Guyanatimes 3 january 2018

PPP/C to host academic P conference to honour Cheddi Jagan 12

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

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

Wednesday, January 3, 2018

Issue No. 3439

2 dismissed sugar workers commit suicide Page 7

Cops under close Wash bay attendant arrest over rape 1st road fatality for …as pensioner killed allegation 2018 by speeding car Page 12

PRICE

$80 vat included

WHAT'S INSIDE:

Alcohol smuggling

SWAT Head removed from post P12

Illegal airstrip

Lethem businessman released on $1M bail P8

Pages 2&14

Canal No 1 flooding

Water begins to recede

Gunmen rob East Ruimveldt man

Page 10

P8

Gold Board gets new GM

…as farmers report tremendous losses

P14

Even as the heavy downpours continue across the country, residents of Canal Number One Polder, West Bank Demerara (WBD), are now picking up the pieces as the floodwaters begin to recede. In photo, residents collaborate to clear the canal of vegetation

Teacher trailed from bank, robbed of over $1.2M Page 7

Appointment of new Chancellor

President, Opposition Leader to meet Page today 3

Oil contract ties hands of successive Govts – Ram P13

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news

wednesDAY, january 3, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Wash bay attendant 1st road fatality for 2018 T

he Baksh family of La Grange on the West Bank of the Demerara (WBD) was plunged into a state of mourning at the dawn of January 1, 2018, when their only son died following an accident a few metres away from their home.

Dead is 24-year-old Aslam Baksh of Lot 65 La Grange Old Road, West Bank Demerara.

According to the Guyana Police Force, the young wash bay attendant died following a two car smash-up at MeerZorgen, at around 02:15h on New Year’s Day. Investigations revealed that the dead man was a passenger of motorcar HC 7477 driven by 42-yearold Vijay Bidoor of Goed Fortuin, WBD. Amanda Rickyram, 28, of Unity Street, La Grange, WBD; Gobin Dannyram, 29, of 225 Goed Fortuin; and Diana Chand, 19, of Cemetery Road, Georgetown were all passengers of the same car proceeding South along the Meer-Zorgen Public Road when HB 4105, proceeding in the opposite direction, drove into their path and collided with them.

They all sustained se-

Dead: Aslam Baksh

rious injuries and were rushed to the West Demerara Regional Hospital and later transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital where Baksh died while receiving medical attention.

The dead man’s father, Karim Baksh told Guyana Times that the family received a call about the accident at around 05:00h and immediately rushed to the hospital.

“My son was working at a wash bay and he and the boss man and two other friends was coming home when the accident happen.

I was made to understand that while they was coming

home, a car was coming from the next side towards the (Demerara Harbour) bridge and like the man was drunk or something and then he think he turn to go on the bridge, he turn on their car,” the man related.

The elder Baksh further stated that his son died at about 09:00h on January 1.

He noted that Aslam sustained severe head injuries along with a broken nose, jaw and half of his tongue was severed.

“He got head injuries, he broke his nose, jaw, tongue cut out, lost all his teeth and his brain damaged, he was semi-conscious when we see he and lil bit after we see he, them tell we that he dead,” the elderly man stated.

When this publication visited the accident scene, several shattered pieces of glass and other car parts lined the side of the road along with bloodstains and motor oil.

Police have Bidoor in custody assisting with investigations while the other driver remains hospitalised.

Investigations are ongoing, and a post-mortem examination is expected to be conducted today.

Pomeroon GM nabbed with ganja

A

39-year-old general manager of a mining company in the Lower Pomeroon, Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) was arrested by Police after he was found with a quantity of cannabis.

According to information received, Police responded to a report made by a resident that the man

was discharging his firearm at Grant Maureen’so Dale, Pomeroon River.

Police then visited the premises where a search was conducted. A black plastic bag containing leaves, seeds and stems suspected to be cannabis was found. The cannabis was unearthed next to a root of a sucker plant on

the man’s farm land in the vicinity of his home.

Police have since said he was told of the offence and admitted ownership, after which he was taken to the Charity Police Station where the prohibited substance was weighed and amounted to 163 grams. He will be arraigned shortly for the offence.

Multimillion-dollar D&I projects for Mocha, Ithaca

R

esidents and farmers of Mocha on the East Bank of Demerara and Ithaca, West Coast Berbice, are soon to benefit from drainage and irrigation works aimed at reducing flooding and improving access to lands situated aback the communities.

Minister of State, Joseph Harmon at a December 29, 2017, post-Cabinet media briefing, said the projects will cost a total $338,883 million.

“For construction of drains, canals, access dams

and hydraulic structures at Mocha (Region Four), the Ministry of Agriculture contract in the sum of $182,509,000 was awarded to Rupan Ramotar investment. For construction of drains, canals, dams and hydraulic structures at Ithaca, West Berbice (Region Five), the Ministry of Agriculture, a contract in the sum of $148,374,000 was awarded to H Nauth and Sons,” Minister Harmon said.

In addition, Minister Harmon said when completed, the projects will help

to reduce unemployment among the residents of the two communities.

“The objective of these two projects at Mocha and Ithaca is to improve the drainage systems and access to the backlands of these two communities; to increase their productivity and competitiveness while promoting employment and entrepreneurship in these communities. It will also lead to increased revenue for farmers who have access to great amounts of lands that are irrigated,” the Minister added.

According to the Department of Public Information, works on the two projects are expected to begin within a fortnight and be completed within the first half of this year. They form part of the project which is being funded by a combination of loans and grants from the Caribbean Development Bank.

news

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wednesDAY, january 3, 2018 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

BRIDGE OPENINGS

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

Monday, January 1 – a night retraction from 04:30h and a day retraction from 14:30h-16:00h and Tuesday, January 2 – 05:00h-06:30h

The Berbice Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Monday, January 1 – 15:30h-17:00h and Tuesday, January 2 – 16:35h-18:05h

FERRY SCHEDULE

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

WEATHER TODAY Heavy to light rain sometimes accompanied by thunder can be expected throughout the day and into the evening, with temperatures ranging between 24 degrees Celsius and 28 degrees Celsius.

Winds: Ranging between Easterly and East Northeasterly from 2.68 metres to 5.81 metres.

High Tide: 16:01h reaching a maximum height of 2.84 metres.

Low Tide: 09:33h and 22:05h reaching minimum heights of 0.55 metre and 0.35 metre respectively.

SATURDAY, december 30, 2017

LOTTERY NUMBERS B

04 07 10 11 15 23 24 Bonus Ball

FREE TICKET

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2017

DAILY MILLIONS 01 15 17 18 22 LUCKY 3 5 4 0 Afternoon Draw DRAW DE LINE

03 05

10 14

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Evening Draw

17 18 19

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

Appointment of new Chancellor

President, Opposition Leader to meet today P

resident David Granger and Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo are expected to meet today to have meaningful consultations on the appointment of a new Chancellor of the Judiciary following the retirement of Justice Carl Singh, who acted in the post for more than a decade.

Article 127 (1) of the Constitution speaks to the appointment of the Chancellor and Chief Justice. It states that both the Chancellor and Chief Justice shall be appointed by the President, acting after obtaining the agreement of the Leader of the Opposition.

The provision was a key aspect of the 2001 amendment to the instrument.

The meeting was organised after President Granger announced at his first press conference in two years, that he has accepted a proposal from a committee that had been set up to review and interview applicants interested in the top judicial post after it advertised locally, regionally and internationally.

“This is a matter of deep concern to me. The nominations were made, and contact has been made with the person who has been nominated [for Chancellor} and that person has accepted.

We are now looking at the modalities for termination of the work that he is doing now in the country of residence,” said President Granger.

Granger said on that occasion that he had already contacted the recommended individual who later accepted the nomination.

Diligent work by the media revealed that the person the President favoured was Justice Kenneth Benjamin, who currently serves as the Chief Justice of Belize.

Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Jagdeo confirmed the meeting during a press conference on Tuesday held at Freedom House. He would not offer any other comment on his initial position on the suitability of the proposed candidate or whether he felt the process to arrive at a nominee was transparent and fair.

It is not clear too whether Jagdeo had access to the final report and all the requisite information relating to the selection of Justice Benjamin by the panel, which comprised former Justice of Appeal, Claudette Singh; Justice James Patterson, and Professor Harold Lutchman.

“I am not willing to make any comments on this mat-

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo

ter until after the meeting with the President which is set for tomorrow (today),” he maintained after being questioned by the media.

Jagdeo had warned that even though the President has to make the first move to resolve the decade-long failure to appoint a substantive Chancellor and Chief Justice, he would not allow himself to be coerced into accepting nominees just to fix the situation.

“Now we have two persons who are acting in the position(s). As you would recognise, this is not a new situation. It’s not desirable, but it’s how it has been for a long time in our history… just to have a substantive nominee. I am not going to promise now that any names that the President submits to me, that I will automatically give my approval for those names,” Jagdeo is quoted as saying

in another section of the media.

In December, concerns were raised about the track record of the President’s nominee and the fact that his performance was under scrutiny in Belize because of his inability to deliver timely rulings and judgments in a number of cases which led to a backlog. As a result, several professionals there had lobbied for disciplinary action to be taken against him if he failed to deliver the necessary judgments within a prescribed time.

Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) President, Sir Dennis Byron, speaking at a Guyana Bar Association event, had severely criticised the non-appointment of a substantive Chief Justice and Chancellor.

Sir Dennis noted too that no substantive Chancellor has been appointed since Justice Desiree Bernard, Guyana’s first female Chancellor, demitted office and was appointed as the first female Judge of the CCJ. “This situation has

President David Granger

moved well beyond what ought to be acceptable in a modern democracy, where respect for the rule of law is maintained. The Constitution envisages the Judiciary of Guyana to be headed by officials who are substantively appointed and enjoy all the legal and institutional mechanisms to secure their tenure. Anything otherwise is, to my mind, a violation of the spirit and intent of the Constitution,” Sir Dennis said then.

(Michael Younge)

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guyanatimesgy.com

wednesDAY, january 3, 2018

Views

Night Lights 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

Let’s focus more on things that unite us

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018 is here and Guyanese at home and abroad are extremely hopeful that things here will take a turn for the positive as the Government and all stakeholders put their backs to the wheels of industry in order to secure a better life for every citizen.

In order for the country to climb out of the slums of political divisiveness, a deliberate and more genuine effort must be made on the part of President David Granger and Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo to meet more often and dialogue about issues that are extremely important to the overall socioeconomic wellbeing of the country.

They must also agree on a tripartite process that would be undertaken to discuss the critical issue of building political unity and trust amongst the coalition parties and the People’s Progressive Party (PPP). This would be a very good undertaking for both of these erudite leaders. It would also signal the turning of a new page and the birth of a commitment to rid Guyana of all forms of avoidable political gridlock and turmoil.

Additionally, such a move would be welcomed by all Guyanese and seen as a demonstration that 2018 can be the year when the old and entrenched political architecture, which has kept this country divided, racially and socially, collapses. These leaders can then work towards putting a feasible mechanism in place that leads to consensus building and compromise in the Parliament, especially as the coalition prepares to heighten its legislative bid to secure constitutional reform.

Secondly, the Government must push itself to work much harder to deliver on tangible forms of stimuli that can breathe life into Guyana’s dying economy. If this is done, then the economy will move and business will boom until the Government pursues more medium and long-term incentives that could boost domestic growth and attract both regional and Foreign Direct Investments. This means that a coherent and realistic policy must be adumbrated following a period of consultation with financial stakeholders on what else can be done to add buoyance to the economy. In other words, the Government has to put its political and economic pet peeves aside and dialogue with the Private Sector agencies which understand how to maximise profits and cut losses without losing out on the benefits of pursuing ‘value added’ incentives.

And with the massive announcements made in 2017 about the discovery of large amounts of oil and gas here, more must be done to safeguard Guyana’s patrimony. We can ill afford to leave negotiations with big companies with “peanuts” as we saw with the badly-negotiated ExxonMobil deal. Guyana must leave the room after pushing for the best possible terms and agreement.

We cannot short sell ourselves in order to attract investments.

We must learn from all that happened with that particular matter, and the Government must strive in the future to be more honest, open and transparent in its undertakings or we will sink deeper into economic hardship and be lured into oil corruption.

Thirdly, 2018 can be the year when the security forces unveil a pragmatic strategy for dealing with the rising levels of crime and criminality. The Force appears to still be in ‘reactive’ mode. It has to understand that if more effort is spent rolling out initiatives to prevent crime, like the community projects it is undertaking, then its job will be much easier. While having access to more resources, both human and capital, are important in the scheme of things, building internal capacity and professionalism as well as fighting systemic corruption is of greater importance when attempting to boost public safety and security. This year, those at the helm of the security sector must strive to boost the morale of serving ranks in order to maximise their productivity.

Fourthly, as Guyanese celebrate 2018, no one must lose focus of the external threats to Guyana’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. Venezuela seems intent on dragging out the border controversy, but hopefully it climaxes with a decision by the United Nations Secretary General to end the Good Offices Process and transfer the matter to the International Court of Justice in The Hague. We must unite and rally around the Government which is doing all that is necessary to prepare itself for the process. We must demonstrate that we will not give up a blade of grass nor cede any part of our country to any outside force. The Opposition and Government are on the right page. They must work together this year to ensure that Guyana emerges victorious.

Finally, all citizens owe it to their fore-parents to work together to improve the well-being of their fellow countrymen.

As opposed to focusing on our ethnic differences and the other things that separate us, we must strive in 2018 to focus more on the things that unite us with the view of achieving higher levels of social cohesion, morality and political as well as religious tolerance.

A long exposure captures the final day of festive New Year celebrations in Jujing, a small, round village in China. The first day of the Chinese New Year is determined by the lunar calendar, and celebrations continue for 15 days, ending with the Lantern Festival (Photograph

by Hua Zhu, National Geographic Your Shot)

Site for proposed natural gas pipeline being examined Dear Editor, In an article on the above-referenced subject which appeared in the news media on December 29, it was reported that the Minister for Public Infrastructure (MPI), David Patterson, told reporters at his end-of-year press conference that a multi-disciplinary team has been meeting with ExxonMobil to review identifiable onshore sites for the storage and distribution of natural gas expected to be produced as a by-product from oil-fields being developed off Guyana's Atlantic Coast.

This action is another example of Minister Patterson putting, "the horse before the cart," with ill-conceived proposals for projects.

Firstly, the MPI should have analysed the data collected by ExxonMobil to determine the estimated quantity of natural gas which could be produced

from the oil fields over a given time. The stated daily availability of natural gas of between 300 to 500 cubic feet by Minister Patterson is an imaginary quantity and cannot be taken seriously for any meaningful development of the resource.

Secondly, ExxonMobil intends to flare the natural gas produced with the oil and its development strategy seems to be based on this premise. Therefore, if MPI intends to capture the flared natural gas, process it and then pump it to onshore facilities for storage and distribution, it will have to get an agreement from ExxonMobil to do so, since this will involve changes to their existing project design and hence additional development costs to get their oil to world markets.

The natural gas will have to be separated from its impurities before being pumped to onshore facilities

for liquefaction and storage in specialized containers for distribution locally and with the excess probably exported after berthing and loading services have been provided for tankers.

This would be a capital intensive and technically challenging project for which Guyana does not have the financial resources nor the technical knowhow for its execution. Hence the need for an investment partner for the development of this segment of Guyana's natural resource.

Japan, a natural gas-hungry country appears to be interested in developing Guyana's natural gas. If an agreement could be reached, it will be, "calling the shots" as to how its investment should be deployed. Therefore, MPI is " jumping the gun," wasting Guyana's scarce resources as it prematurely seeks and reviews onshore natural gas storage sites forgetting that

old adage, "he who pays the piper calls the tune". Hence, any onshore site chosen by MPI is unlikely to satisfy the design requirements of any major investor without major modifications.

Minister Patterson should be aware that Guyana cannot develop a natural gas project without a partnership with an outside investor and therefore he should formulate the country's development needs in this direction. If a natural gas project does indeed come to fruition which seems unlikely given the short life of the present Government, Minister Patterson could nevertheless initiate the next stage of Guyana's development by using its share of natural gas to power turbines which will generate reliable electricity for Guyana's entire needs.

Yours truly, Charles Sohan

Mercy, forgiveness for crimes committed

Dear Editor, With the pardoning of some prisoners by President David Granger there are some people who believes that President David Granger has erred; that people who commit crimes should spend time in prison for the crimes they committed.

People who commit crimes should also be forgiven for their crimes. What kind of society will we be should we condemn people who commit crimes to live forever in captivity? Or, even take their lives as punishment for their crimes?

Punishment for crimes is

important to send a strong message to embolden criminals. However, mercy and forgiveness is just as important. Therefore, President David Granger has not erred in pardoning some people for crimes committed by them.

We should be looking to develop a kind and car-

ing society whereby we look out for each other and help each other. Guyanese society have been fractured too long by distrust in between peoples. We need to rebuild trust in between peoples.

