Guyana times december 4,2017

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New Amsterdam’s Esplanade Park being renovated Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana guyanatimesgy.com

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Monday, December 4, 2017

Issue No. 3412

US$50M wind farm

PPP demands answers on controversial project Page 3

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WHAT'S INSIDE:

Ramkarran to Ramjattan:

I will not be muzzled – says no one can ‘block’ him from speaking or writing

– questions Power Purchase Agreement, merits of project versus Amaila

2 nabbed with Rahaman’s Park P2 Christmas tree straps

Teacher P8 arrested, released on $100,000 bail

Page 13

…denies charges of sexual grooming, sexual assault and rape

A glimpse of what is in store for Guyana Carnival, which was officially launched on Saturday evening in the parking lot of the Guyana Marriott Hotel in Georgetown (Carl Croker photo)

Page 5

2 DEAD Page 5

Guyana-Venezuela boundary marker located in Region 1

– Police investigate suspected murder/suicide at Williamsburg

Brazilian, P9 6 others arrested with 3kg cannabis

2 news

monDAY, december 4, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Parc Rayne sees illumination from Christmas tree …new tree in the coming days – Rahaman

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A section of the gathering during the cultural show just outside Rahaman’s Park on the East Bank Demerara highway

he 12th annual Rahaman’s Park Christmas tree lightup went off without any hitches on Sunday night, following the near cancellation of the event when the 70-foot artificial tree fell at the hands of suspected saboteurs.

Proprietor Ray Rahaman has indicated that he hopes to have the tree replaced within 7 to 10 days. However, its replacement, a similar 70-foot, but evergreen Christmas tree, illuminated the night sky in the sight of the Rahamans, Business

Minister Dominic Gaskin, and the exuberant faces of many children from contiguous communities, who were earlier given toys and snacks at the event, which drew a sizable gathering.

The evening’s proceedings began with the lively sound of steel pan music playing the popular rendition “Merry Christmas to You”. Other attention grabbing performances included an up-tempo medley of “Have yourself a merry little Christmas”, “Gloria” and “Feliz-Navidad!” by the Queen’s College Music

Ensemble.

The all-male group released the sounds of the acoustic and bass guitar as they played their set.

Additionally, a saxophonist and dance group also kept the audience entertained.

Business Minister Dominic Gaskin, in brief remarks, observed that it was indeed unfortunate that the old tree, which stood at a major road intersection, could no longer be seen.

Gaskin, who also holds the Tourism portfolio, said many tourists have become

accustomed to seeing the tall structure during the holiday season, in addition to other erected depictions at the various religious and cultural festivals. He encouraged those gathered to continue acts of goodwill, as this is the season of giving.

The event’s host, Mr Rahaman, thanked the business community for supporting the event, and for throwing in their lot when the event was almost halted following the tree’s collapse.

He noted that the Pritipaul Singh Investment Company

The illuminated tree at Parc Rayne on Sunday evening

donated the use of its 100foot crane to hoist the lights onto the alternate Christmas tree.

The Rahaman’s Park Christmas tree light-up has become synonymous with the holidays season in Guyana.

2 nabbed with Rahaman’s Park Christmas tree straps

The Christmas tree collapsed onto the roadway on Saturday

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wift investigations by Police ranks in the Georgetown area have led to the capture of two men accused of stealing the ratchet straps that held the Rahaman’s Park Christmas tree in place.

At about 11:00hrs on Saturday, during a period of heavy winds, the structure came crashing down, and it was subsequently discovered that the straps were purposefully removed.

According to information reaching Guyana Times on Sunday, Police swooped down on a nearby location and reportedly caught the suspected bandits red-handed with some of the stolen straps. They were arrested and taken into custody as Police continue their investigations into the matter.

Speaking on the sidelines of the re-directed Christmas tree light-up on Sunday afternoon, the Park’s proprietor, Ray Rahaman, told this publication that he was pleased that suspects have been arrested for the theft, and that some of the materi-

als were recovered.

Rahaman, however, noted that he is eager to retrieve the missing straps, and is hopeful that Police would be able to ascertain if any other person is involved in the theft of his property.

He highlighted that the act could have ruined the event, which went ahead despite the setback.

After the artificial tree had fallen on Saturday, the Police were alerted, and traffic ranks were quickly deployed to re-direct traffic as workmen removed the 70foot tree, which Rahaman contended could not be fixed due to the damage it sustained. An evergreen Christmas tree, also standing at 70 feet, was selected to illuminate the area.

The businessman had observed the danger that surrounded the artificial tree’s falling, as one of the workmen was atop the structure just moments before it had collapsed. Rahaman has vowed that the destroyed tree would be replaced in less than two weeks.

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monDAY, december 4, 2017 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

BRIDGE OPENINGS

US$50M wind farm

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

Monday, December 4 – a night-time retraction of 05:00h and a daytime retraction of 14:30h-16:00h and Tuesday, December 5 – 05:00h-06:30h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Monday, December 4 – 16:35h-18:05h and Tuesday, December 5 – 05:35h-07:05h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY Sunny conditions will prevail throughout the day, interrupted by light rain showers in the late morning.

Partly cloudy skies can be expected in the evening.

Temperatures should range between 25 degrees Celsius and 30 degrees Celsius.

Winds: East South-easterly to East North-easterly between 4.02 metres and 5.36 metres.

High Tide: 04:44h and 16:59h reaching maximum heights of 2.79 metres and 2.93 metres respectively.

Low Tide: 10:32h and 23:01h reaching minimum heights of 0.45 metre and 0.28 metre respectively.

SATURDAY, december 2, 2017

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DAILY MILLIONS 02 06 09 17 20 LUCKY 3 5 3 4 Afternoon Draw

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

PPP demands answers on controversial project

– questions Power Purchase Agreement, merits of project versus Amaila

By Jarryl Bryan

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onths after it took office in 2015, the coalition Government had announced that it would facilitate a US$50 million, 25-megawatt wind farm project at Hope Beach on the East Coast of Demerara. But with intense criticism about a party-affiliated investor being behind the project, such talk eventually died down.

According to well-placed sources, however, negotiations to bring the wind farm to fruition are going strong.

In an interview with Guyana Times, People's Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Member of Parliament Juan Edghill made it clear the Party remained concerned about the transparency and accountability of the project.

“The issue with the wind farm is that they must be able to come clean and show what price GPL will be buying. Is it cheaper than hydro? Would it be driving down the present bill for GPL, that will positively impact the rate the consumers are paying? Or would it be a cash cow for an [Alliance For Change] AFC financier.

“Because with the hydro, we were bringing down the cost of electricity to 10 to 12 cents (US) per kilowatt for power,” Edghill explained. “If we are buying from the wind farm for higher than that, (then they are using it) to pass off money to an AFC financier as against bringing cheaper, renewable energy to the Guyanese consumer,” he posited.

Pointing to the success of the pressure it, as well as civil society, put on the Government to disclose the contract it made with ExxonMobil, Edghill vowed that the Opposition would do whatever it takes to get answers. The former Minister within the Finance Ministry also expressed concern over the overall direction Guyana's energy sector was headed in.

“The A Partnership for National Unity [APNU]/AFC Government has not produced a comprehensive document to show how Guyana's energy needs will be satisfied. While

they have been talking about wind farms and solar farms, these are only three megawatt and five megawatt facilities when we need 170, 175 megawatts,” he said.

It was the AFC itself that identified International Pharmaceutical Agency (IPA) proprietor Lloyd Singh, an investor in the wind farm, as responsible for the party's acquisition of its multimillion-dollar headquarters in February of 2016.

AFC co-founder Khemraj Ramjattan had identified Singh as the one who provided the party with the advance

sums for the property.

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo has been vociferously against the project, noting last year that if the Government persisted with it, the Party would vigorously challenge it in the court if needs be. Jagdeo had also pointed out that Singh was a known financier of the AFC. “Imagine a man who built the AFC headquarters is now negotiating with (then) General Secretary of the AFC (Minister David Patterson) for a Power Purchase Agreement that was never tendered and announced long before the power mix study…This smacks of corruption.”

As such, the former President said even if Government were to go ahead with the project, the “PPP is not bound to respect anything that is done in this manner”.

He said his party would vig-

PPP/C MP, Bishop Juan Edghill

orously oppose any Power Purchase Agreement negotiated in secret by related parties.

Jagdeo was also adamant that Government’s proposed solution in the form of a wind farm would not bring an end to the spate of blackouts and other woes, as he maintained that “this thing is a corrupt deal and we will scrutinise this… will press them hard to get the details of this contract”. According to Jagdeo, “we have to look at

IPA proprietor Lloyd Singh

it; if we find that it is particularly egregious, then we will challenge it as we have done in the courts and use every means that is available to us to expose it.”

Regarding the capacity of the wind farm itself, Jagdeo has also raised questions on what would happen if the wind speed for any given day were to drop below what was required and as a result, generation fell to nil.

“What will be the backup power that will kick in?”

Jagdeo questioned, even as he sought to explain that with a wind farm, what is being purchased is energy and not necessarily capacity. Jagdeo had pointed out that hydropower offered both capacity and energy.

While not as stable as hydro, the use of wind turbines is a form of renewable energy. But the Hope Beach Wind Farm project is certainly no match for the proposed 165 MW Amaila Falls Hydro Project, a brainchild of Jagdeo that the coalition Government has since turned its back on despite a favourable review from Norwegian firm Norconsult.

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monDAY, december 4, 2017

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

Employment audits

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ver the last few decades, Guyanese public life had become enveloped in allegations and accusations of all kinds -- political, economic and social.

These accusations have thrown a pall on the activities of Government, and have imperceptibly slowed down development.

One of the most pervasive of such accusations is corruption. Ministers of Government and public functionaries of previous and present administrations have been so accused. Such accusations are widespread, and have reached the status of ‘unchallenged truth’.

Several officials and public functionaries of the previous Administration have been accused of corruption of various kinds, such as receipt of bribes and kickbacks, and the misuse of public funds. As a result, the present Administration had engaged investigators and forensic auditors to enquire into, and analyse, governmental activities of the past Administration.

The present Administration and its Ministers have been equally accused of the same kinds of misdemeanours, and the public across the political divide seem to believe such accusations.

The investigations and forensic audits which had been mounted to uncover the corruption of the previous Administration have not been able to uncover any of the serious acts of corruption which had been widely assumed and believed. And the likelihood of similar audits and investigations being done on the present Ministers and other senior public functionaries would uncover no more than was uncovered on the previous Administration.

Unfortunately, these accusations and counter accusations result in the general public believing that high profile politicians and public functionaries are dishonest. This lack of trust is not helpful to effective and good governance.

One of the most divisive concerns of politicians and persons on all sides of the political divide is the practices of recruitment and employment of personnel by their adversaries. There have been accusations from all sides that recruitment had been done on the basis of nepotism, racial and political considerations, pay-backs and every other criterion, except merit.

All administrations of the 21st Century accept that the criterion of merit is the best and most objective basis of employment. Personnel recruited on this basis do their duties more efficiently and loyally, and their production and productivity are invariably higher. Working with a meritocracy is the surest way of running a successful administration. When an administration employs other than on the basis of merit, it is in effect shooting itself in the foot.

But despite the fact that politicians are intellectually aware that recruitment on the basis of merit is far better for the State and their own long-term interest, they may still employ persons on the basis of politics and race.

One of the best ways of establishing a regime based on merit is to have an audit of the personnel employed by the State and state-related bodies, such as the Civil Aviation Department, or the Geology and Mines Commission. Such an audit would address, among other things, whether vacancies were advertised, inspection of applications so as to ascertain no one is wrongly disadvantaged, the racial background of the recruitee, their regular residence, and other such information. Such information would remove the bone of contention which all political parties chewed on as part of their stock-in-trade.

Such employment audits could be used for a limited time, say five years, until recruitment would have become more equilibrial.

More importantly, such employment audits would remove a political concern which has distressed the political life of Guyana for decades; would save politicians from being unfairly pressured by constituents; and above all, would result in cleaner, more efficient and productive Government and government-affiliated bodies. If the present Government is really serious about ensuring that its actions could withstand public scrutiny, this would be an important and necessary step.

A marine iguana feeds on underwater greens in the Galápagos, the only place these creatures are found. The iguanas spend much of their days sunning on rocks by the shore, but they can spend up to 15 minutes underwater in order to feast (Photograph by Theresa Guise, National

Geographic Your Shot)

Economic slowdown in Guyana since 2015 with no signs of recovery Dear Editor, As I travel around the country, people complain about the difficulties of making ends meet – wages have not been keeping up with price increases, and money is not readily available to spend. Many are recently out of work and unable to afford basic needs.

The Government has not shown that it is seriously concerned about the fragile economy, moving from high taxation to closing down state factories. There has, since 2015, been an economic slowdown with no sign of recovery. Figures show that growth has been anemic -of less than three per cent.

The Private Sector has not been growing. Businesses feel insecure to invest. They lack confidence in the handlers of the economy, especially since their advice has not been sought on investment.

There is no doubt that there has been a lack of confidence by consumers and the business community in the Government’s management of the economy. They

don’t fully support the new budget, though they like the pension increase and the removal of the education tax.

Contrary to what the Government may feel, the economy has not been on an upswing or a rebound after two years of slowdown.

No effective measures have been taken to reverse the slowdown, which began to be observed since the end of 2015, following the change of administration.

The Government has been responsible for the slowdown.

There is no justifiable reason to shut sugar factories and send home some ten thousand workers. Sugar has been the vanguard of the economy – contributing significantly to growth for several decades.

Although the Government had to subsidize sugar, the benefits are enormous – providing much needed spending power to grow the economy.

The reversal of the tax on education is welcome, but that will not result in significant econom-

ic growth, although it could lead to private education expansion. There will now be more money to spend, which could boost growth by a fraction of a percent.

There are many economic challenges ahead – especially with Government closing down more sugar factories and oil prices rising to fuel the energy sector. Plus there are external headwinds – decline in purchasing as well as aid from the developed countries.

There is a serious trade imbalance that will put pressure on foreign currency reserve. Guyana needs to boost exports.

Agriculture remains in a slump. Agriculture is a significant contributor to rural lifestyle: incomes and consumption demand. The Government has made no effort to address farmers’ woes, and in failing to assist farmers during floods and price support for rice. A protracted agricultural slowdown on the larger economy cannot be overstated.

Inflation for food has been very high; and consumers

don’t have spending power because of the insecurity in the hiring.

