Guyana Times Daily

Guyana seeks to expand trade

Cops charged for Alex Griffith’s shooting

The Police Officer accused of shooting 15-yearold Alex Griffith in the mouth during a bout of Russian roulette-styled interrogation, and a colleague were on Monday arraigned before Magistrate Fabayo Azore at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

Cadet Officer Franz Paul and Police Corporal Baichan Singh, both attached to the Mahaicony Police Station, were jointly charged with conspiring to pervert the course of justice on May 1 and were placed on $150,000 bail each, after pleading not guilty.

The court was told that the number one accused’s sister was robbed, and during the investigations, the Cadet Officer and a party of Policemen arrested Griffith. The Cadet Officer then allegedly placed a firearm to Griffith’s mouth and he subsequently was shot. A report was later made to the Police and an investigation was launched.

After the shooting, 31-year-old Baichan Singh, who has served in the Guyana Police Force since 2003, allegedly took the arms and ammunition book from the Mahaicony Police Station, which is used by Police ranks to book in and out ammunition, and gave it to the number one accused for him to alter the entries.

Guyana wooing European tourists

Cadet Officer Franz Paul

Police Corporal Baichan Singh

Tuesday, june 10, 2014|

Granger criticises Govt’s “inaction” on suicide

Amid rising cases of suicide here, the main Opposition, A Partnership For National Unity (APNU) said any “half-baked” approach to tackling this scourge would not be enough and the Government needs to analyse the root causes of the problem and develop public health initiatives for persons who are likely to be affected.

Chairman of the coalition, Brigadier (retired) David Granger said part of any strategy must include the provision of recreational facilities so young adults can meaningfully engage themselves.

Granger was at the time addressing media operatives at a press briefing last Friday. He said it is time the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) Government act with a comprehensive plan to alleviate this public health issue.

The Opposition Leader said the Government must “end its indifference and inaction towards the ‘contagion’ of juvenile suicide which seems to be plaguing Guyana. The PPP/C Administration’s complacency towards suicide has been a contributory factor to the continuation of the crisis. It must now demonstrate the leadership needed to curb the spate of suicides in this country”.

Granger highlighted that although several projects were implemented by the Government to tackle the issue, they were woefully inadequate, in that the programmes did not operate to capacity and failed to carry out its remits.

“The PPP/C Administration in 2001 promulgated a National Suicide Prevention Strategy, but this, apparently, seems to have been abandoned. This was fol-

lowed by the establishment of a National Committee for the Prevention of Suicidal Behaviour (NCPSC) and, subsequently, by a National Committee for Suicide Prevention (NCSP) in 2007 under the chairmanship of the Home Affairs Minister. These measures, clearly, have all failed to curb the incidence of suicide,” said the APNU Leader.

Studies

Granger made reference to several studies conducted locally on the issue of suicide, which have in the most parts showed that persons who knew of someone who committed suicide were likely to commit the act as well.

He said Government should pay attention to those patterns and include that knowledge in the fight against the public scourge.

“There is a crisis of hopelessness,” said Granger.

When questioned by re-

porters on whether the availability of pesticides and other harmful substance might also be a major factor, Granger responded in the positive. He noted, however, that removing the means by which people seek to end their lives would not make much of a difference, if the motive is not removed.

He said those “just provide a means and does not remove the motive... you can use a knife or gun... chemicals are just one factor”.

Also speaking on the issue was APNU Shadow Health Minister, Dr George Norton, who also chastised the Government for its apparent inaction in tackling suicide in Guyana.

Norton contended that any approach to tackle the issue must be taken from a public health and awareness perspective, rather than resorting to “clinical or medical’ methods.

He highlighted that the public health method will enable the Government to look at more than just the patterns surrounding suicide. In recent months, there have been a number of suicides as well as attempted suicides.

Most recently in Berbice, Kellon Sam, 23, was found hanging from a mango tree after he reportedly stabbed Tamesha Latoya Natasha Adams, who was found dead with a knife stuck in her neck on a plot of land behind her Sisters Village, East Bank Berbice, home.

Guyana achieved growth of 24.2% in domestic credit

Acting Tourism, Industry and Commerce Minister Irfaan Ali said last year Guyana recorded a Regionhigh expansion in domestic credit. He was at the time speaking at the launch of GuyExpo 2014 at the Guyana International Conference Centre, Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown.

Guyana achieved growth in domestic credit of 24.2 per cent, performing better than St Kitts and Nevis (-23.4 per cent); Trinidad and Tobago (-12.1 per cent); Belize (0.8 per cent); Antigua and Barbuda (-6.8 per cent); The Bahamas (1.7 per cent); Barbados (11.3 per cent); Jamaica (17.7 per cent); and Suriname (21.4 per cent).

“We have attracted an unprecedented level of foreign investments over the last seven years, more than US$1.5 billion. Last year, our domestic investment as reflected in the growth of loans and advances increased from $30.6 billion in 2006 to $82.6 billion. This means more persons are borrowing, more money is available for loans and more money is being spent in the

economy,” Minister Ali said. He lauded the large-scale investments being made by the private sector and said the transformation that is taking place is very dynamic and creating new opportunities for many businesses and citizens generally.

The Minister spoke of advertisements for Guyanese companies being aired on SportsMax during the recently-concluded Pepsi Indian Premier League (IPL) Cricket Tournament broadcast. “The only private sector representation in terms of advertisement came from Guyana and that’s a big message that was sent across the Region about the transformation that is taking place in terms of the private sector in Guyana,” Minister Ali posited.

GuyExpo, which is designed to boost the competitiveness of local private sector companies, kicks off on October 2 and runs until October 5 this year. It is being held under the theme, “Transformation: Partnering for a Better Guyana”.

Opposition Leader David Granger

PetroCaribe deal…

Guyana seeks to expand trade

BY REUBEN STOBY

Guyana is currently in talks with Venezuela on the possibility of exporting additional products to the Spanishspeaking country under the PetroCaribe arrangement.

Monday, June 9, 2014

These talks are considered opportune, with Venezuela currently facing food shortages, which have given rise to protests across the country, including in the capital, Caracas. “Talks are going on right now,” Agriculture Minister, Dr Leslie Ramsammy told Guyana Times in an invited comment on Monday.

Minister Ramsammy said cash crops, vegetables, fruits, medicine and building materials are just some of the products Guyana could export to Venezuela, if talks go favourably with the Nicholas Maduro-led Venezuelan Government.

Concerns premature

Dr Ramsammy also noted that sugar could also be considered “if the price is right” but noted that Guyana currently has contracts to supply sugar to international markets up to 2025. He did say, however, that Guyana has the capacity to produce surplus sugar if there is the need to.

Meanwhile, Foreign Affairs Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett also confirmed to Guyana Times that the Administration is in export talks with Venezuela. “So far we are only exporting rice under the PetroCaribe mechanism and discussions to supply additional items have not yet been concluded,” Rodrigues-Birkett stated.

Since last year, Government had said it was looking to move beyond the new rice agreement under the PetroCaribe deal.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Samuel Hinds said

that to question whether Guyana should be concerned about the PetroCaribe agreement suddenly ending due to the perceived political upheaval and declining economy in Venezuela would be premature.

A wave of anti-Government protests, the largest in a decade, has been sweeping through Venezuela since early February. Protesters have been complaining about shortages of basic food items and high inflation and have resulted in constant anti-Government protests, with many people falling victim to violence.

In fact, thousands of Venezuelans rallied peacefully in the capital on Sunday to protest the continued detention of an Opposition Leader. Those at Sunday’s protest also renewed their call for President Nicolas Maduro to leave office and for Venezuela to hold a new presidential election. During the rally in east Caracas, leaders of the student movement who have spearheaded the anti-Government demonstrations this year called for a new wave of protest on June 24.

The pertinent question which is being asked in some quarters is whether President Nicholas

Maduro would soon be faced with a decision to end the PetroCaribe, and if this happens, what impact would it have on Guyana. In fact, an even more serious concern is being raised in Jamaica which depends heavily on oil from Venezuela through the PetroCaribe deal.

The Government of Jamaica had estimated its outstanding debt with PetroCaribe at US$2.5 billion at the end of January. Its debt is 2.4 times the country’s international reserves. Jamaicans believe they have much to fear if PetroCaribe suddenly ends since Diesel-powered power plants make up almost 95 per cent of the country’s installed power generation capacity.

PetroCaribe debt

Guyana’s debt to PetroCaribe was estimated at only US$364 million at the end of 2012 with the latest figure yet to be released. But although not saddled with a debt as big as Jamaica, Guyana would then have to consider other options for fuel purchase or agreements if PetroCaribe suddenly ends.

It should be noted that the second-to-last article of the PetroCaribe Agreement explicitly states the deal can be changed or terminated by Venezuela unilaterally, with just 30 days’ notice through standard diplomatic channels.

But Prime Minister Hinds when contacted by Guyana Times said the question of Guyana being concerned about the PetroCaribe suddenly ending was a “premature” one.

“Government will continue to participate in PetroCaribe,” Hinds told Guyana Times

PetroCaribe is an oil alliance of many Caribbean states with Venezuela to

purchase oil on conditions of preferential payment. The alliance was launched on June 29, 2005 in Puerto La Cruz, by Venezuela’s late President Hugo Chávez. The payment system allows for purchase of oil on market value for five to 50 per cent, up front, with a grace period of one to two years; the remainder can be paid through a 17-25 year financing agreement with one per cent interest if oil prices are above US$40 per barrel.

Guyana’s deal Guyana’s debt to PetroCaribe is paid in paddy and rice as settlement for oil from Venezuela. Venezuela pays more than 30 per cent more per tonne of rice than Europe, where Guyana also exports on a large scale.

President Maduro has agreed to continue the programmes of former President Hugo Chávez, including PetroCaribe. However, the concern remains the mounting pressure on the Venezuelan President to end the reported food shortages and violence and to reduce inflation rate, which is currently recorded at 59 per cent.

Prime Minister Samuel Hinds

Agriculture Minister, Dr Leslie Ramsammy turn to page 7

Weather: Thundery showers can be expected during the day with light rain showers giving way to clear skies in the evening over coastal regions and near inland locations. Temperatures are expected to range between 24 degrees and 27 degrees Celsius.

Editor: Nigel Williams

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

Mailing address: 238 Camp & Quamina Streets, Georgetown

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

Editorial

Police Legal Advisor

In recent years, the prosecution of criminal offences here has become increasingly complex. The courts have been less tolerant of sloppy and routine policing and have virtually enlarged their supervision over law enforcement agencies.

This stance has undoubtedly resulted in more cases being thrown out and suspects discharged for the want of prosecution. Its damaging toll on the collective psyche of the citizenry has caused many to become distrustful of the justice system, as ordinary Guyanese expect that once a matter is taken to court, there will be justice.

But this has hardly been the case in this country of recent, with a raft of dismissals – some embarrassingly owing to the Police’s failure to conduct proper investigations.

Amid pressure, both from the public and civil society, it is now being demanded from our lawmen more refined judgments at the earliest stages of an investigation. More and more, these initial judgments – especially regarding admissions and confessions serve to determine the ultimate outcome of cases and it is in this context we rather suspect that the Home Affairs Ministry has recently advertised for a Legal Advisor to the Guyana Police Force.

According to the vacancy notice, the Legal Advisor will be tasked with among other things, advising the Police on all matters with respect to the investigation of crimes, including the taking of caution statements; the gathering of evidence; and supervising the preparation of cases for prosecution, especially the ‘high profile’ cases.

It is instructive to note that this vacancy has come weeks after President Donald Ramotar severely criticised the Police for its dismal record of prosecuting high-profile cases, warning that a crisis will develop if nothing is done urgently.

The vacancy is also coming shortly after the Police had indicated in a statement in response to criticisms over its handling of the Dameon Belgrave case that it had obtained the advice of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and the Police Complaints Authority before laying charges against two Policemen who were accused of killing the young man.

Implicit in its statement, the Police were saying that if these two bodies – one headed by a former Chancellor of the Judiciary and the other by a trained lawyer – could not advise the Force properly, then it should be cut a bit of a slack and perhaps they should.

Over the years, either by way of a direct policy or its own uncertainty, the Police have been relying heavily on the DPP for advice for almost every murder case. This onerous task on an already understaffed unit, coupled with the often sloppy investigative work by the Police must have been taking its toll on that department.

Besides, with a usually aggressive media and sceptical citizens, even the DPP might be under pressure to speed up its work, resulting in the kinds of half-baked cases being presented to the courts today.

A Legal Advisor to the Police, therefore, can only be a step in the right direction, but we would even go a little further proposing that a Legal Advisor Unit be set up to help drive the process of speedy completion and preparation of case files, which will minimise the lengthy delays at the DPP Chambers. In fact, with such a unit, Police investigators will be more sensitive to the complexity of the law and more likely to test their judgments against those of the legal advisor.

Many Police departments and studies have recognised the value of a Legal Advisor Unit and we commend this move by the Government to help bolster the prosecutorial capacity of the Police. This was, indeed, a necessary response more than ever before, because the Police Force and Policemen that are steeped in the law are more sensitive to current judicial pronouncements.

Such sensitivity will mean that the enormous power and responsibility entrusted to the Police will be exercised more discriminately and effectively. Cases will be more expertly screened, and those cases which ultimately go forward will have a sounder evidentiary foundation.

IFMAS has allowed Government to improve its Public Financial Management System

Dear Editor,

The Finance Ministry views with utter disgust Kaieteur News’ headlines of its June 4 edition, “Billions in assets have gone untraced” and its June 5 edition, “Finance Ministry refuses to train operators”. Both headlines are not only designed to sensationalise, but are misleading and once again, the accompanying stories do not provide any information to support the stated headlines.

In the June 4 edition, Kaieteur News purports to suggest to the nation, obviously to promote the sale of its newspapers, “Billions of assets have gone untraced”. Nowhere in the article did they produce any evidence to suggest that there are billions of untraced assets.

While we acknowledge that there are two modules that have not yet been implemented, there is not one iota of evidence that exists that suggests that Government’s assets of any amount have gone untraced.

Kaieteur News is called upon to produce the evidence to substantiate its blazing headlines. We at the Ministry believe that built into the Integrated Financial Management and Accounting System (IFMAS) are several tiers of internal controls that debunk this malicious assertion. We herein state for the public record the facts

about the IFMAS system.

The implementation of IFMAS in 2004 has allowed the Government of Guyana to remarkably improve its Public Financial Management System and these improvements include tight security controls, improved accountability, and enhanced efficient decision-making. The modules which are currently in place include Controls, Appropriations, General Ledger, Expenditure, Revenue and Treasury Management.

With the implementation of the software, all cheques are now digitised and are issued from the Official Consolidated Fund Bank Account, thereby eliminating the effort of having to manually prepare cheques. In addition, the process of reconciling the Official Consolidated Fund Bank Account has been enhanced by the utilisation of the Treasury Management Module and now the bank reconciliation is done on a timely basis.

The system continues to provide users countrywide with an easy-to-use means of obtaining information necessary for confident decision making. It also continues to support the need of individual line managers in the Central Government to retrieve financial data from an online real-time system.

Since the introduction of IFMAS, the Finance

Ministry has provided support in terms of training and advice/guidance to Government officers/users of the system. In addition, the Finance Ministry, in collaboration with the Public Service Ministry, continues to facilitate training sessions bi-annually, in an effort to ensure that all users are properly equipped with the knowledge and understanding of IFMAS functionality and the processing of transaction in the software. As technology advances, it is the Government of Guyana’s desire to continually update its operation and systems to that of international best practices and standards. As such, the Finance Ministry is currently looking at the implementation of two additional modules, namely the Purchasing Module and the Asset Module.

The Purchasing Module seeks to provide the ability to create purchase requisitions and purchase orders with self-creating commitments to reserve the necessary funds (fully integrated with the Appropriations Module currently installed), and to provide the ability to record the receipts and return of goods and automatically update the purchase order to reflect the transactions.

It also seeks complete integration with the payment process to reflect pay-

ment for goods ordered and received, and to provide the ability to create an asset record when goods are received.

The Inventory/Assets Module seeks to do the following: provide the ability to create inventory and asset entries when entering a new record based on the requisitions; provide the ability to have automatic stock ordering when the system hits a user-defined reorder point; provide the ability for tracking issues and receipts; provide the ability to enter receipts for deliveries to stores via the Purchasing module; provide the ability to make adjustments to reflect inventory average and shortages; and provide the ability to do queries and reports on current inventory, stock activity, and receiving reports

The unhealthy practice of stating unsubstantiated and unverified information in the public with a view of getting a response could only be described as malicious. Had Kaieteur News been careful to obtain all the necessary information, the grave error of misrepresenting the facts as it would have done in the two stories could have been avoided. This is yet another instance of yellow journalism.

Respectfully, Bishop Juan A Edghill, Minister within the Finance Ministry

Helping hands. All are needed to put their shoulders to the wheel to keep Guyana clean as this photograph, taken during the Guyana Shines Project’s cleanup of the Georgetown foreshore on Sunday, June 8 in observance of World Oceans Day 2014, illustrates (Guyana Shines photo) (See story on page 13)

More litigation or more development?

Dear Editor, Isn’t there a surfeit of lawyers in our little Guyana? Shouldn’t we be focusing more on professions that will fast track our country’s socio-economic development?

