Guyana Times 06-09-2017

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Issue No. 3236

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Friday, June 9, 2017

GPHC sacks CEO over embarrassing PAC hearing

PRICE

$80 vat included

WHAT'S INSIDE: Public sugar forum

Clear bias in Speaker’s latest P13 decision – Jagdeo

Page 3

VAT revenue collection down 10% Page 11

Storm wreaks havoc in Linden Page 15

No cellphone policy at GRA soon – Statia

P14

Boyer re-elected PSC Chairman Page 13

Kitty resident busted with ganja in speaker P8 boxes

ExxonMobil contract

PM cites P7 Venezuela border issue as reason for nondisclosure

– says details will be released in ‘due course’ Re-elected Chairman of the Private Sector Commission, Eddie Boyer, flanked by other PSC executives

Jagdeo agrees to meet Granger over rejected GECOM list Page 7

… reiterates extra-parliamentary actions if President acts unilaterally

Rice mill worker P12 narrowly escapes death

– after ton sack laden with paddy fell on him

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news

BRIDGE OPENINGS The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Friday, June 9 – 05:00h-06:30h and Saturday, June 10 – 05:30h-07:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Friday, June 9 – 16:35h-18:05h and Saturday, June 10 – 16:50h-18:20h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY

Thundery to heavy rain showers can be expected throughout the day, while lightly rain showers with light cloudy skies can be expected in the evening.

Temperatures should range between 24 degrees Celsius and 28 degrees Celsius.

Winds: Easterly to East South-easterly and East Northeasterly between 1.78 metres and 3.12 metres.

High Tide: 04:08h and 16:32h reaching maximum heights of 2.61 metres and 2.51 metres respectively.

Low Tide: 10:07h and 22:18h reaching minimum heights of 0.59 metre and 0.71 metre respectively.

WEDNESDAY, June 7, 2017

LOTTERY NUMBERS H

04 07 08

18 21 24

17 Bonus Ball

FREE TICKET

GPHC sacks CEO over embarrassing PAC hearing … also cites questionable judgement, repeated absence

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hief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), Allan Johnson, has been fired for embarrassing the Corporation in addition to his questionable judgement and repeated absence from Board meetings.

The decision was taken by the GPHC’s Board of Directors and was announced by Chairperson Kessaundra Alves.

Johnson’s firing is effective immediately.

According to a GPHC missive announcing the firing, it was pointed out that in a letter to Johnson, Chairman Alves noted that “the incident before PAC (Public Accounts Committee) has embarrassed the Board and staff of this Corporation and, to our dismay, has caused the public to question the desire of the Board for transparency and accountability in the handling of the Corporation’s money.”

Johnson and GPHC Finance Director, Ronald Charles were a week ago ousted from the Public Accounts Committee by Chairman Irfaan Ali, since both men were woeful-

Sacked GPHC’s CEO, Allan Johnson

the GPHC in 2015, Ali intervened and brought the proceedings to a close before ousting Johnson.

Meanwhile, the GPHC Board in informing Johnson of the decision indicated that the entity also “had cause to question your judgement on a number of occasions.

Moreover, you continue to be absent or request early release from Board and Board Committee meetings… (and) are therefore consistently unavailable to

Brigadier George Lewis, recently retired GDF Chief-ofStaff, was recently installed DeputyCEO of the GPHC

(PAC) last month end.”

The move by the nation’s premier State-owned health institution, comes days after Guyana Times published a critical assessment and “closer look at Government’s parallel appointments,” at the institution, questioning whether there was “Structured corruption at GPHC?” The GPHC has in recent months been coming under fire for repeated breaches of regulation, laws and finan-

Thursday, June 8, 2017

DAILY MILLIONS 01 03 13 19 24 LUCKY 3 8 6 9 Afternoon Draw

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Michael Khan, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the GPHC, was sent on paid leave

Of the total $8.5 billion allocated to the entity for the year, employment costs account for $3.1 billion; capital expenditure has been budgeted at $527 million; dietary and meals at $537 million; and other purchases, such as cleaning supplies and security, have been budgeted at $579 million.

This means there is about $2.6 billion for the year for the procurement of drugs and medical supplies.

With $2 billion of that money already spent in the first two months of the year – representing some 77 per cent of the total allocation for the year – Government will undoubtedly be heading to the coffers for more money.

A CLOSER LOOK

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Evening Draw

DRAW DE LINE

03 06 07 10 11 13 15 DISCLAIMER: WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY ERRORS IN PUBLICATION. PLEASE CALL THE HOTLINE FOR CONFIRMATION - TEL: 225-8902

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Chairman of the PAC, Opposition Member of Parliament Irfaan Ali chides GPHC CEO Allan Johnson (left) and Finance Director Ronald Charles during the PAC meeting on Monday, May 29

ly ill-prepared when questioned about expenditure by the entity.

The matter came to a head during the session when a member of the Committee questioned failure by the GPHC to submit financial statements for 2015 in breach of the Public Corporation Act. Questions were left unanswered and a strange state of affairs was also unearthed as the Finance Director seemed unaware he was in fact Finance Director, since another person also served in the capacity.

After the men failed on numerous occasions to provide specific answers on spending undertaken by

supply the Board with pertinent information or to take instructions from the Board.”

The letter said Johnson shall no longer act in the position “with effect from Friday, 9th June, 2017.”

The Public Health Ministry seconded Johnson from the New Amsterdam Hospital in 2015 to Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) to act as its CEO. According to the GPHC in making the announcement, “the Board unanimously decided to remove Johnson following a series of lapses which included the embarrassment of the Corporation before the Public Accounts Committee

cial excesses with regard the entity’s finances.

GPHC was among the first agencies to begin receiving its annual allocations en bloc and without scrutiny ahead of parliamentary approval.

The Public Health Ministry with effect from September 2015 commenced providing a subvention to GPHC and the entity has since no longer functioned as a budget agency.

This means the National Assembly no longer reviews details of the expenditure for the hospital since billions would be turned over from the Treasury in a bulk sum for the Granger Administration appointed officials to expend.

The financial affairs at the GPHC and the discrepancies raised by the Auditor General addressed this past week by the Public Accounts Committee – where it was discovered that more than a year later the officials appointed by the David Granger Administration are yet to comply with the laws of Guyana.

A closer look at the appointments overlooking the expenditure reveals an interesting layout of an organisational chart for a government funded entity.

It reveals parallel appointments serving in positions that essentially usurp the authority of the office holders in order to wield control over the entity’s finances and procurement systems.

Michael Khan, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) was sent on leave but remains in the employ of GPHC, even as a coalition appointee Allan Johnson continues to perform the functions as acting CEO. turn to page 13

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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

Greening Guyana?

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he composition of the air we breathe has for years been changing; there are sources of toxic emissions all around us. Every year, some 7 million of the world’s people die from air pollution, making it the world’s biggest environmental killer. Then there are the dire effects of global warming, driven largely by an increase in greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

Guyana attended the UN Climate Change Conference in 2015, and signed -- along with 195 countries -- the first comprehensive, legally binding pledge to reduce emissions. We are speaking specifically of the CTEC Conference in Barcelona. Unfortunately, a few countries have since failed to uphold their own commitments; but in many European countries, the commitment to clean the air has opened new initiatives that are cleaning the air.

That is why we cannot understand why the David Granger Administration has bought three gas-guzzling generators for more than Gy$650 million -- to be used on the Essequibo Coast -- instead of setting up a wind farm to feed the Essequibo Coast with green energy.

But what is even more disconcerting is that, to date, after two years in office, not one stone has been laid for one green electricity generation plant -- be it solar, wind or hydro-power.

It was former President Bharrat Jagdeo who, in 2009, placed Guyana on the green energy map when he spearheaded the launching of the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS), which has resulted in Guyana being eligible for US$250 million for green projects. It is unfortunate that the Granger Administration has chosen to make this entire initiative into a political issue, rather than seeing it as an opportunity to unleash new sources of funding to add energy to our nation’s economic growth. When will the senior leaders in the Granger Administration cease and desist from this seeming childishness and advance the LCDS on its merits?

Figures released from the WHO show that 80% of city dwellers are breathing badly polluted air, and it is just a matter of time before this situation also obtains in Guyana. By now, this Granger Administration should have, at a minimum, been able to make all Government buildings more efficient in its use of electricity. It is hoped that, before 2018, at least one ministry would be made into a solar-and-wind hub, thus taking it off the national grid, and in the process saving taxpayers much money.

Energy efficiency can, with technology, be attained in addition to careful use of energy, and products like smart windowpanes, air conditioners, lighting, sustainable architecture and use of appropriate materials -- many of which require human resources for their production and distribution. Institutionalising energy efficiency standards and audits is only the beginning.

This path might be the only practical option available to tide over both the economic and environmental crises the world faces today; but, more importantly, give Guyana a chance to help the process of stabilising the rising sea level. We have skin in this game, because, every day we fail to take Guyana green, we are just adding to the process that one day the tides of the Atlantic Ocean will permanently flow over the sea walls. The gravity of this situation dictates that all are involved, and all may be consumed if we continue to build and buy more gas-guzzling generators, like Minister David Patterson just did for the Essequibians.

EAGLE TRAINING: In Mongolia, a hunter named Saliukhan pauses with his golden eagle. In this region, training eagles for hunting is a skill that is passed on through generations. The eagles hunt small animals in the mountains, which in turn will be made into traditional fur clothes. National Geographic’s Your Shot photographer Biljana Jurukovski writes that once an eagle has been captive for 10 years, the hunter releases it back into the wild. (Photograph By Biljana Jurukovski)

HM of Rama Krishna Primary: Untouchable, or a sacred cow?

Dear Editor, We write to express our concern over an issue of abuse of power and mismanagement at the Rama Krishna Primary School. Evidence has shown that since the appointment of the present Head Mistress, Ms Melanie Cornette, there has been outright and open abuse of power by her as it relates to parents, students and teachers.

In our opinion, this is a frustrating scenario at a Government school, with nothing being done by the officials from the Ministry of Education to alleviate the bias and abuse of authority by this head-mistress, since they are aware of her (alleged) misdeeds. In fact, numerous letters of complaint were written by parents and teachers to officers within the Ministry of Education, and even to the Hon Minister of Education, Dr Rupert Roopnaraine.

Needless to say, these issues were not addressed.

Parents and teachers were left with no other option but to highlight their issues and concerns in the media. Some of the issues that were highlighted in the letters to the Ministry of Education and in the media include: * In the media, on Channel 67, there was an airing about this head teacher’s mismanagement and harassment of the school’s vendors in October, 2015. * A letter, dated March 1, 2016, was written by members of the school’s Parent Teachers Association (PTA) to the Hon Dr Rupert Roopnaraine, and was carbon copied to the Hon Nicolette Henry and the President of the Guyana Teachers Union. This letter had sought to bring to the Hon. Minister’s attention the plight of the newly elected PTA body, which include, but is not limited to, verbal threats and abuse

made to the PTA president and other parents; the refusal of the head-mistress to allow the PTA to function; the daily unprofessional behaviour of Ms Cornette; and the (alleged) misappropriation of school funds, among other issues.

However, to date, members of the PTA body are yet to receive a response from the ministers. * Another letter, dated March 2, 2016, was written to, and received by, Mr Emmanuel Bridgewater ( Principal Education Officer) by members of the PTA on behalf of parents of the Rama Krishna Primary, seeking his urgent intervention in regard to the following: The head-mistress’s poor managerial and leadership skills; withholding of financial records from the PTA; misuse of financial contributions made to the school by parents to offset the school’s telephone bills; the purchase of fuel for Ms Cornette’s personal vehicle and that of another staff member; the sale of stale food prepared by the head-mistress, who is not in possession of a food handler’s certificate; this food had made pupils sick; and the consumption of alcohol on the school’s premises, among other issues. Again, no intervention was made. * In an article appearing in the Guyana Chronicle of June 27th, 2016, a group of parents expressed their concerns and protested outside the Rama Krishna Primary School, calling for the head- mistress to be removed or sanctioned.

Almost one month later -- in July 2016 -- a group of parents of Grade Six (6) children met with reporters of the Kaieteur News to vent their frustration over the misappropriation of funds that were contributed for their children’s graduation. * Likewise, a letter dated December 7, 2016 was written to the Hon. Minister of

Education and copied to the Principal Education Officer and District Education Officer, relating an incident which occurred on December 6th, 2016.

The letter detailed the unprofessional behaviour of the head-mistress in dealing with a staff member in the presence of a parent. The head-mistress allegedly hurled racial remarks about the teacher’s ethnicity while attempting to physically assault her in the process. * Another letter, dated January 20, 2017, was dispatched to the Principal Education Officer by the parent who had witnessed the incident, giving a detailed account of what had transpired between the head-mistress and the aforementioned teacher in the former’s office on December 6, 2016.

Editor, permit me to say that smooth progress of any institution depends greatly on proper management. Those management skills are certainly not displayed by Ms. Cornette; hence the pupils, teachers, parents and PTA of the Rama Krishna Primary School continue to work in an antagonistic environment.

Education is the key to personal and social stability and order; therefore, a positive input by this head-mistress would prove to be very significant in the maintenance of respect, cooperation and equality in this institution. However, as evidence has shown, Ms Cornette’s actions have been quite contrary, and seriously continue to negatively affect the progress of the school.

Editor, if there is need for the foregoing information to be verified, contact can be made with the undersigned to facilitate perusal of the documents, since they are in our possession.

A number of issues need to be clarified with the parents

and teachers of Rama Krishna Primary School. These are: 1. Is Ms Cornette the one and same person who represented the People’s National Congress (PNC), now APNU, on the Region 4 Regional Democratic Council as an elected Councillor?

2. If the answer to the above question is in the affirmative, is this the reason no action or response is forthcoming from officials of the Ministry of Education to resolve this problem and bring an end to the abuses?

3. Is this the same Melanie Cornette who was a teacher at North Georgetown Primary, where problems of a similar nature were reported in the press?

4. If after parents and teachers have utilised all possible official channels seeking redress and they are met with no response, what should they do next?

5. Is the Ministry of Education’s non-response a result of instructions from higher up, since a letter to the minister himself went unanswered?

6. Is Ms Cornette of Rama Krishna Primary the ‘Carol Joseph’ of Region 4?

7. Is she untouchable? Is she a sacred cow?

We, having received this information, now use this forum to add our voices to the voices of the affected parents, students, teachers and members of that community to demand a full, independent and through investigation. We remain on watch to ensure there is no victimisation or recrimination of parents, teachers and students as a result of this public exposure. We expect responsible and swift action on this matter.

Bishop Juan Edghill, PPP/C MP (for and on behalf of affected parties)

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

The blacklisting of Africans

Dear Editor, Historically, the word “black”, according to Frantz Fanon, denotes evil; since “white” symbolizes justice, truth and virginity.

Speaking through a third person, Fanon noted that his body is black, his tongue is black; so his soul must be black too.

Fanon wondered aloud, “In Europe, evil is symbolised by the black man… the perpetuator is the black man; Satan is a black; one talks of darkness; when you are filthy, you are dirty – and this goes for physical dirt as well as moral dirt.

The black man is equated with sin…in Europe, the black man, whether physically or symbolically, represents the dark side of the personality”.

Recorded history has, from the late 14th century, shown a strong correlation between the use of the word “black” to refer to Africans and using this derogatory term to justify enslaving Africans.

I urge all our politicians and media houses to use the term “African Guyanese” in place of the word “black” when referring to Guyanese of African ancestry. In using the term “black” when referring to a person, one is uncertain of the context and intent of the user, especially knowing that “black” has been frequently used over centuries as a scornful term.

Life unfolds before us based on our experiences and knowledge of the past.

In his book ‘Black Skin, White Masks’, Fanon viewed the term “black” as an aberration that came into being on contact with non-Africans -- along with its interminable negative associations, such as a bastion for racism, degradation, slavery and colonialism, with colonialism still expanding in this century. All things considered, the term “black” is offensive when referring to humans in this epoch. It is offensive, and ought not to be used. Leave it in the past, with the “N” word.

