Guyana Times International

Cricket: A useful tool to nourish community spirit in NY Page 51

INTERNATIONAL THE BEACON OF TRUTH

‘A charade’

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You can also read Guyana Times daily edition online at www.guyanatimesgy.com WEEK ENDING October 8, 2017

ISSUE NO. 365

…Jagdeo urges Granger to abide by High Court ruling and move ahead in appointing GECOM Chair See story on page 9

Pedestrian overpasses taking shape

Works on the pedestrian overpasses at Houston, Peter’s Hall, Eccles and Diamond (East Bank Demerara) continue to move apace.

These overpasses are geared at eliminating congestion on the EBD road which is among the busiest in the country. (Carl Croker photo)

Gains made after 1992 Exxon strikes more oil offshore being eroded - PPP says on 25th anniversary of the Guyana ‘Dawn of a New Era’ Page 14

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WEEK ENDING OCTOBER 8, 2017 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

NEWS 3

WEEK ENDING OCTOBER 8, 2017| guyanatimeSinternational.com

Exxon strikes more oil offshore Guyana

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xxon Mobil Corporation on Thursday announced it has made a fifth new oil discovery after drilling the Turbot-1 well offshore Guyana.

Turbot is ExxonMobil’s latest discovery to date in the country, adding to previous discoveries at Liza, Payara, Snoek and Liza Deep. Following completion of the Turbot-1 well, the Stena Carron drillship will move to the Ranger prospect. An additional well on the Turbot discovery is being planned for 2018, a release from the company said.

ExxonMobil affiliate Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Ltd. began drilling the Turbot-1 well on Aug. 14, 2017 and encountered a

reservoir of 75 feet (23 meters) of high-quality, oil-bearing sandstone in the primary objective. The

well was safely drilled to 18,445 feet (5,622 meters) in 5,912 feet (1,802 meters) of water on Sept. 29,

2017. The Turbot-1 well is located in the southeastern portion of the Stabroek Block, approxi-

mately 30 miles (50 kilometers) to the southeast of the Liza phase one project.

“The results from this

latest well further illustrate the tremendous potential we see from our exploration activities offshore Guyana,” said Steve Greenlee, president of ExxonMobil Exploration Company. “ExxonMobil, along with its partners, will continue to further evaluate opportunities on the Stabroek Block,” the release added.

The Stabroek Block is 6.6 million acres (26,800 square kilometers). Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited is the operator and holds 45 percent interest in the Stabroek Block.

Hess Guyana Exploration Ltd. holds 30 percent interest and CNOOC Nexen Petroleum Guyana Limited holds 25 percent interest.

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WEEK ENDING OCTOBER 8, 2017 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

INTERNATIONAL To contact: Guyana Times International

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Tel no: (592) 223-7230/1, 225-7761.

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EDITORIAL

GECOM and public trust

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hen the issue of the controversial purchase of 50 Very High Frequency (VHF) communication radio sets by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) for close to G$100 million first broke, it sparked much criticism and prompted a special probe by the Auditor General’s Office into this and other similar transactions conducted by the organisation.

This newspaper reported, a few days ago, that the special audit has progressed to the point where the AG has submitted his report to GECOM with the hope that the Commissioners would take the necessary actions against those found to be involved in any wrongdoing. AG Deodat Sharma has since taken a firm stance on the matter, and has wasted no time in sending a strong signal to the agencies involved: that, should they fail to act, he would not hesitate in calling in the Guyana Police Force, if he has to. He was clear in pointing out that “the Audit Act says I can send my report to the DPP (Director of Public Prosecutions) and the police.”

Over the years, GECOM’s procurement practices had come under the microscope after allegations of high-level corruption began to surface. In fact, the controversial radio sets’ purchase was the most blatant, and sparked public outrage by the political Opposition and other stakeholders. The purchases were made prior to the 2015 General and Regional Elections, raising concerns over the extraordinarily high cost of the equipment.

Based on reports, the radio sets were purchased for use during the 2015 General and Regional Elections, particularly in the outlying regions of Guyana. However, they were never put into use after it was discovered that many of them were not working. As a matter of fact, sections of the Guyanese media reported that the Australiabased manufacturer, Barrett Communications, through its European office, had distanced itself from the purchase. The company made it clear that it had ceased to produce the equipment more than five years ago.

Information also surfaced that while the electoral body would have collected quotations from a number of suppliers, it had handed the contract for the supply of the equipment to a company owned by a Water Street, Georgetown businessman.

In addition to this most recent case, there were several other cases wherein concerns were raised regarding the methods employed by GECOM in procuring goods and services. In fact, at a previous press conference, one commissioner bluntly told the media that he believed corruption at the electoral body is deep-rooted with key players at many levels of the organisation.

If we are to go by what some commissioners are saying, at least in the press, there are serious problems plaguing the organization, and those should be addressed forthwith, not only as they relate to transparency and accountability of public funds, but the overall management and delivery of credible elections.

It is no secret that GECOM spends hundreds of millions of dollars, especially in election years or periods when there are heightened activities, such as continuous/house-to-house registration etc, and all efforts must be made to ensure that national procurement laws are followed in utilising those funds.

The AG, on many occasions before, had highlighted many lapses in the system over the years, but it is not certain what actions are being taken by GECOM and the powers that be to ensure public funds are spent in a transparent and accountable manner.

While many are anxiously waiting to see how the Commissioners would treat the findings and recommendations included in the AG’s probe on the radio sets’ purchase, it is our hope that GECOM would learn its lesson from this entire episode and take the necessary steps to ensure that it is never again caught up in this mess.

We had stated before that, as an independent constitutional body, GECOM enjoys financial, functional and operational autonomy; and like every agency which is financed with public funds, it must account in a transparent manner for the expenditure of these funds.

Further, principally due to the nature of its work, the organisation should do everything in its power to win the public’s trust. Being caught up in such controversies does not help in any way.

Small Days....Yupukari Village, Rupununi, Guyana. (Photo by Girendra Persaud)

First global funding pact launched to secure indigenous land rights

Indigenous people of southern Brazil take part in a protest against the report of the parliamentary commission of inquiry that investigates fraud and irregularities in the process of demarcation of indigenous lands, made by National Indian Foundation (Funai) and National Institute of Colonization and Agrarian Reform (Incra), in Brasilia, Brazil May 16, 2017. REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino (Taken from the Thomson Reuters Foundation)

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ndigenous people under threat from companies seeking to develop their land for agriculture, mining and energy projects will be supported with money and practical help through a major global partnership backed by philanthropic and government funding.

The International Land and Forest Tenure Facility is the first initiative to provide grants to advance the rights of indigenous people to help them protect their forest land and resources.

“Creating mechanisms that allow indigenous peoples and local communities to gain tenure over their land or forests is a key way to tackle climate change and inequality,” said Darren Walker, president of the Ford Foundation, a major backer.

The facility won a US$20 million pledge from Norway on Tuesday when it was launched at a land rights conference in Stockholm.

Indigenous people and ru-

ral communities have customary claims to two thirds of the world’s land but are legally recognised as holding only 10 percent, according to the Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI), a global network.

This has contributed to an increase in conflicts over land in countries rich in tropical forests and natural resources as agribusinesses, mining and energy companies lay claim to indigenous land and forests.

Forests absorb planet-warming carbon dioxide and when they are degraded or destroyed, the carbon stored in the trees is released into the atmosphere. Deforestation accounts for 10 to 15 percent of carbon emissions worldwide.

If the facility invests at least US$10 million a year for its first 10 years, experts project an increase in titled, protected and well-managed community and indigenous tropical forests of more than 40 million hectares, an area roughly the size of Sweden.

Such efforts would also prevent deforestation of one million hectares and the release of 500 million tonnes of carbon di-

oxide and help reduce poverty among indigenous people, the RRI said.

“The Tenure Facility provides a powerful solution to save the world’s forests from the ground up,” said Carin Jämtin, director general of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, another key funder.

The facility has already provided grants and guidance for pilot projects in Indonesia, Mali, Peru, Cameroon, Liberia and Panama.

A 2015 peace accord that ended Mali’s civil war failed to address land-based conflicts that contributed to the war, said Boubacar Diarra, the project’s coordinator in the West African country.

The facility helped to set up 17 local land commissions to sort through conflicting claims to determine who owns the land, he said.

“These commissions have reduced conflicts by up to a third by working with local villagers and tribal leaders,” Diarra told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

NEWS 5

WEEK ENDING OCTOBER 8, 2017| guyanatimeSinternational.com

Policewoman Buyers, investors being hacked to death sought for GuySuCo Estates in Berbice T

By Gary Eleazar

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Dead: Kenesha Sheriff Fraser

embers of the Guyana Police Force have launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of one of their colleagues, a female officer, attached to the Central Police Station at New Amsterdam, Berbice.

The victim, Kenesha Sheriff Fraser of West Coast Berbice, was reportedly fatally chopped on Thursday morning during an incident by a male.

While details are still sketchy, this news-

paper has been reliably informed that the incident took place around 09:00hrs on Thursday at Number 30 Village, West Coast Berbice.

A blood stained cutlass, which is suspected to be the murder weapon, was found a short distance from the victim’s hacked body.

Moreover, this publication has been informed that the suspect may have taken his life as Officers are acting on reports that the body of a male was found hanging.

he Special Purpose Unit (SPU) that has been set up under the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) has begun the process of selling the Guyana Sugar Corporation’s (GuySuCo) assets, including a number of estates.

Conducted under the ‘Sugar Industry Privatisation and Diversification’, the outfit is currently soliciting proposals from companies or persons either individually or as part of a joint venture or consortium “with an interest in the privatisation and/or diversification of Skeldon, Rose Hall, Wales and East Demerara ‘Enmore’ factories.”

The request for letters of interest by the SPU is identified as the first step in the process of finding and shortlisting buyers or investors.

The entity has noted too that in order to increase transparency, it is partnering with a suitably qualified international financial services firm ‘to provide technical and financial advisory support

in the process leading to a successful privatisation and diversification of the sugar industry.’

At the time of announcing the creation of the Special Purpose Unit, Finance Minister Winston Jordan had indicated that some G$60 million had been set aside to hire an accounting firm in order to lead the divestment process, including updated valuations of the assets.

Those looking to invest in, or purchase any of the assets have a month since the deadline for submission of letters of interest is November.

NICIL has since stressed that it is under no obligation to accept any or all of the letters received.

Included in the more than G$6.3 billion supplementary request earlier this year was a sum of G$130 million earmarked as a subsidy for contribution to local organisations.

According to the explanatory remarks accompanying the request, the money is “to provide for the establishment of a Special Purpose Unit to manage the reform of the sugar industry.”

According to the Financial Paper, the

Finance Minister, Winston Jordan

amount includes provision for employment costs, utilities, professional and legal fees, advertisements, operating supplies furniture and equipment.

“This is a Special Purpose Unit designed purely for what I indicated… the focus of this Unit is privatsiation and divestment of identified assets one of which is Skeldon Estate, that is their top priority,” Minister Jordan had told parliamentarians at the time.

The Finance Minister told the House that other identified properties will soon be transferred to the Special Purpose Unit for divestment by that outfit.

GuySuCo, he said, will identify the lands or assets to be divested after which

it will be transferred to the Special Purpose Unit.

“In other words, we pulling out this whole exercise from GuySuCo so GuySuCo can continue with its operations,” according the Minister Jordan.

The Finance Minister said some G$30 million has been set aside for the payment of salaries for the Unit which he expects will be headed by a Director and deputy along with support staff.

As part of the ongoing divestment of the assets belonging to the beleaguered GuySuCo, Minister of State Joseph Harmon, recently announced that Colvin Keith-London has been appointed head of that SPU. That Unit has been tasked with the divestment of GuySuCo’s assets, inclusive of its lands; and according to Harmon, Keith-London will be based at the Kingston Headquarters of NICIL. That Unit was first announced by the Agriculture Minister when, in recent months, he presented to the National Assembly a policy paper on the future of the sugar industry.

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WEEK ENDING OCTOBER 8, 2017 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Guyana’s economy on a decline because of ineptitude, bad leadership and poor policies Dear Editor, In his 1993 Budget speech, the Senior Minister of Finance, Asgar Ally described the hopelessness that the PPP inherited from the PNC after the 1992 general election, saying: “The task we have inherited can be compared with that of a man who is required to climb a mountain with both his hands and feet tied and a heavy haversack on his back.”

One year earlier during his 1992 Budget speech, Carl Greenidge, who served as Guyana’s Minister of Finance under successive PNC administrations for nine years (1983 to 1992), described the imbalances facing the domestic economy as “high and rising levels of inflation; extreme and damaging exchange rate volatility; the loss of foreign exchange reserves; a growing gap between the official and parallel market rates for foreign exchange, and an increasingly virulent and ubiquitous parallel market; and declining investment, production and job opportunities”.

And one year before that, in his 1991 Budget speech, Greenidge described the Guyana domestic economy as facing “two fundamental problems… severe fiscal imbalance and severe external disequilibrium… there was also uneven economic growth and a decline in GDP”.

In a letter (on September 24, 2017), “The APNU+AFC inherited a Guyana that was completely decayed”, Jerrick Rutherford asked that I use “accurate facts and statistics”. While my letters are always fact-based, the statistics given below also allow me the opportunity to debunk the newly appointed PNC ‘propaganda’ Minister, Amna Ally, who shamelessly propagates that Guyana experienced “unprecedented nation-building efforts [sic] in every aspect of human endeavour” under successive PNC Administrations from 1964 to 1992, and that all of the major housing schemes, arterial roads, drainage and irrigation schemes were built while the PNC was in Government.

I invite both Ally and Rutherford to read the 1992 World Bank Report on Guyana that can be found here: http:// documents.worldbank.org/curated/ en/840881468033639594/pdf/multi0page.pdf Minister Ally should also explain to the nation the failure of the PNC to “feed, house and clothe the nation by 1976”, a promise that was made by the Kabaka himself, the late Forbes Burnham.

For had it not been for the PPP, over 100,000 Guyanese would not have been landowners or homeowners today.

But like its predecessor, the APNU can never be trusted to keep the promises made to the Guyanese people.

Well, here are some more facts and statistics to illustrate just how bankrupt the Guyana economy was when the PPP took office in 1992, so that Minister Ally can refresh her failing memory, and Rutherford can compare that with the robust economy that the APNU+AFC coalition inherited in 2015 from the PPP/C. During the period 1984 to 1992 under the PNC, the Guyana dollar depreciated from G$3 to US$1 to G$125 to US$1, an increase of over 4000 per cent.

In 1992, the PNC, of which President David Granger, Carl Greenidge and Amna Ally, were part, left the newly-elected Jagan Administration and the people of Guyana heavily in debt.

From US$60.8 million in External Debt in 1964, to a whopping US$2.1 billion when the PNC left office in

October 1992.

As a consequence of imprudent economic and borrowing policies of successive PNC Administrations, the economy could not generate the resources necessary to service the external debts. And in 1985, Guyana became ineligible to access the resources of the International Financial Institutions, notably the World Bank; the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB).

During 27 years of the PNC, Guyana was the only country that reflected a zero per capita income growth. By comparison, Barbados’ per capita growth was 1100 per cent; Trinidad 400 per cent; and Jamaica 260 per cent. In fact, even Haiti, which was the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, performed better than Guyana. Haiti’s per capita income grew 400 per cent compared to Guyana’s zero.

The Guyana economy was indeed in a perilous state, and in general, the country’s infrastructure was in a state of disrepair. This is what the PPP inherited. (source: The 1993 Guyana Budget, and the 1992 World Bank Report).

Now let us examine where we came from, and what the APNU+AFC coalition is doing to put us back there.

From a bankrupt economy inherited from the PNC in 1992, the PPP/C, under the stewardship of the financial wizard Bharrat Jagdeo and later Dr Ashni Singh, was able to miraculously transform the Guyana economy, leaving a whopping US$670 million in Foreign Exchange Reserves for the newly-elected APNU+AFC Government in May of 2015 (source: theGlobalEconomy.com).

According to the Bank of Guyana’s Key Macro Economic Indicator, Guyana enjoyed nine consecutive years of economic expansion under the PPP/C, averaging 4.6 per cent despite severe global economic and financial crises that have seen the collapse of other economies around the world. Guyana was indeed on the rise with the fastest growing economy in the Caribbean.

But this was short-lived.

In 2015, under the APNU+AFC, real growth dropped to three per cent although the Bank of Guyana, in its 2014 Annual Report, projected the Guyana economy to grow by 5.3 per cent. But without the prudent management of the PPP/C, the Guyana economy has been on the decline since, and continues to limp along as evidenced by the meagre 2.2 per cent expansion in real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) posted for the first half of 2017 (Source: Bank of Guyana and Ministry of Finance). This precipitous decline was not because they were clearing out drug money from the economy or because they inherited a bankrupt economy, but rather, because of ineptitude, bad leadership and poor policies.

I have nothing but empathy for the likes of Jerrick Rutherford who feel they have an obligation to parrot the lies of the APNU+AFC propaganda machine without knowing the facts, for I have walked that road before. But the fact is, Guyanese were much better off under the PPP/C and all this talk of a “better life” under the APNU+AFC has been nothing but an elusive dream to Guyanese who voted for “change”.

Undoubtedly, the Guyana economy is once again in serious crisis. But don’t take my word for it. The following was taken from an editorial (in one of the newspapers on July 8, 2017): “Many, including the opposition, have already expressed their disgust continued on page 8

Is Guyana’s legal system benefiting perpetrators of sexual offences?

Dear Editor, Assuming the accuracy of the statistics provided (in another section of the media on 10/1/17), Demerara High Court trials are in a state of serious dysfunction.

Of the 167 cases listed on the docket, only 28 cases made it to trial, of which six ended in a jury verdict. Of the six, one murder and one rape case ended in conviction, with the jury returning not guilty verdicts in the other four. The rest of the cases reaching court were disposed of administratively, either by changing pleas from murder to manslaughter (7), being formally stopped by the Judge (5), withdrawn by the Director of Public Prosecutions (8), or withdrawn by complainants (2).

The Guyana Human Rights Association (GHRA) is particularly concerned that of the 17 sexual offences/rape trials, 10 were withdrawn either because the complainant could not be found or had informed the court they were not pursuing the matter. This speaks to inordinate delays in High Court trials exposing victims to a variety of stressful experiences involving police, families of the accused, or victims simply moving on with their lives.

The disturbing story behind these statistics is that women’s access to justice in the most vital area of their lives, namely bodily integrity, is diminishing. Greater awareness of sexual violence, improving counselling services, and bettering vigilance over young children of both sexes mean little if not backed up by legal action. The speed at which reforms of sexual offences laws and procedures are implemented lags far behind the forces encouraging violence.

Lessening of legal protection is the local reflection of global trends. Readilyaccessed fantasies of pornography and lewd music are encouraging a male demeanour of dominance. This hostility is most readily evident in what women endure for expressing themselves on the internet or in social media settings, and is manifest also in the rolling back globally of legal protection on reproductive rights.

In a widely-quoted study, issued in 2005 as the first in a three-part series undertaken by the GHRA, it was revealed that conviction rates in sexual offences cases were less than 1% of all reported

cases. The study also indicated that the chances of a conviction rose substantially – to almost 50% — if the cases actually made it to a High Court trial. The experience of the last assizes indicate this is no longer the case, and that the situation has worsened substantially to less than 20% of High Court cases reaching a conviction.

The only conclusion to be drawn is that the campaign initiated in 2005, which achieved fundamental renovation of the Sexual Offences Act, remains far from ensuring justice for female survivors of sexual violence.

The habit of looking backwards to proclaim how far women have progressed is a well-honed technique to disarm women’s rights activism. The more appropriate human rights stance, however, is to look forward — to ask how long will we tolerate the systematic and pervasive abuse of women, which constitutes the most serious of any human rights challenge across the globe.

More specific to the legal system, when will the experience of taking sexual offences to court become more intimidating to perpetrators than it is to survivors?

Despite female appointment to high office, the judicial process continues to be steeped in chauvinism more likely to re-victimize survivors than punish perpetrators.

Juries, unschooled in legal niceties, for example, feed off the dominant culture and are quick to identify with demeaning attitudes too frequently communicated by legal professionals. Recent harrowing newspaper accounts of what victims experience in their own villages following ‘not guilty’ verdict are sufficient to attest to this.

Changing the judicial culture with respect to rights of women is not simply a matter for judges. It imposes obligations on all actors in the justice system, both male and female; the private bar; prosecution services, and the Guyana Police Force.

It also challenges the complacent permissiveness across the society with regard to sexual explicitness in films, music, and uncensored access to the internet by immature people.

Executive Committee, Guyana Human Rights Association

President Granger should give details on how he intends to accommodate Dominicans

Dear Excellency President Granger, First, let me thank you for your humanitarian suggestion to invite to Guyana our Caribbean brothers and sisters from Dominica, who have suffered from the ravages of Hurricane Maria.

I would like to think that you would hold community meetings to hear the views of citizens, because they are the ones who would have to host the Dominicans.

More than anyone else, YOU should be aware that Guyana is facing a socio-economic crisis. The closure of some sugar factories has caused increased unemployment. Employers would soon be forced to send home workers if the economic situation continues.

I would like you to give details to the nation on how you intend to accommodate and employ Dominicans.

Mr President, on many occasions I have heard you said that you are a man of truth. I have no reason to doubt you.

You have spoken about lands that you would make available to Dominicans for agriculture, but does your Government have the resources to build the infrastructure in a new environment for these refugees?

How much would it cost the Government? From where would you find the funds to build roads, houses, schools, hospitals, etc, and supply electricity and water? History has taught us

there is a price to charity.

Is your invitation to the Dominicans a way of getting more people to vote for you? I have no problem with that. If I were in your position, I would do the same.

Most of your Ministers are conjuring a dream that oil will bring salvation to Guyana. But this is really a pipe dream.

An article posted on AlterNet by Nafeez Ahmed stated that the oil industry is crumbling. He wrote, “It’s not looking good for the global fossil fuel industry. Although the world remains heavily dependent on oil, coal and natural gas – which today supply around 80 percent of our primary energy needs – the industry is rapidly crumbling.”

In an article published in Clean Tecnica, Paul Gilding wrote that the fossil fuel energy industry is now entering terminal decline. Gilding wrote, “It’s time to make the call – fossil fuels are finished.”

Guyana should take a look at the economic crisis that is now bedevilling Trinidad, which depends heavily on oil.

All politicians are known to spin hopes and dreams for their constituents.

Mr President, please explain how you intend to accommodate Dominicans in the wake of abysmally low oil prices worldwide.

Sincerely, Jai Sears, Grenada

news 7

WEEK ENDING OCTOBER 8, 2017| guyanatimeSinternational.com

DDL embarks on US$50M Edghill accuses Govt of breaking expansion project Sole-sourcing

procurement laws

By Jarryl Bryan

T

he several instances where the coalition Government has admitted it annulled tenders to procure goods and services and sole-sourced contractors are being classified as potential breaches of Guyana’s law.

Section 40 of Guyana’s Procurement Act states that permission from the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board (NPTAB) must be sought before sole sourcing.

But Section 41 of the Act prohibits the procuring entity, in most cases the relevant Ministry, from engaging in any negotiation with any of the bidders. According to former Minister within the Finance Ministry, Juan Edghill, this is in fact what may have been happening.

