Guyanatime 7 february 2018

Oil find

Guyana likely to become magnet for migrants – UN P11 Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana guyanatimesgy.com

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Wednesday, February 7, 2018

Issue No. 3474

GIPEX Petroleum Business Summit opens today See stories on pages 3, 9 and 10

Opposition slams event as publicity stunt … PSC sleeping at the wheel – Advisor

Bandits rob 71-year-old of pension

Page 7

GuySuCo snubs Wales cane cutters …says not entitled to severance

WHAT'S INSIDE:

“Squatting is not a poor people thing” P11&12 – GLSC Head …says tough action to be taken against offenders …as President halts Broad Street squatters’ relocation

Teen shot while stealing coconuts

P2

UG fees increase

"See you in court" – UGSS to admin

P5

CANU P5 unearths cocaine in fish at CJIA

Page 13

This father was seen reading to his toddler at the launching of the National Reading Programme on Tuesday at the East La Penitence Health Centre, Georgetown. The programme is aimed at promoting early reading for children from birth to three years of age

Page 9

$80 vat included

Page 7

Parents encouraged to read to children

Brassington sells IT company for US$500M

PRICE

Boy saved by 7-year-old sister from burning house Page 5

Charity Market sunken wharf

Plans afoot to begin constructing new wharf – P10 REO …vendors to be relocated

2 news

wednesDAY, February 7, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Teen shot while stealing coconuts

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17-year-old labourer was on Tuesday shot once to his chest by a licensed firearm holder after he reportedly attacked a businessman at his Strathspey, East Coast Demerara (ECD) property.

The teenager, of Coldingen, ECD, was reportedly in the process of stealing coconuts when he

was confronted by the businessman and in retaliation, the teenager reportedly attacked the businessman with the cutlass that he used to cut the coconuts.

The businessman whipped out a pistol and discharged a round, hitting the teenager to his left chest.

Another teenager who was working along with the in-

jured teen was also found on the businessman’s property with a donkey cart. He was arrested by the Police.

The injured teen was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he underwent emergency surgery. He is in stable condition. The businessman has been detained and is assisting with investigations.

CH&PA’s Onderneeming houses to be ready by April – engineer

The houses under construction

T

he Central Housing and Planning Authority is currently constructing a total of 10 elevated two-bedroom houses at Onderneeming, West Bank Demerara, which are expected to be completed by April, according to the engineer.

Engineer Darron McKinnon said that there were four contractors executing works on the 10 houses. He noted that on account of the rain, the three-month contract had to be extended with the new completion date being April month-end.

He explained that the houses measured 30x20ft with approximately 670 square feet of livable space.

McKinnon added that they were monitoring construction closely and testing all materials to ensure that they were up to standard.

The cost for one of the houses is $8 million – $7.5 million for the structure and $500,000 for the land.

Additionally, CH&PA Chief Executive Officer Lelon Saul said as part of the 2018 programme, the Housing Authority expected to allocate some 1000 service lots across the country namely at Linden, Cummings Lodge, and Perseverance.

“We have 10 of 19 houses under construction. It is from part of our 2018 target. In 2018, CH&PA will be delivering 247 house units across the country. In addition, 750 houses will be delivered via public-private partnership,” he noted.

While on a tour of the site, Director of Projects, Omar Narine noted that the La Parfaite Harmonie Housing Scheme is one of the largest housing schemes in the country with more than 8000 lots compass-

ing six plantations of which Onderneeming is one.

“Right now, we are doing 10 units and a potential nine units to commence in the next two weeks. Those units will be two and three bedrooms, the flat version of this (elevated) option, but those options will be two and three bedrooms, 600-900 square foot,” he explained.

Some 758 housing units (530 duplexes and 228 townhouses) will be built under this Government to maximise land use and increase affordability, while building cohesive communities in 10 locations across six regions. The construction of the houses is part of the Government’s plan to make affordable housing available to every citizen, particularly Public Sector employees and youths.

In May, the CH&PA held its inaugural Housing Expo in its Model Village at Perseverance on the East Bank of Demerara. The Housing Authority is expected to construct an additional 40 duplexes at Perseverance with each apartment costing $7.1 million inclusive of the cost for the house lot.

CH&PA Director of Operations, Denise KingTudor said that for persons to qualify for the houses, they must have an active application in the system and have an interview to be prequalified. Upon completion of that, they will be issued with a letter to take to their preferred financial institution for a loan prequalification, and would be placed on the waiting list.

“Once we are ready and you are selected, then you will be required to pay the initial deposit and the initial deposit is dependent on the amount that the applicant have been prequalified for by the banks,” she noted.

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wednesDAY, February 7, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

BRIDGE OPENINGS

GIPEX Summit

The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Wednesday, February 7 – 10:30h-12:00h and Thursday, February 8 – 11:30h-13:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Wednesday, February 7 – 09:30h-11:00h and Thursday, February 8 – 10:30h-12:00h.

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

WEATHER TODAY

Light rain showers and lightly cloudy skies are expected followed by sunny conditions in the late afternoon, with partly cloudy skies in the evening.

Temperatures are expected to range between 20 degrees Celsius and 29 degrees Celsius.

Winds: North-easterly between 1.78 metres and 6.25 metres.

High Tide: 09:23h and 21:54h reaching maximum heights of 2.33 metres and 2.23 metres respectively.

Low Tide: 15:24h reaching a minimum height of 0.92 metre.

Opposition slams event as a publicity stunt – says Govt trying to distract attention from real issues

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hile the threeday Guyana International Petroleum Business Summit (GIPEX 2018) summit gets underway today, the Opposition People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) has labelled the event as another superficial publicity stunt on the part of the Government.

According to the Party in a statement on Tuesday, this is because the Government is yet to address a number of burning issues with the oil sector; issues such as a flawed renegotiated contract with ExxonMobil, the stalled Petroleum Commission Bill

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo

and authority in the subject Minister. Even the Minister is on record as so admitting and has promised to shed some of these

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and the yet-to-be established Sovereign Wealth Fund (recently renamed the Natural Resources Fund).

Instead, the Opposition Party contended, the event was launched by the Government, through the Guyana Office for Investment (GO-Invest) simply to divert attention from issues like joblessness, poverty and crime.

This, the Party noted, is a trend the Government has developed – all to hide its “incompetence.”

“From the outset, we have stated that any competent Government inviting investment interests in the sector must set out clear policy objectives, must establish the requisite architecture and create an attractive environment that will conduce to investments. None of these prerequisites currently exists. On the contrary, the entire sector is mired in controversies, chaos and confusion,” the Party stated.

“The Petroleum Bill that ought to set out the legal framework and policy infrastructure for the sector is still in a Select Committee in the National Assembly, which Select Committee has never even met. The Bill itself is deeply flawed, in that it (allocates) excessive power

powers.”

The PPP/C noted that besides the absent Sovereign Wealth Fund and the lopsided contract, the US$18 million signing bonus, which Guyana received from ExxonMobil back in 2016 is still being held in an account outside

of the Consolidated Fund.

“No explanation is forthcoming from the Government in respect of the multiplicity of criticisms and queries raised in the press and by Guyanese everywhere about the contract. All we have from the

Government is a glib indication that future contracts will not be similarly structured and negotiated,” the Party noted, adding that the Government was yet to provide clarity on the much-touted Green State Development Strategy (GSDS) and how it would impact on the petroleum sector.

“In the circumstances,” the PPP/C declared. “We have no alternative but to conclude that this event is another publicity gimmick of the Government.”

The summit gets underway today at the Guyana Marriott and will last until Friday. President David Granger is expected to address the attendees, which will include both local and international firms.

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wednesDAY, February 7, 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

Justice at last

G

uyanese should not get distracted with all the cross talk on the Venezuelan border controversy.

The United Nations Secretary General, acting in his official capacity according to Article 33 of the UN Charter, has referred the matter to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in accordance with the terms of the Geneva Agreement to which Venezuela is a signatory. This is the most significant development in 28 years and the opportunity for a resolution must be seized.

For too long, Guyana has gone along with every one of the measures contained and elaborated by that Agreement which also has Great Britain as one of the parties. The Agreement is very clear that the only matter to be addressed was Venezuela’s claim that the 1899 full and final award was “null and void”. The proposed Mixed Commission in the Agreement, for instance, met to examine Venezuela’s proof of this “nullity”, but Venezuela was unable to proffer such proof and went on to make the same demand it is presently trumpeting: that the settled frontier between the two countries be revised, in a “practical settlement of the controversy”. Eventually, the Mixed Commission had to be abrogated after its stipulated four-year term because of Venezuela’s intransigence.

In 1983, it was Venezuela that proposed its controversy be placed under the auspices of the Secretary General of the United Nations, in concordance with Article IV Sec 2 of the Geneva Agreement, which complied with Article 33 of the Charter of the United Nations concerning the means of peaceful solutions of controversies, as mentioned above. After much discussion, by 1989, there was finally an agreement on one of the means – the Good Officer process of the UN Secretary General. This kicked off the following year with a number of prominent individuals, such as Norman Girvan serving in that role. Girvan passed away in 2014 without any settlement to the controversy because Venezuela would once again not budge from its position.

Finally, towards the end of 2016, after more than a quarter of a century of the Good Officer process without any success, the predecessor to the present Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, signalled his intention to move the controversy to the ICJ if progress was not made within a year. Venezuela did not make any formal protest to this proposal and for it to now reject the UN Secretary General’s telegraphed decision, is to palpably demonstrate bad faith. However, its position should not have been totally unexpected either to Guyana or the Secretary General: for the latter to proceed signals that the process will move forward.

Venezuela is depending on its rejection of the jurisdiction of the ICJ to halt the process over which Guyana has exercised the patience of Job. Guyana will have to embark on a vigorous diplomatic campaign to bring its case to the attention of the international community – especially those with territorial disputes that demand settlement.

India is one such potential ally, and it is hoped that in his mission to New Delhi last week, Foreign Affairs Minister Carl Greenidge would have briefed his counterparts there.

It must be noted that during the 1980s, when Venezuela used the controversy to try to stymie our development plans, the Guyanese Foreign Service played a masterly hand to repel it by tagging Venezuela as an international bully to its poverty-stricken neighbour. In the present, Venezuela can be shown to be again attempting to hold back our development when at last we have an opportunity, brought about by the discovery of oil, to move out of that poverty. That ExxonMobil and Total are two of the players in our oil play should also add credibility to our lobbying efforts.

There is precedence for the court to deliver at a minimum, an opinion, on the controversy. This would be a great victory for Guyana, since it would demonstrate conclusively that Venezuela is unwilling to settle its controversy by one of the most trusted peaceful methods – Judicial Settlement.

