Guyana Times International

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You can also read Guyana Times daily edition online at www.guyanatimesgy.com ISSUE NO. 375

‘I take full responsibility’ See story on page 3

…Guyana’s President says of ‘secret’ US$18M oil bonus

National Hardware Proprietor Eddie Boyer receives the Lifetime Achievement Award from Opposition Leader Dr Bharrat Jagdeo at Wednesday night’s Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s (GCCI) 128th awards ceremony.

Kali: A foundation stone of NY IndianCaribbean community passes on

WEEK ENDING december 17, 2017

Berbice braces for economic hardships …following layoff of hundreds of sugar workers Page 22

Sisters bound, robbed at gunpoint in home invasion Page 9

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NEWS 3

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‘I take full responsibility’ …Guyana’s President says of ‘secret’ US$18M oil bonus

P

resident David Granger had admitted that he had instructed that the US$18 million signing bonus be placed in a Bank of Guyana account instead of the Consolidated Fund.

The President made the comment on Wednesday as pressure mounts over what has been described as a breach of financial regulations governing such revenues. The President defended the move by saying that it was a legitimate Government of Guyana exercise.

According to Granger, in making such a decision, there was never an intention to deceive the nation but rather the transaction was not revealed because of national security implications.

He claimed that at the time when the US$18 million

signing bonus was received, it was meant to be used for “certain matters” which he

perceived were of national security interest and at that time, it was the right “thing

to do so that we can have access in the event of a national security emergency”.

Speaking to reporters on the sideline of an event at State House on Wednesday, the President said, “…it is a legitimate Government of Guyana exercise. It is in the Bank of Guyana in an escrow account…it was not dishonestly acquired and cannot be used for purposes it was not intended …so, as far as I am concerned, it is a legitimate Government of Guyana practice. The money has not been dishonestly acquired.”

Questioned on the decision to keep the money a secret from Guyanese, the Head of State said that “evidence of non-disclosure does not mean it’s evidence of an intention of deception… there was no need to make it public”.

The Government has been consistently denying receivcontinued on page 10

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EDITORIAL

Why the secrecy?

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fter months of denial, the Ministers of Natural Resources and Finance admitted that the Government of Guyana did in fact receive a bonus last year when they signed a Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) contract with ExxonMobil.

The confession came during the 2018 Budget debate, when a “smoking gun” in the form of the Finance Ministry’s instruction to the Bank of Guyana, (BoG) dated Sept 20, 2016 and headed: “Signing bonus granted by ExxonMobil – Request to open bank account”, was unearthed.

At the end of October of this year, social activist and accountant/ lawyer Chris Ram revealed the existence of the bonus, which the two aforesaid ministers consistently denied in carefully parsed language. Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo and a wide crosssection of civil society immediately demanded that Government acknowledge the Bonus and disclose its whereabouts, since it had not been placed in the Consolidated Fund, as was later confirmed during the Budget debate.

The Government’s spokespersons, as well as the subject ministers, adamantly maintained their denials.

While there has been some debate as to the comparative benefits between signing bonuses and opting for a greater share in profits, the former are fairly standard in the petroleum industry.

Thus the facticity of the bonus in and of itself is not an issue, but the secrecy on the matter is, especially when, from the onset of oil discovery in 2015, there has been an emphasis on, and commitment to, “transparency” by all concerned parties, including the Government. In fact, the Government gave great publicity to its successful efforts to join the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI).

Since the EITI demands: “…countries participating in the EITI, companies are required to publish what they pay to Governments and Governments are required to publish what they receive from companies”, one wonders what will be the action of the body on Guyana’s membership, since the Bonus payment was not mentioned in the latter’s application for membership. The application was made in August of this year — a year after Guyana received the Bonus and secreted it in the BoG – and was approved in October. There is now incontrovertible evidence that Guyana entered the body on false pretences.

The EITI’s response is very critical at this juncture, since there has always been great skepticism about Guyana’s ability, and even willingness, to maintain transparency because of the disequilibrium of size and resources between the Government of Guyana and ExxonMobil. This issue was raised when Minister Trotman took a large team on an all-expenses-paid trip to Exxon’s headquarters in Texas to ostensibly discuss “policy” matters.

The Bonus is now being described by Minister Trotman as a payment by Exxon to cover “legal fees” that are being incurred to prepare Guyana’s case to the ICJ when the UN Secretary General sends the Venezuela Border Controversy to that institution by Dec 31, as promised, for resolution. But the Finance Minister has no authority to create any such fund under the laws of Guyana.

Trotman was not negotiating on behalf of a private entity, such as NICIL, which can retain funds until it decides to transfer them into the Consolidated Fund, but for the GoG. They committed illegalities, in the first instance, to create the Fund; and subsequently, to deny the existence of the latter. For the Ministers to split hairs and accuse interlocutors of not asking them questions specific to the quantum of the bonus is beyond surreal, when the entire transaction was shrouded in secrecy. This secrecy was totally unwarranted, and Trotman and Jordan cannot escape by wrapping themselves in the flag of patriotism. It has indeed been truly said that “patriotism is the last refuge of scoundrels”.

A “signing bonus”, as pointed out, is very common in oil production, and is classified as “Government revenues”, which are fungible. There was nothing Venezuela could do if it had been revealed that Guyana was using its revenues to prepare its legal case on the border controversy, and not to do so would have been very imprudent.

The Government has to be held accountable for this deception.

Best graduating student, Ms. Nirupa Manroop receiving the Presidential Award for Excellence from President David Granger on Thursday at the 83rd Graduation Exercise of the Cyril Potter College of Education. (MOTP photo)

Kali: A foundation stone of NY IndianCaribbean community passes on

By Ravi Dev

I

was in New York over the past two weeks during which one of the foundation stones of the New York Queens based Indian Guyanese community - Ramesh Kallicharran -passed away. I had arrived in the City back in 1972 and having attended Brooklyn College, at a time when that Flatbush neighbourhood was transitioning from Jewish to West Indian.

I ended up in the suburbs of North Jersey in the late 70’s, which was a more convenient commute to mid-Manhattan where I worked. Around the same time, the Indian Guyanese community was coalescing in Richmond Hill, where Kali, as Ramesh was called, was a real estate agent who sold his first house to my uncle, on Liberty Ave in late 1977. So when in 1983 I wanted to buy a property in Queens where my parents could live and commute more comfortably than in suburbia, I, of course sought out Kali. And fell into the Indian Guyanese community.

Next door to his office on Hillside Ave in Jamaica, he hosted the meetings of the fledgling Indo Caribbean Federation, led by Rudra Nath and a flock of his students from Corentyne Comprehensive. In the big, burgeoning city, this meeting place was crucial to the kindling of a community spirit. Mr Nath had originally hailed from West Coast and we fell into step and Kali was there to assist in the first IndoCaribbean Arrival Day commemoration in NY at Smokey Park. This is now an annual event in NYC. In the floor above that meeting place, Kali pioneered and facilitated a Hindu Mandir, the Gyan Bhakti Satsangh, which is still going strong under a new name - the Prem Bhakti Satsangh. He assisted in the launching of several other Sanataan Mandirs and was one of the key figures launching the Federation of Hindu Mandirs a few years later.

Kali transcended the religious

Ramesh Kalicharran

divide as he facilitated from Haji Zakhir (Muslim) and Pt Ramlall (Arya Samaj) as well as several Christian Guyanese groups.

Kali was the first Indian Guyanese to engage the Indians from India - the NRI’s. He befriended Dr Vishwanath, who ran TV Asia from his home, and from where we would broadcast Indian Caribbean interviews and music, pioneered by Trinidadian Bhanu Dwarika. He was the first to organise an Indian Caribbean Diaspora float for the India Day Parade, and I had the pleasure of seeing village girls from India dancing excitedly along the streets of Madison Ave to the beat of our tassa drums. They were not used to the exuberance of village music in the parade. He provided the space for the group of us who organised the Commemoration of 150 anniversary of Indian Indentureship at Columbia University in 1988.

When the Federation of Indian Organisations and other sub-continental groups decided to host a NRI Global Conference, they, of course, got in touch with Kali and he informed activists like myself and other members the newly formed Jaguar Committee for Democracy. At one of the joint meetings, Pandita Indrani Rampersad of TT

and myself proposed calling ourselves “People of Indian Origin”. Kali, myself and a delegation of “Indian Indians” and “Caribbean Indians” travelled to the Caribbean to invite the participation of Cheddi Jagan, Basdeo Panday and other Caribbean Indian leaders.

Kali was integrally involved in that inaugural 1989 GOPIO Conference in the Sheraton on NTC. When the conference was over he provided a forum for Dr Jagan to meet the community.

But for me, Kali provided some of my most sublime musical experiences ranging from Pankaj Udas at Madison Square Garden to the music composer Ravi of “Nagin” and “Hamraaz” fame, in an evening’s “mauj” in his basement at 169th Street. I remember once arrogantly advising Kali to move to the suburbs as befitting his “wealth”. He smilingly told me he would rather remain where his people were.

And it was here that I went last week to attend his “wake”, that Caribbean institution that we incorporated into our syncretic cultural practices. As the bhajan I sang in his honour said, Kali was a man who appreciated there is no point giving nectar to the gods (in puja) if you have never offered water to one who was thirsty.

May you forever be with Lord Krishna, old friend.

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16 Guyanese among Man accused of 96 illegal immigrants murdering Venezuelan boat captain remanded detained in Trinidad S

everal Caribbean nationals were detained by police during a combined anti-crime exercise conducted in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad in recent weeks.

A c t i n g

those being held at the Immigration division are 16 Guyanese, 10 Jamaicans, seven Cubans and one person from Dominica and St Vincent and the Grenadines.

Also in custody

6 to December 7 along Independence Square, Charlotte Street and in the Woodbrook area of the capital.

He also disclosed that some were employed as taxi drivers, restaurant workers and engaged in

T

Superintendent Dale Ablack of the Port of Spain police division told reporters on Wednesday that the police, along with personnel from other agencies, held 96 people, who entered the country illegally.

He said among

are 45 Venezuelans, nine Chinese, three Columbians and one each from Italy, the Philippines, Nigeria and Ghana.

Alback said the illegal immigrants were picked up during exercises between October

other activities.

The senior cop added that more anti-crime exercises will be held throughout the Christmas period and into the 2018 Carnival season. (CMC)

David Gaskin being escorted by Police officers

he man who allegedly beat to death a Venezuelan boat captain on Monday last was on Thursday arraigned for the murder before Chief Magistrate, Ann McLennan.

David Gaskin, 36, of 649 Kuru Kuru, Soesdyke, Linden appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court for the crime.

The indictable charge against the Miner alleged that on December 8, 2017, at Eteringbang Landing, Cuyuni, he murdered Owen Williams John.

Gaskin was remanded to prison until March 20, 2018, where he will make his second appearance before the Kamarang Magistrate's Court.

On the day of the murder, Gaskin and John were said to be imbibing when an argument ensued between the two over money.

It was reported that John reportedly refused to lend Gaskin a small amount of money that he requested to borrow.

As such, Gaskin became enraged and allegedly punched John to his head. When the man fell to the ground, he reportedly dealt him several kicks to his head until he became motionless.

The Police were called to the scene and John was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

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Another example of authoritarianism by APNU-AFC Govt.

Dear Editor, The use of force by the police on the opposition Members of Parliament during a Parliamentary session and the attempt by the police to forcefully remove the elected Member of Parliament for the opposition, Bishop Edghill, because he refused to comply with the Speaker’s order to leave the chamber of Parliament as he was merely seeking more time to question the government’s budget estimates will forever be remembered as a day of disgrace on our democracy and yet another example of authoritarianism by the APNU-AFC government.

As a former Member of Parliament, I condemn in the strongest terms the actions of the Speaker of the National Assembly and the police who followed blindly orders to use such force. I am yet to see such excessive force ordered on Members of Parliament for the government whose behaviour on occasions have been far worse.

I take this opportunity to remind everyone that this is merely a continuation of what happened shortly after the APNU-AFC took office when two years ago GDF officers attempted to unlawfully detain my wife and her brother and then chased them in a high-speed car chase which resulted in three persons dead and none other than the President Granger is quoted immediately thereafter as saying “it was a legitimate state operation” and “there was no need for a probe”. Almost exactly two years have passed and the government has swept the event under the rug of their diabolical secrets.

Finally, permit me also to take this opportunity to explain to all Guyanese the magnitude of these events through the use of the history: In a democracy, the use of the armed forces by an authoritarian government against opposition Parliamentarians is where the police state and civilian repression begin. History has shown that authori-

tarian governments from all around the world loathe dissent, scrutiny, and voiced opposition.

In a democracy, the vehicle of dissent, scrutiny, and voice opposition takes the form of the Members of Parliament in the opposition in Parliament. Once authoritarian governments succeed in silencing those Members of Parliament form the opposition by whatever means (political prosecution, electing and directing a partisan Speaker of Parliament, stacking the courts with compliant Judges, the use of force, the use of tax authorities, assassinations, etc.) the authoritarian government turns its intolerable attention to any form of dissent, scrutiny, or voiced opposition which then comes from civilians.

So, today it may be Bishop Edghill or other opposition MPs but tomorrow or next week it may be ordinary Guyanese and/or their families. Unless we stand against such state action

then all civilian freedoms and protections will be eroded away bit by bit and such action almost always is purported to be justified in the name of “the protection of the state”.

A clear example of this already occurring is the acknowledgment

by Granger of the violation of the Constitution when an unlawful directive was sent to the Police Service Commission by his minister of the Presidency to cease promotions of the police but explained it was necessary to protect the state based on the information they obtained.

All Guyanese who want better for Guyana must take a stand now against an authoritarian government or sit subjugated and repressed for a very long time.

Sincerely, Charles S Ramson Attorney at Law/ Former Member of Parliament

Speaker has duty to maintain orderly Where are the voices of conduct of debates in the House independent thinkers in Guyana?

Dear Editor, Let me be very clear: Ministers Raphael Trotman and Winston Jordan are beings of President David Granger.

They cannot collect three billion, seven hundred and eighty million dollars (G$3,780,000,000) — the equivalent of US$18 million — from a private sector investor that has a track record that is not perfect with respect to relations with Third World governments. It is unacceptable that team Granger and Exxon tried for a year to not declare these funds; but what is worse is that Article 216 of the Guyana Constitution was trampled upon by none other than the President. After all, these funds belong to the people of Guyana, thus he does not have a legal transport over these funds. So why is he operating in such a manner? This is not his private business, this is public business, and must be declared.

So while I want to blame Mr Trotman, he cannot be exclusively blamed for this one, since he was acting under instructions from the Ministry of the Presidency. So let us be clear, this is Granger.

The buck stops there!

That is why I am committed to the establishment of a Sovereign Wealth Fund that would

be independently managed by a professional team.

It is time for the independent thinkers to raise their voices to save Guyana. Where are the voices of the Bishops of Guyana – the Catholic Church, the Anglican Church, the Guyana Pandits Council, the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha, the Central Islamic Organization of Guyana, and so on?

Where are the voices of civil society groups such as the Private Sector Commission, the Guyana Human Rights Association, the Guyana Bar Association, and the Guyana Women Lawyers Association?

But as a certified chartered accountant, I am extremely disappointed with the silence of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Guyana on this point of public accountability. I am done with this Granger regime, the sensible strategy now for all right-thinking and rational Guyanese would be to expose, oppose, and finally depose. Borrowing from Ricky Singh’s narrative, “it is time to light a candle….” for the Guyanese people and the forces of oppression, theft and corruption visiting their country once again.

Regards Sase Singh

Dear Editor, One of the basic principles of parliamentary procedure is that proceedings in Parliament are conducted in terms of a free and civil discourse. In order that debate on matters of public policy be held in a civil manner, the House has adopted rules of order and decorum for the conduct of Members towards each other and towards the institution as a whole. Members are to show respect for one another and for different viewpoints; offensive or rude behaviour or language is not tolerated. Emotions are to be expressed in words rather than acted out; opinions are to be expressed with civility and freely, without fear of punishment or reprisal.

Freedom of speech is one of the most important privileges enjoyed

by Members of Parliament. This freedom is circumscribed, however,

by the necessity of maintaining order and decorum when debate is taking place. Thus, the right to speak is tempered by the written rules of the House which are, in general, limitations on what may be said, and when, by whom and for how long.

The Speaker is charged with maintaining order in the Chamber by ensuring that the House’s rules and practices are respected. He or she ensures that the rules are followed respecting proper attire, the quoting and tabling of documents in debate, the application of the sub judice convention to debates and questioning in the House, and the civility of remarks directed towards any , Members , representatives , judges and courts. In addition, the Speaker has the duty to maintain an orderly conduct of debate by repressing disorder when it arises either on the floor of the Chamber or in the galler-

ies and by ruling on points of order raised by Members. The Speaker’s disciplinary powers ensure that the debate is focussed and permit the Chair to remove Members who persist in behaving inappropriately.

Nonetheless, while it is the Speaker who is charged with maintaining the dignity and decorum of the House, members themselves must take responsibility for their behaviour and conduct their business in an appropriate fashion.

We wonder what example was set on Monday for future potential parliamentarians to emulate by the ruckus and unbecoming behaviour in our parliament.

If the behaviour by some members of our parliament is to be judged with an unbiased mind, many voters may wonder why vote!

Yours faithfully, Rooplall Dudhnath

Govt to be blamed for ‘bungling’ the signing bonus Dear Editor, My initial thinking is that the coalition Government's handling, if not bungling, of the signing bonus with ExxonMobil resulted from inexperience, if not incompetence, rather than a desire to be corrupt. Time may perhaps tell. However, no one can be blamed, other than the Government itself, for the widespread perception that corruption was the intent.

