Guyanatime 28 march 2018 part 2

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Thousands to sit NGSA today Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

GPL loses over $150M in 2017 guyanatimesgy.com

Issue No. 3517

Wednesday, March 28, 2018

…tells PUC only 27 power outages recorded last year despite constant load shedding, blackouts experienced by customers

Chronicle columnists firing

Page 17

…citing political interference Lindo Creek CoI hears “Pepsi” wanted OPR investigated, found for elderly no evidence against Joint couple’s Page Page Services back in 2008 13 11 – ballistics tests were conducted on Police, Army firearms murder

Guyana acquires new state-of-the-art $19.4M machine to improve blood transfusion service

Gaskin questions status of US$18M signing bonus Page 3

Roopnaraine says “fit and able” to function as Minister Page 7

$80 vat included

WHAT'S INSIDE: Seawall shooting

Police say "eyewitness" interview did not take P8 place

Pages 10&16

3 Board members resign

Lance Corporal to stand trial for raping 15-year-old boy Page 14

PRICE

…as concerns raised over ailing health, poor performance

American P8 Airlines to begin flights to Guyana this December

...entry good for business, tourism – Minister Gaskin

Man remanded for killing P8 stepson

Stakeholders sensitised ahead of P18 Harmony Village 2018

Life sentences for man found guilty of raping 10-year-old girl P14 North Pakaraima to benefit from ATV, musical instruments

2 news 5th North Pakaraima Expo hosted successfully V wednesDAY, march 28, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

ice President and Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs Minister Sydney Allicock says economic sustainability of Indigenous villages and communities remains Government’s top priority as the fifth North Pakaraima Expo opened on Monday in Tuseneng Village, Region Eight.

The Minister noted that for success to be achieved, there must be partnership, and the Government was capable, ready, and willing to partner so that this could be achieved.

One such collaborative initiative to be executed by the Ministry which will ensure villages and communities are managed sustainably is a Village Improvement Plan (VIP) where the Ministry will assist in the development of a 10-year plan for sustainability.

“To properly serve these communities we must have a plan; we call it the Village Improvement Plan, which

Some of the officials attending the Expo

means that you must know your resources – human and other natural resources…so the VIP will allow us to take management control of our destiny and you see, we have to be in partnership with this movement, we cannot do it alone, but we are prepared to meet you halfway to work in collaboration with you to achieve those needs.”

The Minister also brought into focus an initiative, which would empower the Indigenous peoples, noting that “we have already started to have institutions within the various regions; take, for example Regions 1,7,8 and 9 that

need services, that need easier access to better education, better health, better opportunities for markets, agriculture linkages… and better roads so that when the roads become a reality, where you can travel without hindrance, you must have products readily available for shipment; we must be able to use the road and not the road using us.”

Another project soon to be realised is a lapidary project in Monkey Mountain, which will soon begin producing jewellery and ornaments from semi-precious stones to supply the local and international markets.

Tuseneng Village Toshao Philip Geronimo acknowledged that history continued to be made for his people, since this was the first time that a sitting Head of State has visited the village, with President David Granger making his inaugural visit and address to hundreds who turned out for the activity.

The expo attracted hundreds from Kanapang, Penak, Itabac, Kurukubaru, Kato, Paramakatoi, Monkey Mountain and Chuing Mouth who traversed through valleys and over mountains for the two-day event.

Man remanded for killing stepson

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22-year-old man on Tuesday appeared before acting Chief Magistrate Sherdel IsaacsMarcus at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts to answer to a manslaughter charge.

Eon Charles was not required to plead to the charge, and was remanded to prison until April 4, 2018.

The court heard that on March 22, 2018, at Kariako Creek in the Barima River, North West District, he unlawfully killed Lawrence Leon.

The facts stated that on the day in question, the man, his reputed wife, and his 18-year-old stepson were consuming alcohol when an argument broke out between the two men which subsequently developed into a brawl.

Moments after, Leon was stabbed multiple times to his left upper back. He was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital, where he died while receiving treatment.

Eon Charles

Police Prosecutor, Inspector Gordon Mansfield objected to Charles being released on bail on the grounds that he was captured by the Police and taken to the crime scene during which time he escaped, but was subsequently recaptured by the Police.

The matter will be transferred to the Mabaruma Magistrate’s Court.

Vending in Georgetown free this weekend

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own Clerk Royston King has said that persons vending throughout the city during the upcoming Easter weekend would not have to pay for spots, since no discussions were held at the level of the Mayor and City Council to initiate this process.

King explained that without the approval or recommendation of the Council’s Social Development Committee, the implemen-

tation of vending fees cannot be carried out.

However, Mayor Patricia Chase Green was adamant that the fees be charged. She pointed out that the Council needed the revenue to offset expenses incurred such as for cleaning following the holiday weekend.

But the Town Clerk posited that it was too late at this point in time to go ahead with this process, noting that any system put in place would only be limited.

news

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wednesDAY, march 28, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

BRIDGE OPENINGS

Gaskin questions status of US$18M signing bonus

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

Wednesday, March 28 – a night retraction at 03:00h and a day retraction from 14:30h-16:00h and Thursday, March 29 – 03:30h and a day retraction from 14:30h-16:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Wednesday, March 28 – 14:20h-15:50h and Thursday, March 29 – 14:55h-16:25h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY Weather: Early morning sunny intervals are expected to give way to cloudy skies that will last throughout the remainder of the day. Partly cloudy skies can be expected in the evening, with temperatures ranging between 21 degrees Celsius and 30 degrees Celsius.

Winds: Ranging from East North-easterly between 1.78 metres and 6.70 metres.

High Tide: 02:17h and 14:38h reaching maximum heights of 2.40 metres and 2.50 metres respectively.

Low Tide: 08:11h and 20:38h reaching minimum heights of 0.82 metre and 0.65 metre respectively.

SATURDAY, MARCH 24, 2018

LOTTERY NUMBERS O

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21 Bonus Ball

FREE TICKET

TUESDAY, MARCH 27, 2018

DAILY MILLIONS 01 02 12 19 25 LUCKY 3 0 9 4 Afternoon Draw DRAW DE LINE

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

Ramon Gaskin

By Samuel Sukhnandan

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ocal economist Ramon Gaskin has questioned the status of the US$18M ‘signing bonus’, which was paid over by US oil giant ExxonMobil as part of a renegotiated deal in 2016.

Gaskin, in the letter sent to the local media on Monday, called on the Government to explain to the Guyanese people the circumstances, which led to the bonus being either spent or transferred.

He said, “The Bank of Guyana has published the list of 128 Government Account Balances at the end of January 2018 in excess of 36 billion Guyana dollars.”

Gaskin said that “the US$18M ‘Signing Bonus’ received by Guyana and allegedly placed in the account is not listed”.

“I conclude subject to correction by the Minister of Finance that the monies if indeed placed there have been removed or withdrawn or spent without the authorisation of the Parliament as required by Article 217 of the Constitution of Guyana,” Gaskin said in the letter.

He, therefore, called on “the Minister of Finance to immediately disclose precisely where exactly the money is, how much has been spent from it, and for what purpose, and what is the present balance in the account if, at all, there is any.”

Gaskin said that he was prepared to address the media on the matter once his findings were published as he was reliably informed that the monies might have been spent.

It was reported back in 2017 that although Finance Minister Winston Jordan

had claimed that there was no advance payment made to the Government by ExxonMobil, a confidential document seen by Guyana Times proved that the Administration was fully aware of receiving the signing bonus granted by the same company, as a request was also made to open an account at the Central Bank to facilitate a deposit.

A missive dated September 20, 2016 and addressed to the Governor of the Bank of Guyana has this subject line: “Signing bonus granted by ExxonMobil – Request to open bank account”. It shows that Finance Secretary at the Finance Ministry, Hector Butts, has requested that a foreign currency account be opened at the Bank in order to receive a deposit in the form of a ‘signing bonus’ to be given by ExxonMobil.

The letter stated, “This account should not be treated as part of the Bank’s reserves. Instead, the proceeds should be held in the currency of the deposit, that is United States dollars, and invested in secured interest-bearing securities.”

The missive also listed the signatories to the account: Hector Butts,

Finance Secretary at the Finance Ministry; Louise Bouyea, Deputy Finance Secretary at the Finance Ministry; Jawahar Persaud, Accountant General (acting) at the Finance Ministry; and

Jennifer Chapman, Deputy Accountant General at the Finance Ministry. The letter was also copied to Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 16

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wednesDAY, march 28, 2018

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

Safety concerns I

n a recent statement released to the public, the Guyana Police Force (GPF) confirmed our worst fears. Although it was plain for most to see, there were many in various quarters who were in denial as to the crime statistics.

According to the GPF statistics, there was a 2% increase in robbery-under-arms where firearms were used; a 31% increase in robberies where no instruments were used, and a 36% increase in robbery-with-violence, at the end of February 2018, relative to the same period last year. While there was a marked decrease in other crimes, including murder and rape, the situation is still worrisome.

With the festive Easter season approaching, there is a lingering fear that the risk will increase for businesses and consumers. Research has shown that during celebratory periods, there is usually a marked spike in criminal activities. This is because there is an increase in the movement of persons, increase in commercial and social activities, and these make it easy for criminals to commit crimes. The majority of the people who are planning for the Easter Holiday have the very best outlook, and sometimes let their guards down as they prepare for the holiday. Many persons also take a much-needed break and venture abroad, leaving their homes unattended.

Then there are those who use the activity of this time of year to prey on others. These include shoplifters, the ones who break into parked cars and steal items, the ones who snatch purses. And those who burglarise homes.

It is therefore advisable that, during this period, time consumers, businesses and citizens should be extra diligent to protect themselves, their homes, their purchases, and their neighbours. By being extra watchful during shopping trips, and by keeping purchases hidden in a vehicle trunk, individuals can be better assured of a safe shopping experience. By being alert to unusual vehicles and to strangers in your neighbourhood, you can notify Police, so law enforcement can head off crimes before they happen.

In as much as the citizenry depends on the Police Force for protection, there is also the need to take personal responsibility in this regard.

Members of the public have understandably become concerned and frightened for their lives and safety. We cannot hide from the fact that there are increasing reports of violent crimes and robberies.

One only has to read the daily newspapers or tune in to the television stations to get a better handle of the situation facing citizens and entire communities on a daily basis. However, amidst it all, the Guyana Police Force have been actively engaged in their anti-crime measures, and have proven that their enhanced capacity and capability in the Criminal Investigation Department is effective.

The statistics support this claim. In several communities across the country, there are beefed up Police patrols and monitoring.

However, despite these measures, the public’s growing concerns about the situation are not assuaged; even the increased Police presence in many areas has failed to give comfort to the families who have suffered at the hands of criminals, or the businesses which have lost millions at the hands of the robbers. At all times, we need to ask: What can we do to protect ourselves? The best protection is to eliminate the opportunity of becoming a victim in the first place. Although we cannot predict when or if we will become victims of such crimes, protecting ourselves from a pickpocket or other thieves is not as difficult as we may think; just a few thoughtful precautions can be enough to give you peace of mind and confidence in going about your day.

The added measures by local law enforcement are welcome, and although they are reassuring, members of the community should feel free to approach the Police for any form of assistance, and to also provide vital information that would help prevent crime or lead to the arrest of criminals. We all need to watch out for the bad guys during this period, as we can be sure they are watching us. More importantly, we need to become “our brothers’ keepers” and remain vigilant of the threats that loom.

President David Granger surrounded by schoolchildren in Orealla, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) over the weekend

Setting the record straight on several important issues

Dear Editor, Comments made by Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan in East Canje earlier this month (circulated on YouTube), merit a response, for the simple reason that Ramjattan continues to expose the fact that he cannot be trusted, as he persists in peddling more untruths about various issues.

Ramjattan misleads when he insists that from 2005 to 2014, the European Union (EU) gave Guyana “every year” $20 million euros as support mechanisation and other undertakings in the sugar sector. Editor, the fact of this, Guyana received some G$34.8 billion from the EU. This fact was the subject of some debate in July 2017 when the coalition Government, in error (or by design to mislead), claimed that the EU gave Guyana $348 billion. The correct figure of $34.8 billion was given

by the EU last year.

Ramjattan misleads when he insists that US$200 million was spent on the Skeldon Factory. Editor, it was President David Granger’s address to the National Assembly, on January 10, 2018, which made clear that the cost of the Skeldon Factory was US$121 million. Editor, even the US$121 million (about GYD$24.2 billion) spent on the Skeldon Factory is less than the GYD$34.8 billion collected from the EU in budget support.

Ramjattan misleads when he insists that other factories were ignored.

Editor, the investments in the other sugar estates are clearly documented, as a matter of public record.

It is interesting that even as he rambles about what was NOT done to support the sugar sector under the People’s Progressive

Party/Civic (PPP/C) Administration, he acknowledges, albeit tangentially, that the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) coalition promised Guyanese that a new government would not close sugar.

Again, Ramjattan misleads about this promise, as he insists that the sector is not being closed, but is being “right sized” – the coalition Government’s new favourite phrase. Lastly, Editor, one alarming comment made in East Canje was Ramjattan’s confident declaration that the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) would rule in favour of the Basil Williams-led team, in the case of the presidential term-limit challenge.

I mention this because it comes on the heels of a boast

by Ramjattan to at least three PPP/C parliamentarians, at a recent meeting of

the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Constitutional Reform – where Ramjattan insisted that he has ‘inside’ information that the CCJ will rule in a particular way.

Editor, such disparaging comments about the CCJ can only be treated as more misleading comments.

Ramjattan has distinguished himself as the PNCled Government’s puppet, being used to address communities that are stronghold support areas of the PPP/C. Ramjattan uses sophistry in his attempt to make a case for the coalition Government. However, his ramblings are seen as false and the Guyanese people will not fall prey to lies.

Zulfikar Mustapha, PPP Executive Secretary PPP/C Parliamentarian

Caribbean Airlines’ hate for Guyanese citizens perpetuates

Dear Editor, I am appalled and disgusted by the atrocious ‘gutter treatment’ of Guyanese by the management of Caribbean Airlines.

This airline is pocketing billions of dollars from Guyanese and is laughing at us all the way to the bank while treating us like beggars and low-class people.

The appalling way they treat us clearly shows that they think we are lesser beings who do not deserve top-quality service.

