Guyanatime 12 february 2018

50 years of friendship, cooperation between Brazil and P13 Guyana Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana guyanatimesgy.com

Issue No. 3479

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Monday, February 12, 2018

PRICE

Rice woes deepen

WHAT'S INSIDE:

Hope Estate rice farmers being evicted

P8 Parents call for resignation of Rama Krishna Head Teacher

– legal advice tendered; farmers prepared to fight – NDIA also moves against farmers in default Page 3

Govt satisfied with overseas diplomats’ performances Page 7

$80 vat included

Region 5 AFC Councillor’s assault case

Victim to undergo CT scan, being pressured into settling suit

Page 2

Pedestrian killed in NA accident P10 Moruca P10 man dies on Takutu Bridge

Red House lease revocation challenge

…says Seetaram offering $500,000

Moblissa community gifted $5M school bus Page 2

Chief Justice to hear case next week

P11

Guyanese P9 man arraigned in Brazil for attempted murder Indigenous People’s Affairs Minister Sydney Allicock on Sunday handed over a new minibus valued $5 million to Moblissa Community Development Council (CDC) Chairman Arthur Reynolds, fulfilling a promise made to residents. The bus will provide transportation for some 47 schoolchildren

Sugar worker's family: "One meal and sugar water a day" ….some say children will be taken out of school, Page 13 others have to “look wuk”

Goldsmith robbed at Hydronie Market P10

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monDAY, February 12, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Region 5 AFC Councillor’s assault case

Victim to undergo CT scan, being pressured into settling suit …says Seetaram offering $500,000

AFC Councillor Abel Seetaram

By Michael Younge

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atram Rabindranauth, 54, has said he now has to undergo a CT Scan on his head after injuries were inflicted on his body allegedly by Alliance For Change Region 5 Councillor Abel Seetaram, who is now reportedly offering him settlement to end the matter and avoid him being convicted.

Speaking with Guyana Times on Friday, Rabindranauth said that while his condition has improved somewhat and he is able to ply his trade, he is still in a lot of pain and discomfort.

The Chip Vendor related that he is still experiencing numbness on one side of his body, and is still passing clots of blood in his stool whenever he strains himself or utilizes his medication.

“I have to try. I have to provide for my family, and even though I have gone back to work, it’s not like before”, he remarked.

He said he is concerned about his condition because, only recently, he visited his doctor and was advised that he may have to undergo a CT Scan to determine the extent to which he has sustained head injuries and the correlation to the continued internal bleeding and discomfort.

“The Doctor said that I got to go back to him next week.

I understand that I may now need $100,000 to do the scan, and that’s what I am focused on right now”, Rabindranauth explained.

He did explain that, following the incident, he has expended most of his financial resources on medical supplies and tablets.

“Every week I have to find $25,000 dollars to get medication, because some of the things I need are not available at (the) public (hospital)”, he detailed, as he explained that it is very hard for him.

Only last week, he turned up at Court for his matter to be called up, and when it finally was, it was postponed until February 28, when reports would be handed in.

Asked whether he was pleased with the quality of investigation being done by the Police or the justice process,

Chips vendor Natram Rabindranauth

the 64 A Woodley Park, West Coast Berbice resident responded in the negative, as he recalled a Policeman informing him that he also may be charged for “some scuffle”.

He wants justice to be swift and impartial in the matter, because his cousin appears to have “links,” and continues to boast about being above the law.

Rabindranauth also informed this newspaper that the AFC Councillor had first offered him a meagre $150,000 to settle the matter, and he had rejected the offer.

He said his assailant continued to offer different sums to escape a possible conviction, until the last offer made was somewhere in the vicinity of $500,000.

“Everybody saying that I should not settle, but my fami-

ly them a constantly ask me to drop the story because we are family. I don’t know yet, and I have not made any decision. I am in a lose- lose situation if I do so”, he related.

Rabindranauth was hospitalised at the New Amsterdam Public Hospital with a broken jaw, fractured nose and internal bleeding. He was plying his daily trade along the No. 11 Public Road when he saw his son involved in a scuffle with Seetaram’s son.

Rabindranauth had stated that he stopped and attempted to intervene, when Seetaram came out. “I was passing same time and meh try to go and part the fight, and then Abel come out of nowhere and lash me with a wood across meh head,” he recounted.

After he received the lash, he fell to the ground and was bleeding profusely from his nose when Seetaram reportedly walked away with his son in the direction of the Fort Wellington Police Station.

Rabindranath stated that shortly after, he managed to compose himself and subsequently left for the Police Station with his son as well. A report was made and a medical document was given to him by the Police to visit the Fort Wellington Hospital.

Rabindranath was eventually transferred to the New Amsterdam Public Hospital, where he was admitted.

In May 2017, Seetaram was found guilty of three charges in relation to an accident involving a Government

SUV when he appeared before Magistrate Rhondell Weever at the Blairmont Magistrate’s Court. He was charged with driving in a dangerous manner.

He was also charged with being an unlicensed driver, and with breach of insurance.

He failed to appear in court, and was sentenced in his absence.

On the dangerous driving charge, he was fined $30,000 with an alternative of 32 days in jail. On the unlicensed driver charge, he was fined $25,000 or 21 days in jail, and on the charge of breach of insurance, he was fined $15,000 or 21 days in jail. A committal order has been issued for his arrest.

Moblissa community gifted $5M school bus

F

ulfilling a promise made to residents of Moblissa, on the Linden-Soesdyke Highway, Indigenous People’s Affairs Minister Sydney Allicock on Sunday handed over a minibus valued at some $5 million to shuttle schoolchildren to and from school.

The vehicle will serve a total of 47 school-aged children attending school in Linden and neighbouring communities.

Speaking to residents before officially handing over the vehicle to the Community

Development Council (CDC), Minister Allicock warned against division among residents especially with the new minibus being in place.

“The bus will be a relief for taking your children to school and ensuring that they have a good education. We are also hoping that you will be able to manage the affairs of the bus and your managers will not set up a scheme of fighting against one another, but fighting for betterment,” he told the residents who gathered in the community’s health centre.

The Minister charged the residents to take full responsibility of the new vehicle, especially in its maintenance.

“For too long we have seen buses, tractors and expensive machines in communities just bracing in the corner for the need of two screws or batteries… it is about management, it is taxpayer’s money. I hope we can meet one another halfway,” he said.

The residents expressed their appreciation and were vocal in their commitment to keeping the vehicle in perfect order.

news

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monDAY, February 12, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

BRIDGE OPENINGS

Rice woes deepen

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

Monday, February 12 – a night retraction at 03:00h and a day retraction at 14:30h-16:00h and Tuesday, February 13 – a night retraction at 03:30h and a day retraction at 14:30h-16:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Monday, February 12 – 14:30h-16:00h and Tuesday, February 13 – 15:15h-16:45h.

Hope Estate rice farmers being evicted – legal advice tendered; farmers prepared to fight – NDIA also moves against farmers in default

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY

Light to thundery showers can be expected throughout the day, with thundery showers and lightly cloudy skies expected in the evening. Overall temperatures should range between 21 degrees Celsius and 28 degrees Celsius.

Winds: North-easterly between 1.78 metres and 5.81 metres.

High Tide: 14:35h reaching a maximum height of 2.31 metres.

Low Tide: 08:08h and 20:38h reaching minimum heights of 1.02 metres and 0.87 metre respectively.

SATURDAY, february 10, 2018

LOTTERY NUMBERS N

03 10 12

16 18 20

17 Bonus Ball

FREE TICKET

DAILY MILLIONS 08 09 14 16 26 LUCKY 3 0 2 8

5

Afternoon Draw DRAW DE LINE

02

03

07

09

4

6

Evening Draw

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

Rice farmers from Hope, ECD meet with former Attorney General Anil Nandlall

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n one of a series of moves against persons involved in the agricultural sector, the Government has given notice of its intention to repossess land being leased by a number of farmers at Hope Estate, East Coast Demerara (ECD), for falling behind in their rent.

In a letter seen by Guyana Times, farmers were instructed by Attorney-atLaw and Guyana Marketing Corporation (GMC) Chairman Omadatt Chandan to “quit and deliver possession” of their land. However, these farmers and their legal representatives are taking a stand against it.

In one case, Khemchan Sukhlall, a tenant of De Hoop, Mahaica, ECD, was ordered to hand over 16 acres of rice land situated at Nutenzuil – all within one month of receiving the notice. The notice, dated January 16, 2018, was signed by Chandan who identified himself as an agent of Hope Estate Coconut Industries Ltd. It is understood that a number of other farmers, including Subhan Ally, Lolita Gangaram and Kowsilla Ramgobin will be affected.

Attorney-at-Law Anil Nandlall, who is representing Sukhlall and had visited the farmers alongside fellow Member of Parliament, Head of the Rice Producers Association (RPA), Dharamkumar Seeraj, issued a warning in a letter re-

sponding to the Agriculture Ministry that the farmers were protected by the Rice Farmers (Security of Tenure) Act. Section Five (1d) stipulates that a notice to evict cannot be issued outside what the Act permits.

Nandlall, a former Attorney General, informed the Ministry that he instructed the farmers to ignore the notice since the law gives them a regime of security of tenure. He informed the Ministry that its letter was not only premature and precipitous, but it flew in the face of the Act.

“In short, rents chargeable for rice lands cannot be increased and a tenant of rice lands cannot be removed from possession except by the procedures outlined by the Act. We are not aware that any such procedures have been initiated or undertaken,” Nandlall stated.

Nandlall further explained to this publication that these farmers have been in possession of the land for several years. These lands, he noted, provide the only source of livelihood for them and their families. turn to page 7

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

The Cummingsburg Accord and coalition politics

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he Cummingsburg Accord was announced on Valentine’s Day, Feb 14, 2015, by APNU and AFC as the culmination of sustained negotiations that would delineate the distribution of power in the government to be formed if their consummated coalition were to win the imminent elections. But the Accord had wider reverberations for Guyanese politics.

One factor militating against coalitions in Guyana -in addition to the inherent distaste for the mechanism in the Liberal Democratic conventions passed on by the British – is their reluctance to acknowledge that the basis of any effective coalition would be an acknowledgement of representing the ethnic interest of the two major groups. And this is where the APNU/AFC coalition touted itself as different: the APNU implicitly conceded its legitimacy would be augmented if the AFC, with its Indian-dominated Berbice base, were to adopt a common slate and platform.

Many Guyanese, despairing at the ethnic divisions stymieing their country’s development over the last half century, felt this was a bold innovation, especially with the AFC being granted forty percent of the Cabinet positions as well as a Prime Ministership with impressively augmented powers – all spelled out in the Cummingsburg Accord. They felt this “power sharing” arrangement, while not ideal, was a step in the right direction, especially when it was suggested that elements of the PPP might also be drafted into the new Government.

Most disappointingly, however, in the allocation of the spoils after their successful campaign, it became evident that the PNC-led APNU kept neither the letter nor the spirit of the Accord. The number of Ministries was firstly expanded by adding a welter of “Junior Ministers”, thereby diluting the actual powers of the appointed AFC Ministers. In addition, two individuals -- touted as “AFC” -- received the two most powerful portfolios, Agriculture and Natural Resources, without having been nominated by the party. There was apparently a “Nassau Accord” with the latter.

Then, in a further volte face, the President announced one of the critical new powers granted to the AFCselected Prime Minister – to Chair Cabinet meetings -would not be implemented because of a “constitutional” bar. While this was arguable, it certainly was not in the spirit of a coalition agreement that was meant to signal real power sharing.

Since then, the AFC leaders have been playing a rather coy game of denying they were denied the powers delineated by the Accord, while demanding that the latter be ‘renegotiated”. Matters came to a head last November when the Canadian affiliate of the AFC quit in disgust in a very public and contentious manner over decisions taken by the party’s leadership that suggested they were not allowed any autonomy in decision-making within the coalition.

At this point, when the AFC leaders demanded that the Accord be renegotiated before its third anniversary, the leader of the PNC and APNU, David Granger, pointed out that the Accord itself stated that such a renegotiation could only take place AFTER the third Anniversary. Technically, this period begins on Feb 15, this coming Thursday, and it is expected that the AFC will be proposing the exact date imminently. All Guyana are awaiting the form and substance of the “renegotiation” of the Cummingsburg Accord, since, as suggested above, the issue of ethnic power-sharing in our country goes beyond the two players who will be at the table.

There are those that assert the PNC has never been committed to real and genuine “political inclusion” going back to its early experience with the UF in 1964-68. They hope history will not repeat itself.

Football in the rain! The early Sunday morning rains did not deter these young men set on playing a game of football at D’Urban Park (Carl Croker photo)

The oil sector can create scores of jobs for tradesmen Dear Editor, I participated in the just concluded Inaugural Guyana International Petroleum Business Summit and Exhibition, and must congratulate the organizers and participants for making the conference one of meaningful discussion and analysis, and moreover a forum at which pertinent information was shared and burning questions posed. This should provide for a better understanding of the complexities, challenges and opportunities of Guyana’s emerging oil and gas industry.

This should allow local businesses to begin their SWOT analyses (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) as they relate to their becoming players in the oil and gas industry.

For me, one of the more enlightening panels was titled ‘Doing Business in Oil Field Services, Supply Chain and Facilities Management’.

This panel had main speakers who were representatives of three major sub-contractors of ExxonMobil, and they outlined some of the skills these companies are looking to source locally, the required qualifications of those who could fill these positions, and the processes which potential applicants would have to use to apply for available positions.

In one case, one of the companies disclosed that it had already hired ten (10) University of Guyana graduates who are currently undergoing specialized training in Brazil, and they will soon be recruiting another 20.

During the discussions, skills such as welding were identified as among those required, and this led me to pose the following question to the panel: Is there scope for Guyanese tradespeople such as welders, electricians, plumbers and carpenters who are competent at what they

do, have years of experience, but lack certification? I was happy to hear that all three companies had already taken this issue into consideration and have in place a process for identifying such persons with a view to undertaking what they describe as “a gap analysis” to determine what training, if any, would be necessary to make these persons certifiable so as to be engaged in the oil and gas industry.

This should be one avenue of local content which should be of benefit to Guyanese men and women who have acquired on-the-job skills and experience over the years but have not been formally trained. It is my hope that the information and methodology for identifying and accessing these uncertified artisans are widely publicized throughout Guyana, so as to provide an opportunity for all that are interested. It seems to me that this is one area where there will be jobs for a signifi-

cant number of Guyanese.

It is clear that the oil and gas industry is one where skills certification in order to be engaged is an absolute must. There can be no issue with this. It brings to mind an experience I had decades ago, while I served as the public relations officer of the then Guyana Liquor Corporation (GLC). As part of an interviewing panel for promoting a distillery supervisor to manager, I asked why the alcohol had to be heated to a specific degree.

