Guyanatime 13 april 2018

Region 3 residents benefit P12 from Salvation Army donation

Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana guyanatimesgy.com

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Issue No. 3532

Friday, April 13, 2018

Jagdeo says misconduct charges against Ashni Singh, Brassington “frivolous”

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WHAT'S INSIDE:

CGX to begin drilling by year P2 end

See stories on pages 3&12

Former Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh

Head of SOCU, Sydney James

Former NICIL CEO Winston Brassington

Govt not bothered by Venezuela’s military exercise close to border

First quarter financial report

P8 Alleged mastermind in carjacking ring granted bail reduction

Page 7

Guyana’s growth rate plummets to 2.1% Page 10

…as economy struggles to rebound from recessionary mode

Courts must protect P2 fundamental rights – Justice Carl Singh asserts

Stakeholders briefed on P11 GuySuCo’s social resilience programme “Zipper” trial

Dr Norton reiterates call for national unity as Harmony Village opens Page 7

CANU ranks to testify in “cocaine in alleyway” P8 matter

These young people represented Guyana’s ethnic and cultural diversity as the second Harmony Village opened on Thursday at Main Street, Georgetown

DEMTOCO awaiting regulations under new tobacco laws – complains of difficulty meeting Health Minister

Page 9

Close to $56M missing from Diamond/Grove NDC Page 9 …Police, Auditor General called in

Minister Gaskin visits Essequibo to discuss business sector

2 news

friDAY, april 13, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Courts must protect fundamental CGX to begin drilling rights – Justice Carl Singh asserts by year end

S

tudents, lecturers, and members of the public were Wednesday evening treated to an informative and thought-provoking discussion on the “Constitutional Guarantee of Fundamental Rights and the Citizen”.

The session was hosted by the University of Guyana as part of “Project Renaissance”, launched in 2016 by Vice Chancellor Professor Ivelaw Griffith. These sessions are entitled “Conversations on Law and Society”.

Presenting Wednesday evening was the distinguished Jurist-in-Residence, Justice Carl A Singh, who gave historical accounts of the identification of these rights.

Referring to personal accounts, Justice Singh highlighted the significant lack of understanding by individuals about the Constitution and what the Constitution recognises as their fundamental rights.

“It is in the context of pro-

Sixth Form students of the Bishops’ High School interacting with Justice Carl Singh

viding a general education that I have framed my presentation tonight. My aim is to present a general idea of what these fundamental rights are. So that, in keeping with my observations made, I hope to be able to convey, or rather make contribution to what has been perceived as the woeful lack of education by our people about these fundamental rights.” Singh said.

The former Chancellor

chose to focus on the right to life, freedom of expression, and protection from discrimination. He further noted that while the Constitution, which contains these rights, is the supreme law of the land, these fundamental rights are not absolute, but are conditional, meaning that there are limitations to these essential rights.

It was then that he cautioned those present to be wary when utilising their

fundamental rights, so as not to infringe the rights of others.

Justice Singh quoted the words of the late Justice S Yacoob Mohamed from his book, Constitutional Law of Guyana.

“Absolute or unrestricted rights do not exist in a civilised society; a man’s fundamental rights and freedoms must not, therefore, violate the fundamental rights and freedoms of others.”

Justice Singh closed his address by stating that it was the responsibility of lawyers to promote the fundamental rights and freedoms in society, and it was the role of the court, as the guardians of the Constitution, to protect those rights.

The event was the third session of “Conversations on Law and Society”. The first and second focused on “The life and work of Joseph Oscar Fitzclarence Haynes” and “Guyana’s Borders, Boundaries, Barriers, and Bridges” respectively.

T

he Canadian Oil and Gas Exploration Company (CGX) is set to commence drilling on the Corentyne block as early as the end of this year, Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman, has confirmed.

The oil company has already appointed a drilling engineer who will be in charge of designing its offshore exploration well on the Corentyne Block offshore Guyana. According to Trotman, the Government is excited about the project.

“CGX has remained committed to Guyana. They have gone through different periods, and we are hoping that we could work with them. They are expected to do some drilling this year, and we are excited about that,” the minister said.

“The expectation is that they begin drilling by the end of the year. We also have Repsol that will also do some drilling later in the year or early next year,” Minister Trotman added.

In late 2017, CGX had said that, as part of the renegotiation of its contract with the Government of Guyana, it would relinquish to the Government 25 percent of the acreage of both the Corentyne and Demerara blocks.

The new work commitments include drilling an exploration well on the Corentyne Block by November 27, 2019; acquiring additional seismic or conducting seismic reprocessing by November 27, 2020; drilling an exploration well

by November 27, 2022 in the Demerara Block; completing any additional data processing and planning, and securing all regulatory approvals

Chairman and Executive Director of CGX Guyana, Professor Suresh Narine

for the drilling of an exploration well by February 12, 2020; drilling an exploration well by February 12, 2021, and another by February 12, 2023 in the Berbice Block; completing a geochemical survey of a minimum area of 120 square kilometres and commencing a seismic programme defined by the aforementioned geochemical survey by February 12, 2020; completing the seismic programme and completing all processing and interpretation of data by August 12, 2021; and drilling an exploration well by February 12, 2023.

Chairman and Executive Director of CGX Guyana, Professor Suresh Narine, said the company was eager to pursue the new work commitments in “this exciting Guyana basin, and in so doing continue our unbroken commitment to the basin, the Guyanese people, and its Government for more than 18 years.”

CGX Energy is focused on the exploration of oil in the Guyana-Suriname Basin.

Amelia’s Ward man freed of firearm, ammunition charges

A

n Amelia’s Ward, Linden man walked out of the Linden Magistrate’s Court a free man on Tuesday after he was found not guilty of three illegal possession of firearm and ammunition charges.

The cases against Avmed Dial, also called “Bucko”, of 5034 Phase 2. Amelia's Ward were dismissed by Magistrate Clive Nurse.

It was alleged that Dial had a .32 Taurus Magnum revolver, serial number TB12429, at his Amelia’s Ward home on Wednesday, May 10, 2017, without being the holder of a firearm licence at the time.

It was also alleged that on the said date, he had at his home five rounds of .32 ammunition for an automatic weapon and 20 rounds of .32 Magnum ammunition without being the holder of a firearm licence.

Reports of the offence had stated that Police went

to the logger’s home, a twostorey wood and concrete house, on May 10, 2017 and found under the floor on the beam, a box containing 20 rounds of .32 ammunition. Further searches in a pen containing scrap metal at the back of the yard unearthed a .32 H&R Magnum Taurus Revolver and six rounds of .32 ammunition in a black plastic bag concealed among the scrap metal.

Dial was represented by Attorney Gordon Gilhuys, who argued during the trial on March 12, that other people resided at the home where the firearm and ammunition were found, and the prosecution had failed to establish that the firearm belonged to the defendant.

Magistrate Nurse ruled in favour of the 42-yearold Dial, stating that there was not enough evidence to prove beyond reasonable doubt that the defendant was guilty of the offences.

3 Jagdeo says misconduct charges against Ashni Singh, Brassington “frivolous” C news

friDAY, april 13, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

BRIDGE OPENINGS

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

Friday, April 13 – 03:00h and a day-time retraction at 14:30h-16:00h and Saturday, April 14 – 03:30h and a day-time retraction at 14:30h-16:00h

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Friday, April 13 – 15:00h-16:30h and Saturday, April 14 – 15:40h-17:10h

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY Light rain showers with lightly cloudy skies can be expected throughout the day, while partly cloudy skies can be expected in the evening. Temperatures are expected to range between 21 degrees Celsius and 29 degrees Celsius.

lose to one year after the Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) completed an investigation into the sale of lands, the Unit on Thursday instituted legal proceedings against two former senior Government officials.

These included former Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh and former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) Winston Brassington.

at $340,000,000 by Rodrigues Architects Associate, a competent valuation officer.”

Similarly, the other charge outlined that Singh and Brassington sold to Multicinemas Guyana Inc a plot of State land (10 acres) at Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, for the sum of $185,037,000 “without first having procured a valuation of the said property from a competent valuation officer.”

Moreover, it was outlined that Singh and Brassington in 2009, by way

Winds: East North-easterly to North-easterly between 2.23 metres and 6.25 metres.

High Tide: 02:53h and 15:11 reaching maximum heights of 2.45 metres and 2.53 metres respectively.

Low Tide: 08:46h and 21:05h reaching minimum heights of 0.74 metres and 0.65 metres respectively.

UK High Commissioner Greg Quinn; Special advisor to SOCU, Sam Sittlington; along with two UK fraud experts

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The duo will now face charges for “misconduct in public office: contrary to common law.” These charges were instituted based on the sale of three plots of State land.

The three charges advanced by SOCU were not read by Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan when the case was called on Thursday since the men were not in the jurisdiction. Representing Dr Singh was Attorney Anil Nandlall, while Attorney Stanley Moore appeared on behalf of Brassington.

The case was adjourned to May 7, to allow the defence lawyers to contact their clients concerning the charges.

In the three charges advanced by SOCU and seen

by Guyana Times, it was outlined that Singh being the Chairman of NICIL and Brassington being the CEO in December of 2008, by way of Agreement of Sale and Purchase, sold to Scady Business Corporation a track of State land (4.7 acres) being a portion of Plantation Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown, for the sum of $150,000,000 “knowing that the said property was valued

of an Agreement of Sale and Purchase sold to the National Hardware Guyana Limited a track of Sate land (103 acres), being a portion of Plantation Liliendaal and Turkeyen for the sum of $598,659,398 (VAT exclusive) without first having procured a valuation of the said property from a competent valuation officer.

However, during an interview with Guyana Times on Thursday, Attorney for Singh and Opposition parliamentarian Nandlall blasted SOCU on the fact that they had not, at any point, made contact with the individuals who were being investigated prior to the disclosure that charges will be laid.

“Last year, on behalf of Ashni Singh, I wrote to SOCU informing them that I am the lawyer for Dr Singh and that should they require him to assist in any investigations, that I am prepared to make contact with him and that he stands willing and able to assist and participate in any investigation…I received no response to that letter… They called me late yesterday evening to indicate to me that Dr Singh will be charged,” he ex-

plained.

Further, Nandlall asserted “since I sent that letter and during the (course) of whatever investigation they were conducting, no one attempted to make contact with Dr Singh.”

Nandlall, who also held the post of former Attorney General, also questioned why a criminal investigation of this type would be conducted and no attempt would be made to seek input from the person or persons who are the subject of the investigation.

“You don’t investigate people behind their backs in a cloak and dagger fashion.

That is not fair investigation.

That is not how a democratic society works,” he said.

Nandlall explained that under their posts at NICIL, the duo (Singh and Brassington) never acted on their own accord in any decisions regarding the sale of properties.

“NICIL is a corporation in law, it is run by a Board.

Ashni Singh, as Minister of Finance was ex-officio chair of that Board. Brassington was the CEO. That Board is a Government corporation.

That Board does not act without the Government’s approval…Over the years, NICIL has sold dozens of properties and a particular methodology was always used. Brassington nor Ashni Singh ever acted on their own. They always acted upon the approval or direction of the Board that governed NICIL. That Board always received the support and approval of the Cabinet, which is the Government of Guyana,” he said.

According to Nandlall, “all the procedures were complied with and three plots of

Former Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh

land were sold… This is not a criminal offence. Where is the crime?”

Moreover, he posited that this action by SOCU is nothing short of a “witch-hunt”, highlighting that he is positive that he will win this case, and as such, he hopes that the State is aware that civil suits will be filed for defamation of character.

“This is another spate of witch-hunting that is taking place where the criminal justice system is being used as a political weapon by those in Government to persecute... and damage the reputation of two young Guyanese professionals.”

“I hope the State will understand that they will have to pay millions of dollars at some point in time in compensation because civil suits are going to be filed when these charges are dismissed because destruction has been done to people’s characters and reputations and people are suffering anguish and stress as a result of these charges [that] are being instituted,” he asserted.

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friDAY, April 13, 2018

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

Sugary politics

L

ast week, the Ministry of Finance’s Special Purpose Unit (SPU) announced that it had secured a whopping $30 billion bond to revitalize the operations of the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) and the three estates which fall under its management.

The SPU, via its Head, Colvin Heath-London, also disclosed that the bond was secured on very favourable terms after hardball negotiations with a set of local and regional commercial institutions. He said the bond will have to be repaid over a fiveyear period by GuySuCo, but did not make public the specific details of the bond relative to the interest rate secured and the type of back arrangement that was agreed to by the GuySuCo and SPU team, which entered into the binding arrangement on behalf of the people of this country.

After a series of investigations by this newspaper, and following the outcry of the Opposition, Mr Heath- London finally admitted that the loan was not accessed through financial concessional funding or Government Guarantee, but rather SPU had used the entire balance sheet of the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) (which is a holding company) as collateral. The SPU explained that the monies secured would allow GuySuCo to reopen, on a ‘limited basis’, two estates, which would also see over 1200 workers being rehired to provide various services. The SPU boasted bold and revolutionary plans to redesign GuySuCo’s turnaround plan with a focus on marketing, sales, profitability, and the muchly touted concept of ‘value added’. The SPU’s announcement was taken with the proverbial pinch of salt, even though several stakeholders have been satisfied that incremental progress has been made by the Government following its callous and unfortunate decision to abruptly fire thousands of sugar workers, whose families were flung on the breadline.

Others were suspicious of the entire announcement, especially as regards the rehiring of people who were made redundant just two months before without completely addressing the injustices committed by the Government against those workers, a large portion of whom are still owed their rightful severance payments and benefits. Some stakeholders view the move by the SPU as a clandestine attempt to get rid of GuySuCo’s indebtedness, so that it can honour its shortterm debts. If this were done, then the entity would become more attractive to investors, who would not have to make a remarkable investment to turn a profit if they bought it.

The truth is: the local civil society groups, politicians and stakeholders are not against the new vision and policies being articulated by the SPU under Heath-London’s leadership. They are more concerned about the mechanisms being employed to secure the final gains and desirable outcomes. Chief among their burning concerns is the question of transparency and accountability as far as the undertakings of the SPU and Government are concerned.

Given the recent economic misfortune that has befallen the industry under the stewardship of Agriculture Minister Noel Holder, which saw sugar production declining by 40 percent despite support from the State, stakeholders are worried that the plan, while visionary, could be undermined if there is any attempt to re-allocate the management of GuySuCo or any estate to that Ministry.

And, of course, they are concerned about the Government’s ability to ensure that it honours all aspects of the bond, because if Guyana defaults on its commitments, all of the assets -- both moveable and immovable -- that belong to GuySuCo and NICIL would be history, or lost.

The Government’s SPU, therefore, must engage all local and regional stakeholders in order to benefit from the best advice on the implementation of its plans to turn the industry around. Its approach cannot be driven primarily by theoretical juxtapositions and writings about the sugar industry. Its approaches have to be informed by the experience of industry gurus and international market consultants trained in the field of value added production and marketing.

In the end, GuySuCo which was built on the systems of colonisation, slavery and indentureship, must refocus itself as an entity concerned more about people and their socioeconomic futures than just merely turning a profit.

The SPU must become apolitical, as hard as it may seem, if any of the revolutionary plans it is contemplating are to be realized and sustained. In its struggle to rewrite the future of GuySuCo, it will definitely need the support of corporate Guyana, the united trades union movement, the body politic, and the people of Guyana if it is to succeed.

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo this week concluded a series of important engagements in Canada after hosting several meetings with the Guyanese Diaspora there. In this photo, he shares a light moment with three of the persons present at the meeting, who said they were some of his “biggest fans,” as they were inspired and motivated by his commitment to Guyana’s development and to public service

We support Amber Alert in Guyana Dear Editor, The Caribbean Voice (TCV) supports the Guyana Women Miners Organisation (GWMO) in urging Government to seriously consider using the Amber Alert system to help find missing children faster, and to ensure the greatest possible safety of such children. The experiences of nations that already have the Amber Alert show that it not only serves as a deterrent to those who would

prey upon children, but also results in some perpetrators releasing abducted children after hearing the amber alert.

The fact that the success of the Amber Alerts depends on total cooperation between communities and the Police; and the utilization of broadcast media, digital billboards, Internet Ad exchanges, Internet service providers, Internet search engines, as well as wireless devices such as mobile phones could augur

well for improved relations between the Police and the citizenship, which is currently far from what is desired. Such improved relations could also bolster crime fighting overall.

TCV believes that nations like the US, UK and Canada would be most willing to provide necessary assistance to ensure proper training, and implementing mechanism are in place for maximal efficiency. Also, there would be need for requisite legislation to pro-

vide a legal framework, and adequate resources to foster timely receipt and processing of information and rapid responses, among other requirements. Therefore, bearing in mind the experience of the motion to decriminalize attempted suicide, we strongly urge that the requisite legislation be a bipartisan effort, to ensure its passage into law.

Sincerely, The Caribbean Voice

Analysing the cost for the ICJ case

Dear Editor, It is hard to accept and understand the exuberant cost estimates associated with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) case of Guyana vs Venezuela as it pertains to the county of Essequibo.

