Guyana Times Daily

Guyana Amazon P Warriors, Jamaica Tallawahs ready for tense encounter

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Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana Issue No. 2210 guyanatimesgy.com

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Saturday, August 2, 2014

Thousands celebrate Emancipation Day at National Park Pages 12 and 13

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WHAT'S INSIDE:

Shawn P2 Hopkinson: A model African entrepreneur If Caricom succeeds in reparations quest

Guyana P3 should pass on compensation to slave descendants – Professor Clive Thomas

Assuria opens office at Vreed- P10 en-Hoop

President Donald Ramotar celebrates Emancipation Day with these lads at the National Park on Friday (Carl Croker photo)

Man reportedly suffers heart attack, drives overboard Page 8

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GT&T launches mobile money service “Shop P11 n Go”

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saturday, august 2, 2014| guyanatimesGY.com

Shawn Hopkinson: A model African entrepreneur

By Svetlana Marshall

“H

uman progress is neither automatic nor inevitable. Every step towards the goal…requires sacrifice, suffering and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.”

These are the words of Martin Luther King Jr that inspired Shawn Hopkinson into becoming one of the wealthiest Afro-Guyanese in Guyana. At the age of 40, Hopkinson, a proud son of the soil has made his mark in the mining, hotel and real estate industries; owning more than 30 properties in Georgetown and Bartica, in addition to his well established gold mining firms.

According to him, his overwhelming success began with a humble beginning in the mineral rich community of Bartica, Region Seven. Growing up on Fifth Avenue, with his parents Allan and Norma Hopkinson, along with his four siblings, he developed an interest in the gold mining industry.

In an exclusive interview with Guyana Times, Hopkinson explained that it all started with his father who was an artisanal miner who capitalised on an array of gold mining techniques, such as water dredging, gravel pumping and land dredging at different stages of his career.

Like his brothers, Hopkinson wanted to follow in the footsteps of his father who in the 1980s had already made a name for himself through his close collaborations with pork-

Shawn Hopkinson

knockers who had journeyed from the East Coast of Demerara in search of mining opportunities. In addition to owning his own business, Hopkinson’s father had a number of mining claims that he leased.

Desire for entrepreneurship

But unlike his brothers, he had the innate desire to become an entrepreneur, breaking the monopoly his father had created within the family. Hence, after graduating from the Bartica Secondary School in the early 1990s with five subjects including a distinction in Mathematics, Hopkinson in 1992 started to selling fuel to miners who were operating in other parts of Region Seven. By 1994, he had garnered enough funds to purchase his own dredge where he started to mine for gold in Mahdia, Region Eight.

After spending two years in Mahdia, Hopkinson returned to Bartica in 1997 during a period when

Guyana was faced with El Nino. By 1998, he had moved his mining operation to Cuyuni, but instead of spiralling upwards, business for him hit rock bottom due to the lack of gold.

It was his next step that created the perfect path for him to develop himself into a well accomplished individual. “Quarter stone is where I started doing extremely well. I got deeper into mining.”

It was a time when he realised the importance of divesting, in an effort to sustain his mining operations, catering for “not so good days in the mining industry”. Open to advice, the young man at the time consulted with his father who encouraged him to purchase the New Modern Hotel on First Avenue, Bartica.

Can’t go wrong

“He said if you buy this hotel, you could never go wrong again. Those were his words,” Hopkinson said as he recalled the words of the then owner of the hotel.

Though he was not too familiar with the hotel industry, he branched out in hope when he purchased the hotel in October 2001, but it was not an easy task to uphold.

“I had a couple of bad patch, but having the mining presence that is what saved me because things were so bad that the bank could have foreclosed the hotel although I didn’t take a loan, but I had to take the proceeds from the mining and pump it into the hotel,” he explained.

Despite the many challenges that came his way,

Hopkinson was determined to be successful, hence, he launched into the Real Estate Industry to meet the growing demands of the housing sector. First, he purchased land and houses in Bartica before branching out to Georgetown, Region Four.

“I started buying properties, building apartments because you find a lot of people had wanted apartments and a lot of Brazilians had moved into Bartica, so when I established a firm base in Bartica, I said I need to spread out a little,” he explained.

By that time, he had purchased another hotel; Modern Suites, but this time in Georgetown, and experienced similar challenges as the case with his first hotel.

“I had to subsidise that hotel in order to sustain it, so clearly, that wasn’t the right type of business because I needed a place that will boom and bring in money, not spend on it.” As a result, he sold that hotel and purchased five properties on Regent Street, that are now being rented for commercial purposes.

In 2009, Hopkinson partnered with his younger brother Maurice to create Hopkinson Mining Company after which they developed Hopkinson Mining Security Firm.

Currently, they are working to launch Hopkinson Mining Logistics.

“That deals with transportation, but it is not fully up and running but will come on board very soon,” he told this newspaper.

Their offices are now located at Region Street and in Stevedore, Georgetown.

Reflecting on his business, Hopkinson said the hotel industry calls for massive investments that would see returns in the long run. However, he said the gold mining industry is very profitable, but calls for discipline.

“The first thing I applied was discipline, you must be disciplined and focused, once you are focused and discipline, then simply apply the principles of the business,” he urged.

Hopkinson, now 40, has been married to Coretta Ross Hopkinson for the past 12 years. Together, they have two daughters, Alexi and Atalia Hopkinson.(svetlanam@guyanatimesgy. com)

Think positively to stop suicide – Dharmic Sabha urges Essequibo Coast youths

A section of the youths at the summer camp

BY INDRAWATTIE NATRAM

Y

ouths on the Essequibo Coast were on Friday urged to think positive and always keep God in their hearts as these would help to stem the rise in suicide in the region.

Speaking at the Essequibo Dharmic Sabha Summer Camp held at the Affiance Vishnu Mandir, Vice President of the Essequibo Coast Praant Parmanand Singh urged the youths to think positively and educate themselves on ways of solving problems, including suicide.

Singh said taking one’s life is not the way out to escape problems. He said the Almighty has given life to people to do good and not to harm themselves.

He told the youths to relate their problems to someone they trust, so that they can be properly advised.

“The body was loaned to us, we must use it as a vehicle back to God; we have to do the right things that are pleasing to God, God never said to take your own life when he gave life on Earth.

“God sent us to Earth, he gave us duties, problems, and we should never take our life, suicide will never ever benefit you,” the Vice President said.

During the suicide talks, the youths were very receptive on the topic, and asked numerous questions.

At the opening of the oneday camp, Sabha Chairman Kydar Persaud welcomed all the youths from the various temples.

He said the camp intents to help find solutions to prevalent problems affecting persons in society.

“We want to empower our youths, we will grow together in all aspects of life, this is the only way we can

achieve a rounded society with the participation of youths,” the Chairman said.

At the camp, youths were involved in various interactive sessions, games, yoga, health talks and sangeet sessions. They met with counterparts from the various temples, interacted, socialised and in some cases, built on their relationships.

The camp was the first to be organised by the Essequibo Hindu Dharmic Sabha.

The camp was attended by several executive members of the praant, including Secretary Navita Boodnarine, treasurers Tomesh Takurdeo and Ramjeev Singh, Public Relations Officer Reema Natram and Committee members Nandram Prabhu, Mahendra Sharma, Rani Singh, Marisha Bhagwandeen and Latchmie Sharma.

NEWS

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saturday, august 2, 2014| guyanatimesGY.com

BRIDGE OPENINGS The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on Saturday, August 2 from 08:30h-10:00h The Berbice River Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on Saturday, August 2 from 07:40h-09:10h

WEATHER TODAY

If Caricom succeeds in reparations quest

Guyana should pass on compensation

to slave descendants

– Professor Clive Thomas

Countrywide: Thundery showers are expected during the day with light rain showers in the afternoon. Thundery showers are expected in the evening over coastal regions and near inland locations Temperatures are expected to range between 24 degrees and 29 degrees Celsius.

BY alexis rodney

Winds: Easterly between 4.91 metres and 5.36 metres per second.

High Tide: 08:19h and 20:40h reaching maximum heights of 2.47 metres and 2.44 metres respectively.

Economist, Dr Clive Thomas

Low Tide: 01:51h and 14:13h reaching minimum heights of 0.72 metre and 0.78 metre respectively.

wednesday, july 30, 2014

LOTTERY NUMBERS A 12 13 17 19 20 23 16 FREE TICKET

Bonus Ball

G

uyanese economist Dr Clive Thomas said he opposes the idea of trading reparations for debt relief, but would endorse giving compensation to the descendants of African slaves.

Guyana is part of a 15-member Caribbean Reparations Commission which has laid some demands to Europe, seeking compensation for the suffering inflicted on their foreparents as a result of the Atlantic Slave Trade.

They claim too that the effects of the trade, which spread between the 16th and 19th centuries, have contributed to the economic crisis currently experienced in Caribbean countries.

Thomas, in an exclusive interview with Guyana Times, said the issue of reparations is one that has been bothering a number of individuals, especially in other parts of the Caribbean where they have taken the stance that it should be given as form of debt relief because of their economic situation.

Not as severe

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But the condition in Guyana is not as severe as in other parts of the Region. As such, he told Guyana Times that should the Caricom Reparations Commission be successful in acquiring compensation from its former colonial masters, Guyana should give its portion to the descendants of the slaves.

“The households and individuals should get the support that is estimated from the grants given for reparations and hand it to the slaves. I think some of them will make constructive decisions,” he told this publication.

He stressed that no Government should become involved with the handling of compensation since it will definitely lead to a number of discrepancies. He was positive that persons would make the best use of the compensation.

“Some of them will probably clear debts, purchase houses, probably get into

some business and things that would encourage a Government to grow.”

Speaking to the issue of trading of reparations for debt relief, Dr Thomas said the situation has been cleared for Guyana.

He pointed to the debt crisis in 1982 where the Government had defaulted in national debt. That debt had reached close to 600 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). However, today, the debt to GDP ratio is about 65 per cent of the total debt and 46 per cent for the external debt.

No case

“So in Guyana, we do not have a case from that and no money will be coming our way from that if it is going to be the basis for our demand.

I totally oppose the idea of trading reparations for debt relief because it does not apply to Guyana.”

He said it may be applicable for the rest of the Caribbean where the debt

still dire in many Caribbean communities; and providing medical assistance to the Region that is struggling from high levels of chronic diseases such as hypertension and Type Two Diabetes that the Caricom Reparations Commission links to the fallout from slavery.

It has been reported that if the European powers fail to publicly apologise and refuse to come to the negotiating table, the Caricom nations will file a lawsuit against them at the International Court of Justice in Hague.

Mixed reactions

According to reports, the reaction of the former slave trading European nations to Caricom’s demands has so far been mixed.

While a high-level Swedish official recently revealed that his Government welcomes the opportunity to have a reparations dialogue with Caricom, a

out areas of dialogue with former slave-trading nations, including the UK, France, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Denmark.

The claims are being channelled through the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and processed with the help of the London law firm Leigh Day. The economies of Caricom member states reportedly total close to US$78 billion in GDP, which would place the Region at 65th in the world if it were a single country.

Reports are that the Region cannot claim much in the way of the economic blow. However, after having suffered over 400 years of slavery and colonialism at the hands of European powers, its demands for reparations possess enormous moral authority.

The Transatlantic slave trade brought over 10 million captured Africans to

The Caricom Reparations Commission says the effects of the trade which spread between the 16th and 19th centuries, have contributed to the economic crisis currently experienced in Caribbean countries (Image taken from www.pilotguides.com)

GDP ratio is over 100 per cent.

The Caribbean Reparations Committee, which was launched in July of last year had set a number of demands to the former European slave trade nations.

These include those countries providing diplomatic help to persuade countries, such as Ghana and Ethiopia, to offer citizenship to the children of people from the Caribbean who “return” to Africa; devising a developmental strategy to help improve the lives of poor communities in the Caribbean still devastated by the after-effects of slavery, supporting cultural exchanges between the Caribbean and West Africa to help Caribbean people of African descent rebuild their sense of history and identity; supporting literacy drives designed to improve education levels that are

British Foreign Office official shot down the plan, saying that the UK has already expressed condemnation of the human suffering caused by slavery and the slave trade, but does not see reparations as the answer.

Caricom Reparations Committee Chairman, Sir Hilary Beckles had said that the plan is also to set

work as chattel slaves in sugar and cotton plantations throughout the Caribbean and the Americas. It was the largest forced migration in human history.

Today, Caricom nations have a population of 16 million, and the Diaspora in the United States, Canada and Europe totals about fourfive million people.

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guyanatimesgy.com

saturday, august 2, 2014

Views 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, letters@guyanatimesgy.com

Editorial

World Breastfeeding Week

G

uyana has joined the rest of the world in observing World Breastfeeding Week from August 1 to 7. The Week commemorates the Innocenti Declaration signed in August 1990 by governments, policymakers, the World Health Organisation (WHO), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and other organisations to protect, promote and support breastfeeding.

In Guyana, the Health Ministry and other local NGOs will use the opportunity to encourage mothers to breastfeed their babies so that they would lead healthier and more productive lives.

Breastfeeding is one of the most effective ways to ensure child health and survival. According to the WHO, globally, less than 40 per cent of infants below six months of age are exclusively breastfed. However, if every child were breastfed within an hour of birth, given only breast milk for their first six months of life, and continued breastfeeding up to the age of two years, about 800,000 lives would be saved every year – interesting facts which make the case for breastfeeding as against baby formulas more convincing.

Breast milk provides all the nutrients needed for the healthy development of babies and infants. It is safe and contains antibodies that help protect from common childhood illnesses such as diarrhoea and pneumonia – the two primary causes of child mortality worldwide.

Breast milk is readily available and affordable, which helps to ensure that infants get adequate nutrition. Infant formula does not contain the antibodies found in breast milk. There are risks arising from the use of unsafe water and unsterilised equipment or the potential presence of bacteria or other contaminants in powdered formula.

Even though a strong case is usually made for mothers to breastfeed their babies, there are still many mothers who do not choose this path; and this could be for a number of reasons. For example, a serious challenge is that mothers are often inundated with incorrect and biased information both directly, through advertising, health claims, information packs and sales representatives, and indirectly through the public health system.

The World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) points to the fact that even when mothers are able to get off to a good start, all too often in the weeks or months after delivery, there is a sharp decline in breastfeeding rates and practices.

In this regard, the WABA suggests that continued support to sustain breastfeeding can be provided in a variety of ways.

Traditionally, support is provided by the family. As societies change, however, in particular with urbanisation, support for mothers from a wider circle is needed, whether it is provided by trained health workers, lactation consultants, community leaders, or from friends who are also mothers, and/or fathers/partners.

Most mothers are physically able to breastfeed and will do so if they have accurate information and support. But in many cases, women are discouraged from doing so, and are misled to believe that they are giving their children a better start in life by buying commercial substitutes.

The strenuous efforts being made by the Health Ministry to encourage mothers to breastfeed their babies are serving a very useful purpose and must be continued with the support of NGOs and other groups who are involved in this type of work. This is necessary as there are still large numbers of women who are still ignorant and are falling prey to the false information that is being put in the public domain through advertisements, among other avenues, which seek to promote powdered formula as against breast milk.

For the breastfeeding campaign to be successful, there is need for adequate breastfeeding counselling and support for mothers and families to initiate and maintain optimal breastfeeding practices.

Also, the Ministry and other health officials must counter the false advertisements by providing the right kind of information and guidance to mothers on a continuous basis so that they fully understand the health benefits to both mother and child if they choose to breastfeed.

