Guyana Times Daily

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Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana Issue No. 2940 guyanatimesgy.com

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

August 7, 2016

PRICE

Durban Park, GDF advances violate financial law – Auditor General

WHAT'S INSIDE:

Environment Dept to watchdog extractive industries – Granger P2

Page 3

Policeman in hot water for shooting Itaballi man ...Chairman says not his remit Page 2

$120 VAT INCLUDED

11 Region 10 Page Councillors urge probe of missing $5M

Reparations claims

Phillips unilaterally alters mandate to pursue case against State of Guyana P16

Duo nabbed during drug sting in Region 2 P8 West Dem couple busted with cocaine, marijuana P17 Blairmont Estate harvesters strike

First Lady Sandra Granger is encouraged by the interest the Lego Robotics Building and Programming Workshop has generated in young people. Mrs Granger took a closer look at the robot built by participants at the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) workshop

Heavy downpour causes Page 10 Coomacka access bridge collapse

NDIA paid errant contractor after “secret” meeting with Minister Page 7

Management to meet aggrieved workers P15 UN/EU pushes Guyana to remove death penalty from law books P9

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SunDAY, august 7, 2016 | guyana-times.com

Environment Dept to watchdog extractive industries T he Department of Environment will serve as a watchdog body over the extractive industries of Guyana.

Amid concerns about the necessity of this decision, President David Granger justified the move to delink this department from the Natural Resources Ministry, explaining that it would be counterproductive to have the entity charged with reaping the best from the extractive sectors also be tasked with protecting the environment.

He was at the time responding to questions from local journalists on the recent broadcast of the weekly telecast ‘The Public Interest’.

“The Department of Environment is meant to optimise the work of several units. We want to create a clearer division between the extractive industries…so the Department of Environment will be a watchdog to ensure the extractive industries do not do damage to the environment,” Granger emphasised.

The Parliamentary Opposition, People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) had raised concerns about the establishment of this department. PPP/C Chief Whip Gail Teixeira had ridiculed the decision, noting that the government continues to demonstrate utter ineptitude in the management of the country.

President David Granger

She had also contended that these constant shakeups in the public service will

only undermine the sector.

“They (public servants) like to know where they are, they like to know their supervisors, they like continuity, they don’t like that one morning you wake up and you are with this minister,

the next morning you wake up and you’re with another minister and then suddenly you are moving back; you then find yourself making arrangements to move to another building and then suddenly you moving back to another building. This is a recipe for disaster in a public service,” she stated.

Teixeira added that the situation could also arise where important files go missing as a result of the numerous moves.

Furthermore, former Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall pointed out that this move will result in financial chaos in the accounting system.

“Because we had a national budget where the National Assembly approves line items situated under a particular ministry and now

it is cut in half or quarter and transferred over…there are financial implications on how they will account for the money and without parliamentary scrutiny. That is why these abrupt changes are minimised because it leads to mismanagement,” he explained.

At a post-Cabinet press conference on July 27, State Minister Joseph Harmon disclosed that the move to remove overview of the environment sector from the Ministry of Natural Resources was to lessen the responsibilities which lie on the shoulder of the subject Minister Raphael Trotman.

He explained that in so doing, it will alleviate potential conflicts which often exist between the simultaneous management of the extractive industries and the environment.

Policeman in hot water for shooting Itaballi man

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Police constable is in hot water after he allegedly used excessive force on a man with whom he had an argument at Itaballi Check Point, Region Seven. The incident

occurred at about 20:00h on Friday evening.

According to reports, the constable was responding to a report of domestic violence in the area when he came into contact with the

accused, resulting in an argument.

During the heated argument, the Policeman was accused of hitting the man to the head with his service revolver, causing him to fall.

The Constable then discharged a round, hitting the man to his upper chest.

After the shooting, the constable took the man to the Bartica Regional Hospital where he was admitted, and is now in a stable but serious condition.

The rank, according to reports, fled the area but was later arrested at the Tiperu Crossing.

The Office of Professional Responsibility has launched a probe into the purported breaches of standard operating procedures in relation to the report of domestic violence.

NEWS

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SUNDAY, AUGUST 7, 2016 | GUYANA-TIMES.COM

BRIDGE OPENINGS

The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Sunday, August 7 – 05:30h-07:00h and Monday, August 8 – 08:30h-10:00h.

The Berbice River Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Sunday, August 7 – 06:40h-08:10h and Monday, August 8 – 07:10h-08:40h.

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

WEATHER TODAY Heavy rain showers with chances of sunny intervals can be expected throughout the day, while clear to partly cloudy conditions can be expected in the evening, with temperatures ranging between 24 degrees and 30 degrees Celsius.

Winds: North Easterly to East North-easterly between 0.89 metres and 3.57 metres.

High Tide: 07:08h and 17:22h reaching maximum heights of 2.59 metres and 2.52 metres respectively.

Low Tide: 00:42h and 13:02 reaching minimum heights of 0.63 metre and 0.67 metres respectively.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 6, 2016

LOTTERY NUMBERS B

08 10 11 15 21 24 18 Bonus Ball

FREE TICKET

Daily Millions

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Durban Park, GDF advances violate financial laws – Auditor General

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dvances in excess of half a billion dollars from the Contingency Fund by the coalition A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Government, that was used on the Durban/Jubilee Park project, should not have been made since it would be in violation of the provisions of the Fiscal Management and Accountability Act (FMAA).

This is according to Auditor General Deodat Sharma, who in a brief interview with Guyana Times on Saturday, indicated that while he has not seen a copy of the Financial Paper, the fact that monies had already been allocated for the project in the 2016 Budget meant that it could not have been an unforeseen expenditure.

Government in its 2016 Budget had allocated in excess of $70 million toward the project, but according to Financial Paper 1/2016 which represents in excess of $930 million in advances made from the Contingency Fund, in excess of $400 million of that money went towards the Durban Park project.

Several millions more were allocated to the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) for activities related to the 50th Independence anniversary celebrations but this too appears to be in violation of the FMAA, which governs how the Government could access and spend taxpayers dollars from the Contingency Fund – a sub fund of the National Treasury.

The Auditor General told

Auditor General Deodat Sharma

Guyana Times that had the expenditure been related to security provisions, then this would have satisfied the criteria as set out in the laws.

Sharma said there is no way the expenditure could be justified as urgent and unforeseen since planning for the activity would have commenced some time ago.

The Administration, he said, knew it was preparing for the Independence celebrations as is evident in the numerous allocations already made in the Appropriation Act (Budget 2016) for this year.

Under the FMAA, “The (Finance) Minister, when satisfied that an urgent, unavoidable and unforeseen need for expenditure has arisen – (a) for which no moneys have been appropriated or for which the sum appropriated is insufficient; (b) for which moneys cannot be reallocated as provided for under this Act; or (c) which cannot be deferred without in-

jury to the public interest, may approve a Contingencies Fund advance as an expenditure out of the Consolidated Fund.”

Finance Minister Winston Jordan on Thursday presented to the National Assembly, a breakdown of almost $3 billion, which the Administration has begun spending in addition to the 2016 National Budget.

The expenditure has since revealed that in excess of $406 million was used for the completion of the Durban Park Development Project to facilitate the hosting of Guyana’s 50th Independence anniversary celebrations. This is in addition to the $73 million that had already been allocated in the National Budget for the Durban Park project, under the Public Infrastructure Ministry.

The Guyana Defence Force (GDF), according to the Financial Paper presented by Minister Jordan, was the recipient of substantial sums of money, in addition to what was voted for in the 2016 Budget.

The document revealed that $20 million was used by the GDF “as provision to offset expenses for the procurement of maps and writing materials which aided in the development of Orders and other related documents in support of the 46th Republic anniversary celebrations, 50th Independence anniversary celebrations and intensifying operation DRAGNET.” The GDF also benefited from an additional $54 million, and according to the Finance Minister’s breakdown, this

Finance Minister Winston Jordan

money was utilised for “operational readiness of ranks for parades that ensured the success of operation DRAGNET over the 46th Republic day and 50th Independence anniversary celebrations.

The House is scheduled to convene its final session tomorrow ahead of its 2016 recess, at which point, it is expected to consider and vote on the supplementary provisions.

While in Opposition, the APNU/AFC coalition had consistently criticised the then People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) Administration for its resort to the Contingency Fund, as being reflective of bad budgetary planning in addition to an abuse of the fund.

During 2014, the then PPP/C Administration under the hand of Finance Minister, Dr Ashni Singh, had resorted to extra-budgetary measures to the tune of $4.5 billion; monies the then APNU/AFC had labelled ‘illegal spending.’

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Editorial

Playing with suicidal lives

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he maudlin handwringing that had characterised Government's response to suicide for years has now been transmuted into an opportunity to score political points. This was brought out painfully during the last sitting of the National Assembly.

Even though Guyana has historically always had a high suicide rate - especially in the Indo-Guyanese community - it was not until the start of this millennium that it began to be given directed attention by the authorities. But during the last PPP administration, the interventions faltered and the government cannot deny this has not been reversed.

Suicide is closely linked with depression and it is accepted it is a Public Health issue. After private groups highlighted the scourge, a National Suicide Prevention Strategy was drafted in 2001. Studies at that time showed that with great consistency, approximately 200 persons were taking their lives annually. A preponderant number of those persons were males from the rural, IndoGuyanese community. This statistic had shown up early on in the importation of this ethnic group as indentured labourers from the villages of India.

Emile Durkheim had conducted the first study on the phenomenon in 1897, when he observed that the rates of suicide in the Protestant and Catholic communities were significantly different. While the decision to commit suicide was obviously an individual one (the Jim Jones tragedy being a notable exception) the statistical consistency implied structural group processes at work.

Durkheim proposed his famous theory off "anomie", which suggested that suicide, could result when the societal bonds tying an individual to a close-knit community are sundered and the individual struggles unsuccessfully to live according to values that the new circumstances do not facilitate.

All subsequent studies of the phenomenon have shown that while individual psychological/organic problems might also play a role in precipitating suicidal behaviour, they have supported Durkheim's theory that specific cultural responses to societal challenges are predominant.

This finding suggests that success in preventing suicide will have to be, in the main, community specific. What has also been found is that "suicide attempts" are different from actual suicides not only in the fact of differential mortality but also in the motivation of the individuals that attempt the acts. Suicide attempts are considered to be more of a cry for help.

In 2007, the National Committee for Suicide Prevention was formed and two years later, the Ministry of Health in collaboration with the Pan-American Health Organisation (PAHO) hosted a twoday workshop on the Prevention and Control of Suicide Behaviour in Georgetown.

It included individuals from Trinidad, Guyana and Suriname that were working on the problem in their countries, which had similar demographics. For the first time, a programme that involved the community - the "Gatekeepers Programme" - was launched.

This programme was intended to educate members of target communities to be aware of tell-tale signs exhibited by individuals contemplating suicide. Interventionary measures were taught, one being to suggest to the individual on the need to seek help from mental health workers who would be trained to make more directed interventions - including medication for depression.

However after the training of a few hundred "gatekeepers" in Regions 6 and 3, the programme lapsed.

Of recent, one of the most consistent and comprehensive response to the suicide epidemic that has catapulted Guyana as #1 in the world, has come from the CaribVoice, and they have consistently called for the Gatekeepers Programme to be resuscitated.

When in Opposition, the now governing parties had proposed that Suicide Prevention should be higher on the agenda of health priorities in Guyana.

After the unseemly politicised debate, we suggest that a bipartisan Special Select Committee on Suicide be constituted by Parliament to craft proposals on how to fund and extend the Gatekeepers Programme.

Simultaneously, the Parliamentary Sectoral Committee on Social Services should conduct hearings from the experts and stakeholders on crafting an overarching response to the scourge of which the Gatekeepers Programme would be a subset.

President David Granger laying a wreath to pay tribute to Guyana’s first Executive President and founder of the People’s National Congress (PNC), Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham, on the occasion of his 31st death anniversary at the Mausoleum at the Seven Ponds in the Botanical Gardens

Indians and Amerindians should also demand their fair share Dear Editor, With reference to Shanie Jagessar (GT Aug 6) who has penned a splendid critique of Eric Phillip’s Afro-nationalist demand, one can’t help but admire other leading Afronationalists like Tacuma Ogunseye, David Hinds, Barrington Braithwaite, Clive Thomas, Eusi Kwayana, Craig Sylvester, Vincent Alexander, Keith Williams, Freddie Kissoon, among others, for not condemning Philips in his unsubstantiated claims and ‘what if’ interpretation of history.

As Shanie penned, Philips’ claim is not based on actual history but what ifs.

And no African has come forward to rebuke him. Instead the Afro-centric organisations like ACDA, ASCRIA and African-nationalists salute him for advocating for the interests of their people.

The Afro-centrists are unapologetic about their Afronationalism. One can’t help but admire the activism of these outstanding Black nationalists and intellectuals, who unlike most of their Indian counterparts, proudly advocate for the interests of their ethnic group.

The interests of their group are of paramount importance to them (and of course their people) and foremost in their thoughts and actions unlike most Indian politicians or intellectuals or writers who are hesitant about advocating an Indian cause because of a fear of being branded “racist’.

There is nothing racist about advocating for your group – Dr King, Malcolm X, Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, Angela Davis, Walter Rodney, etc all championed a Black agenda from which other ethnic groups benefited. So ethnic advocacy has its benefits and the advocates are not racist unless they attack (people from) other groups.

We must be thankful to and salute these Afronationalists who fought rac-

ism in the US. And Indians and Amerindians should also make demands on the state. It is noted that Afronationalists in Guyana made/make demands on the state and get results unlike Indian and Amerindian politicians and intellectuals who are bashful about making similar demands for their group.

Indian and Amerindian advocates should learn from the Afro-nationalists to get equitable resources for their groups. I commend the Africanists for their work and call on leaders of other ethnic groups to emulate their activism. I wish if Indians and Amerindians can develop the courage and tenacity to copy their actions.

The Afro-nationalists are not known to compromise their identity or advocacy on behalf of their group for narrow self-interests. Their group interests take primacy.

Take, for example, Ogunseye or Hinds who simply refused to work for a non-African dominated government in Guyana. These proud Afro-centrists did not seek government employ or educational assistance under the PPP but gladly accept government roles under the African/PNC-led coalition.

Tacuma is advisor to Granger while Hinds writes for the state-owned Chronicle.

When PPP was in government, Tacuma proudly worked as a vendor in the market to provide for his family rather than work for the Indian-led (PPP) government. He could not be bought by any Indian.

Since the change in government last year May, Tacuma advises the African leader of PNC and APNU and the coalition government.

Phillips is an advisor to Granger.

Similarly, Hinds, did not seek employment with the Indian PPP and opted for work in the US rather than at UG that was under PPP

control; no PPP handouts could have bought Hinds who advocate for racial equality (although his voice has been muzzled since Africans have retaken control of the government.

Few Indians take such a principled position like that of Ogunseye and Hinds of not cavorting with those who were viewed as “the enemy” of their people. Where do such type of Indians dwell?

Ogunseye, Kwayana and Hinds promoted self-reliance among Africans and dressed in traditional garb to promote African culture whereas few Indian intellectuals proudly wear their traditional clothing.

