and Commerce Ministry, said that he read of an “imagined incident” where the Kaieteur News and Home Affairs Minister designate Khemraj Ramjattan seem to believe that he and other leaders would want to tamper with or destroy public records.

“This has never been our approach in dealing with the public interest and business. All records of the sector I have responsibility for are available and with the leaders of the various sectors,” he said, as he pointed out the desperate attempt to profile and create stereotypes against leading members of the former Donald

Ramotar administration.

Bidding adieu Ali, who perhaps was one of the best performing, bright and young leaders of the PPP/C, thanked the staff of the Ministries he led, admitting that he had distinct pleasure in working with them and benefiting from their unwavering support and hunger to develop Guyana.

“I am proud of my record and that of the PPP/C. Personally and collectively, we held dear the oath of office, at a later date I plan on outlining the accomplishments of the PPP/C Government. It is important that the people of Guyana know of our record. In the coming days, this will be released,” a very relaxed and confident Ali reported.

Convictions affected by absent witnesses

Anumber of cases at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts have been dismissed on account of the absence of witnesses to testify against sus-

pected robbers, thieves and narcotics traffickers among others.

Only last Friday, armed robbery accused Orseno Benn was released after the prosecution failed to produce the promised witness to testify against him.

The 21-year-old Benn had been accused of robbing Zelta Bess of a gold chain valued $60,000 with a .32 revolver on February 20, 2015 while at Stabroek Market. His trial started in March in Magistrate Fabayo Azore’s court. However, the prosecution had been unable to produce the witness during the trial.

The Magistrate made a call for the case to be dis-

missed as the prosecution had failed time and time again to produce the witness against Benn, which she indicated was unfair to him as he was remanded throughout the trial. With this reasoning, the charge of armed robbery was dismissed against Benn.

Benn’s case is one of many. Last month, the charge against Colwyn Harding was dismissed for the same reason by Magistrate Judy Latchman in Court Three, while two remand prisoners were also freed after the witnesses failed to show up in court.

Limited

Police Prosecutor Kerry Bostwick explained to

Guyana Times that the prosecution is quite limited in what can be done to encourage witness participation in criminal convictions. He stated that when a witness failed to make a court appearance, he or she was either summoned or an arrest warrant was issued. However, he admitted that the latter option was rarely taken by prosecutors as it makes the witness hostile which can prove disastrous for the case.

The Prosecutor explained that witnesses would not show up to court for several reasons: work, no interest in the case or the fact that a case has dragged on for months or in some cases years. According to him, this is as a result of the courts’ high case intake. Nevertheless, in most cases, the prosecution’s witnesses are Police Officers and their absenteeism is just as prevalent. Attorney-atLaw Adrian Thompson told this newspaper that in such cases he has known Police Officers to fail to make court appearances owing to lack of communication between the officers’ superiors and the various Prosecutors. He said there are other times when a Police Officer may be required to testify in another court at the same time. This was the case in the matter against Prison Officer Clayton Johnson who was charged with narcotics possession. He was freed of the charge when a Police Officer failed to present himself in Court Three to testify.

Attorney Thompson stated that basically there was not much that could be done in such cases. He said that the court allows for an average of three court dates to pass before dismissing such cases, as the defence usually called for a dismissal, especially if the client has been refused bail.

being led by President David Granger.

PPP/C Executive Member Irfaan Ali

The Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts

A witness box where testimony is given

Transition team to meet this week

The transition team handing the handover of governance from the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) to the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) is scheduled to meet this week.

On Saturday, after his swearing-in, during his first speech as President, David Granger confirmed that the PPP/C has agreed to establish a transition team to facilitate the handover of power. Granger said the coalition delegation will be headed by Moses Nagamootoo, the country’s Prime Ministerelect and APNU General Secretary Joseph Harmon, who will temporarily serve as Head of the Presidential Secretariat until Cabinet appointments are made.

The two men will head

the transition team for the handing over of State assets from the PPP/C Administration while the Cabinet of Ministers is expected to be revealed and inaugurated on May 26, the country’s Independence Day at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence, East Bank Demerara.

Speaking to the Guyana Times on Sunday evening, the acting Head of the Presidential Secretariat related that the teams are yet to meet.

He, however, indicated that the two parties will be meeting in this new week for the transition to begin and while meetings have not officially begun, he has had discussions with the former Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr Roger Luncheon, who has indicat-

ed that there will be no trouble in the transition.

Harmon related that other members of the team include Dr Rupert Roopnaraine, Carl Greenidge, Amna Ally, Raphael Trotman, Nigel Hughes and Noel Holder.

The transition team, which he said, has been approved by former President Donald Ramotar, is expected to orchestrate the handing over of the more important sectors, including security, finance, and foreign affairs.

Harmon said that he expected the team to complete its work within a week even as the coalition is still deciding and deliberating on the persons who will be Government members of the National Assembly and are likely to be Ministers.

Business in NA plunges downward

Businesspersons in the town of New Amsterdam are hoping that business activity will pick up now that the election period is over. As of the day after Election Day, businesses in Guyana’s oldest town opened their doors, but sales were at a record low throughout the week, as Guyanese awaited the declaration of the 2015 General and Regional Elections results.

One sawmill operator reported that his business operations had dropped by 90 per cent over the past week, when compared with the two previous weeks’ activities while another sawmill operator recorded a 75 per cent drop.

One general and hardware store operator told this publication on Thursday that sales thus far for the week stood at 37 per cent when compared with the two previous weeks’. Several other similar businesses claim that sales were very low but could not give details.

Restaurants, however, did not suffer. Two Chinese

restaurants claim that the sale of bottled beverages increased tremendously over the past week when compared with the two previous weeks, while food sales also improved.

However, for Creole restaurants, sales were mixed. Some claimed that sales had increased, while others claimed that business was bad.

Supermarkets and grocery stalls in the New Amsterdam Market shared a similar fate. According to one supermarket owner, the reduction in business was small. “It was slow when the week started, but by Thursday it started to pick up and today is Saturday, it is busy all day,” he told the Guyana Times

All of those interviewed at the Municipal Market claim that it was a week of poor business. Greens vendors reported that the past week had seen a small reduction in business activity, while fish vendors cried out, blaming their poor sales, however, on the small quan-

Capital getting spruced up for Independence commemoration

Just hours after David Granger was sworn in as the eighth Executive President of Guyana, major clean-up works have begun in Georgetown, with the aim of sprucing up the capital city in time for Independence Day.

The cleanup, which is being spearheaded by Georgetown Mayor Hamilton Green, businessman Stanley Ming and construction giant BK International, got underway on Sunday, in the vicinity of the Independence Arch on Brickdam and the 1873 Monument with the clearing and desilting of drains.

While the cleanup is ex-

pected to be taken to other parts of the city, Granger during a walkabout told media operatives that the main aim was the restoration of the city and monuments in time for the country’s Independence celebration.

He noted that while the monuments signal the country’s history and even its status as an independent nation, they have been neglected over the years with little to no maintenance.

“This is one of the most important monuments. It commemorates our Independence in 1966 and we felt that the maintenance has been allowed

to lapse and it has become something of a disgrace. I don’t think in the Western Hemisphere anybody would’ve allowed their Independence Monument to look the way we had it looking,” he said.

The new President said that this was the first of many steps to be undertaken by his Government in the maintenance and preservation of the country’s national monuments.

He has advised that the clean-up will be undertaken for the next few days, and asked that persons be tolerant of the slight inconvenience.

TT Prime Minister congratulates Granger

tity of fish made available to them, as the election period was said by some to have caused some fishermen not to go to sea.

Those who sell meat and chicken at the Municipal Market also reported a lag in sales over the past week, saying that a few days before Election Day sales picked up tremendously.

Hire car operators also claimed that during the first five days following Polling Day, many persons did not travel.

On Saturday, Chancellor of the Judiciary, Carl Singh swore David Granger in as Guyana’s Eighth Executive President bringing an end to the expectancy that gripped Guyanese over the past week. Earlier, Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield after four tense days declared the A Partnership for National Unity/ Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) coalition as Guyana’s new Government and the coalition’s leader, retired Brigadier Granger as the President-elect.

Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has sent best wishes to the newly-elected President of Guyana, Brigadier (retired) David Granger.

In a statement sent from the Office of the Prime Minister, Persad-Bissessar congratulated Granger for winning the hotly-contested May 11 General and Regional Elections here in Guyana.

The Prime Minister, who is known for her strict and no- nonsense approach – firing more than a dozen of her Ministers, in her letter said “On behalf of the Government and people of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, and on my own behalf, I wish to extend sincerest congratulations to the new President on the victory of A Partnership for National Unity and the Alliance For Change (APNU and AFC) under his stewardship in the recently-concluded and keenly-contested General Elections held in

Guyana on Monday, May 11, 2015.”

She told Granger that his victory was a clear indication that the Guyanese people were committed to seeing unity and togetherness in the country. “The electoral success of the alliance signifies the commitment of the people of Guyana to work together in the interest of the country, and is a clear indi-

cation of the confidence that the people of Guyana have in the vision for the future which the APNU and AFC articulated,” she said in the letter.

The TT Prime Minister said that she had no doubts that the newly-elected President will be able to put Guyana on a path of growth and development even as she reaffirmed her Government’s commitment to working with Guyana.

“As Mr Granger embarks on his tenure as President, I am confident that under his leadership, Guyana will continue as on its path to further development and prosperity, and I look forward to working with him towards the pursuit of our bilateral and regional interests. Permit me to reaffirm the commitment of the Government of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago to further strengthening the bonds of friendship which have traditionally existed between our two countries,” Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar added.

Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar

The New Amsterdam Market saw fewer shoppers

President David Granger inspecting the work on Sunday in the capital city

Mahdia mining pit cave-in

10 feared dead

–

7

rescued, being treated at hospital

By Bhisham mohamed, Gomatie GanGadin and devina samaroo

Around 10 miners are feared dead and another seven were dramatically rescued when a mining pit caved in at Mowasie Backdam, Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni) on Sunday afternoon.

Accidents of this nature are frequent in Guyana’s mines, but this is the most alarming case in years.

It also presents to the new David Granger-led Administration an immediate challenge to seriously regulate mining activities in Guyana’s hinterland which have, for years, been a source of concern.

Reports are that the pit caved in some time after 14:30h while it was raining heavily. Guyana Times was unable to ascertain the names of the miners who have been trapped in the pit. Those rescued are Andrew Lazarus, Henry Xavier, Regan Greene, Alex Greene, Shawn Xavier, Sheldon Adams and an unidentified man. They were rushed to the Mahdia Hospital where they were being treated for broken feet, lacerations to head and other injuries.

Two of the men are in critical condition, four are said to be in stable condition and Adams escaped with only minor scratches and bruises.

According to information received, at least 17 miners were working in the mining pit which is estimated to be about 40 feet in depth when

it caved in. At the time of the incident, it was raining heavily which might have contributed to the collapse of the pit. The men rescued managed to run out of the mining pit as it collapsed but owing to the silt and the water, those who were further down were unable to make it out.

A team of Police and residents have travelled up to the area with the hope of rescuing the others who were trapped up to press time. Guyana Times understands that most of the men who are missing are from the coast and from Berbice.

Illegal

Speaking to Guyana Times on Sunday evening, a senior official in the mining sector confirmed reports that the mining operation was being carried out illegally. According to the official, the mining was being carried out on land which is at the centre of a dispute which has reached the High Court.

He disclosed that an injunction was even filed by the operator which had prevented the officials of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) from venturing upon the land to determine whether the operations were in accordance of the law.

The source further stated that it had been raining in the area for the past week and it was mandatory that mining ceased being carried out in such conditions. As such, he noted that it was a

clear breach of those regulations for the miners to be working in those conditions, while contending that it is highly likely that the pit caved in due to the weather being experienced.

Industrial safety

Back in July 2013, the then Labour Minister, Dr Nanda Gopaul had revealed that some 62 persons died on the job between February 2008 and 2012, with a third of the deaths (23) occurring in the mining sector. The disclosures were provided to Granger who was then Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly. Granger had requested data on the persons whose deaths occurred as a result of accidents or diseases while working. He also asked whether any inquests or investigations had been conducted under the Occupational Health and Safety Act.

Gopaul, in his response which was tabled in the National Assembly, said while there were no deaths from occupational diseases, there were no inquests conducted but there were internal investigations by the Labour Occupational Health and Safety Department. Gopaul had said that the Labour Ministry has never appointed any Magistrate or Coroner to conduct any inquest into an industrial accident. He said that employers have been prosecuted for failing to report accidents.

Of the 62 deaths list-

ed, 11 were in the forestry sector. In the manufacturing sector, one person was killed, while three workers from the Guyana Power and Light Inc died. In the area of agriculture, four workers were killed, including two from the sugar industry. Two construction workers also died on the job.

Late last year, Dr Gopaul reported a 20 per cent drop in industrial accidents compared to 2013 when 530 accidents were reported, but said much more needed to be done to make workplaces accident-free. Delivering then an overview of the labour sector for 2014, Dr Gopaul said industrial accidents remained a source of concern, noting that some 421 were reported this year, with some 320 in the agriculture sector, 10 in the mining sector, 77 in the manufacturing sector, two in the forestry sector and 12 in other areas. The then Labour Minister implored workers to see themselves as joint advocates to ensure that workplaces are accidentfree. Unfortunately, during the course of the year, nine persons lost their lives due to industrial accidents, and Gopaul expressed the hope that 2015 will be a year of no fatalities.

The Occupational Health and Safety Act has several regulations governing mining and quarrying, and is at the chambers of the Attorney General for final vetting before it is gazetted. This Act will be proceeded in 2015.

TT: NEC lawyers in Dubai to file for return of funds

Dubai-based attorneys, retained by the National Energy Corporation (NEC) of Trinidad and Tobago, are expected to appear in court next Wednesday to begin the process of returning the TT$25 million that was stolen from the company. The lawyers are also seeking an additional TT$6 million in compensation from Andrew James Thomas Newman Inc, whose company was on the other end of an illegal wire transfer of funds from the NEC.

This will be a total of TT$31 million to be returned to the NEC. On Thursday, the NEC’s lawyers, Ince and Company, sent correspondence to the NEC no-

tifying the company that it had received the court date. The Attorneys advised NEC that an application was made to the Dubai Centre for Amicable Resolution and the” first hearing” was

scheduled for May 27, 2015, for the four judgements.

The Sunday Guardian received information from NEC’s senior executives confirming that its lawyers had applied to the Dubai courts

to leverage on Andrew James Thomas Newman and the National Bank of Abu Dhabi to refund the sum to NEC.

The lawyers are also expected to be seeking the court’s approval to obligate Andrew James Thomas Newman to pay to NEC an amount of TT$6,015,393 as compensation, plus legal interest at the rate of nine per cent calculated from the date of the filing of the case until the final payment.

“The criminal case has confirmed that National Energy (NEC) is the owner of the funds, obtaining a judgment which confirms that the funds are to be returned to National Energy,” the executives said. (Excerpt from Trinidad Guardian)

Jamaican PM addresses nation as violence against children increases

Jamaican Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller was scheduled to address the nation Sunday. Her address to the nation comes amid increases in the number of cases of child abuse and violence against

children. Since the start of the year, several children have been killed.

Simpson Miller’s address, which is a Child Month broadcast, is to deal with critical issues affecting the nation’s children.

In the meantime, the Prime Minister is expected to lead a child protection campaign across the island, starting May 28 in Clarendon, where she will engage citizens on ways to prevent child abuse. And, just last week, an announcement was made that the Government is taking legislative action to stem child abuse and neglect through amendments to the Child Care and Protection Act, which will be instrumental in minimising violence and abuse of children.

(Jamaica Observer)

Bahamas to get cyber security training

In the wake of information coming out of The Bahamas which suggests that some aspects of that country’s cyber security network have been compromised, a small team of cyber security experts has decided to hold a free training programme on ethical hacking and cyber security for Bahamian state and corporate entities next month.

The three-member team, which is made up of a retired FBI trained-cyber security and ethical hacking specialist, a Caribbean-based attorney on cyber laws, and a regional ethical hacker, who also works as a technology writer, has successfully held similar training programs in other jurisdictions.

Speaking with The Los

Angeles Post-Examiner, head of the team, Michael Denny, explained that the cyber security incident in the Bahamas might be more widespread than the state actually knows, since that is usually the case with most affected countries. Denny, a former Microsoft and FBI-trained cyber security specialist, reiterated however that such an incident is not unique to The Bahamas alone, since there are more than two million attacks on the global cyber security infrastructure itself, daily.

“It is good that countries like The Bahamas are so vigilant, for which they must be commended. But the cyber security problem is not unique to that country alone,” Denny said. (Excerpt from Caribbean News Now)

Antigua bank workers back on the job

Bank employees were back on the job Friday after taking industrial action the day before and spending half of their work day in meetings with their union representatives on Monday and Tuesday. Hundreds of employees at commercial banks across the island took the action to protest the recently passed Banking Act which they said would disadvantage them as far as severance payments were concerned.

However, President of the Antigua & Barbuda Bankers Association Michael Spencer reported that employees at the seven commercial banking institutions on the island had

reported to work and normal banking operations had resumed. That followed Attorney General Steadroy Benjamin writing to the general secretary of the Antigua & Barbuda Workers’ Union (ABWU) David Massiah confirming government’s pledge to address the contentious severance issue at an upcoming sitting of the Lower House of Parliament.

Massiah had indicated earlier this week that the workers wanted the matter of severance addressed by “having it properly outlined rather than joining it with other parts of a sentence which could have a different meaning” (Caribbean360)

Jamaican Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller

National Energy Corporation (NEC) President Vernon Paltoo

Yemeni rebels boycott Saudi-brokered talks

Yemen’s Houthi fighters have boycotted a dialogue conference in the Saudi capital as the country’s exiled President opened the three-day event aimed at tackling the lingering crisis.

Yemeni President AbdRabbu Mansour Hadi, Prime Minister Khaled Bahah and around 400 delegates gathered in Riyadh on Sunday, with leading factions including the Sunni Islah party, Socialists and members of former President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s political party, the General People’s Congress (GPC), in attendance.

The Houthis, who control large swaths of the country,

refused to attend the talks in Saudi Arabia, or any other nation involved in bombing the country, demanding talks be held in Yemen.

The rebels have long complained of marginalisation and have fought six wars with the central government between 2004 and 2010. Last year, they launched a sweeping advance from their northern stronghold, seizing the capital Sanaa in September, and have since tried to expand their control.

Speaking at the conference, Hadi made a defiant attack on the Houthis, before saying he was intent on returning to Sanaa, and wanted the international

community to help put an end to the fighting.

“We look forward to building a federal Yemen that never excludes any party,” he added.

Abdulaziz al-Jaber, the head of the conference’s organising committee, said although the Houthis were not participating, Saleh’s GPC party “has many of its leaders taking part”. But he said that “we will not deal with” Saleh or others facing international sanctions.

Saleh, who led the country until 2011 and is widely believed to be helping the Houthi advance, has been on a United Nations and US sanctions lists since November. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

China urged to release Panchen Lama after 20 years

Tibetan exiles are calling for China to release a high-ranking monk who disappeared 20 years ago when he was just six years old.

The boy was detained by the Chinese authorities just three days after the Dalai Lama declared him to be the reincarnated Panchen Lama.