Celebrating our foreparents, our culture, our freedom. These proud and beautifully attired young ladies were part of the performing groups who entertained spectators at the National Park on Friday, as the nation celebrated the 176th anniversary of Emancipation from slavery (Carl Croker)

Russian Federation has taken steps to find a solution to Ukrainian crisis Dear Editor, The problem of settlement of the Ukrainian crisis by exclusively political, diplomatic and peaceful means raises concerns. Over the last few months the Russian Federation, jointly with many partners, has undertaken insistent and specific steps towards finding a solution.

A range of agreements, which were reached during the Ukrainian crisis, were not completely or partially implemented because some of our Western partners attempted to go back on them or attempted to recklessly support the line of the Ukrainian leaders to suppress the protest in the South-East by force.

The agreement on February 21, that was signed by Viktor Yanukovych, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, Vitaly Klichko, Oleh Tyahnybok and certified by German, French and Polish foreign ministers, has not been fulfilled.

The Geneva Statement, which was signed by the Russian, Ukrainian and US foreign ministers and the European Union High Representative on April 17, was blocked by our western colleagues and Ukrainians.

The OSCE “roadmap” prepared by the Current

OSCE President, Swiss President Didier Burkhalter was declined in favour of the “peace plan by the President Petro Poroshenko”, which in fact meant nothing but the capitulation of the militia.

Consistent refusal by the Ukrainian authorities to talk with respect to the SouthEast, to sit at the negotiation table or to start a dialogue on all the issues of the Ukrainian state, primarily issues of constitutional reform is the cause of today’s violence and prevents a sustainable political settlement.

The development of events prove that for the Ukrainian authorities the “peace plan

by Petro Poroshenko” is just a tool to mobilise western support for the actions undertaken by the Ukrainian authorities using arms, aviation, artillery, other heavy weapons to achieve a military victory. People are dying, international humanitarian law is being violated – recent assessments by the Human Rights Watch are a particular proof of this.

This is happening against the backdrop of statements

by Western partners that the Ukrainian authorities have all the rights to use all means necessary to defend their sovereignty, territorial integrity, as well as against the backdrop of the February

events, when all the Western countries consistently demanded from the President Viktor Yanukovych not to use special units against protesters and demonstrators.

Such an encouragement for the current Ukrainian authorities to use violence against their own people is an outrageous demonstration of double standards.

Ukrainian troops have on many occasions used incendiary weapons based on phosphorus and cluster bombs against residential areas where only civilians were present at the time, acts that are banned under the international law regulating warfare.

These acts lead to death of adults, children and inflicted serious damage to communal infrastructure. The Russian Red Cross has described the situation in South-eastern Ukraine as a humanitarian catastrophe and has urged the rapid evacuation of children from the war zone.

Since the beginning of the summer Russian, settlements near the border with Ukraine in Rostov-on-Don region have gone under mortar attacks by Ukraine. One man was killed and two people were seriously wounded. Numbers of houses were destroyed and people were forced from their homes.

Russia had to relocate a temporary camp for Ukrainian refugees near the border who flee the conflict in the southeast of the country after several mortars landed nearby.

As for the terrible tragedy, which happened with the Malaysian Boeing airplane in the skies over Ukraine, Russia has done as much as it could to facilitate the investigation and is ready to make additional steps.

Objective observation data about the crash area was transferred to international organisations, including the UN and the OSCE. Russia expects that our other partners, who keep saying that they have some other conclusive data, will show them to the public openly and will not appeal that they are confidential, secret or refer to any other reasons for not doing so.

Only honest and open participation of all those, who can have information related to this disaster, can be called normal. Anything else would be unfair attempts to affect the investigation, to doubt the principle of assumption of innocence.

Yours truly, Denis Kopyl Press-Attaché Russian Embassy

Apology

P

lagiarism is a serious breach of journalistic ethics. It was brought to our attention that our Editorial “Disproportionate Force” contained passages from another newspaper. While the sentiments expressed represent the position of this newspaper on the

Palestine issue, the statements should have been attributed to its original source. We apologise to our readers and the media fraternity for this journalistic breach. The editorial contributor has been dropped forthwith.

In the case of another editorial “The

Great Transformation”, it was explicitly stated that this was a “review”, but the magazine’s name “Dissent” was inadvertently omitted. We also apologise for the resultant ambiguity. We thank those who brought these matters to our attention.

guyanatimesgy.com

saturday, august 2, 2014

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An attack on young Guyanese professionals?

Addressing suicide requires multisectoral approach Dear Editor, The Caribbean Voice, through its social activism programme Arise, has been advocating a number of measures that are low cost or no cost, easy to implement and that can be significant in helping to tackle the suicide epidemic sweeping Guyana.

And, we do believe that redressing this plague definitely requires a multisectoral approach, as pointed out by Health Minister, Dr Bheri Ramsaran. In this context, we strongly believe that the Education Ministry has a crucial role to play.

Firstly, we are suggesting that the Health and Family Life Education Programme curriculum should include suicide, substance abuse, all forms of violence and abuse with special emphasis on domestic abuse, relationships and intimacy (at the appropriate age levels), including teenage pregnancy and alcoholism and substance abuse.

Teachers who handle this curriculum can be provided with in-service and/ or professional development training on evenings, weekends and holidays.

Secondly, we suggest that the initiative to have at least one guidance counsellor in each school, that existed some time ago, be relaunched. Teachers can be provided with basic training through the University of Guyana (all campuses) and/ or in-service training.

These counsellors could perform dual roles by also serving the communities, in which their schools are located, at least during their working hours.

Thirdly, we also suggest that through Parent Teachers Association, workshops on good parenting be held especially focusing on suicide and related issues, identification of signs and signals and first response using empathetic communication and affirmation of self-acceptance, self forgiveness and self-worth.

Resources from teaching staff, UG, the ministries of Health, Home Affairs and Social Services as well as the national association of psychologists and social workers can be tapped to ensure the success of these workshops.

Fourthly, we also suggest that these issues can be incorporated into the academic curriculum and extra curricula activities via essay, poetry, art, debates, drama and quizzes. In this respect, The Caribbean Voice is prepared to underwrite an essay contest for all schools for the 2014/15 school year.

In fact, we have already presented a proposal to the Guyana Teachers’ Union relating to this contest.

Furthermore, we urge that through the good office of the Education Minister, the initiative recently undertaken by students at Black Bush Polder, New Amsterdam and the Essequibo Coast to rally against suicide and related issues, be extended countrywide, both as a means of bringing public attention to these issues as well as to develop social activism in our students so that they can take this activism into their communities and various community-based institutions.

Perhaps students can be allowed one day a semester (term), at least one day a school year, for this kind of activity and parents and the community can also be invited to participate. We are certain, that if alerted, the media would be delighted to cover these events. Perhaps students themselves can do reports for the media.

Additionally, we strongly urge that fifth form students be tasked with conducting surveys on suicide, domestic violence and related issues within their communities and that they use the information to infer patterns, et al. This exercise can be projects in ELA, science and social studies.

The Caribbean Voice is willing to assist with drafting the questionnaires, if such help is needed. And we are also willing to collect the answers to questionnaires, collate and analyse them and present the findings to the Ministry and the media, if the Ministry is unable to do so.

Also, we support the point made by our board member, Dr Faith Harding, as published recently in the media – that students at the Teachers Training College and the University of Guyana, be taught courses on mental health. This knowledge and the attendant skills can and will become needed in the work place, the community and their family lives.

Sincerely, Norkah Carter Devv-Ramdas Daniel Judy Deveaux Annan Boodram Bibi Ahamad Collis Nicholson Anna Addie Odyssey Donna Jennifer Ross Pandit Sharma Daneshwar Pandit Amintnarine Rabindradat Shoba Jagnanan

Dear Editor, The PNC is obviously living in a different world. It continues to behave as if it is in control of the state apparatus and refuses to come to terms with a new and changing reality, namely that we now live in a rules-based, law-governed society, one in which there is equality of opportunity for all regardless of race, ethnicity, gender and political affiliation.

What the APNU seems not to understand is that in Guyana today there is the merit principle at work which informs employment practices and not the ownership of a PNC Party card as was the case under the PNC regime.

The same merit principle is applicable to those identified for training programmes locally and overseas. This merit principle is manifested in the countless number of young Guyanese from all ethnic groups and social backgrounds who today are doctors, engineers, agronomists, nurses, teachers and professionals – the majority of whom have benefited from scholarship programmes offered and paid for by the state.

For the PNC to selectively single out persons who benefit from the Government’s training and employment practices is most disgusting and totally misleading, the most recent being an attack against the Commissioner General of the Guyana Revenue Authority Kurshid Sattaur by APNU Member of Parliament Joseph Harmon who accused him of nepotism because his children are employed in the same organisation in which he works.

The fact that the children were recommended for employment by an independent interview panel based on

qualifications and suitability were of no consequence to APNU and Harmon, who have now arrogated to himself the role of official spokesman for the PNC and APNU. It will be recalled that similar accusations were made by the political Opposition against the wife of Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh despite the fact that she is eminently qualified for the position she holds in the Auditor General’s Office.

The list against young professionals who did not escape the wrath of the PNC is long and included Winston Brassington and Marcia Sharma from the Privatisation Unit and Azeema Baksh, Registrar of the Deeds Registry who is the daughter of Minister Ali Baksh.

These attacks are not only limited to professionals in the public sector but entrepreneurs who by virtue of their application and business acumen have done well in the field of business and commerce.

Among the more notable cases are those who have successfully turned around the ailing GPC under the PNC into a dynamic and successful business enterprise. The new company, the NEW GPC INC is the holder of the Limacol Caribbean Premier League Cricket franchise, which is providing cricket entertainment to tens of thousands of people, not only in Guyana but the Caribbean and for that matter the entire cricketing world.

Instead of commending them for his success in the field of business and entertainment, the owner is being greeted with a barrage of criticisms and all manner of unsavoury remarks thrown

at him by the political Opposition.

Others who have been attacked included Vishok Persaud, son of the late Pandit Reepu Daman Persaud who has made a name for himself in Guyana in the area of information and communication technology and Alexi Ramotar, son of the President Donald Ramotar, who heads the Government’s ICT programme in the country.

All of these are individuals whose qualifications and experience along with their high competence levels allow them to contribute to the development of the country in a way that ought to be commended rather than spurned upon as the Opposition is attempting to do.

The Opposition parties should be ashamed of themselves for casting aspersions on our sons and daughters who are doing our country proud and whose only ‘fault’ seems to lie in their stars by virtue of birth or association. It would seem that apart from political considerations, there is also an ethnic bias, since the majority of those attacked are IndoGuyanese.

The Opposition should immediately desist from such attacks, which are coming across as mean-spirited and small-minded. The PPP calls on APNU and the Opposition parties to apologise to these young and dynamic professionals and entrepreneurs for the remarks make against them.

The APNU and Opposition elements would do well to rise above such pettiness and meanness of spirit but that may be asking too much of them.

Respectfully submitted, PPP/C, Freedom House

Muslim marginalisation Dear Editor, The charge of marginalisation of Guyana’s Muslims by Shabnam Alli and Ray Chickerie in their letter can be easily addressed by the State, which by implication, at least, for the two writers, is culpable.

Simply publish the information on Muslim representation in every department of the State. The CIOG also should be in a position to address the charge.

They should have the facts.

Among the examples of under-representation of Muslims in different state agencies, the writers have lamented that the Government is yet to appoint a Muslim representative to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which Guyana joined in 1998.

In addition to Suriname, Guyana is the only other country in the western hemisphere to be a member of this outfit.

Far from arguing for the appointment of a representative, I do not feel that Guyana should have joined this group in the first place, which is the home of some of the most brutally repressive and undemocratic regimes in the world today, and which have little or no regard for fundamental human rights as are contained in the UN Universal

Declaration of Human Rights.

It has to sicken the soul of any human being to have to sit among the likes of those countries where the penalty for a person who leaves Islam or who is accused of blasphemy is death, which if not carried out by the states themselves, is ensured by hoodlums who pose as the defenders of the faith.

Membership of the OIC, according to its revised 2008 charter is premised on accepting Islam’s supremacy and on the need for member states to engage in the active propagation of Islam as the only true faith.

According to our Constitution, Guyana is a secular and democratic state and cannot be seen as favouring any one religion over others, but this is exactly what membership to the OIC requires.

The hope of oil money that many find alluring must not be the reason to be part of this group.

When one takes into consideration, that oil money has not helped poor Muslim nations, some of the poorest in the world, why should we assume it would flow in our direction?

The goal here, it is observed, is not only to fight against “intolerance” and “discrimination,” but to insulate Islam

and Muslim practices from any kind of criticism whatsoever, no matter how mild and inoffensive.

This was exactly the intention of OIC members in urging the United Nations to accept their “defamation” of religion resolution that they attempted to have the world body pass.

The question which I asked a while ago in these columns as to why Islam is so universally misunderstood and misinterpreted by so many of its followers across the world could not be asked in any of the OIC states, and would invariably seen as “Islamophobia,” with the potential of a death penalty.

Guyana’s Constitution proclaims our secular and democratic status.

However imperfectly we realise these values in our day to day lives, they are our lifeblood and are worth the ultimate sacrifice defending.

Being a member of the OIC, where among many of its members, a bizarre cult of death is glorified, compromises these values.

Guyana, therefore, has no business in the OIC. Let us get out now.

Yours faithfully, Swami Aksharananda

Media coverage of City Hall Dear Editor, It has become necessary for us to write about coverage of events and activities at City Hall by the media. As you know, the Council is currently experiencing organisational turbulence to wit: a worrying lack of sensitivity to the needs of citizens, and poor administration of the city’s business, resulting in a democratic deficit, defective systems to provide municipal services to citizens and run-down local communities.

This situation is exacerbated by the irrational and irresponsible statements made at recent press confer-

ences. As a result, the Mayor and City Council is advising all media editors, journalists and reporters that all statements made at such conferences do not reflect the values, views and thinking of the Georgetown Municipality.

Therefore, reporters who attend and report utterances and other things at press conferences are doing so at their own risk; the Council is not responsible. Media owners, editors, journalists and reporters must know that the City Council has a standard procedure for calling conferences and other events which involve the media. Such

events must be done through the public relations section; no other arrangement will be recognised by the Council.

This is necessary for the dissemination of accurate information on different aspects of the council’s responsibility to the city and its citizens and to optimise public participation in the management and governance of local communities, and the City of Georgetown.

Regards, Hamilton Green Mayor of Georgetown

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saturday, august 2, 2014

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ith the hot days of summer come summer sports – cricket, tennis, football practice – both in the neighbourhood and at camp.

Before you send the children out to practice – or just for a long day of play in the sun – learn to protect your child against the dangers of dehydration and heat illness. WebMD turned to Albert C Hergenroeder, Professor of paediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine and chief of the sports medicine clinic at Texas Children’s Hospital, for answers to parents’ common questions.

Foundation

of energy, and feeling overheated. But if children wait to drink until they feel thirsty, they’re already dehydrated. Thirst doesn’t really kick in until a child has lost two per cent of his or her body weight as sweat.

Untreated dehydration can lead to three worse types of heat ill-

severe symptoms, including nausea and vomiting, seizures, disorientation or delirium, lack of sweating, shortness of breath, unconsciousness, and coma.

Both heat exhaustion and heat stroke require immediate care. Heat stroke is a medical emergency that, when untreated, can be

What puts my child at risk for dehydration?

The same things that put you at risk for dehydration: prolonged exposure to high temperatures, direct sun, and high humidity, without sufficient rest and fluids. The difference is that a child’s body surface area makes up a much greater proportion of his overall weight than an adult’s, which means children face a much greater risk of dehydration and heat-related illness.

What signs of dehydration should we watch for?

Early signs of dehydration include fatigue, thirst, dry lips and tongue, lack

guyanatimesgy.com

ness: Heat cramps: Painful cramps of the abdominal muscles, arms, or legs.