The man knew that the alcohol had to be heated to a specific level, but did not know why. He had been working for over 25 years in the distillery. Yesu Persaud, then chairman of GLC, said to me after the interview, “That man does not have 25 years’ experience, he has had one experience for 25 years.”

Regards, Wesley Kirton

An example of Freddie Kissoon’s consistent inconsistency Dear Editor, While from a layman’s perspective the writings of Kaieteur News’ Columnist Freddie Kissoon offer meaningful insight of our local political spectrum, in a vascular bundle, Kissoon’s political theories are flawed at times, and in most instances fail to offer practical solutions for the betterment of our “shithole” country.

Additionally, and most importantly, Kissoon needs to be reminded that an enhanced sale of Kaieteur News is imperative in our local competitive market.

Likewise, his writings/columns are for public edifica-

tion, and definitely not for a classroom situation, as when he was a senior lecturer at UG and his authority couldn’t be disputed or questioned.

As a consequence, Freddie’s column, captioned “Drury Lane is evidence of the PPP’s”, published in K.N. 31/01/18, is deeply flawed. Since the columnist fails to take into serious consideration that: The PPP/C government, after almost 23 years of governance nationally, has been replaced by the APNU+AFC Coalition for over 2 ½ years.

Freddie, at this juncture, forget for a brief moment

scholastic principles, resort to basic common sense: that for a period of 25 years, the Mayor and City Councillors of the Georgetown municipality were dominated by the Good and Green Georgetown (GGG) and now the APNU+AFC, by extension the PNC, which in both instances were/are Afro- dominated. Within this context, it was the very PNCR, under the leadership of the late Desmond Hoyte, who rejected the notion of inclusiveness when he shunned the Mayorship of former PPP C-Councillor Philomena “Fireball” Shury.

The late Dr. Jagan, for-

mer President, had mooted the idea of rotational Mayorship. In so doing, the element of distrust and mistrust continues to occupy our local politics, much to the discomfort of the youths.

In the final analysis, Freddie, Drury Lane’s eastern half from Sheriff Street falls under the jurisdiction of the late Junior Garnett, a former PNC Councillor of the M&CC. Can the PPP be faulted for the unkempt state of that specific location, more so when, in 2015, Local Government had expended hundreds of millions to clean up the capital city? continued on page 5

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You can send your letters with pictures to: Guyana Times, Queens Atlantic Investment Estate Industrial Site, Ruimveldt, Georgetown, Guyana or letters@guyanatimesgy.com

Remittances: More The lyrics of that Calypso song are not vulgar than just money Dear Editor, The Caribbean is all of a region of origin, transit, and destination of extra-regional and intra-regional migration flows, and experiences considerable cases of return migration.

Migration has constantly shaped the history of this region.

It is important to stress the heterogeneity of the region, which is reflected on a composition of both large and small islands as well as mainland countries located in South America (Suriname and Guyana) and Central America (Belize). Due to its enormous geographic, historic, cultural, demographic and socioeconomic diversity, the Caribbean is a challenging region to study when focusing on migration and remittances.

The Caribbean countries are primarily receiving countries of remittances. The Dominican Republic receives most remittances by far: US$4.65 billion in total in 2014; then Jamaica received US$2.26 billion, followed by Haiti with US$ 1.9 billion. The United States is the main source of remittances; while, in Europe, Spain (23%) and Italy (21%) are the main European sources of remittances heading to Latin America and the Caribbean (World Bank study Brief 24, 2015). In the Caribbean region, this is mostly destined for the Dominican Republic.

For instance, in Haiti, the Caribbean country most dependent on remittances, the World Bank concluded in 2014 that 21.1% of Haiti’s GDP was derived from remittances.

Estimates suggest that the total number of Haitians in that diaspora varied from 1.5 million to 4 million, and research conducted by the ACP Observatory on Migration showed that Haitian families depending on remittances can easily fall into poverty when these flows are interrupted.

As for Jamaica, the country has been dependent on emigrant labour

and remains an emigration country; in 2013, having an official diaspora population of 1.098 million people. According to the World Bank’s data from 2014, Jamaica received about US$2.264 billion in remittances, mostly sent from the United States, United Kingdom and Canada.

This represents 15% of Jamaica’s GDP, making Jamaica one of the most highly dependent countries on remittances.

Similarly, in Guyana, remittances are significant: a total of 314 million USD in 2014 constituted 11% of Guyana’s GDP. 87% is sent from the U.S. and Canada, and the rest is sent from the UK and other Caribbean nations such as Suriname.

According to a study by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), “Migration and Development: the case of Latin America”, there are different incentives for sending of remittances, such as altruism, solidarity, self-interest (savings), payment of debts, and the diversification of household income and security. Some other researches carried out in Central American and Caribbean countries have shown that 72% of remittances are used to cover daily costs, savings 7%, education 6%, and the acquisition of housing 1.8%.

Monetary remittances have a direct impact on the socioeconomic and employment structure of the Caribbean region. In fact, on a macroeconomic level, they can generate dependency for the Caribbean families, and can probably, and only partially, compensate for the “brain-drain” caused by massive emigration of skilled professionals.

For this reason, it is crucial for this region to develop policies aiming at potentiating the positive impact that remittances can have on development.

Gustavo Segura

Nigel Hinds did not speak for us Dear Editor, Our attention was drawn to a letter published in the newspapers authored by Mr. Nigel Hinds, Auditor and Financial Consultant.

We wish to clarify that the opinions expressed in that letter are not those of our company. We continue to hold Mr. Hinds in high professional esteem, and he remains our auditor.

However, we were advised by our investors to re-

tain additional professional assistance for the purpose of satisfying the legal requirements for the Casino Licence for which we have applied.

Our decision to retain additional professional assistance was therefore in no way at the instance of the Gaming Authority.

Yours faithfully, Sleepin International Hotel and Casino Inc

Dear Editor, On Saturday, 9th February, my attention was brought to a letter published in the letters to the editor column of one of our daily newspapers. The caption was "Lyrics of junior Calypso Monarch were vulgar".

Well! Being the writer of the song I was simply horrified at this bold face untruth.

The extracts of the song as stated by the writer are totally inaccurate. This is what she quoted: "Ah put meh dog in she cat." This is what the actual lyrics of the song say:

"so I took out my dog and put licks in her cat. But for one to get the gist of these lines, it has to be taken in context.

Here are the lyrics of the song leading to the line I just quoted: "Because of the thieving in this country I had to get a weapon to protect me, it mek outa leather with some balls inside I call it my dog was my joy and pride, So late one night me neighba call out she seh she got some trouble inside she house. So I put my dog inside my waist and hurry ova to me neighba place, when I get deh she sweating

bad and she have her cat inside a bag she say that the cat cause nuff worries and she want me to teach it a lesson please, you can do it what you want ah just don't mind cause this cat ain't got place and time so go ahead and perform the act so I took out my dog and put licks in her cat.

Her second statement is also incorrect: "she put she salt fish in meh mouth".

Calypso is a fine art, and most don't understand the nuances of the genre, which can lead to them making empty statements based on

their own mindset.

Molly George- Simpson was obviously not privy to all the lyrics of the song, but thought it best to launch a verbal attack on the Junior Calypso Monarch, the organizers, and the public who liked the piece. Her rant was based on what she thought she heard, and so she decided to publish those few snippets of fallacy and swear by it.

Burchmore Simon CEO Kross Kolor Records

Scandalous – APNU+AFC regime handling of the oil sector Dear Editor, The PNC-led APNU regime has begun their time in power from exactly where they left off twenty-six years ago. The deals that they have been making are simply scandalous. The public is hard pressed not to conclude that corruption is at the heart of this regime. They cannot help themselves, it is in their nature. The PNC has not changed.

I see the media that is sympathetic to the regime, mainly ‘Kaieteur News,’ are unable to cover up the disaster that the regime is. So they are doing the next ‘best thing’. They are blaming the ExxonMobil for the disaster they have made in handling the agreement with ExxonMobil.

If we want to be generous to say they are not stealing and not making huge ‘backdoor/under the table deals’, then we have to conclude that they are the most incompetent bunch of persons to ever assume high office. Added to their incompetence is the high intoxication with power that is showing in sheer arrogance.

Form all that is being revealed in the press, we see that our country has lost, is losing, and will lose billions of US dollars by this deal.

In the first instance, the royalty of only 2% is indeed very suspect. Dr. Mangal, the

expert that the regime hired, said the norm is between 10% and 20%. Why was Dr. Mangal ignored? If he was not, why was his recommendations not considered?

On the basis of 2% royalty, and if we assume oil price at US$50 per barrel, production at 300,000 barrels per day and production of 360 days for the year, then Guyana will receive US$108,000 per year.

That works out to US$144 per person (assuming a population of 750,000). That is really chicken feed.

Some apologists for the regime say that it is because we have no experience, Exxon took advantage on us.

That is the lamest excuse I have heard. Information is available and could have been sourced. Trinidad and Tobago, with decades of experience, would have been most helpful. Were they asked? If not, why not?

The regime could have sought council from the UN and many other sources. They chose not to, and produced the most lopsided agreement probably in the world.

There is no clarity on the Government’s policy on oil.

The regime seems to be blundering blindly all the way.

For instance, we are all in the dark as to the issue of local content in the oil and gas sector. Would our private sec-

An example of Freddie...

Was the PPP responsible for the utility poles being placed on the southern parapet of Drury Lane? Why didn’t common sense prevail from the M&CC, with an erected sign: “Dumping is strictly prohibited by Law, and anyone caught will be prosecuted”?

So, in actuality, who has failed to maintain cleanliness of the area presently? Isn’t it the M&CC and its constituent representative? Editor, I fail to comprehend the “praxis” of Bro. Kissoon’s column on the environmental damage of Drury Lane. And will add, in a pre-dominant Afro-Guyanese Community, no intruder, stranger, could have dumped garbage there.

By the way, does it still continue? If so, then “let the chips fall where they ought to”. Does Freddie know the late Pandit Reepu Daman Persaud’s annual interaction with mem-

from page 5

bers of the Campbellvillebased football club for usage of the Community Centre ground for the annual burning of Holika, ushering in the Phagwah Festival. Zinc sheets were placed on a specific part of the ground, where the burning would take place, while a financial contribution was normally made for cleaning, compounded by the donation of a truckload of sand.

Freddie, you’ve missed it; so too has Adam Harris, who in his Sunday Column 07/02/18 couldn’t have faulted the coalition government for launching an illegitimate CoI pertaining to “The LINDO Creek Massacre”. No surprise though, since the K.N Editor is a “Dye in the Wool” PNC apologist.

Yours truly, Samora N’Komo

tor benefit? This is a big concern, but the nation remains unenlightened.

Another unpardonable aspect of this agreement is the regime’s concession to our sovereignty! How could this regime agree that no official can visit ExxonMobil locations without giving seven days’ notice?!

This really makes us look worse than a banana republic. One cannot help wondering what was the inducement to sign something as objectionable as this. These are the same people who beat their chest talking about nationalism, yet they have compromised our sovereignty.

This regime action in relation to the collection of funds is also very disturbing. For more than a year, they collected US$18 million in signing bonus and kept that information hidden. When asked about it, they denied ever collecting any. They also ridiculed those asking.

Now it has come out that they had collected it and placed it in a private account.

How can anyone be blamed for believing that it was put aside to be carted off by the

elite?

Even now that it is exposed, they continue to refuse to put it in the Consolidated Fund, thereby perpetuating an illegality.

In any normal democratic country, the regime would have resigned. They had sworn to uphold the Constitution and the Laws of Guyana, but now are regularly and knowingly violating them.

Donald Ramotar Former President

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Foundation

evidence-based learning strategies

By Blake Harvard

with their brain and relied less on notes, a peer, or the textbook.

The spacing of practice has resulted in more longterm retention of material, and students now have a study practice that is much more effective than simple highlighting of notes or rereading their notes or textbook.

There are many more learning strategies (concrete examples, dual coding, interleaving, etc), but simply adding these two learning

I

often say to my students, “If a test is the first time you’re made to think about or with the class material, we’ve both probably failed.” Learning is effortful and requires cognition. As their teacher, I need to ensure that I provide my students with opportunities for demonstration of learning in the classroom.

There are many ways to do this. Your methods can be traditional and require pencil and paper or more modern with a screen and other manipulatives. No matter the technique, students should be made to work with and think with the information or content in order to increase their retention of it.

Cognitive psychology provides evidence of specific learning strategies that are wonderfully applicable and adaptable to most classrooms, no matter students’ abilities or grade level. Here are two strategies I discovered through The Learning Scientists and use in my classroom almost daily in an attempt to teach my students more efficient and effective study and practice habits and to maximise their retention of material.

Retrieval practice This very powerful strategy is quite easily applied to the classroom. Retrieval practice is the attempt to retrieve information from memory.

This can take many forms in the classroom – low-stakes multiple-choice formative assessment, group discussion, open-ended essay prompts, etc – and it can occur at the beginning of class, as a transition activity, or to end class.

I frame retrieval practice to my students as an efficient method of assessing their own learning. They’re either able answer the questions or not. If they cannot, this should drive further review and practice of material. I stress that it’s perfectly fine if they can’t answer the questions at this point. Isn’t it much better they attempt now (and subsequently have a better understanding of the holes in their learning) rather than attempting for the first time on the test?

Because retrieval is such an effective self-assessment tool for students, I always tell my students they should initially use only their brain to attempt to retrieve the information. If a textbook, peer, or notebook tells them the answer, they ultimately didn’t know the material.

I usually begin by not providing any cues (word banks, for example) and prefer this be more of an openended activity. This alleviates students’ false belief that they know information when they’ve actually just guessed

correctly. Students are quite good at fooling themselves into believing they know something when, in fact, they don’t. (This is true of all people, actually.)

Spaced practice Spaced practice can be defined as the opposite of cramming. It is literally spacing out practice over multiple days, weeks, months, etc. I explain to my students that they’ll be more efficient and effective with their practicing if they study for 15 minutes each for three days rather than cram for an hour the night before a test.

Easier said than done, I know – especially with adolescents.

I’ve created an activity to show very simply how they can incorporate this strategy into their study habits. stick.

I take some important information that usually confuses students and create a chart.

To begin class, I ask the students to complete the chart only using their brain. They highlight all of their answers from this step in yellow.

Next, I have them use their notes to check their answers and complete any of the chart they didn’t complete in the previous step, and highlight these answers in orange.

Lastly, they use their peers and/or the textbook to fill in any blanks they still have and highlight these answers in blue.

