Guyanatime 24 march 2018

India-funded ICT Centre for April opening P10

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

Issue No. 3513

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Sarturday, March 24, 2018

Police record 36% spike in robbery with violence

PRICE

WHAT'S INSIDE:

Rose Hall man on $1M bail for pedestrian’s P8 death Cop remanded on rape charge P13

Page 3

Jagan’s 100th birth anniversary

Ministry of the Presidency scraps commemorative stamps Page 9

$80 vat included

Local Govt Commission being stifled by Govt – members Page 7

LIAT to offer daily flights to Trinidad P15

…says its purse still being controlled by Central Govt

Requirements satisfied in issuing P16 petroleum production licence – Govt …as more legal challenges loom

After several protests

Govt regularises part-time P10 sweeper/cleaners The 10th edition of Wedding Expo opened with nothing short of glitz and glamour as promised by the local organisers on Friday at the Duke Lodge, Kingston. The expo seeks to celebrate and showcase Guyanese artistry

Toshaos Council accuses Govt of elections meddling Page 12

“Georgetown needs to get their act together” – GAM President Page 11

GMSA P15 launches marketplace “Uncapped”

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BRIDGE OPENINGS

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

Saturday, March 24 – 09:30h-11:00h and Sunday, March 25 – 11:00h-12:30h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Saturday, March 24 – 08:50h-10:20h and Sunday, March 25 – 10:15h-11:45h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY Weather: Sunny intervals with intermittent light cloudy skies can be expected throughout the day, while partly cloudy skies can be expected in the evening. Overall temperatures are expected to range between 21 degrees Celsius and 30 degrees Celsius.

Winds: Ranging from East North-easterly to Northeasterly between 1.78 metres and 5.36 metres.

High Tide: 09:28h and 22:20h reaching maximum heights of 2.38 metres and 2.22 metres respectively.

Low Tide: 02:58h and 15:41h reaching minimum heights of 0.93 metre and 0.84 metres respectively.

wednesDAY, MARCH 21, 2018

LOTTERY NUMBERS H

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28 Bonus Ball

FREE TICKET

FRIDAY, MARCH 23, 2018

DAILY MILLIONS 05 08 19 21 25 LUCKY 3 3 2 5 Afternoon Draw DRAW DE LINE

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Police record 36% spike in robbery with violence T

he Guyana Police Force (GPF) has recorded a 36 per cent increase in robberies with violence. In the monthly crime statistics issued on Friday, the Force disclosed that there was a two per cent increase (92 against 90 cases in the same period last year) in robbery under arms where firearms were used; while robberies where no instruments were used saw a 31 per cent increase (17 against 13 cases), and robbery with violence raising by 36 per cent (30 against 22 cases).

According to the Police, when compared to the same period last year, there has been a reduction of 18 per cent in serious crimes at the end of February 2018.

Other categories of this serious crime recorded a declining trend, the Police said, pointing out that these include: robbery under arms where instruments other than firearms were used, which saw a 41 per cent decline (41 against 70 cases); robbery with aggravation recording a 40 per cent decrease (12 against 20 cases); a 33 per cent reduction (16 against 24 cases) in larceny from the person; burglary going down by 21 per cent (31 against 39 cases); and a 19 per cent decrease (154 against 191 cases) in break and enter and larceny.

Meanwhile, as it relates to murder, the Police said there was also a 39 per cent decline recorded, with a total of 11 cases at the end of February 2018, compared to 18 last year.

A Division (GeorgetownEast Bank Demerara) saw the highest number during this time, with three cases. B Division (Berbice), C Division (East Coast Demerara) and G Division (Essequibo Coast and

Evening Draw

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Islands) accounted for two murder cases each, while D Division (West DemeraraEast Bank Essequibo) and F Division (Interior Locations) also recorded one murder case each.

There were no murders in E Division (LindenKwakwani) during this period.

Additionally, it was reported that of the 11 murder cases: six were disorderly; one was domestic related; two committed during robberies, and two of unknown nature.

The Police also reported a 25 per cent decrease in rape case.

With regards to the seizure of firearms, a total of 24 illegal weapons were taken off the streets by the end of February. This includes 15 pistols, four revolvers, four shotguns, and a sub-machine gun. These figures are compared to 22 unlicensed guns seized during the corresponding period last year.

Fifteen of these weapons were found in A Division, four in B Division; one in C Division and two each in F and G Divisions.

Traffic Meanwhile, the traffic statistics at the end of

February 2018 reveals an 18.1 per cent decrease in both fatal accidents and road deaths, with nine cases this year against 11 in 2017 for both categories.

No children were killed on the roadways during this time.

The Police also reported decreases in minor and damage accidents, with a six per cent (16 cases against 17 last year) and 11.1 per cent (16 against 18) decrease respectively.

Serious accidents remained the same as the corresponding figure last year with 18 cases.

Once again, pedestrians were named the main category of road users killed, with six persons

having lost their lives by the end February. In addition, two pedal cyclists and one driver also lost their lives.

Furthermore, the Police noted that speeding continues to be the major contributing factor to road accidents, causing five of the nine fatal accidents which occurred during the first two months of the year.

This is followed by pedestrians crossing in the path of approaching vehicles and inattentiveness, which recorded two cases each.

Meanwhile, traffic enforcement efforts by the Police have resulted in a total of 14,777 cases being made against errant road users at the end of February. Of this, a total of 2935 cases were for speeding; 247 for driving under the influence of alcohol; 1171 for failure to wear seat belt; and 165 for using a cellphone while driving.

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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

Too many power outages

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overnment had promised that blackouts will be a thing of the past, but, from all indications, it is clear that Guyanese will have to wait much longer to see this promise becoming a reality.

Over the past few months, the complaints coming from various sections of the population -- including private citizens and business -- about constant power outages have increased dramatically. In fact, there have recently been several letters to the editor wherein persons have expressed their frustration over prolonged periods of blackout in their communities.

As recently as Thursday evening, much of Regions Three and Four were without power for some time. The power came off for about an hour, and after it was restored, it went off again. The company issued a statement explaining that there was a mini disturbance on a primary line at the Demerara-Berbice Interconnected System (DBIS) in Kingston, resulting in a total shutdown of the system.

In addition to being a discomfort to many, everyone knows that constant power surges can result in severe damage to household appliances, and even cause fires etc. It is even more frustrating when one considers that GPL does not have any clear policy relative to providing compensation when electrical appliances or machinery etc are damaged due to irregular power supply.

Businesses have also been very vocal about the huge negative impact the prolonged periods of blackout have had on their operations. Now that Guyana’s oil and gas sector is about to take off, it would be in the country’s interest to have a reliable supply of power. Investors, manufacturers, and so on will not be attracted to come here and do business if the present situation relative to electricity supply continues.

It is clear that both businesses and private individuals are dissatisfied with the service being provided by the power company, especially so since the cost they are paying for such service has not decreased; in fact, it has increased over the past few years. This is so despite the Government saving billions of dollars, considering the low oil price.

At present, it is still not clear as to what steps are being taken to bring a lasting solution to the power woes the country has been experiencing. In fact, officials have been giving one excuse after the other, which does not help in any way. Some experts believe that there is a manifest lack of short- and long-term solutions to address the company’s inefficiency. They have expressed the view that no relief is being provided by the Government in the short-term, and no effective plan is in place to address the situation in the medium-to-long-term, which could eventually see the problem deteriorating further.

It is widely believed that Guyana could have been in a better position regarding an affordable, reliable supply of electricity if there was bipartisan support for the Amaila Falls Hydro Power (AFHP) project, which should have been in the system from 2017. The present Government, while in Opposition, basically killed the project on purely partisan political grounds. Very little has changed under the APNU/ AFC Administration, although those parties had used every opportunity to criticize the previous Government for the manner in which the electricity sector was being managed.

That said, we are not oblivious to the many problems being experienced by the power company. Those problems, which include line losses and electricity theft, have been known for decades, and have certainly had a tremendous impact on the company’s ability to provide better services to Guyanese consumers. The extent of electricity theft is shocking, and GPL must continue to tackle the issue frontally.

After investing so many billions, and in this day and age, these constant power outages are unacceptable.

In addition to being a huge discomfort to citizens, they discourage investors who have an interest in doing business here. The authorities must stop making excuses and find a solution to the problem once and for all.

A man adjusts a mast aboard a dhow boat carrying tourists as it sails during the sunset off the coast of Lamu Island, a popular beach resort in Kenya (BBC)

Better to be safe than sorry Dear Editor, Crime is a permanent social phenomenon that has always plagued societies throughout history; and it always will. This is simply because there are lazy persons who do not want to smell the sweat of their bodies. They refuse to earn a living by hard work. Instead, they prefer to engage in crime, and attack good, hardworking people like depraved, desperate beasts.

These vicious criminals are parasites in human form. They bully, brutalize, and even murder decent people to rob them of monies they earned by the sweat of their brows.

That is why I give my highest compliments to the Police officers who intercepted a gang of armed and dangerous men at the Georgetown seawall on March 15. I salute the officers for making the correct decision to use deadly force to blow away the members of this criminal gang, who

seemed hell bent on spreading terror and pain while destroying anything or anyone standing in their way.

When the Police came under fire from the gang, they were quite right to respond with heavier firepower, to protect their own lives and do their duty to safeguard the public.

Members of the public need to understand what happens when the Police engage suspects. These are highly volatile encounters, and sometimes the Police have to take proactive, forceful action to defuse the situation. When Police officers come under gunfire, they will retaliate as they are trained to do, which means that they have to do whatever it takes to protect themselves and to remove the threat quickly and permanently. The Police are trained to follow ‘firing orders’ that give them steps to follow in deadly encounters with criminals; or they will be dead, and innocent civil-

ians will be dead.

However, we have to expect that there will always be some Police officers who use excessive force against suspects, causing injuries and sometimes even resulting in deaths. Right here in Guyana, there were highly publicized cases of abuse by the Police.

I have heard about grieving relatives and friends of the men Police shot at the seawall bawling that these were innocent men caught at the wrong place at the wrong time. It makes no sense to me. What were they doing there? What would innocent persons be doing in the company of armed men with criminal records? They had to have been there for a purpose; what was this purpose?

Criminals must know that one day they will be caught.

Relatives must know that criminal loved ones will be caught. They ought to make the responsible choice and turn in loved

ones who are criminals.

After the Lusignan Prison break, the father of one escapee took his son back to the Police. That was a wise and noble decision; it was the best thing the father could have done to try to bring his son’s life back on track. It might well have saved him from ending up dead, like the gunmen at the seawall.

Police officers have the right to use deadly force when they come under attack from criminals. They cannot be expected to conduct on-the-spot interrogations to find out who is in the right place and who is not. The wisest and safest choice for the Police is to stop the threat completely; it is better to be safe than sorry. The relatives and friends of criminals have to accept that those who live by the sword will die by the sword.

Sincerely, Roshan Khan Snr

Halt on Hinds’ and Lewis’ columns was inevitable Dear Editor, During last week, we witnessed the mini drama of the Chronicle newspaper standing by its decision to cease publishing articles

by Dr David Hinds and Mr Lincoln Lewis. Both men, and some others, have expressed great disappointment at the Chronicle’s decision. Both are supporters of the APNU, and are, no doubt, feeling betrayed.

This is the continuation by the Chronicle. Recall Ricky Singh was earlier

banned. At that time, Hinds and his cohorts said nothing.

Another member of the WPA, who, like Hinds, has a history of struggle against the PNC dictatorship, also joined in expressing disappointment at the actions.

These gentlemen seem surprised and taken aback by the action to ban them.

They are surprised because they chose to forget, and abandoned the strong, anti-dictatorial, pro-democratic position of Walter Rodney.

Instead, they have embraced the racial positions of the PNC/APNU. Having said that, let me hasten to say that Rodney was an even stronger defender of the black working people than Hinds and Ogunseye.

However, he was also a strong opponent of black racism. He was in the mould of Mandela and Cheddi Jagan, who were all opposed to any form of oppression of the working people, or of oppression of any race.

The behaviour of the likes of Dr Hinds and Mr Ogunseye is in a way a demonstration of the power of Rodney’s intellect and charisma. It is clear that Hinds and Ogunseye were only concerned about the position of Afro-Guyanese.

However, despite themselves, Rodney was able to pull them along a progressive path -- that of freedom for all oppressed peoples in Guyana and everywhere. continued on page 5

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

Mutual development Caught between a rock and a hard place of our people Dear Editor, I would like to issue a call to all my fellow Guyanese: to rethink, from a fresh perspective and on the national level, the situation in which we find ourselves, and make an effort to resolve, once and for all, the relationships we share, so that we can really join together and contribute to the mutual development of our people.

This would entail each of us, of whatever political persuasion, community or grouping we identify with, putting aside our several interests and differences, and striving to find a way by which we could cooperatively make the greatest contribution to our national progress.

We all know that our most unsurmountable obstacles relate to whatever political and ethnic group we belong to, and so this must lead us to realise that these are the areas in which we must make the greatest efforts to achieve national cohesion.

It is clear that our politicians have been the great-

est villains in both of these areas, as we carry on the policy of “Divide and Rule” that we have inherited from our colonial past; from the “Winner takes All” system that has been the code of our own political culture since our Independence; and the “We and Them” tradition that they have encouraged among our two main races, which has permeated all other areas of our lives.