“The fact that you are sole sourcing suggests that.

Because, for example, the Sussex Street bond. How did Mr Larry Singh know that the Government had need of a bond? It was never publicly advertised.”

“So when things are sole sourced, it causes speculation that there is an arrangement or some form of consideration. And that is why we are demanding

(that the) process be followed. Every sole-sourced contract is an arrangement, whether it’s ANSA McAL, Georgetown Prisons, Sussex Street Bond, whether it’s D’Urban Park….,” Edghill posited.

Last year, the Government cancelled a tender seeking a contractor to carry out feasibility studies into the new Demerara River bridge. In the process, it abandoned bids from 22 local and foreign contractors and sole-sourced the service from a Dutch company.

Then, it recently came to light that the Government cancelled a tender for the multimillion-dollar reconstruction of the administrative blocks for the Georgetown prison.

The project was being undertaken by the Public Infrastructure Ministry.

A total of 20 companies had been shortlisted from a prequalification process and were invited by the Permanent Secretary, Geoffrey Vaughn to conduct a site visit on July 27, 2017.

They were to respond by the following day on whether or not they would be submitting a bid for the project.

The visit was the following day rescheduled by the Ministry’s Work Services Group Manager for

…over 3-year period

D

PPP MP Juan Edghill

Procurement and Contracts, Philip Bryan. The procurement manager, by way of email, a copy of which was seen by this publication, indicated that the site visit for the project was rescheduled for the following day, Friday, July 28, 2017.

On July 28, 2017, acting Permanent Secretary Vaughn wrote again to the bidders saying, “The Ministry regrets to inform you that a decision was taken by the executing agency to annul this bid.”

Vaughn then pointed to a clause which speaks to the “employer’s right to accept any bid and to reject any or all bids”.

The Ministry has since said that the process was annulled because it was not the subject Ministry.

According to the Ministry, it was just providing “technical support” for the Public continued on page 9

emerara Distillers Limited (DDL) on Wednesday announced a programme of development that would see the company investing G$10 billion (US$50 million), over the next three years.

Speaking on Wednesday after a tour of DDL facilities by Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo and Business Minister Dominic Gaskin, DDL Chairman Komal Samaroo said that the investments over the next three years “are in pursuance of DDL’s strategic goals to increase its export earnings [and], to diversify its income base; not only in alcohol but other things like food processing and other non-alcoholic beverages”.

Prime Minister Nagamootoo, indicating that he was happy to finally have his long overdue visit to DDL, said he was “delighted to see that our local manufacturers are hard at work ensuring that our local products reach the global markets”. He added that the expansion plans outlined by DDL on Wednesday demonstrate the company’s continued confidence in Guyana’s economy. “As a government, we will continue to support them and all manufacturers of local content,” he stated.

Describing DDL as “one of the biggest value-added companies in Guyana and probably Guyana’s most successful value-added company”, Minister Gaskin said “it

DDL Chairman Komal Samaroo used the opportunity to announce the company’s current expansion plans on Wednesday

was good to get a walkthrough and get a glimpse of their manufacturing facilities”. He wished the company well with its expansion plans and said the Government stood “ready to give support to DDL wherever possible”.

The new DDL expansion programme includes some projects that have already started, some projects that are ready to go, and some projects that are in various stages of the planning process.

Projects that have already started include the new warehouse for storing aging rums. Projects that are ready to go include the new blending department and the new DSL warehouse.

8 news

WEEK ENDING OCTOBER 8, 2017 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Guyana’s Private Sector Lindeners raise concerns to host multi-stakeholder with Opposition Leader Business Summit

A

multistakeholder approach is being used to bring together the brightest and most experienced in all sectors for the first-ever Guyana Business Summit, which is scheduled to take place next week.

Chairman of the Trade and Investment Committee of the Private Sector Commission (PSC), Deodat Indar told the media on Tuesday that the Business Summit would be held from October 1112, 2017.

Indar said the Summit would see participation of a wide cross-section of people, including Government officials, members of the Opposition, donor organisations and civil society.

The PSC official noted that the Summit would not be another talk shop and a presentation of great speeches, rather it would be used to formulate strategic plans to help boost Private Sector activities.

“This will not be another talk shop. This is not where people go to grandstand or any form of pageantry. This is serious business. We expect that the seven panels that we set up will be armed with experts to dissect issues, trends, analyse and project and suggest actions to reduce decline,” he stated.

He noted that all the support was needed at this juncture, especially as Guyana was moving towards becoming an oil-producing country at a time when traditional sectors have been performing poorly.

The PSC official also explained that the main focus of the Summit was to assist with the formu-

PSC official Deodat Indar addressing the media on Tuesday

lation of a Private Sector Development Action Plan that would set the tone for the economic development in Guyana.

The PSC is hoping to have the Action Plan incorporated into a plan for Guyana’s overall economic development and prosperity, and is currently in discussions with Government in this regard.

Asked by this newspaper whether there were mechanisms in place to ensure that the Action Plan was implemented and not placed on a shelf, Indar said that there was machinery to deal with that.

“I would suspect that if we have a meeting of the best and brightest of Guyana, I don’t want to preempt it, but the suggestions should not only be immediate, but medium and long term as well,” he added.

While there have been increasing reports about a slowdown in the local economy, Indar said while this was not the main reason for the Summit, it would help to find solutions in addressing this issue.

“Regardless of where this country is right now, I don’t think it is synony-

mous with us holding this Summit…but that does not preclude us from discussing some of the issues that are facing the nation.”

Six presentations from industry experts in the areas of forestry, manufacturing, agriculture, tourism, the extractive sector and commerce will occur, followed by panel discussions.

Indar said the objective was to encourage maximum participation from the stakeholder groups and organisations in order to ensure that the findings of the Summit address any constraints that hinder development.

“I want to make sure that the business community and the Guyanese people understand that this PSC is fighting a fight for the development of the country. This is about finding solutions that are facing the Guyanese citizenry, whether you are in business, whether you are thinking of starting a business or expanding a business, an employee or self-employed,” he opined.

President David Granger is expected to deliver the keynote address at the opening of the Business Summit.

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo is expected to deliver an address during the second and final day of the Summit, which is being supported by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

The Guyana Business Summit will be held on October 1112, 2017 at the Guyana Marriott Hotel under the theme: “Challenges and Opportunities for Business Growth and Expansion.”

F

ormer President now Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo visited Linden in Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) on Wednesday where he, and his team, met informally with residents, many of whom raised issues and concerns affecting them, their community and the country as a whole.

The Opposition Leader met residents informally in the streets, markets, shops, etc, during a walkabout of the mining town.

He also addressed residents as a group and listened to their concerns, giving them the opportunity of having their voices

heard.

Accompanying the Opposition Leader were former Minister Robeson Benn and People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Member of Parliament, Nigel Dharamlall, among others.

Here are a few scenes of Jagdeo’s visit to Linden, captured by Guyana Times International photographer Carl Croker.

Guyana’s economy on ... from page 6

over the 50 per cent increase in salaries of some Ministers who were in office less than three months, the G$1.2 billion D’Urban Park project, and the millions spent in tuition fees for two junior ministers.

So there is no need in revisiting such reckless spending of the taxpayers’ money, except to say that the President and his cabinet should lead by example and end the wasteful spending that they have foisted on the nation. It is worthy to point out that all this is happening at the same time the government is closing several sugar estates and putting thousands of sugar workers on the breadline.

If the people thought that such extravagant spending was bad enough, the government has made a public spectacle of itself with the rental of a house for G$500,000 per month for a Minister… Unfortunately, ministerial perks and benefits, especially the frequent overseas trips by ministers during the past two years, have put a dent in the country’s finances.

This contradicts the criticisms levelled

against the last administration by this government when it was in opposition.

This lack of transparency and accountability could tarnish the government’s image.”

The editorial forgot to mention the rental of a drug bond for G$12.5 million monthly; the approximately G$40 million it cost taxpayers to renovate Prime Minister Nagamootoo’s official residence; G$20 million for the Office of the Prime Minister – over $10 million in furniture for the PM’s office; G$22 million budgeted for his new luxury vehicle; and the tens of millions being spent to renovate the Ministry of the Presidency and the construction of the presidential green wall.

I was asked to use “accurate facts and statistics”. But now that I’ve done so, would this really change the perception that Jerrick Rutherford has of the PPP? Or would he remain a pathetic apologist for the PNC/APNU. Sincerely, Harry Gill, PPP/C Member of Parliament

NEWS 9

WEEK ENDING OCTOBER 8, 2017| guyanatimeSinternational.com

‘A charade’ …Jagdeo urges Granger to abide by High Court ruling and move ahead in appointing GECOM Chair

O

pposition Leader, Bharrat Jagdeo has urged President David Granger to abide by the High Court ruling and proceed in naming a Chairperson of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) without any further delays.

At a news briefing on Thursday, Jagdeo questioned the reason why the President wants to

meet with him again next week to discuss the appointment of a Chairman of GECOM, and said that it is time the Guyanese leader abide by a recent High Court ruling on the matter.

Labeling the 10-month long process so far in selecting a GECOM Chairman a “charade”, Jagdeo questioned why the President would like to meet him

again on the issue.

“If our president cannot find from 18 persons who are all professionals…most of them are more technically qualified than the president himself and most of his ministers; he cannot find a single person who is fit and proper then something is wrong, not with those people or the process, then something is wrong with him. Maybe,

Police Constable charged with dangerous, drunk driving

N

igel Griffith, the Police Constable who, while being heavily under the influence of alcohol, struck and severely injured a female motorist, was on Tuesday arraigned before Georgetown Magistrate Marissa Mittelholzer.

The 20-year-old, of Lot 58 Sarah Johanna, East Bank Demerara (EBD), denied the four charges read to him. The first charge alleged that on September 1, 2017 at the Ruimveldt Public Road, Georgetown, he drove motor vehicle PSS 4403 while his breath alcohol level was at .107, which is over the legal limit of alcohol consumption.

The three other charges allege that he drove a motor vehicle that was uninsured, unlicensed, and uncertified.

His attorney suc-

Charged: Nigel Griffith

cessfully petitioned for bail being granted, noting that the accused was cooperating fully with the investigation. The Prosecution had no objection to bail, but requested that the accused report to the Ruimveldt Police Station weekly.

As such, bail was granted in the sum of G$80,000, and he is scheduled to return to Court on October 10,

Edghill accuses...

from page 7

Security Ministry.

In the case of the Sussex Street, Albouystown bond, the Opposition had once again approached the Public Procurement Commission (PPC), this time calling for an investigation into a contract inked between the Public Health Ministry and a known financier of the coalition Administration.

The formal request was made by Edghill, who last week wrote to PPC Chairperson Carol Corbin, indicating that the political Opposition was demanding “a definitive pronouncement specifically addressing if this award was done in a fair, equitable, transparent, competitive and cost-effective manner according to our procurement laws”.

The former

Government Minister wants the Procurement Commission to investigate specifically how a contract for a bond for the storage of pharmaceuticals and medical supplies was solesourced from an entity that did not own and/ or operate such a facility and further, “how was the company’s primary director, Larry Singh, made aware that a drug bond was needed”.

Given the argument presented by the Health Ministry in defence of the contract – Edghill is also looking to ascertain “who made the decision to sole source and under what circumstances; what was the emergency referred to by the Minister”; and how Linden Holdings Inc was engaged to ink a contract.

2017.

On the day of the accident, Griffith slammed into the motorcycle of 44-year-old Gem Simone of Castello Housing Scheme, Georgetown.

Guyana Times International understands that Griffith was proceeding north along the Ruimveldt Public Road, Georgetown while Simone was proceeding out of Alexander Village.

However, the Policeman had reportedly failed to stop when he needed to, and collided with the motorcyclist a short distance from the Ruimveldt Police Station.

The injured woman was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital. She is said to have received serious head injuries from the impact which caused her to fall from her motorcycle. (Kizzy Coleman)

he is not fit and proper to make the selection,” Jagdeo told the media.

The Opposition Leader has maintained that his nominees are of good standing and have demonstrated independence and impartiality.

Jagdeo disclosed that would attend the meeting with Granger and urged that we “keep our fingers crossed and our hopes high” that the President would provide good news.

The President had said that he was hoping to meet with the Opposition Leader sometime next week to relate his decision regarding the third list of nominees for the post.

The Opposition Leader submitted the third list of nominees to the President on August 25, 2017, and now some five weeks later, the President is yet to make a pronouncement.

The six nominees are Major General (rtd) Joseph Singh; Attorney Teni Housty; Attorney Sanjeev Datadin; Conservationist and businesswoman, Annette Arjune-Martins; Pastor Onesi La Fleur and former Magistrate Krishnadatt Persaud.

When asked about the delay in the selection of a Chairman for GECOM, the President said he was awaiting the written ruling of the acting Chief Justice, Roxane George.

“The Honourable Chief Justice has published an opinion and I have been studying that opinion and looking at the decisions that I have to make. It was quite clear that among everything she has written, she has not interfered with the President’s right guaranteed by the Constitution to select a person fit and proper. I think that in that regard, I will continue to do what the Constitution guarantees me to do which is to select someone fit and proper,” Granger said.

According to the Chief Justice, President Granger should provide reasons for rejecting nominees presented by Opposition Leader Jagdeo for the position of the GECOM Chairman in accordance with Article 161 (2) of the Constitution, which refers to the need for communication and negotiation. However, the President is not obligated to provide reasons.

The case was called before the Chief Justice on June 27, 2017, with submissions from a representative of the State; the plaintiff, businessman Marcel Gaskin’s attorney; Glenn Hanoman and the Guyana Bar Association representative, Attorney Teni Housty.

Gaskin, a businessman and engineer, had moved to the High Court in March of this year to challenge the constitutionality of President Granger’s reasoning behind his rejection of Jagdeo’s list of six nominees.

“Now that I have it (written ruling) in hand and I have read it much more carefully… I look forward to have a meeting with Jagdeo. I have not set a timeline because I do not know about Jagdeo’s availability. I hope (to have the meeting) next week if he is available,” Granger said.

Guyana is expected to have Local Government Elections next year and the Opposition has accused the President of deliberately frustrating the selection process so that he could appoint someone in his favour.

10 news

WEEK ENDING OCTOBER 8, 2017 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Gandhi left a legacy for world Wales workers yet to receive severance packages to follow - PM Nagamootoo

By Shemuel Fanfair

T

he end of October will mark 10 months since the closure of the Wales Sugar Factory, and many workers who were attached to the Estate and rejected the option to transfer to Uitvlugt are still to be paid their severance packages.

As the former sugar workers continue to cope with their noted strain and difficulty in obtaining good paying and consistent employment, Minister of Agriculture, Noel Holder, has not carried out President David Granger’s request to look into the concerns of those aggrieved.

Sugar worker Vishnu Jailall, on behalf of his fellow unpaid employees, had sent a signed petition to President David Granger in late July, urging him to ensure that the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) meet its legal obligations to pay out severance benefits. In an attached letter, Jailall had contended that the payments should be paid as the corporation had made the workers’ jobs redundant.

President Granger acknowledged their concerns in a response in early August, wherein he observed that the Agriculture Minister would have tendered a response to the former employees. The petition was signed by over 30 other cane cutters and transporters.

However, the signatories to the petition remain without definitive word on their future, as Minister Holder has not, of recent, engaged in dialogue with the workers. In a brief

Agriculture Minister Noel Holder

interview with Guyana Times International, Vishnu Jailall related that he had not received a response from the Minister, though he remains hopeful that their issues can get addressed.

It is unclear when the workers would be able to obtain or garner resolve to this issue, as the matter is yet to be called in the High Court. In May, this newspaper reported that attorney for the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU), Senior Counsel Ashton Chase, had compiled and filed documents for the matter regarding the non-payment of severance packages to hundreds of sugar workers, and the matter was to be called up in the High Court. As of last week, the case was not listed to be called before a judge.

Several workers had their service transferred to Uitvlugt Sugar Estate, but the remaining workers were promised severance payments, some since December 2016 and others by February 2017. After this period elapsed, GuySuCo con-

tended that all of the workers who requested severance were paid. As such, the workers who did not agree to accept their severance within the stipulated timeframe have not been paid, and have supposedly been “left in the wilderness”, as described by GAWU General Secretary Seepaul Narine.

At a community-level meeting between Wales residents and several Government ministers earlier this year, Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan told the workers that Government has no money to pay the severance to which the workers are entitled. In September, Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo chaired high level-meetings with GuySuCo after the corporation had reportedly run out of money to pay certain categories of workers their salaries.

While it has not been disclosed how senior management workers have been affected by the payment deficit, many workers have reportedly been unpaid for services for almost two weeks. They were finally paid on September 20.

The Wales Estate closure has been seen as a cost-saving measure due to billions of dollars that were allocated to the declining sugar industry, especially to that former entity. There has since been the announced scaling down of other estates across the country, but many stakeholders have called for social impact studies to be carried out to assess how communities across the sugar belt would be affected by sure closures.

G

From left: businessmen Hemraj Kissoon and Yesu Persaud, PM Moses Nagamootoo and Indian High Commissioner Venkatachalam Mahalingam at the event Petition on severance pay

uyana joined the rest of the world in celebrating the 148th birth anniversary of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi on Monday, as the Indian High Commission hosted its annual commemoration ceremony at the monument erected in honour of the ‘Father of Peace’, in the Promenade Gardens on Middle Street, Georgetown.

Indian High C o m m i s s i o n e r Venkatachalam Mahalingam welcomed Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo as the chief guest along with other officials and Indian cultural activists at the early-morning event.

Gandhi, during his lifetime, advocated for non-violent actions which brought down colonialism and gave independence to his homeland of India.

His teachings of peace and humanity greatly influenced various freedom struggles and inspired several world

leaders such as Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela in their fight for equity.

Prime Minister Nagamootoo, delivering the feature address, said that Gandhi left a legacy for the world to follow.

“Today, if we are to take anything away to influence our own lives from the great Mahatma, we should take away the need to build our character, to promote truth even though it may be uncomfortable, to promote incorruptibility, to promote our own selves not as who we are in positions of status and in offices that may be bureaucratic, but as servants of the people,” he stated.

Guyana, the Prime Minister said, is a beneficiary of Gandhi’s teachings which played an integral role in helping the country achieve its independent status.

“We achieved the status of a democratic country, proud to stand up with the rest of the world as a people of peace and a people of purpose without violence, without wars and if we were to adopt the principles of the great Mahatma Gandhi, we should keep it that way, we should treasure what we have,” the Prime Minister stated.

Indian High C o m m i s s i o n e r Mahalingam said

that Gandhi’s teachings of peace still hold much significance in today’s society. The High Commissioner said that even though during Gandhi’s lifetime he was faced with challenges, he refused to resort to violence to achieve a peaceful society.

Quoting from the words of Martin Luther King Jr, the High Commissioner stated, “Gandhi is inevitable; if humanity is to progress, Gandhi is inescapable.

He lived, taught and acted inspired by humanity towards a world of peace and harmony. We may ignore him only at our own risk.”

In making brief remarks, Georgetown Mayor Patricia Chase Green said that Gandhi was a legend and lived a life worth emulating. She added that Gandhi was a gentle giant, who would whenever he could, impart knowledge, wisdom and good practices to foster unity, peace and love for all of humanity.

A few of Mahatma Gandhi’s most inspirational quotes are: “You must be the change you wish to see in the world”; “an eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind” and “happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony.”

Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo and Indian High Commissioner Venkatachalam Mahalingam pay their respects to Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi on Monday at Gandhi’s monument site in Georgetown

news 11

WEEK ENDING OCTOBER 8, 2017| guyanatimeSinternational.com

Lethem bus driver remanded

PPP Councillors call on Procurement Commission to probe parking meter contract

– charged with drug trafficking

Georgetown Mayor Patricia Chase Green

T

Garfield Parker and the quantity of drugs reportedly unearthed from his vehicle

he bus driver who was early on Sunday morning discovered with a large quantity of cocaine and cannabis while transporting passengers to Lethem was arraigned before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on Tuesday, charged with the offence of possession of narcotics for the purpose of trafficking.

Garfield Parker, 55, who hails from Tabatinga, Lethem, denied the allegation leveled against him.

The charge alleges that he, on October 1, 2017, at the Mabura Police Checkpoint, Linden, was found to

be in possession of 24.9 kilograms of cannabis and 200 grams of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking.

The accused, unrepresented by legal counsel, was remanded to prison and will return to the Linden Magistrates’ Court on October 11, 2017.

On the day of the discovery, Parker was attempting to pass through the above mentioned checkpoint at about 04:00hrs when the discovery was made.

His vehicle was thoroughly searched by ranks, who had received a tip, and the drugs were unearthed.

As such, he was taken into Police custody, and was later charged.

P

eople’s Progressive Party (PPP) Councillors Bishram Kuppen and Khame Sharma are asking the Public Procurement Commission (PPC) to investigate the controversial Parking Meter Contract which was unilaterally awarded to Smart City Solutions Inc. (SCSI) by the Mayor & City Council (M&CC).

In a letter dated October 2, Sharma and Kuppen requested the PPC to determine the following five factors: 1.Whether the national interest was safeguarded when the contract was signed 2. If the officers and personnel who signed the contract acted in accordance with the rules and regulations relative to procurement of a contract of this magnitude and cost.

3. Whether the process of awarding the con-

tract was done in a fair, equitable, transparent, competitive and cost- effective manner 4. To make a pronouncement on the sole sourcing and whether the Ministry of Communities was complicit in the execution of this contract by signing and gazetting the by-laws, thereby operationalising paid metered parking in the City of Georgetown.

C o n t a c t e d , Georgetown Mayor Patricia Chase-Green said the Council is open to the level of scrutiny the councillors are requesting. She said she has no issues with the duo exercising their democratic right in calling for an independent investigation, but noted that the Council has taken decisions and is moving ahead with the implementation of those decisions.

M&CC had entered into a contract with SCSI on May 13, 2016 for parking meters to be implemented in Georgetown. A committee was set up on April 26, 2017, one month after Communities Minister Ronald Bulkan had suspended the paid parking initiative, to examine the way forward.

The life of the Parking Meter Re-negotiation Committee ended with

PPP/C Councillor Bishram Kuppen

PPP/C Councillor Khame Sharma

it submitted its final report and findings to the Mayor of Georgetown on August 2, and later circulated same to all councillors.

The report made three recommendations: renegotiate the contract with SCSI; scrap the entire project; and await the outcome of the pending court cases.

On September 7, a majority of the councillors voted in favour of continuing the metered parking systems with a renegotiated contract.

A new committee would have to be selected, and Chase-Green has mandated that two members of the public must sit on that committee.

The new committee, according to the draft ToRs, would be tasked with engaging Smart City Solutions with a view to renegotiating the terms of the agreement entered into between the parties, and more spe-

cifically to seek to take into account the concerns raised and addressed in the report of the Special Committee in relation to costs, fines, enforcement, profit-sharing, areas, times and other factors identified in relation to the project; and any other relevant actions as the Committee may, in its discretion, determine or as may be suggested by the general council.

Upon completion of the negotiation period, the new committee would have to prepare a report and present it to Council at a meeting called for that purpose, setting out the proposals and/or agreements arrived at.