It is also noted that while the African intellectuals (including Kwayana) initially supported Forbes Burnham and the PNC, including when Forbes Burnham cracked down on Indians, Portuguese, Amerindians, and Chinese, some of these Afro intellectuals turned against Burnham when he started oppressing Africans – murdering Rodney, Ohene Koama, Edward Dublin, etc.

They were enamoured by Burnham and the PNC’s rule against the Jagan, PPP and Indians, but felt Burnham went too far when he began to oppress and persecute his own people.

And although some of the Afro-nationalists opposed and condemned Burnhamism, they never joined Jagan to obtain the same goal. Their mouths were not muzzled by the PNC hands that fed them at that time unlike what has been the case since May 2015. Their group is now in control of the state and they rally behind the leadership of the group for preservation, unconcerned about policies that hurt other groups.

There were few Indian intellectuals who took such a principled step to resist ethnic victimisation and the atrocities of the PNC dictatorships of Burnham and Desmond Hoyte. Even now,

few Indian intellectuals have spoken out against the discriminatory policies of the coalition.

The Afro-nationalists are leaders that their Indian counterparts can take a lesson from and as individuals one can work with on a formula for power sharing or equitable distribution of resources.

Unlike most Indian intellectuals, Afro-nationalists are proud of their identity and consistently advocate for Black causes. There is no Indian or Amerindian or Chinese or Portuguese equivalent.

And the Afro-nationalists are not only advocates of an Afro-Guyanese identity, true followers of a Pan-Africanist identity. Their economic, social, political, cultural philosophy is Black nationalism as once advocated by Malcolm X, Marcus Garvey and others.

There isn’t a similar “Pan-Indian” or “PanAmerindian” ideology in the horizon even though Indians and Amerindians have been victims of racialist abuses in the greater Caribbean and globally. And unlike the PNC and WPA that encouraged and promoted ethno-nationalism, the PPP averred on anything that resembles Indian nationalism.

Advocates of Indo-centric policies were marginalised or removed from the PPP. There is no room for Indian ethno nationalists in the PPP that claims that ethnonationalism is anathema to Marxism.

Black-nationalism defines the group’s economic, social, political, cultural philosophy and agenda. Indian and Amerindian nationalists need to emulate the activism of their African counterparts for their own ethnic agenda, and they should make a fair demand on the state for an equitable share of the resources.

Yours truly, Vishnu Bisram

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SUNDAY, AUGUST 7, 2016

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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

Enough time for CCPA to correct institutional abuse problem Dear Editor, Please permit me space in your newspaper to point you and your readers in the right direction as when it comes to institutional abused children and “at risk” children. The Child Care and Protection Agency (CCPA) director engaged me in 2012 to provide training for the caregivers employed at Mahaica Children’s Home, Sophia Care Centre, and the Drop-In Centre.

This training was held over a two-weekend period and approximately 60 staff from the three centres participated.

In 2014, the (CCPA) director again engaged me to design some type of training for the Caregivers of the three centres mentioned above as there had been no improvement in their behaviours towards the children in the centres.

This time around I said to the director, “It’s either something wrong with the Facilitator or it’s something wrong with the caregivers.”

I assured her that something must be wrong with the caregivers, and my suggestion to her was to conduct a Staff Mental Status Assessment (SMSA) on staff from the three centres.

The following is the result of that SMSA and the findings were turned over

to the director of CC&PA in August 2014.

The staff stated that when it comes to discipline the following methods were used. Many insiders (organisations) that work closely with CCPA are aware of my report so in 2016 this may be new information to the wider public.

Editor, you may beg the question, why did I wait till now to make this information public. My response is, confidentiality and information benefits the holder of that information and not necessarily to the benefit of those affected by that information.

Two years was enough time for the CCPA to correct the problem, but when the CCPA received the report communication channels became clogged and the incompetency continued until the 8th of July, 2016 where two children lost their lives and scores of children and families are once again thrown into a deeper state of trauma.

The sad and shameful reality is he/she who gets the contract, gets the contract the ink is dry and we the public read about the tragedy in your newspapers and continue to talk about the lack of trained and skilled professional available to address the psycho-

Arya Samaj apologises to Viraat Sabha Dear Editor, In an article published on July 31 pertaining to our application for pandit accreditation (to perform licensed marriages according to Hindu rites and sanctioned by the state), our organisation inadvertently identified the Viraat Sabha as obtaining special privileges from the state to accredit its affiliated pandits.

It was really another Hindu organisation from Region 3 affiliated with the government that enjoys such special favours and that indeed got its pandits to be accredited as licensed marriage officers.

The Central Arya Samaj regrets the error and apologises to the Viraat Sabja for our unintentional mistake.

We still wait for words from the state on our pending application. Since our letter of complaint, we are yet to hear from the President or the line Minister to address the issue.

Yours truly, Vishnu Bandhu

social problems that exist in our communities.

At the time this report was completed the data was not statistically analysed, however the data was put into table format along with the raw data was handed over to the director of CCPA. When the data was put in statistical format and the director was notified to get a copy she was not interested.

On 25 May, 2015 I requested an appointment with the then new Minister of Social Protection, Minister Lawrence to present these findings and introduce Womens’ Refuge Homeless Shelter Programme to her and her Ministry which focuses on female perpetrators whose children are in State run institutions and require mandatory Community Mental Health interventions.

To date I’m awaiting a response to that request.

Ingrid Goodman, MSW, ABA, CSME

Comments on TV ads about Parliament sittings Dear Editor, There have been some rather ‘personal’, rude and crude comments on my letter in the August 4 edition which are not deserving of my reaction; however, I wish to make a few points that obviously escaped the commentators and which might be of further interest to the general readership and public at large: 1. The TV advertisements were directed to MPs principally and especially those living in outlying areas; they did not contain any invitation, directly nor implicitly, to the general public.

2. My observations were limited to the anachronism of using the costly TV to inform/invite MPs (and MPs only) in the current age of instant, costfree internet communication.

3. The pros and cons of an ‘open invitation’ to the general public to sittings of the Parliament are in and of themselves debat-

able: as a gesture to the ‘openness’ or transparency ascribed to a ‘democratic’ process there can be no quarrel; however, such laudable ascription must be tempered by the relevant logistical considerations such as available space in the public gallery plus an efficient system of screening which does not add to the perceptions of unfairness and favouritism ever so rife in our unfortunate country! It is not difficult to see how such ‘open’ invitations might work well with residents of Georgetown and environs who might not mind being turned away because of lack of space in the public gallery etc when they attempt to enter the Parliament ‘on spec’; however one shudders to think of the plight and reactions of busloads of citizens from Essequibo or the Corentyne or Linden being refused entry in similar instances.

4. As a general rule, the installation or change of

systems must be contextsensitive. In this regard it might be wise to also consider the potential fall- out from a ready-made gallery for politicians prone to ‘play to the gallery’; should we encourage additional ‘politicking’ (as opposed to true ‘statesmanship’) in Parliament and further distraction from the ‘substantive business’ of the parliament of the day? I am not sure if our Parliament provides for “Question Period” as is the case in the British Parliament for example, but this might be worth considering as opportune for special invitation and ‘democratic’ involvement.

5. Perhaps a better way to achieve some citizen ‘involvement’ is to use TV, Radio and available electronic devices to broadcast all or selected parts of Parliamentary proceedings for public information and discussion.

Sincerely, Nowrang Persaud

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guyana-times.com

Foundation Health behaviour

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“To keep the body in good health is a duty... otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.”

– Gautama the Buddha

Anu Dev

ast week in one of our Family Medicine clerkship classes, we discussed the concepts of “Heath behaviour” and “illness behaviour” which I believe may be useful to the general reader.

Heath behaviour refers to any action a person undertakes to promote, maintain, or protect health. And illness behaviour refers to the actions taken when sick to get better.

It made me remember that at the beginning of med school I was struck by how finely balanced all our regulatory systems are, ensuring that all of the processes in our body are in sync. And by how elaborate our immune system is to prevent us from getting sick all of the time. There are an awful lot of bacteria and viruses out there launching attacks on us, but we don’t spend every waking moment sick, do we? That’s be-

cause our immune system is fighting off the invaders all the time.

And I realised how much we take these things for granted. We eat what we want, when we want, not caring about what the nutritional content of the food or our irregular eating times might be doing to our bodies. Or we adopt a sedentary, couch potato lifestyle. And while we take in the car every 3000 miles for the oil and filter change, we don’t make regular checkups with our doctor just to check that the systems are OK. Until we get sick, that is. We place more importance on our illness behaviour than our health behaviour.

But being healthy isn’t just about being physically healthy. The WHO defines health as, “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the ab-

sence of disease or infirmity.” And you’d be surprised as to how many “physical” illnesses are cause by “mental” disequilibrium.

There might be interminable arguments by philosophers about where the mind might be located but there’s no question mental health is as important for normal-functioning as any of the other aspects of health. Mental health is defined as “a state of wellbeing in which every individual realises his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community.” (OK... that one’s from the text!

But it’s pretty complete.)

What about social health...we are social beings, aren’t we? Well that deals with your lifestyle choices. Do you want to die early from lung can-

cer? Then by all means, keep chain-smoking those cigarettes. But secondary smoking is even deadlier to those around. So just quit!

Smoking and drinking excessive amounts of alcohol are all lifestyle choices that you should say no to, if you (or those around you) want to stay healthy. Remember alcohol and domestic violence are highly correlated in our culture.

Other decisions you can make about your lifestyle are about the food you each.

Eat smarter, eat healthier.

In Guyana, we’re at high risk for diseases like hypertension and diabetes.

These diseases don’t have absolute cures, just ways to manage the illness. So let’s take preventive measures to prevent ourselves from getting these diseases.

Let’s try adjusting our health behaviour, because prevention is always better than cure!

Hindus for Selfless Service trains youths for leadership

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elebrating 20 years of work in Guyana this year; the Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS) after unveiling the first Indian Heritage Expo and holding its second International Day of yoga programme, hosted its annual training varg (camp). The Sangh Shiksha Varg (youth training camp) commenced on July 30 at the Leonora Secondary School with a group of young Hindu boys handpicked from all three counties, for training to continue Sanghs’ noble work in Guyana.

The camp is run annually by several young graduates of HSS, whose professions range from teachers, engineers, IT professionals, businessmen/entrepreneurs, doctors, etc.

They are divided into core teams ranging from administrative, intellectual, procurement, logistics, physical trainers and games to be able to give individualised attention. Cooking is done on site as well as meals being sponsored by members, family and kind hearted well-wishers. They give their time selflessly for the week supervising as well as training these young Hindus boys who want to serve Guyana.

This camp was especially significant on the count of the leaders as well as the shiksharthis (campers) being able to benefit from Prashant Autarji and Shailin Sewmangalji, two Gosh (musical)specialists from HSS, Suriname.

At the end of the camp, the shiksharthis would

be trained to handle the Anak (marching drum) and the Vamshee (flute).

These instruments have been used for centuries in India and these boys have been given the opportunity to carry the torch of their heritage.

Discipline is emphasised through various physically exercises such as yoga, which are aimed at strengthening the campers as well as building character.

Other activities include lectures on a number of secular as well as Hindu topics by prominent spiritual as well as intellectual scholars, emergency medical training along with discussions on problems facing teenagers in these modern times. Lastly, interactive workshops aimed at developing their young minds are carried out daily. These three ideals when combined to propagate well rounded individuals.

Ravindra, one 12-year-old participant said: “All that I heard of camp being fun, strict and tough is really true because HSS makes it happen.”

According to Karamchand, the teacher in charge of lectures, “The main purpose of these annual camps is to instill the knowledge, skills and discipline as well as the courage into Hindu youths. They are the future and in these challenging times where culture and traditions are fading away, they have taking up the light of Dharma.”

This years’ motto for the SSV is “Arise, Awake, Protect DharmaSelflessly”.

news

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sunDAY, august 7, 2016 | guyana-times.com

Former President Burnham remembered

Hope Canal Bridge

NDIA paid errant contractor after alleged ‘secret’ meeting with Minister

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he contractor for substandard works done on the Hope Canal Bridge approach roads was paid a 20 per cent retention - which was withheld as penalty—after a meeting between Agriculture Minister Noel Holder, Chief Executive Officer of the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) Frederick Flatts and the consultants.

NDIA under the aegis of the Ministry of Agriculture recently paid over a 20 per cent retention fee, which was withheld by the entity’s

the project through a competitive bidding process, it was firstly reviewed by senior engineers at the then Ministry of Public Works.

The NDIA source pointed out too that the design was also reviewed by the Guyana Association of Professional Engineers (GAPE) and that the recommendations of that expert body had been endorsed and taken on board and incorporated into the designs.

The design for the bridge and approach road was subsequently reviewed by ICID. Other prominent local engi-

said records indicate that DIPCON had expressed reservations to the previous government with respect to the design of the structure, but the concerns were ignored by the previous board of directors.

“The contractor apparently expressed hesitation in implementing the project. It is clear that the board disregarded these concerns and proceeded in their haste to have the project commissioned for political purposes. This is unacceptable” Minister Holder said.

This assertion by Holder

neers to have had a hand in the review of the designs for the project include Phillip Alsop and Bert Carter.

The official pointed to the extensive reviews of the project’s design to remind that it was as a result of a failure on the part of the contractor to adhere to the contract specifications.

The Minister of Agriculture on Friday last was reported saying the problems associated with the shifting Hope Canal Bridge located at Hope, East Coast Demerara, are a result of poor design and not the failure of the contractor.

Guyana Times was told that it was the Technical Oversight Committee which was established by NDIA to preside over the project which discovered DICPON was in fact in breach of the contract which led to the company being penalised.

That penalty came in the form of NDIA withholding the 20 per cent Retention from company—monies since paid over by the new administration which has since installed a new board of directors.

Agriculture Minister Holder on Friday last also

is also being rejected as ludicrous since the contractor would have signed on to a specific duration for the length of time to complete the project and this expired and would have been extended numerous times.

In justification for the paying over the withheld money to DIPCON, Minister Holder said the consultant, Caribbean Engineering and Management Consultants (CEMCO), had determined that the contractor’s work complied with the design and specifications of the project.

“Given CEMCO’s declarations, it would have been virtually impossible for the NDIA Board, under the previous administration to withhold DIPCON’s retention in light of the consultant’s letter; as it was stated clearly that the contractor complied with the design and all specifications of the project.”

Honouring the contractor’s request for final payment by the current board of the NDIA was therefore in keeping with its contractual obligations, according to Holder.

The Hope Canal Bridge

previous board of directors, when it was discovered that the approach road was built in breach of the design specifications.

Speaking to Guyana Times on the condition of anonymity, a senior NDIA official close to the project revealed that the money was requested by DIPCON Engineering Inc since that company was experiencing financial problems at the time and had owed its employees several millions of dollars.

The Agriculture Minister on Friday last told the Government Information Agency (GINA) that the faulty approach road for the $349 million bridge project was as a result of flawed design specifications and politicking.

This assertion too is being rejected outright since the bridge and road designs were subject to extensive reviews not only at the level of the then Ministry of Public Works, but also from the International Commission of Irrigation and Drainage (ICID).

Guyana Times was told that after CEMCO/SKRN won the contract to design

turn to page 17

S

cores of persons turned up at the Mausoleum Site in the Botanical Gardens on Saturday morning to pay homage to the founder of the People’s National Congress and former President of Guyana, Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham.

