Guyana times 6 june 2017

Climate change is real for Guyana, Caribbean – CWWA P13 Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana Issue No. 3233

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THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Tuesday, June 6, 2017

PRICE

Lowenfield defends paying $6000+ for single pliers

WHAT'S INSIDE:

Advance from ExxonMobil, a risky business – Jordan P10

Page 7

…says Guyana lacks capacity to manage influx of money

...as GECOM ‘contract splitting racket’ gets exposed at PAC Shockwave ripples through Cummings Lodge

Teacher found unconscious lying on husband’s decomposing body Page 16

Speaker rejects request for public input on fate of sugar Page 9

$80 vat included

Ramjattan’s Ministry still paying ‘corrupt’ staffers Page 3

“Grey Boy” freed again of Crum-Ewing murder P7

Sinister plot P5 afoot to silence Opposition MP Ambulance driver killed in vehicular smash-up P2

...sent on leave a year ago Oil revenue

Guyana’s royalties percentage “low” – Ram P9 Mechanic P16 crushed to death

UG connects Tain, Turkeyen Campuses

Page 13

We linking! Students from the University of Guyana's Tain Campus, can now access courses offered at the University’s Turkeyen Campus without leaving Berbice, Region Six. This is now possible with the launch of the Teleconferencing Platform, which connects the two campuses. In photo are Public Telecommunications Minister Cathy Hughes (right); UG Vice Chancellor, Professor Ivelaw Griffith (centre) and Dr Paloma Mohammed cutting the ribbon at the launching of the Teleconferencing Platform on Monday

GDF librarian shot during robbery P2

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tuesDAY, june 6, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Ambulance driver killed in vehicular smash-up

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fatal accident involving several motor vehicles and a motorcycle in Linden, Region 10 (Upper DemeraraBerbice) on Sunday evening has resulted in the death of 28-year-old Wilbert Sydney, an ambulance driver attached to the Linden Hospital Complex (LHC).

The incident occurred about 21:30h on the Amelia’s Ward Public Road, in the vicinity of Rawlins shortcut and Lover’s Lane, Mackenzie.

Police reports indicated that at the time of the accident, Sydney, of Lot 70 Half Mile, Wismar, Linden, was proceeding east along the northern side of the roadway on his motorcycle, CH5634, at a fast rate of speed when he overtook minibus BVV 6450 driven by Gordon Saul, 55, of Lot 20 Hardina Street, Wortmanville, Georgetown. In the process of then overtaking mo-

Dead: Wilbert Sydney

tor lorry GRR 6181, driven

by Mark Charles, 39, of Lot 121 Amelia’s Ward, Sydney collided head on with motor car PNN 4510, which was driven by Michael Luckhoo, 21, of 96 River Side Drive, Watooka, Linden.

The car was proceeding west along the southern side of the road, also at a fast rate of speed. As a result of

the collision with the motor car, Sydney and his motorcycle were reportedly thrown into the motor lorry, thence to the northern parapet. He was later picked up, along with the drivers of the motor car and motor lorry, and taken to the LHC where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

The driver of the motor car was admitted for observation and remained under Police guard while the driver of the motor lorry was transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital with a broken right leg.

At the scene of the accident, scores of onlookers and Police gathered. Sydney, with one of his arms severed, laid sprawled on the roadway for some time before he was transported to the Hospital. The damaged vehicles and a broken windscreen with shattered glass were strewn along the road.

A resident of Amelia’s Ward, who lives a short dis-

The motorcycle Sydney was riding at the time of the accident

tance away from the scene, related to Guyana Times that he was at home when he heard a loud impact and decided to investigate. “I was in me house when I hear ‘scrooks!’ (sound of brakes being applied) ‘blam!’. Well, I ain’t take it for nothing, but then something tell me to look out. When I look out, I see the vehicles on the road,”

he noted, as he explained that he later checked the pulse of the deceased on the scene and realised that he was dead.

A family grieves

At the home of the de-

trying to cope with the tragedy. A number of family members and friends gathered at the home to express condolences to the bereaved, including his three sisters and mother Paulette Sydney.

Shondell, a nurse presently attached to the Wismar hospital, said she last spoke with her brother briefly, some time before he left the family’s home on Sunday.

She said her brother was scheduled to work the night shift at 22:00h, but noted that he would usually visit his girlfriend who resided at Amelia’s Ward. Shondell remembered her brother, the last child and only son of their mother, as a very respectable young man whom the family thought would not have survived a childhood tragedy. She said his death came as a shock. Several

The motor car Sydney collided with

ceased on Monday, his grieving sister, Shondell Sydney, in tears, said her brother was a father of two. She related that the family was presently having a hard time

friends and family members also took to Sydney’s Facebook page after his death, expressing shock and grief. Investigations are ongoing. (Utamu Belle)

GDF librarian shot during robbery

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olice are on the hunt for two bandits, who shot a librarian attached to the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) in an attempted carjacking.

Jewel Gibson, of Lot 2, Victoria Road, Plaisance, East Coast Demerara, is currently nursing gunshot wounds at the Georgetown Public Hospital.

According to reports reaching Guyana Times, the 44-year-old woman was on Sunday evening returning home from an outing with a friend when she was allegedly trailed from Sheriff Street, Georgetown by bandits driving a white car.

Gibson had just arrived at her residence and while turning into the driveway around 22:00h, she was ambushed by the two men, one of whom was armed with a gun.

In the process of relieving her of her cell phone,

house keys, and the keys for the Toyota Premio she was driving, the bandit fired a shot to her stomach.

The tenant of the injured woman was at home at the time of the incident and recalled hearing a “popping sound” followed by Gibson screaming, which prompted her to investigate. She then discovered a man leaning into her landlord’s vehicle and immediately alerted her husband. However, the duo fled the scene after they realised that neighbours were alerted.

Gibson was rushed to the Hospital where she remains in a stable condition after undergoing surgery.

The Police are continuing their investigation with their only lead thus far being a brief description of the gunmen.

Gibson lives a mere six houses away from the Sparendaam Police Station.

news

BRIDGE OPENINGS

Tuesday, June 6 – a night retraction at 03:00h and a day retraction at 14:30h-16:00h and Wednesday, June 7 – a night retraction at 04:00h and a day retraction at 14:30h-16:00h.

Ramjattan’s Ministry still paying ‘corrupt’ staffers

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Tuesday, June 6 – 14:35h-16:05h and Wednesday, June 7 – 15:15h-16:45h.

…as PAC calls for US Embassy’s intervention to recover millions

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

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY

Weather: Thundery to heavy rain showers can be expected throughout the day, while lightly cloudy to partly cloudy skies can be expected in the evening.

Temperatures should range between 25 degrees Celsius and 28 degrees Celsius.

Winds: Easterly to East North-easterly between 3.12 metres and 4.47 metres.

High Tide: 14:41h reaching a maximum height of 2.39 metres.

Low Tide: 08:15h and 20:29h reaching minimum heights of 0.77 metre and 0.81 metre respectively.

SATURDAY, June 3, 2017

LOTTERY NUMBERS O

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Monday, June 5, 2017

DAILY MILLIONS 04 11 12 13 17 LUCKY 3 6 1 6 Afternoon Draw

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DRAW DE LINE

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... sent on leave a year ago

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he Public Security Ministry has for more than a year paid three members of staff their full salaries despite the fact they have not been on the job – after being suspended as a result of suspected involvement in a multimillion-dollar scandal.

Permanent Secretary Daniella McCalmon made the revelation to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which met on Monday to query findings raised by the Auditor General in 2015.

The Ministry was unable to account for in excess of $15 million, since the payment vouchers were not handed over to the auditors.

The Permanent Secretary told the Committee that the three staffers were sent on administrative leave since March 2016 and they have not been interdicted, so payment continued since the investigations have not been completed.

The disclosure was met with disbelief by Committee Member Juan Edghill, who voiced his discontent over the fact that taxpayers’ dollars were being used to pay the staffers for doing nothing and they could in fact be already gainfully employed elsewhere.

“I am paying three people’s salaries every month…

They could actually be doing another job looking at me and laughing,” he quipped.

PS McCalmon indicated to the Committee that an interim report from the Guyana Police Force and the Audit Office have been sent to the Public Service Commission with regard to the three employees.

According to McCalmon, it was the decision of that Commission to have the persons be sent on leave instead of being interdicted at the time.

$100M contract

Another of the matters raised by the Committee

Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan

was a contract entered into on December 31, 2015 for in excess of $100 million.

It was found that the Ministry held onto a cheque representing the balance owed – more than $52 million — that was never uplifted by the supplier until nine months later.

McCalmon told the Committee that the supplier would have been vacationing overseas at the time hence the money was not collected at the time.

This explanation did not go down well with the Committee members. People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) member, Nigel Dharamlall observed that while the original contract was inked on the final day of the year, at the time of the audit the Ministry was still in possession of the $52 million cheque in breach of the laws of Guyana.

“This issue is much bigger than what is being reported to PAC at this time,” Dharamlall said, and he was informed by the Permanent Secretary that a special investigation has been launched into the transaction.

Dharamlall questioned the apparent repeated fi-

Permanent Secretary Daniella McCalmon

nancial breaches by the Public Security Ministry and was told by Permanent Secretary McCalmon, “I will pledge the Ministry will not be in this position again and all money to be refunded will be refunded.”

The Fiscal Management and Accountability Act (FMAA) dictates that all unspent or monies not disbursed at the end of each financial year must be returned to the treasury.

It was pointed out that that the Ministry was deliberately looking to avoid returning money to the treasury by entering into such large-scale contracts on the final day of the year.

American company

Another of the questionable contracts entered into by the Ministry related to the supply of an industri-

al washer and dryer to the tune of more than $7 million – to date the items are yet to be supplied by the American company contracted.

Committee members recommended to the PS, writing to the local American Embassy in order to seek its assistance in recovering the money or getting the equipment.

The Committee heard that the equipment was meant to ease the burden at the Georgetown prisons, but since it was never supplied the prisoners have had to resort to manually washing their attire.

The Committee heard also that there was no public tender and the Ministry instead wrote to the tender board seeking permission for the sole sourcing of the equipment.

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tuesDAY, june 6, 2017

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

Interest of democracy

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t came as no surprise to many that after an extremely long wait, the President has indicated to the Leader of the Opposition and the nation as a whole, that he is not in favour of the second list of nominees submitted for his consideration for the position of Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).

In his rejection letter to the Leader of the Opposition last Friday, the President was quoted in the media as saying that after examining the Curriculum Vitae of the six nominees submitted, he has found the list to be unacceptable within the meaning of the Constitution and the criteria he had previously outlined. It should be noted that the President had rejected the initial list on the grounds that the identified persons were not ‘fit and proper’ in keeping with the provisions of the Constitution of Guyana.

This latest move by the President is quite unfortunate as there have been quite a lot of effort on the part of the Opposition Leader to arrive at a list that is in keeping with the constitutional requirements. Over the past few weeks, the Opposition Leader had embarked on an elaborate consultative process which lasted several weeks, during which he solicited the views of, and sought nominations from, many nationally renowned persons and various important stakeholders’ and representative organisations.

It is clear that the President has managed to make what was historically a very smooth and straightforward exercise one that is now complicated and politically acrimonious.

Considering the fact that there is urgent need for a chairman to be appointed to proceed with the important business of the Elections Commission, one is forced to ask the real reason behind the President’s rejection of the second list.

Some have expressed the view that the President was setting the stage for a unilateral decision to be made on the appointment of a chairman, since there were suspicions that he (the President) already had someone in mind that he favours to function in that capacity.

While it is still not clear what next steps the Opposition Leader will take, we believe that finding another six names that are in compliance with the President’s criteria would now become near impossible since the pool to draw from has become significantly narrower. More importantly, as indicated by the Opposition, persons would become even more reluctant to offer their names, for fear of the public damage and humiliation to their professional reputation, character and image by the President’s cavalier rejection of their names.

We had stated before that while he (the President) may have good intentions, there are many problems with his criteria and his legal team’s interpretation of the Constitution; and while we do not intend to delve into detail on them here, as they have already been ventilated in the media, we believe the focus of the Constitution regarding such an appointment was the integrity and the independence of the post holder.

We have seen the complications that have arisen from what in the normal course should have been a simple and straightforward process. Since there seems to be a problem with the interpretation of the Constitution, perhaps the time has come for the relevant stakeholders to seriously consider reviewing that aspect of the Constitution (the process and criteria of the GECOM Chairman’s appointment) with the aim of clearing up all the grey areas. Once the criteria for such a post are clearly spelt out, there would be little room for misinterpretation and political acrimony.

GECOM has been without a chairman since February 28, 2017, when Dr Steve Surujbally stepped down. From all indications, the work of the Commission is being stymied due to the absence of a GECOM Chair. It would, therefore, be in the nation’s interest if the President and Opposition Leader come to an immediate compromise on this issue.

Once the appointment is made, it will allow for the political situation in the country to settle itself; if not, it could be exacerbated. Also, the sooner the issue is sorted out, the better it would be for the new chairman to familiarise himself/herself with the entire electoral process and the running of the organisation (GECOM), which we know is very huge and complex. In the long run, it is in the interest of democracy, it is not about partisan political interest.

A girl stands next to alpacas Juliette (left) and Romeo, groomed for summer season, inside an open-air enclosure at the Royev Ruchey Zoo in the suburb of Krasnoyarsk, Siberia, Russia (Reuters/Ilya Naymushin)

GuySuCo never fails to issue clumsy responses Dear Editor, I refer to GuySuCo’s letter of June 3, 2017, captioned “GuySuCo’s detractor is being outright irresponsible and reckless”. This letter is a response to my letter published on May 31.

Editor, the corporation’s communication unit never fails to present clumsy responses or rebuttals, either knowingly or unknowingly. I shall address the core points raised in this last response to demonstrate how ignorance and incompetence pervades this organization from its apex down.

1. It is an undisputed fact that the Corporation deliberately packed bulk raw sugar from Albion for 2-3 weeks at Enmore. In a most uneducated and unintellectual defence, the Corporation attempts to justify its actions by stating that “all six factories have the capacity at any time to produce the varying qualities required”. This creates

an impression to the reader that Albion can produce direct consumption sugars.

If this is the truth, can Ms Thomas show proof whether GuySuCo’s own monitoring mechanisms, or national regulatory bodies -- such as Guyana National Bureau of Standards & Food & Drug Analyst Department -- approved Albion Estate to produce food grade sugars for direct consumption?

The Corporation then continues with its unadulterated nonsense by stating that “the difference between bagged and packaged sugar is further drying of the sugar to render it more conducive for packaging”.

Editor, the truth is that bagged and packaged sugar is a product intended for retail sale, thus it must be fit for direct human consumption, and must therefore meet all quality stipulations, not just degree of dryness (by “further drying”).

Interestingly, after my letter was published on May 31st, the movement of Albion’s sugar to Enmore was halted on June 1st.

What a coincidence!

2. I have zero cause or reason to attack GuySuCo, because its management is in accelerated self-destruction mode, as can be seen from its very own utterances, actions & inactions. I am just highlighting some facts on the Corporation, for which management should be thankful, instead of labelling me a detractor.

3.It is not my responsibility to advise the GAWU on its relationship with GuySuCo. From the Corporation’s lamentation, it seems like workers have greater commitment, faith and trust in the GAWU, than in their employer, GuySuCo. It may be good to do some self-introspection to find out why workers are less committed, or have lost faith and trust in GuySuCo.

4.Taking on “Project GuySuCo”. The IMC and management should not even attempt for a fleeting moment to suggest that they are doing this nation a favour, because they are a very well paid bunch with my tax dollars. For example, the IMC alone cost the treasury G$90+ million/yr.

Anyone with such pay packet must be passionate and enthusiastic. Wouldn’t you, Ms Thomas?

5. SWOT Analysis.

From this admission, it appears that GuySuCo’s IMC & executives discovered, for the first time, the simple framework for analysing an organization via SWOT analysis. Packing of bulk sugar for direct consumption is probably a highly strategic decision in GuySuCo’s psyche. We should light a candle for sugar workers and consumers!

Sincerely, Sookram Persaud

IAC urges President to reconsider GECOM Chairman nominees Dear Editor, The Indian Action Committee (IAC) is bewildered and disappointed by the President of Guyana, David Granger’s rejection of the second list of nominees for the position of Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) as submitted by Leader of the

Opposition, Bharrat Jagdeo.

The IAC participated in the civil society consultation convened by the Leader of the Opposition office and found that like the first list of nominees, the second list represented Guyanese who were in according to the Constitution “fit and proper” to hold that key position.

The IAC urges the President in his planned meeting with the Leader of the Opposition to reconsider his stance and act in accordance with the Constitution and the Carter Formula in naming a Chairman of GECOM. For the President to act unilaterally and in violation

of the relevant constitutional provision will do severe harm to social stability and social cohesion as it would put our democratic and electoral systems in grave danger.

Sincerely, Indian Action Committee

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News Sinister plot afoot to silence Opposition MP

…matter only arising at special times to intimidate, harass – Edghill

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here is a deliberate attempt to challenge Bishop (Juan) Edghill’s credibility by using this mechanism of a politically controlled committee to get an outcome, because the committee will eventually vote on if you are culpable.”

The disclosure of the sinister plot afoot was made by Bishop Edghill on Monday minutes after being informed by the Clerk of the National Assembly that the meeting of the Committee of Privileges before which he was summoned a week prior, had been cancelled with no explanations proffered.

The summons was issued on the heels of Edghill’s damaging exposé in recent weeks of massive corruption and deliberate avoidance of the Procurement Act and its accompanying processes involving billions of taxpayers’ dollars spent by

the Administration unlawfully in the health sector, as well as blatant violations of the Fiscal Management and Accountability Act in respect to spending by the Ministry of the Presidency and the Office of the Prime Minister.

In an invited comment following the close of Monday’s meeting of the Public Accounts Committee, Edghill said: “This matter only seems to be arising at special times with a view of intimidating and harassing.”

According to Edghill, “I feel harassed; I feel like I am not being given an adequate opportunity to clear my name as it relates to this matter.”

The People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Member of Parliament (MP) was hauled before the Committee of Privileges after suggesting that the increases in

PPP/C MP Juan Edghill

salaries for members of the Executive would take a toll on the treasury to the tune of $1 billion annually.

