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THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Issue No. 3138

Tuesday, February 28, 2017

PRICE

PPP yet to discuss presidential term limit – Jagdeo

$80 vat included

WHAT'S INSIDE: US immigration policy

Foreign Service Officers briefed on impact P16

Page 3

…Party’s best interest will define 2020 presidential candidate

Fire guts Top Cop’s Buxton brother bakery murdered

Another oil company P11 targets Guyana prospects

Page 16

Page 2

Good Intent fire

DJ Magnum refuses to offer P9 evidence

…arson suspected

GTT launches highspeed Internet in Essequibo

...as ex-girlfriend slapped with arson charge

GECOM chairmanship

Another futile meeting P17 between Govt, PPP – Nandlall

1 dead after Pomeroon P12 boat collision Page 13 Public Telecommunications Minister Cathy Hughes interacting with residents on the Essequibo Coast on Monday as she promises that the telecommunications sector will soon be fully liberalised allowing access to better quality service from providers (Dexter Ceres photo)

Cross-dressing “improper” in Guyana – Appeal Page 12 Court

…SASOD to move to CCJ

“Shape up or ship out” – Lawrence tells health workers Page 9

GAWU hosting Canadian trade unionists P13

2 news

tuesDAY, february 28, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Fire guts Buxton bakery …arson suspected

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fire suspected to be the work of an arsonist completely gutted Benjamin’s Bakery at Buxton, East Coast Demerara in the wee hours of Monday.

The fire, which started about 01:30h in the office area of the Lot 133 Middle

attention of the High Court.

On the morning of the fire, the front door of the bakery, which was locked by the last employee when he left on Sunday afternoon, was open, as was the back door. Further, the building had no electricity supply. Taking into account The aftermath of the fire

Employees of Benjamin’s Bakery contemplating their next move

Walk, Buxton business place has resulted in millions of dollars in losses and close to 76 employees being without a job.

Reports are the business, which was in existence for more than 15 years, was at the centre of a land dispute currently engaging the

those two factors, the owner, Westley Benjamin, who was at the scene later on Monday, is of the belief that someone purposely set the premises on fire.

He explained that he was in Berbice at his other Bakery when he received a telephone call from an em-

ployee who informed him of the blaze. By the time he arrived at the scene, the fire fighters had already put out the blaze.

Benjamin, who sat with his workers contemplating their next move, explained that the fire was being treated as arson and the Police were working feverishly to apprehend those involved. He added that the fire officials were expected to return to the scene to further investigate the matter.

Nevertheless, the businessman is expected to recommence operations as soon as today. “The next move is to bring the staff in, get this place clear up and try to get the place

A section of the bakery after the fire

up and running as soon as possible... they will come to work as usual and get a salary by the end of the week.

We will pay them and that is what we’re hoping for,” he stated.

While he could not estimate his losses, they are expected to run into the millions, he said. One of the bakery trollies, he noted in listing the items that were destroyed, cost US$700; the aluminium sheets cost

US$40 each; the slicers another sizeable sum.

However, the four ovens, which cost $10 million each, were only slightly damaged.

He related that at present, he is not looking at losses, but is hoping that his business gets up and running.

Meanwhile, he thanked members of the community who assisted in putting out the blaze. Furthermore, he noted that the Guyana Fire Service responded well to

the distress call.

“I was told that after the fire engine arrived, they started to contain the blaze to one building... they did not have a problem with water, since the trench was close by,” Benjamin said.

He now leaves the Guyana Fire Service and the Guyana Police Force to investigate the matter thoroughly, and is hopeful that the perpetrator can be brought to justice.

Berbice man attempts to strangle 60-year-old neighbour

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man is presently in police custody assisting with investigations into a break and enter and assault, which allegedly occurred on Monday morning in East Canje, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne).

According to reports, Charameai Imrit, also known as ‘Lalita’, 60, of Lot 47 West Canefield, East Canje, was in bed at 02:30h when someone broke into her home. The woman later identified the intruder as one of her neighbours.

“He jump top me and put he hand on me throat and strangle me fa kill me. Me

call on God and say help me to come out… Me say ‘wah me do you boy’, and he say ‘me go show you wah me go do you’ and he a choke me,” the woman recounted.

Imrit, who lives alone, said she screamed in hopes that the intruder would flee, however, her air supply was cut off when the intruder started to strangle her.

The woman explained that at that point, she knew she had to take action, or risk losing her life. “Me take me hand a dig am from he eye and then he lose me next hand and me take am and hold he private part and

twist am and me start holla, hard, hard.” The man fled through a bedroom window and landed on a nearby shed, which collapsed with him.

A neighbour was alerted after hearing the screams, and when the 60-year-old Imrit told the woman that her son had broken into her home, the woman reportedly said it was a thief and not her son.

However, the traumatised woman maintains that she knows the perpetrator’s identity. “Is not thief man.

Me sure a he. He squeeze up me mouth and press am up, all me mouth cut up inside; three a me teeth a shake,” she said.

Ranks from the Reliance Police Station arrived on the scene about 30 minutes later, and went to the house next door when they found the suspect in the yard playing with a brother. The Police arrested the man after they observed marks about his body. Investigations into the incident are continuing.

news

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tuesDAY, february 28, 2017| guyanatimesgy.com

BRIDGE OPENINGS

The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Tuesday, February 28 – 05:00h-06:30h and Wednesday, March 1– 05:00h-06:30h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Tuesday, February 28 – 05:30h-07:00h and Wednesday, March 1– 06:15h-07:45h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY Sunny conditions will give way to heavy rain showers in the late morning hours followed by light showers throughout the afternoon. Clear skies with light showers can be expected in the evening. Temperatures are expected to range between 24 degrees Celsius and 28 degrees Celsius.

Winds: East North-easterly to North-easterly between 3.12 metres and 5.36 metres.

High Tide: 05:46h and 18:06h reaching maximum heights of 2.83 metres and 2.87 metres respectively.

Low Tides: 11:39h and 00:00h reaching minimum heights of 0.36 metre and 0.38 metre respectively.

saturDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2017

LOTTERY NUMBERS L

02

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18

20

FREE TICKET

24 21 BONUS BALL

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2017

DAILY MILLIONS 01 07 08 10

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PPP yet to discuss presidential term limit – Jagdeo

…Party’s best interest will define 2020 presidential candidate

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pposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo has made it pellucid that the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) is yet to discuss the presidential term limit case.

Since former Chief Justice (ag) Ian Chang ruled that presidents can now run for more than two terms, and the Court of Appeal upheld the judgment in a 2-1 decision, expectations have been high that Jagdeo, a former President who already served two terms, will run for the high office again.

But Jagdeo, during a press conference on Monday at the Party’s headquarters in Robb Street, Georgetown, made it clear that the PPP was yet to decide on its presidential candidate for the next elections in 2020.

The Party’s General Secretary explained that its leaders and members are dedicating their energies to more important matters such as reinvigorating the political organisation with younger people and with women, as well as spreading the message of the PPP across the country.

“We’re working to consolidate our support because the PPP lost some support in its traditional support areas amongst sugar workers and rice farmers; we are working hard to consolidate our support in Amerindian areas, and to broaden that support and in APNU support areas…we are working on a strategy to resume our work which we used to do in the past and we fell down on, to carry our message to those communities to broaden our support,” he explained.

Jagdeo said too that the PPP would intensify and extend its work among the business community, the middle class, the intellectuals, professionals as well as the prime supporters of the Party, the working class.

He also explained that the PPP was working on becoming more efficient and on trying to incubate a new set of leaders who would recognise and appreciate that they have to “build their reputation based on hard work and that there is no room for arrogance in the Party”.

“Those are the things con-

Challenge

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo

suming me, not for who will run when the elections come,” the former President emphasised.

He stressed that the PPP, at the appropriate time, would decide on its presidential candidate, and he assured that the process of selection would be democratic and in accordance with the Party’s constitution.

“I am sure the Party will decide on who the best candidate will be at that point in time. A candidate who can lead us to victory, a competent candidate who can deliver on promises, a candidate who is visionary, a candidate who can bring people together,” he stated.

Jagdeo also reminded that the Party had supported the two-term limit in 1999, when the Constitution was reformed; however, he could not say whether the PPP’s position has changed.

“I speak for the PPP as the General Secretary, and we have not discussed this matter at the level of the Executive nor at the Central Committee. So, if you hear anyone else speak about what they know or what they don’t know, then they are not reflecting the views of the PPP. They are reflecting views as individuals,” Jagdeo said.

He told the media that when the time came for such discussions, the Party would discuss it in detail.

In further calming media reports that he may run again, Jagdeo emphasised that the Party’s members would have to follow certain criteria when deciding on a presidential candidate.

“Whoever the candidate we choose whenever the time

comes, that decision would be made in accordance with our constitution, so it will be what is legal and secondly, what is in the best interest of the Party, supporters and the country,” he explained, noting that the Party would keep an open mind in the decision-making process.

The former President noted that it was rather foolish that persons would think the PPP was exerting all its efforts into ensuring that he ran for a third term.

“To have people think that a party like ours, particularly me given that responsibility (of General Secretary) and having been President for a long time would put all our eggs in one basket, that is the basket that ‘Jagdeo will run again’, is foolhardy and it is something that severely underestimates our thinking,” he posited.

In this regard, the Opposition Leader said, “For those who think that the decision is made and that we are putting all of our eggs in a single basket, if the APNU believes that, then they have another think coming.”

Additionally, Jagdeo was surprised that the very persons who have levied all sorts of accusations against him now seem worried about him possibly running for a third term.

“I am so surprised that there is such a big outcry about Jagdeo and all of this, because I am supposed to be a dictator, mismanage the economy, be the most corrupt individual in Guyana; therefore, I make a terrible candidate,” he stated.

Government had filed an appeal against Justice Chang’s ruling, but the Court of Appeal recently upheld that the term limit was unconstitutional.

Justice Chang’s ruling was appealed by then Speaker of the National Assembly, Raphael Trotman and current Attorney General Basil Williams. The constitutional challenge case was brought by Georgetown resident Cedric Richardson in February 2015, and sought the court’s interpretation of the National Assembly’s changes to Article 90 as it related to four restraints on the freedom of choice by citizens at national elections. As adumbrated by Justice Chang, “The purported alteration of Article 90 by Act No 17 of 2001, in substance and effect, undoubtedly diminishes the democratic rights of the electorate in electing a person of their own choice as President, by excluding from presidential candidature: (1) Citizens of Guyana not resident in Guyana on Nomination Day (2) Citizens of Guyana resident in Guyana on Nomination Day but who have not been continuously resident in Guyana for seven years prior to that date (3) Citizens of Guyana by registration (4) Citizens of Guyana who have served for two terms as President. The ruling ultimately means that an amendment to the Constitution, which was enacted when the National Assembly altered Article 90 via a two-thirds vote in 2000, needs a referendum to make a final decision, since to proceed otherwise would be for the National Assembly to deny the citizens of Guyana an inalienable right.

Attorney General Basil Williams has said he will appeal that ruling in the Caribbean Court of Justice, and has 30 days to do so.

On Sunday last, Head of the 1999-2000 Constitutional Commission, Ralph Ramkarran suggested a referendum to amend the Constitution instead of having unnecessary expense by taking the matter to the CCJ. (Devina Samaroo)

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guyanatimesgy.com

tuesday, February 28, 2017

Views Editor: Tusika Martin News Hotline: 231-8063 Editorial: 231-0544, 223-7230, 223-7231, 225-7761 Marketing: 231-8064 Accounts: 225-6707

Cool down!

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

Improving governance

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new World Bank policy report published recently made a strong case for developing countries and international development agencies to rethink their approach to governance, as a key to overcoming the many challenges being faced in today’s society, more particularly those relating to economic growth, and security.

“The 2017 World Development Report: Governance and the Law” explores how unequal distribution of power in a society interferes with policies’ effectiveness. According to the report’s summary, power asymmetries help explain, for example, why model anti-corruption laws and agencies often fail to curb corruption, why decentralisation does not always improve municipal services; or why well-crafted fiscal policies may not reduce volatility and generate long-term savings.

The report suggests that countries and donors need to think more broadly to improve governance so that policies succeed. It defines better governance as the process through which State and non-state groups interact to design and implement policies, working within a set of formal and informal rules that are shaped by power.

As stated by World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim; as demand for effective service delivery, good infrastructure, and fair institutions continues to rise, it is vital that Governments use scarce resources as efficiently and transparently as possible. This, according to Kim, means harnessing Private Sector expertise, working closely with civil society, and redoubling efforts in the fight against corruption.

According to the report, unequal distribution of power can exclude groups and people from the rewards and gains of policy engagement. Yet meaningful change is possible with the engagement and interaction of citizens, through coalitions to change the incentives of those who make decisions; elites, through agreements among decision makers to restrict their own power; and the international community, through indirect influence to change the relative power of domestic reformers.

The report finds that good policies are often difficult to introduce and implement because certain groups in society who gain from the status quo may be powerful enough to resist the reforms that are needed to break the political equilibrium.

The report notes successful reforms are not just about “best practice”. They require adapting and adjusting institutions in ways that build more effectively on local dynamics and address specific problems that continue to stand in the way of development that serves all citizens.

The report identifies three winning ingredients of effective policies: commitment, coordination, and cooperation. It also recommends the following three core functions to produce better governance outcomes: • Bolster commitment to policies in the face of changing circumstances. This would help, for example, in cases where decision makers spend windfall revenues instead of saving them for the future, or when leaders renege on peace-building agreements in the absence of binding enforcement.

• Enhance coordination to change expectations and elicit social desirable actions by all. Challenges occur in many contexts, from finance to industrial clusters and urban planning. Financial stability, for example, relies on beliefs about credibility. Just consider how despite the rationale for leaving their money in the bank during times of distress, the public may rush to withdraw their deposits if they believe that others will too – ultimately causing the banks to lose liquidity and crash.

• Encourage cooperation: Effective policies help promote cooperation by limiting opportunistic behaviour such as tax evasion – often through credible mechanisms of rewards or penalties. Individuals may have incentives to behave opportunistically. Not paying taxes does not prevent them from enjoying public services that others are funding. Similarly, when groups fail to benefit from policies or feel short-changed (for example, by low-quality public services), it can further weaken compliance.

The findings and recommendations in this most recent report can lead the way for more focused discussions and debates among Governments, policy-makers and international development partners about how countries can work to ensure better governance at all levels, which in turn would have lasting positive impacts on the quality of life they provide for citizens.

It is still possible to beat the heat on a hot sunny day on the Essequibo Coast. This gentleman offers the perfect solution to cool down, serving up tasty refreshing shaved ice and syrup commonly known as ‘sno-cone’ (Dexter Ceres photo)

Court case not about Jagdeo

Dear Editor, In another media, Emile Mervin related the court’s judgment in the peoples’ sovereignty case as “a Jagdeo jigsaw puzzle falling into place”.

No, the term-limit judicial challenge has/had nothing to do specifically with (former President Bharrat Jagdeo) or about third term. The court was asked to rule on whether the people are sovereign and whether they should be the primary decision makers on major constitutional change.

The court rightly ruled in favour of empowering the people – have a referendum on constitutional matters. What can be more democratic?

Mervin incorrectly related the court mater and his interpretation (third term) of it to Indians being “a minority in the population”. The court matter has nothing to do with Indians (being a majority or minority). In fact, because it was thought the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) would continuously win (free and fair) elections that it was felt (by party insiders, in particular) there needs to be term limit or else the same individual from the

PPP would be President indefinitely.

Mervin did not address the issue of the legality of the Constitution. It is well established that the 1980 Burnham Constitution was a fraud perpetrated on the population. Does Mervin not think the people have a right on expressing their views on the Constitution? Should the people not be consulted on how they should be governed?

And why are Mervin and his People’s National Congress/ Alliance For Change (PNC/ AFC) party opposed to a referendum to amend the Constitution? Put it to a vote and let us see the result!

Grenada, St Vincent and other countries rejected amendments to their independence constitutions in referendums.

Parties in Jamaica, Barbados, Dominica, and Belize are fearful of referendums on constitutional matters that seek to limit their rights or break from the United Kingdom (UK) – it is for this reason the four countries that accept the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) have refused to hold a referendum on replacing the Privy Council

with the CCJ. Instead of going through appeals, why can’t Mervin’s Government put the Constitution to a popular vote and let the people decide?

