Guyana Times Epaper - Friday, August 24, 2018

Police P hand out $3.5M in bursary awards

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

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Issue No. 3665

Friday, August 24, 2018

Govt meets with US congressional delegation

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WHAT'S INSIDE:

Blind Institute records 100% passes at P15 CSEC

Page 3

SASOD calls for awareness P10 and distribution of PrEP drugs …says it will engage the Public Health Ministry soon

President David Granger; US Ambassador to Guyana, Perry Holloway; Foreign Affairs Minister Carl Greenidge; and Minister of State Joseph Harmon; along with distinguished members of the United States Congress at the Ministry of the Presidency on Thursday morning

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Millers owe Essequibo rice farmers over $132M

Labour Dept to meet with GTU, Page 14 Education Ministry for conciliation

– GTU President says no formal invite sent

Conductor stabbed during row over passenger Page 13

GuySuCo to launch probe into shredder incident at Uitvlugt in new week Page 7

– estate management likely to face sanctions

Linden security officers protest non-payment of P15 salaries

Hughes, State not prepared for trial over P8 missing diamonds

SOCU detains Venezuelan registered P10 aircraft

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news

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BRIDGE OPENINGS The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Friday, August 24 – a night retraction at 03:30h and a day retraction from 14:3016:00h and Saturday, August 25 – a night retraction at 04:30h and a day retraction from 14:30-16:00h.

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on:

Friday, August 24 – 15:25h-16:55h and Saturday, August 25 – 15:55h-17:25h.

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY Sunny intervals with light cloudy skies can be expected throughout the day, with clear skies can in the evening.

Temperatures are expected to range between 21 degrees Celsius and 31 degrees Celsius.

Winds: East South-easterly to Easterly and East Northeasterly between 1.34 metres and 5.36 metres.

High Tide: 03:05h and 15:32h reaching maximum heights of 2.38 metres and 2.37 metres respectively.

Low Tide: 09:05h and 21:20h reaching minimum heights of 0.80 metres and 0.83 metres respectively.

Govt meets with US congressional delegation P

resident David Granger on Thursday met with a visiting delegation comprising Congressmen and other officials from the United States of America at the Ministry of the Presidency, where a number of issues were discussed and areas of cooperation explored.

According to a release issued by the Ministry of the Presidency, the four areas discussed surrounded a geographic overview of Guyana, its hemispheric affiliations and shared borders; a strategic outline, which outlined the Guyana/Venezuela border controversy, territorial controversy with Suriname, Guyana’s international relations and the migration of Venezuelans into Guyana; an economic overview, which dealt with the traditional sectors, the emerging oil and gas sector; and Guyana’s

America for the Caribbean but we’re the gateway to the Caribbean for South America. Our geographic situation has, of course, implications for border security because of the territorial claim by the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and also claims by Suriname. So, they were interested in that and I gave them the assurance that we are on our way to the peaceful resolution of the territorial controversy with Venezuela,” the Head of State stated in an invited comment.

In addition, Guyana’s political and governance systems were also discussed.

“The [other] area I dealt with was political. I gave them the assurance, truthfully, that Guyana is a very stable country, law-abiding country, and our National Assembly functions, our Judiciary functions inde-

Head of the delegation, Republican Bob Goodlatte was greeted

by President David Granger at the Ministry of the Presidency

Guyana’s ‘green’ agenda was also discussed and the team was impressed with Guyana’s commitment to protecting the environment.

“They were quite impressed with our environment [and] our commitment to the environment. We believe that climate change can have harmful effects and

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The delegation during talks with President David Granger on Thursday

pursuit of a ‘green’ agenda and environmental conservation.

“I dealt with the geographic scenario and the fact that Guyana is a continental state. It is a part of the South-American continent but with Caribbean characteristics. It’s the only English-speaking State and as a result of that, we have lots of advantages, but at the same time, you know, we are not only perceived as the gateway to South

pendently and also the Executive branch. So, those three branches are separate and the Executive does not interfere in the Judiciary or the autonomous commissions, like the Guyana Elections Commission, the Judicial Service Commission and so on. So, I think from the point of view of governance, we were able to explain that Guyana is a stable, well-governed State,” the President stated.

The Head of State said

we’re taking measures to mitigate the adverse effects of climate change. We can see that our coastal zones are being damaged partly as a result of global warming and we are committed to protecting our rivers, protecting our air quality, protecting our forests. So, we’re able to explain and convince them of our commitment to protecting the environment even as we go more deeply into the extractive indus-

tries,” he noted.

President Granger noted that the two sides also discussed areas of cooperation, which can be built and enhanced where needed, in areas such as security, energy and disaster response and preparedness.

“The territorial controversy has been our biggest concern but most recently, and because of our long borders we have a 1300 feet kilometres with Brazil, 800 kilometres nearly with Venezuela and also with Suriname, but we don’t have the assets to protect our borders and there has been some trafficking across the borders; trafficking in guns, Trafficking in Persons, trafficking in narcotics and trafficking in other contraband goods. These are areas where there could be deeper and more intense cooperation between the United States and Guyana. Also, we are aware of the repeated danger of hurricanes and other disasters in the Caribbean and the United States has assisted us, particularly the Civil Defence Commission, in preparing for disasters and management of disasters.

Again, this is one area that we want to continue our collaboration with the United States because we don’t have the airlift or the technical capabilities to respond to these disasters,” President Granger said. turn to page 9

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

Press conferences

F

or the past two years, journalists in Guyana have been trying desperately to get President David Granger to recommence the hosting of regular press conferences, where they can be afforded the opportunity to ask him directly about issues related to the overall governance and performance of his A Partnership for National Unity and Alliance for Change Government, which took office back in May 2015.

Despite their best efforts and a host of criticisms, Mr Granger, who is also Guyana’s Head of State, Executive President and the Commander of the Armed Forces, continues to ignore the concerns and protestations of the country’s local media corps.

In fact, Mr Granger, through his Ministry of the Presidency spokesperson, has denied that he has been unwilling to engage the press directly, or has been flouting his duty to engage the media corps on issues of national importance since gaining Executive Power.

Instead, he argues that an “effort as regularly as possible” is being made to engage the media, “particularly” during public exercises, while reminding those complaining that they have access to officials within the hierarchy of Government who have responsibility for the dissemination of public communication and information.

Since making that statement, the President has not kept a single press conference, despite a raft of controversies and problems arising as a direct result of some of the objectionable and incoherent policies adopted by his Government.

His refusal to meet the press at specialised conferences organised to deal with their concerns comes on heels of statements that he made at a media brunch held back in January this year, where he expressed concerns over the publication and broadcast of “fake news”. While some saw the entire event as an opportunity for the President to take a photo opportunity with the media which would send a signal that the relations with the journalistic pools were much improved, others believed that the media allowed itself to be played.

But the substantive issue is that the President was not upbraided appropriately for his subliminal attack on the Guyanese media corps, even though he has expressed concern about “fake news”.

He began using the term after sections of the media started reporting on the country’s economic woes, and symptoms which pointed to ‘prerecession’ within the country. Also, when the news broke that Government had awarded itself a 50% salary increase ahead of public servants and just after winning the May 2015 elections, Mr Granger had been concerned about “fake news” even though there was nothing fake about that news.

He said then: “We acknowledge that every person has some bias….we must try to be objective… Don’t publish fake news…. Don’t allow your bias to take the place of objectivity”.

Granger even called for the Guyana Press Association to discipline reporters whom he said were “out of line” while performing their duties. For the record, the Guyanese media are not the enemies of the people. It has been fair in its reportage on events of national importance since before the David Granger Administration took office, and has held every single administration -- be it PPP or PNC -to task and account for their actions.

But the true enemies of the people and democracy are those who try to suffocate truth by vilifying and demonising the messenger.

The response to that cannot be silence on the part of the media.

Back in 1787, the year the US Constitution was adopted, Thomas Jefferson famously wrote to a friend, “Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.”

That’s how he felt before he became president, anyway. Twenty years later, after enduring the oversight of the press from inside the White House, he was less sure of its value. “Nothing can now be believed which is seen in a newspaper,” he wrote. “Truth itself becomes suspicious by being put into that polluted vehicle.”

Jefferson’s discomfort was, and remains, understandable.

Reporting the news in an open society is an enterprise laced with conflict. His discomfort also illustrates the need for the right he helped enshrine. As the founders believed from their own experience, a well-informed public is best equipped to root out corruption and, over the long haul, promote liberty and justice.

“Public discussion is a political duty,” the US Supreme Court said in 1964. That discussion must be “uninhibited, robust, and wideopen,” and “may well include vehement, caustic and sometimes unpleasantly sharp attacks on government and public officials.”

In 2018, it must not be forgotten that some of the most damaging attacks are coming from Government officials. Criticising the news media — for underplaying or overplaying stories, for getting something wrong — is entirely right. News reporters and editors are human, and make mistakes. Correcting them is core to our job.

But insisting that truths you don’t like are “fake news” is dangerous to the lifeblood of democracy. And calling journalists the “enemy of the people” is dangerous, period.

Consider The San Luis Obispo Tribune, which wrote about the death of a jail inmate who was restrained for 46 hours. The account forced the county to change how it treats mentally ill prisoners.

Local newspapers and media houses must not stop their quest for the truth. They must strengthen their resolve, and all Guyanese must stand with them as they hold all Governments accountable.

Some of the recipients of the Guyana Police Force’s bursary awards pose with senior ranks of the Force on Thursday (Dexter Ceres Photo)

Support for US congressional visit to Guyana

Dear Editor, This has relevance to the visit to Guyana by the US Congressional delegation (headed by Chairman Bob Goodlatte) and the large military security team. The visit is intended to strengthen relations (in economic, political, and security spheres, and in the general cooperation on all other matters) between our two nations.

Guyanese-Americans thank the delegation for undertaking the trip, strongly support the visit, and encourage closer relations between the two countries. GuyaneseAmericans would also like to see more visits by officials of the US Government.

In a recent study I undertook, Guyanese in Guyana and people of Guyanese descent in America say they have a very positive view of the relations between the two countries, and would like to see improved relations in light of several challenges

facing their mother country, especially on matters pertaining to security, democracy, drug trafficking, and human rights.

Guyanese say there are cultural, economic (trade, business, investment), military (security), family, migration, political and educational reasons, among others, for Guyana to have closer relations with America. More Guyanese (and people of Guyanese descent) live in the US than in Guyana, and thousands of Guyanese people study in US colleges and universities. In addition, Guyanese- Americans have been sending some US$250 million annually to Guyana over the last several decades.

Some 100,000 GuyaneseAmericans visit their former homeland every year, spending hundreds of millions of US dollars. Guyanese-Americans and other American businesses invest in Guyana, and many lobby for greater finan-

cial assistance to Guyana from Washington. So there are justifiable reasons to have closer relations with the US, with a lot of benefits accruing to Guyana.

In the past, relations were defined and influenced by the Cold War and geo-strategic interests. The Cold War ended in 1990, but now there is a new kind of realpolitik in America’s international relations as it relates to Guyana and the greater Caribbean/ Latin American region – one defined by economic (energy) interests, especially now that oil has been found off the coast of Guyana, and by the war on terror (especially since wanted terrorists were recently linked to Guyana).

American interest is now largely defined and influenced by the war on terror, oil interests, and by business competitors from former socialist nations (like China and Russia).

The US is also concerned by increased drug trafficking

and migration from Guyana to America – not excluding nationals from other nations (economic refugees) using Guyana as a transit point to migrate to America.

The US needs Guyana’s cooperation in all of these areas, and Guyana stands to benefit enormously from such cooperation. In addition, cooperation with America is vital for Guyana’s national security interests.

Political and economic interest groups and political parties should encourage more visits of the kind as the one headed by Congressional Chairman Bob Goodlatte to Guyana this week, so as to discuss matters affecting our nation – such as migration to America, economy (oil), security (threat from American competitors), trade, business, investments, war on terror, and neighbouring Venezuela.

Yours faithfully, Vishnu Bisram

More hardship on commuters Dear Editor, It is no surprise the government arrested with the mini buses so called union to increase twenty dollars on each passenger thus creating more hardship on the working class. Whilst in reality the average man would end up paying at least one hundred and twenty dollars more a day.

Some people have to use three or four means of transportation in order to reach either to work or home, especially those living in New schemes and those who living in the West and East Bank of Demerara and East Bank Essequibo which causes their travelling expense to be more. With the increase, no doubt the short drop cars would also in-

crease their fares which are already above the average presently.

There are some buses that work long distance and their fares are rounded off to the closest hundred, do you believe the will let it remains the same? Given the culture of the operators, I know they will not and they will see to increase it more that the agreed twenty dollars and they would cite the distance to suck the blood out of people.

Editor, to polish the increase off and defend their actions, the mini buses make a lot of promises about regulations for the buses and they believe that the travelling public are morons. They take it ob their own to increase fares before and also

make similar promises but the situation remains the same in terms of overloading, appearances, attitudes towards commuters etc.

There is also the headache of travelling in buses that the seat seems to be made of iron which causes tremendous discomfort when you seated and the buses goes over bumps, holes etc.

Some buses causes’ material and physical damages to you because of some piece of dangerous iron or welding not look after or some bolts are extra-long and they don't see the need to modify/ rectify it. Like the mini buses, the union collect huge amount of money and not paying taxes on it.

I've said before, there's

too many buses in the road and there will always be a fight down amongst one another to make more trips.

Some only gets to make two trips and with the increase, we the commuters would actually pay for them not doing a proper day work.

Instead of the union see to put a limit of buses to work a zone, they seek to pressure the public.

It's real hardship for us.

They only sit back and use situations to seek increase in fares while majority or working people's salary are the same for years whilst they increase at least three times already.

