Guyana Times Daily

Guyana, China to strengthen cooperation ties P11

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

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Issue No. 3140

Thursday, March 2, 2017

PRICE

Opposition Leader, President meet

$80 vat included

WHAT'S INSIDE:

P10 Pirates terrorise fishermen at Waini River

Former Army Lt appointed new CH&PA CEO P7

Mashabo farmer beaten by P13 nephews

Matters discussed:

• Declining economy • Judicial appointments Page 9 • Catastrophic repercussions of closing sugar industry • GECOM chairmanship, among other issues

…now bedridden, unable to provide for 7 children

AK-47 smuggled out of Police headquarters

Investment, a necessary tool for Linden’s development – residents P2

Page 9

Delinquent CANU Head contractors risk sent on being blacklisted leave Page 7

Page 2

…PAC Chairman urges swift action

“Empirical” info may lead to fake SOPs culprit – Dr Surujbally P12

…former Army official takes charge

$400M+ still owed to NICIL by Guyana Stores

... workers, shareholders never received a penny in dividends ... as interest mounts to over US$200M Page 3

Venezuelan jailed for narco possession P10 VAT to remain on private schools’ fees – President P17

2 news

thursDAY, march 2, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

CANU Head sent on leave – former Army official takes charge

H

ead of the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU), James Singh has been sent on leave, while retired Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Major General Michael Atherly has been appointed to act in his absence.

Government, through Minister of State, Joseph Harmon made the announcement on Wednesday, but Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan told Guyana Times that the CANU Head needed to take his accumulated annual leave.

“He’s on his annual leave and just like the Commissioner is on his annual leave. He is entitled to about two months’ leave and we are asking people to take their leave,” Ramjattan told this newspaper.

Atherly, who is head of the National Anti-Narcotics Agency (NANA), will also

CANU Head James Singh

be heading CANU during the period.

Ramjattan said there was a deputy at CANU who would also help in the administration of the Unit in the absence of Singh.

Minister Harmon on Wednesday said that in line with Government’s policy to ensure that officers did not accumulate annual leave

and in turn request pay in lieu, Singh has been asked to proceed on leave effective March 1.

“This is the practice that we have embraced since we came into office and, therefore, Mr Singh, who had some leave accumulated, has been asked to go on leave with effect from today and Major General Michael Atherly will be heading CANU,” Harmon said in a release.

He said this has been communicated to the Public Security Ministry, under whose remit CANU fell.

According to Harmon, public officers have always been encouraged to take their leave and “we want to discourage this practice of accumulating large amounts of leave and then asking for payment in lieu.

So we are trying to ensure that all public officers get their leave during that

Investment, a necessary tool for Linden’s development – residents

S

A view of the bauxite-rich town Major General (ret’d) Michael Atherly

year,” Minister Harmon said.

Major General (ret’d) Atherly was responsible for leading the review of the National Drug Strategy Master Plan 2014-2018.

This review led to the development of the National Drug Strategy Master Plan 2016-2020, which was launched last December.

everal residents and officials of Linden, Region 10 (Upper DemeraraBerbice) are of the firm belief that investment is one of the main ingredients necessary for the development of the bauxite-rich town.

The community, which has been encouraged by numerous leaders to seek other avenues of development apart from bauxite mining, continues on the quest towards development, ever since the decline in the bauxite industry years ago.

Linden resident Winslow Parris says in order to advance the community needs the intervention of both local and foreign investors. He says the development of various industries can also have a major effect on the community’s development.

“For instance, timber.

Timber passes through Linden, go to town, prepare, get good and come back to

ple. What we need is private investors, either foreign or local. We got to encourage private investors. We are importing too many things that we can produce ourselves,” Parris said.

He also stressed that the community should scale up in agriculture, noting that these days people were not farming enough. Parris further stated his belief that the people of Linden have lost that sense of direction and should seek to desist from pointing fingers at various Governments.

“We need to look at ourselves. What are we doing for ourselves?”

During the recent launch of the Linden Trade and Investment Fair, Mayor Carwyn Holland said he was on a quest to drive development in the Linden community, through investment and entrepreneurship. He said Lindeners needed to work collectively since development

Citizens Bank, Linden

Linden in the form of furniture. What we need in Linden is a massive furniture factory, whereby we can do our own furniture. Even to export, and we can employ people,” he posited during a recent interview with Guyana Times.

Parris also pointed out that clay bricks, a product which in past times were locally manufactured and widely used were now being imported.

“We are now importing clay brick from Trinidad and Tobago...We need to come back to making clay brick.

We’re putting lots of emphasis on cement blocks, when we could use clay bricks,” he said.

He alluded to the fact that many homes in the Wisroc area in Linden are made of clay brick. In past times, he said the community used to even produce its own plates, tea cups, saucers and vases using clay.

“Today, we are importing these things when we can make these things right here.

All we need is the facility and we can employ our own peo-

could not happen with small mindedness. Holland also indicated that investment also plays a vital role in the community’s development.

He added that he has engaged GO-Invest and was focused on making business easier for investors who are interested in investing in the community.

“Investment also boosts the morale of our people.

Investors coming to Linden can confidently invest knowing that the talent and expertise necessary for every sector can be found in Linden.

We in Linden are positioned to be the manufacturing hub, the agro - processing centre and the Silicon Valley of Guyana...For Linden to advance, we need investment.”

Holland said the community could not do it alone but needed partners as he related that it was time to look at untapped areas such as tourism. Similar sentiments were also noted by Regional Chairman Renis Morian who said it was time to analyse what has been the missing link to investment over the past decade.

news

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thursDAY, march 2, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

BRIDGE OPENINGS

The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Thursday, March 2 – 05:00h-06:30h and Friday, March 3 – 08:30h-10:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

$400M+ still owed to NICIL by Guyana Stores

... workers, shareholders never received a penny in dividends ... as interest mounts to over US$200M

Thursday, March 2 – 06:50h-08:20h and Friday, March 3 – 07:30h-09:00h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY Light to thundery rain showers can be expected throughout the day, while heavy rainfall is expected in the late afternoon. Partly cloudy skies with chances of light rain showers can be expected in the evening, Temperatures are expected to range between 24 degrees and 27 degrees Celsius.

T

he Governmentowned National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) is still owed hundreds of millions of dollars by Guyana Stores Limited; owned primarily by Tony Yassin and Glenn Lall, publisher of the Kaieteur News.

When contacted, Chairman of the Board of Directors of NICIL, Dr

true state of affairs of GSL raises considerable concerns about what will be

Winds: East North-easterly between 3.57 metres and 5.81 metres.

High Tide: 7:05h and 19:30h reaching maximum heights of 2.79 metres and 2.72 metres respectively.

Tony Yassin

Low Tide: 00:40h and 13:02h reaching minimum heights of 0.44 metre and 0.42 metre respectively.

Kaieteur News Publisher Glenn Lall

NICIL Officer in Charge, Horace James

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 1, 2017

LOTTERY NUMBERS B

02

10 12

16

18

FREE TICKET

26

5 BONUS BALL

DAILY MILLIONS 15 16 21 22

26

LUCKY 3 0 9 9

8

Afternoon Draw

0

6

Evening Draw

DRAW DE LINE

04 08

10 11

17 18 21

DISCLAIMER: WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY ERRORS IN PUBLICATION. PLEASE CALL THE HOTLINE FOR CONFIRMATION - TEL: 225-8902

NICIL currently has several court actions against Guyana Stores Ltd for millions in outstanding monies owed to the Government. Lall and Yassin, now Directors of Guyana Stores, owe US$2 million of the US$6 million the property was sold for back in 2000 by the Government via NICIL. In the meantime, the property has been allowed to deteriorate into an eyesore in downtown Georgetown.

Past due interest on the outstanding balance would amount almost to another US$2 million or even more.

The matter is sub judice, as the Government owned corporation moved to the courts to recover its monies. In the meantime, the profits of the company are collected by the two owners and shareholders have complained of never receiving any dividends since the company was privatised back in 2000.

Maurice Odle, declined to comment on the matter and advised Guyana Times to contact the entity’s Officer in Charge, Horace James.

All efforts to contact NICIL’s Officer in Charge

proved futile as all calls to his number went unanswered.

Several years ago, one shareholder had expressed concerns regarding whether GSL was being used as a source of funding for the various business interests of some shareholders. The shareholder added that the lack of disclosure of the

left to the minority shareholders and the chances of dividends. The shareholder also raised questions on whether the company’s affairs are being managed in the interest of all share-

holders or for the benefit of a few directors.

“Governance is totally out of the window and no one seems to care about it,” a minority shareholder who asked to remain anonymous had stated. Another concern was whether GSL had paid its taxes. turn to page 7

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Views Friendship Goals!

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

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

Democratic backsliding

W

ith “American Exceptionalism” such a dominant strand in America’s self-image for over half a century projected to the rest of the world, their democratic credentials were seen as unassailable. While other countries may slide into authoritarianism, it could “never happen in the land of the free and the home of the brave”. But in the single month Donald Trump has been at the helm of the US, analyses on rising authoritarianism have been sprouting faster than “jumbie umbrellas”.

One, put out last week by the political and social “explanatory” site VOX, was particularly interesting since it also has lessons for Guyana. It explains how an autocratic government may slip into harness without carrying out coups, with which regime change was usually associated.

The authors insist – showing evidence – that while coups are decreasing, what they call “democratic backsliding” – a slow descent toward partial autocracy – is on the rise.

How is this backsliding achieved? The article offers a pithy summary: “The most important reason the sudden collapse of democracy is rare… is that a sudden derogation of democracy simply isn’t necessary. Would-be autocrats have a cheaper option to hand, one that is far less likely to catalyse opposition and resistance: the slow, insidious curtailment of democratic institutions and traditions.

Autocrats often target the three pillars of democratic society using tools permissible under law.

“To understand democratic backsliding, it’s important to understand the essential components of a democracy.

First, there must be elections, which must be both free and fair. Elections by themselves are not enough: Both Russia and China, after all, have elections that formally reflect the choice of the people, but allow only limited choices.

“Second, democracy needs liberal rights of speech and association so those with alternative views can challenge government on its policies, hold it accountable, and propose alternatives. Finally, democracy can’t work if the ruling party has the courts and bureaucracy firmly in its pocket. The rule of law — not just the rule of the powerful and influential — is essential. Take away one of these attributes, and democracy might wobble. Sap all three, and the meaningful possibility of democratic competition recedes from view.”

While the authors went on to apply the variables to the unfolding American scenario, it is instructive to apply them to ours in Guyana. Let us begin with elections. We know to our cost that not only can elections be rigged, but as the PPP claimed in an election petition that is still to be decided on, (so we cannot comment further), elections can also be surgically manipulated so the outcomes are prefigured.

In Guyana, objective observers have pointed out that the staffing of GECOM lends itself to manipulation, because of our ethnically polarised electorate. In his farewell speech two days ago, the GECOM Chair for over 15 years admitted that he could not explain how some “fake Statement of Polls” found their way into the ballot boxes. Yet, the President had now made it clear that he will appoint his own Chairman, compounding the partisanship of GECOM. In terms of the right to protest, it will be very interesting to observe how the Administration deals with the incipient stirrings from within its base to protest its betrayal of promises to achieve the “good life” and clean governance. But more compelling is the evidence on the Government’s asserting control over the judiciary. The A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/ AFC) Government has placed the Judiciary squarely in its sight, exemplified by the treatment of the Chancellor. He was practically hounded from office and with two vacancies to be filled, in light of the GECOM Chair vacancy, the mandated “meaningful consultations” with the Opposition Leader will be perfunctory. Expect “acting” appointments.

With the bureaucracy, the Administration has appointed loyal, retired military officials in almost every government agency and combined with the “contract” workers it once criticised, but has now increased, the bureaucracy is firmly under its control.

How far will the people allow our democracy to backslide?

Education, friendship, religion: as Christians embark on the solemn religious observance of the season of Lent, these three young ladies attended midday mass at the Cathedral of Immaculate Conception, Brickdam, Georgetown (Carl Croker photo)

An open letter to the President Dear Mr President, Firstly I hope for and wish you strength to do what must be done over the coming weeks, months and years of your tenure as President.

I LOVE my country, feel extremely privileged to work where I do, with amazing colleagues and was lucky enough to have parents who helped me further my education.

That being said, as a

young professional who made the choice to come back home and try to make a contribution to my country; I am so disheartened and frustrated to the point of tears about what is happening in Guyana today.

Your people are hurting: they are in pain, and they are trying to make you see this. I say YOUR people, because you are the head of our country; it’s YOUR min-

isters that have made the decisions that are causing your people pain; it’s YOUR voice that is noticeably absent from the edicts being passed down to the people.

Do you plan on waiting until your Ministers make a tangled mess of these situations, and then you’ll come in to save us? Is that the plan?

Logically, I know that YOU can’t fix everything, and we don’t expect you to.

BUT, you have a golden opportunity to look outside your window, read the papers, look into the faces of the people who voted for you, the faces of those who didn’t but matter equally, and see their pain. Start thinking logically, and please start listening to your people.

They matter....all of them.

Sincerely, Annalise Bayney, MSc Wildlife Biologist

After the melee of Mash Dear Editor, A recent emblematic Stabroek News photograph of two floats, captioned “Old habits die hard” caught my attention. The vexing visage of what was hours before the centre of gravity now seared the esthetics of the national capital city; retired on a reserve, Homestretch Avenue.

Our national pastime had come and gone; and with it the fanfare, revelry, jubilation and excitement – the melee of Mash.

Yet events like Mash are important in the life of a nation, in the psyche of a people, and should be supported and preserved. When I was a child living on the Shopping Plaza in South Ruimveldt Gardens, back then, the name of the place resembled its use. On the ‘Plaza’ was a Mash camp and Peter Tang was its master designer.

The Mash camp was a place of tremendous wonder; the sights, sounds and smells. I remember one year Mr Tang produced a fire breathing dragon. I can’t remember if I’ve seen such an animated production before or since. The sketched designs were art in and of themselves. Talent, style and beauty par excellence on full display. When a man transitions this life, only the quality of his work remains as a measure. And sometimes even that is lost irretrievably in a nation like ours.

In the years that Mr Tang reigned our parents would release us into the care of the band members on Mash Day and the big truck or ‘low bed’ was our perch to view the day’s festivities. As a result of Peter Tang and so many other such figures who

passed through his camp, Mash dwelled with us before the designated day and long after.

I wish more children would be exposed to our culture in this way. It was an education for me and in many ways shaped my thinking as a young man growing up. In a Mash camp you are exposed to art and history, Maths, science, geography, and economics, nay the curriculum and what was more it was an open expanse for the imagination. When I went off to high school this Mash experience gave me a special appreciation for books like King of the Masquerade by Michael Anthony, and what was to become a favorite,The Dragon Can’t Dance by Earl Lovelace.

Seeing those floats reposed on Homestretch re-

minded me of how much work and sheer talent goes into producing them, sculptures of beauty for a moment of glory. But why should that be? Could we have a ‘Mash museum’ where all our floats and costumes, or the best thereof, go to be enjoyed by our children, tourists and others all year round so that the beauty of Mash might linger longer? And in this era of ‘Going Green’, of recycle, reuse, reduce’, couldn’t some of the materials for this year’s Mash find their way into next year’s production? I am certain that with the cost of production, something can be salvaged.

Sincerely, Sherod Avery Duncan, LLB, JP Deputy Mayor, Municipality of Georgetown

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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

People should not be treated with contempt on sovereignty issue Dear Editor, In another section of the media, former Chairman of the Constitutional Commission, Ralph Ramkarran and Lincoln Lewis are of the view that the people are not sovereign and as such, their assent to the Constitution or its amendment is not needed. Ramkarran is reported to have stated if the CCJ appeal of the ruling (affirming the requirement of a referendum) of the Carl Singh court ruling is not overturned, the Attorney General and his Government have another opportunity to foist the amendment on the people – via a referendum. The people should not be treated with such contempt and disrespect as a body of last resort (to give assent to an amendment) and give sovereignty when all else fails. Lincoln Lewis argues that the people give up their sovereignty to the parties in Parliament. He is wrong as the Parliament is not directly elected by the people; the people never give approval on

who are their party MPs. So the Parliament cannot speak for the people on an important issue like the Constitution.

