Guyana Times 22 January 2018

Youths celebrate Swarswattie P13 Jayanti with Bacho-Ka-Satsangh

Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana guyanatimesgy.com

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Monday, January 22, 2018

Issue No. 3458

Guyana-Venezuela controversy

UN Security Council could be called in to assist Page 3

…if Venezuela decides to take military action Top Cop “Govt slowly getting Seelall Page 7 Page rid of GuySuCo” 14 Persaud …urges citizens to look – Gaskin closer at privatisation drive returns today Guyana’s 1st comprehensive foot care service launched Page 12

PRICE

$80 vat included

WHAT'S INSIDE:

IAC wants P9 speedy swearing-in of new ERC members North Ruimveldt shopkeeper apprehended with narcotics

Guyanese P7 miner beheaded in Venezuela yet to be identified

Construction of Region 5 duplexes P11 begins

After missing December deadline

A relaxed Public Telecommunications Minister Cathy Hughes enjoying a foot massage as her husband, Attorney-at-Law Nigel Hughes, and others look on at the launch of the Rovon Home Health Care Inc on Sunday at Herdmanston Lodge

2 found with illegal gun, ammo Page 8

Oil sector

Exxon debunks hotel construction plan claims Page 9

– admits it is examining constructing HQ in Guyana

President still defaulting on commitment to name PSC members P10 Negotiations ongoing for GTT shares payment

P2

– as NICIL Chair says interim agreement to collect part payment in force

2 News Negotiations ongoing for GTT shares payment monDAY, january 22, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

– as NICIL Chair says interim agreement to collect part payment in force ey was paid. But following the controversy this revelation sparked, NICIL had refuted that the money was ever paid.

To make matters worse, it was reported that the former Ambassador to China, David Dabydeen, had arranged a waiver of the payment with the Chinese company. This claim was promptly denied by former President Donald Ramotar.

By Jarryl Bryan

E

ven though the first month of the New Year is almost exhausted, the status quo on several issues remains much the same. This includes Government’s explanation for the missing US$5 million that was outstanding from the sale of its shares in Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GT&T).

Speaking to this publication in an exclusive interview, National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) Chairman Dr. Maurice Odle confirmed that an interim agreement between the state and Hong Kong Golden Telecom Company (HKGTC) is in full force.

“An interim agreement has been made to accept three million, in the first instance, of the $5 million that is owed,” Dr. Odle explained.

“Negotiations had been continuing with respect to the remaining $2 million.

The situation remains that negotiations are in place, (so) those negotiations are (still) ongoing,” he explained.

NICIL had disposed of its 20 per cent share in the sale to the Hong Kong-

had firmly posited.

Debt

NICIL has also noticeably been engaged in divesting its assets. This includes the sale of its shares in the Guyana Stockfeeds Incorporated. The most famous example of this divestment is, of course, the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo), under the auspices of a Special Purpose Unit (SPU).

GTT’s headquarters

NICIL Chairman, Dr Maurice Odle

based company to the tune of US$30 million back in 2012. The company made a down-payment of US$25 million and the outstanding US$5 million was to be paid by October 22, 2014, but it was never paid, despite several written requests from NICIL. Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, and NICIL Legal Counsel Natalia Seepersaud had subsequently travelled to China with the intention of collecting the money, but were informed that the money was already paid.

Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman had later announced that Harmon was able to retrieve some documents which show that the mon-

NICIL’s headquarters

“I am saying explicitly that there was no such agreement or transaction; it is absolutely untrue… It is not a question of whether or not I am aware of such an agreement, I am telling you that there was no such arrangement to write-off those monies,” Ramotar

The Unit has begun the process of selling the Corporation’s assets, including a number of estates. It has been soliciting proposals from companies or persons, either individually or as part of a joint venture or consortium, “with an interest in the privatization and/or diversifica-

tion of Skeldon, Rose Hall, Wales and East Demerara ‘Enmore’ factories.”

The request for letters of interest by the SPU is identified as the first step in the process of finding and shortlisting buyers or investors. It is understood that there has been interest, including from Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL).

An international firm, PriceWaterhouse Coopers, has already commenced an evaluation of GuySuCo’s assets.

An announcement was also made recently that NICIL had sold properties in New Amsterdam and Linden. The Queenstown, New Amsterdam property was sold to the Guyana Revenue Authority by public tender for $50 million,

while 1.06 acres of land in Linden were sold to M&L Land Development for $2.2 million.

NICIL’s Chief Executive Officer, Horace James, once related in sections of the media that the entity was “broke” and unable to even go after its debtors.

When asked about NICIL’s status, Dr Odle would only allude to the company’s erstwhile debts relative to the Marriott Hotel.

“NICIL was in debt as far as the Marriott Hotel was concerned. And the Government decided to take over that debt,” Odle related. “The Ggovernment (thus) decided to be liable for the debt and not NICIL. NICIL was unable, in any way, to service that debt.”

news

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monDAY, january 22, 2018 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

BRIDGE OPENINGS

Guyana-Venezuela controversy

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

Monday, January 22 – 05:00h-06:30h and Tuesday, January 23 – 09:00h-10:30h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Monday, January 22 – 07:15h-08:45h and Tuesday, January 23 – 07:50h-09:20h.

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

WEATHER TODAY

Thundery showers followed by heavy to light rain showers are expected throughout the day, with partly cloudy skies in the evening. Temperatures are expected to range between 24 degrees Celsius and 28 degrees Celsius.

Winds: Easterly to East North-easterly between 3.12 metres and 5.81 metres.

High Tide: 07:49h and 20:10h reaching maximum heights of 2.50 metres and 2.52 metres respectively.

Low Tide: 13:42h reaching a minimum height of 0.72 metre.

SATURDAY, january 20, 2018

LOTTERY NUMBERS F

03

06 11

15

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12 Bonus Ball

FREE TICKET

DAILY MILLIONS 01 02 12 17 20 LUCKY 3 1 4 1

2

Afternoon Draw DRAW DE LINE

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Evening Draw

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DISCLAIMER: WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY ERRORS IN PUBLICATION. PLEASE CALL THE HOTLINE FOR CONFIRMATION - TEL: 225-8902

UN Security Council could be called in to assist …if Venezuela decides to take military action

G

uyana is prepared to call on the United Nations (UN) Security Council if Venezuela ever decides to take any military action against this country, especially if the International Court of Justice (ICJ) upholds the 1899 Agreement and rules in the country’s favour to keep the boundaries in place.

Foreign Affairs Minister Carl Greenidge told Guyana Times in a recent interview that if Venezuela ever makes such a move to invade Guyana, then it would mean that the country would be breaking the zone of peace based on the same agreement that was brokered and sanctioned by the United States.

Greenidge noted that if the matter is sent to the ICJ, the highest international judicial body in the world, and it is pronounced that the treaty is valid (which is the case), then Venezuela has no basis for being upset; and if at all there is basis to be upset, that basis does not extend to the point where Venezuela should even consider taking action against Guyana.

“If they take any military action, we are in a position to call on the UN Security Council to use the powers and liberties at their disposal to constrain them,” he explained, adding that all eyes will be on the Spanishspeaking country’s response to the final decision on the decades-long matter.

Vice-President Greenidge also brushed aside comments suggesting that Venezuela would use similar tactics as obtained decades ago when countries like Haiti were invaded.

He said it is highly unlikely that such moves would be tolerated, or even allowed to happen in the twenty-first century.

According to Chapter Seven of the UN Charter, which deals with action in respect to threats to

Foreign Affairs Minister Carl Greenidge

Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres

the peace, breaches of the peace, and acts of aggression, Article 42 says it could take action by air, sea, or land forces as may be necessary to maintain or restore peace and security. Such action may include demonstrations, blockades, and other operations by air, sea, or land forces of members of the UN.

contention is a judicial one.”

Moreover, the Vice President has said that if Venezuela were prepared to argue that a legal agreement is null and void, then, in normal circumstances, it is only a legal body that can judge whether there is nullity. And that decision, according to him, could only be done based on clear and well established criteria.

“And that is what we were calling on the UN to do; that is: to refer the matter to an appropriate body, which is the ICJ. Because they agree, and we agree, that it is a judicial contention and it needs to be resolved by a court, or it will not be resolved at all,” he added.

Greenidge noted that Guyana was still reasonable in facilitating the Good Offices process, although knowing fully well that 51 years have been spent on trying to resolve this controversy. Now that the process has ended on December 31, 2017, the Minister thinks

that nothing significant had happened within that year, especially since Guyana’s Spanish-speaking neighbor had declined to join the process.

“That process started in 2017 and concluded by December 31, 2017. And what was supposed to happen? I would like to say at this point, while not pronouncing on the process: it doesn’t follow that every problem on Earth can be solved by mediation, advanced or otherwise,” he opined.

Challenge

In the meantime, however, the Government is making all the necessary preparations to challenge Venezuela at the ICJ over the border controversy, as it feels this will be the decision to be handed down by the UN following the expiration of the Good Offices process, which ended in 2017.

Minister Greenidge has said that while that decision is solely dependent on Secretary General António Guterres, who will determine if there was significant progress made in the advance mediation process; based on Venezuela’s obdurate posture, a court challenge might be possible.

Greenidge said Guyana has been preparing for this for a long time, especially after the matter was discussed at the UN. “Guyana has been preparing to go to court, because we understand that Secretary General Ban Kimoon did say that the problem caused by Venezuela’s

Support

Greenidge also noted that the Guyana Government has managed to place the border controversy at the top of the international agenda, lobbying the UN Secretary General and gaining support from the Caribbean Community (Caricom), the Commonwealth nations, and nation states. continued on page 7

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monDAY, january 22, 2018

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

Ethnic Relations Commission

A

fter a hiatus of eight years, the National Assembly has reconstituted the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC) with new names selected to serve on that body.

The ERC has its genesis in the aftermath of the PNC-induced protests and riots following the 1997 general elections, which they claimed was fatally flawed. As part of the Herdmanston Accord brokered by Caricom and signed on Jan 17, 1998, the ERC was established as a constitutional body by Constitutional Amendment (#2) Act of 2000, which was assented to by the President on August 11, 2000.

The ERC held out great promise to finally address the ethnic concerns and interests that drove the political system in Guyana. Its legitimacy was intentionally made very wide, to include the widest possible participation of Guyanese civil society – defined broadly as those organisations working outside of the governmental apparatus: Christian, Hindu and Muslim religious bodies; the Labour Movement; Private Sector; Youth; Women’s Organisations; Afro- Guyanese; Indo-Guyanese; and Indigenous/Amerindian bodies. As can be seen, the members of the ERC are not only from “ethnic” organisations.

However, the ethnically directed political protests and violence arising from those protests not only continued, but escalated to new levels when five prisoners escaped from the Camp Street Jail and ensconced themselves in the village of Buxton on the East Coast of Demerara. There they announced they were “African Freedom Fighters” who would violently address their constituency’s “marginalization”.

Even though the ERC was officially constituted, and launched in 2003 with the participation of the PNC in Parliament, the organization, which executed its mandate, did not serve to defuse the gunmen’s increasingly violent actions, which by 2008 had included three mass massacres that killed three dozen persons.

In just as violent tit-for-tat responses, “phantom squads”, which included elements from narcotics gangs, embarked on vigilante missions that killed several hundred citizens, according to one “dossier” compiled by the PNC. Ironically, the mandate of the ERC, as adumbrated in Article 212A of the Constitution, was extremely wide, and was detailed in twenty-four functions that were both proactive and reactive to the very ethnic issues that were being articulated by the armed gunmen. For instance, on the first prong, the ERC could: “Identify and analyse factors inhibiting the attainment of harmonious relations between ethnic groups, particularly barriers to the participation of any ethnic group in social, economic, commercial, financial, cultural and political endeavours; and recommend to the National Assembly or other relevant public or private sector bodies how these factors should be overcome”.

On the second prong, for instance, it could: “Investigate complaints of racial discrimination and make recommendations on the measures to be taken if such complaints are valid, and where there is justification therefor, refer matters to the Human Rights Commission or other relevant authorities for further action to be taken.”

The PNC, after 2007, objected to the composition and chairmanship of the ERC, accusing the latter of being partisan towards the PPP. This was the identical objection the PNC had made to the “Race Relations Task Force”, formed in 19931995 by the PPP government and headed by Bishop Randolph George, head of the Anglican Church. By 2011, just before the general elections scheduled for that year, Robert Corbin, then leader of the PNC, filed an injunction against the ERC. By the time the injunction was dismissed by 2011, when Corbin dropped the suit, most of the ERC employees had departed.

Even though the PNC-led APNU and the AFC controlled the National Assembly following the 2011 elections, and chaired the Appointments Committee, they never reconstituted the ERC in that Parliament. The same occurred after their victory at the 2015 elections, subsequent to which they launched a new “Social Cohesion” Ministry, which has incorporated much of the proactive agenda of the ERC. In fact, early in the new administration, it was explicitly stated that the Social Cohesion Ministry would deal with “ethnic relations”.

There is no question that better ethnic relations are needed now more than ever in Guyana. It is hoped that the PNC-led ERC will take its mandate seriously, and not play partisan politics.

School of the Nations students enjoy a light moment last week

Oil and bad politics

Dear Editor, During the days leading up to the end of 2017, the APNU/AFC coalition Government revealed the long-asked-for Petroleum Agreement between oil giant ExxonMobil and Guyana.

While it is undoubtedly a great win for transparency, we should be careful not to hail them as heroes for something that should have been revealed to the Guyanese public a long time ago. It was Journalists, civil society and individuals – all demanding the release of the contract that saw it being made public. This should serve as a good lesson in the civic responsibility of the people in demanding better from their leaders.

When it comes to powerful oil companies and their interest in countries with poor governance and high poverty rates, blind idealism with regard to their interests will do us no good.

We only have to take a look at the examples of how other countries, such as Chad, Nigeria and Papua New Guinea, have fared with regard to economic instability, social conflict and human rights violations following the discovery of oil. One of the many things these countries have in common is their predator-prey relationship with ExxonMobil.

Another section of the media had in June 2017 began a series of articles titled, “What Guyana needs to know about ExxonMobil.”

The series explored ExxonMobil’s blatant disregard for the countries in which it has oil interests.

With a long thread of litigation aimed towards Exxon for its disregard of environmental protection, deceiving of shareholders and the underpayment of royalties, one can see a clear pattern of abuse by the oil giant.

ExxonMobil is currently being probed by the US Securities and Exchange Commission regarding the way in which it valued oil and gas “in the backdrop of low oil prices and possible curbs on carbon emissions”.

Over the years, they have engaged in the active funding of climate change denials despite being aware of the connection between “the burning of fossil fuels and climate change”. Aside from funding climate change denials, Exxon also had a lawsuit brought against it concerning committing human rights violations in Indonesia where it has oil operations.

It has had several major oil spills, caused by ruptured pipelines, and those have caused lasting effects on ecosystems. Exxon was also responsible for one of the largest oil spills in the United States of America.

After a ship’s hull was torn, 11 million gallons of oil was released into the environment. Up to this day, oil still remains in the areas where it was spilt; and plant, land and marine life are still being affected. That reality, matched with the fact that Guyana’s Environmental Protection Agency currently does not have the capacity to enforce environmental regulations in the oil and gas sector nor monitor compliance

with environmental regulations of the State, spells disaster for the future of our “green state”.

Oil and bad politics too often tend to go hand in hand. Given that taxation meant to create fiscal revenues is not necessarily needed in oil-rich countries, leaders can choose whether or not the concepts of transparency and accountability are ones they abide by.

In the interest of ensuring oil wealth is managed properly, many oil-rich countries have created Sovereign Wealth Funds. Too often however, these crumble due to human failings in the form of corruption, malfeasance and bad investments. Minister of Finance, Winston Jordan was reported in the media as stating that Cabinet approval has been given for the fund to be used “for three specific purposes”. These are: intergenerational savings, stabilisation of the fund and infrastructural development.