Yours faithfully, Sean Ori

guyanatimesgy.com

wednesDAY, january 3, 2017

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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

National efforts needed to save sugar industry Dear Editor, I should be grateful if you would kindly re-publish in your newspaper this open letter of appeal to the governing authorities, represented by the Executive Government and the Parliamentary political parties; and to GuySuCo, the recognised Trade Unions in the sugar industry, the Private Sector, the national trade union bodies, and other interested stakeholders and individuals to meet at high level national consultations to confer in good faith on ways to save and revitalise the sugar industry of Guyana to make it a viable and profitable industry again, from the growing of sugar canes to the manufacturing of sugar and its by-products.

This letter supports fully the recent call of the Private Sector Commission to Government to reconsider its decision to contract the sugar industry at this time.

This is in keeping also with the recommendations of the APNU– AFC Government’s appointed Commission of Inquiry into the sugar industry in 2015.

The Government, led by President David Granger, has a critical facilitating and enabling role to bring the relevant stakeholders together to arrive at national consensus to save the industry. It requires commitment, political maturity on all sides, and leadership to forge a mutually agreed way forward. This may also be a confidence building measure for developing high political trust, which can motivate discussion on other pressing matters of concern in the national interest and contributing to national unity.

It is well-known that the sugar industry has survived and provided the livelihood, and contributed massively to the development of our country for centuries. The indus-

try was built and cultivated by the blood, sweat and tears of our forefathers, many martyrs during the degradation and inhumanity meted out to our forefathers of slavery and indentured labour. Today, it is still the largest employer of thousands of workers, and support tens of thousands of people who depend directly or indirectly on the industry for their livelihood, and supports viable communities in and around the various sugar estates, including cane farmers and suppliers of various inputs for the industry.

The contributions of the sugar industry to the national treasury of foreign currencies over the years have been immense, and the industry is still a significant foreign currency earner. Many knowledgeable and experienced persons of the sugar industry are convinced that the industry can be saved and revived to profitability. This requires de-

termination and the right decisions from the cultivation of sugar canes to producing sugar, and its potential for value added and other revenue earning ventures flowing from the sugar industry.

The industry has the capacity to increase its production by at least one hundred thousand tons (100,000) of sugar annually which can turn around the industry. Why has sugar production dropped to 183,491 tons of sugar in 2016 from 231,076 tons in 2015, from 216,186 tons in 2014? It is to be noted that the industry produced 332,457 in 1976; 156,690 in 1991; 243,010 tons in 1992, and 321,438 tons in 1999 and declining to the 2016 level. What are the critical agricultural causes for the progressive decline in sugar cane cultivation and sugar output from the factories?

The Commission of Inquiry Report into the Guyana Sugar

Corporation, October 2015, should be given serious consideration by the proposed national consultations on the way forward for this vital industry. Recent studies and the views and positions of various stakeholders should all be put on the table, and discussed to find a broad-based national consensus approach to restore the viability of the sugar industry In this centenary year of the end of indentureship, and continued existence of the sugar industry which employs thousands who continue to depend on earnings from the industry for their livelihood and that of their families and surrounding communities. It would be a noble and prudent act to save and revitalise the sugar industry.

Yours faithfully, Samuel J Goolsarran

Sealey struggling to convert thinking Dear Editor, “One thing I know for sure, this ‘confounded nonsense’ would have never occurred under the stewardship of former President and General Secretary, Colin Klass and George Rutherford respectively, due to the vibrancy of the General Council.”

This paragraph formed part of a letter penned by someone by the name of Lester Sealey which appeared in (another newspaper on September 08, 2017) under the caption ‘Is the GFF Executive, still in charge of football in Guyana?’

Some may ask why this response is coming threeplus months after it first appeared, but as the old adage says ‘better late than never’.

The writer thrives on alternative facts and while the various media outfits reserve the right to publish letters from anyone that they see fit, his epistles must have stimulated serious deliberation among editors.

Sealey’s grouse with certain personalities is well documented and his accusations have highlighted his obsession with those individuals, which is frightening and at times amusing.

His overexcitement to criticise has clearly clouded his judgment, causing his articles to be stuck in prejudice and blind loyalty to his employers.

To comment on the stew-

ardship of the Colin Klassled administration is not necessary, only to add that FIFA had spoken and the rest is history. So much for the “confounded nonsense and the vibrancy of the General Council at the time.”

Another observation of Sealey is that he seems to be very selective in his outbursts, ascriptions and exclusions, with a solid example being how he attempted to deliberately omit Marlan Cole as one of the principals of the Petra Organisation.

He then went on to speak about the continued prostitution of 5-a- side football, adding that there were no tangible financial benefits being derived by the GFF. Well his two friends along with others have also been promoting the aforementioned format with great financial rewards, but he did not see it fit to attack them, instead taking selective shots at particular promoters.

He went on further to say that Guyana at the end of the day would be laughed upon for its “continued underdevelopment of the sport”.

What stupidity. Is it the private promoters who are responsible for the underdevelopment of the sport?

The curtailing of competitions certainly would affect the frequency in which the sport is played, therefore leading to its underdevelopment of the sport. Mr. Sealey you don’t have to look too far

for that answer; it is right before your eyes in the lack of competitions played by several associations.

For someone who righteously professes to know all the inner and outer workings to develop the sport, prompting the GFF to instigate levy fees and hurling criticisms at promoters, is a clear indication of his lack of knowledge on how to transform the sport.

His purported resume seems quite impressive, but one has to ask why he hasn’t returned in some form or fashion to assist in the sport’s development. It may very well be that his theoretical data is antiquated and unsuitable for this era.

The whole world has moved on, T20 cricket, Futsal, street-styled tournaments and even beach soccer are the new craze, and

this phenomenon is real, but Sealey seems to be the only one struggling to convert his thinking.

Being antagonistic or even to suggest that the GFF rule with an iron-fist will not work in a modern world, where such style of governance is frowned upon, but then again Sealey comes from that period and knows no better.

It would be silly of the GFF to be spurred by his nonsense and send a signal that it intends to be guided by him in lieu of meaningful dialogue.

While the recent actions of the GFF leak a sense of distrust, there are a few individuals who are capable of steering the ship back on course and ensuring that good governance and transparency -which were among the top election promises

made to their constituents remain its utmost priority.

Sealey then goes on to question the administrative acumen of certain promoters, asking whether or not they can organise or compile a comprehensive statistical tournament report?

Well for his personal edification, it was some of these same promoters who did all that work for many of his friends, so the finger should be pointing in the other direction, one that he is afraid to point to for fear of payback.

Many of the promoters are new, in some cases less than one year old, and cannot be compared to Petra Organisation, but only time has the answer as to whether they can be, “equated with organising an “Annual Calendar of Activities consisting of development from

the embryonic stage (PEEWEE) – seniors.”

Happy New Year, Lester the Jester.

Rawle Welch

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Starting the new year with Take turtle steps toward big resolutions a blank slate T J

By Wendy Schuman

urning a good intention into a habit is "one of the most important skills we can teach our children", says Christine Carter, PhD, author of Raising Happiness: 10 Simple Steps for More Joyful Children and Happier Parents. "It's the key to happiness in life." She suggests that parents help children break their resolutions down into "ridiculously easy turtle steps". "Selfdiscipline is like a muscle that grows slowly," she says. "If you do too much at first, you will get fatigued and not be successful."

Dr Carter says it takes six weeks to create a habit. For instance, if your child's resolution is "I'm going to keep my room neater," he should write down six tiny, easy steps and practice one each week. "The first week he puts his shoes in the closet, the second week he picks his pillow up off the floor, and so on," Dr Carter says. Your child might actually end up doing much more than this. "There's a massive spillover effect," she says.

"Once people are engaged in their goal, they will do other things as well." Have your children fill in the spaces on their big list with these tiny steps or download "turtle steps" worksheets from Dr Carter's habit tracker.

Robin Goodman, PhD, a clinical psychologist and art therapist who has written books on children and stress, also believes in breaking down broad resolutions into specific, easy-to-do steps. Her examples: I will help more around the house ... by setting the table for dinner.

I will improve my reading ... by reading 15 minutes before I go to bed.

I will eat more healthful foods ... by eating one fruit at breakfast and one vegetable at dinner.

It's fine to check in with children each week and acknowledge how they're doing, but Dr Carter advises against tangible rewards. "You can't bribe children into doing this. Once you make it external with rewards, you lose them."

Follow up but don't nag about resolutions

Check in periodically with children on how they're doing. "Don't worry about lapses. Expect them. A lapse is forgetting for a day or two, or

having a week in which a turtle step didn't work.

Or maybe you went on vacation and couldn't practise. That's not failure; that's just trying. No big change is ever accomplished perfectly," Dr Carter says.

"Try not to be a big nag about this," Jennifer Kolari, a parent, child therapist and author of <<<Connected Parenting>>>, says. If your child isn't making progress on a resolution, "first affirm how hard it is: It seemed like a great idea, but it's not easy to stick to. Ask, 'What's getting in the way for you?' Help them get excited about it again." To avoid parental nagging, she advises framing the resolutions on a wall as a reminder.

Meg Cox, author of <<<The Book of New Family Traditions: How to Create Great Rituals for Holidays and Everyday>>> agrees. "Make sure the resolutions are accessible so you can find them easily. You could have a ritual every month in which you bring them out and talk about how you're all doing."

Of course, if the plan isn't working, you can always adjust it. "If you lose your way," Dr Goodman says, "figure out another way to get there."

That's what happened when Dr Carter's daughter set a goal of getting ready for school 15 minutes earlier each morning. "She thought of her six turtle steps, but it turned out not to be all that easy. Some of them were not tangible enough. So she erased them and substituted easier things. She did halvsies until the goal was complete. The beauty of letting children choose their own goal is that they want it for themselves."

Make family resolutions together

Resolutions also bring families closer, especially when you decide to set goals together.

Families could plan to do one charitable thing a month and brainstorm about what that might be.

You could pick up trash in the park or donate used clothes and toys to a shelter. "As long as you're working on it together, that's great," Kolari says.

Another idea is for everyone to make two personal New Year's Resolutions and two collective family resolutions such as, "Let's visit Grandma more often" or "Let's plan a trip to

Disney World."

Many parents suggest doing acts of kindness as part of family New Year's resolutions.

"Kindness is the habit holy grail," Dr Carter says. "It's so universally positive. When children consciously practise being kinder, it makes them happier people and the world is a better place.

As a family, my children and I think of the people in our lives we can help and we pick one to focus on during the week. For example, we have a neighbour who's retired and loves it when the children stop and talk for a while. You can't force children to be kind, but you can float the idea and hope they'll be inspired."

Make RESOLUTIONS A RITUAL

When you're sitting down and sharing resolutions with each other, it makes the family closer. You can make it even more meaningful by adding elements of ritual, Cox says.

"One of the main rules in creating new rituals is to engage as many of the five senses as possible," she says. For sound, play the family's favourite music. For smell and taste, cook a fun treat to eat during or after writing resolutions, especially something that smells delicious such as hot chocolate with marshmallows or warm cider with cinnamon. For touch and vision, buy some small objects to symbolise what might happen to a person in the next year, such as a small globe for travel, a football for sports, a book for doing well at school, and so on. Wrap the objects in pretty holiday paper and put them in a bowl.

Each person picks one gift (or "charm") that will "predict" something about his or her adventures in the New Year.

"Families these days tend to have isolated lives," Cox says. "When you're talking about what matters to each other, that's a bonding experience." So turn off the electronic devices – no texting—and pay attention to one another.

When the Dionnes lifted their glasses of cider with their children, now 12 and 13, this New Year's Eve, they continued a tradition of closeness. "I'd say, 'We've got a whole new year and a clean slate, so let's start fresh,'" Vicky says.

"We get them pumped up about how they can improve their lives." Paul adds.

anuary 1st, the one day with the power to cause reflection in almost all of us. Although we all know that it is in fact just one day, it often represents so much more.

It is a benchmark Ashley Anthony that we use to track our own successes, and a day we try to construct new goals to attempt to control how the following year will go. Yet nearly every year, we are disappointed in ourselves and our ability to accomplish our resolutions for the year before. It is not always that we are undisciplined, but sometimes it is just that life is unpredictable. Maybe your goal for last year was to maintain a GPA of 4.0, but during the year events led to a deterioration of your mental health and subsequently, you were unable to. It doesn’t mean that you should double down on yourself, but maybe you should take the time to reevaluate your life and set more attainable goals. After all, your goals should be about progression. Even if it is small, a step in the right direction is still worth celebrating. It can be difficult not to compare yourself to others, I mean, how can we ignore all of those Facebook posts from people reflecting on their wonderful years? Yet, it is important to remember that people only show the very best version of themselves on social media. A few images and good memories shared are just that – a few. It doesn’t mean that they had no trying times, it just means that they are choosing to reflect upon the good ones. While it is great to reflect upon good memories, it is incredibly important to think about our mistakes and the difficulties we have faced.

As the saying goes, a mistake is only a mistake if we do not learn from it, while hard times that we do not cause for ourselves test our character. They tend to be defining moments where we choose how to react and what to take away from certain situations. If you feel as though your year was overwhelmingly trying, think about how you reacted to each difficulty. Are you proud of yourself, or do you regret your decisions? How will that experience guide you in the future?

Regardless of how 2017 was, 2018 is a blank slate. Do not be confused in thinking that you can control everything that happens to you in the coming year, but you can control what you learn from the experiences, and how you handle them.

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wednesDAY, january 3, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

2 dismissed sugar workers Teacher trailed commit suicide from bank, robbed … GAWU calls for counselling

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wo sugar workers who were issued dismissal letters by the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) have committed suicide.

Reports are Ramnarase Bissesar of Inner Stanleytown, West Bank Demerara, ingested a poisonous substance on December 28, 2017, having received his dismissal letter. The second person, Joseph Mohabir, a Field Superintendent, was reportedly found hanging in his bedroom on Old Year’s Day. He too was among the workers who were dismissed by GuySuCo. Bissesar reportedly re-

Joseph Mohabir turned home around 14:00h after he visited some friends and told his wife that he was not sure how he was going to live since he did not receive his severance payment.

Shortly afterwards, he went to the upper flat of the house where he ingested the poisonous substance.

His wife found him in a foetal position in the floor and rushed him to the West

Demerara Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Mohabir, 38, of Lot 51 Reliance Abundant, East Canje, Berbice, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), was found hanging by the neck from the ceiling in his bedroom on Old Year’s Day, two days after his service was terminated.

The discovery was made by the dead man’s 17-year-old son, Joshua, around 19:00h. The dead man's wife, Bebi Shameeza Mohabir, explained that she had just gone to the lower flat and when she went back upstairs, he was dead.

She explained that it was her son who climbed the wall and made the discovery even as they were preparing to usher in the new year.

According to the grieving wife, over the past 18 years of marriage, she has never noticed her husband acting as he did over the past few days. Two weeks ago, he received the termination letter from the estate.

Bebi said her now deceased husband’s traumatic behaviour after he was served with a termination letter from the Rose Hall Estate, where he worked for over 19 years.

“Since he collect the letter he was totally depressed,

he was not the same person.

Every day he keep worrying… it is not only he is out of a job, is everybody, but he take it hard because look what he do to himself.”

On Tuesday, the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU) called on Government to ensure that GuySuCo facilitates counselling for the dismissed individuals.

“The Government, which has taken these haphazard decisions and the many broken promises that they have made, must be held accountable for this situation which is worsened by denying people their severance pay at Wales and to not setting a date for severance pay for workers from the other estates,” GAWU President Komal Chand told Guyana Times on Tuesday.

The Union said it was saddened that two former sugar workers, one at Wales and the other at Rose Hall, reportedly ended their lives.

Having expressed condolences to both families, GAWU while highlighting that the incidents are “extreme manifestations”, noted that the laying-off of thousands of sugar workers is having a serious psychological impact and “is pushing some into a depressive, despondent and desperate state”.

Deeming Government’s plans for the sugar industry as “ill-conceived and spiteful”, GAWU feels these actions will “haunt” Guyana for generations to come.

“At this time, it is incumbent for the Government to quickly arrest what, clearly, is a frightening situa-

tion. Without any further delay the Administration needs to advise on the date of payment of the workers’ severance pay and the provision of alternative employment available noting that workers expenses have not ceased though their jobs were taken away and bearing in mind too that it is not too late in correcting the closure decision taken.

Immediately, in the sugar belt the conduct of suicidal counselling should begin,” the Union body expressed.

GAWU further advised that workers and other family members who may harbour suicidal thoughts should to steer their mind in other directions.

Meanwhile, Opposition Leader and People’s Progressive Party (PPP) General Secretary, Bharrat Jagdeo expressed similar sentiments, stressing that no one should take their own life.

“I can understand the state of depression in the sugar belt because I have spoken to families and felt the extent of the hurt and uncertainty and worry about them being able to provide for their families,” he noted.

