Guyanatime 23 december 2017

Roraima hosts P13 luncheon for veterans

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

Issue No. 3431

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Saturday, December 23, 2017

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GAWU moves to CCJ to halt estate closures

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WHAT'S INSIDE:

Ex-cop P8 remanded for stealing Policeman’s car Drug trafficker jailed, fined P8 $28M

Kescia Branche’s murder

P11

Cops likely to be sacked – senior official

Getting that special toy! Two days to Christmas, parents hurry to secure that gift their children are expecting from Santa

GuySuCo accused of high-handedness P15

President pardons 5 female prisoners …releases 8 inmates from NOC

Page 7

Car dealership manager P12 robbed during shootout

Couple robbed of $1M after leaving bank

Page 5

Defunct Integrity Commission

Officials escaping income declaration since 2015 – Jagdeo Page 3

…slams Govt's double-standard approach to corruption

Linden gets new Mayor P7

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BRIDGE OPENINGS

Defunct Integrity Commission

The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Saturday, December 23 – 05:30h-07:00h and Sunday, December 24 – 08:30h-10:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Saturday, December 23 – 07:00h-08:30h and Sunday, December 24 – 07:40h-09:10h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY Thundery to heavy rain showers can be expected during the morning hours, with sunny conditions in the afternoon and thundery showers returning in the evening. Temperatures should range between 24 degrees Celsius and 28 degrees Celsius.

Winds: Ranging between East North Easterly and North Easterly from 3.57 metres to 4.91 metres.

High Tide: 07:28h and 19:43h reaching maximum heights of 2.41 metres and 2.47 metres respectively.

Low Tide: 13:16h reaching a minimum height of 0.83 metre.

WEDNESDAY, december 20, 2017

LOTTERY NUMBERS O

03

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12 Bonus Ball

FREE TICKET

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2017

DAILY MILLIONS 02 15 16 20

23

LUCKY 3 4 7 8

1

Afternoon Draw

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Evening Draw

DRAW DE LINE

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

Officials escaping income declaration since 2015 – Jagdeo …slams Govt’s double-standard approach to corruption

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onths after the amended code of conduct for the Integrity Commission was gazetted by the Government, the process seems to be stalled as the People’s Progressive Party remains concerned that officials are not disclosing their earnings to anyone.

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo on Thursday slammed Government for the lack of progress. He noted that while the PPP had to submit earnings during its time in office, the same cannot be said for the coalition.

“For the first time (in) the last three years, nobody now has to submit statements to the Integrity Commission. From the year 2000 to 2014, we had to comply with the law.

We had to submit what we earned and what we owned.”

“Now, 2015, 2016, 2017 (under) this Government, nobody has to submit anymore. Yet, the PPP was stealing, like we stole the Marriott. We’re supposed to be stealing the Marriott and the airport and all of these things were (supposedly) corrupt projects that we were stealing from.

They’ve been there for three years now. They’ve had a chance to go through this.”

A functional Integrity Commission is part of the constitutional reform process. In February 2017, Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, the lead on constitutional reform, had tabled amendments to the Integrity Commission Act to Cabinet for approval.

Amendments in the form of a code of conduct

against many breaches, where the President and his minions will not unilaterally interpret the Constitution based on their own lack of knowledge.”

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo

for Government were subsequently gazetted. But since then, there has been no word on the status of the Integrity Commission.

When questioned in August, Nagamootoo had informed sections of the media that the matter was with the President, who must consult with the Opposition Leader in order to iron out the composition of the Commission.

But during his press conference, Jagdeo decried the fact that his party was not being included in the process of constitutional reform. He noted that even before there was reform, there must be constitutional compliance. Pointing to the Government’s actions, he noted that the capricious approach to the Constitution must first be eradicated.

“Constitutional reform cannot be pursued unless it is a bipartisan exercise.

This Government doesn’t seem to have any enthusi-

asm to fulfil its own promise of constitutional reform. We have an open mind to constitutional reform.”

“But right now, we are fighting a battle for constitutional compliance

The Integrity Commission The history of the Integrity Commission is a tempestuous one. In 1999, the previous Government had sworn in members to the Commission. But since the 2006 resignation of the Commission’s Chairman, the Commission has been headless.

In January 2016, Government used its oneseat parliamentary majority to turn down a motion tabled by the Opposition that would provide for all Members of Parliament (MPs) making public declarations of taxable income and all assets over the last 10 years to the Integrity Commission which would be released to the public.

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

Saving our youths

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uyana’s most important resource is its human capital and people. This country simply cannot progress without sustained focus on lifting the standard of living of its people through increased socio-economic investments in projects which will have positive effects on their livelihoods and ability to create and store wealth for their families over the next decade or more. This means that Government must devise a national strategy to respond to those social ills which threaten the life expectancy, overall health, productivity, happiness and safety of its people.

It must work assiduously with key stakeholders at home, within the region, and further afield to ensure that a new culture is created wherein young people are encouraged to develop creative industries and newer forms of technology that would see them actively involved in the overall developmental thrust of the economy. They must be convinced that in order for them to lead satisfying and long lives in the future, they must work now to create the world that they want to live in through the establishment of goals, standards, and innovative ideas that would be useful and applicable to the changing times ahead.

In short, young people must also be indoctrinated in the art of philosophy and the science of ethics and acceptable conduct so that they can easily appreciate the notions of equity, social justice and fairness. They must be properly schooled by their superiors -- who are leaders in our society today, including their parents, teachers and community elders -- to stand against all forms of non-discrimination, racism and gender victimization.

Sadly, enough emphasis is not been placed on aforementioned approaches to improving the quality of life of Guyanese and young people in general. As of late, there has been a stark increase in the levels of youth crime in our society, and from all indication this is likely to continue until our society unites to solve the problem.

Too often, teenage offenders are written off at a young age, regardless of hard circumstances or minor offences.

In spite of success in developing opportunities for young people over the past 51 years, we hope more focus would be placed on preventing youth crime, as it can have the potential to affect our country’s trajectory.

Even in the Guyana of old, when it was acknowledged that a stronger support system fostered respect for self and others at school, in the home and at church, there were a few who strayed into deviant behaviours. With a changing social network, a weakened family structure, and the addictive lure of social media, is it any wonder that we see more youths today being led down the wrong path?

Exposure to violence and sexual deviance poses a huge threat to young people’s lives and moral make-up. It is widely acknowledged that the tree should be bent from young. If poor training is not arrested in its tracks at a tender age, it can spiral out of control and result in serious crimes that affect the whole country. And we, as a society, can no longer afford to turn a blind eye, harping on the fact that “something must be done”, but not willing to do the work, help mentor a young person, or press the political class to enact crucial policies to change the tide.

An IDB study released in May this year offers a sober assessment on violence in the Caribbean. Surveying the metropolitan capitals of five countries – Barbados, Bahamas, Jamaica, Trinidad and Suriname – the study revealed that violent crime rates were higher than the global average; indeed, higher than in any other region. The study recommended an “improved monitoring of police and justice systems,” and “interventions targeted at highrisk individuals and geographic areas”.

This is where we all come in. It is well known that children are like sponges; they soak up and repeat the actions of their environs. Over the years, studies have shown that when mentors are actively engaged in a child’s life, one can see a reduction, but not complete elimination, of delinquent behaviours, less drug and alcohol usage, and improved academic performances by children.

With more mentoring and positive, wholesome interactions in Guyana between young peers and adults, we are certain that the tide can be turned in favour of having less violent, deviant, at-risk youths.

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. The more we can instill positive behaviours and thinking into our youths, the greater results we will have in producing not only functional, law-abiding citizens, but tapping into the skills and talents they have to further our country’s growth.

Two days before Christmas, shoppers hurry to grab last-minute items in downtown Georgetown. In photo, persons flocked vendors along Robb Street, Georgetown (Carl Croker photo)

GPF deserves our compliments Dear Editor, The Guyana Police Force deserves our compliments for acting to ensure that traffic ranks are regularly posted in the South Turkeyen area.

This follows two letters to the editor in mid-November highlighting chaos, disorder and misuse of the roadway, particularly at the Dennis Street, D-Field and UG access road junction. The Police presence has been a huge success in regulating the road usage. Some errant motor-

ists have even been charged for non-compliance with road signs and markings in that vicinity.

Left to be seen are similar corrective actions by those who sit on their laurels at City Hall and the Ministry of Public Infrastructure.

Roaming horses along Dennis Street from the Eastern Highway to sections of the D-Field Road continue to pose a hazard to road users.

Lighting along most of the D-Field road from Dennis

Street southwards to the Mosque also remains deficient, and there have been some allegations of robberies in that unlit corridor at nights. For months these issues have been ventilated, and failure by the relevant authorities to deal with them is a huge disappointment to those affected. The parapets along the D-Field road are unkempt and neglected, with some unscrupulous persons adding to the poor state by dumping garbage ad nau-

seum.

Since members of the Guyana Police Force cannot be omnipresent, the least the authorities at M&CC and Public Infrastructure can do is clean the parapets and seek to correct the lighting situation, which will inevitably decrease the temptation and likelihood of criminal activity taking place along that unlit portion of roadway at nights.

Best regards, Orette Cutting

Open letter to the President

Dear Editor, Please allow publication of this letter.

Dear Mr President, I do hope that you will give due regard to my concerns raised in this letter, and I am positive that you will do everything in your power to bring resolution to grievous wrong being done to a pitiable calf, which has been impounded at the #51 Police Station for the past four months.

This matter has been ventilated in the press by means of various letters and articles, but despite assurances given by the Public Relations Officer of the

Guyana Police Force, no progress has been made to alleviate the sufferings of this poor animal. Everyone in the Police Force is cognizant of the plight of this calf, including the Public Security Minister, yet the matter is now becoming an embarrassment.

Some Berbicians are questioning the ability of our law enforcement to deliver a good service when such cruelties to animals are being perpetrated by the very people who are supposed to afford protection.

There are many instances when animals have died in the pounds due to thirst and

starvation. Only recently, two goats died at the Albion Police Station. The atrocious conditions and the refusal of the Police to feed these animals are quickly transforming these pounds into slaughterhouses.

I am living at Skeldon, and I would normally travel to #51 Police Station in order to feed and water this animal when Mr Harbhajan, the PM’s Representative of Region 6, is unable to do so.

Your Excellency, this is not a ‘disputed animal’, as the Public Relations Officer claimed in the Press; this calf was struck down by a motorcar driver, and only

his mirror was broken, while the cow calf suffered a broken back leg. No one was injured, and no one has since come forward to claim the animal. To date, it remains in the sun and rain, and not to mention the season of mosquitoes.

I beseech you, Mr President, to use your executive power and free this calf. I saw you feeding the baby elephant in Kenya, and I conclude that you love animals and that you are a kind, compassionate and humane person.

Yours sincerely, Leila Hazell-Bhudial

Taking back our streets

Dear Editor, My heart was delighted when I read a report in the daily newspapers that public-spirited residents of Non Pareil, East Coast Demerara had pursued, captured, and detained one of the bandits who attacked and robbed the daughter of a Parliamentarian.

According to one such report, the mother of four was making her way home on foot when the men, armed with choppers, accosted

her. It is unfortunate that she lost some of her valuables, but I’m grateful she escaped with her life.

It is indeed commendable when communities can band together to defend their territories and counter any type of assault on one of their own.

These callous, heartless robbers operate with impunity and without sympathy, and have no value for life or limb.

These criminals must

know that everyone will not condone their anti-social behaviour, and stand idly by while they pursue their nefarious agenda.

It is time we take back our communities from these miscreants.

The Guyana Police Force cannot do it alone, nor can the Community Policing Groups.

While it is not always advisable to approach and confront these armed and dangerous men, whenever

the opportunity presents itself, residents must capitalize on it.

It requires an all-encompassing approach, but until then, Guyanese can come together to take back these streets from criminals by displaying the real meaning of community spirit.

Once again, kudos to the residents.

Sincerely, Danielle Campbell-Lowe

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News

Couple robbed of $1M after leaving bank New generators for

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man and his wife were attacked and robbed by armed bandits after they were trailed from a bank on the West Coast of Demerara.

Ramadhar and Prampattie Singh of Windsor Forest, both of whom are 51 years old, are now left counting their losses, which are in the sum of $1 million.

According to information reaching Guyana Times, after withdrawing the money from the bank at Vreeden-Hoop, the couple were trailed by the gunmen, who waited for the opportune moment to strike.

This publication understands that the duo had just arrived at their residence when they were pounced upon by the gunmen, who

managed to cart off the cash along with other belongings their victims were carrying at the time.

Ramadhar was in the process of removing their bags from the taxi in which they returned home when two gunmen on a CG motorcycle reportedly rode up, discharged a round in the air, and held the couple at gunpoint.

They relieved Ramadhar of the money he had in his possession, while they snatched a handbag from his wife as well as her cellular phone. The gunmen then jumped onto their motorcycle and make good their escape.

Shortly affect the attack, the still traumatised couple reported the matter to the Police, and an investigation has started.

Anna Regina, Bartica

Guyoil rewards 55 lucky customers promotion was launched on November 6, and will run until January 6, 2018.

The company will be giving away a total of $3 million in cash and prizes to customers purchasing its products from various service stations. Customers who purchase $5,000 worth of products can fill out a coupon and drop it in the box provided. Winners will be drawn weekly.

