Guyana Times 17 July, 2017

P11

Guyana, Caricom reaffirm commitment to pursue reparations Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana guyanatimesgy.com

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Issue No. 3274

Monday, July 17, 2017

PRICE

Govt will not budge to alleviate sugar workers’ suffering – Jagdeo Page 3

1 critical after trucks collide on Main Street

$80 vat included

WHAT'S INSIDE:

‘Missing’ drugs from P13 Suddie Hospital found at MMU warehouse …public apology demanded for hospital staff

Berbice teen dies in NYC accident P3

Page 12

Mazaruni Prison expansion P14 works progressing

Paddy scattered on the roadway after a truck carrying cattle collided with a paddy laden truck at the intersection of Main and Lamaha Streets, Georgetown stopping the flow of traffic (Shemuel Fanfair photo)

P7 Urgent intervention in education needed in Region 9 – MP

Son dies, father missing in North West boat accident Page 8

Prison breakout hunt...

Joint Services ranks comb D’Urban Backlands Page 9

P12 Body of deportee found hanging from tree

…was wanted by Police for killing wife

2 news

monDAY, july 17, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Prison unrest update LRTT to conduct teachers training programmes in Guyana Opposition disappointed

by “meaningless” meeting with Govt

A

These LRTT professionals are in Guyana to conduct a series of training programmes

A

United Kingdombased organization, Limited Resource Teacher Training (LRTT), has again journeyed to Guyana to conduct a series of training programmes with teachers at various locations across the country.

The team of 25 trained educators from the United States and the United Kingdom is being hosted by the School of the Nations.

The LRTT workshops are set to commence today in Berbice. Over the next three weeks, the professionals are expected to host three capacity-building forums, all

of which are free of cost.

These sessions comprise pro bono facilitation of a one week Summer Camp at the School of the Nations’ campus in New Amsterdam, as well as two four-day training workshops for teachers stationed in New Amsterdam and Georgetown.

The workshops will zoom in on the concept of pedagogy, which highlights teaching methods and principles aimed at creating a more engaging classroom environment, and thereby facilitating students’ learning.

The programme in Berbice will see a total of

100 local educators being trained, while about 120 teachers will participate in the sessions in Georgetown.

This series of training programme is in accordance with the relationship established between LRTT and the Ministry of Education in Guyana, which dates back to 2015.

The overseas-based non-profit organization has since recruited 75 highly qualified and experienced teachers to conduct a number of similarly run programmes with teachers stationed in Georgetown, Linden, Lethem and Berbice.

lthough the Government has sought to update the Opposition on the situation following the recent prison unrest in Georgetown, Opposition Member of Parliament (MP), Juan Edghill has described the brief as an “exercise in futility”, which was “meaningless”.

Edghill, who was one of four persons that represented the opposition People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) at that meeting on Saturday told Guyana Times that although the Government has attempted to convince people that the meeting was full and frank – in his opinion, it was the total opposite.

“Nothing that wasn’t in the public domain before

PPP/C Member of Parliament, Juan Edghill

was disclosed to us. So, the brief was exactly what they did at the press conference and whatever they have been saying,” Edghill explained, stating that he was fully convinced that it was only meant to show that the Government met with the Opposition.

He said attempts by the Opposition to ask questions where there were grey areas for clarity were met with very arrogant responses from Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan.

The Opposition MP recalled that Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson who chaired the meeting on Friday had to on more than one occasion advise Ramjattan to “take it easy”, because he was very “agitated, very arrogant, very intolerant and very impatient” during the briefing.

Given Ramjattan’s behaviour, Edghill said it was clear that the Minister decided to meet with the Opposition mainly because he was under some amount of pressure to do so. “It wasn’t something that he was willingly doing,” the Opposition MP opined.

Further, Edghill believes that the Minister also infringed on the professionalism of Police Commissioner Seelall Persaud and Director of Prisons, Gladwin Samuels, who were present at that briefing.

“And it was in that environment that Minister Ramjattan whimsically said there will be a Commission of Inquiry (CoI), where those questions being asked could be answered. So, this whole issue of the Minister disclosing to the Opposition that there will be a CoI; that wasn’t part of his brief,” he added.

The PPP/C MP is of the strong opinion that Minister Ramjattan’s mention of another CoI was based on his impatience and intolerance and was a way of shutting down the meeting without having

members of the Opposition provided with responses to their satisfaction.

Asked whether he thought that there was any seriousness to the Minister’s statement about another CoI, Edghill said if that was the case, then the Minister should have said that it was part of his brief and should not have attempted to shut down the Opposition from enquiring further.

“We are not surprised at the CoI because Mr Ramjattan is looking for cover. There has been no acknowledgement from the Minister even in the brief that he gave to the Opposition that he is accepting ministerial responsibility for what’s transpired,” he added.

In further cementing his argument, Edghill said that it was part of the Government’s accountability framework to speak with the Opposition on these issues, and the statement issued by the Department of Public Information was far from the truth.

“The truth is I wouldn’t even call it a brief, because that was told to the entire public. And you are calling the main Opposition, a significant representation of Guyana with 32 seats in the National Assembly and basically I had to say to Ramjattan that we are not schoolchildren and don’t feel you are patronising us and doing us a favour,” he added.

It was further highlighted that during that meeting, there was no response to the Opposition’s public pronouncement that it would not be giving any political cover to these criminals and there was no confirmation that the Government fully supported the security forces.

Although the Opposition had raised concerns during that meeting about the need to provide greater security and offer some level of comfort to residents of Lusignan, especially since they have witnessed their community being under siege by criminal gangs in the past, this issue was also not addressed.

Nevertheless, Minister Patterson provided the Opposition with details on the work being undertaken at the Lusignan Prison to accommodate the extra prisoners that have been relocated there. Edghill said that they were told that a shed was being constructed and toilet facilities were being improved.

The Opposition team was led by former Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee, and included Edghill, Bheri Ramsarran and Harry Gill.

news

3

monDAY, july 17, 2017 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

BRIDGE OPENINGS

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

Monday, July 17 – 11:00h-12:30h and Tuesday, July 18 – 12:30h-14:00h.

O

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Monday, July 17 – 10:15h-11:45h and Tuesday, July 18 – 11:35h-13:05h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY

Weather: Sunny weather followed by thundery showers in the late morning to afternoon hours and heavy rain showers in the late afternoon, while cloudy skies can be expected in the evening. Temperatures are expected to range between 24 degrees Celsius and 29 degrees Celsius.

Winds: Ranging between East North-easterly and East South-easterly between 0.89 metre and 2.68 metres.

High Tide: 10:41h and 23:12h reaching maximum heights of 2.38 metres and 2.42 metres respectively.

Low Tide: 04:09h and 16:39h reaching minimum heights of 0.80 metre and 0.84 metre.

SATURDAY, July 15, 2017

LOTTERY NUMBERS F

01 05 11 12 25 29

2 Bonus Ball

FREE TICKET

Govt will not budge to alleviate sugar workers’ suffering – Jagdeo

pposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo on Sunday said the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU)-led coalition Government would not heed sugar workers’ call not to close the Rose Hall sugar factory. This, he said, is so because the current Administration is an “uncaring government” that would not budge to alleviate the suffering of sugar workers.

The Opposition Leader made the comments while addressing a massive rally on Sunday at Adelphi, East Canje, Berbice, Region Six (East BerbiceCorentyne).

According to the Opposition Leader, no action by sugar workers or any concerned groups will have any bearing on Government’s decision to close the Rose Hall Sugar Estate.

Speaking at the rally, Jagdeo said the rally in solidarity against the closure of the Rose Hall Estate would have made a difference if the current Government was a sincere one. “If we had a Government that genuinely wanted to create a future for sugar workers and the industry, but this Government is not motivated by an economic plan.

“They are not motivated by a study.

They are not motivated even by the numbers, because you do not make critical decisions that will affect the lives of 17,000 people and cause 10,000 of them to lose their jobs based on four years of profit and loss statements of an industry of this nature,” the former Head of State told the gathering.

Jagdeo said that the coalition Government made a decision when it took office that it was going to close the sugar industry – an industry in which most of the stakeholders are in favour of a People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government.

“We must never allow fear to paralyse us,” he said. “If we only allow fear to take us over, our future in this country is done. It is not just about sugar; it is about who we are as a people and the progress we make. Today, we are fighting for much more than sugar here…”

The large gathering on Sunday at Adelphi, East Canje, Berbice, Region Six

Jagdeo noted that Government also wanted to sell the Skeldon Factory, explaining that it was profitable and through the co-generation plant, was able to supply 90,000 homes with electricity last year.

Commenting on Government’s ability to see into the future, Jagdeo referred to the current Administration as a government without vision. “When we were in government, we were talking about a green sector, a low-carbon development strategy that will bring new jobs and new wealth.”

This, he added, was going to upgrade the sugar and rice industries, and also ensure that Guyana got into rare metals and open up the savannahs. “That is what the vision was. You know what they have reduced it now to? When a reporter asked the President, ‘How are you going to create jobs in the future,’ he said, ‘We must do things like making pepper sauce and making cook-up to sell, and making plantain chips…’ That is where we have come from – talking about a future that will create thousands of jobs and new wealth and new infrastructure and a modern country to now selling plantain chips and cook-up rice; you can’t run a country on that…”

Security The Opposition Leader also took the opportunity to address the issue of security, which he said the Government was in denial on among several issues

Berbice teen killed in NYC smash-up Grand Central Parkway, Jamaica Estates.

Following the collision, one person was pronounced dead at the scene while eight others were taken to Jamaica Hospital and North Shore Medical Center. Two of the in-

DAILY MILLIONS 03 16 17 19 26 LUCKY 3 9 3 1 Afternoon Draw

7

other than the economy. The current Administration, he added, should be the experts in security since it has at the highest level ex-army personnel, including the President and Minister Winston Felix. “But they are totally inept on security matters and it will continue to do so.”

In mentioning the two prison fires, Jagdeo said after the first fire, Government officials met with the prisoners; a decision which he had then criticised and which has caused the prisoners to feel that they can now get the attention of Government if they burn the prisons. “The moment that prisoners feel that they can get political attention by setting a fire, they will set more fires in our country.”

Issues such as corruption were also addressed by the former Head of State.

Prior to the rally, several thousand people representing sugar workers, women, civic society and party supporters marched through several villages before converging at Adelphi.

Meanwhile, other speakers spoke of Government’s treatment of persons in the sugar industry, while citing the lack of salary and wage increases for sugar workers and the refusal of the Government to give Police Officers and military personnel a one-month salary as a bonus at the end of the year – something which they had grown accustomed to while Government Ministers benefited from huge salary increases.

1

8

Evening Draw

DRAW DE LINE

04 05 08 09 15 19 20 DISCLAIMER: WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY ERRORS IN PUBLICATION. PLEASE CALL THE HOTLINE FOR CONFIRMATION - TEL: 225-8902

J

The scene of the accident in New York

ust seven months after migrating to the United States, a Guyanese teenager was on Sunday morning killed following a multi-vehicle smash-up in Queens, New York.

Dead is 17-year-old

Akeem Grant, also known as “DJ Akeem”, formerly of Lot 46 Stanleytown, New Amsterdam.

Based on reports from ABC7 New York, the accident took place around 06:30h in the vicinity of the eastbound

jured passengers were reported to be in critical but stable condition, while the others were said to have sustained minor injuries.

Among those injured was the cousin of the now deceased teenager, Gladwin Grant.

4

guyanatimesgy.com

monDAY, july 17, 2017

Views Editor: Tusika Martin News Hotline: 231-8063 Editorial: 231-0544, 223-7230, 223-7231, 225-7761 Marketing: 231-8064 Accounts: 225-6707 Mailing address: Queens Atlantic Investment Estate Industrial Site, Ruimveldt, Georgetown Email: news@guyanatimesgy.com, sales@guyanatimesgy.com

For equality in Guyana

T

he norm of equality has become the mantra of the age. But in Guyana it has become a very complex issue, which has to be demarcated very carefully so that it can be inculcated and achieved. Even in economic terms, as Thomas Piketty has shown, most of the world has moved further away from this goal, and we must ask ourselves why. There are numerous reasons for this condition, but one important one is that “equality” is one of those laudatory words which are constantly invoked, even though its users are not clear as to what it means.

Now, almost everyone will agree with the statement: we are all equally human, but what does that mean? Isn’t it a tautology? We are not equally tall, strong, intelligent or beautiful; so whither equality? For the term to have any content, we have to choose any area of endeavour or personal attribute or treatment, and then discuss whether or not we are all equal in terms of the identified criteria.

Two things or persons can be said to be equal only with some specific property that we have identified. Equality, from this perspective, has therefore to be contingent on the context or criteria wherein we speak: equality is a triadic relationship. We may talk about three types of equality – those pertaining to personal characteristics, to treatment, and to distribution. The last two categories are relevant to politics.

There are some theories of equality that are purely formal; they specify no substantive content, simply a formula or policy. For example, when Aristotle stipulated that equals were to be treated equally and unequals unequally, there was no description as to what constituted “equals”. As such, once the rule was followed; for example, that only Greek men were “equal”, one could claim there was equality. Statements such as “equality before the law” also fall under this category: no questions arise as to what was the content of the law.

Formal equality only demands consistency.

It is generally accepted that, in any society, some inequalities will be morally permissible. Differences in ethnicity, interests, aptitudes, intelligence, and conception of the good are some that seem to have general approval. In Guyana, these are questions that have to be debated and agreed on. Normally, the rewards or punishment from one’s efforts (desserts) are also seen as permissible, even if not equally distributed. Once those that are not defensible have been identified, then the state/society has to decide what to do about them.

Items identified from the latter category at some time or place have been political power, opportunity for scarce resources, welfare or social position, social position/ class, economic resources, welfare etc. In general, some stress political equality, while others focus on economic equality: Conservatives and Libertarians balk at increased governmental intervention, while Socialists/Marxists/ liberals expect the state to intervene to mitigate inequalities.

In Guyana, questions of the equality of social status and political and economic parity are intensely contested between the ethnic groups in the society.

As we indicated, we can only have substantive equality when there is a specific criterion identified by which policies can be assessed. For instance, in terms of “equal treatment” or opportunity, there can be formal equality if the law states that offices are open to anyone who is qualified.

In this instance, one is being told that all existent inequalities of talent, birth or station etc. are morally permissible. Substantively, this may not have any effect on the concrete circumstances, since there is no stipulation that all applicants should have equal life chances. The question would be for society or the state to decide whether the still-surviving inequalities are, or are not, morally permissible. If the latter is decided on, then there may be affirmative action programmes or other compensating policies initiated.

In Guyana, where there have been historicallydetermined structural conditions that undergird some inequalities, there may be the need for affirmative action programmes to rectify these imbalances.

Fireworks explode in the sky above the Eiffel Tower, in a picture taken from the Montparnasse Tower Observation Deck on Friday, at the end of Bastille Day events in Paris (Reuters/Pascal Rossignol)

Creativity in oil contracts?

Dear Editor, Who is the owner of the “proven oil reserves” once the contract is signed between the oil company and the host country? In a typical contract, the “reserves” are monetized and this value is entered on the balance sheet of the Oil Company. The share price of the Company is maintained and traded based on “booked reserves”. In this type of contract, the host country has essentially ceded ownership to the oil company. Whatever control is left to the host country depends on what is written in the contract.

For the host country, the best guarantee of obtaining a decent payoff for its resource is to hire professionals in the oil trade to help negotiate a good contract. This was not done in Guyana’s case.

Middle-Eastern countries are very nationalistic and do not want to cede ownership of their oil reserves to foreign companies. So how would the oil companies claim “booked reserves”? This poses a dilemma, but not really.

ExxonMobil’s lawyers have been known to use a little creativity in contract formulations. Steve Coll’s book on ExxonMobil (I regard this book as a bible on EM), page 573, explains: “The question was whether EM could develop contract terms that would allow it to book Iraqi oil as proved reserves without forcing Iraq’s government to ac-

cept production sharing or other contract forms typically rejected in the Arab world on nationalistic grounds. “ ...EM’s lawyers had worked on contract formulations that might allow [Iraq] to claim full ownership over its oil before its people, while structuring EM’s position so that, even short of outright ownership, S.E.C. rules would nonetheless recognize the corporation’s right to book reserves for Wall Street”. (S.E.C. is a US Govt. agency tasked with preventing Securities fraud).