With regards to the court ruling, the court correctly stated the people are sovereign. Guyana does not have a constituency system in which Members of Parliament (MPs) are directly elected by the people in districts. The MPs are not accountable directly to the people. They are appointed by the party and carry out the orders of the party which act according to the self-interests of a few.

Thus, MPs cannot speak for the people on constitutional matters. The Parliament, not being a true constituency democracy like the United Sates, UK or India, cannot speak for the people.

Mervin asked why the people did not challenge the term-limit amendment since 2001 when it was passed in Parliament. Had Mervin visited the people around the country, he would have found it that people did/do not like the Burnham Constitution or its amendments. They just

did not have the courage to challenge it until last year because of political and economic victimisation.

It should also be noted that then President Jagdeo signed the two-term limit bill into law. He repeatedly stated he is not interested in a third term. But others feel he is the best choice for the country and should seek a third term. I do not know if Jagdeo will change his mind or be influenced to seek another term.

I support term-limit. But I believe it must be done by democratically in a referendum especially that the people were never given an opportunity to vote on the Burnham Constitution.

Forget about appeals! Put the amended Burnham Constitution to a vote. Why are Mervin and his PNC and AFC afraid of a free and fair referendum? Better yet, why not ask the population to choose between the fraudulent Burnham Constitution and the Independence Constitution?

Yours truly, Vishnu Bisram

Government witch-hunting Dear Editor, Ever since the PNCled Granger Government took Office they went on a witch-hunting exercise as in their own words “to lock up all PPP/C Ministers of Government.”

Why? Because in their agenda they want to see a broken ineffective Opposition, who would not stand a chance at being re-elected into Government again, hence, decimate them.

They are up in arms against a PPP/C Opposition that is very vibrant and one who are standing up for the rights of the Guyanese. This they cannot handle. Therefore they

are looking every which way to get that evil objective of theirs fulfilled. In this regard they have come up with SOCU and SARA. The first mentioned unit is to witchhunt those former government officials and the second, is to bring them in guilty. In any case these are two unconstitutional, illegal agencies that were set up to carry out the Government’s dirty work.

So, it is an arduous uphill task to date because they have come up empty at every turn, so in retaliation to that embarrassment, they have introduced the

SARA Bill in Parliament.

The SARA Bill in its truest sense is a “judge, jury and executioner unit” meant to try these so called guilty parties and jail them! No doubt about that! There would be no fair hearing, no chance of a response to the charges brought against them - not even an appeal - but one and only one desired result, jail!

Well, I have news for the SOCU and SARA: folks this is not how a civilised society is run. Civilisation dictates that these situations be tried and proven in a Court of Law. This is how it is done, Guyana is no exception. And

even if, I repeat, even if they are proven guilty (which most certainly will, because it is a bogus Kangaroo court anyway) in that illegal set up they must be entitled to a review or appeal, that is the law.

So no one on the Opposition needs to worry.

The only thing the Granger cabal have succeeded so far in doing is to expose themselves as absolute dictators who are averse to the rule of law, and that being interpreted to be that they are not prepared to abide by justice and fairness. continues on page 5

guyanatimesgy.com

tuesDAY, february 28, 2017

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

Absolute economic, A 5-year plan for Constituency 14 (Part 2) political powers Dear Editor, If you look at most “frontier countries”, which are countries that have a vast wealth of untapped natural resources, but lack the ability to extract and process those resources on its own. These countries would then go into partnerships with multinationals, such as oil and mining companies.

Guyana is deemed a “frontier country” and there are few things that happen to frontier countries that we must be aware of. All or most of the investments to extract and process our oil is coming from the oil company and not the State.

This is an investment and therefore there must be a return on investment at a very high profit margin. This simply means that the oil company now owns most of the revenues coming from the oil and the country will get as very little as possible. This plays in favour of the company, since the country will remain economically weak while the company gains more strength.

The political system must be at the disposal of the oil company at all cost, since it is crucial to the return on investment. If the Government is not in full agreement with the company, the company will foresee the risk of losing leverage to a people empowered Government and thus may be forced to give the State a bigger piece of the pie. This does not mean the Government will not have power, but only the Government will have the power. The people and its democratic system will be completely useless.

The puppet Government

must remain in power for a very long time by any means necessary. This is done by ensuring that the Government is fully financed and equipped to control the people by becoming the absolute economic and political power in the country. Therefore, the people are forced to depend on it for everything that means something to them. This is the theory of dependency that renders the people powerless and the few in control with absolute power.

Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea, Papua New Guinea, Bolivia, Venezuela and many other countries have either gone through or are currently going through this form of Capitalist criminality that has left the people in poverty while the few puppets to the company brand themselves demigods of the land.

In the case of Nigeria, the military and the state apparatus joined forces to keep the people under control while serving the needs of companies.

In Equatorial Guinea, the country is led by a super elite family of the President and his children, controlling every aspect of the extractive sector and the state apparatus to ensure the oil company profits. Guinea boasts the highest GDP growth in Africa, while more than 75% of their people live below the poverty line.

There is a large amount of natural gas in Papua New Guinea. The people are forced off their lands that they lived on for thousands of years, while getting little to nothing for their lands, while the Government gives big promises but nothing else.

Guyana seems to be heading down that same path and

the signs are clear; we see a Government rising to power with empty promises and propaganda of division to remain in control. They expand taxes to drain the economic power of the people, therefore making them dependent on the state economic machinery.

We are seeing the establishment of special units to conduct investigations supported by military resources.

You can see that by expanding the net of taxes across a wider range of economic activities, the Government will be in a position to suck back all the monies from oil and the correlating economic spin offs in the country.

What is even more important to note is that Guyana is not seen as a partner of parity at the negotiating table, since they bring nothing of value to the company in their eyes.

The company actually has positioned itself as a superior entity in every way. Their negotiating skills are superior, they have the political and wealth capital to control Guyana, which means we are viewed merely as a piece of farm land with a few underlings to feed and keep quite.

There is a very small window to curb this potential disaster and that time is now.

In a few years or less, we will lose any opportunity to gain back our rights to gain from our natural resources.

Movements like the protest against the parking meters are where we need to build on to keep the pressure on or any future Governments from taking us down a path of hopelessness.

Sincerely, Malcolm Watkins

Dear Editor, With the submission of the Dutch Risk Reduction Team’s final report, ‘Analysis of Drainage Georgetown, System in Guyana’ (2016), we seem closer to mitigating floods and their effects from South Ruimveldt since the DRR Team’s work is focused primarily on South Ruimveldt as a catchment area.

According to the Team’s final report, “Using the input from the local drainage system analysis, measured geometric data and simplified boundary conditions a full model of the South Ruimveldt catchment was developed. This model can be used to assess and compare the effect of different interventions.”

We intend to continue to engage the inter-agency task force put in place to manage and improve the drainage in Georgetown: comprising City Hall, the Agriculture Ministry, the Public Infrastructure Ministry, the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority and the Communities Ministry. We intend to put together, also, a Community Flood Response Team of Volunteers.

Efficient management of open spaces

Constituency 14 is a beautifully laid out expanse of real estate. Our trees are priceless, knowing that they influence meteorological and climatic effects at all scales of a city, from parks to entire neighbourhoods. Our open, green spaces then become our treasures to our residents, especially our children. We intend to produce a policy that preserves the trees in our Constituency, while encouraging residents to grow more plants, especially vegetables, ensuring that we are the garden of the ‘Garden City’.

These are but some of the broad areas we will be focusing on, as well as continuing the work of our Constituency Manager, Brenda Williams and her team in the area of our remedial learning programme with free meals for students and a feeding program for children in the locality; as well as our empowerment programme with a specific focus on women. As well as capitalising on the ‘Citizen Security Strengthening Programme’ with its skills training aimed at reducing crime and violence among our youth.

Additionally, seeking out other opportunities which will benefit our youths.

In the article, “5 Essential Factors for Creating a Framework for Municipal Resiliency”, Cathy Rust notes that the fifth factor is “Tenacity to implement the vision”. Rust states that, “The best way for this to happen smoothly is to create an open dialogue with your stakeholders – business, residents, local institutions, etc. It is through these discussions, workshops, capacity building and constant communication that progress toward a resilient community can be best achieved.”

This is a fact we know first-hand. We will continue to work with all our partners who have been integral to our success over the last 10 months and well as we are eager to bring on board new ones, predominantly those which for the Industrial Site area of Constituency 14, as we advance the development of our Constituency together.

Sincerely, Councillors Sherod Duncan and Noelle Chow-Chee

Government...

This means that we have arrived at a dangerous bend in the road where a selected group of party hacks are running the show. Nobody in this country has rights, even to defend oneself. In essence Granger’s Government decides for you.

In a related story this ex-

act same highhandedness was tried and was shamelessly put in force by the PNC party in Government.

A time when they party paramountcy reigned supreme.

That party’s flag was flown over the Police command centre. They told us what to eat, where to live and

from page 4

most of all imprisoned us for breaking their corrupt laws. SARA is a peat of this.

When you look at the whole scenario Granger and his comrades have resuscitated that concept.

Sincerely, Neil Adams

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guyanatimesgy.com

Foundation Healthy Eating:

Banana

1/4 - medium banana

Plum

T

1/2 - fruit

Pear

1/4- 3/4 whole fruit

Grapes and berries 3-4 small grapes/berries

o get the most out of your 5-a-day, your five portions should include a variety of fruit and vegetables. This is because different fruits and vegetables contain different combinations of fibre, vitamins, minerals and other nutrients.

“Variety is key,” says Laura Clark. “As parents, we’re all guilty of keeping to a small repertoire for fear of food wastage. But research has shown that children have to be offered a food up to 15 times before they’ll eat it happily.

They’re also more likely to try new fruits and vegetables when they are offered alongside something familiar which they like.

“Babies who are being weaned and are given a wide variety of fruit and veg between the ages of seven and eight months are more likely to be better vegetable eaters by the time they’re 12 months old, so that window of opportunity is very important too.

“The more diversity of fruit and vegetables eaten, the better for your

Rasins/sultanas* 1/2- 2 tablespoons

Pineapple

1/4- 1 medium slice

child’s gut bacteria, which will benefit their longterm immunity.”

What fruit and vegetables should parents prioritise?

“None – any pieces of any fruit and vegetables are good,” says Judy More.

More’s tips for encouraging children to eat more fruit and vegetables include: Parents and carers should be role models by eating fruits and vegetables themselves as younger children learn by copying.

Serve fruit at every breakfast and fruit and vegetable at both main meals so that children see this as normal.

Stir fry or roast vegetables as this gives them a less bitter taste than boiling or steaming.

Do not substitute pouches of pureed baby food as substitutes for pieces of fruit and vegetables for younger children.

In social gatherings sit reluctant eaters next to peers who eat fruit and vegetables enthusiastically. (Excerpt from HuffingtonPost)

By Mary Common

F

ruit and vegetables are a good source of vitamins and minerals, including folate, vitamin C and potassium. They’re also an excellent source of dietary fibre, which can help to maintain a healthy gut, and are low in fat and calories (provided you don’t fry or roast them in tons of oil!).

By encouraging your children to enjoy eating a variety of fruit and vegetables, you’re helping meet their energy needs as they grow whilst protecting their longterm health by reducing the risk of serious health conditions including obesity and type 2 diabetes.

What does a ‘portion’ look like?

A portion of fruit (80g) is roughly equivalent to: • Half a large fruit, eg, a slice of melon or half a grapefruit.

• medium size fruit, eg, an apple.

• 2 small size fruits, eg, plums.

A portion of dried f r u i t

The amount of fruit and vegetables that children should eat depends on their size and age – there are no set rules. But a good guide to a portion size is the amount they can fit into the palm of their hand.

Increase the portion size gradually, so by t h e

Why 5-a-day?

The 5-a-day campaign is based on advice from the World Health Organisation, which recommends eating a minimum of 400g of fruit and vegetables a day to lower the risk of serious health problems. This recommendation equates to five portions of fruit and vegetables (around 80g each).

We all need to eat more fruit and vegetables, and that starts with introducing our children to the delicious tastes and textures of different fruits and vegetables.

(30g) is roughly equivalent

to: • a heaped tablespoon of dried fruit A portion of vegetables (80g) is roughly equivalent to: • 3 heaped tablespoons of peas, carrots or sweetcorn • 2 broccoli spears

age of 10 they are eating the same size fruit and vegetable portions as adults. (A note of caution: this is NOT the same advice for other food groups and a 10-year-old should not be eating the same sized meal as an adult.)

The Infant and Toddler Forum for children aged one to four years, an organisation made up of experts from paediatrics, dietetics, child psychology and specialising in early years nutrition and development, adds this caveat: “The amount of food that young children eat varies from day to day and meal to meal... Taller or more active children will eat larger portions than shorter or less active children.”

“For fruit and vegetables offer at least one to two servings at each meal and also offer them with some snacks. These are low energy, high nutrient foods – allow toddlers to eat larger portions if they wish to.”

Dried fruits should be limited to mealtimes and no more than one snack per day because of their sugar content.

So what fruit and vegetables count towards your child’s 5-a-day?

Almost all fruit and vegetables count and they can be fresh, frozen, canned and dried. You can ‘hide’ vegetables in pasta sauces and stews. Beans and pulses like lentils and kidney beans count too, but as one portion no matter how much you eat. In fact, it’s only really potatoes that don’t count.

“Frozen vegetables can be just as nutritious as fresh as they’re frozen at the point of harvest,” says Laura Clark, a registered dietician, member of the British Dietetic Association and mum-of-two.

“In some cases you could argue that frozen vegetables contain more nutritional value than ‘fresh’ options that have been at the back of a fridge for a week or displayed on supermarket shelves. They also appeal to children because pieces are generally cut small and they’re brightly coloured.

“If you’re giving your child canned fruit, choose a tin that has natural juices, not syrup, and drain most of the juice away.

“The ideal way to give children vegetables is raw, like carrot sticks, or steamed, so the nutrients aren’t leeched out into boiling water.”

Potatoes are a starchy food, and great source of energy, fibre, B vitamins and potassium, particularly if you eat the skins. We also get a lot of our vitamin C from potatoes because we eat so many. Potatoes don’t count towards your 5-a-day if used in place of other sources of carbohydrate, such as bread, pasta or rice.

The same goes for yams, cassava and plantain.

What about tomato ketchup?

Parents of particularly picky children used to salve their conscience with the idea that tomato ketchup counted. Not so, says Judy More, paediatric dietician and a spokesperson for the Infant Toddler Forum decisively: “Tomato ketchup is very processed and sweetened tomato and does not taste like a fresh tomato so it does not count.”

Do smoothies count as fruit?

A maximum of one 100ml glass of smoothie does count as one of your 5-a-day.

Drinking more, doesn’t count as more than one portion. BUT they do contain a lot of fruit sugar and won’t encourage your child to enjoy the texture of fruits, so always go for non-smoothied fruit first.

Juiced fruit, which eliminates all fibre, is not a good option, because of the risk of dental decay, and should always be diluted with water.

Better still, encourage your children to drink water and eat pieces of fruit. (Excerpt from HuffingtonPost)

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tuesDAY, february 28, 2017| guyanatimesgy.com

PPP reiterates call for removal of VAT on education … reassures of reversal of burdensome tax policies … stakeholders to protest GRA today

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he People’s Progressive Party has reiterated its call that Government immediately remove the arbitrary imposed 14 per cent Value Added Tax (VAT) on private education in Guyana.

This call was made by Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo, who on Monday again made public the Party’s support of educators, who have been passionately advocating for the removal of the tax on education.

Jagdeo last week in a statement to the media contended that the imposition of VAT on private educational institutions would certainly amount to discrimination, since students and parents attending public schools do not bear this burden.

“This discriminatory treatment may amount to a violation of Article 149 of the Constitution of Guyana, which affords protection from discrimination, as a

fundamental right and freedom of all of our people; and 149l of the Constitution, which provides that: “no person shall be hindered in the enjoyment of the right to establish a private school which shall be under regulation by the State”.

Today, parents, students and other concerned stakeholders will take to the streets to protest Government’s imposition.

This

protest is scheduled to culminate in front of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA).

Meanwhile, also on

Tuesday last, the Opposition Leader, at t h e Party’s weekly press conference, pointed o u t that

the PPP/ Civic, once back in office, would immediately reverse all the burdensome tax pol-

icies imposed by the current Administration.

