Guyana Times 24 june, 2017

ACMW/Canadian Govt launch “Our House” booklet P13

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

Issue No. 3251

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Saturday, June 24, 2017

Truckers protest interior economic woes, deplorable roads

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WHAT'S INSIDE:

No militarisation of country – Granger

…say’s he had no role in appointments

P9

Int’l Public Service Day

Oil discovery bringing P14 back skilled workers – PS

Sugar protests getting under GuySuCo’s skin – GAWU P15

Page 3

8-year-old Sophia lad was murdered – PME P12

Missing pethidine at GPHC

Poor observatory practices blamed for disappearance – source P11

…investigation continuing

Berbice, Linden, ECD communities …Hope Canal saves flooded Mahaica/Mahaicony farmers Page 10

No private cars should be used as taxis – Traffic Chief warns P5

2 news

saturDAY, june 24, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Clogged canal leaves Ogle inundated for days A

s the rainy season continues to hit communities throughout Guyana, residents of Ogle on the East Coast of Demerara on Friday took to the streets to express their dilemma, brought on by a clogged canal which has been affecting their livelihoods for a number of months.

Despite prolonged outcries over the blocked channel, several residences and public conveniences are now under water as a result of the lack of much needed drainage in a time of heavy downpour.

With the main drainage covered in thick vegetation, the water continues to back up into the community, even making its way into villages nearby.

When Guyana Times visited the area on Friday, a number of homes, a school, a temple and several business establishments were among those affected by this backlogging.

A section of the clogged channel which left the nearby areas under water

Speaking with this publication, Robert Ramdass, the community’s representative on the Neighbourhood Democratic Council, explained the frustrating situation under which the residents are forced to live.

“The problem we are faced with is that this trench is overcrowded (with vegetation), and it is

flooded and the pumps are not working. It’s been like that for several weeks,” relayed Ramdass.

The councillor went on to say, “We keep raising the issue at the NCD level and all they keep telling us is that they gonna fix it. They engaging the attention of the Ministry of Infrastructure but nothing is being done.”

The nursery school was closed as a result of the flooding in Ogle

The concerned resident even indicated that, as a result of the flooding, students are being deprived of an education, given that the nearby Plindola Nursery School is unable to conduct regular classes. Ramdass further highlighted that while the Council was meeting on Wednesday, a caiman emerged from the clogged canal, thereby un-

derlining the threats of the unmaintained facility.

“As such, I’m appealing to the Government to do something about this trench here, because it is really bad for the school children. More importantly – and that’s what we’ve been stressing at the NDC level – all they’re doing is promising, and nothing else,” the councilor declared.

Also expressing her plight to the Guyana Times was Lilouttie Singh, a woman who has been residing in Ogle for over 50 years.

“Because of this trench, and the pump not working, my house fulla water,” the troubled woman explained.

As a matter of fact, Singh

noted that the flood has left her no choice but to seek refuge at a nearby residence. She is now reliant on her sister to provide her family with meals.

The clogged canal which has left the community of Ogle under water once again was said to be the property of the Guyana Sugar Corporation Inc (GuySuSo). However, the waterway is reportedly now under the commission of the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA), and has since been left in a deplorable state.

As such, the affected residents are calling on the relevant authorities to pay heed to their appeals so as to prevent further losses.

10-year-old needs $6M for life-saving surgery in India

A

mother of three is pleading with corporate and private Guyana to assist her in saving her 10-year-old daughter’s life by donating whatever financial resources they can, so she can travel to India for a lifesaving bone marrow transplant.

Shakira Peters of Linden, Region Ten, was diagnosed with sickle cell anaemia when she was two years old, and is always in and out of hospital. However, at the age of six, she suffered two major strokes, and has been wheelchair-bound ever since. She now needs a bone marrow transplant to live.

According to her mother, Nicola Peters, Shakira’s eldest sister has been identified as the donor, and the trio would require approximately $10 million to travel to India to have the surgery conducted at the Artemis Health Institute. They are expected to stay there for between 6 and 8 weeks.

Nicola told Guyana Times that she began raising money since June of 2016, and has thus far been able to raise $4 million, inclusive of $1 million donated by the Public Health Ministry. The distressed woman said that after the surgery her daughter would be able to walk again, and be able to lead a normal life.

Ten-year-old Shakira Peters

She noted that her eldest daughter, who is the donor, is 13 years old and is a student of the Linden Special School, since she has poor muscle strength. Nicola said she is unable to work, since daycare centres refuse to take in Shakira because of her fragility.

Thus far, Travel Span has donated three airline tickets for the trio to fly to New York, but they would be required to pay US$3100 each for a ticket to India.

Persons willing to make a donation can do so by making a deposit into Republic Bank account #7660129, or contact Nicola on telephone 684-7683.

news

BRIDGE OPENINGS The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Saturday, June 24 – 04:30h-06:00h and Sunday, June 25 – 05:30h-07:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Saturday, June 24 – 16:50h-18:20h and Sunday, June 25 – 05:00h-06:30h

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY

Thundery to heavy showers can be expected during the day, with light cloudy skies in the evening.

Temperatures should range between 24 degrees Celsius and 27 degrees Celsius.

Truckers protest interior economic woes, deplorable roads

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eports of an economic downturn were personified by a group of truck operators who travelled from the interior to Georgetown on Friday to complain about the economic woes gripping Guyana’s interior, and about the poor state of infrastructure.

On a good run, the group, part of Guyana’s services sector, transport contain-

and we’re trying to ask the relevant authorities to look into it for us,” Adams said.

“Because it is impossible to earn a living with the state of the interior roads,” he added.

He noted that while the Government did do some maintenance work, that work was done from Itaballi to Puruni Landing. Adams estimated the distance from Puruni Landing to Olive

The trucks parked on Church Street

Ministry prompted him to bring his grievances to the Opposition Leader. Adams revealed that he is solvent and has paid off all debts for ownership of his truck.

However, there are some who still have to pay off vehicle loans while at the same time suffering financial drain from repairing and maintaining their heavy duty vehicles.

Winds: Ranging from East South-easterly to East North-easterly and Easterly between 1.78 metres and 3.12 metres.

High Tide: 04:22h and 16:55h reaching maximum heights of 2.84 metres and 2.70 metres respectively.

Low Tide: 10:26h and 22:42h reaching minimum heights of 0.36 metre and 0.54 metre respectively.

WEDNESDAY, June 21, 2017

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FRIDAY, JUNE 23, 2017 DAILY MILLIONS 02 05 07 17 24 LUCKY 3 5 9 9 Afternoon Draw

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saturDAY, june 24, 2017 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Some of the truckers at the meeting on Friday

ers of fuel, ration, and other important items from Georgetown to various interior locations for various clients. Now, however, lack of work and deplorable roads have caused many to reconsider their multi-million-dollar investment in their heavy duty vehicles, and to downsize their operations.

They made their grievances known at the Office of the Leader of the Opposition on Church Street, Georgetown.

Their concerns included a dip in the amount of work they formerly had, the poor state of the Kurupung road in Region Seven, and the extensive bureaucratic process when dealing with regulatory agencies.

Richard Adams, who operates Global Exchange Trucking Service, affirmed that he is up-to-date on his taxes and has all his compliance papers in place. But he spoke of the pressure he is facing to make ends meet, while the lack of work bites down on his finances.

“It takes three months before you can get compliance, and in my case it lasts for 28 days. Now, for me to apply for Government contracts, I have to have a compliance. But look at all these bills I’m paying and I’m getting no jobs,” he lamented.

“Apart from that, the interior road (which) we traverse is in a deplorable state,

Creek to be at least 60 miles.

According to Adams, some of the trips that once took two days are taking more than triple that time to complete.

“It’s so deplorable (that) some of the trips we are taking 15 to 20 days to complete a round trip when we’re used to doing it in two days,” Adams lamented. The trucker also spoke about the toll he has to pay to pass through Linden. “Apart from that is the Linden toll. I don’t know why it is (that expensive). In my case, I’m paying $5000 at a toll, less than two miles later, I’m paying another $5000 to pass through Linden. And this is per trip! If we were coming out back from the interior with a load, they would ask for another $5000,” he explained.

The trucker claimed that having once owned five trucks, he is now down to his last truck. Adams spoke of the astronomical cost just to maintain that truck after

almost every trip, and intimated that he may come out of the business altogether. Adams said initial unsuccessful attempts to approach the Public Infrastructure

Other truckers

Other truckers who were present with Adams spoke of experiencing similar trouble. turn to page 9

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saturDAY, june 24, 2017

Views

Beating the heat!

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

Single parent homes

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he issue of fathers and their roles and responsibilities in the family, and society as a whole, took centre stage last Sunday when Guyana joined other countries, mainly those in the West, in celebrating Father’s Day. Normally, once Father’s Day approaches, religious organisations and other social groups utilise the opportunity to re-emphasise the need for fathers to take up their responsibilities more seriously so as to help create and build stronger family units.

It is generally accepted that when both parents are present in a home and carry out their roles fully in nurturing and providing the necessary guidance and support for children; they (children) turn out to lead more responsible and progressive lives as adults. On the other hand, when families disintegrate and one of the parents is missing from the home, there are lasting negative effects on children, especially in cases where such disintegration happens when the children are very young.

In Guyana, while there are no readily available statistics, it is believed that there is a huge percentage of children growing up in single-parent headed homes; in most cases without the much needed guidance and support of a father figure. Even in some cases where the fathers are present, they do not play an active role in their children’s early years of development.

No one can deny the importance of fathers in helping to nurture and care for children, especially in their early stages of development.

According to a new UNICEF analysis, more than half – or 55 per cent – of children aged between three and four years old in 74 countries – approximately 40 million – have fathers who do not play or engage in early learning activities with them.

UNICEF Director of Data, Research and Policy Laurence Chandy said that what these numbers show us is that fathers are struggling to play an active role in their children’s early years.

The UNICEF analysis, which uses Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS) data on parenting behaviours, looked at whether children aged three and four engaged in any play and early learning activities with their fathers. The activities include having their father read to the children, tell them stories or sing with them; taking them outside, playing with them; and naming, counting or drawing with them. The MICS is the largest collection of comparable data on parental behaviours in the world.

Certainly, much more could be done to encourage more fathers to play an active role in their young children’s development. The relevant government agencies, religious and community organisations must continue to highlight the importance of love, play, protection and good nutrition for the healthy development of young children’s brains.

According to UNICEF, advances in neuroscience have proven that when children spend their earliest years in a nurturing, stimulating environment, new neural connections can form at a once-in-a-lifetime speed of 1000 per second.

These connections help determine their health, ability to learn and deal with stress, and even influence their earning capacity as adults.

Research also suggests that exposure to violence and a lack of stimulation and care can prevent neural connections from occurring; and when children positively interact with their fathers, they have better psychological health, self-esteem and life-satisfaction in the long-term.

The Lancet’s Series, Advancing Early Childhood Development: from Science to Scale, launched in October 2016, revealed nearly 250 million children under five were at risk of poor development due to stunting and extreme poverty. The Series also revealed that programmes promoting nurturing care — health, nutrition, responsive caregiving, security and safety, and early learning — can cost as little as 50 cents per capita per year when combined with existing health services.

International organisations, such as UNICEF, have embarked on a campaign to encourage governments and the Private Sector to increase spending and influence policies to support early childhood development programmes that focus on providing parents with the resources and information they need to provide nurturing care to their children.

As stated by UNICEF: “We must break down the barriers that prevent fathers from providing their babies and young children a conducive environment for them to thrive, including love, play, protection and nutritious food. We must ensure that all parents have the time, resources and knowledge they need to fully support their children’s early development.”

A child plays in a fountain of water to cool off from the heat at the Miroir d'Eau (Mirror of Water), in Nantes as unusually high temperatures hit France (Reuters/Stephane Mahe)

Disappointment with Minister Trotman’s behaviour

Dear Editor, I watch the news often, but was shocked and flabbergasted when I saw the recent behaviour of Minister Raphael Trotman in Parliament. In that debate, Trotman’s behaviour towards former President Bharrat Jagdeo was very disrespectful. His tone of voice and his arrogance gives me much to desire. He behaves as if his Coalition Government will rule forever, and he is some sort of a God, holding power forever.

Though Mr Trotman was raving and ranting like a delirious man, the Speaker of the House failed to dispense his duties by stopping him or cautioning him to tone down his voice against Mr Jagdeo. It tells me clearly that we have no discipline in Parliament, and this sets a bad example to the citizens of this nation.

Mr Trotman, who happens to be a Christian, failed to conduct himself properly in Parliament. He sets a bad example of Christianity to the other honourable members of the House who are Hindus and Muslims. I believe he should be disciplined for his cantankerous and arrogant behaviour. In Parliament they refer to each other as honourable member. The word ‘’honourable” can be defined as: bringing or worthy of honour; honest, moral, ethical, principled, righteous, right-minded; decent, respectable, estimable, virtuous, good, upstanding, upright, worthy, noble, fair, just, truthful, trustworthy, law-abiding, reliable, reputable, creditable, dependable, illustrious, distinguished, eminent, great, glorious, renowned, acclaimed, prestigious, noble, creditable, admirable, “an

honourable man.”

From the definition given above, since our Parliamentarians here are calling each other ‘’honourable members’’ in their debate, I believe our erudite Attorney-at-law Mr Trotman failed to comprehend the meaning of the word honourable when I watched his despicable behaviour on national television. I believe he needs to apologize to Mr Jagdeo and the House for his deplorable behaviour. I am no member of any political party, but I also believe APNU means: A Partnership for National Unity; so what kind of National Unity is Minister Trotman portraying to the Guyanese people? Our Motto is One People, One Nation, One Destiny, but I see sheer racism and cronyism daily in this sad nation of ours.

It is my firm belief that

Parliament needs to have a code of conduct of ethical and moral behaviour; too many of our parliamentarians are just fit for the fish market, and not Parliament, or to hold any public office.

I believe President Granger should disciple the errant members of his coalition Government. Real leadership is putting this nation before our own needs, not by greed and personal gain; we must lead in truth, integrity and righteousness. I believe this nation has fallen morally, spiritually and academically. It’s about time people like Trotman humble themselves, because life is about sowing and reaping, and Karma will take its toll on arrogant leaders who believe they are the gods of Guyana. May God help us.

Yours faithfully, Rev Gideon Cecil

Cruelty to animals in Region 6 Dear Editor, As a resident of the Central Corentyne, East Berbice area, it is appalling to watch the inhuman treatment meted out to animals, especially cow, dogs, horses, donkeys, etc. This happens on a daily basis in front of Policemen and other Guyanese, and no one reacts to this crime against the animals.

Cruelty to animals is no big thing here in these parts of Region Six. A few days ago, a man beat his dog to death because the dog played with the tablecloth and destroyed it. This happened in front of family members and neighbours, and everyone just stood there, watched and stayed quiet.

Also, this week, I discovered the street dogs are

being poisoned as a way of cleansing the housing settlement. This is not the first mass killing of dogs.

Guyana has so much land space, why can’t the Guyana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (GSPCA) or the Ministry of Agriculture provide shelters that can accommodate these animals until they can be resettled in new homes?

Another point is that GSPCA should have locations in all the regions across Guyana, not only in Georgetown, to help prevent cruelty being meted out to these animals, and to enforce laws that protect animals in this regard.

Regards, Concerned Citizen

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News

$7.5M approved for pests management in coconut industry …project to commence in July

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armers in the coconut industry who have been complaining of suffering major losses through diseases and pest infestation can now pin their hopes for relief on the Caribbean Agricultural Research and Development Institute (CARDI), which has recently announced that it has been approved the sum of $7.5 million to battle the situation.

The Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Strategy, slated to commence in July 2017, seeks to increase the level of productivity in the coconut industry, which of recent has seen a major decline.

The project, developed by the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI), will implement strategic measures to directly address the current issue.

IPM strategy is to focus on key stages, such as sanitation and the monitoring of the co-

conut plants, in addition to practising intercropping using crops such as pumpkins, beans and cucumbers etc.

However, field testing is to be conducted before the initiative commences in the areas that are predominantly affected, such as Mahaica in Region Five; Wakenaam in Region Three; and the Pomeroon in Region Two. Large-scale coconut farmer and Councillor of Pomeroon, Vilma Da Silva, only recently reported that coconut production has significantly decreased as a result of the infestation of red palm mite. Red palm mite causes the leaves of plants to wither before falling off, in time killing that plant.

DaSilva explained that coconut production had declined by 75%, and that decline was taking a toll on the coconut estates in the Pomeroon. At a statutory meeting held to discuss the issue, Da Silva had highlight-

ed the importance of the coconut industry to the livelihoods of those in Region Two, and had called for the situation to be given urgent attention.

"Urgent attention needs to be given to coconut farmers. Rice is always declining, and if the coconut industry is affected, it will definitely have a negative effect on the region's economy," Da Silva explained.

The councillor had further called for improved quarantine measures to be taken, as the failure to practise this safety measure had over time caused the spread of diseases in the coconut industry.

And farmers of Wakenaam in Region Three are currently battling the same issue, as the red palm mite, known as the Raoiella indica Hirst, has also resurfaced on that island. One farmer, Ramkisson, has reached out to Guyana Times to express great concern that some 600 coconut plants in his nursery could all be af-

fected by the mite, as its infestation continues to spread.

The presence of the red palm mite was first discovered in Wakenaam back in 2004.

In Mahaica, Region Five, farmers are complaining of a similar issue plaguing them and contributing to major losses in that region.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NAREI, Dr Oudho Homenauth, has said that to maximize the coconut industry’s production at this point, special care is needed at the early stages of planting.

He highlighted other pests and diseases that coconut palms are currently subjected to, such as Red Palm mite, Red palm weevil, Scale insects, whiteflies, coconut Rhinoceros beetle, Coconut eriophyid mite, Coconut mealy bug and Coconut Red Ring.

Guyana is home to over 25,000 hectares of coconut palms, grown in Regions One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six and Ten; and has

Dissatisfaction with Govt’s handling of oil

Dear Editor, An opinion poll conducted earlier this month by the North American Caribbean Teachers Association to gauge public views on varied contemporary issues found a population very dissatisfied with Government’s handling of the oil contract, economy, sugar and rice industries, crime, corruption, race relations, and several other issues considered critical to national development.

The composition of the respondents (430) reflected the general demographic diversity of the population (41 per cent Indians, 31 per cent Africans, 17 per cent Mixed, 10 per cent Amerindians, one per cent others). The poll was conducted by this writer. There was a margin of error of four per cent.

The eligible voting public in the opinion survey identified several issues of paramount importance to the nation – crime, poor governance, the economy (increasing unemployment, rising cost of living, declining business, lack of circulation of money, etc), corruption, racism, ascending use of illegal drugs, soaring taxation, growing alcoholism, and domestic abuse as among the major problems afflicting the nation.

Queried which is the most important problem, nearly every respondent said the problems are all equally important and are inter-related.

They noted that each problem critically impacts on national development. When pinned down to identify the one that they feel needs urgent attention, 40 per cent said the economy, followed by 20 per cent who said racism, 18 per cent crime, and 10 per cent corruption.

Asked if they think the Government is racist, 54 per cent (mostly PPP and AFC supporters) said yes, with 40 per cent (mostly PNC supporters) saying no.

Asked if they are satisfied with the Government’s handling of the economy, 62 per cent said no, with only 30 per cent saying yes. Some 60 per cent said the country is not moving in the right direction, as compared with 31 per cent who said it is going in the right direction. Some 58 per cent of the surveyed sample feel the Government has been condoning “corruption” since it came into office two years ago. Some 72 per cent of the country feels the APNU/AFC government has been too secretive in its conduct of national affairs; 14 per cent are satisfied with the limited amount of information provided by the Government on its policies and contracts.

Some 78 per cent of the population (including large numbers of APNU/AFC supporters) feel the Government should release the Exxon oil contract to the public; only 13 per cent supports the Government’s position in not divulging the details of the oil contract. And just 22 per cent are satisfied with the Government’s effort at combating crime.

Asked if they support the planned closure of several sugar estates, 60 per cent said no, with 28 per cent (primarily PNC supporters) saying yes.

Almost everyone in the sugar estates feel none of the estates should be closed. Sugar workers feel the estates and GuySuCo can be profitable if properly run, and not used as a political football.

Asked if closed sugar estate lands should be given to terminated (unemployed) sugar workers for agricultural

production, a significant majority (58 per cent) say yes, with 25 per cent (primarily PNC supporters) saying no, and the others saying they are not sure.

Every respondent in Wales and the greater West Demerara area said the Wales estate land should be given to sugar estate workers to rehabilitate the sugar industry, or be used for farming.

Rice farmers throughout the country express a serious concern that the Government

is not helping them; and worse, has been undermining the rice industry. Asked if they agree with the view (of Government neglect of rice industry) as expressed by rice farmers, 52 per cent in the national survey said yes, in contrast with 37 per cent who said no.

The poll also queried respondents on other issues; those findings will be released in a subsequent report.

Sincerely, Vishnu Bisram

an average annual production of 92 million nuts. The coconut industry remains an important source of live-

lihood for farmers, and is ranked as the third most important crop economically.

No private cars should be used as taxis – Traffic Chief warns

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raffic Chief Superintendent Dion Moore is calling on citizens, for their own safety, to be cognisant of private cars operating as taxis. During an interview with the Government Information Agency (GINA), Moore said the Guyana Police Force Traffic Department has thus far charged 369 persons who used their cars for a purpose other than they are licensed for.

Moore explained that many times when someone calls for a taxi, it is only upon arrival of the car that they realise that they are being picked up by a private car.

“As long as you, the member of the public, request a taxi and you recognise that it is a private car, you should refuse from entering that car, because you are not covered by the insurance, and it is a breach,” the Traffic Chief stated.

Asked if there is anything that can be done to prohibit taxi services from using private cars, the traffic chief responded in the negative. He said the GPF cannot stop taxi services from having private cars work for them, but he pointed out that operators will be charged once they are caught breaking the law.

Traffic Chief Superintendent Dion Moore

“We cannot have owners of taxi services to only have private cars registered, they can have private cars, but the use of those cars is what contributes to the offence… you cannot be licensed to operate private and want to carry passengers in your private car; it is an offence, and once we recognise that is what you are using it for, then we will charge you, once you are caught,” Moore explained.

The Traffic Chief reiterated his call on owners of private cars not to use their vehicles for a purpose other than that for which the vehicles were licensed. He also asks that members of the public desist from utilising such cars, as their safety could be at serious risk.

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Foundation

9 strategies for motivating students in MathematicsKeep your high school Maths students

BY ALFRED POSAMENTIER

M

otivating students to be enthusiastically receptive is one of the most important aspects of Mathematics instruction and a critical aspect of any curriculum. Effective teachers focus attention on the less interested students as well as the motivated ones. Here are nine techniques – based on intrinsic and extrinsic motivation – that can be used to motivate secondary school students in Mathematics.

Extrinsic and intrinsic motivation Extrinsic motivation involves rewards that occur outside the learner’s control.

These may include token economic rewards for good performance, peer acceptance of good performance, avoidance of “punishment” by performing well, praise for good work, and so on.

However, many students demonstrate intrinsic motivation in their desire to understand a topic or concept (task-related), to outperform others (ego-related), or to impress others (social-related). The last goal straddles the fence between intrinsic and extrinsic.

With these basic concepts in mind, there are specific techniques that might be expanded, embellished, and adapted to the teacher’s personality and, above all, made appropriate for the learner’s level of ability and environment. The strategies are the important parts to remember – examples are provided merely to help understand the techniques.

Strategies for increasing student motivation in Maths 1. Call attention to a void in students’ knowledge: Revealing to students a gap in their understanding capitalises on their desire to learn more. For instance, you may present a few simple exercises involving familiar situations, followed by exercises

engaged with these techniques

involving unfamiliar situations on the same topic. The more dramatically you reveal the gap in understanding, the more effective the motivation.

2. Show a sequential achievement: Closely related to the preceding technique is having students appreciate a logical sequence of concepts. This differs from the previous method in that it depends on students’ desire to increase, not complete, their knowledge. One example of a sequential process is how special quadrilaterals lead from one to another, from the point of view of their properties.

3. Discover a pattern: Setting up a contrived situation that leads students to discover a pattern can often be quite motivating, as they take pleasure in finding and then owning an idea. An example could be adding the numbers from one to 100. Rather than adding the numbers in sequence, students add the first and last (1 + 100 = 101), and then the second and next-to-last (2 + 99 = 101), and so on. Then all they have to do to get the required sum is solve 50 × 101 = 5050. The exercise will give students an enlightening experience with a truly lasting effect. There are patterns that can be motivating, especially if they are discovered by the student – of course, being guided by the teacher.

4. Present a challenge: When students are challenged intellectually, they react with enthusiasm. Great care must be taken in selecting the challenge. The problem (if that is the type of challenge) must definitely lead into the lesson and be within reach of the students’ abilities. Care should be taken so that the challenge does not detract from the lesson but in fact leads to it.

5. Entice the class with a “gee whiz” mathematical result: There are many examples in the Mathematics realm that are

often counterintuitive. These ideas by their very nature can be motivating. For example, to motivate basic belief in probability, a very effective motivation is a class discussion of the famous birthday problem, which gives the unexpectedly high probability of birthday matches in relatively small groups.

It’s amazing – even unbelievable – result will leave the class in awe.

6. Indicate the usefulness of a topic: Introduce a practical application of genuine interest to the class at the beginning of a lesson. For example, in high school geometry, a student could be asked to find the diameter of a plate where all the information he or she has is a section of the plate that is smaller than a semicircle. The applications chosen should be brief and uncomplicated to motivate the lesson rather than detract from it.

7. Use recreational Mathematics: Recreational motivation involves puzzles, games, paradoxes, or the school building or other nearby structures. In addition to being selected for their specific motivational gain, these devices must be brief and simple. An effective execution of this technique will allow students to complete the recreation without much effort. Once again, the fun that these recreational examples generate should be carefully handled, so as not to detract from the ensuing lesson.

8. Tell a pertinent story: A story of a historical event (for example, the story of how Carl Friedrich Gauss added the numbers from one to 100 within one minute when he was a 10-year-old in 1787) or a contrived situation can motivate students.

Teachers should not rush while telling the story – a hurried presentation minimises the potential motivation of the strategy.

9. Get students actively involved in justifying mathematical curiosities: One of

the more effective techniques for motivating students is to ask them to justify one of many pertinent mathematical curiosities, like the fact that when the sum of the digits of a number is divisible by nine, the original number is also divisible by nine. The students should be familiar and comfortable with the mathematical curiosity before you challenge them to defend it.

Teachers of Mathematics must understand the basic motives already present in their learners. The teacher can then play on these motivations

to maximise engagement and enhance the effectiveness of the teaching process.

Exploiting student motivations and affinities can lead to the development of artificial mathematical problems and situations. But if such methods generate genuine interest in a topic, the techniques are eminently fair and desirable.

You can find more examples of how to use these strategies in my book with Stephen Krulik, Effective Techniques to Motivate Mathematics Instruction. (Edutopia. org)

Striking out: When parents hit - here’s a confession: I have hit my children

BY JOYCE MAYNARD

I

was angry when I did it – out of control, even. It scared my children, and scared me too. It also filled me with shame.

This may be the worst of all the dirty little secrets of parenthood – worse than the times we’ve bought our son a candy bar to keep him happy at the supermarket, the times we’ve let our daughter watch cartoons all morning so we could talk on the phone. As much as we may share with friends our irritation over socks and toys scattered on the floor or our discouragement over piles of laundry that never go away, this is one trial of parenthood that many of us suffer alone. I believed for years that if I ever told a friend how I sometimes yelled at my children – let alone that I slapped my son – she’d think I was a bad mother.

It isn’t only our children who become overtired, overstressed and out of control at times. We do, too. In fact, few experiences are more likely to bring about these feelings than the 24-houra-day job of raising young children. But where we all recognise

and accept that now and then our children are going to act out, few parents afford themselves any margin at all for similar frailties.

It’s been years now since I slapped my daughter or my younger son. I made a promise to myself, and to my children, that I’ll never let it happen again. For me, a crucial part of learning how to avoid surrendering to that impulse has been to understand the way it develops, and – most important – to talk about it with other parents.

Surprisingly, nearly everybody I spoke with had at one time or another hit their child. And for nearly every one, it was a source of shame. The parents I’m talking about aren’t the ones who habitually smack their children or who can’t make a trip to the supermarket without yelling at them, yanking their arms and calling them names. I’m talking about the kind of parent who would look with horror and shock at those who abuse their children, the kind of parent who has probably even made a conscious choice not to spank.

There was a lot of comfort for me in the simple discovery that I was far from the only such mother who’d raised a hand in anger to her child. Most important, there was a lot of support in the experiences of parents who’d confronted the issue of hitting a child, and learned how to avoid it.

From the time he was an infant, my son Willy was the most challenging of my three children. My daughter, Audrey, would voluntarily send herself to her room when she’d misbehaved in some minor way (even as a toddler), and you had only to say the word “no” to my first son, Charlie, and his lower lip would start to quiver, he was so anxious to please us. But Willy revealed himself early as a fighter. Almost from the moment of his birth, he seemed bent on locating the boundaries we set and venturing past them. Tell him to keep his food on the plate or in his mouth, and he’d throw a handful on the floor. Tell him to stay away from his sister’s dollhouse, and he’d make a beeline for it. I tried the calm, rational approach: two warnings, with consequences clearly described and carried out if necessary.

When that failed to have any effect on his behaviour, I decided to alter my no-spanking policy. (parenting.com) TO BE CONTINUED

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saturDAY, june 24, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Govt policies will bring about ‘better life’ by 2020 – President Granger

Health sector staff shortages being addressed – Lawrence

… says Guyana on the brink of a micro-enterprise revolution

P

resident David Granger is confident that the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) coalition is going to be re-elected for a second term in office come 2020, saying that the Guyanese people have a deep appreciation of what his Administration has been doing over the past two years.

“There are lots of changes which have taken place… and I think by 2020 people will see these changes have brought about by a better life,” he told reporters on the latest edition of ‘The Public Interest’ which was aired Friday in the National Communications Network (NCN).

Speaking about the various policies his Government has implemented, the Head of State noted that initiatives such as ‘Green State’ have been well received with more Guyanese consciously taking steps towards sustainable development of their communities and by extension the country.

Moreover, the President outlined that while persons have recognised that the country is experiencing economic difficulties, there are some who have used the opportunity to push start a new economic revolution. He pointed out that people across the country are increasingly producing quality commodities from their homes and in small factories.

“There is an upwelling of micro-enterprises and I think once people go around the country they’re going to see that some of the changes that were introduced over the past two years are taking root,” the President said.

