Guyana Times Daily

“It is time for final judicial settlement” – Pres Granger tells UN

wednesday, september 30, 2015 | guyanatimesgy.com

Canada ready to lend assistance to Guyana

... with Local Govt polls, Sovereign Wealth Fund

Canada says it is willing to support Government as it prepares to hold the long overdue Local Government Elections (LGE), as well as establish a Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF).

A release from the Ministry of the Presidency on Tuesday said that the commitment was communicated to Minister of the Presidency Joseph Harmon by Canadian High Commissioner to Guyana, Pierre Giroux, at a meeting at the Ministry of the Presidency.

Canada is also interested in providing assistance with the training and development of public servants.

“Noting that the two countries share a good relationship, the High Commissioner told Minister Harmon that the Government and the people of Canada stand ready to assist in the holding of

the much anticipated LGEs. This assistance, he said, will be provided through the delivery of machines for the electronic counting of votes to ensure an efficient delivery of the results”, the release stated.

Minister Harmon has already welcomed the move by Canada to assist with the holding of LGEs which he said is a priority of the new Administration.

“The Government of Canada has always been helpful to us. We have fortified the belief that we really need Local Government Elections so that the Neighbourhood Democratic Councils and the Regional Democratic Councils can function properly,” Minister Harmon said.

Efficient delivery of results

The Minister of the Presidency added that Government recognises that

there is a need for more efficient delivery of results from the Guyana Elections Commission.

“There is a need for us to have a more responsive system. We’ve always had problems in the past because of delayed results. This is something we would like to aggressively pursue. It is the view of the President that

whatever we can do to reduce the time taken to release election results, we need to do it. We are happy for the support Canada has given in this regard,” Minister Harmon told the Canadian High Commissioner.

On the same note,

Minister Harmon took the opportunity to also brief the High Commissioner on

a meeting held on Tuesday with the Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission, Dr Steve Surujbally, where he said information on the preparation process was shared.

In the meantime, the Diplomat related that the University of Calgary, based in Canada, will soon dispatch a team to Guyana to meet with the Government for discussions on the setting up of the Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF) for the natural resources and the oil and gas sector.

High Commissioner Giroux also disclosed that the team will undertake a

study of the legislative policies in place to see how best they can be improved to suit the oil and natural resources sectors.

Further, the Government of Canada, through the High Commissioner has offered a training programme, which would benefit Permanent Secretaries and Heads of State agencies in areas such as department management, best practices and accountability.

Minister Harmon expressed his gratitude on behalf of the Government for this gesture, noting that the programme will go hand in hand with the mandate of the Public Service Staff College, slated to be opened later this year.

“This offer comes at a time when we are about to establish a Public Staff College and so we would like to explore this opportunity. We want to have well trained public servants who understand that they need to serve the public and do so well,” Minister Harmon said.

The two officials have committed to regular meetings to discuss other possible areas of collaboration.

Sea Defence works to commence in October

Rehabilitation of sea and river defence structures in Regions Three, Four and Six should commence shortly.

According to Chief Sea and River Defence Officer, Kevin Samad, the Ministry of Public Infrastructure is currently in the process of finalizing the evaluation of works to be done on 15 lots of Sea and River Defence countrywide.

“Before the end of this week we will be able to make submissions to the National Procurement and Tender Board Administration which would then will review the tenders made then proceed to award tenders. We are expecting works to commence early October,” Samad explained.

An amount of $1.4B was allocated in the 2015 National Budget to be expended on sea and river defense. With this allocation,

structures in Regions Two, Three, Four, Six and Seven would be improved to ensure that the vulnerability of flooding due to overtopping is reduced.

The government has committed to investing heavily in the construction, maintenance and rehabilitation of critical sections of the country’s sea and river defence infrastructure over the next five years, utilizing sustainable and cost-effective designs and solutions.

In addition to the investments, the government plans to develop new and integrated coastal zone policies and strategies to ensure an integrated approach to delivering sustainable sea and river defence management. The National Mangrove Management Action plan will be updated and implemented so as to strengthen the coastal zone management system. (GINA excerpt)

Minister of the Presidency, Joseph Harmon on Tuesday met with the Canadian High Commissioner to Guyana, Pierre Giroux at the Ministry of the Presidency

High tide at the Georgetown seawall

wednesday, september 30, 2015 |

BRIDGE OPENINGS

The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Demerara – Customers

The Berbice River Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Berbice – Wednesday, September 30 – 05:40h-07:10h and Thursday, October 1 – 06:30h-08:00h.

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

WEATHER TODAY FERRY SCHEDULE

Weather: Heavy to thundery rain showers can be expected in the morning, while light rain showers with sunny weather is expected in the afternoon.

Partly cloudy conditions are expected in the evening. Temperatures can range between 25 degrees and 31 degrees Celsius.

Winds: East to East North-easterly between 2.23 metres and 4.02 metres per second.

High Tide: 05:49h and 18:04h reaching maximum heights of 2.89 metres and 2.91 metres respectively.

Low Tide: 11:39h reaching a minimum height of 0.38 metre.

“It is time for final judicial settlement” – Pres Granger tells UN

BY ALEXIS RODNEY

President David Granger on Tuesday took to the podium of the 70th United Nation General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, engaging diplomats and more specifically the United Nation (UN) on its responsibility to defend the rights and sovereignty of small states.

Addressing the United Nation’s meeting, President Granger called on the international organisation to fully protect the interests of these micro states that are especially intimidated by much larger territories.

His presentation was more inclined to the situation in which Guyana has found itself, where its oil rich neighbour Venezuela has become increasingly aggressive with claims that it owns a significant portion of Guyana’s territory.

“For 50 years Venezuela has promulgated spurious decrees claiming our territory, the most recent being on May 26, 2015, our Independence anniversary, when it issued Decree No 1.787 with specified coordinates purporting to annex almost our entire maritime zone. That decree constituted a reassertion of its claim to five of Guyana’s 10 regions,” President Granger told the auditorium of world leaders.

According to Granger, small states are now questioning its ability to protect their peoples from foreign aggression, their ability to safeguard their territory from invasion, their ability to preserve peace and the sustenance of independence of new states.

He said the Charter of the United Nations enjoins the responsibility to “bring about, by peaceful means and in conformity, the settlement of international dispute.” According to him, this responsibility is essential to the existence and sur-

vival of small states that are threatened by powerful states. Small states, he said risk being subjugated unless the international community can demonstrate the capability and commitment to provide an effective deterrent against domination by larger, stronger states.

Granger’s appeal to the UN comes some two days after meeting with Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to hold conversations on the border contro-

116 years ago, a fact that the whole world, except the Bolivarian Republic, accepts”, he said.

He said mindful of its superior wealth and military strength, and unmindful of its obligation as a member state of the United Nations, of the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR) and of the Organisation of American States (OAS), Venezuela has pursued a path of intimidation and aggression.

“Venezuela is unsettling a

versy which is being agitated by the Spanish speaking Nation. Both sides had agreed to renew diplomatic ties.

Maduro however, is yet to produce evidence that the decision made by the International Arbitral Panel back in 1899 in favor of Guyana was null and void.

“Guyana resists Venezuela’s acts of aggression in defiance of the Charter of the United Nations, which prescribes the peaceful settlement of disputes and prescribes the use of armed force.” He maintained that Guyana’s border with Venezuela was settled

settled border. It is destabilising a stable region of the globe by the use of armed force against a peaceful, small state.”

“Guyana does not wish that this obnoxious territorial claim should obscure the prospects of peace and obstruct the possibility of growth for the next 50 years. We need a permanent solution in order to avoid the fate of perpetual peril and penury. Guyana seeks a juridical settlement to this controversy,” Granger maintained.

According to Granger, the UN itself had some 21 years ago approved the resolution which stated that it recog-

nised that small states may be particularly vulnerable to external threats and acts of interference in their internal affairs, and stressed the vital importance of all states to the unconditional respect of all other states, that were signatories to the charter of the United Nations including and strengthening the regional support to interaction and consultation.

Granger later called for the issue to be taken to the International Court of Justice and expressed confidence that the UN’s involvement would bring a favourable resolution to the issue. Since the recurring ‘Good Officer’s process which existed for some 23 years, has yield very little success in this regard. “Venezuela has retarded Guyana's development by threats that are intended to force a small state to yield its birthright,” he said.

He continued that Guyana for 50 years, has been prevented from fully exploiting its rich natural resources as Venezuela has been threatening and deterring investors; frustrating the country’s economic development.

Protests

Meanwhile, although the two countries have agreed to restore diplomatic ties during their meeting with Ban Ki-moon, close to 100 Guyanese, during the time President Granger was addressing the assembly, picketed the UN office demanding the Maduro “back off” and allow Guyana and its citizens enjoy the bounties ebbing from the natural resources.

“I’ve been working this thing for 20 years, we though this thing was settled 119 years ago. This is settled, we cannot change international law. We have to go to the UN and settle it. For US, Guyana is ours,” one man said.

Persons protesting Venezuela’s claim to the Essequibo region in Guyana (newssourcegy.com photo)

Editor(ag): Michael Younge

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

Mailing address: 238 Camp & Quamina Streets, Georgetown

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

Editorial

"Waiting to exhale", on unity

One may choose to question, or not question, President Granger’s noble proposal to engage in “unity” talks with the Opposition. Any such sincere intention can only benefit Guyanese. The Granger-led Government however, sends mixed signals which for some alludes to the contrary, that this Government has absolutely no intention of fostering any type of “unity” whether in ruling the country or among its citizens. But before one could even speculate on this Government’s sincerity, and the possibility of uniting Guyanese, focus should be placed on the crumbling foundation of this “unity” pyramid.

National unity entails that a people rally in support of their country’s sovereignty, under one flag, in acknowledging a structure of governance that is cognizant of the will of all citizens while it acts in their best interest. But before national unity can ensue, there must be a nation, and not just a State, which in turn suggests that all Guyanese must share a common sentiment of national belonging, identifying to a common purpose, and gratified through their representation by the Government. In Guyana, it is not yet quite the case as our society has suffered the vicissitudes of fissures which run deep in the psyches of the people and the successive Governments. We are still a nation-State in its embryonic phase.

Perhaps the primary reason for this comes from the socioeconomic classification of Guyanese based on ethnicity, practiced by colonial empire, which has transcended every generation, contributing to the accumulation of societal woes over the past forty nine years. The fission of the PPP back in 1957 was the stamp that sealed the fate of Guyanese ethnic politics in the following years, which destroyed any possibility of each segment of the Guyanese population of enjoying the privileges of independence for more than two decades.

The ethnically discriminating policies practiced by the first PNC regime to rule the Independent Guyanese State did not cater for the needs and wellbeing of all Guyanese, and those who were excluded from the benefits of scope of preferential national policies did not identify to the nation, whether they chose to seek betterment in other lands or were constrained to remain in a land where the Government was not representative of its people. Perhaps, if these wrongs were pardoned by the people, the fissures of ethnic divide would have had less impact on Guyanese today, and the process of “healing” as was so often mentioned during the coalition’s campaign trail, might have commenced. But forgiveness was never sought.

Then comes the plight of so many, if not all, emerging and developing country which, if we believe Wallerstein’s world systems theory, are still found on the periphery or are slowly gravitating towards newly emerging centres: the issue of foreign interference. The trouble here almost always consists in Governments pursuing national and international interests all in respect for the people they serve, which implies a great deal of resistance and seduction from foreign pressure. But a Government has to consecrate its energies to fostering a healthy nation first if it should chose to pursue goals which would fail in a divided and misrepresented society. Insofar as the aforementioned three inconsistencies explain, talks on “national unity” for now are synonymous only of hopefulness.

Modern day Guyanese politics, though not as physically abrasive as what transpired between 1966 and 1992, are just as prejudicial to the notion of national unity. The process of “healing” if it ever began after 1992, was interrupted with the contradictory actions of this Government through a discriminatory employment policy in the public sector, the poor national security measures, the tightening of belts on social welfare benefits, the unfriendly private sector policies and the misrepresentation of race and gender in the public sphere. Guyanese from all socioeconomic backgrounds and ethnicities are affected. This would only worsen the societal divide, as social and economic frustration erupts. Indeed, Guyana awaits true national unity.

GuySuCo: Peoples’ lives are at stake

Dear Editor,

The Sugar Industry was the backbone in bringing hard currency to Government coffers for many years. Workers enjoyed good wages and benefits, teenagers benefited from free technical education and the country economy was on a positive move. During the PNC 28 year rule, the downward spiral began due to nepotism, poor management, widespread stealing and many employees’ failing to put in full days’ work.

However, any decision to close Uitvlugt, LBI and the Berbice Estate will be seen as a political move

and will create more unemployment in the country. As a former Bookers Sugar Estates/Guysuco employee, I believe that any move to close 3 Estates will do more harm than good in this country. Indeed, there are other cheaper sugar substitutes on the world markets, but raw cane sugar produced in Guyana is safer for human consumption and is of better quality.

Every day, one can read in the newspapers of new programmes for this and that, but there’s nothing for Guysuco workers, not even for the cane cutters and the Chairman who

ought to be benefit from capacity building to reinforce their dedication and commitment to the Sugar Industry.

There should be well planned training sessions implemented at each estate to include cane cutters and management, with a knowledgeable facilitator to highlight the predicament of the sugar industry in Guyana and to brainstorm ideas on how we can stop this downward trend.

Mr Thomas, the people of Guyana need action in changing the negative biased working culture which involves giving less but demanding to receive

more. I insist that closing or selling a single estate will not solve the sugar woes.

Does one actually believe that the Tate & Lyle group will turn around the Sugar Industry? Of course they wouldn’t, since they’re looking for concessions and tax breaks and would most likely suck our country and the people dry like they did before. People lives and future are at stake and as such, authorities should engage the entire working class in the Industry in every locality.

Sincerely,

Sheik Ally

Government must protect children against injury and boat owners against losses

Dear Editor, Now that the speedboat operation to transport children and others across the Berbice River has started, I am sure that many will welcome it. Many will also welcome this attempt by the Government to compete with the Berbice River Bridge using public funds to do so.

However, there are a few glitches in the operation

which must be looked into.

The first is that the passengers and children must be insured against death or injury. The Minister of Govt who launched the scheme foresaw the possibility when she called on God to grant safety to the passengers.