Now we grade their answers, and students have three different grades for this retrieval: one in yellow for what they knew using only their brain, one in orange for what they found using their notes, and one in blue for what they found through their peers or the textbook. The students keep their charts.

The next day or a few days later, we begin class with the same blank chart and follow the same steps. And we complete this activity one more time, usually about a week later. What students typically find is that on the second and third attempts at completing a chart, they have more yellow highlighter on their paper and less orange and blue, meaning they’ve remembered more

By Vanessa LoBue, PhD

strategies to my classroom has significantly changed my teaching and my students’ learning. There’s less anxiety about assessments since they occur so frequently.

And students are much more accepting of getting questions wrong because that’s simply part of the learning process and helps them to have a truer assessment of their learning.

All of this gives my students tools to be successful in almost any class they attend in middle school, high school, or college.

(edutopia.org)

here is a strong belief among many people that having children makes you happier. Indeed, most young adults have plans to have children when they get older, and believe that having children will one day make them feel more satisfied with their lives (Hansen, 2012).

On top of feeling that having children makes you a happier person, there is also a common belief among adults that having children makes a marriage stronger. But although there is some evidence that couples with children are less likely to divorce than couples without (eg, White &

their first child and lasted for several years, so it isn’t just the initial transition to parenting itself that affects marriage—it’s having children in general.

A very big reason that marriage satisfaction decreases after having children is likely stress. Once a happily married couple decides to have a baby for the first time, there is suddenly an extra strain on their time, their finances, and their nerves. So what can we do to reduce stress? Although there are many stress-reducing strategies we can use to lighten the burden on our relationships, one recent study provides a simple suggestion.

In a large-scale survey that

Booth, 1985), it turns out that having children might not make your marriage as happy as you might expect.

In fact, although most couples express less satisfaction overall with their marriage over time, researchers who studied 218 couples over the course of their first 8 years of marriage reported that couples who had children experienced a sharper decrease in their relationship satisfaction than couples who didn’t have children (Doss, Rhoades, Stanley, & Markman, 2009). This decrease tended to happen right after having

spanned the United States, Canada, Denmark, and the Netherlands, researchers reported that stress was associated with decreased life satisfaction. Importantly, they also found that people who tend to spend money on services that preserve their time – cleaning services, someone to mow the lawn, or even going out to eat once in a while –are less stressed overall, and in fact, happier (Whillans, Dunn, Smeets, Bekkers, & Norton, 2017). (psychologytoday.com)

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monDAY, February 12, 2018 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Govt satisfied with diplomats’ performances

By Michael Younge

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he Guyana Government says it is satisfied with the performance of its diplomatic representatives overseas, but there is still room for them to deliver better performances given the scope of their responsibilities and the requirements of the overseas missions that they are serving.

Speaking during an interview on Thursday, Foreign Affairs Minister Carl Greenidge admitted that he was satisfied with the quality of work being done by the country’s diplomats overseas following Government’s decision to appoint a new batch of representatives after a strict selection process which began in March 2016.

“I would say that I am satisfied, but that does not mean we don’t want to see them do much better,” he remarked.

Guyana currently has close to 20 overseas missions as compared to the 17 that traditionally existed under the former Administration.

The Director General within the Ministry, Audrey Waddell had explained that back in 2016, there were 12 Embassies and High Commissions, and five Consulates.

Either an ambassador or a high commissioner heads 12 of Guyana’s 17 overseas missions, but the official title of any of the 12 heads depends on the customs of

Foreign Affairs Minister Carl Greenidge

the country in which they serve.

As a result, Minister Greenidge explained that the success of the mission was based on the quality of service it delivered based upon the situation at hand and the progress being made at the level of the mission on matters of interest to the President and people here.

He said that he was particularly pleased with the service of Guyana’s High Commissioner to India, David Pollard and the other staff serving the mission there. Greenidge has recently visited that country as part of a delegation on Government business.

“The visit that we passed you some information on, in relation to India shows that in that particular mission which had almost fallen into an abyss prior to the election of 2015,

Guyana’s Ambassador to Belgium, David Hales

you can see a very vibrant mission there, interfacing with the Private Sector in India…held in high esteem by the authorities on the Indian Government side… it’s a very pushy mission and one in which you have an ambassador who is very new to diplomacy, but good staff that have the background, but it is good,” he related.

Greenidge said that you could see evidence of economic diplomacy at work at the mission in India as he praised the gains that were being made.

Turning his attention to foreign missions in Geneva and Brussels, the Foreign Affairs Minister lauded their effectiveness following their work that saw the Swiss authorities invite Guyana to participate in a discussion with some 20 countries out of 164 other Member States of the

Guyana’s High Commissioner to India, David Pollard

Guyana’s Ambassador to China, Bayney Karran

World Trade Organisation (WTO) in the lead-up to the Davos Meeting.

“We were party to a discussion about the future of the issue at hand and it is indication of the weight that the Organisation ascribes to Guyana.

I think that is an indication that work is being done and we have good reasons to be proud of the work that these missions have done,” he explained.

He also admitted a “good deal of work” was being done in New York with respect to consular services and outreaches to the Guyanese community there.

The Foreign Affairs Ministry back in 2016 announced six diplomatic appointments to the United Kingdom, Canada, China, Belgium, Cuba, and Suriname.

The announcement

comes 10 months after the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) coalition Government took office.

David Hales is serving as Guyana’s Ambassador to Belgium. Hales was a former Director at the Caribbean Community (Caricom) Secretariat.

Businessman and long-standing People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) member Frederick Hamley Case is serving as Guyana’s High Commissioner to the UK. He replaced Laleshwar Singh, who served in that capacity for over 20 years under the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Administration.

Meanwhile, former Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly under the PNC, Clarissa Riehl is serving as Guyana’s High

Investments

Bajan firms to explore trade with Guyana ...as GO-Invest collaborates with counterpart agency

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ith the prospect of new Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) looking tenuous, a number of Barbadian manufacturers and service exporters have launched an exploratory mission to Guyana to seek new trade and market opportunities.

According to the Guyana Office for Investment (GO-Invest), the Barbados Investment and Development Corporation (BIDC) will be facilitating ten recently formed companies from the island as they seek to network with local businesses.

BIDC has actually been working with GO-Invest on behalf of the companies on the basis of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that was signed between the two agencies, in order to explore trade and agency collaboration.

The companies themselves were drawn from the food and beverage, information technology, construction, garment and fashion, footwear, media publishing and health and wellness fields. The group

The Guyana Office for Investment

will be accompanied by three BIDC officers, and will be in Guyana from February 11 to Valentine’s Day. “It is hoped that useful networks will be forged, excellent working relationships will be born, and the foundation for new trade will be laid,” GOInvest said in a statement.

“Over the (past) five years, Guyana has received an average US$23 million in (imports) from Barbados every year. Exports (grew) by some seven per cent since 2013.

“Guyana exports ap-

proximately US$13.7 million to Barbados, with export growth estimated at 44 per cent over the corresponding five-year period.

(Group members) participating in this exploratory mission are all recent graduates of BIDC’s export readiness training programme, designed to equip new and potential exporters with the knowledge, tools and strategies to successfully expand their businesses into new markets.”

The participating firms are Artel Cimtect Inc (construction), Bibi’s

Snacks Inc and Eve’s Creations (food and beverage), Carepoint Solutions (ICT), Eastlanders Manufacturing (craft), Locks Protector (Hair accessories), Regal Elegance (Garment sector), Spa E’scentials and the Healing Power of Touch (Health and Wellness) and Thorne Publishing and Productions (Media Publishing).

The MoU in question was signed under the previous administration in 2014, during the GuyExpo Investment forum. BIDC is a statutory agency of the Barbados Government, with special responsibility for export development and promotion, and the establishment and expansion of business enterprises.

It was formed with the aim of contributing to the diversification and growth of the Barbados economy through new investment, increased exports, and employment creation by fostering the development of competitive manufacturing and related services companies.

Commissioner to Canada.

She replaced PPP/C member Harry Narine Nawbatt.

Also appointed was Bayney Karran as Guyana’s Ambassador to China.

Karran has a wealth of experience in foreign policy and diplomacy and has served as Ambassador to the US; the Organisation of American States (OAS); Venezuela; Chile; Colombia; Ecuador and Mexico.

Former Political Assistant to President Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham, Halim Majeed was appointed Guyana’s Ambassador to Cuba. He replaced Attorney Mitra Devi Ali, while Esther Griffith holds the post of Consul General in Nickerie, Suriname. The Foreign Affairs Ministry had also announced that Ambassador Ivan Evelyn, former Ambassador of Guyana to Brazil would replace Griffith as the Chief of Protocol. Guyana’s Ambassador to Venezuela is Cheryl Miles.

Meanwhile, President Granger had said that his Government wanted to ensure “that there is balance, that there is competence and the interest of the country would be put first above party or other interests” in selecting the local diplomats.

“If we are to advance that thrust of economic diplomacy, we have to look for the best. That’s why it is taking so long,” he is quoted as saying.

Hope Estate farmers... from page 3

“We have advised the tenant rice farmers to ignore the demand and to remain in possession of the lands. I am prepared to institute legal action if there is any interference with our clients’ right to quiet and peaceful enjoyment of these lands,” Nandlall related.

NDIA

Meanwhile, the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA)has made moves of its own, albeit in a notice published on February 11, 2018 instructing farmers with outstanding drainage and irrigation fees to make payments within 21 days.

The NDIA is contending that members of the Water Users Association (WUA) are behind in fees for the supply of irrigation water from the main systems the agency operates. It also expressed concerns that they were not paying as they should for NDIA’s maintenance of drainage channels and operation of pumps from the main system.

“Under those circumstances, the NDIA is kindly requesting that defaulting farmers with outstanding fees make payments within 21 days of this notice.

Failure to pay your fees will result in the WUA imposing sanctions and penalties.”

Referring throughout its

notice to the by-laws of the WUA, the NDIA went on to warn that these would include but not be limited to taking away farmers’ voting rights within the WUA and cutting services to defaulting members.

It was only recently that some 20 farmers on the East Coast of Berbice, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) were left in urgent need of water for their rice fields, which were cracking. This newspaper was informed that the farmers’ plight is as a result of the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) shutting off the water supply.

The rice industry has fallen on hard times. In 2016, the Government in a well-touted deal had arranged to export rice to Mexico. The Agriculture Ministry subsequently disclosed that 17,000 tonnes of paddy were shipped to Mexico in a deal said to be worth some US$17 million ($3 billion), and 43,000 tonnes more will be shipped to the Central American country over the next few months.

However, the days of farmers getting premium rates for their paddy have since passed, following the end of the PetroCaribe (ricefor-oil) deal which was cancelled by Venezuela in 2015.

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Parents call for resignation of Rama Krishna Head Teacher

Volte face…

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A group of parents who were protesting for the removal of the Head Teacher

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arents of children who attend the Rama Krishna Primary School continue to vent their frustration as they call for the relevant authorities to look into their pleas for the headmistress of the school to step down.

According to information reaching Guyana Times, the headmistress, Melanie Cornette, is accused of mismanagement and poor leadership hence the call for her resignation.

Only recently, parents again picketed the Head and

stated that they were left with no other option but to highlight their issues and concerns in the media. They want the relevant authorities to take immediate action, or they will escalate their protest.

Some of the troubling issues that were highlighted in the letters to the Education Ministry and in the media in the past include the head teacher’s mismanagement and harassment of the school’s vendors in October 2015; verbal threats and abuse made to the Parent-

Teacher Association (PTA) President and other parents; the refusal to allow the PTA to function; daily unprofessional behaviour; and (alleged) misappropriation of school funds.

Another letter, dated December 7, 2016, detailed the unprofessional behaviour of the headmistress in dealing with a staff member in the presence of a parent. The headmistress allegedly hurled racial remarks while attempting to physically assault her in the process.

Moreover, in July 2016, a group of parents of Grade Six children met with reporters to vent their frustration over the misappropriation of funds that were contributed for their children’s graduation.

Cornette was also accused of misuse of financial contributions made to the school by parents to offset the school’s telephone bills and the purchase of fuel for her personal vehicle and that of another staff member.

GWI proposes new rate changes T

he Guyana Water Inc (GWI) has made an application to the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) to adjust its current service rates.

While listing a number of reasons for the proposal, the company indicated that the rates it was hoping to adjust include water tariffs,

sewerage tariffs, and ancillary charges.

The GWI in its proposal noted that it was requesting the change of rates owing to the fact that it was still operating under the 2005 tariff regime. This regime consists of tariffs approved by two agencies which are now obsolete: the Guyana

Water Authority and the Georgetown Sewerage and Water Commissioners.

Among the other reasons for the proposal, the utility company stated that there were instance s where domestic customers were required to pay a higher rate than commercial customers. Also, it

highlighted that owing to a fairly low unmetered rate, customers were refusing to become metered, resulting in the inability of the utility to provide service at an adequate pressure.

Referencing international standards, the GWI has said that it was ready to implement a fixed charge. The fixed charge, which will be used to subsidise the cost of maintenance for GWI’s infrastructure, will also rule out the compulsory minimum consumption of 10 cubic metres and 15 cubic metres and allow for customers to only be billed on their consumption volume. If the proposal is accepted, consumers will now be billed for consumption plus the fixed charge, if their consumption is at zero they will only be billed for the fixed charge.

The proposal also contains special provisions for pensioners; one of which stipulated that their fixed charge will be waived.

Similarly to the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) approach for implementing garbage collection fees, the GWI will host a public hearing in order to receive feedback and suggestions from residents regarding the adjustment of their tariffs. The consultation will be held today, February 12 at 10:00h in the Woodbine room, Cara Lodge, Quamina Street, Georgetown. All members of the public are invited to attend and participate in the hearing.

…on sugar? he Government spokesman announced that the Special Purpose Unit (SPU) - set up to dispose of the four closed sugar estates may “open” them again.

Now, isn’t this what your Eyewitness has been pleading for - with arms raised to the heavens -from the beginning of the debacle? Not to mention the Govt’s own CoI! The geniuses who made the original decisions have now confirmed they don’t know their a55 from their elbow when it comes to agriculture in general, and sugar production in particular.

What seems to have escaped them is that we’re not only located in the tropics, but we have fertile soils, which, combined with heavy rainfall, guarantees the abandoned sugar fields will become “jungle” within a year. And the drainage and irrigation canals will be so overgrown with grass – antelope or elephant – bulldozers would be able to crawl over them!! Can you really sell a budding jungle to investors for the price it cost us to create those fields in the first place?

But let’s say it’s a case of “better late than never”.