Heat exhaustion: Dizziness, nausea, vomiting, headaches, weakness, muscle pain, and sometimes unconsciousness.

Heat stroke: A temperature of 104 degrees Fahrenheit or higher and

deadly. Any child with heat stroke should be rushed to the nearest hospital.

What can I do to prevent dehydration in my child?

Make sure they drink cool water and sports drinks early and often. Send your child out to practice or play fully hydrated. Then, during play, make sure your

child takes regular breaks to drink fluid, even if your child isn’t thirsty. A good size drink for a child, according to the American Academy of Paediatrics is five ounces of cold water or sports drink for a child weighing 88 pounds, and nine ounces for a teen weighing 132 pounds. One ounce is about two childsize gulps.

Get them acclimatised before summer practice. “If you’re going to send your child off to tennis camp, they shouldn’t be sitting around doing nothing in May and then going out to play tennis eight hours a day in June,” says Hergenroeder.

“They should be outdoors jogging, riding a bike, and otherwise slowly building up their fitness and ability to handle the heat.” The fitter children are, the sooner their bodies will start to sweat after beginning to exercise – and that’s a good thing!

Know that dehydration is cumulative. If your child is one per cent or two per cent dehydrated on Monday and doesn’t drink enough fluids that night, then gets one per cent or two per cent dehydrated again on Tuesday, that means your child is three per cent or four per cent dehydrated at the end of the day. “They may be gradually develop-

ing a problem, but it won’t show up for several days,” says Hergenroeder. “You should always monitor your child’s hydration.” One way to do this: weigh your child before and after practice. If his weight drops, he’s not drinking enough during his workout.

A simple rule of thumb: if your child’s urine is dark in colour, rather than clear or light yellow, he or she may be becoming dehydrated.

If my child develops heat illness, what can I do to treat it?

The first thing you should do with any heat illness is get the child out of the sun into a cool, comfortable place. Have the child start drinking plenty of cool fluids. The child should also take off any excess layers

of clothing or bulky equipment. You can put cool, wet clothes on overheated skin.

In cases of heat cramps, gentle stretches to the affected muscle should relieve the pain.

Children with heat exhaustion should be treated in the same way but should not be allowed back on the field the same day. Monitor your child even more carefully, Hergenroeder says. If your child doesn’t improve, or can’t take fluids, see a doctor.

Heat stroke is always an emergency and requires immediate medical attention.

Are some children more prone to dehydration or heat illness than others?

Yes, says Hergenroeder.

One of the biggest risk factors: a previous episode of dehydration or heat illness.

Other factors that can put your child at greater risk for heat illness include obesity, recent illness (especially if the child has been vomiting or has had diarrhoea), and use of antihistamines or diuretics.

Lack of acclimatisation to hot weather and exercising beyond their level of fitness can also lead to heat illness in young athletes.

“If a young player isn’t in shape and tries to go out and do things quickly to ‘make the team,’ – or goes to summer practice or summer camp and hasn’t been used to that kind of heat and humidity and duration of exercise – that sets them up for dehydration and heat illness,” Hergenroeder says.

Is it ever too hot for my child to practise or play sports?

A growing number of athletic programmes suggest that it is sometimes too hot to practice. In fact, many are restricting outdoor practice when the National Weather Service’s heat index rises above a certain temperature. The heat index, measured in degrees Fahrenheit, is an accurate measure of how hot it really feels when the relative humidity is added to the actual temperature. (WebMd)

NEWS

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Saturday, august 2, 2014| guyanatimesGY.com

Caricom continues GPHC gets dialysis machine consumer A protection drive

CSME Deputy Programme Manager Philip McClauren

T

he Caribbean Community (Caricom) Secretariat is forging ahead with promoting a rapid consumer protection alert system throughout Caricom member states.

The Caricom Rapid Alert System on the Exchange of Information on Dangerous (non-food) Consumer Goods, CARREX, is a major initiative aimed at protecting consumers via quick and efficient information sharing on harmful products in the market.

A team from the Caricom Secretariat, this month, kicked off a regional promotion of the CARREX which includes visits to Saint Lucia and Dominica in early August.

With support under the 10th European Development Fund, stakeholder sessions were previously held in St Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada. The Caricom

Secretariat is seeking to implement the CARREX in member states and sensitise stakeholders on its operations and benefits to consumer protection.

The CARREX is designed as a web-based portal for information sharing among national consumer protection agencies and other related bodies. National contact points from respective member states are expected to use the system and interface with their counterparts as they send and receive alerts regarding unsafe items that may be in the market. As part of the implementation process, the Caricom Secretariat team is conducting training on how to use the system and enter information that is vital to consumers and other stakeholders.

National consumer protection officials and other representatives of related bodies from both St Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada received this training in mid-July and it is expected that both islands will be implementing the CARREX shortly.

The Caricom Secretariat team is made up of CSME Deputy Programme Manager Philip McClauren; Integrated Information Systems Senior Project Officer Derrick Agdomar; and Consumer Health and Safety Officer Hilda Kelshall.

dialysis machine valued US$38,000 was on Thursday donated to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) in the name of late Krishna Samaroo of DeKendren, Canal Number One Polder, West Bank Demerara.

The machine was handed over to the hospital by Samaroo’s sister Tara Mohamdee at the GPHC Central Stores Receiving Area.

Samaroo died in 2008 at the Balwant Singh Hospital. According to his sister, no one knew his cause of death, however, in his memory, the family wishes to make donations to several institutions, starting with the GPHC. A dialysis machine is one that filters a patient’s blood to remove excess water and waste products when the kidneys are damaged, dysfunctional, or missing. The dialysis machine itself can be thought of as an artificial kidney.

Nurse in charge of

the hospital is currently operating on a four-machines and with the addition of this new piece of equipment more patients needing dialysis can be accommodated.

Kennedy added that such a machine is not new to the nurses, as they are fully aware of how to operate it, the Government Information Agency (GINA) reported.

From left: Tara Mohamdee handing over the dialysis machine to representatives of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC). From the right: Nurse in charge of the Renal Department at the GPHC, O’Delevana Kennedy and GPHC Chief Executive Officer Michael Khan with another representative from the hospital

the Renal Department at the GPHC, O’Delevana Kennedy expressed satisfaction on behalf of the hospital for receiving the equipment. She said that

The new dialysis machine that is now a part of the Georgetown Public Hospital

Man thrashed for allegedly infecting wife with HIV/AIDS A father from the Essequibo Coast was allegedly beaten by his brother-in-law for allegedly infecting his 21-year-old wife with the deadly HIV/ AIDS virus.

Residents are calling on G Division Police to launch an investigation into the incident.

According to information reaching Guyana Times, the young couple has two children together and they are suffer-

ing from poor health due to the infection.

Reports say that the husband, who is very weak, was severely beaten at his home by his brother-in-law. He was reportedly stamped several times to the chest, persons who claimed to have witnessed the incident said.

Residents are appealing to the authorities to help the children of the infected couple.

8 News Farmers may soon benefit from distance learning programme saturday, august 2, 2014| guyanatimesGY.com

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ecognising the importance of training for improved farming practices, the Agriculture Ministry is working on a project whereby courses could be offered in the various regions dealing with specific issues such as control of acoushi ants.

Agriculture Minister, Dr Leslie Ramsammy explained that not everybody is in the position to return to school to obtain a diploma, and as such, the Ministry is working to reach out to communities via distant learning.

This project can be implemented in areas where state farms/nurseries already exist such as in Hosororo, Kairuni, St Ignatius and the Number 63 Village on the Corentyne Coast.

Minister Ramsammy said students undergoing the distance learning pro-

Agriculture Minister, Dr Leslie Ramsammy

grammes can be attached to those centres, where they can be exposed to the practical aspects.

With regard to the question of decentralising the services of the Guyana School of Agriculture (GSA), the Minister said while the setting up of

a campus in every region may not be feasible, these distant learning programmes can go a far way.

GSA has traditionally been a residential learning institution; however, the board is currently considering the possibility of allowing students who live within its vicinity, to come to the institution for their classes so as to create space to accommodate more students, particularly those from the hinterland.

The GSA has seen an enrollment of 164 new students and 89 continuing students for the 20132014 academic year (from both the Mon Repos and Essequibo campuses) studying courses such as Diploma in Agriculture, Diploma in Animal Health and Veterinary Public Health, Certificate in Agriculture, Certificate on Agro-Processing and

Certificate in Forestry.

For the new academic year, a one-year Certificate Programme in AgroProcessing was introduced as well as procedures for tractor operations (practical and theoretical aspects), and two short-term skills training courses in operation, repair and maintenance of small equipment and urban agriculture techniques, grow box/hydroponics.

Last week, the GSA graduated another batch of 120 persons, including 55 females who completed courses at the Mon Repos and Essequibo campuses with diplomas and or certificates. This is in keeping with priority 15 of the Agriculture Ministry’s 2013-2020 National Strategy, which aims at securing an agricultural workforce through human resource development.

Man reportedly suffers heart attack, drives overboard

A

popular mechanic was on Thursday evening killed after he lost control of the vehicle he was driving and ended up into a trench at 8th Street, C Field Sophia, Greater Georgetown.

Relatives believed that George De Moura, 53, of Lot 159 C Waterloo Street, Georgetown might have suffered cardiac arrest, resulting in him losing control of the motor car.

He was pulled from the wreckage and rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

According to information received, “Putagee George”, a name that he is commonly called, and another occupant of the

car were driving along the Sophia access road, when he suddenly held onto his chest, wailing in pain.

Within minutes, the car ended up into the trench.

At the home of the dead man, relatives gathered to express their sympathy to the immediate family, but his spouse Lilian De Moura was not at home.

She was reportedly at the Turkeyen Police Station enquiring more about the accident.

Stacyann Robinson, a stepdaughter of the man told Guyana Times that she was at the sallon on Thursday evening and about 21:00h, she received a call from her nephew informing her that De Moura was involved in an accident.

Robinson added that she instructed them to take him to the hospital and she would have been there by the time they arrived. The young lady said her step dad arrived at the hospital dead, which meant that most likely, he died on the spot.

There were no visible marks of voilence about his body. The now dead mechanic reportedly left home about 19:30h to visit a friend in Sophia. Earlier in the day, Robinson said the man had complained of feeling unwell, but he refused to visit the hospital.

He continued crying out for pain, but after a while, he told his wife that he was feeling much better and went about his daily routine before leaving to

run an errand in the evening. Other relatives described the man as one of the best motorcycle mechanics in town.

“He was the best stepfather in the world,” Robinson said. The aggrieved stepdaughter said she was made to understand that someone else was in the vehicle when the accident occurred.

While they speculated that De Moura suffered a heart attack, they are patiently waiting the postmortem examination results.

The man’s body is at the Georgetown Public Hospital awaiting a postmortem examination. He leaves to mourn his wife and three children, along with several siblings.

Teen charged for larceny

T

enza Layne, 18, was on Thursday charged for larceny when she appeared before Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

The charge, which was read by the Chief Magistrate, stated that on April 20 at Barima Avenue, Georgetown, the defendant stole a sum of US$100 belonging to Richard Eddie.

The unemployed teen, who lives at 606 Liliendaal, Sophia, was unrepresented and pleaded guilty to the charge.

However, after pleading, she told the court that she has an explanation which she proceeded to tell.

According to the defendant, on Easter Monday, she did take the money but went to the station and returned everything she had bought with it.

On July, 30, she was at the mall when Richard Eddie came and snatched her bag and began to ask her for the rest of the money. She thought that the matter was finished and told Eddie that she has no money. At that same time, the Police was patrolling

and they locked her up.

When the Chief Magistrate asked her the reason, she told the court that they did not want to hear anything and they just took her to the Criminal Investigation Department.

She related that she was charged, but did not know what she was being charged for.

However, according to Prosecutor Michael Grant, the story Layne told the court contradicts the version he had related. He had told the court that the complainant and the defendant were in a relationship and the defend-

ant would usually go to the complainant’s home.

On one visit to his house, she was sitting on the sofa in the living room and he went into the room for clothes that he had promised her and it was then he realised that the money was stolen.

There was no-objection to bail and Layne was granted bail in the sum of $100,000.

Her cousin told the court that they are awaiting the sisters of the defendant to bring the bail money. Layne is expected to return to court on August 8.

Eyew tness Defending...

W ...the PNC indefensible

hat happens when you tell a lie; the person who listens to you knows it’s a lie; everyone around knows it’s a lie...but all of you pretend it’s not a lie??? This Eyewitness’ll tell you what happens – you become like the PNC. And that’s because all PNCites at one time or the other have to live the lie of election rigging.

There are the people who order the rigging. These are the biggies at the top of the pyramid...Burnham, Hoyte, Corbin... And now Granger. Then there are those who plan the rigging. Fellas like the younger Corbin. Then there are those who actually carry out the rigging....a much bigger group. People who write up the fake ballots... pad lists...vote for “proxies” and people – including people who collect the ballot boxes.

But the final and largest group consists of those who just go along with the lie – that the party’s rule is legitimate. They “won” the elections. And it is this group that ultimately bears the burden of the lie.

These are ordinary folk – and to look at them makes one understand Arendt’s reference to the “banality of evil”. Because everyday, they have to look others in the eye – and lie. And insidiously they’re eaten away from within. They become “hollow men and women”.

But the day will come when the same lies will be told against them – and who will they turn to for succour and solace?? Weren’t they warned by the good book that one day they’ll run to the rock for rescue, but they’ll be no rock”. Norton must’ve been one of the foot soldiers in the rigging – for sure from 1980 onwards. He might’ve moved up to planning in 1985. So really, what does he say when Granger rigs him out of the party??

Before him was another big wig that was rigged out – Vincent Alexander. Alexander appears to be a very decent fellow. One can’t see him as ordering, planning or executing election rigging. But we know he went along. He knew Hoyte rigged elections in 1985. So what does he say when Corbin rigged him out four years ago?? Nothing...absolutely nothing.

Because, like Norton in this round, they defended rigging for “the good of the party and OUR people”.

And if they speak out, they will be dubbed “aiding and abetting” the enemy.

Those who live by the sword, shall die by the sword.

...Police prosecution

Prezzie Donald Ramotar just appointed a legal advisor for the Guyana Police Force (GPF) – former Justice of Appeal, Claudette Singh. Now if there’s any organisation that needs “legal advice”, it’s the GPF. This has to be the first Police Force in the world, where a fella shoots and kills another man in full view of dozens of spectators. The event’s even filmed and goes viral. But the killer walks free!! Why?? Poor prosecution.

Here it is, Guyana’s harassing Trinidad to give it a free ride to certify 25 lawyers every year. And where do they all go?? Well, into private practice of course!!!

To browbeat the poor, unqualified Police prosecutors who try their best – but just don’t have the support or the background to get convictions. Files don’t show up...witnesses don’t show up...juries are routinely hung...and it’s an all-round mess.

But what can Justice Claudette Singh do by her lonesome?? The Police need more than “advice” – they need lawyers. Isn’t it time that our “Order” (the Police) is joined by its qualified “Law” division to really deliver “law and order” in Guyana??

Ensure some law graduates become Police prosecutors.

...resentment

It’s said if you want to make an enemy of someone – just help him. The envy and hate that’ll boil up because you’re implicitly in a superior position, will do the job. Just ask Tony Vieira about the fella who bought his business and saved him from bankruptcy.

Hate’s not the word!!

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saturDay, august 2, 2014| guyanatimesGY.com

The Bakja Health Movement: A passion for alternative medicine

BY VAHNU MANICKCHAND

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ith a passion for the medical field, Dr Iamei Aowmathi left Guyana to further his education in the field, but little did he know that his academic exertions around the world would lead him back to a traditional method of healing – alternative medicine.

