Guyana Times, September 28, 2014

Glenn Lall charged with tax fraud

Prime Minister Samuel Hinds received a warm welcome when he visited the Amerindian Heritage celebration at St Ignatius, Region Nine on Friday

Weather: Sunny intervals are expected in the morning hours with sunny weather prevailing during the rest of the day. Clear skies are expected in the evening over coastal regions and near inland locations. Temperatures are expected to range between 25 degrees and 31 degrees Celsius.

Winds:

High

Low Tide: 00:13h and 12:28h reaching minimum heights of 0.46 metre and 0.63 metre respectively.

AFC spreading disinformation to survive − members of civil society

By Tajeram mohaBir

More than a week after Alliance For Change (AFC) Leader Khemraj Ramjattan publicly declared that the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) is trying to buyout three Opposition members, he is yet to produce the evidence.

The AFC needs the support of the coalition, dominated by the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) to pass the NoConfidence Motion it brought against the Government a few months ago.

Members of the electorate and in political circles have since dismissed the claims as outlandish, an attempt by the small political party to throw dirt hoping that it will stick and simply relying on fabrication to remain relevant.

East Canje

“I feel that Mr Ramjattan is telling the nation that there are jellyfishes and invertebrates in his party who are willing to sell out because of personal upliftment on the spot, he needs to make it public, because we have already seen the main Opposition saying that they are not in for it….

"So Mr Ramjattan and his people need to deal with them because they are not reliable. They are deceivers and they are not men and women of their word,” a public servant from East Canje who gave his name only as Ram told Guyana Times in an invited comment.

The PPP/C has since denied the claim and requested that Ramjattan bring forth the evidence if he is telling the truth, but he respond-

ed by saying that it is the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Members of Parliament (MP) who the PPP is trying to buyout for $30 million each.

Less than credible

Speaking under the condition of anonymity, a teacher who hails from New Amsterdam said the assertion by the AFC Leader is less than credible and points to his credibility.

“Khemraj Ramjattan is a lawyer and he should know that if he is making an allegation then he must have proof. For one, he needs to name those who were offered the $30 million and second-

ly, he has to have those persons tell the public so. Mr Ramjattan has done neither so he should shut his mouth.”

APNU Leader David Granger has also denied the claim by Ramjattan, hinting that it may be manufactured, while contending that the coalition will vote solidly in support of the motion brought by the AFC.

Linden

Speaking to Guyana Times at her stall, Linden seamstress Yvonne Drakes said the claim does not seem to have merit, but noted that with money, anything is possible.

“I am not saying that it is true or lie but what I am saying is that people buy everything with money. I would not be in a position to say if it is lie or true. But at the end of the day nobody wants to come out of a comfortable position, I’m not saying that what one party is saying is lie or what the other is saying is true, but it is all poli-

tics,” she said.

Her fellow Lindener Gordon Arthur, a vendor outside the Mackenzie Arcade was more decisive, contending that the claim is the “usual political gimmicky”.

“All that is political

games. I think that it is something being used for political mileage. It is political football that is being played and we are not concerned with that,” he said, noting that the people of Linden will be pleased enough to have Local Government Elections.

“Linden is experiencing a lot of problems because we are not getting Local Government Elections. We can see that the town is not running the way it should be run.

"There is no figure that we can really go to when we have problems. Everybody doing their own thing, and we need to have that (Local Government Elections). There must be a structured system in the town,” he said.

Arthur added: “There’s no one really that you can go to if you need an issue to be addressed. We need so much in this town. Many times works are going on in the town and it is not up to standard. We must have a local administrator to run our affairs. We can’t wait on

Central Government.”

Granger had issued an ultimatum to President Donald Ramotar, demanding that Local Government Elections be held on September 15 as it is an integral part of any democratic society.

President Ramotar had responded, contending that the content of the letter is contradictory; pointing out that it was the PPP/C that has fought to restore democracy, the values of which it still cherishes.

The call in the ultimatum letter issued by Granger happened about a month after the AFC file the No-Confidence Motion against the Government in Parliament.

Suspicious

The motion is set to be debated next month when Parliament resumes from recess. The Opposition holds a one-seat majority in the House and if the motion is passed, it will force the Donald Ramotar-led Government to resign and call fresh elections in three months.

But in light of the NoConfidence Motion filed by the AFC, Granger only a few weeks ago declared that the coalition wants Local Government Elections.

APNU Leader David Granger

AFC Leader Khemraj Ramjattan

Yvonne Drakes

Gordon Arthur turn to page 8

Editor: Tajeram Mohabir

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Editorial

Tourism and hinterland communities

Because we have not been part of the traditional Caribbean tourism package that was once the world’s most well known, there is some unawareness that tourism is one of the largest industries in the world. Tourism contributes over nine per cent of global Gross Domestic Product and over US$1.6 trillion in direct revenues. The “industrial” giants; China and USA, are interestingly, respectively number one and two in tourism receipts – raking over $127 billion and $126 billion respectively.

Over the last decade however, and especially with the accession to office by Irfan Ali as the Tourism Minister, the Government of Guyana has made a sustained effort to boost our tourism product – and gradually the efforts are bearing fruit. What has been noticeable about our focus on tourism is that unlike many other developing countries, our policy makers have not fallen for the “quick and dirty” route to developing the trade: such as Bangkok, which is now seen as one of the largest “fleshpots” of the world.

Yesterday was “World Tourism Day”, with the theme “Tourism and Community Development”. It highlighted tourism’s empowerment of citizens in providing them with skills to achieve change in their local communities. Not coincidentally, it summarises Guyana’s perspective on tourism.

The thrust is most commendable and in the end is the most sustainable form of the product. As Bangkok illustrates, there is the danger that in seeking the tourist dollar, operators will cater to the bases urges of the moneyed stratum of the world and in the process destroy their own societal integrity.

In Guyana, it is evident that the Government recognises that our greatest tourism assets are the country’s diverse communities, and it’s almost pristine rain forests and hinterland – including the communities in those areas.

Only last year, for instance, the Government launched a five-year “Hinterland Tourism Development Plan”, which was initiated in 2013. It seeks to create a sustainable economy in what all concede are the most economically challenged communities in Guyana. But unlike what has prevailed in other “Eco-tourism” destinations – the plan ensures that the Indigenous heritages are preserved and not corrupted just to suit the “tastes” of the foreign tourist.

One way that this is being achieved is through the development of tourism facilities such as Surama Eco-Lodge and Rewa Eco-Lodge that are owned and operated by the local community. This presents the opportunity for locals to be trained in tourism hospitality and management skills – and ensures that they are just objects for tourist voyeurs, but in control of the process in which they present their communities to tourists.

All cultures evolve, but what is being ensured is that Indigenous cultures remain the inalienable possession of the peoples that practice them and not outsiders that are just interested in making a “fast buck”.

Guyana’s tourism development in the in the highest tradition of the UN’s Global Code of Ethics for Tourism which declares that “Tourism is called upon to both be an example and to provide the road map for sustainable development in the larger communities in which they do business; Tourism is called upon to enhance cultural heritages of a community and Tourism is called upon to provide a number of financial benefits and raise the standard of living for the community.”

It is very visionary that the self-sustainability of the hinterland villages are being ensured at this time. One action by the Government that has ensured this – in addition to its involvement in the development of tourism facilities – has been the long delayed demarcation of Amerindian Villages as adumbrated in the Amerindian Act which this Government passed in 2005. The villages are now under the control of the villagers themselves – as attested by the ongoing protests by miners that Amerindians are allocating mining rights.

While World Tourism Day is transitory, the empowerment of our hinterland communities in the drive to develop tourism here is permanent.

Grow more food

Will Trotman lose his US visa?

Dear Editor,

When a government functionary was allegedly caught soliciting a young man for sex his case made headline news. The opposition in association with its malicious media were out in full force condemning him of a crime, that to this day, they could not prove.

The US Embassy without any firm evidence, trial or conviction, hastily revoked his visa thereby prohibiting him from such privileges as travelling to the USA among other things. Clearly, this was a move meant to embarrass him and the PPP/C Government, based solely on Opposition information and directives.

Well, they will be called again to make that "moral" decision as the Trotman matter of alleged rape and buggery comes before them. This writer is calling on the US Embassy to do likewise and revoke his visa.

I know what their answer will be, that is, wait for a trial and conviction or, say the politically correct thing such as "the US Embassy deals with matters the way they see fit

and does not to bow to public pressure".

Well, I'd be damned if this is their stance because it would be a major shift in their approach to such matters. Previous approach shows a totally different US Embassy. They were swift to execute judgement by way of a revocation; why not now?

Their move was a blatant display of partisan involvement in the domestic affairs of a sovereign state. To sum it up, their action lacked diplomatic finesse.

Now, I make this bold call based on the following argument.

In the Government functionary’s case, there was some bit of questionable evidence by way of telephone records of him having sexual conversations. The lad in question was 17 years at the time, so he can, under Guyana laws, consent to sex.

Another weak link in their case was the fact that there was no victim – the accusations were coming from known PNC hacks and the boy's mother who is a staunch supporter of the party.

So, from the very out-

set there was no attempt to get to the truth by way of legal redress.

Rather, it was a political witch hunt meant to humiliate and embarrass the Government functionary. Nonetheless, the US Embassy went full speed ahead as judge, jury and executioner and revoked his visa.

So let us turn our attention to the Trotman case and juxtapose it against the Government functionary’s case. Here we have an accuser Anthony Welshman Jr, a visible and real person, with damning evidence to support his claims.

In fact, when you place the photographs of the two individuals (Trotman and Anthony) our readers are caught up with the striking resemblance of the two personalities – accuser and his alleged victim. A total betrayal of family trust while stripping him of his childhood innocence?

Added to that is Welshman's claims of being sexually assaulted at age 12, while he was a minor. Paedophilia is a very serious offence that carries a prison sentence if ever

this comes up for hearing in a court of law. Trotman can well learn his lesson from the Catholic Church who had to man up to millions of dollars to stave off the shame.

My advice to Trotman – that depends if he is wise – is to settle peacefully and amicably. In doing so he can save himself the shame, the ignominy and public humiliation he would have to face henceforth.

He would be wise to settle while there is time; something Counsel Manickchand had given him. Because, no amount of court injunctions can stop Welshman Jr from going forward with a lawsuit. He is sticking to his story; he is not going away. In a related incident the Speaker of the St Lucian Parliament when faced with a mountain of evidence stacked against him, did the honourable thing and resigned. Trotman is advised to do likewise. It is your time to face the music Trotman, do not shy away from it.

Sincerely, Neil Adams

It’s not just limited to Guyana or the Caribbean Region. The grow more food initiative is catching on worldwide. Here is Harald Wenske driving his boat, loaded with pumpkins, on the river Spree near the village of Lehde, eastern Germany (MSN)

Focus on outcome, impact of output

— Edghill tells M&E workshop

Minister within the Finance Ministry

Juan Edghill has advised participants of the 12th Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) workshop to focus on outcome and impact of output.

The workshop targeted managers from the Education, Health, Public Works, Housing and Water Ministries, in addition to participants from the Georgetown Public Hospital and the General Register Office.

The focus was on the designing and building of a results-based M&E system, and highlighted individual responsibility to the senior members of staff of the various organisations who attended the fiveday event at the Guyana International Conference Centre, Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown.

Minister Edghill urged participants to take their training back to their offices and share it with their colleagues. He pointed to the fact that the preparation of budgets for the agencies represented by the participants must focus on presenting benefits to the citizens, as such he explained, the workshop would benefit budget preparations.

The Minister emphasised on the Health and Education sectors which are allocated the largest chunks of the National Budget.

The Minister stated that he is not satisfied with the way the system currently works, hence, the M&E workshop which focused on the outcome and impact of the output.

“If Guyana will develop, every Guyanese must commit to the task of getting it done,” he declared.

He emphasised that Government cannot continue to fund failure, adding that Government is always being asked to honour proposals to benefit the entire country. In order to do this, a Cabinet paper must be prepared and the participants, who are there to help their Ministers, would

be ably equipped to help in this regard due to training at the M&E workshop.

“We are relying on you, plus the 500 who came before you, and the others who are coming behind you, to be part of an army that will work in the implementation of policies and programmes to ensure that the Guyanese people will get value for money,” the Minister concluded.

The workshop first began in November 2013 and was aimed at more effective management. It emphasised the need for responsibility in mobilising and managing resources with emphasis on ultimately delivering results to their superiors.

Effective management

The workshop began when Government recognised the need to actively promote more effective management within the system, observing that would rest with the workers and individuals within the system who have the responsibility to ensure that they do their part.