The final $1 million will be distributed among 10 winning entries.

Jeffrey Harry is one of the lucky customers to win a grocery hamper

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he Guyana Oil Company (Guyoil) on Friday rewarded 55 lucky customers as part of its ongoing Christmas promotion. The winners were part of the first of two drawings, and 25 walked away with $5,000 worth of free fuel while another 20

received grocery hampers.

The other 10 were rewarded with $100,000 each.

The drawing took place at the Guyoil Regent Street branch.

Marketing & Sales Manager of GuyOil, Eric Whaul, congratulated the winners on behalf of the

GuyOil Marketing and Sales Manager Eric Whaul

company. He noted that, for the New Year, the company would continue to give back to the country and its customers.

According to Whaul, despite the fluctuations in gas prices, the company would continue to maintain its low prices.

The Guyoil Christmas

Acting GPL CEO Renford Homer

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n an effort to improve its delivery of service in 2018, the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) will be commissioning two new generators at Anna Regina in Region Two and at Bartica in Region Seven early in the New Year.

GPL acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Renford Homer said new generators will be commissioned in Bartica and Anna Regina early next year, and new gen-

erations will also be commissioned in Canefield and East Bank Berbice (EBD) around September of 2018.

“Even though we have received engines for Anna Regina and we expect to have engines for Bartica during the month of January, and we have started preparatory works at those locations, we will not be able to do that before the end of the year.

But we have made provision, as far as generation is concerned, to again offer some comfort…to Barticians and some Essequibians along the coast,” he is quoted by the Department of Public Information as saying.

Back in 2016, Bartica and Anna Regina had endured long episodes of power outage because multiple generators there had broken down unexpectedly. As a result, GPL had announced that four 1.7 MW generators were to be purchased – three for Anna Regina and one for Bartica.

The Bartica and Anna Regina stations are managed exclusively by GPL.

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he holiday season is upon us and most parents find themselves dreaming of family gatherings filled with warmth and generosity, surrounded by children who are well behaved, polite and most of all, happy.

For many families, however, those picture-perfect images are often all too quickly replaced with the harsh realities of handling some of our children’s less than perfect behaviours. Parents can find themselves feeling frustrated, angry and resentful, as our children seem to fall apart right when we most wish, and need, them to hold it together.

Tuning in to temperament

One of the best ways

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you can support your children is to take time to recognise and appreciate your children’s unique approach to the world. The holidays flow much more smoothly when you take into account what each child needs in order to feel comfortable and successful in any given situation.

Being tuned in to your children’s temperament helps you to organize your children’s environment so that behaviours can flow more smoothly and you can provide a more enjoyable experience for everyone involved.

For example: Children who have difficulty coping with changes in routines may need your help to forewarn them about

Understand and accept your children’s temperament All children are born into this world with their own way of responding to what is going on around them. This is referred to as your children’s temperament.

Some children are born with easy temperaments where they seem to naturally go with the flow of the holiday season, are not bothered by changes in schedules and routines, and do not seem to mind all the excitement.

Other children are born with temperaments that are not so easy to parent and seem to show signs of distress right from the start of the season.

Some of their challenging behaviours might include: increased crying, tantrums, clinging and even excessive energy.

It all adds up to extra stress and frustration for parents

about doing that.

those changes and they may need more time to adjust and transition from one activity to another.

Children who are sensitive to lots of stimuli, like crowded malls and noisy parties, may need access to quiet places where they can unwind and calm down.

Children who are shy around relatives they have not seen in a while may need your permission to slowly ease into family gatherings and may need your reassurance before they feel comfortable in new situations.

Children with high activity levels may need to be given acceptable outlets for their energy.

Be aware of schedules

Understanding what behaviours are developmentally “normal”

In addition to your children’s temperament, some of the demanding behaviours that you may see can be characteristic of the developmental phase your children are in.

Much like the “terrible two’s, some stages of development bring with them behaviours that are often challenging and difficult regardless of what time of the year it is. Children will cycle in and out of: stages of disequilibrium, where they may be more out of sorts and irritable, stages of equilibrium, where their behaviour is much smoother and easier to parent.

It helps to keep in mind that developmental stag-

es are a normal and necessary part of your children’s growth.

Understanding where your children are developmentally can give you tremendous insight into their behaviour and help you to know that your children are not acting a certain way on purpose.

Developing a plan based on development

If you find that your children are going through a particularly difficult stage, you can lessen some of your holiday stress by staying tuned in to their behaviours and adjusting activities and schedules as needed.

It helps to try to anticipate when and where problems may occur and plan ahead to avoid them.

For example, if you know your five and a half year old is in a particularly “bossy” stage and having a tough time delaying gratification, you may want to call ahead to grandma’s house to find out what she has planned, especially with regard to opening gifts.

Specific tips for a successful time

Work with your child Prepare your child with this information so he knows what to expect during the visit.

You can spend time practicing respectful ways for him to express his frustration.

You may need to be more vigilant just in case he needs your help to manage emotions.

You can also share your understanding of your children’s development with others so they can be more empathetic about the behaviours they see.

Teach skills

Also, teach your children the skills they will need to help them feel successful when they encounter difficult situations.

For example, if they find themselves starting to feel anxious, you can teach them to find a quiet place where they can regroup or give them permission to pull out a book to calm themselves down for a little while.

By teaching them the skills to manage some of their own behaviours, you enable them to take care of themselves and to feel good

Be aware of activities and schedule changes that might be influencing your children’s behaviour.

It helps to make note of any external, situational factors that might be having a negative impact on your children’s behaviour.

These might include: any disrupted sleep and eating patterns as a result of traveling or visiting friends and family, over-scheduled calendars, and any extra holiday shopping trips added to your daily routine.

These events for the most part are things that grown-ups have come to expect as being part of the holiday experience, but for children, they can be an invitation for meltdowns and frustration.

If you find your children reacting negatively as a result of your busy schedule, slow down! The rewards will be well worth it.

Be aware of your expectations

Make sure the expectations you have for your family regarding the holidays and your children’s behaviour are not set too high.

Are you expecting your children to behave a certain way and are they capable of that behaviour?

For example, expecting a two-year-old to sit quietly through a holiday meal may be a little more than he or she is developmentally or temperamentally capable of doing.

As the holidays unfold and as you begin to make plans, it helps to think about what your children will need and what you will need in order to feel satisfied and successful.

Use this information to set expectations for behaviour that are more easily attainable and that are based on your own unique family. Share with your children your expectations and listen to their feelings and concerns.

A parting thought

Finding the balance between meeting your needs for creating a memorable holiday and your children’s needs to act like children can be tricky.

By honouring the qualities that make your children special and understanding their unique approach to the holidays, you provide a gift that will help you and your family have a smoother and more enjoyable holiday season. (centerforparentingeducation.org)

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US$18M bonus

Jagdeo rubbishes Govt’s excuses for secret account …as FMA Act disproves claims transaction was above board

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo

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ollowing the People’s Progressive Party’s (PPP) intense criticism of the US$18 million signing bonus Government received from ExxonMobil, a counter argument was advanced that the previous Government had set up irregular accounts to receive sums of money

during its tenure.

Foreign Affairs Minister Carl Greenidge, in seeking to make the case that holding monies outside of the Consolidated Fund was not unusual, had referred to the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) and the Guyana Forestry Commission (GFC). But on Thursday, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo rubbished those criticisms.

Jagdeo stressed during a press conference that the PPP has always placed monies in funds covered by the law. The same, he noted, cannot be said for the signing bonus which was placed in an account outside of the Consolidated Fund and the purview of the Auditor General.

“They said that the Lotto Fund (monies) should have

Foreign Affairs Minister Carl Greenidge

been transferred to the Consolidated Fund. (They said) we shouldn’t have kept monies in the Lotto Fund, the GGMC, in the Housing Fund, the Forestry Commission, NFMU (National Frequency Management Unit). Now every single one of those agencies had special funds set up

by legislation. That is by acts of Parliament.”

Jagdeo noted that while the previous administration has never put public monies where they were not covered by law, the coalition Government has done so in less than three years.

Jagdeo slammed the fact that while the PPPC Administration was criticized for holding monies outside of the Consolidated Fund in funds provided for by law, anti-corruption advocates are now excusing this breach.

“In less than three years, they’ve paid US$18 million in revenue in an account not provided for by Constitution or law,” Jagdeo said. “(These are) totally different situations. So all the spin by DPI and the ministers about how this happened before, it nev-

President pardons 5 female prisoners

Shellon David

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n the spirit of the festive season, President David Granger has extended his presidential pardon to another group of female prisoners.

The five women from the New Amsterdam Prison, who benefited from this year’s presidential pardon and will be going home to their families are: 24-year-old Shellon David, 27-year-old Ronella

Shabana Asgar

Ronella Junor

Reina Vargas

Junor, 27-year-old Maxine Baird Sampson, 37-year-old Shabana Asgar, and 54-yearold Reina Vargas.

According to the Public Security Ministry on Friday, the Head of State considered these women to be “fit and proper” to receive such pardons, which were done via powers under Article 188 (2) of the Constitution.

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Maxine Sampason

President David Granger

er happened before under the PPP. Let’s clear that.”

Contradictions

While addressing the National Assembly, Greenidge had insisted that no laws were broken. He had referred to the fact that Section 37 (2) of the FMAA provides for public monies to be held in extra budgetary funds and deposit funds… that is, until they are credited to the Consolidated Fund.

But Jagdeo pointed out that the FMA Act in fact contradicts Greenidge, who is a former Minister of Finance.

Section 42 mandates that after a deposit fund is established, the minister has to inform the National Assembly of the fund’s existence.

According to Section 42 (2) of the Act, the Minister also has to specify “the source or sources of the moneys in the deposit fund; the purpose or purposes for which moneys may be expended from

the deposit fund; the banking arrangements for the deposit fund, and the intended investment strategy for the moneys deposited in the deposit fund.”

The account for the signing bonus was set up at the Central Bank not by Act of Parliament or legislation, but by request from the Ministry of Finance. The transaction first came to light after Guyana Times published a leaked correspondence dated September 20, 2016 and addressed to the Governor of the Bank of Guyana with this subject: “Signing bonus granted by ExxonMobil – Request to open bank account”.

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

Amidst criticism, Government officials have defended the secrecy by saying the money would be used to pay legal fees in defense of Guyana’s sovereignty, should its case with Venezuela reach the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

When asked whether he accepted that placing the US$18 million outside of the Consolidated Fund was illegal, President David Granger himself had professed ignorance of anything illegal with the transaction.

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Drug trafficker jailed, fined $28M

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South Ruimveldt, Georgetown man who was nabbed by Police while attempting to smuggle cocaine out of Guyana was on Friday jailed.

Dennis Jones was also fined $28 million by Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan who handed down the decision at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

In handing down the sentence, Magistrate McLennan considered the evidence presented to the Court by the prosecution, which was found to be sufficient to convict the 63-yearold.

Jones, of Caneview

Jailed: Dennis Jones

Avenue, South Ruimveldt, Georgetown, was charged

and remanded to prison in January of this year, for attempting to smuggle 10.618 kilograms of cocaine in custard/baking powder packages and Banko wine bottles, through the Guyana Post Office Corporation (GPOC) to Canada.

He was subsequently released on bail following a successful bail application by his lawyer.

While Jones maintained his innocence before the courts of law, the prosecution contended that it was convinced there was overwhelming evidence to convict Jones of the offence when it presented video

surveillance footage from the GPOC, which showed the defendant in action. The prosecution contended that when Police ranks went to Jones’s home to arrest him, he was found hiding in the ceiling.

Police reports indicate that Jones was also in 2012 charged and convicted for trafficking over 300 kilograms of cocaine in soap powder to Niger, West Africa, an offence for which he served time at the Camp Street Prison.

Jones was deported from the United States after he was convicted of conspiracy to traffic cocaine.

Ex-cop remanded for stealing Policeman’s car

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he ex-cop who attempted to steal an off-duty Policeman’s car was on Friday remanded to prison when he appeared before Magistrate Leron Daly.

Ryan Charles, 33, of Red Road, Sophia, Greater Georgetown, denied the charge which stated that on December 19, 2017 at South

Ruimveldt, he attempted to carjack a Toyota motor car, property of Rawle Alexander.

The facts of the matter revealed that on the day in question around 10:30h, the plain clothes 32-yearold Constable, of Cane View Avenue, South Ruimveldt Park, Georgetown, parked his Silver Toyota Carina 212

motor car at Second Street, Alberttown, Georgetown, to go into a nearby store.

The officer reportedly left his car keys in the ignition.

However, when he returned just mere minutes after, he noticed a male racing away west on Second Street with his vehicle, turning south into Cummings Street.

The perpetrator, in his

President pardons 5...

The pardons will be effective from December 25, 2017.

It was noted that these prisoners have each served a portion of their respective sen-

tences for offences ranging from larceny and fraud to giving false oaths.

The five beneficiaries were recommended by the Director

bid to escape, crashed the car into two parked vehicles, motor van GVV 9639 and vehicle PNN 2387 a short distance away.

As such, he was apprehended and taken into custody where he was identified as an ex-Policeman.

He was remanded and was expected to return to court on January 26, 2018.

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of Prisons and were also reviewed by the Legal Affairs Ministry as well as the Public Security Ministry.

President Granger started the pardon exercise back in 2015, mere days after taking office. However, he has faced much criticism over these pardons.