Participants row during the masquerade parade on the Grand Canal during the Carnival in Venice, Italy (BBC)

Clean-up time against crime Dear Editor, With the upcoming Mash season and its importance to the viability of the economy, no time must be wasted in putting a stop to the crime wave taking place. If not properly nipped in the bud, it will damage the livelihoods of many small businesses and their communities, as Mash season is extremely important to the income of many

families and sets the tone for the economy throughout the year.

It’s time for the Police to have a strong presence on the roads as well as the implementation of checkpoints by both the Police and the military. No opportunities to manoeuvre or room for escape should be allowed these criminals.

They are showing an utter lack of concern for the pow-

er of the justice system and the strength of the Police and military in this country. It’s time for zero tolerance for these offenders.

His Excellency is a pillar in the armed forces and these criminals should feel the heavy hand of justice upon them as soon as possible. All deportees should be rounded up and made to check in with the relevant authorities as well as

those on parole as required by the court. No further gaps in follow up with criminal elements should be tolerated and the strength of public involvement should be encouraged even more.

The country is too small for these criminals to be able to get away with such heinous acts for that long of a time.

Best regards, Jamil Changlee

Guyanese are being conned in a big way Dear Editor, The absurd and outrageous nature of the Exxon contract which has been highlighted by a number of persons in the public domain triggers the impulse to shout ‘incompetence!’ and similar expressions to describe the grossly imbecilic nature of this agreement.

But, if we consider for just a minute, the people in the coalition cannot, by any remote standard, be considered stupid. The President was a former BrigadierGeneral schooled in military strategy abroad, and a career historian and lecturer, I was made to understand. The Minister of Foreign Affairs was a former Minister of Finance right here, the Minister of State is a very bright gentleman who was a lawyer by profession, and the Minister of Natural Resources was also a career lawyer who also served as Speaker of our House.

It is virtually impossible for any of these four gentlemen not to have been privy to the agreement before it was signed. With at least two of them being former practising lawyers, it would

have been impossible for them to ignore what I can only refer to as the gross asininity of the Exxon contract.

Here we have four of probably the most senior men in the coalition Administration perusing this contract, familiar with its contents, being aware of their own limitations in respect to their capacity to professionally evaluate it, yet still being able to recognise the ridiculous nature of the contract, and still agreeing to give the go-ahead for the Minister of Natural Resources to sign an agreement.

Something is wrong here. No one has yet come up with an acceptable explanation for what we are seeing unfolding with respect with this contract. But I submit that something is definitely wrong. It is very easy to consider corruption in all its modern complexities at work here, but is it more than this? What has the coalition Administration agreed to that is not written in the contract? The gross financial imbalance and loss for Guyana as a sovereign state indicates that something more than meets the eye is amiss.

In light of the litany of flaws in the contract, which even includes the Minister of Natural Resources acting on behalf of Exxon in at least one instance – a clear conflict of interest and impossibility in such contracts, it seems very understandable that the Minister of Foreign Affairs owned up (a likely story) to advising the coalition that the agreement should remain secret.

In respect to the Minister of Natural Resources signing an agreement which clearly puts him in opposition to the interests of Guyana, by what stretch of the imagination and outlandish notion could these four senior men of the coalition agree to the Exxon contract being signed and enforced? How could the President himself agree to this? And why is the coalition insisting that the contract remains in force?

I submit that Guyana is being conned in a very big way, and the coalition Administration, by agreeing to this contract – in addition to its hard-headed stance on VAT and other policies which make it so much harder for Guyanese, including neglecting to ad-

dress our unemployment and joblessness among our youths in a major way, its violation of the basic human rights of the recently-retrenched sugar workers, and its wilful breach of our laws in relation of honouring contractual severance arrangements with employees, notably the retrenched sugar workers – has declared itself unfit to govern.

All Guyanese, particularly those owning and controlling resources and in decision-making positions have to seriously take stock of what is unfolding and make preparations. Because running a country is a long game which requires a plan.

And if anything, else, we have to get ourselves organised right now.

In respect to the contract itself being in force, Ramon Gaskin recently pointed out that Exxon discovered oil in its allotted blocks long after its exploratory rights apparently expired. Competent individuals could investigate whether this is not a basis on which to void the entire contract.

Yours faithfully, Craig Sylvester

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wednesDAY, February 7, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Boy saved by 7-year-old sister from burning house

Quick response by ranks of the New Amsterdam Fire Service was able to prevent major damage to the building

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four-year-old child was on Monday evening saved from a burning house at Glasgow New Housing Scheme, New Amsterdam, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) by his seven-year-old sister.

Reports are the two young children were asleep in the two-storey concrete and wood home when the fire started.

However, the elder sibling was awakened by the smell of smoke and having realised that the house was on fire, she immediately wrapped her brother in a blanket and eased him through a window as far as the blanket

could reach and before dropping him the remaining six feet to the ground.

She then made her way out of the burning building by jumping through the same window, which was 14 feet from the ground, fracturing her leg in the process. She then screamed for help and neighbours rushed to her assistance. She was taken to the New Amsterdam Hospital where she was admitted.

Guyana Times was told that the fire might have started from a candle, which the children’s mother lit in the room before locking them in the house and going out.

Neighbours rushed over, kicked open the door to the home and formed a bucket brigade to put out the fire.

Meanwhile, the Fire Service arrived and was able to extinguish the fire.

This publication was told that neighbours contacted the mother of the children and informed her that her house was on fire.

By the time the mother arrived, the Police and Fire Service were already on the scene. After seeing the crowd, the woman reportedly told the driver of the vehicle she was in to turn around and leave the area. A section of the crowd tried to stop him, but their efforts were in vain. The Police are now looking for the mother of two.

The residents were high in their praise for the quick response of both the Police and fire department.

Meanwhile, residents said that on many occasions the two children were

The four-year-old in the arms of a neighbour at the scene on Monday night

left unattended and locked in the house for several hours.

Some neighbours recalled seeing the seven-year-old girl on the street after 01:00h in the morning a few days ago looking for her mother.

A few months ago, the four-yearold was hospitalised after being burnt with hot porridge when his sister tried to make breakfast for him.

The Childcare Department in the Region was notified and had visited the home after reports of child neglect were made.

On the last occasion, they allowed the children to continue living there after the children’s grandmother had promised to take care of them.

The children are now in the care of an aunt.

UG fees increase

“See you in court” – UGSS to admin

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niversity of Guyana Students Society (UGSS) President Norwell Hinds said that the body was in the process of “putting its ducks in a row” as it contemplated mounting a legal challenge against the University of Guyana administration over the move to “unconstitutionally” raise administrative fees.

On Thursday last, students were notified by email by that from March 1, there will be an increase ranging from 20 to 100 per cent for 28 different services offered by the administration.

The University released a statement on Sunday, which revealed that a Special Meeting of the Finance and General Purpose Committee (F&GPC) approved the increase in various service fees since June 1, 2017.

According to the statement, the new fees were sanctioned after a comparative analysis revealed that the administrative fees of the University were lower when compared to other tertiary institutions. It was also stated that it has been almost a decade since these fees were last adjusted.

However, the current UGSS Executive, which was installed in October of 2017, is disagreeing with that contention and expected to challenge that in the court.

“Our interpretation is that the action to implement the fees requires the approval of the Council. That is our contention and the University disagrees and

A section of the students at the meeting

their contention is that the approval of 2017 stands.

Our position is that the approval of 2017 was a part of budget estimates for 2017 so until you present the budget for 2018 as approved by the Council, there is no legal standing,” Hinds said.

“Our view is that we want to go to the court and let the court say to us whether we are right in our interpretation or the administration is right. We are pursuing it (the court action) right away. We have been doing that since last week,” he added, while shying away from revealing when they would file for the proceedings to commence.

The UGSS President maintained that a new Council has not been installed yet; hence, the unilateral decision by Vice Chancellor Professor Ivelaw Griffith, to implement the new fees was unconstitutional. He explained that the body was seeking the court’s opinion so as to prevent any further reoccurrence of such an issue.

When asked about any

planned protest action by the UGSS, Hinds related that there were “many ways to skin a cat” and that protests have been tried by previous UGSS Executives with little or no significant results; hence, they were bent on taking the administration to court should it go ahead and implement the fees.

The students are now required to pay $1000 (previously $500) for processing applications for degree, diploma and certificate programmes and $3000 instead of $2000 for late application.

Additionally, fees were adjusted for late registration from $10,000 to $12,000, supplemental examination from $1500 to $5000, personal transcripts from $3000 to $5000 and to $6000 to re-sit an exam while a letter for visa applications and other purposes would cost $5000.

Town-hall meeting

In order to bring the student body up to date with the actions taken by the Society and to also listen to their

suggestions, the UGSS hosted a town-hall styled meeting on campus on Tuesday.

At the meeting, the UGSS was bashed for knowing of the decision to implement the raise in fees and doing nothing about it. However, Hinds indicated that the body only became aware of the raise in January after students writing supplemental exams complained.

Several of the students complained about the sloth in the University releasing their grades. They noted that although it was three weeks into the new semester, grades from last year were not released as yet; in addition, their timetables were a mess, lecturers were not showing up and in some cases, they were still waiting to sit exams for last semester courses.

The students questioned the level of service being delivered by the administration, noting that UG’s back gate was being closed as soon as it got dark as a result of lack of lighting, there were dogs roaming the campus biting students and parking spaces were inadequate. The students are irate that all the administration seems to be doing is enhancing itself and ignoring the concerns of the students.

They all committed to banding together to ensure the fees were not increased and to pressure the administration to ensure quality, efficient and timely services were delivered.

CANU unearths cocaine in fish at CJIA

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anks from the Customs AntiNarcotics Unit (CANU) stationed at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) on Tuesday evening unearthed a quantity of cocaine stashed in partially frozen fish. The shipment of fish was scheduled for export to the United States. Based on initial investigations, seven persons were taken into custody as the investigations continue. The company which was used to ship the fish is from the West Bank of Demerara.

4 in custody for money changer’s murder

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s the probe intensifies into the gunning down of an America Street, Georgetown money changer on Sunday morning, the Police have arrested four persons, including the owner of a CG motorcycle used in the commissioning of the murder.

Reports reaching Guyana Times revealed that the red Honda motorcycle that was used by the lone gunman in the shooting to death of 47-year-old Shawn Nurse was captured on CCTV footage that was reviewed by the Police.

The motorcycle was found in possession of one of the suspects who are presently in custody. The owner of the motorcycle, nevertheless, told detectives that he had lent it to someone but when investigated, his claim was refuted.

In addition to those two men, the duo that was previously charged with an armed robbery committed on the now dead man a few months ago were also arrested and were being questioned in connection with the murder. The two suspects were freed after no evidence was offered and restitution was made in the sum of $500,000.