The Committee last met on November 25 when Edghill presented his arguments in defence of his po-

sition.

He told media operatives at the very minimum, an explanation could have been provided as to why the meeting was cancelled and queried, “are we only going to have meetings of the Committee when all Government members can be present…if some members could not be present, then there is an intention already determined.”

He suggested that the Government side of the Committee wanted to ensure and keep command of its voting strength in that forum.

“There is an intention to ensure an outcome and [it] must be determined by the vote and that is what is very concerning to me,” Edghill said.

He noted that if it was a case of providing answers for clarity as was indicated in

Full disclosure of contract Dear Editor, Guyanese ought to know that the APNU/PNC/AFC Government stifled democracy when it signed a contract with EXXONMobil but refused to disclose its details.

Such abuse of power enables Government to evade accountability. What else?

Like most Guyanese, I am befuddled why this contract is not available through the Freedom of Information Act. Government’s dysfunctional decision is unsurprising. A review of a series of questions arising exclusively from Government’s reprehensible track record reveals why it is necessary that Government must disclose the full details of this contract. First, how can any Guyanese trust this Government when it abused over $3 billion from the Contingency Fund? Second, how can any Guyanese trust this Government when it purchased a whopping $1.6 billion in pharmaceutical supplies in 2016 without tender? Third, how can any Guyanese trust this Government when it purchased from ANSA McAL another $605 million in drugs without tender? Fourth, how can any Guyanese trust this Government when it awarded hush-hush scholarships ex-

clusively to its ministers and to its military friends, while our youths live in despair?

Fifth, how can any Guyanese trust this Government when it uses scarce dollars from a 14% VAT on education to rent a useless bottom house drug bond from an alleged political donor for at least 12.5 million per month? Sixth, how can any Guyanese trust this Government when its vindictive minister was caught pelting bottles at citizens to cause injury in an ugly street brawl? Seventh, how can any Guyanese trust this Government when it abuses its powers to silence citizens? Last but not least, how can any Guyanese trust this Government when it selfishly awarded itself a whopping 50% salary increase, but gave the working poor a meagre increase of only 5%?

Government needs to release the full details of this contract amid its moral shortcomings and mental anguish in this country.

Another review of Government’s notorious track record makes a compelling case why Government needs to disclose the oil contract in its entirety. Editor, how can any Guyanese trust this Government when its hiring practices are discrim-

inatory?

Yet another review of Government’s diabolical track record reveals that Government is two-faced and has an affinity for double-standards. We all know that when Government was the Opposition, it vigorously and compulsively fought against lack of transparency and authoritarianism, etc. Today, Government revels in such flaws. For example, Government’s failure to disclose the full details of the ExxonMobil contract is a clear

case of a lack of transparency.

Also, Government’s repeated rejection of qualified candidates for the GECOM chairmanship is a clear demonstration that Government has no regard for democracy.

Clearly, Government’s lack of consistency, credibility and unethical standing render it untrustworthy. Further, social cohesion can never flourish under this Government because Government lacks transparency, accountability and integrity.

the summons then a simple quorum would have sufficed.

“Even if someone is absent, the verbatim records can be made available….if like the summons say was to answer questions, then three members form a quorum…I have been to committee in absence of Opposition members….I am prepared to go to committee once there is a quorum.”

Asked about possible sanctions that could be instituted against him by the Committee, Edghill said he was unsure as to what was planned, but was adamant that he could not be prevented from speaking in the National Assembly.

“I sit in the National Assembly not at the pleasure of the Speaker or Government.”

He told media operatives that as an elected member, the only way he could “be re-

moved is through the electorate…. I can tell you definitely the Chief Justice has ruled that nobody can stop a Member of Parliament from speaking because the right to speak is on behalf of the people who elected you there.” He was making reference to the attempted gagging of then Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee – litigation that was thrown out by then acting Chief Justice Ian Chang.

The former Junior Finance Minister declared, however, “what I am concerned about is you have a Committee here is 5/4 [four Opposition members to five Government members] and the Speaker is the Chairman.”

Edghill said he was wary of whatever instructions that would have been handed down to the Government members.

This contract belongs to every Guyanese, not Government.

Government must release it in its entirety.

Moreover, Government needs to drop its absurdity.

ExxonMobil will never drill in disputed waters, that is not how Exxon Mobil operates.

Government’s contention that if this contract is made public it will cause disputes is simply a deceitful ploy to evade accountability. Government’s behaviour is powered by dysfunction. The citizens of this country will not buy any fiction from Mr Trotman. Guyanese

cannot afford to swallow any more lies from this government. Government needs to release the full details of this contract.

Editor, how can there be any incentives to keep such a dysfunctional Government in power? Absolutely, there are none. But countless incentives abound when power is stripped away from such a destructive Government. And this we need to do for the betterment of our country and its people.

Yours sincerely, Annie Baliram

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Foundation

– if eating on the go or on the couch is more normal than not, here’s how to reboot and gather your family around the dinner table again

By Brooke Griffin

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ave you ever stopped to think about how much “family time” you get on a weekly basis?

I’m not talking about watching baseball practice or hosting a sleepover for your daughter. I mean hanging out with just the family – no friends tagging along or focusing on extracurricular activities. For many of us, quality time together is minimal because we’re busy.

Although many of us regret not setting aside time to spend with our loved ones, a world of convenience and instant everything pushes us along at such a fast pace. As a result, we become sleep-deprived overachievers and overeaters.

Research shows that families who eat together benefit in more ways than one.

Sitting down to share meals boosts communication and strengthens relationships. Kids who regularly enjoy family meals around the table statistically perform better in school and tend to make better choices, even under peer pressure, about alcohol, drugs, sex, etc. They also tend to learn better

nutrition habits that transition into their teen years and adulthood.

But there’s one problem. If you’ve been eating on the go or on the couch for months –maybe even years – you may wonder how will you ever get the rest of the gang back on board. Here are five ways to get the whole family around the dinner table again:

structure, and knowing that it’s “Taco Tuesday” provides them with security and excitement.

Assign roles

Everyone has a place in the kitchen. Whether it’s setting the table or loading the dishwasher, everyone – from toddler to teen – can do something. Turn setup and cleanup into time spent together.

Plan ahead

You can’t get away from supper. Grumbling tummies must be fed.

Try to pick recipes that say they will take around 30 minutes to prepare. And don’t forget to use your crockpot or slow-cooker.

While the recipes will take longer to cook, they can be prepped in around 30 minutes and will be hot and ready the second you walk in the door after a long day.

Give them a choice

Let family members take turns choosing what’s for supper. Allowing them to feel some control and responsibility adds to their enthusiasm and desire to take part.

Create theme days

Believe it or not, kids really do love

Keep it upbeat

Background music, fun conversation, and verbal games, like “I spy,” all add to the ambiance and mood of family dinner time. This is not the time for scolding about bad grades or messy rooms. Designate a separate time to address those issues. (Parenting.com)

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s you push your cart through the store you hear a wail from the next aisle. The cry starts low and rises sharply, followed by, “I need it! But I NEED IT!!!”

You turn into the aisle and see a mom trying to get her six-year-old to stop shouting. His cries are getting louder and louder.

This is turning into a fullfledged tantrum.

As a bystander, many of us feel sympathy for parents in these situations. We know how hard it is; we silently wish them luck and good vibes as we navigate around the tantrum. You might hear someone muttering, “Get that child under control,” or “I would never allow my child to act that way!” or something else that is equally unhelpful to the situation.

As a parent, how do you respond when your child

accordingly.

acts out in public?

down. Try saying, “I can hear you are really upset, but yelling at me is not going to help. Try taking some deep breaths.”Don’t give their acting-out behaviour any more attention and make your way to the exit. If you can come back for the items later, that’s great! Otherwise, head towards the checkout line and get back home as soon as you can. Sometimes you can’t leave the store and you might need to sit and wait out the meltdown. You can model calm behaviour and direct them towards the exit when they see that their meltdown is not going to change your rules.

Meltdowns and tantrums are signs of poor problem-solving skills.

Some of this is to be expected and will get better as your child grows and learns how to regulate their emotions. (Excerpt from empoweringparents.com)

Know your child’s limits

Having a meltdown doesn’t always mean that a child is deliberately being naughty. Toddlers are still developing their ability to control their emotions. When they get overstimulated or tired, tantrums and meltdowns are common. Even older children can have trouble controlling their emotions — especially when they are overtired or hungry. You know your child best. How much are they able to handle? A quick run to the grocery store is different than an afternoon at the mall. Shopping earlier in the day might go better than a trip right before dinner time. Can you get some of your errands done without bringing your child? As much as you can, recognize your child’s limits and plan

When the tantrum is happening

Take a deep breath and acknowledge that this is very hard. Parents feel pressure to make the tantrum stop immediately and when that doesn’t work, they often feel embarrassed and out-of-control. The main thing to remember is that tantrums and acting-out behaviour should not result in a child getting their way. You don’t want your child to start bullying you into getting what they want with the threat of embarrassing you with bad behaviour. As hard as it is, do your best to stay calm and firm with your limits.

Try to ignore everyone else around you and focus on what your child needs from you right now. If your child is really upset, you might need to give them some direction to help them calm

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tuesDAY, june 6, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Lowenfield defends paying “Grey Boy” freed again $6000+ for single pliers of Crum-Ewing murder ..as GECOM ‘contract splitting racket’ gets exposed at PAC

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racket uncovered by the Auditor General in 2015 attracted the attention of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the Parliament on Monday, but legislators were left with unanswered questions because Chief Elections Officer of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM), Keith Lowenfield, has opted to await findings of a special investigation before making any further pronouncements.

The Auditor General had, in 2015, found that nine contracts to the tune $82.1M had been awarded to a single supplier for the purchase of toners and cartridges. Each of these contracts was found to have been split to below $15M in order to avoid Cabinet scrutiny.

The Public Accounts Committee heard that, on a particular day in February 2015, four contracts were inked for the supply of the same materials -- toner cartridges, stationery and ink -- which Lowenfield had attempted to explain were needed to run off the 2015 General Elections.

PAC Chairman Irfaan Ali took umbrage at this position, saying Lowenfield’s excuse was implausible because the contracts were issued in February for elections that were to be held in May, and several contracts had been inked at least 10 days after those elections.

Illegal

Ali told Lowenfield the Auditor General’s position in regard to the contracts: “It is clear there was an intentional split to escape the level of scrutiny by Cabinet…”

He then asked Lowenfield: “What is the explanation to go nine times to the same contractor? Do you see what is wrong here?”

The Chief Elections Officer told the Committee that permission had, in this respect, been sought from the National Procurement

tracts and review by Cabinet.”

He said, “At the time of reporting, in September 2016, the Audit Office was conducting further investigations into this matter.”

Lowenfield yesterday reminded the PAC of that investigation, and said GECOM is awaiting the findings of that special investigation being done by the Auditor General’s Office.

$6000 pliers

GECOM CEO Keith Lowenfield

and Tender Administration Board.

According to the Auditor General’s findings, GECOM had, in 2015, spent $197.9M for office materials and supplies. Included in this sum were amounts totalling $82.2M and representing full payment on nine contracts awarded to the same supplier for the purchase of toners and cartridges.

Investigations into the transactions are ongoing.

According to the Auditor General, the Procurement Act dictates that Cabinet shall have the right to review all procurements that exceed $15 million in value. A procuring entity, such as GECOM, shall not split a contract or cause a contract to be split -- or divide a contract or cause its procurement to be divided into separate contracts -- with the sole purpose of avoiding the application of any provision of the Act, or any regulations made therein.

The contracts at issue were awarded to the same local supplier between February and May of 2015.

The contract with the highest value was worth $14.8 million, and that with the lowest value was worth $1.9 million.

According to the Auditor General, “The contract awards appeared to (have been) sub-divided, which breached the Procurement Act regarding splitting of con-

Lowenfield was also asked to explain why GECOM had decided to pay the astronomical price of $6,000 for a pair of pliers, when pliers are available locally at incomparably cheaper prices.

In late April 2015, three weeks prior to the May 11th General and Regional Elections, GECOM had doled out $14.8M to purchase pliers from Standard Distributors Limited. Defending the purchase, Lowenfield pointed to the bids received when the entity went to tender.

An audit is currently underway to probe a major contract entered into with Michael Brasse for the purchase of $100M worth of high frequency communications radio sets for the May 11 elections. From all indications, the sets were never used, and there are questions about the urgent reasons advanced by GECOM for those radios to be purchased in the first place.

No charges

Another query raised by the Auditor General and advanced by the Public Accounts Committee on Monday was the manner in which the money allocated to GECOM was being used. It was found that $235M had been allocated to GECOM, of which $220M were to have been used for administrative expenses.

The explanation advanced was that Cabinet had given permission for money allocated for one purpose to be used for another.

Turn to page 11

R

egan “Grey Boy” Rodrigues was on Monday morning set free for the second time for the murder of Courtney Crum-Ewing when he appeared before Magistrate Judy Latchman at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

Rodrigues broke down in tears in the packed courtroom after hearing the verdict given by the Magistrate who gave him his freedom on the indictable charge brought against him.

He was charged for the killing of Courtney CrumEwing, who was slain on March 10, 2015 at Diamond, East Bank Demerara.

Upon commencement of the morning’s proceedings, the accused stated on numerous occasions that he was “leaving everything up to God”. He added that the justice system was not fair and as such, “whatever happens, happen”.

When prompted, he made unsworn statements to Magistrate Latchman after which she adjourned the court for 25 minutes to deliberate on the evidence at her disposal.

In making her ruling, the Magistrate considered all of the facts presented to her.

She highlighted evidence given by the Crime

Accused: Regan “Grey Boy” Rodrigues

Scene Analyst, Delicia Brown, whose submission to the court revealed that the .32 pistol and five .32 bullets found at the accused’s home was indeed the said gun used in the execution of Crum-Ewing.

However, she stated that no actual evidence was presented to the court to prove that Rodrigues pulled the trigger, thus committing the heinous act, even though 14 witness statements alleged such.

She also noted that the oral statements given by Rodrigues during the course of the investigation did not implicate him in the killing.

As such, the Magistrate told the court that the accused has no case to answer to, as the evidence that the tribunal might request was not available. Magistrate Latchman then told the accused that he was free to go.

Upon hearing the decision, Rodrigues burst into tears and as he was being led back into the lock-ups, he screamed, “Freedom!

Freedom!”

Crum-Ewing was gunned down as he was at the time urging residents of Diamond to cast their ballots in the May 2015 elections.

Months after, Rodrigues was arrested and charged with the murder but was freed in September of 2016.

However, in April of 2017, he was rearrested after the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) ordered that the case be reopened.

According to the DPP, “The sole purpose of this remit is to take further evidence from Police witnesses and to rule on the voluntariness of all oral statements of the accused.”

He was at the time on bail after appealing a threeyear sentence for escaping from Police custody.

Police, however, rearrested him in Middle Road, La Penitence, Georgetown.

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tuesDAY, june 6, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

IN THE COURTS

Missing wood allegedly leads Shooting to attack on employee Guyana’s foot…

L G egal proceedings have been initiated against the Production Manager of Cummings Wood Products, Joshua Cummings after he allegedly lured an employee to the environs of the Linden- Soesdyke Highway, where the work was reportedly beaten by a gang over some missing wood.

Represented by Attorney-at-Law Jerome Khan, the 21-year-old former student of Queen’s College was arraigned before Magistrate Clive Nurse at the Wales Magistrate’s Court, where he denied allegations to the effect that on May 22, 2017, he assaulted Virtual Complainant (VC) Dwaine Wilkinson, occasioning actual bodily harm.

Reports are the VC, who is employed as a truck driver at the said company, and his boss had embarked on a journey on the Linden-Soesdyke Highway to purchase an engine for a Caterpillar machine when he was attacked by several men with pieces of wood.

According to Wilkinson’s version of the events, he thought that they were both being attacked until his boss confronted him unharmed and demand-

Joshua Cummings

ed to know what happened to the missing lumber. The injured man was reportedly dropped off at the residence of an acquaintance and was told that if anyone enquired, he should say he was attacked by some men to whom he is indebted.

Conversely, the defence counsel for Cummings related the defendant’s version of events, which was in total contradiction to the VC’s version. Attorney Khan bashed the “fabricated allegations” attesting that the claims stem from a failed attempt to rob Cummings, as the initial plan “backfired”.

The lawyer related that Wilkinson had told his client that he knew someone

on the highway, who was willing to sell them an engine for their equipment.

The truck driver then suggested that they take the drive on the afternoon of May 22 to consult with the potential seller, to which his boss wholeheartedly agreed.

Khan continued that the VC had instructed his client to pick him up at the company’s branch in Yarakabra, and Cummings complied.

The defendant was reportedly further instructed to divert off the main road onto an unfamiliar trail when Wilkinson suggested that they abandon the vehicle to “look” for the buyer.

At this point, a suspicious Cummings objected and opted to remain in his vehicle which contained large sums of cash among other valuables, as Wilkinson disappeared along the deserted trail for several minutes.

Following the VC’s failure to return after 10 minutes, Cummings became more suspicious, the Attorney reported, as attempts to call him on his cellular phone proved futile, since the area was outside of signal reach. The defendant then decided to drive out back to the public road; he contacted his father as soon as he had signal cover-

age and relayed what happened to him. The senior Cummings ordered that his son abort the journey for his own safety after suspecting that something was amiss.

By the time the young man returned home, it was dark and it was only until the next morning upon receiving a call from the Police that he became aware that Wilkinson was battered in relation to wood being missing at his lumber yard, according to the allegations put to him by officials.

Khan related that his client cooperated at all times with Police during the course of the investigation, providing a full statement under caution in which he denied any knowledge of the occurrence.

Based on reports reaching this publication, the VC furthermore tried to fabricate evidence by rounding up persons to testify in his favour which only came to light recently when they (the alleged witnesses), during a confrontation with Police, revealed that they were coerced to give false statements in court.

Cummings was granted bail in the sum of $30,000 and the matter was transferred to the Linden Magistrate’s Court to be heard on July 4.

Triangular love affair almost lands one in prison

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riday’s session at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts took an interesting turn when a transgender person initiated charges against her reputed lover, reportedly in a jealous rage over

a triangular love affair.

Calvin Elbridge appeared before the court of Magistrate Leron Daly, who read that the defendant on May 7, 2017, at Croal Street, Georgetown robbed Virtual Complainant (VC) Akeem Hodge of one handbag and $64,000 in cash, a total value of $71,800.

