Guyana Times Daily

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Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana Issue No. 2995 guyanatimesgy.com

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

October 2, 2016

Brothers die in EBD smash-up

Mother, daughter commit suicide over financial troubles

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WHAT'S INSIDE:

Govt’s abandonment of PPP/C projects P9 worsening economy – Ali …“forget who left it, who negotiated it, let’s do it in the interest of the people”

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Page 15

Aircraft found at Yupukari brought to Timehri P12 …still no new leads

Technical, vocational students to receive monthly stipend P17

President David Granger plants the first tree at Fair View, Region Nine. Agriculture Minister Noel Holder and Senior Staff of the Ministry look on at the opening of the second annual National Tree Day event

Fire guts vendors arcade in Bartica Page 11

Ramson resigns as MP

Page 7

…says to facilitate studies in oil and gas management

Suspended television owner’s P15 licence reinstated Amputee dreams of a better P13 tomorrow

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NEWS

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BRIDGE OPENINGS

The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Sunday, October 2 – 05:30h-07:00h and Monday, October 3 – 05:00h-06:30h.

The Berbice River Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Sunday, October 2 – 17:00h-18:30h and Monday, October 3 – 05:15h-06:45h.

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

WEATHER TODAY Weather: Sunny weather throughout the day, while expected in the evening. expected to range between degrees Celsius.

can be expected clear skies can be Temperatures are 25 degrees and 32

Winds: Easterly to East South-easterly and East North-easterly between 4.47 metres and 5.36 metres.

High Tide: 05:01h and 17:13h reaching maximum heights of 2.69 metres and 2.72 metres respectively.

Low Tide: 10:50h and 23:08h reaching minimum heights of 0.55 metre and 0.47 metre respectively.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2016

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Brothers die in EBD smash-up T

wo brothers lost their lives after the vehicle in which they were travelling collided with a truck along the Friendship, East Bank Demerara, Public Road on Saturday.

Dead are Jonnel Armstrong, 23 and Phillip Armstrong, 21, of Watooka, Mackenzie, Linden.

Reports are the two young men along with another male friend were heading to the mining town of Linden when the collision occurred.

Guyana Times understands that the RAV 4, driven by one of the brothers, was moving at a fast rate and might have collided with the truck while negotiating a turn.

The three young men were pulled from the wreckage and were taken to the Diamond Diagnostic Centre, where the Armstrong brothers were pronounced dead on arrival. The name of the injured man was not immediately available but he is said to be in a critical state.

Dr Pansy Armstrong, mother of the two dead young men, who is the Regional Health Officer of Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) when contacted was too distraught to speak but confirmed that her two sons were killed in the accident. Guyana Times understands that the older Armstrong was an aeronautical engineer while the other was a medical student.

The men were reportedly

Dead: Jonnel Armstrong

well respected in their community. Close friends and family members took to social media expressing their shock as the news spread about the death of the two young men.

When contacted, Traffic Chief, Dion Moore told this newspaper that an investigation has been launched into the fatal accident. Upon the completion of the investigation, he will be in a better position to release the facts.

He noted, however, that initial reports indicate there was a collision be-

The vehicle in which the brothers were travelling

heading to Linden to assist their mother in repainting her home.

They were described by many as quiet and quite intelligent young men who were

tween a truck and a 4-runner. The truck was heading to Georgetown while the 4-runner was heading in the opposite direction. The driver of

Dead: Phillip Armstrong

the truck was arrested and is assisting the Police in their investigations. Their bodies are at the Lyken Funeral Home awaiting post-mortem examinations.

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Views Editor: Tusika Martin News Hotline: 231-8063 Editorial: 231-0544 223-7230,223-7231,231-0544, 225-7761 Marketing: 231-8064 Accounts: 225-6707 Mailing address: Queens Atlantic Investment Estate Industrial Site, Ruimveldt, Georgetown Email: news@guyanatimesgy.com, sales@guyanatimesgy.com

Editorial

Agriculture in Guyana

I

f this is October, then it must be "Agriculture Month".

And so it is, with the Ministry of Agriculture taking out full page ads in all the dailies to announce the "theme" for this month - “Exploring new production frontiers: in pursuit of climate resilience”.

There was also the obligatory month-long series of activities designed to "not only focus on the resuscitation of the agricultural sector to increase efficiency, but will target the advancement of small and medium scale farmers across the ten administrative regions."

But what does this really mean for farmers in Guyana today? Last year, as with every other year for decades, there was also a different theme, that one being "Exploiting our Strengths; advancing agriculture and social protection", not forgetting the month-long series of "activities" to "give life to the theme".

This approach evidently sees agriculture as an undertaking in which a different "theme" will come to fruition within a year so as to move on to the next theme. Is this realistic?

How is "Exploiting our Strengths; advancing agriculture and social protection" related to “Exploring new production frontiers: in pursuit of climate resilience”? Exactly what was done to "advance agriculture" last year? The Government and the Minister of Agriculture announced that rice, the largest agricultural crop in Guyana, employing the largest number of workers, was a "private" enterprise and marketing the product was not the responsibility of the government.

One wonders why, in every foreign embassy and consulate - even in such a minuscule country like ours - there is an "economic desk" that promotes the products of that country.

One wonders why G-20 developed the concept of "trade for aid" and exactly what our government has done to utilise funds from that initiative to market rice when it had already washed its hands of that task.

The Government also arbitrarily announced the closure of Wales Sugar Estate, West Bank Demerara, without even a single consultation with the 1700 workers or its trade unions.

They had to learn of their fate from the newspapers; and the Minister of Agriculture obdurately did not see it fit to engage the workers or the affected communities surrounding the Estate.

This year, as they were presumably crafting their theme for this year's Agriculture Month, the Minister just as suddenly and arbitrarily announced that the government was going to convert 484 acres of canefields to growing rice.

Exactly how is government going to improve "social protection" by entering the rice industry, which cannot find markets for its present private farmers' production when it would now be competing with them?

It is our hope that government is not giving up on the coastal agricultural "bird in the hand" in pursuit of its hinterland "bird in the bush" as adumbrated in this year's theme. It its announcement of Agriculture Month last week it noted: "The Government of Guyana’s 2015 Manifesto has indicated development of the hinterland as a priority, with implementation of policies for development of the Intermediate Savannahs, as well as the Rupununi Savannahs.

The Intermediate Savannahs have long been considered as the next frontier for the nation’s agricultural development.

In this vein, the Ministry of Agriculture has aligned its work programme to realise the Intermediate Savannahs as the next agricultural centre, and has also prioritised the implementation of policies for development of the Rupununi Savannahs."

While there is unquestionably a need to develop the intermediate and interior savannahs, as was highlighted by the Minister and his high-level team on their visit to the Rupununi during the middle of last month, the challenges presented will take huge amounts of resources - technological, human and material.

We suggest that we do not waste the hundreds of years of efforts by slaves, indentured and freemen to make the Guyana coastland among the best drained and irrigated lands on the planet. Let us consolidate these lands for Agriculture rather than building "apartments and condos" on them.

Prince William and Princess Charlotte look on as Prince George plays with a bubble gun at a children's party at Government House in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada (Reuters)

Like or hate him, Jagdeo is key factor in political life in Guyana Dear Editor, “We black people…”

These words were uttered by someone whom countless Guyanese would be shocked that these words came from his mouth. But yes, Guyana’s former president and current leader of the Opposition, Bharrat Jagdeo, on Friday evening in delivering the 18th annual Eric Williams Memorial Lecture in Miami, did say “we black people” and “we are black people” as he spoke of the people of the Caribbean.

He also identified one of the reasons for US presidential candidate Donald Trump’s popularity, the failure of the status quo (meaning mainstream politicians and political parties in the US) to address a number of stereotypes and misconceptions, one of which is that black people are lazy and criminal and “just want to live off welfare.”

This is just not true, Jagdeo told his audience of Caribbean Americans and others, including a

Bahamian delegation that included Foreign Minister Fred Mitchell.

In an earlier letter to the press, I had indicated the resentment by many Guyanese to the invitation extended to Jagdeo to speak at this prestigious lecture series and to my sharing information on Facebook about the event.

I am in no way associated with the organising of the event, but was accused of trying to legitimise Jagdeo, who many feel is racist, corrupt and ultimately responsible for the deaths of people during the reign of the phantom squad during his tenure as president. I also said in that letter that I am in no position to legitimise or dismiss anyone.

Well, on Friday night Jagdeo sought to, and was successful, in further legitimising himself. While I did not agree with some of his arguments, I would be dishonest if I said anything other than the fact that his lecture was informative, thought-provoking and well

presented.

He displayed a familiarity with the issues regarding global trade and development, Caribbean integration, or lack thereof, and US domestic politics. He offered suggestions/solutions to some of the challenges he identified facing the Caricom region.

His presentation was well received and some attendees later told me “he was statesmanlike.”

Notwithstanding all the ranting and raving on Facebook about Jagdeo’s invitation, not one Guyanese who feels so strongly about his alleged wrongdoings during his tenure as president turned up to ask any questions of him. No one has even written a letter to the Eric Williams Foundation requesting an explanation of the invitation extended to Jagdeo.

I asked two questions of Jagdeo and one had to do with Guyana. My question had to do with the Venezuela claim, which I make sure I raise in every public forum.

His answer was in keeping with the Guyana position on the claim and he said it is difficult to predict how a Trump presidency would impact the controversy.

At the cocktail reception which followed, I quite audibly greeted Jagdeo as “my black brother” and then proceeded to quietly ask of him to juxtapose his “we black people” against his “beating drum in the morning” remarks just prior to the last election and those reportedly made during a recent speech in New York.

He explained that on both occasions, sections of his remarks were excluded so as to remove the context and meaning of what he said. He told me he had explained this at press conferences in Guyana.

Like him or hate him, Jagdeo will continue to be a key factor in the political life of Guyana for the foreseeable future.

Regards, Wesley Kirton

No consultations with Lethem residents Dear Editor, The Regional Democratic Council, Region 9, is presently dissatisfied with the recently awarding of a contract for the construction of a bridge over the Tabatinga Creek, which links Lethem and Tabatinga.

The awarded cost is approximately $60 million.

The RDC is of the view that there isn’t any dire need for the bridge at this time but there is an immediate need for the maintenance of roads within the

Tabatinga housing scheme.

The roads in Tabatinga are in a disgraceful and deplorable state and most times can be a traffic hazard to road users.

The mayor of the municipality of Lethem only recently said his justification for constructing the bridge is that this would ease the congestion of traffic at the main Tabatinga Bridge, however the general public knows that in the municipality of Lethem there isn’t any congestion of traffic at

present.

No consultations with the residents of Lethem were done before the construction of this bridge. If consultations were done residents would have objected to this initiative and recommended the upgrading of the road.