Over the years, there have been serious accidents with speedboats hitting submerged logs resulting in

death or injury of the passengers. Except if there is insurance to cater for this, the Government may become vulnerable to lawsuits.

The second is that there must be precise schedules so that people’s children or aged relatives are not left marooned on either side of the river. A duty officer must be on call to deal with such problems or any others which may

arise. The third is that the private boat owners who are hired should be properly compensated and those who have made special investments for the scheme should be compensated when the scheme goes out of operation and should not be abandoned.

Yours sincerely, T Browne

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo conversing with Former Presidents Bill Clinton, Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria during the Clinton Global Initiative’s 2015 annual meeting in New York.

You can send your letters with pictures to: Guyana Times, 238 Camp & Quamina Streets, Georgetown, Guyana or letters@guyanatimesgy.com

Freddie misidentifies current President of France

Dear Editor, Freddie Kissoon misidentified the current President of France as (sic – first name missing - Nicolas) Sarkozy in another media. Sarkozy’s UMP won the Election in May 2007 and he served as President up to May 2012. He was defeated in his re-election bid by the socialist François Hollande. This may seem like a petty or trivial point. But Kissoon thrives on pettiness and trivialities. He pokes fun at writers for minor transgressions and Freudian slips. Most recently, Freddie ridiculed former President Donald Ramotar for not knowing the difference between “intention” and “intuition” writing that any child would know the difference in meaning between the two words. This is the same Freddie who chastised Ramotar for not knowing the names of world leaders. Yet, Freddie, himself who touted himself as Guyana›s leading

academic, which he is not, does not know that Sarkozy has not been President for three years now.

Freddie penned that Sarkozy apologized for his errors during his 100 days in office. There is no public record of such an apology; it would have been out of character for that egoistic leader. Sarkozy was not one to easily apologize for any transgression. He never felt he did anything wrong even when he offended others. In fact, he lambasted the media and critics when they gave him a poor rating after his 100 days in office.

Freddie also penned, using incorrect grammar, that he honestly could not give the APNU/AFC government “an excellence grade” in rating its 100 days in office. It should have been “excellent” or “a grade of excellence”. Any child would have used the correct grammar. How would Freddie feel if people

were to ridicule him for his slips in usage of words, misinformation and lack of basic knowledge?

On a related note, the first 100 days in office is a symbolic period; it is when the honeymoon is over between the media and the new Government. Politicians or Governments get rated by pollsters and the media. Sarkozy didn’t. Hollande had better rating, but he also received declining approval for his errors. In Guyana, the 100 days mark has not been a momentous one for the new APNU/AFC administration that has been firing staff through ethnic and political victimization. The Government›s approval rating has taken a turn for the worse coming on the heels of a controversial election that more than half of the population feels was rigged.

Yours truly, Vishnu Bisram

Anna Regina Car Park users should pay a minimal fee

Dear Editor, I have noticed in the press recently that the coalition Member of Parliament and Attorney At Law Mr Bernard Rajkumar, Representative for Region Two PomeroonSupnaam suggested that a minimal fee be charged for using the Anna Regina Car Park. I am in support of this venture since the council is cash strapped and has to expend monies for maintenance. It was a suggestion rejected by many. This comes as a surprise to me and many others since the Park can be used to help financially to substantiate some of the

expenses. I wish to urge the committee to once again reexamined this proposal and look into some other means in bringing in more money to the council so as to help eliminate some of its burdens.

Sincerely, Andrieko Basir

Remembering Swami Saraswati Dayananda, founder of the Arya Samaj

Dear Editor, My attention was directed to a letter captioned “Swami Dayananda Saraswati, a great Hindu Saint passes away” published on September 27, written by Sri Somdat Mahabir. The Swami, he wrote, passed to the Great Beyond on Wednesday night, apparently 23rd September, 2015. He paid due respect to the Swami and offered an insight into the works he had done during his stay among us. I wish however, that Bhai Mahabir could have mentioned that there was a Swami who died in 1875 and was named Dayananda Sarswati also. He was originally Mool Shankar, but later was named Swami Dayananda Sarswati. He had devoted his life from a very tender age to seek the truth. During his search whereby he acquired much learning and knowledge he found that the Hindu’s life was influenced by the distorted remnants of long-forgotten Vedic rites and customs, pure and scientific practices grossly exaggerated either by the march of time or by the conscious doings of sectarian Brahmins and Pandits of the orthodox types.

He also found incorrect translations and interpretations - some of which are still in vogue today - largely responsible for the further smashing of the great Vedic Age and the setting up of the orthodox sway in India. Such men as Mahidhara and Sayana and countless others have lead astray the communities by their misinterpretations.

They did not interpret the Vedas according to the methods laid down by Panini and Yaska, grammarians and sages of old, neither did they consider the aid of the Nirukta and Nighantu necessary for the correct translations of the Vedas.

Swamiji had a tremendous following and established the ARYA SAMAJ movement which has since spread to several other parts of the world. He preached the Vedas - four in number - the Yajur Veda, Rig Veda, Sama Veda and Artha Veda also called the Shilpa Vidya and taken from the Athar Veda. This Veda deals with general physical science and economics, physics, chemistry, mechanics, etc. as well as the laws of matter and motion, the science and practice of mechanical arts, nature and properties of all substances from solids to

Ether or Akash.

The Sama Veda deals with the science of music, and all about tunes, modes, modification of modes, time, harmony refrain, etc. Its sub-Veda is the Gandharva Veda. The Rig Veda (sub-Veda Dhanur Veda) was written by sage Vishwamitra and deals with the science of Government and the works of the civil and military. On the civil side it deals with the art of governance, protecting lives and properties, developing wealth, making the people happy and contented. On the military side it deals with the organisation of armies, use of firearms and weapons, different kinds of drills, tactics, strategy, etc.

The Yajur Veda (sub-veda Ajur Veda) was compiled by medical sages Charaka and Sushruth, and broaches medical sciences, therapeutics, materia medica, physiology and pathology, hygiene with dietetics, climatology and the science of temparaments, etc.

Great and profound debt of gratitude is owed to Swami Saraswati Dayananda, the person who established the Arya Samaj.

Yours respectfully, Prem Persaud

Page Foundation

The search for masculinity

Figuring out the rules of masculinity and trying to live up to them is part of every boy’s childhood. Most boys find the “tests of” masculinity scary and hard to pass. And some boys find this process especially painful because they feel they don’t have the right skills and interests to be successful at being a boy.

“Parents are often baffled by why boys work so hard at being boys, “says Michael Thompson, PhD, host of the PBS Raising Cain documentary. “Sometimes they wish their boys could just be themselves’ and not constantly measure themselves against the societal standard of masculinity. But boys do this, whether you like it or not (as girls do with femininity). Only in time do children develop a sufficiently independent identity so they can say with confidence and pride, ‘That’s not me. This is who I am.’”

Children come in all shapes, sizes, colours, and abilities. They grow up to develop very different passions and talents. But according to Thompson, they all share one thing: “Every child has to come to grips with society’s image of what is masculine and what is feminine. These expectations begin to influence them the moment a child is born, when parents pick up their baby girl and

say, ‘Isn’t she sweet, isn’t she beautiful?’ They pick up their sons and they say, ‘Isn’t he handsome? He’s going to be a big, strong boy.’ These messages continue when boys and girls start to play separately at around age three, and both the boys’ group and

Thompson and our other ’Raising Cain’ experts recommend you start by supporting and appreciating your boy’s struggle, reassuring him that some stuff doesn’t really matter, while acknowledging why it’s important to him. It also helps to discuss, dis-

socially constructed, ruthlessly enforced and powerful,” adds Joseph Tobin, PhD, author of Good Guys Don’t Wear Hats and Professor of Education at Arizona State University. “We should talk with boys about the reality of gender expectations, and

the girls’ group begin to define what boys do and what girls do. And these gender expectations can be tough on boys who don’t fit society’s model.”

So how can parents help their boys make it through?

“It doesn’t help boys to pretend that standards for masculinity don’t exist,” advises Thompson. Instead,

sect, analyse and put in perspective what the search for masculinity is all about. “It doesn’t help boys to pretend that standards for masculinity don’t exist, because boys will look at you like you’re crazy. They know the rules and you can’t give your child a waiver even if you want to, “notes Thompson.

“Gender expectations are

help them brainstorm about how to negotiate this problem. If a little boy is struggling to feel adequately masculine by acting tough, it’s not helpful to criticise or mock his interests. The fact is that all men struggle with this issue and none of us has it figured out.”

Love the child you have

“This struggle is particularly tough on boys who don’t meet traditional notions of masculinity. In first grade, a boy may be told by other boys: we don’t play with girls anymore. But if he still wants to play with girls, he may get teased for it. He may start to pay a price for not acting like the other boys. You can’t push or pressure your child to be the man he isn’t, or to excel in ways he can’t. Love the child you’ve got.”

Michael Thompson, PhD, Co-author, Raising Cain; Host, PBS documentary, Raising Cain

Growing up masculine

Why do young boys want to be masculine from an early age and why do they work so hard at it? ‘Raising Cain’ experts offer their theories about why boys strive to be men, starting in preschool.

Certain “male” behaviours may be inborn. “Boys may be biologically programmed to behave in certain ways that we define as masculine,” says Thompson. For example, boys in all cultures around the world like to wrestle, and do a lot more of it than girls do. And when boys wrestle and roughhouse, parents typically say, ‘Boys will be boys.’ In this way, society expects and condones this type of behaviour.

Boys pay attention to

what society expects of them and act accordingly “I once asked a group of high school boys what the biggest influence on their definition of masculinity was,” comments Thompson. “They told me it was ads they had seen on television, especially ads with football players.” Even the youngest of boys pick up expectations through what they experience in the media and by what others say to them. And many wind up thinking, “I am a boy; therefore, I want to do boy things’ and look around for socially accepted ‘boy activities.’”

“Lots of boys pick strong messages about who they are and who they want to be from the media,” says Geoffrey Canada, President and CEO of the Harlem Children’s Zone and author of Fist Stick Knife Gun, a Personal History of Violence in America. “The music industry presents overtly sexual messages that denigrate women and portray them as sex toys. Video games offer violent messages, and even the sports video games include taunting and teasing. Movies portray men as tough guys. And there are the subtle advertising messages aimed at boys, in the liquor ads on billboards and buses. All of these offer images of masculinity that boys strive to achieve.”

The first divide is between boys and girls. As soon as children enter preschool, boys and girls (once friends) begin to play and socialise separately. By the time they reach elementary school this divide becomes permanent.

“At age five, a boy often discovers that the rules are unyielding,” says kindergarten teacher Jane Katch, author of Under Deadman’s Skin: Discovering the Meaning of Children’s Violent Play. “If girls enjoy a game of cross-hand clapping, then it is forbidden for boys. If girls play mothers and babies in the house area, boys put the dolls in the oven and pretend to cook them.”

Boys imitate and emulate their fathers. Boys want to grow up to be like their fathers. “The human brain is wired for imitation. Every boy loves his father and wants to be able to do what he does, both to honour him, to earn his praise, and to compete with him,” notes Thompson.

“Men are extremely important in giving boys messages about being a man,” adds Canada. “Boys want to grow up to be like their male role models. And boys who grow up in homes with absent fathers search the hardest to figure out what it means to be male.” (www.pbs. org)

Rice industry crisis…

Essequibo farmers express continuing frustration

... feel abandoned, request meeting with Agri Minister

Rice farmers in Region

Two (PomeroonSupenaam) are continuing to feel the brunt of the current low price for rice facing the industry. The frustrated farmers are contending that while the price for paddy is low, their plight is further compounded by the fact that there is no competition among millers on the Essequibo Coast.

"They giving us what price they want to give us, because there is no competition, they are few buyers, as such they paying less" one farmer told Guyana Times

According to a rice farmer, due to the lack of competition among rice millers in the region, the price has significantly declined. “Right now only Golden Fleece Rice Mill is accepting paddy, the owner is like a God saver for us, he is the only one purchasing and accepting," the farmer said.

Regional Chairman Devanand Ramdatt and Regional Vice Chairman Nandranie Coonjah recently met with a number of farmers who expressed disgust at their plight and requested more speedy representation on the issue.

The rice farmers are calling on the David Grangerled Administration to meet with the commercial banks to assist the farmers in rene-

gotiating their loan commitments because of the nonprofitable paddy price.

"We not getting the price. We have money for the bank and how we go reach this money for the bank,” another farmer said.

According to the farmers, rice harvesting is almost 50 per cent complete in the region but they are yet to be visited by anyone from the Agriculture Ministry or Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB), despite their calls for assistance.

One rice farmer from Columbia Village said that on numerous occasions farmers have tried to contract Agriculture Minister Noel Holder and Minister of State Joseph Harmon, but their calls went unanswered.

"Where are the people that are representing us now? Why are they not answering, why are they hiding, why they not coming to speak with the rice farmers,’ a frustrated farmer asked.

When Guyana Times visited some of the milling establishments in the region, lines of trucks could be seen daily, loaded with paddy. Farmers were even seen with hammocks tied to their trucks, foods and other items on spot as they waited in front of various millers to discharge their paddy. According to the farmers, some of them have been in queues for four days.

Hundreds of rice farmers in Region Two last week staged a protest demanding assistance from the Agriculture Ministry and

the Government of Guyana. Calls were made for better paddy prices as well as concessions on fuel and vehicles, but to date, no word has come from the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Administration with regards to any of these demands.

During his budget presentation, Finance Minister Winston Jordan gave the impression that $23 billion would be allocated to support payments to the rice farmers who were owed billions of dollars altogether for the supplies made to the millers or would go towards addressing some of the issues like drainage or irrigation affecting the rice industry.

However, earlier this month Minister Jordan finally came clean, stating that Government’s real intentions for the $23 billion, which was initially promised for rice farmers, was to be utilised to settle Guyana’s outstanding oil debt to Venezuela and ultimately was never really going towards the rice industry and the desperate farmers.

In an invited comment,

Minister Jordan admitted to Guyana Times that the money was never intended for the farmers but for “rice shipment”. This clarified that the monies had no connection to rice but rather to oil, which Guyana continues to receive under the PetroCaribe agreement.