The Government through

President David Granger checking out some of the products displayed for sale at the Essequibo Agro and Trade Expo, along with President of the Essequibo Chamber of Commerce, Deleep Singh

several programmes is creating an enabling environment for the development of micro enterprises and as such, the Administration is working to facilitate the growth of such small businesses that will peddle the micro-economy.

“I think we are on the brink of a micro-enterprise revolution… The country is not bankrupt, it is not on a point of economic collapse (in fact) there is great vitality,” he stated.

The President went on to talk about the impact the creation of the new three capital towns at Bartica, Lethem and Mabaruma, along with the pre-existing towns, are having on the economy. These towns, he noted, are intended to be central business hubs and a key part of the development of this productive business environment for entrepreneurs.

“Part of the reason why we campaigned so long and hard for Local Government Elections is because it would revitalise the neighbourhoods by establishing capital

towns in those three areas,” he said.

Even as Government works to increase foreign direct investment, the Guyanese Leader said efforts are being made to promote value added goods and services produced at the micro level for exportation.

“We are working on building the micro and improve the macro investments,” the Head of State noted.

Capacity building is a critical component of this and the Business Ministry through the Small Business Bureau (SBB) and the “New Guyana Marketing Corporation (NEWGMC) is facilitating workshops for small businesses and entrepreneurs in the agricultural and manufacturing sectors, which provide information on improved agro-processing methods. Entrepreneurs can benefit, also, from the Small Business Initiative Fund.

To continue to foster the growth of micro enterprises, there are mechanisms provided through various agen-

cies and Ministries.

Government’s push towards entrepreneurship is also demonstrated in the establishment of initiatives such as the Sustainable Livelihood and Entrepreneurial Development (SLED) Initiative; the Hinterland Employment and Youth Service (HEYS) Programme; and the Linden Enterprise Network (LEN). These programmes, since their establishment, have sought to equip young people with the requisite skills, knowledge and finances needed to become thriving entrepreneurs.

Added to these, the Education Ministry in recognition of the high level of unemployment among Guyana’s youth, and the need to promote youth development, has embarked on a youth innovation project; the YIPoG. The project will address in and out-of-school youth, and is intended to “harness the hidden innovative spirit among young people, by providing timely and affordable interventions and funding to implement their pioneering ideas.” Some $50 million has been earmarked for the funding aspect of this initiative.

Public Health Minister Volda Lawrence

T

he Public Health Ministry (MPH), plagued for over a decade by staff shortages in various capacities, is actively working to address the staff shortage situation that currently exists within the sector.

Public Health Minister Volda Lawrence has expressed grave concern that the MPH has never had a Human Resources (HR) Department, although the MPH “employs thousands of people.” In place of an HR

Dept, there exists a “simple personnel department.”

The MPH is now taking steps to put measures in place to establish a Human Resource (HR) Department.

“Discussions are being facilitated to hire a consultant to set up (an) HR Department within the Ministry of Public Health,” Minister Lawrence is quoted by the Government Information Agency (GINA) as saying.

Vacancies have been advertised in the daily newspapers for positions in the Information Technology and Human Resources departments, and Minister Lawrence has said that although the process has been lengthy, interviews are currently being conducted in an effort to fill vacant positions in the sector.

The Public Service Commission (PSC) has in fact been conducting these interviews over the past two weeks. However, the strategy being employed is firstly to look internally to promote and reassign qualified persons, since “many persons who have the necessary skills and experience in certain fields are not working in (those fields),” Minister Lawrence explained.

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saturDAY, june 24, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

IN THE COURTS

2 Cubans charged for fraud, overstaying

C

amilo Garcia, 31, was placed before Magistrate Sunil Scarce on Friday shortly after Police nabbed him on the Lethem-Georgetown trail at Kurupukari Crossing, Essequibo River.

The charge – interpreted to the Spanish-speaking Cuban – stated that between March 29, 2017, and June 22, 2017 at Georgetown, he failed to comply with conditions subject to which a permit was granted, that is to say having been permitted to stay in Guyana from December 28, 2016 to March 28, 2017, he overstayed.

According to the prosecution’s case, the accused arrived in the country using his Republic of Cuba passport via the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) and was granted a threemonth stay. On June 22, he was intercepted by Police officials at the Kurupukari Crossing on his way to

Georgetown (from Lethem) and subsequent checks revealed that Garcia had overstayed his time in the country.

In court on Friday, Garcia readily admitted to the offence and stated that he was travelling to Georgetown to purchase a ticket to return home. He further related that during his stay in Guyana he did construction work and masonry, or whatever was required of him to secure income to remit to his family in Cuba to pay his ailing son’s medical bills.

Garcia relayed that he only desires to return home to his son’s side to which Magistrate Scarce responded “your wish will be granted.”

However, the Cuban disclosed that he did not have sufficient funds to purchase an airplane ticket. He was nonetheless ordered to pay a fine of $30,000 and immediately escorted to the nearest port of exit thereafter.

Meanwhile, Barbara De Vierra was released on $200,000 bail after denying a charge of conspiring to commit a felony and uttering a forged document.

Magistrate Scarce read the first charge, which stated that between February 6 and June 21, 2017, she conspired to commit a felony; that is to say she conspired with person/s to forge a Guyana Immigration Service extension of stay stamp purporting to show that it was issued by the Central Immigration and Passport Office.

In addition, De Vierra on June 21, 2017 at the Central Immigration and Passport Office in Georgetown with intent to defraud, uttered to an immigration officer one Republic of Cuba Passport with a forged Guyana Immigration Service extension of stay stamp knowing it to be forged.

The woman’s Attorney,

Paul Fung-A-Fat, told the court that his client was in Guyana visiting a friend named only as Debbie-Anna who had accompanied her to the Passport Office recently, where upon uttering the document to an Immigration officer, she discovered that the extension stamp was forged. De Vierra had allegedly paid an acquaintance some US$300 to visit the Immigration Office to secure an extension of stay and had no knowledge of the forgery, as she had all this time believed the extension stamp to be genuine.

Moreover, the woman is reportedly expecting to be married to a Guyanese in due time. Defence Counsel further stated that the woman came as a genuine tourist while assuring the court that she is no “night butterfly”.

Bail was granted to the sum of $100,000 for each charge. The matter continues on July 7.

of cannabis.

Zayn Jarris’ lawyer in a bail application told the court that on June 20, 2017, at James Street, Albouystown, Georgetown, Police raided the premises in which there were some 20

persons and found a quantity of leaves, stems and seeds suspected to be cannabis.

This he argued could not be attributed to his client’s possession. The court also heard that the accused is a father of one and a mechanic by trade with no previous or pending matters before the courts.

Bail was granted in these circumstances and Jarris is expected to return to court

on July 28.

Meanwhile, a 19-year-old pregnant relative of Jarris was also hauled before the Magistrate for obstructing a Constable of the Guyana Police Force in the execution of his duties in relation to the arrest of Zayn Jarris.

The mother of one, who is currently six months pregnant, was released on $40,000. The case will continue on July 10.

Teen on bail for ganja possession

A

19-year-old father of one was on Friday charged and released on $50,000 bail when he denied a charge before Magistrate Sunil Scarce which stated that he had in his possession seven grams

Diversification…

O

…in agriculture nce again, your Eyewitness isn’t quite sure why so many persons have their drawers in a knot over the “policies” of the Government.

They’ve got to get it into their heads that -- as he’s been stressing -- this is a PNC-LED GOVERNMENT! And the PNC knows only one way to lead: follow the path of Comrade Leader Burnham; and that by dictat!

It’s always that way or the highway; as the AFC found out early on, and the WPA are slowly getting into their thick skulls!

Take the “policy” of “Diversification” that’s become their mantra in agriculture, especially as their cure-all for the beleaguered sugar industry: This is the same policy enunciated by Burnham back in the seventies.

For instance, we’re now hearing about “tilapia” as the miracle fish that’ll provide the world with scarce protein. No problem about finding markets -- the world will be beating a track to our doors! But didn’t Burnham introduce tilapia back then?

He certain did!! He even brought a species from Africa -- Mozambique, if your Eyewitness’s memory serves him right. Shouldn’t the Government at least find out why the experiment under the PNC’s first regime failed? Doesn’t it make sense to avoid the mistakes that even their great, omniscient Comrade Leader made? But that’s the problem, isn’t it?

Omniscient Comrade Leaders couldn’t possibly make mistakes, could they?

It had to be the ineptitude of those who failed to execute his brilliantly conceived policies! This time, the Government will get tilapia right! And the same for black eye peas, cotton, cassava, potatoes, etc. etc. We won’t even mention the Diversification programme in agriculture by the PPP- 5Ps?? Peppers, pumpkin and what else? Never mind these were supposed to be “high value” compared to commodities like rice and sugar; that markets were also identified, farmers were trained, processing facilities were constructed next to the producers etc. -- all with so much hoopla.

That diversification by definition -- if the PNC is to be believed -- had to have failed due to “PPP corruption”!

So why look into it? As to the IDB, which designed and oversaw the programme, they also had to be in on the “corruption”. But it does look like the present PNC is following one of the Comrade Leader’s moves even before his diversification drive. Rather than “high value”, this lot, led by that genius in agriculture, Holder, is diversifying into rice at Wales!!

Never mind that the rice market is depressed and farmers are reducing their acreage cultivated in the coming crop. What do they know?

The Comrade Leader knew best! Didn’t he also ruin the economy? …of criminal charges Well, the PPP seemed to have discovered, at last, that two can play the “stain game”. As we know, the PNC-led gov’t has been filing criminal charges right, left and centre against members of the PPP Administration.

While some say - at the very best - there might be fire where there’s smoke - it does appear the Government’s putting together these cases with smoke and mirrors!

Let’s get real! Nandlall might’ve been gauche to have the Government pay for his law books’ subscription, but a criminal charge for theft? Pleeese!!

And why does the Government insist on including the massive cost of relocating the Transmission Tower from “Pradoville II. The Ogle Airport folks -- no friends of the PPP -- have verified the relocation was occasioned because of the expansion of the airport.

Anyhow, the PPP will now be filing criminal charges against PNC MPs: for not filing their assets with the Integrity Commission since 2001!

Maybe they should also forget Jagan’s magnanimity and go back to all the PNC’s criminality before 1992?? …of labour pool Prezzie says he’s not “militarising” the Government.

The eighty-five military officers hired by his regime in top governmental positions are just like the five the PPP had hired.

When does the quantitative change the qualitative?

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

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saturDAY, june 24, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

No militarisation of country – Granger …say’s he had no role in appointments

P

resident David Granger has denied claims that the recent flurry of former army officers being appointed to top posts in the state apparatus since his Government took office has a sinister motive behind it.

Speaking on this week’s edition of ‘The Public Interest’ programme, which was recorded on Thursday, the Head of State said the country is not being militarised, but is still very much civil.

“We’re still civil. Have you seen me in uniform over the last five years? No. So the country is not being militarised, and the mere appointment of persons who had military experience is not a sign of milita-

President David Granger

risation.”

Granger then drew a correlation with the claims of militarisation and his cabinet being dominated by attorneys-at-law, saying

that the argument cannot be made that he is “legalising the cabinet.”

The Coalition Government has come in for much criticism, especially from the Opposition, for appointing military personnel, whether serving or retired, to several state positions.

Only recently, former army Chief Brigadier George Lewis was appointed as deputy CEO of the GPHC, and is now acting CEO after the recent axing of former CEO Allan Johnson. Meanwhile, Lt. Colonel (ret’d) Lelon Saul is heading the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA).

Referring to these two cases, President Granger

Truckers protest interior...

According to Damon Motilall, the owner of one truck, he has been transporting fuel and ration for gold miners in the interior. But while mining is one of the biggest sectors in the country, the untenable condition of the road is a major concern. “I and my family and colleagues are very affected by this. I can’t get to work -- also my colleagues can’t get to work -- because the road is not accessi-

ble so that we can do our jobs comfortable and earn a decent salary to maintain our families and pay our bills.

We need the Government to look into our matter, to see how best they can make these roads accessible,” he declared.

Robert Henry, another trucker, is in a position of having to pay vehicle instalments while having to fork up astronomical sums of money to maintain his vehicle. “Last

from page 3

Thursday, I left to make a trip to Puruni, (and) only yesterday (Thursday) I returned,” Henry lamented. “The expense that it cost me, I can’t afford to maintain the truck with the deplorable condition of the road. I still owe for my truck, and I cannot maintain my family (under the prevailing) situation. So I am asking the Government if they can maintain the road and make it accessible,” he explained.

noted that he had no say in these appointments. In fact, he went on to outline that it was the PPP/C regime that started the practice of recruiting former military officers in the Public Sector.

“The practise of recruiting former military officers wasn’t initiated by the APNU Administration.

Major General Joe Singh and Major General (Michael) Atherly were there before I got in. Colonel Ramsarup was at CDC.” Major General Atherly, who was appointed to head the National AntiNarcotics Agency (NANA), is also the acting head of the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU), after the recent firing of long-time head, James Singh.

Moreover, Granger noted that his administration continued the practice since many of these army officers were qualified.

The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) has always expressed reservations about the appointment of former military personnel to key positions in the state.

Since the coalition Government came to office in May 2015, several retired Guyana Defence Force (GDF) officers have been appointed to key advisory positions within the

Rear Admiral (Ret’d) Gary Best

Lieutenant Lelon Saul

Colonel

(ret’d)

Government. These include Rear Admiral (Ret’d) Gary Best and Brigadier (Ret’d) Edward Collins, both former Chiefs of Staff of the GDF. Collins has been appointed Presidential Advisor on National Security, while Best has been appointed Presidential Advisor on the Environment. Additionally, a number of soldiers have been seconded to work in the Defence Secretariat at the Ministry of the Presidency.

Last year, the Ministry of the Presidency had announced that Colonel Nazrul Hussain would head the Department of National Events, after a series of ar-

rangements for Guyana’s 50th Independence Anniversary had been bungled. Army officers have also been appointed to a number of State Boards and other civilian positions.

And Granger’s Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, is a retired army colonel. The PPP’s concerns were amplified after two army officers were appointed to head Commissions of Inquiry.

Retired Brigadier Bruce Lovell had been appointed to conduct a CoI into allegations of corruptions at CANU, and retired Colonel Windee Algernon had been appointed to conduct a CoI into a deadly fire at the Children’s Drop-in Centre.

10 news

saturDAY, june 24, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Heavy rains leave Berbice flooded …Hope Canal saves Mahaica/Mahaicony farmers

By Andrew Carmichael

A

deluge which started on Thursday afternoon and continued until Friday morning has left residential areas along the 85-mile length of Region Six (East Berbice/Corentyne) inundated with more than 12 inches of rainfall.

Farms in backland communities have also been adversely affected, and some schools in the region were closed as a result of the rainfall.

New Amsterdam, in the heart of the region, saw businesses in the main shopping area flooded and business persons pointing accusing fingers at the Mayor and Town Council for not doing enough to prevent flooding from being so extensive.

Some of the areas hardest hit were Numbers 47, 51, 52 and 54 villages on the Corentyne Coast, along with Black Bush Polder. Farmers on the East Bank of Berbice

were frustrated at their cash crops being endangered by the flood waters, and a canal which should have been dug earlier this week remains blocked.

The regional administration, having met with farmers, decided to employ a contractor to excavate the blocked canal with three machines. However, a person who has no equipment was given the contract, and he, in turn, subcontracted the job, thus only one machine is being used.

One farmer, Carlos Chrisom, said the Lighttown Crown Canal is blocked, and this is preventing water from draining out of the backlands. He noted that apart from Thursday night’s rain, farmers at Lighttown have been suffering for some time, thus the meeting was arranged with the regional administration.

