Guyana times 27 january 2018

“Persons caught pilfering drugs will be jailed” P10 – Minister Lawrence

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

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Saturday, January 27, 2018

Issue No. 3463

PRICE

Sugar workers' firing

$80 vat included

WHAT'S INSIDE:

“God wanted sugar to fail” – Ramjattan …says GAWU agreed on preferential severance payment …Ministers rush to Enmore, residents reject team

P7 Wildlife exporter shot during robbery

Developer, squatters clash over land P2

P8 Husband charged for wife’s murder

Govt hints at another CoI P10

Major companies interested in closed sugar estates – P9 Hughes

See stories on pages 3 and 12

10th anniversary

... as Berbice protesters drown Nagamootoo's attempts to pacify workers

Lusignan massacre victims P14 remembered

Page 2

Herstelling man shot after chopping Policeman

Teen charged for stabbing schoolmate Page 8

City Councillor collapses, dies at business place Page 7

$59M settlement

Cheque honoured – P10 lawyer …NBS denies move to block cashing

2 News

saturDAY, january 27, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Developer, squatters clash over land

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Squatters at the site despite being told to remove

uch confusion has been created over the past few days at Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo, as squatters stopped an excavator from clearing a plot of land owned by a well-known city busi-

nessman.

Guyana Times understands that the developer had arrived at the location with an excavator and workers to start clearing the land when a group of persons turned up claiming ownership. While

they have not yet built permanent structures, the persons have already demarked areas to start construction.

Guyana Times further understands that the squatters have been cultivating the land despite their being

aware that it was transported property.

This standoff resulted in the engagement of the Guyana Police Force and the Communities Ministry.

On Thursday, officials from the ministry instructed the squatters to desist from occupying the land, measuring five acres; but the squatters insisted that they have been occupying the land for the past three years, and when it was under bush, they were the ones who had cleared it.

After the squatters had demonstrated reluctance to remove from the area, the Police were called in. The intervention of the Police was successful in removing the squatters on Thursday, but the squatters again returned on Friday, refusing to move and calling on the Government to find land for them to farm.

When contacted, ‘D’ Division Commander Leslie

A section of the plot of land being cleared by the land developers

James explained that the Police had received the report of the disturbance and would have deployed ranks to deal with the matter forthwith.

He noted that the land is indeed owned by a city businessman, and it was illegal in the first place for persons in the area to squat on the privately-owned land. As such, a meeting was scheduled for James to meet with both the squatters and the land developer to thrash out the issues.

He was confident that the

meeting will bear fruit, and that the matter would be resolved amicably.

In an invited comment, the city businessman noted that he would have bought the plot of land several years ago, and was waiting on the opportune time to develop it.

He noted that the manner in which the squatters behaved was quite distasteful, especially since they knew fully well that the land is privately owned.

Herstelling man shot after chopping Policeman

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hirty-three-year-old Christopher George of Lot 162 Herstelling, East Bank Demerara was reportedly in the process of assaulting his 60-year-old mother in the wee hours of Thursday when the Police,

responding to the report, turned up at his residence.

George reportedly armed himself with a cutlass and dealt a rank two chops to his hand and left knee.

The Police retaliated by drawing his service revolver

and discharging two rounds, striking George to his right arm and right collarbone.

The rank and George were both rushed to the hospital, where they were admitted. Investigations are ongoing.

news

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saturDAY, january 27, 2018 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

BRIDGE OPENINGS

Sugar workers’ firing

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

Saturday, January 27 – a night retraction at 01:00h and a day retraction from 13:00h-14:30h and Sunday, January 28 – a night retraction at 02:30h and a day retraction from 14:00h-15:30h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Saturday, January 27 – 12:15h-13:45h and Sunday, January 28 – 13:30h-15:00h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY

Thundery showers can be expected throughout the day, with light cloudy skies in the evening.

Temperatures are expected to range between 24 degrees Celsius and 27 degrees Celsius.

Winds: East North-easterly to North-easterly between 2.68 metres and 4.91 metres.

High Tide: 00:27h and 12:54h reaching maximum heights of 2.31 metres and 2.43 metres respectively.

Low Tide: 06:21h and 19:04h reaching minimum heights of 0.91 metre and 0.75 metre respectively.

wednesDAY, january 24, 2018

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DAILY MILLIONS 02 04 08 09

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

“God wanted sugar to fail” – Ramjattan …says GAWU agreed on preferential severance payment …Ministers rush to Enmore, residents reject team

By Michael Younge

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he signs that the Government is buckling under severe pressure were evident on Friday morning when a high-level Government team led by Third Vice President Khemraj Ramjattan rushed to Enmore, on the East Coast Demerara, to address irate workers who were extremely angry and concerned over the non-payment of their full severance packages to date, and a decision by the Government to downsize the sugar industry.

The team, which also included Business and Tourism

Some of the protesters at Enmore, East Coast Demerara

Ramjattan as it made its way into the venue for the meeting.

Some of the workers objected to the presence of Ramjattan in particular in their community, as they lashed out at him for joining with the APNU to

dream deh day we woulda end up jobless after my whole family wuk and sweat to develop Guyana!” Rakesh Singh related as he stood on the picket line.

Other workers said they

sabotage their livelihoods.

“We don’t want them here!

Why only now they decide to come and face we? Dem done tek bread outta we mouth, and now them could to sweet talk we! It can’t wuk suh!

We want we full severance, and we want we benefits!” a 52-year-old sugar worker attached to the Enmore Factory declared.

“I don’t care what Mr Ramjattan come fuh say! I ain’t voting for them no more!

Them man dis nah got shame!

We know dem banna coulda save deh industry, but is bare politics them a play! I neva

are not concerned about the politics surrounding the issue, but they are affected because they are unable to provide for their families.

“I am concerned about my children’s future! This Government did not treat us nicely, and I think is because they underestimate our strength; but we learn hard this time. We don’t want Ramjattan nor Moses here!”

Several protesters marching

Minister Dominic Gaskin; Public Telecommunications Minister Catherine Hughes; Citizenship Minister Winston Felix; and Minister within the Ministry of Natural Resources, Simona Broomes, met workers at the Enmore Training Centre and Staff Club.

The ministers were accompanied by a representative of the Government’s Special Purposes Unit, GuySuCo’s Acting Chief Executive Officer Paul Bhim, and other senior officials.

A large portion of the workers picketed the team led by

Amrita Persaud shouted.

No choice

Meanwhile, as desperation stepped in, Vice President Ramjattan explained that the Government had no other choice but to make the “hard decision”. He admitted that challenging days are ahead for the sugar industry. He remarked that times are changing globally, and had Guyana responded at the right time and in the right manner, the dynamics of the sugar industry would have been very different now.

Ramjattan, Chairman of the Alliance For Change -which forms part of the governing Coalition Administration -- told workers that the former Administration had received some 70 million Euros from the European Union in 2006, following the 2003 price cuts and the phasing out of preferential quotas of sugar from African, Caribbean and Pacific countries (ACP); and he questioned what was done with that money, after insinuating that it did not go to the industry at all.

Turn to page 7

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guyanatimesgy.com

saturDAY, january 27, 2018

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

Finally: The ERC

A

fter months of consultations and back-and-forth, the National Assembly, last week, approved 10 persons from various organisations to serve as members of the ERC. The new members include Dr John O. Smith from the Christian bodies; Sister Rajkumarie Singh representing the Hindu bodies; and Roshan Khan from the Muslim bodies. The Labour Movement bodies nominated Norris Emanuel Witter as their representative; the Private Sector Organisations’ representative is Major-General (Retd.) Norman McLean, while the Youth Organisations are represented by Deodat Persaud and the Women Organisations

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

Now that this process has been completed, from the way it looks, the long-awaited Commission could be fully functional in a matter of days; all that is left to be done is for President David Granger to officially swear in the members, as is required by the Constitution. This is indeed good news for the entire country, as, for some time now, stakeholders had been calling on the relevant authorities to do what is takes to ensure that this important constitutional body becomes fully functional.

The Commission has been virtually dysfunctional since 2011, when then Opposition Leader Robert Corbin secured an injunction against the body, barring the Chairman and two Commissioners from taking any decision, making any recommendation, or issuing any direction on behalf of the constitutional body.

Once it is re-established, this would be the country’s second ERC, replacing the first which was formed on March 8, 2002.

The first ERC was chaired by Bishop Juan Edghill (who was the Christian representative), and its tenure constitutionally expired in 2006. From then right up to 2015, an inordinate period of time during which the country saw the running off of two General Elections (viz in 2011 and 2015), no new Commission was established to replace the first Commission, which, over time, became mired in a host of issues, such as court matters instigated by the main parliamentary Opposition, challenging the organisation’s constitutionality; loss of membership through attrition – resignations, deaths, illnesses, and migration – resulting in the lack of a decisionmaking quorum; and, to some extent, a loss of public trust and confidence in the organisation’s credibility.

Subsequently, after the results of the 2011 general and regional elections transformed the PPP/C into a minority government, the framework for a new ERC was agreed to in 2013 between the Government and then parliamentary Opposition parties APNU and AFC. At that time, it was consensually agreed by the Government and the Opposition parties to add 3 more constituents – namely, the ethnic representatives of the country’s African, East Indian, and Amerindian peoples – to the original mix of representatives, thus increasing the total number of elected members from 7 to 10. The process to select the nominees for the new Commission concluded in 2014, and the names of those selected were made public. But, for some inexplicable reason, they were never sworn-in as Commissioners.

It must be noted, too, that not long after the Coalition Government gained political power, it established the Social Cohesion Ministry, albeit with similar functions to those of the ERC. Many had questioned the relevance of this particular ministry, especially considering the fact that an autonomous body, the ERC, was tasked with a similar mandate with backing from the constitution. It is therefore left to be seen how these two organisations would relate to each other; more particularly, if they would duplicate functions or step into each other’s turf.

It is worthwhile to mention that the ERC is a constitutional body established under the Herdmanston Accord. It works with persons and agencies to promote harmonious ethnic relations. The Commission also deals with complaints, promotes training in racial harmony, and fosters a sense of security among all ethnic groups.

The ERC is probably the most powerful of all the rights commissions established in this country after Independence.

It has an extremely important role to play in national unity and development. The President should therefore move with haste in swearing in the commissioners as soon as possible, so that they could commence their work.

India’s Republic Day celebrations: An Assamese Policeman performs a stunt on his motorcycle during the Republic Day parade in Guwahati, India (Reuters/Anuwar Hazarika)

Response to Vincent Alexander’s Federalism to end ethnic conflict

Dear Editor, Vincent Alexander purported to respond to my column, “Federalism to end ethnic conflict” in a letter “I maintain that Dev’s Federalism proposal is highly flawed” (Guyana Times 1-25-18). I say “purported” because Alexander sedulously sought to equate Federalism” with “partition”, which it certainly is not. In a Federal Republic, for instance, the US, remains a single country.

Residents of each state/province would be free to move and live in another state/ province.

Alexander correctly noted I claimed: “In a society where the majority ethnic groups each constitute majorities in different areas of the country, political devolution offers the largest num-

ber of incentives toward addressing ethnic insecurities”. But he excised the topic sentence of the paragraph: “I propose that Guyana be reconstituted as a Federal Republic, even as a coalition Government be formed at such a republic’s centre.”

Alexander then proceeded to attack a strawman he created by suggesting that the states/provinces in the Federal Republic would somehow be unfair to African Guyanese. In addition to being “flawed”, my Federal proposal was, “Indo-centric and non-recognition of the contribution of other Guyanese to the development of Guyana; and their collective right to its patrimony.” And this is where Alexander reveals the real basis of his and most African-Guyanese rejection

of Federalism as a possible way to ease our ethnically based political tensions.

As Alexander notes, in a federalised Guyana, in specific states/provinces some specified devolved powers (“competencies”) will be in the hands of the state/province’s administration to the extent they form majorities there. Why does he object to this? When we proposed the Federal Republic, the People’s Progressive Party was in office and it was possible they could rule in perpetuity based on the numbers of their mainly Indian supporters and this created an African Ethnic Security Dilemma in the “majoritarian” polity. Federalism, we pointed out, would offer other groups in some state/ province to have an opportunity to experience exec-

utive office, albeit at a lower level than the Central Government. Today, with the African-dominated A Partnership for National Unity in office, why shouldn’t other groups be afforded the same opportunity?

But how can the proposal be “racist”, of all things, if with Indians now below 39 per cent and decreasing exponentially, the African Security Dilemma is now gone and they have as equal a chance as any other group of leading the coalition at the centre?

As they do now. And what this coalition, which was supposed to be “multiracial” with the addition of the Alliance For Change, has demonstrated is one cannot trust the beneficence of dominant partners in coalitions. continued on page 5

Clarity on the Police ‘stop-and-search’ powers

Dear Editor, I refer to a recent letter in the press written by M. Abraham and appearing under the caption “A random stop and search by the police on the Linden to Lethem road”.

The writer referred to a “random stop and search” he encountered about 40 miles from Linden by a group of four heavily armed police ranks on an ATV. He questioned whether or not the search was a lawful one, considering all the factors which the Guyana Police Force outlined as necessary before conducting a stopand-search.

I heard and read a lot of piffle: that searches should be conducted near to a po-

lice station or outpost, or at a check point manned by a senior police officer attired in uniform.

Let me be pellucid: I hold no brief for the GPF; however, as a retired senior Police officer, I still have an abiding interest in law enforcement. I want the Police at all times to deliver the highest quality of service to the citizens of Guyana, whom they swore to serve and protect; hence my regular letters to the press.

Here is the law that deals with the Police power to stop, search, or detain aircraft, vessels, vehicles or persons in certain circumstances, as outlined in section 18 of the Police Act, Chapter 16:01: “Any mem-

ber of the Force may stop, search and detain any aircraft, vessel or vehicle upon which there shall be reason to suspect that anything stolen or unlawfully obtained, or that any person suspected of having committed any indictable offence, may be found; and he may also stop, search, and detain any person who may be reasonably suspected of having or conveying in any manner anything stolen or unlawfully obtained. “ I do not have all the facts in relation to the matter under review.

I am not au fait with the Police side of the story, therefore I cannot pronounce on whether or not the Police were right or wrong in con-

ducting the stop-and-search operations. Also, I am not certain if smoking in public is now illegal; I have not read the relevant law.

I hope that my missive would be able to clear up some questions raised by the writer, or may even provoke some more debate on the topic. It depends on interpretation of the law and the standard operational procedure the Police have in place to enforce the legislation.

Did I hear someone say that ‘the law is an ass’?

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

guyanatimesgy.com

saturDAY, january 27, 2018

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

Govt abusing Local Govt system NAACIE disturbed by Guyana Times article

Dear Editor, The jury is out on the gamut on the overwhelming failures and continued abuse of this coalition Government on the Local Government system. The jury foreman indicates the strongest ‘acid-red readings’ on the proverbial PH Scale tests, of his lead in the Local Government spectrum. Their findings summarised, confirm the leading defendant Minister Ronald Bulkan guilty as charged on all counts.