Attorney-at-Law Paul Fung-A-Fat related that the parties share a relationship and had encountered a stumbling block, which saw the couple “fighting over each other”, consequently leading to a robbery report being filed

by Hodge.

The lawyer had initially disclosed that the VC did not wish to offer evidence against his client, but Hodge mentioned nothing to this effect when she faced the Magistrate.

Elbridge denied the charge and was released on $40,000 bail pending trial, which is set to continue on June 13.

…with rice

uyanese were, last week, informed by the head of the RPA in Berbice that less rice was planted this crop, because farmers were losing their shirts over the prices they were getting for paddy. That’s not surprising…and in fact the question that occupied your Eyewitness’s mind was why they’d kept planting at the old rate for so long. After the PNC-led APNU/AFC government let the lucrative Venezuelan market of US$780/tonne slip away when they slipped into office in 2015, what was left for them??

A world market price of around US$450/tonne…that’s what! And with the prices of all the inputs -- pesticides, fertilisers, harvesting, ploughing and husbandry, and diesel remaining unmoved -- farmers were now caught between a rock and a hard place.

The banks were the first to feel the squeeze, since the farmers just couldn’t service the loans they routinely take to tide them over from crop to crop. Loan defaults cascaded like a breeze blowing through ripe paddy fields.

Bad loans had to be written off, and their bottom line turned red!

But since most farmers operate at a subsistence level, they had nowhere to turn; and for the last three crops, they’ve been holding their breaths, hoping that the market PM Nagamootoo promised them in Mexico would materialise. But like all of us, they had to exhale sometime…which seems like now. They realise Nagamootoo’s promise of $9000/bag of paddy and the Mexican Market were all part of his usual mamaguy!

Nagamootoo now says he never promised $9000/bag paddy, and this is a “free market,” wherein supply and demand dictate prices. Fair enough. But that’s why your Eyewitness was flummoxed to read over the weekend that the only promise Government was keeping after the closure of Wales sugar estate was to put hundreds of acres into rice!! That’s right -- rice farmers, who take meticulous care of their fields to ensure average yields of 40 bags/acre, can’t survive at present prices, but Government has decided to plunge into increased rice production!!

Aren’t they going to depress prices further?? Are they trying to destroy the rice industry, just as they did with sugar?? Why else would they now compete with private rice farmers?? If anything, one would’ve thought this Government might have learnt a lesson with sugar…

Centralised production just isn’t the way to go. Are they planning to repeat the PNC’s massive investment in silos, mills and all the other infrastructure necessary for rice?

Or will they purchase the ones they sold off to Alesie for a song a while back? THAT private investor abandoned rice!

But then, profits were never the raison d’etre for PNC’s policies in agri, right??

…on the environment

Donald Trump just doesn’t get it, does he? Leaders are supposed to lead, aren’t they? But all he’s concerned about is to feed his ego off the anxiety of his supporters in the sticks - who’ll blame anybody but themselves for their problems. Take the damage to the environment through excessive carbon emission. Even though companies like Exxon tried to duck the data, a government’s not like a private company -- always trying to maximise shareholders’ value in the next quarterly report.

A govt has to look at the longer term. It’s not just Guyana that’ll be under water if global warming isn’t checked; so will Florida and huge swathes of NY including Wall Street. But Trump panders to his “flatearthers” to abandon the Paris commitments made by the Obama Administration because he’s expecting others to carry the US’ load.

Maybe they will. But countries like China and India will also steal the US’ thunder and get a headstart on the “next big thing”.

Alternative energy sources…not alternative facts!!

…at GWI

Some are wondering why Mayor Patricia Chase-Green was made Chair of GWI. Well, with the parking meters in limbo for a while, new sources of income have to be mined to placate the meter-funders from Colombia.

Their collection methods are a tad extreme!!

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

news

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tuesDAY, june 6, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Speaker rejects request for public input on fate of sugar

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he Parliamentary Committee on Economic Services has been denied the approval of the Speaker of the National Assembly to conduct public forums on the future of the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) and the sugar industry, following the announcement by Government to downsize it.

In a letter dated June 5 and addressed to Clerk of Committees, Letta Barker, House Speaker, Dr Barton Scotland said that a public forum did not seem appropriate for the Committee to undertake.

“I, therefore, disallow the request and withhold my consent for the Parliamentary Committee on Economic Services to conduct public forums under the cover of the National Assembly,” the letter stated.

The Committee had requested since May 31, 2016 to conduct these public forums in Regions Three, Four, Five and Six on specific dates starting from June 7 to June 31, 2017.

The request was made under Standing Order (95) 8 and the purpose of the public forums was to receive the views of the

Speaker of the National Assembly, Dr Barton Scotland

various stakeholders in the respective communities and prepare a report to be submitted to the National Assembly.

Commenting on the issue, People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) Member of Parliament (MP) Komal Chand told Guyana Times that it was a majority decision by the Committee to have these public forums to get an understanding of what people within the industry feels about the decision to down-

size.

Chand, who happens to also be the President of the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU), said that in the past, these requests were never denied, adding that he was not clear on what authority the Speaker has exercised.

“I don’t know why the Speaker is now standing in the way to have these forums which is so important for members of the Committee to ascertain the real issues and how it is affecting people,” he said. The Opposition MP said too that members of that same Committee have been meeting with the management and staff of GuySuCo, who did a presentation. The next meeting, according to him, is scheduled for June 29, when the team will appear before the Committee.

Following the announcement by Government to close more sugar estates and reduce the annual production of sugar with an overall plan to gradually downsize the industry, there has been much debate about the need for the white paper on sugar to be debated in the National Assembly. TURN TO PAGE 12

Oil revenue

Guyana’s royalties percentage “low” – Ram

Chartered Accountant Christopher Ram

By Samuel Sukhnandan

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lthough it was recently announced that Guyana will now receive a two per cent royalty on gross earnings and 50 per cent of the profits of the oil proceeds when production starts in 2020, Chartered Accountant and Attorney Christopher Ram says that this percentage is relatively low when compared to royalties received by oil-producing countries in the world.

However, Ram stressed that one needed to bear in mind that some countries do not receive any royalty at all.

“Royalties in other countries do seem much higher, but then you have to look at the overall Government share of profits…It’s a complex issue.

But again, the royalty percentage is low,” he said.

While explaining that he may not be able to make a sufficiently balanced comment especially since there is limited information available to

the general public, the chartered accountant expressed hope that Government would, at some point, be able to renegotiate the contract so that Guyana received a better deal.

“You have to see the entire contract to see the arrangements for the Government’s share and the company’s share. There is also the question that you have to honour contracts,” he added.

Asked whether he is pleased with the consultation process being implemented by the Government, Ram said he hoped that it became widespread and more comprehensive.

“I would like to see more myself. And I would like to see wider consultation as well.

You also want to see more informed consultation. You just don’t want somebody to come and make a long speech and at the end, you have a question or two to ask,” he emphasised.

Commenting on the same issue, well-known economist and former presidential advisor, Ramon Gaskin says the fact that the contract has not been publicly released will cause Guyanese to ask many questions and could possibly lead to much speculation.

Nevertheless, Gaskin said Government must now say whether the profit share is inclusive of the royalty, and whether production would actually begin in 2020.

Gaskin argued too that the two per cent royalty that was recently announced by Government was far below what other countries were getting. He said in some cas-

es, countries in Africa were receiving between 10 and 12 per cent royalties.

He also highlighted the fact that ExxonMobil still did not have a production licence but an exploration licence, but oddly enough they have a production-sharing agreement.

For many countries, royalty rates for oil production vary, but the lowest of them all is between five and seven per cent, which includes to some extent equal profits of the oil proceeds.

For example, in Malaysia, royalty rates are paid on petroleum production set in agreements between the oil company and the federal Government and each of the 13 state governments.

These currently provide for five per cent of the value of the petroleum obtained to be paid to the state in which the oil is found, and five per cent to be paid to the federal Government.

In Mexico, when the price

Economist and former presidential advisor Ramon Gaskin

of oil is lower than US$48 per barrel, a royalty rate of 7.5 per cent is applicable; when the price of oil is equal to or higher than US$48 per barrel, the royalty rate is determined

according to a set formulae agreed on by both parties.

Extraction from the offshore Liza field locally is expected to commence in 2020 at an initial rate of 100,000

barrels of crude per day in the first phase.

The offshore discovery in Guyana has around two billion barrels of high-quality oil.

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tuesDAY, june 6, 2017

News

Advance from ExxonMobil, a risky business – Jordan …says Guyana lacks capacity to manage influx of money

W

ith the unpredictability of the global oil market and a standstill in Government spending here in Guyana, Finance Minister Winston Jordan has opined that taking an advance in oil revenue from US oil giant ExxonMobil to stimulate the economy would be nothing less than risky business.

Even as the country grapples to improve its economy, a revenue advance from the oil and gas company at this time, in order to fuel growth could do more harm than good for Guyana.

The Texas US-based company is awaiting its production licence, which Government is in the process of finalising. And while the economic prospects are bright for both parties, taking money upfront will not be a good idea.

Jordan on Monday said there really was not an issue with the availability of funds in Guyana, but the actual spending of those funds.

“There is no sense going and take advance on po-

Finance Minister Winston Jordan

tential revenue that will be had post 2020, because you will not be able to spend it in the open and transparent manner in which it should be done. So to me that is not an issue right now, beyond the fact that you have to weigh carefully taking advances on potential,” he told journalists.

Jordan said there was always a risk in such moves, citing a similar case in Ghana, where that approach had been taken and backfired. That country, he

said, found itself in deep debt after.

“You have a lot of things; you know the oil market is a very volatile market and you might predict that you will have a certain amount today and the revenue you will get is so much revenue.

But you don’t control those prices; you are too small, you are not a player,” he noted.

Jordan said it would be a severe risk the country would be taking and it could be saddled with debts overnight that it could not pay and eventually it would be declared bankrupt. He said too that Guyana lacked the human capacity to accommodate this new influx of money. In this regard, he reiterated that oil could be a curse.

“We have a system that is not geared, that does not have the human capacity and if we have all this money coming in then you can expect a collapse. We have to fix the system now.”

Asked how Government plans to do this, the Finance Minister said it would be focusing on the human resources.

“The focus should be on key ministries now where this spending is really a block. We will try to bring in and reallocate personnel to concentrate on areas where you are not getting much movement.” He said Government must continue to work on fixing the system.

Exxon and its partners, Hess Corp and CNOOC Nexen, made the first significant oil find back in 2015 after drilling the Liza Field in the Stabroek Block located about 120 miles offshore Guyana.

The oil company is currently in the developing phases of the Liza field, with oil production projected for 2020. By that time, the oil company is expected to invest some US$5 billion.

GTT increases speed at no extra cost for business customers

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TT on Saturday announced that it was increasing broadband Internet access speeds to its business customers for the same price currently paid.

In some cases, customers will enjoy up to three times their actual speed. The increase in speed is subject to a customer-by-customer analysis, where physical plant upgrades may be required.

GTT continues to make substantial investments in

its subsea cable network, the core Internet network in Guyana, along with improvements in its access network to businesses and residents.

The present upgrade for business customers is another benefit from these investments. The telecommunications company, in a release, stated that in addition to providing the highest quality and most affordable broadband service in Guyana, it provided the best mobile plans and devices for businesses.

The telephone giant is urging the public to contact local representatives on 2267777 or business@gtt.co.gy to discuss a GTT communications package that will enable you to “do more”.

The Origins of Indian land ownership in British Guiana (Part 2)

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ast week I laid down the foundation upon which Indian indenture changed from cyclical to settlement. This policy and process inadvertently led to Indians owning land in British Guiana. I would like to reiterate that Indians did not arrive in British Guiana with the intention of staying and eventually owning land. Nor did they, during and after settlement, stand up in the colonial courts arguing for land. Actually, many abandoned the land they received because of its poor quality. What is certain is that Indians were not altogether innocent in the inducement land policy programme; because many had not owned land before arriving in British Guiana, and the prospect of owning land in a foreign country and forfeiting their return passage was not a federal case to them. I would like to say, however, that in my reading and research so far, I have not come across any Dr Lomarsh Roopnarine information that Indian land settlement schemes overlapped in Amerindian or African areas of land ownership, and vice versa.

The pivotal question here is: Out of the 239,000 or so Indians who served indenture from 1838 to 1917, how many of them received land? We can immediately rule out the 75,000 that served indenture and returned to India, which leaves us with 165,000 that stayed in British Guiana. Now, this is where many are confused. 239,000 served indenture, but that does not mean that at any given time the Indian population was 239,000 in British Guiana. That is the total figure that served indenture for about 80 years. Similarly, the 165,000 that stayed in British Guiana was over the period of about 80 years. The indenture system was cyclical, meaning that there were those arriving and leaving; with the latter being so lower in numbers that, by 1900, the Indian population was about 100,000; and when indenture was abolished in 1920, the Indian population was about 120,000.

To remind readers, the exchanging of return passages for land grants in British Guiana began in 1880, stalled in 1882, revived in 1897, and ceased in 1903; which means that Indians were given land in seven sporadic years. Two clarifications are warranted immediately. First, the uneven time distribution of land reveals the difficulty in having Indian settle on land offered mainly because it was bad and barren, coupled with Indian inexperience of owning and utilizing land effectively, at least initially; and second, the poor administrative distribution of land made it difficult to grant land to thousands of Indians. Besides, the mere idea of granting land was not to compete with the sugar industry.

Put differently, there were restrictions.

Indians did receive land, but an analysis of the status of Indians is needed with regard to land ownership. At any time during indenture, there were those who were not interested in land ownership, but wanted to return home, sometimes paying their own passage. There were those who were still under indenture, and therefore did not earn and save enough to own land, or did not finish their terms of indenture to qualify to own land. There were those who accepted land, but abandoned it.

There were those who were eager to exchange their return passage (until 1903) for land. There were those who bought land on their own initiative. My point here is that landownership was not as straight-forward as some continue to think and peddle in Guyana.

To add to the complexity of the situation, some Indians chose to remain in the bound yard because they were afraid to go on their own, even with the option of owning land. They were trapped in the marginal section of plantation dependency.

Conversely, some Indians bought, leased or rented land from the colonial government, and were re-selling, re-leasing and rerenting them to other Indians, revealing a sort of internal petty capitalism with regard to Indian land ownership.

Drawing upon various studies, including that of Keith Laurence, Walton Look Lai and myself, up to 1882, some 49 residential lots and 69 cultivation lots were granted to Indians in British Guiana. Between 1897 and 1903, the period when more details are available, 2,711 Indians received allotments: 1,206 on Helena, 574 on Whim, 755 on Bush Lot, and 176 on Maria’s Pleasure settlements. The allotments were about 5 to 10 acres, which means that between 1882 and 1903, about 28,229 acres of land were given to Indians. What has also to be taken into consideration is that, in the process of receiving land, Indians gave up an estimated $135,550 of their return passage.

The figure of 28,229 acres of land can be misleading. Guyana is 83,000 square miles. Moreover, not all the lands granted to Indians were used, and actually some land was abandoned because it was infertile and lacked adequate drainage. For this reason, the amount of land granted was reduced from 10 to 5 acres, so that the new owners could manage them. Also, out of an Indian population of 90,000 during the period when land was granted, only 2,711 of them received land, which is about 0.0003012 percent. What seems to be the contention is that Indians were given land, but Africans -- who were in British Guiana before Indians arrived -- received nothing. This is an issue that deserves a separate column. (lomarsh.roopnarine@jsums. edu)

tuesDAY, june 6, 2017

guyanatimesgy.com

News

Kaieteur National Park protection policies should be revisited – APA

T

he boundaries of the protected Kaieteur National Park must be clearly marked and the policies, governing the area, reviewed to ensure the human rights of the Indigenous peoples are protected, the Amerindian Peoples Association (APA) said.

Governance and Rights Coordinator at the APA, Laura George, said that while Guyana has been on the forefront of fighting climate change, it should also be aware of the human rights factor.

“The UN Special Repertoire on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples have come out in a very clear report that all conservation programmes must institute or use a human rights-based approach. The Kaieteur National Park, as we are aware, is the territory of the Patamona people and the decisions to have these lands to be declared as protected areas, with extensions…have clearly violated the Indigenous peoples’ rights or the Patamona people. So we would like to call for a revisit of these policies so the Indigenous people who depend on these lands have their rights respected and they are not criminalised trying to make a living or trying to earn a livelihood,” George said.

APA’s Michael Mc Garrell

George’s call came after 21 persons from Chenapau Village, Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni) were arrested and charged for allegedly mining in the Kaieteur National Park. A charge they all vehemently denied, noting that they were all legally mining in the area and had documentation to prove it.

The charges were later dropped, in what President David Granger described as an act of kindness but that still did not douse the call by the miners to have the boundaries of the Park clearly marked.

The miners also chastised the Government; the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) and the Criminal Investigation

Department (CID) of the Guyana Police Force for the inhumane treatment meted out to them. The miners were forced to sit for almost 48 hours at the CID Headquarters, Eve Leary without being afforded a bath or proper food, which they note was a clear violation of their human rights.

Another APA representative, Michael Mc Garrell, said that the KNP Management Plans do not have any provision for the residents of Chenapau or Indigenous people in general. “I think one of the things that need to be highlighted is that the Chenapau people have not been really benefiting from the Kaieteur National Park and I think that there needs to be some serious discussions in terms of how we move forward. How do we move forward as a people, how do we move forward as a country in terms of how do we move forward in terms of we manage the Kaieteur National Park,” he said.

Mc Garrell explained that Kaieteur was traditionally a sacred place to the Patamona people with the word originating from their native language. “It is important for us to recognise these are our traditional lands and we should be allowed to continue our customary practices in those

APA Governance and Rights Coordinator Laura George

areas, we should not be hindered from passing through because it is our land,” he added.

The Kaieteur National Park is the oldest and most iconic Protected Area of Guyana and was established in 1929. It spans some 62,680 hectares and is especially renowned for the Kaieteur Falls dubbed one of the most powerful waterfalls in the world. The Kaieteur Falls are 226 metres high (five times higher than the Niagara Falls) – the longest single drop falls in the world and about 122 metres wide during the rainy season. The falls are one of the favourite Guyanese destinations for tourists, with about 3100 visitors annually.