The former Guyanese President died 31 years ago on August 6.

Those present at the ceremony were executive members of the PNC including former Leader Robert Corbin, members of the Government, Speaker of the National Assembly Dr Barton Scotland, parliamentarians, among others.

Additionally, Richard Van West Charles, son-inlaw of the former president was present on behalf of the Burnham family.

Speaking at the memorial ceremony, current Chairman of PNC/R Basil Williams reflected that it was Burnham who first set the precedence for a coalition party by forming one back in the 1960s when it joined forces with the United Force (UF). This, Williams noted, paved the way for the current six-party coalition that is governing the country.

Meanwhile, current PNC/R Leader and President

A section of the gathering at the memorial service for former President Forbes Burnham

of Guyana David Granger in brief remarks outlined that Burnham laid the foundation for the consolidation of the country and went on to become the premier of British Guiana, transforming it into a more united and less unequal country.

Granger recalled a speech given by Burnham in which he highlighted the importance of all the races to the PNC-led administration.

The president noted that his administration holds those precepts to be paramount and permanent as it proceeds along a path of national unity and the ambition of social integration.

“Today, it’s our

Government’s duty as it was 50 years ago to protect the interest of all and not of some,” the Head of State posited.

Furthermore, Granger stated that Burnham was the author for social cohesion and the architect of national unity, fighting against the marginalisation and segregation which prevails during the colonial regime.

The memorial service kicked off the series of events planned in memory of Burnham. Another event – a dance production by National Dance Company titled ‘A celebration of African Heritage 9’ – was held on Saturday night.

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NEWS

SUNDAY, AUGUST 7, 2016 | GUYANATIMESGY.COM

Nandy Park murder

Accused committed to stand trial in High Court

O

ne accused in the murder of Travis Rudder, the attempted murder of Rudder’s wife and 18-month-old son, was on Friday committed to be tried in the High Court before a Judge.

Travis Rudder was gunned down at his Nandy Park, East Bank Demerara (EBD), home on June 21, 2015.

Murder accused Orpheus Johnson, 27, of Lot 13 First Street, Craig, EBD, appeared before Magistrate Judy Latchman at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on Friday where the ruling was handed down.

Magistrate Latchman stated that a prima facie case was made out against the accused.

The Police are still on the hunt for two other suspects, who are believed to have done a part in the murder of Rudder.

Johnson was accused of the 2009 murder of Brendon Charles and was freed in October 2013.

Rudder was also before the court but was freed of a murder charge in 2011.

1874 Central Amelia Ward, Linden, he broke and entered the dwelling house of Bonita McIntosh with intent to steal.

The Prosecution contended that on the day in question, the virtual complainants (VCs), McIntosh and family, retired to bed and during the course of the night was awakened by a sound.

One of the VCs went to

investigate and the defendant was observed in the house.

According to reports, after realising that he was seen, the defendant fled the house.

Further inspections were carried out by the VCs and it was observed that three louvres were missing from a window and the back door was pried open.

Murder accused: Orpheus Johnson

The matter was reported and the defendant later arrested and charged with the offence.

The Prosecution had no objections to bail and it was granted in the sum of $60,000. As a condition of bail Browne is required to report to the Mackenzie Police Station once per week.

The case will continue on September 6.

Argument leads to wounding charge

A

man on Friday appeared before Magistrate Annette Singh at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts charged with wounding.

Kevin Liverpool of

Georgetown pleaded not guilty to the charge which stated that on August 1 he unlawfully and maliciously wounded Lawrence Chase with intent to cause actual bodily harm.

The Prosecution’s case contended that on the day in questioned, the defendant was involved in an argument with Chase after which he took out and knife and stabbed the man

Bobbing and weaving...

T

Lindener charged with B&E A Lindener was taken to stand before City Magistrate Judy Latchman slapped with breaking and entering.

Samuel Browne, 30, appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts and pleaded not guilty to the charge when it was read to him.

The charge stated that on June 22, 2016, at Lot

Eyew tness

about his body.

Chase was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital where he was treated.

The matter was reported and the defendant arrested and charged.

Liverpool’s attorney made a successful petition for bail and it was granted at $50,000.

The case will continue on August 17, 2016.

Duo nabbed during drug sting in Region 2

T

wo persons are in Police custody in Region Two (Pomeroon/Supenaam) for narcotics after they were nabbed in a sting operation.

According to information, the narcotics unit in division conducted a sting operation at Charity Housing Scheme, Essequibo Coast.

During the operation, Police used a vagrant to purchase cannabis from two known drug pushers. The duo sold the vagrant the illegal substance and was subsequently nabbed by ranks on site.

After swooping down on the 34- and 24-year-old suspects the ranks found a bag with a quantity of leaves, seeds and stems of cannabis. They were taken to the Charity Police Station where the suspected cannabis was weighed in their presence and amounted to 49.1 grams.

They are presently in custody pending charges.

...on Rodney’s assassination

he Rodney Commission of Inquiry (COI) Report was released back in February and it took a song and dance just for the Commissioners to drop it off to the President as they had to. It then took a wave of local indignation and international pressure from those who still appreciate the contributions of the great Guyanese scholaractivist, to get the report to be made public and be laid before Parliament.

But it’s clear the memory of Walter Rodney will forever be clouded by the actions of those who were supposedly closest to him when he was alive to now refuse to have the definitive pronouncement of how he died - as concluded by a $400 million COI - be accepted by the Guyanese state. The COI’s conclusion was pellucid: “Further, given the manner in which the country was run, coupled with the threats issued by Prime Minister Burnham to the members of the WPA and the evidence of Mr Robert Allan Gates, we conclude that Prime Minister Burnham knew of the plan and was part of the conspiracy to assassinate Dr. Walter Rodney.”

Now we know that this is what’s sticking in the craw of the PNC - that their Founder Leader “Burnham knew of the plan and was part of the conspiracy to assassinate Dr. Walter Rodney.” We also know that this is what’s sticking in the craw of those who were then in charge of the armed forces: “... we unhesitatingly conclude that Gregory Smith was not acting alone but had the active and full support, participation and encouragement of, and/or was aided and abetted by the GPF (Guyana Police Force), the GDF (Guyana Defence Force), agencies of the State and the political directorate in the killing of Dr. Walter Rodney.”

But what’s the excuse of those who’ve been claiming to be “Rodneyites” for the last thirty-six years and sponging off the reputation of Rodney? Is it the old drive for “pelf and power”? How can Rupert Roopnaraine sit on the front benches with Basil Williams and listen to the Chairman of the PNC sully Rodney’s memory with his fable of the PPP assassinating Rodney?

The WPA was never a mass party, and given the way ethnic politics played out, might’ve always remained on the electoral sidelines because it would’ve been accused of “splitting the vote” by the PNC. But it owed its influence to the moral position taken by several of its leaders - especially Rodney.

This is the legacy that’s being destroyed by the silence at best, and acquiescence at worse, by the erstwhile comrades of Rodney.

They should speak now or forever hold their piece.

...on office and power

Cheddi Jagan used to carry on about the difference between “office” and “power”. He claimed that while he was in office between 1957 and 1964, he never really had the power to do anything HE really wanted. The British Governor took care of that!! So you’d think two of his most fervent acolytes (if their words are to be believed) Nagamootoo and Ramjattan might’ve taken notes, nuh?

Well, evidently not! Their erstwhile Comrade in arms (?) for decades and decades, (with presumably their dignity in mind) recently claimed that while after taking over their 11% to APNU their portfolios have been degutted and powers defanged! Not so! Replied Ramjattan in Parliament, “We in the coalition government want it that way.”

Second Vice President and Minister of Public Security who’s had his Immigration portfolios hived off, brushed aside Rohee’s claim: “Rohee is so vexed that new Ministers having taken over from him… and are doing such good jobs, he cannot bear it.”

Jealous of a 2am curfew claim?

....on the Parking Meter scam

Isn’t it time we permanently park this parking meter scam? There was firstly all the sleight-of-hand and highhandedness in the signing of the contract by the Gang of Four. And now they’ve usurped imposition of VAT and Corporate taxes??!!

Schuups!!

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

NEWS

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SUNDAY, AUGUST 7, 2016 | GUYANA-TIMES.COM

UN/EU pushes Guyana to remove death penalty from law books

D

espite top Government officials including President David Granger, already declaring that the abolition of death penalty is not a priority, a high-level United Nations (UN) and European Union (EU) delegation is calling on the Guyana Government to formalise the non-enforcement of the capital punishment during a recent visit here.

The high-level delegation was headed by former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and current Commissioner of the International Commission against the Death Penalty, Navi Pillay, UN Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, Ivan Šimonović, and Emeritus President of the Constitutional Court of Belgium, Professor Marc Bossuyt, between July 19 and 21 to discuss issues related to the death penalty.

On July 20, the delegates participated in a Judicial Colloquium on the ‘Abolition of the Death Penalty’ in Georgetown.

The delegation held seminars with the judiciary on a number of themes related to the abolition of the death penalty, including the experience of countries such as South Africa in abolishing the death penalty and the role of the United Nations in the abolition of the death penalty. Chancellor of the Judiciary Justice Carl Singh also made a presentation at the Colloquium.

The Judicial Colloquium was facilitated by the United Nations, the International Commission against the Death Penalty, the European Union Delegation to Guyana, and the Embassy of The Netherlands in Suriname.

The visiting team also had a number of high-level bilateral meetings with local of-

ficials including President David Granger, Chancellor of the Judiciary Justice Carl Singh, Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Basil Williams, Minister of Public Security Khemraj Ramjattan, and members of the Opposition.

At the end of events, the Judicial Colloquium and the participants made several conclusions and welcomed President Granger’s recent statement that he would not approve any executions dur-

Parika stabbing

Fisherman succumbs, wife remains in ICU

T

he Parika fisherman who ingested a poisonous substance after he stabbed his common-law wife and her mother during an altercation, has succumbed to his injuries while receiving medical attention at the West Demerara Regional Hospital.

Bhawanie Harrinarine, 37, of First Aid Settlement, Parika, East Bank Essequibo, reportedly took his last breath at about 10:00h on Friday.

Meanwhile, the man’s common-law wife Bibi Shareema is still in the Intensive Care

Unit (ICU) of the Georgetown Public Hospital.

Reports are that the now dead man also known as “Moon” stabbed Shareema with a small cutlass and injured her mother when she made a bid to rescue her daughter.

The incident took place late Wednesday evening.

Afterwards Harrinarine drank a poisonous substance.

Relatives had related to Guyana Times that earlier in the day following an argument with his wife, relatives saw Harrinarine with the poi-

son but had not realised that his intention was to consume it.

The man’s brother, Deonarine Harrinarine had noted that his brother reportedly claimed that he was keeping it for his boat Captain.

Information reaching this publication had however noted that the captain did not request poison from the fisherman.

Guyana Times was told that Harrinarine would sometimes drink heavily and that he and his reputed wife often engaged in spats over money.

ing his term as President.

However, the delegation said while it recognises government’s efforts to step away from death penalty, measures must be taken to have such punishment removed from the law books.

In this regard, the delegation is: “Recommending that Guyana formalise the de facto moratorium of the death penalty into a de jure moratorium and recommending that Guyana abolish the death penalty.”

Moreover, the international activists urges Guyana to support the resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly calling on States to establish a moratorium on the use of the death penalty, with a view to abolishing the prac-

tice; These calls by the delegation comes in light of top government officials declaring that there is no rush for death penalty to be removed from the law books since there has been a moratorium on the capital punishment since 1997.

During the recording of his weekly telecast “The Public Interest” two weeks ago, the Head of State made it clear that all governments have their priorities, however the abolition of the death penalty is just not a pressing matter to pursue.

Positing that his utmost priorities are the eradication of poverty and alleviation of illiteracy, President Granger argued that the sidelining of this issue does not mean his government will rush to execute prisoners.

“Right now, persons who are being convicted and sentenced to death will not fear that the penalty will actually be carried out… It is not one of my priorities to order the death penalty, I am not about to order an execution,” the President explained.

On the other hand, just days before, Natural

Resources Minister Raphael Trotman, chairing the postcabinet press briefing, had reiterated that there is no urgency in abolishing the death penalty.

In fact, he explained that it is a complicated situation given that the death penalty needs to be enshrined in the country’s laws in order to be compliant with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) regime.

“We are aware that recent laws dealing with countering terrorism include the death penalty brought us in compliance with FATF. We are placed in a position where credible international organisations are calling us to enact certain laws which we complied with so we may not be put on certain lists and made a pariah state where terrorism is concerned,” he stated.

Notwithstanding, Trotman said holding consultations on the matter is not important at this moment: “Government is not rushed to remove it from the books.

Should we do so, we will have widespread consultations with the people of Guyana.”

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sunDAY, august 7, 2016

guyana-times.com

News

Heavy downpour causes Coomacka access bridge collapse

BY Utamu Belle

S

evere downpour on Thursday led to the collapse of the Coomacka access bridge, causing severe flooding in the small Region 10 (Upper Demerara/ Berbice) farming community.

Appalled by the discomfort which befell residents, Regional Democratic Council (RDC) Councillor and Chairman of the Coomacka Development Council (CDC) Dexter Harding said this is the third time that the bridge had collapsed and pointed to faulty work by the contractor as the main cause.

Harding, who said the work had been contracted through the RDC, had publicly complained over the issue prior to Thursday’s flooding.

Another possible cause highlighted by the CDC head is the suspected over-topping of ponds/reservoirs in the com-

A collapsed section of the revetment

munity belonging to bauxite company Bosai Minerals Group Guyana Incorporated (BMGGI).

At the scene, homes were observed under water as residents could be observed placing household items outside. The downpour also led to massive erosion, causing main pipelines to be exposed.

Additionally, poultry pens were also flooded which re-

sulted in some losses.

“The culvert could not have taken off the water which came through to the community, therefore it gushed into homes causing destruction to household items and even some people’s poultry and household construction,” Harding noted.

He said officials of the RDC responded to the dilemma within minutes as

Regional Executive Officer, an engineer, the bridge contractor and other officials visited the scene.

Harding said officials are presently trying to come up with solutions and to make contact with BMGGI regarding the issue: “To date, the PS (Permanent Secretary) of the Ministry of Agriculture visited. We had a meeting with several engineers to see what solution we can come up with in the community as it relates to the drainage network and to have some solution, so that this would not reoccur in the community. We are also expecting a visit from the Civil Defence Council to assess the situation on the ground and to see what help can be given to the residents of Coomacka.”

He added that the Ministry of Agriculture and the RDC had also promised to conduct a site visit to investigate the matter.

Sidelining, singing and suppers S

atiricus was not amused. Some people just couldn’t get it that with power, comes responsibility - and the more power, the more responsibility. His drinking buddy Cappo could sense his frustration so after they’d settled themselves at the Back Street Bar and ordered their brew, he asked solicitously, “Sato ole fr’en’.

Ah wha a badda yuh now?”

“Look how Rodee molesting my leaders from the KFC!” Satiricus exclaimed. “You read how he said Naga Man and Rum Jhaat are sidelined?”

“Me bin a wanda which sideline dem get put pan? Buxton-Fr’endship sideline?” Cappo replied with a straight face. “An’ wha’ wraang wid sideline?”