Does the SPU fellas (and felines) know that most of the equipment from Wales has been cannibalised – primarily to Uitvlugt?? This confirms what the workers of Wales had said from the beginning: their factory was in a better condition that Uitvlugt. But who listens to workers who’re using the equipment on a daily basis? What do they know?

Certainly not as much as an Agriculture Minister who wouldn’t recognise a sugar clarifier if one crept up on him and bit him on his behind!!

So the other question is: Where will the SPU get the financing to start up production again?? Wouldn’t this have been just the same amount of money the Sugar CoI had recommended be injected into GuySuCo for three years, until the whole organisation can be brought to a point of sale?? And wouldn’t they have to re-hire the same folks they fired? But now, with their “severance” in their hands, will they want to return to the scenes of their humiliation?

The whole exercise raises the question of why the arbitrary decision was made in the first place. It certainly wasn’t a decision that made economic sense, since it’ll now have to be reversed - and cost billions to boot!!

It didn’t make political sense either – since even if there were some sugar workers who were teed off against the PPP, they’ve now all returned to the fold, after they were thrown to the dogs!

The only answer is revenge. The PNCites remember Burnham shuttering Leonora estate because it was the centre of PPP militancy.

And bettered him with 5,700 at one blow!! …on the Oil Messiah?

There’s quite a difference, we Guyanese know, between “guitar” and “mouthtar”! That is, between actions and words. Everyone can mouth off, but few can do, especially when it comes to these PNC Ministers. So, at the Oil Summit, there were quite a lot of eyes rolling around in their sockets when Raphael “Nassau” Trotman spoke about agriculture not being the deliverance for Guyana.

There were even a few chuckles!! Does “Nassau” know that agriculture needs people who are willing to get into the fields where the crops will be planted? Has he heard the expression “once they’ve seen the bright lights, you can’t get them back on the farm”? If he didn’t, he should ask himself why, even though unemployment is sky high, none of the unemployed from Georgetown jumped into the cane fields – even though the pay was supposed to be astronomical!

One test is whether the $23 million for agri in Mocha, BV, Buxton and Ithaca will be sustainable!

Bets anyone?? …on FDI? Since the beginning of “developmental economics”, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) was the Holy Grail that would lead poor countries into the ranks of the “First World”.

Why doesn’t GO-Invest reveal the culprit who placed the ad to chase FDI away? Was it an “insider”??

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

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monDAY, February 12, 2018 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Wales’ severance cries

Fired sugar workers describe life of desperation F

ormer Wales sugar worker Arvin Bradford has decried the financial strain that has been facing his family over the past year.

The Free and Easy, West Bank Demerara (WBD) resident told Guyana Times that since the closure of the estate, he plants his land with cash crops. But, he gave all indications that his life was not what the name of his village suggested as his earnings now were not sufficient to take care of his wife and children.

“Twenty years I worked with [Guyana Sugar Corporation] GuySuCo. Right now, I struggling. I got a lil’ piece of land and by time I plant that out, every-

Former Wales sugar worker Arvin Bradford

thing done sell out and eat out. Four pickney me got and that not easy to maintain. The smallest one is cou-

ple months,” he expressed.

He explained that one of his children attended nursery school while the others attended primary school.

Bradford contended that not having employment meant that his youngest child was born into a situation of poverty. Bradford said in 2016, he was injured but afterwards he was not offered suitable work or compensation from the National Insurance Scheme (NIS).

“They forcing people to go to Uitvlugt but I ain’t going nowhere. Here become redundant and they supposed to pay we off. From 2016, I get a head injury while working for GuySuCo; I do a head scan and I ain’t get nothing from NIS,” he

Guyanese man arraigned in Brazil for attempted murder

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Guyanese national was on Saturday evening arrested in neighbouring Brazil for attempting to murder Venezuelan refugees in Boa Vista, Roraima.

It was reported that the 42-year-old Guyanese man, Gordon “Jamaica” Fowler, had set fire to homes that were being occupied by Venezuelan refugees. Fowler was subsequently arrested by the General Homicide Office of the Civilian Police, near the crime scene. The man was arrested based on a number of items in his possession such as a lighter, alcohol and a sign bearing the word “fire”. He was also said to be wearing the same clothing that the perpetrator was wearing at the

Gordon Fowler aka “Jamaica”

time of the attack, as was recorded on a security camera.

According to Police reports, the man who lives on

the streets of Boa Vista has confessed to the crime. He stated that he had no vendetta against the victims, but they were targeted because of their easy accessibility. The refugees in that area tend to reside in structures that have no doors or windows or in abandoned properties which are plentiful in the area. The man was also aggravated about a misunderstanding he had and about having his bicycle stolen.

When he is taken to court, Fowler will answer to two charges of attempted murder. Specifically, double attempted murder for two persons he injured in his first attack and triple attempted murder for a family he hit in his second attack.

The Wales Sugar Estate

stressed.

He further explained that he was given a referral by the hospital that he could perform “light labour”, but was not offered such tasks at Wales and he instead opted for severance as the entity was being closed.

He said sugar workers were being neglected despite their contribution to Guyana.

“It seems to me like cane cutters [are] nothing in this country. I feel neglected be-

cause without we, there woulda never be a sugar industry...nobody could get pay, nobody wouldn’t get a job, no sugar to make, no molasses to sell, but the hardest set of workers ain’t getting nothing,” Bradford detailed.

He then highlighted that the surrounding Estate villages were suffering as there were “more sellers than buyers”.

Despite the calls and even protests by Wales sug-

ar workers and their families, GuySuCo announced earlier this month that those employees were not entitled to their termination benefits. This was declared by acting GuySuCo Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Paul Bhim, who maintained that GuySuCo honoured all its obligations regarding the payment of severance at the Wales Estate. He told the Department of Public Information (DPI) that cane cutters were offered jobs at the Uitvlugt Estate and they were at risk of self-termination because of their refusal to take up this offer.

However, the workers argued that they were being pressured by GuySuCo when they were aware that the Uitvlugt Estate was located more than 20 miles from Wales. They still contend that this move is contrary to the Termination of Employment and Severance Pay Act.

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Goldsmith robbed at Hydronie Market Pedestrian killed in NA accident P olice are investigating an alleged robbery-under-arms incident committed on 43-year-old Reezal Reektan, a goldsmith of Stuartville Railway Line, WCD. Two identifiable males, one armed with a handgun, reportedly approached the goldsmith at the Hydronie Market, Parika

on Sunday at about 11:30 hrs, and relieved him of Gy$400,000 and a quantity of gold and silver jewelry, the value of which is yet unknown.

Enquires disclosed that the virtual complainant usually sells jewelry at the market in a glass case.

On the day mentioned, he went to the market at about

6:00hrs and laid out his glass case with the items.

At about 11:30 hrs, he was approached by the two suspects, who enquired about a ring, and while in conversation, one of the suspects held the goldsmith’s jersey and brandished a handgun while the other suspect emptied the glass case of items and cash, placing

all into a bag he had in his possession before they ran north then turned west after discharging a round in the air as they made good their escape.

No one was injured, and no spent shell was recovered. Checks were made for the suspects, but they were not located. Investigations are continuing.

Neil Chan Prize for creativity, pageantry launched

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new Mash prize has been launched in memory of late costume designer Neil Chan. The announcement was made last week by Director of Culture Tamika Boatswain, who announced the inclusion of the ‘Neil Chan Prize for Creativity and Pageantry’ as part of this year’s Mashramani activities.

The prize was donated by former costume designer and Neil Chan’s widow, Mrs. Sheila Chan. The trophy will be donated yearly for the King of the Band

The late Neil Chan

competition.

Neil Chan was most popular in the 70s and 80s; he dominated the Mashramani competitions with brilliant and thoughtful pieces. On numerous occasions, Chan won the King of the Band competition; he also spearheaded the Solo Sounds Band which was said to be the leading private sector costume band at that time.

Chan is also the recipient of Guyana’s highest accolade, The Golden Arrowhead of Achievement award, for his outstanding contributions to Guyana’s

Culture. He was also honoured with the GCA of New York Award, also for his contributions to Guyana’s arts and culture. Chan passed away on January 5 of this year, he was 88 years old.

The Neil Chand Foundation has also stated that it is looking forward to collaborating with the Department of Culture to develop the Festival Arts in the nation. It plans on doing so by providing training for young and upcoming designers so that they can improve the standard of their work.

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he Police have said they are investigating a fatal accident which occurred on the Stanleytown public road in New Amsterdam Berbice on Saturday at about 20:45 hrs.

In this fatality, motor pick-up GKK 6238, owned and driven by 57-yearold Shafee Mohamed of Lot 55 Stanleytown, New Amsterdam Berbice was proceeding north along the western drive lane of the Stanleytown Public Road allegedly at a fast rate of speed when the driver was blinded by the oncoming lights of another vehicle and pedestrian Enquiries disclosed that mo-

tor pick up # Gkk6238 and struck down the pedestrian Wyadand Pooran, age 44 yrs, of Lot 58 Stanleytown, N/A, who was sitting on the western side of the drive lane.

Having received injuries about his body, the pedestrian was picked up in an unconscious state and taken to the N/A Hospital, where he pronounced dead on arrival by the doctor on duty.

The driver was subjected to a breathalyzer test, which did not find alcohol on his breath, but he has been arrested and his vehicle has been impounded at the station.

10 advance to final of Carib Soca Monarch

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en semi-finalists have been shortlisted to advance to the final of the 2018 Carib Soca Monarch competition slated for February 17, following the hosting of the semi- finals in Linden on Saturday evening.

There was intense competition, which progressively heated up, between 15 semi-finalists as the event got underway at the LindenGeorgetown Municipal minibus park as competitors battled to secure a spot in the final with a grand prize of $1.5 million at stake.

Of the 15 semi-finalists, those who made it through to the final in no particular order are Brandon Harding singing “Alive”; Colwin “Lil Colwin” Blair (“Leave Me Alone”); Jonathan “Lil Red” King (“Water, Paint and Powder”); Melissa “Vanilla” Roberts (“We Run Things”); Shellon “Fluffy” Gallay (“Bam Bam"); Roshauna Fraser (“Show Me”); Samantha Grant (“Ah Playing Mas”); Alisha “Sasha Melody” Hamid (“Love Off”); Diana Chapman (“Get Ready”) and Roger “Young Bill Rogers” Hinds (“De Money Power Dance”).

Performers who did not make it to the final following Saturday's competition are Stanton “Cardiac” Lewis with “Welcome Guyana”, Quacy “Avalanche” Coates with “Life”, Keron “Norek Mas” Sam with “Power Soca”, Colwyn “Soca Cwyn” Abrams with “Soca Rage” and Delon “Soca Del” Azore with “Take A Bounce”.

As seen from the list, Lindeners did not disappoint in their hometown, as five made it to the final (Harding, Blair, Gallay, Fraser, and Chapman).

Participants were judged in on lyrical performance, diction, stage performance, party appeal and crowd response among other criteria.

The evening's chief judge was Shawn Bola. Also heating things up on stage and entertaining the crowd were the Heat Wave Band and Selector Winston.

The competition is being hosted by the Ministry of the Presidency, Department of Social Cohesion, Culture, Youth and Sports in collaboration with Carib Beer. The final of the competition will be hosted at Jubilee Park, Georgetown on February 17, 2018.

East Coast woman robbed at gunpoint on Croal Street

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olice are now investigating an incident which saw a woman being robbed of her handbag containing cosmetics and a small amount of cash on Sunday.

Anita Sugrim, 39, a vendor of Nonpareil, East Coast Demerara (ECD) was relieved of one shoulder bag containing cosmetics valued $10,000 by two identifiable males, one of whom was armed with a handgun.

The incident occurred about 15:00h at Croal and Pollard Streets while the victim was awaiting transportation. The perpetrators rode up to her from an east-

ern direction on Croal Street and the one being towed took out the weapon from his waist, pointed it at the victim and told her to hand over her bag.

The victim complied and the perpetrators then escaped on the said bicycle south on Pollard Street. No shots were fired or injuries sustained by the victim. The incident was reported to the Brickdam Police Station at 15:20h, and the scene visited at 15:45h by Police.

Several CCTV cameras were seen in the area. Statements were taken as the investigation continues.

NEWS

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Red House lease revocation challenge

Chief Justice to hear case next week

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he legal challenge to President David Granger’s revocation of the 99-year Red House lease, by its occupant, the Cheddi Jagan Research Centre Inc (CJRCI), is slated to be heard next week Tuesday at the Supreme Court.

The case has been before the courts over the past 13 months following the Head of State’s eviction order. It was recently disclosed via notice that the matter is fixed for hearing before acting Chief Justice Roxane George, SC, wherein counsel for the plaintiff, Anil Nandlall and Attorney General (AG) Basil Williams, the named defendant, were both listed to appear.

Since March 2017 then acting Chief Justice Yonette Cummings-Edwards had ruled that the High Court has jurisdiction to hear the Red House lease revocation matter. In the prior month, the Attorney General had

presented arguments which supported his claim that the court had jurisdiction over the case since the lease was revoked by President Granger. Williams had also noted that no civil action could be brought against the Head of State if he executed the functions of his office, under Article 182 of the Constitution. However, the court had ruled that while the President himself was immune from legal suits, his actions were not.

This determination was highlighted in the aftermath of an injunction that prevented President Granger from evicting the occupant.

In late December, he gave the occupant of Red House 48 hours to vacate the premises, a move which Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo had described as “unconscionable and vindictive”.

At that point, the move was not in isolation as a ‘back-and-forth’ erupt-

The Red House

ed between the coalition Government and the occupant. The Research Centre was established in 1999 to promote research into and publish materials on the life, work and ideas of late President Dr Cheddi Jagan. The prime land on which Red House sits was leased to the CJRCI for 99 years for $12,000 per year.

Former People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) General

Secretary Donald Ramotar had disclosed that he approved the lease in his capacity as President of Guyana.

He was President from 2011 to 2015.

The A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) coalition Administration was initially adverse to the small fee being charged and had started engaging the directors of the Research Centre on the

Moruca man dies on Takutu Bridge

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Dead: Rockie Pedro

22-year-old man was killed on Sunday while travelling from Guyana to Brazil via the Takutu Bridge.

The man identified only as Rockie Pedro reportedly fell from a moving vehicle which was travelling across the Bridge.

The Takutu Bridge connects Guyana and Brazil and is used by scores of people on a daily basis.

No one else travelling in the vehicle with the young Moruca resident was in-

jured. When contacted on Sunday for a comment on the matter, Police officials said they were unaware of the incident despite assurances from residents in Moruca that the Police were investigating the circumstances which led to the young man’s demise.

possibility of transforming the Red House into a hub for all former Presidents.