After all the banter and delays in the appointment of the Local Government Commission (LGC), the Minister shamelessly continues to impose and undermining strategy of elected Councils that the coalition does not control. Aside from authorising his agents to usurp the authority of the Council on numerous fronts, he now oversees the continued frustration by deflating the support required by the Local Government Commission (LGC) which has the mandate to regulate the balance in this area.

It is extremely distasteful and abhorrent that an office for the LGC is yet to be established. The Commission cannot function without a ‘fit and proper’ office in the first place or without the supporting tools to aid their constitutional undertakings.

Further, the Commissioners must be paid immediately and not held under duress as is being exercised by this coalition Government.

This frustration must stop now! The Minister must provide answers regarding how he expects mails addressed to the LGC to be delivered, and how he expects the Commissioners to move around to address matters

in the Local Authority Areas (LAAs), they are mandated oversight responsibilities.

There are numerous problems and serious issues in the LGAs as the elected Councillors are struggling to implement their work programmes. There is lots of evidence that deliberately placed the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) political stooges as administrative staff, whose work ethics is disturbing to say the least. They are not pulling their weight as workers as assigned by the Councils in the LAAs, while reports to the Ministry have fallen on the deaf ears of the Minister who has forbidden the Councils from imposing disciplinary measures. As a consequence, the communities are not benefiting from the good intention of the elected Councillors.

Good and effective local governance is very important for the genuine allround development in our Local Authority Areas. The People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) Councillors are advised to hold regular meetings with their constituencies and interact with the residents, listen to the people’s concerns encourage them to make suggestions and foremost to genuinely represent the people’s interest at the statutory meetings of the Council.

Importantly, consultation and the sensitisation of villages and Local Authority Areas with plans for phase development activities are most welcome. The citizenry must be involved at all levels and all expenditures must be explained after, with proper financial accountability and prudent management systems in place.

Response to Vincent Alexander... from page 4

But Alexander reveals his concern when he claims Indo-Guyanese would deny other groups – read Africans – to Guyana’s “collective patrimony”. How? Alexander argues as if governance at lower levels would translate into ownership of resources.

Is Alexander projecting from the ethnically skewed manner in which the national patrimony is being presently being distributed by the central APNU Government? Or redistributed as in sugar?

As concededly an avowed proponent of “devolution”, Alexander would know that

the only practical difference between our present regional system and a federal system is the “competencies” of the latter – such as Police functions, local development, local taxation and spending – are constitutionally entrenched and cannot be manipulated as they have been since the eighties, by the Central Government.

Would he deny even these to other groups? Isn’t he ensuring Guyana’s continuing instability?

Sincerely, Ravi Dev

The people must receive answers to all their questions with reasonable explanations provided. Therefore, when the Government fails to support, the people must also be appropriately updated by the Councils.

In chartering the way forward, the collective opinions and support have to be seriously taken into account, since togetherness and all-inclusiveness will lead to greater achievement and massive synergies for a better life.

However, the coalition is a myopic Government with a dull vision for progress and development, especially for Local Authority Areas that are controlled by the PPP. It was hoped that with the Local Government Commission being in place, much work would have commenced towards the effective management of Local Authority Areas in the provision of services to the various communities but this seems far from materialising. The Commission cannot function without office space and support staff and the works of the Commission seem to be stagnated. Is this the Commission that the APNU/ AFC coalition Government promised the nation in their manifesto?

Suffice to say it is the people who would impose the sanctions for the Balkans’ mal-administration and the accommodation of such by the APNU/AFC Coalition Government. Needless to say, it would not be unsurprising if there are further orchestrations in extending the sentencing date for the Jury’s pronouncements, by delaying the scheduled 2018 Local Government Elections.

Sincerely, Neil Kumar

Dear Editor, The National Association of Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial Employees (NAACIE) was very disturbed after reading what can only be described as a mischievous and obviously misleading article titled “Sugar workers call for Komal Chand to resign” which appeared in the Guyana Times newspaper of January 23, 2018.

Our Union, which also attended the January 19, 2018 meeting with the Government, finds it necessary to clear the air and set the record straight and point out that both NAACIE and the Guyana Agricultural Workers Union (GAWU) did not agree with the Government to pay the workers their severance payments in installments. Both Unions insisted that the workers ought to receive their payments at once in keeping with the Termination of Employment and Severance Pay Act. For the two Unions, this is sacrosanct and, therefore, it is disappointing that some persons have decided to engage in such mischief-making. We cannot help but wonder what are their real motivations.

Our Union and GAWU have shared fraternal relations which go back decades and, in recent times, have stood together to denounce and condemn the plans by the Guyana Sugar Corporation and the Government to reduce the footprint of the sugar industry. We, like GAWU, have argued that the decision is wrong and poorly thought out and will bring more bad than good. We have endorsed GAWU’s plans advanced at the February 17, 2017 meeting with Government officials recognising the several positive suggestions to retain and safeguard the sugar industry.

Similarly, we were equally

impressed by GAWU’s presentation which was ably presented by the Union’s President, Mr Komal Chand at the January 19, 2018 meeting.

That presentation, we noted, advanced several critical considerations to protect and safeguard the well-being of the workers who have been affected by the callous sugar plans.

That presentation as well was also endorsed by our Union.

The NAACIE must share too that it recognised the importance of meeting and engaging with the Government, as the owner of the sugar industry.

We took into account that engagements with employers are part of any Union’s normal activities and critical to representing effectively workers concerns and demands. Had we chosen not to meet with the Government then, in effect, we would have given up another arena for struggling on behalf of our members interests at this difficult time for them and their families.

Bearing such important considerations in mind, engagement with the Government will be done in good faith and with the workers interest and future as our motivation.

NAACIE reiterates that it will continue to work in the best interest of its members.

We acknowledge and recognise the importance in these times of working with our sister Union in the sugar industry. We recognise too that various efforts will be afoot, coming from different quarters, to weaken and undermine our unity and militancy.

Our unions have a sound understanding of our members’ views with respect to their welfare matters and with our constant meetings with them we believe that they are fully supportive of the leadership given by union officers, in-

cluding Mr Komal Chand. The public attack on him is unwarranted, unfair and can be seen as divisive with the intention of weaken the workers cause.

We are happy with the astuteness, courage and sacrifice in his representation of workers’ cause. It is no wonder that Mr Chand is seen as one of the country’s foremost labour leaders. Vigilance is our watch word as we continue our struggle for the workers’ rights and benefits.

Respectfully, General Secretary NAACIE

Editor’s note: The large number of workers who contacted Guyana Times has claimed that severance pay is stipulated by the Termination of Employment and Severance Pay Act (TESPA) and there was no point for negotiations on that matter by GAWU and NAACIE. Secondly, the workers outlined that what GAWU and NAACIE should have been negotiating for is the non-closure of the sugar estates.

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tech, more

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talk

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fostering speech development in children

By Brittany N Thompson

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quick Google search of “technology speech delay” yields countless news articles about how technology use by young children contributes to speech delays. A recent study of almost 900 children showed that those who spent more time using screens experienced delays in a variety of areas of language development such as the number of words used or using language to get attention. Screen time replaces in-person interactions with parents, and this is why screen time is detrimental to healthy development for young children.

Research suggests that environmental contexts are key in shaping language development.

Parents can support children’s language development by being responsive to children when they attempt to communicate through language or noises.

Also, sensitive parenting, or responding to the emotional and physical needs of the child, is related to growth in both receptive and expressive language. Receptive language is the child’s understanding of the language spoken by you, while expressive language is the child being able to communicate using language.

Language development occurs in stages Language development occurs in stages, starting with babbling and recognising names of objects in infancy, to responding to their name and understanding simple questions at one to two

years old, to naming actions and having a vocabulary of 1000 words by three years of age, to being able to follow conversations and use future and past tense as well as proper pronouns later in preschool.

For one-year-olds, the more sensitive (being warm, reading child’s cues and responding appropriately) mothers are, the more children’s vocabulary will grow. By the time children are three years old, though, providing stimulating activities for children contributes more to child vocabulary than sensitive parenting. Parentchild interaction is certainly one type of stimulation helpful for language development, but engaging, child-friendly television shows or games on technological devices may be another consideration.

The American Academy of Pediatrics created new recommendations for screen time, or time engaging with technological devices (ie time spent on iPad, on adult’s cell phones, watching TV, or using a computer), for young children in 2016, which include no use of screen time for children younger than 18

months, minimal s c r e e n time and only of high quality programming

with adult involvement for children ages 18-24 months, and up to one hour of screen time per day with adult involvement for children ages 2-5 years. These guidelines are in line with research that sensitive parenting is most important in toddlerhood, but by three years of age cognitive stimulation plays a role as well, with screen time possibly providing some stimulation, but only when parents watch with their children and engage in discussion about what i s

being watched. The quantity and quality of parent-child verbal interactions are strongly associated with language development, and when these interactions are characterised by responsiveness and positivity, children can learn even more and are encouraged to reciprocate verbal behaviours. Talking to, reading with, and engaging children are important for language development, but these language-filled interactions are most effective when they are sensitive, responsive, and positive.

Consequences of speech delay Reducing your child’s risk for speech delays may benefit other areas of development, too. Children who experience speech delays often have trouble in social interactions because language is the foundation for such interactions. If children with speech delays do not catch up to their peers, they may struggle with following instructions in school and understanding social situations, making it difficult for them to make friends. This can contribute to lower selfesteem and a lack of confidence.

If you suspect your child may have a speech delay, seeking services early on can help him catch up and reduce the risk of further delays in development.

Parents should reduce the length

of time their child spends engaging with technological devices to prevent speech delays. Although research has yet to show that speech delays caused by technology are specifically due to decreased human interaction, we do know that parents play a key role in supporting their child’s language development. So, parents may want to consider replacing the time children used to spend engaged with devices with quality time engaged in parent-child interactions. By talking to children, explicitly teaching them new words, and creating a shared dialogue through activities like reading books and playing, language skills can be fostered. For some parents, however, it may not be easy to immediately begin engaging in these types of interactions with their children.

All of this being said, sometimes parents just need a break, or are cooking or doing another activity where it would be safer for the child to be away from the parent, in which case a few minutes with a device certainly will not hurt the

child. Speech delays and other negative effects of technology occur when the device becomes a replacement for parentchild interaction. It is easy to be misled because children love playing with iPhones and tablets, but just because they seem to enjoy it doesn’t mean it is the best mechanism for their development. When you do feel like you just need your child to be out of your way for a few minutes, electronic books or word learning apps can have positive effects on language development, so encouraging your child to engage with those specific types of applications briefly may be the best approach.

However, if you have a safe space where your child can play with toys individually while you take a break or complete a task for which the child cannot be near you, encouraging them to play alone for a few minutes can be even more beneficial for kids than devices. By learning to play alone, children learn important self-regulation and can even improve language skills by engaging in self-talk.

(psychologytoday.com)

Activities to support your child’s language development

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ome suggested activities to replace screen time and support your child’s language development are: Story Time Reading supports many areas of child development, but the conversations you have while reading are what really make a difference for language development. When parents describe characters, ask children to predict what might happen next, or periodically summarise the story’s plot, children develop more advanced language skills.

“Reading is Fundamental” provides guidelines and tips for engaging children of various ages in story time. E-books can be similarly positive for children when conversations occur in the same manner, but watching videos and using apps on an iPad usually does not come with the same kinds of questions and depth of involvement as reading, making them less helpful for a child’s language development.

Board Games Parents can use board games to ease into interacting with their child and to engage in problem solving discussions. By validating your child’s approach to the game, and teaching them what to do if they get frustrated, you are being responsive and sensitive to their needs.

Moreover, you can ensure the game is cognitively stimulating

by encouraging them to count spaces, strategise, and follow rules.

Toddlers love games like Lucky Ducks that are interactive and with easyto-follow rules. Some classic games for preschoolers are Candy Land and Snakes and Ladders, which also allow children to demonstrate their expressive vocabulary of colours and numbers while playing.

As children enter elementary school, they begin to enjoy games with more complex rules such as Sorry or Trouble.

Pretend Play Pretend play can help you understand your child’s view of the world, and can highlight emotional needs your child may have difficulty communicating directly, which will allow you to be more sensitive to his needs.

Pretend play is also a different form of cognitive stimulation than board games, encouraging your child to engage their imagination and think creatively. Pretend play involves transforming an object to represent something else, such as using a stick to represent a spoon, and role playing, such as playing house with one person acting as the mom and one as the baby. So, if you’re struggling to get started, simply grab a stick and use it as a prop and let your child guide you from there!

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saturDAY, january 27, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

City Councillor collapses, dies at business place

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People’s National Congress (PNC) Councillor on the Georgetown Mayor and City Council (M&CC), 64-year-

old Junior Garrett, collapsed and died on Friday afternoon in the compound of his Urquhart Street, Georgetown business place.

Garrett of Campbellville Housing Scheme, Georgetown, who represented Constituency Three, had just returned from a meet-

Wildlife exporter shot during robbery

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wildlife exporter was on Thursday afternoon shot and injured during a robbery at Victoria Street, Albouystown, Georgetown.

Injured is Imole Fox of Lot 94 Regent Street, Georgetown.

The 44-year-old man was shot to the lower right leg while another bullet

grazed his head. Based on information received, two men, including a serving member of the Joint Services, went to Victoria Street and while there, they met with the suspect and soon after a physical altercation ensued.

During the altercation, one of the men whipped out a gun and discharged

several rounds hitting the victim. The suspects then relieved Fox of a bag containing a bunch of keys, mobile phones and medication for animals.

The injured man was picked up and taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he was treated. The two suspects were later arrested.

“God wanted sugar...

The price cuts and end of the preferential treatment, he explained, came as a result of action by Brazil, Thailand and Australia, which took the ACP countries to the World Trade Organisation, demanding fair trade and a level playing field.

Turning to more statistics, the Vice President said the current Administration had expended some $32 billion since 2015 to bail out the sugar industry and meet its wage bill of close to $350 million per week. He said closure of estates was not new, as it has happened before.

In a bid to justify the Government’s delay in paying workers’ their severance at the time of dismissal, Ramjattan made reference to a case involving Trinidad and Tobago, where dismissed workers in that country’s sugar industry allegedly had to wait close to two years before they could receive their severance pay.

He quickly changed gear, and this time ran to the rescue of the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) as workers expressed dissatisfaction with the manner in which that union had handled the issue.

“We begged GAWU and

we invited NAAICE to come and talk to us…and they did,” Ramjattan said, before being interrupted by a worker who shouted, “But they sell we out!”

In response, a visibly upset and embarrassed Ramjattan responded, “No! It cannot be said that way…

GAWU is a responsible…they understand…putting (it) the way the polarization of hate and the purveyors of hate… and you got some of them here (who) will say that they sell us out…they did not... they understand the crisis that we have at hand, and they, too, realize that just as how you close Port Mourant years ago, Belladrum, Lenora and LBI…the things need certain closures…”

When workers resisted his suggestion and explanations, the Vice President invoked religion, saying that somehow, the failure of sugar could have been part of a divine plan.

“So it’s important to understand that hard decisions have to be made, and we are (the) ones that will (have) to make it…probably it was destined to have to fail.

Probably God wanted it that way, and we have to make the decisions now…Probably

From page 3

that is why God also said let (them) find the oil under this Administration, and we have found it”, he remarked.