“Cappo, don’t play de arse with me,” said Satiricus exasperatedly. “You know Rodee means they weren’t given any power by their partner the Pee an See. Just positions.”

“Me see how much powah dem gat,” Cappo said with a smile, “Suh tell me some ah de powahfult’ing wha dem do, na Budday!!”

“Cappo you don’t understand the difference between politicians and statesmen,” said Satiricus firmly. “Naga Man and Rum Jhaat don’t like flaunt their power. They are statesmen. When they do all their powerful stuff, they don’t let anyone know.”

“Yuh right. Me na bin know dat,” conceded Cappo as he smirked. “Suh Naga Man bin ah wan Statesman las’ night?”

“What you talking about?” asked Satiricus as he signalled for another beer.

“Yuh na hear Naga seh he na know if BurntHam or army or who kill RodKnee?” said Cappo slyly.

“What?” exclaimed Satiricus who almost fell off his chair.

“An’ when Nil Kunar aks Naga if he get bassidy,” continued Cappo, “Nil call he “Hanarable” beca’se ‘e ah wan statesman, na?”

Satiricus didn’t say much for the rest of the evening.

guyana-times.com

SunDAY, AUGUST 7, 2016

11

News

Region 10 Councillors urge probe of missing $5M ... Chairman says not his remit

to an official of the community for the construction of a bus shed, which was never constructed.

Councillor Charles Sampson noted that the issue is an “old one” and that instead of investigating the RDC should come up with alternative ways to have the money allocated for the con-

BY Utamu Belle

T

he location of $5 million garnered by residents of Ituni from the sale of scrap iron approximately five years ago remains a mystery, with the situation receiving new attention by councillors of Region 10 (Upper Demerara/ Berbice) Democratic Council (RDC).

The money, which was reportedly placed in a social account of the RDC in 2011, has disappeared.

It is reported that at the time, former regional officials were signatories to the account, which had initially contained $6 million, deposited by the Linmine Secretariat.

Pressing for answers, councillors of the present Council brought the situation to light once more at the statutory meeting held on Thursday. Councillor Vladimir Glasgow asked that an investigation be launched into the issue and attempted to move a motion for same, but the move was shut down by Regional Chairman Renis Morian, since he noted that the issue had been brought up under “any other business” of the Council. Nevertheless, Glasgow urged that National Industrial and Commercial Investments Limited (NICIL) be involved in the investigations.

“From the point that I’m looking at it, the fact that a previous REO and a previous Chairman are the persons who were responsible for receiving this fund, I strongly believe that we as the RDC which is responsible for making representation on the behalf of the people in this Region, we should

Regional Chairman Renis Morian

look into this matter...so that we could have this matter resolved and bring those people to justice who would have probably mishandled or misused this money...We have a duty as Councillors elected by the people of this Region,” he noted.

Morian said however that the matter is not within his remit but that of NICIL: “This RDC ain’t give nobody 5 million so I ain’t investigating $5 million. If NICIL got a case that they gave somebody 5 million, then NICIL got to pursue the case...we don’t have no legal responsibility to pursue anybody for $5 million.”

Regional Vice Chairman Elroy Adolph said based on information he had received, the money had been handed over to the then REO. Councillor Gordon Callender, who said he supports a probe and audit, noted that the Council needs to get to the bottom of the situation of what happened to the funds.

It was also pointed out that $100,000 of sales from scrap iron by members of the community was handed over

struction of the bus shed.

Councillor Franklyn Karew said the issue was constantly raised during the 10th Parliament: “We were told of x person who had signed for the money and collected the check. I think it’s time for us to get this thing off our minds because it doesn’t make sense to go

back into that issue.”

Under previous Regional Chairman Sharma Solomon, a committee was set up in 2013 to probe the missing money after the residents of Ituni had requested it in an effort to carry out developmental activities. However, the committee had failed to locate the cash.

While the Committee was not able to solve the case completely, it discovered that a sum of $1.2 million was the final withdrawal made from the account at the end of the year (December 31) in 2011 by an employee of the RDC. No official explanation could be given as to how the sum was spent.

Movement launched to bring E-commerce to Guyana

S

elling local products and services to a global market will drastically change the way business is done in Guyana.

Currently, there are numerous financial restrictions in Guyana, preventing local entrepreneurs from tapping into the international market to promote their products and services.

PayPal, one of the most widely used and accepted payment processors globally, is unable to get the licence to operate within Guyana because of the unavailability of legislation, even in the recently passed Telecommunications Bill.

The Guyana Entrepreneurship Network (GEN) – a group of Guyanese entrepreneurs – is pushing for the inclusion of an Electronic Transactions Act in the recent Telecommunications Act in order to have the requisite legal framework in place to allow local businesses to extend their reach beyond the country’s borders.

“Opening payment gateways can prove to be a game-changer for local busi-

The Guyana Entrepreneurship Network

nesses; as well as the youth population. Being able to sell your product or service to a global market can mean the difference between scaling the business and closing up shop. Even more pertinent is the opportunity of the freelance economy and what it means for the youth of Guyana,” the organisation noted.

GEN said the Telecommunications Act needs updating to ensure the needs of entrepreneurs are met.

The group is presently conducting a survey to solicit feedback from fellow and aspiring entrepreneurs in order to make a presentation to be submitted to the Telecommunications

Ministry for the inclusion of the Electronic Transaction Act in the Bill.

GEN pointed out that 37 per cent of the Guyanese population is online, and that the worth of the global ecommerce market stood at 22 trillion as July 2016.

The organisation said it already met with Business Minister Dominic Gaskin and Telecommunications Minister Cathy Hughes as well as representatives of the Bank of Guyana and the US Embassy to pitch their proposal.

“All are in agreement that this initiative is necessary and important, not only for entrepreneurs, but for all Guyanese. All have communicated their commitment in making this a reality,” GEN noted.

According to its social media page, GEN was founded in June with the intention to empower entrepreneurs to reach their full potential, to cultivate an environment where businesses can succeed, to connect various elements of the business community, to serve as a business catalyst and to fos-

ter a vibrant and inter-connected business community where collaboration increases capacity, education enhances ability, and advocacy influences authority.

Persons desirous of joining this movement can complete the simple survey at: http://bit.ly/gen-survey.

(Devina Samaroo)

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SUNDAY, AUGUST 7, 2016 | GUYANA-TIMES.COM

NEWS

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SunDAY, AUGUST 7, 2016 | guyana-times.com

Full STEAM Ahead!

‘D’ Division hosts skills training programme for youths

By Ryhaan Shah

A

great deal of emphasis is being placed on STEM subjects – science, technology, engineering and mathematics – in our schools today and with good reason.

It’s the future. The way we live and communicate are changing fast because of technological breakthroughs and the possibilities seem endless as to what is yet to be discovered that will make our lives better in every field whether it is medicine, space exploration or our environment.

There is a need for the innovators of tomorrow to be able to solve tough problems, Ryhaan Shah to gather and evaluate evidence and to simply make sense of information. These are the types of skills that students learn by studying STEM subjects and Guyana should not be left behind even though to speak of such innovation seems purely academic since many of our schools have no computers or even a steady power supply. But everyone tries to do as much as possible with limited resources.

There is a case to be made, however, for a STEAM education instead of a purely STEM one, the “A” in the acronym representing the Arts of literature, music, dance, film and drama, the visual arts, and every kind of creativity and craftsmanship.

I ran into dramatist Francis Quamina Farrier recently and we had a spirited discussion on the subject of having an Arts curriculum at primary and secondary levels and he said that he does whatever he can to promote reading, poetry and drama in schools.

We agreed that an education in the Arts is integral to every child’s development. The earliest cave paintings and shards of pottery show clearly that creative expression is part of being human and more than anything else makes us emotionally and spiritually complete.

Studies have shown that an Arts education actually enhances the learning process. The systems they nourish include our integrated sensory, cognitive, emotional, and motor capacities, and these are the driving force behind all learning.

A strong Arts education sharpens children’s critical thinking and cognitive skills and gives them a chance to be creative by using their own imagination and drawing on their own perceptions of the world around them.

The Arts also provide students with non-academic benefits such as promoting self-esteem, aesthetic and cultural awareness, emotional expression, as well as social skills and an appreciation for diversity at the individual, community and national levels.

Not every child will become a painter or a poet but they should have an education that provides them with an appreciation of reading and writing that goes beyond the practical necessity of simply being literate. The same goes for appreciating film, drama, dance, the visual arts and music, and having them leave school with a knowledge that can speak to everything from Plato to Picasso and to our own poets and artists.

In a country as diverse as ours, artistic expression can bridge cultural differences and become the shared link, the glue that shapes our understanding of how we see ourselves and each other.

An Arts education still provides the greatest sense of wonder about our world and showcases what the human mind, spirit and imagination can create. These go beyond what is possible within laboratories and the constraints of mathematical equations.

At a recent literary event, someone asked of a local poet why there are no poems written about science and technology.

It’s a good question. However, while no one has yet written an ode to a computer, you only have to read the great poets or pick up the Bible, Bhagavad Gita or Quran to discover the wonder and eternalness of the heavens that scientists are still trying to explain.

In fact, as the world becomes more reliant on computers for information, there might well be more value placed on the one human ability that cannot yet be automated: our emotions.

While information gathering and problem solving are essential workplace demands, the values that often matter most in our lives are integrity, honesty, flexibility, dignity, cooperation and creativity, and these are best learned from the words and works of the poets, philosophers and artists of every generation.

An effective Arts education allows students to stretch themselves beyond the material and tactile world into that of the imagination. This is where innovation happens because there the mind is free from rigid certainty and is open to new discoveries.

The universal need for stories, poems, music, dance, and visual art expresses an innate urging of the human spirit and corporate entities do recognise that the human intellect draws inspiration from many sources.

An Arts education is the gateway to the greatest source of all.

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

D Division Commander Stephen Mansell addressing the youths at the commencement of the training programme last week

T

he Guyana Police Force ‘D’ Division (West Demerara) is continuing with activities as it works to strengthen and build relations with communities under the highly successful Social Crime Prevention Programme.

To this end, Divisional Commander Senior Superintendent Stephen Mansell has launched another skills training pro-

gramme for West Demerara youths who have dropped out of school and are unemployed. The programme also targets participants from the communities of Bonasika and Santa Mission.

Approximately 55 youths have registered for the programme.

The training will be done at the Leonora Skills and Vocational Centre and will last for four weeks. During

the training the participants will undergo courses such as motor mechanic, carpentry, joinery, data operations, office administration, and electrical installation.

According to Commander Mansell, this is another community relations programme aimed at empowering unemployed and early school leavers. Such initiatives, he explained, allows for better law enforcement as it strength-

ens community relations.

Moreover, the Commander also recognised the efforts of stakeholders in pushing the Force’s efforts. In this regard, the ‘D’ Division rewarded 12 churches on West Coast Demerara with certificates of acknowledgement for their outstanding contribution in community relations and partnering with Commander Mansell in building public trust.

14 news

SunDAY, august 7, 2016 | guyana-times.com

President visits St Lucian Younge’s Take Cub Scout at GPHC … child is likely to be released early next week

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resident David Granger on Saturday visited little Nick Josh Omari Joseph, the injured St Lucian Cub Scout, at the Georgetown Public Hospital (GPHC) to check on the progress of his recovery. His mother, Delia Finistere, was at his bedside during the visit, along with neurosurgeon, Dr Amarnauth Dukhi, who updated the President on the child’s progress.

The doctor said the child is likely to be released from hospital early next week and can return to his native St Lucia the following week.

“I have already made contact with the neurosurgeon in St Lucia who is going to follow up on his case, but he has made a fair recovery and we continue to monitor him closely,” Dr Dukhi said.

Eight-year old Joseph and another scout, Darnell Ajani Matthew, were injured in an accident on Woolford Avenue, Georgetown on July 26, during the Caribbean Cuboree, which was hosted in Guyana. The latter was treated and released and has since returned to St Lucia. His mother, Jacqueline Matthew, who is also a Scout Leader, has remained in Guyana to provide support to Joseph and his mother.

Meanwhile, the driver of the car

Youth energy R

President David Granger receiving an update on Nick Josh Omari Joseph’s condition from Dr Amarnauth Dukhi at the GPHC. Also in photo are Joseph’s mother Delia Finistere (right of President Granger) and Public Health Minister, Dr George Norton

which stuck the two children has been jailed for 10 months.

Tracy Fordyce of Cowan Street, Kingston, Georgetown, was slapped with the charges of dangerous driving and breach of a one-way. She pleaded guilty to the charges when they were read to her by Magistrate Renita Singh at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.

During the court appearance, the prosecution revealed that Fordyce had gone to a nearby school for registration but was refused entry because of her

mode of dress. As a result of her rejection, she became annoyed and drove off in a dangerous manner, hitting the two children in the process.

Magistrate Singh sentenced Fordyce on the dangerous driving charge and imposed a fine of $15,000 for the breach of a one-way charge.

However, after receiving the sentence, an unrepresented Fordyce expressed the desire to change her pleas but the court had already imposed its sentences.

ecently, there has been an outcry by youths across the Caribbean for several newly elected governments to honour their elections promises and deliver on the creation of new jobs and the establishment of national youth funds aimed at tackling the many problems that affect youths.

While some governments have already buckled under pressure and responded Michael Younge favourably, others continue to ignore the demands of youths.

By their own admission and actions in part, they believe that regional resources ought to be directed at more pressing and fundamental areas that will see regionalism and democracy being advanced, economic and social progress fast-tracked, and poverty reduced, if not alleviated.

They do not see the need to pay keen attention to the youth population through the advancement of cohesive, modern and sharp legislative and non-legislative policies and initiatives.

In fact, it can also be argued that some of these governments would rather design and fashion reactive and piecemeal policies that address singular issues which they deem important to their re-election bids and their political constituents. This is done largely without meaningful consultation and at the exclusion of youth leaders.

Unfortunately, the new A Partnership for National Unity/ Alliance for Change (APNU/AFC) Government in Guyana appear to be one of those unresponsive Caribbean regimes that continue to ignore the thunderous cries of youths for jobs, meaningful reforms, and an end to racial divisions in the society.

The new government is demonstrating through its recent actions and policy positions that it is more concerned about taking revenge against the opposition People’s Progressive Party, advancing its image abroad through the reorganisation of the Foreign Service and the strengthening of its political machinery under the facade of pursuing social cohesion.

Despite being in office for well over a year, the David Granger administration is not honouring its elections promises to young people. There still is no coherent job creation policy and no new outlook for youths. The recently completed National Youth Policy is weak, uninspiring and largely ideological. While it takes note of the social and economic parasites that’s eating away at the development of youths, it offers no realistic solutions, schemes or avenues for the advancement of young people.

Also, youths continue to be locked out of key positions at every level of government as they are dismissed as being either too young or inexperienced at the moment to make meaningful contributions to the notion of nation building.

Clearly, the new government believes in tokenism and from time to time engages in many window dressing exercises aimed at pulling more wool over the eyes of the populace.

It must be noted too that core youth groups and opposition political pressure groups continue to remain silent despite governments clear assault on young people. There was talk of banning young people who owe money on student loans from travelling abroad unless they repay. There is still the implementation of a nonsensical 2am curfew. There is the strategic firing of young professionals and youths who are perceived to be supporters of the last government.