Recent reports on perceived difficulties with accessing legal education and training to become lawyers might suggest, incorrectly, that there is a high demand for professionals in the legal field as opposed to say the engineering or agricultural fields.

My personal impression is that there are far too

many lawyers in our society, so much so, that many are under-utilised or worse yet, tempted to take on cases irrespective of their merit.

On the other hand, I believe that our society’s real development can benefit tremendously from an increase of professionals in such fields like engineering, mining, agriculture, aquaculture, animal husbandry, human resources management and similar disciplines.

I hasten to add that these thoughts are not based on any formal research on Guyana’s cur-

rent and projected occupational needs and I am, therefore, prepared to accept that my impressions might be unfounded.

If any such data is available, it may be worth publishing same; if not, we should start gathering relevant statistics in the hope that career counselling and expenditure on professional development can be more in line with demand for and supply of appropriate skills and competencies.

Sincerely, Nowrang

Persaud

Keep on the right track in all aspects of our lives

Dear Editor,

Because of the present state of affairs in our country, there seems to be among our citizenry a pervading atmosphere of depression and lack of hope in the future of our country, evoking the feeling that we are doomed to a bleak destiny, at least in the next few years.

Some of the causes of these feelings of gloom and despair are real. The over-riding political situation, in which there is every prospect that the Opposition means to carry on the same campaign to hamper the work of the Government, is not being helped by the apparent inability or unwillingness of the present administration to do their part to work out compromises so as to advance our development.

Apart from these, there are the sporadic acts of banditry and killing that keep us on our toes, with the expectation now a matter of habit among most of our people that we ourselves may be the next victim.

Added to this are the offerings of the prophets of doom who have invaded our letter columns, along with some of the regular columnists, who seem to be forever stressing on the dark side of our situation, and unable to offer any solution by which we can at least adopt the proper frame of mind to deal with it. I am disappointed at the feature writers who profess to be offering

objective analyses when these are more often than not skewed and biased, and clearly reflecting the columnists’ personal grievances and political preferences.

It is a fact that banditry, rape, official corruption, drug trafficking and all manner of criminal activities are perpetrated in our country, but this is so in every other country in the world. In fact, it can be proven that in countries in our own Caribbean, and even the United States, where Policemen have all sorts of equipment and enjoy superb work conditions, the crime rate in every aspect is proportionately higher than our little Guyana.

Because of its comparative smallness and the tradition of our media towards sensationalism, it does appear that we are overrun by criminals, which is far from the truth. It only takes 10 criminals to indulge in illicit activities to hit the headlines and create this type of atmosphere. This means that, for every criminal, we have tens of thousands of good people who are ready and able to keep the flag of goodness and decency flying over our land.

The reality is that we are still living in a wonderful and beautiful country. The often-touted potential of our vast land is nevertheless a fact, meaning that we can be assured of unlimited resources yet to be developed to bring prosperity to our people.

Town Clerk Sooba and her personal security

Dear Editor,

There is a flurry of comments circulating about the hiring of private security for the acting Town Clerk Carol Sooba. Of all the individuals seeking into the finer details of the hiring of Sooba’s personal security are her enemies Hamilton Green and his deputy Patricia Chase Green.

They, among other things, want to know who is footing the bill for the Town Clerk. In fact, they are of the opinion that the Town Clerk should not be afforded the luxuries of personal security, seeing City Hall provides such services.

woman. Interesting! I am of the opinion that Green was caught flat footed by Sooba because all his plans went down the chute when someone was hired as her security officer.

That person may be reportedly a “shady character” in their estimation, but I must admit he is no more “shadier” than his accusers. He that hath no sin, cast the first stone.

Our people are known to be hard-working, as can be proven when we get the opportunity to do our thing among overseas workers.

We are still steeped in the principles of the various religions which were practised by our forefathers, and which we hope will eventually win out over the materialism and lack of moral direction which have invaded our culture, because of the brand of politics under which we have been ruled since Independence.

Fellow Guyanese, our day will come. It is said that behind every cloud there is a silver lining, which will reveal a sun of hope and glory to our people. It is also said that before every calm there is a storm.

We are now passing through the storm, and our calm is yet to be. Let us have faith in ourselves, and in one another. Let us believe that the problems and the labours which we have experienced will be amply rewarded, in good time and in good measure.

Let us take time amid the gloom and prospect of doom to smell the flowers, and really believe that the best times are yet to come if we follow the dictates of our conscience, keep on the right track in all aspects of our lives, and try to do our part to improve any situation we encounter which is hampering our progress as a nation.

Yours sincerely,

Roy Paul

Ms Sooba – who is a sensible lady – would not sit idly by when threats to her life are constantly being made. Certainly, anyone with half a brain would take these threats seriously. One would not be so grossly naive to believe that the City Constabulary that is literally “owned” and controlled” by the Mayor would be protective of her. Sooba is not that stupid, hence the urgent need for security of her own.

Ms Sooba is well aware of the tactics employed by Mr Green and his associates to remove her from office, and there is reason to believe that violence is reportedly one of them. So nothing is left to chance.

It is interesting to know

that the Mayor was a senior functionary in a regime and at a time when lots of questionable events occurred, hence the Town Clerk would have pondered over these important details, finally coming up with the decision to hire personal security.

Even Mr Green himself was fingered in some of these occurrences and which I to this day want some answers. But why is Green so nervous over the fact that someone he relegates to the position of a “pest” hiring someone for her personal security? If Sooba was such a “nobody” in his book, then why worry?

But it all goes to show who this man is – instead of being concerned about the health and cleanliness of the city, this man is “overly zealous” over the safety of a

One of the things coming out crystal clear from the Walter Rodney CoI is the cryptic details of the way persons who were considered “enemies” of the PNC were dealt with. Hamilton Green and his deputy were part of that regime and they are quite familiar with the handling of such persons they call “subversives”.

Carol Sooba can be considered such a “subversive” or harsher, still, Green’s terminology, a “rodent” so, she might have rightly surmised before she is exterminated that “rodent” has to safeguard herself against the exterminator/s.

The two Greens have to be cognisant of the statements they make and the far reaching implications they may have. So in the present scenario she cannot take anything for granted, because the risk is too great.

Yours truly, Neil Adams

NDIA completing civil works for pump stations

Dear Editor, The National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) wishes to take this opportunity to respond to the article published on Sunday in another section of the press.

The Government of Guyana received financing to the sum of US$4 million under the India Line of Credit. Eight of the pumps are fixed units that are expected to be deployed to pump stations that are currently being constructed while the other six units are mobile units to be deployed on an as-needed basis.

The NDIA is currently completing civil works for the pump stations and the pump unit is being prepared for deployment where installation will commence during the coming weeks.

The new pumps are intended for rapid deployment at various locations along the coast and are designed to allow for installation around existing sluices or across earthen dams with-

out the need for well-built foundations or sumps. They will allow for an increased drainage capacity in many vulnerable coastal areas.

The NDIA wishes to keep the lines of communication open on matters of such importance to the Guyanese public and the media are encouraged to contact us for a comment or quote the next time they receive information from these “sources” in order to get the facts straight.

The NDIA has a programme of works for the deployment, construction and rehabilitation of pumps, sluices and other structures that is in keeping with the overall goals of the NDIA’s portfolio for drainage and irrigation infrastructure development projects.

Under this programme, a number of contracts have been tendered and awarded including those for the construction of the eight pump stations for the fixed pumps which are in varying stages of completion as alluded to

in Sunday’s article.

The drive to improve drainage capacity in many areas where gravity drainage is insufficient is part of the NDIA’s mandate to ensure that Guyana is prepared for the effects of climate change and all that it heralds; whether it be rising sea levels, increasingly chaotic and unpredictable weather patterns or just increased precipitation.

The pump identified in the article item is slated to be installed in Paradise where a pump station is being completed. The pump was removed from its storage site and being taken to the installation site.

We are hopeful that the article was not written to convey any other impression other than this fact. We anticipate that the pump installation will be completed by July 2014.

Respectfully submitted, Public Relations Unit Agriculture Ministry

can

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

Acting Town Clerk Carol Sooba

Page Foundation

BY AMANDA MORIN

According to the US Census’ most recent information, there are approximately 13 million children living in single-parent households. That in itself isn’t all that surprising, but here’s something that is: 2.5 million of those children are being raised by single fathers. That’s nearly one in every 40 households – over half as many as 10 years ago – in which custodial fathers are raising children, many of whom are girls.

So, what kinds of challenges are single fathers of daughters facing? Some issues are gender neutral. Whether they’re rearing boys or girls, custodial fathers tend to have a difficult time making ends meet. Unlike single mothers, single fathers are less likely to have flexible work hours and few are receiving child support. In fact, according to Current Population Reports, a publication of the US Census, a mere 30 per cent of custodial dads are awarded child support, as compared to 80 per cent of custodial mothers.

assume the reason a father is awarded custody of his daughter isn’t because he’s a good parent, but because her mother isn’t fit to care for her.

“Every woman was once a little girl,” says Roland Warren, President of the National Fatherhood Initiative. His point is that mothers have an advantage that fathers don’t – the ability to “give the girls’

helping her with things she gets upset over,” he admits. Understanding, too, that as a daughter starts to pull away is when she needs you the most is a difficult concept for dads. “That can be challenging for men,” notes Warren.

McPherson relies heavily on his mother and sisters for support, a move of which Warren would approve.

Initiative’s 24/7 Dad curriculum are a great tool. The programmes help fathers understand the different stages of development and where girls are physically, socially and psychologically at each stage.

* Don’t be afraid to discipline. She can still be “Daddy’s little girl” while adhering to the rules. Setting clear limits, expectations and consequences will, in the long run, help your daughter learn how to set boundaries when she’s

However, finances weren’t John McPherson’s biggest concern. As the sole custodian of a seven-year-old daughter, he initially worried that everything he did as a parent would be scrutinised through the lens of gender. “I’ve found that instead, people are impressed that a man would take that responsibility,” he says. But, his worries weren’t unfounded. Many people

perspective.” Fathers can’t tell personal stories of growing up a girl – and what about the growing up “girl” issues like puberty, friendships, and first crushes?

McPherson confesses that, as a male, he doesn’t connect with his daughter around certain issues. “I have a hard time handling the oversensitive nature she has, so I have a hard time adequately

“There’s nothing wrong with having a network of women, family members or others, who can kind of translate some of what’s happening,” he states.

Wondering what else dads can do? Here are some tips:

* Learn about the development of girls. Warren says that programmes like the National Fatherhood

* Take a cooking class. As they get older, the nutritional needs of girls differ from boys. You’ll need to find creative ways to make sure she gets enough calcium and iron.

* Reach out for Warren acknowledges this is not easy for men, but emphasises that, for your daughter’s sake, it’s important. Parents Without Partners has nearly 200 chapters nationwide, devoted to providing support and help with parenting techniques. Dads can also join a supportive online community, like SingleFather.org, to share stories, ask questions and talk to other single fathers.

Above all, states Warren, a father needs to learn how to communicate with his daughter. “Part of fatherhood is hearing what is said and the art of fatherhood is hearing what’s not being said.” (Education. com)

BY KATHY EUGSTER

Help your child deal with anger

Parents may have rolemodelled inappropriate ways of dealing with anger when in conflict with each other. Children may even have witnessed physical violence between their parents. Since anger is a normal emotion that arises in all people, everyone, adults and children included, needs to learn strategies to be able to express and control anger appropriately. Your child may need help in this area. There are many books and other resources for parents to help their children deal appropriately with anger.

Seek professional help

Chronic parental conflict can cause a great deal of stress and can have a negative impact on your own mental health. Some parents may even try to cope by using alcohol or drugs excessively. Emotional stress from chronic parental

conflict will also affect your parenting skills and your child may act out causing even more stress for you. One of the most important things you can do in this situation is to look after yourself, both physically and mentally. Individual counselling is beneficial as a means of emotional support for you during this difficult time.

Family or couples counselling may be appropriate for some parents to help them put into practise new and better ways to communicate with each other. Many counsellors specialise in working with couples to resolve these communication issues. Seek out those counsellors whose area of expertise is in couple relationships.

Sometimes parent education or coaching is helpful for parents who are in conflict with each other. Parents usually have different parenting styles. Part of reducing conflict between parents is to understand how parents with different parenting styles can work together. Look for parenting groups and counsellors who specialise in parent coaching.

For parents who are separated or divorced, developing a workable coparenting strategy is necessary. Learning to co-parent without conflict can be extremely difficult, but it can be done and is worth the effort involved. It is in the child’s best interests if separated parents are able to work out co-parenting strategies that involve minimal conflict and hostilities. Remember, there will be many things to decide upon over the years ahead.

Family mediators can help in situations where parents are unable to work things out themselves. Getting lawyers involved may be necessary, however lawyers usually work from an adversarial approach that often promotes competition rather than cooperation between parents.

Finally, support children who have been exposed to chronic, ongoing parental conflict, individual counselling or play therapy for these children is advisable. Chronic conflict between parents is known to be detrimental to children and can impair normal development. Children who have been exposed to chronic parental conflict will benefit from having a counsellor trained to work with children to help them come to terms with these painful memories (kathyeugster. com)

(ConClusion)

GMSA urges collective effort to counter fake products ― GMSA

The Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA) has warned against the danger of counterfeit products flooding the markets and says there must be a collaborative effort to counter the issue.

In a press release on Monday, GMSA also called on Government to adequately provide the necessary resources for the Government Analyst-Food and Drugs Department (GAFDD) as well as the Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) to police the local marketplace more thoroughly and to find and destroy counterfeit products and goods smuggled into the country.

“The consistent reports reaching the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA) from our member companies point to a fast growing epidemic of counterfeit products being sold to unsuspecting Guyanese who are being gulled by cheaper prices.”

The GMSA said food products including the Made-inGuyana staple, Golden Cream margarine, peanut butter, canned goods bearing the Del Monte brand, and beauty and hygienic products have fallen prey to this scourge.

Counterfeited products, it said, fail to meet all safety requirements and across the board, they expose consumers/end users to personal injury and health-related dangers.

Authorised Guyanese distributors, the GMSA said, revealed that they have been battling the problem of counterfeit products for more than two years and that their principals in North America and Europe have since instituted legal proceedings against

a few illegal importers in Guyana.

The Government AnalystFood and Drugs Department (GAFDD) as well as the Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) have become involved in recent months and have destroyed products seized from local supermarkets, grocery shops and other retailers. Those products included stocks of expired Golden Cream Margarine that were packaged in differently labelled containers which did not originate from Sterling Products Ltd.

According to the GMSA, one authorised distributor of food imports was able to identify a major supplier of counterfeited canned foods located in Ruimveldt, Georgetown and made an initial legal approach. Another distributor of industrial equipment including the STIHL line of products actually witnessed name plates being changed out from some counterfeited products after the company, Farfan and Mendes (F&M), lodged a complaint.

Counterfeit products

“F&M also said that they discovered items on sale that were very similar to the STIHL products (in appearance only) but were branded SPILL. Upon closer examination, they discovered that the counterfeit products were constructed with inferior materials, most likely to cause personal injury to users.”

The GMSA said it has been observing the interventions made by the GAFDD and the GNBS, “but we have to take this opportunity to once again urge the Administration to adequately resource these two departments to allow them to police the local marketplace more thoroughly, to find and destroy counterfeit products and uncustomed goods that were smuggled across our long, porous borders.”

The Association said it has been working “unceasingly” with its partners in Canada (TFO and CESO) and the Caribbean (Caribbean Export) to promote the manufacture of Guyanese products that meet high international quality standards.

“This issue of inferior counterfeit products flooding the local market constitutes unfair competition and product dumping. It has the potential to erode the quality

gains already made particularly by our micro and small scale entrepreneurs, and ultimately, it could cause long lasting damage to the viability of Guyana’s accredited distributors.”

The GMSA said intends to engage the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) to address complaints of counterfeit importers under-invoicing their shipments, and to request

Government Analyst Food and Drug Department

Director Marlan Cole

that the thorough screening applied to outgoing containers be similarly applied to incoming cargo which would help to identify the importers of counterfeit products.

Collective effort

The Association said it believes this is the time for every business support organisation, every regulatory and social grouping (NGO) to confront this scourge and bring it to an end. “The ramifications of it being allowed to continue include a severe contraction of entrepreneurship in Guyana.”

Only on Friday the Food and Drug Department reported that it was in the process of intercepting a shipment of counterfeit products headed for these shores.

This had come in the wake of ANSA McAL bringing to the public’s attention that new counterfeit products have surfaced since the first set was discovered approximately three months ago.

Director of the Department

Marlan Cole had told Guyana Times on Friday that the recent discovery of fake items in circulation on the market was just “the tip of the iceberg” and noted that more counterfeit products are surfacing on the market.

Govt wants better lottery deal! …

lottery contract may go out to tender – Ramotar

By ReuBen StoBy

After some 17 years of the Canadian Bank Note Company Limited operating the lottery here, the Guyana Government may now be looking at putting the contract out to tender to possibly get “a better deal”.

“They have been here for a long time. Maybe there should be some consideration in going out back to tender to see if we can get a better deal on that,”

President Donald Ramotar told reporters at a press conference at State House on Saturday. The Guyana Lottery Company Limited is owned by Canadian Bank Note Company Limited, a company which supplies printed products and related issuing and control systems. The contract to operate a lottery was given to the Company in August 1996 by the late Dr Cheddi Jagan.