The Opposition Leader further explained that many sugar workers cannot see a future beyond sugar and he deemed Government’s decision to downsize the industry as “political” as opposed to being a technical or economic decision.

of over $1.2M

A

Robbed: Kathryn Persico

teacher who had just withdrawn some $1.2 million from Citizen’s Bank was early on Tuesday morning trailed from the said bank and robbed of the cash by armed men.

Fifty-year-old Kathryn Persico of Lot 45 Third Street, Albertown, Georgetown, was attacked and robbed in front of her house at around 10:32h.

According to reports, Persico – who is widely hailed as one of the best Grade Six teachers in Guyana – left her home at around 08:50h and visited the bank on Camp Street, Georgetown using a taxi.

She withdrew the cash and placed it in a bag which already contained some $50,000 and re-joined the taxi which had waited for her.

Guyana Times under-

stand that upon her return to her residence, Persico exited the taxi and was about to walk to her gate when she noticed two men approaching from a northern direction on a motorcycle.

The pillion rider jumped off of the motorcycle, whipped out a gun, pointed it at Persico and demanded that she hand over her bag.

The woman reportedly became afraid and complied with the demand, handing over her bag which contained the cash and documents.

The man then hopped back on the motorcycle and his accomplice sped away East on Third Street.

CCTV footage was retrieved and the Police are using it to assist them as they carry out their investigation.

8 NEWS

wednesDAY, january 3, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Illegal airstrip

Lethem businessman released on $1M bail

T

he Lethem businessman who was charged in connection with the construction of an illegal airstrip was on Tuesday granted $1 million bail after making an application in the High Court.

Hutashan Ramsingh, also called “Seon Singh”, stood before Justice Brassington Reynolds and had his Attorneys Jerome Khan in association with Ian Chung make a petition for bail.

Bail was granted in the sum of $1 million and he is required to report to the Lethem Police Station every Monday, starting January 8.

The matter was transferred to the Lethem Magistrate’s Court for March 5.

The 44-year-old man was remanded to prison on December 18, 2017, when he appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan

The aircraft discovered on the illegal airstrip Hutashan Ramsingh

at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

It is alleged that on August 10 and August 13, 2017, at Mandacoro Island Savannah (Santa Fe), Lethem, Ramsingh conspired with persons known and unknown to facilitate the illegal landing of an aircraft on an unauthorised port of entry.

Following the discovery of the airstrip, Ramsingh

and two other residents of Lethem – Wazim King, 37 and Nathan Hamilton, 21 – were flown to Georgetown to assist with investigations.

Ramsingh was released on $50,000 station bail while King and Hamilton were hauled before the courts to be charged for a similar offence of conspiracy to commit a felony.

Following his release in September, the Police had reported that Ramsingh had fled the jurisdiction.

In December however, Ramsingh was recaptured.

It was reported that his vehicle was frequenting the area where the airstrip was discovered and where an illegal aircraft had landed.

Moreover, reports indicate that he had been also involved in similar cases of illegal aircraft landings in other areas in the region, namely Parabara, Manwar, Mountain Point and Mandakara Airstrip.

Gunmen rob East Ruimveldt man

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n East Ruimveldt, Georgetown man was attacked by two gunmen and robbed of his two gold chains, cash and his cellphone.

Reports are Ray Juandoo was walking along Phase 2,

East Ruimveldt, at around 22:14h when the men pounced on him.

This newspaper was told that the two armed men approached the 23-yearold from a westerly direction, exited a silver Toyota

Premio motorcar and pointed a gun at him.

As one of the gunmen held Juandoo at gunpoint, his accomplice relieved him of his two gold chains valued $220,000, and an iPhone 6+ valued $186,000. The men

then calmly re-entered the motorcar and made good their escape.

Juandoo raised an alarm and the Police were called to the scene. An investigation has been launched.

Jeweller robbed of gold chain, diamond ring

A

jeweller was on New Year’s Day robbed of a gold chain and a diamond ring when two bandits attacked him on America and Longden Streets, in Georgetown.

Dexter Forrester, 27, of Lot 30 Two Friends Housing Scheme, Anns Grove, East Coast Demerara (ECD), was attacked at about 23:10h.

Guyana Times under-

stands Forrester sells jewellery on the corners of America and Longden Streets.

At the time of the attack, he was reportedly packing his stocks into his motorcar when he noticed a silver grey Toyota Premio motorcar driving up America Street (which is a oneway).

The car drove pass him, reportedly stopped, turned

around and parked parallel alongside him. One of the bandits then exited the car from the backseat and held Forrester at gunpoint.

Another then exited the said car and relieved him of a gold chain valued $135,000, one diamond ring valued $125,000 and $55,000 in cash.

A single gunshot was fired in the air as the ban-

dits re-entered their motorcar and made good their escape West along America Street and then North into Water Street.

The matter was reported and Police who visited the scene. Persons in the area said they heard the gunshot but assumed it was a firecracker.

The matter is being investigated.

Gun-toting bandit snatches gold chain

Surveillance footage showing the gunman carrying out the robbery

P

olice in E Division (Linden-Kwakwani) are investigating an incident where a male victim was robbed of his gold chain in Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) on Sunday evening.

A video of the incident has since been making rounds on social media, showing a gunman and two other accomplices, all unmasked and casually walking up to a small group of

people at Republic Avenue, Mackenzie at approximately 21:42h.

One of the bandits then pulled out a gun, pointed it at the victim who was part of the group, and snatched his chain. After snatching the chain, he and his accomplices calmly walked away from the scene. A Police official has since confirmed the incident. Investigations are ongoing.

Starting 2018…

Y

…lying to sugar workers ou just know it’s going to be the ‘same ole, same ole’ when in his New Year’s message, Nagamootoo says this about 2017: “Above all, Guyana has been spared the plight of dire poverty, destitution and want.” Your Eyewitness wonders what the 5700 sugar workers, who’d been living from “hand to mouth” to begin with, but were fired in 2017, think about that!!

Who does Nagamootoo think he’s fooling? But then, the better question might be “Does Nagamootoo, Granger or any other member of this Government care whether sugar workers believe anything they say?” Sugar workers, after all, aren’t just collateral damage in the matter of “war by other means” that defines our politics. Sugar workers were the shock troops and the backbone of the PPP even before there was a PPP in 1947! Were.

With sugar being the anchor of the economy from its inception, Jagan’s and the PPP’s control of sugar workers gave them a strategic weapon after WWII against first, the colonial British and then the Dictator Burnham. Where did Jagan vow to end colonialism? At murdered sugar workers’ funerals. Who did he turn to when the British and Americans worked to remove him? Sugar workers in a historic (and bloody) strike. Ditto to the PNC after Burnham nationalised the industry and PPP were neutralised politically by his rigging elections.

Granger is the successor to Burnham as the leader of the PNC and has given a public commitment to complete the dictator’s legacy. A big chunk of that legacy was to destroy the PPP as a political force – a goal that involved as much personal issues as political ones. Granger has done what Burnham was not able to do – break the strongest arrow in the PPP’s quiver. If anyone thinks sugar workers will have any political clout henceforth via strikes, they have another thing coming. As your Eyewitness has been saying, they can march up and down in the sun over in Canje all they want. Doesn’t matter a whit to the PNC – including Nagamootoo and the AFC that has hitched their fortunes to that wagon.

Not many persons have analysed what will be the effect on the PPP now that they’re bereft of any means of exerting effective pressure on its political Opposition – which just happens to be the Government that decides who gets what, when and how. With oil in the offing, the Government will decide who gets whatever benefits flow Guyana’s way.

It doesn’t take much imagination to figure out we’re heading back to the days when it took a “party card” to get a job.

And even then, you might have to be a “born PNC”!

…oil money The IMF says Trotman gave away our Black Gold – and we know, notwithstanding his rotund belly and visage, Trotman’s no Santa! There had to’ve been some hankypanky going on under the table. But who’ll bell that cat??

The IMF just issues these reports…it doesn’t take any action against transgressors. Sovereignty and all that – excepting when you owe the IMF!!

For instance, a 2011 IMF audit revealed $32 billion disappeared from Angola’s official accounts between 2007 and 2010, a quarter of the State’s income – 90 per cent of which comes from oil. It took massive internal pressures from local civil society activists for the Angolan Government to introduce some transparency reforms afterwards. And not before several were thrown into jail.

Angola is Africa’s largest exporter of oil…but its GDP didn’t grow in 2016. Attempting to wrest more revenues through tax revision, Angola just had to give up since the contracts couldn’t be changed!

Sounds similar with the infinite tax holidays Trotman gave Exxon? So what will you do ‘bout it?

…waiting to exhale With the Venezuelans still playing hardball on its border controversy over the Essequibo, your Eyewitness expected that the UN Secretary General would’ve kept his word and sent the matter to the World Court.

Too much New Year spirits?

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

News

9

wednesDAY, january 3, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Oil contract

Govt sacrificed long-term gains for short-term benefits – Jagdeo agreements.”

Difficult task

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo addressing the media on Tuesday

W

ith less than one week after the contract between Guyana and US oil giant ExxonMobil was released to the general public, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo is still disturbed that the Guyana Government did not negotiate a better deal for the country and allowed the company to gain many tax breaks.

Addressing his first press conference for the year, Jagdeo told the media on Tuesday that he feels Government had a perfect opportunity to negotiate a better deal for Guyana but failed to do so, on many counts. He said, “I look around, and people don’t seem to care and it bothers me a lot because what we have given up might be billions of dollars into the future to get a few million dollars here.”

The Opposition Leader said ExxonMobil gained more in four clauses regarding the extension of

the agreement, stability clause on taxes, relinquishment requirement and the regulation of the gas sector.

“The paltry US$3 million we got from Exxon over the next 10 years. And I am calculating the US$3 million assuming US$18 million bonus divided by 10 years that’s US$1.8 million and then they got more for training, and rental feel…

So US$3 million more per year. When you compare the two, you will see what we have given up.”

Jagdeo claimed that he is depressed thinking about this. “I feel sad without knowing why and then I think about it. Frankly speaking, when you work so hard to move a country from where it was… to where we are today… and just when we have the possibility of turning the corner, to have a Government come in and squander because of incompetence, a future that we could have by making bad

Asked whether he would consider having the contract renegotiated if the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) is returned to Government in 2020, Jagdeo hinted that this may be a difficult task to undertake. In fact, the Opposition Leader said once a Government participates in negotiations then those contracts should be respected, even though they might be unhappy with certain aspects of it.

“We are very unhappy about many of the contracts, the Barama contract, the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company contract that we inherited when we took office but we had to live with those,” he said.

As a political party, Jagdeo said the PPP would not like to send the wrong message to foreign investors. “We have been one of the most successful Governments ever in our history to attract foreign investment. In fact, most of the foreign investments that the country is benefiting from now came from the PPP.” The PPP General Secretary referred to another contentious issue which required tough negotiation with Guyana Gold Fields which resulted in a more reasonable outcome. “I argued that royalties should go to eight per cent for large mining companies if the price of gold is over $1000.

And they didn’t want to sign the contract and it went back and forth. But we managed to get them to agree to something good.”

Jagdeo made it clear

that although Guyana was holding all the cards when it sat down to negotiate with ExxonMobil, the end product is a contract heavily favouring the oil company.

According to Jagdeo, the negotiating power had shifted in Guyana’s favour by 2016 having discovered oil and as such, a much more favourable contract for the country could have been garnered. With such advantage in hand, he added that Government failed in its negotiation with the oil giant, questioning the motive of

the negotiating team when it agreed to the terms of new contract.

The contract was released on Thursday last, after incessant public pressure. While it contains provisions for local content, there are a number of concessions. For instance, Article 15 of the contract states that Exxon is exempt from paying Corporation, Excise or Value Added Tax on its earnings from petroleum.

Article 15.4 also provides for the Government

itself to pay the company’s Income Tax. To facilitate this, the oil company has to submit tax returns to the Government. That’s not all.

Article 32 stipulates that Government cannot modify the contract or increase any fiscal obligation the company has.

This therefore puts a cap on the taxes, royalties, duties, fees or charges outlined in the contract. Government also has to compensate the operator if a change to existing laws causes loss of revenue for the company.

10 news

wednesDAY, january 3, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Canal No 1 flooding

Water begins to recede

… as farmers report tremendous losses

E

ven as the heavy downpours continue across the country, residents of Canal Number One Polder, West Bank Demerara (WBD), are now picking up the pieces as the floodwaters begins to recede.

Good Hope, Canal Number One resident, Sattie (only name given), told Guyana Times that for the 20 years she has been living in the area, this is the second time she experienced such devastating flooding.

“The water was terrible.

It go down a lot. It started to go down about three days ago

S

Workers clearing the main drainage canal

Hemraj Persaud Boodhoo in one section of his flooded farm

and we glad it going down because we can dwell outside now because for the whole holiday season, we went inside and couldn’t come out,” the woman lamented.

The lower part of Canal Number One Polder, WBD, has been flooded since December 20, 2017, with the water continuously rising.

However, for the predominantly farming community, their livelihood remains threatened since the water is yet to begin to recede from their farms.

Sattie’s husband, Edward, said the last time his pineapple farm was under so much water was during the 2005 floods. He explained that he farms over three acres of pineapple along with ground provisions and plantains.

“The yard is not so much but is the farm at the back.

I had plantain, cassava and pine. Is three acres of pine gone down the drain there… some of the pine buss out al-

This yard remains inundated

New beginnings?

ready and they a turn like apple you nah got nothing fuh get back from that. The pines just getting small and is over two weeks now that it deh under water,” he said.

Meanwhile, large-scale fruit farmer Hemraj Persaud Boodhoo said his losses are estimated to be in the millions, since most of his fruit trees have begun dying.

On a visit to a section of Boodhoo’s farm, Guyana Times observed at least one cashew tree uprooted while thousands of pineapple plants were covered in water. The farmer explained that the roots of the pineapple plants have already begun rotting and soon those will die, adding that they have been covered in over four feet of water for approximately two weeks.

“The canal was in bad condition. They cleaned up to November and left this bottom part, when we asked they said that the contract closed.

Beardman (Deokinandan) was the contractor and does

only get two months contract but they didn’t pay him since June according to what he said,” the man related.

Boodhoo said they are yet to hear any official word from the authorities, noting that they would only come to inspect the canal but not interact with the farmers. The man said he cannot estimate his losses but added that he would have invested millions into the preparation of his farm as well as the maintenance of it.

Meanwhile, a source close to Deokinandan related that the man is owed in excess of $10 million for works he would have completed in both Canals One and Two, and withdrew his services after

not being paid for over eight months.

The reason the residents experienced such severe flooding is because the main drainage canal has been neglected for some time. The National Drainage and Irrigation Authority, which has responsibility for the Canal only, began cleaning it one week following the flooding. The Civil Defence Commission last Friday distributed sanitisation hampers when Minister of State Joseph Harmon visited, and the residents says that they are yet to hear anything from teams that visited.

Efforts to contact the regional authorities on the issue proved futile.

atiricus was exhausted. He needed a holiday to recover from the holidays! He figured he must be getting old.

There was a time when he used to ring in the New Year till dayclean…and was none the worse for wear. But here he was dragging his tail to his backyard since he’d invited the fellas for a “cool down” on New Year’s Day. He fell into a hammock as he espied his friends arriving with their promised cooler of beers.

“Wha’ wrang wid you, Budday!?” said Cappo jovially, as he sat down and opened a beer bottle.

“I couldn’t sleep with all the fireworks,” said Satiricus irritably. “I thought the Police promised to crack down since they were banned.”

“Yuh sh’ud aks yuh leadah Rum Jhaat ‘bout da!” chortled Bungi.

“He was too busy testing the “no curfew” change in the bars!!” chuckled Hari.

“Jeez fellas, aren’t you going to ease up this new year?” asked Satiricus plaintively as he accepted a cold one from Cappo.

“W’en wan man mek ‘e-self wan doormat, yuh gat fuh walk pan am!” said Cappo seriously.

“And yuh leadah Nagga Man an’ Rum Jhaat mek demself real doormat!” chipped in Bungi without a pause.

“And why should only Grain Ja and the Pee-an’-See walk all over them?” asked Hari. “I have boots that are made for walking!!”

“OK! OK! I get the idea,” said Satiricus, as he tried to change the subject. “So what New Year resolutions have you guys made?”

“Me?” asked Bungi. “Me guh aks fuh wan tax haliday!”

“Like Cappo paying you too much, or what?” asked Hari.

“I heard about you contractor fellas!”

“Naah…de man cheap fuh so!” smiled Bungi at his friend who’d given him a job when he was fired as a cane-cutter.

“But if Vexxan can get tax haliday, wha’ mek me and Bungi cyaan get?” chimed in Cappo. “Dem a mek mo dan ten Guyana!”

“I give up!” said Satiricus. “I know nothing will change this year!”

Guyanese woman stabbed to death in NY, husband hangs self

J

ust hours after a Queens couple rang in the New Year, the wife became the city’s first murder victim of 2018 – and her abusive husband hanged himself from a tree in a city park.