Youths cannot continue to be silent and sheepish.

They must demonstrate their impatience by lobbying the government to keep its campaign promises and to do exactly what it said it will do for young people when it was in opposition.

Youths have to hold the government to account and demand the strategic quarterly update of the country’s youth policy. They must demand the creation of a modern job creation scheme while pressuring the government to involve it in the decision making processes of the state level.

They must understand that silence and continued lambish behaviour are not options if they crave and desire political reform and respect. Youths must work together to re-energise themselves and inspire the changes they want in their societies.

Each day history is made and tomorrow when youths recognise that their later years are still hard, they will have no one to blame but themselves.

NEWS

15

SUNDAY, AUGUST 7, 2016 | GUYANA-TIMES.COM

Blairmont Estate harvesters strike

Management to meet aggrieved workers By: Lorraine Ince-Carvalhal

Acceptance ‘God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.’

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eople may believe that to be accepting is to be weak or passive, but those of us who are able to distinguish between when we can act to evoke change and when trying to change something will be counterproductive, are more likely to live a contented life.

Learning to accept something that is going to be a part of your life in any significant form, that you have little choice of avoiding, is much healthier than making ineffective attempts at fighting it and wasting energy.

Acceptance does not mean ignoring something or avoiding it, it means knowing, understanding and recognising it and learning to find a way to accommodate it calmly in our lives.

Recognising where forcing change will not be beneficial is paramount. There will no doubt always be a way in which action can effect change but the consequences of the action should always be considered in both the long- and short-term.

Likewise, complaining or sulking about the situation will do little to improve it. That understanding of when to act and when to accept, can make a major difference to someone’s wellbeing and can be an effective way to cope with the stresses and strains of our daily life.

Most of us find ourselves worrying about situations because we cannot find ways to change them. It is clear that most times worry is a very painful and wasteful exercise.

There seems little sense in going over and over a situation without solving it, which is predominantly what worrying is; a non-resolving thought process with no positive outcome.

There is too much time, effort and energy wasted and the added experience of destructive emotions such as fear, anger, hurt or other negative feelings only serve to damage our sense of wellbeing. Physically there are always effects triggered by these harmful emotions that are adverse to our health.

If you can approach difficult circumstances by agreeing that there are only two answers to a worrying situation; resolution through action, or acceptance, a lot of unnecessary feelings and outcomes can be avoided.

If the problem was that easy to solve we would have found an answer to it long before the worrying process began to become an issue. Rather than continue in the worry cycle the sooner we can conclude that often acceptance is the only answer to worry, the better.

There are many instances in our lives when we are faced with decisions or events that we know are going to have questionable outcomes. For some of them we can predict accurately the possibility that the outcome may require acceptance. This is not necessarily that we go into the situation believing that failure or a problem is inevitable, but that in the event of things not working out how we would like, there may be a need to practice acceptance.

Remember this is not a suggestion that it is healthy to accept everything that we do not like, want or need; it is imperative that a good decision is undertaken as to whether action is appropriate or not. However, in those cases where no appropriate action is possible, acceptance can allow a person to concentrate on and enjoy what is possible.

It can result in calm serenity when we finally realise the futility in challenging and fighting loosing battles and channel energy and focus into something worthwhile.

All that said, what needs to be accepted today does not necessarily need to be accepted next week. The ebb and flow of our lives and the entrance and exit of the people in it mean that we should be willing to reconsider our positions and calmly make decisions accordingly.

As long as we are ready to be flexible and open to reassessment at any given time, we can be assured that we do not become stagnant in our lives.

If we can use a solid assessment thought process to guide us towards our choices and decisions, we can at least be content that we are following the most knowledgeable path we have access to.

I suppose the most important thing is to be sure that our actions take us to a place we can be comfortable and content with, a place where we are not holding on to negative feelings, and constantly battling against immovable objects.

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ollowing strike action taken by several field workers attached to two gangs at the Blairmont Sugar Estate over a price dispute, management will now meet with the workers to address their concerns.

This was disclosed on Saturday by President of the Guyana Agricultural and General Workers Union (GAWU), Komal Chand, in an interview with Guyana Times. Chand explained that sometime today (Sunday), Blairmont Estate Managers will meet with the aggrieved workers after the two sides were unable to come to an agreement with management over the price being paid per bed of cane. This publication had reported that just two days of strike action had cost the estate to lose 527 man days.

“They will go at it (today) to see if they could resolve [the] price dispute; they are meeting with the management to see if they can have

it resolved,” the GAWU President observed.

The workers began their industrial action on Thursday last. They stated that the action stemmed from the fact that the cane is spaced and short which would result in them receiving low tonnage, hence the request for a higher price.

Two hundred and forty workers attached to 61B Gang, had reported for duties on Thursday but did not work, while 260 workers attached to QHE 6 Gang showed up on Thursday and took strike action. On Friday, all of the 250 workers attached to 61B had taken strike action whilst 145 showed up for work from QHE 6 Gang and 97 refused to work.

The workers also raised concerns over the state of the roads leading to the cane fields.

Guyana Times understands that intermittent rains have caused the roads to be in a deplorable state

and the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) is reportedly waiting on dry weather to rehabilitate the roads.

The Blairmont Estate, which commenced grinding on Saturday had a target of 20,281 tonnes for this crop but it is unclear as to how much of this was met.

Meanwhile, the GAWU President pointed out that this strike action is in no way related to the Wales Estate severance matter.

Wales Estate court challenge

Additionally, Chand stated that a High Court trial date for the GAWU and National Association of Agricultural, Commercial and Industrial Employees (NAACIE) litigation against the Sugar Corporation is set to commence on August 15.

The court action was brought after GuySuCo began discussions with individual employees of the Wales Estate to negotiate severance packages

without informing or involving the unions. At one point, workers were given a threeday ultimatum to make their decision on accepting severance or being redeployed, but GuySuCo shelved these plans after the media was informed.

Meanwhile, some 99 Wales sugar workers recently signed a petition for GAWU to drop the litigation premised on GuySuCo announcement that it was ready to pay out severance packages. (Shemuel Fanfair)

16 NEWS

SUNDAY, AUGUST 7, 2016 | GUYANA-TIMES.COM

Reparations claims

Phillips unilaterally alters mandate to pursue case against State of Guyana

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hairman of the Guyana Reparations Committee, Dr Eric Phillips, has stated that he and his Committee have gone beyond their mandate from the Caribbean Community (Caricom) Reparations Commission and are unilaterally pursuing reparations claims against the State of Guyana over the injustices faced by African slaves during the years of slavery and post slavery which he outlines as being inequitable to Africans as compared to the Indigenous Peoples (Amerindian) and the Indian population.

This move – Consultant, former Member of Parliament, and leader of Rise Organise And Rebuild (ROAR) Ravi Dev says – will undermine the current international case that Caricom is currently engaged in to claim reparations against the six European colonial colonies genocide against Indigenous Peoples and enslavement of Africans . It would also lessen social cohesion in the society, he claimed.

Phillips’ claims against the State of Guyana, stemmed from discussions held on the weekly aired TVG Channel 28 programme - The Factor - that saw a tripartite panel of Dev, Phillips and Associate Professor, Dr David Hinds discussing the issues affecting the Afro and Indo Guyanese, more so, under the overarching theme of social cohesion.

Phillips said social cohesion “to us is about freedom and inclusiveness, so for us

How the Amerindian Land Titling Project failed under Sydney Allicock’s watch

I Leader of ROAR Ravi Dev (centre); Chairman of the Guyana Reparations Committee, Dr Eric Phillips (second left); WPA Executive, Dr David Hinds and moderator Neaz Subhan

social cohesion is political, economic, cultural and social freedom and inclusiveness.” He then expanded on the historical antecedents of slavery and then expounded on the call for reparations, which in Guyana’s case, he characterised as land ownership for Africans.

Weighing in on the discussion at this point was Dev, who articulated in favour of reparations claims but noted that the claims should be made against the European colonial masters – who he said systemically manipulated the laws in their favour, essentially rendering the Africans, Indians and Indigenous peoples of Guyana and the Caribbean region as “pawns” – and not the local State of Guyana.

When questioned on whether he was addressing Caricom’s reparations claim or a local claim of reparations against the Government, Phillips responded that “there is a claim against

Europe and there is a claim against Guyana.” Dev pointed out that no other Caricom Reparations are making such local reparations claims.

The Guyana Reparations Committee Chairman said he expects the Government through Parliament to enact legislation similar to the Amerindian Act, only this time for the benefit of Africans. His reasoning for the local claims of reparations is that after independence, Guyana inherited the Crown’s obligations and “benefits.”

Phillips noted that Guyana’s history has been distorted, adding that not many persons are aware that some 450,000 African Guyanese died to build Guyana.

“There was a penalty, there was a lot of blood paid, so why should indigenous people who are 7000 in population – when we were here and we were 84,000 – why

should they receive land from the Crown in the same context as African’s are requesting land, why did they receive lands when African’s are being denied. It was the same Crown that gave the indigenous people land for being here first, yet they were not here first,” Phillips argued.

Dev pointed out than some Indians exchanged their free passage back to India for small pieces of lands, and were not given anything.

“I am trying to disaggregate things so we can make these claims and have Africans given justice. We are operating within a system of international law, which has already been created by those who will deny these claims. So when we make what is called a moral claim we have to then also look at the legal aspect since that is what will give us or not give us justice,” Dev argued.

CONTINUES ON PAGE 17

First Lady expresses pleasure at massive response to STEM workshop

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irst Lady Sandra Granger on Saturday said she is encouraged by the interest that the Lego Robotics Building and Programming Workshop has generated in young people and expressed hope that the “seamless” collaboration that facilitated the sessions can be expanded to benefit more young people in communities across the country.

The First Lady expressed this view at the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Guyana graduation ceremony, which was hosted at the National Sports Resource Centre, on Woolford Avenue, Georgetown.

One hundred and forty students from Georgetown, Buxton/Friendship and Lusignan/Good Hope graduated from the programme which was hosted under the auspices of the Office of the First Lady. The First

ANNA'S

First Lady Sandra Granger pays keen attention as Kavya Sony, one of the trainers at the workshop held at the Friendship Primary School, makes a small adjustment to her group’s robot

Lady also said that she was heartened by the response of Guyanese, both here and in the Diaspora, and in the public and private corporate community, who provided funds and other resources to facilitate the workshops.

“I believe that our young people now understand that there is much more to Information

and Communication Technologies than email [and other social media platforms]… for they have now dipped their metaphorical toes in robotics… Robotics not only opens to us the possibilities for entertainment but expands our horizons for professional growth and development, hitting all the bases in STEM… It provides

new avenues for learning beyond the traditional classroom… It encourages our children to use their minds, their intuitive logic, to solve problems while also on occasion, underlining the benefits of team work,” the First Lady said.

Meanwhile, Carolynne Moore, who spoke on behalf of one of the sponsors – the Guyana Action Committee (GAC), a non-profit organisation based in the United States (US) – said her organisation focuses on helping youths develop holistically.

As such, when Ms Abrams made a request for assistance to purchase robots for the STEM camp here, the GAC responded immediately. Ms Moore is also one of the many individual sponsors of TeamSTEM Guyana based in the US. Sixteen donors and sponsors, both local and overseas-based, supported and facilitated the workshop.

ndigenous Affairs Minister Sydney Allicock and his administration have once again demonstrated considerable inaptitude in producing results in land titling.

The Minister and his team informed the Parliamentary Sectoral Committee on Natural Resources last week that an extension for the Amerindian Land Titling Project (ALT) is in view to meet the targets set Anna Correia out by the project document.

Interestingly, the proposed extended timeframe has not been provided and the costs this would incur remain a mystery.

Project Manager Enrique Monize, explained that the proposal for an extension was influenced by setbacks which include overlapping interests on requested lands (forestry, mining and leases), as well as variations in descriptions coming from certain villages which were already investigated. This last point calls for interrogation, given that months were consecrated to consultative investigations and close collaboration with villages, from which resulted corrected descriptions of the extensions requested in Region 2.

This is particularly valid for Bethany, Capoey, Mainstay Whyaka, Akawini and Saint Monica. It therefore raises eyebrows that the descriptions of extensions requested by the seven villages of Region 2 are again subject to alternations.

It also begs an explanation as to why, more than a year into the change of administration, no progress has been made to approve extensions for any of the seven.

Perhaps the answer lies in Allicock’s unlawful dismissal of the entire ALT Project Management Unit in June 2015, and the incomprehensible stalling of the project for seven months before new staff was hired, all under the watchful eyes of the partnering United Nations Development Project (UNDP).

Interestingly, Monize didn’t mention this setback; he didn’t mention that months long of inactivity disguised as a “transition period” during which advisors were squandering ALT resources against UNDP good practices, coupled with an adjustment period for the new team, was what resulted in the Government’s inability to respect its contractual obligations.

Another inconsistency which Monize presented to the Committee would want us to believe that of the applications for titles which have been submitted, “13 are communities that have been occupying State land and are now seeking titles so as to become established villages”. Yet, this contrasts starkly with the implementation status of ALT, since one community was titled prior to 2014 (Sawariwau), and 6 were titled under the former administration (Four Miles, Tuseneng, KambaruOmanaik, Karisparu, Batavia and Kariako).

This therefore leaves us with 6 communities to be titled (Katoonarib, Tasserene, Kangaruma, Eclipse Falls Top, Parabara and Rockstone).

It is the responsibility of the Project Manager to disseminate accurate information for the benefit of all stakeholders.

Additionally, it must be explained why in 14 months of office, the Allicock administration has been incapable of producing Absolute Grants for the aforementioned six communities, in light of the extensive work conducted in each, prior to the change in Government.

What has also been left undisclosed, are the possible repercussions that the failure to meet the project’s designated deadlines might have on payments generated by the NorwayGuyana Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) Agreement, which funds ALT. With regard to the encumbrances emphasised by Monize, keen interest must be paid to those falling under the compulsory stakeholder responsibility of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), and by extension the Natural Resources Ministry.

It would do the Sectoral Committee well to remain au fait with the fact that a Natural Resources Minister is violating the mandatory terms of the ALT Project document by mining on proposed title land, therefore legally constituting an encumbrance and a conflict of interest. Action must be taken to correct this anomaly corroborated by documents issued by the GGMC itself.

It should also be indicated to the Committee whether Allicock’s failure to guarantee results under the ALT Project forms part of the $18 million loss incurred under the LCDS partnership, as this was one of the more costly projects which received funding through the Guyana Redd + Investment Fund.

The failure of the Amerindian Land Titling Project must be attributed solely to the incompetence of the Allicock administration, without which today, Amerindian beneficiaries would have experienced a significant increase in land security and ownership. (Send comments to sundayarrow@gmail.com)

guyanatimesgy.com

SUNDAY, AUGUST 7, 2016

17

News

GGMC to investigate possible SARU Bill to be presented after parliamentary recess river pollution in Moruca

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Natural Resources Minister Raphael Trotman and Minister within the Ministry of Natural Resources, Simona Broomes (partly hidden in green) after visiting Santa Rosa and Islands

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team from the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) will begin an investigation into reported pollution of the Waini and Barama Rivers later this month.

