Guyana Times Daily August 25 2017

Guyana’s visual art collection a huge hit at Carifesta XIII P11 Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana guyanatimesgy.com

Issue No. 3312

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Friday, August 25, 2017

PRICE

Oil and gas contract

$80 vat included

WHAT'S INSIDE:

ExxonMobil promises full transparency

US$50M bauxite P9 project for Bonasika

Page 2

‒ says disclosing of contracts contingent on country’s law

Govt ‘comfortable taxing economy to death’ – former Minister P7

Page 3

Opposition will continue to protect rights of Amerindians – Jagdeo assures

Tomb broken into, fake jewellery on deceased stolen P10

National Toshaos Council (NTC) Chairman Joel Fredericks (left); and Toshao for Kimbia Village, Region 10, Rickey Boyle (right); pose for a photo with Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo during a social event held at the Office of the Leader Opposition at Church Street, Georgetown on Wednesday evening (Carl Croker photo)

Women should not work ‘night shifts’ – Minister Scott Page 16

GDF driver placed on $1M bail

– for Soesdyke fatal accident

Page 8

Taxi driver robbed of his P9 car at gunpoint

– in D'Urban Backlands

2 News

friDAY, august 25, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Oil and gas contract

ExxonMobil promises full transparency ‒ says disclosing of contracts contingent on country’s law

By Alexis Rodney

U

nited States’ (US) oil and gas giant ExxonMobil has laid bare its position on what is currently seen as a controversial production sharing agreement signed with the Government of Guyana, and has stated that its mission remains to

contracts public, should the law of the respective country in which it operates requires that, it simply adheres to the law.

After being granted its production licence from the Government of Guyana, ExxonMobil has recently been in the news, but the pressure has not been on Exxon, but on the ruling

made in this regard from various quarters, Government has maintained that the contract could not be made public, as it could breach several safeguards, security being one of them.

Speaking to Guyana Times on Thursday, ExxonMobil’s Senior Director, Public and

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

support transparency initiatives here.

The oil company has said that while it does not generally make details of its

Administration, over its reluctance to release details of the agreement for public scrutiny.

While calls have been

Government Affairs, Kimberly Brasington, acknowledged the popular public discourse about making public the terms

of the Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) between ExxonMobil and the Government of Guyana.

She said it is an emotional and important discussion,

and speaks to the critical issues of transparency and trust.

Brasington said ExxonMobil is committed to the highest standards of business conduct and anti-corruption wherever it operates, and that includes transparency.

According to her, in the many countries the oil company operates, petroleum agreements are made public as part of the country’s Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative requirements, or the law.

With respect to publishing entire contracts, she said ExxonMobil does not generally disclose contracts and private agreements.

However, if the law in a particular country requires it, “we follow the law”.

“In Guyana, ExxonMobil will continue to work with the Government on new reporting rules, in order to support transparency. We have been an active participant in EITI since its global inception in 2003; and in Guyana, our country manager, Rod Henson, is a primary member of the Guyana EITI MultiStakeholder Group, representing industry.

The Guyana EITI recently submitted formal application for Guyana to become an EITI candidate country. “Within this initiative, payments made to the Government will be reported, reconciled, and made public, to provide civil society with factual data,” Brasington told Guyana Times.

She said ExxonMobil supports effective transparency initiatives.

“We believe that in order for a transparency initiative to be successful without discouraging future investment, it must pass a couple of tests: one, it should apply to all companies in the extractive industries to main-

tain a level playing field – including all oil & gas contracts, mining contracts, and forestry contracts. And two, commercially sensitive and proprietary information must be protected,” she stated.

According to her, democratically elected officials have all the contracts and agreements; these are not secret. However, the number of persons that see them is limited to those who hold a responsibility as part of their job to negotiate, monitor, and audit the contracts.

Government had, earlier this year, entered into a contractual 50-50 Production Sharing Agreement with the Texas-based oil company which allows Exxon and its partners to recover the cost invested in the offshore production before sharing of the profit oil is done equally.

Guyana is still hoping to -- by year end -- join, the EITI: an international standard that seeks to provide consolidated information on a country’s extractive sector; reconcile key revenue flows paid by companies with those received by Government; and assesses how the revenues are expended on behalf of the people. Membership of EITI means that Guyana will have to voluntarily adhere to the 12 principles of the EITI standards, which endorse corporate social responsibility, encourage sharing of information, reveal beneficial ownership, and promote revenue transparency. Exxon and its partners, Hess Corp and CNOOC Nexen, made its significant oil find back in 2015, after drilling the Liza Field in the Stabroek Block located about 120 miles offshore Guyana. The oil company is currently in the developing phases of the Liza field, and oil production is projected for 2020.

news

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friDAY, august 25, 2017 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

BRIDGE OPENINGS The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Friday, August 25 – 05:00h-06:30h and Saturday, August 26 – 05:30h-07:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Friday, August 25 – 06:15h-07:45h and Saturday, August 26 – 06:50h-08:20h.

Opposition will continue to protect rights of Amerindians – Jagdeo assures ... during social engagement with Toshaos

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY Weather: Heavy rain showers with sunny intervals can be expected throughout the day, with clear skies in the evening. Temperatures are expected to range between 24 degrees Celsius and 30 degrees Celsius.

Winds: Easterly to East South-easterly and East Northeasterly between 1.34 metres and 3.12 metres.

High Tide: 06:39h and 18:56h reaching maximum heights of 2.69 metres and 2.64 metres respectively.

Low Tide: 00:13h and 23:32h reaching minimum heights of 0.51 metre and 0.58 metre respectively.

By Samuel Sukhnandan

T

here has been some unease in certain quarters, brought about by Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo meeting several toshaos on Wednesday evening; but Opposition Chief Whip and former Presidential Advisor, Gail Teixeira, has said there was nothing clandestine about that meeting.

Teixeira told Guyana Times that it was in fact a social engagement wherein elected Amerindian officials freely and openly made

A toshao is greeted by Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo

through that process of consulting the villages and the elected representatives --that’s the toshaos as well as the NTC,” he explained.

Jagdeo also expressed worry about the purpose of this push by the Government to revise the 2006 Amerindian Act in the absence of any widespread call by the Amerindian peoples and communities to revise the Act. Further, he said any revision must be subject to consultation.

The former President also highlighted the slow implementation of the

Indigenous leaders listened attentively to the Opposition Leader as he addressed them on Wednesday

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comments about, and raised several concerns regarding, issues affecting their villages. “(There) was nothing secret about (the meeting).

It was the Leader of the Opposition, who holds a constitutional office, (meeting) elected officials from Amerindian villages,” the Opposition Member of Parliament (MP) explained.

Teixeira said there also were inter-personal engagements between Opposition MPs and toshaos, during which Indigenous leaders were able to get a listening ear.

She said the issues discussed were as follows: the need for Government to separate the issues of Indigenous land titling from those of African ancestors at the Land Commission of

Inquiry (CoI); the need for wide consultation before amendments are made to the Amerindian Act of 2006.

Jagdeo gave the Indigenous leaders his assurance that the Opposition would continue to work hard to have Amerindian rights protected.

He expressed displeasure with comments made by Government officials that seek to degrade Amerindians, and said that it is a major cause for concern.

“We made it clear that we would support any development,” Jagdeo said.

“We will support the Government if they try to enhance Amerindian rights and bring more benefits to (Amerindian) communities. We are not going to be a negative Opposition, because these are our people,

and we want to see them develop.”

Jagdeo promised that the PPP/C would support amendments to the Amerindian Act of 2006 only if Amerindians and their representative organisations are properly consulted.

“We will oppose any attempt to erode hardearned rights and benefits, but we will support the Government if they go

opt-in mechanism for the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS). He said it is critical to maintain the principle of “free prior and informed consent” with Amerindian communities.

This fundamental issue requires that Government commits at this conference to expedite the opt-in mechanism, he said. turn to page 10

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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

Human development

I

n the latest edition of its Human Development Report, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has concluded that, in spite of impressive human development progress made over the past quarter-century, many people are still behind, “with systemic, often unmeasured, barriers to catching up”.

The report, titled ‘Human Development for Everyone’, finds that although average human development improved significantly across all regions from 1990 to 2015, one in three people worldwide continues to live in low levels of human development, as measured by the Human Development Index (HDI).

At the launch of the report, which is usually compiled and published yearly by UNDP, Administrator Helen Clark noted that the world has come a long way in rolling back extreme poverty; in improving access to education, health and sanitation; and in expanding possibilities for women and girls; but emphasized, “those gains are a prelude to the next, possibly tougher, challenge: to ensure the benefits of global progress reach everyone”.

The report shows that, in almost every country, several groups face disadvantages that often overlap and reinforce each other, increasing vulnerability, widening the progress gap across generations, and making it harder to catch up as the world moves on.

According to the report, women and girls, rural dwellers, indigenous peoples, ethnic minorities, people with disabilities, migrants and refugees, and the LGBTI community are among those systematically excluded by barriers that are not purely economic, but political, social, and cultural as well.

Further, the report mentions that populations living in rural areas also face multiple barriers. For instance, children from poor rural households attending school are less likely to be learning reading, writing and mathematics.

Of note, too, is that marginalised groups often have limited opportunities to influence the institutions and policies that determine their lives. The report underscores the point that changing this is central to breaking the vicious circle of exclusion and deprivation. For example, Indigenous peoples account for five percent of the world’s population, but 15 percent of people living in poverty.

As part of its numerous recommendations, the report calls for far greater attention to empowering the most marginalised in society, and for giving them a greater voice in decision-making processes.

Additionally, the report calls for a more refined analysis to inform actions, including making a shift towards assessing progress in such areas as participation and autonomy. Key data, disaggregated for characteristics such as place, gender, socioeconomic status and ethnicity, is vital to know who is being left behind.

Moreover, the report warns that key development metrics can overstate progress when they focus on the quantity, rather than the quality, of development. For instance, girls’ enrolment in primary education has increased, but in half of 53 developing countries with data, the majority of adult women who completed four to six years of primary school are illiterate.

UNDP believes that despite progress gaps, universal human development is attainable. It explains that, over the last decades, we have witnessed achievements in human development that were once thought impossible. For example, since 1990, one billion people have escaped extreme poverty, and women’s empowerment has become a mainstream issue; while as recently as the 1990s, very few countries legally protected women from domestic violence, today 127 countries do.

The report stresses the importance of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development to build on these gains, noting that the agenda and human development approach are mutually reinforcing. The report includes recommendations to reorient policies to ensure progress reaches those furthest behind, and urges reforms of global markets and global institutions, to make them more equitable and representative.

An important point mentioned in the report is that too much attention is placed on national averages. Out of the 188 countries examined in the report, Guyana is listed as a ‘Developing Country’, and is grouped with Latin America and the Caribbean.

These national averages, however, often mask enormous variations in people’s lives. Hence, in order to move ahead with developmental aims, there is need to examine more closely not just what has been achieved, but also who has been excluded, and why.

Four hundred and forty-four youths from various communities within Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) are now better equipped with the knowledge of Information Technology, compliments of the Zara Computer Centre. The Centre on Thursday hosted it's graduation on the lawns of the Richard Faikal Training College where certificates were presented to those who completed the courses. Fifty-four students from the New Opportunity Corps (NOC) were among those who graduated (Indra Nathram photo)

Guyana losing millions of US dollars due to incompetence, no clear vision Dear Editor, The APNU/AFC regime has been conspicuously silent on the progress, or lack thereof, on issues of the Guyana/Norway Agreement.

Although this Government has become notorious for its lack of openness and transparency, reticence on this subject is especially surprising, because this partnership is one of the most significant bilateral relationships in Guyana’s history, and one in which the Guyanese people have always been keenly interested.

Specifically, there are two main issues for which answers are needed; namely, the status of payments earned under the partnership, and the decision on the Amaila Falls Hydropower Project (AFHP).

In May 2015, just days before the elections, I announced that Guyana had earned a fifth payment of US$40 million, which will be transferred to the Guyana REDD+ Investment Fund (GRIF). As a result, when the PPP/C left office in May 2015, Guyana had earned five payments that totalled US$190 million.

Of this, it will be recalled that US$80 million were deposited in the InterAmerican Development Bank (IDB) as Government’s equity in the AFHP. The remaining funds were to be held in the GRIF. The funds held in the GRIF were used to develop hinterland communities, promote micro and small business ownership, and enhance drainage on the coast, among other projects.

Under my administration, the sixth and final performance assessment was

scheduled to be conducted in September 2015. The successful completion of this process would have led to a payment valued up to US$25 million. Further, upon expiry of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Governments, I am confident that the PPP/C Government could have secured a second phase of our partnership with Norway.

From various press reports, I have become aware that there has been a ‘nocost extension’ to the MoU. This means that although the lifetime of the MoU has been extended beyond its expiry date of July 2015, there are no new opportunities for financing.

Worse yet, the actions of the APNU/AFC regime resulted in the fifth payment of US$40 million never being transferred to the GRIF, and the US$80 million for the AFHP remain locked away in the IDB. Moreover, the assessment for the sixth and final payment of up to US$25 million has not taken place.

Cumulatively, this amounts to US$145 million which this Government has failed to access for Guyana’s development.

Unfortunately, the APNU/AFC coalition has allowed propaganda and vitriol from the campaign trail to dictate its statements and positions as the Government.

Arguably, in no instance is this truer than that of the AFHP. When in opposition, the APNU and the AFC did their utmost to sabotage this important project. They shamelessly voted against it in Parliament, and evidently this practice has continued now that they are in

Government.

At present, almost nine months have passed since the Norconsult report, which presented an independent evaluation of the AFHP, was released. It must be recalled that the preparation of the report was a joint decision between the Governments of Guyana and Norway, as Ministers Trotman and Jordan represented Guyana in these talks. The Norconsult report definitively stated, “The only realistic path for Guyana towards an emission free electricity sector is by developing its hydropower potential. The fastest way forward is to maintain the AFHP as the first major step for substituting its current oil-fired generation.”