The New York Daily News reported Police sources as saying on Monday that authorities were investigating the deaths as a murder-suicide after the bodies were discovered about three hours apart on New Year’s Day. Stacy Singh, the 26-year-old mother of two small children, was stabbed repeatedly in the back and left face-down in the couple’s Richmond Hill home on 103rd Avenue, near 113th Street, according to Police sources. Singh is a Guyanese who hails from Novar, Mahaicony, East Coast Demerara.

A knife was found near her body when Police arrived at about 14:00h.

Her hard-partying husband, Vinny Loknath, 46, committed suicide just after 11:00h in Forest Park, about one and a half miles from the murder scene, sources said. He was found hanging from a tree in the park.

Loknath “was very abusive to her,” the dead woman’s brother-in-law Romain

Stacy Singh and Vinny Loknath in happier times

Shaw, told the New York Daily News. “She stayed with him no matter what because they had two kids together. She was hoping for him to change, but he never did.

“He’s such a coward.”

According to Shaw, Loknath was drinking heavily and using cocaine when family members gathered on New Year’s Eve at a Queens restaurant.

“He was so drunk, so very drunk,” said Shaw.

“He always beat her up

when he went home high.”

A neighbour said the couple fought constantly, recalling one incident that ended with the battered wife leaving their home in an ambulance.

“The Cops are always there,” the neighbour said.

“They were always having big fights. But she still came back to him.” The couple has a five-year-old son and a one-year-old daughter now left parentless.

“Stacy was a very sweet person,” said Shaw. “She

was a very generous, caring person. She loved her children very much, spent every penny on them. They were her world.”

The victim’s family went to the house on Monday evening, with the woman’s sister collapsing upon arrival. The neighbour described Loknath as a construction worker often seen sitting on the front stoop of the house, smoking cigarettes and drinking beer.

This killing marked the second consecutive year that a Guyanese has been the city’s first murder in the Queens precinct.

On January 1, 2017, 31-year-old Ricky Kalisaran of Klein Pouderoyen, West Bank Demerara, was shot dead during an attempted robbery on 124th Street, South Richmond Hill, Queens, near Liberty Avenue. He had travelled to the US to attend his grandmother’s funeral.

Kalisaran was shot once to his back by one of the gun-toting bandits and left to die in front of a nightclub on 124th Street.

Meanwhile, his brother, Michael Kalisaran, 25, a resident of the US, was shot to his abdomen but when the bullet exit his body, it caused severe damage to a lung and kidney.

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11

wednesDAY, january 3, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

PPP lambastes Govt for broken promise – as new year breaks without Police Service Commission

Former Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee

B

ack in 2017, President David Granger had assured that by year end, the Police Service Commission would be reconstituted. This however, has not happened and the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) is expressing concerns over the commission being in limbo.

During the PPP’s end of year press conference, the Opposition’s point man on security, Clement Rohee, took the Government to task for its unfulfilled promise.

According to Rohee, the fact that no consultative process has commenced to identify persons for the Commission is significant.

“The President, making a reckless statement, pronounced that he will

ensure that by the end of 2017 (December 31), he will have in place a new Police Service Commission. This, of course, is virtually impossible given the consultative process that has to be conducted in order for members of the Commission to be identified to serve,” Rohee said.

“As a result of the absence of a Police Service Commission, there’s not likely to be any (senior) promotions, which is traditional at the end of each year.

So promotions will be absent from the leadership of the Police Force at the end of 2017. In addition, President Granger had announced that the one-month bonus would not be granted to members of the disciplined forces once again.”

With that in mind, the former Home Affairs Minister classified the pledge to reconstitute the Commission as just another empty promise. With effect from the last day of the year 2017, 204 junior Police ranks were promoted. No one above the rank of Sergeant was promoted.

The Police Service Commission is tasked with promotions of officers above the rank. It also handles disciplinary matters for officers. The life of the previous Commission ended in September. Last year, the previous Commission had prepared a list of senior offi-

The life of the previous Commission came to an end in September 2017

cers to promote; that is, until directives were given by Granger to halt the promotions.

In August, former PSC Chairman Omesh Satyanand had made known that after a meeting with the other commissioners it was decided that they were going to adhere to the order to halt all promotions until further notice.

Even the Chairman had expressed concern that halting the entire promotion process would be a blow to senior officers. He had noted that these officers have invested time and energy in building a career at the Guyana Police Force and were expecting their just reward.

44 more Govt buildings to receive solar energy in 2018

GEA CEO, Dr Mahender Sharma

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he Guyana Energy Agency (GEA) is continuing its mandate of implementing renewable energy (RE) and energy efficiency (EE) programmes to fulfil the Government’s commitment to achieving a green economy.

GEA Chief Executive Officer (CE), Dr Mahender Sharma said 44 Government buildings across the 10 regions of Guyana would have approximately 648 Kilowatts of grid-connected and energy storage solar photovoltaic (PV) systems.

Sharma, who was speaking on the Agency’s 2017

performance and plans for 2018 at a recent forum, explained that the investment cost of this initiative was estimated at $260 million with a simple payback period of four years.

According to the CEO, in 2017, the GEA installed solar PV systems on the roofs of 70 Government buildings. He added that with regard to the 2017 energy efficiency programme, inefficient lights were replaced and contracts were awarded to install 10,427 light-emitting diode (LED) lamps and 3766 occupancy sensors at 46 Government buildings

all of which will be completed in the first quarter this year.

“Some locations where the LED lights were installed include Vergenoegen, Uitvlugt, Stewartville and Anna Regina Secondary Schools, Ministry of Business and National Centre for Educational Resource Development (NCERD),” Sharma explained.

Further, in 2018, the Agency will continue its energy programme, which will see more than 10,000 inefficient lights being replaced with energy-saving LED lamps and over 900 manually- operated switches being replaced with energy-saving occupancy sensors at 54 Government buildings.

Sharma said, “The buildings were selected based on a request by GEA to the various Ministries and Government entities to identify buildings for the installation of solar PV systems and the replacement of inefficient lighting systems.”

Although the previous year was a challenging one with tough deadlines, Sharma said the Agency was able to deliver its work programme and would continue to do so in 2018.

But noting that this was the first time a sitting President had issued such a directive to the Commission, he had called for some clarity and justification as to the circumstances that led to making such a decision.

A perusal of the PSC’s list would show that among those who were scheduled to be promoted were several senior officers who were hauled before the Commission of Inquiry (COI) into an assassination plot against President David Granger.

Some of the chosen ones included Assistant Commissioner of Police

Clifton Hicken. He was tipped to be promoted to Deputy Commissioner of Police, Senior Superintendent Wendell Blanhum had been lined up for Assistant Commissioner.

Head of Special Branch, Brian Eastman, was also listed to become a Senior Superintendent of Police, while Head of Major Crimes, Assistant Superintendent Mitchell Caesar had been recommended for Deputy Superintendent.

Over the course of the CoI, a number of officers were summoned and even upbraided for their work during the investiga-

tion. Besides the senior officers, junior officers were also criticised by Assistant Commissioner Paul Slowe, who was appointed by the President.

While the President had justified this move by saying that concerns were expressed about the officers, a court ruling had declared that the intervention was unconstitutional. In the November 22 court ruling on halting the promotion list, the Chief Justice (acting) established that the President did breach the Constitution when he issued a directive to halt promotions.

12 news PPP/C to host academic conference to honour Cheddi Jagan wednesDAY, january 3, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

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n honour of the late President of Guyana, Dr Cheddi Jagan, the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) will be hosting several activities throughout 2018 to mark his 100th birth anniversary. Among those activities is an academic conference and special cultural events across the country.

PPP General Secretary Bharrat Jagdeo said on Tuesday that the aim of these activities was to reflect on the life and achievements of the late President and founder of the Party.

Jagdeo said the Party also hoped to spread more awareness among the youth population about Jagan.

“Most people are aware that Cheddi Jagan has given a lifetime of dedication to Guyana. That he was one of the key figures against colonialism and struggle for

dignity for Guyana and independence,” Jagdeo said, explaining that Jagan’s work meant a lot for Guyanese of all walks of life.

According to Jagdeo, Jagan constantly created policies that whenever he held Government, it brought benefits to the people of Guyana. “We will not approach the celebration in a partisan way, because we want all Guyanese even those who don’t support or voted for the PPP/C to understand a bit more about his life and his struggles and how his ideas and policies led to a better life for all Guyanese.”

It was also noted that much of the progress made in Guyana, especially under the PPP/C Administration, originated from ideas of his.

From premier to chief minister and later President, Jagan is one of the no-

Late President, Dr Cheddi Jagan

blest icons in Guyanese and Caribbean political history.

Further, activities to mark Jagan’s birth anniversary will not only be limited to Region Four (Upper Demerara-Upper Berbice), but would take place in all three counties. Activities

PNCR’s Sandra Adams passes away

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he People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) Political Secretary, Sandra Adams, MS, passed away on Tuesday morning at the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC) following heart related complications.

Adams, who hails from Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) served in various leading capacities over the years, including Deputy Director of Community Development Councils, and Regional Councillor and Region 10 Party Chairman among others. She was also the sister of Minister Valerie AdamsYearwood. Shortly after her passing, Adams-Yearwood posted a photo of Adams lying on a bed to her Facebook profile with the caption “My sister Sandra Adams died this morning at the GPHC”.

Adams was recently hos-

Sandra Adams

pitalised for heart related complications but was discharged. Shortly after being discharged, she attended the sod turning exercise to mark the construction of the Linden passport office in the town on Saturday, an event which she chaired.

In a message of condolence by President David Granger, the Head of State said he was “deeply saddened” at the passing of Adams.

The message went on to state that “Ms Adams was a dedicated public servant, community organiser and political activist.

She served as the Assistant National Director of the Community Development Council in the Ministry of Communities. She was the Principal Political Secretary and member of the Central Executive Committee of the People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR) and also the Regional Chairman of the Party’s Upper DemeraraBerbice Region.”

Adams was a Member of Parliament from 1997 to 2006. The President in his statement also extended sympathy to Adams’s family.

are also planned for the Diaspora, while a special edition of the Thunder Newspaper will be published to mark that occasion and reflect on his achievements.

In addition, there will be several sporting events.

Jagdeo also made an appeal to people to use social media to explore more about Jagan. A special website will be created soon to allow Guyanese to post comments and thoughts about the late Guyanese Head of State.

“We want young people to know a lot more about Cheddi Jagan. We want Guyanese to use Cheddi Jagan as their profile picture for days, months or weeks on their social media pages. It would help to draw attention…to him and hopefully it will raise curiosity about Cheddi and what he did for this country. We

would be extremely grateful for that,” Jagdeo stated.

Cheddi Berret Jagan was born March 22, 1918, at Plantation Port Mourant, British Guiana. He was a politician and union activist, who in 1953 became the first popularly-elected Prime Minister of British Guiana (now Guyana). He headed the country’s Government again from 1957 to 1964 and from 1992 to 1997.

The son of a foreman on a sugarcane plantation, Jagan studied dentistry in the United States. When he returned to practise dentistry in British Guiana in 1943, he became active in union and political affairs, and was first elected to the British Guiana legislature in 1947.

In 1950, Jagan and his America-born wife, Janet, established British Guiana’s first modern political par-

ty, the PPP, with himself as its leader. In elections held under the new Britishgranted Constitution of 1953, the PPP won a majority of the seats in the House of Assembly and Jagan became the country’s Prime Minister.

His subsequent programme of radical socioeconomic reforms, however, along with the strikes and demonstrations encouraged by his Party, prompted the British authorities in late 1953 to dismiss him from office, suspend the new Constitution, and send in troops to prevent the consolidation of a government that they viewed as pro-communist.

Before his death in 1997, Jagan wrote several books analysing Guyana’s history and contemporary economic and political problems.

Alcohol smuggling probe

SWAT Head removed from post

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cting Police Commissioner David Ramnarine confirmed on Tuesday that Commander of the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) Unit, Deputy Superintendent Mootie Dookie has been removed from his post.

Dookie is under investigation after he was reportedly caught smuggling 30 cases of whiskey.

Guyana Times understands that Dookie will be out of his post pending the outcome of the investigation.

When asked about Dookie’s replacement, the acting Top Cop said that although the SWAT has the capacity for someone to be appointed Officer in Charge, there is already sufficient oversight at the level of Police Headquarters.

On December 30, the Head of SWAT was detained at the Whim Police Station and placed under close ar-

SWAT Commander Mootie Dookie

rest after 30 cases of illegal whiskey were discovered in a vehicle in which he was travelling.

The discovery was made when officers, in a special operation, stopped the minibus on the Whim Public Road, Corentyne, Berbice and Dookie had reportedly told the Police that there were only 10 cases of whiskey which were being taken to a party. However, a search proved otherwise as

30 cases were found.

On Sunday, it was claimed that the Policeman later escaped from lawful custody, but a senior Police rank in B Division (Berbice) denied knowledge of any escape, and maintained that the detainee was still in custody. This publication was told that Dookie should not have been in Berbice in the first place based on confirmation that his commanding officer never permitted him to leave Police headquarters in Georgetown.

Dookie was appointed to his post only three months ago following the removal of his predecessor, Lonsdale Withrite. Withrite was relieved of his duties on October 4, 2017, two days after he was allegedly robbed of his service weapon, 16 live rounds of ammunition and his motor car, while in the company of a female friend at the seawall at Kitty, Georgetown.

Cops under close arrest over rape allegation

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wo Police Constables have been confirmed to be presently under close arrest as Police probe a rape allegation made against them.

The alleged rape incident occurred on New Year’s Day at the Turkeyen Police Station. This was confirmed

by C Division (East Coast Demerara) Commander Calvin Brutus.

Reports surrounding the incident revealed that the victim, a 22-year-old fe-

male, was at the time using the washroom facilities at the Police Station, being there to make a Police report when she was allegedly attacked.

The woman is reporting that she went to the Station to make a report regarding a squib which was thrown on her son.

However while there, she requested to use the washroom at the Station and while inside the said washroom, the men reportedly

pounced on her.

It was also confirmed that the traumatised woman reported the matter to a senior official who directed her as to what procedure should be followed.

The ranks, however, are maintaining their innocence in the matter and have given a different account of what they said actually took place.

The matter is being investigated.

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wednesDAY, january 3, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Oil contract ties hands of successive Govts – Ram

As new year commences

Blanhum’s future as Crime Chief uncertain T O

By Shemuel Fanfair

ne month after a transfer that saw him answerable to the Commander of A Division (Georgetown-East Bank Demerara), the tenure of replaced Substantive Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum remains uncertain as it was indicated that there was no change in his position.

Acting Commissioner of Police David Ramnarine had first tied Blanhum’s transfer to the “arrangements” that were in place for the Christmas season, observing that his “reposting” was not without precedent. Now that 2018 has commenced, Guyana Times sought to ascertain whether or not the former Crime Chief’s post was a permanent fixture.

In a brief interview with this newspaper on Tuesday, the acting Commissioner was questioned on the status of Blanhum’s position.

Ramnarine however opted against offering a direct response on the matter but instead indicated that this position will be maintained for the foreseeable future.

“That discussion is not for public domain, not for this time at least,” he told this publication.

It was in early December that the acting Top Cop pointed out that Senior Superintendent Wendell Blanhum was removed from his post, and would act as the Deputy Commander of A Division, under Marlon Chapman.

When Blanhum was on his vacation leave, Assistant Police Commissioner Paul Williams who had been recently elevated to Commander of B Division (Berbice) acted as the interim Crime Chief.

Ramnarine had announced that Williams would continue to function in the capacity, at the time noting that the change was done to facilitate the Force’s annual Christmas security pro-

Deputy Commander of A Division Wendell Blanhum

Commissioner of Police (ag), David Ramnarine

gramme.

However, media reports had suggested that Blanhum’s demotion was in keeping with the recommendations of the Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the alleged plot to assassinate President David Granger.

On these claims, Ramnarine had refused to comment.

On March 29, 2017, Andriff Gillard reported to the Police that his friend and neighbour, Nizam Khan, had offered him $7 million to assassinate the President. He said the offer was made during a conversation between Khan and himself after he had approached Khan to borrow $6 million to purchase a property. Following the allegation, President Granger ordered the CoI to investigate the Police investigation of the allegation, and to also make recommendations to address flaws. Retired Assistant Police Commissioner Paul Slowe conducted the CoI and handed the report to President Granger at the end of August.

However, when Blanhum had taken the stand at the CoI, he clashed with Commissioner Slowe. It was revealed that Blanhum was the first person to receive information of the alleged plot, and was instructed by

Ramnarine to personally oversee the investigation.

The Commission found that Blanhum had failed to properly supervise the investigation, and allegedly lied while under oath when he said it was his decision to send Nizam Khan on bail.

It was recommended that Blanhum be disciplined for all those infractions.

“He was insubordinate when he took a rude, argumentative and aggressive posture at the Commission of Inquiry. He should be disciplined for this. His lack of supervision of this important investigation; his utterances, disrespect and arrogance displayed before the Commission showed that he is incapable of functioning as the Crime Chief, the lead investigator and manager of the major investigating unit of the Guyana Police Force.