Although people are not shopping, prices are increasing because of shortage of goods –with farmers not planting, and more imports coming into the country.

Consumption spending by households also remains in a stubborn rut. With global oil prices having risen appreciably, factories will produce less. Prices will increase, making exports costlier and reducing local consumer demand as well.

The economic challenges are many, and the Government can’t solve them by themselves. The Government should call in the various business organisations (chambers of commerce and manufacturing organisations, as well as captains of businesses) around the country to seek their input in how to grow the economy.

Yours faithfully, Vishnu Bisram

2018 Budget devoid of initiatives to enhance livelihood of our people Dear Editor, Can someone point me in the APNU + AFC Government’s 2018 Budget to the specific initiatives intended to stop the downward economic slide; create wealth and jobs, and improve the well-being of our

people?

Specifically, what programmes and projects, if any, are there in Budget 2018 that are focused on reducing unemployment, especially among our young people?

What incentives are there to attract private sec-

tor and foreign investments, which are so badly needed to create and expand opportunities for the Guyanese people; as distinct from rewarding comrades only? Or are we dependent on oil only?

The journey to the good life has not been properly

mapped. The route appears uncertain and hazardous.

Disturbingly, hopelessness, despair and uncertainty are obviously evident among the captain and crew.

Sincerely, Norman Whittaker

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monDAY, december 4, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

2 DEAD Guyana-Venezuela boundary

– Police investigate suspected murder/suicide at Williamsburg

Dead: Krisha Latchman

Dead: Indrawattie Totaram

he lifeless body of Indrawattie Totaram was discovered by a relative lying in a pool of blood on a bed in her Third Street, Williamsburg Corentyne home on Sunday at about 19:00h. There appeared to be several chop wounds about the body; while her husband, Krisha Latchman, was discovered hanging from a rafter in the same bedroom.

Details are so far sketchy, but this publication understands that the discovery was made by a relative of the now dead woman after several calls to her cellular phone went unanswered.

Guyana Times under-

stands that the couple had lived together for several years; and while neighbours have reported that they did not hear any unusual sounds coming from the home, they confirmed that the couple would frequently go out and consume alcohol together.

According to reports, after calls to the woman’s phone had gone unanswered, a relative visited the Williamsburg home where the gruesome discovery was made.

The police were contacted, and an investigation has been launched. (More details in a follow-up report)

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marker located in Region 1

Joint Services ranks stand alongside the boundary marker

A closer look at the GuyanaVenezuela boundary marker

anks of a joint patrol on Thursday last stumbled upon a landmark in Region One (Barima-Waini) which confirms the boundaries of the border existing between Guyana and Venezuela.

This discovery was made by a group of officers attached to the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) and the Guyana Police Force (GPF) during regular rounds in the Amakura River in Region One.

According to a statement by the GDF, the boundary marker serves to define the border between Guyana and its neighbour to the North-West, and is believed to have been erected during the border demarcation exercise conducted by the British Government during the 1900s after the border was unanimously settled in 1899 by an international tribunal Venezuela had caused to be convened and whose ruling all parties agreed to accept.

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The patrol, which was led by Sergeant Herschel Gilead, who, along with ranks of the coastal battalion and the GPF, was at the time deployed to establish a Joint Services presence in the White Water Village/Amakura area.

The patrol members are all based in the Maburuma area, and have been conducting regular joint patrols in Region One, with the aim of ensuring the safety of residents of various communities within the Region.

AFC needs to repudiate Dr Rohan Somar’s comments Dear Editor, On October 19, 2017, President David Granger invoked presidential powers under the Constitution that allowed him to supersede a provision requiring nominees from the Opposition Leader for the post of Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission, and autonomously appointed former Guyana Supreme Court Justice James Patterson as Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission.

A media report on November 22, 2017 stated that in an email to Alliance For Change (AFC) party leaders in Guyana in reaction to Justice Patterson’s appointment, Dr Rohan Somar, head of the AFC New York Chapter, allegedly said, inter alia, that “This unilateral appointment by the PNC Executive President of an Afro-Guyanese GECOM Chairman, whether right or wrong, rips open the scars of PNC rigging the election.

You have just thrown red meat to the notion of ‘PNC rigging election’ which, in my view, will cause to forever lose Indo-Guyanese support at the polls.”

The Caribbean Guyana Institute for Democracy (CGID) deems the comments attributed to Dr Somar to be racist and offensive, and strongly condemns them. Dr Rohan Somar is the head of the New York Chapter of the AFC, and was apparently communicating with the party’s leadership in that capacity. His suggestion that an African Guyanese Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission will automatically cause the multi-ethnic coalition Government to lose Indian votes is the text book definition of racism.

Moreover, his irresponsible association of African Guyanese with “rigging elections” - electoral fraud - is text book racial profiling, as well as an insult that

should make all Guyanese gravely nauseous. His bigotry appears to at least contravene the legislative intent of racial incitement statutes. They are dangerous and destructive to the body politic of the nation, and undermine the Government’s efforts to foster social cohesion. They must therefore be forcefully condemned by all Guyanese, regardless of race or ethnicity.

There were three Chairmen of the Elections Commission over the last twenty years. All three were of East Indian descent. No one judged their performance or competence based on their race. That would have been equally condemnable. Dr Somar’s discernible prejudices apparently make him oblivious of the

fact that no one ethnicity or race has an inherent right -- or is more competent -- to govern Guyana, or hold any particular constitutional office, over the others.

The AFC, of which Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo is an executive member, and Vice President and Minister of National Security, Khemaraj Ramjattan is leader, is a part of Guyana’s ruling coalition Government. Dr Somar’s statements have tainted the party and its leadership, which has remained silent on the matter.

This is a moment for leaders to stand for principle in the interest of Guyanese national harmony.

The AFC’s silence can be interpreted or misinterpreted for tacit support of

these reckless remarks. If the AFC does not support Dr Somar’s comments, then CGID calls on the party to repudiate them.

Yours sincerely,

Richard Millington Director of Communications Caribbean Guyana Institute for Democracy (CGID)

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Foundation

Get your students to be more engaged – use Audience Response Systems in your teaching to better engage your students

By John D. Rich Jr, PhD

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ell-intentioned teachers today are on a continual search for ways to increase engagement and comprehension in their classrooms.

According to several recent articles, the use of Audience Response Systems (ARS) in the classroom can be one tool for achieving those outcomes.

In short, ARSs have been shown to increase student attendance, exam grades, final grades, attention, and engagement. The one major objection to ARSs is that the purchase of clickers and accompanying software can be cost-prohibitive. However, one option for educators that has opened up the ARS world is the free opportunity to use the free ARS options at a website called polleverywhere.com.

How it works

Polleverywhere.com is a website that allows teachers to construct multiple choice and open-ended questions that can be used to “interrupt” a lecture in order to take a quick formative snapshot of how well students are understanding the material.

One reason to use this particular ARS is that it is one of the only ones that allow you to construct questions in multiple formats. Therefore, instead of being locked into writing multiple choice questions, as with some ARSs, you can also write questions that allow students to express their thoughts qualitatively. Some options for these open-ended questions are as simple as “One thing I don’t quite understand is....” Or, “A topic I’m concerned about is...” Or, on a more engaging level, “An example of this top-

ic in real life is...”

When your questions are presented to students, it is through a web-based browser that is projected in the front of the class. After the question is presented, students are prompted to respond to it by texting their answer to a five-digit code that is provided. If available, students without phones can also respond on laptops or desktops.

Instructors then have the opportunity to see how many people answered correctly (for MC items), or whether there are any themes in students’ answers (for open-ended items). The results of the data analyses that are provided can then be used for further discussion, lecture clarification or toying around with new applications.

Why you should consider using it with your students

There are seven major outcomes that some research suggests can be attained by instructors who use polleverywhere.com: 1) In a typical lecture,

when an instructor asks a question, only a small handful of students will volunteer a response. The remaining students are either embarrassed to answer (“What if I’m wrong?”), don’t know the answer, or are not paying attention. The teacher has no idea what is brewing in the minds of the students. The anonymity of the responses on polleverywhere.com encourages 100 per cent engagement with your questions, which naturally increases the number of students who are thinking about the material. This is especially great for large classes, where students can easily blend into the walls, and neglect opportunities to reflect on course content.

2) Students whose teachers use the site report that they are more active and engaged. This can be for many reasons. First, there’s no risk in thinking about and attempting to answer a question, because your answers are anonymous. Second, the questions can break up the monotony of a lecture into smaller chunks. Some stud-

ies [4] suggest that most people can only focus on a speech for a maximum of 10 to 15 minutes before the mind wanders. If the lecture is broken into 10-minute chunks, followed by a question or two, the change can bring students back to attention.

3) There is increased motivation to try to understand the material. The students in the class who want to do well will be motivated to grapple with the question and attempt a correct answer, in order to get feedback about where they stand. When students are prompted to answer questions in pairs or small groups, some research shows that the conversations they have are truly on-topic and taking the task seriously.

4) The questions help students clarify their thinking. They get positive or negative feedback about what they are learning, which can give them information about what to focus on when they are studying. This idea is very Piagetian/constructivist [5], in that errors are powerful sources of information that incentivise people to correct those errors. As one student put it, “The questions are either a confidence builder or a wake-up call.”

5) At the college level, there is a motive for increased attendance, because students will get more information and material than what will be found in the book. This includes not only the questions and answers (which may be models for how exam questions will be written) but also the discussion that the instructor facilitates, as s/he reflects on the answers provided by students. (psychology-

today.com)

To be continued

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ast Christmas, contributor Kimberly DeMucha Kalil skipped the toys and gave her children experiences instead. No tears were shed, and a year later, they’re still talking about their adventure.

Coming up with fun and unique Christmas gift ideas year in and year out can be a challenge. For some stymied shoppers, it can even turn gift-giving – what should be a true joy of the season –into a tedious chore.

Last year, I decided I didn’t want to buy my children more stuff for Christmas. They already have toys and gadgets galore. And over the past few years, I’ve noticed that the Christmas morning thrill of

who actively spend time with their parents tend to have fewer behavioral problems.

finally getting the most coveted item on their wish list was fading fast – sometimes by Christmas dinner.

So I focused last year’s holiday planning around experiences instead of toys.

I figured that focusing on family time would create more meaningful memories. In the months leading up to Christmas, I avoided the mall and skipped Black Friday. Instead, I shopped online for an experience.

On Christmas morning, my children opened a letter from Santa. In it, he explained that we’d be leaving on a trip that very day. There were no presents to unwrap, but there were no tears, either. My children were too excited about the adventure ahead to think about what they didn’t get.

On the less expensive side, you can give your children a field trip. Venture to a zoo, a kid-friendly art museum or science center, or a sporting event. If you enjoy your time together, buy a yearly family pass, so you can return month after month and extend the fun throughout the year.

If your children have never seen a live stage production, this could be the year for it.

Give the gift of learning and pick up a new skill as family. Sign up the whole group for cooking or art classes or horseback riding lessons. If you live close to water, look into scuba or sailing lessons for the group. Maybe your children are budding photographers, and you can all take a class in photography.

If none of these suggestions have piqued your interest, check out websites such as Unstuff Gifts or Vayable for unique experienced based gifts.

The cost of Christmas Trading pricey gifts for quality time might just improve your family’s health and well-being, according to FamilyFacts.org, a project of the Heritage Foundation, which says spending time together enjoying fun activities is associated with children and parents having a stronger emotional bond. Moreover, studies have shown that children who communicate with their parents tend to do better at school, and teenagers

Experience togetherness Though some experiencebased gifts can be more expensive than the Nintendo your eight-year-old might want, you don’t necessarily need to spend more to make these gifts meaningful. You can’t place a dollar value on spending time together as a family or on the memories that will come from shared experiences. Here are just a few ways to replace “stuff” with experiences: Maybe this year you can pass on the iPad, or latest gadget and instead take your family on a helicopter ride.

It’s worth a try How did our family getaway stand up to shiny, wrapped packages filled with iPads or video games?

Almost a year later, my fiveyear-old is still talking about our adventure, and my 10-yearold keeps saying, “I hope Santa brings us a trip next year, too.”

(Excerpt from parenting.com)

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monDAY, december 4, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Ramkarran to Ramjattan:

I will not be muzzled – says no one can ‘block’ him from speaking or writing

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ne week after criticising the Alliance for Change (AFC) for not taking a firm stand within the coalition Government on many important issues, prominent Senior Counsel Ralph Ramkarran has responded to some comments made by Chairman of the AFC, Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan.

In quoting some of the comments reportedly made

by Ramjattan, the former Speaker of the National Assembly said the AFC chairman has succumbed to the temptation of the ‘politics of abuse’. He also claimed that Ramjattan’s behaviour exposes the inability of the AFC to answer serious questions about its political posture.

The attorney recalled that at the post-2015 election celebration, Ramjattan had given him a congratulatory embrace for what he believed was his (Ramkarran’s) contribution to the victory of the APNU+AFC coalition. He said, too, that Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo had thanked him in the presence of several persons.

However, things have changed, and Ramkarran’s observation is that Minister Ramjattan has now become abusive and Nagamootoo uses the State-owned Chronicle newspaper to denigrate him.

“Minister Ramjattan does his high political status no justice (by) invoking abuse as a political response to what he feels is criticism; but he is in deadly error when he assumes that I write or speak with his or his government’s sufferance,” Ramkarran wrote in his weekly column, the Conversation Tree.

Alleging that Ramjattan said he would “allow the chatterati to continue to chat, and we are not going to block them,” Ramkarran stated his firm belief that neither the Minister nor his Government has the power to ‘block’ him from speaking or writing. He said Ramjattan should know better.

“I have no political axe to grind, and do not care who holds political office in Guyana. I have criticised

Former Speaker of the National Assembly, Ralph Ramkarran, SC

both the Government, APNU, the PPP, and indeed the AFC in the past. I will continue to do so. I will also cooperate or assist and work with any political party, once it is (in) the interest of Guyana, as I perceive it,” he wrote.

The former Speaker of the House noted that while he is motivated to write about a wide variety of issues, he generally emphasises politics. He also pointed out that most of his writings are centred on constitutional reform as a means by which Guyana can overcome the politics of ethno-political dominance.

Referring to his previous column, Ramkarran said his criticism of the AFC is that that party had subscribed to the same goal of ending ethno-political dominance, but is now allowing itself to lapse.