I have always decried the tradition of our political interaction in Parliament, which I feel has been directed by the term identifying the Members of Parliament on the losing side as the “Opposition”, which has been responsible for those members believing that they are doing their duty when they simply oppose. It would be such a boon to our progress if all our elected representatives should cooperate and work constructively on the various projects towards fulfilling the responsibilities that have been entrusted to them by our people.

I would now appeal to the present Opposition to

bite the bullet and make an unprecedented effort to change this parliamentary culture by doing their part in bringing into reality the co-operative nature of our Republic, which I am sure will earn them kudos from all Guyanese.

I also issue an appeal to all Guyanese to always bear in mind that colour is skindeep, and we should strive assiduously to remove this scourge of racial prejudice, which is the greatest hindrance to our national aspirations.

If I should venture the solution to this problem, I would like us all to consider the only permanent answer is that we should earnestly strive to spread love among our people. All other attempts at unity are only perfunctory and temporary, and will fizzle out eventually.

May God bless our nation, and help us to achieve this national peace and progress.

Sincerely, Roy Paul

Dear Editor, With the latest Police shootings of three bandits on the seawall, this Government has found itself in a quandary. I made that statement on the loud call by the friends, families and relatives of the deceased for an inquiry to be set up to ascertain the "true" cause of those men’s deaths.

The family members are true to their cause, because they are going on the established, age-old fact that whenever there is a shooting death of -- and I would now use the words "alleged criminals" -- by the Police, family members would readily assume the position that the Police shot “wrong guys"; that they "acted recklessly" in shooting "innocent victims."

Their argument becomes more compelling when you take a keen look at the criminal antics of the PNC when in Opposition.

The Opposition then were particularly fond of criminals, referring to them in terms of endearment

such as the guys are jobless, so they have no alternative but to revert to a life of crime. They were called freedom fighters, persons who were standing up for their rights -whatever those criminal rights are -- even to beatifying them, draping their coffins with the national flag. These and other matters too numerous to mention were the criminal and subversive intents of the Opposition. Even when he became President, you would recall that, soon after his inauguration, Mr David Granger pardoned criminals, giving them a grand respite, releasing 50 of them back into society.

The relationship between criminals and the PNC goes back a long way, so the relatives of those who died on the seawall are consistent with this historical arrangement between "their party" and criminals, so there is no need for them to change their strategy now?

Mr Granger, please call an inquiry. Now, here comes the crux of my argument:

would Granger succumb to the dictates of the family and his track record, or would he be honest and civil with us? Should he vindicate or vilify the Police?

These are questions that he alone must answer.

Should Granger decide to go the route of an inquiry, what would be the final outcome? Who should be the sacrificial lamb? Who should take the blame?

If you would rightly recall, this was the strategy used to get rid of the former Commissioner of Police in that highly controversial CoI. That Inquiry was set up to look into the “assassination plot” of the President with a purposeful bias to get Commissioner Seelall Persaud out of office. If any of the above scenarios could be applied, then it is only logical that any such inquiry should result in the desired effect, in the dismissal of the acting commissioner.

Respectfully, Neil Adams

Halt on Hinds’ and Lewis’ columns...

from page 4

Afro-Guyanese suffered greatly under the PNC as well. All our working people, regardless of their ethnic origins, suffered.

That is the only basis for their support. Both between 1964 and 1992, and from 2015 to the present, they have failed in every area: economy, social sector, etc.

They are holding on to the racial card; it is the only card

they have.

Hinds and Ogunseye have abandoned Rodney. That is why they said nothing when Indo-Guyanese were and are being purged from the public service. Not a word on the obvious racial bias in hiring in the public service; the Elections Commission and public corporations.

Even the black people that the APNU/PNC at-

tacked, like the farmers at Seafield and Number 41 Village, West Coast Berbice have not been defended by those “Rodneyites”.

They have not come to their defence because they have been sucked into the PNC/APNU position that those people support the PPP. Our country produced some very powerful intellectuals among all races. Many

of them were able to break free from narrow confines of their own ethnic groups to be fighters for freedom everywhere. Cheddi Jagan, Walter Rodney, Ashton Chase, Brindley Benn, C.V. Nunes, C.J. Jacobs, Boysie Ramkarran, Fenton Ramsahoye, E.M.G. Wilson, Janet Jagan are some that immediately come to mind.

The PNC/APNU have not

changed. They have never apologized for their anti-independence role, their undemocratic rule, and the accompanying brutality.

All the signs now point to a deterioration in democratic norms. We are moving back to the worst days of the 1970s and 1980s.

Hinds and Ogunseye have travelled some distance, but still find themselves trapped

in purely ethnic confines.

Maybe their lucrative jobs have stifled their consciences and made them forget the main principles that Rodney stood for. Hinds and Ogunseye should not be surprised by their treatment. It was bound to happen.

Sincerely, Donald Ramotar Former President

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Foundation

Help children understand and

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our toddler's second temper tantrum of the day shows no signs of stopping, and supersonic, ear-shattering, teeth-jarring screams pierce the air. You'd run away and join the circus if only that were a real option.

There must be a better way.

During the kicking-and-screaming chaos of the moment, tantrums can be downright frustrating. But instead of looking at them as disasters, treat tantrums as opportunities for education.

Why children have tantrums Temper tantrums range from whining and crying to screaming, kicking, hitting, and breath holding. They're equally common in boys and girls and usually happen between the ages of one to three.

Some children may have tantrums often, and others have them rarely. Tantrums are a normal part of child development. They are the way young children show they're upset or frustrated.

Tantrums may happen when children are tired, hungry, or uncomfortable; or because they can't get something (for example, an object or a parent) to do what they want. Learning to deal with frustration is a skill that children gain over time.

Tantrums are common during the second year of life, a time when language skills are starting to develop.

Because toddlers can't yet say what they want, feel, or need, a frustrating experience may cause a tantrum. As language skills improve, tantrums tend to de-

crease.

Toddlers want independence and control over their environment – more than they may be capable of handling.

This can lead to power struggles as a child thinks "I can do it myself" or "I want it, give it to me." When children discover that they can't do it and can't have everything they want, they may have a tantrum.

Avoiding tantrums Try to prevent tantrums from happening in the first place, whenever possible. Here are some ideas that may help: Give plenty of positive attention. Get in the habit of catching your child being good. Reward your little one with praise and attention for positive behaviour.

Try to give toddlers some control over little things. Offer minor choices such as "Do you want orange juice or apple juice?" or "Do you want to brush your teeth before or after taking a bath?" This way, you aren't a s k i n g "Do

you want to brush your teeth now?" — which inevitably will be answered "no".

Keep off-limits objects out of sight and out of reach. This makes struggles less likely.

Obviously, this isn't always possible, especially outside of the home where the environment can't be controlled.

Distract your child. Take advantage of your little one's short attention span by offering something else in place of what they can't have. Start a new activity to replace the frustrating or forbidden one.

Or simply change the environment. Take your toddler outside or inside or move to a different room.

Help children learn new skills and succeed. Help children learn to do things. Praise them to help them feel proud of what they can do. Also, start with something simple before moving on to more challenging tasks.

Consider the request carefully when your child wants something. Is it outrageous?

Maybe it isn't. Choose your battles; accommodate when you can.

Know your child's limits.

If you know your toddler is tired, it's not the best time to go grocery shopping or try to squeeze in one more errand.

If a safety issue is involved and a toddler repeats the forbidden behaviour after being told to stop, use a time-out or hold the child firmly for several minutes. Be consistent. Don't give in on safety issues.

(Excerpt from kidshealth. org)

To be continued

remember what they read ….with Post-it notes, comprehension is fun

By Judy Willis, MD, MEd

W

ith the surge in the quantity of reading children are required to do for school it is often challenging for them to fully understand and remember what they read... especially when it is not particularly interesting or relevant to them. Both for children and adults, it is not unusual to get to the bottom of a page of text and realise we have no clue about the information we just "read".

What makes reading stick?

It has long been recognised that certain strategies applied during reading are effective in increasing memory and understanding.

These are probably quite familiar to you and your children. These include strategies such as predicting what will happen, making personal connections to interests and experiences, relating the reading to what the reader already knows, and taking time to evaluate diagrams, pictures, graphs, etc, that accompany the text.

Understanding and remembering texts, as with all new memory construction, involves connecting the new to the known (ie, using existing memory networks).

Optimal brain engagement, understanding, and storage occur when new information is identified as being related to an existing memory pattern.

When children recall prior related memories, these circuits activate in longterm memory storage making it more likely that the new information will be encoded in the hippocampus (where new memories are linked to existing ones).

Similarly, when children think of how what they read is related to their interest, they maintain more attentive focus.

Making predictions enhances children’s interest by encouraging curiosity. Making predictions also encourages the brain to stay attentive and engaged as children actively think about what they read, while constructing meaning, understanding, and linkages to existing memory circuits.

Active reading with Post-it Notes

The problem is: How does one encourage children to use these strategies and not see them as just more work? A solution I found was to have them fill in postit note that you or they write as "prompts" before they do the reading.

Their job is simply complete each prompt on a single Post-it and place it on the page to which they are responding in the text. As you'll see, the prewritten post-it prompts activate their brains to use the reading comprehension strategies we know that work e.g. engage prior knowledge, make predictions, relate the book to their own lives, and pay attention to diagrams, pictures, etc.

Sample Post-it Prompts

In these prompts, children address the text directly – by calling it “you” – as though it were a partner in a conversation.

To be completed before reading for prediction and preview: I think you’ll be telling me...

I already know things about you, so I predict...

To be completed after briefly skimming the assigned pages: What does the heading for this section suggest

about what will come?

What does this picture (graph, diagram, etc) suggest about this reading topic?

To be completed during reading as a response to what is read: You’re similar to what I’ve learnt before, because you remind me of...

I would have preferred a picture of... (Children can also sketch, describe, or download a picture, graph, or diagram) This is not what I expected, which was...

This gives me an idea for...

I want to know more about...

This information could be useful to me because I’m interested in...

I think this will be on the test because...

Why this works

This process is appealing in several ways. There are no wrong answers. The assignment requires very little writing as it has already been started on each Post-it in class – so this activity is low stress and high outcome as it upholds the general principles of reading comprehension.

The use of Post-its increases memory pattern linkages, understanding, and the pleasure of reading. The benefits of reading with the post-it plan for engagement, comprehension, and memory include greater comfort and participation in class discussions, greater understanding of what is read, increased memory of the text, and a reduction in the amount of rereading or review needed for test time.

Your children will not only have increased pleasure, motivation, curiosity, and engagement, but will also develop stronger confidence in their own abilities as readers. You will empower them by increasing their access to the rich world of written information and imagination that is available in books, newspapers, magazines, online reading, and even on boxes of cereal.

(Excerpt from psychologytoday.com)

news

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saturDAY, march 24, 2018 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Local Govt Commission being stifled by Govt – members

…says its purse still being controlled by Central Govt

I

n one of their first public appearances in their new role, members of the Local Government Commission aired their grievances during a press conference on Friday at the office of the Leader of the Opposition. Chief among their concerns is what they term the usurpation of their powers.

The PPP members on the commission had much to say about the workings of the commission.

Commissioners Norman Whittaker, Clinton Collymore and Carol Sooba were sworn in since October 2017.

However, according to them, the body is being propped up as just a front, while Central Government essentially runs the show.

The commissioners complained that Government

has been stymieing them at every level, whereas Government is actually supposed to ensure the commission’s autonomy.

“According to the Constitution, the commission assumes control of the Local Government system, basically in the democratic councils and municipalities.

But while the law has been passed and certain allocations of finance have been made, the regime, through Minister of Communities (Ronald) Bulkan, continues to hold on to vital areas of authority belonging by law to the commission,” Commissioner Clinton Collymore said.

“So we have a difficulty accessing funds…a difficulty accessing space and accommodation…and a difficulty (in) how the commission responds to the

Collymore explained that the building identified to accommodate the commission does not cater for the commissioners.

Explaining further, his

Communities Minister Ronald Bulkan

public on public matters.

We are unable to physically and efficiently respond to complaints in the Local Government System made by people.”

He revealed that the monies that have been voted for the commission in the 2018 budget are yet to be made available to the commission’s own account.

Instead, the Communities Ministry holds the purse strings.

No place of abode

Commissioners Norman Whittaker, Clinton Collymore and Carol Sooba

Meanwhile, they can no longer meet at the National Assembly, as the agreement they had with the Parliamentary Office to use the committee rooms for meetings expired in February last.

colleague Commissioner Carol Sooba expressed disappointment at the building on Eping Avenue identified for the commission.

She gave her impressions

of an impromptu tour of the building, located on Eping Avenue, which was facilitated by Commission Chairman Mortimer Mingo.

Turn to page 14

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IN THE COURTS Rose Hall man on $1M bail for pedestrian’s death

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Rose Hall, Corentyne, Berbice resident was granted bail in the sum of $1 million on a causing death charge after he allegedly struck and killed a pedestrian on the Broomfield Public Road on Wednesday evening.

Patrick King, 33, of Lot 96 Rose Hall, was slapped with four charges – causing death by dangerous driving; driving under the influence of alcohol; failing to stop at the scene of an accident, and failing to render assistance.

King appeared before Magistrate Charlyn Artiga at the Number 51 Magistrate’s Court, where he denied all the charges. Apart from the $1 million bail on the causing death charge, the defendant was released on self-bail for the other three charges.

Meanwhile, King’s driver’s licence was also suspended until the determination of the matter. The next hearing of the case will be on April 23.