West Dem Hospital suicide

Family alleges negligence T

he family of the man who leaped to his death by jumping out of a window at the West Demerara Regional Hospital (WDRH) on Sunday evening has alleged negligence on the part of staff at the medical facility.

The sister of the now deceased 63-year-old Mortimer Sagon told Guyana Times on Monday that her brother was admitted to the hospital over a week ago to be treated for tuberculosis and haemorrhoids. She, however, said on several occasions, Sagon would complain of being neglected at the medical institution.

“He used to say how the pain from the pile [haemorrhoids] too much and it hurting bad and when he ask the nurse, she don’t give he no medication to ease the pain,” the woman alleged.

The dead man’s sister also noted that prior to this incident, her brother never exhibited suicidal tendencies, also claiming that he may have jumped to his death owing to frustration over “the pain” he was experiencing.

11

West Demerara Regional Hospital

The woman maintained that had the medical personnel at the Hospital paid more attention to her brother when he cried out in pain and requested pain medication, Sagon would still be alive. Sagon, a divorced father of one, reportedly worked mostly in the interior and had returned just over two months ago. He resided at Parika, East Bank Essequibo.

It was reported that about 19:00h on Sunday, Sagon jumped out of a window at the Hospital’s male ward. He fell on to a septic tank and died shortly after.

Police investigations into

the matter are continuing.

Meanwhile, the West Demerara Hospital only recently made headlines when it was left in a state

of panic after doctors refused to work and took strike action as a result of noted failure on the part of the Public Health Ministry to address their numerous concerns.

The doctors were calling for better security at the facility following a number of incidents where doctors were either physically attacked or verbally abused by patients and others. A previous incident saw two doctors being attacked by a patient and his relatives and even spat upon. The doctors later called on the Public Health Ministry to tighten security services at the facility.

EBB road to benefit residents with small contracts, employment

R

esidents of the East Bank of Berbice, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) are to benefit from a $1.2 billion main access road running from Stanleytown to Mara.

This was announced

by Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson at a meeting with residents at the Overwinning Market Square on Sunday.

The construction, which commenced on Monday, will be done in phases, with the first being a 4.7 kilometre road from Stanleytown to Everton.

The East Bank Berbice road, which is deplorable even in dry weather, is impassable in the rainy season and has fuelled numerous protests over the years.

The Minister pointed out the opportunities the con-

Supply accident

Pillion rider succumbs to injuries

E

ighteen-year-old Keisha Anthony of Lot 62 North Timehri, East Bank Demerara died on Monday morning in the Intensive Care Unit of the Georgetown Public Hospital, where she had been a patient since last Wednesday.

The apprentice attached to the Republic Bank’s Diamond operations had reportedly sustained head and body injuries in a motorcycle accident that occurred at Supply, East Bank Demerara last Wednesday as she was returning home. Her boyfriend, Kenroy London, was driving her home on motorcycle CH 9730, and they were proceeding south along the eastern side of the East Bank public road when London, who allegedly was speeding, lost control of the vehicle and it collided with a pedestrian proceeding in the same direction. That collision had flung Anthony onto the roadway, where she had received injuries about her head and body; while the pedestrian, identified as a 13-year-old of Supply, EBD, had received injuries to his left ankle and lacerations about his body.

Lowenfield defends...

Eleven digital cameras were reported stolen from GECOM’s Coldingen warehouse in 2005, and the matter was handed over to the Police. Regarding this theft, Lowenfield reported that the Police Commissioner had advised GECOM by way of written correspondence that there was insufficient evidence to lay charges against any person, thus GECOM has since stepped up

struction of the road would provide, as he assured residents that they would benefit from employment that would be awarded by way of small contracts, which would include pavements, concrete drains, speed bumps, bridges, box culverts and street lights with an expected lifespan of 30 years.

As residents raised concerns about the quality of the road that would be built, the Minister immediately responded by suggesting that an oversight committee be established to ensure the durability of the infrastructure. The committee will comprise one elected person from each of the communities along with someone from the Mayor’s office and the Regional Democratic Council (RDC).

Dead: Keisha Anthony

It has been alleged that neither Anthony nor London was wearing a helmet at time of this accident.

Anthony and the teen were rushed to the Diamond Diagnostic Centre, where they received treatment and were transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital.

Anthony has now succumbed to the injuries she had sustained.

Speaking to Guyana Times, her mother Paulette Anthony said her daughter, younger of two siblings, had only recently been successful at the CSEC examinations, earning her the attachment at Republic Bank Limited.

from page 9

security at the locations. He alluded to the use of police ranks stationed as sentries at GECOM locations, and the use of closed-circuit television. According to the GECOM CEO, sensitive materials are also stored under closer security scrutiny, and are monitored on a 24-hour basis.

PAC members also raised the purchase of $30M worth of Polaroid

film from Acme Photo Studio, and were told that Acme has since gone out of business, but GECOM has since engaged the services of legal counsel to pursue the matter with the principals of that entity.

Other PAC queries related to overpayment made to contractors, failure to file financial returns, and failure to present vouchers for scrutiny, among other things.

12 news

tuesDAY, june 6, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

GTT takes MMG to UG W

ith tens of thousands of Guyanese yet to repay the University of Guyana’s student loan agency, the Finance Ministry has collaborated with one of Guyana’s leading Internet service providers GTT to make the process of repayment much easier.

Since the commencement of the programme in 1994, the Finance Ministry, through the student loan agency, has so far seen an issuance of some 28,936 loans of which 20,301 are delinquent. This amount has cost Government almost $10 billion over the 23-year period.

Among the cries of past and continuing students is that apart from the lack of financial resources to honour their obligation, there are very few payment options available.

On Monday, while speak-

ing at the signing ceremony at the UG’s loan office, Finance Minister Winston Jordan dubbed the initiative an important milestone for the agency which will now accept repayment through the GTT app Mobile Money Guyana (MMG).

“I am pleased to announce that the student loan agency has partnered with GTT’s MMG to offer past and continuing students a new option to repay their loans. This new option is fast and secure. All it requires is a GTT handset and an MMG account.

Mobile payments are quite en vogue; so, I expect many persons will make use of this service,” Jordan told the small gathering.

The service has no financial cost for Government, but borrowers will be charged a $100 service fee as is paid for every other service of-

Finance Minister Winston Jordan with GTT CEO Justin Nedd after sealing the agreement on Monday

fered by Mobile Money.

GTT’s Chief Executive Officer, Justin Nedd said his company has been moving to raise the bar in almost

every facet of the technological environment even as it sought to elevate the quality of life of several generations of Guyanese.

“I firmly believe that every Guyanese should benefit, as GTT enriches lives through technology. That’s innovation, that’s Mobile Money and that’s why we exist,” Nedd said.

The Mobile Money app offers a payment platform that provides an affordable way of conducting business without the use of physical cash. It is known as a convenient tool for paying utility bills, cable bills along with hire purchase instalments to businesses among other things.

For students desirous of using this payment plan, a simple GTT handset is required with the app installed.

Meanwhile, Minister Jordan said the new payment solution formed part of the massive reforms Government has implementing to reshape the stu-

dent loan agency. Among recent appointments, he said, have been a new director and administrative manager. He highlighted that the Finance Ministry has added more loan officers and would be filling additional vacancies for loan officers, a lawyer and accountant in the near future.

Jordan said the agency was tasked with doing all it could to ensure that funding remained available to future borrowers, and as such, the recalcitrance and disinterest that were inherent in the unacceptably large delinquent portfolio must be stopped, he said.

“Students, graduates, and guarantors have to work together to reverse this situation. The Government has shown its willingness to be engaged and has already provided the first steps,” Jordan noted.

Woman remanded for Scales seized from narco trafficking Bourda, Stabroek Markets A woman who was reportedly caught with 341.8 grams of cannabis was on Monday remanded to prison when she appeared before Magistrate Judy Latchman.

Michelle Moonwick, of Lot 226 Garnett Street, Kitty, Georgetown, denied the charge when it was read to her at the Georgetown

Magistrates’ Courts.

The charge stated that on May 31, the 42-year-old woman was found with the illicit substance at her residence.

Police Prosecutor Shawn Gonsalves objected to bail.

The Prosecutor told the court that on May 31 about 16:00h, Police Officers were conducting a raid exercise

when they swooped down on the accused’s house.

A search was reportedly conducted in one of her bedrooms and the narcotics were found. Gonsalves disclosed that the defendant in caution statements, both written and oral, accepted ownership of the cannabis.

The case will continue on June 26.

Chand claimed that certain procedures have not been put in place by the Government to have the policy debated, explaining that it may not be on the agenda for the next sitting, which is June 15.

However, Chand believes that the policy decision taken is of national importance and it ought to be debated by the National Assembly.

“The information contained in that white paper has significant effect on the country, the people, and, particularly, the workers in the industry…,” he added.

The GAWU official also argued that the white paper presented vague information and did not go into detail on how this matter is going to be dealt with. According to him, Government spokespersons claimed that the Administration has not configured the rollout of this new policy fully.

Meanwhile, the PPP, in a statement late Monday evening, said that this latest move was seen as “another attack on parliamentary democracy by the Speaker”.

“Further, we view the rejection of this request, as nothing short of an abuse of power and an undue interference with, and restriction of, the democratic right of parliamentarians to properly represent their constituents and the reciprocal constitutional rights of these constituents to receive information from and

exch ange views with their elected representatives,” the Party said.

It pointed out that since the constitutional creation of the Standing Committees almost two decades ago, they have enjoyed unhindered freedom to discharge their mandate, both within and without the precincts of the National Assembly, without any restriction from the Speaker.

“The nation is very much aware of the public outings of other Sectoral Committees, eg the Sectoral Committee on Social Services conducts regular visits to public health institutions and other agencies which fall under their portfolio with the permission of the Speaker.”

It, therefore, begs the question, the Party stated as to why this sudden restriction was being placed upon the Economic Services Committee as it sought to discuss the sugar industry, which was so critical to the nation’s economic well-being and which represented the lifeblood of tens of thousands of people.

“The PPP also recalls the difficulties it encountered at the hands of the Speaker in getting motions debated on the floor of the National Assembly in relation to the sugar and rice industries.”

The Party is calling on the Speaker to review his decision forthwith and to grant permission to the Parliamentary Sectoral Committee on Economic Services to meet

with the Guyanese people to discuss the future of GuySuCo and the sugar industry.

“If the Speaker fails to do so, we will find it extraordinarily difficult to persuade our constituents that the chair is not grossly lacking in impartiality,” the statement said.

Government has announced plans to close the Enmore and Rose Hall Sugar Estates, sell the Skeldon Sugar Factory, reduce the annual production of sugar, and take on the responsibility of managing the drainage and irrigation services provided

by GuySuCo. Agriculture Minister Noel Holder claimed that this process would result in improving the relationship with some cane cutters, estate staff and about 1710 private cane farmers, adding that GuySuCo’s sugar operations will be limited to the AlbionRose Hall, Blairmont and Uitvlugt-Wales Estates. The estates will be complete with factories and will have cane supplied from all locations, according to the Agriculture Minister.

The Minister had also revealed plans to cut sugar production to approximately 147,000 tonnes per annum.

Several members of the Opposition PPP/C have maintained that the white paper on the industry confirmed that the industry was being “maliciously downsized” as a prelude for closure.

Speaker rejects request ...

Some of the scales that were seized by the GNBS during its recent surveillance operation

T

he Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) is warning consumers to pay close attention to how their goods are measured and ensure that they purchase from vendors who are using approved scales.

This warning was given

by Head of Legal, Metrology and Standards Compliance at GNBS, Shailendra Rai, on Monday who said that several pieces of equipment were seized during recent weights and measures surveillance conducted in both the Bourda and Stabroek Markets on Friday, June 2.

Rai said some 335 scales, 43 masses and two measures were seized during these recent exercises.

The GNBS official noted that some of the devices seized were approved for commercial trade, but were not verified for the current period that they were being used.

He stressed that consumers needed to ensure

that the vendors they purchase from used scales with the signature of the inspector and date when they were verified. In addition, he is advising consumers to ensure that the scale is in good condition and is used on a level surface, and that they witness the weighing of the products being purchased unless they are pre-packaged.

Rai admitted that there is a serious issue in the markets where dial scales were being used, explaining that this equipment was not approved for commercial trade but rather domestic use.

“We would like to advise consumers that once you see someone using a dial scale, you should not purchase from them because it’s like you asking them to rob you,” the GNBS official emphasised.

Although the GNBS has been engaged in this exercise for many years and would conduct frequent surveillance, Rai said more peo-

ple were continuing to use these scales.

According to Rai, the Weights and Measures Act was recently revised and was set to be approved shortly. “As soon as that Act is approved, we are going to commence very strict enforcement action and prosecution of persons found in the use of defective or unapproved devices,” the official added.

The media was reminded that the common equal arm scales were approved and locally manufactured, while local manufacturers are registered with the GNBS. All scales are due to be verified twice yearly. The first verification runs from January to March and the second between July and September.

Vendors have been advised to contact GNBS consumer’s hotline on 219-0069 to verify the purchase of approved scales to ensure that there is no mistake in purchasing the correct device.

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news

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tuesDAY, june 6, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Climate change is real for UG connects Tain, Turkeyen Campuses Guyana, Caribbean – CWWA G

Public Telecommunications Minister Cathy Hughes (right); UG Vice Chancellor, Professor Ivelaw Griffith (centre) and Dr Paloma Mohammed cutting the ribbon at the launching of the Teleconferencing Platform

S

tudents from the University of Guyana’s Tain Campus can now access courses offered at the University’s Turkeyen Campus without leaving Berbice. This is now possible with the launch of the Teleconferencing Platform, which connects the two campuses.

UG, in collaboration with the Public Telecommunications Ministry, on Monday launched the Teleconferencing Platform at the Centre for Information Technology (CIT), Turkeyen Campus.

Vice Chancellor, Professor Ivelaw Griffith said the Platform, donated by Huawei – a China-based company, was just one step towards connecting the University’s campuses. He added that he intended to push the envelope of engagement not only within and between the classrooms, but also in the communities for wider participation.

P u b l i c Telecommunications Minister Cathy Hughes said Government wanted to ensure there was more connec-

tivity between the country’s premier tertiary institution and other stakeholders.

“Today, we are celebrating the operation of our teleconferencing facility, which has been given as a gift to UG, and from a macro perspective, this teleconferencing suite is one more step in the march towards creating a higher level of digital connectivity for all citizens of Guyana,” she said. “...where we are hoping to take Guyana as a country means that we want to ensure that we can provide, as a Government, more and more digital services online,” Hughes added.

The Minister revealed that it was hoped that birth registration, passport and driver’s licence applications would be available online since that would be more efficient and less time-consuming. Minister Hughes underscored the importance of the teleconferencing suite, noting that it would allow students from the Tain Campus the opportunity to take courses only offered at the Turkeyen Campus, without the hassle of travelling back and

forth between Berbice and Georgetown.

“With the use of technology we recognise that we can connect distant locations and that, of course, makes it easy for individuals, for students, for teachers in our society and communities to be able to connect.

This equipment was a gift from Huawei and they actually presented this to Guyana since 2013. We are excited; I am excited, that finally with the help of capable staff at the ICT [Information and Communications Technology] Department here at UG and with my staff they’ve made the commitment – that guess what? although the instructions for assembling this unit is actually in Mandarin, they decided that they would put their heads together and they have delivered,” Hughes commended.

She also revealed that the unit would be powered by the Ministry’s e-Government Unit. Hughes added that through the e-Governanace Agency, they have been able to connect 84 schools, 20 educational institutions and created some 56 ICT hubs.

uyana and the rest of the Caribbean are at the losing end of the pole as it relates to climate change and with the severe toll the changing weather patterns is taking on water in the Region, new and improved ways of saving what is left of it must be explored.

This is according to Executive Director of the Caribbean Water and Wastewater Association (CWWA), Patricia Aquing.

Speaking to Guyana Times on Friday, Aquing said over the last decade, there have been changes in the weather pattern, which impact water supply in the Caribbean.

“Climate change is one of the factors. So, for example, you have years of drought in some of the countries caused by climate change itself and because of that, the countries are looking to see how else they can win water,” Aquing said.

Aquing, a Trinidadian, was in Guyana to deliver an address at the launching ceremony of the 26th annual Caribbean Water and Wastewater Association Conference and Exhibition, slated for October later this year.

“So, climate change is real for us and the impact on our water is one of the most significant impacts worldwide that the people are pointing to. And the Region has prepared itself for improving its water availability, one of which is wastewater, which is a tremendous resource.”

Sixty-five per cent of wastewater goes untreated into the sea, she explained.

“We use potable water for flushing our toilets. Should we be using expensively harvested water? Can we not use treated wastewater for watering lawns and golf courses? These are options that the Region has, to look at other options to save

CWWA Executive Director Patricia Aquing

water.”

According to Aquing, “We cannot change climate, we are so small that our impact on the climate is so insignificant, but we are impacted in a big way by the changes in the climate variability.”

She continued that “it is really a complex management issue, and not about people getting water in their taps and getting to bathe and so on; it is more than that”.

“The average people I believe do not understand the importance of water management. Water is everybody’s business,” she stressed.

Meanwhile, Guyana will this week draft a National Action Plan (NAP) to help reduce the negative impact of climate change on health according to Principal Environmental Health Officer of the Public Health Ministry, Steve Chichester. Chichester said Monday that the strategy would be completed today, the final day of the two-day inter-agency seminar organised by the Environmental Health Unit (EHU) of the Public Health Ministry in collaboration with Pan American Health Organisation/World Health Organisation (PAHO/ WHO).

The strategy is also expected to build capacity of Public Health Ministry officers and other stakeholders to implement effective programmes to help reduce the negative effects of climate change on the sector and prepare related agencies to have in place mechanisms to “mitigate the impact of climate change on health”, Chichester said.

He anticipates that the blueprint will put a premium on public awareness to improve the knowledge of Guyanese enabling them to discern the link between climate change and health.

In addition, the draft Public Health Ministry/PAHO/WHO document will also emphasise stakeholder preparedness “to respond to emergencies related to climate change as far as practicable”, the EHU official explained.