Following this revelation, stakeholders have argued that the APNU/AFC Government blatantly betrayed rice farmers. Price for rice on the Essequibo Coast ranges from $1500 to $2200 for a bag of Grade A paddy, which is far below the cost of production.

Lines of trucks in front of a miller

Harvesting of rice on the Essequibo coast

wednesday, september 30, 2015 | guyanatimesgy.com

Pilot commits suicide at Beterverwagting home

Veteran Guyanese pilot Ayube Mazarally was on Tuesday morning found hanging from a rafter in his Granville Park, Beterverwagting East Coast Demerara home.

It is believed that the 49-year-old committed suicide. Mazarally has been a part of the aviation sector for several years and was the nephew of prominent businessman Yakub Ali. While information about the man’s death remains sketchy, reports are that there were no marks of violence about his body. According to information received, neighbours started to smell a strange stench emanating from the man’s home and decided to contact

the Police. Guyana Times understands that as the Police arrived they conducted a search during which the man’s body was found.

Persons in the neighbourhood told this publication that the now dead man would usually keep to himself. He lived alone, as his wife resides in Canada. The reason for taking his life is still unknown but neighbours said that his actions might have stemmed from recent domestic issues.

Several persons in the aviation sector have expressed shock at the passing of Mazarally. A friend of the

dead man stated that he has known Mazarally for quite some time, while working in the aviation sector. He described Mazarally as an experienced pilot, one who was very cautious.

Tributes have begun to pour in from his colleagues and friends on the Guyanese pilot’s Facebook page. Friends described him as a very cooperative individual. Mazarally worked with Air Services Limited (ASL), Jags Aviation, Roraima Airways and a few other local aviation companies. The father of two originated from Aurora, Essequibo Coast.

Traffic ranks granted bail for collecting bribes

Two traffic ranks attached to the Sparendaam Police Station were on Tuesday slapped with corruption charges when they made an appearance at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

The ranks, Marvin Thomas of Amelia’s Ward, Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) and

Fitzroy Nicholson of Bath Settlement, West Coast Berbice, were released on $20,000 bail each by Magistrate Ann McLennan after pleading not guilty to the joint charge.

The Police stated that on September 9, Thomas and Nicholson corruptly obtained from Nazeem Khan the sum of $30,000 as an inducement for forbearing to

“It is time for from

page 3

Another protester Charles Sugrim said “I hope that Venezuela respects because this is our land and it belongs to all Guyana and we need to bring this to an end immediately.”

“I had to come out here to make a statement and let Maduro know that we will not stand by and just let all of this happen,” another protester said swaying to the tune of “not a blade of grass”.

charge him with the traffic offence of overtaking on double solid yellow lines.

The facts surrounding the matter were not revealed in court by Police Prosecutor Dinero Jones. He told the court that the file was incomplete and the prosecution needed more time to gather statements.

He nevertheless, did not oppose bail being granted

“This thing has been settled since 1899 and I grew up hearing the song not a blade of grass and it is time for us to put something into that. What we need to do is rally as Guyanese and support Government on this, no matter what side of the fence you are. Just come together as Guyanese and stop sabotaging the initiative”, an-

Eyew tness Myths...

...peddled on sugar

Some fellas can really hold a grudge. Take this fella Sase Singh from the Bronx - who resigned "in disgust" last year from the AFC. He seems to've swallowed his disgust (not to mention "pride") when he rejoined them after they got into government. Ahhh... the lure of lucre! They gave him a squeeze at the Kronic where he writes letters and columns extolling the virtues of the government - and he's happy as a pig in poop.

when an application was made by Attorney Patrice Henry on behalf of the two men. The application was made on the grounds that the men were cooperating with the Police.

The men will make their second court appearance on October 7 at the Sparandaam Magistrate’s Court.

other protester said.

During the meeting with the two sides, a decision was taken for UN officials to be deployed to both Guyana and Venezuela. It is unclear however, what exactly that deployment will seek to do particularly in Guyana.

Maudro denies

But Venezuela’s President Nicholás Maduro in his address to the UN denied engaging in acts of aggression towards Guyana as the controversy continues.

Threading carefully, Maduro said that the recent troop deployment along the common border shared with Guyana was as a result of an anti-narcotics and drug exercise.

“With all due respect in this General Assembly of the United Nations, we had to carry out an operation along our borders with Colombia and Guyana”, President Maduro said.

“… There was the problem of drug traffickers and now today I can say that we really have positive hopes that the situation resolved and we would be able to resume normal working relations with the Government of Colombia and the same applies to our sister Republic of Guyana”, he claimed.

Throughout his presentation, he barely referred directly to the border controversy with Guyana even as he pressed the UN to work in order to maintain world peace and in the interest of safeguarding the integrity of states and their occupants.

Before his address on Sunday, the Venezuelan President had ordered that the increase military presence at the country’s southern border with Guyana be reduced ahead of the UN meeting in light of protestations by the Government here.

When he was back in Guyana and a member of the PPP, he was one of the fiercest critic - nay! enemy - of the PNC in general and Granger in particular. Through his PPP connections - remember the PPP was in office, and their word carried weight back then - he wangled a scholarship to England to study finance. On his return the fella decides he should be "Finance Minister"just like that! When President Jagdeo told him he just couldn't make the grade, an enemy was born!!

Which he now wages from his basement in the Bronx, wielding his old laptop. So the other day, he laces into - who else? - Jagdeo and claims that the IMF-certified consistent growth rate achieved by the PPP in the last couple of decades, wasn't due to PPP's policies, but from "wealth transfer" from the EU because of "preferential prices" on sugar. Can you believe this joker?!! No wonder Jagdeo gave him the bum's rush!

Now, Sase Singh writes a lot of letters on sugar and surely he knows that the so-called "preferential prices" on sugar was negotiated in 1975 after sugar prices had spiked to a record high of US$0.64 cents a pound. And that the EU knew they got a good bargain just as Britain had gotten after WWII when they negotiated the Commonwealth Sugar Agreement ...which was subsumed into the EU Lome Convention.

And it wasn't just the guaranteed supply of sugar that tickled their fancy - under the cover of the Protocol they could engage in all kinds of protectionist skulduggery in their Agricultural Policy. The question is why doesn't Sase Singh point out that Europeans got a "wealth transfer" from us since 1616 on sugar and sugar refining - which gave them their start in their industrial revolution? Why doesn't he dismiss the phenomenal growth of Europe and the US because of these "wealth transfers" from their colonies?

Well this Eyewitness will tell you why. It's because the bile of his hatred for Jagdeo is so bitter, he's become more jaundiced and "cock-eyed" than you-know-who! And then again, he has to sing for his supper!

...on big power benevolence

The myth peddled by Sase Singh about the EU's generosity in transferring their wealth to us out of the bigness of their heart has a long history. There was the myth that the Europeans enslaved us for our own good - since we didn't have souls much less culture, in Africa. Or saved us from famines in India - never mind that India, by their own accounts was fabulously rich - before they got there! And of course as recently as 2007, the British celebrated their beneficence in stopping the slave trade - after of course, they'd committed serial genocide on millions of Africans on the Atlantic and the plantations.

While fellas like Singh think such crassness from big powers ("Brittania ruled the waves"!!) is over, in reality, it's just disguised. Every big power, be it Britain then, America now and China in the future, acts to protect and further its own interests.

And in a world of finite resources and insatiable wants, it's never a win-win scenario.

And guess who gets screwed over every time?

...on identity

Your Eyewitness just saw an ad from Coca Cola asking that we "Share a Coke". They promise to personalise the experience by having "popular" names on each bottle. Like "Balgobin" and "Quasie"?

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

Dead: Ayube Mazarally

Nixing of fare reduction requests

“Govt disrespects Essequibians and NWD residents” – PPP/C

...Min Patterson to blank GTimes for reporting his position

By Michael younge

The Government of Guyana has shown disrespect and insensitivity to residents of Regions One (Barima-Waini) and Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) who are demanding a small reduction in the cost associated with utilising the Governemtowned ferries and streamers because of the financial and logistical burden they are made to endure in order to access key markets in the city and other parts of the country.

This is the position of the main Opposition, People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) which on Tuesday slammed statements made by Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson, despite over a dozen news items done by Guyana Times and other media houses on the calls made by residents.

Minister Patterson had told this newspaper that the Ministry had not received “formal” complaints from the residents on the matter, implying that his Ministry was not in a position to act until the matter was brought in some unspecified bureaucratic method before the authorities.

In the meantime, the administration had unilaterally sought to reduce the tolls on the privately owned Berbice Bridge and when that hit a roadblock, to introduce free water taxis. The residents in Essequibo Coast and NWD had protested this treatment which they claimed was “discriminatory”.

Those residing in the Essequibo region have to pay $380 per person and $1140 for a person with an empty vehicle (one way) to reach Georgetown via the ferry service. Therefore, a journey back and forth for a vehicle owner would amount to $2280 plus an additional $1900 for five passengers – a total of $4180 to travel to and from Region Two.

A minibus carrying 15 passengers would have to pay $2280 plus $5400 for the passengers for a total of $7680 for a trip to Parika. Commercial vehicles pay twice that amount when they are weighed.

In the North West, residents of Port Kaituma have to pay a total of $17,800 to get to Georgetown if they utilise the North WestCharity-Supenaam-ParikaGeorgetown route (from Port Kaituma to Charity $15,000; from Charity to Supenaam $1000; from Supenaam to Parika $1300 and from Parika to Georgetown $500). A return trip would, therefore, cost one person $35,600. Residents from Moruca, which is closer to Charity, have to pay $6300 to get to Georgetown ($12,600 return) since the cost from Moruca to Charity is $3500.

However, one alternative is the ferry system which takes residents directly from Port Kaituma to Georgetown at a cost of $2000. But this mode takes about 34 hours, whereas the other route takes

just about five hours. The other alternative is travelling via airplane which costs about $15,000 per person from Port Kaituma to Ogle.

The residents are contending that the fees they pay drastically exceed the cost being endured by the people of Berbice and they, therefore, cannot understand the preferential treatment being given to that region. The residents are demanding that Government administer equal treatment to citizens all across Guyana and insisted that their regions also get some form of relief in relation to the transportation expenses.

Patterson’s Secretary protests

On Tuesday, the Minister’s Secretary Aneka Edwards complained bitterly about the article published in Guyana Times, alleging that the Minister’s statement was taken out of context.

She told this newspaper that the Minister never said that he would not act but merely that he had not received official reports at the Ministry by the complainants.

Edwards who was up in arms on Tuesday over the issue also opined that the article lacked what she deemed professionalism and was editorialised.

She maintained that Minister Patterson has adopted a policy which would see him not granting exclusive telephone interviews to Guyana Times in the future as he will only be responding to their queries at press conferences.

The newspaper, however, maintained that the Minister was dismissive when asked about the calls and maintained that he had not received any official representation of the same. He also implied via his tone and words that unless this was done, no favourable response would be forthcoming.

PPP supports fare, toll reductions

But on Tuesday, the PPP said the Government’s position was “disrespectful, insensitive and wholly unacceptable. The Minister is virtually telling the people “to come beg me and I will think about it”.

The PPP reflecting on similar calls said that the call to reduce the Berbice Bridge toll was politically initiated by the Alliance For Change (AFC) as a vote-getting exercise and later, it became an A Partnership for National Unity (APNU)-AFC demand that was reflected in their election manifesto.

“As far as the PPP can recall there was never ever a demand for a “official call” nor for a “formal” approach to be made to anyone for the Berbice Bridge toll to be reduced. The APNU/AFC made this demand as part and parcel of their election campaign. And its genesis was inspired by the AFC as a political football”, the Party noted in a statement on the matter.

The PPP said that it fully supports the call by residents of the Essequibo and North West areas for a significant reduction in the fares of the Government owned

ferries and steamers plying the Georgetown, Essequibo and Georgetown North West routes and demand equal treatment for all Guyanese.

“The ferries and steamers

rates must be reduced”, the statement concluded.

Residents of other farflung areas like the Essequibo Coast and those from the Mabaruma area have been pleading with Government to treat them fairly and on par with their Berbice counterparts who will benefit from a reduction in the tolls they pay to utilise the Berbice River Bridge.

Regional authorities, including Region One Regional Chairman Brentol Ashley and Region Two Regional Vice Chairman Nandranie Coonjah, have also voiced their support for the calls being sounded by disgruntled residents. Evidently, from the statements by Minister Patterson, they are not qualified to make “official” statements on matters affecting their constituents.

Even Berbice offi-

cials including President of the Corentyne Chamber of Commerce, Abraham Sooknauth and the President of the Berbice Chamber of Commerce, Rajnauth Ramroop admitted that the fees the other citizens have to endure were extremely costly and urged the Government to address the matter with an equal approach.

In relation to Berbicians, Government already introduced a heavily subsidised state operated river taxi service which sees pensioners, schoolchildren and nurses travelling for free, while others pay a low price of $120 to get from New Amsterdam to Rosignol.

In addition, Government is still pushing the Berbice Bridge Company Inc to reduce its tolls to bring further relief to the residents there.

Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson

Teachers not blamed for troubles in education system – education CEO

hief Education

COfficer Olato Sam is seeking to bring some clarity to his statements made at a seminar at the Authur Chung Convention Centre, Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown, which has been interpreted to mean that he attempted to blame teachers for the ills of the education system. Sam explained that the occasion was a gathering of primary school heads, to discuss the importance of leadership in improving the country’s output in the education system. He added that he highlighted areas that he was convinced officers and heads could collectively address to arrive at their stated objectives.

At the seminar, Sam said “many of the weaknesses

our pupils possess are mere reflections of their teachers’ failings.” It is for this statement that Sam came in

for much criticism recently from sections of the media, which accused him of blaming teachers for the troubles in the education system.

“I prefaced my statements by highlighting the fact that we have conducted investigations into the elements that contribute to the underachievement of our primary pupils and we have uncovered what I termed a “staggering mosaic of contributory factors. At no point did I attempt to, overtly or implicitly, place the blame at the feet of the nation’s teachers,” the Chief Education Officer stressed.

In seeking to clarify his statements made on September 15, at the Convention Center, Sam

stated that he merely listed some factors which he believed could have been addressed collectively.

Sam added that at no time was there any attempt to “blame” teachers for the ills of the education system and close examination of his full presentation would support this.