The well-known money changer, of Lot 33 Shopping Plaza, South Ruimveldt, Georgetown, was sitting in a chair at the corner of Avenue of the Republic and America Street, when he was approached by a man armed with a handgun.

The man without hesitation demanded that Nurse hand over a bag that he was carrying which contained an undisclosed sum of local and foreign currency. Nurse resisted, so the bandit pulled the trigger, shooting him once to his head.

Nurse collapsed and died almost immediately. The Police retrieved a spent 9mm

Dead: Shawn Nurse

shell at the scene and questioned several persons who gave a description of the shooter. At the time of the shooting incident, the suspect was reportedly clad in a red hoodie and a pair of brown trousers.

The dead man’s grieving mother has stated that she was not sure if her son’s death was related to the recent robbery involving two of the men who were now in custody who had begged her son not to go ahead with the charges that were brought against them.

Police are continuing their investigations into the murder.

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wednesDAY, February 7, 2018

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Foundation

The importance of valuing youths

By John McCarthy

H

ow long do you think teachers pause, on average, after asking a question?

Several studies from the 1970s on have looked into the effect that the amount of time teachers pause after asking a question has on learners. In visiting many classrooms in the United States and other parts of the world, I’ve found that, with few exceptions, these studies are still accurate. For example, according to work done by Mary Budd Rowe in 1972 and Robert J. Stahl in 1994, pausing for three or more seconds showed a noticeable positive impact on learning. Yet the average length that teachers pause was found to be 0.9 seconds.

Wow

I’ve observed this phenomenon in many classrooms, and there is a real need to increase the time granted to students to process what they know and to make sense of what they do not understand.

In differentiating instruction, process and learning preference are the keys. Process is how learners make sense of ideas, compose their thinking, and prepare a thoughtful answer. Learning preference, in the case of questions posed to the whole class, refers to how some students prefer to silently process the content, keeping their own counsel (Internal Thinkers), while others prefer to talk or express their thinking with an audience as a sounding board (External Thinkers).

The External Thinkers, those go-to students who can be counted on to talk within the first three seconds, may be shaping their ideas as they talk—they haven’t had sufficient time to fully process but speak out anyway.

Meanwhile, the Internal Thinkers have also had insufficient time to process, but don’t feel comfortable responding.

One solution is for teachers to pause for five to 15 seconds before calling on students.

The silence for some may feel unbearably long. Yet consider that the fastest male and

female 100-meter sprinters in the world run at or under 10 seconds. The world record is under 10 seconds, which goes by quickly. Why not offer a similar amount of time for students to consider their responses to questions that require deep thinking?

Strategies for providing students with time to think

Provide wait time: Give students five to 15 seconds to formulate a response to a question for which they should know the answer. Not every learner processes thinking at the same speed. Quality should be measured in the content of the answer, not the speediness.

I count in my head to 15. Most times, I get responses by 10 to 12 seconds. If you don’t get responses within 15 seconds, you can call on students, instead of asking for volunteers.

Give think time:

Give students 20 seconds to two minutes to make sense of questions that require analysis to synthesise concepts into a different construct or frame. You can aid this by encouraging journaling, silent reflection, or partner discussions. Giving such chunks of time honors the work being asked of students. Quick responses probably mean that the question did not stretch the learners’ understanding.

After the allotted time, any student can be called on to share their response.

Teach reflection:

Coach students on the value and practice of reflection. Educators and students may appear to be uncomfortable with silence, hence the typical one-second pause time. Silence may be equated with nothing happening.

In reality, when students are provided with structured ways to practice thinking and specific directions about what to accomplish within the silent time, they can become more productive during reflection.

Think From the Middle is a collection of approaches for students to hone their thinking processes during reflection and collaborative

communication.

Teach students how to manage a conversation: It’s a beautiful thing to witness students running thoughtful conversations around topics that combine curriculum and real-world connections. Establish a culture for students to engage in such conversations, and they’ll soon be doing most of the heavy lifting during the lesson.

One powerful example I’ve witnessed in Michigan and Texas uses a guide for student-led conversation prompts called Talk Moves. This list of conversation stems provides students with communication tools for participating in and sustaining discussions. I’ve witnessed their use in science classes using the Next Generation Science Standards, and they’re equally useful in all subject area courses.

Students choose the starter stem that best supports the topic to be discussed.

Teachers use the Talk Moves to coach and guide students to different levels of complex thinking by directing them toward different sections of conversation prompts. The intent is for students to own the conversation, which empowers their ability to process concepts for understanding.

Placing students at the centre of learning

We want students to become independent learners who can navigate challenging material and situations. Students learn at different paces, which seems less about intelligence and more about the time barriers put in the path of learning. There may be a place for timed responses and answering questions under the pressure of a clock, yet there are no standards that say that students should master concepts in less than one second.

Most people need adequate time to process their thoughts if they are expected to contribute to a conversation. Life is not a 30-minute game show with rapid-fire questions that require low-level answers, plus commercial breaks. Even if it were, one would need time to develop and master the processing skills to compete. (edutopia.org)

Y

oung people are an incredibly important part of our society. Yet, for some reason, many of us feel undervalued. We feel sort of shortchanged: too young to be taken seriously, but too old to not be doing something meaningful.

But then how can we do something meaningful if we Ashley Anthony aren’t taken seriously?

Undervaluing youth happens at every possible level. It happens in the home, at school, in the workplace, and even in the community. Young people are stereotyped as being irresponsible and naïve, and thus their opinions are valued less. In the home, it could be something as simple as not letting a teenager have agency over how they want to study. As a parent, you might feel that the best way for them to study is to have a rigorous schedule and stick to it, despite your child telling you that this doesn’t work for them. Ignoring their protests could actually be counterproductive. Perhaps if they were given more control over how they studied, they would be able to design a schedule that helps them function most effectively. I’m not saying that you should release all parental control, but I am saying that as children get older, they should be given more control over their lives. How can we expect young people to have confidence in themselves if their own parents do not trust them to manage their time effectively to pass their examinations?

At the school level, the principle is roughly the same; younger people have less of an impact simply because of their age. Arguably, the most important person within a school is the student. Yet, students often have few avenues for expression. Our schools usually do not have student body councils and thus there is no organised body that represents the student’s interests, ideas or concerns to the principal and other teachers. If a student has an idea for a school improvement project, there is often no existing system through which they can submit the idea, or if there is such a system, it isn’t widely publicised. I think this is truly a shame. Students are the ones who know best the inconveniences they face, and when given the chance, sometimes they come up with truly brilliant solutions. A great example would be “Lictor Live” of Queen’s College.

The project was proposed at a student conference hosted by the alumni of Queen’s College, and it served to solve the problem of poor information circulation within the school.

After receiving the support of the alumni, the project blossomed into one of the school’s most active clubs.

Students report on activities within the school, and post pictures and articles to the official Facebook page “Lictor Live”, which now has amassed a following of over two thousand people. If those students had not been given an audience, that idea would have never been realised. I am not saying that every idea has to be implemented, but that there should be more opportunities for youths to propose such ideas.

At the community level, the idea is similar, but not exactly the same. Youth are often chastised for being apathetic about social issues, but then when we attempt to become politically active, we are often told that we are too young to know what we are talking about.

It’s frustrating. The political opinions of young people shouldn’t be limited to just what their parents or families tell them. They should be able to do their own research, and to respectfully challenge the opinions of those older than they are. Being young shouldn’t make us less relevant.

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wednesDAY, February 7, 2018 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

GuySuCo snubs Wales cane cutters …says workers not entitled to severance pay

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lose to 400 cane cutters who were attached to the now defunct Wales Sugar Estate may never receive severance pay, as acting Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Paul Bhim has declared that these workers were not entitled to those benefits.

Bhim maintains that GuySuCo has honoured all its obligations regarding the payment of severance at the Wales Estate.

He told the Department of Public Information (DPI) that cane cutters were offered jobs at the Uitvlugt Estate and they were at risk of self-termination because of their refusal to take up this offer.

The acting CEO argued that this could take effect based on the Collective Labour Agreement signed between GuySuCo and the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU).

But GAWU has argued that the workers were being pressured by GuySuCo when they were aware that the Uitvlugt Estate was located more than 20 miles from Wales. The Union still

Acting GuySuCo CEO Paul Bhim

contends that this move is contrary to the Termination of Employment and Severance Pay Act. Bhim, however, claimed that GAWU’s position was groundless since labour turn-out at that estate was below full capacity, while there continued to be a need for cane harvesters. “Our contention is that we require the workers at Uitvlugt. Uitvlugt has got a huge shortage of cane harvesters. We are still insisting that we need them to go, don’t forget about 120 of them have actually gone,” he added.

The acting CEO also claimed that the number of days spent harvesting canes during the last crop at Uitvlugt has more to do with the number of canes in the fields rather than the number of workers who were employed. “It just depends on the amount of cane that we have in the field,” he explained.

According to Bhim, in the last crop, the turnout was about 58-60 per cent.

He said, “So, it wasn’t as if we had sufficient cane harvesters on a daily basis to take the cane off because the factory ended up being out of cane on an average, 20 hours a week probably 30 at times.”

Regardless of these calls, the workers are demanding a severance payment and at recent protest actions held at the Ministry of the Presidency and the High Court, they have called for a date to be set for a court hearing.

They promised to put pressure on both Government and the court to move swiftly to have the matter involving the former cane harvesters of that estate heard as speedily as possible.

Bandits rob 71-year-old of pension

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oments after relieving a 71-year-old man of his old-age pension at Vryheid’s Lust, East Coast Demerara (ECD) on Monday, two bandits were arrested.

They are expected to make their court appearance today.

The robbers have been identified as Devon Watson, also called “Ivan” of Lot 100 Noble Street, Friendship, ECD and Philbert Rogers, also called “Dagan” of Lot 59 Friendship, ECD. Both men are aged 25.

Reports are the La

Ressouvenir, ECD pensioner collected his pension and afterwards stopped to purchase a snack at a supermarket at Vryheid’s Lust.

As he was leaving on his pedal cycle, two bandits confronted him and took away the envelope containing his money.

After relieving the elderly man of his money, they then pushed him to the ground and made good their escape.

However, minutes later, the pensioner stopped a Police patrol and related what had transpired. At the

time, Deputy Commander of C Division (East Coast Demerara), Walter Stanton was in the vehicle.

Based on the general description of the suspects, the men were arrested at La Bonne Intention (LBI) with the victim’s belongings including his Identification Card that was found hidden in one of the men’s crotch.

As such, they were charged with robbery with violence and were scheduled to appear before a Magistrate at the Sparendaam Magistrate’s Courts.