Matter solved. New formulations of Contract now provided for EM to be paid for its technical services, not with cash, but with oil. In this way, EM can still claim to S.E.C. that it has guarantees of oil.

The point of this letter is that EM has teams of the world’s best lawyers and accountants working for it.

Note how creative they can be with the Iraqis and the S.E.C. Who does Guyana have?

Guyana’s nationalists and activists – Anand Goolsarran, Chris Ram, Nigel Hughes, Darshanand Khusial (Toronto), Transparency International (Guyana), Sase Singh, and many others all write letters pleading with Minister Trotman to be sure the i’s and t’s of the contract are dotted and crossed with care, but to no avail. Mr

Trotman seemed caught up in a headlong rush to grant the production licence even before properly re-negotiating the contract.

He claimed the old 1999 contract signed with then President Janet Jagan was a “good contract”. Really? He also talked about “sanctity of contracts”. At this point, I lost all confidence in Guyana’s Oil Minister. Let ExxonMobil do the talking about “sanctity of contracts”; they have teams of the world’s best lawyers on their staff.

Mr Trotman is not known for being either a contract lawyer or an accountant.

Goolsarran, Hughes, Khusial – they argued persuasively that, in a 50/50 sharing of “profit oil”, there is no guarantee that any or much “profit oil” will be left – simply because Guyana has no control over costs, no ability to evaluate costs, or contractual right to reject what they may see as inflated costs. Khusial cited an accounting joke in which the accountant says, “I could make profit be anything you want”.

This joke oftentimes become reality.

Also, $5 billion are reported to have been spent on exploration and other related costs, and this sum is capitalized (paid-up capital) on EM’s balance sheet; why must it be treated as a loan, to be repaid (recovered) on an expedited basis?

Guyana is not going anywhere, and the world’s demand for oil is not expected to suffer a precipitous collapse.

Recovery of sunken costs can be stretched out over a 25year period from profits. This item should have been re-negotiated.

At this point, Oil Minister Trotman has not been forthcoming on explaining what, if any, corporate taxes ExxonMobil will pay. Article 15 of the Contract on taxation is written in obscure legalese; it should be written for the layman to be able to read and understand.

A reasonable clause that should be in the contract also is that, within a 5-year period, EM’s Guyana workforce should comprise of at least 75% Guyanese. It is Guyana’s resource, and Guyanese should be given the opportunity to acquire skills and work experience in all aspects of the oil trade. This oil business will be in Guyana for at least the next 50 years.

Without this clause, Guyanese workers will lose out.

In March, we read of EITI being set up under the auspices of the Oil Ministry.

EITI should be an independent body. Now, 5 months later, we have stopped hearing anything about EITI. Guyana can do better.

Sincerely, Mike Persaud

Support for beneficiaries rather than consultants Dear Editor, The Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) seems to be gaining momentum. Having said that, I must say I noted that advertisements were placed in the media for consultants for institutional strengthening of the NTC and Indigenous NGOs of Guyana.

I had raised the issue of

support to the NTC and the NGOs at previous meetings in the initial stage of the FCPF, and, mind you, I was integrally involved in getting the FCPF programme formulated and approved for Guyana.

The NTC, and more so the NGOs -- at least TAAMOG -- had the clear understanding that direct support would come to the organization.

US$150,000 were earmarked for the NTC and US$150,000 for the four NGOs, hence TAAMOG was expecting no less than US$35,000 to US$40,000 in direct support.

I have been on record to make this point to the secretariat: that the organizations need direct support, and not consultancy- based support; this was the trust of the

FCPF programme document.

Moreover, it must be recalled that, at a meeting at the Regency Hotel in April 2017, a number of attendees had expressed strongly that support should be provided directly to the beneficiaries, rather than hiring consultants to do capacity-building and submit reports. continues on page 5

guyanatimesgy.com

monDAY, july 17, 2017

5

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

Agony to recoup bail Using CoI process to generate excuses money lodged at City Constabulary Dear Editor, In a recent letter to the Editor, I outlined the nightmare I encountered while attempting to recoup some bail money lodged at the City Constabulary.

As I proceeded at the final stage, to collect the money, I discovered to my chagrin that the bottleneck appeared to be longer than the distance from City Hall to Imbotero Police Station -- on the northern tip of Guyana, on the Guyana/ Venezuela border.

The process can be likened to an admixture of English and Spanish, which no reasonable person can comprehend.

I had thought that it would have been an easy task to uplift the money.

Here is the process I encountered. The prosecutor is required to endorse the bail receipt, stating that the case has been completed and that the money can be returned to the bailor. Thereafter, someone from the court office has to check several piles of disposed case jackets to find the one under review. The jacket and the endorsed bail receipt are then taken to the administrative officer for his approval. He is not always available, as he sometimes performs duties at nights, and is not on duty the following day.

After approval has been given, there is a mandatory waiting period of 14 working days before the money can be uplifted from the treasury.

I had felt that it would have been an easy task to collect the money after the long and agonising 14 days’ waiting period had expired.

After the expiration of the waiting period, I returned to the City Constabulary, taking with me the bail receipt and the authorisation, and was politely directed to the treasury to collect the money. I gave a member of the treasury the authorisation, my identification card and that of the bailor, as instructed by the City Constabulary. He examined them closely, then went into the office and returned about five minutes later. He told me that he wanted to see the identification cards of the two persons who had signed the authorisation. I was shocked. I explained to him that I did not have their identification cards. The witnesses were in the interi-

or and it would take me at least seven days to get their identification cards.

He uttered a terse statement, "Sir, you have to get the identification cards of the witnesses, or you cannot get the money." I left the office.

While in the compound, I saw a senior member of the Constabulary. He asked me if I had received the money.

I explained to him what had transpired at the treasury, and in an effort to assist me, he went into the treasury.

He came out a few minutes later and told me that I have to get the identification cards of the two witnesses in order to uplift the money; that is the procedure.

I returned 10 days later armed with identification cards of four persons spanning across four of the ten administrative regions of Guyana. I tendered my bail receipt and my identification card to a member of the treasury. He looked at them and went into the office. He returned a few moments later with a cheque for $8,000.00 written in favour of the bailor, and asked me to sign for it, which I did. No identification card of the bailor, no identification card of the witnesses, no authorisation was required.

Call it double-standard, call it inconsistency; but the present process to recover bail will not improve the image of City Hall or promote public confidence in the operation of the Georgetown Mayor and City Council.

The process I encountered to recoup bail money has the potential to promote unethical and corrupt behaviours. The words of world-renowned Guyanese musician and now Sunday columnist, Dave Martins, keep wringing in ears: "This is Guyana". It might be interested to find out how much unclaimed bail money is lodged at City Hall because of the system in place.

There is the need for a more transparent and speedy process to be designed and implemented to refund bail at City Hall. This can be done if those in authority connect the dots and do some more thinking outside of the proverbial box.

Yours faithfully, Clinton Conway Assistant Commissioner of Police (Retired)

Dear Editor, Karl Deutsch observed many years ago that political science was myopic in its development of theories and knowledge about power. He complained that political scientists "described the laws and institutions of State much as anatomists describe the skeleton or organs of the body." But the "nerves of Government," "the channels of decision-making and communication" by which Government so often asserts its power, proved Deutsch incorrect. Governments not only act, but must also communicate their actions to the people.

This now brings me to the question: What really has President David Granger and his ministers done with respect to prison reform, since they promised the people on the campaign trail that they would “implement proposals for the reform and strengthen-

ing of the Prison Services, in line with the recommendations such as those made in the Report of the Disciplined Forces Commission, especially with regard to training and recruitment, increasing salaries, and conditions of service” (see Page 44 of the APNU/AFC Manifesto).

The answer to the question is: very little!

What has Team Granger done to at least accomplish some of the recommendations of the Patterson Commission of Inquiry (2016)? Again, the answer is: very little!

Justice James Patterson and his two commissioners, former Director of Prisons Dale Erskine (a top professional in the field), and human rights activist Merle Mendonca, recommended the “formation of a committee to focus on reducing the overcrowding in the prison system, where at least 60% of the population (in March

2016) were on remand.”

Again, this was not done!

Actually, the situation got worse since the 2016 Prison Fire.

It is unfortunate that the policy makers, who were tasked with a slew of recommendations in Justice Patterson’s Report in regard to the events of 2016, did very little with those recommendations. I suspected that President Granger would appoint another Commission of Inquiry (CoI) in 2017, to pronounce on the current tragedy. So said so done; I am advised that there is now a new 2017 CoI into the Camp Street Prison fire.

This is nothing but an act of executive laziness from the Cabinet of Guyana.

These acts of not making the big decisions to improve the welfare of the nation, by hiding behind the CoI process, are nothing but devious and deceitful on the part of Team

Granger. They continue to outsource their functions to these CoIs, wasting hundreds of millions of taxpayers’ dollars in the process, when the answers are right in front of them.

What I have observed over the last two years is a trend of Team Granger’s to use the CoI process to generate the excuses needed to camouflage its inability to do the job its members are really being paid to do.

In conclusion, why did it take the total destruction of the Camp Street Prison in 2017 for Minister Ramjattan to realize that he has the power to remove 463 hardened, high-risk convicts from the centre of the city to other prisons in remote locations, and to release into freedom 57 former prisoners?

Sincerely, Sase Singh, MSc- Finance, ACCA

Support for beneficiaries rather than consultants Dear Editor, I recall this point being made by Mr Thom of Kwakwani, Mr Lincoln Lewis of the TUC, and Ms Karen De Souza. It was noted that the programme should not waste resources in hiring a bunch of consultants just to do capacity-building and file a report.

It was indicated that that was certainly not the case, and that the project is a very people-oriented project. Low and behold, the ads are for consultants to serve for two long years (24 months) just to do the said capacity build-

ing/institutional strengthening activities as outlined in the adv.

TAAMOG and many other indigenous organisations find this very worrying and troubling and, needless to say, a waste of project resources. TAAMOG and other indigenous groups will not support this undertaking, and we urged that this consultancy be scrapped and a task force be set up to include a wide cross-section of civil society actors who would help identify priority areas for the funding and chart a best approach for use

of the funds. Guyana has inhouse capacity, and the indigenous groups are aware of the issues, but need tangible resources to make an impact.

The current approach being adopted by the secretariat is a quick-fix, and will leave no lasting impacts. I am afraid it would not work for the Amerindian peoples of Guyana. I would also like to know the IDB’s input to this activity, and that the IDB, having been part of the drafting of the FCPF document with the World Bank, is fully aware that

the expectation of the programme was direct support to beneficiaries. I therefore find it strange that the IDB would give its no-objection and change course without consulting the indigenous groups on what form of support is best suited.

I do look forward for the project’s Terms of Reference (ToR) to be adjusted, and until such time, I would again plead with the Tender Board not to proceed any further with this particular consultancy.

Regards, Peter Persaud

6

guyanatimesgy.com

monDAY, july 17, 2017

Page Foundation Why children with Learn how to pets are better off tackle technology with children W in – controversial study helps explain the impact of pets on child development

By Pam Myers, Bsed

It’s impossible to ignore the fact that the coming generations will be growing up with more and more technology.

It’s everywhere and impossible to hide from. But that means that you need to set boundaries and make rules for your children, to allow them to safely exp l o r e . While some parents try to ban

all technology, others are giving their children free rein. Neither extreme is safe for your children. You need to do the hard work to keep your family safe and well-informed in the digital age.

Keep yourself informed.

You don’t want your children to outpace you in regards to technology. Though

many parents find it difficult to keep up with the new trends, apps and devices, it’s important t h a t you try. There a r e so many more dangers than you ever grew up with and t h e world is both a

low. Use parental controls and privacy passwords. If you have young children, allow them access to devices for limited amounts of time and always with supervision. As they get older, and begin to have device s of

bigger and smaller place for your children to grow up in.

You’ll need to stay on top of the technology that your children are being exposed to so that you can set appropriate rules and have a good understanding of what they’re facing.

Set boundaries for your children when it comes to what devices you want to al-

their own, set parental controls which eventually can give way to an understanding between you and your children about what they can access, what’s appropriate for their age and what sort of monitoring and privacy they can expect with their devices.

Keep an open discussion about technology with your family. Help them to

be aware of the dangers out there because you won’t be able to watch them constantly and you can’t know every scenario they might find themselves up against.

Foster openness between your children and yourself so that they’ll feel comfortable coming to you with anything they see or find on the Internet that they might be concerned or confused about.

Privacy is even more important in the digital age, so teach your children to respect their own and others’ privacy. Not everything needs to be shared online.

Technology is a touchy subject for a lot of families.

Children often have a better grasp of it than their parents, something that you should work to rect i f y .

Y o u want t o know what

y o u r children are seeing, what apps are popular, and what their peers are doing on the Internet so that you can better understand their world and the boundaries that you’ll need to put in place.

Remember that you’re parent and it’s your responsibility to look after your child’s safety, especially on the Internet. (childdevelopmentinfo.com)

By Hal Herzog, PhD

hen I was a kid, a pet changed my life.

It was not our family’s lovable mutt Frisky or even Murphy, my pet duck.

No, it was a four-foot yellow rat snake named Fred I got for three bucks when I was 13. He lived in a cage in my bedroom. I was transfixed by his enigmatic stare, alien beauty, and ability to swallow a mouse. I was hooked.

Within a year, I had a menagerie of scaly creepy-crawlies.

And while other kids were rocking out to the Beatles and Stones, I was learning the Latin names of snakes and devouring books on reptile behaviour and ecology. In retrospect, Fred turned out to be metaphorical gateway drug that led me to pursue a PhD in animal behaviour and to eventually publish papers on topics like the love songs of alligators and the personalities of baby garter snakes.

While some of my early pets were unusual, companion animals play major roles in the lives of many children.

Indeed, in her 2008 book The Powerful Bond Between People and Pets, the psychologist Elizabeth Anderson wrote, “Nothing less than alchemy is involved when animals and children get together, and the resulting magic has healing properties that work well.” But is it generally true that pets are linked to the psychological well-being of children? Yes, according to an excellent review of 22 studies of the impact of companion animals on child development. While some of the findings are mixed, the authors concluded that growing up with pets is linked to better self-esteem, cognitive development, and social skills.

Are pets linked to positive child development?

What is it about living with pets that makes kids better off? The authors of the review suggest several possibilities. These include the impact of pets on reducing stress, providing social support and companionship, and improving the communication skills of children.

But a new study sug-

gests a different answer, and I expect the results will be controversial.

The research, which will appear in the September 2017 issue of the journal Anthrozoös was conducted by a group of high powered statisticians from the RAND Corporation. All of the members of the research team had pets or grew up with pets, and they anticipated that their analyses would demonstrate the positive impact of companion animals on child development.

To answer these questions, the investigators turned to a large existing data set, the California Health Inventory Survey. This is an ongoing survey that assesses the health and well-being of Californians. For the survey, telephone interviews are conducted with randomly selected adults, adolescents, and parents of children under 11.

In addition to information on health and behaviour, the survey includes items related to socioeconomic status and demographic factors such as race, ethnicity, and sex. In the 2003 administration, participants were also asked whether their household included a cat, a dog, or both.

To study the impact of pets on children, the researchers used the responses from the households with at least one child between the ages of 5 and 11. Parents were asked a series of questions related to their child’s physical and mental health.

Data from 5191 children were included in the study; 5236 of them lived in homes with a dog or cat and 2955 lived in households that did not include an animals.

Pet-owning children are generally better off

As expected, the researchers found that children living with pets were generally better off than children who did not have a pet. Children raised in families with pets were reported by their parents to: have better general health be more obedient be more physically active be less moody have fewer behaviour problems have fewer learning problems (Excerpt from psychologytoday.com)

news

7

monDAY, july 17, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Urgent intervention in education needed in Region 9 – MP

…as reports of high school dropouts, migration to Brazil surface

C

alls are being made for more programmes to be set up in Region Nine (Upper Takutu/Upper Essequibo) to cater for young students, many of whom reportedly have not got opportunities to be educated beyond primary level, and thus are electing to take up residence in neighbouring Brazil.