In their letter to Chairman of the PPC, Carol Corbin, Sharma and Kuppen traced the series of events that led to the renegotiated contract pending. The new committee will be installed on October 9.

12 news

WEEK ENDING OCTOBER 8, 2017 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Land offer: President Granger hits back at critics …says there ought to be more compassion for plight of Caribbean people

L

ess than one week after being strongly criticised

by Opposition Member of Parliament (MP) Anil Nandlall for his offering of land as a “gift” to Caribbean victims of Hurricanes Irma and Maria, President David Granger rebuffed his critics over the weekend, suggesting that there ought to be more “compassion” for the plight of Caribbean people.

Moments before he made his presentation to the United Nations General Assembly in New York, USA in late September, President Granger told the international press that his country has a vast land mass which can be used as a “gift” for the affected Caribbean people to rebuild their lives.

However, this did not sit well with some observers, and Nandlall has led calls for the President to first consult and seek approval of the citizens of Guyana, whom he reminded are the country’s “real land owners”. Nandlall has said that while he empathises with the Caribbean people and supports Government’s efforts to provide them assistance, the President could not take it upon himself to offer mass land to foreigners without consulting the locals. “(Neither) the Leader of the Opposition nor anyone else was in-

Former Attorney General, Anil Nandlall

formed or consulted in any manner whatsoever. Are we unimportant in the President’s mind? From whence has President Granger derived the authority to offer our patrimony and sovereign territory to foreigners?” Nandlall pointedly queried.

In an address to Lindeners on Sunday, ahead of this week’s National Tree Planting Day, the Head of State, citing the impact of climate change, offered his own queries, pondering why his critics would question his move to offer help.

“We are seeing frequent and fierce storms largely because of global warming, and our brothers and sisters in the Caribbean are in jeopardy, and some people are criticizing me (for) offering help. You tell me something: if your neighbour’s house burns down; he has no food, water or shelter; nothing to eat, children

left exposed, wouldn’t you say, ‘Come in temporarily, let me help you get on your feet’?” the President expressed earlier this week.

“People have no compassion in this world.” the Head of State further stated.

He also suggested that changes must be made in altering our current practices, so as to reduce the environmental impact associated with the climate change phenomenon.

“These difficulties will go on, unless we change the way we treat the environment; because climate change and global warming are the contributors to the damage to structures and deaths that are being caused,” Granger later observed.

Local land issues

There has been much controversy surrounding land-related matters in Guyana. Government earlier this year ordered a Commission of Inquiry (CoI) over the issues surrounding African ancestral lands and Amerindian land titling. The Amerindian titling aspect of the CoI was deferred.

However, the Opposition has strongly condemned the land CoI, calling for it to be scrapped.

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo has claimed that the land CoI could create a wedge between the racial groups, setting back race relations “for many years to come”.

Friendship man charged for fraud T

wenty-four-yearold Patrick Watts appeared before Principal Magistrate Judy Latchman at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts, accompanied by his lawyer, to answer to a charge of fraudulent conversion on Monday.

The father of two, of Friendship Village, East Bank Demerara (EBD), opted to have his case heard summarily at the Magistrates’ Courts, and pleaded not guilty to the charge which read that between August 24, 2017 and September 11, 2017, at Durban Street, Georgetown, whilst being a bailee of one Toyota minibus valued at G$3.1 million, property of Elvis

Smith, he fraudulently converted same to his own use and benefit.

The defendant’s lawyer argued that Watts was a first-time offender, posing no flight risk and requested reasonable bail in the circumstances.

Police Prosecutor Shawn Gonsalves relayed the facts which revealed that the Virtual Complainant (VC) had entrusted to the accused the said vehicle to operate and keep at the cost of G$7000 per week. According to Gonsalves, the defendant had stopped making payments after some time and the VC’s efforts to contact him via phone

calls, hereafter, proved futile.

The court was informed that Smith reported the incident to the Police who traced the bus to Timehri, EBD, where it was discovered to have been stripped of some of its parts.

Investigations revealed that the defendant had sold the bus to a third party for some G$300,000, a fact to which he admitted in a caution statement, according to Police.

The accused was placed on G$100,000 bail pending the outcome of the trial, which is expected to commence on October 16, 2017.

“C” Division Commander confirms Police Corporal reassigned …for locking up badly injured man

T

he Police Corporal who ordered that the now dead, Hetram Ramchand – who was badly beaten and later succumbed after a wake house brawl – be placed in a cell with visible injuries to his head has been transferred.

C Division (East Coast Demerara) Commander, Colin Brutus told Guyana Times International that the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) ordered an investigation into the reports after which recommendations were given by the Commissioner to have the on-duty Corporal reassigned out of her division.

Ramchand, who died as a result of brain haemorrhaging due to blunt force trauma to his head, was attempting to rescue a relative who was involved in a brawl at Industry, East Coast Demerara (ECD).

Based on reports received, the 39-year-old of Lot 51 Crown Dam Industry, attended a wake in the village where he was part of a gathering looking at a few men gambling.

After the game of cards was over, an argument ensued among the players for monies owed to each other.

The argument turned into a scuffle and Ramchand intervened.

However, the mob then turned on him and dealt him a sound thrashing for intervening. The men were subsequently put out of the wake house.

Based on reports received, an

Dead, Hetram Ramchand

injured Ramchand was escorted to the Sparendaam Police Station by a nephew to lodge a complaint but while doing so, the sons of two popular businessmen in the community turned up and claimed that they were assaulted by Ramchand.

The two men were sent to the Georgetown Public Hospital to seek medical attention but a badly beaten Ramchand was placed in the lockups.

As such, the father of the now dead man, Pooran Ramchand, called on the Commissioner of Police to look into the matter, as he blamed the negligence of the officers for his son’s death.

Linden proposes G$2B revetment programme to cater for climate change effects

A

two-billion-dollar revetment programme is being proposed for the mining town of Linden, Region Ten. According to Mayor of Linden, Carwyn Holland, such a programme is needed to address the effects of climate change on the town.

The Linden Mayor noted there was once a time when Linden was considered a safe zone from changing weather patterns, but recent climate change effects have been taking a toll on the town’s infrastructure. The revetment programme is one way by which the council is looking to remedy the situation.

“You have many, many houses that are on the verge of falling. A lot of them as well because of the erosion. Some of them you can see their entire foundation is exposed, as a result of the sand and so on (having been) washed away

Mayor of Linden, Carwyn Holland

from their buildings, and these buildings are on the hills…This calls for a massive revetment programme…We need to get that going now.”

Mayor Holland added that the project document is being crafted so that it can be sent to Cabinet for assessment.

Once given the go-ahead, the programme, according to Holland, would achieve two objectives.

First, to create a safe environment for residents; and second, provide jobs for youths residing in the town.

According to the Department of Public Information, the Mayor explained: “It (would) provide jobs for the hundreds of young people, young men that we have here in Linden who are living in those very valleys and alleys, who are not working.

They are unemployed, and through the revetment programme, you can have many persons gainfully employed; and as a result, Government, and Guyana by extension, (would) be protecting and saving lives due to these changing weather patterns.”

Freak storms are becoming more common locally, and several have struck Linden in the last month. One recent storm had swept through the Wismar Housing Scheme and neighbouring communities, leaving several houses without roofs, uprooting utility poles and trees, and in some cases resulting in millions of dollars in losses.

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WEEK ENDING OCTOBER 8, 2017| guyanatimeSinternational.com

Young Police U.S. deportee allegedly clubbed to death by ‘drinking buddy’ constable dies A by suicide …following leak of “compromising” photo on Facebook

A

young Police constable took his own life last Sunday evening after a photograph of him in a compromising position was leaked on Facebook.

The dead Police constable has been identified as 20-year-old Peter Shivraj Harilal of Bath Settlement, West Coast Berbice.

Based on reports received, the police rank, who had been stationed at Clonbrook Police Station, ECD, became perturbed after the photo appeared on social media, and he had gone to drink with his friends. While partying, he reportedly told his friends about the incident, and threatened to take his own life, but they convinced him not to entertain that thought. However, the young man left his friends and went home, where he reportedly

Dead: Police rank Peter Shivraj Harilal

committed the act. His body was discovered by a relative, and an alarm was raised.

A relative of the dead man, when contacted, refused to provide any information, but confirmed that the young man had consumed a poisonous substance at home, and had died at the Fort Wellington Hospital.

deportee from the United States was on Monday morning beaten to death during a drinking spree with his pal at his Industry Front, East Coast Demerara home. The dead man has been identified as 44-year-old Bhagwan Ramadhar, also called ‘Alan Bhagwandin’, of Lot 50 Industry, East Coast Demerara.

This newspaper understands that the two men had been in the habit of consuming alcohol, and on the day in question, they were engaged in a heated argument.

During the argument, the suspect, Mahase Dhanraj, also called “Crusher,” picked up a piece of wood and dealt Ramadhar one blow to the head. Although the victim fell to the ground in an unconscious state, the suspect continued to hit him to the head.

From reports received, Ramadhar’s face was battered.

It is not clear what prompted the argument, but persons in the area, including the suspect’s sister, related that the two men had been ‘drinking buddies’, and would become embroiled in heated arguments from time to time; but this

Murder suspect, Mahase Dhanraj

was the first time an argument had become so violent.

At the scene, the suspect’s sister, Sumintra Sugrim, told media operatives that the now dead man had lived alone, and her brother would frequently visit his home to consume alcohol. She explained that Monday morning was no different. Her brother went over to the dead man’s house, and the drinking spree began.

However, whilst she was attending to her plants at the back of her yard, she heard the argument between the two men, but rather than enquiring, she continued doing her chores.

This, she noted, was because the men would argue whenever they were “drinking rum”.

Nevertheless, as she

reached to the front of the yard, she saw her brother in a drunken state and he was trembling. Soon after, she heard her neighbours calling out to her, relating that Ramadhar was lying under the house in a pool of blood. She did not attempt to ask her brother what had transpired, but instead the police were summoned.

The incident, she added, came as a shock not only to her, but to the

der weapon was collected by investigators to be lodged as evidence.

Meanwhile, Guyana Times International understands that the now dead man had been deported from the US a few years ago, and had lived alone at his Industry, ECD home, where he plied his trade. His drunken state had persuaded persons not to give him work. As a result, he had resorted to doing odd jobs for people

The body of Bhagwan Ramadhar being taken away by undertakers

residents. The suspect was arrested and has confessed to the murder. The piece of wood suspected to be the mur-

in the area. The murder suspect is expected to make his first court appearance shortly.

14 news

WEEK ENDING OCTOBER 8, 2017 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Gains made after 1992 being eroded - PPP says on 25th anniversary of the ‘Dawn of a New Era’

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n this, the 25th anniversary of the ‘Dawn of a New Era’ when democracy was restored following the historic General Elections on October 5, 1992, the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) has reiterated its concern over the continual erosion of democracy in Guyana.

According to the PPP, the erosion began when the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) coalition became the Government following the May 11, 2015 General and Regional Elections, and continues to “threaten freedom as a dictatorship once again rears its

Dr Cheddi Jagan taking the oath of office when democracy was restored following the historic 1992 Elections

head”.

The PPP, in a statement, said anxieties are currently high on whether future elections are going to be railroaded because of the President’s intransigence on the appointment of a Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).

The Party, therefore, urges all to safeguard the hard-fought freedoms that prevailed unhindered during the 23 years of the PPP/Civic Government from 1992 to 2015.

“Those 23 years of the PPP/Civic Government which October 5, 1992, precipitated, marked the most prosperous period in Guyana’s history, inundated with unprecedented social and infrastructural development positively transforming the country and vastly improving the lives of all Guyanese.

Guyana became modernised; respectability was restored internationally and freedom permeated across the nation,” the PPP stated.

It noted that “despite persistent attempts to cause division among our people, national unity prevailed; despite conspiracies with criminals and fringe elements within our society, law and order won out in the end; despite violent street protests, arson, political unrest and many forms of intimidation, stability, social progress and economic prosperity returned to this land.”

The new era of freedom and prosperity that October 5, 1992, birthed was not easily achieved, the PPP said. “It was won by heroic, selfless and sustained sacrifices by our people led by the indomitable Founder and Leader of the PPP, Dr Cheddi Jagan and the Party.

During those struggles, in what has been deemed the dark days of our nation, some who bravely defied the dictatorship unfortunately paid the ultimate price with their lives.

The nation will forever be grateful for their her-

oism. Guyanese, yearning for freedom and the restoration of their dignity, overwhelmingly broke those shackles through the ballot box in 1992; the first free and fair elections in almost three decades in the nation’s history.”

The PPP said October 5 is, therefore, a historic day for Guyana and Guyanese. “It’s a day that marked the beginning of a new democratic and prosperous era. It is, therefore, of immense concern that the democracy earned through blood, tears and sweat, is being trampled upon by the APNU/AFC Government. Presently, fear prevails and many have been forced into silence as job deprivation, rampant discrimination, fabricated criminal charges and other artifices are used to suppress.

Broadcasting laws, the SARA Act, oppressive tax legislation, revocation of leases, seizure of private properties, unlawful raids on private homes and business premises by SOCU, flagrant violations of the Constitution, attack on independent constitutional institutions like the Judiciary and the Service Commissions, neglect of the rice industry, closure of the sugar industry, the over-taxation of the mining industry, the stagnation of the forestry sector, the stifling of commerce and trade and many other aspects of our productive, services and economic sectors – all threaten the freedoms of our people and place their very survival at stake.”

The PPP reiterates that it will not allow Guyana’s democracy to be repressed and for the country to return to dark days of dictatorial rule.

The Party said it will remain vigilant to protect the gains that October 5, 1992 brought and its continued significance. “We vow to continue to struggle to restore constitutional freedoms, respect for the rule of law, economic prosperity and racial unity to this land,” the PPP added.

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Over 400 sexual abuse cases in Guyana for first half of 2017 Child Care head

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CCPA Head Ann Greene

s the country continues to kick up a storm over the heinous rape and murder of Berbice teenager, 13-year-old Leonardo Archibald, the Child Care and Protection Agency (CCPA) has indicated that over 400 sexual abuse cases have been reported for the first half of 2017.

This was revealed

by Director of CCPA, Ann Greene, in an interview with Guyana Times International, earlier this week.

According to the Director, within the first six months of 2017, 424 cases of sexual abuse were reported and addressed by her Agency.

Greene thereby underlined that the total project for this year thus far marks an increase from what was seen in the previous years. However, in addressing the hike up, she explained that, “Yes, there is an increase of reports. But persons need to understand that an increase in reports does not say that there is more child abuse now than last year. It can be due to the heighten awareness where we have increased the channels of reporting.”

However, the CCPA Director pointed out that the increase in reports is a positive sign which indicates that the Agency’s efforts are bearing fruits.

This is as the Agency embarks on a number of initiatives aimed at informing the public of their operations, allowing for more individuals to reach out so that the victims can benefit from the works of the CCPA. “It has increased now, but look at how many programmes we have been doing. Because of the programmes we are doing, it would increase because people are more aware. We have ads going all over the coun-

try so people are getting more aware,” Greene conveyed.

In doing so, the Child Care Director further highlighted that while this figure sums those instances which have been brought to the attention of the CCPA, an alarming number of sexual abuse cases still go unreported.

On that note, she lamented, “The figures don’t really tell it too, because the reports we get is a tip of the iceberg because sexual abuse is a hidden crime, it is done behind closed doors.

Some of the children (who are victims), they literally do not have a voice to tell of the abuse.

So you really have to analyse the figures and work at it.”

The Child Care and Protection Agency seeks to reduce the occurrence and alleviate the effects of the abuse and neglect of children by the provision of effective services, reflecting their rights, particularly among communities and within in their family circle.

As a part of their goals for 2017, the Agency had launched a number of awareness programmes aimed at advocating for the rights and access to services for vulnerable and underserved Guyanese.

The ventures comprise of a national multimedia campaign, a special parenting initiative and a prevention of pregnancy and empowerment programme of adolescence, which managed to reach citizens all across the country. Given the spike in reports recorded just months after the launch of these initiatives, the CCPA has expressed satisfaction with their work on the belief that they have been able reached a wider section of the Guyanese population.

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WEEK ENDING OCTOBER 8, 2017| guyanatimeSinternational.com

Fazeel Ferouz honoured for Bulkan defends decision to exemplary service to Guyana arbitrarily dismiss PS Croal …following Ram’s suggestion that Govt’s employment decisions rooted in race

In photo from left: Azad Ibrahim (President of MYO); Wazir Baksh (GIT rep); Nazar Mohamed (Mohamed’s Enterprise); Irfaan Ali (MP); Khakan Ramjohn (CIOG General Manager); Bharrat Jagdeo (Opposition Leader); Fazeel Ferouz (President of CIOG and person honoured); Imran Ally (Senior Vice President of MYO); Shaheed Mohamed (Imaam of Queenstown Jama Masjid); Pastor Ronald Mc Garrell (Chairman of Inter Religious Organisation); Br Alvin (Regional Vice President of CIOG – Region Six); Shaykh Abdool Hafeez (CIOG Representative); Shafeek Ferouz (Managing Director of Twins Manufacturing Chemists); and Omar Shamshudeen (former Executive of MYO)

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earing testimony to the calibre of person Al-Hajj Fazeel Mohamed Ferouz, AA, is, politicians, religious leaders, friends and family gathered on Sunday, October 1, 2017, at the Muslim Youth Organisation (MYO) in Woolford Avenue to honour him, for his outstanding and dedicated service to Islam and the Guyanese community at large.

In honouring Al-Hajj Fazeel, the MYO recognised one of Guyana’s most illustrious sons and one of the iconic figures of Islam in Guyana. “This is a man who did not just leave his mark on Islam in Guyana, he literally shaped it to what it is today, one of the largest religious groupings in Guyana. This is a man who for over four decades

gave yeoman service to a cause he believed in, the upliftment of all Guyanese regardless of race or religion,” the MYO said.

The presence and tributes made by no less than former President Bharrat Jagdeo, former Minister Irfaan Ali, Pastor Ronald Mc Garrell, Wazir Baksh of the Guyana Islamic Trust, Shabir Hussein of the Muslim Youth League, and businessman Nazar Mohammed among countless others are testament to this.

The MYO noted that AlHajj Fazeel was among the pioneers in sending young Muslims to pursue studies in India, Pakistan, Syria, Libya, and Saudi Arabia.

Additionally, Guyana, the Muslim community and particularly the Central A plaque in honour of CIOG President Fazeel Ferouz, AA

Businesswoman crushed by toppling tractor in Guyana’s Interior

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businesswoman was on Monday crushed after the tractor on which she was travelling toppled while negotiating a steep hill along the Cuyuni River in Region Seven (CuyuniMazaruni).

The dead woman has been identified as Gleieiane Ferreira of Lot C Grove Truck Line, East Bank Demerara and of Madayoung, Brazil.

Based on reports received, about 16:30h at 4 Hour Backdam, Cuyuni River, the now dead woman and her husband were heading to Dukwarie Landing on a

tractor.

The woman was reportedly sitting on the left fender of the tractor as it was approaching a steep hill, but as the vehicle started to ascend, it toppled. Her husband managed to save himself, but as the tractor came to a halt, he found his wife lying motionless on the road.

Tractor wheel marks were visible on the woman’s body, which was covered in blood. The driver of the tractor was taken into custody as Police continue their investigations.

Islamic Organisation of Guyana (CIOG) were being recognised globally by organisations across the Middle East, North America and Europe, which were contributing towards the upliftment of all Guyanese not just the Muslim community.

“Al-Hajj Fazeel acted as glue which held the Muslim community together. He was very much aware that our strength was our deepest source of unity. He was a keen proponent of interfaith dialogue aimed at promoting understanding, tolerance and appreciation of other religions.

“For many he was not just a leader but a father figure. Here is a man who came from humble beginnings, achieved greatness but never once lost the common touch. He was a man of profound depth, a teacher of Islam, a guide and a mentor to many. As a public figure he served and gave distinguished service. We must never forget that. He never quit struggling for a better life for all,” the MYO stated.

It noted that two words epitomise Al-Hajj Fazeel; altruistic and patient.

May Allah continue to bless Al-Hajj Fazeel Mohamed Ferouz, AA.

Colin Croal was sacked as PS

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inister of Communities, R o n a l d Bulkan, has defended his decision to effectively dismiss Permanent Secretary Collin Croal, who had served under three Ministries in the previous Administration, saying he did not have confidence in his ability to function under a new system.

Bulkan, by way of a public missive, has since responded to social commentator Chris Ram, who had questioned the decision not to have Croal serve as a Permanent Secretary under the new Administration.

Ram, in a critical missive produced over the weekend and directed towards President David Granger, had urged the Public Service Department to carry out an audit of the persons dismissed since his Administration took office, together with their qualifications and experience.

“There are a lot of

discarded and unused brains available; but, unfortunately, they seem to lack the further qualification of the right race. Glaringly, this is true of the permanent secretaries under the PPP/C, but let me give two examples in which an explanation was in fact offered.”

Ram pointed to Croal, who “holds an MBA and served creditably as Permanent Secretary in three ministries. He is not implicated in any wrongdoing, but was effectively dismissed by the Granger Administration because he was on the PPP/C list for the 2015 elections.”

Minister Bulkan, in response, has stated, “The fact is, though, that the decision to not renew his contract was mine alone…I acted based on my own deliberate judgment.”

According to Minister Bulkan, after consideration, “I concluded that based on the record of centralised government embraced by the regime in which Mr Croal functioned, I did not feel confident of his ability or readiness to function in this Administration, one which has as core values the philosophy of strong, autonomous, and empowered local government organs and a decentralised system of multi-tiered government.”

He noted, too, that “Mr Croal was effectively dismissed in that his contract of employment was not renewed.

(Mr Croal chose to be a contracted employee

Communities Minister Ronald Bulkan

with the knowledge that contracts are subject to non-renewal).

In regard to Ram’s suggestion that the employment decisions were rooted in race, Minister Bulkan was adamant, “I have always chosen my professional associates based on considerations of character and merit; race has never been a factor.”

According to Minister Bulkan, “With reference to President David Granger, any suggestion that he is racially prejudiced borders on the ludicrous.”

Ram, in his critique of the President, had said, “Being on an electoral list appears to have been a qualification for top jobs in the Granger Administration for the hierarchy of the APNU and AFC parties, some of whom are paid high salaries determined on the whim of persons of equally suspect expertise for doing work for which they have no academic or professional qualifications or experience.”

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WEEK ENDING OCTOBER 8, 2017 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

AG Sharma prepared to call in Police if necessary – if GECOM does not act on report on radio purchases

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he special audit into procurement discrepancies at the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) has progressed to the point where the Audit Office of Guyana (AOG) has submitted its report to officials at the agencies for responses.

But should his office’s findings be swept under the rug, Auditor General Deodat Sharma has no qualms with calling in the Guyana Police Force. This assurance was given by Sharma while speaking to members of the media on Friday.

“GECOM (audit) has been completed (and) the report issued to the Commissioners,” Sharma related, adding that “the Audit Act says I can send my report to the DPP (Director of Public Prosecutions) and the police.”

And according to Sharma, this prerogative power will be used and an approach made to the Police if there is inaction on the part of the commissioners who were presented with the report.

