Guyanatime 9 june 2018

Minister Norton visits P ailing sports journalist 13

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

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Saturday, June 9, 2018

Issue No. 3589

PRICE

Singh, Brassington charged for sale of Sanata Textiles Complex

$80 vat included

WHAT'S INSIDE:

Lima Sands residents decry deplorable P12 access road

Page 3

…despite property sold for more than 3 times higher than Govt valuation Criminal charges against APNU/AFC Ministers

PPP challenges DPP’s decision to withdraw charges

Page 10

Renewable energy

Page 9

Tumatumari hydro project yet to get financial closure

…says “intervention was unlawful” …as hydro projects dominate Cabinet talks

Driver escapes death after car skids off Harbour Bridge

Hike in fuel prices

No decision yet on help for consumers – Patterson P17

EBD man on $1M bail for dangerous P12 driving

Ex-Cop slapped with assault, P8 B&E charges Look at new ways of implementing CSME – CDB rep tells P11 regional stakeholders

A driver on Friday afternoon lost control of his car which skidded off the Demerara Harbour Bridge. Luckily, the car landed on a pontoon and the driver escaped without injury. However, there was a huge traffic jam as a result of the accident

GECOM chair challenge

Ruling violates spirit of Page 7 Constitution – PPP

...President has discretion to unilaterally appoint – Chief Justice

Berbice businessman arrested for rape of 9-year-old Page 13

Berbice double murder/ suicide P17

Mother, daughter died from fractured skulls

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saturDAY, june 9, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

BEV Enterprises closure

GRA says ‘higher taxation’ claims baseless

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he Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), responding on Friday to claims that higher taxation has led to the closure of BEV Enterprises’ shrimp processing facility, has said the accusations are baseless, since the Guyana Association of Trawler Owners and Seafood Operators continues to reap significant benefits.

According to the GRA, as per an agreement signed between the Association and the Government since 2005, these benefits are being garnered.

GRA has said the issue of higher taxation was raised by reports and letters published in the media, hence the tax body has sought to debunk the misleading claims. The GRA statement also indicated that the owners of BEV have refuted the allegations, and have noted that they have a “generous taxation” arrangement with the Government.

“It should be noted that

Vieira was quoted in other sections of the media as saying he is hoping that Noble House Seafoods would purchase BEV’s plant and garner shrimp suppliers, which can provide employment. Vieira denied that his decision to leave the industry was due to a deal he has with an oil company which needs a sea front property.

Union representation

Some of the soon-to-be unemployed workers

GRA’s policy is to ensure that persons granted concessions act in accordance with the terms and conditions under which the tax exemptions were granted.

As far as the GRA is aware, BEV Enterprises were utilising (their) concessions as per the agreement. Whilst recognising the rights of persons to pen letters voicing their opinions, the Authority hopes that opinions shared involving matters of taxation will be firmly grounded in facts, and not hearsay,”

the GRA has said.

With thousands of former sugar workers continuing to face challenges to find consistent employment, closure of the BEV processing facility will see over 390 employees being without employment. According to reports which surfaced on Tuesday, over 100 of the workers could be absorbed into other seafood operations, but many of BEV staff remain unsure as to how such an arrangement would be executed.

The majority of the workers are women, and they are worried for their future as well as those of their children. Sources told this publication that proprietor and head of BEV Processors Inc, Bruce Vieira, held a recent meeting with staff, wherein he assured workers that they would receive benefits for their years of service.

They were also informed that operations would cease

by July 15, and the reactions were varied, ranging from sheer shock to passivity.

Following cries from some of the workers about the lack of representation by their union, the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) officials met with the management of BEV Enterprises on Thursday, when the company agreed to pay the workers a series of incentives.

According to the Union, the news of the company closing operations came as a shock to many workers, most of whom are single mothers already finding it challenging to solely maintain their families.

During Thursday’s meeting, the company’s owner indicated that several factors would have impacted the decision to end operations in the fishing industry. For the past 34 years, the company, located at Houston, Greater Georgetown, has been one of the leading processors of fish and shrimp for local and foreign markets.

The company has agreed to pay its workers some incentives to soften the impact that the closure will have on their livelihoods. Apart from the statutorily required redundancy payments, the company, through the union/company engagement, has agreed to pay workers for their full year’s annual leave. This would be done even though the year’s service would be incomplete when operations cease.

Additionally, the workers are expected to receive their full incentive payment for July 2018, although the company would end operations around July 15, 2018.

Man jailed for 3 years for 8 grams of ganja gets High Court bail

Carl Mongal

T

wenty-seven-year-old Carl Mongal of Lot 2 Princes Street, Lodge, Georgetown had been sentenced to three years’ imprisonment by Magistrate Judy Latchman for having 8.3 grams of cannabis in his possession, but on Friday he was granted bail in the High Court.

Attorney-at-Law Nigel Hughes made a successful bail application on behalf of Mongal, who was subsequently ordered to pay $40,000 bail.

It has been alleged that Mongol, on May 18 at Princes Street, had the aforementioned quantity of the illicit substance in two Ziploc bags.

Mongal was then told of the allegation and cautioned, and he admitted to the allegation. He was arrested, taken into custody, charged, and subsequently jailed for the offence.

The sentencing has caught the attention of the public, and even the politicians. In fact, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo has said that for small quantities of marijuana, he would support the removal of custodial sentences from the law books in their entirety.

He has reminded that the

People’s Progressive Party (PPP) is committed to supporting a ‘conscience vote’ should the matter come up for a vote in the National Assembly.

“To send somebody -- a young person or even an older person -- to jail for less than a quarter ounce of marijuana for three years, when we have people who are traffickers and we have people growing large quantities of marijuana, because they have money they get off from the system,” he explained.

The former President said he is not opposed to having those charged for small quantities face some penalty, but he would recommend alternative or non-custodial sentencing, such as community work and rehabilitation.

After almost three years, the AFC has still not managed to find support from the APNU for the motion, in the name of AFC parliamentarian Michael Carrington, to move the first reading of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Control) (Amendment) Bill.

The motion to have the first reading of the Bill was tabled since December 10, 2015. The Bill itself has not been made public.

Former AFC Chairman Nigel Hughes, with the help of Attorney Mark Waldron, had drafted the bill, which seeks to soften the penalties for marijuana possession.

That draft bill stipulates that persons who are found in possession of the drug for personal use would be required to pay a fine of $10,000, or perform community service for a period of time, something that is being widely supported.

news

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saturDAY, june 9, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

BRIDGE OPENINGS

The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Saturday, June 9 – a night retraction at 01:00h and a day retraction from 13:30h-15:00h and Sunday, June 10 – a night retraction at 02:00h and a day retraction from 14:30h-16:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Singh, Brassington charged for sale of Sanata Textiles Complex …despite property sold for more than 3 times higher than Govt valuation

Saturday, June 9 – 13:00h-14:30h and Sunday, June 10 – 13:50h-15:20h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY

Thundery to light rain showers can be expected throughout the day, with partly cloudy skies prevailing in the evening.

Temperatures are expected to range between 22 degrees Celsius and 29 degrees Celsius.

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

High Tide: 00:35 h and 13:04h reaching maximum heights of 2.35 metres and 2.37 metres respectively.

Low Tide: 06:35h and 18:59h reaching minimum heights of 0.86 metre and 0.81 metres.

WEDNESDAY, june 6, 2018

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DAILY MILLIONS 01 02 05 06

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Evening Draw 15

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Former Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh

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ore charges have been filed against former Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh and former National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) head Winston Brassington; this time over the sale of the Sanata Textiles Complex.

Singh and Brassington are already before the courts on similar charges, but these latest charges were filed without even the knowledge of the two parties.

As a consequence, they were not in court to answer the charges when it was read to acting Chief Magistrate Sherdel IssacsMarcus.

The charge alleges that Singh and Brassington, while performing the duties of Finance Minister and Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NICIL respectively, between October 26 and December 20, 2010, they acted recklessly when they agreed to the sale of the Sanata Textiles Complex to Queens Atlantic Investment Inc. According to the charge, the 18.976acre property was sold for $697.8 million but it was valued at $1.04 billion.

However, according to privation documents published by NICIL, the property was valued at $245 million by the Government’s Chief Valuation Officer, Compton Autar, but QAII paid $809.5 million for the property, which is almost four times the Government valuation.

In court on Friday, Attorney Stanley Moore, representing the interests of the two, informed the court that he had no prior information of the specific charges. It was then that Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) prosecutor also acknowledged that Singh and Brassington were not informed of the new charge.

Attorney Moore then assured the court that the two men will be back in Guyana on June 29, when the matter is to be called before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan.

SOCU had previously brought charges against the two former Government officials in April. The two men were arraigned on charges of allegedly selling several plots of land on the East Coast of Demerara to National Hardware Guyana Ltd for over $598 million.

In addition, the charge includes selling land to Scady Business Corporation at a cost of $150 million, and to Multi-cinemas Guyana Inc at a cost of $185 million.

Many political and social commentators, even those in the legal fraternity, have argued that the charges against the two former Government officials may be unconstitutional on the basis that they are not “public officers” in accordance with the Constitution.

Following these events, former Finance Minister Sasenarine Kowlessar, who served from 1999 to 2006, was taken in for questioning at SOCU’s Kingston, Georgetown head office, and was interrogated for close to five hours before being released on $200,000 station bail.

Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo has said the decision to charge the duo for the sale of the lands, is nothing more than a “frivolous” attempt to keep a campaign promise made by the A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) to jail members of the People’s Progressive Party (PPP).

“It is all frivolous…

This Government campaigned on a promise

Former head of NICIL, Winston Brassington

that they will jail all of us when they get into power because we’re massively corrupt… We were told that we had assets that we were not declaring to the integrity Commission.

We’re told that the People’s Progressive Party and its leaders had stolen so much money they couldn’t stash it in Guyana, they had to stash it abroad. These were the campaign. This was in the mouth of every person who spoke on the APNU platform. Jail, Jail these people,” Jagdeo told the media last month.

Former Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh expressed confidence that the charges brought against him will be disposed of in the near future because he feels they are frivolous and

have no bearing.

Singh said he discharged his functions as a Minister of Government and public servant diligently and in accordance with the law at all times.

“I have no fear whatsoever about the discharge of my duties being subjected to the ultimate degree of scrutiny… I have absolutely no reservation about that and I have absolutely no fear,” he added.

Meanwhile, Guyana Times, along with its sister companies Television Guyana (TVG-CH 28) and Radio Guyana Inc (RGI), is housed at the Sanata Complex, Ruimveldt Industrial Site, Georgetown which is owned by QAII. Only recently, this publication received a number of threats from persons who claimed to be agents of the Government to stop publishing news items which are critical of the Administration.

These persons have threatened that should this newspaper continue to pursue articles which are critical of the Government, its owners, management and affiliate companies will face dire consequences. In the past, this media house has been threatened

by Government officials. In particular, one Government official called for the torching of Sanata Complex.

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guyanatimesgy.com

saturDAY, june 9, 2018

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

Absence of male teachers

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he current situation regarding males in education is significant enough to warrant a strategic, long-term intervention. For over a decade, there has been clear evidence that the boys in our schools are not having an equal experience to that of girls. More importantly -- as studies have unearthed -- the issue goes well beyond a mere question of competence, interest in, or value for, education.

There are at play deep socio-cultural and other factors that indicate the need for a multifaceted approach towards addressing the issue. The potential consequences of ignoring the problem are dire, and the red flags are numerous, demanding that something be done at the soonest.

The issue is affecting the entire Caribbean, and as such, there are some lessons from sister territories that could inform the approaches adopted.

One dimension -- and arguably one of the most significant contributors to the problem -- is the absence of male teachers in the system. The exodus of males from the teaching profession would have been chronicled over the last three decades. The process unfolded gradually, and, over time, it appears that the system simply adjusted to the changes. There has not been any intervention to target the absence of male teachers in the system.

Initially, economics was considered the major push factor at play. The question of whether this remains the primary consideration has merit, and studies are now examining why males are not opting for teaching as a career.

Regardless of the causes, there has to be a well-thought-out solution, since the issue has now hit crisis proportions. The most recent data from the Ministry of Education show that there are 7,909 female teachers in the system, as compared to a mere 1,314 males. Of these, only 404, less than one third, are at the key formative primary level. As one might expect, there are only five male teachers at the nursery level, and the remainder are scattered across the higher levels of the education system.

Research has indicated that this acute imbalance impacts the quality of the educational experiences boys are having. It is important to mention here that female teachers view the behaviour of boys much differently from male teachers. The research indicates that female teachers consider boys at the primary level to be highly disruptive and uninterested in education; whereas girls, on the other hand, are viewed as settled, model pupils. An extension of this is that boys are more often penalised for their behaviours, which in turn impacts their academic experiences.

As early as grade four, there are decisions made regarding the academic potential of boys that have little basis in competence indices, but more to do with their behaviours.

Where male teachers are present, there is likely to be a greater understanding and appreciation of the key biological differences which affect the perception of boys as behavioural issues, resulting in more balanced approaches in addressing the needs of boys in schools. In studies across the world, boys have reported that their male teachers encourage them more, and have a greater impact on their confidence levels as pupils.

This issue has implications well beyond the academic experiences boys are having, however, and speaks to the very nature of their socialisation. Schools are critical socialising institutions, and the absence of male role models in schools must impact the extent to which boys receive critical social cues regarding their gender identity and their expected roles.

Hunte, since 2002, has lamented the fact that the absence of male teachers further compounds the problem of the education of the ‘emotions of boys’. This forces boys to seek such guidance from alternative external sources that oftentimes are not as wholesome. Research has also shown that boys feel more comfortable speaking to male teachers about issues they are having both at home and at school. As Hunte states, “Women, however talented, cannot be substitutes for men, because they do not know or have experienced the emotions of men”.

It must be noted here that boys are not the only ones to benefit greatly from the presence of male teachers. Girls also need solid male role models to provide balance in their socialisation. In addition, to the extent that schools are a microcosm of the society, they should fully reflect the diversity and prevailing cultural dynamics found in the wider society. There is an overabundance of accounts of the ‘feminisation’ of schooling, brought about in large part by the absence of male teachers in the profession. Both female and male inputs are vital to the effective delivery of education.

The work environment is greatly enhanced by the presence of male teachers providing balance in perspectives and approaches. Traditionally, males have championed the use of technology and the importance of sports and other extracurricular activities in schools. Their absence has left key voids that need to be addressed.