Even from a global perspective, especially outside of sub-Saharan Africa, we have been conditioned to view Africans of a certain hue with extreme negativity; the darker the hue the more extreme the prejudice.

Unfortunately, the etymology of the English language and the meanings given to words trap us into propagating despicable ter-

minology that undermines our own image and value system.

Africans have lost contact with the language that speaks to their achievements, self-confidence and self-esteem. We must constantly find ways within the English, French, German, Spanish and Dutch languages -- among other languages -- to describe ourselves in positive ways; without the denigrating word labels that have been tarnished through racism, slavery and colonisation in their origins and meanings, as defined directly, indirectly and loosely by the language we use to communicate.

Visualise inhabitants of a country of Africans calling each other black while knowing the extremely negative connotations that are attributed to the word black by the dominant dictionaries. Such offensive folly is inexplicable, and can only be attributed to brainwashing.

The coinage of the term “black” in all its historical and current race labelling did not evolve to capture the phenotype of the African, and this deceptively harmful practice continues today. It is past time for our Government, media, and other organisations to promote a culture using the term “African Guyanese” as the default description for Guyanese of African descent. The etymology of the term “black”, as defined in dictionaries, history books and movies, extensively makes categorising a group of people with such a label as invariably retrogressive, very insulting and extremely degrading.

I recall being part of a group of University of Guyana students -- back in 1994/1995 -- that sent a letter to Stabroek News asking them to discontinue using the slur term “negro” when referring to African Guyanese. Our efforts were successful, albeit not immediately.

Living in the 21st century, during the reign of the American Empire, where the term “black” is an integral part of the categorisation of African Americans, it would be an uphill endevour to change the paradigm.

We Guyanese, within the sphere of what we control -be it the media, governmental or non-governmental organisations -- should lift the yoke of this label from the backs of African Guyanese.

Hiding behind moral relativism and situational ethics is also not acceptable, and must be discouraged; be it the use of the term AfroGuyanese, slurs at political meetings, slurs at social gatherings or the use of racist code words.

How nonsensical is it for two persons of the same skin colour in Guyana to refer to one as Indian Guyanese and the other as black – with all the derogatory, condescending, discriminating and racist implications that have been woven into the meaning of black over the centuries. The problem is applicable to both the African and Indian Guyanese by varying degrees, especially as it relates to discrimination by skin colour...

Why curse ourselves?

When we and our children look in the dictionaries and history books and see the synonyms for black and what it represents, it will be our failure to make the change -- a change we Guyanese can legitimise and make part of our culture, and a change that could expand and influence the demonyms of Africans across the world.

Let us look at a few of the leading dictionaries and extracted definitions of how black is defined and the meanings provided: Merriman-Wester: …

Thoroughly sinister and evil; wicked; a black deed; black mark; invoking the devil; gloomy; marked by the occurrence of disaster; characterised by hostility or angry discontent; black resentment filled his heart; black propaganda Oxford: The opposite of white; deeply stained with

dirt; characterized by tragic or disastrous events; causing despair or pessimism; five thousand men were killed on the blackest day of the year; a black mood, full of gloom or misery, very depressed; very evil or wicked; my soul is steeped in the blackest sin; Cambridge Dictionary: Without hope; the future looked black; bad or evil…

Why refer to me in such a manner; juxtaposed against white, with all its positive characteristic. There is a reason that name calling is a felony. Negative name calling is ingrained on the brain and within the social ecology. It is catastrophically damaging to self-esteem, self-worth, self-confidence,

and the ability of individuals to attain their full potential inside and outside of Guyana.

Using the term black is directly or indirectly demeaning. One never really knows which meaning is being attributed to the African man or woman so defined.

Let’s make the change: culturally, politically, socially, economically and spiritually.

In my view redemption of the word black is not a viable option in the current North American and European superstructure. Walter Rodney noted in ‘Groundings with my Brothers’: “The adult black in our West Indian society is fully conditioned to thinking

white, because that is the training we are given from childhood…The few changes which have taken place have barely scratched the surface of the problem. West Indians of every colour still aspire to European standards of dress and beauty. The language which is used by black people in describing ourselves shows how we despise our African appearance… and that black is the incarnation of ugliness.

“When Africans adopt the European concept that purity and goodness must be painted white and all that is evil and dammed is to be painted black, then we are flagrantly self-insulting.”

Nigel Hinds

Granger is a man of empty words Dear Editor, In 1908, in a remote and rugged mountain village in the Northern Caucasus, Leo Tolstoy, one of the greatest writers of the ages, was the guest of a tribal chief.

As the village gathered around the fire, the chief asked Tolstoy to speak of famous men of history. Tolstoy spoke of Alexander, Caesar, Napoleon, and so on. When he was finished, the chief stood up and said, “But you have not told us about the greatest general and ruler in the world – Lincoln.

This story is to explain that a man’s good deed always outlive his bad deeds.

When President Granger presented himself as a candidate to the people, his message was one of national unity and social cohesion.

He even set up a Ministry of Social Cohesion. But there is a huge gap between what he said in the past and says now compared to his actions.

The actions of this Granger Government reflect a commitment to ethnic supremacy and ethnic triumphalism; and to expose this reality, one only has to visit all the appointments at the Head of Department level or Deputy Head level, and one will find adequate evidence that Mr Granger is a man of empty words, and nothing else.

These kinds of actions guarantee him a spot in history 10 years from now: He shall be no more than a footnote in the history books.

Guyana will always remember Burnham, Hoyte, the Jagans, and Jagdeo.

Irrespective of their good

and bad attributes, I am now convinced they were committed to a principle of wanting better for the Guyanese people. I cannot say the same for Granger. I get a sense he is only interested in progressing the career of the ARMY boys and a small Georgetown-based Afro-Guyanese elite. That is why a top professional like Anand Goolsarran cannot find a job in this administration, even though he applied for several jobs.

Where is the charity of President Granger towards all the people of Guyana?

Why this mean streak and dislike for people of a certain ethnicity that he seemingly cannot identify with?

Ryan Basdeo, Student

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Foundation

billionaires who credit their success to reading – reading worked for these billionaires

By James Paine

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here’s a common bond that the world’s most successful entrepreneurs and billionaires share – and you can find it in your local library.

Never wanting to rest on their laurels, many billionaires are known to be voracious readers.

Think this is just a coincidence? Over the past 30 years, Steve Siebold has interviewed 1200 of the richest people in the world. The one common thread, Siebold noticed, is that they bypassed tabloids and magazines for knowledge-enhancing books.

“Walk into a wealthy person’s home,” Siebold wrote in his book, How Rich People Think, “and one of the first things you’ll see is an extensive library of books they’ve used to educate themselves on how to become more successful.”

I’d like to introduce you to four wellknown billionaires – and one you may have never heard of – who credit their success to constantly reading.

Charlie Munger While it’s been well-publicised that Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett spends as much as 80 per cent of his day reading, his right-hand man is also a bookworm. Charlie Munger, the Vice Chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, has a net worth of US$1.4 billion.

Munger jokes that he reads so much, his children think he’s “a book with a couple of legs sticking out.”

Many years ago, Munger explained to Kiplinger’s Steven Goldberg how he and Buffett place an emphasis on reading and continually learning: “Warren and I do more reading and thinking and less doing than most people in business. We do that because we like that kind of a life. But we’ve turned that quirk into a positive outcome for ourselves. We both insist on a lot of time being available almost every day to just sit and think. That is very uncommon in American business. We read and think.”

Elon Musk Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, seems to operate on a different wavelength. It’s no shocker that he’s one of the most productive readers in the world – and always has been.

Growing up in South Africa, Musk was usually the smallest and youngest person in his class. He spent his team reading books obsessively, not just for pleasure, but also for knowledge. Musk described himself, in a Bloomberg inter-

view, as a “bookwormy” kid. Growing up, he would read as many as two books per day.

When asked how he learnt how to build rockets, Musk gives a simple answer: “I read books.”

Recommendations: Jim Cantrell, an aerospace consultant who became part of the founding team of SpaceX, said that Musk borrowed (but never returned) these four books while teaching himself about rocket science: Rocket Propulsion Elements by George P Sutton, Oscar Biblarz Fundamentals of Astrodynamics by

Roger R Bate, Donald D Mueller, Jerry E White International Reference Guide to Space Launch Systems by S Isakowitz, J Hopkins, J Hopkins Jr Elements of Propulsion: Gas Turbines and Rockets by J Mattingly, H. von Ohain Oprah Winfrey As her book club shows, the former talk show host and magnanimous giver loves to read. Oprah credits reading for helping her move from a childhood of poverty into a life of wealth. Reading inspired her to look beyond her meagre beginnings and start thinking about how the world could be changed.

“Books were my path to personal freedom,” Winfrey once said. “I learned to read at age three and soon discovered there was a whole world to conquer that went beyond our farm in Mississippi.”

Oprah passes on her love for reading through her book club. In its initial 15year run, Oprah’s Book Club highlighted 70 of Oprah’s favourite reads.

Mark Zuckerberg Every year, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg comes up with a New Year’s Resolution. Unlike most Americans, he actually sticks to it. One year, Zuckerberg took it upon himself to learn Mandarin.

Last year, his goal was to read two books per month.

Zuckerberg completed the challenge, learning quite a bit from his diverse reading adventures.

“Reading has given me more perspective on a number of topics – from science to religion, from poverty to prosperity, from health to energy to social justice, from political philosophy to foreign policy, and from history to futuristic fiction.

This challenge has been intellectually fulfilling, and I come away with a greater sense of hope and optimism that our society can make greater progress in all of these areas.”

If someone as busy as Zuckerberg can find the time to read two books per week, you should be able to do this, as well.

Bill Gates While Zuckerberg reading 24 books last year was impressive, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates more than doubles that. Gates, the world’s richest man, reads about 50 books per year – roughly one per week.

Gates still sees reading as his primary avenue to learning and understanding. He doesn’t use a tablet, either, preferring the feel of an actual printed book.

Gates loves reading so much, he even posts book reviews on his blog, Gates Notes.

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abrielle takes a break from playing at her kitchen set and reaches into her basket of books. She roots around until she finds her current favourite by Richard Scarry, then delivers the book to her mother, who knows just what page to skip to. Gabrielle sits in her mom’s lap as the two of them examine the page – her mom names the orange juice, milk, and waffles and Gabrielle points to the pictures.

Soon, Gabrielle slides off her mother’s lap and moves over to her stuffed animals.

Her mom knows better than to try to finish the book. For Gabrielle and lots of other toddlers, these little bits of reading are just right.

Reasons to read to toddlers

Studies show that children with active exposure to language have social and educational advantages over their peers – and reading is one of the best exposures to language.

Reading to toddlers sets the foundation for later independent reading. Reading problems can be challenging to fix when discovered in elementary school, but most reading problems can be prevented if exposure to reading starts in the toddler and preschool years. Before children can read independently, they need emergent literacy skills. These include: * having a large vocabulary of words and knowing how to use them * understanding that words are made up of smaller sounds (called phonemic awareness) * understanding that marks on a page represent letters and words * knowing the letters of the alphabet You don’t need games, flashcards, or special instruction for a toddler gain these skills. Just reading to your child as often as possible is the best way to help him or her learn to read independently.

Helping the transition to toddlerhood

Reading aloud is also an

A New York Times columnist asked Gates the role that reading plays in his life. His response?

“It is one of the chief ways that I learn, and has been since I was a kid. These days, I also get to visit interesting places, meet with scientists and watch a lot of lectures online. But reading is still the main way that I both learn new things and test my understanding.”

Recommendation: Business Adventures by John Brooks – the first book Buffett ever recommended to Gates (Excerpt from Inc)

important way to help children make the transition from babyhood to toddlerhood. Between the ages of one and three, toddlers have triumphs and challenges, so it can help for them to hear stories about other children and how they managed fears about what’s under the bed and tackled the challenge of using the potty.

Children make big leaps in vocabulary during this time, and learn about letters, shapes, colours, weather, animals, seasons – all of which can be reinforced through books.

Choose books with many pictures your child can point to and name.

But while eager to learn about the world and experience it, your toddler also needs a strong connection with you. Reading together regularly can strengthen that connection, helping your toddler feel safe and comfortable.

When and how to read to toddlers

Experts recommend reading to toddlers as often as possible, striving for at least one scheduled reading time each day. Choosing regular times to read (especially before naps and bedtime) helps children learn to sit with a book and relax. But you can read anytime your child seems in the mood.

If your toddler will let you, hold him or her in your lap when you read. It’s a great spot for: * helping children feel safe, happy, and relaxed * giving undivided attention * showing new things * inviting participation You’ll find that your toddler wants to be independent and successful.

Encourage this by offering three or four books to choose from, praising the selection, letting your toddler help you turn pages, and asking for help as you find things on a page. Your child will love to finish sentences in books with repetitive phrasing or rhymes. When you come to a repetitive phrase or rhyme in a book, pause and let your child finish. (KidsHealth.org) TO BE CONTINUED

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friDAY, june 9, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Jagdeo agrees to meet Granger ExxonMobil contract PM cites Venezuela over rejected GECOM list … reiterates extra-parliamentary actions if President acts unilaterally

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo

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eader of the Political Opposition, former President and People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) General Secretary, Bharrat Jagdeo, has committed to meeting with Head of State, David Granger on Monday over the brouhaha on the nominees for Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) with a second list rejected again this past week.

Jagdeo made the pronouncement on Thursday as he met with members of the media at his Church Street Office and said despite his disagreement with the President’s decision, the offer to meet must be taken at face value as an attempt at a collaborative approach in solving the imbroglio.

The Opposition Leader was quick to also reject recent speculations published in the public domain pur-

portedly sourced to him as positions adopted in light of the President’s refusal of his nominees.

According to Jagdeo, “I do not conduct negotiations or discussion of a critical nature in the media…Nor will I telegraph my position.”

The Opposition Leader sought to make it clear that the Executive of the PPP/C will be meeting today at which time the matter will be discussed.

The former President prefaced his remarks to the media by openly rejecting the interpretation offered by President Granger.

According to Jagdeo, “I totally disagree with the President’s interpretation.”

Granger in his rejection of the list said all of the persons did not meet with the criteria as set out in the Constitution.

Those on the second rejected list by Head of State Granger are retired Justice of Appeal BS Roy; retired Justice William Ramlall; Attorney and former Magistrate, Oneidge Walrond-Allicock; Attorneys Kashir Khan and Nadia Sagar and businessman, Gerald Gouveia.

Granger, in his rejection letter to Jagdeo on Friday last said, “I have examined the Curriculum Vitae of the six persons in light of the criteria defined in my letter to you dated 2017-03-14… I have found the list to be unacceptable within the meaning of the Constitution and of those criteria.”

The Opposition Leader had met with media oper-

Head of State, David Granger

atives earlier in the day and said, “if he (President Granger) moves outside of the list, he will have a fight.”

Retired Judges Desiree Bernard, Claudette Singh, and Attorneys Ralph Ramkarran SC, Timothy Jonas and Ronald BurchSmith have turned down his requests to be nominated.

Meanwhile, Jagdeo did use the occasion to speculate on what the possible outcome of Monday’s meeting could be.

According to Jagdeo, the President could request a brand new list; a request with which he will have to comply.

He suggested too that the President could also decide to appoint a GECOM Chairman unilaterally and reminded that this course of action will be staunchly resisted.

The PPP General Secretary indicated “our big concerns particularly given

signals from the government that they may be a move to unilaterally, unconstitutionally, and unlawfully appoint a Chairman of GECOM.” He said should the President go this route he will be faced with “litigation and there are other actions that I will not speak about at this point in time.”

According to former President Jagdeo, the PPP/C will be exercising extra-parliamentary and parliamentary actions.

Jagdeo suggested too that President Granger could very well suggest a completely different course of action in resolving the imbroglio – a suggestion that would have to be taken under advisement.

Meanwhile, on the matter of the pending court case filed by a private citizen with a view to secure an interpretation of the constitutional provision for the appointment of the GECOM Chair, the former President said he will not be awaiting the determination of that case.