Sincerely, Sahadeo Bates

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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

Minister addresses charges of Local Govt gerrymandering Dear Editor, Since the announcement and publication of Order No 19 of 2018 which, among other things, listed the name and composition of the 80 Councils participating in this year’s historic Local Government Elections (LGEs), there has been much noise from the political Opposition with baseless allegations of “gerrymandering, tinkering, plot to undermine the PPP [People’s Progressive Party] stakes at LGE, no consultation and even to damage local democracy”. The hollowness of the latter allegation, made by Dr Frank Anthony and others, is exposed by the reality that it was this Administration that restored local democracy after a hiatus of two decades and aims to fortify the gains with the first holding of consecutive LGEs as legally due in Guyana’s post-independent history. Dr Anthony and his colleagues should be reminded that the PPP, by their every action, does not believe in or subscribe to the concept of local democracy, so no one should be fooled by their pious bleating.

PPP representatives Zamal Hussain and Denis De Roop joined in the chorus of advancing untrue and unsubstantiated claims (August 9, 2018, Stabroek News) which continues to be parroted by members of the parliamentary Opposition, such as the Leader, Zulfikar Mustapha and Gail Teixeira to which, with your permission, I wish to offer some clarity.

It is instructive to note that the exercise of rebalancing the size of some councils was done pursuant to Sections 5 and 12 of the Local Democratic Organs Act Chapter 28:09, which specifically states that the Minister may by Order provide for, among other things, the composition and constitution of each local democratic organ.

Editor, this exercise and the legal provision enabling might have come as a surprise to these members of the Opposition which may be attributable to the fact that their party did not see the importance of Local Government and through deliberate acts and omissions relegated the system to irrelevance. This system has been exhumed by the David Granger-led Administration and we are injecting life into it.

Notwithstanding the soundness of this exercise in law, it was not done capriciously. This was a decision aimed at rationalising the size of councils vis a vis their responsibilities and was duly guided by relevant considerations such as the demographics of these areas.

There existed an anomaly where the size of some Neighbourhood Democratic Councils (NDC) are larger than some municipalities. For instance, the total seats on the Aberdeen/Zorgen-Vlygt NDC (18) is more

than that of the second most populous and one of the larger geographical municipality in the country – Linden – which has 16 seats. It should also be noted the size of the Linden Municipality was also reduced for the 2016 elections from 18 to where it is presently. Hence, the rebalancing of the size of council is clearly not novel.

Moreover, the composition of the established 129 NDCs were done by Ministerial Order No 51 of 1990. This order which delineated Guyana entirely was done on a conceptual basis and is now being refined.

A number of circumstances; not least among them demographics, have changed in the past 28 years that logically necessitates on the basis of current realities these adjustments.

In Moruka/Phoenix Park, a recently activated NDC, there are approximately 524 electors. Order No 51 of 1990 prescribed that this NDC have a total of 15 seats.

Had the prescriptions of this Order been adhered to, there would have been 35 electors to one Councillor ratio. How logical? Order 19 of 2018 as issued by me took this into consideration and prescribed a total of six seats (3 PR and 3 FPP). The point is that we are learning from experience.

Moreover, the enactment of the Local Authorities (Elections) (Amendment) Act No 26 of 2009 introduced a mixed electoral system in which 50 per cent of LDO Councillors are directly elected by their constituents (First-Past-the-Post) and the remainder through Proportional Representation (PR). The number of constituencies as prescribed by Order No 51 of 1990 was purely created under the PR system and with the enactment of the aforementioned legislation, the size of councils were split in half to facilitate the amendment. This change should have been informed and buttressed by a process of identifying constituencies based on demographics but this was not done. This work has started with the 15 organs in question but is certainly not complete.

De Roop in his media conference suggested that residents should have been “ask(ed) if they are willing to go into local authorities” but Article 12 of our Supreme Law clearly underscores not only the importance of Local Government to the organisation of the State but the entitlement of each Guyanese to participate in the management and development of their community.

Editor, the determination of whether residents in these new LAAs would be required to pay rates and taxes is not a decision of Central Government but one that resides within each LDO. Once lawfully constituted, those organs enjoy autonomy under the Constitution. De Roop, please take note.

Ronald Bulkan

In one instance, De Roop claims that the Government is ‘imposing’ Local Government on residents by activating NDCs and later claimed that the Government should be “increasing representation” in No 52-74 where the size of the council was rebalanced. De Roop’s double standard, which is not dissimilar from the party he represents, is very unhelpful in encouraging citizens’ participation and taking hold of this constitutional right, which was whimsically denied for two decades by the past Administration, to manage their community affairs. It begs the question of their sincerity to Local Government development.

The Kaieteur News, Tuesday, August 21 headline based on the allegations made by Mustapha, captioned “Government resorts to violating Constitution to secure win at upcoming LGE” is not only far from the truth but is very unfair, especially given the efforts of this Administration in restoring local democracy. Ironically, Mustapha alleges that I failed to consult

with residents and in so doing contravened Article 13 of the Constitution.

It was through meaningful consultation that the new township of Mahdia, though the external boundaries encompasses the titled Amerindian villages of Campbelltown and Micobie, excludes these villages as is the expressed desire of their respective Village Councils.

In fact, Editor, the activation of the eight new NDCs (being among the aforementioned 129 NDCs) is as a direct result of the pleas of residents in those areas for greater representation.

Residents bemoaned the lack of representation by their Regional Democratic Council (RDC) on issues that affect their communities. For instance, the communities in the lower Pomeroon (from Charity to its mouth) have been complaining of perennial flooding as a result of poor maintenance of drainage infrastructure and consequent deleterious impact on their livelihood but receive inadequate assistance from the RDC. Residents in these communities will now have

an LDO to represent their interest. The same applies to residents on the Linden/ Soesdyke Highway and on the East Bank of Berbice.

Teixeira’s accusation, therefore, that Government is increasing the Local Authority Areas to “improve the number of votes they collect” exemplifies not only the PPP/C misguided fixation on “winning” but its unrelenting ethos of control and dominance. It was this same attitude that fuelled this party, when in Government, to replace democratically elected councils with handpicked individuals by imposing odious Interim Management Committees (IMCs).

De Roop, in ignorance, claims that the Government “want to go down the same line again” in terms of resolution of ties. It is surprising that his colleagues in Parliament failed to inform him of the recent passage of the Local Authorities (Elections) (Amendment) Bill 2018 which deprives the Minister of the power previously exercised in the resolution of ties in the election of Mayors, Chairmen, and Vice Chairmen. This amendment provides for the resolution of ties by the use of the democratic (plurality) principle.

Again, another baseless and misplaced aspersion of mal-intent. Clearly, no opportunity for any exercise of ministerial authority in this regard.

As it relates to the issue of demarcation of boundaries, this falls within the remit of the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) to give effect to the ministerial order which has not breached any law.

Latest to join the fray is former Local Government Minister Ganga Persaud, who in the <<<<<Guyana Times>>>>> August 22, 2018 edition accuses me of being “undemocratic, overstepping my boundary, conspiracy, secrecy and setting the stage for manipulation of results” all of which are equally hollow.

Editor, it is impractical to respond to each and every allegation made by the political Opposition as we are otherwise engaged with our focus to consolidate the gains in the restoration of functionality to the LG system. One of our main focus at this juncture is increasing community engagement, involvement and electoral participation in LG via the medium of public education and awareness.

Suffice it to say, the track record of this Administration on local governance – both in the 10th Parliament and now in Government – speaks volume of our unambiguous and unwavering commitment to meaningful local democracy and people’s empowerment. It is undeniable that the trajectory of local governance in Guyana is changing. While the arousal of suspicion and aspersions of mal-intent may be unavoidable, the Government and by extension the Communities Ministry, will not be distracted in this restoration exercise. We, therefore, urge all Guyanese to seize their constitutional right to manage and develop their community come November 12. Your Community needs you!

Sincerely, Ronald Bulkan Communities Minister

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By Tim Elmore

S

ome time ago, I spoke at an educator event in Missouri. During the Q&A period, a gentleman raised his hand with a deep concern: “Today, it seems like we’re quick to penalise (even suspend) students for wrong behaviour more quickly than when I was in high school. Do you see the same thing?”

The fact is – I do see the same thing today.

Many private schools have adopted a “one and done” policy, meaning if you violate a school rule, you are immediately suspended. Others are a little more gracious, adopting a “three strikes and you’re out” policy. In this case, students get three chances to get their behaviour right, and then they are tossed out.

The benefits of this type of leadership are obvious: It forces students to consider consequences.

It is designed to motivate them to make better choices.

It prevents the school culture from declining into a poor environment.

The downside is – students begin to feel school leaders are suspicious of their worst behaviour and can hardly wait to get rid of them. As teens, with their brains still developing for another eight to ten years, they often feel destined to fail at living up to the standard. Why? Its focus tends to look backward at past mistakes.

An experiment that’s working Believe it or not, a youth detention facility in Ventura, CA, has turned punishment on its ear. Juvenile inmates, incarcerated for armed robbery and manslaughter, are beating the “streets to prison” cycle that their parents passed

Foundation

along to them. How? By learning to code, while still in prison.

What? Are they serious?

Yes, they are. Very serious. For the past few months, these teen prisoners have been learning to write code for computers through a first-of-its-kind programme called, “Last Mile”. These young inmates, mostly minorities, are being mentored via Skype by adult inmates who’ve turned their lives around by learning to code at the San Quentin State Prison.

Is it working? You tell me. According to USA Today: So far, 393 students have graduated from the “Last Mile” coding programme.

There is a zero (0)

recidivism rate, compared to almost half of their peers who return to prison after serving their sentence.

This is rehabilitation at its best Many prison facilities are called “rehabilitation centres” because their goal is to prepare inmates to return to their communities as contributing citizens. But too often (about half the time or more), they do not rehabilitate those young men and women. They simply punish the inmates for what they’ve done.

Now – I realise punishment makes sense: courts must level justice for those who’ve been violated. Victims feel their perpetrators must pay a price for their crime.

I simply argue that there is a way for them to make restitution and to change their sense of identity. “Last Mile” seems to be doing just that. In fact, part of their US$16.49 an-hour wage goes to making restitution to victims. The rest of that money prepares them to enter society again as a better person. If we merely punish the juvenile perpetrators, victims usually gain nothing but the feeling of revenge.

As far as I am concerned, “discipline” is better than “punishment”.

Discipline not punishment When we punish kids for crimes, we look backward at what they’ve done, wanting to bring justice to the situation.

When we discipline kids, we look forward to the future and equip them to change their thinking and actions.

Both require leadership, but discipline generally leads to better outcomes. Changed lives. Bright futures. In fact, the results of this kind of discipline are: Rehabilitation – It improves their lifestyle.

Restitution – It returns payment for their mistake.

Restoration – It restores everyone to a better version of themselves.

If we’re going to do this well, we may have to change our mindset: While both are important, we must prioritise “restoration” over “justice”.

While both are important, we must peer into the future more than the past.

While both are important, we must value preparation over punishment.

Are you willing to advocate for discipline – not just punishment?

(psychologytoday.com)

D

uring this activity, your child will design his or her own money based on the idea that currency uses symbols to convey meaning.

People have been using different kinds of money for 11,000 years! At first, people simply traded things they had, like cows, for things they wanted, like feathers and beads, in a system called bartering.

Bartering worked well for thousands of years. Over time, communities developed different professions. Some people became politicians or priests, while others started businesses where they sold things like cloth and tools.

The people who sold these goods no longer wanted to trade for cattle, instead they wanted something that was easy to carry and exchange.

This is how early forms of money developed, starting

in China around 3000 years ago. As a group, people decided to treat things like cowrie shells (shells from a small snail) as items of value.

They accepted these shells in return for beads or sheep, and then spent those shells on other things they wanted.

Several hundred years later, around the 600s AD, the Chinese developed paper money, which slowly became popular.

To work well, all money needs to have four things in common: 1. Money needs to be portable, meaning you can carry it easily 2. Money needs to be durable, meaning that it must be tough so it won’t break 3. Money needs to be limitable, meaning you can control how much of it is in use; you use wouldn’t want to use pebbles, for instance, because someone could always find more 4. Money needs to be easily divisible, meaning you can use smaller pieces of it if you want, for instance a dollar is divisible into pennies Why Everyday objects such as money bills can go unnoticed in our lives. We use them all the time, but how often do we really look at them? Taking the time to investigate a familiar thing

in detail and then learning to design something similar will strengthen your child’s observation skills, creativity, and appreciation for detail.

Time Ten to 30 minutes or more, depending on your child’s interest Recommended age group This activity will work best for children in kindergarten to 4th grade.

Challenge words barter: to exchange one cowrie shells: the shell of a small snail that lives in the sea, these were used as one of the earliest forms of money mint: a place where coins are made; to make coins portable: able to be carried divisible: able to be easily broken into parts (a dollar is

divisible into cents) durable: able to be used a lot without falling apart limitable: able to be kept to a certain amount You need A pencil or pen, markers or crayons (anything to draw with!)

A five-dollar coin, 10-dollar coin, $20 bill, $100 bill (optional) Before you begin Visit the Bank of Guyana website and look at the coins and paper money. How do they compare to the reality of the money you collected?

What sorts of pictures appear on them? Why were these pictures used? What do they mean?

Design your own money!

What kinds of images are important to you? Why are they important? Make sure to include symbols on the money you design. Think about using the symbols you learnt about during your exploration of local currency, and definitely remember to include a few symbols that are important to you.

Based on the Guyana currency you have, design your own money. Start with coins: Decide what images to include and how much each coin or bill will be worth.

Then colour your money using colours you decide on.