A strategic approach has to be developed to attract and retain males in the teaching profession. Such a plan has got to go well beyond the issue of salaries, and hone in on the factors that would make teaching a more attractive career option to males. Scholarship opportunities, incentive packages, and accelerated career options are only a few approaches adopted by other education systems to attract more males.

Where plans have worked, equal consideration was given to dimensions of the working conditions that would also ensure that, once recruited, males enjoy the degree of job satisfaction that would ensure their retention, and serve to encourage others to join the profession.

Attention must be paid to the elements that would make teaching a more ‘male-friendly’ professional pursuit, and that would ensure the long-term success of the intervention. It will require an openness to innovative approaches that are culturally and contextually relevant, given the diversity of our country. This has deep implications for the overall status of teaching within the society, and would ultimately benefit all teachers, male and female, and by extension the nation at large.

On the occasion of National Day of the Russian Federation, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Alexander S Kumaz and his wife, Irina M Kumaz, hosted a reception at the Russian Embassy, Georgetown on Friday. In photo, the Russian Ambassador shares a toast with President David Granger and Minister of State Joseph Harmon

‘Contributions’ made by third force political parties (Part 1) Dear Editor, My letter seeks to analyse and evaluate the ‘contributions’ made by third force political parties, namely two which have had the potential to change the political culture in Guyana away from the two-party political domination. These are the United Force (UF) and the Alliance for Change (AFC).

It is an accepted fact that the PNC and the PPP have dominated voting in nearly all elections at every level of Government, and a third force is meant to represent a departure from the way things are being done, the most important departures being the eradication of corruption and poverty, the tackling of unemployment, and the separation of powers.

But what is the true intention of these third forces?

Was it to bring the changes mentioned, or simply to get rid of the PPP and enjoy the “good life”?

Since these small parties lack the numbers to win an

election outright, they have to coalesce with either the PPP or the PNC. In the past, such a coalition was possible before the General Elections, but now the coalition must occur before such elections.

Two significant coalitions to mark these different scenarios are the following: the PNC and the UF coalescing in 1964, and the PNC-dominated APNU and the AFC coalescing in 2015.

Remarkably, both are failures!

Guyana’s long period of economic bankruptcy and social decay, from 1964 to 1992, can be traced back to when the United Force introduced itself into the political arena as the ‘third force’.

This curse lasted 28 long and hellish years, which saw the PNC dictatorship wreaking havoc on all things progressive. No stone was left unturned in destroying the socio-economic fabric of this nation.

But what happened to the third force during this 28-year period? The United

Force was unceremoniously kicked out of the Coalition Government because its leader dared at some point to question the policies and corrupt practices of its bigger partner -- the PNC. This unholy alliance lasted just over two years, but the devastation lasted 28 years, and was punctuated daily by starvation, mental anguish and degradation, abject poverty, and an upsurge in criminal activities and prostitution. It was a time when it was a criminal act to have certain food items in your possession! The only benefits were reaped by the PNC, and those who benefited from the UF were the ones who crossed the floor. How many from the AFC will cross the floor in 2020?

In 2015, another Coalition was birthed, this time with the AFC, a political party launched to ‘free’ the Guyanese people and bring ‘prosperity”. In the AFC’s Action Plan 2011, Presidential Candidate Mr Khemraj Ramjattan had decisively stated that, “Over

four decades of PNC and PPP Governments have left us all bruised, weary and hopeless,” while Mr Raphael Trotman had proudly declared that, for 45 years, Guyana has had the same parties making turns in the wrong directions, disappointing and betraying (their) citizens and allowing for an unfair distribution of the country’s wealth, as the rich got richer while most Guyanese continued to remain poor.

With all these declarations being made, both these AFC leaders shamelessly embraced the PNC in their quest for power, of course being chaperoned by the Cadillac Man. However, after the coalition, the PNC was omitted from the equation and the AFC became the ‘poodle’ of the PNC. The fight became an obsession to get rid of the PPP, with the atrocities of the PNC conveniently forgotten!

Yours sincerely, Haseef Yusuf RDC Councillor, Region Six

Theft of the Clifton-John Co-op Society Dear Editor, We request, with much urgency, that our letter be published, as it addresses the plea of a group of dedicated people of the land, whose very livelihood rests in a precarious balance, with them having everything to lose.

The above-named society was founded in excess of 50 years ago under the initiative of Booker’s Sugar Co, with 30 members along the Corentyne Public Road.

Together, these people built their homes and farmed eleven acres of land that was allotted to them. Some graduated into mechanics and established welding shops;

there were three commercial chicken farms, while the others remained as livestock and cash crops’ farmers.

This co-op society ran headlong into problems with the Hanif family, and was subsequently thrown into a deliberate defunct state in 2012 by the aforementioned family. With the Booker’s lease expiring some eighteen years ago, multiple attempts have been made to renew the lease, but all attempts were denied.

It must be noted that the former chairman, secretary and treasurer reside within the immediate vicinity, on the co-op’s lands.

With the aid of a senior controversial lawyer instated as the new secretary, Mr. Hanif organised with his nephews and sons and one misinformed member of the original co-op a cunning and swift ploy to usurp the rights to the lands in contention. They approached the Special Purpose Unit (SPU) and reapplied for the lease, unknowingly to the other original members, and successfully reregistered the said co-op society in their interests. Thereafter, they issued legal notices for the original members to vacate the land they’d occupied and had made investments in.

This act by men of no honour is an outright, unabashed and cold-blooded banishment of the people who had banded together, toiled for countless hours, and with humble resources had shaped and developed their fair square of earth with their own hands.

We are calling on the President and the Prime Minister to please intervene in this delicately unfortunate and explosive situation, and use their God-given positions to initiate a peaceful resolution.

Yours respectfully, Members of the Co-op

guyanatimesgy.com

saturdAY, june 9, 2018

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

A slap on our Fixing GuySuCo’s problems justice system Dear Editor, I am not a legal person, but a common man who, like the jurors in a criminal matter, must decide on guilt or innocence based on the evidence provided in a particular case.

The recent murder case which saw the termination (nolle prosequi) of legal proceedings by the Director of Public Prosecution against two Canadian girls for the murder of their 64-year-old father is a slap on our justice system. It is clear from all the evidence that there must have been even a conspiracy to commit the murder, or being accessories to it. Therefore it boggles the mind as to the termination of the prosecution.

I have spent 17 years fighting for youths doing what is right, and advocating social justice in every sphere of life, and it is much to the public and my personal disappointment that

such an injustice should be perpetrated. The law must send a certain message that certain acts cannot be condoned in society. But what message are we sending to the public and our youths; that it is okay to brutally murder your parents, since the justice system will be sympathetic to you? This decision is morally and legally wrong, when we look at other cases where persons were convicted for murder based on a conspiracy. An example is the recent case wherein two women were given life imprisonment for conspiracy to commit murder of a US citizen in Berbice. Another example is the Tain murder of a man wherein a maid and the man’s wife are charged for conspiracy to commit murder and are on remand.

Accessories are as guilty as the principal in any criminal matter, and charges should have been recom-

mended by the DPP to suit the facts of the case presented by the prosecution. This matter should not have been subjected to nolle prosequi.

In criminal law, a conspiracy is an agreement between two or more persons to commit a crime at some time in the future, and in this case, the courts should have been asked to decide whether the intention to commit the murder by the two girls was established, since the actions after the murder would have suggested that the intention existed and continued.

This does not speak well about how we dispense justice in the eyes of the public and our young generation.

Is it that the legal system failed, or have the enforcers failed the system?

Yours sincerely, Gobin Harbhajan RDC Councillor, Region 6

Ownership and management of the sugar industry Dear Editor, In a recent letter to the media, I strongly advocated the return of the sugar industry to private ownership or management, which is independent of the Government; because its current status as a nationalised industry has been largely responsible for its sad decline from profitability under private ownership to now limping along on virtual ‘life-support’ because of ineffective management, low production, poor productivity, and continuing losses.

Because no industry can, or should, continue under such circumstances, I repeated what was also recommended by the Commission of Inquiry into the Sugar

Industry, and in this context remind readers that the industry was indeed performing much better when it was under private ownership or private management contract— an objective fact, not an opinion.

I was therefore most surprised to see in sections of the media a rather personal letter by a Patricia Persaud implying that my recommendations were not based on objective facts, but on my antecedents in the sugar industry; which she suggests were far removed from the struggles of the sugar workers. She apparently has a bias, and certainly does not know me. I would therefore recommend that she careful-

A meaningless list Dear Editor, The quality of data being released into the public sphere leaves a great deal to be desired. Is this a deliberate ploy, or is it simply reflective of deeply embedded inadequacies?

What exactly was the point of the quite ridiculous First Quarter Local Suppliers List released by the DPI on behalf of ExxonMobil? Are the authorities really satisfied with this information? Do the authorities or the energy giant really believe that it is adequate for the purposes of monitoring or systematic appraisal of the company’s local content obligations?

If ExxonMobil or one of its contractors purchased a packet of rubber bands from a

local store, or a few cigarettes from a street vendor, would that have been sufficient to merit inclusion in the list? In the absence of any qualifiers, one must assume so.

A list like this is meaningless.

The average Guyanese household or small business could equally produce a list of 100 entities or individuals from whom they purchased goods or services over the course of three months. The average shopping trip to Bourda Market (cited on the list) would include at least half a dozen.

For a larger business, a similar list would run into multiple hundreds. What exactly are we measuring here?

Yours faithfully, Isabelle de Caires

ly reads my autobiographic account of the sugar industry, titled “A Product of Guyana’s Bitter-Sweet Sugar”, which is currently under publication. Pro-tem I say not!

Sincerely, Nowrang Persaud

Dear Editor, GuySuCo’s current situation could be successfully fixed in a timely manner if there is the political will and good corporate governance is undertaken.

Firstly: the bank loan backed by the corporation’s assets is questionable, not only because of the uncertainty of the pension fund’s viability, but also due to the form of the financing. A physical inventory needs to be undertaken, and a fiscal audit is also needed to support a clear understanding of the asset base to be used for securing financing.

In addition, a line of credit should be pursued with Government’s backing to minimize the interest payments required.

Secondly: labour concessions during the turnaround period should be negotiated, in order to reduce the cost of goods to allow for the reopening of the closed and neglected factories. In addition, an organisational capabilities assessment is required to ensure there is a clear plan to improve internal processes for improved front end operations.

Thirdly: the acreage utilisation needs to be optimised in order to increase field yield rates to best in class levels, as seen by our successful international competitors. This will require limited investment. Factory maintenance improvement plans based on efficiency assessments will also provide clear guidance for improvement plans related to production costs and improved throughput. Such a fresh eyes’ audit needs to be undertaken in order to devel-

op a clear investment plan for the industry. This should be pursued to obtain benchmarked levels.

Fourth: the pricing of goods and services provided by the corporation needs to be revised, allowing for increases that reflect not only inflation rates, but also the increased demand associated with the limited supply.

Market prices are currently not reflective of adjacent and competitive products.

The mindset of bulk sales vs. consumer sales needs to be shifted in favour of the latter, to truly capture the pricing opportunity in the market place. A clear pric-

ing strategy going forward needs also to be outlined.

Based on my professional experience, the above outlined approach would clearly walk the turnaround initiative through the P&L, better identifying the financing needs and their required timing to support a successful turnaround initiative for the sugar industry. In addition, this approach would ensure a successful undertaking of making the sugar industry profitable in the current competitive environment.

Best regards, Jamil Changlee

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Foundation

By Susan Heitler, PhD

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n my book and workbook called The Power of Two, I teach the skills that enable couples to enjoy a strong and loving marriage. While I knew the topic was important as I was writing, I had not thought about what it’s like for kids whose parents have the opposite, with anger instead of harmony in the home, and especially for kids whose parents often turn their anger onto them.

What is it like for kids who have a parent who episodically erupts in angry rages?

A teenage reader, let’s call her Liz, recently wrote to me a poignant description of her home situation. Liz has given me permission to share her note with my readers. I asked for this permission so that more people will understand the plight of kids like her, her sister and brother, and all too many other kids and teens.

Below Liz’s letter I offer my thoughts on what can be done for these children.

Dear Dr Heitler, I am 16 years old and I have two siblings. We Iive in a house with who I believe is a BPD mother. I don’t have many options for I am a minor. I read your article titled “When your mother has a borderline Personality” and it did give me some feedback but I feel as if I deeply need more. She will have these moments of anger outbursts and then happy joyful moments .

I don’t know where to start....

My parents are divorced supposedly because my father had cheated on my mom. My dad says he was just so tired of her constant outrage. When I was younger I didn’t know which story to believe or which one was true.

Although I still don’t know the exact cause for their divorce, I have learned that my mom was a problem. Till this day, I sadly remember all the extreme fights they would go through, it’s like if it was just yesterday.

Now that I’m older I feel bad for my siblings, my dad and I. My mom sometimes apologises abruptly for forgiveness after she finishes her rage. But I know that she will rage again.

I still remember one day when she told me to feed the dog, I believe I was in 3rd grade, but anyway I went to go get the dog food to pour into the bowl. Since it was dark outside and the bowl was outside, I spilled the dog food next to the bowl not inside. My mother started yelling at me, calling me stupid. She slapped me across my face. My dad defended me and stood up to her like I had never seen.

Things got worse. My mother had abandonment issues with my dad. She would constantly call him to make sure who he was with, what he was doing etc. He tried and tried to stay and fix things. They even went to therapy but when my mom got there she was getting mad at my dad telling him, “Why would you tell him everything?” referring to the therapist.

Well in the end we ended up moving to our hometown, my mom choosing to leave from our house (in another state) on his birthday. I didn’t want to leave. I loved my dad. My siblings

and I fell into a depression while still living in Nevada, including my mom because my dad finally stood up and told her “If you kick me out one more time, I’m not going to forgive you once you apologise like you always do”.

Still in her rage my mom kicked him out due to her assumptions of the cheating scandal and abandonment issues.

My father couldn’t take it anymore. He was drained

o u t .

He had to save himself in a way. I’m not saying he’s perfect because he isn’t.

He’s made major mistakes as well, but now it’s just my two siblings and I tied up in her illness.

We do see my dad often – every six weeks when he comes to visit from where he lives – but it’s not enough time to get away from all the madness. He knows how she is and tries to

give us feedback, but easy for him to do since he just left the problem. We’re there stuck living a madness every single day.