On Friday, March 23, the management of Caribbean Airlines, also known as BeeWee, refused to allow business-class and economy-class passengers travelling on BW601 to step out of the plane during a stop in Trinidad, en route to Guyana. I was one of many Guyanese men and women, senior citizens, business people and others, who were forced to sit on the

plane for three long hours while the airline’s management ordered the plane to be cleaned at 3:00 am and simply did not care about keeping us disturbed and inconvenienced.

I was a business class passenger on that flight (not because I can afford it, but my children usually upgrade my ticket out of appreciation and affection). We were imprisoned there for three hours and the airline would not allow us to leave the plane to stretch our legs, use the lounge, or browse the duty-free shopping section.

I was told that Caribbean Airlines’ management was afraid that the three business-class passengers would want to eat the food if they let us off the plane to use the lounge. Let me inform them that Guyana is blessed with food, so they did not need to worry about us eating up whatever food they had there.

The trapped and frustrated Guyanese passengers could not even use the washrooms, because the airline ordered that the facilities must remain locked to be cleaned.

This would have been no problem if we were allowed off the plane, but since we were confined to the cabin, we had no choice but to restrain ourselves! Why couldn’t they allow the people travelling to Guyana off the plane rather than forcing us to wait on the plane in misery? Does the management of Caribbean Airlines think Guyanese are not worthy of basic humane treatment?

Caribbean Airlines decided to clean the plane at 3:00 am simply because that is what suited them. Their position was clear: To hell with the tired Guyanese on board!

If some had been travelling for several hours, so what?

They did not care that the Guyanese passengers could

not even rest or use the washroom while they waited for the cleaning to end.

Let me say that three hours on the plane under those circumstances are like three hours in hell. I say categorically that this is psychological pressure. I would actually classify it as terrorism against Guyanese people.

This is not an isolated incident; it happens all the time. Not long ago, Caribbean Airlines took a group of passengers off a plane in Trinidad and forced them to go through customs and immigration needlessly, then put them back on the very same plane to fly to Guyana! Get this: the passengers did not have to change planes. The airline hassled them to go through customs and immigration then put them back on the same plane again. This makes absolutely no sense. continues on page 5

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wednesDAY, march 28, 2018

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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

We have to be more cautious on our waterways Dear Editor, Even though I don't know the relatives of the late Latchman Benjie, my children and I would like to express our heartfelt sympathies to his family and relatives for their loss, which I am quite sure will leave such small children traumatized for a very long time.

Over the years, I have been travelling to many places in Guyana, and using the waterways was the main way of travelling; and based on my observation, I have concluded that citizens, on the whole, are very irresponsible with their lives, whilst they also endanger other people's lives. Most of them

are accustomed to one way of life, and even though it's dangerous, they prefer that way instead of adopting changes that would be safer for them and others.

With the change in Government, many rules that was there but were not being implemented were being reinforced, but those who directly would be affected have protested against this move.

Editor, the reason I say this is because most of my time at different locations, my attention would be drawn to the dangerous scenes around me, and I would always point them out; and many would ignore,

or they would defend these actions, saying that is what they accustomed to. At many places, public and private water transportation could be seen traversing the waterways at night without any lights on the boat. On the waterway, sometimes it's very dark and visibility is very poor, one cannot see upcoming traffic until its close. Many of these boats, owned by individuals for their personal use, would be laden with various items, and sometimes they are overloaded, making the boat sway in the water dangerously, especially when the water is rough.

What is more dangerous is

that sometimes they would have their families in the boat, and sometimes some might be small children, and not one life jacket could be seen in any of these boats that are being used for personal purposes. Go to Hubu Koker and see many families loading their boats or discharging their goods, and most of the boats are barely above the water. They prefer making one trip to save gas, risking lives instead of doing the right thing.

All over I went to is the same way everyone operates.

Sometimes you are lucky to see children as small as seven years old manoeuvring an

engine boat. While this is admirable, it's also dangerous, especially when the boat is laden. As is the case of Latchman Benjie, if he had on long boots, those should never have been on, because many people would tell you that is a dangerous move, especially if you have to go into water.

Editor, those responsible should ensure proper safety precautions are in place, and private boats should have life jackets, especially for children; lights on the boats for nights, and emergency life rings on it. There should be a limitation to weights on the boats, based on the boat size.

In order to save lives, we must ensure these rules are in place.

Even though it might be hard for them to regulate themselves, they should, because not every day an accident occurs or who have more experience and knows what he/ she is doing. Over the years, we've heard of many accidents on the waterways, and most of them are deadly compared to the roadways. That should tell us that the waterway have no sympathy; even though boats travel around 10-40 feet away from land, lives are still being lost.

Sahadeo Bates

We are taking too many risks (Part 2) Dear Editor, There are several key areas that need to be clearly addressed and ethically embraced to correct and prevent the further pursuing of a self-destructive path being taken by our government, whether they are from one of the major political parties or a new and upcoming one.

These are the following: 1. The clear reaffirmation and promotion of high moral standards and societal values such as Integrity, Respect, Top Quality, Loyalty to our Country and Unbiased Cooperation.

We are supposed to be the "Cooperative" Republic of Guyana and this, Comrades, is the basis upon which our local, regional and central governments have been structured. Some in our society dislike the word comrade, yet when it comes to the sharing of national wealth, there is an expectation of a socialist approach, that being an equality in the share of the riches.

We must take sharing with cooperation and this should be done with a spirit of camaraderie (that being defined as a spirit of friendship and community within a group). Our health-care system and education system are also rooted in this approach and as a result, even the less fortunate amongst us have benefited from the limited resources we have in our country. All of our presidents with one exception have been able to grow and develop from their youth as a result of our limited resources being available to the least amongst us.

2. Talent development of our limited human resources

and their utilisation regardless of political affiliation – once the first criteria is met (that being Integrity, Respect, Top Quality, Loyalty to our Country and Unbiased Cooperation)— continues to need to be a top priority to be both pursued and embraced within all levels of society and within our ministries and key institutions.

3. Being content with the good in the life we have and preventing greed for riches that destroy the environment and the sustainability of our land must be paramount and clearly evident in how decisions are being made throughout the various levels of Government. Repeating the bad habits of those from the past is not in the spirit of continual improvement and should not be the expectation of a growing nation.

At the time of independence, Guyana was in its infancy, we should have learnt to correct those mistakes over the years.

As the Guyanese saying goes "better late than never". This is the spirit in which we must approach our daily undertakings and decision making when looking towards the future and our sustainable development. So, my friends, it is never too late to have a serious discussion with our business partners and suppliers concerning opportunities to improve. Without our land being healthy, it will become more expensive and difficult to maintain personal good health and without good health, there are limited opportunities to add to the good in the life we have. The USA is an example of this, where the cost of health care dominates their budget, which

Caribbean Airlines’ hate for...

Is this airline’s management incompetent, foolish, or mad?

Let me make it clear that my concerns are with the MANAGEMENT of Caribbean Airlines, not the staff. The airline’s staff members are actually very professional, polite and helpful, from the time I embarked at JFK Airport to the time of disembarkation in Guyana. The pilots, hosts, hostesses and everyone else are good people who, during our three hours of hell, even tried without success to make representation to the airline’s management for us to be allowed to disembark from the

plane. I believe that were it not for the staff, Caribbean Airlines would have been out of business by now.

Furthermore, I also hold our Guyana Government officials partially responsible. I heard that Caribbean Airlines is more flexible with persons classified as “high-ranking officials” and would have allowed such dignitaries off the plane in similar circumstances. Our Government officials know this and they must not accept special and preferential treatment knowing that ordinary Guyanese have to endure being treated with utter contempt. Our Government of-

they continue to struggle to correct. We as a nation are at a major decision point in our history and have an opportunity to chart a different path for our future. Do not let fool’s gold and foolish decisions take us down the wrong road.

4. Low risk and high reward in our pursuits as a nation is the mantra of a smart and intelligent nation.

In Guyana, we love to embrace what we call "Common Sense". Now is not the time to neglect this important part of our culture. We have limited resources and we must make the most of the actions we undertake while still keeping an eye on what is best for future generations to come. There is no need to aggressively spend on projects that we cannot afford to maintain over the long term and we should not implement projects that could cost us the long-term viability of our land and people. Our actions should also not put at risk our National, Caribbean and South American communities.

We as a nation as a result of poor decisions of the past have learnt the hard way how to make the most of a little and have developed a love for agriculture and the way of life of the tropics. There is an opportunity to help key places such as the USA in their endeavours to pursue a healthier life, and we must not turn a blind eye to this opportunity. We know how to take it easy and enjoy the good in the life we already have.

Good sunshine; stable and good weather; good food as shared and sold by so many; good human interaction; especially in social settings and

sports; and most of all, good loving as would be expected in a Caribbean culture. That, my friends, is a great start of an already good life, and over the years, our communities, both local and international, have embraced us and helped us stand strong on our feet. It would be irresponsible for us to undertake selfish acts as a nation that could lead to the detriment of the larger group.

We must show strength of character in our strategic approach to sustainable and green growth. Our population size relative to our resources is adequate enough to add in a responsible way the improved standard of living that is being pursued. Hence, the call for added focus on debt reduction and the utilisation of wind and solar energy, as our primary energy sources. This is very achievable with what has been developed thus far in the oil industry and now is the time to say we have enough to responsibly accomplish our long-term goals.

Now, everyone wants to make enough money to go out and have a good time while also taking care of their family or families. This doesn't mean that the next guy has to suffer for this to happen.

Whether the next guy is a fisherman, cane-cutter or the man up the road who is trying to take care of his own village. We do not have to take his living away to make ours happen. There is enough good land and a multitude of markets that we can support to make a good clean and honest living without putting everybody's house at risk.

We know a bad deal and

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ficials must use their authority to insist that Caribbean Airlines treats ordinary Guyanese with due courtesy and respect.

Why doesn’t Guyana have its own airline? I marvel that many smaller countries, some that are known to be virtually bankrupt, like Suriname, have their own airline. Little islands have airlines. What is wrong with us? We once had a famous and competent airline called Guyana Airways.

Why can’t we have our own again? If we had our own airline, Caribbean Airlines could not take advantage of us. And what hurts most of all is that

Caribbean Airlines is cushioned by Guyanese money.

The Guyana route is one of the most profitable of all the routes the airline operates.

In fact, I believe Guyanese travellers’ money is keeping Caribbean Airlines afloat.

To the management of Caribbean Airlines I say: stop treating Guyanese like second-class citizens. We are your valued customers; you get good money from us. Treat us with dignity and respect.

We will not keep quiet until you do.

Sincerely, Roshan Khan Sr

a crook when we see one and there is no reason to encourage such bad behaviour and detrimental actions just to make another dollar. Being honest to one's self is very important, and there is no reason for us to continue drilling new wells if we can't understand what is currently going on with the current costs being presented and the costs being avoided in the agreement. This is not supposed to be a cat-and-mouse game when you have "GOOD" business partners and suppliers. However, it is prudent to "trust but verify". Stop spending what the nation does not have and check closely for what the problem is and might be, because if a lot of wells continue to be drilled, there is increased opportunity to hide artificial costs and "rip us all off". Remember, there are instances where less is more. Many people are taking their personal time, free of charge, to show clearly that there is a problem.

Stop, and go and check what is really going on is all that is being asked. There was a lot of research done to show

everyone that we are dealing with an industry, where the players like to take the upper hand and it's not always done honestly. There is no reason to be naive. We are all from Guyana and common sense should tell us that this is what you do in such a situation. If there are continued requests to close our eyes to this important matter, people will start to question if there is corruption. Be honest about it, so the level of integrity of those involved is not further questioned. This is Guyana and people are not stupid, even though some may appear to want them to be. Spending more time in our people's reality is a great way to better understand how annoyed people are getting with the perceived incompetence and bribery.

When people are frustrated with the corruption and incompetence, they look elsewhere for guidance. At the end of the day, this is why different parties get an opportunity to govern and lead.

Best regards, Jamil Changlee

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Stressed about pregnancy? Don’t be! …new research shows how prenatal stress shapes children’s health and development

By Alyssa Morris

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fter all the buzz about Kylie Jenner’s secretive pregnancy, Kylie explained that she kept it under wraps because she knew her “baby would feel every stress and emotion.” She wanted to keep herself positive and stress free during the pregnancy. Whether or not you’re a fan of the Kardashian clan, it looks like Kylie may have been on to something. As it turns out, a mom’s stress during pregnancy can have lasting effects on her growing baby.

Not only are a mom’s stress levels during pregnancy related to birth outcomes, but pregnancy stress has also been linked to developmental challenges that may extend throughout childhood and adolescence.

Before I talk about all the bad things that can happen when expectant mothers are stressed, let me ease your worries by letting you know that – spoiler alert – many types of stress are manageable. So, for those of you expectant mothers reading this article, don’t get too stressed about stress. We’ll talk about what you can do to keep your stress levels down. And for those of you expectant dads/partners with us, stay tuned; you play an important role too.

Most susceptible found out that you’re going to be a parent. You feel a wave of excitement, then, a wave of fear. How am I going to manage work and a newborn? How much does it cost to raise a child? Am I going to be a good parent? And, for those of you expectant mothers who are as coffee dependent as I am: How the heck am I going to reduce my coffee intake for the next nine months and still be functional?

All of these thoughts just sparked your stress response and your body begins to

pump out a stress hormone called cortisol.

In expectant mothers, this hormone is shared with her baby through the placenta. And while high levels of cortisol can negatively affect all of us, a growing foetus is especially vulnerable. While the foetus’ body systems are developing, they are at their most susceptible to changes in the environment. Worries about coffee and parenting probably won’t generate enough of a stress response to affect the baby. In fact, pregnant women typically show lower physiological responses to stress, probably as

nature’s way of protecting the foetus. But exposure to high levels of cortisol from severe, chronic stress can throw the baby’s developing stress system out of whack, ultimately changing their sensitivity to stress.

A study that explored the outcomes of children born to mothers pregnant during the September 11th terrorist attacks highlights the impact of stress during pregnancy. Women who were pregnant during this event, and had developed post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), had infants whose cortisol levels were altered during the first year of life as compared with those who did not develop PTSD after the attacks. This indicates that women who experienced the most extreme stress during pregnancy had offspring with biologically altered stress

reactivity. However, mothers who were able to manage their stress levels during this horrific event gave birth to infants who did not show altered stress reactivity patterns.

