Guyana times november 30,2017

P10

CariSECURE task force to tackle crime, violence rate Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana guyanatimesgy.com

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Thursday, November 30, 2017

Issue No. 3408

PRICE

GuySuCo begins to lay off Rose Hall Estate workers …“bleak Christmas” in sight - Chand

WHAT'S INSIDE:

3 nabbed with gun, drugs P8 E Division has capacity to respond to 911 calls

Page 3

Cattle farmer crushed to death by truck

– Commander

PSC notes silence on capacity building in Budget 2018

Page 10

$80 vat included

…says state of roads may impact response time P14

Page 11

…as GCCI cites lack of job creating investments PSC promotions

Education Ministry launches word search competition

The Education Ministry, in collaboration with the Communities Ministry, launched the National Crossword and Word Search Competition on Wednesday at Umana Yana in an effort to engage young people’s skills in word recognition, increase vocabulary, improve spelling, stimulate an interest in reading and generally expand the knowledge of words.

In photo, the young students are mastering the art of word search

Budget 2018

Nothing to bridge gap between hinterland and coast – PPP

Decision stands until CJ delivers written P2 ruling – Granger

"Speak out against errant minibus drivers" P12 – Minister Ferguson

Page 5

State House colour change

No laws were broken - President Page 9

2016 fatal accident

Cop freed of causing death P9 charge

2 news

thursDAY, november 30, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

PSC promotions

Decision stands until CJ delivers written ruling – Granger

P

resident David Granger is expected to name the members of the new Police Service Commission (PSC) by next

week, almost three months after the life of the previous Commission expired.

In addition, he is yet to withdraw the directive halt-

ing Police promotions – a move that the acting Chief Justice has described as unlawful and unconstitutional.

President Granger told re-

porters that when he issued the directive it was necessary for State security since his Administration was in possession of information

that security was being jeopardised.

“We would have been failing in our duty if we ignored the warnings which came to us in a very direct manner that State security was being imperilled or being jeopardised by certain actions. So, there was a question of necessity on the part of the Government of Guyana, and I would like to iterate that we are respectful of the Chief Justice’s rulings and we will examine carefully the written ruling when it comes to us,” the President said.

“The Government of Guyana is very respectful of the rulings of the High Court. We always wait for the written ruling. When we get the written ruling, we will make a formal re-

Chief Justice Acting Roxane George

sponse,” Granger added.

Last Thursday, acting Chief Justice Roxane George ruled that the letter sent by Minister of State, Joseph Harmon to the PSC on July 26 directing it to withhold work on the annual Police promotions was in flagrant disregard of the Constitution and was unlawful, null, void and of no effect.

The acting Chief Justice also expressed the hope that the PSC did not act upon the unconstitutional letter. However, then PSC Chairman Omesh Satyanand had stated that the Commission adhered

President David Granger

to the request from the President and halted all work on the promotion list.

The ruling also pointed to the fact that only two years ago, Minister Simona Broomes, another Government Minister, had issued similar directions to a service commission and although the Court with the consent of the Attorney General (AG) had declared that that letter had been in violation of the Constitution, a similar palpable violation of the Constitution was repeated by another Minister.

Additionally, the court noted that in the face of this flagrant disregard for the Constitution which the State conceded two years ago, the State should have done the honourable thing and corrected the error rather than seek to defend these proceedings.

Justice George concluded that directing that there be no consideration of promotion of Police Officers was a blatant disregard of Article 226 of the Constitution which insulates the PSC from influence and direction of any other person or authority, especially political direction.

Former Attorney General Anil Nandlall filed legal proceedings challenging the directive requesting that it be put on hold. The action was filed in the High Court in August.

news

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thursDAY, november 30, 2017 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

BRIDGE OPENINGS

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

Thursday, November 30 – a nighttime retraction of 02:00h and a daytime retraction of 14:00h-15:30h and Friday, December 1 – a nighttime retraction of 03:00h and a daytime retraction of 14:30h-16:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

GuySuCo begins to lay off Rose Hall Estate workers …“bleak Christmas” in sight – Chand the National Assembly earlier this year regarding the future of the sugar industry.

“They said in their State paper, December 31 but they stopped planting canes the first part of this year and then they began to find some other jobs,” he pointed out.

The veteran trade unionist further contended that many workers would spend their holidays in uncertainty and their early removal would hinder their overall plans for yearend.

“For them (sugar workers), it will be a bleak Christmas because they would not be working and they are not too certain when they will all get their severance pay,” Chand pointed out.

In May 2017, that Government announced plans to close the Enmore

Thursday, November 30 – 13:35h-15:05h and Friday, December 1 –14:20h-15:50h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY

Thundery showers will prevail throughout the day and evening with heavy rain showers in the late afternoon.

Temperatures are expected to range between 24 degrees Celsius and 28 degrees Celsius.

Winds: Between Easterly and East North-easterly between 1.78 metres and 4.02 metres.

High Tide: 13:58h reaching a maximum height of 2.59 metres.

Low Tide: 07:28h and 19:58h reaching minimum heights of 0.71 metre and 0.59 metre respectively.

Rose Hall Field Supervisor Ramnarine Subramanian’s letter indicates December 29 is his last day as a GuySuCo employee

T wednesDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2017

LOTTERY NUMBERS B

02 05 06 08 20 28 15 Bonus Ball

FREE TICKET

DAILY MILLIONS 09 12 16 18 23 LUCKY 3 7 1 7 Afternoon Draw

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Evening Draw

DRAW DE LINE

05 09 10 11 15 17 19 DISCLAIMER: WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY ERRORS IN PUBLICATION. PLEASE CALL THE HOTLINE FOR CONFIRMATION - TEL: 225-8902

he Guyana Sugar C o r p o r a t i o n (GuySuCo) has started laying off workers from the Rose Hall Estate, Berbice despite Government’s announcement that the facility would no longer be closed at the end of this year.

In a letter seen by Guyana Times on Wednesday, GuySuCo discontinued the services of Rose Hall Field Supervisor Ramnarine Subramanian, under the Junior Staff Redundancy Notification.

The letter dated November 26, 2017 stated that a meeting was held at the Rose Hall Estate Community Centre on November 22, in the presence of his union, the National Association of Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial Employees (NAACIE). It was observed in the document therein that the Corporation had no vacant post to alternatively retain Subramanian’s services.

“The Corporation has given consideration to the option of you continuing in another job within (the) organisation. However, there is no suitable vacancy to accommodate you,” the letter seen by this publication stated.

Moreover, it was stated that the notice would expire on December 29, 2017 which will be his last day with the Rose Hall Estate and GuySuCo, and it was further observed that the termination was in keeping with the Termination of Employment and Severance Pay Act 1997 (TESPA).

Meanwhile, Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) President Komal Chand related that many East Demerara (Enmore) Estate and Rose Hall Estate workers have already been terminated, and some of them have received their severance packages. He, how-

ever, said that payments to the majority of workers were still outstanding and expressed hope that the situation would not end up like Wales Estate’s case where after almost one year, workers are still to be paid termination benefits.

“Some have got their severance pay, but the bulk is yet to get their severance pay and they are hoping there will be no hitch like in the case of Wales,” he told this newspaper on Wednesday.

Chand added that GuySuCo’s redundancy measures have come as a departure to what Government, through Agriculture Minister Noel Holder, had officially told

GAWU President Komal Chand

and Rose Hall Sugar Estates, sell the Skeldon Sugar Factory, reduce the annual production of sugar, and take on the responsibility of managing the drainage and irrigation services offered by GuySuCo. Several protest actions followed this announcement. turn to page 5

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thursDAY, november 30, 2017

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

Burying sugar workers

T

he 2018 Budget offers an opportunity not only to evaluate the Government’s plans for next year, but signals of its longer-term goals. We can do worse than begin with the sugar industry, which for so long had been the mainstay of the economy, but all the stakeholders concede far-reaching changes had become necessary subsequent to the unilateral jettisoning of the “preferential prices” by Europe a decade ago, reducing them by 36 per cent.

The People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government, then in office, attempted to reduce the cost of production of sugar which had been historically high in comparison with the major producing and exporting nations such as Brazil. The Skeldon Modernisation project was the centrepiece of that plan, but, unfortunately, the ultramodern factory never delivered on its promise and added rather than reduced the burgeoning production costs.

The new A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Government appointed a Commission of Inquiry (CoI) to chart a way forward for the industry, but the Government rejected the major recommendation that the Government, as owner of GuySuCo, inject funds into the latter and bring it to a point of sale in three years.

Rather, the Government unilaterally closed Wales Estate at the end of 2016 and announced farmers’ cane would be processed at Uitvlugt Estate. By the middle of this year, the Government laid a “State Paper on the Future of Sugar” in the National Assembly.

The paper altered the CoI’s recommendation to claim privatisation should be “within three years” rather than “after three years”. It elaborated, “The proposed courses of action are to amalgamate Wales Estate with Uitvlugt Estate and reassign its cane to the Uitvlugt factory, since the estate is operating at 50 per cent capacity. Sixty per cent of its drainage and irrigation infrastructure is in a dilapidated condition. The Corporation furthermore seeks to divest itself of the Skeldon Estate. The estates of Albion and Rose Hall are to be amalgamated and the factory at Rose Hall is to be closed.

“GuySuCo would then consist of three estates and three sugar factories. The estates would be Blairmont in the West Bank Berbice, Albion-Rose Hall in East Berbice and the Uitvlugt-Wales Estate in West Demerara. The three estates will be complete with factories and will have cane supplied from all five locations.”

The Paper spoke of the closure of Wales in the future tense even though the deed had already been done.

The closure of Enmore Estate – factory and fields – was mentioned as an afterthought. The question which did not seem to occupy the minds of those in charge of the radical downsizing of GuySuCo was what would be the fate of the sugar workers who would be out of a job after they received their “severance pay”? There was early talk of the reactivation of the “Other Crops Division” representing the move towards diversification from sugar back in the 1970s. At Wales, however, which was supposed to be the model for the subsequent closures, all that was done was to cultivate 400 acres of “seed paddy” for rice, which delivered an abysmal yield.

The “Future of Sugar” plan had claimed: “GuySuCo also proposes to surrender land for lease to employees for them to engage in agricultural production. The resources that exist under the “Green economy” and “Regional Food Self-Sufficiency” drive would support their efforts.” Since nothing had been done in this regard in the year since the closure of Wales, sugar workers in both Demerara and Berbice looked anxiously at the 2018 Budget for funds allocated towards this end. There was nothing.

And it is because of this failed promise that these workers can only conclude they are being buried by the present Administration, even as it keeps harping on developing Guyana’s agricultural resources to take a chunk of the US$4.3 billion Caribbean food bill. The Government instead has targeted the intermediate and interior savannahs for agricultural development. Will they allow the drained and irrigated ex-sugar lands to revert to “bush”? Why can cane-cutters not be transitioned into cash-crop farmers?

T

he festival saw impressive performances by the young people. The Ramayan Chanting category was among the highlights of the day and saw the groups presenting Ramlilas accompanied by chanting and explanations for the Shri RamCharitmanas. Ravindra Reeknauth of West Berbice copped the first prize with Karan Rambhaju of West Coast Demerara and Karmachand Sugrim of East Berbice gaining the second and third spots respectively. In the Classical Dance category, Essequibo Praant took home the top prize while East Berbice was second and East Coast Demerara third. In a vibrant Folk Dance segment, East Coast Demerara was first, Essequibo second and West Berbice third.

The Tassa category the group from East Coast Demerara was adjudged first while Feel the Beat of West Coast Demerara placed Second and the Dubraj Tassa Group of East Bank

Demerara got the third spot. In Instrumental music, West Coast Demerara was first, Central Corentyne second and East Bank Demerara third. West Coast Demerara also took the top spot in Kirtan with East Bank Demerara placing second and Central Corentyne third.

The male and female singing categories Karmachand Sugrim of East Berbice placed first, Ganesh Kasinath of Central Corentyne second and Arijit Singh of East Coast Demerara third in the male category. Ten Nya Kumarie of East Bank Demerara was the favourite of the day.

Balika Seenarine of West Berbice placed second and Hema Devi Udhising of Georgetown third. The West Coast Demerara Praant was adjudged the best performing Praant of this year’s Kala Utsav. Trophies, certificates and cash prizes were distributed at the end of the event.

Waste-to-resource story

Dear Editor, Every day we dispose of waste materials such as bottles, tins and cans, paper, rotten fruits, vegetable peelings, scrap cloth, etc. These materials are often dumped into the drains, canals and on the street corners.

This can make the environment unclean to live and dwell in. So, this leaves the question: how can we turn our waste material into lucrative ventures.

That question was

answered when the Communities Ministry hosted a two-day waste-toresource exhibition, which saw many businesses and organisations finding creative ways to utilise waste materials.

Enchanted Gardens – Floral Arts is one such company that found a way to utilise scrap cloth. The owner explains that her materials are gathered from seamstresses, tailors and even the fabric stores to reuse in her creations.

Another exhibitor,

Hidden Gems showed that you can reuse bottles and glass to make ornaments and other household items.

This was displayed at the event where patrons were amazed to see how they can reuse bottles.

Other exhibitors displayed that you can reuse paper, plastic, seeds and even tyres for all household items and even to wear as fashion pieces.

I can go on with all examples on how we can reuse waste materials that would be considered trash

to make cash. What I noticed that was missing though is a platform for standards to challenge the importation of items that would be able to push small business entrepreneurs.

This exhibition was important to show our young people how we can use household items to create employment, which in turn will help develop their communities.

Sincerely, Diana Trotman

Guyanese deserve commencement of election preparation Dear Editor, President David Granger’s choice is now at the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) and the situation sets a platform for keen following, obviously interesting reporting, and prohibitive response actions where necessary. Sticky and suspicious as it is, it cannot be denied that the strongly objectionable impositions of this APNU/AFC coalition are on the forefront.

The methods of the

highly controversial and contentiously appointed Chairman, Justice James Patterson (retired) justifiably set a platform for continuous examination. This is necessary since from the outset, Granger signalled and then imposed an undesired level of suspicion to all Opposition political parties and citizens at large. It is the view of many that the undue pressures will not only affect the functionality of the Commission, but the credence of emanating

reports.

Recently, Chairman Patterson held a meeting with the appointed GECOM Commissioners. It is sad to report that there were no minutes of the last meeting of the Commissioners for consideration. As we proceed with caution, it is my view that discussions on vital matters such as audited Financial Statements or the Current and Capital Budget augur well as good starting points in determining what is happen-

ing at the Commission. Is it that Patterson already knows and wants to keep such information a secret?

Certainly, the appointed Commissioners and citizens need to know and be aware of the status.