Under the agreement, the Guyana Lottery Company pays to the Government of Guyana a licence fee of 24 per cent of gross revenues, less any additional fees and taxes.

It is not clear how much money has been turned over to Government since the Guyana Lottery Company has been in existence, as Guyana Times was told that General Manager Tracy Lewis was out of the country and there was no one else to furnish those figures. Efforts to contact Finance Secretary Nirmal Rekha were also futile.

However, in 2011, the Guyana Lottery Company said it had given out over $8 billion in prizes and raised just under $4.5 billion for Government.

The Company had also disclosed that it provides direct employment for 34 persons and business opportunities for approximately 80 retail agents. “We have worked wonderfully well in partnership with the Government of Guyana,” the Company said in a statement in October 2011.

Whether that partnership with Government has since soured is unclear, but President Ramotar said the fact that Government is considering putting the contract back out to tender is the reason for the parent company of the Guyana Lottery Company not being given a long-term contract.

Consolidated Fund

One of the arguments the Opposition has long been making is that the revenue generated from the Guyana Lottery Company should be put into the Consolidated Fund. The Opposition has alleged that the money is instead put into a special fund controlled by the Office of the President.

It is also being argued by the Opposition that the revenue from the Guyana

Guyana seeks...

Maduro has described the soaring inflation as the result of an “economic war” led by Opposition leaders and supported by ideological adversaries in Washington.

In fact, a prominent Venezuelan lawyer and writer had told a certain publication that although there were some economic problems in Venezuela over the past year, the main aim

Lottery Company is subject to Article 216 of the Constitution of Guyana which requires that “All revenues or other monies raised or received by Guyana (not being revenues or other monies that are payable, by or under an Act of Parliament, into some other fund established for any specific purpose or that may, by or under such an Act, be retained by the authority that received them for the purpose of defraying the expenses of that authority) shall be paid into and form one Consolidated Fund.” However, Government’s legal minds have argued that the funds received from the Guyana Lottery Company were not required to be deposited into the Consolidated Fund. The Guyana Lottery Company was re-launched in 2011 with a new online lottery system and terminals. It had said then that the expected growth of the lottery would generate more jobs and more revenue for the Government and “for all the worthwhile causes for years to come”.

of the protesters is to oust the Government of Nicolas Maduro and to effect regime change.

“It’s the country with the largest oil reserves in the world. There are very powerful interests that want to take charge of Venezuela and that’s the bottom line, that’s what it is about.

There is nothing to do with whether or not Nicolas

Maduro is a good President of Venezuela or what problems there are in Venezuela. It’s simply about regime change so that powerful interests can take control of Venezuela’s resources.” At least the 18 beneficiary nations of PetroCaribe would be hoping that stability soon returns to the Bolivarian state of Venezuela.

President of the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association Clinton Williams

Guyana Lottery Company General Manager Tracy Lewis

President Donald Ramotar

Bandit shot dead by accomplice

Asuspected bandit was shot and killed by his accomplices when they attempted to rob a Lot 5, Number 11 Village, Corentyne family on Sunday night.

The incident occurred about 17:30h. Dead is Hemraj Rampersaud, 20, also known as “Avinash Rambazad” and “Pandit” of 19 Adelphi Village, East Canje, who was found abandoned by his accomplices in a clump of bushes, some distance away from the scene, by Police ranks.

Rampersaud, who was accidently shot on his right shoulder, died hours later at the New Amsterdam Hospital. Reports are that the three masked men, clad completely in black, with two carrying what appeared to be guns (one a pistol and the other a 12-gauge shot gun), went into the home of Rohan Doodnauth, 55, and demanded cash and jewellery from his wife.

During the process of interrogating his wife Preamwattie Doodnauth, 47, Rampersaud was shot. The couple told this publication that the ordeal lasted about five minutes and has left them traumatised.

The wife recalled that she was just entering her home by the side door after

collecting the day’s earning from her husband who is in the workshop business of fabricating, when the three men pounced on her.

“Me hear running and before me turn back, one of them scramble me hair and me started to scream… but me tek out the money and

give it to him plus me wedding band and me bangle,” she recalled.

The woman explained that two of the bandits were with her, while the third armed with the shot gun was guarding outside the building.

She said one of the bandits became upset and hostile, cursing and pulling her hair, shouting “no, no no…. This is not enough; this is not enough and

shouted ‘shoot, shoot!’”

According to her, he was referring to one of his colleagues next to her, who was brandishing what appears to be a pistol.

“He hold me by me hair and he shout ‘shoot! Shoot!’ and next thing me hear ‘bladam’ and the one that was holding the bag fall down next to me… sheer blood… after that, like them get confuse and he shouting ‘get up, get up’ and the boy tell he ‘me can’t make it’.”

Chaos

She said chaos reigned, noting that the bandit who fired the fatal shot ran away, leaving his colleagues behind.

According to her, the two bandits are very young and the alleged pistol was a toy gun.

“He could not manage to get up… he was begging him to get up, he then lift him on his shoulders and run at the back in the bushes, where we later heard the sound of groaning,” she said.

The woman said by then, neighbours had already summoned the Police, who arrived about 10 minutes after the incident.

Her husband, who is wheelchair-bound, said in

2004, he was a victim of robbery which almost left him bankrupt.

He said he felt pity that a 20-year-old has been killed in such a manner even though the shot was meant to kill his wife.

“They say the money too lil bit, is that what got them there… if I had a gun, I would have killed the one outside and the other one had a toy gun,” the husband said.

The man disclosed that the area is badly in need of street lights, contending that the darkness provides an ideal environment for robbers to carry out their illicit activities.

Meantime, according to a Police source, one man has been arrested and is currently in custody assisting with investigations, while two others known to be of questionable character are wanted for questioning.

The man in custody is Zafir Abdul, 24, of Adelphi Housing Scheme, Canje. Police said he is a known villain and a gang member of the late Deodat Seecharran called “Popcorn”, who was gunned down by Police recently for a spate of robberies and two murders. Police are investigating the incident.

Eyew tness

Cutting noses...

...on food

There’s a whole lot of handwringing going on about “the Region’s imported food bill”. Again. Seems the leaders in Caricom are like some folks with credit cards: they shop till they drop every day in the month – blithely instructing the salesclerk to “CHARGE IT!!!” Then they have a heart attack when the bill arrives at the end of the month. And gasp for breath panting “Never again!!!”

Imported food has been a bugbear since our countries were formed: the white planters didn’t want to eat the local food – preferring the rotten stuff they hauled across the Atlantic. Even when those white folks had to feed the slaves, they dragged food like salted fish from their colonies in Canada. You’d think with all the fishes in the local waters, they would’ve encouraged some local salt fish industry, no? No.

Anyhow we have two problems with this food bill business – neither of which we’re confronting head on. As Burnham did with the “buy local” campaign during his dictatorship, we can try to be self-sufficient in foodstuffs. He banned all the imported stuff. And we all know how that ended, right? Massive smuggling that created new opportunities for the Police to make a killing. And we’re not talking about killing with guns.

But in this globalised world, we’re not going to get anywhere with any “buy local” campaign – just like that. Even more than the days of colonisation, we just can’t get enough of foreign foods. It’s not just the taste for salt fish or sardines or the other types of slave food we were weaned on, any more. Now to be “sophisticated”, we must have salmon and quiche...with mushrooms.

The irony is that even the peas to make the “local” Dhall are imported! So what’s the solution? Well, if you can’t beat ‘em, then you might as well join ‘em. Keep on coming up with ways to convince the natives to eat and buy local – but at the same time, increase our exports so that we can buy and eat whatever the heck we want.

And we’ve now completed the circle. Guyana’s comparative advantage is in...guess what? Agriculture!!! Foodstuff. While we Guyanese don’t want to eat the local foods, others do...especially if we can get into new products like soya, for instance.

But like with everything else, there’s a fly in that ointment.

...at Caricom

The fly is a big one – and it’s the green-eyed monster called “jealousy”. Since 2004, former President Jagdeo floated the initiative on regional agriculture that bears his name – the Jagdeo Initiative. This was after fellow Heads of Government in Caricom had been moaning and groaning about the “high imported food bill” – then US$2.5 billion and now double that!

And it wasn’t just the eight constraints to food production that were identified – to be addressed by specific countries – Jagdeo offered land in Guyana equal to all the islands combined. At rates that’re too scandalous to mention. But guess what? Not only the islands didn’t pick up the offer –they immediately went off on several wild goose chases.

Trinidad under Manning – with the deepest pockets in the region – plunged into 18 “mega farms”. They all went bust, of course – they just don’t have the farmers with the know how. The Trinis are now testing the waters again. The Bajans, with the least land space, went fishing in Brazil – but they too are now re-testing the waters.

The only reason for them cutting their noses to spite their faces is they don’t want Guyana to get her share of the projected benefits.

Who will they have to kick around then?

...on Marriott

The vultures are out again on the Marriott – this time Ramjattan and his procurement nominee Goolsaran. When the offer to put equity was advertised why didn’t they advise their clients (including funder Badal) to invest, if it was such a steal?

The area the bandits used to escape

The bandit shot dead, Hemraj Rampersaud

The home and business of the Doodnauths

PPP/C challenges Opposition to engender trust for shared governance

The People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) believes that an atmosphere does not exist for shared governance with the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU).Shared governance has been long bruited as a possible panacea to Guyana’s problems.

PPP General Secretary Clement Rohee disclosed the Party’s views on the issue at its weekly press briefing on Monday as he listed some steps the Opposition must take if there is to be shared governance.

Among these steps, Rohee said, was the Opposition relinquishing the position of Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly to the governing party. Other steps include the rearrangement of all Parliamentary Committees so that the PPP/Civic has the number of seats that corresponds to its representation. The combined Opposition also should not link the passage of the AntiMoney Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (Amendment) Bill to any other legislation and it must respect the fact that the Government was constitutionally elected.

“These are the first steps that must be taken in order to create an atmosphere that would be conducive to any formal movement in terms of discussions on this matter,” Rohee told media operatives.

He stated that APNU Leader David Granger, at a recent press conference hosted by the coalition, sought to create the impression that the political organisation’s largest constituent group, the People’s National Congress (PNC) was now a ‘different’ political animal. “But just as a leopard cannot change” its spots, Rohee stated, the PNC

cannot disguise its true self or “run away from its shadowy past”.

Political sound bites

He said that in an attempt to create a new image of the PNC, Granger is now parroting some of the very ideas that his party spurned in the past. “Take, for example, his call on the PPP to abandon its “winner-takesall” attitude to governance and embrace inclusive governance and also the call for a government of national unity” Rohee said. “These are good political sound bites which the APNU is now seeking to capitalise on, but which, in fact, are ideas and proposals advanced by the PPP decades ago but were unconditionally rejected by the PNC. This call by Granger is nothing short of shameless hypocrisy.”

“Such an atmosphere clearly does not exist at the moment through no fault of the PPP nor the PPP/C Government, but wholly by the inflexible stance taken by the combined Opposition parliamentary parties when in the aftermath of the November

D’Urban Street man wanted for narco trafficking

Dion Shurwin Layne is wanted by the Police for questioning in relation to a matter of trafficking in narcotics which is under investigation.

Anyone with information that may lead to the arrest of Dion Shurwin Layne is asked to contact the Police on telephone numbers 2256411, 225-1111, 226-2870, 227-1149, 911 or at the nearest Police station. According to the Police, all information will be treated with strict confidence. Layne’s address was given as Lot 22 D’Urban Street, Lodge, Georgetown.

2011 elections, they conspired with each other to deny the PPP – which obtained the largest bloc of votes – both the position

of Speaker and Deputy Speaker.”

He pointed out that although the PPP in previous elections won overall parliamentary majorities, the Party never took both positions of Speaker and Deputy Speaker, and the latter position always went to the PNC with the full support of the PPP.

“Under the Granger-led APNU, this trend was aborted. And to further establish its concept of ‘parliamentary democracy’, the combined Opposition moved a no-confidence motion against Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee even though there was no credible evidence to link the Minister to any wrongdoing. This was not only an unprecedented act but smacks of a fair amount of political acrimony and vindictiveness not uncharacteristic of the PNC since its

entry to the political stage during the mid-1950s when its founder leader Forbes Burnham preferred to destroy the PPP of which he was one of the leaders rather than to play by the democratic rules of the organisation,” the General Secretary explained to the media present.

He said putting the good of the country ahead of narrow partisan interests had never been an attribute of the PNC, recalling that the party teamed up with the right-wing United Force to deny the pro-working class PPP political office in the 1964 elections. He added that the PNC was prepared to rig national elections to perpetuate its political life instead of arriving at a political compromise with the PPP on a National Front Government based on an agreed programme.

“The PPP will not be distracted by those political posturing which are only meant to deceive the Guyanese public. The PNC and its political cohorts cannot be taken seriously unless they are willing to show by their actions that they have the political will to rise above narrow partisan interests,” Rohee said. He said the recent actions taken by the APNU and the AFC in cutting the budget and refusing to lend support to important pieces of legislation aimed at improving the quality of life of the citizenry are far from encouraging and cast a dark cloud of suspicion as to their true motive. Rohee added that the PPP was ready to engage all interested parties on the way forward for Guyana within the broad framework of a national democratic state.

Wanted: Dion Shurwin Layne

PPP General Secretary Clement Rohee

Guyana wooing European tourists

Acting Tourism Minister

Irfaan Ali is in Spain wooing European tourists as he tries to take Destination Guyana to a new level.

Guyana has been recently invited to become a member of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO), and the Minister, during a presentation at the Executive Council, spoke extensively about investment opportunities available in Guyana.

According to a release, Ali in marketing Guyana, highlighted ways in which the country through collaboration, could tap into non-traditional tourism markets.

He pointed out that recently, the arrival of Copa Airlines in Guyana has brought the possibility of Guyana reaching tourism markets in Latin and South America.

Several airlines have also begun to operate in Guyana, all of which would add to the tourism product and make Guyana more accessible to tourists.

The invitation to Guyana came after the 98th session of the UNWTO Executive Council meeting in Spain, which highlighted the role of tourism routes in promoting regional integration and development.

The Council debated key factors to stimulate tourism growth such as visa facilitation and air connectivity, while outlining the role the Tourism Sector can play in the sustainable development agenda.

UNWTO’s membership in-

cludes 156 countries, six associate members and over 400 affiliate members, representing the private sector, educational institutions and tourism associations.

Promotion

As the leading international organisation in the field of tourism, UNWTO promotes tourism as a major contributor towards economic growth, all inclusive development and environmental sustainability.

The organisation offers leadership and support to the sector in advancing knowledge and tourism policies worldwide. UNWTO is tasked with the responsible of promoting responsible sustainable and universally accessible tourism.

UNWTO’s Secretary General Taleb Rifai emphasised the important role tourism plays, pointing out that the sector contributes nine per cent of the global Gross

Domestic Product (GDP).

This news of the invitation to Guyana comes on the heels of Ali revealing that the Ministry is presently holding talks with tourism operators to establish a National Tourism Marketing Fund, to support their work.

According to Ali, the idea was mooted some time ago, but the bigger plan was to establish a Regional Marketing Fund, which can benefit the entire Region since all countries in the Region are facing challenges pertaining to marketing of their tourism products.

He, however, stated that after it was realised that Guyana has huge potential in becoming a leading tourism destination and enough was not being done to market and compete with what is being offered on the regional and international levels, a National Marketing Fund was thought to be the best solution.

De whole of GT tryin to solve one big problem

Old people seh de more yuh look de less yuh see. So some people does be seein but dem still blind. Fuh some people, de more yuh tell dem some tings, de less dem does understand. That is why de old people also seh that people does hear only whah dem want to hear and see only whah dem want to see.

That does happen right in de schools nowadays. De teachers does try to teach and de school pickney does hear whah dem want to hear. De way tings goin, it look like dem only hearin how to share licks pun de teachers.

De pullice also gotta hearin problem. De more de pullice hear fuh stop tekkin bribes, is de more it look like dem tekkin bribes. One MP even admit to givin de pullice a raise every time dem ask he. Some body shoulda now raise he up and throw he outta Parliament to see if that gon solve he hearin problem.

Plus de more de pullice hear not to beat up people, is de more dem gettin bad fuh share licks. Some body seh when it come to lickin people, de pullice is number one. Now de pullice goin to people house and tek off dem clothes too. One woman even tek she camera and tek out photos wid de pullice tekkin off she clothes.

De pullice only hear that de guvament lookin after de airport and mekkin it look special, but dem done mek Timehri become a special place fuh dem. After one baton story, now is one brassiere and bamzee story. But de pullice always in dem kinda story since from days of de Green commishunner.

Ting-a-ling-a-ling…friend tell friend…mattie tell mattie. Now de Mayor-fuh-Life also gotta hearin problem. He hear how de Prezzi want he to behave like a big man. But every body know de Mayor-fuh-Life got more than justa hearin problem. And de whole of GT tryin to solve that one big problem.

Angoy’s Avenue residents told of plans to develop community

APartnership for National Unity (APNU) Shadow Minister responsible for Public Infrastructure, Housing and Water, Joseph Harmon on Sunday attended a Town Hall meeting at the Guyana Teachers’ Union Auditorium, Vrymens Erven, New Amsterdam.

The meeting was held by residents of Angoy’s Avenue to discuss the regularisation of their community, land titling and other matters of interest. More than 100 residents attended the meeting, which was chaired by Community Leader Patricia Lynch.