Fifty-four-year-old Donovon Chunilall Baromsi Jakaran, a truck driver of Lot 86 Bloomfield Village, was struck and killed sometime around 20:25h on Wednesday night.

Police reports revealed that an intoxicated King was driving a hire car, HB 7178, proceeding East along the northern carriageway of the road when Jakaran reportedly walked across the road from North to South into the path of the vehicle, resulting in him being struck down.

Jakaran was rushed to the Port Mourant Public Hospital in an unconscious state and was pronounced dead on arrival.

However, the wife of the now dead man, Kamilowattie Mohipat, refuted the version of the Police’s report of her husband’s death, saying Jakaran had no reason to cross the road.

The distraught woman

Dead: Donovon Jakaran

told Guyana Times that she and her husband had gone to the public road to wait for their son who was on his way home, when the man was struck down.

“He was standing in the corner, then I see a car coming and it hit him. He and the car just keep going and then I couldn’t see him, and then the car turn back and drive and

go away,” the woman related to this newspaper.

Mohipat further recalled that she began calling out for her husband several times but got no answer. “Then I see something looking like a wood faraway and I went close, then is when I see that is he lying there… His feet were bent up, hands broken, side dig away and his face damage,” the woman revealed.

On Thursday morning, the Police took the driver back to the scene to measure the point of impact to the spot where Jakaran’s body was found, which was 192 feet away.

Meanwhile, a post-mortem examination was conducted on the body of the now dead man on Friday morning at the Skeldon Public Hospital Mortuary by Government Pathologist, Dr Vivekanand Bridgemohan, who gave the cause of death as multiple injuries.

Extradition hearing

ASP says he acted on information received from Crime Chief

A

s s i s t a n t Superintendent of Police (ASP), Eon Alonzo, was the first to take to the witness stand as the extradition hearing for murder accused Troy Anthony Thomas began at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

Alonzo, who is attached to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Narcotics Branch testifies on Friday in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts before Magistrate Sherdel Isaacs Marcus.

He was cross examined

by Thomas’s Attorney Nigel Hughes and representative of

the Government of the United States, Stacy Gooding.

Alonzo told the court that on March 14, 2018, himself and several other officers were preforming duties when they received information from Crime Chief Paul Williams to make the arrest.

Alonzo testified that

Murder accused, Troy Anthony Thomas leaving court on Friday

he was instructed to going to the home of the accused at Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown, and arrest him. Thomas subsequently gave his name as “Marvin Williams”.

Moreover, Alonzo summoned the accused to produce his identification card, or passport or any other document that would provide him with positive identification. The ASP further testified that Thomas failed to produce such documents.

Thomas was then taken to the CID Headquarters where he was placed into custody.

Alonzo was the only witness to take the stand on Friday, as the matter was adjourned to March 26.

Thomas, a Guyanese national, is wanted in New York, USA in connection with the 2011 murder of Keith Frank in Richmond Hill, New York.

Thomas and the now deceased man reportedly had a confrontation outside a nightclub when Frank was shot multiple times about his body.

Thomas was reportedly identified as the shooter and an arrest warrant was issued for him by INTERPOL.

Spill all the beans…

T …on the Govt and oil

he President invited three wise men from the north to advise him on the oil contract “Nassau” Trotman negotiated with Exxon. Yes, your Eyewitness knows wisdom used to come from the east – but its locus shifted after 1492, didn’t it? Now, one may object to “Sonny” Ramphal being so located…but seriously folks, wasn’t he invited because of his “northern” orientation?? If not, why not Chris Ram? Now the first thing that popped into your Eyewitness’s mind was: for a man who swore to complete Burnham’s legacy, Granger’s sure putting a lot of faith in the words of Sir Paul Collier, a former Chief economist of the IMF, which Burnham kicked out back in his day!! Right off the bat, there’s advice that Collier offered at the media briefing”: “Don’t tear up the Exxon Contract”!! While even the last IMF team said it was one-sided!!

Now, this is most interesting, since no one’s EVER called for any contract to be ‘torn up’!! And Sir Paul also revealed that even the question of “renegotiation” wasn’t brought up in the tete-a-tete with the President and his Cabinet.

So it seems the good knight was, through exaggeration, creating a strawman that he could easily knock down. But we know that’s a logical FALLACY, don’t we?

But more germanely, Sir Paul forgot to restate his famous corollaries to the “resource curse” phenomenon, of which he’s one of the foremost exponents over the last decade. There’re his warnings, according to one account: “whether emphasizing poor economic performance, state failure (oil breeds corruption) or resource rents make democracy malfunction”…or “the onset of civil violence (blood diamonds, oil succession and so on). In this account, oil has been invested with almost Olympian transformative powers. Oil distorts the organic, natural course of development. Oil wealth ushers in an economy of hyper-consumption and spectacular excess.”

Did he caution Granger and his Cabinet about how to avoid these traps? Did he cite his book, “Democracy in Difficult Places”, and warn him about, “Nigeria as a case in point. Its immense oil wealth, which should be used to help the country develop, makes politicians particularly anxious to hold on to office. They employ ever fouler means to do so, and elections thus become little more than organised gangsterism. The violent methods the politicians use become the modus operandi of their period in office, and the whole political system is corrupted.”??

Or, “As with elections and reform, democracy is a force for good as long as it is more than a façade”? And “there must be a system of checks and balances within the rule of law”?

…on the African experience

Collier’s best seller – with no footnotes, so we’ve got to pretty much take his assertions on faith – was “The Bottom Billion”, which dissected the “African Experience”, where three-quarters of his “bottom billion” are “trapped in poverty”. And from which data he also mined his “Democracy in difficult Places”. In fact, Collier’s built a veritable cottage industry on the woes of Africa.

His “resource curse” thesis, however, studiously avoids structural factors such as those identified by our own Walter Rodney in “How Europe Underdeveloped Africa”.

In fact, one of his suggestions to solve Africa’s democratic deficit is for the developed North to intervene and head off threats. Like the intervention of George W, which resulted in 1million Iraqi lives lost. Or of AfriCom’s increasing secret interventions in Africa, such the botched Niger operation?

Collier explicitly avers that you have to crack some shells (lives) to make an omelette (democracy)!

He pushes against throwing “testosterone-charged” youths into unemployment, since they can precipitate violence out of their frustrations.

Did he tell Granger to find employment for the fired young sugar workers?

…on Wakanda

By now, one hopes Collier’s seen “Black Panther”. Has he filled in President Granger and the Cabinet that it’s not just fantasy?

Botswana used its resource (diamonds) as a blessing – and not a curse!!

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

News

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saturDAY, march 24, 2018 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Jagan’s 100th birth anniversary

Ministry of the Presidency scraps commemorative stamps T

he Ministry of the Presidency has scrapped the commemorative stamps project that was initiated by the Cheddi Jagan Research Centre (CJRC) to celebrate Dr Cheddi Jagan’s birth centenary.

Head of State David Granger stated that Cabinet decided that the commemorative stamps, which are national symbols, must adhere to national criteria. He added that such symbols must not be associated with private, partisan or political purposes.

These statements were made in light of the CJRC and the former Chairman of the Guyana Post Office Corporation (GPOC), Juan Edghill, expressing concerns that the production of the proposed stamps to honour the late President was being hindered because of political interference.

President Granger further explained that while there are no objections in honouring the legacy of Dr Jagan, Cabinet has indicated that there should be equity in the printing of such stamps.

It was revealed that the Government will announce shortly, national symbols in

commemoration of the 100th birth anniversary of both President Raymond Arthur Chung and President Cheddi Bharrat Jagan, which will be set as a criterion to honour eminent Guyanese.

Meanwhile, the CJRC

slammed the GPOC earlier this week for failure to deliver on its commitment to make the collection of stamps available for Dr Jagan’s birth centenary.

In a statement on Wednesday, the organisation

blasted the Government for its deliberate attempt to disturb the activities planned on Tuesday to launch the stamps.

The CJRC highlighted that despite given assurance by the GPOC and the

Public Telecommunications Minister, Cathy Hughes, that the collection would be made available, they were told by the post office that the Office of the President should be contacted in this regard.

Furthermore, they believe that this should have been a routine transaction between the two parties, rather than a politically interfered one and view this as a measured attempt to hinder the work of the Centre, amid the Administration’s attempts to seize Red House.

Additionally, former Chairman of the Board of GPOC, Juan Edghill, said it is unprecedented for a client, in this instance the CJRC, to

be referred to the Ministry of the Presidency for explanations or other information as it relates to this unfulfilled transaction between the Corporation and a client.

“This is nothing short of a full and open display of petty, partisan politics influencing a business transaction that could be considered purely an administrative matter,” Edghill noted on Wednesday.

The CJRC has reflected this as an “action of assault” against the late President of Guyana who made significant contributions towards the development of the nation. The centenary of the late President was celebrated on Thursday.

10 NEWS

saturDAY, march 24, 2018 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

After several protests

Govt regularises part-time sweeper/cleaners F

ollowing recent protest action, part-time sweeper/cleaners of public schools in Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara/ Berbice), have welcomed a decision to have their positions regularised. Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) Regional Representative Maurice Butters related the news to several workers, who were happy that their plight had finally been addressed by Government.

Butters shared information from a circular which was sent by Permanent Secretary within the Education Ministry, Vibert Welch, dated March 8, 2018, which indicated that consequent to the review of the hours of work for sweeper/cleaners, a decision has been taken to regularise

Flashback: Sweeper-cleaners during the protest in front of the Education Ministry

the employment of part-time workers employed in public schools across the 10 Regions.

It stated that approval was granted for sweeper/cleaners to be paid the minimum hourly wage rate of $312 each hour they work; that they be guaranteed 12 months’ pay; that

their working hours will not exceed 8 hours per day and five days per week, and that they will be allowed to work at least 20 days per month for the entire calendar year.

The sweepers/cleaners will be granted at least 12 working days annually as paid annual

leave, which will be utilized during school breaks. Prior to the decision, the sweeper/ cleaners were paid $24,740 monthly, and worked four to six hours per day.

Butters said while he is happy with the decision, the circular is vague and does not specify when or how the system of regularisation will be implemented. He stressed that there has been no word on same from the Region 10 Democratic Council (RDC),

although he personally delivered the circular to the office since Saturday last. Butters said despite several attempts, he was unsuccessful in getting word from the Regional administration as to the way forward, as he stressed that new employment letters are now necessary for the workers, in moving forward. The employees also indicated that they wished for all these to be sorted out before the start of the new term, as Butters em-

phasized that he will continue to press for a meeting with the regional administration.

Sweeper/cleaners from Linden and Georgetown have been protesting Government for better wages since last year. The workers went as far as staging a protest at the Ministry of the Presidency, Finance Ministry and the Education’ Ministry’s Department of Culture Youth and Sport, demanding that their cries be heard.

India-funded ICT Centre for April opening

T

he India-funded US$1 million Centre of Excellence in Information Technology (IT), an advanced Information and Communications Technology (ICT) training school, is expected to be in operation by the end of next month, High Commissioner Venkatachalam Mahalingam has announced.

The Indian diplomat told reporters during a press conference on Thursday that the setting up of the institute is in its final stage.

“We are looking at that by April (month) end, the institute should be in operation,” he revealed.

High Commissioner Mahalingam further noted that Indian Public Sector Company Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) has been handling the establishment of the ICT Centre here.

“C-DAC is almost at the final stage of supplying the

hardware and software – they’ve done 90 per cent of it.

Now they’re at the final stage of bringing in one lead trainer, he will be the head of the institute, and two trainers,” he added.

According to the diplomat, the courses have also already been identified, and it is now left to the Guyana Government to identify the beneficiaries/students who will undertake the training.

A building in the University of Guyana’s Turkeyen Campus has been identified to house the Centre of Excellence in IT. The Indian High Commissioner went on to say that the Indian Government is ready and willing to expand, with Guyana, bilateral relations which vastly cover, sectors such as agriculture, healthcare, pharmaceuticals and infrastructure.

However, Mahalingam noted that apart from the establishment of the Centre of

Excellence in IT, there is additionally cooperation in not only the area of IT, but education development as a whole.

In fact, he disclosed that India recently hosted the Vice Chancellor of UG for an eightday visit, during which he interacted with top universities in the country.

“So we could also look for opportunities to expand our cooperation in the area of education between India and Guyana,” the High Commissioner posited.

Back in April 2016, Guyana signed a US$1M Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Government for the establishment of the centre, which will provide training for public sector ICT professionals, to ensure the availability of a highly skilled ICT workforce and also to equip persons with the requisite expertise to meet the increasingly complex demands of the public and private sectors.

NEWS

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saturDAY, march 24, 2018 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

“Georgetown needs to get their act together” – GAM President …cites too many “political actors” in Local Govt admin

F

ollowing the many conflicts within the municipality of the City of Georgetown, President of the Guyana Association of Municipalities (GAM), Carwyn Holland, is urging the Mayor and City Councillors (M&CC) to get their act together and win back the trust of their constituents.

“If there is a negative vibe coming from the capital city, you have that same negative vibe being responded to by people in other constituencies or municipalities. They will feel threatened and they will want to guard against that, then the position of trust will be undermined for their local representatives and then it becomes difficult. So, I am only praying that sooner than later all the Councillors of the Georgetown Municipality can come together and work in harmony and focus on the greater good,” Holland said during an interview.