“It is my position that, notwithstanding the other elements needing attention in the education system, tremendous emphasis must be placed on the professional development of our teachers if we are to see greater output; and I stand firmly by this,” the Chief Education Officer explained as he expressed hope that his position is clarified. (jpinder@ guyanatimesgy.com)

Lusignan man burnt to death while trying to set garbage ablaze

Days after sustaining third degree burns about his body, a Lusignaan, East Coast Demerara (ECD) resident succumbed to his injured while receiving medical attention at the Burn Unit of the Georgetown Public Hospital on Tuesday.

Hardeo Rampersaud, also called “Krishna” of Lot 34 Lusignaan, ECD received burns on Sunday as he was attempting to burn a heap of garbage in the area. According to reports received, the 37-year-old man, who did odd jobs in the community, was given a box of matches and a flammable substance and asked to burn the garbage. He was under the influ -

ence of alcohol at the time, reports stated. At the home of the dead man, his mother, Hemrajie Rampersaud explained that on Sunday morning, she was at a Mandir in the community when she received a message from her daughter that her son was burnt. She said that he was burnt on his feet, arms and back. The woman said that on the way to the hospital, her son related to her that after throwing the liquid on the garbage, he scratched the match, which was followed by a loud explosion.

Residents said that due to the man’s drunken state he fell into the fire. The grieving mother said that

a family friend was passing the area at the time of the incident and contacted the family.

“He brother and a friend rush to the fire and

when they reach they see he in the fire and pull he out… he did done get burn bad,” the woman said.

Sheila, a sister of the dead man, who was still surprised at the passing of her brother stated that while at the hospital on Sunday evening, he described the two persons who would have given him the flammable substance and the matches.

The incident was reported and the Police have launched an investigation into the incident. The man leaves to mourn his mother, six sisters and one brother. A post-mortem examination is expected to be conducted on the man’s body on Friday.

High Spirits

Satiricus had been upset for some time now, but he'd kept his mouth shut. It had to do with the "name and shame" programme of the Police. Every week, the police would release 6 pics of fellas - and they were all fellas - who were nabbed "driving under the influence". And were subsequently convicted and fined.

What Satiricus was upset about was that week after week, all the fellas whose pics were spread across the papers were from BERBICE!!!! Now Satiricus didn't have anything against Berbice or Berbicians. In fact some of his best friends were Berbicians. Even his favourite politicians Naga Man (now the Prime Moocher) and Rum Jhaat (now the Invisible Man) were from Berbice.

But as a born and bred Demerarian, Satiricus felt he had his honour - and the honour of Demerara where his navel string was buried - to uphold. And part and parcel of this honour - and any true-true Guyanese would tell youwas to be able to knock down a large without blinking. You could vomit your guts out afterwards - but you couldn't blink. This accomplishment separated the men from the boys.

As he thought of the indignity of no Demararian making the "Macho Top Six Drinkers " every week, he remembered how he and his buddies had taken their first drink at the age of 12 and became men. How things had changed. It wasn't just a matter of just drinking and getting into fights or "behaving bad" - nowadays, to prove your manhood, you had to down the large and drive your car at blinding speed - while the road was filled with women and children. Not to mention other cars.

"And look who's winning," snorted Satiricus. He knew Berbicians had a head start because of Berbice leaders such as Naga Man and Rum Jhaat who had inspired the hit song "Rum Till ah die"!! He'd seen this coming. Even as those two worthies put away larges like they were coconut water, look what Satiricus' Demerara-born leader Jagdesh was doing - DRINKNG NO LIKKER!

While it may be harsh, Jagdesh had to take some of the blame for not leading his countymen to top the DUI "top 6". But all hope wasn't lost. Somewhere out there would be someone from Demerara who "was born to be a drinker" and who would return Demerara to glory.

In the meantime under the leadership of Naga Man and Rum Jhaat, Berbice would rule the roost. Or the bar stool.

Chief Education Officer Olato Sam

Dead: Hardeo “Krishna” Rampersaud

Woman dies following motorcycle collision – rider apprehended after fleeing scene

One person is now dead and another hospitalised after a motorcyclist collided with two pedestrians on Sunday in New Amsterdam, Berbice.

Dead is Shalini Jewlall, who succumbed to her injuries on Tuesday. She suffered broken limbs and

massive head injuries.

Reports are that the 32-year-old woman and her daughter, Marleina DeSilva, were on their way to a shop and were attempting to cross Main Street, New Amsterdam, when a car which was approaching stopped to allow them to cross the road. However, the motorcyclist

undertook the car and collided with both Jewlall and DeSilva.

Jewlall was picked up by her husband, Vidian DeSilva who was watching them cross the road. She was rushed to the New Amsterdam Hospital and later transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital for further med -

Woman caught on camera stealing amplifiers

– places it under her skirt, between her legs

Awoman was caught on Closed-circuit television (CCTV) taking an amplifier and placing it between her legs under her skirt and walking out of an electronics store in New Amsterdam, Berbice, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne).

The incident occurred at Evil Eyes Electronics and General Merchandise store at 15 Main Street, New Amsterdam on Saturday and was discovered minutes after the item was concealed. Footage of the theft shows that a male and female walked into the store at 13:05h and the female committed that act.

She picked up the 15 pound surround sound PA Amplifier worth in excess of $50,000, looked at it and then replaced it. She then looked around and within two seconds picked it up again and placed it under the long skirt she was wearing and acted as if nothing had happened.

Without making any attempt to fix the more than one foot long metal object between her legs, the thief calmly walked out of the store. The male was used as a decoy and hurriedly left the store behind her. Moments after staff discovered that the amplifier was missing.

Checks on CCTV foot-

The suspect caught in the act of concealing the amplifier under

age revealed what transpired. When the two persons entered the store they went directly to the section where the amplifiers are displayed. After the items was discovered missing, checks were made around the town, including the water tax-

ies stelling, car parks and other stores but the perpetrators were nowhere to be found. There are reports that the two persons were earlier seen at other locations in the town. The Police was called and a search has been mounted for the shoplifters.

ical attention but subsequently succumbed to her injuries.

Following the accident, the motorcyclist fled the scene but was seen by public spirited citizens attempting to escape in a nearby empty plot of land.

He was pursued and found lying face down under a clump of bushes bleeding profusely.

He was picked up and

handed over to the Police, who took him to the New Amsterdam Hospital where he was admitted.

Police have since confirmed that the 32-yearold motorcyclist of Fort Ordanance is hospitalised. His condition is listed as stable.

Jewlall was a charwoman attached to Distribution Serviced Ltd (DSL) and mother of one. Speaking

with the media, the dead woman’s mother-in-law, Lelia DeSlva, said that Jewlall grew up as an orphan. She said that for the past two years, her daughter-in-law’s focus has been on building her own house, which she had intended to move into within the next two weeks.

Police are investigating the accident.

Dead: Shalini Jewlall

The motorcycle involved in the accident

her skirt

wednesday, september 30, 2015 | guyanatimesgy.com

Govt responsible for developing, maintaining hinterland airstrips – Aircraft Association

Major concerns have arisen among members of the Aircraft Owners Association of Guyana (AOAG) with regards to a recent statement made by former Chairman of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) Hugh Denbow, in which he declared that it is not the responsibility of central government to develop and maintain hinterland airstrips.

According to a statement from the AOAG on Tuesday, such a report suggests that the responsibility in question is that of private operators and that the statement by Denbow is ‘completely unacceptable.’

“Public infrastructure, which, of course, includes roadways and bridges, drainage and irrigation, river stellings and docks and, yes, hinterland community airstrips, are the responsibility of Government and for which we pay taxes,” the Aircraft Association said in its statement said.

The Aviation Policy and Action Plan, it stated, sets out a number of significant priorities for which the Government should take responsibility. According to the Association, among those responsibilities are the implementation of a development plan by Government for upgrading and extending of selected hinterland airstrips and aerodrome to accommodate larger aircrafts supported by an efficient maintenance programme.

Guyana Times understands that the Aircraft Owners Association is quite surprised that the former GCAA Chairman is now suggesting that it is not the responsibility of Government to maintain Government owned and operated airstrips built for the express purpose of serving hinterland com-

munities and to the standards set by the GCAA’s own safety regulations.

“Mr Denbow, in fact, is completely wrong in arguing that aircraft such as the Cessna Caravan and now the much more advanced Beechcraft 1900D are unsuitable for operating on unpaved airstrips. These types of aircraft are, in fact, specifically designed for operations on grass and unpaved airstrips once the airstrips are properly maintained,” the statement added.

The Association is peeved at the statement made by Denbow that “private operators can do more to work with the Government to achieve desired results... AOAG wishes to point out that private aircraft operators, have readily continued to place their technical expertise and experience completely at the disposal of Government in setting the priorities and in recommending the efficient and professional development of all active hinterland airstrips,” the AOAG’s statement added. (kristenm@guyanatimesgy.com)

Keeping it real

The Challenge of “Power-Sharing"

“Power-sharing” seems to be the current “new”, but really “old”, hot issue in Guyanese politics.

The APNU/AFC government has announced its intention to pursue national unity (read “powersharing”) with the opposition PPP/C. At the age of 70, President Granger appears desirous of bringing the nation together as part of his historical legacy. But the challenge for him will lie in his ability and willingness to minimize pressure from PNC elements who would be opposed to such a move.

National unity would be a remarkable achievement since the Burnham-Jagan split in 1955, followed by the intense racial strife in the early 1960s, resulting in the creation of stratified racial blocs. Maintaining an institutionalised democracy, stability and economic development will continue to be elusive dreams as long as the country remains ethnically divided.

However, President Granger’s designation of Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo as the point man to negotiate with Bharrat Jagdeo and the PPP on the way toward national unity does raise a number of questions about his intentions. Not surprisingly, there is too much bitterness between Nagamootoo and Jagdeo to expect that “national unity” discussions will be smooth sailing or achieve even limited success between the two leaders. Nagamootoo, an AFC executive, would rather work to nationalize any kind of political space to increase the AFCs influence and political base before the next election, rather than facilitate conditions that would allow his nemesis, the PPP, to accommodate that space.

Ironically, Moses was the PPP’s point man who was previously tasked with power-sharing discussions with Burnham’s PNC, and we know how those talks turned out. The fact that Jagdeo, who is saddled with his own political baggage, will bargain on behalf of the opposition, should not in any way negate the fact that a large section of the population still sees the PPP as representing their interests.

President Granger, is aware of the fact that previous power-sharing discussions were political failures, coupled with ethnic window dressing and fancy terms like “reform” and “civic” to camouflage the politics of ethnicity. Since both the PPP and PNC have publicly made proposals towards power-sharing, the more aggressive push has always been led by the party excluded from political power. One can only hope that the initiative for national unity coming from Granger is sincere. The Guyanese public will no doubt take these discussions more seriously if Granger himself holds direct talks with the Opposition leader.

Assuming our politicians are genuinely concerned about uniting our citizens, the conceptualization, parameters, and implementation of any power-sharing arrangement in a national unity government must be clearly defined a priori. On the surface, despite the fact that our demographics does not give any of the two major parties more than a 50% majority of the electorate, there is still the traditional view held by both APNU/AFC and the Opposition that electoral victory is possible by forming a coalition with existing smaller parties.

So, what does the concept of “power-sharing” mean to the politicians and Guyanese supporting this concept in the current atmosphere? Does power-sharing in the Guyanese lexicon incorporates what political scientists refer to as “consociational arrangements”? Does power-sharing mean that the APNU/AFC should coopt several key members of the PPP into the government by enticing them with cabinet positions? Will such an arrangement alter the current racial perceptions and erase ethnic hostilities grounded in institutional memory? Or, do the political parties believe that powersharing should focus on the sharing of the powers of the executive office? Or, does power-sharing mean periodic rotation of the Presidential leadership between prominent Indians and Africans?

Recently, PPP MP Anil Nandlall, introduced his own conception of "power-sharing", arguing that power-sharing runs the risk of leaving the population defenseless because of the elimination of checks and balances through a fusion of power between the executive and legislative branches of government. Lincoln Lewis, a known supporter of the PNC, cautions the government against executive power-sharing because such a move lacks a “model” and will dilute the notion of checks and balances. Perhaps Lewis and Nandlal are talking to each other, but if these two men represent the mindset of the two major political parties, executive power-sharing will not see the light of day.

Executive power-sharing is not new, and it was touted by some of the young turks like McAllister and Norton who challenged the PNC old guards and debated the federalist and consociational models of power sharing proposed by members of ROAR. Despite the pronouncements of political leaders, the collective leadership of the two major political parties are not in favor of “executive” power-sharing, or any form of power-sharing. In short, coalition supporters believe they can increase their electoral strength in the next 5 years, and the current PPP leadership continues to hold on to the belief that it can win the next election by expanding its “working class” base.

So, where do the current discussions leave us? A couple of facts about power-sharing must be kept in mind. One, the fact that power-sharing was initiated by the coalition raises hope that we are entering a new political era. Clearly, the current racial divide and animosity between government and opposition leaders does not lend itself to genuine attempts at power sharing.

Two, meaningful power-sharing requires an admission that our institutional memory has to be pushed aside and political leaders have to, as they say “think outside the box” so that we can move beyond the politics of personalities. Ethnic negotiators have to come to the table with genuine intentions. Three, the public must become part of this process so that they can understand that political leaders are engaged in meaningful discussions to create changes that would lead to a new political culture. If leaders are serious, they have an obligation to educate their respective constituents.

Four, any kind of power-sharing arrangement must incorporate legitimate representatives from the Amerindian community, not only Indians and Africans. Amerindians, as a voting bloc unto themselves, could be seen as power-brokers in any such future arrangement. Five, the place to start is to admit that the country is divided along ethnicity. Speaking honestly about our racial divide will not make politicians appear as if they are more or less racial. Finally, power-sharing arrangements must as best as possible avoid the appearance of window dressing – it requires a genuine attempt to transform the institutions of power and address structural changes in the body politic. Powersharing, its pitfalls, and some possible scenarios as to how it can be implemented in a future Guyana require further exploration.

To be continued.

Send comments to BRamharack60@gmail.com.