Meanwhile, a strong call exists from inside and beyond the Secretariat for Commissioners to provide a full report on the financial status and report of the 2016 and 2017 budgetary allocations to the Commission. continued on page 5

thursDAY, november 30, 2017

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News

Budget 2018

Nothing to bridge gap between hinterland and coast – PPP

W

hile President David Granger has repeatedly spoken of the need to make rural communities more modernised and provide these villages with the same level of opportunities available in the coastal region, the Opposition believes that Budget 2018 does not cater for that initiative.

Former Amerindian Affairs Minister and Opposition Member of Parliament (MP) Pauline Sukhai, speaking at the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) press conference, said Budget 2018 did not offer any significant opportunities to bridge the gap between the hinterland and the coast.

She said it was a mere continuation of the programmes and initiatives that were started under the PPP/Civic Administration to assist with Amerindian development.

Sukhai believes that although these programmes were inherited by the

Government, it has been doing a fairly bad job at expanding and managing them effectively.

“These programmes had been a dismal failure under the current administration. It’s a failure so much so, that additional time and extension had been requested to help bring closure to some of these projects,” she explained.

The former Minister said it, therefore, begged the question as to whether there was any seriousness by the coalition Government to ensure that there was a concerted effort to inject investment into the hinterland to ensure there were positive opportunities for growth and development.

While noting that Budget 2018 has included sums to launch an Information Communication Technology (ICT) programme for the hinterland, Sukhai told the media conference on Wednesday that the same programmes were proposed and initiated by the PPP/C

She argued that this was “not good enough” for Indigenous people, particularly youths. Sukhai said in an era where ICT was widely used, it was expected that by now many people in the various Amerindian villages across the country would have already benefited from these facilities and would be computer literate.

Nothing new

Former Amerindian Affairs Minister and Opposition MP Pauline Sukhai

Government.

“We were on track of that proposal execution to the extent that facilities were constructed to house the hardware of all the hubs, again which were expected to be completed by 2015…two years later and 2018 Budget is still struggling to reinvigorate this programme,” she posited.

Apart from these concerns, the former Minister also noted that Budget 2018 offered nothing new to the country’s first people and there was no significant support that would be given.

She said it was all a continuation of programmes that have been there for many years which include the presidential grant, eco-tourism incentives and farm-tomarket initiatives.

“This is something that is a constant. I had expected that the Budget would have brought on board something newer…transformative initiatives and move away now

International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People Dear Editor, The Guyana Peace Council (GPC) joins with the rest of the international community to salute the Palestinian people on the occasion of International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, which is being observed on November 29.

This is an opportune time for the internation-

al community to intensify efforts to bring an end to this decades-old problem of a Palestinian State.

The Guyana Peace Council is convinced that unless and until this matter is resolved, there can be no lasting peace in the Middle East.

The Guyana Peace Council takes this opportunity to call on the Guyana Government to

stand up and be counted on the side of the Palestinian people, who for decades have been denied by Israel a place that they could call a home, in full defiance of the United Nations Resolutions which unequivocally called for the establishment of a Palestinian State.

The time is long overdue for the people of Palestine to enjoy a life of

freedom and dignity.

It is a shame that this issue has been allowed to fester for such a long time. The United States, in particular, and the world, in general, cannot continue to ignore the cries of the people of Palestine for a homeland.

Sincerely, Guyana Peace Council

Guyanese deserve commencement... from page 4

It is clear that serious misappropriation of funds was the order of the day, and it is now critical that citizens must be provided with a comprehensive financial status update, in the interest of image and transparency.

Although not forensically conducted, it is known that the Auditor General’s Report pronounces on a number of violations.

I did highlight for public attention several examples of these issues after the last Cycle of Continuous Registration. Among them, the flagrant manipulation of the river and road transportation claims which are used as a ‘milking cow’ in treating expenditure at the Commission.

Taxpayers are prepared to struggle and will stand up against all forms of pilfering and corruption at GECOM. The filling of vacan-

cies and the renewal of contracts at GECOM are a matter of serious concern for this nation. There must be a full investigation into the treatment of this issue during the several Cycles of Continuous Registrations after the 2016 Local Government Elections. Of significant concern are the extreme expenditures and most importantly, the results of the Continuous Registrations process which apparently have become high National State Secrets.

It is known that the Commissioners have requested to no avail the results of the Continuous Registrations and the list of people that were employed, the vehicles that were hired and the amount of money spent on ‘special’ meals that were both for GECOM permanent and temporary contracted em-

ployees.

So, what really is going on at this entity if persons who ought to be part of the decision making body of the Commission are being denied relevant and timely information about its operations.

The Commissioners must be fully involved and into operational mode as preparations for the 2018 Local Government Elections are undertaken. Further, all and sundry must recognise that the list of advertisements dealing with vacancies, tenders and supplies as well as the public relations work, must be transparently done and exemplary in manner towards the approval of all Guyanese.

It is not for the GECOM boys to live a good life at the expense of the nation with sub-optimal practices.

The time is up for the meet and greets honeymoon and the clean life demanded of the imposed Justice Patterson must be validated with appropriate scrutiny.

All Guyanese, along with the local and international organisations, are looking on keenly at what is happening with the electoral process.

Among others, Guyanese deserve the commencement of election preparation with a clean Register of Registrants as well as a respectable and representative list of electors for GECOM to conduct free and fair elections. We also advocate for the necessary elections reform to complement the process of holding transparent elections in Guyana.

Sincerely, Neil Kumar

from the foundation which they inherited, to one where there would have been an accelerated approach in terms of injecting additional investment to induce employment,” she added.

While jobs remain a major concern for all Guyanese, the hinterland region faces the most issues when it comes to this. As such, the former Amerindian Affairs Minister said she was expecting the Budget to deal with this very critical issue.

She noted, however, that Government plans to pump more finances into projects that have not been successfully implemented.

She spoke about the coffee project in Santa Rosa, Region One (Barima-Waini), whose implementation and

execution has been a dismal failure for two and half years.

“I don’t expect anything different under this budget…Investment of rice in Monkey Mountain has been a failure, investment of tomato factory in Paramakatoi has also been another big failure,” she pointed out.

Sukhai continued, “If this is all that is being offered in the Budget 2018, for me it’s a disappointment.

It’s pathetic and it shows no real support for Indigenous or Amerindian development, much less bridging the gap between the hinterland and the coastal region. Job creation should have been the major hallmark and new projects should have been created and expanded.”

GuySuCo begins... from page 3

In October, GuySuCo had disclosed plans to retrench some 2500 workers by the end of this year.

However, GAWU reiterated that the downsizing and subsequent closure of sugar estates would lead to the loss of more than 15,000 jobs and the potential threat of poverty for 50,000 to 100,000 people.

In November, however, Minister of State, Joseph Harmon announced that Rose Hall’s closure was pushed back to sometime in 2018. The unions, GAWU and NAACIE, had moved to the High Court to quash Government’s move to close the East Demerara and Rose Hall Estates, but act-

ing Chief Justice Roxane George ruled against this application. The matter is about to gain the attention of the Appeal Court as the unions have challenged the lead judge’s decision. The unions have embarked upon tendering submissions for the court’s consideration before the matter can proceed.

The Minister of State had announced that the Special Purposes Unit (SPU), which was established under the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) would manage the privatisation/divestment process of GuySuCo and determine the way forward for Rose Hall Estate.

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THURSDAY, november 30, 2017

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Foundation

…the values your children learn from sports will have a huge impact on them

By Jim Taylor, PhD

I

n Part I of my two-part series on values in sports, I explored the essential importance of values as the foundation of your children’s sports experiences. I also described what I consider to be healthy and unhealthy values.

In Part II of this series, I discuss how you can ensure that your young athletes embrace healthy values that will shape their sports and personal development in the most positive way possible.

Where do your children get their sports values?

The most obvious place from which your children get their values about sports is from you. As a general rule, whatever values you possess and express, whether political, religious, social, or, in this case, related to sports, your children are most likely to adopt them. Why? Because they are exposed to your values most frequently, consistently, and intensely from the earliest stages of their lives. Your kids see your values in the words you use, the emotions you express, and the actions you take. As their parents, your children are immersed in your values 24/7.

At the same time, as your children grow older and they venture beyond your home, your influence declines and the impact of the broadening world around them grows. This emergence from your “womb” is realised in many ways including peers, school, and, in our case, the sports world that they begin to interact with and become a part of as their involvement in sports grows. These wider influences from sports occur at several levels.

At the most immediate level, teammates communicate a set of sports values that may or may not be consistent with your own. As children get older, the influence of their peers increases and, as a result, they are vulnerable to the value messages from their teammates, even those that

aren’t healthy. As many of you veteran sports parents know, many young athletes are overly focused on results from an early age.

At a higher level, coaches also convey value messages to your young athletes because they set the tone, priorities, and goals of a team and have a “soapbox” of authority and respect from which they can “preach” their values about sports. As with peers, those values may or may not be aligned with your own values.

At an even higher level, every sports programme in which your children participate is imbued with a set of values that are a reflection of its leadership and culture. Those values might range from an emphasis on fun, mastery, and participation to racing, winning, and “survival of

the fittest” development.

At the highest level, the broader sports culture, embodied by professional, Olympic, and collegiate sports, exerts an inordinate influence on young athletes. Due to the idolatry that the world’s best athletes are afforded in the media and the desire of developing athletes to emulate their sports heroes, your children may be particularly impressionable to the values that are expressed by this wider sports culture. Unfortunately, these values, which I will discuss shortly, are often not admirable nor beneficial to your children’s healthy athletic or personal development.

This latter influence on your children’s values related to sports is particularly troubling these days for three reasons.

Healthy sports values begin with you

The value messages you send to your young athletes as they immerse themselves in their early sports experiences become the foundation for the values that they will adopt as their sports experience deepens. The goals you communicate to your young athletes for their sports involvement sends a powerful message to them about your values. When you tell them that your goal is for them to have fun, give their best effort, and be a great teammate, they see a very different set of values than, say, if your goals are to have them win, in the short term, and make the Olympics, in the long run.

The words you use to describe their sports participation should be laden with the values you want your young athletes to absorb; for example, “You gave such a great effort out there!” or “You looked like you were having so much fun today!”

Your emotional reactions to your children’s sports participation convey influential messages about values.

Emotions are aspects of ourselves that we aren’t always aware or in control of. Yet your children, particularly when they are young, have highly calibrated radar that is attuned to your emotions, more so even than what you say to them. They can readily and powerfully sense your excitement, elation, and pride, as well as your disappointment, frustration, and anger.

How do you feel after your children do poorly in a competition?

How do you feel when they have a great result? And are your emotional reactions consistent with the values you want to convey to them? An important focus as your children become more involved in sports is to monitor your emotions and ensure that they are reasonable and appropriate, and that they also send subtle messages that support the values you want your children to adopt about their sports experiences.

First, the money-driven nature of elite sports in which athletes competing on the field of play is now just another form of entertainment that must be marketed and sold. Second, because of the ubiquity of the different forms of media through which the values are channelled; for instance, television, radio, video games, and social media.

Third, the popular sports culture often venerates values that are far from commendable, for example, elite athletes continue to be rewarded despite cheating, drug use, and domestic violence.

Considering how connected young people are today, children will have difficulty resisting the siren’s call of values communicated by the popular sports culture without strong and healthy value messages from you.

Given the impact of values on your children’s athletic experiences and the abundance of sources from which your young athletes can be exposed to values about sports, both healthy and otherwise, it is incumbent upon you to ensure that your children are immersed in and encouraged to adopt values that you know to be healthy and life-affirming.

The choices you make in terms of the specific sports programmes your children join also sends a powerful message to them. As you explore the options available to your kids, you want to ensure that the values espoused

by the sports programme you ultimately select support, rather than undermine, the values that you want your children to embrace through their athletic experiences. You can learn a lot about a sports programme by examining its mission statement, talking to parents of current members, interviewing the coaches, observing practices and watching competitions. As you do this “due diligence”, you can identify the value messages that are most dominant in the programme’s culture and decide whether they align with your own. This process is especially important as your children become more involved in a sport and decide to strive for higher levels in the sport.

Talking directly to your young athletes is another effective means of impressing healthy

sports values on them.

Depending on their age and maturity, you can discuss explicitly the values you want them to gain from their athletic experiences. In these conversations, you can share some of the values you deem important, define them so your children clearly understand the values, and then describe why they are important to you and to them. You can offer examples of healthy values to bring them into sharp relief with your kids.

Very importantly, you can create a conversation with your children that allows them to identify and embrace the values that they believe to be healthiest. These self-generated values create even more connection with and ownership of their values.

Just providing your children with the opportunity to participate in sports is a tremendous gift you give them.

Yet, healthy values are an even greater gift that will keep on giving their entire lives. My message to you is to be conscious and proactive in instilling those healthy values in your young athletes. (psychologytoday.com)

Values in youth sports

continued

By Jim Taylor, PhD

I

n sum, the values that your children live by and express in their sports clearly delineate the following statements: This is who I am.

This is what I value.

This is what I stand for.

This is what guides my sports.

This is how I will behave.

This is what I want out of my sports.

A useful way to introduce your children to the importance of healthy sports values is to also identify unhealthy values in sports and help them see the differences between the positive and negative values.

As I noted above, though opinions may vary on what might be considered healthy and unhealthy values, I believe you can apply the “duck test” to make t h i s determination: “ I f it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like

a duck, it’s probably a duck.” An extension of the duck test might be whether you would like your children to express these values in their sports participation. Applying the duck test to sports values, I would argue that the values listed below meet that test: Winning is the ultimate goal; Win at any cost; Bravado; Selfishness; Machismo; Callousness; Pursuit of fame and fortune.

Using examples of both healthy and unhealthy values can help you illustrate how these values help or hurt your young athletes, your family, their team, and our society as a whole, respectively.

You can also really bring the different types of values to light by pointing them out when they arise in the media and using these opportunities to create conversations with your children to help them better understand sports values and to guide them in choosing the healthiest values for them.

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thursDAY, november 30, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Berbice kidnapping

Police begin search for missing teen …as blame game continues

A

Social Protection Minister Amna Ally

s the blame game continues as to who is responsible for rescuing the 12-year-old girl who was allegedly abducted and taken to a “ganja” farm along the Berbice River, Police have been dispatched to the area.

The story of the missing teen came to light after several sections of the media reported her mother’s plight in finding her. For months, the mother had been engaging the Child Care and Protection Agency (CC&PA) and the Police in a bid to find her daughter, but to no avail.

On Wednesday after media reports surfaced, the mother said that she was informed that efforts are being made to rescue the teen.

She, however, added that no offers were made to take along a close family member for the search.