My brother who is 12 years old believes there is nothing wrong with my mom, that she should be mad. Her words get into his mind. Since he’s young, of course he believes everything his mom puts into his mind.

Then there’s my sister. She’s one year younger than me.

She understands me more. She knows that the way my mom acts is not okay. She gets sad because my mom gets so mad at her so easily, without a good enough reason. Well she gets mad at all of us for not good enough reasons all the time. Me and my sister feel so trapped. We can get very sad at times.

When we go with my dad for a good majority of the summer we are always scared to answer my mom’s calls because every time we do she is always mad that we don’t call her every day.

She starts calling us horrible names in Spanish and verbally abuses us. Even after so many miles away we are still so scared of receiving a phone call of hers.

She barely lets us hang out with our friends, believes they are all bad people and she can’t trust any of them.

I love her eternally but for me her love directed to us seems conditional due to how she acts towards us. At times, we can all be so happy it feels as if her illness can’t be real. She can’t have it – but then after a while it kicks back in and reality sparks.

I don’t know how to escape this poison. I don’t want to end up like my mom. I love her but this is not healthy for any of us.

Of course I did not list everything that has occurred but this is a large portion.

I don’t want to cry in my room or in the bathroom/shower any more.

Last weekend I had to go to a retreat on Saturday from 8am to 5pm for my church since i’m getting confirmed soon. This sounds sad, but I was happy that I wasn’t going to be home. I did not want to be home.

A clinical perspective on being or having an angry parent

The teenager’s mother appears to have a classic case of borderline personality disorder. The central feature of a borderline diagnosis is overly strong emotional reactions.

People with this diagnosis struggle with a hyper-reactive amygdala, the part of the brain that controls the frequency and intensity of emotional responses.

Though some individuals with borderline issues mainly experience anxiety and depression, many if not most who get this diagnosis have frequent episodes of raging. At core therefore BPD appears as an anger disorder.

In men, instead of being labeled BPD, the diagnosis will generally be abusive personality disorder, or maybe narcissistic personality disorder. The central feature though is the same: anger that arises too frequently and with too much intensity relative to how most people would respond in that situation.

Anger seldom arises in a vacuum. Rather, it gets triggered by someone or something that has happened, and then directed toward a specific target. In a two-parent family the anger may get directed toward the spouse and/or toward the children. When kids live with a solo parent however, if the parent rages, the children will tend to be the main targets.

As Liz so wisely observes, younger children assume that their parent knows best, and that they must have done something terrible, or be terrible kids, to have aroused the parent’s wrath. They believe that the painful name-calling and accusations that a raging parent screams at them must be valid. As Liz also describes, even a mature teen like herself still finds her parent’s rages upsetting and frightening.

Strong emotions typically give rise to narcissistic inability to hear others’ concerns. Like anyone who is experiencing strong anger, when people with borderline patterns feel angry they tend to think that what they want is holy and what others want is irrelevant. People with borderline personalities often fall into this non-listening error. They feel totally justified in their fury because they see the situation only from their point of view. (Excerpt from psychologytoday.com)

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saturdAY, june 9, 2018 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

GECOM chair challenge

Ruling violates spirit of Constitution – PPP ...President has discretion to unilaterally appoint – Chief Justice be appointed by a process which requires the input of the Leader of the Opposition and the President. That only in the rare and exceptional circumstance where there is no list provided that the President has a unilateral power of appointment,” he explained.

Disappointed

Former Attorney General Anil Nandlall

A

cting Chief Justice Roxane George on Friday ruled that the Constitution of Guyana allows for the President to unilaterally appoint someone to fill the position of Chairman of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM).

Justice George’s ruling came after the Opposition People’s Progressive Party (PPP) filed an injunction on October 23, 2017, to have the court rescind the unilateral appointment of Reverend Justice James Patterson as Chairman of the Elections Commission.

Former Attorney General Anil Nandlall on behalf of the Party’s Executive Secretary and Member of Parliament, Zulfikar Mustapha, filed the motion just days after President David Granger made the announcement.

Apart from rescinding the appointment of Patterson, the PPP also argued that he is unqualified for the post while asking the court to order the President to choose a person from the 18 names submitted by Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo.

“I hold that there is nothing before this court to permit a finding that the President acted unlawfully or irrationally in resorting to the proviso to Art 161(2), or to rebut the presumption that Justice Patterson is qualified to be appointed to the post of Chairman of GECOM,” the CJ said.

The CJ also said that the Opposition could produce no evidence that Patterson was unqualified for the position, while adding that even if she had agreed with the contention that the appointment was unlawful, then it would not have been “permissible for this court to usurp the function of the President by directing him to choose a nominee from the third or any list.”

Additionally, Justice George also ordered the Opposition to pay the sum of $250,000 as court costs to the State.

A legal team headed by Attorney Anil Nandlall represented Mustapha, while Attorney General Basil Williams, Solicitor General Kim Kyte and Barbadian Queens Counsels, Ralph Thorne and Hal Gollop represented the interest of the State.

Following the decision

President David Granger

GECOM Chairman Justice James Patterson

of the court, Williams spoke to media operatives where he labelled the decision as “well-reasoned”, adding that it confirms the belief of the Government that the authority to appoint the GECOM chair lies with the President and the President alone.

Appeal

However, the PPP is still contending that Patterson was a religious leader, which is a clear violation of criteria set out by President Granger to Jagdeo. It maintains that Patterson is unfit and improper for the job since he was a pall bearer at People’s National Congress leader, Desmond Hoyte’s funeral and the fact that he lied on his CV when he said he was the Chief Justice of Grenada.

It was later revealed that Patterson merely acted in that capacity and when questioned about it, he told media operatives that it was just a slip of pen.

During an interview with <<<<<Guyana Times>>>>>, Nandlall said his party intends to appeal the matter.

“While we respect that ruling, and while we must abide by that ruling, we do not agree with it and we will exercise our undoubted right to appeal that ruling to the Court of Appeal and if necessary to the Caribbean Court of Justice,” he said.

Nandlall said his party feels the Chief Justice’s ruling has rendered the constitutional formula – which requires a Chairman of GECOM to be appointed by a joint exercise, and a process that involves the joint input of the President and the Opposition – redundant.

“We believe that ruling therefore is contrary to the intent of the framers of the Constitution [which] intended that the Chairman must

Meanwhile, the PPP in a statement on Friday afternoon expressed its disappointment in the decision of the Chief Justice.

PPP Member of Parliament Zulfikar Mustapha

“This decision strikes at the heart of our constitutional and electoral democracy. It has destroyed that delicate balance, which a Chairman is intended to bring to the Guyana Elections Commission. The framers of the Constitution intended this Chairman to be appointed through a mechanism, which involves an input from both the President and the Leader of the Opposition, to ultimately produce a person who enjoys the confidence of both.

This is the reason why this Chairman is endowed with the power of a casting vote to break deadlocks at a bi-partisan Commission,” the PPP stated.

It added that “unfortunately, this ruling, in violation of the letter and spirit of the Constitution, seeks to legitimise a unilateral appointment of a GECOM Chairman and has crushed that crucial balance in the makeup of the Commission.

A unilateral appointment is contemplated by the Constitution only in the rare and exceptional circumstance, where the Leader of the Opposition fails to provide a list of nominees to the President.”

The Party also stated that it has noted with deep regret, the great focus which the ruling placed on “inconsequential issues and the glossing over of the more fundamental questions.”

“Although the Chief Justice recognised in her ruling the mandatory obligation of the President to give reasons for the rejection of a list and found that a failure to give such reasons can cause a decision of the President arising there from to be set aside by a court.”

According to the Party, It would be remiss if they

do not recognise that this ruling may, or has, paved the way for more executive unilateral appointments in situations where

the Constitution require agreement between the President and Leader of the Opposition.

Patterson was appointed

after President Granger rejected three lists of 18 names submitted by Jagdeo for the post of GECOM Chairman.

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saturDAY, june 9, 2018 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Ex-Cop slapped with assault, B&E charges

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former member of the Guyana Police Force was on Friday granted bail by Magistrate Leron Daly when he appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts charged with assault and break and enter and larceny.

Imran Khan of Lot 1753 Second Avenue, Westminster, West Bank Demerara, denied both of the charges after they were read to him.

It was alleged that

Khan, on May 26, 2018, in the vicinity of Sandy Babb Street, Kitty, Georgetown, he assaulted Police Lance Corporal Mark Moses with intent to cause him actually bodily harm.

Police also stated that on May 22, 2018, while at Independence Boulevard, Georgetown he broke and entered the dwelling house of Natasha Harrichand and carted off US$2500, GY$500,000, three mobile phones and other articles.

West Ruimveldt contractor granted bail on gun, ammo charges

O

ne of the men who were arrested in May with an illegal firearm, along with several matching rounds of ammunition, was on Friday released on bail by Magistrate Leron Daly when he appeared before him at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

Christopher Rogers of Lot 193 West Ruimveldt, Georgetown, pleaded not guilty to the charges which stated that on May 13, 2018, during a Police operation, he had an illegal .38 revolver along with five live rounds in his possession.

The prosecution stated that on the day in question, the 28-year-old suspect was stopped by a Police rank of the anti-patrol unit while travelling with four others in motorcar HC 4061.

Upon conducting a search on his person, the illegal gun and ammunition were found

hidden in his pants crotch.

As such, Rogers along with the other occupants of the motorcar was arrested but charges were instituted on Rogers.

His Attorney, Dexter Todd, in his bail application questioned why only his client was charged with the offence and shut down claims that the gun and ammunition were found in Rogers’ pants.

Todd further noted that the gun and ammunition were reportedly found in the car, which led the ranks to take all the occupants into custody.

The attorney argued that since his client had a previous incident involving a justice officer, he was victimised and charged with the offences.

Rogers was released on $300,000 bail and will make his next court appearance on July 6.

Khan was ordered to pay $30,000 bail on the assault charge and another $100,000 for the break and

enter and larceny charges.

The matters were adjourned until June 14, and July 6 respectively.

Duo further remanded for armed robbery

R

aymond Rodrigues and Patrick Smith were on Friday further remanded to prison by Magistrate Leron Daly on an armed robbery charge.

The duo initially pleaded not guilty to both charges when they were read to them during their first appearance at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

Police alleged that on May 9, 2018, the two men, armed with a gun, invaded a Princes Street, Georgetown, property and relieved Bidinauth Sooklall of $500,000, one DVR, one mobile phone, two Seiko watches, and one laptop computer.

Police further alleged that on the same day, the two defendants robbed Giselle

Ramos of three gold chains, one pair of gold earrings, one Gold IPhone, and one suitcase of cosmetics. The value of the booty from both robberies was estimated at close to $2 million.

The prosecution’s facts presented to the court stated that at about 7:00h on the day in question, the victims were in their bedroom when the two armed men confronted them.

The couple was subsequently held at gunpoint, bound and robbed. The armed men then fled the scene, but were subsequently arrested, and positively identified by the victims during an identification parade.

The matter will be called again on June 22.

Clerk slapped with 15 counts of fraud

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clerk attached to DeSinco Trading Limited was on Friday granted bail in the sum of $330,000 by Magistrate Leron Daly after he was arraigned with 15 counts of fraud.

Rawle Peters, 22, of Hardina Street, Wortmanville, Georgetown, denied the charges after it was read to him when he appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

The court heard that between February 14 and March 28, 2018, he embezzled a total of $1,046,712 while being employed at the company’s Sheriff Street location.

The attorney for the accused made an application for bail to be granted to his client in a reasonable sum but Police Prosecutor Gordon Mansfield objected to bail based on the seriousness of the offences.

The father of two is expected to return to court on July 13.

Teens arraigned for robbing peer of $3000

T

wo teens were on Friday placed on $50,000 bail each

by Magistrate Leron Daly when they appeared in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts to answer to a robbery charge.

Hamza Samuels and Jamal De Souza – both 18 years old – denied the charge which stated that on May 31, 2018, while in the vicinity of Avenue of the Republic, Georgetown, and while being in the company of others, they robbed Isaiah Winfield of $3000. In addition, the two teens used personal violence during the commissioning of the crime.

Police Prosecutor Gordon Mansfield objected to bail being granted to the teens while citing the serious nature of the offence.

However, Magistrate Daly released the teens on bail since they were known to each other. The matter was adjourned to June 29.

Digging deeper holes…

O

…for GuySuCo pposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo raised some questions about this $30 billion – US$150 million – bond that was floated on behalf of GuySuCo, but we really don’t know exactly what is to be done with the money, do we? Some of it is to keep the four closed estates “going” until they can be sold; but if the estates hadn’t been closed in the first place – as proposed by the Government’s own CoI – wouldn’t a similar sum have been expended, BUT workers would’ve been paying taxes, sugar and molasses would’ve been produced and sold, AND the drainage and irrigation would’ve been upkept??

Who are the geniuses making these decisions?

Jagdeo also pointed out that even though the NICIL put up all the assets of GuySuCo – the closed and operating estates – as collateral, the Government had to also guarantee repayment!! So, OF COURSE, investors snapped up the bond!! It has nothing to do with the health of Guyana’s economy, or whether the sale of the four estates or the operations of the rump will generate enough cash to repay interest and principal IN FOUR YEARS; it can’t! – but that a Government which will be raking in oil revenues by then has backstopped the bond!! This is the kind of investment staid bankers get wet dreams over!!

But back to the bond money. Some of it is supposed to rehabilitate the remaining three estates. Now exactly what does this mean? We all know the factories need to be brought into the 21st century. Since 1976, the PNC had squeezed out all sugar profits via its draconian LEVY, with not a penny left for capital investments. But to what end??

Have the mandarins in NICIL, SPU and the Finance Ministry read EB John’s letter on the exodus of skilled managers??

And EB John ain’t no supporter of the Opposition Leader and his party!! Factories don’t run themselves.

Then there are the field operations …identified for decades as the Achilles’ heel of sugar production after the forced labour of slavery and indentureship. At best, labour attendance is around 50%. Exactly what will the PNC Government be doing to up this figure? Bring back the Guyana National Service and send them to cut cane like in 1977?? Do the mandarins know mechanisation of planting or harvesting just ain’t feasible here with our water-logged soils??