Residents are of the opinion that the said amount of money could have provided a proper road for their community instead of the bridge that will be of no use to them at present.

Only recently at a meeting held with the Minister of Public Infrastructure in Lethem this issue was also raised, but the Minister responded that by constructing this bridge it is in keeping with the concern that their mayor is not firstly consulting with them when he is planning the infrastructural development of Lethem.

Yours sincerely, Peter Persaud

NEWS

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Construction of international laboratory for biodiversity to begin soon – President

I

n keeping with the country’s green development agenda, a vast amount of land will be protected in an effort to conserve the environment. In this light, President David Granger announced on Saturday that the construction of an international laboratory for biodiversity will commence soon in the compound of the Iwokrama International Centre for Rainforest Conservation Development, in Region Nine (Upper Takatu-Upper Essequibo).

This revelations were made by President Granger while officially declaring opening the second annual National Tree Day event at Iwokrama, Region Nine on Saturday.

"As we continue to advocate the importance of sustaining our environment, importance must be given to the repercussions that the effects of climate change may have on our developmental path.

Therefore, it is vital that we enforce measures which can withstand whatever negative effects climate change can have on our environment," the President said.

The President also referenced present and future developmental projects which he noted have been “leading the way” in Guyana's sustainable development trajectory.

Among those mentioned were the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) through the Guyana REDD+ Investment Fund (GRIFF) initiatives which fosters partnership be-

ration from both Government and the Private sector...

Initiatives such as the soon to be constructed lab, which was announced by the President, will aid in bridging the gap between the coast and hinterland," Allicock expressed.

Also attending the event were, Country Representative, Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), Mr Ruben Robertson, Mayor of Linden, Carwyn Holland, Permanent Secretary of the Agriculture Ministry George Jervis and Head of Department and

President David Granger with the help of eight-year-old Konankiae, planted this Breadfruit tree at the Iwokrama Centre on Saturday

tween Guyana and Norway on issues of climate change, biodiversity and sustainable low carbon development.

Meanwhile, Agriculture Minister Noel Holder explained that while risk factors of climate change differ by country, Guyana’s Government has taken an “holistic approach” by embracing various risks and accounting for synergies and trade-offs.

"Indeed, one of the most effective ways for agriculture to adapt to climate change could be to increase its resilience. What we would focus on is the various risk management strategies to deal with such changes such as the Flood Risk Management project, and the more recent recommendations of

Localising national history Dear Editor, I am currently preparing a paper on “Combating decay during Indian indentured servitude in nineteenth century Caribbean” to be presented at the South Asian annual conference at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, later this month to coincide with the theme of the conference: DECAY. Then I saw a remarkable piece in Guyana Times “Slain Martyrs of 1872 Devonshire Castle Uprising remembered September 29.”

This is a rarity and the organisers must be commended for bringing this historical event into the present.

Guyana Times must be thanked for publishing it.

What a win-win situation.

I attended conferences where some presenters presented on this uprising but I have not seen coverage on it locally, at least from the community itself. I also understand that so much was said but only so much can be covered by GT. In this regard, I have one question. I see that the martyrs’ names appeared to be all males. Were Indian women involved in this uprising? Were Indian women involved in leadership roles during this uprising?

I am curious since the roles of Indian women during indenture have been margin-

alised.

It is about time we bring them out from the margins and place them into the mainstream. It is also about time that our national history, our national events like this one be localised across the country.

Lomarsh Roopnarine

the Kingdom of Netherlands Dutch Risk Reduction (DRR) Team," Holder posited.

National Tree Day 2016 is being held under the theme, “Sustaining Biodiversity: Plant a Tree”. It is the hope of the Agriculture Ministry to use the annual event to create more awareness on the importance of trees for food, medicine, fibre for clothing and woods for shelter.

Holder referred to this year's theme which he noted reflects on building a “resil-

ient agriculture” sector as a means of adapting to the effects of climate change.

Meanwhile, Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs Minister Sydney Allicock said Guyana’s recognition for its forest conservation has been “enormous”, noting thet importance that plants play in the country's sustainable development agenda.

"The gains to be derived remains enormous, however, for this to be fully realised, there must be a strong collabo-

staff of the various sub-agencies within the Ministry of Agriculture.

The National Tree Day event forms part of the Agriculture Ministry's calendar of activities in observance of its month-long celebration where the sector's performance and the contribution farmers make towards Guyana's development is celebrated.

This year, Agriculture Month is being held under the theme, "Exploring new production frontiers: in Pursuit of Climate Resilience."

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D

Anu Dev

uring last May, "Arrival Month", I wrote some pieces about the contributions of women during the period of Indian Indentureship, which lasted between 1838 and 1917. With the 100th anniversary of the End of Indentureship coming up, I thought maybe I could share a few thoughts on the role women played to bring about that end.

In the line from Mahadai Das' poem above, she's referring to the quota stipulated as to the minimum number of women that had to be recruited for each shipment of "coolies" – as the Indian Indentureds were scornfully called. With those numbers, you can imagine what the competition for women did to social relations on first the ships and then the logees.

Murders and choppings and desertions were rampant.

On the ship Allanshaw's voyage to Guyana in 1885, along with my maternal great-great grandmother, was a woman Maharani who was raped by some sailors during the voyage and died. Her story is told as "Maharani’s Misery: Narratives of a Passage from India to the Caribbean", by Professor Verene Shepherd, one of the present champions of the Reparations Movement. It should be read by all persons in the Caribbean to get a glimpse of what it took to bring the

guyana-times.com

Foundation

half-a-million Indian Indentureds to the Caribbean. Seventeen persons died on that voyage and were thrown into the "Kala Pani" – the dreaded "Black Waters".

To secure women for their "one third" quota from a 19th century India where women were completely sequestered, even the recruiters ("arkatis") must have been challenged. Most of the female recruits were listed as "single" and there is much evidence that there was a high percentage of youthful widows.

At that time, they could not remarry and would have lived a very miserable life of semi-servitude if their inlaws were willing to keep them, or more frequently, not a much different one in their home village.

Even in modern India, many widows have a liminal existence of "betwixt and between" the living and the dead and it is not surprising that many of them in the 19th century were persuaded to start a new life in a foreign land. Some of went into relationships in the depots while they waited for the ship's complement of immigrants to be filled.

They would be described as "married" before the final boarding.

This behaviour – breaking of caste rules!

– scandalised later commentators such as Gandhi, one can imagine their reaction to the reality on the plantations when women were in such demand that even

older widows with children could remarry – between religions much less caste boundaries.

Additionally women were harassed by both white overseers and Indian drivers for sexual favours and it should not shock the sensibilities of anyone that several women would have voluntarily entered into "liaisons" with men in power. How much different is it in the modern world of the office world? Starting in the beginning of the 20th century, Indian Nationalists started to take up the cause of overseas Indentured Indians – mostly because their degradation gave lie to their claim to be "brown Englishmen". The "cause" of "protecting Indian women abroad attracted the greatest interest and even attracted one of the top Indian Nationalist of the time – Sarojnie Naidu.

Women were also an integral element in the several episodes, beginning in 1872 in Devonshire Castle on the Essequibo Coast, when immigrants protested their working conditions – including abuse of women – and the Police were called in to open fire. In Rose Hall, Canje in 1913, 15 Indians were shot and killed – including one woman. News reached India as the matter was discussed in the Indian Legislature.

When a similar number of Immigrants were killed in Fiji in 1915, this served as a death knell to Indian Indentureship which was finally ended on March 12, 1917.

S

Participants in the Bartica Green Walk Exercise pose with their plants as they cool down at the Golden Beach

ome 300 fruit trees were distributed to residents of Bartica, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) during this year’s Green Walk Exercise which was held in observation of National Tree Planting Day, being celebrated under the theme ‘Sustaining Biodiversity: Plant a Tree’.

Dozens of residents participated in the walk which commenced from First Avenue and ended at Golden Beach, where there was a simple presentation by Business and Tourism Minister Dominic Gaskin and Bartica Mayor Gifford Marshall.

With Bartica earmarked to lead the way for Guyana’s transition into a model green economy, the initiative was aimed at educating the population on the benefits of making more environmentally friendly decisions. to Mayor According Marshall, the transformation into a green economy will bring numerous social, economic and environmental benefits to the entire of Guyana.

Over the past few months, the municipality of Bartica committed to the five stages of the “Green Economy” as was outlined by President David Granger during the first Tree Planting Day ceremony last year. The stages are sustainable exploitation of our natural resources; environmental protection; promoting sustainable energy; promotion of sound ecological services and green technology.

“As a result, Bartica becoming the cleanest and greenest town in Guyana is now well within our grasp. The establishment of a municipal solid waste department and the continued transformation of the Byderabo “Dump Site” is testimony to our commitment of a cleaner greener Bartica,” he noted.

The Bartica Mayor noted too that the development of a Green Park is another indication of the municipality’s commitment to become a green town.

Marshall added that under the astute leadership of the Communities Minister Ronald Bulkan, Bartica now has a Local Economic Development Strategic Plan for the next three to five years.

This short to medium-term

LED Strategic Plan is fully integrated with Bartica’s green township plan, which carries a 15-20 year implementation period, and is led by the Ministry of the Presidency under Rear Admiral Gary Best.

These two plans when implemented will transition Bartica into using fully renewable energy, sustainable organic agriculture development, establish Bartica as an information and communications technology centre of excellence, among other revolutionary changes.

“While these large-scale changes are taking place at the community level, there are still important steps that can be taken at the individual and organisational level towards accomplishing these overall goals,” he explained.

The Mayor stressed that it is in this context that the seemingly simple exercise of planting individual trees can take on such a profound meaning because with simple individual acts, the cumulative effects of these will impact the aesthetics, appearance, and attractiveness of the community.

“The combined efforts of many residents doing their individual parts to bring us along this developmental journey should not be underestimated. If we all continue to do our individual parts to the best of our ability, together our efforts can be multiplied, we can achieve greatness for this type town that we all call home,” he underscored.

Among the fruit trees distributed include guavas, cherries, tangerines, limes, and oranges.

NEWS

Ramson resigns as MP …says to facilitate studies in oil and gas management

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eople’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Parliamentarian Charles Ramson Jr on September 30 tendered his resignation as a Member of Parliament in order to pursue a Masters in Oil and Gas at the University of Aberdeen, Scotland, United Kingdom.

In his letter to Speaker of the National Assembly Dr Barton Scotland, the young

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parliamentarian explained that he applied to pursue a Masters in Oil and Gas Enterprise Management given that Guyana was moving in the direction of becoming an oil and gas producing nation.