Guyana, like the rest of the Region, suffers from several endemic and environmentally-sensitive disease vectors, according to PAHO/ WHO Adviser Abrianus Ton Vlugman. Vlugman said too that the Region was “particularly vulnerable because they tend to have a dual disease burden: many endemic and environmentally-sensitive disease vectors (and) human populations with high rates of cardio-respiratory diseases.”

This burden is exacerbated because the health systems of individual territories are “generally underfunded”, the PAHO/WHO Adviser noted referring to an Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) report. The spike in temperature attributed to climate change is expected to increase dengue fever transmission by some 300 per cent, Vlugman warned because “increased temperature reduces incubation time of the parasite”.

March ushers in World Environment Day P

olicy Forum Guyana on Sunday partnered with a number of organisations to host a Civil Society March and Rally in commemoration of World Environment Day 2017.

Scores of young enthusiasts representing various organizations from across Guyana took to the streets of Georgetown in a rally to “Revive the Rivers.”

The event, which commenced at the junction of Main Street and the Avenue of the Republic, in vicinity of the Bank of Guyana, saw hundreds of youths belonging to schools and non-governmental organisations, decked out in the colours of their institutions, proudly flaunting their banners and reciting their spirited chants.

The march led the procession down Camp Street, where the inspired crowd of activists then made their way to the Seawall Band Stand in Kingston for a simple presentation ceremony.

Resident Representative

of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Mikiko Tanaka, addressing the gathering at the Band Stand, expressed delight at the commitment shown by the youths of Guyana towards the cause of protecting the rivers, and by extension the environment.

Tanaka commended the strides made by Guyanese to establish the nation as a “green state”, and urged attendees to continue embarking on similar efforts aimed at protecting and preserving the environment.

Preeya Rampersaud, Senior Coordinator at the World Wildlife Fund (WFF) Guianas, highlighted her concern about water contamination in Guyana, and pointed out that while Guyana is blessed with an abundance of water by means of its many rivers, only a small percentage of the bodies of water have not yet been tampered with by activities such as mining

Organisers pose with their banner at the Civil Society March and Rally

and pollution.

She warned that if solutions and improved approaches are not employed, the country would risk losing one of its most valuable resources.

Three lucky organisations were presented with prizes for their outstanding participation in the Civil Society March and Rally.

Receiving accolades were: Tutorial High School, recognized for the “Best Chant”; Marian Academy, who won the “Best Banner” prize; and St. Ann’s Orphanage,

dubbed the “Most Creative Group”.

In an interview with Guyana Times, Gomin Camacho, Assistant Coordinator of Policy Forum Guyana, the spearheading organization, expressed elation at having successfully staged the “Revive the Rivers” initiative, and dubbed the march a great success.

Camacho explained the objectives of the event, and pointed out that it was in effort to raise awareness.

The Assistant

Coordinator noted that while World Environment Day is observed internationally, “we wanted to make it more local,” hence the organization’s emphasis on protection and preservation of the many rivers of Guyana. Policy Forum even went one step further, expanding their platform to encompass water in general, with a focus on management and conservation, thereby justifying the participation of organizations housed in the coastal region.

Camacho highlighted threats to the rivers, especially in the interior regions and especially as a result of the mining industry. “We are proud that we are (known as) ‘the Land of Many Waters’, but nothing is being done to protect the rivers,” the environment activist noted.

The civil society march and rally, “Revive the Rivers” initiative, was one in a series of events to commemorate World Environment Day 2017. The international platform is a United Nations-calendared event observed annually on June 5. First held in 1974, it has been a flagship campaign for raising awareness on emerging environmental issues, from marine pollution, human overpopulation, global warming, to sustainable consumption and wildlife crime. This year, World Environment Day was celebrated under the theme “Connecting People to Nature”.

14

guyanatimesgy.com

tuesDAY, june 6, 2017

Regional

Another Mexican fugitive ex-Governor arrested Court trial to determine fate of P Brazilian presidency olice in Panama have arrested the former Governor of the south-eastern Mexican state of Quintana Roo, Roberto Borge.

Borge, of the governing PRI party, is under investigation for alleged corruption, which he denies.

He was arrested as he was about to board a plane bound for Paris at Tocumen airport in Panama City.

Borge is one of several Mexican former Governors who went on the run after

Brazil's President Michel Temer gestures during an inauguration ceremony of the new Minister of Justice, Torquato Jardim, at the Planalto Palace, in Brasilia, Brazil May 31, 2017

B

razil's top electoral court opens a trial today over the alleged use of illicit money to fund President Michel Temer's 2014 election campaign in a case that could force him from office.

The court has no deadline to reach a decision and could take weeks to rule, though the political turmoil Brazil is living through as it faces the potential second ouster of a president in a year will put pressure on the judges to reach a conclusion quickly.

If found guilty, Temer is expected to appeal and delay the process for months.

Such a ruling would likely destabilise his government and prompt members of his coalition to withdraw their support, increasing chances he could be forced to resign.

The main ally in his governing coalition, the Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB), is waiting for the court ruling to decide whether to abandon Temer's Government, which would sink his fiscal reform agenda.

The reforms, particularly an overhaul of Brazil's costly pension system, are

crucial for plugging a gaping budget deficit that cost Brazil its investment grade credit rating in 2015 and helped push Latin America's largest economy into its worst recession on record.

In four sessions scheduled through Friday, the seven-member electoral court will discuss whether to annul the 2014 re-election victory of then-President Dilma Rousseff and her running mate, Temer, who became president last year when Rousseff was impeached for breaking budget laws.

If the court, known by its TSE Portuguese initials, invalidates the 2014 election, lower House Speaker Rodrigo Maia would take over from Temer and Congress would have 30 days to pick a caretaker to lead the country until elections in 2018.

Brazil's Constitution has no clear rules for such a presidential eviction, and in such an unprecedented situation, the court would have to decide whether Temer can continue in office pending an appeal.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

P

disrupt the flow of water in a canal that separates the two countries, raising flood risks for Peruvian cities, the ministry added.

Ecuador has said that the wall was necessary to stop smuggling.

Territorial disputes led to a three-year war between the two countries in the 1990s. Cross-border trade remains fluid, though passage of contraband is common, according to Peruvian police. (Reuters)

allegations of corruption.

Borge governed Quintana Roo from 2011 to 2016.

He is under investigation for alleged corruption linked to the sale of state-owned land worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

The PRI suspended Borge from the party in December 2016 and a Mexican judge ordered his arrest on May 31.

Analysts say the number of high-ranking PRI politicians accused of corruption has hurt the party

of President Enrique Peña Nieto.

Despite having had three of its former Governors arrested, the PRI still looked set to win the election for Governor in Mexico state, the country's most populous.

The PRI's candidate, Alfredo del Mazo, had a narrow lead over Delfina Gómez of the leftist Morena party in Sunday's election with 97 per cent of the votes counted. The PRI has governed Mexico state for almost nine decades. (Excerpt from BBC News)

T&T PM in surprise ride on Express experiences slow crawl to Tobago H e got what he asked for.

Delayed sailing:

check.

Engine troubles: check.

Slower than expected journey: check.

Frustrated truckers in Tobago: check In recent times, passengers hoping to travel between the two islands using the ferries that service the sea bridge have been experiencing various travel woes, including cancelled sailings.

The T&T Spirit is berthed at the port awaiting repairs while the T&T Express takes passengers to and fro despite repeated mechanical issues.

Rowley on Sunday went to the Port of Port-of-Spain to take the 15:00h sailboat to Tobago to see exactly what passengers are faced

Demonstrators wait outside the Scarborough Port, Tobago for the arrival of Prime Minister Keith Rowley after travelling on the T&T Express

with. His visit was not disclosed to the media and he arrived without fanfare. At 16:00h Rowley and the other passengers were supposed to have already been on their way to Tobago.

Colombia to provide some initial funding for rebels’ political party

Peru asks Ecuador C to halt construction of border wall

eru asked Ecuador on Monday to "immediately" stop building a wall along the two South American countries' 1529km (950.08-mile) border and has called for an urgent bilateral meeting to discuss the issue, Peru's Foreign Ministry said.

In a statement, the Ministry said it had asked Ecuador's Ambassador to deliver a letter saying that the wall would hurt cross-border integration. It could also

being accused of corruption.

In April, the former Governor of Tamaulipas state, Tomás Yarrington, was arrested in Italy after evading capture for almost five years.

Also in April, the ex-Governor of Veracruz, Javier Duarte, was arrested in Guatemala after six months in hiding.

César Duarte, who governed Chihuahua state from 2010 to 2016, is believed to have fled to the United States in March following

olombia's Finance Ministry has been asked to provide over US$1.2 million in initial funding for the Marxist FARC rebel group's new political party, the electoral commission said on Monday, as soon as the group finishes a weapons handover.

Under a peace deal signed last year by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) and the Government, the rebels will turn over all their weapons to the United Nations and become a legal political party after more than 52 years of war.

All political parties and presidential and legislative campaigns in the Andean country receive some state funds, though amounts can

vary.

"We've put forward the request for the FARC political party, a sum of 3.56 billion pesos ... once the arms handover happens," said Alexander Vega, head of the country's electoral commission.

The FARC have not yet named their political party, which will participate in elections next year, but Vega said the initial funds will go toward operational costs and a think tank.

The Government and the rebels last week extended the weapon handin deadline by 20 days, after logistical delays slowed the arrival of some of the group's nearly 7000 fighters to special UN demobilisation zones. (Excerpt from Reuters)

But this was not the case as the sailing was delayed by an hour.

The T&T Express had experienced technical difficulties on its trip to Trinidad earlier in the day and the

15:00h trip had to be delayed.

During the earlier trip to Trinidad, smoke emitting from the vessel’s turbochargers made its way on deck, causing some panic among passengers. The vessel then reportedly stalled in the open water off Tobago for nearly an hour before the situation was rectified.

A T&T Coast Guard vessel then arrived and began escorting the Express to Port-of-Spain.

During the delay for the sailing to Tobago, the T&T Guardian understands Rowley was able to talk to some passengers. He also had discussions with the chairman of the Port Authority Alison Lewis and general manager Charmaine Lewis and other employees. (Trinidad Guardian)

Caribbean participating in high-level United Nations conference

T

he Belize based C a r i b b e a n Regional Fisheries Mechanism (CRFM) is participating in the high-level United Nations Conference to advance the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14 as well as to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for development.

The five day conference which began on Monday at the UN headquarters, has as its theme “Our oceans, our future: partnering for the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14.”

“This is indeed a very important conference. We attach great significance to it, and will be showcasing our policies and activities

aimed at balancing food security and sustainable livelihoods with the need to protect and preserve the oceans and seas and their biodiversity,” said CRFM Executive Director, Milton Haughton, who is part of the Caricom delegation to the conference.

“We will also be seeking to strengthen our relationships with traditional partners and forging new partnerships.”

Conference organisers want the event to serve as a game-changer that will reverse the decline in the health of our oceans for people, planet and prosperity. A key area of focus will be furthering efforts to make fisheries sustainable. (Excerpt from CMC)

tuesDAY, june 6, 2017

guyanatimesgy.com

15

Around the World Arab powers sever Qatar ties India passenger T bus crash kills 22 he Arab world's biggest powers cut ties with Qatar on Monday, accusing it of support for Islamist militants and Iran, and reopening a festering wound two weeks after US President Donald Trump's demand for Muslim states to fight terrorism.

Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain severed diplomatic relations with Qatar in a coordinated move. Yemen, Libya's eastern-based Government and the Maldives joined later.

Transport links shut down, triggering supply shortages.

Qatar, a small peninsular nation of 2.5 million people that has a large US military base, denounced the action as predicated on lies about it supporting militants. It has often been accused of being a funding source for Islamists, as has Saudi Arabia.

Iran, long at odds with

A

An aerial view of Doha's diplomatic area (file photo)

Saudi Arabia and a behindthe-scenes target of the move, blamed Trump's visit last month to Riyadh and called for the sides to overcome their differences.

"What is happening is the preliminary result of the sword dance," tweeted Hamid Aboutalebi, deputy chief of staff to Iranian

President Hassan Rouhani, referring to Trump's joining in a traditional dance with the Saudi king at the meeting.

Closing all transport links with Qatar, the three Gulf states gave Qatari visitors and residents two weeks to leave, and Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Egypt

banned Qatari planes from landing and forbade them from crossing their air space. Qatar's stock market index sank 7.3 per cent, with some of the market's top blue chips hardest hit, and some Egyptian banks said they were suspending dealing with Qatari banks.

t least 22 people have been killed after a bus they were travelling in collided with a truck in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.

The crash happened early on Monday in the city of Bareilly, 251km (155 miles) from the state capital, Lucknow.

A senior police official said all 22 victims had been charred badly and could not be immediately identified.

The passenger bus had caught fire following the collision. Police are searching for the driver of the truck.

attackers, say 1 investigated before B ritish Police and security services had previously investigated one of the Islamist militants who carried out Saturday's attack in London, but with resources scarce, he was not deemed enough of a threat to warrant close monitoring, Police said on Monday.

The news raises questions about the Police's judgment and increases pressure on Prime Minister Theresa May, who three days before

a national election is facing criticism for overseeing cuts to Police during her years as Interior Minister.

In Britain's third Islamist attack in as many months, three men on Saturday rammed a van into pedestrians on London Bridge before running into the Borough Market area, where they slit throats and stabbed people indiscriminately. Seven people were killed and dozens wounded.

All three attackers were shot dead by Police, who made at least a dozen arrests in east London on Sunday and carried out further raids on Monday.

Police on Monday named two of the attackers and said they were trying to identify the third. One, 27-yearold Khuram Shazad Butt, was a British citizen born in Pakistan who had already been investigated by Police and Britain's domestic spy

agency MI5.

"However, there was no intelligence to suggest that this attack was being planned, and the investigation had been prioritised accordingly," police said.

Another attacker, 30-year-old Rachid Redouane, went by the alias Rachid Elkhdar and claimed to be Moroccan or Libyan, Police said. He and Butt lived in the same area of east London. (Excerpt from Reuters)

(Excerpt from BBC News)

Bill Cosby ‘used power and fame to prey on woman’

B UK Police reveal names of London (Excerpt from Reuters)

The AFP news agency quoted police as saying the doors of the bus jammed after the collision, trapping passengers inside.

A few people managed to escape by breaking open the windows of the vehicle.

The chief spokesman of the Uttar Pradesh police, Rahul Srivastav, said the bus was carrying 41 passengers, and that those who were injured had been rushed to hospital.

The condition of many of them is said to be serious, and officials warn that the toll is likely to rise.

ill Cosby used power and fame to drug and sexually assault a helpless woman, a court has heard on day one of the US comedian's trial.

"Trust, betrayal and the inability to consent – that's what this case is about," a prosecutor told the court in Pennsylvania.

Cosby is on trial for allegedly molesting a woman who was seeking career advice in 2004.

Dozens of other women accuse the 79-year-old entertainer of sexual assault.

It is seen as the biggest US celebrity court case since the murder trial of former American football player OJ Simpson in 1995.

Assistant District Attorney Kristen Feden told jurors on Monday: "This is a case about a man – this man – who used his power and his fame and his previously practised method of placing a young, trusting woman in an incapacitated state so he could sexually pleasure himself, so she couldn't say no."

As Cosby sat a few feet away, the Assistant District Attorney urged jurors to look beyond his role as the dad on the hit 1984-1992 television sitcom “The Cosby Show”.

That wholesome TV image would be "shattered", she said, accusing the entertainer of "heinous crimes".

(Excerpt from BBC News)

EU funding new Bloomberg delivers US African fighting force pledge to continue Paris

France's new President Emmanuel Macron paid a visit to French troops in Mali last month

T

he European Union has agreed to give more than 50 million euros to fund a new African joint military force in the Sahel region.

The force will be made up of troops from Mauritania, Mali, Chad, Burkina Faso and Niger, known as the

Sahel G-5.

Its main mission will be to combat jihadist groups active in the region, as well as tackle trafficking networks and illegal migration.

The Sahel is home to many Islamist groups, some aligned with al-Qaeda.

More than 3000 French troops and 12,000 United Nations troops have been engaged in Mali since 2013, when Islamist and Tuareg militants led an insurgency in the north of the country.

The militants were pushed out, but they have continued to mount sporadic assaults on peacekeepers in northern and central regions.

The UN peacekeeping mission is one of the UN's most dangerous in decades, with more than 115 peacekeepers killed in four years.

The violence has spilled over the border into Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast, with tourists targeted in recent years. "Stability and development of the Sahel region are crucial not only for Africa but also for Europe," EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said on Monday in the Mali capital, Bamako.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

climate goals to UN F ormer New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg submitted a statement to the United Nations on Monday that over 1000 US Governors, Mayors, businesses, universities and others will continue to meet the goals of the Paris climate agreement abandoned by President Donald Trump last week.

Bloomberg, who is the UN Secretary General's special envoy for Cities and Climate Change, submitted the "We Are Still In" declaration to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and the UN Framework Convention on Climate

Change (UNFCCC) Executive Secretary Patricia Espinosa.

He also launched a process to work with local governments and non-state entities to formally quantify the combined - and overlapping - emissions reduction pledges, which will be known as "America's Pledge," and submit the report to the United Nations.

“Today, on behalf of an unprecedented collection of US cities, states, businesses and other organisations, I am communicating to the United Nations and the global community that American society remains committed to achieving

the emission reductions we pledged to make in Paris in 2015," Bloomberg said in a statement.

Signatories to the new initiative include 13 Democratic and Republican Governors, 19 State Attorneys General, over 200 Mayors, and CEOs of Fortune 500 companies and small businesses.

Trump on Thursday pulled the United States from the landmark 2015 agreement designed to fight climate change, fulfilling a major campaign pledge despite entreaties from US allies and corporate leaders. (Excerpt from Reuters)

16 news

tuesDAY, june 6, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Mechanic crushed to death 2

0-year-old Wesley Morvin Patoir, also called 'Bucky,' a mechanic of Kwakwani Park in Region 10 (Upper DemeraraBerbice), was reportedly crushed by a truck in vicinity of the Kurubuku Mines, situated between Aroaima and Kwakwani, on Monday at approximately 15 hours.

While details surrounding the incident remain sketchy, reports reaching this newspaper indicate that Patoir was working with a contractor, and the truck in which he was travelling developed mechanical problems and was stationary at the side of the road.

Patoir was attempting to have the problem fixed, and was sitting alongside the vehicle when another truck accidentally rolled over him.