As such, performance based management in the M&E framework would then be applied, while Ministries would hold their employees accountable for their performances by setting annual targets

and monitoring feedback against those targets.

The workshops are conducted by Dr Ray Rist, a renowned world authority on developing monitoring and evaluation systems and cofounder of the International Programme for Development Evaluation Training (IPDET), the Government Information Agency (GINA) reported.

Dr Rist focuses on topics which cover the understanding of the evaluation context and the programme theory of change; developing evaluation questions and starting the design matrix; selecting designs, data collection, data analysis and presenting results.

This is part of an ongoing series of capacity-building initiatives on monitoring and evaluation across Government which is being led by the Finance Ministry. The aim is to address demands and pressures for improving the lives of citizens and public management.

Improvements may include greater accountability and transparency and enhanced effectiveness of interventions. M&E is a management tool to help track progress and demonstrate the impact of development projects, programmes and policies.

Audition for “Upriver” to be held at GuyExpo

Preparations for the upcoming Guyanese movie, “Upriver”, which was launched at the opening of the inaugural Guyana Festival, now enters the audition phase.

This officially commences the auditions with screen tests to be done daily at GuyExpo, from October 2-5.

Screen tests would be conducted in the Demerara Pavilion which is just North of the entertainment stage at the Sophia Exhibition Centre. With over one hundred cast members needed for the movie, Guyanese have an opportunity to audition to be part of this exciting endeavour.

Since the official launch, hundreds of applications were received from Guyanese and foreigners who have indicated an interest in being part of the project.

The Dramatic Arts Academy (DAA), the banner under which the movie will be produced, is extremely grateful to acting Tourism, Industry and Commerce Minister Irfaan Ali for the opportunity afforded for the launch at the Guyana Festival and now to conduct auditions during the country’s premier exhibition.

The DAA in a release said it would also like to thank all, including Impressions, for their efforts in helping to realise the project.

During the launch, hundreds of patrons, both local and overseas, flocked the “Upriver” tent and from their feedback, were enthralled by the promotional video. They lauded the noticeable different approach to local film making and commended the effort. Some 90 per cent of the movie will be filmed in hinterland locations.

Written by Neaz Subhan,

winner of the best playwright title for “When Chocolate Melts” in the 2013 National Drama festival, “Upriver” with its captivating story-line, is set deep in the heart of Guyana’s forests and would present a thrilling and chilling rollercoaster ride through this vastness.

Promoting Guyana

In addition to the entertaining adventure it will capture, the movie will present Guyana’s eco-tourism in a format that is captivating to an international audience.

The country’s natural beauty through its pristine forests, breathtaking and iconic waterfalls, rolling savannahs, majestic mountains and flora and fauna, has always been magnetic to those with cameras.

“The marketing influence of films needs no convincing. It can propel Guyana to become a major international filming location with redounding economic opportunities. Guyana has the potential, both in its beauty and the talent of its people,” the DAA said.

The DAA believes that

the time is ripe for a major local film production worthy of international audiences and film festivals. “Upriver” presents an opportunity for a few steps towards this. In this regard, the DAA is hopeful that corporate Guyana can join in making this journey a reality while benefiting from strategic product and service placement.

Placement of products and services in movies is one of the most effective means of advertising. Many companies, big and small, fast food, restaurants, beverage producers, banks, phone establishments, car dealers etc, have and continue to benefit tremendously from this.

“Upriver” provides an opportunity for local companies to explore and benefit from product and service placement. The world is now a global village waiting to learn about other products and support would not only assist in realising the movie, but would also enhance the awareness of products and services of companies. For more information persons can visit the website www. uprivergy.com.

Participants of the 12th Monitoring and Evaluation workshop at the Guyana International Conference Centre, Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown

Neaz Subhan

Page Foundation

Anu Dev

Ireally enjoy cooking.

Usually, I find it extremely relaxing. And with our workload being the 1000-pound weight that broke the camel’s back (the “straw” just tipped it over!), I’ll definitely take any (and every) outlet to relax. It’s also pretty nice to be able to whip up whatever it is I’m craving at 02:00h.

I usually like experimenting with my cooking and trying foods from different cuisines. So if today I decide to go Mexican, tomorrow I might take a leap and go Italian.

This semester I decided that I’d make an effort to cook more ‘traditionally Guyanese’ food. In my case that means the culinary delights of my mother’s kitchen (which, whatever experimentation my mother may indulge in –better have the traditional Bhojpuri Indian food my father’s palate was weaned on).

Usually a week away from home, I would start craving things like curry and dhall

Adventures in cooking: Roti victories and bhaji mishaps

“The only real stumbling block is fear of failure. In cooking you’ve got to have a what-the-hell attitude.” – Julia Child

and roti (at 02:00h). They say that food is the last aspect of culture to “go”.

My foray into the world of traditional cooking has yielded some successes and some failures. From the title, you’ve probably figured out that I’m probably not going to be serving up a hot plate of Bhaji to anyone sometime soon.

I’m not even going to go into what went wrong with that attempt – my emo-

interesting was that even though I made sure to get detailed directions from my mom (thank you, the gods of Skype!) about how to go about cooking these dishes, it was pretty much a different ballgame when I actually attempted it on my own.

Nothing could have prepared me for when, about 10 minutes in, the ochro turned into this thick, gelatinous, seemingly mucus-coated mass

tions (and karahi) are still too scarred. Before now, I thought, “What could possibly go wrong with Bhaji??” Plenty. Trust me. But my roti skills are pretty top-notch (if I may (modestly) say so), so I guess I’ve got that going for me.

But what I found most

in the karahi. “Is this normal? Is this supposed to happen? WHERE DID ALL THE OIL GO? IT’S SO STICKY. Should I add more oil?”

And then it turned out fine. The mucus-like sticky stuff disappeared and pretty soon the ochro looked like what I’m used to seeing my

mom giving me. I didn’t expect that intermediate “mucus” stage.

And then the first time I cracked open a baigan after roasting it on the stove“It looks so stringy. Did I not cook it enough? But it’s scooping out of the skin really easily. OH LOOK. ALL OF THE STRINGY-THINGS DISAPPEARED. IT LOOKS LIKE REAL BAIGAN CHOKA.”

So I’m getting some new cooking experiences to add to my college experience. It’s a good thing that I’m fine tuning my cooking skills though – I’ve started to appreciat food much more. Especially during those 08:00h classes when I’ve skipped breakfast in favour of getting an extra 15 minutes to sleep.

The last half-hour of the lecture is usually spent zoning out, fantasising about food and hoping the person next to me can’t hear my stomach making sounds that would put an orca whale to shame.

The sprint to rituals during the five minute break between classes could probably rival Usain Bolt’s 100 metre record. Food is a powerful motivator. Wars could’ve – and I’m sure were, fought over pizza – “Pizza: The pie that launched a thousand ships”. Now that’s a fight worth throwing a few punches for.

Moms with sons: The value of cooking with sons and teaching boys cooking skills – cooking together, you’ll bond with your son and teach him tools for a lifetime

BY RENEE MARTINEZ

As moms with sons, we’re experiencing a cultural shift as many of our husbands are doing the cooking, so teaching our boys cooking is a logical next step. Yet this wasn’t always the case.

“A woman’s home is in the kitchen,” or so the saying goes. For my great-grandmother, a Polish immigrant, that was certainly a widely accepted statement. Saying it meant no harm and nor did being in the kitchen.

In fact, back then the men might have starved to death if their wives hadn’t been willing to spend endless hours in the kitchen. If not starve, then at least eat very poorly or go out frequently for fast food.

Boys need to learn to cook so that they can be self sufficient and capable of feeding themselves – no excuses. Plus, think how happy his future significant other will be to find out that your son is a good cook. (If he’s a really good cook, you can even take credit for teaching him.)

Children like to help out, plus they love the special time with mom. So teaching them to cook can be fun, as long as we take the necessary precautions, teach them the rules of the kitchen and supervise them constantly. Teaching children from a young age builds confidence. It also encourages them to try new things. My guys love veggies because we grow them in the garden, and cook something together. There’s a sense of pride and accomplishment.

Today, more women will admit to not only having lit-

tle interest in cooking but that being in the kitchen feels as foreign to them as eating Buffalo wings in Bora Bora.

Regardless of your comfort level in the kitchen, spending time with your son bonding over baking bread or conversing about cumin offers some wonderful life lessons. If you’re a whiz in the kitchen, then cooking with your son will be a piece of cake. If not, then you can learn a new skill together. Another benefit is that when you’re preparing a family meal, you will have a capable helper by your side. Cooking can be fun and since everyone has to eat, why not teach healthy tips, techniques and terminology that will help your son in the long term? As an added bonus, cooking really encourages conversation and sharing. You can learn a lot about someone when you share the kitchen with them. How wonderful if that person is your very own son. Cooking is like a science experiment – mixing and stirring, a pinch of this and that. Get your son on board by having him select a recipe he wants to make with you.

Start with something easy, a pasta dish for dinner or pancakes for breakfast. Plan for the meal to be one that the family will share together so he can show off what he learned.

If your son enjoys a bit more adventure and you’re willing, pick a country you would like to visit and find recipes that represent that country. It’s important to remember to have fun, be patient and it will go smoothly. (womensissues.about.com)

Pledges for mercuryfree mining must be delivered early – Persaud Guyana urges UN Assembly to focus on border issues

Natural Resources and Environment Minister Robert Persaud has urged that pledges made to support the transition from mercury to mercury-free mining by governments as well as international agencies must be delivered on early.

He made the appeal recently at a high-level special event, The Minamata Convention on Mercury: Towards its early entry into force and effective implementation, held at the United Nation Headquarters, New York.

Minister Persaud had earlier signed the Minamata Convention during an international conference organised by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in Minamata, Japan, October 9-11, 2013.

The Natural Resources and Environment Minister during his address updated the meeting on Guyana’s own efforts through the use of national resources to reduce the use of mercury in mining at the national level.

According to a United Nations media release, 22 countries have taken major steps to address the emissions and releases of one of the most notorious heavy metals – mercury.

A year after the adoption of the Minamata Convention on Mercury, Ministers and senior Government officials from around the world have renewed the international community’s commitment to combat the global threat posed to human health and the environment from mercury pollution worldwide.

The high-level special event witnessed three states agreeing to become parties to the Minamata Convention and an additional 15 states signing the treaty. In addition, two more states joined the convention and three additional states signed it

since UN Treaty Event.

The Governments of Djibouti, Gabon, Guyana, Monaco and Uruguay have joined the US as the first six future parties to the convention. The US had joined the convention last November.

An additional 18 countries, bringing to the total number to 120, used this occasion to sign the convention, namely: Belarus, Cameroon, Croatia, Cyprus, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Honduras, Latvia, Liberia, Malaysia, Monaco, Montenegro, Poland, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, Sudan, Syrian Arab Republic and Turkey.

Held in the margins of the opening of the 69th session of the United Nations General Assembly, and in conjunction with the Secretary General’s annual Treaty Event, the event was jointly convened by the Governments of Japan, Switzerland, the United States and Uruguay, with the assistance of the UNEP, the UN media release added.

Named after a city in Japan where serious health damage occurred as a result of mercury pollution in the mid-20th century, the Minamata Convention aims to protect human health and the environment from anthropogenic emissions and releases of mercury and mercury compounds.

The convention requires that 50 states have to agree to become parties to bring the convention into force. Signature will be closed on October 9. Meeting this cut-off date for signature could be of particular importance for developing countries and countries with economies in transition, as signing the convention is a condition to access funding for enabling activities and pre-ratification projects from the Global Environment Facility (GEF).

UNEP provides secretariats for a number of key conventions aiming, like the Minamata Convention, for the sustainable management of chemicals and hazardous wastes, including the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm conventions, which are served by a joint secretariat in Geneva, Switzerland. The Basel Convention (on the control of transboundary movements of hazardous wastes and their disposal) is celebrating its 25th anniversary of its adoption, and has almost universal membership.

The most important precondition for development progress is peace, the President of Guyana told the annual United Nations Assembly debate, calling on the organisation to redouble its efforts to resolve border issues that fuel conflicts in parts of the world.

Unresolved border issues “are often used to retard the development of countries, preventing them from improving the quality of life of their own peoples and the promotion of the welfare of the regions to which they belong,” Donald Ramotar told the high-level 69th debate.

He cited the conflicts in Iraq and Syria, as well as Ukraine and the “apartheidlike situation that exists in Palestine” as continued threats to the world.