Democracy is about the people. A constitution is a body of rules on how people will be governed. The people are consulted and usually asked to give their approval on a constitution. That is yet to be done in Guyana.

Burnham rigged the 1978 referendum and drafted his own Constitution without consulting the people. He foisted the Constitution on the people. The PPP and all other Opposition parties as well as civic and religious organisations opposed it. Although the PPP, WPA, TUF, AFC, JFA, and other parties objected to the Constitution, when in Government, these very parties accept it. In Opposition, they all promised a new constitution via a referendum.

But in Government, none of them has taken any measure to draft a new constitution or even hint that the people are sovereign and should be af-

forded an opportunity to vote on it. When it suits their interests, the people are sovereign.

The people are not sovereign now. But if the CCJ rules against the PNC-dominated Government, then the people will be sovereign.

The people should be given priority and sovereignty now and immediately asked to vote on the Burnham Constitution as well as its amendments. Nearly all other democratic countries consult their people on constitutional change. Even tiny St Vincent and Grenada recently held referendums on constitutional changes; voters rejected the change. The UK allowed a vote on Brexit. Spain allowed a vote on the status of Catalan. England allowed a vote on the status of Scotland.

The ‘PNC-AFC’ coalition Government should forget about a CCJ appeal. Go directly to the people with a referendum on the entire fraudulent Burnham Constitution!

The amount of money spent on the court proceedings and

that which will also be spent on the planned CCJ appeal will dwarf the cost of a referendum.

Also, the ‘PNC/AFC’ Government says it is interested in drafting a new constitution. If indeed that is the case, then why waste funds on an appeal of the Justice Carl Singh court ruling when such scarce funds can be used to consult the people on drafting a constitution and financing a referendum of it? Instead of supporting an appeal to the CCJ and waiting for its ruling, Mr Ramkarran and Mr Lewis should advocate for a referendum of the amended Burnham Constitution and/or the drafting of a new constitution to be approved by the people. Let the people decide on an important measure like a constitution or its amendments.

Yours truly, Vishnu Bisram

Improving the lives of all miners Dear Editor, The Natural Resources Ministry has committed to improving the lives of all miners, with syndicates seen as a means of optimising opportunities for small miners and not as a ‘divide and rule’ tactic. The Natural Resources Ministry recognises the right of the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA) to vigorously represent its members’ interests.

Further, it is the Ministry’s intention to continue its engagement with the Association to ensure that their views on matters affecting their membership are given due consideration.

However, the Ministry finds it necessary to respond to the GGDMA’s statement on February 28, 2017 accusing the Natural Resources Ministry and the Government of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana of dividing and ruling through its promotion of mining syndicates. Government recognises the existence of three categories of miners – small, medium and industrial scale and their right to work.

Given the plethora of applications received from small miners who complained of not having available lands to mine, the Natural Resources Ministry determined to address this need and to organise miners into groups called “syndicates” so that they could benefit from the econ-

omies of scale that the cooperative effort offers. The Government of Guyana is as pleased to be associated with the syndicates initiative as it is to support the work of the GGDMA and is prepared to meet with all miners to explain its intentions and mediate any tensions that may have arisen by the mistaken interpretation of the role and purpose of its initiatives. The Natural Resources Ministry is committed to working with all miners, with the singular objective being to maximise the recovery and declaration of gold and other mineral resources in an environmentally responsible and safe manner.

Minister within the Natural Resources Ministry, the Honourable Simona Broomes, MP, has been traversing the country speaking with small miners and encouraging them to form mining syndicates to take advantage of economies of scale and work to maximise their production through collective effort. This work continues. It is important to note that the Cabinet will soon be apprised of the plans for the formal establishment of the syndicate initiative. The Natural Resources Ministry iterates that it is absolutely not its, nor the Government of Guyana’s, intention to pit miners against each other or to ‘divide and rule’ in any way.

The Natural Resources Ministry has over the course

of 2016 distributed over 235 blocks of mining lands to small miners and this process will continue through the Closed Area Committee (CAC).Further, the Ministry and the Government have had several consultative engagements with the GGDMA on the issue of mining concessions and new tax measures for the sector, as recently announced in the 2017 National Budget; all with a view to fostering greater understanding of these measures and as a result, greater compliance.

The Government, through various programmes, and

with the support of international agencies, has sought to build capacity in the mining sector to the benefit of especially the small and medium-scale miners. These projects will continue as we believe that they are necessary for the continued improvement of the sector with regard to maximising recovery and minimising environmental degradation.

Sincerely, Public Affairs and Communications Officer Natural Resources Ministry

The matter of fake SOPs Dear Editor, I am finding it extremely difficult to read what is in some section of the press about the ‘Fake Statement of Polls”.

Let me make it crystal clear that on the evening of Wednesday, 13th May, 2015, it was reported to us that the Chief Executive Officer of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Mr Keith Lowenfield reported to the Commission members that he would be unable to announce the 2015 National and Regional Elections results because there are False Statement of Polls in the system. It was further reported that he said that there were too many false Statements of Polls for him to accept. On that evening, a decision was taken that on Thursday, 14th May, the Commissioners will have a thorough discussion on the False Statements of Polls.

Dr Surujbally must stop talking ‘hog-wash’ and explain to the Guyanese people what took place on Thursday, 14th May, in respect to the “False Statements of Polls”.

Further, the election results were by law supposed to be verified by the Information Technology tabulation and the corresponding manual tabulation. However, none of this was done but the 2015 National and Regional Elections results were declared. More serious is the explanation that we are now hearing that the fake

SOP’s were not tabulated as part of the preliminary and final results. Guyanese must now demand that GECOM tell us how many fake SOP’s were discovered. This information must come forward so that we could know the specific areas and the Presiding Officers that were involved in the rigging of the 2015 elections.

The outgoing Chairman of the GECOM must answer to the Guyanese population, why there were no investigations to ascertain how the fake Statements of Polls got into the system and who were responsible.

Investigations and inquiries are held willy-nilly in this country for some frivolous reasons and on the ground of suspicion only but a serious matter of fake Statement of Polls into the GECOM system which supposedly changed the results of the 2015 Elections in favour of the APNU/AFC, does not merit an investigation, according to the former Chairman, Surujbally.

The public deserve an answer, until then both the former Chairman and the Chief Elections Officer of the Guyana Election Commission should be held responsible for their actions in allowing fake SOPs to infiltrate the system and negating to investigate same, thus sanctions and prosecution must follow.

Yours truly, Neil Kumar

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Foundation

– mi

By David M Allen, MD

I

n my post of January 13, 2013 about how children react to double messages from parents, I expressed the opinion that when someone in a family compulsively engages in repetitive behaviour, family members will invariably conclude that this behaviour is quite important to the perpetrator.

Keeping this idea in mind, in this post I am going to list several examples of frequentlyseen problematic parenting practices, as well as the consequences to which such practices frequently lead. These practices may cause relatively mild problems, but often they cause major issues. Adult patients in psychotherapy have described the patterns to me over and over again as they discuss their parents’ behaviour over time.

These parental behaviours may seem to the children to indicate that the parents have certain expectations about how the children are supposed to turn out, and children will not want to disappoint the parents by defying these apparent expectations. This will happen in spite of the fact that the parents may verbally instruct the children not to act in the way the parents seem to need, or even criticise and/or severely punish them when they do.

The problems I list all have a common theme: parents trying to micromanage their children’s behaviour in one way or another.

Parents may protest: “I have to focus on my child’s troublesome behaviour because otherwise they won’t stop it.” They don’t realize that they have this exactly backwards: the child won’t stop the behaviour because the parent keeps focusing on it!

However, it is important to keep in mind that when the parents do stop micromanaging initially, other difficult but solvable problems predictably ensue.

In discussing any problematic parenting issues, there is always a rather devilish and perplexing conundrum that makes any such conversation fraught with peril.

Many troublesome parenting behaviours are often driven by a parent’s covert sense of guilt – primarily concerning how much

time they spend with their children – and if one discusses what they may be doing wrong, this adds to that sense of guilt. They therefore often become very defensive and, if anything, dig in their heels. Their problematic practices then get even worse than before!

On the other hand, if they do not really understand what they are doing wrong, they also continue doing it. A real lose-lose proposition this.

The way out of this bind is to quit looking for someone to blame.

Which would you rather do: find fault with people, or actually solve problems? It is near impossible to do both. To naysayers I say, “Grow up!”

Critics of course will also point to examples in which the types of parental behaviour described in the post do not or did not seem to be followed by the predicted negative consequences. As usual, I need to put in a disclaimer: The consequences of the parental behaviour I mention do not always result from every situation in which the parenting problem is seen. We’re just talking increased probabilities here!

So, without further ado, here’s a list of the common parenting errors created by this scenario. By no means is it a complete one: If you constantly try to fix a child, the child will find different ways to keep being broken so you can continue in your efforts.

If you continually bail children out of their own messes, they will continue to make messes for you to bail them out of.

If you give your children money whenever they ask and almost never say no, they will continue to ask you for money, and may seem to develop problems supporting themselves when they grow up.

If you constantly try to mediate disputes between your children, they will continue

to fight one another so you can continue to mediate.

If you blame yourself for your children’s failings, your children will blame you for their own woes. (In a perverse and ironic way, their problems are partly your doing. But it’s your guilt about your own behaviour that creates the problem, not your basic character or intrinsic worth).

If you repeatedly tear apart your child’s room looking for drugs when there is no evidence that he or she is using, just to make sure he or she is not using, the child is more likely to use drugs so you can find what you are looking for.

If you

continuously help children with their homework instead of telling then to figure it out for themselves, they will continuously need your help.

If you keep making a huge deal about something your children do or say, they keep repeating whatever so you can continue to

A

friend’s three-yearold son is still developing his ability to regulate his emotions. He can go from being ecstatic, to devastated, to furious, in the span of a few minutes.

During one pre-dinner meltdown last week, he started yelling and kicking his toys around the room.

After he calmed down, his mom asked him to clean up the mess he made.“Sorry, Mama,” he said as he cleaned up.The child admitted he was wrong by apologising, but will an apology prevent the situation from happening again? What does a parent do when “I’m sorry” isn’t enough?

Parents often ask Empowering Parents Coaches how to handle it when their child’s outbursts or behaviours cause real damage –either physical or emotional. In these situations, a simple apology isn’t enough for the child to make amends.

Cleaning up a messy

Next time…”

Here’s what that sounds like: “It was wrong to call you names. Next time I’ll walk away and take some space to get my emotions under control.”

It takes practice to change the “I’m sorry but…” habit in children. To start, you can point out when it happens and require an “It was wrong to… Next time…” statement as part of a conversation around consequences, which should follow your child’s acting out behaviour.

An effective consequence holds your child accountable and has him/her practise and demonstrate the skills they need to make a better decision next time.

Add an amends as part of the consequence.

Making amends simply means righting the wrong.

If your son gets in trouble for his rude statements to a teacher, you can require that he write a letter of apol-

room is one thing, but as children grow up, the “messes” they make can grow with them. In order to develop effective problem-solving skills for adulthood, children need to take an extra step and explain what they’ll do differently next time.

Here are three ways you can teach your child how to apologise, learn accountability and develop problem-solving skills.

Watch out for, “I’m sorry but…” Kids (and adults!) can use an apology as a way to justify their behaviour or place blame on someone else. Take a look at these examples: “I’m sorry, but you made me angry!”

“I’m sorry, but he started it!”

If your child falls into this habit, do not accept the apology. It’s great that they are remorseful for their behaviour, but that is just the first step.

Instead of saying, “I’m sorry, but…”

A more effective statement is, “It was wrong to…

ogy explaining how he’ll act differently in the future, in addition to the consequence he receives at school.

If your daughter’s risky behaviour results in damage to your car, you can restrict her driving privileges for a specific length of time and require her to do some work to pay for the damages.

Give it time. Children can do things that really hurt and disappoint us – it’s okay to feel sad or frustrated when this happens.

Children are not very patient with the discomfort that can come from seeing you upset. You’ll find them saying things like, “I said I was sorry…what else do you want?!”

Give yourself some time. Once you give a consequence and require your child to make amends, you’ve done your part to address the situation. Find someone to talk to who can give you the support you need. Remember that the most powerful lessons come to us when things feel challenging. (empoweringparents.com)

will it was obsess about it. (Excerpt from psychologytoday.com)

to be continued

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thursDAY, march 2, 2017| guyanatimesgy.com

Delinquent contractors risk being blacklisted …PAC Chairman urges swift action

C

ontractors across the country who have developed a track record of substandard and unfinished work are at high risk of being blacklisted by the Public Procurement Commission (PPC).

This is according to Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, Irfaan Ali, who called on the recently appointed commissioners to act swiftly in taking disciplinary action against those errant contracting firms.

The matter of sums of money being overpaid to delinquent contractors was discussed exten-

PAC Member Charandass Persaud

sively during an extraordinary meeting that was convened between the PAC and regional officials, on Monday at the Parliament Buildings, to address several irregularities which were cited in the Auditor

her equipment to the site where the project is to be implemented. In some cases, sums of money over the standard or required amount are paid to the contractor, and the works are still not completed.

Blacklisted

Public Accounts Committee Chairman Irfaan Ali

General’s 2015 Report.

Overpayment

PAC Member Charandass Persaud urged regional officials to take measures to recoup sums of money which had been overpaid to contractors who were delinquent in executing their duties.

“We have to get back the money. We need to go after them, rather than having the money sitting there – monies that were already paid; and these people are laughing at us, because we can’t get it back because we waited too long to go after them,” the Member of Parliament (MP) stated.

Guyana Times understands that, in most instances, sums of money were overpaid to contractors in mobilization fees – which is a fraction of the contractual cost that is paid to the contractor to get his/

The PAC Chairman, who is also an Opposition Parliamentarian, supported the call, noting that wayward contractors would not be tolerated.

“We have advance payments that are not being recovered, and advance payments in some cases are in excess of what is allowed in the standard bidding document,” Ali lamented.

In a subsequent interview with this newspaper, the Chairman explained that the PPC would have to examine and implement its measures for blacklisting, so that contractors who are consistently delinquent could face the requisite level of debarment.

“I am urging for the speedy procedure (to be implemented) in relation to blacklisting errant contractors,” he posited.

Bidders

Another irregularity that came up for discussion on Monday was the instances wherein contracts were not given to the lowest evaluated bidder. Ali observed that the contracts would often go to the second high-

$400M+ still owed to NICIL ...

Interestingly, with the change in Government in 2015, NICIL had paid over some $40 million in taxes to the Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC) on behalf of the Glenn Lall-owned entity.

Meanwhile, the legal proceeding which is before Justice Roxanne

George at the High Court in Georgetown is as a result of a lawsuit filed by NICIL. NICIL is suing Royal Investments, the entity which owns and operates Guyana Stores Limited, for failing to pay the balance of US$2 million for the 70 million shares in the company which was acquired for

from page 3

US$6 million.

GSL is a public company with over 1000 shareholders. Shareholders have lamented the fact that GSL has failed to have a shareholders meeting since privatisation. Shareholders have also not seen the audited accounts for the company since 1999.

Auditor General Deodat Sharma

est or highest bidder without any explanation given in the minutes. He noted that this is a matter which the Regional Tender Boards would have to address.

Auditor General Deodat Sharma, who was also present during that meeting, emphasised that if a contract has not been awarded to the lowest evaluated bidder, then such a decision must be reasonably justified.

Former Army Lt appointed new CH&PA CEO

R

etired Lieutenant Colonel of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), Lelon Saul has been appointed the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA).

Communities Minister Ronald Bulkan has confirmed that Saul will replace Myrna Pitt, who stepped down as CEO of the Authority in June 2016.

Minister Bulkan told the Government Information Agency that Saul, who is a retired Lieutenant Colonel of the Guyana Defence Force, also worked with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Saul was selected from a field of over 20 persons interviewed for the position.

The CH&PA has been operating without a CEO for a few months after Pitt resigned following a number of issues at the Agency.