The Police were summoned to the scene, and Patoir's body was transported to the Kwakwani Hospital, where he was pro-

Dead: Wesley Patoir

nounced dead on arrival. A police investigation has been launched.

Shockwave ripples through Cummings Lodge

Teacher found unconscious lying on husband’s decomposing body

T

he community of Cummings Lodge on the lower East Coast of Demerara was on Monday evening shocked to discover teacher Cindy Dawson in an unconscious state, lying on the decomposing body of her husband Kevin Dawson in their Hugh Ganie Park, Cummings Lodge, ECD home.

She was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where she remains a patient up to press time.

While reports are sketchy, this newspaper was told that the couple

The house in which the couple were found

was found by the woman’s colleagues, who went to her home after she did not report for work on Monday. A stench was emanating from the house, and this caused Dawson’s colleagues to be-

come suspicious. They forcibly opened the door and, upon entering, found the couple.

Police have since launched an investigation.

Guyana holds the potential to feed entire Caribbean – Granger

Deeds and Commercial Registries Board appointed G …Minister can instruct Board – AG

The Deeds and Commercial Registries Authority Board members received their certificates of appointment on Monday

A

s members of the Deeds and Commercial Registries Authority Board were appointed to their posts, Legal Affairs Minister and Attorney General Basil Williams indicated that the relevant Act gives his office the authority to give “instructions” to the Board.

He made these comments at the AG’s Chambers on Monday where six members of the Board received their certificates of appointment.

These appointments mean that the registrars can look after their registries which should improve timeliness of service, one of the issues that the AG highlighted had persisted in the past years.

“We look forward to even more efficient services being offered and with this in mind, we expect that there will be a free and full intercourse with Minister, Board and Registrars so that the business of the people could be done,” the Legal Affairs Minister told the press.

With Cabinet’s approval given just weeks ago, those officially appointed to the Board were Chairperson Christine McGowan; Private Sector representative Norman McLean; Komar Dorasami, representing the soon-to-be enacted Berbice Bar; Sharon Small of the Guyana Bar Association, and nominees from the

Communities Ministry and Finance Ministry – Aretha Henry and Gillian Pollard respectively.

The AG noted that current stipulations provided for six board members, but added that once the Deeds and Commercial Registries Authority (Amendment) Bill 2017 is passed in the National Assembly, three other members would be included.

“This board is a board we had desired to widen and extend for many varied reasons; the Bill has been stuck in the Parliament, it comes up on June 15 [and] we hope to pass it and so we could have three additional members added,” AG Williams explained.

These members will include representatives from the Business Ministry, the Chief Valuation Officer and a representative from the Guyana Revenue Authority.

The Attorney General related to reporters that while the Board has a “corporate body” status, its semi-autonomous nature as guided by the Deeds and Commercial Registries Authority stipulation gives rise to the Minister’s input.

“The Deeds and Commercial Registry Authorities Board comes within a corporate body. It’s a corporate body, separate and distinct from the employees. The Act provides for the respective registrars to look after the day-to-day running

of their respective registries, the Board also has its functions, but the Act provides that the Minister responsible for the Authority could give directions to the Board and of course, the Board has to carry out the directions,” Williams stated.

“When you hear people saying that this is an independent body, it means it’s in terms of its corporate status. But these are semi-autonomous agencies; there is no problem in this case, because the Act provides for the Minister to give instructions to the Board and so, in this regard, we believe that the Board has to work with directions in terms of policy,” he further maintained.

Aside from emphasising his semi-authority over the Board, the Legal Affairs Minister brushed aside claims of interference in the work of Deeds and Commercial Registries department. Zanna Frank will take up the Deputy Registrar of Deeds post, while Nicole Prince is acting Registrar of the Commercial Registry.

Established in 2013, the Deeds and Commercial Registries Authority is an independent body, which seeks to promote the efficient and orderly operation of the two bodies. The current Board will serve a two-year term from June 15, 2017 to June 14, 2019.

uyana through local agricultural initiatives has the potential to feed the entire Caribbean, President David Granger said at the commissioning of a Self Sufficient Agricultural Economic Project at the Hugo Chávez Centre in Onverwagt on the West Coast of Berbice.

The project was launched as a means to reduce the cost of daily services offered by the Social Protection Ministry, by implementing a self-sustained agricultural project at the Berbice-based rehabilitation centre.

It was at this event that the President proclaimed that with further efforts, Guyana can cash in on being the leading agricultural producer within the Caribbean Region.

As such, the President

President David Granger joined by UN Resident Coordinator Mikiko Tanaka and Reuben Robertson of FAO during the ribboncutting ceremony

Given the projected success of this undertaking, Granger pointed out that other entities can follow suit in such projects, pointing to the fact that it cost Government $250,000 to feed one prisoner per year.

A portion of the farm established at the Hugo Chávez Centre for Rehabilitation

urged those in attendance and by extension all Guyanese to return to the ‘eat what you grow’ approach so as to maximise local produce. He conveyed, “I would like to see every yard with a garden; every garden with trees. I would like us to eat what we grow. We should eat what we produce.”

Granger went on to say that, “If every household in Region Five had one bread fruit tree, we could produce a million kilograms of bread fruit every year. This way we can not only feed ourselves and our children and our families, but the entire Caribbean Region as well.”

As such, he proposed that if the Guyana Prison Service (GPS) can establish its own farm, the prisons would be able to sustain themselves.

“I would like to encourage other Government agencies to follow this example by setting up productive enterprises to reduce the food bill and private enterprises, as well, to get more involved in food production to help Guyana to become a green state and ensure that Guyanese are well fed and protected from food insecurity,” the President stated.

Sharing in the sentiments of the President at the launch was a representative

of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), Reuben Robertson. Robertson pointed out that this undertaking of the Social Protection Ministry was in accordance with his organisation’s mandate, which is to eliminate hunger, malnutrition, and poverty.

The first phase of the project at the Centre in Berbice saw the setting up of three fish ponds, several pens to house cattle and poultry, as well as a greenhouse for production of vegetables. This project was made possible through the Ministry’s collaboration with the Guyana Livestock Development Agency (GLDA); the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI); the Fisheries Division of the Agriculture Ministry; the FAO and the St Francis Community Developers (SFCD) of Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) along with business owners and residents of Region Five ( Mahaica-Berbice).

Commissioned on August 10, 2013, the Hugo Chávez Centre for Rehabilitation provides accommodation for homeless persons and offers services such as medical assistance and treatment to members of underserved communities. The facility caters for 180 Guyanese, allowing for about 100 males and 80 females, who will now benefit from the launch of the sustainable agriculture initiative.

news

17

tuesDAY, june 6, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

As UK heads to polls

Guyana relations will remain strong – Quinn O n Thursday, millions of citizens in the United Kingdom will cast their ballots in a snap election being held following a referendum which forced Britain’s impending exit from the European Union (EU).

While some saw incumbent Prime Minister Theresa May’s election call as a brave and gutsy move to solidify confidence in the ruling Government, Conservative others expressed concern that the party could lose its majority in the British Parliament.

Whichever candidate emerges victorious come June 8, the UK’s relations with Guyana are expected to remain intact. This was the vehement assurance given by the UK’s High Commissioner

Commonwealth Office, the Right Honourable Baroness Anelay of St Johns DBE to Guyana in early May. “[Relations] are going really well. We just had the President come back from the UK where he met the Queen and the week after he came back, we had the Minister here, so I think we are in a good place,” the UK envoy told this newspaper in the invited comment last week.

UK High Commissioner Greg Quinn

Incumbent UK Prime Minister Theresa May

Caricom Secretary General, Irwin LaRoque

to Guyana, Greg Quinn, who related to Guyana Times last week that he based his opinion on interactions with his counterparts.

“With everyone I’ve spoken to including the President (of Guyana), I think fundamentally there’ll be no change. We are not expecting anything to be no different on the 9th June regardless of who wins the elections,” High Commissioner Quinn told this publication.

Speaking of the heightened relations, he pointed to President David Granger’s visit to the Queen at her Buckingham Palace residence in April and a subsequent visit from British Minister of State of the Foreign and

(HINDUS for SELFLESS SERVICE) E-mail: hssguyana@gmail.com

Speaking on the oil and gas sector, due for production by 2020, Quinn indicated that owing to the magnitude, Guyana still has more to achieve the full requirements of the industry.

“I think there’s a lot of work being done, but there’s a lot of what that has to be done because it’s a big thing to come along. There are a lot of people who’ve been helping, including the Commonwealth Secretary who has been helping the Ministry and a variety of other groups and institutions that have been helping. The needs, requirements and work that have to be done is well understood and I think things are moving in the right direction,” he noted.

A YouGov poll released last week had suggested that Prime Minister May could lose the majority of the 650 seats in the House of Commons, winning 308 seats, a loss of 20 seats against the current 17seat majority. The poll further suggested that the main

Opposition Labour could garner 261 seats, leaving the other parties to accrue 80 seats.

Other polls showed May garnering 43 per cent of the vote.

However, polls such as the Kantar poll and an Ipsos Mori poll showed the incumbent Prime Minister leading her rivals. The final result of the elections may deviate from the polls as it is not yet known how the recent terrorist attacks at Manchester and London will impact upon voting patterns.

It is expected that soon after the June 8 elections, negotiations on Brexit with the EU will begin. Following Britain’s decision to leave the EU last year, Guyana’s Foreign Affairs Minister Carl Greenidge posited that nothing was expected to change. Additionally, Caricom Secretary General Irwin LaRocque had pointed out in June 2016 that he did not foresee Brexit having a drastic impact on relations with Caribbean States.

He had noted that there was anxiety over the UK’s exit, with Britain being a significant contributor to the European Development Fund (EDF), from which Caricom benefits.

“I don’t anticipate that our relationship in terms of Europe to be directly affected… We don’t anticipate any diminishing of relationship of the EU and certainly not the UK, our relations are very strong,” he stressed last year.

(Shemuel Fanfair)

GRDB facilitating fertiliser on credit system

F

armers are now able to access fertiliser and repay the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) at the end of each crop following the recent decision of the Board of Directors to afford farmers throughout the rice growing regions, access to fertiliser on a credit system.

GRDB General Manager Allison Peters, in an invited comment, indicated that the decision came in response to the need for assistance to the farming community. Peters highlighted the importance of such an implementation in light of escalating fertiliser prices in recent times, which undoubtedly had a negative impact on production and productivity.

Consequently, 3675 bags

of fertiliser have been sold in Region Six (East BerbiceCorentyne) and 1013 in Regions Two (PomeroonSupenaam) at a cost of $5500 per bag. Moreover, the Board is presently looking at incorporating a transportation plan to get the fertiliser to farmers in the Pomeroon-Supenaam district.

“There is no limit to the amount of fertiliser farmers can request. However, we are targeting rice farmers with the aim of ensuring that they not only have access to the commodity, but also with a view to ensuring that production levels continue to climb,” Peters stated.

Meanwhile, Agriculture Minister Noel Holder pointed out that the industry could

expect similar moves in the not-too distant future, as the Ministry would continue to look at ways in which it could assist farmers. He emphasised that there has been a significant reduction in the cost of fertilisers provided by the Private Sector, since the implementation of the “fertiliser on credit” system.

Minister Holder disclosed that the Board has been exploring ways in which agriculture could be sustained in Guyana through a cost-effective approach while assisting farmers. He underscored the need to improve productivity, while noting that improved management practices, seed rates, sowing methods, and disease management must be addressed for this to be achieved.

A

s we continue our series of articles that we trust are being beneficial to you, we hope that while you are reading this coloum either at home, while stuck in traffic or even at that lunch or coffee break at the office, you are practicing your yoga.

Today we bring to you the first great scholar who without him yoga would not have touched base with Guyana or another country in this hemisphere – Swami Vivekananda.

Swami Vivekananda was asked once: ‘To develop ourselves physically should one concentrate on exercise, yoga or martial arts?’ Swamiji responded, ‘either of these will do, they are all capable of increasing the physical strength but I would recommend Yoga as this does not limit itself to the physical development but develops the mind contributing to the spiritual development.’

The ancient Indian concentrated on the internal world, upon the unseen realms in the Self, and developed the science of yoga. Yoga is the control of the senses, will and mind. The benefit of its study is that we learn to control instead of being controlled. The end and aim of yoga is to realise God. To do this we must go beyond relative knowledge, go beyond the world of the senses. There is but one way to control the senses—to see Him who is the Reality in the universe. Then and only then can we really conquer our senses.

To every action there is equal reaction.... If a man strikes me and wounds me it is that man’s actions and my body’s reaction. ... Suppose I have so much power over the body that I can resist even that automatic reaction. Can such power be attained? The

books say it can. ... If you stumble on [it], it is a miracle. If you learn it scientifically, it is Yoga.

Swami Vivekananda was the first Hindu teacher to actively advocate and disseminate aspects of yoga to a Western audience. Swami Vivekananda, toured Europe and the United States in the 1890s. He lectured extensively on Karma, Bhakti, Gyaan and Dhyaan yoga.

While sightseeing in Canton, China in 1893, Swami Vivekananda was bent on visiting a nearby monastery that was off limits to visitors, even when their party’s interpreter was trying to dissuade him. Suddenly, they were accosted with a tangible form of dissuasion in the shape of two or three furious club- wielding men who rushed at them with the intent of not just scaring them away. The rest of the party fled for safety. Swamiji caught hold of the interpreter’s arm and inquired what was the Chinese equivalent for “Indian yogi”. Swamiji repeated this loudly. The words instantly acted like magic. The men dropped their clubs and fell at his feet with deep reverence.

Truly it can be said that the words “yoga” and “yogi” have cast their spell on humankind for thousands of years. With the present revival and interest in Indian spirituality everywhere, yoga is now influencing more and more minds than ever before.

And the danger of misinterpretations and misrepresentations is not small. Yet the charm persists in whatever form it is in, pure or diluted.

By: Ravi Kumar International Joint Coordinator Hindu Swayamsewak Sangh

18

guyanatimesgy.com

tuesDAY, june 6, 2017

ARCHIE

Put your heart into important relationships. If you (March 21- love someone, let him or her April 19) know, and if you want to collaborate with someone, speak up. Take the plunge and make things happen.

ARIES

Emotions will surface and

TAURUS should be channeled into your (April 20- quest for professional success.

May 20) You can sign deals, settle legal

dilbert

matters and deal with financial institutions with confidence.

Personal gains and physical changes are favored.

Someone will feed you GEMINI (May 21- false information. It’s imJune 20) portant to look at every angle before you make a decision. Your reputation may be at risk. Do your own research and legwork.

CANCER (June 21July 22)

Peanuts

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

Calvin and Hobbes

A creative project will interest you. Discussing your ideas with someone in a position of power will help you gain perspective regarding what’s entailed and the best way to excel.

Use a little ingenuity when dealing with joint money ventures or home improvement projects. Don’t let anyone take advantage of you. Do your homework before you begin to negotiate.

Keep matters that concern VIRGO (Aug. 23- you out in the open to avoid Sept. 22) damage to your position, status or reputation. A conscientious attitude will encourage honesty and integrity.

Put a creative twist on any LIBRA project you take on. Looking (Sept. 23Oct. 23) for alternative ways to do things will attract entrepreneurial types who are quite willing to give your ideas a chance.

WORD GAME

SUDOKU

Explore creative venues.

SCORPIO Attend events that will en(Oct. 24courage you to look at life difNov. 22) ferently. A change of attitude will help you adopt a simpler and more rewarding lifestyle.

Show greater stability by SAGITTARIUS making up your mind, acting (Nov. 23- on your own and doing things Dec. 21) your way. Don’t let confusion set in due to a manipulative interloper.

solution for Last Published Puzzle

Walk away from anyone CAPRICORN or any deal that appears un(Dec. 22- stable. Protect your reputaJan. 19) tion and cash from a sketchy situation that could be an expensive failure.

An opportunity to make AQUARIUS a move or improve your liv(Jan. 20ing arrangements is apparFeb. 19) ent. Consider what you want, and don’t be afraid to set your plans in motion. Romance will enhance your life.

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

Your intuition will not let PISCES you down when dealing with (Feb. 20March 20) money, contracts or legal matters. Follow your gut and make alterations that will secure your home and lifestyle.

tuesDAY, june 6, 2017

Independence Swim Meet…

19

French Open 2017

Scott, Fiedtkou produce dominant performances ─ Seaton, Winter also impressive

Andy Murray

Nikita Fiedtkou cruised to victory in the 100m Freestyle

T

he curtains came down on the Guyana Amateur Swimming Association (GASA) threeday Independence Meet on Sunday at the National Aquatic Centre, Liliendaal and it was Daniel Scott and Nikita Fiedtkou who swam some impressive races in the 15-17 category.

Scott, who recently participated at the CARIFTA Open Water event in Bahamas won the 50M Breast Stroke (33.16s) ahead of Nikil Ramnarine (34.44s) and Alex Winter (34.56s).

He also won the 100M Backstroke ( 1:10.56s), 50M Butterfly (28.47s), 50M Freestyle (26.54s), 200M Individual Medley (2:35.01), 200M Freestyle (2:11.75) and the 100M Freestyle (58.92s).

Likewise, the Lindenbased Fiedtkou clocked some fast times to notch wins in the 100M Freestyle (1:07.81), 200M Individual Medley (3:15:15), 50M Freestyle (30.68s), 50M Backstroke (38.14s), 100M Breaststroke (1:40.88), 50M Butterfly (35.40s).

In the 11-12 category CARIFTA Swimmers Leon Seaton and Lian Winter made a meal of their counter racking up some high individual scores.

Seaton won the 50M Breaststroke (38.07s), 100M Backstroke (1:16.36s), 50M Butterfly (30.53s), 50M Backstroke (34.09s), 200M Freestyle (2:19.12), 50M Freestyle (27.22s), 100M Butterfly (1:07.64), 400M Freestyle (5:02.12) and 100M Freestyle (1:02.34).

While Winter touched first in the 100M Backstroke (1:20.41), 200M Backstroke (3:00.12), 50M Butterfly (32.34s), 50M Backstroke

(36.59s), 50M Freestyle (31.62s), 100M Butterfly (1:14.24), 200M Individual Medley (2:57.03) and 100M Freestyle (1:12:09).

Aleka Persaud and Paul Mahaica also produced some splendid performances in the 9-10 category.