We’ll see how that goes.

While extractive industries such as oil, gas and mining help in the economic growth of a country, significant thought must always be given to the vast number of negatives associated with them. It is interesting to note that the Norwegians had late last year disclosed that they were considering divestment from holdings in fossil fuel companies.

With $5 trillion in assets, the Norway Sovereign Fund is one of the largest holdings so far to consider divestment. Despite the remarkable economic success

gained from the oil industry, this poised considering suggests that they do not have a lot of faith in oil’s future and are seeking alternatives. Norway’s own oil giant, Statoil has, through the building of large offshore wind-energy projects, begun to diversify its holdings.

Guyana’s leaders should take a page out of Norway’s book and begin securing our future in things other than extractive industries. Dr Justin Ram of the Caribbean Development Bank had in 2011 advised that Guyana should not rely on its natural resources-based products. “…Concentration of the extractive industries such as agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining and quarrying focus on low value-added, natural resource-based products for export and leave the country vulnerable to “Dutch disease,” he had said. The Dutch Disease refers to the negative effects of anything that provides a sharp rise in foreign currency.

Guyana, like many resource-rich countries, does not put as much effort into the area of sustainable growth strategies. Money earned from extractive industries should be reinvested so as to ensure the economy remains stable and not wholly reliant upon them.

Extractive resources are limited and prone to frequent fluctuation. As such, we need to be sure that we have other options when they eventually fail us.

Sincerely, Akola Thompson

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

48+ years of Black Power rule in T&T

Dear Editor, The Christmas season heralded discussions on “Massive” Gosein’s controversial chutney soca hit “Rowlee Mudda Count” dominating the media.

In the midst of this bacchanal came Keith Subero’s eye-opening New Year’s advice to the Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago (T&T). Subero advised Dr Keith Rowley: “I have written before that you are the Prime Minister, but there is need to acknowledge your role as the titular leader of the scattered and disoriented African tribe…”

(Express 01/01/18).

This is a view Subero has repeated in his columns. It is a position echoed

by Drs Selwyn Cudjoe and Theodore Lewis, Express columnist and guest columnist respectively. Subero, Cudjoe and Lewis have been advising Rowley that he should run the affairs of the Government in the interest of Afro-Trinbagonians.

The irony is that the People’s National Movement (PNM) has been doing that since 1956, when it assumed control of the Government under the leadership of Dr Eric Williams.

Williams and his successor, George Chambers, ruled the country for 30 uninterrupted years (1956-1986).

The PNM was first defeated in 1986 by a coalition of parties, The National Alliance for Reconstruction (NAR), headed by A.N.R. Robinson, a former member of the PNM. During its 30-year-long reign, the PNM ruled T&T in the interest of its supporters. Their policies and programmes in housing, education, scholarships, culture (Carnival, steel band, calypso), State employment in the public service and State enterprises, security services (Police, Coast Guard, Regiment), etc. were directed towards the advancement of the black supporters of the PNM. Williams’s intention was to create a local black professional middle and upper class to effectively replace the whites.

Most Indians supported the Opposition parties (DLP, ULF), which denied them the benefits of State resources. In 1958, Williams branded Indians a “recalcitrant and divisive minority” and a danger to

the black West Indian nation. In 1961, he labelled Indians the “lick spittle” of white minority, because a few prominent whites had supported the DLP to oppose the PNM. “A few PNM Indians” a term coined by Williams - joined the PNM and attempted to give the PNM a multi-racial appearance.

These PNM Indians were the Saiths, Mohammeds, Mahabirs, Seukerans, Ojah-Maharaj, etc. They were later joined by others. They sought their own self-interests and not that of the Indian community.

Thousands of whites and Indians left the country in the mid-1950s and 1960s to reside abroad, similar to what subsequently occurred under the dictator Forbes Burnham in Guyana. These minority leaders were supported by small islanders in the Caribbean.

After a total of 48+ years under the leadership of Black Prime Ministers: Williams (1956-1981), George Chambers (19811986), ANR Robinson (19861991), Patrick Manning (1991-1995; 2001-2010) and Dr Keith Rowley (2015 present), black spokesmen and writers are claiming that the black community is still in a state of crisis.

Why is Subero still appealing to Rowley to assume his real role as “the titular leader of the scattered and disoriented African tribe”? After nearly half a century rule by black Prime Ministers in T&T, why are Subero, Cudjoe, Lewis and others blaming Indians for the troubles of blacks?

There is now the tendency to blame and scapegoat former Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar (2010-2015) for the recurrent ills of the society. In his address to the nation on January 7, 2018, Rowley chanted the same mantra.

In a recent letter to the Express (7/01/18), G.A. Marques wrote: “Any unknowing outsider looking at the profile of the Government administration here would immediately draw the conclusion that Trinidad is made up of citizens of African descent.

This is despite the fact the two races here are [demographically] split down the middle.”

Marques highlighted the crime situation among blacks, even among children. He blamed the “one-sided political control and pattern of our politics which now exists, and has been perpetually implemented by the PNM since our independence.”

Subero, Cudjoe, Lewis and others are calling for more PNM State policies and programmes to serve the interests of blacks. This request is not new. It was also the rallying cry of the Black Power spokesmen in 1970. Subero, Cudjoe, Lewis and Kambon (father and son) are really crying out for black totalitarian State rule.

These black ideologues are doing more damage to their black community by making its members more dependent on the State for jobs, houses, scholarships, food grants, etc. Subero and others should instead teach blacks about the value of sacrifice, education, self-reliance, industry, hard work and thrift.

In a modern, civilised world, these ideologues should instead request that Rowley distribute resources equitably to all racial groups. It is hypocrisy of the highest order to condemn President Trump for being a white supremacist while asking Rowley to practise black privilege in T&T. Kamal Persad Coordinator, The Indian Review Research Center

Protecting the integrity of our drainage structures is important Dear Editor, In articles which appeared in the news media on Jan. 17, 2018, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) stated that three pump stations are now under construction at Buxton and other communities on the East Coast of Demerara (ECD), and these are expected to be completed and operational before commencement of the May/June rainy season.

Photos accompanying the article showed construction of one of the stations adjacent to the Buxton sea defence.

Photos of the Buxton station showed it in an advanced stage of construction, with a steel sheet piling revetment (SSPR) supporting a clay embankment, with two fuel storage tanks and a cottage built on top of the embankment a few feet away from the revetment.

The clay embankment, in addition to the loaded fuel tanks and other structures, will impose large horizontal soil pressures on the SSPR, which will have a pre-disposition for outward movement if it is not anchored and restrained firmly in the underlying soil.

Experience has shown that at least two-thirds of the length of the steel sheet piling (SSP) driven in the type of soil shown should be underground.

However, the ultimate depth to which it should be driven will depend on the soil cohesive/shear strength and its horizontal pressure on the SSPR, which the site soil tests should provide.

In addition, the tie-back rods should be adequately sized, spaced, corrosion-resistant, and anchored onto restraints outside the embankment's slip circle, to withstand the tensile forces imposed upon them.

It would be prudent, therefore, for the NDIA to review the design of this project, to ensure that the design engineer has satisfied these basic technical requirements required for the design of this project; failing which, there could be another costly revetment failure similar to those which occurred at Craig on the EBD and Mabaruma, NWD waterfront in recent times.

Finally, the CEO has stated that the newly installed pumps would prevent flooding of ECD communities by increasing the

drainage coefficient of these areas from 1.5 inches of rainfall in 24 hours to some unknown figure. The newly determined coefficient was not stated, because no one knows it; but it is generally accepted that the coefficient for residential areas should be the minimum removal of 3 inches of rainfall falling over a specified area in 24 hours, and it is hoped that the new pumps together with existing facilities will achieve this desired objective.

It should be further noted that drainage of the coastland is primarily based on an integrated system of outfall channels, sluices, primary and secondary drainage channels. To operate efficiently, all these components have to be adequately sized and be in good working condition, free of debris, sediment and obstructions, if their design requirements are to be met. If not, the pumps and sluices will be starved of water as the rainfall backs-up, inundating the properties they are intended to drain of excess water.

Yours faithfully, Charles Sohan

Enclose the overpass steps Dear Editor, Last month the media reported on the death by suicide of a 40-year-old man, who jumped off the pedestrian overpass on the Diamond Public Road.

Given that there are a number of such over-

passes on the East Bank Demerara Highway, The Caribbean Voice calls on the Government to take proactive action and enclose the steps on both sides of each overpass.

This would help to ensure that there is no scope

for any copycatting of this tragic act. Please do not wait for more lives to be lost by suicide, as happened at Kaieteur Falls, before taking action.

Sincerely The Caribbean Voice

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By Alessandra King

A

Maths trail is an activity that gets students out of the classroom so they can (re)discover the Maths all around us.

Whether out on a field trip or on school grounds, students on a Maths trail are asked to solve or create problems about objects and landmarks they see; name shapes and composite solids; calculate areas and volumes; recognise properties, similarity, congruence, and symmetry; use number sense and estimation to evaluate large quantities and assess assumptions; and so on.

This is one of those creative, yet authentic activities that stimulate engagement and foster enthusiasm for Mathematics – and so it can be particularly useful for students in middle and high school, when classroom Maths becomes more abstract.

A Maths trail can be tailored to engage students of any age and of all levels of ability and learning styles.

Its scope and goals can be varied, and it can include specific topics or more general content. And best of all, it can make use of any locale – from shopping malls to neighbourhood streets, from parks, museums, and zoos to city centres, to name a few. Any space that can be walked around safely can

guyanatimesgy.com

Foundation

work.

A day of exploration

My school has used a ready-made math trail designed by the Mathematics Association of America.

Although it’s designed for Washington, DC, its general ideas can be applied in any city or town. It could be particularly appealing for teachers because it’s open-ended and can be tailored to the curricular and educational needs of the students.

O u r Maths trail is loosely structured on purpose: As the whole Grade Seven takes part in this trail and as many chaperones are not Maths teachers, we make it clear that the purpose of the day is for the students to explore, discover, enjoy, and celebrate the beauty of Maths and its presence all around us. Using the MAA’s Field Guide and a map of the locale, each group spends the first hour of the day planning their route. How they

spend their time is up to each group – this freedom is what the students like the best about the day.

Some students would want to visit the National Gallery of Art—a treasure trove of 2D and 3D ideas, patterns, and artefacts. Can we calculate or esti-

est route to any location? Is that path unique? Is the distance the same in Euclidean geometry? Walking at a fast pace – say four miles per hour – how long will it take to get there? Can we get our food and make it back to the bus on time?

metry in the World War II Memorial? What’s the scale of a particular model of the solar system? Given that scale, can we estimate the distance between Mars and Saturn? Turning our thoughts back to Earth, how is the map of the community , structured? If transferred to Cartesian coordinates, what is the origin?

The possibilities— in your town—are probably endless: Teachers can tweak all of these questions to fit other contexts.

Back at school

Each group visits various sites and takes photos, and after we’re back at school the students research the mathematical significance of the symbols or objects they’ve chosen, write and/or solve the problems they posed, annotate their photos and post them on an electronic bulletin board or map, and express what they’ve mate the volume of its stairwells? Even without measuring tape? Others can’t wait to ride a carousel while thinking of the trigonometric function the ride’s motion describes.

Other students look at a more pressing problem: Considering the scale of the map, what is the short-

Another group might estimate how many people visit the Georgetown or any community in a day.

And how do we go about solving this problem?

Another group will examine the shape of the Hirshhorn Museum complex. Why does it look so appealing?

Where do we see sym-

By Debbie Pincus

H

ere are four steps for you to effect positive change in your family this year. Many of them are simple to put into place, but create change that will last for a lifetime.

When you know how to stay separate from your child and not get into his box, you will find yourself making fewer resolutions about staying calm, worrying less, and keeping your cool, because those things will naturally occur.

Step one: Self-reflection

Self-reflection is key to all good relationships, including those with your children. And the beginning of a new year is a great time to resolve to make any necessary changes. Resolutions first require some thoughtful self-reflection. Here are some important New Year’s

learnt and enjoyed in other creative ways such as movies, songs, game shows, etc.

These projects are shared at a later time in assembly and affirm the fun mathematical times.

There are many excellent resources about Maths trails, including virtual trails as well as clear directions on how to create your own. Maths trails are cooperative – not competitive, as Mathematics learning is often seen – and they offer the opportunity of doing and talking about Maths.

Making and using connections among mathematical ideas, recognising and applying Mathematics in contexts outside of Maths class, communicating mathematical thinking to others clearly, and analysing and evaluating the mathematical thinking and strategies of others are all basic tenets.

The collaborative nature of a Maths trail makes it a great opportunity for bonding. (edutopia.org)

questions to ask yourself which will help you reflect and formulate your own resolutions.

Do I lose it with my children? Is my losing it more about my own sense of helplessness or lack of effectiveness, tolerance or patience?

What are my temper “buttons” with my children?

What do those triggers say about me?

What can and can’t I expect of myself as a parent?

What are – and aren’t – my responsibilities?

Do I do for my children what they can already do for themselves? Am I over-functioning? (And is that why they are under-functioning?)

How is my behaviour contributing to any problems that I see in my children? Is there anything I’m doing that might contribute to their misbehaving or their not listening? (excerpt from

empoweringparents.com)

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monDAY, january 22, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Top Cop Seelall Persaud returns today A

fter some six months of leave, the Commissioner of the Guyana Police Force, Seelall Persaud will be resuming his duties today.

Both the substantive Top Cop and Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan confirmed on Sunday that Persaud was set to return to work.

“Yes, that’s correct; he will be returning tomorrow…

He is going to resume duty tomorrow until he retires,” Ramjattan told Guyana Times. Persaud is scheduled to retire in April of this year.

Persaud had proceeded on four months’ vacation leave and was slated to return to work on November 24, 2017.

However, he was asked to remain on leave “in the interest of the public” by the Public Security Minister.

In a letter that was made public, Ramjattan instructed Persaud to go on “special leave” until further notice in the interest of the public, so as to allow for the continuation of initiatives and innovations being pursued by the Guyana Police Force’s temporary administration.

That move was translated by commentators as Persaud getting the boot following the recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the alleged plot to

President David Granger

assassinate President David Granger.

However, the Head of State had subsequently explained that the Top Cop was not asked to proceed on administrative leave rather he was merely asked to use up his remaining annual leave.

He noted that the coalition Government was not in favour of public servants accumulating leave which sometimes resulted in them requesting payment for that time.

“Right now, there is nothing abnormal or irregular about Mr Seelall Persaud going on leave. The leave is due to him; he is not being sent on administrative leave; the leave is due to him and he should enjoy it,” he added.

Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan

Police Commissioner Seelall Persaud

On March 29, 2017, Andriff Gillard reported to the Police that his friend and neighbour, Nizam Khan, had offered him $7 million to assassinate the President. He said the offer was made during a conversation between Khan and himself after he had approached Khan to borrow $6 million to purchase a property.

Following the allegation, President Granger commissioned an inquiry to investigate how the Police had done their investigation of the allegation, and to make recommendations to address flaws and shortcomings of the Police Force.

Retired Assistant Police Commissioner Paul Slowe headed the CoI. In his rec-

ommendations, Slowe suggested that disciplinary action be taken against Police Commissioner Persaud and that he be made to resign and investigated for perjury.

The Commission found that a proper investigation was not conducted into the allegation made by Gillard, owing to the interference of

Guyanese miner beheaded in Venezuela yet to be identified

T

he identity of a young Guyanese miner who was just over a week ago beheaded in Venezuela is yet to be determined.

According to the Police Public Relations Officer Jairam Ramlakhan, the deceased was incorrectly identified as Romaschindo of Horososo, Region One (Barima-Waini).

He revealed that Romaschindo, who is currently residing in Venezuela, recently made contact with his family.

The Guyanese miner met his demise when he was brutally beheaded by members of a ruthless gang in Venezuela known as the Sindicato.