Saul is expected to takeup his appointment within a day or two, in time for the implementation of key CH&PA 2017 housing

New Head of the CH&PA, Lelon Saul

project, including the delivery and construction of 758 housing units in the form of either town houses or duplexes in Regions Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), Three (Essequibo IslandsWest Demerara), Four (Demerara-Mahaica), Five (Mahaica-Berbice), Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni) and 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice), particularly targeting public sector employees, youths and low-income earners.

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thursDAY, march 2, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

IN THE COURTS Trio charged with stealing from businessman

T

hree employees attached to the Alfro Alphonso Group of Companies on the Essequibo Coast were recently granted bail after they made their first appearance before Magistrate Sunil Scarce at the Suddie Magistrate’s Court, charged with larceny.

Loraine Britton, 20; Ronela August, 21; and Roy Griffith, 39 – all from the Essequibo Coast – were arrested for the offence

on February 22, but were granted bail on February 24, and are expected to return to the Charity Magistrate’s Court on March 20.

According to the facts of the matter, approximately $ 7,978, 370 went missing from the business’s accounting system during the period May 2016 to February 2017. Investigations have indicated that Britton, a cashier attached to the Gailen Supermarket owned by Alfro Alphonso at Charity

water front, Essequibo Coast, stole the reported sum. This is according to the Manager of the complex, Eric Gomes, who explained to investigators that the cashier is expected to input all day-to-day sales in a computerized account system. However, an audit conducted revealed that Britton did not input the information.

It is also being alleged that she backdated several dates on the system, and did

not record the stocks sold.

Loraine Britton admitted the allegations when confronted, and subsequently told police that Stanford Boston, a supervisor of Lot 26 Dartmouth, and Roy Griffith and Boodram Persaud of Somerset and Berks influenced her to steal the money. Griffith was contacted, and he admitted to committing the offence; however, Standford Boston and Boodram Persaud denied the allegations.

Keeping mum…

D

…on hate crime onald Trump’s about the least inhibited person on planet Earth when it comes to speaking his mind. Some insist his thoughts mightn’t even be mediated by his mind but boil over directly from his id. This is a fella who critiqued Meryl Streep’s film performance, SNL, and the sale of his daughter’s shoes – but yet hasn’t made a comment about the hatecrime murder of an Indian immigrant, the wounding of another and also of a white American, who intervened.

What gives? Have his advisers advised him not to get involved with a hate crime that was clearly precipitated by the climate of hate he’s aroused around immigrants? This would’ve forced Mr Trump to do some introspection that would definitely help his country deal with what’s obviously a burning issue that’s continued spiking after pretty much defining the presidential campaign.

The facts are quite clear. Two Indian men walk into a bar in a Kansas town…order their usual whiskey and start chatting at a table. A nearby white man, assuming they’re “middle Eastern” from his comments, grills them about their visa status. He gets enraged when the fellas complain to the bartender and he’s told to leave.

He returns with a shotgun and starts blasting at the immigrants. He later ambles over to another bar and takes a drink to “cool off”. This clearly isn’t the Kansas of Dorothy and Toto and their yellow brick road from the Wizard of OZ! Two weeks later, it’s not only Trump who’s mum but the Kansas Police who haven’t made up their minds as to whether it’s really a hate crime!! Trump had the FBI look into the accusations of Russian hacking so clearly he has a pipeline to their office. Why hasn’t he asked them their opinion on the killing since the FBI has defined a hate crime as a “criminal offence against a person or property motivated in whole or in part by an offender’s bias against a race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, ethnicity, gender, or gender identity.”

The bar was filled with whites – this is Kansas remember? – and it was only their brown skin that distinguished the two Indian engineers for them to be harassed about their immigration status. But Trump won’t comment ‘cause the hysteria about immigrants he’s created will be shown to have a racial basis. Very few realise that immigrants from Eastern Europe are on the same level as to Britain which precipitated Brexit.

Ironically, many enter the US on the same type of HB1 visa as the Indian engineer killed – as skilled workers. Like the founder of GOOGLE. Are the official “real Americans” only white? …on shady deals The Muckraker ran a fake news concoction about the NEW GPC paying dividends to NICIL for their 10 per cent shares. Shrieked that the company “finally coughs up millions owning to NICIL.” Now, it’s clear they know squat how dividends are paid since even though they “bought” Guyana Stores. They still owe $400,000,000 for it and NEVER paid dividends to the employees for their 10 per cent shares!! Ow, man!

So let’s educate the wankers. Dividends are paid when profits are made and the Directors decide how much they want to retain for investing. No company “owes” dividends!! For NEW GPC, the Muckraker and the Govt must be amazed it paid dividends even though they’ve denied contracts to the company. Your Eyewitness hopes they’re happy that ANSA, which gets most of the contracts, pays dividends to their Trini shareholders. And that Guyanese pharma companies can’t bid for Trini contracts.

But what the heck...the Muckraker’s boss is enjoying the Lexuses he smuggled in, isn’t he? But Uncle Donald Trump has him in his sight for his backtracking.

The orange jumpsuit has already been fitted! …on WPA’s street cred Nigel Hinds, like your Eyewitness, seems to be a fella who feels Rodney’s efforts to help Guyana move forward shouldn’t be jettisoned.

Sad that Rodney’s old comrades don’t feel the same.

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

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thursDAY, march 2, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Opposition Leader, President meet

O

n Wednesday at about 07:00hrs, the Leader of the Opposition, Bharrat Jagdeo received a telephone call from Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, inviting him to a meeting with President David Granger, at State House at 18:00 hrs to hold consultations in respect of the appointment of two persons to act in the positions of Chancellor of the Judiciary and Chief Justice.

Minister Harmon indicated that the President is about to leave the country tomorrow, hence the urgency.

At 18:00 hrs at State House, the Leader of the Opposition, accompanied by Former Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, met with the President and a delegation which included, Minister of State, Joseph Harmon and Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Basil Williams SC. At the commencement of the meeting, the Leader of the Opposition indicated that he will not insist on the formalities of a letter accompanied by the names of the persons who are the President’s nominees to act in these offices along with their curriculum vitae, as is the practice which has evolved, attendant to such

President David Granger and Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo with their respective delegations at the State House meeting on Wednesday

consultations, in keeping with the letter and spirit of the Constitution. The Leader of the Opposition indicated that his reason for dispensing with these formalities is because the filling these vacancies are of national importance and the President’s departure for overseas is imminent.

The President proposed the names of the Honourable Justice of Appeal, Yonette Cummings-Edwards, now preforming the functions of Chief Justice, to act in the position of Chancellor of the Judiciary and the Honourable Roxanne George-Wilshire SC, to act in the office of Chief Justice. The Leader of the Opposition informed the President that he requires

one week to offer his views on those proposals.

The Leader of the Opposition then raised the issue of the absence of action in relation to the unanimous recommendations made to the President since February 2016, by the Judicial Service Commission that the Honourable Justice Rishi Persaud and the Honourable Justice Dawn Gregory be appointed to the Court of Appeal and Sandil Kissoon and DamoneYounge, Attorneysat-Law, be appointed as Puisne Judges. He reminded the President that the President has no alternative but to act upon recommendations made by the Judicial Service Commission.

The Leader of the Opposition emphasised that equal urgency attaches to both sets of appointment because there is currently no sitting Judge in the Court of Appeal, a three member Court and certainly, the appointment of a person to act in the position of the Chancellor alone will not fill the critical void which currently exists in that Court.

Moreover, the Leader of the Opposition adverted to a public perception that the delay in acting upon the recommendations of the Judicial Service Commission is deliberate and intended to await a differently constituted Judicial Service Commission, which may not have confidence in the recommenda-

AK-47 smuggled out of Police headquarters

…ASP, Corporal under close arrest

A

n Assistant Superintendent of Police and a Corporal attached to the Tactical Services Unit (TSU) of the Guyana Police Force are among several persons placed under close arrest after a high powered AK47 assault rifle was smuggled out of Police Headquarters, Eve Leary, on Wednesday.

Reports are that a civilian vehicle was on Tuesday evening allowed into the compound without being searched.

The vehicle reportedly stayed throughout the evening. However, as it was leaving the compound on Wednesday morning, the vehicle was searched and the weapon was discovered. After the weapon was discovered, the mobile phone belonging to the driver was checked, and it proved that several

calls had been made to the ASP. Based on that information, the senior police rank was questioned and placed under close arrest. That very ASP, this newspaper was told, had been fingered in several unprofessional and shady transactions, and had been interdicted from duty several years ago, following the murder of Dweive Kant Ramdass in the Essequibo River.

Ramdass was reportedly robbed of millions of dollars.

The ASP, who had been a cadet officer at the time, had been accused, along with other ranks, of stealing an undisclosed sum of money from Ramdass, which they had confiscated. During that trial, however, no evidence had been given against the

Police ranks, and they were subsequently reinstated into the Guyana Police Force.

Meanwhile, the Corporal who has been arrested is the brother of a tattoo artist who had been charged and remanded to prison for the murder of Leelawattie Mohamed, who was gunned down in Tain, Corentyne two weeks ago. The Corporal was reportedly under the radar of several senior officers. Suspicion that his character was shady arose after he had been seen driving in and out of the TSU compound in various heavily tinted motorcars.

The Police are continuing their investigations into the smuggling of the weapon, and it is expected that several other persons will be implicated.

tions of their predecessors.

Additionally, he pointed out that the delay in elevating the two Judges to the Court of Appeal as recommended by the JSC for over a year, places them at a comparative disadvantage in respect of seniority. The Leader of the Opposition also enquired whether the recommendations of the JSC will be implemented at the same time when these acting appointments will take place.

The President promised that he will address these concerns of the Leader of the Opposition at a meeting which will be held on the March, 8.

The Leader of the Opposition also took the opportunity to raise a number of critical issues affecting the economy: 1. including the lack of investments, 2. the heavy taxation burden placed upon the population and the business community, and 3. the devastating consequences which will flow from the closure of the Sugar Industry.

The Leader of the Opposition emphasised that the Government is sending a plethora of wrong signals, for example, wild and unsubstantiated allegations of corruption in the country, the reckless linkages alleged between reputable persons and commercial entities in the business community and criminal enterprises and irresponsible assertions of a dependency of the economy upon illicit activities. He pointed out that the cumulative effect of these signals will not attract much needed investments and will continue to put pressure on the exchange rate which will result in the loss of real income and welfare.

The Leader of the Opposition reminded the delegation that sugar is not a corporation but an industry and closure of estates will have catastrophic repercussions, not only among sugar workers and a few communities but which will reverberate across the entire economy. He asserted that with the correct

policies, fiscal space can be made for continued assistance to the sugar industry until it recovers from its current problems.

The Leader of the Opposition cautions that unless these and other critical issues in relation to the economy, are prudently addressed,the economy will continue its downward slide.

The final issue raised by the Leader of the Opposition was the appointment of a Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission as soon as possible. The Leader of the Opposition explained that while he continues to hold to his publicly articulated position on this matter, he is requesting clarifications on how many persons ought to come from each of the categories contemplated by Article 161 (2) of the Constitution as interpreted by the Attorney General; and, what are some of the qualities/attributes which a ‘fit and proper’ person must possess. The Leader of the Opposition emphasised that this request for clarifications is to assist him in selecting six (6) names that would most likely find the acceptance of the President, because it is a national imperative that this issue be resolved with every convenient speed.

The President promised to address these issues at the next week meeting.

However, the Minister of State, Joseph Harmon late Wednesday evening said that discussions between the Head of State and Opposition Leader were “meaningful” and “very frank and fruitful”. He added, however, that although Jagdeo requested a period of seven days to submit additional names for consideration, there was no requirement for the President to agree to such for appointments of an acting Chancellor and Chief Justice, as he could make such appointments once consultations were held according to the Constitution of Guyana. As such, the Government went ahead and made the appointments.

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guyanatimesgy.com

thursDAY, march 2, 2017

News Pirates terrorise fishermen at Waini River S

everal fishing boats were on Sunday last attacked and robbed

of their outboard engines and other items by suspected pirates operating in the

Waini Area of the North West District (NWD) of Region One.

The fishermen were also terrorised and beaten by the group of pirates, who had painted their faces as a disguise and were reportedly speaking English and Spanish.

One of the boat owners, a resident of Annandale, East Coast Demerara who requested not to be named, told Guyana Times during a telephone interview that he received a call from his captain at about 4:00h on Sunday, relating what occurred. He explained that, based on reports received, the men pulled up in a boat propelled by a 75-horsepower engine and painted in red, blue and yellow, and made their way into his boat, where they held the captain and four workers at gunpoint. Thereafter, several of their numbers took off his boat’s two-48

horsepower Yamaha outboard engines and placed them into their boat. One worker was struck to the head and other parts of the body as he attempted to resist the pirates, who then boarded their boat and left the scene.

The victims managed to make their way to the Waini police outpost, where an official report was made. The boat owner posited that police in the area searched the water top, but found no sign of the boat fitting the description that the victims gave the police. The victims had gone to fish in the area six days ago, and were due to return home in a few weeks’ time.

This East Coast resident has been in the fishing business for the past six years, and has never

previously been robbed by pirates. He recounted that he had once been attacked, by the attackers had left without taking anything.

Meanwhile, in order for his crew to continue working in the Waini area, he has made arrangements to send them another outboard engine that he had at home.

The businessman is calling on the relevant authorities to looking into the issue of piracy. He claims that while it is not being perpetrated on a large scale, small fishermen are targeted.

Since taking office, Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan has focused heavily on piracy in the Corentyne area, and from all indications, a decline in this illegal activity has been recorded.

Kitty businessman slapped with fraud charges

A

Kitty, Georgetown businessman was slapped with three counts of fraudulent conversion on Wednesday and appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

Nyron Maraj denied the charges which alleged that on August 15, 2016, he was entrusted with $130,000 by the Virtual Complainant (VC), Rory Forde, to spray a Ducati superbike.

However, the defendant allegedly converted the money to his own use and benefit.

In addition, the defendant was entrusted on a later occasion – between February 2 and February 15, 2017 – with $270,000 to purchase riding gear, which he again converted

Nyron Maraj

to his own use.

The third charge read that Maraj fraudulently converted to his own use and benefit, some $7,086,450 which was entrusted to him on February 6, 2017, by the VC, for the

purpose of purchasing one Toyota Tacoma truck.

The prosecution’s case contends that the defendant is a body shop owner who residing in De Abreu Street, Newtown, Kitty.

The court was told that the parties are known to each other for a number of years, and the VC had unsuccessfully attempted to contact the defendant via telephone after entrusting him with the cash. As such, a Police report was made.

Police Prosecutor Deniro Jones stated the prosecution’s file is incomplete as there are a few documents outstanding. Following a bail application by defence Attorney Everton Singh Lammy, Maraj was release on $100,000 bail. The case will continue on March 15.

Venezuelan jailed for narco trafficking

A

2 2 - y e a r - o l d Venezuelan was on Wednesday jailed

Wlavimir Guerrero

by Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan after he admit-

ted to a narcotics possession charge.

Wlavimir Guerrero admitted that on February 28, 2017, at Iteringbang Landing in the CuyuniMazaruni District, Region Seven, he had in his possession 100 grams of cannabis for the purpose of trafficking.

Police Prosecutor Deniro Jones told the court that Police Officers on patrol duty in Iteringbang visited the hotel at which the accused was staying after receiving a tipoff.

A search was then carried out on Guerrero along with four others and the substance suspected to be cannabis was discovered in

one of his pant pockets – a quantity of leaves, stems and seeds.

Guerrero confessed to ownership of the substance, stating that he uses it for pleasure purposes. He further related to the court that he was a taxi driver in his home country and had crossed the border into Guyana to pick up a client in order to escort him to a hospital over in Venezuela.

After listening to his version of the incident, the Magistrate fined him $120,000 and sentenced him to three years in prison.

news

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thursDAY, march 2, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Guyana, China to strengthen cooperation ties

Can you admit to being wrong?

M

aking mistakes is a human flaw that we all possess; we cannot always have the insight or ability to get it right all of the time. We misjudge, miscalculate, underestimate or over value things. When we do get things wrong, it is the way in which we react that determines our character.