Despite the report’s conclusions, the APNU-AFC Government continues to sidestep the issue, and still has not made a decision on whether the AFHP will move forward. In December 2015, the APNU/AFC Government indicated to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) that, conditional upon the availability of resources, Guyana will transition to 100% of its power supply coming from renewable energy generation by 2025.

This is an impossibility without the AFHP. Moreover, if this goal is not reached, this regime cannot justifiably argue that financial resources were not available, when US$80 million are sitting in the IDB! This flip-flopping has had dire consequences not only for the country’s development, but also to the Guyana/Norway partner-

ship. In an opinion piece published in March 2017 in the Guyana Chronicle, Per Pharo stated that Norway will be in a position to transfer the US$40 million to the GRIF and to put the US$80 million towards achieving Guyana’s energy transition goal only when the Government announces “a plan for a concrete, realistic and cost effective transition to clean and renewable energy.”

The actions of the Government to develop this plan are unknown.

However, troubling signals are ever present, as a recent announcement from Robert Badal, in his capacity as Chairman of the Board of the Guyana Power and Light (GPL), indicated that the Government is investigating a transition of Guyana power supply to natural gas. This is completely at odds with the commitments Guyana has made to the international community.

The Guyanese people deserve answers. At the moment, all that is clear is the incompetence of the regime.

Their small-mindedness and vindictiveness are costing the Guyanese people some US$145 million. This sum could go a far way in securing our clean energy supply, and to further develop small and medium size enterprises in our interior and on the coast.

The regime must provide that information now.

President Granger should go to a press conference and address these issues.

Donald Ramotar Former President

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Understanding the Local Govt System (Part 2) Time to end Dear Editor, The collection of rates and taxes to support funding of essential developmental activities and services is mandatory and necessary, and our people must be willing to pay their rates and taxes.

However, there are serious complaints that some administrative staff members at the NDCs refuse to collect the rates and taxes. The situation evidences a deliberate effort to frustrate the Local Authorities’ councillors and slow up development in the communities.

Importantly, in addition to the provision of basic amenities, there is a direct relationship between the speed at which communities move forward and the conditions and levels of service that actually exist there.

Councils are expected to address issues such as garbage and refuge collection; maintain streets, drainage and irrigation canals; ensure acceptable health services; playfields; and generally keep the surroundings clean and attractive.

Communityminded citizens are always helpful, and give their sup-

port to keep the communities safe and clean.

For Councils to be able to do their work, however, it is compulsory and complementary that all rates and taxes be paid in a timely manner. The NDCs must function in the interest of the people, hence the NDC staff must be flexible in rationing work during lunch hours, to facilitate rate payers -- who are working people and might find time only during that period -- to make payments.

Further, councillors have complained about the attitude of some overseers and rate collectors, who are adamant that their job is not to go after the rate-payers, which is a new problem. More serious is the allegation that NDC staff members are asking residents to buy them “a lunch” and leave a “raise” for them. This attitude is unacceptable, and is a deterrent to people visiting the office; hence the need for the appointment of the Local Government Commission now.

A matter of concern for many councils is higher rates and taxes being levied on residents. However,

they must consider this is almost impossible, since our citizens have been forced to pay higher rates and taxes in all respects by the State. While collecting billions from citizens, the new VAT approach has become a tremendous burden, since citizens are now paying a higher rate for electricity and water, in addition to the impact on transportation cost and the VAT on education being a real stress for parents.

Another conflicting new position is that the E-Governance Programme of the Government is now using many NDC buildings as hubs in an effort to support the communities and their youths in accessing information and services attributed to government departments. This imposed government project is utilising office space at the NDCs, necessary for the Councils to operate in, to provide the required mandated services to the rate payers.

During the period when these hubs are in operation, it’s difficult to carry out some of the functions of the local authorities because of the steady move-

ment of the users. The local authority is further burdened to bear the electricity cost and additional security to monitor the ingress and egress.

Although these hubs could be beneficial to the community, the manner in which they are managed suggest that the Government is using it with a charged political agenda and with racial partiality, because of the location of these hubs and the ethnic divide that they are serving. As the NDCs and municipalities continues to be starved of finances to carry out the necessary works in the communities, millions of dollars are made available to serve the support bases of the APNU. Nagamootoo and Ramjattan should wake up from the slumber they find themselves in and represent their support base, at least lobby for a few hubs to be placed in the Indian and Amerindian communities and villages.

We demand the Local Government Commission now!!

Yours faithfully, Neil Kumar

The language of suicide ‒ an opportunity to accurately confront a global scourge Dear Editor, I thank the Caribbean Voice for highlighting the language of suicide as the global suicide crisis intensifies. Guyana is one of the most affected countries in the world, but this should not misdirect people in regard to the global crisis that exists. Guyana is a part of this global public health crisis.

The language of suicide reflects our larger misunderstanding and lack of knowledge surrounding a genuine public health scourge. Even people with good intentions and dedication in the fight against suicide often speak with loose tongue, and even “mis-speak”.

I am equally guilty, and I regret that I was not more careful in the past. This is therefore not a criticism of anyone; it is a plea for all of us to do a better job in the fight against suicide. We can start with the language we use.

We often -- even for those of us who have highlighted this problem -- refer to people "committing suicide".

People do not commit suicide, people die from suicide. Think about it. People do not commit diabetes or heart attack or cancer. They die from such conditions.

People do not commit AIDS, they die from AIDS. When several persons jumped off the World Trade Center during September 2001 (9/11), what exactly did they commit? They did not

commit suicide. They died from jumping to the ground.

They did not commit jumping. Like suicide, people made a choice, having been driven by extreme circumstances. They were victims of the special circumstances.

When someone dies from suicide, that person has died because circumstances led them to that path. Just like cancer eats away our physical health and eventually leads to death; and just like heart conditions cause a deterioration of the heart, which eventually leads to death, just so do mental conditions lead to the failure of people's mental capacities, and cause death.

In earlier times, we treated suicide as a crime.

Guyana and many other countries, and several States in the USA, still have laws in the books that deem suicide a crime, even if these laws are ignored. It is that view of suicide that has led to language such as "committing suicide".

Thankfully, laws are changing, but our language has not changed.

The residue of shame associated with a crime remains attached to suicide.

Our brothers and sisters; our children; our moms and dads; our relatives and friends, who died because of suicide, did not commit a crime.

For those of us who genuinely want to help fight against the suicide scourge, it is alright to feel we can do

more to prevent anyone from being a victim of suicide the way someone becomes a victim of diabetes or cancer.

But we should never have to feel shame because someone close to us died from suicide. To say that someone “committed” suicide feels offensive to me. It is absolutely inaccurate to say people "commit suicide".

With that said, I understand that many persons who are guilty -- and I also have been in the past -- of mis-characterizing the problem had never intended to add insult to injury.

I decided to make this commentary not because I have a "bone to pick" with anyone; I simply humbly plead that we adopt the more accurate language.

Stop saying people "commit suicide"; consider instead the more accurate expression: "dying by suicide".

By adopting more accurate language around suicide, we have the power to reduce some of the massive shame carried by suicide survivors. It is possible.

Not so long ago, we faced the same problem with cancer survivors; and, more recently, with HIV survivors.

For those of us in the fight against suicide, we must energize the fight by highlighting this problem of inaccurate language about suicide.

We must offer a countercultural option, a genuine act of kindness. Although just a small step forward, the interpersonal and political impact is nothing but huge.

In ending this note, please pay attention to this from Emilie Autumn, The Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls: “It is not seen as insane when a fighter, under an attack that will inevitably lead to his death, chooses to take his own life first. In fact, this act has been encouraged for centuries, and is accepted even now as an honourable reason to do the deed. How is it any different when you are under attack by your own mind?”

Respectfully, Dr Leslie Ramsammy

squander mania at City Hall Dear Editor, It seems as though each and every time I have reason to visit the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri -- either to travel in or out of Guyana, or to receive or send off relatives or friends -- I always observe one or more of City Hall’s ‘fantastic four’ members either travelling out to, or arriving from, some overseas destination.

It is always quite a spectacle, with their entourages, including security detail, chauffeurs and other underlings, following the ‘Queen of the City’, who parades in her customary loud costume bling, and the ‘King of the City’, strutting around with his inflated ego.

The question to be asked is: how is it that these municipal officials have the time to be jaunting so frequently overseas when Georgetown is beset by so many problems? Should they not be spending their time with their boots on the ground in the various wards of the city, solving the garbage crises, the drainage problems, fixing the pot holes in the roads, eradicating the mosquito infestation, repairing and replacing the defective street lights, etc.?

And should they not be reporting to the citizenry the purpose of these visits,

and the results and/or benefits to the city and its inhabitants? Or do they feel no sense of accountability or answerability?

But the biggest question is: how could the city afford all of the hotel accommodation, meals and out-of-pocket allowances that are doled out each time these persons proceed on these junkets? Should this money not be used to pay the Council’s overdraft at the bank? The more than 300 million owed to the garbage contractors?

The money owed to the GPL, GWI, GRA and NIS? In this era of lightning speed internet, online shopping, teleconferencing, social media, etc, it is time that these municipal junkets be brought to an end, and the money wasted on them be used to buy brush cutters to weed the parapets; to procure captive bolt pistols to humanely slaughter the animals; to purchase proper uniforms for the Constabulary; to purchase garbage trucks, material to fix broken bridges around the city, etc.

It is time that the squander mania at City Hall be brought to an immediate end. Let us have the long outstanding audit.

Sincerely, James Mc Onnell

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Foundation

7 ways to raise a well-rounded kid

‒ Surround your children with love, happiness, and encouragement so they have the confidence to reach goals (Continued from Thursday)

BY AMY CAPETTA

Read, read, read

When it comes to picking up a book and having story time with your kid, there is no such thing as starting too early. Reading to preschoolers – and keeping books at home – encourages language development, reading skills, and future success in school.

“Even if your child is still too young to understand everything you’re saying, he will learn to notice the rhythms of language, which will help him build a listening vocabulary,” explains Susan M Heim, author of It’s Twins! Parentto-Parent Advice from Infancy Through Adolescence. In fact, reading to your child has been proven to help him emotionally: A government-funded study conducted by The Institute of Education in the United Kingdom found that five-year-olds who were read to daily by their parents were less likely to have behavioural problems in school.

Eat dinner together

Don’t worry if cooking isn’t your strongest skill – your child will reap the educational and emotional rewards from conversation, not chicken cacciatore. “Informal

guyanatimesgy.com

discussion topics (‘How was your day?,’ ‘What are you discussing in science?’ ‘How will you study for that test?’) let your child know your family values learning,” explains Borba. A study conducted by Columbia University showed that children who eat at least five meals a week with their families are more likely to achieve higher grades in school and are less likely to develop an eating disorder.

If ev-

bedtime because “62 per cent of kids admit they use it after the lights go out – and their parents are clueless!” In 2005 researchers at Tel Aviv University found that missing just one hour of sleep can be enough to reduce a child’s cognitive abilities by almost two years the following day.

Borba says that a sixth grader who loses precious sleep the night before a big test could end up performing at a fourth- grade level.

Dole out endless hugs

eryone in your home is on a different schedule and can’t enjoy dinner at the same time, find another meal (like breakfast or an evening snack) when your family can sit together and review the day’s events.

Balance bedtime

Establishing a bedtime – and keeping to it every single night – can be highly effective, but Borba further suggests turning off the computer and TV at least 30 minutes beforehand. If your child has access to a cell phone, she recommends taking it before

Giving your child a number of hugs throughout the day will help ease any tension she may be feeling. “There’s nothing like the human touch to give a child a sense of security,” says Heim.

Studies of neglected children have shown that kids who don’t receive affection can suffer from chronic stress, which can disturb the parts of the brain involved in focusing, learning, and memory. A study in the American Journal of Public Health, published in 2005, reports that touching another person gently has the power to alleviate symptoms – emotional, behavioural, and physical – related to stress. Not only will hugging your little one improve her ability to concentrate, it will also have benefits for you (and make you feel like a million bucks). (parents.com)

(Continued from Thursday)

BY STEPHANIE PAPPAS and ELIZABETH PETERSON

Remember, teenage tantrums are real. Just when the tantrums of your child’s toddler years seem like ancient history, you can expect such emotional outbursts to make another appearance.

Adolescent children (ages 11 to 19) deal with a lot of social, emotional and mental stress that they don’t yet have the ability to process or cope with, according to Johns Hopkins’ Sara Johnson. This can result in some serious tantrums, which might surprise the unwary parent.

In such situations, parents should stay calm and listen to their children, said Sheryl Feinstein, author of Inside the Teenage Brain: Parenting a Work in Progress (Rowman and Littlefield, 2009.) Modelling level-headed behaviour is a good way to teach your teen the proper way to deal with all that stress.

The golden rule. We’ll keep this one short and simple: Thou shalt not yell at your teenager. Seriously, just don’t do it. The more you yell at a teen, the worse they’re likely to behave, according to a study published in 2013 in the journal Child Development.

Stick to the basics.

“There are a lot of different ways to raise children, and there’s not one formula that works for every kid,” said Amy Bohnert, a psychologist who researches child development at Loyola University Chicago. But surely there’s some kind of recipe for success when it comes to parent-

ing, right?

Kind of: Bonhert said the first basic rule of being a good parent is fostering a secure and warm attachment with your children. That way they know their needs will be met and that they’ll have a place to go when they need comfort. And as they get older, children need freedom to explore their own identities and make mistakes, but in a safe and age-appropriate way,

Medicine in 2012 found that teens whose parents were authoritative (the study defined this as being in control, but with a warm attitude) were significantly less likely to drink, smoke cigarettes or use pot than teens whose parents were neglectful (i.e. not in control and lacking warmth).