Jagdeo surmised there is no assurance that the matter will be determined in finality at its next hearing and in fact the matter could very well be appealed all the way to the Caribbean Court of Justice.

He suggested that the matter is of such a nature that it would be imprudent for him to await its conclusion.

GECOM has been without a Chairman since February 28, 2017, when Dr Steve Surujbally stepped down after 15 years at the helm.

border issue as reason for non-disclosure – says details will be released in ‘due course’

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n light of heavy criticisms against the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) coalition Government over its apparent reluctance to release details of its contract arrangements with United States oil-giant ExxonMobil, Prime Minister and current acting President Moses Nagamootoo, has rushed to his Administration’s defence, saying that it has been as accountable and transparent as possible in the circumstances.

Transparency Institute Guyana Inc (TIGI) on Wednesday called on the Government to publish, in the name of accountability and transparency, the contract drafts and make the negotiations accountable to Parliament that it has with all oil companies, including ExxonMobil.

Apart from TIGI, the parliamentary Opposition and other national stakeholders have made calls for the contract information to be released in the interest of transparency and open governance.

Moreover, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo, during a press briefing on Thursday reiterated his Party's position that the contract with ExxonMobil

Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo

must be released.

However, Prime Minister Nagamootoo pointed out that Government is committed to having a transparent and accountable oil and gas sector and have even forged a multistakeholder partnership with the Guyana Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (GEITI) in order to make all transactions as transparent, as well as maintain an accountable base for the emerging industry as it progresses.

But in the same breath, he was quick to outline that there are some transactions and some situations where the question of full disclosure cannot be addressed immediately. turn to page 9

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friDAY, june 9, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

IN THE COURTS

Kitty resident busted with ganja in speaker boxes

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Pike Street, Kitty, Georgetown resident was on Wednesday afternoon busted with a quantity of ganja concealed in speaker boxes along the Mazaruni River in Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni).

Based on reports gathered, the 35-year-old miner was in a passenger boat when a Police patrol stopped and search the vessel. The boat was reportedly carrying goods at the time the search was conducted.

During the search, the Police realised that the two speakers were tampered with and decided to further examine them. It was at this time that the illegal substance was unearthed.

The seeds, leaves and stems were confiscated and the suspect taken to the Bartica Police Station where the drugs

was weighed and amounted to 902 grams. The man was told of the offence and arrested.

drug operations.

Two Wednesdays ago, 21-year-old Kavita Surujnauth of Parika, East

The ganja that was found concealed in speaker boxes

He is being processed for court. Only last week, Police in Bartica, Region Seven, arrested a man and a woman after they were found with large quantities of marijuana in separate

Bank Essequibo, was intercepted at the Bartica Stelling with almost three pounds of cannabis.

The substance was found parcelled in black plastic bags wrapped with

scotch tape in the haversack the woman was carrying. She was taken to the Bartica Police Station where the illegal substance – amounting to 1.291kg – was weighed in her presence. She was subsequently charged and placed on $200,000 bail.

On the other hand, O J Evans of Samaroo Dam, Pouderoyen, West Bank Demerara, who was arrested one week ago at the Bartica Stelling with 1227 grams of cannabis, was remanded to prison.

Based on reports received, the man was heading to an interior location when he was seen acting in a suspicious manner. A search was conducted on his person and the marijuana was found in a butter container wrapped in a salt bag.

Race matters…

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…in Govt

n Guyana you seemingly just can’t get away from race; especially in politics. But hold it! Why should that circumstance even be THOUGHT possible?? Our politics was born in race; lives in race; and, the way we’re going, will most likely die in race. And that won’t be a bad thing, will it?? The present politics dying out, that is!

But don’t expect that to happen overnight. What with the present players drooling over the mega-bucks that can be pilfered from the oil revenues which will flow from 2020, they’ll use every trick in the book to have their hands on the treasury. And the oldest trick in Guyana -- as we just said -- is to play the race card.

Just look at what’s in the papers over these last two days. We were informed by a former member of the ruling parties that out of the SEVENTEEN Permanent Secretaries in the Government of Guyana, SIXTEEN are African-Guyanese!! Now that’s scary. Permanent Secretaries used to be the backbone of the colonial form of governance that the British had perfected when they ruled the waves -- not to mention half of the world’s landmass and population! Each was the top bureaucrat in the Civil Service, and headed an entire department, into which the functions of government were divided Ministries.

Ministers may come and go with each election, but the Permanent Secretaries represented continuity of governance. The Permanent Secretary was supposed to be a professional who’d advise Ministers and execute their directives. His advice was supposed to reflect what was good for the country -- not just the party looking to slink back into office.

So when you have a situation so ethnically skewed -as described above -- in a country where folks vote race straight down the line, and just 4000 votes separate winner from loser, you’ll have a whole lot of disgruntled folks. Not just politicians. This is to be expected, no matter who’s appointed; but with ordinary folks in the group that’s on the “out”, “discrimination” shall be the cry!!

Another letter has shown how deeply this “race thing” has embedded itself into our national psyche.

McAllister, a member of the PNC who’d disappeared into Reg 11, wrote a missive claiming the lists the PPP has submitted for the GECOM Chair FORCES President Granger to select an “Indian-Guyanese,” and not an African-Guyanese!! Even though each PPP list has more than one African Guyanese!

On the other hand, former PNC leader President Hoyte had submitted lists with each having just 1 IndianGuyanese; but that didn’t FORCE the PPP to select them!!

“Race on the brain” will do that to you!!

…in Justice

In Guyana, “sugar worker” is a synonym for “Indian Guyanese”. So when, as in the present, the sugar workers are getting the short end of the stick, it’s not surprising that most of them think they’re being persecuted because of politics. After the Government appointed a CoI to enquire into the state of the Industry -- which all conceded was “dire” -- they were quite pleased at the recommendations. The Government should invest in the Sugar Industry to bring it to a point of sale -- protecting the workers’ rights, of course.

But the Government pretty much dumped the CoI report into a canal, and blithely closed Wales Estate -with the prediction that three more estates face the same fate: 10,000 workers to be discarded like a used tissue. But the unkindest cut of all was to refuse the parliamentary reps of those sugar workers a debate on this wretched decision.

And now comes the final straw: the Speaker has forbidden the Economic Services Committee to meet those sugar workers and hear their opinions!!

Is the Government provoking a rebellion??

…or not?

Your Eyewitness has heard the complaint that the law courts are becoming “revolving doors”. But the recent situation with Grey Boy and the courts is ridiculous!

Could the Government decide whether they want the fella to be railroaded, or what?

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

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friDAY, june 9, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Eco Atlantic to carry out seismic survey near Exxon – offshore Guyana

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co (Atlantic) Oil and Gas, in partnership with Tullow Oil, which has a controlling stake in the Orinduik Block offshore Guyana, announced on Thursday their approval for a ‘2550 km2’ 3D seismic survey in their Block, which is estimated to hold 900 million barrels of recoverable oil.

The survey is expected to commence in the next two weeks and will be completed by Schlumberger Guyana Inc. Eco Atlantic (Guyana) Inc, a subsidiary of Eco Atlantic, holds a 40 per cent Working Interest in Orinduik, and Tullow, the Operator, holds the remaining 60 per cent.

The Orinduik Block is located just a few kilometers from Exxon’s recent Liza and Payara discoveries confirming, by Exxon’s estimates, in excess of 1.5 billion barrels of recoverable oil.

The company and Tullow have completed the first phase of exploration including evaluating all existing and regional 2D data.

Following the results of this study and the ongoing regional success, both parties have agreed to accelerate and significantly increase the originally proposed 1000km2 3D survey commitment on the block to circa 2550 kms2, therefore covering the entire block area, fully overlapping current prospective 2D leads and downdip trends.

As part of its agreement, Tullow will carry the Company’s share of the originally proposed 1000km2 of the survey, at a cap of US$1.25 million, with the balance of the programme being funded by both parties on a pro-rata basis. The additional cost of the enhanced seismic programme to Eco is well covered by existing cash resources following the company’s over-subscribed placing of GBP5.1 million announced in February 2017 in conjunction with its dual listing on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange.

Chief Operating Officer and co-founder of Eco Atlantic, Colin Kinley, said his company is “excited to embark on this very significant 3D survey which is substantially greater than the originally planned survey”.

In addition to de-risking the existing two defined targets, the survey will hopefully generate additional targets on the Orinduik Block, thereby increasing the prospective oil in place and adding leads for future work programmes, Kinley said.

We were keenly interested in this region of the Guyana-Suriname Basin even prior to Exxon’s highly successful drilling programme, applying for the Orinduik block in 2014 because of its highly prospective cretaceous canyon and fan plays. We have since been excited to see Exxon continue to successfully prove out the region in its ongoing drilling pro-

Chief Operating Officer and co-founder of Eco Atlantic, Colin Kinley

gramme and look forward to results from our own 3D survey, which are expected

to come in the next couple of months”.

According to him, the 2D interpretation has led to at least two significant reservoir leads on the Orinduik block that both his company and Tullow believe may hold significant oil comparable to the world class regional discoveries identified by Exxon. Eco Atlantic expects to confirm a number of drilling targets with this increased 3D survey, ahead of drilling of the first well in Orinduik, hopefully in 2018.

The company has also granted 3,500,000 Restricted Shares Units pursuant to the company’s

Guyana’s oil industry is attracting attention (Getty Images)

Restricted Share Units Plan of which 3,350,000 RSUs were granted to Directors of the Company as compensa-

tion and success fees in relation with the AIM admission and Company’s portfolio and operational developments.

PM cites Venezuela border issue...

“Not that you are turning your back on transparency and accountability but we have a situation right now with Venezuela and we’ve entered into that last six months of a very delicate process involving the United Nations. So we have to, in this last six months, decide if there is no resolution by negotiation that the matter will go to the International Court of Justice,” he stated.

According to the Prime Minister, while Guyana’s position on the border controversy issue is widely known; that is, for the matter to be settled once and for all juristically, Government has to be cautious in its handling of oil-related issues so as to prevent any jeopardising of the prospects that the country enjoys in terms of it resources in oil and gas.

Nevertheless, he pointed out that his Administration has been cautiously sharing certain details regarding its arrangements with the US oil-giant such as the two per cent royalty and the 5050 production partnership agreement.

In the same breath, however, he posited that the prospect is continuing with new wells being discovered and new quantities being determined and as such, Government needs to be considerate of world trend when proceeding with the emerging sector.

“We’re trying to give information without making

the process of oil and gas a secret… (But) you have to look at these things and be able to determine whether you release the contract now or you wait until we start producing and determine what information and how to convey the information into the body of politics,” he noted.

Prime Minister Nagamootoo further posited that, “we are responsive to Parliament, you have an Economic Services Commission, so that we can be able to bring forth some aspects of arrangements without endangering our national interests

from page 7

or without undermining our sovereignty. So it’s a very delicate issue and while I understand, there are organisations calling to release the contract, the matter is being addressed by the Ministry of Natural Resources and the disclosures will be made in due course.”

Extraction from Exxon’s 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 is estimated to have around two billion barrels of high-quality oil.

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guyanatimesgy.com

friDAY, june 9, 2017

News

Opposition Leader calls for repeal of taxes on mining sector – says tax measures will leave long-term effects on small miners Government will accede to it,” Jagdeo told reporters.

During the three-hour meeting on Wednesday at the GGDMA’s office at North Road, a number of critical issues were raised.

Among the challenges identified was the spike in taxes across the

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Minister that gold and small miners are doing extremely well. We had a better understanding, after (the) discussion with the GGDMA, about how these policies affect miners. And because the President has refused to meet with the GGDMA, I don’t think he has a keen understanding of the impact of his Government’s policies on the mining sector,” the Opposition Leader said.

Jagdeo called on Finance Minister Winston Jordan to acknowledge that he made a mistake in implementing “draconian” taxation policies on those involved in the mining sector.

“Namely the removal of the two per cent tax on income. So now these miners will be subjected to the 28 per cent. Also the impact of the policies to tax heavy-duty equipment and the 100 per cent increase in Tributors Tax, they’re

of not being able to benefit from the grant of duty-free concessions on mining equipment, vehicles and fuel, owing to the red tape experienced at the regulatory agencies. The poor state of the roads in the mining areas and other related issues also came up.

Govt advancing ICT agenda in several communities

The Opposition Leader with miners at Wednesday’s meeting

eader of the Opposition, Bharrat Jagdeo, is calling for a reversal of the tax measures implemented by the Government on the mining industry, in the wake of a meeting with representatives of the sector.

On Wednesday, the Opposition Leader met with members of the Guyana Gold and Diamond Miners Association (GGDMA) to hear their concerns. In the wake of that meeting, Jagdeo at a press conference on Thursday called for the Government to revisit its tax policy towards smalland medium-scale miners.

According to Jagdeo, the Government should reverse any oppressive tax it has placed on those involved in the mining sector, if it was truly serious about keeping the sector and the involvement of small- and medium-scale miners viable.

“We have heard from the

board implemented by the Government; in particular, the increase of the Tributors Tax from 10 to 20 per cent, Value Added Tax on heavy-duty mining equipment and the two per cent Withholding Tax. In addition, the Association had complained

all contributing to what I would call the future decline of small mining in Guyana,” Jagdeo related.

He sought to debunk the impression that Guyana’s small- and medium-scale miners were prospering, calling it a mistaken view.

The GGDMA had for some time sought an audience with President David Granger, but to no avail.

This is despite threats of protests. In light of this, Jagdeo said a lack of understanding of the plight of the small- and medium-scale miner may have contributed to the present state of affair.

“And so, this mistaken view that miners are making large sums of money, particularly small miners and therefore they must be a target of the Ministry of Finance is a mistaken view.

We will continue to call for a reversal of this taxation policy and we hope that the

– committed to creating national digital economy

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ver the last six months, the Public Telecommunications Ministry has been engaged in a number of activities aimed at creating a knowledge-based society that is globally competitive and productive. As such, they have identified 55 Information Communication Technology (ICT) hubs across the country.

P u b l i c Telecommunications Minister Cathy Hughes, told media operatives on Thursday during a midyear press conference at her Ministry, that they have been engaged in installing hardware in some of these identified locations with the hope that they will be completed and become operational soon.

The communities selected for these facilities, are identified by three categories: poor, remote and hinterland. Hughes said this will allow for equal opportunities and people within those very communities will have the same access to ICT tools for people living in the coastal region.

“This is part of our goal of providing the technology and the opportunity for our citizens to conduct research and for children to complete research. This will also open up opportunities for many online businesses and for people to exercise their entrepreneurial skills,” the minister stated.

So far, 16 ICT hubs have been completed and each of the centres is now preparing to create cubicles and furnishing. They will be equipped with laptop computers and Internet.

Public Telecommunications Minister Cathy Hughes

However, the ultimate goal is to establish 406 ICT hubs in communities through Guyana.

Meanwhile, Chairman of the National Data Management Authority (NDMA), Floyd Levi said the process of setting up an ICT hub starts by way of consultation with regional officials.

“Once the communities are identified, we go in and meet with the community officials. They elect their own persons to work with us and we work with them to establish the hub,” he explained.

Levi said technical support is then provided to these hubs. Training in management and basic computer literacy courses are also provided to people who are selected to be in charge of the facility.

There is also a monitoring committee that is selected and tasked with the role of overlooking the management committee to ensure they operate in a manner of fairness and equity.

“The important thing, we stress, is that what we

provide is not for people of a specific political or religious persuasion, but we are providing access to all Guyanese,” he added.

Further, Hughes said some 24 Government Ministries and agencies; 84 secondary educational institutions, 90 vet institutions, five regional development officers, 21 tertiary education and skills building institutions; and 24 other skills-based institutions have been connected to the E-Governance Fibre Optic Network.

She said the objective is to improve the quality of social services, to fight crime, to boost the standard of education, to promote digital literacy, and provide an ICT path.

While admitting that there is still a lot more work to be done, the Minister said her Ministry is laying the ground work to ensure that Guyana becomes a national digital economy.