According to the woman, she went to the Criminal Investigation Department

CC&PA Director Ann Greene

(CID) during the day and at 16:00h she was told to return later in the evening for an update, but when she returned, the Police Station was closed and a padlock was on the door.

Meanwhile, the CC&PA said that while it received reports of the missing girl, the mother was sent to make a Police report since it was the Police’s job to find the child.

CC&PA Director Ann Greene, when contacted for an update on the matter, told Guyana Times that investigations were underway to determine what occurred. “I now have my officer investigating, so whether or not it’s really us, Probation or what, I got to find out; I’m doing investigations,” Greene highlighted.

The mother of the missing teen told this publication on Tuesday that the Police in Berbice and the New Amsterdam office of the CC&PA were well aware of

the issue, but had done nothing to actively pursue the matter. She claimed that she first went to the CC&PA and was told that the incident was a Police matter. When the media got wind of the incident on Monday, the Social Protection Ministry requested that it be given one day to pursue efforts to find the missing girl. However, after the story was reported in the press, the Agency embarked on damage control, with a senior official observing that other units involved in protecting children needed to be investigated. These entities are the Probation Office and the Trafficking in Persons Unit in addition to Police.

Reports are that the woman’s daughter is being held by two adult brothers at a location in Berbice. The young lady was held along with a 13-year-old who reportedly escaped.

They were said to have been held at a camp, where

they were subjected to starvation, sexual assault and other forms of abuse.

Meanwhile, the 13-yearold girl, who was rescued spoke with Guyana Times in the presence of two

adults. She revealed that the ordeal was facilitated by a woman who allegedly moved her from the New Amsterdam Market under the pretext that they were going to collect money that

the woman had for the girl’s father.

This publication understands that the woman is the mother of the two males who held the girls in captivity.

8 NEWS

thursDAY, november 30, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Police Commissioner’s fate

Decision will be made when Persaud returns – President Marking …maintains he’s on vacation leave, not admin leave time…

C J ommander-in-Chief, President David Granger has revealed that the Administration would decide the next move as it relates to the suitability of Top Cop Seelall Persaud, to lead the Guyana Police Force.

Persaud was slated to return to work on November 24 after being on four months’ vacation leave, but was asked to remain on leave “in the interest of public” by Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan.

In a letter, the Minister instructed Persaud to proceed on “special leave” until further notice in the interest of the public, so as to allow for the continuation of initiatives and innovations being pursued by the Guyana Police Force’s temporary administration.

That move was translated by social commentators as Persaud getting the boot following the recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the alleged plot to assassinate President Granger.

The President, however, on Wednesday said that Persaud has not been asked to proceed on administrative leave rather he was merely asked to use up his remaining annual leave. He noted that the coalition Government was not in favour of public servants accumulating leave which sometimes result in them requesting payment for

Police Commissioner Seelall Persaud

that time.

“Right now, there is nothing abnormal or irregular about Mr Seelall Persaud going on leave. The leave is due to him; he is not being sent on administrative leave; the leave is due to him and he should enjoy it,” he added.

On March 29, Andriff Gillard reported to the Police that his friend and neighbour, Nizam Khan, had offered him $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 $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 al-

legation, and to make recommendations to address flaws and shortcomings of the Police Force.

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

The Commission found that a proper investigation was not conducted into the allegation made by Gillard, owing to the interference of Persaud. Slowe reported that the response by the Police was conditioned by the fact that Imran Khan, brother of the accused, has a close relationship with Persaud and other senior ranks of the Police Force. In

addition, the Commission found that Imran had considerable influence in the decisions of Persaud in relation to promotions and transfers, which ultimately resulted in the investigative ranks being apprehensive.

“The Commission recommends that Commissioner Seelall Persaud should be made to resign his position as the Commissioner of Police for the Guyana Police Force, under such terms and conditions that His Excellency considers appropriate.

Failing which, proceedings should be initiated in accordance with Article 225 of the Constitution of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana to have him removed from the office for misbehaviour,” the report stated.

It was also recommended that Persaud be investigated for perjury since he told the CoI that he first knew about the allegation after 16:00h on March 29, in spite of Assistant Police Commissioner Clifton Hicken testifying that he informed Persaud of the allegation around 10:00h that morning.

However, Ramjattan expressed the opinion that he was not in agreement with all of the recommendations of the report, and noted that before they were acted upon, they would have to be deliberated at Cabinet.

3 nabbed with gun, drugs P

olice in F Division (Interior Locations) have arrested and

charged three persons following the discovery of an unlicensed firearm and a

quantity of narcotics in separate incidents at Kurubang Backdam, Potaro River, Region Eight (PotaroSiparuni).

In the first case, as a result of intelligence gathered, Police ranks went to Kurubang Backdam about 13:40h on Monday and arrested a 22-year-old miner of Kopinang Village, Potaro River, after he was found in possession of an unlicensed single-barrel shotgun and three live 12-gauge cartridges.

On Tuesday about 04:00h, acting on information received, Police went to a camp at Kurubang Backdam and conducted a search, during which they found 338 grams of cannabis.

A 33-year-old miner and his 29-year-old wife of Grove, East Bank Demerara, were subsequently taken into custody.

The three suspects have since been charged, and were expected to appear at the Bartica Magistrate’s Court today for arraignment.

…on the economy

ordan’s 2018 Budget makes it clear – once again – that for the past three years, the economy’s been bereft of any hand on its till. So, rudderless, we slip and slide, as the external and internal economic waves buffet – and sometimes – batter us. It seems the APNU/ AFC Government believes the “invisible hand” of Adam Smith – the market, actually means the “absent hand” of government.

But with this lot, especially Jordan, one would be giving them too much credit to even assume they’re “market fundamentalists” who believe in a “nightwatchman” government. But you never know! Yet, since in his Budgets up to now, Jordan has had to follow tradition and offer a survey of the global economic scene, so how can he ignore his own statements about the abandonment of the neo-liberal market fundamentalist shibboleths by the West after their economies crashed in 2007?

Hasn’t Jordan noticed that Keynes is back in fashion and even the US has had to engage in deficit spending to stimulate its economy? The (economic) word is now “stimulate, baby! Stimulate!!” And where does Jordan get the money? Does he remember the US debt is 106 per cent of its GDP? So, why does he have to strangle ours at 45.2 per cent? He doesn’t even have to be a believer in Modern Monetary Theory (MMT) with its principle of Overt Monetary Financing – which holds that once we’re issuing our own currency, debt can be covered via the printing presses.

Has he noticed the US had bailed out its car industry – which all the pundits had declared was too “inefficient” against global competition? Rings a bell? Does he get it that “too big to fail” may also have something to do with keeping citizens employed? So why should Guyana abandon sugar when the US intervened to save its car industry? But the problem with this government is it really doesn’t care about (some) ordinary people. So even if the tools are out there to fix the economy, it’d rather just go with the flow. Even though the flow is inexorably taking us over the economic waterfalls.

When the PPP was delivering consistent annual five per cent GDP growth, APNU and the AFC complained it would take us decades to catch up with neighbours like Trinidad. We needed at least 10 per cent growth rates.

And that was true! So how come Jordan’s now telling us we should be satisfied with 3.8 per cent growth rates – which inevitably have to be revised downwards?

In any other country where folks don’t vote according to their racial/ethnic ascription, this PNCled APNU/AFC coalition would’ve long been yesterday’s news.

And that’s why stimulus spending – which would benefit business, ain’t gonna happen!

…to strike again

Seems Smart City’s back for the kill on the Parking Contract – on which they had to roll over and play dead until the citizens’ fury – via MAPM – died down! A committee of seven City Councillors will be “renegotiating” with Smart City on our behalf. And as sure as the sun’s gonna rise in the East tomorrow, we’ll have a repeat of Trotman’s ‘renegotiating” the oil contract with Exxon!

Meaning we’ll have some ridiculous statement like we “doubled” the number of free parking the city’s allowed in front of schools, etc! Which ain’t worth squat as far as filling the city coffers, bare as usual, like Mother Hubbard’s cupboard! The Meter Contract is null and void (ab initio, as Basil is wont to say to show he’s a lawyer!!) since the Gang of Four weren’t authorised to sign it in the first place.

But those fellas from Smart City filled a lot of pockets to get that contract. And they have to get their pound of flesh!

…on dictatorial behaviour

Minister Bulkan advised the Reg 2 REO to “apologise” for saying “I am the REO. I am in charge of this region.

You tell anybody I say so…”

But closer to home, isn’t this what Town Clerk King’s been saying?

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

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thursDAY, november 30, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

State House colour change

No laws were broken – President P

resident David Granger told reporters that while he was yet to receive a letter registering concerns from the National Trust of Guyana over the repainting of sections of State House, as far as he was aware no law was broken. He was at the time responding to questions over the Administration’s decision to bypass the National Trust and change the colour of the historical building.

The Head of State also registered concerns over the work of the National Trust as it relates to historical buildings.

white to green – the dominant colour of the People’s National Congress and A Partnership for National Unity (APNU), parties that the President leads.

Since the APNU/ Alliance For Change (AFC) coalition came into Government, it has been actively repainting several public buildings using the colour green.

The National Trust of Guyana was established

The National Trust of Guyana

“I have not received a letter from the National Trust. I am not aware a law has been broken…in fact, National Trust needs to worry about the present decision to ensure that State House is in good repair and does not leak,” he

country, some of them are collapsing. I weep when I see the condition of City Hall, St George’s Cathedral and I am very concerned about preserving heritage that is why I am repairing State

term monuments includes any building, structure, object or other work of man or of nature ,whether above or below the surface of the land or the floor of the sea within territorial waters of Guyana and any site, cave or excavation.

National Monuments are the vested responsibility of the National Trust and are gazetted as such after approval by Parliament

2016 fatal accident

The repainting of State House

said.

“We have historical buildings all across the

following the passage of the National Trust Act, No 7 of 1972.

The Act “makes provision for the preservation of monuments, sites, places and objects of historic interest or national importance”.

Its website states that the main responsibility of the Trust is the preservation of all monuments in Guyana. Under the National Trust Act, the

House,” the President added.

However, when contacted, a representative at the Ministry of the Presidency related that Permanent Secretary Abena Moore only received the letter on Tuesday morning and would be responding very soon.

National Trust Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Nirvanie Persaud on Tuesday told <<<Guyana Times>>> that the letter was dispatched to the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry and they were awaiting a response to determine the next step.

When contacted on Wednesday, following the President’s utterance on the issue, Persaud told this publication that she would not be making any further statement on the matter.

The Administration last week came in for criticism as it bypassed the National Trust and began changing the colour of State House from

Cop freed of causing death charge

F

ormer Policeman Ravinand Bissessar, who was accused of causing the death of 10-year-old Davin Sealey by way of dangerous driving on May 15, 2016, was freed of the charge at the Wales Magistrate’s Court.

The charge was dismissed by a West Demerara Magistrate on November 16 owing to insufficient evidence presented by the prosecution. Police, however, noted that Bissessar pleaded guilty to a Driving Under the Influence (DUI) of alcohol charge.

Police reports stated that on the day in question, Bissessar, who had been attached to the Wales Police Station, was attempting to negotiate a turn at Sisters Village, West Bank Demerara, when he lost control of his PLL 222 motor car and slammed into a parked car, before hitting the lad.

It was further reported that the 28-year-old Policeman’s car had only come to a halt after it crashed into a utili-

Deceased: Davin Sealey

ty pole.

Police had also contend-

ed that Bissessar, who had driven his motor car in an intoxicated state, had allegedly struck down the 10-year-old, who was riding a bicycle along the roadway, resulting in the child’s death. According to Police, Bissessar’s breathalyser test showed 0.66 micrograms of alcohol in his system, which is above the legal limit. It was reported last year that the lad was on his way to meet his father at the time of the accident. A post-mortem examination had revealed that the young Sealey died as a result of multiple injuries to the body.

10 News

thursDAY, november 30, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Cattle farmer crushed CariSECURE task force to tackle crime, violence rate to death by truck

A

Dead: Boodnie Persaud

n elderly female farmer was crushed to death by a sand truck on the East Coast of Demerara early Wednesday morning, while crossing her cattle over the public road.

Dead is 73-year-old Boodnie Persaud of Lot 116 Success, East Coast Demerara (ECD). The accident occurred around 06:30h at the Le Ressouvenir Public Road, ECD, just over the bridge.

According to Police reports, Persaud was in the process of crossing her cattle from south to north when she reportedly came in contact with the tray of motor lorry GLL 5714.

At the time, the truck was proceeding west along the southern side of the road and

as a result of the impact, the woman fell, and the rear left wheel of the vehicle ran over her head, killing her instantly.

The woman’s son, Mohanram Persaud, told <<<Guyana Times>>> that he was at home when a neighbour informed him that his mother was involved in an accident and was lying on the Public Road of the neighbouring village.

The man said when he arrived on the scene, his mother’s body was covered with a tarpaulin. The truck, he added, was parked about 100 feet away from the body.

Mohanram said that he was told by persons on the scene that his mother was almost over the road when the truck reportedly undertook a car and struck her.

He further noted that persons on the scene claimed that after stopping the truck, the driver allegedly attempted to run away, but was captured and was taken back to the scene by a Police Inspector who had witnessed the accident.

According to Mohanram, his mother had been a cattle farmer for the past 30 years and it was a daily routine for her to take the animals to pasture closer to the seawall.

He said the elderly woman was strong and very active. She had a loving personality and was a seasoned singer at the Success Mandir.

Persaud’s body is presently at the Georgetown Public Hospital Mortuary awaiting a post-mortem examination. She leaves to mourn four children.

Meanwhile, the 30-year-old driver of the truck, who resides in East La Penitence, Georgetown, was administered a breathalyser test; however, no trace of alcohol was found. He remains in police custody assisting with the investigations.

… data-sharing agreement signed

I

Stakeholders gathered at the Marriott Hotel, Georgetown on Wednesday

n an effort to tackle the high rate of crime and violence, a CariSECURE task force was launched and was signed on to at the Marriott Hotel on Wednesday by multi-stakeholder agencies, which will implement programmes and policies to reduce the scourge.

Guyana’s Deputy Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Shabnam Mallick revealed that the Latin American and Caribbean Region has the highest rate of crime and violence in the hemisphere.

The CariSECURE project is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in association

Acting Director of Prisons, Gladwin Samuels signs on to the datasharing agreement

with UNDP, and American Ambassador Perry Holloway said that the US Government was pleased to contribute to tackling crime and violence in Guyana and the region.

He further explained that the Caribbean Citizen Security Toolkit standardised the data collection process for crime statistics, making it possible for law enforcement personnel to implement more effective crime prevention strategies.

Meanwhile, Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan, in his brief remarks, underscored that under the initiative, there would be advanced mapping of crimes with the Guyana Police Force being able to better track criminals and criminal activity.