Dr Baytoram Ramharack

Aerial view of Surama airstrip

Anna Regina roadside vendors protest… Vendors must move before demolition hammer falls – IMC Chairman

By IndrawattIe natram

The protesting vendors along the Anna Regina old market roadway in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) will have to demolish their stalls and relocate since their actions are illegal. This is according to Chairman of the Interim Management Committee (IMC) of the Anna Regina Town Council Mark Mc Lean, who on Tuesday insisted that the pro-

testing vendors’ actions are not in keeping with the law.

Mc Lean told Guyana Times that following several protests by the vendors, a meeting was convened with the Regional Chairman Devanand Ramdatt and representatives of the regional administration to address the issue.

At that meeting, Mc Lean said the Regional Chairman requested that the IMC review the deci-

sion to remove the vendors. But according to Mc Lean, the decision to remove the vendors lies with the Council – which came to the decision to move them since they are impeding the smooth flow of traffic along the roadway.

According to the IMC Chairman, on Thursday, a decision will be taken as to when the demolishing exercise will take place.

Meanwhile, speaking with Guyana Times, the Regional Chairman said that prior to the protest, he had a meeting with over 60 vendors, who voiced their concerns about the decision to remove them. According to Ramdatt, he believes that the Council should revisit its decision given the current economic downturn that currently exists in the country.

He said that a more amicable solution can be arrived at once the Council is willing to cooperate with the vendors, adding that consultations should be held with the affected vendors.

On Monday, over 50 market vendors selling along the roadway at the Anna Regina old market hosted a peaceful protest demanding justice and fair representation

from the Anna Regina IMC. The vendors were issued with notices last week by the new Anna Regina IMC to cease vending in the area. In their quest to be heard, vendors stood with placards bearing slogans “I am a single parent, I have bills to pay just as office workers”, “who go give us the money, If vendors can’t sell then children can’t attend school” and “they want us to move and they have nowhere to put us”, outside of the Anna Regina Town Council building.

The vendors, who have been occupying the market road for many years said they are dissatisfied with the IMC’s decision to have them removed. They are contending that the Town Council should find an alternative area for them to carry out their business.

A vendor protesting to stay calls on the Anna Regina IMC to reconsider their move

Vendors expressing their concerns via placards at a demonstration in Anna Regina

Regional

Brazil pledges to cut carbon emissions 37% by 2025

Brazil on Sunday became the first major developing country to pledge an absolute reduction in greenhouse gas emissions for an envisioned global pact against climate change. The world’s seventh biggest greenhouse gas polluter said it would cut its emissions by 37 per cent by 2025 from 2005 levels by reducing deforestation

and boosting the share of renewable sources in its energy mix. It also indicated an “intended reduction” of 43 per cent by 2030.

“Our goals are just as ambitious, if not more so, than those set by developed countries,” President Dilma Rousseff said as she announced the targets at the UN in New York. In talks on a new climate agreement, set to be adopted in Paris in December, developed countries are expected to shoulder the biggest responsibility for cutting emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. For example, the US has pledged to reduce its emissions by 26-28 per cent between 2005 and 2025.

Major developing countries such as China and South Africa have pledged to rein in their emissions as their economies expand, rather than to slash them in absolute terms. Brazil, however, has already achieved significant emissions cuts in the past decade primarily because of efforts to reduce deforestation in the Amazon. (Excerpt from The Guardian)

CTO wants open skies policy in the

Secretary General of the Caribbean Tourism Organisation (CTO)

Hugh Riley has urged regional authorities to institute an Open Skies policy and wherever possible to eliminate secondary screening at Caribbean airports.

Riley said that while an Open Skies policy would allow regional carriers to take unlimited flights to all Caribbean Community (Caricom) Member States and encourage the growth of competition among carriers, elimination of secondary screening would encourage greater demand for intra-regional travel.

He has also called for improved interline arrangements for a “vastly enhanced” baggage transfer and improved passenger experience.

Riley, who spoke at the

Caribbean

recent airline route development forum, “World Routes 2015” in Durban, also made a plea for collaboration in a number of areas, including intelligence sharing with the use of the Advance Passenger Information System (APIS), and security processing.

“Cooperation in these areas will encourage and facilitate greater investment by airlines into and across the Caribbean region. Better connectivity means greater economic benefits.”

Citing the post-September 11 television campaign in the United States, “Life Needs the Caribbean” and the 2007 Cricket World Cup as examples, Riley said the Caribbean has shown its ability to put effective regional strategies in place and can do the same to grow travel into and throughout the region. (Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

OAS SG announces initiative to fight corruption and impunity in Honduras

The Secretary General of the Organisation of American States (OAS), Luis Almagro, has announced the creation of the Mission of Support against Corruption and Impunity in Honduras (MACCIH).

“We seek to make the justice system an effective tool in the fight against impunity, that manages to earn the respect of the people of Honduras and that becomes an essential part of the democratic system,” said the Secretary General in the

presence of Honduran authorities including President Juan Orlando Hernández

The purpose of the MACCIH is to improve the quality of services provided by the justice system in Honduras, and thus it will work together with state institutions and civil society. The Mission will be led by an internationally recognized jurist with a high level of research expertise into fighting corruption and impunity, who will report directly to the OAS General

Secretariat.

The announcement by the Secretary General comes in response to a request made by the Government of Honduras on September 14 for the support of the OAS in the strengthening and reform of the Honduran justice system.

A delegation of the OAS will travel shortly to Honduras to take the first steps in the implementation of the initiative. (Excerpt from Caribbean News Now)

Miracle at sea – Baby due in December born on cruise ship

“Born at sea.” That’s what doctors wrote on the birth certificate of Haiden Morgan, a one-and-a-half-pound baby who beat the odds of survival after arriving in this world on a Caribbean cruise three months before his expected birth date.

Haiden’s parents, Chase and Emily Morgan, were vacationing aboard a cruise ship when he unexpectedly made his debut. Emily was not due until December and had been given clearance by her doctor to take the sevenday trip to the Caribbean at the end of August, according to Fox 13 News.

Two days into the trip, Emily went into labour. Hours later her son was born, 15 weeks early and 14 hours away from Puerto Rico and the nearest hospital.

Initially, doctors told the 28-year-old that she had miscarried and her baby was dead. Forty-five minutes lat-

Baby Haiden is expected to be hospitalized until his December 19 due date, according to ABC

er, they told her he had survived. But doctors worried he wouldn’t make it since the ship wasn’t outfitted with medical equipment for premature deliveries, so Emily and the nurses improvised.

The Morgans stayed in Puerto Rico for three days until a medical jet could fly them to Miami Children’s

Hospital, where they’ve been for the past several weeks. Haiden is reportedly stable; his lungs are developed, but the “micro-preemie” has good days and bad days.

“His hands are the size of a quarter, his foot is the size of your pinkie, and length of his body is the length of a dollar bill,” his mother said. (Excerpt from Caribbean360)

Brazil has pledged to cut its emissions by reducing deforestation and boosting renewable energy

Raúl Castro and Barack Obama all smiles before US sanctions meeting

Barack Obama and Raúl Castro have made another public, and warm, show of shaking hands before a private meeting at the UN on Tuesday as the two leaders work to end the US trade embargo against Cuba over the objections of Republican leaders in the US Congress.

The pair smiled broadly and appeared to be at ease, in sharp contrast with Obama’s tense pub-

lic encounter with Vladimir Putin, President of what was once Cuba’s closest ally. It was the second meeting of the two leaders since they announced plans to restore full diplomatic relations last year. Both countries have taken steps to normalise contacts, including the recent easing of restrictions on Americans travelling to Cuba. But sanctions can only be removed entirely by

Congress where Republican leaders are reported to be furious that the Obama Administration is considering abstaining from a vote in the UN general assembly condemning the embargo against Cuba.

Castro, in his first speech to the UN on Monday, spoke of the “heroic and selfless resistance” of the Cuban people in the face of the halfcentury US embargo against their country.

“Now, a long and complex process begins toward the normalisation of relations that will only be achieved with the end of the economic, commercial and financial blockade against Cuba; the return to our country of the territory illegally occupied by Guantánamo naval base; the cessation of radio and TV broadcasts, and of subversion and destabilisation programmes against the island; and when our people are compensated for the human and economic damages they still endure,” he said.

(Excerpt from The Guardian)

Hajj disaster: Foreign officials question Saudi death toll

Officials from several countries have said that more than 1000 people died in last week’s stampede near Mecca during the annual Hajj pilgrimage.

The last figure given by the Saudi authorities was 769. However, a Nigerian official told the BBC that more than 1000 bodies had been taken from the disaster site to morgues in the city of Jeddah. Indian, Pakistani and Indonesian officials have also been quoted as saying they think more than 1000 died.

A Nigerian Hajj official

from Kano, Abba Yakubu, told the BBC’s Yusuf Ibrahim Yakasai that he had been to Jeddah, where the dead from Thursday’s crush are being processed. Yakubu said that in total, 14 lorries loaded with bodies were brought to the city. He added that so far 1075 bodies had been offloaded from 10 lorries and taken into the morgues. Four lorries had yet to be dealt with, he said.

Several countries have been severely critical of the way the Saudi authorities have handled the accident’s aftermath, notably Saudi

Arabia’s regional rival Iran, which lost at least 228 people in the disaster.

Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj tweeted that Saudi authorities had released photos of 1090 pilgrims who died. Pakistani and Indonesian officials have also indicated that they have been sent more than 1000 such images. As yet the Saudi authorities have not explained the discrepancy in the figures.

Last Thursday’s stampede was the deadliest incident to hit the Hajj in 25 years. (Excerpt from BBC News)

India cuts interest rates by more than expected

India’s central bank has cut its key interest rate for the fourth time this year, and by more than expected. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) reduced its repo rate to 6.75 per cent from 7.25 per cent, with economists having forecast it would trim rates to seven per cent.

The repo rate is the level at which the central bank lends to commercial banks. The bank has been under pressure to boost growth after inflation hit a record low of 3.6 per cent in August due to falling commodity prices.

The latest cut takes interest rates in the country to the lowest level in four and a half years.

The RBI had already cut the policy rate by a total of 75 basis

points this year, following rate reductions in January, February and June, on the back of low inflation.

“In India, a tentative economic recovery is underway, but is still far from robust,” RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan said in a statement.

“Investment is likely to respond more strongly (and boost domestic demand) if there is more certainty about the extent of monetary stimulus in the pipeline.”

Economic growth in India, Asia’s third largest economy, slowed to an annual rate of seven per cent between April and June, down from 7.5 per cent in the previous quarter. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Around the world

C. African leader pleads for calm as UN says 27,000 flee unrest

The Central African Republic’s president appealed for calm Tuesday as the United Nations reported 36 people dead and almost 30,000 displaced in three days of bloodshed terrorising the capital Bangui.

“We fear that the violence that we’re seeing in Bangui is a return to the dark days of late 2013 and 2014, when thousands were killed and tens of thousands had to flee their homes,” UN refugee agency spokesman Leo Dobbs told reporters.

At least 36 people had died in the last three days

and 27,400 fled their homes, the UN said.

Announcing she was cutting short a visit to the United Nations to return home, interim President Catherine Samba Panza said in a message broadcast on national radio: “I appeal to you my compatriots for calm. I ask you to return to your homes.”

“I know that when I speak to you, you listen,” she added. Sources told AFP she was expected to be back in the city late Tuesday. In Bangui, shots continued to ring out even after the 0500 GMT lifting of a dusk-to-

dawn curfew, following a night of sporadic shooting as security forces sought to repel looters, an AFP correspondent said. With barricades blocking traffic, the heart of Bangui stood largely empty as French and UN peacekeepers from the MINUSCA force patrolled key areas. MINUSCA has denied reports that its troops killed three people and injured others after opening fire on a crowd of several hundred demonstrators heading towards the presidency to demand Samba Panza’s resignation. (Excerpt from Yahoo! News)

Germany attributes spike in mushroom poisonings to foraging refugees

Most refugees have already defied the odds by the time they arrive in Europe, having typically undertaken perilous journeys across land and sea. But once they have reached Germany they are not out of danger, according to mushroom experts and doctors, who warn record numbers of people are becoming ill after eating poisonous mushrooms.

A leading German toxicologist has said poisonings are at an all-time high

owing to the large number of newcomers foraging for mushrooms and mistaking those they find for varieties found in their homelands.

Prof Siegmar Berndt, thead toxicologist of the German Mycological Society, said he had never come across so many cases. “In my 70-year lifespan there have never been so many mushroom poisonings as there have been so far this year,” he told the Guardian.

“Most of the victims are refugees and asylum-seek-

ers who have already arrived in Germany, mainly from Syria.”

In addition to whole families who headed into the woodland close to their refugee shelters to forage for mushrooms, and took pleasure in finding something they appeared to know from their countries of origin, there were groups of men looking for alternative ways to spend their time who had fallen victim to toxic mushroom varieties. (Excerpt from The Guardian)

Japan’s Abe calls for ‘amicable’ and ‘stable’ China relationship

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Tuesday that Japan needed to develop a stable and amicable relationship with China.

“Already we have gone through several rounds of summit meetings and we are steadfastly moving to further develop a mutually beneficial relationship based on common strategic interests,” Abe said at Bloomberg headquarters in New York.

Abe has tried to improve relations with China, but progress has been slow over Japan’s perceived failure to atone for its wartime aggression and China’s increasingly assertive tone in territorial disputes in the South and East China Seas.

Ties have thawed slightly since Abe and Chinese President Xi Jinping met at international gath-

erings in April and last November, but the diplomatic relationship between Asia’s two biggest economic powers is far from friendly.

“We need to develop our amicable relationship, a stable relation-

ship, between Japan and China. I

Barack Obama and the Cuban president, Raúl Castro, shake hands during a bilateral meeting at the UN on Tuesday

Security remains fragile in the Central African Republic following a 2013 coup that pitted Muslim rebels against Christian militias

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe addresses attendees during a Leaders’ Summit on Peacekeeping to coincide with the United Nations General Assembly at the United Nations in Manhattan, New York September 28

wednesday, september 30, 2015| guyanatimesgy.com

Pradoville 2 land sale

Govt must allow property owners right to defend self

....court action "politically driven, flawed" — legal expert

The move by Desmond Trotman and a group identifying itself as the “Committee for the Defence of the Constitution Inc” to go to the court to have lands repossessed in the areas commonly known as “Pradoville 1” and “Pradoville 2” has been

deemed as an action that is sponsored and driven by the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Government.