“I saw the AFC as a powerful and critical political instrument in achieving our shared objective, which I believe is in the interest of all Guyana.

Bringing the AFC back to its original intent was what my article was all about.”

He reiterated that his suggestion was that the AFC ministers should resign from the Government and the AFC MPs should sit on the back benches. The AFC should then negotiate with the Government a programme for constitutional reform. By so doing, Ramkarran said, he feels the AFC would be in a better position to pressure the Government to implement such a programme; because the threat of not supporting the Government’s

parliamentary agenda would be more real.

“In writing the article, I thought that APNU would be more inclined to take exception. But instead, to my surprise, it is the AFC that took umbrage at my effort to stimulate their integrity by urging them to stand up for what they promised all of us. And I pointed a way in which this can be done without bringing down the Government.

Minister Ramjattan and PM Nagamootoo are deeply bothered by it. Why? And why not respond in a constructive, rather than an abusive, manner?” Ramkarran asked.

The former Speaker reminded that Guyana faces a future as an oil producing country, and there are many examples to learn from, especially where oil resources have dissipated because the countries cannot get their politics right.

“We read constantly about Nigeria. We have been recently reading about Angola, where the daughter of the former president is the richest woman in Africa, and was recently dismissed as the head of the state oil company, which is experiencing great difficulties. We have the example of Trinidad next door,” he explained.

Ramkarran feels Guyana could face a similar fate because of its distorted politics.

This, he said, could result in endless controversy in relation to the management of its oil resources and the expenditure of its oil income.

However, he noted that Guyana has the opportunity now to solve its political problems, and then to deal in a consensual way with the issues that would arise from oil.

“This will stop massive leakages from corruption and mismanagement.

Within the next two years, the AFC can play a decisive role in solving these political problems. But it can only do so if it reverts to its original credo, stop treating itself as an appendage to APNU, and understand that it holds a trump card to the future of Guyana,” he explained.

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monDAY, december 4, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

School sex scandal

Teacher arrested, released on $100,000 bail

…denies charges of sexual grooming, sexual assault and rape

P

olice on Saturday arrested Bishops’ High School teacher Coen Jackson at his Pollydore Street, Lodge home and charged him for sexual grooming, sexual assault, and rape allegedly committed on a former student.

He has denied the allegations, but has been placed on $100,000 station bail and has been made to surrender his passport.

He is expected to be arraigned in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts today (Monday).

Jackson is being accused of abusing his position of trust as a teacher, grooming female students for sexual activities after they would have attained the age of 16 -- the legal age of consent. Jackson has vehemently denied the accusations, but has admitted to having sexual relations with two former students who are both in their early 20s.

The Police claim that between December 2010 and May 2011, at

Embattled teacher Coen Jackson

Durban Street, Lodge, Jackson raped one of his students.

The Ministry of Education launched a full-fledged investigation into the allegations, and upon completion of that

exercise, authorised the Police to begin conducting a criminal investigation of the allegation.

The Police investigation has resulted in Jackson being charged for one count of rape. However, the Police say their investigation is still ongoing, as they are still investigating other allegations against the teacher of over 20 years.

It was the Ministry of Social Cohesion’s Cultural Advisor who broke the news of Jackson’s alleged sexual misconduct on social media, and that story has since resulted in a number of past students relating their experiences.

The Cultural Advisor, in a letter to the Chief Education Officer, detailed numerous reports he had received from current and past students of this teacher, who allegedly sexualized his lessons, had inappropriate conversations with female students, and engaged in multiple sexual relationships with female students.

Kwakwani resident arrested with 1654 grams cannabis

Stung…

P

…by sugar truth

oor dear!! PM Nagamootoo appears to’ve been stung by some comments your humble Eyewitness made on his “slaughter of the lambs” in the sugar industry.

He, after all, assured them before the elections that the sugar industry wouldn’t be closed. His government has been trying to wash away the blood of thousands of fired workers -- mostly cane cutters -- by claiming they’ll lease lands to them to become cash crop farmers!

Your Eyewitness merely pointed out that cane cutters aren’t farmers; and you can’t make them so with a wave of a wand -- or the spouting of hot air, as Nagamootoo does.

So when he and the folks in the APNU/AFC government blithely talk about turning sugar workers into peasant farmers of cash crops, they’re just full of doo-doo!

Cane cutters are specialists at what they do, and your Eyewitness made an extended analogy, comparing them to ballet dancers; they take years to develop their skills, and just can’t be expected to wake up one morning and become cash-crop farmers. But the sad thing was that it wasn’t your Eyewitness that originally made the point - it was a Trinidadian expert HIS government brought in!!

Trinidad had closed down their sugar industry back in the 1990s, and learnt that lesson the hard way.

Nagamootoo should ask how many Trinidadian cane cutters became farmers over there. Did Nagamootoo whine about the Trini’s comment?

But closer at home, Nagamootoo and Granger -- whose campaign promise to deliver “the good life” had hopefully extended to sugar workers -- can tell the nation how many cane cutters at Wales have been turned into cash crop farmers. It’s been over a year since they unilaterally closed that estate, with 8000 acres of drained and irrigated land. HAS A SINGLE FIRED WORKER BEEN TURNED INTO A FARMER? Point is: to get the fired workers at Wales into cash crops, the Government has to not only lease the land to them -- and we know they haven’t even made an offer. You can’t turn land that’s been prepared to grow sugar, with its specialised cambered beds and drains, into growing bora the next day. Who’s gonna convert the land? That takes a helluva lot of capital!

Then there’s the SMALL point about what crops are they going to plant on those 8000 acres? Bora and baigan? Guyana’s farmers already supply the country with the produce they use. Crops for export? So cane cutters have the wherewithal to research what produce are needed in foreign markets and market produce to fill those needs?

When the Government hasn’t been able to make their “other crops” option work after decades?

Stop bloviating, Nagamootoo!!

…by Indigenous criticisms

The cannabis discovered by Police

A

Kwakwani, Berbice resident was intercepted by ranks at Itaballi, Cuyuni, on Saturday with a large quantity of cannabis.

According to a Police statement, the 33-year-old was arrested around 15:00h as he was attempting to pass through the Itaballi Police Checkpoint.

A search was reportedly carried out on the vehicle in which he was travelling when the 1654 grams of cannabis was discovered.

As such, the man was taken into Police custody.

He is expected to be charged shortly.

Additionally, Police ranks conducting a routine stopand-search operation on the Fort Wellington Public Road, Berbice found some two and a half kilograms of cannabis concealed in a compartment of a hire car that they stopped and searched.

The discovery was made around 20:20h and five persons, inclusive of a female, were taken into custody.

They are said to be cooperating with Police as ranks continue their investigations.

Our national poet, Martin Carter, famously reminded us of the mouth being muzzled by the hand that feeds it. He spoke from experience. Burnham made him Information Minister in his rigged post-1968 government, and he quit within a couple of years! Unlike Nagamootoo, he refused to sell his soul for thirty pieces of silver and an SUV! Well, the new PNC-in-coalition with the AFC -- which rejected Ramkarran’s advice to develop some testicular fortitude -- just pulled away the plate from the Indigenous People’s Toshaos Council. The Council requested $37 million for 2018 -- to take care of some big budget items, like revising the Amerindian Act -- but all that was allocated in the Budget was a measly $16 million!

The Toshaos pointed out the anomaly of “I is” Broomes’ housing allowance alone being $6 million! But we know the difference in the eyes of the APNU/AFC government between Indigenous Peoples and “I is” Broomes, don’t we?

The Toshaos, of course, had the temerity to speak their mind at their last Conference!! How dare they!! Don’t they realise they’re just “natives”??

...President’s overreach

Does David Hinds really believe it’s “bad legal advice” that caused President Granger to traduce the Constitution at least three times?

Fool me once. Shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.

Fool me thrice?

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

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monDAY, december 4, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Top Cop victim of coup d'état – Nandlall …describes letter to Persaud as constitutional violation

Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan

Police Commissioner Seelall Persaud

overnment's instruction to Police Commissioner Seelall Persaud that he return to leave just as it had expired is not going down well among legal minds. In fact, it is being described as a poorly veiled coup d'état to unseat the Top Cop, with no basis in the law.

According to former Attorney General Anil Nandlall, Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan has no legal authority to write to Persaud instructing him to take his leave. The fact that he did this violates Article 225 of the Constitution.

“The Office of the Commissioner of Police is one of those offices created by the Constitution which is insulated by a strong apparatus of constitutional protection against any form of interference and influence, emanating from the executive government,” Nandlall stressed, in his analysis.

“Mr Seelall Persaud, as the Commissioner of Police, does not hold office at the opinion and pleasure of this government. He holds of-

fice under the Constitution of Guyana and enjoys security of tenure.”

Noting that even President David Granger cannot do what Ramjattan did, Nandlall noted that it was only a few days ago that acting Chief Justice Roxane George ruled that a letter from Minister of State, Joseph Harmon to the Police Service Commission was unconstitutional.

“Firstly, it was Carvil Duncan. Then it was the Registrar of Deeds. Then, the Deputy Solicitor. Now it is the Commissioner of Police. Next, it might be a judge who rules against them.

Authoritarianism will never triumph in today's free, liberal world,” Nandlall said.

G

Constitution

Article 225 of the Constitution of Guyana outlines that “Where it is provided in this Constitution that this article shall apply to any office, a person holding such office (in this article referred to as "the office") shall not be removed there from or

Former Attorney General Anil Nandlall

suspended from the exercise of the functions thereof except in accordance with the provisions of this article; and the prescribed authority for the purpose of paragraph (4) or (6) shall, in relation to any office, be the authority prescribed for that purpose by the provision of this Constitution by which this article is applied to that office.”

It goes on to say: “The officer may be removed from office only for inability to discharge the functions of his office (whether arising from infirmity of body or mind of any other cause whatsoever) or for misbehaviour.”

It also says: “The officer shall be removed from office by the President if the question of his removal from office has been referred to a tribunal appointed under this article and the tribunal has recommended to the President that the officer ought to be removed from office for inability as aforesaid or for misbehaviour.”

The Police Commissioner was sent on “special leave” on

November 24, 2017 – the day he was slated to return to his duties following four months of annual leave.

Persaud received a very short letter from Public Security Minister Ramjattan stating that “it is the considered opinion of the Administration that you [Persaud] should be and you are hereby directed to proceed on special leave with effect from November 24, 2017 until further notice.”

President Granger on Wednesday last told media operatives that when Top Cop Persaud returned from his leave in January, his fate would be decided. He claimed that his Administration simply “insisted” that the leave due to Persaud be enjoyed rather than be cut short.

The President also maintained that there was nothing “abnormal” about the Commissioner being sent on additional leave, highlighting that “we said that public servants must enjoy their leave when it is due and this encourages the development of a good career system in which the subordinates are allowed to act”.

But Persaud's leave came following the March 2017 alleged assassination plot, in which businessman Andriff Gillard reported to the Police that his friend and neighbour Nizam Khan offered him $7 million to assassinate President Granger.

He said that the offer was made during a conversation between Khan and himself after he ap-

proached Khan to borrow $6 million to purchase a property.

Following the allegation, President Granger ordered an inquiry into the Police’s investigation of the allegation. Upon concluding the Commission of Inquiry (CoI), retired Police Commissioner Paul Slowe submitted a report to President Granger.

Ruling that the Police Force deliberately failed to conduct a diligent investigation into the allegation, Slowe had recommended the firing of the Police Commissioner.

Persaud is reportedly a close friend of the brother of Nizam Khan – the accused.

The CoI also recommended sanctions and removal of other senior ranks.

Brazilian, 6 others arrested with 3kg cannabis

A

Brazilian national and six others, inclusive of a Guyanese female, were on Saturday afternoon arrested by Police at the 70 km Police checkpoint, Cuyuni River, after they were found to be in possession of three kilograms of cannabis.

The discovery was made by the ranks at around 13:00hrs, when the seven persons were attempting to pass through the checkpoint. They were at the time all reportedly in a motor pick-up which was stopped and searched.

The cannabis was found compressed in a spare wheel that was in the vehicle.

The driver of the vehicle and the passengers were all questioned, and later arrested as investigations continue.

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monDAY, december 4, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

City Hall financial woes

Councillors raise questions about Hamilton Green security benefit …advised to table motion to rescind

By Lakhram Bhagirat

T

he Mayor and City Council (M&CC) of Georgetown has been providing security for former Mayor Hamilton Green since August 2016 and that was supposed to last until the passage of the Bill for Hamilton Green’s Pension, which was passed in March 2017.

However, despite being cash-strapped and unable to pay wages, the municipality is still paying

Green’s security tab.

Opposition Councillor Bishram Kuppen registered his concerns about this at a recent statutory meeting and was told by Town Clerk Royston King that it was a decision of the Council, which the body would have to rescind.

Currently, City Hall’s payroll is in excess of $112 million with more than 800 staff and 250 pensioners.

The numbers continue to grow, according to the administration. For years,

the municipality has been claiming it is cash strapped and unable to pay workers.

As a result of the nonpayment, workers would quite often resort to protesting in front of City Hall.

The most recent protest for salaries was a little over two weeks ago.

In August 2016, a majority of Councillors voted in favour of a motion to have the services of the City Constabulary extended to Green after Mayor Patricia Chase Green moved the

Former Mayor Hamilton Green

motion. It was seconded by Councillor Heston Bostwick at a statutory meeting.

Chase Green had said that the former Mayor served for 20 years in succession and his was a unique case. When this motion was passed, Green was already benefiting from the services, as he never stopped doing so after demitting office as Mayor months before.

Additionally, apart from round-the-clock city policemen being posted at his residence, Green also enjoys the services of a chauffeur and gardening staff at the expense of the Council.

The arrangement was supposed to be until Green would begin receiving his benefits as a former Prime Minister. He has been receiving those benefits since April 1, but is yet to give up the service extended by the cash-strapped City Hall.

Opposition Councillor Bishram Kuppen

Under the Prime Minister Hamilton Green Pension Bill, Green was granted a pension for his tenure as Prime Minister, between 1985 and 1992, based on the salary of a current Prime Minister as well as the full benefits of a former President, a position which he never held. Green receives an annual pension of $20,580,000, other benefits to the value of $3.1 million annually, two vehicles provided and maintained by the State and two firstclass annual airfares provided by the State.

Manpower audit

Councillor Kuppen has been calling for a manpower audit for a long time, but the administration is yet to deliver. However, King has been informing the Councillors that the findings of the audit carried

would be tabled, but they are yet to see the reports.