We have all experienced Lorraine Ince-Carvalhal that sinking feeling in our stomachs when the realisation that our actions or words were off the mark washes over us. After that feeling, there is a choice we have to make. Many do not hesitate to own up and face the consequences, but there are just as many who will go to great lengths to cover up what they see as a weakness they are desperate to hide. Of course there are circumstances and situations to factor into our decisions.

The threat of consequences can be a huge deterrent to owning up to mistakes, but if you are afraid to admit you are wrong because of your ego, because you think errors show weakness, it’s time to think again.

It takes guts to admit you were wrong and then some to apologise for the mistake. It certainly isn’t weak to take responsibility for a poor or wrong choice or action, it shows strength of character and allows us to look critically at those errors and find ways to ensure they do not reoccur. In the admission of responsibility for the problem we may have caused, we can define what we did wrong and look for ways to avoid continuing down that path.

Admission is one thing, but what of those few words that come after? I’m sorry. They can be uttered begrudgingly, meaninglessly or sincerely. If an apology is genuine, it can go a long way to fixing the problem caused.

In personal relationships is important for each person to feel valued enough firstly that the other has owned their mistake, then secondly that they care enough about the effect it has had. When you can be honest enough to take responsibility and you are willing to make the effort to change things, repairs can be made and trust built.

Similarly, in other types of relationships, high functioning relations rely heavily on respecting and trusting each other being secure that mistakes can be overcome.

However, there are a large number of people who refuse to acknowledge to themselves and others that they are ever wrong. If you are not acknowledging it even to yourself, you seemingly have an extremely high opinion of your capabilities, and perhaps you work hard to ensure you do get things right, but to believe you are never wrong is leaning towards delusion. In fact, it is likely that you have low self-esteem if your ego cannot handle the realisation that you are wrong about something.

Of course it may be a difficult task for those in positions of power to admit mistakes because they believe people will lose respect for them or question their intelligence, competence and ability to lead. In an effort to avoid this, they can often assign blame elsewhere. For these people, acknowledging a mistake or blunder feels like a defeat, making them feel vulnerable, weak and exposed. It may also seem to signify inadequacy. Ironically, if people see others taking responsibility for their mistakes, they are more likely to be perceived as honest, strong, reliable and intelligent. It shows a confidence that they are secure in themselves to be able to cope with flaws.

Strong character and leadership are not defined by being infallible. Our growth as people is actuality enhanced by our acceptance of our imperfections and efforts to overcome our fears and insecurities. True strength of character is revealed when a person recognises and acknowledges failures, yet has the resolve and insight to keep moving forward.

These are the lessons that we should be offering our children. Showing them firstly that mistakes are an inevitable part of our existence and that taking responsibility for them, then striving to avoid similar future occurrences and taking the learning opportunity from situations to better understand ourselves, makes us adaptable and capable of progress. We need to help them to understand that true power lies in our ability to take ownership of our imperfections, responsibility for mistakes and being humble about our capabilities.

P

resident David Granger met on Wednesday with China’s Ambassador to Guyana, Cui Jianchun, at State House to discuss the strengthening of cooperation between the two countries.

The Ambassador was accompanied by Deputy Chief of Mission, Yang Chenqi, and Economic and Commercial Counsellor at the Embassy, Shen Huiyong. Chief of Staff of the Guyana Defence Force, Brigadier Patrick West, was also present.

During the meeting, President Granger explained that poor infrastruc-

President David Granger in conversation with Ambassador Cui Jianchun and his delegation at State House

ture, particularly in the hinterland, has impeded the development of tourism, agriculture, and the extractive sectors, and has been a deterrent to foreign investors.

Noting that there is an existing cooperation agreement between the GDF and the Chinese military, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the Head of State

said Guyana could benefit tremendously from infrastructure development training for GDF officers.

“We want to develop a strong engineering corps at the GDF, so that they can make a bigger contribution to infrastructure development in this country,” the Head of State said.

The Ambassador has informed the President of his plan to convene a forum to further engage the Government of Guyana in discussions, so as to identify priority areas in which the two countries can collaborate.

12news

thursDAY, march 2, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

“Empirical” info may lead to fake SOPs culprit – Dr Surujbally

E

ven on his last day at the helm of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), outgoing Chairman, Dr Steve Surujbally remained tightlipped about the source of the fake Statement of Polls (SOPs) which were discovered during the 2015 General and Regional Elections.

Speaking with reporters at his last press briefing as Chairman of the elections body on Tuesday, Dr Surujbally maintained that the fake SOPs discovered could never have passed through the rigorous scrutiny of the GECOM staffers and Commissioners.

However, when asked where the suspicions lead, the former Chairman opted not to say but noted that certain matters that rose may lead in certain directions.

“The answer to your question is I do not know who (inserted the SOPs)… empirical data, not provable data, empirical data could point in a direction…

The direction would be that the culprit with further research may be identified,” he asserted.

The former GECOM Chairman opted not to divulge any more details, blasting media operatives for not pursuing the issue more aggressively when it had occurred.

Further pressed about who stood to benefit more from what he called an “evil and wicked” act, Dr Surujbally posited that the question was a difficult one to answer.

“It is too complex and complicated for me to give you a definitive answer on that… because one can argue that even the winner party, not too sure that they’re going to win; you remember it’s a very close election, that they were the ones; or the losing party;

Former GECOM Chairman, Dr Steve Surujbally

or some wicked person or group wanted to claim some fame by doing something like that,” he asserted.

Shortly after the May 11, 2015 election, Chief Election Officer Keith Lowenfield had disclosed that 33 false SOPs were found. The People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) which was ousted from Government following that election, had heavily lobbied for an investigation into the false documents and had even made the issue one of the grounds in the Opposition-sponsored Elections Petition, in which the Party is challenging the results of the 2015 elections.

In fact, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo had even called for foreign investigators to be called in to probe the matter.

Further citing various inconsistencies with the 2015 electoral process including fake SOPs, the PPP/C has since made several calls for Dr Surujbally to be removed and had even staged numerous picketing exercises outside GECOM’s Head Office.

However, the former GECOM Chairman outlined at Tuesday’s press conference that he was able to withstand the pressure from those “picketers” and “protesters”.

“As a citizen of our beloved country, it is heart-

rending to witness the depth to which political parties can sink – as they seek to erode the credibility of a tested and proven elections management body. In Guyana, elections must be considered the most important tile in the mosaic of democracy. Such confounded misbehaviour against GECOM must cease. Win or lose, the behaviour of the combatants must be gracious. Words and expressions used must not reflect the banalities associated with the gutter,” he remarked.

Dr Surujbally went on to point out that while a Chairman ought to be not only pachyderm but resolute and fearless, the subjection of persons in that position to continuous abuse must not be considered par for the course since such actions do not adhere to the tenets associated with democracy.

“The truth be told, no Chairman should be subjected unabatedly and relentlessly, with ever increasing venom, to the type of harassment and provocation which are solely based on disgruntlement over the outcome of the polls without reason,” he declared, while adding that such attacks against him begun since the commencement of his term in office back in 2001.

Linden Town Clerk reinstated

L

inden Town Clerk Jonellor Bowen resumed duties within the municipality of the Linden Mayor and Town Council (LM&TC) on Wednesday. Bowen, who confirmed that she was back on the job following months of administrative leave, said she is also in the process of preparing a press statement in relation to the issue, which she noted will be released shortly.

Councillors of the municipality had passed a No-Confidence Motion against Bowen on July 27, 2016, and she was sent on administrative leave in October 2016, following a Commission of Inquiry into alleged wrongdoings within the Council. The Commission of Inquiry which released its findings a few weeks ago, however, found that the Motion brought against the Town

Linden Town Clerk Jonellor Bowen

Clerk was “in contravention with the procedures set out in Section 8 of Chapter 28:01 of the Municipal and District Councils Act of the Laws of Guyana and was also in contravention of the Standing Order rules under Section 9.”

Permanent Secretary within the Communities Ministry, Emil McGarrel, wrote to the Council in a

letter dated January 26, 2017, advising the Council to reinstate Bowen.

McGarrel noted in the letter that arising from the findings of this Committee, the Ministry is not in a position to endorse the NoConfidence Motion as it currently stands due to its procedural irregularities.

He further advised that the Town Clerk shall be called upon to resume her functions as Town Clerk forthwith.

Nevertheless, the Council made a decision that Bowen should resume duties on March 1 to facilitate a smooth transition of her duties. Bowen said she received correspondence from the Linden Mayor and Town Council (LM&TC) on Tuesday evening which stated that she should resume duties on Wednesday. (Utamu Belle)

Son admits stealing mother’s jewellery

M

agistrate Clive Nurse has ordered that a probation report be compiled on a 16-year-old and submitted to the court after the teen admitted that he had stolen a quantity of jewelry and raw gold from his mother.

The teen appeared at the Wales Magistrate’s Court and admitted that on January 30 at Lust-enRust, West Bank Demerara, he stole a silver band, 6 diamonds and ½ oz of raw gold from his mother.

In court, the Prosecution disclosed that the Virtual Complainant (VC) was at home on the day of the larceny and made certain checks around the house, thus she discovered that the articles were missing. She made

additional checks to locate the items, but to no avail.

After realizing that the articles were missing, the woman made a report to the La Grange Police Station. Her son was later confronted by Police, and admitted that he had stolen the items. In Court, the teen also admit-

ted to the magistrate that he had indeed stolen the items; as such, the probation report was ordered.

The case will continue on March 20, when a sentence will be imposed. In the meantime, the teen has been released into his mother’s custody.

Body found at Tarla Dam, WCD identified

T

he male corpse that was fished out of a trench at Tarla Dam, Meten-Meer-Zorg, West Coast Demerara (WCD) on Monday morning has been positively identified

by Kapil Deo Jaikarran as that of his brother, 35-yearold Dhaniram Jaikarran of Meten-Meer-Zorg, West Coast Demerara (WCD).

According to Kapil Deo Jaikarran, the dead man had last been seen on February 20. Kapil Deo also informed ranks that his brother had been in the habit of drinking heavily. However, the circumstances surrounding his death are still unclear.

Dhaniram Jaikarran’s body was spotted by two chil-

Dead: Dhaniram Jaikarran

dren floating in the trench at about 08:10hrs on Monday.

It was clad in a pair of long black pants and a white vest. Visible scars were seen across the face and about the chest, thus investigators

have not ruled out foul play.

Investigators also revealed to this publication that the body had seemingly been in the trench for almost a day.

A post mortem is expected to be done shortly.

news

13

thursDAY, march 2, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Mashabo farmer beaten by nephews

… now bedridden, unable to provide for 7 children

A

farmer of Mashabo Village, Essequibo, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), who was mercilessly beaten by three of his nephews, remains bedridden while the suspects walk scotch free.

Forty-four-year-old Ivan Williams suffered a displaced spinal cord, hip and other injuries to his rib cage as a result of the beating he received on February 10.

His wife, Beverly

Williams, is now frustrated due to the fact that her husband is at home and cannot provide for his seven children.

The woman explained that on the day of the incident, she and her husband were heading to another shore to collect cassava bread and as they were passing Williams’ eldest brother’s home, one of the suspects threw a stone in their direction, hitting her

husband.

An argument ensued and it was at that time, another brother emerged from the yard and started to assault her and her husband.

In defending his wife, Williams and one of the men got into a scuffle during which a third brother appeared and started kicking him to his ribs and other parts of his body. The ordeal lasted for about 20 minutes and no one rushed

M&CC collects 20% cut from parking meter project

A

s Guyanese continue to protest against and boycott the controversial parking meters in Georgetown, the Mayor and

central business district of the city.

The pronouncement of more parking meter users comes in light of widespread

Citizens protesting parking meters in the city

City Council has announced that it has received its first installment of profits from the project.

According to the City Council in a statement on Wednesday, it has collected its 20 per cent takings from the gross earnings from Smart City Solutions; the company contracted to carry out the Parking Meter Project and handles all of the expenses relating to the initiative. However, it did not disclose the value of the 20 per cent.

The M&CC noted that the money from the parking meter initiative has been earmarked for certain civil works, including upgrading existing Council roads and constructing new ones, developing sidewalks and pavements for pedestrians, clean and sustain drains and canals related to roads, bridges and foot paths and the implementation of a city transport system particularly for children and senior citizens.

The Council added that the money is needed to enhance the Council’s very narrow revenue base to provide a wide range of vital municipal services to local communities and the city as a whole.

The Georgetown municipality stated that since the establishment of the paid parking system, more motorists are now using the parking meters, particularly in very busy areas of the

boycott of the project, with many drivers continuing to park outside of the metered zones. This is despite a series of concessions on the parking fees that were announced some two weeks ago.

Meanwhile, the ongoing protest action against the project continues almost weekly in front of the City Hall calling for it to be scrapped. At last week’s protest, the participants wore mostly sombre colours to signify what they described as a “dying capital city”, since businesses continue to see reduced sales since the introduction of metered parking in January.

In addition to several officials calling for the project to be scrapped, several organisations have also jointed the calls including the Opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP) and more recently, the Alliance For Change (AFC), which is the minority party in the coalition Government.

Meanwhile, British High Commissioner Greg Quinn, commenting on the issue recently, told Guyana Times that the peaceful protests which greeted the implementation of parking meters in Georgetown were demonstrative of Guyana’s strong sense of democracy.

In fact, Guyanese disapproval of the initiative is such that at least two court actions have been filed; one by citizens and the other by

a commercial bank, challenging the implementation of the project. Both matters are currently engaging the High Court’s attention.

to their rescue. Her brother-in-law, she noted, stood in his house and looked on as his sons beat their uncle mercilessly. He later told her that his wife had locked him in the house.

However, the injured Williams was picked up and taken to the Suddie Public Hospital where he was admitted due to the severity of his injuries. A report was made to the Aurora

Police Station and Police ranks visited the area to take statements but never returned.

The woman noted that the three suspects who were all under the influence of alcohol at the time of the beating did not sleep at home for close to one week following the incident because they were afraid of being locked up by the Police.

Now that her husband cannot help himself, she is forced to take care of her children, a task which is extremely hard, since her eldest daughter in now in secondary school and has to travel on a daily basis.

The woman further recalled that her husband was supposed to return to the interior on February 11.

According to her, he was already packed and ready to go but instead ended up in hospital.

The woman is calling on the relevant authorities to intervene in the matter, claiming that her husband could have been a dead man. She explained that the Police ranks took statements and promise to investigate the matter but to date, justice is yet to be served. (Bhisham Mohamed)

14

Regional Nicaraguan woman burnt on a fire in exorcism ritual A

young woman in an isolated part of Nicaragua has died a week after being tied up and allegedly thrown on a fire in an exorcism ritual. Family members told local media that Vilma Trujillo had been attacked by four people led by a man who said he was an evangelical pastor.

Juan Rocha denied burning Mrs Trujillo, saying evil spirits had suspended her above the fire and then dropped her. Relatives found Mrs Trujillo, 25, hours later with severe burns.

The Police have arrested Rocha and a number of other people allegedly involved in the attack. The victim’s

Vilma Trujillo’s husband collected her coffin from the local morgue

husband, Reynaldo Peralta Rodriguez, said the mother-of-two was taken inside a church last week when members thought she was possessed after allegedly

trying to attack people with a machete, the Associated Press reports.

“It’s unforgiveable what they did to us,” he was quoted as saying. “They killed

my wife, the mother of my two little ones. Now what am I going to tell them?”

Pablo Cuevas, a spokesman for Nicaragua’s Human Rights Commission, called on the Government for firmer control over religious sects in the country.

Women’s rights groups said the case was an example of fanaticism and misogyny.

Juanita Jimenez of the Autonomous Women’s Movement (MAM) told local media that it was also the product of a lack of state presence in isolated parts of the country and an act of barbarity. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Jamaica seeking to lure investors from Philadelphia

P

resident of the World Trade Centre of Greater Philadelphia, Linda Mysliwy-Conlin says she is impressed with the stability and growth of the Jamaican economy noting that now is an excellent time to invest in Jamaica.

Speaking at a forum on investment opportunities in Jamaica hosted by the US Department of Commerce and the Greater Philadelphia World Trade

Centre, in conjunction with the Jamaican Embassy, Conlin said her organisation would be sensitising the business community about the vast amount of opportunities available for investment in Jamaica as well as the potential to increase trade between the City of Philadelphia and Jamaica.