Holland, who is also the outgoing Mayor of Linden, noted that they are all cognisant of the responsibilities of the M&CC of Georgetown but also explained that they need to put personalities aside and start taking back control of the capital city.

In response to the fiasco during the recent Mayor and Deputy Mayor elections, Holland said it is his belief that Councillors should not be made to tow party lines, rather they should exercise their own judgement for the betterment of their constituencies.

“What I find affecting the

GAM President Carwyn Holland

system is when parties take charge and give directions as to how things should go and there is where it will be infringing on the rights and freedoms of the local authority or the Local Government Organs where persons have to follow party line and party instructions,” he noted.

“Too many political actors”

Holland said GAM has taken note of the amount of “political actors” within the Local Government administration, indicating that it is a cause for concern. He explained because of the political atmosphere, technocrats are no longer technocrats in the truest sense since they now feel the need to pledge loyalty to a political party.

He further related that this affects the service delivery to the constituents often resulting in conflicts within the municipalities.

“So, persons feel even if it affects the community once it’s in line with their political preference they have to go that is wrong, that is how

you are having a lot of conflicts within municipalities where administrators are making political divisions and taking political stance and that shouldn’t be,” he noted.

“The reason why you hire administrators is to provide a service. So, if their service is not to community, their service is to party then I have a problem with that, I have a serious problem with that. That is playing out in many municipalities right now and its affecting the system because you can make decisions from now till forever, once those who have to carry out the decision are not carrying their weight, once they are not putting aside politics and focusing only on providing that service to communities, I be-

absent for a number of years.

He noted that because of that lapse, the system remains a work in progress.

“We have a revisit of the (Municipal Districts and Councils Act Chapter) 28:01.

We are calling for it from the GAM level, several mayors have been calling for 28:01 to be updated because there are several aspects of it which are conflicting and there are

Georgetown Mayor Patricia Chase Green

lieve we will always have problems in the system,” Holland explained.

Holland posited it is not surprising that the Local Government system is plagued by so many issues since local democracy was

also several aspects of the laws which are outdated and there are also several aspects which needs better clarification,” he noted.

The GAM President said there is a need for greater public awareness so that citizens can understand the system. He added that GAM will be embarking on public education campaigns within the various municipalities.

12 news

saturDAY, march 24, 2018 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Toshaos Council accuses Govt of elections meddling

F

ollowing the first executive meeting of the National Toshaos Council (NTC) in late February, the Indigenous peoples’ representative body is now accusing Government, through its advisers in the Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs Ministry, of interfering in the affairs of some Village Councils.

“There are communities whose Council members have been sanctioned to meetings without the Toshao’s knowledge to undermine the credibility and legitimacy of the Toshao and Village Councils,” the NTC said in a letter to its members.

“They (the Government) are seeking to politicise the office of the Toshao… this is a threat to the Indigenous peoples as it would see no moment of any of these issues,” the letter added.

The letter, seen by Guyana Times, also addressed the Government’s total disregard for the Council’s budgetary needs. The NTC informed the Toshaos that it requested a subvention that was in keeping with the requirements of its mandate, but instead, Government handed them a measly $16 million subvention.

In the past, the NTC highlighted that approximately $4 million is required to facilitate one of the four quarterly meetings for Council executives, pointing out that the quarterly meetings alone would consume

the total budgetary allocation.

They related that this leaves no money for the Council to travel to various isolated and hard to reach Indigenous communities to host outreaches to promote good governance and educate the Indigenous people of their rights.

“They (the Government) have also given $50 million to Bina Hill Institute and $30 million to Arnaputa – a new NDC (Neighbourhood Democratic Council). While we do not disagree that these are needed resources for these two important institutions, the NTC represents over 83,000 Indigenous people in over 212 communities while Bina Hill has a population of roughly 200 and Arnaputa has less than 3000.

This shows that they are not committed to the Indigenous peoples,” the NTC noted.

Additionally, the NTC noted that to date, there has been no movement on the Government’s part to have a revision of the Amerindian Act, despite the entire Amerindian community calling on Government to have this done.

“Because of the non-movement by the Government, the NTC, APA (Amerindian Peoples’ Association), UMDC (Upper Mazaruni District Council), NPDC (North Pakaraimas District Council) and several other organisations have taken a proactive step to this revision process. We have asked the Government to come

The letter the NTC sent to its members

on board with “The Peoples” proposal on moving it forward,” the letter informed.

However, it was indicated that Government has yet to respond to that suggestion.

Land titling The Council also accused

the Government of not staying true to the 2013 agreement between Guyana and the Kingdom of Norway to address the issue of land titling.

In 2013, Guyana in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) signed a US$10.7 million Amerindian Land Titling Contract facilitated under the Guyana/Norway agreement.

The NTC informed that under the project, some 67 communities were supposed to be titled and Government had committed to not renew and grant new leases in Indigenous communities, proposed titled area or extension.

“What we now know is that they have not held to this com-

mitment. In fact, we now understand that they are speeding up the processing of leases in some areas. Rockstone for example has such an issue,” the Council noted.

“There are also significant issues surrounding Nappi and Satellite and Yupikari. The Government has taken an aggressive step to dispossess these communities of their ancestral lands. The community has said when options are exhausted, they intend on protesting in Georgetown and the NTC is fully in support of them,” the letter indicated.

The NTC informed its members that if those issues are not addressed then they will forever be begging for their rights to

be respected. Additionally, they noted it has nothing to do with politics acknowledging that some communities received support from various administrations but further stated that successive governments have had the opportunity to holistically address the issues plaguing the Indigenous communities but have all failed to do so.

“If the Government cannot commit to implementing a change for our peoples and address ‘our peoples’ rights’, we are asking all our peoples – ‘The Indigenous peoples’ to gather in Georgetown for a ‘mass protest’ for our peoples’ rights. We should not be silent anymore!” the letter concluded.

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saturDAY, march 24, 2018 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

City Hall woes

Local Govt Commissioners call for Town Clerk to be fired …say complaints against him flooding body

W

hile a no-confidence motion against Town Clerk Royston King may have been stopped in its tracks at the level of City Hall, it has been revealed that the Local Government Commission is in receipt of a number of complaints against him.

Three of the eight members of the commission held a press conference on Friday at the office of the Leader of the Opposition, and were asked whether complaints against the unpopular Town Clerk have reached the level of the commission.

“You asked about Mr King? Look at the newspapers today (Friday), there are about two or three complaints against him. As a minister in charge of the municipalities, I was asked to dismiss King years ago. We don’t have any (complaints) against the Mayor (Patricia Chase-Green). Complaints are coming about King.”

So said Commissioner Clinton Collymore, who served as Local Government Minister under the previous administration. Advancing that no love has been lost between King and the city he administers, Collymore questioned why, as Town Clerk, King has not resigned as yet. He noted that the Town Clerk has been a subject at many of the meetings the commission held.

“Almost at every meet-

ing, (commissioners) raise these matters…And I don’t know why he doesn’t go.

He should go!” a vociferous Collymore urged.

The Commission is charged with, among other things, control over who gets appointed as officials in the Neighbourhood Democratic Councils and other local authorities. This means that the municipality of Georgetown comes under its jurisdiction. In addition, it would have to approve budgets for the NDCs. Carol Sooba, now a member of the Local Government Commission, was once Town Clerk, until her ouster following the 2015 General and Regional Elections. Asked to comment on the controversies King now finds himself in, Sooba noted that when she was Town Clerk, she could not do the things King stands accused of, but was held to a higher standard.

Another former Local Government Minister, Norman Whittaker, noted that the Town Clerk must at all times be guided by the law. He stressed that as an administrative officer, King is not bound to seek a consensus when making routine decisions. Whittaker pointed out, however, that significant changes must first gain the approval of the council.

“He must be guided by the regulations, the bylaws. The laws and regulations are there in terms of

Town Clerk Royston King

his work. You can’t spend a set of money to do something the council is not aware of.

The gentleman, I would say, has been allowed to do his own thing,” Whittaker said.

Dissatisfaction with King’s performance has grown over the past months, and pressure has mounted for his removal, since the hierarchy of the People’s National Congress Reform has expressed no confidence in his ability to function.

There have been protests against the City Hall administration, with the actions of King being cited. A no-confidence motion was recently brought against King, which accused him, among other things, of overstepping his bounds. The no-confidence motion stated that King acted outside the interests of the citizens of Georgetown, and showed gross disrespect for the Municipal and District Councils Act, Chap

28:01. Several instances of the Town Clerk disregarding the stipulations of Chap 28:01 were cited by former Deputy Mayor Sherod Duncan in his ill-fated motion.

“The removal of the vendors from the Stabroek Market and Robb Street environs in 2016/2017 without the authorisation of Council…brought great distress and hardship on said vendors, and…saw Central Government intervening, reiterating that vendors ought to be treated with sensitivity; President David Granger describing the latter action as ‘reckless’,” the motion stated.

Additionally, the document identified the issues that stemmed from the controversial parking meter project, outlining procurement issues and Government’s response. The late to non-payment of National Insurance Scheme (NIS) contributions was also cited.

The implementation of container fees and the subsequent unilateral decision to block certain businesses for

failing to comply; failure to account for $300 million allocated for the Georgetown Restoration Programme, resulting in the Auditor General announcing a forensic audit of the City’s books; disrespect for the tendering process; non-payment

of contractors and inaccuracy in the financial reporting were all reasons that led to Duncan submitting the motion, and fellow AFC Councillor and then Deputy Mayor, Lionel Jaikaran, seconding it.

Cop remanded on rape charge

P

olice Constable Mark Otto was on Friday remanded by Georgetown Magistrate Sherdel IsaacsMarcus on a rape charge alleging he had sexually penetrated a child under the age of consent in May 2017 at Roxanne Burnham Gardens in Georgetown.

The prosecution is contending that the 23-year-old peace officer was in a relationship with the 15-year-old when the incident occurred.

Police Prosecutor Gordon Mansfield objected to the defendant being placed on bail, and the matter was ad-

Mark Otto

journed to March 28.

The matter was held in camera.

14 news Kitty roundabout on schedule for June completion saturDAY, march 24, 2018 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

…as several roads closed for commencement of 2nd phase

O

ngoing construction works at the Kitty seawall roundabout – the first of its kind in Guyana – is 35 per cent complete, putting the project ahead of schedule for its June 2018 deadline.

This is according to Project Engineer, Sherod Parkinson, who said the Public Infrastructure Ministry and the contractor, S Jagmohan Hardware Supplies and Construction Services, are taking all necessary steps to ensure that the project progresses smoothly.

On Friday, another phase of the project kicked off. This phase required the closure of sections of the roadway to

‘no objection’ to the award of the $78.9 million contract to the construction company. Minister of State Joseph Harmon had said at a post Cabinet press briefing back in January that preliminary works were done in preparation of construction.

The decision to construct a Works are in full swing at the Kitty roundabout project

facilitate works. Among the works currently underway are the construction of the circulatory lanes, truck apron, and central island.

Meanwhile, the Ministry is working along with the Guyana Police Force to min-

Traffic is currently being diverted along the JB Singh Road as the Kitty roundabout enters another phase towards its completion

imise traffic disruptions. As a result, several roads around the area have been closed to vehicular traffic.

These include: Carifesta Avenue heading East; Kitty Public Road heading West to Carifesta Avenue, and JB Singh Road heading North to Rupert Craig Highway.

Alternative roadways have been earmarked and drivers are advised to use these roads during this time.

These are: the Seawall road; the bypass road connecting JB Singh Road and Carifesta Avenue, and the bypass road connecting Kitty Public Road and Vlissengen Road.

Further, ccommuters heading North along JB Singh Road who are desirous of heading to the East Coast can detour at David Street.

The closures will be until further notice. This phase of works is expected to conclude in six to eight weeks.

Works on the Kitty roundabout began earlier this year after Cabinet gave its

roundabout at this busy junction was made after a sinkhole had formed nearby.

The roundabout will reduce waiting and stoppage time for motorists heading to the East Coast of Demerara and those using Carifesta Avenue, Vlissengen Road, and the Kitty Public Road.

When completed, the flow of traffic in the area is expected to significantly improve since vehicles heading to the East Coast of Demerara and those using Carifesta Avenue, Vlissengen Road, and the Kitty Public Road will no longer have to stop and wait on the traffic light.

“Safety cannot be compromised” – MACORP’s operations officer …as company enhances employees’ safety skills

W

ith the intention of promoting safety among its employees and beyond, Machinery Corporation (MACORP) on Friday awarded several employees who participated in a training workshop, which was aimed at providing knowledge on the importance of safety in the work environment.

The event was attended by the training coordinator of the programme, Miguel Oviedo; Chief Operations Officer of MACORP, Guillermo Escaragga; representative from the Canadian High Commission, Anand Harrylall; and Canadian instructor, Rick Wheeler.

Chief Operations Officer Guillermo Escaragga addressed the graduates and encouraged them to practice safety precautions where necessary.

“I am going to urge you to put this knowledge to work, safety cannot be compromised.

It’s important that we all have this in mind and preach and action this motto that safety cannot be compromised at any given time,” he stated.

Escaragga also revealed that with the introduction of new industries in Guyana, there is need for action to be taken to ensure that persons are skilled to deal with un-

Some of the persons who participated in the training programme

favourable situations and as well as being well trained for the eventuality of an emergency.