Growing up in Georgetown, Aowmathi completed his primary and secondary education before going to Jamaica to attend college. Afterwards, he migrated to the United States where he began training in psychology.

The psychotherapy programme mandated that a course be done in medicine and he opted to take one in natural medicine. He quickly developed a passion for alternative medicine and even travelled to Germany and Switzerland to undergo training.

After being away from Guyana for several years, Dr Aowmathi developed a longing for his home country and realised that he wanted to return home to help his fellow Guyanese.

“It dawned on me that when you’re living and studying abroad and thought about what is happening back home… I had to be emancipated enough to understand that God had given me the opportunity to do things that can benefit the people in Guyana and so eventually I made the decision to return home and used the talent I acquired through my studies to help the less fortune and people from the various sector within society,” he said.

Returning home after

some 25 years, Dr Aowmathi first opened a school in Triumph on the East Coast of Demerara, and was the first nursery/playschool along the coast. The school, Bakja Treasurers, was accredited by the Education Ministry. At the time he had the school, he began practising alternative medicine at his home, treating people with various medical conditions.

Sometime later, he then opened a holistic medical clinic, specialised in the herbal and alternative methods of treatment, using his earnings from working overseas to build his dream – a clinic that offers alternative medicine.

Founder of the Bakja Health Movement, Dr Iamei Aowmathi

The clinic, located in Dr Miller Street, Triumph, came under the “Bakja Health Movement” banner. He explained that because he believes there is one Supreme God and he should serve people from all religions, the word is an acronym from the various religions.

B-Buddha; A-Abraham;

Dr Iamei Aowmathi and two of his staff at work in their clinic

K-Krishna; J-Jesus and Jehovah, and A-Allah. Put together, the word Bakja represents the Rastafarians.

“We have put a meaning to Bakja and it means one truth because we are speaking about one God and when we look at the situation of the less fortunate, the medical expenses.”

The clinic offers services at a low cost to citizens; however those who cannot afford the treatment are never turned away. Most of the patients that are seen by the clinic have spent years taking conventional treatments but were not healed.

Some of the areas the clinic specialises in include: herbal treatment; acupuncture; nutrition therapy; and complementary medicine, which involve working with conventional doctors to diagnose patients. Additionally, the clinic also offers convalescent services for seniors with both long and shortterm accommodations.

With alternative medicine being received well by Guyanese, Dr Aowmathi de-

cided to establish the Guyana Association for Alternative Medicine Institute (GAAMI) providing training for students interested in the field.

GAAMI was opened in 2009 and was the first institution of its kind in Guyana.

The institute partners with a School of Applied Naturopathy in Switzerland and Adult Education Association (AEA) to offer courses in: Natural Healing Practitioners (three years); Natural Healing Practitioner (two years) and Vendor Herbalist Course (one year).

The first batch of nine students graduated from the three-year course last year. In September, the second batch of 10 students will commence their training.

According to Dr Aowmathi, while his expectation has not been meet regarding the inclusion of alternative medicine in the health system and the poor turnout of students, he recognised that the this type of medicine is still fairly new and people need some time to get to know more about

the vast benefits that can be gained from this alternative method.

“By having the institute, it will then be encouraging students to become involved in health programmes because many times we get sick and run to seek conventional treatment, but in our own backyard, there is an abundance of herbs that can help

us,” he stated. He disclosed that in order to help push his method of medicine, he is also offering scholarship programmes for the first year to interested students.

Dr Aowmathi remains committed to working towards helping his fellow Guyanese lead better and healthy lives. He is adamant that there are enough species of plants in Guyana for the country to make its own medicine, like the traditional ones our ancestors used to cure illness decades ago.

Driven by his passion for alternative medicine and knowledge of the various herbs, Dr Aowmathi is also making his own herbal medications, which he is very proud of. He envisions that one day he will be successful in making alternative medicine one of the capital treatments available and part of the University of Guyana’s curriculum. (vahnum@guyanatimesgy.com)

Dr Iamei Aowmathi showing some of the herbs he uses to treat patients

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guyanatimesgy.com

s aturday, august 2, 2014

News

Assuria opens office at Vreed-en-Hoop

BY SVETLANA MARSHALL

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ssuria General G u y a n a Incorporated launched its first branch office at Vreed-en-Hoop, West Coast Demerara with the promise of expanding its services to other areas of Guyana in the near future.

During the simple but significant launching ceremony on Thursday, acting General Manager Yogindra Arjune said the opening of the Vreed-enHoop office is in keeping with Assuria’s strategic plan to increase market share.

“The advantage to having a presence in the West Coast area is that the growing customers in the region will have easy access to the products and services available only at Assuria,” he said.

Suniel Nandpersad said the company is in Guyana to stay, positing that it has established itself firmly across the Caribbean as it moves towards becoming a major player on the international scene in the insurance industry.

Addressing the small gathering, Nandpersad said the establishment of the Vreed-en-Hoop branch office is a testimony of its growth. He explained that the West Coast community was seen as the next best economic hub outside of Georgetown; hence, the decision was taken to capitalise on the growing opportunities on the West Coast and West Bank Demerara. He assured the commercial sector that Assuria will embrace the changing dynamics within the insurance industry, positing that customers now demand easy

Harmy people wrong and strong

I

Assuria acting General Manager Yogindra Arjune

advance or performance, burglary, machinery all risk, plat glass, consequential loss, indemnity liability, group medical, life and pension, international medical and travel insurance, individual life and pension plans, offering additional benefits and services to customers.

Assuria is the largest insurance company in Suriname and has been providing creative and innovative insurance and risk management solutions to the country since 1889, when the first Dutch insurance company established its first subsidiary in Suriname. (svetlanam@ guyanatimesgy.com)

t got people who colour blind…dem who does see white and call it black, and it got people who just blind…dem who can’t see nutten at all. On de other hand it gotta special kinda people who de more dem look, de less dem see.

By de end of this last Pee-N-C election, whah everybody know was a selection, a lotta people who been to Con Gress Place come out and had to run fuh eye test. This is because everybody see de same ting, but everybody seh some ting different.

Some of dem like de Plaisance man and de Linden people ain’t believe whah dem see. But de minute dem talk out, dem wasn’t allowed to see any ting else. Some ain’t get to see any ting at all, and when dem talk, dem had to see de gate.

De Linden gyal see Oscar de bite man, but that was when de bite man play like he ain’t see she, not even she hand fuh a hand shake. De bite man would like to tink that he see de last of she. But Oscar ain’t know that he ain’t see nutten yet.

Plus it got some who see de whole ting inside out, includin seein de man who tek out a gun. After de scatteration, dem couldn’t see de gun nor de man who had de gun. Soon dem gon be able to see he in Camp Street. And of course dem gon see he at de next selection.

It got some who ain’t believe it got any ting leff fuh dem to see, because dem done see it all. But it got one man who not only see it all, but he also do it all. That is de same man who seh he ain’t see any ting wrong wid de selection.

Ting-a-ling-a-ling…friend tell friend…mattie tell mattie!

If that man ain’t see any ting wrong, de only problem mus be that he wrong and playin strong. But a reporter seh is so Harmy people does behave!

Court hears…

Murdered US-based Guyanese woman was stabbed more than 40 times

A

Assuria Suriname Foreign Operations Director Suniel Nandpersad and another employee cutting the ribbon to signal the opening of the Vreed-en-Hoop branch office

In his remarks, Arjune signalled the company’s intention to open another branch office in the East Berbice region to focus on the new business and population growth.

Back in March 2012, the Surinamese company opened in Guyana under the name Assuria General (GY) Inc at Lot 133 Church Street, South Cummingsburg, Georgetown.

Meanwhile, Assuria Suriname, Foreign Operations Director

access and convenience.

Currently, Assuria Guyana Life Guyana has some 19 employees and 10 agents who strive to meet the needs of the Guyanese populace.

Assuria Insurance Companies in Guyana sells motor insurance with free and transferable coverage while driving in Suriname, fire and allied perils with compensation for temporary housing up to six months, all types of bonds, whether it be bid, mobilisation

2 7 - y e a r - o l d Guyanese mother of four who was allegedly killed by her landlady was stabbed more than 40 times before being dismembered and decapitated, a New York court heard on Friday.

Assistant District Attorney Robert Biancavilla said there were wounds to the neck and torso of the woman, which adds up to about 40 stab wounds, in addition to the dismemberment.

A local news agency reported that after court, the District Attorney said he could not remember a more gruesome case.

Chinelle Latoya Browne’s body over a 12day period was found literally in pieces across Nassau and Suffolk counties.

“It truly is shocking to me that we were talking about something as horrendous as this,” Suffolk County District Attorney Thomas Spota said.

Leah Cuevas’s Attorney entered a not guilty plea, but she was held without

Chinelle Latoya Browne

bail. She was reportedly charged with second degree murder.

“The evidence isn’t in and then the facts aren’t in and there are no eyewitnesses, no confession. She has a presumption of innocence,” Mary Beth Abbatte, Curvas’s Attorney said. If convicted, Cuevas faces 25 years in prison.

During the case, Police Prosecutor said that Cuevas angrily confronted Browne over non-payment of rent

and utilities on July 4. Then on July 5, witnesses saw Browne entering the apartment and then heard a confrontation.

According to prosecutors, Browne’s torso was found less than one mile from Cuevas’ sister’s house in Bay Shore while her arms and head were found in separate locations in Hempstead the following days. Investigators are working on the theory that the woman may have had help to commit the murder.

The 27-year-old mother of four of 346 Sumpter Street, Brooklyn, New York was last seen leaving her apartment to visit the laundry room. While there, reports suggested that there was a confrontation between the now dead woman and Cuevas.

A few days after her disappearance, the body of a partially dismembered female was found in a parking lot in downtown Bay Shore by two people, who were walking to the Fire Island ferry terminal on Maple Avenue.

Murder accused: Leah Cuevas

The relatives of the missing woman have since contacted the relevant authorities with details about visible tattoos on the woman’s body, which is at Suffolk County Medical Examiner’s office, where an autopsy was performed, resulting in a positive identification of the woman.

Browne, formerly of Lot 431 Baramita Street, South Ruimveldt, Georgetown, left Guyana on May 29, 2013 after securing her citizenship in 2008.

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guyanatimesgy.com

saturday, august 2, 2014

Local experts reviewing 911 GT&T launches mobile money service “Shop n Go” emergency line

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GT&T CEO Radha Krishna Sharma; Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh; and MMG Managing Director Eshwar Thakurdin discuss the new service at the launch on Thursday evening

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he Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company Limited (GT&T) on Thursday launched a new service under the Mobile Money Guyana Inc brand, titled “Shop n Go”, with Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh promising that the Government will look to put in place a suitable regulatory environment as the service becomes pervasive.

The Minister said the introduction of a new financial service through a medium that is innovative is important from a regulatory standpoint, as it would ensure that the regulators of financial services stay abreast with technology and providers of the service.

This, he added, will further develop the growth of the service as is evident throughout the rest of the world.

However, the Minister reiterated that with the new service provided by the telephone giant, there is absolutely no reason for an individual or a business carrying large volumes of cash.

“In today’s world which is technologically advanced, there is not compelling, legitimate reason for carrying large sums of cash….

We want as a Government to be able to get to a point where the usage of cash in our economy is lowered,”

the Minister disclosed.

Dr Singh went on to say that the risk of carrying large amounts of cash is significant and is optimistic that the day will come when less cash is used as is evident since the introduction of Mobile Money Guyana Inc. He said the Government welcomes the initiative as it allows Guyana to move closer to becoming a non-cash economy. Minister Singh congratulated the telephone company for its significant contribution to the economic growth of the country.

He said the launch is significant in that it offers financial services to citizens throughout the length and breadth of Guyana.

GT&T Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Radha Krishna Sharma, told the gathering at the launching at the Herdmanston Lodge, Lamaha and Peter Rose Streets, Georgetown that he recalled hinting to Dr Singh a few years ago that Guyanese will use their mobile phones as an electronic wallet. He said he was pleased that it has now become a reality.

The CEO said in the evolutionary world, cash has been transferred by cheques, the plastic debit card was introduced and now the mobile phones which are owned by more

than half of Guyana’s population.

He reiterated that mobile technology and wireless Internet offer access to people, goods, services and economic opportunities to more than half of the country’s population, who are equipped with mobile phones.

Sharma also highlighted that the concept of electronic money is of tremendous significance for the commercial, retail and financial sector and foresees it growing in the near future.

Meanwhile, Mobile Money Managing Director Eshwar Thakurdin said more than 90 agents have already signed up for the Mobile Money Guyana Service while revealing that 70 merchants are on board the “Shop n Go” service.

The service, he added was established to enable customers to conduct their financial transactions with ease from the comfort of their homes and more so, to provide simple, reliable and affordable mobile financial solutions. He also stressed that safety and convenience of the service are priceless.

Some of the merchants which signed on to the “Merchant Service” include hospitals, supermarkets, service stations and computer stores.

ollowing the assessment of the 911 emergency line system by international experts, local specialists have been recruited to review the inefficient service which has been heavily criticised by citizens over the years.

Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee told Guyana Times that his Ministry has put aside the process of reviewing the recommendations made by the overseas experts and is now waiting for the local team to complete their assessment.

Rohee said the local experts will be examining the deficiencies of the emergency line and make the necessary recommendations on how to improve emergency services for citizens.

“We are going an alternative path now, using local experts to see how best they can help us to address the problems we are having,” he said. While there are recommendations made by the overseas experts, further advice is needed from local specialists in the area of the technicalities of the system.

However, the Minister told this newspaper that the local experts would be doing some research and assessments of their own before considering those made by the US experts.

Earlier this year, Rohee had announced that two US experts had been recruited to review the country’s emergency hotline system.

He disclosed that more than US$20,000 was approved by Cabinet for the recruitment of the experts, who were brought through a consultancy firm from the Region.

The two U.S experts arrived in Guyana early in March and after a five-day assessment, they submitted three basic recommendations to the Home Affairs Ministry for short, medium and long-term solutions. During the process, the team assessed various Police stations and held

Construction worker charged for simple larceny

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he mood of the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts, Court One, was on Thursday briefly transformed into a sad atmosphere after a father of two young daughters was granted bail for stealing.

Appearing before Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine Beharry was a 34-year-old construction worker, who was granted bail after pleading not guilty to the charge laid against him.

The charge which was read by the Chief Magistrate stated that on July, 28, Mark Hollingsworth allegedly stole a Samsung Galaxy cellphone,property of Samuel Henry. The phone has been valued at $60,000..

According to the facts of the case, on July 28, at about 14:30h, the virtu-

al complainant, Samuel Henry, went to Quickserve at the Stabroek Market.

He placed his cellphone on the counter to assist a consumer with a bag when he noticed the defendant, Mark Hollingsworth, pick up the phone and ran away and Henry gave chase. The matter was reported and Hollingsworth was caught.

Hollingsworth lives at Lot 16 Durban Street, Lodge, Georgetown. He has two daughters; ages six and two months old. He was unrepresented but told the court that he was never in trouble with the law before and pleaded not guilty to the charge.

The Chief Magistrate then granted him bail in the sum of $50,000.

Upon hearing the bail sum,

Hollingsworth began to beg Magistrate Sewnarine Beharry, saying that he does not have money and has no one to post the bail sum. He told the Magistrate that he had wished to change his plea to guilty; however, the matter was already finished. He is to return to the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on September 9.

As he was being taken away by the Police officer, he began to cry and beg for bail in a lesser amount. The man threw himself down and shouted: “Your Worship, Your Worship”.

As he was escorted by two Police officers out of the courtroom, the gathering there watched in pity, as the Chief Magistrate called the next defendant to the stand.

consultations with stakeholders.