The Public Telecommunications Ministry was conceived in January 2016. The fundamental purpose of the Ministry is to develop an enabling environment at the policy and infrastructure level to ensure that ICT is fully utilised for national development and economic advancement.

The overall vision of the MPT is the creation of a society that will give rise to the strategic placement of Guyana as a premier ICT hub in the region.

The vision also includes an enabling environment for the creation of a viable Private Sector that will create wealth and employment.

11 VAT revenue collection down 10% A news

S RAIGHT What is Guyana doing about the drain on foreign exchange reserves?

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fter increasing for more than a decade, Guyana’s foreign currency reserves have swung in the wrong direction since April 2014. This decline was started under former President Ramotar (no doubt about that fact), but the pace of the decline has accelerated multiple folds since the arrival of President Granger.

Seen by many investors as a signal of their rejection of Ramotar’s minority government and his subsequent fatuous prorogation policy, this rejection mutated into a systemic lack of confidence in the economic policies of the PNC-led Granger government. Under these two presidents, the foreign reserves have declined by some US$90 million since April 2014.

Their major defect remains that both of these Presidents have failed to stimulate value-added ventures in the agriculture sector, especially in the sugar industry. To Ramotar’s credit, the oil price in April 2014 was US$104, which contributed to the rapid reduction of the available reserves -- at a rate of some US$300 million in 2014.

But what is Granger’s excuse, when the evidence reveals he is faced with a very low oil price of US$52? This is where the rubber hits the road on Granger’s performance; he has no excuse for his “D” Grade performance.

The graph above is extremely telling. There are consequences for such fiscal wildness. At the end of April, the Central Bank balance sheet revealed a G$7.5 billion reduction in its net foreign assets in the 6 months to April 2017. When the mismanagement of the economy starts to affect your last bastion of financial stability (your Central Bank), it means the “economic gangrene” is well advanced.

A nation cannot afford to weaken the balance sheet of its Central Bank, but this is exactly what the PNC-led Granger Administration has done between October 2016 and April 2017.

It reminds the analyst community of the horrible old PNC days -between 1982 and 1987. In the period January to April 2015, 2016 and 2017, the Central Bank had to pump US$0.5 million, US$10.1 million and US$7.7 million respectively into the system to stabilise the rate. But even such a rapid increase, with the injection of new foreign currency into the economy under Granger, the exchange rate declined by 16% in 6 months (November 2016 – April 2017) compared to a decline of 0.1% in the same 6 months in 2015/2016.

These concerns are not entirely without foundation, because the evidence supports the position that the economy is being bungled under Granger/Jordan. Unless Finance Minister Winston Jordan rolls out some urgent progressive policies to stimulate investments, the run on the Guyana dollar can possibly hit G$250 to one US dollar by Christmas 2017.

Much will depend on whether the Granger Administration can shed their cloak of secrecy on their economic strategies (if they have any) on how they plan to rebuild the international reserves, stabilise the exchange rate, and stimulate investment in the Guyanese economy. If the right strategies emerge, confidence can be restored in this small Guyanese economy. Hoyte/Greenidge did it in 1988, and with Greenidge in the Granger Cabinet, it defies logic why this man is not being given a chance to do it again.

To restore domestic and international confidence in the Guyanese economy, the Granger Administration needs to make several policy changes at once. Deadwood projects like that Durban Park Ponzi Scheme have to be privatised. Professionalism in the procurement system has to return. There is a system in place to secure the best value for money at all times, instead of stuffing money into the pockets of friends and families of the PNC. But, most importantly, we must truly take all action to open Guyana for business.

This means GO-INVEST and the Ministry of Business have to be disbanded, because they have failed on all scores to bring the new investments to Guyana. A new super-ministry, reporting directly to the President, should be formed. It should be focused on trade and investment, and should be fully empowered and endorsed by the Presidency to make swift decisions. There must be no scope for petty interference from other Government departments. None whatsoever.

Assuming that the Pageantry President is too lazy to lead on this front, all is not lost. Such an important role can be reposed in the care of a powerful man like Joe Harmon, who can use his powers for the good of the nation. Guyana can fix itself, but it needs urgent presidential policy action, which remains the core shortcoming; exposing why the nation is in such an economic mess.

Please share your thoughts at sasesin1@yahoo.com.

friDAY, june 9, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

s the Guyana economy continues to show signs of stagnation, the country’s premier tax collection body – the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) – has reported that its revenue collection has taken a dip.

This was revealed by Commissioner General, Godfrey Statia, at a press conference on Thursday at the authority’s Camp Street, Georgetown, office.

“VAT (Value Added Tax) revenues are down at least 10 per cent and VAT revenues are down, both on the domestic side and on the import side,” he stated.

In the same breath, however, the GRA Head pointed out that the VAT revenues are down simply as a result of the reduction in the rates. Government in its 2017 Budget slashed the value-added tax by two per cent, bringing it down to 14 per cent.

According to Statia, the authority had expected that the revenue collection would go down based on the rate deduction by some 12.5 per

cent. Nevertheless, he posited that with the move around of certain things to standard rating and the moving away from zero-rated to exempt taxes, there ought to have been an even out of the process.

“But that is not achieved as yet and it is because it is early in the year… that is where we now need to go out and do our inspections and follow-up so that people know what is going on. But we have seen that downward trend and we are working on it because it is supposed to be revenue neutral,” the GRA head outlined.

Moreover, in explaining the decline in the revenues, Chairman of the GRA Board of Directors, Rawle Lucas, pointed to the fact that the tax base for the VAT is expenditure, that is, money that people spend, the level of spending in the economy with respect to VAT and the level of input and the value of imports with respect to VAT as well.

In fact, he outlined that with regard to imports, petroleum imports used to be

GRA Commissioner General Godfrey Statia

one of the high generating sources of VAT revenues but since the price of petroleum reduced significantly, this in itself is also contributing to a reduction in the revenues earned by the Authority.

Notwithstanding, the Chairman opined that it is still too early to ascertain the effect of the reduction of the VAT revenues.

“In this stage for 2017, the analysis has not been completed to see where the greater effect is – whether it is a reduction in the tax base or whether it’s a conse-

quence of the shifting of the threshold for VAT compliance/registration or whether it has something to do with the reduction of the rates,” Lucas argued.

In the meantime, the GRA Commissioner General said the tax collection body is working assiduously to ensure that businesses and individuals are tax compliant in the relevant areas.

Only recently, it was revealed that work of a special enforcement team has resulted in scores of city businesses being made to register for the payment of VAT. According to Statia at Thursday’s press conference, businesses all across the country have been engaged in this practice but it is more blatant among businesses in central Georgetown.

“We know for sure there have been certain businesses in the Regent and Robb streets area that were not registered for VAT and were not paying the VAT. We have since taken measures to get into that area and register those persons. turn to page 13

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friDAY, june 9, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Gaskin blasts President over rejection of second GECOM list – says only court could interpret Constitution

By Samuel Sukhnandan

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ussian-trained attorney and former finance advisor to the People’s Progressive Party (PPP)-government, Ramon Gaskin, has expressed disappointment at President David Granger for rejecting the second list of nominees submitted by Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo for Chair of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).

Gaskin told Guyana Timeson Thursday that a lot has been written and said about the President’s rejection of both lists, but he believes the President has not only misconstrued the constitution the way it is written, but is presuming to interpret the constitution by setting certain criteria.

“In our system, the President cannot interpret our constitution. Only a court in this country can interpret the constitution, and nobody else. He (President) cannot do it; he is not so empowered.

He has gone way beyond his own duties and functions and prerogatives to do that,” Gaskin opined.

The outspoken social activist says the President is also bringing into disrepute upstanding and prominent people who have been shortlisted for the position of GECOM chairman. Gaskin is of the view that very few

President of Guyana David Granger

people would now want their names put forward, because the President has rejected two lists and has said the nominees were not fit and proper.

Gaskin said, “When he (President) rejected the first list, he said he wanted to see judges on the list; and then the second list reflected a majority of people in the legal fraternity, he rejected that too. There is no guarantee that he wouldn’t reject a third list.”

While many people are of the view that the President has a particular person in mind that he may want to put in that position, Gaskin says the constitution does now allow it. He told Guyana Times that the constitution is clear in that the Carter Formula demands that he

has to pick someone from the list submitted by the Leader of the Opposition.

Further, the economist opined that Granger has a tendency to put his own people in charge of things. He explained that the President is so trained as a military commander. “The President, who is trained as a military man, wants to run the Government as if it’s the (GDF). Government is not the (GDF) and you cannot run Government like the (GDF), with a command structure,” he stressed.

Granger’s choice for the post of GECOM Chair has allegedly always been retired Justice Claudette La Bennett. Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo has said it appears that the delay in making a decision on the list was in fact meant to create a façade.

Jagdeo had, last April, submitted to President David Granger a second list of six nominees for the post of Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission.

They are retired Justice of Appeal BS Roy; retired Justice William Ramlall; former Magistrate Oneidge Walrond-Allicock; Attorneys Kashir Khan and Nadia Sagar; and businessman and aircraft Captain Gerald Gouveia.

Retired Judges Desiree Bernard and Claudette

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo

Singh, and Attorneys Ralph Ramkarran SC, Timothy Jonas and Ronald BurchSmith have declined his requests to be nominated.

This second list followed

President Granger’s deeming the first list “unacceptable” in early January 2017 -- because none of those recommended was a judge, retired judge or eligible to be appointed a judge. Granger’s rejection of the list was in keeping with ‘his interpretation’ of Guyana’s Constitution.

The President subsequently amended his position that a GECOM Chairman must not only be a “fit and proper person”, but must not be an activist or member of any political party.

GECOM has been without a Chairman since February 28, 2017, when Dr Steve Surujbally stepped down after 15 years at the helm.

The PPP had warned

Russian-trained attorney Ramon Gaskin

that, should the President proceed along what they described as “unconstitutional, undemocratic and diabolical path,” the Opposition would file legal action in the court.

Rice mill worker narrowly escapes death

– after ton sack laden with paddy fell on him

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man, said to be in his forties, narrowly escaped death on Thursday afternoon after a ton sack laden with paddy came crashing down onto him. The incident occurred around 13:30h at the Golden Fleece Rice Investment owned by Nazeemul Hakh at Golden

Fleece, Essequibo Coast in Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam).

According to information reaching Guyana Times, the man known as "Cheezie" was in the bond when a ton sack of paddy dropped on top of him. Other employees who were in the bond at the time immediately went

to his rescue and removed the paddy sack. He was then taken by his daughter to the hospital where he remains a patient due to injuries he received.

It is unsure how the incident may have happened but the Region Two Labour Department is said to have launched an investigation.

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Boyer re-elected PSC Chairman

Public sugar forum

Clear bias in Speaker’s P latest decision – Jagdeo – calls for reconsideration, urges impartiality

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ollowing Speaker of the House, Dr Barton Scotland’s move to block the Economic Services Committee of Parliament from conducting public forums to reach those involved in the sugar industry, the parliamentary Opposition is crying foul.

According to Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo, the Speaker’s decision follows a pattern of decision-making in Parliament which appear to favour the coalition party. He noted that blocking the Economic Services Committee was inconsistent, since he had allowed another committee to carry out similar exercises only recently.

“We’ve recently seen another inconsistent ruling from the Speaker (of the House) when he prevented the Economic Services Committee from seeking, what is part of its mandate, an outreach in communities to listen to members of the public and civil society in making recommendations to the National Assembly,” Jagdeo said, during a press conference on Thursday.

“Now the Speaker runs the risk of being seen as extremely biased, given past rulings and inconsistency of his rulings and these rulings, more often than not, are favourable to the government.”

According to Jagdeo, there appeared to be bias in the Speaker’s decision-making.

He went on to urge that the Speaker reconsider his decision and allow the Committee to do its work, noting that the Speaker did not own Parliament.

“I would urge the Speaker to be much more consistent in his rulings. How can you explain that just weeks ago, another committee, the Natural Resources Committee, visited several entities and plac-

House Speaker, Dr Barton Scotland

es in Guyana. They went to Isseneru, Guyana Gold Fields, a number of places in the interior… and the Speaker did not prevent that from taking place. And when the Economic Services Committee, in this instance, wanted to visit the sugar estates and talk to people about the impact of the Government’s decision on the closure of these estates, the Speaker doesn’t allow it?”

Jagdeo fumed.

The Committee had requested leave to conduct these forums in Regions Three (Essequibo IslandsWest Demerara), Four (Demerara-Mahaica), Five (Mahaica-Berbice) and Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) on specific dates starting from June 7 to June 31. But in a letter dated June 5, 2017, and addressed to Clerk of Committees, Letta Barker, House Speaker, Dr Barton Scotland said 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 request was made under Standing Order (95) 8 and the purpose of the public forums was to receive the views of 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 in order to get an understanding of what people within the industry feel about the decision to downsize.

Government had 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 the Guyana Sugar Corporation (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.

GPHC sacks CEO over embarrassing... from page 3

In keeping with the slew of appointments of former military personnel to high office, George Lewis, the recently retired Army Brigadier was recently installed as Deputy CEO at the medical institution.

One of the more glaring parallel appointments at the GPHC that led in part to the recent brouhaha at the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) is the position of Finance Director; in fact there are two Finance Directors at the GPHC. Ronald Charles was appointed by the coalition Government as Director of Finance but despite the substantive portfolio, he is in charge only for procurement – as was told to the Public Accounts Committee recently.

DRUG SCANDALS

More recently, the GPHC was embroiled in another procurement related scandal when information surfaced that the management moved to sideline local companies for the purchase of emergency pharmaceuticals worth in excess of $605 million from a Trinidadian firm, ANSA McAL. That company subsequently made a multimillion-dollar donation to the

Administration in the form of an Arch which was erected on the East Coast Demerara highway at Cummings Lodge.

The emergency at the Hospital leading to the ‘emergency’ purchase was found to have been a manufactured incident since the officials appointed by the Granger Administration had delayed and cancelled four out of its five public tenders in the preceding months, creating a situation where there is a massive shortage of pharmaceuticals, which was initially denied by the authorities, and which would have caused deaths and aggravated illnesses in patients lacking medication.

Another incident of note, in taking a closer look at the possibility of structured corruption at GPHC and Granger’s parallel appointments, was occasioned when the Hospital officials denied the Chairperson and members of the Parliamentary Sectoral Committee on Social Services entry to the drug bond controlled by GPHC in light of the countrywide reports of drug shortages.

Efforts to contact the GPHC CEO proved futile as several calls to his mobile phone went unanswered.

opular businessman Edward (Eddie) Boyer has been re-elected unopposed as Chairman of the Private Sector Commission (PSC) at that body’s twenty-fifth Annual General Meeting (AGM) held at the Georgetown Marriott International Hotel on Thursday. A new executive has also been elected to serve for fiscal year 20172018.

Shipping executive Desmond Sears was re-elected Vice-Chairman, while past Chairman, Major General (ret’d) Norman McLean, was elected Secretary, and finance expert Fitzroy McLeod was re-elected unopposed as Treasurer.

In his address prior to the election, Boyer recalled the economic challenges the

and support a vibrant economy, it was disappointed in a few areas, among them being the small increase in the personal tax threshold, which could have been increased significantly to provide relief to low income earners.

“The 2017 Budget, presented in 2016 in an historic move, reduced VAT from 16% to 14% but introduced VAT on water and electricity, both essential services and both of which measures were decried by the PSC. The introduction of VAT on private education was also a blow to many parents and to those seeking to further their education, and the Commission maintains that the social impact of such policies should be carefully considered before their imposition,” the PSC chairman said.

PSC must be erased, as Government stands committed to efforts and contribution of the umbrella body for businesses in Guyana.

He said the sector has institutionalised regular meetings with the Ministers of Finance, Business and Natural Resources.

However, what is needed of Government, Private Sector and other stakeholders, including the Opposition, is the creation of an enabling environment to attract investors.