Blanhum should be replaced as Crime Chief, and reassigned in order to gain command experience,” Slowe had recommended.

Blanhum had taken up the reigns as Crime Chief in May 2015 and he had reopened several high-profile cases, such as the execution of fashion designer Trevor Rose; the 1993 murder case of Monica Reece; and the robbery/murder of Sheema Mangar.

he oil contract Guyana has with ExxonMobil will tied the hands of successive Governments.

This is according to Chartered Accountant Christopher Ram, who in his blog noted that the Stability Clause of the renegotiated contract has been increased from just one paragraph (the 1999 agreement) to four. He observed that the increases protect the interest of the operators.

“The Government’s hands are tied, and it is effectively prevented from exercising one of the most fundamental and sovereign duties of any State in relation not only to the oil companies but also to their successors and assignees. Article 32 – Stability of Agreement has been increased from one to four paragraphs, all of considerable consequence.”

He noted that the 2016 changes are designed not only to protect the interests of the oil companies but more importantly, to limit the role of the Government

islation, decree and/or other authoritative acts.”

The contract

Chartered Accountant Christopher Ram

Guyana decides to make any amendments to its laws, whether through the amendment of existing laws; including the hydrocarbon laws, the customs code, or tax code, the Government would have to restore any benefits lost.

“The new Article requires that the foregoing obligation of the Government includes the obligation to resolve promptly by whatever means may be necessary (my emphasis) any conflict or anomaly between the

Exxon’s operations offshore Guyana

in applying new laws in so far as the oil companies are concerned.

According to Ram if

Agreement and any new or amended legislation, including by way of exemption, leg-

The contract was finalised on October 7, 2016, between the coalition Government, ExxonMobil and its partners in the Stabroek block and released on December 28, 2017.

In Article 15 of the contract, Exxon is exempt from paying Corporation, Excise or Value Added Tax on its earnings from petroleum.

Article 15.4 also provides for the Government itself to pay the company’s Income Tax. To facilitate this, the oil company has to submit tax returns to the Government.

Article 32 stipulates that Government cannot modify the contract or increase any fiscal obligation the company has.

This therefore puts a cap on the taxes, royalties, duties, fees or charges outlined in the contract. Government also has to compensate the operator if a change to existing laws causes loss of revenue for the company.

But there are provisions for Exxon to fulfil its corporate social responsibility.

This includes a fund for social and environment projects. Exxon has to contribute US$300,000 per year to this fund. The sums roll over and the company together with Government will determine which projects to fund.

The contract sets aside another US$300,000 per year to ensure Guyanese personnel are trained at local or overseas universities and conferences. There are also provisions for a continuous review of local content.

T&HD to provide 2 additional water taxis for Berbice

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he Transport and Harbours Department (T&HD) has indicated in its 2017 year-end report that two water taxis will be provided for persons travelling the Rosignol-New Amsterdam route in the

Berbice River.

The report, which was presented by the General Manager of the T&HD, Marcelene Merchant, indicated that the two water taxis are to be constructed at a cost of $23 million. The

vessels will be outfitted with outboard engines.

The two water taxis will replace the two that are currently rented to transport passengers across the Berbice River from Rosignol to New Amsterdam and back.

Works Ministry faced with serious shortage of experienced contractors

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n discussing several challenges faced in 2017 at the Public Infrastructure Ministry, Coordinator of the Works Services Group (WSG), Geoffrey Vaughn has said that one of the greatest challenges was attracting experienced personnel for most of the major projects.

The WSG Head explained that while there was in excess of 500 plus contractors who would have been prequalified for works to be done by the Ministry, this issue kept arising throughout the year. This, according to him, is also one of the main reasons for many of the public contracts being terminated.

“With that pool, what we have been seeing is with lots of the contractors that have been tendering, there is still a shortage in terms of experienced personnel within their organisations, specifically engineers. Because what we have been seeing basically is a name appearing on the tender document, but after that process would have been completed, we are still looking for that individual once that project would have been awarded to that particular company,” he said.

To correct this issue, Vaughn said the Ministry would recommend implementing a stricter process by which these contractors were chosen. Recommendations

Works Services Group Coordinator Geoffrey Vaughn

will also be made to make provisions for the Ministry to see the individual contractors selected and their staff while tendering.

Another issue faced by the Ministry, according to

Vaughn, has to do with project management. He said most contractors were taking on more work than they could handle, and the Ministry has seen many cases of this in 2017. On the

other hand, most projects are not being managed effectively and efficiently.

“So you find their ending up with quite a few projects that we may know of because other agencies would have already awarded contracts to them. So, they come to you at the end and when they ask you when I’m finished with this one, then I’ll start with that one and right away the red flag goes up.

And that is because you realise that the capacity is not there for them to execute the project,” he said.

Despite these challenges, the Ministry has managed to execute most of its capital projects for 2017, with fewer rollovers for the new year.

However, the deadline for a majority of the Ministry’s major infrastructural projects have been pushed back or further delayed to another year.

Meanwhile, some of the major projects to be worked on this year include: the LindenMabura Road, Kurupukari Bridge, ParikaGoshen road, Sheriff StreetMandela Road Project, East Bank-East Coast Road Link, Demerara River Crossing, installation of LED lights across the country, Linden-Soesdyke Highway Study and the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB)financed study for upgrading Lethem Airport into a regional hub.

14 news

wednesDAY, january 3, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

APNU/AFC’s Govt gets Gold Board gets new GM …refuses to renew contract of former GM mixed score sheet T

Political analyst, Dr David Hinds

By Michael Younge

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he People’s National Congress (PNC)-led A Partnership for National Unity/ Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) coalition continues to receive a plethora of mixed reviews about its overall performance and governance of the country since assuming executive office back in May 2015.

Political analyst, Dr David Hinds during an interview with this newspaper said after careful analysis, he is unable to say with a good conscience that the coalition Government has performed exceptionally well since winning those elections.

He said even though there has been no “discernable shift” from the approach of the previous Government as far as the economy is concerned from a large policy stand point, “there is still the over-emphasis on taxation and wooing foreign capital and less investment in local small businesses and in the development of a competitive labour force.”

Dr Hinds explained too that unemployment, which was pegged at 11.5 per cent at the time the last National Housing and Population Census, was done in 2010 and its attends still haunts the society even after the coalition entered office.

“The overall governance score sheet has also been mixed – strong foreign policy management but too many political errors of judgment in domestic affairs,” he reiterated.

Asked specifically about

the APNU/AFC’s track record so far in the area of wealth creation for the masses and their socio-economic performance notwithstanding the controversial measures outlined in their budgets, Dr Hinds responded by saying that “a single budget tells you very little about the possibilities for socio-economic progress.” “… It is unfair to judge a government’s economic ambition on a couple of budgets. What we should pin the Government down on is its overall economic vision – what it wants to do about the systemic economic problems that have long plagued this country. What are the over-all macro and micro strategies for development, inclusive of the lifting of the poor and powerless to a state of sustained survival and security,” he argued.

Sugar industry

Hinds, who is a long-standing Executive of the Working People’s Alliance party, which forms part of the ruling coalition, described Government’s decision to downsize and restructure the sugar industry as “commendable” despite the fact that thousands of sugar workers from all walks of life are now unemployed and without any finances to sustain their livelihoods because of the Government’s incoherent policy position on sugar and its dependent industries.

Such a position may not sit well with critics, who believe that the Government acted in bad faith and did not have a plan for handling the concomitant problems that were facing the industry. Other independent critics have also criticised the Government for not following the recommendations that emanated from the Commission of Inquiry report on the state of the industry. These critics saw nothing “commendable” about how the Government sought to tackle the problem because they feel that the economic consequences both short- and long-term will be disastrous.

Crime

Tackling the issue of crime and criminality, Dr Hinds said the coalition may need more time to get its act together to address this difficult area.

He said, in essence, the coalition Government which boasts a large number of retired Guyana Defence Force officers and ex-Policemen and women, has been underperforming when one looks at the gravity of the situation.

“It has not done as well as it should in the area of crime prevention and reduction, largely because it has not approached the problem from a systemic standpoint – it has adopted more of an eclectic approach,” he remarked.

But Dr Hinds said he believed the coalition Government has performed creditably compared to other Governments in post-colonial Guyana and the contemporary Anglophone Caribbean despite his criticism.

He also claimed that there have been no widescale human rights abuses.

Constitutional reform

He also expressed concern about the lack of progress on tackling constitutional reform.

“I am concerned that both the Government and the Opposition are making a mockery of constitutional reform. They are treating it as a partisan matter. It must be seen in a much more nationalist way for it to move forward,” he remarked.

Earlier this month, President David Granger was asked to grade the performance of his Administration which is now nearing its three-year mark. He said while the Government had performed well in some sectors and areas, it had not as well as expected in other areas.

“There is still a lot of work to be done,” he remarked.

This signals a U-turn from his earlier position that his Government deserved an A-Grade for its performance when he was quizzed on the Public Interest TV show back in February last year.

he Guyana Gold Board (GGB) has a new General Manager, with the announcement being made on Tuesday that acting General Manager Eondrene Thompson has been elevated to the substantive position at the entity.

Thompson, who acted in the position for some eight months, is the former substantive Finance Manager of the Gold Board. Her appointment is effective January 1, 2018. A statement from the GGB said the Board of Directors took a unanimous decision that the organisation needed to proceed in a new direction, under new leadership.

“The Board holds in high regard the integrity, skills, and commitment of Miss Thompson to positioning and leading the organisation forward,” the release said.

According to the Gold Board, Thompson has been at the Gold Board since March 2010 after a 15-yearstint at the Bank of Guyana.

Non-renewal

Thompson takes over the position held by former General Manager, Lisaveta Ramotar, who along with her assistant Andrea Seelochan and legal officer Suzanne Bullen, were sent off on administrative leave in April 2017 to facilitate a Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) probe.

While no charges for Ramotar ever came out of that probe, the release stat-

M

hinterland communities.

During her 2018 Budget presentation, Minister within the Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs Ministry, Valerie Garrido-Lowe explained that during 2017, funds were released to procure four buses to transport students to and from schools at Santa Rosa, Port Kaituma, Thomas Hills and Moblissa. These buses form part of President David Granger’s 5 Bs (buses, bicycles, boats, breakfast, and books) Initiative.

According to the

Department of Public Information (DPI), a total of 13 villages in Regions One, Five, Seven, Eight and Ten received outboard engines, while 12 villages got grants to construct boats for the engines. Two villages also received ATVs. “…The Government is committed to providing such transportation relief to the Indigenous communities to provide assistance to our people, especially the elderly, children and also for emergency purposes,” Minister

ed that the contracts for all three officers were left in an expired state.

“In keeping with its visions of new direction and new leadership, the Board of Directors decided not to renew the contractual relationships,” the Board’s statement noted.

Ramotar had always professed her innocence in the fiasco. In a letter to SOCU, she had denied being involved in the alleged corruption in her entity.

In the letter, Ramotar said: “I wish to assert strongly that I am absolutely innocent of any wrongdoings. I have discharged my duties at the Guyana Gold Board professionally and based on the important metric of declaration, it was under my tenure that the Cooperative Republic of Guyana obtained its highest ever declaration to date.”

Former GM Lisaveta Ramotar

Allegations

She also sought to clear up a number of issues that were influencing the probe.

One such allegation was that embattled gold dealer Saddiqui Rasul sold gold several times per day using his mining company, indicating a washdown several times per day. However, Ramotar explained that the Guyana Gold Board was required to buy all gold presented to the organisation, not to verify production.

As it relates to allegations that Rasul’s company did not pay the two per cent tax, Ramotar said under a regulation which she has seen, mining companies are not required to pay the two per cent Withholding Tax. Rasul was himself charged with six counts of obtaining money by false pretence. He was accused of defrauding the Guyana Bank for Trade and Industry $956 million.

Pensioner killed by speeding car

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72-year-old woman was killed early Tuesday morning after she was struck by a speeding car on Brickdam, Georgetown, while on her way to uplift her pension from the Bourda Post Office.

Dead is Joyclyn Joseph, of YY Bent Street, Wortmanville, Georgetown.

The accident occurred sometime around 04:30h at the

Over 20 hinterland communities received transportation in 2017 ore than 20 hinterland communities benefited from transportation in the form of buses; All Terrain Vehicles (ATVs); pickups; tractor-trailers; boats, and engines, in 2017.

The vehicles and engines were procured through the Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs Ministry’s 2017 Capital programme, to aid in emergencies, agriculture, tourism drives, and the transport of seniors to uplift their pensions and students within the

New General Manager of the Guyana Gold Board, Eondrene Thompson

Garrido-Lowe emphasised.

The Minister announced that in 2018, the Ministry will extend its transportation programme by procuring one additional bus to serve the scholarship students at the Hinterland Dormitory at Liliendaal.

An additional six villages will receive support with outboard engines, while 10 villages will receive grants to construct boats. Four ATVs will be bought in 2018 to serve communities in Regions Two, Eight and Nine.

intersection of Winter Place and Brickdam. At the time, she was cladded in a white top, orange skirt and black sneakers.

Police investigations revealed that motorcar PLL 2838 driven by a 35-year-old labourer of A Field Sophia, Greater Georgetown, was proceeding East along Brickdam, allegedly at a fast rate, in haste to pass the traffic lights at the intersection of Winter Place. The light was reportedly showing “green” with a few seconds remaining.

However, as the car sped across the intersection, it

came into contact with the elderly woman, who was said to be crossing the road from South to North. As a result of the impact, she was reportedly dragged about 39 meters before the vehicle came to a halt some 158 meters from the point of impact, investigators recorded.

Joseph’s left foot was severed as a result of the accident. She was pronounced dead at the scene by emergency medical personnel.

Her body is currently at the Lyken Funeral Home, where it was identified late Tuesday afternoon. A post-mortem examination is expected to be conducted sometime today.

Meanwhile, a breathalyser test was administered to the driver of the motor car and no alcohol was detected in his breath. Nevertheless, he was taken into custody and is assisting with the investigation.

According to the woman’s daughter, Shirley, her mother left home early Tuesday morning to uplift her pension.

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wednesDAY, january 3, 2018 | guyanatimesgy.com

Ramsammy’s Ruminations Health Ministry anticipates “stunning success” in 2018

Trotman and A the APNU/AFC committed malfeasance

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he horrible oil contract is no longer a secret, 18 months after the fact and only after the A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) desperately tried to keep the details secret. Absolutely, Guyana was sold out by APNU/ AFC. Whereas, Brazil, our next-door neighbour, got Dr Leslie Ramsammy a US$700 c signing bonus from EXXON, Guyana got US$18 million. This US$18 million was kept a secret for 18 months in a secret bank account out of the reach of the Consolidated Fund. While many thought this secret US$18 million bonus was the reason why APNU/AFC wanted to hide the contract, several other egregious reasons are now apparent why APNU/AFC was desperate to keep the whole contract a big secret.

Among the many reasons why APNU/AFC wanted to hide the details of the contract was that they agreed EXXON will not pay any Value Added Tax (VAT). This is the same APNU/ AFC Cabinet that in 2017 forced the Guyanese people to pay VAT on electricity, water and Internet and introduced VAT on education. It is true they removed VAT on education for 2018, but they have kept VAT on so many other everyday living necessities for the Guyanese people. Yet one of the richest corporations in the world is being exempted from paying VAT. This is unfathomable, insulting, and one wonders who are these genius negotiators who allowed EXXON to bamboozle them so easily.

The small signing bonus and the VAT exemption are egregious enough for us the demand that the responsible Minister be fired and to indict APNU/AFC for malfeasance, but the contract has even more egregious giveaways. EXXON will not pay any Corporation Tax. The small businesses in Guyana struggle to pay their Corporation Tax, but one of the largest corporations in the world is being exempted from Corporation Tax. They pay billions in corporate taxes in the USA and in Europe and other rich countries, but is being given a pass in Guyana, one of the poorest countries. This is surely a sweetheart deal for EXXON and Guyana is left holding worthless husk.

The contract provides for Guyana to receive a paltry two per cent of the profits, but only after allowing EXXON to recoup all of its investment first before any provision is made for profit-sharing. But get this – our Government has agreed that EXXON will also be exempted from Income Tax. The ordinary Guyanese workers, many working for less than US$500 per month, must pay Income Tax, but EXXON’s management will not pay any Income Tax. Incredibly, the Government will pay the Income Tax for EXXON, a company that will earn billions of US dollars from Guyana will have its Income Tax paid for by the poor Guyanese people.

If these truths make your blood boil, the giveaways are for the lifetime of the contract. They even inserted a clause that the contract cannot be re-negotiated. That the Guyanese people are angry is an understatement. Clearly, EXXON took total advantage of us. Trotman and his team were unequivocally overwhelmed by EXXON. We were sold out.