He had pardoned over 50 prisoners on two separate occasions in 2015 – 40 for Guyana’s 49th Independence Anniversary and 11 for that year’s Christmas.

However, no pardons were done during the country’s 50th Independence Anniversary last year, and President Granger had explained that this was as a result of the selected prisoners not fully meeting the criteria set out. The same obtained

for the 2016 Christmas holiday as well.

The pardoned prisoner programme is an initiative of the Guyanese leader to give young “petty” convicts a second chance at life. Initially, the criteria used to select the beneficiaries included prisoners who were facing short sentences; those who were incarcerated for petty, non-violent offences; and those between the ages of 18 and 24.

However, this pardoning of criminals has caused and continues to cause uneasiness among Guyanese, especially business owners. Persons were also calling for the identities of these convicts to be made public, but it was explained that this would hinder the reintegration of these persons into society.

Why spunks…

W

…towards the US? ell…well…well! Guyana voted against the US (and Trump) on that country’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. In case you’d imbibed too much in the Christmas party, dear reader, and missed the dust-up at the UN…here’s the scoop. Trump, being Trump, decided to jettison decades of US policy to not go along with Israel’s insistence that Jerusalem was the capital of the state of Israel, which they’d created after driving out half of the Palestinian population.

Jerusalem, however, remained with a Palestinian majority, and in recent proposals to bring peace to the Middle East, the UN-sponsored “two-state solution” (divvying up the state of Israel into Palestinian and Jewish parts) was acceptable to 165 countries, except the US and Israel. The Palestinians would make East Jerusalem into their capital.

While the US is only one country, it’s the lone superpower standing, so all of this was turned on its head

by Trump’s decision to move the US Embassy to Jerusalem!

The matter was brought to the 15-member Security Council, where even close ally Britain joined the 14-1 vote against the US decision. The latter, of course, used its veto to prevent a resolution being moved against it. Trump wasn’t moved - his stock rose in the domestic gallery he was playing to - he was sticking it to the UN, full of “furriners”!

The counter resolution in the General Assembly, which Guyana and the other 127 countries voted for, doesn’t have any legal effect; it’s just sending a message to Trump.

So the question arises: Why did Granger have his Government go along? Principle? Well, the book on Granger’s hero, mentor and model – Burnham -- was written by Tyrone Ferguson. The title he gave it was “To survive sensibly or to court heroic death”! The point he made, of course, is that unlike Jagan, Burnham had no desire to “court certain death” by taking on the US so in the beginning. Once ensconced in power, it was a different story!

In the matter at hand, US UN Representative Nikki Haley had warned countries - with individual notes – that the US was “taking names”! Of the 193 member countries, 8 voted with the US, 35 abstained (including TT and Jamaica) and 24 didn’t vote. The last two groups must’ve listened to Trump: “We’re watching those votes. Let them vote against us. We’ll save a lot. We don’t care.” They wanted to “survive”.

So, what gave Granger spunks? Well, Burnham got spunks after he got power, because the PPP was anathema to the US, and so the US had no choice but to put up with the PNC’s nose-thumbing.

Is the PPP once again beyond the (US) pale? …against Opposition MPs Clerk of the National Assembly, Sherlock Issacs, sent out a missive defending the police invasion of the Parliament Chambers to eject Opposition PPP MPs. And what a strange defence it was - reminiscent of AG Basil Williams’s forays in the Courts of Law! He started out with: “Referring to an incident in the United Kingdom’s House of Commons, the 24th edition of Erskine May Parliamentary Practice at page 457 states that the Speaker directed the Sergeant-at-Arms to remove a Member of Parliament who refused to comply with an instruction to withdraw. The Sergeant-at-Arms, “finding that force was necessary, brought in his officers… ” Well, excuse your possibly optically challenged Eyewitness, but didn’t that say the Sergeant-at-Arms “brought in his officers.” Issacs should check further and he’d find the Sergeant-at-Arms works with the “Office of the Parliamentary Security Director”.

Then he refers to ejections from the South African Parliament. Yes, that happened, but did Issacs not read, “CON-COURT RULES POLICE MAY NOT REMOVE MPS FROM PARLIAMENT”??

But why’s the Clerk suddenly so pro-active? Anything to do with mining concessions? …on curfew Who says the Public Security Minister has no power?

He just relaxed the 2am curfew for the holidays!! Makes sense, doesn’t it?

Just when there’ll be the most drunks on the roads!!

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

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saturDAY, december 23, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

GAWU moves to CCJ to halt estate closures

…as Appeal Court adjourns case until January 2018

F

ollowing the High Court denial of its application to quash the decision to shut down the Rose Hall and East Demerara Estates and the subsequent adjournment of its appeal, the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) has now moved to the Caribbean Court of Justice to have a hearing.

GAWU President, Komal Chand, told a press conference that the Court of Appeal on Thursday adjourned the appeal hearing filed by GAWU and the National Association of Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial Employees (NAACIE) until January 15, 2018.

The two unions were appealing the decision by acting Chief Justice Roxanne George Wilshire when she denied their application to halt the closure of the East Demerara and Rose Hall Sugar factories.

Chand noted that lawyers representing the unions have approached the CCJ to have the matter heard, since it is one that is based on time.

“We are reliably informed that the CCJ will immediately organise a panel of judges to hear the arguments of NAACIE and GAWU, through our lawyers, why this must be granted. We are now waiting what will be the position of the CCJ; whether they will direct the Court here to listen to this matter, since it is important and timely as you rightly pointed out. If the closure takes place and the matter is heard afterwards, then it might not be a fruitful exercise,” Chand said.

Chand said the unions are hopeful that the CCJ gets down to business by the end of Friday (December 29), so that the issue could be addressed, since the estates are expected to be closed by December 31.

The two Unions appealed Chief Justice (ag) Roxanne George-Wiltshire’s November 10, 2017 denial of their application to quash GuySuCo and Cabinet’s decision to close the East Demerara and Rose Hall Estates. They are contending that the closure decisions were improper, and there were insufficient consultations between the Government and GuySuCo, and the GAWU and NAACIE. He added that this case points out to the Court that consultations between the

GAWU President Komal Chand

Unions, the Opposition and the Government regarding the future of the sugar industry cannot be deemed as acceptable. He noted that just about four hours in total were spent on the three occasions the parties met.

“Our Unions pointed out that the Sugar CoI spent hundreds of man hours, and, at the end of that process, recommended that closure should not be pursued. We further pointed out that the closure decision clearly was not informed by the full consideration of all the factors which we have pointed out, especially that a socio-economic study was not pursued, though it was necessary,” General Secretary Seepaul Narine said.

“Furthermore, we argued that the closure decision did not follow the clearly set out procedure contained in the Trade Union Recognition Act and the Termination of Employment and Severance Pay Act. Our Unions are

GAWU General Secretary Seepaul Narine

seeking that the Government and GuySuCo engage in a proper and full consultation, as we hold that such an exercise will result in a different decision being taken,” he added.

GAWU said the unions believe their appeal has great merit and substance, and that the learned Chief Justice had erred in her determination to deny their application.

In what is described as the largest retrenchment by a private or public corporation in recent history, GuySuCo is expected to send home an estimated 4,000 workers by the end of the year as part of plans to restructure the sugar industry.

At the end of 2017, estates at Rose Hall, Skeldon, Wales and Enmore would cease operations, and only three would be kept in operation – at Albion in East Berbice, Blairmont in West Berbice, and Uitvlugt on the West Coast of Demerara.

Linden gets new Mayor L

inden’s two-time Deputy Mayor Waneka Arindell was on Friday elected Mayor of the town in an undisputed move by Councillors within the Linden municipality, as the Council hosted its mayoral elections.

Councillor and Head of the Town Council’s Environmental Committee, Wainewright Bethune has been elected Deputy Mayor.

Bethune and Councillor Leroy James contested for the post, which ended in victory for Bethune. Meanwhile, all 10 Councillors present at the proceedings voted in favour of Councillor Derron John to continue to serve as Chairman of the Council’s Finance Committee.

Speaking with the media following the elections, the newly-elected Mayor noted that it was now a higher level of service-hood and being able to serve.

“For 2018, I hope that we can have a Council that will work together, because we did make lots of promises to the people of Linden. We have roads to fix; we have garbage to pick up; we have

Mayor Waneka Arindell and new Deputy Mayor Wainewright Bethune shake hands following the elections

businesses that should have been able to develop and that’s the vision we want to move forward with in 2018.

To make sure that that mandate, that we’re able to give it to the people,” she said.

Meanwhile, the new Deputy Mayor, in an invited comment, noted that one of his focuses would be the municipal council’s by-laws in terms of housing to curb environmental issues such as waste management.

“All the other things that we’ve campaigned for, some

of the things that we’ve been doing for the past two years, it’s just to take it from there and to encounter the Council to gel and work as a team in 2018,” he noted.

Arindell has been elected to the post, which was held by two-time serving Mayor Carwyn Holland, who was noticeably absent from the proceedings on Friday.

Holland, a few days ago, announced that he would not be contesting for a third term.

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saturDAY, december 23, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

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saturDAY, december 23, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

SPU to keep estates functional until sold

East Demerara Estate

P

resident of the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU), Komal Chand, has said the Special Purpose Unit (SPU) under the National Industrial & Commercial Investments Limited informed the Union that its officers are hoping to keep the Enmore, Skeldon and Rose Hall sugar factories operational until they are sold.

At the GAWU end-of-year

press conference on Friday, Chand told reporters that GAWU had sought a meeting with the Special Purposes Unit, and had there been informed of the Unit’s mandate. He noted that the SPU has committed to ensuring the sale of the three estates are transparent, and has committed to keeping them operational until they are sold.

Chand informed that the SPU is yet to ink the agree-

Kescia Branche’s murder

Cops likely to be sacked – senior official

A

s the Guyana Police Force digs deeper into the brutal murder of high school teacher Kescia Branche, the two cops who were initially implicated in the crime are to be sanctioned and likely to be sent home.

Following internal investigations, departmental charges were filed against the two Police constables who were placed under close arrest during the early stages of the murder probes surrounding the incidents which led to the death of the 22-year-old Richard Ishmael Secondary School teacher.

This is according to a release issued by the Guyana Police Force on Thursday, which detailed that the two ranks were found to be in breach of the Police Discipline Act. Based on Chapter 17:01 of the said legislation, the implicated ranks are said to be guilty of four offences. These offences are: neglect of duty; consuming intoxicating liquor while on duty; improper entrance to licensed premises; and acting in a manner likely to bring discredit on the reputation of the Force.

However, while speaking to the Guyana Times on Friday, a high-ranking official of the GFP hinted that given that the ranks were at the centre of the murder of a civilian, they are likely to be sacked after the departmental charges are instituted.

This is as the two Police constables were caught on camera leaving the Blue Martini Night Club in the company of the 22-year-old teacher just hours before she was found in a battered and unconscious state on Princes Street, Georgetown.

Moreover, the three were shortly after sighted at a popular food outlet on Mandela Avenue, from which one of the cops claimed the now dead woman had left with a taxi, but instead she went missing.

Branche succumbed to injuries while receiving medical attention at the Georgetown

Dead: Kescia Branche

Public Hospital after she was found.

As such, the implicated duo, along with two other ranks of the GPF, were taken into custody, but were later released.

Nevertheless, Acting Crime Chief Paul Williams, earlier this month, told the media that the Force continues to seek legal advice in regard to alleged involved of the two Police officers in the murder of the school teacher.

While positing that the ranks may not have been guilty of murder, Williams contended that they were nevertheless in breach of regulations of the Force.

It was then that he assured that actions would be taken based on the findings of the investigation in relations to the involvement of the two ranks.

Meanwhile, taxi driver 47-year-old Matthew Munroe of Diamond Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara (EBD) was earlier this month taken into custody and charged for the murder of Branche.

His vehicle was impounded at the Brickdam Police Station after he fled the country just after the injured teacher was picked up off the streets.

A post mortem examination conducted on the body of the woman revealed that Branche died as a result of blunt trauma to the head and haemorrhage.

ment with the company chosen to seek the sale. He added that the process is expected to be completed by mid-next year, since the SPU has to assess the value of the assets owned by the estates.

“They did point out to us that while they are looking at the sale, to have the place in proper order to receive offers, they hope to continue the operations of these three estates. One: to make sure that the factories remain functional; two: to prepare the fields that were neglected by the Guyana Sugar Corporation.

They hope to put the fields back in order. That is: to attend to the weeds, to have the bushes and grass cleaned, and have the canes fertilized, because they recognize if they have offers they will receive better price for the assets of GuySuCo belonging to these three estates, so they are hoping to move to that,” he noted.

He related that all the plans to keep the factories operational are premised on a grant by the Government.

Additionally, Chand said the unions are pleased by the SPU’s decision to keep the

Rose Hall Estate

factory operational, since it means that some of the 4,000 plus workers who lost their jobs would regain employment.

“If there is a glimmer of hope that these three estates will function again, we are hoping that it can be early, and we are hoping that the SPU is able to be supported in this direction. They will have to evaluate how many workers they will need,” he noted.

“Whether they will hire as many of them which were pushed on the breadline… but there is no assurance that all the workers being displaced would be hired,” Chand added.

Earlier this month, the SPU announced that PricewaterhouseCoopers has been selected as its international financial services provider.