While noting that the inclusion of both men and women in the programme was commendable, the representative from the Canadian High Commission, Anand Harrylall added, “since the announcement of the oil find here in Guyana, there were many debates on how Guyana will benefit from the sector. This training is a tangible example of how Guyanese can benefit from the sector, by building human resource sector capabilities to access relevant industry opportunities.”

Meanwhile, during his brief remarks, Rick Wheeler highlighted that there were a

few challenges during the programme but nevertheless, the quality of training required was delivered. Throughout the week, the participants were given firsthand knowledge on the various safety precautions as well as practical sessions on the use of safety equipment.

“The training this week was very intense. We covered a lot of information. We tried to get as much hands-on as possible and everybody getting involved,” he highlighted.

At the end of the ceremony, the awardees were presented with a certificate which is recognised by the College of North Atlantic, Canada.

Presently, the company is planning to continue this initiative, to produce more safety trained individuals.

Local Govt Commission...

“He showed me the room for the Chairman’s office, and another room for Deputy Chairman Andrew Garnett, and a boardroom and space to have rooms for the secretary for the commission. So I was curious. I asked where the other members of the commission would be housed.”

“I said members of the public would have problems. They would come to visit, they would want to discuss the problems within the regions and towns in confidence, he said. “Well, they don’t have any accommodation for the commission. If they want to meet, they can meet in the boardroom. Just like that. So I left.”

Former Local Government Minister Norman Whittaker related that the Government has been written to on numerous occasions about the situation. However, the situation remains very much the same, and when contacted by those desirous of making complaints, they cannot refer the complainant to an office.

“This morning an NDC on the East Coast called. We have a complaint and we’ve been advised to call the commis-

sion. Where are your offices?

The Minister was made aware by letters. We have these challenges, these challenges, we need to step in.”

Local Government elections are expected to be held later this year. But with the LGC, I support the position it is in, the commissioners are concerned when, if ever, they will be able to carry out their role independently. Efforts to contact Minister Bulkan on Friday were futile.

Independence

The Commission was sworn in last year October, after a lengthy delay. The parliamentary Opposition had named its nominees to the Local Government Commission since 2016. However, since the Government did not submit its nominations, this resulted in a deadlock.

One of the first public deadlines that Minister Bulkan gave for the body to become functional was at a press conference during the time of the March 2016 Local Government Elections. Asked for an explanation during the latter part of the month, the Minister had

from page 7

moved the deadline to the end of June 2016.

In the Budget estimates for 2016, some $30 million were allocated by the Government to the non-functioning commission. When asked, Bulkan had stated that this was to allow the Commission to operate independently of Central Government.

The commission is charged with, among other things, control over who gets appointed as officials in the Neighbourhood Democratic Councils and other local authorities. In addition, it would have to approve budgets for the NDCs. By law, the commission is to be made up of eight members. The members of the commission include four nominated from the Government, one from the unions, and three nominees from the Leader of the Opposition.

The Commission’s members are Mortimer Mingo, Clement Corlette, Marlon Williams, Jo Ann Romascindo, Andrew Garnett, former Local Government Ministers Whittaker and Collymore, and former Georgetown Town Clerk Sooba.

news

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saturDAY, march 24, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

LIAT to offer daily flights to Trinidad GMSA launches

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egional carrier LIAT has announced they will be introducing daily flights between Guyana and Trinidad, commencing on July 1 with the intent of connecting the two strategic points in the Caribbean.

According to the airline, customers would have the limited opportunity to fly from the Eugene F Correia International Airport to Trinidad for only US$200, providing they book before May 31.

LIAT’s Chief Executive Officer Julie Reifer-Jones said with the introduction of the new service, it would boost their destinations from 14 to 15. She explained that the airline has also been working assiduously to boost their on-time performance,

LIAT’s Chief Executive Officer, Julie Reifer-Jones

which currently stands at over 80 per cent for 2018.

“We offer you the choice of connecting as far as Puerto Rico. We are proud of the improvements in our on-time performance. Even with the hurricanes last year, we

were recording significant improvements in our on-time performance and we ended the year with a 68 per cent compared with 49 per cent before,” she noted.

Reifer-Jones said with the launch of the new service, it would provide another important connection for their customers.

“This daily service will help connect these two strategic points in the Caribbean for persons, whether it is for business or pleasure. This will give us three daily flights in Guyana and three flights out. We see this as critical because we think Guyana is an important market for LIAT and a growing market which we want to be able to take the opportunity to be a part of,” she said.

Also at the launch was Business Minister Dominic Gaskin, who welcomed the service, noting that it would help to address the lack of airlift to and from Guyana.

Gaskin said it was related during the recently concluded Inter-American Congress of Ministers and High-Level Authorities of Tourism, that there were difficulties in accessing flight to Guyana; hence, he described the new service as one that is timely.

LIAT’s Head of Sales and Marketing, Egbert Riley explained that the airline has big plans for Guyana. He also stated that the Guyanese market is one of the most important markets for the carrier since it would have shuttled over 70,000 passengers in 2017.

marketplace “Uncapped”

One of the local manufacturers showcasing her product

Enhanced hospitality sector critical for tourism development – Gaskin

M

inister with responsibility for tourism, Gaskin, Dominic told media operatives in order to advance the tourism sector, the hospitality sector needs critical enhancement to deliver the high level of international service tourists are accustomed to.

The Minister’s comments came on the heels of the closing of the Organisation of American States (OAS) Ministerial Tourism Conference at the Marriott Hotel in Georgetown.

Minister Gaskin said Guyana was able to tap into the experiences of the other countries participating in the Conference and it was able to raise its profile within the regional tourism fraternity as host country.

“Guyana benefited a lot from being the host. It raised our profile as a tourism country in the Region; also the discussions, presentations were very relevant to our sit-

Minister Dominic Gaskin

uation as a budding, emerging tourism destination. A lot of the experiences of the other member of states in tourism were of particular interest to Guyana. We don’t need to make lot of mistakes that have already being made so those experiences help us avoid some of the pitfalls and to hone our tourism product and the way we market it and to whom we market it,” he said.

“We do need to do a lot

of training in the hospitality sector because tourism is a service sector and we in Guyana don’t have a long established track record in the services sector. It is something we have to learn and the hospitality sector is fairly specific and a lot of international visitors are accustomed of high level service,” he noted.

Additionally, Minister Gaskin noted that tourism is a service sector and Guyana does not have a record of accomplishment in the sector, hence the need to aggressively address that. He explained that tourism operators need to be cognizant of the fact and work to address the level of service delivered within the sector.

He explained if the level of service is not offered then the reviews would be in keeping with that ultimately deterring other visitors from coming.

Gaskin told reporters that

one of the major challenges is bridging the gap between the coast and the tourism destinations. He noted that the high cost of visiting, particularly the hinterland destinations, is a deterring factor for many tourists and locals. In that regard, he related that they have to work towards increasing the demand for the product so that travelling there would become more affordable.

“We really need to increase the demand for that particular product to the extent that we can benefit from the economy of scale so that visiting the hinterland regions is more affordable not to just the international tourist but also for domestic tourism. We would like Guyanese to see the beauty of our own country and be able to be tourism ambassadors and to be able to speak to visitors to persuade them to visit,” Gaskin said.

A variety of locally manufactured products which will be featured at the exhibition

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s Guyana embarks on a new initiative to be once again known as the breadbasket of the Caribbean, several Private Sector entities have collaborated for this year’s marketplace “Uncapped”.

A launch was held on Friday by the Guyana Manufacturing and Services Association (GMSA), so as to highlight what can be expected from the exhibition. There was a display of items presented by the Guyana Marketing Commission (GMC) which are expected to be featured at the exhibition.

Giving his remarks, the Business Minister Dominic Gaskin explained that Government has made a commitment to support this initiative,

which is very significant to the improvement of local products and providing manufacturers with the opportunity to promote their items.

Meanwhile, Senior Director of ExxonMobil Guyana, Kimberly Brasington, also addressed the gathering, highlighting the company’s endorsement of Guyana’s “unique” culture.

“We want to be a part of the diversification, we want to support the country and the backbone of the country,” she said.

Additionally, Vice President of the GMSA, Ramsay Ali, gave an insight into the collaboration, stating that the organisation is “staging multiple exhibitions along the length and breadth of the country, giving everyone an opportunity to see, touch and taste and most importantly to buy these quality products”.

The exhibition will be held at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence, East Bank Demerara on April 29 and in addition to the local products, there will be a variety of Guyanese cuisine and attractions.

Admission for both exhibitors and the general public is free of cost.

16

guyanatimesgy.com

saturDAY, march 24, 2018

News

Requirements satisfied in issuing Peru political turmoil: petroleum production licence – Govt President Martín Vizcarra sworn in

…as more legal challenges loom

A

s there continues to be mounting criticisms of the Guyana Government’s handling of the emerging oil and gas industry, the coalition Administration is now defending itself against new claims that the granting of licences to drill offshore was illegal.

An article published on the UK Guardian’s website on March 22, 2018, under the headline ‘Guyanese campaigners mount legal challenge against three oil giants’, outlines that legal proceedings are to be filed against three top oil giants that have exploration activities offshore Guyana.

However, in response to the article, the Natural Resources Ministry on Friday dismissed the newfound claims. The Ministry, which will soon be rid of its responsibility of the oil and gas sector, said “the Government of Guyana wishes to emphatically reaffirm that it zealously guards and defends the right of every citizen to seek recourse

in law in pursuit of interests they believe to be worthy.

Equally the Government of Guyana is certain, as it is confident, that every action it took with regard to the issuance of the petroleum production licence met all legal requirements.”

According to the missive, Government is prepared and willing to present all facts in this regard to any court with jurisdiction.

“The Ministry is satisfied that its partners engaged in exploration and preparation for production are taking every precaution in ensuring that there is minimal effect to the environment and that they are diligently putting systems in place to guard against any spills or mishaps,” the statement further detailed.

The Natural Resources Ministry went on to assure Guyanese, and the world at large, that it will continue to engage its partners – ExxonMobil, Hess Corporation and CNOOC Nexen – in ensuring that the interest of Guyana’s waters

Natural Resources Raphael Trotman

Minister

and environment remains top priority as we pursue exploitation of Guyana’s natural resources with a view to fast track Guyana’s social, infrastructural and economic development.

According to Thursday’s article on the UK Guardian, the impending legal challenge claims that the Guyana Government illegally granted offshore oil licences.

“Lawyers acting for the Guyanese campaigners are to lodge the latest challenge in a court in Guyana this week,” the article, written by journalist Sandra Laville, stated.

The article featured comments from local attorney, who has extensive experience working with many oil companies, Melinda Janki.

She is one of the lawyers representing the Guyanese campaigners and, according to the article, lodged an appeal earlier this month after the first attempt to quash the granting of the licences was rejected by a Judge.

“It is very simple. If you want to extract oil in Guyana you need an environmental permit in order to get a petroleum production licence…Only one of the three companies involved has an environmental permit. We are seeking an order to quash the decision by the Minister to issue the licence because, we are saying, he acted illegally,” Janki was quoted by the UK Guardian as saying.

At left: Vizcarra, a 55-year-old engineer, is a former Cabinet Minister, governor and served as ambassador to Canada.

Kuczynski (in right picture) posed with his Cabinet before tendering his resignation

P

eru’s Congress has sworn in the Vice President, Martín Vizcarra, to replace the sitting President who resigned amid allegations of corruption this week.

Vizcarra is expected to serve out Pedro Pablo Kuczynski’s term, which ends in 2021.

Speaking after the ceremony, he said tackling corruption would be a priority for his Government. But he also urged all sides to put an end to a politics of confrontation and work together to achieve growth.

“This is a new beginning for Peru,” he said. “We need to define clear goals for the country, leaving aside political differences.” Vizcarra, 55, said that in a few days he would appoint a completely new Cabinet.

“I propose a social pact to fight corruption and encourage growth, with social integration”, he said. There were calls from the opposition for him to call fresh presidential elections.

His message to Congress, however, was clear - he intends to stay in power until the end of the current term.

For that he will need the support of the opposition, led by politicians loyal to Peru’s most divisive figure, former president Alberto Fujimori.

His promise to investigate corruption allegations against his immediate predecessor, Kuczynski, will get the support of Fujimoristas in Congress.

Mr Fujimori’s daughter Keiko, who leads the Popular Force party, wished the new president good luck.

Jamaica, among C’bean countries to benefit from CDB project to aid disability community Gaston Browne sworn

F

our Caribbean Community (Caricom) countries will benefit from a project aimed at providing reliable data to inform and strengthen their programming targeting the disabled community.

The CDB said that its Board of Directors had approved the project to support disability assessments in Grenada, Jamaica, St Lucia, and Trinidad and Tobago.

“Under the project, these

countries will benefit from workshops designed to train participants in the conduct of disability assessments, disseminate assessment findings and obtain feedback on those findings, and discuss strategies for more effectively addressing disability in the Region,” the bank said.

“It is therefore imperative that we invest in creating enabling environments for disabled persons, in or-

der to reduce these vulnerabilities and advance multidimensional progress in the Region,” said Daniel Best, CDB Director of Projects.

He said this developmental focus forms an important part of fulfilling regional and national commitments, and is a critical linchpin of the ‘no one left behind’ principle that underpins the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.

The CDB said that these

barriers include inaccessible infrastructure, inaccessible communication, limited reasonable accommodation and assistive aides, stereotypes, and weak enforcement of treaty, legislative and policy commitments.

