Guyanatime 7 march 2018

21st death anniversary Journal reflecting on Cheddi Jagan’s life launched

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…memorial service held at Anna Regina Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana guyanatimesgy.com

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Issue No. 3495

Wednesday, March 7, 2018

PRICE

Developing oil sector

$80 vat included

WHAT'S INSIDE:

US expert says Guyanese paying too much for energy Page 7

P10 Lone gunman robs 3 women of $500,000

4 vehicles P11 mysteriously go up in flames at Grove

…projects local demand for oil to rise

Business Minister belittles Guyana’s Page gold royalties 9

…juxtaposes oil and gold earnings at PSC seminar

Ogle Airport cavity search

Page 17-year-old 13 breaks silence on sexual assault

After multi milliondollar judgement

Miller intends to pay farmers $20,000 P16 monthly …Attorney rejects proposal, to examine respondent’s assets

Canje River shooting

Duo slapped with robbery under arms charge P11

More relatives testify at Lindo Creek CoI P15

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo chats with a Bourda Market vendor during a walkabout at the facility on Tuesday during which vendors voiced their concerns about a number of issues affecting them

Rupununi man ExxonMobil reiterates need for admits killing respecting sanctity of oil contract cousin Page 3

Page 8

P17 Oil & gas knowledge must be spread across Guyana – lobby group

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wednesDAY, march 7, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

BRIDGE OPENINGS The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Wednesday, March 7 – 09:00h-10:30h and Thursday, March 8 – 09:30h-11:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Wednesday, March 7 – 07:45h-09:15h and Thursday, March 8 – 08:20h-09:50h.

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

WEATHER TODAY

Weather: Partly cloudy to light cloudy skies are expected throughout the day, with sunny conditions in the late afternoon hours. Partly cloudy skies are expected to return in the evening, with overall temperatures ranging between 21 degrees Celsius and 30 degrees Celsius.

Winds: East North-easterly to North-easterly between 2.23 metres and 7.60 metres.

High Tide: 07:53h and 20:19h reaching maximum heights of 2.53 metres and 2.40 metres respectively.

Low Tide: 01:29h and 13:51h reaching minimum heights of 0.72 metre and 0.71 metre respectively.

SATURDAY, MARCH 3, 2018

LOTTERY NUMBERS K

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13 Bonus Ball

FREE TICKET

TUESDAY, MARCH 6, 2018

DAILY MILLIONS 05 06 16 19 26 LUCKY 3 8 5 5

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Afternoon Draw DRAW DE LINE

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Evening Draw

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

ExxonMobil reiterates need for respecting sanctity of oil contract …downplays move at renegotiation

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lthough Government has already rejected suggestions to renegotiate the oil contract with ExxonMobil, the company itself has not been keen on taking any such steps either.

This was echoed at an oil and gas seminar on Tuesday where ExxonMobil’s Public and Government Affairs Advisor, Kimberly Brasington reiterated the company’s respect for the sanctity of every contract.

Brasington was responding to a question posed to her when she downplayed the possibility of the revised 2016 agreement be renegotiated but suggested very strongly against it.

“While I am not going to say ‘no’ or ‘yes’ – never say never – I am going to say that we believe firmly in the principle that there is real value in the sanctity of a contract and there are a lot of eyes on Guyana right now watching to see how this plays out; if this is a stable environment in which to do business,” she said.

She said the sanctity has to be respected and it must be done especially in the context of a country that is new to the industry.

According to her, investors are paying keen attention to the business climate in Guyana, hinting that the push for a renewal of any contract could be negative and may affect prospects for business opportunities.

She said, “I am not opposed to the calls for renegotiation, I am not opposed to people standing up for what they believe in but right now ExxonMobil has a contract with this Government and we intend to stick to it; we are going to hold up our side of that.

We are going to do everything under it.”

Only recently, Government made it clear that it will not renegotiate the terms of the petroleum contract. Minister of State Joseph Harmon said, “The President has said that we have dealt with the ExxonMobil contract; we are not going back on it. It was dealt with at Cabinet and the President has pronounced on the matter and that is the final pronouncement as far as we are concerned.”

However, there has been heavy criticism of the contract, even from the President’s own petroleum advisor that the two per cent royalty and the tax regime does not meet global standards.

ExxonMobil’s Public and Government Affairs Advisor, Kimberly Brasington

But the Opposition has said it is willing to support any motion made by the coalition Government in the National Assembly to have the oil contract renegotiated with ExxonMobil, once it is done from a bipartisan position and will benefit the Guyanese people.

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo, who has repeatedly criticised Government for renegotiating a bad oil deal, said it would support changes to the Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) with ExxonMobil because he believes Guyana deserved a better deal especially given the continuous enormous oil finds.

Jagdeo hinted that while the Opposition would support the move, it would not initiate it, since it could then be misconstrued that his party wanted to undermine investment in the country. “I don’t want to say ‘we’ because next thing

you are going to hear is that ‘we are killing … [investments]’,” he said.

The Opposition Leader said the contract in its current form could harm Guyana in the long run based on changes in four clauses which benefit the oil company more than the country. The four clauses concerned, he posited are the extension of the agreement, the stability clause

surrounding taxes, the changes to the relinquishment requirement and the regulation of the gas sector.

Although Government had managed to get two per cent royalty on gross earnings and 50 per cent of the profits of the oil proceeds when production starts in 2020, this has been heavily criticised. Many political, financial and social commentators claimed that the percentages were too low.

Research conducted by the Oil and Gas Governance Network, a group of financial analysts, accountants and economists, reveals that Guyana has sold its oil at US$29 billion below market value.

The group was started in 2017 with the aim of informing the public about oil matters in Guyana and advocating for transparency and accountability in the emerging oil and gas sector.

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

A national antibullying campaign

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here is urgent need for the Government of Guyana through its Ministries of Social Protection, Education, and Culture, Youth and Sport to roll out a national anti-bullying campaign aimed at tackling the root causes of this scourge and its impact on the victims as well as the social fabric of our society.

For too long, policymakers within the legislative and executive branches of Government have either turned a blind eye to this phenomenon or simply adopted a piecemeal approach in dealing with this very serious issue. And therein lies the problem.

The fact that there has not been any serious coordinated and deliberate attempt at causing a reduction in the instances when children and teenagers are bullied, both inside the walls of their learning institutions and outside, is regrettable.

It is even more unfortunate when one considers the fact that children have died as a result of being bullied while others have suffered serious physical trauma and emotional distress.

The sudden death of 10-year-old Roseann Akeila Harris, who was kicked to her abdomen allegedly by a classmate last April, is still fresh in the memory of her family and all those who oppose the dastardly act of bullyism. Further, the young lad who was the aggressor in the matter was also left traumatised after he realised what he had done.

Social media and mass media are replete with countless examples of young people ending up on the wrong side of the law as a result of being bullied and taking matters into their own hands. The bloodly and shocking school fights and altercations at the bus parks and other locations in the afternoons have not declined.

This is despite the efforts last year of the Guyana Responsible Parenthood Association (GRPA), which must be commended for hosting a street fair to increase awareness about bullying during what appeared to be a one-off “National Bullying Prevention Month”.

The Government must explain why it has not acted on a proposal made by a University of Guyana lecturer who had conducted a study on the impact of bullying in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne). It must also explain why the Ministry of Education has not been more proactive in its response to this crisis. The Government also has access to a number of regional and international resources as well as studies that could guide policy conceptualisation and implementation with respect to mounting either a zero-tolerance campaign or a national antibullying programme.

After all, bullying is defined as the “repeated oppression, psychological or physical, of a less powerful person by a more powerful person or group of persons”.

The American Psychological Association Zero Tolerance Task Force reported in 2008 that severe punishment at schools neither reduces violence nor promotes learning. The United Nations Panel of Experts Report on School Discipline recommended in 2016 that “the US Government develop guidelines on how to ensure school discipline policies and practices comply with international human rights standards”.

These experts recommended that “positive behaviour intervention and support and restorative practices in school discipline should be used for reducing disciplinary incidents and improving learning in schools”.

Research presented at the International Conference on Violence in Schools and Public Policies in 2002 revealed that “bullying in schools is a worldwide phenomenon and that statistics from Australia mirror that of countries such as Canada, Scandinavia, Ireland, and England and show that 50 per cent of children have been bullied at school at least once”. So what is the solution to this problem, which has been described as a social justice and public health issue?

Restorative approaches have been proven to be the successful solution to school violence and misbehaviour.

Restorative practices which teach principles of respect, accountability, and strengthening or repair of relationships have been adopted in many schools in Australia. Research from Hong Kong and Hungary show that bullying behaviour dropped significantly when a restorative approach was adopted.

In the Caribbean, principals, deputy principals, guidance counsellors and education officers from eight Caricom countries were recently trained in restorative practices. Jamaica was the first to mandate training for staff in their justice and education systems. Last year, probation officers, social workers, Magistrates, correction officers and other juvenile justice practitioners from Grenada, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, Antigua and Barbuda, and St Vincent and the Grenadines were trained in restorative practices by Epiphany Consultancy Services.

Guyana cannot afford to be left behind.

These two students examining a display on sedimentation and Phyto-extraction at the Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) Fair at the Diamond Secondary School on Tuesday (Carl Croker photo)

AG Williams desecrates Parliament Dear Editor, The Parliament of this nation is a most sacrosanct, constitutional creation, which houses our nation’s legislative branch of Government.

The nature of its work and its constitutional role under the doctrine of Separation of Powers, mandate that it must not be contaminated by petty party politics neither should its facilities be used to accommodate the activities of political parties.

Against this backdrop, we must condemn in the strongest terms, the use of

Parliament Building and the hallowed halls of the Chambers of the National Assembly to host an event, which, from all indications was a People’s National Congress (PNC) activity, where a grouping calling themselves “Patriots”, gathered in the National Assembly, seating themselves in its chairs, where the Chairman of the PNC, Basil Williams, addressed them about the importance of Parliament. Alarmingly, the news report says the Clerk of the National Assembly fa-

cilitated this exercise and the Clerk and staff of the National Assembly made presentations, as well.

It is public knowledge that the Chairman of the PNC may be incapable of appreciating the transgressions, which he committed. However, I wish to register my deep dismay that the Speaker would permit such a pantomime to take place in the sacred halls of the National Assembly and that the Clerk has allowed himself to be used in the process. These officers are re-

sponsible for the preservation of the sanctity of our Parliament. Or is it that they have now become full-fledged creatures of the PNC. Is it that party paramountcy is now fully with us and that we should next expect that the Chairman of the PNC will soon take another party group, ensconced them in the Court of Appeal of Guyana and then lecture them on how the Judiciary works?

Sincerely, Anil Nandlall, MP

Ignoring the state of the City Hall structure Dear Editor, Persons with an active interest in Guyana, particularly Georgetown, are unfortunately subjected to daily episodes of the real-life Georgetown City Council soap opera, known not as the ‘Bold and the Beautiful’ or the ‘Young and the Restless’ but rather as the “Incompetent” starring the ‘Queen’ and ‘King’ of the city.

A recent episode featuring the continued disintegration of the once picturesque City Hall edifice caused the readers to be inadvertently placed in a time capsule and transported back into the times when fairy tales were popular.

Just like Rip Van Winkle, who supposedly drank a magic potion after which he fell into a deep sleep, awakening 20 years later only to find out that he had missed the proverbial bus, similarly it was reported that the Town Clerk seemed to have just awakened and discovered that the structure of City Hall was decaying to the point where continuing to occupy the facility would

be a threat to life and limb.

Now really? This discovery is a comical one coming from someone who has been with the municipality for more than three decades and whose office is located in the very decrepit and ruinous facility for years now.

Has this gentleman never read the reports that were done by several groups of international experts? Is he not privy to the warnings that were issued by his own building inspectors and engineering staff over the years? Is he blind and deaf? How could he not have been aware of the significant chunks of the building that periodically fall off posing a serious threat to passersby on Regent Street? Is he not aware that most of the roof is no good and is covered partially by tarpaulin? Is he unaware that the Concert Hall and Tower have long become a sanctuary for Guyana’s wildlife such as bats, pigeons, and other indigenous fauna?

Had the shoe been on the other foot whereby the building was owned by someone else, the City Council would

have condemned and closed that facility ages ago. But the City Council is above its own laws and public safety regulations. It must be considered downright reckless of the Town Clerk to have ignored the state of the City Hall structure over the last three years and to just unconcernedly allow scores of workers to occupy the building on a daily basis and to host frequent meetings for Councillors and others, all the while. His irresponsible actions should be roundly condemned by all.

For the City Council to have failed to have carried out even the most basic of rehabilitative works to that edifice in the last three decades, in spite of receiving tens of billions of dollars in property rates, a portion of which is allotted for this purpose, is just simply scandalous and appalling.