That having been said, I am of the view, as has been evidenced by several letters and articles which I have previously written, that no stone should be left unturned in ensuring that Venezuela's claim to our geographic space, including our maritime boundaries, is finally and permanently settled in Guyana's favour.

I therefore have absolutely no difficulty with the Government's decision to negotiate and use a signing bonus from ExxonMobil for the purpose of payment of legal fees and funding of heightened diplomatic activity in preparation for mounting our arguments before the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

I am also well aware that there are certain arrangements -- especially those with a complex international architecture -- that for a host of reasons require a certain amount of secrecy, at least for a period of time, until public

disclosure would have limited negative impact. I want to believe that this signing bonus arrangement is one such case. But here is where I have a problem with the approach of the coalition Government, and where its inexperience is exposed.

If corruption is not the intent, and I repeat that I don't think it is, I am of the view that the President should have invited the Leader of the Opposition, the Speaker of the National Assembly, the Auditor General, the Chair of the Guyana Council of Churches, the President of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), and the Chair of the Private Sector Commission to a meeting at which he would have informed them of the impending possibility of the matter of the Venezuela claim going to the ICJ, and the need for Guyana to have readily available, in an unencumbered manner, financial resources to meet its bills. His Excellency could then have informed them -- having laid out a convincing case of the need for these resources to be used to protect and maintain our territorial integrity and our natural resources -- of the negotiation of, and intent to use, a signing bonus from ExxonMobil for the purpose of meeting our expenses.

He could also have advised them that because of the complex in-

ternational architecture of the arrangement, including Exxon's own problems with Venezuela, the arrangement had to remain secret for the time being, and that he was counting on their support on this issue.

Then the President could have gone on to explain to this select group that the funds would be initially deposited in an interest- bearing account through the Central Bank (Bank of Guyana), and not deposited into the Consolidated Fund; and presented the arguments in support of this.

Further, he could have invited the select group to meet with him every quarter for an update on how the funds were being spent, a report that would have been delivered to the group by the Governor of the Bank of Guyana.

Now, according to Christopher Ram, some laws may have been broken with this approach, and the Constitution may even have been violated. If the approach I have suggested had been used, then I have no problem with breaking laws and violating the Constitution in defence of our territorial integrity and the preservation of the vast natural resources therein.

Just my take.

Regards, Wesley Kirton

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One-yr-old drowns Greenidge discredits in Mocha trench sensationalising of signing bonus T A

mother of three is now being questioned by Police after the body of her one-year-old baby girl was fished out of a trench at Mocha, East Bank Demerara (EBD) on Wednesday afternoon.

Dead is Amiah Eastman of Barnwell North, Mocha, East Bank Demerara (EBD).

According to reports received, the child’s mother,

Shadica Dublin, 23, a domestic worker, exited her home to clean the walls of another house which is located in the same yard.

Amiah, and her siblings, ages 3 and 4 were left playing together in their wooden shack which is located just a short distance away from the house their mother was cleaning.

This publication understands that Dublin left what she was doing and proceeded to check on her children when she noticed Amiah was missing.

After futile searches were made, the mother made a report at the Mocha Police Outpost.

A search launched by officers found the baby’s body floating in a trench in the

same yard.

The child was rushed to the Diamond Diagnostic Centre where she was pronounced dead on arrival.

Dublin was taken into Police custody.

The other children are said to now be in the care of their father, 24-year-old Randy Eastman.

he Minister of Foreign Affairs Carl Greenidge is the latest to discredit claims that there was secrecy and illegality surrounding the signing bonus the government received from ExxonMobil.

According to DPI, in the National Assembly on Thursday, Minister Greenidge, echoed President David Granger’s statement that the non-disclosure of the signing bonus was a matter of national security.

“Those who would challenge us in the court would have been very pleased with the airing of this controversy by Guyanese,” Minister Greenridge said, addressing the “sensational headlines” over the signing bonus in local media.

Guyana is preparing to defend its territorial integrity against Venezuela in the International Court of Justice pending a decision from the United Nation’s Secretary General following the conclusion of dialogue under the Good Offices Process.

Minister Greenidge explained it was his Ministry that advised the President “to set aside sufficient funds to make the payment” for lawyers; to bring a resolution to the controversy on the validity of the 1899 Arbitral

Minister of Foreign Affairs Carl Greenidge

Award which demarcated the Guyana Venezuela Border.

Venezuela, since 1962, has been claiming the Award is null and void.

The Minister shared that US$15M is expected to be used for lawyers’ fees in the litigation while $US3M will be used to fund the urgent training of Guyanese in necessary skills such as engineering and petroleum geology.

Given the national security threat, Minister Greenidge said, “Only those that needed to know were informed as to the purpose of the deposit.”

Meanwhile, the Minister echoed the Minister of Finance’s assertion that there was no illegality in the transaction. “This is not unusual in Westminster type systems…this is also in keeping with the use of other monies received from other sources such as the IDB,” he pointed out.

In fact, Article 37:2 of the MFAA makes provision for the holding of funds in a budget or other accounts.

When the monies are activated for the intended use it will be transferred to the Consolidated Fund.

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Exxon signing bonus

APNU/AFC should have come clean to avoid scandal

I

n attempting to make sense out of the situation that involved Government trying to keep secret a signing bonus received from United States (U.S.) oil giant ExxonMobil, columnist and political analyst Ralph Ramkarran strongly feels that the Government has foolishly tarnished its credentials.

In his weekly column, the Conversation Tree, the former Speaker of the National Assembly said he also feels that the APNU/AFC Government should have come clean on this bonus, in order to save itself from the humiliation of having to explain the reason why it kept this matter a secret.

“I have wracked my brain to figure out why so many intelligent people decided to maintain the secrecy since June, when it was clear that the revelation by Christopher Ram suggested that the information was out.

Then was the time to come clean and avoid a scandal,” Ramkarran posited.

Ministers of the Government have lied about this issue until the leaked information was reported in the local media, and Ramkarran believes consequences should attend those ministers’ actions. But he recognises that unless there is a mass upsurge, which is unlikely, this action will continue to be defended.

“There is no excuse for the secrecy, and any attempt to defend it is an insult to the Guyanese people,” Ramkarran added, while explaining that politics in Guyana is what he describes is a zero-sum game in which the rules of transparency and accountability are weak, and are not enforced where they exist.

And according to him, no conventions have been established or are entrenched.

“The prevailing wisdom, therefore, is to give the Opposition and the Guyanese people as little as possible; and where possible, nothing. This is the national political culture derived from its core

Former House Speaker Ralph Ramkarran

defect — the politics of ethno-political domination…,” he asserted.

The former House Speaker also explained that in a situation the people are the pawns, and that is the reason why the APNU-AFC coalition, when in Opposition, could have been so strident in defence of transparency and accountability, and can now so “blithely dismiss” such concepts with contempt.

“The Government has foolishly tarnished its credentials. Those were already under strain by its

refusal to reveal the contract it had signed with ExxonMobil. It has been recovering somewhat by its promise to reveal the contents of the contract, albeit under intense public pressure,” Ramkarran stated.

He is of the opinion that if Government were to admit it had made an error of judgment in this instance, that admission would go a far way in putting the matter to rest; but he noted that this does not happen in Guyana’s politics.

“We have to expect

more bluster, cross accusations against the Opposition that ‘you were worse,’ and amidst it all, efforts at dismissals or explanations,” the political analyst added.

According to him, none of that would work among “thinking Guyanese.” He said that even when it fades from the news, this episode would remain a stain on the integrity of the Government’s promises about transparency and accountability, and increase cynicism with politics, even among Government supporters.

Ramkarran emphasised that Guyanese are the collective owners of the country’s resources, and the Government merely holds a temporary management responsibility over them. Therefore, all Guyanese are entitled to know all the relevant details of how it is managing these resources.

“To keep these details a secret constitutes a breach of a sacred trust.

Just imagine, we were being deliberately kept in the dark about our own

money! How can this be excused?” he questioned.

Ramkarran said this matter is therefore not merely a matter between Government and the Opposition.

While the Government has already tried to justify why it hid the signing bonus received from ExxonMobil, the prominent attorney has said that what the PPP/C Government did in relation to the GuyanaSuriname boundary dispute is totally irrelevant, and the issue is the secrecy over income received by the Government.

“No allegation has been made against the PPP/C Government that moneys were received by it from CGX and hidden. In this case, moneys were legitimately paid

by ExxonMobil to the Government of Guyana as a signing bonus,” Ramkarran added, noting that whether or not ExxonMobil was aware that the moneys were to be utilised for a specific purpose is not an issue. continued on page 10

Berbice businessman on G$1M bail for causing teen’s death …arrested 3 months after hit-and-run accident

P

olice ranks in Berbice have been able to locate the car which was involved in a hit-and-run accident at Number 55 Village, Corentyne back in September and have also arrested the driver.

Reports are that Police got the breakthrough with the aid of a close relative of the suspect.

It was the man’s son-in-law who reportedly provided the information to the Police al-

most three months after the accident which killed 19-year-old Trishan Sahai, also called “Star”, of Number 57 Village, Corentyne and injured his 28-year-old friend, Mooneshwar Jairam, also called “Bodo”, of the same village.

Reports are that after the driver’s daughter and her husband encountered some marital problems, he told the Police that it was his father-in-law who was involved in the September

17 hit-and-run accident at Number 55 Village in front of a bar.

One of the persons Police immediately arrested was the man’s wife, Roshnie Iyube, in whose name the car is registered.

The woman said that she had no knowledge that her car was involved in a hit-and-run accident. According to her, she was led to believe that her husband had hit an animal and it was not until six weeks after that

the car was fixed. During that time, it remained in the garage. The woman told Guyana Times International that last Friday evening, a party of Police Officers visited their Bath Settlement home.

“When I come out, they ask me who is my husband and I told them Sultan Iyube and they say that is not the name they have for him and then they ask for my name and after I give them they told my husband that he is under arrest for some accident and then they told me that I am under arrest too,” the woman said.

The couple were initially taken to the Fort Wellington Police Station and then to Central Police Station in New Amsterdam. The suspected hit-and-run driver was eventually detained at Reliance while his wife went to Sisters Village. During the investigation, the suspect took investigators to the scene and pointed out where it was that he hit the two men.

He also told investigators that he thought it was an animal, but related that in the rearview mirror, he could see persons rushing towards the object he had hit.

According to Roshnie Iyube, when her husband arrived home on the night in question, he

Dead: Trishan Sahai, also called “Star”

told her that he had damaged the car after hitting something on the road.

“When I look, I see the headlamp break on the left side and the rearview mirror on the left side break and the bumper have a little scratch and I told him once there is life, we can always fix that,” the woman said.

Back in September, a motor car with an unknown registration plate was proceeding north along the Corentyne Highway at a fast pace and struck down Sahai and Jairam, who were walking across the Highway at Number Naught Village.

Sahai was tossed some 30 feet away from the impact point while Jairam landed on top of a parked motor car, breaking the windscreen and rearview mirror in the process.

However, the speeding driver did not stop.

Both men were taken to the Skeldon Hospital, where Sahai was pronounced dead while Jairam was transferred to the New Amsterdam Hospital. Iyube says following the accident, her husband was unusually quiet for several days.

The damaged car was fixed six weeks after the accident. During that period, it remained parked in the garage.

Meanwhile, the dead man’s stepfather, Haroon Hamid, says he is happy that the Police have been able to crack the case.

“When we get that news, we felt a little relieved to know that after a while the Police were still trying and now they get to apprehend him. We must give thanks and compliment the Police for doing such a wonderful job. We hope that justice will prevail,” he said.

Meanwhile, the mother of 28-year-old Jairam expressed gratitude, saying she had given up hope.

“On to now, he is not well as he was before. He still cries out for his head and his shoulder that is paining up to now,” she said.

Sultan Iyube, 48, of Bath Settlement, West Coast Berbice, apcontinued on page 9

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NEWS 9

Sisters bound, Top Cop says no idea who robbed at gunpoint authorised undercover cops to sit in home invasion at press table in National Assembly

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wo sisters, a teacher and a United Nation’s employee, were in the wee hours of Thursday morning bound and held up at gunpoint by gunmen who then carted off with their valuables.

The victims have been identified as Jacqueline Percival, 52, and Elizabeth Percival, 50, both of Lamaha Springs, Georgetown.

According to reports received, the two sisters were asleep at around 02:00hrs when the incident occurred.

The women who both reside in a flat concrete house were awakened by three men, two of whom were armed.

Their hands were bound with scotch tape by one of the bandits who held them at gunpoint as two of the men ransacked the house for valuables.

Based on information received, the men were able to escape the scene with G$225,000 along with a large quantity of gold jewellery, one Samsung cell phone and one flat screen television valued approximately G$100,000.

A report was made to the Police after Jacqueline was able to untie herself and then her sister.

Police investigations are currently ongoing.

Armed bandits rob male sex workers

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anks on patrol duty Tuesday night arrested a suspect after he was found in possession of a motorcycle that was minutes before stolen from two male sex workers.

Guyana Times International understands that the sex workers were seated on the motorcycle at the corner of Croal Street and Orange Walk, Georgetown when they were suddenly pounced upon by four armed males, who pulled up in a motor car.

The bandits relieved the victims of their valuables, including the motorcycle and their cellphones. However, during

their escape bid, one of the bandits was disarmed by the two sex workers of a .32 pistol, which was loaded with five live rounds.

The incident was reported and patrol ranks who were in the vicinity of the Bourda Market, responded swiftly and pursued the 24-year-old suspect, who was eventually arrested on Camp Street with the victims’ motorcycle.

He was positively identified by the sex workers and is cooperating with investigators.

Meanwhile, the weapon that was taken away from the bandits was also handed over to the Police by the victims.

Berbice businessman on... from page 8

peared at the Number 51 Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday before Magistrate Charlyn Artiga to answer four charges.

The West Coast Berbice businessman was placed on G$1 million bail and ordered to lodge his travel documents after he was arraigned on four charges, including causing death

by dangerous driving.

Iyube was not required to plead to the causing death charge. He was also charged with failing to stop following an accident, failing to render assistance and failing to report an accident on the same day.

He will have to return to court on December 27.

(Andrew Carmichael)

nother situation almost escalated in Parliament on Wednesday when two plain clothes Police Officers took turns pretending to be reporters while sitting at the press table in the National Assembly.

When day three of the meeting of the Committee of Supply commenced on Wednesday, the journalists noticed a strange person sitting at the press table but raised no alarm. However, as the day progressed, and it was observed that the stranger made no attempt to fit in nor communicate with other journalists, this left reporters suspicious.

That suspicion was heightened when the first stranger was replaced by a second one, who acted in the same manner. It was also observed that the second stranger had a bulge at his waist, resulting in many of the journalists believing that he may have been armed.

As such, a complaint was lodged with the Clerk of the National Assembly, Sherlock Isaacs, who immediately investigated. He reported that the officers were there on assignment but was unable to determine who authorised the assignment.

The officers were immediately summoned and ordered to leave the precinct of the Public Buildings which they did.

It was also related that acting Police Commissioner David Ramnarine, had no idea as to who authorised

the officers to work undercover in the National Assembly.

He promised to investigate and determine who ordered that the officers’ presence be in the National Assembly and that they impersonate journalists at the press table.

Isaacs told reporters that the officers had no permission to sit at the press table and added that they were improperly attired as well.

He noted that the National Assembly gives permission to have two undercover officers from the Special Branch along with two uniformed female officers in the public gallery at every Sitting of the House.

When contacted, A Division (GeorgetownEast Bank Demerara) Commander, Marlon Chapman told this publication that the incident was a “genuine mix up” that was “rectified” but did not indulge in further details.

The incident once again raises the question of the safety of parliamentarians and all those within the confines of the parliamentary Chambers during every sitting of the House. Just last Friday, the greater public saw the invasion of the National Assembly by a woman dressed as Santa Claus ringing a bell and carrying a dictionary along with other paraphernalia.

Her invasion seemed to be well-planned, since it happened as soon as most of the Government Ministers left the Chambers.

Undercover Cops posing as journalists in Parliament

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New Moroccan Ambassador accredited

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s Guyana and the Kingdom of Morocco celebrate five years of cordial diplomatic relations, President David Granger, yesterday, accredited Mr. Nabil Adghoghi as the new Moroccan Ambassador to Guyana. The two countries established formal diplomatic ties on December 14, 2012.

President Granger said that Morocco’s efforts to balance economic development and the

protection of the environment can provide valuable lessons for Guyana. Moreover, he lauded Morocco’s global leadership on issues such as climate change and the protection of the environment manifested in its hosting of the Conference on Climate Change in Marrakesh November 2016, which he attended.

“I had the opportunity to participate in that event and to iterate our support for the re-

duction of global greenhouse gas emissions, including through the increased generation and use of renewable energy. Guyana is in transition towards becoming a ‘green’ state. The ‘green’ state will place emphasis on the protection of our environment, the preservation of our biodiversity and the generation of energy from renewable sources. Guyana looks forward to cooperation with Morocco in advancing its ‘green’ devel-

opment agenda,” the Head of State said.

The new Ambassador said that there is potential for significant cooperation between Guyana and Morocco, noting that his country has a keen interest in developing partnerships in agriculture, fisheries, maritime transport, professional training, water management, student exchanges.