Differences in infants born to stressed moms extend past changes at the hormonal level and can be seen as early as the first day of life. These babies tend to be born at lower birthweights, and unlike those of us looking to drop a few pounds, this isn’t a good thing for baby.

Low birthweight has been linked to increased health risks later in life.

Likewise, they are more likely to have a smaller h e a d

circumference, indicting poorer brain growth. As these children grow, concerns persist. A group of researchers at Radboud University’s Behavioural Science Institute in the Netherlands recently published a comprehensive review on how exposure to high levels of stress in the womb affects development. They found that within the first year of life, babies exposed to stress in utero tend to be fussier, have more difficult temperaments, and be worse sleepers. In childhood, these kiddos have more self-regulation problems and are more frequently diagnosed with ADHD. Moreover, researchers who study the effects of in utero stress have found issues with motor development time and time again. But that’s only scratching the surface. Although we don’t have a lot of information on the associated challenges in adulthood, researchers are beginning to find links between maternal stress in pregnancy and depression in young adults. (Excerpt from psychologytoday.com)

Easy Easter crafts for kids I

f dying Easter Eggs sounds like nothing but a big mess to you, here’s an alternative option for an easy Easter craft that is just as much fun but will last for years to come. After baking the salt dough these eggs are ready to be painted on and hung for display. The Design Mom used spray paint for the base coat of the eggs, and once the paint is dried you can give the kids paint pens and let them design their very own Easter crafts!

Crafty Morning’s adorable popsicle stick chicks are an easy Easter craft to do with your children.

If your kids are old enough they can cut out the feet, beak, and wings themselves.

Otherwise, cut them out beforehand for the younger kids and enjoy this craft for all ages!

To make this cute Easter craft from Pinkie for Pink all you have to do is paint one of your child’s hands (except for the thumb) white and press it against a piece of paper. When the white paint is dry, simply add on the face accents to complete your Easter Bunny.

If you’re having guests over for Easter, this craft is perfect to do with your kids. This Q-Tip lamb from One Little Project is the perfect placeholder or table accent this Easter.

You’ll be sure to get compliments on how sweet these lambs are, but be sure to make extra time for these, as they are more time consuming than some other Easter crafts. (Excerpt from parenting.com)

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wednesDAY, march 28, 2018 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

“We have the skills right here” – Minister Roopnaraine says “fit and able” to Gaskin tells Innov8 Business Summit

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embers of the local business community were urged to utilize the skills of Guyanese entrepreneurs who offer technology and other related services, as the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GTT) Innov8 Business Forum was opened at the Marriott Hotel, Georgetown on Monday.

The appeal was made by Public Telecommunications Minister, Catherine Hughes who delivered an address at the forum, explaining that some people tend to seek services elsewhere when there are many small and large businesses that offers the same standard and quality of services being offered overseas.

“Sometimes in Guyana we think that all the brains

are somewhere in the diaspora or somewhere else in the world, and we have amazing people doing amazing things right here. And I hope in time, the private sector will be taking advantage of the skills that they have here to ensure that they take their businesses to the next level,” she stated.

While listing several of these businesses, the Minister noted that before greater focus and emphasis was placed on technology by the Central Government, Guyana did had a number of startups and groups of young people who, according to her, were quietly creating apps, winning awards and fellowships.

However, she claimed that before 2015 there was not a national platform

A GTT representative attending to a participant at the Innov8 Business summit

Public Telecommunications Minister Catherine Hughes

for these talents to be nurtured and supported, nor a functioning Information Communication Technology (ICT) sector. “And I am happy that we are providing that now to ensure that there is continued growth in this sector,” she added.

The Minister commended GTT for their initiative in moving Guyana further along what she described as the ‘technological highway’. “Secondly that GTT is a true partner with the Government of Guyana ploughing ahead with similar goals and pathways towards a fully digitised nation,” she stated.

Since the establishment of the Public Telecommunications Ministry in 2016, Hughes

said they have made some tangible achievements. She also committed to creating an enabling environment with modern legislation for e-commerce and e-payments and ICT-enabled education in agriculture, manufacturing and several other areas.

Meanwhile, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of GTT, Justin Nedd said the company’s vision is to create a country that is not only connected but one where citizens can think critically and creatively.

The GTT CEO said, “Ambition without action, is a waste of cerebral capacity.

He said his company is taking bold steps, such as the fibre to homes project, which started in the third quarter of 2017 that recorded resounding success within six months.

The ‘Innov8 Technology Summit’- the first and largest of its kind in Guyanawas hosted by GTT. The project, which is being held in collaboration with STEM Guyana (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), has seen a contribution of $18M into the Innov8 Fund by GTT, in order to boost its continued work of training youths in coding and robotics.

The Business Forum featured major international speakers from Microsoft, Google and other industry trail blazers.

function as Minister …as concerns raised over ailing health, poor performance

Public Service Minister, Dr Rupert Roopnaraine

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mid concerns over the health condition of Public Service Minister, Dr Rupert Roopnaraine and whether he can effectively carry out his function as a Government Minister, the man himself has come out to defend the state of his health, explaining that he is in good shape to continue on the job.

Dr Roopnaraine’s statement comes in light of a recent letter written by Rohit Kanhai; a member of the overseas chapter of the Working People’s Alliance (WPA) and published in Guyana Times.

Kanhai claimed Roopnaraine’s health is a cause for concern as well as the recent political issues that has been brought to the fore.

The Minister who happens to be the leader of the WPA told sections of the media that while he does have some health related issues, it has never made him incapable of carrying out his daily functions as a Minister of Government, and he has no difficulty performing his duties.

He said, “I don’t believe my health affects anything.

Yes, I had some issues and was hospitalised for a few days but those issues have been fully dealt with and I am fully capable of fulfilling all duties.”

Kanhai had said in his letter, “…Dr Roopnaraine’s health, which has dramatically complicated these matters. The volatile mix of political and health issues has led to an intolerable situation in which one cannot be discerned from the other. It is now obvious that Dr Roopnaraine’s health issues are being manipulated for political purposes. While there is a genuine concern by the President for the welfare of Dr Roopnaraine, it obscures the fact that it has also allowed for the manipulation of Roopnaraine to the disadvantage of the WPA. This state of affairs has now reached a breaking point.”

Turn to page 9

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wednesDAY, march 28, 2018 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Seawall shooting

Police say “eyewitness” interview did not take place

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he self-proclaimed eyewitness to the Kingston seawall killings of three suspected bandits – who according to Police was scheduled for an interview with a Senior Detective in the presence of his Attorney, Nigel Hughes, today (Tuesday) did not turn up.

According to the Guyana Police Force’s Public Relations Department, “Mr Lyte’s Attorney-at-Law when contacted in relation to another matter informed the detective that his client needed another 24 hours. As his client has some issues to sort out.”

The Police had said Lyte went to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) on Monday around 16:45h and in the presence of his Attorney submitted “a copy of the statement, which he issued earlier to the Crime Chief, Assistant Commissioner of Police Paul

Williams.”

Lyte during a press conference held at his Attorney’s office on Monday, read from the prepared statement where he claimed that on the day Dextroy Cordis, also known as “Dutty”, of Grove, East Bank Demerara; Kwame Assanah, of Buxton, East Coast Demerara; and Errol Adams, also known as “Dynamite” were fatally shot, he was working on the roof of the Guyana Softball Association on Carifesta Avenue and would have witnessed the incident, which based on his account is vastly different from the statement issued by the Police.

Hughes recapping what Lyte said, among other things, posited that “there were two vehicles, the black vehicle which had the now three deceased in the front which was being followed by the silver [Police] vehicle, he

[eyewitness] hears banging looked West saw the road was blocked off by the Police, those two vehicles were driving East along the Seawall road, gunfire erupted… the car in front stopped, the driver of the silver car got out walked to him, put him [Assanah] on the ground, was actually assaulting him on the ground and then after that there was gunfire…at the time the gunfire erupted he (officer) was physically standing over the guy who was on the ground.”

“In fact, the driver of the black car was on the ground being physically assaulted for more than 10 minutes before the gunfire erupted and three occupants, as you all know, were all dead…there was no motorcycle which disappeared with any pillion rider or any mysterious rider,” Hughes told media operatives. According to Hughes, the facts presented by Lyte

seem to suggest that this was an execution.

Additionally, the purported eyewitness related that the roads leading to the seawalls were blocked to vehicular traffic prior to the alleged shootout.

However, Lyte said while he witnessed the event, he could not state whether shots were fired at the Police, nor if the three suspects were armed.

Hours after the shooting to death of the three men, the Police in a statement related that the men were followed by an unmarked Police vehicle after they were seen trailing a customer who had left Scotia Bank on Robb Street, Georgetown.

The Police claimed that in the vicinity of the seawalls, the men in the black Toyota car opened fire on them and in retaliation; they returned fire fatally wounding them.

American Airlines to begin flights to Guyana on December 20 ...good for business, tourism – Minister Gaskin

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merican Airlines has announced it will begin serving the Guyana market on December 20, 2018, as it seeks to expand its presence in the Caribbean and the Latin America region.

In his initial reaction to the news, Guyana’s Business Minister Dominic Gaskin was quoted by the Department of Public Information (DPI) as saying: “I am elated. This is good for tourism, good for business and good for Guyana. Only last week LIAT announced direct flights to [Port of Spain] POS from ECIA (Ogle) so this will give Guyanese and visitors to Guyana two additional travel options in this year alone.”

New Routes: Route

Aircraft

On Sale

Flights Begin

LAX-EZE

Boeing 787-9

April 2

December 19

DFW-OAX

Embraer E175

April 2

December 19

MIA-GEO

Airbus A319

April 2

December 20

MIA-PEI

Airbus A319

April 17

December 20

Boeing 767-300

May 7

April 2, 2019

MIA-COR

All routes are subject to Government approval According to Globe Newswire, American Airlines has a rich and robust history serving Mexico, the Caribbean and Latin America (MCLA). And American is continuing to grow its presence in the region with the addition of four new destinations. Next winter, customers looking for history, culture

and warm climate will have access to three new cities in South America: Georgetown, Guyana (GEO); Pereira, Colombia (PEI) and Cordoba, Argentina (COR); and one new city in Mexico: Oaxaca (OAX).

American is also introducing service to Buenos Aires, Argentina (EZE), from its West

coast hub at the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), making American the first and only airline to offer nonstop service between these two major cities. “We’re creating a world-class customer experience and as the largest US carrier in Mexico and South America, we are committed to offering more choices with the best schedules for our customers in the region,” said Vasu Raja, Vice President, Network and Schedule Planning.

“As we look to strengthen our network, we’re excited to add more nonstop flights to places like Buenos Aires, maximising connections across our network.”

The new routes will be available for sale starting in April.

Tawdry…

J

…conduct for a big man ust when your Eyewitness thought Trump couldn’t surprise us any longer, up comes the testimony on 60 minutes of “Stormy Daniels” about their affair! Now, the claim’s been circulating for the longest while but this was, well…60 MINUTES!! This was the premier investigative journalism putting THEIR reputation on the line to have the one-time porn star tell her story directly!!

Well, they certainly grabbed the attention of a lot of folks since it garnered their largest audience in decades!!

While quite a chunk of that crowd probably wanted to be titillated (no pun intended!) by the buxom blonde, it was most likely the same demographic who voted for Trump and wanted to revel in the “macho” exploits of their leader.

Let’s face it folks – none of these salacious revelations are going to hurt Trump at that sensitive spot – the ballot box! As we say in Guyana, all the Stormy episode proves is “Trump a maan!!” If, after we had Trump caught on tape boasting how he grabs the “p*ssy’ of random young attractive women, the Christian evangelical movement of the States could reaffirm their support for him, what else could make them shift?

The revelation that most of Trump’s latest sexual encounters of the weird kind had him sublimating his sexual desires for his daughter?? Naaah! Among the southern, red neck, gun-toting yahoos who follow him, they don’t even BOTHER with any sublimation!! It’s all in the family!! But seriously folks, Trump’s behaviour has done wonders for a democratic world order. Look at it this way…do you think world leaders can take whatever Trump says seriously after all his low-class escapades? Kim Jong Un??

But it’s not just Trump, is it folks?? He’s simply the object through which the new America is channelling its angst. Ever since WWI ended and Britain passed its worldstraddling hegemony over to the US, they could now tutor us on what was “civilised” and what was not – just as England had done for centuries. But apart from their big guns and big bombs, the Europeans always insisted they were crude, gum-chewing hicks.

But your Eyewitness thinks it was just sour grapes and Trump’s crudity and its approval by the majority of Americans is merely a symptom of a changing world order in which the US just won’t be as all powerful as they had been for the last half-a-century. Change is never easy… especially when the change is seen as a “come down”.

So, dear reader, let’s not be too harsh on Trump – he’s just a sign of the (US) times. We have a whole lot of relatives over there now.

And you’d be surprised how many support Trump!!

…and not cricket As your Eyewitness suggested, maybe Trump has a (structural) excuse for his low-class behaviour. But what’s the excuse of Steve Smith?? Here’s a young man who was being mentioned in the same sentence as Sir Don Bradman…and he condones and even encourages ball tampering?? What the heck’s going on? While the Europeans might’ve suggested the Americans were rough around the edges, having been tutored longer, we in the Empire assumed we knew better.

And nothing proved our credentials than cricket!!

Which, for the record, the Aussies played at the highest levels long before us, because they were “white”. It was said by the Duke of Wellington that the Battle of Waterloo (the Brits against the Europe-straddling Napoleon) was won on the playing fields of Eton. Meaning it was the discipline and traditions passed on in that quintessentially upper-class game of cricket that held the line.

But sadly, Smith is also a symptom of a wider malaise in Aussies. They never understood CLR James’ dictum: “What do they know of cricket who only cricket know?” …and retrograde So while we’re arguing about the relevance of Creolese, French is being promoted? What use will this be to us.

With China’s ascendancy, shouldn’t we be brushing up our Mandarin?

Since 1853, it’s part of our culture!!