The Vice President admitted that, somehow, the unions were part of, or suggested the preferential payment of severance to workers, following a meeting organised

by President David Granger.

“We are even speaking with the GAWU and NAAICE on all these matters, and it appears that the Opposition does not want to hear us…but let me say this… we are here to say (to) everyone that would like to listen to us and give suggestions…they (GAWU) came up with a suggestion recently after the President asked them to meet us. And then we decided all under $500,000 are going to get their full lump sums, and that is what we are going to do…,” he said.

The workers left the meeting disappointed but satisfied that at least some of their severance, if not all, will be paid on Monday.

“If they ain’t pay we Monday or next, or don’t come good, is another story,” a woman who described herself as “Aunty Baby” remarked at the end of the engagement.

Dead: Junior Garrett

ing with fellow Councillors at City Hall to discuss the city’s budget for 2018.

He returned to his business place to meet someone with whom he had an appointment but collapsed as he entered the premises.

At Woodlands Hospital, the man’s daughter, Levina

Garrett, told Guyana Times that she was contacted by her younger brother, who informed her that their father had a heart attack and was rushed to the medical facility.

The young lady also noted that doctors at the medical facility attempted to resuscitate her father, but this proved futile. When this publication arrived at the Hospital, several Councillors along with Mayor of Georgetown, Patricia Chase Green; Deputy Mayor Lionel Jaikarran and Town Clerk Royston King were seen offering their support and condolences to the man’s family.

The Deputy Mayor expressed shock at Garrett’s sudden passing, indicating that “he [Garrett] left at midday. He was his normal vociferous self. We sat next

to each other up to midday.”

Garrett was appointed to the position of City Councillor of the city of Georgetown on March 25, 2002.

He was described by colleagues as a passionate community advocate who was especially active in the Campbellville community.

He served on several committees, including finance and international relations.

On April 10, 2017, full Council appointed him as its representative on the Central Housing and Planning Authority Board.

In addition, he was considered an expert in his field and a true professional, with skills and qualifications that strongly complemented a Councillor’s role. He leaves to mourn seven children.

8 news

saturDAY, january 27, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

IN THE COURTS Husband charged for wife’s murder Visiting T relationships…

he reputed husband of 18-year-old Lorenda Thomas, who was brutally beaten and later died, was on Friday slapped with a murder charge and appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan.

Dhanraj Tiafulos, called “Abdool” of Baramita, North West District, Region One (Barima-Waini) was charged for killing Thomas on January 18, at Baramita.

Thomas, a mother of one, met her demise when she

Dhanraj Tiafulos

was allegedly attacked by her 47-year-old reputed husband and beaten unconscious after which she was left on the road corner in an unconscious state.

The woman after regaining consciousness went to a relative’s home where she relayed what happened to her family members.

The following morning, after complaining of pains in her abdomen and of feeling weak, she was taken to a health centre in Baramita

where she was admitted for treatment.

She was scheduled to be transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation for further treatment but succumbed to her injuries.

A wanted bulletin was issued for Dhanraj and he was apprehended a week later.

He was remanded to prison and is expected to make his next court appearance at the Matthews Ridge Magistrate’s Court on February 6.

Teen charged for stabbing schoolmate

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17-year-old lad of the Mercy Wings Vocational and Day Care Centre in Sophia, Georgetown stabbed his 15-year-old schoolmate to his abdomen with a Rambo knife during the course of a fight, and was on Friday arraigned before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan on a charge of attempted murder.

The teen, of Barnwell, North Mocha, East Bank Demerara, has been remanded to prison on the charge, which stated that on January

22, 2018, in the compound of the Mercy Wings Vocational and Day Care Centre at Sophia, he stabbed the 15-year-old

during the course of a fight.

Reports indicate that the teens were involved in an argument over a stolen cell phone when the teen drew a knife and stabbed his schoolmate once to his right side abdomen.

The victim was taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC) by a teacher of the school, and was admitted a patient in the intensive care unit, where he is still hospitalised.

The case has been set for recall on February 14.

Couple slapped with unlawful possession charges

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vegetable vendor and his 49-year-old wife were on Friday remanded to prison after they appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan, charged with five counts of unlawful possession.

Thirty-nine-year-old David Daygoo and Nicola Lambert, both of Lot 7 Craig Street, Campbellville, Georgetown, denied the charges brought against

them.

The charges alleged that the couple were found to be in possession of eight 12-gauge cartridges, 35 rounds of ammunition, 304 grams of cannabis, one 9mm pistol and thirteen 9mm rounds while not being the holder of a firearm licence.

According to the couple’s attorney, the Police went to the couple’s apartment on

January 24 and found the illegal items in the ceiling of the apartment where many other persons lived prior to his clients.

He noted that no admission was made by his clients, no fingerprints were found on the items and there is no evidence linking his clients to the items.

However, Police Prosecutor Gordon Mansfield objected to bail

and noted that Daygoo reportedly told Police that the items were given to him to keep by his friend called “Sharkman” who is presently out of the country.

They were both remanded. The case will continue on February 14.

Lindener jailed for 18 months on B&E charge

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Lindener who failed to show up in court on Thursday, was sentenced in absentia to 18 months imprisonment after he was found guilty of breaking and entering and larceny. Presiding Magistrate Clive Nurse found Romano Hamblin guilty of breaking and entering the home of Kayla McBean at Phase 1 Wisroc, Wismar, Linden on October 3, 2017.

The prosecution had contended that the 26-year-old man stole a gas bottle valued $10,000 and 16 plum fitted caps valued $40,000.

The total value of the stolen items, which were the property of McBean, amounted to $50,000.

A warrant has since been issued for Hamblin’s arrest.

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…in sugar he “visiting relationship” is a time honoured one in Guyana; a foundation stone in our Creole Culture.

Fella gives the girl “belly” – as they say – girl gets “pickney”, which is left with the grandma to “raise”. Fella – who’s now referred to as the “child father” – returns occasionally to look up the girl – and not so incidentally, to also knock her up – and may or may not give a small piece for the child.

As soon as your Eyewitness got wind of the announced visit of AFC big-wigs Nagamootoo and Ramjattan to the sugar belt – Nagamootoo to Berbice and Ramjattan to East Coast – he was reminded of the “visiting relationship” tradition. Nagamootoo and Ramjattan, after all, had assiduously courted sugar workers (“tackling” them, in their idiom!) during the last elections campaign. As was the custom, they promised the workers the sun and the moon and, as an aside, the longevity of the sugar industry!

Quite a bunch of these sugar workers gave their votes (their virtue?) to Nagamootoo and Ramjattan’s AFC which put the two of them into the elevated positions they now occupy in government: PRIME MINISTER AND PUBLIC SECURITY MINISTER!!! And what did the sugar workers get? Well, 5700 of them were fired from their jobs without even a wink of warning! What they got wasn’t “baby” – it was what they called, “goadie”! Like having a child that ties you down also!!

Without jobs to give them a wage to live, those sugar workers are now doomed to shuffling around like zombies. That’s what “goadie” does to you also! So here it is, Nagamootoo and Ramjattan are visiting the sugar workers and your Eyewitness wonders what crumbs they’ll throw at the goadies they gave these poor slobs who were seduced by them. They will arrive in their sleek, black posh, SUVs, heralded by sirens and outriders, and all dressed to impress!

Will they give out house and land? The workers with goadie would be just happy if they get their severance in full. In other circumstances, this would be known as a onetime “alimony” payout, but this wasn’t given as yet. Could it be that Nagamootoo and Ramjattan didn’t want to break the visiting relationship officially?

Nagamoootoo had already boasted about the job training the Business Minister had provided – IT and sewing and cake making and such like. Maybe some of the sugar workers with goadie will bake a cake for him when he comes around to sweet talk them.

2020 isn’t so far away, and maybe Nagamootoo and Ramjattan are hoping they can keep the visiting relationship going to give the workers another goadie then!! …in India Minister Carl Greenidge and Minister Raphael Trotman are jetting off to India, on the invitation of the Indian Government – to be wined and dined and signing all sorts of aid and cooperation packages. Your Eyewitness is very upset only these two Ministers were selected. And not because no one from across the aisles were on the junket.

Naaah…they’re not MINISTERS and your Eyewitness isn’t going to make a fuss!

But the Director of Public Information (DPI) SHOULD make a fuss. One that rivals the one he made when the Government of India ordered MPs and didn’t invite his boss, Prime Minister Nagamootoo. Now why wasn’t Nagamootoo invited instead of Trotman. Your Eyewitness can understand Greenidge’s invitation, being Foreign Minister and all that. But Trotman?

There’s a pattern here, dear reader, that you should note. Remember when Trotman was picked ahead of Nagamootoo by the PNC/APNU as Speaker? Remember when he was placed in charge of “Governance” instead of Nagamootoo as provided for in the Cummingsburg Accord? Conspiracy!!

C’mon water boy! This free trip was snatched from your Boss…Act up! …to private schools Instead of hassling private schools and working slobs about taxes, shouldn’t the tax boss call for a review of the giveaways in the oil contract negotiated by Trotman?

Or whether there’s foreign accounts of Trotman that need to be taxed?

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

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saturDAY, january 27, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

GRA reviewing GTT Major companies interested in tax settlement case closed sugar estates – Hughes …will make decision based on principle, not politics – Statia S T

By Michael Younge

he Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) is in the process of reviewing paperwork from the GTT; and if circumstances permit, the GRA will move to finalise cases in which the GTT purportedly owes some US$44.1 million in taxes.

Commissioner-General of the Guyana Revenue Authority, Mr Godfrey Statia, related to media operatives during a press conference that he has been part of the negotiations, and had asked for documents from GTT. “GT&T has submitted (the) information to me, and I’m going through the information,” Statia related. “I’ve asked them for some additional information, which they have yet to provide.

As soon as it is provided, I am willing to finalise those cases. We need to recognise that this has been going on since 1991.”

Statia stressed that time is of the essence, and if just half of the millions of US dollars owed were collected, the State would be in better financial stead. He also noted that since the issue is engaging the courts, a process has to be followed.

“Taxation is based on principles.

Anytime we decide to make it political, we have a problem. It must be above board, and everyone must be treated equally. If, in the negotiations which have been going on and which I am a part of, it reaches a level where the incumbent is trying to make it political, I immediately (recuse myself).”

The Tax Chief noted that in the GTT Annual Report, the telecommunications giant had alluded toUS$41 million as its tax exposure or liabilities. “What I know is that, if you examine (this), you may realise that at some point all may be taxable and all may not be. So the maximum exposure they have stated is US$41 million,” he added.

“But based on certain

GRA CommissionerGeneral Godfrey Statia

court decisions that were made in the past, if you follow that particular decision which has been appealed, they may probably have an exposure of half that amount,” Statia explained.

The monopoly

P u b l i c Telecommunications Minister Cathy Hughes had on Monday reported that negotiations with GTT and its parent company in

regard to lifting of the monopoly on the telecommunications sector have been fruitful. She added that one needed to take into context the fact that the companies have had the upper hand for over 20 years.

Noting that both companies and the Government want to leave the negotiating table with the best deal, Hughes declined to give a timeline for its realisation in light of fruitful talks with GTT and its parent company, Atlantic Tele-Network International (ATNI).

“If you recognise that GTT and ATNI have had a monopoly situation that

has lasted for over 20 years, then you can understand that from the perspective of both parties, they want to ensure that they are coming to the table to get the best…

At the end of the day, on the Government side, we want to ensure that we get the deal that is going to be good for the people of Guyana,” she explained.

According to the Public Telecommunications Minister, GRA wanted to make sure that “they are covering all their bases from the financial end from taxes that would have been paid from things that could be offered to the sector as a whole; so, therefore, the focus is not on getting this done in the shortest space of time, but making sure that we come up with an end gain that suits everyone.”

The liberalisation of the sector is heavily dependent on the settlement of a US$44 million tax claim against GTT. However, the company continues to enjoy the monopoly in international voice and data services until 2030.

The company has said that should it be held liable for any of the disputed tax assessments totalling US$41.1 million, it is of the view that the Government would then be obligated to reimburse it for any amounts necessary to ensure a not-less-than 15 per cent return on investment.

everal major local, regional and international companies have already submitted proposals or are in the process of doing so to the Government’s Special Purpose Unit (SPU) which was set up to manage the affairs of the three closed sugar estates and its assets.

The entity is also tasked with looking at practical investments and divestment proposals from stakeholders who would like to embark on ventures following the closure of several of the country’s sugar estates.

P u b l i c Telecommunications Minister Cathy Hughes confirmed that already the response has been encouraging as she implored scores of dismissed workers to look to their futures and move past the past.

“We have a range of tremendous opportunities today… Let us stop the screaming and shouting and let us try to make the best with what is happening today,” Hughes said, as she referred to the behavioural patterns of some workers who only seem to see gloom and doom following their dismissals from the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo).

“We have learnt the hard way that we can’t continue to put our money into something that is no longer profitable… not because of us but because the world is changing… we have to move with the times,” she stressed.

She promised workers that “Guyana will always have some element of sugar but we have to reorganise.

We will always need sugar for our local consumption…

Minister Cathy Hughes addressed the fired sugar workers at Enmore on Friday

we will also need sugar for DDL… We are not going to throw that away… now is not the time to focus on all that happened in the past but how we were moving forward”.

The Public Telecommunications Minister said it was time for the sugar industry to be modernised with a view of enhancing its productivity and competitiveness so downsizing the industry is just one step in a long overhaul process to arrive at the desired changes at GuySuCo. “The last six months instead of thinking about what we were going to do as we are going to be laid, we as sugar workers, were shouting ‘we got to get out severance… We have a range of individuals and international companies that are interested in Guyana and our sugar industry… you would have read that DDL said that they are interested… workers would be needed for that…”, she stressed.

Explaining the mandate of the SPU, Hughes reiter-

ated her point that here are several international companies that have already indicated to SPU that they are interested in Guyana.

She said Government created that Unit because that is the entity that any company in any part of the world that are interested can come with their proposals.

“There are big companies like Pepsi Cola and other companies that are already saying to SPU that we are working on our numbers and our plans… we coming and the SPU is taking their time to ensure that we have the best deal for Guyana… we don’t want no hurry work and then we realise that we can get a better deal.”

“My friends at Nand Persaud have also said they have their own ideas about how they can invest,” the Minister disclosed. Workers, who have the skills will get the jobs, she related before saying, “I am trying to show that you have value and your skills are a commodity.”

She disclosed that companies in India and Trinidad and Tobago have already approached the SPU about investment in Guyana and the now closed estates in order to roll out new projects.

“I can’t come and give you the names of who the people are… I’ve got to wait for them to sow-up the deal because I don’t want to jeopardise their investments,” she said calmly.

“I promise that this a process that we will be with you… All your knowledge is going to be available to all of those companies that are coming in the new sugar industry we are creating,” Minister Hughes insisted.

10 news

saturDAY, january 27, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Govt hints at another CoI

$59M settlement

Cheque honoured – lawyer G …NBS denies move to block cashing

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he New Building Society (NBS) is denying that it had reportedly moved to block litigant Maurice Arjoon from cashing the $59 million cheque it had made out to him on Tuesday. According to the Society, the money was made available.