Trotman, in typical APNU/AFC haughtiness and arrogance, is now bragging that he is a well-qualified negotiator with Harvard credentials, but that he left the negotiation to his GGMC team. Recognising the Guyanese people have caught on to the scandal, the incompetence and malfeasance, he is distancing himself from the fiasco and throwing his GGMC colleagues under the bus. Even if the negotiation was conducted by GGMC staff, Trotman has responsibility to approve and the buck stops with him, APNU/AFC Cabinet and ultimately, the President. They are all guilty.

The APNU/AFC promised people a change. In May 2015, they took control of the Government. Now the change is apparent to all Guyanese. The change that APNU/AFC promised people turned out to be nothing but a platform of lies, fabrication, misrepresentation, misdirection, obfuscation. The examples of their lies and obfuscation are many and, in fact, it is at least one per day. At the heart of a pathological allergy to the truth is the dark underbelly of corruption. Nothing in their behaviour in the last 31 months effectively demonstrate this reckless governance model than the handling of the oil contract. Guyana was sold out, even as our Government abandons our sugar workers.

t a brief dedication service on Tuesday, the staff and Ministers of the Public Health Ministry gathered in the Ministry’s compound to pray and make declarations for the improvement of the public health sector.

Senior Public Health Minister Volda Lawrence felt it was necessary to host such a session before venturing into the new work year. She noted, “This service is not to be disrespectful to any other person within the Ministry who worships in a different way.”

Minister Lawrence added that the successes gained by the Ministry in 2017 were owed to prayer and acknowledgment of God in everything that was planned to be accomplished. She noted that the Ministry ended 2017 having expended al-

Public Health Ministers Volda Lawrence and Dr Karen Cummings and the Permanent Secretary Colette Adams, along with other staff of the Ministry, praying for 2018

most the entire 2017 budget on improved health services.

Looking forward, Minister Lawrence said, “Everything that has been decreed this morning (Tuesday) shall come to pass, not because I say so, but because I believe so, I believe that the word has gone forth with power and strength in the might of God.”

The brief thanksgiving ceremony was blessed by pastor of the South Road Full Gospel Church, Dr Winston McGowan, who declared that 2018 would be a year of “stunning success” for the Public Health Ministry.

Dr McGowan left with the staff three key principles for 2018: (1) always express

gratitude; (2) seek God’s wisdom in decision-making and (3) look to God continually for every need in going forward with their mandate.

Minister Lawrence declared that for the Public Health Ministry, 2018 was not only a new year but represented new beginnings, new things and a new attitude.

Govt invited IMF, IDB to assess infrastructural works – State Minister

T

he Government has taken the step to invite officials of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to assess the processes being employed by local contractors in the execution of infrastructural works and to make recommendations on how these could be improved.

Minister of State, Joseph Harmon said recently that the decision was taken in recognition of the country’s lack of the requisite skills to

Minister of State, Joseph Harmon

complete certain types of infrastructural works.

“We recognise that there are some technical and there are some capability issues with respect to our people and the way in which we do things,” Harmon is quoted by the Department of Public Information (DPI) as saying.

Minister Harmon said in 2017, the Government acknowledged that there were some problems with respect to the completion of projects as a result of the skills

base, hence the work of the IMF was not as before when it simply reviewed the works done.

“I believe at one stage they said they were going to give us a table top report and when we look at that table top report, we will see whether, in fact, we need to make changes as we go along,” the Minister said.

Harmon clarified that the IMF’s work here was not adversarial.

New GTA Director to be appointed soon

G

overnment is expected to approve the appointment of a new director for the Guyana Tourism Authority in a matter of days.

P u b l i c Telecommunications Minister Cathy Hughes has received a proposal from the Board of Directors of the Guyana Tourism Authority, which contains information about the person who has been selected for the top tourism post.

This was according to Chairman of the Board,

Public Telecommunications Minister Cathy Hughes

Donald Sinclair, who in a telephone interview, told Guyana Times that six persons were selected and interviewed for the vacant post.

Those interviewed included mostly individuals who resided outside of Guyana, he added.

The Chairman confirmed that the contract of ex-GTA Head Indranauth Haralsingh was not renewed after he was sent on administrative leave given concerns about his performance.

After serving in the capacity of Director of the Guyana

Tourism Authority for the past 10 years, Haralsingh was initially sent on administrative leave but soon after, the post of Director of the Guyana Tourism Authority was advertised.

The former Director of Tourism represented the GTA at the regional and international levels.

A source told Guyana Times that although the Committee might have been interviewing applicants, a director was already identified.

3 museums to be upgraded …preservation of national heritage to be enhanced

A

s the Social Cohesion Ministry continues to preserve and showcase Guyana’s heritage, three museums are slated for upgrades in 2018.

During the 2018 Budget presentation in Parliament, Social Cohesion Minister with responsibility for Culture, Youth and Sport, Dr George Norton said, “The continued development and enhancement of our museums form an integral part of

our capital profile for 2018.”

Dr Norton pointed out it was vitally important for all Guyanese to appreciate their national heritage.

“Cohesion in our country means every Guyanese must be given an equal opportunity to showcase their heritage as well as understand and celebrate the contributions of others in developing our country.”

Further, the Minister noted that the International

Museums Day exhibition this year would take on new dimensions, especially since the Guyana National Museum will be celebrating its 150th anniversary in February.

The sum of $81 million was allocated to the Ministry to conduct rehabilitative works on the three museums – the Walter Roth Museum of Anthropology, Guyana National Museum and the Museum of African

Heritage.

The three projects will entail provisions for roof, display cases, air conditioning units for the Guyana National Museum; computers, printers, display cases, surveillance systems and filing cabinets for the Walter Roth Museum of Anthropology, and fencing, drainage and rewiring works on the Museum of African Heritage building.

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wednesDAY, january 3, 2018

Regional

Brazil prison riot: Dozens on Opposition the run after deadly clashes Leader warns of

P

olice in Brazil say 77 inmates are on the run after escaping amid a riot at a jail in the central state of Goias.

The authorities say nine prisoners were killed and 14 injured when a group of armed inmates invaded a wing controlled by a rival gang. One of the victims was decapitated.

Police say they have regained control of the jail and recaptured 29 of the 106 prisoners who escaped.

Riots are common in Brazilian prisons, which are notoriously overcrowded.

Brazil has one of the largest prison populations in the world. The country’s jails are largely controlled by powerful criminal factions

Several prisoners were re-arrested a few hours after the riot

with access to drugs, mobile phones, and weapons.

A report by judicial authorities in 2016 described security at the rural penitentiary on the outskirts of the state capital, Goiania, as “bad”.

According to the report,

the prison – part of a larger complex – was built to house 122 inmates, but at one point it held 423 inmates.

The riot began in the afternoon of New Year’s Day when armed members of one criminal gang invaded a prison wing housing a ri-

val gang, setting mattresses alight and firing weapons.

Riot police said they had quickly suppressed the riot, but not before 106 prisoners had escaped after breaking down part of the prison’s perimeter wall.

“It was a clash between prisoners and it is all under control now,” said Lieutenant Colonel Hrillner Braga Ananias.

Worried relatives gathered outside the compound in Aparecida de Goiania.

Jorimar Bastos, the head of Aspego, the state of Goias prison wardens’ association, told Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper that only five prison officers were on duty on New Year’s Day. (Excerpt from

BBC News)

Weeding out corrupt cops, intensifying crime fight focus for J’ca Govt in 2018

T

he Jamaica Government intends to intensify its crime fight and pass legislation to weed out corrupt cops as a priority this year.

On the heels of a year in which more than 1500 people were murdered, Prime Minister Andrew Holness said in his New Year’s message that given the current crime situation, it is without question that the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) needed critical institutional reform to be

able to effectively lead the fight against crime.

“This year the Government intends to table new legislation to define a transformed police service. This new legislation will replace the current JCF Act and focus, among other things, on preserving the integrity of the men and women who serve, to ensure that corruption within in the ranks of the police services does not compromise the ability of the force to fight crime,”

he said.

“We will also pass the MOCA [Major Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Agency] Act and table the National Security Act, which will create a more coordinated framework for all agencies operating within the national security space.”

Holness also said 2018 must be the year when the Zones of Special Operations (ZOSOs) are scaled up “to reclaim communities that have been captured by

criminals”. Under ZOSOs – the first of which was declared in Mount Salem and its environs in the parish of St James, in September last year – Police are given special power to stop, search and detain citizens without a warrant in designated areas.

In his address, the Prime Minister also identified the illegal importation of firearms as a national emergency and a threat to Jamaica’s security. (Excerpt

from Caribbean360)

Opposition parties rip into Browne Administration

T

he Opposition United Progressive Party (UPP) and the Democratic National Alliance (DNA) pilloried Prime Minister Gaston Browne and his administration in their New Year’s messages as they jostle to establish themselves as the saviour of the Antigua and Barbuda people.

In what is widely believed to be an election year – the polls are constitutionally due next year – UPP political leader Harold Lovell, and his DNA counterpart, Joanne Massiah, did not

Antiguan Prime Minister Gaston Browne

mince words in castigating Browne’s stewardship.

Both launched off with recitals of what they termed the Government’s failures, particularly on the economic and security fronts. “Many of us are uneasy about the increase in crime, economic stability, erosion of the social safety net and the neglect of our Barbudan brothers and sisters since the passage of Hurricane Irma, almost four months ago,” Lovell said.

He also noted the loss of visa-free access to Canada because of dubious citizen-

ship approvals which he said undermined the integrity of the Citizenship by Investment Programme. “As if these international challenges were not enough to wound our national pride and crush our spirits, citizens and residents are still struggling to come to terms with the 21 murders in 2017, a record number for our peaceful nation.”

Meanwhile, according to Massiah, the poor performance of the Browne Administration is well documented. (Excerpt from Antigua Observer)

Bloody start to new year in T&T

A

t least five people have been killed since the start of the new year as Trinidad and Tobago recorded a total of 494 murders last year, 31 more than in 2016. Retired Police Officer John Ramkissoon, 59, was among the five killed on the first day of 2018.

Police said Ramkissoon was drinking with friends when he was involved in an argument with a man, who left and returned with

a cutlass, chopping the former Police Officer about the body. He died at the scene.

Police said the first murder of the year occurred just after midnight when Brandon Khan was liming with friends at a New Year’s Eve party at Enterprise in Central Trinidad when shots were fired. Khan, 23, who was shot with five others, died while undergoing treatment at the Chaguanas Health Facility. Police said

he was shot six times. The names of the five wounded people have not yet been released. Police are also investigating the murder of 30-year-old Miguel Simmons, whose bullet-ridden body was found in Malick along the East-West corridor. Police said a man identified only as “Nic” was killed as he drove his vehicle in Champ Fleur, on Monday. The driver crashed into a concrete embankment

and Police said as the driver got out of the vehicle, he was chased and shot dead.

Law enforcement authorities said Mark Bascombe was also killed outside a children’s party in Bagatelle, Diego Martin, in a drive-by shooting.

Assistant Commissioner of Police, Irwin Hackshaw, said the Police would continue their activities in a bid to keep a lid on the murders.

(Excerpt from CMC)

constitutional crisis in St Lucia

T

he leader of the main Opposition St Lucia Labour Party (SLP), Phillip J Pierre is warning of a constitutional crisis following the non-appointment of a successor to Dame Pearlette Louisy, who demitted office on December 31. “…the constitutional crisis that the country finds itself in today is purely a reflection of the Government’s incompetence and the Government’s desire to prove that they are in charge and they can do whatever they want,” he said.

Dame Pearlette, who was the island’s longest serving Head of State, announced late last year that she was stepping down amid much speculation that she had been forced out of office by the Allen Chastanet Administration after 20 years.

The front-runner to replace her in the largely ceremonial post is former Foreign Affairs Minister Neville Cenac, the brother of the late Winston Cenac, who served as Prime Minister for eight months before resigning in 1982.

Pierre, who has been critical at the manner in which Dame Pearlette was

Opposition Leader Phillip J Pierre

removed from office, told the St Lucia Times online publication that St Lucia was facing a facing a constitutional crisis because there was also no acting Governor General.

“The Deputy Governor General cannot perform the function of Governor General unless there is a Governor General,” he said, noting also that the situation also meant that Prime Minister Chastanet cannot travel overseas since he normally would have to appoint an acting Prime Minister and there was no Head of State to appoint such a person. (Excerpt from CMC)

Costa Rica: US tourists killed in plane crash T

welve people have been killed in a plane crash in western Costa Rica, officials say.

Ten of the victims were US citizens, along with the Costa Rican pilot and co-pilot. Local media said five victims came from a single family.

The Nature Air single-propeller Cessna 208 Caravan was travelling from the capital San José to the resort of Punta Islita, the CRhoy website reported.

There were no survivors.

It was unclear what caused the crash.

On board the plane were two families from the US: Mitchell Weiss, his wife, Leslie Weiss, and their two children, Hannah and Ari Weiss from St Petersburg, Florida; and Bruce and Irene Steinberg from Scarsdale, New York, and their three children, Zachary, William and Matthew.

The tenth passenger was a woman whom Costa Rican authorities have identi-

fied as 33-year-old Amanda Geissler.

The pilot was Juan Manuel Retana and the co-pilot was Emma Ramos, both from Costa Rica.

The incident happened in a mountainous area near Bejuco in Guanacaste province.

Costa Rica’s President Luis Guillermo Solís confirmed the deaths in a statement published online, saying his government “deeply regrets” the fatalities.

His predecessor, former President Laura Chinchilla, tweeted that one of the crew members, Juan Manuel Retana, was her cousin.

“A death has interrupted our family celebration.

Our beloved cousin died as part of the crew of the plane that crashed in Guanacaste.

Courage to his children and siblings and may he rest in peace. You will stay in our hearts dear #Juanmanuel Retana” she wrote. (Excerpt from

BBC News)

wednesDAY, january 3, 2018

guyanatimesgy.com

17

Around the World

Iran's leader says enemies 2 climbers die in fall on South have stirred unrest in country Africa's Table Mountain

T

I

ran’s Supreme Leader on Tuesday accused enemies of the Islamic Republic of stirring unrest across the country as a crackdown intensified against anti-Government demonstrations that began last week.

Police have arrested more than 450 protesters in the capital Tehran over the past three days, the Deputy Provincial Governor said.

Protesters also attacked Police Stations elsewhere in Iran late into the night on Monday, news agency and social media reports said.

One member of the security forces was reported killed on Monday, bringing to at least 14 the death toll stemming from the boldest challenge to Iran’s clerical leadership since unrest in 2009.

In his first reaction to the unrest, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said: “In recent days, enemies of Iran used different tools including cash, weapons, politics

Musa Ghazanfarabadi, head of Tehran’s Revolutionary Court, warned protesters on Tuesday that those arrested would face harsh punishment

and intelligence apparatus to create troubles for the Islamic Republic.”

Khamenei said on his website that he would address the nation about the recent events “when the time is right”.

He did not mention any enemies by name, but Ali Shamkhani, secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, said the United States, Britain and Saudi Arabia were behind the recent riots in Iran.

“Saudis will receive Iran’s unexpected response and they know how serious it can be,” Shamkhani was quoted as saying by Tasnim news in an interview with Beirut-based Al Mayadeen TV. Musa Ghazanfarabadi, head of Tehran’s Revolutionary Court, warned protesters on Tuesday that those arrested would face harsh punishment. (Excerpt from Reuters)

wo climbers were killed abseiling on Cape Town's Table Mountain on New Year's Day, with hundreds of tourists stranded on the summit for hours during the rescue effort, South African officials said Tuesday.

The victims were one Japanese man, whose wife survived, and a local tour guide, according to local media, with about 30 rescuers involved in a dramatic 12hour night operation. The

cable car that takes tourists to the top of the mountain was used to rescue the surviving climber and remove the two bodies from the steep rock face after a helicopter was unable to reach the scene.

About 500 people on the summit were trapped for several hours, with the last group brought down in the early hours of Tuesday after the cable car restarted.

"The crew's assessment was that the best way to res-

cue the climbers was to abseil from the cable car," rescue team spokesman Johann Marais told the Times Live news website.

Marais described the operation as an "extremely difficult rescue" completed during a cold night.

Christmas and New Year are the height of the tourist season in Cape Town, and the cable car is one of the city's most popular attractions. (Excerpt from AFP)

Israel: African migrants told to leave or face imprisonment

T

he Israeli Government has issued a notice for thousands of African migrants to leave the country or face imprisonment.

The migrants will be given up to US$3500 for leaving within the next 90 days.

They will be given the option of going to their home country or third countries.

If they do not leave, the

Israeli authorities have threatened that they will start jailing them from April.

The UN refugee agency said the controversial plan violated international and Israeli laws.

The Israeli Government says their return will be humane and "voluntary".

The order exempts children, elderly people, and vic-

tims of slavery and human trafficking.

People from Eritrea and Sudan make up a significant number of migrants in Israel.