The Panchen Lama is the second most important figure in Tibetan Buddhism.

Many consider him to be one of the world’s longestserving political prisoners.

China has refused to provide details of the whereabouts of Gedhun Choekyi

Nyima.

In 1995, it anointed its own Panchen Lama, Gyaltsen Norbu, who while popular among some Tibetans has been described by exiles as a “stooge of the atheist Chinese Communist Party Government”.

Wangdue Tsering, press spokesman for the Office of Tibet in London, told the BBC that events were taking place on Sunday across the world to mark the 20th anniversary of Gendhun Choekyi Nyima’s disappearance, including a candlelit vigil outside the Chinese embassy in London.

“We are appealing to the world community to help us find out where the Panchen Lama is,” Tsering told the BBC’s Asia analyst Michael Bristow.

“It’s 20 years since he disappeared and we don’t know where he is, where his family is and how he is. We want the Chinese authorities to give some information.”

The Dalai Lama has in the past strongly criticised China for “brazen meddling in the system of reincarnation” – especially the reincarnation of the Dalai Lamas and Panchen Lamas.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

Texas bikers in deadly shootout at Waco restaurant

Police in the US state of Texas say nine people have been killed in a shootout between rival biker gangs in the city of Waco.

The incident happened at the Twin Peaks Sports Bar and Grill in a shopping area called the Central Texas Market Place.

Around the World

Clashes as Israelis mark East Jerusalem occupation day

Israeli hardliners and Police have clashed with Palestinians in occupied East Jerusalem as crowds of ultra-nationalists marched across the city to mark the 48 years since its occupation by Israel.

At least four Palestinians were arrested during the flare-up on Sunday, as Israeli Police used batons and horseback units to disperse counter-demonstrators.

Onlookers said at least two Palestinians were wounded in various clashes, and video footage showed a man being taken away on a stretcher by Red Crescent ambulance staff, the AFP news agency reported.

A Palestinian cameraman working for France’s

TF1 television was beaten with flagpoles by the Jewish marchers, his producer Michael Illouz said.

He said that Jamil Kadamani was hit on the head, back and hands and taken to hospital for examination.

Witnesses also saw journalists shoved by Police.

Israeli officials said two officers were wounded by Palestinian stone-throwers during the violence near the Old City’s Damascus Gate.

Police would not say how many hardliners descended on the Old City’s Muslim Quarter.

Known as Jerusalem Day, the anniversary marks the occupation in the 1967 Six-Day War of Arab East

Jerusalem. Israel later unilaterally annexed the territory in a move rejected by the international community.

The Palestinians want the eastern sector of the city as the capital of their state, and vigorously oppose any attempt to extend Israeli control.

But Israeli leaders have repeatedly vowed that the city will never again be split, calling it their “eternal, indivisible” capital.

“Jerusalem has always been the capital of the Jewish people alone and not of any other people,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at an official Jerusalem Day ceremo

ny. (Excerpt

SE Asia migrants “killed in

fight for food” on

Migrants rescued from a sinking boat off Indonesia have told the BBC that about 100 people died after a fight broke out over the last remaining food.

Survivors told of horrific conditions. Three men separately said people were stabbed, hanged or thrown overboard.

The 700 rescued migrants from Myanmar and Bangladesh are being pro-

cessed by the Indonesian authorities.

Thousands of migrants are estimated to be adrift in South East Asian waters, denied permission to land.

The BBC’s Martin Patience spoke to some of the survivors in the Indonesian port of Langsa, on the island of Aceh. He cautions that their accounts cannot be verified.

However, three migrants made similar statements in

boat

separate conversations. If true, the claims will add to the growing international pressure on Asian countries to find a solution to this crisis, our correspondent says.

The migrants had wanted to land in Malaysia, but say they were driven away by the Malaysian Navy.

The boat had reportedly been at sea for two months and had been recently deserted by its crew when it was rescued by Indonesian fishermen on Friday. The survivors are now being sheltered in warehouses on the shore in Langsa. Many are suffering from malnutrition and dehydration.

The Myanmar Government has insisted it is not responsible for the migrant boat crisis and said it might not attend a forthcoming summit on the issue.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

Burundi President appears in capital, warns of Islamist threat

Burundian President Pierre Nkurunziza on Sunday made his first public appearance in the capital Bujumbura since an attempted coup last week failed to oust him, warning of a threat posed by Islamist militants from Somalia.

At a news conference, Nkurunziza, who has not been seen in the capital for days, did not address the crisis in his country, but said he was “very preoccupied” by the threat posed by the al Qaeda-linked militant group al Shabaab.

the problems in Burundi were “clearly domestic”.

One witness quoted by the Waco Tribune-Herald said the car park of the restaurant resembled “a war zone”.

“There were maybe 30 guns being fired in the parking lot, maybe 100 rounds,” Michelle Logan said.

Waco Police said the shooting happened shortly

Police said no officers, or customers or staff of the restaurant were among the casualties.

after midday when two rival gangs got into a fight.

Police spokesman Sergeant W Patrick Swanton said there were concerns that groups involved in the shooting may have moved to other locations in and around Waco.

He asked residents to avoid the area until an allclear is issued. (BBC News)

The east African nation was plunged into crisis after Nkurunziza said he was seeking a third term of office.

Critics said the move would be unconstitutional, and there have been almost daily protests since Nkurunziza’s announcement, stirring memories of an ethnically driven civil war that ended a decade ago.

“We take seriously the threat of al Shabaab,” said Nkurunziza.

He did not elaborate, but Burundi contributes forces to an African Union peacekeeping mission battling al Shabaab in Somalia. In recent years, the group has attacked Kenya and Uganda, which also provide troops.

A spokesman for the Islamist group said Nkurunziza’s remarks were “dumbfounding” and said

“We think that this is an attempt by him to appease his people, who are standing in the streets protesting against his dictatorship, or to divert the world’s attention from him while he possibly prepares his mass revenge,” Sheikh Ali Mahamud Rage said in a statement to Reuters.

A leader of a group of Burundian civil society groups, Vital Nshimirimana, said demonstrations against Nkurunziza’s third term bid, which had largely come to a halt in recent days, would resume on Monday.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

The country has been torn apart by war

Many women and children are among the Rohingya migrants in Langsa

VOX POPULI PUBLIC OPINION I SAY... Expectations of the new Govt

Guyanese who turned up to witness the swearing-in of David Granger as the eighth Executive President of Guyana are optimistic that the new Administration will do well for the land.

Oscei Brown – I think that this new Administration is good for everybody, especially the poor people; they are the ones that have won. They are the main people because these are the people who have been suffering and not able to get the basic things that are quite necessary, such as land. I think that, with this new Administration, everybody will benefit regardless of ethnic background. This is a Government for everyone!

Joan Ann Ronascindo – My hope of the new Government is that they will work for all of the people of Guyana, and they will continue to spread the word of love and unity and bring us all as Guyanese united together. And in that, we can all help each other in developing this country of ours.

Sherod Duncan – The first thing I am looking for is for the Administration to begin to implement the 100 days’ plans. I am looking forward to see them accomplish approximately 70 per cent of the regime. And I will be looking carefully at the manifesto to see how the Government moves forward on that agenda, and definitely trying to see where I can help as well.

Mark Walkes – For the new Administration, I know that there will be a better life for many Guyanese, more jobs for young people and a better life. I trust that we all can live as one, involving all six races, as we joined together and progress towards the development of our country.

Sandra Profeit – First of all, I think this is a defining moment in Guyana’s typical history and my hope of the new Administration is that they will indeed fulfil the mandate of national unity, and that they will lead this country forward in every aspect. I am also of the hope that the Administration will put the nation’s interest first in every decision it takes without favour on any specific category of people. And I really hope they fulfil their promises, and we as Guyanese will also render our assistance in moving Guyana forward.

Jackon Milla – My hope is that David Granger be a President that fears God and that we will have a fair ruling, that is ruling with equity. I am hoping that with all that was said, all the people who are God-fearing will continue to pray him through, so that we will rebuild Guyana and we will not be building only by hands, but we will have prayers building up the walls of Guyana. I am also praying for the morals and attitudes of the people –the lies – that would change, and that young people will truly live out their purpose and fulfil the destiny of this nation.

Deborrah James – I am so happy to be a part of this historical moment in Guyana. I know that with this new Government, that is our new President, there is a bright future for me, my children and my children’s children. I am completely overwhelmed!

Profitt – We have got a President for all the people and not just for a certain category or for a specific segment of the population. I am positive that the Administration will do well for everyone whether it is for our children, grandchildren and the list goes on.

Jarema Marcus – Persons have waited a long time for this change and I must certainly expect change, and we as Guyanese have seen the change so I am almost expectant of this Government. I hope that he (Granger) fulfils the promises that he have made and our country develop significantly.

Kerry-Ann Patrick – I hope that the things that the coalition have put forward will come out within a short amount of time, and that there will be progress in Guyana as we move forward for the next couple of years. I am overjoyed at the current situation.

SASOD calls for acceptance from society

On Sunday (May 17), the world celebrated a step forward for persons in the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community, as exactly 25 years ago, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declassified same-sex attraction as a mental disorder.

The acceptance of the LGBT community as a part of society at large was franchised in 1990 when the WHO accepted that gays, homosexuals, bisexuals and transgender are not mentally unstable but simply different.

Through this single yet mammoth leap, an International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia (IDAHOT) was conceived in 2004 to celebrate the LGBT community and encourage acceptance

and understanding. Guyana Times spoke with Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD) Advocacy and Communications Officer Schemel Patrick on Saturday and the significance of the day was explained in detail. She stated that on this day, the LGBT community is highlighted – their struggles, their progress on being accepted as part of society – and more importantly, their diversity is celebrated.