Guyana Times visited farms in the area and saw sweet potatoes and oth-

er vegetables under several inches of water.

According to one resident, Mohan Sookoo of Juditcum, the flooding in that village is due to silting of the canal.

Meanwhile, residents in East Canje were under several inches of water up to late Friday night. Regional Chairman David Armogan, who visited several of the flood-hit areas, explained that the regional administration is not able to get the services of the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo), which in the past assisted with drainage and irrigation whenever there was heavy rainfall.

He explained that villages such as Canefield are low-lying and hence would be the first to flood.

He noted that several pumps have been put into operation at villages along the Corentyne Coast. He explained that during Friday morning, the regional ad-

The flooded courtyard of the Berbice High Court

ministration was depending on gravity drainage, but as the tide rose and sluices were closed by midday, pumps were put into operation.

“We are hoping that, with no more rain, places like the Black Bush Polder will be drained in another day or two. The thing is (that) once you get that intensity of rainfall, it becomes difficult to get all of the wa-

ter off the land within four hours. We are only allowed three to four hours of gravity drainage, because of the tide… Maybe for the twenty-four-hour period, you will get about eight hours gravity drainage,” he explained.

At New Forest in East Canje, more than 200 acres of rice are under threat.

According to Mahace Rupert, the rice is about two weeks old, and will be destroyed if the water is not removed shortly. He said there is no drainage to allow the water to get into the Canje River.

Rice farmers in the Mahaica/Mahaicony/Abary area have also experienced flooding.

Regional Chairman Vickchand Ramphal told this publication that the Hope Canal has played a great role in reducing flooding in those communities.

“In the past, when the East Demerara Conservancy would have reached its maximum level, water would normally be channelled to the Mahaica Creek area and flood that area. However, since the canal was dug and

A parking spot at the Berbice High Court

However, he noted that it was the farmers who benefit from the infrastructure, but he said he was still pleading with the regional administration to assist.

Region Five

Meanwhile, in Region Five, a similar situation existed on Thursday night.

Rainfall, punctuated with lightning and thunder, resulted in flooding of both residential and farming areas.

Among the hard hit areas were Bush Lot, Trafalgar, Bath Settlement, Kingelly, Rosignol and Tempie villages. Farmer have lost crops, especially those in Bath Settlement and the Mahaicony areas of Airy Hall, Huntley, Dundee and Novar.

is fully operational, it would have helped tremendously with (draining) the farming communities within the Mahaica/Mahaicony/Abary area,” Ramphal noted.

He said the Region 5 Administration has sought assistance from the NDIA to acquire pumps, but only one has been made available to the region.

Other flood-hit areas are also calling on the NDIA to assist with pumps. According to Ramphal, the Regional Democratic Council is not doing much to assist.

The chairman explained to the Guyana Times that the regional administration is faced with difficulties at the regional level because of lack of cooperation from the council.

saturDAY, june 24, 2017

guyanatimesgy.com

11

News

Missing pethidine at GPHC

Poor observatory practices blamed for disappearance – source …investigation continuing

P

oor observatory practices are being blamed for the late discovery of the missing pethidine at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) Male Medical Ward, according to a source close to the investigation.

On June 11, while changing shifts, it was discovered that 10 vials of pethidine, a controlled painkiller under the Dangerous Drugs Act, was discovered missing. The missing drug was replaced by magnesium sulfate.

A source close to the investigation said the discovery came after the male nurse taking over the night shift observed magnesium sulfate mixed with the pethidine and brought it to the PM nurse’s attention.

“It supposed to have 35 injection pethidine inside of the cupboard, but when the male nurse open the cupboard and he checked, he noticed that the label for a set of five was different. Because he noticed it was different, he checked the other one and noticed two sets was magnesium sulfate,” the source explained.

“The magnesium sulfate has the same appearance of the pethidine, and the person exchange it. When the night

nurse taking over made the discovery and he called the (PM shift) nurse attention, she is claiming she took over pethidine,” the source added.

The cupboard containing the dangerous drugs is always locked, and only a registered nurse has the keys to access it. On the day in question, the female nurse in charge of the PM shift han-

Department, launched an investigation into the incident, primarily focusing on the male nurses, since one of them was recently involved in another incident where EPO injections went missing.

When contacted, the GPHC representatives would only confirm an investigation was launched, and it was currently ongoing.

Eleven nurses (three males and eight females), along with

ing the bags of nurses when they are leaving the hospital, and noted that had that measure still been in effect, the culprit might have been caught.

The drug provides quick relief to pain, and is in demand on the black market, since it is used to treat persons suffering from sickle cell anaemia among other diseases.

Over the years, several irregularities have been discovered at drug storage

facilities across the country. In March, The Guyana Police Force (GPF) had to be called in to investigate the disappearance of several pharmaceutical drugs and alleged fraud at the Suddie Public Hospital in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam).

The Police were told that the pharmacist at the hospital could not account for several ampules of pethidine, codine and morphine. Additionally, the missing drugs were not reported to the Regional

Health Officer.

Public Health Ministry employee Daquan Griffith was charged with stealing a quantity of drugs from the Materials Management Unit (MMU) Bond at Diamond, East Bank Demerara. He allegedly stole four boxes of On Call Plus Blood Glucose test strips, amounting to $20,000, and was granted $50,000 bail after he appeared before Magistrate Leron Daly at the Georgetown Magistrates Court.

‘Baggage boy’ gets 18 months for simple larceny

A Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation

dled the contents of the cupboard. However, the source said the nurse cannot be solely responsible, since it is customary that when taking over shifts the nurses would just check quantity and not contents, and as such, she could have been easily deceived.

The GPHC Audit Department, in collaboration with the Security

the Ward Manager, Senior Departmental Supervisor and Junior Departmental Supervisor, were all asked to provide internal management with statements regarding the incident.

The estimated cost of one of the injection begins at $5,000. When asked, the source said that security at the main gate stopped check-

South Ruimveldt, Georgetown man will spend the next 18 months in prison after he admitted to carting away a television set and other appliances from a dwelling house on Dennis Street, Campbellville, Georgetown.

Magistrate Sunil Scarce jailed 42-year-old Kelvin Gray who admitted that he broke and entered the premises of the Virtual Complaint (VC), Tamika Jequinn on June 20, 2017, and stole one television set and an electronic tablet, a total value of $105,000.

Gray initially pleaded

“guilty with explanation” and told the Magistrate that he works at Bourda Market transporting people’s luggage around. According to Gray, on the day in question, he was hired by someone to transport the said package which he could not have reasonably known to contain stolen articles.

However the Prosecution revealed otherwise, stating that the VC had secured her premises at 10:30h that day and departed for work. The defendant was seen in the area around 14:00h, kicking down the door of the dwelling house. The Police was

notified.

The court heard that the defendant had not completed his basic schooling and faced severe difficulties securing employment; being rejected by many over time, forcing him to take up the occupation of a “baggage boy” to maintain himself.

According to Gray, he has no wife or children – only a grandmother as next of kin and opted to accept responsibility for the offence in light of these circumstances. The man had previously spent four months in prison some time ago on an assault charge.

12 news

saturDAY, june 24, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Sections of Coomacka suffer severe flooding R

esidents in the riverine areas at Coomacka Mines, Region Ten (Upper Demerara- Berbice) are presently affected by intense flooding, which according to them, has been caused by the river overtopping about a week ago.

The effects for these residents have been devastating with thehomes and yards of several families in the area still underwater. A resident explained to Guyana Times that the land in the flooded section of the community is "very low", a fact which sets the stage for intense flooding under the circumstances.

Residents noted that this has been the case for over the past week, and that the water appears to continue to raise higher daily. Residents have also reported that approximately 90 per cent of the Coomacka beach has since been covered. They noted that during a recent visit by Minister of State Joseph Harmon a promise

A resident taking his son to school in a boat in his yard

was made to have the river dredged.

In January, the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) had responded to threats of erosion to the Coomacka River, an issue which has since resulted in serious concern by

both residents and regional officials alike, since almost half the river has since been rendered impassable. NDIA Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Frederick Flatts visited the community where he and other officials, including Regional Chairman

Renis Morian and Regional Vice Chairman Elroy Adolph, along with officials of the Regional Works Committee assessed the situation. Morian had asserted that while erosion has always affected the river in the community it had become worse. Residents also noted that a few years ago residents had suffered tremendous losses due to river erosion. During the visit by Flatts, officials tried to ascertain the source of the situation as they visited several sites. According to the Regional Chairman, who also served in the capacity of Regional Councillor in the past, the area has lacked maintenance over the past 15 years which eventually led to the situation worsening. Morian also noted recently that years of unregulated mining has had negative impacts on the Coomacka area. During his assessment, Flatts also indicated that the situation with the river had indeed

The inside of a home in Coomacka

gotten worse. An official also noted that based on assessment, the situation has got-

ten so out of hand that one can actually walk across the river. (Utamu Belle)

8-year-old Sophia boy was murdered – PME reveals

A

post-mortem examination performed on the body of eightyear-old Isaiah Smartt of “E” Field Sophia, Greater Georgetown, proved that he was murdered.

The lifeless body of the lad was found on Tuesday evening in a swampy area a short distance from his home.

Smartt, who attended the F E Pollard Primary School in Kitty, Georgetown was found at around 19:00h by residents.

However, the autopsy conducted by Government Pathologist, Dr Nehaul Singh at the Georgetown Public Hospital, gave the cause of death as strangulation compounded by compression injuries to the neck.

According to reports, the child’s mother was under the impression that he had gone to his father’s home, and when he did not return home, she did not pay any heed.

Upon the discovery of his body, an alarm was raised.

Eyewitnesses stated that the body was swollen, suggesting that the body may have been in the swampy area for at least two days.

Family members were from the onset convinced that the child had been murdered. The Police are now on the hunt for a mur-

Dead: Isaiah Smartt

derer.

It was reported that the area where the lad was found was alongside an unoccupied concrete house; the former inhabitants are reportedly overseas.

Meanwhile, the lad was last seen alive on Monday afternoon playing around the area but it was until after a relative retired to bed, the child was discovered missing. On Wednesday, the child’s mother returned to the scene where her son was discovered but had to be ushered away after fainting several times.

Now that the post-mortem proved that the child was murdered, the Police have revisited the area and have launched an investigation. No arrests were made.

Isaiah Smartt was described as being mannerly and a great cricketer.

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saturDAY, june 24, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

ExxonMobil gifts computers, printers to Mainstay/Whayaka

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xxonMobil on Friday commissioned an Information Technology Department at Mainstay/Whyaka Learning Resource Centre.

The company funded the aesthetics of the Thomas Ebenezer Pearson Centre along with a donation of 10 computers and a printer for the facility.

Toshao of the Amerindian community, Joel Federicks, said the centre is an investment that would provide for future generations within the community. Federicks said the community of Mainstay/ Whyaka is pleased to partner with the oil and gas company for further development. He also told the gathering that

Toshao of the Amerindian community of Mainstay/Whayaka, Joel Federicks, shares a light moment with ExxonMobil Country Manager Rod Henson and Member of Parliament Yvonne Pearson

Some of the computers that were donated

the centre would serve as a main hub providing internet access to residents.

Federicks explained that the centre will serve as a training centre for the children, and noted that the Mainstay Village Council will be working with the University of Guyana through the Institute Distance and Continuing Education (IDCE) branch at

Cotton Field, Essequibo Coast to provide information technology training to villagers.

He added that the community of Arawak descendants is happy to be upgrading itself in the area of science and technology.

In the past, the oil company had donated floodlights to the community in addition to funding the resource centre and providing capacity build-

ing training.

Country Manager for ExxonMobil, Rod Henson, said the oil company was happy to support and extend partnership with the community for the fourth year.

Henson said the funding would provide empowerment and capacity building for persons living within the community. He pledged the company’s support and commitment in the future for further development.

The ExxonMobil team that visited the Amerindian Village on Friday included Public and Government Affairs Manager Kimberly Brasington, Director of Government Relations Carlton James, and Community Relation and Communication Analyst Nicholas Yearwood, along with Deb Henson.

Representing the Regional Administration was Assistant Regional Executive Officer Yvette Yastings.

ACMW/Canadian Govt launch “Our House” booklet

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CMW/Canadian Govt launch “Our House” booklet With funding from the Canada funds for local initiatives, the Association of Caribbean Media Workers (ACMW), in collaboration with the Parliament of Guyana, on Friday launched a publication titled “Our House, an introduction to Parliament”.

The objective of the publication is to promote greater awareness of the contribution of the parliamentary system to transparent and accountable governance and genuine representation of the people of Guyana.

President of the Caribbean Media Workers Association, Wesley Gibbings, said the Parliament remains the heart of democracy and governance.

He said democracy is also intertwined with press freedom, as they both extend the service of those who offer themselves to office.

Canadian High Commissioner to Guyana, Pierre Giroux, said the project will help foster much stronger communities and encourage participation of citizens.

He said the Government of Canada views the promotion of inclusive governance and matter which deal with diversity and human rights as key to successful and sustainable democratic societies.

“This is reflected in our foreign policy and international assistance, including our work through invaluable pro-

Speaker of the House, Dr Barton Scotland; Canadian High Commissioner to Guyana, Pierre Giroux; and President of the Association of Caribbean Media Workers (ACMW) Wesley Gibbings display copies of “Our House, an introduction to Parliament” on Friday

grammes such as the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives,” Giroux said in his statement.

Speaking also at the launching ceremony was Speaker of the House, Dr Barton Scotland, who was very supportive of the project.

He said the project provides an opportunity to tell Guyanese more about the country.

He said the Parliament in recent years has recognised the need to encourage Guyanese to have an active interest in the affairs of Parliament. As part of this effort, he said, the office has embarked on several initiatives, including outreach programmes to schools, which include visits by himself, Members of Parliament, and other officers to schools across Guyana, the Parliament’s weekly newspaper column, “the Parliament Corner”, and a robust social media campaign.

“It is through programmes like these that the National Assembly will be able to reconnect with, and help to direct, the minds of the young and all citizens towards the work of Parliament,” Dr Scotland detailed.

He said the publication would aid the Parliament Office in its objective of bringing Parliament to life for Guyanese.

“It will enable the public to better appreciate the role of the Parliament, and to make informed decisions and express opinions on debates taking place in the National Assembly,” the House Speaker said.

“Our House” is a two part publication - one for Children and the other for adults. Its contents are divided into three parts and includes Parliament and Government, Rules of the Game, and Parliamentary Sign posts.

14 news

saturDAY, june 24, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Bagotville Bridge Establishment awaits consultation disintegrates further

by Opposition – Harmon Local Govt Commission

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inister of State, Joseph Harmon, has said the Local Government Commission will be established after the Parliamentary Opposition has completed consultation with political parties represented in the National Assembly.

He disclosed on Wednesday that the list of names sent by the Leader of the Opposition, Bharrat Jagdeo, to Communities Minister Ronald Bulkan has been questioned, as there was no consultation before the selection.

According to Harmon, the Opposition Leader is required to consult with the political parties in the National Assembly before creating and submitting a list of names of persons nominated to serve on the Local Government Commission.

Harmon said, “I believe that now that the Leader of

Minister of State Joseph Harmon

the Opposition has written to the political parties in the National Assembly, they are now working on how that list will be constructed.”