In correspondence seeking to clarify its statement, the Society has affirmed that reports appearing in the media about the transaction being blocked are “untrue and scandalous”. The Society is therefore calling for a retraction of those reports.

Contacted by this publication, Arjoon’s legal representative, Attorney-at-Law Sanjeev Datadin, related that as far as he was aware, the cheque was honoured and his client did not experience any further hurdles.

Following Tuesday’s drama, during which customers and other officials were locked in the Society’s building, the NBS issued a three-page statement on Wednesday, announcing that it would be taking steps to “safeguard the sum”, since it was only issued “to avoid confrontation.”

The Society has also denied unlawfully detaining customers, court marshals and a Police officer on Tuesday, claiming that its personnel had thought a robbery was in progress. The financial institution claimed that members of the Guyana Police Force subsequently

The scene outside the NBS during Tuesday’s lockdown

informed management that the men were court marshals executing a levy.

“Assuming that they were correct to levy for the pension benefits, this payment ought to have been made from the Pension Scheme Funds, and not (from) the NBS’ assets. The Society will therefore seek to redress this illegal and improper conduct of Mr Arjoon’s representatives, his lawyers and the marshals,” the Society noted.

The NBS management also outlined that the dismissal of Arjoon and two other senior officers from the employ of the NBS had nothing to do with the Berbice Bridge or the intervention of any Government official at that time. They added that the Society’s investment in the Berbice Bridge is a very lucrative one, and the decision to invest therein has been proven to be a correct

one.

Arjoon, a former Chief Executive Officer of the NBS, took that financial institution to court in 2011 for his outstanding pension and other benefits. Arjoon had originally sued the lending agency for some $550 million in damages.

High Court Judge Justice Brassington Reynolds subsequently ruled in the dismissed CEO’s favour, awarding him more than $79 million in outstanding payments and benefits.

The court also ruled that he should be paid a monthly pension of $372,498.

The Judge further had ordered that the former CEO should receive financial compensation for the damages he had suffered; and moreover, that he was entitled to his pension and severance benefits, in accordance with provisions stipulated in the laws of Guyana.

overnment spokesperson, Minister of State Joseph Harmon on Friday hinted that there may be another Commission of Inquiry (CoI) established – this time, to probe extrajudicial killings during the period 2002 to 2008.

“There is a possibility of a Commission of Inquiry (CoI),” he told reporters at his week’s post-Cabinet press briefing as he assured that Government is still committed to probing the killings of those persons.

Harmon posited that the Coroner’s Inquest Act requires that an inquest be held for any unnatural death, which was not done for those persons killed during that “troubled” period.

“At some point in time, you have to bring closure and I believe this is what the President has been saying.

You have to bring closure,” he asserted.

President David Granger has long been calling for a Commission of Inquiry into extra-judicial killings in Guyana. According to Harmon, the President is still committed to probing these killings.

“As the Leader of the Opposition, he was calling on

Minister of State Joseph Harmon

the then Government to do something about it (but) now he is the President and he is in a position to do something about it. I want to assure you, he will do something about it… This period was no so long ago, there are still people out there who were never called upon to give a statement,” Harmon noted.

During a televised programme in 2016, the Head of State had disclosed that in keeping with the promise he made as Opposition Leader, steps were being taken to compile the information need-

ed for the probe to be held.

In efforts to take a step closer, those investigating the killings wanted to ensure that there is an efficient and effective coroner’s department in place to investigate the crimes of that period. In this vain, Government used its one seat majority in the National Assembly back in January 2016 to pass the Coroner’s Amendment Bill, which seeks to have, among other things, a minimum of four full-time coroners in Demerara, three in Berbice and two in Essequibo.

Meanwhile, even as the coalition is adamant about probing the killings during the 2002 to 2008 era, the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Opposition had raised concerns, noting that Government should launch investigations dating back to the 1970s and not only the 2000s.

In fact, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo had accused the coalition of being selective in its calls for investigations and suggested instead that the probe be done into all the murders and all the missing weaponry. “We should have an inquiry into everything, maybe the mother of all inquiries,” Jagdeo had stated.

“Persons caught pilfering drugs will be jailed” – Minister Lawrence

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ersons caught pilfering drugs from the country’s public hospitals will be jailed. Public Health Minister Volda Lawrence made this pronouncement on Friday at the signing of the contract for construction of the new maternity ward at the New Amsterdam Hospital.

The minister told the gathering that perpetrators will be jailed for a very long time, as the situation has become unmanageable and is costing the Government large sums of money.

“We just keep buying and buying, and it seems as though there’s a black hole somewhere that (the purchases) are falling into. Yes, I do think about the investment that we’re losing, but I also think of those poor brothers and sisters who will have to go without their medication because they turned up here and were told, ‘We do not have any’. Unlike many of us, they don’t have anywhere else to go or anyone else to turn to,”

Minister Volda Lawrence addressing the gathering

Minister Lawrence explained.

The New Amsterdam Hospital has for years been plagued by drug shortages, and this situation has been directly linked to the suspected acts of pilfering.

Minister Lawrence has called on employees of public healthcare institutions to be alert and report any suspicious activities, even as efforts are in place to provide new equipment and structures to boost the delivery of services.

“I want to assure all of you that these matters will be addressed, so I’m going to ask you to be vigilant; we’re all in this thing together,” she declared.

The Government has allotted $33.3 billion in its 2018 budget for the health sector.

From this amount, over $2.2 billion will be spent on drugs and medical supplies for hospital and health centres across the country.

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saturDAY, january 27, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Promise of land

Govt awaiting valuation to decide lands for fired workers – Harmon

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lans to lease lands belonging to the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) to its thousands of retrenched workers who are now on the breadline have been put on hold pending the completion of ongoing valuation of the corporation’s assets.

Since Government’s announcement that several estates will be closed, there have been widespread calls for the sugar lands to be distributed among the displaced workers in order for them to sustain themselves and their families.

However, Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, told reporters at Friday’s post-Cabinet press briefing that a decision will be made on the distribution of sugar lands after the completion of valuation

by United Kingdom-based PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).

“We have retained PwC to do an assessment of GuySuCo’s assets, and so PricewaterhouseCoopers has started working on a full survey of all of GuySuCo’s assets, including the lands; and once that is done, then we will be in a better position to determine who will get what, and how much of it they will get. We have to have a clear valuation of these things as well, so we can’t just say, ‘You

take this and you take that’.

It has to be done in a structured way,” the Government spokesperson explained.

Harmon said he was part of a Government delegation that had met with workers attached to the Wales Estate, and they had requested lands to do farming activities so as to sustain their livelihood and that of their families.

Harmon had last year stated that Government is looking to utilise the acres of land owned by GuySuCo -that are no longer being used by the downsized industry -for a massive housing project that the State is embarking on.

“One of the option that is available is for us to look at lands that had been used

by GuySuCo that are no longer being planted with cane – for us to utilise those lands as well for housing and other forms of development,” he told reporters.

The sugar corporation had, in 2016, advertised for sale several acres of land, including vacant properties at Ogle, East Coast Demerara (ECD), where its headquarters are situated. In its tender, GuySuCo had said it was looking to sell portions of its transported freehold lands situated at Mandela Avenue, Georgetown and at Liliendaal and Ogle, on the East Coast of Demerara

(ECD).

GuySuCo had, in 2015, sold to the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) some 3000 acres of cane lands situated between Sophia and Ogle, ECD. Government had previously communicated its intention to use acres of land owned by GuySuCo for housing projects and other forms of development.

According to reports in sections of the media, GuySuCo had used part of the money it received to pay its debt to the National Insurance Scheme (NIS).

Meanwhile, as it relates to the future of the sugar industry – with the three estates – Minister Harmon has posited that the GuySuCo management and Board as currently configured will have to be restructured.

“Already we know that there’s been some changes at the level of the management, as the CEO, Mr (Errol) Hanoman, has left, and so there’re actually changes that are taking place. At the level of Cabinet, we are awaiting information that will allow for a decision to be made as to how the board will be structured, how the management of the three estates of GuySuCo will be structured… These are matters that are engaging the attention of Cabinet,” he noted.

Santa Rosa man on bail for ganja possession

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21-year-old vendor was on Friday arraigned before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan for narcotics possession.

It is alleged that Victura Chandra of Moruca, Region One (Barima-Waini) was caught with the drugs on January 24. The prosecution

is contending that Chandra had six grams of cannabis sativa in his possession at Santa Rosa, North West District. In court on Friday, Chandra initially pleaded guilty to the charge.

However, when he realised that he could be jailed for a maximum of five years, the

man changed his plea to no guilty. The prosecution did not object to his pre-trial liberty of bail and this was granted in the sum of $50,000 bail. He was instructed to report to the Police every Friday until his trial. He will return to court on April 3.

Brazilian trio remanded for robbery T

hree Brazilian men were slapped with a robbery charge and arraigned at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on Friday.

Gabriel Fanun Da Pinha, Elton Diego Doarete and Luenderson Mangabeira of Boa Vista, Roraima, Brazil, appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan and by means of a translator, all plead not guilty to the charge.

It is alleged that on January 23, 2018, at Barrack Retreat, Lethem, Region Nine (Upper TakutuUpper Essequibo) while being armed with a gun, they robbed Maxine Buckley of a quantity of watches, cellular phones, gold jewellery, costume jewellery, headsets and $3.8 million; all property of Dwayne Grant.

Representing Da Pinha and Doarete, Attorney Jerome Khan told the court that the trio usually visit Lethem to shop and that was what they were doing on the day of the robbery. He stated that his clients were not even at the scene of the robbery but had heard of it. The trio was at a friend’s house in Tabatinga and were arrested, the lawyer told the court. Khan in a bail application said the only reason the men were arrested was because the real perpetrators resembled his clients and that there was no evidence that could indicate that they had indeed committed the crime.

However, the Police prosecution objected to bail on the grounds that a dangerous weapon was used and the defendants are flight risks.

He highlighted this due to

Dwayne’s Phone and Jewellery Shop

the fact that they are not Guyanese and have no ties here. As such, bail was denied. The case will continue at the Lethem Magistrate’s Court on February 6.

Reports are at about 15:00h on January 23, 2017, the trio entered Dwayne’s Phone and Jewellery Shop and held a female employee

at gunpoint.

The men then relieved the woman of cash, cellphones and jewellery and attempted to make good their escape using her car.

However, Police ranks were in the vicinity and promptly responded after an alarm was raised. The men were subsequently apprehended.

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saturDAY, JANUARY 27, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Berbice protesters drown Nagamootoo’s attempts to pacify workers

Protesters displayed signs in East Canje on Friday

In East Canje, the Police formed a human cordon in front of those who were not in favour of what they were being told

By Andrew Carmichael

P

rime Minister Moses Nagamootoo on Friday tried to pacify thousands of fired sugar workers by saying Government

regrets having to dismissed them from their jobs. The statement was made as the Government engaged displaced sugar workers in Berbice on Friday.

The Prime Minister led a

team of Ministers, including Agriculture Minister Noel Holder, holding two meetings as the officials attempted to justify the closure of the sugar estates.

The team held two meet-

ings; one at the Skeldon Community Centre for those attached to the Skeldon factory, which the government plans to sell, and the other meeting at Rose Hall, where the estate has been closed and most of the workers sent home.

Both meetings were met with still irate protesters.

However, Nagamootoo told the gathering at East Canje that the Government wants to do better for the industry but can only do so by closing those estates.

He said despite fir-

At both meetings, protesters heckled which periodically disrupted the meetings. At the Skeldon meeting, the Prime Minister had the majority of his audience listening to him although not all agreed with what they were hearing.

However, at the meeting held in East Canje, there were more protesters than those who actually attended the meeting.

Minister Holder in a prepared speech said the sugar industry is not being closed but rather consolidated.

theirs.

“It will provide access to financing for revolving micro-loans to the sum of $100 milion for entrepreneurial endeavours through the Small Business Bureau of the Ministry of Business,” he said, while making mention of the $2 billion.

Most of the utterances by the Prime Minister were not on the way forward for the industry and plans for the workers but rather an attack on the People’s Progress Party, its leader and the Region Six adminis-

ing 4763 workers, the Government has saved the jobs of 11,000 workers.

“And that is why rather than allowing the industry to collapse, we have decided to reform and restructure the sugar industry.

GuySuCo is not going to go out of sugar. It will offer employment at estates that are efficient,” Nagamootoo said amidst loud protests.

While delivering his address at Rose Hall, a lot of what the Prime Minister said was drowned out by protesters; most of whom are the workers and their family members who were sent home.

“No Government wants to sever employees, but sometimes it is the only answer especially given the financial and technical realities which confront the industry the Government was forced to make this urgent decision on the way forward for sugar,” Holder said.

The Minister added that Government has set aside more than $2 billion which represents over 50 per cent of the worker’s severance pay. He said the payout will commence on Monday.

Those whose severances’ are less than $500,000 will be paid in full, while the other will receive 50 per cent of

tration.

However, the former workers were very critical and were annoyed at many of the statements made by the politician, saying he had been there prior to taking office and promised that the estates would not be closed and that their jobs would be secured under a coalition-led Administration.

Nagamootoo claimed that the previous Administration was going to close the estates but did not make it public since it wanted persons in the sugar belt to give them their votes, but those utterances were met with widespread criticism.

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10th anniversary

Lusignan massacre victims remembered

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he 11 victims of the Lusignan massacre which occurred 10 years ago were on Friday remembered at an inter-faith service coordinated by the Indian Action Committee (IAC).

The Tenth Anniversary Memorial Service saw attendance of members of the Lusignan community, Government officials, Opposition members and families of the victims. Commemorated with hymns, bajans and recitals from the Quran, the gathering was sombre.

In the feature address, Former Chairman of the Ethnic Relations Commission, Bishop Juan Edghill, spoke on the strength of the Lusignan community, considering the irreconcilable damage that has been done to the community.

Edghill alluded to a statement made by President David Granger at a GDF conference on January 25, where he expressed the need for inquiries and investigations to be done of past deaths of a particular era.

Edghill said he welcomes this initiative, “The country needs to know what happened here. This country

needs to know who are the intellectual authors of what transpired here. I look forward to an independent in-

quiry that is not directed by political influences,” he added.

Social Cohesion Minister Dr George Norton highlighted the resilience of residents of the Lusignan community. In an expression of sympathy, the minister stated, “Overcoming pain is one thing, but living or coping with pain is another thing.

That you continue to do, (and) for this I admire you.”

The memorial concluded with prayers from the three major religions in the country.

Recap

A section of the gathering at the remembrance service at Lusignan, ECD on Friday

In the wee hours of January 26, 2008, gunmen armed with rifles and shotguns invaded five homes and killed almost all of their occupants. Those killed were:

Shazam Mohamed; Clarence Thomas; his son Ron, 11, and daughter Vanessa, 12; Mohandai Gourdat, 32, and her two children: Seegobin, four years old, and Seegopaul Harilall, 10; Shalem Baksh, 52; Rooplall Seecharan, 56, his daughter Raywattie Ramsingh, 11, and his wife Dhanrajie, called ‘Sister’, 52.