Turning to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the post2015 sustainable development agenda that will follow, Ramotar stressed that the transformative agenda

must be flexible and take into account the specific circumstances of countries, such as the small island developing states.

He stressed that a new development framework must include time-bound commitments and recognition of the economic asymmetries in global trade,

including private sector investment.

The President also cited the negative role of migration, which siphons educated, trained citizens to other countries.

Some 196 speakers are expected at this year’s annual debate. Meeting on the theme of “Delivering on and Implementing a Transformative Post-2015 Development Agenda”, the speakers include representatives from the 193 UN member states, as well as the observer state of the Holy See, the observer state of Palestine and the delegation of the European Union.

(Caribbean News Now)

Man overpowers attacker during attempted robbery

Aman who was attempting to commit a felony was overpowered by his victim on Friday evening in the vicinity of Stabroek Market area and was subsequently handed over to the Police.

The perpetrator was identified as Calvin Dover, 25, of Lot 14 Bent Street, Worthmanville, Georgetown. Upon his arrest, a .9mm pistol and 11 rounds of matching ammunitions were found in his possession.

Initial investigations by the Police revealed that Dover attempted to rob a man at Demico, Stabroek area but was overpowered and disarmed by the man.

Police ranks at Stabroek Outpost were summoned and Dover was taken into custody. Police, during the interrogation found out that the alleged bandit was not the holder of a firearm and ammunition licence. Dover is expected to be charged on Monday.

Natural Resources and Environment Minister Robert Persaud

President Donald Ramotar being congratulated by Palestine Foreign Minister Riad al-Malki for his representation of the Palestinian people at the UN General Assembly meeting

Agriculture Ministry warns against illegal meat importation

The Agriculture Ministry has warned that illegal meat and meat products on the market will be seized and destroyed amid reports of contraband on the market.

The Ministry in a statement said the illegal importations, which include mainly pork, is a threat to Guyana’s food security and investment made in the livestock sector and will not be tolerated.

“Any meat and meat product found on the market without the requisite approval will be ceased and destroyed. This serves as a warning to all those who are marketing meat and meat products as illegal importation of animals and animal products into Guyana constitutes a breach of the Animal Health Act 2011, which requires that all animal and animal product be granted permission to enter through a set procedure,” the Ministry emphasised.

The Agriculture Ministry has warned that illegal meat and meat products on the market will be seized and destroyed

stock industry. Such product could provide a vehicle for the transference of disease causing agents from the importing country into Guyana,” the Ministry noted.

Eyew tness

Smokescreen...

...by AFC

Smokescreens originated in warfare. They’re designed to hide your movements and manoeuvres as you either attack or try to evade your enemy’s firepower. Politics, they say, is “war by other means” – so this Eyewitness isn’t surprised at all the smokescreens the AFC are creating as they feverishly go into damage control mode on the accusations that co-founder Raphael Trotman sexually molested a young man.

The Agriculture Ministry stressed the need for importers to adhere to applicable laws, regulations and procedures regarding importation of meat and meat products.

“The procedure for importation of animal products requires the prospective importer to apply for a trade import licence from the Ministry of Trade. The Guyana Livestock

The Agriculture and Trade Ministries will be moving to strengthen its surveillance to protect Guyana’s livestock.

Development Authority through the provision of the law is required to give its no-objection to the import which is based on the prevailing animal health situation of the importing country.”

The Ministry also noted that the Health Ministry’s Public Health Department is also required to give its no-objection to this import.

“Illegal entry of any animal product, from an animal health perspective, poses a threat to Guyana’s live-

A disease can cause a reduction of the livestock population as a result of death; reduction in livestock productivity through sickness; reduction in the availability of the specific meat product with the resulting decrease in available protein for human consumption; there would be a need to spend huge sums of money in combating the disease; loss of trade opportunities due to the imposition on restriction in trade of animal products both locally and internationally, through the banning of imports from Guyana; in some cases there may be public health implications if the disease affects humans; and in such cases, there are huge setbacks in the genetic improvement programme of the country.

AFC relying on fabrications...

The call by Granger, though not new, to some appears to be suspicious and designed to leave the AFC high and dry on the no-confidence motion.

The assurance by Granger that the coalition will vote solidly in support of the motion could mean that all APNU members who are present in Parliament at the time will vote solidly in favour of it.

This aside, given its current status, the call for Local Government Elections by APNU seems to be an empty cry.

To go to Local Government polls will require significant amount of resources and APNU is said to be in a financial strait.

Given this position which has been acknowledged by some APNU members, the coalition would least want to expend its limited resources on Local Government Elections when General and Regional Elections would be just over a year away.

This is coupled with the fact that the major party in the coalition, the PNCR has also suffered a big dent to

its image following its last congress.

From all indications, the internal mantra of APNU is talk Local Government Elections think Regional and General Elections.

Notwithstanding, members of the coalition are upset that Ramjattan, who will require APNU’s support to pass the NoConfidence Motion against the Government, is denigrating its MPs by saying that they can be purchased, which implies dishonesty.

The AFC has been accused before of using APNU

as a footstool to gain political capital.

In 2012, it was reported that after Granger had in effect agreed to support the electricity tariff hike in Linden, the AFC went to the mining town, telling Lindeners that he had sold them out, forcing the Opposition Leader to backtrack on his position. Three died in the Linden protest against the hike.

Region 10 Councilor Maurice Butters in a terse comment to Guyana Times said he is not surprised by Ramjattan’s buyout claims.

Trotman, of course, is a crucial cog in the AFC wheel (of “fortune”). He occupies the strategic Speaker’s chair in the National Assembly, from where he’s shamelessly pandered to the whims and fancies of his colleagues.

For instance, there’s the earlier smokescreen the AFC had thrown up about the PPP/C bribing three APNU MP’s not to go along with the AFC’s No-Confidence Motion. Trotman would’ve been the man to tell Ramjattan to “haul his ass” or “not haul his ass” to the Privileges Committee for impugning the integrity of all these honourable men.

Could you imagine what’ll happen if Basil Williams (the Deputy Speaker) gets bumped up and has to pronounce on the bribery charges his party has hotly and most vehemently denied? Ouch!!! Anyhow the present smokescreen’s being deployed defensively –to save Trotman’s ass – (speaking figuratively) and to damage the PPP/C. Seems the AFC thinks “offence” is the best “defence”.

But this offence is more like a boomerang – that’s going to come back and hit them smack in the kisser. Their first mistake was their announcement that they’d “unearthed a PPP plot to tarnish reputation of its’ leaders”. Now that was the joke of the year! How the heck do you “tarnish” the reputation of these fellas whose reputations are blacker than the bottom of both the proverbial “pot and kettle”??

Trotman and Ramjattan who meretriciously squatted on PNC and PPP/C’s seats in Parliament until they got their duty-free cars?? Nigel Hughes of the “Case of the Silent Sithe Company Secretary” and the “Case of the Purloined Crime Tape”?? Nagamootoo and his fisherwoman’s mouth – not to mention playing both sides against the middle with his $7 million contract with NICIL??

But this latest smokescreen – created by throwing under the bus legal colleagues who just wanted to help their colleague Trotman – betrays the AFC’s leadership desperation. They know the electorate may overlook a certain amount of venality (duty free cars?). But not the diddling of people’s boy children.

This is the stuff of Sodom and Gomorra. And those who transgress must face the “Rod of Correction”.

...on development

APNU’s sputtering that the PPP/C Government is “squandering” state funds on all kinds of projects across the country to fund its “election campaign”. Now here we are in only the third year of the PPP/C’s five-year term. Campaign??? Ah...the No-Confidence Motion!! But we thought Granger wants the Local Government Elections first?? What’s the matter?? The (AFC) tail wagging the (APNU) dog?? Quit vacillating, Granger.

But APNU’s being disingenuous. What they’re trying to suggest is that the PPP/C’s creating “boondoggles”. That’s the Americanism to describe “make work” government projects just to please constituents, and not really serving a real practical purpose. Now could Granger point to a single project the Government’s executing that’s not necessary for development. And just as important – on the budget that was passed by APNU and AFC??

So Granger and APNU doesn’t want City Hall refurbished?? Or One Mile Primary School rebuilt?? C’mon Granger....don’t be a Scrooge.

And frankly, this Eyewitness doesn’t think the projects will change any votes.

...on death register

Poor Arthur Chung. The first and most humble President Guyana ever had must be rumbling in his grave. They just won’t let the man stay dead. First. GECOM said they weren’t informed of his death. Now the fellow in charge says they were. Will someone please take the man’s name off the voter’s list?? Or do we have to hold a referendum??

Police say no compromise in Trotman’s sodomy investigations Mother confirms Welshman was sexually assaulted

By Michael younge

The Guyana Police Force has launched a formal investigation into alleged sexual molestation of a 12-year-old boy by Speaker of the National Assembly Raphael Trotman, a former Alliance For Change (AFC) Executive Member and former Presidential Candidate.

Crime Chief Leslie James, speaking with the Guyana Times on Saturday, confirmed that the allegations made by Johnny Welshman are being investigated by a team of officers.

He said that the Police have already contacted Trotman to obtain a state-

ment with the aim of completing the preliminary round of investigations.

James however could not say how long the investigation would take before any decision is made whether or not to charge Trotman.

The Crime Chief declined to say what other courses of action the Police may take in the interim as the force widens the probe into accusations that Trotman buggered Welshman when he was a boy over a period of time.

When asked when the report was lodged by Welshman with the Police, the Crime Chief did not give details.

James’ comments come at a time when there is growing public outrage and unease following Welshman’s decision to go public about the sexual molestation he allegedly endured while he was a boy reportedly at the hands of Trotman.

Campaign against Welshman

"Meanwhile, Trotman’s party, the AFC has launched a personal ad hominem campaign against Welshman designed to impugn the credibility of his testimony: they allege he is “unstable” and has mental health issues."

The party, strangely, has also come to the defence of the Speaker, while claiming that he was set up by the ruling People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C).

On Friday, the party made an attempt to drag Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil

Nandlall into the saga by contending that he too was part of a scheme to implicate Trotman in the sex scandal involving the 12-year-old boy.

But the Attorney General fired back, distancing himself from the “wicked and unfounded” allegations made

by the AFC and their leadership. Nandlall said the AFC appears to be desperate to sweep the allegations made by Welshman that Trotman sexually penetrated his anus more than once under the carpet.

The AFC, through its Vice Chairman Moses Nagamootoo, also launched a scathing attack on Attorney Jaya Manickchand, claiming political motive. But Manickchand forthrightly dismissed the claims.

“Some very good friends

told me that the AFC had a press conference yesterday and especially Nagamootoo was very ‘loud’ about me.

“I have not seen the press conference nor have I looked at that transcript as yet. Do we really expect anything else? Empty vessels certainly make the most noise, and he, Nagamootoo was the loudest of the vessels there,” she told Guyana Times, echoing comments on her Facebook page.

Not intimidated

A senior Police officer, who is close to the probe, told this newspaper that the force is treating the case with same level of urgency and attention as any other case involving paedophile allegations.

“We will not be intimidated. We will do our work professionally and responsibly. We are not looking at the office that Trotman holds, we are looking at him in his personal capacity. We are only concerned about ensuring that we do our part to ensure that justice is served,” the officer said.

He insisted that the Police will not be sidetracked or distracted by the comments made by the AFC and its leadership. “They have work to do and we have our own work to do. We will resist any attempt by the party or its members to interfere with our probe,” the officer said.

Meanwhile, Director of Public Prosecutions Shalimar Ali-Hack has already confirmed receiving a complaint from Welshman.

In a story of several intricate twists and intrinsic turns, Alisha Collymore, the mother of Johnny Welshman on Saturday confirmed that her son was sexually assaulted at a young age, supporting his claim that he was raped when he was 12 years old.

Welshman is accusing Speaker of the National Assembly and Alliance For Change (AFC) Co-Founder Raphael Trotman of sexually abusing him when he was a young boy, an allegation Trotman has out rightly denied.

Collymore, who is overseas-based, spoke with Guyana Times from her office. She explained that she was suspicious that her son might have been a victim of sexual molestation as result of his erratic behavioural pattern.

The mother said while she is trying to stay away from the whole fiasco, it is increasingly hard given the predicament her son has found himself in.

“I am trying to be very careful of who I speak with. I am really trying to not get involved in this whole medley.

"He was sexually molested as a child, he was, his behaviour patterns exhibit those of a child who was sexually molested,” said Collymore via the

telephone interview.

On the other hand, Welshman's father, Johnny Terry Welshman, has claimed that his son is not telling the truth, but that story was only reported in the Kaieteur News, known for defending Opposition politicians.