The murder was made known when a graphic video of the killing went viral on Facebook.

In the video, the young miner who was bound had his ears sawn off by a man with a huge knife.

One of the killers, holding a machete, then repeatedly hacked at the young miner’s head as he writhed on the ground.

It was speculated that the killing occurred after the man demanded payment for his labour.

Following the killing, the National Toshaos Council (NTC) wrote a letter appealing to the Government to launch an investigation into the crime.

“Today, we call on the Government, through the offices of the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry

of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Social Protection, the Ministry of Natural Resources, and the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs to conduct a thorough investigation into this brutal act and to take the necessary steps to protect all our citizens from exploitation and murder, and to enhance security at our borders to better protect the vulnerable Indigenous peoples in border and mining communities.”

Persaud. Slowe reported that the response by the Police was conditioned by the fact that Imran Khan, brother of the accused, has a close relationship with Persaud and other senior ranks of the Police Force.

In addition, the Commission found that Imran had considerable influence in the decisions of Persaud in relation to promotions and transfers, which ultimately resulted in the investigative ranks being apprehensive.

“The Commission recommends that Commissioner Seelall Persaud should be made to resign his position as the Commissioner of Police for the Guyana Police Force, under such terms and conditions that His Excellency considers appropriate. Failing which, proceedings should be initiated in accordance with Article 225 of the Constitution of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana to have him removed from the office for mis-

behaviour,” the report stated.

It was also recommended that Persaud be investigated for perjury since he told the CoI that he first knew about the allegation after 16:00h on March 29, 2017 in spite of Assistant Police Commissioner Clifton Hicken testifying that he informed Persaud of the allegation around 10:00h that morning.

However, Minister Ramjattan had stated that he was not in agreement with all of the recommendations of the report, and noted that before they were acted upon, they would have to be deliberated on by Cabinet.

When asked on Sunday whether any decision was made as to whether Commissioner Persaud would remain on the job until his retirement or would be asked to resign in keeping with recommendations made, the Public Security Minister replied, “He is going to resume duty tomorrow until he retires.”

UN Security Council could be...

While crediting the previous administration for attempting to deepen relations with Venezuela, the Minister said this did not exactly work out in the country’s best interest. In 2013, Venezuela’s Navy seized a survey boat which was being used by Texas-based Anadarko. Venezuela said the ship had violated its waters.

During that time, Guyana

argued that the boat was well within its territory.

“What we have sought to do since then is to work more closely with countries in Latin America from which Venezuela had, because of colonial experience, been able to mobilize sympathy, if not support,” he explained, adding that this matter has also drawn enormous regional sup-

from page 3

port.

The Minister said, “What we understand is that there is a strengthening in the region of a belief in keeping this as a peaceful zone first of all. No force (must be used) to resolve a controversy, and the countries believe in the sanctity of treaties and the rule of law; hence the response we have received.”

8 news

monDAY, january 22, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

IN THE COURTS

2 found with illegal gun, ammo T

wo teenagers were on Wednesday last arrested by ranks in connection with robbery under arms.

The du –, Christopher Webster, 19, a mason of 2444 Collis Acknowledge Street, North Ruimveldt, Georgetown and Sheldon Peters, also 19, of Lot 789 C Field Sophia, Greater Georgetown are now in the custody of Police.

Details surrounding the arrest are sketchy; howev-

er, the two men are said to be implicated in a recent robbery under arms carried out on a couple.

They are expected to be taken before the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts shortly on charges.

Meanwhile, two men are now in the custody of Police after they were on Wednesday last apprehended with an illegal firearm and ammunition.

The 29-year-old and 31-year-old both,

of Festival City, North Ruimveldt, were arrested around 19:00h.

According to information received, ranks who were conducting a raid exercise in the East La Penitence Station District swooped down on the Festival City house and the discovery was made.

The snub-nose .32 revolver #A152911, along with two live matching rounds of ammunition, was found hidden.

As such, the two perpetrators were apprehended and taken into Police custody.

On Friday last, the two men, Damion Favorite and Carl Lockhart, appeared before the Chief Magistrate, Ann McLennan where they were arraigned for the said offence.

They both denied committing the offence and were remanded to prison until January 26, 2018.

North Ruimveldt shopkeeper apprehended with narcotics

A

North Ruimveldt shopkeeper is now in hot water after she was caught last Wednesday with narcotics in her possession.

Forty-nine-year-old Ramona Husian was arrested by ranks in her home.

According to reports, Police, acting on information received, swooped down on Husian’s premises and a search was carried out.

Leaves, seeds and stems

suspected to be cannabis were subsequently discovered. She was told of the suspicion and taken to the Ruimveldt Police Station where the substance was tested and found to be 16 grams of cannabis.

As such, she was told of the offence, cautioned and charged. Husian is expected to be taken before the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts, where she will be arraigned for the said offence.

Amnesia…

R

…on security breakdown eceiving yet another report from the British on a security plan for Guyana, President Granger claimed, “We passed through nearly 20 years of ‘woulda, coulda and shoulda,’ without any attempt to seriously deal with the security problem in this country.”

“Twenty years” would of course put the genesis of our security breakdown firmly in the lap of the PPP back in 1998. And the PPP’s response since that time, the President continued, was just “bluff”.

But if this a fair assessment? Did the security situation suddenly collapse with the return of the PPP? When the House of Israel were terrorizing citizens at political meetings that castigated Burnham and his PNC for creating a dictatorship in the 1970s – in full view of the Police – was that “strengthening our security? I guess we can’t ask Fr Darke!

Or the assassination of Rodney to open the 1980s, was that augmenting our security?

What about the kick-down-the-door bandits that terrorized “PPP communities” during the 1980s? Most of the guns they used for their mayhem were loaned by security forces’ personnel. When those forces were used to intimidate “PPP villages” by marching through them in the heat of the night, how exactly did that improve security? Or is “pacification” of the people to have them huddle in fear in their homes a valid means of “increasing security”?

But we could go back even further for the destruction of our forces of law and order to such an extent that we’ve never been able to put them back together again.

And it all started with the British, who worked with the US to remove the PPP from office in the 1960s.

Didn’t the then Minister of Home Affairs, Janet Jagan, resign because the Police and Volunteer Force refused to take action to prevent the onslaught against PPP supporters?

So, c’mon Mr Granger…if you really want to talk about “security breakdown”, you have to start with your PNC that benefited from the British introducing bias in the security forces in the sixties. Burnham then intensified that de-professionalization in the following decades until 1990, when Hoyte had to form the TST or “Black Clothes”. Hadn’t he, David Granger, been made the first Security Advisor to the President that year? What exactly did he recommend? By then wasn’t Laurie Lewis at the head of an internal spy network that was augmenting the Joint Intelligence Unit of the Disciplined Forces?

The sad truth is the PPP inherited Security Forces that had been long corrupted and subverted, and they were forced to “go along to get along”.

Granger’s early shakeups and hand-picked appointments just shows we’re back to the PNC modus operandi.

Corrupt and control the security forces. …on somersaulting PM Nagamootoo must be given credit for being very conscientious in performing the portfolio allocated him

by President Granger – writing a column in the Sunday Chronic. Every Sunday, you can count on him trotting the latest defense of the PNC Government. In his latest, he accused Opposition Leader Jagdeo of “somersaulting” on the sugar crisis. Jagdeo now says the PPP would not oppose privatization of the industry.

Simultaneously, Nagamootoo admitted that in all the 50 years he boasts he was in the PPP, he “had embraced this ideology with a passion”. But now he has seen the error of his ways.

So, if Jagdeo “somersaulted,” what did he do? A back flip? The only reason one could see for Jagdeo’s change was the matter had become a fait accompli after the PNC’s unilateral closure of the 4 estates. What was Nagamootoo’s reason? The only change for him is he’s now earning $1million monthly – plus practically unlimited flying miles and perks!!

What does it profit a man to gain the world, but lose his soul? …Ethnic Relations Commission A new ERC body has been announced – the first since 2011, when an injunction against it was filed by Robert Corbin, leader of the PNC. That injunction was dismissed in 2014…when Corbin withdrew. What now?

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

News

9

monDAY, january 22, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Oil sector

Exxon debunks hotel construction plan claims – admits it is examining constructing HQ in Guyana

R

eports that oil giant ExxonMobil is planning to construct a hotel in Guyana are being debunked by the company.

However, the company will be embarking on a construction project in Guyana.

ExxonMobil’s Senior Director of Public and Government Affairs, Kimberly Brasington, related to this publication that reports in relation to the company planning to construct a hotel in Guyana are in fact inaccurate; but the company is currently examining its options for setting up local headquarters.

“I can confirm that ExxonMobil Guyana is not planning to build a hotel; that is inaccurate information,” Brassington explained. “We currently lease two office buildings. (So) we are looking at options to commission an office to accommodate our long-term growth and commitment to Guyana over the next several decades,” she explained.

Concerns have previously been raised about foreign companies setting up shop in Guyana but not employing Guyanese for jobs they could theoretically do. In Exxon’s case, Brassington sought to assure that

Guyanese will be hired for its construction projects, in accordance with what the company has already been doing for Local Content.

“The same commitment we apply to Local Content in our operations will be upheld in any potential new office project. We strive to employ Guyanese in both short-term and long-term positions,” she said. “We have over 50% Guyanese currently working to support our operations already, and that will increase over the decades to come.”

Plans

According to media reports, some 10 acres of land currently under the control of Ogle Airport Incorporated (OAI) have been earmarked for the company pending approval from the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission. In fact, a plan for leasing the land has reportedly been drawn up.

Included in the report were claims that the company planned to construct a helipad, training centre and living quarters equivalent to a hotel. Public Relations consultant Kit Nascimento was also quoted as confirming this arrangement. This publication’s efforts to con-

ExxonMobil’s Senior Director of Public and Government Affairs, Kimberly Brasington

tact Nascimento were futile.

Such a venture would have potential implications for Local Content. At the moment, Government is in the process of attracting investors for an entertainment complex in a bid to make the Marriott Hotel more viable. In addition, there are a number of other local hotels that would have had to compete against a new commercial hotel.

Local Content and what it would do for Guyana have been burning questions since the announcement of oil being found in the Stabroek block. After Exxon first tempered expec-

IAC wants speedy swearingin of new ERC members

D

ays after the National Assembly had approved the appointment of 10 members to serve on the Ethnic Relations Commission (ERC), the Indian Action Committee (IAC) is calling for the new appointees to be sworn in at the earliest date possible, so that they can commence work.

In a congratulatory statement on Sunday, the IAC welcomed the House’s approval of the new body.

“This long overdue decision, which the IAC has repeatedly called for, clears the way for the members to be officially appointed and sworn-in by H.E. President David Granger. This IAC is therefore hoping that this process can be expedited, so that the Commission can commence its work soonest,” the cultural body posited.

Furthermore, the Committee reiterated its position on the importance of the ERC, saying that the Commission is most critical in helping to foster social cohesion. To this end, the IAC urged “full national support” for the ERC, as well as full provision of the requisite resources so that it can carry out its functions efficiently.

After months of consultations and delays, the National Assembly, on

Norman McLean

Neaz Subhan

Friday evening, approved 10 persons from various organisations to serve as members of the ERC. The new members include Dr. John O. Smith from the Christian bodies; Sister Rajkumarie Singh representing the Hindu bodies; and Roshan Khan from the Muslim bodies.

The Labour Movement bodies nominated Norris Emanuel Witter as their representative; the Private Sector Organisations’ representative is MajorGeneral (Retd.) Norman McLean, while the Youth Organisations are represented by Deodat Persaud and the Women Organisations by Ruth Howard.

Additionally, the Cultural and Ethnic bodies appointed Barrington Braithwaite as their representative for AfroGuyanese; Neaz Subhan represents Indo-Guyanese; and Ashton Simon represents Indigenous and Amerindian bodies.

Social Cohesion Minister Dr George Norton told the House that while it would have been more appropriate for the members to be already selected for such an important body, there were several hindrances to the process.

Nevertheless, he expressed satisfaction that the appointments have been approved. The last ERC was dissolved in 2011.

tations by saying that few job opportunities would be created by the oil find, it has since said that it would help with Local Content delivery.

In July last year, Exxon opened its Centre for Local Business Development (CLBD), to provide support to existing and potential new suppliers and other stakeholders wishing to develop local companies.

Located on the third floor of the IPED Building on South Road, Georgetown, the CLBD, it is understood, will offer customised coaching to entrepreneurs in addition to financial support and business networking opportunities. The initial focus is also expected to be on local vendors serving key sectors of the oil-and-gas industry.

And according to CLBD Project Director Patrick Henry, the centre would conduct courses such as financial management alongside the Institute for Private Enterprise Development (IPED) and other partners.

But other things have

ExxonMobil’s operations in Guyana

so far not materialised.

Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman had, in 2016, announced that Cabinet had given its ‘no objection’ to the establishment of the onshore industrial site on Crab Island, in the mouth of the Berbice River.

He had said it would be forged through the joint efforts of the ministries of Natural Resources, Public Infrastructure and Business.

Construction was announced for early 2017,

and the investments from the private sector and Government’s infrastructural work and support were to be equivalent to US$500 million; but to this day, the Crab Island facility has not materialised.

There is also a draft Local Content law that was prepared by the Government.

It is not clear if it is still actively in the consultative stage, however, as it is yet to be presented to the National Assembly.

Narcotics discovered in Warlock house

P

olice are now hunting for the owners of a Warlock, East Ruimveldt, Georgetown home after a small quantity of narcotics along with five cellphones were discovered.

Police were at the time of the discovery carrying out a raid.

The 57 grams of cannabis, along with the cellphones, were found on Wednesday last when Police acting on information searched the house.

Investigations are continuing.

10 news

monDAY, january 22, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

After missing December deadline

President still defaulting on commitment to name PSC members

B

ack in mid-December, President David Granger had promised to have the names of the new members of the Police Service Commission (PSC) made public before the end of 2017; however, there has been no such announcement.

The life of the previous Commission expired in September last year and the Head of State had told reporters at a press conference last month that he was reviewing names and would make a decision before the year ended.

Efforts to contact Government’s spokesperson, Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, to ascertain whether the members have indeed been shortlisted and when their names would be revealed proved futile.

However, Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan told <<<Guyana Times>>> on Sunday that while he was aware that a list of names was submitted to the President, he could not say whether those names have been shortlisted.

“I don’t have all the names with me and I’m in no position to say (if they were shortlisted); that would he a presidential appointment and so he will deal with that like every other commission,” the Public Security Minister stated.

At last month’s press conference, the Head of State posited that while he would have wanted to see the new PSC already in place, things did not go as planned.

However, he asserted that the year would not end without the body being re-established.

“I expect that by December 31, the appointments would be made,” the

President had told reporters.

Meanwhile, before the life of the last PSC ended, the Head of State had ordered in July that it put a hold on the consideration of senior ranks’ promotions for 2017.

According to acting Police Commissioner David Ramnarine, this situation has caused some uneasiness among members of the Force, including the junior ranks.

“It was important; it was absolutely necessary that these junior ranks be promoted because there was an air that with the Service Commission and senior ranks not being promoted, some (junior ranks) were beginning to become a little bit stressed that they too will not get promoted,” he stated.

The Police Force promoted a total of 204 junior ranks at the end of December.

N e v e r t h e l e s s , Ramnarine, at a press conference earlier this month, urged that the PSC be re-constituted as soon as possible, noting that the number of senior ranks within the Force was dwindling.

“We may appear to be a bit scarce in the senior ranks (category) and that is because last year alone we lost 13 senior ranks by way of retirement – including three Assistant Commissioners, Senior Superintendents and Superintendents – and this year, some four (ranks will retire). In fact, in a few days, one is going to go off, then shortly after another one and shortly after another one, then later on in the year, another one. So, we eagerly await the work of the new Police Service Commission when that would have come on stream,” Ramnarine posited.