There have been a number of cases where it has taken several years, and in some cases decades, vs oil companies or even the USA Government and the cost of the cases have not surpassed the million-dollar mark. These cases usually

entail a number of appeals. A good example was the recent legal case and the settlement associated with NYPD illegal Muslim surveillance. This case was quite sensitive, difficult and costly with the legal fees over almost five years being only US $950,000. Also in the award from the court, legal expenses were included and returned to the plaintiff in the case. If the return of our legal costs are included, then the funds may also be salvaged. In addition, our Bar

Association, along with members and alumni of our legal fraternity should be able to furnish sufficient lawyers of high calibre to support this legal pursuit at the ICJ. The inclusion of legal counsel from Her Majesty's team should also be able to bolster the effort and aid in containing any excessive costs associated. A bit of research into the matter and precedence associated with costs should be quite informative and eye-opening for those putting together the ef-

fort at the ICJ. We must also keep in mind that the country has had a very long time in which to be well prepared for this undertaking and a bipartisan approach in the legal team's makeup will both unite us and make us stronger verses our external adversaries. In this undertaking we must and will have to be as One People from One Nation with One Destiny.

Best regards, Jamil Changlee

PPP has many candidates to run for President Dear Editor, I would like to respond to an article, entitled, “Anthony, Nandlall, Ali among likely PPP picks,” published by the Stabroek News in its April 8, 2018 edition.

First, I would like to openly and conspicuously endorse the author’s observation of the three potential presidential candidates; namely Anthony, Nandlall, and Ali. However, not wanting to be misconstrued, I would like to state explicitly that I’m in no way on a mission to adulterate the outstanding public image of any of the above statesmen. Starting off with the current Chief Whip of the PPP, Ms. Gail Teixeira, as a possible presidential candidate, I personally think she is an outstanding politician with unmatched Government experience. Unfortunately dealing with the millennial existing socioeconomic and environmental issues, and having the party transition to a new generation, weighs against her. Her esteemed credentials and political astuteness, nonetheless, seamlessly dovetail into her existing role, and are more suited for the Government Chief of

Staff. However, she should not be ruled out of contention, or be dismissed as the article did her.

Ms Teixeira is loyal, committed, and disciplined when it comes to her party. While she may not be as young as the other contenders, she is vibrant, and is among the best in the current Parliament. In my view, the more intense the battle becomes between the three younger contenders, the greater her chances become to be the candidate the leadership compromise on. Ali, with his broad and profound knowledge of the economy, proven ability to manage immense portfolio, like Minister of Housing and Water and Minister of Tourism, Industry and Commerce simultaneously, is also a favoured one.

During his tenure, housing had evolved into a key economic impetus, one that drove the economy for over six years. His experience in government, including acting Prime Minister and President, is an asset for him. I am of the view that he fulfills the criteria to get the nomination. However, does he

command the votes within the executive to get the nomination? Nandlall, though very outspoken and publicly eulogized for his high level of zest and unrivalled sagacity in the legal profession, is in my view having a deficit of experience in functioning at varying levels in Government. His experience is insufficient to actively take up responsibilities of the highest office in Guyana, having being constrained to the portfolio of attorney general. The perfect presidential candidate must be an all-star, and a multidisciplinary individual who understands the dynamics of the economy. However Nandlall is bold, and may very well draw support from all factions of the party in getting the nomination. Anthony, as a possible nominee for the presidential candidate, in my opinion, is more of a lukewarm politician than an assertive one. In my opinion, even though he may be regarded as a very polite politician, setting that aside, this country needs a leader who is confident.

However, more is needed, given

the demanding role of being a President. Mr. Anthony is well supported by the old guard. Will this work in his favour? We will just have to wait and see. In my view, Guyana is poised to become a major player in global oil and gas production. However, empirical evidence continues to confirm widespread prevalence of natural resource curse and Dutch disease in nascent oil producing countries. The next presidential candidate must, at a minimum, recognize this phenomenon and take bold steps to protect the manufacturing and industrial sector. Bharrat Jagdeo is the only national politician that the population will rally around, and the party will unanimously choose for 2020.

The Leadership must know by now he is their most viable option, and if things do not go his way, then the party has an uphill battle to stay unified after the selection of its Presidential candidate.

Sincerely, David Persaud

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Constitutional commissions are independent and apolitical Dear Editor, Two recent occurrences motivated me to carefully re-read the provisions of the laws of Guyana that provide for the establishment of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) and the Local Government Commission.

Those occurrences were: 1. The Leader of the Opposition public statement that he had instructed his representatives on the Elections Commission to ensure that certain concerns are addressed; and 2. the holding of a press conference, by three members of the Local Government Commission, at the Office of the Leader of the Opposition. Both of these bodies are provided for in the Constitution and in each instance the Commissioners are appointed by the President in keeping with the requisite legal provisions. In no instance are any of the Commissioners/ appointees referred to as representative of anyone. These Commissions are responsible for national, regional and local elections; and regulatory and staffing matters of the local authorities, respectively. Given the political nature of the matters which those bodies are intended to adjudicate, it stands to

reason that those bodies should be impartial and non-partisan in what they do and how they are perceived. That can hardly be the case if on one hand they are publicly portrayed as being under the direction of one of the partisan actors of the affairs in which they are the adjudicators or are hosted by such an actor to make public statements about the body which should be non-aligned. But that is exactly what occurred. Therein lies one of the pathologies of our political system and our manner of governance.

There is utter disregard even for the appearance of good governance; and disrespect for impartiality in the conduct of public affairs, to wit affairs that must be conducted impartially and in keeping with the principles of good governance if they are to gain national acceptance.

While I am a proponent of constitutional reform, it is apparent that equally important is the question of our political culture, which seems to reek of disrespect for the universal norms of good governance and the rule of law.

Unless this pathology is acknowledged and addressed, we are condemned to be a back-

ward country; and an hindrance to national mobilisation and ultimately national development.

The Opposition Leader has quite rightly called for gas and oil to benefit from good governance and impartiality.

This call may not be taken seriously, coming from him, unless he demonstrates an understanding and commitment to those very things, by his pronouncements and more specifically his actions.

Yours truly, Vincent Alexander

We need the best skills to manage our oil and gas wealth Dear Editor, President David Granger is reported as saying that, “…Government plans to embark on a global search for the best qualified personnel to staff the proposed department of energy (DoE)”. This, on the surface, seems to be a rational and well-considered statement by the President.

Furthermore, it is difficult to argue with what the President is saying, as we should seek always to employ the ‘best qualified personnel’ to ensure our interests are sufficiently represented and

our people and country are safeguarded. What is befuddling, however, is that the Administration, knowingly if one goes by what President Granger said, hadn’t the best skills but chose nevertheless to engage a mammoth corporation as Exxon and its partners in reaching agreement on the extraction of our new-found petroleum resources. Without a doubt, the absence of the right skills has caused the agreement inked with Exxon and its associates to be widely panned and as we saw re-

cently, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), in diplomatic language, expressing its concern. It seems the Government has adopted a putting the cart before the horse approach to governance which has seen it committing folly after folly.

Nevertheless, I indeed hope that the best possible skills, barring cronyism and nepotism, could be employed, but I will not hold my breath on this.

Yours faithfully, Liebert Alleyne

Citizens in Region 6 deserve better health care

Dear Editor, It's very much unfortunate but I am compelled to criticise a sector that I am mandated to oversee by the Regional Democratic Council Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne).

The regional health system has been in crisis since the assumption of the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) coalition Government in 2015. One of the major reasons is that the person who manages the most critical sector doesn't even have a clue about public health. Let us give

him the benefit of the doubt and assume that he had accumulated a few years of experience but it is unacceptable for him to claim publicly that the Skeldon Hospital crisis, where drugs and medical supplies shortages led to a crisis, was caused by some internal communications glitches. In other countries, such a response would have warranted a termination. In the health system there should be no room for any excuses by senior Government officials, because the Government is gambling with people’s lives.

Since 2015, Region Six has seen increases in the salaries of the upper management of key health institutions, such as the administrator for Skeldon Hospital, the National Psychiatric Hospital, the Port Mourant Hospital, and the Mibikuri Hospital.The management of the Region Six health sector is costing taxpayers’ millions, and as such, deficiency must not be tolerated by this APNU/AFC Government because they want to satisfy a few political allies at the expense of people’s lives. This

APNU/AFC Government is managing a hospital with 60 per cent drugs, while Moses Nagamootoo, David Granger and other Ministers are receiving health care in Ireland, USA and Canada. This is an insult to hard-working taxpayers of this country. We demand better healthcare delivery in Guyana.

armed and in criminal pursuit of things ghoulish and deadly.

That mini-arsenal is testimony to the fact. This is purposeful criminal enterprise meant to create mass destruction and mayhem in society. This is the Guyana we are forced to live in, criminal and violent.

Now, for a small struggling society such as ours, citizens should not, I repeat, should not be held ransom by such violence and backwardness.

Honest, peaceful, law abiding citizens must be set free

from such vile individuals at all cost.

You must realise also that criminal behaviour does not stop there, It has the rippling effect of scaring away possible investors to our country, no one would want to invest in a country were crime and fear is so pervasive. Investing in such an environment is fraught with untold danger and huge risks for the investor. The sum total of it all is that our country remains isolated and stagnated and the whole nation

suffers immensely.

More time or stiffer penalties must be given to these armed bandits, and in this regard our archaic laws must be amended to bring it in line with present day happenings.

At the moment sentencing for armed robberies is innocuous and bandits are getting away with "murder."

You would have noticed that the latest capture and arrest of criminals – most of those captured are repeat offenders – some of them released back into the society for capital offences. One of the reasons they are able to get back into society so quickly is the fact that our laws are not strong enough to deal with these offences. Our laws have to be more stringent and updated to keep these menaces in the place they rightfully belong. I am speaking of having them spend a very long time away in prison, enough time for them to sit and mend their

horrific lifestyle.

My advice on time spent in incarceration that should be wholly dependent on the recovery of the weapons used to commit the crime. If the weapons are recovered then some time should be deducted; however, if the weapons aren't recovered, then the decision should be life imprisonment.

Society must be rid of this menace called armed robbery.

An accurate account has to be made of criminals in our country. A registry of records which would enable law enforcement in the successful tracking of criminals, as well as for later use in our courts, when they come up for sentencing.

With these measures in place we would see a drastic reduction in the crime rate if not seeing closure to it altogether.

Respectfully, Zamal Hussain Chairman Regional Health Committee Region Six

We must work together to tackle crime Dear Editor, Guyana is in an extremely horrendous situation where criminal enterprise is concerned. I make this remark based on the facts before me – criminal rampaging is at an all-time high, with each passing day seeing more daring and ghoulish acts being committed on the hapless populace.

Crime has gripped the Guyanese society with a crippling deadly effect and if it is not dealt with immediately

we would be stuck in this hell hole for a very long time. That is why I commend the Guyana Police for their alert and quick response to the six criminals now in custody; it is now left to the justice system to do their part in putting them away securely in a place where they cannot do harm or cause destruction to normal society.

These guys are abnormally sick individuals and they have no place being among normal people. You would admit that these bandits were well

Govt must end its witch-hunting campaign Dear Editor, The announcement in the Chronicle that Dr Ashni Singh and Winston Brassington have been charged ‘…for alleged misconduct in public office…’ reveals the vindictiveness of this A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) regime.

This is clearly an attempt to destroy the professional lives of these two gentlemen.

Their only ‘crime’ being that they worked dedicatedly to promote this country and our people’s interests while the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic was in office. As a former President who worked with these two outstanding

Guyanese men, I can vouch for their uprightness, professionalism and integrity while in public office. This latest attack on Dr Singh and Brassington is a continuation of the witch-hunting and the racial and political discrimination that has characterised this APNU/AFC regime since it took office in May of

2015. Not content in forcing these outstanding gentlemen to seek employment outside of Guyana, they now seem determined to destroy their professional lives. We cannot build a country with such vindictiveness and spite.

Sincerely, Donald Ramotar

Regards, Neil Adams

Guyana must resist external meddling and interference Dear Editor, “Massa day done” over 57 years ago, Trinidad’s Dr Eric Williams rocked the West Indian psyche with his speech in the ‘University of Woolford Square’ Port of Spain. This iconic moment spawned a new consciousness among our peoples and political class, independence would come to Guyana five years after this event – Guyana’s own master orator Forbes Burnham, worked tirelessly to build the Guyanese identity, one of a people intelligent enough to make decisions to chart their own destiny without assistance of the imperial powers.

To the extent that I pen this letter, he was successful, I regard myself as a child of in-

dependent Guyana, born post independence and educated in a time of revolutionary thinking, so one can imagine my dismay when I see my dear land subject to ‘advice’ on a daily basis from foreign emissaries of the United Kingdom and the United States of America in clear violation of the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of States, a well-established and important part of international law enshrined in the Vienna Convention of Diplomatic Relations.

During the past year, High Commissioner Quinn has made pronouncements on corruption; at the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association’s (GMSA)

22nd annual Presentation Awards Dinner, Quinn noted that Guyana’s score on Transparency International’s (TI) Corruption Index Report is “unacceptably low” and berated us with “failure to tackle corruption.” On April 10, he demanded that “corrupt law enforcement officials must be jailed”; Quinn also urged us to “have a clear plan to spend oil money” (Guyana Chronicle 2017/02/22). Our Government has been shamefully quiet as the High Commissioner becomes bolder with his pronouncements, demands and advice, I am not advising a feral blast a la Manickchand, which though not undeserved was poorly timed and undiplomatic given the venue

and occasion. I believe Mr Quinn needs to be reminded that Guyanese are citizens in an independent republic and unlike his home country Ireland, we are not subjects to the whims of Her Majesty or her primitive form of Government, surely the time has come when an accident of birth accords one divine status has passed? Your intentions may be good but the history our nation shares with yours speaks volumes on exploitation and abuse, the situation in the United Kingdom vis-àvis corruption is far from ideal and I see no move to jail your corrupt politicians, indeed, it would seem only a resignation is called for when found with your hand in the UK cook-

ie jar. To the Ambassador of the United States, I have also noticed your increased pronouncements on our possible oil revenues, to you Sir, I would advise you share that advice with your home country, your future is mortgaged to China and you are dependent on Mexican agricultural labour to feed yourselves, on what ground do you stand to give advice? We have not yet forgotten or forgiven your last interference in our affairs via the CIA in the 1960s as your declassified documents show.

We all know America has only one friend, the one with something they need. To Guyana’s present Administration, I beseech you not to forego all of our nation’s toil in achieving

independence and identity by your silence in the face of pronouncements on our internal affairs that are demeaning and insulting to our collective intelligence. We all celebrated our Golden Jubilee of independence, now is the time to give meaning and significance to that milestone, Dr Williams said “With his backward ideas of aristocracy of the skin … Massa still has his stooges who prefer to crawl on their bellies to Massa … instead of holding their heads high and erect”. Let us not be that stooge, let us not fail to remember the past lest we repeat it.

Sincerely, Robin Singh

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friDAY, April 13, 2018

Page

By Romeo Vitelli, PhD

L

et's face it: Smartphones, social media, digital devices, and the Internet have completely transformed the way most of us interact socially.

For young people especially, spending time online is practically a way of life and, not surprisingly, is shaping how they view the world and interact with other people. Not only are they more interconnected, but they have more access to information than any previous generation. All of this has resulted in a cultural shift that is still unfolding.

But does this translate into greater psychological well-being? Though often defined in different ways, psychological well-being is usually measured by how satisfied people feel about their lives as well as the quality of the relationships they have with friends and family. Often viewed as synonymous with happiness or life satisfaction, research looking at psychological well-being has particularly focused on adolescents and how their sense of well-being has changed over the years.

With this in mind, a new research study published in the journal Emotion takes a comprehensive look at psychological well-being in adolescents over the past 10 years and what this may mean for the future. In this study, Jean M Twenge of San Diego State University and her co-authors used data taken from Monitoring the

guyanatimesgy.com

Foundation

Future (MtF), a comprehensive survey of American 8th, 10th, and 12th graders conducted annually since 1991.

Conducted by the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan, Monitoring the Future surveys 50,000 8th, 10th and 12th grade students each year as well as administers follow-up questionnaires to former participants.

All participants completed test items measuring self-esteem, different aspects of life satisfaction, self-satisfaction, and personal happiness. Along with

demographic information, the survey data allows researchers to examine cultural changes in behaviours, attitudes, and values as they occur.

For their own research, Twenge and her colleagues focused on changes in psychological well-being as they related to the economic depression of 2007-2009 as well as the introduction of smartphones over the past 12 years.

While previous research has shown

that psychological well-being has risen in adolescents during the last four decades of the previous century, more recent research has suggested that this trend is reversing, possibly due to the influence of smartphones and other digital media. Given that media research has already shown that smartphones became widely available beginning in 2007 with most Americans owning one by the end of 2012, the researchers selected the year 2012 as the b a s e - line for their research.