She said the day is about “sharing information, encouraging persons to amplify their voices and celebrate themselves” .

Patrick does not agree that WHO’s declassification exactly brought much change to the LGBT community. However, she stated

that the LGBT community has become more open within the last decade and society have become more understanding and accepting of them – in part.

The Communications Officer said that these subtle changes from society have been realised thorough continued sensitisation and education that the LGBT community is made up of individuals like everyone else. Patrick said society needed to understand that homosexuals and transgenders have feelings, hurt as everyone else and also get depressed when society choose to turn its back on them – as anyone else would.

Thus, Patrick said the struggle continued, emphasising on the particular struggle of transgenders. She told this publication that so-

ciety notices someone who is transgender but not someone who may be bisexual or even homosexual. This, she said, is due to their “visibility”, detailing that they are discriminated against when it comes to healthcare, education and their employment.

The theme for this year’s IDAHOT focused on young people, and Patrick stated that this was quite fitting for Guyanese culture as society would place them in moulds of what was right for a boy or a girl and in most cases scold them if they prefer something that may not be considered right for their sex.

Patrick indicated that young people were more vulnerable to the bullying, teasing and expected ostracising that came from society and more so one’s own

family due to their inexperience and need to fit in. in cases such as these, suicide, depression, dropping out of school and even drug use may become a factor.

The Advocacy and Communications Officer said that SASOD has been working to gain the understanding and the acceptance of several sectors of society, via the Private Sector Commission (PSC), and the various religious bodies, etc.

She stated that meetings with the business community were “difficult”, but they were able to get a discussion going, which got major issues laid out and concerns answered.

SASOD is currently working on the present Prevention of Discrimination in the Workplace Act which does not make allowances

for the LGBT community. Patrick said this needed to change as members of the LGBT community have been known to be demoted and fired owing to their sexual preferences.

Regarding religion, Patrick said that SASOD approached several faithbased organisations in order to educate and propagate acceptance, recognising that there are still pillars of the community that can influence the thinking of people and thus encourage acceptance.

She said the response has been relatively good from several religious bodies.

However, Patrick maintains that education will remain SASOD’s “main objective” to get the acceptance in the wider Guyana.

Frank

Excellent move for national unity by new President

Dear Editor,

Newly elected President of the Guyana has made an excellent move for national unity when he invited his predecessor Donald Ramotar to join his unity government.

In his speech at the swearing in ceremony President David Granger extended the olive branch in his quest for national and racial unity.

Several attempts were made in the past for coalition governments, but it seems as if Granger’s

call last Saturday Is most sincere. The former Army Brigadier will be leading for the first time ever a multinational, inclusionary government - A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) plus Alliance For Change (AFC).

The APNU/AFC coalition narrowly defeated the PPP/C which was in power for 23 years. It was a keenly contested election and he opposition forces led by Granger and Moses Nagamootoo of the AFC, who was a former PPP/C

strongman.

Granger said, “Let us now put the past behind us and live in unity and banish poverty, ignorance, fear and hatred.” President Granger emphasized that he will encourage lawmakers to be faithful to their office and said that his administration will strive to restore democracy.

He appealed to Guyanese that the damage to the nation should not push them to allow hate to fester within their hearts, but serve as another driv-

ing force for all to be more determined to refashion the country.

The diaspora has been monitoring the campaign and the delay in declaring the election results via the numerous media in modern day technology, especially Facebook.

An inauguration ceremony is slated for May 26, the 49th anniversary of Guyana’s Independence, at the National Stadium.

Oscar Ramjeet

Some media spread misinformation

Dear Editor,

A lot of misinformation, lies, half-truths, distortions and innuendoes proliferate in the media, especially in papers that were or against the PPP/C. They can hardly be considered balanced, fair or objective.

In my 38 years in the media, I never came across such biased reporting and self-seeking distortion.

These biased media facilitated character assassination and other forms of dishonesty. They swayed voters with sensationalism and lies, and they deliberately omitted or manipulated facts.

A couple of the papers facilitated misinformation without any correction (when pointed out) or responses to protect peoples’ character. They were

bold about their biased editorials, facilitation of onesided letters, news reports that were more commentaries than news, and ad hominid attacks of PPP/C figures.

In my 38 years in the media, I never came across such biased reporting and op ed commentaries. One paper was especially egregious in its violations of journalistic norms for its sensational, distorted commentary reporting.

It was mostly commentary rather than news. Several so called educated people are also guilty of the acts of misinformation; they misunderstand what they read or what was spoken and they misrepresent (at times deliberately and maliciously) what people say.

Let voters do their work

Dear Editor

Luckily for us here in Trinidad and Tobago, things don’t get as tense as they do in Guyana.

After a general election there last week, cars were overturned and burnt, debris strewn on roads in Sophia, a district of Georgetown famous for being the location of a speech made by Forbes Burnham, who decades ago took central issues of the day outside of Parliament and into the streets as his party enacted a political campaign of terror and violence.

No, international observers said Monday’s polling day went smoothly, but there were too many delays to transport ballot boxes.

Some fraudulent state-

ments of poll were weeded out. Despite the tension, overall, it was accepted that the people had spoken. The result was close. By one seat, a new coalition government was voted into the Guyana Parliament. No, nothing like Guyana here. Despite our differences, we have had peaceful elections. Even during the 18-18 crisis, there was no turmoil. And let it long be so.

Let the voters on election day do the work of voting, of exercising their democratic right to choose representatives in the system of governance.

Andre Bagoo (First published, Trinidad Newsday)

Everyone has a right to form an opinion on national issues based on information available in the public domain. But the public must be told the truth about issues so they can develop an informed opinion.

The media should not feed people gossips and hearsays, based on prejudice, on which to form conclusions in judging people or parties. This is exactly what happened in the just concluded general elections.

Citizens cast ballots based not on in depth consideration of what is in their or the nation’s best interest, but on biased reporting and irresponsible commentaries.

The blame is not only on the media but the voters as well as the voters made limited effort to inform themselves of the facts and to hold the politicians accountable for their scandalous campaign.

The political parties themselves also fed misinformation into the media to persuade a gullible electorate to vote for them.

The media did not query the politicians about their plans and proposals knowing fully well that some of their proposals are impractical and that they were only fooling the electorate.

The media should have put nation before self in their reporting and commentary on election matters. There is only one truth in a news report – it is the fact – what actually happened.

Everything else is an opinion. And facts should have been separated from opinion. Otherwise, untruths can fan the country into a state of destruction.

The media has a job that puts nation before narrow self or party interest. How else will it hold politicians accountable? It is hoped that will change course and pursue that noble goal hereafter.

Now that the election is over, there will be accurate reporting, balanced commentaries, no personality attacks (especially from a columnist) and a right to a response.

Vishnu Bisram

Both parties should help Narine Khublall

Dear Editor,

The 2015 Elections are over. President Granger and his team are in office and due recognition must be given to that reality. Congratulations are in order.

All Guyana should now put behind us the thrusts and counter thrusts of preelection campaign and direct our energies towards re-conciliation and continued na-

tion-building. Anything less will be an indictment on us.

At the end of the day Guyana belongs to ALL of us.

It seems to me that a decent first step in reconciliation would be for both parties to contribute to Mr Narine Khublall and the others who lost belongings in the recent Sophia fire.

Taajnauth Jadunauth

Integrity is essential these days, because people will only do business with others who they trust. I am sure there are many people who have done business with someone and felt like something was wrong.

Narine

For example, it could be that their story was very inconsistent or they were just telling a punch of lies. If that was the case it is most likely that we probably will never again want to do business with those kinds of people again.

I would suggest for us to turn things around though, because we need to treat others with respect and dignity every time. Once we have the courage to look at ourselves in the mirror and know that we are being honest with ourselves and others, then we are definitely on the right track.

The thing is, whether or not we realize it, our future success depends on doing what’s right sooner than later, because we need to work on our legacy to create a reputation for ourselves now. If we really think about it, what we do now will determine our failures and successes for our future, whether that be for better or worse.

We have to keep in mind that if we are looking to build a team, people do follow leaders who they believe can get them to the next level.

It is not uncommon for people to want that feeling where they feel that their leaders are for sure taking them to the right direction. As far as I am concern, a leader must always do the ‘right’ thing even in the most challenging situation.

When we look at the big picture, it is much better to be honest rather than to mislead people with information.

We should always stick to this regardless what loses may come the way, because by us doing what’s right, it will demonstrate who we really are and our true leadership qualities will sure to shine.

When we are doing our work to the best of ability even when no one is around, it is the right thing to do, because eventually once others see this, then they too will be motivated as well.

Most of us have heard of the old saying, “one bad apple can spoil the bunch”. People for sure will have their own perceptions of other people and this goes for everyone. One thing we have to try and look at is the things we believe in.

I say this because if we don’t believe in ourselves then it’s much harder to get others to believe in ourselves.

Others for sure are more likely to believe us when we are genuine, because honesty starts with us and we much being honest with ourselves first.

And also we much belief in ourselves, because when we don’t, it is much easier for others to talk us out of own dreams that we always wanted for ourselves as mention.

For questions, comments, and feedback, email them to mcnarine@rogers.com.

Dat Sookram

SUDOKU

ARIES (March 21April 19)

TAURUS (April 20May 20)

GEMINI (May 21June 20)

CANCER

Don’t wait for someone else to make choices for you. Physical activity will get your heart pumping and your mind racing. Window-shopping or a long walk will offer fresh air and inspiration.

You won’t get ahead by intimidating others. Get along with everyone in order to ease your progress. The more accommodating you are, the better your chances of advancement.

You aren’t getting an accurate picture of what is going on around you. If you make a point to do your own investigating, you will find the answers you are looking for.

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)

You are best off channelling your energy into love and romance. Highlight your individuality by attending interesting social events or activities in order to meet someone who has something provocative to offer.