According to an APNU release, Harmon told the residents that representation was geared towards the benefit of the entire community regardless of political affiliation. He said one of the partnership’s primary concerns was human development. Harmon informed the residents that in his capacity as Shadow Minister responsible for Housing, he has been working consistently with the Housing and Water Ministry to regularise squatting. “The people of Angoy’s Avenue have been living in squalor for over 40 years… the time has come for

this community to be regularised, with land titling, proper roads, potable water and reliable electricity.”

Harmon told the residents that the Housing Ministry had begun an occupational survey of their community, and land surveyors had completed their preliminary work. He said the Community Development Officers will soon begin working to finalise the occupational surveys and address any other issues that the residents may have.

The meeting also discussed other matters of interest to the residents of Berbice including the People’s Progressive Party/Civic’s re-

fusal to reduce the Berbice River Bridge toll, the deplorable condition of roads in New Amsterdam and its environs, an inadequate water and electricity supply, and youth unemployment.

Harmon was accompanied to the Town Hall meeting by Political Assistant in the Office of the Leader of the Opposition, Ron Backer; PNCR Regional Chairman (East Berbice/Corentyne) Jevaughn Stephen; APNU Member of Parliament Annette Ferguson; and Guyana Public Service Union Executive Member Jermaine Hermanstine.

Acting Tourism Minister Irfaan Ali being greeted by UNWTO’s Secretary General Taleb Rifai at the World Tourism Organisation Head Office in Spain

A section of the gathering at the meeting

APNU MP Joseph Harmon addresses members of the audience

Subpoenaing witnesses last resort – Glen Hanoman

Attorney for the Walter Rodney Commission of Inquiry Glen Hanoman has said that the subpoenaing of witnesses to appear before the Commission will only occur if all other efforts have failed.

Hanoman, speaking with Guyana Times on Monday, said the Commission investigating the death of Dr Walter Rodney, has as its principle, the allowance of individuals to approach the secretariat with their statements.

However, there may be instances where persons may have substantial evidence. In such cases, they would have to appear before the Commission by an order from the court.

That was the case of retired Major General and former Chief-of-Staff of the Guyana Defence Force Norman Mc Lean, who was subpoenaed to attend the inquiry last Thursday. His testimony was considered vital since he was the Chief-of-Staff of the mili-

tary body during the period Dr Rodney was killed. More importantly, the man accused of committing the act William Gregory Smith, would have been under McLean’s dictate during that time as well.

Salmon Letters

Hanoman said that several other witnesses, including Opposition Leader Brigadier (retired) David Granger may be served a Summon Letter, if during the course of testimony, any adverse evidence surfaces. Hanoman said it is a normal practice during Commissions of Inquiry for persons to be served Summon Letters when an allegation has been made against that individual.

He said during the course

of the inquiry, the Opposition Leader’s name has only been called once, stating that he was the “point man” in the Guyana Defence Force after the death of Dr Rodney. He said, however, that there is nothing yet to cause the Commission to go in that direction. When that happens, Granger, and any other persons may become person of interest.

He said the Commission still has to carry out some further research relating to Dr Rodney’s death.

According to him, the body still has to look into the report files of the Police who carried out the investigation during the time.

Hanoman noted too that the Commission is actively pursuing the accumulation of all pertinent files from the Guyana Defence Force as promised at the last session.

Lawyer for the Guyana National Trades Union Congress (GTUC) Selwyn Pieters last Thursday had strongly condemned the work carried out by the Commission, regarding the efficient documentation of evidence to be tendered at the inquiry.

His argument was that all important documents should have been secured for the work of the Commission. It was while McLean was being shown a document by Hanoman purportedly to be a payroll sheet with Gregory Smith’s name listed, that the objection was made. McLean had claimed that the “pay sheet” was obviously a “cut and paste”, although every effort was made by Hanoman to prove that it had indeed come from an original book from the Army.

Hanoman was seeking to prove that although McLean had claimed that murder accused Gregory Smith had “deserted” the Force dur-

Cops charged for...

Paul, of Freeman Street, East La Penitence, Georgetown, was slapped with three additional charges. On the charge of unlawfully assaulting Alex Griffith on April 30, the defendant pleaded not guilty and was granted $75,000 bail. He also pleaded not guilty to the charge of inflicting grievous bodily harm to Griffith, and with intent to maim, disfigures and disable, discharging a firearm at the teen. He was refused bail on these two charges and remanded to prison.

ing the time Dr Rodney was killed, the pay sheet has proven that he was in fact still a serving member of the military body.

Pieters suggested that an adjournment be made until the original copies of the document are presented. Mc Lean was excused from the witness stand until such time as cross-examination into his testimony could be continued.

Mc Lean was also shown an account form by the Commission’s Counsel bearing GDF number (APP 1954), indicating that the Army had transferred weapons to the House of Israel, a claim made by one of the organisation’s former leaders Joseph Hamilton. This claim, Mc Lean denied, although the weapons were commonly used by the Defence Force.

After the back and forth, Hanoman promised to make every effort to secure the documents from the Army’s Defence Board.

He told this publication that before returning Mc Lean to the stand, an official from the Army will first rise to authenticate the original documents.

Meanwhile, Hanoman related that the Commission may have to resort to audio visual links for some overseas witnesses, including Rodney’s widow, Patricia, who has not returned to Guyana since the death of her husband. He said so far he knows of about six overseas witnesses who are scheduled to testify.

They were expected to testify at the next hearing, however, this may have to be shifted since the Commission is still to recall Mc Lean to complete his evidence.

From page 1 turn to page 16

Cricket Bill reportedly sent to President for approval

BY RAJIV BISNAUTH

President Donald Ramotar has not yet signed the Guyana Cricket Administration Bill into law after the National Assembly passed the legislation on May 15 last, with support from the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU).

This was confirmed on Monday by Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall during an invited comment on the status of the legislation following its passage in the three-party National Assembly after much debate and consideration.

Nandlall also reported that a copy of the legislation has not reached his office for perusal and advice which forms part of the procedure for bills that require presidential assent.

On the other hand, a reliable source from the Parliament Office confirmed on Monday that the Bill was sent to the Office of the President on June 4.

The Cricket Administration Bill was passed in the National Assembly on May 15.

The Bill seeks to provide legal administrative guidelines for cricket, which, over the years, has become a national sport.

Sport Minister, Dr Frank Anthony, who presented the Bill to the National Assembly, had said it was drafted after extensive consultations with all stake-

holders, and moreso, following recommendations in a ruling made by the High Court.

The Bill makes it legal for the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) to be established as a corporate body comprising the Demerara, Essequibo and the Berbice Cricket Boards, all of which will also be made corporate entities.

A section of the Bill will address the issue of phantom voting for the election of persons for administrative positions.

The National Assembly was also told that the Bill provides for better financial accountability. As such, the GCB, under this new legislation will be required to present timely audited financial reports to the National Assembly, as well as the National Sports Commission.

On May 30, a letter was

sent to President Donald Ramotar from WICB President Dave Cameron, raising concerns about the Bill and requesting that the Head of State not assent to it until their concerns are addressed.

Dr Anthony was asked to respond, and the Minister wrote to Cameron requesting that he detail all his concerns with regard to the Bill. Cameron pointed out that the response had to be dealt with under the Presidential seal. He then informed Guyana of the decision to remove the match. Government has since said that it does not discount that the WICB may be looking for a scapegoat in this matter since their agents in Guyana were restrained by a Court Order from acting, or holding themselves out as officers of the GCB and as agents of the WICB.

The Police Prosecutor requested that the men return to Court on June 30 for statements.

Speaking with this newspaper, the victim’s mother stated that she believes she did the right thing in letting the matter pass through the system, as she is determined to get justice for her son.

In his objection to bail, Prosecutor Stephen Telford cited the seriousness of the matter and asked the court to take into consideration that efforts were made to pervert the course of justice. However, Defence Attorneys Roger Yearwood and Aroon Gajraj stated that no evidence was given by the prosecution to indicate that their clients are flight risks.

Attorney General Anil Nandlall

President Donald Ramotar

Attorney for the Walter Rodney Commission of Inquiry Glen Hanoman

Opposition Leader Brigadier (retired) David Granger

Walter Rodney

tuesday, june 10, 2014 | guyanatimesgy.com

Outgoing

Kuwait’s Emir bids farewell to outgoing Guyanese Ambassador Public-Private Partnership an effective tool for development – CDB

Ambassador of Guyana to Kuwait, Dr Odeen Ishmael, recently met with the Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah AlAhmad Al-Sabah, who expressed his thanks and appreciation to the Guyanese envoy for fostering closer ties between Guyana and Kuwait.

The Emir of Kuwait in his meeting with Ishmael also expressed his optimism for increasing cooperation at political, economic and cultural levels with Guyana.

Ishmael also met with Kuwait’s Foreign Minister Khaled Al Hamad Al Sabah, who expressed hope that Guyana’s next Ambassador to Kuwait will continue to enhance Kuwait-Guyana relations, as Ishmael has done in the past three-anda-half years.

Ishmael was also Guyana’s Ambassador to the US and Venezuela. He will retire at the end of June when he officially leaves his post in Kuwait City.

Ishmael was appointed Ambassador to Kuwait in 2011, where he worked diligently to raise Guyana’s profile in the Middle East.

Ishmael, a proponent of Middle Eastern ties, was instrumental in Guyana joining the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) as a permanent member. This membership and the opening of the Embassy in Kuwait, according to Foreign Affairs Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett, has improved Guyana’s profile in the Persian Gulf. As results of these activities, Rodrigues-Birkett said that there has been an increase in visits and economic interest in Guyana.

“We have also received indication from the Saudi Arabian Government that they want to send a team of investors to Guyana and they have invited a team from our end so we are working with them on that,” she said.

Ishmael’s efforts also saw the participation of the Kuwait Fund in funding feasibility studies for the East Coast Demerara Four-lane Road Project in Guyana. Now the potential exists for the fund’s support for other developmental projects in Guyana.

Expanded profile

The presence of the Ambassador in the region expanded Guyana’s profile in the Gulf. One of the results is the recent visit of the Emirates aviation authorities to Guyana. There are also closer links with the OIC secretariat. As well, there is faster consul-

ar assistance for Guyanese residing in Gulf countries, according to Ishmael.

While in the Persian Gulf, Ishmael was Guyana’s non-resident Ambassador to Qatar as well. In April 2013, he met the crown-prince of Qatar, who is now the emir.

While he was Guyana’s envoy to the Organisation of American States (OAS), Ishmael was Chairman of the Permanent Council of the OAS for two separate terms. During the period 1993-2003, when he was Ambassador to the US, Guyana and Washington enjoyed the best bilateral relations in their history.

Ishmael was awarded the Martin Luther King Award for international service in 2002, and in 1997, he was awarded Guyana’s Cacique Crown of Honour. A joint resolution of the US Congress in October 2003 paid tribute

to him prior to his departure from Washington.

While he was Ambassador to Venezuela, Ishmael was elected Chairman of the Latin American and Caribbean Economic System, the 28-member organisation based in Caracas. Ishmael maintained very positive Guyana-Venezuela relations between 20032011. During his term in Venezuela, he was on a small committee that drafted the Petro-Caribe agreement. As well, during his term in Venezuela, Guyana secured a lucrative rice market with Caracas.

Ishmael has been a leading political analyst on South American integration issues since 2003. He is the author of numerous books, and articles in journals, and newspapers. He plans to write more and is working on a few upcoming publications.

Caricom to observe Antigua/Barbuda elections

The Caribbean Community (Caricom) will observe the Antigua/Barbuda general elections, to be held Thursday.

Caricom has mounted an 11 member Electoral Observer Mission, led by Jamaica’s Elections Director, Orrette Fisher. The team, with nine officials drawn from Caricom member states and two from the Caricom Secretariat, began arriving in Antigua/Barbuda since Friday 6.

Other members of the mission are: Ian Browne, the Deputy Chief Elections Officer of Barbados; Barrette Woodye of the Belize Elections and Boundaries Department; Henry George, former Dominica Parliamentarian; Chester Humphrey, Trade Unionist and former Senator in the Grenada Parliament; Pauline Welsh of the Electoral Office in

and

Antigua/Barbuda

The Caribbean Community was established through the signing of the Treaty of Chaguaramas in 1973. A revised treaty was signed in 2001.

Major challenges and opportunities relating to public and private sector partnerships were among the main discussion topics at the 44th Annual Board of Governors meeting of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), held in Guyana last week.

A seminar on Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) in the Caribbean: Building on Early Lessons, highlighted how the region could embrace PPPs as a more effective development tool.

While some countries have moved in this direction, early experiences have not been even and costly missteps have been made. Against this backdrop, one of the key objectives of the exercise was to provide a platform to discuss best approaches to structuring PPPs and to build on early lessons from regional and global stakeholders.

Macroeconomic fundamentals

While the CDB launched a publication on PPPs dubbed ‘Public Private Partnerships in the Caribbean: Building on Early Lessons’, representatives from the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation (IFC), CIBC First Caribbean, Jamaica and Guyana provided a range of perspectives as panelists.

It was noted that, while macroeconomic fundamentals were beginning to move in the right direction for most countries in the Caribbean region, public sector balance sheets continue to be relatively fragile. However, fiscal consolidation programmes designed to shore-up public finances have restricted public sector investment levels.

A wide range of potential PPP opportunities were identified in airports expansion and renovation, telecoms, water and sanitation, energy and renewable energy, health and education with global and regional private sector expressing interest in the region.

Among the challenges identified were limited fiscal space being a constraint for PPPs in some sectors; small country and/or project sizes make it more challenging to structure viable and bankable projects, given the cost of preparatory work and monitoring.

According to Richard Cabello, Manager, infrastructure advisory, Latin America (IFC), these partnerships are important tools to help address the infrastructure gap by mobilising private sector expertise and investment.

PPPs focus on performance based delivery of infrastructure and services, he said, not only on construction but are about improving efficiency by transferring risk to the private sector, rather

than zeroing in principally on financing.

He notes that, while PPPs have been applied in traditional infrastructure such as energy, transport and water, as well as in social sectors of health and education, they are now being employed in new sectors of agriculture and buildings.

They are not, however, a panacea for all infrastructure development, but can be an important tool for development.

Cabello identified key elements for success as transaction design, bankability with proper risk allocation (performance risk vs regulatory and political risks), project finance structure and access to private financial markets on adequate terms and conditions.

Other major takeaways from the seminar included the need to ensure that the region builds out the appropriate legal and regulatory environment conducive to PPPs and capacity-building at both the public and private sectors being required to foster PPP-related success.

Good project

For his part, Ivan Anderson of Jamaica’s National Road Operating and Constructing Company (NROCC) said among the lessons learnt from the Highway 2000 Project were the importance of starting with a good project.

It was equally important to have public sector support at all levels.

“For example, are there other non-financial incentives (tax, duty, lands, etc) that can be provided? Yet you must ensure that support to be provided is limited (as revenue/guarantees can be unlimited in the downside). Predicting longterm revenues and costs are almost impossible,” he said.

The CDB has committed to give strong support to its borrowing member countries in installing the requisite capacity and it has taken a lead role in establishing a donor funded-unit within the bank to move the process forward.

Jamaica, Windgrove George; Supervisor of Elections in St Kitts Nevis; Lena Champa Sahadeo, Deputy Chief Elections Officer of Trinidad and Tobago; and Dennisia

Francisco

Serojnie Seetaram of the Caricom Secretariat.

is part of the 15-member Caribbean Community.

Outgoing Ambassador of Guyana to Kuwait, Dr Odeen Ishmael (L), bidding farewell to the Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Saba in the presence of his staffers

Caricom Secretariat, Guyana

Manager, Infrastructure Advisory, Latin America (IFC) Richard Cabello

President calls on Mayor Green to show maturity

President Donald Ramotar has called on

City Mayor Hamilton Green to demonstrate maturity and work with acting Town Clerk Carol Sooba since he says all she is trying to do is ensure accountability and viability of the City Council.

Sooba’s appointment as acting Town Clerk continues to be challenged by Mayor Green who recognises Royston King as Town Clerk instead. The matter is currently before the courts.

Speaking at a press conference at State House on Saturday, Ramotar said the state of affairs at the Council is a sad one since there is so much work to be done.

“City Hall is just a disaster… It is very sad that there is so much to do in the city to get it done. I think the Mayor should show some maturity and work because all I think, from all the information I have read, all the Town Clerk is trying to do is to ensure accountability and to also try to ensure the viability of the Council itself and I don’t see why they should have a problem with that type of thing hap-

pening.”

City Hall currently has two Town Clerks: Carol Sooba, who was appointed by former Local Government Minister Ganga Persaud and Royston King, who was voted in by the Mayor and some City Councillors of Georgetown.

King is currently before the courts challenging the legitimacy of Sooba’s appointment

Sooba had also filed an application in the High Court

asking the Chief Justice to quash the decision by the Mayor and Councillors, who voted to remove her as Town Clerk and replace her with King.

In April, acting Chief Justice Ian Chang had ruled that the Local Government Minister had no power to appoint Sooba; however, she should be allowed to remain the de facto Town Clerk since there is no Local Government Commission.

Sooba’s lawyers have since filed for a stay of execution against the CJ’s ruling to have her perform as a de facto Town Clerk. A stay of execution would see Sooba being reinstated as the ‘official’ Town Clerk.