(Adapted from startwithabook.org)

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fridAY, august 24, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

GuySuCo to launch probe into shredder incident at Uitvlugt in new week – estate management likely to face sanctions

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s questions swirl over who should bear responsibility for the recent flying knives incident at Uitvlugt Sugar Estate, top management at the State-owned entity would be among several employees who would be called in for questioning next week.

On August 11, 2018, workers fled for their lives when the cane shredder became uncontrollable and 64 out 70 knives went haywire. Guyana Times has now learnt that senior operatives at the GuySuCo Head Office will oversee the investigation, which will be directly handled by GuySuCo’s Chief Industrial Relations Manager, Deodat Sukhoo.

Information reaching Guyana Times has suggested that Sukhoo’s probe will officially begin next week Tuesday, and should not last for more than two weeks.

This follows initial inquiries where senior officers were visiting the Uitvlugt factory when it broke down and millions’ worth of cane was left to spoil. The factory started working on Sunday, and was thus able to salvage some of the produce, from which several tonnes

GuySuCo Chief Industrial Relations Manager, Deodat Sukhoo (DPI photo)

of sugar were produced.

This newspaper understands that the Chief Industrial Relations Manager will make periodic visits to the factory, where he will meet the workers involved and obtain their version of events and how it unfolded when the Number Two turbine lost control.

Ahead of next week’s probe, a GuySuCo official recently revealed that when the operator starts up the cane shredder machine, the operator is not supposed to start the turbine, but is in fact expected to test run the

knives’ component without the turbine. However, this procedure was reportedly not followed, and the “trip” was allowed to spin with excessive speed. It is this and other matters that the investigation will address.

Moreover, the report could outline possible sanctions if “negligence” is determined.

The damage to the cane shredder resulted in millions of losses, at the expense of the State. The August 11 incident delayed commencement of sugar cane grinding. These difficulties meant that the second crop suffered a setback, as reported in the media.

Officials had explained the damaged parts for the turbine, knife shaft and knives were sourced and replaced, and engineers claimed that “all of the necessary safety checks have been carried out on the turbine, as recommended by the manufacturer and as stated in the operations and maintenance manual”.

It was only Sunday that this newspaper reported that some $18 million worth of sugar cane produce at the West Coast Demerara estate were left to spoil, and that senior management was probing the circum-

Uitvlugt Estate (Agriculture Ministry photo)

stances that led to the 20 lbs knives made out of carbon steel flying out of the knife shaft.

“I think someone should answer for that, but we can’t say yet…the investigation will determine if anyone will be sanctioned,” a GuySuCo source recently told this newspaper last week.

Last week, reports stated that over 300 tonnes of sugar canes in punts were seen waiting to be processed since two Saturdays

ago, and that some of the canes began to smell. It was reported also that some 10 parts from the turbine were destroyed, and that a turbine from the defunct La Bonne Intention Estate was used to replace the damage machine.

Guyana Times also reported that management at Uitvlugt attempted to salvage the situation by opting to produce molasses which is a key ingredient in the manufacture of alcoholic beverages.

On August 11, workers started up the No. 2 turbine, but after the system malfunctioned, the 64 knives flew from all angles and some even stuck in walls. No one was injured and the workers later sang much praises to God. One observer recently called for a probe into the procedures that GuySuCo use for testing its turbines, trip-speed tests and on-site verification by qualified engineers.

(Shemuel Fanfair)

8 news

FridAY, august 24, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Hughes, State not prepared for trial over missing diamonds

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ore than four witnesses are expected to testify in the High Court case involving $54 million worth of diamonds that went missing while in Police custody 24 years ago. The trial is set to commence at the High Court on October 24.

This announcement was made by Attorney-at-law Nigel Hughes on Thursday before Justice Fidela CorbinLincoln, who has set out timelines for the case.

The diamonds at issue were taken in evidence by Police after being recovered following a 1994 robbery investigation. However, the merchandise, which purportedly belongs to businessman Ronald Khan, vanished while allegedly in Police custody.

When the matter came up for hearing at the Demerara High Court on Thursday, Solicitor General (SG) Kym Kyte-Thomas, who represented the Attorney General’s Chambers, disclosed that locating certain documents was proving difficult, as the matter has its genesis in Mahdia in 1994.

This prompted Justice Fidela Corbin-Lincoln to remark that the State appeared not prepared to present documents that the plaintiff had requested since May.

Hughes, representing businessman Ronald Khan, was similarly upbraided for not filing submissions relating to claims of limitations.

Justice Corbin-Lincoln gave the SG until September 14 to produce Khan’s witness statement, and Attorney-atlaw Nigel Hughes has to file his submissions at latest by that date.

“Both sides appear (to be) on the wrong foot,” Justice Corbin-Lincoln said.

Despite announcing that it could not locate the missing diamonds, the State had, earlier this year, stated that it was not settling the suit with Khan, who is now an elderly man. The State is, in fact, contending that Khan has to prove that the items now missing were indeed diamonds. This followed the businessman’s intimation that he would have dropped

the suit once his property was returned.

Khan had, back in 2011, filed legal action against the State when he moved to recoup his uncut diamonds which the Police had found some time after his Ewang Creek mining camp in Region Eight had been robbed in 1994.

The precious merchandise was taken to the Mahdia Police Station and transported to Police in ‘E’ (LindenKwakwani) and ‘F’ (Interior locations) Divisions, and Khan is claiming he had been told that the items were exhibits in the case.

The filing of Hughes’s submissions is based on the State’s argument that Khan’s decision to wait until 2011 to file his claim was not within the three-year timeframe as outlined in Section 6 and 8 of Chapter 7:02 of the

Limitation Act. According to court documents which Guyana Times had earlier this year obtained, Khan had, in 2010, written late Police Commissioner Henry Greene requesting the return of his diamonds, but this was never done.

The case garnered increased attention after the Attorney General had published notices in the press calling for several Police ranks, including former Police Commissioner Floyd McDonald, to make contact with his Chambers.

McDonald, who served as Crime Chief in 1994, has been named in Khan’s lawsuit, in addition to Harley Davidson, Deputy Crime Chief; Eon Sandy, who was stationed at the Supreme Criminal Court’s Police Outpost; and Alwyn Wilson, who was stationed at then ‘E’ and ‘F’ Division headquarters at Eve Leary. Notices were also sent out for Terrence Semple, who was last stationed at Mahdia Police Station; Courtney Ramsey and Desmond Leitch, both last stationed at the Criminal Investigation Department; Constable Fraser (Reg Number: 10881), and ex-Detective Sergeant Carl Wilson (Reg Number: 7797).

Fraudster jailed for 3 years T wenty-four-yearold Jermaine Fraser of Lamaha Springs, Georgetown was

on Thursday sentenced to three years’ imprisonment

by Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan when he ap-

peared in her court charged with four counts of fraud.

Fraser pleaded guilty to three of the four charges.

The court heard that on April 26, 2018, while in the vicinity of Georgetown, Fraser collected the sum of $400,000 from Baldeo Puran by pretending he was in a position to acquire for Puran a Toyota 212 motorcar, knowing same to be false. He pleaded guilty to this charge.

Another charge stated that on May, 4, 2018, while in the vicinity of Lombard Street, Georgetown, he obtained the sum of $300,000 from Ashmi Singh by pretending that he was in a position to acquire a bus for Singh, knowing same to be false. Again, he admitted to this charge.

Fraser admitted that on June 29, 2018, at Charlotte Street, Lacytown, he obtained the sum of $200,000 from Floyde LaFleur by falsely pretending that he was in a position to acquire a minibus for him.

But he denied that, on July 31, 2018, he fraudulently obtained $1.4 million from Damian Persaud by pretending he was in a position to acquire a car for Persaud.

After considering an early mitigation plea, the Chief Magistrate sentenced Fraser to three terms of imprisonment, and ordered that the sentences run concurrently.

Fraser will make his next court appearance later in August, to answer to the allegations made by Damian Persaud, which he has denied.

Checking up…

T

…on US interests he combined Congressional-Military delegation from the US landed so discreetly the local media didn’t even get to record them disembarking from the military plane that brought them to our shores. Now, compared to the three-man delegation that jetted in back in 2015 to reassure the new PNC-led Government, this time the number has multiplied threefold, PLUS there are at least 16 military personnel and others!!

Such a large delegation for such a small country deserves an explanation. After all, this trip can’t be one of those “junkets” which Congressmen are routinely accused of indulging in with such gusto!! Congressman John Curtis did bring his wife Sue, but then he announced he wouldn’t be standing for re-election next year!! If the truth be told, we qualify on every criterion that President Trump might’ve used to define “shithole” countries…and such locales don’t attract junkets; for that they would’ve gone to Barbados!!

If you were to read the comments of every American Ambassador or other Embassy official who was posted to Guyana –it’s on the Net!! – hopefully, dear reader, you wouldn’t be offended to discover they viewed this posting on par with being sent to the Gulag Archipelago in Siberia!!

Their descriptions make that much-criticised report in the NY Times read like a travelogue to Paradise!! So no, this ain’t no junket.

Since this isn’t a privately-funded trip, it means that the large delegation is on OFFICIAL business; and therefore, as the US always is at pains to point out, they’re here to protect or further AMERICAN interests. And that is as it should be. Why should the US be funding a trip that doesn’t benefit the US? We hope the Guyanese Foreign Service and other governmental officials could imbibe this lesson. From the comments of some, you’d think their mission is to bring ‘peace on earth”!!

So what are the US interests in Guyana?? PM Nagamootoo alluded to the strategic interests back in the sixties during the sixties’ Cold War that dictated they ensure the PPP be kept out of office. While some believe ideology is passé with the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Congressmen would want to ferret out whether the US is being played like they were by the PNC back then. President Granger was Burnham’s ideologue in the army. Will he revert and nationalise?

Then there’s the economic interest represented by Exxon’s 4 billion oil find. They’ll be concerned the PNC’s policies don’t make Guyana into a “failed state” once again, to threaten their economic and other interests, such as sending another wave of Guyanese refugees into America.

Not to mention all those Venezuelan refugees joining the “missing” Cubans and ending up in Florida!!

Hopefully, the Congressmen don’t fall for the BS!! …on Eid’s Sacrifice Your Eyewitness spent a quiet day on Eid, reflecting, as he was exhorted to, on the significance of “sacrifice”.

Now, in a multi-religious society, one doesn’t have to be Muslim to commemorate Eid in this fashion. The sacrifice to God is, of course, paramount; but sometimes we forget the sacrifice if not FOR God, but for ourselves!! After all, God doesn’t need anything, does He? We, however, do; and the sacrifice reminds us from where everything we get comes. If we remember this, you wouldn’t see – or feel -- the hubris and arrogance that characterise so much of the actions of the “big ones” in our society. It’s rather sad that some of them actually may believe THEY are God, going by the way they carry on!

Sacrifice teaches us humility, since, at the very best, we can be blessed if we accept we are merely conduits of God’s will.

And finally, Eid is certainly not about getting “free beef”, as a growing number of persons seem to believe!! …that PNC smash-up No one has been charged after the PNC Congress’s BIG BASH at the Georgetown Club. It was poignant that the “Remembering Alicea” ad – about the tragedy of DUI – ran alongside the report.

Mothers in Black should enquire!!

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

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fridAY, august 24, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Govt engages in exorbitant spending – Jagdeo …says alcohol is just the tip of the iceberg

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overnment’s spending extends beyond the $700,000 that is expended for each prliamentary sitting, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo has said.

According to Jagdeo, this is just the tip of the iceberg, as he accused Government of spending taxpayers’ money exorbitantly on other things such as travel, hotels and even confectionaries.

“We have also been honing in on some other excesses too. For example, in several Ministries, we’ve seen an inflation of interior travel and hotel bills,” he said on Thursday.

The People’s Progressive Party (PPP) General Secretary claimed that Government will charter an aircraft or book more seats that they require and then they don’t use all of them.

“And rather than the Treasury being reimbursed for the non-use of the seats or hotel rooms, they defer their use and at some point in time they either, individuals or party activists, use those flights into the hinterlands and the hotel rooms that are booked,” Jagdeo alleged.

In addition, the former President also posited that his party is still in the process of confirming that approximately $90,000 is being spent on confectionery

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo

for a specific Ministry, per month.

“We have seen figures and we’re just confirming this where one Minister’s office buys about $90,000 of confectionery every month,” he said.

Furthermore, the Opposition Leader also lamented on the possibility that taxpayers are being forced to pay for the medical insurance of Government officials and their families.

He recalled that when there was a big outcry about private insurance being contracted for Cabinet members and their families for medical treatment abroad, Government had explained

that Ministers were supposed to reimburse the other part of the premium that they had to pay.

“We gathered no reimbursement took place last year and in fact for this year, the full premium has been paid for these Ministers and their families for medical treatment abroad, using taxpayers’ funds again,” Jagdeo told media operatives.

“So there are a ton of other similar things that are happening and the alcohol use in Parliament is the tip of the iceberg,” he further noted, asserting that “it will be interesting to find out what the alcohol use is in some of the Ministries.”

According to Jagdeo, these can easily be verified if an audit is done. “… because there will be bills available. Hopefully there will be bills available unless they’re using other heads for example they will [use] money from national events to dietary. … (masking) the true level of spending on these things.”

Earlier this month, it was brought to the public’s attention that approximately $700,000 was being spent on food for every sitting at the National Assembly.

Jagdeo had offered his input, highlighting that while he was unsure of the exact number, the cost, which seemed exorbitant, was not

President David Granger is surrounded by his Ministers of Cabinet

being spent on food for the parliamentarians alone, but that monies were also being spent on alcohol for parliamentarians in the VIP Lounge.

Shortly after his revelation, Public Telecommunications Minister Cathy Hughes refuted the Opposition Leader’s assertion, noting that alcohol was only consumed in the Parliament Building on special occasions and during the Christmas season.

Jagdeo told media operatives on Thursday that Hughes was “telling a blatant lie.”