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

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wednesDAY, march 28, 2018 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Guyana acquires new state-of-the-art $19.4M machine to improve blood transfusion service W

ith the aim of boosting the service capacity at the National Blood Transfusion Service (NBTS) Centre, the Public Health Ministry on Tuesday commissioned a Trima AccelAutomated Blood Collection System, known as Apheresis Machine.

This is a device which receives blood removed from a patient or donor’s body and separates it into its various components: plasma, platelets, white blood cells and red blood cells.

The Apheresis Machine, which is the first of its kind in Guyana, is expected to improve the efficiency of emergency blood transfusions by providing specific components. It was acquired at the cost of US$94,000 ($19.4 million)

from ISLA LAB, a Puerto Rican-based laboratory.

The commissioning of the machine was done by Public Health Ministers Volda Lawrence and Dr Karen Cummings at the Blood Transfusion Services located in the GPHC compound.

Explaining how the machine works, Director of the NBTS, Dr Pedro Lewis, noted that patients are usually in needs of a blood component known as platelets but they are unable to obtain the required amount from the current process being used.

Lewis outlined that with the current process they cannot raise the amount of platelets obtained from one donor and as such, four donations of blood are needed in order to the meet the

One of trainers explaining the use of the US$19.4M Apheresis Machine

platelet count of an adult.

However, he noted that with Apheresis Machine, the blood bank will now be able to break down the do-

Roopnaraine says “fit and...

In July 2017, the Minister had tendered his resignation with Government citing health reasons. His resignation came one month after he was removed as the substantive minister of the Education Ministry and placed as head of the newly created Public Service Department under the Ministry of the Presidency.

However, after a meeting with President David

Granger, the WPA leader withdrew his resignation and agreed to take up the post as Minister to head a department within the Ministry headed by Joseph Harmon.

With close to one year in that position, there has been little said or done by that specific department.

However, Dr Roopnaraine said he is still trying to get his feet wet and plans to

From page 7

hold meetings with all senior members within various departments that fall directly under the Public Service Department. He promised to provide a report that will speak to the accomplishments made since his take over.

Dr Roopnarine who has been relatively quiet ever since being demoted also commented on the ongoing broil between WPA and

nation from one person, producing four to six times the number of platelets that would usually be obtained from one donor’s blood.

This, he noted, will be a much more efficient option rather than having to go to the relatives of patients, who are in need of blood,

People’s National Congress (PNC) members. He told sections of the media that the concerns raised by his own colleagues, Tacuma Ogunseye and Dr David Hinds – that the WPA has little to no influence in the coalition – does not warrant a withdrawal from the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU).

He did however acknowledge the need for a meeting with WPA executives to “seriously discuss” the issue of Dr Hinds and Lincoln Lewis

being removed as columnists with the State-owned Guyana Chronicle and other important matters of concerns, particularly as it relates to the WPA’s role in the coalition.

“The issue I believe is that the leadership of the APNU of which the WPA is a part has not met recently. I don’t think the party has been disrespected. I believe this issue is best laid at the leadership of APNU; it is definitely something to be addressed,” the WPA ex-

which can be time consuming.

“So it’s easier (using the Apheresis Machine) because if a doctor orders eight platelets, you could get it from one donor,” Dr Lewis explained.

In order to ensure that staffers at the NBTS get optimum use of the machine, they are being trained by professionals from Puerto Rico. In fact, one of trainers, Lizmariel Vega, who is a Product Specialist, added that the blood transfusion process using the Apheresis Machine is not significantly faster but will also be safe for both patients and donors.

The Apheresis Machine has a lifespan of five years and will be serviced every six months by the makers.

plained.

There have been growing concerns that the People’s National Congress continues to show disregard and disdain for the spirit and letter of agreements it signed with key coalition partners, with Dr Hinds stating that the PNC must recogniSe that it cannot win a free and fair election on its own at this juncture in Guyana’s history, as its core support group is no longer emotionally attached to the party.

10 NEWS

wednesDAY, march 28, 2018 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

GPL suffered 25 system shutdowns in 2017 – PUC hears …tells PUC only 27 power outages recorded last year despite countless load shedding, blackouts experienced by customers

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s the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) company continues to be plagued by power outages and other systemic shutdowns, the State body on Tuesday announced it will be introducing some 80,000 smart meters to improve voltage regulation.

The disclosure was made at a GPL hearing before the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) at Cara Lodge, Georgetown.

The announcement however came against the backdrop of Technical Deputy Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Elwyn Marshall announcing that

there were 25 outages in 2017; a number that would be placed at odds to that of many GPL customers who continue to decry the service that is offered by the power company.

In fact, customers have been experiencing almost daily power outages which for 2017 alone could rank in the thousands.

With the expanding housing sector, the demand for power

across vast locations is increasing and with the nation’s power grid being strained, GPL disclosed a host of measures it said will reduce voltage irregularities which not only damage its feeder system but consumers’ appliances as well.

“Our performance in 2017 did not meet the target set; it was not as good as we did in 2016,” Marshall admitted.

He told the PUC that during last year, there were “premature defects” on three of the company’s 6.9 Megawatt generators at the Kingston plant. The Deputy CEO added that the generators are over 10 years old and noted that planned maintenance had to be done on the Wärtsillä generators.

GPL explained that over the next three years, it will roll out about 80,000 smart meters which will have radio transmitting capacity to send out data. Marshall told Commissioners that the meters fall under the Power Utility Upgrade Programme (PUUP) which is aimed at providing a higher quality of service to its consumers. However, following sustained widespread complaints over the said service the power company provides, Commissioners queried how the voltage regulation system will be monitored. The power company’s CEO, Albert Gordon defended the plan, saying it seeks to combat issues with the network, noting that system is unstable. “We are putting these smart meters [which] will be able to detect the low voltage before the customer realises it because some of these meters will be closer to the end of the line which is where the lowest voltage would be experienced as it drops from the sub-station,” Gordon explained.

The Chief Executive Officer added that the smart meters will allow GPL to better monitor its feeder system each of which is supposed to have only 4000 costumers. The contract for the execution of power upgrade programme was awarded to China National Machinery Import and Export Corporation/China Synergy Electric Engineering Company (CMC/CSEEC).

The local subcontractor is Ramoutar and Sons Contracting. It was only weeks ago that the Government was strongly criticised for the frequent episodes of power outage

Abusing power and Bunjal Duck

S

atiricus was feeling quite chipper! And why not? With two holidays coming up – Good Friday and Easter Monday – making it that most valued US “four day weekend” what could be better? He and the fellas had honed their plans for the holidays to a science over the years. As he entered the Back Street Bar, he thought about his usual job to provide the “Bunjal Duck” and how duck prices were skyrocketing at this time of the year as usual.

“Hey Sato!!” exclaimed Hari, as he spied Satiticus. “Why so glum, chum?”

“Nothing really. I was just thinking about preparing my special Bunjal Duck,” Satiricus explained. “And how prices are jumping up!”

“Budday, w’ateva yuh do, na cut back!” exclaimed Cappo, as he passed a beer to Satiricus. “Las’ year abee run out, rememba?”

“Abee na run out!” retorted his pal Bungi. “You run the Bunjal Duck out!!”

“OK fellas, I’ll take care of things,” assured Satiricus. “So what’s new?”

“Nothing new,” Hari assured him. “Your leader Nagga Man up to his old tricks all the way from the States!”

“I thought we’re going to finalise our Easter plans,” said Satiricus in alarm.

“Well…ah you aks wha’ new!” chuckled Cappo.

“Suh wha’ Nagga Man do dis time,” asked Bungi, as he turned away from the worried Satiricus to face Hari.

“Mouth open and story jump out,” reported Hari. “The WAPA fella said on TV it was Nagga Man shill who carry news on the Chronic Editor!”

“So it wasn’t Nagga Man himself who did the dirty,” exclaimed Satiricus in relief. “Just the water boy!!”

“Sato, na t’ink abee schupid!” said Cappo a bit exasperatedly. “De wata bai jus’ carry de news.”

“It was a senior Minister who instructed the poor editor,” said Hari. “And you know the water boy can’t order a senior Minister.

“Gat to be Nagga Man!” said Bungi. “Rememba how ‘e seh somebody sen’ Joey tape?”

“Da can only be Wata Bai!” exclaimed Cappo. “’E mussee complain to Nagga Man about dem WAPA bais de same time!!”

“Can we get back to the Bunjal Duck fellas? said Satiricus desperately. “I’ll prepare double this year!!” across Guyana by Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo who noted that many Guyanese are forced to endure the constant power outages daily, despite Government saving more money from fuel than ever before.

According to the Opposition Leader, there has been a manifest lack of short- and longterm solutions to address the Guyana Power and Light’s (GPL) inefficiencies.

He noted Government has been profiting from billions, since it has not adjusted the electricity rates downwards, considering the low oil price.

He stated that the coalition Government killed the Amaila

Falls Hydro Power (AFHP) project while promising wind power. Expressing fears of a rapid deterioration in power supply, which will harm both individuals and businesses, Jagdeo questioned both the transparency and the effectiveness of the strategies the Government has so far pursued.

In a bid to revamp its operations, GPL in February appointed Albert Gordon, a Jamaican, as its new CEO, replacing the former GPL acting CEO, Renford Homer. Meanwhile, some sections of West Bank Demerara experienced some 12 hours of blackout between Tuesday and Wednesday.

NEWS

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wednesDAY, march 28, 2018 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Thousands to sit NGSA today, tomorrow prehension and application.

There was a 46.5 per cent

Some students writing mock exams last year in preparation for today’s National Grade Six Assessment

T

housands of students across the length and breadth of Guyana will sit the first of the twoday National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) examinations today.

Education Minister Nicolette Henry will this morning visit three public schools in Georgetown; namely Rama Krishna Primary School, North Georgetown Primary School and St Margaret’s Primary School. The NGSA is a placement examination offered at the end of the primary education cycle to determine which secondary school students will be allotted.

According to the Ministry, the overall performance is calculated by adding five per cent of each candidate’s Grade Two scores in Mathematics and English, and 10 per cent of the Grade Four score in the same subjects. This was then added to a further 85 per cent of each candidate’s score in those subjects at the Grade Six Assessment. The combined scores in Mathematics and English were then added to the scores gained in Science and Social Studies.

On April 12 and 13, 2017, about 13,657 students from across Guyana wrote the National Grade Six Assessment. During the

two-day examination period, the students were assessed in four subject areas: English Language, Mathematics, Science and Social Studies – two on each day. Each subject consists of two papers – Paper Two was the first paper written and consisted of essay-type questions while Paper One consisted of multiple choice questions.

However, prior to this, the students had to write the National Grades Two and Four Assessments back in 2012 and 2014 respectively. A percentage of the marks from all three assessments will be calculated to determine the overall performance of each student.

After the examinations conclude tomorrow, students for the next few months will be anticipating where they will be placed when the results are released by the Education Ministry.

Over the past three years, the trend of Maths performance was 37.49 per cent pass rate in 2015, 13.85 in 2016 and 45.6 per cent in 2017. Last year, the students were tested in this subject based on their knowledge, algorithmic thinking and reasoning. In 2015, English recorded 45.88 per cent, 41.62 per cent the following year and in 2017, 54.1 per cent pass

“Pepsi” wanted for elderly couple’s murder

T

he Guyana Police Force has issued a wanted bulletin Gavin Shepherd, also known as “Pepsi”, of Krishna Street, Tuschen New Housing Scheme, East Bank Essequibo, in relation to the murder of an elderly couple on April 4, 2016, at Good Hope, East Bank Essequibo.

The man is wanted by the Police for questioning in relation to the murders committed on Mohamed and Jamila Munir.

Anyone with information leading to the arrest of Gavin Shepherd is asked to contact the Guyana Police Force on telephone numbers 226-4585, 225-2700, 2250593, 225-6411, 229-2750, 229-2019, 268-2222, 2682328, 268-2329, 911 or the nearest Police station.

All information will be strictly confidential, the

Police said.

According to reports on April 17, 2016, Mohamed Munir, 75; and his wife, Jamilla Munir, 70, who were popular rice farmers, were burned to death in their home, allegedly by bandits who invaded the premises.

According to residents at the time, the couple was trapped in their bedroom when gunmen set the building alight.

In December 2016, four men – Sanjay George, called “Coolie Boy”; Jason Howard, called “Smelly”; Joel Blair, called “Joey”; and Shabadeen Mohammed, called “Milo”, were remanded to prison for the murders.

At that time, it was reported that the men confessed to the crime and implicated Gavin “Pepsi” Shepherd in the murder.

rate of students gaining more than 50 per cent. “This is the first time in many years that we were able to get over 50 per cent passes in a subject area and that is absolutely phenomenal,” Minister Henry had stated.

The figures for Science were 44.12 in 2015, 27.55 in 2016 and 46.3 per cent this year.

In this subject, they were tested for knowledge, com-

pass rate recorded in 2015 for Social Studies, 46.1 per

cent in 2016 and 47.6 per cent in 2017.

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wednesDAY, march 28, 2018 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Lindo Creek CoI

Hicken recounts Christmas Falls gun battle with “Fine Man” cal team travelled on foot so as to not give away their position. Hicken recalled that they finally came upon a compound with several seemingly abandoned and incomplete buildings. It was as they took up their positions in the surrounding ‘bush’ that they saw they were not alone.

“I observed first there was a mattress on the ground (of one of the buildings),” Hicken explained.

“There was a thin-boned

A map showing the distance between Christmas Falls and Lindo Creek (Photo by Travis Chase)

By Jarryl Bryan

T

he Lindo Creek Commission of Inquiry (CoI) continued on Tuesday, with Assistant Police Commissioner Clifton Hicken recounting the harrowing details of a 2008 shootout with the “Fine Man” gang in the vicinity of Christmas falls, prior to the discovery of the massacred miners.

Back then, Hicken was temporarily stationed at the Kwakwani Police Station in Region 10 (Upper DemeraraBerbice) as the deputy Head of the Tactical Special

Unit (TSU). Now Assistant Commissioner of Operations at the Force’s Eve Leary office, Hicken related that he was approached on June 5, 2008 to assist in coordinating an operation in the area.

According to Hicken, then Crime Chief Senior Superintendent Seelall Persaud picked him up in a three-car convoy and they travelled to Christmas Falls, where the group could hear continuous gunshots on the other side of the Upper Berbice River.

They were subsequently ferried over the river and on the other side, the tacti-

Rastafarian male with a white brief or trunks.”