Looking at survey data from 1991 onward, reported levels of psychological well-being in adolescents either remained the same or rose over the 1991-2011 time period.

Beginning in 2012 and continuing through to 2016, however, there was a significant drop in most aspects of life satisfaction. This includes overall life satisfaction, satisfaction with friends, satisfaction with the government, personal safety, level of fun experienced, and satisfaction with parents. Personal happiness and self-esteem also declined significantly.

Twenge and her colleagues also carried out a second study to identify specific reasons for this decline. Since Monitoring the Future began collecting data on smartphone and digital media use beginning in 2006, the researchers focused on this later data to examine how screen time was related to psychological well-being. (psychologyto-

G

books that are not too difficult. The aim is to give your child lots of successful reading experiences.

ive your child lots of opportunities to read aloud. Inspire your young reader to practise every day! The tips below offer some fun ways you can help your child become a happy and confident reader. Try a new tip each week. See what works best for your child.

Have your child sound out the word as you change it from mat to fat to sat; from sat to sag to sap; and from sap to sip.

Don't leave home without it

I read to you, you read to me

Bring along a book or magazine any time your child has to wait, such as at a doctor's office. Always try to fit in reading!

Once is not enough

Play word games

Take turns reading aloud at bedtime. Kids enjoy this special time with their parents.

Gently correct your young reader

Encourage your child to re-read favourite books and poems. Re-reading helps kids read more quickly and accurately.

When your child makes a mistake, gently point out the letters he or she overlooked or read incorrectly. Many begin-

Dig deeper into the story

ning readers will guess wildly at a word based on its first letter.

day.com)

Ask your child questions about the story you've just read. Say something like, "Why do you think Clifford did that?"

Take control of the television

It's difficult for reading to compete with TV and video games. Encourage reading as a free-time activity.

Be patient

When your child is trying to sound out an unfamiliar word, give him or her time to do so. Remind to child to look closely at the first letter or letters of the word.

Pick books that are at the right level

Help your child pick

Talk, talk, talk!

Talk with your child every day about school and things going on around the house.

Sprinkle some interesting words into the conversation, and build on words you've talked about in the past.

Write, write, write!

Ask your child to help you write out the grocery list, a thank you note to Grandma, or to keep a journal of special things that happen at home.

When writing, encourage your child to use the letter and sound patterns he is learning at school. (readingrockets.org)

news

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friDAY, april 13, 2018 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Dr Norton reiterates call for national unity as Harmony Village opens

Social Cohesion Minister, Dr George Norton wears a smile as he leads the cultural parade

By Jemima Holmes

T

he Main Street Avenue on Thursday was engulfed in an explosion of culture and colour as the Social Cohesion Department hosted its second annual Harmony Village which saw Social Cohesion Minister, Dr George Norton calling for national unity and reconciliation.

The Village gives businesses and other entities a platform to showcase their work and how it contributes to Guyanese livelihood

and the betterment of citizens. In attendance were Government Ministries, Non-Governmental Organisations, rights commissions, private businesses, craftsmen and a new addition, the sporting fraternity.

Under the theme “Building partnerships, promoting community and national cohesion”, the one-day event aims to be a celebration of Guyana’s diversity and as such, unity of all Guyanese was the common message put forward by the speakers at the

event.

Social Cohesion Programme Coordinator Sharon Patterson shared the vision of the event, “The vision for a cohesive Guyana is one where our diversities or differences are embraced, where our conflicts are resolved, where networks and collaborating with stakeholders are strengthened, where equity is promoted and decision-making processes result in equal opportunities for all.” She disclosed that owing to the success of last year’s Village, the number of participating organisations more than doubled in 2018 from 46 to 103.

While delivering the feature address, Minister Norton focused on the cultural melting pot that is Guyana. “I do formally believe that unity does not necessarily need uniformity. Unity is all about variety,” he said.

The Minister encouraged all Guyanese to be conscious of our individuality and to embrace each other regardless of our differences. “For us to be truly

Guyana not bothered by Venezuela’s military exercise close to border

Foreign Affairs Minister Carl Greenidge

F

oreign Affairs Minister Carl Greenidge on Tuesday said the Government of Guyana is not bothered by the military exercise being carried out by the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, as that country has the right to so do.

Venezuela, contending that the 1899 Arbitral Award giving Guyana rights over Guyana’s territorial boundary is null and void, has launched an extraordinary military deployment near the disputed border area.

While the Government of Venezuela is entitled to carry out its own military exercises, Minister Greenidge pointed out, Guyana has the right to ensure there is no infringement of its territorial integrity.

According to Minister Greenidge, Venezuela will do what it chooses to do.

Guyana, however, also has its own responsibility.

“They have a right to carry out their military exercises. We, of course, have a

right to monitor and make sure that they do not infringe on our territorial integrity.”

The Foreign Affairs Minister said there was no reason to believe Venezuela would ignore the rules, but it is in Guyana’s interest that special focus be placed on security.

Minister Greenidge also said the presence of

Guyanese military personnel at the borderline is not connected to the border issue currently before the ICJ. “The people living on the border areas have been alerted by the Guyanese authorities, not because of what is happening in the courts, but because of the political crisis in Venezuela.

That political crisis started before the court matter, and will continue perhaps after,” he declared.

The minister said Guyanese living along the border must now continue to carry out the necessary surveillance. Guyana’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carl Greenidge, on March 29, submitted, on behalf of the Government, application to the International Court of Justice, requesting the Court to confirm the legal validity and binding effect of the 1899 Arbitral Award regarding the boundary between Guyana and Venezuela.

Several children representing Guyana’s six ethnicities inside the Harmony Village

united as a people, we must first be cognisant and fully comfortable and aware of who we are as individuals. The key to us embracing diversity and promoting tolerance is to be proud

of ourselves, our culture, to be proud of our traditions, ethnicities, religions and all things that make us who we are as individuals,” he declared.

The ecstatic Minister

later joined the performers of the cultural programme, as they paraded down Main Street Avenue, showcasing Guyana’s plethora of cultural traditions, clothing, songs, and dances.

Decked out in their cultural wear, patrons traversed the avenue to get a glimpse of what the various entities had on display. Aside from the ethnic dishes and clothing that were exhibited, there were a number of religious organisations, Government Ministries and Non-Governmental Organisations who all took the opportunity to focus on eradicating social ills such as domestic abuse, gender-based violence and crime. Harmony Village is slated to become an annual event.

8 NEWS

friDAY, April 13, 2018 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

“Zipper” trial

CANU ranks to testify in “cocaine in alleyway” matter

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ive ranks of the Customs AntiNarcotics Unit (CANU) are expected to testify later this month about a cocaine interdiction operation that was carried out on Campbellville businessman Andre Gomes, called “Zipper”, on January 30, 2018 as his trial continues.

The well-known businessman appeared in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on Thursday before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan, who transferred the matter to Magistrate Leron Daly.

The matter is expected to be called on April 26, 2018.

Gomes, 57, of Lot 32 Craig Street, Campbellville, Georgetown, was arraigned on a charge of trafficking cocaine after a search was carried out at his residence where a quantity of narcotics (992 grams of cocaine); a quantity of cash, jewel-

Andre “Zipper” Gomes as he leaves the courtroom

lery and other valuables were seized.

During the hearing, Attorneys-at-Law Mark Waldron and Keoma Griffith made applications for bail for the businessman, who owns D&D Pawn Shop.

Attorney Waldron told the court that the cocaine

was not found at his client’s premises, but in an alleyway next to the house.

However, CANU Prosecutor Konyo Thompson told the court that eyewitness accounts indicated otherwise. She noted, too, that no special reason was given to the court for Gomes to be re-

leased on bail.

The businessman was remanded to prison. Last year, CANU issued a wanted bulletin for the former murder accused in relation to nine kilograms of cocaine found in a gas cylinder.

The gas cylinder was discovered at an apartment which he rented for his 51year- old girlfriend, Naomi Persaud.

Persaud was taken into custody with her teenage grandson. The woman and her 17-year-old grandson were accused of being in possession of nine kilograms of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking on August 6, 2017 at Lot 25 Delph Street, Campbellville, Georgetown. She pleaded guilty to the charges. As a result of her guilty plea, the charge was dismissed against the teen.

Persaud was jailed for four years and fined $21 million.

Alleged mastermind in carjacking ring granted bail reduction

T

he ex-Policeman who was held in the carjacking probe and placed on $1 million bail was on Thursday granted a bail reduction after he appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan Jason Harry, a resident of Monument Hill, at Kuru Kururu on the LindenSoesdyke Highway, was slapped with five charges of receiving stolen cars.

He was granted $200,000

bail on each charge of feloniously or unlawfully obtaining a Toyota motor car.

However, a bail reduction application was made

by Attorney Dexter Todd.

Harry was only required to pay $500,000 in bail.

The defendant denied the charges detailing that between August 2017 and February 2018, at Georgetown, he committed the fraudulent acts. Police, however, allege that Harry stole Elizabeth Martin’s $2 million Fielder motor car

Accused carjacker: Jason Harry

(HC 6999); Delon Skelky’s Spacio (PVV 9742) valued $2.5 million; Saravety Narine’s Allion (PNN 1871) worth $1.7 million; Samuel Monroe’s Spacio (PMM 7517) worth $2.9 million; and Treshel Powers’ Allion (PVV 6791), valued at $2.3 million.

Police Prosecutor Arvin Moore objected to Harry being placed on bail, articulating a fear that Harry, if granted bail, could tamper with another accused who was yet to be found. This objection was, however, overruled.

The matter was adjourned until April 18, 2018.

Harry was apprehended in February at Monument Hill, Kuru Kururu when

A Division (GeorgetownEast Bank Demerara) ranks swooped down on a property and discovered vehicle parts.

Harry, who proclaims himself to be a taxi service owner, had on February 16 denied that, while being armed and in the company of others, he had robbed Phillip King of his Toyota Premio motor car valued $3.2 million, along with other items.

Police have disclosed that Harry, when placed on an identification parade after being apprehended, was positively identified by King.

Thus, Police believe that their former colleague was part of the carjacking ring.

Several persons have so far being charged in connection with these matters.

Shawn Archibald and Timothy Waldron have also been accused of carrying out a series of carjackings.

Police ranks from the Major Crimes Investigation Unit had swooped down on premises at North Vryheid’s Lust, East Coast Demerara and found several car mirrors with plate numbers engraved on them, doors, lights, wipers and other parts for Toyota Allion, Spacio and Premio motor cars. Those premises were occupied by a 29-year-old taxi driver and his 25-yearold wife.

Railroading…

B

…scapegoats ack in biblical times, the Jewish Chief Priest would select a goat and ritually conferred all the “sins” of the tribe – as defined by him the Chief Priest – and then cast the goat into the wilderness! The “scapegoat” was presumed to take all the sins of the people with it – and the latter could then carry on sinning some more!! It would appear the ritual practice has just been resuscitated in Guyana by the PNC-led Government.

There it was – splashed as a banner headline across the front page of the Chronic – the word “CHARGED”!! It referred to some specious charges SOCU had just evidently laid against former PPP Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh and head of NICIL Winston Brassington – who are clearly the scapegoats. After all, if, in fact the claimed actions of the two men were criminal in nature, why hasn’t SOCU gone after individuals appointed by this Government who’ve done exactly the same during their tenure – and then some?!!?

Take for instance NICIL in 2015 – the first year of the new PNC Government. The Auditor General showed that $2 billion was transferred to the entity from Guyoil as dividends – yet only $1 billion was transferred to the Consolidated Fund!! Now if Brassington violated Article 216 of the Constitution for allegedly holding back monies in NICIL between 2002 and 2014…why hasn’t SOCU charged Maurice Odle, the Chairman of NICIL Government appointed in 2015??

As for Finance Minister Jordan, in 2016 didn’t he authorise over $900 billion from the Contingency Fund in violation of Section 220 (2) of the Constitution?? Especially when $60 million was used (an illegality in itself!!) as an advance payment for a non-existent warehouse on Sussex Street – owned by a PNC financier! In addition to then Health Minister, Dr Norton just apologising, shouldn’t Jordan be charged along with him by SOCU? Then there’s the 24 per cent of the Lotto Funds placed in a special account accessible to the Office of the President. How come in 2015 they kept more than HALF-ABILLION and spent $305 million, among things, funding the D’Urban Wood Ants Stadium, Independence Jump up and Emancipation – according to the AG? Shouldn’t someone in OP be charged by SOCU??

Didn’t Attorney General Basil Williams spend $19.7 million for a new SUV without approval and told the Parliament that …oops!!... it was “inadvertent”? We could go on and on …but you get the point, don’t you, dear reader?

The clinching factor that some serious scapegoating is being foisted on ex-PPP officials by High Priest Granger to exculpate the sins of his corrupt Government is the story that broke in the Chronic – before charges were laid!!

But Granger, what the Bible says about the sins of the father!!

… Amerindians on land titling The powers that be will never get over the fact that Amerindians received their land claims based on Annex C – appended to the Articles by which Guyana received its independence from Britain. Once they can show they’re living on lands “from time immemorial” – which is a term of art and isn’t as onerous as it sounds! – then the lands have to be demarcated for them. And Burnham did say there are many ways to kill a cat!!

The Government then tried to place the Amerindian land rights on their CoI on “Ancestral Lands” as a backdoor to undermining the former – but had to back off after Amerindian protests. But they’re in the throes of unleashing a new attack – via extending Lethem and introducing mega agriculture farms on lands Amerindians have claimed but are untitled.

And because the Toshaos refused to go along, the Quislings running the Indigenous Affairs Ministry have come down on them like a ton of bricks.

Amerindians just have to wait for 2020. Revenge is best served cold!!

…a local law school Why is Basil Williams so hell bent on that law school with two fly-by-night outfits from Jamaica, he’d take on the Council on Legal Education?

Just think why the Exxon bonus was so low!!

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

News

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friDAY, april 13, 2018 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Close to $56M missing from Diamond/Grove NDC …Police, Auditor General called in

C

lose to $56 million in revenue and taxes has allegedly been stolen from the Grove/ Diamond Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) between August 2015 and February 9, 2017 by a former employee.

This is according to NDC Chairman Bharrat Narine, who on Thursday reiterated calls for the Guyana Police Force and the Office of the Auditor General to ensure that they conduct in-depth investigations into the matter.

Narine raised the concerns over the status of the missing monies during a

The Grove/Diamond NDC office

recently held meeting at the Regional Accounting Communities (RAC), as he lobbied the regional authorities to support the probe and subsequent Police investigation into what he described as the “fraudulent embezzle-

ment of the Council’s money by a former employee”.

“Madam chair, I am rising again to plea for this matter to be properly investigated as we cannot sit by as an NDC and have these millions missing and noth-

DEMTOCO awaiting regulations under new tobacco laws – complains of difficulty meeting Health Minister

By Vahnu Manikchand

M

ore than four months after Public Health Minister Volda Lawrence signed off on the commencement order to enforce the Tobacco Control Act, players in the local tobacco industry are worried about the absence of the necessary regulations which they need to be compliant with the new legislation.

The Tobacco Control Act became law back in August 2017 after passage by the National Assembly and subsequent assent by the President. The Public Health Minister was empowered to set a date by which the law would become effective. This was given as December 11, 2017.

Additionally, the Minister was tasked with drafting the regulations that would guide the industry in implementing certain aspects of the new legislation such as ‘no smoking’ signs, and packaging and labelling of tobacco products.

However, Demerara Tobacco Company (DEMTOCO) Managing Director Maurlain Kirton pointed out that the company has been trying since December to meet with the Minister to iron out issues relating to the regulations, but only recently got a response.

“So we’ve been, we continuously trying to meet with the Ministry of Public Health using DEMTOCO directly or through the business associations and we never got a response. So, we’ve now used our attorney to write to the Ministry and that response has recently been acquired and we’re hopefully for a meeting very soon… She didn’t indicate as to when the meeting will be held,” Kirton told Guyana Times at a media engagement on Wednesday evening.

According to the Managing Director, while DEMTOCO, which is a ma-

DEMTOCO Managing Director Maurlain Kirton

jor player in the local tobacco industry, initially had some concerns with aspects of the legislation, now that it has become law, the company is ready to be compliant.

But it cannot do so without having the regulations for guidance.

“There are sections of the law that requires regulations to be written; for example, the institution of the graphic health warning pictures on the packs, that requires regulation where the Minister will specifically say this is the pool of images that you need to use, this is the rotation period, how long the rotation period will last for, you may or may not have what we call a conviviality period so you rotating from image A and going to B… So those details are not contained in the legislation; that is supposed to be in the regulation,” she explained.

Kirton went on to say while the company has already gone ahead with work to be compliant with some aspects of the law, there were a series of things, such as packaging and ‘no smoking’ signs, that it needed the regulations for guidance on before it could start making changes.