According to Part Six, section 38 of the Audit Act of 2004, “If the Auditor General has reason to believe that an offence was committed, he shall request the Director of Public Prosecutions and the

Auditor General Deodat Sharma

Commissioner of Police to take appropriate action and prosecute the offender if necessary.”

GECOM has been thrown into a tailspin by allegations of procurement rackets and press censorship being levelled at it. An audit conducted by the Audit Office of Guyana had found discrepancies, including with GECOM’s purchasing of 50 VHF communication radios for close to G$100 million.

These purchases were made prior to the May 11, 2015 general and regional elections, raising concerns over the extraordinarily high cost of the equipment.

The investigation’s scope had included contracts and inventories in addition to spending for the May 2015 General and Regional Elections.

It is understood that auditors were working from GECOM’s head office in High Street, Kingston. Besides the radios, some of the things that the State’s auditors were looking into were the purchase of a quantity of toners, pliers and batteries.

Based on reports, the radio sets were purchased for use during the 2015 General and Regional Elections, particularly in the outlying regions of Guyana. However, they were never put into use after it was discovered that many of them were not working.

Later, information surfaced that while the electoral body would have collected quotations from a number of suppliers, it handed the contract for the supply of the equipment to Mobile Authority, a

company owned by a Water Street, Georgetown businessman.

But media reports later surfaced that some of the equipment purchased were obsolete and were not covered by warranty.

As a matter of fact, sections of the Guyanese media reported that the Australiabased manufacturer, Barrett Communications, through its European office, distanced itself from the purchase. The company made it clear that it had ceased to produce the equipment more than five years ago.

Barrett said it had also tendered through the Advanced Office Systems for the supply of new radio equipment for the 2015 elections; however, GECOM subsequently cancelled the order.

The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) has been calling for the release of the findings, in addition to questioning the deafening silence of GECOM’s then outgoing Chairman, Dr Steve Surujbally, and Chief Elections Officer Keith Lowenfield, on the matter.

Both were in power at the Commission when the purchases were made.

But Surujbally has since retired, leaving GECOM head-

less. And since then, the task of replacing him has been a contentious one, as President David Granger has continuously rejected nominees for the post.

As required by the Constitution, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo had submitted to President Granger a second batch of six nominees for the post of Chairman of GECOM in April last, after his first list was rejected. That, too, was rejected, and there is no word from the Government on the status of the third submitted list, except that it is being considered.

In a previous interview with this publication, GECOM Commissioner Sase Gunraj had said that allegations of corruption and other matters cannot be addressed by the members while GECOM is without a chairman.

“I can tell you that, without a chairman, we cannot have meetings,” Gunraj had said.

“And in the absence of those meetings, we have not been receiving updates on anything that is going on at GECOM; absolutely no periodic updates on the finances of GECOM, nothing on the operations side or the audit,” he declared.

Study finds 1 in 10 chance of oil from Exxon spill reaching shore

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n environmental study undertaken by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has found that the likelihood of an oil spill offshore Guyana as part of the ExxonMobil exploration is considered unlikely to occur because of the extensive preventative measures employed.

It has nevertheless found that an oil spill is considered possible, and Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited (EEPGL) has conducted oil spill modelling to evaluate the range of likely spill trajectories and rates of travel.

The location of the Project at 190 km (120 miles) offshore, prevailing northwest currents, the light nature of the Liza field crude oil, and the region’s warm waters would all help minimise the severity of a spill.

“Accounting for these factors, the modelling indicates only a 5-to-10 per cent probability of any oil reaching the Guyana coast without taking into consideration the effectiveness of any oil spill response, and in the unlikely event that a spill were even to occur,” the

study found.

EEPGL (45%), Hess Guyana Exploration Limited (30%) and CNOOC Nexen Petroleum Guyana Limited (25%) are parties to a petroleum agreement with the Government of Guyana.

Under this agreement, and in light of the Liza field discovery, EEPGL has applied for, and has received, a petroleum production licence and has submitted a project development plan to the Minister responsible for Petroleum.

A key permit required for EEPGL to develop the Liza field is the Environmental Authorisation from the Guyana Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), in accordance with the Guyana Environmental Protection Act of 1996 (EP Act Cap. 20:05).

As part of its regulatory role, the EPA, considering recommendations from the Environmental Advisory Board (EAB) and the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), is responsible for deciding whether, and under what conditions, to grant EEPGL’s application for Environmental A u t h o r i s a t i o n

(Application), which was filed with the EPA on July 5, 2016.

Based on an initial assessment of the project, the EPA determined that an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) was required.

EEPGL has proposed to drill approximately 17 subsea development wells and use a floating production, storage and offloading (FPSO) vessel to process, store, and offload the recovered oil.

The FPSO will be connected to the wells via separate production (oil, gas, and produced water), gas injection, and water injection

flowlines and risers, and associated subsea equipment.

The project, according to the environmental study, will also involve shore-based facilities and marine/aviation services to support development drilling, FPSO and subsea equipment installation, production operations, and ultimately decommissioning.

“EEPGL will utilise proven and industry accepted standards, and has incorporated many embedded controls into the overall project design to minimise environmental and socioeco-

nomic impacts…It could take up to four years to drill the wells, with drilling planned to begin as early as 2018.”

The initial production is expected to begin by mid-2020, with operations continuing for at least 20 years.

The planned activities of the project, according to the environmental study, are predicted to have minor impacts on physical resources, no impacts on coastal biological resources, minor impacts on marine biological resources, and largely positive impacts on socioeconomics.

These predictions are based on the fact that the bulk of the project activity will occur approximately 190 km (120 miles) offshore, and the project will capture and re-inject produced natural gas, which is not used as fuel on the FPSO, back into the Liza reservoir; treat required wastewater streams prior to discharge to the sea; have a very small physical footprint, and use marine mammal observers (MMO) during selected activities to minimise the potential impacts to marine mammals due to auditory injury and ships strikes.

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WEEK ENDING OCTOBER 8, 2017| guyanatimeSinternational.com

‘We hope our modest effort will go a far way in helping to sooth some suffering’ …PM says as G$20M worth in relief supplies leaves for hurricane-ravaged countries

By Samuel Sukhnandan

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ix containers of relief supplies were shipped on Tuesday to hurricane-affected islands, while another three have already been packed and are awaiting shipment. Two more are currently being packed.

The first six containers carry important items such as: rice, sugar, flour, biscuits, macaroni, water and tarpaulin, and are being sent to Dominica. The other three containers will be sent to Antigua.

The items in these containers were the result of donations mostly from the Private Sector and other donors, including Government, and weigh in excess of 80 tonnes.

During an informal gathering at the Guyana National Shipping Corporation (GNIC) on Tuesday, Civil Disaster Commission (CDC) Director General, Colonel (retired) Chabilall Ramsarup told the media that the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) will be responsible for the distribution of these relief items.

He said while specific numbers of containers have been assigned to two different countries, the CDEMA will decide

whether they should be utilised in that country, based on the needs. “They are going to coordinate whatever goes into Antigua, and whether other islands need it badly,” he added.

Ramsarup said given the massive devastation in

Dominica, most of the relief supplies will be sent to that island, especially since there is word that Antigua has already been receiving massive support. He noted that these containers could take 10-12 days or longer to be shipped, based

on the weather at sea.

Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, who was also present to see the first shipment sent off, said he was pleased that the effort was continuing and thanked Tropical Shipping for facilitating the shipment of these containers free of cost as assistance to the relief efforts of the people of Guyana. He described the effort by this company as magnanimous and encouraged others to follow suit.

“This part of the continuing effort, we are not done as yet. We are hoping that other sections of the society, particularly the Private Sector, would continue to respond to the efforts being made here to help those who are affected, particularly in Antigua and Dominica at this point in time,” he added.

The Prime Minister noted, however, that one of the largest requests received from the affected islands was for lumber. He explained that gathering the material was taking longer than expected, but it would have to be sent in one shipment. “We are committing ourselves to our brothers and sisters in the Caribbean and we hope that [our] modest effort will go towards helping to sooth some suffering,” he said.

Meanwhile, representing the Private Sector Commission (PSC), Komal Singh said since the hurricane, the PSC has been engaged in mobilising businesses to work very closely with Government and over the past few weeks, it has been able to gather support from the Private Sector in many areas.

“Our effort is not done. We will continue to see how much support we can garner and send to these affected islands.

We will also work with PSC and the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce to see how best to work with these islands during the rebuilding process also,” Singh said.

Following the devastating hurricanes, President David Granger had summoned a meeting with his Cabinet to discuss how Guyana could respond to the crisis. Prime Minister Nagamootoo was tasked with heading a ministerial task force responsible for oversight of the efforts to respond to the crisis.

Government had also pledged an initial sum of US$50,000 to aid urgent relief efforts through Caricom’s regional mechanism, coordinated by the CDEMA in partnership with the Association of Caribbean States (ACS).

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CoI report into President’s Analyst says Govt showing assassination plot for disregard for Guyana’s next Cabinet meeting New Demerara River crossing

procurement laws

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An artist's impression of what the new Demerara River bridge will look like

former member of the Alliance For Change (AFC) has accused Government of showing disregard for the laws of Guyana, specifically as it relates to the established procurement process.

In referring to the new Demerara River bridge project debacle, Sasenarine Singh, said this is providing a nightmare of those tasked with the oversight functions of the public Treasury.

Singh told Guyana Times International on Wednesday that direct contracting of Government’s business to one’s business acquaintance, friends, and family in non-competitive deals behind closed doors in dark rooms seems to be the new fashion statement from the Government.

He contends that the process of selecting the contractor to conduct the feasibility study was furthest from being transparent and competitive and as a direct result of that unfair process; this resulted in the sub-optimal quality of output in the feasibility report.

As the spirit and principles of our Constitution compel, the organs of the State must follow the rule of law, and Singh reminded that the entire public procurement system in Guyana operates within a framework using five principles of good governance that are enshrined in the laws of Guyana, namely the procedures must be fair, equitable, transparent, competitive and cost-ef-

fective.

“On all five of these benchmarks, this David Patterson fishy deal has failed. Unless there is a genuine national emergency such as the seawalls broke away, which would require urgent, unavoidable and unforeseen attention, the organs of the State must aim to make the competitive procurement of goods and services their raison d’être at all time,” he argued.

Unfortunately, the financial analysts and politician said if one observes the procurement actions of Minister Patterson’s team, they did not follow the procurement legislation in procuring the services of LievenseCSO Engineering Contractor.

Rather, it seems that it was made up as they went along.

From all appearance, Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson appears to have taken the lead role in this saga of public waste and financial extravagance, he opined. But Singh said what is more revolting is the massive amount of misinformation and untruths that are being peddled by the Ministry of the Presidency to cover up what he described as the “Hydra of Lerna”.

“It is awful to observe how Mr Joseph Harmon (Minister of State), uses his weekly press conference to attempt to whitewash the pertinent issues on the so-called fishy deal when the media raises them. He did no different on this fishy bridge deal,” Singh fur-

ther stated.

The former AFC member criticised Harmon for his poor attempt at defending his colleague Minister. “Harmon is no Dr Roger Luncheon and in most cases, rather than doing justice to the poor attempt at ‘hitting the ball’, he gave away the whole wicket to the bowlers in a most juvenile fashion. At a minimum, Mr Harmon when he chooses to come to the defence of a bad procurement deal must know that open competition is the basis for efficient public procurement globally. It is the gold standard. So his defence of Mr Patterson’s team engaging in direct closed-door contracting of the bridge consultant to do the feasibility study for the design of the new proposed Demerara River bridge is most awkward and obnoxious?”

Singh did not stop there, but told Guyana Times International that the Government is importing unaccountability and non-transparency into the national procurement process using taxpayer funding, which must be rejected on all fronts. “And I can prove that this stuff is not proper. All we have to do is ask ourselves, would the international donor agencies like the IDB engage in such an uncompetitive tender process in this situation? So why does Mr Patterson think he has the right to force such a non-competitive, non-transparent financial deal down the throats of the taxpayers?”

Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum

By Lakhram Bhagirat

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he report on the findings of the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the alleged plot to assassinate the President was leaked to the State media approximately one month ago, and President David Granger on Wednesday said he is very disappointed about the leak.

However, he said his Administration would not be launching a probe to determine the source of the leak.

“I am concerned about any unauthorised leaks and I had hoped that the members of the Cabinet would have had the opportunity to look at it critically before it came up for public discussion, so I am concerned,” he said.

“I don’t know who is responsible for that leak but the important thing is that we have been able to discern or detect some flaws in Police administration and we are working; the Ministry of the Presidency and the Ministry of Public Security, to ensure that the Police Force is more efficient,” President Granger added.

He said his Government is concerned about crime and solving it, while noting that the issues cannot be addressed if the Police Force is incompetent. He added that it is his mission to have a Police Force in which the public can place their trust, in as well as one that can bring the rate of crime down; hence ensuring a safe nation.

Additionally, Granger said the CoI report is yet to be discussed at the Cabinet level and that he is unsure whether it was sent to the Ministers.

However, he did say that Cabinet would discuss the findings at the next Cabinet meeting on Tuesday.

“Probing the media is a very difficult

Police Commissioner Seelall Persaud

Assistant Police Commissioner David Ramnarine

task because the media gets hold of these documents, some of the media, by all sorts of ways.

I would not be probing.

No, I would not be conducting a Commission of Inquiry into the media,” the President said when asked about a probe of the leak.

On March 29 last, Andriff Gillard reported to the Police that his friend and neighbour, Nizam Khan, had offered him G$7 million to assassinate the President. He said the offer was made during a conversation between Khan and himself after he had approached Khan to borrow G$6 million to purchase a property.

Following the allegation, President Granger commissioned an inquiry to investigate how the Police had done their investigation of the allegation, and to make recommendations to address flaws and shortcomings on behalf of the Guyana Police Force.

Retired Assistant Commissioner of Police, Paul Slowe, headed the CoI. In his recommendations, Slowe suggested that disciplinary actions be taken against Police Commissioner Seelall Persaud and that he be made to resign.

It was also recommended that Persaud be investigated for perjury in relation to his statement, wherein he said he was not aware of the allegations until after 16:00h on March 29; whereas Assistant Commissioner Clifton Hicken told the CoI that he had reported the incident to Persaud at round 10:00h on that same day.

Assistant Police Commissioner David Ramnarine was acting Police Commissioner when the allegation was levelled. He told the CoI that he felt a proper investigation was not conducted. The report instructs that sanctions

be imposed against him for his failure to ensure that a proper investigation be conducted.

In relation to Crime Chief, Senior Superintendent Wendell Blanhum, Slowe recommends that he be replaced for poor leadership; and questions were raised about his role in the successful solution of crimes under his watch.

During the CoI, Blanhum had testified that because of the nature of the allegation, a decision was taken to have the Major Crimes Unit investigate the matter; and he said he had received several reports of Gillard frustrating the investigation.

Blanhum said too that the Police Legal Adviser, retired Justice Claudette Singh SC, did not recommend that any charges be made in the matter, because the evidence was tenuous and there was simply nothing to charge anyone with.

Blanhum had told the CoI that he was not responsible for finding out whether proper records were documented.

He had explained that he functioned at the executive level of the Guyana Police Force (GPF), and there were supervisors and other ranks below him who were tasked with those responsibilities.

He had also related that he did not find it strange that the men were released less than 24 hours following commencement of the investigation.

During his testimony, the Crime Chief had clashed with Slowe several times, with the latter being visibly upset during Blanhum’s testimony.

Meanwhile, Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan had said he is disappointed that the report was leaked before Cabinet had the chance to examine it.

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UN boss to visit Caribbean Int'l experts to gather in Guyana for Internet Week 2017 islands devastated by recent hurricanes I

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nited Nations SecretaryGeneral (SG) Antonio Guterres has announced that he will be visiting the hurricane-ravaged islands of Antigua and Barbuda, and Dominica on Saturday.

At a media conference, the SG told reporters that coming out of the recent UN General Assembly, some of the most crucial speeches during that period came from leaders of Caribbean nations reeling from back-to-back hurricanes.

The visit, Guterres said, is “to survey the damage and to assess what more the United Nations can do to help people recover, visiting of course also the operations that are taking place there.”

The SG said he was struck most of all by a prevailing message from all the Caribbean leaders including from the hardest hit countries, that they needed urgent support.

The Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda, Gaston Browne, reported that the entire population of Barbuda had been left homeless while the Prime Minister of Dominica, Roosevelt Skerrit, declared that he had come to the United Nations “straight from the front line of the war on climate change”.

To date, the United Nations and its partners have provided a variety of humanitarian assistance to the Caribbean Region by air and sea; 18 tons of food, 3 million water purification tablets, 3,000 water tanks, 2,500 tents, 2,000 mosquito nets, and school kits, 500 debit cards for cash assistance, and much else.

According to Guterres, appeals have been launched for $113.9M to cover humanitarian needs for the imme-

Antonio Guterres

diate period ahead. He also commends the countries showing solidarity with the Caribbean countries at this time of dire need, including those doing so through South-South cooperation.

The United Nations, he says will continue to help countries in the Caribbean to strengthen disaster preparedness, working closely with the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency.

“We are strongly committed to helping small island states and, indeed, all countries to adapt to inevitable climate impacts, to increase the pace of recovery and to strengthen resilience overall. Innovative financing mechanisms will be crucial in enabling countries, like the Caribbean ones, to cope with external shocks of such significant magnitude,” Guterres said.

More than 7000 Guyanese are among the thousands of people living in the islands that were affected by the recent hurricanes. (DPI)

nternet and ICT experts from around the world will gather in Georgetown next week to participate in the annual high-level Technology Conference to mark International Internet Week 2017. The conference will feature five (5) days of rich dialogue and technical capacity building discussions at the Guyana Pegasus Hotel, Seawall Rd., Kingston, from Monday 9 to Friday 13 October, 2017.

Guyana’s Ministry of Public Telecommunications is the host this year but the event is being organised jointly by the Latin America and Caribbean Internet Addresses Registry (LACNIC), the Caribbean Network Operators Group (CaribNOG), the Internet Society (ISOC), the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), and the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU). This is the 14th CaribNOG conference and it follows on the heels of a very successful CaribNOG13 which was held in Bridgetown, Barbados.

Industry expert, Kevon Swift, Head of Strategic Relations and Integration at LACNIC has said, “Internet Week Guyana will draw on the expertise of global Internet organisations, and it will address local and regional Internet development

Minister of Public Telecommunications, Catherine Hughes

issues”. LACNIC distributes and manages Internet resources in the Caribbean and Latin America.

The five-day event will be declared open on Monday October 9 by Minister of Public Telecommunications, Catherine Hughes.

Opening Day has been designated ICT Awareness Day and it will introduce discussions on cyber security, social networking and digital responsibility, among others. Another day has been reserved for youths and budding ICT specialists.

This day is open to secondary and tertiary level students, youths utilizing the community ICT hubs, and other young people interested in carving out their careers in ICT’s.

Then on October 10, ISOC and ICANN are expected to lead discussions on Internet Governance.

The experts will focus on the imminent establishment of

Guyana’s national Internet Governance Forum.

Internet Governance goes beyond technical matters, focusing on the legal, economic, cultural, human rights, security and other aspects of life and living which ICT’s influence.

Another day has been earmarked for in-depth discussions on Cyber Security, highlighting the security threats being experienced

by Caribbean networks, and the best techniques for defending them.

According to Mr. Bevil Wooding, Executive Director of CaribNOG and Caribbean Outreach Liaison at the American Registry for Internet Numbers, “As more Caribbean businesses, governments and citizens place greater reliance on Internet-based technologies, critical systems become more vulnerable to cyber attacks and cyber crime.

It is important, therefore, that a coordinated approach be taken to raise awareness and to increase the technical capacity of those entrusted to manage computer networks”.

CaribNOG has already conducted several such workshops throughout the region targeting network technicians, government officials, judges, lawyers, businessmen, bankers, military and law enforcement officers. (DPI)

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Cocaine laced hammocks: Court permits CAL Woman remanded to prison employees to join union

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he woman who recently surrendered to the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU), after reportedly attempting to ship hammocks that were laced with cocaine was on Tuesday remanded to prison when she appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan.

Tiffini Tricia Collison, 26, of Guyhoc Park, Georgetown, appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts and denied the charge brought against her.

That charge stated that on September 20,

Remanded: Tiffini Tricia Collison

2017, she attempted to traffic 6.742 kilograms of cocaine.

CANU’s Prosecutor Konyo Sandiford detailed that under her mother’s identity, the

defendant attempted to post four hammocks via DHL Shipping.

However, the hammocks, which were destined for the United States, were discovered by a CANU rank at the Eugene F Correia International Airport, at Ogle, East Coast Demerara (ECD).

As such, a wanted bulletin was issued for Collison, who days later surrendered to CANU with an attorney.

She was remanded to prison, and was expected to make her next court appearance on October 19, 2017.

The hammocks were laced with cocaine

CARICOM launches online platforms to facilitate regional trade

T (CMC)

he Guyanabased Caribbean C o m m u n i t y (CARICOM) Secretariat says CARICOM's development of a Single Market and Economy (SME) has been given a boost with the launch of four new online platforms aimed at promoting trade and improving the ease of doing business.

The Secretariat said with support from the European Union, it has launched the CARICOM Online Companies Registries; Labour Market Information System; Community Public Procurement Notice Board; and the CARREX Platform and Online Public Portal.

It said the CARICOM Online Companies Registries provide a region-wide electronic platform for online name searches and name res-

ervation, business and company registration, public access to records, e-payment and e-signature, among other features.

It will also facilitate a better overview of the prevailing business climate in the region, helping for example, to identify areas of saturation, those with growth potential, and even the role of the informal economy.

Dr Stephen Boyce of the European Union said at least one recent high profile example illustrates the critical importance of this platform.

“A few years ago, the inflight magazine on LIAT was rebranded as LIME. This was just a few weeks before a telecommunications giant in the region acquired a similar moniker. The result was a further rebranding to Zing to avoid any confusion. A regional register would have

avoided this,” he noted.

The Secretariat said that the development of this platform required automating the more than half of the national company registries in CARICOM which were still paper based, upgrading those already automated, and providing a functioning web software/application information system.

It said with the Labour Market Information Systems there is now a central depository for data on the labour markets in participating CARICOM Member States.

“This allows for better matching of skills with available positions at the regional level, and will thus facilitate movement of skills in the region and better management of labour migration within the Single Market and Economy (CSME).”

T

he Industrial Court on Wednesday issued a ruling enabling employees of Caribbean Airlines Limited (CAL), to join the Contractors and General Workers Union (CGWU).

The ruling, handed down by Industrial Court president Deborah Thomas-Felix, means that CGWU will be recognised by CAL as a majority union — as the union has received the

Some of them were rehired by CAL but have since retired.

In her ruling, Thomas-Felix rejected CAL's evidence that CGWU could not be recognised as there was no collective agreement in place when the company was shut down.

Thomas-Felix said according to industrial relations legislation, CAL was BWIA's legal successor. She also said some elements of the previous collec-

recognition of the court.

The union previously represented workers of the now defunct British West Indian Airways (BWIA) which was shut down and replaced by CAL in December 2006.