Kuppen said that the manpower audit was vital so that the disposition and relevancy of staff placements could be critically examined for redundancy and necessity. In addition, Kuppen said that the Audit Department of the Council serves no purpose and should be removed, given the lack of reports and the never-ending financial crisis at City Hall.

Chairman of the Finance Committee, Oscar Clarke, reiterated the need for the labour audit when he proposed cutting down the number of staff at the municipality.

The manpower audit report was expected to be presented at the city’s budget planning for consideration.

In order to look at ways to broaden and increase its revenue base, the M&CC decided to formulate a new committee to brainstorm ways of increasing revenue stream. The ‘Think-Tank Committee’ is made up of members of the Finance Committee and other Councillors who volunteered to deliberate on various ways in which the Council could either collect monies owed or embark on new revenue-earning initiatives.

Sitting on the Committee are Councillors Monica Thomas, Akeem Peter, Jameel Rasul, Phillip Smith and James Samuels.

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monDAY, december 4, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

NDC working New Amsterdam’s Esplanade Park being renovated to regularise T vending at Rosignol

Vendors displaying their wares outside the market

T

he Saturday market which operates at Stelling Road, Rosignol, West Coast Berbice has been attracting vendors from near and far, thus the Rosignol–Zeelust Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC), which controls the activities of that market, has attempted to bring the situation of illegal vending under control with the provision of a structure.

NDC authorities are seeking to have vendors occupy the stalls allocated to them within the building.

However, the facility remains underutilised, with some vendors having abandoned stalls allocated to them in preference to vending at the side of the roadway, and this has led to the

collect fees from the roadside operators; at least not until they are brought under the umbrella of the NDC. There have been several meetings between the NDC and vendors, but a solution has so far been evasive.

While some vendors have expressed a willingness to pay whatever fees the NDC requires, others are contending that the NDC should upgrade the facility on the railway embankment, since this has led to some persons abandoning their stalls to compete with the itinerant vendors. It is felt that these illegal vendors have an unfair advantage over those who operate from within the market.

Under the law, the Council is authorised to

Vendors occupying stalls inside the market

area being quite congested on Saturdays.

Recently, officials from the NDC, with assistance from the Police, have attempted to remove the illegal vendors from the Stelling Road, which according to the Department of Public Information is transformed into a hive of activity from as early as 4:30 a.m. every Saturday. However, the vendors refused to budge, and the NDC has, for the time, allowed the situation to continue as is.

Vending along the road shoulder is illegal. As such, the NDC is not allowed to

seize the goods of the persons not in compliance with the law. However, the authorities are seeking to avoid confrontation with the vendors. The Council has stated that the market can accommodate all the vendors, and to this end, the NDC is committed to having the situation normalised.

The NDC for now plans to continue discussions with the vendors, to encourage them to return to their stalls, as well as to encourage the others vending on the railway embankment to occupy stalls in the market.

he Esplanade Recreational Park and Botanical Gardens, situated in north- western New Amsterdam, is undergoing major rehabilitation work by the Mayor and Town Council of New Amsterdam.

Financing for this project, which is all part of the New Amsterdam Town Enhancement programme, has been made available by the Ministry of Social Cohesion.

Thus far, extensive under-bushing of the area has been completed, and the perimeter drains have been dug. According to the Department of Public Infrastructure, the facility is to be fenced, and an arch is to be constructed. Among other work earmarked to be done are: fencing of the inner field of the facility; installation of 25 LED lights around the perimeter; construction of ten benabs, two ‘kissing bridges’, and a walkway, among other conve-

A view of the Esplanade Park in New Amsterdam. The Bandstand can be seen in the (right) foreground, and the Pavilion in the background

niences.

The venue presently boasts a playground, pavilion, stand, a benab, a bandstand, and some sheds.

There are also several concrete benches which were donated by the business community.

When completed, the Esplanade Park is set to house an inner field and an

outer track.

Recently, the Town Council, through the Ministry of Communities, signed a $14 million contract with a Berbice contractor to do further extensive works at the facility.

In 1998, under the mayorship of Businessman Errol Alphonso, the town became twinned with Midland

Texas in the USA. During that exercise, the playfield was rehabilitated and a pavilion was built (named the Midland Ball Field and Pavilion).

In the early 90s, the Council collaborated with the Rotary Club of New Amsterdam to develop the Esplanade Park.

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monDAY, december 4, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Dubbed “not people focused”

Budget 2018 offers “nothing” for ordinary Guyanese – economist

By Samuel Sukhnandan

W

hile Budget 2018 has been touted the largest of the budgets to ever be presented by the coalition Government since it assumed office in 2015, outspoken economist Ramon Gaskin believes that it is not “people focused” as it offers nothing for the ordinary Guyanese who continue to struggle daily to make ends meet.

Gaskin, who provided his views on the Budget, said that the document contained many words which had little meaning. According to him, too much focus was also placed on “World Bank economics” and the technical jargon being used in several instances too had no meaning for the ordinary Guyanese.

The Russia-trained economist noted that the Budget, and by extension Finance Minister Winston Jordan, failed to include some important issues particularly as it relates to job creation and unemployment.

“He didn’t speak about a lot of issues, including the rate of poverty in Guyana.

He didn’t speak about the dropout rate in the school system and the migration rate of Guyanese. The Minister did not speak about the malnutrition rate in Guyana. What about unemployment?” he questioned.

Other issues that were not addressed in Budget 2018 include: maternal mortality, infant mortality, crime rate, crime population growth rate, tax evasion rate, and excessive rate of borrowing.

“Winston Jordan doesn’t know what he is doing. He is entirely incompetent as a minister and it is not focused on the needs of this country and the needs of the communities. He doesn’t focus on poverty, the education system and the dropout rate in the school system,” Gaskin asserted.

Another point raised

by Gaskin is the fact that $20 billion is being spent on the salaries for the Joint Services. According to him, there has also been a 60 per cent increase in the salaries for Police over three years.

He said if the Government had placed more emphasis on creating jobs and addressing issues such as poverty, then there would not be a need for such a high bill and there would have been a reduction in crime.

Gaskin said, “What we need is to get jobs for these young people. Look at the dropout rate and they are turning to crime. That is why the Police payroll is so many billions. You have to keep hiring Police all the time and build new prisons, because they not dealing with job creation and pumping in the education system to keep peo-

Economist Ramon Gaskin

ple in school. Parents can’t keep them there either because of poverty.”

He said if the Minister was to go into any community across Guyana and tell the ordinary people that Guyana had a three per cent growth rate, that would mean nothing to them. “All of these things, they will laugh at you. And that’s because they are struggling to make ends meet, to pay light bill, phone bill, water bill and you telling me all these things. All of these things mean nothing to ordinary people.”

Several Private Sector bodies have also come out to state their disappointment with Budget 2018 particularly, as it relates to job-creating investments or facilitation of job-creating investments.

Budget 2018 contained very few benefits, one of which was the increase in public assistance to $8000, which represents an increase of approximately 36 per cent over the period of two and a half years.

Teachers who work in interior locations will also benefit from the new measures to be implemented for Budget 2018, including an 80 per cent increase in remote area incentives.

In an effort to move and retain teachers in farflung areas of Guyana, the Finance Minister said the remote area incentive would be increased from $5000 to $7000 and from $9000 to $12,000.

Meanwhile, companies and individuals will be granted amnesty to file outstanding tax returns and pay outstanding taxes in 2018. Government on November 27 tabled in the National Assembly the Budget to the tune of $267.1 billion.

In presenting the Budget themed “The Journey to the Good Life Continues”, Minister Jordan also disclosed that the economy was expected to grow by 2.9 per cent, failing to meet the revised growth projection of 3.1 per cent for 2017.

He reminded that the initial projected growth of the economy was 3.8 per cent, but this was revised by midyear to 3.1 per cent after the economy only grew by 2.2 per cent in July of this year.

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monDAY, december 4, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

A

fter weeks of tantalising previews of what is in store for the local entertainment and tourism industry come next year, the anticipation came to an end on Saturday evening as Guyana Carnival was officially launched.

Mirroring the festivities of traditional Carnival in the Caribbean, the parking lot of the Guyana Marriott Hotel was abuzz with a grand explosion of rhythms and colours, as models took to the stage, one after the other, to showcase an exquisite line-up of costumes that will be on display in the streets come May 2018, as part of the Independence event.

According to the organisers, this exciting idea was birthed during Guyana’s 50th Independence celebration when the country recorded thousands of visitors.

This was as the then Tourism Minister Cathy Hughes called for Guyanese to cash in on national events as a time for promoting the country through extravagant celebrations.

Using this as their catalyst, the organisers saw it fit to formulate a grand event to satisfy the demand of the masses.

Carnival is a well-known cultural phenomenon celebrated in several countries and is known for

elaborate costumes, festivities, entertainment and frolic.

Guyana Carnival is expected to be no different as it promises an energetic and dynamic showcase of culture and entertainment which will see revellers in flamboyant costumes gyrating through the streets to the sounds of sweet Soca music, booming through the speakers of various music systems.

Adding to that, Guyana Carnival 2018, which is themed “Genesis”, will target partyholics in the Diaspora and around the world, providing them with worldclass events such as all-inclusive parties, concerts, boat rides, day tours and a grand costume day parade through the streets of Georgetown. This first of its kind experience to Guyana is slated for May 18 to 27, 2018.

With all that in store, this days-long event is expected to ultimately provide a major economic boost to several industries, as from taxi drivers to hairdressers, clothing stores to hotels and airlines to restaurants are all expected to see an increase in business. It will also bring about much-needed exposure for local talent, such as musicians and DJs. Given their mission, the organisers have put together all-inclusive packages for those travel-

ling home or visiting Guyana to be a part of the experience which will include hotel accommodation, event tickets, costume, food, drinks and day tours to the country’s most fascinating tourist sites.

Individuals and companies now have the opportunity to register to be a part of this experience as masqueraders in Guyana Carnival 2018. Revellers will enjoy the benefits of an all-inclusive,

international standard road experience. Registered patrons will receive a costume, goodie bag, lunch, snacks, free premium drinks, and security all day while masquerading through the streets to some of the most versatile and renowned DJs. Responding to public enquiries as to what will be the difference between this newly-introduced event and the annual local Mashramani

A glimpse of what is in store for Guyana Carnival

festivities, the organisers said, “Guyana Carnival is basically a “big private party” for adult revellers to enjoy events and then oneday carefree masquerading. We do not intend to cast a shadow or forget about our auspicious cultural festival in Guyana, we aim to expand tourism and show Guyana’s beauty, uniqueness and unity through our private international event.”

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monDAY, december 4, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

M&CC to soon meet garbage collectors to renegotiate contracts – Town Clerk

Town Clerk Royston King

By Lakhram Bhagirat

T

he administration of the City of Georgetown is expected to begin meeting with garbage contractors Puran Brothers Disposal Inc and Cevons Waste Management Inc to renegotiate the terms of their contracts after December 31.

Town Clerk Royston King explained that the move was to ensure that garbage was collected in the city.

A few weeks ago, the M&CC had approached the Central Government through

the Communities Ministry for a bailout of $475,635,245 to settle the city’s debt to Puran Brothers, Cevons and another company after they would have pulled their services owing to nonpayment. The bailout was granted, and Central Government decided to pick up the tab until December 31, after which the M&CC would step in.

King, at last Monday’s statutory meeting, informed that the municipality would be engaging the contractors with revised contracts.

“This means that during the budget discussion and considerations, we would have to reengage all of our contractors, including our solid waste contractor, and we will have to relook at the contracts we have with them with a view to going forward,” King informed.

He noted that the budget consideration would have to factor in all of the city’s expenses. King reminded the Councillors that the monthly average revenue collection cost between $70 million and $80 million, adding that the salary tab was just over $112

million.

“We have not yet addressed overheads and a number of other expenditure that we have to honour as a council…the budget considerations are important and that is when we will look at how to address that,” King stated.

Puran Brothers Disposal and Cevons Waste Management withdrew their services on July 30, 2017, as City Hall’s debts had risen to the multimillion-dollar range.

According to the companies, the issue of non-payment has been a longstanding one, with many debts going back as far as 2015.

The two companies resumed garbage collection just last Sunday after the Government would have begun making payments to them.

Solid Waste Director Walter Narine had earlier stated that the two contractors would come back with

reduced responsibilities. He said that the new arrangement would see each contractor being paid $10 million per month for their services as compared to the previous range of $43-45 million per month.

On September 1, the M&CC implemented fees for commercial waste collection.

Small business operators are required to pay a $5000 monthly fee while medium businesses will pay $8000

per month. However, large business operators across Georgetown are required to pay the most significant figure of $12,000 per month for their waste collection.

The Solid Waste Director had told the Council that while the originally approved fees for commercial garbage collection were $5000, $10,000 and $15,000, the last two were reduced to $8000 and $12,000 after consultations.

1st batch of nurses complete Cardiac Intensive Care training

Some of the nurses who have completed the Cardiac Intensive Care training

A

batch of 16 nurses has successfully graduated from the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation’s (GPHC’s) Cardiac Intensive Care Nursing programme, making them the first ever set of local nurses to be trained to deal with patients suffering from heart-related ailments.

The programme was facilitated by the GPHC in collaboration with the Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta, the University of Calgary, and the Guyana

Programme to Advance Cardiac Care (GPACC).

At the graduation ceremony, held at Cara Lodge late last week, GPHC’s Registrar at the Cardiology Unit, Dr Terrence Haynes, highlighted that the graduates overcame many teething challenges on the way to achieving success.

GPHC Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Brigadier (Retd) George Lewis, has said the GPHC Board is committed to continue supporting the work of the cardiac nurses as they aid in

healthcare delivery.

“We should continue to work diligently to develop our nurses. The Board of Directors and the administration at the hospital is committed to providing you with whatever is necessary, within our limited financial budget, so that we can ensure that our nurses are properly trained,” he observed.

Co-Director of GPACC, Dr. Wanye Warnica, highlighted that there is a vast number of cardiac cases in Guyana, and added that

Guyanese tend to develop such issues a generation earlier than those in North America.

The GPACC, Dr Warnica said, aims to advance cardiac care for adults and children, and to build capacity in the public health system in Guyana through provision of clinical cardiac services.

Cardiac Nursing is a specialization that looks after patients who suffer from cardiovascular ailments, including heart failure and coronary artery diseases.