“It is absolutely critical for our national development that we have Guyanese who are technically trained in the oil and gas sector. This is par-

ticularly important for us as a nation in this preparatory phase as we frame the relevant policy, law and vision if we are to avoid the often cited ‘resource curs’ commonly associated with oil and gas producing nations,” he stated.

Notably, Ramson was also awarded a full scholarship from Chevening, a prestigious scholarship competitively awarded on a global

scale funded by the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

The PPP/C has already been engaged in consultations to find a replacement MP.

Disappointments

Meanwhile, in his resignation letter, Ramson expressed disappointment over two pertinent issues which

prevailed during his time in Parliament.

Firstly, he was deeply concerned over the lack of youth representation at the parliamentary and cabinet levels.

“This is particularly regrettable given the youth drive leading up to the election and now young people feel betrayed and voiceless,” he stated.

TURN TO PAGE 11

Charles Ramson Jr

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NEWS

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2 remain in custody for Rio fatal shooting T he ex-bodyguard of a popular convicted drug lord and a female remain in custody as Police continue investigations into the fatal shooting of Ryan Sergeant, 19, at the Rio Nightclub on Monday last.

A source close to the investigations revealed that the woman in custody was seen leaving the nightclub with two men - one turned himself in while the other remains on the run. It is believed that on the night of the fatal shooting, the argument started over the young lady.

However, both persons in custody remain tight-lipped and have not been cooperating with Police. The Police are nevertheless hunting for the third suspect.

The former ‘phantom’ group member turned himself in on Friday in company of his lawyer, while the woman was arrested at a house on Hadfield Street, Georgetown, during a Police operation, that led to the discovery of two illegal firearms and several rounds of ammunition.

The others who were arrested were

Dead: Ryan Sergeant

released.

Ryan “Harry” Sergeant of Lot 2530 Layon Street, North Ruimveldt, Georgetown, was shot and killed, while another teenager remains in a critical state at the Georgetown Public Hospital after he too was shot. The injured teen is Jeffrey Ferrel also of

North Ruimveldt Housing Scheme.

Sergeant was shot once to the jaw during an exchange of gunfire that started in the night club and ended on the outside.

After the shooting, the now dead man was picked up by his ‘gang members’ and dropped off at the Woodlands Hospital. It was reported that Ferrel, who is now hospitalised, was involved in an altercation with one of the suspects who in turn left the club with another friend and a female.

Further reports stated that after the trio left, they were followed by Ferrel and the now dead man and the argument resumed.

During the argument, the suspect whipped out a gun and discharge several rounds, hitting Ferrel to the neck and shoulder. Attempting to rescue his shot friend, Sergeant was shot to the jaw. The suspects then fled the scene.

It was during the review of the surveillance footage that the three suspects were positively identified.

Eyew tness Lessons in authoritarianism...

M

...to UG students

odern youths can't live without their smartphones that connects them to their world. And your Eyewitness uses the word "their" advisedly since they're promised that they can choose who to tune in or tune out. Literally.

Unfortunately for them, there are a few contacts they can't tune out if they want to climb up the totem pole - one of them being the University, where they're supposed to learn the skills that'll make them manoeuver in the world of adults.

Well, this weekend they learnt a valuable lesson: in Guyana the rule of officialdom is "do what yuh want wid dem!" "Dem" being students at this stage of their lives - but it's a tag that they'll wear for the rest of their lives. Unless, of course, they join officialdom and get a free pass as "one of the crew". And what was the specific lesson in arbitrariness, you dear readers without college-enrolled kids, ask?

Well that even though students paid up their fees, collected their receipts… were assured they could now hit the books, they were informed via e-mail on their smartphones and other electronic devices that "Ooops! You have to pay another 5 per cent of the fees!!" Meaning for the regular, non-professional degree programmes means another $8000!

Your Eyewitness is very pleased that students - via the same devices that they can also send out and share their opinions faster than the old village gossip - are riled up and are threatening to storm the rickety gate at UG tomorrow morning. It's not just the money even though $8000 might be chicken feed to Ministers who pocketed a whopping 50 per cent salary increase it certainly isn't for most parents who're studying with their subsistence wages. But more than that it is the principle of the increase and its method of informing students.

Two years ago, when the fee structure was raised, it was specifically spelt out for the 2014, 2015 and 2016 school years. This year it was supposed to be $160,000 (from the original $127,000) - plus a $50,000 "Facilities Fees" up from $10,000. And imagine the UG administration thought they were gracious to inform the students they wouldn't be changing "late fees" on the $8000 increase - of which they were never informed!!

In typical authoritarian fashion which the students will have to live with daily as adults with the government they will vote for, the UG czars claim the increase was voted on 2 years ago, but not announced!! Really?

What other titbits are being held in abeyance?

Is this ambush one of the US ploys that'll be used by the new Vice Chancellor in running UG??

So whatever happened to "informed consent"??

...to Govt’s overseas handmaidens

It was oh so poignant… this letter from Asquith Rose. For years and years he'd been writing missives (hurling "missiles"?) against the PPP from his New York habitat. More often than not he was do-authored by Sase Singh, an ex-PPP member. They railed against all the horrible things the PPP had done to Guyana and its treasury. A posse of scribblers formed around them.

They became poster boys for the AFC and with a marriage in the air by 2015, picked up pens on behalf of the APNU/AFC alliance. Oh they worked their fingers to the bone with their letters appearing almost daily in the local dailies - especially the Muckraker. They even hosted the soon Prezzie-and-PM to be. Raised funds and all that.

They did say they were doing it all for their country.

But something funny happened on the way to the swearing-in of their former "boostees" - the latter forgot their boosters. The woebegone scriveners just dashed off "demands" to Prezzie.

Patriotism has a price?

...to corruption fighters

The Procurement Commission's been thirteen years in the making. This government promised it in three months. 18 months later we're told "no TOR"!!!

Fiddling while the country's looted?

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

NEWS

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Govt’s abandonment of PPP/C projects worsening economy – Ali …“forget who left it there, who negotiated it, let’s do it in the interest of the people”

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he coalition A Partnership for National Unity/ Alliance For Change (APNU/ AFC) Government is being accused of badly mismanaging and now abandoning major projects left by their predecessors, the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) which has led in part to the drastic decline in the nation’s economic performance.

People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) point man on the economy, Irfaan Ali, has since called on Government to not abandon projects such as the PPP/C’s 1000 home project, since they hold the potential to turn around the nation’s economic performance.

According to the former Government Minister, the APNU/AFC should, “forget who left it there; who negotiated it, let’s do it in the interest of the people.”

He was adamant that the resources are there to ensure that the projects can be completed and drew reference to the Specialty Hospital, the Amaila Falls Hydroelectric Project, the 1000 homes project, homesteads along the Linden-Soesdyke Highway, the creation of Sillica City, incentivising the manufacturing industry and the diversification of the sugar industry along the lines of cogeneration.

“We already negotiated it,” he said, in reference to the financing for many of the projects since abandoned by the APNU/AFC. Ali has also blamed incompetence on the fact the economy has been performing this sluggishly as conced-

ed by the Finance Minister Winston Jordan in his midyear report.

“If you have incompetence in implementing the investment programme, then it will have a negative effect on economy,” said Ali. He has predicted too that “it will be worse this year because the books will have to be closed earlier.”

Ali was at the time drawing reference to the fact that the 2017 Budget is slated to be presented on December 5, coupled with the fact that halfway through this year, the Government was unable to spend 50 per cent of what was allocated.

“All that is happening is that you will be having new resources coming and will not be able to spend old resources.”

The unspent monies, he said, will have to be returned to the Consolidated Fund and the nation would not have been able to benefit from the Government’s investment programme.

He said too that such a position will have major cost implications, since many of the projects will now be attracting more commitment fees on loans and extended periods of management and supervision fees among others.

“There is major cost implication,” the former Minister said.

He said the APNU/AFC Government can find the resources to turn things around since the resource are there but must be used strategically.

Citing an example of a waste of scarce resources he drew reference to the Durban Park facility which was com-

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo pleted to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars but only ever used twice.

According to Ali, the PPP/C is willing to pit its human resources behind implementing many of the projects.

Jagdeo

He pointed to former President Bharrat Jagdeo, saying he is recognised internationally as a credible resource on climate change.

He said organisations such as the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations and the African Caribbean Pacific (ACP) states have been utilising his services “because they see the value of the asset.”

According to Ali, “we have to mature ourselves, we are a small country we have limited human resources and these days, so many are leaving that we cannot afford to overlook or bypass what is available and what

can help us.”

The former Government Minister is adamant that “unless we are able to move in that direction and understand this is an important aspect of continuity, credibility and sustainability we continue to shoot ourselves in the legs.”

Speaking to the divisive stance between the political leaders in Government and Opposition, Ali drew reference to the Public Procurement Commission which was one of the few things that the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) unanimously agreed to its members.

To date, the members have not been sworn in and according to Ali, Vice President Khemraj Ramjattan, despite voting in favour of the members of the Committee has been publicly saying that it was the PAC Chairman – Ali – who ensured that certain persons selected.

“It derails all the good work done on coming to a unanimous decision …its betrayal, it’s a betrayal of what actually transpired to some selfish end… those are the things that continue to erode our ability to find common ground.”

Opposition MP, Irfaan Ali

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SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2016

guyana-times.com

News

Job opportunities

UG should consider needs of country – Granger

T

he University of Guyana delivers an output of approximately 2000 graduands annually and there is always the hue and cry of insufficient job opportunities for these persons.

In fact, it has been said that the programmes being offered at the country’s premier tertiary education facility does not match the skills demanded by the country’s economy.

To this end, President David Granger is calling on the institution to be more considerate of Guyana’s needs and to design their programmes accordingly.

“The University (of Guyana) itself must understand the needs of the country. Yes we need lawyers, yes we need people in the (social sector) but they must take a holistic view at Guyana’s needs over the next 10-20 years. (The University of Guyana) must take a strategic look at Guyana’s educational needs and direct their resources there,” he stated during The Public Interest programme, which was aired on Friday.

According to the Head of State, he does not want a weak Science or Engineering faculty, but needs strength there. The President noted that the University should undertake a study on the needs of the country and advise government accordingly so that steps can be taken to ensure that the local populace

persons, as well as to the national needs in terms of development,” he noted.

In this regard, Granger noted that the matter needs to be worked out by the University of Guyana’s Council and the Education Ministry, along with staff and students of the university.

“I don’t believe it’s a set-

S President David Granger

is equipped to fulfil the demands of the country.

“It is an issue and young people, in their choice of subjects, must articulate their career objectives or desires so that we can have a university which is more responsive to their needs as

tled matter and we need to decide as a country what type of a university we are going to have,” he stated.

On the other hand, the President outlined that his administration is going to do its part with much emphasis on the importance of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

He noted that even at the level of the National Grade

Where's Harry?