The US$14 million fouryear project will build public institutions to measure crime and violence trends and measures to stand

against the prevailing issues, with special focus being placed on youth violence.

The heads of several stakeholder agencies signed on to the task force’s data-sharing agreement: Public Security Minister Ramjattan; acting Police Commissioner David Ramnarine; Director of Public Prosecutions Shalimar Ali-Hack; acting Director of Prisons, Gladwin Samuels and Solicitor General Kym Kyte-John.

CariSECURE is one of three components of the USAID Youth Empowerment Services (YES) project. The citizen security data will be used to develop evidence-based policies and programmes that will target risk factors that drive youth violence, crime and victimisation. A total of 10 Caribbean countries, including Suriname and Barbados, will benefit from the programme.

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thursDAY, november 30, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

PSC notes silence on capacity building in Budget 2018 …as GCCI cites lack of job creating investments

D

espite lauding Government for removing several measures that were imposed on the Private Sector, the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) has raised several burning concerns that it believes were not addressed in Budget 2018, including job investments.

In a detailed press statement issued on Wednesday the GCCI said it was hopeful that a clear plan would have been articulated on the way forward for job creating investments, or facilitation of job creating investments.

The Chamber also noted that there was no elaboration on a strategy to absorb workers who would be displaced

by Government’s attempts to divest the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo).

Describing this as worrisome, the GCCI said, “Government’s efforts to address the economic and social malaise stemming from this divestment were reduced to three sentences in a paragraph.”

The body further noted this was great cause for concern given the industry’s importance and material impact on the economic livelihood of many communities.

Another concern raised by the GCCI is the fact that Budget 2018 did not detail fiscal policy initiatives to provide stimulus to some main sectors of the economy, especially in light of no reduction in the corporate income taxation rate, personal income tax rate or raising of the tax threshold.

Touching on the impending oil and gas sector from which Government said most of its Foreign Direct Investments would derive, the GCCI was anticipating more new initiatives.

The GCCI was expecting more to be said about the Private Sector’s role and recent developments on the Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF), especially when considering the importance of the SWF to the creation and promotion of a resilient economy.

“This becomes more worrying as Guyana moves closer to the production of oil in 2020 and remains, by the Minister’s (Winston Jordan) own admission, vulnerable to external shocks and fluctuations in international commodity prices,” the statement added.

With these expected vulnerabilities, the Chamber had expected some emphasis to be placed on the promotion of the agriculture sector, particularly through a suitable incentive regime.

Despite all these concerns, the GCCI, however, stated its satisfaction with the move to reverse the Value Added Tax (VAT) on education, the reduction in the tributors tax for miners from 20 per cent to 10 per

and engage, as equals, with the multinationals such as Exxon. The Budget is, however, peculiarly silent on this need to build our capacity,” it opined.

Manufacturing sector

PSC Chairman Eddie Boyer

cent, as well as the exemption of VAT on the supply of logs and rough lumber in the forestry sector.

“We also saw the reduction of deposits to Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) for contested assessment reduced to one third of contested amount for Board of Appeal and Judge in Chambers. The GCCI views the Minister’s consideration and incorporation of the measures as particularly encouraging and hopes that this dialogue can extend into the future and other areas of policy-making.”

Fundamentals

Meanwhile, the umbrella body for the Private Sector, the Private Sector Commission (PSC) questioned whether Budget 2018 would address the fundamentals of stimulating growth and employment in the productive sectors and supporting micro, small and medium enterprises.

The PSC said in a statement that the reallocation of resources, the reduction of inequality in income and wealth, ensuring economic stability, the management of public enterprises, and reduction of regional disparities are all issues that should have been addressed in the Budget.

While noting that it may be too early for the Commission to offer a comprehensive analysis of the Budget, the PSC said, “The question is to what extent has this budget addressed these fundamentals?”

“We recognise that the measures in the current Budget will have a positive impact on local businesses, however, we believe that this budget is distinctly absent those measures necessary to sufficiently reverse the negative impact of the measures in the 2017 Budget,” it added.

The PSC cited the change of the tax policy from zero rating to exempt and standard-rated goods and services, the VAT on electricity, and the VAT on agricultural and mining machinery and inputs.

However, it said it was disappointed that there was no clear policy enunciated for addressing a projection on

GMSA President Shyam Nokta

GCCI President Deodat Indar

the level of corporate taxation, based on which the business community can reasonably plan future investment, a recommendation that it had urged the Government to embrace.

Importantly also, the Commission said it was surprised that the Budget did

not devote a great deal more than seven paragraphs to the preparation of Guyana for an event which would hugely transform the future of the nation.

“It is obvious that our Government should already be engaging the services of industry experts to negotiate

Adding its say, the Guyana Manufacturing and Service Association (GMSA) also provided its views on Budget 2018, stating that while several of its broad recommendations during consultations were taken on board, the fiscal plan did not provide a menu of measures to stimulate and expand the manufacturing sector.

“The GMSA was hopeful that proposed measures to address critical areas such as taxation, access to finance, and energy would have been considered. These could have provided a much-needed catalyst for the manufacturing sector to achieve the project-

ed 2.4 per cent growth,” the GMSA said Wednesday.

Further, the GMSA said it was pleased that several measures that were advocated for concerning the forestry and wood processing sector have been adopted. These are the exemption of VAT on logs and rough lumber; budgetary allocation of $120 million to commence a national forest inventory; budgetary allocation of $50 million to partner with Private Sector to establish a consolidated/ dimensioned stockyard.

Notwithstanding these interventions, the GMSA said it remained concerned about the continued decline in the forestry sector.

Government’s projection of an eight per cent growth of this sector, the GMSA said, can only be realised through a holistic approach to the sector’s development.

12 news “Speak out against errant minibus drivers” – Minister Ferguson thursDAY, november 30, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

C

ommuters are being urged to speak out against errant minibus drivers. The call was

made by Minister within the Public Infrastructure Ministry, Annette Ferguson at a Road Safety Education

awareness village hosted at the Stabroek Market Square on Wednesday.

At the event to observe

Minister within the Public Infrastructure Ministry, Annette Ferguson

the end of Road Safety Month, Minister Ferguson said despite continuous awareness campaigns on road safety, road users, particularly minibus drivers, were still undisciplined when utilising the roads.

“They (minibus drivers) do not observe the rules of the road; they continue to double up the minibuses; they continue triple up the minibuses. These are things that I observe on a daily basis when using the road, and we have the users of these transportation

services that do not speak out; they remain silent,” the Minister was quoted by the Department of Public Information (DPI) as saying.

She opined that remaining silent has contributed to the many road fatalities. She noted that the Government could not afford to lose valuable human resources because of the negligence of others.

Traffic Chief Dion Moore cited statistics which indicate there have been 84 fatal accidents resulting in 95 deaths, against 104 accidents with 114 deaths for the corresponding period in 2016. Moore said that while there was a significant decrease, more road users need to speak out against reckless driving, thereby ensuring less needless deaths.

“If we need our roads to be safe, then we must change our attitude when we use the road. Many times we see other persons doing things that are not in keeping with road safety practices, but what we do? We sit, relax or we go about our journey without saying a word. If we speak out, we can make a differ-

Traffic Chief Dion Moore

ence,” Moore said.

The Traffic Chief revealed that with the Department’s recent receipt of four new vehicles, the presence of traffic officers at nights would be further enhanced. Moore reminded persons to use the five Cs – care, courtesy, caution, consideration and common sense – when using the roadways.

This year’s Road Safety Month theme was “Making roads safer for everyone starts with you. Observe, think, drive, a second is all it takes to save a life.”

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thursDAY, november 30, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Nothing for women in Budget 2018 – Opposition

W

hile women make up 30 per cent of the Guyanese workforce and make significant contributions to society, there is not a single policy initiative that has been included in Budget 2018 that caters for their needs, future development and advancement on a personal or professional level.

This is the view expressed

by Opposition Member of Parliament (MP) and Shadow Social Protection Minister, Dr Vindhya Persaud, who expressed grave disappointment in Government for totally “sidelining” women in its financial plans, something she said has happened before.

But the MP told the media on Wednesday during a People’s Progressive Party

es where women have made strides professionally and academically, some are still denied meaningful job opportunities, she said.

Meagre pension increase

PPP/C Members of Parliament, Pauline Sukhai, Clement Rohee, Gail Teixeira, Juan Edghill and Dr Vindhya Persaud during Wednesday’s press conference

(PPP) press conference that this move also extended to various other groups, especially those vulnerable in society, including the differently abled, the elderly and children.

“This budget leaves much to be desired when it comes to having a meaningful impact on any one group of people…

In fact, in 26,000 words in the

Budget and not one paragraph was dedicated to issues affecting women. I think when women continue to be sidelined, it is not conducive to sustainable economic development and progress,” she stated.

Dr Persaud noted that women have been facing serious challenges especially when it came to literacy, em-

BHS sexual scandal

Police yet to make breakthrough in investigation

W

hile the Police are yet to make substantial headway in their investigation into the alleged sexual misconduct of Bishops’ High School teacher Coen Jackson, the Old Students’ Association is expressing concerns over the lack of compassion of the current student body.

The Bishops’ High School Old Students’ Association (BHSOSA) held an extraordinary meeting on Tuesday to address the issue and its impact on the current student body.

At the meeting, three male students addressed the gathering and during their address, they were mainly concerned about law, logic and due process, but wanted little or nothing to do with the emotional aspect of addressing the issue. This caused some of the past students to register their concern over the lack of compassion for the survivors that may be in the midst of the current student body.

The BHSOSA also noted that the teachers in the school were in crisis and there was a lack of leadership to help manage the grieving process. The body is also working on a counselling/education plan for the students and teachers of the institution.

Additionally, the students at the BHS are reporting that they are being harassed on the road resulting in at least one physical encounter.

The BHSOSA, at the meeting, also chastised the School Board for not making a statement to condemn the violence and to identify a way forward to ensure such an issue did not reoccur.

Jackson is being accused of abusing his position of trust as a teacher when he began grooming female students for sexual activities after they would have attained the age of 16 – the legal age of consent.

Jackson has vehemently denied the accusations, but did admit to having sexual rela-

Embattled teacher: Coen Jackson tions with two former students who are both in their early 20s.

One of the victims related that Head Teacher Winifred Ellis was aware of her teacher’s predatory behavior, but did nothing to address it.

Sources close to the institution related that the Head Teacher was expected to proceed on leave this week. There were protests calling for Ellis to be removed from the school after she berated female students for not defending Jackson after the allegations were first aired.

ployment, abuse, harassment and rape, and none of these issues were dealt with in the Budget speech delivered in the National Assembly on Monday

by Finance Minister Winston Jordan.

“In fact, when looking through the budget speech, one would be likely to think that women’s welfare is hunky-dory. It is not! If we look at both the rural and urban areas in this country, some women are not employed in any meaningful way in this country,” she added.

The Opposition MP also highlighted the fact that there have been no new initiatives to help women get jobs, or to help with the development of women in a tangible way. In cas-

Dr Persaud also raised concerns over the meagre increase of the Old Age Pension by $500 and the fact that Government has proposed having the pensions paid through electronic mobile money.

“For that to even happen, the elderly person needs to buy a phone. Five hundred dollars adding on to your pension obviously can’t buy a phone. So, where is the benefit to the elderly people? There is no subvention on electricity, none on water and they still have to pay everything else like everyone else, and they still have to deal with VAT. And now you’re telling them to buy a phone and that’s how you’re helping them to get their pension?”

She said that move could only be best described as a slap in the face of the elderly people and it showed no compassion and care for this group of people.

The PPP/Civic MP also pointed out that while the el-

derly received a meagre increase on their pensions, Government continued to put large sums towards the hosting of events.

She also stated that Budget 2018 did not cater properly for people living with disabilities and those in need of public assistance.

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

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

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

Meanwhile, companies and individuals will be granted amnesty to file outstanding tax returns and pay outstanding taxes in 2018.

14 news

thursDAY, november 30, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Education Ministry launches word search competition

W

ith the aim to reintroduce a pastime that has become obsolete with the advent of technology, the Education Ministry, in collaboration with the Communities Ministry, introduced a National Crossword and Word Search Competition (NCC), targeting more than 100 Grades Three and Four students.

The crossword challenge seeks to harness the brainpower of students in a meaningful way that encourages word recognition, increases vocabulary, improves spelling, stimulates an interest in reading, and generally expands the knowledge of words.

The competition also serves to reach those students with a borderline or introverted personality who may not be mindful of participating in a debating or spelling bee competition, but can master the art of word searches.

Chief Education Officer (CEO) Marcel Huston at a simple launching ceremony said that development of knowledge, skills, attitudes, and motivation to work individually and collectively towards solutions for existing environmental problems must be fostered, adding that what was required was reorientation through the environment.

Hutson said the compe-

Two participating students engage in the first round of the word search competition hosted by the Ministry of Education on Wednesday at the Umana Yana

tition could be considered as an alternative method of

increasing academic performance at examinations and spoke to the development of certain values and attitudes that can protect the country.

Speaking on behalf of the Communities Ministry was Public Affairs Officer Danielle Campbell-Lowe who said it was excitement worth sharing with every child and she believed that children could find joy in putting aside their tablets and computer for one game of crossword/word-search, as it would make a big difference.

The NCC will form part

of a broader menu of measures being undertaken through the Ministry’s “Green Generation Guyana Sanitation Programme” whereby students are encouraged to adopt safer waste management practices, including reducing, reusing and recycling.

The competition saw more than 10 schools participating.

The first student to finish the word puzzle wins the competition and will be representing their region at the national championships.

(Yanalla Dalrymple)

E Division has capacity to respond to 911 calls – Commander …says state of roads may impact response time

W

hile E Division ( L i n d e n Kwakwani) has the capacity to respond to 911 calls, the deplorable state of the roads may have a negative impact on response time to emergencies.

This is according to Divisional Commander Fazil Karimbaksh, who noted that since the implementation of the 911 service, there has been prompt and timely response; however, since roads in the Region are not in good condition, some delay in response has been recorded.

The 911 service expanded throughout Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice), including outlying areas such as Mabura, Ituni and Kwakwani. According to the Divisional Commander, adequate vehicles are available in these areas; however, he noted that there have rarely been calls from Ituni and

Commander Fazil Karimbaksh

Kwakwani so far. He stated that more calls were made from the more populated areas such as Linden. As such, the Commander encouraged the public to utilise the line in cases of emergencies.

“We encourage members of the public to feel free

to call the 911 line, and we want the members of the public to know that the 911 lines, they are being monitored and everything is being recorded,” Karimbaksh said.