Meanwhile, Trotman made a very rare appearance at an AFC press conference on Friday, where he told reporters that he “will do what is right when the time comes”.

In light of this pronouncement, it could be assumed that the Speaker may resign from his post should any charge be laid against him.

The Speaker maintained he has not sodomised the boy, noting that he has total abhorrence for such acts.

Trotman, who became Speaker in 2011, was bombarded with questions on whether he would resign given the allegations against him.

He said in response that he has sought advice from legal minds overseas, noting that he will not leave based on mere allegations.

According to Trotman, he is a patriot and loves his work. He said he would do nothing to dent the work of the National Assembly and would do the right thing when the time comes.

Johnny Welshman

House Speaker and AFC Executive Raphael Trotman

Challenges still remain for vulnerable groups to find employment

– IDB policy meeting hears

The Inter-American Development Bank’s (IDB) 2014 Labour Markets and Social Security Regional Policy Dialogue has ended in Seoul, South Korea on a high note having discussed challenges and options forward for participating countries.

The meeting, which provided countries a forum to reflect together on what public policies can improve the quality of employment, saw discussions on the insecurity, informality and precariousness associated with jobs in Latin America and the Caribbean.

It was noted that while the unemployment rate is low, the high labour turnover means that many workers are travelling often between employment and unemployment, and between formal and informal jobs.

In addition, many challenges remain for youth, women and vulnerable groups in finding employment.

During the September 22-26 dialogue, an analysis of the situation in Latin America and the Caribbean was presented, discussing the impact of the aforementioned risks and presenting different initiatives carried out both in the region and in Korea and other countries.

The meeting was attended by a select group of international experts and highlevel Government officials in charge of labour and social security issues. Guyana was represented by its Labour Minister, Dr Nanda Gopaul.

South Korea, in just half a century, managed to become a world power, providing a useful example for the region. Its growth strategy placed significant emphasis on human capital development and employment.

South Korea has implemented a comprehensive protection system against unemployment and now has an “Employment Insurance System”, to guarantee the protection of unemployed workers, promote employment, and improve the professional capabilities of workers.

No loyalty

Satiricus is a self-confessed dunderhead. And because of that condition he couldn’t fulfil his childhood dream of being a lawyer. But even as a news hacker, he was just fascinated by the goings on in that fraternity – which he followed avidly and fervently. And he did think it was a “fraternity”. Until now.

Satiricus was trying to keep up with the accusations and counter accusations in the “Case of the Boy who cried Rape!” But right off the bat Satiricus knew the boy was lying. Just look at his name: Welsh Man. Now everybody knew that you are your name. Look at Rum Jhaat for instance?? It was “Rum Till Ah die” with that fella.

And it was for good reason that people who don’t keep their word is said to “welsh”. The boy’s word was not to be trusted. So Satiricus didn’t need Naga Man, NoGel Huge, Rum Jhaat and Trot Man to tell him that. But here was all these big name lawyers rallying around their comrade who was being wrongfully accused of raping the little boy!!

Satiricus knew it wasn’t just because they were all members of the KFC party and that if Trot Man was found of violating the little boy, their party’s chances of getting a seat at the next elections stood as much a chance as a snowflake not melting in hell. Nah...these were lawyers – and they stood for the tenets of Justice!! Satiricus discreetly wiped a tear from his cheek.

But then the Naga Man spoke. And this was when Satiricus started to doubt that there was a “legal fraternity”. The boy who claimed that Trot Man “took his innocence” had called this lawyer – Manic Sand – whom he’d had known from the days when he’d just become “troubled and disturbed”. Manic Sand immediately called then texted Trot Man that the news of him diddling a little boy mightn’t go down well with his family.

“Settle the thing”, she advised. All of this sounded plausible to Satiricus. Legal fraternity and all that. If the Police had a “blue wall”, why not a lawyers’ “black wall”? But Naga Man, with all the two years of experience he had under his belt, smelled the rat. “You don’t need a “retainer” to become someone’s lawyer. That’s too much botheration! I take clients like NICIL just like that!!”

And Naga Man insisted that lawyers don’t look out for each other. No loyalty. “Manic Sand,” Naga Man screamed, “was just trying to hustle Trot Man!”

And Satiricus figured who but Naga Man would know about no loyalty to fraternity and friends?? Hadn’t Naga Man sold out his comrades of 50 years because they didn’t hear their departed chief make him his successor?

Labour Minister, Dr Nanda Gopaul (fourth left) with high-level officials at the labour and social security policy meeting in South Korea

Remigrant scam...

Glenn Lall charged with tax fraud

The Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) has filed charges against Kaieteur News Publisher and well known backtracker Glenn Lall, his wife Bhena Lall and a remigrant couple for allegedly defrauding authorities on import taxes for two vehicles.

The tax regulatory body is claiming that remigrants Narootandeo and Gharbassi Brijnanan of Number 61 Village, Corentyne, Berbice, had imported two Lexus LX 570 motor vehicles into Guyana; however, the two vehicles were not kept or used by the remigrants.

This is in breach of the Customs Act and the conditions of the grant of the duty-free concession.

GRA said investigations have revealed that the vehicles are being driven by the Publisher of Kaieteur News Mohan Lall called "Glenn Lall" and his wife Bhena Lall. The Authority has since seized the vehicles and filed six criminal charges against the four persons. The charges are to be read and heard at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on October 13, when the two couples are expected to make an appearance.

The four persons are charged with two joint counts of knowingly committing fraudulent evasion of import duties.

The charge stated that between June 18, 2013 and September 21, 2013, together with others unknown at Lot 200-201 Camp Street, Georgetown, they know-

ingly aided and abetted each other, in the fraudulent evasion of import duties of customs due and payable to the Revenue Authority on one Lexus LX 570 motor vehicle registration number PRR 8398 with engine capacity 5700 cc, Chassis number JTJHY7AX6 D4094851 and number JTJHY7AX6 D4096745.

The Lalls are charged jointly with two counts of knowingly dealt with goods with intent to defraud the revenue of duties on the said motor vehicle.

The particulars of the offence read that between June 18, 2013 and August 30, 2014, at Lot 110 Regent Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, they knowingly dealt with goods with intent to defraud the revenue of duties on one Lexus LX 570 motor vehicle bearing registration number PRR 8399 with engine capacity 5700 cc, Chassis number JTJHY7AX6 D4094851 and number

JTJHY7AX6 D4096745.

Additionally, the Brijnanans were jointly charged with the offences of making and subscribing to a false declaration.

The charges alleged that between June 18, 2013 and September 20, 2013, at Lot 200-201 Camp Street, Georgetown, Demerara, a place in the Georgetown Magisterial District, they made and subscribed to false declarations on one Lexus LX 570 motor vehicle with engine capacity 5700 cc, Chassis number JTJHY7AX6 D4096745 to be US$44,158.00 and one Lexus LX 570 motor vehicle with engine capacity 5700 cc, Chassis number JTJHY7AX6 D4094851 to be US$44,158.00, contrary to Section 217(1)(a) of the Customs Act Chapter 82:01.

Lall and his wife were recently sued by acting Town Clerk of the Mayor and City Council Carol Sooba for the sum of $ 5,660,142 and $60,142 for unpaid rates and taxes for the years 2004 to 2013 in relation to their property at 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, where Kaieteur News is located.

The case is currently being heard at the Georgetown Magistrates Court. In a defence filed by attorney at law Khemraj Ramjattan, the Lalls claim that they had a “set off” arrangement with the City Council and they are not indebted for the taxes and that they repaid these taxes by publication of advertisements in the Kaieteur News.

Armed bandits rob Linden teen

Armed bandits on Friday evening attacked and robbed three teenagers in Linden. The incident occurred around 22:00h in the vicinity of Dakama Circle, Mackenzie, as the Institute of Distance and Continuing Education (IDCE) students were making their way home.

One of the victims, Myron Fordyce, 17, explained that the group, which was heading home after attending classes, were making their way towards the Wisroc/Amelia’s Ward minibus park when

two armed bandits who were wearing masks came up to them and demanded that they handed over their money and valuables.

They were relieved of a Galaxy tablet, a BlackBerry cell phone and $18,000 in cash. Fordyce said the area, which is usually a very dark one, is one that the group would usually frequent on their way home.

“These two guys came around the corner, one was armed. The armed one ran to the girl and she was so terri-

fied she didn’t know what to do.

She just pushed her phone in her bag. She just started to run helter-skelter with the fright she was in. We was going to run but he pointed the gun to us.

That is when I realised they were really serious and we handed over everything they asked for,” the youth said.

The matter, he related, was reported to the Mackenzie Police Station shortly after.

76% of Guyanese children victims of “violent discipline” – UNICEF

As Child Protection Week activities in Guyana come to an end, it is important to note that children are still very much vulnerable and open to violence with much of it going unreported.

Hidden in Plain Sight, a September 2014 report by UNICEF shows that some 76 per cent of Guyana’s children are victims of “violent discipline” at the hands of their parents, teachers or caregivers.

“Violent discipline” primarily takes the form of physical abuse and has been categorically rejected by sections of society.

However, corporal punishment continues to be a major issue here, leaving children, emotionally and physically scarred.

To add to the emotional damage and trauma, the report also indicated that in 2005 to 2013, 66 per cent of Guyana’s children were victims of psychological aggression.

In psychology, the term aggression refers to a range of behaviours that can result in both physical and psychological harm to oneself or others. The expression of aggression can occur in a number of ways, including verbally, mentally and physically.

Further, it was also noted that for the same period of 2005 to 2013, 63 per cent of children in Guyana were victims of some form of physical punishment.

According to the report, “physical violence against children includes all corporal punishment and all other forms of torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading treat-

ment or punishment as well as physical bullying and hazing by adults or by other children. ‘Corporal’ (or physical) punishment is defined as any punishment in which physical force is used and intended to cause some degree of pain or discomfort, however light. Most involves hitting (smacking, slapping, children with the hands or with any weapon be it a whip, a stick, belt, shoe, wooden spoon, among others.

Further to that, it can also involve kicking, shaking or throwing children, scratching, pinching, biting, pulling hair or caning (forcing children to stay in uncomfortable positions), burning, scalding or forced ingestion.

Everyday occurrence

Jeffrey O’Malley, Director of UNICEF’s Division of Data, Research and Policy said that violence against children occurs every day, everywhere cutting across all sections of society.

O’Malley said: “The slaps of an upset parent to control an ‘unruly’ child, the sexual victimisation of a teenager by a peer or a neighbour, the bullying of one child by another in the schoolyard, the emotional degradation of a child bride by her spouse; too many children worldwide are affected by such violence, yet it is rarely acknowledged, in part because it is so commonplace. The repercussions are not inconsequential, with ripple effects throughout society as well as future generations.”

In the report, he also contended that everyday violence may be pervasive, but systems can be put in place

to prevent the scourge. It was also noted that the protection of children from all forms of violence is a fundamental right guaranteed by the Convention on the Rights of the Child and other international human rights treaties and standards. Yet violence remains an all-tooreal part of life for children around the globe – regardless of their economic and social circumstances, culture, religion or ethnicity – with both immediate and longterm consequences.

Children who have been severely abused or neglected are often hampered in their development, experience learning difficulties and perform poorly at school.

The report pointed out that over the last decade, recognition of the pervasive nature and impact of violence against children has grown.

Still, the phenomenon remains largely undocumented and underreported. This can be attributed to a variety of reasons, including the fact that some forms of violence against children are socially accepted, tacitly condoned or not perceived as being abusive. Many victims are too young or too vulnerable to disclose their experience or to protect themselves. The lack of adequate data on the issue is likely compounding the problem by fuelling the misconception that violence remains a marginal phenomenon, affecting only certain categories of children and perpetrated solely by offenders with biological predispositions to violent behaviour.

Tuschen man shot, robbed at Eccles

ATuschen businessman was shot twice after he and a friend were attacked by two armed men on the Eccles Old Road, East Bank Demerara on Saturday. The attack occurred about 14:30h.

The injured man, Harry Persaud of Lot 139 Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo was shot to his left hand and left thigh and

was relieved of over $1 million. The men then made good their escape on a motorcycle.

Based on reports, the man along with a friend went to transact a business in Eccles when they were confronted by the two men on the motorcycle. One of the men whipped out his gun and held it at Persaud’s head, demand-

ing the bag containing the money.

Persaud put up a fight and was shot twice. He was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he was admitted. Investigators believe the two men might have been followed by the bandits.

An investigation has been launched, but no arrest has been made.