While the debate continues over whether in fact al-

cohol is served to Guyana’s legislators on a regular basis or on special occasions, Clerk to the Parliament, Sherlock Isaacs has denied any knowledge of requests made by Members of Parliament (MPs) for alcoholic beverages.

Isaacs, who is currently on leave, told Guyana Times that an MPs requesting an alcoholic drink at the VIP Longue of the Parliament has not happened before and will not be tolerated. He claimed that he is unaware of any situation where an MP requested an alcoholic drink and got one.

He reminded that MPs only indulge in the drinking of alcohol at special occa-

sions in cases where there is a party or one organised by the Parliament. Isaacs said he cannot recall at any time where alcohol was served outside of those occasions or for any other reason.

Isaacs recently disclosed that $700,000 was spent for each sitting of Parliament.

If committee meetings are to be included, it means almost $80 million would have been spent in the last three years alone overall on food.

But besides the high food bill, Jagdeo, a former President, argued that the dietary expenditure has increased tremendously under the coalition Administration.

Couple charged for assaulting each other Govt meets with US...

from page 3

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ommon-law couple Orwin DeCinto and Carlotta Rice were earlier this week arraigned before Georgetown Magistrate Leron Daly charged with assaulting each other; and they each denied the charge when it was read to them.

The court heard that on August 5, 2018, while at their Albouystown residence, they assaulted each

other with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

According to the prosecution’s facts, on the day in question, at about 19:00h, DeCinto was conversing with a friend when he became embroiled in an argument with Rice over an issue that occurred earlier that day. In the course of the argument, Rice allegedly became annoyed and tore down DeCinto’s shirt before

attacking him with an object, causing him to receive injuries to his right wrist.

They each eventually ended up assaulting the other so as to cause grievous bodily harm. The Police prosecutor did not object to either defendant being placed on bail, thus Magistrate Daly placed DeCinto on $10,000 bail and Rice on $40,000 bail.

The matter will be tried in September.

He noted too that the Congressmen particularly have expressed interest in the energy sector and the possibility of access to cheap electricity for Guyanese and other stakeholders.

“We explained that we’re not wedded to one concept.

Some areas may have solar, some areas may have hydro, some areas may have wind, some areas may have natural gas so we’re looking at

a mix of energy sources and we’re confident that we’ll bring the tariff rate down to below US$0.15 cents per kilowatt hour. Maybe we’ll keep moving downwards and have cheap energy and this will be important to manufacturers. So some of the questions were concerned with the possibility of cheap energy,” the President explained.

The US team, which

was headed by Republican Bob Goodlatte, included Republicans Steve Cohen, John Rutherford, Scott Peters, Mark Sanford, Richard Hutson and Tod Rokita and other officials.

The Guyanese Head of State had Vice President and Foreign Affairs Minister, Carl Greenidge; along with Minister of State Joseph Harmon at his side.

10 news

fridAY, august 24, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

SASOD calls for awareness, distribution of PrEP drugs

…says it will engage the Public Health Ministry

T

he Society Against Sexual Orientation and Discrimination (SASOD) is appealing for partnerships with governmental and Private Sector entities as it relates to the distribution of the PreExposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) drugs, a pill that can prevent the contraction of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) in persons who are HIV negative.

Speaking at the SASOD

headquarters on Thursday was the organisation’s Public Health Consultant, Dr Nastassia Rambarran, who indicated that a study was conducted by the organisation with HIV negative individuals so as to involve the opinions of the general population.

They included 47 persons from Regions Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara), Four (DemeraraMahaica), Five (Mahaica-

Berbice), Six (East BerbiceCorentyne) and 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) whereby the level of knowledge, attitudes and delivery preferences in relation to PrEP. According to Rambarran, the daily pill can result in 90 to 98 per cent protection against the disease and is mainly catered for those whose partners are HIV positive.

Additionally, sex workers and transgender persons

SOCU detains Venezuelanregistered aircraft

T

he Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) has detained a Venezuelanregistered aircraft which landed at the Eugene F Correia International Airport at Ogle on Sunday.

Information reaching Guyana Times indicate that airport authorities were instructed by SOCU not to allow the aircraft -- a Beech Baron 55 bearing registration YV 2377 -- to leave the country.

The aircraft was grounded as SOCU tried to ascertain the purpose of the aircraft’s landing on Guyana soil. Attempts to get the head of the SOC a comment proved futile.

Back in July, the pilots

A model of the Beech Baron 55 aircraft

and at least seven passengers were taken into custody after they landed at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport with a Venezuelan registered aircraft.

In that incident, it was reported that the group of peo-

ple were invited to Guyana

by Michael Brassington. It was believed that the aircraft carried the same registration number as another aircraft, but after investigations, the plane was released as well as the pilots and passengers.

Members of SASOD who were part of the team that conducted the study

can also protect themselves from the virus but additional protection is needed against other Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs).

“There are other forms [of the medication]. However, that [pill] is just the most common one and they’re also working on things apart from that but for now that’s what we have.”

While a majority of these persons were interested in the benefits of the pill, they were concerned about the costs attached and the HIV stigma that follows upon inquiry of the drug.

Hence, the group is requesting that Government and non-governmental organisations (NGO) take up

the responsibility of providing the drugs to these persons. They would also be able to reduce the cost to about US$10 for one month’s supply of the medication.

“Persons spoke about some barriers that could impede PrEP uptake and these include the fact that it is a pill that has to be remembered to be taken daily, side effects, denial about risk, lack of education and frequency of blood work. Two major barriers were the cost of the medication, if it had to be bought, and the continued stigma around HIV. Founder of SASOD, Joel Simpson, indicated that the next steps would entail engaging the Public Health

Ministry and the National Aids Programme Secretariat (NAPS), given that the advantages of supplying the pills are numerous.

“The first place that we think that we need to go is to get this before the policymakers at the Ministry of Public Health. We think we have enough [data] for implementation and our next step will be to meet with the Programme Manager at the National Aids Programme Secretariat,” Simpson.

The organisation is also calling for the sensitisation of the general public on the use of pill which can provide protection against HIV if used as prescribed.

S RAIGHT The Soverign Guyana dollar is in trouble By: Sase Singh; M.Sc. - Finance, ACCA.

D

Introduction

epreciation in a country’s currency is when it continues to lose value in a floating exchange system. The outcome of such a situation in respect to Guyana, where our productivity and export production are flat-lining, is increased inflation and a rapid increase in the cost of living. Such a situation hurts the poor the most.

Currency depreciation can occur due to any number of reasons – the economic fundamentals malfunctioning; interest rate differentials; political instability; risk aversion among investors; capital flight, and so on. The overwhelming view of the majority in the analyst community is that the root cause of the economic troubles in Guyana is not being addressed. Rather than waste time and resources on phantom troubles like the Lindo Creek investigation, President Granger needs to urgently wake up to the real troubles– the economic ones. He cannot continue to be “out-to-lunch” on these gross acts of economic mismanagement that are present in his Government.

The reliance on future oil revenues cannot be the solution, especially after the fact that not even EXXONMOBIL knows the exact exploitation date or price which will translate to Guyana’s share of the oil revenue. It is all guesswork currently. The IMF has already warned Guyana about “scaling up” public spending in anticipation of future oil revenues, yet this is exactly what Team Granger continues to do.

So how did we get here? Although President Granger complains that the PPP bequeathed him with an empty treasury, the evidence reveals that this is furthest from the truth. The last IMF Report on the PPP performance was headlined “Guyana experienced seven consecutive years of solid growth buoyed by agriculture and extractive industries”. Again, in that report, it noted that the PPP Government has been able to “gradually reduce Government expenditure as a share of GDP,” which was expected to improve the fiscal deficit. The PNC-led Granger Government came in and upturned that entire plan.

What this Granger-led Government has done has been to plunder the treasury of some Gy$70 billion in 12 months, and the rest is history. As at August 8, 2018, there has been a net balance of some G$57.6 billion owed to the Central Bank by the Ministry of Finance. Where has all this money gone?

Since President Granger came to office, his Government has made a determined effort to use the State as a vehicle to crowd out the private sector. His henchmen went as far as to try to label the private sector as mercantile vultures, rather than as the engine of economic growth. The nation did not respond well to such ideas, and around the end of 2016, capital flight started to happen at an accelerated pace.

Today, capital flight is actively taking place in Guyana. The end result in a drying up of the stock of foreign currency available to the nation.

In such a situation, something must give. The graph below using Bank of Guyana data and my projections for December 2018 based on the Ministry of Finance’s Half Year Report for 2018 reveals what is happening to our exchange rate.

As we can observe, the exchange rate has been sliding under both the PPP and PNC-led Governments, but the slide has accelerated since December 2016 under President Granger, as more people have

lost confidence in his ability to charter a new course because of the allegations of rampant acts of corruption under his Government, evidence of wasteful spending, and the destruction of many parts of the six sisters (the productive sector) that Guyana needs as the generators of the foreign currency to fuel the economy.

What has been clearer have been the determined efforts by some of the most powerful political figures in Team Granger to destroy the partnership between the private sector and the state sector by using state agencies like “SARA and SOCU” to run down the private sector.

Clive Thomas, Head of SARA and Economic Advisor to the President, made some damning statements against the private sector in the early days of the Granger Administration, and those helped to cement this destruction. His machinery is still at work today, even though not one of his cases has been concluded some three years later, which has reinforced the notion that Team Granger really have not figured out their developmental model yet, and the role that the private sector ought to be playing in that model. That is not how you run a country, in such a “school boyish” way with petty agendas. You think nationally, as you rule for all the people all the time.

Conclusion

We can do much better than this. The people must continually raise their voices on the issues, to ensure that better must come. That is why we must all stand with the teachers today.

Please feel free to share your feedback at sasesin1@yahoo.com.

Please share your thoughts at sasesin1@yahoo.com.

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fridAY, august 24, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Millers owe Essequibo rice farmers over $132M – Holder slams non-payment, urges GRDB to explore penalties for errant millers

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uyana Times has long been reporting about the financial hardships experienced by rice farmers who have been owed millions of dollars by rice millers; Agriculture Minister Noel Holder has concurred with the farmers’ plight and slammed the prolonged delay.

According to the Department of Public Information, (DPI), Agriculture Minister Noel Holder on Thursday declared that the delay farmers experience in receiving from millers payment for their produce is a clear violation of the Rice Factories Act, and is a “clear demonstration of unfair business practices”.

His comments came after rice farmer and Essequibo Paddy Producers’ Association head, Naith Ram, lament-

A combine in a rice field

ed the farmers’ plight during a recent outreach to Region Two. According to DPI, while saying that rice farmers on the Essequibo Coast “are being held to ransom by many millers”, Ram has identified rice miller Wazir Hussain as owing many of those farmers.

Hussain had earlier told this newspaper that it was the Guyana Rice

Development Board (GRDB) which owe millers, and the millers, in turn, owe farmers.

Nevertheless, Ram cried out that he has been owed since the first crop for 2018. He said that many farmers had to either relinquish cultivating or scale back cultivation significantly.

“Farmers have not been paid to date. We have a

Factories Act, but farmers will not take millers to court because of fear of victimisation by other millers. We have to devise another system - we have to take some firm action.

How can a farmer who is not being paid sustain his family?

We have to do something to help the situation in Region Two.” Ram said. turn to page 13

12 news

fridAY, august 24, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Police hand out $3.5M in bursary awards T

he Guyana Police Force (GPF) on Thursday handed out $3.5 million in bursary awards to 114 children who performed exceptionally well in the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) that was written in March of this year.

The awards were handed out at the Officers' Mess Office in Eve Leary, Georgetown.

Overall, 127 students received financial grants.

Among those who met the qualifications were 114 students who received $25,000 each along with a $2000 voucher.

Six students also received awards from the Police Association of $20,000 each.

Special awards were handed to seven outstanding pupils who received bursaries of $100,000 to $200,000.

Shabanna Bacchus receiving a special award of $200,000 from Assistant Police Commissioner-Administration, Maxine Graham

Shabanna Bacchus was granted the highest award of $200,000 from the Force.

In attendance at the award ceremony were Assistant Chief Education

Officer, Samatha Williams and several senior Police officials.

Williams, who delivered the feature address on behalf of Chief Education Officer, Marcel Hutson, said the Ministry is appreciative of the GPF’s effort and lauded them for same. She added that she hopes other entities can host such events in the future.

“It is occasions like this that help to strengthen the stakeholder collaboration that is needed in order for the Ministry of Education to achieve its mandate,” the ACEO said.

She further lauded the children for their hard work and encouraged them to be the best they can in their respective secondary schools.

“Dream big! Dream of becoming someone who will work on our oil rig, dream of becoming a nurse, a doctor, an author or even the President of Guyana,”

Williams encouraged.

Assistant Police Commissioner Maxine Graham related that the GPF’s bursary programme was initiated in 1994.

In 2015, 170 persons applied for bursary awards and 141 qualified while in 2016, 212 applications were received and 83 persons qualified.

Last year, 127 persons applied and 98 persons were able to benefit. Meanwhile this year, 160 applications were received.

Most students who received bursaries on Thursday would have obtained 400 marks and above at the NGSA examination.

On March 28 and March 29, some 14,551 pupils wrote the examinations to complete their primary education and gain entrance into the secondary education system.

Each candidate’s NGSA score is calculated by adding five per cent of each can-

didate’s Grade Two scores in Mathematics and English, and 10 per cent of the Grade Four score in the same subjects to 85 per cent of each candidate’s score in those subjects at the Grade Six Assessment. The combined scores in Mathematics and English are then added to the scores gained in Science and Social Studies.

The NGSA replaced the longstanding Common Entrance Examination, which was a one-off assessment at the Grade Six level.