The Management Committee, which included former President Ramotar, had strongly objected to this move, and told the Government to find independent sites for the establishment of similar research centres for the other Guyanese leaders.

Ramotar had posited that former Presidents Desmond Hoyte and Forbes Burnham never shared the same ideology and philosophy of Dr Jagan and contended, therefore, it would be a “total dis-

honour” for Red House to be converted into a depository for all past Presidents.

It was subsequent to these comments that AG Williams opined that the lease was invalid, after which President Granger moved to revoke the said lease.

The Attorney General had expressed statements to the effect that the lease was not executed in accordance with Section 13 of the Deeds Registry Act but his predecessor, Nandlall, had, however, reasoned that a leasehold interest is “property” in law.

12 news

monDAY, February 12, 2018 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Oil and Gas

Guyana still unprepared for oil spill – conservationist – comprehensive national response plan only the beginning

people who are trained to be a part of that national response. I do know that our Civil Defence Commission is the focal agency with regard to response, with MARAD (Maritime Administration Department).”

Arjoon expressed the hope that the Marine Conservation Society will seek partnerships with those agencies in order to play its role. However, she was also concerned that enough is not being done to get persons, such as residents of Region One (Baraima/Waini), involved in the conversation.

Region one is home to Shell Beach, one of Guyana’s

By Jarryl Bryan

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he Oil and Gas sector has its advantages and disadvantages. One of the major disadvantages is the widespread destruction to the environment an oil spill can cause. According to a notable environmental activist, Guyana’s safeguards against an oil spill still leave much to be desired.

According to long time conservationist Annette Arjoon, there is still no comprehensive national oil response plan. This is even as ExxonMobil’s commercial production of oil is slated to begin two years from now.

“Am I satisfied that enough preparations are in place for an oil spill? The answer is no, for many reasons,” she related, during an interview with this publication on the sidelines of the Guyana International Petroleum Business Summit. “We’ve

Capacity

Last year, it was announced that the Audit Office of Guyana (AOG) would commence a number of environmental audits in 2018. These audits, Auditor General Deodat Sharma had said, would analyse the capacity of the country’s relevant agencies to protect the environment and endangered species of animals in case of a disaster.

Asked what areas the environmental audit would cover, Sharma had identified Region One. “As you know, North West (Region One) has the four turtle (species). We have

Conservationist Annette Arjoon assists one of the several beached whales Guyana has seen on its shores over the past few years

only been privileged to have a look at the (oil agreement with Exxon) two months ago, and there’s very little as regards the environmental

safeguards,” she declared “Apart from that and a few discussions that the oil spill response plan is being developed, we’re yet to

have a comprehensive national oil spill plan, which will only be the beginning of a long journey,” she continued. “But then you need

Fire-fighting efforts being concentrated on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig

National Protected Areas.

The beach is renowned for being a nesting site to four of the world’s seven sea turtle species, most of which are endangered. They include the Leatherback, the largest of all living turtles whether sea or otherwise, and perhaps the best known one; while the Hawksbill, Olive Ridley and the Green Turtle are the other species. These all seek refuge at the beach.

“Thus far, they (Region One residents) have not been invited to participate, but I do look forward to (them engaging) in the months to come, and also for Exxon itself to (visit). As much as they’ve done simulation oil spill response training in the manmade lake at Splashmins, the conditions in Region One in our marine waters are vastly and dramatically different,” she said.

“So I urge (Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited and) the relevant partners to also go into Region One to get this done.

We have a robust regional administration. We have the Mayor and Town Clerk who are veterans in that area. We have the Shell Beach rangers who have been doing this work for decades. We have all the raw elements that are ready to participate,” she detailed.

That said, she acknowledged that Guyana’s oil industry is still fairly raw, and so observed that in the coming months, only time will tell whether certain standards have been reached regarding Guyana’s oil spill preparedness.

to preserve those, because we don’t want to have an oil spill and it could be dangerous. I remember several years ago, there was the cyanide overspill. It had an effect on the environment in the interior.”

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

Guyana does not have to look far to see examples of the long term effects of oil spills. Effects from an Exxon oil tanker spilling millions of gallons of crude oil into the Gulf of Alaska (popularly known as the Valdez oil spill) in 1989 are still felt today on the environment. And cleaning up oil spills can costs billions of US dollars.

For instance, British Petroleum’s (BP) expended approximately $14 billion in clean-up costs after its Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded and sank in 2010. The disaster killed eleven persons on board and nearly five million barrels of oil were released underwater before the well was capped.

In 2016, President David Granger commissioned Guyana’s first oil spill response operation service at the Gaico Wharf at Nismes, West Bank Demerara. Gaico Oil Spill Response Operation Services, a name coined by Komal Singh, was set up as a pre-emptive measure against probable spillage once production commences in the future.

The company has previous experience in construction.

13 Sugar worker's family: "One meal and sugar water a day" NEWS

monDAY, February 12, 2018 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

….some say children will be taken out of school, others have to “look wuk”

By Michael Younge

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cores of sugar workers who were dismissed from their jobs at the Rose Hall Estate are saying they have moved from a position of “surety” under the previous Peoples Progressive Party Civic Government to one of “suspense” under the current A Partnership for National Unity and Alliance for Change (APNU/AFC) Government.

Speaking with Guyana

Times during an interview last week, the workers said that since the closure of the estate, they have been significantly affected despite the payment of severance belatedly by the Guyana Sugar Corporation.

Close to a month after their dismissal, they reported that things have gotten from bad to worse, with no end in sight for the hardship they have been made to face as a result of Government’s insensitive move.

A former field foreman attached to the Rose Hall Estate, Glendon Grant, said the community of Adelphi is hard hit by the closure, and ordinary folks are struggling to survive or make ends meet. He said he had to borrow money from his neighbours in order to cover the expenses related to the overheads of his household, as things are becoming even harder financially.

“Apparently Region Six people aren’t counted. This

50 years of friendship, cooperation between Brazil and Guyana – collaboration in defence, health and infrastructure

President David Granger and Brazilian President Michel Temer look on as Foreign Affairs Minister Carl Greenidge and the Brazilian External Affairs Minister Aloysio Nunes add their signatures to the Agreements

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his year will mark 50 years of friendship and strong bilateral ties between the Cooperative Republic of Guyana and the Federative Republic of Brazil, during which there has been cooperation in the areas of defence, health and public infrastructure between the two South American neighbours.

With the visit of Brazil’s Defence Minister Mr. Raul Belens Jungmann Pinto and a high-level delegation on February 9, this 50-year-old relationship is set for further strengthened cooperation and collaboration.

In December 2017, during President David Granger’s State visit to Brazil, the two countries inked two agreements in the form of the Complementary Agreement to the Memorandum of Understanding between the Cooperative Republic of Guyana and the Federative Republic of Brazil. Thus was created the “GuyanaBrazil Joint Commission to Develop Infrastructure Projects” and the Complementary Agreement to the Basic Agreement on Technical Cooperation between the Government of the Republic of Guyana and the Federative Republic of Brazil for the Implementation of the Project “Technologies to Reduce the Effects of the Drought in Region Nine of Guyana.” The construction of the long-awaited Linden-

Lethem Road is one of the key projects expected to be advanced under this agreement.

In an interview at the conclusion of that meeting, President Granger had said that, for decades, both sides had envisaged a route through Guyana which would provide better development prospects for investors to come from the Caribbean into Brazil, and from Brazil into the Caribbean.

“This is something that has been long discussed.

And in fact, in some parts of the Rupununi, roads were actually aligned, but we never had funding to complete it. The infrastructure agreement we are entering will be focused on fulfilling that obligation to building a road between Lethem and Linden. Brazil has done its part; Brazil has built a bridge under President Luiz DaSilva, and the road literally comes right out to the bridge. We need to do our part, so that is a very important agreement that was signed,” he said.

Foreign Affairs Minister Carl Greenidge explained that, in July 2017, he and Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson had met with their respective counterparts to discuss moving the project forward. At that forum, it was agreed that both countries would provide financial resources for the engineering and design of the road.

Minister Greenidge had explained at that time that

this road link is a critical piece of infrastructure that holds great potential in terms of integrating the two countries and improving trade.

In terms of the second agreement, the Brazilian Army will be working closely with the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) to develop its Engineering Corps. This collaboration will see the drilling of artesian wells in Indigenous communities in villages such as Para Bara, Achiwib, Karaudarnau, Aishalton, Awarewanau, Shea and Mururanau.

“As we know, Rupununi is susceptible to droughts and floods, so we want to remove that uncertainty and have a system under which the communities -- there are over 50 villages in the Rupununi -- could be supplied with fresh water continuously during the year. And Brazilian terrain across the border is similar in many respects. So there is not only going to be a supply of physical infrastructure, but there’s also going to be a transfer of technology,” President Granger said.

New Embassy During their visit to Brazil in July 2017, Minister Greenidge and Minister Patterson had also turned the sod to mark the construction of a permanent building for the Guyana Embassy in Brazil.

This was done in an effort to further solidify the relations between the two nations.

Vicky called "Two Pound"

Anita Ramnarine

Glendon Grant

APNU/AFC Government shut down the estate, they deprive us of our livelihoods and got we wandering. We used to live with surety, but now they got us living in suspense. I am not certain about tomorrow, because I am not secured about today”, he said.

He related that, before he got into office, Prime Minister Nagamootoo had gone to the Adelphi Market Square and promised to raise the sugar workers’ salaries by 20 percent, but when he entered Government, he closed down the industry.

“And he has the audacity to go on the TV at Welfare Centre and say that he is the messenger of truth. I don’t know what truth he talking about, because they fooling people. I searched this whole Berbice for work, and I worked 17 years and now I have to beg for work.

And yesterday I had to borrow money from my neighbour to pay E-Networks”, the irate worker said.

Another worker, who identified himself only as Vicky, called “2 pound,” said he had been employed to do weeding at the estate for the last 3 years before he was dismissed. He was not eligible for severance as he may have been a temporary

employee.

Nonetheless, things have gotten hard for him and his wife, as he explained that while he likes to work and earn, he is unable to find a job.

“I got to try and do lil fine-fine work around the village, because if I don’t, me and she gon punish more and starve. I done know if I get a hundred, I could buy a pint a rice for me and she eat. I used to get a week pay, but now since dem close down, things hard”, the dismissed worker related.

He said he wants the Government to look into the plight of men and women in the community as they appear to be underestimating the impact of the closure on the poor and ordinary folk.

“You got to find it. When you go to shop, the shop man don’t give you nothing free. You got to put ya hand in ya pockets and then you gon get de item you want”, he opined.

Meanwhile, Anita Ramnarine, who is married to a sugar worker, explained that the family goes many days without sufficient food, and sometimes just one meal. Her husband worked at the Estate for some 35 years, she related, before disclosing that she has five chil-

dren to fend for. Despite the domestic abuse she suffers sometimes, she says, things were not as bad as they are now.

“Me does got to get up early and cook he food ‘cause of how far he does got to go… It does be hard but me does try… He used to wuk and give me money and me used to try mek am do, but since he last he work, we a suffer… sometimes we does got to go without food after one meal, or eat bread and drink sugar water…whatever lil money I get I does try send them children to school, even though we poor”, she explained.

Ramnarine said the closure of the estate has left a permanent scar on the psyche of her husband, and her family is devastated. She is appealing to the Government to think about the poor persons who were affected, and do something more tangible to help them.

Back in December 2017, the Government made a decision to close three sugar estates and downsize the sugar industry, thereby making 3762 persons unemployed without a detailed impact assessment plan or a strategy for reintegrating the workers back into the field of work.

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monDAY, febrUARY 12, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

VOX POPULI

What the people say

I SAY...

Should nurses be banned from using their cellphones during working hours?

Joshua Macey “Yes, I think they should have a regulation stating during working hours a nurse shouldn’t be seen using their phone, but they can use their phone during lunch break.

Reason being, nurses work in a healthcare [setting] and people put their life and health in their hands, they need to be focused and aware at all times in case of an emergency.”

Varune Mahadeo “I do think nurses should be banned from using their cell phones at work, because it can be a major distraction, which will eventually see them not performing their duties as expected to. But, it should be put into consideration that whichever health institutions they work for have different forms of effective communication in case of emergencies.”

David Fletchman “No. Simply because the hospital isn’t going to be always be busy. Both my sisters are nurses and if I call their phones and can’t reach them, I know they’re at work then I assume that they’re busy.”

Keshanie Ghansiam “Yes, because they need to focus on the patient and not on the phone. The cellphone is a big distraction.”

Nichola Abrams “Yes, they should. It’s a distraction, especially those in the nursery caring for premature and other babies.

My experience with this was very bad in 2004 when I prematurely gave birth to my child who subsequently died; I strongly believe that had they given him attention at the birthing process he would’ve lived. Added: at nights when you check on your child, either the nurse is not there or is distracted.”

Lorenzo Joseph “Because most of them does be distracted and [what] makes matters worse, it is a hospital and people’s life is at stake. That phone distraction can cause them to give people wrong meds or injection, or some wrong treatment. So, yes, I fully support for it to be banned.”

Anthony Narine “Yes, I think nurses should be banned from using their mobile devices while at work. They should be focused on patient care and looking after those at the medical facility as well as other important tasks. I think cellphones are a distraction and should not be used while on duty.

I have no problem if they are utilised during ‘privates’ and on private time, but not while these nurses have to tend to patients.

As you know, the complaint of many families centre on neglect, we need to do all that we can to address this issue. We need to reduce distractions.”

Ian Campbell “Of course not, in this day and age where communication is even more vital; given the increasing horrendous atrocities, it is imperative for communication at all times be maintained in all environments excepting those where persons are at risk of radiation and other chemical reactions. However, with Guyana being far from state of the art in terms of technology, there should be a substitute means of adequate communication among medical personnel. There should not be any restrictions for nurses from using their cellphones. Everything has its pros and cons down to riding a pedal bicycle. So, I reiterate yes, nurses should be able to use their cellphones during working hours; however, with maturity and discretion.”

Jared Dickinson “Yes, unless they’re on break or lunch. If not, if there’s an emergency, a landline should be readily available.”

Stephaine Defreitas “I have a very good understanding of nursing and I know how demanding it can be. I do not support the usage of cellphones while on duty. I think nurses have to be disciplined and focused while at work. Cellular phones can be used in their spare time.

They have to recognise that the patients come first and they need to devote all of their attention to monitoring the conditions of patients and surveying the wards.”

Cindy Gardner “Why should they be on phones when they have sick patients to tend to? Phones are distractions from all sorts of things and to be honest, these young nurses focus more on their phones than on the patient who needs their attention the most.”