Those injured in the ordeal were Howard Thomas 19; Nadir Mohamed, 48, and Roberto Thomas, five years old. The motive of the vicious attack is still unclear; however, the actions were claimed by the notorious killer Rondell ‘Fine Man’ Rawlins, who is now dead.

The IAC has since held a memorial service every year for the victims of the brutal attack.

New GRA office for Mabaruma soon T

he Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) is working towards establishing an office in Mabaruma, Region One (Barima-Waini).

According to the Department of Public Information, a high-level team visited the interior location on Tuesday, for an initial assessment of locations to establish an all-inclusive tax office in the area.

The reconnaissance was conducted after the team led

by Commissioner General of the GRA, Godfrey Statia met Regional Chairman Brentnol Ashby, the Mayor, the REO and other officials and business per-

sons to determine the specific demands of residents in the area among other deliverables.

The office, when complete and fully operational, will be the first of its kind in Mabaruma where residents, including those from neighbouring communities, will be able to access tax-related services with ease and convenience. It will create an environment conducive to voluntary compliance and provide employment opportunities that will develop the skills required for service in the area.

Given the prerequisite facilities that must be in place, it is anticipated that

the office will come to fruition by July 2018, and priority given to linking the new office with the GRAs’ database at Headquarters in Georgetown.

During the course of the January 23 visit, the team which also included officers from the GRA’s Law Enforcement and Investigation Division (LEID), Customs Excise and Trade Operations, Integrated Regional Tax Office (IRTO) and Public Relations also toured the outpost at Morawhanna which was established in 2017. Emanating from this tour, Statia instructed that immediate steps be taken to improve the living and

working conditions of the officers at the said outpost.

In 2017, the Parika office was refurbished and a customs office was established at Charity, Region Two to supplement the GRA’s presence in Anna Regina, New Amsterdam, Corriverton, Bartica, Lethem, and Linden. These offices are expected to offer a level of service parallel to that of the head office.

The GRA team is expected to visit Eteringbang in February 2018 to carry out a similar assessment for this location.

Mabaruma man German consultant assists with remanded on identifying regional trade issues wounding charge

R Dr Dan Ciuriak engaging Guyanese private and public stakeholders in the boardroom of the Foreign Affairs Ministry

O

ver the past two days, Dr Dan Ciuriak of BKP Development Research and Consulting of Germany has conducted in-country consultations with Guyanese private and public stakeholders.

His visit to Guyana is part of efforts to identify Caricom’s [the Caribbean

Community’s] concerns in relation to trade between the region and Central South American countries under a free trade agreement. While in Guyana, the consultant met with officials from the Foreign Affairs and Business ministries, GO-Invest [Guyana Office for Investment], Guyana Revenue Authority,

Private Sector Commission, Guyana Manufacturers Association, Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Guyana Sugar Inc. (GuySuCo), Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL), Banks DIH Limited, Sterling Products Limited, and the Edward Beharry Group of Companies, among others.

onald Miguel of Mabaruma, Region One, appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan on Friday to answer to a charge of inflicting grievous bodily harm on virtual complainant Terrence Welch.

It is alleged that on January 25, at Mabaruma, North West District, Miguel wounded Welch with intent to maim or disfigure him.

The Police prosecutor objected to Miguel being placed on bail on ground that the victim is still hospitalized, nursing serious injuries. The Prosecution’s submissions were upheld, and Miguel was remanded to prison. The case will continue on February 2 at the Mabaruma Magistrate’s Court.

news

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Tiger Pond launches $5M Cassava Processing facility T

iger Pond village, located in the Karasabai District, South Pakaraimas, Region Nine, recently commissioned a $5 million Cassava Processing facility as part of its Community Development Project (CDP).

The processing facility, furnished with modern equipment, is producing cassava by-products such as cassareep, packaged cassava bread, farine, and tapioca.

Minister within the Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs Ministry, Valerie Garrido-Lowe, who declared the facility opened, lauded the villagers for being visionaries and investing in such a venture.

While it is a great investment, she reminded them that for the majority of Guyanese, cassava is not a main staple, hence, they (the villagers) need to seek markets before manufacturing the products in large quantities. Minister Garrido-Lowe also encouraged them to ensure the proper maintenance of the facility.

Minister Garrido-Lowe told the Department of Public Information (DPI) that “while most, if not all, Guyanese use the cassareep, the majority of them do not eat farine and the other foods. We would have to really work hard to introduce the farine to them. Right now, their main markets will be the surrounding villages and neighbouring Brazil”.

Only recently, the village of Karasabai commissioned its $5 million CDP tourism project – the Kezeé Eco-Lodge.

The Community Development Project (CDP), which falls under the ambit of the Amerindian Development Fund (ADF) is in its second phase; over 100 communities were selected to execute the project which

One of the impassable roads and deplorable conditions that obtain in hinterland communities

A

Some of the products produced from the Tiger Pond Processing Facility in Region Nine

includes venture in farming, agro-processing, aquaculture, poultry and cattle rearing, mining, village infrastructure including; construction of a village office and multi-purpose building, a village shop and museum, and transportation and tourism.

The project aims to strengthen entrepreneurial and institutional capacities of the village economy of Amerindian communities, improve linkages with the private sector to further develop value chains and strengthen institutional frameworks to support local economies.

Missionary, wife spared deportation

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High Court judge has ordered the Chief Immigration Officer (CIO) to return the passports of a Muslim missionary and his wife who risked deportation to India, leaving behind their three Trinidadborn sons.

Justice Vasheist Kokaram also ruled that the decision of the CIO to instruct Hafiz Mohammed Abdul Ghani Rashid and his wife Inayat Fatima to report to Piarco Airport on April

Management of interior roads returns to GGMC

30, 2017, with return tickets to India, was illegal.

He has quashed the CIO’s orders, which also included the issuance of an order of supervision.

According to the judge, the authorities “must conduct a balancing exercise of the “best interest” principle with the legitimate goals of deportation when deportations affect the rights of children.

“The duty to protect and safeguard their interest can

only be trumped by superior legitimate aims of deportation.”

The couple was represented by attorneys Jagdeo Singh, Criston J Williams, Kiel Tacklalsingh and Shirvani Ramkissoon.

The couple’s three sons were all born in Trinidad.

No deportation proceedings had started for Rashid and his wife, who have been living in TT for 15 years (T&T

s part of improving infrastructure in mining communities, management of interior roads is returning to the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC).

Minister within the Ministry of Natural Resources, Simona Broomes, has said the GGMC Project Unit will this year be responsible for construction and maintenance of interior roads. She noted that last year the Public Infrastructure Ministry had assumed the responsibility.

She made this disclosure at a press conference held on Thursday in the ministry’s boardroom at Brickdam Georgetown.

The GGMC will now

work in conjunction with the MoPI to ensure miners have access to their lands.

Minister Broomes noted that the decision to return management of interior roads to the GGMC is part of efforts to ensure gold declarations meet their 2018 target.

“We’re looking this year at areas that are highly populated with mining. (We want) to examine some of those roads, and even internally (look at) how can we open up some more roads to give access, because we’re looking at the increase in production,” Minister Broomes said.

Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman has said the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners

Association (GGDMA), Guyana Women Miners Association (GWMA), and the mining syndicates have been working with the GGMC and Public Infrastructure Ministry to develop a list of interior roads that need to be upgraded.

“They would put up lists, both in terms of what needs to be repaired and maintained and where perhaps you can open new roads to get to lands that have been allocated, so that production could be increased.”

Two billion dollars were allocated to the GGMC in the 2018 National Budget to be used for construction and maintenance of roads, among other projects.

Venezuela Opposition condemns action on presidential election

Newsday)

Ganja found in juice packs

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large quantity of compressed marijuana which was hidden inside empty fruit juice cartons, were among items seized from a locker belonging to a prison officer in the dormitory at the Port of Spain, Trinidad prison on Tuesday. Officers also seized large quantities of cigarettes and wrapping paper which is used to roll marijuana joints, from the locker The officer who was assigned this locker, sources said, has over 15 years’ service but was not on duty at the time of the joint police/ prison search. On Tuesday, after receiving certain information, police and prison officers locked down the prison and conducted a cell to cell search. Ten prisoners are said to have resisted having their cells searched and began threatening and cursing the officers.

A video, recorded with a cellular phone by an inmate, was later uploaded to social

Juan Andres Mejia (C), lawmaker of the Opposition party Popular Will (Voluntad Popular), talks to the media during a news conference in Caracas, Venezuela

The marijuana and other contraband items found

media showing prison officers - some masked - beating and kicking prisoners who were later secured with tie-straps.

Prison sources said that video only showed one aspect of the incident and the person recording, did not upload images of faeces being thrown at prison officers.

Prisons Commissioner Gerald Wilson confirmed discovery of the illegal items in the locker. “During a search on Tuesday of the Port of Spain prison, sniffer dogs

were used as officers searched dormitories belonging to prison officers. A dog stood by one of the lockers as a sign that it had sniffed out something. When that locker was searched, marijuana in fruta fruit juice cartons as well as cigarettes and other items were found,” Wilson said.

He added that investigations are continuing and that the prison officer who is assigned to this locker, has been off duty on sick leave.

(T&T Newsday)

V

enezuelan opposition leaders on Friday condemned the sidelining of their coalition from upcoming presidential elections, saying it was trickery by President Nicolas Maduro’s administration to rig the vote in its favor.

The pro-Maduro Supreme Court’s move late on Thursday to exclude the coalition from registering in the vote placed yet another obstacle ahead of the already disparate opposition.

Two of Venezuela’s biggest opposition parties, Justice First and

Democratic Action, announced on Friday they would put their names forward for registration over the weekend. However, Leopoldo Lopez’s party, Popular Will, was banned this week from registering.

Lopez himself and Henrique Capriles, the opposition’s most popular leaders, are already banned from standing. The vote is due by April 30.

Critics say Maduro is depriving Venezuelans of a free and fair election during an unprecedented economic implosion. “This demon-

strates the fear felt by Maduro of the people,” opposition lawmaker Stalin Gonzalez said on Thursday.

International pressure is piling on the government.

The United States said this week that the vote will “deepen, not help resolve, national tensions,” and Vice President Mike Pence called Maduro a “dictator.”

Thursday’s ruling said the coalition violated the principle of avoiding “double affiliation” in politics and therefore could not be validated. (Reuters)

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saturDAY, january 27, 2018

Regional

Brazil Judge seizes ex- Spain expels Venezuela’s President Lula’s passport ambassador in tit-for-tat move

S

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Federal Judge in Brazil has seized the passport of former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and banned him from leaving the country.

Judge Ricardo Leite is investigating allegations that Lula illegally lobbied on behalf of a Swedish firm that sold military jets to Brazil.

On Wednesday, an appeals court unanimously upheld his conviction for corruption in a separate case.

The former President says he is the victim of political persecution.

The Brazilian Air Force (FAB) agreed in 2013 to pay Sweden’s Saab US$4.5 billion (£3.1 billion) for 36 fighter jets. Saab beat competition from US giant Boeing and France’s Dassault.

The negotiations were initiated during Lula’s term in office but were concluded by his successor Dilma

The jets were bought by Lula’s successor, Dilma Rousseff

Rousseff. On Thursday his Workers Party announced officially that Lula would be its candidate in October’s presidential election, despite the appeals court ruling against him.

All three judges at the appeals court in the city of Porto Alegre said Lula had broken the law by accepting special favours over a seafront apartment from a construction company in-

volved in a major corruption scheme.

They increased his original sentence from nine-anda-half years to 12 years and one month in jail.

Even though the 72-yearold was sentenced in July 2017 and that conviction has now been upheld, he could remain out of prison for many months if he takes his appeal all the way to the Supreme Court. (Excerpt from BBC

pain has declared Venezuela’s ambassador to Madrid, Mario Isea, persona non grata.

On Thursday Venezuela announced it was expelling the Spanish ambassador to Caracas, Jesús Silva Fernández.

It accused him of interfering in Venezuela’s internal affairs. Spain says it will continue denouncing human rights violations allegedly committed by President Nicolás Maduro’s Government but it denies any undue interference.

Venezuela’s Foreign

Ministry has given Silva Fernández until Sunday to leave the country.

Maduro has accused Spain’s Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy of taking orders from President Donald Trump during a meeting in September to push for European Union sanctions.

On Monday, the EU imposed a travel ban and froze the assets of seven senior Venezuelan officials.

It has expressed concern over human rights violations during anti-government protests in which more than 120 people were killed

T

may be realized within a proper, transparent and legal framework,” he said.

He noted that the agreement holds significant benefit for Italian investors, such as Gruppo Campari, a major player in the global spirits industry, which he said is making a valuable contribution to the country’s economic growth and development, through high levels of employment of Jamaicans.

Minister Shaw pointed out that given the considerable interest that Italy has shown in Jamaica’s specialty products, namely coffee, rum and spirits, business interests should take the

News)

opportunity to encourage Italian buyers to expand demand, while exploring any commercial interest in other branded products such as spices and niche items.

Double taxation is the levying of tax by two or more jurisdictions on the same declared income asset or financial transaction. The agreement signed between Jamaica and Italy will require that the Italian government acknowledge the payment of taxes in Jamaica, in determining what is required to be paid by Italian companies which operate locally, to their home country.

(Excerpt from Caribbean360)

(Excerpt from BBC News)

Caricom, UN environment discuss closer cooperation

Jamaica and Italy sign agreement to eliminate double taxation

he Governments of Jamaica and Italy have signed an agreement to eliminate double taxation, with respect to taxes on income, and to prevent tax evasion and avoidance.

Finance and Public Service Minister Audley Shaw said the deal seeks to advance trade and investment relations between the countries.

“On behalf of the Government of Jamaica, I confirm our commitment to meeting international standards for transparency in tax matters, in light of the vast opportunities for investment and trade, which

last year. In a statement, Spain’s Foreign Minister Alfonso Dastis said he regretted having to retaliate against Venezuela and stressed that the EU sanctions had been unanimously approved by its 28 members.

“All we have done from the beginning was helping the process,” he wrote. “We have led in the EU efforts to identify effective pressure mechanisms to get effective negotiations [between the government and the opposition] under way in Venezuela,” added Dastis.

Head of the UNEP Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean, Leo Heileman (left) meets with Caricom Secretary General, Ambassador Irwin LaRocque

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he United Nations E n v i r o n m e n t Programme (UNEP) has expressed strong interest in strengthening its collaboration with the Caribbean Community (Caricom) to improve environmental sustainability in the region, according to statement issued Friday by the Guyana-based Caricom Secretariat.

It said that Regional Director and Head of the UNEP Regional Office for Latin America and the

Caribbean, Leo Heileman held talks with Caricom Secretary General Irwin LaRocque earlier this week updating him on the work of the Jamaica-based UN Environment Caribbean Office which is providing technical support to countries of the Region in strengthening their environmental capacity.

Heileman also met with a team from the Secretariat led by Dr Douglas Slater, Assistant Secretary General, Human and Social

Development (HSD) and officials from the Government of Guyana.

A UN Environment Coordination Desk is being established in Georgetown to provide technical support during the elaboration and development of a Green State Development Strategy (GSDS).

The Caricom Secretariat is also involved in the consultative process of the GSDS. “The discussions focused on strengthening collaboration in the areas of environmental sustainability, oceans governance, climate change, Guyana’s GSDS and regional developments in advancing green economies and trade,” the statement noted.