Don’t over explain. It’s important to communicate with your children, but chil-

Bonhert told Live Science in 2011.

Strictness has weighty consequences.

Playing the part of the strict or controlling parent can have long-term negative consequences on your children’s physical health, according to research published in 2014.

Specifically, children of strict parents are more likely to be obese.

The researchers found that children ages two to five who had parents who set strict limits on activities, didn’t communicate much with their children and didn’t show them much affection were 30 per cent more likely to be obese than their peers whose parents were affectionate and openly communicated with their children.

Dads: Get involved.

Forget the stereotype of the bumbling dad who doesn’t know how to change a diaper.

Research consistently shows that dads are just as good at this whole parenting thing as moms. Furthermore, dads bring a lot of valuable parenting skills to the table.

Fathers strongly influence their children’s lives in several ways, according to W. Brad Wilcox, a sociologist at the University of Virginia who studies marriage and families. Firstly, dads tend to play rougher with children than moms do, which helps children learn to control their bodies and emotions. Dad’s hands-on style of play also encourages healthy risk-taking, which can influence a child’s ambitions in the long-term, Wilcox told Live Science in 2013. A strong paternal relationship also brings with it a certain level of protection, as research has found that children with involved fathers are less likely to become the victims of sexual abuse or assault, he said.

Be authoritative. Want to keep your teen from experimenting with drugs and alcohol? The most effective way to do that is to be authoritative, according to researchers. A study published in the journal Archives of Paediatrics and Adolescent

dren don’t need a full-blown explanation for every decision you make, said Klein, who encourages parents to discuss important decisions with children and let the little choices, like what’s for dinner, go unexplained.

Encourage friendships. Preteen and teenage friendships might sometimes seem a little baffling to parents (why would anyone want to walk around the mall for hours on end?), but these relationships are very important for the development of a child’s social skills.

“They are practicing adult social skills in a safe setting, and they are really not good at it at first,” said Sheryl Feinstein. Friends help adolescents learn skills like negotiating, compromising and group planning.

Be positive. No surprise here: Parents who express negative emotions toward their infants or handle them roughly are likely to find themselves with aggressive kindergartners. That’s bad news, because behavioural aggression at age 5 is linked to aggression later in life, even toward future romantic partners. So if you find yourself in a cycle of angry parent, angry baby, angrier parent, try to break free. It will ease your problems in the long run.

Foster self-compassion. Parental guilt is its own industry, but avoid the undertow! Research suggests that self-compassion is a very important life skill, helping people stay resilient in the face of challenges.

Self-compassion is made up of mindfulness, the ability to manage thoughts and emotions without being carried away or repressing them, common humanity, or empathy with the suffering of others, and self-kindness, a recognition of your own suffering and a commitment to solving the problem. Parents can use self-compassion when coping with difficulties in child-rearing. In doing so, they can set an example for their children.

(Excerpted from livescience.com)

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friDAY, august 25, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Mid-year financial report

Govt ‘comfortable taxing economy to death’ – former Minister

By S amuel S ukhnandan

B

ased on all the macroeconomic indicators, the economy is still struggling or limping along; so says former People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) Government Minister, Irfaan Ali. Instead of adopting counter recurring policies to turn this economic situation around; Ali said the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Government seems comfortable “taxing the economy to death.”

Ali’s comments come against the backdrop of the 2017 Mid-Year Finance Ministry Report. The former Minister pointed out that credit to the key traditional sectors declined distinctly, as the commercial banks respond to the slowdown in the economy and high levels of non-performing loans.

The non-performing loans increased from $26.585 million at end of June 2016 to $29.945 million at end of June 2017.

The ratio of non-perform-

ing loans to total loans was 13.1 per cent at end of June 2017, almost twice the level at the end of September 2014. Ali said given the low provisioning, the financial sector is standing at the precipice of immense uncertainty and signals that the economy is in distress.

He noted that while the inflation rate was stabilised at 1.1 per cent, local consumers were forced to pay more for food, housing, transportation, medical and personal care, education, recreation and culture. To a large extent, the tax measures introduced this year are responsible for the price increases.

Meanwhile, Guyana’s external overall balance of payments has deteriorated resulting in the reduction in the gross international reserves and import cover. According to the report, the overall balance of payments moved to a deficit of US$46.0 million from a surplus of US$12.1 million.

This outturn was due primarily to deteriora-

Former Housing Minister, Irfaan Ali

tion in the current account which registered a deficit of US$100.1 million for the first six months of 2017, compared with a surplus of US$27.0 million during the corresponding period in 2016.

Lower export receipts from the ailing sectors coupled with the notable growth in imports contributed to the deficit in the current account during the first half of 2017.

The principal exchange rate (GY:US) continued to slide during the first half

of 2017. The average buying and selling rates depreciated from $206.35 and $210.11 during December 2016 to $211.80 and $214.25 during June 2017. Ali said notwithstanding the draconian measures implemented by the Central Bank to stabilise the exchange rate, the principal exchange rate depreciated by more than four dollars; the largest decline in the exchange rate over the past two decades.

He said it is notewor-

thy that the depreciation occurred because demand for the US dollar remained strong while the inflow of US dollars dwindled due to the poor performance of the non-gold export sectors.

The Opposition Member of Parliament (MP) also made reference to the Private Sector credit which increased marginally by 1.8 per cent.

However, there were notable contractions in credit to all the major sectors, except the services sector.

Loans to the agriculture sector, declined by 12.6 per cent, while loans to the manufacturing, mining and quarrying sector, declined by 5.1 per cent and 7.1 per cent respectively.

“The contraction in credit to the key sectors provides additional confirmation that our economy is unwell and suffering from a prolonged coma,” he added.

In a previous comment, Ali noted that net foreign reserve plummeted from US$633 million in June 2016 to US$574 million

in mid-2017; the lowest ever recorded in over seven years.

“In other words, the APNU/AFC Government destroyed in two years what the PPP/C took to amass in seven years. Even more worrisome, external debt increased by US$53 million to US$1.200 million,” he added.

Guyana’s economy recorded real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth of 2.2 per cent during the first half of 2017. This marginal increase was mainly driven by the expansion of the agriculture, fishing, and forestry sectors. The manufacturing, construction, and service sectors also made contributions.

Growth in the agriculture, fishing, and forestry sectors was led by expansion in the rice and fishing industries attributable to favourable international prices, strong demand, and entry into new markets. Non-sugar growth declined from 3.1 per cent, in the first half of 2016, to 2.4 per cent during the same period in 2017.

8 news

friDAY, august 25, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

GDF driver placed on $1M bail – for Soesdyke fatal accident

Exposure…

By Paula Gomes

U

nrepresented by legal counsel, 24-year-old Zamani Archibald of Region Six (East Berbice/Ctyne), a driver attached to the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), stood arraigned before Georgetown Magistrate Judy Latchman on Thursday morning, charged with the offence of causing death by dangerous driving.

The charge he faces detailed that, on March 11, 2017, he drove motor pickup DFB 1566 in a manner dangerous to the public, thereby causing the death of 65-year-old pensioner Harry Persaud of Lot 7 Public Road, Soesdyke, East Bank Demerara on that community’s highway.

Archibald pleaded not guilty to the allegation, and after the prosecutor had proffered no objection, bail was set at the sum of one million dollars ($1,000,000), and Archibald was ordered

W Harry Persaud’s injured granddaughter

to return to court on August 30, 2017.

On the fateful day of the accident, Persaud, also called “Saw Doctor”, was giving his granddaughter a ride on his pedal cycle en route to the Rubis Service Station when a vehicle belonging to the GDF struck them off the cycle. Persaud

Charged: Zamani Archibald

reportedly sustained injuries to his head and other parts of the body, while the infant suffered a fractured shoulder and lacerations to her hand and head.

According to reports, they both were rushed to the Diamond Regional Hospital by the same vehicle, and while Persaud was

Deceased: Harry Persaud, aka “Saw Doctor”

pronounced dead on arrival, his injured granddaughter was transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC) in a critical condition and admitted a patient there.

The dead man leaves to mourn his wife, five children and relatives.

Crushed 12-yr-old girl laid to rest – brother discharged from hospital

N

ine-year-old Joshua Richards, who received severe injuries to his leg and neck on Friday last, after a house collapsed on him and his sister, resulting in her death, in La Bonne Intention (LBI), East Coast Demerara (ECD), has been discharged from the Georgetown Public Hospital.

This is according to relatives of the recovering child.

Meanwhile, on Thursday, the family laid Richard’s

12-year-old sister, Amber, to rest, following her death as a result of being crushed last Friday.

Guyana Times had previously reported that on August 18, 2017, tragedy befell the community of LBI after a single-storey wooden building came crashing down, resulting in 12-yearold Amber Richards of Canal Number One, West Bank Demerara being crushed to death, while her nine-year-

The collapsed house where the siblings were pinned

…of oil funds

ell, at long last we’re getting some quantification of the long promised “oil money” that’s supposed to solve ALL our problems - if Trotman and this Government are to be believed. This was the money that was going to be “so much”, Trotman had announced he was going to ask Exxon for an “advance” to tide us over until the blessed day the money spigot would open up the financial floodgates for Guyana and immediately clear off our debt!! And we’d all live happily ever after!!

And now here it is!!!!...(prolonged drumroll please!!!)...Over the next THREE years, we’ll be raking in $380 million. Is that a stunned silence your Eyewitness is hearing? He understands…we don’t need much of a rake for that, do we?? It works out to (in Guyanese dollars) $127 million per year!! Just about US$0.6 million!! Not even US$1million.

Can you believe this? Well, your Eyewitness has been warning you, dear reader, all along…but he’s sure you wrote him off as just ranting. But here it is - right out of the horse’s mouth - and what say you now??

This isn’t even chicken feed, for goodness sake!

GBTI just announced its DROP in profit last year one year! - was $358 million!! And of course they didn’t even blink!! So where’s Trotman gonna get the US$500 million to build the “oil facility” on Crab Island by 2020? To put THIS spending in perspective, in Guyana dollars, that’s $100,000,000,000; or, in words, 100 billion dollars! Does Trotman plan on getting a loan on his “future income” from oil? And by which year will he be paying that off, pray tell??

And then, he and four other Ministers flew up to Texas…ooops!...sorry, they WERE FLOWN UP to Texas where they discussed bringing gas ashore from the Stabroek Field to fire a GPL Power Plant. Does he know the cost of even the gas lines to bring the gas ashore? Or the facility to convert the gas to liquefied petroleum gas (LPG)? Well he should look to Ghana, which took four years - and US$1billion - to complete their ATUABO GAS PLANT to use gas from their Jubilee Oil Field - literally a mirror image of ours!!

Whatever your Eyewitness said about getting US$500 million for the “oil facility”, double it for the gas facility. Then, since we can’t use all of the LPG, are we going to be selling off the rest - in a market that’s worse than the one for plunging oil?? They should ask T&T what THEY’RE doing with their LPG now that their biggest customer - the US, is afloat with their own!!

Does this fella Trotman LISTEN to himself?

…of Govt's view of Indigenous peoples

Amber Richards, age 12, was crushed to death

old brother received severe injuries.

The two were at the time vacationing at their aunt’s home in LBI while on break from school.

According to reports, the siblings were rocking in a hammock tied under the wooden building when the house came crashing down.

The hammock was said to be attached to the main supporting beams on which the building was resting, approximately seven feet off the ground.

The children’s uncle, who was at home at the time the house collapsed, said the

children "went downstairs (below the house) in the hammock and like they were shaking and the house pull and drop.”

He said, he along with his wife and two children were in the building, while the two siblings were under the house. Following that tragedy, it was also reported that the 15-year-old boy with whom Amber shared an alleged relationship, committed suicide two days after she died.

The teen was identified as Ricardo Niranjan of Block 12, Non Pariel, ECD. (Ramona Luthi)

In the midst of Guyana taking initiatives to help a people who’d been so egregiously exploited in past centuries under the UN-sponsored Decade for Peoples of African Origin, how can the Govt overlook the pattern of slighting Indigenous peoples - who were also exploited, and even subjected to genocide??

And it all has to do with land. We can start with the titling of their lands under a UNDP project being curtailed even before it was completed. Then there was Minister Keith Scott blurting out about Amerindians being “greedy” for wanting the letter of the law on lands be followed. Then, of course, was the arbitrary inclusion of Amerindian land rights in the mandate of the Land Commission of Inquiry into African ancestral lands.

And now we hear of a Minister “explaining” he arbitrarily inserted himself on the National Toshaos Council (NTC) - without their agreement - because cricket’s “important” to him. And he had to look at cricket the night before!!

Now Amerindians know where they stand on the totem pole!!

…on reparations

Now, isn’t this gratuitous - not to mention “selfserving” - advice? The British High Commissioner said, “Reparation’s not the way forward”.

Africans should look to the future - even though crippled by the past!

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

News

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friDAY, august 25, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

US$50M bauxite project for Bonasika

– Harmon receives courtesy call from First Bauxite Corporation executives

Alan Roughead, President and Chief Executive Officer of First Bauxite Corporation, presents Minister Harmon with the project document during their meeting at the Ministry of the Presidency on Thursday

M

inister of State Joseph Harmon received a courtesy call on Thursday from executive members of the First Bauxite Corporation (FBX) at the Ministry of the Presidency, where he was updated on their project at Bonasika in Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), which is due to begin next year with an investment of approxi-

mately US$50 million.

During the meeting, President and Chief Executive Officer of FBX, Alan Roughead told Minister Harmon that the company is looking forward to starting construction of the project next year and production 12 months thereafter. Thep is expected to provide employment for over 150 Guyanese.

According to the

Department of Public Information, FBX commenced feasibility work on the Bonasika Project in 2008.

Since then, the company has expended US$20 million on developing the bauxite resource located in this area and has completed three feasibility studies. The company has also conducted two major production trials in Guyana over the past two years.