Six Assessment, it can be seen that such an approach has proven beneficial.

“We will be directing more funds and more resources to those subjects.

Those are subjects which Guyana needs – it’s to developing our hinterland, it’s not develop mining, it’s to develop our natural resources and there needs to be a shift of focus,” he posited.

Moreover, the President explained that options remain available for students to choose their career paths, which is most likely in the humanity and social sciences or natural sciences. However, he recognises that these fields more often do not offer employment in the job market. (Vahnu Manickchand)

atiricus was stumped and his furrowed brow was a dead giveaway to his buddy Cappo, as they nursed their beers in the Back Street Bar. Things were "brown" for Cappo since the sugar factory had stopped grinding and he had to hang up his cutlass for three months. He needed Satiricus to be in a good mood to supply the elixir of life.

"Wha' mek yuh face suh sa-wa, Budday?" he asked with forced jollity. "'E might lef" suh, yuh know!"

"I just can't figure out how they let Harry get away," Satiricus confessed.

Cappo knew at once who Satiricus was talking about: they had been following the case for a year.

"Me hear de law does wuk in mysteer-yas ways", Cappo grinned. "An' yuh know justice blind!"

"Cappo, this is no laughing matter, you know," said Satiricus sternly. "Justice is being subverted."

"Sato, a wha' yuh a fret suh fa?" Cappo asked as he finished off his beer. "Wid t'ing suh bad, Harry a circulate nuff money now, yuh know!"

"What you mean?" demanded Satiricus.

"Budday w'en deh arres' de man, a six pack a de coke bin missin'," said Cappo knowingly. "Ah de Police tek da."

"You right Cappo, but nobody talking about what happened to the missing 6 kilos," admitted Satiricus.

"Well, since da a sell fuh US$10,000 a pack yuh talkin' 'bout $12 million share out wid de Police," smiled Cappo. "And dey does spend da right away!"

"That stimulates the local economy," said Satiricus as he nodded his head. "And Harry did say the Police put in their thumb with $13 million cash and took out their thumb with only $10 million!"

"Mo' money circulatin' bai!" grinned Cappo. "An' t'ink how much 'e bin gat fuh pay aff dem Police who bin a wa'ch 'e!!"

"But they said the Police wasn't watching him!" protested Satiricus.

Cappo just smirked. "An' na talk wha' happen fuh 'e an' e gyaal crass to Suriname. De man alone a wan industry!"

"But what about justice?" complained Satiricus.

"Justice na only blind," said Cappo softly, "'E gat fuh be clean! Den 'e guh wuk!"

guyana-times.com

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2016

11

News

Fire guts vendors arcade in Bartica A

fire of unknown origin completely destroyed three stalls in an unregulated vendors arcade next to Cool Breeze mall in Bartica, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni).

The incident occurred on Saturday at about 09:00h.

Bartica’s Deputy Mayor, Kamal Persaud, told Guyana Times that despite the shortage of water and strong winds, fire fighters managed to control the fire from destroying surrounding structures, including the KW Shopping Mall.

However, the fire destroyed three water tanks and the drainage pipes of the shopping centre. Some windows were also shattered as a result of the heat.

No one was injured in the ordeal.

Ironically, the fire did not originate from the cook-shop, but rather from one of the clothing stores.

Persaud explained that when the owner of the cookshop realised that there was a fire, she immediately moved

The fire as it raged through the stalls

her gas bottles so as to avoid major explosions.

On the bright side, the Deputy Mayor noted that this disaster could serve as an impetus for the Bartica Town Council to bring some order to the area which is currently in a deplorable state and is a haven for criminal activities, including use of narcotics.

She noted too that the Environmental Protection

Ramson resigns...

Secondly, he said there needs to be a stronger commitment for national unity: “The current APNU/AFC Government has made it pellucid that it is not committed to the realisation of the most fundamental desire of the Guyanese people - national unity - by demonstrating its unflinching position of not sending bills to a Parliamentary Select Committee despite the plead-

ing from us on the Opposition side. Sending bills to a Parliamentary select committee happened virtually as a matter of course especially in the last eight years under the PPP/C Government.

The squandered opportunity which cannot now be regained would have framed the success of politics by forging a working relationship among political leaders in a country plagued by divisions

Agency (EPA) had visited the arcade and expressed grave concerns about the impractical solid waste management practices there.

In fact, she observed that the vendors are engaged in unethical practices within that commercial district, including sleeping in the stalls.

“Sometimes when you walk pass there you can see people brushing their teeth.

FROM PAGE 7

in politics and race or a combination of both. Admittedly, this may have slowed the process but being able to work together despite differences is the extolled virtues of a democracy. This is really what the Guyanese people would have wanted first and foremost from us Parliamentarians - lasting unity forged in struggle rather than notional unity spoken in the abstract.”

Some of the destroyed stalls at Cool Breeze landing

Some people sleep in the stalls, they live there,” she reported.

Additionally, she noted

that the land on which the vending takes place is a private-owned property currently involved in a court dispute.

The Deputy Mayor is hoping that some action can be taken to regularise vending in that location.

12 NEWS

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2016 | GUYANA-TIMES.COM

Aircraft found at Yupukari brought to Timehri …still no new leads

ing the area at midnight.

Guyana Times was told by sources that a leak was discovered in the fuel tank.

This, investigators believe, may have caused the aircraft to land in Guyana.

However, it has been reported that one of the local law enforcement agencies

T

he illegal aircraft that was recently discovered camouflaged at an airstrip in Yupukari, Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo), has been repaired and flown to Timehri for investigations to be completed.

According to a statement from the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), the twin-engine Cessna Aircraft was flown from Yupukari to Lethem initially on Friday, before arriving at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) at 10:00h on Saturday.

The release outlined that aeronautical engineers from the GDF Air Corps, after inspecting the aircraft, had identified the problems which had rendered it inoperable. The necessary spares were sourced and the repairs conducted, thus resulting in the aircraft becoming operable.

As such, it was flown to Lethem where it overnighted. This allowed for the GDF engineers to conduct further repairs and functional checks which then allowed it to be flown to Timehri. It is currently secured at the GDF Air Corps Hangar, Air Station

The illegal twin-engine Cessna aircraft at CJIA

London, CJIA. Meanwhile, investigations are ongoing with regards to all aspects surrounding the discovery of the aircraft.

Outgoing Chief-of-Staff, Brigadier Mark Phillips, told Guyana Times on Saturday that no further leads have been found with regards to finding the persons connected with the aircraft. However, he explained that with the aircraft now at the CJIA, investigators will be able to better examine it with more resources being available.

On September 13, a Joint Service patrol discovered the illegal aircraft hidden just off of the Yupukari Airstrip, with United States registration

N-767-Z. Subsequently, a team of investigators from the GDF, Guyana Police Force (GPF), Customs AntiNarcotics Unit (CANU) and Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) was deployed from Georgetown to the area to conduct investigations and were able to determine that the registration number was bogus.

Moreover, investigators had discovered during interviews with nearby residents that the aircraft had been sighted circling the area on numerous occasions in the past.

Additionally, a number of residents shared information they deemed as “suspicious activity”, including the presence of motorcycles or ATVs frequent-

was aware of the aircraft at least three weeks before the disclosure was made. It was reported that the security officials were monitoring the aircraft to see if anyone would return to salvage it.

To this end, President David Granger has es-

tablished a one-man Commission of Inquiry (CoI) to probe the discovery of the illegal aircraft and appointed retired Brigadier Edward Collins to investigate, examine, advise and report on all aspects under which the foreign aircraft had entered the country.

Bartica to implement tax regime to protect poor residents …consultations to begin soon

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onsultations will soon commence on the establishment of a tax regime aimed at protecting the poor and at the same time, be favourable to all residents of the new municipality of Bartica, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni).

Bartica’s Mayor Gifford Marshall, told Guyana Times that in order for the communities to truly develop at a rapid pace, its residents must play their role in tax contributions to fund the developmental programmes for the township.

He underscored the importance of revenue collection for the new municipality but noted that the Bartica Town Council does not seek to place an unreasonable burden by applying excessively high rates.

“What we seek to establish is a municipal tax regime that is fair, and which shares the overall burden so that those with greater ability pay more, and less fortunate residents pay only according to the actual market value of their property,” he said.

Marshall added that this approach will “protect the poor”.

“It will set a level playing field for businesses and it will assure the long-term sustainability of the Council, thus en-

suring our capability to deliver municipal services to our residents,” the Mayor stated.

He emphasised that the Town Council is committed to a transparent and diligent stewardship of all resources from both Central Government and local collections.

“All that the municipality does is for the development of Bartica, so residents will in fact be contributing to their own development. And we will do so in a spirit of unity, oneness and a sense of community,” he stated.

Truck tolls

The Mayor disclosed that recommendations were made for the implementation of tolls for trucks commuting the roadways within the jurisdiction of the Bartica municipality.

“We have trucks patrolling the Potaro Road and some of these trucks are overload with fuel and so forth and that is causing the road to deteriorate. There is a recommendation for us to put in a toll, but we don’t want to impose a toll on the people just like that,” he explained. In this regard, he underscored the importance of widespread consultations ahead of rolling out the new tax system.

Bartica Mayor Gifford Marshall

“We are going to have consultations with the mining sector to arrive at a suitable rate because they already pay large sums of money to cross the various rivers and elsewhere. So it should not be burdensome,” he stated.

Marshall said the Council will also look at other areas for revenue collection, such as making open spaces available to the public.

He noted too that there needs to be a re-evaluation of the property value since the last assessment was done decades ago.

The Mayor stressed that with increased revenue, the Council will be able to fund various developmental activities and improve the services available to the town.

NEWS

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SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2016 | GUYANA-TIMES.COM

Guyana’s unique Amputee dreams of a better tomorrow “racism”

BY RENELLA BOURNE

By Ryhaan Shah

F

ollowing up on last Sunday’s column on the rise of nativism, Guyana’s rather unique “racism” also bears some investigation.

Racism is an ideology of domination based on the idea of biological and cultural superiority of one or more groups which is used to justify the treatment of others as inferior. Whole societies can be structured along racial lines or there can be, as occurred during the Burnham era, institutionalised racism Ryhaan Shah where African-Guyanese were favoured by the very structure of government and society.

But Guyana does not conform to all the sociological norms of racism. Here, the “racist” term is especially reserved for IndianGuyanese who speak from their perspective as Indians despite constitutional and human rights guarantees to their identity.

While the Indian communities are the ones that suffer racial/ political attacks, in a perverse twist, they are also the ones condemned as the country’s “racists”, and the violence against them is justified by a wide swathe of society including a number of Indian-Guyanese.

The twists and turns that have led to this unique “racism” has its roots in Guyana’s colonial past.