Money woes are evident if you are indulgent. Be generous with your time and ideas, but leave your wallet in a safe place to avoid making an unaffordable financial contribution.

Spice up your life. Embark on a short journey or attend an entertaining activity in your community. Don’t flash your cash or brag about what you have to unfamiliar people.

LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)

If a radical change is called for, a residential move could be the answer. Research the real estate market in your area. A move will help you cut your overhead.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24Nov. 22)

Shake off depression. Lighten up, get out with friends and have some fun. All work and no play is a recipe for stress and loneliness.

CAPRICORN (June 21July 22)

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23Dec. 21)

Don’t be overwhelmed by all the activity going on around you. Keep your eye on what’s most important to you and focus on making good choices. Improve your living arrangements.

(Jan. 20Feb. 19) (Dec. 22Jan. 19)

You may be busy, but that is no reason to neglect your loved ones. A mental or physical challenge is a great way to use up excess energy.

AQUARIUS

Follow your own path. Doing something because it is expected of you will cause resentment. Do what is best for you.

PISCES

(Feb. 20March 20)

The overwhelming amount of stress in your life should best be dealt with quickly. Don’t suffer in silence. Seek advice from a counsellor or trusted adviser to help you get back on track.

PeanutS

Calvin and HobbeS

dilbert

arCHie

Barcelona clinch La Liga title

Lionel Messi’s goal gave Barcelona their 23rd Spanish title as they beat Atletico Madrid in La Liga.

Messi’s 41st league goal of the season ensured that Real Madrid will finish second - despite Cristiano Ronaldo’s hat-trick against Espanyol.

With one game left Barca hold a four-point lead ahead of rivals Real.

Luis Enrique’s men, chasing a treble, face Athletic Bilbao in the Spanish cup on 30 May, before playing Juventus in the Champions

League final on 6 June.

Atletico had gone close to opening the lead before Messi exchanged passes with Pedro and fired low into the corner.

The Barcelona players ran on to the Vicente Calderon pitch in celebration after reclaiming the crown which they lost to Atletico on the final day of last season.

And they could repeat the feat of 2008-09, when they won a historical treble under Pep Guardiola.

They have scored 108 goals so far in the league,

with a fixture at home to Deportivo La Coruna still to come.

The front three of Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez have been prolific, netting 115 goals between them in all competitions.

Carlo Ancelotti’s Real side were hoping Barca would slip up in order to take the title race to the final day, but although Ronaldo took his tally to 45 goals in the league in a 4-1 victory over Espanyol, Messi’s moment of magic was enough for Barca to take the title. (BBC Sport)

Bayern Munich falls for the 5th time in 6 games

astian

BSchweinsteiger scored on his 500th appearance for Bayern Munich as the Bundesliga champions lost to relegation battlers Freiburg.

Bayern won their 25th German title last month but have now lost five of their last six games in all competitions.

Midfielder

Schweinsteiger put Bayern in front but Admir Mehmedi equalised for Freiburg before strike partner Nils Petersen grabbed a late winner.

Hamburg dropped into the relegation zone after a 2-1 loss at Stuttgart . Hamburg, the six-time German champions and 1983 European Cup winners, are the only side to

have played in every season of the Bundesliga since it was created in 1963.

Midfielder Gojko Kacar put the visitors ahead, but Stuttgart captain Christian Gentner levelled and Martin Harnik secured all three points for the hosts, who moved above their opponents in the battle to avoid relegation.

Meanwhile, secondplaced Wolfsburg clinched a 2-1 home win over Borussia Dortmund in a dress rehearsal for the German Cup final on 30 May.

Wolfsburg midfielder Daniel Caligiuri put the hosts ahead, only for PierreEmerick Aubameyang’s penalty to haul Europa League-chasing Dortmund

level.

However, Brazilian defender Naldo ensured second-placed Wolfsburg won to consolidate their grip on second spot.

Elsewhere, bottom side Paderborn lost 1-0 at Schalke, Hannover enhanced their survival prospects with a 2-1 win at Augsburg, while Hertha Berlin are not out of trouble yet after a goalless draw with Eintracht Frankfurt.

Mainz ensured they will be in the Bundesliga next season after a 2-0 win over Cologne , third-placed Borussia Monchengladbach eased to a 2-0 win over Werder Bremen while Bayer Leverkusen eased to a 2-0 win over Hoffenheim. (BBC Sport)

Man City win secures top 3 spot

Wilfried Bony scored on his return to Swansea as Manchester City secured a place in the Champions League group stages by winning a thriller.

Yaya Toure opened the scoring for City with a deflected effort, before James Milner slid in a stylish second.

Gylfi Sigurdsson pulled one back just before halftime with a lovely strike, and then Bafetimbi Gomis equalised.

Toure squeezed a second under Lukasz Fabianski, before substitute Bony rolled in a fourth via the post.

The result ensured a topthree Premier League finish for Manchester City but puts Europa League qualification beyond eighth-placed Swansea.

Garry Monk’s side seemed content to soak up pressure and try to hit the visitors on the break in the first half but still created chances.

Gomis, who came off the bench to score the winner at Arsenal last Monday, looked dangerous in his first start for a month, forcing an early save from Joe Hart.

Nathan Dyer was unlucky not to open the scoring after dispossessing Eliaquim Mangala, as Hart flung himself across goal to turn the shot behind for a

corner.

Toure proved more clinical as he scored his 50th Premier League goal with a low shot, which deflected off Ashley Williams, past Fabianski at his near post.

Milner doubled their lead as he finishing off a swift counter attack with a low finish.

It seemed as if that had knocked the stuffing out of the hosts - but right on halftime, Sigurdsson blasted the ball into the corner of the net from the edge of the area to give Swansea hope.

City continued to push forward with Frank Lampard and Jesus Navas forcing saves from Fabianski, before Gomis blasted the ball past Hart to

equalise for the home side.

But Toure’s second of the day put Manchester City back in front.

The Ivorian received the ball midway inside the Swansea half, ran towards goal and unleashed a low shot into the corner of the net.

Swansea continued to press for an equaliser and Hart did well to hold a Gomis header.

But Bony - returning to the Liberty Stadium for the first time since his £28m move to City in Januaryput the result beyond doubt, firing in a shot that found the net after hitting the inside of the post and rolling across into the opposite corner. (BBC Sport)

Juventus beat Inter Milan with late goal

Juventus rested key players ahead of the Italian Cup final against Lazio as they beat Inter Milan, thanks to Alvaro Morata’s late winner.

The Turin club go in the search of the second part of a treble on Wednesday having already won the Serie A title and reached the Champions League final.

Mauro Icardi put Inter ahead but Claudio Marchisio equalised from the spot before Morata secured the points.

Gianluigi Buffon, Carlos Tevez, Arturo Vidal and Andrea Pirlo all sat out.

Only four players from Juve’s starting line-up from the aggregate win over Real Madrid were named in coach Massimo Allegri’s side for the match at San Siro.

The Italian champions fell behind early on when Icardi got the final touch

on Marcelo Brozovic’s fierce drive to direct the ball past reserve goalkeeper Marco Storari.

Juve were awarded a penalty three minutes before half-time when former Manchester United centre-back Nemanja Vidic brought down Alessandro Matri, and Marchisio dispatched the spot-kick.

Seven minutes from time Spain striker Morata, who scored the crucial goal in Juve’s 1-1 draw at the Bernabeu earlier this

week, arrowed a low shot past Samir Handanovic in the Inter goal from the edge of the box. Meanwhile, Lazio edged a step closer to Champions League spot with a 1-0 win at Sampdoria thanks to a goal that went in off the shin of Santiago Gentiletti. The victory lifted Lazio two points above city rivals Roma into second place, although Roma will regain the position with a win over Udinese on Sunday. (BBC Sport)

Barcelona celebrate title win

Toure has scored in each of his last three appearances against Swansea

Alvaro Morata scores the winners

Rain denies RCB chance to clinch number 2 spot

Quinton de Kock sped away at the start and JP Duminy controlled the middle overs to send Delhi Daredevils to 187 for 5, before rain in Bangalore washed the game out. The no-result left Royal Challengers Bangalore on 16 points. Having only won seven games so far, they will need another no-result in the final league game between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Mumbai Indians to finish in the top two.

De Kock prospered in the arc between cover and deep midwicket to finish with 69 off 39. Having made most of his runs square of the wicket, Duminy remained unbeaten on 67 off 43, to put the finishing touches on a score that seemed daunting on a dry Chinnaswamy deck.

Harshal Patel would finish with the innings’ best figures of 2 for 30, but it was in his first over - the innings’ third - that de Kock began his surge. He drilled Harshal’s first ball to the straight boundary, then two deliveries later, slapped him behind point to collect another four. Ashok Dinda received similar treatment next over before Shreyas Iyer began to open his arms as well, soon carving a six

over point off Mitchell Starc.

The openers made 54 from the Powerplay overs before Iyer was out cracking a ball straight to backward point. De Kock laid low for two overs then began to attack again in the ninth over. Davide Wiese was launched over long on, creamed down the ground, and slapped to midwicket off consecutive balls as de Kock raised his half-century in 30 deliveries. He hit two more straight sixes and an edged four off Dinda before the introduction of Yuzvendra Chahal’s legspin cut his innings short. Virat Kohli trekked back from cover to complete the catch.

Duminy walloped successive legside sixes in Chahal’s 14th over, which went for 18 runs, but tempered his advance when three quick wickets fell. The attack resumed in Harshal’s 19th over, after Duminy had reached 50 off 35 balls. That over disappeared for 16, with Saurabh Tiwary adding a six to the two fours Duminy struck.