For the City Council to expect the Private Sector, foreign entities, NGOs and other charitable organisations to fund the restoration of its headquarters where they operate from, whilst they waste the citizens’

money on overseas trips, celebrating city week anniversaries, buying fancy sports utility vehicles for themselves, maintaining a bloated staff strength of nearly one thousand workers, half of whom have nothing to do, building presidential parks and petting zoos and fancy townhouses for themselves etc. Surely she could not be serious.

This is not rocket science, all the City Council has to do for a project of this nature as is done in most other cities undertaking capital works, is to put up for sale municipal bonds, and once the interest rate is more beneficial than what is offered at the commercial banks, then there would be no shortage of people willing to invest in the bonds.

Why are we paying these people super salaries with considerable perks to lead us and solve our problems when they are unable to come up with solutions that could be easily figured out by a ten-year-old?

Sincerely, Mark Roopan

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

Fiasco of non-payment of Coalition Government’s hijacking of national symbols Berbice security guards Dear Editor, Recent actions by the David Granger-led A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) coalition Government have given rise to great cause for concern among Guyanese people, more so when one considers the significant efforts, under successive People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) administrations, that were made to advance a national project aimed at bringing Guyanese people together.

Despite claims of efforts to bolster social cohesion, the coalition Government’s hijacking of national symbols – seen in the seizure of the national flag at Corriverton to prevent the flag-raising ceremony on the eve of our 48th Republic anniversary, the repainting on State House in the People’s National Congress (PNC) colour (green) and the repainting of other state buildings (from the Office of the President to RDC offices) in green – can only be described as pernicious.

Post-independence, Guyana’s colonisers (and other foreign agents that stood to benefit) left our people with a

legacy of division. While academics can debate the factors surrounding this problem, the fact it that a legacy of division has been accepted as such – a problem. And successive PPP/C administrations have worked to ensure that Guyanese are unified – by working to break stereotypes, delivering prosperity for all Guyanese, promoting national pride and bolstering a sense of a national identity among our people.

Granted that naysayers may want to argue otherwise, the simple response to such persons is to simply call on them to produce facts. The fact is that national events were used to promote national identity and officials at these national events were not made to dress in the colours of any political party – like we saw with the officials along the route for the Mashramani parade last month. The fact is that all Guyanese prospered under successive PPP/C administrations and a simple comparative of the standard of living of our people pre-1992 and post-1992 will attest to this.

The fact is that the stereotypes peddled (particularly those pushed along the lines

of race) have been rubbished.

The fact is that Guyanese in the Public Sector did not have to worry about being sidelined because of differentiating factors – unlike what we have seen in the past three years under the APNU/AFC Government.

The PPP is on record condemning moves that divide our people and the Party will continue to protest any such future acts. All Guyanese, regardless of race, religion, or any other differentiating factor, must object to Government actions that divide our people. Looking at the big picture, our country stands to bear significant losses if retrograde actions – including the recent hijacking of national symbols – are given acceptability in our society.

The undermining of national unity is unacceptable and any such action must be condemned by all Guyanese, regardless of where they stand on the political spectrum.

Regards, Zulfikar Mustapha Executive Secretary People’s Progressive Party

Dear Editor, Last week, we learnt of the fiasco involving Integrated Security Services (ISS) with the non-payment of its workers for, in as much in some instances of two months, was reported from the Berbice area.

My colleague, People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Member of Parliament (MP), Harry Gill is representing this cause. What is worrying is that officials of both Central and Regional Government allegedly in defence of the contractor, instead of addressing the issue based on merits of the claims raised by the workers, they sought to obfuscate the issue by saying that I, Juan Edghill is a shareholder/part owner of Integrated Security Services (ISS). This, obviously, was an attempt to have the guards drop their claims and to have Gill fade into the background and for the matter to die a natural death.

Editor, I would like to state publicly for the record that I, Juan Edghill, is not a Director or shareholder or part owner or is in any way, form or fashion connected to ISS. My position on this matter is clear, if you employ persons and they deliver services, they must be paid.

The guards must receive their full benefits for services from

Why are Guyanese not investing in oil companies?

Dear Editor, Firstly, let me say that I am an investor (not a major investor) in CGX Energy which is searching for oil in Guyana. We already know that Guyana has oil from seven successful wells drilled

by ExxonMobil. Should CGX Energy discover oil in Guyana

then its shares (may) go up which I hope to capitalise on.

That is (my) belief.

The question is, are Guyanese prepared to capitalise on newly discovered oil? If not, why not?

I understand that investing from Guyana may be an issue. But I am sure that

Kudos to the Sexual Offences Court Dear Editor, The Caribbean Voice is thrilled at the work the Sexual Offences Court has been doing and we laud the expected move to have this court also set up in Berbice and Demerara, as many have been calling for.

We are especially pleased that sentences handed down hover around the maximum rather than the minimum and we hope that this would be the permanent standard.

We expect that the court is, or soon will be, informed by the recently launched Model Guidelines for Sexual Offence Cases in the Caribbean Region created by the Judicial Reform and Institutional Strengthening (JURIST) Project in the Caribbean, an

initiative of the Canadian Government, in collaboration with the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ). And we strongly suggest this court urgently consider adding domestic violence to its portfolio? Also, we urge the Government to set up a similar special court for child abuse. As well, a mobile court is urgently needed for the hinterland, given the problems of distance and transportation.

Such a court should combine the roles of the sexual offences and child abuse courts.

Finally, we hope that these courts would consider counselling for victims as part of their mandate.

Sincerely, The Caribbean Voice

there are many companies in Guyana, like Guyoil, that can invest in companies abroad to make a profit in time. But just be careful as investments can go up as well as go down. So you can end up with losses.

A one per cent share in CGX Energy could cost about US$200,000 which (may) go up as the share price increases especially (if) oil is discovered (that is my belief).

There are other oil companies exploring for oil in Guyana that people can choose to invest in. And, we should really be looking at buying into some of these companies so that Guyanese benefit more should the value of these companies increase.

Yours faithfully, Sean Ori

ISS. Against this backdrop, I am not at all surprised or dismayed by the attempts by the People’s National Congress (PNC)-led A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change Government to hide their corruption, incompetence and nepotism by creating smokescreens. The corruption of the Government, in such a short period in office, stinks to the high heavens. They are undoubtedly unashamed, brazen and bold face in the execution of their devious plans, even when large number of persons are affected. They ensure that their small elite group receives maximum benefits.

We know as a country that individuals and companies with known alliances to the political directorate are sole sourced and awarded contracts to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars, annually. A simple case and point is the Sussex Street drug bond that was sole sourced to a known PNC financier/supporter.

Now we have this developing situation of a contract being awarded to a shady character with no experience in the procurement of drugs and medical supplies being awarded contracts for GY$1.4 billion, for the procurement of medical supplies. That came on the heels of a lucrative fertiliser contract. Notably, this person’s only qualification is that he is the friend of the right people. This is the latest addition to the long list of persons without the requisite qualifications being either, handed contracted or employed with super salaries, most of them being relatives or friends of some senior Government functionary.

The list of corrupt deals and transactions of this Government, in just over two years, are too many to mention.

Guyanese beware of wolves in sheep’s clothing. Is this the righteousness, good governance and good life that you voted for?

Yours truly, Juan Edghill, MP

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Foundation

What’s the right amount of homework?

Continued

By Youki Terada

More benefits for high school students, but risks as well

By the time they reach high school, students should be well on their way to becoming independent learners, so homework does provide a boost to learning at this age, as long as it isn’t overwhelming (Cooper et al., 2006; Marzano & Pickering, 2007). When students spend too much time on homework – more than two hours each night – it takes up valuable time to rest and spend time with family and friends. A 2013 study found that high school students can experience serious mental and physical health problems, from higher stress levels to sleep deprivation, when assigned too much homework (Galloway, Conner, & Pope, 2013).

Homework in high school should always relate to the lesson and be doable without any assistance, and feedback should be clear and explicit.

Teachers should also keep in mind that not all students have equal opportunities to finish their homework at home, so incomplete homework may not be a true reflection of their learning – it may be more a result of issues

they face outside of school. They may be hindered by issues such as lack of a quiet space at home, resources such as a computer or broadband connectivity, or parental support (OECD, 2014).

In such cases, giving low homework scores may be unfair.

Since the quantities of time discussed here are totals, teachers in middle and high school should be aware of how much homework other teachers are assigning. It may seem reasonable

to assign 30 minutes of daily homework, but across six subjects, that’s three hours – far above a reasonable amount even for a high school senior.

Psychologist Maurice Elias sees this as a common mistake: Individual teachers create homework policies that in aggregate can overwhelm students. He suggests that teachers work together

guyanatimesgy.com

Correcting teenagers by taking away freedom of action or use

to develop a school-wide homework policy and make it a key topic of back-toschool night and the first parent-teacher conferences of the school year.

Parents play a key role

Homework can be a powerful tool to help parents become more involved in their child’s learning (Walker et al., 2004). It can provide insights into a child’s strengths and interests, and can also encourage conversations about a child’s life at school. If a parent has positive attitudes toward homework, their children are more likely to share those same values, promoting academic success.

But it’s also possible for parents to be overbearing, putting too much emphasis on test scores or grades, which can be disruptive for children (Madjar, Shklar, & Moshe, 2015). Parents should avoid being overly intrusive or controlling – students report feeling less motivated to learn when they don’t have enough space and autonomy to do their homework (Orkin, May, & Wolf, 2017; Patall, Cooper, & Robinson, 2008; Silinskas & Kikas, 2017). So while homework can encourage parents to be more involved with their children, it’s important to not make it a source of conflict. (Excerpt from edutopia.org)

– while sometimes effective, deprivation of freedom can be risky as well

By Carl Pickhardt, PhD

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arents often correct a noncompliant little girl or boy by ordering a short “time-out” followed by a short talk-out to reflect on some misbehaviour and hopefully decide not to repeat it.

However, with the onset of the young person’s adolescence, parental correction can literally “take” a harder turn as they may take away freedom of action or use to penalise an infraction.

So the parent decrees: “You’re grounded!”; “I’ll have your smartphone for a week!”.

At an age when independence is more prized by the adolescent, temporary loss of that freedom can feel like losing the breath of life, injurious that way. It socially and emotionally hurts. For this reason, parents can treat deprivation of freedom as the strongest punishment they have in their arsenal of influence, to rely on when all other efforts of persuasion and correction fail to convince.

Selectively applied, deprivation may have corrective impact sometimes; however, it is easy for parents to use it excessively, and when they do a self-defeating outcome can occur. Best to keep in mind that Kristofferson lyric: “Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose.”

Strip a teenager of all desirable freedoms and parents can set the aggrieved young person free indeed. “What do I care about your rules? Now you’ve got nothing else to take away!”

In general, parents become quicker to resort to hard punishment like deprivation in response to teenage infractions because their authority feels less automatic than it was with the child.

“Now I need stronger measures to get compliance.”

Why does the adolescent tend to test and contest parental authority more than

did the child? The most common answer, I believe, is that this change is developmentally driven. The child grew up in the Age of Command believing that parents could control them: “I have to do what I’m told.” The adolescent, however, has entered the Age of Consent knowing that a parent can’t make them or stop them without their cooperation: “Whether I do or don’t do what my parents want is up to me.” This is why parents tend to get more active (argument and defiance) and passive (ignoring and delay) resistance from their teenager.

Now a time of more thankless parenting begins as they take more stands for the young person’s best interests against what she or he may want, and do not get appreciation for their efforts.

“You’re on my case all the time, you’re overprotective, and you never let me do anything!”

The parental job is to provide a stable family structure of responsible rules, limits, demands, and expectations for the adolescent to rattle around in as she or he pushes for more individuality (freedom of expression) and independence (freedom of action).

It is at times of serious violations of the family structure, that correction in the form of freedom deprivation can come into play. Parents need to use it wisely and in moderation.

In most cases, I believe deprivation needs to be kept short-term to be most effective because the longer it goes on the easier it becomes for the adolescent to adjust to doing without. At worst, excessive deprivation can create deep and abiding grievance and provoke angry acting out or, as mentioned, can engender a ‘nothing left to lose’ attitude. So maybe a week is the outer limit for effective deprivation to last.

(Excerpt from psychologytoday.com)

news

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Developing oil sector

US expert says Guyanese paying too much for energy …projects local demand for oil to rise business class consumers pay for power is an abnormal one, considering the unreliable supply of energy.

“I see a sector dependent on heavy fuel oil or diesel,” she related. “I see a sector that is not always able to provide quality of supply. You have been growing at about five per cent, but that’s going to change. With oil and gas, it is quite likely

en so far. However, Litwin observed that more remains to be done, like incentivising businesses.

“I see that the Government has put in place some good policies. I see the import taxes are exempt. But there is more the Government can do, more incentives, given that the prices in Guyana are so high.”

The Global Green Growth

Carol Litwin, a representative of the Global Green Growth Institute

By Jarryl Bryan

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xperts are projecting that with the advent of the oil and gas sector, Guyana may face a situation where there is a high demand for energy and as a consequence, oil prices will rise. At the same time, they have expressed concern over the higher than usual price being paid by consumers.