Selected tenders were invited from PricewaterhouseCoopers, Ernst & Young, Deloitte, and KPMG. However, KPMG did not submit a tender. The three firms: PricewaterhouseCoopers, Ernst & Young, and Deloitte all made presentations to the NICIL/SPU evaluation team.

After the presentations were concluded, the evaluation team selected PwC. All negotiations with PwC have been completed, and a contract was expected to be signed by

December 18, 2017.

PWC, ranked as the most prestigious accounting firm in the world for the last seven consecutive years, will be conducting the valuation of all assets under the control of GuySuCo, in addition to providing other advisory and financial services.

After the valuation exercise, PwC will develop an investment prospectus, and will, through the SPU, distribute same to all interested investors. PWC will be tasked with ensuring a level playing field for all interested parties and stakeholders.

The Unit is tasked with the divestment (sell-off) of assets owned by GuySuCo, and received an allocation of $200 million under the Finance Ministry’s 2018 Budget.

When asked, Finance Minister Winston Jordan disclosed that the $200 million would be spent on legal and professional fees, surveys, strategic partnerships with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), travel and subsistence, as well as other expenditures.

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saturDAY, december 23, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

Car dealership manager robbed during shootout are actively retrieving information about the owners of the vehicle which was used to transport bandits in the attack against the Yokohama general manager.

In doing so, the officer relayed, “We are following all leads. We will leave no stone

unturned in this particular probe, because there are still a lot of questions to be answered”.

The CID official went on to say that the lawmen are also processing the evidence they retrieved from the scene of the robbery, which saw the two

armed suspects discharging several rounds at the GM’s vehicle before grabbing the loot and escaping on foot.

Police are also attempting to secure surveillance footage from nearby businesses and homes as investigations into the matter continues.

This report comes just over a year after a robbery was staged at the head office of Yokohama Trading at Lot 72 ‘B’ Barrack Street, Kingston, during which employees were held at gunpoint as armed bandits carted off approximately $17 million.

Despite challenges

Caricom records noteworthy successes in 2017

The head office of Yokohama Trading in Kingston

T

he manager of a car dealership was pounced on and relieved of over $1 million by bandits during a shootout at Middle and Carmichael Streets, Georgetown.

The businessman, 24-year-old Deepak Balradj of Yokohama Trading, is now left nursing minor injuries and mourning his loss.

According to information reaching the Guyana Times, the incident occurred at around 19:10hrs on Thursday, just as the car dealer and a colleague had left their establishment in Kingston, Georgetown.

While proceeding within the vicinity of the intersection of the two streets, which is a short distance away from the residence of President David Granger, Balradj was intercepted by a sliver Premio which drove in front of him, blocking his path.

Then the bandits existed their vehicle and approached his car.

The gunmen whipped out their weapons and started firing shots at the duo hiding out in the vehicle. Reacting to the threats against his life and that of his passenger, the

24-year-old reversed his car, backing up into the path of an approaching vehicle, resulting in a collision.

After his failed attempt at escaping, the bandits boarded the businessman’s car, and were able to secure the cash which he was transporting at the time.

The gunmen managed to gather a sum in excess of $1.4 million, after which they returned to their vehicle and made good their escape.

Even though both Balradj and his passenger have emerged from the ordeal with their lives following the shootout, the car dealer still sustained minor injuries stemming from the collision with the other car.

Speaking to media operatives shortly after the incident, the driver of the third vehicle, who had witnessed the incident, explained that the businessman had accidentally crashed into his vehicle, and he was made aware of the robbery only after the second round of gunshots were fired.

Meanwhile, this publication on Friday spoke with senior officials from the Criminal Investigation Department, who confirmed that Police

D

espite the challenges faced by the bloc, particularly the ravaging effects of this year’s hurricane season which has cast a long shadow over the Region, the over US$2 billion pledged at the Caricom-United Nations Conference for long-term recovery for hurricane-affected countries and the establishment of the regional renewable energy centre are among the successes the Caribbean Community (Caricom) recorded for 2017.

Caricom Secretary General Irwin LaRocque said in his end-of-year message that the Community was ending 2017 with several other noteworthy achievements, including a change in posture by global financial institutions and some development partners with respect to access to concessionary development financing.

“It is encouraging to note that our relentless advocacy with respect to the lack of access to concessional development financing appears to be bearing fruit. There is some re-thinking on this issue taking place at the level of the International Financial Institutions (IFIs) and some of our international development partners (IDPs),” the Secretary General stated.

Adding that Caricom will continue to advocate for this

CARIFESTA

Caricom Secretary General Ambassador Irwin LaRocque; United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Head Achim Steiner and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres at a high-level conference back in November

change, he said the Region’s vulnerability to external shocks, which the hurricanes laid bare, emphasised the urgent need for the international community to dispense with Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita as a primary criterion for access to concessional development financing.

Ambassador LaRocque noted significant advances in human resources development, highlighting the July 2017 endorsement of Heads of Government of the Human Resource Development (HRD) 2030 Strategy. The HRD Strategy is intended to prepare the Community to address the requirements of its 21st Century economy and society through actions for basic education, from early childhood through secondary, the tertiary sector and life-long learning.

Renewable energy

With regard to energy, in July 2017, Caricom Member States signed the agreement

establishing the Caribbean Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (CCREEE). The Centre is based in Barbados and is the implementation hub for sustainable energy activities and projects within the Region. It will play a major role in the Community’s thrust to increase the renewable energy share in power generation to 47 per cent by 2027, with the resulting lowering of costs for the consumers and benefits to the environment, the Secretary General stated.

He highlighted the range of opportunities now opened to the Private Sector with the signing of the Second Protocol to the Caricom-Cuba Trade and Economic Cooperation Agreement. This Protocol allows for duty-free access to Cuba for Caricom producers of approximately 300 items including meat, fish, dairy products, fruits and vegetables, beer, rum, cement, soaps, articles of apparel and clothing.

Ambassador LaRocque said that CARIFESTA XIII in Barbados under the theme “Asserting our Culture: Celebrating Ourselves” was another highlight of 2017.

“The enthusiasm for the cultural extravaganza was not dampened by the threat of Hurricane Harvey as the people of the Caribbean showcased their creativity at various venues across the island.

The business aspect of the creative industries took centre stage in keeping with the Heads of Government endorsement for exploring the potential of the cultural and creative industries to contribute to the economic development of the Region,” he stated.

As he looks ahead to 2018, he said it was with expectation of closer regional unity, reminiscent of the kindred spirit that fuelled the outpouring of support post- Hurricanes Irma and Maria.

He commended the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) and the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility (CCRIF) for performing their respective roles “magnificently” and promptly.

While the hurricanes will have a lasting impact on the Community, he lauded the “yeoman support” rendered to the hurricane-stricken countries by highly Caricom Governments, people, institutions and the international community.

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saturDAY, december 23, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

8 inmates from NOC released by President E

ight inmates of the New Opportunity Corps (NOC) will be going home just in time for Christmas after President David Granger ordered their release.

This was done under Article 188 (1) (a) of the Constitution of Guyana, which states that the

President has the power to grant any person concerned in, or convicted of, any offence under the laws of Guyana, a pardon, either free or subject to lawful condition, so that the juveniles can be reintegrated into their families.

The release of the eight juveniles comes on the heels of

a visit by President Granger on June 16, 2017, when he had indicated that he had commenced a process to look at the early release of girls and boys housed at the Corps at Onderneeming in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam).

The Head of State had visited the facility to speak with the 85 young inmates,

Roraima hosts luncheon for veterans President David Granger speaking to the inmates at the NOC during a visit back in June

the majority of whom have been committed to the institution for wandering.

He said that as part of an overall plan to ensure improvements to the physical condition of the NOC and

Some of the former servicemen and women on Friday at Roraima Duke Lodge, Kingston, Georgetown during the annual Christmas luncheon for veterans

S

cores of former servicemen and women were on Friday feted at the Roraima Duke Lodge, Kingston, Georgetown as the Roraima Group of Companies held its seventh Annual Christmas Luncheon for veterans.

The event was to honour and remember those who have served in the Disciplined Services in the early stages of their lives.

The more than 50 veterans were treated to a hearty lunch, black cake and other goodies, but, more importantly, they were able to mix and mingle with each other as they reminisced on the very good old days.

The elderly men and woman shared their experiences working in the Disciplined Services including the Guyana Defence Force, Guyana National Service, Guyana Police Force and the People’s Militia.

The ex-security personnel also engaged in karaoke

and were exposed to a rich cultural presentation. Some also sang Christmas carols which is a norm at this event.

Host of the event, Captain Gerry Gouveia, who also served in the army, was delighted to have shared his time with his colleagues and was even more pleased to see the smiles on their faces.

In his brief message, Gouveia noted that while the average public servant worked eight hours on a daily basis, the military men and women back then worked for 18 hours straight. As such, he noted that there were no amount of monies that could have been paid to them for their dedication and selfless service to Guyana.

On this note, he explained that more needed to be done to show gratitude to the veterans who basically live off the pension they receive on a monthly basis.

“They have served the

nation with distinction and need not just to be remembered but must be cared for,” the Captain stated. In addition, the businessman stated that he would continue to show his appreciation to those who have served with distinction.

Other officials and ex-military men who were present at the luncheon expressed their gratitude to the Roraima Group of Companies for hosting the event for the seventh year.

They too were a part of the fun and excitement.

However, as the day’s proceedings continue, special recognition was bestowed upon Guyana’s oldest veteran, Private Lloyd DeFreitas who served in World War II. He was rewarded for his noble service to the nation.

The veterans who were treated at Friday’s luncheon were mainly from the Guyana Veterans Legion and the Millicent Greaves Citizens Home.

the programmes offered, Government would be in the short term setting up criteria and a system to ensure that regular early release was an option for those who qualified.

President Granger remains focused on education and youth empowerment and strongly believes that children are better off in educational institutions rather than in incarceration or detention.

“Going to school is important for me and staying in school is important for me, and it is important for you too, because in whatever you do, you must be able to read, write, spell and count… You must be literate. We cannot build a country with illiterate persons and that is why I want all of you to take your education seriously. It is my vision that you must get the best possible preparation for when you are ready to take over this country,” the President had said to the children.

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saturDAY, december 23, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

GuySuCo accused of high-handedness W orkers attached to the Providence section of the Rose Hall Sugar Estate are accusing the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) of discriminating against them by not giving them an option to either receive a severance package or be transferred to the Blairmont Factory.

The workers met with officials from the sugar company on Tuesday and were told that they did not have a choice. “If they don’t want what is being offered, they will be sent home empty-handed,” it was explained.

In May 2017, Government announced plans to close the Enmore and Rose Hall Sugar Estates, sell the Skeldon Sugar Factory, reduce the annual production of sugar, and take on the responsibility of managing the drainage and irrigation services offered by GuySuCo. The process of closing the Rose Hall Estate is well on its way. Workers have received letters stating that their last day of work with the estate will be December 29.

Most of the workers who are attached to the estate and live in East Canje have received letters stating that their services would not be needed after December 29, and that they would receive a severance package; but those in the Providence section were told that they could continue to work.

At Tuesday’s meeting, which was attended by most of the workers attached to

The workers are now accusing GuySuCo of attempting to bully them. “They say that we have to accept what they are offering. They say we will get a letter and we have to sign it. They tell us that if we don’t sign it, or if we don’t go to work, then it means that we walk off the job, and we will have nothing to get. We are dissatisfied with that. We are saying that they should come out and give us a choice; who want the severance and who want the payoff,” Kaiume said.

Already, the factory and its environs present an ap-

Some of the angry sugar workers

‘B’ gangs from East Bank Berbice, who fall under what is referred to as Providence, the workers were told that they would be transferred to the Blairmont Estate.

Saying that they should have been given an option, these workers contend that they are being discriminated against.

“Everything that they do to us is wrong. If Rose Hall close, that means everybody close off. They suppose to give Providence and ‘C’ Gang the severance. That is the right thing to do, not to come to the estate and tell us that we have to go somewhere we are not satisfied to go,” one of the angry workers who stormed out of Tuesday’s meeting told this publication.

“You have to give us choices!” some of the angry workers shouted to the media.

The meeting was held between the company’s top man-

agement and several hundred workers whose names were not of the list for severance. Among some of the issues discussed were the procedure used in choosing persons who would be transferred to either the Blairmont or Albion estates; conditions under which they would work; arrangements with the Berbice Bridge Company Inc to have the workers who will be attached to Blairmont cross the river; and other benefits for workers.

Matthew Kaiume, one of the disturbed workers, who also stormed out of the meeting with management which was held at the Welfare Community Centre at Rose Hall, said much of what they wanted to know was not discussed. “Our concern is that the Estate close and they have not given us a choice. Is like you under physical and mental slavery.”

Relations between Guyana, Netherlands strengthened …as non-Resident Ambassador accredited

T

he commitment to strengthen mutually beneficial relations between Guyana and the Kingdom of the Netherlands was underscored when Ambassador David Hales presented his Letter of Credence to His Majesty King WillemAlexander at Noordeinde Palace in The Hague.

Ambassador Hales, who is Guyana’s Ambassador to the Kingdom of Belgium, has been accredited as a non-Resident Ambassador to the Netherlands. He has succeeded former Ambassador P.I. Gomes.