The Indians who were viewed as “acceptable” were the educated professionals like the Luckhoos and Ruhomons. They had converted to Christianity and, in the process, had subsumed their Indian identity. These were the Indians who “arrived” into colonial society.

At the other end of the colonial experience were men like JB Singh and Ayube Edun of the British Guiana East Indian Association. The majority of Indians subscribed to their view that our future lay in honouring the heritage of our foreparents.

When Dr Cheddi Jagan entered politics, he might have succeeded as a champion of the working class had the PPP remained whole. However, the split with Burnham refashioned him as an ethnic leader, a role he never relished or wanted for himself.

To the socialist Jagan, the Indian professional and business class was the despised bourgeoisie. He, too, needed to recast his supporters into another image to satisfy his ambition of being a true leader of all Guyanese. To this end, the PPP generally ignored the ethnicity of their followers and the specific issues that came with it. This while Burnham fully embraced being an African leader.

Adding to “racism” in Guyana is the ideology of “oneness” with its jingoism of “love and unity” which is simple-minded enough to enjoy popular support. Within this context, Indians who value their cultural identity are viewed as “racists” for rejecting the sameness required to be “one”. Because the “all awe is one” jingle sounds nice to the ear, no one stops to consider that the message speaks to a clear disrespect for cultural and ethnic diversity just as Brexit does in the UK and Trumpism is doing in America.

It promotes the dominance of “one” over every “other” - the textbook definition of racism.

For Indians to even speak of race makes us “racist” and when the stumbling block to Guyana’s progress and development is the race divide between Indians and Africans, this becomes problematic: how do you address the problem if simply stating it makes you racist?

Many, therefore, say nothing. They embrace the ideology of “love and unity” even when, as exemplified by the Coalition Government, it is nothing but empty rhetoric. But being accepted into the lie is more rewarding than addressing the truth. It leads some Indians to self-hatred and to justify their hate, they need to accuse culturally secure Indians of “racism”.

African Guyanese’s pride in being African is never viewed as racism and they are content with this inequality which shuts out Indians from engaging in the vital discourse on race and racism.

Indians who persist endure the abuse of being called “racists”.

In his quest to be a Guyanese leader, Jagan helped to create this inequality. The PPP continually placates African Guyanese in order to win them back, and often at the expense of their loyal Indian supporters.

Independent Indian Guyanese who address Indian issues are seen as political threats to the PPP and the accusation always levelled at them is that they are “racists”, an accusation that is readily picked up by African Guyanese and Indians who continue to support the idea that the only acceptable Indian Guyanese is the colonised “mimic man” who subsumes or forgoes his Indian identity.

It is time to push the reset button and get everyone on the same page where to address the race issue does not make you racist and where the mindless jingoism of “oneness” is accepted for the disregard for diversity that it is.

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

T

he elderly man in the wheelchair that you usually walk by daily in front of Demico House, Georgetown, was once a young promising intellectual that badly wanted to become a teacher, nevertheless his age has not allowed his dream of a better tomorrow to be diminished.

Compton Carter, who hails from Essequibo Coast, Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam), but is currently residing in Georgetown with hopes of a better life, plies his trade daily despite his inability to move around on his feet. The 76-year-old’s hope is to inspire amputees by his act of maintaining his independence.

“When the doctors told me that my legs had to be amputated, I wanted to die right away. I thought there was no life for me after this but I was encouraged to take the surgery because my legs were poisoning me.”

Compton Carter

Carter, who thought he would have been in despair and saddened at the lost of his legs, said he woke up after the surgery with a breath of fresh air and optimism.

“I want to be a role model for persons who are in the same condition as I am. I want to let them know that they can still maintain their independence even though they are in wheelchairs”, stat-

ed Carter.

He stated that life is not easy for him but he is thankful that he still has life.

“Some days when I come out to sell, I go home back just the way I come –that is with no money. Sometimes I get a small change to buy a breakfast and that is it, on lucky days, I get lunch too,” he said Carter continued that his childhood dream of becom-

ing a teacher was quashed at the age of 16 when his grandmother, whom he lived with, was unable to purchase his study materials. He stated that he excelled in all of his classes and on the fields in sport.

“I loved school so much but my grandmother was a shopkeeper at the Stabroek Market. She worked there for over 20 years until she passed away. She tried to send me to school but at the point of me going to further my studies to become a teacher she was not able to pay for my books and other things.

Carter continued that his first job was at the Guyana Chronicle working in the Compositing Department after which he did many jobs to put food on the table for his family as he grew older.

He added that he has been selling at the Demico location for the past 12 years.

A shy Carter revealed that he has a dozen children whom he keeps in touch with mostly.

Fisherman hospitalised after thrashing from nephew

A

fisherman is now hospitalised after he was beaten by his cutlass wielding nephew during an argument at Friendship, Corentyne, Berbice, on Thursday last.

The injured man has been identified as Deonarine Boodhoo, 43, of Friendship

Squatting Area.

Reports are that Boodhoo and his nephew, Suresh Persaud, 23, had a misunderstanding that stemmed from a family dispute. The nephew told Police that he confronted Boodhoo to speak with him about his behaviour but instead, he was at-

tacked with a cutlass.

Persaud reportedly managed to relieve the man of the cutlass and dealt him a blow to the back. The now injured man collapsed and was taken to the New Amsterdam Hospital where he was admitted and remains a patient.

From reports received, the man is slipping in and out of consciousness and has to be monitored by doctors and nurses.

Police in B Division (Berbice) have detained Persaud as they continue investigations into the incident.

14 NEWS

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2016 | GUYANA-TIMES.COM

Younge’s Take The David Granger Government

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Class of 2016: Graduates of the Hindu College, Cove and John, East Coast Demerara poses with Principal Rajkumari Singh

he A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/ AFC) Government is demonstrating each day that it does not have the experience, intelligence, stamina, credentials and integrity to govern this country.

The coalition which was understandably full of pride, joy, patriotism and promises after finally winning the 2015 elections is continuing to fail in its mandate to reform the economy, push domestic growth and development while reducing crime and criminality in order to fully restore law and order.

The David Granger Government has also failed to end systemic corruption as well as graft and is largely seen by the populace as condoning wrong doings, Executive criminality, rape of the Michael Younge public treasury for aggrandisement and enrichment of its elections financiers, and the abuse of the judiciary in order to achieve its own political outcomes.

His Government which was expected to be very different from the opposition People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C), which held power over the past 23 years, appears to be removed from reality and the criticisms being hurled left, right and centre from its own supporters about the way it is managing the economy, handling state affairs, and the posture as well as public utterances of some of its leading members of government.

Instead of reshuffling his cabinet and responding swiftly to public outrage on many issues, Granger is busy enjoying the prestigious trips abroad and personal privileges which come with the Presidency.

He appears more interested in leaving a Nancy Drew legacy behind which is defined by Commissions of Inquiries, an obsession with renaming every national institution and piloting the rebirth of an already dead People’s National Congress in order to make it more appealing to future generations should his coalition be defeated in the upcoming 2020 elections.

President Granger, who still personally enjoys the public confidence of a large portion of the Guyanese populace and behaves in a statesmanlike manner when compared to some in the coalition, is surrounded by a plethora of bad advisors and racists supremacists in the AFC and APNU/PNC cabal.

His presidency is bound to be a disaster if he cannot take decisive actions against those ministers who appear to be in a public pageant to promote themselves and self-interests by using the press and official state functions to make the most outrageous, nonfactual, politically insensitive and discriminatory utterances.

Granger must do more to create jobs in the economy as youths are suffering and the level of unemployment and underemployment are reaching record levels when compared to 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2015 put altogether.

He must pay more than lip service to the concept of pursuing the diversification of the economy by rolling out policies that seek to bolster newer forms of technologies that could lead to the establishment of newer industries and businesses.

Instead Granger’s Government is no doubt pursuing radical, outdated and ineffective reforms in the business sector that if continued will see a contraction of the productive and traditional sectors.

Also, his Government’s tender and procurement policies will lead to the decimation of Guyanese-owned businesses and the collapse of its manufacturing industry because of the rising instances of prejudice, bias, favouritism, unfair competition and the unnecessary outsourcing of goods and services to other companies in the region in order to secure kickbacks and goodwill endorsements.

Granger’s Government has not understood the importance of prudent economic and fiscal management of the country’s financial sector. This is clear when one takes a closer look at the drastic shift in the philosophy of the Bank of Guyana, the manner in which the Finance Ministry is being managed and the Executive’s failure to boost public spending and inspire local private sector confidence and growth.

Under his watch, crime and criminality has increased double-fold regardless of the manipulated statistics being released by the now politicised Guyana Police Force.

Despite the establishment of the State Asset Recovery Unit (SARU), the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU), the SWAT unit and the restaffing of the Ministry of the Presidency with security experts as well as former high-level army and police officers, no end is in sight to the wave of criminality taking place in communities around the length and breadth of Guyana.

He must also take blame for the failure of his Government to secure judicial victories in a series of cases brought by the state against companies and individuals who cheated the system and breached contracts.

That aside, the Social Protection Ministry, which was once seen as a shining light, is lagging behind and its Minister appears too consumed with party politics than responding to the need for social sector reforms, better welfare service and public assistance schemes for the poor and vulnerable.

Granger must decide whether he is a party man that is loyal only to the politics and ideology of founding leader Forbes Burnham or a modern-day President whose main interest is the welfare of his people. If he is the latter then he needs to demonstrate this by ending his government’s unresponsiveness, pride and haughtiness by pursuing policies that make him one of the best Presidents to deliver the people out of socioeconomic and race bondage.

On the other hand, history and time will deal with Moses in failing to lead the people into greener pastures and the promised land.

NEWS

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SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2016 | GUYANA-TIMES.COM

Mother, daughter commit suicide over financial troubles

A By: Lorraine Ince-Carvalhal

How much do you think you are worth?

F

orget your financial standing and think about your worth as a human being. We all assess ourselves and those around us using our own perceptions and criteria, and the worth we place in ourselves has varying degrees of effect.

Self-esteem relates to how much a person values themselves, the building of which begins in early childhood and can have a huge impact on our happiness.

It can change from day to day or from year to year, fluctuating as children grow, being finetuned because it is affected by experiences and new perceptions.

Once people reach adulthood, it is harder to make changes to how they see and define themselves, so it helps to be aware of the signs of both healthy and unhealthy self-esteem as early as possible.

Accordingly, there is wisdom in thinking about developing and promoting self-esteem during early childhood. The concept of success following effort and persistence starts early; as children try, fail, try again, fail again, and then finally succeed, they develop ideas about their own capabilities. At the same time, self-concept based on interactions with other people is being created. Thus parental involvement is key to helping the formation of accurate, healthy self-perceptions.