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guyanatimesgy.com

monDAY, february 12, 2018

Regional T&T Carnival plot

Oxfam Haiti sex Police dismiss reports FBI interrogating claims: Charity “failed in moral leadership” suspects, another person detained

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he Trinidad and Tobago Police Sunday said they had detained another person in the alleged terrorist plot to disrupt the Carnival celebrations this weekend and dismissed as “incorrect” media reports that officials from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the United States were interrogating the suspects in the country.

“That would not be correct. The FBI is not interrogating anyone in Trinidad and Tobago,” Acting Police Commissioner Stephen Williams told a news conference, flanked by National Security Minister Retired Brigadier, Edmund Dillon and the Chief of Defence Staff, Commodore Hayden Pritchard.

Last week, the US-based

Acting Police Commissioner Stephen Williams during an emergency press conference at the Police Services’ Administration Building in Port-of-Spain

television network CNN reported that US troops participated in the raids on mosques and captured four “high value targets”.

Williams, as he has done in the past, did not identify the eighth person detained

since the security forces last Thursday announced that they were conducting investigations into the alleged plot to disrupt the Carnival celebrations that end on Tuesday with the usual street parade and jump-up.

“I wish to advise that eight persons have been detained to date. We continue through with our investigations all with the clear intentions of completing those investigations in the shortest period of time,” Williams said, adding “we have done all that we can do at this point in time to avert any threat to the Carnival celebrations.

“Persons can feel assured that Carnival 2018 you will have all the necessary safety and security support of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service,” he said, encouraging “persons to take part in the Carnival celebrations, enjoy it, feel assured that the Trinidad and Tobago Police will be out there in the numbers across all venues of the celebration”. (Excerpt

from CMC)

Bolivia: Gas canister blast kills 8 in Oruro carnival

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t least eight people in Bolivia have died when a gas canister used by a street vendor exploded during the city of Oruro’s famous carnival celebrations.

More than 40 others were injured, the authorities said.

Several victims had to be airlifted to Bolivia’s main city, La Paz, as local hospitals struggled to cope.

Hundreds of thousands of people take part every year in Oruro’s carnival celebrations.

The blast happened on Saturday evening on a crowded side street close to the main parade route.

At least three children died. Others were injured.

President Evo Morales wrote on Twitter that he was “dismayed at the

The blast happened near the main carnival parade route

news of the deaths caused by the explosion”.

Oruro’s colourful costumes and performances attract visitors from all over the world.

Local media reported that the explosion was accidental.

The Oruro carnival dates back more than two centuries and has been classified as a cultural heritage event by the United Nations.

Some 6000 dancers – among an estimated crowd of some 450,000 – take part in the festivities every year. (BBC News)

M

inisters could cut off funding for Oxfam if it cannot account for the way it handled claims of sexual misconduct by aid workers, Britain’s international development secretary has warned.

Penny Mordaunt will meet the charity today to hear more about claims staff used prostitutes in Haiti in 2011.

She said Oxfam had failed in its “moral leadership” over the “scandal”.

Meanwhile, Oxfam has announced new measures for the prevention and handling of sexual abuse cases.

Mordaunt told the BBC’s Andrew Marr she had written to other organisations funded by Department for International Development (DfID) urging them to report any safeguarding issues, past or present, and pledged they would all be followed up.

Oxfam has faced growing criticism for the way it handled the allegations of mis-

conduct by its staff in Haiti, where they were working in the aftermath of the huge earthquake that devastated they country in 2010.

The charity’s own investigation into the allegations led to four people being sacked and three others resigning – among them its country director, Roland van Hauwermeiren.

Mordaunt said the allegations were “a complete betrayal of both the people Oxfam were there to help and also the people that sent them there to do that job”.

She said Oxfam did “absolutely the wrong thing” by not reporting the details of the allegations and that no organisation could be a government partner if it did not “have the moral leadership to do the right thing”.

She said she was considering whether Oxfam should receive any more funding from the government - which gave it £32 million (US$44 million) in the last financial year. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Ambassador representing Jamaica at 6th World Government Summit in Dubai

Hundreds rally in show of Hundreds of Haitians support for Trinidadian detained, false immigrant rights activist documents seized

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undreds of supporters on Saturday rallied in lower Manhattan in demonstrating support for Trinidadian immigrant rights activist Ravi Ragbir, who faces deportation to his native land.

Ragbir, 53, whose detention sparked several protests last month, will be able to stay in the United States for the time being, according to a court order issued in New York on Friday.

Ragbir was detained one month ago after a routine check-in with US Immigrant and Customs Enforcement (ICE), a move that sparked protests throughout New York City from supporters who called Ragbir a pillar of the community.

“They want to make America white again,” Ragbir told about 300 supporters during Saturday’s rally in Foley Square. “But

America was never white in the first place.

“Am I a national security problem? “Am I colluding with Russia?” Ragbir asked.

“We know that there is a movement to remove people of colour, to learn that there is an ethnic cleansing being created by this administration. And it’s very hard words, but let’s be real about what we are seeing.”

Ragbir, the executive director of the New Yorkbased New Sanctuary Coalition, and several organizations supporting him filed a lawsuit against ICE, the US Department of Homeland Security and the US Department of Justice, alleging that he was targeted because of his activism.

He was granted a stay of deportation to allow for the briefing and consideration of the suit, according to AM New York. (Excerpt from CMC)

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ominican Republic authorities say they have detained more than 250 Haitian nationals and seized a number of illegal documents during raids in several areas including the city.

They said the raids during the week netted the illegal Haitians as well as dozens of fake cards of the National Plan for the Regularization of Foreigners (PNRE), false visas and Dominican identity cards (cédulas).

Immigration and military officials said that most of those detained would be repatriated to Haiti and that the raids formed part of the clampdown by authorities in the two countries to prevent the sale of illegal products at traffic lights, avenues and public places.

They note that in recent months, several thousands

of falsified PNRE cards and hundreds of fake Haitian passports have been seized by the Dominican authorities.

But the authorities warn that Haitians, who risk expulsion are easy prey for networks of counterfeiters of Dominican and Haitian thugs, who sell the PNRE cards at high prices. They said the cards are immediately discovered during a biometric check.

“Remember that these falsified cards that usually usurp the identity of a Haitian regularly registered with the PNRE, lead to the expulsion of the holder but also to the exclusion of the PNRE and the expulsion of the real owner if the latter does not can prove that he has filed a prior complaint for the theft of his card,” they said in a statement.

(Excerpt from CMC)

J

Jamaica’s Ambassador to the United States, Audrey Marks

amaica’s Ambassador to the United States, Audrey Marks, is in Dubai representing the island at the sixth annual World Government Summit, which runs from February 11 to 13.

The country is being represented at the conference for the first time by Marks, who was invited by the Government of the United Arab Emirates.

The summit is a global platform dedicated to the enhancement of Governments around the world and will bring together more than 3000 participants, including world leaders, policymakers, representatives of international organisations and experts from over 130 countries.

This year’s staging, being held under the

theme: “Shaping Future Governments”, will explore the role of administrations over the forthcoming decades, against the background of notable advances that have occurred and continue to take place globally, and which are anticipated in the years ahead.

Marks will have the opportunity to interact with a number of world leaders who are involved in work aimed at advancing their nations’ development.

Previous speakers at summit include: former United States President Barack Obama, United Nations Secretary General António Guterres, World Bank President Jim Yong Kim, and International Monetary Fund Managing Director, Christine Lagarde.

(CMC)

monDAY, february 12, 2018

guyanatimesgy.com

17

Around the World

71 die in plane crash near Moscow Chinese press attacks Sweden

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passenger plane carrying 71 people crashed minutes after take-off from Moscow's Domodedovo airport killing everyone on board.

Saratov Airlines Flight 703 went down on Sunday near Ramenskoye town, about 40 kilometres from Moscow's second-largest airport.

Russian Transportation Minister Maxim Sololov confirmed there were no survivors.

The Antonov An-148 aircraft had 65 passengers and six crew members on board when it went down.

The plane was heading from the Russian capital to Orsk city, about 1500km away, near the border with Kazakhstan.

It was not immediately clear what caused the crash.

"Witnesses said they saw a burning plane falling out of the sky," said Al Jazeera's Rory Challands, reporting from Moscow.

Russian investigators

over bookseller

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The Russian Transport Ministry was investigating possible causes including weather conditions and pilot error, Interfax news agency said

said "no reports about technical malfunctions were received from the plane's crew" ahead of the crash.

The Russian Transport Ministry was investigating possible causes including weather conditions and pilot error, Interfax news agency said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin extended his condolences to those who lost relatives in the crash.

"The President has in-

structed the Government to set up a special commission over the plane crash in the Moscow region," Tass news agency quoted Putin's Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov as saying.

A source from the emergency services told Interfax the airplane had been manufactured less than eight years ago.

Saratov Airlines is one of a number of small regional airlines operating in Russia. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

Cyril Ramaphosa: ANC impatient over Jacob Zuma’s future

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he leader of South Africa's ruling party has acknowledged growing impatience over the failure to resolve President Jacob Zuma's future.

Cyril Ramaphosa said the matter had to be handled with "care and purpose".

"We know you want this matter to be finalised," he told a crowd marking 100 years since the birth of the country's first black president, Nelson Mandela.

Zuma is facing extensive corruption charges after a turbulent nine years in power.

The African National Congress (ANC) says its National Executive Committee (NEC) will meet today to decide Mr Zuma's future. The BBC's Africa Correspondent Andrew Harding says the NEC is likely to ask Zuma to step down.

A similar NEC meeting was called off last week after direct talks between Zuma and Ramaphosa, who is the Deputy President as well as the new leader of the party.

Zuma has faced increasing pressure to quit since December, when Ramaphosa

replaced him as leader of the ruling ANC. In a speech at the event in Cape Town, Ramaphosa said the key aim of transition talks was to unite South Africans.

He also acknowledged the disunity within the ANC, but said Mandela's centenary year "offers us a new beginning".

Urging South Africans to restore the values Mandela stood for, he called for an end to corruption and said those who had stolen state assets would be brought to justice.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

tate media in China have accused Sweden of a movie-style plot to spirit away detained bookseller Gui Minhai, who has Swedish citizenship.

The Hong Kong-based businessman was seized on January 20 while travelling to the Chinese capital, Beijing.

On Friday, a video interview was released in which he accused Stockholm of "sensationalising" his case.

A Chinese tabloid condemned Sweden for trying to "demonstrate its diplomatic heroism by 'saving the book-

seller'".

Gui, who was briefly freed from custody last October, has been in and out of Chinese detention since 2015, when he went missing during a holiday in Thailand.

The Global Times, a nationalistic paper, accused Sweden of tricking Gui into a plan designed to free him from Chinese custody.

It says the bookseller was banned from leaving the Chinese mainland over allegations he had been involved in "illegal business".

The 53-year-old was arrested while taking a train to

Beijing from Ningbo in eastern China, where doctors had said he might have the neurological disorder ALS, a type of motor neurone disease.

He had been scheduled to see a Swedish specialist in the capital, and was arrested in the presence of two Swedish diplomats travelling with him.

In an editorial headlined, "Is Sweden making 'Saving Gui Minhai' movie?", the Global Times says Stockholm "wanted to arrange Gui's 'escape' by breaking Chinese law". (Excerpt from BBC News)

Kashmir gunfight enters 2nd day, 5 soldiers dead

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fierce gun battle at an army base in Jammu city of Indianadministered Kashmir has entered the second day leaving at least six people, including five soldiers, dead, officials said.

Official figures released on Sunday said that three attackers have been killed and 11 people have been wounded in the ongoing attack on Sunjuwan army camp.

Indian Army chief Bipin Rawat has also rushed to Jammu to monitor the situation.

Officials said an unknown number of attackers are cornered inside the residential complex of the camp, where they are locked in a fierce standoff.

Hundreds of Police, army and paramilitary soldiers were called in to dislodge the fighters, who have barricaded themselves inside multistorey buildings.

The vast army installation located in the city of Jammu is located close to

Official figures released on Sunday said that three attackers have been killed and 11 people have been wounded in the ongoing attack on Sunjuwan army camp

several shopping centres and schools.

Speaking to Al Jazeera, an official from the civil administration said the nearby schools had been closed as a precautionary measure and security was beefed up across the area.

"The situation continues to be tense. The attack has taken place in the main city.

The exchange of fire is still on," the official said.

Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh said he was closely monitoring the situ-

ation.

The attackers are suspected to be affiliated with Jaish-e-Mohammad, a Pakistan-based group which has launched similar raids in recent years against the army and paramilitary installations across the region.

Jammu is the main city in the southern part of the disputed state, claimed by both India and Pakistan in full. The archrivals control parts of the Muslimmajority Himalayan region.

Trump warns Israel that settlements North Korea keeps mum on summit invite 'complicate' peace hopes

President Donald Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital was strongly welcomed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

U

S President Donald Trump has said Israeli settlements "complicate" the peace process with Palestinians and urged "care" over the issue.

He also told an Israeli newspaper that he did not believe the Palestinians, and possibly Israel as well, were ready to make peace.

President Trump angered Palestinians in December when he recognised

Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

He also threatened to withhold aid unless Palestinians agreed to talks.

The US leader's latest comments came in an interview published on Sunday with the conservative newspaper Yisrael Hayom.

Asked by editor-in-chief Boaz Bismouth when the US would present its peace plan, M Trump said: "We will see what happens. Right now

the Palestinians are not into making peace, they are just not into it. Regarding Israel, I am not certain it, too, is interested in making peace so we will just need to wait and see what happens."

Asked whether Israeli settlements would form part of the peace plan, he said: "We will be talking about settlements. The settlements are something that very much complicates and always have complicated making peace, so I think Israel has to be very careful with the settlements."

Jewish settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem have long been a stumbling block to a peace deal.

More than 600,000 Jews live in about 140 settlements built since Israel's 1967 occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem. The settlements are considered illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

(Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

as its delegation completes South visit

N

orth Korea’s delegation sent to the Winter Olympics held “frank and candid” talks with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, the North Korean news agency said on Sunday, but it made no mention of the North’s invitation to Moon to Pyongyang for a summit.

The delegation, the highest-ranking to visit the South and led by the younger sister of the North’s leader Kim Jong Un, concluded its visit on Sunday after charming and intriguing the South Korean public, but still faces deep scepticism over Pyongyang’s sincerity towards improving relations.

Any summit between the two still-officially warring Koreas would be a coup for Moon, who has been pushing for a diplomatic solution to the standoff over North Korea’s nuclear and missile programmes.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in shakes hands with Kim Yo Jong, the sister of North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un, in Seoul, South Korea in this undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) February 10, 2018

In a rare honour for visiting foreign guests, Moon met Kim’s sister, Kim Yo Jong, four times during the delegation’s three-day visit. Moon’s chief of staff held a farewell dinner for the delegation before the delegation attended a performance by a North Korean orchestra, the last item on their itinerary before heading home.