“Guyana has been playing an important role in regional and international relations especially in the formulation of development policies… Morocco launched in November in Brasilia, negotiations for free trade agreement with Mercosur [Common Market of the South] to which Guyana is an associated member. This framework will automatically impact the development, economic and commercial ties between our two countries,” he said. (DPI)

‘I take full responsibility’... from page 3

ing the money, but a document by Finance Secretary Hector Butts was leaked to Guyana Times International and it stated there was a request that the Bank of Guyana’s Governor set up a special account to deposit the money.

A few months ago, Chartered Accountant, Christopher Ram, revealed to the nation that Government had collected a US$20million-dollar signing bonus from the oil company.

However, Government’s receipt of this bonus was denied by Finance Minister Winston Jordan; Minister of State, Joseph Harmon; and Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman, who had all pleaded ignorance of the bonus when asked by the media.

After the leaked document was published by this publication, ExxonMobil has since said that they in fact paid US$18 million over to the Government.

In lashing out at the Government for lying to the nation, Ram has since called for an inquiry to be held into all deals negotiated by

the Natural Resources Ministry, and for criminal charges to be instituted against ministers at the centre of the controversy.

Now that the proverbial cat is out of the bag, Ram noted, there are immediate and longer-term implications of this saga from which Guyana may forever suffer. One of these implications, he pointed out, is that high-level officials of the Finance Ministry, Guyana Geology and Mines Commission, and the Bank of Guyana — inclusive of the Audit Committee — have been ensnared in this conspiracy.

Ram added it means that Article 216 of the Constitution of Guyana has been knowingly violated; “that critical information contained in the Estimates of Expenditure now being considered by the National Assembly is inaccurate, incorrect and meaningless; that the 2016 financial statements of the Government and of the Consolidated Fund are for 2016 similarly deficient.”

Fugitive Lethem businessman rearrested APNU/AFC should …prime suspect in illegal aircraft, airstrip probe have come clean...

from page 8

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he businessman from Tabatinga, Lethem, Region Nine (Upper TakutuUpper Essequibo) who is the prime suspect in the discovery of an illegal aircraft and airstrip at Lethem in August this year, was nabbed by Police after he allegedly fled the jurisdiction.

According to the Guyana Police Force, the businessman is currently in the custody of a team of detectives led by a senior officer who travelled to Lethem three days ago.

Police said the suspect will be brought to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) headquarters in Georgetown for further questioning.

Flashback: The abandoned Beechcraft on the 5400-foot illegal airstrip at Lethem

The businessman was previously detained

by Police and questioned in connection with the discovery of the illegal aircraft and airstrip, but was later released on bail, after which he is

The interior of the abandoned aircraft

believed to have fled the jurisdiction and went into hiding.

It was previously reported that the businessman was released on G$100,000 bail after being detained for 72 hours as the Police failed to garner sufficient evidence against him.

He was however ordered to report to the Lethem Police Station weekly but after two of his employees – Nathan Hamilton, 21, of Lot 107 Beverley Hills Drive, Lethem; and Wazim King, 37, also of Lethem were brought before the court and charged for the incident, he failed to make

his weekly reports and attempts made by the Police to contact him proved futile.

The airstrip along with a chainsaw and a few fuel drums were discovered five kilometers West of Santa Fe, near Lethem by ranks.

Additionally, 12 abandoned camps, an axe and a quarter drum of aviation fuel were also found.

While conducting a surveillance exercise, ranks of the Guyana Defence Force were able to intercept a Beechcraft twin-engine plane which landed on the airstrip.

The airstrip is believed to be used for illegal activities. (Kizzy Coleman)

However, it was the Government that decided that the money would be used to pay the legal expenses to be incurred in relation to a potential case at the ICJ concerning the Guyana-Venezuela Border controversy. “It hid both the payment and its purpose,” he asserted.

Ramkarran said the Government had two choices, one of which was to hide the money and keep it a secret in violation of all financial practices and perhaps laws (which it did); and two, call in the Leader of the Opposition, deal with the funds in a lawful way, but seek his support in maintaining confidentiality. Ramkarran feels that Government would never have secured opposition support and confidentiality.

The attorney said Government also had the option of paying this signing bonus into the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), and find a lawful way to save it to utilise later in the manner in which it had intended. “I immediately concede that the purpose for which the Government designated

the use of the funds ought to have been kept confidential. Guyana’s discussions with Venezuela and the United Nations are ongoing, and the release of such information could potentially be unhelpful.

But the best way to ensure that (news of receipt of this bonus) enters the public domain was not to hide it,” he added.

The former House Speaker continued, “I have wracked my brain to figure out what led to the belief among highly intelligent people — many of whom understand their responsibilities as elected officials; understand that these are modern times with independent journalists and commentators; understand that the days when these secrecies were possible no longer exist; understand that secrets among so many people cannot be maintained — to decide on such a foolhardy course of misapplying the funds to a secret account at the Bank of Guyana. It boggles the mind…. The wracking of my brain has produced no hint of potential reasons these intelligent people could advance.”

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Man placed on G$500,000 G$68M set aside to bail for causing support hinterland agriculture drive in 2018 death of GDF rank

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n keeping with the Sustainable Development Goals-2 (SDG-2) which calls for zero hunger and the promotion of sustainable agriculture to achieve food security, the government will be investing some G$68M to support hinterland agriculture in 2018.

During her budget 2018 presentation, Minister within the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs, Valerie Garrido-Lowe explained that G$25M will be used to procure tractors and equipment for three indigenous farming communities.

This, she noted, will boost and enhance sustainable farming, productivity and food security for the residents.

Further, she explained that some G$33M will also be spent undertaking major upgrades to farm-to-market roads in six communities; Kabakaburi, Wakapoa, Kariako, Mararanau, Masakeneri, and Rupertee. “This will allow for the smooth flow of transportation of the residents’ agricultural

Minister Valerie Garrido-Lowe

products to market”, the Minister explained.

Additionally, the ATV trail in the Central Baramita to Lower Aranka will also be upgraded at the cost of G$10M in 2018.

The projects are part of the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs’ capital expen-

diture. The purpose is to provide appropriate technology and strong infrastructure to improve the transportation and materials to provide safety and protection to the farmers, in securing their farms, and accessing market for their produce.

he man who allegedly drove recklessly causing the death of Marvin Dodson, the 22-year-old Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Lance Corporal of Cross Street, Alexander Village, Georgetown, was on Thursday granted G$500,000 bail when he appeared at the Leonora Magistrate’s Court.

Navin Rampersaud, 31, of Schoonord, West Bank Demerara (WBD), appeared before Magistrate Rochelle Liverpool and denied the charges brought against him.

The first charge alleged that on December 10, 2017, at Pouderoyen, West Bank Demerara (WBD) he drove recklessly thereby causing the death of Dodson.

He also denied that on the same day at the same location, he drove under the influence of alcohol, thereby causing the death of Dodson.

Additionally, he further denied that on the same day at the same location he failed to render assistance after an accident occurred.

The accident occurred around 03:10hrs on the day in question while Dodson was among a group of partygoers who were just outside of a bar.

Reports are that minibus BTT 8922, was at the time proceeding south along the eastern carriageway allegedly at a fast pace and slammed into the Lance Corporal.

Following the accident, the drunken driver reportedly attempted to flee the scene, dragging the victim’s body along the road as he proceeded.

Dodson was subsequently picked up and rushed to the West Demerara

Dead: Lance Corporal Marvin Dodson

Regional Hospital (WDRH), where he was treated before being transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital in light of the severity of his injuries.

While in surgery at the Georgetown medical institution, the GDF rank took his last breath.

Meanwhile, the driver of the speeding minibus had stopped a short distance away from the point of impact.

As a result of what had transpired, he was allegedly assaulted by a group of angry persons who were present at the time of the accident.

Shortly after, he was whisked away by officers and transported to the WDRH for medical attention as well.

He was later arrested and charged for the offence.

Rampersaud will return to Court on January 8, 2018.

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Guyana’s private sector PM Nagamootoo pays lip says MPs have a right service to sugar industry, to scrutinise Budget says Union head

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he Private Sector Commission (PSC) has noted “with great concern” the events which took place on Monday, December 11, in the National Assembly.

Noting that the objective of Parliament is to allow deliberation on questions of interest to the nation, and to arrive at the will of the Assembly in a civilised manner, the PSC says it firmly believes that Parliament is the forum where members must be free to challenge each other, including the Honourable Speaker, as they pursue the relentless representation of the people of Guyana.

The PSC alluded to the fact that the procedures to be followed by Members of Parliament in the conduct of their deliberations were clearly set out and the methods for dealing with dissenters were also established.

“Members enjoy certain privileges when seated in Parliament and, if these are abused, are subject to disciplinary action as determined by the Speaker in consultation with the

Edward Boyer

Privileges Committee.

The involvement of law enforcement, apart from being an unacceptable overreaction, is an unfortunate occurrence. It does not augur well for our democracy. Any such display of lawlessness should never reoccur,” the PSC said in a statement.

“The damage has already been done, but the Commission expects that all involved will critically review the events of Monday. It is a time to analyse and reflect on the negative impact these have had on our

nation’s image internationally,” the PSC urged.

The Commission also stated that in the interest of the nation, parliamentarians have a right to seek clarification and a full understanding of the Budget as approved

by Parliament. “The debate should not be hijacked. The Budget affects the life of each and every Guyanese and discussions around it are necessary,” it posited.

There should be patience and understanding on both sides of the floor, the PSC added.

Guyana records 99 murders up to end of November

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s 2017 comes to an end, the Guyana Police Force (GPF) has revealed that 99 murders were committed up to the end of November compared to 135 during the same period in 2016, a 27 per cent decrease.

Of the 99 murders, 48 were deemed disorderly while 16 were as a result of domestic issues; 14 stemmed from robberies; seven were execution style and 12 were as a result of unknown reasons.

Two, however, the Police stated were categorised as ‘others’.

A Division (Georgetown-East Bank Demerara) topped the list with a whopping 35 murders followed by 24 in B Division (Berbice) and 20 in F Division (Lethem and Other Interior Locations). Ten of the 99 murders were committed in C Division (East Coast Demerara); seven in D Division (West Demerara-East Bank Essequibo); two in E Division (LindenKwakwani) and one in G Division (Essequibo Coast-Islands).

However, the Police

in their recent statistics revealed that they have recorded a 10 per cent reduction in serious crimes at the end of November 2017 when compared to the same period last year.

In addition to the 27 per cent decrease in murder, there was an 11 per cent increase in robberies where no instruments were used; a 16 per cent decrease in robbery under arms where firearms were used and a five per cent decrease in robbery under arms where instruments other than firearms were used.

In addition, the Police stated that robbery with violence dropped by 43 per cent, but there was an increase in robbery with aggravation by 47 per cent and an 11 per cent increase in larceny from the person.

Finally, the Police stated that there has been a six per cent decrease in rape; a 3 per cent decrease in burglary and a 16 per cent decrease in break and enter and larceny.

With respect to gun seizures, the Force has confiscated 115 illegal

firearms when compared to 97 for the corresponding period last year. Of these, 66 were pistols, 19 were revolvers, 18 were shotguns and 12 were rifles.

Again, A Division topped the list with 51 seizures; there were 28 guns seized in F Division; 13 in B Division, 10 in C Division and eight from D Division. Only five guns were seized from E Division.

Meanwhile, the Police revealed that up to the end of November 2017, 97 persons have lost their lives owing to accidents when compared to 115 for the corresponding period last year, a 16 per cent decrease. Of the 97 fatalities, only two were children. October was listed as the most deadly month on Guyana’s roadways.

Speeding and driving under the influence of alcohol along with inattentiveness were the three main causes of the fatal accidents, followed by failure to confirm to signs and pedestrians crossing in the path of approaching vehicles.

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rime Minister M o s e s Nagamootoo is now being accused of delivering lip service, and changing like a “chameleon” when it comes to addressing the concerns of the sugar workers.

General Secretary of the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU), Seepaul Narine, has said, “While he (the PM) justifies unashamedly the cutting down of the sugar industry and the laying off of thousands, Mr Nagamootoo himself and his party have been saying that he is…a friend of the sugar workers’ union. ‘We are a friend of the sugar workers and we are there to strengthen your backbone’. What a friend indeed!” Narine said on Monday.

Narine called on Nagamootoo to get off his high horse, go into the villages, and interact with the workers who have lost their jobs, and tell them of the plan for the future.

He was at the time responding to the PM’s December 03, column titled ‘Different strategy in changing times.’

He noted that the Government’s callous move has resulted in the breadwinner for most families having been left without a job, resulting in the families being pushed further into poverty.

“Documents shared by the Government on Old Year’s Day last year pointed out that the industry’s real indebtedness stood at about G$17 billion at the end of October 2016, far from the number quoted by the PM. The G$85

Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo

billion debt flag waved at every possible chance by the PM and his cohorts is nothing more than a diversionary tactic to scare a section of the Guyanese public into supporting the very unsound plans it has for the industry. Such course, we repeat, will see thousands of workers as victims”.

He is urging the Prime Minister to check the facts before he pens another column.

Narine related that the Government has taken the sugar industry from the road to recovery and has reduced it to an industry now on life support. He further stated that, in the short time the APNU/AFC Administration have been in power, the production of GuySuCo has fallen by 35 per cent, and workers’ morale is at its lowest point. He referred to the more than 1,500 workers who have now lost their jobs pending the closure of the East Demerara Estate, and added that over 1,500 workers from East Demerara Estate are “being shown the

GAWU General Secretary Seepaul Narine

gate, and cannot be told by the PM or his Government what workable plans they have for them.

“While touting the possibilities of self-employment for sugar workers, can the PM point to any concrete initiative implemented by his Government in this regard? Wales was shut down almost a year ago, and at this point in time, not one single success story is known, but we well know the misery and hopelessness that stalks the villages,” the statement read.

“While the PM speaks about State support to the industry, he forgets that it is the largest employer in the nation, and its operations touch so many lives across our country. Furthermore, he forgets, maybe conveniently, the industry’s huge contributions, financial and otherwise, to the progress of our country and welfare of the people,” the statement added.

Narine also noted that the Union would continue to fight for the rights of the workers.

Drinking spree ends in murder

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hirty-seven-yearold Kuru Kururu, Linden-Soesdyke Highway miner David Gaskin was taken into Police custody on Monday over allegations that he murdered Owen John, a boat captain of San Martin, Venezuela following an altercation between the two at Eteringbang Landing.

Guyana Times International understands that the men were imbibing at Maria Da Silva’s shop when the two started arguing over money.

Police disclosed that from preliminary investigations, Gaskin asked John to borrow money, but the boat captain refused. Reports suggested

that after John refused, Gaskin dealt him one punch to his nose which caused the boat captain to fall to the ground. It was stated that the suspect then dealt John several kicks to his head and body during which he became motionless.

Police said that when

they arrived on the scene, the boat captain’s body was lying on the ground with blood oozing from the nostrils. This publication understands that the man’s body was awaiting transportation to Georgetown where a post-mortem examination will be performed.

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Regional military to join forces against cyber criminals

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ith the emerging threat that cybercrime poses, top regional security officials are looking at working together to secure the cyberspace of the Western Hemisphere against such attacks.

Last week, Guyana hosted the 16th Caribbean Nations Security Conference (CANSEC) – a forum sponsored by the United States Southern Command (SOUTHCOM). It provided a platform for high ranking military officials from across the region to get together and discuss critical security issues.

At a media round-table at the end of the two-

Brigadier Patrick West

day conference, Chief of SOUTHCOM, Admiral Kurt Tidd, told local reporters during the forum that the regional participants had the opportunity to discuss cybercrime, and recognised that this is the new domain in which illicit actors are beginning to operate.

Admiral Tidd said a commitment was made for the regional representatives to come together to exchange best practices, and to understand how they can defend their respective networks.

“We did not settle on a schedule yet, but we are very much interested in talking with each other because every country has critical cyber infrastructure that we are all interested in protecting,” the SOUTHCOM Head asserted.

During the opening of the two-day conference, Chief of Staff of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), Brigadier Patrick West, pointed out that global connectivity has created conditions for dependence and inter-dependency on cyberspace.

“The region has experienced and continues to be challenged by increasing threats of cyber-crime. The security forces are in many instances way behind the perpetrators of these crimes, and we need — now more than ever — to be able to be in step with, or ahead of, this new level of technological challenge within the region. As their network grows, ours must grow stronger. As they find ways to exploit security weaknesses, we must strengthen our bonds,” he asserted.

According to Brigadier West, the security forces, along with concerned partners, must seek to find new initiatives to deal with the various emerging challenges, and find ways to break their linkages.

“We cannot wish away these issues, nor must we allow ourselves to develop any level of inertia. We must be energised to disrupt the

information flow and lines of sustainability of organised criminal networks,” he stated.

In doing its part to combat cybercrime, Government had tabled the Cybercrime Bill of 2016 in the National Assembly, and the piece of proposed legislation is before a Parliamentary Special Select Committee for review.

The Cyber Crimes Bill caters for, inter alia: illegal access to a computer system; illegal interception; illegal data interference; illegal acquisition of data; illegal system interference; unauthorised receiving or granting of access to computer data; computer- related forgery; computer-related fraud; offences affecting critical infrastructure; identity-related offences; child pornography; child luring, and violation of privacy, among a slew of other offences.

The draft legislation outlines that a person commits an offence if he/ she intentionally, without authorisation or in excess of authorisation, or by infringing any security measure, accesses a computer system or any part of a computer system of another person.

It also states that a person who produces child pornography for the purpose of distribution through a computer system; or offers or makes available, distributes or transmits child pornography through a computer system, commits an offence.