It is important for parents to identify children’s irrational beliefs about themselves, whether they’re about perfection, attractiveness, ability, or anything else. Helping them to set more accurate standards and be more realistic in evaluating themselves will help them have a healthy self-concept. The danger of inaccurate perceptions of self is that they can take root and dangerously become someone’s reality.

There are signs to help parents understand what level of self-esteem a child has. Children with healthy self-esteem tend to enjoy interacting with others and are comfortable in social settings. They are balanced in their enjoyment of group activities and independent pursuits. Knowing their strengths and weaknesses, and accepting them allows them to work toward finding solutions and voice dissatisfaction without disparaging themselves or others when challenges arise.

Children with low self-esteem may not want to try new things and may speak negatively about themselves. They may also exhibit a low tolerance for frustration, giving up easily or waiting for somebody else to take over what they find difficult tasks, in turn stifling their belief that they are capable of solving problems.

Consequently, challenges become major sources of anxiety. Overt self-criticism and regular disappointment in themselves follow.

If a child sees temporary setbacks as permanent, intolerable conditions they become at risk of stress and mental health problems.

If we promote healthy self-esteem by showing encouragement and enjoyment in a variety of areas rather than focusing on one specific area, for example, educational success, it can avoid a child unable to achieve in one area feeling of little worth. Allowing them to see the value of all aspects of life and interactions gives them more room to find their area of celebration.

Praising a child not only for a job well done, but more significantly for effort teaches them that the way we approach situations and the attitude we employ holds importance and not just the end result; fostering feelings of satisfaction with effort over outcome.

Coupled with the promotion that children are unique, have varying areas of strengths and weakness and different levels of capability, encourages them to understand themselves and accept we all have limitations on our abilities in different areas, thus supporting adversity following any disappointments about their competences.

Children who feel unsafe or are abused at home are at greatest risk for developing poor self-esteem, feelings of helplessness and depression. It is imperative that they understand that the practice of talking to a trusted adult about problems or worries that are too much for a child to handle alone may reduce feelings of inadequacy and allow them to understand they are not always supposed to be in control; it is not weak to ask for help.

Parental love helps boost a child’s self-esteem. Physical affection, and declaration of parental pride, when they put effort towards or try something at which they previously failed, supports perseverance. Honest, unexaggerated praise is crucial to avoid nurturing an inflated sense of self that may result in practices of putting others down or to experiences of feelings of grandeur.

Taking responsibility and pride in who you are as an adult is a sure sign of healthy self-esteem and the greatest gift parents can give to their child. Nurture your own self-esteem and they will have a worthy role model.

mother and daughter are now dead after ingesting a poisonlaced soda on the Corentyne, Berbice.

Dead are Madojri Sawh, 55; and her 17-year-old daughter Diana Sawh, of Grant 1404 Crabwood Creek, Corentyne, Region Six (East BerbiceCorentyne).

Reports are Diana Sawh had pawned a number of valuable items from their home for money to assist her boyfriend to pay for a new car. She had raised $500,000 which was given to her boyfriend.

It was agreed that the money would have been repaid

by September 20 along with the interest it had accumulated to the pawn shop.

Guyana Times understands that at about 13:00h last Saturday, Madojri and

Dead: Madojri Sawh

Dead: Diana Sawh

Diana Sawh were alone at home when they mixed the lethal drink. After consuming the poisonous substance, they remained locked in the house for three hours before Diana called out to a bother who lives next door, indicating that their mother had ingested poison.

He arrived and found his mother lying on the floor vomiting and frothing.

Several neighbours rushed to the house. One neighbor told this publication that they found Madojri lying on the floor while Diana and her boyfriend were also in the house.

According to reports, Diana initially claimed that she had not consumed any of the toxic drink. However, when she accompanied her mother to the hospital, she started to vomit. After being questioned, she admitted that she also drank the poisonlaced drink. She was then admitted as a patient.

Reports are that Police have since taken the boyfriend, who is married, into custody for questioning.

The Police have since urged anyone with feelings of depression and who may possibly be contemplating suicide, to please call the Guyana Interagency Suicide Helpline which operates 24 hours, and is organised by the Guyana Police Force, on telephone numbers 223-0001, 223-0009, 223-0818, 600-7896 and 623-4444.

Suspended television licence reinstated

S

ome nine years after its television licence was suspended, the Guyana National Broadcasting Authority (GNBA) has approved the application for a licence from Community Broadcasting Network Inc. In a statement on Saturday, GBNA said its Board made the decision to grant the television licence to the company, headed by Vidya Narayan-Lewis, following consultations with the National Frequency Management Unit (NFMU).

It was explained that Narayan-Lewis had applied for a licence in 1998 and was granted verbal approval to operate in 1999. However, her operations existed for only seven years after she was asked to cease transmission in 2007.

According to the GNBA, since then she has been persistent in her efforts to resume television transmission, but to no avail.

“Legal action was taken against the previous administration in November of 2014 fol-

lowing the issuance of licences in 2011 by then President, Dr Bharrat Jagdeo. The frequency she utilised for the seven years (Channel 27-Cable 78), was allocated to the Chinese (CCTV) during the 2011 allocations,” the broadcasting body stated.

During the legal proceedings, the High Court, after examining the case, had ordered and declared that the applicant is entitled to be issued a broadcasting licence under section 18 (1) of the 2011 Broadcasting Act. On this note, the current

Board of the GNBA had examined Narayan-Lewis’ application and have determined that it satisfies all the necessary requirements to obtain a television licence.

The NFMU, GNBA asserted, has also expressed no objection to a frequency being assigned to the Community Broadcasting Network Inc. According to the State broadcasting agency, the Community Broadcasting Network Inc is currently in the process of obtaining its television licence.

16

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2016 | GUYANA-TIMES.COM

NEWS

17

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2016 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

ANNA'S

Trotman must apologise for misleading Amerindians and the nation

R

aphael Trotman’s recent declarations on the validity of land titles delivered to “many” Amerindian villages, translate his malign intentions to deceive Amerindians, as well as his recurrent dishonesty to the Guyanese public.

One would recall that earlier this year, this trait of character manifested itself in Parliament when he denied having knowledge of another Anna Correia Minister mining on Tasserene proposed title land. Strangely, he had been called upon by civil actors since January 2016, to rectify this anomaly.

It appears that Trotman is not only defending the mining interests of certain business magnates, but is also seeking to satisfy the claims of voters who settled in recent years on traditional Amerindian lands, subsequently stirring ethnic tensions in Amerindian communities.

Signs of Trotman’s peculiar position taken against Amerindian land titling first surfaced when he promised to have the claims of persons opposed to the Four Miles Absolute Grant, “resolved”.

Unfortunately, either Trotman was trying to appease coalition supporters or he was completely ignorant, even in his capacity as a lawyer, of the fact that Absolute Grants convey irrevocable and inalienable ownership rights to Amerindian villages.

At the last NTC Conference however, he set a dangerous precedence in the war between miners and Amerindians, when he declared that “just before elections a set of documents (…) purporting to be titles were handed out”. More than just questioning the credibility of these titles, the Natural Resources Minister went one step further and deposited the documents for investigation by the Attorney General’s office. Perhaps “somebody should be charged for fooling the people…because it’s mischief…it is cruelty to come and lie to you and fool (you), to try to get the vote, I’m not sure,” the Minister said.

This even beats former Minister Robert Persaud’s reluctance to cooperate under the Amerindian Land Titling project and his disapproval for the titling of villages located in prime mining areas, such as Tasserene and Kangaruma.

What Trotman has done, is given carte blanche to people like the former GGDMA President Patrick Harding, and ACDA President Eric Phillips, to question the legitimacy of indigenous peoples’ land rights.

Patrick Harding in his recent address at the GGDMA’s annual general meeting, went so far as to dismiss indigenous land rights, stating that Amerindians “don’t want lands for culture or whatever”, and charging that the titles delivered to these “many” villages Trotman referred to were not valid. This is the commencement of a deluge of insults which will continue to stigmatise Amerindians under the full approbation of Trotman and this coalition.

The truth?

The titles Trotman referred to are those delivered to Tuseneng, Karisparu, Kambaru-Omanaik, Four Miles, Kariako and Batavia. Of these six villages, five have been under investigation since 2013 and after battling with the Natural Resources Ministry, were cleared of mining encumbrances. Four Miles has been the object of full consultative investigation involving all stakeholders and under UN observation, to ensure the respect for FPIC. After intensive field work and mapping, the GFC, GLSC and GGMC certified that encumbrances were cleared.

The six titles were issued with official seal and signature of the Head of the Permanent Secretariat, on behalf of the President of Guyana, as was done for villages prior to 2014. They were issued by the GLSC which has a responsibility for placing a copy of each document in its vault.

Consequently, it is the GLSC and not so much the Attorney General that is apt for determining the validity of these titles.

Therefore, the Minister is deliberately misleading Guyanese, and the Indigenous Peoples Affaires Ministry must step up and hold him accountable for his irresponsible pronouncements.

Further, his scheme is a waste of time and resources as he provides false hopes to those who covet Amerindian lands.

The titles were issued by the GLSC as early as November 2015 for Tuseneng and not right before the 2015 elections as the Minister claimed. These dates are inscribed on the Grants themselves.

Trotman’s utterances depict the nature of Government policies aimed at reducing the importance of indigenous peoples to this country, while dismissing their constitutional rights which are actually embedded in Guyana’s fight for independence, for the benefit other interest groups, including those defending African land reparation and miners.

He owes Amerindians an apology and must be brought to respect his ministerial obligations to protect their rights, instead of insulting them and adding to the strain of a stagnating economy instigated by his Government.

Send comments to sundayarrow@gmail.com

Technical, vocational students to receive monthly stipend

S

tudents attending the technical and vocational training centres at Mahaicony, Leonora and Upper Corentyne will begin receiving a monthly stipend, Government announced on Friday.

Cabinet, at its most recent meeting, agreed to a proposal for the Education Ministry to pay stipends to students at technical and vocational training centres at Mahaicony, Leonora and the Upper Corentyne. The centres were said to have been established to provide “second opportunities” for youth to develop skills that would enable them to obtain gainful employment.

According to Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, it was observed over the past three years that only approximately 46 per cent of the students enrolled managed to graduate.

“The major reason for this was cited as the high cost of transportation. It

Minister of State Joseph Harmon

was also noted that the completion rate for courses given in collaboration with other institutions, such as the board of industrial training where stipends were given, was much higher.”

The stipends approved with effect from September 1, 2016, will be paid to students of the centres as fol-

lows – Mahaicony $2500, Upper Corentyne $2500 and Leonora $4000 per month.