Meanwhile, President Ramotar also said citizens should voice their concerns about the shortcomings and possible irregularities at the Georgetown Mayor and City Council.

“If you look at City Hall, they have about 900 people working, some of these you don’t even see. There are special projects, what they are being paid for I don’t know. Maybe they are political patronage that is given at the level of the Council and yet our city is in the way it is.”

Terming the situation at City Hall a “disaster”, Ramotar said the public should make their concerns and dissatisfaction with the performance of the Council known.

“It is ridiculous and I think the citizens should raise their voices more as far as that is concerned.”

Guyana Shines in seawall cleanup – on World Oceans Day

As part of its mission, the Guyana Shines: Keep Guyana Beautiful Project undertook a cleanup of the beach area along the Georgetown Seawall on Sunday, June 8 in observance of World Oceans Day 2014.

In a release, the project said representatives of the US Embassy, the Youth Ambassadors Programme, Youths for Guyana, the Mayor and City Council of Georgetown, and volunteer citizens joined forces to lend their voices through action towards maintaining and protecting the environment and the ocean from multiple threats.

“World Oceans Day is a time to pause and focus on protecting our ocean: our planet’s most extraordinary ecosystem. The ocean is critical to maintaining life on Earth, contributing to our livelihoods and our well-being. It regulates our climate and weather, it generates 50 per cent of the oxygen we breathe, and it absorbs excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The ocean also plays a vital role in the global economy by providing food and a source of income for millions of people. It provides jobs for millions of people around the world, and a home for countless unique species. More than one billion people worldwide rely on the ocean for their primary source of protein,” the release noted.

“The ocean is just too important to ignore. Yet, the ocean is facing significant challenges, some stemming from a lack of awareness and some from a lack of will. We all have a responsibility to protect our ocean against the threats of overfishing, marine pollution, and ocean acidification. The entire system is interdependent, and we ignore that fact at our peril. The good news is that there are solutions – and we know where to find them. There is no way that governments are going to tackle these enormous challenges our ocean faces alone – we must work together. We need grassroots action to push us over the finish line, and that includes action from businesses, students, community groups, and advocacy and research organisations. Every ac-

tion counts. It is our ocean to share and that means we each share the responsibility to act as its steward.”

“Our Ocean” Conference

The release added that the US State Department will host the Secretary of State’s “Our Ocean” Conference June 16-17 when individuals, experts, practitioners, advocates, lawmakers, and the international ocean and foreign policy communities will join together to gather lessons learned, share the best science, offer unique perspectives, and demonstrate effective actions. The Conference aims to chart a way forward, working individually and together, to protect “Our Ocean”.

The Guyana Shines: Keep Guyana Beautiful initiative was launched on June 1, 2014. The proj-

C RNER CCJ CCJ resolves family battle

Tect, led by implementing partner Youths for Guyana (YFG), will use focused messaging on the environment through “education” and “action” elements. These will include environmental workshops; impactful and memorable public service announcements; creation of more green spaces; and weekly clean-ups. It is a continuation of the Guyana Shines Project initiated in 2012 by the US Embassy, together with diplomatic and civic partners including the British High Commission, the Canadian High Commission, the European Union Delegation in Guyana, Conservation International Guyana, and Youth Challenge Guyana “to encourage and mobilise Guyanese communities to maintain a clean environment”.

he Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) continues to demonstrate that it is here to serve the people of the Region even in instances where families have been unable to resolve their own conflicts.

One such instance is seen in the Guyanese case of Aslim Sheermohamed v Azeez Sheermohammed [2011] CCJ 8 (AJ).

This case concerns the attempt of members of a family to gain control of the family company, SA Nabi & Sons Limited. In November 2004, Aslim, the Appellant, brought legal action against his brother Azeez and his nephew Affron following their appointment as Directors of the family company in a meeting convened by his brother, Amin.

This meeting was held the day after Aslim declared that his son, Ashmin, was the elected Director of the company. Consequently, Aslim challenged the validity of Amin’s meeting and the decisions that flowed from it.

The High Court Judge deciding the matter was required to give effect to Section 135 (5) of the Companies Act. This section provides that where a shareholder has requested the Directors of a company to convene a meeting and the Directors failed to do so within 21 days of the request and to hold the meeting within 28 days of convening it, that shareholder may himself convene a meeting of the shareholders.

The Judge considered that Amin served a request on the Directors of the company but he proceeded to convene his meeting before the expiration of the 21 days.

As a result, the Judge found, the meeting was unlawful and invalid and Affron’s and Azeez’s appointments were invalid. The Court of Appeal, however, found that the premature convening of the meeting did not invalidate the appointments as the Directors eventually did not convene the meeting at all.Unhappy with the Court of Appeal’s decision, Aslim appealed to the CCJ.

The Court carefully evaluated the provisions of Section 135 of the Companies Act, noted the policy considerations applicable and then declared the correct interpretation and application of the section in the present case.

It found that Amin’s meeting was invalid as it was convened prematurely, regardless of the omission of the Directors to act in the end. The order of the High Court Judge was reinstated and the Court ultimately resolved the family dispute.

Two hospitalised after being struck by drunk driver in Moruca

Two men have been hospitalised, with one in serious condition after they were allegedly struck down by a drunken taxi driver on Friday in Moruca, North West District.

Camelio Torres of Rincon and Ryan Domingo of Cabrora, both in their mid20s, were reportedly struck down around 16:30h on the Rincon Road.

Domingo is currently in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Georgetown Public Hospital while Torres is recovering at the Kumaka

District Hospital. According to reports, the two men were heading home from work when they were hit from behind by the driver, Keith La Rose, who was allegedly under the influence of alcohol.

Domingo was flown out of Moruca Friday evening. La Rose is currently in custody at the Moruca Police Station; however, it is not clear if he has been charged. According to sources, Police are waiting for the men’s condition to improve to proceed further with their investigations.

President Donald Ramotar Geogetown Mayor Hamilton Green

Participants at the Guyana Shines: Keep Guyana Beautiful cleanup

Regional

Historian casts doubt on Christopher Columbus's account of Santa Maria shipwreck

An ‘X’ marked the spot on the explorer’s map – and the crowd grew wide-eyed in amazement at what they were told lies beneath.

The 500-year-old diaries corroborated the find, said Barry Clifford, a marine archaeologist, standing at the front of the wood-panelled Explorer’s Club in New York. The ballast found under the waves matched the profile of the ship, believed to have run aground half a millennia ago. The Government of Haiti, the country on the map, was excited by the news. Clifford thought he had found his treasure: the wreck of Christopher Columbus’s ship, a prize 500-years in the searching.

“I think the evidence is overwhelming that this ship is most probably the Santa Maria,” he said last month. But after the triumphant announcement, Clifford’s find is now being called into question.

A Portuguese-American historian, Manuel Rosa, has said that the discovery of the shipwreck is impossible – because the ship never sank.

His theory, based on over two decades of research, is that the ship did not sink, as is widely believed, but was hauled onto the Haitian shore, used to house the sailors Columbus left behind on his return voyage, and eventually years later burnt as firewood.

He says that Columbus deliberately misled the world with his journals,

because he was acting as a spy for the Portuguese king, rather than reporting to his Spanish paymasters.

“He was the James Bond of his day,” said Rosa, speaking to The Telegraph from his home in New York. “It’s unbelievable that he has managed to pull the wool over everybody’s eyes for five centuries.

“But the important thing to remember is that the whole mission was to trick the Spanish – and tell the Portuguese what was really going on.

In this he succeeded.

“Anyone who looks for a shipwreck off Haiti won’t find the Santa Maria –because it never sank.”

The dispute over the Santa Maria is but the latest in a long line of arguments about Christopher Columbus’s life and legacy. Even his nationality is disputed, with some historians claiming he was not from Genoa – as widely accepted – but actually Portuguese, or Catalan, or a Spanish Jew, or even Polish. (Excerpt from The Telegraph)

Barbados’ Prime Minister explains unemployment through Caribbean slave history

rime Minister

PFreundel Stuart has cited traditional high Caribbean unemployment as a reason for current challenges to the National Insurance Service (NIS) fund that pays relief benefits to workers who lose their jobs.

Derek Osbourne, an actuary at the Bahamian company, Horizonnow Consultants, who conducted an actuarial review of the NIS Unemployment and Severance Funds in 2013, was last week reported to have warned in his submission that unless Government urgently injects money into the NIS Unemployment Fund, it would struggle to

“Employment has always been an issue here in the Caribbean. One of the features about Caribbean history after about 450 years to 500 years, is that we’ve only had full employment in the Caribbean during the days of slavery”, PM Stuart said

pay benefits in two years.

“Employment has always been an issue here in the Caribbean. One of the features about Caribbean history after about 450

years to 500 years, is that we’ve only had full employment in the Caribbean during the days of slavery,” Stuart said.

He added that the re-

gion has struggled to create economies capable of absorbing its available workforce through employment.

He said for this reason, “the unemployment fund has always been the most challenged of our funds because unemployment, in these islands in the Caribbean, Barbados included, has always been a challenge.

“There has never been a time in the history of the Unemployment Benefit Fund in Barbados when it was not under challenge.”

The Barbados leader contended that, however, all is well because the other NIS funds are not in jeopardy.

(Excerpt from Caribbean360)

Ratings agency ‘overreached’ in recent downgrade – Barbados

Finance Ministry

Following last week’s downgrade of Barbados’ credit rating from BA3 to B3 by Moody’s Investors Service, the country’s Finance Ministry said the ratings agency overreached in its highly negative conclusions.

In a statement on Saturday, the Ministry said: “While we value and fully respect the views and opinions of Moody’s, we are of the view that in this instance, the agency has clearly overreached in its highly negative conclusions, rushed to judgment, failed to adequately take into consid-

eration the nuances of the Barbados economy, and essentially undervalued the commitment of the Government and people of Barbados to make any necessary adjustments to protect our exchange rate and meet our financial commitments.”

According to the Ministry, the change in credit opinion appears to have been heavily influenced by the fact that the actual deficit for 2013/2014 was 11 per cent compared to eight per cent from the previous year. While, as Moody’s indicates, fi-

nancing costs have increased, the expansion in the deficit was largely driven by a decline in the primary balance.

As noted in the credit opinion, this was partly due to weaker than expected revenues for the 2013/2014 financial year. What is not reflected, is that there was a significant increase in reported expenditures due to the fact Government prepared to embark on a more aggressive fiscal adjustment programme, in finalising the financial statements for the 2013/2014. (Excerpt from Caribbean News Now)

Warner opts out of ILP political leader race

Founder of the Independent Liberal Party, Chaguanas West Member of Parliament

Jack Warner is not seeking re-election as political leader of the one-year-old party. Warner is proposing that one of his deputy political leaders, former Senate Vice President Lyndira Oudit be elected as the party’s first female leader. Warner is seeking election as the Chairman. He made the disclosures at an address to the party’s Nomination Day exercise at the ILP headquarters on Edward Street, Port of Spain, on Sunday.

The ILP will elect a new

executive to lead the party into next year’s general election. Warner said after reflection and introspection it was time the party made some changes to improve its chances in the 2015 general election. He said if the slate was supported by the party’s membership in the June 29 national executive elections, “it will be another landmark decision on the road to Government in 2015”. The ILP was formed last year after Warner resigned from the People’s Partnership Government. He won the Chaguanas West seat under the ILP banner. (Excerpt from Trinidad Guardian)

Trinidad Minister denies confirming detained Muslims have terrorist links

TT’s National Security Minister, Senator Gary Griffith, has denied recent claims by Opposition Senator Nafeesa Mohammed that the Government of Trinidad and Tobago sent correspondence to Venezuelan authorities confirming that recently detained Muslim nationals were linked to terrorism.

The Minister noted that this continues to be a sensitive national security matter, which is warranting the undivided attention of the Government. He added that the comments of the Opposition Senator were disappointing, especially as the Islamic community has been kept updated and informed by the relevant

National Security Ministry agency throughout the entire process.

Griffith pointed out that ever since the Government was apprised of the detention of a party of Trinidad and Tobago nationals in Venezuela on allegations involving terrorism and migration, the National Security Ministry has been engaged in proactive negotiations with officials of the Bolivarian National Intelligence Agency (SEBIN) to procure their release. There have been constant dialogue and updates among the Venezuelan authorities, National Security Ministry agencies and key members of the Islamic community, he said. (Excerpt from Caribbean News Now)

São Paulo Police tear gas protesters

Brazilian riot Police have used tear gas against protesters in São Paulo, three days before the World Cup opening game in the city’s main stadium. The BBC’s Katy Watson at the scene said about 300 demonstrators were there and helicopters circled overhead.

The protest was called by Sao Paulo metro workers who are striking in support of a 12.2 per cent salary increase. Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff has said she would not allow violent demonstrations to mar the World Cup.

São Paulo metro workers have been on strike since Thursday, creating traffic chaos in one of the world’s most congested cities. Altino Prazeres, the President of the union organising the strike, said that ruining

the World Cup was not the strikers’ intention.

“I love soccer! I support our national team. The point is not to stop the Cup,’’ he told the AP news agency. “We want to resolve this today and all are willing to negotiate”, he said.

The state subway company has offered an 8.8 per cent pay rise, but this has been rejected by the strikers. On Sunday, union members voted to continue to strike indefinitely despite a court order for them to return to work and a threat of dismissal by the State Governor.

On Monday, a spokesman for the company that runs the metro said 60 dismissal notices had been sent out to staff alleged to have been involved in strike-related disturbances in recent days. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Barry Clifford thought he had found his treasure: the wreck of Christopher Columbus’s ship

Thousands of US veterans waiting for health care

The US Department of Veterans Affairs said on Monday that around 100,000 veterans are experiencing long waits for health care appointments at VA facilities, with more than half of these waiting 90 days or more.

In results of an internal audit ordered as the scandal over deadly VA wait times exploded last month, the agency said it found that schedule misreporting was widespread. Of the 731 facilities surveyed, it found that 76 per cent experienced wait time reporting problems.

In the May 12 to June 3 survey, the VA said it found that 57,436 new veteran patients had been waiting 90 days or more for an appointment. And it found that 63,869 patients over the past 10 years had requested appointments that have never been scheduled.

The agency said it was abandoning a two-week scheduling goal for appointments after finding it was “not attainable.”

“This data shows the extent of the systemic problems we face, problems that demand immediate actions,” VA acting Secretary Sloan Gibson said in a statement.

The report made no mention of whether the long wait times had resulted in deaths of veterans. Doctors at VA clinics in Phoenix, where the investigations were first launched, have alleged that some 40 veterans have died while waiting for care.

Gibson, who joined VA in February and took over af-

Seven held over Egypt sex assaults

Seven men have been arrested on suspicion of sexually assaulting women at Sunday’s celebrations for the inauguration of Egypt’s new President.

The arrests come amid growing outrage over a graphic video that appears to show a woman being stripped naked and attacked in Cairo’s Tahrir Square.

It is not clear when it was filmed, but witnesses told the BBC similar assaults had taken place there on Sunday night.

Last week, the Government made sexual harassment a crime for the first time.

The new law decrees that those found guilty of harassment in public or private will face up to five years in prison and a maximum fine of 50,000 Egyptian pounds

(US$6990; £4160).

Activists welcomed the law, but warned it remained to be seen whether it would be enforced by Police.

An organisation which campaigns against sexual harassment told the BBC that its volunteers had helped at least five victims who were attacked by mobs during Sunday night’s celebrations in Tahrir Square after the inauguration of President Abdul Fattah alSisi.

Four of the victims required hospital treatment, including a pregnant woman and a mother and her young daughter.

The Interior Ministry said the seven men who had been arrested were aged between 15 and 49, and were accused of “harassing several girls”. (Excerpt from BBC News)

ter the resignation of former Secretary Eric Shinseki, said last week that of the 1700 veterans in Phoenix whose names were held on secret waiting lists, 18 had died.

The VA said it would take emergency measures to rush medical care to veterans who are waiting, including hiring temporary staff for facilities with the worst backlogs and bringing in mobile medical units to some locations.

Around the world

India: President speaks

Narendra

Modi’s election language

President Pranab Mukherjee may have been uttering the words, but the words had a clear, unmistakable stamp. Narendra Modi – the energetic campaigner – was now Narendra Modi – the Prime Minister.

A defining feature of Modi’s campaign speeches was his focus on strengthening federalism, a reference which found prominence in Monday’s address. Mukherjee said that “over the years, the federal spirit has been diluted... and states and the centre should function as an organic Team India”. The centre would be an enabler in the progress of states through “cooperative federalism”, added Mukherjee.

The Government, he said, would “reinvigorate fora like the National Development Council and Inter-State Council”; two institutions that had met rarely in recent years.

State specific development models would be developed taking into account needs of coastal, hilly and

South Africa’s Zuma discharged

South African President Jacob Zuma was discharged from hospital on Sunday and will rest at home for a few days, state media reported.

Doctors hospitalised Zuma, 72, for a “thorough checkup following a demanding schedule” and “are happy with the results”, the presidency said, according to the South African Press Association.

“The President will continue to rest for a few days and will work mainly from home during the rest period,” said Jeff Radebe, Minister in the presidency.