Guadeloupe-Martinique delegation exploring business and cultural linkages in Guyana

Members of the Guadeloupe-Martinique delegation

A

12-member team from Guadeloupe and Martinique is currently in Guyana on a Trade Mission, which will conclude on December 5, 2017.

According to Guyana’s Honorary Consul to French

Guiana, Travise TraceyLecante, the group is here on the invitation of Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo.

PM Nagamootoo, speaking to the media on Saturday, explained that the team came as a re-

sult of a visit he made to Guadeloupe in March.

The Prime Minister further explained that the delegates were presently exploring trade opportunities to replace those disrupted by the recent hurricane.

“They are looking for con-

tacts to supply fish, coconut, sugar, rice, fresh vegetables and fruits. They have sent the list of what they require immediately.”

Martinique and Guadeloupe were among the Caribbean countries recently affected

by Hurricanes Irma and Maria. Trade through several hurricane-affected countries has been stalled or rerouted, in some cases resulting in raised prices for shippers and consumers as products take longer to get to their intended destinations.

According to the Department of Public Information (DPI), the visiting team is looking to develop trade partnerships with local lumber dealers.

Tracey-Lecante noted that the trip was very well-coordinated with the help of the Guyana Office for Investment (GOInvest). “We have visited coconut farms, the Guyana Marketing Corporation; we also had the pleasure of being welcomed by the Prime Minister himself along with

Guyana’s Honorary Consul to French Guiana, Travise Tracey-Lecante

the Ministry of Business,” Tracey-Lecante mentioned.

Head of the Delegation and President of Global Organisation of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO), Michel Narananinssamy said: “I am very happy to be here and most of what we have seen here is impressive. We really appreciated all the manufacturing products that we saw.”

He further added, “We

were also happy and impressed with all the various Ministers that were present during the different meetings. There are endless possibilities for us to invest in and will present an Agri Tourism Project to the Government of Guyana.”

Professor, Dr Renuka Naidu-Voisset from the University of the French West Indies disclosed that she was on the trip for cultural reasons. “We are interested in Guyana, because we found out that it is not only a country that is multi-cultural, multi-ethnic and this is what Martinique and Guadeloupe are and that’s why Guyana is so interesting so that we can create greater links with dancing and music, among others.”

Another member of the team, Gobardhan Jean Marie noted that the will of the country to go forward was very strong and commendable. He added: “We have noticed that Guyana has a lot of potential and willing to invest”.

15

monDAY, december 4, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

VOX POPULI

What the people say about

I SAY...

That $500 increase in Old Age Pension

D

uring presentation of the 2018 National Budget on Monday last, Finance Minister Winston Jordan indicated that the coalition Government has committed to increasing the old age pension by a mere $500 -- from $19,000 to $19,500 -- with effect from January 1, 2018. In response to this, we asked members of the public if they believe that the $500 increase is sufficient to improve the standard of living of senior citizens to enable the “Good Life”, as promised by the Government.

Here are their thoughts…

Christopher Dane I am wondering why anyone is yet to question Minister Jordan’s sanity. What can $500 do for those people, most of whom have to support themselves because their children have no time to (so do)…This $500 increase is absurd!

Deodatt Tilack It’s obviously clear that the politicians are deceiving

themselves with wishful thinking to believe that they’re doing the Guyanese people a favour. When the coalition Government assumed office, one of the first things his Excellency did was to increase his Cabinet Members’ salary by 50%, with the rationale that they might not be or become corrupted. However, in my mind, it seems to me, his Excellency is bribing his Cabinet Members not to be corrupt. Therefore, with Anjanie Seebaran-Narine this increase in the old age $500 increase is an insult to pension, I’m wondering what persons who had dedicated their is the rationale behind same. lives to build our country. During the 2015 elections campaign, APNU-AFC promised to double Kamal Persaud The administration has belittled the senior citizens, and it is shameful. The $500 cannot do anything for them.

It is not like they are getting grocery vouchers or food stamps (for which) they have reduced prices. These people have suffered enough to help build Guyana, and now they are being insulted. I am not surprised though, because this administration is not wise when it comes to economics.

Alexander Sukhram Of course moving the pension from $19,000 to $19,500 is not enough.

Personally, I think – or rather, I expect-- that the old age pension would have been raised to somewhere around $22,000 seeing that last year the increase was insignificant as well.

old age pension in the first 100 days. It seems like all the things they said during the election campaign were just to fool the Guyanese people to receive their votes. They are talking about ‘the good life’ for Guyanese, but only a selected few enjoying the good life. President Granger and his cohorts increased their salaries astronomically the first month they took office. This Government don’t care about the poor and vulnerable people in our country. Right now they are closing down the sugar industry, and have taken away jobs from poor sugar workers.

This Government is heartless, and only running the country to their benefit.

Farouk Khan As a pensioner, the $500 increase is not much. I does have to pay more than that to get to the Post Office to collect it every month. Then when we have to buy groceries, all these things, and them not cheap at all. So the increase is not much of an increase, but we have to accept it and hope for the best.

Alister Charlie That $500 increase given to the pensioners is a total insult to our senior citizens. Some of our pensioners in Region 9 have additional responsibilities due to the lack of opportunities.

They are often left to take care of their grandchildren while parents migrate to Brazil in search of work. $500 cannot compensate our pensioners to travel to the Post Office on a monthly basis to get their money. It’s more like an insult to all of them. That is a shame!

Deochand Bridgemohan Well, for me, I think that the senior citizens of this country deserve a better increase in their pension. What can $500 do? Nothing! The cost of living is high in Guyana; the seniors need medication, food and other things. Can $500 do all of that? The answer is NO! We need to treat our seniors better than this!

Jasoda Khan The $500 we have to take it because it will help with something. It won’t help to buy a full meal, but it will help with part of the meal. I hope the Government can do better next time though, because we help to build this country and the old people have to get better treatment.

Taneila Croal From my point of view, the $500 increase to the old age pension that is to be effective January 1, 2018 is not sufficient, and (is) not a very supportive thing to do. If they are to make an increase, I believe the least that should be added is $1000. It is, however, unfair that these old age citizens receive such mediocre increase. This is something that must be reviewed by the coalition Government.

Colwyn Abrams Old age pension should be more than it is right now because seniors built Guyana and they deserve to be taken care of. As it relates to the increase of only $500, I think it’s a step forward, and whether it be $500 or $5000, Guyanese people will never be happy, no matter which Government does what for the people. This is something I have learnt over the years.

Anand Ramnarine It’s pointless! Looking at it from a percentage point of view, it’s a 2.6% increase.

Really? We couldn’t afford to offer at least a 5% increase, which (takes) it to $20,000?

At the very least, this is what I was expecting.

Nikosi Bruce Well, to be fair, the retirees are being recruited for work within the Government, thereby clouding their judgment on what should be the actual pension amount.

It’s hard to discern a livable pension amount when you are still working and drawing a large Government salary plus benefits. At the least, they could return subsidies on water, light and telephone.

Rand McDonald, Wales resident “The old people have to pay light bill and water bill.

These people old, they already worked their life out. $500 is not anything really adding on that $19,000. Every year, they should increase it.

Caesar Wells, 70, retired Wales sugar worker The Government should have given them something a little bit more because that is all some people depend on.

People got light bills to pay, water, house tax, house rent….

I’m hoping for better next year; sometimes it might raise a little bit more. We pensioners served this country.

16

guyanatimesgy.com

monDAY, december 4, 2017

Regional

of lost Argentina Venezuela to launch cryptocurrency Families submarine crew decry to fight ‘blockade’ – Maduro Govt response D P

resident Nicolás Maduro said on Sunday that Venezuela would launch a cryptocurrency to combat what the leftist leader says is a financial “blockade” against the crisis-hit nation spurred by US sanctions.

Maduro said the new currency, “petro,” will be backed by natural resources reserves although he did not provide details on the logistics of its roll-out.

The announcement highlights how the Trump Administration’s sanctions are hurting Venezuela’s ability to move money through international banks. Sources say compliance departments are scrutinising transactions linked to Venezuela, which has slowed bond payments and complicated the oil exports.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro (centre) dances during an event with supporters in Caracas, Venezuela, December 1, 2017 (Miraflores Palace/Handout via Reuters)

It was met with widespread scorn from Maduro foes who doubt that economically crippled Venezuela

could pull off the launch of a cryptocurrency.

Venezuela’s own currency, the bolivar, has

been in a freefall. It has lost around 57 per cent in the last month alone. (Reuters)

ozens of relatives of the 44 crew members of an Argentine submarine that went missing on November 15 marched from a naval base on Sunday, demanding to know what happened and criticising the Government’s response to the tragedy.

Holding posters with photos of the crew and chanting “Search and Rescue!”, the family members walked away from a naval base in Mar del Plata, following a press conference during which the navy said the submarine had still not been located.

The disaster has spurred soul searching over the state of the military in Argentina, which now has one of Latin America’s smallest defence budgets in relation to economic size after a series of financial crises.

“Our disagreement is with the Government, not with the

navy,” said Marcela Moyano, wife of crew member Hernán Rodríguez, during the protest. “Whoever is responsible needs to be held responsible.”

Spokesman Enrique Balbi said on Thursday the navy had abandoned hope of rescuing the crew alive, noting the ARA San Juan had air supplies for a week while 15 days had passed since it last reported its position.

Some family members complained they were not advised before the general public of the end of the rescue mission and have also demanded more contact with President Mauricio Macri in Mar del Plata, where the San Juan was scheduled to end its journey.

While local media have speculated Macri will soon declare a period of national mourning for the submarine crew, he has been silent in recent days. (Excerpt from Reuters)

T&T: 2-year-old shot in head Fired Angostura executive asked

T

en weeks after surviving a horrific accident in which her father lost his right arm, two-year-old Candy Loubon was shot in the head while standing outside her Moruga home.

Up to late Saturday, surgeons at the San Fernando General Hospital were trying to remove a slug from the child's neck while her 31-yearold cousin Wendell Mike was also being treated for gunshot wounds to his head. Moruga Police were searching the forest for a 63-year-old male relative who fled after firing the shots with his home-made shotgun. The shotgun was recovered in nearby bushes.

Police said Mike and the relative had a longstanding dispute. It climaxed around 07:00h Saturday when Mike went to a garden outside the suspect's home along the Penal Rock Road, Moruga.

On seeing the suspect pick up his shotgun, Mike ran off.

However, the suspect fired a shot and Mike was hit in the shoulder and temple.

Loubon, who was standing in the yard next door, was struck in the neck and left leg, which was damaged in September's accident. Mike's cousin Shane Lemo, 26, who was standing in the road, was also struck in the left leg. Paramedics were able to remove the slug, which was lodged just under his skin.

The suspect ran off.

Candy's aunt Nicole Buchoon said the suspect and Mike had a dispute for many years. She said even when Mike visits his mother, he is chased away by the suspect.

"She is too small to be going through all these thing.

I told them we need to keep a prayer," Buchoon added.

(Excerpt from Trinidad Guardian)

for TT$8M settlement

G

ive me TT$8 million and I will walk. That was the offer made to Angostura Holdings Limited by the female executive who made allegations of sexual harassment against the company’s Chairman, Dr Rolph Balgobin, in November 2016.

The executive, through her attorneys, had offered to resign by year’s end once she was paid the sum. She alleged that based on the remuneration package in her contract she would have been entitled to approximately TT$14 million, but because of the alleged reprisals against her ,she was prepared to accept the smaller sum so she would not have to go to court and pay legal fees.

She agreed to maintain confidentiality on the circumstances of her resignation and terms of her agreement with the company. However, just over one month later, her offer of resignation was rejected and instead she was fired.

The executive’s attorney, Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj, SC, during his press conference at his San Fernando Chambers

She was served with a termination letter dated November 29. That letter,

obtained by the Sunday Guardian, was signed by Angostura’s chief executive officer Genevieve Jodhan. In another document obtained by the Sunday Guardian, dated October 20, 2017 and signed by Ronnie Bissessar, junior counsel acting on behalf of Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj, SC, Angostura was advised that “the whistleblower (referring to the former female executive) is entitled to the sum of $13,759,770.”

That figure incorporated diminution in future income and benefits; loss of reputation/mental and emotional trauma, and severance benefits. According to the letter, the executive “continues to suffer catastrophic and irrevocable damage to her mental and emotional state,” her “physical health has declined and she has received counselling and medication, but the general consensus is that her health and mental well-being will continue to worsen.” She would also be required to restart her professional life elsewhere. (Excerpt from Trinidad Guardian)

Canadian jailed for importing cocaine into Bermuda Honduras election: Army given more powers A to quash unrest 22-year-old Canadian national who tried to smuggle nearly US$250,000 worth of cocaine into Bermuda has been jailed for seven and a half years after admitting he made a “big mistake”.

The Supreme Court heard that Raza Mirza was caught as he came through customs at LF Wade International Airport with the drugs hidden in the lining of his bag.

He was questioned by customs officers after arriving from Canada on June 9 and claimed he had come to the island for “the carnival”.

Authorities carried out forensic checks on his bag, which showed the presence of cocaine. A search revealed five ziplock bags of cocaine in the lining of the

His bags contained nearly one kilogram of cocaine with a street value of US$233,000

case.

Further analysis confirmed that the bags con-

tained nearly one kilogram of cocaine with a street value of US$233,000.

Police later trawled through the Canadian’s mobile phones, which contained several references to drugs. In one exchange, an individual called Andrew asked him: “Do you move white?”

Mirza replied: “Yes.” Mirza, who had earlier pleaded guilty to the importation of drugs, told the Court “this was a really big mistake. I don’t know what I was thinking. I am really sorry for what I have done.

“My family is now having to deal with it all now and my mom is very sick. It was sheer stupidity. I was not thinking about what I was doing.”

The Court heard that Mirza had no previous convictions in Bermuda or Canada. (Excerpt from CMC)

H

onduras has given its Army and Police more powers to contain unrest following violent protests over last Sunday's disputed presidential election.

Government official Ebal Diaz said "constitutional guarantees" had been suspended and a curfew imposed.

Earlier, the publication of election results was delayed when the main Opposition candidate demanded more than 5000 ballot boxes be recounted.

Salvador Nasralla says he has evidence of electoral fraud. Violent demonstrations since the election have left one person dead and 20 injured.

Riot Police fired tear gas

at angry Opposition supporters in the capital Tegucigalpa on Friday, near the centre where the results were due to be announced.