Kaieteur News Publisher Glenn Lall

Simply the Truth

This land

Wherever you find Guyanese, you would hear about the potential of this land, this Guyana. You would hear about Guyana being the “bread basket of the Caribbean” and such things!

I think it was Mr Burnham who applied that old expression to Guyana.

I am not sure, and we should not even care. The potential of Guyana is well known. In my three weeks here on the lovely island of St Lucia, I have heard many West Indians say the same thing. “Man, that place got so much potential! What yawl doing?”

In St Lucia, people are rather friendly, accommodating, and hospitable as back home in Guyana. There are Grenadians, Jamaicans, Trinidadians, Barbadians, Vincentians, and so on. The island subsists mostly on tourism. The most thriving businessmen and women are Guyanese! From the example they set, St Lucians are respectful of all Guyanese.

One of them that I could mention is what we all know in Guyana: Mr Sattaur Gafoor and Sons. That is a gentleman, as good, kind, generous and as hard working as you can find anywhere! His employees here are loyal because he is loyal and honest to them.

Loyalty begets loyalty. There are many others here in St Lucia, and through industry and honest dealings, they have prospered. Incidentally, Mrs Ameena Gafoor, Mr Sattaur’s wife, edits the finest journal in Guyana – in any field! – “The Arts Journal”. This should be mandatory reading for all Guyanese children from Grade 11 and 12.

Same dedication. Same industry. Same uncompromising honesty. Truth!

Guyana, I am told has all the potential to be the “bread basket of the Caribbean”. I agree. But then, I am told in the very next sentence, “But Professor, dat place is the basket case of the Caribbean! What yawl doing?” There is genuine puzzlement, even bewilderment. And something like hurt or disappointment. So what are we doing?

Why have we not succeeded in using our potential to some kind of advantage? We all know that Forbes was a mess. We all know that Dr Jagan was as decent as they come. But good as he was, his vision faded at Independence.

We all know that Bharat did much in terms of macroeconomics which then filtered through in micro-

economic ways. People made money, but all the people did not progress in ways that mattered beyond the dollar. We have spent almost 50 years blaming everyone: the Imperialists, Burnham, Jagan, Jagdeo, Ramotar. And they may all have a part of blame to carry. Maybe. If they have a part of the blame to carry, so be it. But we simply must stop and think who is to be blamed in real terms. We vote in ways that are thoughtless. We vote with this kind of racial reflex that defies thought. Maybe we should, as a nation of people, think about who we would vote to run our business! This nation is not PPP/C, AFC, or APNU business! This is our business.

Let us put it this way. If you had a shop that you opened with your own hardearned money and you had to hire someone to run it, would you hire someone who looks like you or would you hire someone who is honest, responsible, loyal and caring?

It is your money and business on the line! So you employ the best possible person, no matter which god he bows down to or which skin colour he wears. But in the business of this nation, it is much more than money that is on the line.

Our very lives and the lives of our children and their children and children after them – all things on the line. When we vote, we put all tomorrows on the line. So careful thought is necessary. If we can identify a leader to run the business of our nation, that leader must have three fundamental qualities: he or she must have integrity, intelligence, and imagination. These are all must-have qualities! Integrity is about incorruptibility. Intelligence is about thinking around all issues, not only in terms of all angles (360 degrees) but also dimensions!

Imagination is a must because nothing is created without it having been imagined first. Nothing!

If we could find such

Miner nursing chop wounds after spat with former employer

the area.

a person, then Guyana will fulfil its potential, the greatest of which is not our enormous natural resources but our people! The same kind of Guyanese who come to places like St Lucia or so and flourish. If we can find such a person, then we can actually keep our promises that we implicitly make to our children.

Any promise made must be kept. Those that break promises are corrupt in their souls and would sell this nation and its people out because of that spiritual corruption. Those are the ones that would sell us and our children down the river – sold easily and for cheap!

Let us think about this. And look and think. Then choose!

A miner is now nursing several chops about the body at the Georgetown Public Hospital after he was reportedly accused of “working obeah” by his former employer at Goat Creek, Karrau Backdam, Region Seven.

The incident occurred about 06:30h on Saturday.

The injured man, Errol Cornelius, 47, of Karrau was chopped seven times to the head, face and hand allegedly by his former employer Roy Khan.

According to information received, Khan had accused Cornelius of burying an object in his yard to bring him bad luck in life.

This accusation prompted an argument between the two men during which Khan threatened to hack Cornelius to death.

As the argument got more intense, Khan allegedly picked up a cutlass and chopped Cornelius several times. Publicspirited citizens in the area had to intervene to prevent Khan from further harming the miner.

The injured man was taken to the Bartica Hospital where he was treated and referred to the Georgetown Public Hospital for further medical attention.

Wendy Mohamed, a niece of the injured man told Guyana Times that she was at home when she received a call from a worker in the area, informing her about the incident.

The woman, along with other family members immediately hired a Land Cruiser and travelled to

There, she saw her uncle in a pool of blood and without any hesitation; they rushed him to the hospital.

She explained that her uncle worked with Khan, but left about four months ago. Ever since her uncle left, she said Khan has been spreading news that Cornelius “do he”. Only a week ago, Khan she added was involved in an accident in which he received foot injuries.

“He blamed my uncle for the disasters he facing in his life,” the woman added. Mohamed said Khan was not arrested, but the Police have taken statements from her uncle who is in a conscious state. The Police have promised to investigate the matter, she said.

Professor Daizal Samad

No arrest yet for Nurse’s murder

As Police continue their investigations into the murder of Joseph Nathaniel Nurse of Mahaica, East Coast Demerara, the two suspects are still to be apprehended.

This is according to Crime Chief Leslie James, who on Saturday went on to say that several persons have been questioned in respect to the incident.

He related that a team was dispatched to the area and would have presented their findings to their superiors.

Monitoring the interior locations remains a difficult task for the Guyana Police Force due to its geographic location.

Recently, the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) donated two All-Terrain Vehicles (ATV) and several pieces of navigational and communication equipment to the Force in an effort to boost crime fighting in the hinterland.

The donation was made by the Natural Resources and Environment Ministry, the GGMC and the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA).

GGMC Commissioner Rickford Vieira said the donation will play an integral part in assisting the Force in tackling illegal matters that arise in the interior regions, as the major crimes in these areas are human trafficking, drug smuggling, and illegal mining.

Nurse, 35, of Lot 24 Belmonte, Mahaica, East Coast Demerara was allegedly beaten and robbed by two of his ex-workers at a mining camp at 14 Miles, Issano. He later died while receiving medical atten -

tion at the Georgetown Public Hospital.

Danesh Rampersaud, 18, of Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo and another man who were in the camp at the time also receive several injuries but were treated at Troy’s Resources Medical Centre and sent away.

It was reported that Nurse, a father of four and his two workers were attacked and beaten by two men who were armed with a gun and a piece of wood. During the ordeal, the two men demanded gold

and money. Nurse reportedly put up a fight and received severe injures about the body.

The two men were bound while Nurse was reportedly left to die a short distance from the mining camp.

Rampersaud managed to free himself and untie his colleague, after which he raised an alarm. Workers from other camps nearby heard the calls and went to their assistance.

They were transported to the medical centre and due to Nurse’s condition; he was air-dashed to Georgetown and admitted to the Georgetown Public Hospital up to the time of his death.

Passport distribution decentralised

The Guyana Police Force on Saturday announced that at decision was taken to decentralise the distribution of passports throughout Guyana.

The Force in a release stated that Guyanese will now have the opportunity of accessing their passports from various offices around the country after it finally decided to decentralise the service.

The new process comes into effect from Wednesday, October 1. The actually application for a passport, however, must be made at the Central Immigration and Passport Office in Georgetown.

The Force said that passport applicants will still be able to uplift their passports at the Central Immigration and Passport Office in Georgetown.

It advised too that applicants on submitting their application at the Central Immigration and Passport Office must indicate whether they will uplift their passport at the main office in Georgetown, or at one of the other locations so that it can be sent to the location they so choose.

In addition, the passports sent to Lethem, Region Nine will remain at that location for three months, while for the other locations two months, after which if not uplifted by the applicants, it will be returned to the Central Immigration and Passport Office Georgetown.

The new locations where applicants can uplift their passport are the Central Police Station, New Amsterdam Police Station, Mackenzie Police Station, Parika Police Station, Bartica Police Station, Anna Regina Immigration Office and Lethem Immigration Office at the Multi Purpose Complex.

Younge’s Take

Justice

This week, damning sexual molestation allegations were made against former Presidential Candidate of the Alliance For Change (AFC) Raphael Trotman.

These allegations are coming at a time when the party is struggling to rebuild the image of its leadership in light of several political misfortunes ranging from conflict of interest scandals to the resignations of key members.

The allegations made by Johnny Welshman are damaging to say the least, and will no doubt have a negative impact on the AFC’s local, regional and international image if a speedy, thorough and professional investigation is not mounted ahead of any future elections.

Instead of calling for a full and through probe into the matter, while standing by its Executive Member, the AFC mounted the proverbial high horse and launched a sordid attack against the ruling Peoples Progressive Party/Civic(PPP/C) Administration.

By doing this, the party has brought a serious matter such as allegations of paedophilia into the political sphere with the hope of discrediting the story. One must ask why any responsible national political party would adopt this posture without first allowing the law to take its full course.

Is it because the AFC has no confidence in the ability of the judiciary to independently probe Welshman’s accusations against Trotman with the aim of deciphering the extent to which they are true or false?

Or is it a case where, the party is seeking to influence how people should view the young man’s accusations even before the commencement of formal proceedings against one of its high ranking officials?

The AFC has passed judgment on Welshman describing him as “unstable” as if this automatically means the story that he is telling is untrue.

All right-thinking Guyanese must condemn the party’s attempt to make Attorney Jaya Manickchand a scapegoat in this matter and to attribute political motives behind her initial intervention in the matter.

If Manickchand was not aligned to the PPP/C and her sister not a Minister of Government when she made the call to Trotman, would the AFC still believe that Trotman was being set-up by the PPP/C?

It is interesting to note that the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), or any other political party for that matter, has not publicly linked the PPP/C to the accusations made by Welshman.

Is the AFC’s argument that Trotman was being set-up in light of the No-Confidence Motion?

These are all circumstantial and convenient statements to throw into the pot if one wants to be purely wicked. Politics aside, our society must know that other victims of child molestation are also following how we react to Welshman and the allegations he is making.

They are also following carefully the reportage of the media and the angles from which they are willing to tell Welshman’s story and that of Trotman, until there is a final determination in the matter.

This could severely impact the number of persons who are genuine victims of molestation at the hands of their relatives and other high ranking public officials and their future decisions to go public, either by making reports or by telling their stories.

The Guyana Police Force, the judiciary and every other State agency that will have a role to play in probing these allegations against Trotman must ensure that they go the extra-mile to conduct their work with the highest degree of professionalism given the stakes and the AFC’s premature assertions.

No effort must be spared in determining whether Welshman has deceived the nation via his allegations against Trotman and, similarly, no effort must be spared to bring Trotman to justify if he is found culpable in any way given the seriousness of the allegations against him. Justice must be served and any attempt to delay this justice must be seen as a denial of that justice.

Joseph Nurse

Opposition media obstacle to development

– Ramotar tells New York gathering

At a public meeting in Richmond Hill, President Donald Ramotar slammed the combined Opposition and their affiliated media for being obstacles to the development of Guyana. The speech was interrupted several times with cheers.

The President said he wanted to use the occasion “to address misconceptions put out by the Opposition and that appear in their affiliated media”.

He charged that “a lot of distortions appear in the Opposition supported media”, contending that they “engage in lies, slander and libel, and they get away with it”.

He claimed that “there is a lot of nonsense and untruths that appear in the media. They write and publish anything they want and yet they say there is no press freedom”.

Ramotar said people re-

member that it was during the PNC era, “there was no press freedom in Guyana”. He pointed to a gray-haired man in the audience who was fired at Bookers for exercising free speech.

Decent growth

The President noted that today there is complete press freedom in Guyana under the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) Government.

He pointed out that Guyana’s economy has been doing well since the 2007 housing bubble in the US when other countries experienced a deep recession.

“We escaped that decline,” he said, noting that Guyana has done well growing at an average of five per cent since 2007. And he noted that growth has been taking place in spite of the fact that sugar, historically the mainstay of the economy, has not been doing well.

Ramotar said the PPP/C Government is facilitating development, and the economy must be driven by the people.

He also told the gathering that Guyana has invested heavily in health and education, noting that services in these two areas have increased significantly.

Prudent investments

“The quality of training of our people is the single most important factor in my Government,” he said.