“There is part of the legislation that refers to labelling and packaging and that part says you have nine months to be in compliance after the Act comes into force. That commencement

Act was signed on December 11; so we’re talking about September and here we are in April and we don’t have the images. We need to get those images, send them to the supplier, have them printed on the boxes, insert it into our production line, produced, shipped, sell to our distributors and sell to our retailers. (And) there is a time that is required to do all this,” Kirton explained.

When pressed, the Managing Director could not give an estimate of the cost these changes would incur.

But she did note, however, that these changes were basically retooling the industry and so the company was pulling together what it was likely to cost.

“Our factory needs to buy new machines, change our wrapping materials; we need to probably add on another shift to our working time so it is going to cost us.

But the point is that, as we said, the legislation is already in place and the industry is prepared to be compliant so what the industry is asking for is that engagement via the commitment made by the Minister and some time to get ourselves ready in line with the regulation period,” DEMTOCO’s Managing Director posited.

Back in December, the Public Health Ministry had said in a statement that when the regulations for the packaging and labelling of tobacco products were passed, the industry would have nine months to comply with the regulations. It had promised to meet with the players in the local tobacco industry “to inform them of the implementation of the complete ban on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship”.

It had also announced that as part of the phased implementation of the new legislation, an aggressive education and awareness campaign would have been launched in January to sensitise the public on the new law.

ing being done. Since this matter was exposed, the Auditor General’s Office visited and said they have a lot of work and that is all we have heard from them and this is not good enough as with only 60 per cent of the internal audit completed we found that $21 million were missing and with the remaining 40 per cent completed it is estimated to be around $30-35 million,” the NDC head said.

Narine told the gathering that they were very disappointed when they discovered that the monies were stolen and that the suspect, a former employee of the NDC, Latoya Moore, was called to a meeting on February 9, 2017; however, the following day she tendered her resignation without giving any reason.

More so, Narine noted that the matter continues to remain in the hands of the Auditor General who he said doesn’t seem interested in doing anything about it.

“Madam chair, this matter has been with the AG’s Office since last year and nothing has happened. We are exceptionally hurt because it has been so long and nothing has happened.

I know that you and your office have been seeking to

help in having this matter properly addressed, however, nothing has happened.

We have been raising this matter over and over at all levels of meetings being held here at the RDC but nothing has happened and I am aware that you Regional Chairman has been trying to have it addressed,” he said.

Furthermore, the Chairman declared that while the (Golden Grove/ Diamond Place) NDC have been able to stop the haemorrhaging of the funds, they are hoping that other NDCs would seek to strengthen their systems, thus preventing a repeat.

Narine said in the initial stages of the investigation, the ground work was done by his Councillors, noting that the Police have not been very helpful thus far.

“RC [Regional Chairman] I must however express my Councillors’ satisfaction and appreciation for the support and assistance that have been given to us thus far by the RDC. Nevertheless, we cannot allow such a situation to go by without any meaningful action being taken,” he said.

Narine in his plead to the Regional Chairman said there are many unanswered questions, stressing

Moore could not have pulled off such an act all alone and questioned why no one else, including the Overseer at the time, was never questioned by the Police.

“All the Police said to us is that they cannot locate Latoya Moore as she apparently moved out from her Kaneville address, but what we are concerned about is why no one else was ever questioned as such a fraud could not have been committed by one person alone,” he posited.

Meanwhile, Regional Chairman Geneveive Allen in responding to the request and concerns of the NDC Chairman thanked Narine after promising that she will personally get on the ‘backs’ of the Police and the Auditor General in ensuring that this matter is addressed.

“I am in support of your views and concerns and you would have notice that since this matter we have made several new implementations of systems across all the NDCs in the region as we will not wait for another situation to occur before taking action. I agree with you that action needs to be taken and I can assure you that the RDC will continue to do all within its powers to ensure such,” she promised.

10 news

friDAY, april 13, 2018 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

First quarter financial report

Guyana’s growth rate plummets to 2.1% …as economy struggles to rebound from recessionary mode While there is hope that this could turn around for the next few years, the source noted that it may be highly impossible to do so, especially given the fact that sugar’s contribution has decreased.

The source is of the opinion that until monies from the oil sector starts to trick-

By Samuel Sukhnandan

T

here is no positive indication that Guyana has so far managed to manoeuvre its way out of the economic slow lane it has been stuck in for the past three years, as the country’s finances are expected to reflect a minimal Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate of approximately 2.1 per cent.

Initially, Government had projected that Guyana’s economy would have grown by a 3.8 per cent growth rate for 2017. This projection was reduced to 3.1 per cent and then again to 2.9 per cent.

According to the Finance Ministry’s Mid-Year Report for 2017, economic growth in the first half of 2017 rose to some 2.2 per cent, compared to 2.0 per cent in the first half of 2016.

Guyana’s last best growth rate was 5.2 per cent in 2013.

But since then, it never surpassed that figure. World Bank records show growth rates in 2014 was 3.8 per cent, 2015 at 3.2 per cent, and 2016 at 3.3 per cent. Guyana back in 2007 recorded seven per cent growth.

This is a clear indication that there has been a massive decline in economic growth ever since the new Government assumed office.

But the worst of it is 2017, and that is because of certain policy decisions.

A senior source at the Finance Ministry indicated to this newspaper that tabulation of the GDP growth rate

for 2017 has been finalised and would be presented to the public soon.

This was confirmed by Public Relations Officer of the Finance Ministry, Wanita Huburn, who told <<<<Guyana Times>>>> that the growth rate for 2017, among other economic and financial indicators, has indeed been finalised and will be presented in short time.

Huburn indicated that this presentation will come in the form of the End of Year Outcome statement, which will be laid in Parliament on April 26.

But the a growth rate between 2.1 per and 2.4 per cent is nothing to boast about, according to the source, who highlighted that Guyana has seen a marked decreased in its growth rate, which continues to drop even further.

“Ideal growth for Guyana, a developing country, is six per cent. Anything six and above would be putting Guyana on the right path for advancement to develop status in the medium-term,” he explained.

The source said the

growth rate now explains why many Guyanese will start to feel like they are having less money in their pockets. He observed that a five-year decline in the growth rate does not auger well for the current Government and shows the weak performance to manage the economy in a responsible and efficient manner.

Public policy action

“This calls for amended public policy action. The first thing they need to do is understand what stimulates the economy, which is investment in the productive sector and other investments, exports, bringing back confidence in the consumers, and having a stable spending and execution of capital projects,” he said.

According to the source, the main contributing factor for this minimal growth rate is ultimately sugar because it is fundamentally important ‘growth tissue’ for the country. “It is one of the main productive sectors and it’s the six sisters the President David Granger talks about,” he added.

Govt attack on NTC vicious, blatant – Former Amerindian Affairs Minister

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recent statement issued by the Indigenous People’s Affairs Ministry (MoIPA) was centered on the National Toshaos Council (NTC) and its executive. It has been described by former Amerindian Affairs Minister Pauline Sukhai as a vicious and blatant attack on the Council and toshaos across the country.

Having read the statement, Sukhai said, she is under the impression there seemingly is a disconnect between the MoIPA and the NTC. The former minister said she finds it to be a strange development, especially since the minister sits on the NTC as an ex-officio member.

“It’s actually like they can’t cooperate, and I don’t think the Government should seek to be indifferent to the NTC...that press statement of accusing the NTC executive is different from what they should be doing. They should be working together, and have full engagement with each other to further the development of Indigenous people in this country,” Sukhai told Guyana Times. Government on Wednesday accused the NTC of disrespecting President David Granger, and launched a scathing attack on several vocal Indigenous representatives who were not

Former Amerindian Affairs Minister Pauline Sukhai

toeing the line, but exposing serious malpractices of the current A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change Administration.

The MoIPA has accused the NTC and its Vice Chairman, Lenox Shuman, of being confrontational, demanding, and disrespectful in their writings to President Granger. The MoIPA said it has also observed a trend of public posturing by NTC executives, and has stated that the NTC has so far not distanced itself from what the MoIPA described as rather divisive, disingenuous, and sometimes incoherent statements being made by these officials.

But while Government has taken umbrage at the writings of these officials to the

President, Sukhai has said the NTC has the right to raise concerns affecting its people.

“The NTC, as an elected body with Indigenous leaders will, from time to time, be seeking and negotiating with Government on many issues.

And that is how it should be.

If the NTC has a priority and they feel strongly that the priority is not being addressed by Government, then it’s within their authority to advance representation,” she added.

The MoIPA, in its statement, pointed to Shuman and said it has taken note of his issuing call for mass public protest against the Government by the Indigenous citizenry.

The Ministry said it would allow the Guyanese public to judge Shuman’s intentions.

Further to that, the Ministry said it is aware of countless complaints of alleged disrespectful treatment of residents of St Cuthbert’s Mission by Shuman.

When contacted for a comment on Wednesday, Shuman said he was in his village, and could not comment on the matter unless he reads the statement in its entirety.

The NTC Vice Chairman said he would also like to be given some time to ‘digest’ what was written about him.

He could not be reached on Thursday.

le in, only then will Guyana be able to record greater economic growth. But until then, due to the massive downsizing of sugar and the weak performance of other sectors, achieving a higher growth rate is far from reality.

Opposition Leader and former President Bharrat

Jagdeo has repeatedly criticised Government for what he described as their lack of vision to present a substantial economic policy. Jagdeo, an economist, has also warned Government against borrowing large loans which could put Guyana in greater debt.

Works on $23.5M Good Hope Bridge to be completed by month end – Works Coordinator

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he Government has come under criticism by commuters for what has been described as an “insensitive move” to have several road projects on the East Coast of Demerara undertaken at once, but Coordinator of Works, Geoffrey Vaughn, has related the importance of these projects and reported that construction of the Good Hope Bridge is soon to be completed.

In an interview on Thursday, Vaughn explained that the project is nearing its completion, and the bridge is expected to be operational by the end of April or the first week in May. He told Guyana Times he had indeed heard several nasty comments about the project, since it affects the free flow of traffic.

According to him, “We have created access which people can use, which is access to the other road. There is nothing else we can do at this time but ensure we have proper traffic management, which is being done…”

In relation to the progress of work on the bridge, Vaughn said most of the work is completed.

“Right now, they are putting in some of the other aspects of the bridge, which (are) the columns and the beams and so on. Right now, we are hoping that we have GPL (Guyana Power and

Works being carried out on the Good Hope Bridge

Light) to do some removal of some wires that (are) within the areas (where the crane is operating). Once those get removed, we should be able to start moving at a faster pace.”

This newspaper had received complaints from several commuters, who expressed grave dissatisfaction in regard to the project, mainly since it has an adverse effect on the traffic, especially during peak hours.

Rehabilitation of the Good Hope Bridge started last week, and is being undertaken by BK International.

Some $23.5 million is reportedly being expended on this project.

The project includes demolition of the old Acrow Panel structure and reconstruction of a concrete one.

Vaughn thus noted: “When we change from the Acrow Panel bridges to the free stress concrete bridg-

es, there is no disruption to traffic, no maintenance issues, and everything flows smoothly. We don’t expect to have any problems with the bridge in the near future”.

It was also explained that the Good Hope Bridge, along with the Annandale and Lusignan bridges, should have been rehabilitated since last year, but there were challenges with regard to the traffic.

“We thought it best not to run all three bridges at the same time, because of traffic issues with the construction of the other two; but because they were in an area where there were more access points to leave and enter the railway embankment, the traffic burden wasn’t felt much by the driving public.

But because of the location of this bridge, there seems to be a greater impact on traffic,” Vaughn added.

Digicel Guyana launches Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+

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igicel Guyana launched the Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ smartphones on Thursday, April 6 at all Digicel stores countrywide.

With these new devices, Samsung continues to revolutionise the way we communicate, building a phone that reimagines the way we connect and creates the highest quality image and video content.

“Digicel and Samsung form a fitting partnership with our shared passions for cutting-edge technology and putting users in control of creating their best experience.

The Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ will change the way our customers capture and curate their lives, thanks to the new and enhanced features,” Digicel Guyana Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

Gregory Dean said.

The Galaxy S9 and S9+ feature Samsung’s most advanced camera yet, with a dual aperture lens that powers an innovative low-light camera, super slow-motion video capabilities, and a personalised augmented reality emoji feature, broadening the way people express themselves. Some of the other features include powerful stereo speakers tuned by AKG and surround sound supported by Dolby Atmos; and Bixby, the intelligence platform that uses the camera, augmented reality and deep learning technologies to provide information about a user’s surroundings, including live foreign language translation, and image recognition based calorie tracking among others.

“The way we use our smartphones has changed as communication and self-expression has evolved,” said DJ Koh, President and Head of IT & Mobile Communications Division, Samsung Electronics.

“With the Galaxy S9 and S9+, we have reimagined the smartphone camera. Not only does the Galaxy S9 and S9+ enable consumers to shoot the best photos and videos anywhere, it’s a smartphone that’s designed to help them connect to others and express themselves in a way that’s unique and personal to them.”

The Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ both run on Android 8 (Oreo) and have curved super AMOLED screens measuring 5.8 inches and 6.2 inches respectively.

S RAIGHT

11 Stakeholders briefed on GuySuCo’s social resilience programme news

friDAY, april 13, 2018 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

– coordinator says “tremendous response” from redundant workers

The “Third Term” Case

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his column this week is unique in that it steps away from the interpretation of the economy to focus on the rule of law and good governance. More particularly, the case of the State of Guyana vs Cedric Richardson, popularly known as the “Third Term” Case.

A Parliament plays an important role in the life of a nation.

It performs three main functions: a) makes new laws, changes existing laws and repeals laws which are no longer needed; b) represents and articulates the views and wishes of the citizens in decision-making processes and c) oversees the activities of the executive so that the Government is held accountable to the people. Therefore, a Parliament gauges, collates and presents the views and needs of the people, and articulates their expectations and aspirations in determining the national development agenda.

Unfortunately, in Guyana’s case, we have failed miserably in all Governments to provide this articulation of the views of the people save and except for the three short years between 2012 and 2015 when the nation had a minority government. In fact, it is my conviction that it was the best act of democracy ever experienced in the nation.

To be able to generate such a system of checks and balances, I truly believe that the unicameral parliamentary system must be replaced by a bicameral parliamentary system. Unfortunately, those who were responsible for amending the Constitution failed the nation by not empowering the Parliament to become more of a voice of the people to better represent and articulate their views. Today Parliament is nothing but a rubber stamp to the Executive President.

After a long and hard think around this challenge, I would like to replant the seed around the question of why does Guyana not have a bicameral assembly where all laws must pass both houses before it reaches the desk of the President? This entire process can be achieved in a cash-neutral manner by reducing the number of MPs in the Lower House to facilitate the creation of an Upper House. For example, an Upper House of 11 representatives will result in a Lower House of 54 elected MPs. This number of 11 came from one person each who is put forward to serve the following constituencies: women, youths, farmers, professionals, academics, workers, Amerindians, and the business community, and a representative each from Essequibo, Demerara and Berbice by way of the Local Authority System (LAAs). These 11 persons will have to be selected by set criteria – for example the Chairman of the Private Sector Commission, the Chairman of the National Youth Council, the Chairman of the National Toshao Council and so on. People will only be able to serve as per their position and not who they are to allow some level of dilution of influence from the political parties. It is clear that the political parties will not have the kind of influence over these 11 persons in the Upper House that they would have over the 54 elected politicians in the Lower House, but that is the purpose of the Upper House to decentralise power away from the political parties to the people.

Bicameralism is a highly distinctive feature of many democracies but it appears to be working best in Australia.

Among the world’s democracies, there is a strong correlation between the strength of a democracy, bicameralism, the degree of federalism and governmental decentralisation. In a study by political scientist Arend Lijphart, published by Yale University Press, called “Democracies”, he postulated four compelling reasons for a bicameral legislature as follows: 1. Redundancy – the second pair of eyes on the work of the politicians.

2. Delays – which serve to allow for a proper formation of public opinion by way of the input of different stakeholder groups, whose opinion are brought to bear on the matter at hand.

3. Separation of powers – in the Lower House, they are controlled by the political Whips who demand loyalty along party line, but this will not serve in the case of the Upper House. Thus, the Upper House can quarantine itself from becoming a tool of the executive leadership of the respective political parties with their recall power.

4. Consensus Democracy – Making the process of governing as inclusive as possible recognising the diversity within the Guyanese society. The Upper House can create the opportunity whereby the leader of the Government or the leader of the Opposition does not necessarily control the whole opinion.

Rather the Upper House creates room for greater consensus democracy and empowerment of various interest groups who are not necessarily wedded to the political parties.

Such a constitutional adjustment will certainly bring greater accountability by the Executive and the Legislature to the people; after all, aren’t we supposed to be operating in a system of the people, the people?

Pleasebyshare your thoughts at sasesin1@yahoo.com.

A section of the gathering at Thursday’s stakeholder engagement at GuySuCo’s Headquarters at La Bonne Intention

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he Guyana Sugar C o r p o r a t i o n (GuySuCo) on Thursday morning hosted a briefing session on the implementation of its ‘Sustainable and Resilient Communities Programme’ in order to mobilise additional Public Sector agencies.