The Local Government Commission will be made up of eight members: four nom-

inated by Government, one nominated by unions operating in the local government sector, and three nominated by the Leader of the Opposition. When established, this commission will have oversight over the various local authority areas in the country; be responsible for appointing officials in the Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDC) and local authority areas, and have responsibility for approving budgets for the NDCs. After the Leader of the Opposition had submitted a list of names to Communities Minister Bulkan, the minister had responded by asking for a clarification on how the names were chosen. Former acting Town Clerk Carol Sooba and former Local Government Ministers Norman Whittaker and Clinton Collymore had been nominated as the PPP’s representatives on the Local Government Commission.

Int’l Public Service Day

… traffic diverted

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he main access bridge to Bagotville, West Bank of Demerara (WBD), was closed to heavy vehicular traffic as the bridge began to sink, following the disintegration of two supporting beams.

The Guyana Police Force on Thursday evening issued a traffic advisory informing the public that heavy vehicles will be diverted from the Bagotville Bridge as a result of damages to the eastern side of the structure.

According to reports reaching Guyana times, two of the beams which were supporting the structure had eventually given away due to pre-existing damage.

As such, residents noticed the bridge began to sink on Thursday evening and promptly notified the relevant authorities.

Ranks attached to the La Grange Police Station

One of the damaged beams

with heavy vehicular traffic diverted to Canal Number One Polder and La Parfaite Harmonie, WBD respectively. This ultimately led to a buildup in traffic.

paired with the intense downpour which persisted over the past few days.

Efforts to contact the Neighbourhood Democratic Council which has respon-

Oil discovery bringing back skilled workers – PS

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ith the discovery of oil, production of which is set to being by 2020, skilled workers who would have left Guyana are returning to take up available jobs.

This is according to Permanent Secretary Reginald Brotherson of the Department of Public Service; who said that over the years, skilled workers would have migrated, but since the discovery of oil here, many of those now resident overseas are “eyeing” the available opportunities to return home.

“The brain drain: they are coming back and they’re coming back to get jobs they expect would be available. So that is why we, as public servants, need to keep our jobs and strive for excellence,” he urged.

Brotherson made the pronouncement at the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) International Public Service Day luncheon.

The United Nations has designated June 23 of every year as International Public Service Day; and to commemorate this day, the Guyana Public Service Union hosted a luncheon to honour those in the public sector. Public Service Day is observed under the theme ‘The future is now; accelerating public service innovation for the agenda 2030.’

“Public Service Day is dedicated to a number of things, one being to celebrate the value and virtues of public service to the community, highlight the contribution of public service in the development process, and recognize the work of public servants; and to encourage young people to

The damaged beams that gave way

Executive Director of the Public Service Staff College, retired Colonel Lawrence Paul

Permanent Secretary in the Department of Public Service, Reginald Brotherson

pursue careers in the public service,” Brotherson said.

Speaking at the event, Executive Director of the Public Service Staff College, retired Colonel Lawrence Paul, said there are still many issues within the public service, but he noted that the college is one way of addressing those.

The college, which started under President David Granger, seeks to provide training for all persons entering the public service, to ensure effective functioning and smooth delivery of service.

“We recognize that public service as the engine of the executive must be efficient… and the services provided by this arm of the state, which runs the state actually, must be accessible in all regions in a modern way, which includes technology and innovation,” Paul added.

He also stressed that public servants, despite their political persuasions, must be loyal to the government of the day.

Paul said that the mission of the college is to develop public servants with the appropriate knowledge, skills and attitudes to meet the everyday challenges, while performing their duties efficiently and effectively.

He noted that this can only be achieved through providing and designing a wide range of quality training based on the needs of the public service, and to provide development opportunities to improve the capabilities of individuals within the sector.

Over the years, the public sector has been criticized for its sloth in the delivery of services, which public servants always blamed on underpayment.

were subsequently deployed to divert traffic to the western half of the bridge, with a warning to proceed with caution.

However, access was only limited to motor cars and other light vehicles,

Meanwhile, residents present at the time of the incident indicated that the damages may have been as a result of the heavy vehicles frequenting the long-standing structure.

This, they noted, is

sibility of the bridge regarding the deployment of workers to commence repairs to the bridge all proved futile.

As of Friday, the Bagotville Bridge remained close to heavy traffic until the situation is rectified.

Peremptory trial ordered in former bank manager’s fraud case

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n the continued absence of witnesses, Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan was on Thursday forced to announce to reputed fraudster Kester Harvey, a former Bank Manager living at Herstelling, East Bank Demerara, that the court will close the matter if witness fail to appear in court on July 4.

This announcement came after Harvey, who cut a lone figure in court, related that the witnesses had not contacted him, and as far as he knew, one was out of the jurisdiction.

The accused was advised to inform his trial lawyer, Lesley Sobers, of this development while continuing his

Kester Harvey

effort to attempt to contact the witnesses.

Kester Harvey first ap-

peared before Magistrate Faith McGusty at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court in late 2016 to answer to a charge of fraudulently converting $3 million to his own benefit.

He was granted $250,000 bail after he pleaded not guilty to the charge, which stated that between October 1 and 31, 2016, at Georgetown, he, being entrusted by Pat Isaacs with $3 million cash to deposit same into Citizens Bank account #218791074, fraudulently converted the money to his own use and benefit.

The former Bank Manager returns to court on July 4.

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saturDAY, june 24, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Sugar protests getting under GuySuCo’s skin – GAWU G

eneral Secretary of the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU), Seepaul Narine, on Thursday condemned the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) for what he feels is an attempt to “denigrate” the union’s “unrelenting and principled stance” in defending the rights of thousands of sugar workers.

The sugar workers, their families and other stakeholders have been protesting Government’s move to discontinue operations at several sugar estates, as confirmed in this year’s State Paper on the industry’s future.

GuySuCo Senior Communications Officer, Audreyanna Thomas, had earlier this week penned a letter in the press which noted that the sugar corporation is seeking those sugar workers who were “misled”.

However, GAWU indicat-

GAWU General Seepaul Narine

Secretary,

ed that Thomas’s letter was just another “public relations stunt” that discredits the union defending the many cross-sections of workers who stand to be affected by what the union termed as “ill-conceived plans” that GuySuCo advocated for the sugar industry.

“From the Corporation’s letter, it seems that the Union-organised protests at several estates are getting under the not-too-thick skin of the Corporation and its handlers. Our most recent activity at Albion attracted an appreciable turnout and demonstrates the disagreement, shared not only by workers and their families, (but by) the wider communities,” the union official stated in a lengthy release issued on Thursday.

Some 375 Wales workers have been out of employment at GuySuCo for the last several months. They contend that they cannot be compelled to travel 22 miles from Wales, West Bank Demerara to Uitvlugt on the West Coast of Demerara. On that ground they have demanded severance payment, but the Corporation contends that all workers who opted for severance had already been paid. This mat-

MoE calls for more applicants in $50M youth project

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t has been one month since the Government’s Youth Innovation Project (YIPoG) was launched -- May 22, during the Youth Week celebrations -- and acting Education Minister Nicolette Henry is calling on more young Guyanese to cash in on this $50 million initiative.

This programme is aimed at channelling the innovative ideas and pioneering spirit of Guyanese youths to produce solutions to the issues and challenges of our nation’s green economy. As such, emerging changer-makers are invited to submit project proposals which align with achieving these goals while incorporating elements of science, technology, engineering, agriculture, anthropology, archeology, arts, architecture, mathematics and spirituality, better known as STEAMS. Project Manager of YIPoG, Grace Roberts-Simon, issuing a call for heightened interest in this MoE undertaking, commended applicants who have thus far submitted their entries, and urged more young leaders to take advantage of this unique opportunity.

“We have received 26 entries, and based on initial perusing, Guyanese youth have a lot of commendable, innovative ideas about themselves and their community development, while creating employment opportunities for their peers,” Roberts-Simon pointed out.

“However, the closing date for submissions is June 30, and we believe that there are others who need to take advantage of this opportunity to bring to life their creativity and innovative ideas with support and guidance from

our team,” she declared. “We believe that there are many more persons who can benefit from this opportunity, but they may have issues with their proposals’ preparation; but there is no need for that fear to be allowed to fester, because we have four mentors who are more than willing to guide you in the right direction,” she encouraged.

Minister Henry also called for increased submission of proposals, while sharing her vision of a Guyana in which the youth have access to innovative solutions to the many problems. She noted that YIPoG creates an opportunity for young minds to interact with their physical, social, and psychological environment through embracing the curiosity of an explorer.

Youth Innovation Project provides an avenue which allows young leaders to propose their impacting ideas in the form of projects to compete alongside other entries for support of the Ministry of Education. If successful, these individuals and/or groups of young enthusiasts will be charged with executing their service initiative within their communities.

Applications remain open to groups of no more than 10 members (both in and out of the school system) who wish to submit their solutions for an issue or innovative project of their choice. These entries must be made before the June 30 deadline, after which submissions would undergo two months of assessment. The winning projects will be announced during the month of September, Education Month, during which the grants will be presented to offset the overhead costs of the projects.

There are five categories within which submissions are welcome; these are: Most Relevant to Sustainable Communities; Most Creative and Innovative; Best Plan and Project Design; Best use of STEAMS; Best Presentation, in keeping with a theme ‘Aspire, Inspire to reach.’

ter is slated to come up in the High Court.

“GuySuCo says it will demand very soon a “higher level” of service from GAWU. But such a call is best suited to GuySuCo. Our Union nevertheless is supportive of all plans which will secure the sugar industry. But at

He noted that GuySuCo, like a “wolf in sheep’s clothing, goes on to speak to provision of transportation and medical services to the workers and their families and pensioners.

Is the company expecting the agriculture workers to join public transportation

otage. This is completely unfounded and a figment of someone’s imagination.

Moreover, the Corporation also seems to question the wisdom of the workers’ protest actions. But wouldn’t any rational person whose livelihood is threatened take a similar approach? Ms

One of the many protests GAWU organised in Berbice

the same time cannot lend a supporting voice to plans which will wreck lives and imperil entire communities, as we have seen playing out at Wales,” Narine pointedly expressed.

The GAWU General Secretary further highlighted the uncertainties of the diversification plans the sugar corporation has, plans which Agriculture Minister Noel Holder had announced last year.

Narine went on to explain that up until now, no worker was given any land to capitalize on the supposed diversification plans.

from their home at 05:00 am and travel to the cultivation some 5 to 10 miles in rugged off-road terrain?” he questioned.

Narine also reiterated that, in the main, GAWU strikes are related to price disputes. He noted that sugar workers have encountered two years of no pay increases; were “shortchanged” on API in 2015, and were given no API in 2016; and that there was arbitrary cutting down of workers’ benefits.

“We take serious and utmost umbrage with GuySuCo’s view that the GAWU is engaged in sab-

Thomas and her colleagues ensconced in the comforts of GuySuCo hierarchy would sing a different tune had the shoe been on the other foot,” the GAWU General Secretary stressed.

Finance Minister Winston Jordan, in his presentation of the 2017 Budget, had indicated that the status quo at the sugar industry could neither be sustained nor maintained.

He had explained that, based on the CoI, it was concluded that any money injected into the sugar industry in its current state was money wasted.

16

guyanatimesgy.com

saturDAY, june 24, 2017

Regional

Guatemala President under Slain Venezuelan protester’s father appeals to ‘friend’ Maduro pressure over lobbying firm linked to Mike Pence A

G

u a t e m a l a ’ s President, Jimmy Morales, is under growing political pressure over two contracts with an Indiana lobbying firm closely linked to the US Vice President Mike Pence.

Opposition politicians have called on Morales to reveal his role in the US$80,000-a-month contracts signed with Barnes and Thornburg LLP, which appear to have been designed to sideline the state department and the Guatemalan foreign affairs ministry.

Barnes and Thornburg – which has extensive ties with the Republican party – was hired to improve relations between the governments of Guatemala and the US, but it remains unclear who funded the contract, which was signed by politicians without the authority to intervene in foreign affairs.

On Thursday, the US ambassador to Guatemala

Jimmy Morales and Mike Pence at a summit in Miami last week.

Several members of Barnes & Thornburg have worked for the Vice President in the past

was drawn into the controversy after he was caught on tape describing the four lawmakers who signed the contracts as “idiots”.

Anti-corruption activists are calling for an urgent inquiry in Guatemala and the US. The first contract was signed in April on behalf of Morales by a close friend and party fundraiser Claus Marvin Merida. At the time, Merida was posted in Washington as an hon-

orary official representing Guatemalan migrants – a position which did not authorise him to sign government contracts, according to several lawyers consulted by the Guardian.

Merida is currently implicated in two criminal investigations, including one linked to illegal election campaign funds, the Guatemalan Justice Ministry has told the Guardian. (Excerpt from The Guardian)

Trinidad father sentenced to 20 years for incest

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Mayaro father regarded as a community stalwart will spend the next 20 years in jail for committing five sex acts on one of his four daughters, including trying to have sex with her at their home.

Given the growing prevalence of these serious crimes over the last decade, Justice David Harris on Thursday said the sentence had to reflect the court’s abhorrence and serve as a deterrent to people thinking about committing similar acts.

Noting that the most se-

rious of five offences against the father was attempted incest, which carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment, Harris said the man had betrayed the trust between father and daughter.

The 50-year-old labourer had pleaded not guilty to two counts of indecent assault, two counts of grievous sexual assault and attempted incest.

However, a San Fernando jury found him guilty of all the charges on April 13 and he was taken into custody to

await sentencing. During the trial, however, the girl, now 24-years-old, refused to give evidence, saying that she trying to rekindle her relationship with her father for the sake of her daughter.

However, in passing sentence in the Third Assizes, the judge said the victim’s compassion for her bread-winning father, the passage of a mere ten years or the father’s admirable traits cannot change the facts and gravity of the offences. (Excerpt from Trinidad Guardian)

Belize rejects IMF recommendation for increased taxes

T

he Belize Government says it has no intention of implementing a recommendation by the International Monetary Fund for the Caribbean Community (Caricom) country to increase the General Sales Tax (GST) to 15 per cent.

An IMF delegation recently ended a two-week visit here indicating that it expects the Belizean economy to return to positive growth in 2017. The Washingtonbased financial institution however said public debt remains elevated, despite the cash flow relief and the gain from the recent debt restructuring agreement with private external bondholders and the current account

Belize Prime Minister Dean Barrow

deficit is sizable.

“While the tightening of the fiscal stance in the context of the 2017-18 budget is welcome, in the view of the team, further fiscal consol-

idation is necessary to mitigate risks and put public debt on a clear downward path, and to facilitate external adjustment…,” said Bert van Selm, who headed the IMF delegation.

But Prime Minister Dean Barrow, speaking on the News 5 television programme on Thursday night said that his administration has again refused to accept recommendations from the IMF that would affect the best interest of the country.

Barrow said his Government had in the past rejected IMF recommendations that the country seek to join one of the financial institution’s programmes for turning around the economy. (Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

man describing himself as a former boss and friend of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Friday urged an investigation into the killing of his son in anti-Government unrest convulsing the OPEC nation for nearly three months.

David Vallenilla, 22, was shot at close range by a military Police Sergeant on Thursday, apparently with rubber bullets, as youths tried to pull down the fence around an air force base in Caracas and threw rocks at officials who had fired tear gas from inside.

Maduro’s critics said the killing was further evidence of abuse by security forces after protests since April by demonstrators demanding general elections to end 18 years of socialist rule in the South American country amid a deepening economic and political crisis.