He pointed out that during PNC rule, in 1992, the Foreign Affairs Ministry’s budget was bigger than health, education, agriculture and social service combined.

Today, under the PPP/C, it is the opposite. The social sector is 30 per cent of the budget. In 1992, social service was only eight per cent of the budget. “We are seeing

dividends of investment with quality people we produce in our schools.”

Ramotar pointed out that under the PPP/C Government, there is Universal Primary Education and soon the country will achieve Universal Secondary Education.

“Under the PNC, few in the interior had secondary education – students were brought to Georgetown and housed in dormitories. Today, we have built a secondary school at Paramakatoi with

Boy

700 students who are provided three meals a day.

We have done the same at Mazaruni. We are doing the same at Kato. All of our secondary school students are writing the CSEC [Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate] unlike what took place under the PNC.”

Ramotar claimed that “since we came into office in 1992, we have built or rehabilitated 1000 schools.

We are investing in teacher training. Some five years ago, only 58 per cent of teachers were trained. Today, it is 75 per cent and the goal is to get 100 per cent soon”.

The President said too that Guyanese students have been topping CSEC over the last few years. He also claimed that “under the PNC, less than 30 per cent of students finished high school whereas today it is almost triple that rate”. He said there is equal opportunity for all and the Government gives equal access to all in education.

who pushed friend overboard can be charged for manslaughter

The teenager who allegedly pushed 14-year-old Omar Mitchell into the Demerara River, causing him to drown on Tuesday last at Half Mile, Linden was released on station bail on Friday.

Crime Chief Leslie James told Guyana Times that investigators are perusing the statements as they continue their investigations into incident.

He explained that the young man can be charged for manslaughter once there is enough evidence. He explained that in such cases, a number of factors have to be taken into account.

Mitchell was allegedly pushed into the water on Tuesday last despite pleading to his friend that he could not swim. He was at the time hanging out with his friends after school.

After two days of being

Omar Mitchell

missing, his body was seen floating in the vicinity of the Old Saw Mill at Half Mile, Linden.

According to information gathered, the teen’s swollen body was spotted by a worker who was traversing the area and the Police were immediately alerted.

Addition information revealed that a relative of the former Harmony Secondary School student searched the area the child reportedly landed in the river but came up empty-handed.

The child’s mother told reporters that her son was never a good swimmer; hence, he would stay far away from deep waters.

On the day he was allegedly pushed overboard, he was taking a bath in the shallow waters while his friends swam in the deeper sections. After sometimes, one of the teens started to make fun of Mitchell and jokingly threw him into the deep section, but after he realised that the young man was sinking, he attempted to save him but his attempt proved futile.

Persons protesting the actions of the Alliance For Change and the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU)

Several infrastructural projects commissioned in Region Five

Local Government Minister Norman Whittaker recently commissioned 12 of 17 projects completed in the region as part of the Government’s developmental strategy for all the administrative regions.

At the commissioning of the extension of the Mahaicony Secondary School, the Minister said: “I am happy to see this kind of project because it creates a better learning environment for all. For the teachers and students, therefore learning can take place with more efficiency and effectiveness.”

He said that initiatives such as the school’s ex -

tension are not to be taken lightly because it is taxpayers’ money that is being

invested. Education takes the highest percentage of the annual budget and ap -

proximately 60 per cent of Region Five’s, $2 billion budget for 2014 was allocated to education.

He told students to place emphasis on education and not the material things of the world, explaining that the Education Ministry is now focusing on functional literacy and urged children to give additional attention to Mathematics as well. The extension of the secondary school costs $16 million.

Regional Chairman Bindrabhan Bisnauth said the building was tendered and awarded to a contractor outside of the region. He said there were a lot of short comings in the ini-

tial stage of the project and subsequently the contractor was replaced.

Roads Region Five is primarily a farming region and in light of this, about 10 roads were commissioned.

Speaking at the commissioning of the rehabilitated farm to market road at Champagne, Bisnauth said financial availability was limited, but after community meetings, the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) and the Ministry decided to as-

focuses on the quality of work done and congratulated the contractor M&B Construction for a job well done.

An old resident of Champagne who was visiting from the United States said that as a little boy, he never saw the asphalting of the road on the horizon and congratulated the Government of Guyana for a job well done.

The 2nd Cross Street, El Dorado, West Coast Berbice was next commissioned. The NDC Chairman said the street

phalt the road to reduce dust pollution as farming equipment traverse the road way. This project costs $6.5 million.

The Regional Chairman said while only a portion of the road was done, the entire stretch is expected to be done in 2015.

Minister Whittaker said there is not a single country in the world that can afford to meet all the needs of its citizens and thus, prioritisation has to be done. He explained that funds have been allocated to conduct various projects, and urged that persons focus on what has been done and the plans of the future.

He said the projects will be of benefit to everyone in and around the region, as well as visitors to the area.

He said the Government

was in a poor state and added that residents of the area are very grateful for the positive change. He was confident that tax rate collection would increase because the NDC is now able to show what was done with monies received. The street was completely done at a cost of $5.2 million.

The first Cross Street at Golden Fleece was also rehabilitated and Minister Whittaker said the street is the result of community consultation with residents in the area. He noted that while the Government is committed to supplying the needs of persons across Guyana, everything cannot be done all at once but will come in stages.

Body of decomposed woman fished out of Puruni River

The decomposing body of a woman who is suspected to have been murdered was on Friday morning fished out of the Puruni River, Region Seven.

The discovery was made about 09:00h by passersby.

The woman was identified as 32-year-old Leutte Glen of 151 Richmond Housing Scheme, Essequibo Coast.

According to information received, the woman was last seen on Tuesday last about 21:00h leaving a popular drinking shop at

Puruni with a male companion.

The woman was not seen since until the discovery of her body on Friday morning.

Based on reports gathered, the body bore marks of violence; hence, the Police are not ruling out foul play. A team of investigators has been dispatched to the area to get to the bottom of the matter.

The body was transported to the Lyken’s Funeral Home and is awaiting a post-mortem examination on Monday.

The extended Mahaicony Secondary School

One of the roads being commissioned in Region Five

FAO joins global efforts targeting Ebola, other infectious diseases

Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Director General José Graziano da Silva has stressed the need for controls on animal health to help curb the spread of Ebola and other infectious diseases dangerous to humans, during discussions hosted by US President Barack Obama.

The FAO chief joined leaders of the World Health Organisation (WHO), the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) and representatives from more than 40 countries at the Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA) event held at the White House in Washington, DC.

President Obama underscored the importance of dealing with the breakout of infectious diseases collectively, highlighting that in a world that is deeply interconnected, outbreaks have the potential to impact every country.

“No nation can meet this challenge on its own. Nobody is that isolated,” he said, stressing the need for global cooperation.

The US Governmentinitiated GHSA is an international partnership to strengthen health systems with the objective to prevent, detect and respond to emerging disease threats. It is estimated that 70 per cent of new infectious diseases that have emerged in humans over recent decades have animal origin, mostly from wildlife.

Prevention

Graziano da Silva underlined that “controlling zoonotic diseases and emerging threats at the human, animal and ecosystems interface needs an integrated and multidisciplinary approach that brings different sectors to work closely together to attain the health of people, animals and the environment”.

He noted how this is echoed in the One Health agenda which has seen FAO, as part of its tripartite partnership (FAOWHO-OIE), integrate this approach in its vision for sustainable livestock development “to attain a health-

ier and more prosperous world”.

By focusing on prevention, countries can minimise loss of human life when diseases cross over from animal to human populations and thus become harder to manage – a fact illustrated by the current Ebola outbreak in West Africa, the FAO Director General said.

He expressed “great concern” over the possible impact of this epidemic on “food security and livelihoods of affected communities, with a potential to cause long-term food insecurity in West Africa, as a result of prolonged disruption of crop harvesting and subsequent planting”.

The FAO Director General in his address also mentioned other recent emerging diseases of animal origin that affect humans such as H5N1 avian influenza, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS).

Preparedness

“There is a need to set up global preparedness, surveillance and response programmes,” Graziano da Silva told participants at the White House event. He welcomed the GHSA’s focus on prevention, detection and response, and noted how FAO shared this approach.

Graziano da Silva reiterated FAO’s commitment, alongside WHO and OIE, to further support countries in tackling threats to health from animal sources. The FAO works with country and regional partners to assist them to develop preparedness and contingency plans for animal healthrelated events, and these capacities serve both public health and food security aims.

FAO also contributes to health protection through its work on the Joint FAO/ WHO Codex Alimentarius Commission, that provides guidance on food safety and public health taking into account the entire food chain.

The Director General, in his address at the White House event, emphasised

the strong link between nutrition and human health.

He noted how the upcoming Second International Conference on Nutrition (ICN2), jointly organised by the FAO and WHO, will establish a framework of actions on nutrition that will be part of the Post-2015 Agenda.

FAO Director General José Graziano da Silva speaks at the Global Health Security Summit at the White House

Jeffrey wins DeSinco cycling

EBy Rajiv Bisnauth

Cricket Guy Inc, the company formed to oversee the day-today affairs of the Guyana franchise under the new system soon to be introduced in West Indies cricket has not yet decided if the local franchise will be keeping it all local for the new season.

Under this system each of the territorial boards will be allowed to retain their top 10 players while another 15 players from

each country will be put into a draft, which means that there will be 90 players available for teams to choose five to add to their squad.

However, in an invited comment on Saturday, Chairman of the Senior Selection Panel of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB), Rayon Griffith, disclosed that the players’ pool will decide the makeup of the local franchise.

“Actually we have already identified the 10 players, but we will de-

of the 14th annual DeSinco Trading 11-race cycling meet at the inner circuit of the National Park.

The Team Coco’s rider clocked one hour, 16 minutes and 20 seconds, crossing the finish line ahead of Robin Persaud and Hamzah Eastman, who ended in second and third positions respectively.

Eastman copped seven of the eight prime prizes on offer, with Persaud claiming the other.

Enzo Matthews, Mario King and Paul Choo-WeeNam took the remaining three top six prizes in that order.

Other winners of the day included Toshawanna Doris, Linden Blackman, Jaikarran Sukhai, Monty Parris, Jamal John, Adrian Sharma, Jeremiah Harrison and Sherwin Sampson.

DeSinco Trading representatives assisted in the presentation of prizes at the conclusion of the event. They included Human Resource Officer Gemma Williams, Director of the company Alicia DeAbrea and Marketing Manager Sarah Savory.

EBFA/MCYS U-13 League…

Herstelling Raiders, Grove Hi Tech in winners' row

Herstelling Raiders FC and Grove Hi Tech recorded full points when rivalry in the East Bank Football Association (EBFA), Ministry of Culture Youth And Sports (MCY&S) Under-13 football league kicked off on Saturday at the Farm ground, East Bank Demerara.

The humidity of the day did steal any of the energy of the four teams on display as the youngsters sought to get the better of each other in exciting end to end exchanges.

Playing in the feature game, Herstelling Raiders needled Agricola Red Triangle, while in the opening encounter, a brace from Threvon Pluck guided Grove Hi Tech to a commanding 5-0 win over Diamond United FC.

Herstelling, riding on their second place finish in the Cult Under-17 League, went to business early against the Agricola boys and were rewarded a penalty when the ball was handled in the second minute of the game.

Captain and defend-

er Devon Winter stepped up to take the shot and he put the ball away clinically past goalkeeper Christopher Adams to give Herstelling the lead. The ensuing exchanges did not see any more goals, even as Agricola made a few raids of their own, it was the home team that squandered many other opportunities to stretch their advantage.

In the opening game, Grove got the better of Diamond United, the sixth team to register for the tournament.

Grove, already winning both junior tournaments so far this year (U-15 and U-17) made a bright start in their quest for yet more silverware. Under-15 leading goal scorer Threvon Pluck

has already eased into the top place again finding the back of the nest twice to set his team apart.

Pluck was on target in the 24th and 34th minute. Devon Padmore had put his team in the lead in the 12th minute his brother, Kevin sealed the deal in the 52nd minute after Solomon Ward tucked in one of his own in the 45th minute.

The other two teams in the competition, Soesdyke Falcons and Kuru Kururu Warriors will open play on Saturday from 10:00hrs when the league continues at the same venue. Grove Hi Tech will then match skills with Agricola Red Triangle with Herstelling Raiders taking on Diamond United in the feature game.

cide on the other five at the draft. I can’t say at the moment if we will go all local or not, it will depend on the pool of players available,” Griffith, who will represent Cricket Guy Inc. at the draft, said. Griffith, however, was reluctant to release the names of the 10 players.

The players draft will take place in Barbados sometime this week.