The social resilience programme is a counteraction to the effects and impacts arising out of the downsizing of the sugar industry.

Thursday’s session sought to engage stakeholders with the objective of establishing a coordinating committee to roll out the programme.

Discussions were focused on medium- to longterm approaches for implementing GuySuCo’s social resilience programme and the Alternative Livelihoods Initiative, which aims at re-skilling ex-employees and identifying employment opportunities for them as well as up-skilling current employees.

During the session, participants also looked at the framework for the transitioning of sugar dependent communities that have been affected following the closure of the Rose Hall, Skeldon, Wales and Enmore estates, to make them more economically, socially and environmentally resilient.

Meanwhile, Coordinator of the programme, Curbette Victorine, told the Department of Public Information (DPI) on Thursday that already the programme has been yielding success, particularly with the response from those displaced workers.

“I think we have had tremendous success and response; a lot more than we initially anticipated.

Knowing what redundancy was going to bring, we did not get the negative impact as we would normally expect for such a major redundancy,” Victorine said in the interview.

According to Victorine, said there are several groups of former workers who are now better positioned to offer services to the reorganised sugar company.

“What we would have done so far would have allowed for employees to continue or be contracted to GuySuCo. In cases where they were expected to of-

fer services to GuySuCo, we already have that ongoing. Our maintenance of canals programme, we have persons who have shown an interest and have indicated their willingness to work either as operators of excavators and contractors doing manual cleaning. We recently had quite a few of our ex-employees coming together to plant canes on our existing estates and I think there is heightened interest being shown in this programme at this point in time,” the coordinator explained.

Among the targeted stakeholders at Thursday’s engagement session were the Small Business Bureau; Department of Social Cohesion, Culture, Youth

Regions Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), Four (Demerara-Mahaica) and Six (East BerbiceCorentyne); the Private Sector Commission (PSC); Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI); Berbice Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) and other private sector organisations in these regions, to share the

Coordinator of GuySuCo’s social resilience programme, Curbette Victorine

and Sport; Social Protection Ministry; Communities Ministry; President Youth Award Republic of Guyana (PYARG) and National Trust.

The next step will feature consultations with the regional administration from

Strategic Action Plan.

The Plan focuses on key short, medium and longterm actions, stakeholder responsibilities, timelines, keys milestones, monitoring and evaluating, funding and a risks assessment.

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Jagdeo says charges against Singh, Brassington “frivolous” – aimed at satisfying hardcore supporters, delivering campaign promise – entire Cabinet made the decision on the land sales

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he decision taken to have former Finance Minister Dr. Ashni Singh and former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL), Winston Brassington, charged with misconduct in public office has been described by Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo as “frivolous.”

Addressing the issue during his weekly press conference, on Thursday at his Church Street, Georgetown office, the Opposition Leader said this move is also based on a campaign promise made by A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) to jail members of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP).

“It is all frivolous…

There was a great expectation in this country that once the Government came into office, it will do the audits swiftly, find these huge

billions of dollars that are stolen -- because they can’t be hidden easily, and that it will proceed to charge people for the theft of money… for corruption or bribery, or something around that nature. That was the expectation among people,” he explained.

However, the former Head of State said, after 50odd audits had been conducted by the coalition administration, no evidence has been unearthed to show theft of money, corruption, or bribery. As such, he feels the move to charge was designed to show the administration has delivered on what was promised to the electorate.

“In three years, that’s all you can charge for -- procedural errors? And we don’t believe they are procedural errors!” he stated.

Jagdeo, who had chaired Cabinet when the decision

Former President Bharrat Jagdeo

was made to sell the three parcels of state land, said neither man had stolen any money. He emphasized that it was a Cabinet decision to sell the lands.

“They were not charged

because this Government found them with a big bank account that they can’t explain. They were not charged for even bribery in public office. What they were charged for is ‘misconduct in public office, contrary to common law.’ They couldn’t even find a national statute to charge them under,” he explained.

Jagdeo defended Singh and Brassington by stating they are men of integrity and were hard working public servants who served under his administration.

“I know that Ashni Singh and Winston Brassington,

despite all that they (Government) might say about them, they have more integrity in their little finger than many of these ministers have in their whole bodies, from head to toe,” he declared.

In providing greater detail on the issue, the former Head of State reasoned that Cabinet had accepted a recommendation from the Privatisation Board, and had made a decision that was sent back to the broadbased Privatisation Board of NICIL and the Unit for implementation.

He said, “It is a Cabinet decision which has been issued back to the Ministry of Finance and to the Privatisation Unit to execute. So Brassington or Ashni Singh could not have executed these decisions unless the matter came, the recommendation was approved by the Cabinet.”

Speaking specifically about the sale of 103 acres of land to National Hardware Guyana Limited for $598.6 million, Jagdeo recalled that that matter had been sent to public tender. He claimed it was advertised in all of the local national newspapers for almost two months before the land was sold.

Addressing the sale of

10 acres of state land at Turkeyen for some $185 million to Multicinema, he said the deal was completed after Shri Yogeandra could not conclude a sale for $16 million per acre, which was the highest bid.

Jagdeo maintained that unlike the current Government, the PPP had a policy on sale of state lands.

He also spoke to another matter which occurred during May 2017 and involved six former members of the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) who were charged for allegedly omitting from the general ledger of the GRDB, $362 million while they served on the entity's board.

Jagdeo used this to make his point, asserting that in this instance as well, the board members who have affiliations with the PPP were not charged for stealing, but in fact were charged for what was considered a procedural error. “They were Board members, but they were charged not for stealing money, but (for) failing to update the general ledger. They’re members of the Board; they did not have administrative functions, but they were charged for failing to update the general ledger,” he added.

Region 3 residents benefit from Salvation Army donation

Regional Executive Officer (REO) Denis Jaikaran and a representative of the Salvation Army distributing the food hampers

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he Salvation Army, under the leadership of Major Matignol, on Thursday distributed one hundred food hampers and mattresses to flood-affected persons in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara).

In brief remarks, Regional Executive Officer (REO) Denis Jaikaran thanked the Salvation Army representatives for their kind gesture, and noting that the initiative was welcome. He added that any further assistance given to the affected persons, who are slowly returning to a life of normalcy, would always be welcome.

The REO expressed optimism that future collabora-

tions with the organisation would not only benefit the residents, but also boost the region’s development.

A representative from the Salvation Army said the initiative is in keeping with that organisation’s mission of as-

sisting those in need.

On December 28, 2017, officials from the Civil Defence Commission (CDC), National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) and Region Three visited Canal Number One and began delivering assistance to some 200 families whose homes and farmlands were adversely affected by heavy rainfall.

During that visit, it was reported that three sluices were fully functioning, along with two additional pumps, to discharge water from the affected areas into the Demerara River.

A Public Health Ministry team also visited the Manram Memorial Health Centre in Canal Number One to ensure it was equipped with the necessary drugs to address any possible outbreak of waterborne disease, and to prevent related illnesses.

Some of the persons receiving the hampers

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Port Mourant residents, NDC staff continue protest against overseer

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esidents of Port Mourant and staff of the Johns/Port Mourant Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) on Thursday picketed the NDC office, demanding that the overseer be removed. This publication understands that the overseer is not on suspension, as the NDC Chairman had told the media on Wednesday.

The protest started yesterday when staff turned up

at the NDC office and found the front door open. It had not been closed when Overseer Boodmattie Ramnarine left on Monday afternoon. Her office was locked.

At the NDC statutory meeting on Tuesday, she was asked to hand over the keys, but never did. When the workers turned up at the office on Wednesday and found that the rate collectors’ door was also locked and the overseer had the

keys, advice was sought from the Ministry of Communities, and permission was given to break open that door.

There have been complaints that persons were going to the office to make payments but were being turned away because staff had no access to that part of the building. “I received no information about the business of the overseer, and the business of the NDC is still suffering, to

6 suspects nabbed at Grove still in custody – likely to be charged next week

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he six men who were nabbed by Police ranks during a roadblock at Grove, East Bank Demerara (EBD), shortly after they attempted to rob a Chinese poultry farmer are still in custody assisting with further investigations.

According to Police sources, the suspects are likely to be charged and placed before the court in the new week since investigators are still working on compiling the case file.

Steve Hercules, 30, a taxi driver of Sisters Village, West Bank Demerara (WBD); Nabadingi Gobin, 33, a trader of Charlotte Street, Georgetown; Renard Khan, 31, a fish vendor of Cooper Street, Albouystown, Georgetown; Mark Prince, 39, a taxi driver, of Parfaite Harmonie, WBD; Edward Skeete, 30, a trader of Independence Boulevard, Albouystown and Marvin Blackman, 27, a fish vendor of South Ruimveldt, Georgetown, were arrested on Tuesday evening just before 20:00h.

They were found in possession of two 9 mm Glock Pistols along with 22 live rounds; one Beretta Pistol with 11 live rounds; one .32 Taurus Pistol with six live rounds; one sledgehammer, two pairs of latex gloves, and trade plates.

Ranks at the Grove Police Station had received a report of a foiled robbery at the Lot 13 Supply, EBD premises of a 69-year-old Chinese national and subsequently set up a roadblock, which proved successful. to reports, According Michael Chang Yuen was at home with his wife and his two sons relaxing when they heard a noise coming from outside their house about 19:30h.

Upon checking, Yuen saw four men at the eastern door of his property and raised an alarm.

The men quickly returned to the awaiting vehicle and escaped.

The house was outfitted with surveillance cameras, which the suspects were unaware of. The footage captured showed a motor car pulling up

and three suspects exiting and scaling the fence into Yuen’s yard. Two other men exited the car, but stayed there, apparently keeping watch, while the sixth suspect remained in the driver’s seat.

The three suspects in the yard proceeded to the eastern backdoor where one of them used what appeared to be a sledgehammer to hit the door.

Shortly after, they were seen retreating and jumping over the fence, before rushing into the car. The vehicle then sped off heading in North.

The businessman contacted the Police at the Grove Police Station, who then set up a roadblock exercise. Upon the men’s arrests, it was unearthed that the motor car, which had licence plate HC 4543, was stolen from a Princes Street, Georgetown resident on March 25, 2018.

Meanwhile, it has been reported that the suspects have all been implicated in previous offences, including armed robbery.

Residents of Port Mourant and NDC staff protesting in front of the NDC Office on Thursday

some extent. We have access to the rates collectors’ office, but most of the files and information are locked in the overseer’s office. We don’t have any access to that (office). The monies collected from since Monday have not been sent to

the bank as yet. The overseer has some in her possession and some are in her office. It is the overseer’s responsibility to collect those monies and deposit (them),” NDC Chairman Ishwar Narinesammy said during Thursday midday’s pro-

test.

Overseer Ramnarine, who was once dismissed from the NDC and rehired under the current administration, had been suspended since her reappointment, but the Ministry of Communities overturned the suspension. The overseer has been accused of assaulting staff members, collecting revenue and not issuing receipts, and asking vendors to lie about the issue. Also charged with assault, the overseer showed up at the office yesterday afternoon, but the NDC Chairman says a file containing accusations of her physically and verbally abusing staff members has been sent to the ministry.

The overseer showed up at the office during the afternoon hours, and began to work.

Infrastructure, Natural Resources Ministries vexed

by Jagdeo’s corruption blast

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he ministries of Public Infrastructure and Natural Resources on Thursday denied there was continued corruption taking place within their subject areas, as they downplayed accusations levelled by Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo at his weekly press conference held on the same day.

In a vexed statement, both ministries reassured the public that all of the business conducted has been done within the law and regulations. They have rejected the Opposition

Leader’s assertions, which they said were “beleaguered and desperate”, before challenging him to provide evidence.

The ministries’ joint statement said, “The ministries are certain that he (Jagdeo) will be unable to do so, as no evidence to this effect exists. Mr. Jagdeo knows that much work has been done in uncovering the extreme corruption which was rampant while he was President and the PPP was in Government, and that the chickens are now coming home

to roost”.

They said months of tedious work are now resulting in charges being laid, and Mr. Jagdeo knows that very few in his government would be unscathed. “Instead of confronting their record of corruption, Mr. Jagdeo resorts to cheap theatrics and baseless political distraction. This Government’s visionary execution of infrastructural projects seems to be deeply irking Mr. Jagdeo, who failed to execute same during his presidency”, the statement read.

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Govt’s actions will leave City Hall to discuss Guyana with a massive restoration fund debt burden – Opposition C

By Ramona Luthi

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ith Government having moved towards obtaining a $30 billion loan from several local commercial banks and hinting at obtaining a US$900 million loan from the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), Leader of the Opposition, Bharrat Jagdeo, is of the opinion that not only is the Government “pawning our futures”, but is leaving Guyanese with a massive debt.

“The issue is: If they (Govt) borrow US$900 million… Just those two -- the US$900 million and the US$50 million for the Sugar Industry -- that’s nearly US$1.1 billion… They’re leaving us -- whoever gets into office, and we hope it’s us in the near future -- with a…., they’ve killed the momentum already, and (are) leaving us and future generations of Guyanese with a burden that will be heavy to carry… This is pawning our future. They are destroying the current opportunities of our people and livelihood,” Bharrat Jagdeo said during a press conference at his Office on Thursday.

In February 2018, it was disclosed that the National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited’s (NICIL) Special Purpose Unit (SPU) was seeking $30 billion in loans and investments to support the Guyana Sugar Corporation’s (GuySuCo’s) remaining estates. The funding is expected to cover a four-year period, and will provide capital and support infrastructure maintenance and upgrades at Albion,

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo

Blairmont and Uitvlugt estates. The funds are also expected to go towards developing new co-generation capacity for the estates’ operations and for the national electric grid.

The SPU has since secured this loan.

In addition, last week, Finance Minister Winston Jordan said, “Guyana has not received any loans from the Islamic Development Bank,” however, “the IsDB has a resource envelope of US$900 million that is potentially available, from which the Government of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana can borrow.”

To this Jagdeo posited that this coalition administration “has a failed approach to economics.”

He asserted that if the US$900 million loan were pursued, the APNU-AFC Administration would have accumulated almost $US1.1billion in debt, which is equivalent to the amount of debt the Guyana Sugar Corporation was in from start to end of the 23 years of PPP reign.

On behalf of his party, Jagdeo also expressed grave concern with regard to the $30 billion loan which has already been obtained. “…the $30 billion that the SPU wants to raise on a bond now, [they will be] pledging or pawning all the assets of NICIL…[The] interest rate is above the Grant Element above which we use to borrow. The Grant Element…you calculate for Government loans, and the Grant Element takes into consideration the moratorium on interest payments, the length of the loan, and the nominal interest rate; and I’m sure if you calculate the Grant Element, it falls outside of the traditional borrowing policy of the Government. But this is backed up by a set of assets that, if they fail to pay the loans, we lose the entire GuySuCo. All the factories and everything else, and all other holdings of NICIL will go to Republic Bank and the consortium,” Jagdeo explained.

Jagdeo also asserted that, at the rate the country is going, it’s going to have adverse impact on the International Monetary Fund’s predictions on Guyana’s GDP. “The IMF ratio [had said] that the GDP will go up slightly until we find oil, and then it’ll come down and it will go to 59% of GDP. If the economy remains stagnant, we’re going to be defying the IMF predictions by a huge margin, because the stock of-debt-to-GDP will go up to 100% again… Even the IMF forecast didn’t expect this massive set of borrowing,” he said.

ity Hall has been in a dilapidated state for years, but the Mayor and Councillors of the City of Georgetown (M&CC) are moving to discuss a restoration fund that would facilitate the 125-year-old building being returned to its former glory.

This announcement comes on the heels of the Comprehensive Restoration and Sustainable Conservation Management Plan that was completed in 2017, which focused on how to go about restoring the ancient building.

“We’re inviting them to a special meeting to discuss establishing a restoration fund for City Hall,” Town Clerk Royston King announced.

The meeting will see attendance from representatives of The National Trust, The Heritage Society, the Private Sector Commission, the University of Guyana, and the Ministry of Tourism.

The National Trust had previously sat down with the M&CC to discuss plans for City Hall’s restoration.

Georgetown Mayor Patricia Chase-Greene had, in 2016, estimated

City Hall

that it would cost $200 million to restore City Hall.

She had disclosed that the European Union (EU) had expressed willingness to assist with the restoration process. Staying true to their word, The EU had, in December 2016, inked a contract with the M&CC to initiate the Comprehensive Restoration and Sustainable Conservation Management Plan. That project was contracted to the EURONET consulting company GEIE for the sum of EUR 279,196 (Gy$64 million). However, after suggestions were presented in regard to the proj-

ect, the onus had fallen upon the City Council and Central Government to come up with the money needed for the building’s restoration.

The Mayor had explained that the rehabilitation would be costly due to the intricacies of the building, especially in the wrought iron work.

City Hall was designed by architect Reverend Ignatius Scoles in 1887, and was completed in June 1889. The nineteenth century, Gothic revival-style building is supposed to house the offices of the Mayor, the City Council, and the City Engineer.