GAWU’s lawyer, Ashton Chase had compiled and filed documents for the matter regarding the non-payment of severance packages to hundreds of sugar workers to be called up at the High Court. However, close to two years have passed and the matter is still to be assigned to a judge. The workers have lamented that even as the court system has been slow, their Union has not been pushing the issue in the public domain so as to bring about a swift response.

Meanwhile, Agriculture Minister Noel Holder told this newspaper recently that Government has already taken a position and it would allow the courts to decide on whether sever-

ance should be paid or not.

GAWU had indicated that during discussions with President David Granger and Cabinet, it had vowed to withdraw the court matter for any guarantee that the Wales workers would receive their severance.

Asked if consideration would be given to the issue on that basis, Holder reiterated that the matter was before the courts. He, however, stated that careful consideration has to be done, because making such a move could potentially cause the Government to be placed in a bad situation.

Holder hinted that if Government were to pay the Wales cane cutters severance, then every oth-

er worker that have been transferred to another estate would propose the same arguments and demand pay. “Therefore, the severance would be $5 billion to now $10 billion,” he told this newspaper.

Of the approximately 4,800 workers dismissed in the latest firings only 1600 fired sugar workers who are eligible to receive $500,000 or less in severance pay have been paid in full, others would be paid 50 per cent of the amounts due to them.

By refusing to adhere to the "Termination of Employment and Severance Pay Act" the government is treating the Wales Canecutters like indentured servants.

8 news

wednesDAY, February 7, 2018 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

2015 Tucville murder

Doctor testifies as trial continues T Water, water everywhere… he High Court trial of Edward “Pretty Boy” Skeete and Nabadingi “Dangles” Gobin continued before Justice Navindra Singh on Tuesday.

Emergency physician, Dr Esaun Reid testified to the injuries he witnessed when Ryan Clementson was rushed to the Accident & Emergencies Section of the Georgetown Public Hospital.

Skeete, a mason of Lot 309 Independence Boulevard, Georgetown, and Gobin, a taxi driver from 1049 Aubrey Barker Street, South Ruimveldt, had denied murdering 25-year-old Clementson of Mocha Arcadia, East Bank Demerara, between July 14 and 24, 2015 at Tucville, Georgetown.

Dr Reid told the court on Tuesday that when the

Accused: Edward “Pretty Boy” Skeete

Accused: Nabadingi “Dangles” Gobin

patient arrived, he was wet and without a shirt, with a gunshot injury to the right thigh which was actively bleeding. The expert witness told the jury that the injury was a few millimetres in diameter.

Defence Attorney Nigel

Hughes, in his cross-examination, sought to establish doubt as to what object actually caused Clementson’s injuries as he could not recall seeing an exit wound or warhead. Under re-examination by Lead Prosecutor

Narissa Leander, the doctor explained that not all gunshot injuries have exit wounds.

After some back-andforth exchanges between the defence and prosecution, Dr Reid completed his testimony and a voir dire (trial within a trial) commenced and continued into the afternoon session.

The men on trial are accused of opening fire on Clementson and his friend Ayodele Solomon on July 14, 2015 near the Turning Point Snackette in Tucville. Clementson succumbed almost two weeks later from cardiac arrest following surgery.

Skeete and Gobin are represented by Attorneys Hughes and Mark Waldron while State Counsels Leander, Tiffini Lyken and Abigail Gibbs are presenting the State’s case.

CANU bust

South Ruimveldt man remanded on narco possession

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South Ruimveldt, Georgetown businessman who was allegedly caught with 514 grams of cocaine in a pipe was on Tuesday remanded to prison.

Collin Hooper, 40, denied the charge put to him by city Magistrate Fabayo Azore.

He denied that on February 2, 2018 at Lot 49 Blue Sackie Drive, South Ruimveldt, he had the illicit substance in his possession for the purpose of traf-

ficking.

According to reports, Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) ranks swooped down at Hooper’s premises and found the cocaine stashed in a pipe leading to a septic tank.

Defence counsel James Bond informed the court that the substance was found in a pipe which connects to many apartments and as such, his client should not have been charged.

He asked for reason-

able bail to be granted on those grounds; however, Magistrate Azore denied his submission.

Hooper was remanded to prison. The case will continue today.

Father slapped with larceny charge

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man who broke into a car in front of his son’s school was remanded

to prison when he appeared before city Magistrate Judy Latchman.

Twenty-nine-year-old Albert Defreitas, of Lot 100 Leopold Street, Georgetown, denied that on January 31, 2018 at Parade Street, Georgetown, he stole one Samsung cellphone, one laptop, makeup, a handbag and other items values a total of $525,000 from Sherry Haynes’ car.

According to Police Prosecutor Arvin Moore, Defreitas has a pending matter of a similar nature before the court.

He revealed that Defreitas was caught on CCTV footage entering the woman’s car. He disclosed the facts of the matter stating that on the day of the incident, Haynes secured her car and went into her child’s school, which is the same school that Defreitas’s son attends.

However, upon her return 20 minutes later, she saw that her car had been broken into and that the listed items were missing.

A report was made, and the defendant was reportedly found to be in possession of the stolen laptop.

As such, Defreitas was remanded to prison to return on February 26.

S

...but none for rice? ome folks might’ve been taken aback by the news of 2000 acres of rice over in Berbice that was threatened by drought – in the midst of all the rains we’ve been experiencing. And therein lies a story that hasn’t been told often enough to us coastlanders. We go about blithely with our business –- which is generally to figure out how to escape a government that only knows “tax and splurge!

– with nary a thought about how tenuous our habitation on the coast is.

Point of the matter, we’re all pretty much living in a trench on the coastland. And you should get those eyebrows down, right now, if you think about it! Remember that word “backdam”, which most of us think is a PLACE where cane cutters labour? Well…think again! The “backdam” is a real “dam” that was created years and years ago by the Dutch and the British at the BACK of the cane fields to do two things.

Firstly to collect and hold back the waters that came down during the rainy season…and in the process, creating “conservancies” of water!! The water’s then released, in regulated amounts by IRRIGATION CANALS – to the cane fields and later the RICE fields. And that’s why the rice farmers complained when GuySuCo closed off the irrigation canals. But back to that trench, your Eyewitness mentioned a while back…Doesn’t that need another dam to form another bank?

Glad you asked, observant reader! And that’s just what our SEA wall, is!! When it was first constructed by the selfsame Dutch and British, they were called “sea dams”.

They were needed for the simple reason that our coastland is BELOW sea level! Remember what we learnt in Primary School? So between the seawall and the backdam, we live in the trench!!

We get away with it (most times) because in addition to the irrigation canals, we also have DRAINAGE CANALS – all ending at kokers into the ocean – or rivers. During heavy rainfall, the folks in Albouystown know they’ll be flooded because the kokers can’t be opened to let out the water until the LOW tide. In really heavy extended rainfall, the East Coast – especially Buxton – floods for the same reason.

And now, armed with that lesson on our coastland hydraulics, patient readers, we should be able to appreciate not only the rice farmers’ woes…but potentially those of all of us on the coast where the sugar factories have been shuttered.

To cut to the chase, no one will keep those irrigation and drainage canals clear. Forget about the NDIA! And within a year we’ll all be looking for canoes to move around!! …with oil under them With ExxonMobil striking oil with practically every hole under our waters, the French just jumped in. The oil company “Total” will now be trying to get a piece of the action. The question that arises, however, is: who’s in charge of negotiating for GUYANA’s share of the action??

God forbid it’s the same Raphael “Nassau” Trotman who gave away the store – and then some! – when he was jetted off to Texas!

Imagine what’ll happen if he’s taken over to Paris and the Eiffel Tower!! All those French sauces and Champagne will certainly make him giddier than the Texas Sirloins he wolfed down. But seriously folks, shouldn’t there be a proper team doing our negotiating for us? It’s not just that Trotman negotiated a terrible contract…it’s that he just won’t ADMIT to it when the smoking gun’s been shoved up his nose!!

What we can expect, then, if he’s allowed to be the “negotiator” again, we’d be adjudged “insane” by Einstein’s test.

Doing the same thing again and again…and expecting a different result!! …including the Cricket Stadium Seems our outfield at Providence has been hit by a “Mole Cricket” infestation. NO!! It’s not fellas who dig out “ground balls”. It’s a burrowing insect attack.

Just cover the ground with detergent – and they’ll be washed out!!

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

News

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wednesDAY, February 7, 2018 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Brassington sells IT company for US$500M G

uyanese Jonathan Brassington has sold his company, LiquidHub, one of the Philadelphia area’s information technology success stories in recent years, to a Francebased consulting giant. The entrepreneur is the brother of Winston Brassington Capgemini, a US$15.6 billion (yearly sales) Parisbased professional-services and consulting firm, said on Monday it has purchased LiquidHub, the US$250 million (yearly sales) “digital-customer engagement” IT and business-staffing and consulting firm based in Wayne. LiquidHub, which has 2000-plus employees, counts GlaxoSmithKline, Independence Blue Cross, Merck, Subaru, Vanguard, and other big employers as clients.

Capgemini officials said they paid around “two times revenues” or about US$500 million. In a statement, Capgemini, which competes with Accenture, Deloitte, Infosys, and other US- and India-based firms for global IT clients, said it bought LiquidHub to acquire its “seasoned design thinkers,

LiquidHub CEO Jonathan Brassington

user-experience designers, digital architects, and analytics specialists” who “will join Capgemini’s digital teams to create, for its clients, [digital] experiences that help to attract, acquire and retain customers”.

Pennsylvania taxpayers helped LiquidHub thrive in its early years: “In 2004, LiquidHub received US$100,000 through (the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development’s) Opportunity Grant Program and US$100,000 for job training through the Customised Job Training Program,” state spokesman Michael Gerber confirms.

In exchange, LiquidHub

promised to “create 83 jobs” in the state and retain 90 more, and to invest US$730,000.

Then in 2010 – three years after CreditSuisse’s US$20 million investment — LiquidHub received another US$100,000 State Opportunity Grant, plus “US$312,000 in Job Creation Tax Credits for an expansion of its Tredyffrin Township facility”, in exchange for creating 104 new jobs and keeping what were by then 202 existing jobs, while also investing at least US$508,000. LiquidHub “exceeded all of these obligations”, Gerber concluded.

LiquidHub owners who presumably will be enriched by the sale include founders Rob Kelley, Lee Yohannan, and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Brassington, three alumni of Philadelphia’s former Broadreach Consulting who started LiquidHub in 2000, and investor ChrysCapital, based in the Indian Ocean island nation and financial hub of Mauritius. CreditSuisse had led investors in raising US$20 million for the company back in 2007.

ChrysCapital invested US$53 million in LiquidHub

GIPEX Petroleum Business Summit opens today

The Marriott Hotel will be abuzz with activity for the three-day summit

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he three-day Guyana International Petroleum Business Summit (GIPEX 2018) conference will be opening today at the Marriott Hotel.