President David Granger

However, President Granger had also justified his decision to halt the promotion of officers. Despite a court order stating that the Government had acted unconstitutionally, Granger maintained that he had good cause for stopping the promotions.

“Deserving persons were being superseded. One letter writer claimed that there had been no internal procedure for nominating officers.

It is the convention that the Commissioners would con-

vene a committee of the most senior officers to nominate persons. This had not been done,” he explained at the December press conference.

According to Granger, he determined that there was a danger that persons who were not qualified would be recommended for promotion, while others more deserving would end up being left behind.

“In addition to that, there were other allegations — which I felt were justified — that the actual selection pro-

cess was compromised. So, taken as a whole, I felt that the integrity of the process was compromised, and that it would not be in the public’s interest to proceed with those nominations,” he explained.

On November 22, 2017, in a court ruling in regard to the halting of promotions, acting Chief Justice Roxane George established that the President did breach the Constitution when he issued the directive to halt promotions. continues on page 11

Caricom takes RBM System training to Suriname

I

n efforts to implement a harmonised ResultsBased Management (RBM) System within Member States, the Caribbean Community (Caricom) will continue its series of sensitisation seminars this week in Suriname.

The Caricom RBM System seeks to promote a more results-focused approach to programme and project management. The two-day seminar in the Dutch-speaking nation commences today.

The seminars, which began in Barbados on November 24 last year, will continue throughout the year in other Member States.

These sensitisation seminars will target a wide cross-section of stakeholders, including parliamentarians, Permanent Secretaries, international development partners, regional institutions, Directors and Corporate Planners, the Private Sector, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and the media.

Participants at an RBM Workshop held at the Caricom Secretariat in March 2017

The 2014 approval of the Strategic Plan for the Caribbean Community 2015-2019 by Caricom Heads of Government, marked a cross-road for the Community. The document clearly articulated the need for a more results-focused approach to programme and project management, which would respond to the much-lamented implementation deficit.

In its efforts to institute this results-focused approach, the Caricom Secretariat, with funding from the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), commenced the process of developing the Caricom

RBM System.

The Caricom RBM System will be instituted at the Secretariat from January 2018, and is expected to serve as a mechanism to engender a more results-oriented culture within its regional institutions and, importantly, at the Member State level.

A Caricom RBM Leadership Group was established, comprising representatives from all regional institutions and Member States to serve as champions and coaches in their respective entities, by promoting the adoption and utilisation of RBM and Monitoring and

Reporting (M&R).

In addition to improving implementation and achievement of desired results, the RBM System is expected to improve transparency and accountability at all levels among the three implementation partners – Member States, regional institutions and the Caricom Secretariat. This will be facilitated by the Performance Measurement Framework, which has been developed for each Pillar of the Strategic Plan 2015-19.

The seminar series will ensure that all stakeholders are duly sensitised about the Caricom RBM System.

news

11

monDAY, january 22, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Vehicle owners stranded Construction of Region 5 duplexes begins at Supenaam T

A section of the Good Hope/Supenaam Stelling

S

everal vehicle owners and passengers who were on the Saturday morning ferry heading to Region Two (Pomeroon/ Supenaam) were left stranded on the ferry after the ramp at Good Hope/Supenaam developed a problem.

Most of those vehicle owners had perishable items in their possession.

According to information reaching Guyana Times, the ferry arrived at the Good Hope /Supenaam Stelling at about 7:30h, and began offloading passengers and vehicles. In that offloading process, problems developed with a truck and the ramp when there were yet almost 15 other vehicles to be discharged, hence those vehicles were left stranded.

According to a businessman, the ramp at the Supenaam Stelling had developed a problem over 6 months ago, and despite several complaints having been made to the Transport and Harbours Dept, the problem has not been addressed.

The businessman said the ramp has sunk by approximately six feet, making it difficult for heavy duty vehicles to be discharged from the ferry.

"The ramp has a problem. It drop far below (the side of the ferry), and the trucks (are fetching) thousands of tonnes. This makes the problem worse. The ramp is also damaging other persons’ vehicles, but no one seems to care," the businessman has said.

Another businessman who was on the boat with perishable items in his vehicle said the truck was removed two hours later, and passengers disembarked the ferry at about 9:30h.

Many persons were reportedly losing patience with officers of the Transport and Habours Department for allegedly acting very unprofessionally.

Passengers and business owners are therefore calling on Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson to pay careful attention to the

President still...

Minister Harmon, in a letter dated July 27, 2017, had written to the PSC informing that the President had directed that there be no consideration of promotion for members of the Guyana Police Force until further notice, and that this directive should be implemented immediately.

In August, former PSC Chairman Omesh Satyanand had made that known, after a meeting with the other Commissioners, it was decided that the order to halt all promotions until further notice would be adhered to.

The PSC Chairman had, however, expressed concern that halting the entire promotion process would be a blow to senior officers, and had noted that those officers had invested time and energy in building a career in the Guyana Police Force and were expecting their just reward.

Noting that this was the first time a sitting president had issued such a directive to the PSC, he had called for some clarity with

from page 10

regard to the situation, and justification of the circumstances that had led to the making of such a decision.

A perusal of the PSC’s list of personnel to be promoted had revealed that among those who were scheduled to be promoted were several senior officers who had been hauled before the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the alleged assassination plot against President Granger.

Among the personnel were: Assistant Police Commissioner Clifton Hicken, who was tipped to be promoted to Deputy Commissioner of Police, and former Crime Chief, Senior Superintendent Wendell Blanhum, who had been lined up for promotion to Assistant Commissioner.

Head of Special Branch, Brian Eastman was also listed to become a Senior Superintendent of Police, while Head of Major Crimes, Assistant Superintendent Mitchell Caesar had been recommended for promotion to Deputy Superintendent.

stelling, and to fix the faulty ramp.

The ferry service is used by hundreds of passengers, since it’s cheap and safe compared to speed boats.

Many persons and all vehicles use the ferry to travel to Georgetown to conduct business.

he Central Housing and Planning Authority last week commenced construction of town houses in the Bath Settlement/Experiment New Housing Scheme area of the West Coast of Berbice (WCB).

Contracts given for the construction works are of three-month duration, and the works are expected to be completed in February.

The ten buildings which are in the structural stage of construction are two-bedroomed, elevated, concrete houses.

According to Clerk of Works of the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA), Mohammed Shameer Khan, contracts for construction of the houses were given to four contractors, who is each expected to ensure the buildings are built according to specification.

A total of 114 units are

expected to be constructed at Perseverance, East Bank Demerara; 80 at Experiment, West Coast Berbice; 60 at OrdnanceFortland in East Canje, Berbice; and another 80 are expected to be built in another Region Six community (East Berbice/Corentyne).

The units would be constructed in either concrete or wood, and would either be flat or elevated duplexes or townhouses. Each duplex would accommodate three units of 800 square feet of living space which would

feature two bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen and washroom facilities.

The Communities Ministry has been given the green-light to immediately start construction of over 700 housing units across the country to accommodate low-income and State employees. This project would see the Guyana Government expending billions of dollars.

Over the next two years, Government will be rolling out more housing developments in several other communities within the country.

12 news

monDAY, january 22, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

US$63.5M IDB loan converted Guyana’s 1st comprehensive foot care service launched to housing project – subject to checks and balances; Govt required to do evaluations

A

US$66 million Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) loan, arranged for road works by the former People’s Progressive Party Administration in 2012, has been reformulated for a housing project. It, however, comes with certain strings attached.

The loan was originally slated to be used to finance the Road Network Upgrade and Expansion Programme.

Last year, however, Finance Minister Winston Jordan reportedly requested that the money be reallocated to the Government’s Adequate Housing and Urban Accessibility Programme.

The IDB has approved the request for its portion of the monies, US$63.5 million, to be transferred to the project. Guyana, who was supposed to be fronting US$3 million in counterpart financing, will be required to hire independent consultants who would conduct studies on the new project.

This will include a mid-term and final evaluation.

“The mid-term evaluation will be carried out at the end of the thirty months -- from the date of this amendment to the loan contract; or when fifty per cent of the resources of the financing has been disbursed, (whichever) occurs first,” the report states.

It goes on to add that the evaluation will include “the results produced by the project execution with regards to attaining the project’s objectives stated in the results

A section of Sheriff Street

framework, the progress of implementation activities and procurement procedures, and results for goods, services, consultancies and civil works.”

The project will have a number of safeguards, including semi-annual progress reports and environmental and social compliance reports.

Components

The housing programme will be aimed at urban and peri-urban areas around Georgetown. The specific objectives include improving housing conditions and access to basic infrastructure. In addition, it will look at providing home improvement subsidies under US$2,500 each.

Further, owners of core homes will be provided with support aimed at helping vulnerable households.

Funding and training opportunities would also be provided for Local Democratic Organs.

Component two of the project retains a vestige of the original programme;

that is, funding for the expansion and rehabilitation of the Sheriff Street/Mandela Avenue Road and the implementation of the Road Safety Action Plan.

But last year, Government had announced that the multi-million- dollar Sheriff Street/Mandela Avenue Expansion Project had been scrapped, and the funds would be otherwise utilized for other infrastructural works.

Finance Minister Winston Jordan had said that the loan has being sitting since 2012, and Government was responsible for paying interest and commission fees on the undisbursed balance.

He had said that of the amounts that remained, Government was no longer interested in widening any road. Instead, he had said, the interest was in doing works on the bridges along Sheriff Street.

These include the bridges located next to the National Cultural Centre; Campbellville Secondary School; and one at the Lamaha Canal.

I

n efforts to share her expertise and sensitise the public on the importance of foot care, a Trinidad-based Guyanese on Sunday launched the country’s first exclusive podology service.

The Rovon Home Health Care Inc is the brainchild of Podologist Yvonne B ra it hwa it e - Sup e rv i ll e , who original hails from Mahaicony.

Podology focuses on the diagnosis and treatment of disorders of the foot, ankle and lower extremities.

Being a trained nurse, certified master pedicurist, and the holder of a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Podology, Braithwaite-Superville can administer patients with

Founder of Rovon Home Health Care Inc, Yvonne BraithwaiteSuperville at the launch on Sunday

only fitting for me to return to Guyana to share my expertise and to educate the people on good and safe foot care, especially diabetics.”

She also emphasized:

Persons at the launching of Guyana’s first podology service being treated

comprehensive foot care.

She offers similar services in the twin-island republic, and has decided to expand service to her homeland.

Speaking at the launch of her initiative, BraithwaiteSuperville noted that the foot is always a neglected part of the body, and she is expecting to change this with the services offered by her company.

Sharing on her reason for expanding in Guyana, Braithwaite-Superville said, “Due to my deep ancestral background, it is

“There are too many unnecessary amputations”, in relation to the foot woes of diabetic patients.

The Rovon Home Health Care Inc will provide medical overseas consultation, nurse escorts, podology and emergency medical treatment. Specifically, the company is offering treatment services for: diabetic foot care, ingrown nails, corns, heel fissures, onychomycosis, athlete’s foot, verruca and callus. The service will also seek to lessen the number of diabetic patients who

amputate their feet.

In attendance at the launching ceremony were Public Telecommunications Minister Cathy Hughes and her husband, Attorney-atlaw Nigel Hughes.

During brief remarks, Hughes recalled his first encounter with Ms. Braithwaite-Superville some eight months ago, and how he urged her to set up a service in Guyana, having experienced her foot care services.

“I think it’s always great when we actually have some of our own come back to Guyana, invest and contribute. I think it’s something that has to be commended,” he concluded.

Attendees of the ceremony were treated to foot massages which would be offered by the Rovon entity. Braithwaite-Superville hopes to branch out into other Caribbean countries in the future; she is also aiming to open a podology clinic in Grove Plantation Mahaicony as a means of giving back to her community.

The Rovon Home Health Care Inc will operate out of the St Joseph Mercy Hospital on Parade Street, Kingston, and can be contacted on (592) 601-9353 or rovonpodology@gmail.com.

news

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monDAY, january 22, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Youths celebrate Swarswattie Jayanti with Bacho-Ka-Satsangh

SASOD wants to conduct ‘PREP’ feasibility study …as part of enhanced HIV/AIDS fight

By Lakhram Bhagrat

T

Youths who attended the satsangh on Sunday in Essequibo

S

cores of Hindu youths on Sunday converged at the Aurora Mandir

called “Vasant Panchmi,” or “the beginning of spring”.

They recited dhoons and

the Hindu Goddess Mother Swarswattie.

Members of the Essequibo Coast

Youths who were part of a special prayer session at the mandir

in Region Two to observe the auspicious Hindu day of Swarswattie Jayanti, also

chants, were involved in story-telling, and sang religious songs in adoration of

Dharmic Nawjawan were also on hand to educate the youths on the significance of

the day.

The occasion presented a great opportunity for youths to interact with other youths from various mandirs, during which they asked questions about things which they were not sure about, and were given relevant answers.

“Swarswattie Jaiyanti”, a day designated to this Hindu Goddess, is observed annually. It is a day in which youths make special efforts to be involved in prayers, since this is the Hindu Goddess that bestows knowledge and wisdom to mankind.

Mother Swarswattie can be identified from the other Gods in Hinduism by her white apparel and the “Veena” she holds in her hand. She is also the consort of Lord Brahma, who is the Creator of the Universe.

Various mandirs also had services to commemorate this auspicious day.

Plans moving apace for Linden Town Week 2018

T

A section of the crowd at an event hosted during Linden Town Week 2017

he Linden Mayor and Town Council (LM&TC) has been moving ahead with ambitious plans to make Linden Town Week 2018 an unprecedented event that would leave ‘a footprint on the town’.

In the making is a ‘Visitors Park,’ to be estab-

lished at the Kara-Kara Dyke, which is to be completed with benches, pathway, and all the other recreational amenities, along with a three dimensional “I Love Linden” signboard to greet visitors.

The latter is expected to be a 3D structure hoisted on a solid concrete base. This is

in keeping with a 2016 Local Government campaign promise by the Council, after recognizing the need to promote tourism locally as one of its initiatives.

Meanwhile, the LM&TC, through the generous support of Jai Signs and Auto Sales Supply, will be erecting fourteen (14) street

signs, seven of which will be set up at Wismar while the other seven would be in Mackenzie. According to the LM&TC, this necessary public/private approach to the event’s planning and execution would allow the Council to shoulder responsibility for a few of the community-based events, while allowing the stakeholders to undertake others in keeping with their corporate social responsibility to Linden.

Events such as the ‘All Black’ Party and the ‘Linden Town Week Pageant’, among others, will be franchised out through invitation for bids. In the process, expressions of interest are expected to be done via writing to the Council.

According to the LM&TC, applications for bidding of events will come at a cost of $2500 dollars and $1000 for non-profit organizations. Additionally, paying for vending spots will commence on March 5, and will run until March 23, 2018.

he Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD) has commenced paperwork to launch a feasibility study on the pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) pill brand named “Truvada”.

Objective of the study is to test the viability of PrEP in the Guyana context, and to possibly introduce the pill to aid in the prevention of the transmission of HIV among homosexual males.

“This year, working with the Caribbean Public Health Agency in Trinidad and their regional PAHO/ WHO Office, we are going to do a feasibility study on pre-exposure prophylaxis (or PrEP) for men who have sex with men.

“There is a pill to be taken every day; (it) will inhibit your chances of contracting HIV by over 90%, so we want to explore whether this is a viable method of HIV prevention for vulnerable groups in Guyana,” SASOD’s Managing Director Joel Simpson said.

Simpson told a news conference on Wednesday that the organization is in the process of finalizing its

SASOD Managing Director Joel Simpson

viability.

“Studies have been conducted in other countries on PrEP, but not in Guyana; and one of the things you have to do in public health is that if you are going to implement a new pill or something like that, you have to do a demonstration project to see how it is going to work in your country’s context,” he noted.

“We are at the stage (wherein) we are just doing the paper research.

We are not going to give anybody the pill in 2018.