Confident of a sweeping victory at the upcoming General and Regional Elections in 2020, Jagdeo has vowed to repeal all the tax policies and other initiatives undertaken by this Government which have resulted in hardships nationwide.

Jagdeo explained that the matter was extensively discussed at the leadership level of the PPP, and its members have decided that the Party would impress the future leaders of the country to reverse these measures which are hurting the layman and crippling the business community.

Jagdeo also promised to provide support to the mining community, which he ob-

served was currently suffering.

“All the policies enacted by this Government in the mining sector, particularly the fiscal policies, that these will be reversed. They would all be reversed,” he promised.

He guaranteed that the two per cent final tax would be reinstated, heavy-duty equipment would once again become VAT free and the 100 per cent increase in the attributor’s tax reversed. He explained that that was one of the major measures that could be taken to ensure there was no increase in the smuggling of gold.

Government imposed the 14 per cent VAT on electricity bills exceeding $10,000 monthly and water bills exceeding $1500 monthly.

In addition, Government made sweeping changes to the zero rated and VAT exempt list of items, causing

the tax to now be charged on a whole range of consumer products, including educational material and even the dead through the taxing of funeral services.

The PPP General Secretary also observed that, in light of the policies and practices of the Government, there was hardly any ray of light that the living standards would get any better.

He contended that the Administration, in all of its incompetence, failed time and again in addressing the fundamental issues which affect the economy.

Jagdeo reiterated his concerns about the underperformance in all economic sectors of the country, and lambasted the Government over its unwillingness to provide support and inability to turn the economy around for the better.

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tuesDAY, february 28, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

IN THE COURTS Rupununi man remanded Man on remand for allegedly murdering wife for robbery

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A

Rupununi man accused of unlawfully killing his wife was remanded to prison after he appeared for the first time at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on Monday, before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan.

Peter Juan, 34, of Shulinab Village, Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) was charged with the murder of his 47-yearold wife, Justil Bernard, on February 19, 2017.

The accused had reportedly told Police Officers that he and his wife were consuming alcoholic beverages

at their home on the afternoon of February 19, 2017 when she left to go to the washroom but slipped and fell, which resulted in her death.

However, a post-mortem examination, which was conducted last week Monday, revealed that Bernard died of a fractured skull and blunt force trauma to her head.

Juan, who is expected to return to court on March 7, 2017, will remain incarcerated at the Camp Street Prison until the next court hearing.

Teen refused bail for Mash Day robbery

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ighteen-year-old Shawn Smith, of Sussex Street, Georgetown, was on Monday arraigned before city Magistrate Judy Latchman and remanded to the Camp Street prison for larceny.

The charge stated that the teen, on February 23, 2017, at Brickdam, Georgetown, while in the company of another, robbed Virtual Complainant (VC), Shivanie Sooklall, of one T-shirt and a Samsung

Edge cellular phone, valued a total of $258,000, property of the VC. Smith entered a notguilty plea to the charge when it was read by the Magistrate. He was remanded to prison after an unsuccessful bail application was made by defence counsel.

The teenager will return to court on March 20, 2017 when the matter will continue at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

man was remanded to prison on Monday

by Magistrate Judy Latchman for yet another Mash Day robbery when he appeared before the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

According to the charge, Pascal Smith, 27, of Pike Street, Kitty, Georgetown, while armed with a dangerous weapon (a knife), robbed the Virtual Complainant (VC), Shavaline Khan, of her LG cellular phone valued 140,000 and $2000 cash.

The prosecution objected to bail based on the seriousness of the offence, the fact that a weapon was used to

commit the act and the penalty attached to such a felony.

The accused, from the prisoners’ dock, showed no remorse and related to the court that he and the VC were known to each other and he was “just joking around”.

In addressing the court, the VC stated that he had suffered inconvenience as a result of the loss of his cellular phone and would be happy to have his device returned to him.

Bail was refused and the Magistrate remanded Smith to prison until March 20, 2017 when the matter will proceed to trial.

Mason pleads not guilty to larceny

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mason, of West La Penitence, Georgetown, was remanded to prison after he pleaded not guilty to a charge of larceny when it was read to him by city Magistrate Judy Latchman on Monday morning.

It is alleged that Leon Murray, 30, on December 26, 2017, at Castello Housing Scheme, Georgetown, stole from Virtual Complainant (VC), Shawn Solomon, two gold chains valued $115,000, two gold rings valued $120,000 and bangles

worth $15,000, a total value of $250,000.

The defendant, who sobbed in the prisoners’ dock, pleaded not guilty to the charge brought against him.

The prosecution successfully objected to bail, citing the penalty attached to the crime and the bleak possibility of the defendant not returning to court should bail be granted.

The matter was adjourned to March 20, 2017.

Murray will remain on remand at the Camp Street penitentiary until then.

Deliberately obtuse…

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…on sovereignty of people case

ooks like the “sovereignty case” that was just upheld by the Appellate Court is like a Rorschach Test for Guyanese politicians and their lackeys in the media.

You know… that test that makes the subject look at an ink blot that was squeezed between the fold of the paper to form a random, but symmetrical shape – and has to say what he “sees”. It exposes what’s on people’s minds. For instance, what may look like an elephant’s trunk to some, may look like a penis to another.

Right off the bat, the then APNU/AFC opposition and their media dubbed the case – when it first appeared in the High Court before Chief Justice Chang – as the “third term” case – even though who may run for the presidency included four categories. Your Eyewitness finds it rather tiresome to keep enumerating them, so he demurs. Obviously, these folks were so scared of Bharat Jagdeo they’d become paranoid and saw him under every bed! Even their bed!!

Jagdeo wasn’t even involved with the constitutional challenge that insisted power to change the fundamental nature of the Constitution lies with the people. He was simply in one of the four categories of citizens that were excluded from running for the presidency – through application of the principle and thereby fundamentally restricted the people’s choice. The APNU/AFC combined and their media supporters just refused to see the constitutional forest – not just for the citizen trees – but only for the Jagdeo tree!

And even though the Appellate Court once again identified the forest – there are some politicians who’re stubbornly stuck in the Jagdeo tree. Like ex-Speaker Ralph Ramkarran. Ramkarran, who comes up with the disingenuous assertion that the PPP’s against more than two terms for any Presidential candidate – because he carried that spear TWO DECADES ago. Even though he’s a Senior Counsel who’s supposed to be familiar with the fundamental constitutional issues, he avoids the wider gaze and hones in on the “two-term” aspect. Is he so bitter about Jagdeo he would undermine whatever legal credibility he’s earned over the years?

But he’s too clever by half. He calls for a referendum to decide the issue - and forgets two things flow from his suggestion. If the Government goes down that path, it‘ll be accepting the republican nature of our Constitution runs so deeply, many other changes will be forthcoming to return “power to the people”!!

Secondly, because of their own dubbing the issue as “third term”, any referendum on this constitutional issue becomes a referendum on Jagdeo.

In this climate, he’ll win hands down!! All smart flies end up on…

…on SARA’s clear and present danger

Another individual in the public space who stands in danger of undermining his credibility is Dr David Hinds, who has his support to the SARA Bill: “If I must make a choice between stamping out corruption and chasing away a few investments, I will choose the former. That is why I am squarely behind the SARA initiative. Despite some of the concerns, in the end the country benefits from the initiative.”

But it’s not that simple, is it? Hinds dismisses criticisms of the powers given to SARA’s Director Clive Thomas as because while it’ll “hurt some of the economic and political elites, it will help the working classes of Guyana.”

But it’s not as if Dr Hinds doesn’t know the elephant in the room. This was objected to not only by the PSC – who can be said to have some skin in the game – but by TIGI, GHRA as well!!

They’re concerned the powers given to Thomas would exceed King Kong’s.

Isn’t Dr Hinds?

…Sectoral Committees

Goolsarran wants the PAC to scrutinise “State agencies” more rigorously. But the PAC, by definition, investigates after any unruly horse would’ve bolted the stables.

What’s with the Sectoral Committees? They’re supposed to scrutinise in real time.

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

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tuesDAY, february 28, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

“Shape up or ship out” – Lawrence Good Intent fire tells health workers DJ Magnum refuses

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hape up or ship out” was Public Health Minister, Volda Lawrence’s message to sector workers Monday during the feature address of the oneday Logistic Management Information System (LMIS) workshop at the Pegasus Hotel in the capital.

The workshop eyed on ‘Improving Access and Availability of Medicines and Medical Supplies in Guyana through Strengthening of the Public Health Logistics Management Information

Public Health Minister Volda Lawrence

System’, a document circulated at the event indicated.

Lawrence is demanding that the public health sector be more sensitive and responsive to patients’ medical needs and to eradicate sloth.

“Failure to have an effective data system with regard to supply and distribution of drugs can place excessive burdens on other sectors of our Health Delivery, so it is paramount that immediate steps are taken to understand and strengthen our data input and management system,” she told participants.

The Minister reminded sector officials that “the Ministry of Public Health has a mandate to fulfil which ne-

to offer evidence

...as ex-girlfriend slapped with arson charge

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A section of the gathering at the logistics management workshop on Monday at the Pegasus Hotel

cessitates the effective distribution of medicines and medical supplies in order to improve the overall delivery of primary healthcare and advance the well-being of all citizens.”

Lawrence, who is relatively new as Public Health Minister, is nevertheless distressed by the “negative reports that were being aired regard to access and availability of medicines and medical supplies and the need for us to upgrade our Logistics System,” she told the workshop.

The LMIS, which is targeted for computerisation shortly, has to ‘shape up’ because it is the key to “good decisions… to ensure product availability and reliable customer service,” Lawrence said.

Monday’s programme was a collaboration among the Public Health Ministry, the United States Agency for International Development Global Health Supply Chain ProgrammeProcurement and Supply Management (USAID GHSC-PSM), the Pan American Health Organisation/World Health Organisation (PAHO/WHO) and PEPFAR. It was aimed at improving access and availability of medicines and medical supplies in Guyana through strengthening of the Public Health LMIS. This is part of the Ministry’s effort to ad-

dress the drug shortage crisis in each of the country’s 10 Administrative Regions and attracted participants from among the senior staff of the Material Management Unit Supply Chain Management System, Directors of the Public Health Ministry, Regional Health Officers and stakeholder organisations involved in procurement of drugs and medical supplies.

Meanwhile, Country Director of the USAID GHSCPSM Caroline Healey said that her organisation and its predecessor have been working to support the sustainable supply of critical sector commodities since 2006.

Guyana, she noted, has been a pioneer within and outside the Caribbean as the first to procure HIV/AIDS commodities; the first to establish an accurate supply planning system; and also the first to establish and operate a modern warehouse.

Additionally, PAHO/ WHO Representative Dr William Adu-Krow had a blunt assessment of the LMIS in the health sector.

“Either the system is not working, maybe we don’t have the right people or maybe the environment is not conducive,” Dr Adu-Krow said. He urged stakeholders to view themselves as managers and assist more in supervising the procurement and consumption of drugs and medical supplies.

ore than a week after allegedly setting fire to DJ Magnum’s home, a medical laboratory technician was on Monday slapped with an arson charge, but in a turn of events, the popular Disc Jockey (DJ) told the court that he wishes not to proceed with the matter.

Latonya Peirce, 23, of Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo, denied allegations that she set fire to the Good Intent, West Bank Demerara dwelling house of Dorrel Romeo, popularly known as DJ Magnum, with intent to injure him on February 19. The woman appeared before Magistrate Clive Nurse at the Wales Magistrate’s Court where she was granted self-bail after Romeo chose not to give evidence in the matter.

It was only days ago that the Guyana Fire Service confirmed that the fire was the work of an arsonist.

On Sunday last, fire ripped through the wooden and concrete structure and two women were seen fleeing the scene. It was said that they both shared relationships with DJ Magnum.

Reports are on the night of the fire, the two women went to the house to confront Romeo on a personal

Dorrel Romeo, popularly known as DJ Magnum

issue, but he was at a function on the Soesdyke/Linden Highway. They waited but he never showed up and out of anger, Romeo’s former girlfriend allegedly lit an object in the vicinity of the back step. The duo then fled, but their taxi driver, turned out to be a close friend of the DJ. Upon realising that something was amiss, the driver contacted the Police.

Two females – one from Winsor Forest, and the other being Peirce – were taken into custody, but only Peirce was charged at the Wales court. Guyana Times understands that Peirce was the same woman who

Latonya Pierce

posted a video of Romeo which went viral on social media last week. The lab technician, who left court with just under 10 relatives and friends, will make her next appearance on March 10 for a report.

On the night of the fire, Romeo had explained that his mother, who lives in the United States, was the one who contacted and informed him of the fire. He and his present fiancée had rushed to the premises only to see his house reduced to debris.

At the scene, the Police received information that two women were seen leaving the yard moments prior to the blaze.

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tuesDAY, February 28, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Maths app launched for Grade 6 students

By Devina Samaroo

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s Guyana steadfastly progresses into a modern technological era, Grade Six students across the country can now benefit from a mobile Mathematics app which is aimed at developing their skills and knowledge in the subject area.

The poor performance of Guyanese students in Mathematics at both the National Grade Six Assessment (NFSA) level and the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) level has

First Lady Sandra Granger poses with Karen Abrams and two Grade Six students who attended the launch

raised much concern in society.

The app, which is the brainchild of STEM Guyana Project, is called the “NGSA Practice Exams” and is available for free download in the App Store and in the Play Store.

The app has a database of past NGSA Maths papers from 2010 to 2016 as well as explanation videos which provide answers to each question.

The app also provides access to teachers from Guyana and Serbia who will also guide users.

Additionally, the app will serve as a marketplace for users to sell or The app which is the brainchild of STEM Guyana Project, is called trade textbooks and other the ‘N.G.S.A Practice Exams’ and educational materials. is available for free download at It will also house a the App Store and the Play Store school events calendar and

a grading system for schools across the country.

In the future, the STEM Guyana Project wants to extend the app to other Caribbean countries and expand it to include questions at a secondary level.

The concept was developed by STEM Guyana Project, cofounded by Karen Abrams.

During the launching ceremony on Monday at the National Racquet Centre on Woolford Avenue, Abrams explained that the project would be rolled in in several phases.

The first phase, she explained, has already been completed as it was the prelaunch stage whereby several students across the country used the app and shared their feedback.

The second phase includes the monitoring and evaluation of the app follow-

ing its launch. Abrams said the goal was to raise funds to equip some 100 students across the country with tablets and Wi-Fi access so they can use the app.

The next step would be building public-private partnerships and to bring more parties onboard to support the imitative.

Providing that all goes well, Abrams said her ultimate goal was to expand the app to include more question papers and to cater for students at higher levels and all across the Caribbean.

First Lady Sandra Granger, who was present during the soft launching ceremony, was impressed with the initiative and expressed sincere gratitude to the team for their "labour of love".

The Grade Six mobile Maths app launch was made possible through the full support of the Office of the First Lady of Guyana and the Ministry of the Presidency.

The STEM Guyana team also met with National Centre for Educational Resource Development (NCERD) head Jennifer Cumberbatch, and has gained the full support of the organisation within the Education Ministry responsible for the development of STEM education.

Abrams said the organisation envisioned working with NCERD to improve the functionality of the app, to test the outcomes, and to improve the distribution to students and classrooms across Guyana.

STEM is a curriculum based on the idea of educating students in four specific disciplines — Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics — in an interdisciplinary and applied approach. Meanwhile, President David Granger in a statement on Monday said he would provide support for the initiative by funding the acquisition of tablets to be distributed to the 100 selected students.

“We will provide funds to acquire the equipment to help students to do better in Mathematics. It’s an investment. It’s not a liability. It’s not expenses. It is an investment in the children’s future,” the President said.

Last year, Cabinet approved the sum of $48 million to roll out a nationwide Mathematics programme aimed at enhancing the competency level of students in primary schools.

The programme would focus on training teachers in content and methodology, facilitating fortnightly cluster meetings in all regions, the recruitment of Mathematics coordinators and monitors, the training of officers and school administrators to supervise the teaching of Mathematics, preparing and administering a diagnosis assessment of pupils in hinterland before training, enhancing public relations and parental involvement in education, and acquisition of support material for students.

I have a story to tell you about names

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wo events still linger on my mind that really prompted me to compose this column about names. The first was in grade school when one of my classmates asked me this riddle: tell me something you were given when you were little and you had no choice to say yes or no. I guessed and guessed and I gave up and she said to me, your name silly! She was right, since my first name supposed to be something else which I will discuss later in this column.