“There was another one in a hammock, with a green pants and a grey jersey. Just five to six feet from where we were, there was another man with a brown pants and a camouflage jersey.”

The final man, he pointed out, appeared to be carrying out farming activities. He recalled that while Police carried out their reconnaissance, the men suddenly gave signals to each

“I observed first there was a mattress on the ground. There was a thin-boned Rastafarian (man with) bulging eyes, resembling the bulletin that was put out on Rondell “Fine Man” Rawlins. On the second flat, we had a thin Rastafarian male with a white brief or trunks. There was another one in a hammock, with a green pants and a grey jersey. Just five to six feet from where we were, there was another man with a brown pants and a camouflage jersey.”

Rastafarian, bulging eyes, resembling the bulletin that was put out on Rondell “Fine Man” Rawlins. On the second flat, we had a thin

other, as though they had compromised their positions and opened fire in their direction.

According to Hicken, the men fled while firing suppression shots at the Police, who returned fire. He recounted that when the men were no longer in sight, the ranks proceeded to clear out

Assistant Commissioner Clifton Hicken

the buildings and area.

Besides four shotguns, two Fusil-Mitrailleur (FM) submachine guns, two revolvers and assorted ammunition, the Police also came upon the body of one of “Fine Man”’s cohorts lying at the bottom of a ravine. He had sustained gunshot wounds to his shoulder and jaw, and was pronounced dead on the scene. Following the shootout, the slain man was subsequently identified as Otis “Mud Up” Fifee.

Hicken informed the Commission that following the operation, they did not immediately pursue the surviving gunmen, as they did not have enough supplies or data to undertake an extended operation in the terrain.

He related that he subsequently returned to the city, where he briefed his superiors, including late Police Commissioner Henry

Greene on the firepower the gang possessed and what the Force would be up against.

Further, Hicken noted that he did not take part in subsequent Joint Services operations in the area or visits to Lindo Creek.

Sometime between June 12, 2008 and June 24, 2008, miners Cecil Arokium, Dax Arokium, Compton Speirs, Horace Drakes, Clifton Wong, Lancelot Lee, Bonny Harry and Nigel Torres were shot and killed, and their bodies burnt at the Upper Berbice River mining camp, which was being operated by Leonard Arokium.

The Lindo Creek CoI is the first of what the coalition Government has said would be a series of inquiries into the hundreds of killings, which occurred during a crime wave that began in 2002. The public hearings continue on April 4.

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wednesDAY, march 28, 2018 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Lindo Creek CoI hears

OPR investigated, found no evidence against Joint Services back in 2008 – ballistics tests were conducted on Police, Army firearms

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he Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the Lindo Creek massacre heard on Tuesday that while the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) conducted an investigation into possible links with Joint Services and the killings, it turned up no evidence implicating them.

Taking the witness stand was head of the OPR, retired Assistant Commissioner Heeralall Mackanlall. At the time of the tragedy, Mackanlall was the Deputy Head of the office and he related that back in 2008, he investigated the massacre upon request from late former Police Commissioner Henry Greene.

Mackanlall travelled to the area and met with ranks from the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) and the E (Linden-Kwakwani) and F (Interior locations) Divisions.

He informed the Commission that he and his team were unable to find camps in the area that could provide eyewitness accounts.

At the end of his two-week investigation, the veteran officer noted that they were ultimately unable to find evidence against the Joint Services. At the same time, it was determined that a Police, Army and Special Forces team was in the general Lindo Creek area; one which was investigated.

“If you haven’t got all the names, can you remember any of the names, at all?”

Chairman of the Commission, retired Justice Donald Trotman asked. Mackanlall then proceeded to list the names of the commanding officers he did remember from the Joint Services team.

“Seenarine, who is now a Superintendent, I think he was in charge of the Police team. Lieutenant Woolford was in charge of the [Guyana Defence Force] GDF team, that’s on the Joint Services.

And I think Captain Soovenir was in charge of the GDF special force. I can’t say what their rank is now or if they retired. I think Seenarine is still a serving member.”

The officer further related that ballistics samples were taken of the team’s weapons

by Jamaican and local experts.

However, the Force did not recover spent shells from the scene of the massacre. In addition, time had rendered tests for gunshot residue untenable.

The fact that proper records were not maintained by the OPR after investigating the massacre was a sore point with Trotman. While on the stand, Mackanlall admitted that he only made a cursory note of the names of these ranks in a ‘scratch pad’ and did not transfer the data to a more permanent form when he returned.

Sometime between June 12, 2008 and June 24, 2008, miners Cecil Arokium, Dax Arokium, Compton Speirs, Horace Drakes, Clifton Wong, Lancelot Lee, Bonny Harry and Nigel Torres were shot and killed, and their bodies burnt at the Upper Berbice River mining camp, which was being operated by Leonard Arokium.

The Lindo Creek CoI is the first of what the coalition Government has said would be a series of inquiries into the hundreds of killings, which occurred during a

Police arrest suspect in Mahaica Market Square shooting incident

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lmost two months after shooting two men at the Mahaica Market Square, East Coast Demerara (ECD), the suspect, who had been in hiding since the incident, has been arrested by Police in C Division.

Andrew Motilall, a minibus driver of Helena, Mahaica, was arrested Monday night at Annandale, ECD, during an intelligence-led operation. He is expected to be charged and placed before the court some time today.

Based on initial Police reports, Motilall had opened fire on a group of men, injuring two of them, following an argument on January 27.

The injured men were 33-year-old Marlon Browne, a farmer of Helena, Mahaica; and 23-year-old Teron Orwin Gordon, a labourer of 9 Belmont, Mahaica.

According to reports, the incident occurred about

21:40h while the two victims were in a shop at the Mahaica Market Square playing dominoes after they were approached by Motilall and an argument ensued between the three.

The driver subsequently left in his bus, but later returned holding a handgun which he used to immediately discharge rounds in the direction of Browne and Orwin.

The victims attempted to run for cover, but sustained gunshot injuries while so doing. Browne received a wound to his left chest and Gordon received a wound to his left ribs and to his left forearm.

They were both rushed to the Mahaicony Cottage Hospital, where they were hospitalised and treated before being released days later. Investigators had recovered five .357 magnum spent shells from the crime.

Head of the OPR, retired Assistant Commissioner Heeralall Mackanlall

crime wave that began in 2002.

Justice Trotman in a recent televised interview however said the 10-year time lapse is proving to be a disadvantage as the Commission does its work, especially since some of the key persons involved have either died or emigrated.

Nevertheless, the public hearings continue on April 4.

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wednesDAY, march 28, 2018 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

North Pakaraima to benefit from ATV, musical instruments Lance Corporal to stand trial for raping 15-year-old boy

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resident David Granger handed over an All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV) and musical instruments to the residents of the North Pakaraima on Monday.

The Head of State was at the time attending the North Pakaraima Exposition, Region Eight (Potaro-Siparuni).

Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs Minister Sydney Allicock and Minister with-

in the Ministry, Valerie Garrido-Lowe; Permanent Secretary Alfred King and Regional Chairman Bonaventure Fredricks were also present at the event.

The ATV will be used to facilitate the dayto-day activities of the Community Development Officer (CDO) serving that area, while the musical instruments were given to the Tuzeneng Cultural

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President David Granger handing over the musical instrument to Toshao of Tuzeneng, Philip Geronimo

group.

The ATV is part of the Government’ efforts to equip CDOs to carry out their duties and ensure they are in constant contact with residents of their respective communities; thereby reducing the number of complaints and concerns when officials visit the villages.

CDOs are deployed in the various sub-regions of Regions One (BarimaWaini), Seven (CuyuniMazaruni), Eight (PotaroSiparuni) and Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) to monitor all village activities and projects.

Meanwhile, the President also distributed sport gear and kites to the youths of Tuzeneng.

lmost two months after Lance Corporal Clifton Pellew was charged for raping a 15-yearold boy while he was custody, Senior Magistrate Leron Daly found that there was sufficient evidence for him to stand trial before a Judge and jury at the High Court.

Following his committal, Pellew was granted bail in the sum of $500,000 pending the High Court trial.

The City Constable was charged back in February with the indictable offence, which alleged that on August 15, 2017, at the Constabulary Outpost at City Hall, he engaged in sexual activity with the minor.

According to reports, the incident had occurred when the then 15-year-old boy was taken into custody for wandering.

At some point during his detention, the minor was reportedly transferred to the Regent Street Outpost, where the alleged incident occurred.

It was only after allegations made its way into the public domain that City Hall acted.

In the aftermath of the public allegation, Pellew and another officer, Corporal Quacy Baveghems, were sent on leave pending the outcome of the matter.

There were also accusations that authorities at City Hall have been trying to cover up the issue, with calls

Clifton Pellew

being made by rights activists for actions to be taken against the Mayor and Town Clerk.

However, as an investigation began into the matter, it was discovered that Baveghems did not make a written entry of the incident in the station’s diary.

Pellew and Baveghems were fired, after receiving a letter signed by the Town Clerk.

Mayor Chase Green had said the decision to dismiss the officers came following the discovery of new evidence.

Following protests by activists in Guyana and calls for Pellew to face the courts for his crime, the matter was handed over to the Police who sought legal advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions .

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wednesDAY, march 28, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Ramsammy’s Ruminations Wind energy not consistent Scrapping of the Jagan commemorative stamps is egregious, vindictive, mean and petty

with GPL’s capacity – CEO

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ast week, on March 22, 2018, we celebrated the 100th birth anniversary of Cheddi Jagan. He was not an ordinary man and was not only a former President of Guyana. He was, for the majority of Guyanese, the Father of the Nation.

Even President Granger concedes that Cheddi was a “Founder of the Nation”.

His most ardent enemies agree that Cheddi earned the right to be considered the Father of the Nation.

For the vast majority of Guyanese, Cheddi was the Guyanese man of the 20th Dr Leslie Ramsammy Century and certainly was the greatest Guyanese that ever lived. He was a special man, a great man. It is fitting, therefore, that the Cheddi Jagan Research Centre (CJRC) agree with the Guyana Post Office (GPOC) for the issuance of commemorate stamps for Cheddi’s 100th birth anniversary.

The GPOC, with a tradition of issuing stamps for special occasions, agreed that the request made by the CJRC is within the scope and legal requirements the GPOC operates under. The Minister under whom the GPOC operates, Minister Cathy Hughes, agreed and approved. Under a legal agreement, the GPOC agreed that the stamps would be issued and available for a special event on March 22 to commemorate Cheddi’s 100th birth anniversary. However, the GPOC did not issue the stamps as agreed. They informed the CJRC and everyone else that they would have to query the failure to make the stamps available on March 22 with the Ministry of the Presidency.

The Ministry of the Presidency has nothing to do with the agreement and has nothing to do with the operation of the GPOC. Neither the President nor the Ministry of the Presidency has any legal right to stop the GPOC from issuing the stamps and cannot quash the issuing of the Cheddi Jagan 100th birth anniversary commemorative stamps. At no time has the management, the Board and the relevant Minister express any reservation about issuing the stamps.

It was not a secret arrangement. In fact, there was a big announcement by the GPOC itself and the Minister since February that the stamps will be issued. The big secret has been that the President and the Ministry of the Presidency intervened and torpedoed the issuance of the stamps.

Exposed, the Ministry of the Presidency now declared that it will issue a stamp to represent symbols that reflect Guyana, including stamps to observe former Presidents, Cheddi Jagan and Arthur Chung, who have 100th anniversary of their births in 2018. They claimed that issuing of stamps must comply with certain standards and must emphasise Guyanese symbols. What standard or standards did the issuance of the commemorative stamp to mark Cheddi’s 100th birth anniversary contravene? What were the standards that informed the issuance of stamps for Forbes Burnham in 1970? Since independence, the GPOC has issued stamps many times, how would have the Cheddi Jagan stamps not have met standards that these others met? Is it that Cheddi is disqualified because he is the Founder of the People’s Progressive Party?

The requested stamps were to honour the life and times of Cheddi Jagan, his contributions to the history, the independence and the political, social and cultural development of our country, not merely the 100th birth anniversary of this great man. He was a public servant in our country for more than 55 years. Not only was he the Guyanese man of the 20th Century, he was our candidate for the Caribbean Man of the 20th Century. He was also one of the heroes of the global movement for independence for former colonial countries. Cheddi was the first ever freely, fairly, democratically elected President of Guyana. He is the creator of the New Global Human Order, an initiative of the United Nations.

I have no reservation for Guyana issuing a stamp to mark the 100th birth anniversary of Arthur Chung, the first President of Guyana. But the issuance of the stamps for Cheddi’s 100th birth anniversary is substantially different.

That Burnham had a stamp in 1970 and that there might be another stamp for Burnham’s 100th birth anniversary do not bother me. I did not in 1070 or now or anytime in the future have an appetite to object to any kind of Burnham commemorative stamp. But to abrogate the issuance of the Cheddi Jagan 100th birth anniversary commemorative stamp on false premises is just malicious, egregious, vindictive, mean, insulting and petty.

Businessman Haresh Narine Sugrim

C

hief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Guyana Power and Light (GPL), Albert Gordon has indicated that wind power is not reliable or consistent with the needs of customers and has prized integration from various sources as a more viable model.

He made these comments at the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) hearing on Tuesday. The CEO’s disclosure follows reports of at least two businessmen indicating their interest is setting up wind turbines to generate wind energy.

There was a back and forth with Government and Berbice businessman Haresh Narine Sugrim who was awaiting his request to power his wind turbine to provide his Classic Hotel and Theatre with electricity and then make a profit by selling the remaining electricity to the Government of Guyana so that other residents could benefit.

The wind energy projects came up for discussion at the Public Utilities Commission’s hearing at Cara Lodge on Tuesday, where GPL’s operating standards and performance targets were assessed.

Commissioner Rajendra Bissessar citing reports of the investors interested in establishing wind turbines, questioned if the power company was considering this form of clean energy especially since it forms part of Government’s Green Agenda Strategy.

While acknowledging that GPL is mandated to follow State polices, CEO Gordon conceded that wind energy is not consistent with the needs of consumers.