Royal Challengers hit two runs in 1.1 overs before the rains came. They ceased for long enough for the umpires to reschedule a start just after 7pm, but a second bout of bad weather ended hopes of play. (Cricinfo)

SCOREBOARD

Delhi Daredevils innings (20 overs maximum)

Q de Kock† c Kohli b Chahal 69

SS Iyer c Gayle b Patel 20

JP Duminy* not out 67

Yuvraj Singh c Starc b Chahal 11

KM Jadhav c †Karthik b Patel 0

AD Mathews run out (Chahal) 1

SS Tiwary not out 13

Extras (lb 3, w 3) 6

Total (5 wickets; 20 overs) 187

Did not bat: J Yadav, S Nadeem, GS Sandhu, Z Khan

Fall of wickets: 1-55, 2-110, 3-137, 4-139, 5-141

Bowling: MA Starc 4-0-35-0, AB

Dinda 3-0-39-0, HV Patel 4-0-302, D Wiese 4-0-39-0, CH Gayle

2-0-15-0, YS Chahal 3-0-26-2.

Royal Challengers Bangalore innings (target: 188 runs from 20 overs)

V Kohli* not out 1

CH Gayle not out 1

Extras 0

Total (0 wickets; 1.1 overs) 2

Did not bat: AB de Villiers, Mandeep Singh, KD Karthik†, SN Khan, D Wiese, MA Starc, HV Patel, YS Chahal, AB Dinda

Bowling: J Yadav 1-0-2-0, Z Khan 0.1-0-0-0.

Haddin formally announces ODI retirement

Brad Haddin, the Australia wicketkeeper, has formally announced his retirement from ODI cricket, a day before leaving for Test tours of the West Indies and England.

Amid the Australia team’s celebrations after the World Cup final victory over New Zealand in Melbourne in March, Haddin had revealed that he was not going to play any more one-day games.

Haddin played 126 ODIs and scored 3122 runs at an average of 31.53 with two centuries and 16 fifties. He also had 170 catches and 11 stumpings, the third-most dismissals for Australia after Adam Gilchrist and Ian Healy.

“I have had a privileged one-day career and I have

been fortunate enough to be involved in three World Cups and now is the right time to walk away,” the 37-year old Haddin said.

“Not many players get to write a script like mine at the end of their careers and I have been lucky enough to do just that after winning a World Cup on home soil.

“I leave the team with

Ronaldo hat-trick inspires Real Madrid win

Cristiano Ronaldo scored his seventh hat-trick of the season to give Real Madrid victory at Espanyol as Barcelona won the title.

Ronaldo fired low under Kiko Casilla to make it 1-0 but Espanyol equalised through Cristhian Stuani after an error from Madrid keeper Keylor Navas.

Marcelo made it 2-1 with a firm drive before Ronaldo added the third from 12 yards.

The Portugal star then headed in his third from James Rodriguez’s cross.

Trailing Barcelona by four points before kick-off, Real needed to better their rivals’ result to take the title race to the last match of the campaign.

Los Blancos did their bit but they needed a favour from neighbours Atletico Madrid, which did not come as Barca won 1-0 in the

Spanish capital.

Ronaldo’s treble took his tally for the season to 45 in La Liga - four ahead of Barcelona forward Lionel Messi, who hit the winner for his club.

Ronaldo’s first came when he latched on to Karim Benzema’s through ball and beat Casilla with a left-foot finish.

Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti chose to drop Iker Casillas in favour of Navas but the back-up goalkeeper was at fault as Espanyol equalised.

His heavy touch after Pepe’s back-pass allowed Stuani to close him down.

A scuffed clearance fell to Sergio Garcia who fed Stuani to score from close range.

Casillas, 33, and Navas, 28, have both made highprofile mistakes in recent matches for Madrid, who continue to be linked with

a move for Manchester

United’s David De Gea. Espanyol were level for six minutes before Ronaldo cut the ball back to Marcelo and the Brazilian full-back rifled in his first league goal of the season.

Four minutes later, Ronaldo scored his second when substitute Javier Hernandez - on loan from United - raced on to Marcelo’s long ball and hooked the ball back for his team-mate to score.

Ronaldo, 30, completed his hat-trick in stoppage time with a downward header at the back post after Rodriguez’s cross from the left but it proved in vain as Barcelona saw out the victory they needed to end Madrid’s championship chances. It means Madrid have won La Liga only once in the past seven seasons. (BBC Sport)

ayana runs 3rd-fastest 5000m of all time

edged into second by compatriot Tony McQuay. David Oliver triumphed in the 110m hurdles and there were worldleading times for Kenyans Silas Kiplagat and Jairus Kipchoge Birech in the 1500m and 3000m steeplechase respectively. While Ayana hogged the limelight in the women’s track events, there were also wins for Eunice Jepkoech Sum in the 800m and Blessing OkagbareIghoteguonor in the 100m.

Australia ranked No. 1 in the world and I am proud of everything we have achieved.”

“Australian cricket congratulates Brad on a fine one-day international career,” Cricket Australia CEO James Sutherland said.

“Throughout the years he well and truly maintained Australia’s proud tradition of outstanding wicketkeeper-batsmen in limited-overs cricket. He leaves big shoes to fill as a talented player and important senior figure within the team.

“We thank him for his wonderful contribution to one-day cricket and look forward to his continued performances at Test level as the team works hard to retain the Frank Worrell Trophy and the Ashes. (Cricinfo)

At the second Diamond League meeting of the season, Almaz Ayana produced one of the greatest 5000 metre displays of all time.

Almaz Ayana ran the third-fastest women’s 5000 metres ever as she sailed to victory at the second Diamond League event of the season in Shanghai on Sunday.

The Ethiopian set a blistering pace to cross the finish line in 14 minutes and 14.32 seconds, placing her behind only Tirunesh Dibaba and Meseret Defar on the all-time list.

Viola Jelagat Kibiwot and Senbere Teferi rounded off the podium, with the for-

mer finishing 26 seconds behind Ayana.

“I am so happy with my win,” said Ayana. “It’s three seconds above the world record. I never had the world record in my head. I didn’t know I was so close.

“I was surprised that my body could do that. I will never forget this competition.”

Olympic gold medalist Kirani James was the biggest name on show in China and the Grenadian was a comfortable winner in the men’s 400m, maintaining his strong start to the year.

World champion Lashawn Merritt had been tipped to run James close, but the American was

Kaliese Spencer of Jamaica set a new worldlead time of 54.71 seconds in the 400m hurdles.

In the field, there were home victories as Lu Huihui of China topped the women’s javelin standings and Gong LijIao shone in the shot put.

Nikoleta Kyriakopoulou led Katerina Stefanidi in a Greek pole vault one-two, while the in-form Caterine Ibarguen won the triple jump.

Aleksandr Menkov beat Jeff Henderson to long jump glory, Mutaz Essa Barshim won the high jump for Qatar and, in the remaining event of the day, Piotr Malachowski claimed victory in the discus. (Digicel SportsMax)

Rain interrupted Royal Challengers Bangalore’s chase

Cristiano Ronaldo scores one of his three goals

Brad Haddin

Almaz Ayana

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21 sports

Massive win helps Mumbai finish 2nd

Combined figures of 5 for 33 from eight overs, bowled by Lasith Malinga and Mitchell McClenaghan, handed Mumbai Indians a place in the IPL playoffs. Mumbai ended in second place in the points table behind Chennai Super Kings, after a rousing ninewicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad.

Suchith’s turn to stutter the home side further. In the 10th over, he first had Moises Henriques stumped for 11, before removing the out-of-form Naman Ojha for a first-ball duck, the batsman chipping to Rohit Sharma at cover. Rahul fell in the 13th over after he dragged a Harbhajan Singh short delivery on to the stumps for 25. From 61 for 6,

vived a stumping chance on 34 when his opposite number Ojha couldn’t gather Karn Sharma’s googly in two tries, leaving Parthiv with little to do but plonk his bat back in the crease in time. The legspinner Karn gave 22 runs in his second over, with Simmons cracking two consecutive sixes over midwicket after Parthiv had

Mumbai finished the match with 6.1 overs to spare to complete a great comeback to the season, which began for them with four consecutive defeats. Sunrisers, though, hardly turned up in their own ground despite having a head start when David Warner called correctly at the toss.

Warner’s decision to bat first was a straightforward one given the sheen on the pitch, but it all fell apart in seven deliveries. Sunrisers’ best batsmen this season have been Warner and his opening partner Shikhar Dhawan, by a distance.

Malinga got the ball to get under Dhawan’s bat in the first over, sending him back for just 1. Next delivery, McClenaghan bounded in and got one to hurry into Warner who was caught nowhere playing the pull. The ball took a leading edge and fountained in the air, only to be gobbled up by Kieron Pollard who was coming in from point.

Malinga and McClenaghan gave away just 13 runs in the first four overs they bowled together. Eoin Morgan got a boundary off Vinay Kumar in the fifth over before McClenaghan hurried another to the batsman, this time Morgan top-edging to third man for a simple catch. McClenaghan added the wicket of Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the 17th over to finish with 3 for 16 from his four overs.

KL Rahul got a couple of fours, but then it was J

there was very little hope remaining for the hosts.

Ashish Reddy, who was brought into the side in place of Bipul Sharma, struck the first six of the innings when he clouted Harbhajan over midwicket but he too fell the following over, caught at point. Dale Steyn knocked three fours in his 11-ball unbeaten 19 but it was never going to be enough.