The second occurred much later in my life when the town of Skeldon, Upper Corentyne, was changed to Corriverton. I do not why this name change occurred, but I suspect it was in tandem with sweeping trends in the developing world to domesticate or un-home the Dr Lomarsh Roopnarine colonial experience. Skeldon rings colonial, while Corriverton reveals native. No argument here.

But I am impressed by the thought that whoever came up with the name Corriverton got to be related to the word genius in one form or the other. Corriverton is an abbreviated form of Corentyne River Town, and if you are not familiar with its formation, you would think that the word was never put together.

Now, let us push the buttons a bit further and ask how come other towns in Guyana were not renamed this way? I am confused as to why the town New Amsterdam was not renamed Beriverton after Berbice River, and Georgetown was not renamed Demriverton after the Demerara River. Okay, I know, hold your horses. Most will agree with me to retain the name Georgetown, despite the colonial heritage. My reason is to avoid the name, Guytown. When I was growing up, everything in Guyana was renamed with the word guy in it. There were official names like GuyOil, Guymine, GuySuCo and unofficial/underground names like Guyline, Guybribe, Guypolice, Guyrum, Guyticket, etc. Some of these names still exist, but I prefer the latter ones more because they speak to the unbearable reality many Guyanese experienced and supposedly overcame in the 1970s and 1980s.

I am also confused as to why the villages were given numbers as opposed to names. I understand most of the villages have original names, but they were not retained or used. Perhaps most bizarre is when the entire country was divided and labelled into regional numbers ranging from one to ten. I remember how difficult it was for me to memorise these regions in an era of political indoctrination. I doubt whether a majority of Guyanese can really recognise and describe these regions without a map.

Speaking of villages, I also remember a man in a village named Dhal Puri. I understand he went to a party and instead of breaking the Dhal Puri into pieces and then eating it, he pushed the whole thing in his mouth and choked. They had to rush him to the doctor who used a pliers to take out the whole Dhal Puri. There are also other colourful names in the villages like Sweet Wine, Crapo God, Battie Mouth, Feather, etc, which were given because of what someone had said or done. The consequence is that some will accept their imposed names and move on, but for others the new label is a sense of embarrassment and ridicule. Unfortunately, the latter experience can go on not only for a lifetime, but handed down to family members, including children and spouses. Welcome to the West Indies, man!

Personally speaking, my first name should have been Cumash instead of Lomarsh. My parents thought I had a Portuguese look when I was born and so they wanted a Portuguese sounding name for me. My mother told the Registrar to put down Cumash on my birth certificate, but he did his own thing and put down Lomarsh. My mother could not read and only noticed a different name when I was about six years old. It was too late to change.

Do you remember what that little girl said to me in grade school? I am not upset since I had no say in the matter then and I am not interested now in changing my name. But I have always wondered what the meaning of Lomarsh is, since I have never come across anyone else with this name. I have also been asked where the name comes from. My response is, I have no idea. In recent times, I was told that Lomarsh means this: It is a Hindu name and Lomarsh is derived (or a corruption of) Lomaharsana. He was a Bard (a composer and reciter of epic poems) in Mahabharata and his son was Ugrasravas. I do not know what to make of this description but I wonder if the individual who put Lomarsh instead of Cumash on my birth certificate knew this. If so, I think I will change the name of my column from Lomarsh Luminary to Lomarsh Lomaharsana.

One stranger thing, my father’s first name is my last name. (lomarsh.roopnarine@jsums.edu).

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tuesDAY, february 28, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Another oil company targets Guyana prospects T

ullow Oil is aiming to participate in drilling prospects up dip of ExxonMobil’s giant Liza oil discovery off Guyana as soon as next year as the Anglo-Irish independent prepares for a large 3D seismic programme this year.

The London-listed player and its partners have already identified a number of leads on acreage near ExxonMobil’s prolific Stabroek block and they are

Tullow Oil is Africa’s leading oil company

Linden-Lethem road

Stakeholders discuss benefits of project

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ith the Linden to Lethem road improvement project on the horizon, Linden stakeholders are working to capitalise on potential ideas and initiatives that may be provided through the project.

Some stakeholders have their eyes set on investment opportunities, while others are mulling various ways of securing employment for members of the community through infrastructure development. Stakeholders are also examining the possibility of developing Linden into a trans-shipment hub and a major access point to the international market.

“When that road is completed, it will not open Linden to just the rest of South America, but it would open Linden to the rest of the world...We’re talking about having a trans- shipment point, a trans-shipment hub in Linden. We’re talking about not only goods coming from Brazil and moving through Linden, but we’re talking about the Caribbean and the rest of the world, using this port as their trans-shipment point,” Linden Chamber of Commerce and Development President Kevin De Jonge explained.

A section of the Linden-Lethem road

As a result, he said Lindeners now have to pool together their resources in order to prepare for such massive development.

Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) Regional Chairman Renis Morian explained that officials were working to secure investors as they gear up for infrastructural development.

“Based on the fact that there would be a road, not just to Lethem and other roads, we’re looking at investors, in terms of a bitumen plant. We’re putting the investments now in clusters. We’re thinking in terms of a crushing plant. We’re thinking in terms of people going in to trucking. There are those persons in the service-oriented business, geared for infrastructure de-

velopment,” he said.

In addition, Linden Mayor Carwyn Holland said he has already sought assistance from the InterAmerican Development Bank (IDB) for a feasibility study to allow for the inclusion of a rail along the Linden to Lethem road. Holland noted that the Government would welcome the initiative which he said would assist in providing thousands of jobs. He has also recently engaged officials from the Chinese Embassy to pursue investment in this regard.

The Public Infrastructure Ministry and the United Kingdom Government are expected to collaborate on the first phase of the Linden to Lethem road project, which is set to commence soon.

encouraged by the US super major’s wildcat miss there at the Skipjack well, as they were by the Liza and recent Payara discoveries.

“We are purposefully updip of that (Liza) setting.

So, rather than drilling in over 2000 metres of water, we are going to be drilling in 100 metres,” Tullow Exploration Director Angus McCoss said in an Upstream report.

This will significantly reduce drilling costs and the cost of any eventual field development.

McCoss said three leads have been mapped updip of Liza — Kamarang,

Kaieteur and Amaila on the Repsol-operated Kanuku block — with this year’s 3D survey on both the Kanuku and Orinduik blocks aiming to firm up prospects before drilling in 2018 and/or 2019.

“What we expect to see in the outboard in the ultra-deepwater sector is a mixture of success (and failure) — and that is what we have seen. The fact that we are seeing the mixed results outboard (in Stabroek) is positive for us, because it is proving charge, but it is also proving that some of the charge is not being retained in the outboard.”

Before Guyana, Tullow will drill off neighbouring Suriname, with the Araku-1 wildcat set to spud on its operated Block 54 in the second half of this year. The company is close to firming up a rig contract.

“It is a very large fourway dip closure, over 300 square kilometres.

Geophysical response from a very high fidelity 3D survey that we did there is giving us direct indications of hydrocarbons,” said McCoss.

Araku may hold as many as 500 million barrels of oil in Upper Cretaceous and Jurassic rocks.

12news

tuesDAY, february 28, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Cross-dressing in Guyana “improper” – Appeal Court

1 dead after Pomeroon boat collision

…SASOD to move to CCJ

T

he Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD) and the Guyana Trans United (GTU) could within the next few weeks take their cross-dressing case to the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), SASOD’s Head, Joel Simpson said, if advice from their lawyers is prudent.

SASOD’s Head, Joel Simpson

The two NonG o v e r n m e n t a l Organisations (NGOs) have made this disclosure after the Guyana Court of Appeal on Monday upheld a decision by now retired Chief Justice

Chancellor Carl Singh

Acting Chief Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards

(ag) Ian Chang, who in September 2013, ruled that cross-dressing per se was not a crime, unless done for an “improper purpose”.

The case was dismissed by the panel of acting Chief Justice Yonette CummingsEdwards; Chancellor of the Judiciary, Justice Carl Singh and High Court Judge Brassington Reynolds.

The case, which was first filed in February 2010, following the widely reported arrests and convictions of seven persons for the summary offence of “being a

man and wearing female attire in a public way or public place, for an improper purpose” (1893 Act). Four of the convicted persons filed this action, along with SASOD, which approached the Faculty of Law UWI Rights Advocacy Project (U-RAP). Thereafter, with the assistance of U-RAP and local counsel, a constitutional challenge to the cross-dressing law was filed.

The McEwan case argues that the archaic cross-dressing law, found in Section 153 (1)

Justice Brassington Reynolds

(xlvii) of the Summary Jurisdiction (Offences) Act 1893, is inconsistent with the Constitution of Guyana. It also argues that the conduct of the Chief Magistrate, who told the individual appellants that they were confused about their sexuality and should follow the teachings of Jesus Christ, was also not consistent with the Guyana Constitution. The parties appealed this ruling, in part because of the inherent uncertainty in the terminology employed in the statute. With that uncertainty, State officials have

virtually unlimited discretion in applying the law.

The legal team for GTU and SASOD includes Miles Fitzpatrick SC; Nigel Hughes, SC; Dr Arif Bulkan, and Gino Persaud.

Speaking on behalf of the two bodies, SASOD Head Simpson told Guyana Times on Monday that the gay and lesbian community was very “disappointed” that the Court of Appeal had moved to dismiss the case.

According to Simpson, following the ruling of Justice Chang and the ruling by the Court of Appeal, the community has been seeking clarity of what constituted “improper use”.

“Now we wanted the Court Of Appeal to clarify and gave some reasons on what the term improper reasons mean. We thought that as a senior court, they would have been a little more appreciative of a more nuanced argument.

We are disappointed that the court basically repeated everything that the Chief Justice said. We find the judgment to be a repetition,” he said.

T

he Police have recovered the body of 52-year-old Kenneth Joseph, who disappeared into the Pomeroon River following a river mishap. An intense search was launch by relatives after the cash crop farmer went missing following a boat collision on Sunday, about 20:00h.

According to information reaching Guyana Times, the mishap occurred in the vicinity of Grant Anna Regina. The second vessel involved in the collision is owned by 28-year-old Reshanna Cameron, and was captained by his 24-year-old brother, Rondel Cameron.

Joseph was reportedly navigating a small wooden balahoo along with Leon George, another farmer from the Pomeroon River.

The duo were proceeding south on the eastern side of the Pomeroon River while Rondel Cameroon was proceeding north.

Joseph was thrown overboard following the collision. An investigation has been launched.

news

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tuesDAY, February 28, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

GTT launches high-speed Internet in Essequibo By: Indrawattie Natram

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usinesses and residents, as well as students residing in Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam) will now be able to surf, stream, share and connect with just one click, as the Guyana Telegraph and Telephone Company (GTT) launched its LTE high-speed Internet, which will be available in all the villages along the coast. The high-speed Internet will cost some $5,499 for installation and $5,250 for the equipment, along with one-month’s free Internet.

The GTT team hosted the launch in a grand style at the Anna Regina Car Park, with a cultural programme which featured songs, dances and live tassa drumming.

Addressingthosegathered, Public Telecommunications Minister, Cathy Hughes, congratulated GTT for acting on their promises of providing faster Internet to the people

Telecommunications Minister Cathy Hughes at the launch of GTT’s high-speed Internet

of Essequibo. She emphasised too that technology is the greatest equaliser which can link companies to companies and countries to countries.

According to Hughes, the Government has recognised that prior to 2015, Guyana has been lagging in the area of telecommunication, and has therefore tried successfully to bridge the gap.

Alluding to the benefits the enhanced service will have in Region Two, the Telecommunications Minister explained that with the service, there will be more opportunities for business development, research and education. She also pointed to the benefits to e-commerce and encouraged farmers, as well as entrepreneurs within the

region to use the Internet as a way of finding online markets.

“I truly believe that ICT will deliver the transformation within Guyana and innovative ideas can come from all sectors,” Hughes stated.

Meanwhile GTT’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Justin Nedd, said that the company is satisfied to offer the service in Essequibo. He said the service was launched in response to the many demands for faster high-speed Internet in the region. He reminded of the company’s aim to provide faster Internet to the entire Guyana so that all users will be able to access the Internet with ease. He therefore called on Essequibians to make use of the service which has the potential to change their lives.

“Faster Internet means that you can do more, your lives will be changed, and you can communicate more and do more researches,” Nedd

Persons flocked the GTT booth to access the services

stated.

The CEO also explained that the company is happy to partner with the Government in providing digital services to Guyanese. The LTE will be installed in March and according to the CEO, the company is working along with the Government as its key stakeholder to bridge the communication gap.

At the launch, four lucky

persons were winners of free equipment for the services.

Several customers noted that they chose the LTE Internet because of the speed. Other persons were anxious to use the Internet as in the past they were not exposed to 4G at their home, and many were forced to sit long hours to download pictures or surf the Internet due to slow connectivity.

Parliamentarians benefit from GAWU hosts competition law workshop visiting Canadian trade unionists W ith the aim of sensitising Members of Parliament (MP’s) on aspects of competition law and policy, the Parliament of Guyana, in collaboration with the European Union (EU) and the Guyana Competition Commission (GCC), hosted a one-day sensitisation workshop on Monday.

The project, funded by the EU, was said to be the first of many others to follow for Parliamentarians.

Speaker of the House, Dr Barton Scotland, said MP’s will from time to time be invited to take advantage of any information that could be made available in particular areas.

According to Scotland, competition law provisions play a critical role in the development and establishment of open and competitive markets in the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME) for entrepreneurs, professionals and established businesses.

“By extension it yields many benefits for the entire country,” he explained to a handful of Government and Opposition MP’s in Parliament Chambers. He said too that Members of Parliament have been specifically targeted as a key stakeholder group in the development scope and implementation of a national competition framework among Member States in the Caribbean Community (Caricom).

Scotland further explained that Parliament accepted an invitation by the GCC to participate in the workshop, which was facilitated by Trinidadian, Dr Kusha Haraksingh, Chairman of the Caricom Competition Commission.

Chairman of the Caricom Competition Law Commission, Dr Kusha Haraksingh with House Speaker, Dr Barton Scotland

Dr Haraksingh reminded that the program was part of a European Development Fund (EDF) project, while he noted that Guyana remains a signatory to the EU CARIFORUM Trade agreement.

“One of the chapters is competition law. As part of that agreement the EDF promised support in capacity building,” he told the participants.

He said the project is a general one in Caricom geared at sensitising persons about competition culture. He said the general citizenry still has to be sensitised about consumer welfare and the virtues and values of competition.

“It is not something that people readily embrace and here in the Caribbean; it is a contest with our own history because of the way in which business is being developed,” Haraksingh explained.

The Caricom Competition policy has as its objective to promote and maintain competition and enhance economic efficiency in production, trade and commerce. To ensure that action by enterprises does not reduce the benefits to be derived from the CSME, the

Caricom Competition Policy prohibits anti-competitive business conduct which prevents, restricts or distorts competition. This policy also promotes and protects consumer welfare.

Effective competition policy is widely recognised as a requisite for the orderly operation of markets.

Currently, over one hundred jurisdictions have implemented competition regimes and are applying competition laws to an ever increasing range of economic sectors, including some that were previously excluded from the ambit of competition policy by virtue of being state-supported or being considered ‘natural’ monopolies. Among the Caricom Member States, however, competition policy is predominantly unexplored territory, the exceptions being Jamaica, which adopted its policy in 1993 and Barbados, which followed in 2003.

The Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas establishing the Caribbean Community, including the Caribbean Single Market and Economy, ushers in a new era for Member States in respect of competition policy, as it imposes on them

an obligation to implement competition policy in accordance with the Treaty provisions. The CSME creates a single economic space within which goods, services, capital and labour are to move freely and the right of establishment is secured.

The CSME is expected to contribute to, among other things, expansion of the Region’s trade, enhanced international competitiveness and accelerated economic development.

The role of Caricom’s various economic agents, including both government and private sector economic enterprises, in achieving these goals cannot be overstated; nor can the significance of efficient mechanisms for regulating their relationships be ignored.

Consequently, the creation of an environment conducive to enterprise growth and increased competition for markets and consumers is balanced by competition rules which seek to ensure that firms are able to enter the markets of their choice; healthy competition is introduced or maintained and consumers are guaranteed a wide choice of good quality goods and services at competitive price.