Prominent in the discussion between the Dutch Monarch and Ambassador Hales was the impact of Climate Change on the Caribbean, including the Dutch Territories, particularly the devastation caused by the passage of hurricanes Maria and Irma during the 2017 hurricane season in the Atlantic. The King visited the affected Dutch islands immediately after the passage of hurricane Maria to get a first-hand appreciation of the damage caused.

To this end, Ambassador Hales expressed deep appreciation of the Government of Guyana to the commitment by the Netherlands of US$702 million for disas-

pearance that the estate is already closed. The once busy East Canje has become desolate ever since the severance letters were served two weeks ago. Equipment used by the estate are assembled where they have no use.

This publication has been unofficially informed that the Rose Hall estate will grind cane for the second crop next year.

Meanwhile, the workers stormed out of a meeting with management earlier this week, saying that many of their questions were not being answered satisfactorily.

Linden-Lethem road one step closer – Greenidge

C

onstruction of the Linden–Lethem road has been made closer following the signing of a Complementary Agreement to the Memorandum of Understanding between Guyana and Brazil which created the “Guyana- Brazil Joint Commission to Develop Infrastructure Projects”.

Foreign Affairs Minister Carl Greenidge has said this development is in keeping with the two countries’ interest in enhancing the infrastructure between them, “mainly for the purposes of economic and social integration.”

Underlining the economic and other benefits that would be gained on completion of this road link between Linden and the Brazilian State of Roraima, the Foreign Affairs Minister explained, “The road is pretty critical to Guyana; and as regards Guyana/Brazil, it can be a major potential means of integrating Brazil and Guyana, especially in relation to the capacities -- the agricultural exports, the processing capacities of Roraima. The Region of Roraima will provide Guyana with markets into Brazil,” the minister is

Foreign Affairs Minister Carl Greenidge

quoted by the Department of Public Information as saying.

Further, Minister Greenidge noted that Brazil stands to benefit mainly from reduced shipping costs to and from international markets.

“In terms of volume, a larger volume of movement will be involved so as to get (Brazilian) products -- agricultural and otherwise -into the international markets by a route that will turn out to be much cheaper than the route they currently use.

So (the road link) is valuable to both sides,” Minister Greenidge added.

The road, projected to

cost hundreds of millions of dollars, is to be funded by Guyana and Brazil with the help of international financing.

“You may wish to know that one of the things we agreed on, even to President Temer’s predecessor, was the involvement of another bilateral and the use of more, particularly the China /CELAC funds, which is about $50B. There has been an agreement between the two sides that a meeting will be held on January 22nd, in which all of the eligible countries to the fund will participate.

They will work with the Chinese to understand how the funds can be accessed,” the Foreign Affairs Minister further explained.

The agreement was signed by Presidents David Granger of Guyana and Michel Temer of Brazil at a bilateral meeting held on the sidelines of the MERCOSUR summit 2017 held in Brazil.

In 2013, the then Government -Peoples Progressive Party – had negotiated and received funding from the Inter-American Development Bank for feasibility studies for the construction of a similar road.

3 regions targeted for sustainable land development in 2018

R

His Majesty King Willem-Alexander (left) with Ambassador David Hales

ter preparedness and relief efforts at the Caricom/ UN High Level Pledging Conference that took place earlier in December at the United Nations Headquarters in New York.

The exchange also touched on the involvement of the Netherlands in designing a model of an effective and efficient drainage system for the city of Georgetown, and the involvement of Dutch businesses in Guyana’s new oil and gas sector.

King Willem-Alexander also showed great interest in the current status of

the Good Officer process under the aegis of the United Nations Secretary General regarding the Guyana Venezuela border controversy.

Ambassador Hales also held discussions with the Deputy Director of the Western Hemisphere Department and the Director of Multilateral Organisations and Human Rights Department and other top-level officials of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The two countries established diplomatic relations on May 15, 1970.

egions Four, Seven and Ten will benefit from a sustainable land development and management project which will be undertaken by the Guyana Lands and Survey Commission (GL&SC) in the coming year.

Commissioner of the Guyana Lands and Survey Commission, Trevor Benn, said the three regions were identified during the planning and consultation phase of the project.

Region Four was selected based on the demand for land, Benn pointed out. “The majority of Guyanese live here…and the many issues with land we have in Region Four”, he explained.

Region Seven was identified because it is a new township. “We feel there is an opportunity to design a new layout of what a really good township should look like,”

GL&SC Commissioner Trevor Benn

Benn added.

In Region Ten, Benn said, there is need to redevelop the mined-out lands. “The degraded lands in Region Ten we need to bring back to life, make them healthy for use again,” Benn said.

The implementation of these practices and rehabil-

itation measures make up the third component of the GL&SC’s project to mainstream sustainable land development and management.

“We will be doing three main things. One: look at our national policies relating to land, to help to streamline those policies. Secondly: we hope to strengthen the capacity of our staff and institutions working in Lands; and thirdly, we intend to use the project to develop new lands, new areas for access to citizens”, Benn further explained.

The project will be officially launched on January 18, 2018, and the three components will run concurrently over a period of four years. The initiative is being funded by the Guyana REDD+ Investment Fund (GRIF) at a cost of US$14.8 million.

news

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saturDAY, december 23, 2017 | guyanatimesgy.com

States believe US aid secure Natural disasters warrant Arab despite defying Trump Jerusalem move equal attention as armed conflicts – Granger P

resident David Granger has outlined the importance of defence cooperation in not only augmenting the military capability of small states, but in strengthening their capacities to deal with natural disasters and other humanitarian crises, and in conducting peace-keeping exercises.

The Guyanese Head of State believes that strong defence cooperation can serve to deter aggression, promote respect for international law, improve the defence capabilities of smaller states, strengthen regional integration, and confront non-state threats.

Speaking at a forum on Continental Security Cooperation in South America, which focused specifically on the changes and challenges in the 21st century, at the Paulo Nogueira Batista Auditorium at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Brazil during his State visit yesterday, the President said the devastation that the world has seen during the recent hurricane season in the region has exposed the need for the creation of a platform for small states to be able to respond to such crises.

He explained that there have been instances when there has been complete breakdown in law and order after a natural disaster.

“I just ask that consideration be given, not only to situations where there (are) armed conflicts, but to situations of natural catastrophes in which disorder could follow,” he said.

President Granger said small states have limited resources and some of the same serious problems faced by larger states, and must rely on multilateral cooperation.

“The security of South American states, particularly small states with limited military capability, is best guaranteed through a multilateral system, which as a form of functional cooperation can strengthen peace-promotion norms by encouraging greater respect for principles which promote peace and deter aggression; such as the peaceful settlement of disputes, the prohibition on the use of force or the threat of the use of force, and respect for internation-

Members of the United Nations Security Council vote on an Egyptian-drafted resolution regarding recent decisions concerning the status of Jerusalem, during a meeting on the situation in the Middle East, including Palestine, at UN Headquarters in New York City, New York, US, December 18, 2017 (file photo)

President David Granger

al treaties and agreements,” President Granger is quoted by the Ministry of the Presidency as saying.

He spoke of the South American Defence Council, which has not yet reached the stage of providing collective security. This body was established in Brazil with the aim of ensuring peace and security in the continent.

“The South American Defence Council is an idea whose time has come. The Council has not yet graduated towards providing collective security. The Council as a defence community, however, can use diplomatic suasion and peace-keeping initiatives as a means of deterring interstate conflict, including conflicts between states of asymmetrical capabilities,” he told the diplomats, ambassadors and foreign service officers gathered.

Importantly, too, he said, defence cooperation can lay the foundation for the creation of a continent-wide collective security mechanism that would deter internal interstate conflict. In this regard, he noted that Brazil has already played a significant role in conceiving the Council, and must now move to make it operational.

The continent looks forward, with Brazil’s partnership, to the invigoration of the South American Defence Council as a vehicle for peace and security in South America…South America must be preserved as a zone of peace. The South American Defence Council, by promoting defence cooperation, can reduce threats, build trust, and graduate towards the eventual goal of

continental collective security,” President Granger said.

After his presentation, the President fielded questions from the audience.

When asked about the measures Guyana and Brazil can take to tackle transnational organised crime, he said that given the GuyanaBrazil border is over 1300 kilometres long, it is extremely difficult for security forces in Guyana to police the entire area. This makes it easy for criminals to conduct nefarious activities such as trafficking in arms, narco-trafficking, people smuggling, and even illegal mining. In this regard, he called on the Brazilian authorities to deepen cooperation in the areas of joint surveillance and sharing of intelligence.

“There has to be sharing of information; there has to be cooperation among the security forces. They may not threaten the state, but they may create local disorder. They can take over zones and use those zones for platforms for narco-trafficking. They can create airstrips for planes to land, and this has happened in my country… Transnational crime could become big if it is not stopped when it is small, and it is the duty of the states and the intelligence agencies and security forces to prevent them from degenerating,” President Granger said.

Foreign Affairs Minister Carl Greenidge, Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson, Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman, and Director General in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Audrey Waddell, were also present at the forum.

L

eading Arab allies threatened with cuts in aid by Donald Trump said on Friday they had no choice but to defy the US President over his recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, and did not believe he would follow through.

More than 120 countries, including every Arab nation, voted at the UN General Assembly late on Thursday to urge the United States to withdraw its decision, announced earlier this month.

Trump threatened to cut off financial aid to countries that voted in favour of the UN resolution, drafted by Egypt and supported by all members of the UN Security Council except Washington.

He repeated his threat on Friday, writing on Twitter: “After having foolishly spent $7 trillion in the Middle East, it is time to start rebuilding our country!”

In Egypt and Jordan, among the top recipients of US aid but long the most heavily invested in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, Trump’s threats were not taken seriously enough to backtrack on firm opposition to the US move.

“The Americans know more than anyone else that

a stable Jordan is crucial for US interests in the region,” a government minister who asked not to be named said.

For its cooperation in defence and other fields, Jordan receives some US$1.2 billion annually from Washington.

“We do not expect the American Administration to touch assistance, but if it does this will only add to Jordan’s economic woes,” the Minister said.

Former Jordanian prime minister Taher al-Masri said Jordan’s role as an ally in a volatile region where unrest has led to attacks on US soil would likely keep the aid safe.

“Trump is not giving us aid as charity. Jordan performs a regional role in stability that we have not gone back on delivering,” he said.

In a sign of concern over Trump’s unpredictability, some Jordanian officials privately expressed worry, however.

Masri said the UN resolution would have received many more votes from member states had Trump not made his threat.

For Arab and Muslim states, anything less than total rejection of Trump’s Jerusalem decision would have been impossible, he

said.

Nations around the world have criticised the move as damaging chances to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has rejected any further US role in the peace process.

As home to major Muslim, Jewish and Christian holy sites, Jerusalem’s status has long been fought over in rounds of failed negotiations, and ignited deadly conflict between Israeli and the Palestinians.

Jordan’s monarchy is custodian of Jerusalem’s holy shrines, making Amman sensitive to any changes of status of the disputed city.

Egypt, which led regional efforts to reject Trump’s decision as having a “negative impact” on security in the region, has been a key broker of past peace deals.

Egypt’s foreign ministry and presidency could not be reached for comment after several attempts following the General Assembly vote.

Arab countries are unanimous in their rejection of Trump’s Jerusalem move.

Key allies such as Saudi Arabia and Iraq reiterated their stance at the General Assembly vote. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Iran’s moral Police storm solstice parties to arrest 230 people

I

ran’s moral Police have arrested 230 people at two winter solstice celebration parties in Tehran.

The shortest day of the year is traditionally celebrated in Iran, where it is known as Yalda.

Colonel Zulfikar Barfar, head of Tehran’s moral-security force, said the partygoers had been drinking and dancing at the mixed par-

ties.

Drinking alcohol can be punishable by 80 lashes, although in recent years perpetrators are often fined instead.

Morality Police are known in Persian as Ershad, meaning guidance. They also ensure women adhere to Islamic dress code.

Police said 140 of the people were arrested in a garden

in the Lavasan area, while the other 90 were attending a celebration in the northern district of Fermaniyeh, Two singers who were performing at the events were among those detained, and some alcoholic drinks and drugs were confiscated.

Col Barfar said images from the parties had been shared on Instagram. (BBC News)

South Sudan leaders sign ceasefire agreement

W

arring parties in South Sudan have signed a ceasefire deal that will allow humanitarian access to civilians caught in the fighting.

Thursday’s agreement, which is expected to go into force on December 24, calls for an unconditional end to the violence and unhindered access for aid workers to all

areas throughout the country.

Signed in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, the ceasefire aims to revive a 2015 peace deal that collapsed

last year after heavy fighting broke out in Juba, Reuters news agency reported.

Thousands of South Sudanese have fled the civil war in their homeland, only

to become internally displaced or to seek shelter in refugee camps in northern Kenya.

But despite facing difficult conditions in the camps

and with little to call their own, the ceasefire announcement from Addis Ababa is small comfort to thousands of South Sudanese civilians.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

16

guyanatimesgy.com

saturDAY, december 23, 2017

Regional

Peru’s President survives impeachment vote

C

ongress in Peru has voted not to impeach President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski over alleged corruption.

There were cheers and applause in the chamber as his supporters celebrated the news.

Kuczynski's opponents wanted to impeach him for allegedly receiving illegal payments from the Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht.

The President appeared in person in Congress during the 10 hours of debate to deny the allegations.