State Prosecutors should be equipped to deal with financial crimes – AG

A

three-day training workshop on Trial Advocacy, which commenced on Thursday, heard Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Basil Williams emphasise the need for State Prosecutors to be better skilled and equipped to handle high profile cases such as those involving financial crimes.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the workshop, Minister Williams said this initiative is a welcome one, as it seeks to further train prosecutors so that they are more effective in achieving successful prosecutions.

The Head of the Bar underscored the importance of State Prosecutors being equipped with the necessary tools to ensure proper prosecutions particularly in the area of financial crimes and corruption.

“Over the years, a lot of focus has been placed on prosecution (of) traditional crimes, but with the direction that the world is going, we must also give attention to developing the requisite skills to prosecute corruption cases and financial crimes such as fraud, bribery, money laundering and terrorist financing,” he stated, while adding cybercrimes to the list.

The Attorney General further said, “…we have a problem with convictions right now in money laundering and other specialised aspects [such as] financial crimes. So our State Prosecutors must recognise

Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Basil Williams

that this is a timely intervention; not that they are losing these cases, they just need the training. (They) must understand the elements of a money laundering offence and distinguish it from narcotics offences.”

This sentiment was also shared by Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Shalimar Ali-Hack, who noted, “We are embarking on some new areas of law, particularly in the financial investigations; and we are doing our best to learn the law as well as to do training (such as these).”

The DPP further stated that similar training workshops will be held going forward, with the aim of enhancing prosecutions in both the High and Magistrates’ Courts, as well as the Appellate Court.

“Trial advocacy is a skill, and it does take some learning for you to improve on what you have. It’s knowing

your facts together with the way you put it over, and…

I’m sure we will each benefit from this learning experience, and together this will build the capacity of prosecutions in Guyana’s justice system,” Ali-Hack posited.

The three-day training is being hosted by the Office of the DPP at the Marriott Hotel. Among those participating are prosecutors from the DPP Chambers and Police Prosecutors.

The workshop forms part of the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative’s (CBSI’s) Justice Sector Assistance Programme funded by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs.

A five member team from the National Centre for State Courts will be facilitating the training programme for State Prosecutors.

NEWS

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friDAY, april 13, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Education key to developing Minister Gaskin visits Essequibo to discuss business sector responsible citizens …education workshop hears

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fficials from the Education Ministry and other educational institutions in Guyana are placing more emphasis on the importance of education in the lives of students as well as the need for teachers to pay attention to the critical requirements for the creation of responsible citizens.

These issues were tackled at the educational leadership conference, hosted by the Education Ministry earlier this week, by three panellists – the Chief Education Officer, Marcel Hutson; Vice Chancellor of the University of Guyana (UG) and Marla Bernard.

The Chief Education Officer, during his remarks, stressed on the roles that education played in society, surpassing the acquisition of formal education. While being educated at the various levels, there are other qualities that should be inculcated, with teachers expected to exploit and develop these with their students.

“A critical role of education is that of socialisation.

That has to do with training and teaching so that persons can actually develop the right kind of attitudes and behaviours that would ac-

Chief Education Officer Marcel Hutson

tually pass the change that we want to see in society,” Hutson stated.

“It also has to do with fitting people into society so that they could be citizens that are responsible, citizens that are caring and citizens that are productive,” he added.

Furthermore, Professor Ivelaw Griffith addressed the room of educators from several administrative regions in Guyana, and explained that this could be acquired through modifications in the way formal classroom sessions were conducted, while establishing a sense that excellence

should be the most important practice.

“So many of our students – whether primary, secondary or tertiary – come from circumstances where there are so many insufficiencies: rental, single parents, insufficient money (and) food and it is very often easy to be comfortable with just getting on. It is very easy to get by. Our responsibility is not to be in the mode of allowing ourselves to just be that ‘get by’. We need to be aspiring [to] excellence,” the Vice Chancellor said.

This, he stated, is one of the key values which will result in the production of good citizens of Guyana.

The panel of speakers was also engaged in discussion generated by questions from the various regional officers.

Furthermore, the educators were also briefed on other aspects of educational development, which they are expected to convey to other teachers of their respective regions. With a three-day workshop on formal training, which commenced on Monday, the Ministry is hoping that this will aid in the improvement of the quality of education in schools countrywide.

Region 5 women encouraged to be more vocal

M

embers of the E s s e q u i b o Chamber of Commerce and Industry last Thursday met with Business Minister Dominic Gaskin, as it relates to issues surrounding the county’s business sector.

According to Chamber President Deleep Singh, the meeting was scheduled so as to bring ‘a sigh of relief’ to the business community.

Some of the concerns raised included the poor supply of electricity in the area. Additionally, there were complaints of cruise bookings by the Transport and Harbours Department, which resulted in passengers and vehicles being stranded.

Business Minister Dominic Gaskin

Meanwhile, citizens and business owners have raised eyebrows regarding the threat to the fishing industry by the production of

oil and gas in Guyana by ExxonMobil.

Also raised were the continuous hike in fees by various banks along the coast and complaints by residents that their accounts were closed without any notification prior to closure.

Additionally, the insufficient parking for vehicles at Parika, renovation of the Red Lock airstrip, improper garbage disposal and inadequate access to finance and training were other matters that were ventilated.

In response, Minister Gaskin stated that he would address all concerns under the remit of the Business Ministry and would make further arrangements to forward the other issues to the Ministries responsible.

Hope Children’s Home benefits from FML donation

The appreciative children presenting FML Managing Director Andrew Mendes with a letter of gratitude

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everal children of the Hope Children’s Home, having benefited from a benevolent gesture, have decided to show their appreciation by paying a courtesy visit to their benefactors.

The Farfan and Mendes Company recently installed a 3.1kW solar-powered, bat-

tery-based system at the Hope Children’s Home. This kind-hearted donation will go a long way in assisting the orphanage to cater to the electrical needs of the building.

The project was funded by the International Committee of the Rotary Club of Chestnut Hill in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

with significant contribution from Dr. Rebecca Anwar and Farfan & Mendes Limited.

In a bid to show appreciation for the kindness, four children who are residents of the home visited FML Managing Director Andrew Mendes, and presented him with a thank you letter and flowers.

April 30 is deadline for submissions on GWI’s proposed rate hike

Some of the participants of the engagement in Region Five

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hile at its core to enable and encourage women to be actively involved in decision-making processes, the Social Protection Ministry in collaboration with the Guyana Women’s Leadership Institute on Thursday hosted a workshop in Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice) under the theme “Enhancing Capabilities and Increasing Choices”.

Speaking at the gathering was Social Protection Minister Amna Ally, who stated that women should be engaged in more prominent roles and the opinions of the region should be echoed for the holistic development of Guyana.

“There is no true democracy without the equal participation of women and men,” were the words of Minister Ally, as she strived to prove her point with re-

spect to the abilities which are buried within women of society.

She mentioned that they should migrate from the mindset that their duties rest only in the domestic aspect of the household, as both genders should be equal in the decision-making process and policy development.

“Women must get involved in the production and manufacturing, even if you have to turn soil and clean the gutters with men too,” she stated.

Meanwhile, Member of Parliament Jennifer Wade encouraged the women to view the workshop as an addition to their empowerment.

The series of workshops are being conducted by the two entities to evoke the latent leadership qualities and skills that women

across Guyana possess so as to create an environment in which all can thrive and uncover their potentials.

On a wider standpoint, the Ministry had produced funds to assist women who wished to establish various businesses via the Sustainable Livelihood Entrepreneurship Development (SLED) project. This is testimony to the vibrant and thriving village economies that can be created via entrepreneurial activity.

As such, bakeries, fish-processing facilities, sewing groups, poultry farms and other enterprises were established in which women can take advantage of their talent to earn an income. By the end of 2017, 20 SLED projects were created across various communities in Guyana.

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embers of the general public and the consumer affairs body will have until April 30 to submit their opinions on the proposal submitted by the Guyana Water Inc (GWI) to have its rates increased.

The company has defended the proposal as part of its quest to provide good service to Guyanese.

This was revealed by the utility company during the final public hearing on Wednesday that was hosted by the Public Utilities Commission (PUC). There, GWI Managing Director, Dr Richard Van West-Charles addressed pending issues surrounding the company’s request to increase its rates by $500.

The company has revealed that for the improvement of its services, a hike is necessary to support its revenues.

Additionally, GWI simply cannot collect all of the monies that were owed by con-

sumers, since there was a restriction on collecting after a certain amount of time had passed.

According to Dr Van WestCharles, there are plans to advance the services being offered by the utility company. If the new rates are sanctioned, the additional monies will go towards improvement in the quality of water being offered. Additionally, the water network countrywide is being continuously maintained. Last month, the Managing Director had indicated that GWI was seeking to replace its archaic system, which in some areas, was over 100 years old.

He noted that in some cases when there is an emergency, while there may be sufficient water to increase the pressure, the aged network posed as a threat since ruptures were created along the larger water lines. This results in additional work for employees to frequently fix

the ruptures.

During that encounter, he also noted that the improvement of services also included the introduction of hydrants in new housing communities as well as the rehabilitation of old hydrants in other communities. The implementation of 100 per cent metering is also one of the pending projects on the list, which can be fulfilled with the $500 increase.

Moreover, in a vast swathe of Guyana, the upgrading of the water treatment provided is mandatory, since large sums are spent on the SeaQuest chemical, to reduce the iron content of water in Essequibo. Before the increase is confirmed by the PUC, there will be deliberations about the circumstances surrounding the situations which necessitate a hike in the rates. Consumer advocates have demanded that the water company submit financial statements before the proposal is reviewed.

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friDAY, april 13, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Min Greenidge, Canadian, Ecuadorian counterparts meet

…on sidelines of Summit of the Americas

Minister Carl Greenidge and Ecuador’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, María Fernanda Espinosa, in discussion

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oreign Affairs Minister Carl Greenidge engaged his ministerial counterparts from Canada and Ecuador on the sidelines of the Summit Implementation Review Group (SIRG) meeting yesterday.

He explained that the bilateral meeting with Canadian Foreign Affairs

Minister Chrystia Freeland builds on the “close and good relationship” between the two countries.

In his first meeting with Minister Freeland, Minister Greenidge noted that the issue of Guyana’s territorial integrity and its progress was discussed, along with trade cooperation with CARICOM (Caribbean

Community) and other areas of cooperation.

“I got the impression that we saw eye to eye on a lot of things. Canada has a young Prime Minister, bringing with him his own initiatives and history, and we thought that that was a great opportunity for Guyana, that we could perhaps do a lot in that regard,” Minister Greenidge explained.

The Minister noted that this is a preparatory meeting, which is a precursor to the meeting between President David Granger and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Minister Greenidge said this meeting is expected to happen during the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in London next week.

Discussions were also centred around issues affecting the Guyana diaspora in Canada. “We spoke

also about raising the level of activity both in Toronto and in Ottawa,” Minister Greenidge said.

The Guyanese diaspora in Canada is estimated to be around 200,000, according to the High Commission of Canada to Guyana and Suriname.

Diplomatic relations between Guyana and Canada predate independence. The Canadian Commission was opened in Guyana in March 1964.

Guyana’s High Commission to Canada is also Canada’s Plenipotentiary Representative to CARICOM. The two countries have good bilateral relations, resulting from political ties through the Commonwealth, commercial links, development assistance, and immigration.

Meanwhile, Minister

Colombia targets Gulf Clan after deadly blast in Urabá

The blast was set off as the car carrying Police Officers drove along a narrow road. Eight Police Officers were killed in the attack

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olombian President Juan Manuel Santos has told the security forces to go after a criminal gang known as the Gulf Clan after the group was blamed for a bomb attack which killed eight Police Officers in North-western Colombia.

The bomb went off on

Wednesday as the officers were escorting officials handing back land to rural dwellers displaced by Colombia’s armed conflict.

The Gulf Clan is estimated to have about 1800 members. It is Colombia’s biggest drugs gang. It controls many of the routes used to smuggle drugs from Colombia to

the US and as far away as Russia.

The group also engages in extortion, illegal mining, human trafficking, forced displacements and murder.

“This barbaric act will not go unpunished,” President Santos said, before telling the Police to step up their efforts against the Gulf Clan,

which is also known as Los Urabeños after the area where it is most active.

Police General Gustavo Moreno said the bomb had been placed on a narrow dirt path and was set off remotely when a car carrying the officers drove past.

He said officers had later intercepted radio communications in which the Gulf Clan boasted about the attack.

Colombia’s security forces have arrested or killed some of the top leaders of the gang in recent months, but it remains a powerful force and has reportedly also been recruiting both left-wing former FARC rebels disgruntled with the peace process as well as their right-wing former paramilitary rivals.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carl Greenidge, in discussion with Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chrystia Freeland

Greenidge summed up his meeting with Ecuador’s Foreign Affairs Minister, María Fernanda Espinosa, as interesting.

“The major issue, of course, is that they have changed government, and it’s just to make sure we have the same interests that they want to pursue,” Minister Greenidge said.

Minister Fernanda

Espinosa has commended Guyana for the conservation of its forestry, Minister Greenidge noted. Guyana is expected to participate in the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (OTCA) Heads of Government Summit later this year.

Guyana and Ecuador established diplomatic relations in 1974.

T&T High Court rules in favour of LGBT community

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he High Court in Trinidad and Tobago on Thursday ruled it unconstitutional to impede on the rights of homosexual men and anal sex. The challenge against the state was brought by gay rights activist Jason Jones in 2017.

However, a final ruling will be handed down in three months. Following the court’s decision members of the LGBT Community, celebrated on the outskirts of the building. The court matter was brought to repeal sections 13 and 16 of the Sexual Offenses Act which criminalises buggery and serious indecency even between consenting adults.

Jones claimed that the long-standing legislation contravenes his constitutional rights to privacy and freedom of thought and expression in addition to being in direct contradiction to this country’s international human rights ob-

ligations.

When the ruling was filed last year, Jones told reporters that he decided to file the lawsuit due to his personal experience as a homosexual in Trinidad and Tobago including him being disowned by his family forcing him to migrate to the United Kingdom.

The lawsuit is one of several landmark cases filed

by Caribbean LGBT activists challenging regional homophobic laws.

In 2016, Jamaican lawyer Maurice Tomlinson challenged the immigration laws in Trinidad and Tobago and Belize which allow for refusal of entry to regional homosexuals visitors.

While the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) dismissed his case, both Governments admitted that the laws were not enforced by their immigration officials. (Excerpt from Trinidad

Guardian)

India Taj Mahal minarets damaged in storm A storm has damaged two minarets located at different entry gates of the iconic Taj Mahal in the northern Indian city of Agra.

Officials told the BBC that winds blowing at 130kmh (80mph) caused the 12 feet (four metre) pillars to collapse. The four longer mina-

rets that surround the main structure remain intact. The 17th Century mausoleum attracts about 12,000 visitors a day and is one of the world’s most popular tourist attractions. One of the destroyed minarets was located at the royal gate where tourists often get their first glimpse of

The Taj Mahal was built by the Muslim emperor Shah Jahan in 1643. One of the destroyed minarets was located at the royal gate to the Taj Mahal

the monument. The other was located at the southern gate.

Authorities said that work had begun to restore the damaged structures. India’s official recorded history says that Mughal ruler Shah Jahan built the Taj Mahal in memory of his queen, Mumtaj Mahal. (Excerpt from BBC News)

South China Sea: Xi Jinping attends massive naval display

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Chinese leader Xi Jinping inspects troops at an undisclosed location in the South China Sea

hina’s leader Xi Jinping has attended a massive naval display in the disputed South

China Sea. Speaking from an undisclosed location, Mr Xi said the need for a strong navy had “never been more

pressing”. More than 10,000 naval officers, 76 fighter jets and a flotilla of 48 ships and submarines took part

in the drill. It came ahead of planned live-fire military drills by China in the narrow strait separating it from

Taiwan on April 18.

Footage broadcast on Chinese state TV showed the leader addressing forces aboard a navy destroyer before watching jets take off from the country’s sole aircraft carrier. Chinese media described the display as the largest of its kind.

Beijing has the world’s largest military and has sought to expand its naval power in recent years.

But there has been growing tension over parts of the

South China Sea involving a number of countries, including China, Vietnam and the Philippines. As part of its territorial claims, China has been involved in island-building. Meanwhile the US has sent military vessels and aircraft to the region in what it describes as “freedom of navigation operations”. Most recently, a nuclear-powered US aircraft carrier travelled through disputed waters in March.

(Excerpt from BBC News)

Atif Aslam Concert guyanatimesgy.com

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he Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha (GHDS) will be hosting a number of activities to commemorate the 180th anniversary of the arrival of Indians to Guyana.

The featured event will be a concert on Tuesday, May 1, at the Guyana National Stadium, East Bank Demerara, featuring outstanding Bollywood playback singer Atif Aslam.