Meanwhile, in March of this year, acting Police Commissioner David Ramnarine had announced that the Police Force will be establishing a cybercrime unit. He was at the time speaking at the commissioning of a computer training centre at Eve Leary which was named Zara CyberSecurity Centre.

According to the acting Top Cop, cybercrimes have become the opportune choice of criminals, hence the need of specialists dedicated specifically to combat such activities. To this end, he noted that the Centre would be utilised to provide capacity-building to deal with cyber threats, something which he recognised demands a multi-stakeholder and long-term approach.

Ramnarine had identified the Centre as the most resourceful location to equip ranks with the necessary skills and competency to have an informed approach to tackle cybercrimes.

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British High Commissioner warns Guyana not to place all attention on oil

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British High Commissioner Gregory Quinn

s Guyana continues to count the days until oil production, slated for 2020, British High Commissioner Gregory Quinn has issued a warning that the country should not direct all its attention solely towards the petroleum industry.

Invited to speak at a private sector event on Friday last, the foreign official addressed a number of key concerns relative to the nation’s future and the development of the relationship shared between Guyana and the UK. In his presentation, Quinn alluded to the country’s anticipation of the endless possibilities which are expected to materialize once the oil and gas operations are up and running. In so doing, he emphasised, “It is important that all of Guyana’s attention is not placed on oil and gas alone. There is much else to be done to assist Guyanese businesses and the Guyanese economy.”

The diplomat called for attention to be placed on the existing sectors, particularly agriculture and manufacturing, so as to maintain diversity and ensure a thriving economy. However, even as he cautioned against placing all of the nation’s resources into one proverbial basket, the British official is calling for the necessary preparations to be put in place, ahead of 2020.

“It’s good to see that there are moves afoot to put in place appropriate legislation, be that on the creation of a Petroleum Commission or on the Sovereign Wealth Fund.

But time is short, so it is important that such legislation is put in place as soon as possible,” he noted.

He then underscored the importance of appropriate consultation with all interested parties throughout this process, be it the private sector, civil society, or members of the public.

“The UK Government has been working with appropriate agencies in the country to help provide the information needed for Guyana to be able to apply for Marine Stewardship Council Certification (MSCC).

That certification would allow Guyanese fishermen and seafood processing companies easier access to global markets,” Quinn relayed.

The British High Commissioner went on to say that alongside such certification is the need to ensure proper food safety legislation is in place. This, he said, provides the necessary assurance that food will be produced, stored, processed and so on in a way which protects the health of consumers.

He referred to the Food Safety Bill which is currently in the making, saying that this legislation would be of great benefit to the country.

Quinn believes this will place Guyana on the international playing field, competing alongside well-established nations in marketing its local produce.

“All of this work is designed to protect all of Guyana’s resources, to ensure that Government funds are spent for the benefit of all, and to ensure property regulatory oversight,” he outlined.

That way, the British diplomat highlighted, the oil industry would supplement the already existing sectors, which would inherently result in sustainable growth across the country.

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Former AFC Exec raises Completion date for several questions over airport expansion project now shift to 2018 Exxon signing bonus

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D

An artist’s impression of the expanded airport at Timehri

espite promises that the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) expansion project would be completed by 2017, it seems that only one component of the project — the northeast expansion of the runway — will meet that deadline.

Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson informed the National Assembly that the northeast expansion of the runway will be completed

by December, but all other components would have to be completed by next year.

“Work on the airport expansion project continued in 2017,” he said.

“Final completion and commissioning of the facility will take place in 2018, with the newer arrival (terminal) to be completed in the first quarter of 2018.

“The departure terminal is scheduled for completion shortly after. The extension of the runway to the northeast will be completed by December 2017, and completion of the southwest expansion will be completed by December 2018.”

Patterson noted that one area on the southwest runway had experienced “slippages”. As such, he said, the contractor was asked to do additional work from the foundation upwards to mitigate any safety concerns.

The Minister noted that overall completion of the project is at 77 per cent. According to Patterson, the departure terminal is 50 per cent completed, while the new arrival terminal is 70 per cent completed. The northeast runway, he noted, is 95 per cent completed, while the southern runway is 60 per cent completed. The US$150 million project was scheduled to be

completed within 32 months of its commencement in 2013. However, Thorne noted, the deadline was extended to December 1, 2017, since the project would have experienced several delays.

In 2012, Guyana, under the leadership of former President Donald Ramotar, had secured a US$138 million loan from the China Exim (ExportImport) Bank to fund the expansion and modernisation project, for which the Guyana Government has injected some US$12 million.

However, when the coalition Government came in to power in 2015, the project was put on hold, but following discussions between Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson and the contracting company China Harbour Engineering Corporation (CHEC), it was announced that the project would be continued.

Last year, Project Manager of the Public Infrastructure Ministry, Carmichael Thorne, had been optimistic of the project being completed by 2017. At a project update briefing, Thorne noted that of the US$150 million, only US$37.3 million had been expended to date. Of this amount, some US$33 million was spent by CHEC, which included US$1.9 million of local funds put up by the Government of Guyana. As it relates to the works being done, the Infrastructure Ministry’s project manager told media operatives that while the initial plan was for the northern end of the runway to be extended, because of difficulties with the terrain, a decision was taken to extend the runway from both the northern and southern ends, in order to minimise the cost.

Speaker denies calling Police into Parliament S peaker of the National Assembly, Dr Barton Scotland, on Monday evening denied that he called in Members of the Guyana Police Force to remove Opposition Parliamentarian Juan Edghill from the National Assembly.

During a press conference, the Speaker said Edghill was suspended from the day’s proceedings in accordance with Standing Order 47 (2), which states: “The Speaker or the Chairperson shall order any Member whose conduct is grossly disorderly to withdraw immediately from the Assembly during the remainder of that day’s sitting, and may direct such steps to be taken as are required to enforce this order. But if, on any occasion, the Speaker or the Chairperson consid-

ers that his or her powers under the previous provision of this Standing Order are inadequate, the Speaker or Chairperson may name such Member for disregarding the authority of the Chair under this Standing Order, in which event the procedure prescribed in the next paragraph should be followed.”

Scotland said he did not instruct members of the Guyana Police Force to remove the Opposition MP from the Parliament chamber. The Speaker said he is unaware of who took the action in this regard.

He noted that the Opposition MP was disallowed from continuing, since the procedures on time were discussed and agreed to during a meeting from continued on page 23

ven as controversy swirls over the Government’s secretive collection of a US$18 million signing bonus, questions are now being raised over exactly what negotiations took place. This is so as Guyana’s bonus pales in comparison to a US$700 million signing bonus Exxon paid to Brazil.

Former Alliance For Change (AFC) Chairman, Nigel Hughes, noted that Finance Minister Winston Jordan himself had declared that Guyana was de-risked following significant oil finds.

Despite Guyana having the upper hand, however, Hughes noted, it accepted a 2 per cent royalty and now a US$18 million bonus.

As such, he questioned the basis upon which the negotiations were conducted. This is even as Government has consistently declared it was working with the best experts.

“One year after general elections, the newly elected representatives of our dear Republic determined that they were possessed of the requisite skills all on their own to enter into negations with the biggest oil company on the planet about the terms of the agreement which were previously agreed,” Hughes stated in an analysis of the situation.

“How is it possible that we all on our own end up voluntarily accepting a US$18 million bonus and two per cent royalty on a 2.4 billion-barrel field, when we knew the industry experts were saying we were potentially sitting on a 10 billion-barrel field?

“Note that this was after the news of the size of Liza was already in excess of 1.4 billion barrels and counting,” he said.

Zeroing in on the negotiations, Hughes questioned whether Government’s team had a Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement (BATNA) before it went into the negotiations. A BATNA, which increases negotiation power by presenting options, is a common feature put forward by negotiating theory.

“Did anyone bother to conduct the most rudimentary of checks to ascertain what were the underlying principles when assessing signing bonus, especially after you have a find the size of Liza, with the prom-

Former AFC Executive Nigel Hughes

ise it then held?” Hughes also questioned.

“Did we collectively bother to find out whether 2% royalty was remotely close to what was acceptable in the industry in 2016? And even US$18 million? For Guyana, this is not a significant sum for the capital assets of some private sector giants, so what was the basis on which these negotiations were conducted? Did we have a “Best Alternative to a Negotiated Agreement (BATNA) when we embarked upon these negotiations?” he asked.

While he acknowledged the importance of disclosure, accountability and transparency, he noted that the real issues are who negotiated this settlement, and what systems are in place to stop a repeat?

Hughes made it clear that Guyana has drawn a “bad card.”

Record-breaking

In what industry experts term recordbreaking sums, Brazil was able to attract over US$1.1billion in bonuses at a Petrobras auction in September. An ExxonMobil consortium came in with the largest offer, at $US700 million for a Campos Basin block.

Guyana, which had a longstanding agreement with ExxonMobil, renegotiated that agreement after the company’s 2015 oil find in the Stabroek block. In May of that year, Exxon confirmed that more than 295 feet of high-quality oil-bearing sandstone reservoirs had been encountered at its Liza 1 exploration well.

Included in the new agreement was a 2 per cent royalty rate; an increase of 1 per cent. But Government has repeatedly pleaded ignorance to reports that it received a US$20 million signing bonus from Exxon. These reports gained traction after they were exposed

by Chartered Accountant Christopher Ram. Evidence of the shady transaction came to light

in a leaked correspondence dated September 20, 2016 and addressed to the Governor of the Bank of Guyana with this subject: “Signing bonus granted by ExxonMobil – Request to open bank account”.

It shows that Finance Secretary at the Finance Ministry, Hector Butts, has requested that a foreign currency account be opened at the Bank in order to receive a deposit in the form of a ‘signing bonus’ to be given by ExxonMobil.

The letter stated, “This account should not be treated as part of the Bank’s reserves. Instead, the proceeds should be held in the currency of the deposit, that is, United States dollars, and invested in secured interest-bearing securities.”

The missive also listed the signatories to the account: Hector Butts, Finance Secretary at the Finance Ministry; Louise Bouyea, Deputy Finance Secretary at the Finance Ministry; Jawahar Persaud, Accountant General (Acting) at the Finance Ministry; and Jennifer Chapman, Deputy Accountant General at the Finance Ministry. The letter was also copied to Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman.

Condemnation has already flowed in from the Transparency Institute of Guyana Inc (TIGI) and from Christopher Ram himself.

The Government has been slammed for being given opportunity, but refusing, to come clean on several occasions.

After the fact, Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman defended the secrecy by saying the money would be used to defend Guyana’s sovereignty in the legal process.

Minister Jordan defended his role in the arrangement by noting that he was not obligated to answer questions he was not asked.

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Berbice braces for economic hardships …following layoff of hundreds of sugar workers

By Lakhram Bhagirat

W

ith more than 400 persons scheduled to be out of a job come January 1, the county of

Berbice is now bracing itself for additional economic hardships since there is a lack of opportunities for employment within the county.

One of the redundancy letters

Although the Government indicated that it was holding off on closure of the Rose Hall Estate, the Guyana Sugar Corporation

Rakesh Megnauth

Seunarine Persaud

(GuySuCo) still went ahead and issued over 400 redundancy letters to workers, leaving them to ponder their next move.

In May 2017, the Government announced plans to close the Enmore and Rose Hall Sugar Estates, sell the Skeldon Sugar Factory, reduce the annual production of sugar, and take on the responsibility of managing the drainage and irrigation services offered

by GuySuCo. Several protest actions followed this announcement.

Over the weekend, Guyana Times International visited the Rose Hall area and spoke to many of the workers and the business community about the impact of the callous move by the Corporation. The

common concern was the lack of jobs within Berbice and also the age factor of those who lost their jobs.

“I cannot go to any other estate and get work, so me got to look fuh a job. With me age it is hard to get a job,” 45-year-old Rakesh Megnauth told this publication.

Megnauth told this newspaper that he had been employed with GuySuCo for more than 13 years in the Pest Control Department and was in physical pain when he and his gang of over 200 persons received their redundancy letters.

“This place nah got wuk fuh we. Brother, you see when I get me letter, I want cry but me tek am and went to the meeting.

This businesswoman said “things really hard” and “business slow” in Berbice

Them man tell the whole of C-Gang that we will get the severance and some ah them man got wife and small children; so tell me what dem go do?” he questioned.

“What will we do?” was the common question from those who stand to lose their jobs.

The business community is already bracing itself for the backlash of GuySuCo’s action.

One businesswoman said that it was really sad to see so many persons lose their jobs while noting that the community was already seeing a decline in spending. She explained that GuySuCo was the only entity that provided jobs for those in the Reliance/ continued on page 24

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Opposition MP urges Govt to build more airstrips in interior

Opposition MP Africo Selman

O

pposition Member of Parliament Africo Selman has urged the coalition Government to build more airstrips in the hinterland region, so as to create a wider market for international visitors interested in experiencing Guyana’s rich fauna and flora, and advance the eco-tourism drive.

Selman told the National Assembly recently that despite little attention being paid to tourism by the current Government, this sector has the potential to boost the Guyana economy.

“This Administration robbed Guyana of its opportunity to become a top tourism destination by scrapping the Tourism Ministry. What we now have is a Department of Tourism in the Ministry of Business. Both of these areas have vast potential for economic growth, and should not be paired. The rationale for this move will never be understood,” she argued.

While noting the figures quoted in the National Assembly, which show that the growth of tourism is continuing at a steady pace, with visitor arrivals totalling 170,322 between January and September, a 5.7 percent increase over the same period in 2016, she described it as “total deception”.

“Returning Guyanese are not tourists. That is the part that was left out. How many of these arrivals are Guyanese? What statistics does this administration have to convince us that all these visitors, when they come, visit historical sites?” the Opposition MP questioned the Government.

Selman noted that while a majority of the tourist sites are located in the hinterland, people can get there by boat, road or plane. However, she suggested that Government invest in building proper roads close to these sites, building more and better airstrips, and even creating resorts.

In his presentation to the National Assembly, Finance Minister Winston Jordan said several key hinterland roads would be upgraded to facilitate gold miners and loggers, but there was no talk about improving the road network to benefit tourists.

“The state of bridges in the hinterland is another downside to tourism. Which tourist would be comfortable driving across an unstable wooden bridge with no guard rails?

None! People want to see our wildlife, our birds, our flora and fauna,” she added.

According to the Opposition MP, one of the biggest obstacles to tourism in Guyana is the state of the roads. She noted that when it rains, many of the roads in the interior are impassible.

“The tourist from London, the tourist from Canada, the tourist from Australia does not want to be in a small plane flying from one place to the next. He wants to be on the road seeing and experiencing nature, virgin terrain. That is how we sell our tourism product,” she opined.

Another huge obstacle to tourism is security, Selman added. “It is well known that we have a lawless interior fuelled by the rough terrain and lack of an adequate fleet of security personnel.

I would suggest that the Ministry of Public Security and the Department of Tourism work together to formulate a comprehensive plan to treat with these issues. The Guyana Police Force, first of all, must be brought up to strength.

The availability of ranks and resources is of paramount importance to ensure that tourists are safe and they feel safe. Security officials accompanying tourists to far-flung destinations should be taken into consideration,” she further suggested.

Apart from that, Selman said that, in an effort to have a sound tourism development plan which prioritises regular, safe, and affordable airlift to Guyana, Government would have to start looking at ways to improve collaboration with, and improve receipt of assistance from, private sector companies here.

“Expanding the international airport without adequate, reliable and affordable airlift to encourage the Guyanese diaspora and tourists interested in our tourism product to visit Guyana will be a lost opportunity for this nation. I urge this Government to spend some time focusing on securing adequate, reliable, and affordable airlift services to this country,” she added.

Speaker denies... which the Opposition absconded.

Dr. Scotland reminded that the parliamentary procedures have been in existence for a number of years, and MPs have agreed to, and should abide by, them.

The Speaker said Edghill’s refusal to leave the House is a first-time occurrence in the history of the Parliament of Guyana. According to the Speaker, he will continue to act “correctly and fairly,” noting, “If I have to question you, if I have to upbraid you, I will do it.”

In response to a question posed by the media, Scotland said that, even in hindsight, he does not see a better way of resolving the issue other than by suspending MP Edghill for the day. He indicated that the rules of the House must be respected and abided by at all times, even if a member is uncomfortable with such an order. During the

from page 21

Speaker of the National Assembly, Dr Barton Scotland

late Monday night press conference, the Speaker also denied that he had ordered the media out of the Parliament chambers, claiming that he merely questioned the continued presence of media operatives after the sitting was suspended.

He also said there is no need for an investigation, since it is simply a matter of respecting the rules of the House.

However, he did not address the issue of who had instructed the Police to enter the Parliament chambers.

Opposition displayed grave disrespect for House Speaker – Govt …Trotman maintains Speaker took correct procedural steps

I

n light of the unprecedented chaos created in Parliament during Monday’s sitting of the National Assembly, the Government side of the House feels that the Opposition displayed grave disrespect for the Speaker of the House, Dr Barton Scotland.

Natural Resources Minister and Leader of the Alliance for Change (AFC), Raphael Trotman said he has never witnessed such behaviour in the Parliament before and regardless of the differences the Speaker has always been shown respect.

“Whenever a Speaker has invited a member to sit, be quiet or refrain or withdraw; that has always been complied with. We have set a new precedent today and some may say we have descended to a new low,” Trotman said while providing his views on the situation.