David Jose Vallenilla (C), who was fatally injured, is helped by volunteer members of a primary care response team outside an air force base during clashes with riot security forces at a rally against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s government in Caracas, Venezuela June 22, 2017

At least 76 people have been killed in the protests so far. “I want to speak to my former colleague of the Caracas Metro, Nicolás Maduro, you know that we worked together, I’m Supervisor Vallenilla ... I was your boss,” said the slain protester’s father, also named David Vallenilla, referring to the years when

Maduro worked as a bus driver.

Maduro, who makes frequent reference to his former job as a bus driver to highlight his working-class roots, calls the protests an effort to violently remove him from office with the backing of ideological adversaries in Washington.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

Ministry worried about rapid rise in STDs in Barbados

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here has been a dramatic rise in the number of cases of syphilis – and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) – among young Barbadian men, raising concern among health officials here.

The Health Ministry has revealed that the number of syphilis cases overall jumped nearly fivefold between 2010 and 2013, according to a release from the Barbados Government Information Service (BGIS), with the numbers climbing staggering-

ly each year.

The BGIS quoted Senior Medical Officer of Health with responsibility for the STI programme Dr Anton Best as saying that the number of cases moved from 24 in 2011 to 41 in 2012, and 112 in 2013.

And although there was a drop to 100 new cases in 2014, “indicating that the dramatic increase in syphilis cases seemed to have stabilised”, the rapid rise continues to raise alarm among health workers. Nearly three-quarters of the cases (72 per

cent) occurred in men, with three-quarters of those cases occurring in persons aged 15 to 49, Dr Best is quoted as saying.

According to Dr Best, the most recent data from 2016 showed chlamydia has a prevalence rate of 13.6 per cent, nearly six times that of another STI of concern, gonorrhoea, which has a prevalence rate of 2.7 per cent. Troublingly, the majority of those infected (approximately 70 per cent) are between 15 and 29 years old.

(Excerpt from Barbados Today)

Colombia conflict: 2 Dutch journalists ‘freed by rebels’

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wo Dutch journalists who were abducted in Colombia last weekend have been released, ELN rebels have said. They say that Derk Bolt and Eugenio Follender have been “freed in perfect condition” following their abduction near the border with Venezuela. But the Dutch embassy in Colombia told the BBC they had no information about the claim,

which could not be verified.

It was feared the kidnappings could disrupt peace talks the left-wing ELN is holding with the Government.

Bolt and Follender were near El Tarra in the Catatumbo region, searching for the mother of a Colombian child adopted in the Netherlands.

Last year the ELN kidnapped a Spanish journalist and several Colombians in

the same area. All were later released. The ELN is the second largest left-wing guerrilla group in Colombia, behind the FARC. The FARC signed a peace deal with the Government last November, are coming to the end of a disarmament process and are preparing to enter civilian life.

The ELN only started peace talks in February this year.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

Bahamas Govt to seek outside assistance in drafting anti-corruption legislation

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rime Minister, Dr Hubert Minnis said he instructed The

Bahamas

Foreign Affairs Ministry to seek assistance from the governments of the United Kingdom and Singapore for the drafting of anti-corruption legislation that would result in the as-

set seizure of corrupt public officials. “How this works, Mr Speaker, if I enter this Parliament owing $100,000, and at the end of five years [I’m] worth $6,000,000, I

must explain it, and if I can’t, your assets go to the people,” he said, as he wrapped up debate on the 2017/2018 budget in the House of Assembly on Tuesday. “Now I am not as wealthy as my colleague here (an apparent reference to MP Brent Symonette), but I think I declared $11 million

or $12 million, but it drops every year. It [doesn’t] go up.”

Minnis added: “Transparency International and other agencies have documented the de-

gree to which corrupt practic-

es stymied economic growth and development. He said the foreign government will be

asked to assist with the overhaul of anti-corruption legislation and the strengthening of anti-corruption best practices. “These consultations will

be thorough,” Minnis said.

“They will include discussions on the use of technology and other oversight mechanisms to stem corruption among all officials, including political leaders….” (Excerpt from Caribbean News Now)

saturDAY, june 24, 2017

guyanatimesgy.com

17

Around the World

Saudis ‘foil suicide attack’ Deadly Grenfell on Mecca’s Grand Mosque Tower blaze because of faulty fridge S audi Arabia says it has foiled a “terrorist action” against the Grand Mosque in Mecca – Islam’s holiest site. A suicide bomber blew himself up when security forces surrounded the building he was in, the interior ministry says.

The building collapsed, injuring 11 people, including police officers. Five other suspected militants have been taken into custody, officials say. Millions of Muslims from around the world have gathered in Mecca for the

Muslim worshippers pray at the Kaaba at the Grand Mosque in Mecca

end of Ramadan.

Saudi officials released

no further details about the foiled attack.

Saudi Arabia has in recent years seen a series of deadly attacks, many of which were claimed by socalled Islamic State. Most assaults have targeted the country’s Shia minority and security forces.

In July 2016, four security officers were killed in a suicide attack near the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina. Saudi Arabia is a member of a US-led coalition fighting IS and other jihadist groups in Syria and Iraq. (BBC News)

Officials: 35 killed in 3 bomb attacks in 2 Pakistani cities

A

t least 35 people were killed and nearly 100 wounded Friday in three separate bomb attacks in two major Pakistani cities, officials said. A suicide bomber was involved in the first car bombing near the office of the provincial police chief in the South-western city of Quetta that killed at least 11 people and wounded 20. There were conflicting claims of responsibility for

this attack from different extremist groups.

Hours later twin bombings, minutes apart, hit a crowded market in a Shiitedominated city in Parachinar, the main city in the Kurram tribal region and killed 24 people, mostly minority Shiite Muslims, according to government administrator Zahid Hussain.

The bomb attacks come a few days before the

Muslim holiday of Eid-alFitr, which ends the holy month of Ramadan. TV footage showed panicked people rushing to safety following the Parachinar market bombings.

Mohammad Amir, an official at a government-run hospital in Parachinar, said they had received 24 dead bodies and more than 20 of the wounded were listed in critical condition.

It was unclear who was behind the attack in Parachinar but Sunni militant groups have claimed responsibility for numerous similar attacks in the past.

Friday’s car bombing in Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan province, was powerful enough that it was heard across the city, shattering windows on nearby buildings, said police spokesman Shahzada Farhat. (Excerpt from MSN)

Ahead of Modi visit, US sees no threat to Pakistan from arms deal with India

W

ith the United States expected to authorise India’s purchase of naval drones, a senior White House official cautioned on Friday that any US military transfer to India would not represent a threat to its rival neighbour Pakistan.

The official spoke to reporters in advance of US President Donald Trump’s first meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, a White House visit that will include one-on-one talks and a working dinner.

Securing agreement on the purchase of 22 unarmed drones, worth more than US$2 billion, is seen in New

Delhi as a key test of defence ties that flourished under former President Barack Obama but have drifted under Trump, who has courted Asian rival China as he seeks Beijing’s help to contain North Korea’s nuclear programme.

The Indian navy wants the surveillance drones, variants of the Predator drones, to keep watch over the Indian Ocean. The deal would be the first such purchase by a country that is not a member of North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.

India, a big buyer of US arms that was recently named by Washington as a major defence ally, wants to protect its 7500- km (4700-

S

troops from Qatar’s soil, end contact with groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood and submit to monthly external compliance checks.

Qatar has been given 10 days to comply with the demands or face unspecified consequences.

Saudi Arabia and the other nations leading the blockade – the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt – launched an economic and diplomatic blockade on the energy-rich

fire that engulfed a London tower block, killing at least 79 people earlier this month started in a fridge-freezer, London Police said, adding that cladding on the building failed all safety tests.

Police said that 79 people were dead, or missing and assumed dead, after the blaze rapidly spread through the 24-storey Grenfell Tower, which was built in 1974, on June 14.

D e t e c t i v e Superintendent Fiona McCormack said the Hotpoint model, FF175BP, was not subject to recall and that the manufacturer was doing further tests. “We now have expert evidence that the fire was not started deliberately,” McCormack said before adding the police were considering manslaughter charges given the

high number of deaths.

Police were also investigating companies involved in the building and refurbishment of the tower, and possible “health and safety and fire safety offences”, she said.

Exterior cladding and tiles recovered from the building have failed fire safety tests, said McCormack.

The cladding was installed on the council-owned building as part of a refurbishment completed last year. Whirlpool Corp, the world’s largest maker of home appliances, owns the Hotpoint brand in the Europe and Asia Pacific regions. In the United States, the brand now belongs to Haier, following the Chinese group’s purchase of General Electric Co’s appliance business. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

John Magufuli’s pregnant schoolgirl ban angers Tanzanian women

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses a gathering after he inaugurated Kochi Metro at a stadium in Kochi, India, June 17, 2017

mile) coastline as Beijing expands its maritime trade routes and Chinese sub-

marines increasingly lurk in regional waters. (Excerpt from

Reuters)

Qatar given 10 days to meet 13 sweeping demands

by Saudi Arabia

audi Arabia and its allies have issued a threatening 13-point ultimatum to Qatar as the price for lifting a two-week trade and diplomatic embargo of the country, in a marked escalation of the Gulf’s worst diplomatic dispute in decades.

The onerous list of demands includes stipulations that Doha close the broadcaster al-Jazeera, drastically scale back cooperation with Iran, remove Turkish

A

The blaze was described as being like ‘hell on earth’

country a fortnight ago, initially claiming the Qatari royal family had licensed the funding of terrorism across the Middle East for decades. Since then, the allies appear to be pushing for the isolation of Iran and the suppression of dissenting media in the region.

The list of demands, relayed to Qatar via mediators from Kuwait, represents the first time Saudi Arabia has been prepared to put the bloc’s previous-

ly amorphous grievances in writing. Their sweeping nature would, if accepted, represent an effective end to Qatar’s independent foreign policy.

The UAE’s foreign secretary, Anwar Gargash, insisted the anti-Qatar alliance is not seeking to impose regime change.

Nevertheless, it is unlikely that Qatar will see the demands as the basis for serious negotiations. (Excerpt from The

Guardian)

John Magufuli said that young mothers would be distracted in class

T

anzania’s President John Magufuli has been condemned for comments that girls who give birth should not be allowed to return to school. An online petition has been set up and a pan-African women’s organisation is mobilising to get the President to apologise and reverse his comments.

Magufuli warned schoolgirls at a rally on Monday that: “After getting pregnant, you are done.” A law passed in 2002 allows for the expulsion of pregnant schoolgirls.

The law says the girls can be expelled and excluded from school for “offences against morality” and “wedlock”.

Women’s rights groups have recently been urging the government to change the law.

Magufuli, who was speaking at a public rally in Chalinze town, about 100km West of the main city Dar es Salaam, said that young mothers would be distracted if they were allowed back in school: “After calculating some few Mathematics, she’d be asking the teacher in the classroom: ‘Let me go out and breastfeed my crying baby.’”

He said that men who impregnate the schoolgirls should be imprisoned for 30 years and “put the energy they used to impregnate the girl into farming while in jail”.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

18

guyanatimesgy.com

saturday, june 24, 2017

ARCHIE

Fully research any pursuit you are considering. It’s im(March 21- portant not to act in haste if April 19) you want to come out on top.

Don’t overreact, and avoid excessive behavior.

ARIES

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Peanuts

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

Calvin and Hobbes

Try something different.

Sign up for a retreat or study different philosophies if you want to see life and the world around you through different eyes. Live, learn and explore.

Stay focused on what you need to accomplish, not on what someone else is trying to talk you into doing. You can bring about change if you go about it the right way.

Give and you will reVIRGO (Aug. 23- ceive. Mingling with people Sept. 22) who share your concerns will give you the strength to bring about change. Love will improve your attitude and life.

Trouble will sprout if you LIBRA or someone you are dealing (Sept. 23Oct. 23) with overreacts, gives way to indulgence or refuses to compromise. Take a moment to evaluate the situation, and be prepared to back away.

WORD GAME

SUDOKU

Explore unfamiliar terriSCORPIO tory to expand your knowl(Oct. 24edge and plans. Travel, relaNov. 22) tionships and communication are highlighted and will help you choose a better and more purposeful lifestyle.

Don’t get involved in joint SAGITTARIUS ventures that will lock you (Nov. 23- into something costly and Dec. 21) time-consuming. Stick to the basics, and be moderate and inventive when dealing with money matters.

An unexpected change can

CAPRICORN leave you in a vulnerable po(Dec. 22- sition. Avoid joint ventures.

Jan. 19) If you want to invest in some-

THURSDAY’S

solution for Last Published Puzzle

thing, put your time, effort and extra cash into personal improvements and romance.

Broaden your horizons by AQUARIUS examining offbeat ways you (Jan. 20can improve your mind, body Feb. 19) and future. Put greater emphasis on personal improvements instead of trying to change others.

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

Explore new possibilities.

PISCES Make changes at home and to (Feb. 20March 20) the way you look and present yourself. A day trip will give you the motivation you need to initiate change.

SATURDAY, JUNE 24, 2017

19

The Ireland and Afghanistan domino effect

T

he elevation of Ireland and Afghanistan as Full Members is the crowning achievement after a trailblazing decade for both countries. It's a celebration of their hard work on the field, but also the yeoman's work off the field by both administrations.

Both boards have supplemented historic performances with enhanced infrastructure and multi-day competitions that have been awarded first-class status.

In spite of the newly exalted status, there are no guarantees for extra exposure by way of matches.

One just has to look at the historic struggles of Bangladesh and Zimbabwe to fill their skin-and-bones body of fixtures while others have far meatier calendars to know that Ireland and Afghanistan will not gain instant Test nourishment.

Zimbabwe's maiden Test at home against India in 1992 was one of just four they played in the first 12 months of their Test existence, along with two more at home against New Zealand and a reciprocal one-off trip to India. It took them another three years to record their maiden Test win, against Pakistan in their 11th Test, and 20 more Tests after that for their second win, over India at home in 1998.

They followed that with their first away win, against Pakistan in Peshawar in their next Test. However, the only other team they have beaten besides India and Pakistan is Bangladesh, for a total of 11 wins in 101 matches.

Bangladesh, who played their first Test against India at Dhaka in 2000, had a steady diet of matches, playing eight more through the end of 2001.

But their on-field struggles were far greater. Though from a chronological standpoint their first win - against Zimbabwe in January 2005 - came just over four years after their inaugural Test, they took three times longer than Zimbabwe did in terms of matches played to record it.

Their first away win, and second overall, didn't occur until they beat a heavily depleted West Indies side, with most first-choice players striking in a dispute with the WICB, in their 60th match in 2009.

But a key mental hurdle has been erased. The significant bit is about the restric-

tions lifted as much as it is about opportunities gained.

If Ireland and Afghanistan want, they can schedule fiveTest series every other home

tentially score more opportunities and recognition in limited-overs cricket and just as significantly prevents two others from possibly losing

points behind second-placed Ireland, and have an outside chance to track them down should they secure a full 20 points when the two

Will Afghanistan play their first Test in 2017? © Associated Press

summer. The "Test" label also means the periodic exodus of homegrown Ireland players to England in pursuit of playing cricket "at the highest level" is now likely to occur less frequently, if at all.

The ripples of this decision of awarding Test status to both countries are first being felt in the ICC boardroom, where positions that had been held by Ireland as representatives on behalf of all Associates are now vacated. New blood and new voices will have a chance to be heard. In the immediate term, that may happen with a particularly empathetic set of ears in Warren Deutrom, Ross McCollum and Shafiq Stanikzai, the men most familiar with the administrative struggles that Associates go through.