Allegations are that these lands located at Plantations Goedverwagting and Sparendaam, on the East Coast of Demerara,

were fraudulently developed under the previous Administration and awarded to persons in support of the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C).

However, the latest action by Trotman who is employed at the Asset Recovery Unity by the APNU+AFC coalition, which is to have ‘compulsory acquisition of private property’ without compensation is nothing short of unconstitutional, unlawful and oppressive.

This is according to a legal expert who requested anonymity when speaking with the Guyana Times on Tuesday evening.

The lawyer stated that such actions are reflective of autocrats and political dictators as he referred to cases where dozens of properties were ‘taken away’ during the 1970’s and 1980’s era when the People’s National

Man executed in East Ruimveldt

Aman was on Tuesday evening shot and killed by a lone gunman while sitting in front of a yard at East Ruimveldt, Georgetown.

Dead is Dexter Griffith. According to information reaching Guyana Times, the man who is known to the Police, was shot several times about his body.

This newspaper was told that the lone gunman walked up to Griffith and discharged several rounds at him. He was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Congress Reform (PNCR) was in power.

It was also stated that the lands in question at “Pradoville 1” and “Pradoville 2” were sold at a value which was fixed by the then Housing Ministry in relation to housing development throughout the country.

He posited, however, on the assumption that these persons obtained the houselots ‘cheaply’, it is not a basis to cease and confiscate people’s properties.

“There is nothing unlawful for getting anything, providing anything at a cheaper price. That is not a crime; it is not a legal wrong. No Judge can lawfully and competently make any order(s) adverse to the propriety’s interest of anyone without hearing them,” the legal expert explained.

Guyana Times was further told by the lawyer that the current Attorney General Basil Williams, who happens to be the only respondent in this matter “will not defend” the interest of the property owners in question.

“Indeed he is complicit in this action because as I said, this is a Government driven proceeding. Therefore a judge would be obliged to order service of these proceedings on all persons who would have acquired property in this neighbourhood. The Judge must afford them an opportunity to be part of the proceedings and defend this action,” he maintained.

It was recently reported that Trotman and the other applicants believe that the holders of each parcel “have been accorded privileges or advantages by Cabinet Ministers and administrative actions of the titles for state lands” located at the abovementioned locations.

They are also contesting that the court sets aside the purported sale and transfer to the “putative owners” of the identified lands.

This publication understands that their declaration also requests that the court rule that the said properties be vested forthwith in the Finance Minister on behalf of the State.

Ramsammy’s Ruminations

THERE WAS A CONSPIRACY FOR REGIME CHANGE IN OUR COUNTRY IN THE 2015 ELECTIONS

The 2015 General Elections in Guyana do not reflect the will of the people. Elements at GECOM were part of an international conspiracy to remove the PPP from office. In time the truth will become clear to everyone.

In the meantime, the Courts agreed that there is enough evidence to allow the petition to proceed.

Ralph Ramkarran this past week reminded people that the ABC countries twice before independence engineered the removal of the Cheddi Jagan-led PPP from office, on both occasions against the will of the people. Even if he did not explicitly say it, in 2015, the ABC countries for the third time played a role in regime change in Guyana.

Dr Leslie Ramsammy

At least a year before the 2015 elections I cautioned that the representatives of the ABC countries wanted regime change as they openly sided with the then Opposition. While anyone can voice his or her opinion, there are rules by which countries play. Representatives speak and act on behalf of their countries. It is interesting that the Government of Canada has reminded all representatives of foreign countries in Canada that no interference in Canada's upcoming elections will be permitted.

In the pre-independence years, the ABC countries were distrustful of the PPP because of its relations with Cuba, China and Russia. One major reason after 2002 was Guyana's close relationship with Venezuela. They needed a Government in Guyana that would jump every time the ABC countries called on them. The PPP and its leaders were not that kind of Government.

I was never in doubt that the results of the May 11th General Elections declared by GECOM did not reflect the will of the Guyanese people. Indeed, I am more convinced today that the APNU/AFC Government is as a result of machinations involving local and international players. The political interference by representatives of the ABC countries contributed to a political milieu that confused people.

The rigging of the elections was not a spur of the moment thing and was not merely an opportunistic event. It was in the making for quite a long time. The rigging was well planned and well executed. Now it is up to the people to prepare for the long haul to fight for the restoration of our democracy. While I am hopeful that the elections petition might bring relief, I am not holding my breath because the APNU/AFC Government will ensure that the petition does not move forward.

The recent announcement by GECOM's chairman was revealing, frightening and convinced me further that at least a part of the machinery at GECOM was a willing participant in the rigging. The statement that GECOM did not and will not investigate the finding of fake SOPs is the most reckless of many statements and actions by GECOM. The Chairman of GECOM stated that the fake SOPs were not used in calculating the election results and, therefore, the fact that there were fake SOPs in the electoral machinery is immaterial.

Well in the midst of the actual election process, officials were reading out results that were different from the authentic SOPs. For the East Coast Demerara alone we pointed out that there were at least more than thirty SOPs that did not reflect the results that GECOM officials were reading out to the election representatives of political parties. Now the Chairman tells us that those results were never used. How can we know that?

The box-by-box results used were never provided to us and GECOM Commissioners did not benefit from examining the boxby-box results even when they were asked at an official GECOM meeting to ratify the election results. They were provided with overall summary results and were denied the box-bybox examination. Consequently, they were unable to vote for ratification of the results. This had not happened in 1992, 1997, 2001, 2006 and 2011. This was a variation of the procedure used in previous elections beginning in 1992. What was it we were hiding?

We now find out that GECOM's Chairman did not think the appearance of fake SOPs constituted a serious matter. If fake SOPs entered the election machinery, clearly someone was trying to rig the elections. A thorough investigation was necessary before the results were announced. What other mischief happened that we did not and do not know about? How can we be confident that the election reflected the will of the people when such serious infiltrations were simply cast aside?

It is an abdication of responsibility by GECOM not to investigate what happened. It is criminally irresponsible for those in charge not to ensure that the actual results reflected the will of the people and in no way were machinations allowed to become part of the actual results. Instead, there was a vulgar haste to cast aside the concerns, announce results and swear in a new Government. The ABC countries were busy behind the scene pushing GECOM to ignore the many known irregularities, announce the results and swear in the new Government.

I remembered the difficulties we had in trying to get recounts. How can we explain that in a Region where the PPP won the RDC by over 120 votes, it lost the election for the parliamentarian by a single vote? Our request for a recount was denied even though in any other country this would be an automatic recount. Then there was the vexing matter of rejected votes. They always seem to go against the PPP.

I have not said anything about a conversation between GECOM's Chairman and myself about two weeks before the elections. After the 2015 elections that conversation became clear. There was, indeed, a conspiracy and some officials at GECOM were in the thick of the conspiracy.

Attorney General Basil Williams

Desmond Trotman

CH&PA safe stolen from Berbice office

…transports, cash among booty

Much concern has arisen over the recent theft, which occurred at the Central Housing and Planning Authority’s (CH&PA) office located in Berbice, Region Six (East BerbiceCorentyne), where bandits took away the office’s safe.

According to the CH&PA, the safe contained all of the region’s transports and certificates of title, some lot numbers for Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice), and a small amount of cash. The incident took place over the weekend.

In a release on Tuesday, the Housing Authority stated that it had only recently recorded each transport

and certificate of title, which were stored in the safe. The Housing Authority has however assured that the individual lists will be forwarded to the Deeds Registry and Land Registry, respectively.

Guyana Times understands that the CH&PA has requested the registries not to undertake any transaction relating to any of the listed properties until the safe has been recovered and the documents located.

The Housing Authority is appealing to all citizens, who may have some knowledge or may find a safe within their vicinity to make a report to the nearest Police station.

Meanwhile, the CH&PA

is requesting that the person/s who are responsible for “this senseless act” to return the safe since the contents are legal documents.

“Any use or misuse of any of the documents found in the safe is punishable by law,” it warned.

This publication was further told that the Regional Housing Officer made a report to the New Amsterdam Police Station and gave a written statement about the incident.

The Central Housing and Planning Authority Berbice is located at the Regional Democratic Council Building, Vrymen’s Erven, New Amsterdam.

Health centres in need of upgrades

BY KRISTEN MACKLINGAM

The health sector in every country, regardless of its geographical location, is vital to the Administration which governs it; and as such, billions of dollars are pumped into health facilities annually.

This is to ensure that citizens and persons who reside in these countries receive quality and affordable healthcare on a daily basis. However, as is expected, more often than not, there are constraints under which these hospitals and health centres operate.

In Guyana’s case, the previous Government had implemented many policies, programmes and initiatives in order to boost the health system in each of its 10 administrative regions.

Despite the large sums of monies expended on the various state-owned hospitals and

the number of health centres regionally, patients as well as staff working at these facilities, have complained constantly about their experiences and the treatments they had received.

Although a new government is now in power, these complaints remain the same. Persons continue to complain about the lack of medicines available at health centres and the condition of those facilities.

Guyana Times understands that at some health centres, the nurses and doctors on duty are faced with the issue of insufficient medical supplies for the influx of patients they receive.

One source told this publication that the replenishing of the stocks, medical supplies and items which are necessary for treating patients, is burdensome since the waiting period is much

longer than anticipated.

For instance, the source said, the medical staff stationed at some health centres usually have to place their orders before their supplies are exhausted in order to have them replenished before it finishes.

Another source told this newspaper that the ‘system’ at the health centres is ‘really flawed’ since requests for assistance or for the resolution of an issue are communicated ‘verbally’ rather than being documented and channelled through to the relevant authorities.

Meanwhile, Guyana Times was told that another concern is the upkeep of these medical facilities. For some, they are baffled as to why washrooms, sinks and other facilities are not functioning as one would expect. (kristenm@guyanatimesgy.com)

Social Protection Ministry updates National Emergency Plan

The Social Protection Ministry on Tuesday partnered with the Civil Defence Commission (CDC) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to test and update the Emergency Preparedness and Response Plan (EPRP), which will enhance functional capacity in the event there is a national disaster.

Funded by UNICEF, the purpose of Tuesday’s event was to test the effectiveness of the Social Protection Ministry’s emergency plans and to raise awareness of its emergency preparedness, response and recovery policies and procedures. This was done so that procedural and policy gaps within the Ministry’s EPRP could be identified and the training needs and implementing arrangements necessary to effect the EPRP could be assessed.

Major Kester Craig, Director General (ag) of the Civil Defence Commission, indicated that such exercises are needed because during a disaster, shelters are opened where the Social Protection Ministry will be called on to provide counselling and other services.

“When shelters are established, the social needs of the occupants of the shelters are not usually taken into consideration. This practice needs to be addressed. Today’s exercise will ensure that in such an event, the Ministry can deliver a greater volume of care

to those affected,” Craig outlined.

Head of the Child Protection Agency, Ann Greene, indicated that the Social Protection Ministry, after it had partnered with UNICEF in 2011 to formulate a draft emergency response plan, had recorded concerns that dealt with responding to the social needs of those affected. When the new Administration took office, structural adjustments were made to ensure the delivery of vital social services. This led to renaming the entity ‘The Ministry of Social Protection,’ where varying departments were restructured, for example the women and men’s affairs bureau were forged into the Gender Affairs Department, which now tackles issues, in a collective and holistic manner.

Greene added that the restructuring sees the Ministry,

and by extension, her department now being prepared to provide counselling, financial and other assistance to vulnerable persons, under its social safety net programme. The CDC has over the years embarked on a number of collaborative events with varying line ministries and local and international partners in disaster risk management and emergency response planning.

In 2012 a volunteer corps was launched and now operates in Regions Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), Four (DemeraraMahaica), Five (MahaicaBerbice), Six (East BerbiceCorentyne) and Nine (Upper Takatu-Upper Essequibo) whose primary focus is to work with communities thereby strengthening CDC’s position at the community levels. (Excerpt from GINA)

From left to right: Director General of Civil Defence Commission (ag), Major Kester Craig; Emergency Specialist-UNICEF Ian Jones; and Training and Operations Officer, Civil Defence Commission, Major Sean Welcome

SUDOKU

ARIES (March 21April 19)

TAURUS (April 20May 20)

(May 21June 20)

CANCER

Don’t feel that you have to live up to unattainable standards. Looking good is as much about how you feel as how you look. Stay healthy by eating properly and getting sufficient exercise.

In order to get along with others, you will have to make a few concessions. Find an engaging creative outlet and let someone else worry about being entertaining.

Give your creative projects a personal touch. Artistic or musical expression will provide an important contrast to your routine. Participation in a cultural event close to home will be rewarding.

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22)

LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)

SCORPIO (Oct. 24Nov. 22)

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23Dec. 21)

CAPRICORN (June 21July 22)

AQUARIUS

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

PISCES

(Feb. 20March 20)

It will be up to you to determine who is telling you the truth and who isn’t. Consider the motives of someone who is trying to undermine one of your personal relationships.

An opportunity to participate in a social, intellectual or cultural event is encouraged. A casual acquaintance will provide unusual, unexpected and valuable career information. Prepare to make your move.

Lady Luck is with you. Get your friends to help you redecorate or renovate your living space. Offer incentive by hosting a gathering to celebrate your new surroundings.

Love and romance are highlighted. A day trip will have a positive impact on your personal life. Stop being so serious and start enjoying your downtime more. A unique proposal will inspire you.

Start a new fitness regimen. Sensible eating, moderate exercise and sufficient sleep will provide a marked change to your look and mood. Romance will improve your personal life.

Get together with friends or relatives and have some fun. A friendly competition will help stimulate you physically and mentally, preparing you for anything. Your personality and talents are being noted by business contacts. Don’t exaggerate your knowledge or qualifications, or you will end up in a compromising situation.

The people around you will be hard to deal with today. You are best off busying yourself with creative projects. Less time spent talking will help you avoid discord.

Keep an open mind. Make a point to get out and socialize. Talking with friends in person, on the phone or via the Internet will give your morale a boost.

GEMINI

Peanuts

Calvin and hobbes

dilbert arChie

Banned!

Former football supre-

mo Jack Warner has been slapped with a life ban by football’s world governing body, FIFA, four years after he quit the organization at the height of the cash-for-votes corruption scandal.