The Divisional Commander has warned against prank calling, as he revealed that there have been a number of these. In such cases, he said, the Guyana Police Force will be moving to prosecute the callers.

“The 911 line is an emergency line and is not for that purpose. It is used to get help rapidly, quickly...,” he said.

Meanwhile, residents have called for panic buttons to be placed at major business places such as banks in the event of 911 emergencies. However, Karimbaksh noted that all 911 technological services were not yet in place to facilitate this.

(Utamu Belle)

GRA stamps imported liquor, tobacco in Anna Regina

I

n an effort to alleviate smuggling, customs officers attached to the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) on Saturday last carried out and supervised the affixing of Excise Stamps on approximately 3000 bottles of imported liquor during an exercise at Anna Regina, Essequibo Coast.

In aid of enhancing revenue for the country and curtailing the illicit trade of these high-duty goods, the GRA has stated that every retail stock of alcohol and/ or cigarettes must be enlisted and stamped.

Businesses and persons selling alcohol and tobacco will be required to present documents and supporting evidence to validate the legality of the imports and that the full duties and taxes were paid.

According to the GRA, these businesses and persons will also be required to complete the registration and inventory forms and submit them to the Excise Stamp and Environmental Levy Section, Customs, Excise & Trade Operations, GRA. Thereafter, officers will supervise the affixing of

Retailers in Essequibo Coast affixing Excise Stamps on imported liquor under the supervision of GRA officers

stamps on each unit of such products.

While conducting the exercise on Saturday, the team from the GRA’s Excise Stamp and Environmental Levy Unit also sought to register wholesalers and importers in Essequibo.

The GRA has teamed up with the Canadian Bank Note (CBN) to reduce the amount of alcohol and tobacco smuggled through Guyana’s porous borders.

The stamps are clearly identifiable with a host of security features such as metallic gold inks, heavy ink deposits inherent to the security printing processes.

Additionally, officers will be equipped with hand-held scanners to verify whether or not the stamps are authentic.

The self-adhesive tobacco and alcohol stamps incur a cost of $8 and $16 per stamp respectively.

Once the authorities are satisfied that the full payment of taxes was made, payment for the stamps would be facilitated at GRA headquarters.

Failure to pay the relevant duties and taxes and subsequent neglect to stamp the products will incur penalties ranging from 300 per cent of the tax value to five years’ incarceration.

thursDAY, november 30, 2017

guyanatimesgy.com

15

Wowetta Women’s Agro-processors:

Turning cassava into “Rupununi Gold”

T

he Wowetta Women’s Agro-Processors story is one of trial and error, determination and innovation. When the group was first set up in 2008 as a voluntary enterprise by a group of women set on generating income for their families, few knew it could grow to provide employment far beyond the Region Nine community.

The village, which border the Iwokrama International Rainforest Protected area, is now the site of a modern, multimillion-dollar cassava processing and farine storage facility, where up to 10,000 pounds of farine can be stored, thanks to a collaborative effort of CIDA, CI, CUSO and other stakeholders. And the facility provides paid employment for about 30 women, youths and elderly persons and cassava farmers across the Rupununi.

Grace Albert, the manager of the agricultural initiative, which is run by a com-

mittee, explained that the group’s members rotate, five to seven at a time, to produce farine, sweet cassava flour, cassava bread, cassareep and tapioca on a weekly basis from about 3000 pounds of cassava that is grown to

their specification. “We work with our farmers (also from neighbouring villages) from before planting to ensure we get a good product so that we can assure our customers of quality.”

That is just the begin-

ning of the quality assurance process as the group has worked with the Food and Drug Department to ensure that what they put on supermarket shelves is of international quality.

She noted that while

finding markets remain a problem, miners were their best customers, particularly for farine, d u b b e d “Rupununi Gold” by some.

A l b e r t stressed that sustainability of the venture was a big part of their operations, because the group’s mission continues to be creating income-generating employment for women in particular in Wowetta, although they have expanded their focus also to youths.

When asked what advice she would give to persons hoping to get up similar operations, she said commitment and dedication were very important.

“It takes a lot of human effort, it takes a lot of com-

mitment,” another member, Priscilla, said. She was adamant that would-be agro-processors would have to be” very serious…have ownership of the group”. She noted that “it really needs people on the ground” to understand the long-term benefits, to motivate and inspire others, to show them how their children can benefit, to make sure they have the interest.

Albert also pointed out that record-keeping was important, as she highlighted that the group began on a voluntary basis, on their own without any capital, so they had quite a few challenges. She added that the Wowetta Women’s AgroProcessors would be willing to act as mentors and help others, as they were quite willing to share their knowledge.

Contact: 628-9201; c/o IICA Guyana, Lot 18 Brickdam, Stabroek, Georgetown; Tel: 226-8835

Investor’s Guide

Business News

Grenada Govt reports significant Nasdaq falters as investors drop in unemployment flee tech for banks

G

renada’s unemployment rate has fallen significantly from 40 per cent in 2013 to 24 per cent this year.

Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Dr Keith Mitchell made the disclosure during his presentation of the 2018 Budget in Parliament this week, even as he said the

country’s unemployment rate looks set to fall yet again in the months ahead.

“The results of the 2017 Labour Force Survey indicate that relative to 2016, the employed labour force expanded by (1095) persons and the unemployed labour force declined by 2822 individuals, resulting in a reduction in the

unemployment rate from 28.2 per cent in 2016 to 24 per cent in 2017,” he reported.

Job prospects on the horizon include Silver Sands Resort, expected to employ an initial 180 persons when it opens in March 2018, while two call centres will be offering 500 positions.

(Caribbean360)

Market statistics Gold Prices – Guyana Gold Board

Cambio Rates

Calculated at 94% purity, November 28, 2017

Bank of Guyana Cur

Buying

Selling

USD

$1291.85

Gross

$253,044 $235,331

GBP

$276.04

$279.53

CAN

$160.40

$162.26

Net

USD

$205.98

$208.44

EURO

$243.68

$246.79

Indicators as on November 29, 2017 Indicators

US$ per barrel

Crude Oil

$63.61

Price

USD

Change %

-0.36 Change %

Rough Rice

$272.47/ton

+07.3

London Sugar

$389.40/ton

0.00

Live Spot Gold

USD Per Ounce

Bid/Ask

$1283.70

$1284.70

Low/High

$1281.70

$1297.30

Change

+0.30

+0.02%

Business Concept – Commercial investment An investment by an individual, institution or group of investors in a for-profit business or enterprise involved in the buying and/or selling of goods and/or services that are expected to generate cash flow. Real estate type properties such as apartment complexes, hotels or industrial complexes are good examples of this investment. (Business Dictionary)

T

he Nasdaq posted its biggest one-day drop in more than three months on Wednesday as investors fled high-flying technology stocks and shifted to banks and other pockets of the market that could benefit from improving economic conditions, lower regulations and taxes as well as higher interest rates.

Gains in financial, industrial and healthcare stocks boosted the Dow industrials, giving the blue-chip index another record closing high, and they helped the benchmark S&P 500 index finish near flat.

The S&P tech sector, which has propelled the market’s record-setting rally this year, shed 2.6 per cent for its biggest daily decline in over five months.

Shares of Amazon, Apple, Google parent Alphabet and Facebook fell between two per cent and four per cent.

Among the year’s other high fliers, Netflix slid 5.5 per cent and the Philadelphia semiconductor index dropped 4.4 per cent.

Financials rose 1.8 per cent, adding to Tuesday’s gains and resulting in their biggest two-day rise since just after the 2016 US election of President Donald Trump. JP Morgan rose 2.3 percent and Wells Fargo climbed 2.0 per cent.

The industrial sector added 0.9 per cent, led by

transportation stocks such as Southwest Airlines, railroad Union Pacific and package delivery company UPS. “We are certainly seeing a change in leadership at least for today in that we are taking profits from technology and redistributing those profits to areas that will benefit from lower taxes, less regulation, higher interest rates and kind of later stages of the economic cycle,” said Michael Arone, chief investment strategist at State Street Global Advisors in Boston.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 103.97 points, or 0.44 per cent, to 23,940.68, the S&P 500 lost 0.97 point, or 0.04 per cent, to drop to 2626.07 and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 88.02 points, or 1.27 per cent, to 6824.34.

While Amazon dropped, shares of other retailers posted sharp gains, including Target up 8.9 per cent and Macy’s up 8.2 per cent, as holiday shopping season has begun in earnest over the past week.

“There may be a little bit of a thought that Amazon isn’t going to kill every retailer out there,” said Paul Nolte, portfolio manager at Kingsview Asset Management in Chicago. ”We’re seeing some transportation stocks doing better in expectation that maybe this is going to be a

pretty good holiday season with consumer confidence doing well and wage growth picking up a little bit,” Nolte said.

Investors are keenly focused on tax-reform legislation in Congress, with hopes that a corporate tax cut would further fuel the record-setting rally in equities.

C o n g r e s s i o n a l Republicans scrambled to reformulate their bill to satisfy lawmakers worried about how much it would expand the federal deficit, as the measure moved toward a US Senate floor vote later this week.

In the latest batch of encouraging economic data, the US economy grew faster than initially thought in the third quarter, notching its quickest pace of expansion in three years.

Outgoing Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen told congressional leaders that the US economy has gathered steam this year and will warrant continued interest rate increases amid a strengthened global recovery It was Yellen’s final scheduled testimony on Capitol Hill. Her nominated replacement, Jerome Powell, on Tuesday had defended plans to potentially lighten regulation of the financial sector.

16

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thursDAY, november 30, 2017

Regional

Protesters gather in Honduras as Uproar as Bolivia TV star’s election lead withers lifts term limits

A

TV host who seemed poised to win Sunday’s Honduran presidential election brought thousands of protesters onto the streets on Wednesday, as his early lead evaporated to under 25,000 votes after delays in the widely criticised vote count.

Sportscaster and entertainer Salvador Nasralla, 64, heads a coalition made up of leftist and centrist parties. He did unexpectedly well in a partial count of votes released on Monday, taking a strong five-point lead against US-friendly centre-right President Juan Orlando Hernandez.

However, after not releasing results for about 36 hours, on Tuesday afternoon the election tribunal began issuing a vote count that showed Nasralla’s lead dwindling to less than one percentage point, with nearly a quarter of ballots still to be counted.

With Nasralla and Hernandez both claiming victory, international observers said the delays were damaging the credibility of authorities.

Pre-election opinion polls indicated that Hernandez had been favourite to win the vote in the poor Central American nation, which struggles with violence, drug gangs and corruption

A

A supporter of Salvador Nasralla, presidential candidate for the Opposition Alliance Against the Dictatorship, gestures while holding a Honduras national flag during a protest in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, November 29, 2017

and has one of the world’s highest murder rates.

Nasralla’s supporters accused the electoral tribunal of only releasing results from regions that support Hernandez, who has won US praise for helping tackle a flow of migrants to the

north and extraditing drug cartel leaders to the United States.

In a television interview on Tuesday evening, an angry Nasralla said the election was being stolen from him and asked his supporters to flock to capital Tegucigalpa to protest. (Excerpt from Reuters)

T&T: Hunt on for alleged Salvadorean war crimes suspect extradited to Spain fraudster who apparently got

A

former Salvadorean army colonel has been extradited to Spain to stand trial over the killing of six Jesuit priests in El Salvador in 1989.

Col Inocente Orlando Montano, 76, was flown from the US, where he had been living, to the Spanish capital, Madrid, where he was taken to prison.

The killings caused outrage not just in El Salvador but also in Spain, where five of the murdered priests were from.

Colonel Montano has denied any wrongdoing.

He is to be questioned on Thursday.

The Judge in the case will then decide whether to keep him in pre-trial detention.

The five Spanish-born Jesuit priests were shot dead along with a Salvadorean

priest, their housekeeper and her 16-year-old daughter on November 16, 1989 by an elite unit of the Salvadorean army.

Colonel Montano was the deputy minister of public security at the time of the killing.

Prosecutors allege he helped plot it and provided the killers with key information.

The security forces suspected the priests, who worked at the Central American University, of sympathising with left-wing rebels of the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN).

According to a 1993 UN Truth Commission report, more than 75,000 people were killed during the 12year civil war, which pitted the left-wing rebels against the army and right-wing death squads. (Excerpt from BBC News)

V

ly vocal critic of Maduro in recent months, was seen by some as angling to be a presidential candidate as Maduro’s unpopular government and an economic crisis have fuelled divisions with the ruling Socialist Party.

“He was fired last night,” said a source with knowledge of the information, who asked not to be identified.

Maduro sent Ramirez to the UN in 2014 in a major demotion from his decade-long roles as Oil Minister and Head of PDVSA. Venezuela’s Information Ministry did not immediately respond to a request

power until 2025.

Former President Jorge Quiroga said Morales was ignoring the will of the people as expressed in the referendum held on February 21, 2016.

“The Constitutional Court has dealt a blow to democracy,” Quiroga, who is from the opposition Christian Democratic Party, said.

“Evo Morales is ignoring the Constitution that he himself asked us to vote for,” he said referring to the 2009 Constitution which was backed by President Morales.

Conservative Opposition Leader Samuel Doria Medina published a video message calling the court’s decision “a coup d’etat”. (Excerpt from BBC News)

JA and Dom Rep sign multi-destination agreement

Police help escaping prison

A

cting Commissioner of Police Stephen Williams has ordered an investigation into the unauthorised release of a businesswoman who had been in prison awaiting trial on more than 150 fraud charges. Vicky Boodram apparently had the help of a cop – who is now also missing – getting out of jail.

She walked out of the Golden Grove Prison in Arouca, around 17:15h on Monday, but it was not until Tuesday that the National Security Ministry disclosed in a statement that she had escaped from the jail and was believed to be trying to get out of the country. All points of entry including ports and the airports were being closely monitored by

law enforcement as a result.

The statement gave no details about when and how the 35-year-old Boodram was able to get out of the prison.

But Police and prison sources have told local media outlets that two officers – a male and female – went to the women’s section of the Golden Grove Prison and requested that Boodram accompany them to “night court” – that does not exist.

Prison authorities allowed her to leave.

The Trinidad Guardian reported that after initially collecting Boodram, the male police officer returned to the station where he dropped off his female colleague and left with Boodram, and neither he nor the prisoner has been seen since. (Excerpt from Caribbean360)

Venezuela’s Maduro strips rival of UN post amid corruption purge – sources enezuela has ordered the removal of Rafael Ramirez, once a powerful oil minister and head of State oil company PDVSA, from his post as representative to the United Nations in New York, four sources with knowledge of the matter said on Wednesday.

Though the decision will not affect the nation’s struggling oil industry, it may help President Nicolas Maduro shore up his position in crisis-stricken Venezuela as the country heads toward presidential elections in 2018.