Meanwhile, Cabinet has also approved the appointment of members of the National Accreditation Council (NAC) for a period of two years. The members appointed are Vincent Alexander as Chairman; Winifred James Kippins, Member (Association of Caribbean, tertiary institutions (acting); Archibald Clifton, Member (Council of Technical Vocational Education and Training – (CTVET); Sophia Hunte, Member (Teaching Service Commission (TSC), Clem Duncan, Member (Private Sector Commission (PSC); Dr Dawn Fox, Member (Minister’s Representative); Andrew Grant, Member (Department of the Public Service (MOP); Camille Robertson, Member (University of Guyana);

Jennifer Cummerbatch, Member (Education Ministry); and Samantha Alleyne, Member (Guyana Teachers’ Union).

The Council has as its mission statement; “to develop a coherent and integrated quality assured tertiary education sector” is the external quality assurance agency for higher education in Guyana and is legally mandated to register all post-secondary and tertiary institutions operating in Guyana.

The Council also ensures that institutions and programmes accredited and permitted to operate meet or exceed stated educational quality criteria that include appropriately designed course programme structures, adequate resources and learning outcomes, and assessment strategies that are at an appropriate level for qualifications awarded.

18 NEWS

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2016 | GUYANA-TIMES.COM

Armed bandits storm NA nurse’s home – escape with cash, jewellery

A

rmed bandits on Friday morning broke into a home at New Amsterdam and carted off cash, jewellery and valuables.

According to reports, the robbery took place at Lot 309 Smithfield, New Amsterdam, at about 02:00h. Reports are Rashanna White, a nurse attached to the New Amsterdam Hospital, was alone at home when the incident occurred.

White told Guyana Times that she was awoken by strange sounds coming from a section of the house and upon investigating, she was confronted by one of the bandits who took her back into the bedroom, demanding cash and valuables. She said she then saw three other men; one of whom was armed with a gun and the two others had cutlasses.

Initially, White was reluctant to cooperate but was hit once with a crowbar. She related that she immediately handed over $20,000 and some jewellery. The men also took cellular phones and other articles from the house.

According to White, the bandits said they did not want to hurt her and kept asking her if she was “okay”. Meanwhile, the victim’s husband, who is overseas, reportedly watched the entire episode as it unfolded using a live feed via the Iinternet.

The bandits also removed a DVR recorder with the recording of them entering and moving around in the house.

Neighbours say the four men escaped on foot and went into Angoys Avenue.

Police are investigating.

The house the armed bandits entered

Woodcutter killed after tree tumbles on him in Pomeroon

A

Dead: Moses Gonsalves

wood cutter from La Union, Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam), was killed after a tree crashed on him at Apiarco in the Upper Pomeroon River. Dead is Moses Gonsalves, 51, also known as “Squash”.

Reports are that he left his Essequibo Coast home weeks ago venturing into the Pomeroon River to harvest wood. He was accompanied by a worker Rayan Lloyd.

This newspaper was informed that on Thursday Gonsalves was left cutting

wood while Lloyd went to fetch some materials from another location.

According to the now dead man’s daughter, Sherena Gonsalves, the family received the tragic news Friday morning. The saddened daughter said Lloyd, who works as a handyman with her father, informed the family of the incident.

“He told us that a tree fell on daddy and killed him. He said he heard the chain saw noise stop but he thought daddy was taking a rest (but) after some time he went and discovered him in a pool of blood.”

She related that her father was then transported by Police to the Charity Oscar Joseph Hospital where doctors confirmed him dead.

The chain saw operator’s body is at the Suddie Mortuary awaiting a postmortem examination.

Police have since taken statements from Lloyd.

Gonsalves leaves to mourn his wife and three children.

NEWS

19

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2016 | GUYANA-TIMES.COM

Guyanese weigh in on social cohesion during consultations R esidents from Demerara – Mahaica (Region Four) on Saturday participated in a consultation session hosted by the Social Cohesion Ministry and facilitated and supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) at the Kuru Kururu Primary School to contribute to the ongoing discourse on social cohesion in Guyana.

This meeting is the 15th of 30 planned consultations, being held as part of the Ministry’s goal to meet with key stakeholders from all across the country to address issues hindering social cohesion among various groups. The sessions began in June of this year, and feedback drawn for the wide range of participants will contribute to the development of a 2017-2021 Strategic Plan on Social Cohesion in Guyana, which will be completed by the

end of 2016.

Saturday’s session saw the participation of residents from various communities within the Region, including Yarrowkabra, Wiakabra, Circuit City, Timehri, Kuru Kururu, Kuru Kuru and St Cuthbert’s Mission.

Chairperson of the Soesdyke Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC), Dave Singh, encouraged the residents to openly participate in the discussions, adding that it is only with a collective vision that citizens will be able to adequately develop the country: “This is our country.

You decide if you want to build this country or have it stagnated. We are all responsible for developing this country and if we don’t work together we won’t achieve what we want in building it.”

Residents conducted group discussions on expected outcomes of five the-

Linden Deputy Mayor wants security beefed up at LM&TC

Deputy Mayor Waneka Arindell

L

inden's Deputy Mayor, Waneka Arindell, is calling for beefed-up security at the office of the Linden Mayor and Town Council (LM&TC) in wake of a third break-in at that office.

This is the third time the Mayor’s office has been broken into for the year.

During an interview earlier this week, the Deputy Mayor said there is also need for the security to be beefed-up at the Council.

Speaking about the breakin, Arindell said that the incident occurred sometime during Tuesday night.

She noted that the Mayor was on vacation at the time.

The Deputy Mayor referred to the act as an attack on the Council. While she indicated that nothing inside the office appeared to be missing, the entire office was ransacked, while the Mayor’s photograph was stuck to the office door with a thumb tack to the middle of his forehead.

She explained that items

in Mayor Holland's office were also broken, while others were scattered.

"Our security needs to be more vigilant in their work so that this Council can be secured…The security needs to be questioned and we really need to get to the bottom of how this could have occurred…So far, nothing that we had in front of us were missing but we're still going through the other stuff," she said.

Arindell pointed out that Police had visited the scene and lifted fingerprints.

Statements were also collected from the Deputy Mayor, the secretary and security personnel.

Meanwhile, Mayor Holland said it appeared as though the perpetuator(s) were looking for files inside of his office.

Arindell stated that Police investigations are ongoing.

Arindell stated that Police investigations are ongoing. (Utamu Belle)

matic areas identified by the Ministry: economic equity and opportunities, citizens’ safety and security, social inclusion and tolerance, inclusive and participatory governance, and harmonious ethnic and racial relations.

Each group focused on one of the areas and coming out of these discussions, the residents gave insights on issues that hinder social cohesion within their communities.

Coordinator of the Social Cohesion Ministry, Sharon Patterson was pleased with the outcome of Saturday’s meeting and said that there was a diverse representation of persons with different ethnic, geographic and other backgrounds: “Persons came together and contributed in an amicable and cordial way. We will continue with

Coordinator of the Social Cohesion Ministry, Sharon Patterson explains the purpose of the exercise to the participants

these consultations so as to have a broad representation from the citizens.”

The idea for the con-

sultations emerged from the Social Cohesion Round Table held in September, last year, where recom-

mendations were made for the development of a Strategic Plan.

20

Golden Jaguars F

GUYANA-TIMES.COM

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2016

ive newcomers are in the Golden Jaguars’ shortlist of 22 players of which 20 will be select-

ed for the upcoming Scotia Bank 2016 CFU Caribbean Men’s Cup Championship engagements against

Suriname in Paramaribo (8th October) and Jamaica at the National Track and Field Facility, Leonora (11th

trimmed to 22 for CFU Men’s Cup

October, 2016). Making a return is skipper Christopher Nurse who missed out on the last round of matches when Guyana lost to Curacao and defeated US Virgin Islands in the second round of the tournament in June.

Unfortunately, top midfielder Neil Danns is injured out and so too are strikers Sheldon Holder, Emery Welshman and Canadabased goalkeeper Anthony Whyte.

Canada-based schoolboy Shaquille Agard could not get enough time off from school and Devon Millington, Gregory Richardson and Kester Jacobs have all made themselves unavailable.

Instead Coach Shabazz has invited USA-based schoolboys, winger Cash London who plays for Cal Poly San Luis in California, goalkeeper Andrew Nestor who plays for St. Francis in Brooklyn, New York and Anani Mohammed who recently signed with Mexican Second Division team Atalante.

There are two additional surprise call ups in Kai McKenzie Lyle, a 6ft 5 " goalkeeper who plays for Barnett in the English Division Two and USAborn midfielder Warren Creavalle who plays for the Philadelphia Union in the MLS. Finland-based Walter Moore along with Adrian Butters, Jake Newton, Samuel Cox, Brandon Beresford and

UK-based striker Marcel Barrington complete a list of 13 foreign-based players while eight locally-based players including Alpha United FC's Alex Murray, Colin Nelson Dwight Peters, Daniel Wilson, Pernel Schultz and Anthony “Awo” Abrams and Slingerz's standout Vurlon Mills and Elite League MVP Trayon Bobb complete the twentytwo.

The squad is to be trimmed to 20 but Coach

Christopher Nurse

Shabazz has decided to await the arrival of a

host of overseas-based players on the weekend and will announce the final squad after sessions with his full unit on Tuesday and Wednesday. The Golden Jaguars Head Coach stated "There is no time to cry or complain over what should or did not happen regarding our preparation. It's all about approaching the job with a positive mindset and giving of our best to get the result.” "The thing I love about football is when you have your full squad bonded, united and ready to go, you kiss your troubles goodbye and look forward to fighting for three points. Instinctively when Jaguars are hungry they have to go and hunt, therefore, if we are hungry for success, the Golden Jaguars too must battle for it,” he added.

Full Golden Jaguars Squad reads; Goalkeepers: Kai McKenzie, Lyle Andrew Nestor and Alex Murray Defenders: Jake Newton, Samuel Cox, Quincy Adams, Walter Moore, Adrian Butters, Colin Nelson and Anani Mohammed.

Midfielders: Dwight Peters, Cash London, Trayon Bobb, Christopher Nurse, Brandon Beresford, Warren Creavalle, Daniel Wilson and Kevin Beaton Strikers: Anthony “Awo” Abrams, Vurlon Mills, Marcel Barrington and Pernel Schultz

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SPORTS

Berbice Masters to challenge

Floodlights

A

Berbice select team have thrown to a challenge to softball stalwarts, Floodlights in a friendly T20 game on Saturday October 8 at the Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) Ground, Queenstown.

The match will be hosted by the Guyana Floodlights Softball Cricket Association whose team, Floodlights is known of their dominance in the softball arena.

However, they have been accepting challenges in the hardball format with mixed results.

Just recently, G-Square Cavaliers journeyed from Wakenaam to DCC and were beaten by six wickets thanks t o a commanding and unbeaten 87 from national player Christopher Barnwell who was making his Floodlights debut.