This observation was made by a representative of the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), Carol Litwin. Litwin was speaking at a workshop held at the Pegasus Hotel where energy experts were able to provide an analysis based on Guyana’s energy sector.

Litwin also noted that the price commercial and

Attendees at the workshop which was held at the Pegasus Hotel

that your demand is going to double over the next five to eight years.”

“At the same time, as the quality of supply is not always there for customers, the prices are extremely high. They can be as a much as 30 to 33 US cents for commercial and industrial consumers. This is considered as one of the higher end countries.”

She acknowledged the steps Government has tak-

Institute’s mandate is one of helping developing countries with their energy sectors. It has 28 members, operates in 26 countries and uses threetiered development plans – Green Growth Planning and Implementation (GGP&I), Investment and Policy Solutions (IPSD) and Thought Leadership.

In Guyana, the Guyana Power and Light’s Demerara (GPL) interconnected system is fed with power by

the Power Producers and Distributors Inc. PPDI replaced Wärtsilä, a company from Finland which for two decades maintained over a dozen engines for the utility company. The company has

consistently reported being able to cut costs.

Renewables

During his address on Tuesday to the workshop, Public Infrastructure

Minister David Patterson noted that Government is sticking to its plans to keep medium and mini hydro energy systems at the forefront of plans for renewables.

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Child sex offender sobs uncontrollably after guilty verdict

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t was an emotional display at the Sexual Offences Court on Tuesday as Troy Jackson was found guilty of child sexual activity by a 12-member jury.

The charge stated that on October 20, 2016, in the county of Demerara, he engaged in sexual activity with a child under 16. Jackson was accused of placing his penis at the young female’s genitals.

Guyana Times understands that the defendant, who is in his thirties, was a family friend of the victim’s relatives and had even

Troy Jackson being led out of court by Police Officers

lived with them at one point.

Upon hearing the jury’s verdict, which was returned with 10 of the 12 voting the defendant guilty as charged, Jackson broke down in tears.

Presiding judge Simone Morris-Ramlall however deferred the matter to this morning, as Jackson’s lawyer Adrian Thompson was not present. The child was seven years old at the time Jackson committed the act. State Counsel Seeta Bisundial led the prosecution’s case with assistance from fellow Prosecutors Narissa Leander and Orinthia Schmidt.

Rupununi man admits killing cousin P hillip Sutherland on Tuesday admitted to killing his cousin at Quamatta Village, Central Rupununi, four years.

He pleaded guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter after pleading not guilty to murder. Sutherland appeared before Justice James BovellDrakes at the Demerara High Court, but he will know his fate on March 27, 2018 after his Attorney, Siand Dhurjon requested a probation report before sentencing.

Sutherland and his brother, Franklin Sutherland, were initially charged with mur-

dering their cousin, Martin Roberts, following a drinking spree. It was reported that the brothers and Roberts had travelled to the Quamatta Village Farm. It was also

stated that they were returning home on January 9, 2014 when the trio began to imbibe yeast tonic (an Amerindian alcoholic beverage). However, shortly after, according to re-

ports, a fight then ensued, which resulted in Roberts being thrown to the ground and brutally beaten. The now deceased man had been left in an unconscious state. He was subsequently pronounced dead.Sutherland’s Attorney, Dhurjon said on Tuesday that it was Roberts and another man who were fighting before his client got involved.

Roberts died from asphyxiation, a broken larynx and blunt trauma to the head. The accused was 22 years of age at the time of the incident.

The State was represented by Prosecutor Mandell Moore.

True colours…

W

…being exposed hen all hell broke loose over the unilateral appointment of eighty-something-year-old Justice James Patterson by President Granger as Chairman of GECOM, your Eyewitness focused on the latter’s deliberate violation of the spirit and substance of the Constitution. This now seeming reflexive reaction by the PNC leader didn’t bode well for our republic. Shades of Burnham!!

As for Patterson, there was his age…and when we found out he’d asserted on his CV he was “Chief Justice” of Grenada – which couldn’t be verified either in Grenada or by the regional reports, it was either he’d gotten confused – because of his ageing grey cells - or he was being parsimonious with the truth!

There were also objections from the Opposition to his candidacy because they said he was a member of the PNC and also a pastor – both disqualifying him for the delicate job of GECOM chair by the criteria announced by no other than President Granger!! But it became clear that those criteria only applied to the list of candidate submitted by the Opposition Leader – and not to anyone Granger might’ve wanted from the beginning!! “Power” is to decide what a word means!!

Anyhow, while a legal challenge has been filed, Patterson blithely slid into his role of GECOM chair to tie up all the loose threads that developed in the absence of a chair - and to get on with the business of conducting elections. The biggest loose thread was tied to an audit conducted by the Auditor General’s Office, on some extremely egregious purchases overseen by GECOM’s Secretariat, headed by the CEO Lowenstein. Now these purchases weren’t chicken feed and included one for over $100 million for obsolete radios that were never used. All the threads pointed to Lowenstein.

The AG’s report was submitted to GECOM last April but vegetated until Patterson assumed office mid October 2017. Yet two months later he still hadn’t shared the report with the six other Commissioners who along with him ran GECOM. Not unreasonably, in the opinion of your humble Eyewitness, the AG wanted such a serious breach – committed since the elections of 2015 – to be brought to a head. He declared if the matter wasn’t turned over by the Commission to the Police for action by February 2018, he’d be forced to call in the Police himself.

So imagine your Eyewitness’ surprise when Patterson denounced what he called “unsubtle attacks on the integrity of the CEO” by the AG, who he sarcastically “assumed” “to be a man of integrity and does not suffer from any form of cognitive decline as far as I know”!!

On the “cognitive” question, it does seem the octogenarian doth protest too much!! …of GECOM chair But the Pretender to the GECOM chair didn’t stop there with HIS unsubtle attack on the head of a co-equal autonomous State institution, who was simply doing his job. He concluded his letter thusly: “The worthy Auditor General seems to have been eroticised by power, naked power, dare I say, and he should attend the proper place for the appropriate therapy.” Whew!! Is this coming from the mind of a pastor?? One wonders how exactly he ministers to his flock!!

“Eroticised”? “Naked power”?? It would seem that the octogenarian is determined to prove that while his flesh may be weak, his spirit is certainly willing!! But what would that make him? Just another dirty old man!! Exactly what is the “appropriate therapy”, he’s recommending for the AG who he accuses of using power as an aphrodisiac? A house of ill repute?

One would assume he has some experience with this form of therapy to so publicly recommend it!! …of avarice One commentator said the reason for “Energy” – real “oil” – being transferred to the Presidency is to rejig the distribution of power between the AFC and PNC in the coalition!! ROTF, LMAO!!! AFC and PNC?? Isn’t this a distinction looking for a difference??

Trotman returned HOME after “Nassau”!!

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

News

9

wednesDAY, march 7, 2018 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Business Minister belittles Guyana’s gold royalties

…juxtaposes oil and gold earnings at PSC seminar

I

n the first year of oil production, the Government of Guyana could earn about the same that it has earned from the last eight years of gold production, Business Minister Dominic Gaskin has said, claiming that more royalties could be accrued from oil as opposed to the gold sector, which at present is Guyana’s biggest export earner.

But more than that, Guyana will receive in the first year of oil production which is expected in 2020, two per cent of the gross value and 50 per cent of profit oil. Based on the production of 100,000 barrels per day and at current oil price of about US$60 per barrel, this amounts to in excess of US$300 million in Government revenues in the first year.

These were the arguments put forward by Gaskin on Tuesday while he addressed an oil and gas seminar at Duke Lodge, Kingston, Georgetown, which was organised by the Private Sector Commission. The Minister asserted that while some people have been repeating on a daily basis that the contract is bad for Guyana, this does not make the statements

true.

“Let’s compare this with what is earned from the gold industry. And I’m not knocking gold (I like gold), but gold is Guyana’s biggest export earner by far and Guyana has been exporting gold for about 150 years. The last eight years have been the best years ever for gold production in Guyana; both in terms of the amount of gold produced and the value of gold produced and exported and also the value of royalties and taxes collected by Government,” he stated.

The Minister noted that Government has collected just over US$300 million in royalties and taxes from all the gold produced in Guyana over the last eight years.

“That can’t be chicken feed.

The gold produced over the last eight years from which the Government would have earned this US$300 million would have been sold for approximately US$5 billion.

For a similar value of oil under this so-called chicken feed oil contract the Government would have earned around US$700 million.”

Participants, mostly members of the Private Sector, were also told that by 2022 when the second phase

Business Minister Dominic Gaskin

of development starts to produce oil, Government revenues will increase to approximately US$800 million per year. As such, Gaskin said for anyone to assert that Government is selling out and giving away Guyana’s oil does not hold weight.

“Could we have gotten more? You can always get more. You can also get less.

But the fact remains that you can’t just start off with no industry and no proven reserves and want to play hard ball with investors who have years of experience in the field and who can easily take their business elsewhere without any major consequences,” he added.

While admitting that there is limited experience and expertise, or even suitable training programmes to help build the capacity here, Gaskin said it is an industry which requires high levels of up-front investment, well beyond what can be raised either from local sources or by local companies. As such, he posited that returns on that investment are also affected by price fluctuations and this increases the degree of risk for the investor.

Contract

Despite popular public opinion that the oil contract signed by Government, the Minister defended the deal

stating that he would not try to convince anyone that it is the best contract in the world, and while he thinks there’s room for improvement, he believes that nothing is ridiculous or lop-sided about the contract.

“I believe this is a decent deal and I say this not just as a Government Minister but as a proud Guyanese citizen. I will not stand here and try to sell you something that I myself don’t buy. And my views transcend politics and this is why I don’t blame the previous Government for the terms and conditions of the contract they negotiated. In the context of an offshore basin that had not yet been derisked it may not have been prudent to demand more,” he stated.

Moreover, Gaskin attempted to provoke thought among the participants by saying, “Who knows where we might have been today had that agreement not been signed. And just for clarity, the agreement that everyone is talking about is an agreement signed since 1999 which both parties agreed to modify in 2016. There was no formal negotiation process. The company had a valid agreement with the Government

of Guyana which was not up for renegotiation.”

He therefore argued that there was no obligation on the part of the company to enter into any negotiations with Government.

“You don’t unilaterally amend a contract after the other party has invested hundreds of millions of dollars under the terms and conditions of that contract.

Governments have to behave responsibly when it comes to business dealings, especially if we want to do more business down the line,” he explained.

Further, the Minister said he strongly believes Guyana is now in a much stronger position to negotiate the remaining blocks based on Guyana’s national priorities.

According to him, the interest is there and many of the world’s leading international petroleum exploration companies want a “piece of the action.” He said, when it comes to allocating the remaining areas, Government will be hiring a firm with international expertise to guide that process.

Oil production is set to begin in Guyana in 2020.

(Samuel Sukhnandan)

Chinese to develop Joe Vieira Park into modern facility

R

esidents on the western side of the Demerara River and further afield will soon see the development of the Joe Vieira Park at Schoonord into a modern state-of-theart recreational facility, which will also pay homage to Guyanese culture, according to China’s Ambassador to Guyana, Cui Jianchun.

The green space, situated on the West Bank of the Demerara River, was designated a park on March 24, 1982.

Ambassador Cui, during an interview with Guyana Times, related that the Chinese Government decided to rehabilitate the Park to create a space for leisure and exercise while upholding the Guyanese culture of

which was established in March of 1972 to manage, control and develop park areas in addition to working closely with the local government authorities. The National Parks Act of 1977 governs the Commission.

The Joe Vieira Park serves to provide an area of relaxation and recreation for the public.

Ambassador Cui said, One section of the Joe Vieira Park

camaraderie.

“We are now in the early stage and think we will do it not only to serve the Guyanese people; we think it is for the culture, for the leisure time and exercise of the Guyanese people,” the Chinese diplomat related.

“We are in the prelim-

inary stage, we are now trying to make the general plan. We hope that next year the plan should be completed. We are working hard for this park,” Ambassador Cui added.

The Joe Vieira Park falls under the control of the National Parks Commission,

when developed, the Park would be outfitted with exercise areas, proper seating and other modern amenities in keeping with the Government’s idea of developing green spaces. He added that although it would be modernised, the Park would not lose its rustic look.

A source from the Region Three (West Demerara-East Bank Essequibo) adminis-

tration explained that the development was a welcomed one.

“We welcome the initiative from the Chinese Government and overall, it would improve the general look of the Region and overall leisure time activities of the citizens in the Region,” the source related.

10 news Otis “Otisha” Pearson arrested wednesDAY, march 7, 2018 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

… as Police continue paedophilia investigations

W

eeks after publicly claiming to have “one little boy for every day of the week”, the Guyana Police Force has taken popular cross dresser Otis “Otisha” Pearson into custody.

Police in A Division (Georgetown-East Bank Demerara) on Tuesday confirmed that they have arrested Pearson following accusations which were made against him in relation to paedophilia.