Elsewhere, protesters blocked major roads and set vehicles alight. Opposition supporters claim the President is trying to steal the election "The suspension of constitutional guarantees was approved so that the armed forces and the national Police can contain this wave of violence that has engulfed the country," Diaz said on national television.

He said a curfew would be in place between 18:00h and 06:00h for the next 10 days.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

monDAY, december 4, 2017

guyanatimesgy.com

17

Around the World

Trump hits out at FBI over Russia inquiry Saudi-led air D

onald Trump lashed out at the FBI on Sunday, issuing a fresh denial that he asked former Director James Comey to drop an investigation into the conduct of one of his top aides, Michael Flynn.

In a Twitter tirade, Trump said the FBI’s reputation was “in tatters”.

His attack came amid a flurry of developments in Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s inquiry into alleged Russian interference in the US election.

Trump denies that his team colluded with Russia to get him elected.

Reports emerged over the weekend that Mueller, a

Donald Trump’s presidency has been overshadowed by the inquiry into collusion with Russia

former FBI director, had dismissed an FBI officer from the investigation during the summer after he was discovered to have made anti-Trump remarks in text messages.

The President seized on the officer’s dismissal, tweeting: “Report: ‘ANTITRUMP FBI AGENT LED CLINTON EMAIL PROBE’ Now it all starts to make sense!”

A spokesman for Mueller said the officer was dismissed from the investigating team as soon as the messages were discovered.

Michael Flynn, the President’s former National Security Adviser, announced on Friday that he was co-operating with Mueller’s investigation, in return for pleading guilty to a lesser charge.

The former General admitted lying to the FBI and has been offered a reduced sentence of six months.

Analysts say the deal indicates that Flynn has incriminating information about one or more senior members of the Trump Administration. (Excerpt from BBC

News)

strikes support Yemen’s Saleh A Saudi-led coalition launched air strikes on Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, local media said, lending support to former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh after he signalled he was abandoning his support of the Iranaligned Houthis – a shift that could pave the way to end three years of war.

In a speech on Saturday, Saleh appeared to indicate the end of his loyalists’ alliance with Houthi fighters.

He said he was ready to turn a “new page” in ties with the

Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis, if it stopped attacks on Yemeni citizens and lifted a siege.

Residents on Sunday, however, said a coalition air strike overnight killed 12 Yemeni civilians in one family in the northern province of Saada, the home territory of the Houthis. The attack could not be verified.

Saudi-owned al-Arabiya television said on Sunday coalition aircraft pounded Houthi outposts in southern Sanaa overnight, but gave no details on casualties.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

US withdraws from UN Afghan leader Ashraf Ghani apologises for headscarf remark Global Compact on Migration

U

T

he Afghan President has apologised to women for remarks he made about the traditional headscarf.

On Saturday, Ashraf Ghani responded to claims that some Government officials have links to so-called Islamic State. He said people should provide evidence or wear a woman’s headscarf.

It provoked a backlash from people who viewed the comments as sexist.

Ghani later apologised to women who felt offended and said his comments had been misinterpreted.

In a statement, the Afghan presidential palace said: “The President is a very prominent advocate of women’s rights and has tak-

S President Donald Trump’s Administration said it was withdrawing the US from an international pact aimed at improving global migration and refugee issues, prompting criticism from the United Nations.

The US has been a part of the non-binding New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants since it was

President Ashraf Ghani apologised to women and said his comments had been misinterpreted

en unique steps to strengthen and preserve their position since his tenure as the President of Afghanistan.”

It said Ghani’s use of the word “Chaadar”, scarf in English, had been misinter-

preted.

It is “a common saying which is never aimed to offend the highly valuable place of women in the country,” it added. (Excerpt from BBC News)

South Korea boat collision leaves 13 dead

unanimously adopted by the UN General Assembly last year.

The declaration called for negotiations on a Global Compact for Migration, aimed at protecting the rights of refugees and migrants and helping them resettle.

It also seeks to fight xenophobia, racism and discrimination towards refugees and migrants.

But late on Saturday, US Ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley said the declaration’s “approach is simply not compatible with US sovereignty” and that the US will instead define its own migration plan.

“No country has done more than the United States, and our generosity will continue,” Haley said in a statement. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Former Egyptian PM is safe, lawyer says after kidnap fears

T

he lawyer of former Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq says she has met him at a hotel in Cairo, after Shafiq was reported missing by family.

Shafiq was deported from the United Arab Emirates on Saturday after five years in exile there.

His family said he “disappeared into custody of unidentified security authorities” after arriving in Cairo.

Shafiq was deported from the UAE shortly after announcing he planned to run for Egypt’s presidency next year.

It is not clear on what grounds he was deported.

On Sunday, his lawyer,

Former Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq’s family said they were concerned over his whereabouts

Dina Adly, released a short statement saying she had met Shafiq in Cairo.

“I had a meeting with Shafik an hour ago at one of the hotels in New Cairo and

confirmed his health,” Adly, wrote on Facebook.

“He confirmed that his health was good and that he was not subjected to any investigations,” she added.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

Christmas bomb ‘was attempt to extort’ DHL shipping company The coast guard took seven people to hospital

A

t least 13 people have died after a fishing boat collided with a 336-tonne tanker and capsized off South Korea’s west coast.

Two others were missing, South Korea’s coast guard said, as a search and rescue operation continued.

The chartered fishing

boat, the Seonchang-1, had been carrying 20 passengers and two crew during a fishing tour at the time of the crash.

Footage from the scene showed the upturned boat being searched by divers.

Navy helicopters and dozens of ships were taking part in the search

southwest of Incheon, near Yeongheung island.

Seven people were taken to hospital for treatment.

The captain of the 10-tonne fishing boat was among the missing, according to one report from AFP. There were no reported injuries on board the 336-tonne fuel tanker. (Excerpt

from BBC News)

P

olice investigating a bomb found at a Christmas market in Germany on Friday say it was not terrorism but an attempt to blackmail the shipping company, DHL. The nail bomb was sent in a parcel to a pharmacy near a market in Potsdam.

Police performed a controlled explosion on the device, which was full of explo-

sives but had no detonator.

After scanning a QR code on the package, Police found that those involved demanded millions of euros to not set the bomb off.

“The good news is it that we can say, with all likelihood, that the package was not aimed at the Christmas market,” Brandenburg’s Interior Minister KarlHeinz Schröter said.

But he and others warned that there might be more such attempts. Police said a similar package was sent to an online trader based in Frankfurt an der Oder recently.

Germany is on a heightened terror alert, a year after 12 people died in an Islamist attack at a Berlin Christmas market. (Excerpt from BBC News)

18

guyanatimesgy.com

monDAY, december 4, 2017

ARCHIE

A change of scenery will do you good. An intellectu(March 21al approach to an important April 19) relationship and its progress looks promising. Share your feelings. Romance is encouraged.

ARIES

TAURUS (April 20May 20)

dilbert

Be careful how you spend your money or what you invest in. It’s important not to believe a sales pitch geared to bullying you into a deal that isn’t as great as promised.

Speak up if you want to GEMINI (May 21- resolve issues with a loved June 20) one. Changes can be made that will mould the way you move forward with an important relationship.

Your willingness to help others will make a difference (June 21- when it comes to your profesJuly 22) sional prospects. Don’t disregard the power of forming good relationships with others.

CANCER

Peanuts

Volunteering your serLEO vices or participating in fund(July 23- raisers will lead to interesting Aug. 22) new connections. An opportunity to do something you enjoy is apparent. Romance is in the stars.

Problems at home will afVIRGO fect your emotional attitude, (Aug. 23adding to stress. Trust in Sept. 22) yourself and yourself alone.

Refuse to let anyone take advantage of you personally, financially or emotionally.

Calvin and Hobbes

WORD GAME

SUDOKU

LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)

Love and travel should be on your agenda. Attend a reunion or make a point to reconnect with someone from your past. Talks will lead to big plans.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24Nov. 22)

Take better care of your health. A faulty diagnosis or needless anxiety is likely if you fail to consult the professionals. Don’t overspend on a gimmick.

Don’t fall behind when it SAGITTARIUS comes to your personal doc(Nov. 23- uments. Being prepared will Dec. 21) help ease your stress when last-minute travel or unexpected opportunities arise.

Romance is in the stars.

SATURDAY’S

solution for LAST PUBLISHED Puzzle

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

Take a conservative approach when dealing with people who are emotionally manipulative or pushy. Don’t give in to someone using persuasive tactics to entice you to spend money or sign up for something you don’t need.

Changes at home will imAQUARIUS prove your popularity and (Jan. 20- status. Family fun or quiet Feb. 19) plans for you and a loved one will bring you to a decision that will alter your current lifestyle.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19)

PISCES (Feb. 20March 20)

Emotional matters will escalate if you get into a discussion regarding your feelings or intentions. Get expert advice if you feel it’s necessary to avoid further discord.

monDAY, december 4, 2017

19

The Ashes, Australia 2017-18…

Australia tighten grip after Marsh’s ton

Alastair Cook and James Vince collided with each other while trying to take a catch

E

ngland face a battle to stay in the second Ashes Test after a Shaun Marsh century put Australia in command on day two in Adelaide.

Marsh ended on 126 not out, taking Australia to 4428 declared with the help of Tim Paine (57) and Pat Cummins (44).

England spent 149 overs in the field after winning the toss and when they came to bat, facing an Australia attack armed with a pink ball under the floodlights, it seemed like a recipe for the top order to be blown away.

The tourists lost Mark Stoneman, lbw to Mitchell Starc for 18, before rain arrived to wipe almost 19 overs off the day.

England closed on 29-1, 413 behind, with Alastair Cook on 11 and James Vince yet to score.

With Australia 1-0 up after a 10-wicket win in Brisbane, it is no exaggeration to say England's hopes of retaining the Ashes are already under huge threat, especially as the next Test comes in Perth, where England have not won since 1978.

This Test, the first day-nighter in Ashes history, was earmarked as a must-win for England in their bid to defend the urn.

The pink ball, floodlights and often-wet weather seemed ideal to be exploited by the likes of James Anderson and Stuart Broad.

But after Joe Root became the first captain in 25 years to field first at the Adelaide Oval, England bowled poorly on day one and paid the price on day two.

Though England improved on their first-day display, they spent most of Sunday in the field thanks to a combination of lucklessness and Marsh's admirable occupation of the crease.

It always seemed likely that Australia would declare and give England a difficult evening period to try to survive.

The home crowd had already been buoyed by some late Marsh hitting and were eager for English pain when Starc began delivering the

ball at 93mph.

With England initially scoring freely, both sets of fans were vocal, only for Stoneman to be pinned by a searing Starc yorker that would have demolished leg stump.

In the end, England were pleased to see the rain.

Marsh's call-up for the first Test was met with derision by some who feel he has been given too many opportunities at this level.

Since making his debut six years ago he has only won 25 caps and this is his eighth recall.

However, the left-hander made an important half-century in Brisbane and followed it up with a fifth Test century of grit, patience and potentially huge significance in the context of the series.

With Australia 209-4 overnight, Marsh, on 20, saw Peter Handscomb trapped leg before by Broad in the first over of the day, but built stands of 85 with Paine and 99 with Cummins.

Wicketkeeper Paine, himself a controversial recall, counter-attacked for a third first-class half-century in three weeks after going three years without passing 50. Two of those scores have come against England.

Cummins took 37 balls to get off the mark but took

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SCOREBOARD

Stumps Day 2 Australia 1st Innings (Overnight 209-4) CT Bancroft run out (Woakes) 10 DA Warner c †Bairstow b Woakes 47 UT Khawaja c Vince b Anderson 53 SPD Smith* b Overton 40 PSP Handscomb lbw b Broad 36 SE Marsh not out 126 TD Paine† c Ali b Overton 57 MA Starc c Anderson b Broad 6 PJ Cummins c Malan b Overton 44 NM Lyon not out 10 Extras (b-6, lb-6, w-1) 13 Total (For 8 wickets declared; 149 Overs) 442 Did not bat: JR Hazlewood Fall of wickets: 1-33 (CT Bancroft, 14.3 ov), 2-86 (DA Warner, 33.1 ov), 3-139 (UT Khawaja, 51.4 ov), 4-161 (SPD Smith, 62.1 ov), 5-209 (PSP Handscomb, 81.3 ov), 6-294

(TD Paine, 107.5 ov), 7-311 (MA Starc, 116.6 ov), 8-410 (PJ Cummins, 145.2 ov) Bowling: Anderson 31-5-74-1, Broad 30-11-72-2, Woakes 274-84-1 (w-1), Overton 33-3-1053, Ali 24-3-79-0, Root 4-0-16-0 England 1st Innings AN Cook not out 11 MD Stoneman lbw b Starc 18 JM Vince not out 0 Extras 0 Total (For 1 wicket; 9.1 Overs) 29 Yet to bat: JE Root (c), DJ Malan, MM Ali, JM Bairstow †, CR Woakes, SCJ Broad, C Overton, JM Anderson Fall of wickets: 1-29 (MD Stoneman, 6.6 ov) Bowling: Starc 5-1-131, Hazlewood 4-2-160, Cummins 0.1-0-0-0 Position: England trail by 413 runs with 9 wickets remaining in the 1st innings

Fowler hits 61 to win Hero World Challenge

Gayle, Mithun lead Rangpur into BPL playoffs indies star Chris Gayle blasted a quick-fire 38 from 27 to lead Rangpur Riders into the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) playoffs following a 19-run win over Carlos Brathwaite’s third-placed Khulna Titans at the Sher-eBangla National Stadium in Mirpur on Sunday.

Batting in his usual spot in a re-tooled line-up the big West Indian slammed four boundaries and two big sixes. The batting shuffle did not necessarily pay off for Rangpur, however, as Ziaur Rahman was quickly out for eight. Brendon McCullum added a quick 15 runs after joining Gayle, but Rangpur failed to build upon a promising start.

Shaiful Islam and Mohammad Irfan brought the Khulna side back into the game, however, as

44 runs off his next 53 with cuts and hits through the leg side.

Shawn Marsh took centre stage At the other end, on day two at Adelaide Marsh repeatedly left outside the off stump, with his helmet off and bat scoring with clips off his raised. toes, cover drives and the ocAnd, when the declaracasional cut. tion was imminent, he took When he reached three Broad for 14 from three defigures he ran towards the liveries to further tread Australian players and staff England into the dirt. (BBC Sport) assembled on the boundary

– Tiger Woods impressive

R

they dismissed McCullum and Gayle respectively and Rangpur floundered in the middle overs.