It said Heileman highlighted several aspects of UNEP’s regional and bilateral partnerships including its work to advance Haiti’s green development via initiatives in agriculture, mangrove protection, renewable energy, and natural resource efficiency. (Excerpt from

Jamaica Observer)

Former Guatemala’s Trinidad Haitians rallying against Defence Minister arrested jolted by 2 Trump’s immigration policies on corruption charges earthquakes H

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former Guatemalan general was arrested on corruption charges relating to a special bonus paid to President Jimmy Morales by the Defence Ministry, prosecutors said on Friday.

William Mansilla, who was Defence Minister, left the Government in September 2017 just after the payment came to light. Since December 2016, the defence department paid President Morales around US$7300 a month, on top of his regular salary, in what was called a “Bonus for Extraordinary Responsibility.”

Former comedian Morales, who came to power on an anti-corruption platform, has been under pressure amid allegations that include illegal election campaign financing.

Guatemala’s federal prosecutors and the United Nationsbacked commission against impunity in Guatemala (CICIG) had pushed to revoke immunity for Morales after his salary bonus became known.

Morales denied that the payment was illegal but later returned some US$60,000.

Mansilla was arrested on charges of abuse of authority, illegal enrichment and embezzlement, prosecutors said Friday.

“In time, I will be able to give evidence and confront the legal cases that are coming,” Mansilla told journalists as he walked into the courtroom.

Guatemala’s government did not respond to requests for comment on the case. (Excerpt from

Reuters)

T

rinidad and Tobago was rocked by two earthquakes within a five-minute period on Friday but there were no reports of injuries and damage to infrastructure.

The Seismic Research Centre (SRC) of the St Augustine campus of the University of the West Indies (UWI) said that the first quake, with a magnitude of 4.7 occurred at 10:47h (local time) on Friday morning , while the other measuring 5.1 occurred 11:40 (local time).

The SRC said that the first quake was located Latitude: 10.54N, Longitude: 61.86W and at a depth of 10 kilometers (km). It was felt 41 km WSW of Port of Spain, 54 km NW of San Fernando south of the capital and 65 km W of Arima, east of here.

The second quake was located at Latitude: 10.03N, Longitude: 62.11W and also at a depth of 10 km. It was also felt in Port of Spain, San Fernando and 107 km North of Tucupita, Venezuela. (Jamaica Observer)

a i t i a n community leaders in Boston are organising a rally to decry President Donald Trump’s recent comments and policies against Haitians.

The Reverend D i e u f o r t Fleurissaint, c h a i r m a n of Haitian A m e r i c a n s United, says the Friday gathering at Boston City Hall Plaza is meant to call on Trump to apologise for a vulgar comment he made against Haitian and African immigrants during a recent closed door meeting with congressional leaders.

The organisation also wants the administration to re-examine its recent decision to terminate Temporary Protected Status for tens of thousands

of Haitians, effective July 2019.

Fleurissaint and community leaders in Boston and elsewhere have complained that the administration’s delays in re-registering Haitians living legally in the US under the special programme would lead to job losses, travel problems and other issues. (Jamaica Observer)

saturDAY, january 27, 2018

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17

Around the World

Ethiopia ‘pardons 2000 prisoners’ Canadian billionaire jailed over Oromo protests Sherman couple ‘murdered’ T T

he Canadian billionaire couple found dead at their home in Toronto last month were murdered in a targeted killing, Police say. The bodies of Barry, 75, and Honey Sherman, 70, were found on December 15, 2017.

Police said on Friday noone had been charged, and declined to comment on any suspects. Barry Sherman, one of Canada’s richest men, and his wife were wellknown for their philanthropy, and their sudden deaths stunned many in the country.

Media reports in the days after the couple’s bodies were discovered quoted police sources saying they were investigating a murder-suicide theory.

“I don’t know where that came from,” Toronto Police Detective Susan Gomes told reporters, adding that it was one of several theories under consideration.

The new details of the case came on the same day

Honey and Barry Sherman were renowned for their charity fundraising

that the pharmaceutical giant Apotex, which Barry Sherman founded, announced its CEO’s resignation.

Detective Gomes said the couple were last seen alive on the evening of 13 December and had no communication with family after that point.

She said Police investigators had found no sign of forced entry on any ac-

cess points to the home.

Two days later the pair were found fully clothed by the pool “hanging by belts in a semi-seated position on the pool deck,” she added.

Ms Gomes said that Police came to the conclusion they were dealing with a double homicide after “six weeks of evidence and its review”. Police believe the couple were “targeted”, she added. (Excerpt from BBC News)

he release is the latest of several in recent weeks, as authorities make efforts to calm continuing unrest since mass protests broke out in the Oromo region – dominated by the Oromo ethnic group – over accusations of land grabbing two years ago.

Hundreds have died in the protests and successive waves of repression. Analysts say the continuing disorder indicates a deep-rooted discontent with decades of rule by the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) coalition.

There have also been demonstrations and clashes in parts of the east African country dominated by the Amhara group.

In January, the prime minister, Hailemariam Desalegn, appeared to promise that all political prisoners would be freed and a prison infamous for torture would be shut.

However, his office said Desalegn had been mis-

More than 2000 prisoners jailed for involvement in unrest that gripped Ethiopia between 2015 and 2016 have been pardoned, officials said on Friday

quoted and that only “some members of political parties and other individuals” accused or convicted of crimes would be released “so as to establish a national consensus and widen the political sphere”. The pace and extent of the releases has remained unclear.

On Friday, top officials in the Oromo region announced that 2,345 inmates had been pardoned, of whom 1568 had already been convicted and sentenced.

Earlier Merera Gudina,

an opposition leader who was arrested in December 2016 on his return from Brussels where he had addressed members of the European parliament on the violence in Oromiya, was freed alongside 114 other inmates.

The government in Addis Ababa has long been accused by rights groups of using security concerns as an excuse to stifle dissent and media freedoms. It denies the charges. (Excerpt from The Guardian)

France urges more EU sanctions on Venezuela over “shift to authoritarianism”

F

rench President Emmanuel Macron called on Friday for further European Union sanctions on Venezuela, days after the 28-nation bloc agreed a travel ban and asset freezes on seven senior Venezuelan officials.

The West accuses President Nicholás Maduro’s

government of violating democracy and human rights in the oil-producing nation, which is in the grip of a major economic and social crisis with millions suffering food and medicine shortages.

Venezuela’s pro-Government Supreme Court late on Thursday excluded the opposition coalition from reg-

istering for this year’s presidential election, possibly splintering Maduro’s foes by pushing political parties to put forward competing candidates.

On Monday the EU announced measures targeting people in charge of security forces accused of widespread abuses, particularly during

the 2017 anti-government protests.

Earlier on Friday Spain, a prominent supporter of the new EU sanctions, declared Venezuela’s ambassador to Madrid ‘persona non grata’ following an equivalent move by the Caracas government on Thursday.

Critics of the 55-year-

old Maduro, who succeeded Hugo Chávez in 2013, say he has ruined a once prosperous oil economy, turned Venezuela into a dictatorship and skewed the election system to perpetuate power for his Socialist Party.

Maduro’s Government says it is fighting a US-led right-wing conspiracy de-

termined to end socialism in Latin America, hobble Venezuela’s economy, and steal its oil wealth.

Macron urged other countries that have wider economic ties with Venezuela to also impose “efficient sanctions.” (Excerpt from Reuters)

China to develop Arctic S Korean hospital blaze kills at least 37, shipping routes opened fleeing patients brave flames by global warming

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hina has announced plans to develop shipping lanes through the Arctic to become a “Polar Silk Route”. Beijing said global warming meant viable shipping routes through the Arctic would become increasingly important for international trade.

It said China would work with Russia and other Arctic countries to develop the polar route. It is part of an ambitious bigger scheme to transform China’s land and sea connections to Europe and beyond.

President Xi Jinping’s US$1trillion (£700 billion) Belt and Road Initiative seeks to rebuild much of Eurasia’s infrastructure of ports, roads and rails, and put China at its centre.

Global warming is – ironically, some observers say, given industry’s role in creating it – opening the world up to more potential business opportunities. Last August, a Russian tanker travelled from Norway to South Korea without an icebreaker escort for the first

time.

“China hopes to work with all parties to build a ‘Polar Silk Road’ through developing the Arctic shipping routes,” China said in its first official policy paper on the polar region. It said every country’s “rights to use the Arctic shipping routes should be ensured”.

The North-East passage offers China a faster sea route to many ports than the current routes using, in many cases, the Suez or Panama canals. The new route could take 20 days off the 48 days it currently takes to get to Rotterdam from China via the Suez Canal, estimates suggest.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

Firefighters walked in and out of a burnt hospital in Miryang, South Korea, Friday, January 26, as they searched for trapped patients.

At centre, a patient is rescued from a burning hospital, while at right, rescue teams remove bodies from the burnt out hospital

O

nce famous for an award-winning film of the same name, the South Korean city of Miryang became a scene of horror on Friday as flames and toxic smoke swept through a hospital, killing at least 37 people and injuring more than 140.

South Korea’s deadliest fire in almost a decade followed one last month that

killed 29 people, reviving concern over safety standards, as the hospital director said current law did not require the building to have a sprinkler system.

Many patients “walked though fire and smoke” to escape from the Sejong Hospital as the main exit was on the first floor, which was ablaze, a city official told Reuters.

Those on upper floors used ladders and plastic escape slides to flee, while firefighters carried some who could not walk.

The presidential Blue House initially said the number of dead was at least 41, but deferred to a toll of 37 from the fire chief of Miryang, which is about 270 km (170 miles) southeast of Seoul, the capital, and home

to about 108,000 people.

Fire officials posted a list of at least 26 victims outside the hospital, their ages ranging from 34 to 96 years, with at least a score over 70.

The fire broke out around 07:30h (2230 GMT) at the rear of the emergency room on the hospital’s first floor, fire official Choi Man-woo told a televised news briefing. (Excerpt from MSN)

4 senior BBC male journalists agree pay cuts after inequality row

F

our of the highest paid male BBC journalists have agreed to pay cuts, the broadcaster said on Friday, following revelations that its top male news reporters and presenters were earning significant-

ly more than women doing similar jobs.

Radio broadcasters Jeremy Vine and John Humphrys, news anchor Huw Edwards and North America editor Jon Sopel had all agreed either for-

mally or in principle to salary cuts, the BBC said on its website.

The broadcaster was forced to disclose last year that two thirds of the highest earners on air were men.

Funded by a licence fee lev-

ied on TV viewers, the BBC is closely scrutinised and held to exacting standards by the public and rival media. The pay disclosures, which it had resisted, highlighted a broader debate about gender inequality.

Director General Tony Hall pledged to close the gender pay gap by 2020, but the organisation has been criticised by its own journalists and by lawmakers for not acting fast enough. (Excerpt

from MSN)

18

guyanatimesgy.com

saturDAY, january 27, 2018

ARCHIE

A money matter should be ARIES handled with care. Look over (March 21- contracts and see if you can April 19) improve them in your favour.

Control whatever situation you face.

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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

Refrain from overreacting SCORPIO and overdoing it. Moderation (Oct. 24will be necessary if you want Nov. 22) to avoid a physical, emotional or financial problem. Protect your possessions and reputation.

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saturDAY, january 27, 2018

19

ICC Under-19 World Cup India sets up huge semi-final with Pakistan …Bangladesh beaten by 131 runs

S

hubman Gill and Abhishek Sharma state mates at Punjab from Under-14s, room-mates on tour and best friends off the field - combined to make decisive half-centuries in India's 131-run win in the quarter-final against Bangladesh in Queenstown.

This meant a semi-final showdown with Pakistan in Christchurch on January 30.

Gill top-scored with 86, but India's batting depth was tested for the first time in the tournament. A middle-order implosion in the face of some tight bowling from overs 20-40 where India scored just three boundaries - was then somewhat cov-

ered up by Abhishek's industrious 49-ball 50 that

propelled them to 265 in the final over.

Bangladesh suffered two crucial run outs

Bangladesh came out looking to first dig in and set up a solid base. In the process, they ate up too many deliveries. As the asking rate mounted and spinners tightened the screws, they turned towards cheeky singles to keep the scorecard chugging along. This resulted in two of their main batsmen - Towhid Hridoy and Aminul Islam - being run out. Those dismissals turned the game around in a jiffy as Bangladesh couldn't quite recover from 85 fof 5. They were eventually bowled out for 134 in the 43rd over.

As well as they bowled, India's fielding, particularly inside the 30-yard circle,

ICC Under-19 World Cup

Windies crush Canada by 187 runs

…to contest Plate final against Sri Lanka

K

eagan Simmins hit the second highest individual score by a Windies under-19 batsman to help his side to a massive 187-run victory

over Canada in the Plate semifinal of the Youth World Cup in New Zealand on Friday.

Batting first after winning the toss, the de-

Canada Under-19s Innings (target: 324 runs from 50 overs) Pranav Sharma c †Stewart b Alimohamed 0 R Sandhu c Cooper b Hoyte 1 Arslan Khan* c †Stewart b Pemberton 31 AS Gill b Alimohamed 0 K Naress c Pemberton b Athana ze 61 A Deosammy c Yadram b Barnes 8 KD Samuel† run out (Hoyte) 6 A Pathmanathan b Yadram 6 Faisal Jamkhandi c Cooper b Yadr am 8 Rommel Shahzad not out 4 PC Pretorius c Kallicharan b Athan aze 5 Extras (w-6) 6 Total (All out; 47.3 Overs) 136 Fall of wickets: 1-0 (Pranav Sharma, 0.2 ov), 2-2 (R Sandhu, 1.3 ov), 3-5 (AS Gill, 2.5 ov), 4-53 (Arslan Khan, 16.6 ov), 5-75 (A Deosammy, 26.2 ov), 6-95 (KD Samuel, 34.2 ov), 7-118 (A Pathmanathan, 42.1 ov), 8-126 (K Naress, 43.6 ov), 9-128 (Faisal Jamkhandi, 44.3 ov), 10136 (PC Pretorius, 47.3 ov) Bowling Alimohamed 5-0-172 (w-1), Hoyte 5-1-11-1 (w1), Pemberton 5-0-15-1 (w1), Yadram 8-1-31-2 (w-3), Nedd 10-3-19-0, Barnes 10-123-1, Athanaze 4.3-0-20-2

noteworthy. In the Powerplay, the India will now take on long-time packed off-side rivals Pakistan for a place in the final ring cut off easy singles to build pressure. Then their two most athletic fast bowlers Shivam Mavi and Kamlesh Nagarkoti got into the act after bowling their hearts out in a fiery opening spell. from That Bangladesh e a r weren't allowed to blaze ly in the game - Nagarkoti away was thanks largely to had captain Saif Hassan Ishan Porel, who troubled nick to Abhishek, who took them during the course of an excellent catch diving to an incisive opening spell of his left at slip. That was to 5-2-8-0. be the start of Bangladesh's Mavi benefited from slide. this pressure the most as India's start was much Mohammad Naim holed different though. They lost out to Prithvi Shaw at mid- Manjot Kalra early, but Gill on. If Bangladesh thought powered them to 71 for 1 afPorel and Mavi's burst had ter the first 10 overs, bringbeen weathered, they had ing in a touch of unorthoNagarkoti just warming doxy by flat-batting a pull up. With some needle in the early in his innings, and docontest courtesy some words ing the early running even and glances exchanged be- as Shaw wasn't allowed to tween both sides - something break free initially. (cricinfo) that had been building up

SCOREBOARD

SCOREBOARD

West Indies Under-19s Innings (50 overs maximum) K Simmons c Pranav Sharma b Faisal Jamkhandi 166 B Yadram c Faisal Jamkhandi b Rommel Shahzad 23 EWJ Stewart*† c †Samuel b Rommel Shahzad 6 A Athanaze lbw b Naress 87 KA Kallicharan c Pranav Sharma b Gill 9 C Cooper b Gill 5 BO Barnes c †Samuel b Gill 16 RJ Alimohamed b Gill 1 J Hoyte not out 1 K Pemberton not out 1 Extras (w-8) 8 Total (For 8 wickets; 50 Overs) 323 Did not bat: A Nedd Fall of wickets: 1-42 (B Yadram, 7.3 ov), 2-56 (EWJ Stewart, 9.3 ov), 3-212 (A Athanaze, 37.4 ov), 4-264 (KA Kallicharan, 43.2 ov), 5-284 (C Cooper, 45.1 ov), 6-319 (K Simmons, 48.6 ov), 7-321 (RJ Alimohamed, 49.3 ov), 8-322 (BO Barnes, 49.5 ov) Bowling Faisal Jamkhandi 100-79-1 (w-4), Rommel Shahzad 10-0-55-2 (w-1), Pathmanathan 10-0-50-0, Gill 9-0-54-4 (w2), Pretorius 4-0-34-0, Arslan Khan 1-0-8-0 (w-1), Deosammy 3-0-20-0, Naress 3-0-23-1

was

Keagan Simmons hits 166 - the second highest U19 ODI score for Windies (ICC)

throned Windies were out of the blocks in a flash with Simmons and Bhaskar Yadram and Simmons belting 42 in just over seven overs before the Guyanese stroke player perished.