The WICB from October 1 will roll out a full Professional First-Class Franchise System in which

a cadre of 90 players will be engaged in a professional cricket structure on a dayto-day basis, year round.

The Board has committed to partner with the six territorial boards to fund six First-Class Franchises in the region, which will compete in the annual Regional First-Class and Super50 tournaments.

Each franchise will retain 15 players, who will work as a unit on a dayto-day basis in each territory under a Head Coach and support staff. The six

franchises will be based in Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, Leeward Islands, Trinidad and Tobago and Windward Islands.

Each of the six franchises will be given US$45,000 per month to fund their operations.

Further player will be categories into three levels, A, B and C with the first carrying a price tag of USD $2,500, the second USD $1,700 and third USD $1,250, based on the category the player may fall within.

Rayon Griffith

ast Coast top rider

Raynauth Jeffrey underlined his status as

one of the country’s leading cyclists with a commanding victory in the main race

Director of DeSinco Trading, Alicia DeAbreau, presents the winner’s trophy to Raynauth Jeffrey

PPP/C, KMTC horse race meet confirmed for October 12

The People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) horse race meet has been confirmed for October 12 at the Kennard’s Memorial Turf Club (KMTC), Bush Lot Farm, Corentyne, according to coordinator Dennis DeRoop.

DeRoop told this publication on Saturday that the meet will be held in collaboration with the Kennard Memorial Turf Club.

Nine races are listed on the day’s programme, with over $8 million in cash and prizes up for the taking, according to DeRoop.

The feature race will be for horses classified A and Lower and they will run a mile for $1.5 million and the President’s Cup.

Other events billed for the day are the D3 non-winners in 2014 and the E and Lower for $600,000, over a

Dennis DeRoop

distance of 1400 metres; the F3 and Lower race also carry a price tag of $600,000 and will run also 1400 metres.

Other 1400 metres races

are for animals G3 non-winners in 2014 and the H and Lower and I1 and Lower. The winning tag for those two races is set at $300,000 and $220,000 respectively.

There are four 1000 metres races and there are for animals classified J3 and Lower, Two-year-old race for Guyana bred horses, J1 and Lower and Two-yearold race for West Indies bred horses. The winning tags for those races are $180,000 and $200,000, $200,000 and $300,000 respectively.

Registration for the meet will close on October 7 and interested horse owners can make contact with Fazal Habibulla on 232-0232 or 657-7010, Dennis DeRoop on 609-9143, Roopnarine Matadial on 325-3192 and Nikita Ross on 662-4668.

Race time is 12:30 houars.

(Rajiv Bisnauth)

Rooney sent off in Man Utd win

Wayne Rooney was sent off for Manchester United as his side clung on to resolutely beat West Ham for their second league win of the season.

The home side were cruising after Rooney swept in a Rafael cross and Robin van Persie rifled in a low shot.

But Diafra Sakho nodded in for the Hammers before Rooney was sent off for

Ryder Cup 2014… Europe take 10-6 lead over United States

Europe lead 10-6 heading into Sunday's Ryder Cup singles after a one-sided penultimate session at Gleneagles.

Europe won Saturday afternoon's foursomes 3½-½ to move to within four points of retaining the trophy.

Paul McGinley's men lost the morning's fourballs 2½-1½ before making it 7-1 in foursomes matches over two days.

However, the US led by the same margin after two days at Medinah in 2012, only for Europe to stage a comeback and clinch a remarkable win.

The US also came back from 10-6 down to win 14½13½ at Brookline in 1999.

Europe have won seven

of the last nine Ryder Cups, while the US have not won an away match since 1993.

"We are not finished. We have a lot of work to do and we have to be on it in the

morning," said Europe captain McGinley, who was a vice-captain in Chicago two years ago.

US captain Tom Watson, who left Phil Mickelson

out for the entire day for the first time in 10 Ryder Cups, said: "We have come back from 10-6 before. They know it and I'll reiterate it.

"Our rookies played some magnificent golf and we have the players to come back.

"Credit to the Europeans, they played some great golf. It seems the foursomes is their forte."

Victories for Lee Westwood and Jamie Donaldson, Graeme McDowell and Victor Dubuisson and Sergio Garcia and Rory McIlroy built Europe's cushion before Martin Kaymer and Justin Rose rescued a half on the 18th to keep the home side unbeaten in the afternoon. (BBC Sport)

a reckless tackle on Stewart Downing.

Enner Valencia shot wide and Kevin Nolan had an effort ruled out for offside as the home side held on.

The relief was palpable around Old Trafford at the final whistle, while there was also anger at referee Lee Mason for his decision to dismiss Rooney just before the hour mark.

However, the England

striker kicked out at Downing as the Hammers threatened to launch a counter-attack and is now set to miss games against former club Everton, West Brom and Chelsea.

West Ham will be left to rue being on the wrong end of a close offside call when Nolan's last-gasp prod was disallowed but they have now lost 20 of their last 22 league games at Old Trafford. (BBC Sport)

ECCB/Nauth

and Sons T20 competition continues today

Plaisance.

The inaugural H Nauth and Construction Company T20 compe tition organ ised by the East Coast Cricket Board (ECCB) continues today with four match es at the Lusignan Community Centre ground and Helena Number One and Two Community Centre ground respectively. At Lusignan, Buxton ‘B’ will face Mon Repos ‘B’ from 10:00 hours, while at 13:00 hours Lusignan ‘B’ come against

Perseverance will oppose Bravado at Helena Number One and Two Community Centre ground from 10:00 hours, while hosts Helena Number One and Two will challenge Strathavon from 13:30 hours. Meanwhile, the first semi-finals in the East Coast Trophy 40-overs competition will be played today with Ogle Cricket taking on Enterprise Cricket Club at the Ogle Community Centre ground.

Justin Rose of Europe celebrates as he halves his match on the 18th green

Wayne Rooney was sent off

Change of venue for Nationals would be a welcome sight

Says Treiston Joseph

It has been four long years since the National School championships has visited any other location than the Guyana National Stadium, Providence.

While it is understandable that the Stadium is more a more central location and probably cuts a bit on the cost factor of moving to different districts across Guyana, don’t the athletes deserve the right to compete at some point on home soil?

As a matter of fact, don’t communities deserve the right to see their athletes compete on home soil?

It is disappointing that the mega event has not visited any other destination since 2009 when it was held at Albion, Berbice.

For an athlete, there is no better feeling than competing in front of familiar faces, while not every athlete will have the opportunity to compete in their home district, as mentioned before at least the districts deserves it.

Just ask the Lindeners, the Berbicians, the Essequibians or even some from Georgetown who knows what it is to compete at Nationals on the Eve Leary or Bourda grounds, the level of performance is upped when in front of family and friends.

Added to that, the experience of travelling and bonding with your peers, the different sites to see throughout Guyana allows for stronger camaraderie as young people.

Further, the decentralisation of sport remains yet another hurdle that Guyana seemingly cannot cross.

For instance, the last time Nationals was held in Anna Regina was in 1995; the last time the event was held on the West Coast or West Bank of Demerara was in 1980 at Uitvlugt. Enmore produced one of the best atmospheres in recent memory. It hasn’t been held there since 2004 in spite of the Government renovating the stands at the ground.

With the completion of the synthetic track at Leonora, there have been talks of having the event there sometime in the future; however, until then it would be a welcome sight to see another district is able to host the event.

Neymar scores three in Barcelona win

Barcelona's impressive start to the La Liga season continued as Neymar's hat-trick helped them to demolish a poor Granada side at the Nou Camp.

The Brazilian tucked in with the aid of a deflection, before two quick goals effec-

gle season for the first time since 2008.

Martino's side were accused by some critics of not playing in the attractive style expected by Barca fans and Enrique has remedied that by creating an attacking blend which has plundered 16 goals in six La Liga

half-time putting them in command.

Messi skipped to the right byeline and clipped a cross into the middle where Croatia midfielder Rakitic was waiting to nod in.

Less than three minutes later, the Argentina captain was instrumental

tively sealed Granada's fate.

Ivan Rakitic glanced in Lionel Messi's cross and Neymar pounced on a loose ball as Barca led 3-0 at halftime.

Neymar's third of the game was sandwiched by Messi 400th and 401st club goals as Barca went top.

The comfortable victory was further evidence of Barcelona's impressive revival under new boss Luis Enrique, who took over from Argentine coach Tata Martino in the summer.

The former Barca midfielder, who made over 300 appearances between 1996 and 2004, has been tasked with bringing glory back to the Catalan club after a trophyless campaign under Martino.

Barca finished second in La Liga after champions Atletico Madrid earned a final-day draw at the Nou Camp, meaning they did not win a competition in a sin-

matches this season.

His team did fire a blank in a lacklustre goalless draw at Malaga in midweek, but they responded in fine fashion in front of their own fans.

Led by Messi and Neymar, Barca produced a sparkling offensive play which ran mid-table Granada ragged. And their defensive play was equally assured as they continued their remarkable record of not conceding a single goal in La Liga this season.

After a promising start, the visitors became the architects of their own downfall as a sloppy pass led to the first goal.

Neymar pounced on a loose ball from Granada midfielder Hector Yuste before seeing his low shot loop fortuitously off a defender and into the away net.

That allowed the home side to settle down and find their rhythm, with the double strike shortly before

again. He fed a precise ball towards teenage attacker Munir, who was beaten to it by Granada keeper Roberto, only for the rebound to fall kindly for Neymar to tuck in.

Barcelona controlled possession after the break as Granada attempted to limit the damage, and added a fourth with a wonderful team goal. Xavi's raking pass was volleyed first time across the Granada goal by right-back Dani Alves and Messi headed in.

Neymar collected the Argentine's pass to become the first Brazilian to score a La Liga hat-trick for Barcelona since Rivaldo against Valencia in 2001, before Messi dispossessed a Granada defender to calmly slot in the sixth.

The comfortable victory moved them ahead of Valencia, who play Real Sociedad on Sunday. (BBC Sport)

Part of the opening of the National Schools Athletic Championships 2013 at the the Guyana National Stadium

Neymar was on target three times

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Super Kings v Scorchers, CLT20, Group A, Bangalore…

Super Kings move closer to semi-finals with 13-run win

Having made a slow start on a slow Chinnaswamy Stadium pitch, a late-overs blitz from Ravindra Jadeja and MS Dhoni muscled Chennai Super Kings to what proved an amply defendable target, and moved the team a step closer to a semi-final spot. From 69 for 4 at the end of the 14th over, Super Kings more than doubled their score, clouting 86 runs off a ragged Perth Scorchers attack in their last six overs.

That point on, there were no more swings in momentum. From the moment Craig Simmons under-edged a slog into Dhoni's gloves in the third over of Scorchers' chase, wickets fell regularly. With dew barely making an appearance under the lights, the pitch remained sluggish, and the scoring rate was somnolent.

Scorchers made 35 in the Powerplay overs, and were still going along at under six an over at the 10-over mark. By then, they had lost Mitchell Marsh, probably the batsman Super Kings feared the most in the lineup. Having been caught behind off a no-ball in the ninth over, he top-edged a sweep against R Ashwin in the tenth, holing out at deep square leg.

Scorchers had beaten Dolphins in their first match of the tournament courtesy Marsh, who had struck back-to-back sixes when 12 had been required off the last two balls of their runchase. The only glimmer that Scorchers would be able to force a similar finish came when Ashton Turner and Nathan Coulter-Nile added 50 for the sixth wicket in 33 balls, leaving them needing 33 from 13 balls, but then Turner was run-out trying to sneak a bye, and Mohit Sharma and Dwayne Bravo sealed a comfortable win for Super Kings with their slower balls in the last two overs.

For most part, Super Kings' batsmen had struggled just as much after they were sent in by Adam Voges, the Scorchers captain. The dismissals of their openers - Brendon McCullum chopping Joel Paris on, Dwayne Smith slogging across the line of a slower ball - spoke of their difficulty in coming to terms with the pitch, and the loss of Suresh Raina to a run-out sucked out even more momentum.

The spinners tied down Mithun Manhas and Dwayne Bravo - Brad Hogg looked particularly difficult to get away, with the batsmen straining to pick his variations - and the pair added 23 in 34 painstaking deliveries. Jadeja's entry, following Manhas' dismiss-

al in the 12th over, didn't immediately spark Super Kings to life: their boundary drought, which began early in the sixth over, lasted till Bravo swung Turner away over the midwicket boundary off the first ball of the 15th over. He lofted him down the ground for four and was bowled immediately after, but those two big blows signalled the start of Super Kings' revival.