We are doing a feasibility study to assess what people know about PrEP. If

The Truvada Pill

Ethics Review Application destined for the Ministry of Public Health. He added that he foresees no difficulty with the application, since the Public Health Ministry’s National Aids Programme Secretariat has been asking for the data.

He said that after approval is granted, SASOD would commence the feasibility study to test the viability of PrEP. Pre-exposure prophylaxis (or PrEP) is when people at very high risk for HIV take HIV medicines daily to lower their chances of being infected. PrEP can stop HIV from taking hold and spreading throughout your body. It is highly effective for preventing HIV if used as prescribed, but it is much less effective when not taken consistently. Daily PrEP reduces the risk of getting HIV from sex by more than 90%. Among people who inject drugs, it reduces the risk by more than 70%.

When asked about the reason for the study, Simpson noted that before a new drug is introduced, there ought to be a demonstration project to prove its

you don’t know about it and we tell them a little about it, what’s their attitude about? So we want to know that there is interest from the community in even exploring whether we should test PrEP in Guyana. This is an extensive survey, and after that we will look at the result and determine whether there is enough interest to go next to a demonstration project,” Simpson added.

Simpson further stated that SASOD has already sent Truvada’s manufacturing company, GILEAD Inc, a concept note to inform of the intention to do work around the product. He noted that if it comes to the testing of the actual pill, then the possibility exists that SASOD would acquire a quantity of that prophylaxis drug free of cost for the demonstration that could begin in 2019.

He said that to test the drug for a 9-month period on 100 men who have sex with men would cost approximately US$75,000, and with the dwindling resources to fight HIV, there should be a menu of options available.

14 news

monDAY, january 22, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

“Govt slowly getting rid Oil and gas sector of GuySuCo” – Gaskin Govt says decommissioning …urges citizens to look closer at privatisation drive included in agreement

By Samuel Sukhnandan

W

hile Government has made a commitment to keep the sugar industry alive, former Presidential Adviser and Economist Ramon Gaskin feels that the administration’s intention is to get rid of the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo), removing it from State ownership and privatizing the entire industry.

The economist who was among the first to pronounce on the devastating effects of the downsizing of the industry will have on communities in the sugar belt, told Guyana Times on Sunday that he thinks this plan was properly planned and orchestrated by the coalition Government.

“This year they are getting rid of four estates and it is my strong belief that next year they will get rid of the remaining three estates. And by the end of next year, the Government will have no business in the sugar business. The Guyana Government is coming out of sugar,” he posited.

Government has repeatedly complained about bailing out GuySuCo by injecting $1 billion each month since assuming office, which they said had placed a significant burden on the treasury. They noted that, for too long, the sugar industry has also placed a heavy burden on the Consolidated Fund.

Within 18 months of taking office, the Government had expended some $18 billion in subsidies to GuySuCo. By the end of 2017, it consumed some $18 billion more; notwithstanding the billions of dollars already subsidised by the then People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Government over the years.

Given these challenges, Gaskin said Government will most likely not achieve any substantial profits from the three remaining estates, which include: Uviulgt, Blairmont and Albion. “Three estates will be losses anyhow and the Government doesn’t want to pour money into GuySuCo losses,” he added.

The Special Purpose Unit (SPU) of National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited has

Former presidential adviser and economist Ramon Gaskin

been mandated to conduct evaluations, surveys and inventory assessments before any steps are taken to sell the Enmore, Skeldon and Rose hall estates. The SPU has since solicited the assistance of an international financial company to undertake these assessments as part of the plans to downsize the industry.

Speaking about the economic and social effects the closure of all sugar estates will have on people working in the industry, Gaskin said that this will just add pres-

sure to some of the communities across the sugar belt that experiences some level of social problems such as poverty.

The former presidential adviser said the promise made by Cabinet that Government would ensure the best interests of the workers are upheld is nothing but sheer rhetoric and political propaganda. He urged onlookers to ignore

the pretension and observe for themselves the reality of the situation.

He said, “Right now there is a lot of poverty in the sugar belt, this will only multiply. The Government is hoping that when these new investors come and buy these places, they will probably come and employ some people. And the GAWU is hoping that things will improve. But it won’t be 17,000 jobs. And we see at Wales, nobody has offered to buy there and we don’t know what will happen there.”

A Government plans start to take effect, the Opposition has been vigorously defending the rights of workers and has even urged Government to rethink its position. The PPP has also reminded that the Skeldon Sugar factory was built in order to keep the local sugar industry alive, but now the coalition Government plans to sell the factory, claiming that it has underperformed.

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo has outlined that in Guyana sugar is not a company, but an industry, hence Government needs to be more thoughtful when making decisions about the industry. He was quoted as saying, “No viable decision can be made without a feasibility study.” The PPP maintains that the decision to downsize the industry was purely based on politics.

In May 2017, Government announced plans to close the Enmore and Rose Hall Sugar Estates, sell the Skeldon Sugar Factory, reduce the annual production of sugar, and take on the responsibility of managing the drainage and irrigation services offered by GuySuCo. Later that year the GuySuCo announced plans to retrench thousands of workers, which it did.

GAWU says the downsizing and subsequent closure of sugar estates would lead to the loss of more than 15,000 jobs, and the potential threat of poverty for 50,000 to 100,000 people.

G

overnment has debunked claims that decommissioning has not been included in the agreement it signed with U.S oil giant ExxonMobil, cautioning citizens to be careful of so-called pundits.

Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman has said that Guyanese must equip themselves with the necessary knowledge to be able to determine right from wrong, and who is telling the truth.

The Minister was referring to recent comments made by former Parliamentarian Charles Ramson Jr, who claimed that no provisions were made to exclude decommissioning costs from “cost oil.”

ExxonMobil is expected to use revenue from its production in order to recoup its capital investment. This will be categorised as “cost oil”.

Whatever remains of this is the ‘profit oil,’ which Guyana will have to split between the oil company and its associates.

Decommissioning, on the other hand, is a process consisting of the removal of industrial installations and any relevant structures that have come to the end of their productive life in a certain industry, particularly oil.

Trotman said, “Everyone has pronounced himself or herself an expert, and I don’t know if the Ministry (Natural Resources) could try to answer every so-called expert every day.

“But it would be absurd that we won’t consider decommissioning …the Petroleum Exploration and Production Act deals with that. It states how the decommissioning should be done.”

According to him, ExxonMobil has a licence which deals with the decommissioning. In fact, the Minister explained, the cost will be shared by both parties when that time has arrived.

In fact, Article 5 of the oil agreement signed between the two parties speaks to

Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman

relinquishment, referring to several sections of the Petroleum Exploration and Production Act which deals with decommissioning.

Ramson had said that in an offshore production, such as where Guyana’s well is located, the costs can range in the region of a few million dollars to over US$500 million per oil and gas reservoir, for which plugging and abandonment is one of the highest cost factors – representing about 60 per cent of the total decommissioning cost.

The former MP had claimed that ExxonMobil can write off any decommissioning cost as expenses and that would significantly lessen future revenue for Guyana, or ExxonMobil could seek partial funding from the Guyana Government to offset that cost, as is being done in the UK. Ramson also alluded to Guyana missing out on a chance to have a stake in the venture, as a partner with Exxon. He noted that because of this, the country had lost revenue, not to mention a chance to be recognised at an international level.

But it was impossible for Guyana not to include decommissioning in its laws, especially when this process is legally governed by an international regulatory framework.

On the decommission dealt with at international

Former MP Charles Ramson Jr

level, the main legal international principles (meaning principles not covering decommissioning within the States’ territorial waters, where it is entirely regulated by national laws) are contained in the 1958 Geneva Convention on the Continental Shelf and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, among others.

There is also a human rights aspect to the decommissioning, especially since there is consideration of the dangerous nature of these activities on the environment and human life. And if decommissioning is not done to standard, it represents a huge risk for the life of the companies involved.

For such reasons, in recent years, oil and gas companies have become increasingly active in paying proper attention to the international legislation addressing the care and protection of human rights.

The 2013 Oil and Gas Sector Guide on Implementing the UN Guiding Principle on Business and Human Rights, issued by EU, aims at identifying a set of human rights affected by the activities in the oil and gas sector, as well as at providing guidance on how to spread knowledge about their existence with a view to promoting their protection through proper risk management activities.

New behavioural change app being developed

T

he School of Nations has partnered with one of the latest technology companies in Canada to finalize and test their latest app, “The Virtuals Game”, which will be able to develop critical real-world prosaically behaviour.

JAYGOR Inc. has set out to develop a game helping children to be mindful of positive qualities to help them grow through real-life challenges, and opportunities to help others collaborate with the institution.

According to a representative of the school, “Technology is part of our society and everyday lives, and it’s amazing how society

has adapted so effortlessly to these major changes.

“We are marvelled at the technology; the science behind it all. This kind of stuff is what we used to see in sci-fi movies when we were kids. Kids already love playing video games, and they already spend all day on social media messaging friends. We would be supporting this behaviour with this”.

The virtual is a new gaming app incorporating the latest software and technological innovations to produce a refreshing new gaming experience.

With its main goal of being able to help youths grow

in an important way, there’s already a ton of awesome educational apps for academic topics like language, math and science.

“Parents have already lost the battle against technology. Children, and even adults, now spend most of their free time posting, updating! Everyone’s worried about their selfies, their hash tags, how many likes did my photo get? How many shares? Will this go viral? But modern technology doesn’t only have to be superficial and egocentric.

We can use technology to educate….to evolve,” the representative said.

Moreover, while the ap-

proach is to educate through inspiration and fun, the key capacities include courage, honesty, kindness, perseverance, flexibility, creativity, patience, generosity, responsibility, tolerance, service, and more.

“We want kids to see virtues as the powerful superpowers they really are.

We turned to virtues and character strengths, those universal qualities valued across all cultures and (which are) fundamental to human growth, peace and prosperity”.

The Game is being developed by a team of the world's top software developers working on the latest

technology.

Social entrepreneur and founder of the project, Gordon Naylor, brings over 40 years’ experience in using business strategy to enable positive social change with a focus on empowering children and youth around the world.

The team has already developed and tested prototypes of the product line, and is ready to take its creation to the next level through the final stages of testing and development.

The School of Nations will get first releases of the product, and will be invited to join the collaborative process.

15

monDAY, JANUARY 22, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

VOX POPULI

What the people say

I SAY...

Should there be a special facility for mental health prisoners?

Lincoln Zephyr “Yes, there should be a special facility for mental health prisoners. Reason being that they will always need some different and special attention in the way they are being managed by prison authorities because of their mental health issues. Having to focus on prisoners that have no mental issues and ones that have mental health issues at the same time will always be challenging for the authorities. It’s time our government review the need for these different special facilities in the country. A mental health prison or correctional facility should be on that list of facilities.”

Vanessa Braithwaite “I believe that for the effective rehabilitation of mentally-ill offenders, a special facility should be provided for their intake.

Being amongst the population of regular inmates may result in advantage being taken upon them as well as being discriminated against. In many cases, these inmates commit crimes in their mental state and, therefore, it can be deemed far from intentional.

Therefore, it would be unreasonable to house these individuals in the same environment with hard-core convicts. Prison should be a correctional facility and for them to be corrected, the proper facility should be provided. If not, they will be released in a worse mental state than they were taken in and society will be the ultimate loser.”

Shaunell Wilson “To effectively rehabilitate an offender that is mentally unstable, they need to be treated by a specialist who specialises in such care. So, yes, I say that we are in dire need of a mental health facility in Guyana – dire need!”

Avril Samuels “Of course, even though some people won’t accept or admit it, a lot of the offenders in Guyana are mentally unstable and until properly treated in a mental health facility, they won’t ever ‘recover’.”

Cyril James “Yes, the prison that I work at there is a special needs prison that house inmates with different levels of mental issues. I am not comparing Guyana to any other country, but such prisons do exist.

It removes the mentallyill inmates from the general population thus allowing them an environment that is conducive and allow them the opportunity to get their medication.”

Jeff Sobers “Oh definitely! Your mind is just as important as your body. The time when mental health issues should’ve been properly addressed is now way overdue.”

Kristie Coleman “Of course, that should not even be a question. As Guyanese, you would have gotten used to hearing words such as “Why? They commit the crime; let them serve the time” or “Mentally unstable or not, they have to be punished”. It is sad, because most Guyanese lack a proper understanding of the effects of mental health. However, as we are not being educated on such, we would then realise the step needed to be taken in order to deal with persons suffering.”

Steven Singh “Yes, they need special care and attention because these people are at a distinct disadvantage given their illness and often times they receive hefty prison sentences for acts they commit. It would be completely ludicrous to have them housed in confined spaces with seasoned criminals who would have committed crimes with their mental faculties fully intact. Mental health prisoners may act on impulse and would probably be not able to decipher right from wrong.”

Nateshia Isaacs “Yes, there should be. Most prisoners affected by mental health issues have committed illegal acts as a direct result of their deficient mental health status. They need treatment, management and rehabilitation, which happen to be the main aims of incarceration. Not just punishment. They don’t need to be locked up with hardened criminals who committed crime with a sound mind. They will become less of a threat to society if their illness is properly managed.”

Natacha Soro “What we find is that persons with mental health problems and who find themselves before the court

Hartley Marks “Mental health don’t have a separation. If you mad, is just one place you need to be admitted – the lunatic asylum.”

are sometimes put in the same prison with others and that causes a problem.

Sometimes, they are beaten and sometimes, they themselves become violent, so I think that they should have a separate facility for them and one in which they will be given the treatment they need.

Sometimes, they go in front of the Magistrate for damaging some property like a car, but it is not them at fault, but their brain so they should not be jailed for that, they need help and should have special facilities.”

Umesh Gondaliya “I have read in the newspapers recently that a magistrate sentenced someone to the mental hospital. I don’t know if that is legal, but I think that there should be some special facility for them (mentally-ill prisoners) and those persons need special attention; they have to be specially watched, so yes, I think that there should be a special facility for mental health patients.”

16

guyanatimesgy.com

monDAY, january 22, 2018

Regional

Deadly violence continues Pope in Peru: Francis speaks over disputed Honduras out on violence against women election result

P

O

ne protester has been killed in clashes in Honduras between riot Police and demonstrators who dispute the result of November’s presidential poll.

Police fired tear gas and cleared roadblocks made of burning tyres across the country. The death occurred in the northern town of Saba.

The protest was organised by supporters of the defeated Opposition candidate.

Last month, incumbent President Juan Orlando Hernandez was declared the winner despite days of street protests.

On Saturday, a local NonGovernmental Organisation in Saba, 210 kilometres (130 miles) north-east of the capital Tegucigalpa, said a 60-year-old man was killed and another person wounded when Police opened fire on a roadblock, Reuters news agency reported.

The November 25

The protest was organised by supporters of the defeated Opposition candidate

election has been widely criticised. Supporters of Opposition Leader Salvador Nasralla are deeply suspicious of the electoral tribunal that counted the ballots.

This is because it is appointed by Congress, which is controlled by Hernández’s National Party.

Nasralla initially established a lead as the votes were being counted, but this quickly diminished and he accused the authorities of manipulating the results.

Thousands of people took to the streets in rival demonstrations following the election.

Human rights group Amnesty International says 14 people died in the clashes, but Police say only three have died.

President Hernández, 49, has been in power since 2013, and is the first president to run for a second term after the country’s Supreme Court lifted a ban on re-election. (Excerpt from BBC News)

With 25,339 murders in 2017, Mexico suffers record homicide tally

I

nvestigators opened 25,339 murder probes last year, up nearly 25 per cent from the 2016 tally, Mexican Interior Ministry data released on Saturday showed. It was the highest annual total since the government began counting

murders in 1997.

Mexico has struggled with years of violence as the Government has battled vicious drug cartels that have increasingly splintered into smaller, more bloodthirsty, gangs.

Violence is a central is-

Barbadian man arrested with ganja at NMIA

sue in July’s presidential election. Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto faces an uphill battle to keep his ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party in office.