Trotman, who served as Speaker of the National Assembly in

the previous Parliament, said that from all indications the Speaker took the correct procedural steps. He noted that it was left up to the Clerk of the National Assembly in this case, Sherlock Isaacs, to decide if he believes that the Sergeantat-Arms is incapable of enforcing the Speaker’s ruling to invite the Police in.

“I would also like to say that none of us would like to see chaos erupting further in the House, and I think we have enough of it. At the end of the day, the parliamentary style we practice is one where the Speaker is the presiding officer and that presiding officer must be shown respect and the dignity of the House has to be maintained,” Trotman told media practitioners in the halls of Parliament.

Meanwhile, in providing a comment on the issue, Minister of State, Joseph Harmon said it was a matter of the legality regarding the in-

struction given by the Speaker and the MP’s refusal to act on that instruction.

“It’s a question of the rule of law. The Speaker is the person who controls the business of this House and he cannot, Mr Edghill or no other member of the House, decide that they will violate these rules of the House by refusing to take action when the Speaker tells them to do so,” he stated.

The Minister claims that no one shows respect for the Speaker’s rulings anymore, and he believes that the Speaker is entitled to do what he wishes to keep the House in order and the MPs in line.

Business Minister Dominic Gaskin also had his views to share.

He described the situation as “obnoxious behaviour” from the Opposition during a sitting and claimed that it was the second time that it has happened in the Parliament.

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Exxon signing bonus

Ram calls for inquiry into deals negotiated by Govt F

ollowing what some are calling the unravelling of a web of deception regarding the Government’s secrecy in collecting millions from oil giant ExxonMobil, calls have risen for an inquiry to be held into all deals negotiated by the Natural Resources Ministry, and for criminal charges to be instituted against ministers at the centre of the controversy.

The latest individual to make this call is Chartered Accountant Christopher Ram, the man who first revealed to the nation that Government had collected a US$20-milliondollar signing bonus from the oil company.

Government’s receipt of this bonus was initially denied by Finance Minister Winston Jordan; Minister of State, Joseph Harmon; and Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman, who had all pleaded ignorance of this bonus when asked by the media.

On Saturday, Ram

lashed out at the Government, saying that, in an ironic twist, “the dam of eighteen months of denial and obfuscation concerning the payment of a signing bonus by ExxonMobil to the Government broke apart one day before the UN declared International Anti-Corruption Day”.

Ram said, “The forced admission by the Government is a shocking revelation of a conspiracy to deceive the people of Guyana about billions of dollars involving a galaxy of ministers, including four of five of Granger’s famous ‘Quintet plus one’, and involving two key ministries and their ministers.”

Now that the proverbial cat is out of the bag, Ram noted, there are immediate and longer-term implications of this saga from which Guyana may forever suffer. One of these implications, he pointed out, is that high-level officials of the Finance Ministry, Guyana Geology and Mines Commission, and the Bank of Guyana —

inclusive of the Audit Committee — have been ensnared in this conspiracy.

Ram added it means that Article 216 of the Constitution of Guyana has been knowingly violated; “that critical information contained in the Estimates of Expenditure now being considered by the National Assembly is inaccurate, incorrect and meaningless; that the 2016 financial statements of the Government and of the Consolidated Fund are for 2016 similarly deficient.”

Since the transaction occurred in the fiscal year of the Audit Office of Guyana’s last report, Ram noted, the AG’s report on the Consolidated Fund is inapplicable. He said that, as such, the auditing standards applied by the Office require Auditor General Deodat Sharma to withdraw his report.

He pointedly stated that, when in Opposition, this Government — and very specifically the AFC, of which Raphael Trotman is now leader —

had repeatedly claimed that (then Finance Minister) Dr Ashni Singh should be taken before the courts on a criminal charge under the Fiscal Management and Accountability Act. “It is as clear as day to me that offences (were) committed under Section 85 of that Act by more than one person.

This is now a criminal matter, and the Guyana Police Force should be called in,” Ram said on Saturday.

Article 216 of the Constitution of Guyana is very clear on how public monies should be treated. According to the section, “All revenues or other moneys raised or received by Guyana (not being revenues or other moneys that are payable by or under an Act of Parliament, into some other fund established for any specific purpose or that may, by or under such an Act, be retained by the authority that received them for the purpose of defraying the expenses of that authority) shall be paid into and from one Consolidated Fund.”

Section 85 of Guyana’s Fiscal Management and Accountability Act says that public officials who falsify accounts, statements or records under the Act, or those guilty of conspiring to defraud the state, are committing an indictable offence. The punishment for this offence, on summary conviction, is a fine of G$2 million and a three-year jail sentence.

Untrustworthy

Attorney Christopher Ram

Ram noted that after such a blow to the coalition administration’s credibility, President David Granger must take decisive action to ensure the public can regain trust in his Government. According to Ram, this includes the president apologising for his ministers’ “diabolical” act, remedying the violations of the law, and the calling in the Police.

But where does this leave the future of transparency and accountability of Guyana’s developing oil sector? According to Ram, it should be clear that such a large source of the national revenues of Guyana should not be left in the control of ministers.

“The petroleum resources of Guyana do not belong to a cabal ensconced in the Administration, but to all Guyanese, present and future. Each such Guyanese expects and deserves that its government – whether APNU, PNC or PPP – owes to them hones-

ty, decency and integrity demonstrated in accurate accounting, proper accountability, and good governance, not only on World Anti-Corruption Day, but each and every day of the year”, Ram declared.

After months of denial, the Natural Resources Minister on Friday told the National Assembly that Government did receive a large sum of money from oil giant ExxonMobil following the signing of the Production Sharing Agreement (PSA).

Trotman informed that the money is being used to defend Guyana’s territorial integrity in the border controversy with Venezuela.

The Government has been consistently denying receiving the money, but a document from Finance Secretary Hector Butts was leaked to this newspaper and it stated there was a request that the Bank of Guyana’s Governor set up a special account to deposit the money.

Berbice braces for ...

from page 22

Abandon area in East Canje, and the closure of the Rose Hall factory would shift the residents further into poverty.

“It is really sad and it really affecting us, because business gone slow and this Christmas season ah come up and people are depressed now and what little money they got now, they got to provide food. New Amsterdam hardly got people and work nah deh and it will get harder…it got people with loans and bills and children to go to school; how them go survive?,” the woman asked.

The businesswoman said she would feel sorry and helpless when she thinks about the plight of housewives who are now left to worry about their families.

Meanwhile, Seunarine Persaud related that he felt discriminated against because he was the oldest member of his team and was the first to get his redundancy letter. He explained that he has given 30 years of service to the Rose Hall factory, adding that there were approximately 40 persons in his team with only 11 receiving redundancy letters. “What about the people with children in high school…?” he lament-

ed.

Persaud is adamant that the Estate has the capacity to continue operations, pointing out that there are canes that have been burnt and just left there to rot. Given the current economic woes being experienced, Persaud said “next year, it will get more heavy” and worsen.

He added that businesses in New Amsterdam, the economic hub of the county, were already laying off workers as opposed to hiring for the Christmas season. He questioned whether there was any plan in place for them.

Many of the workers are also accusing the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) of doing very little to address their concerns, since the Union is yet to have a meeting with the laid-off workers.

The plight of the sugar workers took centre stage during the Budget 2018 debate in the National Assembly last week. The Opposition accused the Government of having no clear and direct plan for the workers.

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he bridge that currently crosses the Canje River (known too as Canje Creek), a tributary of the Berbice River, is reported to be the third such structure known to have been built, and serves as a vital connection along the Corentyne Road.

The original structure was built in 1830, a year before the colonies of Berbice, Demerara and Essequibo were united under British rule.

A wooden construction, it was built by slaves who, it is said, were given their freedom three years before emancipation.

They were also given land in New Amsterdam.

On the Canje swing bridge 1936 (qcoga.org.uk)

Then, in the mid1890s, an iron and concrete structure, designed in 1891 by English civil engineer Joseph Westwood, was built to replace the wooden bridge. The 336 feet long new bridge allowed for a roadway width for traffic of 17 feet.

Considered a mar-

According to a 1972 recommendation to construct a new bridge over the Canje River, which was presented by the US Department of State Agency for International Development, among other things, the swing bridge had become “drastically inconsistent with the high

The Canje Bridge today

vel of engineering at the time, it was the largest bridge in the colony then. The bridge was designed to swing open to allow seagoing vessels through.

The swing span from the centre turned on a single pivot that could be operated by just one person. It would then swing back into its original position to allow traffic to cross once again.

The structure took four years to build and was said to be commissioned in 1898.

However, by the early 1970s, the bridge was considered antiquated and inadequate for the traffic of the time.

standard 50 miles perhour design speed of the Corentyne Road on both sides of the bridge.�

While the recommendation advised of a new swing bridge to be built, this did not happen. Instead the current fixed Canje River bridge, some 0.38 kilometres (approx. 1,250 feet) long and 33 feet wide, was built with a 45 feet high crossover.

The swing bridge was decommissioned in 1975/76 while the current Canje Bridge is said to have become operational in 1978, after an 18-month construction period.

(Guyana Times Sunday Magazine)

Canje Bridge (1830) (Guyana Gallery photo)

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Preserving our literary heritage by Petamber Persaud

Sharon Maas

(Extract of an interview with Sharon Maas, Georgetown, Guyana, November 2017. Maas is the author of more than seven novels; her first “Of Marriageable Age” was published in 1999) PP: Sharon, it seems as if you’re back home, in more than one ways.

SM: Well, I’ve been coming back home every year over the past six or seven years.

PP: In the physical sense, that is one way but I’m particularly making reference to your writing – you are beginning to focus more on Guyana.

The last time we spoke, you mentioned you were working on a few titles on Guyana. So far, you have produced four books on Guyana.

SM: Set in Guyana.

PP: Yes, set in Guyana.

In that conversation, some five years ago, you mentioned also that it was not viable to sell/market Guyana in the UK; has that situation changed?

SM: No, it has not changed. The only reason that I got these books published is because I went to a digital publisher – a digital publisher does not have a large investment in the book.

PP: Print on demand?

SM: Print on demand, but mainly digital. In the past, publishers would invest heavily and print hundreds and even thousands of copies and if they do not sell, the publishers lose. On the other hand, digital publishing does not demand a huge investment, so I was able to get back into publishing.

Other than that I would still be writing books without getting them published.

PP: There seems to be another reason for the advent of what I would call your ‘Guyana books’. That reason is the internationally famous one cent black on magenta Guyana stamp which was the focal point in “The Small Fortune of Dorothea Q” – the first book in this series of four.

SM: I wrote that book several years and

I thought that it would have a bit of interest in the northern world because it was sold again recently for a few millions [pounds sterling]. But it wasn’t really a breakthrough; it was published by this Bookouture publisher, so I went back and wrote three other books leading up to that book you mentioned. This “The Girl from the Sugar Plantation” is the fourth in the series.

PP: Give a background to this series of books.

SM: The main character of these books is a white woman who married a black man; she was of a high status while he was of a lower status.

Actually my grandmother did this and it was quite a scandal in those days – the early twentieth century – they had eight sons, no daughters. I was able to follow these sons and their families through the ages.

PP: One of your themes is miscegenation.

SM: Yes, yes, always.

PP: And you seem to be having fun with it.

SM: I’m having lots of fun with it.

PP: Lead us on, describe this fun process.

SM: Well, like I said, it must have run against every rule of the British Empire – a white man with a black woman or an Indian woman was no surprise… but the other way round is seen as a woman marrying up, bettering her status… so it combines these two themes of race and class. The same with the classics – Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte – all about status.

PP: We’ve talked a bit about your themes - race and class. There seems to be a few motifs you dwell on – music and nature.

SM: Music is very strong in this book… where the main character is a pianist and through music she finds herself… music is a universal language… music can go deep into a person’s psyche, a person’s soul and lift them up. I really like music as a theme.

PP: Nature – I am thinking Mittelholzer…

How nature works for you?

SM: Nature for me is more the feeling – sitting on a beach and listening to the waves, the music of the waves and the birds and the feeling it all give me… even touching a tree, putting your hands in the earth… so I always come back to nature, nature has a healing property.

I like to write about people who find healing through music, through nature…

PP: All of this seems to be autobiographical…

SM: Well, my whole life is about healing myself really; I had a turbulent youth and was lost for a while and I found a way to heal myself.

I like to read books in which people come out of whatever turbulence and find healing and find themselves - finding who you really are.

PP: Finding who you really are – many of your memorable female characters are going against the grain.

SM: Yes, because the grain is not right, the grain is very rough and they find it rough going and need to get out, to find themselves and their purpose.

PP: We write for various reasons: not only to send messages and pass on solutions… your writing is character-driven and your characters, in whatever setting and in whatever time period, seem to be dealing with issues that are relevant today like how badly we treat women – sexual discrimination, violence against women.

SM: Yes, this is true.

In this last book, there is an attempted rape. This is the issue right now – sexual molestation.

I went through it; in fact, my first job at the Graphic, I think three of us (two boys and myself) on three-month probation, and before the three months ran out, I was called to the editor’s office, Mr (unnamed) and he said come and sit on my lap, but I didn’t and I was fired.

I left and went straight to the Chronicle and was employed right away. At Chronicle, I was allowed to flourish, even got my own page. I was determined to show this Mr that he may shut me out but can’t shut me up…

PP: Recently, I am running into articles dealing with sexual discrimination and molestation in the literary world. You’ve just mentioned one instance in your early life, have you encountered this in your literary life?

SM: No, the publishing world is mostly women, first of all, mostly women editors – I had women editors only.

This publisher handling my books was founded by a man who is very kosher – a good man. He left the publisher he was working with and started his own publishing business, Bookouture, and he began it with women literature only about romance and historical fiction and it did very well and later he turned to other genres including male authors.

So far, he is the only man in the whole editorial setup.

PP: Talking about publishing houses brings to mind Jock Campbell who is featured in your new book, “The Girl from the Sugar Plantation” and the ‘Authors Division’ he started to protect the royalties of Ian Fleming and other authors…

Jock Campbell is one of your main characters here; show us how you dealt with a real life person in this fictional work.

SM: Well, I’ve kept the things he did like he was the Booker reformist – that part is true to life, but I did change the name of one of the people he worked with who did some bad things… But the things he [Jock Campbell] did like showing concern for the conditions on the

plantations and how he set about reforming them – all of that is true. What is not true is that he met this fictional character, I created, and their relationship is fictional. But it is based on facts; I didn’t know this until I’ve written the book that he [Jock] had fallen in love with the sister of a prominent businessman/ politician… and wanted to marry her but his parents did not approve because she was Portuguese… the upshot was he returned to England to marry a woman the family choose for him – a perfectly suitable woman, to his situation; it was sort of a trade-off – marry her and inherit the Bookers’ kingdom or else… and that is the situation in my book as well.

PP: There is another real life character in this book.

SM: Cheddi Jagan.

PP: Let’s look at the four ‘Guyana books’ mainly because sugar made Guyana and now sugar is breaking many hearts and homes.

SM: Yes. The plan, if I’m to write on Guyana, is to do an epic – a family saga.

Sugar used to be the mainstay of Guyana; it is what built us up, making us a noted colony; sugar was like the blood of Guyana, so if you’re to write a historic novel of Guyana, it has to be about sugar.

The story of sugar [in Guyana] is intriguing. And the book on jock Campbell [“Sweetening Bitter Sugar” by Clem Seecharan] was what really got me started.

PP: There are a few other novelists writing on the sugar plantation like Jan Shinebourne.

SM: I know her well; she is a friend of mine.

PP: She wrote “The Last English Plantation”.

SM: I actually got some of my information from her.

PP: Now, is there another Guyana book in the making?

SM: Yes, I have two which I would like to rework and see published.

Responses to this author please telephone 2260065 of email: oraltradition2002@yahoo.com What’s happening: Over GYD$1,000,000 in prize money up for grabs in the 2018 issue of The Guyana Annual. New closing date for entries to the various competitions is January 15, 2018. For further information go to The Guyana Annual on Facebook or email: theguyanaannual@gmail. com

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oonam Singh’s effortlessness in her powerful vocals and infectious personality are somewhat a façade. Why? Because she is way more than that. Her concrete determination to become one of Guyana’s most talented singers has met with challenges; however she has overcome these with cadence.

In an interview with Sunday Times Magazine, Poonam mentioned that singing was and still is an art that is embedded in her.

“It's kind of like I was born with it, and I'm sure it's going to stay with me for eternity. My parents do sing beautifully also, however, they only sing Bhajans (religious songs),” she noted.

Poonam recalled between ages 11 and 13 she entered the National Gita Competition three times. She had to recite full chapters of the Bhagvad Gita in Hindi and won all three times not only by reciting it without looking at the book, but by singing it instead of speaking it.

Then in 2011/12, after participating in the GT&T (now GTT) Jingle and Song Competition, Poonam decided a year later to begin doing covers of famous songs, which she posted on Facebook. These captured a lot of at-

tention nationwide and internationally. Consequently, she started working on original songs.

The first song she wrote was actually the one she recently released, “Christmas Wish”. The song was written and recorded, but because she was 16 at the time the song was left as is because as a solo artiste, as she continues to be, she lacked the finances to pay for the production of her music.

Fortunately, things changed after she was hired for random gigs and performances in and out of Guyana.

She was able to accumulate enough finances to sponsor the production of her songs. This change in her financial situation finally saw the release of “Christmas Wish” this month just in time for the festive season. Poonam explained that the song is as joyful as she had written it to be when she was 16. It was produced by Drew Thoven and the video production was done by her “amazing friend and skilful photographer/ videographer”, Saajid Husani.