Minister Harmon said the Government welcomes the investors and looks forward to the employment opportunities, which will be created for Guyanese, once the project is up and running. He noted that Guyana is always open for investment and to create a more conducive environment for business, he said that the Administration is currently working to put systems in place, which can ensure that the bureaucracy associated with investments are reduced.

“We are committed to investing in Guyana. We are on a path of ‘fresh approaches’ as the Minister of Finance loves to say and we want to expedite the systems so that it

Taxi driver robbed of his car at gunpoint – in D'Urban Backlands

A

t sometime after 16:00h on Wednesday last, hire car operator Walter Sanmoogan of Lot 157 Section ‘B’ Non Pareil, East Coast Demerara departed the Lotto Office on Upper Robb Street, Georgetown in silver-coloured Toyota Premio HC 3247, taking an unidentified young female passenger to a destination in D'Urban Backlands, Georgetown.

But upon arrival at the destination, he reportedly was confronted by a man bearing a gun, and was left with no choice but to surrender his belongings, allowing himself to be stripped of his

Walter Sanmoogan has been a victim of carjacking

possessions and being forced to abandon his car.

Speaking with Guyana

Times on Thursday, a heavily traumatised Sanmoogan recalled the shocking incident which has rendered him jobless. He said, “The guy told me to sit, and don’t move. He pat down my pockets, take out my money and cellphone, then he tell me, ‘Come out the car and run up the road’.”

The 60-year-old continued, “When I look back, the young lady and the guy jumped in the car and drive away; and that’s the last I saw of my car.” In counting his losses, the taxi driver highlighted that his four-year-old Toyota Premio is worth about $2.5M. turn to page 16

From left: Robert Corbin, Legal Counsel, First Bauxite Corporation (FBX); Larry Washow, Chairman of FBX; Minister Joseph Harmon; Alan Roughead, President/CEO of FBX; Bill White, Chief Financial Officer; and Stanley Ming, Chairman of GGMC

does not hinder investments.

The quality of services must be improved,” he posited.

Larry Washow, Chairman of the Board of FBX; Bill

White, Chief Financial Officer of FBX; Stanley Ming, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Guyana Geology and Mines

Commission (GGMC); and Robert Corbin, Legal Counsel of the company, also attended the meeting.

10 news

friDAY, august 25, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Tomb broken into, fake jewellery on deceased stolen

T

hieves on Tuesday evening reportedly broke into the tomb of deceased prisoner Winston Hinds, who was buried in the Christianburg Cemetery, and stole the "fake jewellery" that was also buried with the body.

Based on information received, the matter was reported to Hinds’ family on Wednesday and it was discovered that a gold plated chain and ring had been taken off of the dead man’s body.

On August 4, 2017, Director of Prisons Gladwin Samuels confirmed that a fatal incident occurred at the Timehri Prison at ap-

proximately 17:00h involving murder accused, Hinds, which led to his demise.

Hinds was reportedly one of the prisoners who was transferred from the Camp Street Prison after the July 9 Prison unrest in the city.

The circumstances, as reported to the Director of Prisons by Timehri Prison officials, are that several prisoners were involved in a serious physical altercation and assault in which they were using improvised weapons. Prison officers attempted to restore order by breaking up the violent fracas.

During this process, Hinds reportedly fled into

desist but he refused in every instance and continued running.

This publication was also informed that Hinds reportedly attacked one of the wardens.

According to a state-

ment from the Department of Public Information (DPI), the Prison officers were left with no other option than to curtail his escape bid.

"This necessitated the use of live rounds as a last resort after every other op-

tion had failed. Hinds was struck to the body by a single round and was immediately taken to the East Bank Demerara Hospital Complex at Diamond where he was pronounced dead on arrival," DPI had said.

Opposition will continue...

Deceased: Winston Hinds

the prison yard in an apparent bid to escape. Clear and repeated orders were allegedly issued for Hinds to

Government’s repudiation of the LCDS and the initiatives designed to enhance national -- and in particular Amerindian -- development, according to Jagdeo, has destroyed long years of work at all levels to find a modern, inclusive national developmental strategy for the future.

He said Government’s oft-mooted alternative of a Green Growth Strategy remains a mystery, with no specific initiatives to addressing development.

And Government’s refusal to implement the LCDS and its inability to create a viable alternative have in fact created an enormous vacuum, he said.

As a consequence, the Government has given scant attention to the LCDSidentified programmes, which include multi-year projects, the Amerindian Titling Project and the Amerindian Development Fund (ADF) -which are fully funded under the REDD+/GRIF and

from page 3

Government of Guyana/ Norway Partnership.

During the last PPP/C congress, more than 30 percent of delegates were Amerindians. Five of them from Region Nine are now part of the party’s Central Committee.

During the last general and regional elections, the PPP/C won seven of the ten Regions in Guyana. This includes Regions 1, 8, and 9, which predominantly comprises of Amerindians.

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friDAY, august 25, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Guyana’s visual art collection a huge hit at Carifesta XIII

Utterly delusional

D

avid Granger is, in many ways, not a natural leader. The evidence at our disposal is more than enough to prove that he is incapable of motivating the Guyanese people into throwing their shoulder into the transformative process needed to grow Guyana out of poverty. He comes across as tired, faded, uncreative, and deeply lacking in enthusiasm.

One can easily describe him as a pageantry president who is only interested in the pensions, the parade, and the charade. When a president refuses to meet the FULL MEDIA, but chooses instead to perpetuate a stage-managed TV programme in his comfort zone, then you must recognise that he is bad for the Guyanese economy. This situation confirms that he is unable to communicate his vision and connect with the people, to be able to influence the change needed for the nation.

But what is even worse is when his minions choose to excuse away these presidential defects by arrogantly blurting out there is “NO NEED FOR THE PRESIDENT TO FACE MEDIA” (source - http://guyanatimesgy.com/no-need-forpresident-to-face-media-harmon/).

Such a statement was made after this same President promised, on June 21, 2017, to hold a press conference within a month, when the international media cornered him on this matter at the CARICOM Heads of Government Meeting. It has now been two months since that promise was made, and not delivered. But what this experience can teach the Guyanese people is that there are, at the highest levels of the Granger regime, some seriously dishonest people who must be exposed before they destroy Guyana.

The first evidence of this destruction is the state of the international reserves. According to the Ministry of Finance’s 2017 Half-Year Report, the reserves fell by US$18.3 million, or 3.2%, to US$578 million at the end of June 2017. Sugar production in down by 12.4% in the first half of 2017, compared to the first half of 2016, to reach the lowest level in 26 years. The mining and quarrying sector contracted by 4.1% during the first half of 2017, and it was being dragged down by the decline in gold and bauxite production. The forestry sector declined by 18.2% in the first half of 2017, compared to the same period in 2016.

But what I found most interesting in Minister Jordan’s report is that sand and stone production declined. I am reliably informed that they both declined by over 10% in the first half of 2017 vs. the same period in 2016. Which industry uses sand and stones? You are correct: the housing and construction sector. This is a clear indication that the bricks and mortar industry is in reverse gear in 2017.

I have always been trained to understand that great nations take great care of three industries – agriculture, manufacturing and the construction. This Granger regime has literally abandoned all three of them, left them as orphans, and are now blaming all and sundry for the state of the economy. Utterly delusional!

When one observes the export sector, gold exports declined, diamond exports declined, rice exports declined, and the cost of fuel has increased.

What is the story here? Guyana is spending more than it is earning internationally, and because of this mismatch, the Central Bank has to dip into the foreign reserves again and again, to honour the nation’s international commitments. Is this the legacy of the Granger regime – the team that raided the foreign reserves because they were too incompetent and clueless to actually expand the productive capacity of the export sector to pay the foreign currency bills?

This entire economic crisis under the Granger regime was preventable. Had Granger understood the value of building relationships with key economic stakeholders like the private sector, the unions, and his peers in the political opposition; and had the people of Guyana and the media found him approachable and not so aloft, the process of understanding how to develop a nation would have been more straightforward.

What I can say emphatically, after closely observing the Granger regime over the last 2 years, is they have failed to understand the cross-functional challenges of developing a nation, and why you need to collaborate, cooperate, communicate and make decisions every minute of the day, and try your best to include as wide an audience as possible in the process.

But, as you can see, I, like thousands of other Guyanese, am disappointed at the talentless class in power today, and thus we must expect more incompetence and cluelessness over the next 3 years. Wither Guyana under President Granger?

Please share your thoughts at sasesin1@yahoo.com.

isual art takes many forms in Guyana, but its dominant themes are Indigenous, the ethnic diversity of the population and the natural environment. Art portrays various ideas and feelings such as triumph, love, happiness and sorrow which were all on display by 12 Guyanese artists at Carifesta XIII. A total of 33 pieces of art, bringing to life our rich Guyanese culture drew the largest crowds at the art exhibition held at the Barbados Community College.

Head of the Visual Art team, Ivor Thom, agreed that the responses to the visual art show have been great. He said, “the work we have is a surprise to almost everyone who comes to the exhibition. We have the most crowds in this visual art exhibition. The exposure to our artists, especially our young artist, Laron, has done well for her and we can expect to see great things from her when she gets back to Guyana.”

Twenty-two-year-old Laron Gulliver, the youngest artist on board, is also a photographer and sculptor and a graduate of the E R Burrowes School of Art. Her pieces are part of a series called ‘Afro Centric’ which portrays how one can use their African culture to form self-identity – the way

One of Winslow Craig’s art pieces which portrays the family

one looks, dresses, acts, values and beliefs.

According to the Department of Public Information, Gulliver said inspiration for her work came during her teenage years when, “I had self-esteem problems and now I’ve grown to accept

A Laron Gulliver’s portrait

myself in today’s society so I show my journey through my work so that others can relate to it.”

The young artist though proud of her accomplishments, believes she has a long way to go and more to learn. turn to page 16

12

friday, August 25, 2017

guyanatimesgy.com

T

wenty-five-year-old Rafieya Husain was on Saturday evening last crowned Miss Universe Guyana 2017 when the pageant was hosted at York College i n the United States of America. This is the second shot at the title for Husain who copped the first runner-up spot in 2016, with Soyini Fraser winning the coveted title.

On Saturday last, Husain outshone 14 other delegates at the grand coronation that was witnessed by hundreds of patrons who flocked the venue.

While one section of the crowd was pleased with the final results, another section thought that first runner-up, Sharisse Victor, should have been given the crown, hence leaving many unanswered questions.

One such question was the credibility of the pageant, since it is believed that the winner was selected way ahead of the grand coronation.

The second runner-up was Nalicia Ramdyal, who is no stranger to pageantry. She competed in the Miss Global Guyana Pageant, where she created quite a stir after she did

not win the competition.

However, the controversy all started following a post by Delroy Walcott who made his resignation as Administrative Assistance to the Miss Universe Guyana Committee public on Facebook, claiming that the rightful winner was Victor. This was his conclusion after he claimed that he saw the final scores.

Then, another member of the team, Tasha Dwhaj, also tendered her resignation after claiming that

T

hirty-

seven-yearold Jennifer Lall-Shiwbalak, a teacher at Diamond Secondary School, is Miss Renaissance 2017 after she outshone 11 other competitors when the pageant was held at the National Cultural Centre on Saturday last.

The talented teacher who holds a Bachelor ’s Degree in

her reputation and character were attacked by franchise holder, Jyoti Hardat. She too felt that the decision was highly flawed. She was one of the volunteers. When contacted, Walcott explained that the matter was now in the hands of legal minds and he will not comment on the controversy, redirecting all questions to the Miss Universe Guyana organisation.

Walcott however, deleted the post on Facebook moments after he posted it, claiming he wanted to address the

E d u c a t i o n Administration was confident from the beginning of the pageant up to the time she was announced the winner.

Coming in third was Oletta Alleyne, while Nokolo David copped the second runner-up spot. Jullian Moore secured the first runner-up position.

After winning the pageant, she praised her husband for being the most encouraging, loving, helpful and patient individual who has been her biggest supporter. She also thanked her two children for their overwhelming support. She also thanked all those who supported her during the journey, especially at a time when she lost her father while preparing for the competition.

Her gown for the evening’s competition was designed by Mwanza Glen and her make-up was done by POSH. Her talent piece was

matter in a more civil manner.

On the other hand, with respect to Soyini Fraser not attending the pageant to hand over the crown, Hardat revealed that the 2016 queen parted ways with the organisation since February 2017, claiming that she will do nothing to promote the Miss Universe Guyana Pageant.

Fraser had accused the franchise holder of ill treatment. Things got worse after the 2016 queen refused to hand over the crown and the sash

choreographed by the Nachagana Dance Troupe.

The pageant serves as a catalyst to re-educate the public about their inner beauty, creativity, cultural awareness and accomplishments of matured Guyanese women, 30 years and older.

Women are leaders, pinnacles in politics, at the forefront for equal

when she was asked to do so. This was not made public for several reasons, according to the franchise holder.

Meanwhile, apart from all the controversy, Husain remains confident that she will make Guyana proud at the international pageant billed for November in the United States.

She has since called for the matter to be addressed amicable, while encouraging Guyanese to give her a chance to showcase the ‘Land of Many Waters’.

rights, mothers and wives and it is behind this backdrop that the Miss Guyana Renaissance Pageant came into being.

It is used to give woman the opportunity to celebrate Guyana’s cultural diversity, intelligence, beauty and style. This was the eighth instalment of the pageant under the stewardship of Negla Brandis.

guyanatimesgy.com

friday, August 25, 2017

Guyanese new single removed from Soundcloud

@

H

its and Jams (HJ) Bacchanal Wednesday saw thousands in attendance at the National Park Tarmac on Wednesday evening, as close to 20 artistes ‘mashed up the place’.

Although the event started a bit late, soca junkies were totally entertained by a line-up of star studded artistes, including Allison Hinds, Destra Garcia, Ravi B, Freezie, Kerry John, Orlando Octane and Swappy among others.