Call him jaded, but what your Eyewitness suspects is – whether shaken or stirred -- this bond’s just another ploy to siphon off funds into the new contractor class being created by the PNC. Lastly, Jagdeo asked who owns the $32 billion liabilities of GuySuCo, including its Pension Fund. Like with everything else, it’ll be you, dear readers!! …for Ramjattan To use a phrase that Ramjattan’s very familiar with – no, not “haal yuh ass!! – Winston Felix continues to make him look like a “mook and a patsy”. The ex-CoP, who hived off half of Ramjattan’s portfolio, stood in for him while he was overseas, but quickly showed who had real power. He instructed the PS to send off the SWAT head, who’d been reassigned after he was caught with uncustomed liquor.

Felix “explained” that lower ranks were being “demotivated” at this tax evasion – but not by another officer who’d allowed his weapon to be taken away while on a seawall tryst!! Or another who’d allowed cocaine to “disappear”!! Uncustomed liquor destroys professionalism more than cocaine or guns! All Ramjattan could do upon return was to mumble weakly as to how he wouldn’t have done that!! But he didn’t ask Felix whether one week’s wait would have destroyed the morale of the Police Force!!

Shown his action was ultra vires, Felix now dug a deeper hole by quoting Civil Service Rules – which don’t apply to Police Officers!!

And Ramjattan, the lawyer, stays quiet!! …in growth rates The PNC’s been in power for three years, with Winston Jordan as their Finance Minister. In every one of those three years, he’s incorrectly projected the GDP’s growth rate.

And he’s supposed to be a “numbers” man!!

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

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saturDAY, june 9, 2018 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Renewable energy

Tumatumari hydro project yet to get financial closure

…as hydro projects dominate Cabinet talks agreement.

“The time frame is two years. We have a draft head of agreement that’s under negotiation, as well as the grid requirements are being reviewed by the developer. They have made significant progress between both parties,” Patterson related.

“The last outstanding issue as of last week was the size and design of the

Tumatumari hydro project

Meanwhile, the update on the Tumatumari hydro project in Region Eight is that the private developer has been given a deadline to reach financial closure with its investors; that is, when all agreements have been signed and conditions met in order to allow the dispensing of funds.

Patterson noted that if the developer, in this case

Agency (EPA) approval before they can move forward.

According to the residents, Tumatumari Hydro Inc informed them that the approval was due in May 2018.

Additionally, the residents were told that once the EPA gives clearance, works would commence in August.

Kato hydropower project The update on the Kato hydropower project is a more

Targets

Patterson ended with a breakdown of all the Photo Voltaic solar systems Government has managed to install on Government buildings. He referred to President Granger’s visit to India to attend the International Solar Alliance (ISA) Founding Conference and Solar Summit in March.

He said that now that

will identify these villages. All of this, according to Patterson, culminates in certain targets the Government is trying to meet in renewable energy installation.

“So, by the end of 2018, we would have installed about five megawatts of renewable energy. And that’s a commendable feat coming from 2015 with zero,” Patterson boated. “And then, by the end of 2020, when all

Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson

W

ith renewable energy being before Cabinet for discussion, Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson on Friday provided updates on a number of multi-million-dollar hydro and solar- power projects that had seemingly been gathering dust.

One such project is the Hope Wind Farm, facing criticism centred on the actual investor – proprietor of the International Pharmaceutical Agency (IPA), Lloyd Singh, who had acquired and built the headquarters of the Alliance for Change (AFC).

According to Patterson, there have been some technical issues which had to be ironed out, such as the size of the development.

He has, however, reported that there has been progress on that front, and they are in the process of finalising the power purchase

The current state of the Tumatumari Hydro facility

substation. Should that be agreed by GPL, then we go on to the final stage, which is the heads of agreement and the power purchase agreement.”

Patterson also spoke of a US$3.8 million solar farm funded by the InterAmerican Development Bank, which will be constructed at Bartica.

According to the Minister, this will be completed by the end of 2018.

Tumatumari Hydro Inc, proves unable to meet the July month-end deadline set by the state for financial closure, Government would take over the project.

When this newspaper contacted residents at Tumatumari on Friday, they reported that representatives from the Tumatumari Hydro Inc had met with them, indicating that they were awaiting an Environmental Protection

positive one. According to Patterson, funding has been secured for the US$2 million project, and work will commence when weather permits.

He also spoke of securing funding from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) for Photo Voltaic (PV) farms at Port Kaituma (US$1.8 million), Kwakwani (US$2.6 million) and Matthews Ridge (US$2 million).

Guyana is a member of this alliance, a line of credit of approximately US$15 million will be available to Guyana.

While it has not been allocated as yet, Patterson noted that the idea is to provide funding towards utility scale energy for indigenous villages to the tune of four megawatts.

He revealed that the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples Affairs and the Ministry of Communities

these projects would have been completed, there would be 29 or 30 megawatts.

“So we’re well on our way to achieving our target of trying to become as 100 per cent renewable energy (powered) as close as possible. So we have made progress, and we’re just about four or five per cent (completed) at the end of 2018, and we’ll triple that by the end of 2020,” Patterson boasted.

10 news

saturDAY, june 9, 2018 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Criminal charges against APNU/AFC Ministers

PPP challenges DPP’s decision to withdraw charges …says “intervention was unlawful”

By Michael Younge

T

he Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) Shalimar Ali-Hack will soon have to defend her office’s decision to intervene in a matter which saw the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) filing private criminal charges against several Government Ministers, who were implicated in a number of massive corruption scandals.

This was revealed by former Attorney General and current attorney-at-law for the PPP/C, Anil Nandlall who on Friday confirmed that papers and actions officially challenging the DPP’s intervention have been filed within the Courts.

He said the DPP’s office’s intervention was completely unnecessary and unlawful.

“We believe that the DPP’s office acted in error and acted unlawfully. Also, we are prepared to go all the way to the Caribbean Court of Justice on this matter,” Nandlall told Guyana Times.

He said it is no longer that a number of legal suits

Former Attorney General Anil Nandlall

and actions brought against the Government of Guyana epitomize the ongoing political struggle. “…Politics has contaminated all of the areas of the State and we have to ensure that the rule of law prevails and is upheld,” he insisted.

The DPP back in August had for the second time in one-week, discontinued charges of “Misconduct in Public Office, contrary to the Common Law” initiat-

ed by Opposition Members of Parliament (MPs) against Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson; Finance Minister Winston Jordan; and Public Service Minister, Dr Rupert Roopnaraine.

In the first charge, the court heard that Jordan and Patterson were being accused of “paying to Private Limited Liability company, Homestretch Development Inc (HDI), the sum of $906 million, being public funds, without any resort to the procurement process as is required by law.”

The additional charge against Roopnaraine alleges that “while being a Minister, [he] acted as Director of the Private Limited Liability Company, Homestretch Development Inc (HDI) and accepted $906 million of public funds without any resort to the procurement process which is prescribed by law.”

However, DPP Ali-Hack said “the private criminal charges for the offence of Misconduct in Public Office, contrary to the Common

Shalimar Ali-Hack

Law instituted against Ministers Winston Jordan and David Patterson and Rupert Roopnaraine were discontinued by the Director of Public Prosecutions under Article 187 (1) ( c) of

the Constitution of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana.”

She maintained that “these charges concern a grave issue under the criminal law in relation to two serving Ministers. [As such,] in the interest of good governance in the State of Guyana such allegations ought first to have been reported to the Guyana Police Force for an investigation to be launched and the advice of the DPP sought.”

The $1 billion D’Urban Park project has been shrouded in secrecy and considered to be a highly corrupt deal since its inception.

Following calls from the parliamentary Opposition, the Office of the Auditor General of Guyana launched a special audit into the shady project. Charges were also brought against other

Ministers in relation to the Sussex Street Drug Bond, which is also shrouded in secrecy.

However, when a case was filed in this regard, the DPP also discontinued them on the same grounds as these recent charges.

On April 19, 2018, the Opposition filed a case against Social Cohesion Minister, Dr George Norton – who was former Public Health Minister – and Public Health Minister Volda Lawrence. These charges were in relation to rental of a house in Sussex Street, Albouystown, Georgetown, in the sum of $12 million to store drugs and the sole sourcing of drugs and pharmaceuticals from private company, ANSA McAL Trading Limited in the sum of $605 million.

Criminal cases’ backlog reduced by 37 in Demerara … 223 to be heard in June session

I

n light of the April 2018 Criminal Assizes in Demerara coming to an end, a total of 37 cases were disposed of, the Chambers of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) disclosed on Friday. The session commenced on April 3 with a total of 242 cases listed to be heard and of the 37 cases that were disposed of, only 23 engaged the court’s attention.

The other 14 were nolle prosequi (not prosecuted) by the Chambers; 13 were for sexual offences in which the complainants did not want to proceed with the matters, while the other was a manslaughter case in which the witnesses failed to attend court despite several advertisements being published for them to come forward.

Nevertheless, courtroom trials resulted in six convictions, five guilty pleas, three formal verdicts of not guilty, five hung juries and four not guilty verdicts by jury.

Justices Jo-Ann Barlow, James Bovell-Drakes and Sandil Kissoon presided over this session.

There were 11 sexual offence cases that were presented by State Counsel Narissa Leander, Tiffiny Lyken and Abigail Gibbs before Madam Justice Barlow in the Sexual Offences Court.

In four of these cases, the accused were found guilty by jury verdicts and sentenced respectively to 52 years imprisonment, life imprisonment, 25 years and seven years imprisonment respectively.

In another three cases, the virtual complainants testified before Judge and jury that they did not wish to proceed with their matters; Justice Barlow then directed the juries to return formal verdicts of not

guilty.

Of the four other cases, one accused was remanded back to prison to await a new trial after his jury failed to reach a verdict, while the accused in the three other cases were acquitted by their respective juries.

Meanwhile, 10 matters were presented before Justice Kissoon. Of these 10 matters, eight were for the offence of murder and were prosecuted by State Counsels Mandel Moore and Lisa Cave. In five of these cases, the accused persons pleaded guilty to the

Vindra Persaud was sentenced to 22 years for killing his wife Shelly-Ann Persaud

Awena Rutherford received 98 years for poisoning her two children with carbon tablets

lesser offence of manslaughter; three of them were each sentenced to 10 years imprisonment while the other two were respectively sentenced to 14 years and 22 years imprisonment.

Of the three other cases, one accused was sentenced to 33 years imprisonment after the jury unanimously found him guilty of the lesser offence of manslaughter.

Another one was acquitted by his jury, while the remain-

ing matter saw the jury failing to reach a verdict. This hung jury resulted in the indictment being nolle prosequi by the DPP because the accused already had two previous hung jury verdicts – April 2014 and December 2015.

The other two cases presented before Justice Kissoon were for the offence of attempted murder. In one case presented by State Counsels Lisa Cave and Shawnette Austin, the jury returned in proportion of eight not guilty to four guilty. State Counsels Cave and Orinthia Schmidt presented the other case, which resulted in another hung jury with nine guilty and three not guilty.

On the other hand, Justice Bovell-Drakes heard two murder cases; one of which was presented by State Counsels Austin and Seeta Bishundial.

The accused in this trial was sentenced to 22 years imprisonment after the jury returned a majority verdict of guilty for the lesser offence of manslaughter.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 12

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saturDAY, june 9, 2018 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Look at new ways of implementing CSME – CDB rep tells regional stakeholders

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s regional stakeholders gather in Georgetown to discuss the Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME) initiative over a two-day session, they were urged to look at what was done wrong in the past and urged to correct them so that the Region can foster going forward.

Addressing a gathering of regional stakeholders at the Ramada Princess Hotel on Friday, Director of the Caribbean Development Bank’s (CDB) Economic Department, Dr Justin Ram said the Region needs to move away from the old way of doing things and focus on the new way of working to

session will feature presentations from key personalities in the Region, including St Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister, Dr Ralph Gonsalves; and former Jamaican Prime Minister Bruce Golding.

The ex-Jamaican leader believes some member states are of the view that the CSME in its full implementation is likely to do them more harm than good, and as such, he noted that there needs to be a serious and frank discussion.

“The impact of the CSME in its full implementation on each member country, Mr Secretary General, needs to be carefully analysed to iden-

From left: Former Jamaican Prime Minister, Bruce Golding; Caricom Secretary General, Ambassador Irwin LaRoque; St Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves; and CDB’s Economic Director, Dr Justin Ram at the opening of the CSME consultation

which have been pondered on for decades are less challenging than the matters to which the Region is yet turn its attention to. These include areas such as economic conversion, free move-

Regional stakeholders attend a consultation on CSME in Guyana

move the CSME initiative forward.

“We really need to step back today and take a look at what we’re doing in the Region so that we can jump better into the future… I think that we can flip those challenges and boost the resilience of our Region,” he posited.

The CDB representative urged that the over 50 participants from around the Region leave the consultations with a major focus on implementing the CSME. The two-day consultation

tify the benefits, the opportunities, the risks and the downsides. That would lead us to a more informed position whether to get out of it, whether it encourages the enthusiasm that it requires or whether to say to the Caribbean people look… ‘it is not going to work’”, Golding asserted.

He went on to point out that hardly any excuse or explanation proffered by a member state for the lengthy time taken to fully implement the CSME. Golding added too that matters

ment of people, free circulation of goods – matters that are central to the existence and functioning of a Single Market and Economy.

On the other hand, Prime Minister Gonsalves in his presentation outlined that while the CSME has many aspiring components for the long-run, emphasis should be placed on what can be done now.

“The currency convertibility and the freedom of movement… I don’t think they are going to happen in five years, I don’t think they

GRA officers injured in drive-by shooting

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wo Enforcement Officers of the Guyana Revenue Authority have been injured in a drive-by shooting that occurred at Bee Hive, East Coast Demerara on Thursday evening.

Police say the officers had reportedly gone to a house at Bee Hive at about 21:50h, and were enquiring about its owner when a

Toyota Premio and a Toyota Allion approached the officers and they came under fire. The officers allegedly adopted tactical positions and returned fire, resulting in the vehicles leaving the scene. One of the vehicles allegedly carried the registration number PMM 9002.

The officers sustained injuries to their right and

left hand respectively. They were treated at a private medical institution and were sent away. Attempts to contact Commissioner General of the Guyana Revenue Authority proved futile.

The Police have launched an investigation into the shooting incident, but, up to press time, no arrests have been made.

are going to happen in my lifetime so I believe that we should keep those as aspirational and do many practical things that we can do immediately and in the foreseeable future,” Prime Minister Gonsalves posited.

Continuing on the trend of implementing the CSME initiative, Caricom’s Secretary General, Ambassador Irwin LaRoque opined that while the Region has achieved a lot under the CSME initiative, there is still so much more to be done.