The first recommendation that was made by these experts was the need for the three emergency lines – that is, 911 for Police, 912 for Fire Service and 913 for Ambulance Assistance – to be merged into one hotline.

But within that one hotline number, 911, there will be dedicated emergency lines linked to technical personnel from all three areas.

Another recommendation made was for the country’s entire 911 system to be reviewed; however, this would be very costly and difficult since there is only one telephone company in Guyana that offers landline services.

Over the years, Guyanese have complained bitterly about the inefficiencies of the emergency lines in Guyana. Rohee had claimed that the unresponsiveness of the 911 sys-

Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee

tem was technically linked to the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph (GT&T) Company.

He stated that sometimes 911 calls are placed and senders hear the ringtone, but the telephones on the receiving end do not ring. He added that this is one of the main reasons people are often unable to get through with the emergency service.

“This can only be a technical problem. It has to be a technical problem…. As far as I could recollect, the

GT&T people are not accepting any responsibility or any blame for the 911 calls not going through to the Police stations,” the Home Affairs Minister had said.

On the other hand, the telephone giant refuted the allegation, claiming that it was being wrongfully accused and laid the blame at the feet of the Guyana Police Force.

GT&T explained that the 911 service is installed and operated like any other landline service provided, but the 911 equipment is controlled by the Guyana Police Force (GPF).

“Hence, GT&T has no responsibility nor visibility as to manning levels and indeed whether or not there are GPF personnel tasked with 24 hours, seven days, 365-day manning of the 911 facilities across the country,” the company said in a statement.

According to the telephone company, before 2006, the Brickdam Police Station was solely responsible for receiving all 911 calls from across Guyana; however, the system was reviewed and changed in 2005 upon the request of the Force.

Responding to allegations of technical failure on part of GT&T, the company disclosed that it does weekly checks to ensure that all lines are technically functional.

“Priority is given to faults detected during the tests or complaints reported when the line is answered,” the company stated, adding that clearly, “GT&T reiterates that the unresponsiveness of the 911 personnel has nothing to do with GT&T. Our checks have revealed that the following occur with great frequency (a) the disappearance of handsets from the termination points of 911 lines at various Police stations, (b) the removal of the handset off the hook and (c) no answer by personnel during standard working hours,” the company said.

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saturDAY, august 2, 2014 | guya

Thousands celebrate Emancip T

President Donald Ramotar with some members of the Surinamese delegation

These young ladies do their thing in the National Park

Proud to be African: This participant was dressed for the occasion

An interesting skit during the celebrations

housands of Guyane Friday turned out at in the Emancipation been deemed the biggest e Cultural and Development The grand celebrations f dances and other cultural overseas performers, which The highlight of the day the different African wear attention.

Other than the fashi top African designers An Elegance, many persons s Park wearing pieces that w From the brightly mult es to the conservative and African prints, the Nation walk, showcasing African a There were also group d up their attire; friends co see who wore the best, whi just indulging in whatever nestled in them.

As Guyana Times visi Friday and spoke to person this year’s celebrations, m happy at the celebrations work, time and money th event have paid off, as no park was disappointed.

The many booths in the pects of the African cultur icated to Angola and its h Afro-Guyanese can be lin Afro-Guyanese cannot rea to the country of their ance Added to this, there wer picting general African his showcasing what makes th such as the Tutorial High cased the history of the sch Meanwhile, President of the celebrations, said t Guyana was a major blow a nial rule to which Africans The Government Inform ported him as saying tha have different origins, they The President called on experiences in the fight for the sacrifices that had to b today’s reality so as to stre take Guyana forward.

Similar sentiments wer Leader David Granger, wh as the “birthday of the Guy He too urged that this Guyana’s six peoples togeth truly become one nation.

This performer showcasing hi

Opposition Leader David Granger, People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) Chairman Basil Williams and their delegation were part of the celebrations in the National Park

These young ladies entertain the gathering with their dance moves

This energetic dance captivate

13

st 2, 2014 | guyanatimesGY.com

cipation Day at National Park

sands of Guyanese from all walks of life on day turned out at the National Park to join he Emancipation celebrations, which have med the biggest ever hosted by the African and Development Association (ACDA). and celebrations featured a number of songs, nd other cultural displays by both local and performers, which left the gathering in awe. ghlight of the day was the grand showcase of ent African wear; it was watched with rapt

than the fashion display by Guyana’s an designers Anetha Daniels of Anetha’s many persons showed up to the National ring pieces that were the envy of others. the brightly multi-coloured traditional piecconservative and the western pieces with rints, the National Park was a grand catwcasing African attire. were also group designs as families matched attire; friends competed with each other to wore the best, while there were a few persons ging in whatever little fashion bug they had them. yana Times visited the National Park on d spoke to persons throughout the day about s celebrations, many stated that they were the celebrations as they saw all the hard e and money that were invested into this e paid off, as no one who showed up at the disappointed. any booths in the park displayed various ashe African culture. There was a booth dedAngola and its history and ways in which anese can be linked to that country. Most anese cannot readily trace their roots back ntry of their ancestors. to this, there were booths on food, booths deneral African history, and local groups just ng what makes them unique in their ways, he Tutorial High School booth which showhistory of the school. while, President Ramotar, who was part ebrations, said the abolition of slavery in was a major blow against the oppressive coloo which Africans were subjected. overnment Information Agency (GINA) rem as saying that even though, Guyanese rent origins, they have a common history. resident called on citizens to reflect on the es in the fight for freedom and liberation and ces that had to be made, and apply them to ality so as to strengthen their societies and ana forward. r sentiments were expressed by Opposition avid Granger, who described Emancipation rthday of the Guyanese nation”. urged that this occasion be used to bring six peoples together, so that the country can me one nation.

These young ladies showcasing their African garbs

A group of youngsters before performing on stage

A priest pours libation for fallen ancestors

‘Honestly, I am impressed!’ This seems to be the reaction This goat was also part of the celebrations of this man after tasting mauby from this vendor

mer showcasing his dancing skills

etic dance captivated the National Park gathering

These girls participating in a traditional folk game

A section of the gathering at the National Park

14 Regional

guyanatimesgy.com

saturday, august 2, 2014

Eastern Caribbean prepared for any Ebola virus ‘eventuality’

Deal to stop migrants from boarding La Bestia train G uatemala, Mexico and the United States have reached a deal to try to prevent migrants from jumping onto a freight train in an attempt to reach the US, according to Guatemalan officials.

Tens of thousands of migrants stow away on the train, known as La Bestia (The Beast), every year.

Hundreds are injured or killed when they fall under its wheels. Many more are robbed or attacked by gangs.

The three countries said

S

t Lucia’s national Epidemiologist, Nahum Jn Baptiste, is confident that the Eastern Caribbean subregion is prepared for any eventuality in connection with the Ebola virus.

Jn Baptiste told reporters that St Lucia and the other islands have trusted surveillance systems with which to track some of the main symptoms of viral diseases including dengue fever and chikungunya.

He also disclosed that

the island is working with agencies such as the World Health Organisation (WHO) the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) and the Caribbean Public Health Agency.

“We feel fairly confident that should we get a case of the ebola virus in this part of the Region, we will be prepared in terms of response and best practices, which is not to say that we are not concerned,” Jn Baptiste said.

He noted that just this

week local officials were in touch with the Trinidad based Caribbean Public Health Agency to obtain the agency’s specific advice with respect to responding to the ebola virus.

According to the WHO, the Ebola virus (formerly known as Ebola haemorrhagic fever) is a severe, often fatal illness, with a case fatality rate of up to 90 per cent. There is no known treatment for the disease. (Caribbean360)

they would establish more checkpoints. Guatemala’s top immigration official, Alejandra Gordillo, said the deal was reached during meetings between Guatemalan President Otto Perez Molina, Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto and US Vice President Joe Biden.

Biden travelled to Central America last month to try to stem a growing flow of unaccompanied minors from the region to the US. According to US Homeland Security, 52,000 unaccom-

Hillary Clinton reiterates wish to advance relations with Cuba

US slaps travel restrictions on Venezuelan officials F T

Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton

he United States is slapping travel bans on Venezuelan officials believed to have been responsible for abuses during recent anti-government protests.

While Washington did not specify how many Venezuelans would be affected by the restrictions, it said those “who have been responsible for or complicit in human rights abuses” would not be welcome in the US. US State Department

spokeswoman Marie Harf said in a statement released on Wednesday that the travel restrictions were in response to “arbitrary detentions and excessive use of force” by Venezuelan officials as they tried to contain growing anti-government protest.

The Venezuelan Opposition has been lobbying for sanctions since thousands of protesters were detained during anti-government protests in which at least 42 people were killed.

In February and March, hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans took to the streets to protest skyrocketing inflation, shortages of basic food and hygiene items, and spiralling crime.

Prominent Oposition figures were arrested and have been charged with inciting violence, while thousands of protesters were detained.

Many have since been released, but there have been allegations they were intimidated, beaten and tortured.

(Excerpt from Caribbean360)

The Bahamas denies stateless people from Haiti residing in the country

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he Bahamas Government has denied reports that there are stateless people of Haitian descent in the country.

Foreign Affairs and Immigration Minister Fred Mitchell said the Perry Christie Government was aware of media reports attributed to the Haitian President Michel Martelly on the matter. Martelly paid a one-day visit to The Bahamas earlier this week where he signed a number of bilateral agreements with Nassau.

“As The Bahamas Government understands

the law of Haiti, the child of a Haitian born anywhere is Haitian at birth. This would mean therefore that the children of Haitian parents born in The Bahamas are not stateless and our law requires those persons to obtain a Haitian passport and a residence permit since at birth they are not Bahamian,” Mitchell said in a statement.

“We have indicated to the Haitian authorities here, however, that if they are aware of any cases of statelessness of people of Haitian descent, then The Bahamas will fulfil its legal obligations in interna-

tional law and in the law of The Bahamas to regularise their status.”

But Mitchell said “to date, no application has been advanced by or on behalf of anyone of Haitian descent who is stateless”.

On September 23, 2013, the Constitutional Court in The Dominican Republic ruled in favour of stripping citizenship from children of Haitian migrants.

The decision applies to those born after 1929 — a category that overwhelmingly includes descendants of Haitians brought in to work on farms. (Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

panied children arrived on the US border with Mexico between October 2013 and June 15, 2014.

Many Central American migrants jump onto La Bestia on their way north, clinging perilously to its sides or sitting on its roof.

They are regularly targeted by criminal gangs, which rob them of their possessions or abduct them to force them to join their ranks. Those who, exhausted, fall from its roof often lose limbs when they fall under the train’s wheels. (Excerpt from BBC News)

ormer US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who reportedly is the favourite to be the

Democratic candidate for the 2016 presidential elections, reiterated her wish to advance relations with

Cuba, according to excerpts of an interview cited by PL news agency.

Clinton defended the idea that the US embargo of Cuba has been a failure, as she expressed in her book Hard Choices, published earlier this year.

She referred to the Cuba travel ban imposed on US nationals by saying that she would like to see a final normalisation of relations, as well as visits to Cuba by US citizens.

The US economic, commercial and financial embargo has been maintained by 11 successive US administrations against Cuba over the past 50 years, including the current Obama Administration. (Caribbean News Now)

PM buckled under pressure – Anil

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rinidad’s Sport Minister Anil Roberts says he was forced to resign from the People’s Partnership Government due to mounting pressure from the public, the Opposition and even his own Cabinet colleagues. Some of his own Cabinet colleagues were against him, he said.

Roberts also threw in the towel as MP for D’Aabdie/ O’Meara. During an interview in Diego Martin on Thursday, moments after penning his resignation letter to Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, Roberts said during the four years he spent in Government he realised one thing... politics has a morality of its own.

He said the last thing he expected was being asked to resign. Roberts said resigning with a “heavy heart was an understatement” since his entire life was surrounded by sports. “If a Minister has been forced to resign or has to resign, having done nothing wrong, a Minister of Government, duly elected by the people, is put into a position to resign, then where do we go from here?” he asked.

Asked why his Cabinet col-

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and Sport Minister Anil Roberts

leagues were against him, Roberts replied: “You would have to ask them because, me, to tell you the truth, one of my weaknesses from having lived a life in sport is that I am too much of a team player. “My wife always tells me that I believe in people too much. I have learnt the hard way today. That is the regret I have.”

Asked if he was supported by his Cabinet colleagues following the audit, Roberts said: “A few were supportive, some were openly unsupportive, and some who I thought were colleagues

were actually not. It is amazing.” On Thursday, a sombre-looking Roberts, accompanied by his 22-yearold wife, Shandell, who is 25 weeks pregnant, said despite what has happened “life will go on.”

Roberts said several Ministers, whose ministries came under question, were never asked to resign. He asked: “All of a sudden pressure was brought to mount from all over and pressure was put on my Prime Minister and forced me to resign. Did I want to resign?

No!” (Excerpt from Trinidad Guardian)

15 Around the World saturday, august 2, 2014

guyanatimesgy.com

Ebola crisis: Virus spreading First responsibility towards India’s poor, Modi tells Kerry too fast, says WHO

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he Ebola outbreak in West Africa is spreading faster than efforts to control it, World Health Organisation (WHO) head Margaret Chan has said.

She told a summit of regional leaders that failure to contain Ebola could be “catastrophic” in terms of lives lost. But she said the virus, which has claimed 729 lives in four West African countries since February, could be stopped if well managed.

Ebola kills up to 90 per cent of those infected. It spreads by contact with infected blood, bodily fluids, organs – or contaminated environments. Patients have a better chance of survival if they receive early treatment.

Initial flu-like symptoms can lead to external haemorrhaging from areas such as eyes and gums, and internal bleeding which can lead to organ failure.

Dr Chan was meeting the leaders of the worst-affected

Narendra Modi told US Secretary of State John Kerry that the first responsibility of his Government was to the poorest people

The WHO says that when well managed, an Ebola outbreak can be stopped

countries – Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone – to launch a new US$100 million (£59 million; €75 million) Ebola response plan. The plan in-

cludes funding the deployment of hundreds more health care workers to affected countries. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Gaza truce over, Israel soldier captured, 70 dead in Rafah shelling

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srael declared a Gaza ceasefire over on Friday, saying Hamas militants breached the truce soon after it took effect and apparently captured an Israeli officer while killing two other soldiers.

Renewed Israeli shelling killed more than 70 Palestinians and wounded some 220, hospital officials said. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called his security cabinet into special session and publicly warned Hamas and other mil-

itant groups they would “bear the consequences of their actions”.

The 72-hour break announced by US Secretary of State John Kerry and UN Secretary General Ban Kimoon was the most ambitious attempt so far to end more than three weeks of fighting, driven by mounting international alarm over a rising Palestinian civilian death toll.

US President Barack Obama called for the Israeli soldier’s unconditional release and said that after the

day’s events it would be tough to reinstate a truce. “I think it’s going to be very hard to put a ceasefire back together again if Israelis and the international community can’t feel confident that Hamas can follow through on a ceasefire commitment,” he told a news conference.

Obama said he has been in constant contact with Netanyahu about the situation, and added that more needs to be done to protect Palestinian civilians. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Uganda court overturns anti-gay law

Homosexuality is still illegal and punishable by sentences under previous laws

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ganda’s constitutional court has overturned an anti-homosexuality law that was branded draconian and “abominable” by rights groups, saying it was wrongly passed by parliament.

The law is “null and void,” presiding judge Steven Kavuma told the

court on Friday, saying the process had contravened the constitution, as it has been passed in Parliament in December without the necessary number of legislators.

Cheering gay rights activists celebrated the ruling, but supporters of the law said they would appeal at the Supreme Court. “Justice

prevailed, we won,” said lawyer Nicholas Opiyo, who led the challenge in the constitutional court.