The win was the first for the Floodlights team in the format after going down to the Guyana Media Team twice and one time each to visiting teams from Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago. According to

Captain

o

f

Patrick Khan has been prolific with the bat in the softball arena but will be looking to transform the form to this match

Floodlights, his team will be playing the format on a regular basis and will be looking to maintain their winning ways.

Former Guyana and West Indies star player Travis Dolwin is expected to make his belated debut for the Georgetown based team.

The Berbice Masters have named a strong team for the friendly encounter

including former national coach Huburn Evans who will lead the side. Other names with cricketing history include John Sumair, Zaheer Moakan and Muniram Lalbeharry Berbice Masters Squad reads; Huburn Evans (Captain), Veerapen Moonsammy (Vice Captain), Ramlinggum Mangali, John Sumair, Zaheer M o a k a n , Nigel Wilson, R a n d o l p h L a t c h a , M u n i r a m Lalbeharry, R i c h a r d Kellawan, I m r a n Hussain, H a r d a t t Arjune and R a f e e k Kassim.

Floodlights S q u a d reads; Ricky Deonarain (Captain), Reyaz Hussein (Vice Captain), Travis Dowlin, Dharam Persaud, Surendra Nauth, Steve Naraine, Rakesh Arjune, Khalid Baksh, Patrick Khan, Lalta Gainda, Romeo Deonarain, Tulshi Sahadeo and Uniss Yusuf .

The Goodwill Hardball match is being sponsored

by Ramesh Sunish of the Trophy Stall.

Malaysian Grand Prix

223-7230-1 (Ext: 35)

Hamilton takes pole position L

ewis Hamilton put in a scintillating performance to take pole position for the Malaysian Grand Prix.

The world champion was 0.414 seconds quicker than Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg, with the Red Bulls of Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo next.

Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen continued the two-by-two in fifth and sixth places.

Hamilton has a great chance to recover some of his eight-point title-race deficit to Rosberg in Sunday’s race.

The Briton was dominant throughout, with Rosberg only fifth after the first runs in final qualifying and having to rely on a last-gasp lap to vault up to the front row.

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Hamilton looked fast in final practice and took that form into the start of qualifying as he topped all three sessions.

He was nearly 0.6secs up on Rosberg in second qualifying and then a massive 0.911secs clear after the first runs in Q3, on which Rosberg had a snap oversteer and ran wide off the track through the fast Turn Six. Hamilton lost the championship lead to Rosberg following the German’s victory in Singapore two weeks ago but has been driving this weekend as if intent on recovering it in one go.

Rosberg has moved into that position after winning the past three races to overturn what had been a 19-point advantage for Hamilton after the German Grand Prix in July. (BBC Sport)

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Lewis Hamilton is now one behind Michael Schumacher, the alltime leader in pole positions at Malaysia

22

Babar Azam will look to continue his form in today’s match

GUYANA-TIMES.COM

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2016

Windies in must win territory

W

est Indies is in search of their first win against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) since opening their campaign on September 23 with a T20 match. They have since lost all their T20 matches as they give up the series 3-0 and are currently one down in the three match One Day International series.

Today they find themselves in a must win territory to keep the ODI series alive.

If they win they will level the series 1-1 to set up an exciting finish to the third match.

However, leveling the series is a tough task for the West Indies, who is yet to adapt to the slow spinning pitch the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have to offer.

In t h e first ODI M a r l o n Samuels handled the spin bowling well during his top score of 46 but besides him no one look comfortable.

In fact, since opening their campaign in the UAE, the West Indies batsmen managed one score over fifty out of five completed innings.

Those are, a T20 warm up match, three T20 internationals and an ODI. Their bowling have not been the best either, but it has been better than the batting department so far.

Who could the West Indies rely on to give them a win?

In the last two matches Marlon Samuels has shown signs of improvement from where he started. He has registered scores of 42 and 46 respectively and seems confident in his approach at the crease. His ability to demolish spinners is known internationally but he is still searching for a zone of his own among other failing batsmen. He is the most likely candidate along with Sunil Narine to give West Indies a win.

Spinning ace, Sunil Narine has been mostly out of sort since landing in the UAE and has contributed to his team downfall since being unable to restrict batsmen or take wickets. If he gets it right in this match it would be a plus for his side.

Darren Bravo did not look comfortable against the spinner and was easily undone by a Mohammad Nawaz quicker ball. However, he has the potential to deliver and when doing so he could put West Indies in charge. He along with Samuels and the other seniors in the team, Kieron Pollard and Dinesh Ramdin need to contribute in order to guarantee a win for the West Indies.

Meanwhile, Pakistan will continue to use the condition to their advantage to furt h e r s i n k West Indies.

They were drivone e n by of their youngest players, Babar Azam’s performance on Friday and will be looking to garner from his success for a collective team effort.

Their batting do not look as strong but their bowling is intact and has fired throughout. The presence of Mohammad Amir and Imad Wasim make it tougher for the West Indies batsmen.

A win in the second ODI would seal the three-match series for Pakistan, but there is more riding on it than that. A 3-0 series victory for Pakistan would displace West Indies from the No. 8 position in the ODI rankings.

As both teams eye direct qualification for the 2019 World Cup (for which they would need to be in the top eight on September 30, 2017) such encounters acquire added significance.

Ladies go at each other in Wolf Challenge Cup

Kavita Yadram

T

he Guyana Floodlights Softball Cricket Association (GFSCA) organized Wolf’s Challenge Cup Softball tournament continues today with five matches at the Malteenoes Sports Club Ground, Thomas Lands.

At 10:00h the lone male encounter will be played between Floodlights and longtime nemesis Regal Masters on Pitch One. The 20 overs

a-side match will be keenly contested as the two most consistent teams in the Masters’ category look to go ahead in the tournament.

Meanwhile on Pitch number Two, 4R Lioness will take on Enterprise Divas in the first female encounter of the day also at 10:00h.

At 11:30h, Wellwoman and Trophy Stall Angels will take the field in the 15 overs a-side match that will see lots of excitement from the two oldest rivals in female softball cricket. Wellwoman will then take on Blue Divas from 13:00h followed by the final match of the day between Trophy Stall Angels and Enterprise Divas.

The competition is winding down and teams will be keeping an eye on the sixth annual Guyana Softball Cup which is on the horizon and will be played from November 4 to 6 in Georgetown.

GUYANA-TIMES.COM

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2016

23

Jaguars Franchise League

Upper Corentyne in command of Upper Demerara/ East Bank – Persaud, Lyght hit centuries

U

pper Corentyne is eight wicket away from victory against Upper Demerara East Bank after Assad Fudadin’s exploits on day two of the penultimate round of the Jaguars Franchise League at the Everest Cricket Club ground.

On Saturday, Fudadin registered a century to follow up his first innings score of 92 as he put his side in a certain position to attain victory. He finished unbeaten on 101 not out inclusive of 10 fours to propel Upper Corentyne to 286-7 declared.

All-rounder Clinton Pestano made an attacking 84 (4x4; 7x6) while Jason Sincalir made 45 including with seven fours.

Meanwhile, bowling for East Bank Demerara, Steven Jacobs finished with 4/69 and was aided

by Sherfane Rutherford with 3/50.

Earlier East Bank Demerara, resumed on 75/4 and did not add anything of significance as they crawled to 97/9 before declaring.

Danny Narayan was dismissed without addition to his overnight score of 30.

Bowling for Upper Corentyne, Eon Hooper claimed his fourth five wicket haul of the competition ending with 5/13 and got good support from Keon Sinclair who took 3/29.

Set a target of 436 to win with more than a day to spare, East Bank reached 24/2 at the close of play chasing 412 for an outright victory.

At Tuschen ground, West Demerara resuming on 22/0 were led by Akshaya Persaud’s brilliant 155 as they made 329 in reply to Lower Corentyne’s score of 325 and to gain first innings hon-

GCB extends condolences on the passing of Umpire

Pritipaul George

T

he executives and staff of the Guyana C r i c k e t Board (GCB) has learnt with great sadness of the passing if Guyana and Regional umpire, Pritipaul George who succumbed to renal failure on Saturday morning at age 54.

We extend our condolences to his family, friends, umpires and entire cricket faternity. He was always a pleasant individual ready to assure anyone in whatever way he can. His demise is a

huge loss to the members if the sub-associations across Guyana, the players and officials.

George has given loyal service to the game of cricket and through the quality of his work, earned respect of the players and spectators at the local and national levels. He also held the post of President of West Demerara Umpires Association in the 1990s.

Our thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends, and colleagues during this difficult time.

May his soul rest in peace.

ours.

The former national junior player, Persaud struck 13 fours and nine sixes. He was supported

by Safraz Esau 36, Raymon Reifer 34 and Rishi Looknauth 27.

Another former junior player, all-rounder Sharaz Ramcharan (5-53) captured five wickets in the innings.

At Imam Bacchus, Essequibo rattled up 484 all out. Rayon Fredericks top scored with 87 while Kemo Paul struck 82, Ricardo Adams 73, Avinash Persaud 72 and Anthony Adams hit 61. Bowling for East Coast Demerara, Steven Sankar claimed 5/152 and Ameer Khan 2/73.

East Coast Demerara were 2/1 at the close of play.

Meanwhile at Cumberland, West Berbice were dismissed for 113 in reply to Georgetown’s first

Akshaya Persaud

innings 243. Andrew Dutchin top scored with 36. Bowlong for Georgetown, Gajanan Suknanan had 3/25, Christopher Barnwell and Kellon Carmichael took 2/18 apiece, Devon Lord 2/24.

Georgetown in their second innings rattled up 308/6 declared with Andrew Lyght Jnr. mak-

Keemo Paul

ing a blistering 119 while Sunil Singh made 52, Robin Bacchus 50 and Kellon Carmichael 26 not out being the principle scorers. Keyron Fraser had 2/49 and Dutchin claimed 2/103.

West Berbice are 112/2 chasing 439 for victory. Avishkar Sewkarran is on 59 not out.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2016

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

guyana-times.com

Rugby Americas North Final

Las Serpientes stop Green Machine in lopsided contest Guyana’s Green Machine went down to Mexico in the final of the Rugby Americas North (RAN) 15s Championship after a disappointing display on Saturday in Mexico. Las Serpientes defeated the Guyanese by a 32-3 margin to lift the championship. See full report in tomorrow’s edition of the Guyana Times

Windies in must Upper Corentyne in command win territory Jaguars Franchise League

of Upper Demerara/ East Bank Page 23

– Persaud, Lyght hit centuries Page 22

Rutherford Strikes! All-rounder Sherfane Rutherford traps opener Lloyd Lewis LBW shortly after lunch on day two (Photo by John Ramsingh)

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