However, he bemoaned the slothfulness at which policies are being adopted and implemented by member states.

“We need to move agen-

da along a lot faster. The time we take to get things done is a cost to the Private Sector and is a cost in terms of credibility to the community at large… We have things now on the agenda for eight, nine, 10 years; it’s not acceptable and we have to be honest about it. Either

we get it done and we find a way of getting it done or we move onto some other issue,” Ambassador LaRoque noted.

The two-day consultation session will allow a series of panel discussions on what the CSME objectives and priority measures should be; a more and effective CSME; the free movement of persons and public awareness.

The findings and recommendations from this engagement will be considered by the Council for Trade and Economic Development (COTED) and also to inform the review of the CSME being undertaken by the Caricom Conference of Heads of Government Conference at its upcoming meeting next month.

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Lima Sands residents decry deplorable access road R

esidents of Lima Sands, Essequibo Coast have expressed frustration with the condition of the main access road and are calling on Government to quickly do something to bring some relief to the community.

According to residents, the deplorable state of the road has caused significant damage to vehicles, which are often stuck due to the many potholes and slushy surface.

When contacted, Regional Chairman Devanand Ramdatt said he shares the concerns of the

Lima Sands residents and is presently doing some maintenance work by grading the surface of the road. As Chairman of the Regional Democratic Council (RDC), he said the Council was never informed of the Lima Sands Road Project, which was done directly through the Public Infrastructure Ministry. He noted that the Ministry conducted the road project through the Regional Executive Office without the knowledge of the RCD. He added that the Council has expressed their disappointment with the poor design

The state of the Lima Sands Road, Essequibo Coast

of the road. According to the Chairman, Councillors and

residents were not consulted on the project and residents

feels that while they wish to have a good road, the entire

project is a waste of taxpayers’ monies due to the poor design.

Tulsie Chattergoon, a minibus driver working in the area for over 22 years, said the new road will not stand up because of its design.

“The engineers should consult with the residents before designing the road because of the nature of the soil (sandy) you can't build a narrow, high road without good shoulders and drainage. That is why the present design is falling apart,” another resident noted.

Bulkan announces plans for new town, more NDCs

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etailing the Communities Ministry’s plans to establish a new town and eight new villages as Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDC), subject Minister Ronald Bulkan on Friday launched a new initiative ahead of the local government elections, to sensitise voters and potential candidates to their important roles.

Although the minister did not give much details as to where the new township and villages will be, he said Government is committed to giving its citizens their right to a democratic environment.

“We are not only interested in deepening the system of local democracy, but we are also broadening and

A section of the gathering at the launching of the Local Government elections sensitisation programme

extending it to other parts of Guyana. Each part of our country must develop, hence in the local government elections that will take place later this year, towards the middle of November, it is an-

ticipated (that people will see eight new Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDC) and one new township, making it a total of 70 NDCs and 10 townships, or 80 of those local democratic organs,” the

minister posited.

Meanwhile, his latest initiative, deemed a ‘Public Awareness and Stakeholders Education Campaign,’ was launched on the lawns of Parliament Buildings in

Brickdam, Georgetown as the ministry exhausts all efforts to secure better participation of civilians in the local government elections.

During the launch, it was pointed out that similar events will be held in the various neighbourhoods participating in the elections, which will share the same focus.

Along with the minister, co-chair of the National Regional Democratic Consultative Committee, Genevieve Allen; Executive Director of the National Coordinating Coalition Civil Society, Simone Sills; Councillor of the Beterverwagting/Triumph NDC, Jimmual Bagot; and Project Team Member Vincent Alexander were

among others in attendance at the event.

Bagot, youngest at the head table, was encouraged by the minister to continue striving as a leader. The teenager, who shared remarks, said his journey has not been an easy one; however, despite the challenges and negative energy he got from his fellow young people, he continued to strive in his journey of becoming an exceptional leader.

He took the opportunity to encourage youths to be part of the local government elections, not only as voters, but as candidates; which empowers them to make strategic decisions, such as how clean they want to see their communities, and other things.

Implementation of standards will lead to EBD man on $1M bail for advanced technologies – GNBS Director dangerous driving

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he inclusion and implementation of standards among students from technical institutions in Guyana can lead to the introduction of advanced technologies in the syllabuses which are already practiced in the more developed countries.

These were the sentiments expressed by Executive Director of the Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS), Candelle Walcott-Bostwick on Thursday who called on tertiary students to create and use products that are endorsed by the GNBS, as it pertains to quality and standards.

She noted that the quality of work generated from implementing standards and protocols will effect in successful workforce.

“It will allow persons within the technical institutions to consider the inclusions of new technologies in the curriculum and also allow for career planning in the new areas that are emerging,” WalcottBostwick stated.

“Once you enter into these lucrative fields, you must understand that standards play a vital role in providing the necessary as-

Executive Director of GNBS, Candelle Walcott-Bostwick

surance to the type of product or service that you will deliver. A good practitioner in this sector would be aware of the specifications,” she added.

The GNBS Director further highlighted that for this to materialise, there must be consistent communication between the GNBS and institutions, since valuable information is distributed by the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) and the International Code Council (ICC) can be further passed on.

“We also believe that you should know that there is a relationship between the GNBS and other standards bodies across the world. We

all work together with one common cause to promote the use of all standards of society to ensure that products and services provide confidence.”

While noting that testing facilities are accessible in some areas, WalcottBostwick highlighted that it is essential for them to be accredited so as to ensure that they produce products of superior quality.

“All of this is done to help you develop your career [and] provide exposure to what is happening in more developed countries so together we can advance Guyana,” she related.

When these standards are adopted by the tertiary intuitions, it is believed that there will be an increase in the quality of products that are being showcased by the local manufacturers.

Consequently, the demands of the GNBS will be met as it relates to standards, and more resilient buildings will be constructed from this outcome.

Students are also encouraged to participate in projects which endorse the application of standards, since it can access them to opportunities with greater benefits.

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amanand Jagdeo, 44, of Diamond Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara (EBD) was on Friday released on $1 million bail by Magistrate Judy Latchman when he appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts for the offence of causing death by dangerous driving.

Jagdeo denied that on

February 22, 2018, at Peters Hall Public Road, EBD, he drove motor car PRR 4395 in a dangerous manner which resulted in the death of Alexander Akia.

According to reports on the day in question, Jagdeo was speeding along the Peters Hall Public Road when he collided with the pedal cyclist.

As a result of the impact, Akia’s leg was severed from his body. He was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he succumbed while receiving medical attention.

Police Prosecutor Arvin Moore made no objections to bail by the defence attorney.

The matter was adjourned until June 19.

Criminal cases backlog...

FROM PAGE 10

The other case which was prosecuted by State Counsels Moore and Bishundial, the jury failed to reach a verdict and returned hung.

The Demerara June Criminal Assizes commenced on Tuesday June 5, once again with Justices Barlow, Kissoon and Bovell-Drakes.

A total of 223 cases have been listed to be heard.

Meanwhile, during the months of January to May, the DPP appeared 22 times in the Guyana Court of Appeal.

Of these 22 matters, three appellants were allowed their appeals and had their convictions and sentences set aside and the charge for murder was substituted with the lesser offence of manslaughter. Of these three, two had their sentences varied to 20 years each while the other

one had 12 years imprisonment imposed.

Four other appellants had their appeals allowed in part to appeal against their sentences which varied from 25 years to 18 years, 31 years to 24 years, 24 to 22 years and four years to one year imprisonment.

Four other appellants had their Applications to Appeal against conviction and sentences dismissed. While one other appellant had his appeal against his sentence for causing death by dangerous driving dismissed; however based on the aggravating factors, the Court of Appeal substituted the sentence with a $300,000 fine.

Additionally, there were six applications for bail pending Appeal; of which three were granted while the oth-

er three were denied. One matter was struck out because the Court of Appeal ruled it was a matter for the Full Court. Two matters were withdrawn.

In one other matter, the court did not convene because the convict who was sentenced to 76 years imprisonment for the offence of murder and had appealed against his conviction, committed suicide by hanging.

Meanwhile, the Demerara Full Court sat 11 times during the months February to May. The Full Court granted five applications to appeal against convictions and sentences. Four other appellants had their Applications to Appeal dismissed while two Applications to Appeal were withdrawn, one of which was by the State.

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Berbice businessman arrested Sol plans ‘Seawall Beach Clean-Up’ in celebration of World Oceans Day for rape of 9-year-old

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businessman of Upper Corentyne, East Berbice has been arrested as Police launch an investigation into the rape of a nine-year-old girl.

The incident reportedly occurred on Wednesday, and the suspect was arrested on Friday. Reports are that the businessman, who lives two houses away from the child’s, was at home alone when the child’s mother sent her over to his house. It is still unclear why the child was sent over to the businessman’s home.

According to information reaching this publication, the girl’s younger brother re-

ported to his teachers that the businessman has on numerous occasions touched his sister’s private parts when she visited his home.

After this was told to teachers, the girl was questioned, and she reportedly told her teacher that the last time such an incident occurred was on Wednesday.

She was immediately taken to the Skeldon Hospital, where it was confirmed that she has been sexually molested.

This businessman’s wife had reportedly severed the relationship with him some time ago, remaining in the

United States while he returned to Guyana.

Guyana Times understands that the child’s mother is indebted to the businessman. Neighbours have reported seeing the child at the businessman’s home on several occasions.

Police have confirmed that the businessman was taken into custody after the report was made.

Meanwhile, the nineyear-old is currently staying with a friend of her parents.

The girl’s father has a regular job, while her mother works as a part-time domestic worker.

GRA launches sensitisation campaigns against scammers

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usinesses operating in the Berbice regions (Regions Five and Six) are being alerted to be wary of scammers alleging attachment to the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) while they swindle small businesses of their cash through scams.

In tackling the issue, the GRA hosted a Regional Tax Sensitisation Campaign between June 4 and 5, 2018, during which a team of GRA officials visited shops and supermarkets in New Amsterdam and on the Corentyne Coast to sensitise proprietors about precautionary measures they should take.

GRA continues to advise members of the public to be on the lookout for persons posing as Customs and Enforcement Officers under the guise of conducting “enforcement checks”. Several of these reported acts have occurred in various parts of the country in recent weeks.

A similar incident reportedly occurred at Patentia, West Bank Demerara (WBD), where five men outfitted with identification

GRA’s Communications Officer Fabian Clowes speaking to a shop owner on the Corentyne Coast

badges as Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) Customs Officers descended upon a business and collected a quantity of liquor, cellphone cards and cash from the owner.

According to reports, the businessman was tending to his business when the men entered the shop and identified themselves as GRA employees. They also took the CCTV DVR hard-drive as they left in a silver Bluebird motor car.

That attack came just days after a similar group had visited a business place at Oronoque Street, Georgetown, where a quan-

tity of liquor was allegedly seized and the caretaker was threatened with court action, the bogus officers demanding from the caretaker money to avoid prosecution.

In light of these recent incidents, the GRA is advising persons to request proof of identification, since all GRA staff are required to carry identification cards while executing their duties.

If persons are in doubt, they are advised to contact the GRA’s Enforcement hotline on telephone number 227-6060, extension numbers 3201 to 3208, or 2601 for clarification and advice.

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s the world celebrates World Oceans Day, Sol Guyana Inc (Sol) will be hosting its inaugural early morning ‘Seawall Beach Clean-up’ on Saturday, June 9.

The beach clean-up will be held in association with the Environmental Protection Agency and will commence at 07:00h.

This activity is just one in a series being hosted by Sol. The event is intended to encourage greater ocean conservation and protection practices in Guyana.

Sol, the leading provider of petroleum-based products in the Caribbean region, hopes that the celebrations will become an annual event on the company’s corporate calendar.

According to General Manager of Sol Guyana, Liz Wyatt, Sol has long considered environmental conservation as a major part of its mandate, particularly as it relates to Guyana. Wyatt states, “We know that pollution is a great concern and we are hoping that our initiatives will help encourage the community to engage in healthier, more environmentally safe habits.”

Over the past year, the energy company has participated in a number of initiatives in line with its environmental mandate.

“This beach clean-up is the latest of our ocean conservation campaigns,” Wyatt said. “Over this past year we also participated in a manatee pond cleanup at the Botanical Gardens in Georgetown and we also partnered with Guyana Marine Turtle Conservation Society to help provide them with the support needed to continue their important work.”

The General Manager asserted that there will be on-site registration so there will be no need to register in advance. She also stated, “We really encourage the Guyanese public to come out and support this initiative, not only because ocean con-

Minister Norton visits ailing sports journalist

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ormer sports journalist Rene Stoby who is battling a mystery illness was visited today by Social Cohesion Minister with responsibility for Culture, Youth and Sport, Dr George Norton.

Stoby’s illness has made it difficult for him to walk or speak so he wrote on a note pad addressing the minister: “I guess you would not be watching the World Cup at 704,” reminiscing on the times they would be at the popular bar.

Norton brought medical, dietary and hygienic supplies to the Beterverwagting home of Stoby’s mother Joanie James who takes care of him on a daily basis.

“I am happy that I am seeing him alive… I do hope

that this is not the end and because of the nature of these sicknesses, the neurological disorder or a disorder in the nerve component, they always have some devastating event on the life of the patient and this is a similar situation that we have here,” Norton noted.

James said her son’s condition continues to get worse.

The sum of US$10,000 is needed for Stoby to travel to the United States for treatment. However, only about US$4000 has been raised thus far. A GoFundMe account has since been set up at www.gofundme.com/raising-for-rene.

Stoby started to experience muscle spasms in 2016 while he was employed as a journalist at the Guyana

Social Cohesion Minister with responsibility for Culture, Youth and Sport, Dr George Norton shere a moment with ailing Rene Stoby

Times. The spasms were extremely painful and eventually he was forced to leave the job. Two years on

and doctors are yet to diagnose the illness since amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) has been ruled out.

servation is important, but we also expect it should be good fun. Just show up ready to join us, clean up the beach and have a good time!”

Sol Guyana is also hosting a social media campaign for World Oceans Day be-

tween June 4 and 9.

Interesting persons can log on to Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ SolPetroleumGuyana/ and join the online conversation by sharing how they celebrate World Oceans Day.

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News

Hike in fuel prices

No decision yet on help for consumers – Patterson

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overnment, in defending itself against criticism of inaction regarding the rising gas prices, has indicated that providing subventions to cushion international hikes is an option on the table.