Crime Chief Paul Williams when contacted confirmed that the popular (lesbian, gays, bisexual and transgender) LGBT personality was arrested on Monday and is being grilled

Otis “Otisha” Pearson

on the subject matter.

“We received the file from the Child Care and Protection Agency (CC&PA) and we are now investigating the matter officially,” he

said.

He could not say how soon charges would be instituted against “Otisha” but is confident in conducting a thorough probe. The arrest came days after the (CC&PA) wrapped up its investigations into the alleged misconduct by Pearson involving underage boys.

In late February, CC&PA’s Director, Ann Green had related that the Agency had gathered statements from a number of persons, including the young man at the centre of the controversy, and as such, the Agency was expected to move ahead with the case.

This incident came to light when Pearson was released from custody after he was implicated in the murder of Hemchand Dalchand, also called “Rakesh” of Cummings Lodge, East Coast Demerara (ECD) whose body was discovered in the vicinity of Oleander Gardens, ECD. A pair of slippers and a piece of clothing belonging to the now dead man were also found along the East Coast

sea walls. This drew some suspicions by the Police and since Pearson was reportedly the person seen talking to the young man, he was arrested.

He however, refuted claims that he was involved in the murder. Nevertheless, as he attempted to profess his innocence, he appeared on national television during which time he made several inappropriate comments.

One of such comment was that he had “a little boy” for every day of the week.

However, after the television programme was aired, he was bashed on social media for the comment; one which he quickly defended, explaining that the term “little boys” was taken out of context.

Soon after, photos of Pearson and a young boy standing in a compromising position appeared on social media. Pearson claimed the boy in the photo was his relative and that he was an adult. This again did not go down well with the public, since a few days later, the child in the photograph appeared on another television station claiming to be 15 years old.

A birth certificate was presented with proved that he was indeed underage.

The CC&PA was called in to investigation and the Agency would have wrapped up its probe, handing over the file to the Police in order for them to launch a criminal investigation.

Death and taxes

S

atiricus was livid. Life just wasn’t fair. There were two sets of rules in this world, he fumed. And the rules that stuck it to you were always against the good guys.

Smoke was almost coming out of his ears as he sat down at his appointed spot at the back table in the Back Street Bar. “Wha’ raas wrang wid you today, budday??!!” asked Bungi as Satiricus downed his just delivered beer in one long swig. “’E wife Caustic musse gyaam good!” chortled Cappo. “’E na clean up dem battam house afta Phagwah!!”

“So what is it, Sato?” asked Hari solicitously. “Spit it out before you choke!”

“Man how can the Government be so two faced!” he exclaimed. Everyone at the table swivelled to look at him with raised eyebrows. It was a case of “man bites dog”!

“You guvment TWO-FACE?” asked Bungi incredulously.

“Ah wha’ happen in dis worl’?”

“Wha’ dem do dis time?” inquired Cappo, while he signalled vigorously for another round of beers.

“Well look how they insisted that Gwana Stores have to pay billions in taxes!” Satiricus said indignantly.

“But all businesses have to pay taxes,” said Hari placatingly.

“Well, how could they, after all the Mook did for them?!” said Satiricus. “And he helped them because he was friends with my leaders Nagga Man and Rum Jhaat.”

“When me bin a cut cane, dem mek me pay tax too, you know,” said Bungi, in a not too sympathetic tone.

“You’re not a business, Bungi,” said Satiricus. “There are different rules for them you know!”

“Na…me na know,” interjected Cappo. “Wha’ mek?”

“They create employment and so on,” said Satiricus heatedly.

“And they make ‘political investments,” said Hari slyly.

“Like the Mook did in FUCOP – Fund for a United Opposition Candidate for President!”

“I don’t know about that,” replied Satiricus huffily. “Look how Hexxon don’t have to pay any taxes! Is that fair?”

“Well, ‘e gat lil political investment and big political investment,” Bungi pointed out. “The Mook a wan kakabelly when Hexxon de roun’!!”

They all drank to that.

Lone gunman robs 3 women of $500,000

T

hree women were on Tuesday morning relieved of over $500,000 in cash and valuables by a lone gunman at Jamoon Drive, Meadow Brook, Greater Georgetown.

Based on reports received, 45-year-old Sharon Gonsalves Eversley operates a snackette at Meadow Brook and she was in the kitchen at the time when the perpetrator walked into the establishment and indicated his interest in purchasing

an egg-ball.

As she was about to sell him, he reportedly whipped out a handgun from his pants waist and held the woman at gunpoint. He then escorted the woman into the house as he demanded cash and other valuables. At that point, the two other women were in the house. They too were held hostage by the lone gunman.

One of the women was relieved of a gold chain valued $216,000 and a gold

ring valued at $375,000, while the other, 38-year-old Unita Williams was relieved of $7000 in cash and her Blu cellular phone.

Gonsalves Eversley was robbed of her Samsung cellular phone, $6000 in cash, a gold chain worth $20,000 and a gold band valued at $20,000. After committing the act, the man made good his escape on a motorcycle.

Police are reviewing CCTV footage as investigations continue.

NEWS

11

wednesDAY, march 7, 2018 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Canje River shooting

Duo slapped with robbery under arms charge

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he two men who were arrested by Police in the Canje River, Berbice, on Friday last – hours before Police fatally shot two of their accomplices – have been remanded.

The two men were arrested in relation to a robbery and larceny indicent, and based on information received, Police went in search of their accomplices which led to the shooting of

37-year-old Indarjit Sham of Betsy Ground Village, East Canje and 21-year-old Amar “Punk” Bissoon, of Adelphi Settlement, East Canje.

Timothy Sampson, 30, of Lot 12 Adelphi Village, East Canje, Berbice; and Lawrence Van Lewin, 24, of Sandhills, Berbice River, appeared before Magistrate Alex Moore on Tuesday.

The two were jointly charged for robbery under

arms.

The Prosecution is contending that on March 2, 2018, at Potoko Creek, Canje River, they robbed Bharrat Mahadeo of 24 sheep valued $1.2 million, four lengths of rope valued $24,000, one solar panel worth $75,000, 15 ducks valued $30,000, one Nokia cellular phone worth $5000, a horse bit valued $10,000, two torchlights valued $4000, a cutlass

worth $2000 and a radio worth $2500; the property of Krishna Persaud.

Police Prosecutor Inspector Bernard Brown objected to bail stating that more charges are likely to be filed against the duo.

Prosecutor Brown told the court that based on the nature and facts of the crime, they should not be granted their pre-trial liberty. He said both of the defendants

4 vehicles mysteriously go up in flames at Grove ed the Guyana Fire Service but by the time they arrived at the scene, the fire had already caught onto a grey Toyota 212 motor car bearing licence plates HC 2405; a grey Toyota AE 100 motorcar with registration number PKK1530 and a grey Toyota AT 192 motorcar, with registration plates PSS 9995.

The firefighters were able to extinguish the blaze.

P

The destroyed interior of the Toyota IST

olice are investigating the circumstances which led to a fire destroying four cars belonging to 37-year-old Faisal Hydarlie in the wee hours of Tuesday morning at his residence in Grove, East Bank Demerara (EBD).

Based on reports received, the businessman

parked his white Toyota IST motorcar and his other vehicles in front of his house and went to bed. He was later awoken at around 02:30h by the sound of a loud explosion. Upon checking, he saw the IST motorcar with registration number PRR 3019 on fire.

He immediately contact-

Another vehicle which was damaged as a result of the fire

US expert says...

“Currently, we are looking to develop two medium-scale hydro plants for the national grid… while also focusing on developing mini hydro plants in the hinterland region, so there is an effort in delivering energy to rural residents.”

“Additionally,” Patterson continued. “We’ll be commissioning various scales solar plants in the hinterland, commencing this year.

Feasibility studies are ongoing for the wind farm and we will continue to examine opportunities for bagasse (sugar cane derivative) fuel generation.”

Since ExxonMobil’s initial oil find in the Stabroek Block in 2015 and its subsequent discoveries, there has been much discussion about the ultimate benefits for Guyanese. But once the contract between the

From page 7

Government and Exxon was released last year, there was much criticism over its terms.

Besides the sweeping tax waivers, the Private Sector Commission has pointed out that there is nothing within the contract which paves the way for the business sector and the general populace to pay less for electricity and fuel.

In the Finance Ministry’s 2017 mid-year report, it was detailed that GPL’s expenditure increased from $9.3 billion in the first half of 2016 to $12.6 billion in the same period this year. Interestingly enough, this increase in expenditure was noted to be due to higher costs for heavy fuel oil, reinforcing the need for clean and renewable energy if the Government hopes to cut costs.

When Guyana Times visited the area on Tuesday, the owner of the vehicles was at the Police Station.

Based on information gathered, Hydarlie of Section C, Block Y, Golden Grove, EBD retired to bed at about 22:00h on Monday leaving his vehicles intact.

The Police have launched an investigation to determine if the fire was deliberately set.

have a criminal past.

However, Sampson in a bail application told the court that he and Van Lewin had visited Van Lewin’s mother and were returning home when they were arrested in the Canje River.

The Magistrate accepted the Prosecution’s submissions and remanded the men to prison. The case will continue on March 26.

According to the prosecution’s case, on March 2, 2018, the duo along with four other men; two of whom were armed with guns, went to a ranch house at Potoko Creek, Berbice River, held three male labourers at gunpoint and stole the aforementioned items. Following the robbery, Police allegedly intercepted a boat with Sampson and Van Lewin. Law enforcement ranks later went to the robbery scene where they came under attack and fatally shot two of the bandits while two others escaped.

Later, residents on the nearby community heard a man crying for help and subsequently took Rodwell Crawford, 21, of Betsy Ground, East Canje in a boat and handed him over to Police at Central Police Station. He is also expected to be charged.

Police had released another man on station bail after the victim could not positively identify him. The investigation which is being led by Detective Sergeant Lawrence Thomas continues.

12 news

wednesDAY, march 7, 2018 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Promoting sustainable forests

Indigenous communities develop protocol to address forest monitoring

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he Amerindian Peoples Association (APA) with funding from the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) developed a Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) protocol to monitor all activities conducted on their traditional lands.

The project stemmed from prior engagement with communities, who asked for assistance to set up systems to monitor their own forests and the parts of the wood tracking system that were associated with their land and/ or community. The APA received US$70,000 from the FAO to execute the project “Supporting priority actions for Amerindian Communities to participate in the Guyana VPA” and the process commenced in November 2016.

The primary objective of the project was to en-

FAO’s Country Representative, Reuben Robertson

able Amerindian villages in Guyana to design, develop and test approaches to community-based independent monitoring of legality compliance in timber supply chains under the European Union Forest Law Enforcement Governance and

Trade Voluntary Partnership Agreement (EU-FLEGT VPA) initiative.

Following the consultation phase, the FPIC protocol was developed after it was decided that Bethany Village in Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam) would be used as the pilot village.

In presenting an overview of the project, Forest Policy Officer Michael McGarrell said that the project was necessary since there was a problem. He identified the problem as Amerindian communities still being unaware as it related to their land rights. He added that they have also discovered that the legal titles only covered a section or none of their traditional lands; hence, making it legal for outsiders to derive benefits from those lands.

FPIC Protocol

Bethany resident Roel Wilson, while presenting an overview of the FPIC protocol said that it was understandable that certain Government or Private Sector projects may have good intentions behind them, but without full consultation, such initiatives could have unexpected negative impacts on the communities.

He said that they must be able to make their decisions freely – without any external or internal pressure, intimidation or bribery.

“Consultations must be held and FPIC obtained from our village in relation to any proposed activity, decision, project, legislation, policy and research that may affect our rights, interests, lands, territories, resources and livelihoods. This includes activities that may not take place directly on our lands, but that could have an indirect impact on our village immediately or in the future. Roads and forest concessions close to our land or mining concessions in the source of the rivers we depend on are examples of such activities,” he explained.

Wilson said that any outside organisation or individual with a proposition for the implementation of any project would be required to obtain an FPIC agreement.

In order to obtain a FPIC agreement, one must write to the Toshao and Village Council seeking permission to consult with them, then the

Forest Policy Officer Michael McGarrell

leaders would organise two General Village Meetings to inform of the project and seek consensus, after which the village representatives would meet with the project proponent; they would then conduct an impact assessment and if the need arises, technical and legal services from an outsider may be contracted.

After the impact assessment, the leaders would then schedule another general meeting where the decision would be made. If yes, then the agreement would be signed.

FAO’s role

FAO’s country representative, Reuben Robertson, said that the Organisation has established special ways to work with the Indigenous community.

He explained that the forests play a great role in alleviating poverty and to address

this, the FAO has collaborated with the EU to establish the FLEGT programme. He said that the FAO has agreed to provide the technical and financial resources to allow for capacity building.

He stressed that the system to extract resources from the forest should be sustainable and transparent, adding that illegal extraction only hurt the community.