Mohammad Mithun recovered the innings for Rangpur but was dropped twice as he pushed the team to 147-6 with a well-paced 50 off 35 balls with two fours and four sixes.

Titan openers Nazmul Hossain Shanto(20) and Michael Klinger (44) gave their team the ideal start as they put together a 60-run partnership and it looked like Khulna were running away with the match. The team found their run chase ground to a halt when Nazmul fell prey to his namesake, Nazmul Islam’s bowling in the eighth over. His dismissal started a landslide for the batting order of the Khulna side that had no end. (Sportsmax) Chris Gayle

ickie Fowler hit a stunning 11-under-par 61 to win the Hero World Challenge after Tiger Woods capped his return from injury with a solid final round.

American Fowler, 28, trailed overnight leader Charley Hoffman by seven shots but made eight birdies in a dazzling front nine to lead at the turn.

He added three more birdies to break the tournament and course records at Albany Golf Club in the Bahamas and win by four strokes over Hoffman.

Woods, 41, carded a four-under 68.

The 14-time major winner, playing his first tournament since withdrawing from February's Dubai Desert Classic with back spasms, went out in 31, hitting three birdies and an eagle at the seventh.

He recovered from a double bogey on 10 with three birdies in his next five holes, before successive bogeys at 17 and 18 saw

Tiger Woods won the last of his 14 majors in 2008 and his last tournament in 2013

him finish tied ninth on eight under overall in the 18-man unofficial PGA Tour event.

Having had multiple back operations in recent years, Woods said he felt "no pain" during his latest comeback and that his play indicated a "bright future".

England's Tommy Fleetwood carded a five-under 67 to finish tied third with world number two Jordan Spieth, six shots off Fowler.

(BBC Sport)

20

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

monDAY, december 4, 2017

Kohli bats India to massive advantage

Delhi air pollution interrupted play and the Sri Lankans were forced to wear masks

E

ither side of a stopstart hour in which the focus of the Delhi Test shifted to the quality of the city's air, India extended their dominance over Sri Lanka with bat and ball.

Virat Kohli brought up his sixth double-hundred and carried on to post his highest Test score, and, following a declaration in bizarre circumstances at 536 for 7, India's bowlers took over, reducing Sri Lanka to 131 for 3 in their reply. An unbroken fourth-wicket stand of 56 between Angelo Mathews and Dinesh Chandimal raised Sri Lanka's morale towards the end of the day, but they still ended it trailing by 405 runs.

Sri Lanka's fielders came out wearing face masks after lunch, and play was twice held up in smoggy conditions, with the air pollution in the vicinity of the Feroz

Shah Kotla going up to "very unhealthy" levels. The two fast bowlers, Lahiru Gamage and Suranga Lakmal, went off the field midway through their overs, and eventually, with Sri Lanka struggling to put 11 players on the park, Kohli declared, signalling pointedly that his team was happy to bowl in these conditions.

When Sri Lanka began their innings, it was their offspinning allrounder Dilruwan Perera rather than Sadeera Samarawickrama - who had been off the field since being struck on the helmet at short leg on day one who walked out to open alongside Dimuth Karunaratne.

India's fast bowlers, with a total of 536 behind them, charged in at full tilt in the half hour that remained before tea, and blasted out two wickets. Karunaratne

fell to the first ball of the innings, done in by Mohammed Shami, who angled one into the left-hander from around the wicket, hit the pitch hard on a shortish length, and got it to seam away from him.

Forced to play by the angle, he feathered an edge through to the keeper.

In fading light, Mathews and Chandimal survived a testing period before stumps, against Shami's reverse-swing and the accuracy of Jadeja and Ashwin. With a few overs under his belt, Ashwin began looking particularly dangerous, finding the right pace for this pitch and threatening both edges from over and around the wicket.

Bad light brought the examination to a halt three minutes from time, but it will begin all over again when Sri Lanka resume their innings.

India began the day's play

on 371 for 4, and Sri Lanka, having picked up two quick wickets late on day one, may have harboured some hope of clawing their way back into the Test match. If they did, Kohli and Rohit Sharma quelled it with a fifth-wicket partnership of 135. It came to an end off what was to be the second-last ball before lunch, when Rohit fell for 65, bottom-edging a squarecut to the keeper off Lakshan Sandakan.

India lost two more wickets after lunch. Gamage got one with the first ball after the first pollution break, R Ashwin reaching out at a wide one without moving his feet and steering it to gully it wasn't the first time he had been dismissed in this manner in the recent past.

Then, in the midst of all the breaks in play, Sri Lanka finally found a way past Kohli. It was Sandakan's fourth wicket, another good ball amidst an otherwise inconsistent mix, and another reminder of the talent that Sri Lanka will need to nurture with care. Kohli went back to a flat one bowled from left-arm around, perhaps playing the trajectory rather than the length. It skidded on - slow-motion replays indicated it may have been a flipper - and rapped him on the back pad, in front of the stumps. Kohli reviewed, but the ball didn't have far to travel, and ball-tracking suggested it would have hit a good chunk of leg stump.

If the 87 runs Kohli scored on Sunday didn't come with quite the same ease as his first 156 on Saturday, it had little to do with Sri Lanka's bowling, which remained unthreatening and inconsistent.

Kohli, instead, had to fight his own body, which was beginning to show the toll taken by scoring three successive Test hundreds. A stiff back slowed him down between wickets, and brought India's physio onto the field, but Kohli just kept batting.

Virat Kohli now has 20 Test hundreds

SCOREBOARD Stumps Day 2 India 1st Innings (Overnight 371-4) M Vijay st †Dickwella b Sandakan 155 S Dhawan c Lakmal b Perera 23 CA Pujara c Samarawickrama b Gamage 23 V Kohli* lbw b Sandakan 243 AM Rahane st †Dickwella b Sandakan 1 RG Sharma c †Dickwella b Sandakan 65 R Ashwin c Perera b Gamage 4 WP Saha† not out 9 RA Jadeja not out 5 Extras (lb-1, nb-7) 8 Total (For 7 wickets declared; 127.5 Overs) 536 Did not bat: I Sharma, Mohammed Shami Fall of wickets: 1-42 (S Dhawan, 9.6 ov), 2-78 (CA Pujara, 20.2 ov), 3-361 (M Vijay, 85.6 ov), 4-365 (AM Rahane, 87.3 ov), 5-500 (RG Sharma, 117.5 ov), 6-519 (R Ashwin, 122.4 ov), 7-523 (V Kohli, 125.3 ov) Bowling Lakmal 21.2-2-80-0, Gamage 25.3-7-95-2, Perera

31.1-0-145-1, Sandakan 33.5-1167-4, de Silva 16-0-48-0 Sri Lanka 1st Innings FDM Karunaratne c †Saha b Mohammed Shami 0 MDK Perera lbw b Jadeja 42 DM de Silva lbw b I Sharma 1 AD Mathews not out 57 LD Chandimal* not out 25 Extras (nb-1, pen-5) 6 Total (For 3 wickets; 44.3 Overs)

131 Yet to bat: S Samarawickrama, ARS Silva, N Dickwella †, PADLR Sandakan, RAS Lakmal, PLS Gamage Fall of wickets: 1-0 (FDM Karunaratne, 0.1 ov), 2-14 (DM de Silva, 5.1 ov), 3-75 (MDK Perera, 18.4 ov) Bowling Mohammed Shami 11-3-30-1, Sharma 10-4-44-1, Jadeja 14.3-624-1, Ashwin 9-3-28-0 Position: Sri Lanka trail by 405 runs with 7 wickets remaining in the 1st innings

Sensational Silva blasts Man City past West Ham

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anchester City came from behind to win a record-equalling 13th Premier League match in a row with victory over stubborn West Ham at Etihad Stadium.

Angelo Ogbonna's header on the stroke of half-time put the lowly Hammers ahead, but Nicolas Otamendi responded with a predatory finish shortly after the break.

David Silva won it for City, acrobatically converting a Kevin de Bruyne pass with seven minutes left.

Victory meant Pep Guardiola's side re-established their eight-point lead over Manchester United, who they play at Old Trafford next Sunday (16:30 GMT).

They also equalled the longest winning run within a top-flight season, matching Sunderland and Preston (1891-92), Arsenal (2001-02) and Chelsea (2016-17).

West Ham, though, have set a club record for the fewest points after 15 Premier League matches - they have just 10.

The Londoners had their chances - as well as Ogbonna's goal, Michail Antonio almost pounced when Ederson spilled the ball, and Manuel Lanzini forced the goalkeeper to save at his near post.

But it always looked as though City's pressure would tell and, shortly after De Bruyne's free-kick was palmed away, Gabriel Jesus skipped through and slid the ball to Otamendi, who scored.

Leroy Sane, Raheem Sterling, De Bruyne and Jesus had further chances before Silva won it for the home side, but there was still time for the Hammers to go close, with Diafra Sakho shooting just wide after Marko Arnautovic pulled the ball back.

Silva's strike made this the fourth game in a row City have won thanks to a goal scored in or after the 83rd minute. Sterling had scored the past three, having also hit an injury-time winner at Bournemouth in August.

A home victory always looked the likeliest result, with City extending their un-

David Silva netted just his second goal of the season

beaten run in all competitions to 28 matches.

They were made to fight for the points, though, and Silva's late winner was one of 18 shots they had in the second half.

While City have been in full flow for much of the season, they have also shown their resilience - taking a

league-high 10 points from losing positions.

Prior to their late winners against Huddersfield last month and now West Ham, City had won only one of their past 30 games in which they had been behind at half-time.

That combination of silk and steel has taken them eight points clear at the top,

and it will take something special to stop them.

Despite the defeat, there was plenty for Hammers boss David Moyes to take heart from as his side kept the league leaders at bay for almost an hour.

The first half was particularly encouraging and, though a deflected strike from Silva

extended Adrian, West Ham had better chances through Antonio and Lanzini.

They looked defensively solid and confident in their gameplan, and Moyes' only disappointment will be they could not keep it up.

Jesus' half-time introduction made a difference, but Sane, De Bruyne and Silva who had not been at their best in the first half - also began to influence things.

City had had six shots to the Hammers' four prior to that, but Adrian was forced into a string of saves as the hosts bombarded his goal in search of a winner.

Adrian, who came in as Joe Hart was unable to face his parent club, was a standout performer but the Hammers had opportunities of their own despite the absence of strikers Andy Carroll and Javier Hernandez.

And the agonising nature of this defeat was summed up by the reaction of former City defender Pablo Zabaleta when Silva's shot hit the back of the net. (BBC Sport)

monDAY, december 4, 2017 | www.guyanatimesgy.com

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sports

BVA beach volleyball rescheduled A

s preparations for the 2018 Inter Guiana Games (IGG) continues, the Berbice Volleyball Association (BVA) have now rescheduled their beach volleyball competition and a Demerara visit; to mid-December.

Both activities, slated for this upcoming weekend were on the BVA’s cards over the past few months as the training intensifies ahead of the February’s IGG; where Guyana has been dominant in the outdoor format of the sport in recent years.

While Head Coach and BVA President Levi Nedd confirmed that the reasons for push back the events were out of the association’s hands, he did prom-

Port Mourant Training Centre were crowned champions

ise the activities will happen in a few weeks but gave no specific date.

The BVA further continued to provide players with lots of match time when they concluded a recent Male/Female tournament at the Apprentice Hostel Compound, Berbice.

The competition saw the dominant Males of Port Mourant Training Center 1 (PMTC) brushing aside PMTC 2; three sets; 14-25, 25-18, 15-11.

Meanwhile, the ladies also continued their preparations with an intense encounter between Port Mourant and Corriverton Jets. The encounter would end bad for the Jets who suffered a 30-18 thumping at the hands of PM ladies.

MYO/Amanat Baksh Memorial Inter-Jamaat 10/10 competition…

Hussain powers MYO to title – Adventure beat Grove for 3rd place

T

alented and experienced softball player, Wazeer Hussain played a gem of an innings to hand Muslim Youth Organization (MYO) a 59run victory over Farm to capture the Amanat Baksh Inter-Jamaat Memorial 10/10 softball title on Sunday at the Muslim Youth Organization ground, Woolford Avenue.

Hussain who shared in a second wicket stand of 103 with Safraz Esau, struck 16 sixes in a robust 114 as MYO posted 158-6, batting first. Esau contributed 22 as A. Nazim captured 4-17 from four overs and Unnis Yusuf 2-35.

Imtiaz Hamid uprooted the stumps of opener Lennox “The Assassin” Marks (00) as Farm reply got off to a bad start, but Avenash Mohabir and Buddan Baksh steadied the chase somewhat with a second wicket partnership of 55 before Mohabir was dismissed for 23 after hitting three sixes. Baksh soon followed, bowled by Esau for 33 which contained one

Wazeer Hussain (right) won the Man of the Match in the final Lennox Marks (right) scored the highest individual score

four and four sixes, thereafter only Unnis Yusuf (11) of the remaining batsmen managed double figures as Farm were restricted for 999. Hussain who was voted man-of-the-match claimed 3-11 and Esau 2-15.

Adventure beat Grove

by 78 runs in the third place play off. Batting first, Adventure managed 144-6.

A. Mohan made 51 (8x6) and Ameer Mohamed 37 (5x6).

Imran Khan captured 2-36.

Grove were limited to 66-8 in reply. Imtiaz Pooran made 12 as Leyland Mc Donald

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The Champions: MYO strike a pose after they were crowned champions on Sunday

picked up three wickets while D. Mohan and Hackim Mohamed had two apiece.

MYO overcame Grove by nine wickets in their semifinal encounter. Grove scored 84-5, taking first strike.

Shoib Roop and Imran Khan got 17 each; Richard Latif, Mohamed Ayube

and Wazeer Hussain had one wicket each. MYO replied with 86-1 in 5.2 overs.

Wazeer Hussain slammed 44 while Shazim Hussain made 24.

Farm got the better of Adventure by 28 runs in the second semifinal. Batting first, Farm managed 127-5.

Avenash Mohabir clobbered seven sixes in an unbeaten 58 while Unnis Yusuf made 15. E. Baksh had 2-15.

Adventure responded with 99-8. Ameer Mohamed made 24 and Shaz Grosvenor 19.

Sheldon Perch, Mohabir, Azim Nazim and Ameer Khan took one wicket apiece.