“I have already alluded to the strategic position of the Private Sector Commission to the nation’s development, and I wish to debunk here the perception, or suggestion, that the Government views the Private Sector Commission with hostility,

Re-elected Chairman of the Private Sector Commission, Eddie Boyer, flanked by other PSC executives

country was experiencing when he took office for the first time in 2016. He said that while the growth in the economy was in the vicinity of 3%, growth in the economy slowed during the period 2016/2017, and businesses were feeling the burden.

“A number of additional and increased taxation was placed on individuals, thus reducing disposable income…Remittances also slowed tremendously. While these were factors for a catastrophe waiting to happen, Government and business worked together to stem the tide of despair,” Boyer told the gathering.

He said that while the PSC was satisfied with Budget 2016 -- its efforts to restore investor confidence

He said the Commission had engaged the VicePresident of the European Development Bank in discussions on the possibility of financing the local private sector, as access to finance remained a major challenge. He said the need for a Development Bank and the possibility of the EIB financing this was also discussed.

Meanwhile, State Minister Joseph Harmon debunked all misconceptions that there was a feud between Government and the PSC. The minister had joined a cadre of other Government officials and members of the diplomatic corps to celebrate the PSC’s anniversary.

Harmon said the perception of a feud between Government and the

and that there is a feud between the Government and the Private Sector,” Harmon said.

He said his government had to confront the enormous problems it had inherited, such as the existence of an illusionary economy which, according to him, hindered development of Guyana’s productive sector and sidelined legitimate businesses.

Towards the end of the formal programme, former chairmen of the PSC: Yesu Persaud, Beni Sankar, Manniram Prashad, Peter De Groot, retired Major General Norman Mc Lean and Ramesh Dookhoo were given awards for their exemplary service to the business organisation.

Tax revenue collection...

I think we’ve registered about 80 plus persons/businesses so far in that area alone,” he disclosed.

The GRA Head hinted that the majority, if not all, of those unregistered businesses are owned by foreign nationals. He noted that they are going to go after all of them and even backdate all the years they have been here.

“What we are actually looking at, I tell my staff, is the 360 degree approach.

There are a lot of importers that do not charge the VAT. We do not check to see

whether they’re registered for the VAT, and they import and they buy the US currency and they export and the economy doesn’t get anything from it,” he stated.

According to the Commissioner General, the Revenue Authority has been using a series of information, even third party information, to identify and locate such businesses. In fact, he added the GRA has actually been getting information even from the business community.

“People who have been

from page 11

actively paying their VAT, people who recognise that other people are not paying the VAT, who’ve recognised that they may be charging the wrong rates for the VAT – they’ve been calling us now and giving us all the information,” he revealed.

Statia asserted that the Authority is enjoying this type of cooperation from the public and is looking forward to such support, since it is actually helping to level the playing field, which is what the GRA is all about and is trying to do.

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News

No cellphone GWI makes initial payment for policy at GRA Matthew’s Ridge water project soon – Statia

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o m m i s s i o n er General of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), Godfrey Statia on Thursday afternoon stated that measures will soon be implemented to ensure that no one – employees nor taxpayers – will be allowed into the GRA with their smartphones.

“Very soon, there will be no smartphones entering my building. [This means] both officers who work with me, and also taxpayers,” he said during a press c o n f e r ence held at the c o m pany’s h e a d quarters in Camp Street, Georgetown.

Statia said it is his belief that this “no cellphone policy” will ensure that the private information of taxpayers are not leaked. “We need to stamp it out because any time I find anybody leaking taxpayers’ information out there, they have to go,” the Commissioner General declared.

Recently, representatives of the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) had requested that GRA provide them with tax information regarding the alleged theft of State assets.

However, the tax entity maintained that strict secrecy laws prevented it from releasing the relevant information. While the law does indeed give GRA some space to release the tax information, once it is authorised by the

GWI Executive Director, Project Implementation and Partnership Building, Ramchand Jailal hands over the cheque to Chairperson of the Matakai NDC, Margaret Lawrence in the presence of GWI and regional officials

T

President, the tax authority reportedly expressed reservations about the information remaining confidential.

Still, SOCU took the matter to the High Court.

However, in March of this year, Chief Justice (ag), Yonette CummingsEdwards, ruled in favour of GRA not releasing taxpayers’ information.

he Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) on June 3, 2017, handed over a cheque to Chairperson of the Matakai Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC), Margaret Lawrence, as part payment for the re-

habilitation of the water supply system at Matthew’s Ridge, Region One (Barima-Waini).

Matthew’s Ridge is a small village that lies in the North West District of Guyana. This payment from GWI – worth $4 mil-

lion – will go towards the first phase of the project and will help the NDC to procure materials and commence work.

The total contract sum is $5,527,000.

During a meeting among Executive Director,

Project Implementation and Partnership Building, Ramchand Jailal; Hinterland Manager Ravindra Deonarine; Engineers and the NDC representatives held on June 3, 2017, the methodology for the project was discussed and it was agreed that only persons from within the community will gain employment from this project.

According to a statement from GWI, the project is scheduled to commence on June 12, and is expected to be completed in August. It is projected that after the completion of this project, approximately 1800 persons will benefit from improved water supply within the community.

On May 25, 2017, GWI signed the agreement with the Matthew’s Ridge NDC to improve the water supply in this community.

CIOG horrified at recent terror attacks

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he Central Islamic Organisation of Guyana (CIOG) has condemned the recent terrorist attacks that left 25 victims dead in London and Manchester, England.

In a statement, the CIOG said it continues to be horrified at the “despicable atrocities” inflicted upon innocent men, women and children, and noted that all God-fearing people should join in condemning these acts.

The CIOG maintains that those who perpetrate these acts in this most sacred month of Ramadan cannot be deemed Muslims, and no longer subscribe to the teaching of Islam and the laws that govern the

lives of Muslims and the Holy Quran.

According to CIOG, terror group ISIS, which has claimed responsibility for much of the attacks, should not be affiliated to the

teachings and values which Islam foster. The CIOG has quoted from the Quran: “He who kills a soul, unless it be (in legal punishment) for murder or causing disorder and corruption on the earth, will be as if he had killed all humankind; and he who

saves a life will be as if he had saved the lives of all humankind.”

Maintaining that anyone who defies this order “cannot hold steadfast to the realms of Islam and its teachings”, the CIOG has expressed h o p e t h a t t h e p e r sons w h o p e r petuate the violent acts end their activities and reflect on the true teachings of their beloved Prophet and the commandments given by the Almighty to all His Prophets, which relate to the sanctity and value of life.

The CIOG joined world

leaders and fellow Guyanese in offering sympathies to the people and Government of the United Kingdom: “We pray that the Almighty God will grant a peaceful resting place for the innocence that departed the world, and patience and perseverance to the families.”

At the end of U.S. Pop singer Arianna Grande’s May 22 concert in Manchester, a suicide bomber detonated a bomb that killed 22 civilians and injured 119 others, 23 critically. And on June 3, two simultaneous attacks in London killed 8 persons and injured 48 others. More recently, an ISIS-claimed terror attack on the Parliament in Muslim-majority nation Iran killed 17 people and wounded 40 others.

Govt funds 886 scholarships in 2 years

– will fulfil vision of a ‘green economy’

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inister within the Ministry of Public Health, Dr Karen Cummings, told a recent national event in Mabaruma, Region One, that a total of 886 Guyanese have been granted scholarships by the Government of Guyana to further academic studies in various fields, in keeping with a commitment to build human resource capacity even as the country prepares to transition into a green economy.

“More than eight hundred and eighty-six (886) scholarships were issued to Guyanese scholars by the APNU-AFC government since May 2015. These scholarships will provide

our scholars with the skills and the knowledge needed to fulfil the vision of a green economy,” she declared.

Through the Department of Public Service, the Government of Guyana has been granting scholarships to enable students to attain tertiary education at the certificate, diploma and degree levels.

Government’s focus is aligned with international standards of the 2009 United Nations Environment Initiative, entitled “Global Green New Deal” (GGND), which seeks to create policies and stimulate economic recovery, to create a more sustainable world economy.

The United Nations Environment GGND Initiative entreats governments to fund green sectors with the objective of economic recovery, eradicating poverty, reducing carbon emissions, and preventing ecosystem degradation.

Minister Cummings also said, “A green economy is crucial to the good life promised to all Guyanese, through sustainable development and protection of our environment.”

Government’s focus on creating and sustaining a green economy will result in improved human well-being and social equity, while significantly reducing environmental risks and ecolog-

ical scarcities.

All areas of study to which a scholarship is granted will contribute to Guyana’s goal to become a green economy. Some areas of significance wherein scholarships have been granted include Technology, Agriculture and Forestry, Natural Sciences, as well as Earth and Environmental Sciences.

According to a GINA report, the scholarship packages usually cover all costs, including field trips, tuition, facilities’ fees, and final year projects.

The Government has, so far, failed to reveal the names of the 886 persons granted scholarships.

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News

Prison overcrowding Storm wreaks havoc in Linden Study on alternatives to pretrial detention commences T A

he community of Oronoque Drive in the Retrieve area of Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice), is literally now trying to pick up the pieces following Wednesday’s passage of a freak storm that wreaked havoc on residents.

disclosed. When the publication visited, the elder DeClou was assessing the damage.

His son, Mark DeClou, said he was caught off guard.

“I was on the steps when suddenly a heavy breeze just pass. Actually, it moved me, and I just jumped off the

well.

Family members were in the process of putting the roof back together on Thursday.

Linden Mayor Carwyn Holland and Regional Chairman Renis Morian visited to see what assistance could be provided to residents.

Disaster response plan/committee

Missing zinc sheets on The DeClou home in Linden has missed several zinc sheets after the storm

When this publication visited the area on Thursday, numerous affected residents could be seen trying to reconstruct their roofs and placing household items out to dry.

As severe winds ripped through the area at approximately 15:00hrs, the home of the DeClou family of 274 Oronoque Drive was apparently hardest hit. The entire roof of that home was blown away, while several parts of its interior were completely damaged.

Switdzer DeClou said he was not at home when the storm hit, but he noted that his 4-year-old grandson, who was at home with his son, was asleep on a double-bunk bed when the storm hit, raining pieces of wood into the home and the room where the child had been sleeping. Luckily, no one was injured.

“When this breeze came, it knock off all the zinc (from the roof) and (dismantled) the steps. It start “revving up” the house. By time he (his son) ran in, dem wood come down in the bed and missed the baby. It hit the kitchen too,” the resident

steps and just watched as all the zinc sheets start flying.

It just started collapsing.

Dem beams just start falling in. When it ease, I just run inside. There he was (his son), saying, ‘Daddy!’ ” he recalled.

The older DeClou noted that the family has managed to secure temporary lodging in the area, since their entire home is now uninhabitable and would have to be reconstructed.

“This here (house) got to come right down. This whole frame done. It (storm) rip up all dem bolts. So this whole house got to loose down and come back with a new house”, he said. DeClou said the family were also awaiting further word from Regional Chairman Renis Morian, who visited on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Malita Jerome said she had to scramble to secure her household appliances during the storm. A section of her roof was blown away, and she is reportedly living in fear, because, should there be a recurrence of the storm, the other section of her roof might be blown away as

At the scene on Thursday, Holland said on Wednesday evening he received a report of the storm while he was in meetings at the Council, and he would have received various photos from residents, depicting damages to their homes.

“It is very unfortunate that this would have happened, and this just highlights the urgent need for a Natural Disaster Response Plan or a Committee, so that we can respond to things such as these, to help our residents whenever they are faced with such situations. Recently, we had an elderly resident whose house fell in Richmond Hill.

Once again, as a result of the heavy winds that were passing through…We want to find some way in which Government can readily assist persons in these situations…I believe we need to come together as a community and give assistance, and we’re calling for a plan to be put in place for these natural disasters”, Holland said.

He noted that the Linden Mayor and Town Council (LM&TC) has a meagre Community Fund which can only provide little assistance. As such, he made calls for additional funds to be made available for the Council, to provide assistance to residents in such times.

“I know we have the CDC and these organisations, but we’re on the ground, we should have an immediate response team”, Holland posited.

n international expert hired through the Citizen Security Strengthening Programme (CSSP) is in Guyana to conduct a study on alternatives to pre-trial detention. This is in response to the many problems that have been associated with overcrowding in the nation’s prisons. Peter Pursglove met with Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan on Wednesday where he briefed him on the recently commissioned study that seeks “to explore and present alternatives to pre-trial detention that are harmonious with criminal justice processes in Guyana.”

A statement from the Ministry on Thursday noted that Pursglove’s work is expected to contribute to a reduction in prison overcrowding with an aim of preventing further criminalisation of youths.

The Public Security Minister opined that the study is timely, especially with the recent event which saw inmates setting on fire a mattress at the Juvenile Detention Centre, Sophia, earlier this week. Minister Ramjattan was said to have emphasised the need for the study to include juvenile holding facilities, further expressing his “eagerness at receiving viable and sustainable solutions” to the many challenges that plague the country’s prison system.

The consultant’s tasks include conducting initial meetings with key stakeholders and identifying the strengths and weaknesses of Guyana’s approach to the provision of alternatives to incarceration, along with opportunities for reform and development. The Public Security Ministry disclosed that the study will review and make recommendations on matters pertaining to and identifying dy to include j for the study to include Juvenile detenthe penal system.ion Centre, Sophia. sentencing policy; discretion available to Judges, Magistrates, Police and Prosecutors; capacity of probation and other systems

Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan

of supervision of non-custodial sanctions including possible collaboration with civil society organisations; restorative justice; and “decriminalising certain acts”.

Pursglove is a Senior Counsel in Trinidad and Tobago who has been a barrister for 36 years with experience as an advocate and practitioner in three jurisdictions. He has also advised Ministers of Justice, Attorneys General and Prime Ministers in several Commonwealth Member States in Africa, the Caribbean and in the Pacific region. His areas of speciality include sentencing reform, judicial-sector reform, rule of law issues, justice and security, human rights, constitutional reform and anti-corruption.

The study Pursglove will conduct comes just over a year since a report was submitted on the findings of a Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the deadly Camp Street Prison riots which left 17 inmates dead. That report was handed over to President David Granger on June 1, 2016. At that time, Government was urged to quickly implement the recommendations.

The CoI Commissioners, led by retired Justice James Patterson, had observed that overcrowding was a major problem, with some 60 per cent of inmates at the Camp Street Prison being on remand at the time the report was compiled. The actual fig-

ures showed that 604 of 1014 of those prisoners were on remand awaiting trial.

“The consequent backlog of cases in the High Court has reached astronomic proportions and there is no sign of a downward trend anytime soon,” the report noted, adding that the judicial system did not either implement or make public its steps to reduce this backlog. In December 2016, Government had set aside over $350 million for expansion works at the Mazaruni Prisons, in Region Seven (CuyuniMazaruni), to accommodate more inmates to reduce overcrowding at Camp Street.

Also in late 2016, the Legal Affairs Ministry had embarked in consultations with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) on developing alternative sentencing as part of measures to reduce overcrowding.

“The whole idea is to try to weed out these offences that are clogging up (the prisons). Sometimes some people who are there for a six-month sentence could have had some other sentence,” subject Minister Basil Williams had explained.

Another point observed in the Camp Street CoI Report was that there was a huge disparity in the ratio of remand to convicted prisoners. It went on to call for more enforcement of the Bail Act as bail is a constitutional right afforded to prisoners with the exception of murder, treason or the possibility of the accused being a flight risk. However, often times when many prisoners are bailed for smaller offences, they are remanded to prison as they can’t afford to post bail. This too has contributed to overcrowding.

Major alternatives to pre-trial sentencing include community service and requiring offenders to attend classes and enter programmes relating to their offence which could prevent reoffending. Funding for the CSSP alternatives to pre-trial detention study was acquired from the IDB.

NAREI responds to red palm mite report

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hief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI), Dr Oudho Homenauth has responded to the report of the red palm mite issue in the island of Wakenaam, Region Three (Essequibo IslandsWest Demerara). Guyana Times was recently told that the pest, also known as Raoiella indica Hirst, remains prevalent in Wakenaam, with one farmer indicating that some 600 plants in his coconut nursery are under threat.