This year, Nalia Rahaman of Westfield Preparatory School in Kingston, Georgetown was the nation’s highest performer. She secured a perfect score of 529 and has been awarded a place at Queen’s College.

The event hosted on Thursday was one of several being organised by the GPF’s Military Band in observance of its 160th anniversary.

Man slapped with 2 counts of threatening language

R

andy Augustin was on Tuesday arraigned before Senior Magistrate Leron Daly, charged with two counts of using threatening language. He denied both of the charges when they were read to him.

The Police contend that

on August 15, 2018, while in the vicinity of Stabroek Market, Georgetown, Augustin made used of threatening language towards Nicketa Harris.

It is also alleged that on the same day in question, while at Brickdam, Georgetown, Augustin

threatened Jermaine Wilson.

Police Prosecutor Sanj Singh did not object to Augustin being placed on bail, thus he was placed on bail in the sum of $10,000 on each charge, and the matter has been slated to continue on September 15, 2018.

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fridAY, august 24, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Conductor stabbed during No arrests made as family remains fearful row over passenger Good Hope attempted robbery

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lmost two weeks after the Police had reviewed CCTV footage in relation to an August 11th incident wherein 19-year-old Anzan Ledoux of Good Hope, East Coast Demerara was shot to his face, at about 21:15h, while trying to prevent two suspected bandits from entering his yard, no arrest has as yet been made.

Family members of the victim have since declared themselves frustrated and still scared because of the horrific incident, but nevertheless still hopeful that the Police would be able to arrest and jail the suspects.

Ledoux’s mother, Gangadai Jairam, told Guyana Times that she and a few relatives and friends were having an evening chat just outside their home when they saw two suspicious looking men on a motorcycle ride through their street.

“The bike pass and

The injured teen, Anzan Ledoux

they look at us and they ride away… It go up the street, and whilst going up de street, one of them turn back and see if we looking or what, and then they go around. In two minutes or so they reach round,” she recalled.

She said her party noticed the men approaching

with full speed, and suspecting that something was amiss, rushed to get inside her yard.

“Me and meh son try fuh push them in (through the gate). My daughter plus the lil one is four years — the neighbour grandson, he was four years — trying to come in too,” Jairam detailed.

According to her, after realising that the family was suspicious of them, the pillion rider hopped off the bike and attacked her son as he was trying to close the gate.

Jairam said her son struck the man’s hand in an attempt to prevent him from opening the gate, and the angry man then pulled out a gun and fired a round at her son. Despite her son’s attempts to prevent being hit, the bullet struck him to his face and passed through his right ear.

The shot elicited screams from the entire

Millers owe Essequibo...

DPI quoted Ram as saying that millers continually owing farmers is “negatively affecting the rice industry and the livelihood of rice farmers.” According to the Government Information Service, GRDB noted that millers on the Essequibo Coast owe farmers more than $132 million for paddy supplied from the first crop, with a popular Essequibo miller owing “97 per cent of that figure”.

In response, Minister Holder has said millers must not be allowed to mistreat rice farmers and withhold payments.

“We have many millers faulting the Board for their not being able to pay farmers, especially recently, for rice shipped to Panama. The Panama deal is not like other arrangements millers have with other buyers; it is a Government-to-Government

arrangement. The GRDB approached millers explaining that the Panama market offers 30% more for the rice, but like any Government-toGovernment arrangement, funds take a litter longer to process.”

Minister Holder pointed out that if millers are not treating farmers justly, the GRDB could explore withholding milling licences, as the law stipulates.

“However, this has to be a Board policy...as a member of the GRDB Board of Directors, you can bring that suggestion to the table, (but) the Minister cannot make that decision; it has to be a decision of the Board.”

Minister Holder said.

Rice farmers on the Essequibo island of Wakenaam were in July paid after waiting for five long months to be paid for their produce. Before this

From page 11

payment was effected, farmers had vented their frustrations at the prolonged delay, saying that the crop would pass without them being paid. However, as media reports highlighted, after months of non-payment that farmers were being made to endure, the farmers finally received the monies that were owed to them.

However, the Guyana Rice Millers Association (GRMA) maintained that millers are signing agreements with GRDB, which has a Government-toGovernment arrangement with Panama, and as such, GRDB has an obligation to pay millers.

GRMA Head, Leekha Rambrich, had observed in June that GRDB was violating laws on its delayed payments to millers under the Panama deal.

family as they rushed to the young man’s assistance, while the gunman and his accomplice made good their escape.

Ledoux was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC), where he underwent emergency surgery and several brain scans. His mother has since said that her son has been experiencing pain in his ear, and she is trying to take him overseas for treatment for his condition.

She said he is hearing only a little since the incident.

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ndrew Blacks, a conductor on a Route 32 minibus (Georgetown-Parika), is now battling for his life after reportedly being stabbed multiple times by a minibus driver during a quarrel over a passenger on Wednesday in the vicinity of Stabroek Square, Georgetown.

Based on reports received, Blacks was attempting to escort a passenger into the minibus on which he works when a bus driver attempted to pull the passenger away from him. He objected to this action, and the driver, enraged, whipped

out a weapon and inflicted several stabs about his body.

Reportedly bleeding profusely, Blacks collapsed on the roadway, but was immediately picked up by persons on the scene and rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC), where he was admitted and remains a patient in stable but serious condition.

The suspect has since been arrested, and is assisting the Police in their investigation of the incident. He is expected to be charged and arraigned in court today.

14 news

fridAY, august 24, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Labour Dept to meet with GTU, Education Ministry for conciliation – GTU President says no formal invite sent

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Labour Minister Keith Scott

he Labour Department of the Social Protection Ministry has approved the Education Ministry’s request for conciliation in

the matter involving the Guyana Teachers' Union (GTU) and its intention to call a nationwide strike on August 27 over the impasse relating to salaries and benefits for teachers.

The Education Ministry’s request was made on Thursday and was accepted. As such, the Labour Minister and other officials will try to resolve the issues in a meeting at the Labour Department’s Board Room today (Friday) at 14:00h between the Guyana Teachers’ Union and the Education Ministry.

According to a press statement, the Education Ministry’s application was in keeping with the provisions of an extant Collective Labour Agreement.

However, it is unclear whether or not GTU will present itself at this latest meeting, given that talks broke down at the two previous meetings. Contacted last Thursday evening, GTU President Mark Lyte indicated that the GTU might not be attending this afternoon’s meeting.

“We are not going through any talks, because as far as we are concerned, conciliation has taken place already; the Ministry [of Labour’s] presence was there in the last two meetings,” he stressed.

Additionally, Lyte remarked that from his standpoint, he wasn’t even formally invited to the meeting.

“I have not received any formal invitation for any meeting, because I’m on the ground out of the area, so we have not received [any] formal invitation; so I don’t know where that is,” the union president pointed out.

Guyana Times understands that, under conciliation, Minister with responsibility for Labour, Keith Scott, will attempt to act as a mediator to bring resolution to the matter.

Conciliation is reportedly different from arbitration in that an arbitrator would be a neutral person appointed by the minister, rather than the minister himself trying to solve the impasse.

The move to install an independent adjudicator was the expressed position of former Education Minister Dr Henry Jeffery, who was also a former Foreign Affairs Minister. When Guyana Times interviewed him last week, he recommended that the GTU request arbitration

GTU President, Mark Lyte

to help bring the matter to a possible conclusion. At the same time, he reasoned that the GTU should have first requested conciliation from the Labour Department.

“My concern with this matter is collective bargaining. When the Government came into office, and before…in its manifesto, it promised collective bargaining. Collective bargaining would entail a process that would mean the union does not have to strike,” the former Government official stated last week.

In the meanwhile, GTU has been mobilising teachers across various locations, including Georgetown, Bartica, Linden, Berbice and Essequibo. It was only on Thursday that this newspaper published a report wherein the GTU President indicated that Government could face a High Court injunction should it proceed with deduction against the salaries of teachers.

Lyte said, too, that the union does not want a confrontation with Government, and noted that GTU has always attempted to solve the situation amicably with the current administration. GTU has rejected Government’s request for teachers to agree to a debunching payoff of $200 million for 2018/19.

Lyte said the Union similarly rejected the $700 million cap that was placed on salary increases which was for 2018 only. Government also wants the clothing allowance to remain at $8000, a figure which Lyte said was given in 2011. He said, too, that for Whitley Council Leave, teachers still have to wait four years before getting their one month off, even though the GTU appealed for three years. The union is seeking 40 percent salary increases for its 7000 members.

news

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fridAY, august 24, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Blind Institute GTT recognises children of employees who excelled at NGSA records 100% passes at CSEC G uyana Telephone Telegraph (GTT) on Thursday distributed bursary awards to eight students who were successful at the recently announced National Grade Six Assessment examinations.

The children of GTT employees benefited from monetary contributions in recognition of their hard work and dedication and to assist with the upcoming school year.

Additionally, top performer Saskia Paddy, who is the daughter of Roydell Paddy from the Outside Plant, Maintenance, received for herself a Kindle Fire tab-

Top performer Shimona Sugrim receiving her award for her performance

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he Guyana Society for the Blind (GSB) had recorded a 100 per cent pass rate at the recent Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations.

Among the seven students who would have sat this year’s examination from the organisation, they all secured passes ranging from Grades Ones to Three.

Executive member of the organisation, Ganesh Singh gave a brief overview of their performance, noting that it has been exceptional.

“It was extremely good because we got 100 per cent pass. In total, they wrote 16 subjects and they passed all.

We cater for persons with other disabilities as well because we know that there are limited opportunities out there relating to education,” Singh stated.

The top student was Shimona Sugrim from Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), who secured five Grade Twos, followed by Dawn Benjamin with four Grade Twos and Shondy Thomas who acquired three Grade Twos and two Grade Threes.

Sugrim told Guyana

Times, “When I started, I didn’t think I would’ve achieved this so I’m very happy about it. It’s definitely a great achievement for me.”

Most of the students indicated that they wish to give back to the blind community by teaching students with similar disabilities.

Meanwhile, one of the teachers responsible for preparing the students for the examination, Rosemary Ramitt, highlighted her experience throughout the programme and also explained that this achievement will enable the students to pursue a career in the future.

To the students, she said, “What you have done now will just be the stepping stone for what you want to do later.”

Despite this achievement, it was indicated that there are some limiting factors which can be challenging at times.

One of the main setbacks is the number of teachers and also the fact that students are coming to the intuition from other regions. At times, they would have to use social media to organise video chats so that persons can access the information which is being taught.

The awardees along with their parents and senior staff of the telephone company

let while Naysa Farley, second place performer and daughter of Chevonne and Errol Farley, received an E-Reader.

GTT will support these

students each year once their overall grades remain above 65 per cent as the company continued to “do more” to lend to the future development of the nation’s children.

GTT has also ensured the access to free Internet service for these students for their entire secondary school lives up to 6th Form.

Linden security officers protest non-payment of salaries

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ecurity officers attached to the Amazon Security Service in Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) on Thursday took to the streets over alleged non-payment of salaries.

According to the female security officers, they represent a fraction of employees who have not received any payment of their salaries for the past three months.

Holding up placards bearing various slogans, the aggrieved security officers stood in Central Mackenzie, Linden before moving to the Constabulary Compound in Mackenzie, where the security firm's office is located.

They were very vocal in explaining the situation.

"Three months no pay...I does work in the office, and what get me real angry is that none of them ain't coming decently and say nothing...I want my money today...", one of the protestors, Janet Hodge, stated.

Three of the aggrieved security officers on the protest line on Thursday

In an interview with this publication, Hodge alleged that when she enquired about her salary from her boss, she did not get a favourable response. She noted, however, that she was told in June that the payment was "not ready yet".

"Right now it past talking time. I need my money to-

day", she continued.

The employees have noted that they do not even have money to buy food or transportation, but they maintain that they would remain on the job.

"Is three months now I ain't get no salary. I owe the bus, I have other bills", Dina Kissoon explained.

According to the employees, they are in dire need of their salaries since they also have bills to pay.

According to security guard Karen Dowding, they are also suffering from lack of working materials.

"When we working, we ain't working with no torchlight, no ruler or nothing…

Dem ain't buying these things and give you, but they charging you...I work for 3 months straight without no pay. And we're being charged for things on the work that is not right", she said.

The woman also claimed money was deducted from her salary after a gate was left open at her work site. In protest, the women also sat along the roadway with the hope of attracting the necessary attention.

"I supposed to work tonight but I ain't going", Hodge told this publication.

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guyanatimesgy.com

fridAY, august 24, 2018

Around the World

US Attorney General Jeff Sessions UK’s ‘no-deal’ hits back at Trump criticism Brexit plans warn

U

S President Donald Trump drew a sharp rebuttal from his attorney general after giving a scathing assessment of Jeff Sessions as being unable to take control of the Justice Department.

Trump intensified his criticism of the Justice Department in a Fox News interview broadcast on Thursday as the White House grappled to respond to the conviction of former Paul Manafort, Trump’s former campaign chairman, on multiple fraud counts and a plea deal struck by Michael Cohen, Trump’s former personal lawyer that implicated the president.

Trump reprised a litany of complaints about the

Sessions drew Trump’s ire when he recused himself in March 2017 from issues involving the 2016 White House race

Justice Department and the FBI, attacking both without providing evidence they had treated him and his supporters unfairly.

Trump also renewed his criticism of Sessions, blaming him for what he called corruption at the Department of Justice. “I

put in an attorney general who never took control of the Justice Department,” Trump told Fox. Sessions, in a rare rebuttal to Trump, issued a statement defending the integrity of his department. “I took control of the Department of Justice the

day I was sworn in,” he said. “... While I am attorney general, the actions of the Department of Justice will not be improperly influenced by political considerations.”