There were 40 per cent more murder investigations opened last year compared with 2013, Pena Nieto’s first full year in office.

Mexico on Thursday dismissed a claim by US President Donald Trump that it was the most dangerous country in the world.

(Reuters)

ope Francis, who is on a visit to Peru, has spoken out about violence against women in Latin America.

Speaking at a Mass in the northern city of Trujillo, the Pope called the violence "a plague" that needed to be combated across the region.

According to the United Nations, half of the 25 countries with the largest number of murders of women are in Latin America.

The Argentine Pope, 81, is on the second and final leg of a week-long regional tour.

"There are so many cases of violence that stay silenced behind so many walls," the Pope said on Saturday.

"I'm calling on you to fight against this source of suffering including legislation and a culture that rejects every type of violence."

On Thursday, the pontiff arrived in Peru from Chile, where he became embroiled in a row over clerical sex abuse.

He drew anger by accusing victims of a paedophile priest of slandering a bishop who they say tried to cover

up the priest's crimes.

At the end of his visit there, Francis said there was "no proof" for claims that abuse by Father Fernando Karadima had been covered up by Bishop Juan Barros.

One of Karadima's victims, Juan Andres Murillo, responded by saying the Pope's words were unacceptable.

"The Pope called our statements against Bishop Barros's concealments 'slander'," he told AFP. (Excerpt from BBC

News)

Brazil declares yellow fever emergency in Minas Gerais

Vaccination programmes are being rolled out across southern Brazil to deal with the outbreak

B

razil's south-eastern state of Minas Gerais has declared a public health emergency following a deadly outbreak of yellow fever.

At least 15 people have died there since December.

Many areas, including the state capital Belo Horizonte, have been affected.

A mass vaccination programme is in place in three southern states.

But queues have formed outside clinics in Rio and Sao Paulo amid concerns

that vaccines could run out.

In neighbouring Argentina, there have also been long queues for the vaccine in Buenos Aires and other cities as thousands of prospective tourists prepare to travel to Brazil for carnival.

On Tuesday, the WHO recommended that travellers to Sao Paulo state get a yellow fever vaccine before visiting.

Minas Gerais has been the hardest-hit Brazilian state. In the year up to June

last year, 475 cases were confirmed in the state and 162 people died.

The health emergency will be in place for six months and will allow local authorities to commission special services and buy emergency materials.

Yellow fever, according to the WHO, is caused by a virus that is transmitted to humans by mosquitoes. It is difficult to diagnose and often confused with other diseases or fevers.

Most people recover after the first phase of infection that usually involves fever, muscle and back pain, headache, shivers, loss of appetite, and nausea or vomiting About 15 per cent of people face a second, more serious phase involving high fever, jaundice, bleeding and deteriorating kidney function Half of those who enter the "toxic" phase usually die within 10 to 14 days.

(BBC News)

Tourism stakeholders getting set for Caribbean Travel Marketplace this month

R

A

Barbadian man is now in Police custody after he was discovered with a little more than 60 pounds of marijuana in his suitcases at the Norman Manley International Airport (NMIA) in Kingston.

Reports from the Police are that 47-year-old Ricardo Bryan, a butler of Brittons Hill, St Michael in Barbados, was arrested and charged on Friday with the offences of possession of ganja, dealing in ganja and taking preparatory steps to export ganja.

He is scheduled to appear in the Kingston and

St Andrew Parish Court on Thursday.

Reports are that about 16:10h, Bryan checked in to board a flight destined for Barbados. During security screening, irregularities were discovered in his suitcase.

Narcotics detectives intervened and an investigation revealed that a second suitcase had also been checked in. Both suitcases were checked and found to contain false compartments with compressed ganja weighing approximately 60 pounds. (Jamaica Observer)

egistration for this month’s Caribbean Travel Marketplace, to be held at the Puerto Rico Convention Center in San Juan, Puerto Rico, is strong.

Following a meeting with the Host Committee in San Juan this week, the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) reported that demand among travel industry stakeholders to do business in the Region was encouraging, given the continued interest and registration response for the annual event.

CHTA Director General Frank Comito said plans for Marketplace 2018, to be held from January 30 to February 1, 2018, were now in the advanced stages and the Association was on track to eclipse the 1000-delegate mark before the start of the event.

“This speaks not only to the resilience of the Caribbean’s bread and butter tourism industry, but also to the fortitude of the Caribbean’s people,” Comito remarked before returning to CHTA’s headquarters in Miami.

Comito observed Puerto Rico, which was among the islands impacted by September’s two Category 5 hur-

Caribbean Travel Marketplace will be held at the Puerto Rico Convention Centre

ricanes, is on the rebound and more than ready to host this year’s edition of Caribbean Travel Marketplace.

“It is remarkable what the good people at the Puerto Rico Convention Centre District Authority, the Puerto Rico Tourism Company, Meet Puerto Rico, and the Puerto Rico Hotel and Tourism Association have been able to accomplish as they prepare to welcome this marquee event to their is-

land,” he said.

Close to 500 supplier delegates from more than 200 companies across 30 countries will join another 100-plus media representatives at this year’s event.

“And there’s still more than a week to register,” said Comito, as he encouraged more attendees to leverage the networking opportunities at the event. (Excerpt from Caribbean360)

monDAY, january 22, 2018

guyanatimesgy.com

17

Around the World

forces push Afghan attack leaves Turkish into Syria, battle 18 dead, 22 wounded Kurdish militia A T marathon deadly siege on a major hotel in Afghanistan’s capital, Kabul, has ended with the killing of all gunmen who fought off security forces for 16 hours.

The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack on the heavily-guarded Intercontinental Hotel in the Bagh-e Bala which left at least 18 civilians dead and 22 wounded.

Dressed in army uniforms and armed with automatic weapons, the attackers stormed the building on Saturday evening.

The assault sparked dramatic scenes, captured by Afghan news channels, as guests climbed down bed-

The assault sparked dramatic scenes, captured by Afghan news channels, as guests climbed down bedsheets tied to balconies to escape, with some losing grip and falling to the ground

sheets tied to balconies to escape, with some losing grip and falling to the ground.

Special forces rushed

into the scene to fight the attackers, in a gun battle that continued well into Sunday.

Najib Danish, spokes-

man for the Afghan Interior Ministry, told Al Jazeera that four Afghan civilians and 14 foreigners were among those killed. Four attackers were also killed.

Afghan airline company Kam Air said in a statement that some of their employees had been killed and wounded in the attack. The company used the hotel to accommodate its staff.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said on Twitter that a Ukrainian national was among the dead.

Omar Zakhelwal, Afghanistan’s Ambassador to Pakistan, told Al Jazeera the Afghan Counsel General in Pakistan’s Karachi had been killed in the attack.

(Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

China says US warship violated its South China Sea sovereignty

A

US Navy destroyer this week sailed near the Scarborough Shoal, a disputed lagoon claimed by China in the South China Sea, US officials said on Saturday, and Beijing vowed to take “necessary measures” to protect what it said was its sovereignty.

China’s Foreign Ministry said the USS Hopper missile destroyer came within 12 nautical miles off Huangyan island, better known as the Scarborough Shoal and sub-

ject to a rival claim by the Philippines, a historic ally of the United States.

It was the latest US naval operation challenging extensive Chinese claims in the South China Sea and came even as US President Donald Trump’s Administration seeks Chinese cooperation in dealing with North Korea’s missile and nuclear programmes.

Two US officials confirmed that the USS Hopper had sailed within 12 nautical miles of Scarborough Shoal,

a rocky outcrop and prime fishing spot due to its bountiful catches and calm waters.

With a permanent presence of large coastguard vessels, China blockaded the Scarborough Shoal for more than four years, but ended that in October 2016 at the request of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who said Filipino fishermen were suffering.

The US officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the patrol was in line with international

law and was an “innocent passage,” in which a warship effectively recognises a territorial sea by crossing it quickly, without stopping.

Twelve nautical miles is an internationally recognised territorial limit.

Though located within the Philippines’ 200 nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zone, an international tribunal in 2016 ruled that the Scarborough Shoal is a traditional fishing ground that no one country has sole rights to exploit.(Excerpt from Reuters)

India’s foreign policy not based on Pakistan – PM Modi

P

rime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that to assume the country’s foreign policy revolves around Pakistan would be a “grave injustice” to India. He instead said India’s foreign policy was “issue-based.”

“India’s foreign policy is based in the context of India. India’s foreign policy is based in the context of its relations with the world.

It is issue-based. Our foreign policy is not based around one nation and it

shouldn’t be,” PM Modi said in an interview to Times Now+ editor-in-chief Rahul Shivshankar and managing editor Navika Kumar.

He added that India was not working to isolate one nation, but that “whoever takes a step against terrorism, I will welcome them and praise them”.

The PM also noted that the world was uniting against terrorism, and likened the fight against terror to a fight to save humanity.

urkey’s army and rebel allies battled US-backed Kurdish militia in Syria’s Afrin province on Sunday, stepping up a two-day-old campaign against YPG fighters that has opened a new front in Syria’s civil war.

Amid US calls for restraint, Turkish artillery pounded YPG positions, while rockets fired from inside Syria slammed into two Turkish border towns, wounding dozens, according to the local governor’s office and a witness.

Turkey began its push

to clear YPG fighters from a northwestern enclave of Syria on Saturday when it launched artillery and air strikes against their positions in Afrin in what it called “Operation Olive Branch”.

Turkey considers the YPG a terrorist organisation and has been infuriated by US support for the fighters. Washington, which is backing the YPG in the battle against Islamic State in Syria, on Sunday said it was concerned about the situation.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

Republicans, Democrats dig in for fight as US Govt shutdown enters 2nd day

Senator Dick Durbin

D

emocrats demanded that US President Donald Trump negotiate on immigration issues as part of any agreement to resume Government funding and accused him of reneging on an earlier accord to protect “Dreamers”, illegal immigrants brought to the United States as children.

“I hope it is just a matter of hours or days. But we need to have a substantive answer, and the only person who can lead us to that is President Trump. This is his shutdown,” Dick Durbin, the

second ranking Democrat in the Senate, said on the CBS “Face the Nation” programme.

Republicans were just as adamant, saying they would not negotiate immigration or other issues as long as all but essential government services remain shuttered.

Speaking to US troops at a military base in the Middle East, Vice President Mike Pence said, “We’re not going to reopen negotiations on illegal immigration until they reopen the Government and give you, our soldiers and your families, the benefits and wages you’ve earned.”

After funding for federal agencies ran out at midnight on Friday, many US government employees were told to stay home or in some cases work without pay until new funding is approved. The shutdown is the first since a 16-day closure in October 2013.

With elections set for November for a third of US Senate seats and the entire House of Representatives, both sides are manoeuvring to blame the other for the shutdown. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Germany: SPD backs coalition DR Congo: Several deaths in anti-Kabila protests talks with Merkel Prime Minister Narendra Modi in an interview with Times Now+ editor-in-chief Rahul Shivshankar and managing editor Navika Kumar

A

t least six people have been killed in widespread protests in the Democratic Republic of Congo, United Nations sources say.

Protesters are demanding that President Joseph Kabila – whose expected term of office expired more than a year ago – should step down.

Police have used teargas to disperse protesters in the capital, where UN peace-

(Excerpt from Times of India)

keepers have been deployed.

Similar demonstrations three weeks ago led to a number of deaths.

A spokesman for the UN mission to the country said about 50 people were injured in Sunday’s clashes and that dozens had been arrested.

The widespread marches had been called for by the country’s Catholic Church, which appealed for a large but peaceful demonstration.

Tear gas was fired at protesters in the capital, Kinshasa

(Excerpt from BBC News)

G

ermany’s centre-left Social Democrats (SDP) have voted for coalition negotiations with Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives, their former coalition partners.

Earlier this month the two groupings agreed a blueprint for formal talks.

Merkel’s centre-right CDU and its Bavarian CSU ally have been unable to form a government since September’s inconclusive election.

The far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) won 94

seats in Parliament.

Initially, the SPD ruled out governing with Mrs Merkel in charge again.

But leader Martin Schulz changed his mind after CDU/ CSU coalition talks with the liberal Free Democrats (FDP) and Greens broke down.

Merkel gave a brief statement welcoming the Social Democrats’ decision to approve formal coalition talks.

This is her last realistic shot at forming a government and avoiding fresh elections.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

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guyanatimesgy.com

monDAY, january 22, 2018

ARCHIE

Tame your temper beARIES fore it gets you in trouble.

(March 21- Think before you speak, and April 19) be mindful of whoever is on the receiving end of your thoughts. Love conquers discord.

Observe, listen and learn.

TAURUS Don’t divulge personal or se(April 20- cret information that might May 20) make you or someone else look bad. Protect, defend and prosper by using common sense.

dilbert

Do something that makes GEMINI you feel good. Whether it’s up(May 21dating your image or spending June 20) time with someone you love, the outcome will bring you happiness and joy.

Check out every option and CANCER use your intelligence to deci(June 21- pher the safest way to take on July 22) a new project, joint venture or medical issue without going into debt.

Peanuts

Personal gains will come LEO your way if you concentrate (July 23- on honing your skills and Aug. 22) making positive changes to how you treat others. Live, love, laugh and be happy.

Expand your interests, VIRGO mind and friendships. What (Aug. 23you learn as a participant will Sept. 22) encourage you to more greatly enjoy life and to do your best to decrease stress and debt.

Calvin and Hobbes

Rely on your instincts LIBRA (Sept. 23- when dealing with someone Oct. 23) you are at odds with. Try to understand key issues on both sides and find a common denominator.

WORD GAME

SUDOKU

Speak up and share your SCORPIO ideas.

Listen to good ad(Oct. 24vice and incorporate someNov. 22) thing unique that you learn or come across into your daily routine. An unusual offer will take you by surprise.

Focus on yourself, your SAGITTARIUS goals and making your life (Nov. 23easier.

Strive to rearrange Dec. 21) your home to better suit your needs. Personal changes and romance will improve your emotional outlook.

SATURDAY’S WORD

solution for LAST PUBLISHED Puzzle

CAPRICORN Listen, observe and bide your time. Don’t bring about change (Dec. 22prematurely. Monitor what othJan. 19) ers say and do before you make your move. When you’re ready, take action and do what’s best for you.

Personal gains will be the

AQUARIUS result if you implement mod(Jan. 20- eration into your everyday rouFeb. 19) tine. Spend less and save more to ease your stress and improve your future.

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

Copyright 2015, Distributed by Universal Uclick for UFS

Look at what’s available PISCES (Feb. 20- and adjust your thinking to March 20) fit current trends. Altering how you use your skills or offer your services will lead to financial gains.

monDAY, january 22, 2018

Kumble doubts RCB will go back for Gayle

F

ormer Indian captain Anil Kumble has joined the voices of those expressing doubt that Royal Challengers Bangalore will attempt to retain Windies batting star Chris Gayle for the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

The 38-year-old Gayle, who was signed by the franchise in 2011, was sent to the auction block after RCB opted to retain Indian cap-

tain Virat Kohli (17 crores), South African star AB de Villiers (11 crores) and Sarfaraz Khan (3 crores).

The franchise could still opt to retain the West Indian, who has set a base price of 2 crores ahead of the auction, with its Right to Match (RTM) clause, but based on the remaining budgetary allocation Kumble has pointed out that it is unlikely. The former RCB captain

also believes the player’s form in recent seasons held a clue as to the decision that was on the horizon.

“Possibly they [RCB] will be cautious. They have to build the entire team as well. If you looked at last year, Gayle did not play in a couple of matches for RCB. It was not because he was injured or something, he was not picked. That’s a giveaway on whether they will go after him at the auction,” Kumble said.

Sharapova in straight sets

J

A Chris Paul impressed with 33 points for Houston Rockets

22 points and eight assists.

Paul had 33 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists as the Rockets snapped the Warriors’ 14-game road winning streak.