Jamaica’s Ambassador to the United States, Audrey Marks outlined a raft of investment opportunities in

her country declaring that Jamaica was open for business. She outlined a number of investment opportunities in Jamaica including the divestment of the Norman Manley International Airport, the re-development of downtown Kingston, the Logistic Hub and a number of specific projects related to water infrastructure development being undertaken by the National Water Commission.

The diplomat invited the entrepreneurs to visit Jamaica to take a look at the various opportunities available for investment and that she would be doing everything possible to attract new investment to Jamaica including the launch of an investment road-show targeting a number of states from which she hope to garner new investment for Jamaica. (Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

T&T girl, 8, allegedly used as sex slave

A

n eight-year-old girl is allegedly being used as a sex slave, being pimped out by a male relative near their sea-side home.

Although reports have been made to the Children’s Authority since January, nothing has been done to rescue the girl. A female relative who requested anonymity said the child has been begging to leave the squatting house which she occupies with her grandmother and the male relative.

She explained that the girl is “a horn child” and was abandoned by her mother in

2009, shortly after her birth.

She also said that another teenager who lives close by, makes fares as a prostitute and has been indoctrinating the eight-year-old to a life of sex and debauchery.

Asked whether the child is in school, the relative said the young girl is described as a bully by school officials.

She also said the young girl has a hatred of children her own age. Contacted on monday, ACP South Enez Joseph advised the relative to file a report at the San Fernando Police station.

Deputy Chairman of the Children’s Authority Stephanie Daly could not

ith diabetes so prevalent across the Caribbean, a claim by US researchers that the pancreas can be triggered to regenerate by a type of fasting diet comes as welcome news.

In animal experiments, restoring the function of the pancreas reversed symptoms of diabetes. Experts said the findings were “potentially very exciting” as

they could become a new treatment for the disease.

The study, which was published in the journal Cell, claims that the diet “reboots” the body. For the experiments, mice were put on a modified form of the “fasting-mimicking diet,” which was similar to the human form of the diet in which participants spend five days on a low-calorie, low-protein, low-carbohydrate but

How a finger got the Bahamian Prime Minister in hot water

Prime Minister Perry Christie flips the bird during a PLP meeting on Monday night in Fox Hill

B

ahamian Prime Minister Perry Christie is facing criticism after he flipped the bird during a fiery speech at a political meeting of his ruling Progressive Liberal Party.

A pumped up Christie made the uncharacteristic gesture while sharing with his supporters in Fox Hill on Sunday night how he had responded to an allegation levelled against him.

The Nassau Guardian reported that Christie told the crowd, which included children, that a man he described as a “lunatic” had challenged him to admit that he owned a condominium featured in a post.

“This is what I [told ] him …” the Prime Minister said and then stuck up his middle finger, which is widely recognized as a non-verbal obscenity. The PLP leader charged that “lies and distortion” were

usually prevalent during election campaigns and he warned his team and supporters to “get used to it.”

But according to the Tribune newspaper, Christie’s finger flipping had not gone down well with some religious groups. Bahamas Christian Council President Rev Dr Ranford Patterson said the nation’s leader has a responsibility to children to apologise for his obscene gesture and explain why he did it.

And Bishop Simeon Hall, pastor emeritus of New Covenant Baptist Church, said Christie should learn to curse “in private… It is not becoming of a Prime Minister.

I have gotten calls from as far as the United States after the picture and the story went viral. Whether he meant anything bad by it or not, whether he meant to do it or not, it does not look good for this country.” (Excerpt from Caribbean360)

Antigua-Barbuda implements diplomatic regulatory framework

T

be reached for comment but Public Education & Communications Manager of the Children’s Authority Cheryl Moses-Williams said

she could not divulge whether the case is under investigation. She said she will look into the matter. (Excerpt from

Trinidad Guardian)

Fasting could fix diabetes, new study claims

W

guyanatimesgy.com

thursDAY, march 2, 2017

high unsaturated-fat diet for a total of around 800 to 1100 calories a day.

They then have 25 days eating what they want, mimicking periods of feast and famine.

Previous research has suggested that this type of diet can slow the pace of ageing, but animal experiments also showed that the diet regenerated a special type of cell in the pancreas called

a beta cell. Beta cells detect sugar in the blood and release the hormone insulin if it gets too high.

The benefits extended to both type 1 and type 2 diabetes in the animal experiments. Type 1 is caused by the immune system destroying beta cells and type 2 is largely caused by a sedentary lifestyle with poor diet choices and the body no longer responding to insulin.

(Excerpt from Caribbean360)

he Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Gaston Browne, has announced that the Cabinet is implementing its recently announced policy on diplomatic representation and accreditation. The Cabinet based its policy on recommendations prepared by Sir Ronald Sanders, ambassador of Antigua and Barbuda to the USA, and his Embassy team, who between them have over 60 years of practical diplomatic experience in several capitals and international organisations.

The Global Investor Immigration Council also submitted its guidelines to the Antigua and Barbuda Government. The GIIC places a strong emphasis on increased transparency and accountability of diplomatic appointments of naturalised citizens. The GIIC’s guidelines are part of the GIIC’s collaboration with Professor Craig Barker, Dean of the School of International Law

and Social Sciences, London South Bank University and include proposals for more thorough due diligence, stricter appointment procedures and tighter controls.

Browne said that his government is determined that “Antigua and Barbuda’s system and practices with regard to its citizenship by investment programme and the issuance of passports, including diplomatic ones, must be among the best in the world”.

Mykolas Rambus, Chairman of GIIC, said that for countries with citizenship by investment programs, diplomatic figures are of great importance. GIIC is the investor immigration industry’s self-regulatory body, protecting integrity, ensuring transparency, and advancing advocacy for all constituents. GIIC develops and maintains best industry practices, serves as a non-partisan, not-for-profit forum for all stakeholders to ensure dialogue, stability, and success. (Excerpt from Caribbean News Now)

thursDAY, march 2, 2017

guyanatimesgy.com

15

Around the World

Antarctica hits record high Trump’s speech was “detached from temperature at balmy 63.5°F reality” – Democrats A

The Democratic leaders in Congress, Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi, gave “prebuttals” to the speech

P

resident Donald Trump preached a message of unity in his Congress address, but fails to back that up with action, top Democrats have said.

He has no plan and has “not reached out to us once”, said the party’s Senate leader, Chuck Schumer.

President Trump struck an unusually optimistic tone in his first address to both legislative chambers.

He has had a bumpy first 40 days in office, firing a top aide and having his travel ban halted by the courts.

On Tuesday night, he

said the time for “trivial fights” was over and urged the two parties sitting in front of him to come together to solve the nation’s problems.

But Schumer listed a number of issues where the President was unwilling, in his view, to compromise or hear their side.

On the Affordable Care Act, for instance, he said his party was willing to work on making the law better, but Trump would consider only repeal.

And Schumer said the Democrats had sent the President a plan on im-

proving the country’s infrastructure but had not heard back.

“The speech and reality have never been more detached in a presidential speech,” he said.

The Democratic leader in the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, said “all they have is rhetoric – we don’t have any reality in terms of any legislation”.

Republicans were largely happy with the speech, in which the President looked forward to a “new chapter of American greatness”. (Excerpt

n Argentine research base near the northern tip of the Antarctic peninsula has set a heat record at a balmy 63.5° Fahrenheit (17.5 degrees Celsius), the United Nations weather agency said on Wednesday.

The Experanza base set the high on March 24, 2015, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) said after reviewing data around Antarctica to set benchmarks to help track future global warming and natural variations.

“Verification of maximum and minimum temperatures help us to build up a picture of the weather and climate in one of Earth’s final frontiers,” said Michael Sparrow, a polar expert with the WMO co-sponsored World Climate

Two Adelie penguins stand atop a block of melting ice on a rocky shoreline at Cape Denison, Commonwealth Bay, in East Antarctica in this file photo

Research Programme.

Antarctica locks up 90 per cent of the world’s fresh water as ice and would raise sea levels by about 60 meters (200 ft) if it were all to melt, meaning scientists are concerned to know even about extremes

Sudan’s Bashir names ally Prime Minister

S

udanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir named his First Vice President and long-time ally Hassan Saleh to the new-

It is the first time Sudan has had a prime minister since Bashir came to power in a 1989 Islamist and military-backed coup. Saleh is the

from BBC News)

Iraqi Army closes in on Mosul militants

U

S-backed Iraqi army units on Wednesday took control of the last major road out of western Mosul that had been in Islamic State’s hands, trapping the militants in a shrinking area within the city, a general and residents said.

The army’s 9th Armoured Division was within a kilometre of Mosul’s Syria Gate, the city’s north-western entrance, a general from the

unit told Reuters by telephone.

“We effectively control the road, it is in our sight,” he said.

Mosul residents said they had not been able to travel on the highway that starts at the Syria Gate since Tuesday. The road links Mosul to Tal Afar, another Islamic State stronghold 60 kilometres (40 miles) to the west, and then to Syria.

Iraqi forces captured

the eastern side of Mosul in January after 100 days of fighting and launched their attack on the districts that lie west of the Tigris River on February 19.

If they defeat Islamic State in Mosul, that would crush the Iraq wing of the caliphate declared by the group’s leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in 2014 from the city’s grand old Nuri Mosque. (Excerpt from Reuters)

UN: Both sides committed war crimes in Syria’s Aleppo

B

oth sides in last year’s battle for Syria’s Aleppo city committed war crimes, including a “deliberate” bombing of a humanitarian convoy by the Syrian Government, according to a new United Nations investigation.

The UN Commission of Inquiry’s report released on Wednesday said Syrian Government and allied Russian forces “pervasively used” unguided munitions to bomb densely populated areas in rebel-held east-

ern Aleppo between July and its fall on December 22, amounting to the war crime of indiscriminate attacks.

These included aerial bombs, air-to-surface rockets, cluster munitions, incendiary bombs, barrel bombs, and weapons delivering toxic industrial chemicals.

But investigators could not say whether both Syrian and Russian forces had used them in Aleppo or only one had. Neither did they attribute any specific war crime

investigated to Russian forces.

“Throughout the period under review, the skies over Aleppo city and its environs were jointly controlled

by Syrian and Russian air forces ... (They) use predominantly the same aircraft and weapons, thus rendering attribution impossible in many cases,” the report said.

Aleppo, once Syria’s largest city and former commercial hub, had been divided into rebel and government parts since 2012. (Excerpt from Al

Jazeera)

around the fringes.

The heat record for the broader Antarctic region, defined as anywhere south of 60 degrees latitude, was 19.8°C (67.6°F) on January 30, 1982 on Signy Island in the South Atlantic, it said. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir addresses a news conference in Cape Town South Africa, November 7, 2007

ly-created post of Prime Minister, the ruling party’s deputy leader said on Wednesday.

last member of the group of officers that launched the coup to remain at Bashir’s side.

“The party leadership

meeting chaired by President Bashir approved the nomination of Hassan Saleh as prime minister and his retention of the post of first vice president,” National Congress Party Deputy Leader Ibrahim Mahmoud told reporters.

Saleh will be sworn in today and immediately start negotiations on forming a new Cabinet, Mahmoud said.

Sudan’s Constitution was amended in December to introduce the position of Prime Minister, a demand of Opposition parties that took part in a national dialogue with the Government, with the aim of distributing some of the presidency’s extensive powers.

Bashir agreed to the proposal but reserved most executive authority for himself.

Saleh is now seen as the strongest contender to succeed Bashir if he keeps his promise of not running for re-election in 2020. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Pulse nightclub shooting: Gunman’s wife freed pending trial

A

judge’s decision to grant bail for the wife of a man who killed 49 people at a nightclub in Orlando, Florida, pending her trial, has sparked outrage.

Noor Salman, widow of Omar Mateen, is accused of obstruction of justice and aiding and abetting his material support to the so-called Islamic State.

A California federal judge said Salman is not a flight risk or a danger to public safety.

But she agreed to hold the decision for two days as prosecutors appeal.

The June 2016 attack was the worst mass shooting in modern US history.

Orlando Police Chief John Mina said in a statement that

The couple married in 2011 and have a son who is now four years old

he was “disappointed” by Wednesday’s move to free the 31-year-old.

A survivor of the shooting, Chris Hansen, expressed shock at the decision.

Oakland-based Judge Donna Ryu ruled that Salman could live with her uncle in

northern California, but must wear an electronic ankle monitor.

The Judge added that there is no evidence the accused is directly linked to any terror groups, or that she personally holds extremist views.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

16

thursday, march 2, 2017

guyanatimesgy.com

Ganesh Shew of Sealand Surveys S uccess for Ganesh Shew, the owner of hydrographic and engineering surveying company Sealand Surveys, is “acquiring your goals without hurting anyone in the process”. And that says a lot about the personable 37-year-old who confessed that he went into business for himself five years ago because he did not like to be bossed around.

Sealand Surveys spe-

cialises in near-shore and in-shore hydrographic and engineering surveys, the Plantation Nouvelle Flanders, West Coast Demerara resident says.

Hydrographic surveying is the science of measurement and description of features which affect maritime navigation, marine construction, dredging, offshore oil exploration/offshore oil drilling and related activities. Sealand

Surveys operates within the restricted waters of Guyana, and Shew has done work for Bosai and the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) Inc among other companies.

“We provide bathymetric data for any marine shipping, dredging or construction operation in the ports and harbours of Guyana. But aside from my surveying business, I also have a speedboat service

Business News

GCCI to host gender equality in the workplace workshop

T

he Georgetown Chamber of Industry and Commerce (GCCI), in collaboration with CUSO International, will be hosting a Gender Equality and Social Inclusion in the Workplace Workshop on March 7, 2017, at 17:00h in the

Chamber’s Boardroom.

Gender equality and social inclusion are increasing becoming important issues in the workplace and companies which properly leverage the benefits of promoting the two have been able to achieve business advantages. The

free seminar, which had been previously scheduled for February 28, is being facilitated by CUSO International Gender Specialist Chantelle M Walters. Those interested in attending should contact the Chamber for registration.

Oil slips after US crude stocks build to record high

O

il prices ended slightly lower on Wednesday as record high US crude supplies tempered expectations that the market will rebalance as evidence emerges that OPEC producers are complying with an agreement to cut production.

Crude stockpiles in the United States, the world’s top oil consumer, rose 1.5 million barrels last week,

less than forecast, but touching a record at 520.2 million barrels after eight straight weekly builds.

The consecutive increases have fuelled worries that demand growth may not be sufficient to soak up the global oil glut despite a deal by major oil producers to cut output during the first half of the year.

“The EIA stats don’t offer much in the way of

surprises this week,” said David Thompson, executive vice-president at Powerhouse, an energy-specialised commodities broker in Washington.

“Lack of weather-generated demand for heating oil will be offset in coming weeks by agricultural demand, but with refineries coming back into service, the market looks capable of meeting any increased demand.” (Reuters)

Market statistics Cambio Rates

Gold Prices – Guyana Gold Board

Bank of Guyana Cur

Buying

Calculated at 94% purity, March 1, 2016

Selling

USD

$1256.25

GBP

$253.77

$257.00

Gross

$243,555

CAN

$154.68

$156.47

$226,507

$205.98

$208.44

Net

USD

$ 216.88

$219.67

EURO

Indicators as on March 1, 2017 Indicators

US$ per barrel

Crude Oil

$55.59

Price

USD

Rough Rice

$211.86/ton

London Sugar

$532.60/ton

Live Spot Gold

Change %

-0.61 Change %

+2.94 0 USD Per Ounce

Bid/Ask

$1246.40

$1247.40

Low/High

$1236.50

$1251.40

Change

Business Concept – Free Market

-2.60

-0.21%

Where buyers and sellers can make the deals they wish to make without any interference, except by the forces of demand and supply. A stock market comes closest to this ideal.

Also called market economy and open market. (Business Dictionary)

Ganesh Shew

and I do some farming,” he added.

Shew is definitely a soul who keeps busy and has several irons in the fire.

It’s clear that the trained land surveyor and boatmaster, who recently completed business training at ActionCOACH through the Small Business Bureau, believes in educating himself in the various aspects of his life. But it’s all based on his understanding that when you are your own boss, you have to work harder and longer, a lesson he has learnt from experience.