Ramirez, an increasing-

ruling by Bolivia’s Constitutional Court allowing President Evo Morales to stand for a fourth consecutive term in office in 2019 has been described as a “blow to democracy” by his opponents.

The court lifted constitutional limits on re-election arguing that they violated candidates’ human rights.

The ruling comes less than two years after Bolivians voted against lifting term limits in a referendum.

The court was asked to rule on the matter by members of Morales’ party.

President Morales, 58, has been leading Bolivia since 2006. The ruling will allow him to stand for another term in 2019, and if he is elected, he would be in

Venezuela’s former representative to the United Nations, Rafael Ramirez

for comment. The United Nations has not received for-

mal notification of Ramirez’s removal, a UN spokesman said.

Vice President Tareck El Aissami said on Wednesday that he hoped that Maduro will be re-elected in 2018, the clearest indication yet that the former bus driver will seek another term despite the economic crisis.

A separate source said that Ramirez had been summoned to present himself in Venezuela “in coming days.” That source said Ramirez had not been formally removed and that he was working at the United Nations on Wednesday. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Tourism Minister, Edmund Bartlett (left) looks on as Tourism Minister of the Dominican Republic, Francisco Javier Garcia, addresses a ceremony for the signing of a multidestination agreement between the countries on November 28 at the Jewel Grande Resort and Spa in St James (Photo: JIS)

J

amaica and the Dominican Republic have signed a multi-destination agreement which will provide both countries with access to a combined larger market.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed during a luncheon with Prime Minister Andrew Holness, and several local and international dignitaries at the Jewel Grande Montego Bay Resort and Spa on November 28.

The event coincided with the staging of the United Nations World Trade Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) Global Conference on Jobs and Inclusive Growth: Partnerships for Sustainable Tourism now under way at the Montego Bay Convention Centre.

Signatories included Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett and his Dominican Republic counterpart, Francisco Javier Garcia; Foreign Trade Minister, Senator Kamina Johnson Smith; and Foreign Minister for the Dominican Republic,

Miguel Vargas Maldonado.

In his remarks, Minister Bartlett said the MoU focuses on joint marketing and airlift arrangements, similar to that signed between Cuba and Jamaica in January.

“The Dominican Republic is the largest tourism destination at this time. The infrastructure there allows for connectivity from far-flung places and markets, which we are not able to access at this time,” he said.

He informed that Jamaica and Mexico will also sign an MoU in January 2018 that will “bring together the four major markets in the Caribbean into a symbiotic arrangement that will allow us to provide a market for close to 33 million people”.

“It will (also) allow us to develop and exchange partnerships with large airlines and major tour operators.

This is a win-win situation, because if it happens in the north, it will happen in the south,” he contended. (Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

thursdAY, november 30, 2017

guyanatimesgy.com

17

Around the World

NBC sacks Matt Lauer Britain criticises Trump for retweeting anti-Muslim videos over sex allegation B M att Lauer, one of the most famous TV news anchors in the US, has been fired by NBC over an allegation of sexual misconduct.

NBC said: “On Monday night, we received a detailed complaint from a colleague about inappropriate sexual behaviour in the workplace

by Matt Lauer. As a result, we’ve decided to terminate his employment.”

Lauer co-hosts The Today Show. NBC said it had “reason to believe this may not have been an isolated incident”.

In another bombshell, one of the most beloved voices on US public radio, Garrison Keillor, was fired.

Minnesota Public Radio said an individual who worked with Keillor on his variety show, A Prairie Home Companion, had accused him of inappropriate behaviour.

There was no immediate

Matt Lauer

statement from Minnesota Public Radio about The Writer’s Almanac host’s statement to AP news agency.

Of the Matt Lauer allegations, NBC News chairman Andy Lack said it was the first complaint about their star anchorman’s behaviour in his time there, more than 20 years.

War criminal dies after taking poison in court

A

Slobodan Praljak

Bosnian Croat war criminal has died after drinking poison during an appeal hearing in The Hague.

Slobodan Praljak, 72, died in hospital, with the UN court announcing that the courtroom was now “a crime scene”.

On hearing that his 20year jail term had been upheld, the ex-commander of Bosnian Croat forces said he was not a criminal and then drank from a bottle.

In 2013, he was sentenced for crimes in the city of Mostar during the Bosnian war from 1992-95.

Praljak was one of six former Bosnian Croat political and military leaders up before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY).

They were attending the final appeals judgment to be handed down by the court.

Though allies against the Bosnian Serbs in the war, Bosnian Croats and Muslims also fought each other for a period of 11 months, with Mostar seeing some of the fiercest fighting. After hearing the verdict, General Praljak stood

and raised his hand to his mouth, tipped his head back and appeared to swallow a glass of liquid.

“I have taken poison,” he said. Presiding judge Carmel Agius immediately suspended the proceedings and an ambulance was called. (BBC)

But Lack added it represented a “clear violation of our company’s standards”.

Last year, Lauer signed a new contract with the network worth a reported $20m (£15m) per year.

In an emotional video, Today co-hosts Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb said they were “heartbroken”. (BBC)

ritain criticized US President Donald Trump on Wednesday after he retweeted anti-Islam videos originally posted by a leader of a far-right British fringe party who was convicted earlier this month of abusing a Muslim woman.

Jayda Fransen, deputy leader of the anti-immigration Britain First group, posted the videos which she said showed a group of people who were Muslims beating a teenage boy to death, battering a boy on crutches and destroying a Christian statue.

Trump’s decision to retweet the videos prompted criticism from both sides of the Atlantic, with some British lawmakers demanding an apology and US Muslim groups saying it was incendiary and reckless.

“It is wrong for the president to have done this,” the spokesman for British Prime Minister Theresa May said.

T

“Britain First seeks to divide communities through their use of hateful narratives which peddle lies and stoke tensions. They cause anxiety to law-abiding people.”

Reuters was unable to immediately verify the videos and Fransen herself said they had come from various online sources which had been posted on her social media pages.

“I‘m delighted,” Fransen,

who has 53,000 Twitter followers, told Reuters, saying it showed the US president shared her aim of raising awareness of “issues such as Islam”.

As a candidate, Trump called for “a Muslim ban” and, as president, has issued executive orders banning entry to some citizens of multiple countries, although courts have partially blocked the measures from taking effect. (Reuters)

US man arrested for yelling sexist obscenity at Canadian

A

n American has been charged by Canadian police for shouting a sexually explicit phrase at a female journalist.

Fawaz Abudhamad, 23, was charged with causing a public disturbance in Hamilton, Ontario.

The Maryland native shouted the obscenity as he drove by Britt Dixon, who was interviewing police outside of their local headquarters on Friday.

The reporter asked him why he did it, to which he responded: “Because everyone

A police officer approaches the man who yelled an obscenity at a reporter from his vehicle

in the States does it”.

The man has been released from police custody and will appear before a judge on December 4.

The man shouted “I want to [expletive] you right in the [expletive]” as a he drove by - a vulgar phrase that has gained popularity online in recent years.

She said it was the third time someone has shouted that at her in the past week.

“I was like what? Again?

In front of a police officer?”

Dixon told local newspaper the Hamilton Spectator. (BBC)

OPEC, Russia head for oil cut extension

O

PEC and Russia look set to prolong oil supply cuts until the end

of 2018 this week while signaling that they may review the deal when they meet

Brexit: UK divorce bill offer worth up to 50B euros he UK has offered a larger potential “divorce bill” to the EU which could be worth up to 50bn euros (£44bn), the BBC understands.

It was “broadly welcomed”, political editor Laura Kuenssberg said, although No 10 has played down reports the final sum could be up to 55bn euros (£49bn).

Asked on a trip to Iraq if a figure had been agreed, Theresa May said talks were continuing.

And the EU’s negotiator Michel Barnier said “we are not there” yet.

In September Theresa May suggested the UK was

US President Donald Trump

willing to pay about 20bn euros to meet obligations arising from its membership but the EU has been calling for its offer to be increased.

The UK is hoping to move on to talking about trade but the EU will only do this when it deems “sufficient progress” has been made on three areas - the so-called divorce bill, the rights of EU citizens in the UK after Brexit and the Irish border.

The EU says the UK needs to settle its accounts before it leaves. It says the UK has made financial commitments that have to be settled as part of an overall withdrawal agreement. (BBC News)

again in June if the market overheats.

With oil prices LCOc1 rallying above $60 per barrel, Russia has questioned the wisdom of extending existing cuts of 1.8 million barrels per day (bpd) until the end of next year as such a move could prompt a spike in U.S. production.

Russia needs much lower oil prices to balance its budget than OPEC’s leader Saudi Arabia, which is preparing a stock market listing for national energy champion Aramco next year and would hence benefit from pricier crude.

Six ministers from OPEC and non-OPEC oil producers including Saudi Arabia and Russia met in Vienna on Wednesday - one day ahead of a full OPEC gathering and recommended extending the cuts to the end of 2018.

At present, the cuts expire in March.

“That’s one of the recom-

mendations,” Kuwait’s Oil Minister Essam al-Marzouq told reporters when asked whether the committee had agreed on a nine-month extension, among other matters.

Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak was, however, less certain about the duration.

“The market has not been fully balanced yet. Joint efforts are needed after April 1.

Everybody has recommended that the agreement could be extended and tomorrow such concrete details will be discussed,” Novak said.

Several sources familiar with the talks have said Russia had suggested an option of reviewing the deal at the next OPEC meeting in June in case the oil market overheats.

Benchmark Brent and U.S. crude prices fell for a third consecutive session on Wednesday, but Brent still traded above $63 per barrel.

(Reuters)

18

guyanatimesgy.com

thursDAY, november 30, 2017

ARCHIE

You are in the zone and prepared to take on any task (March 21you face.

Speed up and take April 19) matters into your own hands.

Become the powerhouse required to meet demands.

ARIES

TAURUS (April 20May 20)

dilbert

Treat superiors with respect, and have patience when dealing with bureaucracy. Explosive situations will only turn in your favour if they are controlled properly.

Compromise will be required.

Refuse to let anger take GEMINI (May 21- charge if you don’t like what June 20) someone does or says. Keep the peace, but offer wisdom and solutions that will make a difference.

Don’t bend to whatever whim moves a certain some(June 21- one. Say no and spare yourJuly 22) self the stress of having to wiggle your way out of something you don’t want to do.

CANCER

Peanuts

Refuse to let emotions or LEO pride stand in your way. If (July 23- you accept the inevitable, you Aug. 22) will be able to turn it into a positive with a little ingenuity.

Get into the mood when it VIRGO comes to networking events (Aug. 23or educational pursuits. How Sept. 22) you present who you are and what you have to offer will determine your success.

Calvin and Hobbes

WORD GAME

SUDOKU

LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)

Positive change is highlighted. Don’t be afraid to follow your gut feeling and do what’s best for you. A business trip, meeting or educational pursuit is favoured.

SCORPIO (Oct. 24Nov. 22)

Dealing with institutions and government agencies will be taxing but worth your while if you can take advantage of a loophole, rebate or settlement. Do your research and tidy up loose ends.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23Dec. 21)

A positive change to your current living arrangements will encourage you to spend more time with someone special. Channel your energy into the people and pastimes that make you happy.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22Jan. 19)

YESTERDAY’S WORD –

solution for LAST PUBLISHED Puzzle

Don’t get flustered if you are dealing with a superior, institution or government agent. Stay focused on what you can get done, not on what stands in your way. Explore a professional option.

Favours can be called in, AQUARIUS and doing something that (Jan. 20- you’ve always wanted to do Feb. 19) will now be an option. Don’t procrastinate when you should be making a positive change.

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

Copyright 2015, Distributed by Universal Uclick for UFS

Concentrate on partnerPISCES (Feb. 20- ships or changes going on at March 20) work or with you personally. Knowing what you are up against will encourage you to accept what’s happening and adjust to it.

thurSDAY, november 30, 2017

19

Georgetown Zone Guinness Greatest of the Streets

Sparta lose, Future Stars win on eventful night

I

t was all action with 9 closely contested games on Tuesday night at the Cultural Center Tarmac, none more exciting than Sparta Boss versus Gaza Squad.

It was end to end action with Gaza Squad pressing high in their hunt for goals; however Sparta Boss soaked up the pressure nicely and countered at any possible opening. Despite both teams playing attacking football either side was unable to score after normal time and extra time. It was here that the real action unraveled with Gaza Squad holding their nerve to win 4-3 on sudden death penalty kicks to the joy of the packed crowd.

Futsal juggernaut Future Stars easily dispatched of Alexander Village by a 3-1 margin to establish themselves as further favourites for the Georgetown Zone.

Jamal Cozier opened the scoring in the eighth minute but that would be the last action in the first half as it would take two second half goals from Akeemo Anthony and Jermaine Junior to cement their victory. Anthony netted in the 14th while Junior’s goal came in the 16th minute.

Grabbing a consolation goal for Alexander Village was Shem Porter in the 15th minute.

Earlier in the night

Upsetters vs East Front Road-20:30hrs Festival City vs North East La Penitence-21:00hrs Ol Skool Ballers vs Gaza

Smalta girls’ pee-wee football kicks off Friday

Action on the Cultural Centrr tarmac on Tuesday night

Tucville suffered an upset as Bent Street needled them; it only took a Sheldon Profit goal in the third minute to give Bent Street the victory.

Albouystown-A needed penalty kicks to see of GTI Ballers after they drew 1-1 at the end of regulation time. Lennox Cort equalized for Albouystown in the seventh minute immediately after Trevon Callendar had scored for GTI. Leopold Street needled Bad-A-Yard courtesy of an Orandell Williams

– 12 matches slated for GNS ground

strike in the fourth minute. Meanwhile Rising Stars thrashed Back Circle scoring four goals while they also had an own goal which meant the game ended at 4-1.

The scorers for Rising Stars was Daniel Ross (Guinness Goal- 2), Raheim Augustus and Nikkel Carter.

Queen Street Tigerbay beat Broad Street on penalties while North East La Penitence also won via the same system after their scores were level at 1-1 after fulltime.

Haresh Tiwari (third from right) receives the winning trophy from Farm Supplies CEO Renger van Dijk while Deano Bissessar (third from left); Balgobin Ragnauth; Jaipaul Suknanan and Club VP Brian Hackett (extreme right) look on

“P

andit” Haresh Tiwari flexed his skills on the Greens this past Saturday

as he emerged winner of the 2017 Farm Supplies Inc. Golf tournament played at the Lusignan Golf Club.

Squad-21:30hrs West Front Road vs North Ruimveldt-22:00hrs Sparta Boss vs Channel-9 Warriors-22:30hrs

Tiwari, who dominated the last six holes ended with a Gross 82 and Net 64, barely beating off sec-

Albouystown-B lost to Trap Squad on penalty kicks after both sides failed to score in normal time.