“I never thought I would visit (the South) so suddenly and believed much would be strange and different but I saw many things that were similar or the same,” said Kim Yo Jong in a toast during Sunday’s dinner, adding she hoped to meet the “friendly faces” before her later in Pyongyang. (Excerpt from

Reuters)

18

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monDAY, February 12, 2018

ARCHIE

Watch your back.

ARIES Concentrate on whatever will (March 21- help you advance. An inevitaApril 19) ble change should be handled openly and objectively. Take the initiative and live up to your expectations.

Look for alternatives inTAURUS stead of overreacting to a sit(April 20- uation that arises. Don’t feel May 20) the need to make a move before you have heard all the facts. Focus on taking care of your responsibilities.

dilbert

Do things properly the GEMINI (May 21- first time to avoid getting June 20) into a bitter dispute over a lack of detail and precision.

Intelligent ideas are only favourable if they are affordable.

Keep moving until you reach your destination. The (June 21- momentum you build will July 22) help you outmanoeuvre anyone trying to compete with you. A unique twist to an old idea will come in handy.

CANCER

Peanuts

Size up what everyone else LEO is doing and what’s available (July 23- to you. Make choices based on Aug. 22) what you can handle mentally, financially and emotionally before you sign up.

Network with peers to gain VIRGO a different perspective on the (Aug. 23latest trends. Keeping up in Sept. 22) areas of interest will give you a better idea of what you’ll have to do to be competitive.

Calvin and Hobbes

LIBRA Refuse to give in to emo(Sept. 23- tional criticism. Know what Oct. 23) you are capable of, and follow through with your plans.

Don’t limit your chance to get ahead or make a difference.

WORD GAME

SUDOKU

TODAY’S WORD — CRIBBAGE (CRIBBAGE: KRIB-ij: A counting card game for two, sometimes three or four, players.)

Average mark 23 words Time limit 40 minutes Can you find 36 or more words in CRIBBAGE? The list will be published tomorrow.

Protect against injury or SAGITTARIUS insult.

Don’t share with peo(Nov. 23ple you don’t know well or Dec. 21) aren’t sure you can trust.

Live within your means and avoid indulgent behaviour.

SATURDAY’S WORD — GARRULOUS

gaur goal guar gular guru also augur roar rural

usual luau oral ours sago slag slog slug slur

soar solar sora soul sour sugar

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

Spend more time on perSCORPIO sonal growth and changes (Oct. 24that make you feel good about Nov. 22) your appearance. Associations with people you find trustworthy and reliable will help you make better choices.

solution for LAST PUBLISHED Puzzle

Rely on your intuitive CAPRICORN senses to help you make the (Dec. 22- right choice when it comes Jan. 19) to personal money matters, contracts or legal concerns.

Physical changes are encouraged.

Helping others may make AQUARIUS you feel good, but make sure (Jan. 20you don’t overdo it. Someone Feb. 19) will overreact if you are too demanding or judgmental.

PISCES Personal information you (Feb. 20- share will improve your position March 20) and reputation. Participation will encourage deeper beliefs and stronger connections. Don’t argue to prove your point; just do your own thing.

monDAY, february 12, 2018

19

Serena O

Serena Williams

ver a year after her last competitive appearance, Serena Williams made her return but suffered defeat alongside sister Venus.

Serena Williams made her return to a competitive tournament on Sunday in the Fed Cup but suffered defeat in a doubles match with sister Venus in United States’ tie with Netherlands.

The 23-time grand slam champion had not

beaten on return

played since her victory in the 2017 Australian Open, which she won while pregnant, having given birth to her first child in September.

The USA had already won the tie 3-0 by the time Serena and Venus took the court to a rapturous reception from the home crowd in Asheville, North Carolina.

But there was to be no icing on the cake after clinching qualification for the semi-finals, as the Dutch pair of Lesley Kerkhove and Demi Schuurs spoiled the party with a 6-2 6-3 win.

Serena made a rusty start to proceedings as Kerkhove and Schuurs broke in the first game and then consolidated with a hold as the 36-year-old ballooned a simple overhead smash wide.

She continued to look like a player out of match practice as Netherlands then moved into a 3-0 lead and, though that advantage was reduced to 3-2, Kerkhove and Schuurs rattled off the next three games to take the set.

Despite improving as the match progressed, specifically with her reactions at the net, Serena could

not prevent Netherlands from breaking again to start the second set, which they controlled to wrap up a win that was sealed by a Venus double-fault.

Speaking after the match, which took place with daughter Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr. courtside, Serena said: “It was really special to be out here with Venus and we’re so happy that team USA won.

“It’s her first match so I’m glad she got to see it. It’s been really, really fun.” (Sportsmax)

Newcastle stun United keeper Martin Dubravka made several superb saves.

“They fought like animals,” Mourinho said of Benitez’s side.

“Newcastle’s players gave the sacrifices all managers like to see. Were they lucky? Yes. But sometimes you deserve that luck. They

Even Alexis Sanchez could not get through Newcastle

N

ewcastle United’s manager Rafa Benitez would have taken a victory against just about anyone on Sunday, such was his side’s predicament, but a 1-0 win over Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United would have tasted that bit sweeter. Huddersfield Town’s 4-1 home victory over Bournemouth earlier in the day meant Newcastle started their home clash against United in the Premier League’s bottom three.

Yet they responded with a gritty display, riding their luck at times to take the points courtesy of Matt Ritchie’s 65th-minute winner which propelled them from 18th to 13th.

The result also left second-placed United a whopping 16 points behind lead-

ers Manchester City and looking anxiously over their shoulders in what looks like becoming a tense battle for the remaining Champions League places.

Tottenham Hotspur’s 1-0 victory over Arsenal on Saturday had lifted the north London club to within four points of United and Liverpool sliced the gap to two after Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah scored in a nonchalant 2-0 win at Southampton in Sunday’s late kickoff.

Fifth-placed Chelsea can move to within three points of United with victory at West Brom on Monday.

There was a warm handshake between Benitez and Mourinho when the final whistle sounded at a tumultuous St James’ Park to confirm Newcastle’s first home

league win since October.

But their previous history has been marked by frostiness -- a result of former Liverpool manager Benitez twice getting the better of Mourinho’s Chelsea in Champions League semi-finals.

The fact that they have both managed Chelsea, Real Madrid and Inter Milan, with Mourinho enjoying a superior record, meant Benitez’s triumph on Sunday, only his second in the Premier League against Mourinho, had added meaning.

Ritchie rifled a shot past David De Gea in the 65th minute to punish a profligate United side who wasted several good chances with Anthony Martial and Alexis Sanchez culpable.

Newcastle dug deep for their manager and debutant

fought for their lives and that’s a beautiful thing.”

Too slick

Martial was denied by a great save from Dubravka and had two efforts cleared off the line after the break.

Sanchez inexplicably failed to fire into an

empty net after rounding Dubravka, shortly before Ritchie struck the winner.

“We had games in the past when we conceded late. We got lucky with some shots, but we showed the character, the commitment and the desire today,” Benitez said.(Reuters)

20

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

monDAY, february 12, 2018

Winter Olympics

Gerard wins United States’ 1st gold cess for France.

Sharp-shooter Arnd Peiffer. took a surprise biathlon gold.

Teenage kicks for American Gerard

Red Gerard finished just 1.16 points ahead of Max Parrot to take gold

T

eenager Red Gerard snatched a dramatic victory in the men’s slopestyle to win the United States’ first gold of the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics.

The 17-year-old scored 87.16 on his final run to beat Canadians Max Parrot (86.00) and Mark McMorris (85.20).

“I cannot believe what has just happened - it is insane,” said Gerard Austrian David Gleirscher was the surprise winner of the men’s luge and Norway’s Simen Hegstad Kruger won the men’s skiathlon despite an early fall.

Elsewhere, Dutch speed skater Sven Kramer took a third consecutive gold medal in the 5,000m, German biathlete Arnd Peiffer was

a surprise winner of the 10km sprint while 19-yearold French skier Perrine Laffont triumphed in the women’s moguls.

The blustery weather meant the women’s slopestyle and men’s downhill skiing had to be rescheduled.

Day two medal winners

Norway’s Simen Hegstad Kruger recovered from an early fall to win the men’s skiathlon.

Dutch speed skater Sven Kramer completed a hat-trick of victories in the 5,000m.

David Gleirscher won the men’s luge as defending champion Felix Loch missed out on a medal.

Teenager Perrine Laffont claimed moguls suc-

At 17, Gerard is the first Winter Olympic champion to be born this millennium.

He does much of his training in a facility built by him and his older brothers in the back garden of his family home in Colorado.

In tricky conditions he made mistakes in his first two runs, but produced a clean final effort which was well rewarded by the judges.

Victory for Gerard, who was just 13 when Sage Kotsenburg won slopestyle gold for the US at the 2014 Games, means he is the second-youngest man to win gold in an individual event at the Winter Games, after Finnish ski jumper Toni Nieminen. He won the individual large hill event in 1992, aged 16 years and 261 days.

Until late in the final run, it had looked as though Sochi bronze medallist McMorris would take an emotional gold medal, less than 12 months after a near-fatal crash.

Last March he suffered a fractured jaw, left arm, pelvis and ribs, ruptured spleen and a collapsed lung after colliding with a tree.

He led with a score of 85.20 from his second run, but both Gerard and Parrot bettered that score.

“I don’t want to think too much about the past today, but I appreciate the fact I’m here on my snowboard,” said McMorris.

“I need to pinch myself because now I feel so good and comfortable on my board, but eight months ago I probably didn’t think I was going to be able to snowboard at this level ever again.”

Jamie Nicholls, Billy Morgan and Rowan Coultas all fell in qualifying on Saturday, meaning there were no Britons in the final.

Nightmare for Kruger

Kruger’s Olympic debut got off to a poor start when he fell early in his race, breaking a ski pole, but he recovered to rejoin the rest of the field before breaking away on the penultimate lap, going on to win by eight seconds.

He led home a Norwegian clean sweep, with teammates Martin Johnsrud Sundby and Hans Christer Holund taking silver and bronze respectively. Andrew Musgrave was seventh, the best performance by a Briton in an Olympic cross country event.

“I don’t know what happened - I had two guys over me and one broken pole,” said Kruger.

“I just had to try to stay calm. I was really tired after the classic part, but as soon as I changed skis, suddenly my legs felt great again and I knew that all the possibili-

Gerard does much of his training in a facility built by him and his older brothers in their back garden

ties are now open again and I just tried to start fresh.

“I knew the skating part is my strongest part and I just had to go for it and don’t look back.”

Strong winds disrupt day two

While the men’s slopestyle event was completed, women’s qualifying was cancelled before an athlete was able to complete a run because of strong winds.

As a result, all athletes have progressed to Monday’s final, which begins at 01:00 GMT, and will compete in two runs rather than three.

The weather had earlier caused the postponement of the men’s downhill, one of the major events of the Games.

The downhill will now take place on Thursday at 02:00 GMT, with Austria’s defending champion Matthias Mayer, Switzerland’s Beat Feuz and Norwegian veteran Aksel

Lund Svindal among the contenders.

Other news lines on day two

The mixed curling semi-final line-up was decided. Olympic athletes from Russia (OAR) will take on Switzerland, while Canada will be up against Norway.

Comments made by Russian speed skater Semen Elistratov are being investigated by Olympic officials after they appeared to break rules about making political statements. Elistratov, competing for the OAR, dedicated his bronze medal to his compatriots who were excluded from the Games.

Officials now know the problem behind the cyber attack during the opening ceremony - but have not revealed what it was.

The spectator seating had to be rearranged on day one to allow North Korean cheerleaders to sit together.

Thomas "got powers PSG prepare for Real Madrid back" in Lakers debut N

A

fter his stunning trade to the Los Angeles Lakers, Isaiah Thomas was left upbeat following a 22-point debut.

Isaiah Thomas felt he “got his powers back” after a strong performance as the Los Angeles Lakers suffered defeat in his debut against the Dallas Mavericks.

Thomas was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in August in the deal that sent Kyrie Irving to the Boston Celtics, but played only 15 games after spending much of his time with Cleveland recovering from a hip issue.

He averaged just 14.7 points and 4.5 assists per game for the Cavs, never looking like the player who was an MVP candidate with the Celtics, before being sent to the Lakers as Cleveland completely remodeled their team with a series of stunning moves at the trade deadline.

The Lakers were beaten 130-123 by the Mavericks on Saturday, but Thomas was left feeling optimistic after finishing with 22 points and six assists.

“I wanted to bring something to the table,” Thomas said. “I felt like I got my powers back playing on this team.

“This is the best they have been playing. I don’t want to mess anything up. And I told [coach Luke Walton] that. Whatever he needs me to do, I am willing to do that.

“I would love to be a starter. I feel like I deserve that and earned that, but at the same time, it’s a new chapter for me. I am here to help this team, help these young guys, continue to be professional, continue to work hard and continue to gel together.”

“He brings another dimension to what we have,” Walton said of Thomas’ display. “When he is able to control pick-and-rolls and get people shots, obviously we couldn’t run a ton of stuff because he has been with us for one day, but he was good.

(Sportsmax)

Isaiah Thomas

eymar will head to the Santiago Bernabeu as PSG’s star man and Thiago Silva cannot be sure he would resist interest from Real Madrid.

Thiago Silva concedes there are no guarantees Neymar would remain at Paris Saint-Germain in the face of advances from Real Madrid.

PSG travel to the Santiago Bernabeu in the pick of the Champions League last-16 ties this week, with former Barcelona hero Neymar making his return to Spain a key part of the fixture’s appeal.

Madrid have been repeatedly linked with a mega-money swoop for Neymar, whose €222million switch from Camp Nou to the French capital last August established him as the most expensive player in history.

The Brazil forward has scored 28 goals in 27 games across all competitions for Unai Emery’s men and Silva hopes his 26-yearold countryman will stick around to amass honours at PSG. Asked about the prospect of Neymar leaving to join Madrid, the centre-back told Canal+: “I don’t know. I cannot speak for him.

“We know that sometimes the press releases things that are not true. But, also, others that are true.

“I cannot say anything. I hope he stays with us, he still has a lot of things to do with us, and he has already helped us a lot.

Neymar holds the key between two of Europe’s top sides

“Thanks to him and the work we do together, we are even more famous.”

Madrid’s ailing LaLiga title defence and the presence of stars such as Neymar and Kylian Mbappe at PSG has led to suggestions the forthcoming showdown could see a passing of the torch from the reigning European champions to the Parisian pretenders to that throne.