Aslam has taken the world of playback singing by storm in recent years, rendering hit songs such as

friday, april 13, 2018

for May 1 at the Guyana National Stadium

“Pehli Nazar”, “Tu Jaane Na”, “Tere Sang Yaara”, “Dil Diyan Gallan”, “Tera Hone Laga Hoon” and “Main Rang Sharbaton Ka”.

His concerts everywhere are popular, since he is known for his energy, versatility, cool performance style and ability to switch seamlessly from the Bollywood genre to folk music, qawalis and pop songs.

He will be accompanied by his full band.

All proceeds from the concert will go towards the Dharmic Rama Krishna School Expansion project

which will involve the construction of a new secondary school and additional primary facilities.

Tickets for the concert cost VVIP $20,000, VIP reserved seating $6000, general seating – $2500 and standing $1500 and are on sale at the Dharmic Kendra – Prashad Nagar; Greater , Georgetown, Red Mango – Robb Street, Georgetown; all E-networks locations; Harinarine and Sons – Regent Street, Georgetown; Countryside Agri Centre – Vreed-en-Hoop, West Bank Demerara; the Murti Shop – West

Coast Demerara; and NTN – Brickdam, Georgetown.

The GHDS will also be holding a special Ramayan Festival at the Oceanview Mandir Compound on Saturday, May 5, celebrating the Ramayan traditions brought by Indian foreparents to Guyana and cultural events at the Tain Campus, Berbice, on May 4; and at the Anna Regina Mandir and West Berbice on May 5 to mark this important milestone in Guyana’s history.

“ Wedding Night” for District Ultra Lounge on April 20 B e a u t y Pa g e a n t

Miss Linden cancelled!!!

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he District Ultra Lounge is now becoming a desirable liming spot for frequent partygoers who enjoy a good concept party. The Lounge, located at Giftland Mall, Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown, has been the home for Team MMR parties and other events including “Black Swag” among others.

On April 20, Chutney and filmi lovers will assemble and party as “Wedding Night” takes centre stage. The event is promoted by Nightlife Entertainment and will feature live performance

by Chutney Monarch finalist, Steven

Ramphal, who is known for his energetic performances. There will also be a special tassa drumming performance by members of the Young Warriors Tassa Group.

In addition, Deejay Golden Chyld, Selector Mahendra and Deejay Linx will be in the house to juggle the best selections to ensure patrons have a great experience. This is one of the events you cannot miss.

Admission costs $2000 and the gates open at 21:00h.

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ith just two weeks remaining before the highly anticipated Linden Town Week (LTW) 2018, one of the featured events, the beauty pageant, has been cancelled in light of a scandal. Initially, seven delegates were poised to compete and the cancellation has definitely taken a toll on them.

The decision to quash the pageant was taken on Wednesday evening by the Linden Mayor and Town Council (LMTC). LTW Project Coordinator Devin Sears told Guyana Times Entertainment that the majority of Councillors voted against the hosting of the pageant.

The decision to cancel the pageant came after allegations surfaced of sexual

misconduct on a delegate by a popular Linden businessman while the delegate was seeking sponsorship.

The incident allegedly took place at the businessman’s home on March 3, 2018. The incident is being investigated by the Police.

On Tuesday, former Linden Mayor, Carwyn Holland, called for the pageant to be cancelled following the revelation of sexual exploitation. Holland, who is no stranger to pageantry, is well aware of the consequences of such an allegation and thought it fit to make representation to call off the pageant.

He described the incident as disturbing and urged young women in pageantry to lift their heads high as they are ambassadors of the communities they represent.

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friday, april 13, 2018

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s Guyana’s Carnival celebrations draw near, Pulse Entertainment is taking no changes in being left behind, and as such, come this Saturday, the party begins at Palm Court.

On Saturday evening, Pulse Entertainment will be launching its Carnival Band which will give prospective revellers a chance to see what it has to offer.

Known for very creative and skimpy costumes, Pulse Entertainment is bringing its ‘A Game’ to Guyana’s first Carnival slated for May 18-27.

During this time, there will be lots of events ranging from pool parties to concerts and will feature some of the best in the music business. Some of the performers already confirmed to perform are Kes the Band, Machel Montano, Timeka Marshall, Jumo Primo, Patrice Roberts, Adrian Dutchin, Bunji Garlin and many others.

Nevertheless, the swag starts this weekend at Palm Court for the official Pulse Entertainment Band launch. Patrons are urged to dress Carnival style since the affair is expected to be hyped. Making sure that happens will be Deejay Ryan out of Pulse.

Tickets for the event cost $2000 and the gates to the venue open at 21:00h.

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ocial media star/entertainer “Tear Drop” teamed up with former Guyanese beauty queen Ruqayyah Boyer and members of the XOXO and SAK group to record his newest single titled “What Chu Wanna Say”.

The song is produced by AJ (Adrian Johnson) Records in a catchy hip pop fused soundtrack. The recording was actually an impromptu recording that was done while chilling at the studio.

Each section was free-styled during the session and the song was finished in less than an hour. The end product, however, is one that is gradually gaining momentum and airplay. All parties are currently discussing putting out a visual for the soundtrack in the near future.

The chorus really directs the narrative for the song and acts as an invitation for each artist to speak up about how they were feeling at the moment, unfiltered and direct.

Social media star Leon Clarke, better known as “Tear Drop”, was really the driving force behind each artiste aiding in bringing out the best in themselves.

While it was an in the moment recording, it turned out that each verse and style represented the team and some of the values that they stand for.

Themes explored in the verses are truth, struggle, loyalty, trust, spirituality, struggle and lots of swag.

t is after much support that the Euphoria Dance Crew travelled to Trinidad and Tobago to compete in the World of Dance competition but unfortunately, they failed to get the nod from the judges.

However, the Enigma Dance Group wowed the audience and the judges to come out on top of their category at the competition held on Saturday last. The group would have taken the top prize in the junior category of the competition.

The Enigma Dance Group was founded in 2009 by director Lynn MedfordRonnkvist. Enigma Dance Studio, a section of the group, has taken its talents countrywide and beyond Guyana also.

The Group was founded specifically as a community awareness project in West Ruimveldt but as the years went by, it grew bigger and eventually moved to the Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC), Bourda, Georgetown.

It was founded around the same time as the Guyana Youth Arts Festival and is directly linked to the original Youth Arts Festival in England. The Group started with 65 members, including 10 coordinators but has grown tremendously over the years.

To date, the dance group has 63 dancers in categories from beginners to professionals. On April 7, five dancers accompanied by the Director travelled to Trinidad

A

for the competition. The trip did pay off as they were recognised for their outstanding performance in the art form.

Enigma offers cultural (Afro-Caribbean, latin and modern India), modern contemporary, ballet, jazz, hip hop and commercial dance classes. With the win, the group intends to defend their title in 2019.

fter a successful edition of Tassarama in 2017, the event returns to the Diamond Tarmac on May 5, with at least 10 tassa groups participating. The event is hosted to commemorate the 180th anniversary of the arrival of East Indians to Guyana.

The groups are from the East Bank, East Coast, W e s t Bank and West Coast of Demerara with at least one group from West Berbice. They all will be competing for over $500,000 in cash prizes and trophies. The event is organised by RB Dubraj Production.

This event promises to be very entertaining, with a packed cultural show that will see live performances by the Caribbean Hotshots Band led by Dharmendra Gobin and Rajesh Dubraj.

In addition, there will be several dance pieces by members of various dance troupes but the main attraction will be the tassa drumming competition.

However, persons can also enjoy Indian delicacies in abundance and partake in the mehendi designing camp as well as feast their eyes and dig into their wallets and purses at the extravagant exhibition and costume sale.

The kids will not be left out as there will be lots of games to keep them occupied. Action starts at 16:00h and admission to the event is absolutely free.

guyanatimesgy.com

friDAY, april 13, 2018

19

ARCHIE

Work behind the scenes and take care of your respon(March 21- sibilities without complaining.

April 19) Structure and discipline will help you create a stable environment that will encourage you to excel.

ARIES

Socialise with peers, reTAURUS connect with old friends or (April 20- relatives, or take up an unMay 20) usual hobby that will stimulate your imagination. An opportunity to make new friends should not be ignored.

dilbert

A proposal should be looked GEMINI at carefully. Make sure you ful(May 21ly understand what’s expectJune 20) ed of you before you sign up for something that may restrict or jeopardise your progress.

If you put everything you’ve got into whatever task (June 21- or project you take on, your July 22) effort will not go unnoticed.

Expand your friendships and interests. A promising partnership is in the stars.

CANCER

Peanuts

Learn from an expert.

LEO How you go about your busi(July 23- ness and relate and react to Aug. 22) others will be the deciding factor when it comes to getting ahead or being given a unique opportunity.

Calvin and Hobbes

An open discussion with VIRGO a friend or relative will help (Aug. 23resolve an issue you’ve been Sept. 22) struggling with for some time.

If someone is being excessive, an intervention will help.

Look over your personal paLIBRA pers, pending settlements or (Sept. 23any health issues that interfere Oct. 23)

with physical activities you enjoy doing. Taking care of personal business will make you feel optimistic about the future.

WORD GAME TODAY’S WORD — PHONICS (PHONICS: FON-iks: A method of teaching elementary reading and spelling.)

SUDOKU

Open your doors and host SAGITTARIUS a get-together.

Sharing your (Nov. 23ideas is fine, but the inforDec. 21)

Average mark 16 words

mation you gather will put you in a better position when it comes time to make a decision.

Time limit 25 minutes Can you find 21 or more words in PHONICS? The list will be published tomorrow.

YESTERDAY’S WORD — INTAGLIO ingot into iota nail nilgai noil tail tailing talon tang

tango tigon tiling ting toga toil toiling tonal tong agon

ailing align alit along alto anil anti gain gait giant

gilt glint gloat gnat goal goat lain ling lingo lint

lion loan loin long loti oiling

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

A chance to spend more SCORPIO time with a loved one is en(Oct. 24couraged.

Take a short trip, Nov. 22) engage in unusual activities and expand and explore your creative ideas and talents.

solution

Share your feelings and CAPRICORN (Dec. 22- discuss plans to make your Jan. 19) home a place of comfort. Love and romance should be high on your list, along with entertaining and self-improvement projects.

Helping others can be AQUARIUS fun, until someone takes ad(Jan. 20- vantage of you. Only offer Feb. 19) what’s warranted, and make suggestions to people who could put them to good use.

If you use your charm, PISCES (Feb. 20- good things will come to you.

March 20) Reconnecting with an old crush will give you a different perspective on the past, present and future.

20

friDAY, april 13, 2018

Frazzled Sunrisers

squeeze home in last-ball thriller M

umbai Indians weaved magic yet again at the venue of their unprecedented third IPL triumph to come back from the dead, but were pipped at the finishing line by Deepak Hooda, the man who they doled out INR 3.6 crores for at the auction. His unbeaten 32 constituted a sensational final-over six off a wide yorker off Ben Cutting that reduced the equation to five off five deliveries. A wide and three singles reduced it to one needed off the final delivery. Billy Stanlake, the No. 11, nervously examined the field, contemplated his options and then hoicked the slower delivery to the midwicket fence to deliver a one-wicket win and send a strong crowd of 30,000 into delirium.

A slap to the extra cover boundary off his first delivery set the tone for yet another dominating knock.

Without scoreboard pressure early in the chase, Shikhar Dhawan simply trusted his instincts and hit everything through the line to bludgeon his way to his second successive half-century. The first one, against Rajasthan Royals, came off 33 deliveries. He was set to shade that by muscling his way to 45 off 27 balls, before falling off his 28th when he top-edged a sweep to Jasprit Bumrah at fine leg. This triggered a sensa-

tional collapse.

At 20, Mayank Markande's confidence to execute his variations have been impressive. He foxed Wriddhiman Saha with a shortish googly that beat the inside edge to hit the pad, with an lbw appeal given out on review. Dhawan holed out to fine leg and Manish Pandey's ugly hoick resulted in a leading edge taken by Rohit at short mid-off. There were nerves in the Sunrisers camp now, and Shakib had them biting off their fingernails when he chopped on. They had sensationally slipped from 73 for 1 to 107 for 5.

This was still very much Sunrisers' game, but there were many more twists.

Yusuf Pathan and Deepak Hooda brought them to within 12 runs of victory, before Jasprit Bumrah delivered two vital strikes.

Yusuf mistimes a skiddy bouncer to Kieron Pollard at midwicket and Rashid Khan was snuffed out by a full delivery that took the edge to the keeper.

Mustafizur Rahman then delivered a stellar penultimate over, taking two wickets and conceding just one to leave Hooda a herculean task. His modus operandi was simple: varying his length to cutters. Sandeep Sharma's at-

tempted scoop resulted in a catch to short fine, while Siddarth Kaul chipped one back as Mustafizur held on to a superb reflex-action catch. Now, with 11 off one over, Hooda exhibited tremendous calm to see the game through.

In Sandeep, Sunrisers had Bhuvneshwar's like-for-like replacement. Handed a debut for Sunrisers after being picked for INR 3 crores at the auction, he didn't let them

down.

I n his very first over, he got the ball to dart back in and then straighten to beat R o h i t Sharma.

T h i s w o u l d be a recurring theme for the evening as he troubled the batsmen with

his zip off the pitch. His reward were the wickets of a well-set Suryakumar Yadav, the lone batsman to show any sort of fight for Mumbai in the middle overs, and Pradeep Sangwan, at the death.

In Kaul, Sandeep's statemate at Punjab, Sunrisers have an equally effective bowler. He may not send the speed guns cranking, but is capable of hurrying the batsmen with his skid. His knuckl e ball t o

Siddarth Kaul dismissed Ishan Kishan and Evin Lewis in his first over

Former world heavyweight champion to make comeback on June 9 F

ormer heavyweight champion Tyson Fury will return to boxing on 9 June against an unnamed opponent in Manchester - his first fight since 2015.

Fury, 29, has not fought since claimi n g

the IBF, WBA and WBO world titles from Wladimir Klitschko in November 2015.

He was suspended in 2016 amid "anti-doping and medical issues" and accepted a backdated two-year ban in December.

However, he had his licence reinstated earlier this year a n d has now signed with promoter Frank Warren.

Fury first fought as a professional in

Former IBF, WBA and WBO Champion Tyson Fury

December 2008 and has won all 25 of his pro bouts, but has been out of action for more than two years.

Since he last fought, fellow Briton Anthony Joshua has taken the IBF, IBO, WBA and WBO world heavyweight titles, while unbeaten American Deontay Wilder holds the WBC belt.

After beating Joseph Parker to win the WBO title on 31 March, Joshua said: "I want Wilder. Or Fury. Get him [Wilder] in the ring and I'll knock him spark out."

The WBA has since ordered Joshua to begin negotiations with Russia's mandatory challenger Alexander Povetkin.

But the Londoner says he would prefer to fight Wilder next.

dismiss a dangerous-looking Evin Lewis, who had smashed three fours and two sixes in his 17-ball 29 as an opener, set the tone for Sunrisers' domination.

The pair finished with combined figures of 4 for 49 between them off eight overs.

If this wasn't stifling enough, Mumbai Indians were slowly choked

by Rashid Khan, who bowled 18 dot balls, the most by a spinner in the IPL, to finish with figures of 4-0-13-1. This meant Mumbai were devoid of any sort of momentum through the innings, with the highest partnership being the 38-run stand for the sixth wicket between Kieron Pollard and Suryakumar Yadav.

Rashid, as usual, varied his googlies and fast legbreaks with subtle changes in length on a surface where there was true bounce to keep Mumbai quiet. Losing a wicket every time they looked for a release resulted in the batsmen having to buckle down and delay their slog. This played right into Rashid's hands. When it got to a stage where the batsmen had no choice but to slog, Rashid got his only wicket

of the night as a charging Ben Cutting misread a googly and was bowled in the 18th over.

Sure the format demands belligerence, but Mumbai bordered between over-aggression and recklessness. Ishan Kishan's dismissal slicing an attempted heave to third man in the sixth over was a result of this. In the very first over, Rohit Sharma too was guilty of trying to slog the ball, but was lucky to be reprieved by Deepak Hooda, who put down a catch running backwards from midwicket. Fortunately, this didn't cost Hyderabad much as he eventually failed to keep a flick down and was caught at square leg by Shakib Al Hasan.

Krunal Pandya, promoted to No. 5, chipped a simple catch to cover while Kieron Pollard set himself up for the end overs, but ended up checking his shot to be caught at deep cover for a brisk 23-ball 28 with 5.1 overs to play. Mumbai were 110 for 5 then, possibly looking at 160. That wasn't to be. With their bowling attack, 147 may have still been enough on another night.