He accused the Opposition of trying to stage a coup.

The motion to impeach required at least 87 votes to pass, but received 79, with 19 against and 21 absten-

President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski’s supporters celebrated when the impeachment motion was defeated

tions. Ten other lawmakers failed to attend the session.

Kuczynski, 79, initially denied receiving any money from Odebrecht. However, he later denied receiving any illegal payments, but admitted working on an ad-

visory basis for the firm.

The payments by Odebrecht were made to Westfield Capital Ltd, a company owned by Kuczynski.

He said that although he owned the company, he was not its manager when it re-

ceived the payments.

He says he had no involvement in the company's management while he held ministerial roles in the Government of former President Alejandro Toledo (2001-06).

Critics of the impeachment vote said it was an attempted power grab by the right-wing Opposition Popular Force party, which controls Peru's Congress.

The party's leader, Keiko Fujimori, lost the 2016 election to Kuczynski by a slim margin. Popular Force says Kuczynski has repeatedly lied about his links to Odebrecht.

Peruvian Prosecutors are also investigating allegations of illegal donations from the company to Fujimori's campaign. (Excerpt from BBC News)

Anguilla gets funding to restore electricity, build climate resilience

T

he Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) has approved more than US$5 million in funding to support the Anguilla Electricity Company Limited (ANGLEC) with the complete restoration of its transmission and distribution system which was damaged during the passage of Hurricane Irma in September.

The severe weather event destroyed poles, transmission lines and

transformers, causing notable disruption to Anguilla’s electricity supply. The outage also interrupted the island’s water supply and resulted in the cancellation of numerous hotel bookings.

“The economic impact of these disruptions has been significant. This project will, therefore, focus on urgently restoring the transmission and distribution system by financing the purchase of replacement equipment and material needed for complete resto-

ration,” said CDB Projects Department Director Daniel Best.

He also noted the need to address Anguilla’s vulnerability to climate change and build the country’s resilience to its impacts.

“This project will also include a climate vulnerability and risk assessment that will provide recommendations to improve the climate resilience of Anguilla’s electricity network. The Bank will also support the preparation of

a business continuity plan to help ANGLEC recover better and faster after a disaster event,” he said.

Under the project, the transmission and distribution system will be rebuilt in accordance with current installation standards, and ANGLEC will use the opportunity to introduce measures to correct some pre-existing issues. These include improving the anchoring and staying of new poles and re-routing power lines. (Excerpt from Caribbean360)

Re-election of Honduran President backed by US despite vote controversy

T

he United States on Friday backed the re-election of Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, a conservative and US ally, who was certified the winner of last month’s presidential contest despite widespread misgivings about the vote count.

The Honduran electoral tribunal declared Hernandez winner of the November 26 election last weekend amid strident Opposition protests over the vote count in the impoverished Central American country, which is a major hub for drug trafficking.

The controversial election came eight years after a military coup sparked by a previous president’s flirtation with a second term, which was barred by the Constitution at the time. In that case, the turmoil was sparked by leftist leader

Manuel Zelaya.

The vote tally had initially clearly favoured Opposition candidate Salvador Nasralla, a centre-leftist, but it swung in favour of the incumbent after a 36-hour delay.

The final result sparked violent protests in Honduras, and the Organisation of American States (OAS) has called for new elections to resolve the dispute.

That proposal was rejected by senior Honduran officials before the US Government recognised Hernandez as President.

“We congratulate President Juan Orlando Hernandez on his victory in the November 26 presidential elections, as declared by the Honduran Supreme Electoral Tribunal,” US State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement. (Excerpt from Reuters)

UWI supports Region’s protests against inclusion on EU tax haven blacklist

Pressure mounts on T&T Chief Justice

P

ressure is mounting on Trinidad’s Chief Justice Ivor Archie to speak out on allegations being made against him.

A High Court Judge has written to him saying he cannot stand by and remain silent about “the most significant threat to our institution in a very long time”.

“All is not well on Knox Street,” Justice Ronnie Boodoosingh said in an email dated December 15 to Archie, Justice Carol Gobin and Judges of the Appeal Court and High Court.

A copy of the email has

Justice Ronnie Boodoosingh

been obtained by Guardian Media. In it, Boodoosingh wrote that the Judiciary’s role in a democracy is bigger than any judge individually and collectively. When grave allegations are made, he said: “We cannot just sit back and feel they will go away; that it could be business as usual.”

Boodoosingh said the Judiciary had been in continuous public focus and in recent months information was being made public with allegations that get more shocking.

The serious allegations levelled against Archie in-

clude that he spoke to Judges about changing their state security to private security and sought the intervention of the HDC to secure housing for a number of people.

Archie has denied the former allegation, but has admitted to seeking to get housing for individuals he deemed to be in need of such.

Boodoosingh referred to guidelines for judicial conduct which state that Judges must not ask favours of others and must be “beholden to no one, only to our consciences and our judicial oath”.

(Excerpt from Trinidad Guardian)

Dominica conducting review of security following passage of Hurricane Maria

T

he Dominican Government says a review will be held to determine what went wrong with security on the island following the passage of Hurricane Maria in September that killed at least 28 people and left millions of dollars in damage.

Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit said he would also seek to sign an agreement

with Jamaican authorities “soon” to allow members of that country’s defence force to assist in the development of the local law enforcement agencies.

“And then also, critically, we are going to have some kind of review as to what went wrong on September 19. Why wasn’t there sufficient coverage by the Police on September 19?

“We can know what went wrong if anything and what needs to be done to avoid …. that happening in the future. So there will be different aspects of the review of the Police Force…,” Skerrit said in a live interview Friday on the State-owned DBS radio.

Last month, the Government said it was undertaking a review of the is-

land’s Police service with the intention of assessing the functional services and effectiveness of the law enforcement agency.

National Security Minister Rayburn Blackmoore said that the review would also allow for recommendations for the improvement and strengthening of the Dominica Police Force. (Excerpt from Caribbean360)

UWI Vice Chancellor, Sir Hilary Beckles warned the unilateral move stood to have a deleterious effect on Caribbean economies

T

he University of the West Indies (UWI) is backing Caribbean Community (Caricom) Governments in protesting the European Union's recent blacklisting of regional countries it considers tax havens.

In a statement issued Thursday, Vice Chancellor, Sir Hilary Beckles said the UWI “stands with the Governments of the Caribbean in protesting the recent actions by the EU and calling for a more transparent and equitable regulatory system and joins the call for the EU to enter into a process to resolve the issue”.

“To this end, The University of the West Indies will continue to put its expertise and research capacity at the service of Governments, the Private Sector and regional organisations to craft appropriate policy responses,” he said.

On December 5, the EU named Barbados, Grenada,

St Lucia, and Trinidad and Tobago among 17 countries it considers tax havens. It said those nations were not doing enough to deal with offshore avoidance schemes.

Sir Hilary warned the unilateral move stood to have a deleterious effect on these economies, while accusing the EU of singlehandedly “derailing” and “undermining” the global financial system.

“This latest decision by the EU is based on new, unilaterally-determined and unclear criteria that differ significantly from the currently accepted international standards of tax transparency, anti-money laundering and accountability. These universally accepted standards were established by the Financial Action Task Force and the [Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development] OECD Global Forum and demanded by the very EU. (Excerpt from Caribbean360)

saturDAY, december 23, 2017

guyanatimesgy.com

17

Around the World

UN imposes new sanctions Spain’s crisis reignited as Catalan on North Korea separatists win vote

T

he United Nations Security Council has unanimously voted to impose tough new sanctions on North Korea in response to Pyongyang’s latest missile test.

The sanctions, passed on Friday, include a ban on nearly 90 per cent of refined petroleum exports to North Korea.

The restrictions, proposed by the United States, are designed to prevent Pyongyang from furthering its nuclear programme.

Al Jazeera’s Mike Hanna, reporting from the UN, said the move was a “significant ramping up” of sanctions against North Korea.

“The idea is to squeeze North Korea as tightly as possible to reduce its income, reduce its revenues, and in that way hopefully drive it to the negotiating table and also for it to stop its missile development process,” he said.

The resolution also orders North Koreans who work abroad to return to the country within 24 months.

Speaking at the UN, US Ambassador Nikki Haley said North Korea’s “arrogance and hostility” had been a stumbling block to achieving peace.

“Today, for the 10th time, this Council stands united against a North Korean regime that rejects the pursuit

S

US Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley votes among other members of the United Nations Security Council to impose new sanctions on North Korea, in New York, US, December 22, 2017

of peace,” she said.

“The Kim regime continues to defy the resolutions of this council, the norms of civilised behaviour and the patience of the international community.”

North Korean leader Kim Jongun’s Government has conducted sever-

al missile tests this year, which have drawn condemnation from the international community.

North Korea said on November 29 that it had successfully conducted a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of reaching the US mainland. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

eparatists looked set on Friday to regain power in Catalonia after voters rejected Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy’s attempt to neuter its independence movement, instead re-igniting the country’s biggest political crisis in decades.

Spanish markets recoiled at a surprise result that is also a setback for the European Union, which must now brace for more secessionist noise as it grapples with the disruption of Brexit and simmering east European discontent.

By risking a parliamentary election in the region, Rajoy appears to have made the same mistake that leaders including Greece’s Alexis Tsipras, Britain’s David Cameron and Italy’s Matteo Renzi have made in recent years: betting that voters would resolve their troublesome domestic conundrums for them.

With well over 99 per cent

of votes from Thursday’s election counted, separatist parties had secured a slim majority.

Spain’s stock market fell around one per cent and the country’s borrowing costs rose as investors bet the ensuing ramp-up in tensions with its richest region will hurt the eurozone’s fourth-largest economy.

Rajoy ruled out calling national elections over events that have weakened his authority, while both he and exiled separatist leader Carles Puigdemont said they were open for dialogue.

But they offered no details and such calls in the past have failed to yield any solution.

After several strained months that saw secessionists organise an illegal referendum on October 1, and Police confiscate urns to try to prevent it from taking place, the election result has done nothing to resolve the standoff either. (Excerpt from Reuters)

Mahmoud Abbas urges EU Putin accuses US of plotting to to take lead in peace efforts break landmark arms control pact

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas made the comment during a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Friday

P

alestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has called on the European Union to take the initiative in the Israel-

Palestine peace process.

Abbas also says he will “no longer accept” any peace plan put forward by the US following President Donald

Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel on December 6.

“The United States has proven to be a dishonest mediator in the peace process,” Abbas said during a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Friday.

Tensions between the US and the world community came to a head at the UN General Assembly on Thursday evening.

A nonbinding draft resolution to declare Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital “null and void” was approved by the General Assembly, with 128 states voting in favour and nine against, with 35 abstentions.

The Trump Administration appeared to threaten States who voted for the resolution with a cut in US aid to the UN and to member states. (Excerpt from Al

Jazeera)

Woman burned to death during argument in Hyderabad

P

olice in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad say they have arrested a man after a woman was burned to death during an argument.

Sandhya Rani, a 25-yearold receptionist, was on her way home when she was attacked about 18:00 local time (12:30 GMT) on Thursday, Police told the BBC. People rushed to help

Rani but she died on her way to hospital.

The accused, Karthik Vanga, 28, is a former colleague.

He used to work in the same company as Rani until a few months ago, Police told BBC Telugu’s Deepthi Bathini.

When he approached her on Thursday, the two were seen arguing before the man

pulled out a can of kerosene, poured the fuel on her and set her alight, Police alleged.

They said there had been allegations that Vanga had been pursuing Rani with marriage proposals for two years. She had repeatedly rejected the proposals, but Police said it was unclear whether any complaint against him had been lodged. (Excerpt from BBC News)

R

ussian President Vladimir Putin on Friday accused the United States of plotting to withdraw from the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces treaty, which bans short and intermediate-range land-based nuclear and conventional missiles.

Both Russia and the United States have accused each other of breaking the landmark arms control treaty that helped end the Cold War and have said its existence is now under threat.

(Reuters)

Russian President Vladimir Putin (centre) and Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu (left) visit the Military Academy of the Strategic Missile Forces, named after Peter the Great, outside Moscow, Russia, December 22, 2017

France couple in China unreachable after Liu Xiaobo tribute

T

wo artists from France have been unreachable in China after they painted a tribute to the late Nobel laureate Liu Xiaobo, sparking concern over their whereabouts.

Hu Jiamin and Marine Brossard painted a mural showing an empty blue chair at an art exhibition in Shenzhen last week.

The mural was quickly covered up and plainclothes Policeman took the couple away, Hong Kong media report.

Journalists and friends say they have since been unable to contact the duo.

Liu, who died in July, was China’s most prominent human rights and democracy advocate.

He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010 while serving an 11-year

Friends say they have been unable to contact the two artists since December 15

prison term for “subversion”, and was represented by an empty chair at the award ceremony.

On December 15, Hu and s Brossard, his wife, attended the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Biennale of Urbanism Architecture and painted the mural.

Hu told the South China Morning Post at the time: “I’m not a radical person, nor am I an activist … I painted the chair to express my personal commemoration and grief towards Mr Liu, but it’s not a manifesto to the public.” (Excerpt from BBC News)

18

guyanatimesgy.com

saturDAY, december 23, 2017

ARCHIE

Making personal gains, planning a trip or altering your (March 21standard of living is favored.

April 19) A disciplined attitude and an energetic approach to life will bring positive results. Romance and commitment are featured.