Lendl Simmons and Parthiv Patel found three fours each in the first six overs of the small chase. Parthiv was the aggressor among the pair, adding fours quite regularly. Parthiv, though, sur-

scored two fours off the second and third deliveries. Karn eventually took the wicket of Simmons, but by then, the batsman had made 48 off 44 balls with four fours and the two sixes, and with the score at 106. Parthiv remained unbeaten on 51 off 37 balls with the help of nine fours, and quite aptly, struck the winning runs in the 14th over. Simmons and Parthiv added their second hundred-plus opening partnership of the season as Mumbai cruised to set up a clash with the tabletoppers Super Kings for the first qualifier in Mumbai on May 19. (Cricinfo)

SCOREBOARD

Sunrisers Hyderabad innings (20 overs maximum)

DA Warner* c Pollard b McClenaghan 6

S Dhawan b Malinga 1

MC Henriques st †Patel b Suchith 11

EJG Morgan c Simmons b McClenaghan 9

KL Rahul b Harbhajan Singh 25

NV Ojha† c Sharma b Suchith 0

KV Sharma c Suchith b Malinga 15

A Ashish Reddy c Vinay Kumar b Pollard 17

B Kumar c Pandya b McClenaghan 0 P Kumar run out(Pandya/Pollard) 4

DW Steyn not out 19

Extras (lb 2, w 4) 6

Total (all out; 20 overs) 113

Fall of wickets: 1-7, 2-7, 3-23, 4-51, 5-51, 6-61, 7-84, 8-86, 9-91, 10-113.

Bowling: SL Malinga 4-0-17-2, MJ McClenaghan 4-0-16-3, R Vinay Kumar 3-0-21-0, J Suchith 3-0-14-2, HH Pandya 1-0-11-0, Harbhajan Singh 3-018-1, KA Pollard 2-0-14-1. Mumbai Indians innings (target: 114 runs from 20 overs)

LMP Simmons c Dhawan b Sharma 48 PA Patel† not out 51 RG Sharma* not out 7

Extras (b 1, lb 2, w 5) 8

Total (1 wicket; 13.5 overs) 114

Did not bat: AT Rayudu, KA Pollard, HH Pandya, Harbhajan Singh, J Suchith, MJ McClenaghan, R Vinay Kumar, SL Malinga Fall of wickets: 1-106

Bowling: DW Steyn 3-0-27-0, B Kumar 3-0-16-0, P Kumar 2-013-0, MC Henriques 3-0-17-0, KV Sharma 2.5-0-38-1.

Lasith Malinga sent Shikhar Dhawan’s off stump flying in the first over

Independence 3-stage cycling on pause

The 33rd annual Independence ThreeStage cycling meet has been put on pause following the changing of guards at the level of government with the results of the 2015 General and Regional Elections.

The event was originally fixed for this weekend, May 16-17, but there is a high possibility it will now be held later in the month or even in June.

The new administration, the APNU/AFC Coalition, is currently going through the transition phase after ousting the PPP/C at the polls last week, and that process could very well delay the staging of the highly anticipated activity.

An official of the National Sports Commission, who spoke to this publication on Sunday, said the hosting of the event will depend solely on how soon the new administration is able to commence its work.

"As of now we don't know who is the new Sport Minister and Director of

Sports, but what I can tell you is that as soon as those persons are named we will look at the dates for the Three-Stage," the official revealed.

In another section of the press last week, a top official of the Guyana Cycling Federation, one of the stakeholders of the race, said regardless of the out-

come of the elections, the event will go on as planned.

The Independence Three-Stage is usually a two-day activity with the first stage from Corriverton to New Amsterdam and stage two from Rosignol to Carifesta Avenue, Georgetown, on the opening day.

The third stage from

Linden to Georgetown is held on the final day, followed by a grand presentation ceremony.

Team Coco's Darren Matthews is the defending champion of the race, which is considered the second largest in terms of participation behind the 'Ride for Life' Five-Stage.

McIlroy shoots course record to take lead at Wells Fargo Championship

Rory McIlroy shot a 61 to break his own Quail Hollow course record and take a four-stroke lead after three rounds of the Wells Fargo Championship.

It was McIlroy’s lowest career round - and one better than the record he set in 2010 - and put him on 18 under par.

McIlory needed to birdie the last two holes to join the seven PGA players to score 59 but only managed two pars.

“I was thinking about 59 from the 14th teebox,” said the 26-year-old world number one.

Rory McIlroy

“I feel like it’s one of these courses I can get on a roll with.”

Anthony Kim set the tournament record of 16 under in 2008, while Jim Furyk was the last player to card a 59 on the PGA Tour in 2013.

McIlroy started the day three shots behind co-leaders Webb Simpson and Robert Streb and had five birdies in a front-nine 31. He then birdied six of the first seven holes on the back nine.

The highlight came when McIlroy drove the green on the 345-yard, par four 14th hole for the fourth time in his career - more than any player in tournament history. (BBC Sport)

Zimbabwe finally confirm Pakistan tour

Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) has confirmed the upcoming tour to Pakistan against the advice of the country’s Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC). The board’s final decision comes after three days of debate, which began on Thursday when ZC issued a press release sus-

on the future of their careers forced them to change their minds. All 16 squad members, which includes six returnees and one new cap, have agreed to travel to Pakistan for the two T20 and three ODI series which begins on May 22.

The visit makes Zimbabwe the first Test-

pending the tour and 20 minutes later sent an email retracting it. In the interim, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had told journalists that ZC had been in contact with it and had reassured that the tour would take place as scheduled.

The ICC, meanwhile, has decided not to appoint its match officials for the series after receiving a report from its security consultant. It had already made provision for the PCB to use its own umpires and match referees in such a case.

ESPNcricinfo understands that Zimbabwe’s players were made to sign indemnity forms after their country’s foreign affairs ministry advised that a visit to Pakistan would not be safe. As a result, the SRC would not give permission for the tour to take place unless the players were going of their own accord, as the forms now state.

Several players were hesitant to make the trip, with a few even considering pulling out, but concerns over the impact that would have

playing nation to tour Pakistan since 2009, when an attack on the Sri Lankan team bus resulted in the suspension of international cricket from Pakistan. Afghanistan and Kenya have both toured Pakistan in that time, without incident.

Zimbabwe have been promised VIP security which includes armed guards, an armed vehicle escort and helicopter monitoring of their travel in Lahore, the only city they will visit.

An advance delegation of ZC officials visited Pakistan in the first week of May for a thorough explanation of the measures that had been put in place to protect the players and were satisfied with what they were shown.

Despite that, the international player body FICA said their security report revealed that the risks of touring Pakistan were “unmanageable.”

The series will be Zimbabwe’s first post the 2015 World Cup and first without Brendan Taylor in seven years. (Cricinfo)

arsenal retain grip on 3rd place

Arsenal will secure third place in the Premier League if they beat Sunderland on Wednesday after Theo Walcott’s deflected cross gave them a late equaliser and a point at Manchester United.

Ander Herrera’s firsthalf strike gave United a lead they deserved in a game low on intensity with both teams already assured of places in next season’s Champions League.

Arsenal barely raised a gallop for the first hour but finally came to life in the closing stages and levelled when substitute Walcott’s cross was diverted past keeper Victor Valdes off Tyler Blackett.

Former Barcelona keeper Valdes was on for David De Gea, who went off with an injury on what may well be his final Old Trafford appearance as speculation

United’s fans as he walked off. In his programme notes,

sor David Moyes. Arsenal will confirm a third-placed finish, and a

Ander Herrera’s goal was his sixth in the Premier League this season

mounts that he will make a summer move back to his native Spain with Real Madrid.

One man who looked like he was definitely saying farewell to Old Trafford was on-loan striker Radamel Falcao, who struggled badly for an hour before being replaced by Robin van Persie, taking time to wave to

manager Louis van Gaal suggested a club of United’s stature should not be celebrating fourth place - but it was hard to argue with his assertion that this season has been a move in the right direction after the dismal brief reign of his predeces-

Champions League groupstage spot, with victory against the Black Cats at Emirates Stadium, leaving United to contest the competition’s qualifiers. Van Gaal addressed Old Trafford briefly after the final whistle before the

Stretford End chanted loudly for De Gea in a clear attempt to convince him that this was the place where he should stay. Whether it will work is open to question.

Such was the lame nature of Arsenal’s first-half performance that they failed to muster a single shot, the first time they have produced this miserable statistic since a 2-1 defeat at Liverpool in November 2004.

United were far more energetic and were rewarded with the lead after 30 minutes when Herrera arrived at the far post to meet Ashley Young’s cross after he had escaped from Hector Bellerin.

Van Gaal made a predictable change on the hour, replacing the labouring Falcao with Van Persie. The Colombian’s body language suggested that this was the final time he would be seen at Old Trafford as a

Manchester United player. The other United player whose future has become a matter of public debate, De Gea, showed why he is so highly prized when finally called into action just after the hour, reacting quickly to block Olivier Giroud as he threatened from an angle.

He needed Marcos Rojo to rescue him when Arsenal, finally showing signs of life, threatened again. Aaron Ramsey lofted the ball over the onrushing De Gea but Rojo recovered to clear the danger. De Gea then left the action prematurely as he went down injured and was replaced by Valdes.

The debutant had barely had time to make any sort of contribution when Arsenal equalised, Walcott’s cross taking a big deflection off Blackett to wrong-foot the keeper. (BBC Sport)

The Three-Stage was fixed for this weekend

James hammers Merritt again

Olympic champion

Kirani James beat reigning World titleholder Lashawn Merritt in the 400 metres for the second time this year at the Shanghai Diamond League here Sunday.

The 22-year-old Grenadian, himself a former World champion, clocked 44.66 seconds to out-run World silver medalist Tony McQuay of the United States who clocked 45.54, and Merritt who trailed in third in 45.58.

Only last month, James beat Merritt into fifth at the Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa, en route to a world-leading 44.22.

“This is my second time competing in the Diamond League Shanghai and also my second win,” James said afterward. “It’s always a great atmosphere and a great field. It was very tough but I am very happy.”

Running out of lane four, James got away smartly and cruised down the backstretch, making up the stagger on Merritt in lane five, with 100 metres run.