In a brief interview with this publication on Thursday, the NAREI head disclosed that the pest problem never dissipated.

Dr Homenauth explained that while the red palm mite cannot

be totally controlled, it can be managed, noting that NAREI had been extensively battling the pest for some two years.

The CEO clarified that at one point the pest was between 6070 per cent contained and further encouraged that farmers implement the knowledge sharing programmes which NAREI had conducted in the past indicating how they can manage the problem.

He also reminded farmers to continue using the requisite fertlisers and chemicals, and observe proper sanitation practices, and ensuring that their farms are free of weeds.

Dr Homenauth also told Guyana Times that monitoring is ongoing across the regions, in-

NAREI CEO, Dr Oudho Homenauth

cluding Wakenaam Island. He however, stressed that all of the farmers are “not listening to the advice of NAREI” in terms of observing its recommendations. Red palm mite causes leaves of plants to wither before falling off and NAREI had distributed chemicals to coconut farmers to treat their plants late last year but as the problem is seemingly on the rise, farmers expressed worry over possible losses.

One farmer, Ramkissoon (only name given), told this publication on Wednesday that the red palm mite is plaguing his coconut farm, especially attacking coconut nurseries which have young plants. In December 2015, Government had allocated $49 million for the pro-

curement of chemicals and additional materials to contain the pest in the affected locations.

First entering the Caribbean region around 2004, the presence of the pest was first observed in Wakenaam which forced NAREI at one point to quarantine the island. The agency had also placed preventive measures in neighbouring Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam).

However, those efforts did not stop the pest from reaching the Pomeroon and other farming communities on the Essequibo Coast where farmers suffered losses to coconuts, nuts and fruit trees. The mites are dispersed through wind from affected plants. (Shemuel Fanfair)

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Britons vote in election seen strengthening May’s Brexit hand

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ritain’s Conservative Party will be the largest party, but may not have a majority after the United Kingdom’s snap general election, an exit poll says.

The survey taken at polling stations across the UK suggests the party could get 314 MPs when all the votes have been counted after Thursday’s poll.

Labour would get 266, the Lib Dems 14, UKIP none and the SNP 34, the NOP/Ipsos MORI poll for BBC/ ITV/Sky suggests.

The pound fell sharply in value after the exit poll was published.

Early results are suggesting a swing to Labour – but it is too early to say whether the exit poll is accurate.

Veteran Conservative MP Ken Clarke said he believed his party would have a “small overall majority” when all the votes have been counted.

The final election results are expected by today lunchtime.

A total of 650 Westminster MPs will be elected, with about 45.8 million people entitled to vote. A party needs 326 seats to have an overall majority.

Prime Minister Theresa May – who had a small majority in the previous Parliament – called the snap election to try to strengthen her hand in negotiations with the European Union on Brexit.

But if the exit poll is borne out by results, analysts say the PM will have made a serious miscalculation.

B Prime Minister Theresa May’s party would be 12 seats short of an overall majority, the exit poll suggests

The pound fell sharply after the exit poll as traders had been expected a clear victory for Mrs May’s party with an overall majority in the House of Commons.

The pound fell by more than two cents to $1.2717 against the dollar, before recovering slightly to US$1.2742.

Conservative Defence Secretary Michael Fallon cautioned against reading too much into projections “before we have had a single actual result”.

Labour’s John McDonnell agreed that it was too early to call the result, but added that if the poll was correct it would “change the nature of politics” in the UK. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Comey: Trump White House ‘lied’ about the FBI

Ex-FBI chief James Comey

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x-FBI chief James Comey told Congress that the Trump Administration’s comments about him and the FBI were “lies plain and simple”.

Comey told a Senate committee they were wrong to denigrate the agency and its leadership.

He was also “confused” by the

“shifting explanations” for his sacking, which came as he led a probe into any links between the Trump campaign and Moscow.

President Donald Trump later said he never sought to impede the inquiry.

Trump’s Attorney, Marc Kasowitz, said in a statement Comey’s testimony “finally confirmed publicly” that the President was not under investigation as part of any probe in Russian political meddling.

In the statement, Trump also denied asking Comey for his loyalty or to drop an investigation into fired national security adviser Michael Flynn during private meetings.

In his testimony, Comey said Trump had repeatedly told him he was doing a “great” job.

He also suggested he was fired to “change the way the Russia investigation was being conducted”. (Excerpt from

Q

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

y now you should be already in the peaceful mood, right frame of mind and all excited to begin practicing yoga. If you are not then don’t worry, that shall be fix. After reading today’s article, I bet that you will see yourself thinking “Hey, I gotta start getting up and doing some yoga” Why this is so you may ask.

They say that seeing is believing so today we bring to you some testimonials from various people from different walks of life, different social backgrounds. However, it must be remembered that Yoga does not make you a good person, it would not make you famous, nor would it make you rich, but Yoga enables you to be at one with yourself. So not because these people have their statuses mean it was from Yoga- however yoga may have caused some impact for these people to reach where they are.

Yesterday we brought to you Robert Sturman who travelled to Africa and saw the “miracles” Yoga is doing. Today we bring to you the perspective of a yoga teacher in Sweden. We hope that she motivates you further to start (if you have not yet started) practicing yoga in your life.

Swedish Yoga Teacher Greta Grondahl Have you ever wondered what it’s like to travel the world and teach yoga? Yoga.com talked to amazing Greta from Sweden and asked her questions about her relationship with yoga. Greta is 23 years old and she went to her first yoga class at the age of 13. Back then, she was "a stiff tennis player with a competive mindset" and didn’t enjoy her classes very much. It wasn’t until a few years later that she started to understand the beauty of yoga.

She is now travelling and teaching yoga in the most wonderful places around the world. You can follow her journey on Instagram (@yogaholico) and learn more about her from our interview.

BBC News)

Qatar vows ‘no surrender’ in row with Arab states

atar has vowed it will “not surrender” its foreign policy in a row with other Arab states over its alleged connections to extremism. Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani said he favoured diplomacy to resolve the escalating crisis and that there was no military solution, Reuters reported.

Qatar rejects claims it is a leading supporter of Islamist extremism. Saudi Arabia and other states cut travel and diplomatic links on Monday.

The emir of Kuwait is trying

International Day of

to mediate the row, carrying out shuttle diplomacy between Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Addressing reporters in Doha on Thursday, Sheikh Mohammed said Qatar had been isolated “because we are successful and progressive”.

“We are a platform for peace not terrorism. This dispute is threatening the stability of the entire region,” he said, adding: “We are not ready to surrender, and will never be ready to surrender, the independence of our foreign policy.” (Excerpt from BBC News)

er

Tell us about how you became a yoga teach-

I began “teaching yoga classes” about five years ago, but it wasn’t until after I did my formal teacher training in Costa Rica that I realized it isn’t only about giving a one-hour yoga class a couple days a week. Teaching yoga is something I wanted to do outside the class too. Planting little seeds everywhere I go and helping people to become more aware of the brilliance that every single individual has, and encourage them to use it. So I “became” a yoga teacher five years ago but I’m still growing as a teacher every day by letting myself be a student and seeing all beings as great teachers.

How does yoga affect your daily life? Have you changed your diet, the way you start your day or something else in your routine since you got into yoga?

Yoga does not only affect my daily life, it has become my daily life. I believe all of us have yoga in our life; it doesn’t have to be practicing on your yoga mat, chanting, or knowing the yoga sutras inside and out.

The feeling of union with others and ourselves is one of the biggest parts of yoga for me. For me, being a yogi/yogini is striving to be real, not perfect. And to mindfully and heartfully choose your own tools, and your own way.

When I opened my arms to yoga I have become more aware in general about my mind, my soul, and my body. Because of that, my diet has changed over the last couple of years. I now care more about what goes into my body and also how my way of living affects other creatures and the environment.

I usually start my day in different places and I am very often on the move. I like to begin my day with space for myself, to check in with what I’m feeling that morning. That could be on my yoga mat, or it could be jumping on the bed, upside down against the wall, or out in nature. I like to move my body, sometimes slow and sometimes fast. I like to sing, sometimes loudly and sometimes quietly. I like to meditate, sometimes in stillness but sometimes in chaos (when it is very challenging). My routine has changed and it continues to change, it’s more open now and I feel more present.

When did it hit you that traveling and teaching yoga around the world is a lifestyle you want to pursue?

When I was 18 years old, and since then it has just been unfolding naturally. It makes me feel alive, mindful, and more compassionate. So why not go along with it and enjoy the ride? I am and will always be a student of life and if I can have the world as a studio and office I will not hide from that.

Who are your favorite yogis on Instagram and why?

My favourite yogis on Instagram are @aleclovelifeyoga and @tarynashh. Two very inspiring, super rad, and loving human beings who always put a smile on my face and open up my heart a little bit more with their wisdom and care for this world.

What do you think are the most common stereotypes about yoga that are not true?

The saying: “it’s about being flexible in your body”. It isn’t true to me. The goal is not about how flexible you can become in your body, it’s how flexible you can become in your mind.

HSS INVITES YOU TO OUR THIRD ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL DAY OF YOGA CELEBRATIONS. IT WILL BE HELD AT THE GUYANA NATIONAL STADIUM, PROVIDENCE, EAST BANK DEMERARA, JUNE 25 FROM 4PM TO 5:30PM. LET US MAKE THOUGHTS BECOME A REALITY. LET US BE FIT. “TRANSENDING BOUNDARIES, EMPOWERING THE BODY, MIND AND SOUL”

friday, june 9, 2017

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wenty-three-year-old Joelly Valentine, a contestant in the Miss Guyana World Pageant on Wednesday released her debut single titled “One Voice”. The song was written by the delegate and produced by DP Records and was released on NCN Radio.

The beauty ambassador representing Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice) is adamant that the song will receive great reviews and air time. The song, she noted, is a contribution to making the world a better place. She feels that the song will bring comfort to those who are suffering in some way or the other.

Valentine is a graduate from the University of Guyana with a Bachelor’s degree in Communications. She will be competing against nine other contestants for the title of Miss Guyana World when the pageant is hosted on June 25 at the National Cultural Centre.

She was already selected as a finalist following intense competition over the past months. The Region Five beauty will compete in several segments on coronation night, including the evening gown and intelligence segments.

The other nine delegates are Miss Region One (BarimaWaini), Delisha Wright; Miss Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), Sharda Pramdeo; Miss Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), Hemwantie Seodat; Miss Region Four (DemeraraMahaica), Vena Mookram; Miss Region Six (East BerbiceCorentyne), Thamesha Watson; Miss Region Seven (CuyuniMazaruni), Arielle Ghanie; Miss Joelly Valentine Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni), Crystal Wills; Miss Region Nine (Upper Takatu-Upper Essequibo), Manisha Wong and Miss Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice), Nitifah Thompson.

Miss Guyana World contestant releases debut single

Selector Diamond celebrates

Former beauty queen releases new album

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hree-time national beauty pageant title holder Ruqayyah Boyer, who is no stranger to the stage and theatrical performances, recently released her third single titled “#1Love”. Her last single was “Sunshine” featuring former Carib Soca Monarch, Kwasi “Ace” Edmondson.

The unifying up-tempo pop fusion number was produced by the songstress and Brutal Tracks.

When asked about the song’s inspiration, Ruqayyah who also goes by the newly adopted stage name, “N-Dica” related that consideration was given to ongoing world issues as she penned the song.

Some of those issues included the war in Syria, the US election race and results, the war on religion, and the ethnic divide.

She stated that it was a daunting experience and as a result, she was inspired to pen a song which brought a positive light not just into her immediate space but the virtual and physical world at large.

She noted that some of the very people she had made lasting friendships with during her pageant contests and world travels were being affected by said plights.

When listening to the new single “#1Love”, one might be inclined to get that “Where is the love” by Black Eye Peas vibe one minute and feel a bit of Michael Jackson’s themes of unity being morphed with a bit of dance fever catching on the next.

Then there is the tribal aspect that causes humans to stop and think about life and purpose for a minute. Overall, the message is a strong one of not giving up, rising against the challenges faced in life and living in love and unity similar to one of her icons, Bob Marley. The singer-songwriter, actress, model and entrepreneur can be found on Instagram, Soundcloud, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter as N-Dica or her full name Ruqayyah Boyer. Also be sure to check out her other releases “You Don’t Own Me’’ and ‘’Sunshine’’. She is presently working on a few other singles in the near future along with a featured EP with fellow Producer, Simeon Browne before the end of 2017.

Works on her solo debut EP and Album will commence in 2018.

with “Diamond Ball”

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lifford Leslie, popularly known as “Selector Diamond” will turn 27 on June 14 and has already made his name as one of the best selectors in Guyana. A young man that is known for his up-tempo style and one who knows to mix the rhythms to suit the audience and occasion, will be celebrating in grand style.

His family, friends and fans will congregate at Palm Court on Saturday, June 17 for one of the wildest birthday celebrations ever. The party is called “Diamond Ball” and is expected to be epic, as some of the best deejays and selectors from BOOM FM will be in the house to set it on fire.

Soca, dancehall, Latin and practically all genre of music will boom through the sound systems to keep the party rocking through the night. The word is al-

ready out there, and the ladies are making sure that they have the most provocative outfits to celebrate the birthday boy.

It is one of the parties you just cannot miss. Ladies will be admitted free before 22:00h but $2000 will be charged after. The event is sponsored by Heineken, Street Styles Boutique and Indulgence Restaurant and Bar.

guyanatimesgy.com

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be won

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- ov er $200,0

i n gers on the Westside are getting ready to roll and rumble once again as the Aracari Resort, located at 160 Plantation Versailles, West Bank Demerara, presents its biggest Amateur Singers Karaoke Contest.

The resort is flooded

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h s a c with 00 in

calls as singers from far and wide are feverishly trying to grasp a chunk of over $200,000 to be won in cash and prizes. This event will see fiery clashes among four karaoke champions who all won at the recently held monthly

he Sonia Noel Foundation for Creative Arts has launched a new programme, titled “Confidence Becomes You… Personal and Professional Practice for Prosperous Pursuits”.

A group of phenomenal young men and women from all walks of life were chosen to be part of an empowering dynamic youth movement.

The young leaders are determined to contribute positively towards the development of our country and are currently studying and discussing the ‘21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership’ by John Maxwell.

Before the evening session was over, persons were recognising the value of these laws if applied. Good thinking shapes who you are so we have to be intentional to engage in good thoughts. However, another group which consist of mostly women, embarked on a confidence building agenda to

Alex Wayne

competitions at the resort, and winners from every other karaoke location on the Westside.

To date, Edward Perez – who won three years ago – has entered the line-up, but he will have to watch out for the likes of Ean Nelson, Jah Joe, Rhonda Williams, and Lashaun Charles who won the final segment just two months ago.

improve personal and professional practices.

It is a way for people to assess their skills and qualities, consider their aims in life and set goals in order to realise and maximise their potential.

Participants learnt about the foundation of their core message, effective taglines, effective networking tips, unique serving proposition, time management and how to be more effective at Radio and TV interviews.

One of the facilitators, John Quelch, mentioned that it is important to develop and improve oneself before extending it to anyone or anything else.

The effectiveness of the people you led and/or your organisation will always be capped by the level of your personal leadership skills and abilities, he noted.

The programme was also extended to schools.

Azzaruddin Laljie

Lashaun Charles

Edward Perez

The event will begin with an audition at the resort on Tuesday, June 13, at 20:30h. From the auditions, a total of 15 singers will be shortlisted.

However, one contestant will be eliminated on a weekly basis until the final 11 remain and battle at the grand finale for over $200,000 in cash and prizes.

Interested persons are asked to call Aracari Resort’s General Manager, Alex Wayne, on telephone number 603 1893, or make contact with the other co-coordinators on phone numbers 685-7002, 650-9551, or 690-6706.

Contestants are required to pay a $1000 registration fee to enter the competition.

Sandra Glasgow

for NCC on Saturday

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he Free Souls Dance Theatre Company of Guyana is an innovative and exciting theatrical dance company. Founded and spearheaded by Kijana Lewis, one of Guyana’s most decorated dancers and theatre practitioners, performing all across the Caribbean and the United States of America for over 10 years.