Minister of Natural Resources Raphael Trotman gave this assurance to residents of the Moruca, Region One Sub-District on Saturday, during a public meeting. Minister Trotman, along with Minister within the Ministry Simona Broomes, and a team met with Moruca residents at the Santa Rosa Secondary School.

The Ministers told the residents that the visit was part of Government’s efforts to meet with residents of communities to listen to their concerns and issues.

Santa Rosa and Islands, Village Councillor, Graham Atkinson, raised the pollution concerns. He noted that many of the Amerindian communities in the area are dependent on the rivers, particularly the Waini River for its supply of fresh water fish.

Atkinson noted that mining in the upper Barama River has seen excessive sediment being released into the river which runs into the Waini. He also suggested random water quality test-

ing be conducted by the regulatory agencies as part of their monitoring.

Meanwhile, several other village councillors raised concerns about the mistreatment of Amerindians who are employed in the mining and logging sectors in the region. Kamwatta Village Councillor, Camilla Frances told the Natural Resources Ministers that a “lot of injustice is taking place.”

Frances explained how miners from outside the region are seeking employees from the communities in Moruca, but then would mistreat them and not pay them in many instances.

The treatment of workers in the mining and logging sectors in the region was also echoed by Senior Village Councillor of Mora, Aloysius Daniels and Toshao of Santa Rosa, Sherwin Abrams.

Toshao Abrams lamented the fact that the miners and loggers seeking workers in the Moruca communities do not “present themselves to the village council.”

Often times, Abrams explained, these people would send boat captains or others from the community to recruit workers.

Abrams said many of the workers are exploited and not paid for their services.

However, the problem arises when these workers are

unable to identify who they worked for. “It’s a common thing in Santa Rosa,” Toshao Abrams told the Ministers.

Abrams called for ‘drastic action from the level of the ministers.’ “People use to override Amerindians previously and we won’t have that anymore,” Abrams asserted.

Addressing these concerns, Minister Broomes told the councillors and Toshao that the Ministry has received several similar complaints of exploitation of workers by miners. “I want to make the point clear that not only are we aware of it, but we will address it. I want you to be assured,” the Minister said.

She also encouraged the residents to ensure that their relatives who work in the interior, “get all the information of the person” they will be working for.

Minister Broomes reminded the residents that the Ministry of Social Protection’s Labour Division has lead responsibility in labour issues, but assured her Ministry would also assist anyone who brings a complaint. “We can’t provide much help without names.

Start this awareness among yourselves…as much information you can get, will really help too,” Broomes encouraged.

ith the final round of consultations scheduled for August 11, the laying of the draft legislation for the State Asset Recovery Unit (SARU) in the National Assembly will be delayed.

Parliament goes into recess on August 10 and is slated to recommence in October.

Minister of State Joseph Harmon explained that the consultative process must be widespread and meaningful, an initiative that cannot be rushed before recess.

The consultations will be spearheaded by the Legal Affairs Ministry under the stewardship of Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Basil Williams.

SARU has been operating without any constitutional framework since its establishment in 2015.

The draft legislation essentially empowers the SARU director, a position currently occupied by Dr Clive Thomas, to release funds accrued from money seized as part of its operations to facilitate the discharge of its functions.

As it relates to the sharing of information relative to SARU’s investigations, the legislation provides for formal requests to be made by the director to a number of statutory bodies, including Bank of Guyana.

Under the proposed legislation, the SARU director will be empowered to make official requests for information on persons under investigation from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), the Police Commissioner, the Director of the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), the Head of the Serious Organised Crime Unit

West Dem couple busted with cocaine, marijuana

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olice in ‘D’ Division (West Bank DemeraraEast Bank Essequibo) have arrested a couple after small amounts of cocaine and marijuana were found in their possession.

According to reports

reaching Guyana Times, the couple operates a confectionery stand on the road in Uitvlugt, West Coast Demerara.

Information revealed that around 16:30h on Friday, acting on information, police

officers went to the location where the couple operates the stand.

A search was conducted during which 3.7 grams of cocaine and 7.4 grams of cannabis were unearthed. This publication understands that

NDIA paid errant contractor...

“To now blame the current Board for bad decision making is unethical and an attempt to score cheap political points,” the Minister of Agriculture said.

NDIA’s CEO Frederick Flatts this past week told Guyana Times he was unaware of a decision made by the entity’s previous Board to withhold the money from DIPCON Engineering.

Flatts repeatedly claimed ignorance of a previous board decision to withhold the money and indi-

cated, “what I know is that money was owed.”

According to Flatts, there was no reason for the new board to withhold payment to the contractor and as such NDIA went ahead and made the payment that had been withheld.

The Ministry of Public Infrastructure has since been poised to assume responsibility for the remedial works. The resources to fund the works will be utilised from the Ministry’s budget for 2016.

searches were also made at the couple’s home in the same community but nothing was found. The couple were taken into police custody and is assisting with investigations. Charges are expected to be laid soon.

FROM PAGE 7

As such the works are expected to be completed by the end of 2016.

Commissioned in 2013, the bridge and approach road at Hope, East Coast Demerara are components of the larger East Demerara Water Conservancy Hope Canal Relief Project, aimed at bringing relief to the conservancy and to serve as an outlet for the water in the hopes of preventing a recurrence of the 2005 floods.

NDIA was tasked with putting together a plan to un-

dertake the necessary hydrological and hydraulic studies and an Environmental Management Plan.

The project – after a public bidding process – was awarded to DIPCON at the sum of $349,654,353, and the company commenced work on the bridge in August 2011.

A consultancy contract was awarded to CEMCO/ SRKN Engineering in association with Mott Mc Donald to the value of $64 million.

Minister of State Joseph Harmon

(SOCU), the Chairman of the Integrity Commission, the Commissioner General of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), the Governor of Bank of Guyana, the Head of the Central Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU), the Chairman of the Guyana Gold Board, the Chairman of the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board, and a Police Officer not below the rank of an Inspector.

The information to be shared as envisaged by the proposed law relating to any unlawful conduct, tax or financial impropriety of any person, or any other relevant information that may assist the SARU director in discharging his functions.

Meanwhile, Government is also considering the establishment of a separate prosecuting unit to work alongside SARU. Natural Resources Minister and Government

spokesperson Raphael Trotman had explained that prosecuting entities such the Guyana Police Force and the DPP’s Chambers have their hands filled with their respective responsibilities and may be overwhelmed with the added work that SARU as well as the forensic audits bring.

To this end, he outlined that the issue of special prosecutors is being considered

by Government, particularly as it relates to the forensic audits.

“Cabinet is overwhelmed at the scale of the (forensic audits) findings… this brings back the issue of special prosecutors because the Police Force, SOCU (Special Organised Crime Unit), and even the DPP Chambers are overwhelmed and lack certain capacities to address all of these,” the Minister had stated.

Phillips unilaterally...

FROM PAGE 7

Dr Hinds, who also spoke to the issue of racism and reparations and agreed both with Dev and Phillips, said “the Government of Guyana does have a responsibility to ensure that all ethnic groups feel secure in Guyana. That their concerns are dealt with adequately.”

Phillips however maintained the need for the local State to provide reparations.

He said “take Guyana as it self, who built Guyana, who died for Guyana, the last Government saw the greatest transfer of wealth from PPP to Indians in Guyana, evidence is there, the lands, the contracts, and the jobs that was a significant transfer again.

But Dr Hinds noted that this issue is always going to be a problem, “it is very difficult to advocate for one group without appearing to be comparing with the other group… I am very sure that is not what Eric intends to do, I also understand why somebody from another ethnic group listening to him can believe

that is what he is trying to do.” He noted that more demands need to be made of Government by all the parties involved.

Weighing in on this, Dev argued that Guyana cannot move forward, unless everyone feels that they have an equal opportunity.

“I don’t think there is any society on planet Earth that can deliver equality of results, because there is the individual and we are not all equal based on our abilities, etc. But when a race such as the African people in Guyana have been historically discriminated against, I don’t think we need much of saying why there needs to be programmes to assist them to compete equally with other groups.

What I don’t think is a good strategy is that in the narrative we are creating to achieve that, we are comparing them with others [Amerindians and Indians] as if somehow those people got a free pass and I don’t think that will do the cause any justice.”

18

SunDAY, audust 7, 2016

Adam Peaty sets world record in 100m breaststroke heats

Rio 2016…

Bolt-Gatlin not a rivalry − Johnson G U

sain Bolt v Justin Gatlin is “not a really good rivalry” according to four-time Olympic gold medallist Michael Johnson.

The whole world may be waiting to watch Usain Bolt and Justin Gatlin renew their rivalry in the Olympic 100 metre final, but Michael Johnson says it is barely a contest.

Gatlin is seen as the main obstacle between Bolt and a historic ‘triple triple’ of sprint gold medals at Rio 2016, the American having signalled his intent by running the fastest time of the year in July.

His 9.80 seconds at the US Olympic trials in Eugene showed Gatlin - who has served two doping bans in his career - is ready to pressurise Bolt, the Jamaican having only just returned

Justin Gatlin (left) and Usain Bolt

from a hamstring injury.

Bolt has promised to let Gatlin “feel his full wrath” at the Games, stoking up their rivalry ahead of the 100m final on August 14.

And Johnson fully expects the Jamaican to deliver, insisting the pace duo are not truly rivals for gold later this month.

Speaking courtesy of Michael Johnson Young Leaders, the four-time gold medallist told Omnisport: “The first thing that you look at in terms of rivalries is what’s the record?

“Bolt’s won seven out of eight, that’s not a really good rivalry to be honest.”

reat Britain’s Adam Peaty set a world record in the heats for the men’s 100m breaststroke at the Rio Olympic Games.

Peaty, 21, clocked 57.55 seconds to break his own world record of 57.98, as he finished 1.36 seconds ahead of the second fastest qualifier.

Compatriot Ross Murdoch (59.47) also reached the semis (03:08 BST Sunday).

Earlier, GB’s James Guy, Max Litchfield, Hannah Miley and Aimee Willmott reached their respective 400m finals.

Scottish swimmer Murdoch, 22, finished third in his 100m breaststroke heat but acknowledged his result was overshadowed by teammate Peaty’s world record.

“It was just Adam’s race.”

Adam Peaty

Murdoch said. “It was a world record, it was great.

“If you look at the trends in swimming down the years, there’s a build-up in an event and that’s been happening

since London, a build-up of people going 59 lows and 58 highs and all of a sudden, one just emerges and bursts from the pack and that’s Adam this time. (BBC)

Frenchman Ait Said suffers horror break in qualifying

(Sportsmax)

Gabon’s first Olympic medallist wants to swap silver for gold

Taekwondo fighter Anthony Mylann Obame (left) with his Silver medal at the London 2012 games

T

aekwondo fighter Anthony Mylann Obame has become an influential role model back home as Gabon’s first ever medallist, but sees room for improvement at RIO 2016.

Obame made history when he took silver in the men’s heavy weight event at the London 2012 Olympic Games, winning the first Olympic medal for the small African country of Gabon. He hopes to top that in Rio de Janeiro by becoming Gabon’s first Olympic champion. Since that memorable day in London, a lot has changed for Obame. As Olympic medallist and 2013 world champion, the 27-year-old has become famous in the West African nation that has a population of just 1.7 million.

“I am much more involved

in social activities and also in the sport, the Anthony Obame of 2011 is not the same as the Anthony Obame of 2016. It is something grand to make history in your country and to be a role model for young people.

Today I can support the young ones with material and can motivate them, make them believe that they can succeed, even if our country is very small,” he said.

“A lot of youngsters have taken up taekwondo, but not only taekwondo. There are now many young people that are motivated for success and not only by me. I am just one more example with my Olympic medal and my world title that you can succeed even under difficult circumstances. You just have to try, by all means you have, to get to a certain level.

This is the message that I want to bring across today.” The taekwondo fighter had to leave familiar surroundings behind to focus on his sporting career.

He moved to France in 2011 to train at a high level with the French team. When his coach, Juan Antonio Ramos Sanchez, returned to his native Spain in 2013, Obame followed him. On his way to Rio, he had to overcome a leg injury that needed surgery. “I had to go through very difficult times and if I wasn’t so passionate about the sport, I think I would have given up. I had several injuries, in the end of 2014 and the whole year of 2015. When this happens to you, you really have to focus on your goals, you have to be strong mentally to be able to continue.” His goal is the gold medal in the men’s +80kg on 20 August in Carioca Arena 3.

Obame lost in London by the slimmest of margins — referee’s decision — against Italy’s Carlo Molfetta. The three regular rounds ended 9-9 and there was no score in the extra “golden point” round. The Italian is not competing in Rio. However, Obame does not consider himself a favourite. “Nobody is a favourite. You have to treat each opponent the same way, you never can underestimate anyone. I like to take it one step at a time and like this I was able to do great things.

F

The injured Samir Ait Said of France

rench gymnast Samir Ait Said discovered the perils of pursuing his Olympic dreams when he suffered a broken leg that was left dangling from below his knee following a crash landing from the vault during men’s qualifying on

Saturday.

Ait Said covered his eyes with his right hand as he clutched the back of his knee while lying prostrate on the crash mat before officials ran to tend to him.

But it soon became apparent that he would take no further part in the Rio

Games when he was lifted onto a stretcher that had been brought into the arena.

After a delay of several minutes, he was eventually wheeled out and raised one arm to acknowledge the loud ovation he received from the crowd. (Reuters)

Chris Froome

Greg van Avermaet

Chris Froome gold bid fails as Geraint Thomas crashes

G

reat Britain’s Chris Froome and Geraint Thomas missed out on a medal in the men’s road race at Rio 2016 as Belgium’s Greg van Avermaet took gold.

British hopes were ended when Thomas crashed on the final descent, after Froome and Adam Yates had failed to stay with the leaders.

Thomas still finished the race as the best-placed British rider, in 11th. Froome, who was 12th, goes for gold again in Wednesday’s time trial, hoping to better his bronze at London 2012.

sundAY, august 7, 2016

guyanatimesGY.com

19

Sri Lanka vs Australia, 2nd Test, Galle, 3rd day…

Perera bowls Sri Lanka to series triumph R

emember the way this series began?

Angelo Mathews won the toss and chose to bat in Pallekele, and his men were bundled out for 117. They failed even to survive 35 overs. Eight days of cricket later, the series has been decided, and one of these two teams has been completely humiliated. And it’s not Sri Lanka. What a turnaround it has been. Mathews will lift the Warne-Muralitharan Trophy, and Sri Lanka could hardly have won it more comprehensively.

In Pallekele, rain and bad light conspired to drag the first Test into its fifth day, but in Galle Australia could not even reach the scheduled halfway point of the match. In less than two and a half days, they had lost an eighth consecutive Test in Asia. The No.1 team in the world had been beaten - crushed, in fact - by No.7.

Sri Lanka’s spinners have embarrassed Australia’s batsmen this series, and in Galle it was Dilruwan Perera who starred.

Perera picked up 6 for 70 in Australia’s second innings of 183 and became the first Sri Lankan to take 10 wickets and score a half-century in the same Test. Only 25 times in all of Test history has a player achieved that remarkable feat. Along the way, he also became the fastest Sri Lankan to reach the mark of 50 Test wickets, reaching the mile-

stone in this his 11th Test.

Perera and Rangana Herath proved unreadable to the Australians, their sliders as dangerous as their spinners.