GAWU President Komal Chand along with the visiting trade unionists Jerry Dias and Mohamad Alsadi

T

he Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) is currently hosting two Canadian Trade Unionists who are on an official visit to better understand the challenges faced by the working class in Guyana.

The two men, Jerry Dias and Mohamad Alsadi, President and Director, respectively, of the Human Rights and International Department of Canadian Trade Union, have commenced their four-day stay in Guyana.

During their visit, the Unionists will seek to identify the challenges faced by working Guyanese, particularly those workers in the sugar industry who have come under increasing pressures by the State-owned Guyana Sugar Corporation Inc in recent times.

The representatives are to meet with the Union’s Central Executive Committee to learn about the work of the Union and its members. They will also meet with the Federation of

Independent Trades Union of Guyana and the Guyana Trades Union Congress.

They are also slated to review the operations of two private enterprises where GAWU enjoys bargaining rights.

The visiting Canadian Trade Unionists are also scheduled to hold discussions with the Opposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo, and Social Protection Minster, Keith Scott.

The men, who arrived on Monday, visited the Mahaica Primary School where Dias’ father attended.

A number of gifts, including a projector, were presented to the school.

The Unionists are also members of UNIFOR, which is an organisation that represents workers’ rights.

The Canadian Auto Workers Union, which is a part of UNIFOR has had fraternal links with GAWU for years. GAWU welcomes the visitors to Guyana and looks forward to a renewal and strengthening of allround bonds.

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guyanatimesgy.com

tuesDAY, february 28, 2017

Regional

Rio sambas on after accident mars carnival

C

arnival revellers in Rio de Janeiro danced on to Beatles songs set to Brazilian samba rhythms on Monday after an accident injuring 20 people marred the annual pre-Lenten bacchanalia the night before.

The Sargento Pimenta street band had thousands of spirited followers twisting and shouting and singing “She loves you yeah, yeah, yeah” as golden oldies from the Liverpool four blasted a waterfront park on the third day of what is dubbed the world’s biggest party.

Rio’s spectacular Carnival parade of top samba troupes suffered the accident on Sunday when spectators were pushed against a wall by a faulty float at the start of the famed Sambadrome show.

The massive threeton float of the Paraiso de Tuiuti samba group carrying costumed dancers on platforms veered out of control as it turned into the parade ground. When handlers tried to straighten the float,

People try to move a parade float after an accident during the carnival parade at the Sambadrome in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, February 26, 2017

it swung into a group of people.

Organisers said 20 people were hurt and eight were taken to hospital, three of them with serious injuries. One woman had two legs broken and was still in hospital. An initial investigation said the float had a mechanical problem, the organisers said.

The accident did not stop the all-night parade by six of the city’s elite samba schools that spend millions each

year to compete by parading down a 700-meter avenue with thousands of dancers driven by powerful drum sections.

The Carnival festivities provide Brazilians with a welcome escape from the reality of a two-year recession, record unemployment, a sprawling political corruption scandal and mounting crime in a city that hosted the Olympics last August.

T&T Police issue warning regarding drones during carnival

T

rinidad and Tobago Police have warned that they will not tolerate any drones flying over the capital during the twoday carnival celebrations adding that they had already taken action against an un-named foreign news outlet.

“Port-of-Spain is a no fly zone. Any drone spotted would be taken down.

I did take down one last night (Sunday night). When Phase Two was coming on, a foreign press did put up a drone, but it was taken down,” said head of the Port-of-Spain Police division, Floris Hodge-Griffith.

“These zones are a danger because it is a big open space and a drone can injure people. Anybody who wants to use a drone has to get permission from the Civil Aviation Authority,” she added.

The official said that Police and soldiers would be out in full force during the two-day celebrations to ensure the safety of nationals and visitors alike.

“Carnival should be one of our safest. We are ready for Carnival 2017. People should take note of where the taxi stands are, the routes and the roads that are closed,” Hodge-Griffith said, adding that it was

important that people pay proper attention to the relocation of taxi stands so as to ensure they returned home safely.

“We have staff for Carnival and we have staff for regular duty so that people should have no fear because people would be looking at people’s homes. We have Police patrolling camp sites also,” Hodge-Griffith said.

The celebrations end today with the traditional street jump up and Police said they were also seeking the support of band leaders and music truck drivers in ensuring a safe Carnival.

(Excerpt from CMC)

Heavy rains kill 3, leave millions without water

(Excerpt from Reuters)

Rubis Caribbean ready for battle over oil terminal sale in Barbados

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ubis Caribbean has declared war to protect its multimillion-dollar investment in Barbados as it anxiously awaits a decision from the Fair Trading Commission (FTC) on the proposed sale of the Barbados National Terminal Company Limited (BNTCL) to regional petroleum giant, Sol. A defiant Rubis Chief Executive Officer Mauricio Nicholls served notice that it would fight tooth and nail in the law courts against the deal that it said would destroy its market share.

“We are prepared to fight the battle with all the elements the law gives us to fight that battle, because we are fighting for our survival and our future here

The supply of drinking water to about 1.5 million households in Santiago has been affected

T

A defiant Rubis Chief Executive Officer Mauricio Nicholls served notice that it would fight tooth and nail in the law courts against the deal that it said would destroy its market share

in this country. We are prepared to fight as hard as we can. We will fight it legally, ethically, with the right arguments and the right forums, but this is a huge issue for us,” he said.

But before the company goes the route of the law

courts, it has proposed an alternative to the Barbados Government, which confirmed last month that Sol was purchasing the island’s lone oil terminal for US$100 million. (Excerpt from Caribbean360)

FLOW offers J$1M reward for info on network vandals

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elecommunications firm FLOW has announced a partnership with Crime Stop Jamaica that is expected to boost the company’s efforts to clamp down on theft and vandalism of its network assets.

Through the partnership, FLOW said it would pay rewards of up to J$1 million for reports that lead to the arrest, charging and conviction of vandals who wreak havoc on the company’s property and cause severe loss of service and productivity for both its residential and business cus-

tomers annually.

FLOW is also offering rewards of up to J$100,000 for reports that lead to arrests related to the occurrence.

In a release Monday, FLOW said its senior director of customer experience, Ronnie Thompson, reports that since 2015, the company has expended over J$300 million to replace and repair stolen or vandalised sections of both its copper and HFC (fibre) network and to address loss of services for customers.

“Since 2015, we have seen a significant increase

in malicious acts of damage and theft which have resulted in significant loss of services for our customers and have also dampened our ability to carry out network improvement and expansion projects,” Thompson shared.

While welcoming the recently announced ban of copper exports, which the company suspects was a major pull for vandals, he also noted that the company was experiencing significant problems with other areas of its network including damage to its fibre-optic network.

(Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

hree people have been killed and at least seven are missing after heavy rains struck Chile over the weekend, causing mudslides and water outages.

The rains, which caused rivers to overflow their banks in mountain valleys near Chile’s capital, Santiago, have isolated 3387 people, the Onemi emergency service said late on Sunday.

Emergency officials said waters rushing down from the Andes since Saturday afternoon cut off roads and caused landslides.

The supply of drinking

water to about 1.5 million households in Santiago has been affected, with the water company Aguas Andinas saying the torrential rains, which came during the country’s usually dry summer months, were making repairs difficult.

“We have a complex situation regarding the potable water supply in 33 communities of Santiago which have approximately six million people,” said Mariano Fernandez, Chile’s Interior Minister.

Chilean President Michelle Bachelet wrote on Twitter: “Emergency teams are working on the ground

to connect with isolated people and re-establish the water supply wherever possible.”

In the San Jose de Maipo valley, directly above the city, emergency crews had to clear the roads of debris before residents could evacuate to lower, less mountainous ground.

It was the second major flooding event to hit central Chile in the past year. Last April, heavy rains battered the San Jose de Maipo valley, killing one person and causing major flooding in downtown Santiago after a river breached its banks.

(Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Bank of Jamaica reports uptick in Private Sector credit The Bank of Jamaica (BoJ) is reporting that commercial bank credit to the Private Sector grew by 14.8 per cent last year.

BoJ Governor Brian Wynter said this was higher than for the corresponding period in 2015, when credit to the sector went up by 9.5 per cent. In real terms, loans grew by 12.8 per cent for 2016, compared to 5.7 per cent in 2015.

The BoJ Governor attributed the uptick in Private Sector credit to a reduction in Government’s borrowing from the local market.

He said borrowing by

the Government and its agencies diverted the flow of financial resources from the Private Sector, making investment harder and more costly, thus impeding growth. This scenario is commonly referred to as ‘crowding out’.

“Now with several quarters of ‘crowding in’, we are witnessing a long-overdue correction, and we can now consider that the era of Government ‘crowding out’ has come to an end,” Wynter said.

He further pointed to Government’s programme of fiscal discipline and smart debt management, which

has resulted in a fall in the debt to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) ratio from 143 per cent to 122 per cent as at March 2016.

Wynter said this performance contributed to a boost in Jamaica’s global rankings by international rating agencies Moody’s and Fitch.

He reiterated that Moody’s upgraded Jamaica’s sovereign debt rating to B3 in November 2016. Fitch, he added, affirmed its single-B sovereign rating for the country, pointing out that “Jamaica’s sovereign risk premium has trended to alltime lows”. (Excerpt from Caribbean360)

tuesDAY, february 28, 2017

guyanatimesgy.com

Around the World

“White Helmets” bags Oscar on politically charged night

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film celebrating the White Helmets, a volunteer rescue group that operates in rebel-held parts of Syria, has scooped an Oscar for best short documentary on a night marked by politics.

The eponymously titled White Helmets, a 40-minute Netflix film, gives a window into the lives of the group’s volunteers as they scramble to pull people from the rubble of buildings flattened in bombing raids.

Accepting the Academy Award, director Orlando von Einsiedel urged the audience to get out of their seats and call for an end to

Iranian astronaut Anousheh Ansari spoke on behalf of Asghar Farhadi

Syria’s six-year civil war, which led to a standing ovation.

Von Einsiedel read a statement from White Helmets founder Raed al-

Saleh in which he thanked the academy and said the group had saved tens of thousands of lives since it was formed in 2014.

Also during the night’s award ceremony, an Iranian film, The Salesman, won the best foreign language film award after its director, Asghar Farhadi, refused to attend the ceremony as a protest against Trump’s immigration policies. Iran was on the list of seven countries.

A female Iranian astronaut, Anousheh Ansari, accepted the award on his behalf. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Trump seeks ‘historic’ increase of 10 per cent in US military’s budget

P

resident Donald Trump is seeking what he called a “historic” increase in military spending of more than nine per cent, a huge rise even as the United States (US) has wound down major wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and remains the world’s strongest military power.

Trump will seek to boost Pentagon spending in the next fiscal year by $54 billion in his first budget proposal and slash the same amount from non-defense spending, including a large reduction in foreign aid, a

15

US President Donald Trump

White House budget official said on Monday.

The President does not have the final say on federal spending. His plan for the military is part of a budget proposal to Congress, which, while it is controlled by his fellow Republicans, will not necessarily follow his plans.

Budget negotiations with lawmakers can take months to play out.

Trump told state governors at the White House that his budget plan includes a “historic increase in defense spending to rebuild the depleted military of the United States of America.”

Such a military spending

hike would be unusual given that the United States is not engaged in a major war, although its Special Forces and Air Force are active against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

An official familiar with the proposal said Trump’s request for the Pentagon included more money for shipbuilding, military aircraft and establishing “a more robust presence in key international waterways and choke points” such as the Strait of Hormuz and South China Sea. (Excerpt from Reuters)

India lobbies Trump Administration to avert visa threat

I

ndia has stepped up its lobbying effort against moves in the United States (US) Congress to impose curbs on visas for skilled workers that threaten the nation’s tech sector, which employs more than 3.5 million people.

Speaking to Reuters, Trade Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said New Delhi had reached out to the administration of President Donald Trump to stress the importance of India’s $150 billion Information Technology (IT) services industry to US citizens.

The comments come days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged Washington to keep an open mind on admitting skilled Indian workers.

Indian software companies such as Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys Ltd and Wipro Ltd shot to prominence in the 1990s by helping Western firms stamp out the “Y2K”

bug.

Trump’s “America First” rhetoric on jobs, however, has put their biggest market under threat.

A bill was introduced in the US Congress last month to more than double the minimum salary of H-1B visa holders, which could significantly boost costs for IT companies, whose margins are already being squeezed.

The United States is India’s biggest trading partner, but trade in goods between the two countries has been stagnant, at around $67 billion, for the last three years. Indian software exports to the US rose more than 10 per cent, to $37 billion, in the last fiscal year from a year earlier.

Indian nationals are by far the largest group of recipients of the 65,000 H-1B visas issued annually to new applicants under a cap mandated by Congress.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

Kim Jong-nam’s death: 4 wanted North Koreans ‘are spies’

French election: New claims over Le Pen FN funding

A

former aide to the French far-right presidential candidate, Marine Le Pen, has made new allegations about fraudulent party financing.

Gael Nofri said that in 2012 the National Front (FN) had recruited him into Le Pen’s presidential campaign team, using a fictitious European Parliament (EP) contract.

It was apparently a way for the FN to avoid declaring campaign spending.

The FN is already under investigation for alleged misuse of EP funds.

Polls suggest that Le Pen is on course to win the first round of the presidential election in April, but centrist Emmanuel Macron is gaining ground and looks likely to beat her in the May

runoff vote.

A Figaro/LCI poll on Sunday put Macron on 58 per cent in the runoff, against 42 per cent for Le Pen. Quoted by French media, Nofri said he had signed up to work for Le Pen in September 2011.

Nofri is now a municipal councillor in Nice with the centre-right Republicans

party, having severed his links to the FN. The French news website Mediapart says fraud investigators have found evidence of €4,500 (£3,834; $4,763) in monthly payments to Nofri from 2012, identifying him as a European Parliament assistant to MEP JeanMarie Le Pen, Marine’s father and the former FN leader. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Western Sahara: Morocco to pull out of UN buffer zone

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orocco is to pull out of a United Nations (UN) buffer zone in the disputed Western Sahara territory, an official statement says.

Tension in the area flared up a year ago when Morocco moved into the buffer zone, breaching a UNbacked ceasefire.

The Polisario Front, which wants independence for Western Sahara, dismissed Morocco’s move as a gimmick.

Morocco recently rejoined the African Union, which it had left in 1984 after the body’s recognition of Polisario as the territory’s

As a result of the dispute over Western Sahara, thousands of people have been living in refugee camps in Algeria

government.

The decision to withdraw from the Guerguerat zone is said to have been taken in person by the Moroccan

King Mohammed VI. The move came after the sovereign spoke on the phone with the UN Secretary General Antonio

Guterres who asked him to pull out his troops.

Western Sahara is a sparsely-populated area of mostly desert situated on the north-west coast of Africa.

It was annexed by Morocco in 1975 - a move resisted by the Polisario Front.

A 16-year insurgency ended with a UN-brokered truce in 1991 and the promise of a referendum on independence.

But this has yet to take place and Morocco still controls two-thirds of the territory, while thousands of refugees live over the border in Algeria. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Two of the suspects wanted by Malaysian Police were named as Hong Song Hac, 34, (top) and Ri Ji Hyon, 33

S

outh Korea’s intelligence agency believes that four of the North Korean men suspected of involvement in the death of Kim Jong-nam are spies.

The older half-brother of North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, was poisoned at the Kuala Lumpur airport, Malaysian Police say.

Four of the seven suspects named by Malaysia work for Pyongyang’s Ministry of State security, intelligence officials in Seoul told MPs. Kim Jong-nam died two weeks ago after two women accosted him in a check-in hall at the airport.

They say they thought they were taking part in a TV prank.

Kim was given a very high amount of the toxic

nerve agent VX and died in pain within 15-20 minutes, Malaysia’s Health Minister said on Sunday.

Malaysian Police arrested a North Korean man named Ri Jong Chol a few days after the killing.

Six other North Korean men have been named as suspects or are wanted in connection with the death.

Four of them flew out of Kuala Lumpur airport shortly after the attack on Kim, returning to Pyongyang via a complicated route that avoided China.

The two other North Koreans named by Malaysian authorities are a senior official at the North Korean embassy in Kuala Lumpur and an employee of the state airline, Air Koryo.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

16 news

tuesDAY, february 28, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Top Cop’s brother murdered

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ore than one week after a miner was stabbed to death in the vicinity of the Stabroek Market area, he was on Monday positively identified as the younger brother of Police Commissioner, Seelall Persaud.