In a release, the organisers had assured that opportunities for investment and capacity building in Guyana’s oil and gas sector would be provided. Among the items up for discussion during the three-day summit, which ends on Friday, was a presentation on building a successful local content policy – a outline which sets out its plan for ensuring that Guyanese develop socio and economic capacity from oil.

The organisation promises that the summit will not only showcase Guyana as a vibrant investment destination in oil, gas and energy related fields but also highlight opportunities for partnerships with local and regional entities that provide services in the oil and gas sector. There will be two workshops that will form part of the final day of the summit which will covers topics focusing on “Doing Business in the Oil and Gas Sector in Guyana” and “Doing Business in Oil Field

Services, Supply Chain and Facilities Management”.

The participating entities in this week’s summit in-

clude oil giant ExxonMobil, Repsol Exploracion SA, HESS, CNOOC Nexen, CGX Energy Inc, Schlumberger, JHI, GBTI, GTT, Baker Hughes, Siemens, ECO Atlantic, Tiger Tanks, Oceaneering, DAI, EDO, Clariant, TechnipFMC, Scotiabank, Macorp, Bristow, VSH, ERM, and Laparkan.

The Natural Resources Ministry said that it was pleased to support the event given the significant oil finds in just over two years.

in 2015 and promised to back acquisitions worth more than US$100 million.

LiquidHub later bought digital designers Foundry9 of New York and Harold Hambrose’s ElectronicInk of Philadelphia, Salesforce. com client service firms HarvestSolutions of Boston and San Francisco, and ClosedWon of Albuquerque, New Mexico. LiquidHub also bought Annik Technology Services of Bellevue, Washington, and Redkite LLC of New York, speeding the company’s rapid growth in the last three years.

The deal will help sell LiquidHub’s consulting, design, and staffing services — targeting drug, financial, health insurance, and other industry solutions — to Capgemini customers, using

the buyer’s “global reach” to “augment and expand our offerings”, Brassington said in a statement.

Brassington moved to Pennsylvania to study maths and computer science at Misericordia University in Dallas, Pennsylvania, at the urging of his aunt, a Catholic nun. He later added a master’s from the University of Pennsylvania engineering school, where he is a member of the board of overseers, and has taken an active role in educational and tech promotion groups in the region.

Capgemini has offices in dozens of US cities, including the Philadelphia suburb of Horsham. Capgemini has lately purchased a string of companies with North American operations that help build “compelling cus-

tomer experiences” for corporate clients and their customers, including design strategy and consulting firms Idean (2017) and Fahrenheit 212 (2016). Both of those companies now operate as part of Capgemini, and each has offices in New York, San Francisco, and other US cities.

LiquidHub was “a natural fit”, Capgemini Chairman and CEO Paul Hermelin said in the company’s statement. He praised LiquidHub’s “customer-centric mind-set” — and its “impressive employee retention” in an industry where staff more often is highly mobile, reflecting what is often a project-oriented focus.

Capgemini said it expected to finish the purchase in “the next couple of months.”

(The Inquirer)

10 news

WEDNesDAY, february 7, 2018 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Charity Market sunken wharf

Plans afoot to begin constructing new wharf – REO …vendors to be relocated

He added that the works were being executed by the administration assisted by the Public Infrastructure Ministry.

“We are working with the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, but the region would be taking the initiative because it is our responsibility. I cannot put a date (for the removal of the vendors) because they have to pick up everything and

sunk more than six inches and poses a serious risk to life and limb, but the vendors utilising the area are refusing to relocate until the Public Infrastructure Ministry mobilises a team to execute urgent repairs.

In an earlier interview, Vice Chairman of the Region, Nandranie Coonjah, said that the Wharf has been engaging the attention of the Region’s Works Committee

that it would likely collapse.

The vendors reported that they were aware of the danger posed by the sinking wharf, but they needed a solid plan before they could relocate their businesses. They are also waiting on the Ministry to officially commence work and remove them.

The Wharf is 32 years old, and requires urgent attention since over 30 persons

Regional Executive Officer (REO) Rupert Hopkinson

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he administration of Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam) is currently in the process of locating a suitable area to have the Charity Market Wharf vendors relocated to commence construction of a new wharf according to Regional Executive Officer (REO) Rupert Hopkinson.

“We are in the process of finding an alternative spot for the vendors … we are in the process of having a consultant doing the technical aspects like the drawings and so that we will be able to construct the new wharf,” Hopkinson explained during a phone interview with Guyana Times.

Some of the rotting piles supporting the Charity Wharf

move, but I can say that we are moving speedily,” he noted.

The Charity Market, according to engineers, have

since August 2017 and that was the reason for the initial study on the wharf. She explained that they engaged the regional engineer who ventured below the wharf and discovered the rapid deterioration.

While under there, the engineer observed large cracks in the flooring with several rotting boards.

Further, most of the piles were determined to be unable to support the structure. The solid concrete wharf is thus sitting precariously on a few remaining piles, and the prognosis is

utilise it for vending and countless others for travel and other purposes. It is also a parking area for many persons using their boats to traverse the Pomeroon River.

Etiquette

S

atiricus was not too happy with the news his daughter had brought home from UG. Here it was he had enough problems with finding money to pay her fees and travelling and books and all the other chachkas young women felt they would die if they didn’t have them. And now the fella with the bow tie had raised ADMINISTRATIVE fees?? He had just unloaded his angst with the fellas at the Back Street Bar just as they’d downed their first cold one.

“Suh wha’ dem guh use de money fa?” asked Bungi casually. He didn’t have any kids at UG and wasn’t too concerned actually.

“New bow ties for the Renaissance Man?” asked Hari sarcastically.

“Would you believe he’s charging them for a course in ETIQUETTE for student leaders??!!” said Satiricus as his voice rose in volume with his indignation. “ETIQUETTE!!!”

“Wha’ Eti-kette?” asked Cappo, who did have a son at UG. “Me son na tell me ‘bout da.”

“Yuh na listen to Sato?” interjected Bungi knowingly.

“Eti-kette a fuh dem student leadah. Yuh son a jus’ watch gyaal a UG!!”

“Etiquette is to teach you things like which fork to eat salad with and which spoon to use for dessert!” exploded Satiricus. “Social graces!!”

“But don’t they teach that Carnegie School of Home Economics?” Hari wanted to know. “Maybe Bow Tie wants the kids to know how to behave with all the foreigners who’ll be coming to Guyana with oil.”

“But yuh na need fuh guh UG fuh l’arn da,” said Bungi.

“Yuh na l’arn da a house?”

“Yes!” chimed in Cappo. “Me son already know how fuh belch when he done drink ‘e beer!”

“That’s right Sato, don’t pay for no etiquette lesson,” advised Hari. “We Guyanese already have our own etiquette!”

“And I already taught her how to swirl the ice in her glass when she’s given a drink!” said Satiricus proudly.

“What more etiquette does she need to know?”

“She a wan real Guyanese, Sato!” confirmed Capp. “Leh we drink to da!”

They drained their beer bottles in one long swig.

PSC sleeping at the wheel – Opposition Advisor

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uyana’s Private Sector is being hauled over the proverbial coals for its failure to press the David Granger Administration on the demands of the business and working-class community, as it has instead joined the bandwagon of the People’s National Congress (PNC)-led Government, now looking to score political mileage in the wake of Guyana’s largest employer, the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) dismissing thousands of sugar workers. The show of contempt for the working class and their plight was on full display when the Private Sector Commission (PSC) last week hosted a press and photo opportunity and a job fair targeting sugar workers.

This view was expressed this past week by economic advisor to the Opposition, Peter Ramsaroop, who, following the activities, has noted that the PSC “to date has not sought to correct the blatantly false headlines emblazoned on the State newspaper suggesting that 800 persons had been hired on the spot”.

The business leaders, he noted, instead of presenting workable and viable options, plans and information to the sugar workers and others who were seeking employment, “chose instead to pon-

Opposition Advisor Peter Ramsaroop

tificate on the disillusioned people learning to accept change and pointing to cultural shifts, in an attempt to placate those devastated by the ad-hoc decision-making of the Government of the day – decisions they in the Private Sector stood by and watch the unfolding of these callous actions”.

According to Ramsaroop, what the PSC has been doing in recent times instead of pushing the demands of the business community and the working class is “use the sugar workers’ plight for its own self-glorification and aggrandisement since it seems the bullyism of the Government is winning over them”.

The economic advisor has since surmised that the job fair hosted by the PSC was nothing but a public relations stunt.

He said a simple analysis of the Private Sector’s pronouncements on the coalition Government’s management of that sector begs the question, “are they in bed too with the oil companies looking to exploit our national patrimony?”

The entrepreneur said that while the more than 3.2 billion barrels of recoverable crude bode well for the future of the country taking into account the likelihood of future discoveries, “Guyana is already on its way to contracting the Dutch Disease”.

International experts weighing in on the worldclass discoveries by the US oil giant ExxonMobil working along with its joint venture multinational partners have noted that the discoveries could in fact be larger than disclosed given the conservative nature of publicly-traded oil corporations and their use of available data.

According to Ramsaroop, “what will now happen is our boys in the Private Sector will, for the remainder of the week, mingle, wine and dine with the big wigs in the oil industry at the oil summit at the Guyana Marriott while Aunty Doreen or Cha Cha Nowrag studies what’s next for them.”

NEWS

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wednesDAY, February 7, 2018 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

“Squatting is not a poor people thing” – GLSC Head …says tough action to be taken against offenders

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he Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission (GLSC) plans to ramp up its work to remove squatters from across the country, as it has now been inundated with reports of incidents with affluent people in society also being accused of partaking in this illegal practice.

GLSC Commissioner Trevor Benn told Guyana Times on Tuesday that it has been observed by the Commission that there have been rampant squatting taking place along the reserves in Georgetown. Benn said along the area stretching from Bourda to Mandela Avenue every single land owner has extended their fence.

“And these are people with knowledge, money and who should understand that they should not squat. One of them is a senior businessman, who even went to the courts to prescribe for the land,” he

explained. He added that as a result of this illegal act, the Mayor and City Council of Georgetown did not have access to clean the reserve which is posing a major problem to keeping the area clean.

Benn said, “So, squatting is not a poor people thing. It’s everybody squatting. It has become rampant and it has to stop and we will go after people as much as we can. We have a no-compromise policy when it comes to squatting.

“People should not squat.

The law said so,” he asserted.

The Commissioner noted that the GLSC recognised that people have been forced in many cases to squat because of the length of time it takes to process land application. “We have applications here dating back to the early 1990s that haven’t been processed and we have hundreds of new applications we receive from new applicants, so we

GLSC Commissioner Trevor Benn are under pressure,” he told this publication.