“My field of business is very limited, because there’s a small sector that requires such a service,”

Shew noted in measuring the response to the services offered by his business. But the hydrographic surveyor, who says his biggest inspiration is the future because “you never know what lies ahead”, has great hopes for Sealand Surveys. He remarked that his niche business had great potential, since the development of the oil and gas sector would increase demand for hydrographic and engineering surveys. Making full use of technology to provide better service to clients is at the top of the list of his priorities.

A former student of Bartica Secondary School and the Government Technical Institute (GTI),

who was raised in the Pomeroon and Georgetown, his early experience of travelling across the country and living in diverse places was good preparation for the travelling that is an inherent part of his work.

“My work is 50 per cent in the field and 50 per cent in the office; since my office is at home, my work doesn’t take away time from my family. I even take my wife in the field when it’s not too dangerous,” he said in explaining how he dealt with the challenges the business can pose. The fact that he loves travelling and views it “in itself” as a vacation makes Shew’s profession even more perfect for him.

He advised budding entrepreneurs, “Put your all into your business because only then you would be able to have results.”

Highlighting that the most important trait of businesspeople was “learning to deal with uncertainty of business”, the former Guyana Defence Force (GDF) officer said access to finance at an affordable rate and payment term was vital.

The determination and willingness to learn shown

by Shew, who said his grandmother was his biggest influence, have been pivotal on his rise into capitalism.

Contact: Sealand Surveys, Plantation Nouvelle Flanders, West Coast Demerara; 614-8400

Investors’ Guide

Dow closes above 21,000 for 1st time after Trump’s speech

U

S equities surged to all-time highs Wednesday, the major indexes posting their best day of the year, on the back of President Donald Trump’s speech to Congress.

“A lot of people say this is euphoria, but doesn’t feel like it,” said Eddie Perkin, chief equity investment officer at Eaton Vance. “It feels like people are reluctantly buying stocks.”

“That’s why I’m a little wary,” he said.

Trump’s speech, which was delivered Tuesday night, was widely praised for its positive tone, but lacked specifics about tax reform and deregulation, two key components of the market’s post-election rally.

“The major positive from the speech is he delivered on his ‘America first’ message, but he did so in a positive and uniting way,” said Zhiwei Ren, portfolio manager at Penn Mutual Asset Management. “If his message of ‘America first’ can succeed, this could be posi-

tive for the economy” in the near term.

The Dow advanced about 300 points with Goldman Sachs contributing the most gains and closing above 21,000 for the first time. The 30-stock index first closed above 20,000 on January 25.

The S&P 500 climbed 1.4 per cent, with financials rising 2.8 per cent to lead advancers, and briefly broke above 2400 for the first time. The index closed above 2300 for the first time on February 9.

The Nasdaq jumped 1.4 per cent.

Dow futures soared more than 150 points ahead of the open, while S&P and Nasdaq futures advanced 18 and 34 points, respectively.

“While it’s understandable that these things take time to plan and implement properly, markets have been way ahead of the game since Trump’s victory and there comes a time when we need to know exactly what they’re rallying on,” said Craig Erlam, senior market

analyst at Oanda, in a note.

Equities had closed lower on Tuesday, with the Dow snapping a 12-day winning streak.

Investors also paid close attention to key economic data, as the probability of the Federal Reserve raising rates surged.

Personal income rose 0.4 per cent in January, topping expectations, while consumer spending slowed.

However, the personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index jumped 1.9 per cent in the 12 months through January, putting inflation very close to the Federal Reserve’s target of two per cent.

Construction spending fell 1 per cent in January, well below expectations, but the February ISM manufacturing index rose to 57.7, expanding on January’s 56.0 reading.

The Fed’s Beige Book was also released Wednesday, and it showed that US businesses remained generally optimistic but less so than in the previous report. (CNBC)

news

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thursDAY, march 2, 2017| guyanatimesgy.com

VAT to remain on private CARILED’s impact was positive – National schools’ fees – President Project Coordinator

A

s public outrage continues to mount over the imposition of the 14 per cent Value Added Tax (VAT) on private school fees, Government seems to be holding steadfast to the move made in the 2017 Budget.

It was reported earlier this week that President David Granger was expected to announce the removal of the tax on private tuition fees. However, the Head of State told reporters on Wednesday that this will not happen.

“My mind is not changed but we had a meeting yesterday (Tuesday) and the Finance Minister explained certain aspects of taxation, which were not as clear to the public before,” he stated.

The President noted that during Tuesday’s ministerial conference, it was decided to keep the tax in place in light of the situation with the private school system and tax compliance, something which Finance Minister Winston Jordan made a presentation on.

“The Cabinet examined the problem (Tuesday); the issue as you know, several petitions have been presented and the Minister of Finance will make a statement but there is more in the mortar than the pestle.

There are very strong arguments to maintain the tax, and as I said Cabinet examined it, and I urge the Minister of Finance to

President David Granger

make a public statement so the issues are better understood,” the Head of State said following the opening of the Department of the Environment in Kingston.

President Granger explained that currently, there are about 57 private schools in the country and only about eight of them are apparently compliant with the relevant tax regulations.

This, he noted, means that some 49 of these private institutions are non-compliant.

“As it is now, the tax stays and as I said earlier, there are grounds to ensure better compliance by all private operators with the [Guyana Revenue Authority] GRA’s regulations. Right now we have a high level of non-compliance by some private entities,” he stated.

“Private schools are not all the same and so the Minister of Finance is in a better position (to explain

the situation),” the President asserted while recognising the additional burden families will be faced with in light of the tax imposition.

Since the announcement of VAT on school fees, stakeholders have come out condemning the move with many parents crying out against the additional burden placed on them. In fact, persons took outside the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) Office on Camp Street calling for the removal of the 14 per cent tax on private education.

Organiser of the protest, businessman Roshan Khan stated that while expecting a larger crowd, he was not fazed by the comparatively low turnout. Khan demanded that the Government immediately reverse the VAT charge on education and issue an apology to the country. Other persons on the picket line also had similar cries and called on the

Dept of Environment launched – integrates 6 agencies

P

resident David Granger was on hand on Wednesday to formally launch the Department of Environment, one of several sub-agencies and ministries which fall under the preview of the Ministry of the Presidency, and is designed to integrate all agencies with an environmental mandate. This Department is housed in a building at High Street Kingston, opposite Red House.

Director of the Environment Department, Ndibi Schweirs, informed those present at the launch that the work of six agencies has been subsumed into the Department to correct anomalies which relate to differing policy objectives and approaches to matters that concern the country’s environment issues.

These agencies are the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Protected Areas Commission, National Parks Commission, Wildlife Commission, and the offices of Climate Change and Project Management.

Ms. Schweirs stressed that this Department will work with all Government

agencies and civil society and other interest groups to ensure that the country has environmental policies in all the regions.

“It also represents Government’s commitment to ensuring a holistic and rationalized approach to environmental conservation and management, through the coordination and integration of agencies with an environmental mandate into a unified unit that can effectively respond to the green economy and concept of sustainable development,” she stressed.

President Granger, who delivered the key address, highlighted the importance of Guyana to the sustenance of the world’s environment. To this end, he stressed that Guyana’s forest assists the globe in the regulation of climate by reducing carbon emissions and balancing oxygen.

“We are part of the lungs of the earth,” Granger noted.

He, however, said that the Department of the Environment must do its work.

“Our grasslands, wetlands, highlands, coastal zone, mudflats, rain forest,

rivers are all under threat, and we need a strong permanent institution to preserve and protect and sustainably manage our biodiversity,” he added.

The Head of State also noted that Guyana must improve on solid waste management and disposal practices.

Meanwhile, Minister of State Joseph Harmon said the Ministry of the Presidency is fully behind the newly established Department. Highlighting the timeliness of the agency’s functioning, Harmon praised the country’s recent acceptance as a member of the Partnership for Action on Green Economy (PAGE), an initiative which was launched at Rio Plus 20 in 2013.

“Our acceptance to this initiative is timely, given our own push towards achieving a sustainable green economy. It will, no doubt, provide us with the necessary and needed support to reframe our economic policies and practices to foster economic growth,” he added.

The Department of Environment was gazetted on September 1, 2016.

Administration to act swiftly to reverse the measures.

“The protest is to save the youths who may be thinking of migrating. If they want to go to private school – nursery, kindergarten, anything that has to do with private education, (the imposition of VAT) is ludicrous… People send their children to private school not (necessarily) because they are rich.

It is unfortunate that the leadership thinks that those people who go to private schools, their families are rich,” Khan stated.

Meanwhile, John Edghill, a young student, was also present on the protest line and explained that as a private school student who was working in order to offset the expenses of his studies, the VAT on education was a worrying burden.

“It is an additional burden on me. I don’t make a lot of money. I’m at an entry-level job. I’m helping to pay for my education.

Adding 14 per cent will just increase the burden on me.

I still have other things to do with money, every day.

There is VAT on a whole lot of other (items) now,” he posited.

In defending Government’s imposition of the 14 per cent VAT, Minister Jordan in a letter to the media last week pointed out that the private schools are in a position to absorb the tax and not pass it on to parents.

T

he Caribbean Local Economic Development (CARILED) has impacted positively on the professional development of local councillors, according to National Coordinator of the project in Guyana, Roger Rogers.

CARILED is a Canadian funded project implemented by the Federation of Canadian Municipalities across seven countries in the region, including Guyana. The project has as it goals creating sustainable development at the local level, with a particular emphasis on development of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) and youth.

It is within this context that Guyana, through the then Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development, (now Ministry of Communities) introduced the project to its local government structure in August 2012.

In an interview with the Government Information Agency (GINA) on Wednesday, Rogers posited that much of the project’s success in Guyana came in recent months, when the new national focus on a greater role for local democratic organs presented expanded opportunities for the project’s conceptualization and priorities.

Over the last eight months, the project, in collaboration with the Ministry of Communities, has facilitated training sessions covering inter-governmental relations, governance, the legal framework of local government, good practices of local government, and planning.

National Coordinator of the project in Guyana, Roger Rogers

The project is also working with the six local councils to pilot business facilitation desks, and Rogers has said that the formal launch of the business desks would occur in the coming weeks.

Rogers explained that the concept of the local economic profiles has been adopted by the Communities Ministry, and is to be replicated in a number of areas in which CARILED was not directly involved.

Another key output of the institutional strengthening training workshop that was delivered under the programme has been the development of a guidebook for elected officials. This guidebook summarises experiences at the regional and global levels that can be brought to bear locally. Rogers explained that the guidebook is currently in the final rounds of technical validation. He pointed out that once that process has been completed, the book will go to print.

CARILED is currently in the phase of wrapping up its efforts in Guyana.

18

guyanatimesgy.com

thursDAY, march 2, 2017

ARCHIE

Size up your situation and then make a move. Don’t give (March 21- anyone a chance to dictate April 19) how you should live your life or do your job. If you try hard, you will gain respect.

ARIES

An emotional conversaTAURUS tion will impart greater mean(April 20- ing to the way you want to do May 20) things in the future. Honesty will promote decisions based on trust and loyalty.

dilbert

Consider the consequencGEMINI es if you speak up about (May 21June 20) something you know little about. Gather all the facts before you misrepresent someone who needs your help and support.

You will find emotional CANCER comfort and peace through (June 21- engaging in meditation and July 22) education and trying something altogether different.

Broadening your scope will enhance your respect for others. Build strong alliances.

Peanuts

A couple of physical changes LEO will boost your spirits. Refuse (July 23to let a jealous individual who Aug. 22) feels threatened by you discourage your plan to succeed.

A short trip will be inforVIRGO (Aug. 23- mative. You are best off seeSept. 22) ing something firsthand if you want to get involved. Gains will be made if you get the inside scoop.

Calvin and Hobbes

Pressure will lead to stress LIBRA if you let it. Deal with emo(Sept. 23tional mayhem before it exOct. 23) plodes in order to reverse any troubles that are brewing.

WORD GAME

SUDOKU

Networking can bring SAGITTARIUS about change if you are con(Nov. 23- cise and only promise what Dec. 21) you can deliver. If you nurture relationships with those close to you, you will always have someone to lean on.

TODAY’S WORD — PLANET (PLANET: PLAN-it: One of eight celestial bodies that orbit the sun) Average mark 26 words Time limit 40 minutes Can you find 35 or more words in PLANET? The list will be published tomorrow.

YESTERDAY’S WORD — EMBALMS

male malm meal mesa bale balm base beam

blame blase able alms amble lamb lame lase

sable sale same seal seam slab slam

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

Share your feelings with SCORPIO someone you care about. Doing (Oct. 24so will be a relief and will help Nov. 22) you recognize how your ideas are being perceived and what degree of help will be offered.

solution for Last Published Puzzle

Settle down and be satisCAPRICORN fied with what you have. Too (Dec. 22much of anything will lead to Jan. 19) added stress and an inability to follow your dreams.

Moderation will help you build greater security.

An emotional incident in AQUARIUS the past must not be allowed (Jan. 20to interfere with a chance Feb. 19) to move forward now. Make whatever changes are necessary to bypass trouble. Look inward for answers.

PISCES It’s a good day to talk with (Feb. 20- people who share your experiMarch 20) ence, skills or concerns. Think carefully about what might need to be changed in order for you to meet your goals.

thursDAY, march 2, 2017

19

Dwayne Smith 18 athletes to represent announces retirement from international cricket

W

est Indies batsman Dwayne Smith has announced his retirement from all international cricket. Smith, 33, who is playing for Islamabad United in the ongoing Pakistan Super League, confirmed the decision before the start of the second qualifying final against Karachi Kings in Sharjah. His last West Indies appearance came at the 2015 World Cup. Smith made his international debut on West Indies’ tour of South Africa 200304, beginning with the New Year’s Test in Cape Town in January 2004, after Marlon Samuels flew home with a knee injury. He made an impression straightaway, scoring a century on debut - a run-a-ball unbeaten 105, his only international century in the second innings of the game, to help West Indies draw the match and end their streak of seven successive Test losses in South Africa. The team, however, did lose the series 3-1. Smith played only nine more Tests, scoring a total of 320 runs in the format. His last Test appearance for West Indies was in March 2006, against New Zealand in Napier.

Smith had a far more substantial run in the limited-overs sides, where he also made useful contributions with his medium-pace, although his batting returns remained modest. Having begun in the lower order, Smith was promoted to the

C

Dwayne Smith last played for West Indies at the 2015 World Cup © Associated Press

top order, including as an opener, after 2014 and did better there. Six of his eight ODI fifties came when he batted in the top three, and his average of 25.27 was better than his overall career average of 18.57. Overall, he played 105 ODIs scoring 1560 runs at a strike rate of 92.69. He also took 61 wickets in ODIs, with a career-best of 5 for 45 and three four-fors.

Smith was part of two World Cup squads for West Indies in 2007 and in 2015, where his final appearance came against UAE in Napier.

Following West Indies’ early exit from the 2007 World Cup, Smith spent close to three years out of the ODI and T20I squads before making his return in 2010.

He was part of three World T20 squads - in 2007, 2012 and 2014. While he played only one match during West Indies’ title run in the 2012 World T20, he was picked in the next edition as the side’s designated opener and scored 125 runs in five matches. In 33 T20 internationals, he scored 582 runs at 18.18 with a strike rate of 122.78, although he only made three fifties.

Smith has been a popular cricketer on the T20 circuit, over the last few years, turning out to play for franchises in the Indian Premier League, the Caribbean Premier League, the Bangladesh Premier League and the Pakistan Super League, as well as the NatWest Blast in England.

(Cricinfo)

Being the best never easy - Bolt W

orld’s fastest man Usain Bolt has reiterated the fact that hard work has been the most crucial ingredient in his complete domination of the sport of track and field, even as he prepares to hang up his spikes in a few months’ time.

The Jamaican’s dominance of the sprint events over the last few years has almost been unparalleled.

The sprinter has not only managed eight Olympic and 11 World Championship gold medals, but has lost only a handful of races in nearly 10 years since his first major gold medal in Beijing.

At times the sprinter has made defeating his numerous rivals look easy, but

Guyana at Islamic Solidarity Games

Usain Bolt

he has always been just as quick to insist it’s never the case.