The Company is made up of all professional dancers from all across Guyana, bringing a variety of talents from all genres and cultural backgrounds of dance, which makes the Company very exciting and unique. The Company uses dance as a medium to educate and entertain its audiences on a wide range of issues and socials ills that may affect our people; such as mental health, suicide, discrimination and gender-based violence, politics, race, poverty and much more, showing how dance can overcome these obstacles or raise awareness.

The dance group will be hosting its second annual production called “Escape” at the National Cultural Centre on Saturday, commencing at 20:00h.

The show talks about real life stories of people in Guyana and across the world. It will attempt to bring its audience closer to understand struggles people face in society, the struggles of the woman, the struggles of the man, domestic violence, discrimination and commercial sex workers.

The show promises to be a visual masterpiece that will keep its audience interested and at the edge of their seats.

The show is directed by Kijana Lewis and comprises seasoned dancers such as Paul Charles, Fiano Spencer, Kijana Lewis, Meleesa Payne, Mwanza Glenn, Nevon Arno, Isaiah Luther, Maranda DrakesHudson, Lotoya Browne, Radiante Frank and Onika Martin.

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i t h the ultimate objective to whetting the appetite, eliciting respect and appreciation, while encouraging more scholarships for Indo-Guyanese and by extension Guyanese Literature, yet another book is ready to hit the local shelves.

As Guyana continues to observe the centennial anniversary of the end of East Indian indentureship, Literary Activist/Writer and Oral Historian,

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Petamber Persaud, handed over 100 copies of a pocketbook titled “Guyanese Writers of Indian Ancestry” to Minister within the Education Ministry, Nicolette Henry on Thursday.

Expressing gratitude during the presentation in her secretariat,

he Sonia Noel Foundation for Creative Arts recently collaborated with Intricate Hands to launch an up cycling/re-cycling programme for people living with disabilities. Student from the David Rose School for Special Needs, the Ptolemy Reid Rehabilitation Centre and other independent persons participated.

Facilitator Melba La Gadoue from Berbice stated that she was overjoyed with the response. “Having the opportunity to share your God given talent always feels great and I happy for this collaboration”.

Minister Henry noted the importance of such publications to the Guyanese fabric on the road to social cohesion through literary and cultural awareness. “I’m sure that it will evoke nostalgia for some and adventure for others,” Minister Henry said.

This is the second in a series of pocketbooks produced by Persaud following the launch of “Made in Guyana”, which was written for Guyana’s Golden Jubilee celebrations.

“This 50-page book is a tribute to our literary ancestors dating back to the early 19th Century, capturing information about writers up to present day,” Persaud stated.

In his opinion, there is not much information readily available on IndoGuyanese Literature and this project is an attempt to fill that lacuna. He also noted that he was motivated to pen the publication as there are many writers who are not know or little know, thus to showcase them alongside more recognised writers.

It is hoped that these books will be educational and informative to students and anyone who cares about the nation’s literary patrimony/heritage. It is presently available for sale at Austin’s Book Store and will soon be available at hotels and all ports of entry.

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– A KAST Talent Management model

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purpose driven individual who with all great qualities thrives in achieving a successful career in the field of entertainment and art – this is Michael Sam. Migrating from the emerging town of Charity located on the Essequibo Coast to the city of Georgetown, Michael Sam is known for his creativity and his eye for fashion.

Sam earned the opportunity to be featured in fashion shows displaying clothing by Fogarty’s, Clairans and also had the opportunity to model at this year’s

Roraima Wedding Expo and Guyana Fashion week.

As a model under KAST Talent Management, he brings nothing but bravery. At 20, he has developed into a public figure but still has more room for growth.

He will be participating in the up-coming Mr Africa Roots Pageant slated for August.

Keep your eyes open as he takes you on his journey to see Africa for its real beauty. He will be representing Ethiopia in that pageant.

The Sonia Noel Foundation has been working with the David Rose School for Special Needs for quite some time. “Ms Noel has had a number of projects at our school and the kids and teachers have learnt a lot from her and we look forward to more partnerships in the future,” Head Teacher of the school related.

The participants were taught how the make balls out of paper and cut leaves and roses. It was fun to see the children using their creative skills to make decorative items out of dried coconut branches and oth-

er materials that were discarded.

The children also made vases and other home décor items out of wine bottles.

“I have been working with this community for years. The ultimate goal is for the disabled community to master this art form so

they can earn a living, eventually. We plan to do this project countrywide,” Noel added.

She thanked the management of Courtyard and the Business School for making the venture a success.

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friDAY, june 9, 2017

Champions Trophy…

Sri Lanka stun India to blow Group B wide open Kusal Mendis

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hikhar Dhawan scored a fine hundred for India, but Sri Lanka produced a stunning performance to chase down 322 and secure a famous win.

Sri Lanka blew the ICC Champions Trophy wide open with a record-breaking seven-wicket win over India at The Oval.

A brilliantly paced chase from Angelo Mathews' side saw them knock off 322 with eight balls to spare, the largest successful chase in The Oval's one-day international history.

As a result, each side in Group B has two points with a game to play. Sri Lanka will face Pakistan, while India must beat South Africa to keep their hopes of retaining the trophy alive.

In these sub-continental neighbours' 150th ODI meeting, India opener Shikhar Dhawan hit his 10th ODI century en route to 125 - the third-highest score in this year's tournament.

Rohit Sharma (78) and MS Dhoni (63) enjoyed fruitful unions with Dhawan as India posted 321-6 after being inserted by Sri Lanka captain Mathews, returning from a calf injury.

However, in a tournament that has been filled with one-sided thrashings and washouts, Sri Lanka bucked the trend brilliantly.

Danushka Gunathilaka (76) and Kusal Mendis (89) added 159 runs for the second Sri Lankan wicket, before both were run out, but Mathews (52 not out), Kusal Perera (47) and Asela Gunaratne (34no) maintained the momentum to secure a famous victory.

That India-South Africa meeting back in London will feature both AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli looking to bounce back from scoring nought - the India captain lasted just five balls here before nicking off to Nuwan Pradeep (1-73), registering an ODI duck for the first time since August 2014 against England in Cardiff.

Kohli's misfire initially seemed benign as Dhawan and Rohit had piled on 138 for the opening wicket, the latter hitting six fours and three sixes before sending a Lasith Malinga (2-70) bouncer straight down long leg's throat.

Malinga also accounted for Dhawan as Jasprit Bumrah miles over square leg to the left-hander swung lustily to long on af- further darken Indian moods. Mathews reached a 33rd ODI fifty with a glorious ter a powerful performance.

Yuvraj Singh (7) and Hardik Pandya straight drive before flipping the next ball (9) joined Kohli in contributing little with into the leg side to equal their highest runthe bat, but Dhoni was at his thrilling best, chase and secure a monumental triumph.

(Sportsmax) smashing 63 from 51 balls before attacking his 52nd with a trademark 'helicopter' shot that ended up caught at long off in the final over.

Despite facing a challenge based in uncharted territory Pradeep 10-0-73-1 (2w), T India innings (50 in ODIs, Sri Lanka silenced Perera 9-0-54-1, Gunathilaka overs maximum) the vast swathes of India 8-0-41-0, A Gunaratne 3-0-7-1 R Sharma c NLTC Perera b fans with a dazzling perforMalinga 78 mance.

Sri Lanka innings (target: S Dhawan c Mendis b Gunathilaka classily comMalinga 125 322 runs from 50 overs) piled his personal-best ODI N Dickwella† c Jadeja b Kumar 7 V Kohli* c †Dickwella b Prade ep 0 D Gunathilaka run out score, blasting Umesh Yadav 76 Yuvraj Singh b Gunaratne 7 (Yadav/†Dhoni) and Hardik for maximums but he and Mendis dithered K Mendis run out (Kumar) 89 MS Dhoni† c Chandimal b NLTC Perera 63 K Perera retired hurt over taking a second run, 47 with Umesh's accurate throw A Mathews* not out 52 H Pandya c MDKJ Perera b and Dhoni's lightning-fast A Gunaratne not out 34 Lakmal 9 hands giving India a crucial Extras (lb 11, w 5, nb 1)17 K Jadhav not out 25 strike before Bhuvneshwar Total(3 wickets; 48.4 overs)322 R Jadeja not out0 Kumar's brilliant pick-up and Did not bat: LD Chandimal, Extras (lb 4, w 10)14 throw removed Sri Lanka's NLTC Perera, RAS Lakmal, Total (6 wickets; SL Malinga, N Pradeep other set batsman.

50 overs)321 Fall of wickets: 1-11 (Dickwella, But Sri Lanka once again Did not bat: B Kumar, 4.4 ov), 2-170 (Gunathilaka, responded, with Mathews UT Yadav, JJ Bumrah 27.5 ov), 3-196 (Mendis, 32.4 and Perera keeping up the ov), 3-271* (MDKJ Perera, Fall of wickets: 1-138 (Sharma, run-a-ball pace, until the latretired not out, 42.6 ov) 24.5 ov), 2-139 (Kohli, 25.5 ter had to retire hurt with a ov), 3-179 (Yuvraj Singh, 33.3 Bowling: B Kumar 10-0-54hamstring injury on 47. ov), 4-261 (Dhawan, 44.1 1 (1w), U Yadav 9.4-0-67-0 ov), 5-278 (Pandya, 45.4 ov), Wickets in hand gave Sri (1w), Bumrah 10-0-52-0 (1nb), 6-307 (Dhoni, 49.2 ov) H Pandya7-1-51-0 (1w), Jadeja Lanka the advantage, how6-0-52-0 (1w), Jadhav3-0-18-0 Bowling: Malinga 10-0-70-2 ever. Gunaratne pulled his (1w), Kohli 3-0-17-0 (1w), Lakmal 10-1-72-1 (3w), fourth ball for six and swept

SCOREBOARD

West Indies v Afghanistan, 1st ODI, St Lucia…

West Indies look to stay on track for tour whitewash

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n tennis, we sometimes see players struggling for form on the ATP World Tour - pro tennis' highest level - drop down one tier to the ATP Challenger Tour.

While the level of competition is not as high, they are likely to win more matches, and winning - no matter who it's against - breeds confidence. So while it's no secret that West Indies would much rather be in England playing the Champions Trophy, there's little doubt that sweeping Afghanistan in the T20I series would have boosted morale, and eased a small amount of the pain of losing all three series against Pakistan recently.

With the ODIs coming up, the hosts have the perfect opportunity to highlight the gulf - in quality and experience - between the two

sides even further, and finally enjoy a tour they can unequivocally call a success.

Afghanistan might be wishing this tour was the other way around, with the ODIs - the format they are less likely to make an impact in - held before the T20Is. That way, they could have acclimatised to the conditions during the ODIs, while saving their best for the T20Is, with a real chance of causing a few upsets. As it stands, they made their mistakes in the T20Is, and even though they got better with each progressing game, they now find themselves having to take on their hosts in a longer format, which is unlikely to play to their advantage.

Interest will invariably centre around Roston Chase, who was called up

Lots of attention is on offspinning all-rounder and Test batsman Roston Chase in his debut ODI Series

to the ODI side for the first time after a phenomenally prolific Test series against Pakistan. He averaged over 100 en route to scoring 403 runs - the highest aggregate for a West Indies batsmen in a three-match series. But that is no guarantee of ODI success. Chase appears to be a more classical batsman, who has prioritised firstclass cricket over T20 glamour, playing just 16 domestic limited-overs matches.

This series will be a test of his flexibility, and will show whether he can be a man West Indies can turn to regardless of the format. With a Test strike rate of 43.61, he'll have to do something different in the shorter format.

On paper, Gulbadin Naib's primary role is that of a medium-fast bowler, but

he has performed that job for precisely two overs across 3 T20Is in the Caribbean.

With the bat, a facet of his game that has assumed greater importance of late, he has disappointed, scoring 31 runs in three outings.

While he is a more regular ODI bowler, Naib will be under pressure to deliver and bolster his all-round credentials. With the competition for places so intense, there will invariably be another player eyeing his place.

This is the first match being held at this ground since it was renamed the Darren Sammy National Cricket Stadium after the former captain. Established in 2002, the stadium has traditionally seen spinners extract more, although high totals at this ground were in evidence long before the

T20 revolution. The weather should be ideal for cricket, with bright skies and little cloud cover. (Cricinfo) West Indies Squad : Jason Holder (c), Devendra Bishoo, Jonathan Carter, Roston Chase, Miguel Cummins, Shannon Gabriel, Shai Hope, Alzarri Joseph, Evin Lewis, Jason Mohammed, Ashley Nurse, Kieran Powell, Rovman Powell Afghanistan Squad: Asghar Stanikzai (cpt) Noor Ali Zadran, Javid Ahmadi, Usman Ghani, Rahmat Shah Zarmati, Nasir Jamal, Mohammad Nabi, Samiullah Shenwari, Gulbuddin Naib, Rashid Khan Arman, Shafiqullah Shafaq, Shapoor Zadran, Amira Hamza Hotak, Dawlat Zadran, Afsar Zazai, Farid Malik.

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sports

Sinclair confident Berbice will win 3-day title D

espite an abysmal performance by his team, especially with the bat during the limited over version of the Guyana Cricket Board/ Hand-In-Hand Under-19 Inter-County Tournament, Berbice skipper Kevin Sinclair is optimistic his side will win the three-day segment of the competition.

Hampered by the rain and dismal batting, Berbice under-19 failed to reach the final of the inter-county u-19 50 over tournament, which was won by Demerara.

The batting from the team from the East was horrendous in their two games while one of its round-robin matches was abandoned due to rain.

On Monday, the Ancient

County side won a low-scoring encounter against the National U-17 select by five wickets inside two days. In that match they tied on first innings with the U17s, scoring 86. In their second turn at the crease they needed 86 to win as they crawled to 87-5 in close to 40 overs. To date, only all-rounder Javed Karim and Sinclair have registered half centuries for their team while the other batsmen have struggled.

Their next assignment is against Essequibo at Police Sports Club Ground, Eve Leary starting on Friday after it was pushed back by a day due to rain.

However, despite the victory in the first round, skipper of the side Kevin Sinclair said his team did

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not bat well and will be looking to improve in the next match. “The guys did not bat well, our bowling was on top, and they did not bat in partnership as we plan. I think in our next game we have to bat in partnership to get a better total.”

Sinclair is depending on fortune that rain will not prevent play in any of their

remaining matches as they aim to improve their batting partnership to win the title. “If we get through our matches and everybody plays to their best, I know Berbice could come out on top and win this event despite our performances in the limited over tournament.”

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21

A beautiful Caribbean Airlines hummingbird takes flight

C

aribbean Airlines will once again be the official airline carrier for the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL T20) in 2017 and will be instrumental in connect-

ing enthusiastic cricket fans and teams participating in the events throughout the Caribbean and North America.

As official airline partner, all teams and officials

travelling to CPL matches and related activities will travel on Caribbean Airlines flights to and from events. Mr. Séan Quong Sing, Vice President Commercial (Ag.) said: “As the airline that knows the Caribbean best, Caribbean Airlines is delighted to partner with CPL for the fourth consecutive year. This year Caribbean Airlines celebrates 10 years of providing consistent and reliable service to the people of the region and this CPL partnership is a natural alliance for us, given the importance of cricket to the region. As the official airline partner, we look forward to flying the teams, officials and fans to various games throughout the region to experience the excitement of this premier cricket league.”

Commercial Director, CPL T20, James Stewart said: “Players, Officials and Fans all rely on Caribbean

Airlines to get them safely and punctually around the islands during CPL, on a schedule that is sometimes very demanding. Their efficiency and friendly service is greatly appreciated by all and it is a pleasure to have Caribbean Airlines back as the Official Airline of CPL.” Caribbean Airlines looks forward to flying the teams and customers to various games throughout the region to experience the excitement of this premier cricket league.