CDB said through the disability assessment project, seeks to minimise these barriers by addressing disability data deficits in the region. (Excerpt from Jamaica Observer)

in as PM after leading ABLP to 15-2 victory

Origin of ‘6-inch mummy’ confirmed T G

ests on a six-inchlong mummified skeleton from Chile confirm that it represents the remains of a newborn with multiple mutations in key genes. Despite being the size of a foetus, initial tests had suggested the bones were of a child aged six to eight.

These highly unusual features prompted wild speculation about its origin.

Now, DNA testing indicates that the estimated age of the bones and other anomalies may have been a result of the genetic mutations.

In addition to its exceptionally small height, the skeleton had several unusual physical features, such as fewer than expected ribs and a cone-shaped head.

The remains were initially discovered in a pouch in

(Excerpt from BBC News)

Gaston Browne (centrE) is sworn in once again as Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda. He is observed by his wife, Maria BirdBrowne who also won a seat in Wednesday’s General Election and becomes the country’s youngest parliamentarian

The genome study uncovers possible reasons for the skeleton’s unusual features

the abandoned nitrate mining town of La Noria. From there, they found their way into a private collection in Spain.

Dubbed Ata after the Atacama region where they were discovered, a scientific team analysed Ata’s genome – the genetic blueprint for a human, contained in the nucleus of cells.

The team has presented evidence that Ata was a female newborn with multiple mutations in genes associated with dwarfism, scoliosis and abnormalities in the muscles and skeleton.

Ata also had 10 pairs of ribs, rather than 12 – a feature that has never been seen in humans before. “We actually believe the girl was

stillborn or died immediately after birth,” said Professor Nolan.

The scientists said that future studies of Ata had the potential to improve our understanding of the underlying basis of genetic skeletal disorders – with the potential to help others. (Excerpt from

BBC News)

aston Browne was on Thursday sworn in as Prime Minister of Antigua and Barbuda for the second time, following his landslide victory in Wednesday’s General Election.

According to preliminary results, Browne’s Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP) defeated the main opposition United Progressive Party (UPP) 15 to one, while the Bermuda People’s Movement (BPM), secured one seat.

After a brief ceremony at Government House, Browne told reporters that the ABLP had a very good campaign in the run-up to the polls. He also urged the UPP to assume a greater level of responsibility in Parliament.

“We recognise that there should be some level of op-

position representation. We found that the previous opposition had become personal, they had become extremely rabid and were focused on tearing down the image of several persons including myself.

Unfortunately this strategy did not work.”

Attorney General Steadroy Benjamin was also sworn into office.

He told reporters that he intends to get the ball rolling on all the plans outlined in the party’s manifesto.

Other members of Cabinet are scheduled to be sworn in later on Thursday.

“The whole idea is to put them to work immediately,” the Prime Minister said, adding that “My charge to them is just serve the people and give it their all.” (Nation News)

saturDAY, march 24, 2018

guyanatimesgy.com

17

Around the World

At least 10 EU nations to expel US sanctions Iranian hackers Russian diplomats in spy row for 'stealing university data'

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ussian intelligence agents and diplomats across the European Union will be expelled next week in response to the use of a nerve agent in Salisbury, described by Emmanuel Macron as an “attack on European sovereignty”.

At least 10 EU member states will order Russian officials to leave, with the number of countries answering the UK’s call for action expected to rise in the coming weeks.

“What happened in Great Britain has clearly never been seen before,” the French President told reporters, at the end of a summit where EU leaders agreed unanimously that Moscow was “highly likely” to be responsible for the assault. “It is an aggression against the security and the sovereignty of an ally, today a member of the European Union, which demands a re-

T

Emmanuel Macron and Theresa May at the EU summit in Brussels

action.”

The German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, said she agreed there should be further measures, beyond the recall earlier on Friday of the EU’s ambassador to Moscow.

France and Germany were among the first countries to back the UK and do not expect the investigation by experts at the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to change

their conclusions.

Macron said the OPCW work would be “useful, but is not going to change our vision of things”. Donald Tusk, the European Council President, said the Russians had stooped to a level to which the EU could never follow, but that it was up to leaders to do what they could to illustrate Europe’s condemnation. (Excerpt from The

he United States has imposed sanctions on an Iranian company and 10 individuals for alleged cyber-attacks, including on hundreds of universities. The Mabna Institute is accused of stealing 31 terabytes of "valuable intellectual property and data".

The justice department said the firm hacked 320 universities around the world, dozens of companies and parts of the US Government. Nine of the 10 individuals have been indicted separately for related crimes.

The two founders of the

Mabna Institute are among those sanctioned and their assets are subject to US seizure, a statement by the US Treasury Department said.

"These defendants are now fugitives of justice," US Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein said at a news conference. Reuters reported he warned that the individuals may face extradition in more than 100 countries if they travel outside of Iran.

The Mabna Institute was established in 2013, and US prosecutors believe it was designed to help Iranian research organisations steal

Afghanistan: Deadly car bombing near Helmand stadium

Guardian)

Spanish Police break up Nigerian sex trafficking gang

S

panish Police have rescued 39 women and girls smuggled in from Nigeria and trafficked into sex work by a notorious Nigerian gang. Europol says the victims were kept in "squalid conditions in caves" and intimidated with voodoo threats.

Gang members forced the women into sex work in order to pay off a 30,000 euro (US$37,000; £26,000) debt. Eighty-nine people, including a famous but as yet unnamed Nigerian DJ, have been arrested. The DJ is said to have helped move victims

to Spain and organise sexual exploitation across the country.

He was caught flying back into Spain after recording a music video.

Investigations began when an underage victim filed a complaint with the police, saying she had been pressured into trafficking by voodoo threats made in Nigeria.

Along with other victims, the girl was transferred from Nigeria to Spain via Libya and Italy. The operation, which was carried out with police from the UK and Nigeria, is one of the biggest

trafficking busts in Europe, says Europol.

Europol says 41 house were searched in 11 Spanish cities and one city in the UK. According to Europol, the criminal cartel had links to the Eiye brotherhood, one of the most influential groups in Nigeria.

The gang was allegedly operating all over the world and pumping money back into the network. Bank accounts allegedly used to illegally transfer more than 300,000 euro (US$370,000; £260,000) have been blocked. (Excerpt from BBC News)

information. It is accused of carrying out cyber-attacks on 144 US universities, and 176 universities in 21 foreign countries, including the UK, Germany, Canada, Israel and Japan.

By targeting the email accounts of more than 100,000 professors worldwide, the hackers compromised about 8000 of them, according to the justice department.

US authorities described the global conspiracy as one of the largest state-sponsored hacking sprees to be prosecuted. (Excerpt from BBC News)

A man carries a wounded boy in a hospital, after a car bombing outside a sports stadium in Lashkar Gah, capital city of southern Helmand province, Afghanistan

A

t least 14 people have been killed and dozens wounded in a car bomb explosion near a sports facility in southern Afghanistan, a health official has said.

Omar Zwak, spokesperson for the governor of Helmand province, said Friday's blast in the city of Lashkar Gah took place close to the Ghazi Muhammad Ayoub Khan stadium, where a wrestling match was tak-

ing place.

Aminuallah Abed, chief of the provincial public health department, said that 40 people who were wounded were receiving treatment at a local hospital.

The death toll is expected to rise, with hospital sources telling Al Jazeera that a number of wounded people were in serious condition.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

The Italian NGO

Emergency said that they had heard the sound of the explosion from their surgical centre. Al Jazeera's Abdullah Shahood, reporting from the capital, Kabul, said a "suicide car bomber detonated his explosives just outside the stadium's entrance."

"A number of security officials who were possibly watching the match were among the casualties," he added.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani condemned the attack, saying in a statement that "the enemies of Afghanistan cannot prevent the celebration of traditional, religious and cultural events in the country."

The explosion comes just two days after a suicide bomber detonated himself near Kabul University in the Afghan capital, killing 29 people and wounding 52 others. (Excerpt from Al Jazeera)

'Heroic' gendarme fights for life after latest Police attack First black female UK career diplomat

Officer Beltrame took the place of a woman being used as a human shield by gunman Redouane Lakdim

A

gendarme hailed as a national hero after he volunteered to take the place of a female hostage being held by a terrorist gunman has been named as Lieutenant Colonel Arnaud Beltrame. The 44-year-old officer is fighting for his life in hospital after he was shot several times by the suspected Islamist extremist who killed three people and injured 16 others before being killed by French special

forces.

Beltrame, described by French president Emmanuel Macron as a “credit to our country” and a hero who had “saved lives”, played a vital role in the four-hour hostage drama. After gunman Redouane Lakdim walked into the Super U supermarket in Trèbes near Carcassonne on Friday morning and killed a member of staff and a customer, Beltrame, a local gendarme,

offered to swap places with one of the hostages. He did so knowing that France’s forces of law and order have been specifically targeted by suspected terrorists at least 10 times since the attacks on Charlie Hebdo newspaper in January 2015. Beltrame entered the supermarket leaving his mobile telephone line open enabling French Police, military and special forces that had surrounded the store to hear what was going on inside. When shots were heard, the special forces stormed the supermarket, killing Lakdim.

François Molins, the French public prosecutor, said Beltrame had “put his life in peril when he chose to take the place of a hostage”. He added that the gunman had shot the gendarme “several times” leaving him critically injured. Beltrame was evacuated from the scene by helicopter. (Excerpt from)

appointed High Commissioner

T

he Foreign Office has appointed its first black female career diplomat as a High Commissioner as it steps up efforts to change the overwhelmingly white, male face of the diplomatic service.

NneNne Iwuji-Eme, who has spent 16 years in the Foreign Office, will take up her role as British High Commissioner to Mozambique in July, taking over from Joanna Kuenssberg. Iwuji-Eme said it was “an honour and a privilege” to be appointed to the role and that she hoped she would inspire others to pursue their ambitions. “I hope my appointment as the first British black female career diplomat to this position will inspire young talent, regardless of race or background, to pursue their ambitions in the Foreign Office,” she said. “I look forward to forging even stronger connections between

NneNne Iwuji-Eme describes herself as ‘the first black British female career diplomat’. She takes up the post of high commissioner to Mozambique in July

Britain and Mozambique – two close members of the Commonwealth family.” The Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson, said Iwuji-Eme has “vision, experience and energy” for the appointment.

Women now head up 32 per cent of missions, up 200 per cent since 2008, while 13.4 per cent of Foreign Office staff are from ethnic minorities. Iwuji-Eme previously

worked as an economist in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and for Royal Dutch Shell. Since joining the Foreign Office she has held a range of positions from Economic Adviser for Africa to Chief Press Officer to the Africa Minister. Her most recent posting was to Brazil as First Secretary prosperity and acting prosperity consul.

(Excerpt from The Guardian)

18

guyanatimesgy.com

saturDAY, March 24, 2018

ARCHIE

Don't pick a fight or let anyone goad you into a de(March 21bate. Keeping a steady pace April 19) is your best option when dealing with controversy. Say little and do what's expected of you.

ARIES

You'll have the upper TAURUS hand, as long as you speak up (April 20- and take care of your affairs May 20) personally. Emotional energy will be running high, allowing you to take care of unfinished business.

dilbert

Go over your bills and finanGEMINI cial statements before you do(May 21nate money to a cause or comJune 20) mit to a purchase. Temptation will be intense when it comes to personal items that you can live without.

Do your best to stabilize your position. Whether you (June 21- are dealing with a colleague July 22) or someone you live with, aim to keep the peace.

CANCER

Peanuts

Know what something costs

LEO before agreeing to move for(July 23- ward. Overspending on items Aug. 22) for your home will leave you in

a quandary. Put a cap on your spending.

Calvin and Hobbes

Get pumped up and particVIRGO ipate. Engaging in something (Aug. 23- that challenges you physically Sept. 22) will lead to a wakeup call regarding your health. A change to your daily routine may be necessary.

Problems at home will afLIBRA (Sept. 23- fect your productivity at work Oct. 23) and domestic relationships.

Listen carefully, but don't let anyone control or manipulate you.

WORD GAME

SUDOKU

Put more effort into imSAGITTARIUS proving your love life or (Nov. 23building a strong family unit Dec. 21) to improve your long-term personal prospects. A shared adventure will bring you and another closer together.

TODAY’S WORD — REMITS (REMITS: ree-MITS: Transmits money in payment.)

Average mark 21 words Time limit 30 minutes Can you find 28 or more words in REMITS? The list will be published tomorrow.

YESTERDAY’S WORD — ADROIT

solution for Puzzle adit arid aroid dart dirt

drat radio raid ratio riot

road iota taro tiro toad

triad trio trod

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

An investment you've SCORPIO been hanging on to will give (Oct. 24you a financial boost. Take Nov. 22) advantage of a good deal and make a move that will improve your life.

Tie up loose ends before CAPRICORN (Dec. 22- moving on to downtime. If Jan. 19) you leave something undone, someone will bring it to your attention and it will turn into a big deal.

Emotional matters can es-

AQUARIUS calate fast when someone you (Jan. 20- love is involved. Looking out Feb. 19) for someone will be appreciated, but don't take charge.

Teach others to do for themselves.

Explore new possibiliPISCES (Feb. 20- ties, but don't jump in withMarch 20) out testing what's being offered. Altering your lifestyle will result in setbacks if you aren't fully prepared to make a change.

saturDAY, march 24, 2018

19

Hero Caribbean Premier League 2018…

Pollard ready for

new challenge at St Lucia Stars

A

fter five years as captain of the Barbados Tridents, leading them to the title in 2014, Kieron Pollard has moved to the St Lucia Stars.