The local lineup included Jumo “Rubber Waist” Primo who had the audience in a frenzy. Now that the show is over, all roads will lead to the Hit and Jams Water World

13

on Sunday for its annual beach jam.

Originally started at the Splashmins Fun Park 17 years ago, the beach jam has taken up full residency at the HJ Water World, Providence, East Bank Demerara.

The beach jam will take the form of a May fair and will include the popular May Pole plaiting by members of the Gold Rush Dance Troupe out of the East Coast of Demerara.

In addition, there will be over $500,000 to be won in games and other activities that will be at the beach jam. Another feature this year will be a Jamzone Jingle competition, where the not so recognised artistes can submit a jingle and these will be played on the BOOM FM during a special segment.

During this segment, the public will have an opportunity to vote for their favourite jingle and the top three winners will have a chance to perform at the Jamzone Beach Party. Tickets for the beach jam cost $2000 and will be available at the venue.

O

n Saturday, August 12, SoundCloud removed Guyanese Singer/Songwriter and Record Producer Simeon Browne’s new single “Fall For You” from its website, sighting copyright infringement as probable cause.

According to an informant close to Browne, SoundCloud removed the single and stated that it was owned Wondamang Productions.

“He received a mail stating that the single he uploaded to his personal SoundCloud page was owned by Wondamang Productions”. Wondamang Productions is actually the label Browne is signed to and which worked with acts such as C4, Franale and Ruqayyah Boyer in recent times.

Browne seems unphased by the noise this has produced, saying “it’s a matter of miscommunication”, where he uploaded the single to his personal page as opposed to it being uploaded by the company’s SoundCloud page and failing to state credits and rights of the said song.

In April of this year, the label/production house

Wondamang Productions signed a major deal with Digital Distribution Giant Zojak Worldwide, a company which is also responsible for the digital distribution of music from recording artists such as Vybez Kartel.

“Fall For You” is the second single from an upcom-

ing album; it’s a breezy pophouse fusion with dance hall influences, generic to Browne’s style of music. The song was written, composed and performed by Browne and produced by his brother Abraham-JashBeatsBrowne at Wondamang Productions.

for Lusignan Ground on Saturday evening

T

he second edition of the East Coast Auto Expo and Vehicle Sound Off is set for Saturday evening at the Lusignan Community Centre Ground, East Coast Demerara (ECD).

The first was held at the Better Hope Community Centre Ground, ECD and based on recommendations and crowd turnout, the event was taken to Lusignan.

This year however, several top vehicles have confirmed their participation in the competition which is expected to be epic.

These include Wolverine, Transformers, Destroyers and Massive Audo and many others.

Prizes will be awarded for several categories, including best

sound for cars, buses, SUV;

cleanest sounds, cleanest vehicle, best airbrush and many others.

Apart from the actual competition, patrons and vehicle owners can visit the various booths that will be erected on the ground – from tint designs to music accessories and airbrushing will be on display. Gates to the event opens at 18:00h but the actual competition gets underway at 22:00h.

In the meantime, patrons will be treated to some of the best vibes by the deejays of Sniper Sounds, Notorious Sounds and Power Sonic. Tickets cost $1000 at the door while vehicle passes will cost another $1000.

East Coast Auto Expo (part two) is promoted by Westsiderz Entertainment and sponsored by Xtra, Deals on Electronic, BM Auto Sales, Seon Auto Bod Workshop, Shoppers Superstore, Trans Pacific Auto Sales and others.

G

uyana’s rising dance hall artiste, “Exidos” recently recorded his newest single titled “Panama”, which he intends to release shortly.

“Panama” is about two individuals on the beach having fun after a hard day’s work.

This is a new side to “Exidos”, as everyone knows he is unpredictable when it comes to performing different genres of music. “Panama” is more of a lover’s song and is the leading track on his new mix tape that will be out on September 4. The Panama’s Riddim is an original that was built by Adrian Johnson, called “Hang Over”. The song was also produced by Johnson and was recorded at AJ Records.

The mix tape consists of 13 tracks, with singles such as “Bruk It Off”, “Footloose”, “Skin Trade” and “Soft Touch”, another tune that fans were looking out for over the past year.

His fans can link with him on social media and are encouraged to subscribe to his YouTube channel IG @ exidos4realyo.

14 news

friDAY, august 25, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

PPDI not to blame for spate of blackouts – CEO, Chairman ... stakeholders were having monthly meetings to address issue

PPDI’s engines at its Kingston and Vreed-en-Hoop locations

By Jarryl Bryan

P

ower Producers and Distribution Incorporated (PPDI), the company which now manages the Wartsila engines, is adamant that it has been fulfilling its responsibility in regard to power generation, and is in no way responsible for the spate of blackouts that have occurred at regular intervals throughout the country.

Officials of the PPDI’s Kingston and Vreed-en-Hoop facilities were on Thursday probed about the reason for the spate of blackouts, and PPDI Chief Executive Officer Arron Fraser said there has been no engine failure that would have affected PPDI power generation, and by extension Guyana Power and Light’s (GPL’s).

“The engines are actually more available this year than they were last year. There haven’t been any incidents with engine failure,” he said, adding that questions regarding failures in GPL’s distribution network would be for the GPL to answer.

Fraser acknowledged that both companies have a shared overall responsibility for ensuring a stable supply of electricity is provided consumers. In recognition of this re-

sponsibility, Chairman of the PPDI Board of Directors, Mark Bender, noted that technical experts from both sides have been meeting to iron out solutions.

“We don’t want to get into GPL’s domain. The two companies are joined at the hip. It’s one operation, but separate. We, just like GPL, have the same objective -- to ensure a stable and reliable supply of electricity to the consumers,” he explained.

“GPL has certain responsibilities, we have certain responsibilities, but there is constant interaction between the two companies: there is a monthly joint operation meeting, there are constant discussions between the technicians…”

Causes

As it happens, one of the Wartsila engines is down, in order to be overhauled and have maintenance work done. In addition, an important component from another engine has been sent overseas to Miami, Florida because it needs repairs that are beyond local capabilities. Enquiries were made about the reasons why engines fail, and acting Deputy CEO (technical) Ravindra Parmanand, said a number of factors could precipitate en-

PPDI CEO, Arron Fraser

gine failure, including fluctuations in the current.

“There are many factors that cause a generator to trip. The generators are equipped with high-frequency relays, so if there is a disturbance outside, a high or low frequency or current, it would trip it to protect the engines from failure,” the deputy CEO said, adding that line problems could also be a contributing factor.

It was learnt that the Kingston plant has the capacity to produce

36.1 megawatts of power, but currently 12 of those megawatts are out because of maintenance work.

In spite of these challenges, however, Fraser has said there is a surplus of energy in the system.

“Right now at this (Kingston) plant we have three engines that are operational, (but) there is some spare capacity in the system. So (with) the two engines that are out, we are barely meeting the demands,” Fraser related.

Service disruptions have continued to raise the ire of customers. It is understood that as at March 2017, there have been 29 complaints from GPL customers at the level of the Public Utility Commission (PUC).

GPL therefore comes in second on the list of complaints, behind only Guyana Telephone and Telegraph (GTT). Last month, frustrated businessmen from Region Two met with staff from GPL at the Regional Democratic Council (RDC), where they vented their anger at the constant and prolonged power outages on the Essequibo Coast.

With the northern side of the Essequibo Coast hardest hit, the businessmen pointed to the plight of residents in Charity, who have suffered in the dark for days.

Essequibo Chambers of

Commerce and Industry (ECCI) Chairman Deleep Singh has noted that a number of businesses have suffered tremendous losses directly resulting from the blackouts.

It has been questioned whether GPL would compensate Essequibians for their suffering and loss in regard to the prolonged spate of blackout.

GPL Acting CEO Renford Homer has blamed some of the disruptions on the shutdown of the Demerara-Berbice Interconnected System. Homer also explained that the machines at Skeldon and Garden of Eden were being overhauled, whilst the one at Kingston was undergoing routine maintenance.

At a year-end press conference, Homer had announced that some $3 billion would be spent by the company towards the construction of four new substations. He had stated that this formed part of the $6.6 billion that had been set aside for works to improve service delivery of the company; $3 billion for the new substations, and $1.4 billion for renovation works to existing substations.

According to Homer, these works are expected to be completed by 2018.

news

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friDAY, august 25, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

“Quality over quantity” – Education Minister … MoE to move forward with nationwide restriction on CSEC subjects

By Ashraf D abie

E

ven with the recently released C a r i b b e a n Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examination results indicating that Guyanese students are comfortably excelling at 10 and more subjects, the Education Ministry has indicated that it will be moving forward with the implementation of a cap on the total number of subjects pursuable at the regional assessment.

This announcement was made by Education Minister Nicolette Henry, during a forum on Tuesday, at which the nation’s performance at CSEC 2017 was revealed to the public.

Henry emphasised that her Ministry is focused on “quality over quantity.”

While acknowledging that students continue to successfully take on in excess of 10 subjects, the Minister noted that her Administration is concerned with the pass rates for crucial subject areas such as Mathematics and English Language, and more so, the overall matriculation of individual students.

As such, she reiterated the Education Ministry’s stance on quality over quantity, thereby indicated that there is still a green light on limiting the number of subjects pursuable at the regional assessment.

“From a qualitative perspective, we recognise that in order for us to really be able to get our students to matriculate, because that is what CXC focuses on, the number of subjects, though it can get you some attention, (it) is not our primary focus. Our focus is to ensure that students in the

Education Minister Nicolette Henry joined by CEO Marcel Huston at the release of CSEC results 2017

secondary school are able to matriculate and that is to pass Mathematics and English.”

She said the Education Ministry will take the responsibility of implementing systems that will better allow for students to matriculate.

“We believe that through education, we can move from poverty to prosperity and it requires us taking structural interventions,” she said, while conveying that putting a cap on the number of subjects students will be able to pursue will inherently improve performance, especially since more time will be allotted to the key subject areas.

Echoing the sentiments of the Minister was Chief Education Officer Marcel Hutson, who agreed with the need for a limitation to achieve the mission of higher matriculation.

Moreover, Hutson clarified existing misconceptions pertaining to the proposed cap on CSEC subjects.

“The circular that we

sent out by no means said that our children cannot write as many subjects as they feel they could. What the memorandum has really focused on is to get out children to matriculate. We do not want to spread ourselves thin at the expense of not passing the subjects that will cause you to matriculate,” Huston stated while outlining the basis of the proposed cap.

The CEO further contended that in countries such as Antigua and Barbados, there is an already existing cap, limiting students to a maximum of eight subjects.

Nevertheless, Hutson explained that there will be provisions for student in special circumstances.

Meanwhile, the Principal of Queen’s College, Jackie Benn, in an interview with this publication is calling on the Education Ministry to make way for schools to determine the capabilities of their students rather than implementing a nationwide restriction.

Miss Benn alluded to the fact that while each student functions on a different level, there are cases, especially at Queen’s College, where students can easily take on a greater number of units at the CSEC level.

With that being said, the QC Head appealed, “Allow the national schools who would’ve had students who can perform exceptionally well in these different subject areas, give them the go ahead to do as they so desire, once they’re capable. Allow the educators on the ground, in the field, who will work with these students to make the decisions as it relates to the students performances and what they should write or not.”

Miss Benn was backed

Principal of Queen’s College, Jackie Benn

by the 2017 CSEC results which revealed that a total of 26 students secured Grade One passes in 12 subjects and more, while a great sum of 164 students from across Guyana man-

aged eight Grade Ones and more.

In fact, a QC student, Michael Bhopaul, even copped a massive 24 Ones and One Grade Two at the regional assessment.

However, the reports did let on that four subject areas projected no improvements this year, while 11 CSEC units recorded a decline in performance among Guyanese students.

Mathematics, English Language (English A) and Literature (English B) were all among the subjects recording worrisome pass rates.

Despite the outstanding performances, the Education Ministry remains committed to limiting the number of subjects pursuable at CSEC to a maximum of 10 units.

16 NEWS

friDAY, august 25, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Women should not work ‘night Suspect in alleged rape of 12-yearold Linden girl turns self into Police shifts’ – Minister Scott ... calls for policy change for female security personnel

M

inister within the Social Protection Ministry, Keith Scott said with goals for national development in the private security service sector, his Ministry is committed to the development of a ‘decent work country programme’.

The seminar for security service providers on Thursday, focused on private security services within the area of national development; the role of the security services in safety and the economy; the impact of security services on single mothers and the elderly, as well as the social impact of the security services on men, among other topics.

Minister Scott noted that his Ministry is extremely concerned with the work arrangement for female security personnel in the field and the effect it has on single mothers.

Minister within the Social Protection Ministry, Keith Scott

“Many days when I report for duty, I am pained and grieved to be greeted at 7:30am by a female security officer who had worked the night before.”

He continued, “I’m unsure whether or not the private security industry has carefully examined the impact which night work has had and continues to have on women…”

“I wish to submit without

fear of contradiction that the level of danger to which the family is exposed increases astronomically when that family is headed by one parent only, who happens to be the mother and has to work all night while her children are left unprotected, unsupervised and to the mercies of possible predators,” the Minister stated.

Scott believes these are the kinds of danger family members are exposed to when single parents work at night. to the According Department of Public Information, the Minister is calling for the development and implementation of policies to completely prevent women from working night shifts.

“We should not wait for indisputable evidence before we seek to minimise or control the level of night work to which our women… are exposed,” he said.

By Utamu Belle

T

he suspect in the alleged rape of a 12-year-old girl from Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) has reportedly turned himself into Police after eluding lawmen for over a week.

Guyana Times understands that the suspect, a taxi driver who also hails from the mining community, turned himself over to Police on Tuesday and has since been granted station bail to the sum of $100,000.

A file in relation to the matter has reportedly been sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) which is expected to return on Monday.