After all the points were tallied, Dorado Speed Swim Club accumulated (845), Dolphin Swim Club (670), Silver Sharks Aquatic Club ( 625.5), Ocra Swim Club (400) and Linden Speed Swim Club (183).

B

ritain’s Andy Murray produced a clinical performance to see off Russian Karen Khachanov and reach a seventh French Open quarter-final.

The world number one came through 6-3 6-4 6-4 to claim his 650th Tour-level victory in two hours and four minutes.

The Scot, 30, goes on to face Japan’s Kei Nishikori, the eighth seed, in the last eight.

Murray - beaten finalist last year - continued where he left off against Juan Martin del Porto on Saturday to beat the unseeded Russian with barely a scare.

The only British man to

win the French Open is Fred Perry, in 1935.

Murray followed up his impressive third-round win over Juan Martin del Potro with another display that suggests he is a real contender in Paris.

His struggles with form and fitness leading into Roland Garros had left him sticking to the ‘one game at a time’ mantra, with good reason.

However, the hugely powerful Khachanov, ranked 53rd, was dismissed by another Murray performance built around his trademark defensive skills allied with some solid serving.

The gap in experience was huge, with Murray try-

ing to reach his 29th Grand Slam quarter-final and 21-year-old Khachanov his first.

It was quickly apparent that Khachanov’s power would take some getting used to, as the Russian drew gasps from the crowd for both forehands and backhands.

Murray played the percentages beautifully, however, setting up the decisive break point of the opening set with a wonderful return and making just one unforced error in the entire set.

Khachanov would fall behind early in the second after a double-fault, an issue that dogged him throughout the match along with a poor

first-serve percentage.

The first crack in the Murray game appeared just after the hour mark as two loose shots handed the break straight back, but another poor Khachanov service game made it three breaks in a row.

Murray would not relinquish this chance, easing through to a two-set lead and moving 2-0 up in the third.

There was a brief alarm when his first-serve deserted him and he was pegged back to 4-4, but again Murray hit straight back with his fifth break of the match and closed it out on serve. (BBC)

CONCACAF appoints new Chief of Football Officer

T

he Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) on Monday announced that Manolo Zubiria has been appointed as Chief of Football Officer, effective June 26, 2017. He will lead the division of Football Operations, providing overall management and execution of CONCACAF’s tournaments, major events, as well as football development programs.

The Chief of Football Officer position was created as part of CONCACAF’s recent re-organization to continue building a stronger and more efficient Confederation focused on investing in growing football across the region and advancing the overall business of the organization.

“We are very pleased to welcome Mr. Zubiria as our Chief of Football Officer. With his wealth of experience and understanding of our Confederation’s culture, his role will be critical as we continue growing the game through our ONE CONCACAF Vision,” said CONCACAF President Victor Montagliani. “Mr. Zubiria will be instrumental in leading the management and evolution of our football operations, while helping achieve our

Manolo Zubiria

organization’s strategic priorities to take the game to the next level.”

Mr. Zubiria joins CONCACAF from AS Roma, where he spent the last four seasons as the Head of Team Operations. His tenure at Roma was marked by operational improvements as well as competitive success for the club, including three-second place finishes in Serie A and qualification to the UEFA Champions League in three of the four seasons. Previously, he served as CONCACAF’s Director of Competitions and Director of

Marketing and TV. His first involvement in football came in 2003 at the CONCACAF Gold Cup. The Chief of Football Officer will have direct oversight of the departments of Competitions, Development, Disciplinary, Hospitality and Events, Refereeing, and Women’s Football.

He will work side-by-side with the Chief Officers of the Finance and Administration, Commercial, and Legal and Compliance divisions.

“I am honored to take on this truly important role as the Chief of Football Officer at CONCACAF,” said Mr. Zubiria. “The Confederation is poised for greater growth. I look forward to working closely with our Council as well as the 41 Member Associations to develop a solid and sustainable football strategy that leverages the organization’s operational capabilities and opportunities more effectively.”

Mr. Zubiria succeeds the Confederation’s Interim Chief of Football Officer, Mr. Ted Howard, who has also served as Deputy General Secretary and has been with the organization since 1998. After Mr. Howard retires in July 2017, he will work closely with Mr. Zubiria on a transition through December 2017.

During his tenure at CONCACAF,

Mr. Howard has been instrumental in leading the Confederation, while making significant contributions to its success and positioning the region’s game for further growth.

Mr. Zubiria brings over 12 years of international experience within the sport industry working with global brands in diverse areas including event operations, marketing sponsorships, consulting, account and brand management, business expansion, professional football team management and development. He has a proven track record in managing major global events including the FIFA World Cup, FIFA Club World Cup, Summer Olympics, UEFA Champions League, Copa America Centenario USA 2016, CONCACAF Gold Cup and Scotiabank CONCACAF Champions League.

CONCACAF engaged in a comprehensive public search before presenting a list of female and male candidates to the Confederation’s senior management and Council members.

Mr. Zubiria holds a Master of Business Administration from the University of Miami in Florida and a Bachelors of Arts degree in Finance from the Boston College in Massachusetts. (Sportsmax)

20

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

tuesDAY, june 6, 2017

Hazard to miss start So close, but rain denies of new Premier Australia victory League season C Champions Trophy, Group A...

nings and there was a small delay in the start

Tamim Iqbal

A

fter being on the fortunate end of a washout in their first group game, Australia were denied victory against Bangladesh at The Oval, where they were firmly in control of a small chase when it began to rain after 16 overs. They needed to play four more overs to ensure a result but the London weather did not allow it.

The last action on the field, before the players went off at 6.43 pm, involved Steven Smith simply blocking five deliveries from Mashrafe Mortaza without attempting to score, in the hope of speeding up proceedings to get to 20 overs.

Australia would have been well ahead of the par score.

The match was eventually called off at 9.18 pm.

With two points from two washouts, Australia now have to beat England in their final group game to have a chance of making the semi-finals. Bangladesh, who have only one point after two games, are not yet out of contention either.

It had drizzled towards the end of Bangladesh’s in-

of the chase. Australia began it confidently. Aaron Finch and David Warner clubbed a couple of boundaries each and the pace did not flag even after Finch fell lbw to Rubel Hossain. Warner became the fastest Australia to 4000 ODI runs.

Bangladesh bowled only one over of spin, not hurrying the over-rate along by using their quicks for 15 overs. As Smith and Warner began a fluent partnership,

Mehedi Hasan is cleaned out by Mitchell Starc © AFP

their race was not against the bowling but the weather, and ultimately it was futile.

The weather was fair for much of the first innings but Bangladesh’s batting was not, with the exception of Tamim Iqbal, who waged a lone battle against

SCOREBOARD Bangladesh innings (50 overs maximum) Tamim Iqbal c Hazlewood b Starc 95 Soumya Sarkar c †Wade b Hazlewood 3 Imrul Kayes c Finch b Cummins 6 Mushfiqur Rahim† lbw b Henriques 9 29 Shakib Al Hasan lbw b Head Sabbir Rahmanc Smith b Zampa 8 b Zampa 8 Mahmudullah Mehedi Hasan Miraz b Starc 14 Mashrafe Mortaza* b Starc 0 b Starc 0 Rubel Hossain 1 Mustafizur Rahman not out 9 Extras (lb 6, w 3) 182 Total (all out; 44.3 overs) Fall of wickets: 1-22 (Soumya Sarkar, 5.2 ov), 2-37 (Imrul Kayes, 10.2 ov), 3-53 (Mushfiqur Rahim, 16.2 ov), 4-122 (Shakib Al Hasan, 29.5 ov), 5-141 (Sabbir Rahman, 34.2 ov), 6-153 (Mahmudullah, 36.6 ov), 7-181 (Tamim Iqbal, 42.1 ov), 8-181 (Mashrafe Mortaza, 42.3 ov), 9-181 (Rubel Hossain, 42.4 ov), 10-182

Australia’s pace battery.

His 95 came off 114 balls, and included six fours and three sixes, but Tamim had little support from his teammates and had to readjust his tempo every time a wicket fell. The first three went in the space of 11 overs Mushfiqur Rahim did not review his lbw through he had got an inside edge - and Tamim began to rebuild the innings with Shakib. Their partnership had grown to 69 before Shakib was given out lbw to Travis Head; Nigel Llong’s decision appeared spot on despite the batsmen being well down the track.

Legspinner Adam Zampa debunked any doubt about his inclusion by taking two

(Mehedi Hasan Miraz, 44.3 ov) 8.3-2-29Bowling: Starc 4 (1w), Hazlewood 10-0-40-1, Cummins 8-1-22-1 (2w), Head 8-0-33-1, Henriques 5-0-30-1, Zampa 4-1-13-2, Maxwell 1-0-9-0 Australia innings (target: 183 runs from 50 overs) D Warner not out 40 A Finch lbw b Rubel Hossain 19 S Smith* not out 22 2 Extras (lb 1, w 1) (1 wicket; 16 overs) 83 Total Did not bat MC Henriques, GJ Maxwell, TM Head, MS Wade†, MA Starc, PJ Cummins, A Zampa, JR Hazlewood Fall of wickets: 1-45 (Finch, 7.5 ov) Bowling : Mustafizur Rahman 5-0-27-0, Mashrafe Mortaza 6-0-30-0 (1w), Rubel Hossain 4-0-21-1, Mehedi Hasan Miraz 1-0-4-0

wickets in consecutive overs, though Smith brought him into the attack in the 35th over.

Mitchell Starc then ripped out the last four Bangladesh wickets in the space of nine balls, including three in one over Tamim was caught pulling to fine-leg, before Mashrafe Mortaza and Rubel Hossain were bowled by full and fast deliveries. Mustafizur Rahman narrowly survived Starc’s hat-trick ball but Mehedi was clean bowled in the next over.

The weather had begun to worsen, though, and the players spent the best part of the evening indoors. (Cricinfo)

helsea have announced Eden Hazard is to be out for three months after having surgery on his fractured ankle.

Eden Hazard is expected miss the start of the new Premier League season after undergoing surgery on an ankle injury that will keep him out for approximately three months, Chelsea have announced.

Hazard sustained a fractured ankle during a training session with Belgium, ruling him out of Monday’s friendly against Czech Eden Hazard is to be out for three months Republic and the after having surgery on his fractured ankle World Cup qualifier with Estonia on London, he would consider Friday. a move to Real Madrid if the The attacker subsequent- Champions League winners ly underwent surgery on his were to make a bid. right ankle and Chelsea do The 26-year-old hit 16 not anticipate him returning Premier League goals as to training until September, Chelsea claimed the title in likely ruling him out of the Antonio Conte’s first seaopening weeks of the new son in charge, although they campaign. were beaten 2-1 by Arsenal “Everything went well in the FA Cup final. with my ankle operation, His injury will be a blow now I start the road to re- for Conte as his side gear up covery,” Hazard wrote on for a return to the Champions Instagram.

League in 2017-18 having “I will be stronger. Thank not featured in European you for your support every- competition last term. one!!”

Hazard was named Hazard has been linked Chelsea’s Player of the Year, with a move away from becoming the second person Stamford Bridge and in- in the 50-year history of the dicated last week that, al- prize to collect it for a third though he is happy in time. (Sportsmax)

Greenwood hails performance of National U-15s T he national U15 team had a successful stint in the Soualiga Tournament in St. Martin, capturing the championship trophy without conceding a goal in the June 1-4 invitational.

Among the goal scorers were Orville Daniels (1), Ronaldo Rodrigues (1), Tyrel Khan (1), Omari Glasgow (2), Ken Salvador (1), Troni Semple (1) and Jermaine Garrett (1) In summing up the tournament, Technical Director,Ian Greenwood said: “The players and technical staff have done a fantastic job throughout the tournament to bring home the trophy.

Defensively, we have seen solid keeping with six clean sheets; Wayne Da Silva has proved himself to be the best defender in the competition along with our Goalkeeper Shawn Adonis who marshalled the back line.

In possession, players have been relaxed and composed looking to play The National Under-15s and coaches are all smiles after their tournament victory on through the thirds and be creative in Sunday conduct on and off the field.” the final third. We have shown desire, in and round the box and Set Pieces.

“The players have executed these The Soualiga tournament has a toheart and a willingness not to be beatwell; we are still a long way from where tal of nine participating territories en throughout the tournament.

Ronaldo Rodriqgues and Orville we need to be but we are on the right including Anguilla, Barbados, BVI, Dominica, Guadeloupe, Haiti and Daniels offered an attacking threat at track”, he said.

“This victory is clear evidence of the Martinique. all times, with Omari Glasgow coming GFF-ScotiaBank Academy Training Summary results for Guyana from deep to join in.

According to Greenwood, the key Centres (ATC) weekly sessions and na- are as follows: vs Barbados 0 – 0; vs technical objectives focused on before tional team training camps’ effective- Guadeloupe 0 – 0, vs BVI 5 - 0 , vs Martinique 1 – 0, vs Dominica 1 - 0 the tournament were: Defensive Shape; ness”.

“Once again, I would like to say how (semi-final) and vs St. Martin 1 - 0 (fiPressing from the Front; Creative play proud we are of the players on their nal).

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21

GCB/Hand-in-Hand U-19 Inter-County 3-Day…

Demerara, Berbice record thumping victories

‒ Seyhodan, Anderson impress

D

emerara and Berbice both won their matches inside of two days when the Guyana Cricket Board/Hand-in-Hand Under-19 InterCounty Three-Day Tournament continued on Monday.

Demerara sustained their dominance over Essequibo, while Berbice and the National Select Under-19 upheld their unrelenting wrestle for supremacy, with Berbice coming out on top in this fight.

At the Police Sports Club ground, Demerara won by an innings and 106 runs, after declaring on 327 for 9 in response to Essequibo’s 106 all out.

Essequibo, batting a second time and needing to make 221 runs to make Demerara bat again, were able to make only 115 runs. Kurt Lovell top scored with 33, while Sheldon Charles supported with 25. Mark Ramsammy was the only other batsman to reach double figures -- 11.

Kishram Seyhodan was the pick of the bowlers for Demerara, snaring 4 for 20 from 20.4 overs; Riche Looknauth, with 2 for 30 from 9 overs, and Ronaldo Ali Mohamed, Sagar Hatharamani and Raymond Perez, each took one wicket.

Earlier, the pair of Ramnarine Chatura and Riche Looknauth added 32 more runs to Demerara’s overnight score of 230 for 5 before Chatura was caught off the bowling of Joel Fortune for 40. Sagar Hatharamani was the next to go, caught off the bowling of Mahendra Persaud for 15, to leave the score on 299 for 7. Then, with the score on 323, Looknauth’s solid innings of 50 came to an end when Joel Fortune had him caught at long off. Essequibo then claimed their ninth wicket -- Kishan Singh, bowled by Joel Fortune for 4.

Bowling for Demerara, left arm spinner Joel Fortune grabbed 6 Essequibo wickets for 74 runs off 22 overs, while Joshua Jones, Chanderpaul Mohabir and Mahendra Persaud each took a wicket.

And at the Everest Cricket Club ground, the National Select Under-17 went down to Berbice by five wickets in a low-scoring affair.

Resuming from their overnight sec-

Medium pacer Ronaldo Ali-Mohamed produced some steam late on day 2

ond innings score of 5 for 2, the Under17s found themselves in early woes when Junior Sinclair was bowled by Sylus Tyndall for 2 with just three runs being added to the overnight score.

Kevlon Anderson was adjudged Man of the Match for his constructive batting performances of 39 and 45

Kevlon Anderson then joined Orlando Jailall, and they took the score to 30 before Jailall was caught off the bowling of Deon Sinclair for 6.

Rajendra Singh and Anderson seemed set to take the Select Under-17 to lunch without any further fall of wickets, but Deon Sinclair had other ideas, and within two minutes of lunch had Rajendra Singh bowled for 10, to send the Select Under-17 to lunch at 57 for 5.

After lunch, Deon Sinclair send back Lance Roberts, caught by Simpson for 7, to continue the Select Under-17’s woeful slide to 75 for 6. Kevin Sinclair then removed Pradesh Balkishun be-

fore he could add to the aggregate score of 75, then sent back middle order batsman Kelvon Anderson for a tangible 45. Thereafter, Keith Simpson bowled Ashmead Nedd for a duck, and without scoring, Mark Rankin was adjudged LBW to Kevin Sinclair, to close the National Select Under-17 second innings one run short of their first innings score of 86.

Bowling for Berbice, Keith Simpson, Kevin Sinclair and Deon Sinclair took three wickets each for 15, 9 and 19 runs respectively.

Set 86 for victory, Berbice initially found the target challenging, as Kevin Sinclair, Veramootoo Senwasane, Adrian Sukwah and Sylus Tyndall were dismissed for 20 runs. However, Javid Karim and Steve Deonarine took the score to 65 before Deonarine was caught by Khan and bowled by Junior Sinclair for 20.

Mathew Hardyal then joined Karim, and they carried Berbice to victory, with Berbice finishing on 87 for 5 from 38.5 overs. Berbice won the match by 5 wickets.

Junior Sinclair was the most threatening bowler for the National Select Under-17 with 3 for 25 from 14 penetrative overs. Kevlon Anderson was adjudged Man of the Match for his constructive batting performances of 39 and 45 in the match.

The second round of matches will commence on Thursday, when the Under-17s oppose Demerara at Everest while Essequibo will do battle with Berbice at Police. Both matches commence at 10:00 hrs, weather permitting.

175 students benefit from Table Tennis Coaching Programme in Bartica

1

75 students have benefited from a Developmental Table Tennis Coaching Programme for primary and secondary schools conducted in Bartica, Region Seven, by the National Sports Commission, a department of the Ministry of Education.

The sessions, conducted by National Table Tennis Coach Linden Johnson, were for students between the age of 6 and 18 years old. Johnson was assisted by teacher Timothy Cornelius, who participated in a 12-hour table tennis workshop in 2016.

Activities, held at the Bartica Community Centre, began on Monday, May 29, and ended on Friday, June 2. Schools that participated were: St John the Baptist Primary, St Anthony’s Primary, Two Miles Primary,

Some of the pupils practising a training technique using balloons

Holy Name Primary, Agatash Primary and Bartica Secondary. Each school was allowed to send 24 pupils (12 boys and 12 girls), and was entitled to one three-hour session.