The union will now be able to accept new members from CAL as well as former BWIA employees who claim outstanding benefits.

The union filed the action in the Industrial Court to recoup employment benefits former BWIA workers lost when the airline was restructured.

tive bargaining agreement with BWIA would carry on to CAL as both companies were essentially the same.

“Despite insubstantial changes such as uniforms and paint on the aircraft, they are the same business. CAL has retained several unique features of BWIA including it flight codes and its Caribbean Beat in-flight magazine,” Thomas-Felix said.

However, CAL intends to appeal the court's ruling and an application for a stay of the decision will be held on Monday. (CMC)

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AG hoping to commence environmental audits next year …to determine Guyana’s capacity to deal with oil spill, other disasters

By Jarryl Bryan

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he Audit Office of Guyana (AOG) will, in 2018, be carrying out a number of audits which will analyse the capacity of the country’s relevant agencies to protect the environment and endangered species of animals.

This disclosure was made by Auditor General Deodat Sharma in an interview, after he handed over the 2016 audit report on the public accounts of Guyana. Asked what areas the environmental audit would cover, he identified Barima-Waini (Region One).

“As you know, North West (Region One) has the four turtle (species).

We have to preserve those, because we don’t want to have an oil spill; and it could be dangerous.

I remember, several years ago, there was the cyanide overspill. It had an effect on the environment in the interior,” Sharma said.

This is a reference to the cyanide spill in Guyana in 1995. In gold mining, cyanide is used as an extracting agent for the ore. In the case of Guyana’s cyanide spill, the highly poisonous material spilled out of a reservoir into the Essequibo River.

But a new natural resource is set to be extracted on a large scale.

Guyana has been making preparations for oil production by 2020, since

The Leatherback turtle is famous for choosing Guyana’s beaches as nesting sites, but the advent of oil has created one more danger for which preparations have to be made

ExxonMobil’s 2015 oil find in Guyana. In May of that year, Exxon confirmed that more than 295 feet of high-quality oil-bearing sandstone reservoirs were encountered at its Liza 1

exploration well.

In late June 2016, Exxon’s drilling results at Liza 2 revealed more than 58 metres of oil-bearing sandstone reservoirs in Upper Cretaceous for-

mations. The well was drilled to 5,475 metres at 1692 metres water depth.

Drilling results confirmed recoverable resources to be between 800 million and 1.4 billion barrels of oil equivalent. Data from the Liza 2 well test is being assessed.

The company had announced that it made its third significant discovery in its drilling explorations offshore Guyana. Its partner, Hess Corporation, had noted that the Liza 3 exploratory well’s net value could be US$6.2 billion based on calculations from the Bank of Montreal (BMO) Capital Markets.

Drilling on Payara began on November 12, 2016, with initial total depth reached on December 2, 2016. In January of this year, the oil giant had announced it had struck oil in its Payara-1 well, targeting the same type of reservoirs as the well’s Liza counterpart.

The lesser known Orinduik oil block has been under the administration of Eco Guyana and Tullow, after they signed a 10-year petroleum prospecting licence and production sharing agreement with Government last year.

Oil spills

Throughout all these exploration activities, a pertinent question has been the capacity of the relevant agencies to protect the environment in case of an oil spill.

Last year, President David Granger commis-

sioned Guyana’s first oil spill response operation service at the Gaico Wharf at Nismes, West Bank Demerara.

Gaico Oil Spill Response Operation Services, which was coined by Komal Singh, was set up as a pre-emptive measure against probable spillage once production commences in the future.

The Gaico Company began in 1991 with Singh working on small construction projects in Region Three. At the commissioning, Singh stated that he had noticed that there were a number of ‘near misses’ of oil spills and decided to pursue the avenue of preparing for one in Guyana.

He said the company has since invested in a supply boat to work alongside rigs, and supply them with fuel and cargo while preparing for any occurrence of an oil spill.

“Should there be a spill anywhere, we can respond within 24 hours,” he said, adding that the company is in the process of putting together documents to gain approval for an oil spill facility which will collect the contaminated soil and process it.

The businessman also said that he had recognised that Guyana was not prepared for any oil spills, thus “Guyana can rest assured that there is a company here today that will invest to protect our land, our coastline, our birds, our mangroves, and all Guyana.”

The Audit Office of Guyana

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Having fun with Salvador on the Rupununi River sandbank

ue to being blind, Buddy required special attention; he would not have survived very long in the wild in Guyana.

Jacksonville Zoo, in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S.A., was looking for a giant river otter to add to the gene pool, and so the decision was made to send Buddy to that zoo.

Recently, a photo of Buddy was featured on the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens Facebook page, which attracted several comments by visitors who spoke lovingly of the otter, prompting us to retell his story.

Buddy’s Story

In 2013, Sunday Times Magazine had interviewed Salvador de Caires who related his unforgettable experience with the loving otter. Salvador first met Buddy on the Rupununi River sandbank at Karanambu.

Salvador, who was born and raised in Georgetown, knew the late founder of Karanambu Ranch and conservationist, Diane McTurk.

They met through a mutual friend,

Duane de Freitas, the manager of Dadanawa Ranch.

Diane had, for years, been the executive director of the lodge which won the Caribbean Excellence in Sustainable Tourism Award in 2013. Over two decades, Diane cared for more than 50 orphaned giant river otters at Karanambu – the majority of which have successfully been returned to the wild.

“My wife and I came to Guyana, after living overseas for a number of years, in January of 2010 with the intention of investigating the possibility of moving home to Guyana. We went to Karanambu to visit Diane for 10 days and ended up staying for three months.

When we finally returned to the US, it was only two weeks before Diane called us on Skype and asked us to make her home our home. It took us five minutes to agree. We returned to Karanambu as the managers of Karanambu Lodge Inc.,” Salvador recalled.

When Salvador

and his wife arrived at Karanambu, they saw Buddy who was just a teenager. Salvador recollected Diane having two baby otters at that time: Philip and Belle.

Salvador described Buddy as “very inquisitive and friendly”.

“Having a large animal, (about six feet from tip of tail to tip of nose) checking you out is a little nerve-racking. But I soon realised I had nothing to fear from Buddy.

Diane called out, ‘My beloved beast!’ and Buddy came bounding over and almost knocked her over.

Buddy and I became very close friends. I took over his care allowing Diane to spend more time with the two baby orphan otters,” Salvador reminisced.

He noted that Buddy’s temperament was what stood out about him. He trusted Buddy completely. The loving otter was never aggressive, unlike many others raised by Diane. Salvador mentioned that he could lock his fingers behind Buddy’s canine teeth and pull him through the water and not get bitten - a game they played.

Buddy had lost his sight in an accident when he was much younger. A small boy, Salvador recounted, was playing with Buddy and stepped on a board which flipped and hit Buddy across the eyes, blinding him instantly.

Taking Buddy to the sandbank twice a day for at least two hours each time, Salvador got to see what he could do, and was amazed. Not having sight in the murky river waters was not an obstacle to catching fish. Buddy surprised everyone when he caught an 86lb arapaima and dragged it up out of the river onto the sandbank.

Another time he caught a huge stingray and ate most of it.

“But Buddy was get-

Buddy (right) and a friend at Jacksonville Zoo in 2012 (Photo from www.jacksonvillezoo.org)

ting big. Twice he followed a wild otter down the river and we had to go behind him in the boat to bring him back.

He also had several close encounters with black caiman, who were thankfully not bigger than he was,” Salvador remembered.

This was when the decision was made to take Buddy to Jacksonville Zoo, where he would get the attention he requires.

(Jacksonville Zoo collaborates closely with the Government of Guyana. Two jaguars from Guyana are already there.)

Diane’s intention, according to Salvador, had always been, with each otter she has raised, to return them to the wild, not to keep them as pets.

“Buddy was unable to live on his own because he was blind. It would have been just a matter of time before a caiman got him. It was a question of quality of life over safety. But Diane still would not agree to send Buddy to a zoo. I tried to tell her that this would be his only chance to mate. She wavered, and then the wet season came and the river came up about twenty feet.

Buddy became disoriented because the sandbank was gone and the steps that he was accustomed to going up and down at a great speed to the sandbank disappeared under water. Diane relented,” Salvador remi-

Buddy playing with the late animal activist and close friend to the otters at Karanambu Ranch, Diane McTurk, in Guyana

nisced.

A few weeks later, a charter flight landed at Karanambu and a crate was loaded with Buddy and Talia – a volunteer who had become very close to all of the otters.

After 48 hours of travelling, Buddy finally arrived in Jacksonville.

Salvador said the experts checked his eyes, but unfortunately nothing could be done. He had a few parasites and was kept in quarantine until he had adjusted.

At Jacksonville Zoo, a complete habitat based on Karanambu was designed.

Underwater channels, a waterfall and even a sandbank were designed just for Buddy.

Salvador related that Buddy was accustomed to catching fresh piranha and eating them headfirst, so when Jacksonville served him his first frozen fish

Popsicle, he swallowed it too quickly and got “brain freeze”; shaking his head madly.

At the Zoo

In July 2017, Jacksonville Zoo posted a photo of Buddy on Facebook with the caption: “Our giant river otters are a JZG [Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens] visitor favorite, so be sure to wish Buddy a Happy Zooniversary if you see him today!

Buddy came to us from the wilds of Guyana 7 years ago today for special care after he was found injured and blind.”

One visitor commented on Buddy’s photo: “He is so adorable, always one of our favorites to see when we visit Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens!”

To learn more about Buddy, visit www.jacksonvillezoo.org.

Playing in the water at Jacksonville Zoo

Buddy in his habitat at Jacksonville Zoo created just like the one at Karanambu

WEEK ENDING OCTOBER 8, 2017| guyanatimeSinternational.com

President urges Lindeners to join in efforts to protect Guyana’s trees

President David Granger and others plant and water trees along Burnham Drive in Linden on Sunday

By Utamu Belle

A

s a prelude to National Tree Day, which is observed on the first Saturday in October, President David Granger on Sunday led Lindeners in a tree-planting exercise along Burnham Drive, Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice).

The initiative was also hosted in commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the People’s National Congress (PNC).

As such, palm and coconut trees were planted at key areas along Burnham Drive, Mackenzie.

Speaking at the ceremony to mark the occasion, President Granger cited the significance of October 1, the date on which the exercise was hosted, noting that just last year the “cutting-edge” Department of the Environment was created on the same date.

The Head of State further pointed out that the event was a celebration of greenness as he reminded those present of Guyana’s important role in protecting the environment against the harmful use of mercury as well as the harmful effects of climate change. As such, President Granger urged all to join in the efforts of protecting Guyana’s forests and trees.

“We should celebrate greenness. Greenness is about the whole country and I call Guyana ‘the Green State’…Once we continue to cut down trees, we would be faced with the challenge of climate change and global warming…because the trees keep the earth cool,” the Head of State noted.

President Granger noted that trees were more profitable standing than cut down since Guyana was paid to keep its forests standing.

“We must make sure we replant the trees we cut down, so that we can regenerate…So this exercise is very important and I refer to Guyana as ‘the

Green State’ because we need to protect our biodiversity and our wildlife…

If you cut the trees down, you remove the habitat, you destroy the habitat.”

The President also stressed the need to protect the landscape in an effort to sustain life. He said planting trees was not only ornamental but a living could be made out of it, as he congratulated Lindeners for leading in the National Tree Day observance, further encouraging them to come out and have another Tree Day on Saturday.

“I’d like to ask that you pay attention to the previous speakers and care those plants, so that your children can come and not only shelter under them but also pick the fruits and they, learning from their parents and grandparents, can do the same for their children and grandchildren,” Granger said.

Linden Mayor Carwyn Holland, in his remarks, said all should be reminded that as new life was sown into the future, it must also be nurtured, guarded, and guided to ensure that yields were indicative of values, as he urged Lindeners to protect the newly-planted seedlings.

“This tree-planting exercise, it is indicative of planting of new life, not only into our soil but into our next generation. It reminds us of the need to continue planting seeds and invest in our youths, so as to ensure the continuous regeneration of new life,” he said.

Regional Party Chairman Sandra Adams, who organised the event, in her remarks, said the party thought it best to begin the 60th anniversary celebration by using Burnham Drive as the symbol to commemorate founder leader Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham, who the area is named after, who started the journey in 1957.

Also present at the exercise were PNC members including General

Secretary Amna Ally, Chairman Basil Williams and Executive Members Jermaine Figueira and Valerie Adams PattersonYearwood among others.

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In tough times, cancer patients find independence and comfort with the help of Periwinkle Club Donna's Room, where cancer victims, survivors and their family members are given counselling

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enerally persons diagnosed with a life threatening illness require much love and support from family and friends, sometimes they even require professional help for the emotional and psychological strain bought on by their condition. That’s where Donna’s Room at the Periwinkle Club comes in.

Donna’s Room is a place of solace for cancer patients and survivors. It is a place where persons can receive counselling, comfort and relaxation.

A collaborative effort between Periwinkle Club and the Association of Guyanese Nurses and Allied Professional (AGNAP), Donna’s Room was established at the behest of the late Donna Sage to provide counselling and complementary therapy to cancer patients, their caretakers and family.

While living in London, Donna received treatment for breast cancer and was impressed by the support and medical attention offered, as a result she wanted similar treatment provided in Guyana.

Donna’s mother, Norma Sage, upon losing her daughter to cancer, fulfilled Donna’s wish by approaching AGNAP to build Donna’s Room in

a television, a carpet and coffee table.

The Periwinkle Club continues to receive support from AGNAP on an annual basis, which enables them to do more, such as training for nurses, counselling and education in cancer prevention and outreach palliative care.

Periwinkle Club

Donna Sage will always be remembered for her infectious smile

2009 in a vacant office at the Periwinkle Club.

After benefitting from the support and counselling services in the UK, Donna’s mother also approached AGNAP to help establish a similar service in Guyana.

Donna willed money to the club to transform the vacant office into a counselling room and to make it as comfortable as possible.

Donna’s Room is a cosy room found on the second floor of the Periwinkle Club. It is furnished with a sofa set, a Berbice chair,

Periwinkle Club, located at 148C Alberttown, Georgetown, is a cancer support group focused on raising awareness on the disease among cancer survivors and members of the public, and offering advice on coping with it.

The club collaborates with several local and international organisations to provide cancer survivors with support for diagnosis and treatment as well as for nutritional and emotional wellbeing. It also provides counselling services in Donna’s Room and facilitates breast selfexamination and cervical cancer screening for interested groups of persons.

The Periwinkle Club was first introduced on October 17, 2006 as a

women's forum for breast and cervical cancer survivors and persons with an interest in supporting cancer patients, to meet and freely discuss their health and related experiences. After about five months of meeting and interacting quietly, it was decided to present the club to the wider community.

Educational material is available at the Periwinkle Club headquarters in the Plaque in memory of Donna form of pamphlets on Sage on the room's door

Periwinkle Cancer Club's banner last year

A few of the hardworking members of the Club

various types of cancer in particular breast and cervical cancer.

Members of the club are willing to facilitate talks on cancer to organisations to help to share information on the disease and provide prevention and other relevant tips.

From time to time, various professional persons make presentations at the Periwinkle Cancer Club. Also, there are reference library facilities at the Periwinkle Club headquarters for researchers and persons who wish to

enhance their knowledge of cancer. These books, periodicals and magazines, have been primarily kindly donated by AGNAP. The club also collaborates with the Ministry of Public Health in outreach sessions to assist persons who wish advice and testing.

One of its initial activities for Breast Cancer Awareness Month (October) is a church service at the Livingstone Church of God in South Ruimveldt today from 8am to 10:30am.

Feel free to contact Periwinkle Club on (592) 226-7152 on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays between 10am and 2pm for assistance. Check out www.periwinklecancerclub.org or Periwinkle Cancer Club on Facebook for more info.

The club welcomes, as members, all persons interested in working to get rid of the stigma of cancer and create equality of treatment for cancer patients in Guyana.

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he United Nations (UN) d e s i g n a t ed October 1 as the International Day of Older Persons.

This year’s theme is: “Stepping into the Future: Tapping the Talents, Contributions and Participation of Older Persons in Society”.

In observance of this day, Sunday Times Magazine interviewed 90-year-old Angannie Roopchand - who outlined some powerful life lessons and her opinion on how we all can make the lives of our senior citizens better.

International Day of Older Persons According to the United Nation’s website (www.un.org), “this year’s day is about enabling and expanding the contributions of older people in their families, communities and societies at large. It focuses on the pathways that support full and effective participation in old age, in accordance with old persons’ basic rights, needs and preferences”.

The UN went on to explain that this year’s theme underscores the link between tapping the talents and contri-

butions of older persons and achieving the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing, which is currently undergoing its third review and appraisal process.

Between 2015 and 2030, the target date for the Sustainable Development Goals, the number of older persons worldwide is set to increase by 56 per cent — from 901 million to more than 1.4 billion. By 2030, the number of people aged 60 and above will exceed that of young people aged 15 to 24.

“Stepping into the future with pledges that no one will be left behind, it is starkly evident that the need to tap into the often overlooked and underappreciated contributions of older persons is not only essential to older persons’ wellbeing, but also imperative for sustainable development processes. The 2017 theme will explore effective means of promoting and strengthening the participation of older persons in various aspects of social, cultural, economic and civic and political life,” the organisation pointed out.

WEEK ENDING OCTOBER 8, 2017 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Life lessons from a 90-year-old A n g a n n i e Roopchand grew up with four sisters and three brothers, who she described as “fun”, in Cornelia Ida - a “simple” village on the West Coast of Demerara.

Remembering her parents, Angannie said they were strict and ensured they attended school regularly. She also recalled how serious her father - who came to Guyana as a six-month-old baby from Calcutta, India – was about his children taking Hindi classes after school.

“My parents always warn us [her and siblings] not to fight with each other; always tell everybody good morning and good afternoon. They teach us to behave decently and treat our neighbours and people in the village with respect. We couldn’t call people by them full name, we had to say uncle or aunty or brother or sister,” she remembered.

The matriarch observed that in modern times parents are not inculcating these values in their children.

Angannie expressed her life was her children; “it was

her richness and joy”.

She has 11 children: seven sons and four daughters. Her family was her strength and her pride. Seeing her children grow up, get married and fill her life with grandchildren and great-grandchildren added to her happiness.

The 90-year-old stated she did several jobs to “feed the many kids” in her family. She cultivated rice, planted vegetables and reared poultry. The vegetables and fruits from her backyard were sold at the market. Additionally, she sold confectionaries at the primary school in her village.

She credits her diet, which consists of mostly vegetables and dhal, for being healthy at 90 years old. Angannie explained in the earlier years of her life, her diet was mostly eggs and poultry, which she reared in her yard.

However, after marriage fish was her only source of meat. In the latter part of her life, she usually begins her morning with a cup of oats porridge.

Throughout her 90 years, Angannie said she has learned a lot of life lessons. “When you dead you don’t carry anything with you.

90-year-old Angannie Roopchand

And know that nothing last forever. We must always live good with everybody, and just like how you want people to be nice to you so you got to be nice to them.”

Having worked tirelessly in her earlier years, Angannie eagerly looks forward for her pension every month to care for her needs. She insists that a much-needed raise in pension will benefit not only her, but every other elderly person in the country. Additionally, establishing homes in villages for elders who do not have children to care for them is something she thinks would

be helpful.

“If we can go back to helping people in the community would be good too. In the old days, you hadn’t be family before somebody could help you.

But this culture die away now; everybody care for themself alone. This time nag lang time,” she declared.

As we observe International Day of Older Persons, let’s all come together to fulfil Angannie’s wishes of showing extra care and consideration to all our senior citizens who contributed, one way or the other, to the development of our nation.

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WEEK ENDING OCTOBER 8, 2017| guyanatimeSinternational.com

‘Frog eye’ gunned down in Albouystown A

24-year-old man, who was wanted

by Police in connection with a number of robberies, was in the wee hours of Saturday morning gunned down in Albert Street, Albouystown, Georgetown.

Dead is Colin Daley, also called “Froggy,” and “Frog Eye,” of Freeman Street, East La Penitence, Georgetown.

While information surrounding the shooting remains sketchy, the Police confirmed that Daly was found in a pool of blood with a single gunshot wound to his head.

At the scene, there was blood along Albert Street, in the vicinity of the newly commissioned health centre. Persons in the area were tightlipped about the shooting.

One resident told Guyana Times International that he was in his house when he heard a single gunshot and upon looking out, he saw a crowd of people congregated. As he enquired further, he realised that someone was lying on the roadway and was covered in blood.

By this time, the Police arrived at the scene and cordoned off the area. The dead man’s mother told media operatives that at about 02:00h on Saturday, she received a telephone call from a friend informing

T Wanted robbery suspect, Colin Daley

her that one of her sons was killed.

Without hesitation, she said she woke her other two sons and instructed them to rush to the scene. Due to his bloodied state, Daley was identified by the clothes he was wearing when he left home. His mother recalled seeing her son alive at about 20:00h on Friday evening when he left home claiming that he was going to reach someone.

The brother who visited the scene and identified Daley’s body, claimed that his brother was not a criminal.

On the other hand, the Police confirmed that the now dead man had been wanted for the attempted murder of a GRA officer, who was shot during an attempted robbery at Cactus Street, West Ruimveldt, Georgetown recently.

It was reported that Ariel Benjamin, 35, was shot once in his abdo-

men during the attempted robbery. Police stated that at 4:30h, the GRA employee was about to enter his premises shortly after arriving home.

He was reportedly making his way into his home when he was accosted by a man, who was armed with a handgun.

He was subsequently relieved of a pouch containing his service revolver and 17 live rounds of matching ammunition.

The injured man was rushed to a private medical facility where he was admitted.

Apart from that incident, the Police further revealed that Daley was wanted for several other armed robberies. No arrests have been made in connection with the execution-style killing of Daley whose body is at the Lyken’s Funeral Home awaiting a postmortem examination.

Investigations are ongoing.

Cop fails breathalyser test after colliding with motorcyclist

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Opposition calls for probe into controversial D’Urban Park project

motorcyclist traversing the Ruimveldt Public Road, Georgetown was fortunate to escape with her life after she was on Sunday afternoon struck by the car driven by a uniformed Policeman who was reportedly “intoxicated”.

The woman has been identified as Gem Simone, 44, of Castello Housing Scheme, Georgetown.

The accident occurred around 14:30h when motor car PSS 4403 was being driven by Constable Nigel Griffith.

Guyana Times International understands that Griffith was proceeding north along the Ruimveldt Public Road, Georgetown while Simone was proceeding out of Alexander Village.

However, the Policeman reported-

Scores of persons surround the cop’s car at the accident scene

ly failed to stop when he needed to and collided with the motorcyclist a short distance from the Ruimveldt Police Station.

Workers attached to the Guyana Fire Service responded to the scene and rushed the badly injured woman to the Georgetown Public Hospital.

She is said to have received serious head injuries from the impact which caused her to fall from her motorcycle.

This publication understands that the Police Constable, who was at the time driving his heavily-tinted vehicle, was administered a breathalyser test and found to be way over the legal limit.

As such, he is currently in custody, assisting with investigations. (Kizzy Coleman)

he People’s Progressive Party (PPP) has called for the Public Procurement Commission (PPC) to carry out investigations into D’Urban Park. This is in light of concerns regarding the financial transparency and accountability of the project.