At Friday’s post-Cabinet briefing, Public Infrastructure Minister David Patterson affirmed that Government has been engaging minibus operators. According to Patterson, the minibus association has been asked to document their grievances.

Patterson noted that pending the receipt of this feedback, no official policy decision has been made.

But when pressed on exactly what the Government is doing to address the matter, Patterson noted that subventions are being considered.

“That is all part of the whole menu of measures which we’re considering, if gas prices will be moved. We want to look at it holistically and that is what we’re doing at the moment, engaging (the operators),” Patterson related.

Gas station prices for

Prices at the pumps have caused a chain reaction, with minibus operators mounting protests

fuel had increased rapidly from $215 per litre to prices ranging from $230 to $250 per litre. Since the hike, there have been widespread protests and fears of public transportation strikes.

There have been cases of minibus operators burning tires along the East Coast railway embankment. The Federation of Independent Trade Unions of Guyana (FITUG) has been among those calling for Government to act swiftly to protect consumers.

Tax measures

The parliamentary Opposition has actually outlined ways in which the Government can make a meaningful intervention into the issue. At a press conference, Opposition Leader

Bharrat Jagdeo had claimed there is fiscal space to make the adjustment with the tax regime to allow a reduction of gas prices for local consumers.

Jagdeo had related that under the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Government, there was a system used in cases like these, where the taxes can be adjusted based on the movement up or down on the gas price, so that the benefits would be passed onto the people.

Given the mounting criticisms and the need for serious attention to be paid to the issue, the PPP/C General Secretary had said that, “The Government through public pressure must adjust the rate at the pump. They

have a lot of room. They have the fiscal space as well as the tax play to make that adjustment.”

The former Guyanese Head of State had recalled that when the prices for crude oil stood at about US$75 per barrel, lower that the US$120 high before the rapid tumble a few years ago to about US$28.

“We had argued that with the rapid tumble, the benefits should have been passed onto the Guyanese public, who would have seen lower prices at the pump and in their electricity bill.

They never did that. And what happened was that they raked in billions in revenue; they collected over $25 billion at GPL alone.”

He had told the media

Red Thread calls for Police to be “properly trained” to handle DV cases – Crime Chief encourages civilians to video officers’ inappropriate behaviours

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Crime Chief Paul Williams

ed Thread on Friday revealed its findings from a two-year programme at the University of Guyana, Turkeyen campus, where a call was made for Police ranks to be trained to deal with domestic violence cases in a more professional manner.

Assistant Commissioner of Police, Crime Chief Paul Williams, without hesitation encourage civilians to record the inappropriate behaviours of the officers who are not willing to take their reports.

Williams admitted he is aware there are some issues plaguing the Force and did not waver to state, “It is important now, as it relates to our partnership, that we develop a moderate evaluation mechanism.

I would like to see people video them; use your smart phones and video them when you go into the station to make your complaint and they behave unprofessionally. Bring the evidence, and we will deal with them,” he promised.

The importance of the training was endorsed by the small gathering, which agreed that the country has seen numerous cases of domestic violence, which has been significantly increasing.

It is against this backdrop that the need for capacity building was reiterated.

Important to note is that persons who conducted research during Red Thread’s programme complained bitterly of officers’ attitude when it came to dealing with those matters.

While presenting their report, the troubled monitors who were attached to the Lethem area reported that at least two officers in that area gave them a challenging time in conducting their research.

One of the monitors assigned to that location even reported that she heard an officer shouting at a domestic violence victim, and she noted with much concern that they had a challenging time in encouraging those same persons to speak out.

The Police, they argued, have been doing nothing but scaring those persons off, and inspiring them to be silent by their actions.

In addition to the officers in that region, the ranks of Bartica were also bashed, as the monitors within that zone also reported issues with the Police.

“We continue to work with whatever resources we have, and try as much as possible to make an impact and have those ranks equipped with the knowledge they need,” Williams fired back. He further explained that the commander and sub-division officers are responsible for locating persons who can aid in providing these kinds of training for officers.

Williams was also keen to note that in cases where persons are mishandled by whoever officer is on duty, they can make calls to those officers’ superiors at the said moment to file a complaint, which can result in action being taken against those officers.

The project, launched by Red Thread two years ago, was conceptualised with the intention of changing persons’ attitudes in relation to domestic violence cases, to examine the performance of the GPF and courts in dealing with these matters, and to draft rec-

Red Thread Coordinator Karen de Souza

ommendations to these entities with the hope of providing an avenue for them to develop their capacities.

The areas which were targeted under the project include Better Hope/ Plaisance, La Parfaite Harmonie, Anna Regina, Bartica and Lethem.

Over the 24-month period of the exercise, close to 6000 persons were engaged during house to house visits and community meetings.

As a result of the project, 743 victims of domestic and sexual violence were supported. In many cases, victims of domestic violence, especially men, have been reportedly mocked as they attempted to report the unlawful assault.

that with the crude prices at about US$75 a barrel and not US$120, there was definitely room to make significant adjustments to the price of fuel at the pump.

Another point raised by Jagdeo was the fact that under the PPP/C Government, the Guyana Oil Company (Guyoil) was used as a reg-

ulatory agency whereby the price at the State-owned entity set precedence for other companies to follow.

However, the fact that prices were high even at Guyoil stations meant private companies did not have to lower their prices in order to maintain their competitiveness.

Berbice double murder/suicide

Mother, daughter died from fractured skulls

Dead: Dindamattie Behari

Dead: Surujdai Khan

utopsies conducted on the bodies of a mother and daughter who were hammered to death on Wednesday, has given their causes of death as shock and haemorrhage due to fractured skulls.

The autopsies on the women’s bodies were conducted on Friday by Government Pathologist, Dr Vivekanand Bridgemohan, while a third autopsy was also conducted at the New Amsterdam Hospital Mortuary by the Pathologist on the body of Jainarine Seetaram – their killer – and gave his cause of death as asphyxia. Seetaram’s body was found with a canvas rope around his neck, hanging from a beam under an abandoned house. Moments before the discovery of his body, the lifeless body of his wife, Dindamattie Behari, who was found in a hammock; and that of her daughter Surujdai Khan, were discovered in the family home. Khan died on her way to hospital.

Relatives of the two dead women say they will be buried on Sunday. Separate arrangements are being made for Seetaram.

On Friday afternoon, acting Regional Chairman Denis DeRoop along with other members of the Regional Democratic Council offered condolences to the family of the two women.

Apart from presenting the family with items to assist with the wake, the Regional Chairman tried to comfort the 11-year-old boy who lost both his parents and only sibling in the double murder-suicide. DeRoop applauded him for his bravery, noting that he has God on his side. In comforting words, he told the traumatised child that he will grow up to become someone who will be very useful in society.

Earlier this year, the lone survivor sat the National Grade Six Examinations and is currently awaiting those results. On the very morning of his mother’s death, she had gone to his school to pay for his graduation.

Meanwhile, his sister also had big plans; she was expected to join her husband overseas later this year. Instead, her husband returned to Guyana on Thursday to attend her upcoming funeral.

On Wednesday morning, Seetaram reportedly hammered his wife to death while she was in a hammock beneath their Lot 1078 Glasgow New Housing Scheme, Greater New Amsterdam house. Dindamattie Behari’s daughter died on the way to the New Amsterdam after she too was hammered in the head. Seetaram also attacked his 11-year-old son the child managed to escape.

The boy told investigators that he, along with his sister, were in the upper flat of the house while his parents were in the lower flat, when he heard his mother telling his father to remove from next to her. As a result, he along with his sister went down to the lower flat to see what was happening. He then saw his father, who was armed with a wooden handle hammer in his hand, hitting their mother in her head.

The man then turned his attack on the child and his older sister but only managed to attack and injure the 20-year-old.

The 11-year-old related that about two weeks ago, his father accused his mother of having an affair with someone and they had a misunderstanding over the accusation.

Meanwhile, the very evening after the tragedy, the property was burglarised.

(Andrew Carmichael)

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guyanatimesgy.com

saturDAY, june 9, 2018

ARCHIE

Be careful how you deal with domestic matters. An (March 21- older friend or relative will be April 19) a problem. Patience and consideration will be necessary if you want to find a workable solution.

ARIES

Don’t underestimate othTAURUS ers. You must be on your (April 20- toes if you want to get ahead.

May 20) Temptation must not lead to spur-of-the-moment decisions. Put a strategy in place first.

dilbert

Participate in organized GEMINI (May 21- events and activities. Your June 20) input will lead to a proposal that is worth your while.

An emotional matter should be dealt with behind closed doors.

You can make changes, but do so for the right reason.

(June 21- If you let your emotions take July 22) the reins and make decisions for you, mistakes will occur.

CANCER

Peanuts

Look for a way to appease LEO others without taking on too (July 23- much. If you delegate jobs to Aug. 22) others, you will show your strength and things done.

Calvin and Hobbes

An emotional matter VIRGO should be looked at carefully.

(Aug. 23Don’t settle for something imSept. 22) prudent. Make a counteroffer or find a solution that is within your budget.

Take your time. If someLIBRA (Sept. 23- one pressures you, walk Oct. 23) away. Relationships will need to be handled with care.

A stressful domestic situation will develop due to poor spending habits.

WORD GAME TODAY’S WORD – SCEPTER (SCEPTER: SEP-ter: A staff held as an emblem of authority.)

SUDOKU

Participation is favoured, SAGITTARIUS as long as you don’t over(Nov. 23spend.

Someone will comDec. 21) plain if you don’t live up to a promise you made.

Emotional stress will wear you down.

Average mark 21 words Time limit 40 minutes Can you find 33 or more words in SCEPTER? The list will be published Monday.

YESTERDAY’S WORD – PHONICS phon phonic pinch pish posh nosh icon inch chin chino chip

chop coin scion shin ship shop siphon snip sonic spin

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

The desire to make a SCORPIO move or alter your life in (Oct. 24some way needs to be hanNov. 22) dled with care. Impulsive action will lead to disappointment.

Concentrate on self-imCAPRICORN provement, not on trying to (Dec. 22- change others to fit your lifeJan. 19) style. The more you look inward, the easier it will be to let others be who they are.

solution AQUARIUS (Jan. 20Feb. 19)

PISCES (Feb. 20March 20)

Speak up and get involved in conversations that will help you resolve issues.

Not everyone will agree with you, but at least you’ll know how to best move forward.

You’ll be questioned if you are too whimsical about the way you do things. A gift or financial gain looks promising. A personal change can be put into play.

Saturday, june 9, 2018

Nadal into French Open final, to face Thiem

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op seed Rafael Nadal will bid for a record-extending 11th French Open title after breezing past fifth seed Juan Martin del Potro in the semi-finals.

Nadal, 32, won 6-4 6-1 6-2 to set up a meeting with Austrian seventh seed Dominic Thiem in Sunday's final.

The Spaniard, who has only lost twice in 87 matches at Roland Garros, beat the Argentine in just over two hours.

Nadal is only the second man after Roger Federer to reach 11 finals at the same Grand Slam.

Thiem, 24, will contest his first major final after beating unseeded Italian Marco Cecchinato in straights sets earlier on Friday.

World number one Nadal was the overwhelming pre-tournament favourite to win an event he has dominated since making his debut as a teenager in 2005.

Little evidence has been presented over the past fortnight to suggest he will not add another Coupe des Mousquetaires to his collection.

He has dropped just one set so far - at the start of his quarter-final win against Diego Schwartzman - and crushed 2009 US Open champion Del Potro in dominant fashion.

Every bit of his ruthless streak was

evident as he turned what was an even opening set into a procession of a victory.

After nicking the first set with a break in the final game, Nadal cracked 13 winners and allowed Del Potro just 16 points in a second set lasting only half an hour.

The pressure continued to tell on the Argentine, who failed to win a point in the opening two games of the third set.

Still Nadal pressed, with blistering forehand winners flowing, breaking again for a 4-1 lead and sealing victory three games lat- e r with a n easy hold.

Now he will face Thiem - the only player to Nadal has won all 10 semi-finals he beat him on has contested at Roland Garros clay in the past two years Madrid, but sustaining it - in Sunday's final. over five sets in Paris is Both of Thiem's victories came likely to be a different in three-set matches in Rome and proposition. (BBCSport)

FIFA bans Ghana football head Kwesi Nyantakyi over ‘cash gift’ F IFA has banned the president of Ghana’s Football Association (GFA) from football activities for 90 days.

Ghana has said it will dissolve its national football association after Kwesi Nyantakyi was filmed apparently accepting a “cash gift”.

He was pictured taking US$65,000 (£48,000) from an undercover reporter pretending to be a businessman.

Nyantakyi is the second most powerful official in African football and also a member of the FIFA Council.

The provisional suspension comes into force “immediately” and can be extended by 45 days, FIFA said in a statement.

BBC African football analyst Nick Cavell says it seems unlikely that Ghana will be able to take part in Wednesday’s vote for the next host of the 2026 World Cup, which pits Morocco against a joint bid from US, Canada

Emre Can and Jon Flanagan to leave Anfield G

ermany midfielder Emre Can will leave Liverpool when his contract expires this summer.

Can, 24, moved to Anfield from Bayer Leverkusen in July 2014 for £10m.

The Germany player has been linked with a move to Italian champions Juventus.

Right-back Jon Flanagan, 25, who spent the end of the 2017-18 season on loan at Championship club Bolton, is also leaving Anfield after failing to make a firstteam appearance in Jurgen Klopp’s team last season.

Can was signed by Brendan Rodgers and made his 167th and final appearance for Liverpool in last month’s Champions League final defeat b y Real Madrid.

Academy graduate Flanagan departs having featured in 51 senior games following his 2011 debut against Manchester City.

Flanagan has one England cap after playing in a friendly against Ecuador in 2014.

Liverpool, who finished fourth in the Premier League in 2017-18, have agreed to sign Monaco’s central midfielder Fabinho in a deal that could be worth more than £40m.

Another central midfielder, Naby Keita, is arriving from RB Leipzig in July in a transfer worth £52.75m while the Reds are also close to agreeing a deal for France playmaker Nabil Fekir.

Liverpool are also considering whether to activate the £12m release clause in Xherdan Shaqiri’s contract, with the Switzerland midfielder poised to leave Stoke Emre Can’s last goal for City following their relegation Liverpool was in a 4-1 win over to the Championship. (BBCSport) West Ham on February 24

and Mexico.

FIFA could in theory ban Ghana from international competition if they deem the move to dissolve the GFA to be political interference.