According to him, in an effort to move on with their lives, some of these applicants have taken it upon themselves to squat. “However, this is not just people who are really desperate for a piece of land and they squatting, many business people with lots of money, with lots of land already owned, have been squatting

Oil find

Guyana likely to become magnet for migrants – UN

W

ith commercial production of oil slated for 2020, a regional representative of the United Nations’ International Organisation for Migration (IOM) is anticipating a time when Guyana will have to deal with a spike in the influx of migrants and re-migrants.

IOM Regional Coordinator Robert Natiello, speaking during the opening of a consultative session with Government officials on Monday, posited that those present may know someone who migrated in search of education or otherwise, but even now, Guyana was a destination country as foreigners come here to work.

“As yet, Guyana has not been seriously affected by the large movements of peoples.

However, there is no country that has not, to some extent, been affected by human mobility and Guyana is no exception. Primarily, (this work is) in the mining and logging sectors in the interior.”

Guyana is projected to grow with the production of oil as economic opportunities increase with the development of infrastructure and accompanying services. Natiello noted that the country was “likely to become a magnet for immigrants and for returning Guyanese looking for new opportunities. There’s important evidence that Guyana is becoming a country of transit, as citizens from other countries enter Guyana and then begin an often perilous migration journey.”

According to Natiello, however, return migration comes with its own unique sets of challenges. He noted that in order to effectively manage migration, a combined approach from Government and civil society is needed.

“Migration constitutes one of the megatrends of the 21st century. It will continue to be one of the key factors of all economic and political scenarios worldwide throughout the remainder of the century. It’s important to know that in order to achieve its ambitious goals, the global compact has to be able to listen to, consider and respond to the interests, priorities and experiences of Governments and other

her government’s efforts to end this unrest.

IOM Regional Coordinator Robert Natiello

stakeholders in different regions of the world.”

With the adoption of the New York declaration for refugees and migrants on September 19, 2016, member states of the United Nations agreed to embark on the road towards the development of two global compacts. The first one was on the protection of refugees and the second on the issue of safe, orderly migration.”

IOM is an inter-governmental organisation that works with UN Member States to ensure safe and orderly migration.

The Organisation concentrates its work on four broad areas of migration management: migration and development, facilitating migration, regulating migration and forced migration.

Guyana has not only experienced migration of its skilled and unskilled workforce in the past, it has most recently experienced an influx of migrants and remigrants from Venezuela.

Venezuela, once an economic powerhouse in the Region driven by oil revenues, has had to deal with issues such as a downwardly spiralling economy and civil unrest.

And despite the border controversy, there have been several instances where Guyana has either been called upon to render assistance or has offered such assistance.

There have been persistent reports of a shortage of basic services in Venezuela including health services as a result of the failing economy and unrest that has gripped the nation. Back in May of 2017, Venezuelan Ambassador to Guyana, Reina Diaz had called on Guyana to support

forcing their way on lands and we have seen that only recently here,” he further added.

The Commission said it observed that there was a significant increase in squatting along the Linden-Soesdyke Highway and in Port Kaituma among other areas. Squatting has taken place on lands al-

ready leased for industrial, commercial and residential land use, and on reserves, which constrain development of some areas and delay processing of land applications.

The Lands Commission also observed that squatting has been facilitated by persons illegally selling lands

in various areas and squatters pay money without receiving titles or agreement for the lands. The Commission has said that all squatters, including those who are encouraging squatting, would be prosecuted and new squatter settlements would not be regularised.

12 news President halts Broad Street squatters’ relocation wednesDAY, february 7, 2018 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

…as CH&PA finds soil’s condition inappropriate

T

he relocation process for the squatters at Broad and Lombard Streets, Georgetown has been put on hold as a result of resistance from Mocha Arcadia residents coupled with unsuitable soil content and a request from President David Granger.

Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Lelon Saul on Tuesday told reporters that the relocation of persons squatting on private property at Broad and Lombard Streets, Georgetown to Barnwell North on the East Bank of Demerara has been halted while the Authority sought a more suitable location.

“Barnwell was deemed an inappropriate location because of the soil condition.

Squatters at Broad and Lombard Streets, Georgetown

Additionally, the residents of Mocha Arcadia – we did get some resistance from the residents and the President had asked that we put the project on hold pending the outcome of the CoI into ances-

tral land. Notwithstanding the request of the President, we have deemed the location inappropriate and we decided to look at another location,” Saul said.

Saul said that they were

currently looking to relocate the squatters to Cummings Lodge on the East Coast of Demerara and that process was expected to commence soon.

“Currently, we are working to find a suitable location for the residents of Broad Street and soon as we identify that location, the project will be implemented. Most likely, the residents would be relocated at Cummings Lodge. In terms of timeline, first, we have to develop the location at Cummings Lodge and we see that the relocation taking place sometime in October,” he explained.

The squatting area came to public attention after former Social Protection Minister Volda Lawrence led a team from the InterAmerican Commission on

Human Rights (IACHR) to the area as part of their first country visit to Guyana.

“During its visit to the neighbourhood of Lombard Street, the IACHR delegation was shocked by the extreme poverty and precarious living conditions of its inhabitants. The community comprises approximately 40 adults and 80 children with clear housing, sanitation, and health problems, as well as limited work opportunities and scant social services provided by the State,” the IACHR said in a statement following the visit.

Some 68 adults and 100 children are living in the area under severe poverty and the land belongs to a private individual, who has been granted a judgment against the squatters in the High Court. They were supposed to be relocated to Barnwell North, but the residents of Mocha Arcadia held protests over the relocation.

The Department of Housing, in collaboration with the Food For The Poor Organisation, was expected to construct 72 homes for the squatters. Government will be matching the $42 million contribution by the Food For The Poor Organisation, but President David Granger is not pleased with the current house model. Taking that into consideration the CH&PA would be making slight alterations to create more space by adding a back

patio and a shaded veranda to the house.

Each home is expected to cost $1.2 million and Minister with responsibility for Housing, Valerie Patterson-Yearwood said that they were working out a plan with the prospective owners for them to stand the cost of water meters among other things.

In October last year, Patterson-Yearwood said that the relocation process for the squatters at Broad and Lombard Streets have been hindered by the discrimination from residents of Mocha Arcadia. Concerns were raised about the social implications of the relocation exercise, which resulted in the Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC) and residents refusing to accept the relocated persons in their community.

While she admits that the initial action taken by the CH&PA to have the squatters relocated was unilateral, Minister PattersonYearwood had explained that the squatters had found themselves in a dilemma since they were ordered by the court to remove from the property.

She said that because of the urgency of the matter, the CH&PA moved to secure lands aback of Mocha.

By the time they consulted the Mocha NDC, the housing body had already committed to the squatters to have them relocated there.

news

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wednesDAY, february 7, 2018 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Parents encouraged to read to children …as Ministry launches reading programme

Social Protection Minister Amna Ally reveals a mini-library in the presence of CCPA Head Ann Greene; Adolescent Health Coordinator, Dr Oneka Scott and Chief Librarian Emily King at the launching of the back-to-basics reading programme

T

he Social Protection Ministry, in collaboration with the Child Care and Protection Agency (CCPA); the Maternal and Child Health Unit; and the National Library, on Tuesday launched the first of its kind back-to-basics reading programme.

Themed “Early Experiences Matter”, the reading programme, which was launched at the East La Penitence Health Centre, is aimed at promoting reading as a fun activity.

Speaking at the event on Tuesday, Social Protection Minister Amna Ally urged parents to take advantage of the programme. She noted that the world was a knowledge-based place where reading was essential and opened children to early academic success.

“This programme has been initiated to lay the foundation in the development of our young children; studies have shown that babies begin absorbing language while still in the womb earlier than previously thought. It is said that

sensory and brain mechanisms for hearing are developed at 30 weeks of gestational age, so, therefore, unborn babies can actually listen to their mothers,” Minister Ally told the gathering of mostly mothers.

The objective of the programme is to get children interested in books and reading at an early age. The programme targets children aged 0-3 years.

Adolescent Health Coordinator, Dr Oneka Scott noted that it was expected

that the programme would help children to build an interest in books at an early age.

“We cannot forget the importance of reading. I am excited that this programme will expand to a whole host of health centres and everyone will be accessible to it; please, however, I urge you to make reading a part of everyday lives and to make good uses of those books that were given to you. Reading a book once is never the same as reading it 10 times,” Dr Scott noted.

The programme is expected to expand, targeting 361 health centres across the country.

A number of storybooks were given to parents who were encouraged to read them to their children, since they were the first educators in a child’s life.

Meanwhile, a mini-library will be set up at all health centres and the books will be available to parents to read to their children while they await their turn to see the doctor on duty.

(Yanalla Dalrymple)

A toddler eager to engage in the stories found in a book that was given to her

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WEDNesDAY, february 7, 2018 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Ramsammy’s Ruminations APNU/AFC and Trotman shamelessly sold us out

A

CoI into the oil contract is necessary.

Each day, the magnitude of the blackgold betrayal worsens as Guyanese find out more details about the ugly contract. The oil contract was not a case of an international company with incredible financial backing and human capital outsmarting us and outnegotiating us. Rather, Dr Leslie Ramsammy the oil company wins in every way and Guyana is left with another natural resource that has been stolen from us.

Worse, our own government aided and abetted the stealing of our national patrimony. Raphael Trotman handed our oil wealth to the oil company with Guyana merely scraping crumbs off the floor. We were sold out, not outsmarted.

If a CoI is ever necessary, the oil contract cries out for a CoI. Someone or a group of people is responsible for the fiasco, a fiasco that will see Guyana robbed billions over the decades to come. Our national patrimony, equally belonging to all Guyanese, has been recklessly squandered. Whomever is responsible, one thing is certain, the buck stops with APNU/AFC and President Granger.

There was a reason APNU/AFC wanted to keep the contract a secret. They allowed the company to walk into Guyana and take ownership of our God-given wealth. Now we are supposed to be happy with crumbs taken from the floor. When the paltry US$18 million secret bonus was exposed, APNU/AFC was forced to release the contract, knowing that the most reprehensible giveaways were contained in the attachments to the contract, attachments that were never released. Gradually, every day, we find out more and more of what is contained in these attachments and it makes the blood of every objective Guyanese boil.

Soon after the contract was released, the Leader of the Opposition raised the issue of gas as a by-product of oil production. The oil company gets total ownership of the gas resources from the oil fields for free. The gas production can prove to be as big as the oil itself. In Trinidad and Tobago, gas resources have proven to be now bigger than oil. It is early yet to determine what the gas reserves are from the oil fields in Guyana, but to give it away without safeguarding our interests is preposterous, reckless, and a clear betrayal and abrogation of the welfare of the Guyanese people. We have permitted the company to wrap gas into the oil deal, when we should have had two deals, one for oil and one for gas. The gas giveaway is an aspect that we have not yet focused on in the national discourse. I urge the Leader of the Opposition to keep this discourse active.