The Geographic Representative for Region Nine, Member of Parliament Alister Charlie, has said that Government’s intervention in the region in terms of making skills training programmes available for students is needed.

“We have four secondary schools across this region,” Charlie said. “Other than that, in every village we have nursery and primary (schools). And within those primaries, we have primary tops, like Grade Seven, Eight and Nine.” His view is that, with this school system in the region, children from a large number of communities do not have opportunities to advance themselves academically, “except attending primary top, and finishing school after the Grade Nine Assessment,” he explained.

“It’s an issue, and I think it needs to be addressed, because these children, when they have written Grade Six Assessment, they move on to primary top….,” he explained.

He noted that some of these students have successful results at the Grade Nine Assessments, while others may opt to seek oth-

nities, they make their way across the border to Brazil in search of a better life.

MoE consultation

Parliamentarian Alister Charlie

er opportunities. These, he noted, are in the minority.

“Some just go back to where they came from, (and engage in farming), and life goes on. But we’re thinking (about the academic future) of our young people, and I think Government should look at this issue of moving (youths) to a higher level (of educational achievement) to eradicate poverty,” Charlie declared.

“Because education is the only way you can come out of poverty…, I think programmes should be implemented within villages to have children involved (in acquiring advanced education) to build their capacity (to command good jobs and improve their economic prospects),” he declared.

He noted that alternatives must be provided to primary top students. At present, Charlie noted, if children who have finished their schooling do not return to farming in their commu-

The Education Ministry had, earlier this month, embarked on a week-long consultation exercise, hosted in Lethem, in an effort to improve the educational performance of students emanating from Region Nine, and to address the delivery of education within hinterland regions. Led by Chief Education Officer Marcel Hutson, the initiative was conducted by a team of MoE officials which included head of the Inspectorate Unit, Herbert Grandison, and School Inspectors Jennifer Bourne and Nashrulah Khan, among others. They were joined by Regional Education Officer (Ag) Kateri Joseph, the District Educational Officers in Region Nine, and Regional Chairman Brian Allicock.

“Our objective was to give feedback to the Region regarding its general performance in education delivery, and also to help them develop a plan of action for improved performance,” Hutson had stated.

The CEO explained that the primary focus of the consultation was in regard to issues pertaining to administration, curriculum, supervision, physical facilities, attendance, and punctuality of teachers and students.

He had said that while similar consultations are to be conducted nationwide,

St Ignatius School, Region 9

the Education Ministry had commenced this undertaken in Region 9 because there is potential for much more work to be accomplished

there.

Hutson had also noted that the intervention was due to performances in the region not being on par with

what obtains in other regions, especially in regard to the recent National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) examinations.

8 news

monDAY, july 17, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Son dies, father missing in North West boat accident T

he search for 42-yearold George Piper, who, with his 18-year-old son Ravin Piper, was tossed out of the boat in which he was travelling after a Public Health Ministry vessel collided with their boat at the mouth of the Moruca River in the North West District of Region One (Barima/Waini) at about 22:00hrs on Friday last, has been intensified after the body of 18-year-old Ravin was recovered at the confluence of the Moruca and Pomeroon Rivers early on Sunday morning.

Police say Ravin Piper’s body was found by Coast Guard ranks at about 08:00h on Sunday morning.

The duo became involved in the mishap as they were returning home from a trip to Charity, which they had made in a 17-foot vessel captained by its owner, Uklana France of Father's Beach, North West

Dead: Ravin Piper

Missing: George Piper

District, Region One. France survived the mishap.

Police detailed on Sunday that the accident occurred when a vessel owned by the Kumaka District Hospital allegedly collided with France’s boat, and the resulting impact hurled overboard the captain of the Government vessel and four of its occupants, but they

were rescued.

George Piper’s sister, Paula Evans, told Guyana Times on Sunday that she was informed that the authorities, with assistance from residents, have increased their efforts to locate her brother, dead or alive.

“My nephew went to Charity to do some shopping, and my brother was in

the Pomeroon by our land, so when my nephew was finished, he went in and collected by brother late in the night for them to go home.

So my brother, his son and his friend ‘Wood’ (France) were in the boat when the incident happened,” she related.

She said she was informed that France’s boat was equipped with lights suitable for night travel, and that the Police at Moruca have France in custody while the captain of the Government vessel has been allowed to leave. This, she said is a cause for concern, since the Kumaka District Hospital vessel was the one that had collided with France’s boat, which was heading in the opposite direction.

The missing George Piper, father of seven additional children, youngest of whom is allegedly five years old, is feared dead.

Fairy tales…

S

…as “political analysis”

ome “big men” can really make themselves look foolish when they’re hanging their mouths where they expect some soup to “leak”. Take this fella Ken Danns, who has a PhD (sociology?) and used to teach at UG back in the day. Imagine, he wrote a long treatise on “coalition” politics in the Chronic; mentioned as to how the PNC quickly dumped its coalition partner - the UF - but never mentioned it remained in power for another TWENTY-FOUR YEARS by rigging elections!!

How can you then take him seriously? Especially when he insisted that, post-1992, the PPP “won subsequent elections appealing to its majority ethnic base.” So, appealing to an “ethnic base” is more reprehensible than rigging elections? Oi vey!!

And what kind of base did the PNC depend on to garner 42% of the vote in 1992 -- the same percentage it received in 1964 -- conceded to be the most polarised in the history in Guyana? And the man is a sociologist?

Danns’s main contention is that both the PNC (1992) and the PPP (2015) were removed by “coalition politics,” but the present PNC’s version is the real deal! He claims it was the 5-member Patriotic Coalition for Democracy (PCD) that provided the “impetus” for removing the PNC in ’92, but the PPP went on its own, unlike the present coalition between APNU and the AFC! What a fairy tale!!

Fact of the matter is that: back in 1992, the PPP wanted a coalition but the WPA demanded not only 50% of the Ministries, but that the leader of the PPP, Dr Jagan, not be the presidential candidate!!!

He might just provoke an uprising from African Guyanese, who found him unacceptable. Then, as now, the WPA had never shown its support base justified such demands, but stuck to its guns, and destroyed any hope of a coalition.

Fast forward to 2015, and what do we find in this “laudable coalition” founded on the prior one between the PNC and five other minuscule groups, including the WPA, to form APNU? The WPA was now willing to coalesce with the PNC; was not the PNC ethnically-based?? Would it not be “unacceptable’ to Indian Guyanese? What made THIS coalition kosher -- That its ethnic base was African Guyanese? Did goat bite Indian Guyanese?

This is what Danns -- after two years of betrayals, backstabbing, demotions, poutings and accusations of “non-consultations” -- conclude in 2017: “What brought these parties together was the integrity, dignity and competence of their leadership, and their commitment to put Guyana first above narrow partisan interests and ideologies”!!

Is Danns bucking for some soup from Granger’s Cabinet? Or is it from Ivelaw Griffith’s?

…and COIs

As sure as the sun would rise in the east, everyone was certain the PNC-led coalition Government’s response to its latest crisis - the torching and razing of the Camp St Jail - would be a CoI. And so said, so done. This Government has now earned itself a place in the Guinness Book of Records for appointing the most Commissions of Inquiry in the shortest period.

The British actually had two more CoIs, but then they took 200 years to accomplish that task!

But exactly what do they expect from these CoIs apart from trying to show the Guyanese people they are “doing something”? By now, however, everyone knows they’re just “trying a thing”! Fool us once, shame on you; fool us 153 times, shame on me - and all my descendants! Point is: Guyanese have to put their feet down on this continuous bumbling.

It’s not just the Government that’s looking hapless; it’s our nation becoming hopeless.

It’s not just Ramjattan who must go; it’s the entire lot in government -- lock, stock and barrel!

…on “inclusiveness”

The Government blames the PPP for being “inflexible” about cooperating with it.

After submitting three lists for the GECOM chairmanship when they should’ve gone to the courts, is the PPP “inflexible”??!

Shameless!!

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

9 Jagdeo to Govt: Don’t take credit for everything N News

monDAY, july 17, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

ow that the coalition Government is in its third year in office, much has been said about its performance which many consider weak or poor, but it has maintained a strong opinion that it has done well to improve certain sectors of the economy.

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo does not agree with that position and said the current Government is taking too much credit for things that it does not necessarily deserve it for. In fact, Jagdeo accused the Government of making several major blunders as opposed to achieving great success.

During a recent press conference, the former Head of State cited the absurdity of a statement that was produced after the Government’s first year in office.

He recalled that it boasted about

ending flooding in Guyana when today that statement remains far from reality.

“But we have seen the flood situation. But somehow the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) has caused this recent one. They said they ended blackouts and now we are witnessing a spate of blackouts,” he said.

According to Jagdeo, the coalition Government has even accused the PPP/Civic of being incompetent, while making repeated references to the Skeldon Factory as a prime example of one such failure. However, one year later, the factory has become a white elephant under its leadership.

Jagdeo also drew reference to a recent news article, which in his view sought to endorse the coalition’s work and which he described as “pure propaganda”.

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo

The Opposition Leader said he could not pass up the opportunity to highlight the inaccuracies of that published statement.

During a previous press conference, Jagdeo had sought to highlight that the Government has already spent millions on several Commissions of Inquiry (CoIs) and in most cases, none of the recommendations from these CoIs have been properly or fully implemented.

Jagdeo has maintained that the Government’s dismal performance is creating a new Guyana, one where there is no hope for future prosperity and development.

He has recurrently chastised Government for its handling of the local economy and has given strict warning that the situation could become chaotic.

He outlined several sectors in which the Government has un-

derperformed, including business, security, and finance. The Opposition Leader outlined that the Government failed to deliver on its promises of providing jobs, garnering foreign investment and bringing down the crime rate while it continues to increase the tax burden on citizens.

While the Government has claimed that it had inherited considerable debt from the previous PPP/C Government, the Opposition Leader has insisted that the Government inherited Guyana from the PPP/C in good standing, with public debt at its lowest level since the 1990s and a path for continued growth.

At the completion of the coalition’s two years in office this year, Jagdeo called on the Government to step out of its fantasy world and address the problems affecting citizens.

Hunt for prison escapees

Army ranks comb D’Urban Backlands

J

GDF ranks got into action combing through the D’Urban Backlands area

oint Services ranks conducted a military operation in the D’Urban Backlands area in Georgetown on Sunday afternoon, as they continue to hunt for the five Camp Street Prison escapees who fled the penitentiary following a fire last week.

The search was reportedly promoted after information surfaced that wanted men Cobena “OJ” Stephens and Cornelius Thomas were suspected to be hiding out in the area.

Residents of the backlands were on edge as the Joint Services ranks swooped through several sections of the community. As the law enforcement operation ensued, a few armed ranks were stationed outside the family home of President David Granger as other ranks who were not taking any chances conducted a search of the premises to ensure that

no trespasser was present there. All the while, a GDF helicopter was making the rounds, circling the D’Urban Backlands area before it returned to Camp Ayanganna around 13:30h.

Additionally, the ranks hopped into several pick-up trucks and raced through Mandela Avenue, before turning east into Joseph Pollydore Street (the lower end of D’Urban Street) before combing two premises in the Lodge area. Shortly afterwards, ranks ended the operations there and accelerated through D’Urban Street.

Sunday’s exercise follows the successful recapture of 27-year-old Desmond James, a gold miner who was charged in 2014 for allegedly killing Glendon Cox on September 1, 2014, at Four Miles Arakaka Backdam, North West District (NWD).

The accused was remanded at Camp Street Prison for

the crime, but escaped following Sunday afternoon’s fire, which was said to be the brainchild of convicted Bartica Massacre gang member Mark Royden Durant, called “Smallie”, also known as Royden Williams. James was nabbed by D Division (West Demerara) Police in an abandoned shack in an access dam at Canal Number One late Friday evening. At the time of his recapture, the escapee was found in possession of a knife and a few pieces of clothing. He had told investigators that he was heading to Essequibo. From reports received, the man had a haircut with the intention of disguising himself.

In February 2017, “Smallie”, along with accomplice Dennis “Anaconda” Williams, was sentenced to death for the February 12, 2008 massacre at Bartica during which 12 people, including three Policemen,

were slaughtered as gunman created mayhem in that community.

Durant; ex-cop Uree Varswyck, also known as

Malcolm Gordon; and Stafrei Hopkinson Alexander were reportedly hiding out in the East Coast Demerara backlands. Varswyck was implicated in a robbery-murder at Sterling Products Limited.

Alexander was accused of being involved in the April 2015 shooting to death of One Mile, Linden businesswoman Shevon Gordon, who was killed near her home.

Alexander is not a first-time prison escapee. In December 2015, he, along with an accomplice, smashed through a concrete wall to gain their freedom while being held at the Mackenzie Police Station. Meanwhile, double murder accused Shamedeen

Mohamed, charged with killing two pensioners, was found disguised in women’s clothing at his Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo residence last Monday night. Police had, however, claimed that he was not one of the listed escapees despite earlier reports suggesting that he had jumped off the truck while being transferred from the razed Camp Street penitentiary.

During last Sunday’s jailbreak and fire, which flattened the Camp Street facility, several prison officers were attacked and injured by inmates. One officer, 33-year-old Odinga Wickham, succumbed to multiple gunshot wounds.

10 news

mondAY, july 17, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Security at Mazaruni Prison should be beefed up – PSC

I

f the Mazaruni Prison is to be used as Guyana’s premier prison to house high- profile convicts, then security would have to be beefed up to unprecedented levels, as the location is vulnerable.

This is according to the Private Sector Commission’s (PSC’s) Security Liaison, Captain (retd) Gerry Gouveia.

Gouveia expressed support for the suggestion that the stone section at the Camp Street Prison, the lone surviving section of the July 9 prison fire, be used for remand purposes.

However, he recommended that measures – including the installation of dogs and surveillance equipment – be utilised at the Mazaruni facility, where a multi-million-dollar extension is ongoing.

“We support the President’s call that the Georgetown Prison should be a remand centre,” Gouveia said. “It’s close to the court system, (and) I’ve always believed that the Mazaruni Prison certainly (has) the potential to be a high security prison.”

He added, “But in planning and doing it, they have to understand that the Mazaruni Prison is vulnerable, not only to breaking-outs, but breaking-ins,” the airline executive

stressed.

“So, if you have high-profile prisoners in that prison, that prison becomes very vulnerable,” he cautioned.

Describing ways in which the underbelly of operations at the prison might be exposed to break-outs and break-ins, Gouveia reminded that the Mazaruni prison is on the mainland, and not on an island. He also identified specific vulnerable areas.

“And so they have to ensure the security system have dogs, cameras, ATVs (all-terrain vehicles) and

Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) President Deodat Indar, PSC President Eddie Boyer, and PSC Security Liaison Gerry Gouveia as they briefed media on discussions with the Government

The proposed design for the new section of the Mazaruni Prison

drones. And then, of course, the Mazaruni Prison is in the middle of one of our tourism regions -- in the Bartica area. So we have to be very thoughtful when we’re doing these things, because tourism is going to be one of (the)

major economic pillars of our development,” Gouveia said.

There are plans for the phased construction of a four-storey prison as part of the expansion at Mazaruni.

Construction is scheduled to start this year.

Public Security Minister

Khemraj Ramjattan had said in a recent press briefing that building a new prison could end up costing the Government $6 billion. But after the completion of the prison design by VIKAB Engineering Consultants Ltd, the first phase of building the prison at Mazaruni will commence.

In March last year, a fire that raged through the Camp Street Prison had claimed the lives of 17 prisoners. A Commission of Inquiry, which eventually cost the treasury some $13 million, was ordered by President David Granger.

According to the report compiled by those commissioners, overcrowded, uncomfortable and unhygienic confinement creates ideal conditions for epidemics, for

gangs to prosper, and for discontent to be propagated.

Moreover, the CoI found that reducing numbers in prison to manageable levels is the single most important priority for establishing safe, humane and purposeful prisons.