In a letter to Procurement C o m m i s s i o n Chairperson Carol Corbin, Opposition parliamentarian Juan Edghill invited the Commission to get involved. The letter, which is dated September 25, identifies aspects of the project the Party is most concerned about.

Edghill, a member of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), noted that despite promises to the contrary, no account

Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson

Public Infrastructure Ministry and approved by the majority, the Party said, adding “We were told in the Committee of Supply of the National Assembly that the sums approved would be given to the Homestretch Development Inc, to honour its financial obligations to contractors and

in his 2015 report listed some G$36.5 million in lotto funds being used for rehabilitative works.

In his 2015 report, the Auditor General had said that following checks on the accounts, it was found that while Government transferred G$1 billion of the lotto money to the Consolidated Fund in 2015, it held onto just over half a billion dollars to remain under the control of the Ministry of the Presidency and it spent G$305 million on various activities.

According to a breakdown of the expenditure provided by the Auditor General, G$36.5 million went towards the rehabilitation of D’Urban Park; G$63.7 million went towards Mashramani celebrations; while another

The exorbitant project has been the subject of fierce debate between Government and the Opposition

of donations received between September 2015 and January 2016, was made public. It therefore queried the procurement process used for works on the project.

The scope a private company has to engage contractors and receive funding for a public project also came into question. The party also queried the budgeted and actual cost throughout the project, as well as the final cost. In addition, the party demanded information on what payments were made to individuals and contractors up to June.

“In November 2016, public monies – a total of G$406.7 million – were sought from the Contingency Fund and were approved by the majority in the National Assembly to pay contractors and suppliers of goods and services for work done at the project.”

In December 2016, an additional G$500 million from the Consolidated Fund was sought by the

suppliers.”

H o m e s t r e t c h Development Inc (HDI) is a special purpose company that was set up in 2016 to facilitate the project’s completion and collect monies. According to Edghill in the letter, this was the first time that the name of this company was made public.

“The company was registered on January 22, 2016, and its number is 8247. The registered address is Lot 18 Lamaha Street. From its inception to April 21, 2016, the private company, HDI, had control of financing and managing the project,” Edghill noted, adding that an estimated G$1.5 billion was spent on the project from April, 2016 to June 2017.

Auditor General

Earlier in the year, PAC Chairman Irfaan Ali had requested further probing be done by the Auditor General (AG), Deodat Sharma, into specific projects.

Among those projects was the D’Urban Park Project, for which the AG

G$51.5 million was utilised for ‘music’.

But it turns out that the audit into the D’Urban Park project has been hindered by a lack of access to pertinent information, with the Audit Office being forced to write to the Ministry of Public Infrastructure requesting documents.

This was revealed by Auditor General Deodat Sharma, who spoke to the media on the sidelines of the handing over of his 2016 report.

According to Sharma, he wrote the Ministry requesting information on Homestretch Development Inc. “I’ve written to the Ministry of Public (Infrastructure),” he related. “I need to know information concerning that company that was established to set up the D’Urban Park. (But) information is not coming.”

Notwithstanding the trouble to access information, however, Sharma stated that the audit was still ongoing.

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Guyana’s Postal History: First Day Covers

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tamps released on an envelope are referred to as ‘Official First Day Covers’ - signifying the first day of release.

In addition, information leaflets known as ‘Stamp News’ may also be issued providing collectors and users with the historical background and significance of the said stamps.

Stamps provide a vivid reflection of history through the ages.

At the time of issue, virtually every stamp has clear historical significance. There are various types of stamps issued for several occasions.

Commemorative stamps honour important people, events or special subjects of national appeal and significance. Their subjects frequently are former presidents, states-

men, other prominent persons and national shrines.

Former Postmaster General, Henry Dundas, in a past interview with Sunday Times Magazine pointed out that stamps are significant because they highlight a country’s culture and rich history.

He noted that first covers are mainly made to commemorate momentous occasions and may worth a lot in future years.

Additionally, Dundas said first covers are still made by the Guyana Post Office upon request by companies, government ministries and other entities.

Interesting Facts on Guyana’s Post Office History The first postal service was established in British Guiana by France in 1782. On

1783, Adrian Loncq was appointed the first Post Master for Demerara.

However, after the colonies were taken over by the Dutch, the post office was abolished in 1784 to 1795. During this period, mail was sent through the government office.

The first post office was established in 1793 under the control of Attorney-at-Law, J.C. De La Coste, and ran until 1795 when it was again closed. In 1796, when the British gained control of the colonies, it was resolved by the Court of Policy that a post office be established at Stabroek.

In 1834 the office was removed to the New Public Buildings, where it remained until 1857. In 1865, the post office was housed in the lower flat of the Royal Agricultural and

Commercial Societies Building. In 1914, the old Hotel Tower was purchased and converted into the post office. The colony’s postal service remained there until the great fire in February 1945.

Temporary accommodation was found at the Regent Hotel, but this was also destroyed by fire in 1947. From then until the construction of the new post office, a makeshift office was set up at Avon House in Main Street, the Town Hall Basement and the Fire Brigade Annex.

On August 11, 1952, His Excellency the Governor Sir Charles Wooley, on invitation of the Post Master General K.I.R. Kirkpatrick, declared open the newly-built General Post Office and Telecommunications Centre at its present location.

On April 1, 1877, British Guiana entered the Postal Union. The first British Guiana postage stamp, familiarly known as the Cotton

Reel, was issued on July 1, 1850, was printed locally at the office of the Royal Gazette.

In 1852, the first London Issue was printed by Messrs Watterlow and Sons. In 1853, another beautiful lithographic issue was printed by the same firm.

In 1856, a local issue was printed by Messrs Baum and Dallas. From this issue emanated the one cent Black on Magenta, known to be one of the world’s rarest stamps.

In January 1860, the first uniform inland letter postage rate was introduced. In April 1877, a uniform rate for letter postage was introduced to all Postal Union Countries.

Inland Postcards were introduced in August 1885. Small packet service was introduced in 1931 between British Guiana and the UK and in 1932 to Trinidad and Barbados; later in 1939 it was extended to all Postal Union Countries. The first exchange of parcels be-

tween British Guiana and UK commenced in 1886. Money and Postal Order Services were inaugurated in July 1863. treasury The Savings Bank Service was first established on December 2, 1889.

It was taken over by the Post Office between December 1910 and June 1911. In 1938, the Post Office Savings Bank (POSB) was established under the management of the PMG. The Post Office, formerly part of the traditional Public Service, became a Public Corporation on January 1, 1977. It has a spread of over 60 main post offices and several postal agencies throughout the length and breadth of the country.

Sunday Times Magazine features today a few of the most recent first day covers produced by the Guyana Post Office.

(Information and photos by Guyana Post Office, http://guypost. gy)

15-yr-old injured in razor attack by fellow student

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olice are now investigating the circumstances surrounding an incident involving two students attached to the Institute of Business Education (IBE) on the Lusignan Public Road, East Coast Demerara, which resulted in a 15-year-old being injured and his 16-year-old attacker being taken into Police custody.

According to information received

by C Division (East Coast) Commander Calvin Brutus, the incident occurred some time after 15:00h on Wednesday.

Guyana Times International was told that the victim and his assailant have had several misunderstandings in the past. However, on the afternoon in question, another heated argument ensued when the two came face to face

in the vicinity of a shop in Lusignan.

This resulted in a brief scuffle between the two teens, after which the 16-year-old reportedly whipped out a “razor” and cut the 15-year-old across his chest.

Eyewitnesses who were nearby reportedly raised an alarm and the relevant authorities were contacted after the victim began to bleed profusely.

While it is not yet known how severe the student’s injuries were, the C Division Commander confirmed that the injured teen was taken to the High Dependency Unit (HDU) of the Georgetown Public Hospital.

The 16-year-old was arrested and his parents were contacted as investigations continue.

WEEK ENDING OCTOBER 8, 2017| guyanatimeSinternational.com

Mouth (finally) open…

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…on land giveaway n Sept 19th, Prezzie spoke to the regional press corps on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, and made an intervention on Hurricane relief for the just battered Caribbean islands.

GINA reported the Ministry of the Presidency’s press release the same day on its website: “Guyana stands in solidarity with Dominica, ready to offer support”. There was not a word about what form the “support” would take.

However, CARICOM followed up the next day (9/20) with some more details on their website, which, for some reason, indicated the Government’s news agency was rather modest in its announcement: “Guyana’s land space can serve as ‘gift’ to the Caribbean battered by hurricanes – President Granger”. The following day, TT’s Newsday cut to the quick about Prezzie’s offer: “Guyana offers land for hurricane victims”. In the meantime, the state-owned Chronic, whose local reporter had featured prominently in the photograph of Prezzie briefing the press, remained mum.

It took this newspaper, on Sept 24, to break the news of the Government’s generosity of offering land to the hurricane-hit ‘small islands’. Now, this subject of “giving away lands” was a very touchy issue in Guyana. ACDA, for instance, had made quite a stink about Indigenous Peoples getting lands in the interior – even though some pointed out it was ALL their lands to begin with!! Your Eyewitness figured the Chronic didn’t report Prezzie’s extraordinary offer because they feared ACDA might take to the streets if they found out about it!

If they’d objected to Indigenous Peoples getting land, imagine how they would object to these FOREIGNERS getting land!! The plight of the hurricane-hit islanders wouldn’t cut any ice with ACDA, since surveys from Independence to last month showed the Indigenous Peoples had never recovered from the hurricane called the “European Invasion”, which had hit since 1500!! But ACDA, for some reasons that escape your Eyewitness, didn’t utter a word of protest, and it took the ex-AG from the PPP days to take an ACDA-like line and complain that Prezzie had no legal authority to give away Guyana’s patrimony.

Well, the Minister of Information’s water boy finally had the Chronic give the OFFICIAL version of the land giveaway. They quoted the Foreign Minister, who made such a ridiculous statement that it bears full repetition: “If West Indians are interested, and if those who are providing relief, need a place in the short term, at which people can be resettled while (their) land is being rebuilt and made habitable, Guyana is prepared to assist in that regard.”

So the islanders would leave the land they own (but where their houses were destroyed); move to Guyanese undeveloped land; develop those and erect TEMPORARY housing, and then MOVE BACK to their islands to rebuild their PERMANENT houses?

Something na regulah!! …on reason for land giveaway The unanswered questions set your Eyewitness thinking as to what is really going on. He found a clue in the Chronic’s paraphrase of Minister Greenidge’s explanation: “…making lands available to islanders is nothing new…lands were made available to St. Lucians and other Caribbean nationals along the Linden/ Soesdyke Highway in the past.” The “past” of course, was during the first PNC regime under Burnham, whose reason for bringing in Caribbean nationals weren’t on humanitarian grounds.

According to declassified US 1965 files, the Dep CIA Director wrote: “In a conversation…on 20 November, Forbes Burnham stated that his immediate objective is to launch his economic development plan so that he will be able to induce large numbers of West Indians of African descent to settle in Guyana prior to the December 1968 elections. His purpose is radically to alter the racial balance now existing in the electorate in sufficient time to enable him to win a plurality in the 1968 elections.”

Is the latest offer déjà vu for 2020? …on Amaila Falls Hydro After playing ducks and drakes for two and a half years, the APNU/AFC government’s finally admitted what’s been clear from the beginning: they’ve abandoned AMFHP. Cutting Guyana’s nose to spite Jagdeo’s LCDS face?

Pitiful…

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fter a close battle with the Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) representative, Junisha Johnny, Sherryanna Balkaran, the Patamona beauty who hails from the peaks of the North Pakaraimas in Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni) was announced the winner of the biannual Miss Indigenous Heritage 2017 in the wee hours of Sunday, sending her supporters in the crowd into an uproar.

Balkaran has undoubtedly done her Region proud, as the Paramakatoi community secured the coveted title for the third time since the inaugural hosting in 2005.

The event, which boasted an evening of beauty, culture and intelligence, saw the timely arrival of scores of patrons at the National Cultural Centre and kicked off with an introduction segment, succeeded by the talent, evening wear, traditional wear and final question segments.

Despite having displayed confidence during the early sections of the pageant, some of the delegates faltered under pressure when they were grilled on their respective platforms.

The better five made

it into the final – Johnny; Balkaran; the Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) delegate, Roberta Alpin; the Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) delegate, Shanna Boyle; and the Region Seven (CuyuniMazaruni) delegate, Dolly Chambers.

Copping the Miss Congeniality title was Anastacia Harripersaud of Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice) with a cash prize of G$30,000 while the best talent award went to Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam)’s Nareefa Allicock.

Balkaran also copped the best gown and traditional wear prizes. The second runner-up was Chambers, third runner-up Boyle and the fourth runner-up, Alpin.

Despite having limited support from the audience, the now reigning queen confidently highlighted the common misconceptions about Guyana’s first people, who are falsely dubbed “stupid and uncivilised” as she urged Indigenous persons to pursue advanced education to discredit the stereotype – while advocating for the preservation and maintenance of ancestral traditions.

The other delegates responded favourably, but Balkaran’s fluent and thorough response was just enough to convince the judges beyond reasonable doubt to make the pronouncement in her favour.

She succeeds 2015 queen Sherica Ambrose of Region Nine; Analisa Andrews (Region Five) in 2013; Naiomi Samuels (Region Three) in 2011; Nandanie Jerry (Region Seven) in 2009; Odessa Paul (Region Eight) in 2007; and Sondra Cheong (Region Eight) in 2005.

Winners row: Sherryanna Balkaran gets the crown, and she is flanked by others in the top five

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Breathtaking view from one of the bedrooms

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loth Island is one of the few islands on the Essequibo that was reportedly given a name by the British colonial authorities. With an area of 155 acres, it is believed that the island owes its name to the large population and variety of sloths that were found and can still be seen on the island.

This pristine forestcovered island sits a mere five minutes from Bartica on the Essequibo River, between Bartica and the east bank of the Essequibo River. The island and river surroundings teem with a variety of wildlife, flora and fauna.

The island holds many surprises. Many have been lucky to spot a variety

Wooden walkway into the jungle

Nature resort on Sloth Island

Observe how the sloth interacts in its habitat on the island

of wildlife daytime and at night: from the two and three toed sloth, the capybara and howler monkeys to an impressive number and variety of bird species. At Sloth Island, you can relax, recharge and rejuvenate.

It is also ideal for camping, nature walks, fishing, volleyball and sand golfing.

This island hub is two hours away by land and boat from Georgetown or 15 minutes by air.

Adding to its reputation is the accessibility to the historical sites found on the Essequibo and Mazaruni Rivers, notably Fort Island and Fort Kyk-Over-Al. In essence, the island is far enough from the rush of city life and not too far from civilisation.

The resort on the island can accommodate up to 20 persons in selfcontained rooms, with en suite bathroom and flush toilets, running water and lights from generators.

There is also outdoor accommodation for tents, hammocks, camp fires and outdoor cooking.

Kayaking at Sloth Island

Rest in the hammock or enjoy a refreshing drink from the bar

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WEEK ENDING OCTOBER 8, 2017| guyanatimeSinternational.com

Cervical cancer Capoey community pushes to survivor tells improve education delivery her story T C hanges in the cervix are often caused by a virus called Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). HPV infections can lead to cervical cancer. Taking a Pap smear test can detect changes in the cervix that leads to cervical cancer.

In March 2011, 60-year-old, Ruth Richmond a mother of four was diagnosed with cervical cancer following a Pap smear test at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).

Richmond of Paradise Housing Scheme, East Coast Demerara, after being diagnosed with cervical cancer was advised by doctors to immediately undergo the Chemotherapy cycles.

“Before starting the treatment I had to do a Computerized Tomography (CT) scan to determine if the cancer had spread to other parts of the body. That was the first step and after I did the scan, the treatment was recommended, which is four cycles,” Richmond said.

She explained that “A cycle is a period of treatment followed by three weeks of rest. After the discovery, I also changed my diet completely. No dairy products, no sugar, no meat. I used a lot of peas, vegetables, and fruits especially soursop.”

After completing the four cycles of chemotherapy, Richmond said doctors still found signs of cancer cells in her cervix, which meant her undergoing the process of radiation therapy.

According to WebMD, Radiation therapy treats cancer by using high-energy waves to kill tumor cells. The goal is to destroy or damage the cancer without hurting too many healthy cells.

The mother of four explained, she took 25 sessions of radiation therapy which she described as similar to chemotherapy but more aggressive.

Losing her hair was one of the side effects of the therapy. However, after a period of two years, the cancer was gone.

“After the radiation sessions I had to do another CT scan and then the doctor told me the cancer was gone. I felt well during the process of radiation, though some days I did not feel too good, I still kept positive,” she highlighted.

However, Richmond, a staunch Seventh-day

Ruth Richmond

Adventist, believes that despite all the therapy, God was her ultimate healer.

“From the beginning, I turned to God, I prayed a lot and trusted him for healing because I didn't want to die. I also had an anointing service done by two pastors.”

She is advising others who have been diagnosed with cancer to be positive and undergo the chemotherapy and radiation therapy, despite the stigma attached to it.

“People will say things to discourage you, but be positive and turn to God…Also, remember that diet is a very important part. Many of the things we use cause us to get sick, so if you have to change your diet do so,” said Richmond.

Since 2013, following the chemotherapy and radiation therapy, Richmond has been cancer free.

According to PAHO/ WHO and Public Health data reviews, cervical cancer is the second most common cancer among Guyanese women.

The HPV vaccine to prevent cervical cancer among girls in Guyana arrived here in 2011 and was officially launched by the then Ministry of Health in 2012. It was relaunched again in 2016 under the now Ministry of Public Health in collaboration with Merck Sharp and Dhome (MSD). A countrywide HPV vaccine campaign is slated for October 16, 2017.

As part of celebrating Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the Public Health Ministry will be conducting cancer awareness outreaches during the month in Linden, Supenaam, Skeldon, and Georgetown. During the outreach, officials will be conducting breast cancer screening and Visual Inspection with Acetic Acid (VIA) screening for cervical cancer. (DPI Feature)

he Capoey community in Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam), continues to place emphasis on the important role education plays in the development of the nation’s youth.

Capoey Toshao Melrose Henry said the Village Council “realised that education is the only way to success, and being educated is beneficial for our young people, as they will become well equipped so that they can take on the role of leadership”.

According to the Department of Public Information, she explained that in keeping with Government’s agenda to ensure every

Capoey Toshao Melrose Henry

child attends school, the Village Council decided to purchase a 25-foot boat equipped with lifejackets

to assist in transporting students to their various secondary schools.

Henry added that a new-

ly purchased bus will deliver students to the region’s public road, from where they will obtain necessary transportation for the remaining destination.

These services are provided free of cost to encourage regular attendance by students at their educational institutions.

The Capoey toshao reiterated that the community would continue to encourage its young people to acquire education, as it would help to shape their future, and they in turn would aid in the development of their village and that of the nation as a whole.

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n her two creative and celebrated books, US-based Guyanese author Anne Coltman shares her life growing up in Guyana, narrating her struggles, adventures and loving grandmother.

Born in British Guiana, Anne was privileged to grow up in a household which included her maternal grandmother. She is the second of five children and the first girl born to her parents, and was often called upon at an early age to help out with her younger siblings. Anne became fascinated by the myths and beliefs that

US-based Guyanese author, Anne Coltman

were a part of child rearing and taught to her by her grandmother.

The author migrated to the US as a young woman with her family and spent her early years having a full career while she and her h u s b a n d raised their three children – two daughters and one son.

She and her husband reside on Long Island, New York.

A f t e r 25 years in permanent mission at the United N a t i o n s Organization, she is now retired to devote more

time to family and her passion for writing. Anne enjoys writing, classical music, theatre and antiques. She has produced a comprehensive family history as well as a book of poetry, “For the Love of Grandma” and a novel “Scarred with Fortune”.

Practicing what she learnt from her grandmother with her own children and then with her grandchildren has inspired the writing of her debut volume of poetry, “For the Love of Grandma”.

“For the Love of Grandma” is a collection of thoughts and experiences that not only preserves a long lost tradition, but also reflects on the drastic change in the role of grandmothers today and grandchildren of this age.

The author’s other book, “Scarred with Fortune”, narrates life’s unexpected surprises in a heart-warming story of enchanting entertainment as readers enter the lives of an ordinary family and open the door to their extraordinary world.

For more information on the author visit her website www.booksbyannecoltman.com

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UWI gets Aunt V’s body, family grants world’s oldest person’s wish

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he body of late supercentenarian Violet Moss Brown has been donated to The University of the West Indies (UWI) for scientific research.

The donation was

made by the family at the request of the 117-year-old Jamaican from Duanvale, Trelawny, who held the record as the oldest living person when she passed on September

15.

“It will be in the Department of Anatomy and Physiology, and so medical students will be able to basically look at her body, do

experiments, see for instance why was a 117-year-old woman so clear in her mind,” explained Beverly Davis Fray, the supercentenarian’s granddaughter.

Violet Moss Brown

“I am sure that they will find information that will benefit not only Jamaica, but the entire world. This was a very rare occurrence and it was not something that happened by chance,” Davis Fray said.

“We discussed it with family members and they agreed. They basically said they believed this is a lasting contribution to science and to the world, and the contact person at the university was just overjoyed. I want to make it clear, they (UWI) did not come to us, we went to them.”

Moss Brown’s son,

Sylvera Barrington Russell, said that turning over his mother’s body to the university was in fulfilment of her request.

“This was one of her wishes. We sat and we talked and one of her wishes was she don’t want to see something go down into the ground which will not have no use to anybody. Her soul is gone to heaven, that’s what she said, and if we can find some cure from what is left of it, that is what she would like.

So she was up to it 100 per cent,” Russell stated. (Jamaica Observer)

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It’s not a gas…

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…with gas ack in the day, original hipsters like Frank Sinatra introduced the Irish expression “It’s a gas!”

— meaning a fun activity — into the general lexicon. The pronouncements of the Guyana Government on the gas found off our shores by Exxon associated with petroleum show clearly that their spokesmen are no hipsters!

But yet, like Frank, they insist on doing things “their way”; though, in the end, Guyana gets it in the end!

Let’s step back a bit with this gas business, shall we, dear reader? Right after their oil strike in May 2015, Exxon announced they would be using some of the gas to run the operations of their FPSO, and inject the remainder back under the seabed — where it would help to push out some more oil. They never planned on sending any to our shores.

After trying all sorts of sleights of hand to convince Guyanese better days are coming, however, the Government’s latest dodge is to convince Exxon to send the gas ashore to fire up some GPL generators.

GPL, as we know from the writings of some of the Government’s staunchest supporters, has taken us back to the (dark) days of Burnham, when blackouts were the order of the day (and night)!

So the gas talk is supposed to give the longsuffering Guyanese some hope.

Anyhow, the Government, as is standard in these matters, ordered a feasibility study. After all, it’s not just a matter of pumping the gas from under the sea and then sending it out to our GPL plants in rubber hoses like the ones you have attached to your stove. It’s a tad more complicated than that; but don’t tell the Govt!!

Firstly, the gas, which is mostly methane, has to be cleansed of a host of compounds that are quite polluting.