Sessions, a long time US senator and early supporter of Trump’s presidential bid, drew Trump’s ire when he recused himself in March 2017 from issues involving the 2016 White House race. That removed him from oversight of the federal special counsel’s investigation of Russia’s role in the election and whether Trump’s campaign worked with Moscow to influence the vote. Trump has repeatedly called the investigation a witch-hunt. (Excerpt

from Al Jazeera)

US State Department softens travel advisory on Cuba

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he United States on Thursday revised its travel advisory on Cuba to “exercise increased caution,” from “reconsider travel,” a move that some in the tourism sector hope could help reverse a decline in American visitors to the Caribbean island.

The US State Department had warned its citizens last year not to visit the country because of a spate of still unexplained ill-

nesses among its embassy personnel in Havana.

The new US travel advisory acknowledges, however, that these so-called “attacks” seemed to target those personnel and not private citizens, and therefore simply advises travellers to “exercise increased caution in Cuba.”

Cuba and many analysts have branded the warning on travel to the Communistrun island as politically

motivated. Republican US President Donald Trump had announced in 2017 he would partially roll back a detente with Havana by his Democratic predecessor Barack Obama.

The State Department reported similar illnesses this year among US Embassy staff in China, but did not issue a warning on travel to that country. The warning on travel to Cuba along with tighter restric-

tions issued last year that made it more difficult for Americans to travel there independently have dampened a recent boom in US visitors to the island.

The number of US visitors to Cuba for the first half of the year – not including Cuban-Americans – slumped 24 per cent to 266,000, three different sources with access to Cuban tourism industry data told Reuters in July.

of credit card fees

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rexit Secretary Dominic Raab has set out what he called “practical and proportionate” advice in case the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

The guidance includes instructions for businesses who could face extra paperwork at borders and contingency plans to avoid medicine shortages. Britons visiting the EU could also face extra credit card charges.

Ministers say a deal is the most likely outcome but that “short-term disruption” is possible without one.

BBC political correspondent Chris Mason described the publication as a “vast swirling porridge of detail - much of it at a technical level, advising individual industries about the manner in which

More than 30 aftershocks in Trinidad following mega quake

(Excerpt from Reuters)

Venezuelans rush to Peru to beat passport deadline M V enezuelans trying to emigrate to Peru are rushing to get there before Saturday when new rules will come

Venezuelans have fled their country since 2014.

They are fleeing a severe economic crisis which has led to severe shortages

lar measure in place on 18 August, to “continue to allow those in need of international protection to access safety and seek asylum”.

show their passport at the border did not mean that Peru was “closing the door” on Venezuelan migrants.

He said that Venezuelan

Some Venezuelans who do not have money for the bus are doing the journey on foot

into force requiring them to have valid passports. So far, Venezuelans have been allowed to enter Peru with just their ID cards.

Many have been waiting for their passports for years with the authorities blaming “mafias” inside the registry services for the delays. More than two million

of food, medicine and basic goods. Many of those fleeing the country say they are doing so because they cannot get the operations and medical care they need.

On Thursday, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi urged Peru, and Ecuador, which already put a simi-

According to UN figures, 26,000 entered Peru in 2017 but Peruvian migration chief Eduardo Sevilla says many more have arrived since. He puts the number of Venezuelans currently in Peru at 400,000.

Peruvian Prime Minister César Villanueva said requiring Venezuelans to

they are regulated in the event of a no-deal Brexit”.

Labour said a no-deal outcome would be “catastrophic” and a “complete failure by the government to negotiate for Britain”.

Just after the documents were released, Chancellor Philip Hammond reiterated a warning from his department of a 7.7% hit to GDP over the next 15 years under a no-deal Brexit scenario, in a letter to the Treasury Committee.

The timing of that release angered pro-Brexit MP Jacob Rees-Mogg, who said the Treasury was trying to stop Brexit, and that it consistently painted a bleak picture “because they are frightened of taking responsibility for managing the economy without the crutch of the EU”. (Excerpt from BBC News)

ID cards did not provide enough information and could easily be forged.

Peruvian Foreign Minister Néstor Popolizio said Peru would issue “humanitarian visas” to Venezuelans in “exceptional” cases such as those of elderly people, pregnant women and young children. (Excerpt from BBC News)

ore than 30 tremors have been recorded in Trinidad and Tobago since Tuesday’s 7.3 magnitude earthquake that rocked the oil rich twin island republic causing widespread damage, the Seismic Research Centre (SRC) of the St Augustine campus of the University of the West Indies (UWI) has reported.

It said the latest quake, with a magnitude of 4.0, occurred Thursday around 6:44 am (local time) and was located at 10.68°N and 62.98°W at a depth of 70km.

The SRC said 37 aftershocks have been recorded since Tuesday and dismissed reports circulating that persons were predicting future earthquakes to hit the country.

“Earthquakes cannot be predicted,” it said, noting that after the mega quake earlier this week “aftershocks have occurred and will continue to occur in the coming days and weeks”.

The Association of

Trinidad and Tobago Insurance Companies (ATTIC), said Thursday that while, like the rest of the country, it is relieved that there have been no reports of serious injury and loss of life, there have been reports of “some damage to property”.

“Whilst we are thankful that the country has been spared any major devastation associated with an earthquake of this magnitude, we take this opportunity to remind the public of the importance of having proper coverage against these and other risks and wish to advise policyholders on the steps in submitting a claim in the event that damages were incurred,” the umbrella insurance.

It said policy holders, who have sustained damages, should contact your respective insurance company, agent or broker and immediately notify them of any claims. (Excerpt from Jamaica

Observer)

friday, august 24, 2018

guyanatimesgy.com

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he National Cultural Centre will once again come alive on Saturday evening when the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha presents it 22nd edition of Naya Zamana.

While the sets are being installed, the dancers are making sure that they have their routines in check as they plan to mesmerise the audience.

It will rain ‘fabulousness’ as the dancers take to the stage. The production’s formula of dance melded with drama, set against breathtaking backdrops has captured a loyal fan following whether the show plays at home

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ormer Guyanese chutney king, Prince JP is set to release his brand new single titled “De Same Gyal” today on 89.5FM with WR Reaz and Selector Andy at 14:00h.

The father of one has not let anything hamper his pas-

or in New York.

The creative vision of Dr Vindhya Vasini Persaud who scripts, directs, choreographs and produces Naya Zamana is beautifully embellished by Trishala Simantini Persaud’s artistry in the dazzling and beautiful costumes that are a signature of the production.

Special lighting and sound will be added for enhanced effect.

The vibrant and cutting-edge choreography and the new story each year captures the emotions of the audience as they are taken on a roller-

sion for music and will continue to record songs in the US to keep his Guyanese fans entertained.

This new song was written by the young heartthrob and was produced in Professor Bounty Target Studio in Trinidad and

coaster ride of the actors’ journeys of romance, ambition, jealousy and other battles.

The liberal interspersing of Bollywood, creative, lyrical and Indian classical and folk dance by graceful and energetic dancers makes this production magical, memorable and not one you would want to miss!

Tickets for Naya Zamana 22 cost $3500, $3000 and $2000 and can be picked up at the National Cultural Centre, Dharmic Kendra, Red Mango, E-networks and Bhagwan’s on Water Street.

Tobago. Apart from being released on 89.5FM, it will also be released on Fire Fest 101 Rush in Queens New York at 19:00h.

The song tells the story of a boy who is always talking ill things about a girl but he ends up falling in love with her and ultimately proposes.

The young man was described as immature and one with a “big mouth”. It also relates to many young guys out there who cannot keep things to themselves.

In an interview with Guyana Times Entertainment, the young artiste said “If a boy gets a kiss from a girl, he has to tell everyone… if she sends him a photo, he has to show Tom, Dick and Harry”.

This song will also be available on YouTube and on social media, especially on his Instagram page.

Persons can follow him on to prince_jp_pharous and on Facebook.

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esidents on the West Coast of Demerara are asked to prepare for one of the biggest chutney concerts to be held by Westsiderz Entertainment, in collaboration with West Vibez Sports Bar. The event titled “Westside Chutney Jam” is billed for West Vibez Sports Bar located at Tuschen, East Bank Essequibo.

The event is expected to be epic as more than 10 chutney singers will take to the stage, including the son of reigning Chutney Monarch, Bunty Singh. Chutney lovers are urged to come out in their numbers to listen and party to the energy on October 27.

Those slated to perform are Bunty Singh and his son, Lil Krish; former Chutney Monarch, Pooran Seeraj; AW Lyrical; Sasnarine HTN; Arijit Singh; Vicadi Singh; Vanita Wallie; Sexy Sonia; Nishal B and others to be added.

Apart from the live performances, there will be tantalising dance pieces from the Diva’s Dance Troupe and the Kimberly Dance Troupe. Also in the house will be deejays Sanjay, Stephan and Quicksilver and the host, Golden Chyld.

Adding some vibes to the event will be the Slingerz Family with its deejays. Advance tickets for the event cost $500 in advance and $1000 at the door.

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guyanatimesgy.com

friday, AUGUST 24, 2018

A

s preparations get underway for one of the biggest pageants in the Ancient County in November, the executives are making sure the best of the best are represented on stage. The Miss Berbice – “I’m a Big Deal” pageant is expected to be bigger and better with lots of prizes up for grabs.

The reigning queen, Farah Valentina has been representing the Ancient County to the best of her ability and is preparing to hand over her crown come November.

One lucky young lady will walk away with the title and more so, cash and other prizes when she is crowned Miss Berbice, “I’m a Big Deal” queen. However, this cannot be possible if that lucky young lady does not apply.

Making it easier for the young ladies, the committee will be hosting an audition on Sunday, August 26 at Alex Foster Building, Rose Hall, Corentyne, Berbice commencing at 11:00h.

Young ladies between the ages of 16 and 26 who think that they are passionate, eloquent, industrious and ambitious are encouraged to attend the audition.

In addition, they must be unmarried, without children and more importantly, living in Berbice.

If you possess that above mentioned criteria, then audition for the pageant.

Once selected, the journey of a lifetime will begin.

Once the finalists have been selected, they will undergo

O

n August 12, 2018, patrons who turned up at the Den Amstel Community Centre, West Coast Demerara, were treated to a memorable event as several young men and women took to the stage to compete for the titles of Miss and Mister Emancipation 2018.

rigorous training as they are prepared to compete in several segments on the night of the grand coronation.

The delegates will be judged on costume, talent, swimwear, evening wear and intelligence. For more information on the audition, feel free to contact the organisers on telephone number 698-2500.

After several hours of competition, the winners were revealed to the satisfaction of the audience.

The crowned King was Shaquille Wellington who also copped the prizes for best platform presentation, best introduction, best talent, best personal style and best evening wear. Copping the first

G

uyanese fashion icon, Sonia Noel has recently launched the cover of her new book as a gift to herself for her 47th birth anniversary.

MOTHERHOOD – The Mountains and the Valleys will comprise stories based on the highs and lows of motherhood and valuable lessons learnt.

Noel’s elder daughter, Mariska Jordan Fiedtkou, who has a sixyear-old son, will be contributing a chapter to this new book. Also, Noel’s mother, Claudia John, will be sharing her story through the latest literary work of her eldest child.

Noel shared an excerpt from the book on social media and people are already excited. The fashion designer recently concluded a successful motivational tour to 14 cities in the United States of America (USA) as she promoted her last book.

The tour started in New York City at the Guyana Consulate in Manhattan where all four books were presented.

Living with Intention – Beyond the Runway and the two anthologies WOMEN ACROSS

runner-up spot was Daniel Renee while Shamar Nedd was adjudged the second runner-up. He was also awarded the Mr Congeniality Prize.

With respect to the female leg of the competition, Norissa Stuart walked away with the crown and hundreds of thousands of dollars

BORDERS were well received.

The second stop was New Jersey where Jacqui Phillips – who is a celebrity makeup artist and one of the co-authors of WOMEN ACROSS

BORDERS hosted that leg of the event.

Some of the other cities and states visited were Cambridge, Malden, Boston, Connecticut, Washington, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Tennessee, Mississippi, New Orleans, Fort Lauderdale, Miami and Orlando.

While in Washington,

in prizes. She was also awarded prizes for best platform presentation, best introduction, best personal style and best evening wear.

Coming in as first runner up was Alieca James who won the best talent prize. Rounding off the top three was Donnickher July who also walked away with the

DC, the Guyanese Ambassador was invited to make a presentation on Capitol Hill on the importance of creative sector to the Caribbean.

Veteran journalist Francis Quamina Farrier and businessman Gerry Gouveia delivered brief remakes and congratulated Noel for her continued determination.

Sonia Noel not only showcased her books but also made a presentation on her literary journey.

A p a r t from the motivational talks, fashion was also featured on the tour.

The positive energies permeated the air at every event; and on some occasions the books were sold.

Upon her return to Guyana, she is living with intention and living true to the first sentence in the book. Determination, faith, focus, self –discipline and consistency can really make anything a reality.

Miss Congeniality prize.

The pageant received a good turnout from patrons. The promoters are confident that the pageant will be held on an annual basis and the committee will continue to empower young men and women but more so, use the platform to promote their cultures.

friDAY, AUGUST 24, 2018

19

Miss Guyana World specialneeds camp ends with a bang A

fter six weeks of intense training both physically and academically Miss Guyana World Ambika Ramraj completed her “Healthy Wholly Summer Camp” at the Sophia Special Needs School in Sophia Greater Georgetown at around 13:00h on Thursday.

The summer camp was organized in collaboration with the National Sports Commission, the Social Cohesion Ministry and other stakeholders, with the aim of strengthening the mind and body of these students through physical activities, which can significantly improve their physical and mental health. It was noted that throughout the six weeks, coaches and other partnering stakeholders will

el especially the days they engaged in sporting activities such as cricket, basketball, football, swimming and table tennis and commended them for being the backbones of the program.