He was ahead after 200 metres and came off the final turn with a four length lead, pulling away with powerful strides late on to cross the line unchallenged.

Trinidadian Renny Quow finished one from last in the nine-man field in 46.65.

James was joined in winners’ row by Jamaican Kaliese Spencer who snatched the women’s 400 metres hurdles in a worldleading 54.71 seconds.

She beat the American pair of Tiffany Williams (55.27) and Cassandra Tate (44.68) into second and third respectively, and said she had already trained

her sights on the World Championships later this year.

“I am very happy with my first place. I am happy with the world lead,” said the 28-year-old, who won gold in the event at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow last year.

“I really believe I can win in Beijing. Now I have

main upbeat, however.

“The feeling is ok. I am looking forward to my next race. What comes, comes,” she said.

Nigerian Blessing Okagbare clocked 10.98 seconds for the victory with American Tori Bowie second in 11.07 and Trinidad and Tobago’s Michelle-Lee Ahye, third in 11.13 sec-

to try harder, stay focussed and injury free.”

Olympic silver and World bronze medallist, American Lashinda Demus, finished fifth in a seasonbest 56.14 seconds.

There was disappointment for Jamaica, however, as World and Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce slumped to a fifth place finish in the women’s 100 metres.

She clocked a sluggish 11.25 seconds in what was her opening 100 metres of the year, continuing a poor sequence that has seen her unable to dip below 11 seconds since 2013. Fraser-Pryce tried to re-

onds.

Jamaican Veronica Campbell-Brown, a silver medallist in Glasgow last year, was fourth in 11.22 while her counterpart Schillonie Calvert was one from last in the nine-woman field in 11.53.

In the men’s 200 metres, Jamaica claimed two of the top three spots as Panama’s Edward Alonso took gold in 20.33 seconds.

Julian Forte, a World Junior finalist in 2012, clocked 20.36 for second while Nickel Ashmeade finished third in 20.44. Another Jamaican, Rasheed Dwyer, was third in 20.56. (CMC)

“i have time to get it right” says Fraser-Pryce

World and Olympic 100m champion

Shelly-Ann FraserPryce is confident she has plenty of time to get things right following a disappointing fifth place finish at the IAAF Diamond League in Shanghai today.

Taking top honours in the field was African Champion Blessing Okagbare who coasted to the line in 10.98, a seemingly effortless trot, after getting off to a much better start than she is typically noted for.

Despite being in contention late in the race, FraserPryce, who faded a bit coming to the line, finished with a time of 11.25, just behind compatriot Veronica Campbell-Brown (11.22) Trinidad and Tobago’s Michelle-Lee Ahye (11.13) and the United States’ Tori Bowie (11.01) who finished like a freight train for second place.

Fraser-Pryce was, however, unperturbed following the somewhat sluggish season opener.

“It was one of those races,” she said.

“I have time to get it right,” Fraser-Pryce. With the Beijing World Championships 100m field, however, looking set to be a highly competitive and

GTTA set to host 2-day tourney

The Guyana Table Tennis Association (GTTA) will stage its “C’’ and “B’’ Class Open, senior doubles men and women, senior mixed doubles, Master Open 50 years to 55 years, 56 years to 60 years and 60 years at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall on May 24 and May 26.

The categories to be con-

tested were absent from the sport for a while and are expected to inject the sport with some experience.

The tournament will be open to any player affiliated to the table tennis association as well as to new players interested in playing in the tournament.

Further, registration for the tournament will close on

the morning of May 24, with action starting from 12:00h on May 24 and 10:00h on May 26. The tournament will be conducted under the rules of the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) and a technical meeting will take place on May 24 at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.

Sharapova wins 3rd title in Rome

Russian third seed Maria Sharapova came from a set down to beat Spain’s Carla Suarez Navarro 4-6 7-5 6-1 and win her third Italian Open title.

Suarez Navarro, the world number 10, battled hard in the first two sets but ran out of energy in the decider.

Her best chance came at 5-5 in the second set but Sharapova finished the set with eight straight points.

The Russian capitalised on her opponent’s weakness in the third set as she swept to a 35th career crown.

Suarez Navarro, who was bidding for the second title of her career, made a strong start and broke Sharapova midway through the first set as the Russian tried to force matters.

The Spaniard continued to cause problems in the second set but once Sharapova found her way into the match she looked strong, de-

spite committing plenty of unforced errors.

Sharapova, who will be second seed for the French Open which starts on 24 May, broke Suarez Navarro in the eighth game of the second set for a 5-3 lead and after going on to hand her opponent three break points in the next game, she eventually recovered to level the match.

The Russian handed Suarez Navarro a break

point in the opening game of the third set and despite twice saving the game, the Spaniard moved ahead when Sharapova hit an easy return just wide. That setback only served to spur the Russian on, who broke back immediately, sealing the game with a twohanded backhand return. From then on she dominated, holding serve on her final game to seal the victory.

talented one it seems the sprinter will certainly have her work cut out to retain the crown.

At this level, however, the athlete knows that is to be expected.

“I always have my work cut out. No one hands anything to you,” she said. (Digicel SportsMAx)

Kirani James

Maria Sharapova

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce

GCC draw 3-3 with pool leaders Paragon

The GCC ladies began their second stint of matches in the Trinidad and Tobago women’s hockey season by facing competition leaders Paragon in the sweltering midday heat at the Eastern Sports Complex in Tacarigua, Trinidad.

The last time the two teams met just two short weeks ago, GCC had squandered a 2-0 lead to succumb to the powerful Paragon by 5-2. On this occasion, the Guyanese came ever so close to upsetting the table as they failed to hold a 3-2 lead in the dying minutes of the match as Paragon managed to draw even three minutes before full time at 3-3.

GCC took an early lead in the seventh minute of the match despite facing some opening pressure, as winger Gabriella Xavier received a cross from striker Shebiki Baptiste and nailed her shot into the back of the Paragon's net.

Trinidad national captain and Paragon leading player, Allana Lewis responded two minutes later with a smooth solo run through the centre

of the GCC defence to finish with a cool reverse sweep to beat young Briawna Gordon in the GCC net to even the score at one a piece.

Lewis would signal her intention to dominate the match as she pushed Paragon ahead by 2-1 with another fine finish just six minutes from the half time period.

GCC’s Kerensa Fernandes would manage to level the scores once again two minutes later with a tap in finish off a goalmouth scramble to see the teams into the halftime break dead even at 2-2.

GCC produced some fine hockey in the second half and pressured the Paragon deep defence into several turnovers.

The Guyanese were rewarded when Captain Sonia Jardine received a midfield pass and evaded several Paragon defenders with some fine stick work before slamming a bullet of a shot into the roof of the net in the 42nd minute. Paragon would press for the winner and created several threatening changes as the clock wound down.

Effort is critical to Guyana’s

success – Henry

– believes national ruggers can cause upsets at Olympic qualifiers

The National Rugby squad is winding down their preparation for the upcoming Olympic Qualifiers and Pan American Games set for June and July respectively.

In a telephone interview with Coach of the squad, Theodore Henry pointed out that giving maximum effort will be critical for Guyana to succeed at such a high level.

The Olympic qualifiers which are the first meet set for June in North Carolina will see the Guyanese ruggers battling powerhouses such as The United States of America (USA) and Canada among the regular territorial teams.

“The biggest threats are obviously the USA and Canada but we are going there with the intention of causing some upsets.

USA as we speak just finished beating Australia in London and to beat them will be a big ask of us but this is sevens rugby and it is like a T20 cricket match where the best team on the day can win and once we go out there and give 100 percent I

Theodore Henry

don’t see no reason why we can’t pull of a few upsets,” Henry told Guyana Times Sport.

Meanwhile Henry shared where the team is currently at in preparation for the two high quality meets, “right now we are in the final week of conditioning and in the next two

weeks we want to focus on speed and agility work and also look at some tactical areas of our game,” Henry noted.

The star Coach who is also a brilliant rugger himself highlighted some areas the team needs to improve on going forward.

“There definitely some things we need to fix coming out of the Hong Kong series, we need to fix our wing defence and our kickoff reception as well as bettering what we are good at such as our off loads and off the ground work,” Henry mentioned.

However, while Henry stressed on the importance of improving in those critical areas, he also pointed out that the weather has been slowing the process somewhat.

“The weather has been tough for us, what we want to do is really better when the place is dry but it can be down while the place is wet, however, its slows our intensity,” Henry pinpointed.

The national rugby team is expected to fly out on June 5 for the Olympic qualifiers before moving onto the Pan American games in July.

Djokovic beats Roger Federer to Italian title

orld number one

WNovak Djokovic continued his domination of men’s tennis with a 6-4 6-3 win over Roger Federer to win the Italian Open final.

tive wins for the Serb and he will go into the French Open, which starts next Monday, in confident mood. He traded blows with Federer from the opening

The pair went toe-to-toe in the opening set but Serbia’s Djokovic broke in the 10th game to seal it.

Full of confidence, he broke Federer early in the second set and the Swiss player never recovered from that.

Djokovic soon set up two match points and sealed his fourth Rome title when a Federer forehand went wide. It makes it 22 consecu-

stages and, at 5-4 ahead, converted his first break of the set with a return winner that clipped the edge of the tramline. Djokovic’s precision, power and pace made him look unstoppable and he looked particularly dangerous from the baseline as he claimed his 19th win in 39 matches against the 33-year-old. (BBC Sport)

Just as the game seemed destined to end in GCC’s favour, a failed clearance by the GCC defence saw

Paragon striker Zene Henry first onto the ball to tap in the rebound and draw the match at 3-3.

GCC’s defensive stalwart Ulrica Sutherland makes way through two Paragon strikers

Novak Djokovic