“For the wind project, that’s not very consistent, it’s not what we would call firm capacity – it happens when the wind blows, you’ll have to study the data to know reliabilities but you can’t predict exactly. We don’t want to subject all customers to a supply that is pretty much guaranteed to be fluctuating regularly so the best thing is to integrate those into a larger system that can absorb the variations,” he observed.

The CEO explained that integration may be the most appropriate model as GPL’s unstable system suffered several shutdowns last year.

“Essentially what we have is a very unstable system as was indicated last year, the entire system went down 25 times, in one year but it’s not a reflection of management or the operations per say, it’s the nature of the configuration of the system,” he said.

businessman Berbice Sugrim was expected to commission a new US$75,000 wind turbine at Skeldon Line Path in January of this year but he later said he was forced to send the equipment back to India, as Government was lagging to take up his offer. However, Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson last week refuted the hotelier’s claims, saying that the businessman was advised that it was currently not possible for an individual to connect to the grid unless the supply met the minimum of 1.5 MW. Apart from Sugrim’s shelved interest, there was another project which Government had announced months after taking office in 2015 where it said it would facilitate a US$50 million, 25-megawatt wind farm project at Hope Beach, East Coast of Demerara. However, discussions relating to this project were also seemingly shelved as the People’s

The wind turbine

Progressive Party (PPP) decried that the project involved a party-affiliated investor, Lloyd Singh.

Guyana Times reported last year that there were negotiations to bring the wind farm to fruition but PPP/C

Member of Parliament (MP) Juan Edghill voiced concerns over transparency and accountability of the project.

“The issue with the wind farm is that they must be able to come clean and show what price GPL will be buying. Is it cheaper than hydro? Would it be driving down the present bill for GPL that will positively impact the rate the consumers are paying? Or would it be a cash cow for an [Alliance For Change] AFC financier. Because with the hydro, we were bringing down the cost of electricity to 10 to 12 cents (US) per kilowatt for power,” Edghill had explained.

Guyana Times had also reported that the AFC had identified International Pharmaceutical Agency (IPA) proprietor Lloyd Singh as an investor in the wind farm, with responsible for the party’s acquisition of its multimillion-dollar headquarters in February of 2016.

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wednesDAY, march 28, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Linden benefits from STEM Robotics Workshop

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tudents of Harmony Secondary School in Wismar, Linden, Region 10 (Upper DemeraraBerbice) were the first to be introduced to the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Guyana Robotics Workshop on Monday.

The programme which is aimed at sparking inspiration and to introduce the students to a new way of using modern technology saw 34 students participating in the four-days workshop which is been hosted in collaboration with STEM Guyana’s co-founder, Karen Abrams and Team Guyana.

During her address to the students, First Lady Sandra Granger said the STEM workshops have had tremendous success across the country. She urged the students to embrace the opportunity to learn as it may

First Lady Sandra Granger handing over robotics kits to the students and head teacher of Harmony Secondary School, Vernell Razack-Giles

inspire their future career choices.

“Anything that your imagination can conceive, you can make it with a robot and you can programme it because apart from what you are doing now in school, this is where the jobs will be… You are the first school to be having a robotics camp in Linden and I hope you will set up, with your

teachers’ assistance, your own robotics club, so that you could begin competing nationally,” the First Lady said.

Mrs Granger further explained that consideration is being given to a written request from Head of the Science Department and Integrated Science Teacher, Abigail Samuels, for some much-needed equipment to

aid the learning process.

Meanwhile, in her charge to the students, founder of the STEM robotics programme, Karen Abrams,

urged the participants to create similar social application programme as the popular Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram and other social media platforms “What we are trying to do, in collaboration with the Office of the First Lady, is to allow you to prepare for the next generation of developments all over the world that will require knowledge of technology,” she said.

In an invited comment, 16-year-old Third Form student, Master Clairmont Skeete, said although he does not know much about robotics, he was excited to be participating in the work-

shop. ”It would be something good coming to the school because it will allow the children to learn and to build different things,” he said.

The hosting of the workshops is made possible by donations from several groups and businesses locally and in Canada and the United States.

Since the programme’s introduction, STEM Guyana launched the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) app and took a team to the first Global Robotics Olympics where they placed tenth after six rounds.

Linden Hospital maternal death

Hospital officials yet to receive official PM report

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lthough a post-mortem examination (PME) has been conducted on the body of 41-year-old Jennifer Gill of Amelia’s Ward, Linden, Region 10 (Upper DemeraraBerbice) who died at the Linden Hospital Complex (LHC) over a week ago following the normal delivery of a healthy baby boy, officials of the hospital are yet to receive an official report on the findings.

The PME was conducted on the deceased on Monday; however, according to LHC Public Relations Officer Toshanna Alicock, the

Hospital’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Dr Farouk Riyasat has not received an official copy of the findings thus far. Until such time, she noted, officials cannot disclose Gill’s cause of death.

Guyana Times understands that the Hospital’s Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Dr Rameeza McDonald who was a witness to the post-mortem examination is also not in receipt of the report.

Gill’s family had refuted claims by hospital officials that she did not require a Cesarean (C-section) delivery. The medical institution

would have so far completed its investigation into the matter and an official report prepared and sent to the relevant authorities, including the CMO and the Director of Regional Health Services.

Dr Farouk Riyasat noted last Wednesday that based on his medical knowledge and facts of the report, he believed Gill died after suffering from a blood disorder, referred to as Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation (DIC) which causes rapid blood loss and thinning, eventually leading to shock and kidney failure.

Life sentences for man found guilty of raping 10-year-old girl

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t will be at least 35 years before 46-year-old Sheldon Lynch see the light of the outside world following a 12-member jury on Tuesday finding him guilty of raping a 10-year-old girl between December 7, 2010 and January 25, 2013.

High Court Judge Simone Morris-Ramlall handed down life sentences to the offender for crimes which were said to have occurred in the Essequibo district.

The jury considered the

evidence after a few days of trial and returned unanimous verdicts on two counts of rape of a child under 16.

However, the jury could not determine verdicts for a third and fourth count.

In the victim’s address to the court, she detailed a harrowing account and said that she thought about suicide whenever she remembered what Lynch did to her.

Justice Ramlall, in handing down the sentence, observed that the girl trusted the of-

fender and he violated her, treating her as if she was a woman.

“You have scarred her for life,” the Judge expressed, noting that the offender did not show remorse after being found guilty.

Lynch was represented

by Attorney-at-Law Clyde Forde, who had petitioned for the court to temper justice with mercy. The State was represented by Seeta Bishundial and Orinthia Schmidt.

Gaskin questions status...

FROM PAGE 3

At a press conference, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo had demanded that Government came clean on this signing bonus, stating that he could ‘reasonably confirm’ that it was true, especially since members of Government had neither confirmed nor denied the allegation when confronted.

“They received this money, it seems, almost a year ago. If this turns out to be true, then I believe that the entire Government should resign; because if you cannot be transparent about receipts from a company, or from any company in Guyana, particularly a company in the extractive sector…,” he said.

Jagdeo told the press

that coming clean on receipt of the signing bonus was perhaps the most appropriate thing to do, especially since Guyana was now seeking membership in the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) — an organisation that promotes open and accountable management of oil, gas, and mineral resources.

He also queried the whereabouts of the money. “If this turns out to be true, and the Government received the money and (Finance Minister) Winston Jordan did not know about this, then where did the money go? And if he does know about it and he lied to the country, saying he did

not know about it, then that is just as bad.”

Not long after Jagdeo had made these statements, Minister Jordan had responded to say that such a claim was “a figment of the imagination”, and that there was “no agreement for any bonus”. He told sections of the press that the Government did not request such a bonus.

The coalition Government has been tightlipped on its dealings with ExxonMobil amid calls for more transparency regarding the oil and gas sector.

After months of pressure, the Government finally, this year, released several contracts after admitting that it did receive the bonus.

NEWS

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wednesDAY, march 28, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Chronicle columnists’ firing

2016 Auditor General Report

3 Board members resign 182 contracted employees …citing political interference still at Region 3

WPA Executive Member Tabitha Sarabo-Halley

Veteran Journalist Bert Wilkinson

ollowing revelations that an Alliance For Change (AFC) Minister may have been behind the Guyana Chronicle dropping two outspoken columnists, three Directors have resigned from the Board of the Stateowned entity.

According to sources, Working People’s Alliance (WPA) Executive Member Tabitha Sarabo-Halley, veteran Journalist Bert Wilkinson and communications specialist Karen Davis all tendered their resignations at a Board meeting on Tuesday.

Guyana Times had reported on Monday that WPA activist, former Member of Parliament (MP) Desmond Trotman had revealed that it was a senior AFC Minister who contacted the Guyana Chronicle’s Editor-in-Chief, Nigel Williams.

According to Trotman, this Minister had conveyed Cabinet’s dissatisfaction with the writings of the fired columnists, WPA Executive David Hinds and veteran trade unionist Lincoln Lewis.

“The previous Chairman of the Guyana Chronicle was

at odds with the other members of the Board, because he wanted the Chronicle to go in a certain direction and members of the Board objected to that, and I think it led to his resignation. That person holds a high position in the Prime Minister’s Office, and I sense that he wields tremendous influence,” Trotman said.

“I suspect that he belongs to the same party that the Prime Minister belongs to; and so when I was told that a senior minister who belongs to the AFC…was one of the persons who conveyed to the Editor-in-Chief of the Chronicle that there is dissatisfaction within the Cabinet about the direction that those two columnists were going…,” he posited.

Since Chronicle’s Editorin-Chief fired Lewis and Hinds, several executives of the WPA have come out condemning the actions of the State newspaper. WPA’s Tacuma Ogunseye has since expressed the opinion that his party should leave the coalition, since its views are being silenced. He has been very vocal in the media.

F

In this regard, Trotman said he would have had discussions with at least two high-ranking People’s National Congress (PNC) officials who have since expressed their support for the views of Ogunseye.

He noted that although the WPA issued a firm statement on what that party thought was the denial of press freedom, it was Ogunseye’s letters to the local press that generated interest in the matter.

The former MP explained that the Government was forcing its supporters away with its attempt to stifle criticisms of its policy direction.

“When you go in that direction (of silencing your critics), you’re forcing people to go underground and take positions life-threatening to this thing we call the coalition… When we sat down to discuss what led to the formation of the APNU, we took a whole range of things into consideration, and those views were represented in the Statement of Principles of the Party. We were concerned about the trampling of press freedom, and we swore (that) in a new dispensation that will not happen,” Trotman noted.

Williams wrote to Hinds and Lewis, informing them that their contracts would be terminated effective March 12, 2018 in an effort to rebrand the State newspaper.

The two have since called the Government out as having made the decision to have them fired because of their critique of its performance.

– REO lays blame for delay at feet of PSC

Region 3 REO Denis Jaikarran

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he Region Three (Essequibo IslandsWest Demerara) administration is yet to regularise almost 200 of its contract employees, laying the blame for this, however, at the feet of the un-constituted Public Service Commission (PSC).

When the Regional Executive Officer (REO) for Region Three, Denis Jaikarran, appeared before the Public Accounts

Commission (PAC) at the National Assembly, he provided the Commissioners with an update on the situation.

What they have been able to do, the PAC was informed, is to regularise 102 contracted persons in 2016.

The regional authorities claimed that confirmation of the remaining 182 contracted employees was dependent on the PSC. “Before the Commission went out of commission, we were able to propose persons who were on contracted employment be placed on the permanent establishment,” Jaikarran said, adding that the remaining workers were employed last year.

According to the report, “Amounts totalling $2.592 billion were expended on Employment Cost for 2016.

According to the National

Estimates, the Regional Administration had a staffing structure of 2165; however, the actual staff of the Regional Administration exceeded the authorised strength by 64.”

In response, the Head of the Budget Agency had indicated that the Regional Administration has already taken steps to move its employees over to the permanent system, and this process was expected to be completed by the end of October 2018.

It was recommended that the Audit Office recommends that the Regional Administration continue the process of moving staff over to the permanent system in order to minimise the number of staff employed on a contractual basis in keeping with circularised instructions.

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wednesDAY, march 28, 2018

News

GPL loses over $150M in 2017 Stakeholders sensitised ahead of Harmony Village 2018

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he Guyana and Light Company (GPL) has recorded a $150 million in losses at the end of 2017 with 12 “large businesses” contributing in significant part to that total.

This figure was revealed during a hearing of the Public Utilities Commission (PUC) on Tuesday when the power company during a presentation announced several measures to combat losses.

Defects on generators and electricity theft were two of the major issues GPL faced last year. GPL Company Secretary Lorain Bancroft said that the entity was working with Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) leaders to discourage theft practices rather than pursue prosecution in the courts. She, however, indicated that the persons or entities engaging in the practice could face the legal system.

“We will continue to review this process, because under the law, it is found once you have tampered with our meters or our apparatus, then it’s a crimi-

T

nal offence, so we have to ensure that evidence chain is concretised and established,” she noted.

Bancroft added that GPL continued to encourage members of the public to discourage “illegal divergence of electricity”. She indicated that the State entity intended to set up linkages with the Government Inspectorate to this end, adding that GPL would continue to work with stakeholders, including the Guyana Police Force.

The Commissioners also heard that GPL was working on testing and replacing defective meters. It announced that some 20,000 meters would be replaced by the end of this year.

Other measures GPL announced to improve its service include splitting existing feeders, rehabilitation of its distribution networks and additional power generation plants at Canefield, Edinburgh, Anna Regina and Bartica.

he Ministry of the Presidency’s Department of Social Cohesion along with representatives from several organisations and other stakeholders participated in a "Multi-Stakeholder Sensitisation for the 4th annual “Harmony Village 2018" at the Umana Yana, Kingston on Tuesday.

Held under the theme "Building Partnerships: Promoting Community and National Cohesion,” the sensitisation programme is aimed at endorsing the various cultures and the ethnic, religious identities of social groups in Guyana.

The participants were briefed on the work of the Department of Social Cohesion; while a look was taken at the upcoming second edition of "Harmony Village" billed for April 12 on Main Street (opposite Courts), as a key activity of the department designed to bring diverse groups together to promote cohesion and harmony.

Participants of the 4th annual Harmony Village

The sensitisation event was also set up to assist participants to better understand social cohesion as an approach to community and national development.

Addressing the gathering, Technical Officer of the Ministry, Olive Gopaul, pointed out that the activity will bring together Government agencies, religious organisations, social groups, ethnic groups as well as the international community for one spectacular display.