Caribbean Airlines offers an all-inclusive inflight experience with complimentary authentic Caribbean meals and signature cocktails. Also, all passengers first checked bag always flies free and economy passengers can pay just U$$30 for a second checked-bag, which is one of the lowest rates in the global airline industry.

(CPLT20.com)

Golden State 1 win away from record

G

olden State Warriors took a 3-0 lead over defending champions Cleveland Cavaliers with a 118-113 victory in the best-of-seven NBA Finals. Kevin Durant scored 31 points for the Warriors, who have the opportunity on Friday to become the first team to go unbeaten en route to a title.

Cleveland led by six points with three minutes to play but Durant led an impressive 11-0 run to secure the win. No team has come from 3-0 down to win an NBA play-off series in

126 attempts.

Only eight teams have swept their opponents 4-0 in the NBA Finals – the last was San Antonio Spurs against Cleveland in the 2006-07 season. Last season, Golden State eclipsed Michael Jordan’s 1996 Chicago Bulls to set a new NBA record with 73 wins in a regular season.

This term they have become the first team from the United States’ four major professional sports leagues – the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL – to win 15 successive post-season games. Last year the

Cavaliers became the first team to win a title after trailing the Finals 3-1 when they beat the Warriors 93-89 in the deciding game.

But Cleveland’s LeBron James admitted his side would have to play a perfect game on Friday to avoid being on the wrong side of a new landmark. “Even when you’re playing well, you got to play like A plus plus, because they’re going to make runs and they’re going to make shots and they have guys that are going to make plays,” he said.

“We made enough plays tonight to win the ball game, but they made a couple more.” Durant’s pull-up three-pointer over LeBron James with 45 seconds remaining gave the Warriors their first lead since late in the third quarter and silenced what had been a raucous crowd.

James, who collapsed to the floor after running head-first into the shoulder of team-mate Tristan Thompson in the first quarter, led the way for Cleveland with 39 points, while the impressive Kyrie Irving added 38. (BBC Sport)

22

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

fridAY, june 9, 2017

GFF honouring ‘Mexico game’ GBBC honours amateur boxers investigation mandate – hires consultant to address matter

T

GFF President Wayne Forde

he Guyana Football Federation (GFF) is moving resolutely to unearth everything that needs to be known about the Guyana Jaguars’ World Cup 2014 Qualifier against Mexico 2014, which was switched from Guyana to Mexico in 2012.

Guyana Football Federation (GFF) President Wayne Forde, in a recent interview, stated that the GFF is honouring its promise to start the process within 14 days of the holding of the last Ordinary Congress, on May 27 last.

He also revealed that a consultant has been going through documents and doing interviews, all in the interest of putting together the dossier that is required for any investigator to be updated as to where to start the process.

Former Acting GFF President, Franklin Wilson, who was at the helm of the fiasco, recently said that all the relevant information pertain-

ing to the match is in possession of the Federation.

“There is no need to expend much-needed dollars to unearth what transpired, when the facts that can lead to closure on this issue are already accessible and in the possession of the GFF. Closure of this would be a plus for all and sundry, and Guyana as a whole,” Wilson said in a statement.

Forde, in response, has said, “All is a relative term, and I’m not sure I want to comment on what Mr. Wilson means by ‘all’, but I’m sure he would be more than willing to elaborate on that if he is so asked by anyone of you guys (reporters).”

He added, “While I respect the former president’s views, I’m obligated to respect the mandate of the members, who happen to be the highest decision-making body (for football) in the country. And every member that was represented at the Congress voted, and it was actually a unanimous decision to pursue an investigation.”

Former National Captain Christopher Nurse recently told Guyana Times Sport he was hopeful that the matter would be addressed.

According to Nurse, prior to the match, then acting GFF President, Franklin Wilson, had signed an agreement with the players concerning their remuneration packages due to the switch in venue, after he had previously been ignoring them.

“He [Franklin Wilson had] ignored the earlier request for an agreement, (and that had) led to the strike the night before (the) Mexico [match],” Nurse revealed. He further disclosed: “It’s common courtesy for the team to be notified how much the game was sold for and how much the GFF received. Out of that (amount), the players are due 12 per cent. One crucial instance took place, and it

Former GFF President (Ag) Franklin Wilson

[was] announced to the national team (that) US$75,000 was received.

However, only US$45,000 was deposited into the GFF account, and the players were never compensated as per the agreement”.

Back in 2012, Wilson had deemed moving the match as being “in the best interest of football”, since “the revenue will be used to pay off outstanding debts and other expenses the Golden Jaguars have incurred”.

It is understood that the Federation would have reaped approximately US$2 million (Gy$400 million) in profits. However, no documentation was provided to substantiate these claims.

Guyana’s Golden Jaguars and Mexico were set to clash at the Guyana National Stadium, but the Federation sold the hosting rights for the game, which was then moved to the BBVA Compass Stadium in Texas.

with WBC gifts

GBBC President, Peter Abdool presenting the WBC gifts to Orland “Pocket Rocket” Rogers (left)

H

aving successfully staged the second edition of the WBC’s “Locked and Loaded” amateur boxing card at the Giftland Mall at Turkeyen, ECD last April, the Guyana Boxing Board of Control (GBBC), on Tuesday at a simple ceremony at the office of Abdool and Abdool Insurance Brokers on Republic Avenue in Georgetown, presented gifts to the amateur boxers on behalf of the WBC. The gifts included WBC-emblazoned caps and jerseys, as well as medals.

Akea Lamazon, Duel Augustin, Rewinna David and Kelon Isaacs were the four pugilists who had participated in this card; and coach of the Pocket Rocket Boxing Gym, Orland Rogers, was on hand to receive gifts on behalf of three of those boxers: Akea Lamazon, Duel Augustin and Kelon Isaacs, who were absent.

Describing the gifts as tokens of appreciation, President of the GBBC, Peter Abdool, urged the boxers to stay in the gym in preparation for the 3rd edition of the tournament, which are being planned for a July staging. He noted that the tournament would be staged despite the absence of professionals, since the cost would be reduced while organisers would still be able to achieve their respective objectives.

Amateur fighter Rewinna David, who was present to receive her WICB gift package, highlighted the importance of the WBC amateur bouts by declaring herself “very happy to be back in the ring and (to be) recognized for my efforts.”

– Jones rolls out plan to develop young sportsmen/women nationwide

Disciplines such as Archery are on the National Sports Commission’s radar for development

By Michelangelo Jacobus

D

irector of Sport, Christopher Jones, has revealed in an exclusive interview with Guyana Times Sport that

the National Sports Commission (NSC) has planned, by 2018, to target the nurturing of various sporting disciplines throughout Guyana, starting from the primary school level.

“The Guyana Teachers Union has a district structure by which Guyana has been broken up into 15 different districts. The National Sports Commission has now adopted that district structure, and what we are looking to do now is to hire coaches and organizers residing in those particular districts to work in a cluster system.

“We will identify schools from the primary level that fall within those districts, and, on a daily basis, those coaches and organizers will be at a particular ground; and let’s say Form One (Grade 7) will be at a particular ground, doing a particular sport training from 9am to 10am. And then there is another group that will come from 10-11; so, throughout an entire week, all of the students in the primary school system will be exposed to six different sport disciplines…” he explained.

Jones noted that in addition to mainstream sport disciplines, a special pro-

gramme tailored to suit the peculiar geographical configuration of regions that are not coastal will be introduced to areas outside of the coastland region.

“Outside of the regions that run along the coastline, there will be a specific programme that will be rolled out for those in the hinterland regions; for example, Regions One, Seven, Eight and Nine. (This is) due to those regions’ geographic spread and what (each of those regions) has there.

There will be students trained in kayaking (and) students trained in archery. Football of course will be part of it, but archery and kayaking are the programmes that we will be introducing to those hinterland regions.

“There is hope and expectation that those student athletes will form part of the National Sports Database, and this is a collaborative effort that has to be had with the students, teachers, and of course the parents. Once they ensure that their children keep their grades up, once they continue in a particular sport discipline, the NSC will provide incentives in the form of scholarships to them.”

This is in the hope of smooth transition-

ing of student athletes from the primary to the secondary level, and ultimately to the tertiary level, according to Jones. He maintained that this is all part of the NSC’s initiative, to ensure that the nation’s athletes can have a sound academic foundation while nurturing effective development in sports.

“We hope that thereafter, moving from the primary school system into the secondary system, the foundation will be there academically and sports-wise. Working, then, with various sports association at the secondary school level, these incentives -scholarships to attend the University of Guyana -- because of the foundations that would have been had at the primary level, they would be easily transitioned over to the University level,” Jones explained.

The rationale that underpins this initiative has to do with the assessment that while Guyana has produced some outstanding athletes in more recent times, not enough has been done to ensure that a solid academic background is afforded those athletes.

guyanatimesgy.com

friDAY, june 9, 2017

23

RAN 15s South Zone Final…

Banks DIH fuelling Green Machine’s quest against Trinidad C

orporate giants Banks DIH, under their popular Banks Beer brand, have come out in support of the National Rugby team, Green Machine, ahead of their Rugby America North (RAN) 15s South Zone final against Trinidad and Tobago this Saturday.

At a simple presentation ceremony on Thursday, Banks DIH Public Relations Officer (PRO) Troy Peters told the gathering that the company was more than happy to be aligned with the sport again since the partnership dates back some distance in time.

Peters predicted that the

match would be tough, but he said he felt assured that the local ruggers can give a good account of themselves.

In response, Guyana Rugby Football Union’s (GRFU’s) Peter Green thanked the company for their support and underscored the importance of the match, since the winner would advance to the North versus South play-off, a match that will be away to Mexico on July 1.

Meanwhile, Head Coach Kenneth Grant-Stuart disclosed that the team is ready for the task at hand. “The team is ready. I am trying to keep them as far away from these off-scene distrac-

tions (as possible), so they can be more focused on their game come Saturday. In terms of the stuff we have been doing since Barbados, we have been looking at a lot of our plays and (identifying) weakness and try to correct them; and we are adding a few more players to strengthen us,” he revealed.

The Green Machine had to come from behind to defeat Barbados 34-26 in early May, while the Trinidadians have won their game against the Bajans 36-16, setting up a rematch of last year’s final with Guyana, which the latter won 23-18 in the TwinIsland Republic.

Grant-Stuart is hoping

Banks Brand Supervisor Rawle Nedd handing over the sponsorship cheque to GRFU President in the presence of rugby and Banks DIH representatives at Thirst Park

to use the history of rivalry between these two teams to the advantage of the Green Machine.

“Over the years, we have been playing back and forth with Trinidad; and as for the technical aspect, the senior

players are well attuned to the pattern of (Trinidad’s play), and we have players who play club level with them,” Grant-Stuart has said.

The Green Machine will continue training today

while their counterparts will be arriving on Friday morning for Saturday’s 15:00hrs scrum-off, scheduled to be held at either the National Park or the St. Stanislaus College ground on Carifesta Avenue. (Akeem Greene)

National Schools’ Basketball – Rugby captain bemoans uncertainty over venue for Trinidad clash Festival resumes today A

By Akeem Greene

day before Guyana’s National Rugby team, Green Machine, tackles Trinidad and Tobago in the South Zone final of the Rugby Americas North (RAN), uncertainty over the venue for the highly-anticipated event is creating a challenging and frustrating situation for Green Machine team Captain Ryan Gonsalves.

The inclement weather has left the usual venue -- the National Park Rugby field – mostly inundated, and although Rugby is a sport that can be played in soggy conditions, the Guyana Rugby Football Union (GRFU) is attempting

T

Action in the NSBF tournament

he final weekend of first round games of the National Schools’ Basketball Festival (NSBF) will be played today, and will continue on Saturday and Sunday from 16:00hrs at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.

In last weekend’s action, a dominant President’s College team shut out the School of the Nations’ side 55 to 0 points.

Nations’ best player, a national forward, fouled out after just fifteen minutes of play, to leave the Nations team a player short.

Saffiya Greene top scored for President’s College with 20 points, 13 rebounds and 6 steals, while Lydia Roberts contributed 13 points, 9 rebounds and Affiya Wicham made 13 points, 5 steals.

In the Males U-19 contest, the Nations’ men didn’t do much better, going down to the Bishops’ High 44 points to 20.

Andre Somrah scored 14 points, 8 rebounds, as Shamal Beaton and Webster McRae added identical contributions of 6 points and 9 rebounds apiece for the BHS. Corey Graham scored 4 points, 5 rebounds, 5 steals; while Daniel Sears had 4 points and 9 rebounds for Nations.

Over in the Under-16 Male category, Marian’s Academy outplayed the President’s College to win 39 to 24 points.

Marian’s Shemroy Holder had a game-high 10 points, while Akili Haynes contributed 9 points, 8 rebounds, and Josiah Daniels 8 points and 9 rebounds.

Ashriel Burnette scored 10 points, and Rankin Mc Donald scored 8 points and 6 rebounds in reply for President’s College.

The Regional NSBF is sponsored by the Edward B. Beharry Group of Companies, along with The National Sports Commission.

National Rugby Captain Ryan Gonsalves

to take the safer route and use the St. Stanislaus College Ground on Carifesta Avenue as an alternative venue.

When Guyana Times Sport contacted an official from the GRFU, that indi-

vidual explained that the GRFU is still contemplating using the National Park, even though the goal infrastructure from the University of Guyana has been moved to the St Stanislaus Ground on Carifesta Avenue.

Green Machine Captain Ryan Gonsalves has expressed dissatisfaction over the issue, deeming it frustrating, considering the success the team has brought to Guyana.

“It is challenging and frustrating to see such a good team -- playing this good all the years – (being) faced with these difficulties year in year out. It is about time someone from the Government put their foot forward, or major sponsors help us out; because coming here today [Thursday] without a venue is very frustrating, but we have to stay focused,” he declared.

He added, “It is challenging. The Rugby (fraternity) is a very small community, and we all know what is going (down) on and off the field; so players are affected by it, but there is little we can do, but hope we can have more sponsors.

“It is always a challenge for any team playing home or aboard. We are trying to see how we can leave the off-field stuff from affecting us and try to focus on Saturday’s game,” he revealed.

Captain Gonsalves feels his team is ready to ably represent Guyana. “We are pretty ready for them. We have been working on certain tactics -- to work the big guys out and see how long they can last. We will (be) very mobile, and attack them rather than sit and wait for them to come to us”.

GRFU President Peter Green, commenting on the issue, has said he did not want to take any chances with the venue. “This game was initially scheduled to (be played) at the National Park, but due to the inclement weather and inability to have the water pumped and ground dried in time -- and knowing fully the governing body RAN [Rugby Americas North] will not be too happy and may impose measures against us if we go ahead with the game at the National Park, which last year against Jamaica turned into a mud bath -- to avoid that

GRFU President Peter Green

(situation), we have been forced to relocate the venue,” he explained.

He added, “At this time, I cannot say with certainty where the game would be played, because discussions with the Director of Sport and Manager of the (Providence) Stadium have indicated that the Stadium is not available at this time, due to cricket commitments.”

Looking ahead, the president has expressed enthusiasm over the possibility of developments.

“I have been promised that, after this game is finished, (the National Sports Commission] will (be) raising our current rugby ground. And we are applying for the football pitch to be raised as well; and I will be applying for them to put (goal) posts on the inside of the athletics track [at Leonora] so that we will be able to bid for international tournaments at home here, rather than having to go through the parody of finances being promised and being turned down at the last minute, (along with) different factors,” Green explained.

The GRFU is today expected to release the names of the people that comprise the squad, and confirm the venue for the highly-anticipated match.

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

FRIDAY, JUNE 9, 2017

guyanatimesgy.com

West Indies v Afghanistan, 1st ODI, St Lucia…

RAN 15s South Zone Final…

Banks DIH fuelling Green Machine’s quest against Trinidad

The Green Machine and Trinidad and Tobago have long been at war over the South Zone title (Rugby Americas

West Indies look to stay on track for tour whitewash

Pg 20

North Photo)

Pg 22

– Jones rolls out plan to develop young sportsmen/women nationwide Archery, kayaking and football are areas the National Sports Commission are seeking to devlop future professionals from a young age

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