MYO received a trophy and $50,000, Farm a trophy and $30,000, Adventure a trophy and $20,000 and Grove a trophy and $10,000.

Marks received the prize for scoring the highest individual score (178*) while Muhammad Saad Baksh (44) collected the prize for the best bowling figure.

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monDAY, december 4, 2017

Hetmyer, Brathwaite lead Windies fightback N

ew Zealand hurtled to a profoundly commanding position in the first seven sessions of the Wellington Test, but the opposition began to resist on the third day. West Indies were still a long way back – 172 in arrears with two second-innings wickets already spent. But thanks to Kraigg Brathwaite‘s fortitude, a spark from Kieran Powell, and a little flash from Shimron Hetmyer, their hopes of making something out of this match are not yet extinguished. Brathwaite remained at the crease on 79, with Shai Hope for company.

But perhaps this was always going to be a batting day – the Basin Reserve pitch tends to flatten dramatically as matches wear on. In the morning, Tom Blundellhad progressed from an overnight 57 not out to triple figures, becoming the first wicketkeeper-batsman to make a debut Test century since Matt Prior in 2007.

What was remarkable was that he scored 52 of his eventual 107 not out in the company of Trent Boult – the pair putting on an unbeaten stand of 78 for the last wicket. Soon after Blundell reached his century, New Zealand declared on 520 for 9, taking a 386run advantage into the second innings.

Few might have expected West Indies to claim momentum as dramatically as they did after lunch, however. If one aspect of play epitomised the vigour they brought to those sessions, it was their bristling confidence when facing their tormentor from the first dig: Neil Wagner. On day one, Wagner had collected 7 for 39 in 14 overs, as batsmen almost raced each other back to the pavilion.

On Sunday, Wagner again deployed his familiar lifters from around the wicket, but suddenly, the West Indies top order was almost disdainful of the tactic, pulling, hacking, and cracking him through the leg side throughout the afternoon and evening sessions.

Wagner was left nursing figures of 0 for 89 from 15 overs by stumps, having suffered 14 fours and two sixes. Unable himself to make a breakthrough, Trent Boult was also visibly frustrated by the closing stages of the day.

K r a i g g Brathwaite turns one square through the off side Getty Images That it is around their senior opener that West Indies’ resistance built was unsurprising.

Brathwaite did as

Kraigg Brathwaite has anchored the Windies' second innings effort so far

Brathwaite does, leaving judiciously, defending solidly, and awaiting the bad balls to dispatch to the fence. His two early boundaries were the result of wayward legside deliveries that he simply nudged fine. He was a little more ambitious in the evening session, even running at Mitchell Santner to launch him over the deep midwicket boundary.

His patience and assuredness at the start of the innings allowed Powell to take risks at the other end.

It was Powell who began the assault on Wagner by hitting two s i x e s and a

Windies had few reasons to celebrate at Wellington

four off consecutive Wagner balls. Having survived a close lbw shout off Boult early in his innings – a not-out decision that would have been overturned had New Zealand reviewed – Powell went on to make 40 off 55 balls before losing concentration and giving Matt Henry a simple return catch.

Hetmyer’s 66 was sprightly and attractive, as he and Brathwaite combined for a second-wick-

et stand worth 94. Having been reprieved via a batting review on seven, Hetmyer took to playing Wagner with particular aplomb, driving and pulling imperiously. He didn’t always keep his shots on the ground, but found empty space whenever he went aerial, once lofting Boult for a straight six with sublime timing. That Boult over, the 42nd of the innings, also featured two Hetmyer fours: down the ground, and over midwicket.

Like for Powell, it was a misjudgement of Henry’s pace that brought his wicket, after the tea break.

Attempting to turn Henry towards the leg side, Hetmyer succeeded only in sending a leading edge to extra cover.

Hope and Brathwaite ensured there were no further wickets before the end of the day by showing a little reticence as stumps drew near, but the bad balls were still punished. All up, day three saw 287 runs scored for the fall of just two wickets. New Zealand will hope to get early breakthroughs on day

four, to ensure the match does not progress to a fifth day, but if West Indies bat

as they have so far in the innings, victory will have to be hard-won, for New Zealand.

SCOREBOARD Stumps Day 3 Windies 1st Innings 134 New Zealand 1st Innings (Overnight 447-9) TWM Latham c Roach b Holder 37 JA Raval c †Dowrich b Roach 42 KS Williamson* c Hope b Roach 1 LRPL Taylor lbw b Roach 93 HM Nicholls c Gabriel b Cummins 67 MJ Santner b Cummins 17 C de Grandhomme c Powell b Chase 105 TA Blundell† not out 107 N Wagner b Chase 3 MJ Henry c †Dowrich b Gabriel 4 TA Boult not out 18 Extras (b-4, lb-6, nb-15, w-1) 26 Total (For 9 wickets declared; 148.4 Overs) 520 Fall of wickets: 1-65 (TWM Latham, 26.1 ov), 2-68 (KS Williamson, 29.3 ov), 3-109 (JA Raval, 47.1 ov), 4-236 (LRPL Taylor, 83.1 ov), 5-272 (HM Nicholls, 93.2 ov), 6-281 (MJ Santner, 95.2 ov), 7-429 (C de Grandhomme, 119.6 ov), 8-437 (N Wagner, 123.1 ov),

9-442 (MJ Henry, 124.6 ov) Bowling: Gabriel 294-90-1 (nb-9), Roach 22-6-85-3, Cummins 27-7-922 (nb-4), Holder 34-8-102-1 (nb-2, w-1), Chase 28-4-95-2, Brathwaite 8.4-0-46-0 West Indies 2nd Innings KC Brathwaite not out 79 KOA Powell c & b Henry 40 SO Hetmyer c Raval b Henry 66 SD Hope not out 21 Extras (b-4, lb-3, w-6) 13 Total (For 2 wickets; 66 Overs) 214 Yet to bat: RL Chase, SW Ambris, SO Dowrich †, JO Holder (c), KAJ Roach, ML Cummins, ST Gabriel Fall of wickets: 1-72 (KOA Powell, 18.1 ov), 2-166 (SO Hetmyer, 44.2 ov) Bowling Boult 15-347-0, Henry 15-4-332, de Grandhomme 10-2-24-0, Wagner 15-0-89-0, Santner 10-3-18-0, Williamson 1-1-0-0 Position: Windies trail by 172 runs with 8 wickets in hand

Red Force turn back Hurricanes inside 3 days T

he Trinidad and Tobago Red Force were in a no-nonsense mood on Saturday, wrapping up their Windies Professional Cricket League 4-day game against the Leeward Islands at Warner Park in St Kitts.

The result was a heavily one-sided affair that saw the Red Force romping to an innings and 16-run victory in three days.

Batting first, the Leewards got into trouble very quickly after only managing 207. When the Red Force replied, those troubles increased, as the franchise based in the twin-island republic would put them to the sword through the efforts of Kyle Hope, 84, Amir Jangoo, who fell just short of a ton for 96, and Imran Khan, 84 not out.

A big 360 offered the Red Force a 157-run lead with two days of cricket to play. The Red Force only needed one.

The Hurricanes’ reply on Saturday, started well enough, with Montcin Hodge, 54, and Chesney Hughes, 42, putting on 86

Trinidad and Tobago returned to their winning ways

for the first wicket.

When Hughes was bowled in the 35th over by Bryan Charles, the writing was on the wall.

Then it was the Khan show, as he trapped Akeem Saunders LBW for nine before bowling Devon Thomas without scoring.

At 108 for three and day and some to go the result looked certain, but when Khary Pierre got in on the act to dismiss Terrence Ward and Shane Burton to leave the score at 111-5, the deal was as good as done.

Khan wasn’t done putting on his man-of-the-match show though, as he would also dismiss Steven Berridge to end with figures of 4-17 to add to his unbeaten 84 and 3-26 from the first innings.

The performance was brilliant.

Pierre, who only bowled seven overs in the first innings, also showed what he could do, bagging 5-44. Charles, the only other wicket taker, ended with figures of 1-44. (Sportsmax)

guyanatimesgy.com

monDAY, december 4, 2017

23

CWI/Digicel Regional 4-Day Championships 2017-18…

– Paul finishes with 9 scalps overs later Jomel Warrican and Keon Harding were sent packing off successive Joseph balls.

Apart from the result, there were a few good individual performances from both sides with Justin Greaves (72) and Kenroy Williams (68) in the Pride’s first innings after Paul and

M

an of the Match, Keemo Paul's nine-wicket match haul coupled with second innings fifties from Captain Leon Johnson and opener Tagenarine Chanderpaul, engineered the Guyana Jaguars 8-wicket mauling of the Barbados Pride in round five of the Cricket West Indies Digicel Regional 4-Day Championship on Sunday at Providence.

Needing 178 for victory, Guyana romped to their fourth win and kept their number one spot after Johnson made amends for his woes in the first in-

A fired-up Keemo Paul about to bowl to Mario Rampersaud

a below par second innings total of 197 all out in just 55.4 overs and Guyana should be kicking themselves for letting the visitors escape after leaving them gasping for breath on 126-7 when play ended on the third day.

That damage was done

by Guyana's fast-bowlers, led by the 19-year-old sensation Keemo Paul who followed up his first innings 5-59 with 4-63, a spell that broke the back of the Pride as he completed the match with impressive overall stats of 9-122. Meanwhile, pack leader and West Indies 'A' fast-bowler Keon

man Jonathan Carter who smoked eight fours in a brave 53 off 75 balls.

For the second time in the match, Chandrapaul Hemraj (21) and Chanderpaul set about the chase with fluency as both left-handers settled in with three boundaries apiece within the first 15 overs.

West Indies off-spinner Ashely Nurse drew first blood for the Pride with a little help from Skipper Shamarh Brooks, who held onto a good catch to remove the in-form Hemraj for 21.

Johnson who failed in the first innings sought to redeem himself and freed

Jonathan Carter did well to keep out a toe-crunching yorker (John Ramsingh photos)

nings with a classy 61 with five fours and two maximums. He added 117 with the young Chanderpaul who hit seven fours in his 62 not out which took Guyana to 181-2 in 55.3 overs.

Barbados followed up their first innings 294 with

their century opening stand. Barbados Pride's two international spinners in Warrican and Nurse claimed 3-33 and 3-91 respectively, which was instrumental in containing the Jaguars in their first innings as well.

Round six continues from Thursday at

Joseph ended with seven scalps after adding 4-38 to the three he bagged in the first innings.

After being derailed by the Jaguars' quicks, the Pride were hugely indebted to one of their international players; West Indies middle-order bats-

up with a couple of crisp boundaries which saw the Jaguars raising their 50 in the 23rd over. Fifty soon turned 100 as the pair of left-handers motored on to take Guyana to 106-1 at tea still 72 runs away from victory in slightly overcast conditions.

Johnson had already taken his score to 32 while Chanderpaul was nearing his second fifty of the match on 43 and when play resumed for the final session of the afternoon, the Guyana captain upped his aggression by hitting the first six of the innings off Nurse before smashing the man who knocked him over in the first innings, Carter for a boundary to raise his fifty.

Chanderpaul followed his captain down the same path, surpassing his 52 in the first innings as Guyana were in striking range of a big win. However, Harding would get one past the Jaguars captain to knock him over but Vishaul Singh came out and hammered four fours in his unbeaten knock of 22 off 20 balls to see the defending champions over the line, much to the appreciation of the sprinkling of spectators.

When play on the final day began with the visitors seven down following Paul's second innings burst during the afternoon session on day three, Carter was on 14 and Mario Rampersaud on one. The pair batted sensibly in adding 86 runs for the eighth wicket in an effort to revived the innings before the collapse.

Carter reached his half-century with relative ease and played a good innings despite the situation as he kept the Jaguars bowlers in check with his ability to find the fence while containing himself at the same time.

However, it all ended swiftly when Johnson held onto a sharp catch at first slip off Joseph to remove Carter, then two

Leon Johnson was first to 50 during the 117-run partnership with Tagenarine Chanderpaul

Joseph began their carnage.

For the Jaguars, young Chanderpaul grafted 52 while Hemraj carved 79 in the first innings during

Providence when the defending champs tackle the Windward Islands Volcanoes from 9:30h.

(Clifton Ross)

SCOREBOARD Barbados Pride 1st innings 294 Guyana Jaguars 1st innings 314 Barbados Pride 2nd innings (Overnight 126-7) A Alleyne c Paul b Rutherford 32 S Mosely c Singh b Joseph 5 S Brooks b Paul 22 K Stoute c wk Bramble b Paul 11 K Williams lbw b Paul 11 J Carter c Johnson b Joseph 53 J Greaves c wk Bramble b Paul 0 A Nurse b Rutherford 1 M Rampersaud not out 27 J Warrican c wkp Bramble b Joseph 2 K Harding c wkp Bramble b Joseph 0 Extras: (w-1, b-24, nb-7) 32 Total: (All out; 55.4 overs) 197 Fall of wickets: 1-9, 2-37, 3-61, 4-80, 5-98, 6-105, 7-109, 8-195, 9-197, 10-197 Bowling: Joseph 13-5-38-4, Paul 24-8-63-4, Rutherford 14-5-55-2, Motie 1-0-10, Permaul 5-1-16-0

Guyana Jaguars 2nd innings (Target 178) T Chanderpaul not out 62 C Hemraj c Brooks b Nurse 21 L Johnson* b Harding 61 V Singh not out 22 Extras: (b-9, lb-0, w-5, nb-1) 15 Total: (2 wickets 55.3 overs) 181 Fall of wickets: 1-36, 2-153 Did not bat: Sherfane Rutherford, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Anthony Bramble+, Keon Joseph, Keemo Paul, Gudakesh Motie, Veerasammy Permaul Bowling: Greaves 9-224-0, Harding 6-0-32-1, Stoute11-1-27-0, Nurse 13-432-1, Warrican 9-1-29-0, Carter 4-0-14-0, Williams3.3-0-14-0 Result: Guyana Jaguars won by 8 wickets Player of the Match: Keemo Paul (Jaguars)

monDAY, december 4, 2017

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CWI/Digicel Regional 4-Day Championships 2017-18…

Pg 23

– Paul finishes with 9 scalps

Leon Johnson was fluent during his innings at Providence on Sunday (John Ramsingh photos)

Tagenarine Chanderpaul opens the face for more runs in the off-side

Hetmyer, Brathwaite lead Windies fightback

Pg 22 Shimron Hetmyer hit an attractive maiden half century in Windies' second innings

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