Skipper Emmanuel Stewart did not stick around for too long but Alick Athanaze joined Simmons and they completely took the game away from the North Americans with a pugnacious 156-run partnership.

Athanaze dominated the stand and after his dismissal, Simmons went into fifth gear until his dismissal in the penultimate over as the Caribbean side put on 323 for 8 from their 50 overs on the tins. In all, Simmons hit 17 fours from the 137 balls

he faced while Athanaze batted for 95 balls and accounted for five fours.

In reply, Canada were bowled out for 136 with only captain Arslan Khan (31) and Kavian Naress (61) getting into double figures. Khan hit three fours and a six while Naress clobbered six fours and a six from 112 balls to hold up the former champions inevitable march to the ninth place final where they will meet Sri Lanka on Sunday (Saturday night Guyana time).

Bowling for the Caribbean side, the wickets were shared with Guyanese all-rounder Ronaldo Alimohamed, Athanaze and Yadram bagging two wickets each.

India Under-19s Innings (50 overs maximum) PP Shaw* b Qazi Onik 40 Manjot Kalra c Towhid Hridoy b Robiul Haque 9 Shubman Gill c †Mahidul Islam Ankon b Nayeem Hasan 86 HM Desai† b Nayeem Hasan 34 R Parag c Saif Hassan b Qazi Oni k 15 Abhishek Sharma c †Mahidul Islam Ankon b Hasan Mahmud 50 KL Nagarkoti c †Mahidul Islam Ankon b Qazi Onik 5 AS Roy run out (Qazi Onik) 2 Shivam Mavi c Aminul Islam b Saif Hassan 5 Shiva Singh b Saif Hassan 3 IC Porel not out 0 Extras (lb-5, nb-2, w-9) 16 Total (All out; 49.2 Overs) 265 Fall of wickets: 1-16 (Manjot Kalra, 3.3 ov), 2-102 (PP Shaw, 17.3 ov), 3-176 (HM Desai, 33.5 ov), 4-181 (Shubman Gill, 35.6 ov), 5-215 (R Parag, 43.3 ov), 6-231 (KL Nagarkoti, 45.1 ov), 7-239 (AS Roy, 46.1 ov), 8-251 (Shivam Mavi, 47.3 ov), 9-265 (Abhishek Sharma, 48.5 ov), 10-265 (Shiva Singh, 49.2 ov) Bowling Hasan Mahmud 8-0-551 (w-4, nb-1), Robiul Haque 5-034-1 (w-2), Qazi Onik 10-0-48-3 (w-2, nb-1), Afif Hossain 8-0-46-0 (w-1), Nayeem Hasan 10-0-36-2, Saif Hassan 8.2-0-41-2

Bangladesh Under-19s Innings (target: 266 runs from 50 overs) Pinak Ghosh c Porel b Roy 43 Mohammad Naim c Shaw b Shivam Mavi 12 Saif Hassan* c Abhishek Sharma b Nagarkoti 12 Towhid Hridoy run out (Shivam Mavi) 9 Afif Hossain c Parag b Abhishek Sharma 18 Aminul Islam run out (Nagarkoti) 3 Mahidul Islam Ankon† b Shivam Mavi 10 Qazi Onik b Abhishek Sharma 0 Nayeem Hasan b Nagarkoti 11 Hasan Mahmud c Abhishek Sharma b Nagarkoti 0 Robiul Haque not out 14 Extras (lb-2) 2 Total (All out; 42.1 Overs) 134 Fall of wickets: 1-23 (Mohammad Naim, 8.4 ov), 2-55 (Saif Hassan, 16.2 ov), 3-76 (Pinak Ghosh, 22.6 ov), 4-79 (Towhid Hridoy, 24.2 ov), 5-85 (Aminul Islam, 25.5 ov), 6-106 (Mahidul Islam Ankon, 32.6 ov), 7-107 (Qazi Onik, 33.3 ov), 8-118 (Afif Hossain, 37.2 ov), 9-119 (Hasan Mahmud, 38.6 ov), 10-134 (Nayeem Hasan, 42.1 ov) Bowling Shivam Mavi 8-2-27-2, Porel 5-2-8-0, Nagarkoti 7.1-1-3, Parag 5-0-25-0, 18 Shiva Singh 7-0-29-0, Roy 5-1-141, Abhishek Sharma 5-1-11-2

20

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

saturDAY, january 27, 2018

Chattergoon backs Canada to come good at WC Qualifiers 2

C

anada cricket team will have a golden opportunity to continue their quest for a spot at next year’s International Cricket Council (ICC) limited-over World Cup event in England.

They are set to make those dreams come true when they compete at the forthcoming ICC World Division Two competition in Zimbabwe with other highly-competitive Associated sides.

Former player Hemnarine Chattergoon has thrown his support behind the North America boys to emerge as one of the top two teams who will progress to the Qualifiers tournament in March also in the aforementioned nation above.

“Well, they are well aware of what is required to go back and participate at ICC World Cup tournament; they went there before and now they have a chance to regain that epic position but

Dillon Heyliger

good cricket must be played and I am confident they will do well,” the Canada-based Guyanese stated.

According to the right-handed Chattergoon, who last represent-

ed Canada at the highest level in 2013, the team is well-balanced and that has given him the confidence to believe Canada can keep progressing to the mega event.

“I have known some of the guys and they are talented and based on what I have heard about the other players are talented enough too to make an impression as well; once they can go out there and play with the same level of momentum they did in the Division 3, I think they should be successful,” Chattergoon, who played for Guyana and West Indies youth teams reckoned.

Since the inauguration of the ICC World Cup in 1975, Canada have been in and out playing the first time, then back in 2003, 2007 and 2011.

Meanwhile, Chattergoon, the elder brother of former West Indies opening batsman Sewnarine Chattergoon, is fully backing his

Hemnarine Chattergoon

country-man Dillon Heyliger who is included in the squad. Heyliger represented Guyana at the youth level too and featured in several warm-up and friendly matches for Canada already. He has been im-

pressive and is set to make his international debut. Chattergoon said he is talented enough to churn out good performances on this huge tour but must be focused and utilize his all-round skills.

In an effort to boost their game, Canada team spent some time in Barbados practicing on turf pitches as part of their preparations.

The full squad reads: Squad: Nitish Kumar (captain), Bhavindu Adhihetty, Navneet Dhaliwal, Ruvindu Gunasekera, Nicholas Kirton, Srimantha Wijeyeratne, Dhanuka Pathirana, Nikhil Dutta, Dillon Heyliger, Hamza Tariq, Cecil Pervez, Satsimranjit Dhindsa, Junaid Siddiqui and Saad Zafar. Head coach Ingleton Liburd, Assistant coach Henry Osinde, Asst coach/analyst Daulat Khan. The reserves, who will travel with the team, are Umar Ghani and Anmar Khalid.

(Ravi Madholall)

Dangerous pitch ends play prematurely – South Africa set 241 to complete whitewash

U

mpires chose to end play prematurely on day three of the third Test between South Africa and India because of concerns over the Johannesburg pitch.

Cracks in the Wanderers surface widened to cause inconsistent, exaggerated bounce and excessive seam movement.

Play was halted after the Proteas' Dean Elgar was hit on the helmet grille by a bouncer from India's Jasprit Bumrah - the fourth blow he had suffered.

It was later confirmed

M Vijay took some blows to the body but played a brave partnership with captain Virat Kohli (BCCI photo)

that the match would resume as scheduled on

Saturday.

Earlier,

players

from

Softball masters invade Malteenoes tomorrow T

here will be an influx of softball stalwarts on Sunday at the Malteenoes Sports Club ground when the Kingston Premier League continues with a threeteam round robin tournament.

Ariel Masters, HS Masters and Amazon Masters will battle each other for the winner’s trophy compliments of Party Tournament organiser, Samuel Kingston collects the Party Plus at Albert and Sixth Plus Trophy ahead of the battle on Sunday streets Alberttown.

Softball up with the semifinals and The matches are 15 Georgetown League Inc. finals of the Regal Sports overs per side and all Cricket players must be over 40 (GSCL Inc) is reminding Tournament and the comteams to continue their mencement of the annual years old to play.

Meanwhile, the preparation as the busy Republic Cup. 2018 season will soon pick

both sides had been hit by sharply rising deliveries, with India opener Murali Vijay struck five times in the first session alone.

Captains Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli were then called into a meeting with the umpires - Pakistan's Aleem Dar and England's Ian Gould - and match referee Andy Pycroft in accordance with International Cricket Council (ICC) regulations.

The ICC later tweeted: "The on-field umpires will continue to monitor the pitch, and consult the match referee should the pitch deteriorate further.

"The welfare of the players is paramount and two of the most experienced match officials are in charge of the game and will take appropriate decisions."

Only three batsmen have so far reached 50 in the match, with South Africa needing a further 224 runs for victory with nine wickets remaining.

The Proteas are already assured of winning the se-

ries, leading 2-0 going into this final Test.

Only two Test matches have previously been abandoned because of dangerous conditions.

Both came in the West Indies in matches against England, firstly in January 1998 when England were 17-3 at Sabina Park in Jamaica when the umpires deemed the pitch unsuitable.

Then in February 2009, a match in Antigua was called off after just 10 balls because a soft, sandy outfield was regarded as dangerous for bowlers and fielders. (BBC Sport)

SCOREBOARD India 1st Innings 187 South Africa 1st Innings 194 India 2nd Innings (Overnight 41-1) India 2nd Innings M Vijay b Rabada 25 PA Patel† c Markram b Philander 16 KL Rahul c du Plessis b Philander 16 CA Pujara c du Plessis b Morkel 1 V Kohli* b Rabada 41 AM Rahane c †de Kock b Mork el 48 HH Pandya c & b Rabada 4 B Kumar c †de Kock b Morkel 33 Mohammed Shami c de Villiers b Ngidi 27 I Sharma not out 7 JJ Bumrah c Rabada b Philander 0 Extras (b-5, lb-12, w-12) 29 Total (All out; 80.1 Overs) 247 Fall of wickets: 1-17 (PA Patel, 4.6 ov), 2-51 (KL Rahul, 18.6 ov), 3-57 (CA Pujara, 21.6 ov), 4-100 (M Vijay, 40.5 ov), 5-134 (V Kohli, 49.2 ov), 6-148 (HH Pandya, 53.1 ov), 7-203

(AM Rahane, 67.3 ov), 8-238 (Mohammed Shami, 74.4 ov), 9-240 (B Kumar, 77.2 ov), 10247 (JJ Bumrah, 80.1 ov) Bowling Philander 21.1-5-61-3, Rabada 23-5-69-3 (w-1), Morkel 21-6-47-3 (w-2), Ngidi 12-2-381, Phehlukwayo 3-0-15-0 (w-1) South Africa 2nd Innings (target: 241 runs) AK Markram c †Patel b Mohammed Shami 4 D Elgar not out 11 HM Amla not out 2 Extras 0 Total (For 1 wicket; 8.3 Overs) 17 Yet to bat: AB de Villiers, F du Plessis (c), Q de Kock †, VD Philander, AL Phehlukwayo, K Rabada, M Morkel, L Ngidi Fall of wickets: 1-5 (AK Markram, 1.6 ov) Bowling Kumar 4-0-8-0, Mohammed Shami 4-17-1, Bumrah 0.3-0-2-0 Position: South Africa require another 224 runs with 9 wickets remaining

sports

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Deo confident about defending title …Sukhram going hard

J

oaan Deo said she’s confident of retaining her title come this Saturday’s when the annual Speedy Memorial Golf Open tees off at the Lusignan Golf Course.

Some 35 golfers have already registered for the event which has grown in popularity over the past seven years. The Open is sponsored by Vish Ramdial, CEO of Ramdial Trading and son of the late Prabhudyal “Speedy” Ramdial, a close friend and member of the Lusignan Golf Club (LGC).

Deo, who is close to the Ramdial family told Guyana Times Sport on the eve of t h e

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Christine Sukhram

match, that the competition holds great sentimental value to her and her family as “Speedy” and her father, LGC Captain Chatterpaul Deo were close friends.

“The tournament is one that I won with the lowest score I ever shot, so it was a big win for me so I’m hoping to defend my title this year.

Vish was there recently and said he wanted to bring his kids and his father and my dad were good friends, so were into the sport for some time and they’re tournament is good for golf”. Said Deo. With the former Guyana Open champ having ties to the Ramdial family and as current ambassador for the tournament being reigning champion, the female golf star said she spent extra hours this week preparing for the Open.

“It’s very important, that’s why I actually went into the course this week and did some chipping and so because I didn’t want to go into the tournament from last week because I didn’t have a good round then. So it was just to prepare mentally and physically for the tournament”.

Deo concluded by lauding the ground team for keeping the Greens and Fairways well prepped ahead of Saturday’s match. The local pro said that she was really impressed by

the daily works carried out and as such she was expecting top competition from the other golfers.

Meanwhile, reigning Guyana Open Cup Female champ Christine Sukhram told Guyana Times Sport that she was upbeat ahead of the Speedy Open which she said will be her first competition since last November’s Guyana Cup. “Well since the year started this will be my first tournament back out on the course, and I’ve pretty much been looking forward for it.