ARIES

What you do to help others TAURUS will make a difference. Your (April 20- hard work will pay off and reMay 20) sult in personal gains. Love and romance will encourage commitment and greater stability.

dilbert

Disillusionment will surface GEMINI if your expectations aren’t rea(May 21sonable. Concentrate on the way June 20)

you feel about your relationships with others, not on the benefits or responsibilities each connection offers. Avoid self-deception.

Traveling, visiting friends or relatives, or updating your (June 21- image are all favored, as long July 22) as you don’t go overboard.

Excessive behavior will turn out to be quite costly.

CANCER

Peanuts

Don’t be tricked into inLEO vesting in someone else. Make (July 23- decisions based on facts. A Aug. 22) business deal or joint venture must be equitable if you want it to turn out well.

Emotional disillusionment reVIRGO garding your relationship with (Aug. 23- someone will lead to confusion and Sept. 22) uncertainty about your future. Ask

Calvin and Hobbes

questions and offer solutions to avoid a misunderstanding. Don’t let outsiders meddle in your affairs.

LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)

WORD GAME

SUDOKU

solution for LAST PUBLISHED Puzzle

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

Getting together with friends or doing something fun with youngsters will get you into the festive mood.

Your charm will change the way someone feels about you.

An offer will interest you.

Personal improvements SCORPIO will make you feel good about (Oct. 24the way you look and how you Nov. 22) appear to others. Personal growth will be enlightening and will change the way you move forward.

Update your look, attitude SAGITTARIUS and long-term plans. Focus (Nov. 23- on your skills, appearance Dec. 21) and how you want to present who you are and what you can do.

Don’t get disheartened CAPRICORN when you should be recon(Dec. 22figuring the best way to proJan. 19) ceed. Take control and put in the time and effort to ensure that you get the results you want.

Instead of trying to AQUARIUS change others, make person(Jan. 20al improvements. Being tolFeb. 19) erant and understanding of others will help you avoid an argument as well as regret.

Romance is encouraged.

Your emotions will lead PISCES (Feb. 20- to a vivid imagination and March 20) assumptions that are not accurate. Before you say something you’ll regret, rethink your situation and your best alternative.

saturDAY, december 23, 2017

19

Record-breaking Rohit shatters Sri Lanka I

KL Rahul went on to make 89 off just 49 balls (BCCI photo)

ndia’s Rohit Sharma on Friday equalled the fastest century in Twenty20 International cricket from only 35 balls to set up the hosts’ massive 88-run victory against Sri Lanka and a series win with a match to spare in Indore.

Opening batsman Rohit, leading India in the absence of the newly-wed regular captain Virat Kohli, matched the record South Africa’s David Miller set against Bangladesh in October.

Rohit, the only batsman to hit three double hundreds in the 50-over format, added 165 with fellow opener Lokesh Rahul to power India to 260-5 in their 20 overs for the joint-highest total by a team in what is the shortest format of the game.

In reply, Sri Lanka, who lost the opening match by 93 runs at Cuttack on Wednesday, were bundled out for 172 in the 18th over to go down 2-0 in the three-match series after also losing in tests and one-day internationals.

India’s wrist spinners once again did the damage for the hosts with leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal taking 4-52 while left-armer Kuldeep Yadav picked up 3-52.

Angelo Mathews could not bat due to an injury as Sri Lanka’s chase screeched to a halt after they lost six wickets in two overs from the spinners.

Kusal Perera top-scored with 77 off 37 balls for the touring side, who had also gone down 9-0 across formats to India at home earlier in the year.

The 30-year-old Rohit smashed 10 sixes and 12

Koeman eyes Netherlands post

N

etherlands are without a coach following Dick Advocaat's departure and Ronald Koeman is keen to take up the role.

Ronald Koeman is not interested in taking up another role in club management for the time being, with his sights set firmly on the vacant Netherlands job.

The former Barcelona and Netherlands international, capped 78 times by the Oranje, has been out of a job since October 23, when he was sacked by Everton after a poor start to the Premier League season.

It brought his three-year stay in England to a disappointing end, having impressed with Southampton and during his first season in charge at Goodison Park.

The 54-year-old revealed that job offers were incoming within a day of his Everton exit, but he is actually hoping to coach the country of his birth next, with the job vacant following the unsuccessful tenures of Danny Blind and Dick Advocaat.

"I have always said that it is an ambition of mine to do that [coach Netherlands]," Koeman told De Telegraaf.

"I know my name is mentioned regularly, but I have not yet been contacted and there have not been any calls yet.

"Within 24 hours of my departure from Everton, I had already received the first offer [from a club]. But I keep it all away from me.

"I take the time to analyse for myself what went

wrong and why certain things happened.

"The offers were and are there, but after all those years I have my preferences. I honestly admit that the Dutch team also belongs among them.

"But it is not yet on the agenda, so for the time being I will keep football at a distance."(Sportsmax)

Ronald Koeman

fours before he was eventually dismissed for 118 in 43 balls on a featherbed of a wicket at the Holkar Cricket Stadium, where Sri Lanka captain Thisara Perera won the toss and opted to field.

Four of Rohit’s sixes came in consecutive deliveries off Thisara which took him to 97 and he completed his second hundred in the format with a four on the next ball he faced from seamer Angelo Mathews.

Rahul took charge after Rohit’s dismissal and added 78 for the second wicket with former captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni before falling for 89 off 49 balls.

India were well on course to eclipse the highest T20 International total of 263-3, which was set by Australia against Sri Lanka in 2016, but lost their way by losing four wickets in the last two overs of their innings.

Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium will host the final match of the tour on Sunday. (Reuters)

Rohit Sharma razed his way to the joint-fastest T20 hundred, off just 35 balls (BCCI photo)

SCOREBOARD

India Innings (20 overs maximum) RG Sharma*c Dananjaya b Chameera 118 KL Rahul c †Dickwella b Prade ep 89 MS Dhoni† b NLTC Perera 28 HH Pandya c Samarawickrama b Pradeep 10 SS Iyer lbw b NLTC Perera 0 MK Pandey not out 1 KD Karthik not out 5 Extras (lb-3, w-6) 9 Total (For 5 wickets, 20 Overs) 260 Did not bat: Kuldeep Yadav, JJ Bumrah, JD Unadkat, YS Chahal Fall of wickets: 1-165 (RG Sharma, 12.4 ov), 2-243 (KL Rahul, 18.3 ov), 3-253 (HH Pandya, 18.6 ov), 4-254 (SS Iyer, 19.2 ov), 5-255 (MS Dhoni, 19.4 ov) Bowling Mathews 2.2-0-16-0, Chameera 4-0-45-1, Fernando 4-0-61-2 (w-2), Dananjaya 3.4-0-49-0 (w-2), Perera 4-049-2 (w-2), de Silva 1-0-160, Gunaratne 1-0-21-0 Sri Lanka Innings (target: 261 runs from 20 overs) N Dickwella† c Pandya b

Unadkat 25 WU Tharanga c & b Chahal 47 MDKJ Perera c Pandey b Kuldeep Yadav 77 NLTC Perera* c Pandya b Kuldeep Yadav 0 DAS Gunaratne st †Dhoni b Kuldeep Yadav 0 S Samarawickrama st †Dhoni b Chahal 5 PC de Silva b Chahal 1 A Dananjaya c Pandey b Chahal 5 PVD Chameera b Pandya 3 ANPR Fernando not out 0 AD Mathews absent hurt Extras (lb-2, w-7) Total (All out, 17.2 overs) 172 Fall of wickets: 1-36 (N Dickwella, 4.3 ov), 2-145 (WU Tharanga, 13.2 ov), 3-155 (NLTC Perera, 14.1 ov), 4-156 (MDKJ Perera, 14.2 ov), 5-161 (DAS Gunaratne, 14.5 ov), 6-162 (PC de Silva, 15.1 ov), 7-164 (S Samarawickrama, 15.2 ov), 8-170 (A Dananjaya, 15.5 ov), 9-172 (PVD Chameera, 17.2 ov) Bowling JD Unadkat 3-0-22-1, Bumrah 3-0-21-0 (w-2), Kuldeep Yadav 4-0-52-3 (w-1), Pandya 3.20-23-1, YS Chahal 4-0-52-4 (w-4)

20

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

saturDAY, december 23, 2017

Former South American football bosses convicted

T

wo former top South American football executives have been found guilty of multiple charges at a US trial into corruption in the sport.

Both Jose Maria Marin, the former head of Brazil's Football Confederation (CBF), and Juan Ángel Napout, who led South America's football governing body Conmebol, were convicted on Friday.

The men were arrested in 2015.

The jury in New York are still deciding the verdict in a charge against the former head of Peru's federation.

They will reconvene after Christmas to make a decision in the racketeering charge against Manuel Burga.

His lawyer declined to make a comment on the Reuters news agency.

Marin, who is also a former governor of São Paulo, was found guilty of six of the seven counts against him of money laundering and wire fraud conspiracy.

Napout, who headed the Paraguayan football body as well as the regional one, was found guilty of three charges - one of racketeering conspiracy and two

Federal prosecutors in New York have indicted more than 40 sports and football executives linked to football in the Americas as part of the inquiry.

In October the former head of Guatemala's federation, Hector Trujillo, became the first person to be sentenced as part of the investigation.

Trujillo was sentenced to eight months in prison after pleading guilty to wire fraud and conspiracy.

Another official, Costas Takkas, former general secretary of the Cayman Islands Football Association, was sentenced to 15 months in prison by a US judge shortly after. (BBC Sport)

Jose Maria Marin

wire fraud charges.

The investigation focuses on corruption around the awarding of media and marketing rights for major sporting competitions, including the Copa America.

Prosecutors have said the crimes amount to an estimated $200m (£150m).

Last month, Argentine former football official Jorge Delhon killed himself after being accused of taking $2m (£1.5m) in bribes as part

of the trial.

Following Friday's verdicts, football's world governing body Fifa said it "strongly supports and encourages the US authorities' efforts to hold accountable those individuals who abused their positions and corrupted international football for their own personal benefit".

The US investigation into corruption at Fifa was first revealed in May 2015.

Juan Angel Napout

Tiger parts ways

Murray delays departure to with swing coach Chris Como Australia F

A

ndy Murray has delayed his departure to Australia but still hopes to begin his season in Brisbane in January.

The three-time Grand Slam champion has not played a competitive match since Wimbledon because of a hip condition.

The Scot is due to play in the Brisbane International, which starts on New Year's Day, before the Australian Open in Melbourne from 15-29 January.

Murray, 30, had originally planned to go to Australia before 25 December.

The double Wimbledon champion, who suffered a hip problem after the French Open in May, remains on the entry list for Brisbane.

Murray, who has slipped to 16th in the world rankings, was beaten by America's Sam Querrey in the Wimbledon quarter-finals before travelling to New York in late August for the US Open, but he pulled out two days before the tournament began having failed to recover sufficiently.

His last public appearance was at a charity match against Roger Federer in Glasgow in early November, where he took a set from this year's Australian Open and Wimbledon champion. (BBC Sport)

ormer world number one Tiger Woods said on Friday he has decided to end his working relationship with swing coach Chris Como, opting instead to fly solo in his latest comeback from injury.

Woods, who returned to competition three weeks ago after a near 10-month layoff during which he had spinal fusion surgery, began working with Como after a forgettable 2014 season during which injuries limited him to seven official PGA Tour events, missing the cut in two.

“Since my fusion surgery I have been working hard to relearn my own body and golf swing. I’ve done this by primarily relying on my feel and previous years of hard work with Chris,” the 41-year-old said in a statement posted on his official Twitter account.

“For now, I think it’s best for me to continue to do this on my own. I‘m grateful to Chris Como for his past work, and I have nothing but respect for him.”

Woods swung freely and with no sign of back pain at the Hero World Challenge, where earlier this month he began his latest comeback and finished tied for ninth in an 18-man exhibition that featured eight of the world’s top 10 golfers.

The 14-times major champion worked with swing coach Butch Harmon to begin his professional career, then switched to Hank Haney in 2004. Woods jumped to Sean Foley in 2010, whom he worked with for four years.

Como, in a statement provided to Golf Channel, said when he began working with Woods he was asked to help the golfer utilize his own instincts and feel while playing pain free and that he felt he accomplished the goal.

“Tiger is ready to have an incredible next run in his career. I‘m eager to watch what will be one of the most exciting sports comebacks of all time,” Como said in the statement.

“I will continue to be a close friend and resource to him and am extremely excited about Tiger’s future, the golf industry and for the fans of golf.”(Reuters)

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21

Amreith Rai laid to rest I

t was a dark day for softball cricket and sport in general, when hundreds of people bid farewell to former captain of Wolf’s Warriors cricket team, Amreith “Rocky” Rai who was cremated on Thursday at the Ruimzeight crematorium, West Coast Demerara.

Following a funeral service at his Met-en-Meer Zorg home, Rai’s body was taken to Zeeburg Cricket Club where he was a member for a number of years for viewing. Under dark clouds, his body was then taken to the cremation site where members of the softball fraternity formed the symbolic bat arch before the final rights were performed.

Rai will go surely down in the record books as one of finest batsmen and captains of his era and has led Wolf’s Warriors to several major titles including the GTT 10/10 in 2011 and the Guyana Softball Cup in 2014.