“The retrogressive antihomosexuality act of Uganda has been struck down by the constitutional court – it’s now dead as a door nail,” said Andrew Mwenda, one of 10 petitioners.

The law, signed by Uganda’s veteran President Yoweri Museveni in February, said that homosexuals should be jailed for life, outlawed the promotion of homosexuality and obliged Ugandans to denounce gays to the authorities.

US Secretary of State John Kerry likened the law to anti-Semitic legislation in Nazi Germany, and Western nations made a raft of aid cuts to Uganda’s Government. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

I

n the clearest articulation of India’s position on the WTO standoff, from the highest level, PM Narendra Modi on Friday forcefully told visiting US Secretary of State John Kerry that the first responsibility of his Government was to the poorest people of the country.

This was after Kerry told Modi that India’s position on the issue was sending confusing signals to the international community. Kerry’s meeting with Modi saw the two leaders elaborating on

their respective positions on the trade facilitation agreement (TFA) versus food subsidy in a forceful manner – even though officials insisted there was no spat – with Modi insisting that the interest of the poor was paramount.

“I am more concerned about the small Indian farmer, even though I believe the trade facilitation agreement is good for India,” Modi said.

The PM was responding to Kerry who told him the failure to get a WTO deal “undermines” Modi’s message

of India being open for business. The India-US strategic dialogue has been clouded by the Indian blockade of the trade facilitation agreement, as the talks failed in Geneva on Thursday night.

“The first responsibility of my government is to the poorest people of the country. While we don’t oppose the agreement, we believe that the needs of those living on the margins of society, not just in India but elsewhere too, have to be addressed,” Modi told Kerry in the meeting. (Excerpt from Times of India)

Suspects shot in Xinjiang imam killing

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olice have shot dead two suspects in the killing of the imam of China’s largest mosque and captured another, state media say.

Jume Tahir was the imam in Kashgar, in China’s restive Xinjiang region.

He was found dead after morning prayers at the Id Kah mosque on Wednesday.

Police said the suspects, located shortly afterwards,

“resisted arrest with knives and axes”. They were “influenced by religious extremism”, Xinhua news agency said.

Xinjiang, in China’s far west, is home to the Muslim Uighur minority.

Tensions have rumbled for years between Uighurs and Beijing over large-scale Han Chinese migration and tight Chinese control.

In recent months, howev-

er, there has been a marked increase in Xinjiang-linked violence, including a market attack in the regional capital Urumqi that left more than 30 people dead.

Beijing blames these attacks on extremists inspired by overseas terror groups.

Uighur activists say heavyhanded restrictions on religious and cultural freedoms are fuelling local resentment. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Taiwan gas blasts in Kaohsiung kill at least 25 A series of gas explosions in the southern Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung has killed 25 people and injured 267 others, officials say. The blasts rocked the city’s Cianjhen district, scattering cars and blowing deep trenches in roads.

The exact cause of the gas leaks is not clear, but reports say the blasts were caused by ruptured pipelines. Images of the scene showed major fires, upturned vehicles, bod-

ies covered in debris and streets split in two.

The explosions happened late on Thursday night, with witnesses reporting huge fireballs soaring into the air. Taiwan’s premier said there were at least five blasts.

“The local fire department received calls of gas leaks late Thursday and then there was a series of blasts around midnight affecting an area of two to three sq km [one sq mile],” the National Fire Agency

said in a statement.

“I saw lots of cars and motorcycles with engines all over on the road, and doctors checking if bodies were dead or alive,” eyewitness Chen Guanyuan, who was at the scene shortly after the blast, told the BBC. “Because the explosion range is so far so it’s really difficult to handle this situation immediately,” Chen said, adding that the blasts “caused a long-range hole, like a huge cave”. (Excerpt from

BBC News)

16 news

saturday, august 2, 2014 | guyanatimeSGY.com

Hundreds attend annual libation ceremony music announced the arrival of the procession which snaked it way through the streets of Georgetown.

As the group approached the Independence arch, the spiritual elders, briskly walked to both ends of the arch and sprinkled a liquid on it.

A crowd had already assembled at the 1763 ‘Cuffy’ Monument anxiously awaiting the arrival of the procession.

Other deities were added to the altar that was set up at the base of the 1763 Monument.

the air followed by shouts of “Freedom!” “Kumbaya!”

Addressing the crowd briefly, the Prime Minister reminded those in attendance of the struggles faced before Emancipation, but noted that the African people are very resilient, pointing out that after they were freed, they saved the little money they had earned and bought villages along East Coast Demerara. He point-

ed out that these trends still continue with a lot of Afro-Guyanese being successful entrepreneurs.

Meanwhile, Williams touched on the hardships faced by women during slavery. He said during slavery, women would give birth to children and would not be given the right to call them their own. This changed after the evil system of slavery was abolished.

Elders

Prime Minister Samuel Hinds and PNCR Chairman Basil Williams participating in ceremony

BY JOMO PAUL

D

ecked out in colourful African cultural wear, hundreds of Guyanese and some Surinamese nationals took to the streets of Georgetown on the eve of

have died. It is common in many religions of the distant past and continues to be practised in Guyana’s rich African culture today.

Various substances have been used for libations, most commonly wine and in Guyana’s case High

the libation

176th Emancipation Anniversary, the crowd assembled near Stabroek Market, from where the procession commenced about 21:00h.

Led by the spiritual leaders who still practise the ancient African

The procession along Brickdam, Georgetown on Thursday evening

Emancipation for the annual libation ceremony.

A libation is a ritual pouring of a liquid as an offering to a god or spirit or in memory of those who

Wine. The libation could be poured onto something of religious significance, such as an altar, or into the Earth.

On the eve of Guyana’s

religions, the procession made its way through the market. The sound of the drums and the glorified chorus-like singing of gospel songs, and African folk

Prime Minister Samuel Hinds and People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) Chairman Basil Williams were present and regarded as elders in the ceremony.

Aided by Bishop Andrew Irving, they both poured alcohol on the ground as part of the ceremony. The alcohol pouring is referred to as the actual offering of deity.

As the ceremony progressed, the crowd grew, and everyone tried to catch a glimpse of the ceremony, some for the first time and other as a family tradition.

One young lady told Guyana Times that she had travelled all the way from the US to be a part of the celebrations here.

She said she came for the Emancipation celebrations at the National Park, but she heard of the libation ceremony and decided to pay a visit.

“From what I’ve seen so far, it’s very spiritual and the energy... it’s so hard to get a glimpse.”

As the ceremony concluded, the Prime Minister and the PNCR Chairman were both given handfuls of rice which they later threw in the air, along with Irving.

Thereafter, they were given white pigeons. Upon the instruction of Irving, the birds were released in

Drummers on their way to the libation ceremony

Child drowns in Katabuli Creek

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he Emancipation celebrations for one Linden family was transformed into a state of sorrow after their nine-yearold son lost his life by drowning at the Katabuli Creek, also called “Bucktown” located at Blueberry Hill, Wismar, Linden.

Dead is Kasszel Harlequin, who was at the time engaged in a picnic with members of his family at the popular swimming spot. His lifeless body was reportedly discovered in an unconscious state some time after he went into the creek to swim with family and friends.

At the time of the inci-

dent, the creek was reportedly crowded with persons as is customary on holidays.

His family reportedly did not miss him until his body was discovered in a section of the creek.

Reports indicate that Harlequin’s body was transported to the Upper Demerara Hospital (UDH) at Wismar, before being transferred to the Linden Hospital Complex (Mackenzie) where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

The lad was said to be the only son for his mother who was left traumatised following the incident. Harlequin is survived by his parents and one sibling.

CJIA gives passengers Emancipation welcome Cabinet approves

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undreds of passengers arriving at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) were on Thursday greeted with the rhythmic beats of African drumming as part of Emancipation observances.

According to a release, the passengers were treated to the pulsating rhythms by the Otishka Group, in addition to African delicacies such as conkie and cassava pone.

The treats were served by the airport’s customer service representatives and employees of the Commercial and Administration Department.

The event is an annual one to observe national holidays in an effort to give passengers the experience of Guyana’s diverse cultures.

appointments of Belgian, Indonesian Ambassadors

H

African drummers in action at the CJIA on Thursday

ead of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr Roger Luncheon at his postCabinet press briefing at the Office President has announced the appointment of Patrick de Beyter as nonresident Ambassador of the Kingdom of Belgium to Guyana.

Ambassador de Beyter will be resident in Kingston, Jamaica.

Meanwhile, approval was granted for the appointment of Dr Dominicus Supratikto as the non-resident Ambassador Extraordinaire and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Indonesia to Guyana.

Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr Roger Luncheon

Dr Supratikto will be resident in neighbouring Suriname.

News

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saturday, august 2, 2014 | guyanatimesGY.com

PPP/C proud of African ancestors' contributions

T

he People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) extends greetings to all Guyanese, more particularly our AfroGuyanese brothers and sisters on the occasion of the 176th Anniversary since the abolition of slavery.

This is a good time to reflect on the pain and sacrifices made by our African ancestors, who were brought to our shores against their will to provide cheap labour in the sugar plantations. They were treated in an inhumane manner at the hands of the planter class and were

stripped of their humanity and dignity in the greed for profits.

What the planters failed to destroy, however, was their strong will and determination to free themselves from the yoke of slavery and bondage.

Despite their suffering, our history is replete with stories of heroism and rebellion led by slave leaders such as Cuffy, Quamina, Damon and Accabre who are today immortalised in the annals of our history.

The PPP/C is proud of the contributions made by

our African ancestors and the contributions they have made and continue to make to the development of our country.

Thanks to their contributions, the foundations for a modern and cohesive society have been firmly laid.

Guyana today is a free and democratic multicultural society characterised by political and ideological pluralism and the rule of law.

The PPP/C takes this opportunity to once again salute our Afro-Guyanese brothers and sisters on this significant milestone and

calls on all Guyanese to unite as we seek to further consolidate the economic and social gains we have made over the years.

These gains have benefited all Guyanese regardless of ethnicity or political affiliation and are manifested in an enhanced quality of education delivery, improved health care, access to houselots and credit facilities, improved water supply – in short, a vastly improved quality of life for all our citizens.

Happy Emancipation Greetings to all Guyanese!

Canadian Court puts hold on deportation of Guyanese man – so that he can stay in country with aboriginal daughter

Celebrate and preserve freedom – AFC

T

he Alliance For Change (AFC) joins with the rest of Guyana in celebrating the Emancipation of our African brothers and sisters heralded through the passage of the Abolition Act in 1833. Today as we reflect on the most heinous practice of domination and exploitation of man by man in modern history, we celebrate our freedom and vow to preserve it for generations to come.

This “Holocaust” of enslavement saw the ruthless extraction of our African brothers and sisters from

their homeland, and their subjection to the horrors and murder of the Middle Passage followed by slavery in the New World. This had a most destructive effect and cost the lives of millions of Africans.

Today, 176 years after its abolition in Guyana, we Guyanese are still battling the effects of this Holocaust.

Stripped of their culture and identity, Africans were property and labour on the plantations, producing super profits for expatriate colonisers. It is against this background that we recognise and applaud our

foreparents who despite being enslaved, walked off the plantations after Emancipation and with pride purchased plantations.

We recognise that the African Holocaust was the genesis of modern racism as our colonial oppressors found it convenient to use race as the rationale to commit untold inhumanities for four centuries. We reiterate that there is no place for racial discrimination in today’s Guyana. Let us, therefore, as a nation resolve to never again tolerate inequality, inhumanity, rac-

ism, the enslavement of and trafficking in persons, foreign oppression, and domination.

Guyanese of African descent have made a marked contribution to the foundation and development of Guyana and the AFC looks with confidence to their continued vibrant role in nation-building together with all our people to complete our self-emancipation and shake off the new chains that stupefy our country.

A happy and peaceful Emancipation to one and all!

Global action plans endorsed to halt escalating soil degradation

U

rgent action is required to improve the health of the world’s limited soil resources and stop land degradation, so as to ensure that future generations have enough supplies of food, water, energy and raw materials, Government representatives and experts meeting at FAO warned today.

The Global Soil Partnership has endorsed a series of action plans at its plenary assembly in Rome to safeguard soil resources which provide the basis for global agricultural production.

Recommendations include the implementation of strong regulations and corresponding investments by Governments for the sustainable management of soils in ways that contribute to the eradication of hunger, food insecurity and poverty.

“Soil is the basis for food, feed, fuel and fibre production,” said Maria Helena Semedo, FAO Deputy Director General. “Without soils we cannot sustain life on earth and where soil is lost it cannot be renewed on a human timeline. The current escalating rate of soil degradation threatens the capacity of future generations to meet their needs.

“That’s why the adoption of Global Plans of Action to sustainably use and protect soils is a major achievement.

But we cannot stop here. We need commitments from countries and civil society

Terracing lands will help reduce soil erosion and run-off, thereby improving farmers’ chances of higher yields (FAO photo)

to put the plan into reality.

This requires political will and investments to save the precious soil resources our food production systems depend on,” Semedo said.

Soils

The area of productive soils in the world is limited and faces increasing pressure from competing uses such as cropping, forestry and pastures/rangeland, urbanisation, as well as energy production and mineral extraction, experts at the three-day meeting warned.

Soils represent at least a quarter of global biodiversity, and play a key role in the supply of clean water and resilience to floods and drought. Crucially, plant and animal life depend on primary nutrient recycling through soil processes.

While some parts of Africa and South America offer scope for expansion in

agriculture, according to the FAO, the global population which is expected to exceed nine billion by 2050 -- resulting in a 60 per cent increase in the demand for food, feed and fibre -- will put an even greater strain on land resources.

Some 33 per cent of soil is moderately to highly degraded due to erosion, nutrient depletion, acidification, salinisation, compaction and chemical pollution.

The resulting damage to soil affects livelihoods, ecosystem services, food security and human well-being.

Soils are also both affected by, and may contribute to climate change. For example, sustainable management of soil resources can impact positively on climate change through carbon sequestration and a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and also by mitigating desertification processes.

The Global Soil Partnership, which brings together a broad range of Government and non-government stakeholders, stresses the increasing need for Governments to preserve soils and make the necessary investments. A Healthy Soils Facility was established with this aim.

The global soil community decided to establish global programmes for the promotion of sustainable soil management, soil conservation and soil restoration.

Interventions should be based on the use of suitable technologies and sustainable and inclusive policies that directly involve local communities in actions to protect soils. In particular, there is a need to prioritise the safeguarding and management of organic carbon rich soils, notably peatlands and permafrost areas.

A global soil information system will be established to measure progress made and the status of soil resources. Considering that awareness-raising, education and extension on soils is much needed, a special programme for capacity development will also be established. In addition, the first-ever Status of World Soil Resources Report is set to be launched on December 5, 2015.

The UN has recognised December 5 as World Soil Day, and 2015, as the International Year of Soils.

Curtis Lewis

A

Guyanese-born man has been granted a lastminute reprieve from deportation so he can stay in Canada with his daughter, a Canadian aboriginal girl for whom he is the sole guardian.

On Friday, the Federal Court of Canada held an emergency hearing into Curtis Lewis’s plea, and stayed his deportation to Guyana until a Government tribunal decides whether to reopen his appeal to restore his permanent resident status.

“It’s a huge load lifted off my shoulders,” said Lewis, after he got the news late Friday. It was just hours before he was supposed to leave his sister’s Ajax home with his seven-year-old daughter, dubbed “Alexandra” to protect her privacy, for their 22:45h flight for Guyana, where they have no family.

“We’ve had so many ups and downs over the last seven years, but I’ve always had faith in people.”