But one of the most disturbing findings of the CoI was that the ratio of officers to prisoners constituted a truly disturbing number of gate-keepers to guard Guyana’s most dangerous felons – 10 officers were guarding 1000 prisoners.

Pedestrian killed in Soesdyke accident

C

h a n d r a p a u l Persaud of Lot 53 Soesdyke, East Bank Demerara succumbed to injuries he sustained when a vehicle, reportedly being driven by an intoxicated man, struck him down on the Soesdyke Public Road in the wee hours of Sunday.

According to reports reaching Guyana Times, the driver of motor car PVV 1923 was proceeding north along the western carriageway of the East Bank Demerara road when the 47-year-old Chandrapaul, who was proceeding south

along the eastern side of the road, dashed into the path of the moving vehicle.

He sustained several injuries about the body, and was immediately rushed to the Diamond Public Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

The driver was subjected to a breathalyser test which determined his blood alcohol level to be above the legal limit.

Accordingly, he was taken into Police custody, where he remains as investigation continues.

news

11

monDAY, july 17, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Guyana, Caricom reaffirm commitment to pursue reparations

E

ven as Guyana continues in its fight for reparatory justice from Europe, Caricom Heads of Government have also reaffirmed their commitment to the struggle.

During the Caricom Heads of Government meeting earlier this month, Heads received a status report on the work of the Caricom Reparations Commission (CRC). They then reaffirmed their commitment to pursuing reparations for social justice, to restore the dignity of the victims and their descendants, and to seek redress for the crimes committed against humanity of native genocide and slavery.

They noted responses to the letters sent by the Chairman of the Prime Ministerial Sub-Committee on Reparations to European leaders. Heads also mandated the CRC, along with the Caricom Secretariat, to coordinate the preparation of a strategy that includes diplomatic, media and messaging to advance the reparations claim, and to redouble efforts at public education.

The Heads agreed too to strengthen national programmes of activities to mark the International Decade for People of African Descent, including public engagement on reparations. On Friday, President David Granger is scheduled to deliver feature remarks at a reparations conference.

Caribbean leaders in 2014 had approved a 10-point plan to seek reparations from the former slave-owning states of Europe. These points include those countries pro-

viding diplomatic help to persuade countries, such as Ghana and Ethiopia, to offer citizenship to the children, whose foreparents were brought to the Caribbean to “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 still low in many Caribbean communities; and providing medical assistance to the Region that is struggling with high levels of chronic diseases, such as hypertension and type two diabetes that the CRC linked 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 The Hague.

Governments in the Caribbean have estimated that reparations for the slave trade could be trillions of dollars, and some have floated the idea of debt relief.

Some 46,000 British slave-owners, including a distant relative of former Prime Minister David Cameron, were among those compensated at a current-day equivalent of £17 billion (US$36 billion) for “loss of human property” after the country emancipated its slaves in 1833.

McDoom robbery-murder suspect for court today

Deceased: Tedroy James aka “Six-Head” of Suddie, Essequibo Coast

T

he captured suspect implicated in the daring daylight robbery of a Route 32 minibus and the murder of its driver is scheduled to make a court appearance today.

Guyana Times understands that the male suspect will be arraigned before a city magistrate for the murder of 35-yearold bus driver Tedroy James aka “Six-Head” of Suddie, Essequibo Coast. James was shot in the back by one of three armed bandits around 11:30h last Tuesday. The soon-to-be arraigned suspect was nabbed on the very day of the robberymurder.

This publication had re-

ported that the attack was well planned based on the account of several eyewitnesses, who had disclosed that a passenger of the BTT 976 bus had joined the vehicle on the West Coast of Demerara. He was said to be in constant communication on his mobile phone, sending several messages. The male passenger had reportedly requested that the bus stop along the McDoom, East Bank Demerara Public Road, but moments before he disembarked, the man grabbed a bag belonging to another male passenger before turning on him with a gun.

An eyewitness said that moments after the bag was snatched, two other male accomplices swooped down on the vehicle, joined in and robbed the other passengers.

The now dead minibus driver had attempted to drive away with his passengers, but one of the three gunmen shot him once to the back before he could flee. The trio then fled the scene through a street in the McDoom community where one was later detained. The Route 32 bus driver, a father of two, was pronounced dead on arrival at the Georgetown Public Hospital.

12 news

MONDAY, july 17, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Body of deportee found 1 critical after paddy, cattle trucks collide on Main Street hanging from tree …was wanted by Police for killing wife

B

Dead: Mintie Karamchand

erbice Police on Sunday morning discovered the badly decomposed body of 47-year-old Goldburn December hanging from a tree in the Foreshore area of East Berbice (Region Six).

“B” Division Commander, Ian Amsterdam, told this publication that ranks received information, at about 07:30h, that a body was seen hanging on a tree at the location, and police responded.

The Commander explained that December’s deteriorated body was positively identified by his son, who recognised a scar on his father’s right leg.

Almost one month after killing his ex-wife Mintie Karamchand at Sheet Anchor, East Canje Berbice, police have

Man found hanging: Goldburn December

finally been able to determine the fate of Goldburn December.

December’s remains are presently at the mortuary awaiting a post-mortem examination.

On June 21 2017, 40-yearold Mintie Karamchand of Lot 19 Sheet Anchor, East Canje Berbice was viciously hacked to death by her estranged husband, Goldburn December, at her home and in the presence of one of her five children.

Guyana Times was told that the two had separated eight years ago, after Mintie had endured an abusive 20-year relationship, and December had migrated to Suriname. However, he was deported in May, and returned to Mintie at Sheet Anchor,

Berbice.

While what had triggered the brutal attack on Mintie still remains unclear, reports are that December had retaliated after his attempts to rekindle a relationship with his estranged wife had been rejected.

Drucilla December, the couple’s 21-year-old child, recalled hearing her mother screaming and recounted that she had seen her father holding a chopper. She said that, with her days-old baby in her arms, she had run between her parents in an attempt to protect her mother, but her father had told her to get out of the way. “He tell me to move, and I run outside and holla for help…,” Drucilla had related.

She allegedly witnessed her father pick up a bench and walk towards her mother, using the bench to hit the woman in her head numerous times.

One neighbour, Vanessa Artiga, related that after inflicting the injuries on Mintie, December had fled with a rope in his possession, going in the direction of the Canje River.

A taxi was called and the badly injured woman was taken to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead on arrival.

A

The paddy laden truck

porter of a cattle truck is in critical condition at a city hospital after a paddy-laden truck collided with the vehicle on which he was travelling on Main Street, Georgetown.

Reports are the trucks collided at the intersection of Main and Lamaha Streets, Georgetown just outside the Finance Ministry. Guyana Times was told that about 14:00h, the lorry bearing registration number GTT 9183, fully loaded with paddy, hit a cattle filled lorry bearing registration number GNN 9079 at the intersection.

Reports are the cattle truck was heading into Urquhart Street en route to the Georgetown Abattoir when it struck the paddy-filled lorry, which was reported-

Police Officers on the scene following the accident on Sunday

(Shemuel Fanfair photos)

ly coming from High Street, Kingston. The vehicle ended up turned to its side with the paddy spread all over the intersection. Both motor vehicles suffered damage to their windscreens; the cattle-filled lorry, however, appeared to have faced the brunt of the impact as its windscreen was completely shattered.

When this publication arrived on the scene, the driver of the lorry with cattle, identified as Isman Hussain, and

an occupant were both rushed to a city hospital. Reports are that the occupant was in a critical state. Police quickly rushed to the scene, and cordoned off the area, taking statements and snapping numerous crime scene photographs. The driver of the paddy truck was reportedly on site assisting Police with their investigations. Reports further suggested that some of the cattle perished as a result of the direct impact.

news

13

monDAY, july 17, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

‘Missing’ drugs from Suddie Hospital found at MMU warehouse … public apology demanded for hospital staff

C

ouncillors of the Region Two Regional Democratic Council (RDC) are calling on Public Health Ministry and Materials Management Unit (MMU) officials to public apologise to staff members of the Suddie Public Hospital in relation to scandalous remarks made in relation to drugs not found at the hospital’s stores.

According to Head of the Region Two Health and Sanitation Committee, Arnold Adams, the hospital's staff, particularly those attached to the pharmacy, were publicly embarrassed in the press over the issue of ‘allegedly missing’ drugs.

In presenting the Region Two Health Report at the Statutory RDC meeting for the month of July, Adams dis-

closed that a pharmacy staffer had informed him that, in regard to a set of drugs the region could not account for, conclusive investigations had found those drugs at the MMU warehouse.

Adams said staffers were told by the MMU that the drugs were never uplifted by the Suddie Public Hospital.

As such, he contends, the MMU needs to apologise to staffers at the Suddie Public Hospital for the allegations made against them.

Upon hearing this information, Region Two Chairman Devanand Ramdatt concurred with the opinion that the reputation of the hospital staffers had been tarnished, and called for the MMU to issue a public statement clearing those persons’ names.

Ramdatt expressed dissatisfaction at the way the Public Health Ministry investigation was conducted in the first place -- no regional official being informed that an investigation was underway.

An ambulance driver, a nurse and a pharmacist were in March each granted $20,000 station bail for the alleged theft of pharmaceuticals consigned to the Suddie Hospital. A press release issued by the Public Health Ministry (MPH) had said the Guyana Police Force was investigating “fraud” at the Suddie Public Hospital following a visit by the Ministerial Task Force.

The MPH press release had said the Task Force members had visited the hospital and the authorities

there “could not account for several items sent” by the Materials Management Unit (MMU) to the hospital.

Several other irregularities were allegedly unearthed. Allegedly, in one instance, the pharmacist at the hospital could not account for several ampules of pethidine, codine and morphine sent by the MMU. In another instance, the Dangerous Drugs Register hadn’t been updated; the last entry was made sometime in 2015, the MPH statement had alleged.

The team had also found instances when the stock of narcotic drugs could not be accounted for, and other instances when the pharmacist had extra drugs that were still not recorded as prescribed under the law.

(Indrawattie Natram)

Dementia: A disease of the ageing brain … why home care may be the better option

By Jarryl Bryan

T

here are times when the symptoms are so subtle that loved ones are often caught unawares when an elderly person takes a turn for the worse.

Other times, the incoherent ramblings and blatant memory loss are impossible to miss.

The response of many families to the unpredictability of dementia is to have the patient housed wherever professionals can handle their care. Some even opt for the Palms Geriatric home.

But could care-givers bringing their expertise into the home, be a better way?

Abbigale Loncke, who was one of four Guyanese selected to take part in former US President Barack Obama’s 2016 Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (YLAI), is the Chief Executive Officer of Community Health Care.

While hosting a senior citizen health fair at the Courtyard Mall on Saturday in collaboration with the Public Health Ministry’s Mental Health Unit and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), Loncke explained why home care was the better option.

“We are pushing for home care. Our theme is there is no care like home care and we are really pushing for folks to keep their loved ones at home,” Loncke explained.

“We believe that, in terms of old people and their mental health, they do better when they are in an environment that they know.”

“I’ve been to the Palms a couple of times. And if your mom or dad grew up in their

A senior citizen explains her symptoms as a member of the Mental Health Unit takes notes at Saturday’s health fair

own environment, with the grandchildren around and you put them in the Palms, they are coming out of their comfort zone. (There is) no one there to visit them as much as they would like, no interaction with their grandchildren and loved ones. That’s a new environment,” Loncke told Guyana Times.

She described instances where the elderly would go into geriatric homes full of life, but, within a year, they would have changed personalities, becoming reticent and uncommunicative and eventually passing away in the care of the institution.

Loncke noted that unlike younger individuals who can move from place to place and adjust themselves to the changes, older people can actually worsen if taken out of their familiar comfort zone. Hence, she urged that persons looking into their options to explore one of the several home care support services available.

“There is support out

there. There are people like us who are doing this type of service. And we created our packages in such a way that we work with the clients and your budget. We have a non-profit part where persons would volunteer their time.”

According to Loncke, these volunteers would take their expertise into the nursing homes and other locations. She also noted that the health fair and the collaboration with the other entities at the Courtyard Mall would be the first of many.

Mental Health Unit

The Mental Health Unit of the Public Health Ministry, located in Quamina Street, Georgetown, is the recognised authority treating and counselling patients suffering from dementia-related disorders.

Representatives of the Unit, which had a presence at the health fair, gave some insight into the medical condition.

Evelyn Ganesh, a mem-

ber of the Unit, related that while there is much focus on depression; dementia can actually lead to depression in an individual. She urged that relatives and caregivers of dementia patients take time to become acquainted with the condition.

A Mental Health Officer, Malinda Blaise, who was also at the fair, explained that dementia was part of the ageing process occasioned by ageing or damage to the brain tissue owing to chronic illness. But she noted that a factor which can help in preventing the disorder was a strengthened mind through cognitive exercises.

“What you’re seeing a lot in Guyana, for instance, is the issue of depression.

Depression can be a (result).

So those are some of the things you may want to consider. (One) of the signs you may see is forgetfulness.”

While Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, it is not the only one.

Camp Street jailbreak

3 injured prison officers discharged from hospital … 1 remains hospitalised

P

rison officers Simeon Sandy, Drexel Gonsalves and Jason Maltay who were all injured during the events that led to the brazen prison escape and fire the Camp Street Prison last week has all been discharged from hospital.

However, while the road to recovery may be tall still, their families can breathe easier knowing that their loves were stable enough to be released from hospital. According to information released on Sunday, the three ranks were discharged from the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) into the care of their respective families.

Meanwhile, another injured officer, Hubert Trim remains hospitalised.

According to Department of Public Information (DPI) Imran Khan, the prison rank was taken out of the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at the hospital and placed in the ward.

On Thursday last it was revealed that the prisoners had waltzed through front gate as Police guarded the walls prison walls during the blaze at the prison.

Police Commissioner Seelall Persaud, during a press con-

ference at the Public Security Ministry had explained that security on the perimeter of the Georgetown prisons was directed at prisoners escaping through the walls of the prison and not on the front gate, which the prison controls.

The local press was told that the prison officers at the front gate were overpowered and five men came out of that gate, headed down Camp Street, and hijacked a car in which four of them escaped. Detailing the difficulties Police ranks had faced while trying to control the situation, Persaud admitted that the Police on the streets guarding the perimeter of the prison were so focused on the walls they “didn’t even notice persons passing them on Camp Street”.

A group of prisoners on Sunday afternoon staged an attack on the prison officials and set the Camp Street Prison alight.

Reports were that the prison escapees exited the front gate armed with guns and other weapons. Prison officer Odinga Wickham was fatally shot during the incident. A manhunt is currently underway for five fugitives.

14 news

monDAY, july 17, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Juvenile Justice Bill will abolish wandering, truancy – Ramjattan … slated for Parliament by month-end

T

he Juvenile Justice Bill, slated for Parliament by July month-end, would see the abolishment of truancy and wandering as crimes, according to Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan. He added that the Bill would also pave the way for more ‘stringent’ methods when dealing with juvenile matters.

“The Bill would be taken to Parliament by the end of July and then debated in October. Truancy, wandering, all those economic crimes are going to be abolished and they are not going to be made crimes anymore because the days for those are long gone,” Ramjattan told stakeholders at the University of Guyana Turkeyen-Tain Talks on Wednesday at the Pegasus Hotel.

“Also the policing authorities will have far more stringent methods before they can put a juvenile into the lock-ups with big people.

But, we must have in the Police Station a room that will take care of those persons,” he added.

The rehabilitation process for the juvenile justice rooms is already ongoing, according to the Minister.

He further stated that the Bill was expected to be tak-

Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan

en to Cabinet very soon, but before he took it, he would like to ensure he had the ‘costing’. He revealed that UNICEF was assisting with the process, which was expected to be completed very shortly.

“Every new bill there is a cost attached to it. This new Juvenile Justice Bill when it is passed in Parliament would mean that we would have to have training for Magistrates – probably a Magistrates’ Court for only juvenile justice matters; we have to have halfway houses and a number of infrastruc-

ture to take care of juveniles.

That costs a lot of money.