Another song the singer was able to finance its production was her hit patriotic song, “GUYANA”. She revealed that although the song said “spon-

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Poonam Singh (Photo

by Saajid Husani)

sored by the Ministry of Tourism”, which she mentioned only contributed its words, she had to pay for the entire production of the music video.

Though music is her passion, Poonam equally values her academic pursuits. She graduated with a diploma in Communication Studies at the University of Guyana and is currently a third year law student at the University of London (international programme).

“I don't think that education is the key to success as there are countless other keys to success. However, it is extremely beneficial to have your education because it adds to your credentials, it enables you

to think critically and logically in situations and it teaches you to be able to stay determined and focus towards your goals in life. I’m studying law; however I do not plan to become a lawyer. I just want to be smart enough to make my own decisions and know exactly what I'm doing when it comes to my music career,” she admitted.

Poonam explained she is studying law to complement her music career because when she was 16 she was “tricked by a lot of people in the entertainment industry”. Having a background in law is a security measure because she said when she becomes an international singer she would be

equipped to read her own contracts.

The singer described herself as a type of person who does not like to limit herself to just one goal. In her life, anything her heart desires to pursue she pursues, with love. She loves law and she loves singing.

Poonam pointed out that her determination has helped her garner over 47,000 followers on Facebook, which she claims to be the only female artiste to accomplish at present. But it is not just about numbers for Poonam. Through social media, she uses her voice to give others a voice as she seeks to empower and spread happiness through her music.

“Music is not something you can just work on it today and then leave it to work again the next month. You have to constantly be at it, because people, your own fans, are going to forget you. One day, I know many people will remember me for not for what I said to them, but for how I made them feel by using my voice.

I know that people will be happy and will feel loved after they listen to the thoughts I put down and vocalise in words. I know that one day I will accomplish the greatest

reward of all that I am doing and will continue to do, and that is genuine love,” Poonam expressed.

Experiencing how tough the music industry can be and overcoming those obstacles, Poonam’s advice for young singers is to “work hard”. Also, she said to incessantly post videos on social media of yourself singing or something to keep your fans (no matter how big or small your crowd is) entertained and updated on your music.

“I do not wish for material things for they have no true meaning to me. But how I make people feel through my music means more than anything. I'm very religious and have always believed that no matter what you do in life always has God as your constant because he will never deceive you,” Poonam declared.

The songstress plans to continue to release more videos in the coming months and encourages fans to look out for “something big” to be released soon.

You can get updates on Poonam Singh page on Facebook. To listen to her recent single, search for Poonam Singh - CHRISTMAS WISH on YouTube.

(Guyana Times Sunday Magazine)

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Sod turned for Berbice Passport Office

w

…online processing to commence in 2018

I am not a…

I …a Chatree

n the US, one phrase uttered over national TV at a crucial juncture came to signal the essence of what Richard Nixon was all about: “I am not a crook!” He, of course, had impeachment proceedings started against him for lying about his knowledge of the Watergate break-in, and he resigned before he could be thrown out from the office of the President of the USA. He was disgraced.

In Guyana, it appears like Education Minister Nicolette Henry will become (in)famous for claiming in the (post-Broomes not-so-hallowed) chamber of the Parliament, “I am not a Chatree. So I may not know when there is Diwali or Phagwah, but I do know what it takes to improve the education sector.”

As to whether she would resign! — like “tricky Dick” Nixon — will depend on how her party – the PNC – views her studied ignorance of the culture of Indian Guyanese. This ignorance evidently compels her to become a serial insulter of Indian Guyanese in general, and Hindus in particular.

It’s clear that the fall-out from her first faux pas did not matter in the least to the PNC, even though they boast about acknowledging “multiculturalism” by introducing two Hindu and two Muslim commemorative events to the list of National Public Holidays. Including the two Minister Henry could not tell apart! And so it was, a MINISTER OF CULTURE – at an event hosted by her Ministry to commemorate Phagwah, couldn’t tell the difference between Phagwah – the exuberant festival of water and colours, and Diwali- the serene festival of lights!!

The faux pas committed earlier this year should’ve raised alarm bells in the PNC – at the least – about alienating a significant voting block.

Imagine the contempt on display to not even take the time to be briefed on a speech she had to make.

What does it matter, and why should she bother, she implied scornfully, THEIR festivals are all the same, aren’t they?

The Minister of “Social Cohesion”, Norton, suggested weakly at the Phagwah boo-boo that Henry should apologise. She never did. Instead, the President PROMOTED her to the senior Cabinet position of Minister of Education!! Yep – you heard that right! – promoted to EDUCATE our nation’s “multicultural” children to develop respect for each other!! The PNC’s view on this ethnocentric insult was reaffirmed by every one of the MPs – including those from the AFC – when they all cheered lustily and banged their desks at Henry’s jibe at Hindus.

Including the Minister of Social Cohesion!

The PNC’s slogan will be “I am not a Chatree: and still return in 2020! It’s already in the bag! …my brothers’ keeper The AFC keeps speaking with their forked tongue, desperately struggling to keep their perks in the Government they elected on the backs of their supporters in Berbice. To whom they insisted the “good life” would also be theirs. From one fork of their tongue, they agreed with the notices of dismissal to the sugar workers of Enmore, Rose Hall and Skeldon. From the other, they express “serious concerns” about what lies ahead, and want options for them.

Are these jokers Nagamootoo and Ramjattan for real? The estates are to be SOLD! Boat done gone a falls! They’ve been placed in the hands of a SPU. Where was the AFC when their AFC (?) Minister was presenting his “state paper”?? The workers are at the mercy of whoever will purchase those estates. The (AFC?) Minister of Agri clearly outlined the reason for their inhuman conduct towards the sugar workers: they want to separate them from GAWU. So whichever entity takes over, they “can do what they want with them”! Massa day return!! …foolish Finance Minister Jordan was criticised for being absent during the Budget debate. Why?? If YOU prepared a budget as bland as Jordan’s, would you want to be there when it’s torn apart?

What’s to be proud about?

A

fter almost one year since the passage of the 2017 Budget, the Citizenship Ministry is now making efforts to commence construction of a building to house a Passport and Immigration Office in Berbice.

Citizenship Minister Winston Felix on Saturday turned the sod for commencement of the G$57.5 million project at Fort Ordnance, East Canje. Felix said the initiative was birthed from a desire to reduce the lengthy lines at the Georgetown Passport Office. He assured that with construction of the building, quality services will be delivered to persons in the Berbice region.

“It is with your comfort in mind that the improvement of the efficiency within the Immigration Department, as well as the decentralisation of services, is being undertaken at this time,” Felix said.

He also noted im-

Sod turning – Citizenship Minister Winston Felix, along with Ministry of the Presidency’s Permanent Secretary Abena Moore and Mayor of New Amsterdam, Winifred Heywood turning the sod at the proposed site

provements made within the immigration sector over the past two years, and added that Government is in the process of digitising all of its services, including those of the Immigration Department.

The contract for construction of the building has been awarded to M&P Investment Company, and the contractor, Pierre Walcott,

said that the project has already started and has provided jobs for 25 persons within the Berbice area. The building is expected to be completed in April 2018.

During his Budget 2018 presentation last Wednesday, Felix said that the decision to decentralise the services is in keeping with the President’s intention to take immigration servic-

es to the towns.

He noted that Linden has also been identified to have its services decentralised, and construction is expected to commence there soon as well. He added that, in addition to online processing, this Ministry would also be seeking to upgrade the passports to 64 pages, and insert a chip in an effort to make travelling less tedious.

Businessman shot by bandit remanded for illegal gun possession

A

Kitty, Georgetown businessman was on Monday remanded to prison when he appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts charged with the illegal possession of a firearm.

Paul Chow, of Railway Line, Kitty, denied the allegation against him when Magistrate Judy Latchman read the charge.

It is alleged that on November 9, 2017, at Avocado Square, East Ruimveldt, Chow had a .32 pistol in his posses-

sion while not being a licensed firearm holder.

A second charge read to him stated that on the same day at the same location, he had 13 live rounds of .32 ammunition in his possession while not being a licensed firearm holder.

Attorney Glen Hanoman told the Court that his client was shot during a robbery.

He further revealed to the Court that Chow was at the time standing outside his place of business when he was cornered by a lone gunman,

who ordered him to hand over his jewellery.

However, Chow refused to comply and attempted to retaliate by whipping out his own weapon, which reportedly fell to the ground.

The gunman then shot Chow to his abdomen before making good his escape.

Chow was picked up and rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where he was treated.

Police who reported to the crime scene picked up Chow’s pis-

Paul Chow

tol, which was found to be unlicensed. As such, the present charges were laid.

Chow was remanded to prison to return on December 18, 2017.

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Chaos in Parliament … in photos

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Spank them…

I

…for breaking the law?

f there was any need for proof that Khemraj Ramjattan has become even less than a “Christmas blow-blow”, there is his threat to “spank” the policeman who disobeyed his charge to care for the new Chinese vehicles.

Why should a police rank listen to a man who can’t even comment on the President’s unconstitutional intrusion into appointments to the Police Force, when he (Ramjattan) can’t even make a suggestion on deploying the Crime Chief!?

First Ramjattan gushed as to how Blanhum was the best thing since sliced bread, and that he (Blanhum) would be back at work ASAP because of his aforementioned excellence in solving crimes.

But after Blanhum was effectively demoted by being posted as assistant to the commander of “A” Division, Ramjattan now claims this is “no big thing”! He obviously means he (Ramjattan) is “no big thing” with the Administration and Police brass.

After all, the demotion of Blanhum can only mean Ramnarine thinks Ramjattan’s judgement is flawed!

After President Granger’s call for a CoI following the handling of the investigation into the ‘assassination threat”, shouldn’t Ramjattan now demand a CoI into Ramnarine’s stiffing him?

But your Eyewitness wonders about Ramjattan’s righteous indignation at the Policeman’s lapse, which caused him to think of “spanking”. Was Ramjattan going to put the Policeman over his knees for the spanking…or was he going to bend the fellow over and use a “wild cane”? Then again, this spanking business is quite a hit, your Eyewitness understands, in this era of sexual liberalism. Does Ramjattan go in for whips and chains? And does he have a Dominator’s costume? The mind boggles!!

It also boggles because Ramjattan has been so silent on the “Case of the Buried Bonus”. He’s the Chairman of the “major” coalition partner with the PNC/APNU, so doesn’t he think he owes some explanation to his AFC supporters as to how their Leader could conspire with Jordan to bury US$18 million – AND THEN LIE ABOUT IT!! Doesn’t Ramjattan’s blood boil and make him rise up in anger to spank Trotman’s bamsie?

But hold it!! Maybe Trotman did tell his Chairman about the loot! After all, they must’ve buried the old hatchet now that they both advised President Granger over coffee and scones that it was okay to reject Jagdeo’s list!

And this brings us to a very serious point: It’s not just Trotman and Jordan who must be investigated; everyone who knew of the deep-sixing of Government funds must face the heat.

That they might’ve been ordered or told about it in confidence is irrelevant. Once they suspected an illegality was being committed, they’re compelled to spill the beans!

Bun dem, not ‘spank them”! …for knocking Chinese Only with the PNC!! That’s all your Eyewitness could think when he read Finance Minister Jordan’s reply when asked why Chinese firms are snagging all the big contracts. The question, of course, was prompted by the PNC’s persistent and strident criticisms of the PPP Administration when THEY were using Chinese for projects. The criticism reached a crescendo over the Marriott, which elicited picketing and protests.

This is what Jordan said: “If the Chinese companies are coming and winning the bids, what can you do? Is not to throw up your hands. These firms are bringing a level of technology that we don’t have. They are bringing a level of efficiency that we don’t have.

Let’s call a spade a spade. A typical example is the Marriott. At what stage the Marriott would have been today if it was being built by a local company? This is not chastising the local company, this is a reality situation.”

Is Brassington now gonna get an apology? …for Soylent green?

Your Eyewitness noticed a celebratory occasion involving the patriotic folks running our National Trust. He immediately wondered what happened to their protest over President Granger (illegally) painting State House green. A negotiation for another colour? Even a slap on the wrist? A spanking?

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T&T cop killed during botched restaurant robbery Babwah’s family.

“The association is in shock at this time… our heart goes out to the family…this by itself tells you that with our job we can leave for work and never be sure to return home, especially around this time, Christmas time, where robberies are very prevalent,” Seales said.

Investigating officers were up to late last night still processing the scene.

Investigations are continuing.

Richard Babwah (Trinidad Express photo) (Trinidad Guardian)

S

pecial Reserve police officer Richard Babwah was killed on Monday evening during an attempted robbery at a Chinese restaurant in Arouca.

Babwah, the father of two girls, was killed after he was fired upon by two bandits who stormed the restaurant shortly after 6 pm.

He was last night described as a hero by his colleagues, as they said “this just showed the extent of his dedication to his job…sad as it is.”

Babwah, 31, who was assigned to Region 2 Homicide, had reportedly just left work at the Arouca Police Station and was on his way home when he stopped at the Long Yuan Chinese Restaurant to purchase dinner to take home to his family.

According to preliminary reports, Babwah was in the restaurant when two men walked in and announced a robbery. Babwah attempted to draw his firearm but was fatally shot by one of the bandits. Police sources said the safety lock on Babwah’s firearm was on when he drew it and the delay allowed one of the bandits to shoot him. Police said the men then subsequently escaped in a waiting vehicle – a red Almera licensed PCM 1625.

Police officers

who responded within minutes to the attack later spotted the getaway vehicle travelling east along the Eastern Main Road. A high-speed chase ensued and the police intercepted the vehicle near Pelican Lane in Maloney. Police said the men shot at the police as they attempted to escape, forcing the officers to return fire.

One of the suspects was shot and another was immediately arrested. A third suspect, the driver, managed to escape but police held him hours later. The wounded suspect was up to late last night being treated for gunshot wounds at the Arima District Hospital.

At the scene, Babwah’s relatives arrived at about 7.30 pm where they viewed his body. They were inconsolable and were seen comforting each other outside the restaurant.

Speaking with the T&T Guardian yesterday, one of Babwah’s colleagues described the incident as “very tragic.”

“He was a very hard working officer and everyone would always like to work alongside with him because he makes his job and others around him enjoyable,” Babwah’s colleague said.

T&T Police Service Social and Welfare Association president Michael Seales on Monday extended deepest condolences to

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Works to commence on Mazaruni, Georgetown prisons

The remains of the Camp Street Prison shortly after the July 9th fire had razed the facility

W

ith approximately G$1.5 billion dedicated specially towards expansion and rehabilitation of the prison infrastructure, works are expected to commence in 2018 to expand the Mazaruni Prisons and rebuild the destroyed Georgetown Prisons.

Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan on Saturday told reporters that while he would have liked to have been allotted a larger sum for the ministry, he is nevertheless happy with the amount which is going to be directed into upgrading major prison infrastructure.

The entire Security Sector received a total of G$30.7 billion from Budget 2018, of which

G$1.8 billion has been provided to cater for the Prison Service‘s operational costs — a 4.6 per cent increase over Budget 2017.

However, the Public Security Minister explained that while no minister would ever be satisfied with what has been allocated their ministry, every minister has to be cognisant of the finances available to Government.

“I did indicate to the (Finance) Minister that I would need lots more (money) because, as I said, we need lots more rehabilitation; lots more brand new buildings; lots more assets; and indeed, you’re never satisfied…

“(But) we have to understand the Finance Minister’s position, (which) is that this is the amount of money he has, and we have to be collegial in understanding his predicament too. As a matter of fact, he has jumped it up higher than last year, in view of the demands; but we are not going to get exactly what we want, because the revenue stream is not there,” Ramjattan explained.

In his 2018 Budget presentation, made two weeks ago, Finance Minister Winston Jordan posited that Government has risen to the task of addressing the long-term needs of the security sector, particularly as those needs relate to the prison services following the massive Camp Street Prison fire and subsequent jailbreaks.

“This wanton act of violence and mayhem threatened

our national security. It is an experience that has illuminated the state of dysfunction and disarray into which our security services had fallen over the past two decades…This catastrophe has forced us, therefore, to undertake a comprehensive examination of the security sector. It has resulted, also, in the diversion of scarce resources to address both the immediate security and management concerns, as well as the judicial and other related systems,” the Finance Minister had said in his Budget speech.

Following the July 9th events, Government revealed plans to expand the Mazaruni Prison – a project that would cost some G$2 billion, but which would streamline the local prison system as well as reduce the overpopulation.

Jordan had stated that

An artist’s impression of the new Mazaruni Prison

G$1.5 billion had been allocated to the prison sector specifically for works to be on the critical prison infrastructure. These works, he noted, would include the expansion of the Mazaruni Prison to accommodate 400 inmates, or 61 per cent more than its current capacity; as well as commencing the rehabilitation of the Georgetown Prisons in the New Year.

In addition, the Finance Minister noted that over G$150 million have also been allocated to purchase surveillance equipment, body scanners, and beds, among other items; while provisions have been made for the strengthening of the Prison Service‘s capacity for case management, as well as rehabilitation and reintegration.

He revealed that, in 2018, a study would be conducted on appropriate treatments for substance abuse as a health issue within the criminal justice system. The findings from this research will inform interactions with the Judiciary, as Government assists in developing policies to reduce over-reliance on imprisonment.

Probation services would also be strengthened to support this paradigm shift, Jordan had stated.

Parliamentary Chatrees and Chamaars

S

atiricus had a very rough week. A scandal a week from the Government benches he could handle, but a scandal a day? Jeez! Even though he was growing ticked off with his leaders Nagga Man and Rum Jhaat, the fellas were going to tear him to pieces at the Back Street Bar! He wasn’t disappointed.