The dead man was identified as Haymant Persaud by the Police Commissioner at the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC) mortuary. The Police, on Sunday, sought the assistance of the public to identify the man who was stabbed on February 19 last.

Guyana Times understands that after the photo of the dead man was published, it was only then, the Police Commissioner knew it was his brother.

At the time the man was stabbed to death, he was clad in a pair of long jeans and a blue and white chequered long sleeve shirt, slim built, about six feet in height, low haircut and fair in complexion.

Based on reports reaching the Guyana Times, a woman suspected to be involved in the stabbing to death of Persaud, was arrested but was released since at that time, the Police did not know the identity of the man.

It is believed that Persaud, who had apparently returned from the interior, was sporting in the vicinity of Stabroek Market

Driver identified as victim’s nephew

T Dead: Haymant Persaud

and was throwing money 'wild west'.

The female suspect, who was close by, joined in the drinking spree after which Persaud was reportedly lured to the washroom area at Stabroek Square where he was attacked by two men who attempted to relieve him of his money and other valuables.

The now dead man reportedly put up a fight, but was stabbed by one of the men who whipped out a knife. Several people in the area reportedly witnessed the stabbing incident and believed that it was the female suspect who set up the robbery.

Further, the Guyana Times was told that after the stabbing incident, public spirited citizens ran to the Guyana Fire Service for assistance in taking the in-

Police Commissioner Seelall Persaud

jured man to the hospital, but the ranks on duty at the time refused.

The ranks reportedly went to the scene and after they realised he was dead, they left the scene. The ambulance service was then contacted and the man was picked up and taken to the GPHC where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Upon receiving news of the fatal stabbing, Guyana Times contacted the Public Relations Department, but at the time it was not in receipt of any report of the murder.

Nevertheless, the Police are continuing their investigations with the hope that the female suspect would release the names of the men who committed the heinous crime.

Body found at Meten-meer-zorg

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he body of an unidentified man was found floating in a trench at Tarla Dam, Meten-meer-zorg, West Coast Demerara, on Monday morning.

According to information reaching Guyana Times, at around 08:10h, two children on their way to school made the gruesome discovery, and subsequently told their mother.

The man appears to be in his mid-thirties and is of Indian decent, and was clad in a black long pants and a white vest; he was also wearing a silver chain. There were visible scars on the man’s face

WBD fatal accident

The body that was found in the trench

and chest, as such, investigators have not ruled out foul play. Investigators also revealed to this publication that the man seems to have been in the trench for almost a day.

Divisonal Commander of

Division D (West Demerara/ East Bank Essequibo), Leslie James told Guyana Times that no one has yet come forward to identify the body.

Investigations into the discovery are ongoing.

he driver of motorcar PTT 8019 which struck and killed Bhagwandat Roopchand on Saturday morning, has been identified as his 21-year-old nephew who resides at Pouderoyen, West Bank Demerara (WBD).

The dead man, who is a vendor at Vreed-en-Hoop, West Coast Demerara (WCD) was reportedly making his way home when he was struck. The 21-yearold, who works at the High Court, Georgetown, was reprimanded by public spirited persons when he was pulled from the car in a drunken state.

This publication was told that the driver’s blood alcohol level at the time, was .75, which is more than three times the legal limit.

The man is currently in

Dead: Bhagwandat Roopchand

Police custody and will be charged with the offence of causing death by dangerous driving when he appears at the Vreed-enHoop Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday.

On Saturday, the driver

was proceeding north along the western side of the road when he hit Roopchand, who was crossing at the time.

The dead man’s son, Mark Roopchand, spoke with the Guyana Times and explained that there is a speed bump where his father was crossing, which would have forced the driver to stop, however, this did not happen as the man was speeding.

The man added that he was informed of the accident after which he rushed to the hospital, but saw his father dead body being taken to the mortuary.

Roopchand was rushed in an unconscious state to the West Demerara Regional Hospital, where he was admitted, but died some 30 minutes later.

Corentyne execution

Alleged mastermind to be charged with murder

D

irector of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has advised that the alleged mastermind behind the execution of the Corentyne domestic worker, Leelawattie Mohamed, will be charged with murder. Divisional Commander Assistant Commissioner Ian Amsterdam has confirmed that the Police will go ahead with the DPP’s advice.

The Assistant Commissioner explained that Indera Outar will be charged with the execution-style murder of Mohamed. The woman turned herself into Police in the company of an attorney on February 17, after the Police had stated that they needed to question her.

Dead: Leelawattie Mohamed

Mohammed was shot dead on February 7, at her lot 149 Sixth Tain Settlement, Corentyne home, after two men kicked down the door as

she and two of her children lay asleep.

Outar is believed to be the mastermind, plotting and paying for the execution. It is also believed that she hired and paid Oliver Permaul, a barber, Andre James, a tattoo artist, Rohan Johnson, a Jamaican National, Nazeema Permaul, wife of the barber, and Shabiki Alert Thompson, girlfriend of the tattoo artist, to execute the mother of four.

Those five are already before the court for the capital offence of murder. When the five were being led away from court, one of them told the media that it was the 40-year-old woman who hired them and paid $400,000 for the hit job.

US immigration policy

Foreign Service Officers briefed on possible impacts S

taff of the Foreign Service Institute of the Foreign Affairs Ministry were on Monday, briefed on the possible effects of current United States (US) administration immigration policies.

The presentation, according to a report from the Government Information Agency (GINA), was held in the boardroom of the Agriculture Ministry and was made by Vice Chancellor and Principal of the University of Guyana, Professor Ivelaw

Vice Chancellor and Principal of the University of Guyana, Professor Ivelaw Griffith addressing staff of the Foreign Service Institute

Griffith, titled “The emerging Trump Administration

Foreign Policy and dynamics related to Guyana and the

Caribbean”.

Director of the Foreign Service Institute, Ambassador Ronald Austin, explained that recent decisions on immigration by US President Donald Trump, “will have an immediate impact on our lives.”

He said, “We have to, I think first of all, in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and I think throughout the Government of Guyana, decide how we respond to the emergence of President Trump and the consequences

of his policies.”

Last week, the US Department of Homeland Security revealed plans for the enforcement of immigration laws that have been deemed aggressive and discriminatory against Muslims.

According to CNN, the “guidance memos expand the Federal Government’s ability to empower state and local law enforcement agencies to perform the functions of immigration officers, no National Guard troops will be deployed to round up immi-

grants in the US.” Ambassador Austin stated that, “This is not abstract foreign policy, this is direct consequences of a man who has decided to change the way the United States sees the world, and in particular as far as the immigrant population is concerned in the United States.”

US President Trump is likely to sign a new immigration executive order on Wednesday, a day after addressing lawmakers at a joint session of Congress.

news

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tuesDAY, February 28, 2017| guyanatimesgy.com

GECOM chairmanship

Another futile meeting between Govt, PPP – Nandlall

T

he second meeting between Attorney General Basil Williams, SC, and the legal team from the Opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP) has been another futile attempt to resolve the impasse that has arisen in relation to the appointment of a Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).

This is according to former Attorney General Anil Nandlall, who, along with PPP’s Priya Manickchand, met with Williams on Monday to continue their discussions on their varying interpretations of the Constitution of Guyana relative to the appointment of the GECOM Chairman.

According to Nandlall, the Attorney General did not live up to his promise to offer his or the Government’s interpretation of Article 161 (2) of the Constitution.

Instead, he handed them a document titled “Response of Hon Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Basil Williams, SC, MP, to the Opposition’s contention on Article 161 (2) of the Constitution.”

Nandlall said the document essayed a response to his interpretation of Article 161 (2) of the Constitution which he had submitted during the first meeting.

The former Attorney General said his successor’s focal argument is that the ejusdem generis rule of con-

Former Attorney General Anil Nandlall

struction of statute applies to Guyana.

The ejusdem generis rule is used to interpret statutes when a law lists classes of persons or things.

Efforts to contact the Attorney General for his take on the outcome of the meeting proved futile, as calls to his mobile phone went unanswered.

However, Nandlall posited that the entire argument of the ejusdem generis rule does not assist in resolving the matter at hand regarding the interpretation of Article 161 (2).

“In fact, if we are to follow suit and reciprocate, we will end up creating another and new controversy, ie, whether that cannon of statutory construction does or does not apply in Guyana.

This simply distracts from the issue at hand,” Nandlall

contended in a statement.

The Attorney General’s document concludes that “the ideal person in contemplation of the framers of the Constitution is someone who falls into the first category namely, a judge, a person who has held office as a judge or a person qualified to be a judge… a list from the Leader of the Opposition with candidates that only fit into the second category namely ‘any other fit and proper person’ would be an unacceptable list.”

Nandlall asserts that in his response, the Attorney General abysmally failed to address the quintessential issue and the real crux of the matter: who qualify as/ or what are the attributes of “any other fit and proper person”.

Article 161 (2) states that “… the Chairman of the Elections Commission shall be a person who holds or who has held office as a judge of a court having unlimited jurisdiction in civil and criminal matters in some part of the Commonwealth or a court having jurisdiction in appeals from any such court or who is qualified to be appointed as any such judge, or any other fit and proper person…”

In arguing that the ejusdem generis rule applies in Guyana, the Attorney General is positing that the pronoun “other” speaks volumes and must be interpreted to mean that such “other

East Bank Berbice Road repairs not likely this year

D

espite numerous promises by Government, the East Bank Berbice (EBB) main access road is not likely to be repaired this year.

Officially, the Ministry has not made a statement, however, sources close to the Ministry have indicated that there is no timeline for the project, and further revealed that the project will not be completed this year.

Residents have raised concern after promises were made that a section of the road would be rebuilt with money from the International Development Bank (IDB). Some residents are fearful that the project will be used as a 2020 national elections promotion.

More than $10 million has been spent on the road annually for the past two decades. Several protests have been staged by residents and vehicle operators who highlighted that millions are being spent on spare parts for damaged vehicles.

The Public Infrastructure Minister, David Patterson, as campaign manager for the Coalition leading up to the May 2015 General

A section of the road at Glasgow

Elections, held a meeting at Edinburgh and told party supporters that the previous administration had neglected them. He also assured that, should his party win the elections; repair work to the EBB Road will be a number one priority.

Under the Bharat Jagdeo administration, it was stated that the cost to rebuild the EBB road could not have been undertaken by Government alone, as such the IDB was contacted.

The Public infrastructure Ministry, by way of tender, related that the IBD loan was approved for the rebuilding on the EBB road.

Government had initially said that it was seeking US$7 million for the project.

In 2016, the IDB ap-

proved the loan and the Public Infrastructure Ministry advised that a contractor was selected and work was expected to commence in August last year.

Residents on the East Bank counted the weeks, then the months that passed.

They were then assured that works would commence in September 2016.

By October, they were told that work will start before the year ends. During that month they were told that work will not be done in 2016. In January they were told that the project will commence mid-March.

Guyana Times understands that the IDB and the Public Infrastructure Ministry did not agree on the contractor.

PPP’s Priya Manickchand

fit and proper persons” must possess the characteristics of the two-named preceding persons. But Nandlall previously contended that the Court of Appeal had ruled that the ejusdem generis rule does not apply in Guyana.

The PPP had explained on countless occasions that the Constitution was amended to include the Carter Formula which was designed to expand the range of persons suitable to be appointed the GECOM

Chairman (to not limit that pool of persons to judges or those qualified to be judges).

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo has nominated Attorney and Chartered Accountant Christopher Ram; Executive Member of the Private Sector Commission (PSC), Ramesh Dookhoo; former PSC Chairman and Army Chief Norman Mc Lean; writer Rhyaan Shah; Professor James Rose; and human rights and conflict resolution consultant Lawrence Latchmansingh.

But President David Granger declared that the entire list was “unacceptable” because none of the candidates met the constitutional requirement of being a judge or being eligible to be a judge.

From all indications, Granger wants all six persons to meet that constitutional requirement of being in possession of such legal qualifications. He had requested the Opposition Leader submit a second list, but Jagdeo has since indicated that he would await the outcome of the meeting be-

Attorney General Basil Williams

tween the Attorney General and his representatives before he makes a decision.

He had also suggested going to the Caribbean Court of Justice to seek an interpretation of the Guyana Constitution given the impasse locally. Based on the outcome of the meetings between the Attorney General and the PPP representatives, the nation will know how the political leaders will move forward regarding the appointment of a new GECOM Chairman.

Berbice 2017 Mash attracts hundreds … as Govt’s participation dwindles

D

espite the fact that several Government Ministries had no representation during the Mashramani 2017 float parade in Berbice, revellers turned out in their numbers on Sunday in New Amsterdam as the annual celebrations culminated.

The Culture, Public Health and the Indigenous People’s Ministries were represented by several officials who joined the parade.

However, the Regional Health Services captured the crowd’s attention with their three bands that took to the streets.

Spectators flocked to see the Mash parade in New Amsterdam

The B Division Police float

The Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) Administration, which has

never failed to the way as they a green economy stewardship of

wow, led portrayed under the President

David Granger. The need for renewable energy was also depicted in their Morrice Moria float.

B Division Police did not miss a step and attracted scores of teenagers behind their band, as they depicted how sports, education and culture can make safer communities.

Even with the absence of the Government Ministries’ participation, revellers enjoyed the festivities.

"Not because they ain’t come, we can't enjoy we self," one of the several thousand revellers told Guyana Times.

Notably absent from this year’s celebration in Region Six were the Agriculture, Indigenous People’s Affairs , Education and Communities Ministries.

18

guyanatimesgy.com

tuesDAY, February 28, 2017

ARCHIE

Keep a lid on the way you feel. Observation will be (March 21- in your best interest. Don’t April 19) make assumptions or engage in arguments based on insufficient facts. Choose peace over discord ARIES

You need to seriously asTAURUS sess the secrets you’ve been (April 20- keeping and the cost of doing May 20) so. Certain matters should be revealed to help eliminate uncertainty and stress

dilbert

Don’t try to change others.

GEMINI Make an honest attempt to (May 21June 20) increase your inner strength.

Making your life better begins within. If you share your feelings, your personal life will improve The so-called opportunity someone is giving you is prob(June 21- ably not going to help you as July 22) much as it would him or her.

Branch out alone, without broadcasting what you are going to do

CANCER

Peanuts

Altering your vocation or LEO domestic situation will open a (July 23window of opportunity, giving Aug. 22) you clear passage to get what you want. Children and elders will play a role in your life Keep your enemies close so VIRGO (Aug. 23- that you can see what might Sept. 22) be used against you. Protect yourself against bad health, financial loss and a poor reputation

Calvin and Hobbes

If you look for an opporLIBRA tunity, you will find it. Take (Sept. 23time to nurture partnerships Oct. 23) and to include those who can be of assistance to you when you need it. Romance is featured

WORD GAME TODAY’S WORD — TYPICAL (TYPICAL: TIP-ih-kul: Characteristic of a particular person or thing.)

SUDOKU

If you express your feelSAGITTARIUS ings, you will find a way to (Nov. 23- improve your personal life or Dec. 21) bring greater business opportunities within reach. Love can’t be forced or bought, but it can be earned

Average mark 15 words Time limit 30 minutes Can you find 21 or more words in TYPICAL? The list will be published tomorrow.

YESTERDAY’S WORD — ULTERIOR utile lieu lire liter loiter lore lour lout lure lurer lute tier tile tiler

tire tiro toil toile toiler tole tore torr tour tourer trio true truer tule

etui euro relit retro rile riot rioter rite roil role rote roue rout route

router rule ruler rutile oiler oriel outer

RULES OF THE GAME: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed. 3. Additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. For example, if “bake” is used, “baked” or “bakes” is not allowed, but “bake” and “baking” are admissible. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed. To contact Word Game creator Kathleen Saxe, write to Word Game, Kathleen Saxe, Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.

Copyright 2015, Distributed by Universal Uclick for UFS

Work from home, if possiSCORPIO ble. You’ll get more done and (Oct. 24avoid interference. Unusual Nov. 22) lifestyle changes will give you peace of mind and greater insight into your future

solution for Last Published Puzzle

Emotional distress will CAPRICORN take charge if you try to con(Dec. 22trol situations.