“We thank the public for the messages of support and good wishes that have been received since the news of the hospitalisation of the President was made public.”

desert areas. The political subtext was clear. Modi, as a man who had come after leading a state, had empathy for other states; it was also a way to reach out to regional parties and potential allies.

Specifically, Mukherjee mentioned the Government would address the issues of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana; it would lay special emphasis on connectivity and border infrastructure in the Northeast and Jammu and Kashmir – which have both development and security ramifications.

In his campaign in West Bengal and Assam,

Modi had spoken on the theme of illegal infiltration. Mukherjee took it a step forward by saying this will be “tackled on priority”, and all pending ‘fencing work’ along the Northeast border will be completed soon. In Bihar, West Bengal, Odisha and the Northeast, Modi had spoken of how the east had lagged behind. Mukherjee said that highest priority would be given to bring the east on par with the west in terms of physical and social infrastructure. He also promised efforts to ensure the return of Kashmiri pandits to the land of their ancestors. (Excerpt from Hindustan Times)

Vietnam vessels ‘ram China ships 1400 times’

Zuma was re-elected to a second term last month.

Doctors had advised Zuma to rest after “a demanding election and transition programme to the new administration,” his spokesman said Saturday.

His party, the African National Congress, won the general election with 62 per cent of the votes, which was lower than the previous election.

After a turbulent first term, Zuma said during his inaugural address that his Government will perform better this time around and take responsibility for any shortcomings.

“We will... ensure much tighter accountability, with firm consequences where there is a failure to deliver services to our people,” he promised. (Excerpt from CNN)

China has accused Vietnam of ramming its ships more than 1400 times in a disputed part of the South China Sea and said while it wanted good relations with its neighbour; it would not abandon principles to achieve that.

China claims most of the South China Sea and has over the past two years been taking various steps to assert its claim, angering Vietnam and the Philippines in particular.

Shortly after China brought its oil platform into the area, Vietnam sent a large number of vessels into the area, China’s Foreign Ministry said on Sunday.

“There were as many as 63 Vietnamese vessels in the area at the peak, attempting to break through China’s cordon and ramming the Chinese Government ships a total of 1416 times,” the Ministry said.

China has asked Vietnam more than 30 times to “stop its illegal disruption”, the Ministry said.

A Vietnamese fishing boat sank on May 26 during a confrontation not far from where China has towed the oil rig, accompanied by a cordon of Chinese vessels, 240km off Vietnam.

Scores of Vietnamese and Chinese ships have squared off around the oil platform since it was towed to the area in early May.

Vietnam says the platform is in its 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone and on its continental shelf. China says it is operating within its waters.

The dispute is the most serious deterioration of relations between the Communist states and traditional rivals since a brief war in 1979 following Vietnam’s invasion of Cambodia.

(Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

A pileup of claims at the Department of Veterans Affairs facility in Roanoke, Virginia, is shown in this undated handout photo

Volunteers treated at least five women who were attacked during Sunday celebrations in Tahrir Square

The dispute over the South China Sea is the most serious since a brief war in 1979

President Jacob Zuma

President Pranab Mukherjee gestures as he arrives with Prime Minster Narendra Modi to address the joint session of Parliament in New Delhi

tuesday, june 10, 2014

City Hall statutory meeting adjourned again

Astatutory meeting of the Georgetown Mayor and City Council was once again called off on Monday for the sixth consecutive time due to issues arising between Deputy Mayor Patricia Chase-Green and acting Town Clerk Carol Sooba.

The meeting was filled with the drama City Hall has become famous at its weekly statutory meetings. According to Chase-Green, the meeting was adjourned after Sooba became aggressive and disrespectful after the Solid Waste Director was questioned on an update on the current garbage situation.

“We started the meeting on a good note; we said the prayers, pledge, had our announcements, statement of minutes and so forth. We were on the next item which was the agenda when a Standing Order was proposed by the acting clerk to deal with the Chikungunya virus. One of the councillors commented that was not a bad idea. However, the Mayor asked for an update on the garbage situation since it’s a rainy period and the stagnant water in tins and tyres and boxes which need to be disposed of can breed the virus. They said that was a matter of public health and Solid Waste. When we asked the Solid Waste Director for an update now, she refused to

let him speak. When we ask questions, she doesn’t allow the engineer to answer them, so…I refused to sit in the meeting further and asked to be excused…,” Chase-Green explained.

She noted that it was after this that the meeting was adjourned. However, Sooba had a different version of what had transpired. According to her, it was Mayor Hamilton Green and Chase-Green who were disrespectful to her and caused the meeting to be adjourned.

She noted that Chase-

Green turned her back to her while reading a document and the Mayor refused to acknowledge her presence in the meeting as Town Clerk, while noting too that they had not placed the citizens affairs as priority.

“The meeting was conducted in a disorderly manner. It was a big joke. The Mayor’s mother-in-law, the Deputy Mayor and the Mayor himself were very abusive towards the Town Clerk. "

The acting Town Clerk also noted that it is now left up to her to find an alternative way of dealing with the issues at hand, so that they do not continue to affect the lives of Guyanese, particularly the citizens who are awaiting approvals of their building plans as the Council does not seem serious about them.

World Accreditation Day forum zeroes in on emergency efficiency

The Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS), in a collaborative effort with the Guyana Energy Agency (GEA), hosted a symposium on Monday at the Pegasus Hotel in celebration of World Accreditation Day.

Though Accreditation Day has been celebrated internationally for some time now, this is the fourth year it has been recognised in Guyana. June 9 marks World Accreditation Day as a global initiative jointly established by the

turing and service sectors. Clement Duncan, a Director of Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA), spoke on the implications of energy in manufacturing and productivity. Al Donovan related the benefits of the ISO 50001 standard, which is based on the management system model of continual improvement also used for other well-known standards such as ISO 9001 or ISO 14001. This makes it easier for organisations to integrate energy management into

ly in cutting down on the amount of energy that is used on a daily basis, like painting roofs white so they reflect the heat, causing buildings to remain cooler and the air conditioning unit not to work too hard.

International standards

Accreditation is the independent assessment by an authoritative body of conformity of organisations against recognised national and international standards, to carry out specific activities in order to ensure

the harnessing of energy. Additionally, the number of households and businesses using energy will continue to increase as the world becomes more industrialised.

As the demand for energy grows, methods for harnessing, storing, and sharing energy need to be enhanced. There is vast pressure on all responsible parties to execute these methods immediately. However, it is in the best interest of the majority to confirm that these methodologies are safe.

International Accreditation Forum (IAF) and International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) to raise awareness of the importance of accreditation-related activities. This year’s theme, “Delivering Confidence in the provision of Energy”, focuses on accreditation’s role in doing such that.

Energy management

The GNBS is the accreditation focal point for Guyana, since Guyana does not have an actual accreditation body. The GNBS facilitates the process by sensitising the local stakeholders and businesses on accreditation and accreditation-related activities.

At the seminar, Horace Williams kicked off the presentations by relating the benefits of energy-efficient buildings to the manufac-

Unidentified man found dead with stab wounds

An unidentified man was found wounded along the East Coast Demerara Public Road with suspected stab wounds about his body.

According to information reaching Guyana Times, the man was found along the Ogle Public Road in a semiconscious state sometime around 20:30h. His bicycle

was also found besides him. The man was subsequently rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he succumbed about an hour later while in the theatre undergoing treatment.

Ranks from the Sparendaam Station were at the hospital up to late Monday evening trying to identify the man.

This newspaper understands that a boy had seen the unidentified man, along with another man in the vicinity of the traffic light at Ogle, when the latter person pulled out a knife and stabbed the former.

The man then collapsed and was seen by a passerby, who rushed him to the hospital.

their overall efforts to improve quality and environmental management.

GEA Executive Director, Dr Mahender Sharma lobbied for the use of energyefficient products in the homes and workplaces.

Dr Sharma also spoke of new energy-saving devices available on the market, like the “sun-pipe” for instance, which is a physical structure used for transporting or distributing natural or artificial light for the purpose of illumination.

In his presentation, he also advised consumers not to purchase devices because they are inexpensive because it is quite likely that some of the most inefficient products are usually the cheapest.

Dr Sharma also gave the listeners energy-saving tips that will help great-

their integrity, impartiality, and competence.

Because of this process, governments and private sector procurers and consumers can have confidence in the calibration and test results, inspection reports, and certifications provided in the provision of energy.

This year will focus on the role that accreditation plays in providing confidence in the provision of energy. Energy provision encompasses attempts to meet the needs of the world’s current population without negatively influencing future generations.

First, it is imperative to reflect on the importance of energy provision. Energy is an oft-overlooked necessity for daily tasks and activities. Society has grown heavily dependent on the convenience and luxury that is obtained through

Subpoenaing

In matters relating to former Assistant Police Commander Cecil “Skip” Roberts and his participation in the CoI at this stage, Hanoman related that it would be very immature for him to do so, since there will hardly be anything for him to defend.

He said it is only right that other witness who have evidence against him to take the stand first before he does. A few witnesses have already implicated the former

Regulators are tasked with the efficient provision of energy as well as ensuring the safety of their end users. This is accomplished in part by requiring accreditation of laboratories, inspection bodies, and certification bodies.

Accreditation provides peace of mind and assurance to both business and consumers that conformity assessment bodies against national and international standards have verified the products and services they are using in daily life.

The ongoing work of the IAF and ILAC as the appointed authorities, with which accreditation bodies comply, provides additional reassurance and confidence that transcend frontiers and the subsequent acceptance of accredited certification in multiple markets, based on one accreditation.

witnesses...

Police Chief, claiming that he was at the helm of the surveillance of the Working People’s Alliance (WPA).

PNC Attorney Basil Williams had on Friday upbraided the Commission, pointing out that the witness had traveled from the US to testify.

Hanoman said it would have been unwise for any witness from any where to appear at the CoI to testify without a written witness statement. He had al-

ready indicated that Cecil Roberts have not yet tendered any statement to the Commission. The Walter Rodney Commission of Inquiry was set up to investigate the death of Dr Walter Anthony Rodney, who was killed on June 13, 1980, when a bomb, planted in a walkie-talkie device exploded in his lap. The second sitting of the inquiry ended last Friday. The next session is scheduled to begin on June 23.

From right, Horace Williams of the Office of the Prime Minister; GMSA Director Clement Duncan; GEA Executive Director, Dr Mahender Sharma and Al Donovan of the Guyana National Bureau of Standards

Deputy Mayor Patricia Chase-Green

Acting Town Clerk Carol Sooba

Health Ministry trains 31 staff in Information Technology

Thirty-one staffers at-

tached to the Health Ministry graduated on Monday after undergoing a six-week training programme on Information Technology.

The training programme began on April 11 and ran until May 22. The participants, among them nurses, doctors, medics, Patient Care Assistants (PCAs) and even a driver, were all trained in seven computer programmes including Powerpoint and Excel. A small graduation ceremony was held for the participants at the Health Ministry

during which they were presented with certificates.

The Ministry’s Chief Nursing Officer, Tarmattie Barker, told the graduates that this initiative aims to build the capacity of the work force at all levels within the entity. Barker stated that the Ministry is investing in the training of healthcare workers so that they can be more efficient and improve their work. “This is an investment in knowledge,” she told the graduates. The Chief Nursing Officer further urged the graduates to share the knowledge they have ac-

quired and put it into practice as much as they can.

The training programme was facilitated by Sattie Miller, who stated that she was proud to conduct the training with the group. She noted that it was not easy at the beginning to deal with all the persons from the different sectors; however, the process got easier as everyone had one common goal of learning to use the computer.

The participants expressed their gratitude to the Ministry for providing the opportunity to expand their skills and knowledge.

PI for drug store owner’s murder begins

The Preliminary Inquiry into the murder of the owner of a popular drugstore on Robb Street, Harold Rachpaul, began on Monday, with relatives of the deceased testifying against the accused.

Orin Roberts was charged with the murder after a fin-

gerprint found at the murder scene was identified as his by the Automated Fingerprinting Identification System.

The 84-year-old proprietor of Rachpaul Drug Store was found by his son and grandson in August of 2011 strangled and wrapped in a

bedsheet in his apartment, located behind his Robb Street, Lacytown drug store he had operated for close to 50 years.

The PI continues at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts before Chief Magistrate Priya SewnarineBeharry.

OPR concludes hands-burning probe

The Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) has completed investigations into the allegation made by Junior Thornton of Annandale, East Coast Demerara, that he was burnt on his hands by ranks while in custody at the Sparendaam Police Station.

In a statement, Police said that the file in the matter was submitted to the Police Complaints Authority Chairman on Monday morning for his review and recommendations.

This latest case comes on the heels of the 15-year-old Georgetown youth, who was allegedly shot to the mouth by a Police officer after being dragged from his home. The officer is expected to make a court appearance on Monday.

The teenager Thorrington is still in the Burns Unit of the Georgetown Public Hospital, nursing second degree burns to both of his hands.

The incident reportedly occurred between May 25

and May 27, while he was in custody at the Sparendaam Police Station, East Coast Demerara.

The young man was reportedly taken into Police custody for loitering and was later accused of being a member of a gang that had committed a robbery.

According to information received, the teenager, who is not mentally sound, lives with his grandmother and would normally take little strolls in the community.

It was reported that after spending a few days in cus-

The world gets windy

On 15 June, in more than 80 countries around the world, wind energy would be put in the spotlight in observance of Global Wind Day. This day plays a central role in contributing to the Sustainable Energy For All initiative by galvanising much-needed support for the wind energy industry from political leaders around the globe. No doubt, at the centre of the global conversation on that day, would be the goal of doubling renewable energy by 2030.

Increasing wind energy use

The proportion of the wind energy in the global energy mix continues to increase, so much so that it is projected that with the right policy support, wind power supply to industry will, by next year, double from its 2012 levels. At present, wind power is sold commercially in 75 countries with 21 of them having more than 1000 megawatts (MW) installed; this is more than 30 times what it was in 1997 when the Kyoto Protocol was signed.

With the current proportion of wind energy in the global energy mix, carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions will be reduced by up to 1.5 billion tonnes per annum, saving billions of litres of precious freshwater, and contributing to energy security and price stability in countries around the world; but for wind power and other renewables to reach their full potential, governments need to act.

Benefits of wind energy

Wind energy is one of the cleanest, most environmentally-friendly and cost competitive energy sources. It is fast to deploy and consumes no freshwater to generate electricity. It is believed that renewable energy is the path to a more secure, reliable and sus- tainable energy future for all. However, to enable this we must employ all our partnerships, knowledge, and technology to utilise our abundant renewable resources. Wind power with its geographical diversity and established technologies, is an essential source of renewable energy.

Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), governments need to start “a radical transformation of the world into a low-carbon economy to stand a chance of staying below the internationally-agreed, maximum two-degree Celsius temperature rise”. She added that “the extensive and scaled-up deployment of wind energy and other forms of renewable energy needs to play a central role in this transformation. By providing the right conditions and incentives, policy-makers at all levels can harness the potential of the wind sector, whilst ensuring its environmental integrity. This can in turn provide a policy impetus for stronger climate action all round at national and international level, including in the negotiations towards a new 2015 global climate agreement”.

Guyana’s low-carbon path

Guyana is firmly on a low-carbon path, as articulated in its Low Carbon Development Strategy. At this point in our development, we have chosen to utilise our most available and critical forest resources to steer us along this path. With more than 75 per cent forest cover, our country intends to continue its sustainable use of our forests to mitigate climate change. Renewable energy in the form of hydroelectric energy is one of our key approaches for the future. This would be adequately supplemented by solar energy and wind energy to increase the proportion of renewables in our national energy mix.

Global Wind Day activities

tody, he was subsequently discharged and it was then it was discovered that both of his hands were badly burnt.

During interrogation, the Police rank allegedly put methylated spirits on the teen’s hands, and set them on fire. The rank involved reportedly offered the teen an undisclosed sum of money to settle the matter, but the offer was refused.

Relatives of the tortured teen subsequently met with top ranks of the Guyana Police Force, who condemned the alleged act.

Looking at the benefits of wind energy on an economic front – US$630 billion was spent in 2012 on fossil fuel subsidies globally. If these (subsidies) were even partially redirected, the goal of doubling the global wind energy supply/installation would be achieved and help to create millions of jobs, clean our air, and address the crisis of global climate change.

Wind energy provides a solution to some of the most critical challenges we face today: climate change and freshwater scarcity. The power sector is the single largest contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions, and is also one of the largest consumers of freshwater. Wind energy produces no carbon dioxide and consumes no water.

Wind energy critical to fight climate change

According to Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary of the United

Global Wind Day is a day for discovering the power of wind energy; it gives people the opportunity to learn about the technology and its benefits. Events organised around the world include wind farm visits, open air concerts and public debates, boat trips, video contests, and comic workshops – all giving a chance to find out why wind energy is good for both our economy and our climate.

Global Wind Day is jointly organised by the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) and the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), which coordinate a worldwide network of partners. This year’s new features include an international photo competition “Wind in Mind’’, Global Wind Day ambassadors, and a Global Wind Day video.

You can share your ideas and questions by sending letters to: “Our Earth, Our Environment”, C/O EIT Division, Environmental Protection Agency, Ganges Street, Sophia, Georgetown, or email us at: eit.epaguyana@gmail.com

The graduates along with the facilitator of the training, Sattie Miller

The burnt hand of Junior Thorrington

SUDOKU

The project you have in mind will end up being more difficult than you imagined. Don’t be deterred, but make sure that you can call in some assistance if needed.