Ramraj also encouraged the graduants that it was not the end of the program and that there will be other programs and hope that they would continue to show their support.

The faces of the children were ecstatic and beaming with joy as they knew that the entire six weeks was worth it, they had learned the value of team

work with the children on different aspects of their development.

As the program progressed in its final stages in front of the now complet-

ed graduants Ramraj said that she was grateful for the experience that she had with the students, getting to know them and work along with them on a personal lev-

Kohli back on top of test rankings I

ndia captain Virat Kohli moved back to the top of the ICC Test rankings for batsmen after his Man of the Match performance in Trent Bridge. He has amassed a career-best 937 rating points and is one point shy of breaking into the top 10 batsmen in rankings history.

Donald Bradman is No. 1 having achieved a rating of 961 points in February 1948 followed by Steven Smith (947), Len Hutton (945), Jack Hobbs and Ricky Ponting (both on 942), Peter May (941), and Garry Sobers, Clyde Walcott, Vivian Richards and Kumar Sangakkara (all on 938 points).

Kohli is placed 11th on that list after his knocks of 97 and 103 in Nottingham as India beat England by 203 runs to make the series scoreline 2-1 with two Tests to play. He had previously reached the top of the rankings after the first Test at Edgbaston, before ceding it to Smith after low scores in the second Test at Lord's.

Among other Indian players who made big moves in the rankings were Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah.

Pandya moved up 23 places in the bowlers' rankings to No. 51 after taking five wickets in six overs on the second day at Trent Bridge. He occupies the same spot on the batsmen's charts after his second-innings fifty to set up India's declaration. Those performances have placed him at No. 17 on the allrounders' list.

Bumrah, who sat out the first two Tests with an injury, took a five-wicket haul in England's second innings and is now at No. 37 among the bowlers after just four Tests.

For England, the biggest move was made by Jos Buttler, whose second-innings 106 took him up 22 places to be No.47 among the batsmen. (ESPNCricinfo)

India’s Captain Virat Kohli

playing and gained experience on the different aspects of sports that were not known to them. Speaking with Guyana Times Sport one of the graduants stated that besides learning physical games such as cricket and football, he learned to play games that challenged the mind such as drafts and learned how to protect himself.

In all the events that occurred over the six weeks, one could see a definite change in the demeanor of the children and that they were eager to learn more.

Murray to face Duckworth on Grand Slam return A ndy Murray will play Australia's James Duckworth when he makes his return to Grand Slam tennis after a 14-month absence with a hip injury.

The former world number one, now ranked 378th, could play third seed Juan Martin del Potro in the third round.

Kyle Edmund, his replacement as British number one, faces Italy's Paolo Lorenzi, while Cameron Norrie meets Australian Jordan Thompson.

Johanna Konta has a tough match against French sixth seed Caroline Garcia.

British number one Konta, 27, has dropped to 46 in the rankings after a year in which she has struggled to find consistency.

Heather Watson and Katie Swan are still trying to come through qualifying, as is Liam Broady in the men's draw.

The US Open, the fourth and final major of the year, begins in New York on Monday.

Murray, 31, is set to return to five-set matches at Flushing Meadows - the scene of the first of his three Slam triumphs in 2012 after pulling out of this year's Wimbledon on the eve of the tournament.

Duckworth, himself coming back from a catalogue of injuries which sidelined him for a year, is ranked 445th in the world.

Murray decided he was not ready to compete in five-set matches last month, instead preferring to train on the American hard courts in preparation for the US Open.

The Scot had surgery in January to rectify a long-standing hip injury which had kept him out of competitive action since his defeat by Sam Querrey in the Wimbledon quarter-finals in July 2017.

An 11-month absence from the ATP Tour ended with a three-set defeat by Australian Nick Kyrgios at Queen's in June and he has since played three other tournaments - Eastbourne

in the run-up to Wimbledon, followed by Washington and Cincinnati this month.

Murray won three matches in Washington before pulling out of his quarter-final, then lost in the opening round at Cincinnati to France's world number 17 Lucas Pouille.

Murray has direct entry into the main draw at Flushing Meadows because of his protected ranking.

If the unseeded Briton beats Duckworth, he will face a Spaniard in either Feliciano Lopez or 30th seed Fernando Verdasco b e fore a potential thirdround match against Argentina's 2009 US Open champion Del Potro.

Andy Murray has never met James Duckworth in a tour-level match

20

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

friDAY, AUGUST 24, 2018

Golden Jaguars made encouraging improvements against America FC – Coach Johnson Kelsey Benjamin

G

olden Jaguars Head Coach Michael Johnson hails encouraging improvements following the team’s brief stint in the historic “Train and Play” camp held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

We didn’t want it to end, we were saying another five, ten minutes; such was our performance, we were in the ascendency, we were pushing forward and pressing. The lads have really taken on board what we’ve been doing over the last eight days against the best team we’ve played to date.”

The words of Head Coach of the Golden Jaguars, Michael Johnson, as he recapped the performance of this young team after their third

Daniel Wilson

match played against America Football Club (AFC) at their home stadium, Estádio Giulite Coutinho, which has a capacity of 16,000.

Despite the match ending 2-1 in favour of AFC, their second goal coming from a penalty in the second half, Johnson and his technical staff complimented the players for the way they performed.

The host team took the lead towards the end of the first half but the energetic Guyanese team, which had been matching the AFC team play for play and pressuring them also, got the equalizer minutes later when a cross from Kelsey Benjamin into their area was put into the back of the nets

by one of the home team defenders.

The goal came at the end of a good 10-minute period of domination by the mainly young squad here in Rio, which has a few senior players, including Captain Samuel Cox and Vurlon Mills.

Johnson elaborates more on the game: “It’s not about the results, it just shows how we are improving, how the information is going in and how they are taking it on board and applying it.” He noted that it’s all good taking on board what is being taught but application of the knowledge is vital: “I think today {Monday} what we saw were lots of performances where they were actually grabbing hold of some of the key nuggets that I and Senior Coach Taffazul Islam Rehman have been teaching them about in the week.”

While acknowledging that this is just the beginning of exciting times for Guyana’s football, Johnson pointed out that lots more work have to be done defensively and offensively. “We are never that perfect model, but what I can say is that it’s been a massive uplift from when we saw them first defensively attacking and attacking-wise to where we are now.

He continued, “What we can see is that there is at least 40% to 50% increase in some of the ways and some of the performances just by being in the right positions at times – better starting positions, better places to receive the ball – so you are not now near an opponent, you are working off the ball.

Not playing on the same lines, so now you are now playing off it diagonally so when you see the ball comes in on an angle, it allows you to see the game better.”

He stated that little things like those, even off the ball, the way the players pressed high up which was not done before, it was done individually, which meant that sometimes when that was done individually, it allowed the opponent to pick the player off easily: “People get picked off, they get disgruntled and annoyed, but now we are going more as a team and you have seen that in the game. It was really pleasing to watch and, as I said, I didn’t want it to finish.

Such was the nature of the game; we were enjoying it so much we didn’t want it to finish.”

Like has been done in the previous two matches, all the players here were afforded the opportunity

to have match time: “We had a really long, good look at certain players we felt had done really good over the course of the week but the second period when the other players came on, they stepped up; and that’s great, because what you don’t want to see is people moaning or groaning or not showing that passion. They responded in the right and proper way and it gives you another headache going into the final game on Thursday.”

The Guyana-based coaches have been integrally involved in running the sessions during the initial days of the camp as it allowed the new tacticians the opportunity to assess and learn the players. The subsequent sessions, led by Head Coach and other members of the technical staff, have been tough but the players have been gradually adapting to the style of play, which was aptly exhibited against America FC. AFC is located in Mesquita in the state of Rio de Janeiro and was founded on September 18, 1904. It has been a regular in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A competition and has won the state championship seven times.

Spirited Ramdhani siblings lead Guyana’s charges in CAREBACO semi-finals

A

Priyanna and Narayan Ramdhani battle it out with Soren Opti and Mary-Ann Zhong

fter three days of grueling competition at the Ring Sports Center in Paramaribo Suriname, Guyana’s senior badminton players are showing the fruits of their labour, having made it to three of five Caribbean Regional Badminton Confederation (CAREBACO) senior semifinals.

Playing against Olympians and Number 1 seeded players, the Guyanese athletes had a tall task ahead of them, despite this; the six athletes have managed to show that Guyana is one of the teams to beat at this year’s competition.

Playing against Barbadians Shae Martin and Dakeil Thorpe, Akili Haynes and Tyrese Jeffery unfortunately lost the team’s first match up of the day, 21-9, 21-9.

In a game that would avenge their teammates lost, the second pair in the Men’s doubles category produced a convincing win to advance to the semifinal round. Narayan Ramdhani and Johnathan Mangra made a great comeback in the when they defeated No.2 Seeded pair Jamal Jared Thijssen & Roche Young A Fat: 216, 21-14.

Being the last Guyanese to

make it thus far in the men’s singles category, badminton powerhouse Narayan Ramdhani could not match the prowess of the Number one seeded Robert Mann of Luxemborg. After playing valiantly he lost in straight sets 2116, 21-8.

Guyana’s fortunes took a turn for the better when Priyanna Ramdhani took to the courts to contest her women’s singles quarter final. The 16 year old who is now on a winning streak outshone Barbados’ Monyata Rivers 21-19, 21-18.

Later on in the evening,

Priyanna Ramdhani shows off her skill in the Women’s singles quarter-final

Priyanna teamed up with her elder brother Narayan once again to battle in the mixed doubles category. The pair who often play together showed why they are two of Guyana’s best in a nail biting matchup that could have gone either side. However, at the right moment the duo managed to surpass their opponents even though the sets were close. They won 2220, 21-8 to Surinamese Olympians Soren Opti & Mary-Ann Zhong.

In the semifinal round, Priyana will come up against Jamaica’s Katherine Wynter whilst Johnathan Mangra and Narayan

Ramdhani faces off with Dylan Darmohoetomo and Gilmar Jones of Suriname.

Priyana and Narayan Ramdhani will also be featured in the mixed doubles semifinal, opposing Dakeil Jonathan Thorpe and Tamisha Williams of Barbados.

Priyanna is also scheduled to contest a women’s doubles match alongside Trinidad and Tobago’s Chequeda De Boulet. They will battle against Suriname’s Imani Mangroe and Mary-Ann Zhong.

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Traditional fierce competitors, Demerara Cricket Club (DCC) and Malteenoes Sports Club (MSC) are set to lock horns at DCC in the General Industrial and Supplies Enterprise (GISE), Star Party Rentals and Trophy Stall First Division Two-Day competition on

Richie Looknauth lead Everest Cricket Club to a commanding win over Transport SC last weekend (John Ramsingh photos)

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DCC, Malteenoes renew rivalry on busy GCA weekend

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Saturday and Sunday.

It will be the host’s final match of the competition and they will look to add to the 42 points they currently have that sees them occupying the third sport behind Police SC with 64 points and Everest Cricket Club on 45 in Zone A. Malteenoes on the oth-

er hand are in fourth position with 31 points but still have another game in the bag against Police SC. The action is set to begin at 09:30h on both days.

Another competition that was affected by the lengthy rainy period is the Noble House Seafood Second Division Two-Day which will also resume on Saturday when Georgetown Cricket

Club (GCC) hosts DCC at Bourda beginning at 11:00h.

DCC enter their final match in third position in Zone B with 92 points behind Everest CC (99 points) and Transport SC (97 points) while GCC have 47 points are in a distant fourth but still have to play Diplomats (28 points) to end their campaign.

Sunday is the final day.

Meanwhile, the New Building Society (NBS) 40over second division continues with University of Guyana (UG) travelling to the Muslim Youth Organization (MYO) ground on Woolford Avenue to take on the hosts on Sunday August 26 from 11:00h.

This competition resumed last weekend with Everest CC ending their campaign with a crushing win by 66 runs over Transport Sports Club at Everest.

The fourth and final competition that was incomplete is the V-Net Communications U-13 Champs Pairs Cricket Competition. This exciting competition started in April and resumed last weekend with DCC and Bel-Air Rubis doing battle at MYO. On Saturday, the other two teams in the tournament, GCC and TSC will bounce into action from 09:30 at the same venue.

BV, Eastveldt advance to 8th of May final

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T

he final of the Beterverwagting (BV)/ Triumph 8th of May Movement Emancipation Cohesion Senior Cup Football League has been set in stone, after a more than entertaining semifinal round on Sunday August 19.

In the first semifinal, it was a battle of the Georgetown teams as an unbeaten East Ruimveldt prepared to take on Tucville, who recently redeemed themselves from a shocking loss. With the game shortened to 60 minutes, both teams came out gunning, looking to secure the match as early as possible. The intense match up saw both sides displaying their best offensive and defensive tactics, meaning that the match would remain locked at nil all by half time.

The second half caught Tucville’s defense slacking on which an alert Oneil Glasgow of Eastveldt capitalized with a first goal. In fact, Glasgow’s goal would turn out to be the only goal of the match, as Tucville in search of an equalizer, failed to penetrate Eastveldt’s defense by the blow of the referee’s whistle to signal the end of the match. Eastveldt’s victory over the experienced Tucville, appeared to give Eastveldt a moral boast, as the already delighted players, at the end of the match, exhibited readiness for the Saturday’s finals.

In the other matchup, another unbeaten team, BV sought to defend their home turf against fellow East Coast team Mahaica.

Both teams were keen on registering a win, as such many spectators feared that Mahaica would deliver an upset to BV. The first goal of the match came off of the boots of Mahaica’s Eion Abel. Mahaica’s goal appeared to stun and silenced the

Delroy Deen, Malcolm Wilson and Junior Alleyne

spectators, which was highly populated with BV supporters.