“There are mixed emotions,” Pollard says. “Being with Barbados for five years getting to two finals and a semi-final, but we obviously didn’t qualify for the last two years which I think was disappointing. We were all disappointed about it but I feel at the end of the day I feel proud with what I have achieved with the Tridents.”

Pollard says that one of the things he is most pleased about is how Tridents players have progressed while playing for the franchise.

“Shoaib Malik came to

V

what it is, I have enjoyed it, is it possible for me to move on? It didn’t matter to me which team I go to, it was just a matter of change and having After five years as captain of the Barbados that fresh Tridents, leading them to the title in 2014, mindset.”

Kieron Pollard has moved to the St Lucia Stars

Barbados Tridents won the CPL under Pollard’s captaincy

Bravo harbours hope for Windies World Cup return

eteran all-rounder Dwayne Bravo has not given up hope of representing the Windies once again and recently stated his desire to be a part of the team representing the region at next year’s World Cup. The 34-year-old was not among those invited to join the squad that recently secured progression from the ICC World Cup qualifiers with a win over Scotland earlier this week as it was claimed the player had "indicated that he is no longer available to play cricket for the West Indies."

Bravo has, however, since denied the assertions and while admitting the team being at the tournament was not a given was quick to offers congratulations. He also indicated that he hoped to be in the squad for

the tournament in England next year. The player has been out of the ODI side since the tour of India in 2014 and last played for West Indies in September 2016 at Abu Dhabi.

"First of all, congrats to the team for qualifying. I am happy for the guys. World Cup without the West Indies... I mean there is FIFA World Cup without Italy. These things are possible. No one team or one country are guaranteed anything," he told reporters at a promotional event here.

"It is a young team. The cricketing world loves to see West Indies and love to see West Indies competing with the best. I wish them all the best. Hopefully, I would get to play in the World Cup as well," added the 34-yearold former skipper. (Sportsmax)

our team and is now on the national team for the last five years, and he has been consistent in his national team as well. So these are the things that I look back at and I feel proud of. Look at young Nicholas Pooran coming in after his accident, coming back straight away into CPL and getting the opportunity to make the West Indies team. These are the things that make me sit and smile. The other things and the other distractions and everything else all comes with the territory, but I accept that.”

Last year was a tough one for the Tridents where a fifth place finish meant they did not make the knockout stages.

“I will honestly say that the last couple of years it was disappointing for me personally, I wasn’t able to use my cricketing brains as much on the cricket field because of the amount of stuff going on off the field. By the time I got on to the cricket field you’re sort of mentally drained. When I look back and I give myself an honest assessment, in the first three years my captaincy decisions were on point but the last couple of years there were a lot of furore about a lot of different things that obviously we don’t really want to get into.

“But it was disappointing for me, hence the reason why I was able to go to the management and tell them I have tried my best, it is

Pollard is feeling very positive about the move to St. Lucia Stars where he will be captain. It was a tough year for the St. Lucian side in 2017 as they didn’t get a single win on the board. There is a chance for a fresh start for the franchise and for Pollard.

“The move to the St. Lucia Stars is a positive one and it is a situation where the Stars have not been doing well. I look at it going into it thinking it can’t get any worse. So for me the only way is to get better and going there and having the likes of Daren Sammy and Andre Fletcher… Sammy is a West Indies World Cupwinning captain on two occasions and having that experience is great. I think it’s just a matter of trying to get things together.”

There are a lot of new players with the St. Lucia Stars now, as the franchise look to turn things around after a very difficult year.

Pollard is feeling positive about the squad he will be leading in 2018.

“It’s refreshing to have a lot of new faces. I just want to say the first year in CPL when we selected the franchise team for Barbados there was a lot of young guys in there.

You had young Mayers, you had Riefer. There was Kirk Edwards and Carlos Brathwaite. All those guys who were relatively young in the Barbados set-up – they were not actually playing in that certain time. We didn’t go with the regulars like Sulieman Benn and Fidel Edwards.

“It’s a great feeling going into the Stars, and you’re going into the unknown.

There is an Afghani guy (Qais Ahmad) there that no

one would have seen, there’s young Rakheem Cornwall who has done well. And yes we had our thing, an altercation on the cricket field, but as I said in a previous interview if he actually tells you what I told him it was for his benefit for him going forward and playing for the West Indies. It looked like a tirade, it look like a rant, but afterwards I spoke to him on Whatsapp, I spoke to him after that, we have a good relationship and now I’m going to play with him.”

While one big challenge for Pollard is turning things around at the Stars, there is another one looming on the horizon – captaining Daren Sammy at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground.

“It is what it is. At the end of the day we are all professionals and it’s good to have Daren Sammy in the Daren Sammy ground and not playing against him!

Because if you’re coming up against Daren Sammy in the Daren Sammy Stadium and he is captaining the St. Lucia Stars then the whole crowd is going to be against you.

“We are all experienced campaigners; we have had a lot of chats about cricket, about going forward and things like that. You play cricket for 15 or 20 years, but friendships, honesty and living with people last longer than actually playing on the cricket field. Those are the things that we are going to use to bond the team. Get guys playing for each other and the results will take care of themselves.

It can be good, it can be bad, but the main thing is when you finish you have given 100 per cent. You have tried your best and you feel you have eliminated all the background things.” (CPL)

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saturDAY, march 24, 2018

Afghanistan pull off the great escape to make LGC President’s Cup World Cup Open tees off today

Groundsmen ensured the recent inclement weather does not dampen today’s Open

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The winning Afghanistan team are lead in celebrations by Mohammed Shahzad (©ICC)

A

fghanistan captain Asghar Stanikzai was left feeling pride and pain in equal measure after guiding his side to the World Cup courtesy of Friday's five-wicket win over Ireland.

The Blue Tigers' skipper was forced to miss the opening stages of the Qualifier due to undergoing surgery to remove his appendix late last month.

Originally touted as favourites alongside West Indies to grab one of the two qualification berths, Afghanistan made a poor start in the group stage and won only once in four matches, against Nepal.

That meant they carried no points through to the Super Six stage and were required to win all three games to have a chance of reaching next year's finals in England and Wales.

Afghanistan kept their hopes alive by beating the Windies and United Arab Emirates, and Stanikzai was there at the end in the crunch clash against Ireland in Harare, scoring an unbeaten 39 despite struggling badly with the after-effects of his operation.

"I'm not feeling well, I'm still feeling pain inside, especially when I was going for big shots," Stanikzai told the media, via an interpreter.

"But we have to sacrifice and fight for our country and that's what we did.

"When the country needs me I will be there, I forget about the pain and I'm proud to add my contribution.

"It was a dream of every player to qualify and it's come true. The guys are very happy and they deserve it for the way they played.

I can't express how happy they will be back home.

"We didn't even have a 10 per cent chance to qualify but the support from back home...it was not just a dream of our guys, but of Afghanistan as well. We want to dedicate this to all the people back home who supported us." (Sportsmax)

SCOREBOARD

Ireland Innings (50 overs maximum) W Porterfield (c) c Shah b Nab i 20 P Stirling run out ( Zadran/ Ur Rahman) 55 A Balbirnie c † Shahzad b R Kha n 11 N O'Brien † c Shenwari b Zadran 36 S Singh c † Shahzad b R Khan 15 K O'Brien b R Khan 41 G Wilson c N Zadran b D Zadran 11 A McBrine not out 11 B McCarthy not out 0 Extras (lb 3, nb 1, w 5) 9 Total (7 wickets; 50 Overs) 209 Did not bat: B Rankin, T Murtagh Fall of wickets: 1-53 (Porterfield, 15.2 ov), 2-77 (Balbirnie, 23.5 ov), 3-121 (Stirling, 32.2 ov), 4-130 (N O'Brien, 35.4 ov), 5-149 (Singh, 40.6 ov), 6-196 (K O'Brien, 48.1 ov), 7-202 (Wilson, 49.2 ov) Bowling : Zadran 10-0-54-2, Ur Rahman 10-0-

5-0-15-0, 31-0, Naib Nabi 9-0-48-1, Ashraf 6-118-0, R Khan 10-0-40-3 Afghanistan Innings (target: 210 runs from 50 overs) M Shahzad † c Rankin b S Sin gh 54 G Naib c McBrine b Rankin 45 R Shah c Wilson b S Singh 12 S Shenwari c Wilson b McCarthy 27 M Nabi c McBrine b S Singh 12 A Stanikzai (c) not out 39 N Zadran not out 17 Extras (lb 1, w 6) 7 Total (5 wickets; 49.1 Overs) 215 Did not Bat: R Khan, S Ashraf, D Zadran, M Ur Rahman Fall of wickets: 1-86 ( Shahzad, 16.3 ov), 2-113 (Shah, 25.4 ov), 3-117 (Naib, 28.6 ov), 4-145 (Nabi, 37.3 ov), 5-181 (Shenwari, 44.5 ov) Bowling: McCarthy 9.1-0-571, Murtagh 10-0-46-0, Rankin 10-0-41-1, McBrine 10-138-0, S Singh 10-2-30-3

he Lusignan Golf Club (LGC) will be teeing off its first ever President’s Cup one-day tournament today.

The one-day event which is the brainchild of President Aleem Hussain is expected to help golfers further improve their playing form ahead of the numerous upcoming assignments.

According to Hussain, to ground is good for play despite the recent weather changes and he expects a full turnout come tee off time which is set for 12:30hs. Prizes for golfers who place from 1st to 3rd will be awarded with the extra-special prize of 500k being donated to the golfer who hits a Hole-inone; compliments of the Shafura Hussain Memorial Foundation.

With the ongoing quest to crown the next club champion in motion, Hussain further pointed out that with golfers such as “Pandit”

Ravi, Mike Guyadin, Vice-President Payton George, Guy Griffith and others gunning for his current number one spot; it is important to ensure that he stays in peak form.

Hussain said that he wants to make the President’s Cup a marquee event on the club’s calendar going forward. He said that hosting the event was his way of giving back to the members and the fraternity following his election as President last October.

With the sport reaching newer heights than ever before, the President sent special regards to his executives for keeping the course busy while thanking sponsors Kissoon’s, MACORP, Banks DIH and Odyssey Transport for recent patronage.

Also, some average 44 tournaments are billed for the remainder of the year with 8 successfully being held since 2018 commenced.

"Padlock’s" title on the line in Star Party Rentals cycling

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uyana’s Top cyclists will be on show at the National Park; come Saturday March 24 when the Star Party Rentals sponsored youth race gets underway today.

The race pedals off from 09:00hrs and is expected to attract the best cyclist from across the local clubs as well as young riders from the nation’s schools.

The feature race will see the top juniors and senior riders go head-to-head in the Schoolboys and Invitational 35-lap race while categories such as the; 12-14 year-old Boys and Girls (3 laps), Veterans Under-50 (5 laps), Veterans Over-50 (5 laps), Veterans Over-60 , Juveniles, Upright cyclists, BMX Boys open, BMX Boys

Andre "Padlock" Green betters Paul DeNobrega by half a wheel

12-14 (3 laps), BMX Boys 9-12 and BMX Boys 6-9 will be contested.

Meanwhile, defending champion Andre "Padlock" Greene will defend his title with manager of Star Party

Rentals former national cricketer; Lennox Cush, is expected to distribute the prizes to the top performers following the race; which takes place in the inner-circuit of the Park.

sports

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21

LABA/Malta Supreme “March Madness”

Raiders tackle Bulls in tonight’s semi-finals

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fter postponing the semi-finals on Thursday the Linden Amateur Basketball Association’s (LABA) Malta Supreme ‘March Madness’ semi-finals are on tonight at the Mackenzie Sports Club hard court where early bragging rights are on the offering ahead of the final next Saturday.

From 18.30hrs the teams that will be heading for jump ball will be the second ranked Half Mile Bulls who played unbeaten in their group play to emerge tops taking on the Retrieve Raiders who ended second in their group play on the other side of the draw.

In the other game from 20.30hrs it will see the number one ranked Victory Valley Royals facing the third ranked Amelia’s Ward Jets who were second to the Bulls in their group play.

Bulls are expected to get past the Raiders who have fallen from being the top

Terron Welch

ranked club to now occupy the fourth seed position and ended second behind Royals in their group matchups.

The Bulls will have their outstanding scorer Terron Welch, leading their charge and depending on the availability of Travin ‘Babylon’ Dryden, they will form a terrible duo, in the absence of Michael Turner who has opted out of to play elsewhere; but with the experi-

enced Kevin Easton and the young players like Jamar Bethune and Immanuel Larose giving support, the Bulls still will be tough to get past.

The Raiders minus their best players Dwayne ‘Brown Sugar’ Roberts and Neil Marks who are now residing overseas will have their work cut out to remain n competitive in the top tier of Linden’s basketball.

In their play this year Derrol Montrose and Coel Winter who were there over the years will have to take up the role of seniors and with Dauwin Lovell player well could provide the effort and energy needed if they are to upset this Bulls team.

They will also count on Sheldron Noel who returned after some years to be of help but if they must be the force they once were when they rose to be the number two club in Guyana.

Harlod Adams

The top ranked Royals, who were second at the National Club Championship in December, as usual has at its spearhead scoring machine Harold Adams but will miss the contributions of key players Chris Williams and Orlando Glasgow who were not there leading up to this final four stage.