“Hey, Sato!! How de Chatree doin’ today, bai?” said Bungi effusively as he spied Satiricus heading to the table.

“Ok…OK; could I have a beer first, at least?” replied Satiricus as he deftly slid into his seat and waved to the waitress.

“But tell me somet’ing, Sato,” began Cappo, “Like da lady guh skool Augus’ mont’ or wha’?”

“Cut Nick-Let some slack,” said Satiricus with a smile as he guzzled down his beer in one go. ”She was just trying to make a joke by throwing some talk at Aneel!”

“It really backfired!” laughed Hari. “It showed that the Education Minister is not an educated Minister!!”

“Yeah, man,” said Cappo with a smirk. “She na know ‘bout Phagwah and Diwali an’ now she na know wha’ a wan Chatree!”

“How she guh know ‘bout Chatree w’en she only a deal wid Rum Jhaat and Nagga Man!” laughed Bungi.

“Dem fellas a real chamar!!”

“Now chaps, that’s not fair,” protested Satiricus, even as he tried to stifle a chuckle.

“Fair? Fair?” said Cappo indignantly. “Wha’ yuh call people who sellout dem own Mumma and Daadee?”

“Neemakaraam?” suggested Satiricus. His friends looked at him in surprise.

“Let’s drink to that!” laughed Hari. “But seriously, Sato, what’s going on with Nagga Man, Rum Jhaat and the KFC?” “I really don’t know,” confessed Satiricus quietly.

“It’s like aliens have taken over them!”

“Budday…when man done suck cane ‘e does dash peeling pan groun’,” said Cappo.”And de Pee an’See done suckout Nagga Man and Rum Jhaat lang now!”

“An dem guh get dash pan de groun’ soon!!” grinned Bungi!

S

Letter from the edge of oblivion

atiricus, as usual, when not at the Back Street in his leisure time, was in his hammock. And just as usual, fell asleep. This time as soon as he’d read his KFC party was going to write a letter to the Pee-an-See to renegotiate their Valentine Pre-Nuptial agreement, he’d wondered what his leader Nagga Man would write and suddenly here he was, reading the letter!!

Dear Boss Man, As you know, next Feb 13, will be three years since we agreed to get hitched up on Valentine’s Day 2015 and we have to renegotiate it. Time really flies when you’re having a good time, doesn’t it? And let me assure you, Boss Man, I’ve been having a real good time!

I want to take the opportunity to thank you for giving me that top-up on my G$1.5 million monthly salary and the special tinting for my black, tinted G$22 million SUV. As I explained, I needed it to visit my people in Berbice. Even though the PPCEE parted the waters of the Berbice River with a bridge, I still have to drive across it in style. My supporters, most of whom are sugar workers, need to know their leader is doing well. Builds their morale. Maybe as part of the new agreement I can have one of those stretch limo? I need to take a nap on these long rides.

And another thing, Boss Man, could you make my salary tax free? This is not because YOUR higher salary is tax free, but because Mustache Man’s salary is. He keeps skinning his teeth at me!

And don’t worry about some KFC members saying you didn’t give me all the responsibilities under the pre-nup agreement. Now who needs responsibilities?

I find it much more fulfilling to cut ribbons for schoolchildren over here, and then fly off overseas to cut some more ribbons.

And also, don’t worry about those KFC wackos from overseas. They’re jealous about my perks!!

Sincerely, Your Doormat

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Herstelling Global Outreach Centre

H

erstelling, a village located on East Bank Demerara, is flanked by three squatting areas and is made up of residents mainly from the middle and lower economic status that are heavily dependent on the sugar and fishing industries for their income. With the economic challenges resulting from the falling sugar

Floral arrangement class

the Herstelling Assembly of God Global Outreach Centre launched a community outreach and transformation project to tackle the hopelessness that exists among youths in the village. However, its programmes were severely hindered as a result of the lack of a proper youth-friendly/safe space, equipment, materials and technical facilitators.

In 2008, the

cake decorating and floral designs. In addition, each participant selected on needs bases has been exposed to training in setting up and managing small businesses.

The target group is 1635 years.

The Centre is fully equipped with an air conditioned computer lab with 25 computers for 30 students; a fully equipped electronic lab for 20 students; a gar-

Males and females are welcomed for all classes. This is a session from a cake decorating class

NDC, the Providence Primary School and the Providence Nursery School in Farm. It has also collaborated with the EU Micro-projects Fund, BNTF and the Government through the Board of Industrial Training.

Recently, 135 youths in various vocational skills graduated from

the Centre, bringing the total number of individuals graduating from the Centre to a staggering 1100 – a number that continues to increase.

Courses/programmes at the Centre are offered at no cost. Requirement of applicants is basic literacy and numeracy.

The Herstelling Global Outreach Centre

Board members and teaching staff with recent graduates of the Centre

prices on the world market and the many barriers within the fishing industries, families have over the years been faced with high rates of unemployment, severe financial pressure, illiteracy, idleness/hopelessness among youths and extremely high levels of school drop-outs. These problems have led to many youths becoming hooked on alcohol, smoking, gambling, causal or commercial sex work, abuse and even crime as a way of escape.

Hence, it was and still is imperative that the community seeks out new ways of reengaging and creating employment for the youths to reduce their vulnerability and find alternative sources of income while diversifying in an effort to cushion the adverse effects envisaged.

Consequently, in 2005,

Herstelling Global Outreach Centre, founded by Dr Ravindra Shiwnandan, established a multi-discipline facility, focused on setting up a building for the programme area, an IT lab, a sewing and tailoring room, a training kitchen, an electronics room and a woodworking area. This was further supplemented by an annex building in 2013.

These facilities provide an atmosphere which allows for the re-engagement of hopeless youths in Herstelling and its environs through vocational training courses, empowering them for further training and employment. The areas targeted are catering/cookery, information technology and office procedures, electrical installation, sewing and tailoring, joinery and cabinet making, cosmetology,

ment construction room with 10 sewing machines for 20 students; a cosmetology room with tools for 20 students; an equipped training kitchen with two stoves, a fridge, two extractor fans for 30 students; a welding machine with accessories for eight students; four other classrooms for didactic sessions; curriculum material for 19 vocational skills areas; woodworking equipment; and an administrative area with computers and copiers.

The school board consists of Dr Ravindra Shiwnandan; Dr Michelle Shiwnandan; Sharmilla Chan Abai; and Peter Christopher Abai.

Over the years, the Herstelling Global Outreach Centre has built a partnership with its community through the Little Diamond/ HerstellingFarm

plans to increase the number of courses its offers and to expand its services to Yarrowkabra on the Soesdyke-Linden Highway.

For more information, call 265-4365. Next course is slated to commence in February 2018.

(Guyana Times Sunday Magazine)

48 Bollywood

WEEK ENDING DECEMBER 17 , 2017 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Vidya Balan: I started believing Completely thrilled to sing with rapper Snoop Dog - Nargis Fakhri that may be a married actress can’t score a hit

V

idya Balan says with back-to-back box office disappointments post her wedding, she gave into the thinking that married female actors cannot deliver a hit, but the success of Tumhari Sulu has proved the theory wrong.

Vidya says for someone like her, who considers acting as important as personal life, the praise the movie is receiving is a major confidence booster.

In an interview with PTI, Vidya says, “There was a point I started believing that may be a married actress can’t score a hit. But the love Tumhari Sulu is getting has proved it wrong. The films, I did before this, were probably not successful in building the connect with the audience. It is a personal moment of glory for me. The actor part of me is as precious to me as a married

woman part of me.”

The 38-year-old actor says the lesson she has learned from her past failures is “keep trying until you succeed”.

“Success and failures are a part of life. Every day is not a Sunday. The only thing as an artiste I can do is keep moving forward, keep working hard and keep growing.

The joy is in learning.

Failures help me rise.”

Vidya recently received the Best Actor (Female) award for her performance as Sulochana in the film.

She says awards are always a big motivation for her and she never shies away from accepting that she enjoys winning. “Awards matter to me. And I have always been joking about it that ‘if you win, awards do matter to you’. I love when people appreciate my hard work and dedication. With Tumhari Sulu the appreciation I am getting matters more. Recognition and acknowledge is always special for me.” (Indian Express)

Sooraj Pancholi: Sushant Singh Rajput and I are like brothers

A

ctor Nargis Fakhri, who has worked with American rapper Snoop Dogg in a new single ‘Woofer’, says she was “completely thrilled to sing with the iconic” artist.

Dr Zeus has come out with ‘Woofer’ featuring Snoop Dogg rapping alongside UK-based Punjabi singer Zora Randhawa.

“I really enjoyed working with Dr. Zeus and Zora and the entire BeingU team. This was a really awesome experience. For me, I grew up listening to Snoop Dogg so when this came my way, I was completely thrilled to give it a shot and sing with someone as iconic as him,” Nargis said in a statement.

“Also our director Matt Alonzo was great and easy to work with. The song is super cool and I can’t wait for everyone to see the video and hear the entire song,” she added.

Shot in Los Angeles, the song has been produced by BeingU Music — a record label dedicated to push forward

independent Indian music across the world through exciting collaborations with the focus on Punjabi artists.

The brand has also partnered with global music giant Sony Music and through this partnership, they intend to present fans with compelling musical content in the coming year starting with ‘Woofer’.

Talking about the single, Dr Zeus said: “At the beginning of every achievement is the desire and with the right desire, you have the power to become what you think. ‘Woofer’ is an example of that and also a first of such wonderful collaborations I am hoping to do on the global music front.”

Gurjot Singh and Akshit Kumar, founders of BeingU Music, point out that they “aim to take the Indian music industry to the global platform”.

Rapper Snoop Dogg returns to India after eight years. The song released on Dec 13 across all major platforms.

(Indian Express)

Varun Dhawan tries to master the art of ‘Sui Dhaaga’

T

here is no doubting the fact that Salman Khan is like the godfather of Hate story 4 actor Sooraj Pancholi. He not only launched the actor with the film Hero but also leaves no opportunity to extend his support for the young actor. Hence when reports started claiming that Salman had fired Raabta actor Sushant Singh Rajput over the latter having an alleged tiff with Sooraj, it seemed pretty believable.

Rumors of Sooraj Pancholi having a problem with Sushant started with reports of Sushant misbehaving with Sooraj at a friend’s party. And hence followed another report where it was alleged that the discussion got so heated up that Sooraj’s mentor Salman Khan had to come in the picture and give Sushant a strict thrashing for him to apologise.

But in a recent statement, both the

V

actors have completely rubbished the rumours and claimed that the two are close friends and often hang out together.

A source close to the duo says, “The reports doing the rounds are completely baseless. Sushant & Sooraj are good friends and hang out a lot socially. In fact, they even met last week.

Naysayers hinted at a possibility of a fight between the two but they laughed it off recently at a common friend’s birthday party and even posted a mock fighting image shutting down the rumours. These vicious lies are a figment of someone’s imagination and are far from being the truth”.

When contacted, Sooraj also trashed the rumour and said, “These rumours are completely ridiculous. Sushant and I are like brothers and in fact, we just hung out last week.” (Indian Express)

P

arun Dhawan is moving out of the commercial space and he is trying his hand at some out of the box stories. At first, he stunned his fans by announcing October with Pink fame Shoojit Sircar and now, he has started to prep-up for Yash Raj Films’ Sui Dhaaga, which would also star the newlywed Anushka Sharma. In two pictures shared by YRF, Varun can be seen concentrating on getting the craft of sewing right. It seems the film would see him in a role of a tailor and hence before the film rolls out, he has started his prep-up much in advance.

YRF in a statement mentioned that Anushka, who just got

riyanka Chopra, who has taken up the cause of fighting for the rights of refugees and displaced people as a Unicef Goodwill Ambassador, has been feted with the Mother Teresa Memorial Award for Social Justice.

Priyanka was invited by the Harmony Foundation to get the award for lending her support and contribution towards social causes. Her mother Madhu

married to Virat Kohli on December 11, will start prepping up for her character from January first week post their honeymoon and New Year celebration.

This is for the first time that Varun would be paired opposite the Phillauri star.

“I really liked the script that Sharat had written and I am happy that I am teaming up with YRF on this one.

Anushka and I are pairing up for the first time so I am sure there will be fireworks,” Varun said in a statement while talking about the film.

Varun recently wrapped the shoot of Shoojit directorial, which he claims to be one of his most challenging roles so

Chopra collected the honour here on her behalf.

“I humbly accept the award on her behalf. As a mother, I am immensely proud to have a child who is so compassionate and has so much kindness in her. She exemplifies the fact the more you give, the more you get.

“Even as a child, she was influenced by Mother Teresa and has been supporting Prem Niwas in Bareilly,” Madhu said in a state-

far. Though not much has been revealed about his character from the film, the actor feels it is a fan moment for him to work with Pink fame director.

“I have been an ardent fan of Shoojit da’s work and have always wanted to work with him. Soojit da Ronnie and Juhi have always made good cinema I’m very lucky to get a chance to work with them,” Varun wrote during an announcement on Instagram.

Sui Dhaaga is written and directed by Dum Laga Ke Haisha (2015) director Sharat Katariya.

While the movie is set to go on floors sometime in January next year, it is slated for a September 28, 2018 release. (Indian Express)

ment.

Madhu, who co-owns the production banner Purple Pebbles Production with Priyanka, added: “I’m sure Priyanka is humbled that her efforts have been recognised by the Foundation that believes in helping the needy and supporting the deprived and raising funds for the impoverished.”

Priyanka is currently in the US and will be flying to Mumbai soon.

(Indian Express)

WEEK ENDING DECEMBER 17 , 2017| guyanatimeSinternational.com

Hollywood 49

‘Star Wars The Last Jedi’: Hugh Jackman: I would Prince William and Prince love to see Iron Man, Hulk Harry enjoy London premiere and Wolverine together

S

tar Wars: The Last Jedi is one of the most anticipated movies of the year and the premiere in London added to the frenzy that has already surrounded the film. The film debuted on Rotten Tomatoes with the highest-ever score for a Star Wars movie, rating 96 per cent or 8.3/10 on average from about 92 reviews.

Prince Harry and Prince William were the ones who turned heads at the UK Premiere as they graced the red carpet. They were seen posing with Stormtroopers and BB-8. Star Wars favourites C3PO and R2D2 also attended the event.

The royal family members are said to have made a cameo appearance in the movie. Dressed as Stormtroopers, Will and Harry star in uncredited roles. They are said to be in a scene where Rey and Finn infiltrate a secret

base. The rebel characters are in a lift with Benicio Del Toro’s character when a group of Stormtroopers enter and the two of them are William and Harry.

Prince William and Harry were joined by Mark Hamill, Daisy Ridley and Adam Driver at the premiere in London.

The Last Jedi clocks in at 150 minutes, making it the longest Star Wars film to date and releases in India on December 15. Directed by Rian Johnson, this movie will most likely witness an appearance of Jedi Master Yoda as well. The film will also mark the last appearance of Carrie Fisher.

She passed away in 2016. This new trilogy of Star Wars films started in 2015 with Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

The third part of the series is scheduled to release in 2019. (Indian Express)

H

ollywood star Hugh Jackman may have retired from playing Wolverine after Logan, but the actor says he still wishes to see the clawed mutant appear in a movie with the Hulk and Ironman.

However, Jackman, said he will never return to play the role again, reported Collider.

“It’s interesting be-

cause for the whole 17 years I kept thinking that would be so great, like I would love to see, particularly, Iron Man and the Hulk and Wolverine together. And every time I saw an Avengers movie I could just see Wolverine in the middle of all of them like punching them all on the head.

“But it was like, ‘Oh well, that’s not gonna

TV Academy changes rules for 2018 Emmy Awards

Why Dwayne Johnson won’t be running for president

L

ooks like Dwayne Johnson won’t be running for president in 2020 after all. While appearing on The Graham Norton Show, the 45-year-old actor revealed that he has shelved his plans to run for president of the United States.

A few months back, the San Andreas star expressed a desire to turn to politics but whilst he is “very flattered” by the response, he won’t be acting on it anytime soon.

Speaking on the matter, Johnson said, “It’s been very flattering.

There’s been this really interesting uptick in public opinion, [people] wanting that to happen. The problem is that [Kevin Hart] will com-

pletely sabotage the campaign in 2020, 2024.

He’ll literally sabotage it from the inside.”

To which, Hart replied, “100 percent. I would take you down. I don’t want it to happen just because it would make you that much better than me.”

In May, Dwayne had admitted running for president was a “real

possibility” and said he had been considering moving into politics “more and more”.

At that time, he noted, “I think it’s a real possibility. A year ago, it started coming up more and more. There was a real sense of earnestness, which made me go home and think ‘Let me really rethink my answer and make sure I am giving an answer that is truthful and also respectful.”

It should be noted that Dwayne Johnson will be next seen in Jumanji sequel titled Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle, which also stars Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan and Jack Black.

(Indian Express)

A

head of the 2018 Emmys, the Television Academy in the US has announced a few rule changes, including some changes in a few key categories.

Variety Special and Special Class categories have been restructured into Variety Special (Live) — which would include award shows — and Variety Special (Pre-Recorded) — which would include pretaped specials, reported Variety.com.

The category for costumes for a period/fan-

tasy series has been split into two categories: period costumes and fantasy/sci-fi costumes. The award for direction for non-fiction programming has been split as well, into directing for a documentary/nonfiction program and directing for a reality program.