SCOREBOARD

Mumbai Indians Innings (20 overs maximum) RG Sharma (c) c Shakib Al Hasan b Stanlake 11 E Lewis b Kaul 29 Ishan Kishan † c Pathan b Kaul 9 SA Yadav c Hooda b Sandeep Sharma 28 KH Pandya c Williamson b Shakib Al Hasan 15 KA Pollard c Dhawan b Stanlake 28 BCJ Cutting b Rashid Khan 9 PJ Sangwan lbw b Sandeep Sharma 0 M Markande not out 6 JJ Bumrah not out 4 Extras 8 (lb 4, nb 1, w 3) TOTAL 147-8 (20 Overs, RR: 7.35) Did not bat: Mustafizur Rahman Fall of wickets: 1-11 (RG Sharma, 1.6 ov), 2-48 (Ishan Kishan, 5.2 ov), 3-54 (E Lewis, 5.6 ov), 4-72 (KH Pandya, 8.5 ov), 5-110 (KA Pollard, 14.5 ov), 6-133 (BCJ Cutting, 17.3 ov), 7-136 (SA Yadav, 18.4 ov), 8-136 (PJ Sangwan, 18.5 ov) Bowling: Sandeep Sharma (4-0-25-2), B Stanlake (40-42-2), Rashid Khan (40-13-1), S Kaul (4-0-29-2), Shakib Al Hasan (4-0-34-1)

Sunrisers Hyderabad Innings (target: 148 runs from 20 overs) WP Saha † lbw b Markande 22 S Dhawan c Bumrah b Markande 45 KS Williamson (c) c †Ishan Kishan b Mustafizur Rahman 6 MK Pandey c Sharma b Markande 11 Shakib Al Hasan b Markande 12 DJ Hooda not out 32 YK Pathan c Pollard b Bumrah 14 Rashid Khan c †Ishan Kishan b Bumrah 0 S Kaul c & b Mustafizur Rahman 0 Sandeep Sharma c Pandya b Mustafizur Rahman 0 B Stanlake not out 5 Extras 4 (lb 3, w 1) TOTAL 151-9 (20 Overs, RR: 7.55) Fall of wickets: 1-62 (WP Saha, 6.5 ov), 2-73 (KS Williamson, 7.6 ov), 3-77 (S Dhawan, 8.5 ov), 4-89 (MK Pandey, 10.2 ov), 5-107 (Shakib Al Hasan, 12.6 ov), 6-136 (YK Pathan, 17.4 ov), 7-136 (Rashid Khan, 17.5 ov), 8-137 (S Kaul, 18.4 ov), 9-137 (Sandeep Sharma, 18.6 ov) Bowling: PJ Sangwan (2-0-190), JJ Bumrah (4-0-3-22), BCJ Cutting (4-0-40-0), KH Pandya (20-10-0), M Markande (4-0-23-4), Mustafizur Rahman (4-0-24-3)

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On Tuesday, during the first match in Chennai, protesters gathered outside the stadium despite tight security

C

ricket officials say the southern city of Chennai (formerly Madras) will not host Indian Premier League (IPL) matches due to security concerns.

The move comes after protests took place outside the Chepauk stadium during Chennai Super Kings' first home game on Tuesday.

The protesters in Tamil Nadu are angry over a water-sharing dispute with neighbouring Karnataka state.

The IPL is considered to be the world's showcase for Twenty20 cricket.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India hasn't announced a new venue for the Super Kings' home games.

Top Indian and international players take part in the annual tournament, making it one of the world's most-watched and richest cricket tournaments.

Cricket officials initially resisted calls to move the matches out of Chennai but agreed after Tuesday's protests.

"We had little option really. We did not want to deny the cricket fans of Tamil Nadu, the opportunity to support their team and savour the cricket but the local police were not willing to provide us adequate security," IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla told The Hindu newspaper.

Local media reported that two protesters threw a shoe on the ground during Tuesday's game.

And a Tamil group has threatened to release snakes on the ground if the Super Kings played more matches in Chennai.

On Monday, Tamil Nadu political parties had called for the matches to be cancelled amid escalating tensions with Karnataka.

There have been multiple protests over the Cauvery river, which Tamil Nadu and its neighbouring state Karnataka have staked a claim to. The dispute over sharing water dates to the 19th Century during British rule.

Commonwealth Games...

Hughes disqualified from gold in 200m drama

Z

harnel Hughes ran from a would-be robber pointing a gun in his face earlier this year and on Thursday sprinted to Commonwealth gold – but he could not escape the verdict of the judges who stripped him of the title.

The 22-year-old Englishman was allowed to complete a lap of honour draped in a St George flag and under the impression he had won gold in the 200m in 20.12sec. But a whisper from a friend in the crowd broke the news to him that he had been disqualified for obstructing Trinidad and Tobago’s Jereem Richards, who finished second, in the dying moments of the race.

It was a chaotic addendum to an evening during which Team England clawed back some respectability in the athletics stadium with five medals, an impressive bronze for Dina Asher-Smith in the 200m among them.

Hughes appeared to run out of steam towards the end of an absorbing race

England’s Zharnel Hughes collided with Trinidadian sprinter Jereem Richards in the 200m final, Commonwealth Games, Gold Coast, Australia

and extended a forearm across Richards’s lane. On being told of the disqualification the Englishman, who led throughout the race after an electrifying start, looked shocked but continued to pose for photographs.

England lodged an appeal against the disqualification but a panel of

judges from the Bahamas, Singapore and Norfolk Island upheld the decision more than 90 minutes after he crossed the line. Richards was upgraded to gold, Aaron Brown of Canada was promoted to silver and Northern Ireland’s Leon Reid sobbed after being told he would receive a bronze medal.

Richards said he believed he would have overcome Hughes had he not been impeded. “He was ahead and when I started to catch him he started to break down and I felt his hand come across and hit me,” the Trinidadian sprinter added. “That’s probably why they disqualified him. If he didn’t hit me I would have gone past him. That hit threw me off my rhythm.”

It would have been a first major title for Hughes, who impressed through the rounds and in a warm-up race in Australia.

In January he had been left shaken when shot at in an attempted robbery at his training base in Jamaica, where he was loading his equipment into a car after a session at the Racers Track Club and a place he used to train alongside Usain Bolt. “This guy just came up pointing a gun in my face,” Hughes said at the time. “He asked me for my phone and I ran off and the guy opened fire.”

22

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

friDAY, april 13, 2018

Road to Mecca V…

D

efending champions Bounty Colts turned in yet another dominant performance in the recently commenced Road to Mecca V National Basketball Club championships on Wednesday evening at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH).

The Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation (GABF) organised event saw Colts record their third consecutive win with a 75 -58 triumph over Plaisance Guardians in the feature game.

Shane Webster and

Colts shut down Guardians Timothy Thompson led the way for the defending champs both putting up 16 points while Stanton Rose chipped in with 14.

Guardians found themselves in a disarray as they were hugely outscored in the first and final quarters while marginal gaining the upper hand in the second and third.

In the opening encounter saw Pacesetters clipped Eagles’ wings 79 - 69, while Kobras got past Nets 65-56 in quite an evenly matched battle which saw the team which made fewer mistakes

More of Wednesday evening's action in the Road to Mecca V National Basketball Club Championships

Fitness 53 U-17 Tournament launched O

n Saturday, the Berbice Cricket Board officially launched the Ramnaresh Sarwan Fitness 53 Inter-Club Under-17 Cricket Tournament for Clubs in the Ancient County.

President of the Berbice Cricket Board, Hilbert Foster visited the No. 73 Cricket Ground to officially launch the Tournament which is being sponsored by former West Indies Captain Ramnaresh Sarwan. The launching consisted of members of the No. 73 and Muslim Youth Organisation Under-17 Teams.

Foster, who is spearing a

massive restoration of Berbice Cricket recalled that he had promised Berbicians that Junior Cricket would be the foundation of his administration and in less than two months, cricket has started at the Under-17, Under-19, Under-21 levels while play in the Under-15 tournament would start shortly.

In a lengthy presentation described to the Under-17 Players, the Berbice Cricket Board President stated that special emphasis would be placed in the Upper Corentyne areas as over the years the Sub-Association

has been somewhat neglected.

He assured the youths that every effort would be made to develop the game and that the Berbice Cricket Board would invest heavily not only in cricket tournaments but also in coaching and their personal development.

Foster, who is also the Secretary/ CEO of the Rose Hall Town Youth

& Sports Club disclosed that great efforts are being made to visit all Clubs in Berbice to meet with players to encourage them, to inspire Club’s Management to work harder and most i m p o r t a n t l y, to listen to suggestions from players and administrators.

The workaholic President, who is known for turning up at venues across Berbice to encourage players, also urged them to stay in school to obtain an educational background and to develop a personal relationship with the God they believe in. Special praises were given to Sarwan, the former Guyana Captain for his investment into Berbice Cricket. Foster stated that is was pleasing when a cricketer gives back to the game especially when that player has no association to they are that he is assisting. He expresses confidence that the relationship between the Berbice Cricket Board and Sarwan would be strengthened in the future.

Sarwan is also sponsoring the 40Over Second Division Tournament for teams in the Upper Corentyne area.

President of the No. 73 Cricket Club Lakeram Latchman welcomed Foster to the venue and informed the members of both teams that it was very rare for a Berbice Cricket Board President to be present at a cricket match in Upper Corentyne. He praised the Berbice Cricket Board for organising so much cricket for the youths and also extended gratitude to Ramnaresh Sarwan for his investment. Assistant Secretary/CEO of the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club Simon Naidu who accompanied Foster handed two scorebooks to the two teams along with a trophy and medal for outstanding performances in the match. Man of the Match Vettorie Latchman received the trophy while the best player from the Muslim Youth Organisation Shalim Khan received the medal for his outstanding bowling figures of 4 for 20 in a losing cause.

grab the win.

Mecca V continues on Friday April 13 with another three scheduled matches at the CASH from 18:00 hrs.

Eagles and Amelia Ward Jets get proceedings underway then Berbice Canje Knights oppose Retrieve Raiders at 20:00 hrs then Victory Valley Royals takes on Pacesetters to wrap up the night from 22:00 hrs.

Half time entertainment will be provided by the Euphoria Dance Group along with the Cheerleaders.

Admission to this event is free.

BV/Triumph 8th of May Movement Annual Village Anniversary Celebrations …U-17 Soccer Competition opens with Kingston’s astonishing header

T

he BV/Triumph 8th of May Movement Village Anniversary Celebration activities continued this past Sunday, at the Beterverwagting Community Centre Ground with the commencement of the Under 17 Inter-Block Soccer Tournament.

Some four competing teams; namely Ogle Street, Central, Backdam and Side-line did battle among themselves with saw Ogle Street emerging winners over Central. The two teams, Ogle Street and Central, engaged in over 90 minutes of competitive action as they appeared closely matched in skill and tactics.

Both sides provided the sizeable crowd with much excitement, as they exhibited exceptional offence and defense with their goal keepers being equal to the task by preventing a number of possible goals w i t h superb athletic and

agility skills which gave their teams the best opportunities of gaining the advantage.

Nevertheless, it would be Shamar Kingston’s consistent awareness and superb positioning in the box that enabled him to receive a cross from the left wing by diving and heading the ball to the Centre of the goal just under the top bar.

Shamar Kingston’s goal, left Central’s goalkeeper and teammates stunned and flattened as the ball bored the net for Ogle Street to register the first and only goal of the match. With timing running out, Central seemed too bewildered to recover, and though they made valiant attempts to equalize the score, Ogle Street goalkeeping and defense proved too good t o pen-

etrate, as the m a t c h ended 1-0 in favour of Ogle Street.

The next BV/ Triumph Movement Under-17 Inter Block Soccer match is set for May 8; with Backdam opposing Sideline.

friDAY, april 13, 2018

23

guyanatimesgy.com

GCB/Hand-in-Hand U-19 Inter-County…

Dick, Nedd

wrap up emphatic win for Demerara A fter their skipper weighted in with his first tripe century, Dwayne Dick and Ashmead Nedd combined to share 9 wickets as Demerara crushed the U17 XI by an innings and 56 runs; after three days of electrifying cricket.

The defending champs completed a commanding first round win in the 2018 Guyana Cricket Board (GCB)/Hand-in-Hand Insurance Under-19 InterCounty tournament, giving themselves ideal momentum going into round two.

After racking up 4898 Dec n their first innings thanks to opener Adrian Hinds' 94 and the phenomenal feat set by Guyana/ West Indies Under-19 batsman;Bhaskar Yadram, who stroked a record 301 not out

as Demerara seized first day honour's.

The Under-17's then conceded a heavy deficit following Windies Under-19 leftarm spinner Ashmead Nedd who snapped up 5-38 from 14 overs with ideal support coming from batting off-spinner Nkosie Beaton who claimed 3-20.

The U17's were knocked over for a measly 180 as Demerara gained a 289 run lead heading into the final day, despite resistance from ex-Windies U16 skipper Sachin Singh with 60 and skipper Yuedistir Persaud with 48; headlining a shabby batting performance.

The final day's play on Thursday was a bit more eye-catching for the U17's who despite losing the match, showed their worth

with the bat to make a decent 253 all out; fighting a very uphill battle.

The captain, narrowly missed out on a ton which he was well-deserving of, having showed his class during a rock-solid innings of 90 from 146 balls with 8 fours a one over the ropes.

However, the real star of d a y three w a s

the pacer Dwain Dick who sliced through the youngsters of the Select U17 team. Returning with figures of 6-110 following a vicious opening burst which saw him bag the top five batsmen; the pacer accounted for the dismissals of the other main scorers Andrew Samaroo (30) and Andrew Seepersaud (48).

Nedd was again a force to be reckoned with as the Windies spinner claimed 3-23, removing Nigel Deodat who looked dangerous batting at 8 for a 45ball 37.

Persaud was the only batsman to cross fifty for his team during the second innings, his application and ability to nudge the

ball was displayed during the youngster's gritty innings which nearly gave his team hope.

Dick meanwhile, ripped out the top order as well as any real hope of chasing the big total put in-front of them.

Yadram's magic coupled with Nedd's spin were added blows to the U17 who should use the lessons learnt in this round; to quickly regroup ahead of round two which bowls offon Saturday.

Ashmead Nedd

(Clifton Ross)

Porter to officiate in CONCACAF Caribbean Cup Shield

T

revor Porter, FIFA Referee, will officiate in the CONCACAF Caribbean Club Shield Tournament scheduled for Santiago, Dominican Republic, from April 12 – 21.

Porter will be among 30 referees and Assistant

Referees who will participate in the tournament, which features the top clubs of the Caribbean.

In an invited comment, the Assistant Referee said he was happy to participate in the tournament and look forward to the international

exposure.

He said, “I’m happy to participate in the tournament. International exposure is always great to enhance technical and tactical skills and this tournament will offer opportunities for same as well as networking

for further technical development. Fitness is key and I believe this is an area where I’ll both contribute to and learn from.”

The referee, who is on his first international appointment of the year and is the only referee from Guyana

Lack of funds denies GDF CCS participation

T

he Guyana Defence Force Football Club (GDF FC) will not participate in the CONCACAF Caribbean Club Shield due to circumstances beyond their control and despite the intervention of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF).

This unfortunate development occurred on Wednesday as last-minute efforts were made to ensure the logistical challenges were addressed and passage cleared to enable their participation.

The GDF FC received from CONCACAF a total of twelve thousand United States Dollars (USD $10,000) as subvention to offset costs related to air travel while the club was required to provide the remaining sum.

Unfortunately, the GDF FC has

been unable to acquire the additional amount resulting in their non-participation in this tournament.

According to a release, upon being informed of the situation on

Wednesday, the GFF tried its utmost to intervene and resolve the issue through one of its partners but time did not allow for a speedy resolution of same as the team was scheduled to travel on Thursday.

“I, along with the Executive Committee, will be engaging the leadership of the GDF to determine the way forward for the club,” said GFF President, Wayne Forde, in an invited comment.

The GDF FC was selected to participate in the CONCACAF Caribbean Club Shield scheduled for the Dominican Republic from April 12 – 21 by virtue of them being crowned champions of the GFF Elite League Season II.

participating in the augural tournament, is scheduled to return on April 22.

The tournament features 12 teams from 12 CONCACAF Member Associations, which are working towards professionalizing the club game and include the following: SV Deportivo Nacional, Aruba; Weymouth Wales FC, Barbados; SV Real Rincon, Bonaire; Bodden Town FC, Cayman Islands; RKSV Centro Dominguito, Curacao; Hard Rock Sports Club, Grenada; USR SainteRose, Guadeloupe; Guyana Defence Force, Guyana; Club Franciscain, Martinique; Cayon FC, St. Kitts and Nevis;

Avenues United FC, St. Vincent & the Grenadines and Inter Moengotapoe, Suriname.

FIFA Referee Trevor Porter

friDAY, april 13, 2018

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

guyanatimesgy.com

Road to Mecca V…

Colts shut down Guardians Pg 22

GCB/Hand-in-Hand U-19 Inter-County…

Pg 23

Commonwealth Games...

Dick, Nedd Hughes disqualified wrap up emphatic win for Demerara "Mr 300" Bhaskar Yadram accepts his MVP award from Handin-Hand Marketing Manager Shafeena Juman, following the end of round one at Everest on Thursday afternoon

from gold in 200m drama

Pg 21

The controversial finish which saw England’s Zharnel Hughes being stripped of the 2018 Commonwealth Games 200m Gold

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