It’s like a new start for me because I haven’t done much practice lately or played any golf so my interest is not at winning it just about going out and doing well,” said a modest Sukhram.

The ladies champ, who celebrated her birthday on Friday, said that

Joaan Deo she plans to use the event as way of getting herself back into form, especially with lengthy calendar ahead.

“I’m very excited because I want to know how I will do so I will be putting all my talent out there and see how it goes,” she ended.

Tess off time is 12:30h.

Jaguars-Police player gets COP injection …batsman promises to deliver

C

ommissioner of Police, Seelall Persaud, DSM on Friday donated cricket gear to Ricardo Adams who was shortlisted to represent the Guyana Jaguars franchise team at this year’s Cricket West Indies (CWI) Professional Cricket League (PCL) Regional Super50 which bowls off on January 30, 2018 in Barbados.

Persaud, who handed over the gears at his Eve Leary Office congratulated Adams and charged him to go and give his best and make the Guyana Police Force and Guyana at large proud.

Ricardo Adams is well known in the cricket circle as he also represented the Guyana Police Force on many occasions in the past.

The twenty-three yearold who will join the likes of Shivnarine Chanderpaul,

Devendra Bishoo, Veerasammy Permual, Shimron Hetymyer among others in the Guyana Jaguars squad thanked the Commissioner for his kind gesture and assured the Top Cop that he will go and give his utmost.

Ricardo Adams is a hard-hitting left-hand batsman and left-arm bowler from the Essequibo Island of Wakenaam, who made his debut for Guyana in 2009 Regional Under-15 tournament.

In 2009 he led Essequibo to victory over Berbice in the first of two games in the GCB/Castrol Under-15 inter-county tournament, which probably earned him the vice-captain role in the 2009 Guyana Under-15 team.

In 2010 he represented Guyana in both the Regional Under-15 and Under-19

tournaments.

Ricardo bowled well at the Under-15 level and batted with distinction at the Under-19 level.

He scored his first Regional half century (66 runs) in the 2010 Regional Under-19 Tournament, against Barbados in St Lucia.

He scored his first Regional century (102 runs) in 2012 Regional Under-19 2-innings Tournament, against Trinidad & Tobago, in Barbados.

The presentation was made possible by Assistant Commissioner of Police Nigel Hoppie DSM, who is the chairman of the Guyana Police Force Cricket Team, of which himself and Commissioner Seelall Persaud are considered all-rounders and cricket enthusiasts and this kind gesture can make a positive impact on the player’s cricketing career.

Commissioner of Police (COP) Seelall Persaud (left) gladly hands over the gears to Ricardo Adams while Assistant Commissioner of Police Nigel Hoppie looks on

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saturDAY, january 27, 2018

M

“We can improve on maintaining the NTFC” – Minister Norton Minister George Norton examining the bathroom facilities at the NTFC, Leonora

inister of Social Cohesion with responsibility for sport, Dr. George Norton on Thursday visited the Leonora Track and Field Centre (NTFC) where he met the staff and discussed the way forward for the operation and maintenance of the sporting facilities. He was also scheduled to visit the National Stadium at Providence but did not.

The visit was intended for the minister to get a firsthand look at the physical condition of the centre and to address the environment under which the staff are working. However, after touring the Leonora Facility, Minister Norton expressed some dissatisfaction.

4

“I do not think it is the kind of construction that any contractor would be proud of particularly in the plumbing area, but having said that, I think that our workers can do a better job at maintaining that centre,” the Minister stated.

The Minister said that while he did not tour the National Stadium, he was nonetheless pleased with the feedback he received from members of staff. He, however, noted that there are some areas in both facilities that can be dealt with immediately.

“There are some areas that we can consider as low hanging fruits that we would remedy, find solutions and put things in place

in both centres.”

The Minister plans to conduct more visits of similar nature in the future.

“We (Ministry of Social Cohesion) are hoping that we would be able to visit all the other centres including these two more regularly, if not quarterly and to keep in communication with not only the directors but also with the staff so that we have a first-hand idea of what is taking place in these centres,” Minister Norton said.

Meanwhile earlier this month, Operations Manager of the facility, Trevor Williams had told Guyana Times Sport that he is also planning some major upgrades to the facility this

year.

Two warm up areas are going to be constructed in the first half of the year at the facility; those areas will be two 200-metre synthetic track curves on opposite shoulders of

team tournament bowls off on February 4

Presentation of Cheque, Representative of Dave West Indian Imports, Amar Ramraj handing over the cheque to Treasurer of the GCB, Anand Kalladeen

T

GCB Vice- President Fizul Bacchus, took the opportunity to thank sponsors on behalf of the board, for renewing sponsorship in 2018 and added that their contribution goes a long way.

He added that the board is pleased with their contributions which has helped cricketers to have better opportunities to receive branded uniforms and kits throughout the tournament.

Bacchus further wished the company all the best with their business and encourages individuals to support Dave West Indian Imports as they continue to give back to the youth of Guyana.

Closing remarks from Ramraj were directed towards the company’s gratitude in having joined forces with the board to promote youth cricket. On behalf of the company and owner, Dave Narine, who he represented in his absence, wished the players all the best, adding that the company looks forward to continuously support the tournament as well as

This has led Williams to further develop the facility in an effort to ensure that the facility remains up to standards and able to host meets of international quality. (Michelangelo Jacobus)

Minister Norton examines the synthetic track at the NTFC

GCB/Dave West Indian Import Inter-County U15

he Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) in partnership with Dave West Indian Imports, launched the 3rd edition Under-15 tournament on Friday at the GCB Board Room on Regent Road, Bourda.

The simple ceremony, was attended by Executives and Staff of the GCB, along with the Representative from Dave’s West Indian Imports, Amar Ramraj along with students from various schools in Georgetown.

Marketing Manager of the GCB, Rajendra Singh chaired the launching in which he thanked the sponsors for their continued support and noted that with the sponsorship of Dave’s West Indian Imports, the GCB were able to offset some tournament expenses which ran in an excess of three million dollars.

Singh, during his remarks encouraged the youngster to pursuit healthy lifestyles and to keep fit as Under-15 serves as the foundation of their cricket career while they make their way up to first class cricket.

the compound.

The lack of such areas in the past was highlighted especially at the South American U-20 Championships last year where the absence of warm up areas was a hindrance.

youngsters across Guyana.

The Under-15 tournament is scheduled to commence on Sunday February 4 and will run through to Saturday February 10, 2018 with games being played at Lusignan, GCC, Everest and Tuschen grounds and will involve Demerara, Essequibo, Berbice and President 11 teams.

“I have a family to feed” – Pollard

W

indies all-round- casions and not been selecter Kieron Pollard ed,” he added. has pointed to conPollard last represented sistent uncertainty regard- the regional team during a ing his status as an interna- limited over series against tional cricketer as playing Pakistan in 2017. The big a crucial role in his reluc- hitter was dropped from the tance to pass up opportuni- team after selectors claimed ties to play in lucrative T20 he was not ‘commitment to batting’. leagues around the world.

“I never understood. I Pollard was one of four prominent regional play- don't understand what that ers to decline an invitation- means,” he added.

“You sign a contract beal to join the regional squad ahead of a last-ditch effort cause you're not sure about to qualify for the World Cup your international future at the ICC World Cup quali- - and then you're a mercefiers in Zimbabwe in March. nary,” he laments.

Joining Pollard were fel“People say all sorts low T20 specialists Andre about you and they never Russell and Sunil Narine, understand what the situation really is - it's really disalong with Darren Bravo.

The players reported- appointing.” (Sportsmax) ly stated a preference to take part in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). The decision sent shockwaves around the region, with some accusing the players of being mercenaries and others empathizing with the stance.

“I have a family to take care of at the end of the day so it is what it is … God has given me a talent to play cricket. If I only have to play T20 then so be it,” Pollard told UK publication The Telegraph.

“I have offered my services on numerous occasions and been available on Kieron Pollard last played for numerWindies against Pakistan at ous ocProvidence in 2017

saturDAY, january 27, 2018

guyanatimesgy.com

23

Hetmyer, Bramble, Rutherford humble Rest XI – Paul blasts 48* off 20

By Clifton Ross

G

uyana Jaguars opener Shimron Hetmyer cracked a ton while Anthony Bramble and Sherfane Rutherford smashed fifties, piloting the national side to a 167run win over the Rest XI in their solitary practice match at Providence ahead of the Regional Super50 which begins on Tuesday January 30 in Barbados.

Hetmyer, fresh off the Windies’ tour of New Zealand, carved 101 off 107 deliveries with 14 fours and two sixes while belligerent fifties; 86 from national wicketkeeper Anthony Bramble and 74 from all-rounder Sherfane Rutherford propelled the Jaguars to 386-8 in 50 overs batting first.

In the end, the mammoth total proved too much for Barnwell’s men who could only muster 219 from 39 overs with skipper Chris Barnwell the main contributor with 48. West Indies Test spinner Davendra Bishoo ended with 3-28 while Veerasammy Permaul and Sherfane Rutherford ended with two wickets each.

The Rest team XI started off wobbly during the mammoth chase despite a positive approach from Robin Bacchus who smacked two sixes in his 18-ball 20 before Keemo Paul trapped his lbw.

Romario Shepherd, another of Guyana’s promising fast-bowling all-rounders removed his national teammate Tagenarine

Chanderpaul for just five runs as pressure mounted.

Former West Indies Under-19 wicketkeeper/ batsman; Tevin Imlach hit a four and a six before Permaul foxed him into getting stumped for 16. The hard-hitting Jonathan Foo looked ominous for a short time but was halted by Permaul for 15, making situations worse for Barnwell’s

men to go as the innings came to end.

Earlier, after Jaguars 50 over selectee Pestano claimed his only wicket of the match but it was that of in-form opener Chandrapaul Hemraj who went for 08.

Medium-pacer Paul Wintz continued his impressive form with the ball; removing Windies Test all-rounder Raymon Reifer

Johnson (24).

The Guyana Jaguars Captain was steady during his innings but Franchise player Ramaal Lewis who ended with 2-51, added the big prize of the National team’s captain to his collection when knocked over the skipper’s stumps.

Hetmyer on 82, continued to press on for his ton and eventually got their off

set for twin centuries.

But there was more carnage to follow.

Keemo Paul came and flayed the bowlers, smashing a breezy 48 not out off just 20 balls with six fours while Barnwell closed things off at the other end with the Guyana Jaguars batsman Shimron Hetmyer plays a booming drive during his century knock on Friday at Providence

Sherfane Rutherford digs out a ripping Yorker from Chris Barnwell during the Guyana Jaguars warm-up match against a Rest Team at Providence

XI.

Guyana Amazon Warriors T20 batsman Gajanand Singh batted decently for 17 before he hit Bishoo down the throat of Ricardo Adams in the deep for 16. Kemol Savory followed next, bowled by Bishoo for 17 as the remaining batters; Clinton Pestano 23, Kevon Boodie 15 and Ramaal Lewis 16, were the

for two runs to put the National XI in some serious trouble.

Hetmyer then counterpunched with some tempered aggression, climbing into to the Rest Team’s bowling with some vicious strokes. The Windies batsman raced to his half-century in no time with a flurry of fours, sharing a century stand with captain Leon

just 73 deliveries with 14 well-timed fours and two big sixes. After his partner Ricardo Adams perished at the hands of Tagenarine Chanderpaul for 28. Lewis who went for roughly seven runs per over from his quota of seven; bagged the wicket of the centurion who was caught by Bacchus.

Things went berserk when the duo of Bramble and

Rutherford combined forces to blast the Rest XI’s bowlers to all parts of Providence. Bramble smoked seven maximums and two fours while Rutherford was the more docile of the two, hitting eight fours and a couple of sixes in their runaway 96run partnership which revived the Jaguars innings.

The Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) boys then teamed up to break the almost century partnership as Barnwell removed Bramble while Wintz snuffed out his Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) mate Rutherford; just as both batsmen looked

wicket of Romario Shepherd who perished for a duck as the overs expired.

In their quest for Regional 50over supremacy for the first time since 2005, the Jaguars will wing out on Sunday morning for Antigua and Barbuda where they will battle in Group B of the 2018 Cricket West Indies Super 50. Their first match is against English county side, Kent on January 31 at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground from 09:00h.

Defending champions, Barbados Pride are in Group A in Barbados which begins in January 30 when the Windward Islands Volcanoes take on the Combined Campuses and Colleges Marooners at the 3 W’s Oval.

Milo Schools Football Tournament 2018...

Stage set for

kick off

– Chase Academic Foundation chasing fourth title

N

ow in its sixth year, the Petra Organisation’s Milo Schools football tournament will kick off today at the Ministry of Education ground from 12:00h.

Defending champions Chase Academic Foundation will be in action in round one today when they face Carmel Secondary School at 15:00h in the third and final match of the day.

Chase’s team will be buoyed by the presence of National player and Captain Jeremy Garrett who is a player mature beyond his years. The defender’s presence will have a calming effect as the squad will see an influx of new faces. The

return of Vurlon Mills as coach will further bolster the champions bid to make it four titles in a row.

Speaking ahead of his team’s first game today, founder of Chase Academic Foundation, Henry Chase told Guyana Times Sport that some 25 players have been in preparation and training for some time now.

“The sessions have been great and the players are looking in top shape. Coach (Vurlon) Mills will have a hard time picking the team.

There are players such as Rondel Peters, Nicholas McArthur, Cecil Jackman, Ronaldo Rodrigues and Rushaun Ritch who all are sure to be in contention for

Jeremy Garrett will be leading Chase Academic Foundation’s bid for a fourth consecutive title

first team spots.”

The younger brother of Jeremy Garrett, Jermain Garrett is also in the Chase juggernaut making them a fearsome opponent.

However, the loss of goalkeeper Sese Norville will be a big blow to the Chase outfit; Norville transferred to Morgan’s Learning Centre and will give that team a much needed boost. The latter had last year taken the champions to penalty kicks but subsequently lost.

The opening game at 12:00h will bring together Buxton Youth Development and the Business School in a highly anticipated matchup.

The latter are being coached by former Chase players and Milo champions Ralph Parris and Curtez Kellman.

Speaking to Guyana Times Sport, Parris not-

ed that while his charges are young, he’ll do his best to pass on his knowledge and expertise as he not only wants to win but also to help develop the younger players.

Following the Business School, Buxton Youth Development clash; St Rose’s High School will face Cummings Lodge Secondary School in the second match of the day.

The tournament which has seen Chase’s Academy Foundation winning the title for three consecutive years has this year once again partnered with the Ministry of Public Health. The key component of the partnership will see the promotion of the issue of gender-based violence in an effort to raise public awareness.

(Michelangelo Jacobus)

SATURDAY, january 27, 2018

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

guyanatimesgy.com

Milo Schools Football Tournament 2018...

Stage set for

kick off

Pg 23

– Chase Academic Foundation chasing fourth title The rivalry resumes today at the Ministry of Education ground, Carifesta Avenue

ICC Under-19 World Cup

Pg 19

Windies crush Canada by 187 runs …to contest Plate final against Sri Lanka Windies will now play the consolation final against Sri Lanka for ninth place

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