The Canada Border Services Agency had scheduled Lewis’s deportation with his daughter, even though leaving Canada would have meant the girl would lose her connection with her aboriginal community, culture and history for an uncertain life in Guyana.

“We are certainly relieved by the court’s decision,” said Lewis’s lawyer, Allison Rhoades, of Toronto’s Refugee Law Office.

“That said it’s still pretty shocking that the Federal Government came this close to effectively removing a First Nations child from her own country, without really giving a moment’s thought to her unique rights and interests as a First Nations child.”

Alexandra, who will be going to Grade Two in September, has not been feeling well since Monday, when border officials declined Lewis’s request to defer his removal until a decision is made on his request to reopen his appeal.

For days, the girl had sifted through all her belongings, picking what she had pack into her tiny suitcase.

“We packed what’s important. All her pictures. Her school works from kindergarten. And she asked if we could just stay in Guyana for one day, then go to Hawaii,” said

Lewis.

“We didn’t even have time to get her the shots that she needed to travel to Guyana.

We got some bottled water, because I don’t know if she’d get sick with the water there.”

All day Friday, Alexandra had her father’s cellphone with her, waiting for their lawyer to call.

“She just screamed, ‘We are staying! Can we go to the park now?’” Lewis said with a laugh.

Lewis’ lawyers had argued that Canadian officials, in denying their client’s request for a deferral, failed to assess the best interests of the girl, who, like her mother, is a full-status member of the Gwich’in First Nation.

A spokesman for CBSA could not be reached for comment Friday. The agency had said, in rejecting Lewis’s request for deferment, that it was not within its authority to assess Alexandra’s “long-term best interests”.

While expressing sympathy for the difficulties the move would bring for the girl, a CBSA officer pointed out in a decision last Monday that as a member of a First Nation, Alexandra would be entitled to come and go from Canada as she chooses and would be well cared-for by her father.

Lewis came to Canada with his family in 1966 when he was seven and has never been back. His permanent residency was revoked in 2005, three years after the last of his four minor convictions for assaults dating back to 1979 — the longest sentence being 14 days in jail.

A tribunal heard his case and gave him a chance to restore his status if he avoided any criminal offences for a year. However, when he failed to check in with immigration officials at the end of the year, his attempt to reinstate his status was deemed to have been abandoned and a Canada-wide warrant was issued.

The matter was further complicated by the substance abuse of Lewis’ common-law wife, which led to the court awarding sole custody of Alexandra to her father.

While grateful for a second chance, Lewis said having his life and his daughter’s in limbo over the past seven years has been torturous.

“I was lost in the system.

On paper, it didn’t really matter what I did or didn’t do, and boom, we’re going to have you deported,” he said.

“I didn’t sleep. I was thinking we’d get to Guyana at 06:00h and I’d have to feed her and find a hotel. We have nobody in Guyana and we wouldn’t know where to look.”

Lewis’ lawyers have asked to reopen his “abandoned” appeal for permanent residency and requested that Citizenship and Immigration Canada grant him immigrant status on humanitarian and compassionate grounds. Both decisions are pending. (Toronto

Star.com)

18

guyanatimesgy.com

saturday, august 2, 2014

thursDAY, march 11, 2010 | guyanatimesGY.com

archie

By Bernice Bede Osol

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19) You will gain positive attention and support from an unexpected source. Personal and professional partnerships will move along smoothly today. Aim high and plan to celebrate victory.

dilbert

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20Feb. 19) Be aware of job opportunities in your area.

Positive changes are available if you remain well-informed and prepared. Keep your eyes and ears open and your resume ready.

Calvin and Hobbes

PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) Use your charisma and communication skills to express your innovative ideas to those in your peer group. You are likely to be propelled in a new and promising direction.

Peanuts

SUDOKU

CANCER (June 21July 22) Check out useful sites on the Internet or local seminars that can teach you new skills. You can improve your chances of success if you are willing to enhance and expand your knowledge.

LEO (July 23Aug. 22) You will find it difficult to determine where to begin. If you don’t understand your choices, keep asking questions until you are clear about your role and what’s expected of you.

VIRGO (Aug. 23Sept. 22) Don’t get drawn into a situation with a co-worker that could compromise your position. It will be much less complicated to keep things on a professional level and take care of your own responsibilities.

ARIES

LIBRA

(March 21-April 19)

(Sept. 23Oct. 23)

It’s time to reduce your expenses. Prioritise your spending and cut down on unnecessary purchases. You will be able to earn some extra cash by ridding yourself of unwanted items.

Moneymaking opportunities are apparent.

Complete your responsibilities competently, and agree to take on bigger jobs that will allow you to show your leadership ability.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20)

SCORPIO (Oct. 24Nov. 22) Sit on the sidelines.

You are asking for trouble if you meddle in someone else’s business. Keep busy and stay out of any situation that has the potential to be costly.

Don’t be discouraged if progress takes longer than anticipated. Be patient. Getting emotional and upset will only make you feel worse as well as hold you back.

Saturday, July 12 solution GEMINI (May 21June 20)

SAGITTARIUS

Don’t listen to someone’s false promises. Keep your mind on the job at hand. Limit unnecessary travel or commuting that can cause you to be late or miss time at work.

You can keep up to date with financial changes if you do your research.

Once you have the information you need, you can benefit, but you must be prepared to act precisely.

(Nov. 23Dec. 21)

GUYANA

saturDAY, august 2, 2014

19

Guyana Amazon Warriors, Jamaica Tallawahs ready for tense encounter T

wo of last season’s finalists will square off in a crucial encounter in the Limacol Caribbean Premier League (CPL) that could decide the fate of where both teams stand heading into St Kitts for the final leg.

Skipper of the Guyana Amazon Warriors team, Denesh Ramdin, commented; “I am happy that my bat-

ting is paying dividends for the Amazon Warriors this season. Over the last 18 months, I have done some work in the nets and I have improved my sharpness and execution of shots to enhance my performance, so I am hoping it will continue for the Warriors and we can go all the way to the final again, this time in St Kitts.”

Former West Indies play-

er and Coach, Roger Harper, who is the Head Coach of the Guyana Amazon Warriors, spoke about the areas of improvement needed for his team. “We have areas to improve on and that is in the field. I believe we can be sloppy at times so we need to get this sorted out as well as seeing that we bat deep into the innings. If these two areas can sync together with

Kumar, GCB congratulate Guyana U-19 team

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irector of Sport Neil Kumar took time out from his busy InterGuiana Games (UGG) schedule on Friday to extend hearty and “deserved” congratulations to the victorious Guyana Under-19 team, as they returned home after being crowned the 2014 West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) Regional U-19 threeday Champions.

Kumar said the team played “extremely good cricket”, adding that such performances by young cricketers demonstrate the level of talent that exists throughout Guyana.

“It also shows that the administrators of cricket at every stage must find ways to harness this talent through development programmes that will ultimately produce a more competitive Guyana national team,” he said.

“Over the years the Guyana senior side has not performed to expectation. It means that such young cricketers who are winning tournaments are not graduating to the national team in a manner that develops their talent for bigger and higher level cricket,” said Kumar.

“Somewhere, something is missing.”

Kumar however said the Government stands behind the young cricketers and that it will continue its support for the game, which he said has always been a unifying force in the wider community.

The Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) also extended congratulations to the Under-19s, which followed closely on the heels of their younger Under-15 counterparts, who recently outplayed Jamaica and most of the

Director of Sport, Neil Kumar

other teams away in that country to capture that title. This now makes Guyana the winners of two WICB youth championships out of a possible four for the year 2014.

“Our Under-17 team had also given a good account of themselves in TT, but unfortunately, suffered from having one of their games completely washed out. However, the GCB is extremely encouraged by the professional attitude, dedication and teamwork displayed by this bunch of players,” GCB stated in a release.

It further said the Under19 boys played like champions and deserve nothing less than the coveted three- day title which had eluded them for years.

Guyana started the tournament a bit indifferently with a draw against the Windward Islands, but grew in strength and confidence with two comprehensive victories against powerhouses Barbados and

Trinidad and Tobago when the two established WI and firstclass players came to the party.

“The GCB joins with the rest of Guyana in congratulating the management and entire team of players on a welldeserved victory and notes the synergy and teamwork displayed by the entire team,” the release said.

There were some praiseworthy individual performances from a few players – against Trinidad and Tobago, Tagenarine Chanderpaul held the lone Guyana innings together with a remarkable, unbeaten century; and when Guyana was staring down the barrel of defeat in their second innings against the Windward Islands, Kemo Paul’s determination and resilience resurrected the innings with a brilliant 90.

Against Barbados, Steven Sankar was exceptional with the ball, capturing a five-wicket haul whilst Shimron Hetmyer registered a classy century.

The board urged the team to remain focused and make the necessary adjustments for the 50-over format of the game during the next few weeks and to ensure that they make their home advantage count with a third youth championship for this year.

“Our youngsters have demonstrated what can be achieved when the determination and stable environment is [sic] present. These young players have proven that Guyana is rich with talent and can produce world- class players again once everyone works together to put the interest of cricket and the players first,” the release added.

our bowling attack, we will be more potent moving forward in the tournament.”

Jamaica Tallawahs’ Coach, Mickey Arthur, has four wins under his belt in five matches this tournament and is satisfied with the progress saying; “I have no complaints about my team. They are like a family of brothers, they work hard together and I am tru-

ly proud of the progress they have made in the last three to four weeks. I am just going to keep challenging these players because I know we can get better. We have talented players on our team, so we are striving for that perfect performance which I believe is coming soon.”

The former South Africa and Australia Coach also spoke about the rota-

tion of strike, explaining; “Progressively, we are facing less dot balls and I am pleased we are rotating the strike, we have a unit of hard hitting players and that blend of going for the ones and twos can help us to get the better of opponents.

We have two more home games and we would like to win them both.”

Limacol CPL develops home grown talent – budding stars get their chance to shine on the international stage

T

he Limacol Caribbean Premier League (CPL) not only entertains crowds with high-intensity Twenty20 cricket, but is also helping to develop home grown talent by giving aspiring young cricketers the opportunity to showcase their skills.

The match between the St Lucia Zouks and Barbados Tridents on Thursday at the Beausejour Cricket Ground saw the home team lose their sixth straight game of the tournament. However, it highlighted the undeniable talent of the Caribbean’s new generation of aspiring cricketers like 19 year old St Lucia Zouks fast bowler, Ray Jordan and 22 year old Barbados Tridents allrounder, Jason Holder, who both gave stellar performances – Jordan taking his first professional wicket and Holder making 48 off 30 balls.

At the pre-match press conference ahead of their second home game this weekend, St Lucia Zouks Head Coach, Matthew Maynard, lauded the young players in his team who continue to demonstrate tremendous talent on the pitch, he said; “The injuries we have had in the tourna-

Jason Holder made 48 off 30 balls for the Barbados Tridents

ment have meant that our young players are getting opportunities to perform.

Ray Jordan wasn’t even eligible to play at the start of the tournament, but he

came in last night and performed magnificently.”

Trinidad and Tobago Red Steel Head Coach, Simon Helmot, also mentioned the fantastic experience young players are gaining by playing in the Limacol Caribbean Premier League, he said; “Tournaments like the CPL are providing up and coming cricketers with the chance to demonstrate their skills and passion for the game. When Twenty20 cricket first came about, we didn’t think the skills young players learn from the game would be adaptable for the longer format but, that is no longer the case as many players who are getting their first opportunities in Twenty20 are going on to be good test match players.”

St Lucia Zouks allrounder, Liam Sebastian, got his first taste of Twenty20 cricket in last night’s match and is looking to hone his talents in this format of the game, he said; “I have played lots of first class cricket throughout the Caribbean, but it was amazing to play in the CPL for the first time, especially in front the home crowd. I am looking forward to more opportunities to play and to make my team proud.”

20

guyanatimesGY.com

saturday, august 2, 2014

Noble House Goals Galore Hockey Championships...

Four teams locked in pole position W

ith competition so desperately close, four teams emerged tied on points for the lead at the end of the pool round in the junior division of the Noble House Goals Galore Indoor competition.

Surprise of the tournament, Old Fort Shooting Stars share a seven-point haul with Revelation, Spartans and newcomers Under-19 Mix. The senior division sees top seed Pepsi Hikers at the helm with 10 points, while Kingston Hockey have turned in some impressive performances to secure nine points and GCC remain still in striking distance with six points.

Thursday evening’s matches saw a determined GCC (+3) dutifully reel in the Old Fort Gladiators (+8) reducing the five-goal deficit to draw even by the half. Kevin Spencer, who has been quiet throughout the tournament, came alive to lead the first- half scorers with a double, followed by singles from Trevon Smith, the everlasting Damon Woodroffe and national striker Mark Sargeant.

The second half was all GCC as Smith added a second, Stephen Xavier scored a penalty corner and Captain Devin Hooper closed off the opposition with a double in the final minutes to leave the score

at 12-8 for GCC. The Pepsi Hikers were in their usual unstoppable form although Saints held them to just three goals in the first half of play with the third on the buzzer. The Hikers were all business in the second half as they poured in eight more goals while Saints could muster only a double.

National striker Aroydy Branford led the scorers with a four-goal haul, while teammate Jamarj Assanah continued to deliver for the Hikers, turning in a hattrick. A Reggie Harper double and singles from George Melville and Colonel Heywood rounded out the goals for the victors. Saints

managed two goals through Hilton Chester, in addition to their five handicap goals, leaving the final score at 11 – 8 for the Hikers.

The Spartans faced the Under-19 Mix for the first time ever with the two sharing the top spot in the junior division. The Spartans needed to make up a sixgoal deficit on the Under19s to draw even at the start and began their goal tally in the fifth minute through a Dacia Woodroffe penalty corner.

Aliyah Gordon was in form for the Spartans as she slammed home a hattrick, which was supported by singles from the team’s leading scorer Marzana

Fiedtkou and Alysa Xavier.

Time would be the enemy of the Spartans, however, as they would manage to only draw even by the final buzzer, leaving each team one point each in their 7-7 draw.

The GCC Tigers zero handicap seemed to be too much for them to handle as they failed once again to secure their first win of the tournament.

In last night’s clash against Saints (+6), the Tigers fought bravely and managed to score seven goals before full time but Shemar Boston and Myron Phillips spoiled their victory party with a goal each for Saints, ending the match in

their favour at 8-7. Tigers’ Ashley DeGroot remained the top-scorer of the competition by adding five goals to her tally, while Tiffany Solomon and Ulrica Sutherland added one each in their losing effort.

The GCC Pitbulls managed to secure a surprise victory over the Hikers ladies, making use of their three-goal handicap at the start. The Hikers managed to close the gap with three goals of their own but could not catch the Pitbulls, who remained one step ahead finishing at 6-5.

Matches continue today and Sunday with the finals scheduled to commence at 18:00h on Sunday.

James Anderson and Ravindra Jadeja not guilty of ICC breach

E

ngland’s James Anderson and India’s Ravindra Jadeja have been found not guilty of breaching the International Cricket Council code of conduct.

Seamer Anderson, 32, was given a level three misconduct charge over claims he abused and pushed Jadeja during the first Test at Trent Bridge.

All-rounder Jadeja, 25, was appealing against a fine imposed for his part in the incident last month.

Anderson could have faced a maximum four-Test ban if found guilty.

Both men were cleared soon after the conclusion of a six-hour hearing overseen via video conference by ju-

Anderson (right) and Jadeja have been found not guilty of breaching the ICC code of conduct.

dicial commissioner Gordon Lewis, who is based in Australia. Lewis heard accounts from witnesses, including India and England

players, who were cross-examined by legal counsels.