Then, social workers will have to be employed in these institutions, that cost and the electricity bill and everything else and each would have to be done in a line item,” Ramjattan stressed.

During the consultative period, Ramjattan expressed his support for the exclusion of status offences such as truancy, wandering, running away and vagrancy, noting that laws were discriminatory since the same acts perpetrated by adults were not considered illegal. “These are acts which are often the result of psychological or socio-economic problems,” he was quoted as saying.

The Bill is also expected to address the age of criminal responsibility. Overall, the Bill aims to “have a more modern system of dealing with juvenile justice”, to stand in conformity with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which Guyana is a signatory state.

Article 37 (Detention and Punishment) of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child states that no one is allowed to punish children in a cruel or harmful way.

Children who break the law should not be treated cruel-

ly. They should not be put in prison with adults, should be able to keep in contact with their families and should not be sentenced to death or life imprisonment without the possibility of release.

Article 40 (Juvenile Justice) says that children who are accused of breaking the law have the right to legal help and fair treatment in a justice system that respects their rights.

Governments are required

to set a minimum age below which children cannot be held criminally responsible and to provide minimum guarantees for the fairness and quick resolution of judicial or alternative proceedings.

The draft Bill was conceived in 2004 under the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Administration with the support and input from UNICEF. The first draft

was produced in 2007 after a series of consultations and submissions by stakeholders, inclusive of the Rights of the Child Commission; however, progress was delayed and efforts to revive the process began in 2014. The 11part Bill makes provisions for the establishment of facilities to enable the rehabilitation and education of juvenile offenders. (Lakhram Bhagirat)

Mazaruni Prison expansion works progressing

Area where the new Mazaruni Prison would be constructed

T

he first phase of expansion works at the Mazaruni Prison (Cuyuni/Mazaruni) -- construction of several living quarters for prison officers -- is almost completed, Government has disclosed.

The expansion of this prison came after the completion of the Commission of Inquiry into the Prison System following the March, 2016 fire at Georgetown Prison, which had resulted in the deaths of 17 inmates.

Several recommendations were made, including expanding the Mazaruni Prison. Twenty living quarters are being constructed to accommodate additional prison officers in anticipation of the arrival of at least 400 prisoners who will be housed at the Mazaruni Prison. The living quarters are three-bedroom units that also contain a living room, a patio, kitchen, and a washroom.

According to Adrian Ragoobeer, engineer of the AAV Ragoobeer General Construction entity, his firm is responsible for one of the four lots to be constructed, and the three houses under his supervision, costing $35 million, are about 85 per cent completed.

Noting that all works are expected to be completed by July 31, 2017, he explained that, “works remaining are basically painting and plumbing, (and) some minor mason and carpentry works

Officer in Charge of the Mazaruni Prison, Alexander Hopkinson

for the staircases.”

The Officer in Charge of the Mazaruni Prison, Senior Superintendent Alexander Hopkinson, has also said that the houses are being constructed to accommodate prison officers and their families.

“The reason these houses are being placed in this area is a collective (decision made) by the administration (and) the Director of Prisons, Mr Samuels, who want these houses near the prison…

It would be like a housing scheme… We have to have additional staff in place for the new prison, and that is the purpose for the houses,” Hopkinson is quoted by the Government Information Agency/DPI as saying.

He also pointed out that in addition to the family quarters, a number of single quarters will be built to ac-

commodate more prison officers.

“We are looking at over 200 (units) because the prison that will be erected should hold over 400 inmates, so we have to have the ratio. So definitely we have to have additional quarters, it does not have to be family quarters it could be quarters for bachelors” Hopkinson explained.

The completion of the quarters will see construction of the state-of-the-art prison being built on the grounds of the Mazaruni Prison. The sum of $278M has been approved by Cabinet for the first phase of the project.

Preparation works for the construction of the prison have already commenced with soil testing, levelling of the ground, and the erection of a new gate.

According to Senior Superintendent Hopkinson, when the prison is completed, “it would be safer, and as it relates to the kind of material that will be used, the infrastructure and everything, it would be far different. We are trying to be more modernized”.

The new section, which will be adjacent to a part of the old prison, will also feature automated locks, sprinkler systems and forced ventilation. The entire project will cost the state approximately $2B. This new project comes on the heels of the fiery flattening of the Georgetown Prison last Sunday.

15

monDAY, july 17, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

VOX POPULI

What the people say

I SAY...

Citizens’ take on Camp Street Prison break and fire

W

ith five prisoners still on the run following the prison break and fire which erupted at the Camp Street Prison just over a week ago, we ask persons their thoughts on incidents that transpired as well as their recommendations regarding the construction of a new prison facility to house the now displaced inmates. Here are the views of the public: Shazam Somwar “The recent incidents at the Camp Street Prison were indeed devastating as it caused a nationwide scare, causing people to be very uneasy as what’s next may happen. I think reconstruction of a prison should be in an area away from business and residential areas, for instance an area like the Mazaruni Prison.”

Kris Balram “The events that occurred at the Camp Street Prison were most certainly terrifying.

I would recommend that they build a new prison outside of Georgetown, away from residential areas or to extend the Lusignan Prison to accommodate the displaced inmates.”

Tianna Cole “I do not believe that there is one specific reason

Adrian Inniss “It was, of course, a terrible tragedy that led to the death

Troy Franklin “There is no way the escaped prisoners can survive

Christopher Dane “I am Guyanese, but I’m not currently in the country. How glad I am that I am not there; however, I am very much afraid for my family members that are in Guyana at the moment.

The whole situation was quite unfortunate. When I saw on social media what the situation was, I could not believe that after just one year that issue was able to repeat itself. That shouldn’t have been; however, now that it did repeat itself, the Government have a tough job of rehabilitation so to speak.”

for the unrest itself; the situation itself was a result of numerous factors that currently plague our society.

The incident was efficiently executed to coincide with all the ongoing confusion.

Maybe it’s time for our justice system to be revised.

As regards the reconstruction of the prison, Camp Street may not be the best place to house the remand as this compromises the security of the city on the whole.

However, it may be the ideal spot to reconstruct the penitentiary to avoid the hassle of transporting prisoners to the city courts, facilitating speedy trials. of a warden and the escape of several inmates. As a Guyanese who lived and grew up in the Camp Street vicinity, I know too that it was bound to happen.

Several groups have been incessantly appealing to Government over the years for reform to the prison and criminal justice system, and to ultimately move the prison to a better facility outside of the city.

Therefore, while this fire and prison break are unfortunate, it may provide the push for government and civil society to seriously engage and consider moving the prison.” for long unless they have connections.

They can’t live without a legal identity.

They are human, so they must get needs and essential necessities.

These criminals? have inside connections at times.

The public needs to keep giving good information about suspicious activities. Only fear is that people’s identity are kept confidential, because we can’t trust anyone.

As for the Camp Street jail, that should be a remanding cell for prisoners coming to court from out-of-town districts and long journeys, instead of prisoners travelling a day ahead of court appearance.

“I

Andrea Marslowe think that persons

Kenisha Lambert “I don’t think those escapees mean to harm anyone, but are just frustrated and trying to get the attention of those in authority. I don’t think that they may be that far out of reach.

The Camp Street jail should be moved to some other location that is out of the city. Highprofile criminals should not be housed at a city location. “

residing in the city and the coast should not be scared out of their wits, because it is unlikely that these persons would lurk around this area.

However, persons should exercise due caution until the escapees are back behind bars. Now that they are on the loose, who knows what they are capable of? On the subject of prison reconstruction, I hope the ruling administration makes the right decision on behalf of the citizenry, but it’s a waste of us taxpayers’ money either way. However, I think there needs to be tighter security at the prisons.”

Tanisha Petty “I was on the road that night when the fire and escape happened; I am still in shock each time I pass there and see what remains of the prison. I am gonna applause the Police for their work so far, but I hope they continue so that they can quickly get those escapees off of the street. We now as Guyanese have to move past this and encourage the Government and support then as they work to fix what was lost.”

Leisa Thorne

“The question shouldn’t even be asked. Every Guyanese are afraid at the moment for their safety. That situation could have been avoided, but it was just a ticking time bomb waiting to explode and explode it did.

Now the Government needs to think carefully about their next move. A feasibility study needs to be carried out and then the Government needs to move ahead with rebuilding the prison.

My only recommendation is that whatever they decide, do not rebuild the prison at Camp Street!”

16

guyanatimesgy.com

monDAY, july 17, 2017

Regional

Venezuela Opposition votes Peru leader’s approval falls amid against Maduro, 1 shot dead battle with Opposition – poll

G

unmen in Venezuela shot into a crowd of voters on Sunday, activists said, killing one person and wounding several others during an unofficial referendum organised by the Opposition to push for an end to two decades of socialist rule.

The opposition Democratic Unity coalition said a pro-government “paramilitary” gang opened fire in Caracas’ poor neighbourhood of Catia, where thousands were participating in the opposition event.

TV images showed people scattering as gunshots rang out, many taking sanctuary inside a church.

“We lament this very much, with great pain,” opposition spokesman Carlos Ocariz told reporters.

“But it is just one of 2,030 voting centres.”

While the Opposition initially said two people had apparently been killed and four wounded, the state prosecutor’s office only confirmed one death and three injuries.

Sunday’s symbolic poll, which asked voters’ opinion on President Nicolás

T

Venezuelan former union leader Carlos Ortega casts his vote during an unofficial plebiscite against Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro’s Government, July 16, 2017

Maduro’s plan for a controversial new congress, was aimed at denting his legitimacy further amid a crippling economic crisis and months of anti-government protests in which some 100 people have been killed.

Maduro, 54, has denounced the plebiscite as illegal and meaningless.

Instead, the former bus driver and union leader is campaigning for an official July 30 vote in support of the proposed new assembly, which would have the power to rewrite the Constitution and

dissolve State institutions.

The Opposition cast Sunday’s unofficial referendum as an act of civil disobedience that will be followed by “zero hour,” a possible reference to a national strike or other escalated actions against the President.

Lines formed early at makeshift polling stations at theatres, sports fields, and traffic circles in the oilrich nation of 30 million as Venezuelans furious over food shortages and rampant inflation sought to make their voices heard. (Excerpt from

Reuters)

Barbados PM denies refusing to meet with union leaders

B

arbados Prime Minister Freundel Stuart has denied that he refused to meet with trade union leaders on Tuesday, as they tried to present him with a letter outlining their concerns about the National Social Responsibility Levy.

Stuart said he was expecting one person to deliver the letter to him at Parliament, but when told that all the leaders wanted to be present, he agreed and waited for them to be shown to his office. He assumed that this message was deliv-

ered to them.

He stated: “I waited upstairs in my office at Parliament for upwards of one half of an hour for the persons who were to deliver the letter. “When I inquired about the delay, I was told the trade unionists were meeting with the Leader of the Opposition and they would come to me afterwards.

“Subsequent to that, I got a follow-up message that the union leaders will leave the letter downstairs Parliament, because their police permission had im-

posed timelines which they did not want to breach. So it is not true to say that I refused to meet with the union leaders” Stuart gave a background to the way the events unfolded. “On Monday afternoon, when the officer from the Special Branch was making me aware of this matter, in readily agreeing to receive the letter, I indicated that I saw nothing wrong with making myself available to the person who was going to hand the letter over.” (Excerpt from Caribbean News Now)

IDB launches “Orange Economy” book on the Caribbean

H

ighlighting the contributions of creative talent to social and economic progress, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has launched the e-book, “Orange Economy: Innovations you may not know were from Latin America and the Caribbean”.

The IDB said it uses the term “orange economy” to describe the cultural and creative industries, which include activities such as architecture, audiovisual arts, digital services, fashion, graphic and industrial design, handcrafts, music and software.

In 2015, the IDB said it generated more than US$124 billion in revenue and provided jobs to more than 1.9 million people in the Region.

The e-book, which can showcases 50 outstanding initiatives in the cultural and creative industries from 12 countries i n

Latin America and the Caribbean.

“The case studies underscore how creativity works as an engine for innovation and a tool to help countries diver-

sify their output and engage in the knowledge-based economy,” the IDB said.

“Among the selected startups, we highlighted those that succeeded in bridging the analogue and the digital realms, a key convergence for reinventing the entrepreneurship ecosystem and our cities, drawing from what communities need, their surrounding environment and leveraging our cultural heritage,” said IDB lead specialist Alejandra Luzardo, one of the authors.

The e-book includes examples exhibited in different editions of “Demand Solutions: Ideas for Improving Lives,” the IDB’s flagship initiative on creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship. (Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

he approval rating of Peruvian President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski fell this month amid a bitter political battle with the Opposition that saw the resignation of his Economy Minister, according to a poll released on Sunday.

Kuczynski’s approval rating fell to 34 per cent in July from 39 per cent in June, while his disapproval rating rose to 58 per cent from 51 per cent last month, the monthly poll conducted by Ipsos Peru and published in local newspaper El Comercio showed.

In late June, Congress – dominated by defeat-

ed right-wing presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori’s Popular Force party – forced Economy Minister Alberto Thorne to resign over allegations he improperly interfered in an airport contract, dealing a blow to Kuczynski’s business-friendly Administration. Thorne has denied any wrongdoing.

“The fall in popular support for [Kuczynski] could have many reasons, among them Alfredo Thorne’s exit from the Economy Ministry,” Ipsos Peru President Alfredo Torres said.

Kuczynski, a former Wall Street banker who took office almost one year ago, has seen his approval rat-

ing decline from a peak of 63 per cent in September amid a graft probe related to Brazilian builder Odebrecht and concerns over the airport contract.

Last week, Kuczynski met with Fujimori – the daughter of jailed former President Alberto Fujimori – to try to smooth over differences. Some 72 per cent of respondents thought the meeting between the two leaders was positive for the country.

The poll of 1280 Peruvians was conducted between July 12 and July 14 and had a margin of error of 2.7 percentage points. (Excerpt

from Reuters)

Brazil protesters pelt politician with eggs at her wedding

A

Brazilian politician has accused left-wing protesters of physically and verbally abusing her wedding guests over her family’s support for President Michel Temer.

Maria Victoria Barros, 25, is a member of the state assembly in Parana and daughter of Temer’s Health Minister.

Hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside the church where the ceremony was taking place on Friday evening.

Pelted with eggs, she had to leave the church in an armoured vehicle.

The lavish ceremony attracted the state’s political elite, including her father, Ricardo Barros, and her mother, Cida Borghetti, Parana’s deputy governor.

At least 30 members of the Brazilian Congress were invited to travel from the capital Brasilia for the wedding in the Parana state capital, Curitiba.

Demonstrators carried anti-government signs and shouted slogans at Barros, accusing her of being a “coup

Maria Victoria Barros is a politician in Parana state

plotter”.

Footage posted on YouTube shows security guards opening umbrellas to try to protect the bride and groom as they left the Church of the Rosary.

The bride’s father, Ricardo Barros, has been in Temer’s Cabinet since May 2016.

A detachment of riot police was eventually called in to protect the newly-weds and their guests.

Barros said the protest

was linked to her mother’s recent decision to run for state governor and had been “financed by left-wing parties and unions”.

She regretted the attacks against some of the guests, but added: “This is the price of democracy”.

The incident is another illustration of how split and bitter Brazilian politics has become since the impeachment last year of Temer’s predecessor, Dilma Rousseff. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Dominica Govt approves EC$1.7M for World Creole Music Festival

T

he Government has approved EC$1.7 million for the stating of the 20th edition of the World Creole Music Festival.

At the recent launch of the festival, Tourism Minister Robert Tonge said the decision to maintain the increased subvention is in keeping with the Ministry of Tourism and Urban Renewal’s plan to maintain a high standard of the festival.

Tonge said the collection of Value Added Tax (VAT) increases dramatically during the World Creole Music Festival, which indicates that, the activity “tru-

ly impacts” on the economy and “trickles down to the ordinary man”. It is within this context that government “significantly increased” its investment in festival.

“Last year it was increased by a million dollars, the total subvention by the government was 1.7 million dollars. Again, the government has again seen the impact and the relevance of this event and has continued to support the same amount,” Tonge said.