The suspect is likely to be charged in relation to the offence next week.

Police in E Division (LindenKwakwani) began the hunt for the suspect in relation to the alleged rape of the 12-year-old female, which took place on the evening of Saturday, August 12.

Reports are the girl who reportedly attended an event with three of her friends, caught a taxi referred to as '$100 car' or 'short drop car' at Co-op Crescent, Mackenzie around 22:00h in an effort to get to her home at Amelia's Ward, Linden.

However, upon reaching the destination, the taxi driver reportedly passed the stops where the child and her friends were expected to get out.

The three friends who were seated in the back seat reportedly forced their way out of the car, leaving the

victim who was seated in the front seat and who was wearing her seat belt inside.

The victim was reportedly taken to a 'back road' area at Lower Kara Kara by the taxi driver where she was forced out of the vehicle and sexually assaulted. The suspect reportedly then dropped the victim off at the Kara Kara Bridge, where she was left to walk home.

The family of the victim, who were said to be looking for her – after the friends she shared the taxi with alerted them as to what transpired – then took her to the Police Station, thence to the Linden Hospital for medical examination.

The results of the medical examination proved that the victim was sexually assaulted.

Taxi driver robbed of his...

Adding to that, he indicated that the hijackers also copped his Samsung Galaxy cellular phone and cash worth approximately $20,000.

Sanmoogan presented a faint description of the hijackers, stating that they were both of African descent, but the man was more of mixed race ancestry. He was, however, unable to properly

identify the individuals, noting that his main focus was walking away alive.

“At that moment, all I was thinking about is my life being spared. I complied with whatever the guy say. When he told me to run, I run; because I know a lot of drivers who resist and are no longer here to talk about it. So I complied and I run,” the terrified taxi driver expressed.

from page 9

Sanmoogan has filed a report at the East La Penitence Police Station, and is awaiting the outcome of investigations. However, given that his car is his only source of income, the man is calling on the public to report any sighting of his vehicle. Reports can be made to the taxi driver on telephone number 616-4816, or by contacting the nearest police station.

Guyana’s visual art collection...

After viewing the work of other Caribbean artists at the festival Gulliver believes she has to experiment more with different mediums, including using photography as a story telling tool to display issues in the Caribbean.

She encourages youths struggling with self-esteem and identity issues to be proud of themselves. “We

as a people have a lot to offer through our culture, we find that other cultures often look to us for inspiration and ideas, so be proud.”

Prominent artist, Winslow Craig crafted 11 of the art pieces displayed.

Craig said he realised his natural artistic ability at an early age and has discovered many things along his artis-

from page 11

tic journey. One such important discovery is “that I am just a small channel through which creative energy flows” which inspire his craft and sculptures.

Craig’s artwork covers several themes from the family to a man’s strength. He uses materials including wire and his own creation called “Sawdu,” a mixture of sawdust and glue. Humble and reluctant to discuss his many accomplishments, Craig is grateful to be recognised for his work and plans to continue his journey as an artist for as long as he can.

Curator of the National Art Gallery, Ohene Koama said the team of Guyanese artists is using Carifesta XIII as a platform to gain new markets and network with other artists in the Region.

They are also seeking inclusion at the Caribbean Community (Caricom) head table to discuss issues that will enhance visual arts in the Caribbean.

Koama explained the selection process for Carifesta artists was done via advertising – the artists submitted their pieces and the best were selected.

“We also embraced the green initiative; we met with Minister Nicolette Henry and she urged that the works reflect our green initiative. But before this whole idea of going green, artists were already using recycled materials such as fallen trees and sawdust…. however, we are happy to be here,” Koama explained.

friDAY, august 25, 2017

guyanatimesgy.com

17

News

4 hinterland radio Farmers still awaiting stations to compensation, court costs be commissioned soon T T West Berbice 50-year leases

BY SHEMUEL FANFAIR

wo weeks after the six West Coast Berbice (WCB) rice farmers mounted a successful legal challenge against the revocation of their leases for lands at Seafield and Number 40 Village, Berbice, they are yet to receive their payments as ordered by the court.

On August 8, acting Chief Justice Roxane George, SC, ruled that their leases constitute property under Article 142 of the Constitution, and the President’s revocation of those leases amounted to depriving the applicants of property without compensating them, as noted in Article 142 of the Constitution. The lands are under control of the Mahaica/Mahaicony/Abary Agricultural Development Authority (MMA/ADA).

While a conservatory order was granted until compensation is worked out by both parties, another order was granted whereby each of the applicants was to be paid court costs in the sum of $300,000.

To date, the applicants – Brian George and Tiffany Hubbard; Vaughn Aaron;

Joylyn, Gratien and Herman Nicholson – are still to be paid. Speaking with Guyana Times on Thursday, farmer Joylyn Nicholson indicated that she hasn’t received any word regarding the payments.

“We haven’t heard anything about that as yet,” she noted.

Similarly, Brian George indicated that he too has not been paid, saying that he is hopeful to have positive news on receiving the payments that the court has ordered.

“We haven’t received anything [for court costs] but in terms of compensation, we said that because of the fight they gave us, we’re looking for no less than about five million dollars,” George said.

Guyana Times contacted one of their attorneys, Raj Jaigobin, who also confirmed that based on information the law firm received, the farmers were not paid. This publication was told that the farmers are meant to be paid through the Attorney General’s office but Jaigobin clarified that the State has some six weeks to file an appeal against

Attorney Raj Jaigobin

the payments.

“They haven’t been paid yet as far as I’m aware. I am waiting for the six weeks to expire to see if they (the State) will pay them or not.

If not, I’ll write to them…” the Attorney said.

He recalled the case where single mother, Gaytri Singh, who won her case against the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CHPA) from interfering with her possession and occupation of her “core home” property was awarded $200,000 and much time had reportedly elapsed before she was paid.

“We were forced to file a matter to compel the Minister of Finance to

pay,” Jiagobin claimed.

He further explained that the State is guided by the State Liabilities and Proceedings Act, further noting that the time for appeals is set out is the Court of Appeal Act. According to Chapter 6:05 of the State Liabilities and Proceedings; “Any judgement or order in civil proceedings by or against the State shall be subject to appeal in the same manner as if it had been given or made in proceedings between private parties.”

The farmers are however hopeful that they will soon receive their payments. They had previously claimed that in November 2014, former President Donald Ramotar had granted the 50-year leases for State land located in the rear of Number 40 Village, West Coast Berbice. The MMA/ADA had cancelled the State land leases last year, and these West Coast Berbice farmers filed legal action challenging that cancellation. But after President Granger cancelled the leases, they again filed court action and were successful in their challenge against the revocation.

he Indigenous villages of Mahdia, Aishalton and Orealla, as well as Bartica, will shortly commission radio outreach stations. Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, who is also the Minister with responsibility for public information, revealed this while being interviewed by Julie Lewis on ‘Let’s gyaff’ on the National Communications Network (NCN) radio programme on 102.5FM Voice of Guyana, on Thursday.

The Prime Minister said this will make it easier to transmit information in a timely manner to more hinterland communities. “Soon we are going to be commissioning radio outreach stations in Mahdia, Bartica and then we will move to Aishalton and Orealla. Apart from having a newspaper that will communicate with Indigenous peoples in its written form we are now adding the vital outreach.”

Reference was made to emergencies which arose in several hinterland communities and the importance of having broadcasting stations close by which aided in the dissemination of advisories and other public service announcements.

“The fact that we were able to commission these two outreach radio stations means

a lot for people in the hinterland, Indigenous peoples in particular. As you can see when we had the floods in the Rupununi, we were able to communicate directly to them all the alerts – that kids must not play in the water, there were snakes in the water, people were asked to remove from those areas that are likely to be affected by flash floods et cetera, et cetera.”

Prime Minister Nagamootoo also said that work was done on Radio Paiwomak and it is now refurbished with the ability to reach more persons with a better quality of radio service.

Community radio stations were established in the newly named towns of Lethem in Region Nine (Upper TakutuUpper Essequibo) and Mabaruma in Region One (Barima-Waini) this year.

According to the Department of Public Information, these two are in addition to Radio Paiwomak which was the first community radio established in the early 2000.

The aim of the Government’s community radio stations project is to link the Indigenous communities through communication. The established radio stations are all affiliates of the National Communications Network (NCN) and broadcast on the national frequency.

Electricity supply

Strategic plan for renewable power on the way, says PPDI ‒ even as mid-year report cites heavy oil as major expense more focusing on the electrical side of things, we can do all the work. So there is no reason to be bringing the Wärtsilä field superintendent to overlook the maintenance. And that is a significant saving.”

Fraser noted that with an average of 11 maintenance exercises per year, using their own local specialists would save around US$500,000 per year.

BY JARRYL BRYAN

S

ince taking operational control of the Wärtsilä engines, special purpose company Power Production and Distributers Inc (PPDI) may be producing less energy compared to last year. But it is engaged in cost-cutting measures and a strategic plan to improve its performance.

According to officials from the company, who took media operatives on a tour of their Kingston and Vreed-en-Hoop plants on Thursday, the new Board has been delivering on their promise to cut costs by changes in maintenance.

The Government had justified not renewing Wärtsilä’s contract by contrasting its proposed rate of US$20.1 per megawatt, versus PPDI’s US$16. It was on that basis that PPDI was created and provided with the contract. PPDI Chief Executive Officer Arron Fraser explained what the company has been doing

Renewable energy

PPDI Chairman Mark Bender

since then.

“How multi nationals operate, there is always an element of transfer pricing,” Fraser said. “So off the bat, that’s a saving. The other cost saving is that we are using our field engineers, who are Guyanese, who, before now, were used around the region to generate revenue for Wärtsilä.”

“So unless the work gets really beyond our capabilities, and that would be

In addition to what it is doing to cut costs in the short term, the company is also readying itself to generate electricity for Guyanese through renewable sources.

In the 2017 mid-year report, it was detailed that GPL had improved its revenue collection by earning $17 billion in the first half of 2017. The whopping sum represents an increase from $14.7 billion for the same period in 2016. According to the report, the increase in revenue was as a result of

more timely payments.

The report also details that expenditure increased from $9.3 billion in the first half of 2016 to $12.6 billion in the same period this year.

Interestingly enough, this increase in expenditure was noted to be due to higher costs for Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO), reinforcing the need for clean and renewable energy if the Government hopes to cut costs.

According to Chairman of the Board, Mark Bender, the company has been preparing its own strategic plan, which would encompass renewable energy.

Bender said that these plans will set out how PPDI will adjust to the Government’s own Green state strategy.

“The company is preparing a strategic plan.

You would note that the Government has a stated goal to produce all electricity from the grid, by 2025, from renewable and clean sources of energy. In that regard, there are a num-

ber of options being considered.”

“The two most significant ones at this time are hydro power and natural gas once oil and gas production starts. Of course there are other renewable sources like solar and wind. Right now the company has one client, GPL. But in the strategic plan, we are going to address how we will position ourselves as an independent power producer.”

The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) had been assisting Guyana in assessing five out of 69 possible sites, which are proposed to house these hydro power amenities.

The five sites under scrutiny are Tiger Hill, Kamira, Tumatumari, Amaila and Kumu. It is expected that their assessment will be completed in May of this year.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) had also signalled its intention to grant an interim one year authorisation

to Tumatumari Hydro Inc (THI), which brings the special purpose private company one step closer towards its planned rehabilitation of the Region Eight (PotaroSiparuni) Tumatumari power plant.

To promote additional financial aid for the hydro power and renewable plan, the Government is partnering with the Brazilian Government. It is understood that Government intends to use the US$80 million from the Norway fund.

This money was allocated to renewable energy development. Interested investors are also welcomed in this department.

Finance Minister Winston Jordan, has stated publicly during an engagement with the Guyana Manufacturing Services Association (GMSA) that the money is not sufficient for its plans. In fact, Jordan had spoken of difficulties being faced to access the funding.

18

guyanatimesgy.com

friDAY, august 25, 2017

ARCHIE

Partnership problems will surface if you overreact.

(March 21- Consider all sides of a situation April 19) before you do or say something you’ll regret. Compromise will be required and moderation will be a necessity.

ARIES

A get-together or intellecTAURUS tual challenge is encouraged.

(April 20- Reconnecting with someone May 20) from your past will help you relive experiences that could help you make an important decision now.

dilbert

You can make a positive GEMINI (May 21- change without overspending.

June 20) Work on personal growth, not on pursuing expensive, unnecessary physical perfection.

Love who you are and do your best to help others.

CANCER (June 21July 22)

Peanuts

LEO (July 23Aug. 22)

Calvin and Hobbes

Stick to a simple lifestyle.

Be realistic about what you can and cannot accomplish.

Too much of anything will lead to physical limitations.

Make health and diplomacy a priority.

Work on your own. The less interference you face, the easier it will be to get things done your way and on time.

Set your mind on your goal and forge ahead.

Don’t ignore the lessons VIRGO of experience or someone’s (Aug. 23good advice. Making a change Sept. 22) based on information that hasn’t been verified will put you in a precarious position.

Be sure of things or sit tight.

Don’t make personal LIBRA (Sept. 23- changes or get involved in emoOct. 23) tional disputes with co-workers. Steer clear of temptation and overreaction. Physical or emotional mishaps will occur if you take a risk.

WORD GAME

SUDOKU

Emotional matters will esSCORPIO calate if you share your feel(Oct. 24ings with someone who lacks Nov. 22) sensitivity or is likely to reveal what you discuss with others. Avoid erratic, impulsive individuals.

Keep an open mind, even if SAGITTARIUS someone is trying to pry into (Nov. 23- your affairs. Offering an honDec. 21) est assessment of your situation will help ward off interference or meddling.

solution for Last Published Puzzle

Back away from anyone exCAPRICORN hibiting instability, emotion(Dec. 22- al outbursts or excessive beJan. 19) havior. Protect against being lumped in with a suspicious character who might not be following rules or regulations.