The next round of group matched will be played tonight at the same venue from 19:00hrs.

Fixtures-Thursday November 30th-National Cultural Centre California Square vs Stabroek Ballers-19:00hrs Sophia Bullies vs Norton Street Ballers-19:30hrs New Market Street vs Kingston-20:00hrs

ond place Deano Bissessar who recorded a 92 Gross and 64 Net. Nearest to the pin was won by third place “Pastor’ Balgobin Ragnauth who did a 93/68 on the Fairways while Best Gross went to Canadian visitor Jaipaul Suknanan with 80.

Farm Supplies CEO Renger van Dijk, who presented the trophies, expressed their delight in contributing to the development of golf in Guyana.

He also indicated their willingness to continue.

Meanwhile, acting President Brian Hackett, on behalf of the Club, warmly received Farm Supplies participation and gratefully noted their contributions not only in sponsoring tournaments but also in donating valuable equipment.

The battle as to who is the best girls football team will kick off Friday

T

he start of the Petra Organised Smalta Public Health Ministry Girls Pee-Wee Football will finally commence on Friday at the Ministry of Sports Ground (Formerly GNS) on Carifesta Avenue.

Initially the tournament was slated to kick-off on November 22 at the Ministry of Education ground, however, the organisers were forced to reshuffle their plans due to the inclement weather.

At the launching, it was disclosed the 4th edition will see 16 schools in

Georgetown participating over five rounds for top honours. Co-Director of Petra, Troy Mendonca urged all stakeholders and individuals associated with the Tournament to treat it with the same vigour that is usually shown to male football tournaments.

He felt the tournament could serve as a catalyst for development of the young girls as it would afford them the opportunity to begin careers and even spark an interest in sports as a whole.

Matches are set to commence at 10:00 hrs daily.

MOS (Formerly GNS)

Match #

v/s

West RVDLT Primary

1

South Ruimveldt Primary

v/s

Stella Marris Primary

2

10:35 hrs

Enterprise

v/s

Tucville Primary

3

10:35 hrs

Sophia

v/s

St Pius Primary

4

11:05 hrs

North G/T Primary v/s

St Angelas

5

11:05 hrs

Redeemer

v/s

School of the Nations

6

12/1/2017

Round 1

10:00 hrs

FE Pollard

10:00 hrs

Round 2 12:00 hrs

FE Pollard

v/s

Stella Marris Primary

7

12:00 hrs

South Ruimveldt Primary

v/s

West RVDLT Primary

8

12:35 hrs

Enterprise

v/s

St Pius Primary

9

12:35 hrs

Sophia

v/s

Tucville Primary

10

13:05 hrs

North G/T Primary v/s

School of the Nations

11

13:05 hrs

Redeemer

St Angelas

12

v/s

20

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

thursDAY, november 30, 2017

Mayor’s Cup Final

Explosive Police start as favourites against Winners Connections I

n the sport of football the team with the most goals in a game is declared the winner and the customary match winners come from the attacking third.

This is why many pundits are predicting a win for Police when they face the Mining Town’s Winners Connection in today’s final of the 2017 Edition of the Mayor’s Cup, at the Mackenzie Sports Club, Linden.

Both teams are coming off of impressive victories with Police firing five past Soesdyke in their 5-1 triumph last Sunday, at the MSC ground, while Winners Connection managed to beat counterparts Milerock by a 3-1 margin in their encounter to set up a highly anticipated clash with the Lawmen for the top prize.

The pundits believe that even though the game is being played in Winners Connection backyard and with the expected large turnout of support from the community combined with the age old rivalry that exists when teams visit from Georgetown, the sheer explosive front line of Police may prove too powerful for the host to contain.

Add to that, they are brimming with confidence following a string of victories or at minimum last four appearances in nearly all the competitions they’ve played in,

and Rawle Haynes, all proven goalscorers with loads of experience.

It could be a long difficult night for the Connection backstoppers, who will have to play way beyond their current potential to stop the rampaging Police strike force.

On the other hand, Keon Sears, who netted a brace in their semi-final clash will be the leader of the pack in search of goals, while the wily veteran Rawle ‘Boney’ Gittens is expected to pull the strings from mid-field.

Gittens is also known to make some surprising attacks upfront so it would be interesting to see what will be the strategy employed by the team’s coaching staff.

Then there is the nippy Derrol Dainty, whose deceptive skills and poaching The duo of Quincy Holder and Dwain Jacobs ability are underwill be lethal for Police at the top rated, but extremely important and he the Lawmen has to be rated as the him. too could have a say in H e most in-form team in the country. how the game finishes.

The return of Dwain Jacobs from will be supMarmalique national duty has added even more ported by Davidson, who was potency to an already star-studded players the kept off the scoresheet Rawle Gittens of lineup, while talismanic striker caliber might be eager to steal Quincy Holder, who netted a beau- P h i l b e r t the spotlight from ty in their previous encounter, has M o f f a t , Gittens and Sears so Police will shown how difficult it is to contain Sharma Fraser, Steffon Ramsay have to ensure that whoever is as-

signed to him is equally competent to keep him quiet.

It appears the defences of both teams are in for a torrid time and which one cracks first could decide the outcome of this year’s competition.

The playoff for third place also has great significance because of how the teams from the Mining Town think.

They do not visiting teams to dominate them in their hometown so immediately you see why the Milerock versus Soesdyke matchup is an exciting precursor for the main course.

Milerock would want to give the home fans a positive start, while Soesdyke most likely would like to bolster the belief of Police with a victory over the host.

Over $1million in total prize monies are up for grabs with the winning team set to receive $500,000 and the Ministry of Citizenship trophy, while the runner-up takes home $250,000 and the Busta trophy.

The third and fourth placed finishers will walk away with $150,000 and $100,000 along with trophies donated by John Fernandes Ltd and Cummings Electrical respectively.

GCB/DMLAS/NSC/NSSCL

Lower Corentyne off to cracking start T

he 2017/2018 Guyana Cricket Board/ Demerara Mutual Life Assurance Society Limited/ National Sport Commission/National Secondary School Cricket League continued with matches being played in Mahaicony and on the Corentyne of Berbice.

Defending champions, Lower Corentyne Secondary School commenced their defense of their Zone, District and National titles with a substantial 94 runs win over Manchester Secondary School, in a match played at the Albion Sports Complex ground.

Mancheter Secondary, who won the toss and elected to bowl against a formidable Lower Corentyne team, seemingly found their decision a regrettable one, as their bowlers appeared unprepared for the task assignment, presented some 15 wides off their first two overs. A situation, which gave the Lower Corentyne batsmen the time to settled and build in confidence.

The hero with the ball in the finals against West Demerara in 2016, Kristoff Williams starred with the bat, with a well compose 58, while skipper Vijay Gopilall chipped in with 37, to lead Lower Corentyne to an imposing 196 all out of their 30 overs. Bowling for Manchester secondary Ian Mc Donoald, Tevin Leitch and Troy Benn each took two wickets.

In reply, Manchester Secondary found themselves in early trouble

– hammer Manchester by 94 runs at 30 for 6 before Delroy Taylor and Randy Dickson demonstrated some grit and determination to feature in a 45 runs partnership. However, their efforts were not good enough as Manchester was eventually bowled out for 102.

Bowling for Lower Corentyne, skipper Gopilall, Williams, Cecil and Mahadeo each picked up two wickets. Lower Corentyne won by 94 runs.

Port Mourant won by 145 runs.

Over at the Jain Hind ground, Port Mourant Secondary defeated Black Bush Secondary by 145 runs. Black Bush Secondary won the toss and sent Port Mourant Secondary to take first strike, a move which Port Mourant secondary capitalized on, by placing an imposing 202 for 6 on the score cards. Raj Persaud top scored with 63 which included 7 fours and 2 sixes,while Roopnarine Ramnauth and Jai Tikia chipped in with 26 and 48 respectively. Bowling for Black Bush Secondary, Jason Lachmandaya took 2 for 39, while one wicket each went to Tarendra Roopnarine and Terry Ramiah for 28 and 45 runs respectively.

Black Bush Secondary, in their turn at the crease, found scoring challenging and only managed to posts 57. Chovesh Atmaran top scored for Black Bush with 30.Bowling for Port Mourant Secondary, Pawan Ramkehlawan took 3 for 8, while there were two wickets each for Matthew Pottiah

and Angelino Ramdial for 18 and 20 runs respectively.

JC Chandisingh win by 46 runs

Over at the Albion Sports Complex ground, JC Chandisingh defeated Corentyne Comprehensive by 47 runs. JC Chandisingh won the toss and batted, making an average score of 144 all out. Batting for JC Chandisingh, Lucas Arthur stroked a delightful 35, with Jonathon Rampersaud contributing 20. Bowling for Corentyne Comprehensive, Trevor Park and Mohabir Gopilal took 2 wickets each, for 26 and 21 runs.

In reply, C o r e n t y n e Comprehensive could only muster 98 for 7 off their allotted 30 overs, with Howard Gordial top scoring with 26 and with Mohabir Gopilal and Raymond Rahaman

contributing 21 and 16 respectively. Bowling for JC. Chandisingh, Lucas Arthur, Saif Amoi, Jade Sandia and Troy Sealey each took one wicket.

Ann’s Grove win by 2 wickets

Over at the Fairfield ground, in Mahaicony Bygeval Secondary won the toss and elected to bat posting a competitive 171 for 9 off their allotted 30 overs. Godfrey Premchand top score with 42, w i t h

Sukdeo Doodnauth supporting with 28. Goeff Deochand took 4 for 30 in 6 overs and Tamesh Ramesh 2 for 39 in 6 Overs.

In reply, Lancaster was disastrously bundled out for 31. Travon Charles and Sudesh David were the destroyers with 5 for 19 and 5 for 12 in 4 overs. Bygeval won by 140 runs.

Over at thwe Enterprise ground, Golden Grove Secondary batted first and was bowled out for 80 in 14.1 overs. Bowling for Ann’s Grove, Jason Morcus grabbed 4 for 7, Leyhano Agard 3 for 4 and Shaquel Meredith 2-25.

In reply, Ann’s Grove reached 81 for 8 off 18.5 overs. Bowling for Golden Grove, Kellon Stephens picked up 4 for 7.

LBI win by 8 wickets

In another match, played at the Enterprise ground, Hope Secondary batted first and was bowled out for 68 off 18.1 overs. Brian Jagmohan was the most productive bowler grabbing 6 for 22 and Shafeek Khan 2 for 13.

La Bonne Intention Secondary in reply, smashed 69 for off just 6.5 of their allotted 30 overs.

Ravindra Samaroo top score with 26.

Junior Sinclair (left) and Vijay Gopilall

sports

thursDAY, november 30, 2017 | www.guyanatimesgy.com

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Princess She is Not is confident of victory

T

he days are quickly counting down to the most anticipated horse race event of the season and the action off-track is heating up just as much as three champion horses are getting ready for neck and neck intensity over 1200M. Princess She is Not, Just Call me Boss and Storm Bird will be bursting through the starting gates to outrun each other in the feature race of the Jumbo Jet Thoroughbred Racing Committee’s (JJTRC) Race of Champions this Sunday at the

Rising Sun Turf Club.

Running out of the Sheriff Racing Stable is Princess She is Not who was once known as the fastest USA bred filly in Guyana. As she returns to track, owner Zaheer Sheriff was confident in stating that “The Princess is returning to retrieve her crown.”

Fresh off a moral boosting win in last Sunday’s feature race at the Port Mourant Turf Club, Just Call Me Boss out of the Jagdeo Racing Stables who has been sprinting faster over the last 400M is certainly a

Just Call Me Boss continues to blaze the trail

front runner for the top prize.

An upbeat Trainer Therbhuwan Jagdeo said that his horse is fitter than ever at the moment and is in good form heading to the race of champions. He also stated that, “the distance of 1200M rather than the last run at Rising Sun Turf club that was 1600M will be a better distance for his horse this time around.”

Another champion from last Sunday is Storm Bird who won by 10 clear lengths to blow away the competition in the H1 and Lower race.

Storm Bird is accustomed to blowing away her competition for easy wins

Covering a distance of 1200M, Storm Bird who is out of the Inshanali Bacchus Racing Stables, crossed the line in an amazing time of one minute and 10 seconds (1:10) to shatter her own record of 1m:11.5secs. It was more than seven years since Port Mourant saw a race finishing in 1m:10secs. However, it’s a situation of same distance, different track and whether she can she do it again. It’s left to be seen this Sunday when defending champion Vera’s Finally will be hard-pressed to

retain her crown.

The Race of Champions is collaboration between JJTRC and Rising Sun Turf Club which will feature the country’s leading horses who were winners in previous races competing to be crowned overall champion in eight events. The feature race is for horses classified C and Lower covering a distance of 1200M for a top prize of $1,000,000.

The first race is set for 13:00h and admission is $1,000.

Mandolall happy to be top batsman in Ontario

F

ormer Guyana youth cricketer Rovendra Mandolall said he is delighted to be the top batsman in this year’s Ontario Masters Softball Cricket Clubs (OMSCC) tournament.

The Essequibian righthander chalked up 405 runs from ten matches inclusive of two centuries while he emerged as the best bowler with 11 scalps from the same number of matches. He received the cricketer-of-theyear award at the recently held gala presentation by the OMSCC. According to the exEssequibo senior Inter-county skipper, he had wanted to make an impression this season having only played in his second year at the over40 division and was more than happy to be the leading player.

“I am proud to be the top batsman this year; certainly

Rovendra Mandolall collects his trophy from Shanta Persaud of OMSCC

the hard work paid great dividends while taking the

wicket trophy also gave me the motivation to do well again

next year,” Mandolall related.

Another former Guyana player Shiv Seeram also showed equal dominance but in the over-50 category accumulating over 400 runs.

Seeram, who also represented Canada at the highest level, made 406 runs from 11 matches and registered two hundreds.

Meanwhile, at the function which was kept in Scarborough, president of the OMSCC, Canad-based Guyanese Azeem Khan, congratulated the awardees and all the various winners. He made special mention of the sponsors while he reserved his gratitude for his fellow executives for their hardwork and commitment on pulling off another successful season.

Khan, a long-time member of OMSCC, stated that OMSCC has seen tremendous growth over the years and spoke

epically about hosting another terrific Toronto Cup 2 earlier this year in which the Guyana Floodlights Softball Cricket Association team participated but was knockout at the semifinal stage in the over-45 division.

Khan said based on these kinds of excellent performances from Seeram and Mandolall is certainly a reflection of the eagerness players still showing to make an impression. He took the opportunity to educate the audience that OMSCC team did participate at the Guyana Cup 7 too and thanked the players for their profound interest by making the trip to the South American continent.