The Tourism Minister noted that this is part of Government’s overall investment in the tourism sector to include destination

marketing, product development and site enhancement.

The festival, he said, is about ensuring that the event lives up to its reputation as most indigenous music festivals in the Caribbean reflecting our Creole heritage and incorporating various elements of a music culture that represents our common humanity.

The festival, which was inaugurated in 1997, celebrates French-Caribbean genres including Dominica’s indigenous cadence-lypso and bouyon, Zouk from neighbouring Guadeloupe and Martinique and Haitian Kompa. (Excerpt from CMC)

monDAY, july 17, 2017

guyanatimesgy.com

Around the World

Trump losing public support: poll P ublic support for President Donald Trump is dropping, a poll showed Sunday, as he faces multiple setbacks over his stalled agenda and efforts to repeal and replace Obamacare.

Nearly six months since he took office, Trump is facing a declining approval rating that has dropped from 42 per cent in April to 36 per cent, according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll of 1,001 adults.

Similarly, his disapproval rating has jumped five points to 58 per cent.

A total of 48 per cent of respondents said they "disapprove strongly" of the president's performance in office -- a low threshold never reached by ex-presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, both Democrats, and only reached once by George W. Bush, during his second term.

President Donald Trump

And 48 per cent also see American global leadership weakening since Trump entered the White House, while 27 per cent said it is stronger.

Most respondents (66 per cent) said they do not or only somewhat trust Trump in negotiating with foreign

leaders, especially with Russian President Vladimir Putin (also 66 per cent). Of those, 48 per cent said they do not trust Trump "at all" in negotiations with Putin.

Opinions over Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election and whether the Trump campaign collud-

Iranian President’s brother detained

T

he brother of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Hossein Ferydoun, has been detained, a judiciary spokesman says.

Ferydoun failed to meet the bail terms on unspecified financial issues and was taken to prison in Iran.

He has previously been linked to officials at the centre of a scandal involving inflated salaries for managers at the state insurance firm. He has always denied any wrongdoing.

The saga has dogged President Rouhani for more than a year.

The judiciary spokesman, Gholamhossein Mohseni-Ejeie, said: "Multiple investigations have been conducted regarding this person [Mr Ferydoun], also other people have been investigated, some of whom are in jail.

"Yesterday (Saturday), bail was issued for him but because he failed to secure it he was referred to prison."

Ejeie said Mr Ferydoun would be "released once he provides the bail".

It has not been made clear on what charges Mr Ferydoun has been de-

ed with Moscow -- a subject of multiple investigations -divided sharply along partisan lines.

Just seven per cent of Republicans said the Trump campaign intentionally helped Russian efforts, compared with 65 per cent of Democrats.

A total of 63 percent of respondents said the meeting was inappropriate, while just 26 per cent said it was appropriate. However, nearly half (48 per cent) of all Republicans polled said the meeting was in fact appropriate.

While 52 per cent of respondents said Trump has tried to interfere with investigations into whether Moscow tried to sway the elections, that was a drop from 56 per cent in June.

The poll, conducted July 10-13, has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points. (AFP)

5 rangers killed in joint operation to rescue US Journalist

F

ive park rangers were killed in a joint operation with the army to rescue an American journalist and three park rangers, who went missing in a wildlife reserve in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, a local official said on Sunday.

Gunmen attacked the group late on Friday in the Okapi Wildlife Reserve in Mambasa territory. Some others in the group, including two Dutch journalists, escaped.

Mambasa administrator Alfred Bongwalanga said security forces and park rangers had launched a rescue operation that located the missing members of the group. It was not immediately clear how the rangers were killed.

"There are five dead. They

S

Hossein Ferydoun

tained.

The so-called "payslip scandal" began in May last year, when salaries of top managers started making their way into the public domain. Some were around 50 times the minimum public sector wage.

The saga has been a major blow to the reputation of the government of President Rouhani. (BBC News)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

sraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in Paris to commemorate the victims of a mass arrest of

are all park rangers who were involved in the operation. They had been backing the army," he told Reuters by telephone.

Cosma Wilungula, the head of Congo's park service, confirmed that the journalist and rangers had been rescued from a group of Mai Mai militia fighters involved in mining gold inside the reserve. "It's a zone that's not secure for us ... They were heavily armed and the rangers found themselves in an inferior position," Wilungula said, referring to the initial attack.

Eastern Congo has been the theater of numerous wars and uprisings over the last two decades, and rebels, militia fighters and bandits still present a security risk in many areas. (Reuters)

UK Government sees need for phased Brexit enior members of the Government are becoming convinced of the need for a phased British departure from the European Union to help protect the economy, Finance Minister Philip Hammond said on Sunday.

Brexit minister David Davis heads to Brussels on Monday for a first full round of talks, with EU officials hoping the British government, yet to set out detailed proposals on several major issues, begins to show more urgency about doing a deal before Britain leaves the bloc in 2019.

Hammond, who supported remaining in the EU at last year's referendum, is seen as the voice of a so-called 'soft Brexit' within Prime Minister Theresa May's cabinet, favoring prioritizing trade ties with

Israel PM mourns France’s deported Jews

I

17

Jews in Nazi-occupied France in 1942.

More than 13,000 Jews were rounded up and detained at a cycling stadium, the Velodrome d'Hiver, before being deported to Nazi death camps.

Mr Netanyahu also held direct talks for the first time with French President Emmanuel Macron.

He is the first Israeli prime minister to attend the Vel d'Hiv commemorations.

"I'm here to mourn the victims," Mr Netanyahu told an audience in Paris, which included Jewish groups and Holocaust survivors. "Seventy-five years ago, a heavy darkness descended on this city... It seems the values of the French revolution - equality, fraternity, liberty was crushed brutally under the boot of anti-Semitism."

He hailed the "great, great human beings" who had risked their lives to save Jews in France during Nazi occupation, and warned of a rise in "extremist forces" in modern society. (BBC News)

Finance Minister Philip Hammond

the EU over curbing immigration.

With May weakened by a failed election gamble last month which saw her Conservatives lose their parliamentary majority, Britain's weekend papers were full of stories of infighting as cabinet colleagues reportedly vie for her job.

Hammond, regarded as one potential successor to May, has repeatedly talked about the need for a transitional deal, saying such an arrangement would see Britain replicate as much as possible the existing arrangements in order to minimize the impact on business.

Hammond said the majority of his colleagues now recognized this was "the right and sensible way to go". (Reuters)

Woman 'steals' her stolen bike back from thief who advertised it on Facebook

A

Bristol cyclist has "stolen" her bike from a thief who advertised it for sale on Facebook.

Jenni MortonHumphreys, 30, turned the tables on the thief with an ingenious sting, even though she was advised against doing so by the police.

Morton-Humphreys had appealed for help by posting a picture of the stolen bike on Facebook and appealing for help. A fellow cyclist scoured Facebook's for sale pages and found the same bike on display. The good samaritan and Morton-Humphreys devised a cunning plan, which entailed offering to buy the bike from the unsuspecting vendor.

Having found the bike she asked the Police to accompany her on the mission and arrest the culprit - but

Jenni Morton-Humpreys

the invitation was declined.

Undeterred she and a friend approached the vendor and arranged a meeting.

“I made sure I had nothing on me, no possessions at all apart from the stuff in my hands – and they were a cigarette packet and a set of keys. I handed them to this

guy as I got on the bike and said ‘here, hold my stuff’.

She then asked for a test ride. The seller agreed and Ms Morton-Humphreys pedalled away furiously.

To add to her joy, the bike had been smartened up ahead of the sale with even the front light being fixed. (The Telegraph)

18

guyanatimesgy.com

monDAY, july 17, 2017

ARCHIE

Your emotions will be difficult to control. An argument (March 21- will lead to regrets. Turn your April 19) attention to doing something constructive. Engage in activity with a friend who shares your interests.

ARIES

Keep busy. Don’t let anyTAURUS one throw you off your sched(April 20- ule by using criticism or May 20) negativity. Keep a positive attitude and concentrate on what you are trying to accomplish.

dilbert

Suggestions will be made GEMINI (May 21- if you socialize or share inforJune 20) mation with your peers. Take whatever you hear at face value, but be prepared to follow through on your own.

CANCER (June 21July 22)

Peanuts

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

Calvin and Hobbes

WORD GAME

You’ll be tempted to act out if you don’t like what someone is doing. Don’t criticize or judge others, or you will get the same in return.

An unexpected change of plans will make you feel uneasy or uncertain. Ask direct questions to gain a better understanding of the situation and how you should respond.

Engage in discussions that VIRGO (Aug. 23- will help you understand how Sept. 22) to master a technique or job that can help you get ahead.

Don’t let love interfere with your professional responsibilities.

You may feel like jumping LIBRA into something that someone (Sept. 23else has labeled a good deal, Oct. 23) but a reserved attitude will spare you from the stress that such risk-taking could cause.

SUDOKU

Learn as you go. Keep SCORPIO your thoughts to yourself and (Oct. 24consider different ways to use Nov. 22) your skills to help bring about a positive lifestyle change.

Avoid unnecessary expenditures.

Change can be good, but SAGITTARIUS don’t let impulse take the (Nov. 23- reins. Do your homework and Dec. 21) find out exactly what you need to know to be successful. Take control, enforce discipline and forge ahead.

solution for Last Published Puzzle

Take some time to nurCAPRICORN ture important relationships (Dec. 22- or to make noteworthy alterJan. 19) ations to the way you live.

Making home improvements and spending time with family will be rewarding.

Miscommunication is apAQUARIUS parent. Be careful how you (Jan. 20express your thoughts. Focus Feb. 19) on what you can do to improve your appearance or capabilities.

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

Copyright 2015, Distributed by Universal Uclick for UFS

Lend a helping hand, but PISCES don’t let anyone take advan(Feb. 20March 20) tage of you. Emotional manipulation will affect the way you feel about someone. Don’t give in when you should be saying no.

monDAY, july 17, 2017

19

United hand Federer crushes suffering Cilic for 8th Wimbledon title Romero new 4-year contract B

ehind Roger Federer’s artistry and charm lies a ruthless streak of razor-edged steel which surfaced again on Sunday as he thrashed suffering Marin Cilic 6-3 6-1 6-4 to secure a record eighth men’s Wimbledon singles title.

The incomparable Swiss turned his 11th Wimbledon final into a procession as tearful seventh seed Cilic, battling his nerves and a bloody blister, suffered a torrid afternoon.

Federer described Cilic’s predicament as “cruel” after ending his torment with an ace after one hour 41 minutes -- but there was no hint of sympathy as, 23 days before his 36th birthday, he became the oldest Wimbledon men’s singles champion.

That attitude from the third seed, who last triumphed at the All England Club five years ago, was not surprising since Federer’s dream of title number eight had been shattered by Novak Djokovic in the 2014 and 2015 finals.

His take on Cilic’s injury

S

ergio Romero is now under contract with Manchester United until at least 2021 after penning a new deal.

Manchester United have handed goalkeeper Sergio Romero a new fouryear contract, with an option for a fifth season.

Roger Federer’s

spoke volumes for the killer instinct that has earned him a record-extending 19 majors and taken him past American Pete Sampras’s record of seven men’s singles titles at Wimbledon in the modern era.

“I couldn’t tell what it was,” Federer said. “But if I saw him limping around, or if I saw him pull up hurt, I

would start to think, maybe I’ll throw in a dropshot to really check him out, then one more, because that’s what you do.

“You need to hurt him where it hurts already.”

It was not really necessary as Federer enjoyed one of his easiest title victories.

Having reached the final without dropping a set, he

was braced for Cilic’s power tools but, apart from the first four games, resistance from the Croat was about as daunting as a man brandishing a stick of celery.

In winning the tournament without the loss of a set, Federer matched the 1976 feat of Swede Bjorn Borg and his own run 10 years ago at the Australian Open. (Reuters)

Gold Cup

Panama blank Martinique 3-0 to progress to quarter-finals P

anama booked its seventh consecutive trip to the CONCACAF Gold Cup quarterfinals thanks to an impressive 3-0 win over Martinique on Saturday at FirstEnergy Stadium.

Michael Murillo put Panama ahead 1-0 in the 44th minute, when headed home from 12-yards out off Miguel Camargo’s inward-curling cross from the left. Martinique suffered a game-changing loss in the

33rd minute as influential attacker Johan Audel, who has a tournament-leading three assists, left the match with an apparent injury and was replaced by Daniel Herelle.

The Caribbean pow-

er had an opportunity to level in the 55th minute, but Sebastien Cretinoir’s right-footed effort forced a superb save from Panama goalkeeper Jose Calderon.

Five minutes later, Abdiel Arroyo made Martinique rue that miss opportunity. Arroyo glanced a header off a right-sided corner kick into the body of defender Jordy Delem. The ball ricocheted back to the 23-year-old forward, whose left-footed return from 12-yards out deflected off Delem’s outstretched foot and into the back of the net.

Panama struck for a 67th-minute insurance goal to complete the scoreline.

Anibal Godoy served a ball into the box that the moving Gabriel Torres was able to chest down in the box, before slipping a right-footed effort into the back of the net from three-yards out.

After going winless in eight straight Gold Cup outings, Panama has won its last two games.

them as the world’s biggest club.

“I am delighted to have signed a new contract,” he said. “Who wouldn’t want to be at the biggest club in the world?

“We have great goalkeepers here and we are always learning from each

Sergio Romero

Jose Mourinho’s side confirmed the 30-yearold’s new terms on Sunday, his previous deal having only had a year left to run.

Romero joined United on a free transfer in 2015 and has proven to be a reliable understudy to firstchoice goalkeeper David de Gea. The Argentina international started 12 matches in United’s victorious Europa League campaign last season, including the final against Ajax, and made a total of 18 appearances across all competitions.

“Sergio is a great goalkeeper and professional,” Mourinho told United’s website.“He had a good season and outstanding performances, especially in our Europa League success.

“Sergio deserves his contract, and for Manchester United to have Sergio and David is amazing in such an important role.”

Romero himself was thrilled to extend his stay with United for the long-term, describing

other. Of course, it was a very proud moment for me and my family to be part of the Europa League final, and I am looking forward to helping the team build on last season’s success in 2017-18.” He has provided stability for United given De Gea has regularly been linked with a big-money move to Real Madrid and almost left for Spain in the same transfer window in which Romero arrived.

Despite being number two at club level, Romero has retained his status as Argentina’s first-choice shot stopper, starting all 14 of the country’s World Cup qualifiers for next year’s finals in Russia.

If De Gea stays, United are well set between the sticks, with Portugal Under-21 goalkeeper Joel Pereira, who has been regularly praised by Mourinho, himself signing a new four-year deal last week. (Sportsmax)

20

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

mondAY, july 17, 2017

Yadram’s

all-round effort helps Windies level series T he five-match Youth One-Day International series between the Coca-Cola South Africa Under-19s and West Indies U19s will go down to the wire after the tourists won the fourth game by four wickets to make it 2-2 in Pietermaritzburg on Sunday. The hosts, who were looking to wrap up the series in game four, were let down by their batting as they were bowled out for just 207 after los-

ing the toss and being asked to bat first.

Opener Matthew Breetzke continued his good form by following up his century in the previous match with 55 (83 balls, 7 fours) at the Pietermaritzburg Oval, where he lacked substantial support.

Captain Raynard van Tonder, made 38 and Herman Rolfes struck 37, but those were about the only other meaningful contributions, alongside 20s from Fraser Jones (24) and Jiveshan Pillay (23) with the

S o u t h Africans shot out in 48.2 overs.

Nyeem Young was the best of the bowlers with 3/42. The home side needed early wickets if they were going to make a game of it and they got four of them too after reducing the reigning U19 World Cup champions to 59/4 in 15.1 overs. That was thanks to Kgaudise Molefe (3/51), Jones (1/24) and Gerald Coetzee (1/27).

But Bhaskar Yadram (65 off 75 balls, 9 fours) and Alick Athanaze (66 not out, 80 balls, 9 fours, 1 six) added 99 together for the fifth wicket to get the visitors back on track.

Matthew Patrick (28) then provided some late runs to take the islanders over the line with 33 balls to spare.