The aims and objectives of the programme were as follows: To develop and improve the level of table tennis in Bartica; help students with

the basic skills of table tennis; help students to be better prepared for tournaments; train a nucleus of students to prepare for CXC exams; increase by 25% the number of participants involved in table tennis in Region #7; identify players for future training; create an integrated coaching programme that incorporates the coaches’ education and play-

ers’ development; and motivate and encourage schools and players to join forces and work in partnership.

The participation was overwhelming, with lots of talent spotted. Follow-up visits will be undertaken throughout the year. An inter-primary school tournament is slated for next term.

22

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

tuesdAY, june 6, 2017

AAG to throw full “We’re moving support behind Caesar

By Michelangelo Jacobus

T

he stellar performances of Guyana’s ‘Golden Boy,’ Compton Caesar, have produced a decision from the Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG) to employ all its resources to help nurture what is possibly Guyana’s next best hope for an international track star.

Having dominated the National Schools Championships for a number of years, Caesar took his prowess to another level when he won an historic Gold in the 100M event at the CARIFTA Games in April. He proved himself to be no flash in the pan when he produced a superb run on home tuff to win the 100M event at the South American Under-20 Championships on Saturday. The powerful sprinter has set a new National U-20 100-metres’ record with a personal best time of 10.37s running against a wind of -3.1.

“Compton is in a situation right now where he is achieving for himself the goals that he set himself; and all we can do is try to assist him in achieving those goals,” Aubrey

up”– AAG President declares ‒ views South American Championships as a success

By Michelangelo Jacobus

“W

AAG President Aubrey Hutson congratulates Compton Caesar after his 100 metres’ triumph

Hutson, president of the Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG), told Guyana Times Sport in an interview on Monday.

He added, “Compton has a God-given gift, and he is using that gift to the best of his ability. And I’m going to say this much: I have confidence in Compton achieving the things he wants to achieve using the methods he chooses. All we can do as an association is support him.”

On behalf of the AAG, Hutson congratulated Caesar on his hard work, saying: “You just don’t show up and run fast, you have to train. Compton knows this…”

A day after the South American U-20 Championships, Hutson revealed that he has already received a call from a corporate giant, enquiring how they could assist in the development of Compton. This, he noted, bodes well for the athlete’s future.

Caesar, who hails from Linden and is a former Wisburg Secondary School student, has already secured a scholarship to the University of Guyana, compliments of the National Sports Commission (NSC); and Guyana Times Sport wishes him all the best as he learns to conquer life’s challenges both on and off the track.

Peterson, Oudit winners of GAPF Deadlift Competition

e are like the Jeffersons; we’re moving up!” were the words of President of the AAG (Athletics Association of Guyana), Aubrey Hutson, in an interview with Guyana Times Sport on Monday.

Hutson told this publication that Guyana was able to successfully host the South American Youth Championships, but he acknowledged that a few areas still need to be worked on.

AAG President Aubrey Hutson Asked what is next for the AAG, Hutson pointed South American Senior out that while the AAG re- Championships.”

Guyana amassed a remains focused on advancing cord haul of 25 medals in the development of athletthe South American Youth ics in Guyana, he feels that tripling body does not get the recog- Championships, their previous total of eight, nition it deserves. garnered since the incep“I don’t think the AAG gets the amount of recogni- tion of the championships in tion that they deserve. We 1959.

Guyana Times Sport enhave athletes who are highquired about a long term dely ranked in the world, (and velopment plan to further we have done better) than enhance Guyana’s vastly any other sport in Guyana.” improved athletics pool, and He highlighted: “Troy Hutson responded: “I keep Doris had performances as a senior athlete (that) ranked hearing that Hutson has no as high as seventh in the plan for the development of world. We have Natricia athletics, but I answer them Hooper ranked fourth in every time we go to compethe world as a junior per- titions. It is not by fluke or former… But the associa- luck that it is happening tion doesn’t get the recog- in my time, and it wasn’t nition for the work that we happening before. There is

thing that we (AAG) examine is: ‘How does this aid in the development of athletics?’ Not ‘how does it get me to go to Kenya, or on a trip somewhere.”

Hutson has praised the contributions of the various coaches in Guyana, and commended their involvement in the development of the various sporting disciplines.

“Once I’ve laid that foundation on where I stand, we’re constantly examining programmes coming from our coaches… And I must tell you there is (a very) harmonious relationship among our coaches now. Johnny Gravesande, [Moses] Pantlitz, Julian Edmonds, [Robert] Chisholm, all these guys understand that hey!

This is a golden opportunity to develop a product called the Guyanese athlete,” he explained.

“My focus is constant development. Every time we go out there we must do better. Every time our athletes go out there they must do better…” he declared.

He pointed out the following: “Kenisha Phillips ran her fastest time ever in her career last weekend.

That is a sign of improvement for me. Even if she did not medal, she is getting better and better, and one day

Leaping in the right direction! Chantoba Bright took gold at the SA U-20 Games with her personal best jump of 6.30 metres

T

Carlos Peterson emerged the male champion of the GAPF Fundraising Deadlift Competition

he Guyana Amateur P o w e r l i f t i n g Federation (GAPF) on Sunday successfully held a fundraising barbecue and Deadlift competition at the Saint Stanislaus College Auditorium.

In the female category, Lisa Oudit of Buddy’s Gym emerged champion, while Carlos Peterson of the Scott Carlise Fitness Centre was crowned King in the male category.

With a bodyweight of 78.4kg, Lisa Oudit came up against Jacqueline Toney (72.74kg) and mustered enough power to win the overall female trophy, lifting the most weight to cop

first place among her female peers.

Oudit had a best lift of 120kg to end with 111.1 Wilks points, which was enough to land her the first place in both instances.

Toney could manage only 105kgs, to end with 101.8 Wilks points.

In the men’s competition, Peterson, who weighs some 93.4kg, despite failing to hoist 706lbs, managed to win overall, ahead of Rashleigh Bentick of Fitness Paradise Gym and third placed Bishen Sasenarine of Outkast Gym. Petterson’s best lift of 300kg resulted in him accumulating 188.1 Wilks

points, which was more than enough to hand him the winning trophy for male competitors, in addition to the overall trophy for the male lifting the most weights.

Second placed Bentick had a best lift of 225kgs for a Wilks points’ total of 157.3; third place Sasenarine managed a best lift of 185kgs and Wilks Points of 125.5.

The event was held to ensure that a full team from Guyana attends the annual NAPF/ Caribbean and NAPF/ FESUPO Powerlifting Championships in Orlando, Florida slated for July 3-8.

are doing. I am not looking for anyone to shower praise on Hutson or the association and that kind of stuff.”

He called on Corporate Guyana to look at the market value that athletics in Guyana has internationally, and he explained that there are still quite a few international events coming up in the latter half of the year.

“We still have, before the end of the year, PAN-AM Junior Championships to be held in Peru or Ecuador; the World Youth Championship in Nairobi, Kenya…..the Commonwealth Youth Games in the Bahamas… our own South American 10k that will run off here (Guyana), as well as the

a plan that says ‘athletes first’, which is contrary to what happened before…

“We (AAG) spend over 90% of our budget on direct athlete development. So if you know you want to come into athletics and be a part of the programme that we have for development, understand that there is a sacrifice that you as an official have to make, because our focus is raising the athletes’ level of performance,” he explained.

Hutson has said he would welcome persons who are seeking to be a part of the development of athletics in Guyana, but he cautioned: “If you have a programme that you’d like to bring to the table, the first

we’re gonna hit the jackpot.”

Athletics is at an alltime high in Guyana, with the current crop of junior athletes performing admirably at recent International meets such as the CARIFTA Games, wherein Chantoba Bright, Compton Caesar, Anfernee Headecker, Natricia Hooper and Claudrice McKoy all medalled in their respective events. At this past weekend’s South American U-20 Games, held at the Leonora facility, the quartet all medalled again, while Samuel Lynch, Onasha Rogers, Kenisha Phillips, Timothy Sealey, Terrence Fraser and Dennies Roberts also copped medals for the host nation.

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tuesDAY, june 6, 2017

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West Indies v Afghanistan, 3rd T20I…

Samuels' breezy 89* completes West Indies sweep M

arlon Samuels’ highest score in T20Is, an unbeaten 66-ball 89, steered West Indies to whitewash-sealing seven-wicket win at Warner Park. Afghanistan, who were bowled out for 110 and 93 in the first two T20Is, put up their best batting display of the series, but a total of 146 wasn’t quite enough to challenge West Indies’ lineup.

The hit-and-miss start

Jerome Taylor bowled the first over of the match from around the wicket, and his angle across the right-handed Noor Ali Zadran produced four straight plays and misses.

A cover-driven boundary at the end of the over settled Noor’s nerves, though, and his next 12 balls produced a six and five more fours, including three in a row in Taylor’s second over.

Afghanistan raced to 40 for 1 by the end of the fourth over, but Noor’s departure in the fifth - bowled by Kesrick Williams after moving too far across his stumps, and too early - slowed them down considerably.

Williams, Carlos Brathwaite and Samuel Badree sent down tight post-Powerplay overs,

making a clear effort to bowl straight and deny hitting room, and by the end of the 10th over Afghanistan were only 61 for 2.

Nabi, lower order give Afghanistan a fighting chance

The next 10 overs, though, brought a far healthier 85. Sunil Narine, bowling his four overs on the trot from the 12th onwards, was typically frugal, conceding only 27 runs and one boundary, but Afghanistan showed off their hitting power against the quicker bowlers at the other end. Nabi hit two big sixes, Shafiqullah smacked Williams over midwicket and out of Warner Park in the 19th over - before hitting the next two balls for four and Gulbadin Naib, who only got to face five balls, managed to send one pickup shot off Taylor sailing over the square leg boundary. In all, Afghanistan scored 55 off the last five overs of seam.

Samuels bosses chase

As was the case in the second T20I, Afghanistan only played one genuine fast bowler, with Shapoor Zadran taking Dawlat Zadran’s place, and his only

seam support coming from Karim Janat, the allrounder. Janat did not have the greatest game - he scored 8 off 17, batting at No. 5, and then conceded 41 off his four overs, bowling a length that was too short for his limited pace. Selection apart, there were tactical errors too such as waiting until the

that point, was batting on 40 off 32 balls. Nabi pinned Evin Lewis lbw in the same over to end a 61-run second-wicket stand, but it was Samuels who had been hurting Afghanistan the most, clearing his front leg and getting into position to flatbat anywhere in the arc between point and midwicket.

Noor Ali Zadran made a breezy 35 before Kesrick Williams demolished his exposed stumps © AFP

11th over to bring on their best bowler, Rashid Khan and one very costly fielding lapse.

It came in the 10th over, when Nabi, having got the ball to stop on Samuels, dropped a straightforward return catch. Samuels, at

Lendl Simmons replaced Lewis and made a brisk, attractive 15 before slicing Rashid to long-off, and a small window seemed to open up for Afghanistan,

with West Indies needing 65 off 43 at that point. Samuels, though, quickly reduced the gap between runs required and balls remaining, picking up two pulled fours in the next two overs before clattering successive leg-side

sixes off Nabi in the 16th.

With Jason Mohammed showing off his hitting power as well - a sliced six over point off Janat the highlight of his innings - West Indies strolled home with four balls remaining. (Cricinfo)

SCOREBOARD Afghanistan innings (20 overs maximum) Noor Ali Zadran b Williams 35 Javed Ahmadi lbw b Badree 0 Asghar Stanikzai* c Williams b 13 Powell Mohammad Nabi c Powell 38 b Williams Karim Janat c Lewis b Taylor 8 Shafiqullah† b Williams 25 Najibullah Zadran not out 10 not out 7 Gulbadin Naib Extras (lb 3, w 7) 10 Total (6 wickets; 20 overs) 146 Did not bat: Rashid Khan, Shapoor Zadran, Amir Hamza Fall of wickets: 1-14 (Javed Ahmadi, 1.5 ov), 2-45 (Noor Ali Zadran, 4.6 ov), 3-57 (Asghar Stanikzai, 8.3 ov), 4-96 (Mohammad Nabi, 14.3 ov), 5-108 (Karim Janat, 16.2 ov), 6-138 (Shafiqullah, 18.6 ov) Bowling: Taylor 4-0-33-1 (1w), Badree 4-0-26-1 (1w), Williams 4-0-34-3, C Brathwaite 1-0-3-

3-0-200, R Powell 1, Narine 4-0-27-0 (1w) West Indies innings (target: 147 runs from 20 overs) C Walton† c sub (Samiullah Shenwari) b Shapoor Zadran 0 E Lewis lbw b Mohammad Nabi 19 M Samuels not out 89 L Simmons c Najibullah Zadran b Rashid Khan 15 J Mohammed not out 23 Extras (w 1) 1 Total (3 wickets; 19.2 overs) 147 Did not bat: R Powell, CR Brathwaite*, JE Taylor, SP Narine, S Badree, KOK Williams Fall of wickets: 1-0 (Walton, 0.2 ov), 2-61 (Lewis, 9.5 ov), 3-82 (Simmons, 12.5 ov) Bowling: Shapoor Zadran 3.20-27-1 (1w), Mohammad Nabi 4-0-33-1, Amir Hamza 4-0-24-0, 4-0-41-0, Karim Janat Rashid Khan 4-0-22-1

GTTA committed to Wong’s development Hopkinson takes senior top spot Guyana NRA Smallbore Practical Pistol Match…

‒ player set to attend 1-month training camp in Dominican Republic

‒ Merriman, junior/beginners

By Akeem Greene

D

espite his being prevented by administrative issues from getting to wield his racket at the Latin America Continental Championships which were held in the Dominican Republic last month, the Guyana Table Tennis Association (GTTA) is keen on ensuring that Miguel Wong stays on track in his bid to qualify for the 2018 Youth Olympics Games in Buenos Aries, Argentina.

Speaking to Guyana Times Sport on Monday, GTTA President, Godfrey Munroe, explained that Wong’s prospects for qualifying for the Games are still intact, since the Continental Championships were not the only route.

“This is not the end of his prospects for Participants at Sunday’s Guyana NRA Smallbore Practical Pistol Match pose with their trophies and qualification to the Youth Games; there are medals after the presentation different pathways. (It can be done) through 48 points, just one ahead of a world ranking, (wherein) the top 10 to arold ‘Top Gun’ 80 points.

Hopkinson was unThis three-stage match the second-placed Jamaine 15s juniors get automatic acceptance; but stoppable on Sunday consisted of falling plates Braithwaite. he (perhaps) won’t qualify there. There was last when the Guyana and steel poppers. Using the Two points back in the Continental Cup, or other junior circuit National Rifle Association IPSC scoring system, shoot- 3rd was Michael Tang, events; but we’re trying to (get him to qual(Guyana NRA) Smallbore ers were required to gain as Glendon Fogenay was ify by) using the ‘universal allocated’ posiSection held a Practical much points as possible in 4th with 22 points and Kevin tion”.

Pistol Shoot at the Timehri the fastest time from 15 and Fields 5th on 17 points.

He added: “It is a method (wherein) Rifle Ranges.

20 metres.

Results from the three countries (that) have limited amounts of Although he did not From the three stag- stages are as follows: Stage athletes attending the Games (have) been win any of the three stag- es, results among the se- 1 - Michael Tang, Kevin given the chance (to qualify) as a ‘wild card.’ es, Hopkinson did enough niors were as follows: Stage Fields, Colin Merriman. The policy of the International Federation is to end as the overall winner 1 - Dale Hing, Harold Stage 2 Jamaine that you have to make an attempt at qualwith a total of 133 points. Hopkinson, Surujbali Braithwaite, Michael Tang, ifying“.

Winner of stage three, Azaad Persaud. Stage 2 - Dale Hing, Colin Merriman. Stage 3 In explaining why Wong was not able to Hassan, ended 2nd overall Harold Hopkinson, Gordon Colin Merriman, Jamaine participate in activities in the Dominican with a total of 125 points; Richards. Stage 3 - Azaad Braithwaite, Michael Tang.

Republic, Munroe said, “We sent up his and Smallbore Captain Dale Hassan, Harold Hopkinson, Hing disclosed that the registration to the Dominican Republic, Hing, winner of stages one Gordon Richards. next event will be a Precision as the host for the continental trials, and and two, ended third on 122 Colin Merriman, who Pistol match at the Tactical they were supposed to send it to the ITTF points. won stage three and was Service Unit of the Guyana [International Table Tennis Federation] but Gordon Richards, 3rd in the first and second Police Force (TSC) Range on there was some mix-up. He also reached late Smallbore Vice Captain, stages, came out overall June 17th, followed by an- (on) the morning of the trials, so he was not ended 4th with 100 points; winner in the juniors/begin- other Practical Pistol match include in (the) draws”. while Surujbali was 5th on ners category with a tally of in July.

Munroe, however, said: “To compensate

H

Miguel Wong

for that, the Dominican Republic have indicated that they would stand his training expenses for a training one-month camp”.

The GTTA President is hopeful that the camp can be held from June 13 to July 13.

Wong would have another shot at qualification when he participates in the South American Youth Games, to be held in Chile from September 27 to October 8.

In a recent GTTA release, it was stated: “Miguel is a talented, disciplined athlete; one whom the association feels has a long term future in the sport, and the potential to reach higher levels if given the correct nurturing, support and exposure. His exposure to this event will truly augment his development (and) his international ranking; which would assist Guyana’s chances of doing well in future engagements. And so this would represent a long-term investment in one of our brighter prospects for the future.”

Wong is attempting to follow in the footsteps of Adielle Roushevel, who attended the Youth Olympic Games in Singapore (2010); and Chelsea Edghill, who did likewise in China (2014).

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

TUESDAY, JUNE 6, 2017

guyanatimesgy.com

AAG to throw

GCB/Hand-in-Hand U-19 Inter-County 3-Day…

full support Demerara, Berbice record behind Caesar

thumping victories Pg 21

Pg 22

‒ Seyhodan, Anderson impress

Guyana’s shining light in athletics has been described as destined for greatness

Left-arm spinner Kishram Seyhodan yet again made a defining impact in the match

West Indies v Afghanistan, 3rd T20I…

Pg 23

Samuels' breezy 89* completes West Indies sweep The West Indies players converge to celebrate the dismissal of Karim Janat ©WICB Media/Randy Brooks of Brooks LaTouche Photography

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