SCOREBOARD Sri Lanka 281 & 237 Australia 1st innings 500-9 Australia 2nd innings (target: 413 runs) D Warner lbw b MDK Perera 41 J Burns c de Silva b Herath 2 N Lyon c Silva b MDK Perera 0 U Khawaja b MDK Perera 0 S Smith* c Silva b MDK Perera 30 A Voges b MDK Perera 28 M Marsh lbw b Sandakan 18 P Nevill† run out (Mendis) 24 M Starc b Herath 26 J Hazlewood c & b MDK Perera 7 JM Holland not out 0 Extras: (lb 7) 7 Total: (all out; 50.1 overs; 182 mins) 183 Fall of wickets: 1-3 (Burns, 0.6 ov), 2-10 (Lyon, 3.3 ov), 3-10 (Khawaja, 3.4 ov), 4-61 (Warner, 11.2 ov), 5-80 (Smith, 19.6 ov), 6-119 (Marsh, 32.5 ov), 7-123 (Voges, 35.6 ov), 8-164 (Starc, 44.3 ov), 9-181 (Hazlewood, 49.4 ov), 10-183 (Nevill, 50.1 ov) Bowling: Herath 19.11-74-2, Perera 23-5-706 , Sandakan 6-1-30 -1 DM de Silva 2-0-2 -0

The statistics of note did not end there. Only once in the past 87 years had Australia survived for fewer balls in a Test match they had lost: in Galle they lasted for 501 deliveries across the match, two more than the 499 they faced against West Indies in Port-of-Spain in 1995. It was thus their second-worst performance in that regard since the advent of covered pitches. And for the first time in 19 years, no Australian scored a fifty in a Test.

The Sri Lankans were understandably jubilant when the result was confirmed, the final wicket coming from a brilliant run-out effected by Kusal Mendis at bat-pad. Peter Nevill, who had fought off the inevitable for 38 balls, flicked Herath off his pads and took a couple of steps out of his crease, but with remarkable reflexes Mendis managed to get the ball back onto the stumps to find Nevill short.

It meant a 229-run win for Sri Lanka and an unassailable 2-0 series lead heading into the third and final Test in Colombo. The result was effectively certain when both teams arrived at the ground on the third morning, the only questions being the margin and the time that Sri Lanka would take to run through Australia’s final seven wickets. Australia started the day at 25 for 3, and before drinks in the second session they were

Angelo Mathews with the architects of Sri Lanka’s win, Dilruwan Perera and Rangana Herath

bowled out for 183.

David Warner was the first to depart, lbw to Perera when he missed a ball that failed to turn as he expected. Given out on field, Warner asked for a review but received no satisfaction, with replays showing the ball would have hit the leg stump. Steven Smith then departed on 30, caught at bat-pad off Perera, a not-out decision on-field overturned on review.

It has been a match full of referrals, and Mathews has proven himself a fivestar reviewer. Perhaps his best came when Richard Kettleborough turned down

an appeal for lbw against Mitchell Marsh, who thrust his pad well outside off against Lakshan Sandakan.

Marsh was not playing a shot, so being struck outside the line did not matter, and Sandakan’s big turn was enough to have the ball hitting the stumps.

Marsh was out for 18, and the last of Australia’s specialist batsmen followed not far behind. Adam Voges had employed the reverse sweep liberally throughout his innings, without ever quite looking like he had it perfected, and on 28 the shot brought him undone when he failed to get bat on ball

and was bowled by Perera.

Sri Lanka were three wickets from triumph at lunch.

After the break, it was only a matter of time.

Mitchell Starc whacked a six and three fours before he was bowled by Herath trying another big shot, and Josh Hazlewood prodded a return catch to Perera to complete the spinner’s tenwicket game. Then came the run-out, the celebrations, the glory. Sri Lanka had done it. A new generation had not only won the series but dominated it. And who’d have guessed that after day one in Pallekele? (Cricinfo)

England vs Pakistan, 3rd Test, Edgbaston, 4th day…

Bairstow and Moeen build 311-run lead

J

onny Bairstow and Moeen Ali shared an unbroken century stand to help England open up a 311run lead on day four of the third Test against Pakistan.

Bairstow finished the day on 82 and Moeen on 60, with their sixth-wicket partnership worth 132.

Alastair Cook (66) and Alex Hales (54) earlier fell with the score on 126 but England recovered to reach 414-5.

South Africa are the only side to successfully chase more than 211 to win a Test at Edgbaston.

Joe Root made 62 in a 95run stand with James Vince, who batted for 123 balls to equal his best Test score of 42 before falling to Mohammad Amir (2-73) In conditions offering little swing, Bairstow went on the attack, plundering 51 of his runs on the off side in his 124ball innings.

He and Moeen came together with England 282-5, when the lead was 179, after Ballance (28) was caught at leg slip off Yasir Shah after tea.

Bairstow’s strike-rate was just over 66, and helped England add 152 in the last session for the loss of just one wicket, after the hosts had scored 142 and lost four wickets over the first two sessions.

Bairstow reached his eighth Test half-century off 83 balls, while Moeen, despite taking 16 deliveries to get off the mark, reached his seventh Test fifty in only 64 balls, milking Yasir for five fours.

The pair’s 132-run stand came in just 27.3 overs and ensured Pakistan’s occasional successes from the morning and afternoon were negated.

Earlier, Cook and Hales fell inside the first five overs after adding just six to the overnight 120-0.

The England captain was caught by a diving Yasir at point off Sohail Khan, before Hales, pushing at one from Amir, was caught by Younus Khan at second slip.

England’s scoring rate in the first two sessions was less than 3.5 an over, with Vince and Root’s third-wicket stand taking the best part of 36 overs. (BBC)

SCOREBOARD England 1st innings 297 Pakistan 1st innings 400 England 2nd innings A Cook* c Yasir Shah b Sohail Khan 66 A Hales c Younis Khan b Mohammad Amir 54 J Root c Mohammad Hafeez b Yasir Shah 62 J Vince c Younis Khan b Mohammad Amir 42 G Ballancec Asad Shafiq b Yasir Shah 28 J Bairstow† not out 82 MM Ali not out 60 Extras: (b 4, lb 7, w 1, nb 8) 20 Total: (5 wickets; 125 overs) 414 To bat: CR Woakes, SCJ Broad, JM Anderson, ST Finn Fall of wickets: 1-126 (Cook, 38.1 ov), 2-126 (Hales, 39.3 ov), 3-221 (Root, 75.1 ov), 4-257 (Vince, 84.1 ov), 5-282 (Ballance, 97.3 ov) Bowling: Mohammad Amir 30-8-73-2, Sohail Khan 27-3-102-1, Rahat Ali 218-54-0, Yasir Shah 42-4152-2, Azhar Ali 5-0-22-0

Moeen Ali and Jonny Bairstow combined for 132 in 27.3 overs for England

20

GUYANA-TIMES.COM

SUNDAY, AUGUST 7, 2016

Hero Caribbean Premier League..

Warriors ready for the biggest game of the season − Emrit

BY JOHN RAMSINGH AT WARNER PARK, st kitts

T

he Guyana Amazon Warriors will take the field tonight full of confidence of lifting the coveted Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) trophy when they take on inaugural champions the Jamaica Tallawahs at Warner Park from 19:00h.

The Warriors have been bridesmaid on two previous occasions including the first edition in 2013 when they missed out to the Tallawahs.

However, this year is the year of the Warriors and according to Captain Rayad Emrit “the guys have the desire to go all out for this one.” He was replying what is different this year for the Warriors.

The Warriors Captain spoke to Guyana Times Sport at the team’s final practice session ahead of their championship clash and noted that the “guys want to go out there and

Guyana Amazon Warriors captain Rayad Emrit

fight and do anything to get the trophy, every practice is intense and as a Captain I can’t ask for anything more.”

The Trinidadian Emrit who took over from Martin Guptil has won his last three games in charge including the last match against the Tallawahs said that all 16

players are fit and eager to go which is not necessarily the case with most teams coming to the back end of a long tournament.

Captain Emrit stressed that bowling is the strength of his team and despite many say that the Amazon Warriors are top heavy with the bat the Captain said the team comprises of big temperament batsmen who have had starts and will come to the party tonight if needs be.

The all-rounder made special mention of openers Nic Maddinson and Dwayne Smith who he said will lay the foundation for the innings and hand it over to the bowlers to finish off.

The best two teams from the league are contesting the final and Emrit said that they (Amazon Warriors) have specific plan for of the Tallawahs’ players.

The Tallawahs have been belting big scores with Chris Gayle (108) and Andre Russell scoring hun-

The Warriors batsmen fine tuning their preparations at Warner Park on Saturday. From left: Anthony Bramble, Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Mohammed and Nic Maddinson

dreds so far this season and Chadwick Walton 97, narrowly missing out but Emrit said the bowlers have plans and it;s a matter of sticking o the plans and executing them in the championship match.

Emrit who is having his first season of CPL and was quick to point out that the fans’ support was very crucial in the team getting this far including the two matches in Florida where he felt as if they were at home (in the

Caribbean).

Emrit is stressing for the fans to continue with the strong support tonight and that “the team will do its best to bring back the trophy to Guyana.”

Queensway Security Service / GSSF practical shooting match a ‘blast’ S port shooting has an ‘extreme’ sport and it is called practical shooting. Competitors have to move, lean, shoot, negotiate obstacles, run, shoot, reload, crouch, problem solve, shoot some more as they safely drive their bodies and guns through each of the stages as fast as their skills will allow. Every G.S.S.F. Practical Shooting Match is made up of stages that seek to measure a shooter’s ability in all three elements of the sport and are coordinated under strict safety guidelines marshaled by experienced Range Officials. These matches in Guyana are held outdoors, in all weather, further testing competitor skills.

Saturday 30th July, 2016 was no different as the federation members started out in horrific heat in brilliant sunshine, blue skies, facing 4 stages ahead of them to complete the scheduled match. Shooting was done under the USPSA Practical Shooting Handgun Rules at the G.D.F.’s Yarrowkabra Range.

With the three elements of practical shooting on their mind – speed, accuracy and power - competitors braved the draining conditions to tackle the dynamic stages. The first named ‘Left, Center, Right” required shooters to start with their heels touching a spot identified at the fault-lines. The Gun with magazine inserted, but chamber empty was holstered. Upon the start signal, shooters had to engage 4 classic targets and 4

steel plates from within the lines choosing to shoot from left or center or the right of the screens set up across the range.

The second stage named ‘Ready, Set, Go” required shooters to start in a stooping position with both hands touching the ground with the gun unloaded and holstered.

This start position tested the fitness level and agility of shooters who upon the start signal, had to sprint a few feet away to one of the two barrels strategically located to retrieve their magazines and then engage the 10 classic targets and 2 steel plates. Some shooters cleverly placed magazines on both barrels thereby causing them to reload from the barrel directly in front their target.

Mid-afternoon, some deceptive clouds blew in via a steady land breeze and covered the surrounding range area much to the relief of shooters in line and on standby. This cooling down of things was shortly followed by a shower of rain while shooter Harold “TopGun” Hopkinson was making his run in the third stage (as shooting does not stop for rain). While his scores were recorded, a heavy downpour occurred which was accompanied by gusts of winds causing several targets to blow over.

Meanwhile one of the Federation’s tethered tents was hoisted downrange and destroyed. After a declared pause in the Match for an expected ‘blow-over’, se-

vere lightening, and what was deemed a thunder and storm then made it un-safe to continue shooting so the Match was declared abandoned.

All the competitors present were consulted and it was then decided to compute scores in the first two stages to award the match.

Members final impromptu fitness test was seen as those who were sheltering under the tent at the 4th stage creatively teamed up to return to the main tent.

They were seen lifting gear, props, refreshments and at the same time the entire tent in a huddled walk across the width of the range so as not to get drenched.

Shooters considered the afternoon a memorable one especially those present being able to check off on their bucket list - surviving a freak storm.

Scoring was tallied by an official scoring software for the sport and managed by Stats Officers Dr. Pravesh Harry who Present at the Range to present the striking trophies to the top three Overall Winners in each of the two divisions: Production and Limited, was the Managing Director of Queensway Security Service, Mr. Mohamed Qualander, and Security Supervisor Mr. Desmond Phillips.

At the closing ceremony, thanks were extended by the G.S.S.F. President and Match Director, Vidushi Persaud- McKinnon to the Match Officials for ensuring

Prize Winners pose with their trophies and Managing Director of Queensway Security Service Inc Mohamed Qualander

the efficiency and high safety standards with which the match was run. She went on to thank the Match Sponsor: Queensway Security Service Inc. The leading security company located of 153 Regent Road and Oronoque Streets, Bourda Georgetown, has over the years continued to recognise shooting as a sport and Managing Director, Mr. Mohamed Qualander, who was present and participat-

ed in the Match with 158.2502 points which would have given him First Place in the Limited Division had he chosen to record his cores officially, commended the Federation for the high quality Match and gave his company’s commitment to fostering the continued growth of the sport in Guyana.

Persaud-McKinnon also conveyed special thanks to Harold Hopkinson for

the un-hesitating offer of use of his props, steel target and other range equipment. The Federation also thanks Chief of Staff of the GDF, Brigadier Phillips, Colonel Doodnauth, GPF Commissioner Persaud, Asst.

Commissioner Ramnarine, Commander Hicken, OC TSU Superintendent Dehnert, Corporal Dunn and the ranks of the Armoury and TSU.

Released the results as follows: OVERALL

PRODUCTION DIVISION

OVERALL

LIMITED DIVISION

Points

Points

First

Ryan McKinnon

170.0000

First

Ray Beharry

158.2502

Second

Rajiv Latchana

125.1983

Second

Vidushi Persaud

145.6167

Third

Romesh Latchana

102.8758

Third

Pravesh Harry

134.4899

YELLOW PAGES sunDAY, august 7, 2016 | www.guyana-times.com

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21

Hero Caribbean Premier League 2016...

Russell ton takes Tallawahs surging into final

A

ndre Russell struck a 42-ball century, his first in T20 cricket, to lift Jamaica Tallawahs to 195 and set up a convincing win over Trinbago Knight Riders, sealing their place in the CPL 2016 final. After a lengthy rain interruption during the run chase, Knight Riders’ adjusted target of 130 in 12 overs always looked out of their reach, and they fell 19 runs short in the second Qualifier.

After being asked to bat first, Tallawahs made halting progress in their first 10 overs. Openers Chadwick Walton and Chris Gayle got off to reasonably brisk starts, with Gayle hitting two fours and three sixes in his 26-ball 35. But both fell to Kevon Cooper before they could convert their starts into more substantial knocks. Kumar Sangakkara and Rovman Powell were dismissed in single figures to leave Tallawahs at 67 for 4 in the tenth over.