This takes money. While it can be done on the FPSO – in larger quantities than for its own use – there’s the cost. Also, the cost of gas pipelines from 120 miles out in the deep Atlantic, and the cost of

retrofitting the present GPL generators to consume methane. But before any of this has been costed, the Government insists “It’s feasible!!”

But another hitch has popped up on the gas front. Norway had committed US$80 million for “renewable energy” in general, and Amaila in particular.

The Govt, of course, balked at Amaila because it’s Jagdeo’s idea, and are now trying to convince Norway they can’t withhold their money ‘cause natural gas is “renewable” and “non-polluting”!!

Sure – renewable in 65 billion years!!! But still burns into carbon dioxide!!

When these guys in the Government speak, it’s a gas!! …with police on bicycles Your Eyewitness thought the “police on bicycles” plan was confined to the city of Georgetown – where the City Constabulary has become exhausted from running down vendors and other hapless citizens on foot to shake them down!! But the bicycled cops are now also deployed on the West Coast, where they will be thrown into the ongoing fight against crime.

It’s evidently one more attempt by the Police to present a “kinder gentler” face to the public. It mightn’t be the ruddy-cheeked cops on the beat who handed out candy to kids at Christmas time, like we saw in the old movies, but it’s a start, right? But it was a bit of a stretch to suggest the bicycled cops would be better in crowd control!

They’ll form a bicycle cordon?

Then one wonders if Policemen on horseback will also be deployed outside of Georgetown. They’ll also get to crime scenes “in minutes”, as promised with the bicycles, but they’ll be easier to feed! …on new oil fields OK…Janet Jagan gave away too many fields to Exxon. But she DIDN’T know the fields had oil. It was a gamble.

But why no bidding by Trotman for new fields – AFTER the “world class” oil find by Exxon? Political investments?

T

…in years he PNC’s about to turn 60 and under the fig leaf of its APNU cover, it’s busy painting the towns (and country!) green. In case you didn’t put “two and two” together, that means the PNC’s almost a decade older than independent Guyana!! It also means the PNC has a history and an institutional memory and debts to pay – not to mention skeletons in its closet it mightn’t want to have unearthed at this time!!

The history of the PNC is all about its “Founder Leader” Forbes Burnham – of that there can be no doubt. Refusing to play second fiddle to Cheddi Jagan, who he never saw as his intellectual or social equal, Burnham rose to power on the back of two powerful forces – the urge of African Guyanese to take their “rightful place” in a Guyana that, after WWII, everyone knew that Independence had to come. It was only a matter of time.

The other force was the Cold War that had already generated much heat in 1953, when the PPP, with Jagan and Burnham respectively Leader and Chairman, was ousted from office for being “too leftist”.

Burnham saw which way the wind was blowing and soon moved from being one of the most strident leftists to being an exemplary (to the West!) “moderate”.

One could make a case that Burnham was caught in these two structural forces like flotsam on the ocean and the split from the PPP to launch the PNC was as inevitable like in those Greek tragedies of yore.

The virtual civil war between Jagan’s and Burnham’s partisans played out like the Peloponnesian War – with the CIA, like the Grecian gods, pulling the strings from the clouds of Mt Washington. Burnham emerged as ruler of Guyana with the PNC soon declared the “paramount party”. See the resemblance in the present configuration? The attitude to the Judiciary? The contempt for the PPP? The “jobs for the boys” and girls? That’s the institutional memory taking over: the present PNC leadership don’t have

Getting on…

to think – they just remember what the Comrade leader would’ve done!

The skeletons, of course, are too numerous to mention…but they’re surfacing on their own accord. The rigging of the 1968, 1973, 1980 and 1985 elections are there to be examined in all their sordid details in the declassified files of the US and British archives. But look at the new registration list that’ll be created by Winston Felix – and which will drag on to take the elections into 2021 – and you’ll get a flavour of that skeleton.

Ditto with the trial balloon to bring back “overseas voting”.

It’s PNC reloaded!!! …with land It was a surprise to many when Lincoln Lewis, trade unionist extraordinaire fighting for the working class for donkey years , announced he’d been a member of the feudal land-owning class all along!! You could’ve knocked over your Eyewitness with a feather! Being lectured by the likes of Jagan and Burnham ad nauseam, he’d assumed feudalism had been overthrown by the bourgeoisie running dogs of capitalism!

It was at the land Commission that Lewis dropped his bombshell. His greatgreat-great-great-great (etc) grandfather on his mother’s side had bought this village in Berbice back in the day after slavery. According to Lewis, his maternal ancestor (that’s easier!!) and his kin occupied the southern half of the village, and before long, the northern side became inhabited.

So now comes Lewis claiming seignorial rights over the land. But can a lord of the manor represent the great unwashed masses? Decisions…decisions! …with UG wages The 10th VC of UG (or should that be VC 10?) just drew the line on wages for the UG staff. Eight per cent for support staff (read folks doing manual labour) and six per cent for academic staff who teach.

Like the Government, the VC’s Cabinet received their 50 per cent earlier!!

Look for early signs of breast cancer “I do not feel any less of a woman. I feel empowered that I made a strong choice that in no way diminishes my femininity” – Angelina Jolie (on getting a double mastectomy)

O

ctober is “Breast Cancer Awareness Month”, and although many women are aware of the existence and possibly of the prevalence of breast cancer, I don’t think that there is enough awareness of the things they should be doing for early detection, or about factors that put them at a greater risk of having breast cancer; so I believe this article bears repetition.

In the Caribbean, the WHO announced in 2013 that rates are rising because of our change in lifestyle in imitation of the developed countries.

In my first clinical rotation (surgery), we saw a lot of cases of breast cancer, which illustrated the

stark statistic. In fact, during my month at the San Fernando General Hospital, the unit I was on had a separate clinic dedicated just to breast complaints. Many of the cases of breast cancer that we saw were unfortunately rather advanced forms of the cancer, and required quite radical surgeries.

It was a sobering experience.

By being aware of the things in our life that might put us at risk of breast cancer, we can try to avoid those things — like smoking; cigarette smoking increases your risk of contracting breast cancer and a whole host of other diseases; but that’s a lecture for another time, I suppose.

Since the risk of breast cancer increases with age, if females are socialized from young adulthood to check themselves for early signs of breast cancer, then — statistics have shown — in more than 90% of those cases, with early prognosis, the women can go on to have cancer-free lives. This is an amazing statistic, and is the rationale behind Breast Cancer Awareness Month; and we should all talk openly about it.

A monthly breast selfexamination results in the detection of almost 40% of breast cancer; and the steps are very easy to learn, since they consist of varying methods of observing and checking for lumps or thickening

of the tissue of the breast or underarm. Sometimes there are changes in the appearance of the breasts or nipple, and even discharge; all these should receive professional scrutiny.

The examination can be undertaken during several activities – in the shower, in front of a mirror, or lying down.

The goal is to detect any lumps that might have formed since the last examination.

Not all lumps are cancerous, and at a visit to the doctor, a clinical breast examination can be performed by a trained health worker.

Obviously, this would increase the chances of early detection.

The most conclusive

test is done by a mammogram.

A mammogram is an x-ray that allows a qualified specialist to examine the breast tissue for any suspicious area. The breast is exposed to a small dose of iodizing radiation that produces an image of the breast tissue.

Mammograms can be performed at a clinic or hospital, and are the most extensive method of detecting breast cancer today. It is recommended that all women over 40, or those in a high-risk category, should have a mammogram every one or two years.

I, for one, am tired of seeing the devastating effects that cancer has on so many, many people.

Anu Dev With breast cancer, we have a chance to make a difference, especially if we intervene early. So let’s fight back, and let’s educate ourselves about this disease. And we can start by examining our breasts for lumps and bumps the next time we step into the shower. And yes, even though more rarely, men can develop breast cancers also.

Detection of cancer doesn’t any longer have to be a kiss of death.

47

WEEK ENDING OCTOBER 8, 2017| guyanatimeSinternational.com

British universities to mark abolition of Indian indentureship

…as 2-day conference gets underway

T

he University of Warwick’s Yesu Persaud Centre for Caribbean Studies and the University of London will be commemorating the centenary of the abolition of Indian indentureship in a two-day International Conference on the history and culture of Indian workers from 1838 to 1917, and the contemporary reality of migration to the Americas.

Some 45 scholars and writers from all parts of the world will gather at Senate House on October 6 and 7 to present papers on a variety of subjects, including the situation of Bhojpuri women in Mauritius and Suriname; Mauritian Hindi poetry and drama; Land issues in Fiji; the statutes of colonial Natal; the IndoCaribbean Diaspora in the USA; Post-Indenture Trinidad and Tobago and Indian settlements in Guyana.

An original aspect of the Conference will be comparative studies of Chinese migration to the Region, including to Cuba and other Spanish colonies. Two volumes of scholarship will be published from a selection of the papers given, and the Commonwealth Foundation will be funding the publication

of an anthology of creative writing by descendants of Indian indentured workers, with poetry and prose from nearly 50 writers from South Africa, Fiji, Guyana, Mauritius, Canada, Trinidad, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, the USA and Canada.

“There are two distinctive aspects of the Conference,” says co-organiser Professor David Dabydeen. “Firstly, the scope of the enquiry, covering practically all countries affected by Indian indentureship. Secondly, the majority of papers are being presented by young female scholars, many of whom will place women at the centre of the indentureship experience, whereas before they were largely omitted in historical accounts. My co-organisers, Dr Maria Kaladeen (School of Advanced Studies, London University) and Professor Tina Ramnaraine (Royal Holloway College, London University) are to be thanked abundantly for the Conference’s emphasis on women, and for the enormous effort they have put in to ensure the presence of women scholars and writers globally.”

A highlight of the Conference will be the inaugural Gafoor

Lecture in Indian Indentureship, which will be given by the doyen of Indo-Caribbean Studies, the Trinidadian scholar, Professor Brinsley Samaroo. Funded by the Gafoor Foundation, the lecture will be on Islam in the Caribbean, and will reveal how the Holy Koran was first brought to the Caribbean by enslaved Africans who were Muslims, and Islam practised in the Region by Africans before Indian arrival.

According to Dabydeen, the Universities of Warwick and London will be organising annual Gafoor Lectures for the next 15 years.

“The Gafoor Lecture and the following Gafoor Lectures will be filmed and put on the social media so that anyone anywhere can access them free of charge. The International Conference itself will be similarly filmed and made available on the Internet. Our future plans are to organise joint scholarly events in all the countries affected by indentureship,” Professor Dabydeen said.

Britain is an appropriate place to begin this global outreach since Britain was responsible for what has been called the “new system of slavery”, Dabydeen added.

A Police thing

S

atiricus was incensed. He was incensed because his leader, Rum Jhaat, was incensed.

Rum Jhaat was incensed because he was in charge of the Police and things weren’t regula with his “boys”. In fact, things had gotten so bad there wasn’t a day when his dirty laundry wasn’t hanging out in the front pages of the dailies. It made for uncomfortable moments for Satiricus at the Back Street Bar. “Suh wha’ yuh leadah seh ‘bout de drugs wha disappear fram de CID affice?” Bungi wanted to know.

“Bungi, why you hasslin’ the man?” Hari interjected to save Satiricus blushes. “Rum Jhaat already said it was ‘reckless and negligent’ officers who are responsible!”

“Da wha me wan’ fuh know,” Bungi persisted, as he polished off his beer. “Rum Jhaat a wan lawyah.

How ‘e can seh police “negligent” when dem na done dem investigation?”

“What he means is at least the Police are negli-

gent to let 2 kilos cocaine disappear,” said Satiricus at last.

“Budday! Leh abee pick sense fram nansense!” chortled Bungi. “Dis a wan police aperation fram de start!”

“What you mean?” demanded Hari, still solicitous of Satiricus’s sensitivities.

“Yuh na read de story?” asked Bungi. “Ah police gi’e police de drugs, and customs ketch dem! Suh de CID police bin gat fuh gi’e back de drug to dem mattie!”

“So why should Rum Jhaat be ashamed?” asked Hari. “It’s not like he thiefing the drugs.”

“Rum Jhaat shame beca’se ‘e rememba how ‘e use fuh moles’ Rodee!” chuckled Bungi. “An’ me fr’en’ Sato know da!!”

“Well, Rum Jhaat is in a coalition, you know,” said Satiricus. “He really can’t do what he really wants to do.”

“But na da me bin tell yuh, Sato?” asked Bungi.

“De police know Rum Jhaat cyaan do dem not’in’.

Dem gat ‘e like wan chris’muss blow-blow!”

“Let”s look at the bright side!” said Hari. “The police circulating the coke and keeping the economy going!!”

Some of my best friends…

S

atiricus was ecstatic, and couldn’t wait to get over to the Back Street Bar. His buddy Cappo had returned from New York, where he’d been holding out for the past year. And “holding out” it was, since he’d been there illegally, having overstayed on his visitors’ visa. And then again, all the beers would be on him!

“Cappo!! Man, you look real shine!” Satiricus exclaimed at his old friend as they gave each other a bear-hug.

“Yuh see de man fancy wris’-wa’ch?” said Cappo’s old cane-cutting partner Bungi proudly. “’e bring waan fuh all abee!”

“Well, let’s take a drink for old time’s sake,” said Hari as he clinked beer bottles all around. “Welcome home, budday!”

“Me glad fuh come back, leh me tell yuh!” Cappo said with a heartful sigh. “E na bin easy in Nyuu Yark.”

“So why did you come back, Cappo?” asked Satiricus,

who, as usual, wasn’t the most sensitive soul around.

“Yeah!” said Bungi. “America gat all dem nice, nice t’ing!”

“Budday, da man Trump na easy!” said Cappo feelingly. “Ev’ry day pan de news dem a ta’k how dem guh ketch abee and ship abee back home!”

“Yes, we did hear about that,” said Hari. “We were worried about you!”

“Trump na like immigrants, at-all,” complained Cappo.

“Well, ‘e wife bin a wan illegal immigrant!” pointed out Bungi. “How come dem na ke’ch she?”

“Yes, Trump seh ‘e na gat nuttin ‘gainst immigrants,” said Cappo. “ ‘e seh some a ‘e bes’ fr’en a immigrant!”

“This Bull Khan fella here is better than Trump,” observed Satiricus.

“Wha’ ‘e do?” asked Cappo curiously.

“He admitted he fired a qualified Indian PS,” said Hari. “But he insisted he wasn’t racist. The Indian he fired is his friend!!”

“Now me feel like me deh home,” sighed Cappo.

They all drank to that.

Why we should forgive

“B

e soft. Do not let the world make you hard. Do not let the pain make you hate. Do not let the bitterness steal your sweetness.

Take pride that even though the rest of the world may disagree, you still believe it to be a beautiful place” – Iain

By Ashley Anthony Thomas There is no one who has lived a life in which everything has gone perfectly. We have all made mistakes, wronged others and been wronged. The question becomes then, how do we handle situations like these?

The topic of forgiveness came into my mind after watching a video of a holocaust survivor, Eva Mozes Kor, who explained why she forgave all Nazis, and in particular, Dr Josef Mengele (also known as the angel of death), who had experimented on her and her sister. Kor explained that she understood not everyone in the Jewish community would stand behind her decision to forgive him, but wanted to impress that her decision was not for the peace of mind of the Nazis, nor did it erase what they had done. She said, “I discovered I had the power to forgive. No one could give me that power, and no one could take it away. It was all mine to use in any way I wished. That became an interesting thing, because as a victim of 50 years, I did not think I had any power over my life.” After writing her letter, she explained, “I felt free, free from Auschwitz, free from Mengele”, further calling her forgiveness, “an act of self-healing, self-liberation, [and] self-empowerment”. The last words that she imparted were these, “We cannot change what happened. That is the tragic part. But we can change how we relate to it.”

Those last words are applicable to all of us, even if what we need to forgive is something minor. What we have to accept is that we cannot change the actions of the past, but instead, we can choose how we build our lives around it. It is not an easy process, and it involves disrupting negative thoughts that will inevitably arise when you have been hurt.

For example, “You are damaged. You have been wronged. You will never be the same.”

When we think these things, we are forced to live in the past, remembering our pain, instead of focusing on the present and future.

Forgiving returns control our lives. It removes us from being the victim, and allows us to be in charge of our narrative again. It is not a sign of weakness, but rather strength, and personal growth. When you forgive someone for something, you are not saying that it never happened. You are not diminishing how much it hurt you, or how traumatic the event was.

Instead, you are recognising all of those things, but also choosing not to let it control your life anymore.

I understand that some people may feel that things have been done to them, which they simply cannot forgive. I cannot tell you that you have to forgive. It is up to you to learn to cope with those issues, and move on healthily.

At the end of the day, what better revenge is there, than for a person who once held power over you to realise that they are no longer in control?

48 Bollywood

WEEK ENDING OCTOBER 8, 2017 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Varun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt are set to recreate their magic V arun Dhawan and Alia Bhatt are touted to be the next Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol. Their onscreen and off-screen chemistry has made their fans give them the sweet name ‘Varia’.

Also, after seeing them romancing in Student Of The Year, Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania and Badrinath Ki Dulhania, there are many who wish them to date in real life as well. It seems just like their fans, the casting directors of Bollywood too can’t get enough of their delightful screen presence and this is probably why we see Varun and Alia sharing the frame

yet again.

On Tuesday, Varun shared a photo with Alia on his Instagram account where he and Alia are seen in their quirky avatars. Along with the photo, Varun wrote, “Back on set with #dharma and @aliaabhatt. 4.0.”

This is the fourth time that Alia and Varun will be coming together for a project. But whether it’s a movie or an ad film is yet to be known.

Filmmaker Punit Malhotra who presumably has directed the latest project of Varun and Alia too shared a photo of them posing with each other. It was his caption which hinted at the proj-

ect being related to the Clean City Initiative.

Resharing Punit’s post, the official Instagram handle of Dharma 2.0

Shah Rukh Khan all set to host DJ Diplo at Mannat

D

J Diplo is all set to be hosted

by Shah Rukh Khan at Mannat and we can’t keep calm.

According to reports, Diplo has been invited for a grand bash at SRK’s residence along with his band Major Lazer as per Suhana and Aryan’s requests.

Shah Rukh Khan has a reputation of being the perfect host to his colleagues in Bollywood. And looks like, DJ Diplo who recently collaborated with King Khan for ‘Phurrr’, a party song from his recent release ‘Jab Harry Met Sejal’ is next on the list to get a taste of SRK’s warm hosting skills.

As reported by Mid-day, a source informed them, “Aryan and Suhana are

big fans of the rapper. So, Shah Rukh has extended an invitation to Diplo and his band to visit Mannat.

He plans to throw an elaborate party, which will see his friends and colleagues from the industry in attendance.”

The source added that Aryan will be specially flying to India for the same since he is busy studying in the US currently.

He said, “Aryan and Suhana are taking a keen interest in the planning.

Since they are well-acquainted with Diplo’s music, they have already told Shah Rukh that they will put together a playlist comprising his numbers for the evening.”

DJ Diplo is flying down to India in February for his performance at VH1 Supersonic Festival, and now with Khan’s super bash planned, we think Diplo is going to have the time of his life with the who’s who of Bollywood at Mannat. (Indian Express)

captioned the photo as, “Wonder what these two are up to? Stay tuned to find out more…

Dharma2Point0AtWork

#BehindTheScenes.”

Earlier in June this year, there were reports of Varun and Alia teaming up for Abhishek

Varman’s upcoming romance-drama, Shiddat.

The film was said to go on floors in 2018. But for now, no confirmation has come either from the actors or directors.

Meanwhile, Alia has just wrapped up the Kashmir schedule of her next film Raazi and Varun is celebrating the strong run of Judwaa 2 in the theaters.

The film directed

by David Dhawan and starring Jacqueline Fernandez and Taapsee Pannu is sprinting towards the magical Rs 100 crore at the box office with Rs 85.30 cr already in its kitty. (Indian Express)

From new mommy Soha Ali Khan’s ‘life is good’ note to Kunal Kemmu’s cute birthday wish

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oha Ali Khan is in a happy place today. It is her birthday and the first one with her five-day old baby Inaaya Naumi Kemmu. Soha shared a beautiful note saying ‘life is good’ and we are happy for this new small family. Not only this, Soha’s husband Kunal Kemmu too shared a lovely birthday wish and in both the posts, we see Soha Ali Khan and Kunal Kemmu posing probably just days before she delivered her little princess.

“Happy Birthday my best friend/darling wife/super cool mommy. @sakpataudi #birthdaygirl,” read the post shared

by Kunal Kemmu, while Soha’s post read, “It takes three to make a birth-

day – don’t I know it now! Thank you all for your blessings and your love! Life is good.”

Soha delivered her first child on September 29, which was also the auspicious occasion of Mahanavami and on October 2, she got discharged from Breach Candy hospital. The happy parents were seen with the newborn.

Others are also pouring in birthday wishes for this new mommy. One by Shruti Seth‫ ‏‬reads, “Happy birthday @ sakpataudi Here’s a special wish for a very special year. Have a wonderful day & lots of love to you & your little one.”

(Indian Express)

Jacqueline Fernandez hopes to repeat ‘Kick’ success with Salman Khan starrer ‘Race 3’

J

a c q u e l i n e Fernandez, who is excited for the third instalment of a hit franchise “Race 3”, says that she found her role in the film quite challenging.

“It’s a very different role. I am really excited to play my character because it’s actually a role that sees me in very different light,” said Jacqueline. “… I am finding the role quite challenging to do,” added the actress.

“Race 3” is being directed by Remo Fernandes with Salman Khan as the male lead.

Jacqueline Fernandez said that it will be a completely new take on the Race as a franchise.

“Like how it was in

part one of two of ‘Race’, in this film also all the characters will have a shade of negativity.

They all are negative

until you see who actually is the good person and who is bad.

“Now that we have Salman on board and

Remo is directing it so it’s completely new take on ‘Race’ as a franchise, so it will be exciting,” said the actress.

Jacqueline will be sharing the screen space with Salman Khan again after working in “Kick”.

“After ‘Kick’, my career changed a lot for the better. I really do owe a lot to him (Salman) for that. He put in his faith in me and did a film such as ‘Kick’ at the time where I didn’t had faith in myself.

“That time, we did 200 crore films and now we are doing ‘Race 3’

together. I am excited and hoping to hit that mark again with this film,” she said.

Commenting on the success of her last release “Judwaa 2”, Jacqueline said, “I am really excited. It feels amazing when your film does well but the kind of love and acceptance, we received with ‘Judwaa 2’ is something that made me, Varun and Taapsee really happy.”

Jacqueline will also be seen with Sushant Singh Rajput in “Drive” which is directed by Tarun Mansukhani.

(Indian Express)

Hollywood 49

WEEK ENDING OCTOBER 8, 2017| guyanatimeSinternational.com

Jared Leto to play Hugh Hefner in Brett Ratner directorial

H

ugh Hefner, who died on September 27 at the age of 91, is getting a biopic with Oscarwinning actor Jared Leto playing the Playboy founder.

To be directed by “Rush Hour”-fame Brett Ratner, the film is currently in early development, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

“Jared is an old friend. When he heard I got the rights to Hef’s story, he told me, ‘I want to play him. I want to un-

derstand him.’ And I really believe Jared can do it. He’s one of the great actors of today,” Ratner, 48, said.