But the Royals are

known t o have several players at hand and they include the former junior national Marlon Pollydore who brings experience to this group and with players of the future like Yannick Tappin and his brother Kobe to add with Lionel Warden and another inside force in Dwight Cooper, the Royals will feel good in this match.

However, their game will find them wanting when they matchup inside because the Jets have the Webster brothers Adrian, Allister and Joel patrolling their middle with Donnel Benjamin and Akini Wilson, while their outside players include the former national Orin Rose who can light it up at any time.

East Coast Guinness “Greatest of the Streets” Competition

Play-offs commence on Sunday at Haslington

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he East Coast Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’ Competition seems to be following the record breaking trend that was witnessed in the preceding two zones that were completed not so long ago.

The Organisers of the event have enjoyed a surge in teams requesting to participate in the Guinness phenomenon with Georgetown and West Demerara easily surpassing previous records of participating teams and judging from the feedback received to date, the East Coast version will follow suit.

Sunday the playoffs to select teams to join the automatic qualifiers will be conducted at the Haslington Tarmac and fans are being urged to come out and witness what is shaping up to be some hotly contested clashes as teams battle each other to enter the main draw.

Over $700,000 in prize monies and trophies will be up for grabs in the competition which will feature sixteen (16) teams to be played over three days, commencing next Wednesday, March 28, at the same venue.

The competition will re-

East Coast Guinness Greatest of the Streets football has been an action-packed leg

sume on March 31 and conclude with the final and semi-finals on Easter Monday along with the Plate final which carries a first prize of $50,000.

The winning team in the competition will receive $400,000, while second, third and fourth place finishers take home $150,000, $100,000 and $75,000 respectively.

In last year’s fi-

nal Melanie-B defeated Plaisance –B 1-0], while Buxton Diamond finished third following a similar margin of victory over BV-B. The winner is guaranteed a spot in the national playoffs so there is much to play for.

Meanwhile, the teams enjoying automatic berths are: Champion Melanie-B, 2014 winner Melanie-A,

Plaisance-B, 2013 winner Plaisance-A, 2015 champ BV-A, 2016 winner BV-B, Buxton Diamond, Buxton, Victoria Church Yard, Haslington Hypers, Belfield Warriors and Paradise-A The matchups for the playoffs are: Young Stars vs Vryheid Lust-08:00hrs Golden Grove South vs Belfield Stars-08:15hrs Victoria Hardball vs

Uprising-08:30hrs Paradise-B vs Police-A08:45hrs Golden City vs Police-B09:00hrs Mahaica Determinators vs Bad-A-Road-09:15hrs Mahaica Guinness Bar vs Young Jiggers-09:30hrs Each game will be played for a period of eight (8) minutes with four teams set to advance.

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saturDAY, march 24, 2018

Action-packed quarter-finals anticipated in Corona Futsal

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his evening the quarter-finals of the Corona Futsal Tournament will take centre stage at the National Gymnasium at the organiser is expected some exciting action.

Tiger Bay opposes Bent Street from 20:30h, West Front and Leopold from 21:45h; Alpha Warriors collide with California Square from 22:30h and the final match being Future Stars and Sparta from 23:15h.

According to Co-Director of the Petra Organisation, Troy Mendonca those four matches should be a treat for fans. His optimism stems from the preparation teams have undergone. Mendonca added there was much off-field activities that went into planning which has been of great value to fans

At stake in the tournament which is collaboration with NAMILCO Wheat Gem, is the winning purse of $600,000 and the championship trophy. Second to fourth will take home $300,000, $150,000 and $75,000 along with the corresponding accolades.

The sweet of the pudding comes in form of two Hero motor cycles which will be awarded to the Most Valuable Player (MVP) and the other to a lucky spectator at the Easter Weekend final.

Rugby fiesta to hit National Park today

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he Guyana Rugby Football Union will stage their first tournament for 2018 being their flagships sevens. Today is promised to be filled with non-stop action as the country’s top rugby teams put their bodies on the line against Trinidad and Tobago’s Harvard team. The local teams set to suit up are defending champions Pespi Hornets, Yamaha Caribs, Panthers, Police Falcons and the Guyana Defence Force (GDF).

Up for grabs is the winning purse of winner’s purse of $200,000, compliments of Top Brandz Distributors which have embraced the tournament under their Hairoun Beer. Fire Side Grill N Chill has also pledged support. Trinidad sevens champions Harvard featuring our very own Claudius Butts while Kevin McKenzie from Australia will be playing for the hornets Butts believes the attractive prize money will no doubt bring out the best in the players. “This is a touring team and the guys have been putting in some work to come to Guyana and put on a good show.

They will be taking this very serious and are coming here to win, but at the same time, we want to have fun, so it will be good for people to really come out and see some good rugby on Saturday The tournament is set to start from 11:00hrs and the team finishing second will receive $100,000. The Most Valuable Player (MVP) will pocket $20,000.The females will also play for a cash prize that is yet to be determined.

Claudius Butts will come against his local peers

Collaborative “deaf chess” workshop concludes

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he Ministry of Presidency, Department of Cohesion/ National Sports Commission in partnership with the Deaf Association of Guyana and the Guyana Chess Federation recently concluded their Deaf Chess Level One Introduction Workshop.

This workshop which was held on March 19 at the National Racquet Center was to officially help recognize the Deaf Chess Club of the Deaf Association of Guyana (DAG), add Deaf Chess Club players to my local chess players database and to host the first of a strategically structured tri-annual training/coaching session for chess players from the Deaf Chess Club.

The core aim was to also help select a group of players that will be classed National Deaf Chess Team. Headed

by National Chess Coach Wendell Meusa and assistant coach Taffin Khan along with Interpreters Ms. Fiona and Ms. Oxana Cox; a total of 30 participants were a part of the event.

Other aims of the course were to help oversee three (3) training/coaching sessions per year for the Deaf Chess Club, to identify, recruit/select and develop these national elected players routinely.

Also to help organize the National Deaf Chess Team that will participate in FIDE’s (World Chess Federation) Deaf/Dumb Chess Champions held specially for these players.

After, the training session was completed; Meusa and Khan hosted a mini practical rapid chess tournament for the kids to practice what was taught. The lgera Charles of David Rose won the open section followed by Asiyah

Bacchus and Shivranie Persaud of Tuschen finished as 2nd and 3rd place runner up respectively.

In the under 20 section Anthonio Johnson of David Rose finished 1st followed

by Sarah Ramkarran of Diamond Special School and Dellon Browne of David Rose.

Lastly, the Under 16 section winner was last year tournament winner as well Aleem Baseer of Tuschen Special

Tuschen and David Rose chess clubs are more active and are producing young talented chess players.

Winner of the best youngest player was Anaya Lall of Tuschen Special School while workshop, Executive Officer of the President Youth Award of the Republic of Guyana, Dr. Allister Collins paid a courteous visit. After a brief meeting with National Chess Coach Mr. Wendell Meusa,

Students in deep concentration during the workshop

School followed by Ishmael Shaheed and Faith Bonnette of David Rose.

The Deaf Chess Guyana is a national chess club for kids from the Deaf Association of Guyana and this workshop was aimed at teaching kids the fundamentals of how to play chess. Guyana is one of the few countries in this hemisphere that is promoting chess among special kids and Meusa said he aims at continuously promoting chess among these kids and working with them.

“I am planning to visit the New Amsterdam and Linden Special Needs Schools to fully incorporate chess into their school activities and programmes”.

Special school such as

Dr. Collins stated he hopes to have chess as part of the PYARG programmes across Guyana looks forward to working along with the national chess coach.

Ms. Sabine McIntosh, President DAG hopes that one day the Deaf Chess Guyana through the Guyana Chess Federation can be a member of the International Chess Committee for the Deaf (ICCD) and FIDE. Sabine also hope that we can elect a National Deaf Team to represent Guyana at the 18th Deaf Chess Olympiad of the ICCD which will be held from the 06th - 16th July, 2018 in Manchester, England.

Meanwhile, the next programme is scheduled for next school term.

saturDAY, march 24, 2018

guyanatimesgy.com

23

… V-net joins forces with GCA for U-13 league

V

CEO of V-Net Communications Safraz

–net Communications among other sponsors have joined with the Georgetown Cricket Association (GCA) to stage an under-13 league commencing on April 7.

The entity which brandishes itself as the home of satellite communications in Guyana have carried their level of activity in social development from Wakenaam to Georgetown under the theme, “ Cricket Our Game, Our Culture”.

“I see our involvement in this event as not being just a sponsor but rather an investment in the future of our cricket”, Chief Executive Officer of V-Net Communications Safraz Sherifffuden told the gathering at the launch on Friday evening at their 25 Sherifffuden Delph Street

Malik could be

Amazon Warriors X-factor Says Clifton Ross

O

f all the acquisitions made by the Guyana Amazon Warriors ahead of the 2018 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL); by far Pakistan’s Shoaib Malik selection has to be the most precious.

The all-rounder has been the cornerstone of the Pakistani batting order for more than a decade, applying his trade for the national team since he was a teen.

Now 36, free from the rigors of international Test cricket ever since his retirement a few years ago, Malik has been of the best One Day International (ODI) and T20 batsmen in the World over the recent years.

With almost 7,000 ODI runs with 41 fifties and 9 tons, to go along with his 1,800 plus T20 runs, the right-hander has made his mark and sealed his name as a hot commodity in the CPL universe; after steady contributions over the past five seasons has made him one of the leading run-scorers in the history of the competition.

The first Pakistani to ever play 300 T20 matches, Malik’s expertise will serve the Warriors well this summer. As a key part of the Barbados Tridents franchise, the batsman has been one their marquee players over the years up until his purchase by the Guyanese franchise.

After scoring almost 300 runs in 2013 during the tour-

nament’s inaugural year, Malik went on to smash 400 plus runs the next year. With a CPL career average of well over 35, the veteran player could be the game-changer for Guyana this season once he is utilized properly.

Guyana with the likes of; Cameron Delport, Luke Ronchi, Chadwick Walton, Shimron Hetmyer all bashers, will rely on Malik’s experience in the middle-order. His ability to score rapidly if needed or to anchor the innings until the time is required for a blitz; Malik’s game is tailor-made for a crisis should a collapse occur.

With the 2017 CPL being his worse season yet with just 121 runs to his name, the T20 gun-forhire countered his poor form

since t h e C P L with majestic knocks for his country in ODI’s and T20’s while his passion for franchise cricket has seen him represent the likes of Hobart

Hurricanes in the Australian Big Bash League, Delhi Daredevils in the IPL among other franchise around the globe. With an already long cricketing resume, Malik recently added highest run-scorer for the Multan Sultans to his accolades.

Despite the Sultans being second-to-last on the points table in this year’s Pakistan Super League (PSL), the batsman again showed his class amongst the ruins as he racked up 224 runs with an average of 37 for his side.

Shifting gears to this August when the CPL bowls off for t h e

first time in Guyana, it will be left to faith to decide if the Pakistani will add the needed impetus the warriors have been yearning for ever since they tasted the finals in the first year.

Chasing the elusive title, the Warriors will rely heavily on all their players especially the likes of their international line up which include; Ronchi, Imran Tahir, Delport and Malik; should they fire along with the local stars in the side who have been brilliant over the recent moth of regional cricket; Guyana could finally realize their dream of becoming CPL champs.

Campbellville location.

He further elaborated, “I believe sports are an essential part of any child’s upbringing as it instils the core value of discipline, team work, safety, respect and integrity”.

GCA President Roger Harper expressed his gratitude for the tremendous support of the sponsors and posited the league will help unearth new talents for Guyana and in turn Windies since it is at this tender age the focus must be place on budding cricketers.

Structured to allow involvement by all, First-VicePresident of the GCA Neil Barry gave an overview of how the fourth attempt of the tournament will be played.

“They bat in pairs; each pair will bat five overs if it is an 25-over per side match.

Teams are gifted 200 runs at the start but every time a wicket is loss so is five runs and every run scored is added to the total.”

He added, “You must bat the allotted overs in which you can get as much times but batting the allotted overs is necessary.

We are trying to teach them about the ba-

sics of the game”.

Brand Ambassador and Windies all-rounder Keemo Paul via video messaged urged the young players to make full use of the opportunity and strive to be discipline.

The seven participating teams are Demerara Cricket Club, Georgetown Cricket Club, Ghandi Youth Organisation, Transport Sports Club, Queen’s College, Diplomats and Everest Cricket Club.

Cash prizes and trophies will be awarded compliments of additional sponsors such as Cerulean Inc, Guyana Trading Company, Eco Atlantic International Investment Inc and Give Another Chance Foundation.

Matches will predom-

inantly be played at YMCA ground on Thomas Lands and the Muslim Youth Organisation on Woolford Avenue from 09:30h. The top two teams will advance to the final on June 2. The league is for players born on or after June 1, 2005.

(Akeem Greene)

GCA President Roger Harper

saturDAY, march 24, 2018

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

guyanatimesgy.com

Pg 23

Rugby fiesta to hit National Park today

Malik could be

Amazon Warriors X-factor

Pg 22

Shoaib Malik’s world-class game will add much to the Warriors franchise

Some of Guyana's top players will be in action

Pg 23

… V-net joins forces with GCA for U-13 league CEO of V-Net Communications Safraz Sherifffuden and his son hand over the sponsorship cheque to GCA President Roger Harper in the presence of other sponsors and representatives

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