Anderson is now available to play in the fourth Test at his home ground

Old Trafford, starting on 7 August, the final match at The Oval, and the fivematch one-day series that follows. He took seven wick-

ets in England’s series-levelling 266-run victory in the third Test at Southampton to move within 12 of equalling Sir Ian Botham’s England record of 383.

“The decision is a huge boost,” England batsman Ian Bell told BBC Sport.

“He was at his best in Southampton, he leads our attack and all the young players look up to him. I hope he can take that form to his home ground. His experience of bowling there will be massive and give us some momentum.”

Jadeja was originally fined 50% of his match fee when his case was heard before the start of the third Test, with match referee David Boon downgrading

the offence to a level one infringement. Lancashire bowler Anderson denied India’s claims over the altercation, which is said to have taken place as the teams left the field for lunch on day two at Nottingham.

Anderson was also involved in a verbal altercation with India batsman Ajinkya Rahane at the end of the fourth day’s play in Southampton, before umpire Rod Tucker stepped in to tell both players to calm down. A clash with Michael Clarke during the Ashes series in November resulted in the Australia captain being fined 20% of his match fee for telling Anderson to expect a broken arm.

Venus Williams beats Victoria Suarez’s appeal against ban for August 8 hearing Azarenka in Stanford

Venus Williams (left) after beating Victoria Azarenka

V

enus Williams beat Victoria Azarenka in a clash of former world number ones to reach the last eight at the Bank Of The West Classic in Stanford, USA. The American, 34, won 6-4 7-6 (7-1) to reach her third quarter-final of the year and stay on course for a possible semi-final against her sister, Serena. Venus, ranked 25th, will face Germany’s Andrea Petkovic in the last eight. “WilliamsWilliams tomorrow, hope-

fully,” she told the crowd after her win on Thursday.

The result means Belarusian Azarenka, who was playing on her 25th birthday, will drop out of the world’s top 10 in a season disrupted by three months out with a foot injury.

Serbia’s Ana Ivanovic is heading in the opposite direction and her 6-1 6-1 win over Canadian qualifier Carol Zhao guarantees a return to the top 10 next week after an absence of more than five years. The for-

mer world number one and French Open champion will take on Serena Williams, who currently tops the rankings, in the quarter-finals on Friday.

Ivanovic beat the American at the Australian Open in January, but Serena won their last meeting in Rome three months ago. “It’s a good sign,” said the Serb, 27. “It means we’re getting further into the tournaments to play each other.”

Suarez was punished after biting Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini at the 2014 Fifa World Cup in Brazil

B

arcelona striker Luis Suarez’s appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) against a fourmonth ban for biting will be heard on 8 August. The Uruguay forward was punished after biting Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini at the 2014 Fifa World Cup in Brazil.

An initial appeal against the 27-year-old’s suspension was rejected by Fifa.

The appeal has been filed

by Suarez, Uruguay and Barcelona, the Spanish club he joined last month in a £75m transfer from Liverpool. Cas has agreed to fast-track the case, and it is thought a verdict could be announced by the end of the week after the hearing.

Barcelona’s first match of the new La Liga season is on August 24, but if the ban is upheld, Suarez will be out until

late October.

Under the terms of the suspension, he is banned from “any football-related activity”, which means he cannot train with his club or enter the confines of any stadium, although players’ union Fifpro argues the details “lack clarity”. Suarez is also banned from playing for Uruguay for nine matches and was fined 100,000 Swiss francs (£66,000).

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21

Digicel Schools Football Final…

Revenge vs pride as Waramadong and CWSS clash for third time in final

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A

CWSS are the defending champions

fter occupying the third spot in the first year of the championships, Waramadong Secondary met with the 2011 losing finalists Christianburg Wismar Secondary School (CWSS) in the 2012 final and lost 2-5. Both schools had achieved something.

CWSS had moved up one place to become winners in 2012 while Waramadong Secondary moved up two places to be runners up.

Last year CWSS, out to

Waramadong Secondary will be there for revenge and to salvage pride.

Both teams could be considered true warriors.

Waramadong Secondary had to fight hard to make it this far in the competition and often relied on their goalkeeper Gerald Isaacs to take them through.

In their regional playoff game, the Upper Mazaruni side came to grips with the level of play this year and in their national semifinal match

In the final, the Upper Mazaruni boys will depend heavily on their goalkeeper to ensure CWSS does not score while the goal hungry strikers Deon Rodrigues and Uriah King will be looking to be rocking the back of the nets.

Albert Myles and Ashton Ward are also expected to lend good support to the team that plays South American style football.

On the other hand, the defending champions will be counting on their

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Waramadong Secondary will be going all out for revenge against CWSS

prove that their 2012 win was no fluke, had to replay the 2012 final as they met their number one rivals Waramadong Secondary.

They prevailed, winning on sudden death penalty after the two teams played to a 3-3 draw and then 4-4 penalty shootout tie.

Both teams have again made it to the final of the Digicel National Schools Football Championships.

On Sunday, the true winners will be known as the Linden based CWSS will take to the National Stadium at Providence to prove that they are the undisputed champions while

against Beterverwagting Secondary, Isaacs was the man that took them through as the game ended 2-2 and had to be decided from the penalty spot.

This does not put CWSS above them as they too had to go to the penalty spot to decide who would go through to the final when they met Bush Lot Secondary in the semifinal.

That indicated also that the playoff for third place between Bush Lot Secondary and Beterverwagting Secondary on Sunday will be just as interesting and competitive as the final.

number one goal scorer Anthony Layne. And with Jashawn Moore playing on the other side and with Omar Archer and Duquan Hercules controlling the midfield, Issacs could be in for a rough time.

The defending champions also have a solid defense in the likes of Collide Miller, Calvin Dorris, Ackeim Harry and Ruel Chester.

Admission to Sunday’s final and third place encounter is free and another large crowd is expected to flock the venue to witness the best of school football.

(Andrew Carmichael)

22

guyanatimesGY.com

saturday, august 2, 2014

Limacol CPL crowds among best in the world – “Biggest Party in Sport” continues to deliver exciting cricket

H

igh-flying Trinidad and Tobago Red Steel are set to play the St Lucia Zouks this weekend in a match that is sure to highlight the best the Limacol Caribbean Premier League has to offer as the home team continues to look for their first victory.

Trinidad and Tobago Red Steel coach, Australian, Simon Helmot, has been hugely impressed by the spectacle of the Limacol Caribbean Premier League, comparing it to the other great cricket tournaments across the world. He said; “The fervour and passion of the crowds at the CPL this year has been amazing. The crowds are very expectant and it makes for wonderful atmosphere to play in so we want to make them proud and put on a good show every time we walk on to the pitch.”

When asked how the atmosphere at the games compares to other Twenty20 tournaments he has participated in, he had this to say; “Partying and excitement seems to come more naturally to cricket fans in the Caribbean, so when we play at the Queens Park Oval, 20,000 fans make as much

noise as 100,000 fans at the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground) in Australia.”

After their best performance of the tournament so far last night, St Lucia Zouks coach, Matthew Maynard, said that, despite not being able to qualify anymore for the knockout stages, his team is playing for pride this weekend in front of the famous ‘Zouker’ fans.

Matthew Maynard said: “The crowd last night (Thursday) was magnificent and helped the team put in by far its best performance with bat and ball so far. We bowled with more aggression than we have done in the tournament and in fact, we took more wickets in that game than all our previous matches combined. We are very disappointed that we couldn’t get over the line against the Tridents but we hope to bring that level of intensity to our upcoming games.”

The St Lucia Zouks have back-to-back home games this weekend at the Beausejour Cricket Grounds against the Trinidad and Tobago Red Steel on Saturday at 16:00h and the Antigua Hawksbills on Sunday at 16:00h.

St Lucia Zouks coach, Matthew Maynard

Caption: Trinidad and Tobago Red Steel coach, Simon Helmot

The Biggest Party in Sport continues to deliver exciting cricket and a great party atmosphere rivalling the Big Bash and IPL

GCB President welcomes Guyana U-15 team home

P

resident of the Guyana Cricket Board, Drubahadur, welcomed home the victorious Guyana U-15 team in the wee hours of Friday morning at the Cheddi Jagan International airport.

Speaking to the players upon their arrival, the President proudly congratulated them for their outstanding performances in Jamaica. He stated that at such a tender age they have demonstrated true professionalism, bravery and resilience by overcoming several hurdles and challenges during the last few weeks away on tour in Jamaica.

A major challenge for the players last weekend and, more especially, Sagar Hatheramani, was when he learnt of the unfortunate passing of his mother. “The President and executive of the GCB wish to take this opportunity to extend its heartfelt sympathies to this young cricketer, his family, relatives and friends at this time of bereavement and urge him to use this solemn occasion to motivate himself to rigorously pursue his chosen

Guyana U-15 team

professional career path in cricket and make his mom proud of this and his future achievements”.

President Drubahadur noted that the executive and members of the GCB are especially pleased

with the team’s overall effort since the Board had placed a lot of investment into their encampment and general preparation for this tournament.

Chairman of the Competitions Committee,

Colin Europe, who accompanied the President, pointed out that after 16 years Guyana has now won the U-15 tournament again. He said such an achievement is history and worthy of widespread

praise and acclamation. He lauded the team and urged the players to continue working hard and aim higher as they pursue their individual careers in cricket.

National Under-

15 Manager, Andy Ramnarine, expressed his gratitude and appreciation to the President and the Competitions Chairman for recognising the importance of the achievement and choosing to personally welcome them home at the airport. He posited that Guyana’s success was mainly due to the players competing as a team, their support for each other on and off the field, and even those who did not make the final 11 shared in every sadness and happiness of the touring squad.

The players are ecstatic about the victory and are overwhelmed about the accolades and commiserations they are receiving for their effort. They won four out of their five matches in the tournament. Kevin Sinclair was the Best Bowler of the tournament with 11 wickets, and Joshua Persaud was Guyana’s highest runscorer and the fifth highest of the tournament.

Also, Guyana was the Most Disciplined Team in the competition.

saturday, august 2, 2014

guyanatimesGY.com

23

IGG teams urged to work together – as Prime Minister declares Games open

F

ollowing the usual march past of teams and remarks from all the participating countries, the Inter-Guiana Games was officially declared open

by Prime Minister Samuel Hinds at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall on Friday.

PM Hinds said the three countries, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana, were once used as colonial outposts by the Dutch, French and English during their struggles for empires centuries ago, but these same countries are now working together as members of the European Union (EU).

He said similarly, the Guianas should continue to work together to strengthen their relationships through

engagement and noted that games such as the InterGuiana Games set the foundation for such engagements.

Mr Hinds also expressed appreciation to the visiting countries and said their efforts to field teams for the Games were well appreciated.

Among those giving remarks were delegates of the visiting countries, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport, Alfred King, and Director of Sport, Neil Kumar.

The Inter- Guiana Games got under way Friday morning with swimming and continued with basketball at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall. The athletics compo-

nent of the IGG is sched-

uled to begin at 10:00h to-

day at the Camp Ayanganna

ground.

The teams at the opening ceremony at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall

WICB launches kit design competition – open to all seasoned and aspiring designers across the Caribbean

P

rofessional and amateur designers across the Caribbean are being given the historic opportunity to design the West Indies team One Day International and Twenty20 playing kit.

The West Indies Cricket Board today announced the launch of a competition for the design of playing kit for the West Indies Men’s and Women’s teams for the 2015 international cricket season.

The winner in each of the three categories will receive HP tablets and desktop computers along with all expenses paid trips to a West Indies international match in the Caribbean among other prizes.

The WICB is seeking three designs: 1. West Indies Men’s Twenty20 Team 2. West Indies Men’s One Day International Team 3. West Indies Women’s Team Designers can submit in any one of the categories or all if they are so desirous.

“The West Indies limited overs playing kit is iconic and one of the most recognizable and loved in the cricket world. This competition presents a unique opportunity to designers in the Caribbean to compete and possibly have their design be worn by the West Indies Men’s and Women’s teams and showcased around the world on live international television coverage,” WICB Marketing and Communications Manager Imran Khan said.

“This is in addition to the prestige which will come with having been the first independent designer to design the West Indies team kit by way of an open competition,” Khan added.

“The winning designs could be worn by all the

WICB Marketing and Communications Manager, Imran Khan

superstar West Indies players and we are looking forward to a hugely competitive process and a plethora of designs from seasoned and aspiring designers alike,” Khan explained.

The West Indies’ iconic maroon playing kit stands out in the cricketing world but the WICB has not made it a requirement that the designs be maroon and is giving designers creative license to submit designs which they believe best encapsulate the energy, effervescence and vibe that is West Indies limited overs cricket.

The WICB will appoint a diverse judging panel to select the winning designs. The panel will include players and prominent personalities in the Caribbean fashion and entertainment industries.

The judging panel will be revealed at a later date.

The competition is open to all designers of all ages who are citizen of or resident in any WICB jurisdiction. The deadline for submission is August 29 and full details on how to enter and the terms and conditions for the competition are available at www. windiescricket.com/kitdesign. (WICB)

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

saturday, august 2, 2014

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19

Guyana Amazon Warriors, Jamaica Tallawahs ready for tense encounter WICB Regional Under-19 cricket…

Guyana crowned Regional U-19 champs SCOREBOARD

– take innings and 41-run win against T&T

G

uyana bowled their way to an innings and 41-run win against Trinidad and Tobago on the final day of their Regional Under-19 game at Bourda to be crowned Regional champions.

After dismissing the visitors on the second day for 117 after Guyana declared on 310 for 9, the hosts bowling department got to work on the final day to dismiss Trinidad

and Tobago for 152.

Sharaz Ramcharran and Steven Sankar ended with three wickets to add to their couple in the first innings but it was Daimon Waldron who was responsible for getting rid of two of the Trinidad and Tobago top order batsmen.

Pacer Kemo Paul finished with two wickets.

Jemeel Maniram (39) Amir Jangoo (35) and Jeremy Solozano (22)

The awardees pose with officials of Sentinel Security Company

were the only batsmen to put up some amount of resistance as the Guyanese bowling was too good in this match.

Guyana had bowled out Trinidad and Tobago for 117 for a 193-run lead on the first innings and had enforced the followon at the end of the penultimate day of their 3-day affair.

T a g e n a r i n e Chanderpaul ended on 132 not out.

Guyana started the tournament with a draw against Windward Islands, but then registered victories against Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago.

Meanwhile, over at Enmore, Barbados Under19s defeated their counterparts from the Leeward Islands by eight wickets and at the National Stadium, Jamaica drew with Windward Islands.

GUYANA UNDER-19s 1st Innings 310 for nine declared T&T UNDER-19s 1st Innings 117 T&T UNDER-19s 2nd Innings *J. Solozano b Sankar 22 +A. Jangoo c Hetmyer b Waldron 35 B. Christmas st Savory b Waldron 0 C. Carimbocas c wkpr Savory b Sankar 13 B. Jaggernauth b Sankar 1 J. Joseph c Chanderpaul b Ramcharran 1 J. Manniram c and b Ramcharran 39 A. Phillip c Homraj b Ramcharran 3

S. Roopnarine c wkpr Savory b Paul 10 J. Bootan b Pau l 4 A. Seetal not out 14 Extras (nb6, w1, lb2, b1) 10 TOTAL (all out, 54.4 overs) 152 Fall of wickets: 1-62, 2-62, 3-65, 4-66, 5-77, 6-77, 7-81, 8-98, 9-104 Bowling: Paul 6-0-32-2, Morris 2-2-0-0, Baldeo 7-0-30-0, Ramcharran 12.4-7-25-3, Sankar 18-7-42-3, Waldron 9-1-20-2 Result: Guyana Under-19s won by an innings and 41 runs Points: Guyana Under-19s 17.4, T&T Under-19s 2.2

Tagenarine Chanderpaul was in his usual watchful mood

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