Thunder impress

Oklahoma City’s big three looked more like a big four in a 148-124 win over the Cavaliers. Paul George had 36 points and seven rebounds, Carmelo Anthony had 29 points and 10 rebounds, Russell Westbrook had 23 points, 20 assists and nine rebounds, and Stephen Adams had 25 points and 10 rebounds on 12-of-13 shooting.

Raptors guard Kyle Lowry scored 40 points on 14-of-25 shooting with five rebounds and five assists but it was not enough to avoid a 115-109 loss to the Timberwolves. Andrew Wiggins had 29 points to lead Minnesota.

Clippers guard Lou

Williams had 31 points, 10 steals and seven assists in Los Angeles’ 125-113 loss to the Jazz.

Gordon struggles

Rockets guard Eric Gordon was incredibly hot from the floor Thursday, but Saturday was a different story as he went two-of-14 shooting and 0 for nine from three-point range. He scored six points in 35 minutes.

Incredible Johnson

It is not Madison Square Garden and it is not Reggie Miller, but Miami’s James Johnson scored five points in four seconds to tie the game at 104-104 with 31 seconds remaining in the game in the Heat’s 105-104 win over the Hornets.

Saturday’s results Oklahoma City Thunder 148124 Cleveland Cavaliers Chicago Bulls 113-97 Atlanta Hawks

Miami Heat 106-105 Charlotte Hornets New Orleans Pelicans 111104 Memphis Grizzlies Philadelphia 76ers 11694 Milwaukee Bucks Houston Rockets 116-108 Golden State Warriors Minnesota Timberwolves115-109 Toronto Raptors Utah Jazz 125-113 Los Angeles Clippers Portland Trail Blazers 117108 Dallas Mavericks

Pacers at Spurs

Victor Oladipo is mustwatch for the Pacers and the Spurs are the best-coached team in the NBA. Put those two together and you have a very watchable basketball game. (Sportsmax)

Following the retention of Kohli, De Villiers and Khan the team must form a complete side with the remaining 49 crores.

“However, he has shown he can win games single-handedly. I think there will be other franchises who will be looking for him. But all of them will be a bit cautious. However, he is currently in good form. But I am not too sure if RCB will use the RTM for Gayle.” (Sportsmax)

Kerber crushes

Rockets end Warriors’ 14game road winning streak ames Harden and Chris Paul helped the Houston Rockets beat the Golden State Warriors in the NBA. The Houston Rockets showed they can be legitimate contenders in the Western Conference after another win over the Golden State Warriors.

The Rockets are insisting Saturday’s 116-108 win over the Warriors means absolutely nothing, but it certainly feels like something.

Houston won the season series over the Warriors (21) with the victory. By doing so without their best defender on the court in Trevor Ariza, the Rockets showed they have what it takes to be contenders.

“We can play a little bit,” Chris Paul told ESPN following the game. “It’s not anything big or anything like that, I mean, it’s January for God sakes, you know what I mean? So, thank God we came out healthy.”

The only question healthwise for the Rockets was James Harden who is just two games removed from missing seven games with a leg injury. The MVP candidate is on a minutes restriction for Houston, but as the clock wound down Saturday, Harden was still on the court, and for good reason.

He hit the three-pointer that put Houston up two possessions late in the game.

He then blocked a Stephen Curry three-point attempt that could have cut the lead to three on the ensuing possession.

Harden finished with

19

ngelique Kerber produced a superb performance to beat Maria Sharapova and confirm herself as a title contender at the Australian Open.

The German 21st seed won 6-1 6-3 in the muchanticipated night-session clash between the only two former champions left in the draw.

She needed just 64 minutes to see off Sharapova, breaking serve five times.

Kerber, the 2016 winner, will play Taiwan’s Hsieh Suwei, ranked 88th in the world, in the fourth round.

“I know Maria is always fighting,” said Kerber.

“After the first set, I was trying to not thinking about the score, just going for it, trying to be aggressive and playing my game.

“And it works. It works from the beginning. I’m happy about how I played tonight.”

The 30-year-old is coached

by Wim Fissette after the Belgian split with Johanna Konta at the end of last year, and she arrived in Melbourne having won the Sydney title.

Her speed of foot and ability to return Sharapova’s pace with interest left the Russian struggling from the outset.

A fizzing return at Sharapova’s feet brought an immediate break of serve and a roar of “Come on!” followed after a backhand winner took her 3-1 clear.

The harder and flatter Sharapova tried to hit the ball,

the quicker it came back at her.

Kerber raced through six straight games, taking the first set in 29 minutes and breaking at the start of the second.

Sharapova needed a helping hand and she got it when Kerber finally made a string of errors to hand the advantage back.

It was only the 21st seed’s brilliant defence that prevented her falling a break down at 3-3 as Sharapova threatened a sustained challenge.

A fist pump followed that crucial hold and Sharapova’s resistance was broken once and for all, a poor drop shot and a netted forehand giving up a fifth break of serve before Kerber closed it out on her second match point.

“I think she played extremely well,” said Sharapova. “She was the more aggressive player. She took a lot more risks than I did.”

Sharapova had returned to the Australian Open for the first time since failing a doping test in Melbourne two years ago, which brought with it a 15-month ban.

“There’s a lot of things I need to improve on,” added the world number 48. “This is a process. It’s a lot of things that take time.

“To be able to get these matches, players that are playing this well, I’m going to face a lot of them this year. I’ll have to bring it.

“Today was not enough.”

(BBC)

20

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

monDAY, january 22, 2018

Buttler's blast sets up England to seal series

E

ngland’s Jos Buttler struck a belligerent unbeaten 100 to set up a 16-run win over Australia in the third one-day international on Sunday, as the touring side took an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series.

The right-handed batsman produced late fireworks to complete his fifth ODI hundred on the last ball of England’s innings, helping them reach an unlikely 302-6 in their 50 overs after Australia won the toss and put them in.

The hosts, who won the Ashes series 4-0, lost wickets at crucial junctures in reply and fell short in their chase, reaching 286 for six in their 50 overs. ”So proud of the guys to-

day,“ England captain Eoin Morgan said at the presentation. ”I thought Jos was probably the difference in the sides, certainly with the bat.

“He paced his innings to perfection. He took the responsibility on his shoulders and ... played anchor in one way, until the last five or six overs.”

Australian all-rounder Marcus Stoinis scored 56 in 43 balls and added 74 in a sixth-wicket stand with wicketkeeper Tim Paine, who made 31 in 35 balls, to give the hosts hope of victory, but the target proved beyond their reach.

Aaron Finch continued his strong run with the bat with a 62 in 53 balls after back-to-back centuries in the first two ODIs but the

SCOREBOARD England innings J Roy c Finch b Cummins 19 J Bairstow b Zampa 39 A Hales c Zampa b Stoinis 1 Joe Root b Hazlewood 27 E Morgan c Tim Paine b Josh Hazlewood 41 J Buttler not out 100 M Ali b M Marsh 6 C Woakes not out 53 Extras (0b 2lb 1nb 0pen 13w) 16 Total (50 overs) 302-6 FoW: 1-38 Roy, 2-45 Hales, 3-90 Bairstow, 4-107 Root, 5-172 Morgan, 6-189 Ali DnB: : A Rashid, L Plunkett, M Wood

Australia innings (target 303 from 50 overs) A Finch lbw Rashid 62 D Warner c Hales b Woakes 8 C White c Buttler b Wood 17 S Smith c Buttler b Wood 45 M Marsh c Hales b Rashid 55 M Stoinis c (Sub) b Woakes 56 T Paine not out 31 P Cummins not out 1 Extras (4b 5lb 0nb 0pen 2w) 11 Total (50 overs) 286-6 FoW: 1-24 Warner, 2-44 White, 3-113 Finch, 4-181 Smith, 5-210 Marsh, 6-284 Stoinis DnB : M Starc, J Hazlewood, A Zampa

Bowling: Starc 10-0-630, Hazlewood 10-0-58-2, Cummins 10-1-67-1, Stoinis 8-0-43-1, Zampa 9-0-551 M Marsh 3-0-14-1

Bowling: Wood 10-1-46-2, Woakes 10-0-57-2, Plunkett 1.2-0-6-0, Ali 10-0-57-0, Root 8.4-0-60-0, Rashid 10-0-51-2

Jonny Bairstow was bowled by Adam Zampa's googly © Associated Press

opener’s dismissal in the 21st over to leg-spinner Adil Rashid severely hampered the hosts’ progress.

Finch reviewed the umpire’s lbw decision but replays showed the ball was clipping the leg stump and the on-field decision was upheld.

Australia captain Steve Smith and Mitchell Marsh were going along nicely in a fourth-wicket stand of 68 before the former was given out caught behind off fast bowler Mark Wood with wicketkeeper Buttler clinging on to a low, one-handed grab.

The umpires went to the television room to check the catch but there was no conclusive evidence to rule it out, much to the disappointment of Smith and the Sydney crowd.

Wood was England’s best bowler with 2-46 in his 10 overs while Rashid also dismissed Marsh for 55 for his second wicket

runs coming in the last 10 overs.

Buttler smashed six fours and four sixes in his knock and was ably supported by Woakes, who scored 53 in 36 balls.

Australia’s first-choice quicks Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood returned to side in four changes and the bowling kept England in check for a considerable period before Buttler and Woakes began their assault.

“I thought the way we bowled the first 45 overs was pretty good and obviously Jos played exceptionally well and Woakes played well at the end,” Smith said.

“I don’t think we bowled as well as we could have.

We bowled in areas they could hit and you don’t do that to a quality player

Jos Buttler leaps in celebration of his century© Getty Images

for the touring side, who lost Liam Plunkett to a left hamstring injury when the paceman was in his second over.

Earlier, Buttler and

Chris Woakes propped up England’s innings after they had been reduced to 189 for six. The duo added 113 in their unbroken partnership, with 102 of those

like Jos. I thought we were probably chasing 30 too many.” The Adelaide Oval will host the fourth ODI on Friday. (Reuters)

Perera's all-round brilliance keeps Sri Lanka alive

S

ri Lanka remain in contention to reach the tri-nation series final as Thisara Perera's exploits inspired a five-wicket win over Zimbabwe.

Thisara Perera excelled with both bat and ball as Sri Lanka defeated Zimbabwe by five

wickets to remain alive in the tri-nation series.

After losing their opening two matches to Zimbabwe and hosts Bangladesh earlier this week, Sri Lanka knew another defeat on Sunday would leave them out of contention for

Thisara Perera carves one over the off side © Associated Press

next weekend's final.

And without talismanic leader Angelo Mathews due to a hamstring injury, it was another all-rounder in Thisara who led the way, claiming 4-33 from eight overs as Zimbabwe were skittled out for just 198, before anchoring a successful chase with an unbeaten 39 from 26 balls.

Zimbabwe's only score of note came from Brendan Taylor (58), while Graeme Cremer added a late 34 before Nuwan Pradeep (3-28) cleaned up the tail.

Kusal Perera struck four fours and a six in his 49 at the top of the order, before edging Blessing Muzarabani (352) behind to substitute keeper Ryan Murray, who took his place on the field after Taylor complained of a stiff back.

Kusal Mendis made 36 but it was left to stand-in captain Dinesh Chandimal (38no) and Thisara to see Sri Lanka home, the latter clearing the ropes three times as victory was secured with 31 balls to spare.

SCOREBOARD Zimbabwe innings H Masakadza c Tharanga b T Perera 20 S Mire c Dickwella b T Perera 21 C Ervine c Tharanga b T Perera 2 B Taylor c Tharanga b T Perera 58 S Raza c K Mendis b L Sandakan 9 M Waller c Dickwella b Sandakan 24 G Cremer b Pradeep 34 K Jarvis b Pradeep 5 T Chatara Not Out 2 B Muzarabani b Pradeep 0 Extras (0b 8lb 0nb 0pen 15w) 23 Total (44 overs) 198 all out FoW : 1-44 Masakadza, 2-49 Ervine, 3-56 Mire, 4-73 Butt, 5-139 Waller, 6-140 Moor, 7-171 Taylor, 8-191 Jarvis, 9-198 Cremer, 10-198 Muzarabani DnBat : P Moor

Bowling: Lakmal 7-0-23-0,Pradeep 8-2-28-3 T Perera 8-0-33-4, Dananjaya 10-0-45-0, Sandakan 10-057-2, Gunaratne 1-0-4-0 Sri Lanka innings ( target 199 from 50 overs) K Perera c (Sub) b Muzarabani 49 U Tharanga b Chatara 17 K Mendis b Muzarabani 36 N Dickwella c (Sub) b B Muzarabani 7 D Chandimal not out 38 A Gunaratne c (Sub) b Jarvis 9 T Perera not out 39 Extras (0b 3lb 1nb 0pen 3w) 7 Total (44.5 overs) 202-5 FoW: 1-33 Tharanga, 2-103 Perera, 3-110 Mendis, 4-117 Dickwella, 5-145 Gunaratne Did Not Bat : Perera, Lakmal, Sandakan, Fernando Bowling: Jarvis 9-0-341, Chatara 9.5- 1-40-1, Muzarabani 10-0-52-3, Raza 7-0-44-0,Cremer 9-0-29-0

sports

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– next card billed for February

By Clifton Ross

F

ollowing an exciting boxing card at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall on Saturday night, promoter of the card “Sangre Malo” Aleem Hussain, hailed the support of the Guyanese boxing community.

The NextGen Global Marketing CEO told <<<Guyana Times Sport>>> on Sunday that he was thrilled at the turnout the card received as seats were filled to capacity.

Hussain credited the success of the first international card in almost two years at the original home of boxing, to the media who he said were the foundation of getting boxing fans in tuned with the event on, on such short notice.

“The turnout was excellent; I think it was the largest crowd boxing has seen in almost a year and a half. I think that is partly due to the help the press gave us and our persons who have been promoting fights like this”, Said the promoter.

The card was filled with

“The Kid” Dexter Marques rocks Venezuelan Dionis Martinez with a straight left jab during his victorious main bout in Saturday’s fight (Carl Croker photo)

mixed bouts featuring different weight classes and demographic origins. Guyana in the end despite having secured wins courtesy of prizefighters; the “Bully” Elton Dharry and Dexter “The Kid” Marques, suffered mixed results but nevertheless Hussain cheered on the efforts of all the fighters.

50-over

“The fights themselves were excellent, I think it lived up to the hype there was no let down. We told the fans that it was going to be a great event and we delivered so if any boxing fan missed it they can only blame themselves”. He declared.

Guyanese debutant

James Moore who won his match by knockout, earned the respect of the boxing enthusiast who hailed the upcoming fighter as a star; highlighting the boxer’s flair and animated personality as two of his best traits in ring.

“James Moore is a star in the making, he’s got style, he’s got charisma and you

can see that he’s going to be a good showman. He’s going to be a great young heavyweight after winning his first big match by knockout in the most entertaining fight of the night, he really pleased the crowd”.

Not forgetting the Venezuelan boxers who were brilliant despite some size advantages and fighting experience, managed to also earn the respect of the Hussain who credited the visitors for “Going the distance”. “All fights went the distance, they showed heart and guts and that they were no pushovers.

Aleem concluded by confirming the Guyana Boxing Board of Control (GBBC) and NexGen will team up again to host another fiery card billed for late February, possibly treating fans to a celebratory Mashramani Boxing event.

“With the success of this fight, we can look to February 23 or 24 fight somewhere in that range and the board are already in talks so we will make the announcement soon”. He ended.

league resumes Tuesday

T

he Play-offs of the 2017 GCB/Jaguars One Day 50 Overs which was originally set for December 2017, is expected to bowl off this week.

The rescheduling from the original period were due to weather conditions. Defending champs Lower Corentyne are scheduled to play Georgetown who gained third position by virtue of a better Net Run Rate than West Demerara.

Both Georgetown and West Demerara teams ended the preliminary rounds on an equal number of wins and points.