“People always say I made it look easy, but it’s not easy,” Bolt told CNN in a recent interview.

“It looks easy because I put in so much work so when I get on the stage I execute

very well. I tell people all the time that if I’m in good shape then no one is going to beat me.”

Bolt is eager to take a break from that work and has vowed to call time on his career following this summer’s World Championships in London.

ome May 12-22, Guyana will be represented by 18 athletes at the third annual Islamic Solidarity Games in In Baku, Azerbaijan according to the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) at a recent press conference.

Among the sport disciplines that will be contested by Guyana at the games are : Table tennis, Athletics, Swimming, Judo and Taekwondo.

The table tennis team will be led by National male champion Christopher Franklin and Trenance Lowe and includes Chelsea Edghill, Natalie Cummings, Nigel Bryan, Joel Allyne; the coach is Idi Lewis.

Winston George, Alita Moore, Natrena Hooper and Emmanuel Archibald are the track and field athletes,

Chelsea Edghill

Winston George

Desmond Amsterdam and Joel Williamson, the boxers, Joshua Buchanan and Erskine Trotman, the judokas, Earlando McRae and Andrew Fowler, the swim-

mers and Adrian Spellen and Jibreel Malik, the taekwondo athletes Ramjeet Ramphal, coach of the taekwondo team, will serve as chef-de-mission.

Phelps says he never faced a completely clean international field

M

ichael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian of all time, believes he never raced against a completely clean international field.

The American former swimmer, 31, wants US lawmakers to push for global anti-doping reforms.

“I don’t believe I’ve stood up at an international competition and the rest of the field has been clean,” he said.

Phelps was giving evidence at a US House of Representatives hearing into improving anti-doping measures.

The US government helps to fund the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) and the committee could recommend giving more money to the organisation.

Phelps, who won 23 Olympic gold medals, added: “Throughout my career, I have thought that some athletes were cheating and in some cases those suspicions were confirmed.

“Given all the testing I and others have been through, I have a hard time understanding this.”

Phelps spoke out against drugs cheats at the Rio

Michael Phelps won five of his 23 Olympic gold medals at Rio 2016

Olympics.

When asked about Russian Yulia Efimova, who won Olympic silver after two positive tests, he said dopers returning to elite action “breaks his heart”.

A report commissioned by Wada and written by lawyer Richard McLaren claimed in December that more than 1,000 Russian athletes benefited from a state-sponsored doping programme between 2011 and 2015.

Travis Tygart, the chief executive of the US AntiDoping Agency, also addressed Tuesday’s hearing at the House of Representatives. He told politicians the International Olympic Committee had let

down clean athletes after opting against a blanket ban of Russian athletes at Rio 2016.

The IOC instead allowed individual sports to decide their own policy.

“At least two Olympic Games were corrupted and, at the Rio Games this past August, scores of Russian athletes were allowed to compete without credible anti-doping measures,” said Tygart.

“When the moment came, despite mountains of evidence and vocal opposition from anti-doping leaders and clean athletes from around the world, the IOC chose to welcome the Russian Olympic Committee to Rio.” Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin has denied government officials were complicit in doping the country’s athletes.

“In Russia we never had, don’t have, and I hope won’t have a state-sponsored doping programme. On the contrary, there will only be a fight against doping,” he said in a television broadcast. He added a new doping control system was being put together. (BBC)

20

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

thursDAY, march 2, 2017

National Under-17s upbeat about Martinique tour T

he Flour Power National Under-17 Boys’ team got into shape for the 8th Tournoi International Paul Chillan in Martinique this week with impressive victories against Rosignol United and a Berbice Football Association (BFA) select Under-20 XI during an intensive training camp in New Amsterdam.

The national youth side, which shortlisted 16 players following encampment, plays its first match in Martinique on Thursday, against Guadeloupe.

The competition also features national youth teams from French Guiana, Haiti and Guadeloupe.

Guyana’s Under-17s beat a select BFA XI 4-1, with goals from Zian Gray, US-based Joshua Ferreira, Nixon Robertson and 14-year-old Rupununi winger Orville Daniels. A second warm-up match saw the side overcome a two-goal deficit against a strong, new Rosignol team to win 3-2, with goals from Robertson, Rondel Peters and Cecil Jackman.

During the seven-day camp, the squad worked on a range of individual skills, tactics, set pieces, match situations and fitness drills, with a focus on helping the players to understand and implement the new national football philosophy. There was also a media training session facilitated by Debra Francis, Communications and Public Relations Officer, GFF. The GFF is focusing on developing youth football to lay strong foundations for the future, with more training, preparation and competitive matches for the youth national teams as part of a plan to raise standards and to give young

players more international exposure.

“What we are looking to do is to make everything as professional and up-to-date with what happens in the rest of the footballing world,” said GFF Technical Director Ian Greenwood.

“So, myself and the rest of the coaching staff have worked extremely hard to get across the messages of the national playing philosophy to the boys.

All in all, it’s been a great week.

The camp squad included

Greenwood, GFF Youth Development Officer/Under-17 Head Coach Bryan Joseph GFF Goalkeeping Coach Eon De Veira and GFF Technical Development Officer/Under-17 Assistant Coach Gilbert Sampson led the sessions.

The Tournoi International Paul Chillan is an annual international youth tournament that brings together mainly French-

Norville (Georgetown Football Club); Defenders- Cecil Jackman (Fruta Conquerors), Kevin Padmore (Grove HiTech), Jeremy Garrett (Fruta Conquerors FC), Ackel Forde (Grove Hi-Tech), Raushan Ritch (Fruta Conquerors); Mid-fielders - Ryan Dowding (Santos), Rondel Peters (Georgetown Football Club), Orville Daniels (Paiomak Warriors), Joshua Ferriera

US-based attacking midfielder Joshua Ferreira and three players from the under-15 national team – Orville Daniels, Troni Semple and Jermaine Garrett.

“We cry together, laugh together, eat together … do everything together,” said USbased player Joshua Ferreira.

“There is a togetherness in the camp and, at the end of the day, that is why I think we will go out there (Martinique) and do good.”

speaking Caribbean nations to promote football development.

The GFF believes that exposing its youth players to teams from French-speaking Caribbean footballing nations that are supported by the French Football Federation, such as Martinique, Guadeloupe and French Guiana, will accelerate the advancement of Guyana’s national sides.

National Under-17 Squad reads: Goal Keppers - Jonathan Copeland (Milerock ), Sesi

(Progressive Youths), Jermaine Garrett (Fruta Conquerors FC); Forwards- Nixon Robertson (Buxton United FC), Nicholas Mc Arthur (Fruta Conquerors FC), Troni Semple (Buxton United), Zion Gray (Eastveldt).

Staff: Ian Greenwood (Technical Director), Carlos Bernard (Manager), Bryan Joseph (Head Coach), Gilbert Sampson (Assistant Coach), Secular Hope-Ross (Physio) and Kenisha Presscott ( Referee).

- as GFF welcomes home beach soccer team

GFF President Wayne Forde (centre) with the members of the national beach soccer team

G

I

t was a strong start for Jason Andrews who defeated Leroy Chapman in two sets in the first match of the Rebel Tennis Club (RTC) Championship at Harry’s Court.

Andrews claimed the match 6-0, 6-2 on the back of some strong serves which ensured his dominance during the clash.

He started strong and served up the first bagel in the first set 6-0. The second set saw more fight from the onset from Chapman.

A stubborn period from Chapman placed him back on serve at 2-3, but the tactical moves of Andrews were superior.

In a post-match comment, Andrews stated that he knew his opponent’s level of tennis to be higher than it was. He was able to close the set at 6-2 to set up a challenge against Jamal Goodluck in the Round of 16.

Meanwhile, Grace McCalman secured her match against Tracy Shamsudeen. An even first set led to four-all as both players’ serves were put to the test. McCalman had targeted the backhand of her opponent which created an opening. However, failure to anticipate the short balls at the net created the pressure. She held her serve and knuckled down to face Shamsudeen’s serve. She earned two set points and with a cracking forehand at an acute angle, she produced a winner that snagged the inner sideline awarding her the first set.

A focused McCalman’s serve was put to the test once again in

Nicholas Mc Arthur on the ball during practice sessions in Berbice

You exceeded every expectation – Forde

uyana Football Federation President Wayne Forde and Executive Committee member Dion Inniss congratulated the Guyana men’s national beach soccer team for their historic performances at the 2017 CONCACAF Beach Soccer Championship, greeting the players at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport on Tuesday evening.

The team made history by winning Guyana’s first

Andrews starts strong in RTC Championship

matches at a CONCACAF beach soccer tournament, including victories against Belize and Antigua & Barbuda but finished 12th overall in the 16-team tournament in the Bahamas.

“You have done Guyana exceptionally proud,” GFF President Forde told the players and technical staff at the airport. “You exceeded every expectation that we could have had as a federation and as a country. The attention

that beach soccer has received over the last couple of weeks should materialise with more players showing an interest in the game, so thank you on behalf of the Executive Committee and the Guyana football fraternity.”

In an invited comment, Head Coach Abdullah Hamid said he welcomed the experience gained for the young team. “We played among a lot of big-playing teams in CONCACAF and

it was a great experience f o r every one of the players. We could only go forward by promoting sports more in this country, start spreading sports around the country so we can have more youths involved, creating easy access so Guyana can make it to the World Cup at this level.”

The GFF believes Guyana has great potential in smallsided brands of football such as beach soccer, and expects the eye-catching performances of the national team to generate a new level of interest in the sport.

A series of spectacular performances by 21-year-old Jamal Haynes, including one of the goals of the tournament earned the Linden-based forward the Scotiabank Young Player Award.

“The feeling when I scored that goal; it was awesome,” Haynes said. “I was feeling like I was up on a higher level, knowing that it was my first time and I did such a thing at one of the biggest tournaments of my life.

Kijana Lewis (left) and Adesh Khayyam

the second set, but she was able to hold and break serve after a carefully placed forehand up the line drew an unforced error from her opponent. “Yes,” exhaled McCalman in a sigh of relief, gaining the 2-love advantage.

Shamsudeen shifted her game strategy to an attack base game which earned her a game off McCalman’s serve. Both players produced entertaining points, but it was smooth sailing at 6-1 in the second set for McCalman.

The most promising match of the day was the David versus Goliath match fought by junior Adesh Khayyam and Kijana Lewis.

With an impressive start by Lewis – 40-15 on serve, young Khayyam battled back to break and take a 4-1 lead. Lewis held his serve and avoided a further deficit. A poor service game by Khayyam left the door ajar and Lewis seized the moment, but a quick refocus earned Khayyam a 5-2 lead and serve for the match. He was unable to close out and allowed Lewis to creep into a rhythm. At 5-4, he had another chance to serve it out.

At 30-all, an error of a volley from Lewis gifted the junior a set point. A backhand error into the net levelled things again at deuce. Lewis consolidated and broke. Looking more comfortable and hitting freely, he jumped ahead for the first time in the set, securing it at 6-5. A different Lewis appeared in the second set and wasted no time in closing 6-0 in the second set.

The most exciting match of the 2017 tennis season was played

by Devon Gonsalves and Dominic Fraser. The first-time player Gonsalves raced quickly to a 6-1 first set win. Fraser settled down and reduced the high errors and low per cent of first serves, producing a more tempered game. He edged to a 5-3 lead and a chance to serve to throw the game into sudden death. During the back-and-forth battle, he earned two set points but the grit from Gonsalves was unexpected and he fought back with ease to then lead 6-5; however, a shaky service game levelled the games and set a tiebreaker. Gonsalves took a 3-0 lead, but was unable to sustain the momentum and on the fourth set point, Fraser clinched the tiebreaker at 7-5.

The third set was decided by a super tiebreaker. Again, Gonsalves raced to the lead at 6-2. Fraser slowly crept back and at 9-9, he produced a big serve when needed but eventually closed the match after his third match point at 15-13. Gonsalves also had four match points and took the loss in good stride. He felt good about his first tournament experience as he had expected to play more nervously. The tournament has become part of the Guyana Tennis Association (GLTA) calendar and as stated at the opening ceremony,’ competition and friends of tennis like, Harry Panday will lead to a better tennis level’. Discipline was also highlighted as a component which will be taken seriously.

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GCB Under-15 Inter-County cricket

National Under-15 all-rounder Charles to lead Essequibo

N

ational Under-15 versatile all-rounder Sheldon Charles has been appointed Captain of the Essequibo youth team for the upcoming Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) limited-over Under-15 competition, which is tentatively set to commence on March 12.

The right-handed Charles scored backto-back centuries in the trial matches on Monday and Tuesday at the Imam Bacchus Cricket Club Ground in Affiance, organised by the Essequibo Cricket Board (ECB).

The Cinderella County youngsters will begin their campaign against defending champions Demerara at a venue to be announced as well.

ECB selectors have also chosen four standby players for this year’s competition, which is expected to be played on a round-robin basis.

The team will be once again coached by Forbes Daniels with Vickram Ramnarine as the manager.

The team reads: Sheldon Charles (Captain); Orin Gibson; Renaldo Scouten; Devindra Ramdahin; Rapheal David;

Sheldon Charles after scoring his second century on Tuesday at the Imam Bacchus Cricket Club Ground

Manoj Dasrat; Chaitram Sewrattan; Wasim Mohamed; Adarsh Ramdial; Mark Mohabir; Sunil Persaud; Inzamam Bacchus; Shawn Monro and Tyron Brandon.

The four standby players are: Ken George, Ureal Stoll, Ryan Atkinson and Tushal Surujpaul.

GCB/DMLAS/MOE/NSSCL

NSSCL final rescheduled for March 10

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T

Action in the early stages of the League

he 2016-2017 GCB/DMLAS/MOE/ NSSCL final has been rescheduled to Friday, March 10, 2017. This adjustment was made to accommodate the necessary preceding matches, which were occasionally affected by rain.

As a consequence, Corentyne Zone champions Lower Corentyne Secondary will now play Berbice Educational Institute (BEI) today, with the alternative date for the match being Saturday, March 4. The winner will then play the West Berbice champions, Number 8 Secondary on Monday, March 6 at Bush Lot in West Berbice.

The Berbice champions will meet last year’s National Secondary Schools’ Cricket

League champions, Chase Academy on Thursday, March 9.

Today’s match will also feature the rescheduled clash between Leguan Secondary and Essequibo Islands Secondary of Wakenaam. The winner will then play the Essequibo Coast District champions, Anna Regina Multilateral at the Imam Bacchus Ground on Tuesday, March 7, 2017 for the Essequibo Championship trophy.

The Essequibo champions will then meet the Upper Demerara-Essequibo District champions, West Demerara on Wednesday, March 8, with the rescheduled National Secondary Schools’ Cricket League Finals two days later.

Warriors’ Durant out indefinitely with knee injury

G

olden State Warriors’ Kevin Durant has suffered a knee sprain and will be out indefinitely, the National Basketball Association said on Wednesday, dealing a blow to the team’s bid for a third straight trip to the finals.

Durant suffered the injury early in the Warriors 112108 loss to the Washington Wizards on Tuesday when teammate Zaza Pachulia fell backwards into his left leg.

He was taken to a Washington area hospital where he underwent an MRI, which revealed Durant had suffered a Grade 2 medial collateral ligament (MCL) sprain and a tibial bone bruise.

The Warriors, who have the best record in the league

Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant (35) holds his knee after being injured against the Washington Wizards in the first quarter

at 50-10, said in a statement posted on the team’s Twitter feed that Durant will be re-evaluated in four weeks and could play again before the end of the regular season.

Durant, the 2014 NBA most valuable player, rocked

the league last year when he left the Oklahoma City Thunder to join reigning MVP Stephen Curry to form a Dream Team in Oakland.

He leads the team in scoring (25.8 points per game), rebounding (8.4 rpg) and blocks (1.7 bpg). (Reuters)

22 World stars sign up for 2017 Hero CPL Player Draft GUYANATIMESgy.COM

thursdAY, march 2, 2017

- Moody hails “growing international appeal” of the Biggest Party In Sport

A

record number of local and international stars have been officially registered for the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) Player Draft which takes place on March 10 in Barbados.