Dhoni swatted an Arafat full-toss away for a big six over the leg side in the 17th over and Hogg, who had seemed unhittable till then, went for 14 in his final over as Jadeja charged him and swung him over long-off and wide of long-on for a four

and a six. Super Kings' run-rate, though, was still just six an over, and it took a truly gargantuan over for 150 to even become a speck on the horizon. It came off the bowling of Arafat, who lost his length and lost the plot. Twentyseven came off the over, the last three balls of which Dhoni sent sailing over the leg side boundary. The second of these sixes disappeared over the roof of the stadium and the word 'immeasurable' appeared on the big screen. The person keying in the text was referring to the distance of the hit; he or she might as well have been talking about its gamechanging impact. (Cricinfo)

CJ Simmons c †Dhoni

Chennai Super Kings innings (20 overs maximum)

DR Smith b Yasir Arafat 11

BB McCullum b Paris 11

SK Raina run out

(Coulter-Nile) 1

M Manhas c Paris b Hogg 18

DJ Bravo b Turner 27

RA Jadeja not out 44

MS Dhoni*† c Turner

b Coulter-Nile 35

JW Hastings not out 0

Extras: (lb-3, w-4, nb-1) 8

Total: (6 wickets; 20 overs) 155

Fall of wickets: 1-15 (McCullum, 2.3 ov), 2-16 (Raina, 2.5 ov), 3-33 (Smith, 5.3 ov), 4-56 (Manhas, 11.1 ov), 5-79 (Bravo, 14.3 ov), 6-143 (Dhoni, 19.3 ov)

Bowling: JS Paris 2-0-131, NM Coulter-Nile 4-0-281, MA Beer 4-0-16-0 (1-w), Yasir Arafat 4-0-51-1 (1-nb), GB Hogg 4-0-25-1 (1-w), AJ Turner 2-0-19-1 (2-w)

Perth Scorchers innings (target: 156 runs from 20 overs)

(lb-2, w-2, nb-1)

Total: (7 wickets; 20 overs)

Fall of wickets: 1-18 (Simmons, 2.4 ov), 2-26

MS Dhoni muscled Yasir Arafat over the roof of the Chinnaswamy Stadium on his way to 35 off 16 balls

Dolphins v Lions, CLT20, Group A, Bangalore…

Akmal, Lions spinners knock Dolphins out

Robbie Frylinck's allround display on his birthday was not enough to stop Dolphins from becoming the first side

to be knocked out of the tournament in a game that looked a lot closer in the end than it actually was. Frylinck was solely respon-

sible for that deception, as he blitzed an incredible, unbeaten 63 off 27 deliveries after Dolphins had crumbled to 93 for 9 against the Lahore Lions spinners in a chase of 165. With 72 needed off the last four overs, Frylinck took 41 off the

45, and Saad Nasim's 43 off 26 was a worthy support act. The pair added 92 in under nine overs, after which Mohammad Hafeez let loose his army of spinners on the Dolphins batsmen, who tried to slog their way out of cluelessness and

SCOREBOARD

Lahore Lions innings (20 overs maximum)

Ahmed Shehzad c Maharaj b Frylinck 6

Nasir Jamshed c Maharaj b Frylinck 10

Mohammad Hafeez*

b Delport 8

Agha Salman b Abbott 1

Saad Nasim lbw b Frylinck 43

Umar Akmal† not out 73

Asif Raza not out 19

Extras: (w-4) 4

Total: (5 wickets; 20 overs) 164

Fall of wickets: 1-12 (Ahmed Shehzad, 2.5 ov), 2-22 (Nasir Jamshed, 4.4 ov), 3-23 (Agha Salman, 5.1 ov), 4-34 (Mohammad Hafeez, 7.2 ov), 5-126 (Saad Nasim, 16.1 ov)

Bowling: P Subrayen 4-039-0 (1-w), KJ Abbott 4-034-1 (1-w), R Frylinck 4-022-3 (2-w), KA Maharaj 4-0-40-0, CS Delport 2-0-10-1, AL Phehlukwayo 2-0-19-0

Dolphins innings (target: 165 runs from 20 overs)

MN van Wyk*† c Mustafa Iqbal b Saad Nasim 36

CS Delport b Mohammad Hafeez 0 C Chetty c Asif Raza

17th and 18th overs before Lions managed to weather the unexpected storm. Dolphins had earlier let Lions recover from 34 for 4 on an unusually slow and turning Bangalore surface. Umar Akmal was the architect of the recovery with an unbeaten 73 off

b Mustafa Iqbal 2

KA Maharaj b Mustafa Iqbal 0 JD Vandiar c Mustafa Iqbal b Adnan Rasool 29 K Zondo c Wahab Riaz b Saad Nasim 8 VB van Jaarsveld c Ahmed Shehzad b Mohammad Hafeez 3 R Frylinck not out 63 AL Phehlukwayo b Wahab Riaz 1 KJ Abbott run out (Ahmed Shehzad) 2

P Subrayen not out 1

Extras: (b-1, lb-1, w-1) 3

Total:(9 wickets; 20 overs) 148 Fall of wickets: 1-5 (Delport, 0.5 ov), 2-25 (Chetty, 2.6 ov), 3-31 (Maharaj, 4.3 ov), 4-56 (van Wyk, 8.4 ov), 5-74 (Vandiar, 11.5 ov), 6-77 (van Jaarsveld, 12.3 ov), 7-79 (Zondo, 13.1 ov), 8-89 (Phehlukwayo, 14.2 ov), 9-93 (Abbott, 15.4 ov)

Bowling: Mohammad Hafeez 4-0-18-2, Aizaz Cheema 3-044-0, Mustafa Iqbal 3-0-21-2, Saad Nasim 3-0-19-2, Adnan Rasool 3-0-13-1, Wahab Riaz 4-0-31-1 (1-w)

only managed to get themselves out.

It was Frylinck doing early damage with the ball too after Lions chose to bat. Offering no pace with his cutters on his way to 3 for 22, he claimed Ahmed Shehzad and Nasir Jamshed in his first two

overs. When Hafeez too succumbed to the lack of pace as he played on off Cameron Delport, Lions were down to 34 for 4, and it was already the eighth over.

Akmal adapted superbly to the conditions. He played square only when he had width, and made sure he picked the gaps when he did so. When he hit, he mostly lofted straight. He was put down by the wicketkeeper Morne van Wyk off Prenelan Subrayen when he was on 20 off 19, and took 53 off the next 26.

The very next over after being reprieved, he lofted the left-arm spin of Keshav Maharaj for a couple of sixes, and then cut and pulled Andile Phehlukwayo's short ones for three boundaries.

Nasim played an intelligent knock, making sure he put the bad deliveries away. When Subrayen bowled his offspin without a deep midwicket, Nasim, deposited him for successive sixes over the same region.

While Lions prospered against spin, Dolphins capitulated. Barring van Wyk and Jonathan Vandiar, none of the top seven

seemed keen to bat with sense. Even as van Wyk kept finding the boundary with ease, his partners kept throwing their wickets away. Van Wyk could not keep a cut down off Nasim on 36 while Vandiar holed out in the deep for 29. It was free-fall for the rest, and Dolphins' discomfort was so obvious that till 14 overs, Hafeez had used only two of his pacers. When he did bring back Wahab Riaz and Aizaz Cheema, Frylinck set about them in a stunning display of power-hitting. Riaz was taken for three successive fours in the 17th while Cheema was dismissed for four sixes over long-on in the 18th.

With 31 needed off 12 now, Hafeez went back to spin, and Frylinck was unable to take more than a four off Mustafa Iqbal in the 19th. Last man Subrayen consumed the first two balls each of the last two overs, and Frylinck could not do an encore against Riaz with four successive sixes needed to take it to a Super Over. (Cricinfo)

Highest cricket match… World record match on "roof of Africa"

It was unlike anywhere else they will have taken guard, played a cover drive or bowled a ball.

A group of cricketers, including Ashley Giles, Makhaya Ntini and Heather Knight, have attempted to set a new world record for the highest-ever match played after setting up stumps atop Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.

After an eight-day trek to what is known as the "roof of Africa" they played 10 overs per-side before one of the more memorable weather interruptions: cloud stopped play at 5730 metres (18,910) above sea level in a dusty and icy crater just below the dormant volcano's 5895-metre summit.

The previous record for the world's highest game had been 5,165 metres, played in the Himalayas at

Everest base camp in Nepal in 2009, and this group will hope that their attempt gets verified. The match was initially meant to be a Twenty20, the minimum for an accepted record-attempt, but it is hoped the international rules of a minimum five overs per side will allow the record to stand.

For those with an eye for the statistics, the final score was 82 for 5 for the 'Gorillas' team, led by England women's vice-captain Knight, against 64 for 9 for Giles' 'Rhinos' team. Giles tweeted: "This is absolutely incredible! We are playing cricket on the summit of Africa!"

"It was tough running between the wickets but it was easy bowling Ashley Giles out! Fully worth coming all this way, with such an amazing feeling getting to

the top, and - I hope - breaking a world record!" Knight told AFP.

Steven Smith, 22, who was part of the expedition although fell for a duck, said: "It was such hard work breathing and running at this altitude but something like this only happens once in a lifetime. It was great fun, worth coming all this way even if I didn't stay long in the crease."

The summit of Kilimanjaro has half the level of oxygen than land at sea level, doubling the energy needed for the match.

Participants also ran the risk of acute mountain sickness and even potentially deadly pulmonary or cerebral oedema - the flooding of the lungs or brain.

A Tanzanian mountain guide, Mukuru Mugapablo, one of a handful of bewil-

dered spectators, said he had seen nothing like it.

"I've seen football played on strange pitches, but nothing, nothing beats this game for madness. Altitude up here is a serious issue, people really do get sick...this is a crazy thing to have witnessed on top of Kilimanjaro," he told AFP.

Players are raising funds for charities including Cancer Research and conservation charity Tusk Trust, which works to stem rampant poaching of elephants and other animals. Funds raised will also go towards building Rwanda's first international cricket pitch. The game is growing rapidly in popularity in the central African nation after being introduced by those who returned after fleeing genocide 20 years ago. (Cricinfo)

Umar Akmal (right) led the way for Lahore Lions

Jeffrey wins DeSinco cycling

Big money at stake in Alness horse race meet

Even among top horses to compete today

By Rajiv Bisnauth

Over 70 of the country’s top horses will be in action today when the Alness Turf Club stages its grand oneday horse race meet at the club’s entity Alness Village, Corentyne, Berbice.

Chief organiser of the one-day meet, Marcel Crawford Jnr. told this publication on Saturday that an impressive line-up of animals have entered for the day’s event, inclusive of Guyana’s only ‘A’ class animal, Score’s Even.

The seven-year old grey gelding has so far has recorded an impressive eleven wins, five second place finishes and one third from his nineteen outings since coming to Guyana in May 2012.

Organisers have put together an impressive eightrace programme with all the big names set to be on show for what is expected to be a competitive day of racing.

Guyana Cup as well as this year’s Guyana Cup Fever and last month’s Guyana Cup.

Other events planned for the day are the ‘F’ and Lower event which will see the animals racing over a distance of 1200 metres for a top prize of $350,000.

California Strike, Set for Fame, Church House, Dark and Lovely, Run Nana Run, Bridal Stone Corner and Young Elite are the other animals listed to participate alongside Score’s Even.

The animal from the DeRoop’s racing stable was denied entry in last year’s

Eight races are billed for the day with the ‘A’ and Lower Class being the marquee event over a distance of 1600 metres. The top prize is $2 million. Meanwhile, Score’s Even will return to competitive racing and will do battle with seven other animals in the feature race.

This publication was told that the principal concern that led to the decision to debar Score’s Even from participating in those races was the fact that other horse owners had threatened to opt out of the race meets, citing unfair competition, because of the pedigree and experience of Score’s Even.

Score’s Even is a Kentucky Bred animal and is known for both its speed and stamina and is Guyana’s premier thoroughbred.

The’ G’ 3 and Lower event will be over a distance of 1400 metres for a $275,000 first prize.

Incentive for the winner in the I and Lower 1200 metres event is worth $200,000.

The J1 Class 1000 metres race will see the winner taking away the $170,000 first prize.

Racing fans will see the top ‘J3 Class horses racing over 1100 metrse for a top prize of $140,000, while the K Class horses will sprint over 1000 metres for a winner’s prize of $90,000.

Top performers strike a pose with organiser of the race Hassan Mohamed (second right) and officials of DeSinco Trading (Photo: Avenash Ramzan)

Guyana’s only ‘A’ class animal, Score’s Even, returns to competitive racing today