Choose to let Jan. 19) everyone, including yourself, have the freedom to do whatever will bring the best results Reconnect with a former AQUARIUS co-worker in order to forge a (Jan. 20new beginning. Your ability to Feb. 19) make things happen through discipline and hard work will be admired PISCES Make a commitment to do (Feb. 20- your best. Figure out the best March 20) way to get what you want, and start moving forward. All talk and no action won’t get you very far.

tuesDAY, febRuary 28, 2017

Hales headed to the West Indies

CONCACAF Beach Soccer Championship…

Haynes wins best young player award G

uyana’s Jamal Haynes won the Scotiabank Young Player Award at the 2017 CONCACAF Beach Soccer Championship on Sunday which was held in Bahamas.

Haynes impressed fans and tournament organisers with a dazzling array of tricks and goals.

Guyana’s beach soccer national team, performing at this level for the first time, defeated Belize 4-1 in the group stages and Antigua & Barbuda 6-4 in the placement stages.

Guyana finished 12th out of 16 teams.

Playing up front for most of the tournament, Haynes scored a hat-trick in the win against Antigua & Barbuda, including one of the goals of the tournament – a spectacular overhead kick that soared into the top corner; in total, Haynes scored six goals.

“It was a nice experience playing against the bigger nations. I feel really pleased knowing that I’ve played against players with a lot of experience and who’ve been to World Cup so my first-time performance in this tournament was excellent and I’m pleased about it. I am extremely excited collecting the award,” Haynes said.

The Guyana Football Federation is working to encourage more players to take up beach soccer, and to lay solid foundations for future success in the sport. Other smaller

19

Jamal Haynes’ spectacular “bicycle kick” stunned many of the fans who attended the matches

footballing nations have found success on the global stage through the development of beach soccer, including Tahiti, who finished as runners-up in the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup 2015 and hosted the tournament in 2013.

“We are extremely proud of the progress that Jamal and the whole men’s beach soccer squad have made in the Bahamas during this tournament,” said GFF President Wayne Forde. “Jamal saw off a lot of very strong regional competition to win this award, and it is deserved recognition for all the hard work he has put into his game.”

“Jamal’s performances have been one of the clear highlights of the competition, at the heart of an exciting team that has placed Guyana firmly on the beach soccer map and given us every reason to be very confident about the future.”

GFF Technical Director Ian Greenwood said: “Jamal’s personal achievement is remarkable, given the limited exposure this squad has had to beach soccer at this level. It shows the strength of individual talent that exists in Guyana, which we are now working to harness and develop more effectively. Jamal and the team have improved steadily throughout their preparations and the tournament, and we have a promising platform to build on for the future.

Alex Hales scored England’s ODI record individual score of 171 against Pakistan at Trent Bridge last summer

E

ngland opener Alex Hales will join his side on their tour of the West Indies after recovering from a hand fracture.

The 28-year-old suffered the injury to his right hand during January’s tour of India but a scan confirmed he has sufficiently recovered. The Nottinghamshire batsman will rejoin his international team-mates three days before the first match in Antigua on 3 March.

Hales tweeted: “Antigua tomorrow. Can’t wait to get back amongst it!”

“Alex Hales arrives tomorrow evening local time,” the ECB confirmed.

“He will continue his rehab with us until the medical and coaching teams deem he is fit enough to join the squad officially.”

England warmed up for their three-match one-day series in the West Indies with a 117-run win over a Vice Chancellor’s XI. England are yet to bat in Monday’s second warm-up against the President’s XI, who were bowled out for 233 after Liam Plunkett and Ben Stokes each took three wickets. (BBC)

Panama win title - Guyana finish in 12th place

P

anama won its first CONCACAF Beach Championship with a 4-2 win over defending-champion Mexico on Sunday at the Malcolm Park Beach Soccer Facility.

Both sides will represent the Confederation -- along with the host Bahamas -- at the 2017 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup, which launches on April 27.

Justo Arrocha netted a brace, while Alfonso Maquensi and Rafael Garcia contributed with a goal each in a victorious effort.

Mexico - which had won its previous two CBSC final appearances in 2011 and 2015 -saw the competition’s joint-top scorer Jose Ramon Maldonado Alonso struck for two goals.

Despite what was at stake, both sides began in fast fashion, three-time champion Mexico edged proceedings as it rattled

the crossbar, before Maldonado Alonso forced a great save from Eder Patino.

Maldonado Alonso, however, would not be kept quiet for long, with the midfielder glancing Diego Villasenor’s throw into the Panama goal with two remaining in the first period to give Mexico a 1-0 lead.

Jose Carlos Moreno spurn a glorious chance to double the advantage as Panama defended with their lives.

That miss was punished as Arrocha equalized with Panama’s first clear-cut chance eight minutes into the middle frame.

Arrocha almost had a second soon after, coming close to capitalizing on a poor back pass from Diego Rodriguez, but the defender remained in the thick of things and was on target when he glanced in Ricardo Obregon’s cross with

two minutes left in the second period.

Maldonado Alonso was the man to bring the sides back on level terms a minute later, drawing him equal with jointtop scorer Belize’s Marlon Meza on 12 goals.

Panama went ahead for good three minutes into the second period, when Maquensi lobbed Diego Villasenor with precision from out wide.

A wonderful, instinctive save from Jose Victoria kept Panama in front, beforeGarcia found the bottom corner with two minutes left on the clock for an insurance goal.

Goals: 0-1: Alonso, min. 2 (1); 1-1: Arrocha, min. 4 (2); 2-1: Arrocha, min. 2 (3); 2-2: Alonso, min. 1 (2); 3-2: Maquensi, min. 9 (3); 4-2: Rafael Garcia, min. 2 (3) Other matches Captain Greivin Pacheco hat-

The victorious Panama celebrate their victory on Sunday evening in the Bahamas

trick helped Costa Rica edge Canada 6-5 after extra time and secure ninth place at the Championship.

The Ticos led 4-1 midway through the second period after Pacheco’s first two goals, but Canada battled back with a quick-fire double from Jacob Orellana and Danilo Pessoa early in the third.

Danny Johnson gave Costa Rica a 5-4 lead with 5:32 left in the third period, only for Milos Scepanovic to level less than

two minutes later. Ultimately, it fell to Pacheco to clinch win with his third goal of the match with 2:14 left in extra time.

Elvis Thomas and Omarie Daniel scored three goals each as Antigua & Barbuda finished ninth thanks to an 8-6 win over Guyana, which got braces from Jamal Haynes and Deshawn Joseph.

Belize hit the goal trail in their 13th-place playoff success against Turks & Caicos Islands, earning a 9-4 win. In

an impressive performance, Marlon Meza scored four goals, while Jeremy James and Alexander Jones added two each.

In the first game of the final day, Barbados fought from a goal down to beat US Virgin Islands, 3-1, in the match for 15th place.

Vincent Schulz got USVI off to a strong start with the opening goal, but Barbados claimed the victory on goals from Andre Pinder, Elvin Griffith and Ramon Manning. (CONCACAF)

20

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

tuesDAY, febRuary 28, 2017

GFF-Scotiabank Academy 12-year-old Karateka Tyler Orderson enjoys Black off to successful Belt accomplishments

start in Berbice

By Ravi Madholall

T

Some of the young aspiring footballers go through the drills at the All Saints Primary School Ground

Y

oung boys and girls in New Amsterdam enjoyed fun football drills with free coaching at the first Guyana Football Federation (GFF)Scotiabank Academy Training Centre (ATC) grassroots session in Berbice on Saturday.

At the All Saints Primary School, an enthusiastic group braved intermittent showers to practice dribbling around cones, catching and kicking the ball, and navigating a narrow slalom course at speed, before experimenting with their new array of skills in mini-matches.

A key part of each ATC is a weekly grassroots session for boys and girls aged 5 to 11, involving fun, ba-

sic football drills under the guidance of trained coaches in a safe environment.

“The sessions themselves are age-specific, so they are a lot of fun, but they are also building in the fundamentals of what is required when they get further forward,” said GFF Technical Director Ian Greenwood.

“We have to make sure we are making that bond, so that the players want to come back every week.”

The GFF-Scotiabank ATC employs nine full-time Technical Development Officers (TDO) and 14 parttime Youth Development Coaches (YDC) who are charged with the weekto-week organisation of a range of regional training

sessions for boys and girls aged 5 to 17, including the grassroots activities.

“We had kids from all across Berbice, kids from as far as Rosignol, as far as Corentyne, as far as Canje, and a lot of low-lying areas – a mixture of kids, different races, different creeds, different backgrounds,” said YDC Mark Bollers.

The GFF, in partnership with Scotiabank, has created Guyana’s first nationwide network of youth football academies across the nine regional football associations to get more children interested in football, and to scout and more effectively develop talented boys and girls for the national youth squads.

welve-year-old Tyler Enrique Orderson has expressed enjoyment with his accomplishments in what can be deemed as a terrific career so far, with the latest being the third-degree Black Belt (Sandan Rank) which always is run under the auspices of the International Karate Daigaku (IKD).

Having fought twice already in Canada at the biennial IKD, Orderson stated that the exposure was immensely instrumental to where he kicking things now.

Currently attending Marian Academy Catholic School and the Guyana Karate College (GKC), Orderson is dreaming high to dominate the sports both locally and internationally.

After he had earned the impressive feat of the first degree Black Belt (Shodan Rank) at the age of seven, Orderson two years later became the youngest second degree Black Belt (Nidan Rank). Orderson reiterated the importance of staying focused and in an unlimited training period.

“I [am] very proud with my achievements so far; these achievements are because of self-disciplined and determination and opting to practice my techniques against other bigger and bulkier students who are two or three times my body weight,” Orderson related.

According to him, it requires extreme physical, mental, emotional and spiritual strength and also considerable skill, experience and dedication of his Sensei Jeffrey Wong, a sixth Dan Black Belt who is a Senior Instructor and

Tyler Orderson receiving his third Dan Certificate from Shuseki Shihan Frank Woon-A-Tai

Vice-Chairman of the GKC. Orderson spoke greatly about his participation for Guyana at the two successive World Cup tournaments that were held at the Ryerson University Auditorium in Toronto, Canada in 2012 and 2015 when he performed outstandingly as well.

“I think it was a wonderful experience; it had fighters from around the world and you had to compete very hard but I am still cherishing the two tournaments that I would have learned a lot,” an enthusiastic Orderson mentioned. He gave his deepest gratitude to Chairman and Chief Instructor Canadianbased Guyanese Shuseki Shilan Frank Woon-A-Tai, a Ninth Degree Black Belt of the IKD and other senior instructors for their assistance in various ways to his successful endeavours. He stated that their examinations were very gruelling, but simultaneously capitalised on the opportunity to better his skills.

Notably, the IKD is dedicated to the teachings of Master Funakoshi, the

founder of modern karate, and Master Masatoshi Nakayama, the internationally renowned master of Shotokan Karate, who saw karate as an unfinished art that would grow with knowledge. The IKD has mandated itself to further the art by studying the medical and scientific aspects of karate. All aspects of karate will be studied and analysed including, philosophy, physical education and fitness, self-defence, and sport.

Meanwhile, Orderson also took the opportunity to say that his extracurricular activities include listening to music, while he regularly plays Chess and Tennis.

He revealed that he will continue to work and train hard for a national tournament which is set for early May. He has a message for other youngsters that says, “If you have a dream, you must chase it no matter where it takes you, and no matter what the naysayers utter, no matter when people doubt you, focus on what you want to do and go out there and achieve it.”

Brathwaite can’t repeat World T20 heroics every time – Browne C

ourtney Browne, the West Indies chairman of selectors, has said that allrounder Carlos Brathwaite cannot be expected to produce the heroics of the World Twenty20 final each time he plays.

Browne was commenting on Brathwaite’s lean form with the bat in the recently-concluded Regional Super50 domestic one-day tournament, won by Barbados Pride, Brathwaite’s team.

Since the beginning of 2016, Brathwaite has scored just 304 runs in 27 List A games at an average of 14.47, with a highest score of 46. With the ball, he has taken 46 wickets at an average of 30.66. Brathwaite, who was recently made West Indies’ T20 captain, hasn’t enjoyed too much success in the shortest format either. In 26 T20s since 2016, Brathwaite has managed just 212 runs at 12.47 and 33 wickets at an aver-

age of 30.66.

“What you must understand is this is still a young man,” Browne told a Caribbean radio station. “If we expect Carlos to repeat what he did in the World Cup every single time, we’re going to fool ourselves.

Carlos needs to develop like any other cricketer. We’ve dug ourselves in a massive hole over the years, there’s no quick fix to our problem.

It is about hard work. It’s not about ‘you’ve had five games, you have not performed’ so just throw the player away.”

Browne pointed out that Brathwaite has earned a lot of respect from coaches and captains over the years with his attitude and hardwork.

In January, Brathwaite opted to leave early from the Sydney Thunder in the Big Bash League where he was signed as a replacement for fellow West Indies allrounder Andre Russell.

After Carlos Brathwaite helped West Indies win the World T20 last year, he hasn’t enjoyed much success © Getty Images

Incidentally, he was one of the three players - along with Darren Bravo and Marlon Samuels - to decline a WICB contract late last year. Although he is an attractive buy for teams across domestic Twenty20 leagues, Brathwaite has said he wants to focus on doing well for West Indies.

Brathwaite, Browne

said, was an “investment” that would come good eventually. “He’s a young player who is a very exciting player on his day, who hasn’t played a lot of international cricket either,” Browne said.

“He’s an investment and we all know if we get him right what he can produce for us.

Carlos’s strike rate would be more than the other bowlers

because of the time of the games when he bowls.

“Carlos and a lot of the other players, we have players now who actually want to play, we have players who are committed, they are self-starters, they work hard. When you see players who are doing that, you know that you will be able to create that environment

that is conducive to producing cricketers that can perform consistently.”

Browne said West Indies’ selection panel are likely to give players an extended run in the playing XI to help them develop, as opposed to the approach of selection in the past.

“We are number eight in the world because we put ourselves there by playing bad cricket over the years by making bad decisions. When you look at our players, there are some who have been given a little extension because you want them to develop,” Browne said.

“We don’t want to have a case where you have a whole bunch of players, like what used to happen in the past, where we had so many players, all of them had games under their belts but none ever got a good extension or fair run to help them to develop. We need to develop cricketers.”

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Members of the Rupununi Football Association at the launching

he second edition of Rupununi Football Association (RFA) rebranded “Champions League 2017” will kick-off on March 4 and runs until July 2.

President of the RFA Ken Grant announced that the number of participating clubs has risen to 16 as compared to last year where only five clubs managed to organised their membership.

He further explained the rules in details which governed the tournament and thanked all the clubs for their effort in making it to this year’s league.

Grant was also appreciative of Mahdia Goal Getters FC for registering as it showed that the geographical layout of the region will not stop football.

Also present at the launching were Secretary Colin Henry ,Guyana

Football Federation (GFF) committee member Rayan Farias along with representatives from Tabatinga FC, Gladiators FC, Snatchers FC and St Ignatius Sports Club and referees.

Male and female matches will be played simultaneously throughout the league and teams will be competing for cash prizes, trophies and medals.

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Members of the Good Success SC with the lawnmower at the Wakenaam Community Centre Ground

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verseas-based Guyanese Faiyaz Alli and Patsy Downey, a member of the People’s Progressive Party’s United Kingdom (UK) branch, recently donated a lawnmower to the Good Success Sports Club in Wakenaam.

The machine, which will be used to cut the outfield of the ground (Wakenaam Community Centre ground) at Good Success, was recently shipped to Guyana from the UK. Speaking with Guyana Times Sport via email, Ali who hails from Parika, East Bank

Essequibo, said he was impressed with the attitude of members of the Club and they will continue to be supportive.

“The guys at Good Success SC showed the determination to get things done, from what was a pasture they have transformed it into one of the top cricket facilities in the county; they are role models for the whole of Guyana to follow and we are happy to give support,” he stated.

Secretary of the Club, Nazeer Mohamed, in response expressed deep gratitude to Ali, Downey,

Fiona and Neel Patel, former member of the Club Ashtaq Mohamed who now resides in Toronto, Mohamed Yamin (Everest Freighting), Shridat Naraine (PAS Cargo USA), Desmond Mohamed (Chairman of Enmore Community Centre), Anil Persaud, Rafeena Ali and the Guyana Cricket Board.

Mohamed mentioned that with the donation of the lawnmower to aid in the cutting of the ground, is now an easy task, adding that cricket can now be played on a frequent basis.