By Bernice Bede Osol

(June 21July 22) (Jan. 20Feb. 19) (Dec. 22Jan. 19)

Erratic behaviour or unpredictable displays of emotion will damage your reputation at work. Keep a cool head on your shoulders and perform your tasks diligently and quietly.

You can gain a valuable perspective if you surround yourself with young people. Keep your plans flexible so you can be ready for any challenge that comes your way.

A family dispute will weigh heavily on your mind. Get together with the person causing the problem and go over the issues rationally. Your relationship will improve once you make amends.

(Aug. 23Sept. 22)

(July 23Aug. 22) (Feb. 20-March 20)

You are due for a dramatic change regarding how or where you live. A number of possibilities are waiting to be discovered. Take a trip to an intriguing destination.

(March 21-April 19)

You are full of energy, and nothing will hamper your abilities. The more ventures you take on, the more satisfaction you will receive as the day unfolds. A financial gain is apparent.

(April 20-May 20)

You’ll be feeling overworked and underappreciated. Consider taking a break. Getting together with a close friend will help you relax and forget your worries.

(May 21June 20)

It’s time to start living a healthier lifestyle. Let others discover how talented and resilient you are. Without being boastful, showcase what you can do when you’re properly motivated.

A friendship will escalate into a prosperous partnership. Gather as many allies as you can and formulate a plan that has the potential to yield mutual success.

(Sept. 23Oct. 23)

Even a small amount of your time can make a difference to someone in need. Volunteer your time and effort, but don’t forget that charity begins at home. Someone close to you may also need assistance.

(Oct. 24Nov. 22)

Your high energy will work in your favour today. Use your awesome creativity to move forward on the many projects you face. Don’t stop until you reach your destination.

(Nov. 23Dec. 21)

Legal, governmental or official matters should be dealt with swiftly. Be clear about your responsibilities, and complete documents or applications thoroughly. Sticking to rules and regulations will help you avoid setbacks.

Peanuts

Calvin and Hobbes

arCHie

dilbert

PPP/C calls on Sanasie to resign

By Rajiv Bisnauth

The governing People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) on Monday called for Secretary of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) and Guyanese Director on the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), Anand Sanasie, to resign following the recent decision made by the WICB, to remove the third Test match between West Indies and New Zealand, from Guyana.

During the party’s weekly press briefing at its Freedom House head quarters, General Secretary Clement Rohee indicated that Sanasie has proved he is of ‘no worth’ as a representative of the interest of the Guyanese players and cricket fans here.

“What is sad is the fact that the Guyana director (Mr Sanasie) sat on the WICB meeting either silently or voiced his support for the decision to remove the

Test match from Guyana”.

“This is a kind of character, who wants to manage Guyana’s cricket when they are willing to sell their soul to remain relevant and in change of the sport in Guyana,” Rohee said.

Explanation

Further the party called on the WICB to instantly reverse its decision and return the Test match to its original venue.

The PPP/C also called on the WICB President and

the WICB to explain to the Guyanese people and more so the Caribbean, the real reason for the withdrawal of the game from Guyana and in whose interest this decision was taken, certainly not in the interest of cricket.

The game was scheduled to be played at the Guyana

National Stadium from June 26 to 30.

This is the second time in three years the WICB has pulled a Test from the

Guyana National Stadium because of what they claimed political interference. In 2012, the third Test against Australia was moved to Windsor Park in Dominica.

Also, Regional FirstClass games scheduled for Guyana that year were relocated to Dominica.

“Cricket is owned by the people of the Caribbean and as Guyanese we are entitled for the opportunity to see our players play at the

highest level,” Rohee pointed out.

The WICB and Guyana Government have not been able to find a mutually agreeable resolution pertaining to the Cricket Administration Bill; hence the Test match was relocated.

The WICB said it has seri-

ous reservations that the Cricket Administration Bill, which was passed in the Guyana National Assembly

on May 15, thrusts the administration of cricket in Guyana from an independent body to the government of Guyana. This the WICB views as undesirable and inconsistent with International Cricket Council tenets.

The WICB sought an undertaking from President Donald Ramotar that the bill not be signed into law until these matters are resolved.

The board gave its commitment that once Ramotar provided such an undertaking all arrangements in Guyana will be kept in place.

The WICB has not received such an undertaking from Ramotar, and, as a consequence, the WICB said it is left with no option but to relocate the third Test between West Indies and New Zealand from Guyana.

The third Test will now be played at the Kensington Oval, Barbados.

Old Fort win Bryden’s Classic

– GCC Tigers clinch female nail-biter

for the Cadets to open the scoring at 1-0.

Jonathan Roberts provided some heroics in the final minute of the championship encounter against the Cadets to win the Bryden’s Classic 4-3 on Saturday at the National Gymnasium.

From the onset both teams showed attacking intent, looking for the right passes for the best opportunity to score.

However, in the eight minute of the game Aroydy Branford got a crowded shot on goal and made it count

Roberts came on strong in the closing minutes of the first half to equalize after the defence of the Cadets broke down with their communication allowing a clear shot from Roberts in the 17th minute.

On resumption of the second half Branford struck again in the 22nd minute with a much clearer shot than he had in the first half to put Cadets up 2-1 before the defence of the Cadets gave away a penalty shot that Roberts slotted away

easily to equalize in the 30th minute.

Six minutes later Roberts would put Old Fort ahead for a 3-2 lead that many thought was the game winner in the 36th minute only for Jamari Assanah to reply with an equalizer in the 38th minute.

Cadets would fail to hold their composer on the defencive end following the ball which allowed Roberts to free himself for a wide open shot in front of goal in the 39th minute that sealed the win.

Meanwhile in the female encounter earlier in the evening Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) Tigers played to a nil-all stalemate against their club mates, GCC Spice. Tigers always looked on the verge of scoring only to squander their opportunities or have it blocked by phenomenal effort after another by Spice’s goalkeeper Alysa Xavier.

However, when it mattered most Xavier could not keep the one penalty strike that gave the Tigers the win

out of the net, the penalty round ended 1-nil.

In the second division tournament, Hikers Hockey Club defeated Old Fort ‘A’ 3-2 in the final of the tournament.

Old Fort ‘A’ struck with

two quick blows in the opening minutes of the second division final to go up 2-0 with goals in the fourth and ninth minutes from D. McCalmont and T. Cole respectively.

Just on halftime Travon

President Donald Ramotar

WICB President Dave Cameron

PPP General Secretary Clement Rohee

GCB Secretary Anand Sanasie

By tReiston joseph

Younge scored in 20th minute before Leon Bacchus replied in 24th minute. Younge in the 30th minute notched his second goal that would complete the comeback victory for the Hikers club.

The women's team poses for a photo

Some of the action during the men’s final (Treiston Joseph photos)

Stag Beer/EBFA Division One League…

Wins for Soesdyke, Herstelling in latest play

Soesdyke Falcons and Herstelling FC recorded contrasting wins as round two action in the Stag Beer sponsored East Bank Football Association (EBFA) Division One League got off to an exciting start on Sunday at the Grove Playfield. In the feature game, Soesdyke Falcons outplayed Mocha Champs 4-0 to move second in the point standings behind leaders Grove Hi Tech. It was Mocha Champs eighth loss in as many matches and Soesdyke’s sixth win from eight matches. The day’s opening encounter produced a big upset as the ever-improving Hesterlling FC defeated Kuru Kururu Warriors 4-3 in a pulsating contest. The young Herstelling side featured a number of Under-17 players, who came from a goal down to record another big win.

As a matter of fact, it was bumper weekend for Under-17 player Cion Alfred, who followed up his hat-trick in their Under-17 win over Soesdyke Falcons, with another hat-trick, this time against the accomplished Warriors, former Division One champs on the East Bank.

Smooth sailing

It was virtually smooth sailing for the Falcons against Mocha Champs still searching for the winning formula in this league. Roger Dey sent Soesdyke ahead in the third minute of the game. For a moment it seemed the margin

of victory would have been a large one, but Mocha did their best to put up a fight despite lacking the required venom in the attacking third that would have rattled the Soesdyke defenders.

Orin Tasher converted a double (38th and 56th minutes) to increase the advantage, effectively putting the game way beyond Mocha. The icing was put on the cake in the 77th minute, compliments of Dwayne Dellon. The win took Timehri to 18 points the same as Grove, but the latter has a better goal difference with a game less.

The tone for an enthralling second round was set by Herstelling in the first game when they took on their much more experienced counterparts Kuru Kururu Warriors in a game that the pundits would have predicted would have gone to Warriors hands down.

But that was not to be as the Herstelling lads turned up to the party with different intentions. It was Kuru Kururu who struck first, Allen Oslend firing them into the lead with just six minutes on the clock. Not contented with a one goal cushion cognisant that Herstelling would not have been no pushovers, Kuru Kururu Warriors doubled the lead 15 minutes on when Cordell Johnson rocked the back of the nets.

Rather than allowing the momentum that the Warriors built to affect their focus, Herstelling kept on probing at Kuru Kururu and with the game 34 minutes old, Herstelling

Haniff takes crown mining golf title

The weather may have been inclement, but the spirits of the 35 golfers who teed-off on Saturday’s Crown Mining inaugural sponsored golf tournament were nothing but soaring as they relished the joy of winning and receiving one of the 10 trophies, plus a two-cart trolley and two topflite putters that were up for grabs.

tournament, carrying away three prizes- Longest Drive, Nearest to the Pin, and Overall Winner- indicated that he is determined to improve his game and will try to produce even better scores than his gross 79, which with his handicap of 12, caused him to be overall winner of the Crown Mining tournament, with a net of 67.

Webster was the top female with gross 99 and net 72 (from a handicap of 27). Joann Deo, who grossed 95 and netted 73, (from handicap 22) was second.

Crown Mining Managing Director, Pur Persaud, who himself was a golfer in the competition, expressed his pleasure at being associated with golf as a sponsor.

scored their first goal through O’neil Sharp, another Under-17 player.

That goal brought back much needed energy to the Herstelling forward line and there was no turning back. Seon Alfred took over the show from there on in for his side. He netted the first of his three in the 37th minute to level the scores. The halftime whistle sounded with the scores level and the adrenalin on both sides pumping.

If one were to predict a winner, experience would have been one of the criteria used, but this time it was not required as youth ran away with the prize. Just one minute into the second half, Herstelling assumed the lead for the first time in the game when Alfred netted his second goal.

And to show that they really meant business he blasted the back of the nets one minute later as Herstelling doubled the lead. It was a ding-dong battle as the Warriors called on every bit of experience to pull them out of trouble, they were able to pull one back in the 60th minute when Nigel Bennett inked his name on the score sheets.

While the Warriors made two changes as they tried to negate the Herstelling lads, their opponents played with an unchanged unity for the entire game. Herstelling moved into sixth place ahead of Diamond, while the Warriors remained in fifth behind Agricola.

It turned out that the overall winner was Fazil Haniff, alias ‘That’s it’, a player with some 15 years experience in competitive golf, and winner of first to third places more than 10 times in his career. At one time, he was the second best player of the year of the Lusignan Golf Club

“The competition was very keen, and despite the conditions the players were able to produce great golf, but I played a very good game today [Saturday],” he said about his win.

Haniff, who several years ago won a KFC sponsored

Overall second place winner was Mike Mangal with gross 77 and net 68 (from a handicap of 11), while third place went to reigning Guyana Open champion, young Avinda Kishore, with a gross of 72 and net of 68 (from a handicap of four).

Kishore’s gross 72 was an amazing, and won him the best gross prize. He also won the Longest Drive prize, just tipping female winner Shanella Webster who, until Kishore’s last hole play, was leading as the Longest Drive golfer for the day. Brian Hackett with gross 91 and net 69 (from a handicap of 26) was fourth.

“It was an enjoyable day’s play. The golfers’ turnout was very good and it was a pleasure sponsoring the tournament. Crown Mining is committed to repeating this sponsorship next year, and hopes to have even more players from Crown Mining involved in the game,” he said.

Lusignan Golf Club VicePresident, Archbishop Dr Philbert London, who also participated in the day’s play, commended the players on their keen competition despite the weather conditions, and also praised them for the high positive interaction among players.

swimming going nowhere…

By TreisTon Joseph

Swimming is viewed as the sport that gives all the muscles within the body a full work out unlike any other sport in the world.

Yet the fact that the majority of mainstream swimmers in Guyana comes from the junior category speaks of one alarming fact; the sport is being used as a means of recreation by its participants and not necessarily for its competitive benefits.

While the juniors are competitive among themselves, the fact that Nail Roberts is basically the only legitimate senior that swims adds to the premise that the sport is not taken seriously by those involved.

As recent as the club championship in April, most of the competition was made up junior rivalry which was dominated by Dorado Speed Swim Club.

So with so many juniors in the sport, why hasn’t the sport produced more seniors since the days of poster boy Earlando McRae who attempted a comeback late last year?

It’s the simple fact that

plagues all sporting disciplines in Guyana; there is basically nothing in it for those who participate.

Further, unlike sporting disciplines such as athletics and boxing, the margin to qualify for major games are a bit tougher, making the motivation factor to continue especially at the senior level a bit on the low end.

Adding to the fact that meets for swimmers especially seniors are few and far between, the motivational factor drops even lower.

With the addition of the National Aquatic Centre, one would have thought that the quality of swimmers would have improved yet Guyana’s best in Roberts remains at the same level he was at in 2012 when he competed at the London Olympics.

The president of the Guyana Amateur Swimming Association (GASA) Ivan Persaud stood at the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) open forum and spoke diligently about the science of the sport yet Persaud’s sport remains in abyss while he toils with ridding football of its leader.

In addition, it is of the

opinion that for Guyana to produce quality swimmers while the science of the sport is needed, those involved must show vested interest in moving their juniors and youths from one stage to the next; therefore building their pool of swimmers for international events.

Guyana has never won at the Inter Guiana Games (IGG) a junior competition at that which happens to be a foundation level for most rising athletes, basketball players, footballers and even cyclist all of which has had their glory days.

This speaks clearly of the lack of development, competition and possibly talent within the sport.

Further it is of the opinion that Persaud re-group and focus on making swimming the spectacle it is suppose to be instead of having the grace of a beautiful sport die at the hands of his neglect.

Maybe if development can be seen, the junior swimmers might see it fit to transition to the next level where the possibility of achieving is an actual possibility.

Overall winner Fazil Haniff (standing fourth from tight) with the other top performers and representatives of Crown Mining

Part of the action during the latest round of matches

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Windies begin huge run chase after second day

West Indies were one wicket away from having a crack at New Zealand’s tail during the morning session of the second day at Sabina Park. They did not take it for 60.3 overs. The visitors’ last line of recognised batsmen, allrounder Jimmy Neesham and wicketkeeper BJ Watling, took advantage of tiring bowlers and a placid pitch to put on 201 runs for the sixth wicket, and all but erase West Indies’ hopes of winning Chris Gayle’s 100th Test.

Neesham was the first to attempt an aggressive approach on a sluggish surface and his methods made him the ninth batsman to score hundreds in his first two Tests. His partnership with Watling - complied at 3.32 an over - was the fastest of the match, discounting the flurry from Tim Southee as New Zealand declared on 508 for 7 late in the day. The turnaround in tempo was remarkable, for New Zealand had scored only 59 in the first session for the loss of Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor and Brendon McCullum.

Gayle, who had last bowled in a Test since November 2012, but had no luck.

After scoring 129 runs in the second session, New Zealand were slow initially after tea. Neesham was approaching his century and eventually got there with graceful cover-drives off Benn and Jerome Taylor. His average after three Test innings was 138.50.

His partner Watling was so adept at scoring behind and square of the wicket that he had got to 72 without scoring a single run in the V. He then pushed one to mid-on, before charging Shillingford and hitting him for a straight six. Watling’s success through point and square leg was an indication of the shorter lengths West Indies bowled to him. The quicks Taylor and Kemar Roach, in particular, had flagged after probing first spells.

Neesham’s attempt at slogging after his century was short-lived; he was caught be-

hind off Benn for 107. West Indies finally had their breakthrough but got hit around by Southee until Watling holed out to deep midwicket and the declaration came.

The morning had been so different for the home side. They had controlled the run rate and taken crucial wickets. Williamson had overestimated the turn and shouldered arms to a delivery from Benn, only to hear his off stump take a hit. Williamson had been so good at leaving the fast bowlers, but eventually added only 8 to his overnight score.

New Zealand were still in a healthy position at 259 for 3 but they lost their most experienced batsmen quickly. Shortly after reaching his fifty, Taylor chipped a flighted delivery from Shillingford straight to midwicket. In the next over, Benn got one to spin and bounce sharply on McCullum; the ball took the outside edge and bounced off Ramdin’s chest towards first slip, where Gayle took the catch. New Zealand had slipped to 279 for 5.

Neesham and Watling methodically batted out the remainder of the session, giving little indication of the dominance they would exert for the remainder of the day. West Indies’ openers, Gayle and Kieran Powell, had nine overs of flat-out intensity to negotiate from New Zealand’s bowlers. Powell was lucky to survive, when he edged Tim Southee to third slip where Peter Fulton put down a simple catch. Gayle had no such scares, and it is him that most fans will flock to watch on Tuesday, hoping for a memorable innings in his 100th Test. (Cricinfo)

7111/622-7097.