The director is also onboard as a producer with his banner, RatPac Entertainment. Hefner’s life has always fascinated producers as there plans to make a biopic on him since 2007. The film was initially set up at Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment and later the rights were bought by Jerry Weintraub.

Ratner

snapped up the rights from Weintraub.

The director had invited Leto the Playboy Mansion for the premiere of Amazon’s docu-series “American Playboy: The Hugh Hefner Story” but the media mogul could not meet the actor due to ill health.

Ratner, however, believes it would not be hard for Leto to channel the silk pyjama and smoking jacket wearing Hefner as there is enough footage for research.

Hefner revolutionised the publishing scene in the US by launching his niche men’s magazine in 1953. The magazine had interviews and articles of some of the biggest literary names, along with a centrefold featuring nude pictures of women as its special feature.

(Indian Express)

Josh Gad: ‘Frozen 2’ is going to be special

A

ctor Josh Gad, who lent his voice for the character of magical snowman Olaf in the hit 2013 Disney animation film ‘Frozen’, believes the second installment is going to be special. Voice recordings for the sequel of the blockbuster animated film ‘Frozen’ have begun, Gad announced on his Instagram account. The first installment also starred Idina Menzel, Kristen Bell and Jonathan Groff.

Gad posted an image of himself with the costars with the backdrop of a voice recording studio and wrote, “Nothing is more exciting than getting back in the booth with this incredible team.

Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee, Peter Del Vecho, Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Bobby Lopez along with John Lasseter and the amazing people at

Disney animation have created a story that carries on the incredible legacy of the original ‘Frozen’ and continues to build and expand on the characters and themes in new and exciting ways.

“Unfortunately, that’s all I can tell you right now. But, rest assured ‘Frozen 2’ is on the way and damn is it going to be special.” The film is releasing on November 27, 2019.

The first movie was inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale “The Snow

Queen”, which revolved around a fearless Princess Anna (voiced

by Bell), who sets off on a journey alongside iceman Kristoff (voiced by Groff) and his pet reindeer to rescue her sister Elsa (voiced by Menzel), whose icy powers have left the kingdom trapped in an eternal winter.

In March 2015, the sequel was announced with Buck and Lee returning as directors and Peter Del Vecho as producer. The plot of the film is yet unknown.

(Indian Express)

Sarah Jessica Parker: Sex And The City 3 not happening Nicole Kidman speaks against domestic violence in a letter

S

arah Jessica Parker has confirmed that Carrie Bradshaw and her three friends are not reuniting for a third movie in the ‘Sex And The City’ franchise. Parker said they had a “funny and relatable” script but things did not move forward.

“It’s over… we’re not doing it,” Parker told Extra. The actor famously played Bradshaw on the HBO hit that ran from 1998 to 2004 and reprised it on the big screen in 2008 and 2010.

“I’m disappointed. We had this beautiful, funny, heartbreaking, joyful, very relatable script and story. It’s not just disappointing that we don’t get to tell the story and have that experience, but more so for that audience that has been so vocal in wanting another movie.”

The actor’s confirmation comes amid reports that actor Kim Cattrall’s alleged demands led to the cancellation of the third part. But Cattrall, in a tweet, slammed the report, saying she had made it clear in 2016 that she did not want to do a third movie.

“The only ‘DEMAND’ I ever made was that I didn’t want to do a 3rd film,” she tweeted. Actor Kristin Davis, who

A

played Charlotte in the hit series, however, said it was “deeply frustrating” to not be able to make the movie.

“It is true that we are not going to be able to make a 3rd film. I wish that we could have made the final chapter, on our own terms, to complete the stories of our characters.

“It is deeply frustrating not to be able to share that chapter (beautifully written by MPK) with all of you,” Davis wrote on Instagram, referring to ‘Sex and the City’ writer-director-producer Michael Patrick King’s script.

“So we will just have our memories, but please know that all of the love and support for us through the years is felt by us and we are so grateful for all of you! ‘SATC’ forever in our hearts.”

‘SATC’ also featured Cynthia Nixon.

(Indian Express)

ctor Nicole Kidman, who played the role of a domestic abuse victim in hit TV show ‘Big Little Lies’, has penned a touching letter calling for women to support and celebrate each other. The 50-yearold actor, who has been a goodwill ambassador of the United Nations Development Fund for Women for the past decade, recently won an Emmy for her performance as an abused wife in the drama.

“It never occurred to me that I should be at a disadvantage because I was born a girl. The idea that women and men are equal is part of my DNA. I was raised by a strong feminist mother and a fully supportive father, so it never occurred to me that I should be at a disadvantage because I was born a girl,” Kidman wrote in the letter to Porter Magazine.

Crediting her forward-thinking parents for instilling confidence in her, Kidman said she has always been attracted to roles of strong, independent women. “Each of us, in ways big or small, will come across challenges, often arising out of the fact that we are

women in a still unequal world. It has happened to me; I am sure it has to you,” she said.

“In those moments, I like to think of those who have my back, who lifted me up and encouraged me to believe in myself. And I think of the inspiring solidarity I experienced when meeting with survivors of violence during my travels for UN Women.”

Kidman ended her message by appealing to women to come together in celebrating each other. “More than ever I am aware of the need to support and celebrate each other … Imagine: if you can fall back on the 3.5 billion sisters, and the many good men who are with us, what could we possibly not achieve?” she wrote. (Indian Express)

‘Men In Black’ spin-off to release in May 2019

‘M

en in Black’ spin-off will hit the theatres on May 17, 2019.

According to the sources, ‘Iron Man’ scribes Matt Holloway and Art Marcum will pen the script. Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones will not reprise their roles in the film, which is meant to launch a new franchise with fresh talent involved, the report further reads, Deadline reported.

Sony had originally planned to combine the ‘Men and Black’ and ’21 Jump Street’ franchises,

but have since shelved that idea.

Walter F Parkes and Laurie MacDonald are producing with Steven Spielberg executive producing. David Beaubaire is overseeing the project for Sony.

The original movie followed Smith and Jones, who played agents of a secret organisation known as the Men in Black and protected Earth from intergalactic bad guys.

The first film was big success and produced two more sequels. The three films hauled a cu-

mulative USD 1.7 billion worldwide.

“The studio also is

moving on multiple fronts with its SpiderMan universe, work-

ing simultaneously on a Phil Lord & Christopher Miller-scripted animated

film for Christmas 2018, as well as the Ruben Fleischer-directed Tom Hardy-Michelle Williams starrer Venom to be released October 5, 2018, and Silver & Black, with Gina PrinceBythewood directing the two female superheroes in the Spidey universe for February 8, 2019.

There is also the sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming, with Jon Watts directing Tom Holland and the Zendaya-led ensemble.

That will be released July 5, 2019,” the Deadline reported. (Indian Express)

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First Class season a chance to Snipers gearing up ahead of WIFBSC 150th impress selectors, says Adams anniversary shoot D

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From left: Ransford Goodluck, Mahendra Persaud,Ryan Sampson, Dylan Fields and Lennox Braithwaite during Wednesday’s GNRA press conference at Crown Mining Head Office

ational Full-bore skipper Mahendra Persaud said he’s backing his marksmen to shine in the upcoming West Indies Full Bore Shooting Council (WIFBSC) championships/Guyana National Rifle Association (GNRA)’s 150th Anniversary which gets underway from October 8 and concludes on October 15.

According to Persaud, the upcoming shoot will feature by far the largest concentration of snipers from; Antigua, Bermuda, Trinidad, Barbados, Jamaica, the Falkland Islands, the United States, Britain, Ireland and Scotland, who have already, began to pour in by the numbers ahead of what is being called the biggest gathering of professional shooters for a single tournament.

Speaking on the schematics of the shoot as well as the details, Persaud explained “After the end of the grand aggregate for the three days, we are going to be taking the 60 shooters who will then shoot together in one detail

at 300, 500 and 600 yards. After lunch on that day, they will take the top 30 shooters who will move onto the 900 and 1000 yard ranges where the winner will be crowned the 150th Anniversary champion”.

Also, shooters will undergo two days of team competition at both the short (300,500 and 600 yard) and long (900 and 1000 yard) ranges to determine both long and short range country champions.

Despite a GY 14M amount needed to proper prepare for the tourney, Persaud said the team was still nevertheless focused and are aiming to put their best foot forward. Activities commence from Friday with a WIFBSC meeting, while Saturday will see shooters take part in the Milex/Crown Mining long range shoot followed by Sunday’s WIFBSC short range trophy.

Meanwhile, the first shot is expected to be fired first by President David Granger who will officially mark the start of the tournament.

irector of cricket, Jimmy Adams, has urged players to use the upcoming first class season to stake their claim for a place at the higher level.

The four-day season is set to bowl off on October 26 and Adams said the three-month season provided the ideal chance for youth cricketers and fringe players to grab the attention of senior selectors.

“It's an opportunity for the talented players in our game to stake a claim for a place in international matches,” said Adams, who took over from Englishman Richard Pybus in the post earlier this year.

“It's also an opportunity for us to see young players that have just come out of youth cricket and it's another opportunity for us to showcase the depth of West Indies talent, so I am quite looking forward to the start of this four-day season.”

The first class tournament will kick off the West Indies domestic season, which also includes the Regional Super50 one-day tournament next January and the Caribbean Premier League at the back end of next summer.

For the fourth straight year, the season will be played under a home-and-away format which will again see 10 rounds of matches, a feature Adams said was key to player development.

“This tournament is critical to our game in view of its length, since there are return matches. It provides so many opportunities for young players and for some

Jimmy Adams

that have been around for a long time to get a lot of matches under their belt,” said the former West Indies captain.

“I think it is also good for the selectors to have an opportunity to see more of the players in different conditions, so it will throw up a lot of very, very useful information and give us a better indication about the quality of our players.

“It's a very important cog in the wheel of the development cycle, so I am looking forward to seeing how players have progressed from the end of last season.”

He added: “Just the fact that they are playing consistently more games, it has been critical for a lot of our players along that development curve to be able to play as much as they can within the season.”

Cricket West Indies has transformed the first class tournament into a professional franchise set-up from the old territorial format, with players on full contracts and the season extended to include home-and-away fixtures.

Under the new stipu-

lations, players can also move between franchises, and are selected out of a draft ahead of each season.

This year, the season has been squeezed into three months – wrapping up January 21 – and Adams underscored the importance of player fitness to cope with the demands.

“It will be a demanding season for the players and to be able to cope with the level of sustained physical and mental pressure, we will need them to be in top condition, so that they can repeat good performances and so it has to be a massive part of their preparation going into the season.”

Three-time reigning champions Guyana Jaguars will open the defence of their title against Jamaica Scorpions at the Guyana National Stadium while Barbados Pride host Trinidad and Tobago Red Force at Kensington Oval and Windward Islands Volcanoes and Leeward Islands Hurricanes clash at the National Cricket Stadium in Grenada.

(CMC)

Zimbabwe to host West Indies for two Tests in October

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Tatenda Taibu

imbabwe Cricket (ZC) has confirmed it will host West Indies for a short tour comprising two Tests in Bulawayo later this month. This will be Zimbabwe's first Test engagement since their tour of Sri Lanka in July.

The first Test will be played from October 21-25, while the second one will follow from October 29. Both matches will be played at the Queens' Sports Club. A three-day warm-up from October 15 will precede the series opener.

Brendan Taylor and Kyle Jarvis

are both expected to make their international comebacks during the series.

The pair left Zimbabwe in 2015 and 2013 respectively to play in England on Kolpak deals. But they were convinced to opt out of their English deals early and return home following a complete overhaul of ZC's structures.

Tatenda Taibu, the convener of selectors, initiated discussions with Taylor and Jarvis before they received assurances about the new governance and financial model from ZC MD Faisal Hasnain.

Their inclusion is particularly significant because Zimbabwe will depend on them during 2019 World Cup qualifiers, which could take place in their own country next March. West Indies, who failed to qualify automatically, will be among their opponents in that tournament and Zimbabwe will perhaps use this series to gauge how they will match up.

This will be West Indies' second tour to Zimbabwe in the last 12 months.

They featured there in a tri-series, also involving Sri Lanka, in November last year. (ESPNCricinfo)

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Cricket: A useful tool to nourish community spirit in NY

Galaxy team with members of the Legend Social Club and other supporters

Adeel Rana of the NYPD bowls the first ball.

By Son de Anancy

T

he communal spirit was fully aglow at the Eastern American Cricket Association’s (EACA) 2017 T20 final held at the Cage / Baisley Park ground on Sunday, October 1. If the great things we saw are nurtured and promoted it would augur well for the future of cricket in New York.

Outstanding talent has long been a feature of New York cricket and this was certainly evident in the T20 A Division final that pitted Galaxy CC against Richmond Hill / Liberty

CC. Galaxy, led by veteran player, Vejay Seonarine won the toss and sent Richmond Hill / Liberty in to bat. Openers Wahid Ward and Dominique Rikhi were in an anticipated punishing mood as they rushed to an even 100 in 7.5 overs. At the century mark of his team’s innings Rikhi on 50 was caught by Shafiq Shaw off the bowling of Yudesh Bissnauth.

While wickets did fall at regular intervals the runs kept flowing and at the end of their 20th over Richmond Hill had amassed 212 for 8.

Anyone familiar with the T20 format will know

that a run chase over 200 runs is a formidable task. Galaxy lost opener Akshay Homraj in the first over but not before he had blasted 18 runs consisting of 3 (4s) and 1 (6). Shafiq the other opener went for 7 before a brilliant 176-run partnership between Kevin Nazeer (109*) and Rajiv Ivan (79*) saw Galaxy over the finish line in 17.2 overs. We will speak more of this great partnership in a follow-up article.

What was also evident last Sunday was the fact that the support offered by individual members of the business and service community have contin-

ued unabated. James Manbahal of Manbahal Custom Homes, Builders, Demolition Experts and General Contractors provided the trophies while Hafeez Ali, CEO of the Rockaway Group of Companies offered the cash prizes for both the EACA B Division T20 final won by and the A Division final won by Galaxy.

Adeel Rana, a Lieutenant Commanding

mothers and their children, fathers and sons, cricketers from other leagues and teams, former local cricketers, former test players, businesspersons from a range of commercial and service sectors, fashion models, dozens of folks who had never come to a cricket match in New York, and of course, the regular fans who are never afraid to voice their moments of joy and

cricket in the New York area and throughout the USA, build a professional cricket facility in New York, build a professional team that can tour other cricketing communities. encourage youths to participate in the game and create fun and safe entertainment environments for the entire family. Incidentally, the LSC is the unit that supports the Galaxy Cricket Club allowing

Celebrity T20 aims to raise funds for hurricane-ravaged islands winds and torrential rain, while the destruction has been imwo-time Twenty20 measurable on all levels with World Cup-winning dozens of lives lost, hundreds skipper Darren of homes damaged, and basic Sammy will lead an utilities and infrastructure on Invitational XI against a many islands devastated,” said Trinidad and Tobago side in Ramnarine. a celebrity charity Twenty20 “While the Caribbean is not match later this month immune or unaccustomed to the aimed at raising TT$1 milsometimes destructive forces of lion (US$148,085) for nature, the call for immediate Caribbean countries relief from neighbouring affected by the recountries was met with cent passage of urgency and the entire Hurricanes Irma region has rallied and Maria. around the most afThe match, fected.” scheduled for He added: “The October 14 at Darren Sammy intention of this Queen's Park Oval, has charity match is to use been organised as a joint sport as the unifying force venture by Sport Company of Trinidad for good that we all know it is and can and Tobago (SporTT), the T&T Cricket be.

Board and Queen's Park Cricket Club.

“It is important that our sporting Sammy, a former Test captain, heroes can stand up and be counted will preside over a side including the when their assistance is required [and] likes of West Indies stars Chris Gayle, they are ready to put their talent on Rovman Powell, Kesrick Williams and display for the benefit of more than just Chadwick Walton, with Jamaican those who spectate, but those who need sprinter Yohan Blake also expected to it most.” participate.

Dominica suffered widespread devThe T&T outfit will be led by Kieron astation and the loss of 15 lives when Pollard and is expected to comprise Hurricane Maria slammed into the issome of the biggest names on the inter- land two weeks ago as a Category Five national T20 circuit. cyclone on the Saffir-Simpson scale.

Dinanath Ramnarine, chairman of Only two weeks earlier, Hurricane SporTT, said the venue was vitally im- Irma struck Barbuda, leaving the tiny portant in light of the recent devasta- island uninhabitable. tion, especially in Dominica.

Several other islands, especially in “The Leeward Islands and Greater the northern Leewards, were also afAntilles bore the brunt of the 180 mph fected by the tropical systems.

Galaxy players and members of the Legend Social Club celebrate at a dinner hosted by the management of Legend Cookhouse

(CMC)

T

Officer of the NYPD was on hand to throw the first ball. Rana had come at the invitation of EACA president, Rudy Persaud.

But beyond the great cricketing display and continuing evidence of business support what made Sunday’s match truly special was the overriding sense that an entire community had come out to enjoy and support a game of cricket. At the Cage / Baisley Park ground there were

despair. Hundreds congregated just within and without the borders of the Cage and for four or so hours bonded as a singular cricket loving unit.

This overwhelming communal display was primarily due to the efforts of the Legend Social Club (LSC), an organization comprising of a small group of businesspersons who are seeking to give back to their community. The members of the LSC would like to, promote the game of

players the opportunity to focus on cricket while they address monetary and other business matters. In coming stories in this publication we will meet the members of the Legend Social Club, we will learn how they brought a team that was on the verge of being disbanded to a championship, we will detail their plans for cricket development and community outreach and provide instructions on how one can become a member.

Former Guyana and West Indies player Mahendra Nagamootoo (second right) poses with 3 members of the business community

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South American Youth Games 2017, Santiago, Chile

Guyanese badminton pair hot & cold on opening day

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Priyanna Ramdhani (forecourt) in action against Erisa Bleau of Suriname

uyanese Badminton players, National & Caribbean Champions 15 Year Old Priyanna Ramdhani and 16-year-old Tyrese Jeffrey suffered mixed fortunes on the opening day of competition in the ongoing South American Youth Games in Santiago, Chile.

The 17-years and under Badminton Championships playing at the Centro de Entrenamiento Olimpico started on Tuesday October 3 and will run until Saturday October 7 with 14 countries in all participating.

The tournament is being played off in the Group Playoffs, Quarterfinals, Semi-finals & Finals.

There are four groups where the first two winners in the group will go into the Quarter-Finals where the knock out system leading to the finals will come into effect.

In the Girls Round Robin Play off, Priyanna Ramdhani is in Group B with Chile, Suriname and Peru.

She lost her first match to the No.1 Seeded player in the Group from Chile – Micaela Flores: 21-9, 21-16.

She then defeated Suriname Erisa Bleau: 21-4, 21-8 in her second match.

She was expected to play Chile on Wednesday and if successful, she will be in the Quarter-Finals.

In the Boys Round Robin Play Off, Tyrese Jeffrey is in Group A with Chile & Argentina.

He lost both matches to Alonso Medal of Chile: 21-4, 21-2 and then to Mateo Delmastro of Argentina: 21-12, 21-4.

The other round-robin group matches for the Guyanese players will be the mix doubles.

Meanwhile, Guyana’s Tyrese Jefferey lost in his first math to Argentina’s Mateo Delmastro in the boys singles he now plays Chile Alonso Medel for a possible position to qualify into the round of 16.

In Table tennis, Miguel Wong and Nickolus Romain began their quest for honours on Thursday in the Chile Olympic Centre for Excellence hall where they are group in group 1 with top seeds Argentina and Uruguay, two teams advance to the quarterfinals round.

For basketball, Guyana will open their campaign against Ecuador 16:50h.

Malinga omitted from ODIs against Pakistan due to poor form

L

asith Malinga has been omitted from Sri Lanka's squad for the Pakistan ODIs, while Angelo Mathews is again unavailable through injury.

Sri Lanka Cricket said that Malinga was not considered due to his current form and in the context of Sri Lanka's plans in view of the 2019 World Cup. Malinga has played only 13 ODIs since his return to international cricket in June this year, and his most-recent international match was the T20 against India, on September 6. In ODIs since his return, however, Malinga has clearly been a diminished force, averaging 62.30 for each of his 10 wickets, and going at six an over.

The other surprise was the omission of opening batsman Danushka Gunathilaka, who averages 42.41 in 12 ODIs this year. Test captain Dinesh Chandimal found a place in the squad, as did Chamara Kapugedara.

Lasith Malinga

On the spin-bowling front, Jeffrey Vandersay returned to the ODI fray after having been left out since February this year, pushing out left-arm wristspinner Lakshan Sandakan.

Akila Dhananjaya was the other specialist spin option, while slow-bowling allrounders Seekkuge Prasanna and Milinda Siriwardana were also present.

Fast bowler Dushmantha Chameera retained his place in the ODI squad, though he had been dropped for the Tests. Suranga Lakmal, Nuwan Pradeep and Vishwa Fernando were the other frontline seam

bowlers.

The first of five ODIs begins on October 13, in Dubai.

Sri Lanka squad Upul Tharanga (capt), Dinesh Chandimal, Niroshan Dickwella,Lahiru Thirimanne, Kusal Mendis, Milinda S i r i w a r d a n a , Chamara Kapugedara, Thisara Perera, Seekuge Prasanna, Nuwan Pradeep, Suranga Lakmal, Dushmantha Chameera, Vishwa Fernando, Akila Dananjaya, Jeffrey Vandersay (ESPNCricinfo)

Unchanged Windies Test squad for Tour of Zimbabwe

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T JOHN'S, Antigua — The selection panel of Cricket West Indies has announced that it will retain the same 15-member squad that toured England recently for the Tour of Zimbabwe later this month.

Courtney Browne, chairman of the CWI selection panel, said: “The dedication, commitment and focus in their preparation and during the series in England showed immense character for such a young team in very difficult conditions against worldclass competition. The lessons learnt on that tour augurs well for the individual players and the team's continued development as a whole and we wish them well on the Tour of Zimbabwe”.

Jason Holder

Windies will face Zimbabwe “A” for a tour match from Sunday, October 15 to Tuesday, October 17. SCHEDULE OF MATCHES October 15 to Tue 17 — Tour Match at Bulawayo Athletic Club, Bulawayo October 21 to 25 — 1st Test at Queen's Sports Club, Bulawayo October 29 to November 2 —2nd Test at Queen's Sports Club

SQUAD:

Jason Holder (Captain) Kraigg Brathwaite (Vice Captain) Devendra Bishoo Jermaine Blackwood Roston Chase Miguel Cummins Shane Dowrich Shannon Gabriel S h i m r o n Hetmyer<p?> Kyle Hope Shai Hope

Alzarri Joseph Kieran Powell Raymon Reifer Kemar Roach Team Management Unit Stuart Law (Head Coach) Joel Garner (Team Operations Manager) Roderick Estwick (Assistant Coach) Toby Radford (Assistant Coach) Ryan Maron (Assistant Coach) C J Clark (Physiotherapist) Ronald Rogers (Strength & C o n d i t i o n i n g Coordinator) Jeffrey Gay (Massage Therapist) Dexter Augustus (Video Data Analyst) Philip Spooner (Media Relations Manager)

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