Nevertheless, Silva expects to be tackling the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale in peak form.

“People think that PSG are al-

ready in quarters because Madrid runs through a bad time - no, it’s not like that,” he said.

“The big players, we see them in the big matches. It’s sure that those at Madrid will give everything at this game and we will too.”

Silva added: “I think it’s going to be a very high-level match, you have to be focused. You do not have to talk too much before, just give advice to the team.

“We will have to play our game, try to control and stay focused when we don’t have the ball. We must continue to work and respect this team.” (Sportsmax)

sports

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CWI Super50 Cup 2018

Stuttering Jaguars looking to rebound against United States

T

he Guyana Jaguars pursuit of the elusive “Double” has been afflicted by back-to-back losses but they will fancy today’s match against United States who occupy Group B’s last place spot.

The Jaguars, after losing two in a stretch, have been pushed to second place, thanks to Joe Denly’s men, the Kent Spitfires who did an amazing job of outplaying Guyana during Saturday’s Day/Night affair; which end-

century for the Jaguars.

While skipper Leon Johnson and veteran Shivnarine Chanderpaul have hit a fifty each during good wins for Guyana earlier in the Cup, not much has come from the two most senior batsmen. As a result the middle-order, which is occupied by mostly the Jaguars young all-rounders, has managed to put their hands up but to little avail.

Chris Barnwell, who returned to Jaguars duties af-

Veerasammy Permaul.

While the Jaguars dip might not deter their overall result, it has left the team with a hex heading into the top/bottom-of –the-table clash against the USA. On the other hand, life has been good to America in the Cup as they whipped a strong Leewards Hurricanes by 59 runs on Saturday, giving their confidence a buff going into Monday’s game.

Although Guyana beat America early in the com-

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21

Shimron Hetmyer

ed with the English side pulling off a 3 wicket win.

Guyana’s batting in the last two matches has been circumspect as West Indies batsman Shimron Hetmyer, prior to the Jamaica Scorpions and Kent matches, was the leading run-scorer (209 runs) with the only

ter a lack of form kept him out of the 4-day championship top-scored in an a gusty innings of 36 from 66 balls with two fours and as many sixes. The next best scorers were the all-round pair of Sherfane Rutherford and Romario Shepherd with some impetus from spinner

petition, much has change for both teams and while Guyana’s premier players have been struggling, USA’s top players have been looking ominous.

Opener Sunny Sohal, the former Indian U19 and a batsman who has been involved with top IPL franchises like

BCB embarks on Under-17s preparation T

he Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) has embarked on an aggressive program to scout talented players who will represent the county in the 2018 Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) Inter County U17 competition.

With a scheduled bowl off date of February 25, weekend fixtures will see the Western Berbice Zone taking on the New Amsterdam /Canje Zone at the Young Warriors Cricket Club Ground in Cumberland. The Port Mourant Community Center Ground will see the Upper Corentyne lads will do battle with their peers from Lower Corentyne.

The BCB which comprised of: Albion Cricket Club, Port Mourant Community Center Cricket Club, Blairmont Community Center Cricket Club, Upper Corentyne

Cricket Association, Rose Hall Community Center Cricket Club, Whim Cricket Club, Chesney Cricket Club, Western Berbice Cricket Association and Young Warriors Cricket Club have all joined together to ensure that the under 17

youths are well prepared for the county competition.

The clubs have also agreed to sponsor these games which will serve in

the interest of cricket development in the county. Over the past few weeks, players born on or after September 1, 2001 have been called to trials in their respective areas in order for them to undergo the selection process.

The players will be divided into 4 zones and will play each other after which the final 14 will be selected. The Inter Zone U17 Competition will continue on February 17, 2018.

All games are scheduled to start at 10:00 hrs. The general public is invited to support the initiatives and programmes of the Berbice Cricket Board.

Meanwhile, Guyana and West Indies star Tremayne Smartt is currently conducting sessions for players desirous of representing Berbice in the U19 Inter County Competition scheduled for later this month.

Deccan Chargers, India Under-19s, Kings XI Punjab, Punjab, Royal Challengers Bangalore smoked 50 on Saturday, his second half-century of the Cup. Also, with Sohal’s opening partner Jaskaran Malhotra beating his previous top-score of 28 with a more aggressive 38 versus Leewards, coupled with former West Indies batsman Xavier Marshall among the runs, Guyana will need to be weary in their approach.

From a bowling perspective Ex-India U19 Saurabh Netravalkar, another of USA’s premier players, has been good with the ball, claiming six wickets to date with a decent economy. Saturday’s Man-of-thematch Nosthusha Kenjige, the left-arm spinner who grabbed four scalps could be the x-factor given his performance at the venue a few days ago.

Meanwhile Jaguars have no worries, West Indies Test specialist leggy Devendra Bishoo snapped up four wickets versus the English, giving his tag partner Permaul a break.

Meanwhile, Shepherd, Keemo Paul, Rutherford and now Barnwell have completed the Jags four pronged pace attack; with the three young pacers running amok since the Cup commenced.

The Jaguars will be keen

Devendra Bishoo

on adding to their 13 points while USA will desperately seek to increase their 5 points Guyana will want to rebound in a huge way following their two losses while USA will want to utilize their form from the previous match and win their second straight match at the Sir Viv Richards Ground. The first ball is set to bowl off from 9:00hs local time. (Clifton Ross)

22

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

monDAY, february 12, 2018

Milo Schools Football Tournament 2018

Action resumes today with tripleheader

– 3 more matches on Wednesday Though there was no play on Saturday, sections of the Ministry of Education Ground were still under water on Sunday

A

fter inclement weather whipped out the entire weekend action in the sixth annual Milo Schools Football Tournament, play is expected to resume today at the Ministry of Education ground, Carifesta Avenue with three matches that were initially slated to be contested on Saturday.

Last weekend’s action would have marked the commencement of the second round of group matches with the first round see-

ing 70 goals being scored and 2017 runners-up Morgan’s Learning Centre netting the highest in their 13-0 trouncing of School of Nations.

Should the weather permit, today’s action will see Annandale Secondary and Carmel Secondary from 16:00h followed by South Ruimveldt Secondary and Business School from 18:00h which should set an exciting tone for the final match of the night between threetime defending champions Chase Academic Foundation

and Friendship Secondary from 20:00h.

At the same starting times on Wednesday St Roses High will come against Uitvlugt Secondary then Buxton Youth Development facing Charlestown Secondary followed by former champions Lodge Secondary in a battle Queenstown Secondary.

The under-18 tournament which is held in collaboration with the Ministry of Education under theme “there is no excuse for vio-

lence” provides intense competition as teams are hoping to secure the first place prize of $500,000 which goes towards a school project. Second to fourth, will receive $300,000, $200,000 and $100,000 respectively which also go towards school projects.

Rain stalls Elite League resumption T

he Guyana Football Federation (GFF) reached another stumbling block with their Elite League and this time it is in the form of rain when it was set to resume on Sunday at the Georgetown Football Club, Bourda.

However, the inclement over the weekend left the ground in an unsuitable state of play. The federation has not yet released a rescheduled date.

Sunday’s action was billed to be a scorcher given the top players teams acquired during the January transfer window. Guyana Defence Force were set to meet Den Amstel followed by the clash of the night in Western Tigers and Fruta Conquerors.

Director of Competitions, Ian Alves had stated, “ this phase of the League will see a more competitive brand of football: “Now that the mid-season transfer has concluded, clubs would have

been able to make the necessary adjustments to their squads with a view to improving their performance for the remainder of the Elite League”.

He added “ Based on some of the player transfers seen during the window, fans can look forward with eager anticipation to more competitive matches and a more attractive brand of football for the remaining part of the League.”

After the first two matches, East Coast Demerara based units of Den Amstel and Victoria Kings along with the Tucville based Fruta Conquerors lead the 10-team points table with six points apiece.

Season two winner GDF and Western Tigers are in fourth and fifth on four points respectively while Buxton United are in sixth with three points. Milerock, New Amsterdam United Ann’s Grove and Cougars FC have failed to secure a point.

Rain halts Sanjay's Valentine Open

Despite the inclement weather, LGC's on-going works on the course ensured it withstood most of the rain this past weekend

T

orrential rains curtailed this weekend's Sanjay's Jewellery Valentine Open Golf tournament, forcing organisers to again reschedule the event.

After Saturday’s originally planned day went sour due to inclement weather.

Sunday’s weather didn't do the huge turnout of golfers any favours as the morning

proved conducive for play.

Following the completion of a few holes, the rains ensured that while the Greens and Fairways were still in good shape, play was limited; bringing an end to the day’s action a little after lunch.

Lusignan Golf Club (LGC) President Aleem Hussain confirmed that with

a tight schedule this weekend, with a Beharry Open set for Saturday February 17.

Hussain said with the initial support shown by the fraternity over the past two rain-affected days, the Sanjay's sponsored event will now be pushed to possibly the last weekend in February.

Meanwhile, the newly constructed parking lot which is set to house some 300 plus vehicle, will be officially unveiled by a projected next month end.

The LGC will also be hosting a family fun day and bar-b-que on Sunday February 18. According to Hussain the event will be free to the public who can come out and learn golf for free.

monDAY, february 12, 2018

guyanatimesgy.com

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GMR&SC ‘King of the Strip’ Drag Meet

Rain dampens explosive action tion came to an end prematurely due to an accident.

Vivik Joshi who won the 12 seconds class in a time of 12.106s was on the hunt for more honours but his Toyota Altezza (4WD) skidded and

Despite the constant downpour, fans came out in their numbers to witness the event

The rush was on to verify the condition of Vivik Joshi who skidded off the track during a race

R

ain was the ultimate winner when the Guyana Motor Racing & Sports Club (GMR&SC) held its King of the Strip Drag racing meet on Sunday at the South Dakota Circuit.

The event was poised to be a scorcher with several drivers making improvements to their machines but many were unable to showcase their true power due to the slippery nature of quarter-mile strip.

Only four categories were completed when the day’s ac-

Sharima Khan (pink car) looked to be dominating the 11 seconds class until the category prematurely came to an end

flipped multiple times in the sand until it came to a stop turned on its roof.

Joshi escaped partially unscathed with just some cuts to his hands and his vehicle surprisingly still reasonably intact.

One of the Toyota Caldinas came out briefly on the track and easily won its race

The little competitive racing saw Pankraj Ramdeo win the 15 seconds in a time of 15.386s; Ryan Brijpal (14.745s ) topping the 14-seconds and Surinamese Nevin Lalbeharie winning the 13-seconds in 13.474s with his Toyota Mark X. The weather seemed to be changing its course and much to the delight of the sizable crowd, Team Mohammed’s Enterprise and their Nissan GT-R reeved their engines at the starting line.

They took off in rapid time and gave the fans a

teaser but resisted on pressing the gas due to conditions.

The day before in practice they were clocking 7.8 seconds just above their 7.5 seconds record.

Much to the disappointment of many the highly anticipated showdown between Shawn Persuad’s powerful Toyota Caldina and the GT-R did not materialise.

The next order of business for the club will be their Annual General Meeting and election of officer bearers scheduled for Friday.

(Akeem Greene)

Magnum ‘Mash Cup’ Futsal

Sparta, Bent Street among top teams to progress – round of 16 gets cracking tonight

Rugby Team’s Blaise Bailey in a battle for possession during his match with New Market Street

T

he group matches of the riveting Magnum ‘Mash Cup’ Futsal Tournament have concluded and Sparta Boss, Bent Street are among some of the top teams to progress to the round-of-sixteen which commences tonight at the National Gymnasium.

The other teams which made the cut are Future Stars, ANSA McAL Allstars, Swag Entertainment, Showstoppers, Team Extreme, Albouystown ‘B’, Back Circle, Gold is Money, Ol Skool Ballers, Alexander Village, North East La Penitence, NK Ballers, Leopold Street and Silver Bullets.

On Saturday, New Market Street and Rugby Team played to a 2-2 draw with Peabo Hamilton and Rickford Cummings scoring

in the 4th and 5th respectively for the latter while the equalising goals came from Kevin Baptiste (6th) and Mickel Brandt (7th).

Stalemates continued as the star-studded Team Extreme gifted the lead Pernell Schultz gave them in the 2nd minute to Showstoppers who equalized in the 16th via Stephon Jupiter.

Hustlers lost their mustwin match when Leon Yaw scored in the 14th minute for Alexander Village while YMCA All-Stars defeated Albouystown ‘A’ via strikes from Travis Grant (8th) and Roberto Osborne (12th).

Likewise, Andrew Murray Jr with a goal in the 17th made the difference in Bent Street’s clash with Swag Entertainment and Sparta bullied Silver Bullets with Gregory

Showstoppers' Trayon Bobb provided the attacking burst for his team in their match against Team Extreme, but the score ended 1-1 on Saturday at the National Gymnasium

Richardson scoring a double (3rd & 18th) and supported

by Quincy Adams (13th).

North Ruimveldt and Sophia clash was a no contest but North East La Penitence got down to business against Tigerbay winning 2-0 on the back of Keifer Brandt (12th) and Clavin Moore (15th).

The most thumping victory of the night came when Leopold Street shot six pass Mocha who could only respond with one. Mark Jhalu (4th &14th) and Tyrese

Forde (7th & 16th) helped themselves to a brace each while more goals came pouring in from Darren Benjamin- (6th) and Okeene Fraser (11th); Rolex Smith had given Mocha the lead in the 3rd minute.

Moses Grittens’ strike in the 8th minute helped Albouystown ‘B’ edge Back Circle while Future Stars decimated Channel-9 Warriors with a 4-0 drubbing. Curtez Kellman (4th), Akeemo Anthony (9th), Alex

Moore (12th) and Raphael Edwards (14th) were on target.

The final saw Colin Nelson helping Gold is Money easily defeat Ol Skool Ballers when he scored in the 14th minute.

With the final slated for Saturday, the winning team is poised to pocket $400,000 while first runner-up will collect $200,000, the third place finisher will pocket $100,000 and fourth place $50,000.

monDAY, february 12, 2018

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

guyanatimesgy.com

GMR&SC ‘King of the Strip’ Drag Meet

Rain dampens explosive action

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Mohammed’s Enterprise Nissan GT-Rs took to the startling line, but only gave a glimpse of their power due to the wet conditions at the South Dakota Circuit

Magnum ‘Mash Cup’ Futsal

Sparta, Bent Street among top teams to progress

– round of 16 gets cracking tonight Team Extreme (red attire) and Showstoppers had the fans on their feet with invigorating action at the National Gymnasium on Saturday evening

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