There were shots played after lunch, which was a drastic change from New Zealand’s morning. Watling was strong square of the wicket, cutting and pulling, while Neesham’s preferred region was between long-off and wide long-on. Early in the session, he stepped out and hit Suliemann Benn flat over the fielder at mid-on.

A standout feature of Neesham’s innings was his inclination to use his feet on this slow pitch. He stepped out twice to hit Shane Shillingford over the straight boundary for the innings’ first sixes in the 138th over, and continued advancing against Shillingford and Marlon Samuels, targeting the wide long-on boundary. Neesham passed 50 off 103 balls and then accelerated, getting to 100 off 159.

Between the boundaries, Neesham and Watling rotated strike comfortably, taking advantage of fatigued fielders. With Benn and Shillingford having bowled more than 40 overs each, West Indies captain Denesh Ramdin turned to Chris

55

McCullum* c Gayle b Benn 7 JDS Neesham c †Ramdin b Benn 107

Watling† c Powell b Shillingford 89

Southee not out 21

(b 19, lb 6, w 5, nb 2) 32 Total (7

ov), 3-259 (Williamson, 103.3 ov), 4-277 (Taylor, 110.2 ov), 5-279 (McCullum, 111.3 ov), 6-480 (Neesham, 171.6 ov), 7-508 (Watling, 174.3 ov)

WaNteD Driving

Jimmy Neesham celebrates his second hundred in his third test

22

SportEditor Letter to the

ICC recognizes the role of government in cricket

Dear Editor,

As an ardent cricket fan and lover, I could not avoid noticing Dr Rupert Roopnarine’s reassurance to the public, published in the Guyana Times, that the Guyana Cricket Administration Bill is not directed at any attempt at taking over cricket in Guyana.

However, I wish to go further than the learned Parliamentarian to say that the International Cricket Council (ICC) recognizes the significant government’s role in a nation’s cricketing affairs, while the Bill is an attempt to streamline the current apocalypse-like scenario currently facing Guyana’s cricket, which includes ridding the Constitution of phantom clubs, locating ‘stolen’ assets of the Board, providing economic viability to cricket in Guyana, and albeit limiting government’s involvement!

One of the major problems with Guyana’s cricket is the issue of phantom clubs, something which the new Constitution of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) will address. Like the problems some countries have had, for instance Guyana, with the Official List of Electors (Voters List) for National Elections, it is the clubs of a country which are considered the voters, used to determine who represents the electorate on various Boards, such as Association Boards, County boards and National Boards, like the GCB.

However, what has been happening in some of the current County and Association Boards, phantom clubs have propped up,

giving some Associations and County boards extra votes, which are proportionally attributed for voting at the GCB level.

So for instance, in areas such as East Bank Demerara and West Coast Demerara, where very little cricket is played and very few clubs are in existence, the number of clubs listed remain questionable, leading these Association Boards to ‘phantomize’ their numbers to gain extra votes and capture their various associations, county boards (such as the Demerara Board which has a similar dispute) and the GCB.

The new Constitution which the WICB and the GCB are fighting tooth and nail to avoid definitively declared war on phantom clubs, thereby eliminating the chances of skullduggery, which could see the lieutenants who have managed to currently capture the GCB, lose their stranglehold on Guyana’s cricket and avoid the cartel-like force to destroy the GCB.

Another misconception bandied about with regard to this Bill, is the issue of the missing assets. One would recall from the media, during the time of the IMC, one lieutenant, a senior member, of the GCB along with others, constituted a private company, named DEB, to strip GCB assets and co-opt them in this private company to goodness knows do what with them!

So any possible requisitioning of assets by way of the Guyana Cricket Administration Bill would be to basically carry out a search and rescue operation aimed at restoring the

cricket assets of this country into a transparent and accountable body, given that most if not all the assets are now ‘missing’ and wrapped up in a private company.

If it is true that one WICB Director is part owner of the DEB Company, can you imagine the far reaching consequences of corruption in the WICB in the Caribbean? The assets issue in the Bill therefore is no longer a moot point!

Much has also been tossed around about Government’s role in the cricketing operations at the country level, via this Bill. In fact the WICB has touted governments’ intervention in the GCB as its key pillar for rejecting the normalization and regularization of cricket in Guyana.

The WICB gets by with its propaganda owing to skillful use of the media, artful deception, and the use of a now outdated, June 2011 ICC directive, that “the ICC has given its member boards two years to become democratized and free from government and political interference in a bid to improve governance within the game”.

The WICB has attempted to wave this wand to captivate anti-government sentiment across the region with the hope of gaining mileage and incremental leverage on the business of cricket in the Caribbean through its syndicated operation.

However, what the WICB has poisonously hidden from the limelight and the public domain is even before expiration of the timeline for compliance, at its subsequent Annual Conference in November

2012, the ICC publicly indicated that it was reviewing its stance against government involvement in the administration of cricket of its members.

While acknowledging that “removal of government interference had been one of the Woolf report recommendations approved by the ICC”, President Alan Isaac said the ICC had recognized the role governments played in developing cricket in several countries and is rethinking its position.

Isaac is quoted as saying: “In the ICC (June 2011) Annual Conference, we made some changes and introduced some onerous penalties if they [issues related to government interference] are not complied with,” Isaac said in Dhaka.

“In the last meeting (November 2012), we discussed the issues and the realities are we need to reflect on perhaps the draconian nature of some of those requirements. In this part of the world and lots of other countries, quite honestly, cricket and other sports depend on the government. We are having a little bit of post-change review.”

The world governing council, none less than the ICC, has duly discredited the WICB/GCB’s fallacious arguments.

What however remains controversial is how could individuals of an association, such as the GCB in Caricom be allowed to commandeer the assets its organization, and without impunity? It is understood that one of the owners of DEB is in fact a Director of the WICB!

Given that the WICB, as

a privately registered company residing in Antigua, has effectively issued shares to the GCB, making the GCB part of its syndicate-like arrangement, now runs amok in Caricom through this diabolical plot of asset transfer, adding to a range of questionable dealings, it is unimaginable that the Caricom Competition Commission (CCC), based in Suriname, has sat idly by, with all of its investigative powers, without even conducting a cursory inquiry into the operational mechanisms of this anti-competitive company.

What many of the GCB and WICB lieutenants have also avoided to mention is that less international cricket has been played in Guyana ever since the current GCB executives took over the managing of cricket in Guyana a few years ago, indicative of cricket being played on the West Bank, East Bank and West Coast of Demerara and Essequibo, where the large crop of current GCB administrators represent.

Guyana last held a Test match in 2011, a remarkable achievement for persons in the GCB wanting to hold power just for the sake of doing so, to derive all the economic benefit for them and develop the longer former of the game in Guyana.

Regional matches, whenever they are played in Guyana suffer from record worst attendances, lowest attendances in the history of cricket in Guyana. The last four-day game in Guyana saw no more than 100 persons attending each day. Cricket

died the day the current executives set foot in the GCB.

It is clear the vested interest of those running cricket are only in this business of running cricket to benefit a few. The Pegasus Hotel benefits from the lion share of accommodation each time cricket is held in Guyana, as admitted by the owner.

With the limited staff at the Cricket Board›s Headquarters in Regent Street, it is easy to conclude that multiple private contracts are handed out for such services, without public tendering and one can only assume what happens to some of the other services, such as the provision of transportation, manning of the entrances to the stadium, security, provision of meals, arranging VIP privileges, among other logistical arrangements.

From the analysis above, one can easily conclude that none of the current lieutenants of the GCB seem interested in preserving cricket or developing the game but only in protecting their incestuous business deals.

The President needs to therefore urgently assent this bill into law, and carry out the statutes stipulated therein, one of which includes the joint appointment (both the Minster and the WICB!) of an ombudsman to carry out the election process.

Organizations and individuals who remain staunchly opposed to this process are clearly pursuing personal agendas of power and corruption.

Sincerely,

Jewan Persaud

GKRS strengthens partnership with Hikers

In an era where sponsorship is hard to come by, Grace Kennedy

Remittance Services (GKRS), through Western Union, continues to demonstrate its benevolence towards the sporting fraternity by offering its unflinching support.

At a simple ceremony at its Water Street location on Monday morning, the company renewed its alliance with the Hikers Hockey Club, for the sixth year in succession. Representing the company were Marketing Manager Natheeah Mendonca and Marketing Assistant Nadine LuthersWilliams, while the club was represented by coach Robert Fernandes and

players Nicole Eastman, Robert Brummell, Leon Bacchus and Tekeisha DeLeon.

The money transfer agency has pumped $300,000 into the club, a sponsorship package that will go towards the purchase of the team’s official Western Union branded uniforms and to offset the team’s travel to Trindad and Tobago in November to compete in the Magnolias International Indoor tournament.

“Grace Kennedy is proud of these players, who, from the inception have shown their determination and commitment to the success of their team and displayed that at many tournaments they

participated in both locally and abroad,” a statement from the company read. Fernandes said the club is particularly pleased to once again receive support from GKRS and Western Union. A statement from Hikers read: “The partnership with Western Union has been instrumental in the development of some of Guyana’s top junior players. This year, three members, who benefitted from this partnership since 2010- Jamarj Assanah, Andrew Stewart and Aroydy Branfordwere instrumental in helping the national Men’s team win Bronze at the Indoor Pan American Cup in Montevideo, Uruguay.”

Marketing Manager Natheeah Mendonca (third right) with some members of the Hikers Hockey Club, including coach Robert Fernandes (left) at the presentation ceremony (Photo: Avenash Ramzan)

National Sports Commission’s Board re-appointed

The Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport has announced that the National Sports Commission’s Board has been re-appointed. The re-appointment took place on March 1, 2014, as the services of the previous Board came to an end in February this year.

The current Board members include Conrad Plummer in the chairman’s seat and the

Ex-Officio Member is the Director of Sport, Neil Kumar. The other members are Vidushi Persaud, Peter Green, Alicia Fortune, Sean Richmond, Peter Abdool, Frank DeAbreu, Deputy Permanent Secretary Steve Ninvalle, Hector Edwards, Pradeep Balram and Cheryl Thompson.

A release from the Sport Ministry on Monday was quoted as saying, “All of these members bring with them skills and knowledge about a range of sport and legal matters regarding sport. This is important for the continued development and promotion of sport in Guyana. The re-appointment of this Board is consistent with the National Sports Commission Act of 1993. The life of this current Board will come to an end on February 28,

2016.”

Profile of members

Conrad Plummer (Chairman) - Plummer represented the nation in field hockey, consistently from 1970-1982 and competed in numerous international tournaments, including the Pan-American Games. He has been an Executive Member of the Guyana Hockey Board thereafter until 1992, and served as

a Member and eventual Chairman of the National Sports Commission for many periods. He has a Diploma for Volunteerism from the International Olympic Committee. Plummer was also recognised by the Guyana Olympic Committee for his distinguished contribution to sport as a player and as an administrator. In 1997, he was awarded the Medal of Service by His Excellency, then President Janet Jagan, for his long and dedicated service in the field of banking.

Neil Kumar (ExOfficio Member, Director of Sport)- Kumar has been holding the position of Director of Sport for a several years, Member of Parliament, Justice of the Peace and Commissioner of Oaths.

Vidushi Persaud (Shooting/Squash)Persaud is an Attorneyat-Law in private practice at a Family Law Firm: Persaud and Associates. She was called to the Guyana Bar in 2001 and since then has been engaged in chambers’ practice and contentious civil proceedings in High Court and Magistrates’ Court, Criminal Practice in High Court and Magistrates’ Courts, settling security documents for banking clients, company law and is a trademark and patent agent. She enjoys and is involved with a number of various sports and in 2013 was appointed by the Guyana Government (Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport) as a Member of the National Sports Commission.

Peter Green (Rugby/ Powerlifting) - Green has

been involved in amateur powerlifting for the last six years and with rugby for a year now. In both disciplines, his efforts were aimed at developing and promoting the sport, and as a result teams representing Guyana have been able to compete nationally and internationally. With regards to powerlifting, Guyanese have competed at the Worlds, Pan American Games and Caribbean Championships. The most recent success in rugby was seen last Saturday when the Guyanese team defeated Trinidad and Tobago in a match to win the NACRA Southern Zone championship. Additionally, Guyana’s rugby team has moved up the international rating scale.

Alicia Fortune (Bodybuilding/Athletics)

- Fortune is probably the most athletic member on the National Sports Commission’s Board since she has a number of accolades under her belt. These include being a national bodybuilder, IAS level two coach, massage therapist, fitness trainer, Physical Education teacher, football referee. She also has numerous medals for her tenure as a sprinter (100 and 200 meter) and long distance.

Sean Richmond (Boxing) - Richmond has

been aTax Administration Officer for over 23 years and has provided significant scope and experience in the Administration and Implementation of Tax Legislation and Fiscal Policies. Informed by being integrally involved in the management of several Central and Regional Tax Offices through which these policies are administered, particular reference is made to specialised work done over 18 years at various departments of Customs and Trade Administration.

He also has substantial involvement in the transition of tax regimes, which realised the establishment and imposition of Value Added and Excise Tax Regimes in concert with Income Tax among others under the umbrella body of the Guyana Revenue Authority.

Peter Abdool (Boxing) - Abdool has functioned as the President of the Caribbean Boxing Federation, and the Guyana Boxing Board of Control. He is also a member of the Board of Governors of the World Boxing Council (WBC) and the Supreme Council of the World Boxing Council (WBC). Abdool is also the past President of the Rotary Club of Georgetown.

Frank DeAbreu (Football) - DeAbreu has

been involved in a variety of disciplines for many years, and believes that Guyana can produce gold medalists in boxing and swimming. This is so because of the vast development that has occurred over the years.

Steve Ninvalle (Boxing) - Ninvalle is the Deputy Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport. He was also a sport writer with Stabroek News and the President of the Guyana Boxing

Association and Vicepresident of the Alpha United Football Club.

HectorEdwards (GOA/Cycling) - Edwards has over nineteen (19) years of professional accomplishments in teaching and accounting at the national levels. His athletic credentials include his appearance as a cyclist from 1979 -1995. As a sport administrator, Edwards has and continues to perform duties in the Flying Stars Cycling Club, Guyana Cycling Federation, Amateur Athletics Association of Guyana, and the Guyana Olympic Association.

Dr Pradeep Balram (Table Tennis) - Dr Balram has over 20 of experience in the medical field, and aside from that he is also the Senior ViceChairman of the Guyana Table Tennis Association. Dr. Balram has been engaged in the Table Tennis administration for about four years now.

Cheryl Thompson (Cycling) - Thompson has been involved in cycling for a number of years as the President of the Guyana Cycling Federation. Under her patronage there has been an increase in the number of cycling meets and some of the cyclists have also been able to travel overseas to advance their skills.

Neil Kumar Vidushi Persaud Steve Ninvalle

Conrad Plummer

Alicia Fortune

Dr Pradeep Balram

Sean Richmond

Peter Abdool Frank DeAbreu

Peter Green Cheryl Thompson

Hector Edwards

PPP/C calls on Sanasie to resign

Seestory on page19

Old Fort win Bryden’s Classic

Banks DIH hails Queen Street-Tiger Bay

Team Guyana (Queen Street-Tiger Bay) came in for high praise for finishing second in the Guinness Caribbean Street Football Challenge played at the Jean Pierre Sports Complex in Trinidad and Tobago at the weekend. The Guyanese were edged out 2-1 by hosts Trinidad and Tobago (Chelsea) in the final Saturday night in a pulsating encounter.

Outdoor Events Manager of Banks DIH Limited, Mortimer Stewart, said the youthful team performed above expectation against the much seasoned Trinidad and Tobago side. He made the comments during an appreciation visit on Monday by the team to the head office of Banks DIH Limited, the local bottlers of Guinness. Stewart, a former na-

tional footballer, said the players have shown great potential and they should continue training as a unit for future competitions.

Communications Manager, Troy Peters, said there was a dubious call by the match official that resulted in the first goal scored by the Trinidadians, but he congratulated the team for an outstanding showing in the eight-team regional tournament. Peters said Banks DIH Limited and the Guinness family are very elated at the team’s success.

Guyana’s only lost came in the final after they had beaten St. Vincent and the Grenadines 2-1 in the semi-finals and also had wins against Dominica 3-1, St. Lucia 1-0 and St. Kitts 2-1. Antigua/Barbuda and Jamaica were the other com-

peting teams.

The Guyanese secured the second place trophy and US$2,000 prize, while Nickel Stoute placed third in the Skills competition to cap an outstanding weekend for the team. Trinidad and Tobago retained their title and captured a top prize of US$4,000.

The lads from Queen Street- Tiger Bay were chosen to represent Guyana at the eight-nation regional tournament following their win in the Guinness Greatest of the Streets National final at Demerara Park two Sundays ago.

The team members were Alpha Fletchman (captain), Ezekiel Gravesande (vicecaptain), Jeffrey Newton, James Meredith, Godfrey Powers, Stephen Alfred and Rensford Coleridge. Stoute

was the Skills competition representative.

The team was accompanied by Wayne Griffith (referee) and Lee Baptiste, Guinness Brand Manager.

The local contingent returned home Sunday evening.

The Guyana team with Lee Baptiste, Guinness Brand Manager, Mortimer Stewart, Outdoor Events Manager of Banks DIH and Referee Wayne Griffith

Old Fort poses with their trophychampionship at the presentation ceremony