A spokesperson for Israel's Population and Immigration Authority told the BBC there were currently 38,000 "infiltrators" in Israel, of whom just 1420 were being held in detention facilities. (Excerpt from

South Korea proposes Olympics Man beaten to death delegation talks with North 'over New Year music'

S

outh Korea has offered high-level talks with North Korea next Tuesday to discuss its possible participation in the 2018 Winter Olympic Games.

The North's leader, Kim Jong-un, said earlier he was considering sending a team to Pyeongchang in South Korea for the Games in February.

He said the two sides should "urgently meet to

discuss the possibility".

South Korea's President Moon Jae-in said he saw the offer as a "ground-breaking chance" to improve relations.

At a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Moon Jae-in also said the North's nuclear programme would be the backdrop of any sporting discussions.

US President Donald

Trump said sanctions "and other pressures" were beginning to have an impact on North Korea.

Referring to the possible North-South dialogue he tweeted: "Perhaps that is good news, perhaps not – we will see."

South Korean Unification Minister Cho Myounggyon proposed a meeting at Panmunjom, the so-called "truce village". (Excerpt from BBC

News)

Pakistan summons US envoy over Trump's 'lies and deceit' tweet

P

US Ambassador to Pakistan, David Hale

akistan’s civilian and military chiefs on Tuesday rejected “incomprehensible” US comments after President Donald Trump tweeted angrily about Pakistani “lies and deceit”, with Islamabad summoning the US Ambassador.

David Hale was summoned by the Pakistani foreign office late on Monday to explain Trump’s tweet, me-

dia said. The Ministry could not be reached for comment, but the US Embassy in Islamabad confirmed on Tuesday that a meeting had taken place.

Trump said the United States had been rewarded with “nothing but lies and deceit” for “foolishly” giving Pakistan more than US$33 billion in aid in the last 15 years.

“They give safe haven

to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more!” he tweeted on Monday.

His words drew praise from Pakistan’s old foe, India, and neighbouring Afghanistan, but longtime ally China defended Pakistan.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Tuesday chaired a National Security Committee (NSC) meeting of civilian and military chiefs, focusing on Trump’s tweet. The meeting, which lasted nearly three hours, was brought forward by a day and followed an earlier meeting of army generals.

The NSC, in a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office, did not name Trump but spoke of “deep disappointment” at a slew of critical comments coming from US officials over the past few months.

(Excerpt from Reuters)

BBC News)

A

man has been beaten to death in the eastern Indian state of Jharkhand after reportedly asking a group to stop playing loud music on New Year's Day. The incident happened in Mandar, a town close to the state capital, Ranchi.

People blocked the national motorway on Tuesday to demand the arrest of suspects, but the blockade was eventually cleared by Police.

Extra security personnel have been deployed in the area to keep the peace between Muslim and Hindu communities.

Waseem Ansari, a 19-yearold Muslim, worked as a daily wage labourer in Pune and had returned to his village a

Angry crowds gathered to protest against the killing

couple of days ago.

A senior Police Officer gave BBC Hindi an account of the incident: "Preliminary inquiry suggests that a group was playing loud music to celebrate New Year's Day. "Waseem Ansari and two of his friends approached the group and told them to stop

playing loud music. This led to an argument and Waseem was attacked by the group.

It seems he was hit by one of the sharp instruments used in cooking. "We have requested the two communities maintain peace. The suspects will be arrested soon." (Excerpt from

BBC News)

LeEco Chairman defies demand to return to China

T

he billionaire co-founder of struggling Chinese technology giant LeEco has defied a demand from regulators to return to the country.

Jia Yueting had been given until the end of 2017 to come back to China from the United States and deal with mounting debts.

But he has responded with a message on social media, saying he planned to stay and focus on his electric car business.

Jia said that his brother and wife were in China, and had authorisation to act on his behalf. Last month, the entrepreneur was put onto an official list of debt defaulters with over hundreds of millions of dollars worth of unpaid loans.

Jia Yueting, the founder of LeEco, stepped down as chief executive of the company earlier this year, but retained the position of Chairman

LeEco was for a while known as the Netflix of China, a company that streamed content and eventually started making its own original material.

But it then drew comparison with the likes of Apple and Tesla when it began branch-

ing out into hardware, including a smart TV, phones and electric cars.

Assets belonging to him, his wife and three affiliates were blocked last July by a Shanghai court. (Excerpt from BBC News)

18

guyanatimesgy.com

wednesDAY, january 3, 2018

ARCHIE

Hold on to your money, job and stability by doing (March 21what's expected of you and April 19) carrying out your own plans.

Intelligence and common sense will be required.

ARIES

Be careful how you handle TAURUS domestic matters. Someone (April 20- may not see things the same May 20) way you do. Be willing to compromise and to listen to wise advice.

dilbert

Concentrate on your relaGEMINI tionships with others and de(May 21termine who you are best off June 20) spending time with. Stick to people who are a positive influence on you emotionally, financially and physically.

Be careful not to go over-

CANCER board. You can have fun and (June 21- be moderate at the same time.

July 22) Emotional incidents will sur-

Peanuts

face if you are too aggressive or inconsistent.

Distress will kick in if you LEO let someone take advantage (July 23- of you emotionally. Avoid beAug. 22) ing indulgent or overspending on items you don't need.

Moderation and patience will be required.

Don't overdo it. Added stress VIRGO will set in if you make prom(Aug. 23- ises you don't want to keep.

Sept. 22) Consider the best way to make

Calvin and Hobbes

the most of your time.

LIBRA (Sept. 23Oct. 23)

WORD GAME

SUDOKU

Emotions can make people do foolish things. Don't make a hasty decision, or you will end up having regrets. This is not the time to burn bridges or start a feud.

Take a step back to avoid SCORPIO getting into an emotional (Oct. 24feud.

Too much of anything Nov. 22) will come back to bite you.

Keep your life simple, affordable and moderate.

Taking care of other peoSAGITTARIUS ple's business will be drain(Nov. 23- ing. Don't make promises you Dec. 21) cannot keep or get involved in something you aren't fully capable of handling. Honesty is the best policy.

solution for LAST PUBLISHED Puzzle

Emotions will push you CAPRICORN in a direction that could lead (Dec. 22to uncertainty. Consider the Jan. 19) consequences should things not go as planned. Taking a risk will leave you in a vulnerable position.

Look for professional alter-

AQUARIUS natives that will encourage a (Jan. 20- better use of your experience Feb. 19) and allow you to learn some-

thing new. An ambitious attitude will bring good results.

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

Copyright 2015, Distributed by Universal Uclick for UFS

Assess your financial sitPISCES (Feb. 20- uation and consider your job March 20) prospects. Having a plan will help you stay on track as the year unfolds. Offering favours will boost your popularity.

wednesDAY, january 3, 2018

19

MCG pitch gets poor rating from ICC

T

he pitch used for the Boxing Day Test between Australia and England in Melbourne has been rated as "poor" by the International Cricket Council.

Only 24 wickets fell over the five days of the drawn fourth Ashes Test.

"The bounce of the MCG pitch was medium, but slow in pace and got slower as the match progressed," read match referee Ranjan Madugalle's report.

"The nature of the pitch did not change over the five days and there was no natural deterioration."

Australia scored 327 and 263-4 declared at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, either side of England's 491.

After the match, Australia captain Steve Smith said: "It was probably the flattest wicket I have played on. If we played for the next

The pitch at Melbourne Cricket Club came in for a lot of criticism from Australia Captain Steve Smith even though he scored a century on the final day

UDFA/ GT Beer Christmas Tournament 2017…

Francis, Haynes boot Botafago to championship

two days it wouldn't change."

Cricket Australia has 14 days to provide a response.

The rating given to the MCG pitch is the last handed out to a Test ground before the ICC switches to a new system in time for the fifth Ashes Test in Sydney, which begins at 23:30 GMT on Wednesday.

In the new process, if a pitch or outfield is substandard, a venue can be awarded demerit points, which accumulate over a five-year period.

If a venue gains five demerit points, it will be barred from hosting international cricket for 12 months, while 10 points would result in a two-year suspension.

Australia had already won the Ashes, holding a 3-0 lead before the match at the MCG. (BBC Sport)

Man City extend unbeaten run

– Eagles United soar to 3rd place

B

otafago mowed down Net Rockers 4-1 as Donavan Francis and Jamal Haynes split the scoring as they won their first major trophy at this level in recent memory as they carted off the winner’s $1.2M prize as Net Rockers earned $600,000 when the Upper Demerara Football Association’s (UDFA) GT Beer Christmas football championship climaxed on New year’s Night at the Mackenzie Sports Club (MSC) ground.

Former champions, Silver Shattas were relegated to fourth as Eagles United won 2-1 and $300,000, leaving the Shattas to settle for $150,000 prize.

In wet conditions which created a heavy outfield Botafago would show their strength in their youthful forward line which created havoc against Net Rockers who were a tad too slow for their rampaging opponents.

While it was Net Rockers who settled in early and had two close shaves that caused Botafago’s man between the uprights, Wayne Wilson to show his worth as they made their threats in the centre from a hard working Clarence Huggins on the wing. However, after ten minutes the Botafago outfit would strip the Rockers

R

Sergio Aguero has scored 10 goals in six games against Watford

Botafago collecting the championship trophy from GT Beer Brand Manager, Jeff Clements on Monday night at the MSC ground

defence apart from Francis who bolted away and collected the ball as he outmaneuvered two defenders to find the back of the net with a crisp shot that went past Ryan Rose in goal for a 1-0 advantage. Soon after Botafago would again pierce through as Jamal Haynes would find his brother from the flank and with a fine delivery he scored in the 12th minute to send his team up 2-0 and the fans in a frenzy.

In the 15th minute a free kick was taken by the Net Rockers goalkeeper Rose but they in turn would test the character of the Botafago defenders as Clarence Huggins continued his fine work on the right wing.

Huggins remained a constant threat but it was Botafago defenders who

would circle him and gave other problems to another danger-man for Rockers Denzil Pryce who kept trying to unleash shits without much success.

However, it was after Net Rockers looked like getting a goal that against the run of play Botafago would increase that advantage, when Francis would get his fourth goal of the tournament after accepting a square ball from Jamal Haynes, to plant it past the Rockers goalkeeper in the 61st minute of play.

In the 64th minute another chance came but this time the Rockers goalkeeper was able to make a save.

But then Botagafo upped their game and were rewarded with their fourth goal through Jamal Haynes who received a tough ball

from Amar Jones at midfield and would find the back of the net again in the 72nd minute of the game for a 4-0 lead. Not to be outdone however, it seems, Rockers would eventually pull one back through Shane Luckie who netted in the 78th minute. But the game would see no more goals as the new champions Botafago would walk away with the majority of individual prizes at stake as Francis was named the Most Valuable Player, goalkeeper Wilson the Best Goalkeeper and Floyd Headley the Best defender.

Kendolph Lewis netted in the 60th and 90 + 1 minutes to lead Eagles United to their win over the former champions after Shattas had taken a 6th minute lead through Dexter Garraway.

unaway leaders Manchester City showed no ill-effects from the end of their 18game Premier League winning run by comfortably beating Watford.

Playing two days after the 0-0 draw at Crystal Palace, City took just just 38 seconds to open the scoring as Raheem Sterling slotted home Leroy Sane's cross for the quickest goal in the Premier League this season.

City, who are 15 points above second-placed Manchester United, doubled their lead when Kevin de Bruyne's cross was turned into his own net by a sliding Christian Kabasele.

De Bruyne, who started the match after recovering quickly from a nasty looking injury against Palace, then had a free-kick tipped on to the bar by Heurelho Gomes.

City got the third goal their dominance merited when Sergio Aguero scored from close range after the Watford goalkeeper parried De Bruyne's cross.

Andre Gray netted a late consolation for Watford, tapping home Andre Carrillo's low cross.

The visitors, who remain

10th by virtue of their early season form, have lost 10 of their past 14 games.

City boss Pep Guardiola said after the game that the busy festive period is "going to kill the players" after City's 10th game in a month.

The leaders were without striker Gabriel Jesus, who will be out for one to two months after injuring a knee on New Year's Eve against Palace, but that just meant a start for all-time top scorer Aguero.

De Bruyne recovered immediately from his Palace knock to start, while defender John Stones returned from the hamstring injury which had sidelined him for over a month and playmaker David Silva was back after two games out for personal reasons.

However, Guardiola said after the game Silva might need more time off.

City - wanting to make things right after dropping points for only the second time this season - started quickly and led 2-0 after 13 minutes. They could almost relax at that stage against a team totally out of form. (BBC Sport)

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wednesDAY, january 3, 2018

Gibson further delays Steyn’s return

…ace pacer to miss opening India Test

A

Otis Gibson

t least one of South Africa's selection conundrums appears to have already been solved with Dale Steyn's comeback likely to be delayed by another week. Conditions at Newlands usually call for a three-seamer, one spinner attack (to which South Africa might add an allrounder). Given Steyn's lengthy absence from international cricket, coach Ottis Gibson appears reluctant to include him in that combination.

"Dale Steyn is fit again.

But I don't know just yet

whether we will see him this week," Gibson said.

"He has had a year's layoff. I don't think if we were to pick a three-man seam attack plus a spinner that you would want to put him in that three-man attack, in case something happens and that leaves the team vulnerable if he can't finish the game. That's not to say that he won't finish the game, but you don't want to take that risk in the first game of the summer. He will come into the discussion but it depends on the formation of the team that we put on

the field."

Those who have been waiting to see Steyn steaming in may not have to wait much beyond the first 10 days of January. Gibson has described his use of South Africa's full strength squad as being a "horses for courses" approach and suggested that the pace spearhead will be unleashed on the Highveld, where the second and third Test will be played.

"You're looking at three different sets of conditions," Gibson said. "Down here on the coast, the wicket tends to dry out quickly so you might play an extra bowler [allrounder] here. Further up into the Highveld, it might be different. We have to take each set of conditions as we find them now and then pick the best team for them."

The extra week could also be used to get Steyn properly match-fit. Though the franchises are involved in the one-day cup, Steyn could play in a three-day provincial round of matches which would allow him to bowl several spells in competitive conditions to pre-

pare himself to compete on equal terms with the other five quicks - Kagiso Rabada, Vernon Philander, Morne Morkel, Chris Morris and Andile Phehlukwayo - in a team that should have an attack for every occasion.

It is this attack that he hopes South Africa will be able to call on as they aim to challenge for the top spot in Test cricket again.

Currently, they lie at No. 2 and will need a clean sweep over India and to beat Australia by a margin of at least two Tests in order to reclaim the mace. While this may be a long shot, it is also probably the only shot Gibson will get at making a serious challenge in Tests.

South Africa's schedule peters out after this summer, with only a tour to Sri Lanka and home series against Sri Lanka and Pakistan before the 2019 World Cup, which Gibson has been tasked with winning. While the ICC tournament remains Gibson's major focus, he understands this Test summer could also define his tenure as coach.

Gibson has a full strength

squad at his disposal with all the previously injured and ill players now available for selection. Apart from Steyn, South Africa also have AB de Villiers back from a self-imposed sabbatical, Chris Morris has been included in the squad after a lengthy back problem, Quinton de Kock has recovered from a hamstring strain and Faf du Plessis is healthy after a viral infection. There is a slight concern over Hashim Amla, who has picked up "sniffles", but Gibson expects all 15 memb e r s of his squad to be in cont e n tion to play the opening Test at Newlands which starts on Friday. (ESPN Cricinfo)

Dale Steyn

GFF/ Super 16 Year-End Classic…

Soldiers turn back Grove Hi-Tech 2-0 – Conquerors trample Milerock for 3rd spot

T

he Guyana Defence Force (GDF) were always favourites in the final against giant killers Grove Hi-Tech and it showed as the soldiers outclassed and outplayed their spirited opponents on the first night of 2018 to be crowned champions of the Guyana Football Federation’s Super 16 Yearend Football Classic at the Leonora stadium, West Coast Demerara.

The army men scored both of their goals in the second half after either side’s attackers failed to breach the defence of the goalies in the opening half.

The wily GDF striker Eusi Phillips put the army men ahead with a penalty strike in the 58th minute.

To add insult to the goal advantage, Delroy Dodson was issued with a red card in the 67th minute to leave Grove Hi-Tech to 10-men. GDF eventually capitalized on their numerical advantage, as Delroy Fraser scored in the 80th minute to sink in the advantage.

Earlier in the night, Fruta Conquerors topped Milerock 3-1 in the third place playoff, which was a Georgetown versus Linden battle.

Young striker Ryan Hackett gave the men in orange a dream start by scoring in the third minute, before the effervescent Jermin

Junior added another goal 20 minutes later. With a 2-0 advantage at half-time, Fruta had all but cemented their grasp on third place and they continued on course for the win in the second half.

Junior completed his brace with Fruta Conquerors’ third goal in the 83rd minute to hand his side a 3-0 lead. However, Kester Randolph hauled one back for Milerock when he scored a consolation goal in the 85th minute.

Fans, players and admin-

istrators then celebrated the success of the inaugural tournament with a heated live performance from the “King of the Dancehall,” Jamaican, Beenie Man. For their outstanding efforts, the Army men marched away with $2 Million while the giant killers Grove pocketed $1 Million and also won many hearts for their strongwilled efforts.