It's not just in the ICC boardroom that the domino effect is being felt, though, as their now former Associate brethren are impacted on the field in many ways. Since the 2005 ICC Trophy, the top six ranked Associates following the conclusion of the World Cup Qualifier hold ODI status. That is how Ireland (in 2005) and Afghanistan (in 2009) first gained ODI status.

With both countries no longer part of the Associates pack, the door is open for two more Associates to po-

it.

It could ease some of the pressure off Scotland and Hong Kong, currently third and fourth on the WCL Championship table and ostensibly fifth and sixth among Associates in ODI cricket prior to Thursday's decision. This also brings renewed hope for Kenya and Nepal, who are in the next two slots behind them, while Canada and Oman, just promoted from WCL Division Three, can also have a crack at securing ODI status through the 2018 World Cup Qualifier.

But it's not all roses.

Perhaps the biggest loser coming out of Thursday's announcements is Netherlands.

The ICC, in line with its old tradition of moving goalposts, have scrapped the long-hyped Test challenge in 2018 and possibly the subsequent one proposed for 2022 as well. David Richardson, the ICC CEO, called it "unnecessary" now that Ireland and Afghanistan were given Full Member status. He admitted in so many words that the proposition to play the lowest-ranked Full Member for a shot at provisional Test status was targeted for the two sides who have now been given Test status.

Netherlands is currently next in line on the Intercontinental Cup table. They're placed third, 31

sides face off at Malahide in August.

Similarly, Netherlands are right behind Ireland in one-day cricket by virtue of occupying the top spot on the WCL Championship table. But winning that competition may no longer guarantee a spot in the 13-team ODI league.

Richardson had stated earlier this year that the winner of the WCL Championship would be the 13th team in the proposed ODI league for 2023 World Cup qualification, but new details on Thursday showed the boardroom thinking had changed, with the 13th team possibly being decided by a rankings cut-off date ahead of a proposed start of the ODI league in 2020.

It means winning the WCL Championship in this cycle holds far less weightage. Even finishing as the top Associate at the 2018 World Cup Qualifier might not be enough and there is the possibility of another WCL Championship cycle being squeezed in between the end of the qualifier and 2020 to determine the 13th team. While it's great news for a majority of Associates, the Dutch have every reason to grimace.

Funding is another area where the ICC has sent out mixed signals. Ireland and Afghanistan are both expect-

ed to have their current ICC distribution doubled to more than $40 million each over an eight-year cycle. It's good for them, but that money is coming out of what had been allocated for all Associates rather than affecting the distributions for their now fellow Full Members.

It's also worth noting that the ICC has furthered the notion that rules exist for some and not for others when it comes to certain demographics, to Afghanistan's benefit.

Developing women's cricket was referenced by Cricket Ireland's Warren Deutrom as one of the 21 statutes that needed to be met in the application for Full Member status, something Ireland has invested significantly in.

Afghanistan's administrators often pay lip service to prioritising the development of women's cricket, but

there is scant evidence anything has come of it and they have faced few, if any, sanctions as a result. Women's cricket in Afghanistan is a complicated matter, with various sensitivities at play which have kept progress at a glacial pace. But the ICC has given them a free pass and obtaining Full Membership without satisfying an obligation to fulfill a mandate for women's development is not about to force the ACB's hand on the issue.

At the end of the day, it's a mixed bag for Associates.

While Afghanistan and Ireland have received funding, the others have had their earnings chopped. Yet, there is genuine hope that when an Associate country gets its administrative and on-field ducks in a row, there might be a path forward for them to aspire to. (Cricinfo)

Webb granted 5th straight sentencing delay

F

ormer CONCACAF President Jeffrey Webb has had his appeal for a fifth straight sentencing delay granted by a Brooklyn federal court.

Webb, who awaits sentencing for seven counts of criminal conduct, racketeering conspiracy, three counts of wire fraud conspiracy and three counts of money laundering conspiracy, will now face the courts on January 24th of next year.

The embattled official, who was one of 14 FIFA officials arrested in Zurich in 2015, admitted to the charges in November of the same year after agreeing to a plea deal.

Former CONCACAF President Jeffrey Webb

As part of the conditions the former CONCACAF boss has agreed to the forfeiture of more than US$6.7 million in cash and assets. Webb’s lawyers recently informed the court that he would be selling a lavish mansion in Georgia, with funds turned over to the court as part of an asset forfeiture agreement.

The 52-year-old former CONCACAF head is, among other things, accused of receiving $US3m bribe to guarantee the media and marketing rights for the home World Cup qualifiers of Caribbean teams during the 2018 and 2022 campaigns from two US companies.

He is currently under house arrest at his Atlanta Georgia home, where he has been granted limited travel throughout the state. Webb could face up to 20 years in prison on the racketeering charge alone.(Sportsmax)

20

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

SATURDAY, JUNE 24, 2017

Persistent rain forces 1st ODI to be abandoned

R

ain played spoilsport on Friday as the first ODI between India and West Indies was abandoned with India batting for only 39.5 overs. They made 199/3 in that period.

India had got off to a strong start and with the openers putting on 132 in 25 overs and setting a platform.

Shikhar Dhawan made 87 while Ajinkya Rahane scored 62 on his return to the team.

But just as Virat Kohli (32 no) and MS Dhoni (9 no) were beginning to show urgency, rain forced a break with India 189/3 in 38 overs.

The players returned to the field after a little while after the skies became clear.

However, rain returned forcing players out after just five more deliveries were bowled.

From then on, it was just a wait and on a couple of occasions it looked like the game would resume but for only showers to spoil chances. Eventually a target of 196 in 26 overs was set for West Indies and just as the crease was being drawn, it began pelting.

Earlier, Yuvraj Singh failed, scoring just four off 10 balls. The pressure is on him to prove his worth as he eyes a selection for the World Cup 2019.

Kohli has been backing the southpaw, but going by the way he has been

Bishoo, who kept a leash on scoring. He couldn’t get runs in the first few deliveries from Bishoo when the need of the hour was big hitting as India approached the death overs.

The pressure built and he tried to work a Jason Holder delivery through the leg-side, only for Lewis to intercept and force Yuvraj to return to the pavilion.

(HindustanTimes)

Persistent rain forced the first ODI between India vs West Indies to be abandoned in Port of Spain. This was the second consecutive abandoned international match between these two teams at this venue (AP)

performing, it seems it’ll be hard for him to keep his place unless he does extraordinarily well with the bat.

On Thursday, at the practice session, Yuvi had a long session against the spinners, usually his problem area. However on Friday, it was West Indies captain Jason Holder who got him out through a soft dismissal.

Yuvraj tried to flick through the leg-side but was caught at midwicket by local player Ewin Lewis, falling for just four.

India, asked to bat first

by Holder, had made a superb start.

After the openers set them the platform, India lost three quick wickets and were 189/3 after 38 overs when rain interrupted the match for an hour. Play

Federer cruises past defending champ Mayer into Halle semis

resumed only for it to be stopped after nine more deliveries with more showers forcing players in.

Yuvi’s problems

This weak West Indies attack is expected to provide an excellent opportunity to Yuvraj to cement his place.

But Friday’s failure continues his recent ordinary run with only a half-century against Pakistan in the Champions Trophy group stage worth remembering.

In the final against Pakistan, Yuvraj fell clumsily, exposing his chinks against spinners. Leggie Shadab Khan first deceived him with a wrong ‘un and then got him leg-before.

On Friday, he was brought under pressure by leg spinner Devendra Roger Federer

T

op seed Roger Federer reached the Halle Open semi-finals on Friday, beating defending champion Florian Mayer 6-3 6-4 and edging closer to a ninth title at the Wimbledon tune-up event.

The 18-times grand slam champion, whose last title at Halle was in 2015, skipped the entire claycourt season after winning the Australian Open and claiming titles at Indian Wells and Miami this year, to prepare for grass.

He will face rapidly rising talent Karen Khachanov, who won his all-Russian quarter-final against Andrey Rublev 7-6(8) 4-6 6-3 to reach his first tour semi-final of the year.

"It was important to be aggressive off the baseline and make him feel my variation and the power I can bring to the court," Federer said.

"I think I did it very well. I had lots of chances to even go up a double break in the second set."

"I thought I was very calm out there, even in difficult moments. I was calm serving out the first and second sets. Those are always signs for me that things are slowly starting to fall into place nicely."

Federer, who has yet to drop a set in Halle after losing in Stuttgart in his first match back last week, limited his serve-and-volley

game against the German who is a fine returner and Mayer was broken quickly as his opponent won the first set.

The 33-year-old Mayer squandered two break-points at 1-0 in the second set and paid the price as Federer broke again and never relinquished his advantage to win in just over an hour.

Frenchman Richard Gasquet also reached the last four, edging past Dutchman Robin Haase, who had eliminated second seed Dominic Thiem in the previous round, 6-1 3-6 6-1 and looked to be hitting top grasscourt form at just the right time.

Gasquet will next play Germany's Alexander Zverev, last year's finalist who has won three titles this season, after he muscled past baseliner Roberto BautistaAgut 6-7(6) 7-6(1) 6-1.

The pair held serve for almost two hours before Zverev managed the first break of the match early in the third set and the 20-year-old broke again two games later to finish the Spaniard off. (Reuters)

SCOREBOARD India 1st Innings Ajinkya Rahane c Jason Holder b Alzarri Joseph 62 Shikhar Dhawan lbw Devendra Bishoo 87 Virat Kohli (c) not out 32 Yuvraj Singh c Evin Lewis b Jason Holder 4 Mahendra Dhoni (w) not out 9 Total: (39.2 overs) 199 Extras: 5 Bowling: Jason Holder 8-0-341, Alzarri Joseph 8-0-53-1, Ashley Nurse 4-1-22-0, Miguel Cummins 8-0-46-0, Devendra Bishoo 10-0-39-1, Jonathan Carter 1.2-0-5-0 Fall of wickets: 1-132 Ajinkya Rahane 2-168, Shikhar Dhawan 3-185, Yuvraj Singh 199

Proteas pull off thrilling fightback to set up T20 decider

T

aunton's first international since 1999 turned into a classic as South Africa fought back from a perilous position to win by three runs.

England's two debutants endured sharply contrasting fortunes at Taunton on Friday as South Africa staged a thrilling late fightback to prevail by three runs and set up an unlikely Twenty20 series decider.

Fast bowler Tom Curran starred after the hosts had elected to field, striking with his second delivery in international cricket and finishing with 3-33 to help limit the Proteas to 174-8 despite a 20-ball 46 from AB de Villiers.

However, fellow new cap Liam Livingstone (16 off 18 balls) endured a painful struggle with the bat that culminated in a shambolic run-out as England lost their way badly following a century stand between Jason Roy (67) and Jonny Bairstow (47).

When the rejuvenated Roy fell victim to the rarely seen dismissal of obstructing the field at the start of the 16th over, his side required just 42 from 29 balls on a pacy surface, with seven wickets still in hand.

Livingstone - a renowned big-hitter in county cricket was unable to find any rhythm, though, and fine bowling from Chris Morris, Dane Paterson and Andile Phehlukwayo limited England to 171-6.

Liam Dawson hit the penultimate ball of the match for four after Livingstone had run himself out, but the former could not repeat the feat to secure victory as Phehlukwayo delivered a superb yorker.

Although the big-hitting JJ Smuts, who was out to the first ball of the match on Wednesday, and Farhaan Behardien contributed 45 and 32 respectively, De Villiers was a class apart in the Proteas' innings.

After taking three fours and a six off Liam Plunkett in the 10th over, South Africa's captain looked to be in ominous form when he walked across his stumps to David Willey and got down on one knee to flick the ball high over fine-leg for a stunning maximum.

However, De Villiers skied Willey's next ball to Eoin Morgan at cover and England were able to limit their opponents' acceleration thereafter as Curran continued to impress.

Roy and Bairstow both excelled in the reply, but the impressive Morris accounted for the latter and South Africa had a lifeline when Roy was given out after he was adjudged to have deliberately put his body in the way of a throw to the nonstriker's end.

England simply could not get going again thereafter and the series will now be decided in Cardiff on Sunday. (Sportsmax)

Gatlin wants to be part of history with Bolt in London

A

fter years of being Usain Bolt’s main rival, Justin Gatlin wants one more race with the Jamaican world record holder and for a special reason.

Bolt is retiring after his final 100 meters at August’s world championships in London and Gatlin, who is competing in the U.S. trials this weekend, hopes to be in the race.

“It’s a part of history,” said the American Olympic 100m silver medalist.

One that will be both fun and sad.

“It’s going to be a changing of an era,” Gatlin told Reuters. “We are going to be looking at a person who came along and made his mark and who has not only excited the crowds but he has made history over and over.”

Although he has beaten Bolt only once, Gatlin said the race would also be fun.

“I always wanted to battle with the guys with the records,” the American said.

“When I came back into the sport, my goal was to be...I said to myself ‘I just want to be shoulder to shoulder with him’,” Gatlin told reporters at the U.S. nationals/world trials.

The 2004 Olympic champion, Gatlin was ineligible for the 2008 Beijing Games while serving a four-year doping ban.

He watched from a restaurant as Bolt wiped out world records in the 100 and 200 meters.

“It was just total respect for how fast he is, the competition he brings,” the 35-year-old Gatlin said.

Since then, with Gatlin returning from his ban in 2010, they have raced nine times at 100 meters with a 2013 Diamond League win in Rome Gatlin’s only victory.

While Bolt was racking up world and Olympic gold medals, Gatlin won bronze at the 2012 London Olympics followed by silver at the 2013 and 2015 world championships and at last year’s Rio Games.

This season has been a struggle with various injuries, but Gatlin said it would be pleasing to be back at worlds in London.

“It would be the toughest year for me,” the 2005 world champion said. “But it would be an

honor to get through a n d show the fo r t i t u d e that I have.”

While L o n d o n will be the last race for the 30-yearold Bolt, Gatlin, more than four years older, hopes to continue running.

“That’s the fun part,” he told Reuters.

“Now that void that Usain will leave will open the door for others to step up and be competitive.

That’s going to be exciting.”

(Reuters)

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Hutson denies AAG is

21

BANKRUPT P

resident of the Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG), Aubrey Hutson has slammed an article appearing in another section of the local press which claimed that his association is bankrupt and assured that such is will never be under his watch.

“There are certain sections of the media that like to take the AAG to task, and is normally very critical but some of them are unwarranted.

I’d like to say that the statement (the headline of the article) of itself is libelous. I want to state clearly that the Athletics Association of Guyana will never go bankrupt under the

presidency of Aubrey Hutson”.

An article appearing in Friday’s edition was headlined “Athletics association bankrupt after hosting South American Junior Championships”.

“We at the AAG will continue to make wise and prudent financial decisions in the dispensation of the mandate of our athletes and these decisions sometimes can be reflected in the meets we attend and how many persons we send to those meets. Our whole approach to athletics will always be hinged on our financial capabilities of carrying out those tasks,” Hutson declared.

Hutson labeled as “ironic” the fact that his association was criticized in the past for hosting awards ceremony at the YMCA when that was done as a money saving option to send athletes abroad, and is now being blasted for hosting the South American U-20 Championships which exposed 50 athletes to an international competition.

The AAG president scoffed at claims that some senior athletes’ hopes of gaining qualification were dashed because of Guyana’s nonparticipation at weekend’s South American Senior Championships in Paraguay.

AAG President

Aubrey Hutson Hutson explained that while it would have cost an additional US$4000 to US$6000 to send a team of athletes to the SA Senior Championships, much needed money will be saved as the same group of athletes will have two good opportunities on home soil to qualify at the upcoming National Senior Championships and the Aliann Pompey Invitational meet.