Stick close to home.

Be careful how you hanAQUARIUS dle personal contracts or doc(Jan. 20- uments involving your status, Feb. 19) passwords or health records.

An impulsive reaction will leave you in a vulnerable position.

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

Copyright 2015, Distributed by Universal Uclick for UFS

Hang out with people who PISCES (Feb. 20- offer emotional support. Stick March 20) to a regimen that will ensure better physical and emotional health. Avoid stressful situations and don’t give in to temptation.

fridAY, august 25, 2017

19

St Lucia Stars playing for pride on Jamaican leg of the CPL

O

n the eve of their encounter Hero CPL encounter against the Jamaica Tallawahs at Sabina Park in Kingston on Friday, St. Lucia Stars captain Shane Watson said it is very important for his team to win a few games before their 2017 campaign ends because there is a lot of pride at stake for his players.

The Stars are without a win this season and are out of contention for a place in the semifinals. The team currently sits at the bottom of the table with one point. After losing their first six games of the season, the Stars appointed Watson as captain replacing home-town hero Darren Sammy, but despite the change, the team is yet to experience a change of fortunes and how have the unenviable record of seven losses and one no-result.

Watson said a win against the Tallawahs on Friday is critical. (It’s) very important.

We want to finish the season with a couple of wins. It certainly wouldn’t be a good thing to go through the tournament not winning a game,” the Australian all-rounder told SportsMax.tv during a press conference at the Jamaica Pegasus on Thursday. “I have never been involved in a situation like we are at the moment right at the back end of a tournament and haven’t won a game yet, so there is a lot of pride at stake at the moment for everyone so we have to give it our best and hopefully put in a lot better performance than we have had so far.”

Watson said there is not a lot more he can say to his players to motivate them to do everything possible to win their first game of the season. In the end, he says, the players

have to recognize that how they perform could determine what o p portunities they can take advantage of in other leagues around the world.

“In the end, there is a lot riding on every game for the team. The pride in playing for the Stars but also individually. It’s not like this is the only T20 tournament going on around the world so you want to be able to put in your best performances and give it every-

thing, every game because there are plenty of opportunities of playing other tournaments around the world and also for next year’s CPL as well,” Watson said.

“So there is a lot riding on these last couple of games, so that’s a motivation in itself.”

(SportsMax)

Ronaldo beats Messi and Buffon to Farah UEFA Best Player in Europe award wins final C track race after rival trio collide ristiano Ronaldo has won the UEFA Best Player in Europe award for the third time in four

M

o Farah won the final track race of his career by the skin of his teeth on Thursday, clinching a dramatic 5,000 meters win after three chasing rivals collided with each other in the last couple of meters.

World champion Muktar Edris, who beat Farah at the World Championships in London two weeks ago, was among the trio left sprawled on the track in the Briton's wake as Farah dived over the line.

With quadruple Olympic and six-time world champion Farah leading going into the final straight, Ethiopian Edris came powering through and appeared set to snatch victory on the line.

But Edris tripped after being clipped on the shoulder by Paul Chelimo as the American tried to force his way through a gap and he in turn bowled over Yomif Kejelcha, another Ethiopian, on the outside.

Chelimo stumbled over

the line in second and Edris's momentum took him over in third.

Britain's greatest racer -- and perhaps the best the world has seen too after 10 global title wins -- will take to the roads next season to run marathons.

Farah stayed on Edris's shoulder for almost the whole race as they gradually moved up to the field, determined not to be outsmarted by his rivals.

"It's amazing to come away with a win today," Farah told reporters.

"I've been resting up and watching Edris, what tactics he normally uses, studying, working out and tonight the game plan was to sit on him and make him do a lot of the work," he added.

"Going into the last lap, the plan was not to give anyone an inch, and that's what I did."

"I will really miss it but everything must come to an end sometime." (Reuters)

years.

Barcelona star Lionel Messi and Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon were beaten to the accolade by Ronaldo.

The Real Madrid star, 32, scooped the honour after helping his side to Champions League glory in 2016-17, scoring 12 goals in the competition.

A magnificent campaign from Ronaldo saw him score a total of 42 goals across all competitions as Madrid added a LaLiga title to the defence of their European crown. "[My goal is] the same every year the same challenge to win everything, if possible, with my club and the national team," Ronaldo said.

"As I said before, I'm so glad to be here. It is an honour to win this trophy again. I have to say thanks to my teammates and congratulations to them too.

"For the national team, too. I know

it is not a trophy of the national team but when I go to them they give me motivation every time.

"Also [I am] blessed for the supporters of Real Madrid. I am so happy for everyone who helped me to win this trophy. Thank you to everyone."

The award, which was announced at Thursday's Champions League draw in Nyon, adds to the Portugal international's triumphs in 2014 and 2016.

Messi has won it twice in 2011 and 2015, with Andres Iniesta and Franck Ribery the other players to have won the accolade since its inaugural year in 2010. It replaced the UEFA Club Footballer of the Year award, which Ronaldo and Messi also won once apiece.

The ceremony also saw the best goalkeeper award won by Buffon, with Sergio Ramos named the season's top defender, Luka Modric the best midfielder and Ronaldo getting the forward accolade. (SportsMax)

Law disappointed with Ambrose comments W

est Indies head coach Stuart Law has expressed disappointment with Windies bowling legend Courtney Ambrose who uttered scathing criticism of the team following a lop-sided first Test loss to England.

The Windies were defeated by an innings and 206 runs, at one point losing 19 wickets in a single. Ambrose, who expressed scepticism regarding the team’s chances ahead of the tour, branded the performance ‘pathetic’ and ‘embarrassing’. Law has, however, taken the bowling legend to task for not being more supportive of the inexperienced unit.

“Curtly not long ago was a coach with this team so for him to make those criticisms is disappointing. We have to understand why it is there,” Law said.

“We are not performing as well as we want. It would have been nice if he had come into the dressing room to talk to the guys and express his displeasure to us. That would have been awesome but that didn’t happen. What can we do? We have to get our noses down, our backsides up and play better.”

The West Indies will take on England in the second Test at Headingley on Friday. (SportsMax)

20

Badree, Sammy GUYANATIMESgy.COM

fridAY, AUGUST 25, 2017

make World XI cut for Pakistan tour

S

amuel Badree and Darren Sammy are the only West Indians to make the World XI squad down to play against Pakistan in three Twenty20 Internationals in Lahore next month.

Both Badree and Sammy are currently playing for Hero Caribbean Premier League franchises with varying results.

Sammy was just sacked as St Lucia Stars skipper, with the team failing to earn any points from eight games, save for a washed out against Chris Gayle's St Kitts and Nevis Patriots.

The former West Indies captain hasn't played badly himself, scoring 142 runs from seven innings, with a highest score of 60 not out. His bowling has been a little off, though, Sammy only

Samuel Badree

managing one wicket in four innings, while his 6.5 overs so far

have cost 80 runs.

Badree, on the other hand, plays for the Patriots who were the second team to qualify for the CPL's playoff segment. The spinner has so far taken eight wickets from eight games with a best of 2-14.

At 41 years old, England's Paul Collingwood is among the names in the team, which will be skippered by South Africa's Faf du Plessis.

Pakistan have not played a series on home soil since the Sri Lanka team were subjected to a terror attack eight years ago, but players from various parts of the globe have agreed to face the ICC Champions Trophy winners in the Independence Cup. South Africa skipper Du Plessis will lead the side on September 12, 13 and 15 at the Gaddafi Stadium for a series which it is

hoped will be the first step towards Pakistan no longer having to play home matches at neutral venues.

Veteran former England all-rounder Collingwood is set to feature at the age of 41, while Proteas duo Amla and Morne Morkel are included in a 14-man party which will be coached by Andy Flower.

Du Plessis said: "I am honoured to have been appointed as captain of such a diverse, attractive and well-balanced side.

"Like most of the players, I look forward to my maiden tour to Lahore and play my part in the safe and gradual resumption of international cricket in Pakistan. "All the members of the squad have complete faith Darren Sammy and trust in the assessment and "As professionals, we are judgement of the security ex- getting paid to play in the seperts, who have assured us that ries, but the bottom line is that there will be no comprise on the if we didn't feel safe, no amount safety and security of all those of money would get us there. In involved in the series. this background, we will land in Lahore with nothing except cricket in our minds."

World XI squad: Faf du Plessis (captain, South Africa), Hashim Amla (South Africa), Samuel Badree (West Indies), George Bailey (Australia), Paul Collingwood (England), Ben Cutting (Australia), Grant Elliott (New Zealand), Tamim Iqbal (Bangladesh), David Miller (South Africa), Morne Morkel (South Africa), Tim Paine (Australia), Thisara Perera (Sri Lanka), Imran Tahir (South Africa), Darren Sammy (West Indies) (SportsMax)

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Future Stars and West Front Road seek to settle scores

T

he new futsal powerhouse on the block, Future Stars will have a second chance to prove that they are better than long standing veterans West Front Road- Gold is Money on Saturday night when the two sides clash in the “final settlement” of the GT Beer “Keep Your 5 Alive” at the National Gymnasium.

The “original” final was prematurely scrapped when the two sides were evenly matched in a penalty shootout after battling to a 4-4 thriller during normal and extra time.

An unruly crowd encroached the playing area and repeated requests to re-

turn to the sidelines went unheeded. This resulted in the referees and players walking out of the arena. After that unfortunate incident, the organisers and respective team captains agreed to evenly divide the prize money in a gesture of sportsmanship.

The two teams will now get the chance to finally settle the score for a $200,000 prize along with trophies. Kickoff is slated for 20:30hrs.

Based on current form the Future Stars tip the scales as they most recently won the Ballers in the Summer tournament on the West Demerara.

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Asafa Powell finishes seventh in Zurich

safa Powell's return from injury and his attempts to log a 98th sub-10 clocking ended in 10.11 seconds and seventh place in Zurich.

The IAAF Diamond League event marked the first action for Powell since suffering calf strains at the Jamaica National Championships in June.

Powell's test of his return to fitness may not have gone to plan, as Great Britain's Chijinu Ujah ran away winner in a close race

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However West Front Road’s challenge will be carried by their most prolific scorer, Hubert Pedro and his able deputies Randolph Wagner, Carl Tudor, Phillip Rowley and Jamal Pedro.

The Future Stars will once again look to their inform plyers, Kevin Cummings, Curtez Kellman, Akeemo Anthony and Keiron Solomon as they seek to establish dominance in the local Futsal scene.

On the night of the “final settlement”, fans will be treated to exhibition matches. Bent Street comes up against Alexander Village; Broad Street battle North East and Sophia will test

Pele FC and Riddim Squad to clash tonight A

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21

Corona Beer Invitational Football Tournament continues this evening

T

he fifth round of the Corona Beer Invitational Football Tournament will begin on this evening with three matches at the Georgetown Football Club ground.

The youthful Pele FC side will square off against Riddim Squad FC in the feature match of the night at 21:00hrs.

Pele has been inconsistent as they have failed to string together successive victories and will be looking for redemption after losing to the Northern Rangers by a 3-0 margin in the previous game.

Riddim Squad, while being an impressive list on paper is also lack consistency. However, they will edge Pele on confidence after dispatching of Santos by a single goal last Friday.

The first of the three games slated for today will see Camptown FC clashing with Black Pearl FC from 17:00hrs. Camptown are coming off a 1-1 draw on Monday with Beacon

while Black Pearl was hammered 12-0 by Police. Both teams will be looking to improve their standings as the knockout stage of the competition beckons closer.

Northern Rangers FC have had a good run of form recently notching up three consecutive victories and will be hoping to extend their winning streak when they clash with bottom table Flamingo FC in game two scheduled for 19:00hrs.

The tournament features Guyana Police Force FC, Campton FC, Santos FC, Pele FC, Georgetown Football Club, Beacons FC, Northern Rangers, Western Tigers, Riddim Squad, Flamingo FC, Black Pearl and East Ville FC. The teams are playing for first place prize of one million dollars and championship trophy, while second to fourth-placed teams would pocket $400,000, $200,000 and $100,000 respectively and the corresponding accolade.

Asafa Powell

with Ben Youssef Meite of the Ivory Coast with both clocking 9.97 seconds.

Ronnie Baker of the United States, 10.01, relegated World Champion, Justin Gatlin (10.04) to fourth.

Another American, Isiah Young, finished fifth in 10.10, the same time as South Africa's Akani Simbine, who was sixth.

Powell finished ahead of another Brit, Adam Gemili, whose wonderful leg at the IAAF World Championships of Athletics helped his country to a famous gold medal.

Switzerland's Alex Wilson, suffered an injury and limped over the line in 20.80 seconds. (SportsMax)

Future Stars will be looking to cement their status as Number 1 in the Futsal scene on Saturday

North Ruimveldt before the

main event.

GFF/FIFA Referee seminar commences

T

he Guyana Football Federation (GFF) / FIFA Refereeing Assistance Programme (RAP) is currently underway with sessions at the Critchlow Labour College, Woolford Avenue.

The three-day programme began with a Fitness Test at the National Track and Field Facility, Leonora at 05:30hrs on Wednesday (August 23) and was officially opened at 13:30hrs on the same day at the Critchlow Labour College Conference room.

GFF President Wayne Forde at the opening charged the participating referees with “soaking up everything that will be on offer” and expressed hope that they use every possible opportunity to impart the information to persons in their communities.

Meanwhile, Facilitator Peter Prendergast hailed the GFF’s effort to push for referees’ development in the country and noted that he is

GFF President Wayne Forde

Peter Prendergast

looking forward to working with the participants.

The programme consist of both classroom and field sessions and has 30 referees registered to participate.

The field sessions are scheduled for the Ministry of Education’s Ground, Carifesta Avenue, Georgetown on Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 15:00hrs – 17:00hrs.