Incidentally, the signing bonus giveaway is now looming a bigger sellout than people initially thought. One economist in another section of the media a few weeks ago, using evidence from other jurisdictions, calculated that instead of US$18 million, Guyana should have received a minimum of US$250 million. Now a Guyanese energy expert who works in the energy sector in the US has estimated that Guyana should have received US$1 billion. Indeed, this is closer to what I believe we should have gotten. In the US, the oil company pays private owners between US$350 and US$800 per acre to lease their land for oil drilling and oil production.

Guyana has leased over 6.6 million acres to Exxon. This means we get about US$2 per acre. Consider it another way, Exxon paid Brazil a signing bonus that is equal to about 9 US cents per estimated barrel of oil in their reserve, but Guyana gets half a cent per barrel estimated in our reserve. It is a travesty, an absolute sellout.

Each additional detail proves the contract is a crime against our people. We find out that the oil company has already indicated it needs to recover US$460 million for expenses it incurred since it came into the exploration business in Guyana. This is a tip of the iceberg. Incidentally, the visit by a big team of Ministers and their assistants to Texas to visit that they claimed the company paid for, we now find out is being billed to Guyana as part of the US$460 million expense account Exxon just gave us. There are additional reckless giveaways – the company pays no taxes of any kind, does not have to incur cost of insurance for environmental disasters, can import any amount of vehicles duty-free. This is a government that is nickel-and-diming poor sugar workers, but give away hundreds of billions to one of the richest companies in the world. A CoI is necessary.

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WEDNesDAY, february 7, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

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WEDNesDAY, february 7, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

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WEDNesDAY, february 7, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

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guyanatimesgy.com

wednesDAY, February 7, 2018

ARCHIE

Use your intelligence to ARIES navigate your way through (March 21- situations that appear to be April 19) excessive or not in your best interest. Cut back and purge what you no longer need.

Too much of anything will

TAURUS come back to bite you. Excessive (April 20- behavior or emotional outbursts May 20) will not sit well with friends,

dilbert

relatives or peers. Focus on self-improvement instead of trying to change others.

Don't promise what you GEMINI (May 21- cannot deliver. Living up to June 20) the expectations you set will be difficult if you aren't realistic. Stick to the truth or you will be held accountable.

Travel plans can be made,

CANCER but don't go over budget or be (June 21- tempted by someone trying to July 22) talk you into something that

Peanuts

far exceeds your financial capability. You can't buy love.

Personal disruptions are LEO apparent if you make a change (July 23- without consulting someone Aug. 22) affected by what you do. Seek permission and avoid discord.

Excessive behavior will be counterproductive.

Look at the big picture, but VIRGO only pursue what's necessary (Aug. 23to get you from start to finish.

Sept. 22) Make your plans fit your budget, space and lifestyle.

Calvin and Hobbes

Don't take on too much or inLIBRA (Sept. 23- dulge in practices that aren't in Oct. 23) your best interest. Be introspective and seek out the best way to improve mentally, physically and financially.

WORD GAME

SUDOKU

TODAY’S WORD — MIRAGES (MIRAGES: mih-RAHZ-ez: Optical illusions caused by atmospheric conditions.)

Average mark 25 words Time limit 45 minutes

Walk away from individCAPRICORN uals who tend to be exces(Dec. 22- sive or are trying to coerce Jan. 19) you into something that isn't

YESTERDAY’S WORD — MANUMITS animus anti aunt autism unit imam tsunami tuna saint satin

smut snit stain stum stun suint suit summit

RULES OF THE GAME: 1. Words must be of four or more letters. 2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed. 3. Additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. For example, if “bake” is used, “baked” or “bakes” is not allowed, but “bake” and “baking” are admissible. 4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed. To contact Word Game creator Kathleen Saxe, write to Word Game, Kathleen Saxe, Universal Uclick, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.

Copyright 2015, Distributed by Universal Uclick for UFS

sions. Check your motives and make sure revenge isn't a factor. Focus on success, not on retaliation.

Don't divulge secret inforSAGITTARIUS mation about someone else, (Nov. 23or you will be accused of medDec. 21) dling in other people's affairs.

A situation with a friend or relative will escalate quickly.

Can you find 41 or more words in MIRAGES? The list will be published tomorrow.

maim main mantis mast matins mint minus mist must mutism

Mixed emotions will lead SCORPIO to trouble. Don't expect oth(Oct. 24ers to agree with your deciNov. 22)

solution for LAST PUBLISHED Puzzle

in your best interest. Do your own thing and protect your personal information and reputation.

Stick close to home and AQUARIUS protect what's important to (Jan. 20you. Don't go overboard when Feb. 19) it comes to purchases. If you can't find a bargain, don't open your wallet. Reject temptation.

Don't overreact or take on PISCES burdens that will weigh you (Feb. 20down and hold you back. Choose March 20) your battles carefully. Protect your assets, possessions and health.

WEDNesDAY, february 7, 2018

19

GCB/Dave West Indian Imports U-15 Inter-County Tournament

Rampersaud spins web around hapless Demerara

– Essequibo beat President’s XI

O

ff-spinner Jonathan Rampersaud bagged a career-best 5-3 from eight overs as defending champions Berbice romped to an emphatic 5 wicket win over Demerara at the scenic Everest Cricket Club ground, on Tuesday in round two of the Guyana Cricket Board’s

spinner’s opening spell.

Jeremy Sandia chipped in with 3-2 (6 overs) while the diminutive Budram Lakeram ended with 2-2 (3.3 overs) for Berbice who kept their victims to 50 all out in 20.3 overs. Although lethal, the Berbice bowlers were sloppy, gifting some 21 runs in extras

(GCC) ground, Bourda on Saturday to defend their title.

Electing to bat first after winning the toss, Demerara never got out the blocks, losing their first top six batters for just 40 runs on the board. Oddly enough, there were three boundaries in the Demerara innings, one

Though Budram Lakeram is short in height, he bowled with a lot of guile and control to keep Demerara in check

(GCB) Dave West Indian Imports Under-15 InterCounty championship.

The off-spinner opened the bowling from the Carifesta avenue end and never looked back as he ripped out the Demerara top three in fast succession. Shamar Yearwood (05), Mavindra Dindyal (03) and Rommel Daterdeen (00) were victims of the Rose Hall Town Sports Club’s young

to their opponents with opening bowler, Isia Thorne the main culprit.

In all, Berbice used four bowlers and will go in to their final preliminary round match on Thursday against Essequibo at Everest CC unbeaten and full of confidence.

The boys from the east will use that match as useful practice as they head to the historic Georgetown Cricket Club

from opener Yearwood and a pair from the top-scorer Chanderpaul Rajpat who made 11.

After exposing the top order, Rampersaud, Sandia and Lakeram then ran through the middle/lower-order to wrap up the innings minutes before lunch. Chasing a low total, the Ancient County boys ended on 51-5, led by Zeynol Ramsammy’s 12.

The wickets were shared among three bowlers who claimed one each while there were two run outs, opener Mahendra Gopilall (01) and Ramsammy. Berbice were aided by some 15 extras thanks to the Demerara bowler’s lackluster performance.

Meanwhile, over at the Tuschen Ground, the GCB President’s XI was able to put up an acceptable 81 for 8 in their allotted 32 overs but was not enough to restrict Essequibo at the crease.

After a prolonged shower put a halt to proceedings during the President’s XI innings, Hemendra Gurdayalal scored 16 runs, while Saffei Shazad contributed with 24 not out. Bowling for Essequibo, Gladwin Henry picked up 4 wickets for 19 runs.

Essequibo in reply, comfortably reached their tar-

Gladwyn Henry collects his Player of the Match award from Match Referee, Totaram Ramnarine

get with 5 wickets to spare to bounce back from their opening round defeat at the hands of Demerara last Sunday at Lusignan. Ranaldo Scouten top scored with 40 runs, hitting 3 fours and 4 sixes, while Jarrad Allicock and Mahendra

Basdeo scored 15 runs separately. Bowling for President X1, Yohence Anjoy, Aryan Persaud, Tulesh Shivrattan, Mitra Dhanraj and Shreedat Roopnarine collected 1 wicket each as Essequibo eased to the 5-wicket victory.

20

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

WEDNesDAY, february 7, 2018

GSSF, P&P Wales win big in West Insurance Demerara opening day GFF-Pele Alumni Frank Watson U–15 Intra-Association Tournament…

– Forde hails association’s efforts

East Bank and the Upper Demerara – have already launched their leg of the tournament.

Meanwhile, two matches were completed just after the formalities concluded and in the first, Den Amstel FC and Eagles United FC played to a 1-1 stalemate. Matthew Debarias netted for

netted a hat trick for the winners in the 55th, 65th and 68th minutes and was supported by a Telbert Baptiste brace in the 19th and 28th minutes with other contributions from Akeem Douglas (38th) and Issacc Sampson (45th). Arvin Pollard pulled one back in the 50th minute for the losing

Flashback! From left: Vikash Panday, Director of P&P Insurance Brokers and Consultants Ltd, hands over the 2018 sponsorship to GSSF Treasurer Ray Beharry in the presence of P&P’s Executives Dhavina Bhalgobin (left) and Melinda Sammy Ali (right)

GFF TDO Ian Greenwood (kneeling at left), GFF President Wayne Forde (centre), and Youth Development Officer Bryan Joseph with U-15 teams lined up behind

P

resident of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF), Wayne Forde, expressed delight and satisfaction in the continued progress of the sport when he delivered brief remarks at the launching of the West Demerara leg of the GFFPele Alumni Frank Watson U–15 Intra-Association tournament at the Wales Community Centre Ground, West Bank Demerara, last Saturday.

“This tournament is a critical pillar in the GFF youth development structure and is the second of the nationwide intra-association youth development league first introduced by my administration in 2016,” Forde stated.

He further said that the tournament is countrywide and is being played in all Regional Member Associations (RMAs) to capture untapped talent across the ten regions. The GFF President further disclosed that scouts will be present during the tournament in search for new talent and will work under the direction of the Technical Director, Ian Greenwood.

The scouted players will then be enlisted into the GFF-Scotiabank Academy Training Centres (ATCs) and will be exposed to a national age-specific coaching programme, conducted every week. Three of the RMAs – Rupununi,

Shoot finalised

T

Part of the action between home team Wales FC and the Combined Side on Saturday

Den Amstel in the 18th minute while, Nickel Whyte, while Romel Medas brought the situation back to equilibrium for Eagles United in the 26th minute.