In all, 258 players from across t h e

England have four players and included is T20 specialist fast bowler Tymal Mills, who made his T20 international debut for England against Sri Lanka last summer, and is an eye-catching addition amongst the contenders who will be aiming to secure a place in the Hero CPL for the first time.

Ireland

w i l l have three representatives in the Draft.

Brad Haddin Caribbean and most of the leading cricketing nations are in the frame to secure a coveted place in the tournament, which is this year scheduled to take place between August 1 and September 9, with fixtures and dates to be announced in due course.

Commenting on this year’s list of applicants both in the West Indies and across the world, Director of International Cricket for CPL, Tom Moody said: “T20 is capturing the world of cricket by storm, and with the huge numbers of talented players from across the cricketing world eager to sign u p to the biggest party in sport, I’ve no doubt t h a t the 2017 season will be our best yet.

“In attracti n g the cream of i n ternationa l talent from a healthy blend o f established and fast-developing nations, it extends the growing international appeal of the sport and of the Hero CPL itself, and I have no doubt that we are going to see a hugely contested Player Draft in Barbados on March 10th.”

There’s a strong list of West Indies talent who were both drafted and undrafted in 2016, including former Antigua Hawksbills and St. Kitts & Nevis Patriots star all-rounder Marlon Samuels who was the man of the match for the West Indies in their ICC World T20 final victory over England last year.

There will be 28 players from Australia in the Draft, an increase of six from the 2016 campaign, including a blend of experience in Brad Haddin, Ben Hilfenhaus and Brad Hogg allied to a crop of upand-coming talent which includes leg-spinner Adam Zampa who was a star for Guyana Amazon Warriors in the 2016 season. A further 17 New Zealanders, including the likes of Corey Anderson, Grant Elliott and Jimmy Neesham, are also in the mix.

Farhaan Behardien

Pakistan will have the highest representation in the Draft after increasing last year’s tally from 38 players to 46. Meanwhile, Afghanistan’s rise in the shortest format of the game sees Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi named in a five-strong contingent who will also be hoping to make their tournament bows.

With the high-profile transfers of Chris Gayle (Jamaica Tallawahs to St. Kitts & Nevis Patriots) and Dwayne Smith (Guyana Amazon Warriors to Barbados Tridents) already confirmed, the list does not include those players who have been retained by their franchises.

They, like the marquee players, will be announced at the Player Draft.

Players Registered for 2017 Hero CPL Draft (253):

Afghanistan (5): Rashid Khan, Nawroz Mangal, Mohammad Nabi, Asghar Stanikzai, Najibullah Zadran Australia (28): Sean Abbott, Fawad Ahmed, Tom Beaton, Michael Beer, Jason Behrendorff, Doug Bollinger, Cameron Boyce, Joe Burns, Ureshen Chinia, Tom Cooper, Ben Cutting, Ben Dunk, Cameron Gannon, Chris Green, Brad Haddin, Ben Hilfenhaus,

Brad Hogg, Ben Laughlin, Jake Lehmann, Nic Maddinson, Ben McDermott, Shaun Marsh, Ben Rohrer, Alex Ross, D’Arcy Short, Mark Steketee, Jake Weatherald, Adam

Zampa Bangladesh (4): Tuskin Ahmed, Anamul Haque, Tamim Iqbal (St. Lucia Zouks), Mahmudullah Riad Canada (2): Rizwan Cheema, Ruvindu Gunasekera England (4): Recordo Gordon, Tymal Mills, Monty Panesar, Ashar Zaidi Ireland (3): George Dockrell (T&T Red Steel), Kevin O’Brien (T&T Red Steel), Niall O’Brien New zealand (17): Corey Anderson, Hamish Bennett, Tom Bruce, Mark Chapman, Colin de Grandhomme, Anton Devcich (Trinbago Knight Riders), Grant Elliott (St. Lucia Zouks), Lachlan Ferguson, Jimmy Neesham, Narun Nethula, G l e n n

Phillips, Seth Rance, Hamish Rutherford, Jesse Ryder, Ish Sodhi, Anurag Verma, Ben Wheeler Oman (1): Sufyan Mehmood Pakistan (46): Ehsan Adil, Tanwir Afzal, Iftikhar Ahmad, Sarfraz Ahmed, Saeed Ajmal, Adnan Akmal, Kamran Akmal (T&T Red Steel), Umar Akmal (Trinbago Knight Riders), Fawad Alam, Anwar Ali, Hassan Ali, Rahat Ali, Umar Amin, Yasir Arafat, Sami Aslam, Babar Azam, Zulfiqar Babar, Bilawal Bhatti, Salman Butt, Asghar Durrani, Umar Gul, Mohammad Hafeez, Mir H a m z a , Faisal Iqbal,

Muhammad Irfan, Imran Khalid, Imran Khan, Jr., Junaid Khan, Shadab Khan, Shahzaib Khan, Sohail Khan, Ahsan Malik, Sohaib Maqsood, Ghulam Mudassar, Mohammed Nawaz, Sikandar Raza, Wahab Riaz, Muhammad R i z w a n ,

Muhammad Sami, Asad Shafiq, Yasir Shah, Ahmad Shahzad (Jamaica Tallawahs & Barbados Tridents), Mohammad Shahzad, Hussain Talat, Misbah-ul-Haq, Amir Yamin South Africa (16): Farhaan Behardien, Johan Botha, Dillon du Preez, Rob Frylinck, Beuran Hendricks, Eddie Leie, George Linde, Aiden Markram, Justin Ontong, Dane Paterson, Dane Piedt, Aaron Phangiso, Vernon Philander (Jamaica Tallawahs), Dwaine Pretorius, Jon Jon Smuts (St. Kitts & Nevis Patriots), Grant Thomson, Shadley van Schalkwyk Sri lanka (19): Dushmantha Chameera, Niroshan Dickwella, Anuk Fernando, Danushka Gunathilaka, Lahiru Kamara, Chamara Kapugedera, Nuwan Kulasekara, Dilhara Lokuhettige, Farveez Maharoof, Jeevan Mendis (Barbados Tridents), Kausal Mendis, Seekkuge Prasanna, Ramith Rambukwelle, Gihan Rupasinghe, Sachithra Senanayake, Dusan Shanaka, Kaushal Silva, Milinda Siriwardana, Jeffrey Vandersay USA (1): Zishawn Querishi West Indies – drafted in 2016 (26): Christopher Barnwell (Guyana Amazon Warriors), Sulieman Benn (Trinbago Knight R i d e r s ) , D e v e n d r a Bishoo (Guyana Amazon Warriors), Nkrumah Bonner (Jamaica Tallawahs), Anthony Bramble (Guyana Amazon Warriors), Yannic Cariah (Trinbago Knight Riders), Derone Davis (T&T Red Steel & St. Lucia Zouks), Shannon Gabriel (St. Lucia Zouks), Kyle Hope (Barbados Tridents), Delorn Johnson (St. Lucia Zouks), Alzarri Joseph (St. Kitts & Nevis Patriots), Jeremiah Louis, Kyle Mayers (St. Lucia Zouks), Andre McCarthy ( J a m a i c a Tallawahs), Ashley Nurse (Barbados Tridents), O r l a n d o P e t e r s (Antigua

Wahab Riaz

Hawksbills, St. Kitts & Nevis Patriots & Guyana Amazon Warriors), Anderson Phillip (Trinbago Knight Riders), Gidron Pope (St. Lucia Zouks), Christopher Powell (Jamaica Tallawahs), Kristopher Ramsarran (St. Lucia Zouks), Krishmar Santokie (Guyana Amazon Warriors, Jamaica Tallawahs & St. Kitts & Nevis Patriots), Lendl

Simmons (Guyana Amazon Warriors & St. Kitts & Nevis Patriots), Navin Stewart (Guyana Amazon Warriors & Barbados Tridents), Steven Taylor (Barbados Tridents), Chadwick Walton (Jamaica Tallawahs), Paul Wintz (Guyana Amazon Warriors) West Indies – undrafted in 2016 (81): Nicholas Alexis, Fabian Allen, Sunil Ambris (St. Lucia Zouks), Justin Athanaze (Antigua Hawksbills), Jonathan Augustus, Robin Bacchus, Tino Best (St. Lucia Zouks), Ansil Bhagan, Jermaine Blackwood (Jamaica Tallawahs), Travis Blyden, Justin

Brathwaite, Gavan Brown, Odean Brown (Jamaica Tallawahs), John Campbell, Jon-Ross Campbell, Kellon Carmichael, Keacy Carty, Stephan Casey, Rajendra Chandrika, Derwin Christian, Rahkeem Cornwall (Antigua Hawksbills), Keron Cottoy (St. Lucia Zouks), Dane Currency, Marvin Darlington, Narsingh Deonarine (Jamaica Tallawahs), Akeem Dewar, Mark Deyal, Javelle Glen, Jyd Goolie, Nicholson Gordon, Derval Green, Trevon Griffith (Guyana Amazon Warriors), Jahmar Hamilton, Keon Harding, Jermain Harrison, Chandrapaul Hemraj, Alcindo Holder, Danza Hyatt, Damian Jacobs, Ricky Jaipaul, Amir Jangoo, Ray Jordan (St. Lucia Zouks), Keon Joseph, Kavesh Kantasingh, Richard Kelly, Brandon King, Christopher Lamont, Yannick Leonard, Reynard Leveridge, Kennar Lewis, Xavier Marshall, Marquino Mohan, Mindley, Vikash Gudakesh Motie, Raj Nannan, Ewart Nicholson, Ryan Nurse, Kjorn Ottley, Keemo Paul, Amit Persaud, Adelvin Phillip, Omar Phillips, Khary Pierre, Roshan Primus, Isaiah Rajah, Marlon Richards, Kemar Roach, Peat Salmon, Marlon Samuels (Antigua Hawksbills & St. Kitts & Nevis Patriots), Liam Sebastian (St. Lucia Zouks), Damani Sewell, Romario Shepherd, Gajanand Singh, Odean Smith, Kevin Stoute, Jacques Taylor, Gavin Tonge (Antigua Hawksbills), Ryan Wiggins, Tonito Willett, Gavin Williams, Oraine Williams Zimbabwe (4): Elton Chigumbura, Graeme Cremer, Craig Ervine, Malcolm Waller

guyanatimesgy.com

thursDAY, MARCH 2, 2017

Tactical battle to ensue

23

in Limacol football final

Guyana Police Force Captain Winston Tanner

T

he 2nd annual Petra Oragnised Limacol Round-robin Knockout Football final is slated for Saturday at the Georgetown Football Club (GFC), Bourda and both the Guyana Police Force and Western Tigers are banking on their innovative tactics to come out victorious.

When this publication spoke to both clubs after their empathic semi-finals victories, they hinted that they will be trying to outplay each other on tactical superiority.

Dwayne Bobb, head coach of the Police explained that his team needs to improve on fitness and they will be making the necessary tactical adjustments. “ Fitness is the key and tactics we have to work allot

on our tactics, but we will work on that in the time remaining”, Bobb stated.

He added, “We have been working hard throughout the tournament, even before the tournament we have been working hard in the camp, you will always prevail once you are putting in hard work”.

Dwain Jacobs and Quincy Holder both have been key performers throughout the tournament for Police’s success and the coach feels the experience of Jacobs has helped raise the level of intensity in the team. “ Those guys bring allot of experience in the team especially [Dwain] Jacobs coming from an elite league team like Alpha United, they bring up the courage of the team and push the guys to play more hard , it makes everyone step-up their game, so it augers well for us”, Bobb posited.

Captain Winston Tanner is more than pleased with the young unit and the fact that they are defying the “underdog tag”.

Tanner said, “I feel pleased since over the years Police was rated as an underdog team and I’m glad the young squad with some experienced players is doing well; I want to express thanks to the support of Acting Commission Dave Ramnarine and all the oth-

er officers who support the team”.

Quizzed on how he plans to get his team to perform at their best in their biggest test thus far, Tanner said that they will be working in

Similarly, for Western Tigers one of their ultimate goals will be ensure their star-studded line up jells quickly to ensure they perform at their optimum and Coach Calvin Allen is wary

Western Tigers have shown the ability to battle their way from behind to win important matches

tandem with the coach to derive a strategy.

“Before we enter a game, we go in with a strategy and based upon the opponents we will know what to do , so it is about working with the coach man to devise a game plan”, he said.

of this fact.

“We have been getting a little problem because of the chopping and changing of the team because of injuries so we have not been able to put out our best 11 yet, so hopefully we get the guys to sit down and work out the

issues”, Allen expressed.

He further stated, “It comes with getting every individual to understand their function, we brought in Collin Nelson, Devon Millington and some others so the entire chemistry is gone, so we have to fix that and that will come with drilling and a few discussions”.

Both teams share a similarity with their talented offensive players but Allen said he will be reminiscing on the past encounters with the lawmen when devising his plan.

“I have not drafted the plan yet, but we will be working towards one before the game, I have been paying keen attention to police and the way we play and the they continue to play very similar, they are a welloiled unit , fit and robust and we will be preparing for that”, Allen explained.

At the semi-finals, both teams had an extremely boisterous crowd support and the experienced coach felt that his side knows how to play under the pressure of large crowds.

“All the years, Western have grown accustom to a large crowd following, but it seems these days when the Guyana Police Force plays the entire force takes leave, so they are kind of outdoing us with crowd support but at

Western Tigers Coach Calvin Allen

the end of the day the game is played on the rectangle and the winner is decided on the field”, Allen said.

The final will commence from 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.

Admission is $500.

Annual Faye Joseph International Domino Tournament launched -Digicel on board

C

ash and other incentives in excess of $2 million will be up for grabs when the Faye Joseph Annual International Domino Tournament is hosted from April 14 to 17.

More than 100 local and international teams are expected to participate in the event and the winners will walk away with a cash prize of $1 million, while the second to fourth-place finishers will receive $500,000, $300,000 and $200,000 respectively.

The Tournament, which is entering its third year, was officially launched Wednesday at Faye Joseph’s residence at Gaulding Place, South Ruimveldt.

Joseph, who is the President of the Georgetown Domino Association (GDA), urged all teams to get involved in the event to make it a significant occasion. “It is the tournament for this event and we would like

At the launch of the Faye Joseph Annual International Domino Tournament. Front from left: GDA Vice President Rodwell Phillips, Digicel representative Luanna Abrahams, GDA President Faye Joseph, MC Orin Boston, GDA Secretary Barbara Marshall and GDA Committee Member Jane Chase. In back row from left: GDA Senior Organising Secretary Mark Wiltshire and Assistant Organising Secretary Kevin Boston

to invite Ministry teams, Private Sector teams and even the people who play at the shops, because it is all dominoes and I would like to encourage them all to come on board.”

The event has received major sponsorship from Digicel and the telecommunication giant was represented by Luanna Abrahams at the launch. “Of course, Digicel is pleased to

be on board with this event.

As a corporate sponsor, we pride ourselves in diversifying sponsorship initiatives, and of course, particularly in the area of sport, we try to lend support in every disci-

pline, so we are happy to be on board with GDA in sponsoring some of the prizes.

We wish you guys success in planning and executing and we look forward to a good tournament.”

The Tournament will be played under an Accumulated Points System using a “Zone Sequence”.

On the opening day, April 14, the event will commence with an individual competition, dubbed Pull-A-Rama.

To enter this event, competitors will pay an entry fee of US$10 or G$2000.

Meanwhile, from 10:00h on April 15, the team event will get underway. The entrance fee for that event is US$220 or G$44,000. Apart from the major prizes, there will be medals, trophies and other cash prizes for best female, first love, etc.

All games will be held at the National Gymnasium.

Registration is set to close on March 31.

For more information contact GDA President Faye Joseph on 685-1009 or the Association’s Vice President, Rodwell Phillips on 6860632, or email rlpmoose@yahoo.com.

THURSDAY, MARCH 2, 2017

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

guyanatimesgy.com

Pg 22

World stars sign up for 2017 Hero CPL Player Draft - Moody hails “growing international appeal” of the Biggest Party In Sport Adam Zampa

Corey Anderson

Tymal Mills

Tactical battle to ensue in Limacol football final Pg 23

Police hold a slim advantage over Western Tigers since in the last final they played, the lawmen were victorious

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