Fruta snared the third placed prize of $500,000 while Milerock FC of Linden had to settle for $250,000.

GDF’s marksmen on the night; Eusi Phillips (left) and Delroy Fraser

Murray pulls out of Brisbane International

B

Andy Murray has won three Grand Slams, the last of which came at Wimbledon in 2016

ritain's Andy Murray says he may have to consider surgery after withdrawing from the Brisbane International because of his long-term hip injury.

The 30-year-old is down to 16th in the world, having not played since July.

Murray said on Instagram surgery was a "secondary option, something I may have to consider but let's hope not".

The Australian Open starts in Melbourne on 15 January and Murray added he would decide by the weekend whether to stay in Australia or fly home.

Murray had been given a bye to the last 16 in Brisbane

and was due to play American Ryan Harrison on Thursday.

The former world number one said: "It's quite demoralising that when you get on the court it's not at the level you need it to be to compete at this level. It's really hurting inside." In an earlier statement announcing he would not be playing in Brisbane, three-time Grand Slam champion Murray, who won the event in 2012 and 2013 said: "I'm very disappointed to be withdrawing. "I came here with every intention of making a strong start to the year."

Murray has not played competitively since his defence of the Wimbledon singles title ended in a

five-set defeat by Sam Querrey in July, when he was hampered by the hip injury.

He made an unsuccessful attempt to return at the US Open in August, pulling out two days before the start of the tournament.

His only public on-court appearances since then have been in exhibitions against Roger Federer in November, and on Friday against Roberto Bautista Agut in Abu Dhabi.

In a recent interview, Murray said he would be content to be playing at "30 in the world level" given his lengthy injury problems.

"I just want to enjoy playing again. I've really missed it the last six months or so," he said. (BBC Sport)

sports

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21

T

he Overseas Disturbance football team has donated football gear to two football teams and has promised to beat those teams in the uniforms provided.

On Friday, the Overseas Disturbance football team which is made up of past Berbice players who now reside overseas, presented two sets of uniforms to Arsenal FC of New Amsterdam, Region Six (East Berbice/ Corentyne) and one set to St. Ignatius Football Team of South Rupununi, Region Nine (Upper Takutu/Upper Essequibo).

While making the presentation, Colin Wilson said the former Berbice players are always happy to contribute to the future development of the sport locally.

He said the team was able to purchase the equipment and training gear, with donations received from Guyanese now living in the diaspora.

In thanking them, he said it is the wish that both teams will do well but the Overseas Disturbance want to give both teams a lesson on the field. They have been trying to beat Heart of Oak Masters for the past decade at their annual encounter during the Christmas sea-

Members of the Overseas Disturbance team along with Onefa George of Arsenal and Rev John Rodrigues displaying some of the uniforms

son.

Arrangements are being made for a matchup between the Overseas Disturbance and the St. Ignatius team later this year.

Meanwhile, receiving the donation on behalf of St. Ignatius Football Team, Reverend John Rodrigues thanked the Overseas Disturbance team and said it will go a far way. He noted that the hinterland players will be delighted at the donation.

Rodrigues who is a former, National Goalkeeper, National Swimmer, National Cyclist and was the National Flyweight champion between 1982 and 1985, noted that sport plays an important part in the all-round development of youths and called for more youths to be involved in sport in a disciplined way. The donation was made possible through a connection the religious leader has with Owen Humphrey one of the

players on the Overseas Disturbance team.

Onefa George who received on behalf of Arsenal, thanked the overseas donors while noting that the club is 38-years-old.

Arsenal has over the years produced several national footballers; among them are the likes of the Ford brothers Adrian and Sherwin Wilbur Hope, James Paul, Richard Felix, Marlon Steel, Kim Khan, Amdeo ‘Abor’ Hazel and Rudolph Caesar.

ICC Women’s Twenty20 Cricket World Cup 2018…

“We can likely be one of the four to host” – Jones

D

possible hosts, Jones during an interview with the Department of Public Information (DPI) said have already Guyana submitted a bid to have the event held at the National Stadium and is currently awaiting a response as to whether the bid was successful.

Jones further noted that he is confident Guyana will be one of the four hosts countries for the World Cup, saying “I rather suspect because of the fact that the stadium is owned by government and because the stadium has no branding on it, this puts Guyana in a position where we can very likely be one of the four to host the women’s interDirector of Sport Christopher Jones national world

irector of Sport Christopher Jones recently confirmed that Guyana was one step closer to becoming one of the hosts for this year’s Women’s Twenty20 Cricket World Cup set for November.

With the Caribbean territories scrambling to fulfill requirements in order to be

cup.”

The National Sports Commission (NSC) boss also stated that there are some prerequisites necessary for hosting the T20 games, which include the stadium having a replay screen among other things. While provisions for such were proposed in the 2018 national budget, Jones highlighted that not everything was approved.

Nevertheless, Jones said that steps are being taken to have Guyana in the position it needs to be so that the country will have the opportunity to host the games. “We are still engaging the Ministry of Finance with a view of reprioritizing some of those requests from the budget that would have been made by the various facilities. Those discourses are still ongoing and we are confident we will see the allocations being made available,” he ended.

West Indies, South Africa, England, Australia, India, New Zealand, Pakistan and Sri Lanka have already qualified for the games which begin on November 3 to 24, 2018. West Indies women are the defending champions.

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GUYANATIMESgy.COM

wednesDAY, january 3, 2018

Rain spoils Hetmyer T20 debut – Windies have last chance to break jinx

rain, however, had the final say in the first international match of 2018. Play was called off after just nine overs. The match will however be remembered by young Windies batsman, Shimrom Hetmyer who was hoping to make an impression on his debut.

The washout left West Indies still winless on the tour of New Zealand, after

W

indies began the new year in the same fashion they ended 2017 Shimron Hetmyer will look to make the most of the opportunity in the final T20I

when they took on New Zealand in the second of three T20 International matches on their forgettable tour. Their bowlers kept spraying the ball around, and Colin Munro walloped 66 off 23 balls at a strikerate of 286.95. Persistent

I

nternational archer, Dwayne Grovesnor is in Guyana on a personal visit and has agreed to have an interactive session with Archery Guyana members and prospective members on Thursday at the National Gymnasium.

The invitation was extended to Grovesnor, who was born in Guyana but currently lives in Barbados, from Chairman of Archery Guyana Nicholas Hing when Grovesnor paid him a courtesy call on Tuesday.

Hing told Guyana Times Sport that they (Archery Guyana) will take the opportunity to utilize the expertise of Grovesnor whom he noted is always willing to assist even

Jerome Taylor. Along with that handicap came the challenge of bowling with a wet ball on New Year’s Day and the result just wasn’t pretty. The forecast for Wednesday isn’t promising either, with rain predicted in the afternoon. A truncated game might bridge the gulf between the two sides and possibly work in West Indies’ favour.

New Zealand, like West

Jerome Taylor could be recalled for the expensive Kesrick Williams

of squaring the series is through a Chris Gayle assault. After blowing hot in the Bangladesh Premier League knockouts, he has blown cold in New Zealand, managing only 38 runs in Chadwick Walton is tidy behind the stumps but he needs to step three innings so far. up with the bat After being rested for the first two T20s, Boult is seven international match- Indies, have missed or ro- set to return to the team, es and two practice games. tated key players, but possibly in place of Doug T20s may be West their depth has been im- Bracewell. If New Zealand Indies’ favourite format pressive. First-choice fast win the series 2-0, they will but they presently have bowler Trent Boult will be leapfrog Pakistan to beaccess to only six mem- available to play at the Bay come the top-ranked T20I bers from the title-win- Oval and fringe players team. ning squad in 2016 - Chris Seth Rance, Tom Bruce and Windies, on the othGayle, Carlos Brathwaite, Anaru Kitchen will be keen er hand are the current Andre Fletcher, Samuel to press for longer stints.

World T20 champs but are Badree, Ashley Nurse, and West Indies’ best chance ranked fifth in the world.

Grovesnor to host archery session on Thursday

World-rated archer Dwayne Grovesnor (left) and Nicholas Hing sharing a light moment on Tuesday

at short notice.

“We are always delighted to collaborate with other archery associations. There’s a certain camaraderie among archers from all over the world and we are no different. World Archery Barbados has been very helpful and supportive towards Archery Guyana and our local archers have and will continue to benefit from any and all assistance from them. Dwayne is a Level two archery coach as would have been mentioned in previous articles, and is willing to share his knowledge and give assistance whenever he is here in Guyana.”

The session on Thursday begins at 17:00h and is open to the general public.

For this important game, they might consider bringing back Taylor for Kesrick Williams, who has leaked 76 runs in five overs.

All three completed T20Is at this venue have been won by the team batting first. But the possibility of rain and early swing could tempt the captain into bowling first, as Carlos Brathwaite did on Monday.

Teams: New Zealand; Martin Guptill, Colin Munro, Kane Williamson (capt), Glenn Phillips (wk), Tom Bruce, Anaru Kitchen, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Seth Rance, Trent Boult, Ish Sodhi, Doug

Bracewell Windies; Chris Gayle, Chadwick Walton (wk), Andre Fletcher, Shai Hope, Shimron Hetmyer, Carlos Brathwaite (capt), Rovman Powell, Ashley Nurse, Sheldon Cottrell, Kesrick Williams, Jerome Taylor, Samuel Badree, Rayad Emrit, Jason Mohammed.

The Windies were beaten 2-0 in the Test series and 3-0 in the ODI matches and if they fail to win at Mount Maunganui on Wednesday, they will return home empty-handed, a fate they last suffered in this country in 1999-00. The first ball is at 02:00h Guyana time. (ESPN Cricinfo)

Kittian Auckland Hector passes on

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he Cricket West Indies (CWI) family regrets the passing of Auckland Hector. The 72-year old Kittitian passed away on Sunday (December 31), according to a media statement.

For almost 40 years, Hector served in administration and was as a Director Auckland Hector of the parent body, now CWI; Leeward Islands Cricket Board President and St Kitts Cricket Association President.

He made his first class playing debut at age 19 for the Leeward Islands as a wicket-keeper against a team from Australia; and then for the Combined Islands in the 1965 in what was the Shell Shield Season at the time. His highest first-class score was 58 not out and was part of a 94-run ninth wicket partnership for the Combined Islands in 1969. He alternated between being a specialist batsman and a wicket-keeper until his retirement in 1975.

Sincere condolences are extended to his family and friends.

news

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wednesDAY, january 3, 2018 | guyanatimesGY.com

CWI/Digicel Regional 4-Day Championships 2017-18…

Jaguars wing out ahead of Scorpions clash – Reifer, Joseph return

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ith possibly a fourth title already in their clutches, the Guyana Jaguars winged out to Jamaica on Tuesday as they prepare to face the home team Jamaica Scorpions when round eight of the ongoing Cricket West Indies (CWI) Regional Four-Day Championships resumes from Thursday January 4.

The 3-time defending champs have dominated the first half of the competition prior to the Christmas holiday intermission. The Jaguars won five of their matches comfortably, drew one against the Hurricanes and recorded the first tied match in Franchise cricket against the Windward Islands Volcanoes in round six.

Following the holiday season, players resumed their training last Friday and Saturday under some pretty murky conditions at the Providence National Stadium.

The team endured the weather and put in some much needed practice before departing local shores in the wee hours of Tuesday, bound for Jamaica where they will continue their quest for a record fourth consecutive title.

Assistant Coach Rayon Griffith told this newspaper after the last session on Saturday at Providence, that he was satisfied with the conditioning of the players following a few days off to enjoy the season, while confirming that all his Jaguars were injury-free and rearing to go.

Griffith also said the players were in high spirits despite weather affecting their training time in Guyana, adding that he expects a firm performance from the side when they resume their title defense against the Scorpions.

As clear favorites to win the tourna-

ment, Guyana have not only battered the competition during the first leg of the Championships, but they have also ensured that even the second place team is not within a sniff of their overall tally.

Raymon Reifer returns after making his Test debut on December 9

After seven rounds of sheer dominance, the Jaguars despite a draw and a tie, sit pretty in the number one spot on 118.0 points, 42.8 points well ahead of the Barbados Pride who come in second place with 75.2 points.

The Jaguars won the first fixture between the two team in round one at Providence from October 26 by 263 runs and this return fixture will be a good test for the champs against a full strength home team that is fourth on the points table with 71.4 points.

Left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul has so far spun his way to 41 wickets while wicket-keeper/batsman Anthony Bramble who smacked 196 not out against Leewards, comes in third on the run-getters list with 481 runs, the most amongst Jaguars batsmen.

The Jaguars are also happy to welcome Raymon Reifer and Keon Joseph back to the squad with three matches to go. Reifer, the left-handed Barbados-born all-rounder is back from New Zealand where he made his Test debut in the second Test last December.

Meanwhile, Joseph the Windies “A” team fast bowler returns after missing the Hurricanes game with a slight injury while Anthony Adams and Sherfane Rutherford are the players making way.

This publication understands that the return of Test leg-spinner, Devendra Bishoo is delayed since 32 year-old is injured.

Guyana Jaguars squad; Leon Johnson (Captain), Vishaul Singh, Chandrapaul Hemraj, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Keemo Paul,

“Sangre Malo” to set alight Sports Hall

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he battle lines have been drawn as the highly anticipated clash now officially dubbed, “Sangre Malo” hosted by the Guyana Boxing Board of Control (GBBC) in collaboration with Next Generation Global Marketing, is expected to set alight the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall on January 20.

The Spanish term, “Sangre Malo” meaning bad blood in English, seems the ideal name for the mouthwatering bouts among three of Guyana’s top boxers and three of Venezuela’s best pugilists.

Some seven bouts have been billed for fight night which is seen as a patriotic battle for country pride. Current Caribbean and Guyana Flyweight Champion Dexter Marques will prepare to lock horns with Dionis Martinez and will use this bout to further prepare for his upcoming Commonwealth Title shot in March.

Marques will come up against current champion Jay Harris of Wales, United Kingdom in a bout set for March 31, 2018 at the Copper Box Arena, a fight being promoted by Frank Warren’s Queensberry

Promotions.

Alongside Marques, is fellow Guyanese boxing star Elton Dharry, a world-class contender with a 16 consecutive wins battling Jesus Vargas while Dexter “Cobra” Gonsalves, Guyana’s current Lightweight champion dukes it out with Felipe Lares, capping off the three main fights on the card.

“The Cobra” much like Marques will also be using the battle versus Lares as preparation for his upcoming battle with Bahamian Lightweight champion Meacher Major in the Bahamas later in the year.

Both Next Gen and the GBBC promised a top card while the prelude to fight night will see a huge kick-off events along with chances to meet with fighters leading up to the match.

Also it was confirmed that the fighters will have their official weigh-in on Friday January 19.

Tickets are available at the Giftland Mall and Assuria Insurance offices with Stands $1,000, Ringside $2,000 and VIP $4,000. (Clifton Ross)

Dexter Gonzales

Keon Joseph has so far picked up 14 wickets from five matches this season

Akshaya Persaud, Raymon R e i f e r , A n t h o n y Bramble (wicketkeeper), Gudakesh Motie, Veerasammy Permaul, Romario Shepherd and Keon Joseph.

The team will have a full session on Wednesday before locking horns with the Jamaican Scorpions from Thursday January 4 to 7, at Sabina Park from 10:00h daily Jamaica time. (Clifton Ross)

Former Umpire Clyde Cumberbatch dies C ricket West Indies (CWI), in a media release, is saddened by the death of former Regional Umpire Clyde Cumberbatch. CWI wishes to extend sincerest condolences to his family and friends.

The release further stated that Cumberbatch was a respected official in the cricketing fraternity, officiating in 12 Test Matches all involving the West Indies over a period of 14 years, from 1981-1995. He also officiated in 26 One Day International matches from 1984- 1997.

After retirement from International Umpiring duties, Cumberbatch served as Chairman of the West Indies Umpires Training and Examination Committee.

He served in this position for 12 years, retiring last June and was replaced by Peter Nero. Cumberbatch was honoured with an

Clyde Cumberbatch

Honourary Life Membership in this same committee after his retirement.

CWI and WINDIES fans have lost a truly knowledgeable gentleman, who stood out among the crowd, not only for his knowledge but his stature and personality.

He has certainly left a lasting legacy throughout the region with the knowledge and support he has given to cricket officials and players alike.

wednesDAY, JANUARY 3, 2018

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

guyanatimesgy.com

GFF/ Super 16 Year-End Classic…

Pg 20

Soldiers turn back Grove Hi-Tech

– Conquerors trample Milerock for 3rd spot

2-0

Director of Sport Christopher Jones hands over the winner’s trophy to the victorious GDF outfit

ICC Women’s Twenty20 Cricket World Cup 2018…

“We can likely be one of the four to host” – Jones Pg 21

Providence has hosted matches in the 2007 World Cup and the 2010 World T20 successfully

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