Ghana, who did not qualify for the World Cup Finals, played Iceland on Thursday, after the allegations emerged.

What is in the film?

An undercover investigation by controversial journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas first raised serious questions about the nature of Africa’s favourite game.

BBC Africa’s new investigations unit, Africa Eye, has had exclusive access to the footage of Anas’ film.

Nyantakyi had made tackling corruption a major part of his message since taking the helm of the GFA. But the film shows him apparently placing the $65,000 “shopping money” into a black plastic bag from a reporter pretending to be a businessman keen to invest in Ghanaian football.

He is the most prominent member of more than 100 football officials - most of them West African referees - receiving

Kwesi Nyantakyi had pledged to tackle corruption

19

cash.

FIFA rules forbid officials from receiving cash gifts.

Among those caught on camera was Kenyan referee Adel Range Marwa, who was bound for the World Cup in Russia until he resigned after he was filmed being given US$600. He denies any wrongdoing.

The film’s revelations have also led to Nyantakyi being put under investigation for fraudulently using Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo’s name - by order of the president himself.

The investigation invited Nyantakyi to a luxury hotel in the Middle East with the promise of meeting a wealthy businessman it said was interested in a sponsorship deal with the GFA. In the film, Nyantakyi went on to both negotiate and write up the sponsorship deal on behalf of the GFA, which could have allowed a cut to go to a company he owned.

Correspondents say that had the fictitious deal gone ahead, he could potentially have made US$4.5M from the diversion of funds. (BBCSport)

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Saturday, june 9, 2018

Canadian Grand Prix…

New Zealand makes the Max Verstappen highest ODI total of all time fastest in 1st

N

ew Zealand women amassed 490 for 4 the highest total in all ODI cricket - to smash records and Ireland women at the YMCA Cricket Club in Dublin. They threatened to break the 500-run barrier when they were 471 for 4 in 49 overs. Seventeen-yearold Amelia Kerr - the fourth New Zealand batsman to cross 50 - drove the first two balls of the last over through extra cover for fours. She followed it with another four to the long-on boundary, but could manage only seven off the last three balls.

It was captain Suzie Bates and No. 3 Maddy Green who set the tone for the mammoth score with quickfire centuries - 151 off 94 balls and 121 off 77 balls respectively. Bates and debutant Jess Watkin started with a blistering 172run opening partnership off 18.5 overs at a run rate of 9.13. The stand ended when Rachel Delaney, a substitute fielder, pulled off a stunning one-handed catch at deep square leg to dismiss Watkin for 62 off 59 balls.

Suzie Bates and Maddy Green (right)

Bates, who was on 89 off 59 balls then, went on to score her 10th ODI hundred, off only 71 balls. Only Australia captain Meg Lanning (11) has more ODI centuries than Bates. She reached the landmark when she tucked legspinner Gaby

Lewis to the leg side for a single and got a hug from team-mate Green in the middle.

In the next over, Bates was reprieved on 113 when Louise Little dropped a return catch that went high.

Bates further added 38 to

her tally before 17-year-old legspinner Cara Murray, also making her ODI debut, drew Bates out of her crease and had her stumped in the 30th over, and New Zealand were 288 for 2.

Murray also dismissed Amy Satterthwaite, but ended up conceding 119 runs - the worst figures in all ODIs. Three other bowlers - Lewis, Little, and Lara Maritz - gave away 92 runs each while new-ball bowler Amy Kenealy went for 81 in nine overs.

The loss of Bates did not slow down New Zealand.

Green, whose previous best ODI score was 46, smoked her maiden international century off 62 balls, while Kerr scored an unbeaten 81 off 45 balls, including nine fours and three sixes. Kerr added 76 for the fifth wicket in 38 balls to bring her side to within 10 runs of 500.

Notably, this match was played on the same pitch where New Zealand had chased down 137 in 11 overs without losing a wicket on Wednesday. (ESPNcricinfo)

UFC 225…

Can Whittaker retain middleweight hardware?

Yoel Romero (left) during an exchange with UFC Middleweight champion Robert Whittaker

T

he main event for UFC 225 features a rematch for the middleweight title between champion Robert Whittaker and challenger Yoel Romero.

Whittaker, who initially earned the interim middleweight title last summer by defeating Romero, has since become the official champion after Georges St-Pierre stopped by the division to dethrone Michael Bisping, vacating his spot at the top soon after due to health issues. But unfortunately for Whittaker, St-Pierre was not the only champion who had compromised health.

Shortly after being scheduled to defend the

belt against Luck Rockhold at UFC 221, Whittaker was forced to withdraw because of a bad staph infection, an event that allowed for Romero to step in for a shot at another interim title. Though the Cuban challenger failed to make weight against Rockhold, his knockout win over the former champ was enough to secure him another shot at the current one.

Starting off on the feet, we will get another look at

two dangerous strikers who – despite their difference in age – are among the fastest of their contemporaries.

Coming from a traditional martial arts base, Whittaker has developed

into one of the most unique strikers in the division.

Using a combination of speed, accuracy, and a fluid economy of movement, the Australian will deceptively blitz off different angles.

Like many karate-based strikers, Whittaker will feint or show a certain speed to draw his opponent into a false sense of security, only to disrupt the perceived timing with off-beat strikes.

As we saw in their first meeting, Whittaker was able to accomplish this through a series of rear-legged front kicks that he used to launch himself into variations of left hooks and shifting overhand shots that found their mark on Romero.

Considering that we s h o u l d have a healthier Whittaker this time around, I will be curious to see if the champ utilizes more of his usual follow-up kicks that come off the same side of his crosses – another nod from his traditional martial arts base.

Regardless of Whittaker’s status and approach, he will still need to maintain just as much respect for Romero he did in his last outing.

(MMAJunkie)

practice

Redbull’s Max Verstappen

R

ed Bull’s Max Verstappen pipped Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes in first practice at the Canadian Grand Prix.

The Dutchman was 0.088 seconds quicker but was using softer, faster tyres.

Hamilton was on the ultra-soft tyres as was teammate Valtteri Bottas in fifth, ahead of Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen.

Fernando Alonso was impressive in seventh place for McLaren, just 0.598 seconds off the pace and on the same ultra-soft tyres as Mercedes were using.

The Spaniard, celebrating his 300th grand prix this weekend, was fastest early on before a brief red-flag period when Nico Hulkenberg’s Renault stopped on track with gearbox issues, and continued to appear close to the sharp end throughout the 90 minutes.

Alonso headed Renault’s Carlos Sainz, with the second McLaren of Stoffel Vandoorne and Toro Rosso Pierre Gasly completing the top 10.

Hamilton will probably end the session happiest as the ultra-soft is reckoned to be in the region of 0.7secs slower than the hyper-soft.

But Ferrari often start weekends slowly only to leap up the timing sheets on Saturday when it matters, and Vettel was only 0.272secs behind Verstappen’s pace-setting lap.

Max Verstappen was fastest, just one day after suggesting he might “headbutt” somebody if he was continually asked about the mistakes he has made this year Hamilton is concerned about the fact that Mercedes are the only engine manufacturer who have not brought an upgrade to

Canada, where engine power is more important in overall lap time than at many other tracks.

Mercedes found a “quality issue” with their upgraded engine, believed to be a tolerance that would have made the engine unlikely to last the seven races engines need to run this season.

It is now slated for introduction at the next race in France, but Ferrari, Renault and Honda all have upgrades in Canada.

Hamilton is concerned that doing this race with an old engine that will have lost a small amount of power over its life could be enough to make it difficult to contend for victory at a track where he has won six times in 10 races.

Hamilton leads Vettel by 14 points in the championship heading into the weekend, with Ricciardo third, 38 points off the lead.

Canada is a tricky track where mistakes are often plentiful because of the proximity of concrete walls to fast and demanding chicanes.

But although there were a number of wobbles from drivers, only the two Williams drivers actually hit the wall.

Lance Stroll suffered a puncture when he brushed the ‘wall of champions’ at the final chicane and teammate Sergey Sirotkin spun and touched the wall at Turn Seven late in the session.

The Williams looked a handful out on track, as ever, and Sirotkin finished the session 17th, 0.491secs ahead of Stroll in 18th.

Only Force India reserve Nicolas Latifi, in his first F1 practice session, and Hulkenberg, who did not set a time, were behind the Williams on the time sheets.

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he Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) on Friday announced the details for the new 2018 CONCACAF Under-20 Championship. The redesigned, centralized thirty-four-member association competition will be the largest CONCACAF Under-20 tournament ever.

The men’s youth championship, to be hosted at the world-renowned IMG Academy campus in Bradenton, Florida, will take place November 1-21, 2018. These dates include the November FIFA match window, meaning teams will be able to compete with their best players for the Confederation’s title.

“The record response

USA won their maiden CONCACAF U-20 title in 2017

from the participating member associations in the centralized and expanded CONCACAF Under-20 tournament is a testament to their belief that consistent access to quality competition truly drives development and growth of the game in our region” said CONCACAF General Secretary Philippe Moggio.

“We are very excited to showcase our region’s next generation of stars at the IMG Academy.”

“We are pleased that CONCACAF has once again selected our campus as host to one of its premier events,” said IMG Academy Co-Managing Director Chip McCarthy.

“We pride ourselves on providing a tremendous platform for competition at the highest level and look

forward to hosting some of the region’s top talent here in Bradenton.”

Unlike the previous format, which included regional qualifiers in the Caribbean and Central America and one final Championship, the new centralized competition ensures that all teams have the opportunity to play more top-level football matches in a single location.

Over the course of twentythree-days, players, coaches, team administrators and referees will additionally have access to CONCACAF development programs.

The competition will be composed of three rounds.

For the first-round group phase, the thirty-four participating teams will be divided into six groups. After round robin play, the six group winners will advance

to the qualification stage.

For the qualification stage, the six remaining teams will be separated in two groups of three. After round robin play, the two group winners plus the second-place finishers will qualify for the FIFA U-20 World Cup. Additionally, the two groups winners will advance to the tournament’s final to determine the regional champion.

The complete list of participating associations, as well as the first-round match schedule will be announced at a later date.

In the previous edition of the CONCACAF Under-20 Championship played in Costa Rica in 2017, the United States won its first ever title at this level, with a 5-3 win in penalties, over Honduras in the final.

Premier League clubs to have weekend off in February from 2019-20 season P remier League clubs will have one weekend off in February from the 2019-20 season.

The break will be split over two weeks, with 10 teams sitting out the first weekend and 10 the following weekend.

The FA Cup fifth round will be moved to midweek to accommodate the break, with replays being scrapped at that stage.

The Football Association described it as “a significant moment for English football” that “will greatly benefit club and country”.

“It’s no secret that we have a very congested fixture calendar and over recent years we have been working with the whole game to find a solution,” said FA chief executive Martin Glenn.

All three divisions of the English Football League (EFL) will remain unchanged, with a full programme of fixtures taking place on each of the weekends where there is a break.

’We play too many games’ - the players

Almost 90% of players questioned in a recent survey by Fifpro said they wanted a mid-season break, with an average preference of two weeks.

The world players’ union surveyed 543 players from clubs in some of Europe’s biggest leagues, including England, France, Germany and Italy.

Nearly half of national team footballers who play in 50 or more matches a season said they felt they played

Premier League matches will still be played each weekend during the break

“too many” games.

Winter breaks are already factored into schedules of the top leagues in Germany, France, Italy and Spain, though they all take place between December

and January, which is the busiest period for Premier League teams.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said in January that the festive schedule was “killing” his players.

Earlier in the 201718 season his Manchester United counterpart Jose Mourinho said the lack of a break was hampering English clubs’ hopes in the Champions League.

However, former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger once said he would “cry” if a winter break was introduced. The Gunners played six games in 19 days during the festive period last season, the Frenchman’s final one in charge.

The announcement means further change in the 2019-20 season, which will be the first during which Amazon will show Premier League matches.

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Saturday, june 9, 2018

Juicy Juice Under-13 Football League launched

T

he East Bank Football Association (EBFA) officially launched its Juicy Juice Under-13 2018 Football League at Sureia Manufacturing Incorporated, Industrial Site, Eccles on Friday.

Present at the simple ceremony were Sureia Manufacturing’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Frank Sanichara, and EBFA President Franklin Wilson and his representatives.

Sanichara said his company was very happy to come onboard with the EBFA to sponsor football, especially at the grassroots’ level. He believes it is very important for companies to

give back to their supporters and be particularly involved in the progress of youth.

He said he sees these tournaments as an excellent avenue to keep kids away from the streets a n d

f r o m drug and crime, while also living a healthy life.

H e also

commended the EBFA for its astute work with youth development.

On the EBFA’s behalf, President Wilson thanked the sponsor for coming onboard, and added the association was quite rea s sured after approaching this company.

W i l s o n made mention

of the association’s recently concluded under-11 and under-17 leagues, since the 11-to-17-year range is the association’s main focus, so there can be smooth transition.

This year, twelve teams from the East Bank district will vie for top honours.

Among those are defending champions Agricola, who, on a superior goal difference, claimed the 2017 title in a tightly contested tournament over Grove.

Individual awards also up for grabs are Highest Goal Scorer, Best Goalkeeper, Most Valuable Player (MVP) and Best Coach.

Diamond Secondary crowned REO Inter-School champs D

iamond Secondary were crowned 2018 inaugural REO InterSchool champs after getting the better of Annandale Secondary at Everest in Friday's final.

Batting first, the losing side did well to reach 143-3

in 35 overs, with Annandale skipper Mahendra Singh smashing three fours in his even top score of 50, while Daniel Persaud (32) and Romel Patadin (27) chipped in with useful runs.

Bowling honours for Diamond Secondary were

shared evenly, as three of their bowlers grabbed a scalp each. However, it was the batting innings which won the match for Diamond, who notched up 146-7 in 30.3 overs.

Despite no big scores being recorded, Phillip Mc

Turk led the way with 35, as M Fredericks (16), Marvin Dindyal (17) and Krishna Singh (23) played the ideal knocks to help their side to an easy win in the end.

Annandale skipper Mahendra Singh followed up his 50 with 4-17 in a brave spell.

GFF to host Primary Schools Programme

T

he Guyana Football Federation (GFF) has shown great interest in hosting a Primary Schools Football Programme and that interest was communicated to the Minister of Education, Hon. Nicolette Henry in her Brickdam office on Friday.

Representing the GFF during that engagement was the entity’s President Wayne Forde, Technical Director Ian Greenwood and Youth Development Officer Brian Joseph.