FIFA said Tuesday it had reached the decision after its Ethics Committee had in January launched an investigation into Warner’s involvement in the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

The Trinidadian, FIFA said, had been guilty of breaching several of the articles of the body’s Code of Ethics relating to conflict of interest and “accepting and offering gifts and other benefits.”

As such, Warner will be prohibited from any kind of “football-related activity at national and international level for life.”

“Mr Warner was found to have committed many and various acts of misconduct continuously and repeatedly during his time as an official in different high-rank-

ing and influential positions at FIFA and CONCACAF,” FIFA said.

“In his positions as a football official, he was a key player in schemes involving the offer, acceptance, and receipt of undisclosed and illegal payments, as well as other money-making schemes.”

Warner is currently fighting extradition to the United States where he was one of 14 current and former football executives indicted in May on “racketeering, wire fraud and money laundering conspiracies.”

The US Department of Justice said the 72-yearold former government minister, while serving as CONCACAF president, had along with other football executives engaged in an elaborate 24-year-old scheme “to enrich themselves through the corruption of international soccer.”

Last week, Trinidad and Tobago’s Attorney General, Faris Al Rawi, signed off on papers allowing the extradition to proceed.

Warner served as CONCACAF president for two decades and as a powerful FIFA vice-president for close to three decades.

He quit both roles in 2011 to avoid an ethics investigation into his role in the cash-for-votes scandal when some Caribbean Football Union officials were accused of accepting bribes from then FIFA presidential candidate Mohammed bin Hammam, in exchange for their votes at the election later that year.

Bin Hammam, a Qatari, was also handed a life ban by FIFA in July, 2011. (CMC)

Platini ‘in between witness and accused person’ - Swiss prosecutor

Swiss authorities are treating UEFA head Michel Platini as somewhere “between a witness and an accused person” in a soccer corruption probe that was widened last week to include FIFA President Sepp Blatter, Switzerland’s attorney general said.

Michael Lauber told reporters he did not rule out searching the headquarters of UEFA, the governing body of European soccer, as part of the investigation.

Swiss prosecutors said on Friday they had opened a criminal investigation into Blatter, the long-time head

of world soccer’s governing body FIFA, on suspicion of criminal mismanagement and misappropriation of funds.

The prosecutors said Blatter was suspected of a “disloyal payment” of 2 million Swiss francs ($2.05 million) to Platini in 2011 at the expense of FIFA, allegedly made for work performed between January 1999 and June 2002.

Platini, who until Friday was considered favourite to win the presidential election on Feb. 26, also asked to give information.

“We didn’t audition Mr

Platini as a witness, that’s not true. We investigated against him in between as a witness and an accused person,” Lauber said after a speaking engagement on Tuesday.

“If I was satisfied or not, I can’t tell because I would do real damage to the investigation.”

He said his office had not yet decided whether to bring charges against Blatter.

“I will do anything if I can do something to clear up ...the real truth,” he said when he was asked if UEFA’s lakeside headquarters in Nyon could be searched. “If I have enough elements to go there, I could not exclude that.”

UEFA said on Friday Platini had been interviewed as a witness.

On Monday, Platini said in a letter to UEFA’s 54 member associations he had been interviewed “not as a person accused of any wrongdoing but simply in my capacity as a person providing information”.

(Reuters)

Bassarath displeased by lack of Directors say in Simmons suspension

West Indies Cricket Board Director, Azim Bassarath, has disagreed with the how the decision to suspend head coach Phil Simmons was taken.

Bassarath, the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board president, said any decision of that magnitude should have been first discussed and sanctioned by the Board of Directors.

“It is strange that a decision is made by the management committee concerning something as serious as this and it did not come to the board,” Bassarath told the Trinidad Guardian newspaper.

“When Simmons was interviewed for the post of coach the board had to ratify it, so I don’t agree with the management committee making this decision all by themselves.”

The WICB announced Monday it was suspending Simmons for the tour of Sri Lanka, following his outburst to media on Friday, regarding the selection of the One-Day International squad for the upcoming series.

A release from the WICB said “management” had taken the decision, and had also appointed selector Eldine Baptiste, a former Windies seamer, to serve as interim coach.

The outspoken Bassarath said the WICB may have acted prematurely in suspending Simmons.

“Simmons never said where the ‘outside’ interference came from and it is shocking to see the haste in which he was suspended,” he said.

“This to me is very strange, they could have called him in and find out

where he thinks the outside influence was coming from and then go from there. Supposed it was coming from people in the public domain?

“The management committee by their actions is making it look as if he is speaking about the WICB when he talks about outside influence.”

Last Friday, Simmons took the unusual step of publicly criticizing the selection process after the omission of all-rounders Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard from the one-day squad to tour Sri Lanka next month.

Speaking to media in Barbados following the end of a West Indies training camp, he claimed there had been “interference from outside” and as a result, West Indies would not have their best team available. (CMC)

Simmons suspension just more WICB victimisation claims Ramnarine

Former West Indies Players Association (WIPA) president

Dinanath Ramnarine has claimed the West Indies Cricket Board’s (WICB) suspension of coach Phil Simmons is just the latest in a long line of incidents of victimisation by the regional body.

Simmons was suspended ahead of the team’s tour of Sri Lanka, after speaking out on the continued exclusion of West Indies players Kieron Pollard and Dwayne Bravo. The coach alleged that the players were being continuously excluded from the team due to outside interference.

Ramnarine, now a

Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB) National representative, was noted for having an acrimonious relationship with the WICB,

during his tenure as WIPA president. He claimed the latest episode set a bad precedence for the principles of transparency.

“It sends a very poor signal to the West Indies public and the team. Clearly, we have been clamouring for transparency and accountability and when the coach decides to speak the truth about exactly what is taking place, he has now been suspended,” the TTCB national league representative said.

Ramnarine had earlier called on the regional cricket fraternity to support Simmons after predicting the official would come under heavy fire.

Jack Warner is banned for life by FIFA

Michel Platini

Dinanath Ramnarine

Azim Bassarath

Phil Simmons

Pakistan defend 136 again to win series

The second T20I between Pakistan and Zimbabwe more or less followed the same script as the first. Having chosen to bat, Pakistan scraped to 136 again, and the Zimbabwe batsmen were never on course during the chase. Umar Akmal struck a busy 38 to lend the visitors late boost after a regular fall of wickets, and the target was made to look bigger with the Pakistan bowlers dismantling the Zimbabwe top order inside five overs. The asking rate continued to rise and the hosts eventually fell short by 15 runs.

Chamu Chibhabha was given out lbw in the third over of the chase despite the ball pitching outside leg stump, Hamilton Masakadza made room and carved Mohammad Irfan to third man, while some sharp fielding from the tag team of Shahid Afridi and Sohaib Maqsood ran out Craig Ervine. Imad Wasim then struck in his second over when Richmond

Mutumbami, scoreless for seven balls, was bowled through the gate. The Pakistan fielders cranked up the intensity, cut down runs and ably backed their bowlers up.

Sean Williams and Sikandar Raza offered some resistance with a 60-run partnership, using nudges and bunts while occasionally attempting reverse-sweeps and slogs. Just as Zimbabwe looked to find a higher gear, Raza was dismissed by a canny slower ball from Imran Khan for his maiden international wicket. At that point, the equation read 53 runs from 23 balls.

Elton Chigumbura, though, gave Zimbabwe an outside chance when he hit two sixes off Imran over long-off in the 17th over. The first one was palmed over the fence by Ahmed Shehzad, and the second cleared him comfortably.

The returning Irfan, coming in for Wahab Riaz, snuffed out Zimbabwe’s slender chance by hav -

SCOREBOARD

Pakistan innings (20 overs maximum)

Mohammad Hafeez c Utseya

b Jongwe 17

Ahmed Shehzad c Cremer

b Panyangara 7 Sohaib Maqsood c Chigumbura b Utseya 26

Shoaib Malik c Sikandar

Raza b Cremer 15

Mohammad Rizwan†

c Williams b Jongwe 16

Umar Akmal not out 38

Shahid Afridi* c Williams

b Panyangara 2

Imad Wasim not out 13

Extras (lb 1, w 1) 2

Total (6 wickets; 20 overs; 90 mins) 136

Did not bat: Sohail Tanvir, Imran Khan (1), Mohammad Irfan

Fall of wickets: 1-24, 2-34, 3-64, 4-72, 5-106, 6-111

Bowling: CJ Chibhabha 2-013-0, T Panyangara 4-0-272, LM Jongwe 4-0-24-2, SC Williams 4-0-26-0, AG Cremer 4-0-25-1, P Utseya 2-0-20-1.

Zimbabwe innings (target: 137 runs from 20 overs)

H Masakadza c Imran Khan b Mohammad Irfan 9 CJ Chibhabha lbw b Sohail Tanvir 3 CR Ervine run out (Sohaib Maqsood/Imad Wasim) 1 R Mutumbami† b Imad Wasim 3 SC Williams not out 40

Sikandar Raza b Imran Khan 36 E Chigumbura* c Shoaib Malik b Mohammad Irfan 17

LM Jongwe c & b Imran Khan 8 AG Cremer not out 0

Extras (lb 3, w 1) 4

Total (7 wickets; 20 overs; 93 mins) 121

Did not bat: P Utseya, T Panyangara

Fall of wickets: 1-7, 2-15, 3-16, 4-24, 5-84, 6-101, 7-120

Bowling: Sohail Tanvir 4-0-181, Mohammad Irfan 4-0-25-2, Imad Wasim 4-0-14-1, Shahid Afridi 4-0-26-0, Imran Khan (1) 4-0-35-2.

Windies revamp ODI squad

throughout the campaign. Cottrell and Benn were also cut from the T20I squad.

ing Chigumbura caught at long-on for 17 off 8 balls. Williams and Luke Jongwe fought it out but could only reduce the margin of defeat.

While Irfan generated typical extra bounce even on a slow pitch, Imran was impressive with his assortment of slower cutters. They finished with combined figures of 8-0-60-4 as Pakistan claimed their third straight T20 series win.

The match-winning target was set up by Akmal, who came in at 72 for 4, and boosted Pakistan’s innings. He began with a brace of fours before he launched the first six of the game off the penultimate ball of the innings. Akmal was also adept in finding gaps and Wasim managed a couple of fours as Pakistan took 14 runs off the last over.

The start too had been bright before the middle order botched it up. Mohammad Hafeez, the other change in Pakistan’s XI, did not take much time to find his bearings, playing a handsome drive and two pulls.

However, Tinashe Panyangara dismissed Shehzad for seven in the fourth over, and two overs later Hafeez was undone by the slowness of the pitch when he tamely chipped Jongwe to short midwicket.

The Shoaibs - Malik and Maqsood - threatened to mount a recovery but were foiled by the spinners.

Their 30-run stand ended when Malik dragged Graeme Cremer to long-on. Instead of going back to rebuilding mode, Maqsood advanced down the track the following over and played an injudicious shot: skewing one into the lap of backward point. Rizwan and Afridi also failed but Akmal lifted Pakistan, despite good variations from Panyangara and Jongwe at the death. (Cricinfo)

Offspinner Sunil Narine has been included in the West Indies squads for the ODIs and T20Is in Sri Lanka in October, after having opted out of their 2015 World Cup campaign because of issues with his action. There were eight changes from the squad that travelled to Australia and New Zealand: Chris Gayle was out of both squads after having a back surgery, but Darren Sammy, Lendl Simmons, Sulieman Benn, Sheldon Cottrell, Nikita Miller, Kemar Roach, and Dwayne Smith were omitted from the ODI set up.

The players included in the ODI squad were: Devendra Bishoo, Jermaine Blackwood, Carlos Brathwaite, Andre Fletcher, Jason Mohammed, and Ravi Rampaul. Narine and Darren Bravo, withdrawn from the World Cup squad, made comebacks. Bravo, who had injured his hamstring during that tournament, was also in the T20I squad.

Allrounders Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard continued to be kept out of the ODI set-up, a decision that was revealed beforehand by Phil Simmons, who was later suspended as West Indies coach for saying there had been outside interference in the selection of the squad. Both players, however, were included in the T20I squad.

The selectors dropped a lot of the players who fared poorly in the World Cup, where West Indies struggled during the group stages and were beaten heavily by New Zealand in the quar-

terfinal.

Allrounder Smith made only 93 runs in six matches during the World Cup and was hardly used as a bowler, while batsman Lendl Simmons scored 173 in five innings, of which 102 came in the defeat against Ireland. Allrounder Sammy also had an ordinary tournament - 177 runs in five innings and only one wicket in 28 overs. Simmons and Smith were also missing from the T20I squad, having been part of West Indies’ previous Twenty20 matches in South Africa before the World Cup.

Fast bowler Roach and left-arm spinner Benn played three matches each in the World Cup. Roach took only one wicket and went for 6.81 runs an over, while Benn claimed two and conceded 6.34 an over.

Miller, another left-arm spinner, played only the one game in the tournament, while fast bowler Cottrell had sat on the bench

Rampaul, a fast bowler, made a comeback in both formats after not even being included in the list of 30 probables for the World Cup; his last game for West Indies was during the aborted tour of India in October 2014. Legspinner Bishoo has not played an ODI or T20I for West Indies since October 2011, while wicketkeeper-batsman Fletcher has not played an ODI since May 2010. Allrounder Mohammed, who bowls part-time offspin, has played only one ODI, in December 2011.

Blackwood has not yet made his ODI debut, while Brathwaite had been left out of the World Cup squad after playing the preceding series in South Africa in January. Brathwaite, however, was dropped from the T20I squad after having been part of the tour to South Africa. Offspinner Ashley Nurse was the other player dropped from the T20I squad.

The four other players included in the T20I squad after missing the matches in South Africa were legspinner Samuel Badree, fast bowler Jerome Taylor, and batsmen Jonathan Carter and Johnson Charles. Narine has not played international cricket since he was reported for a suspect action during the 2014 Champions League T20 and barred from bowling for Kolkata Knight Riders in the final of that tournament. He underwent remedial work and was included in West Indies’ World Cup squad, but pulled out of the competition to give himself more time to work on his action. Narine once again ran into trouble with his action during the 2015 IPL after the World Cup, and was given a final warning, though sanctions during the CLT20 and the IPL are not applicable to international cricket.