However, BV’s Delroy Deen, in the 14th minute appeared motivated by BV’s apparent down fall, when he courageously worked his way through the mid-field to an opening in Mahaica’s defense, to score a powerful right booted equalizer goal.

BV’s Malcom Wilson, who continues to demonstrate ever improving qualities, wasted no time in giving the home team BV, the lead, when in the 19th minute he accepted a pass from the left wing, to volley the ball pass Mahaica’s goal keeper, penetrating the goal net and handing BV the advantage, 2-1. From this stage it appeared that Mahaica became desperate, and while they may have been obvious efforts to remain composed, their body language and field formation had clearly changed.

This change in Mahaica’s tactical approach can also be attributed to BV’s third goal which came when three of

Mahaica’s defense players decided to rotate possession of the ball, instead of clearing it from their box. This thoughtlessness, allowed the vigilant Junior Alleyne of BV, to advance and challenge Mahaica’s defense players, winning possession of the ball and finishing with a brilliant placement in the goal net, to give BV a 3-1 lead in the 40th minute. The remainder of the match, appear to be all about formality, as Mahaica never received another opportunity to score.

On the final game day on Saturday August 25, Tucville will tackle Mahaica for the Gladstone O Benjamin Bronze Award of $150, 000, inclusive of a trophy. Later on the headline event will feature both undefeated team BV and Eastveldt for the Bakewell Gold Crown of $350, 000. The second place finishers will receive the Lloyd WP Britton Sliver Honor prize, of $250, 000.

The action will commence at 19:00h at the BV playground.

22

GUYANATIMESgy.COM

friDAY, AUGUST 24, 2018

KFC Goodwill tourney set for December kick off

KFC’s Vlissengen Road General Manager Madanna Nelson seals the deal with the handing over of the sponsorship cheque to Petra’s Co-Director Troy Mendonca

By Jemima Holmes

T

he Petra Organization is continuing their efforts to provide multiple platforms and tournaments in which young footballers can showcase their talents. As such the organization will add a new tournament to their list of collaborations.

The Goodwill football tournament will join the long list of school’s competitions and is receiving major sponsorship from the KFC brand. The tournament will is expected to cater to Under 18 players and will kick start after school would have closed their doors for the Christmas holiday.

Speaking at the launching on Thursday at the Vlissengen road Bel-Air Park location, co- Director

of Petra, Troy Mendonca underscored the importance of the upcoming tournament, noting that like many other initiatives it has been in the planning pipeline for some time.

“This tournament was conceptualized since last year. I think the whole idea was to measure where we’re at in terms of local standing in our school football and build our counterparts in the Caribbean islands and also as an incentive for participating in our local tournaments,” Mendonca stated.

The three day tournament will feature four teams that are expected to be taken from several geographic areas in Guyana. In keeping with this stipulation, it has already been confirmed that the powerful team from Annai Secondary will be

one of the teams featured in the competition. The second team that has been confirmed is the Shiva Boys’ Hindu College team from Trinidad and Tobago.

Speaking on KFC’s behalf Vlissengen’s Branch manager Madanna Nelson posited that the company is committed to community service.

“At KFC we believe in community building and we offer tremendous support to the youth of Guyana. As such we believe that it is through education and sport we will have stronger and healthier communities.”

Nelson went on to state that the company was not hesitant to collaborate with the Petra Organization given their impressive track record.

“While this is our first

year in sponsoring the Goodwill tournament we have noted that the Petra organization in the past has made its mark in impacting communities and schools through sports. As such, KFC is proud to be the title sponsor for this event,” Nelson said.

President of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF), Wayne Forde, praised the Petra Organization for their knack of finding new ways to keep the young players active.

“Beyond that I think my presence here and some of the work that we have been doing to support this programme and all the other programmes that the Petra organization has been embarking on is indicative of a

collaboration that goes well for the development of the sport.”

In the same breath, he also commended KFC for their willingness to offer support to the development of the sport.

“I would just like to single out the investment that KFC is making in a critical area of football development. I’m pleased to see that KFC has reestablished its brand presence in the local market, I see all evidence of a business that is committed.”

In the next few months leading up to the tournament, the organizers will take the time to decide on the last two school teams that will be featured in the four team tournament.

Arjune, Shaw, Reis

among winners in

Crown Mining Golf Tourney

V

Winners, players, and family members of the Crown Mining Supplies Company after the tournament on Wednesday at the LGC

eteran golfers; Munaf Arjune, Clifford Reis and Aasrodeen Shaw starred in Wednesday’s well-attended annual Crown Mining Supply (CMS) Golf Tournament which teed off at 09:30h at the Lusignan Golf Club (LGC) East Coast Demerara.

Arjune is no stranger to the winners row and continues his good form by taking away the first place prize in the ‘A’ or Championship flight from the other veterans in that group.

The Flights Tournament allows golfers to emerge as winners in their Flight, when they would not normally score wins in the Medal Play format. Reis, for example, who has won his Flight for the second time in two months, expressed his delight and preference for the Flights system that allowed him to excel in his group.

For this CMS Tournament the first and second net places were awarded prizes in each Flight.

The Championship

Flight saw keen contest between Munaf, Nazeem “Papo” Haniff and Avinash Persaud, the reigning Guyana Open champion.

But the scores declared in the end saw Arjune 73/8 in first place followed by Haniff 74/7 in second and Persaud 75/3 in third.

In the ‘B’ or 10 – 18 handicap Flight, Club Treasurer Shaw carted off the trophy with an emphatic win over the competitors.

Winners of the ‘B’ Flight were: Shaw 67/16 and Bridgelall Harry 69/18 in second place. Since the competition in this Flight was so keen, honourable mention is given to Lekhnarine Shivraj 70/17; Roy Cummings 71/13; Ayube Subhan 72/17; Lakeram Ramsundar 73/13 and Patrick Prashad 74/10.

In the ‘C’ or 19 – 28 handicap Flight, veteran Clifford Reis was the undisputed winner. Scores were: first place Reis 72/26 and second Guillermo Escarraga, winner of last Saturday’s Hospitality Tournament.

Mark Lashley placed third with 80/24.

The fascinating brand new Parsun Outboard Engine was not won, but Roy Cummings defied CMS Executive Max Persaud’s dare and won the Longest Drive competition with an approximately 288 feet drive. Nearest to The Pin (some 3 feet), was won by Bholawram Deo. The Best Gross (78) was won by Persaud.

CMS Managing Director Patanjalee ‘Pur’ Persaud participated, but with the mental demands for ensuring the day’s Tournament was a great one, he could not deliver his normal good performance, (as may well have also been the case with Max Persaud.) However, ‘Pur’ expressed extreme gratitude for the golfers being present in such good numbers to support their sponsorship, and looked forward to CMS continuing to contribute to the development of the sport and the club.

guyanatimesgy.com

friDAY, AUGUST 24, 2018

Hero Caribbean Premier League 2018…

23

Peaking Amazon Warriors square off against dwindling Stars – Delport ready for battle A

well-oiled Guyana Amazon Warriors (GAW) will be seeking to take advantage of the outof-sorts St Lucia Stars and maintain their grip as tableleaders; when the two sides collide under lights at Darren Sammy National Stadium in Gros Islet St Lucia from 21:00h tonight.

The Shoaib Malik – led Amazon Warriors has bounced back from defeat to the Barbados Tridents at Providence to dish out a sound thrashing of the Jamaica Tallawahs in Lauderhill to claim their place as tabletoppers again. They will now want to fortify their stronghold over the other franchises by taking full advantage of the Stars who after making their highest score against Barbados Tridents 226 last Friday, also a CPL record, fell for the third lowest score against the St Kitts & Nevis Patriots (69) in their next game four days later.

When the two sides met earlier in the tournament, the Amazon Warriors won by three runs in a low-scoring encounter at the Providence National Stadium in match four thus setting up a good rematch for the books at the home of the fading Stars. At Providence, the hosts made 141 for 4with

Luke Ronchi top scoring with 42 while Qais Ahmad bagged 3/15 from four overs before the Stars choked in the small chase. Rayad Emrit picked up three wickets including Captain Kieron Pollard and Rahkeem Cornwall with successive balls in over number 19 which left Keemo Paul with 16 to defend in the final over. The Stars tried but were restricted to 138 for 7 when their overs ran out.

With Shimron Hetmyer fresh off his maiden hundred in the previous clash against the Tallawahs along with scores of 79, 22 and 21, the Guyana Amazon Warriors will be hoping for some more magic from their leading runscorer against the dwindling Stars.

Skipper Shoaib Malik after making a few positive starts, broke his first shackle on his way to a possible big score when his 50 in the last match played a key role during his century partnership with Hetmyer against the

Andre Fletcher and Kieron Pollard

Tallawahs. With no big partnership yet, openers Luke Ronchi and Chadwick Walton could use this encounter against the Stars to forge a proper foundation at the top, paving the way for Hetmyer and company.

Guyana’s lowermiddle order still remains a bit hazy with Jason Mohammed getting slightly better with every innings but needs to up his firing rate and Guyanese left-

Cameron Delport

MP Figueira supports Guinness Cage football championships M

ember of Parliament and sport enthusiast, Jermaine Figueira on Tuesday August 21 added his name to the long list of sponsors in the ongoing Guinness Cage Street Football Championship when he donated several balls to the tournament organizer Three Peat Promotions.

The seasoned football administrator and native Lindener who is currently ascending to great heights in the political community stated that he is committed to the development of sports especially at the community and grass root levels, in which he believes are the foundations of discipline. He also stated that such initiatives foster social cohesion in a nation that is ethnically diverse and declared that he will always be supportive of such enterprises that aim to bring communities together while allowing individuals to expose their talent.

Figueira also provided incentives in the form of a pair of brand new football turfs that will be given to the Most Valuable Player [MVP] of the tournament. He believes that this will help improve the overall quality of the event as it will award the players talent and skill.

Jermaine Figueira

The tournament that started out with 24 teams continues on Saturday with the round of 16 and quarterfinals at the Haslington

market tarmac from 19:00h.

Among the entities who have pledged their loyal support to the tournament are; Banks DIH under its Guinness and Power Wine brands, Clarks footwear giants Chetsons, E- Networks Inc., KSM Investments, Yhip’s Bakery, Brass Aluminum & Cast Iron Foundry (BACIF), Ray’s Auto Sales, Y.K. Investments, Trophy Stall, Express Shipping, Woodpecker Products, National Sports Commission, ‘C’ Division of the Guyana Police Force, Jai Signs and Auto Designs, Gaming Authority, Julius Variety Store and C and C Prestigious Styles.

Round 16 matches (1)- Hustlers vs. North East La Penitence-19:00h (2)- Broad Street vs. Alexander Village-19:20h (3)- Tiger Bay vs. Avocado Ballers-19:40h (4)- Leopold Street vs. Albouystown-20:00h (5)- Sparta Boss vs. Back Circle-20:20h (6)- Ol Skool Ballers vs. BV-B-20:40h (7)- Blazers vs. Vryheid’s Lust-21:00h (8)- Uprising vs. Plaisance-21:20h

Quarterfinals

(9)-Winner of 1 vs. Winner of 2-22:00h (10)-Winner of 3 vs. Winner of 5-22:20h (11)-Winner of 4 vs. Winner of 6-22:40h (12)-Winner of 7 vs. Winner of 8-23:00h

hander Sherfane Rutherford having a mixed tourney following his top-score of 48 in Guyana.

South African professional, Cameron Delport has joined the Guyana Amazon Warriors squad in St Lucia following his stint in England’s Vitality T20 Blast with Leicestershire and could start ahead of either Mohammed or Rutherford while his cover, the impressive off-spinner Chris Green makes way.

With a consistent wickettaking barrage of bowlers, few worries in that department will bother the Warriors. Their frontline spinners; Imran Tahir, Green, Devendra Bishoo all have wickets under their belts while the seamers Emrit and Paul have been making inroads with veteran Sohail Tanvir likely to return to the squad after missing out in the last match.

Despite their woes, the Stars have been putting in work as they showed they were capable of reaching 200 with ease. The last game against the Patriots was a complete reverse of what occurred compared to when skipper and centurion Kieron Pollard, David Warner, Rakeem Cornwall, Andre Fletcher, Darren Sammy and Lendl Simmons who top-

scored with 45when they last met, all fired in the past. If the aforementioned batsmen click then Guyana could either chase 200-plus runs or they could likely gun down a big target.

Their bowlers will play a key role in the match because of their misfortunes in the past which led to the team losing despite making a matchwinning total. New Zealand pacer Mitch McCleneghan is their best bowler and could be the X-Factor against the likes of Hetmyer should they square off.

Dynamic Afghan teen spinner Qais Ahmad, who had 3 wickets in the first encounter versus Guyana, will also play a big role for the Stars along with fast-bowler Obed McCoy who has been important to the Stars upfront. The Amazon Warriors, with 6 points from four games sit at the top but are closely trailed by the defending champs Trinbago Knight Riders and Jamaica Tallawahs also with six points.

The Warriors have much to play for and as much to lose should the Stars, in their seventh match and penultimate at home, spring an upset as they are almost certain that their Hero CPL 2018 campaign is almost over.

(Clifton Ross)

friDAY, AUGUST 24, 2018

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Hero Caribbean Premier

League 2018…

Peaking Amazon Warriors square off against dwindling Stars Page 23

Shoaib Malik

Shimron Hetmyer

– Delport ready for battle

Miss Guyana World specialneeds camp ends with a bang

Spirited Ramdhani siblings lead Guyana’s charges in CAREBACO semi-finals Page 20

Page 19 The proud students and Miss Guyana World Ambika Ramraj after their intense and fun six weeks

Priyanna and Narayan Ramdhani battle it out with Soren Opti and Mary-Ann Zhong

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