The village is said to create an opportunity for inclu-

sion and the presentation of a myriad of diverse groups, which work towards the common goal of displaying and celebrating Guyana’s beauty and diversity.

The event will feature approximately 30 booths, which will promote local and international cuisine, cultural wear, dance, poetry, folklore and the display of art, artefacts and literature.

The Harmony Village opens at 09:30h and will run until 18:00h on Main Street, between Church and Quamina Streets. Admission is free.

Integrated Security guards FITUG hosts 6th Delegates’ to be paid on Friday Conference today

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he Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana (FITUG) will convene its 6th Delegates’ Conference today under the theme “For betterment through Organisation and Solidarity”.

The event will be held in the conference room of the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU), High Street and Wights Lane, Kingston, Georgetown and is aimed at reviewing the work of the Federation since its 5th Conference in 2015.

Participating in the Conference will be delegates and observers representing the Federation’s affiliates; namely GAWU, the Guyana Labour Union (GLU), the Clerical and Commercial Workers Union (CCWU), and the National Association of Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial Employees (NAACIE), According to FITUG, since its last Conference, there have been many changes that took place and others that are still taking place. One such notable change was the election of the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change Government – some weeks after its 2015 February Conference.

“The Federation recognises that many of the new Government’s promises have remained unfulfilled as it approaches its three -ear anniversary. Moreover, the FITUG has expressed on several occasions its dis-

FITUG President Carvil Duncan

may with policies embraced by the Government which, among other things, have brought to bear heavy pressures on the working people through new and increased taxation for instance,” the Federation stated.

It went on to outline too that the coalition Administration’s approach to the sugar industry has been very worrying as the State pursued possibly the largest retrenchment exercise in the history of independent Guyana.

“Today, FITUG stands with those workers and their families as they face up to the difficult times brought about by what, in our view, was not a well thought out approach to one of our country’s economic mainstays,” the Union asserted.

FITUG further posited that as yet another Conference approaches, it cannot turn a blind eye to

the concerns regarding the functioning of critical institutions charged with promoting and defending the country’s democratic way of life. The Union added too that it is also not comforted by the slow, but steady, emergence of tentacles of authoritarianism in society, while recognising as well, a widening rift between the haves and have-nots in the country.

Another major development since its last Conference was the discovery of oil and Guyana becoming an oil-producing State in the not too distant future.

At today’s Conference, the feature address will be delivered by social activist, Attorney and chartered accountant, Christopher Ram. Also speaking during the Opening Session will be FITUG’s President, Carvil Duncan who will reflect on the work of the FITUG in the last triennium as well as the conditions and challenges of contemporary times.

Meanwhile, during the business session, the Conference will receive the report of the General Secretary; the Federation’s Financial Report and will approve motions on several matters of importance. In addition, a new Executive Committee would be elected and would be charged with implementing the Conference’s decision as well as steering the Federation until its 7th Conference which will be held in 2021.

S

ecurity guards attached to Integrated Security Service were told on Tuesday that they will receive their January and February salaries on Good Friday.

The guards who were told last Friday when they went to collect their salaries that they will have to revisit the Trinity Street office in New Amsterdam on Tuesday, were not pleased when the news was broken to them.

When Guyana Times visited the office, one guard was given a telephone and appeared to be speaking to an office clerk from the head office in Georgetown.

“Come and talk to us face to face, this is nonsense…

So why we got to wait, that month gone, this month already done and we still got to get part money? Hello if alyu know aluy na bin able, alyu shouldn’t tek ova this place…” a female guard said and then handed the phone to the local office staff.

The guards have visited the company’s New Amsterdam office on several occasions since January for their January salaries and more recently for their February salaries as well.

The most recent visit was on Friday when many of the guards were forced to wait until night before they were told that they will not be paid then but needed return to the office on Tuesday for their salaries.

For many of them, it is a $400 car fare with no guarantee that they will receive

Angry guards attached to Integrated Security Services protesting for their January and February salaries

what they worked for.

Vanessa Rose of Rose Hall queried following the announcement, “Who pays on Good Friday?”

Rose noted that when they were at the office last Friday night, they were offered $5000 and told to return in four days. “He say that money should last until today Tuesday… We cannot wait till Good Friday; we want things, Easter coming up…. Good Friday is to go to church… Who gon leave and come till to New Amsterdam and then you don’t know if you will get it. It is not fair, if the company can’t handle it, let them give it over to somebody else,” she suggested. Like many of the other guards, Rose does not want a job that has no payday but refuses to walk off for fear that it might then become more difficult to receive her January and February salaries.

Meanwhile, Volda Cort says it is not only the lack of a salary, but that lack of payment has compounded the situation as GPL, GTT and GWI have not expressed any sympathy with them. The furniture stores are now threatening to reposes while those who she borrowed from are no longer calling since the phone is off; they are making personal appearances, claiming that they too have commitments.

Many of the workers are single parents, with schoolage children. Some say they have to beg for money to get to and from work.

Meanwhile, guards in Region Five (MahaicaBerbice) who are employed by the same company are also being made to wait for their salaries. The situation is the same with monies allegedly being owed for the months of December and January.

wednesDAY, march 28, 2018

guyanatimesgy.com

19

News

Pensioner robbed of $900,000 Lost Amazon villages uncovered by archaeologists after bank transaction

P

olice are investigating the robbery of a 67-year-old pensioner of Anna Catherina, West Coast Demerara, who was mugged of $900,000 by two armed men at Parika.

Reports are that the incident occurred about 10:00h. Tuesday.

The police said upon completing a bank trans-

action at Vreed En Hoop, the victim proceeded to Parika, where she was pounced on by the two suspects.

The police said in a statement that one of the suspects exited his private motorcar and held the pensioner at gunpoint, then demanded the bag containing the cash and escaped

on a waiting motorcycle.

He was driving motorcar CH 1423, which was found abandoned by the police at Train Station Daam.

The driver of was subsequently charged and is presently before the court for robbery under arms is assisting the Police in this investigation.

Berbice robbery suspects surrender to Police

T

hree men accused of a series of robberies in Berbice surrendered to the police on Tuesday.

The men were handed over

by Attorney Charandass

Persaud around 16:50h. at the New Amsterdam Police Station. A police press statement has confirmed that the suspects have since confessed and identified ar-

eas in Berbice to the Police, where they had committed a series of armed robberies.

The three suspects are between the ages of 20 to 26 years.

Nelson Mandela’s golden hand casts sell for US$10M in bitcoin

G

old castings of the hands of South Africa's first black President Nelson Mandela have been sold for US$10 million (£7 million) in bitcoin.

Canadian crypto-currency exchange firm Arbitrade bought four casts from South African businessman Malcolm Duncan. The firm said it planned to launch a global "Golden Hands of Nelson Mandela" tour to educate young people about the anti-apartheid icon's life.

This is the first time artefacts of Mandela have been sold in bitcoin. Mandela was jailed for 27 years for fighting white minority rule in South Africa. He was released in 1990, and served as President from 1994 to 1999.

Mandela died in 2013 at the age of 95. He had turned into a global brand, with businessmen and artists cashing in on his name. Duncan, who now lives in Canada, bought

N

Archaeologists used satellite imagery to find archaeological sites in the Amazon’s upper Tapajós Basin

Souza and colleagues explain how the sites were first discovered by satellite imagery of the area, revealed by deforestation. And how they show evidence of human activity in the form of earthworks. These include ditches enclosing the sites for fortification, sunken roads, and earth platforms on which houses would have stood.

The team checked 24 of the locations with boots on the ground. Wood charcoal associated with ceramic fragments from one site was carbon-dated to between 1410 and 1460 AD; dates of many of the sites previously discovered in the southern rim of the Amazon

show a peak of activity between 1250 and 1500.

The researchers say the buildings themselves would have been made from wood, and the settlements might have been surrounded by wooden walls known as palisades – although no remains of such posts have been found.

De Souza said the results are exciting because the newly discovered settlements were found near small streams, creeks and springs, adding weight to the idea that people were not only concentrated at sites on fertile floodplains on the edge of major rivers, as was long thought.

(Excerpt from The Guardian)

OAS commemorates Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Slavery

T

Four casts of Nelson Mandela's hands were made by mining group Harmony Gold in 2002

the casts from mining group Harmony Gold in 2002 for about US$31,000.

Half of the money paid to Harmony Gold was meant to go to charity, but it remains unclear as to whether that happened, Bloomberg news agency reports.

Harmony said it had "supplied Duncan with the necessary paperwork verifying the provenance as requested by his attorneys," but declined to

comment on what happened to the donation, Bloomberg reports.

The casts, which weigh around 20lbs (9kg), include Mr Mandela's hand, palm and fist.

They are part of a collection meant to mark the years the former president spent in prison on Robben Island.

The artefacts are believed to be the only ones left in the world. (Excerpt from BBC News)

China says North Korea pledges denuclearisation during friendly visit

orth Korean leader Kim Jong Un has pledged to denuclearize and meet US officials, China said on Wednesday after an historic meeting with President Xi Jinping, who promised China would uphold its friendship with its isolated neighbuor.

After two days of speculation, China and North Korea both confirmed that Kim had visited Beijing and met Xi during what China’s Foreign Ministry called an unofficial visit to China from Sunday to Wednesday.

The China visit was Kim’s first known trip out-

O

nce people thought the Amazon was a near-uninhabited rainforest before the Europeans turned up, but researchers say they have found new evidence that it was in fact a hive of human activity and home to millions of people.

A new study has revealed details of 81 sites in the previously uncharted territory of the Amazon’s upper Tapajós Basin, with settlements ranging from small villages just 30m wide to a large site covering 19 hectares.

Researchers say the new discoveries are helping to unpick what the Amazon would have been like before Europeans arrived.

“The idea that the Amazon was a pristine forest, untouched by humans, home to scattered nomadic populations … we already knew that was not true,” said Dr Jonas Gregorio de Souza, first author of the study from the University of Exeter.

“The big debate is how populations were distributed in pre-Columbian times in the Amazon.”

Writing in the journal Nature Communications, de

side North Korea since he assumed power in 2011 and is believed by analysts to serve as preparation for upcoming summits with South Korea and the United States.

North Korea’s KCNA news agency made no mention of Kim’s pledge to denuclearize, or his anticipated meeting with US President Donald Trump that is planned for some time in May. Beijing has traditionally been the closest ally of secretive North Korea, but ties have been frayed by North Korea’s pursuit of nuclear weapons and China’s back-

ing of tough UN sanctions in response.

China’s Foreign Ministry cited Kim in a lengthy statement as telling Xi that the situation on the Korean peninsula is starting to improve because North Korea has taken the initiative to ease tensions and put forward proposals for peace talks.

“It is our consistent stand to be committed to denuclearization on the peninsula, in accordance with the will of late President Kim Il Sung and late General Secretary Kim Jong Il,” Kim Jong Un said, according to the statement. (Reuters)

he Organisation of American States (OAS) says its Permanent Council on Friday held a special session to commemorate the “International Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Slavery and the Trans-Atlantic slave trade”.

The OAS said the session was held “within the framework” of the Plan of Action for the Decade for Persons of Afro Descent in the Americas (2016-2025).

It featured presentations

by US Congressman Gregory W Meeks, representative for the 5th Congressional District in Queens, New York; and the US National Spokesperson for the Congress of Racial Equality, Niger Innis.

There were special presentations by several persons including the Secretary of the District of Columbia, Lauren C Vaughan; author and Harold Paul Green Research

Professor of Law at George Washington University in Washington, DC, Dr Robert Cottrol; and Deputy Director of t h e

Washington DC Mayor’s Office on Latino Affairs (MOLA), Julio GuityGuevara.

“We can never and should never forget the impact of slavery and the current plight of many persons of African descent in the Americas (including the Caribbean),” said the OAS Assistant Secretary General, Belizean Nestor

Mendez.

“We must also recognize the advances and triumphs that have been made in the pursuit of social inclusion, and political and economic empowerment for all.”

Chair of the Permanent Council and Permanent Representative of Chile to the OAS, Ambassador Juan Anibal Barria, said that that “equality and non-discrimination are two cornerstones of human rights”.

“On the 70th anniversary of the proclamation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, it must be recognised that, unfortunately, people of African descent continue to be a group whose human rights continue to be violated,” he added.

The OAS said the session was part of the activities carried out by the organisation as part of the Inter-American Week for People of African Descent in the Americas.

(Excerpt from Nation News)

Buju Banton’s 1st concert after release from prison set for Trinidad & Tobago

T

rinidad and Tobago will be the first country that Grammy-winning reggae singer Buju Banton will perform in after he is released from prison later this year.

Jodian Ebanks, a member of the singer’s marketing team, made the announcement at a media briefing during the Love and Harmony Cruise on the Celebrity Summit.

Buju, whose real name is Mark Myrie, was incarcerated in 2011 for 10 years, for his role in setting up a cocaine deal in 2009. He is due for release on December 8 this year.

The Grammy-winning artiste, whose real name is Mark Myrie, was incarcerated in 2011 for 10 years, for his role in setting up a cocaine deal in 2009. He is due for release on December 8 this year

The Trinidad and Tobago concert is scheduled for April 22 at a venue yet to be disclosed, and will be followed by a show in the Jamaican’s homeland at a later date.

“Buju is very excited about being on the road again.

Jamaica is very special to him and he wants to be able to give his home country the type of concert it deserves,” Ebanks said.

“Trinidad was chosen as the dates, travel schedules, and all the other variables all came together for that time of year and was the best fit.”

(Caribbean360)

20

wednesDAY, march 28, 2018

Ball-tampering saga…

Smith, Warner & Bancroft booted from South Africa tour

A

ustralia captain Steve Smith, vice-captain David Warner and batsman Cameron Bancroft will be sent home from South Africa for ball-tampering in the third Test in Cape Town.

However, Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland says head coach Darren Lehmann was not involved in the controversy and will remain in his post.

Sutherland added that the sanctions to be handed down to Smith, Warner and Bancroft within the next 24 hours will be "significant".

He said: "It is not in the spirit of the game. It is not a good day for Australian cricket."

Wicketkeeper Tim Paine has been named as captain for the rest of the series.

Matthew Renshaw, Glenn Maxwell and Joe Burns have been called up as replacements and will fly out to South Africa for the fourth Test, which begins in

Johannesburg on Friday.