The sessions are being facilitated by two FIFA personnel – Peter Prendergast, FIFA Regional Development Officer / Technical Instructor and the FIFA Fitness Instructor, Allan Morgan Browne. It will be complemented by Lindley Langhorne, Physical Fitness Instructor.

The RAP is a capacity building programme which seeks to create uniformity among elite referees and enable them to meet the demands of the game.

22

The best of the Jamaica Tallawahs still to come – Sangakarra Kumar Sangakkara

C

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

fridAY, AUGUST 25, 2017

aptain of the Jamaica Tallawahs, Kumar Sangakkara, said his team is yet to play their best cricket

in the Hero CPL this year. The team who has lost Chris Gayle to the St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots, Chadwick Walton to the Guyana Amazon Warriors and Andre Russell to a one-year ban, has still managed to win four of its six games so far and is a win away from qualifying for the semi-finals of the competition.

The veteran Sri Lankan told SportsMax.tv on Thursday, that the team has had to find different ways to win.

“I think it’s a lot about everyone taking collective responsibility, making sure that we try and play situations well, understand what the situations are, especially on game day, things change very quickly in T20 cricket and the guys have responded very well,” Sangakkara said.

“We have power hitting in Rovman Powell, in (Andre) McCarthy, in Lendl Simmons, Johnny Foo but at the same time we do understand that we have

lost a few of the bigger power hitters that we had so we have found different ways to win and that is actually the key.”

The captain said he can’t say for sure if the two-time champions can win its third title this season but it is not far off where they want to be. “We lost Imran Wasim (recalled by Pakistan for fitness testing) and Shakib Al Hasan but we got Mamadullah in now, so hopefully we’d be able to balance it out in a manner that is satisfactory.”

The bowlers, Sangakkara said, has been fantastic but the batting is yet to produce like he knows it can.

“We are yet to see the best of our batsmen, and that’s the exciting part for us. Our bowling unit has performed exceptionally well but our batting unit is slowly coming together, “ the captain said. “I think Rovman Powell is going to be a global superstar, in not just T20 formats but other formats as

well, so we are yet to see the best of him. It’s exciting for me as a skipper but we will hopefully see those performances come through

as well progress.”

The Tallawahs play the St. Lucia Stars at Sabina Park on Friday at 8:00 pm. (SportsMax)

Shirley Cricket Promotion

Caribbean Pre-cadet Championships

Guyana cop bronze in Boys’ u-11 & u 13 Lambert heads

The boy’s under-11 at the podium for their third place position

G

uyana managed to secure two medals to date in the on-going Caribbean Region Table Tennis Federation Mini and Pre-Cadet Championship being held in Kingston, Jamaica.

The wins came from the boys’ under-11 and under 13 teams with the girls falling just outside the podium spot but it was Dominican Republic who controlled the team competitions.

The only title to escape their clutches was in the Under 13 Girls’ Team event, where the top prize finished in the hands of the Jamaica ‘A’ Team, selected from Kelsey Davidson, Selena Khwalsingh, Gianna Lewis and Solwsha Young.

A group organised event, the Jamaicans finished in first place ahead of Trinidad and Tobago’s Imani Edwards-Taylor, Priyanka Khellawan and Rebekah Sterling. Third place was reserved for the Dominican Republic trio formed by Dileisy Acevedo, Arianna Estrella and Shary Muñoz.

Meanwhile, in the Under 13 Boys’ Team event the Dominican Republic recorded a three-one in opposition to Trinidad and Tobago in the final.

Mainstay of the win was Marcos Tavarez, he accounted for both Jamili Mauge (11-6, 9-11, 11-6, 11-7) and Jalen Kerr (11-6, 14-12, 11-4). The win for the Dominican Republic was secured in the third match of the fixture when Oswaldi Reyes overcame

Nicolas Lee (11-9, 5-11, 8-11, 12-10, 11-9); the one success for Trinidad and Tobago was gained in the opening contest when Jalen Kerr beat Christopher Rodriguez (11-3, 11-7, 11-3).

Earlier at the semi-final stage, with no changes to the line-up, the Dominican Republic had beaten Guyana’s Kaysan Ninvalle, Isiah Layne and Jonathan Van Lange by three matches to nil to regulate Team Guyana to a bronze medal. The local Under-13 side had earlier brushed aside Jamaica A, St Vincent and St Lucia all by 3-0 margins.

The Dominican Republic copped first place in the Under 11 Boys’ Team event. Eduardo Darley, Yoel Mendoza and Ramon Vila finished ahead of Jamaica ‘A’. Guyana’s team of Alexander de Abreu, Dhanesh Persaud, Krystian Sahadeo and Colin Wong placed third.

Attention now turns to the individual events and play concludes on Sunday 27th August. Meanwhile, Guyana’s coach Linden Johnson explained that “simple mistakes” resulted in the locals not doing better in the team events.

However, he expressed confidence of improved performances in the singles.

Gayle's 93 thwarted by Bravo savagery, Duckworth Lewis

D

espite Chris Gayle's blistering 93, and a massive total of 1623 in a Hero Caribbean Premier League game reduced to 13 overs, the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots suffered their second defeat in eight games, to the Trinbago Knight Riders.

Sent into bat, the Patriots stormed to 60-1 after five overs, but were thwarted by a power outage and then rain, that left the game a 13 overs a side affair.

With those 13 overs, Gayle, put on a show, scoring his second half-century in as many games, getting out in the very last over for 93, seven short

of what would have been a remarkable 19th century in T20s.

The wicket, though disappointing for Gayle, happened after most of the carnage had been done and Gayle had, for the second time, seen his team to a good total.

Earlier, Evin Lewis was ajudged caught behind off the bowling of Sunil Narine after he had amassed 39 from 14 deliveries and looked to dominate a partnership with Gayle. Shamar Brooks looked good for his 20 from 17 deliveries before he was run out with the final ball of the innings.

Unfortunately for the Patriots, the

Knight Riders would also get off to a flier, with Brendon McCullum, unbeaten on 40 from 14 deliveries, and Darren Bravo not out on 38 from 10 after 5.2 overs. The rains came down again and since five overs is all that is needed, the teams went to the Duckworth Lewis method to decide a winner.

Based on the DWL, the Knight Riders, would have needed to be 86-2 for victory after 5.2 overs and found themselves just over the line at 88-2, with Bravo being especially savage, slamming six, sixes in his innings.

(SportsMax)

to Barbados for Warriors, Tridents clash

Deliza Lambert (centre) along with other winners from Georgetown showcase their winnings in the presence of Bermudez Manager Alvin Wilson (far left) and Marketing Supervisor Elisa Howard (far right)

D

eliza Lambert will count herself lucky as she won a trip to Barbados to watch the Guyana Amazon Warriors play host Tridents on the August 29 at the Kensington Oval.

Massy Industries, sponsors of the Warriors under their Crix brand had a promotion which began in July and ended on August 20 and made the presentations on Thursday at their Ruimveldt location. Fans had to purchase $700 in Shirley Biscuit for a chance to win all expense paid trip to Barbados or one of ten hampers.

The winners for the hammerers were: Evodina Forde, Jenny Brahaspat, Jasoda Lall (Essequibo), Savannah Leung, O’Delevenanc Kennedy, Faatiman Aqeela Wilson, Lyn Lewis Marks, Fiona Boyce (Demerara), Indradi Persaud, Mary Gomes-Saul, Maureen Wilson (Berbice).

The promotion was held at the following venues: Georgetown – Bounty Regent, Bounty Kitty, Bounty Grove, Bounty Water St, Massy Stores, Rams, S & S Mahaica, S & S Lusignan. Essequibo—Jaigobin’s Supermarket, Imam Bacchus Supermarket, Safeway Supermarket, B Jones Supermarket.

Berbice – Jay’s Supermarket, M. Alli Supermarket, Good Life Supermarket and Price is Right.

friDAY, august 25, 2017

Ronchi replaces Guptill in Warriors’ squad T he Guyana Amazon Warriors have replaced their Captain and opening batsman, Martin Guptill with fellow New Zealander wicketkeeper/ batsman Luke Ronchi for the remainder of the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) tournament.

Unfortunately Guptill has to return to New Zealand because of an important family health matter and as such the Guyana Amazon Warriors t e a m will be without their appointed Captain for the rest of the 2017 Hero CPL. Ronchi has just completed his stint in the Natwest T20 Blast in England where he played with Leicestershire and is currently one of the top ten run scorers in the League Luke Ronchi with 429 runs at a strike rate of 180.25.

Omar Khan, Operations Manager of the Guyana Amazon Warriors said: “It’s unfortunate and hugely disappointing to lose Martin at this stage of the

Tournament

but we empathize with his situation and he has our full support as he return home to his Martin Guptill family. We welcome Luke to the Guyana Amazon Warriors family and his wealth of experience and explosive batting in this format will certainly be an asset to our team.”

Guptill who scored 142 runs from seven innings, was in his fourth year with the Guyana Amazon Warriors.

The Guyana Amazon Warriors are currently in fourth position with six points from eight matches and will next play the Barbados Tridents on Tuesday August 29 at the Kensington Oval.

Guyana Amazon Warriors Full Squad: Rayad Emrit (captain), Sohail Tanveer, Chadwick Walton, Rashid Khan, Jason Mohammed, Steven Taylor, Veerasammy Permaul, Roshon Primus, Gajanand Singh, Assad Fudadin, Steven Jacobs, Keon Joseph, Steven Katwaroo, Keemo Paul, Muhammad Ali Khan, Luke Ronchi

Warriors still in it to qualify – Emrit

By Akeem Greene

T

ommy Lasorda said, “The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a person's determination”. If there is one thing Guyana Amazon Warriors have found, is there determination to reach the final four of the 2017 Hero Caribbean Premier L e a g u e (CPL) and possibly c o p the

The experience the all-rounder brings will be vital in the Warriors bid to qualify for the finals

coveted title for the first time.

Rayad Emrit is in no way throwing in the towel since he firmly believes the Warriors still have a h u g e chance to qualify, albeit difficult since they must win their final two league matches against Barbados Tridents and Jamaica Tallawahs.

“We are still in it, we have two must win games, we are going to take each game at a time and hopefully we cross the line”, the all-rounder stated.

There were at least two matches (against St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in Florida and Tallawahs in Guyana) the Warriors should have won but practically gift-wrapped and handed to their opponents. Victories in those matches would have made a huge difference at this stage.

Manager Omar Khan was recently quoted as saying the team needs to produce a complete performance and so they did against the St Lucia Stars in their final home match Tuesday evening.

“I thought in the field we were excellent, guys diving around, leaving everything on the field and that is what we asked for before we came to Guyana. Hopefully we can continue to finish-off teams. The last two overs in the innings is where we leak runs. Myself and [Sohail] Tanveer are the ones who are capable of doing the job and hopefully we can get it right and restrict teams to lower scores”, the Trinidadian-born Emrit posit-

guyanatimesgy.com

23

Fans ignited Warriors to win more

The passion of the Warrior nation

G

uyana Amazon Warriors came home needing to win to stay in contention in this year’s Caribbean Premier League T20 Tournament (CPL T20) and were ignited by the fantastic support of thousands of adoring fans to do more and win.

In the biggest party in sport, CPLT20, where cricket is played louder, no stadium is louder than Providence when fans shout, dance, and wave flags for the Warriors, win or lose.

As the home campaign began at the Providence National Stadium on the east bank of the legendary Demerara River, the Warriors continued to struggle, but the fan support never wavered and, game after game got louder and louder pushing

ed.

The three-time finalist had many of their fans bewildered when they slipped to five losses in six matches but current ratio now reads three wins in eight matches.

The change in fortunes resulted from recognising mistakes that were made and rectifying.

“We keep learning every game, it is important not continuing the mistakes that we made”, he contended.

Warriors received relentless support during their four home matches, which spurred some improved performances. “The 12th man here is really important for us and we are glad we can give them two victories before we leave and when we go to Barbados and Jamaica we can do the job as well”.

Tanveer at the top

All-rounder Sohail Tanveer who hold the record for the fastest CPL half-century (50 from 18 balls), has a new lease on life, being promoted to the opening batsman slot.

In his two matches to date, he has made 38 and 16 at strike rates over 130. Commenting on his fellow all-rounders new role Emrit said his team mate looks well suited.

“I guess it working for us, he has been batting well at the top of the order, he has looked well and hopefully he can continue and I think we will stick with him, who knows maybe there will be other surprises”.

Warriors’ next match will be on Tuesday against Tridents before they go onto Jamaica on September 1.

The Blue Chief and fans from the Warrior Nation

the warriors until they once again found their winning ways.

This year the Warriors new sponsor, GTT, provided the spark that set the Warrior Nation on fire at Providence making the outcome inevitable. GTT’s Blue Chief mascot, reminiscent of and honouring the chiefs of the Amazonian rainforest tribes, helped fans find their voice to push their Warriors on the field.

In the end, facing the renamed Stars from St. Lucia on Tuesday night, the Warriors rewarded the fans by forcing the Starts to pitch, winning the final home game by seven wickets with 32 balls to spare. This win took the Warriors past Tridents into fourth place with six points. Two nights before, under another clear Guyana sky, the Warriors also beat the Tridents in front of an adoring Warrior Nation.

Cricket is at the heart of the CPLT20 but the whole package involves lights, speed, connectivity, and thousands of fans moving and shouting louder and louder as one in support of their team. Playing at home, the Warriors have the best ‘home-court’ advantage from this Warrior Nation. GTT continues to provide the speed and the connectivity for the Warrior Nation to, as we say in creole, “shout more louder”.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 25, 2017

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

guyanatimesgy.com

Pg 23

Ronchi replaces Guptill in Warriors’ squad GFF/FIFA Referee seminar commences Pg 21

Participants of the RAP Programme along with GFF officials and the FIFA officials at the opening of the programme

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