“We want to ensure that we keep a forest sustained for now and for future generations. By achieving that goal, we have to stamp out forest illegality by reducing and totally eliminating illegal logging and that is what FAO is really all about,” Robertson added.

He also urged the communities to ensure that there is gender equality in their proposition since that is one of the core values of the FAO. The next step for the APA is to approach the FAO for funding for round two of the process which would see the implementation and monitoring of the FPIC Protocol.

The EU FLEGT system mandates countries to use the wood tracking system to tag logs and their stumps so that when they reach the point of export it could be traced backed to the origin to ensure its legality. The system is not new to Guyana since they have been mandating loggers to tag their produce so they can track them to ensure it is within their licensed agreement.

13 ‘Oversight body’ to manage forestry stockyard – Govt NEWS

wednesDAY, march 7, 2018 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

…$50M to set up facility

O

n the heels of calls for clarity from Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo over the $50 million being allocated for the forestry stockyard, the Natural Resources Ministry has confirmed that the facility will be managed by an oversight body.

The project is a public private partnership; one

for which taxpayers’ dollars were allocated in the 2018 Budget. According to a release from the Ministry on Tuesday, the project will be executed under the “strictest standards of transparency and accountability.”

According to the statement, the Guyana Forestry Commission had announced “that the facility will be

managed by an oversight body and will work with the operators so that orders can be consolidated to meet a particular demand or market in accordance with set quality standards.”

It had also made known that “The facility will in no way compete with the Private Sector as there will be no price disadvantage or Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo

Ogle Airport cavity search

17-year-old breaks silence on sexual assault

T

he 17-year-old girl who was reportedly sexually assaulted during a strip search by a female Police Officer at the Eugene F Correia Airport on February 25, 2018 has finally broken her silence on the matter.

During a phone interview on Tuesday with Guyana Times, the teenager, who is currently in Barbados, said even though

morning of February 25 as she was about to depart Guyana for Barbados.

The teenager reiterated the ordeal she endured, saying her vacation was “troubled” as a result of the incident. She further told this newspaper that her family was awaiting legal advice on the way forward.

Meanwhile, the female officer at the centre of the alleged issue has since de-

“I’m so humiliated about this and I hope that no other teenager has to go through this kind of trauma” – teenager she was assaulted by the rank, no official from the Government or the Guyana Police Force has contacted her or any family members to hear her side of the story or to conduct further investigations.

“Nobody contacted me so far, not even to say whether they are investigating the matter or anything, I’m so humiliated about this and I hope that no other teenager has to go through this kind of trauma.”

She noted that she was hoping that she got some form of justice for the incident that occurred on the

nied committing the act.

“A statement has been obtained from the female rank (implicated in the allegation), who has denied to have done a cavity search of the passenger,” the Guyana Police Force (GPF) has since said.

The Force also confirmed that the rank was attached to its Narcotics Branch.

An investigation into the matter has since been launched by the GPF’s Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR).

It was reported that the teen, who was on her way to visit relatives, was al-

legedly subjected to a “strip search” by officers at the airport, before being placed in a room where a female officer allegedly inserted her finger in the girl’s private parts. The law enforcement rank had reportedly asked the teen to “spread out and cough”.

Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) Head, Michael Atherly, had initially condemned the act, telling this publication on Sunday afternoon that the search done on the teenager had been improperly carried out. “…the officers had a right to take the person to the hospital and have a certified doctor carry out that search. The action that was taken was incorrect, and they had no right (to do what they had allegedly done),” Atherly had stated.

If the Policewoman is found culpable, she stands to be demoted, fined, or dismissed from the GPF. Last month, while addressing the Annual Police Officers Conference, President David Granger had stated that the practice of transferring and demoting rogue elements would not end rogue behaviour in the GPF.

compulsory requirements from the Private Sector.”

On how the $50 million would be used, the Ministry noted that “the sum allocated in the Budget for the Dimension Stockyard will be used to set-up the regulatory framework of the facility, the governance and administrative structure, conduct site preparation activities inclusive of minimal capital equipment and marketing efforts.”

Private Sector’s idea

The Ministry stressed that the stockyard was the Private Sector’s idea and had been proposed in order to grow the sector. It was noted that last year,

Finance Minister Winston Jordan met with representatives from the forestry sector and agreed to a number of measures, including the stockyard.

“In response to the needs of the forestry sector, Government has crafted a plan for the establishment of a Dimension Stockyard through a Private Public Partnership that will assure a reliable supply of quality timber products to the domestic and export market without competing directly with the Private Sector. It was observed that for some time now it was difficult to obtain quality raw materials (lumber) in sufficient quantity and dimensions.”

“The Consolidated or Dimension Stockyard is intended to bridge this gap of obtaining an improved quality of lumber, in sufficient quantity and a reliability of supply. It is believed that the quality of locally produced lumber is not at the level to make it very competitive both locally and internationally, as only a few operators are producing lumber at the desired quality level.”

Stressing that the project was an important one

Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman

for the sector, the Natural Resources Ministry ended its release by taking a swing at the Opposition Leader and the media for “erroneous comments”.

At a press conference last month, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo had questioned the specifics of the project while pointing to the Government’s “culture of secrecy” and the murky details being offered in the media about the project.

Querying whether due process would be followed, Jagdeo had questioned exactly who the Government’s partner in the project would be and the specifics of the process to be used to select the partner(s).

14 news

wednesDAY, march 7, 2018 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

21st death anniversary

Journal reflecting on Cheddi Jagan’s life launched …memorial service held at Anna Regina

T

he collaboration of 20 editors of the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) and the Cheddi Jagan Research Centre saw the publishing of a new journal which reflects on the life of late President of Guyana, Cheddi Jagan.

Published in observance of the former leader’s 21st death anniversary, the journal called “The Thinker” examines how critical a thinker Jagan was during his time as President of Guyana.

The journal is expected to give expression to progressive thinking, to defend human right to democracy and to hold up the proverbial mirror to happenings of our society.

As history is replete with publications, the journal was created to keep the legacy of Jagan alive.

“The Thinker” explored Jagan as an internationalist and showed how his formative years were influenced by his years of living and study-

The Journal entitled “The Thinker”

ing in the United States, his linkages and alliances, his vision and his leadership.

It also covers issues such as the ongoing tragedy unleashed on the sugar workers at Wales, Rose Hall, Enmore and Skeldon.

Dr Frank Anthony, who gave an overview of the journal, noted that some might not agree with some of the articles, however, the journal looks to reveal truth.

President of the Guyana Peace Council (GPC) – which was founded by Jagan – Clement Rohee, in his remarks, noted that the journal is intended to stimulate debate in our country which is currently lacking in Guyana.

“Critical debate, intellectual debate and discussions, a group of us came together with the intent of reviving the spirit of debate and discussions and as such we created the journal to be a tribute for those kinds of discussions in our country,” Rohee said of the ‘journal with a difference’.

Jagan was described as being influenced by many world leaders who made significant contributions such as Charles Baird, an American progressive writer.

Former President Donald Ramotar called Jagan a profound thinker who came up with broad ideas.

He reflected on projects undertaken by the late leader, which according to him, showed how he thought; an example being the conceptualisation of the University of Guyana.

“Today, 21 years later, we are still standing on some of the foundations that he left behind us. The University of Guyana, the Guyana School of Agriculture, the Bank of Guyana, the question of expanding the productive sector of the economy… these are some of the things that he did while in Government,” Ramotar reflected.

According to the former President, Jagan was of the custom of building models

which he executed himself until he came up “with something that can work”.

Following the launching ceremony and observance, a copy of the journal which is to cost $1500 was handed out to members of the PPP/C.

Memorial service

In the meanwhile, a memorial service was held at the Cheddi Jagan Play Park, Anna Regina, Essequibo Coast. In his tribute to the late President, Regional Chairman Devanand Ramdatt reflected on the life, teachings and struggles of Jagan, who he explained sacrificed his entire life for the poor working class of this country.

At the wreath -laying ceremony, wreaths were laid by the Regional Chairman, Regi onal Vice Chairman, Mayor of the Town of Anna Regina, representatives of the PPP, the WPO, PYO and other groups.

ExxonMobil donates $2M to WCD flood relief efforts

R

esidents and communities affected by the recent flooding caused by overtopping of the sea defences on the West Coast of Demerara, Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) will receive further assistance as ExxonMobil (Guyana) has made a donation of $2 million towards relief efforts.

ExxonMobil Guyana Community Relations Manager Suzanne De Abreu said that the company considered its community relationships an essential element of its business and added that in times of crisis, it was important that resources were combined, so ExxonMobil decided to provide financial support.

“We have been continuously impressed by Guyana’s Civil Defence Commission (CDC) and their ability to respond in real time to distress caused by natural disasters around the country.

ExxonMobil is proud to offer assistance, through the CDC, to the West Demerara residents whose lives have been affected by the flooding. We are glad there was a way we could help,” the company’s official said.

Meanwhile, Minister of State, Joseph Harmon, who holds responsibility for the CDC, expressed the Government’s appreciation to all members of the Private Sector, including ExxonMobil, who have made resources available to the CDC to support its work.

The Minister also extended gratitude to other Private Sector entities, who also contributed to the relief efforts.

Banks DIH Limited, which donated 300 small boxes of crackers, 75 cases of water (1 litre bottles) and 150 cases of small Aqua Mist water to aid in the provision of food at the emergency shelters.

Bakewell Bakery donat-

ed 300 loaves of bread and tennis rolls for the feeding programme at the shelters while the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) Uitvlugt Sugar Estate provided the services of its caterers and kitchen to help in the preparation of meals. The Estate also offered the CDC the use of its community centre as an emergency shelter.

Camex Restaurants Incorporated, under its Church’s Chicken and Pollo Tropical brands, aided in the provision of meals at the emergency shelters by donating 100 lunches while the Demerara Charitable Foundation assisted in the mobilisation of donations from the Private Sector towards the relief effort.

Meanwhile, with regard to the situation on the ground, the water has receded, and the Minister is expected to undertake a visit today to meet with the residents.

news

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wednesDAY, march 7, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Ramsammy’s Ruminations More relatives testify at Lindo Creek CoI Giving up traditional T industries’ export earnings while waiting for oil money is stupid

R

ecent Bank of Guyana reports confirm economic downturn and the deterioration of the macroeconomic and financial stability framework in Guyana. This past week, former Alliance For Change (AFC) Executive Member and Economist, Sasenarine Singh, thankfully highlighted the precarious situation that is emerging in our country.

Between 2015 and the present time, the US dollar foreign reserve at the Bank Dr Leslie Ramsammy of Guyana has dwindled from more than US$800 million to under US$550 million; an astounding US$250 million reduction in less than three years since the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU)/AFC took the reins of Government. A similar reduction in US-dollar reserve is evident at the private banks. The disappearing foreign reserve is hollering a warning to us that the macro-economic and financial stability of our country is at peril.

Only countries which are bankrupt or under threat of bankruptcy have weak or negative foreign reserves. Guyana is no stranger to this sin. When the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) took over the Government in 1992, at the time we restored democracy, the foreign reserve was almost zero and the country was virtually bankrupt. For the decade before 1992, Guyana maintained near zero and even negative foreign reserves. Dr Cheddi Jagan and the PPP made restoring and building a foreign reserve a priority. Bharrat Jagdeo made building the foreign reserve at the Bank of Guyana a fundamental foundation of a sound macro-economic and financial stability platform.

As Guyana’s foreign currency reserve at the Bank of Guyana improved and increased reaching between US$600 million and US$1 billion, the then People’s National Congress (PNC)-led Opposition attacked the PPP and, particularly, Bharrat Jagdeo, for not using the foreign reserve to increase public expenditure.

APNU/AFC inherited this healthy foreign reserve in 2015 and then immediately began depleting it by financing wasteful projects like the $1.4 billion D’Urban Park Project, the solesourced $630 million procurement of medicines at a cost about 66 per cent above market value, the more than $175 million annual expenditure for a house that serves as a medical warehouse, barely utilised for medicine storage. Since May 2015, Government public expenditure – current and capital – has increased, but an examination of the Auditor General’s Report will show an astonishing degree of waste, with more than $20 billion falling in the category of waste in 2016. Given the diminishing foreign reserve with an increased public expenditure, Singh correctly asks the salient question – how are we paying for the extravagance of this Government’s wasteful spending?

The genesis of the problem is not merely the wasteful spending by APNU/AFC. They have been collecting more Value Added Tax (VAT), more Income Taxes, more taxes from about 200 new or increased taxes since 2015. One would, therefore, have thought that there was no need to draw down from the foreign reserve. But the fact is that the deteriorating economic base is also resulting in an increase in the balance of trade. Our export earnings have tanked and APNU/AFC has recklessly began to deplete the foreign reserve to fund wastes such as the 50 per cent increase in their own salaries.