The series decider takes place at the Chatsworth Oval on Wednesday.

(Wisden)

SCOREBOARD South Africa Under-19s innings (50 overs maximum) J Pillay c †Persaud b Nedd 23 M Breetzke c Stewart b Patrick 55 R van Tonder*run out (Alleyne)38 View dismissal J Christensen run out (Patrick/†Persaud) 4 W Makwetu†c †Persaud b Young 1 A Mokgakane c Kallicharan b Yadram 3 37 H Rolfes lbw b Young View dismissal G Coetzee b Patrick 1 F Jones c Alleyne b Royal 24 J de Klerk not out 14 0 K Molefe b Young Extras (b 1, w 6) 7 Total (all out; 48.2 overs; 209 mins) 207 Fall of wickets: 1-51 (Pillay, 8.5 ov), 2-111 (van Tonder, 22.3 ov), 3-118 (Christensen, 25.1 ov), 4-120 (Makwetu, 25.6 ov), 5-127 (Breetzke, 28.6 ov), 6-129 (Mokgakane, 31.6 ov), 7-133 (Coetzee, 34.1 ov), 8-186 (Jones, 44.6 ov), 9-207 (Rolfes, 48.1 ov), 10-207 (Molefe, 48.2 ov) Bowling: Nedd 6-0-37-1, Alleyne 9-2-45-0 (1w), Royal 10-0-38-1, Young 9.2-0-42-

3 (2w), Patrick 7-1-26-2 (1w), Yadram 7-1-18-1 (1w) West Indies Under-19s innings (target: 208 runs from 50 overs) K Simmons c Christensen b Jones 0 b Coetzee 22 J Persaud† E Stewart* c de Klerk b Molefe 9 B Yadram lbw b Molefe 65 6 K Kallicharan c & b Molefe not out 66 A Athanaze M Patrick c Rolfes b de Klerk 28 J Royal not out 2 11 Extras (b 4, lb 1, w 6) Total (6 wickets; 44.3 overs; 192 mins) 209 Did not bat: T Alleyne, N Young, D Nedd Fall of wickets: 1-9 (Simmons, 2.4 ov), 2-34 (Persaud, 8.6 ov), 3-45 (Stewart, 11.6 ov), 4-59 (Kallicharan, 15.1 ov), 5-158 (Yadram, 31.5 ov), 6-203 (Patrick, 42.2 ov) 8-2-24-1 Bowling: Jones (1w), H Rolfes 8-0-350, Coetzee 8-0-27-1 (1w), Molefe 10-0-51, J de Klerk 5.31-35-1, A Mokgakane 1-0-12-0, 4-0-20-0 M Breetzke

England on the ropes against South Africa ‒ need a record 474 for victory Captain Faf du Plessis joined Dean Elgar and Hashim Amla in scoring a half-century as South Africa left England facing defeat in Nottingham.

South Africa tightened their grip on the second Test against England thanks to a third day of steady accumulation at Trent Bridge.

Dean Elgar, Hashim Amla and returning captain Faf du Plessis all brought up half-centuries, with the home attack forced to toil for their wickets before the Proteas declared on 343-9.

Alastair Cook had a first-ball lbw dismissal by Morne Morkel overturned on review as England began an improbable attempt at what would be a world-record chase of 474 and, even though he and Keaton Jennings nervily reached one without loss at the close, Joe Root’s side are likely to head to Old Trafford next month at 1-1 in the four-match series.

After breezing to a 211run win in his first Test in charge at Lord’s, Root has become more attuned to the harsh realities of captaincy in the longest format in Nottingham, with a paltry first-innings effort of 205 leaving England chasing the game.

Opener Elgar and Amla resumed on 75 for one and set about methodically building upon their overnight lead of 205 on a morning of ragged frustration for their opponents.

Elgar, not always the easiest batsman on the eye, passed 50 with a thick outside edge off James Anderson and another nick

off Stuart Broad fell safely in the following over.

Broad and England then offered up an error they could ill afford – appealing half-heartedly and neglecting to use a review when replays showed Amla feathered a delivery behind to Jonny Bairstow when on 25.

In Broad’s next set of six, new-ball partner Anderson dropped a tough one-handed chance at gully after Elgar slashed at a wide one, but England were rewarded for their persistence with two wickets in as many overs before lunch.

Ben Stokes – who bustled in impressively for his 2-34 – unsettled Elgar with some short stuff and the lefthander appeared to pull out of his stroke as he lobbed a catch to square leg to depart for 80.

Anderson (2-45) was the catcher and he then encouraged the dangerous Quinton de Kock to edge behind.

Amla remained at lunch, having brought up his fifty with a six off Liam Dawson, as he did in the first innings, although the Hampshire all-rounder had South Africa’s number three dismissed leg before on review, 13 shy of a century.

Dawson’s fellow spinner Moeen Ali was ignored

by Root until mid-afternoon but helped himself to 4-78 as South Africa belatedly looked to hit out after reaching tea on 236 for four.

Du Plessis crunched three through the covers off Moeen to raise his bat but saw partner Temba Bavuma continue his struggles against spin by lofting the Worcestershire man to Root at mid-off.

Anderson, Broad and

Hashim Amla brought up his fifty with a six ©Getty Images

Mark Wood all summoned probing but unrewarding spells with the second new ball before Stokes pinned Du Plessis in front for 63 with one that kept low.

Gary Ballance and Stuart Broad held fine catches as Chris Morris and Keshav Maharaj tried to slog Moeen with the declaration in sight.

Vernon Philander had more success in that regard during a breezy 42 that ended with a caught and bowled for Moeen, although his more decisive work is probably still to come with ball in hand alongside Morkel, who bowled with palpable menace during a gripping end to the day. (Sportsmax)

SCOREBOARD South Africa 1st innings 335 England 1st innings 205 South Africa 2nd innings 8 H Kuhn c Root b Anderson D Elgar c Anderson b Stokes 80 87 H Amla lbw b Dawson Q de Kock† c †Bairstow b Anderson 1 F du Plessis* lbw b Stokes 63 15 T Bavuma c Root b Ali 42 V Philander c & b Ali 13 C Morris c Ballance b Ali K Maharaj c Broad b Ali 1 M Morkel not out 17 16 Extras (b 8, lb 8) Total (9 wickets dec; 104 overs) 343 Did not bat: D Olivier Fall of wickets: 1-18 (Kuhn, 6.2 ov), 2-153 (Elgar, 42.5 ov), 3-154 (de Kock, 43.3 ov), 4-216 (Amla, 68.6 ov), 5-253 (Bavuma,

79.5 ov), 6-275 (du Plessis, 90.3 ov), 7-304 (Morris, 97.6 ov), 8-307 (Maharaj, 99.5 ov), 9-343 (Philander, 103.6 ov) Bowling: Anderson 20-4-45-2, 18Broad 19-4-60-0, Wood 5-68-0, Ali 162-78-4, Stokes 20-4-342, Dawson 11-1-42-1

England 2nd innings (target: 474 runs) 0 A Cook not out not out 0 K Jennings Extras (lb 1) 1 (0 wickets; 4 overs) 1 Total To bat: GS Ballance, JE Root*, JM Bairstow†, BA Stokes, MM Ali, LA Dawson, SCJ Broad, MA Wood, JM Anderson Bowling: M Morkel 2-20-0, Philander 2-2-0-0

Raza puts Zimbabwe on course for 1st Test win over Sri Lanka

S

ikandar Raza closed in to reduce Zimbabwe to 59-5 on his maiden hundred at one stage but Raza and and put Zimbabwe Peter Moor, who made 40, in sight of a first test vic- launched a fightback with tory against Sri Lanka on the third day of their only match at the R Premadasa Stadium on Sunday.

The touring side, who also won their maiden oneday international series against Sri Lanka which finished last week, reached 252-6 in their second innings at the Sikandar Raza stalled Sri Lanka’s charge with a close of play selection of cross-batted strokes © AFP for an overall lead of 262 runs. The a stand of 86 for the sixth 31-year-old Raza was un- wicket. beaten on 97 for his highEarlier, Zimbabwe capest test score and has added tain and leg-spinner Graeme 107 for the unbroken sev- Cremer (5-125) took his enth wicket with Malcolm maiden five-wicket haul to Waller, who remained 57 help his side to restrict Sri not out. Sri Lankan spin Lanka to 346 after the hosts spearhead Rangana Herath had resumed on 293-7.

(4-85) had helped the hosts Sri Lanka have been

hampered by a left hamstring injury to all-rounder Asela Gunaratne, who has been told he needs a recov-

ery period of up to 10 days and will not bowl or field in the remainder of the ongoing test. (Reuters)

SCOREBOARD Zimbabwe 1st innings 356 Sri Lanka 1st innings D Karunaratne c Masakadza b Tiripano 25 U Tharanga run out (Tiripano) 71 K Mendis c †Chakabva b Cremer 11 D Chandimal* c 55 †Chakabva b Cremer A Mathews c Masakadza b Williams 41 N Dickwella† b Cremer 6 D Perera run out (Musakanda/ Waller/†Chakabva) 33 b Cremer 45 A Gunaratne R Herath st †Chakabva b Williams 22 R Lakmal c & b Cremer 14 1 L Kumara not out Extras (b 8, lb 10, w 1, nb 3) 22 Total (all out; 102.3 overs) 346 Fall of wickets: 1-84 (Karunaratne, 24.2 ov), 2-107 (Mendis, 29.4 ov), 3-116 (Tharanga, 32.1 ov), 4-212 (Chandimal, 60.3 ov), 5-226 (Dickwella, 64.4 ov), 6-238 (Mathews, 69.4 ov), 7-274 (Perera, 79.1 ov), 8-322 (Herath, 91.5 ov), 9-343 (Lakmal, 96.5 ov), 10-346 (Gunaratne, 102.3 ov) Bowling: Mpofu 11-2-41-0 (1w),

Tiripano 10-1-38-1, Sikandar Raza 18-2-60-0, Cremer 39.3-4-125-5 (1nb), Waller 1-0-2-0, Williams 23-3-62-2 (2nb) Zimbabwe 2nd innings H Masakadza lbw b Herath 7 R Chakabva† b Herath 6 T Musakanda c Karunaratne b Herath 0 C Ervine c Karunaratne b Perera 5 S Williams b Herath 22 Sikandar Raza not out 97 P Moor c sub (MD Gunathilaka) b Kumara 40 57 M Waller not out Extras (b 4, lb 7, w 6, nb 1) 18 Total (6 wickets; 68 overs) 252 To bat: AG Cremer*, CB Mpofu, DT Tiripano Fall of wickets: 1-14 (Chakabva, 3.1 ov), 2-16 (Musakanda, 5.4 ov), 3-17 (Masakadza, 7.2 ov), 4-23 (Ervine, 8.3 ov), 5-59 (Williams, 17.3 ov), 6-145 (Moor, 41.1 ov) Bowling: Lakmal 9-0-28-0, Herath 23-2-85-4, D Perera 21-169-1 , Kumara 11-3-43-1 (1nb, 2w), Mendis 4-0-16-0

CLASSIFIED ADS monday, july 17, 2017 www.guyanatimesgy.com

ACCOMMODATIONS Conferences and retreats – full service: Hotel, Catering & Facilities.

Aracari Resort WBD – 264-2946 Alex Wayne Weddings and anniversaries: Rental or full service: Banquet Hall & Catering. Aracari Resort 264-2946 Alex Wayne Aracari Hotel, WBD (Near Harbour Bridge) – All modern amenities, rates from $25. Phone 264-2946-8

business opportunity Use your spare time filling 100 envelopes for US $500 or more weekly. Send stamped self-addressed envelope for information to; D Monderson 261 Thomas Street, Georgetown.

LAND for sale Land at Well Street, Ogle, ECD, BACK LOT 65 feet x 105 feet. $12M. Tel: 625-1514

FOR SALE One greenheart wooden building. Only complete with all accessories; sliding door, windows and grills, etc. Bargain price, negotiable. Call: 227-4285

SALON / SPA COSMETOLOGY – FULL COURSE $100,000. TECHNICIAN $40,000.

Aracari Salon & Spa, WBD 264-3312, 600-3927

spirituality & ASTROLOGY Surinamese spiritualist. Resolving all problems. Money, love, blockage etc. Call 651-9663/600-7719.

taxi services GR Taxi, 24 hours. Phone: 2257878, 219-5000 or 227-2100

NOT RECEIVING YOUR

DAILY & SUNDAY COPIES

sports

21

P&P Tennis Camp commences today S

chool is out, and the Guyana Tennis Association is providing children with the opportunity to get acquainted with tennis, as the 13th P&P Insurance Brokers Junior Tennis Camp commences today.

Children between the ages of 6 and 11 will be trained at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall from 9:00am, while those between the ages of 12 and 18 will be trained at the National Racquet Centre at Camp and Woolford Avenue from noon.

The camp is the most significant annual junior development event after the end of the school year, and it usually attracts at least 50 participants, who are taught the rudimentary principles of playing tennis in a fun and creative environment. The camp provides a potent avenue for the introduction of many new players to clubs for further training.

Vikash Panday, son of Bish Panday, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of P&P Insurance Brokers

Vikash Panday presenting a sponsorship cheque to GLTA President Jamal Goodluck, in the presence of GLTA Vice President Grace McCalman, and P&P staff members

and Consultants Limited, represented the company in yet another of their outstanding contributions to the development of sport in general. He pledged their support for the 13th year in succession, and urged all participants to give their best efforts and continue to perse-

vere towards success.

He pointed out the committed effort of longest standing executive member Grace McCalman, who, from the inception of the camp, supported the administration of local tennis in all its forms; and he recounted playing doubles with his

sister Varsha Panday and former national coach Debbie Bunbury.

He pledged continuous support for local tennis on behalf of his father and the P&P Insurance Brokers.

President of the GLTA, Jamal Goodluck, reiterated his appreciation for corporate support for local tennis to reach its pinnacle. This is what keeps tennis alive, as there is limited support otherwise, and this hinders rapid progress, he explained.

The camp will be conducted by Coaches Shelly Daly and Leyland Leacock, and Assistant Coaches from the National Junior Team Daniel Lopes, Jordan Beaton and Kalyca Fraser, who have all initially benefited from the P&P Tennis Camps in their early tennis career.

The camp runs from Monday July 17th to Friday August 4th on weekdays only. Players can register by calling 645-2901.

GABA/Powerade/Rainforest Waters/Malta Supreme U-23 Basketball

Colts, Trojans, Ravens notch victories A ction in the G e o r g e t o w n Amateur Basketball Association’s U-23 Tournament continued on Saturday evening at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH) with Colts, University of Guyana Trojans and Ravens recording victories.

In the first game, Colts humbled the Knights by winning the game 103-55.

At the end of the first quarter, the score was 34-14; while the second quarter ended with the score at 7128, as the Knights failed to mount a real challenge.

However, in the third quarter, the Knights suddenly came alive, and restricted the Colts from scoring freely, to go into the final quarter with the score at 8745. The end result, though, was never in doubt, as the Colts dominated the final quarter to end the game 103-55.

The UG Trojans recovered from their loss against the Eagles on Thursday night to beat the Kobras by a sizable margin of 101-63.

A dominant first half ended with the score at 5133 in favour of the Trojans,

and an improved second half ensured the Trojans notched up a well-deserved victory.

In the final game of the night, Ravens pulled off an upset by defeating the Pepsi Sonics in a close encounter.

At the end of the first quarter, the score was 1314, with the Ravens leading by one point. In the second quarter, Pepsi Sonics fought back, and were leading 3029 going into the break.

The Ravens composed themselves and played aggressively to end the third quarter leading by a slender margin of 42-40.

The game got feisty in

Action in the game between the Colts and Knights

the final quarter, as the Ravens defended well, allowing the Pepsi Sonics to score only three points while they scored freely to end the game with the score at 62-

43.

The league will continue on Wednesday with games beginning from 6:00pm at the Burnham Court.