Sutherland told a news conference: "I share the anger and disappointment of Australian fans and the broader Australian community about events that unfolded in Cape Town on Saturday.

"On behalf of Cricket Australia, I want to apologise to all Australians that these events have taken place, especially to all kids who love cricket and idolise the players.

"I want to also apologise to Cricket South Africa and South African fans that this issue has overshadowed what should have been a great series.

"We recognise this issue goes beyond the technical nature of offences and various codes of conduct. It is about whether Australians can feel proud of their national sport teams.

"While the investigation is not complete, preliminary findings have been discussed by Cricket

Australia Captain Steve Smith (right) and Vice Captain David Warner

Australia's board."

Cricket Australia reacts to initial findings Bancroft and Smith were exposed during the third day of the third Test when images showed the opening batsman take what he said was yellow tape out of his trouser pocket before rubbing the ball.

After the day's play,

Smith admitted the team's "leadership group" had a plan, carried out by Bancroft, to tamper with the ball to "get an advantage".

After beginning an investigation on Sunday, Cricket Australia told reporters on Tuesday that their sanctions will be in addition to those imposed on Smith and Bancroft by the sport's

Britton shines in USA ahead of Commonwealth Games

Caribbean Men’s Champion Robert Roberts (left); Shemar Britton; Stephen Chui, 2350 runner-up and Westchester TTC owner Will Shortz

T

he Guyanese players enjoyed a good showing in their preparation for April 4-15 Commonwealth Games being held in Australia after a commendable showing over the weekend at the

Westchester Table Tennis Championships organised by the United States of American Table Tennis Association (USATT).

Shemar Britton was in excellent from when he captured the Open 2350 cate-

gory by defeating Stephen Chui in the final.

Nigel Bryan who also participated in the under 2350 category secured a bronze medal lost out to eventual finalist Chui .

Other success for the Guyanese was women’s senior Natalie Cummings who finished in the semi-finals of the 2050 category having lost a close encounter to eventual tournament winner in match that she should have won after leading.

2017 Caribbean Girls singles bronze medallist Priscilla Greaves lost in the 1900 division during the group stages.

National men’s Table Tennis champion Christopher Franklin seeking to capture his form, reached the roundof-16 in the vaunted 2500 Open category while Joel Alleyne lost in the semi-finals of the 2250 category.

The Championships which is a USATT 4-star

tournament had in excess of USD $5,000 in prizes and drew players from around the world, is recognized as one of the largest monthly table tennis tournaments held in the United States.

Meanwhile, the team which was being supported by 11 times national men’s champion and 1992 Caribbean men’s champion Sydney Christophe Caribbean will see the stalwart conduct an intense 4-day training camp before departure for Australia on March 30.

Caribbean men’s champion Robert Roberts in discussion with President of the Guyana Table Tennis Association Godfrey Munroe indicated he and participants from the championships were was truly impressed with the talent displayed by the Guyanese he offered some great advice for their improvement.

world governing body.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) banned Smith for one match and fined him his entire match fee, while Bancroft was fined 75% of his match fee and given three demerit points. Warner was not punished by the ICC, but both he and Smith stepped down from their roles for the remainder of the third Test, which South Africa won by 322 runs the following day.

The Proteas lead the series 2-1 with one to play.

Sutherland said: "The players involved have of-

ficially been reported for breaching Cricket Australia's code of conduct.

"I want to stress we are contemplating significant sanctions. These will reflect the gravity of the offences and the damage done to Australian cricket.

"We want to re-engage with Australian cricket fans and public to restore respect and pride.

"I understand and share the anger by the Australian cricket family. This is a serious issue that needs to be dealt with properly and with due diligence." (BBC)

East Coast Guinness “Greatest of the Streets”…

Stakes high at tonight’s opener T he sixteen teams that will feature on the first night of action in the East Coast Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’ Competition already know that winning is the only pathway to advancing further into the tournament. The action gets underway this evening at the Haslington Tarmac with eight matches scheduled where losers will imme-

pion Melanie B start their defence with a clash against a dangerous Buxton unit in the preceding encounter. Over $700,000 in prize monies and trophies will be up for grabs over three days, while the Plate final carries a first prize of $50,000.

The winning team in the competition will receive $400,000, while second, third and fourth place finishers

Part of the action in the East Coast Guinness "Greatest of the Streets" Competition

diately exit the competition, while the winners move into the round robin phase set for Saturday night, at the same venue.

However, before play gets started, Director of Sport Christopher Jones is expected to do the ceremonial kick-off shortly after meeting the teams. The feature game of the night will see hosts Haslington Hypers square off against Mahaica Determinators in the final game, while reigning cham-

take home $150,000, $100,000 and $75,000 respectively.

The sixteen participating teams are: Melanie-B, 2014 winner Melanie-A, Plaisance-B, 2013 winner Plaisance-A, 2015 champ BVA, 2016 winner BV-B, Buxton Diamond, Buxton, Victoria Church Yard, Haslington Hypers, Belfield Warriors and Paradise-A, Police-B, Mahaica Determinators, Mahaica Guinness Bar and Uprising

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sports

Moore backing all-round Guyana to win U-15 title – highlights batting as crucial

By Clifton Ross

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wo-time Regional Under-15 winning Coach Julian Moore is backing the current squad to return home with the Cricket West Indies (CWI) 2018 title on the strong optimism the well-balanced squad should perform well in Jamaica.

Moore, the last coach to win the U-15 title following his success back-to-back years; in 2014 and 2015 told Guyana Times Sport on Tuesday, he was more than optimistic the current side can repeat the events of two years ago.

“I think they have a pretty good chance this year to win.

I think they have a good allround team and the experience they would have gained during the inter-county U-17 and U- 15 went a far way in maturing them as they played their cricket”.

The former youth batsman felt players need to place more emphasis on the batting as he knows from experience how crucial it is to have your batsmen ‘fire’.

“I think the batting is the most important part. During the U-15/17 they did well as a bowling unit but for them to really do well in the Regional tournament they really have to put on a good show with the bat.”

He continued, “They showed a lot of improvement during the Inter-county U-17 and I think they really took their experiences into the U-15’s and I also think their bowling is good enough to win Regional games, especially our spinners”.

Touching back on the top-

ic of the importance of the inter-county fixtures, Moore said that it was very important for those at the club levels who might transition to the u-15 teams to realise the importance of making full use of those domestic competitions.

“U-15 is the nursery level of cricket and playing at a regional tournament is playing at the bigger stage and it requires players to step up. I think playing in the inter-county helped bridged that gap between county and regional cricket. So the experiences they would have gained playing among their peers in the U-15’s and then competing against the U-17 guys would have done a lot for them technically and mentally going into a big tournament for them playing on the Regional stage”.

Moore further stated the players apart from first time jitters, will be faced with numerous other challenges, all of which he said comes with the responsibility of playing for your country regardless of the level. He said it is up to the coach and manager to help the players thrive in a relaxed, comfortable environment.

Having coached the likes of Joshua Persaud, Bhaskar Yadram, Ashmead Nedd, Kevin Sinclair, Qamar Torrington and others who have gone onto play at the highest levels of youth cricket, wrapped up his interview by highlighting the importance of assessing conditions in Jamaica as another factor which will add to Guyana’s chances.

“The wickets in Jamaica

U-19 ladies depart for T&T ahead of regional tourney

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21

The National Female Under-19 team with Manager Heema Singh (far left) and Coach Bharat Mangru (back right)

T

he National Female Under-19 winged for Trinidad & Tobago ahead of the Female Under-19 Invitational Regional T20 tournament.

The Guyana ladies departed on Tuesday where they now seek to recapture the title from the reigning hosts who defeated them in the final of the previous.

The team comprises of a number of players with experience at this level, and will be managed by Heema

Singh and coached by Cricket West Indies Level 3 Coach, Bharat Mangru.

Guyana U-19 ladies: Shabika Gajnabi (Captain), Mandy Mangru (Vice-Captain), Shenita Grimmond, Kushana Lynch, Omedevi Matadin, Lafona Gilgeows, Yogeeta Ballkishun, Casey Charles, Cherryanna Fraiser, Ashley Ramkisoon, Chrita Mahabir, Roshine Budhu, Sarah Amin and Varshmie Ramlall.

Manager Andy Ramnarine and Coach Julian Moore (centre) embrace team members after Guyana won the Under-15 title in 2014

are a bit harder, the ball comes on a bit more so you have to adjust to the conditions to really get going and do well in the tournament but I think the stage is set for us to go there and do well but the guys need to understand the responsibility they have in

representing your country”, he ended.

The 14 man squad which is being coached by CWI Level 3 coach, Winston Smith and Managed by Latchman Yadram play their first match today against Windward Islands.

Full Squad: - Zeynul

RamsammyCaptain, Jonathan Rampersaud- Vice Captain, Mahendra Gopilall, Nicholas Rajpat, Mavendra Dindyal, Shamar Yearwood, Chanderpaul Ramraj, Romel Datterdeen, Jeremey Sandia, Zachary Jodah, Safeik Khan, Tomanni Caesar, Isai Thorne and Ajay Gainda

22

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

wednesDAY, march 28, 2018

Judoka star claims “shady treatment” by GJA G

uyana-born Canadian judoka Darren Elcock, who is desirous of representing Guyana at the 2020 Olympics said he is encountering difficulties with the Guyana Judo Association (GJA) as he makes his transition back to the local arena.

Elcock, who migrated to Canada at the age of seven, recently returned after a slew of excep-

Darren Elcock

tional performances over-

seas. However, the fight-

er is claiming that the local body, after seemingly showing interest in having him on board, is suddenly ‘dragging their feet’ with regard to his transfer from the Canadian Judo Association (CJA).

During Tuesday’s press conference held at the Oasis Café, Elcock claimed

upon his arrival, he was given the “cold shoulder” by the GJA President Raul Archer and another executive who he said made numerous excuses regarding his transition after painting a picture that things were in place to facilitate him being a part of the team.

He added that the process is very simple, as the GJA will need to send a letter of confirmation to CJA regarding the willingness of Elcock to compete for Guyana after some 15 years overseas.

A former Karateka of the YMCA Dojo, he has numerous accolades under his belt including a gold medal in the team championships in the Alberta Winter Games in 2010; a gold medal in March 2011 at the Edmonton interna-

tional championships and in 2012 he travelled to Portugal to participate in the Junior World Cup tournament.

With Mixed Martial arts, karate, Shotokan among other self-defence techniques ruling supreme compared to the Judo community, Elcock said he was further baffled as to why a fighter of his international credentials was seemingly overlooked in a fraternity which is in need of a huge boost. Despite his obstacles, Elcock said he was still upbeat about playing a huge role in judo locally. The Judoka noted that regardless of the situation he is still hopeful of fulfilling his desired role and is confident about representing his birth country at the Olympics one day.

(Clifton Ross)

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Toney promises a more “proactive” GRFU G

uyana Rugby Football Union (GRFU) Junior Vice President Rawle Toney has promised a more proactive approach by the Union, especially with regards to garnering funds for the national teams ahead of internation-

al engagements.

Often, the Union was guilty of attempting to accumulate funds for foreign engagements on the eve of these crucial events.

Players even admitted that uncertainty over participation in tournaments ow-

CONCACAF Caribbean Women's Qualifiers…

Guyana to host Bermuda, Suriname & Barbados in May

The Lady Jags will be in action on home turf competing in the CONCACAF Caribbean Women's Qualifiers

G

uyana will host Bermuda, Barbados and Suriname in Mayas the campaign for the CONCACAF Caribbean Women’s Qualifiers is set to commence with 23 participating teams.

Guyana has been placed in Group E and will be one of the five host nations including the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Trinidad and Tobago and Antigua and Barbuda.

The Women’s Development Officer of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF), Tricia Munroe, said consistent playing time is the focus of the Senior National Women’s Team.

“I’m extremely happy that Guyana will be hosting Group E and our senior women’s team will have the opportunity to play international football. Women’s football in Guyana is still in its developmental stages but we are looking at the CFU Women’s Challenge Series Tournament in April as a means of preparation for this major tournament.

Match time is crucial for players’ development so our aim is to have the team exposed to as many national and international matches as possible to maintain the consistency of play.”

The final qualifier group stage for the Caribbean Region is scheduled for August with the finals of the 2018 CONCACAF Women’s Championship set for October in the United States of America.

According to CONCACAF, the tournament will employ a round-robin format and the top three teams from the final group stage will qualify for the championship.

“The 23 participating teams will form five groups, three groups of five and two groups of four for the group stage. After a round-robin play, the group winners will advance to a final group stage of five teams. The top three teams from this final group will qualify to the CONCACAF Women’s Championship.”

ing to financial constraints was a major detraction.

But Toney, speaking on the sidelines after a successful Sevens tournament – the most lucrative of its kind as $200,000 was up for grabs – posited the new executive which continues to be led by Peter Green, would be the agent of change.

“We will be proactive in reaching out to corporate Guyana. You wouldn’t see the usually thing whereby on the eve of tournaments, we reach out to corporate Guyana begging them to support the Green Machine.

What you will see is the Union reaching out to corporate Guyana telling them these are our scheduled ac-

tivities for 2018,” he explained.

While time may be on their side, they have a packed schedule on the road, having to play in the Central American and Caribbean Games July 19-August 3 in Colombia. Still in the Spanish-speaking country, they will turn their attention to the Americas Rugby Challenge 15s from August 24 to September 1.

Next on the agenda will be seeking to reclaim their Rugby Americans North 7s title in Barbados from September 22 to 23 and, in turn, earn a spot at the Hong Kong Sevens in 2019.

Toney, who stands firm on his point of view that the

sport is one of the most successful national sports and can help the country substantially in making a mark as a sport/tourism attraction, revealed that Saturday’s tournament was only one of many in the pipeline aimed at attracting foreign teams to the “Land of Many Waters”. ( A k e e m Greene)

GRFU Junior Vice President Rawle Toney

wednesDAY, march 28, 2018

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

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Toney promises a more “proactive” GRFU Intense rugby action returned to the National Park on Saturday with the Hairoun Beer Sevens

Judoka star claims “shady treatment”

by GJA

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Guyana-born Canadian International judoka Darren Elcock (in white) performs a hip toss on an opponent

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