Sugar is a major reason for reduced export earnings, leading to an assault on the foreign reserves at the Bank of Guyana. For most of the period between 1992 and 2015, sugar earnings in foreign currency amounted to between US$150 million and US$300 million, with an average annual export earnings of about US$200 million. Because of APNU/AFC’s spectacular failed management of the sugar industry, export earnings fell to below US$70 million in 2017. In fact, the export earnings from sugar in 2018 is expected to fall below US$50 million and this will catalyse the real possibility that the foreign reserve at the Bank of Guyana will further deteriorate in 2018. While the heroic efforts of the rice farmers and the millers are maintaining a strong performance within the rice industry, its export earnings in 2015, 2016 and 2017 have all been significantly less than the annual US$250 million in the period 2012 to 2014, mainly because Guyana has shifted to lower-priced export market.

The APNU/AFC keeps boasting that oil will bring in more than US$300 million annually. But this is only good if it is additive to existing export earnings. If as we wait for oil, we reduce our present export earnings, a reduction that is almost US$200 million, then when oil money begins to flow, instead of improving our socio-economic standing, that new oil money will simply replace money we lose from the traditional industries. It means we are no better off. Is this our oil future? Are we going to use oil money to simply replace what we lose from sugar and rice? This is the very height of stupidity.

he investigation into the Lindo Creek Massacre continued on Tuesday at the Public Service Ministry’s building, with more testimony from family members of two victims – Horace Drakes and Compton Speirs.

The Attorney for the Commission, Patrice Henry fielded questions from the witnesses who all said that they were still seeking justice for their family members.

Drakes’ Aunt, Natalie McDonald, told the Commission that she learnt about her nephew’s death while on her way to visit her aunt at the Georgetown Public Hospital back in June 2008.

“I heard the newspaper man said ‘get the news, get the news, Lindo Creek Massacre, eight men die’.”

McDonald said she later visited Drakes’ mother, who immediately made contact with a family member in the interior, who confirmed that her son had in-

Carmen Gittens

deed died. She added that none of her family members was contacted by the Police, or attended any autopsy or funeral service. The family, however, held a memorial service at the SeventhDay Adventist Church, in Stewartville, West Coast Demerara.

Speirs’s sister, 80-yearold Carmen Gittens said she became the guardian of her brothers and sisters when their mother died.

She said the last time she saw her younger brother was a month prior to his death when he informed her

that he was travelling into the interior to work.

Also appearing before

Natalie McDonald

the Commission was retired Detective Carl Jacobs, who was responsible for preparing the coroner’s order of the death of the miners.

The CoI into the Lindo Creek Massacre is seeking to inquire into the circumstances surrounding the death of Cecil Arokium, Dax Arokium, Horace Drakes, Bonny Harry, Lancelot Lee, Compton Speirs, Nigel Torres and Clifton Berry Wong, on or about June 28, 2008 and to report the findings and recommendations to President David Granger.

16 news

wednesDAY, march 7, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

After multimillion-dollar judgement

Miller intends to pay farmers $20,000 monthly …Attorney rejects proposal, to examine respondent’s assets

By Shemuel Fanfair

S

everal weeks after four farmers from Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) were awarded almost $10 million in judgement and court costs by High Court Judge Gino Persaud, the miller, Andre Poonai, who is the respondent in the case, has stated his intention to pay the farmers instalments of $20,000 per month. This was however on Tuesday rejected

by Attorney for the plaintiffs, Manoj Narayan, who will attempt to examine the assets of the miller next month.

The four farmers – Tularam Ramkissioon, Ishwar Lall and Yogeshwar Jaichand from Wakenaam Island and Chetram Surujpaul – sued Poonai, the proprietor of rice giant Golden Grains Investments for mil-

lions in outstanding payments and costs on October 9, 2017. Justice Persaud heard the four applications and granted the judgement on November 16, 2017. The Judge ordered that the sums be paid together with an interest rate of six per cent per annum from October 9, 2017 to December 16, 2017 and an interest rate at 45 per cent after the December date.

In court documents seen by Guyana Times, Ramkissioon was awarded $2,219,900 in judgement by the court while Surujpal was awarded $3,899,568.

Additionally, Jaichand stated that he was awarded $2,700,000 while Lall said he was awarded $487,713. Each farmer was also awarded $50,000 in court costs.

However, the farmers through their Attorney, Narayan, were forced to file

Chetram Surujpaul holds the bounced cheque issued to him

From left: Rice farmers Tularam Ramkissioon, Yogeshwar Jaichand, Ishwar Lall and Chetram Surujpaul at the High Court

judgement summons proceedings as Poonai defaulted on paying the farmers the judgement awarded by the court. The judgement summonses were heard and then granted by Justice Franklin Holder on January 15, 2018.

That Judge heard the mat-

ter on Tuesday. Speaking after the court proceedings on Tuesday, Narayan indicated that garnering information on the Golden Grains Investments miller’s assets has been difficult.

“We had first attempted to do levy proceedings against Andre Poonai but we couldn’t locate any assets in the name of Andre Poonai so we have been forced under oath to examine him in the witness box as to the means that he has to pay the judgement sum,” the Attorney explained.

His clients have rejected Poonai’s intention to only pay them instalments of $20,000, saying that it will take several years for them to be paid off.

“This is totally unacceptable, so we will proceed and if we get evidence to establish to the court that he can afford to pay more, the court may at that stage order imprisonment for contempt of court,” he explained.

Guyana Times understands that it took several weeks for the farmers to locate Poonai to serve the judgement summons and this was done only recently after investigations to track him down were successful. It was in his affidavit in response to the said summons that the miller outlined his case to the court. Poonai of Kitty, Georgetown, highlighted that he is the subject of a Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU)

investigations of which he claims his innocent.

He explained that rice from Georgetown was being exported to Belgium and that CANU said cocaine was allegedly found in five containers packed with rice. He noted that the rice was confiscated by CANU. He also claimed that the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB) prevented him from obtaining an export licence since he is under investigation, adding that he expended all of his savings to pay other farmers. He further noted that he does not own land or vehicles. Poonai, speaking briefly to this newspaper after the court appearance, denied accusations of fraud levelled by the farmers, noting that they were “being paid consistently right through”.

The case continues before Justice Holder on April 9 when Poonai will take the stand.

Golden Grains Investments, based out of Dubai, is one successor to the Alesie Rice Group after that company announced that it pulled out from local operations last year. The company had however informed farmers last year that it was encountering financial difficulties and was unable to make the payments.

NEWS

17

wednesDAY, march 7, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Oil & gas knowledge must be spread across Guyana – lobby group

T

he need for information pertaining to the oil and gas industry was on Tuesday reinforced by the newly-established Guyana Oil and Gas Energy Chambers (GOGEC), which met with a Canadian expert on oil and gas.

GOGEC President Manniram Prashad, during his brief remarks at the consultation, touched on the goal of the Chambers as it related to the country’s future as an oil- and gas-producing nation.

He noted that emphasis must be placed on the importance of disseminating knowledge pertaining to the

industry, as the sector will have an impact on Guyana as a whole.

The former Tourism Minister noted that ultimately, the standard of living of all Guyanese should be of outmost importance as the country neared a future which entailed the efficient and productive utilisation of oil and natural gas.

Meanwhile, Canadian Executive Service Organisation (CESO) Consultant Cunyet Tirmandi discussed extensively Guyana’s emerging oil and gas industry and what the production of oil and natural gas would

From left: Canadian Executive Service Organisation (CESO) Consultant Cunyet Tirmandi and Guyana Oil and Gas Energy Chambers (GOGEC) President Manniram Prashad

mean to the entire country.

Tirmandi, a TurkishCanadian and renowned classical musician of his time, addressed pressing issues pertaining to the Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (EITI); the cost recovery and royalties important to oil-producing nations, and what would be the advantages and disadvantages if Guyana were to construct its very own oil refinery.

Tirmandi acknowledged, as experience would have it, the trend identifiable with some oil- and gas-producing nations was that focus on the nation’s other sectors, such as manufacturing and

agriculture, would dramatically subside, leaving those sectors to suffer neglect, while too much focus was placed on oil and gas and the ‘Dutch Disease’ erupts.

It is based on that fact that Tirmandi said, out of his personal experience and knowledge, a sovereign wealth fund was needed in order to facilitate a secure and brighter economic future for generations to come.

The CESO Consultant’s advice appeared to have resonated well with those in attendance – entrepreneurs, concerned citizens as well as executives from major organisations.

STEAM Fair opens in Linden

T

he Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) Department of Education on Tuesday presented its leg of the biennial Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) Fair, under the theme, “Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics, paving the way for a green and sustainable society”.

This year, the Arts have been incorporated into the event, which showcases the innovative skills of students and teachers from schools at every level. Region 10’s exhibition was hosted at the Wisburg Secondary School, Wismar, Linden and featured a host of presentations by students.

Speaking during the opening ceremony for the

event, outgoing Linden Mayor Carwyn Holland said he was impressed with the quality of work displayed by the various schools, as he encouraged students to continue to be creative ,”dream big”, step out, invent, and achieve great things.

“I believe that your inventive ability should not be confined to this event, but it should be actively utilised...don’t let your creativity be dormant. Dream big and achieve big. If you look around your community you will see many opportunities to be creative,” Holland encouraged.

Holland, in sharing his own experiences, further gave encouragement to all to inspire young creative minds to “think outside the box” and become active trail-

blazers.

In an overview of the ever-evolving event, District Education Officer (Nursery) Shivon Greene-Brewster said the objective of the exhibitions has always been to stimulate young minds to analyse and evaluate situations with the aim of exposing students to critical thinking skills.

Meanwhile, District Education Officer (Primary) Lashanna Anderson said the activity formed part of the strategy to promote Science and Technology, provide the opportunity for students and teachers to showcase, disseminate and share knowledge relating to these fields.

District Education Officer (Secondary) Sonia Fraser-Pearce said the Fair provided an opportuni-

Linden Foundation presenting their project entitled, “Green Town New Age Eden”

ty for creativity as well as the showcasing and sharing of knowledge and skills. The

national STEAM Fair will be hosted in Georgetown from April 3- 6, where the

winners from Tuesday’s event will be given an opportunity to participate.

18

guyanatimesgy.com

wednesDAY, March 7, 2018

ARCHIE

Physical activity will help ease stress and give you time (March 21to rethink your position on April 19) bothersome matters regarding your personal finances or job. Don't speak out in haste.

ARIES

Share your feelings with TAURUS someone you care about.

(April 20- Making plans that will lead to May 20) a better understanding of your intentions or a commitment will benefit you and put your mind at ease.

dilbert

Stick to the script and be GEMINI honest about your concerns.

(May 21Transparency will make a differJune 20)

ence to a situation that concerns you. Play fair, remain calm and avoid chaos.

Put more creative energy into whatever job you are (June 21- given. The success you have July 22) will lead to new opportunities and a potential partnership.

Express your ideas to get positive feedback.

CANCER

Peanuts

Keep an open mind, but LEO don't let someone entice you (July 23- into indulging in something Aug. 22) that's not good for you. Use your intelligence and focus on fitness, diet and good health.

Make changes to the way VIRGO you live or alter your sur(Aug. 23roundings to encourage workSept. 22) ing on improving your skills and knowledge. The outcome will boost your earning capability.

Calvin and Hobbes

Learn from experience LIBRA (Sept. 23- and avoid making the same Oct. 23) mistake twice. Avert domestic problems by keeping your suggestions positive and simple. An upbeat attitude will pay off.

WORD GAME

SUDOKU

TODAY’S WORD — SECANTS (SECANTS: SEE-kants: Straight lines that intersect a curve at two or more points.)

Put your energy into folSAGITTARIUS lowing a creative pursuit (Nov. 23or researching something Dec. 21) that will help you improve your living arrangements.

Question anyone whom you feel might be withholding information.

Average mark 22 words Time limit 35 minutes Can you find 30 or more words in SECANTS? The list will be published tomorrow.

YESTERDAY’S WORD — HOMICIDE

solution for Puzzle hemic hide hied hoed home medic

mice midi mode iced idiom iodic

chide chime code coed come demo

dice dime dome echo

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

Put your best foot forward SCORPIO when it comes to self-improve(Oct. 24ment.

Don't let criticism hold Nov. 22) you back or stop you from fulfilling your dreams. Be true to yourself and your beliefs.

A chance to do someCAPRICORN (Dec. 22- thing different or to expand Jan. 19) your skills and experience at work looks promising. You'll get the response you've been waiting for from someone you admire.

Someone being emotionAQUARIUS ally manipulative will throw (Jan. 20you off guard. Back away Feb. 19) from anyone displaying coercive or erratic behaviour in an attempt to take advantage of you.

PISCES Know what you want and (Feb. 20- be willing to fight for it. Don't March 20) give in to criticism or anger.

Make decisions based on your needs. Put the past behind you.

wednesDAY, march 7, 2018

19

ICC/ World Cup Qualifiers 2018

Zimbabwe edge Afghanistan by 2 runs

–Ireland, Scotland win again

A

match that swung one way and then the other several times boiled down to an incredibly tense finish in Bulawayo, where Afghanistan's last wicket slowly whittled away at the target set by Zimbabwe. The Zadrans Dawlat and Shapoor - had added 17 in 8.1 overs for the final wicket, bringing the equation down to three needed off four balls. But the half hour of unbearable tension finally ended in joy for Zimbabwe, as Brian Vitori drew the edge from Shapoor and wicketkeeper Brendan Taylor took the catch to seal a two-run victory.