In the feature attraction, Wales FC enjoyed a field day over a combined team, triumphing by a 71 margin. Treve Cornnell

team.

The action continues next Saturday afternoon at the same venue with another double header; Den Amstel takes on the Combined Team in the supporter to the feature attraction where Wales United tackle Eagles FC. (GFF Media)

he Guyana Sport Shooting Federation (GSSF), P&P Insurance Brokers and Consultants Ltd. Annual Practical Pistol Shoot will blast off on February 17 at the Guyana Defense Force (GDF) Yarrowcabara Ranges.

Early in January, the official sponsorship ceremony took place with Vikash Panday, Director of P&P Insurance handing over the cheque to GSSF Treasurer, Ray Beharry.

With the stage now finalized, shooters will assemble for the GSSF’s first major event of 2018 sponsored by the long-term insurance sponsors. Some 4 Comstock Stages are billed for the one-day event which shoots off at 13:30h.

With a minimum of 50 rounds per shooter, the event

will be shot under accordance of the latest United States Practical Shooting Association (USPSA) Handgun Rulebook regulations while the two Divisions recognized for the Shoot will be Production and Limited.

Shooters who come in places one to three will be eligible for the top three while the GSSF have confirmed that Ammunition (PMC Bronze) Ammunition will be available on the range.

Pre-registration for the event can be done online at the GSSF’s official website with the deadline being 13:30hs on Friday February 16, 2018. PreRegistration fees are $2,500 while late Registration is $3,500.

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sports

21

Pink ball Test heads to the Caribbean

– Windies host Sri Lanka at Kensington Oval under lights

W

est Indies will host their first daynight Test match on June 23 when they play Sri Lanka in Barbados. The game will also mark the first time Sri Lanka play longform cricket at the iconic Kensington Oval.

The day-night fixture will be the third match of

the series, which begins on June 6 at Queen's Park Oval in Trinidad. According to the schedule announced

by Cricket West Indies in December 2017, the third Test was to be played at Darren Sammy Cricket Ground in St. Lucia and the second at Kensington Oval.

But a Sri Lanka Cricket re-

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The King’s Gambit

T

he King’s Gambit is one of the oldest openings in chess and for good reason. The possibilities the opening presents have intrigued the greatest chess minds for years including greats such as Spassky, Tal, and Fischer.

White, on the second move challenges black’s center and begins an attack at the black kingside.

Black can accept or decline the gambit. Most players choose to accept the gambit and try to counterattack the now semi-exposed king side of white. If accepted white should focus their attention on the f7 square which is now a big weakness for black. After 2 exf4 white has two good options. The first option is to immediately start the attack with 3.

Bc4, putting immediate pressure on the f7 square.

The second option is 3.

Nf3 which defends against 3 Qh4+ and also starts to develop an attack on the king side. The good thing about the King’s Gambit is it is very unpredictable.

If your opponent is not very familiar with how to defend they can find themselves in big trouble early. Most games are very wide open and have exciting and dynamic lines.

For the creative chess player that likes to use exotic combinations and wild sacrifices, the King’s Gambit is the perfect

Jessica Clementson

opening.

King’s Gambit Declined One of the more common defenses that players like to use is the Classical Defense where black plays Bc5 on the second move looking to keep white from castling on the kingside and control the center of the board.

The good news for

white is he has a lot of ways to counter attack this and black many times will end up with a much worse position while white continues with his normal Kings Gambit game plan.

If you like to play the KG then it is extremely important to know all of the in depth lines that you might face and how to attack based on your type of play style.

one - in March 2008 - ended in a 1-1 draw, and was quite memorable for the visitors, who claimed their first win in the West Indies.

There have been eight day-night Tests since the first one between Australia

and New Zealand in November 2015. West Indies have already been involved in two of them, without any success, whereas Sri Lanka beat Pakistan on their daynight Test debut. (ESPN Cricinfo)

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GUYANATIMESgy.COM

WEDNesDAY, february 7, 2018

Drayton wins National Senior Chess Qualifier

The top seven players that have advanced to the National Senior Chess Championship pose with GCF President James Bond (sitting at right). Anthony Drayton (sitting at left) was unbeaten in the qualifiers

T

he seven-round National Senior Chess Qualifier concluded at the weekend with the top seven players being confirmed to compete for the title of National Senior Chess champion later this year.

Anthony Drayton, the top ranked FIDE player in the Qualifier, will lead the pile into the tournament proper, having played unbeaten in the qualifying event, which was hosted by the Guyana Chess Federation at the National Aquatic Centre, Liliendaal.

Candidate Master Drayton, with a FIDE rating of 1,945, accumulated 6.5 points, inclusive of six victories and a draw against former national champion Taffin Khan.

Khan, with a FIDE rating of 1,928, finished second overall with five points, but suffered a huge loss to Ronuel Greenidge, who has a rating of 1,688. The lone female, Maria Varona-Thomas, also ended with five

points.

The other four qualifying players were all locked on 4.5 points, enough to secure their passage to the main championship.

They are Greenidge, Saeed Anwar Ali, Glenford Corlette and Loris Nathoo.

Those who narrowly missed out on qualification were former national champion Kriskal Persaud, Roberto Neto, David Khan, Calvin Giddings and Errol Tiwari, all of whom finished on four points apiece.

President of the Guyana Chess Federation, James Bond, was on hand to congratulate the seven players on their qualification to the National Championship later this year. He wished them well, noting that he expect a highly competitive tournament judging from what he witnessed in the Qualifier.

Guinness "Greatest of the Street" West Demerara/East Bank Zone

Teams must go hard or go home tonight

The battles will continue tonight at the Pouderoyen Tarmac (Akeem Greene photo)

F

rom the opening whistle tonight at the Pouderoyen Tarmac, remaining teams in the Guinness ‘Greatest of the Streets’ West Demerara/ East Bank Demerara zone will be gunning for the knockout blow or may face the axe themselves.

Tonight is the final round or preliminary games and will see teams walking the plank or advancing to the round of 16 which will begin on Friday night at the same venue.

In the opening fixture tonight at 19:00h, Patentia Money Team op-

poses Nismes Ballers, while Bagotville All-Stars tackles Up-Like-7 from 19:30h.

The third fixture will pit Frontline Ballers against Police-B at 20:00h, while ESPN battles Dream Team from 20:30h.

In the fifth clash, Veterans face-off with Facebook Ballers at 21:00h, whilst Zeelugt FC match skills Harmony Ballers at 21:30h and Mocha-B engages Hustlers from 22:00h.

Brothers United will then tackle Gas Team at 22:30h, while Parfait Hardball lock horns with Police-A from 23:00h, and Showstoppers

oppose Zeelugt Warriors at 23:30h.

The final two matches will pit Goal-Getters against Harmony Warriors at midnight and Admiral United against Rising Stars from 00:30h.

Winner of the tournament will pocket $400,000 and the championship trophy. On the other hand, the runner-up will receive $200,000 and the corresponding accolade.

The third placed finisher will receive $150,000 and a trophy, whilst the fourth placed unit will walk away with $100,000 and a trophy.

WEDNesDAY, february 7, 2018

guyanatimesgy.com

Hero Caribbean Premier League 2018

Player Draft is March 1 – London to host

H

ero Caribbean Premier League has confirmed that the highly anticipated Player Draft will take place on Thursday March 1. This will be when the six franchises will select their lineups for the sixth edition of the tournament which will take place between August 8 and September 16 this year.

As ever, the Hero CPL will have the best cricketers taking part in the tournament, from around the world as well as from across the Caribbean.

The window for this year’s event means that there are no West Indies fixtures that clash with the Hero CPL so the very best West Indian players will be available for

selection.

This year the draft will take place in London, which is a reflection of the global nature of the tournament.

With owners and sponsors from around the world investing in the Hero CPL and the Caribbean as a whole having the draft in London helps from a logistics point of view and helps sell the region to a global audience.

Speaking about the upcoming draft Damien O’Donohoe, CEO of Hero CPL, said: “Our draft is such an important date in the Hero CPL calendar. It is when we get to find out who will be coming to join the ‘Biggest Party in Sport.’ We know that the quality of players that we

Inaugural Linden Games begin Friday

T

he Linden Youth Leaders Group with support of Mayor Carwyn Holland will be hosting the first ever Linden Games set to run off from February 9 to 11.

The undertaking by the non-governmental organization is geared towards encouraging fitn e s s ,

healthy living, sports tourism, Linden’s hospitality and engaging their constituencies in celebrating the Region’s love for sport.

The three-day event which gets underway from Friday at 15:00h and features beats like;

cycling, swimming, Track and Field, and dominoes, will start with an East versus West Table Tennis Championship at the Mackenzie High School Auditorium.

This is followed by male and female cricket competition at the Bayroc Community Centre ground which bowls off from 10:00hs on Saturday February 10. Also on Saturday, the town’s top footballers representing the east/ west communities of the Demerara River which separate the two sides will square off in bask e t b a l l match at the Mackenzie Sports Club at 20:00h.

Meanwhile, there will be a football game between Guyana Football Federation (GFF) Elite League champions Guyana Defence Force (GDF) and Botofago which will serve as the trump card of the Games.

have coming to this year’s tournament will generate a huge amount of excitement.

“While the Hero CPL is about bringing the Carnival atmosphere to cricket, the quality of the sport on display is just as important. The world-class cricketers that will be selected on March 1 are what make the cricket at Hero CPL so special.”

This year marks the first time that this very important aspect of the Hero Caribbean Premier League will be hosted outside of the Caribbean.

In 2017, the Player Draft took place at the Lone Star Hotel on the West Coast of Barbados in a carnival-like atmosphere right next to the

beach.

In 2017, the Guyana Amazon Warriors acquired the services of 18-year old Afghanistan leg spinning sensation Rashid Khan who had an impact in his debut season.

Trinbago Knight Riders are the defending champions after beating first-time finalists St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots in the 2017 final at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy which hosted CPL matches for the first time last year.

Operations Manager Omar Khan

23

WEDNESDAY, February 7, 2018

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

guyanatimesgy.com

Hero Caribbean Premier League 2018

Player Draft is March 1

– London to host

Pg 23

The 2017 Player Draft took place at the Lone Star Hotel in Barbados after which CPL staff and officials from the six franchise teams captured the moment (John Ramsingh photo)

GCB/Dave West Indian Imports U-15 Inter-County Tournament Pg 19

Rampersaud spins web around hapless Demerara – Essequibo beat President’s XI Man-of-the-Match off-spinner Jonathan Rampersaud takes a return catch to dismiss Rommel Datterdeen on Tuesday at the Everest Cricket Club Ground (John Ramsingh photo)

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