“Rocky” will forever be remembered as a disciplined and calm individual who always encouraged his players to strive for greater heights.

His last major tournament was the inaugural Prime Minister’s T20 Softball Cup that was held in October where he represented SVC Allstars of New

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York. Then as a player and a key member of the organizing body, “Rocky” ensured the inaugural SVC International Softball Cup at Hydronie Sports Club was a success early November.

Rai, 36 years old, passed

Members of the softball cricket fraternity form the symbolic bat-arch at the Rumizigt Crematorium

away at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) last Sunday morning while receiving treatment following an incident that took place the night before at Tarla Dam Met-en-

Meer Zorg.

The well-respected Rai was among a group of persons attending to Premnauth Basdeo who was chopped on the head by an ex-policeman following a

gambling dispute. After the chopping, the ex-policeman who seemed not satisfied then drove his mini bus into the crowd hitting Rai and the other public-spirited persons.

IOC bans 11 Russian winter athletes for life for Sochi 2014 doping

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he International Olympic Committee said on Friday it had banned 11 Russian athletes for life after they committed doping offences at the 2014 Sochi winter games.

Among them are speed skaters Ivan Skobrev, a two-time medalist at the Vancouver 2010 Games, and Artem Kuznetcov.

Along with lugers Tatyana Ivanova and Albert Demchenko, who both won silver medals in Sochi, cross-country skiers Nikita Kryukov, Alexander Bessmertnykh --both silver medallists-- and Natalia Matveeva, bobsledders Liudmila Udobkina and

Maxim Belugin, and ice hockey players Tatiana Burina and Anna Shchukina, they were disqualified from the events they took part in.

They were also stripped of their medals and banned from future Olympic events, the IOC Disciplinary Commission said.

The decision is part of an IOC investigation into doping of Russian athletes at the 2014 winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

Earlier this month the IOC banned Russia from next year’s Pyeongchang Winter Olympics for what it called “unprecedented systematic manipulation” of the anti-doping system.

Investigations by the World Anti-Doping Agency and the IOC confirmed allegations of widespread doping among Russian athletes across many sports as well as tampering with Russian athletes’ samples during the Sochi 2014 winter Games.

The IOC, however, left the door open for Russian athletes with a clean history of non-doping to be invited to compete in Pyeongchang as neutrals.

“To date, the number of cases opened by the (IOC) disciplinary commission (for Sochi 2014) has reached 46 after additional findings from the re-analyses,” the IOC said. It has re-tested all

of the samples from Russian athletes from those Games, banning dozens for life in recent months.

“All 46 of them have been handled, of which three have been filed. As some investigations are still ongoing (notably the forensic analysis of the bottles), it cannot be excluded that there might be new elements that would justify opening further new cases and holding more hearings,” it said.

The Pyeongchang Olympics run from Feb. 9-25 with Russian athletes competing under the Olympic flag as Olympic athletes from Russia (OAR).(Reuters)

22

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

saturDAY, december 23, 2017

GBA/Sons of Champions

22

T

to square off on Boxing Day

he best of the best in Guyana, some twenty-two (22) of Guyana’s top amateur boxers will step into the ring when the Guyana Boxing Association (GBA) in collaboration with Briso Promotions stages one night of sizzling action, dubbed ‘Sons of Champions’ at the National Gymnasium, Mandela Avenue, on Boxing Day (December 26).

With 11 bouts carded for the night, the pugilists on show would have had a parent who enjoyed some degree of success in the sport, thus instilling the desire in their sons’ genes.

One of the most anticipated duels will be between Desmond Amsterdam and Dennis Thomas in middleweight category. Both have held victory over each other yet they both claim to be the better.

Thomas, a rangy boxer, wages his war from distance while Amsterdam, squatty and muscular, prefers to “punch it out at close

quarters”. Such contrasting styles will pave the way for an imminent slugfest which could very well determine, once and for all, who is the better boxer.

Amsterdam in a recent interview shortly after his return from the CBC in St Lucia had thrown down the gauntlet maintaining that he will be in the gym preparing to dismantle Thomas.

Another eagerly anticipated contest is the bantamweight elite battle between Keevin Allicock and Clairmont Gibson. The two clashed in the National Open Championships a few weeks ago and Allicock managed to secure the win.

However, it was not easy-going as he was forced to call on all his reserves to stem the flow of a rampaging Gibson. While Allicock was adjudged the winner Gibson swore that he was “hard done by” and vowed to take matters into his own hands in a return

encounter.

In the first clash of the night junior boxer Shamar Morrison of the Forgotten Youth

Colin “Superman” Lewis will be in action on Boxing Day

Foundation (FYF) will match gloves with Emanuel Pompey for one bout before Shaquincy Wright of the Vergenoegen Boxing Gym (VBG) face K. Yayah of the Pocket Rocket Boxing Gym (PRBG). Exciting flyweight pugilist Julius Kesney of the Rose Hall Jammers (RHJ) will tackle Kelvin Moore (VBG) in an elite flyweight contest.

Junior boxers, Travis Inverary (FYF) and Jaden Graham of the Young Achievers (YA) will next grace the ring in a fight that is much talked about. Both boxers have earned the right to be touted as top boxers and it will be interesting to see who comes out on top.

GDF representative Colin “Superman” Lewis has made quite a name for his self and recently returned from St Lucia with a gold med-

al in the Caribbean Development Tournament. He will be in top shape and rearing to square off with Marlon Darryl (FYF) in a junior welterweight elite matchup.

Two GDF representatives, Aubrey Headley and John Mars, will oppose each other in a contest for bragging rights as well as championship honours while Alex Murray (FYF) will attempt to keep the (Andrew) Murray legacy alive when he squares off with Akeem Crandon of the Pocket Rocket Boxing Gym. The card will also include two female bouts which will see Alicia Rodney, from the newly inaugurated Savannah Boxing Gym (SBG) clash with Abiola Jackman (FYF).

Aleema Arokium (RHJ) takes on Army representative Joan Williams in a female elite flyweight battle.

The action starts at 19:00h at the National Gymnasium.

Ronaldo, Bale fit for critical Clasico

R

eal Madrid forwards Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale are both "100%" ready to play in El Clasico against Barcelona after fitness problems, says boss Zinedine Zidane.

Fourth-placed Real are 11 points behind unbeaten league leaders Barcelona.

Ronaldo worked alone earlier this week, with a calf knock, but trained

properly on Friday - while Bale is recovering from a calf problem.

"He's OK. He's 100%.

He's trained today," Zidane said of Ronaldo.

Bale has not played in La Liga since September, but featured twice off the bench in the recent Club World Cup, which Real won.

"I'll not choose a player because I want him to play in a Clasico," said Zidane. "I

trust my players and they can get injured, but the important thing is that I think he is 100% to play. We'll see if he plays or not tomorrow."

Barca have not lost a league game this season under coach Ernesto Valverde, who said: "I don't think we are favourites, the league table has no influence on games like this because of the tension there always is.

"Madrid are such a powerful team that they can strike you down even when you're in your best moment of form. Also, they will be at home."

Zidane does not think a defeat ends his side's hopes of defending their title: "We have to not think about the difference in points. I don't think it's a decisive match in terms of the league.

"You have to think posi-

GCB/Jaguars 50-Over League 2017…

T

Final preliminary round bowls off today

he Guyana Cricket Board’s (GCB) Jaguars 50 Overs League is set to continue today with the final preliminary round of matches at four venues.

Current three-day champions, Essequibo who are the current points leaders are on course for the double and will take on fifth placed Upper Corentyne at the Albion Community Centre ground.

The other match in Berbice brings together defending champions, Lower Corentyne who are currently in second position and bottom of the table East Coast Demerara at the Young Warriors ground.

Tuschen ground on the East Bank of Essequibo is the venue for the clash between joint third placed teams, Georgetown and West Demerara. The final match of the round is between seventh placed Upper Demerara/East Bank and sixth placed West Berbice at the Everest ground in Georgetown. All

matches will commence at 09:00h.

Meanwhile, after a complete wash out in round six, teams are eager for some playing time as players will be pushing for selection to the Jaguars Super50 squad for competition in January however after persistent rainfall on Thursday and Friday the chances of full matches are very slim.

At the end of the preliminary round of matches, the team with the highest amount of points will advance straight to the final which is set for Saturday December 30 at a venue to be announced while the second and third placed teams will battle each other in a play-off on Thursday December 28 for a place in the final.

Akshaya Persaud

Cristiano Ronaldo is likely to play, but Gareth Bale is expected to be on the bench

tively. We're very good and better in each area of ??the field. Even if we lose, the league will not be over."

Zidane's Real Madrid were favourites to win La Liga this season, having won last season's Spanish title - as well as two Champions Leagues in a row.

But they have struggled this season - arguably after losing some of their squad members in the summer like Alvaro Morata, James Rodriguez, Danilo and Pepe.

They have won the Spanish Super Cup (against Barca), the Uefa Super Cup (against Manchester United) and the World Club Cup final (against Gremio).

They are still in the Copa

del Rey and Champions League, where they finished second to Tottenham in Group H. Barcelona, on the other hand, have enjoyed a great season since Valverde replaced Luis Enrique in the summer. They are yet to lose a La Liga game since his appointment, winning 13 and drawing three to sit six points above second-placed Atletico Madrid going into the weekend's games.

Their only two defeats were the first two games of the season, against Real in the Spanish Super Cup. They are also unbeaten in the Champions League, finishing top of Group D above Juventus, and are still in the Copa del Rey. (BBC Sport)

guyanatimesgy.com

saturDAY, december 23, 2017

23

Burke promoted to Philadelphia Union first team

Marques steps up for Commonwealth title shot – inter-country card set for January 20

Elton Dharry will want to continue his unbeaten streak

G

uyana’s very own Dexter Marques will headline a magnificent inter-country card as he prepares for his upcoming Commonwealth Title shot in March 2018. Marques is expected to be the underdog in that match and it is anticipated that his rigorous training will be put on display on January 20 at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH) as he prepares for the fight that could change his life, and give Guyana its next world title.

The current Caribbean and Guyana Flyweight Champion was appointed as the mandatory challenger for the Commonwealth Flyweight Title against current champion Jay Harris of Wales, UK, and that bout will be held on March 31, 2018 at the Copperbox Arena and is being promoted by Frank Warren’s Queensberry Promotions.

In what is being seen as a patriotic battle for country pride, Venezuelans will square off against Guyanese fighters on January 20, 2018 on the card that also features Elton Dharry, a world-class contender undefeated in his last 16 fights and Dexter “Cobra” Gonsalves, Guyana’s current Lightweight champion, who narrowly lost a decision to world-ranked DeMarcus Corley in his last outing.

“The Cobra” will seek to avenge that loss as he prepares to fight the Bahamian Lightweight champion Meacher Major in the Bahamas. A victory over the tough Bahamian will once again put Gonsalves in the picture for a Commonwealth title shot.

The Guyana Boxing Board of Control (GBBC) continues to support the amateur ranks and create a path for young fighters as the card will also feature four fighters from the Venezuelan Amateur Team putting their pugilistic skills and patriotism on the line against top

Guyanese Amateur fighters.

Fans are encouraged to come out in support of this inter-country rivalry which could test the limits of our local fighters as they go up against the very best that Venezuela has to offer. Tickets will be on sale at the Giftland Stores and Assuria General Insurance offices in Georgetown, Diamond, Berbice, Parika, and Vreed-en-hoop.

Corey Burke

J

Dexter Marques will be in action on January 20

amaica international Corey Burke has been promoted to the Philadelphia Union Major League Soccer (MLS) team after spending the last two seasons with its United Soccer League (USL) development franchise Bethlehem Steel.

The 25-year-old Burke has impressed since being loaned to the Steel in 2016, scoring four times in 21 appearances during that campaign and adding nine goals in 2017, second on the team.

In addition, the player has made his mark with the Jamaica national team earning 13 caps since debuting for the Reggae Boyz in September 2016.

Burke was a regular member of the squad that took part in the most recent Gold Cup, playing five

times as the team finished second. He has two international goals. Union sporting director Earnie Stewart welcomed the player’s transition to MLS and tipped the forward for a successful future.

“We are pleased to sign Cory to our first team and reward his excellent performance with Bethlehem Steel FC,” Stewart said.

“Cory’s success is a testament to the importance of Bethlehem in developing players within our organization. Under Brendan Burke and his staff, Cory has been playing in our system for two years now. We anticipate a successful transition to the Union, and we are looking forward to seeing Cory take the next step in his career.” (Sportsmax)

No more Lance Gibbs stand

T

he old Lance Gibbs stand at the world famous Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) ground, Bourda is no more after majority of the building materials were stripped from the stand. The better pieces of wood were used to erect a pavilion facing the hockey field while the rest of the structure will eventually be taken down.

The move became necessary after the former international cricket venue is no longer used for such events but rather the GCC hockey teams and the Guyana Hockey Board have been maximizing the outdoor hockey field. The new stand will bring comfort to hockey players and spectators during events.

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

saturDAY, december 23, 2017

guyanatimesgy.com

GCB/Jaguars 50-Over League 2017…

Marques steps up for Commonwealth title shot – inter-country card set for January 20

The old Lance Gibbs stand as seen from North Road

The new hockey pavilion (John Ramsingh photos)

Final preliminary round bowls off today Keemo Paul is expected to play a major role for Essequibo

No more Lance Gibbs stand

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