De Nobrega wins Benjamin GUYANA Memorial race OF THE

TIMES in your area? P

By Indrawattie Natram

Contact our

Circulation Department

on Phone: 223-7230 EXT: 35

Classified Ads $5+VAT per word

Call:

223-7230 Ext 50

aul De Nobrega has emerged winner of the Evolution Urban Benjamin cycling competition, held on Sunday in Region Two. The race commenced at 9:00 hours and concluded at midday.

Riders rode 70 miles -from Charity to Supenaam and back to the starting point (Charity). It was quite impressive, as many persons gathered along the roadway to witness the local and national riders. Coming in second in the senior category was Geron Williams, followed by Christopher Griffith, Romollo Crowpel, Alonzo Ambrose and Jamal John in that order and at a bunch time of 2:55:52.

In the Juniors category, riding in first was Curtis Dey, followed by Christopher Cornelus and Zeiford John.

In the Veteran-45 race, Stephen Fernandes rode in first, while Leer Nunes came in second and Steve Ramsudial third. The Over45 category race was won by Andrew Spencer and Amrita

Santeur.

Cash and gold prizes were presented by Gomes Mining Company. Coordinators of the races, Keith Fernandes and Andrew Arjune, said the race was held in memory of Urban Benjamin, who lost his life one year ago in the gold mines.

Before the start of the race, Arjune commended the efforts of the cyclists and wished them well on their journey.

He was happy to see the number of riders participating in

Regional U-17

Guyana rebound with win over Jamaica

the competition. Chairman of the Essequibo Chambers of Commerce, Deleep Singh, who was also present during the race, called on the sponsors to make the race an annual feature. The event attracted both local and national riders.

Presenting tokens to the winners was Region Two Chairman Devanand Ramdatt. The race was organised with help from the Guyana Cycling Federation.

T

he Guyana Under-17 team rebounded with a win over Jamaica on Sunday after a humiliating loss to reigning champions and hosts Trinidad and Tobago on Saturday, in the latest action of the Regional Under-17 Tournament.

Batting first, Guyana posted 182-4 from 50 overs, before returning to dismiss Jamaica for 101, to complete victory by a comfortable margin of 81 runs.

Sachin Singh and Kevlon Anderson scored 52 apiece, while Alex Algoo contributed 42 to help the

Paul De Nobrega being presented his top prize by wife of the late Urban Benjamin

Kevlon Anderson

team to a respectable total. Subsequently, skipper Ashmead Nedd bowled

10 economical and effective overs to restrict the Jamaicans.

However, it was Anderson with three wickets that spearheaded the bowling for Guyana, while Kevin Umrao and Pradesh Balkishun picked up two wickets apiece.

In the other matches, Trinidad and Tobago suffered their first loss at the hands of Windward Islands -- by two wickets on the Duckworth Lewis method; while Barbados defeated Leeward Islands by 19 runs.

22

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

mondAY, july 17, 2017

IAAF World U-18 Championships

Noble House Seafoods Indoor Hockey

GCC Vintage, GCC Ladies Bright lands 5th in long surge to championship glory jump final G

G

Pizza Hut GCC Ladies continued their dominance of local hockey

CC Vintage delivered once again to become the surprise winners of the men’s competition in the Noble House Goals Galore Indoor Hockey Championships. The previously unbeaten Bounty GCC were toppled in a thrilling men’s final.

Pizza Hut GCC Ladies completed the club’s domination of the competition with an easy win over Saints, to take the female trophy on Saturday evening at the National Gymnasium.

According to a release from the Guyana Hockey Board, after a tiring semi-final battle against the OFHC Warriors, which ended in favour of Vintage by a meagre one goal margin, the veteran side found themselves

flipped the rebound into the net.

Vintage would rattle off three more unanswered goals, with Hooper’s second being set up by a skilful overlapping run by right back Rawl Davson. Two attractive goals came from Patrick Edghill.

Bounty GCC made a late surge with two penalty-corner goals from the tournament’s highest goal-scorer, Kevin Spencer, but they had postponed scoring for too long, and were left two goals shy of drawing even, with a 10-8 full time score for the GCC Vintage.

The Cinderella ladies of Saints danced their way through to the finals despite being huge underdogs against far more ex-

aged to deny a multitude of attempts throughout the tournament.

It took GCC five minutes to get their first breakthrough, but no time after that to get their second. The Pizza Hut ladies piled on the pressure and amassed eight goals by the half, to see the scores at 8-12 still in favour of Saints.

The second half continued with the dominance of Pizza Hut GCC, as their crisp passing and unique skills bewildered an inexperienced Saints defence.

GCC managed to duplicate their first half efforts with eight more goals in the second half, cruising to a 16-12 victory.

The five leading goal-scorers of the tourna-

GCC Vintage collect their championship trophy

opposing unbeaten Bounty GCC in the men’s final of the competition.

Vintage would start with a +6 goal handicap, one more than Bounty’s +5.

Surprisingly, it was the underdogs Vintage who scored first in the match, with speed ace Devin Hooper finishing a Patrick Edghill pass from the right just two minutes into the match.

Bounty midfielder Mark Sargeant managed to draw one back for his side four minutes later, when Hooper stopped a penalty corner bullet on the line, but Sargeant

perienced sides. After a hard-fought semi-final battle against the Woodpecker Hikers, wherein the Saints held off the opposition to secure a 13-9 victory, Saints were now to face the powerful Pizza Hut GCC, who had comfortably won all their previous matches.

With GCC starting on zero and Saints enjoying a +12 goal handicap, the Pizza Hut ladies certainly had their work cut out for them, especially with the goalkeeping heroics of tournament best goalkeeper Donyale Nurse, who man-

ment each made a mark on the match, with Marzana Fiedtkou and Gabriella Xavier netting four each, tournament top scorer Sonia Jardine and Aliyah Gordon scoring hatricks, and Kerensa Fernandes topping it off with a double.

Young Donyale Nurse of Saints received the nod for best goalkeeper of the women’s competition. Leading goal scorer for women was Sonia Jardine of Pizza Hut GCC, with 14 goals; while Kevin Spencer’s 21 goals captured the male title for the Bounty GCC striker.

uyana’s Chantoba Bright finished among the top six in the Women’s Long Jump event at the IAAF World U-18 Championships in Nairobi, Kenya on Sunday evening.

Bright, recent winner of gold at the South American U-20 Championships held in June on home soil, finished fifth among a field of 14 athletes when she recorded a best attempt of 6.14 metres, some distance behind her personal best record of 6.30m.

China’s Luying Gong won gold with a leap of 6.37m, while German LeaSophie Klik took silver with 6.30m and Diane Mouillac took bronze with a jump of 6.28m.

Guyana was represented at the Games in Nairobi by Daniel Williams and Bright, the two have been successful on the international stage in recent times, with Williams producing the run of his life in the 400 Metres final on Friday to take silver in an all Caribbean top three finish.

Chantoba Bright

GFF appoints international team coordinator for female programme

T

he Guyana Football Federation (GFF) has appointed Paul Beresford as its International Team Coordinator for the female programme. Beresford will also be coordinator for the senior female national team, commonly called “Lady Jags”, and the female youth national teams.

Beresford, whose appointment was made on July 1, 2017 and will be effective until July 1, 2018, has been a longstanding partner of the GFF. Among his primary responsibilities will be creating scouting and recruitment networks for our female national teams, implementing overseas Talent ID Camps, coordinating ‘Lady Jags’ overseas-based training camps, tracking and monitoring the performance of ‘Lady Jags’ and youth players, coordinating the ‘Lady Jags’ International Paul Beresford Programme, ensuring clear communication links to all our overseas-based players, liaising with the Women’s Development Officer (WDO) to ensure there is an integrated system for locally-based ‘Lady Jags’ players, and assisting in the continued development of our GFF Women’s Programme both locally and overseas.

Beresford’s appointment is strategic to the new structure for women’s football in Guyana, as envisioned by the Executive Committee and developed by the Technical Director, Ian Greenwood.

In an invited comment, Greenwood explained: “This appointment will continue to strengthen the international outlook and professionalism of our female programme. Tracking and monitoring of our overseas ‘Lady Jags’ is a crucial part of the role, to ensure we have up-to-date information on our players. Mr. Beresford is also tasked with the scouting and recruitment of potential new players at all age groups for the female programme, which will be done with a clear and robust recruitment strategy.

“Overseas Talent ID and training camps will help ensure our ‘Lady Jags’ teams are in the strongest possible shape when competition and international engagements are upon us.”

Greenwood added: “It’s fantastic that Mr. Beresford is on board, as he has in-depth knowledge of female football both in Guyana and abroad. We are positive that his energy and passion for the role will improve the quality of the female programme.”

The National U17 Women’s team is currently encamped in preparation for the CONCACAF Caribbean Women’s U-17 Tournament, scheduled to be played from 9th to 13th August, 2017 at the National Track and Field Facility at Leonora.

guyanatimesgy.com

MONDAY, july 17, 2017

23

Guinness "Greatest of the Streets" Football

Dave & Celina All-Stars are new National Champions ‒ Showstoppers finish 3rd

T

he Linden-based Dave & Celina All-Stars football team were deemed the new Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’ National Champions after

Banks DIH Demerara Park on Saturday evening.

Most Valuable Player (MVP) Rawle Gittens was the architect of his team’s supremacy, scoring in the

Champion scorers! (L-R) Kenard Simon, Rawle Gittens and Keon Sears

registering a comprehensive 4-1 victory over Hustlers at

6th and again in the 20th minute, much to the delight

of the sizable crowd in attendance.

Additional goals came from Captain Kennard Simon (12th) and Keon Sears (19th).

Anthony Sancho gave the opposition some respite with a goal late in the proceedings.

The victory meant that All-stars went home $550,000 richer, holding aloft the coveted trophy while the runners-up took $300,000 and a trophy.

In the third place playoff, Showstoppers won 1-0 against Silver Bullets, with Hubert Pedro’s 4th minute goal being the difference. Showstoppers pocked $200,000 while Bullets won $100,000.

During the semi-finals, All Stars defeated Jermaine & Family Bullets 4-3 in a

Digicel’s Schools Football Championship…

Buxton triumph over

Friendship to claim Region 4 title A brace from Buxton’s attacking midfielder Ablamy Roberts was enough to seal the Region 4 title for his team, as they beat Friendship Secondary 4-1.

The East Coast Demerara winners (Buxton) came up against the East Bank Demerara champs (Friendship) at the Ministry of Education ground on Carifesta Avenue as the Digicel Regional Finals continued on Sunday.

Playing on a swampy ground, it was tough going for both teams as they struggled to string together accurate passes and plays. However, Buxton settled into the game quicker than their ri-

fender, negotiate a way around the sprawling keeper, and calmly pass the ball into the net to haul one back for his team.

Both sides began to tire as the half wore on, and they were both relieved when the referee blew the whistle to signal the end of first half with the score at 2-1.

The EBD side came out determined to attack, but their passing let them down; and as the game wore on, the visibly tired players began to make minor errors, none bigger than a Buxton defender’s mindless two-foot challenge in his own goal area on a Friendship play-

Hustlers’ Jahaal Greaves is boxed in by All-Stars' players

thriller that went into extra time.

Gittens again was the superstar with a hat-trick, netting in the 20th, 31st and 34th minutes, while teammate Simon was on target in the 29th.

For the fellow Linden unit, goals came off the boots of Damion Williams (8th) and Jamie Samuels (30th & 36th).

The other semi-final saw Hustlers winning 1-0 against Showstoppers, with

a Donald McKenize goal in the 18th minute making the difference.

2016 Champs, Sparta Boss, had been eliminated by the Money Team during the play-off rounds.

ITF U-12 Championships

Guyana team depart

The contingent before they departed yesterday morning. From left to right are: Shelly Daly-Ramdyhan, Amba Persaud, Devine Jeremiah Kalekyezi, Reshida Hardy, Akilah Sekai Jones, Vadeanand Resaul, Wayne Baker and Grace McCalman

T

he Guyana contingent participating in the International Tennis Federation’s Under-12 Championships to be held in Trinidad from Monday, July 17 to Saturday, July 22, departed the local shores yesterday morning.

The six players who are representing the Golden Arrowhead are Amba Persaud, Akilah Sekai Jones, Reshida Hardy, Devine Jeremiah Kalekyezi, Vadeanand Resaul and Wayne Baker.

The players are accompanied by National Coach and GLTA Vice President, Shelly Daly Ramdyhan.

This ITF event is usually an annual singles’ and doubles’ event in which the top six players (three males, three females) from countries in the Caribbean and Central America compete against

each other. However, this time around, the Davis Cup Format would apply, and there will be two singles’ ties and a doubles’ tie.

The top two teams will then progress to the masters’ segment, which will be held in Mexico in August. The national team commenced training immediately after the Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI) Tennis Open concluded last month under the watchful eyes of Shelly DalyRamdyhan. Team members have had to endure three weeks of intense training, held at the National Racquet Centre, before departure.

Prior to their departure, Daly-Ramdyhan expressed satisfaction with each player’s ability, but stressed that she would have loved to work with them for a longer period.

NAMILCO U-17

Unbeaten Milerock hammer Panthers 4-0 Region 4 champions Buxton pose with their new kits

vals, and scored twice in two minutes to seize an early advantage.

The first goal came through a defensive error, as Roberts nicked the ball from a Friendship defender and stole through on goal to slot home in the 5th minute.

The pint-sized Adio McAlmont added a second for Buxton when he curled the ball beyond the Friendship custodian to cement his side’s lead in the 7th minute.

However as the first half wore on, Friendship began to defend better, and even managed to create a few chances of their own, which the forwards failed to capitalize on.

Friendship’s winger Jamal Scott remained a threat, and showed good awareness to take the ball from a de-

er, to concede a penalty.

Up stepped Scott, who struck the ball directly into the keeper’s lap, to the relief of the Buxton players.

The rest of the game was all about Buxton, who endured the tiring conditions to seal the game in the final 10 minutes.

Friendship’s goalie Prince Forde produced 5 consecutive saves to single-handedly keep his team from conceding; but his resistance was futile, as Ablamy Roberts got his second with a well-hit strike from outside the box in the 79th minute to make it 3-1 in favour of his side.

Three minutes later, Kifambo Goodman added his name to the scoresheet to put the game beyond a tired Friendship side.

W

hen the Thunderbolt N A M I L C O Under-17 Football Championships organized by the Upper Demerara football Association continued on Saturday afternoon at the Wisburg Secondary School ground, the lone fixture resulted in Milerock hammering out a 4-0 win over Amelia’s Ward Panthers.

Once again in fine scoring form for the Milerock unit was Mario Depaz. He began the thumping for Milerock when he banged home the opening goal in the 25th minute, which they maintained until half time.

Five minutes into the second half, Milerock increased their lead through Jonathan Copeland, who found the back of the net in the 50th minute.

This was then increased further through a good goal coming off the boot of Brinsley

(L-R) Raheem Angus, Mario Depaz, Brinsleu Allicock and Jonathan Copeland

Allicock in the 58th minute; and Raheem Angus then sealed the issue when he booted home the fourth goal of the encounter in

the 68th minute. The end result was a 4-0 win for Milerock, and an encouraging streak lasting over three games.

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

MONDAY, JULY 17, 2017

guyanatimesgy.com

Digicel’s Schools Football Championships

Noble House Seafoods Indoor Hockey

Pg 23

Buxton triumph over Friendship to GCC Vintage, GCC Ladies claim Region 4 title surge to championship glory Pg 22

Buxton’s Kifambo Goodman shields the ball from Friendship defenders

The twist of the night was GCC Vintage toppling Bounty GCC in the men’s final

Guinness "Greatest of the Streets" Football Pg 23

Dave & Celina All-Stars are new National Champions ‒ Showstoppers finish 3rd

Director of Sport Christopher Jones hands over the winning trophy to All-stars Captain Kenard Simon in the presence of teammates and other officials

GUYANA TIMES - www.guyanatimesgy.com, email: news@guyanatimesgy.com, News Hotliine: 231-8063 Editorial: 231-0544, 223-7230,223-7231,231-0544, 225-7761 Sport: sport@guyanatimesgy.com Marketing: 231-8064 Accounts: 225-6707 SALES AND MARKETING - lezas@guyanatimesgy.com - PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY GUYANA TIMES INC.