The team was skippered

by Seeram and comprised of several other softball stalwarts like Sunil Dhaniram, Bobby Parasnauth, Jaimini Singh among others.

Terrence Alli National Open Boxing Championships

Opening night filled with flurry of action

I

t was all fistic fury on the opening night of the Terrence Alli National Open Boxing Championships with six bouts being fought at the National Gymnasium.

With seven bouts on the card for Tuesday night, only six went off but the smattering of spectators present were not left disappointed.

In the first match of the night Jaquin

Milo of Forgotten Youth Foundation took on Jamar Mercer in a fight which was full of action. However at the end of the bout Milo emerged victorious having been more aggressive and landing more punches.

Up next Rapahel Sebastien took on Francis Sukhu and duly lost as Sukhu danced his way out of reach while landing telling blows.

In an all GDF foray Mark Blake defeated Julius Bobb to take top honours over his club mate while Sean Graham dominated Joshua Rambarran to win the fourth match of the night.

Samuel Pompey fought Malcom Williams and the duo had a slug fest which ended in the referee raising Pompey’s hand as the victor.

Commonwealth Youth Games

Silver Medalist Keevin Allicock came up against Jamal Eastman in a bantamweight (56Kg) clash and duly dispatched of his rival earning yet another victory. Allicock who looked impressive and sharp in the ring evaded his opponent at will and pummeled Eastman into submission.

The competition will have its final night this evening.

22

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

thursDAY, november 30, 2017

Converting starts into bigger scores high on Hemraj’s agenda

By Akeem Greene

G

In full flow, the batsman is a delight for all to watch

uyana Jaguars top-order batsman Chandrapaul Hemraj is focused on ensuring the upcoming matches in the 2017/18 Cricket West Indies (CWI) Digicel fourday championship reap greater rewards in him reaching his maiden FirstClass century.

His ‘second coming’ in national colours has reaped a relative degree of success batting in the number three position given he scored two half-centuries in consecutive matches this season.

Since his return to the team in April he scored 272 runs inclusive of three fifties but after 11 matches the shot-filled left-hander wants to go all the way with greater application.

“I think I have to be more patient, I scored two fifties and I did it pretty quick so I think whenever I get to that stage again hopefully I can be a bit more patient to carry on to the big mark”, the 24 year-old posited.

As it with the sports, challenges are always in

close proximity and Hemraj has new one to overcome since he was promoted to an opener given the strength of the middle-order but has not found it easy going by any means since his three innings (prior to today’s match) in the new role has went 23,0, 22.

“I got two starts opening the batting and I find it a bit challenging at the top of the order but I see it as an opportunity to do well since I want to utilize the starts I have been getting and get a big score for the team”.

The new job title comes with Everest Cricket Club mate Tagenarne Chanderpaul who has been a calming influence.

“The most difficult part about opening is the first hour and being able to see off the new ball but I like the challenges and it motives me to overcome”.

He added, “batting with Tage is great since he himself is tight and has a solid defence at the crease so tells me to just be patient and let the ball come into my zone”.

His years as a youth cricketer, he was duded one of the most promising in the region which would have coincided with his stint at the High Performance Centre (HPC) and him making his First-class debut at age 19.

In the quest for success, the former West Indies u-19 player is paying keen attention to the advice of the great Shivnarine Chanderpaul.

“Mostly in the training ses-

Chandrapaul Hemraj (left) and Tagenarine Chanderpaul have formed a new bond at the top of the order

sions he has been advising on areas from which I have now begun to put into practice and hopefully

in the next few matches I can reap success from it”, the player noted.

MYO inter-Jamaat Windies chance to surge against depleted hosts 10/10 softball concludes Sunday N T

he Muslim Youth Organization (MYO) of Guyana Inter-Jamaat 10/10 softball cricket competition in Memory of the late Br. Amanat Baksh of Queenstown Jama Masjid will conclude this Sunday at the MYO Ground, Woolford Avenue, Thomas Lands.

The action will feature the Semi-Finals, 3rd Place and Finals of the competition which is being played in the memory of the late Br. Amanat Baksh of Queenstown Jama Masjid.

Battling to be the winner of this year’s tournament are MYO, a strong team with some good batting at the top and middle, leading the way is Saheed Gittens, Richard Latiff, Safraz Esau & the Hussain brothers. The bowling however is a great concern as it is a bit weak coming up against the rest of teams.

From the Cinderella county of Essequibo is the Adventure Masjid who is strong and a well-balanced side and is coming with only one mis-

sion, which is to win this year’s tournament.

Farm Jamaat is a strong team with some seasoned softball players. A no nonsense top order that can be destructive on a given day.

With the likes of Lennox Marks who scored a recording breaking 178 not out against Grove in the preliminary round. They said they are here to be champions.

Grove Masjid, the weakest team and they are the underdogs, which can create an upset on their day.

There will also be an annual BBQ and Sweet Meat Sale where tickets cost $1,000.

Richard Latiff

ew Zealand will be without seamer Tim Southee and wicketkeeper BJ Watling as they begin their two-Test series against Windies in Wellington this evening from 18:00 hrs.

Southee is absent as he awaits the birth of his second child, while Watling will miss his first Test since the game against England at Headingley in 2013 after failing to overcome a thigh injury.

The uncapped Tom Blundell will replace Watling behind the stumps, while Lockie Ferguson and Matt Henry are competing to take Southee’s spot in the bowling attack.

The clash at Basin Reserve will be New Zealand’s first Test action since March, with Windies coming off a valiant 2-1 defeat in England and a 1-0 victory over Zimbabwe.

Jason Holder’s tourists have made one change to their squad from those series, with Kyle Hope replaced by Sunil Ambris after scoring just 101 runs in nine Test innings at an average of 11.22.

Ambris impressed in Windies’ warm-up game against New Zealand A, scoring 153 and putting on 155 with Hope’s brother Shai (110) for the sixth wicket in the visitors’ first innings opener Kraigg Brathwaite then retiring out on 88 in their second.

Ferguson troubled Windies with his express pace, though, bagging seven wickets in the match, so could get the nod over Henry at Basin Reserve, the venue for Windies’ last Test win in New Zealand, way back in 1995, when Brian Lara and Jimmy

Adams hit tons in an innings victory.

On the previous 10 tours, the West Indies have played 27 Tests winning 7, losing 10 and 10 Tests ending in draws.

Out of the 10 Test series played in New Zealand, West Indies have triumphed in 3 series (their last series win being in 1994-1995), New Zealand have won 5 series with 2 series ending in draws.

West Indies last won a Test on New Zealand soil in February 1995. Since them having played 10 Tests in New Zealand, the West I n d i e s have lost on 6 occasions with 4 Tests ending in a draw.

N e w Zealand Test squad: K a n e Williamson (capt), Trent Boult, Colin de Grandhomme, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Henry Nicholls, Jeet Raval, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Neil Wagner, BJ Watling West Indies Test Squad: Jason Holder, Kraigg Brathwaite, Sunil Ambris, Devendra Bishoo, Jermaine Blackwood, Roston Chase, Miguel Cummins, Shane Dowrich, Shannon Gabriel, Shimron Hetmyer, Shai Hope, Alzarri Joseph, Kieran Powell, Raymon Reifer, Kemar Roach.

Trent Boult

Shai Hope

guyanatimesgy.com

thurSDAY, november 30, 2017

23

2017/18 CWI/Digicel 4-day championship

Pride hoping to open old wounds against Jaguars

By Clifton Ross

B

arbados Pride Head Coach Emmerson Trotman is of the view his team’s track record against the Guyana Jaguars in Regional 4-Day cricket should be a reminder for the defending champs at the start of today’s fifth round of the 2017/18 Cricket West Indies (CWI)/Digicel 4-day championship.

The two teams will battle at the National Stadium, Providence and Trotman, following the Pride’s training session on Wednesday said his team’s record versus Guyana will play a key role over the next few days.

“They’re confident (Guyana) but when it comes to playing Barbados, they’re aware Barbados can beat them.

Last season we were close couple times, unfortunately one game in Guyana was disrupted by rain, then back in Barbados we had 90 odd to chase and we didn’t go about it the right way; but had we done that we could have won that as well”, admitted Trotman.

A few seasons ago, Guyana suffered the most horrific defeat when they failed to successfully chase

a mediocre 2nd innings target of 70 and were shot down for 69 compliments of the Pride at Providence.

This season both are sides still missing a few big players to international duties but Trotman’s team will be feeling the brunt of t h e loss

with

Captain Leon Johnson will be hoping for another big score against Pride

just a handful of experienced players on show versus a well-stacked Jaguars unit.

Despite the disadvantage, the Coach is putting his trust in the likes of; likes of Kevin Stout, Anthony Alleyne, Shamarh Brooks, Johnathan Carter, Jomel Warrican to name a few, who he said will need to do the bulk of the work for Barbados.

“The senior players are out which gives the other players an opportunity, they know the big boys are out so they will be looking to grab their opportunity, because they’re committed and hard-working. Those Guys are seniors guys and we have discussed their roles, they will guide the youngsters who are good listeners”, stated the coach.

Rayon Griffith, the Guyana Jaguars Assistant Coach was adamant his team will continue their form as they look to win every match they play going forward. Griffith was also weary of the Pride who despite missing a few big guns still have enough talent to challenge the unbeaten defending champions.

Barbados current-

Barbados Pride Coach Emmerson Trotman

ly sits in third place with 42.4 points following four rounds, compared to the unbeaten Jaguars who have a whopping 64.8 points. Both sides will rely on their young, but experienced crop of players who have been exposed to international or West Indies ‘A’ cricket in recent times.

Vishaul Singh, Leon Johnson, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Anthony Bramble, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Chandrapaul Hemraj have all been among the runs for Guyana since the competition commenced, with Singh the only batsman in recent months to play international cricket.

Meanwhile, Barbados will need much from their relatively young side, with the likes of Brooks,

Alleyne, Stout, former West Indies Test spinner Warrican and current West Indies spinner Ashley Nurse all making up for the heavy losses of players like Jason Holder, Shai Hope, Shane Dowrich, Kraigg Brathwaite and others.

Both sides endured two days of i n tense training at the Stadium ahead of the match which is expected to bowl off from 9:30 h.

G u y a n a Jaguars: Leon Johnson (captain), Tagenarine C h a n d e r p a u l , Chandrapaul Hemraj, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Vishaul Singh, Anthony Bramble, Keemo Paul Akshaya Persaud, Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd, Veerasammy Permaul, Gudakesh Motie Barbados Pride: Shamarh Brooks (captain), Anthony Alleyne, Jonathan Carter, Justin Greaves, Keon Harding, Aaron Jones, Shayne Moseley, Ashley Nurse, Mario Rampersaud, Shamar Springer, Kevin Stoute, Jomel Warrican, Kenroy Williams.

In the absence of seasoned campaigners, Shamarh Brooks will have to use all of his experience to contain a powerful Jaguars’ bowling attack

57th National Schools Cycling, Swimming and Track and Field Championships

Blown Away!

Dishauna Skeete did just enough to hold off Binka Joseph in the Girls' U-16 100m

By Michelangelo Jacobus

T

he highly anticipated 100M finals were the highlights of day four of the 57th National Schools Cycling, Swimming and Track and Field Championships especially in the Boys U-18 category where World Junior 400m Silver Medalist Daniel Williams sauntered to victory and in the process broke yet another record.

Williams who hails from District 10 (Upper Demerara/Kwakwani) has seen his team on the cusp of retaining their title amassing 326 points after 53 completed events. Their nearest threat is a surprise package in District 3 (West Demerara) who have 190 points while District 6 (Corentyne) are in third on 173.5 points.

The District 10 athlete had a bad start but held

his nerve to recover strongly and simply canter over the finish line some distance ahead of second placed Umkosi Van Cooten and Jermain King who came in third. Williams’ final time of 10.65s was fast enough to set a new record eclipsing the old one which stood at 10.70s. Vancooten and King finished with times of 10.99s and 11.18s respectively.

After his record breaking run Williams pointed out that despite his bad start he stayed cam as he relied on his big stage experience to power down the homestretch en-route to gold. Williams who keeps getting faster and whose only real competition is the clock warned pretenders to the throne that he will be gunning for records in his pet events, the 400M and 200M. Earlier in the U-20 Boys 100m New Amsterdam’s Titus Webster had a strong finish to hold off Brian Roman (South Georgetown) and Shawn Speirs (North West). Webster finished in 10.94s on his way to gold while Roman and Speirs had to settle for silver and bronze in that order

– Williams shatters 100M record as Linden tightens grip on title In the U-16 Boys 100m Deron Roberts of North Georgetown stormed to gold in 11.21s with Shamar Thom and Denzil Forte came second and third respectively.

The Girls U-16 100m was by and far the most entertaining female race of the day as District 10’s Deshauna Skeete held off West Demerara’s powerful sprinter Binka Joseph by split seconds to take gold.

Skeete dipped over the finish line just ahead of Joseph to finish in a time of 12.26s while the former stopped the clock at 12.42s to claim silver. Brianna Charles rounded out the top three in 12.91s.

In the U-20 100m event Toyan Raymond dominated the field finishing first in 12.21s while Tonya Rawlins clocked 12.53s to win silver with Cassie Small finishing at 12.54s for bronze.

South Georgetown’s Tiffauna Garnett bested District 10’s Kezia Fraser in the Girls U-18 100m clocking 12.56s with the latter finishing at 12.69s. Kezia Moore was third in 12.91s.

Another record that was broken came in the Boys

Tiffauna Garnett takes the Girls' U-18 100m just ahead of Kezia Fraser

U-16 800m when Murphy Nash from District 10 obliterated Jomal Johnson’s 2013 record of 2:04.5s. Nash set a new bar at 2:01.43s with Triston Tappin coming in some distance behind with 2:06s and Whiddon Antigua third with the clock at 2:06.57.

National middle distance athletes Anfernee

Headecker and Joanna Archer both fell short of setting new records in the Boys U-20 and Girls U-18 800m races respectively despite they both claimed gold.

The track and field action of the National Championships continue today at 09:00hrs at the Synthentic Track, Leonora, West Coast Demerara.

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

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2017

guyanatimesgy.com

2017/18 CWI/Digicel 4-day championship

Pride hoping to open old wounds against Jaguars Pg 23

Both Barbados Pride and Guyana Jaguars were busy finetuning their skills ahead of today’s clash

57th National Schools Cycling, Swimming and Track and Field Championships

Pg 23

Blown Away!

– Williams shatters 100m record as Linden tighten grip on title Daniel Williams cruises to another gold and another record in the Boys' U-18 100m

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