Those two are now set to face off at the Albion Community Center Ground on Tuesday with the winner playing Essequibo in Thursday’s final. It is also understood there will be a Super50 practice match for Guyana jaguars on Friday at Providence.

Ronaldo bloodied after Madrid brace

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brave headed goal left Cristiano Ronaldo spilling blood for the Real Madrid cause against Deportivo and he was quick to survey the damage.

Cristiano Ronaldo netted a late brace in Real Madrid's 7-1 demolition of Deportivo La Coruna, only to leave the field covered in blood and peering into a mobile phone.

The five-time Ballon d'Or winner was a picture of frustration, passing up simple chances as Gareth Bale turned the match emphatically in Madrid's favour on the back of Adrian Lopez's 23rd-minute opener for Depor.

Ronaldo made it 5-1 by converting Casemiro's cross from close range and a brave header from Lucas Vazquez's centre gave him a

Ronaldo leaving the field after the injury

sixth LaLiga goal of the campaign.

It came at a price, as Fabian Schar's boot left the 32-year-old with a nasty cut above his left eye.

Looking like a prize-fighter rather than a prize-winning forward, Ronaldo was led from the field by Madrid's doctor and borrowed a phone that seemingly belonged to the medic to inspect the damage – surely an act more concerned with surgery than selfies.

After the match, head coach ZInedine Zidane confirmed stitches were required but played down fears over his star man's condition.

"Cristiano has a cut, they have done two or three stitches. He is fine, it is just that," he told reporters. (Sportsmax)

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GUYANATIMESgy.COM

monDAY, january 22, 2018

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he Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG) held its awards ceremony on Saturday evening at the Umana Yana where the junior and senior athletes turned out in elegance.

As was expected in the athletics community, national 400m record holder

“Gonzales has to overcome some personal demons”Hussain A

up spot.

Meanwhile Jamaicanbased high jumper Natrena Hooper finished as the top Senior female-athlete-ofthe-year while national javelin record holder Tenesha Cort finished with the second place trophy.

In the junior and youth categories, there were no sur-

By Clifton Ross

Coach Johnny Gravesande deservedly picked up Coach of the Year at the AAG’s 2017 Awards ceremony for his critical work with Daniel Williams and Chantoba Bright (Carl Croker Photo)

L-R: Junior Male Athlete-of-the-year Compton Caesar, Youth Male Athlete-of-the-year Daniel Williams and Female Youth Athlete-of-the-year Chantoba Bright

Winston George copped the senior male athlete-of-theyear award ahead of USAbased national triple jump record holder Troy Doris who settled for the runner

prises with Daniel Williams receiving his well-deserved youth male athlete-of-theyear accolade following his World U-18 400m exploits.

Berbician Jermaine King

picked up the runner up trophy for his efforts in 2017.

Compton Caesar who blew away his opposition last year at the South American U-20 Championships in the 100m won the Junior male athlete-of-the-year award, while middle distance runner Anferenee Headecker finished as the runner-up.

The Junior female athlete-of-the-year was claimed by triple jumper Natricia Hooper; the smaller sister of Natrena with sprinter Onasha Rogers coming in as the runner-up in that category.

The female youth accolade went to was long and triple jumper Chantoba Bright as middle distance runner Claudrice McKoy and sprinter Kenisha Phillips finished tied for the runner-up spot.

2016 National Coachof-the-year Johnny Greavesande won the coachof-the-year award, while Moses Pantlitz was awarded the President’s award for 2017 because of his integral role with Caesar and South American 400m gold medallist Deshanna Skeete.

Stokes, Gayle part of marquee set at IPL auction

Chris Gayle

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en Stokes, Mitchell Starc, Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard, Yuvraj Singh, R Ashwin, Gautam Gambhir, Shikhar Dhawan and Glenn Maxwell are part of two sets of marquee players that will kick-off the IPL auction, which begins on January 27 in Bangalore. The auction will be a two-day exercise with a total of 578 players featuring in the player pool for the eight franchises to choose from.

On Saturday the IPL announced the final auction pool, having pruned the original 1122-strong longlist by half. The auction pool has been divided into different sets based on the area of ex-

pertise of the player. The auction will begin with the two sets of maquee players going up for bidding.

It is not entirely clear how the IPL filtered the marquee players. Ten out of 16 marquee players are over 30 years old while six are Indians. In addition to the above names, the other players featuring in the marquee sets include Ajinkya Rahane, Harbhajan Singh, Joe Root, Shakib Al Hasan, Faf du Plessis, Dwayne Bravo and Kane Williamson.

The marquee players will be followed by the first sets of capped players: batsmen, allrounders, wicketkeepers, fast bowlers and spinners in that order. In a marked changed

from the past auctions, the IPL has decided to feature the uncapped players on the first day of the auction.

In the past the uncapped category would come up towards the end once all the sets of capped players were exhausted. But this time the IPL has opted to mix both categories, keeping in mind the wide interest among franchises for uncapped Indian players including Baroda allrounder Krunal Pandya, who has been listed 85th in the shortlist.

Krunal, who played for Mumbai Indians until last season, was the player of the final as Mumbai won the title for the third time. Krunal is a favourite to be retained by the defending IPL champions through the right-tomatch card option. Mumbai still have two right-to-match cards available to them, which they might use for Krunal and Pollard, who has been with the franchise since 2009.

Incidentally, Afghanistan legspinner Rashid Khan, who played for Sunrisers Hyderabad, will only come up for bidding during the latter half of the first day of the auction. Rashid is part of the seventh set of players, which could possibly help Sunrisers as they could buy him through the right-to-match card option for a potentially lower price, in case other franchises spend big money on players

from the previous sets.

India fast bowler Ishant Sharma, who went unsold last season before joining Kings XI Punjab as a replacement player, is part of the first set of fast bowelrs. Ishant has listed his base price at INR 75 lakh. Also featuring in this set are the Indian fast-bowling pair of Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav, Kagiso Rabada (South Africa), Pat Cummins, Josh Hazelwood and MItchell Johnson (all Australia), Mustafizur Rahman (Bangladesh), Tim Southee and Mithcell McCleneghan (both New Zealand) and Lasith Malinga (Sri Lanka). The South African fast-bowling pair of Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel are also part of this set. Neither featured in the IPL last season, with Steyn recovering from a shoulder injury and Morkel preserving himself to stay fit for Test cricket. Also in the final list is the 17-year-old Nepal legspinner Sandeep Lamichhane. He was one of the nine players to have been requested by the franchises after the longlist was announced recently. The others in the list include Hamza Tariq (Canada), Samit Patel (England), Mohammed Asaduddin (Hyderabad), Midhun S (Kerala), Abhinav Manohar (Karnataka), Ben Wheeler (New Zealand), Mohsin Khan (Uttar Pradesh) and Javon Searles (West Indies). (Cricinfo)

fter suffering an upset defeat in Saturday night’s fight, Manager of Dexter “The Cobra” Gonzales; Aleem Hussain said his boxer needs to fight his mental demons so he can get back to being the great boxer he was destined to be.

Gonzales shocked many when he failed to seize the advantage over the less-experienced Filipe Lares, suffering a defeat to the Venezuelan by virtue of a split decision. In the end, many were surprised and some angered by the timid approach of the boxer who unfortunately ended the career of one of Guyana’s finest Clive Atwell.

When contacted after the fight on Sunday, “Sangre Malo” Promoter and Cobra’s manager Hussain to this Guyana Times Sport that he believes his fighter is mentally distracted and is afraid to unleash his true punching ability which has earned him titles and an upcoming international title shot in the Bahamas.

“Dexter has to overcome some personal demons and once he gets his mind wrapped around the fact that he can let his hands go and not hurt somebody in the ring, he can become the great fighter we all know”, said Hussain.

The promoter further said that ever since the unfortunate incident his boxer has been a bit hung up about his approach and has since tempered his aggression. The manager said that plans are however in place to work with the boxer in order to help readjust his mentality.

“We are working with him; they are plans to bring his mind back to where it needs to be because he’s a great fighter and a great talent but he needs to work on his head to understand that

Aleem Hussain

he’s not hurting someone when you hit them hard.

Despite not making excuses for his fighter, Hussain attributed some of Gonzales’ flaws in the match to his past fight versus Atwell, who was present at ringside. Cobra was the one responsible for ending the career of Atwell with a fatal punch, thus effectively ending the star’s inring career.

“Clive Atwell was sitting ringside and I think every time Dexter looked at him it brought back memories that he was the one who put Atwell in that position, I think it took a toll on him”.

He continued, “It was an emotional toll, he didn’t lose the fight because he wanted to I think when he looked ringside and saw a career of a fellow boxer’s career who he ended, knowing that you ended that man’s career with a punch, it would cause to not want to throw a punch like that again”. He ended.

Hussain in closing applauded Lares for his in-ring performance and his hunger which saw him beat one of the country and Caribbean’s top fighters.

For "Cobra" to return a champion, he needs to put his past behind him says his manager

monDAY, january 22, 2018

guyanatimesgy.com

23

CWI/Digicel 4-Day Championships 2017-18

Jaguars finish remarkable season in rampant style

…secure 4th title

T

he conclusion of being four-time champions was foregone two rounds ago but they still needed to add the icing on the cake by being unbeaten and they did so emphatically by hammering Trinidad and Tobago Red Force by an innings and 81 runs .

The sterling victory brought an end to their remarkable campaign in the 2017/18 Cricket West Indies (CWI)/ Digicel four-day championship on Sunday at the National Stadium, Providence.

The imminent result came less than an hour into the day’s play after the visitors resumed the day on 282-8, still needing 123 runs

to make Jaguars bat again.

The question was whether Jason Mohammed would reach his seventh FirstClass century after ending the penultimate day on 92.

The Windies 50-over vice-captain did not take long to respond. After scurrying for some singles he lifted the championship’s highest wicket taker (50 scalps) Veerasammy Permaul over his head for four then guided one through point for another boundary which brought one of his many charismatic celebrations. His unbeaten 103 saw him face 200 deliveries and stroke 16 fours, which was his team’s mainstay behind delaying the inevitable.

Newcomer Akshaya Persaud was given an ice bath by his teammates during their celebration

Jason Mohammed also had something to celebrate as he reached his seventh First-Class century

Bryan Charles played some robust shots against the steamy Keemo Paul which gave his teammates a sprinkling of excitement.

He became too adventurous and played across the line to Permaul for his stumps to be disturb.

The last nail to be hammered into coffin for what has been an abysmal season for the bottom-placed Red Force, was that of number 11 Anderson Phillip.

Walking to the middle with the taunts from ‘Juice-man’ Norman loud in his ears, he managed to steal two streaky boundaries before Paul sent his off-stump for

a walk and the celebrations began.

Players went scampering

for first grab at the stumps as memorabilia and it was soon after the champagne popping and loud cheers of Jaguars echoed around the stadium.

At the simple presentation ceremony which included CWI Director of Cricket Jimmy Adams and Guyana Cricket Board Secretary Anand Sanasie, Raymon Reifer was named man-ofthe match for his unbeaten 108 and match figures of 5-72.

After ten rounds this season, Jaguars played unbeaten winning seven matches, battling for two draws and one nerve-wrecking tie. They will now turn their attention to the Regional Super50 which gets underway January 30 in Barbados and Antigua.

(Akeem Greene)

SCOREBOARD Trinidad and Tobago Red Force 1st Innings 135 Guyana Jaguars 1st Innings 540-9 declared Trinidad and Tobago Red Force 2nd Innings (overnight 282-8) A Jangoo c Johnson b Motie 16 J Solozano b Permaul 16 T Webster c Rutherford b Paul 77 J Mohammed not out 103 D Ramdin c & b Rutherford 47 Y Cariah lbw b Rutherford 9 I Khan b Paul 17 D St. Clair lbw Permaul 2

B Charles b Permaul 15 A Phillip b Paul 11 Extras (b-5, lb-2, w-3, nb-10) 20 Total (all out ; 88.5 Overs) 324 FOW: 1-33, 2-43, 3-127, 4-244, 5-245, 6-246, 7-269, 8-282, 9-313, 10-324 Bowling: Paul19.5 4-118-3, Reifer 7-1-32-0, Motie 245-73-2, Permaul 29-9-733, Rutherford 9-2-21-2 Result: Jaguars won by an innings and 81 runs

Dharry, Marques produce fireworks

– Gonzalez fails to impress

By Michelangelo Jacobus

“S

angre Malo” lived up to all expectations and saw close to a capacity turnout at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall on Saturday evening; an occurrence which has not happening for quite some time.

The Guyanese boxers had mixed fortunes on the night with some hard fought battles; however, the standouts for the night were Elton “The Bully” Dharry and Dexter “The Kid” Marques who each produced master classes in the ring.

Dharry who described his clash with Venezuelan Jesus Vargas as “brutal” made it 19 consecutive victories since 2009. “The Bully” found tough opposition in Vargas who took a battering but meted some punishment as well.

In the first round Dharry came out of his corner with guns blazing and scored an early knockdown, however Vargas recovered and while he could not fend off Dharry he didn’t

L-R: Ray Campbell Jr, Trainer Lennox Blackmore, WBC FECARBOX Champion Sheldon Lawrence and the Referee

back down either.

Dharry who has been one of Guyana’s best boxers in the last decade came into the fight in top condition and it showed as he punched his way to a unanimous win on the judges’ cards. Across the three cards Dharry won 80-71 to remain undefeated at the CASH arena.

Meanwhile Marques showed supreme conditioning throughout his 10 round flyweight co-main event clash with Dionis Martinez. He also notched up a unanimous decision winning 98-92 and 91-91 on two of the three cards.

“The Kid” showed superior technical skill and while

Martinez had no answer he showed a lot of heart and an iron chin to last the distance with the hard hitting Marques.

Speaking to the media immediately after the fight Marques explained that he is feeling in fine form and superior physical conditioning ahead of his Commonwealth Flyweight title

fight against Jay Harris in the Copperbox Arena, Wales, UK. In the other co-main event, the only title fight of the night, Guyana’s Shawn Corbin was stopped by the current WBC FECARBOX Light Heavyweight champion Sheldon Lawrence (Trinidad and Tobago) in the 11th round of their 12 round fight.

Corbin was leading on the judges’ cards in the first half of the fight but Lawrence staged a comeback while Corbin took his foot off the gas; two minutes 52 seconds into the 11th round Lawrence landed a solid left hook to Corbin’s temple and it was lights out, however as the latter fell to the canvas he hit his head and was left unconscious for quite a few minutes and had to be stretchered out of the arena and rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC).

Dexter “Cobra” Gonzalez stumbled in his clash against the stocky Felipe Barcelo who was adjudged the winner of their 10 round lightweight

fight via unanimous decision winning 98-90 and 98-91 on two of the three judges’ cards.

While Gonzalez had a superior reach advantage, the shorter Barcelo was more aggressive and had the “Cobra” cornered on several occasions, however the latter is known for his heavy punching and he had Barcelo on the ropes on a few occasions but failed to capitalize on the openings thus losing out via points.

Earlier in the night debutant James Moore suffered a second round KO against Sheldon Clarke while Anson Green also lost via the same way in his light welterweight fight with Barbados’ Keithland King.

Boxing fans and sports enthusiasts alike left the CASH satisfied and well entertained; they will be pleased to know that the Guyana Boxing Board of Control (GBBC) and the promoter Nexgen Global Marketing are planning another international fight card for next month end.

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

monDAY, january 22, 2018

guyanatimesgy.com

CWI/Digicel 4-Day Championships 2017-18

Jaguars finish remarkable season in rampant style

…secure 4th title

Four titles, It's Champagne time! Guyana Jaguars bask in their glory after receiving the Headly/Weeks Championship trophy on Sunday at the National Stadium, Providence (Akeem Greene Photo)

Dharry, Marques produce fireworks – Gonzalez fails to impress Dexter “The Kid” Marques lands a body shot on Dionis Martinez during their flyweight clash (Carl Croker Photo)

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