The SA U-20 Championships cost the AAG an estimated $26 Million and while the association has some outstanding debts Hutson assured that all will be cleared in due time.

GHB host Olympic Day activity

O

lympic Day is deemed a day for the world to get active, learn about Olympic values and discover new sports. To uphold this global tradition the Guyana Hockey Board (GHB) is extending invitation to Olympic sports disciplines to commemorate Olympic Day 2017.

Starting at 14:00h today at Georgetown cricket Club Turf, Shivnarine Chanderpaul Drive, Bourda, participants will be exposed to various fun field hockey skills and play in field hockey’s newest game format Hockey 5s. Each Olympic sport should have a minimum of five participants in each of the following categories: Under 13 Mixed, Under 16 Boys & Girls, Under 19 Boys & Girls, Open Men & Women and Over 35 Mixed.

Jamaica, Curacao advance to Caribbean Cup finals D

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efending champions Jamaica and Curacao will contest the finals of the Caribbean Football Union Caribbean Cup on Sunday following victories over French Guiana and Martinique respectively in Fortde-France, Martinique Thursday night.

Ten-man Jamaica battled back from a goal down to take French Guiana to penalties before advancing 4-2 from the spot.

Jamaica were forced to work hard to get the better of their opponents who were emboldened by the presence of former Chelsea star Florent Malouda. French Guiana’s enterprising play had Jamaica on the back foot early and it paid off Defending champions Jamaica Reggae Boyz in the 10th minute when Ludovic Baal put them 1-0 Reggae Boyz spurned sev- Fisher and Cory Burke all eral good chances to win scored for to ensure that up.

However, as Malouda’s in extra time but French the six-time champions adinfluence on the game Guiana held on to take the vanced to Sunday’s finals 4-2. Rudy Evens and Jeanwaned, Jamaica managed game to penalties.

However, after Michael David Legrand muffed to level the score in the 70th Binns missed Jamaica’s first their spot kicks for French minute when Jermaine Johnson lashed in a low penalty, Owayne Gordon, Guiana who will play off for cross inside the box. The Shamar Nicholson, Oneil third place as consolation.

Jamaica was joined in the final by Curacao who rallied from a goal down to defeat Martinique 2-1.

Yoann Arquin had given the home team the lead in the 17th minute.

The lead would hold until the 57th minute when

Gevaro Nepomuceno pulled Curacao level from the penalty spot. They would go on to take the lead in 76 when Rangelo Janga head home a cross after being left unmarked inside the box.

(Sportsmax)

22 Minister Henry engages “A tough Sport Associations as journey to WC” conversation on National – says Barry Sport Policy begins F

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

SATURDAY, JUNE 24, 2017

By Delvon McEwan

A section of the gathering on Friday

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s part of the Guyana Government's plan to complete a much needed National Sport Policy, the Ministry of Education Department of Culture, Youth and Sport held the first in a series of consultations with Sports Federation and Associations on Friday at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.

The Ministry held the interface with the objective of meeting with a view to engendering their feedback into what would ultimately become the National Sports Policy. A draft document will be issued shortly.

The consultations that are scheduled for hosting in the various administrative regions over time are a primary Government initiative that has been high on Minister Henry's agenda since 2016. Amidst her preamble, the Minister declared that "at the end of the day (the overall consultations)

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IBA One Star boxing Referee/Judge Romona Agard will be facilitating a seminar for persons who are desirable of pursuing a career of either a Referee or a Judge.

The seminar will be held at the Andrew “Six-head” Lewis Gym in Albouystown beginning today at 10:00hrs and will continue on Sunday at the same time.

The seminar is backed by the Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) and is expected to attract a fair amount of persons.

Agard was recently

we want a policy that will work for Guyana."

Noting that she expected that more representatives of Federations and Associations would have been in attendance, Minister Henry posited that there are more than 43 groups that were invited to the consultation.

Melissa Dow-Richardson, Assistant Director of Sport, who is the lead coordinator on the project, said the aim of the consultations is to focus on the fundamental principles of sports in addition to examining critical policy issues in sports.

Other areas of focus of the public consultation were: governance, accountability, on ensuring a safe and secure environment, discrimination, harassment and athlete development.

Focus was also placed on sports administration, coaching and training, sports financing, tourism and

intellectual property rights.

With regards to the media, specific focus was on their roles and responsibilities in addition to its rights.

“When we look at sports we are not operating in isolation. There are over 28 Olympic sports disciplines and in Guyana most have representation and our aim is to develop a policy that takes us to another level," added Dow-Richardson.

She noted that the National Sport of Circle Tennis created

by Guyana should be projected as one like the road tennis in Barbados that could become an Olympic sport.

From the consultation she advised that her team will take shared values of sports that go beyond gender, age or ethnicity to encourage respect, competition, fair play and discipline as hallmarks of the National Sports Policy.

Seminar for potential boxing referees on this weekend selected by the Americas Boxing Confederation (AMBC) to officiate at the upcoming South American Youth Games later this year in October.

She created history in Guyana when she became the first from the Land of Many Waters to be selected for such a prestigious tournament.

Agard and Richard Braithwaite were successful at the AIBA One Star exams last December.

Persons desirous of finding out more information can contact Agard on: +592-6224043

Romona Agard will be facilitating the seminar

ormer First Class player Neil Barry says it will be a tough journey for West Indies to make it to the 50 over World Cup but urge the fans to have faith in the inexperience unit as they endure a challenging period of cricket in the region.

West Indies are presently engaged in a five match One Day International Series against World number three ranked India. A series victory would enhance their chances for automatic qualification for the global event. Failing to win the series the team’s most likely route into the tournament will come from the 10 team 2018 Cricket World Cup Qualifier in Ireland, which will allow entry for two additional teams.

However, like former West Indies captain Darren Sammy, Barry does not believe it will be an easy task for the lads from the Caribbean. “It is foreign conditions in Ireland….it will be cold there, pitches differ-

ent from those in the region and spinners might not be as effective in those conditions,” Barry said.

Nevertheless, Barry, a self-confessed patriot of West Indies cricket, claimed it would take an extremely good effort for the guys in Maroon Caps to beat Ireland and even Scotland in those conditions and earn one of the two additional spots.

However, Barry foresees a competitive series between India and the West Indies due to events that unfolded prior to the clash.

According to the former Cricketer turn Commentator, limited over cricket in the Caribbean always brings intense rivalry and due to this, he is certain of a fierce battle between the sides.

He noted that the visitors will have to bounce back from their loss to arch-foes Pakistan at the final of the ICC Champions Trophy in England and internal issues that have created a cloudy environment within their cricket. Given the facts they will aim to execute at a high

Neil Barry level as they seek to demolish West Indies, who are ranked nine.

Barry does not believe the inexperience West Indian unit is going to be feeble in this five match series. “The West Indies trump card in recent times (the spinners) will not be as effective against the subcontinent team but, the young unit will put up formidable performances to prevent a lopsided affair,” the former national player predicted.

Fruta Conquerors tournament receives boost from Medicine Chest

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Medicine Chest’s Aaron Fraser (left) presents the cheque to Fruta Conquerors’ Daniel Thomas (right)

he Fruta Conquerors Football Club’s initiative to help develop young players through the hosting of two upcoming tournaments has received invaluable support from a loyal backer.

The Club benefitted from financial backing on Friday morning as the Medicine Chest Pharmacy located on Middle Street provided an undisclosed sum.

Aaron Fraser, Director of the company was on hand to present the cheque to Fruta Conquerors Secretary, Daniel Thomas. This comes

as the club prepares to stage their Under-13 and Under-16 tournaments that will be held synonymously with its 10th annual junior football camp.

Thomas expressed gratitude to Fraser and his team at Medicine Chest, noting that the company has been very supportive to the club over the years. He added that the Medicine Chest most recently sponsored the club’s Under-17 team that is currently competing in the NAMILCO Under-17 Flour Power tournament.

Fraser said his company

is once again delighted to strengthen bonds with the club.

“It is always nice to be associated with success, but not only success; I think Fruta Conquerors have demonstrated over the years that they have a very strong structure and that structure has enabled them to produce outstanding junior and senior players,” Fraser stated.

The youth tournaments, set to start in two weeks, will see participation from Beacon, Santos, Buxton, Fruta Conquerors, Georgetown Football Club, Western Tigers, Renaissance and Camptown.

GUYANATIMESGY.COM

SATURDAY, JUNE 24, 2017

23

12 teams to contest Petra/ Corona Football tournament

– close to $2M in prizes for top teams T

Top Brandz Sales and Marketing Manager Pratima Prashnajeet and Petra Co-Director Troy Mendonca hold a replica of the championship trophy while GFF President Wayne Forde (far left) , GFA Vice-President Aaron Fraser (3rd from right) along with other representatives

op Brandz Distributors and promised that the tourunder their Corona nament will align into their Beer brand have objectives of promoting the partnered with Petra beer.

Organisation for the inau Mendonca indicated gural Corona Invitational that the tournament will Football Tournament be played on a round-robin which twelve of in knock-out phase where Georgetown’s marque teams there will be two groups of are set to compete. six teams. The top four from This announcement was the respective group will admade on Friday at a simple vance to the knock-out phase. ceremony at the company The teams are playing Broad Street Location, where for first place prize of one milCo-Director of the organising lion dollars and championbody Troy Mendonca stat- ship trophy while second to ed that he is elated to have fourth will pocket $400,000, the support of the company $200,000 and $100,000 re-

spectively and the correThe organiser further ex- mote the community teams sponding accolade. plained that on the first day and build a fan base by havThe tournament was of the tournament admission ing additional entertainment initially set to kick-off on will be free for all patrons packages at the venues.

June 30 but according to and will continue to be same Meanwhile, Georgetown Mendonca the inclem- for women only throughout Football Association ent weather caused the de- the duration of the tourna- (GFA) First Vice-President lay, with the tentative date ment.

Aaron Fraser applauded now being July 7 and the Top Brandz Sales Petra for helping the GFA conclusion scheduled for and Marketing Manager to fill a void given the difSeptember 9.

Pratima Prashnajeet ex- ficulties which led to a deThe playing days will plained that objective of the lay in their leagues competiprimarily be Fridays and tournament is to enlight- tions. Fraser was also in high Sundays which will see the en the public on their theme praise of Top Brandz, who Georgetown Football Club, for the beer, “ This is living”. he termed a non-traditional Bourda and Tucville Ground Brand Ambassador Jean- sponsor for football, for lendbeing the main playing ven- Paul Bonse added that the ing support given the “turbucompany is seeking to pro- lent economic” situation in ues.

the country.

Guyana Football Federation (GFF) president Wayne Forde noted that the Federation will continue to support the work of Petra since they programmes align with the Federation’s developmental plan for the sport.

The tournament will feature Guyana Police Force FC, Campton FC, Santos FC, Pele FC, Georgetown Football Club, Beacons FC, Northern Rangers, Western Tigers, Riddim Squad, Flamingo FC, Black Pearl and East Ville FC.

GBTI Tennis Open

Downes 7 up M

en’s champion Anthony Downes made it seven in a row when he won the Men’s singles title on Wednesday night as curtains closed on the eight edition of the Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry (GBTI) Tennis Open.

Downes proved he was the best in the field after defeating Daniel Lopes in straight sets at the bank’s recreational facility at Bel Air Park.

The result was a repeat of last year's finals which had a similar score line. Lopes had teamed up with Leyland Leacock the night before to upset Downes and Jason Andrews in the Men's Doubles and revenge would have certainly been on Downes' mind as he wrapped up the match in less than one hour dropping just one game.

The reigning champion has been prominent on the local scene, participating in his first Men's singles final when he was fourteen and has battled with other top players such as Phillip Squires and Jeremy Miller over the years.

The 25-year-old Downes has had the opportunity to train periodically

with former world rated player Jack Barrington and an exhibition match is being planned for local enthusiasts later in the year Other outstanding performers in the tournament were 16 year old Ladies Champion Afruica Gentle who again carted off the three open titles Ladies Singles and Doubles and Mixed Doubles, Leyland Leacock who won the Men's 35 Singles and Men's Open Doubles title, Godfrey Lowden with the Men's 45 Singles and Doubles title and 35 Doubles runner-up and Andre Lopes who won the Men's 35 doubles and was runner-up in the Men's 35 Singles. Daniel Lopes also medalled twice taking the runnerup position in the Men's singles and winning the Men's Doubles title.

In the Junior categories, Jordan Beaton was the winner of the Boy's Singles title, while Kalyca Fraser captured the Girl's Singles. There was also a win for newcomer Delon Fraser who edged Surendra Khayyam to win the developmental Novice Medley category.

The presentation ceremony which immediately followed the final

match, was attended by Acting CEO of GBTI Shaleeza Shaw and Marketing Manager Pamela Binda.

Shaw stressed the importance of their partnership with the Guyana Tennis Association which was renewed eight years ago and commended the Association for the progress shown with developing the sport locally which sees opportunities being given to youths to spend their time productively and develop their skills. She touched on the pride experienced seeing Guyana's participation in the recent games in Azerbaijan where the Guyana flag was flown proudly by the team and challenged tennis players to reach similar heights of representing Guyana internationally.

Shaw expressed the bank’s commitment to tennis and indicated that GBTI will provide its facilities for the hosting of the Inter-Guiana Games later this year in Guyana.

In his remarks, President of the GLTA, Jamal Goodluck commended the tennis fraternity for coming together to make the tournament, which saw 122 matches over two

weeks, a success .

However, he bemoaned the fact that there were still instances of unsportsmanlike behavior cropping up which needs to be corrected.

Goodluck also thanked the Bank for its unflinching support . Goodluck added that the association is working closely with the relevant Ministry in developing a multi-court facility with lights which can finally solve the issue of lack of enough resources being available for players to hone their skills and to host international tournaments.

List of Prize Winners: Men's Open Singles: Winner: Anthony Downes, Runner Up: Daniel Lopes.

Ladies Open Singles: Winner: Afruica Gentle, Runner up: Kalyca Fraser.

Boys Singles: Winner: Jordan Beaton Runner up: Joshua Kalekyezi. Girls Singles: Winner: Kalyca Fraser, Runner up: Sarah Klautky. Men's 35 Singles: Winner: Leyland Leacock, Runner up: Andre Lopes. Men's 45 Singles: Winner: Godfrey Lowden Runner up: Alexley Almeida.

Novices Medley Singles: Winner: Delon Fraser, Runner up: Surendra

Anthony Downes

Khayyam. Men's Doubles Winners: Daniel Lopes/Leyland Leacock, Runners up: Anthony Downes/Jason Andrews. Ladies Doubles: Winners: Afruica Gentle/Cristy Campbell, Runners up: Shelly Ramdyhan/Fiona Bushell. Mixed Doubles-Winners: Anthony Downes/Afruica Gentle, Runners-up: Daniel Lopes/Sarah Klautky. Men's 35 Doubles:Winners: Andre Lopes/Sandeep Chand, Runners up : Godfrey Lowden/ Ronald Murray. Men's 45 Doubles: Winners: Godfrey Lowden/Omar Persaud, Runners up: Albert Razick/ Steve Surujbally.

SATURDAY, JUNE 24, 2017

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

guyanatimesgy.com

GBTI Tennis Open

Downes 7 up

Pg 23

Top performers of the GBTI Tennis Open with representative of the bank as well as GLTA Officials

Gatlin wants to be part of history with Bolt in London Pg 20

Shikhar Dhawan was the star with 87 as India eyed a big total (AFP)

Persistent rain forces 1st ODI to be abandoned

Pg 20

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