The result left Zimbabwe well placed to progress from Group B, having won two out of two matches along with Scotland. Afghanistan, on the other hand, suffered their second defeat in as many games, and can afford no slip-ups against Nepal and Hong Kong if they are to make the Super Sixes.

Scores: Zimbabwe 196 (43 Overs; Taylor 89, Raza

Bulawayo Athletic Club.

Sole's 4 for 15 in ten overs restricted Hong Kong to just 91, and captain Kyle Coetzer then took his side to their second win in two matches with an unbeaten 41, though Scotland made heavy weather of the small target.

After Mark Watt and Alasdair Evans made ear-

Rashid Khan caught Tendai Chatara short of his ground (IDI/Getty Images)

et. That wasn't enough, though. Despite a late wobble, Ireland got home with four wickets and five balls to spare. Their chase was built around a century from captain William Porterfield and a half-century from Ed Joyce.

The win means Ireland's bid to qualify for World Cup 2019 is off to the start they would have wanted: they have won two of two games

60, Rashid 3-38, Mujeeb 3-49) beat Afghanistan 194 (49.3 Overs; Shah 69, Nabi 51, Muzarabani 4-47, Raza 3-40) by two runs

Ireland vs Papua New Guinea

Tony Ura made 151, PNG made 235; Ura made 64.25% of his team's runs, the fourth-highest percentage of runs scored by one player in a completed innings in ODI crick-

and sit at the top of their group at this early stage.

Scores: Ireland 237 for 6 (49.1 Overs; Porterfield 111, Joyce 53) beat Papua New Guinea 235 All out (50 Overs; Ura 151, McBrine 3-38) by four wickets

ly incisions for Scotland, Sole eviscerated the middle order and apart from the opening stand there was no partnership of substance to steady Hong Kong.

Scores: Scotland 92 for 6 23.3 Overs (Coetzer 41*, Ehsan Khan 3-29) beat Hong Kong 91 All Out; 38.2 Overs (Sole 4-15, Evans 3-19) by four wickets

GASA building coaching capacity ...Minister Norton to declare clinic open

Scotland vs Hong Kong

Four wickets from offspinner Tom Sole helped Scotland to four-wicket win over Hong Kong at the

GFF/Pele Alumni Frank Watson U15 League

Agricola control leaderboard

A

gricola Red Triangle’s Brian Lambert put in a sterling performance on Saturday and Sunday to keep his team atop the point standings as the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) sanctioned Pele Alumini Frank Watson Under-15 football

Team

Agricola Grove Timehri Kuru Kururu Diamond Upsetters Swan FC Herstelling Mocha Samatta Point/KV Friendship Soesdyke Diamond United

P

7 8 5 6 7 6 7 6 6 7 7 4

W 6 4 4 4 3 3 3 2 2 2 1 0

League continued.

The Timehri Red Ground saw Agricola remain unbeaten with wins over Samatta Point/Kaneville and Friendship. Lambert was instrumental in both victories as he scored four goals in his team’s 5 – 1 win over Samatta Point and re-

L 0 1 1 2 3 3 4 2 3 5 6 4

D 1 3 0 0 1 0 0 2 1 0 0 0

F

22 11 16 8 5 19 22 7 7 6 10 1

Minister of Social Cohesion with responsibility for Culture, Youth and Sport, Dr George Norton engages Ivan Persaud (left) in the presence of Assistant Director of Sport, Melissa Dow-Richardson

T

corded a hat-trick the following day when his team disposed of Friendship 4 – 0.

They still lead the standings with a solid 19 points

A

3 11 2 7 7 7 13 5 14 14 19 33

GD

+19 0 +14 +1 -2 +12 +9 0 -7 -8 -9 -32

Points 19 15 12 12 10 9 9 8 7 6 3 0

while their closest rival is Grove Hi-Tech, currently on 15. Grove suffered their first loss on Saturday but rebounded to claim a 2 – 1 win over Herstelling Raiders on Sunday.

Wins also went to thirdplace occupants Timehri Panthers, Diamond Upsetters, Herstelling Raiders, Swan FC and Mocha Champs. Mocha gave the Raiders a walkover victory on Saturday but managed to find a squad the following day and won 3 – 1 against Soesdyke Falcons.

The East Bank Football Association (EBFA) event resumes this weekend at the same venue.

he Guyana Amateur Swimming Association (GASA) will be embarking on three coach’s clinics for the year 2018 and today at 17:30h the first clinic will be officially declared open at the National Aquatic Center at Liliendaal, East Coast Demerara by Minister of Social Cohesion Dr. George Norton.

The five-day clinic will be facilitated by the coach of Columbia’s National Swimming Team, Fabio Toro to which Minister Norton has expressed pleasure at the hosting of the exercise.

“I must commend the GASA for being dedicated to hosting these coaching clinics. I believe that Guyanese athletes have great potential, and with improved guidance and training from their coaches, we can achieve great things,” Dr. Norton said.

The Minister is urging local coaches to make full use of the opportunity to

learn from a coach of Toro’s caliber according to the release.

“I want to see our coaches fully grasping all that comes out from these sessions, so that they can better themselves and all the athletes that depend on them for direction and leadership. Mr. Toro is an esteemed coach and we are very fortunate that he is here to assist us,” Dr. Norton added.

Minister Norton also thanked the International Swimming Federation (FINA), for their support to Guyana, over the years.

Meanwhile, according to President of the GASA, Ivan Persaud, this coaching clinic is a roll over from a clinic that was supposed to have been held in November of last year.

“Every year, we have two clinics, but last year we only hosted one, so this year, we will be having three coaching clinics,” Persaud said.

20

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

wednesDAY, march 7, 2018

Consistency the new test

for Joshua Persaud

By Akeem Greene

A

t eighteen years of age, Joshua Persaud is fully aware his time as a youth cricketer will soon expire after which he will be thrown into the senior ring which has a plethora of other budding maroon prospects.

Diminutive in stature, Persaud plans on standing tall with runs and niftiness behind the stumps as he plots a course to senior duties. The right-handed batsman got out of first

petition on Saturday.

Clearly the runs would be the first eye-opener to his talent but the manner he went about his business of accumulation was quite impressive. Albeit the lawmen bowled to his strengths, striking 15 maximums and nine crisp fours was a remarkable feature.

Apart from the wristy shots, he still had a measured approach to rescue his team from 32-5, taking them to 261-7 declared.

“It’s always a great feel-

portant to score runs at the highest level and most importantly be consistent in order to give myself a good chance of breaking into the senior team.”

Playing his elementary years at the Wooldford Avenue based Guyana National Industrial Corporation (GNIC); some cricket enthusiasts had raised eye brows over the sudden change in association.

“The people around DCC are really supportive in

Persaud’s crisp strokes were a hall mark of his breath-taking 150 on Saturday at the Demerara Cricket Club ground

gear quite emphatically by registering a majestic and unbeaten 150 for new alliance Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) against Police Sports Club in the Georgetown Cricket Association (GCA) First Division two-day com-

ing to score a century and more so, one in the manner where it brought my team out of a hole was really a good one,” the Windies youth player revealed to Guyana Times Sport on Monday.

He added, “It is really im-

terms of my development and I really meant no disrespect to GNIC but it was just my choice to make the switch.” *World Cup woes* The ICC under-19 50-over is most times the pinnacle of

achievement for many cricketers but for Persaud it was more heart break and frustration.

With VISA troubles delaying his arrival, he soon was on a plane out of New Zealand due to the sudden death of his mother Odessa Barton who succumbed after a car accident in the United States of America.

After being a part of the core training squad he left without getting the opportunity to play a match and the Windies in their title defence were booted in the group stage.

“My mother was indeed my biggest fan and that was the shock of my life when I got the news of her death but I got support from my family and friends to continue with what I love.”

The wicket-keeper batsman further expressed, “my dream was to win the World Cup

but sometimes things don’t go the way you want it to go so we have to face that but it was a really tough loss.” Apart from feasting heavily in the First Division competition, the former Chase Academic Foundation student is hopeful of the opportunity to be one of the developmental players with the Guyana Amazon Warriors in their Hero Caribbean Premier League campaign.

“From the first time I saw u-19 players with the Amazon Warriors I wanted to be a part of the camp. You get to train with these international stars and pick their brains. I can learn a few things from them about the game and boost my career,” he contended.

Emotions ran high as he reached his maiden First-Division century for the Demerara Cricket Club

WDCA/ U-19 50 Overs Competition…

McGill beat Belle Vue by

17 runs P

lay in the West Demerara Cricket Association (WDCA) under-19 competition resumed last weekend with three scheduled matches.

However, due to rain only one match was possible with McGill Sports Club beating Belle Vue by 17 wickets.

At the Belle Vue ground, McGill Sports Club batted first in the game reduced to 30 overs per side due to early morning rain and were bowled out for 155 in 26 overs. Satesh Basdeo lead the way with a fluent 68 (4x6; 3x4) with support from David Sears with 26.

Bowling for the home side, Romel Zamal (2/20), Rayan Seecharan (2/25) and Dev Seepersaud (2/30) were in the wickets’ column but their efforts were not enough to seal the victory. Belel Vue were also bowled out in 26 overs for 138 although they got promising starts from their batsmen with Saieed Persaud stroking 30, Shane Persaud 29 and Seepersaud 21.

Ravin Paramdeo picked up

3/15, Trevor Lawrie 2/8 and Sears 2/20

bowling for the victors.

At the Z e e b u r g ground no play was possible in the match between the home team and Cold Fusion U-19 as was the case at the Canal Number Two ground where Bell West were scheduled to take on Independence Sports Club. Meanwhile, the competition continues on Saturday with three matches on Saturday. Zeeburg will take on Cold Fusion, Independence SC battle Bell West and Metem Meer Zorg meet Belle Vue. However, the venues have not yet been confirmed.

Satesh Basdeo

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sports

21

National Club Championship

begins April 7

W

ith the Caribbean B a s k e t b a l l Confederation (CBC) tournament quickly approaching, the Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation (GABF) will be affording some of the country’s top players the chance to impress selectors and also stake claims to the country’s ‘Holy Grail’ of club basketball – the National Club Championship.

The highly anticipated ‘Road to Mecca V’, will bounce off on April 7 at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall with the finals slated for April 28 when the cream of the nation’s top players will be left standing.

At last year’s National

Two-time reigning champions Colts Basketball Club will be looking for the hat trick of national titles this April

Club Championship, Colts retained their title after narrowly edging Linden’s Victory Valley Royals in an 85 – 83 points game thriller.

The win also saw Colts pocketing $600,000 while Royals received $400 000.

In the third place playoff, Travis Burnett carried the Kobras to a third place finish a $200 000 cash prize, following their 7675 extra-time victory over Ravens.

The GABF will send a male and female team to this year’s CBC Championship, set for neighbouring Suriname from June 15 – 22 (female) and June 25 – 29 (male).

Burnham Memorial TT Tourney

starts Saturday

T

he third annual Forbes Burnham Memorial Table Tennis Tournament is scheduled to commence on Saturday at the National Gymnasium.

The two-day Guyana Table Tennis Association (GTTA) sanctioned competition carries four categories which are the Handicap Singles, C Class Open, 21 years and under Open B Open and the B Class Open.

The Handicapped Open is an equalizer-type tournament which places each player on an even standing and will see the top level players being pitted against lower-ranked players on a plus/minus score sys-

tem, designed to give lower ranked players an opportunity to equalize against stronger players. Winners, runners-up and semifinalists will be awarded with trophies of gold, silver and bronze with only the top three receiving incentives.

Players interested in participating in the championships are asked to contact National Coach and GTTA General Secretary, Linden Johnson on 621-7630 or email him at lindenj20032003@yahoo. com. The Association’s Hon Treasurer Deirdre Edghill can also be contacted for registration on 650-4520 or by email at deirdrebaynes@hotmail.com.

Flashback! Caribbean Pre-cadet 11-years and under champion Kaysan Ninvalle (right) in his semi-final matchup against Nicholus Romain, in the Handicap Singles of the Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham Memorial Table Tennis Tournament in 2017

Crawford to put DMW title on the line

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Romello Crawford betters Geron Williams by a bike length to take the spoils at the 2017 edition

A

ll eyes will be on Romello Crawford as he seeks to defend his title in the Diamond Mineral Water cycle title when the 13th edition is held on Saturday on the inner circuit of the National Park.

The PSL Trojan rider will hope to continue his rich vein of form

but will know the likes of Team Evolution’s Paul DeNobrega, Team Cocos’ Jamual John and Crawford’s very own teammate Curtis “Chappy” Dey will also be gunning for a return to the top of the podium after all narrowly missing out at various meets over the past two months.