22

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

tuesdAY, febRuary 28, 2017

Petra/Limacol Round-robin Knock-out Football…

Millington’s

Fitness Challenge

hat-trick sets up

Tigers, Police final

set for march 5

Three-in-three! Devon Millington proved to be the difference between both sides with an electrifying hat-trick

Action at Sunday's semi-final between Western Tigers (yellow) and Santos

A

dynamic hat-trick by the experienced Devon Millington allowed Western Tigers to claw their way into the final of the 2nd annual Petra Organised Limacol Roundrobin Knock-out Football Tournament against Guyana Police Force FC. Tigers and Police booked their spots in the grand final after two pulsating semi-final matches on Sunday evening at the Georgetown Football Club (GFC), Bourda.

The match between Santos and Western Tigers was a rematch of the recently concluded Stag Nations Cup final which the former won and repeated the same with a 3-2 victory.

After a series of nail-biting offensive play by both sides, Ryan October put Santos ahead in the 26th minute after he placed his left-foot volley powerfully into the back of the net.

The West Ruimveldt unit responded when Millington collected a pass from the mid-field while running down the right wing and then whipped it into the lower left of the net to level the scores in emphatic fashion and much to the delight of the sizeable crowd in attendance.

Seven minutes into the second half an own goal by the Tigers kept the seesaw nature of the match in check as Santos returned in the lead but only briefly.

Two minutes later the power of Millington was displayed once again with a bullet-like shot from just on the outskirts of the penalty area, which rocketed into the left side of the net.

36-strong “star-studded”

In what proved to be the winning goal, was less powerful and more of a deft touch as the player slid his way pass two defenders to make a simple tap-in in the 54th minute.

In the other match, Police edge Winners Connection 2-1 in a thrill-

which eventually came in Police’s favour as an outstretched Lerone Charles dabbed the ball into goal after collecting a pass from the left-wing in the 85th minute.

Meanwhile, the final is slated for this Saturday at the same venue from

A

s Guyana continues to promote a healthy lifestyle, the third annual Fitness Challenge which is title-sponsored by Kares Engineering Inc will see six teams of six players for a total of 36 competitors taking to the line when the tournament gets underway on March 5.

The Fitness Challenge was launched at the Giftland Mall Strip, Liliendaal, East Coast Demerara with notable personnel present, including Director of Sport Christopher Jones and Giftland Chief Executive Officer, Roy Beepat.

Not only was it a star-studded launching, it will be a star-studded event as their will be a number of local celebrities taking part including Reon King, who is a former west indies player, Entertainers, Kerwin Bollers, Vanilla, Former Miss World Guyana Nuriyyah Gerrard, just to name a few. Apart from the celebrities, some of the fitness enthusiasts such as last year’s winner, Dillon Mahadeo will be once again competing.

The first event will be two laps around the National Park which is a total of two miles, after which the athletes will have to go 400 meters with a 50-70 pound sack.

Following that, they will then try to complete 33 dead lifts at 155-225lbs, in 15 minutes; 33 30-inch jumps and 33 kettle bell swings (35 pounds); as well as 33 chin overs; and 66 jump chest to bar and 33 overhead squats.

This marks an increase of events from last year.

Before two more events play out prior to a random activity to be decided on the day. With the celebrities involved, Scotia Bank has issued the Challenge that will see them competing for the benefit of charities, including the Ruimveldt Children’s Home and Care Centre, and the Help and Shelter.

Apart from Kares Engineering, a number of businesses have joined in the action such as Ansa McAl through their Lucozade Brand, DeSinco Trading, Wind Jammer, Johnny P Supermarket, Scotia Bank, Arrow point resort, Tech Pro, Fitness Express, Star Party Rental, Wings Investment, Baganara Island Resort, Trophy stall, Courts, Genisis Fitness Express and St Joseph Mercy Hospital.

Organiser of the event, Noshavyah King, related that there will be cash prizes for the first to third place fittest individuals, as well as the fittest team.

Mahadeo (395 points) won the Male segment, followed by Carlos Mendonca (332) and Monano Jeffrey (328), while Candace Lynch (390) won the Female category, ahead of Semonica Duke (385) and Neesa Bhagwandin (355). Life Gym took the team title with 975 points, while Elite Systems finished second on 969 and

Last year’s winner, Dillon Mahadeo

Cross Fit Bel Air third on 866 in last year’s tournament.

Tickets cost $1000 and are available at Fitness Express and all local gyms.

IFB 3x3 Lesser Antilles Basketball…

A The winning Police duo! Lerone Chalres (left) and Junior Gordon

er that looked to head into extra-time after the scores were still tied at 1-1 in the 85th minute.

Junior Gordon in the 25th had given the lawmen an early lead which they carried into the second half where the drama began to unfold. As dying minutes of the match began creeping to a close, the Linden unit found a new sense of urgency and success came when Allon Garrett scored a leaping header from a well-directed corner in the 68th minute.

Both sides began pressing more for the lead,

21:00 hrs while Winners Connection and Santos will do battle in the third place-off from 19:00 hrs.

The Winner of the event will pocket $500,000 and a trophy while the second, third and fourth placed teams will receive $300,000, $200,000 and $100,000 respectively and the corresponding accolade.

To date, Banks DIH Limited under the GT Beer Brand, Trophy Stall and Star Party Rentals are the other companies that have thrown their support behind the championship.

fter two gruelling days of basketball in the International Basketball Federation’s 3x3 Under-18 basketball tournament, Guyana came second best on Sunday as the competition was hosted in St Lucia.

Guyana had won their two games on the opening night and required at least two more wins to secure their semi-final berth.

The local boys did so by winning their three matches in the first stage before advancing to the semis.

In the first match of the day, the Guyanese team disposed of Antigua and Barbuda, who proved to be one of the most high-profile games of the competition, 7-9 before going on to face St Vincent who were also beaten as Guyana won 4-12.

In their final contest of the group stages, Guyana trounced Aruba by a 4-12 margin and earned a spot in the semis undefeated and booked to face Guadelope, who they dismantled

takes Guyana to 2nd place 9-12 to set their final showdown with Martinque.

However, the dream-run for the local basketball stars ended in an anti-climax with Guyana marginally missing out on what would have been a spectacular display of skills and flair, unfortunately Martinque won the title having squeezed a thin 9-8 victory over the Guyanese.

Nevertheless, Guyana had been represented well and showed a fighting resilience with a player going on one leg.

Stanton Rose was the highlight of the tournament, outscoring the other players in the overall competition, but missed out on the Most Valuable Player Award.

Timothy Thompson was the leading dunker and in top four list of rebounders in the overall tournament.

The President of FIBA, Horacio Muratore, who presented the Silver Medals to Guyana Team, Congratulated Guyana for Giving FIBA such an heroic and

memorial 3 x 3 Under-18 Finals in the Caribbean.

Special thanks were extended to Dennis C l a r ke ; the Guyana Basketball Amateur Federation; Colts Basketball Club; Citizenship Ministry (Minister Winston Felix); Guyana Passport Office; Guyana Police Service (Acting Police Commissioner David Ramnarine); Youth Basketball Guyana; National Sports Commission; Director of Sport Christopher Jones; Patrick and Paul Haynes; Shania Wilson; Leona Kyte and Selena Arjune; as well as all the schools that participated in the Guyana Qualifiers (Bishops’ High, St John’s College, Tutorial High School, Berbice Multilateral High School, Plaisance Secondary, North Georgetown Secondary, Christ Church Secondary School and Kwakwani Secondary).

guyanatimesgy.com

tuesDAY, febRuary 28, 2017

Florida Cup Softball Tournament 2017…

23

Regal complete Sunshine State double -Thomas, Sanasie sparkle in finals

Regal Masters and All-Stars teams come together to celebrate the double on Sunday at Central Broward Regional Park Stadium, Fort Lauderdale

By John Ramsingh in Florida

dismissals to good bowling from the Orlando Masters saw a significant dip in the scoring rate especially when Linden Lyght played and missed for 17 from 28 balls. Chunilall who played a match winning innings, 95 not out in the semifinals against Floodlights of Guyana made 28 (4x3) and Ajrune who looked in good touch all tournament without getting a big score made 14 (4x1; 6x1).

At 62/4 after 10 overs, the Regal Masters camp looked uneasy but after Lyght limped off in the 12th over with a hamstring injury it was time for the Thomas/Baker show. They put on 129 in under seven overs that give them momentum for the second half of the final while knocking the wind out of the sails of Orlando Masters. The lefthanded Thomas hit 10 maximums and three fours in the top score of 82 from 29 balls while the hard hitting Rudolph “Gussy” Baker finished on 41 not out from 19 balls with three fours and four sixes to push the score to 199/4 from their 20 overs. All of the Orlando Masters bowlers’ second spells were expensive, Motie Singh picked up 2-48, Colin Gonsalves 1-28 and Tony Kissoon 1-35 were the wicket takers.

Orlando Masters began the run chase on a positive note and after 10 overs they were 74/3 entertaining thoughts of an upset. Laurie “Tony”

A good crowd gathered to witness loss after 10.2 overs. Richard Latif the Regal double as the All-Stars team stroked an attractive 74 (4x5; 6x6) egal Masters and All-Stars teams duly blew away Hurricanes of South and got great support from Navin left Guyana for the United States Florida by 10 wickets in a one-sided Singh with 24 (4x2; 6x1). Latif hit his Sunshine state of Florida for the affair. fifth boundary straight in the dressing Florida Cup well prepared and full of The championship was set up by room of hi9s team mates to spark wild confidence which ensured a clean clever bowling from Tyrone Sanasie celebration from the new champions. sweep when the tournament was and Delroy Perriera whose combined At the presentation ceremony, played last weekend. figures are 10-2-24-7. Quick bowlers, both championship winning teams Both teams played unbeatable Richard Latif and Sewchand “Randy” received trophies and medals while over the three days and were heavy Budhu opened the bowling and after Sewchand Budhu was named Most favourites for the top prizes even 4 overs, Hurricanes were accumulating Valuable player of the tournament. He before the first ball was bowled on steam at 23 without loss when Fazal was also awarded for making the most Friday.

Rafeek tossed the ball to the 40-year runs in the tournament including an The finals were played at the old Sanasie who was playing his first even century against Orlando All-Stars international cricket venue, the match of the tournament. After the on Saturday. Sanasie was adjudged the Central Broward Regional Park over the score was 24/3 with Rayon Player of the final while in the Masters stadium in Lauderhill and were Sewchand Budhu poses with his Sukhnandan (16), Kevin Budna second category Eric Thomas was the Player silverware which represents a blessed with brilliant weather for the ball duck and Ravi Girou first ball duck of the final. All centurions and bowlers memorable debut in Florida Cup finale. In the opening fixture, Regal all sent back. It was soon 26/6 then taking five wickers or more in a match Masters were led by Eric Thomas with Singh and Capatin Throy Kippins had 38/7 before Paul Sukhnandan (22) and received cash incentives. assistance from Rudolph Baker as the Both Regal teams were preparing other ideas and spun webs around the Ansar Baksh (23) put on 46 to push pair rescued their team from disaster opposition before they were dismissed the score to respectability at 104 all on and off the field for the tournament against dark horses, Orlando Masters. for 152 in the 19th over. Singh finished out from 24 of the 25 overs. Sanasie well in advance and will add the Regal Masters were sent in and with 2-16 and Kippins 2-19 while finished with 5-1-19-6, Roohit Dutchin Florida Cup double to the New York were once again in top order troubles Hardyal (1-28) and Fazleem Mohamed 3-1-3-2, Perreira 5-1-5-1 and Rafeek Independence Cup double and the on a flat track and lightning fast (1-52) claimed one each. Daniel 1-23 (4). Playing in their first Florida Guyana Softball Cup double to their outfield with boundaries not so far Sahadeo made 39, John Joseph 23 and Cup, the Regal openers wasted little resume. apart. Eion Abel (4) was bowled in in Gonsalves 20 tried valiantly while the time the first over and his opening partner, tournament’s highest run scorer Terry t a k i n g Mahendra Hardyal (0) was snapped Permaul who hit 204 on the opening home the up in the covers next over at 9/2. day against Legends was sent back for big prize The most consistent pair, Mahesh a single to give Regal Masters the 47- finishing Chinilall and Mohendra Arjune then 106 run victory and the championship in on joined forces and played some shots their third attempt at the Florida Cup. w i t h o u t ajesh Singh was reto get the innings going but their elected unopposed as President of the Everest Cricket Club when the organisation held its Annual General Meeting and elections on Friday night at the club’s main pavilion.

Johnny Azeez was he Smalta Under-14 their female elected Vice President and Indoor Hockey League counterparts Saheed Mohamed Junior resumed action on left off, Vice President. Carmachand Friday, this time at the Marian defeating GCC Rambarran was retained as Academy facility, which is the War Dogs Secretary, while Reuel Sumair largest hosting ground that is 11-0 and will serve as the Assistant being used for the league and GCC Thunder Secretary. Prakash Balgobin Rajesh Singh is able to accommodate two Bolts 7-1 was elected as the Treasurer courts, seeing St Joseph’s High respectively. and Ryan Bissessar the Singh, who also plays firstSchool (SJH) Boys remaining Despite these Assistant. The Club’s Captain division cricket for the Club undefeated, while Sarah defeats, GCC is Mitchel Caesar, while the related that they will continue Klautky starred in the girls Thunder Bolts committee members are with their self-help projects division.

Jason Gomes Satyendra Khemraj, Alison and called upon the members During the action in the was the Mohamed, Roland Fanfair and to support. “The installation boy’s division, despite being Smalta’s male of lights at the venue will be Ravin Balkarran. newcomers to the sport, SJH top-scorer of John Ramsingh was very much a reality in the near remained undefeated after the day with retained as the Public Relations future and we hope to have Friday’s games having entered five goals in the St Joseph’s Akeela Ralph counterattacks against the Fernandes sisters and top scorer Sarah Klautky of Marian Academy Officer; the internal auditors an all-weather cricket facility unchallenged since the Thunder Bolts’ previous session where they match against are Anthony Rampersaud in place by the conclusion of the SHC Sensations both includes teams from SHC, HHC and Bhesham Persaud, while the year,” he commented. hosted. the GCC War Dogs.

Singh pointed out that Kalfanni Yan scored an early Meanwhile in the girls’ secured victories over GCC Old Fort, GCC, Marian Academy the external auditor is Nizam teams.

Mariah Seegobind of and SJH. The tournament will Squash, Table Tennis, Softball goal to secure their win over division, Marian Academy with Ali and Company. Singh, who the Silencers continued her utilise the auditoriums of St cricket, cards and dominoes the Hikers’ (HHC) Hatchets, the home court advantage, is also the captain of the while the rest of the St Joseph’s defeated St Joseph’s 5-0 and scoring streak this week by Stanislaus College, St Joseph’s Masters’ team, thanked the were well supported by the team got in on the scoring Hikers 9-0. Sarah Klautky of the scoring all four goals for her High School and Marian general membership for their Club in 2016 and he hopes action in their 8-1 win against home team was the Smalta’s team to guarantee their victory Academy, with a different continued confidence in him. that 2017 will be even better. venue being used each week.

Old Fort. female top scorer of the day over the GCC Challengers.

He said that cricket in 2016 He urged his fellow executives The League is a four-a-side The games will continue this The Saints Hockey Club with a solid five goals between had been good and he hopes to work together for the format with a maximum of 10 Friday at St Stanislaus College (SHC), Scalpels and SHC her two matches. that this can continue this year. continued development of the Club.

Scorchers continued where The SHC Silencers and registered players per team and from 16:00h to 19:00h.

R

Smalta U-14 schools hockey tournament…

SJH remain undefeated, Klautky stars

T

Singh re-elected unopposed as Everest CC President

R

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

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2017

guyanatimesgy.com

Petra/Limacol Round-robin Knock-out Football…

Millington’s hat-trick

Pg 22

sets up Tigers, Police final Western Tigers (yellow) and Santos were battling for the ball the entire evening in the all-important match at the Georgetown Football Club, Bourda

GFF-Scotiabank Academy

off to successful start in Berbice

IFB 3x3 Lesser Antilles Basketball…

Rose takes Guyana to 2nd place

Pg 20 Pg 22

Some of the young aspiring footballers go through the drills at the All Saints Primary School Ground

The Guyanese contingent with their silver medals along with FIBA President Horacio Muratore

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