The limited-overs leg of the tour of Sri Lanka comes after the two-Test series and begins with the first of three ODIs on November 1. West Indies will be coached by the selector and former fast bowler Eldine Baptiste, after Phil Simmons’ suspension.

ODI squad: Jason Holder (capt), Devendra Bishoo, Jermaine Blackwood, Carlos Brathwaite, Darren Bravo, Jonathan Carter, Johnson Charles, Andre Fletcher, Jason Mohammed, Sunil Narine, Denesh Ramdin, Ravi Rampaul, Andre Russell, Marlon Samuels, Jerome Taylor

T20I squad: Darren Sammy (capt), Samuel Badree, Darren Bravo, Dwayne Bravo, Jonathan Carter, Johnson Charles, Andre Fletcher, Jason Holder, Sunil Narine, Kieron Pollard, Denesh Ramdin, Ravi Rampaul, Andre Russell, Marlon Samuels, Jerome Taylor (Cricinfo)

The Pakistan players pose with the trophy. (AFP photo)

Sunil Narine last played an international match in August 2014

Dwayne Bravo out

Kieron Pollard out

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Hinds shares vision to improve basketball in Guyana

By TreisTon Joseph

President of the Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation (GABF) Nigel Hinds during an extensive interview with Guyana Times Sport relayed his vision on the way forward to develop basketball.

“There is space for us to develop these players locally but we will have to have well funded, well organised and competitive club basketball whether it’s Linden, Georgetown or Berbice,” Hinds noted.

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However, owing to the fact that the players locally are unable to put in the hours required to really hone their craft such at the players in the National Basketball League (NBA), Hinds pointed out part of the problem holding the sport from progressing.

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“When you look at the corporate sector and the different industries we have in businesses and what they are willing to do and how it is structured, I think they are taking what I would consider a very short term approach to funding sports versus a long term approach ,” Hinds opined.

Hinds pointed to Antigua’s Business League that has an overall sponsor for the tournament while every team in the league is sponsored by a business as

a long term approach that can help develop the sport.

According to Hinds a set-up such as this would allow the team’s being sponsored by the businesses to be taken care of with various amendmaties while the players are give a stipend to help offset expenses.

“it’s not just playing as a pure amateur, it’s in some ways as getting a benefit, instead of these companies whether it be ANSA McAL, Digicel, GT&T and some of the other mid-tier companies… we would like them to adopt a club and when they adopt a club then we can work together to get a kind of a prize money per game or stipend for each player and that to me can build a semi-pro profes-

sional type league where we might even have players coming in from the other islands to participate.

“So that is the change really that we need and that would also create more competitiveness in our first division tournament, so this is something we are looking,” Hinds highlighted.

Meanwhile Hinds noted that part of his future plans is to really shed the Burnham Court, in order for the facility to be an all weather facility.

With the National Sport Commission expected to do renovations to the facility, Hinds noted that he hopes to shed the facility after the NSC’s work on the court is done. (josepht@guyanatimesgy.com)

Scotiabank Kiddy cricket bowls off today

The 2015 Scotiabank Kiddy cricket competition will commence today in Guyana with teams in the Berbice river area competing for top honours.

In the morning session, Huru Huru and Aroiama Primaries will play each other, while the afternoon session will feature Calcuni Primary and St Lust Primary. On Thursday, Kimbia Primary will come up against Ebini Primary, and Sand Hill Primary will compete with De vedt Primary.

The winning teams will progress to the qualifying

stages in order to determine a winner for the Scotiabank Kiddy Cricket’s Berbice River District trophy on October 2.

Over 200 primary schools across the country will have an opportunity to participate in the 2015 competition, with zones such as North Georgetown, East Bank Essequibo and West Berbice set to commence their matches from the October 6.

The Scotiabank Kiddy Cricket programme emphasises a fun/learning approach to cricket, while simultaneously emphasising group involvement and other

team work ethics. However, this year’s competition incorporates aspects of the game that are more aligned to conventional rules in an effort capture and identify talented players and to promote a progressive pathway for emerging players.

In addition, at the end of the tournament, three talented players will be identified for an opportunity to be the recipient of a Scotiabank award valued US$500. Of the three identified players, the student-player with the highest academic average for 2015 will receive the award.

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Scotiabank Kiddy cricket programme has served as a nursery for West Indies cricket

Nigel Hinds

Hetmyer leads Young Warriors into playoff

National senior and West Indies Under-19 opener Shimron Hetmyer scored a magnificent century to lead his team, Young Warriors, to a convincing six-wicket victory with 17.4 overs to spare in their crucial final preliminary round match against Tucber Park in the Bobby Deonarine/Tom Gruntzel sponsored Tenelec Inc. round-robin, 50-over, first division cricket competition. In a must-win match for the victors, played at the picturesque Cumberland cricket ground, Tucber Park won the toss and took first strike. Their openers, former national youth batsmen Anthony

D’Andrade and Joemal LaFleur, took off like bullets from a gun, racing to 63 in eight overs when they lost

LaFleur for 40 (4x4s, 1x6).

Berbice senior all-rounder Devon Clements joined D’Andrade and continued in the same vain, adding a further 55 before the former went leg before to Seon Hetmyer for 30. After that, the run rate slowed as Young Warriors spinners took control.

Hakeem Hinds went run out for three, followed by Eugene LaFleur (13), caught off former West Indies Under-19 and senior national player Gajanand Singh, who is back in the country. Wickets continued to fall as the run rate slowed further with Tucber Park losing top scorer D’Andrade for 65, Keon

DeJesus (11), Niall Smith (0) and Romario Shepherd (20), ending on 194 all out in 47.5 of their allotted 50 overs.

Former national youth all-rounder Linden Austin took 3-43, current national Under-19 all-rounder Kassim Khan 2-23 and Seon Hetmyer 2-46, with one wicket apiece for Singh and Kevin Ramdeen.

Young Warriors began their chase carefully with Shimron Hetmyer and former Berbice Inter-county centurion Maxie Dejonge. They run rate picked up gradually with the host reaching their hundred in the 22 overs without losing a wicket.

Young Warriors lost their first wicket at 122 with DeJonge going for 31. In the meantime, the young Hetmyer, who is preparing for the upcoming regional Fourday tournament, started to dominate the bowling.

Former Berbice youth batsman Waheid Edwards joined the prolific Hetmyer and took the score 170 when Edwards went for 16. Young Warriors then suffered a slight hiccup when they lost Gajanand Singh without and Hetmyer for 118 (9x4s, 6x6s) in quick succession.

However, former national youth batsmen Kevin Ramdeen and Seon Hetmyer saw them home, scoring 12 and six not out respectively.

Former national youth pacer Niall Smith took 3-55. Young Warriors will play their playoff game at the Cumberland ground next Sunday. Tucber Park ended as runner-up of the group and have also qualified for the next round.

Groden was the best GS the GFF ever had

Dear Sports Editor,

With the recent announcement that Mr Richard Groden’s tenure at the GFF comes to a formal end this week. I wish to bring to the attention of the Guyana Football fraternity, in my humble opinion, the fabulous job Richard Groden has done in his time in Guyana this year. His vast FIFA experience and worldwide contacts have proven most valuable to Guyanese football, whic is in the embarrassing position of a FIFA Normalisation Committee as a last resort before an official FIFA world ban, which would have further taken the sport back 10 years.

Mr Groden, a model professional in football administration, leaves the GFF with the men’s senior team AKA the Golden Jaguars yet to lose a game on official FIFA dates in 2015, a relaunched Olympic Under-23 Men’s programme, a revived female Lady Jags team, CONCACAF coach education programmes, referees course functioning and the two cherries on the cake for player development, 1) the inaugural Stag Elite National League up and running successfully, and not to mention 2) Guyana’s 1st Astro turf football facility being constructed at Providence! If it was up to me, we would be negotiating tooth and nail with FIFA for the forward thinking experienced gentleman Mr Groden to be kept on in a capacity for at least another 12 months minimum. This would be to ensure Guyana is on a steady road before and into the new administration who will take over after Novembers GFF general elections. But more so, to make sure all the positive work of 2015 overseen by the General Secretary (which is the CEO of the Nations Football in essence) of football doesn’t go to waste.

In the 10 years I have been involved in professional football, I am yet to find another hardworking, ethical and enterprising General Secretary like Richard Groden. On behalf of so many, I wish to thank you Mr Groden and wish you all the best in the future. I hope you won’t be a stranger to Guyanese football as Guyana is in need of more experienced hardworking honest men like you in the beautiful game so many of us love dearly here. We also acknowledge that if it wasn’t for your leadership experience and guidance, so much of the good in football this year may not have come to fruition.

Good Luck and God Bless.

We salute you sir, Faizal Khan

Georgetown Football Club

Anthony D’Andrade

Shimron Hetmyer moments after his brilliant knock

“Brawl

Atwell off to USA for training

By AvenAsh RAmzAn

Determined to leave no stone unturned in his desire to cop an impending title, Dominicabased Guyanese Clive “The Punisher” Atwell is reportedly off to the United States of America (USA) to whip himself into peak shape for the main fight on the upcoming “Brawl at the Mall” boxing card.

Atwell was last week named as replacement for the injured Trinidad and Tobago-based Iwan “Pure Gold” Azore, who was down to face local boy Dexter Gonsalves, in the feature contest at the Giftland Mall at Pattenson, Greater Georgetown.

Azore, who was down to defend his national welterweight belt against Gonsalves, claimed he had injured his ankle and would be out of action for two weeks, forcing the Guyana Boxing Board of Control (GBBC) to seek an alternative opponent.

The GBBC and Atwell were able to strike a deal last Friday, and the boxer and Gonsalves will enter the ring at the 140-pound limit, to compete for the FECABOX Super Lightweight belt. According to GBBC President Peter Abdool, the winner of the bout is guaranteed a spot in the WBC Top 20.

If the information reaching Guyana Times Sport is true, then it is clear the seriousness with which Atwell is treating the October 24 bout.

A usually reliable source close to the hierarchy of boxing in Guyana told this publication on Tuesday that the pugilist is en route to New York where he will undergo possibly two weeks on intense training at the world

famous Gleason’s Gym in Queens.

Meanwhile, apart from the main fight, Imran “Magic” Khan, a highly successful amateur boxer, will make the move up the professional ranks and will face David Thomas in a fourround lightweight contest, while Terrence Adams and Keeve Allicock will open the professional segment with a four-round featherweight showdown.

In bout number three, Anson Green and Quincy Gomes will trade punches in a six-round junior welterweight clash.

On the amateur side, Orin Bancroft of Forgotten Youth Foundation Boxing Gym will take on Travis Hubbard of Harpy Eagles Boxing Gym in a Youth Lightweight fight; Tefon Green of Guyana Defence Force will trade punches with Dexter Wray of Republican in an Elite Flyweight showdown; Glenroy Smith of Essequibo Boxing Gym will confront Clifton Grayham of Republican in a Welterweight bout; and Nandkumar Singh of Republican will battle with Kelon King of Forgotten Youth Foundation in a Lightweight fight.

Admission to the venue is $1000 for adults in general seating, while children will be admitted upon payment of $200. (aramzan@guyanatimesgy.com)

Guyana’s hockey men receive boost from Sun Burst Juice

TUrling to address symposium in Colorado

Chairman of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) Normalisation Committee Clinton Urling will be presenting on Good Governance and Administration at the “Best Practices Symposium” being hosted by the U.S. Soccer Federation in Denver, Colorado from October 4-6.

All CONCACAF members are expected to attend the symposium, which aims to provide members with information on effective football administration and governance processes.

Urling’s presentation will focus on the GFF as a

case study and will chronicle the experiences of the Normalisation Committee

since being appointed by FIFA in October 2014. It will give participants insights into what the GFF situation was a year ago that necessitated FIFA’s intervention with the imposition of a Normalisation Committee and it will provide a window into the management principles and measures implemented by the Normalisation Committee in executing its mandate of bringing stability to football governance in Guyana.

Diedre Davis, General Secretary of the GFF, will be accompanying Urling to the symposium.

Diamond Primary debuts with win in wind ball tour ney

New Comers Diamon d Primary School ls’ team defeated Eccles Primary in the ducation Ministry’s De partment of Sport Nat ional Sports Commiss ion and AL Sport & T our Promotions first Windball Cricket Pro gramme, played on Mo nday at the Farm grou-

nd, East Bank Demerara. Diamond after ning the toss and bat ting first posted 422, off five overs with Stanecha Forde hitting 21 and Serena Outar 10.

In reply, Eccles were restricted to 38-0 off of their allotted five overs.

Challenge set to start on October third in Peru.

At the simple handing over ceremony on Tuesday, Marketing and Sales Manager of Continental Agencies Ltd Avalon Jagnandan noted that the company is confident the team will do well while extending best wishes to the squad.

“Continental Group of Companies would like to wish the National Men’s Hockey Team all the best in the Pan American Challenge and in their future endevours,” Jagnandan noted.

National player Robert France thanked the company that is branded as the ‘Juice of Champions’ on behalf of the national squad.

Over the years Continental Group of Companies has supported sport in Guyana in a wide array of areas; these being motor racing, badminton, football, table tennis, karate, golf, just to name a few.

The team is expected to depart a few days before the tournament that is expected to last until October 11.

Danielle Thom led the way with an unbeaten 22 in a losing effort.

When the Diamond boys took to the field; Eccles after being invited to bat first chalkedup 47 without loss, with Raphiel Pearson scor-

ing 23 and Krishan Singh 15. The Diamond boys could not mirror their female counterparts and were restricted to 22-6 at the end of their allotted five o vers to lose by 24 ru ns. Jarel Corrica and Singh each picked up two wickets. Meanwhile, in another boys match up, Covent batting first made made 275. Craig in reply reached 30-1 with Jordon Forth making 18. This is the first in a series of one day programmes sponsored by the Department of Sport and the National Sports Commission (NSC) involving primary schools in Guyana.

at the Mall” boxing card…

Clive “The Punisher” Atwell is looking to add another belt to his collection

Marketing and Sales Manager of Continental Agencies Ltd Avalon Jagnandan hands over a sponsorship cheque to National Player Robert France in the presence of Secretary of Continental Group of Companies, Percival Boyce Jnr

Clinton Urling

Flashback! Clive “The Punisher” Atwell on the go against Jamaican Sakima Mullings last February

Windies players during a training session

Jack Warner is banned for life by FIFA