Last year Crawford won the Schoolboys Invitational feature 35-lap in a blistering time of one hour 16 minutes 24 seconds ahead of Geron Williams and Stephano Husbands.

Taking the Juvenile 10-lap race in 2017 was Dey, but this year will see a new winner. Defending

the Mountain Bike race will be Colwyne Archer while Junior Niles will be eager to retain his Veterans U-50 title.

Kennard Lovell will also be back in action looking to defend his Veterans O-50 trophy. Start time is 09:00h.

22

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

wednesDAY, march 7, 2018

Hero Caribbean Premier League 2018

Ronchi, a good pick for Warriors W

ith the 6th edition of the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) just months away, Guyana Amazon Warriors have done well to re-secure the service of opener Luke Ronchi.

Nicknamed “The Rock”, the 36 year-old Australiaborn made a sudden impact last season immediately following his late arrival to the squad. Despite playing just four games for the Warriors after being drafted in for adopted Kiwi country-man and teammate Martin Guptill; the right-hander carved 172 runs at an average of 57.3 with two fifty plus scores including a best of 70.

The wicket-keeper/bats-

man racked up 14 fours and 9 sixes during his brief run but played a crucial role as his 70 helped knock the then defending champs Jamaica Tallawahs out of the tourney.

After retiring from international cricket in 2017, the former New Zealand player has since become a T20 gun for hire. Prior to his CPL run, Ronchi had an outstanding NatWest T20 blast where he represented Leicestershire with much success.

Following his CPL stint, the Aussie then applied his trade for the Chittagong Vikings in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), where his batting form got

better. In December of 2017, the hard-hitting batsman lit up his home turf when he smoked 102 off 46 balls for his county Wellington in the New Zealand Super Smash T20 tournament.

After Ronchi was retained by the Warriors during last week’s CPL player draft in London, the opener’s immaculate form continued with a 31-ball 71 blitz, batting for Islamabad United in the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL) T20.

Although the Warriors have opted for more regional firepower this season, Ronchi who was snapped up for USD$30,000 will have to shoulder most of the batting

Luke Ronchi and Chadwick Walton were a formidable pair at the top of the order for the Guyana Amazon Warriors

responsibility along with Pakistan’s Shoaib Malik who returns to Warriors colors, Chadwick Walton and South African Cameron Delport.

As such, the Guyanabased franchise with their

vast quota of young local talents along with a few Caribbean stars should lend ideal support to the few key international players in the side.

Guyana for the first time will be hosting three opening matches of the competition starting August 8; the three-time finalists will then head out on the road before returning to home turf for the back-end matches all set for the Guyana National Stadium, Providence.

The Guyana Amazon Warriors squad reads: Sohail Tanvir, Shoaib Malik, Chadwick Walton, Cameron Delport, Rayad Emrit, Imran Tahir, Jason Mohammed, Luke Ronchi, Veerasammy Permaul, Roshon Primus, Shimron Hetmyer, Devendra Bishoo, Gajanand Singh, Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd, Keemo Paul, Saurabh Netravalkar and Akshaya Persaud.

(Clifton Ross)

GABA Knockout Championships…

Wins for Kobras and Guardians K

obras and Plaisance Guardians were the first teams to get a taste of victory when the Georgetown Amateur Basketball Federation (GABA) Knockout Championships commenced on Monday at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH).

In the Second Division, Kobras reigned supreme over the Pacesetters 59 – 52 as Amoniki John led the charge with a game-high 16 points. His scoring was supported by Patrick John (11), Rondell Wilson (10) and Selwyn McAllister (9).

Meanwhile, Quincy Dos Santos top scored for the Pacesetters with 15 points while Zion Gray, Kwesi Roberts and Stephen Peters assisted with ten, eight and six points, respectively.

Pacesetters led 13 – 12 going into the second quarter but Kobras kept the pressure on and gained the lead

at the half. Even though Kobras were ahead 26 – 23 at the start of the third, the momentum shifted again as the opposition set up an entertaining 37 – 36 lead to start the final quarter.

The eventual victors then outhustled their opponents 22 – 16 to cart off with a well-deserved seven-point win.

A ruthless Plaisance Guardians side brushed aside the Pepsi Sonics 8162 in the under-23 Division.

The losing side never looked up to the challenge as they were outscored in every quarter until the final buzzer.

Anton Fileen top scored with 20 points, while Nigel Bowen and Terrence Daniels chipped in with 14 and 11, respectively.

Despite scoring efforts from Manasseh Murray (15) and Lemuel Grant (13), Sonics' offensive power was nowhere near threatening.

wednesDAY, march 7, 2018

guyanatimesgy.com

23

ICC/World Cup Qualifiers 2018…

Hetmyer, Gayle A

thump spirited UAE

fter losing to Afghanistan and surviving a scare against UAE in the warm-ups, West Indies launched their World Cup Qualifiers prop-

contained 11 sixes and seven fours.

The carnage started when he smashed seamer Mohammed Naveed for three successive boundaries

before being pinned lbw by left-arm spinner Ahmed Raza in the 17th over.

Gayle then combined with Hetmyer to wreck UAE's bowling attack. They

Rameez Shahzad was part of the runs fest with an unbeaten 112

er in style, amassing 357 for 4 against UAE in Harare.

Chris Gayle led the way with a six-laden assault, finishing with 123 off 91 balls, while Shimron Hetmyer struck a maiden ODI hundred in his third match. Gayle's innings

in the seventh over and followed it with two fours off off spinner Rohan Mustafa in the next over. In all, Gayle hit 35 runs off 25 balls from Mustafa, including three sixes. Evin Lewis added 31 in an 88-run opening stand

plundered 103 runs at a runrate of just over nine to set their side up for a tall score.

After bringing up his first fifty off 47 balls, Gayle vaulted to his second off only 32 balls. He then celebrated the milestone with a hat-trick of

sixes against Mustafa.

Soon after, legspinner Imran Haider had Gayle holing out, but Hetmyer continued to drive the innings.

He hit 14 fours and four sixes before being dismissed in the 48th over. He was assisted by useful contributions from Shai Hope (35, before retiring hurt because of a sore knee) and captain Jason Holder (12 not out). West Indies, however, will be worried about Marlon Samuels' form: he laboured to 15 off 34 balls. In the warm-up match against the same opposition, he had managed only 15 off 32 balls.

Five out of six UAE bowlers conceded more than six runs an over. Naveed gave away 53 runs in nine overs but could not find a wicket.

UAE did not go down without a fight in their reply. Rameez Shahzad scored a second ODI century, at over a run a ball, batting through after coming in in the 13th over. Shaiman Anwar hit a quick half-century, and another rapid cameo came down the order from Adnan Mufti. Still they hardly threatened the target, eventually falling 61 short of it. Jason Holder, meanwhile, picked up a second ODI five-for, taking five

of the six wickets to fall in the chase. (ESPN

It was Gayle’s 23rd ODI ton

Cricinfo)

SCOREBOARD West Indies Innings (50 overs maximum) CH Gayle c Amir Hayat b Imran Haider 123 E Lewis lbw b Ahmed Raza 31 SO Hetmyer c †Ghulam Shabber b Amir Hayat 127 MN Samuels c Chirag Suri b Rohan Mustafa 15 SD Hope† retired hurt 35 JO Holder* not out 12 AR Nurse not out 0 Extras (b-1, lb-8, w-5) 14 Total (For 4 wickets; 50 Overs) 357 Did not bat: JN Mohammed, NO Miller, KAJ Roach, SS Cottrell Fall of wickets: 1-88 (E Lewis, 16.5 ov), 2-191 (CH Gayle, 28.1 ov), 3-268 (MN Samuels, 39.5 ov), 4-333 (SO Hetmyer, 47.3 ov) Bowling Mohammad Naveed 9-0-53-0 (w-1), Amir Hayat 101-80-1 (w-2), Rohan Mustafa 100-66-1, Imran Haider 10-0-62-1 (w-1), Ahmed Raza 9-0-67-1 (w1), Shaiman Anwar 2-0-20-0 United Arab Emirates Innings

(target: 358 runs from 50 overs) Rohan Mustafa* c Hetmyer b Ro ach 8 Chirag Suri c Hetmyer b Holder 38 Ghulam Shabber† c & b Holder 6 Rameez Shahzad not out 112 Shaiman Anwar lbw b Holder 64 Muhammad Usman c Hetmyer b Holder 1 Adnan Mufti c Lewis b Holder 45 Amir Hayat not out 1 Extras (b-11, lb-3, w-8) 22 Total (For 6 wickets; 50 Overs) 297 Yet to bat: Ahmed Raza, Mohammad Naveed, Imran Haider Fall of wickets: 1-19 (Rohan Mustafa, 3.1 ov), 2-50 (Ghulam Shabber, 12.4 ov), 3-69 (Chirag Suri, 16.3 ov), 4-213 (Shaiman Anwar, 38.3 ov), 5-215 (Muhammad Usman, 38.6 ov), 6-295 (Adnan Mufti, 48.6 ov) Bowling Cottrell 4.4-0-22-0 (w3), Roach 10-0-60-1, Holder 101-53-5 (w-4), Samuels 6-0-28-0, Mohammed 0.2-0-0-0, Nurse 9-0-61-0, Miller 10-0-59-0 (w-1)

USA’s Hoboken CC battle GTTA to elect powerful Everest Masters new executive T

he visiting Hoboken Cricket Club out of New Jersey, USA will face a tough challenge when they take on Everest Cricket Club Masters team in a feature 25 overs a-side match today.

The Everest Masters are on a high after successful tours of Suriname and Essequibo recently and will begin as favourites at home in the contest beginning a t 12:00h.

Former international player, Shivnarine Chanderpaul has been included alongside former Guyana player and coach Rabindranauth Seeram, form e r

Shivnarine Chanderpaul

Essequibo senior inter-county player Ramesh Narine and former West Indies Under-19 batsman Hemraj Garbarran who are expected to do the bulk of the batting for the kind hosts.

The visiting Hoboken Cricket Club will pin their hopes on the shoulders of Vicky Singh, Ramchand Singh, Ramjit Singh and Virgil Goosi but anybody can come good at any time in their squad of tested and proven players.

All trophies for the match are donated

by Ramesh Sunich of the Trophy Stall in Bourda Market.

Everest Masters will come from; Rajesh Singh (captain), Sahadeo Hardaiow, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Basil Persaud, Hemraj Garbarran, Saheed Mohamed, Ramesh Narine, Rabindranauth Seeram, Imtiaz Sadik, Rakesh Gangaram, Ucil Armstrong, Ronald Jaisingh, Anwar Rahaman, Satyendra Khemraj and Johnny Azeez.

Hoboken Cricket Club squad reads; Ramjit Singh, Selwyn Chung, Darragh Dempsey, Prakash Persaud, Vicky Singh, Virgil Gossi, Ramchand Singh, Sacket Gur, Harmeet Singh, Adrian Barrows and Alfred Madrey.

on March 24

T

he Guyana Table Tennis Association (GTTA) will host their annual General Meeting and election of officer bearers on Saturday March 24 at the Guyana Olympic Association (GOA) building, Block XXX Liliendaal Greater Georgetown from 13:00h.

According to a release on Monday, “notices of motions must reach the General Secretary no later than march 19.”

Each club registered with the Association is entitled to send as many delegates as may desire, however, only one authorized member will be allowed to vote.

Clubs are reminded to ensure that their annual subscriptions have been paid by March 16 so as to be able to exercise their franchise.

The agenda for the day will begin with Welcome, Minutes/ Matters Arising, President’s Report, Secretary ‘s Report, Treasurer’s Report, Motions, Election of Office Bearers for Period 2018-2020, Installation of Office bearers and

Any Other Business.

The current serving executive comes from Godfrey Munroe (President), Dr. Pradeep Balram (Senior Vice President), J o n a t h a n Sankar (Junior Vice President), Deirdre Edghill (Treasurer), Linden Johnson (General Secretary), Lisa Lewis (Assistant Secretary), Joel Wilburg (Assistant Secretary)

Current Guyana Table Tennis Association President Godfrey Munroe

wednesDAY, march 7, 2018

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

guyanatimesgy.com

ICC/ World Cup Qualifiers 2018…

Hetmyer, Gayle thump spirited UAE Pg 23

Shimron Hetmyer hit 14 fours and four sixes in his Man-of-the-Match performance

Hero Caribbean Premier League 2018

Ronchi, a good pick for Warriors Pg 22

Luke Ronchi Luke Ronchi made an impressive CPL debut in 2017 GUYANA TIMES - www.guyanatimesgy.com, email: news@guyanatimesgy.com, News Hotliine: 231-8063 Editorial: 231-0544, 223-7230,223-7231,231-0544, 225-7761 Sport: sport@guyanatimesgy.com Marketing: 231-8064 Accounts: 225-6707 SALES AND MARKETING - lezas@guyanatimesgy.com - PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY GUYANA TIMES INC.

Chris Gayle was merciless on anything loose