The sound editing award for a series has been divided as well, separating sound editing for a half-hour series (comedy/drama/animation) and sound editing for a one-hour series.

The complete list of rules for the Emmy

Jodie Foster: I make movies to evolve as a person

A

ctor-director Jodie Foster says the reason she likes to make movies is because it helps her evolve as a person.

“Some directors love cranes and CGI and spectacle, but that is not why I make movies. I feel like I make movies because

there are things I have to say in order to figure out who I am or my place in the world, or for me to evolve as a person. But until you get to the end of your movie, you don’t always realise why you were obsessed with that particular thing,” Foster told The Observer news-

paper, reports femalefirst.co.uk.

Her comment comes after Foster said that she found acting “cruel and hard”.

“I don’t think I would have been an actor had I not been thrown into it at the age of 3. It’s just not my personality.

happen,’ and it was interesting just when I first saw that headline — it was just the possibility of it and who knows what’s gonna happen, obviously — I was like, ‘Hang on!’ But I think, unfortunately, the ship has sailed for me, but for someone else I would like to see Wolverine in there,” Jackman said.

(Indian Express)

Maybe that is what has made my work interesting. But it has been really cruel and hard to be an actor… It is hard for

me to live with myself as the idea of celebrity,” she said.

Foster says it makes her feel like she is in a

Awards will be available at the Academy’s official website in 2018.

The Emmy Awards will be held on Monday, September 17 at the Microsoft Theater at L.A. LIVE in downtown Los Angeles. The show will air live on NBC at 8pmET/5pmPT. The host of the show is yet to be announced.

For the 2017 edition, the show was hosted by Stephen Colbert. Emmy Awards are seen as the Oscars for the television world. These coveted awards are keenly awaited by the industry folk and the fans as they aim to applaud the best and the most promising talent in the world of television. The 2018 edition will be the 80th Primetime Emmy Awards as chosen by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. (Indian Express)

reality TV show.

“So I think I’ve neurotically gone in the other direction. I was raised in the public eye, so you have two options, you guard (your privacy) or you let it be for sale,” she added.

Foster took some time away from acting in 1980 to study English at Yale and she loved the experience because it made her feel normal. She has directed the episode Arkangel in TV series Black Mirror’s fourth season which will debut later this month on Netflix. (Indian Express)

50 sport

WEEK ENDING DECEMBER 17 , 2017 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

AAG reveals “Grand Prix” plans for 2018

AAG President Aubrey Hutson

By Michelangelo Jacobus

T

he Athletics Association of Guyana (AAG) has revealed that they have scheduled six “Grand Prix” track and field meets for 2018 as they aim to keep the country’s senior athletes in tip top shape as well as to provide more competition while keeping the athletes motivated.

In an exclusive interview with Guyana Times International Sport, AAG President Aubrey Hutson not-

ed; “The senior grand prix meets that we plan for next year is truly to have a better going programme for our senior athletes. We’ve had a successful youth and junior year in 2017, most of these athletes, particularly Compton Caesar is going over to the senior rank now. We need to now start stepping up the competition.”

The AAG boss pointed out that lately there has only been the National Seniors’ Championships and explained that the “Grand Prix” meets will allow athletes to compete in their respective events and distances.

“There will be monetary rewards for every meet and then there is an overall reward for the Grand Prix winners at the end of the five meets.”

The respective meets will not be limited to local competitors only as Hutson maintained that the AAG is planning to

send out invitations to various countries across South America and the Caribbean in a bid to up the quality of competition so that Guyana’s athletes can be exposed to such quality all year round heading into 2019 and 2020 with the ultimate aim of preparing them for the Olympics in 2020.

The likes of Compton Caesar, Rupert Perry, Cleveland Forde, Winston Missigher and Leslyn Baird will all benefit from the respective meets as Hutson pledged that the AAG is focused on “sharpening the athletes for other events on the international stage.”

Aside from “honing” the skills of the athletes, the AAG boss said that his association is also looking at the meets as a means of “putting money in the athletes’ pockets” and keeping them interested in the sport beyond the age of 20.

While the South

The proposed “Grand Prix” meets will target the development and sustenance of athletes such as Compton Caesar among others

American Grand Prix meet (Aliann Pompey Invitational) will be held and funded by the IAAF (International Athletics Association Federation) as per norm Hutson revealed that the AAG is in talks with at least two mainstream sponsors for the five meets and main-

tained confidence in producing quality products in 2018.

“The various track meets will all be branded by a key sponsor; this will not only be about track and field but about fun. We are in discussions with sponsors and I’m very confident about

the quality of the product that we will produce.”

The various meets are all planned to be about two to three hours in duration and will target sprint events in one meet while the middle distance and longer distances will all have their respective meets.

Squash players shine in Farfan & Mendes Skill Level opener Taylor Fernandes

T

he Guyana S q u a s h Association (GSA) spiked of its final junior tournament for 2017; the annual Farfan and Mendes Skill level which got underway at the Georgetown Club Inc. courts on Tuesday.

The start to the competition witnessed a high number of new entries this year with a few notable absentees, including national player Shomari Wilshire who is currently competing internationally.

Categories A-G is currently ongoing and

will run until Sunday for a spot at the top of their respective groups.

Taylor Fernandes, now considered a senior, is playing in Category A in her continued support of the junior players, to extend their challenges and increase the number of the smallest group in the tournament.

Tuesday’s matches saw the girls triumphant in category B with Kirsten Gomes beating Demetrius DeAbreu and Abosaide Cadogan defeating Ethan Jonas. Kirsten came out hard in the

first game for a close win 11-9.

De Abreu replied by taking the second set 11-8 but Kirsten emerged winner of the third set after outscoring her opponent 11-9 before storming to 11-5 in the fourth. Cadogan fought hard but couldn’t hold the first game with Jonas winning 12-10, but then made light work of the following 3 games; 114, 11-6, 11-5.

Matches continue from 6pm each evening, two sessions on Saturday and the final matches on Sunday.

Sport 51

WEEK ENDING DECEMBER 17 , 2017| guyanatimeSinternational.com

Everest CC proud of players’ accomplishments P

resident of the Everest Cricket Club (ECC), Rajesh Singh has expressed his satisfaction at the success of the Guyana Jaguars in the ongoing Digicel Regional Four-Day Tournament and the input from his club mates to date.

“As a club, we the executives and members are happy with the contribution of our guys [Everest players] and the overall progress of the Guyana franchise,” Singh told Guyana Times International Sport.

The club which is based in Georgetown, has produced six players to the national team this season a feat that the entire membership is extremely proud of, according to the longstanding executive. “At the start of the season we had young Bhaskar [Yadram] and Test opener, [Rajendra] Chandrika who missed

From left: Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Chandrapaul Hemraj, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Akshaya Persaud

out in the later rounds but the four we have now have been putting their hands up which is very important to the team,” Singh stated.

Of the players in the current squad, Chandrapaul Hemraj who began the season in the middle order is now partnering his Everest

club mate, Tagenarine Chanderpaul to open the batting. After six matches, Hemraj has so far scored 328 runs with three scores over

50 with his best knock of 79 coming against the Barbados Pride at Providence in round five.

He is the third highest run scorer for the defending champions behind Vishaul Singh (458) and Leon Johnson (367) while Tagenarine is just behind him on 312 runs also from six matches. The younger Chanderpaul also has three half centuries with his best knock of 84 coming against Trinidad and Tobago Red Force at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in round four.

The other player who is also making a heavy impact is Shivnarine Chanderpaul who is one of four centurions for the Jaguars this season.

The experienced lefthander who is sixth on the runs chart with 216 runs from four matches saved the threetime defending champions from defeat against the Leeward Islands

Hurricanes with a second innings century, 109 at Warner Park in round three. In the last match against the Windward Islands Volcanoes, when all of the other batsmen fell cheaply, the 43-year compiled a fighting 56 to give the Jaguars a lead on first innings which turned out to be crucial in the match that ended in a dramatic tie.

The fourth player in the squad is Akshaya Persaud who is yet to make his debut.

Seventeen-year-old Bhaskar Yadram recently flew out to St. Kitts where he is part of the West Indies Under 19 squad preparing for their title defence in Youth World Cup in January in New Zealand while his compatriot from Enterprise village on the East Coast of Demerara, Chandrika was dropped after scoring 67 from two matches.

White-ball contracts for West Indies players

W

est Indies players will be offered more flexible and enhanced contracts, including exclusive retainers for Test and limited-overs cricket, according to a new Cricket West Indies policy. The highest-paid category will be for players who feature in Tests and ODIs, with a maximum retainer of over US$300,000 including match fees. The four-man selection panel, led by Courtney Browne, has shortlisted players for every category, which is expected to be made public soon.

The new contract policy is one of CWI CEO Johnny Grave's visions for the board, along with the previously-announced amnesty. The policy has three levels, and will initially last for nine months. The new contracts will be offered on July 1, 2018, at the same time as the domestic retainer contracts.

The contracts have been split into three categories.

Category A will comprise players who play predominantly Tests and ODIs. Category B will be for only Test players, while Category C will cover players featuring in only ODIs and T20s.

ESPNcricinfo understands six players have been offered first batch of whiteball contracts (Category C): Carlos Brathwaite, Jason Mohammed, Evin Lewis, Rovman Powell, Ashley Nurse and Kesrick Williams.

According to Grave, CWI will keep player remuneration private and confidential. He also highlighted that a player contracted in Category A can earn over US $300,000, independent of domestic T20 deals,

Evin Lewis made his second oneday hundred (Getty Images photo)

while players in other contract categories will also stand to earn six-figure retainers.

ESPNcricinfo believes the dollar value of the new retainers are more than double the previous highest-earning contracts that have been offered to players in the past three years following the abandoned 2014 tour to India.

Under the previous contract arrangement, players were contracted for one year only. A category A contract was worth US $140,000, Category B US $120,000 and Category C US $100,000, with highly reduced match retainers that were redirected to pay domestic players in the revamped Professional Cricket League.

Although CWI has not confirmed this, it is understood that individual match fees for ODIs and T20s (reduced after the 2014 abandonment to US $2500 and US $1500), will now be US $5000 and US $2500 per match respectively.

Grave said that another significant decision CWI was taking was extending

the existing Memorandum of Understanding with the West Indies Players' Association (WIPA) by another year. "The first thing we did was extend the CWI-WIPA MoU by one year until the end of the 2019 World Cup cycle", Grave told ESPNcricinfo. "While the overall aim was to create flexible contracts, when I realised the MoU was ending in 2018, but yet our television and sponsorship deals were ending in 2019, it made sense to extend it and link our major revenues with WIPA." Grave further explained why only six players received Category C contracts, highlighting they were solely chosen by the selection panel. "I create paper work and numbers, selectors chose those to award contracts. Jimmy (Jimmy Adams, CWI director of cricket) and I weren't involved in that.

"However the logic behind those is - Carlos, although he is not in ODI team, is our T20 captain, Jason [Mohammed] is the ODI vice-captain and Nurse has performed well this

year in limited-overs cricket.

Evin, Rovman and Kesrick are upcoming players. We want to offer incentives to want to play and be loyal to West Indies and not T20s leagues, which, for good reason, are already after their talents."

None of West Indies' highprofile players have been offered contracts yet. Chris Gayle, Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Kieron Pollard, Darren Bravo, Dwayne Bravo, Marlon Samuels, Samuel Badree and Darren Sammy will all be offered pro-rata contracts based on their performances in the upcoming series in the short term.

"Sammy and Bravos don't play for West Indies at the moment, so we can't offer contracts to people who are not in the team," Grave said.

"Pollard, Narine and Badree are only in the T20 team, (and) white-ball contracts are for those who play ODIs and T20s. It's a view of the selectors that both Pollard and Narine have to show form in the Regional Super50 one-day competition to regain selection in the ODI team. If they play that tournament and perform I don't see why they wouldn't get recalled.

"Obviously post amnesty, Gayle and Marlon played in England, if we had won the series and they had made lots of runs, they probably would have got contracts. So I think the selectors want to see them in New Zealand, Super50 and World Cup Qualifiers, but I suspect at some stage in 2018 they will get contracts given the new system," Grave said.

Grave is currently in Auckland to meet the West Indies players to explain the

details of the various contracts and address their concerns. Both Grave and Adams agreed with the selectors that the main priority is for West Indies to qualify for the 2019 World Cup, and players will need to commit to that task ahead of T20 tournaments like the Big Bash League and the Pakistan Super League. The Big Bash League starts from December 19 and runs till February 4. The PSL will begin from February 22.

The Regional Super50 falls between the BBL and the PSL - from January 31 to February 24, ending a week before the World Cup Qualifiers, scheduled to begin on March 2.

Grave said CWI will be as flexible as possible in allowing players to play T20 Leagues, but the priority must be to play for West Indies. "Considering the importance of Qualifiers right now, that will take priority over a player's individual needs, so I'd imagine if players seriously want to be part of World Cup plans they will play Super50."

According to Grave, the amnesty will soon lapse, and the players will be told about the minimum number of domestic matches they are expected to play in order to qualify to play for West Indies. "The amnesty will be replaced by a technical committee which will work out eligibility criteria," Grave said. "The meeting probably will happen either before Christmas or early in the new year. And I would be surprised if they suggested anything else other than players have to play Super50."

(ESPNCricinfo)

52 sport

WEEK ENDING DECEMBER 17 , 2017 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Guyanese Kevin Persaud signs with Australia’s AT1pro

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uyanese Motor Biker Kevin Persaud commendable performances at this year’s Caribbean Motor Racing Championship (CMRC) has gained the attention of Australian company AT1pro who manufactures custom made Professional Racing Suits.

According to the elated Persaud, the partnership will significantly aid his 2018 CMRC Super Stock title endeavours and it came to fruition after impressing the company’s Managing Director Dominic De Leon, who is also a motor biker that raced at the South Dakota circuit in 2014.

“He was impressed by my performance of which I won two CMRC races that day. I raced with him again in Trinidad last year and we always kept in touch.

He would always advise me on race techniques and skills.”

Persaud added, “he messaged me last month congratulating me on my championship win and offered me some sponsorship towards 2018 and 2019 and I immediately said yes.

Essentially, I will be getting discounts on all of the products that they make and suits and gloves for that two-year period.”

For the 18 year-old, the

Kevin Persaud has lots to celebrate this year

new found agreement will significantly aid his development and quest to dethrone Team Mohamed’s Enterprise Byrce Prince for the title.

“This is a surplus for me and a great achievement to have an international company from Australia coming on board to support my program. It helps since defeating Bryce Prince will cost lots of practice and hard work in the gym and also a better machine and most importantly the sponsorship to be successful.”

The former Queen’s

College Student who rides under the #93 gang banner, is also the current country champion and plans to tour to the other three territories, Barbados, Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago when the championships gets underway in March at the Wallerfield International Raceway in the twin island republic.

Aside from Caribbean glory, the rider’s whose machine of choice is a Kawasaki ZX6R is seeking to earn a spot on one of AT1pro teams in Australia.

(Akeem Greene)

'I'm the greatest', says Gayle after Mirpur mayhem

C

hris Gayle gave it the full Universe Boss treatment after striking a world-record 18 sixes to turn the final of the Bangladesh Premier League into an affirmation of his talent.

Asked by ESPNcricinfo if he would class himself as the Don Bradman of T20s, Gayle banged his own publicity drum after another epic display. "I'm the greatest batsman of all time," he pronounced.

To watch Gayle, legs slightly apart with the bat over his head in his follow through as the ball sailed over the long-on fielder was one of the most enduring images of BPL 2017.

Gayle's relentless assault - a record 146* off 69 balls - razed defending champions and pre-tournament favourites Dhaka Dynamites in the title clash. Gayle's 18 sixes was a methodical assault, which thrilled the packed Mirpur crowd.

He cherished his fifth BPL hundred and 20th overall in T20 cricket, calling it one of his best T20 knocks.

"It is a big game, a big occasion to actually stand out and get a century in a final," Gayle said. "You actually look back and say well done. You tap yourself on the back. It is a winning effort as well, which makes it more special for me. So I am glad that we came out on top. I would put it in the top five [among T20 centuries], certainly for the occasion as well. I will have to reflect where this takes place. It is right up there."

Gayle said that Rangpur Riders looked to bat deep into the innings, especially after they had lost previous match-winner Johnson Charles in the second over.

"They [Dhaka Dynamites' started well.

We lost Charles a bit early," Gayle said.

"We had to give ourselves a chance to bat as deep as possible. It was important for one of us to bat right through the innings.

It actually set the momentum for us."

Gayle said keeping Dhaka's key bowler Sunil Narine at bay was also part of Rangpur's plan. "It is a good wicket, once you are set on it," he said. You can score a bit freely. It wasn't the best, fully 100 % batting conditions. They had quality bowlers. We didn't let their best bowlers get wickets.

"Narine is their key bowler. Once you lose Charles early, you play according to the situation, use a bit of experience. Know when to go, when to hold back."

Gayle also credited Brendon McCullum with whom he added an unbroken 201 - the highest stand for any wicket in the BPL. "Turning over the strike was always going to be important. I thought we did a fantastic job - myself and McCullum," Gayle said. "We worked out what to do in the middle, which bowler to take down, and when.

"When we arrived in Bangladesh, everyone was so excited to see Gayle and McCullum. It didn't happen early on in the tournament, but I am glad it happened when it mattered. It is not about trying to outdo each other. The communication and understanding was very good." (ESPNCricinfo)

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WEEK ENDING DECEMBER 17 , 2017 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

WEEK ENDING DECEMBER 17 , 2017| guyanatimeSinternational.com

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