Giving an overview of the Programme was Greenwood, who said that the it will support football development in Guyana

at all levels starting from grassroots all the way up to the senior level.

He said that implementing the programme will result in the increase of player population in the sport and improve the quality of youth coaching. According to Greenwood, within the vision of the programme is to propel youth development and to increase the population of persons, male and female, involved in the game countrywide.

Greenwood said that the programme aims to produce players that have the ability to play at a high tempo, can deal with the stress of playing to

win, have athletic potential, have an efficient based passing game, have a balanced view of success and failure and possess excellent technical ability.

The programme will involve a pre-season programme which will entail staff training and a regional competition and finals.

The GFF will also assist in providing both material support to the schools as it relates to gears and coaching education to teachers.

Following the presentation, Minister Henry thanked the GFF for approaching the Ministry with the initiative and said that the programme

aligns with the policy of the Ministry.

She said that it has been the policy of government to have Physical Education be a core curriculum subject since 2015. Minister Henry said that the Ministry of Education is willing to provide any support that is necessary to ensure the programme is executed successfully.

The education Minister committed to engaging the relevant officers within the Ministry of Education to start the process so that the GFF’s programme can be accommodated and executed with the requisite level of support.

Heyliger delighted with Global T20 selection

T

he inaugural Canada Global T20 is set to bowl off on June 28 and former Guyana youth all-rounder Dillon Heyliger is elated to be included in Montreal Tigers’ squad to compete against five other franchises.

“I [am] happy to be named in one of the teams and looking forward to do well because it will be a great experience especially being in the same dressing room with several worldclass players,” Heyliger related.

The right-handed batsman and right-arm fast-medium bowler already represented Canada at the highest level and strongly feels this exposure would do wonders for him as he continues to make a steady impression for his adopted country.

“Obviously, it is a great opportunity to be selected for this inaugural tournament in Canada where you will have a lot of players from different parts of world playing; I am excited for the opportunity and I am very thankful to my National Coach Henry Osinde and my manager Ingleton Liburd for believing in me,” Heyliger, who hailed from the Cinderella County of Essequibo in Guyana, expressed.

Quizzed on the benefits this huge T20 competition would be for Canada cricket, Heyliger emphatically responded: “Well, not only the Canadian players will gain this invaluable experience but generally the cricket in Canada would be beneficial; it brings a new life to cricket in Canada so people around the world can see that Canada cricket is on the rise again,” Heyliger who plays professionally for JB Masters in the annual Toronto and District Cricket Association Elite limited-over tournament, revealed.

According to Heyliger, to be in the same dressing room with the likes of Sri Lankan ace fact-bowl-

Dillon Heyliger

er Lasith Malinga, West Indian spinner Sunil Narine and Pakistani all-rounder Mohammed Hafeez would be a pleasure and that shall give him greater motivation to perform well once he finds himself in the final team.

Apart from those high-profile T20 players mentioned above, the cricketers of reputable T20 players will also be on show inclusive of Chris Gayle, are Shahid Afridi, Wayne Parnell, Darren Sammy, Dwayne Bravo, Kieron Pollard, Tim Southee among others. These men will represent the other teams: Toronto Nationals, Winnipeg Hawks, Edmonton Royals, Vancouver Knights and Cricket West Indies.

The historical opening ceremony is billed for June 28 at Maple Leaf ground in King City, Toronto while the final is fixed for July 15 at the same venue with the following day as a reserved day.

Heyliger further emphasised the importance of good performances saying that a coach like Tom Moody will undoubtedly looking to see his he and his colleagues churning out winning and quality results.

Few more reputable and outstanding coaches will be responsible for the various sides are Pakistani Waqar Younis and West Indian Phil Simmons.

ExxonMobil U-14 Football tourney kicks off today T

he ExxonMobil boys’ and girls’ Under-14 Football competition begins this morning with the ceremonial march-past and action in the boys’ division. Things get underway from 10:00hrs at the Ministry of Education (MoE) ground on CARIFESTA Avenue.

M a r i a n Academy will play Uitvlugt Secondary; Dolphin Secondary come up against Ann’s Grove Secondary; Bishops’ High playing Annandale Secondary; Carmel Secondary come up against Vergenogen Secondary, and New Campbellville Secondary tan-

gles with Brickdam Secondary.

In the second half of the opening day, Tucville Secondary will play Queenstown Secondary; Chase’s will play St John’s College; North Ruimveldt Secondary will match skills with School of the Nations; East Ruimveldt Secondary will come against St George’s Secondary, and Kingstown Secondary will do battle with South Ruimveldt Secondary in the final opening round match.

Troy Mendonca, co-director of the organisers, Petra, noted that with the smaller number of female teams (which adds to eight as compared to the 24 male teams), their competition would not start until the third week of action.

Round 1

11:00 hrs Tutorial

11:00 hrs Marian Academy 11:50 hrs Dolphin Secondary 11:50 hrs Charlestown Secondary 12:40 hrs Bishop High School 12:40 hrs Carmel Secondary 13:30 hrs New Campbellville 13:30 hrs Tucville 14:20 hrs Chase Academy 14:20 hrs North Riumveldt Multi 15:10 hrs East Riumveldt 15:10 hrs Kingstown

vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs vs

In this space, he posited, the Guyana Football Federation will conduct some training for the females, and courses for their coaches, in an attempt to fine tune everyone’s skills. See below for the complete fixtures for today’s play.

Ministry of Education Ground Buxton Youth Development Uitivulgt Secondary Friendship Secondary Anns Grove Annandale Secondary Vergenogen Secondary Brickdam Secondary Queens Town Secondary

St Johns School of the Nation Secondary St Georges Secondary South Ruimveldt Secondary

guyanatimesgy.com

Saturday, june 9, 2018

23

Wi vs Sri Lanka Day 3

Powell takes WI 360 ahead after bowlers' day out

S

ri Lanka's first innings crashed and burned in the face of sprightly bowling, before the West Indies top order turned a commanding lead into a near-unassailable position late on day three. Having dismissed Sri Lanka for 185, West Indies finished the day

with Sri Lanka so far back in the game, not even Rangana Herath may be able to bail them out. With two days left to play, rain seems the visitors' biggest hope.

As has been the case throughout this game, the West Indies cause had several important contribu-

SCOREBOARD West Indies 1st Innings 414-8 D Sri Lanka 1st Innings BKG Mendis c Holder b Gabriel 4 MDKJ Perera c Chase b Roach 0 LD Chandimal (c) c Chase b Gabriel 44 AD Mathews c Chase b Holder 11 ARS Silva b Roach 5 N Dickwella † run out (Brathwaite) 31 MDK Perera c Hope b Bishoo 20 HMRKB Herath c sub (SO Hetmyer) b Cummins 5 RAS Lakmal c Bishoo b Cummins 15 PLS Gamage not out 0 CBRLS Kumara c †Dowrich b Cummins 8 Extras:(b 8, lb 16, nb 6, w 12) 42 TOTAL: all out (55.4 Overs, RR: 3.32) 185 Fall of wickets: 1-2 (MDKJ Perera, 0.2 ov), 2-16 (BKG Mendis, 3.3 ov), 3-30 (AD Mathews, 9.2 ov), 4-43 (ARS Silva, 12.2 ov), 5-121 (LD Chandimal, 35.1 ov), 6-140 (N Dickwella, 42.1 ov), 7-148 (HMRKB Herath, 47.1 ov), 8-156

360 runs ahead, and with six second-innings wickets in hand. The track had begun to take a little turn, but

(MDK Perera, 50.5 ov), 9-175 (RAS Lakmal, 53.3 ov), 10185 (CBRLS Kumara, 55.4 ov) BOWLING: KAJ Roach (103-34-2), ST Gabriel (13-048-2), ML Cummins (12.4-439-3), JO Holder (7-1-15-1), D Bishoo (13-2-25-1) West Indies 2nd Innings KC Brathwaite c †Dickwella b Kumara 16 DS Smith b Lakmal 20 KOA Powell not out 64 SD Hope c Mendis b Kumara 1 RL Chase b Herath 12 SO Dowrich † not out 11 Extras:(b 4, lb 2, nb 1) 7 TOTAL:(40 Overs, RR: 3.27) 131-4 Yet to bat: JO Holder (c), D Bishoo, KAJ Roach, ML Cummins, ST Gabriel Fall of wickets: 1-36 (DS Smith, 10.3 ov), 2-55 (KC Brathwaite, 16.5 ov), 3-75 (SD Hope, 20.5 ov), 4-119 (RL Chase, 34.6 ov) BOWLING: RAS Lakmal (8-125-1), PLS Gamage (8-2-230), HMRKB Herath (11-1-221), CBRLS Kumara (5-0-28-2), MDK Perera (8-0-27-0)

tors. Kemar Roach made the tone-setting early breakthrough in the third over of the day, uprooting the

leg stump of the in-form Roshen Silva with a full delivery. Late in that session, Shannon Gabriel took another important wicket, having Dinesh Chandimal caught at backward point.

In the afternoon Miguel Cummins wiped out the tail with a short-ball barrage.

Herath, Suranga Lakmal and Lahiru Kumara were all out top-edging pulls off Cummins. Then, when West Indies went in to bat on a lead of 229, Kieran Powell held firm for the hosts, secure in defense, and elegant on the offside, as he breezed to 64 off 80 balls.

Sri Lanka, though, will blame themselves for the errors that have landed them in such a dire position. Chandimal had looked good for a big score, timing the ball nicely after the early morning's swing had disappeared. But then, just as he began to free his arms, a rush of blood cost him his wicket. He had earlier slashed Gabriel over point for four, but when he attempted the shot again in the approach to lunch, he could not manage a good enough connection - the ball too close to his body for the stroke. He ended up only miscuing the shot to Roston Chase, to took it easily above his head. Chandimal would turn out to be the innings' top scorer, with 44.

The man he had built a promising 68-run stand with - Niroshan Dickwella - was perhaps even more culpable for his dismissal. Having resisted intelligently for the

Dinesh Chandimal fell just before lunch, which triggered a collapse

first 77 balls of his innings, Dickwella struck a ball towards mid on and began to amble a single. There was a little miscommunication with non-striker Dilruwan Perera, but even after both batsmen had agreed to the run, Dickwella only jogged through to the other end.

Suddenly, he discovered that Kraigg Brathwaite had run down this ball, had turned, and thrown at the stumps in one fluid motion.

Dickwella hastily reached for the crease, but it was too late - he was found almost thirty centimetres short by the direct hit. Were it not for his complacency, it should have been an easy single.

Where West Indies' low-

er order had scrapped, lifting the team from 147 for 5 to 414 for 8, Sri Lanka's wilted under the heat. With Cummins aiming bowling with hostility, the last four wickets fell in the space of nine overs. All up, Sri Lanka had lost 4 for 43 at the top of their innings, and 6 for 64 at the back end - the Chandimal-Dickwella stand the only period of real resistance.

Jason Holder opted not to enforce the follow-on, with his bowlers having been in the field for more than 55 overs. So good was their position, even a few early wickets did not really dent West Indies' chances in the game. Devon Smith was bowled twice in two balls by

Suranga Lakmal, the first of those having come off a no-ball. Kraigg Brathwaite and Shai Hope then edged Lahiru Kumara behind - the former snaffled by a diving Niroshan Dickwellla, and the latter caught athletically by Kusal Mendis, who snatched a sharp overhead chance from second slip.

But no matter. Thanks to Powell, the hosts surged ahead. His boundaries came mainly on the offside - cover drives off Lakmal and Herath especially pleasing to the eye. He went to fifty with a straight six, off Dilruwan Perera, having come down the track. West Indies were bossing the game, and Powell was having a little fun. (ESPNcricinfo)

Millington backing Guyana ladies to bring home title

By Clifton Ross

N

ational spinner Plaffiana Millington has said she's looking to play a key role in Guyana's campaign at the upcoming Cricket West Indies (CWI) Regional 50 Overs tourney.

Via social media, the Berbician told Guyana Times Sport on Friday that she was eager to go out and do what she does best -- taking wickets for her country.

"My aim this year is to be in the top 3 at least for most wickets in the tournament.

We have 8 games, I'm looking to get at least 3 wickets in each game, both 50 and T20", she said.

Following their inter-county tourney which was affected by rain, the ladies were encamped for more than a week at the indoor facility at LBI on the East Coast of Demerara, before winging out to Jamaica

Plaffiana Millington

a few days ago.

Speaking on the team's training and possible plans, Millington said the ladies would need to execute all their plans well.

"Well, the weather wasn't too much on our side, but that's the work of God, we can't stop that. We had

a few sessions at the stadium and (at) Everest, we made good use of the conditions there when we had it.

The girls have been working along well, the team spirit is high," she disclosed.

She continued, "Togetherness is there; all that's left to do is to put out the hard work, now that we have a new coach and he's been good so far and he's also impressed with our work," added the off-spinner.

Millington, who has been one of the best spinners in Guyana, has represented Guyana on numerous occasions, but said this year she has been doing extra work in order to put out her ‘A’ game.

"I've been working on my fitness, doing a lot of gym work. For me, my bowling is natural, so I pay more emphasis on my fitness and my batting. After this tourna-

The Guyana Women's Team

ment, I'll continue working on them as well," she disclosed.

With a powerhouse team featuring players like Subrina Munroe, skipper Tremayne Smartt, Erva Giddings, Shamaine Campbell and other high-profile international players, Millington believes the energy in the camp could

play a huge role in Guyana bringing home hardware within the next few weeks.

"Well, while preparing for this tournament, everyone's been having that feelings that we can take the championship this year.

Saying it is one thing, but doing the actual work on the field, it all depends on everyone's effort to get there;

and it's important, because the last time we went to a finals was in 2013, and it's about time we take home the trophy," she said.

She concluded, "Also, as the host of the Women's World Cup, winning this tournament will make the Guyana board so proud, as well as our fellow Guyanese.”

SATURDAY, JUNE 9, 2018

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WI v Sri Lanka Day 3

Powell takes WI 360 ahead after bowlers' day out Pg 23

The Windies were often a joyful bunch on Day 3 having dominated the visitors thus far

Juicy Juice Under-13 Football League launched Pg 22

Juicy Juice’s Selwyn Bobb (second right) presents the Winner’s Trophy to EBFA Secretary Wayne Francois in the presence of Sureia Manufacturing’s CEO Frank Sanichara (right), EBFA President Franklin Wilson (left) and another EBFA rep

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