That brought Russell to the crease. It did not take long for the fireworks to

Andre Russell (R) of Jamaica Tallawahs celebrates his century as teammate Jonathan Foo (L) looks on. Photo by Randy Brooks/ Sportsfile

begin. Russell launched Anderson Phillip for two mighty sixes down the ground in the 11th over and he was away. Phillip, Cooper and Ronsford Beaton all came in for heavy punishment in the ensuing overs as Russell pummelled

SCOREBOARD Jamaica Tallawahs innings (20 overs maximum) C Walton c †Ramdin b 15 Cooper C Gayle* c Munro b Cooper 35 K Sangakkara† c Umar Akmal b Narine 5 R Powell c Narine b Bravo 2 Shakib Al Hasan b Cooper 19 A Russell c McCullum b Phillip 100 J Foo run out (†Ramdin/ Bravo) 8 Imad Wasim not out 0 Extras: (w 11) 11 Total: (7 wickets; 20 overs) 195 Did not bat: O Thomas, GE Mathurin, KOK Williams Fall of wickets: 1-38 (Walton, 3.5 ov), 2-52 (Sangakkara, 5.5 ov), 3-58 (Gayle, 7.2 ov), 4-67 (Powell, 9.1 ov), 5-168 (Shakib Al Hasan, 17.6 ov), 6-188 (Russell, 19.3 ov), 7-195 (Foo, 19.6 ov) Bowling: Beaton 4-058-0 (3w), Narine 4-022-1 (1w), Cooper 4-0-45-3 (4w), Bravo 4-0-301(1w), Phillip 4-0-40-1 (2w)

Trinbago Knight Riders innings (target: 130 runs from 12 overs) H Amla st †Sangakkara b Shakib Al Hasan 37 Umar Akmal run out (Foo) 6 C Munro c Powell b Imad Wasim 38 B McCullum c Walton b Russell 8 S Narine c Thomas b Shakib Al Hasan 6 D Bravo* c Powell b Shakib Al Hasan 0 D Ramdin† not out 6 K Cooper c sub (NE Bonner) b Russell 0 0.00 N Miller not out 1 Extras: (lb 2, w 5, nb 1) 8 Total: 7 wickets; 12 overs) 110 Did not bat: RR Beaton, A Phillip Fall of wickets: 1-9 (Umar Akmal, 1.1 ov), 2-67 (Munro, 7.6 ov), 3-94 (Amla, 10.2 ov), 4-100 (Narine, 10.4 ov), 5-101 (Bravo, 10.6 ov), 6-103 (McCullum, 11.2 ov), 7-103 (Cooper, 11.3 ov) Bowling: Russell 3-0-272 (1w), Imad Wasim 2-1-71, Williams 3-0-38-0 (1nb, 2w), Thomas 2-0-13-0 (1w), Shakib Al Hasan 2-0-23-3

three fours and 11 sixes to blaze his way to 100 off 44. His 101-run fifth-wicket partnership with Shakib Al Hasan came off just 53 balls; Shakib contributed 19 off 23. In the midst of the carnage, Sunil Narine and Dwayne Bravo managed to keep things relatively tight, but that could not prevent a Russell-powered Tallawahs side from racing to 195 in their 20 overs.

In reply, Knight Riders lost Umar Akmal early, to a run-out, and pottered to 18 for 1 in three overs before a lengthy rain delay led to a D/L-adjusted target of 130 in 12 overs. With his team in need of quick runs after the resumption, Colin Munro wasted no time in providing some impetus, hitting three fours off Kesrick Williams in the fourth over. More boundaries flowed from Munro’s bat, before he miscued a flighted ball from Imad Wasim to depart for 38 off 26, with Knight Riders still requiring 63 from the last four overs.

Hashim Amla took over briefly, hitting a couple of fours and one six. But, in the end, the magnitude of the task proved to be too great and Knight Riders lost five wickets in the last two overs as they stumbled to a 19-run defeat. (Cricinfo)

Fitzgerald darts competition on today at Malteenoes

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ecently-crowned Caribbean Darts champion Sudesh Fitzgerald, who is also the current national champion has organised a birthday tournament for Sunday, at the Malteenoes Sports Club, Thomas Lands.

According to a release, the tournament will be open to all interested darts

players and registration commences from 12.30hrs.

Trophies and cash prizes will be up for grabs and the games to be played are male and female’s singles, Luck of the Draw and team competition. The release added that entrance fee is $2000.00 per player in each category.

Sudesh Fitzgerald

22

guyana-times.com

sundAY, august 7, 2016

Ming races to yet Brathwaite new Windies T20 captain another podium finish

W

Carlos Brathwaite

orld T20 winning captain Darren Sammy has been replaced as captain of the West Indies T20 team by Barbadian Carlos Brathwaite.

The all rounder who smacked four sixes in the final over of the world T20 finals in India against England to lift the title is the man who has been recommended by the West Indies senior selection panel for the top job. The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) is more than likely to approve the choice of Brathwaite.

The right hander will have his first taste of action as leader when the West Indies tackle India in two T20 matches in Florida on August 27 and 28. The WICB and Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) recently agreed on playing two T20 matches in America at the end of the four-Test series that is taking place in the region currently.

Sammy led the West Indies to the World T20 title but criticised the WICB at the post match conference and this did not go down too well with the WICB.

As a result he has been removed as captain and Brathwaite will now take over the mantle of leadership. The St Lucian Sammy who led the Zouks in at the 2016 CPL T20 can now consider his regional career over.

He made an exit with his team from the CPL on Thursday night as the Trinbago Knight Riders defeated them by five wickets in the play off in St Kitts.

Brathwaite has little or no experience as a leader and the WICB will hope that he can quickly learn the tricks of the trade with the next World T20 carded for 2018 in South Africa.

The West Indies is likely to be without many of the players who played at the World T20 in India for the upcoming two matches in Florida, as Guardian Media understands that the selectors want to build a new team with younger players, as they focus on defending their title in two years time.

(guardian.co.tt)

Hikers Club junior hockey summer camp closes on a high

T

he Hikers Hockey Club successfully hosted a two week long summer camp for children at the St. Stanislaus College and concluded on a high note on Saturday.

The Programme offered training to juniors who had a passion for the sport and saw in excess of 40 participants, eager to learn about the game and get into action.

The summer camp was supervised by Robert Fernandes, who is the Junior Development Coordinator for the Hikers Hockey Club.

Fernandes expressed his satisfaction in seeing the largest turn out in the seventh edition of the camp, being particularly impressed by the age at which these children showed an interest in the sport.

“We have over 40 children, 30 of which are playing hockey for the first time; these players aged 3 to 14 and we divided the groups into two categories”, Ferandes said.

The programme ran from Monday to Friday with the first session beginning at 09:00h for the beginners, lasting for two hours while the intermediate batch was trained from 11:00h to 14:00h.

Fernandes went on to thank the Pepsi brand for sponsoring this summer camp, noting that sponsorship has caused its share of difficulties in the past as the tournament was unable to run annually because of sponsorship. The coach also praised the management of St. Stanislaus College for facilitating this program

Calvin Ming (right) and his third-place accolades (Stanely Ming Photo)

G

uyanese ace race car driver Calvin Ming produced yet another sterling performance on the track to finish third and just .127 seconds away from the victory in the all-greenflag-race in the first F1600 Formula F Championship Series race of the weekend at Pittsburgh, USA.

The team Pelfrey racer said after the race, “It was a good race, I tried to stay up front and then in the end Neil and Kaylen finished first and second. It’s another podium and a good race, thanks to Team Pelfrey,” In the end, Neil Verhagen won by .002 seconds in the in a drag race from turn 18

to the finish line alongside Kaylen Frederick. It was a race-long battle among six cars that came down to the wire in traditional Formula F style, and a big points day for Verhagen, who sits second in the standings.

“It was a great last lap with Kaylen. The whole race was great with Kaylen, he is good to race with. But I need to give it to K-Hill for giving me a great car this weekend and Tonis Kasemets and my mechanic Scott for putting it together. I saw the nosecone just the slightest bit in front of him and that is when I knew it was mine,” said Verhagen.

Frederick put in his best performance yet for Team Pelfrey, with a run to second and a handful of laps in the lead.

“I thought I had him at the end but apparently not, just .002 seconds,” said Frederick.

“I was planning to pass him on the back straight but he moved over, so I went around the outside and it was just a drag race to the finish line.”

Today races continue from the Pittsburgh International Race Complex with two F1600 races, rounds 14 and 15 of the season.

GASA names team for Goodwill Meet

T

Some of the youngsters locked in a close battle during the closing off of the summer camp

and throwing their support behind this initiative.

The supervisor added that the camp was about developing young players who shared a passion for the sport even though most of the players would go across to other teams. He looked at this as a positive, highlighting that the more developed teams become, the better it is for the development of the sport, as it will bring better competition.

This year, a special twist was introduced where the younger players of the game, who’ve had experience, were given the opportunity to coach the new comers.

Fernandes, again, was impressed at the responsibility and maturity shown by these young coaches pointing out they have done an excellent job.

Guyana Times Sport sat down with one of these coaches, 16-year-old Hikers player, Annalisa Singh who coached the most successful junior team, the golden

warriors.

Singh said that the experience was one she would never forget and noted what a pleasure it was to be working with such enthusiastic youngsters.

“I really enjoyed my stint as a coach and learned a lot from this camp. I think it is important for the sport to develop through these children and I am proud to be a part of something this great.” Singh said.

The talented teenager went on to say that this camp also helped her to develop her personal game and is positive that it did the same for all the coaches involved in this year’s camp.

“I learned a lot from this venture, I am happy to say that my knowledge of the rules and drills of the game has expanded and I have learnt to view the game from a different perspective as well as improve on my techniques. All of these components I will be looking to add to my game.”

Singh added.

wenty-eight swimmers from Guyana will descend on St. Lucia from August 19-25 for the regional Goodwill Swim Meet. A list provided by the Guyana Amateur Swimming Association (GASA) sees a team consisting of 12 boys and 16 girls along with five officials who will loom to bring glory one more when the meet dives-off at the Rodney Heights Aquatic Centre. The team includes last year’s leading gold medalist, Aleka Persaud, as well as Goodwill multiple silver medalists Leon Seaton, and bronze medalists Phillip DeNobrega and Patrice Mahaica; newcomer Nia Fraser from the United States gets a spot on the team due to her Guyanese parentage.

The four officials are national coach Sean Baksh, manager Mervin team Munroe, GASA president Ivan

Aleka Persaud displays her accolades from last year’s meet

The complete team is as follows

8-and-Under: Boys: Jayden Daniel Girls: Ariel Rodrigues, Kayla Hardy, Kaylee Hardy 9–10 years old Boys: Raekwon Noel, Paul Mahaica, Lejaun Munroe Girls: Aleka Persaud, Patrice Mahaica, Antonia Dey, Nia Fraser 11-12 years old Boys: Leon Seaton, Sekhel TSedeq, Ejaz Mohammed Girls: Jayden George, Danielle George, Nekita Peters, Amber De Goeas 13–14 years old Boys: Nathon Hackett, Nikhil Ramnarine, George Telford Girls: Teshanna Hunter, Kenita Mahaica 15-17 years old Boys: Philip DeNobrega, Antonio Rodrigues Girls: Anna Isaacs, Kayth Goddette, Felisha Wiliams Rodrigues, and Lorren Persaud, chaperones Shannie Mahaica.

The games which were won

by Trinidad and Tobago last year, is an annual developmental age group event where our local swimmers compete against swimmers from Barbados, Suriname, and St. Lucia. Additionally the host nation is allowed to extend an invitation to any other country to participate. Bahamas was once again extended the invitation, after also participating last year.Each country is allowed to field a maximum 40 swimmers, a number that Guyana has continued to struggle with over the years, even when the meet is held on home turf. Last year Guyana finished fifth overall with a final tally of 29 medals – 21 from individual events and 8 relay medals. The team is expected to depart Guyana on August 18.

guyana-times.com

sundAY, august 7, 2016

23

Hero Caribbean Premier League 2016…

Determined Warriors clash with surging Tallawahs in today’s final

By Romario Samaroo

T

he 2016 HERO Caribbean Premier League (CPL), a journey that began back in June in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, with six teams that

lifting the trophy this time.”

Harper added, the team will be going out there on Sunday (today) and continue to do what they have been doing all season to reach where they are.

Rayad Emrit, who took

Harper has also thrown his hat in the ring acknowledging the impact Lynn has had on the team and revelled in his leadership abilities which has helped the younger players improve.

Dwayne Smith has also been vital to the Amazon Warriors and with his opening partner, Nic Maddinson, the pair will be looking to capitalise in the first six overs.

In the bowling department, the Amazon Warriors have been lead by Sohail Tanvir who sits second on the leading wicket takers board with 20 scalps, one wicket behind Dwayne Bravo.

Tanvir is well supported by Australian leg spinner Adam Zampa and Emrit who have both picked up 15 wickets.

Depending on how the wicket plays tonight, it will be a sight to see how the Jamaica Tallawahs batting

and will be banking on the experience of their senior players to step up and lead them to their second title.

Any team with the likes of Chris Gayle and Andre Russell would seem to frighten any bowling attack, adding to the record these two batsman hold it will be tough.

Gayle has scored 371 runs so far in the tournament, ranking fifth in leading run scorers. He has already blasted the highest score of this year’s CPL (108) while Russell destroyed the Trinbago Knight Riders’ bowling on his way to the fastest CPL century, just 44 deliveries.

Coach of the Tallawahs Paul Nixon has already spoken on the fact that his team has pulled off a magnificent tournament to reach this stage and the team was lead by their experienced players when they were needed.

Chris Lynn will be looking to lead the Amazon Warriors with the bat to their first CPL title

Jason Mohammed has contributed with the bat and has taken a few spectacular catches

toured the Caribbean over the past six weeks has come down to the best two, the Guyana Amazon Warriors and the Jamaica Tallawahs.

The Amazon Warriors finished top of the table in the league stage while the Tallawahs are second. It seems as though its déjà vu from the inaugural tournament where these two teams meet in the finals.

Coach of the Guyana Amazon Warriors Roger Harper made it clear that the Warriors are here this year to win, having reminded of the record the Amazon Warriors hold in finals: “We appreciate the fact that it is a new year, a new final and new players so no hangover, just determination.” He went on: “The stakes are high and the players are desirous of lifting the trophy. Obviously we are glad to be back in the finals and looking forward to actually

over the captaincy from Martin Guptil mid-tournament has marshalled the troops well and is also confident his team will bring home the trophy: “I am pleased at where we are and the guys have done a great job. The couple days off has done the team well and we have earned a few days off. The venue is small and a lot of our guys are anxious to play here, especially our batsmen. The guys are hungry and want to lift the trophy.”

All eyes will be on the two star batsmen from the Amazon Warriors, Chris Lynn and Jason Mohammed.

Lynn is the leading run scorer this year with 447 runs while Mohammed has 287 and is 7th overall.

Emrit has praised both of them: “Chris has been our leading batter and Jason has been excellent, probably the surprise package.”

Andre Russell scored the fastest century in CPL to put Tallawahs into the finals

line-up match the bowling of the Amazon Warriors.

The Tallawahs have an impressive batting line-up

Looking back at the semifinal between the Trinbago Knight Riders and the Jamaica Tallawahs, Nixon

noted that Andre Russell played a classic innings.

But the batting line-up has shown its worth without these two. Gayle’s opening partner, Chadwick Walton showed what he is capable of doing with the bat after narrowly missing out on a century on his way to a solid 97.

Kumar Sangakkara and Shakib Al Hasan have both shown they are match winners and have already displayed that in the tournament. The bowling has also proven that they are capable of holding their own even with the loss of Dale Steyn who returned to South Africa mid-tournament.

Since then, Shakib Al Hasan, Andre Russell and Kesrick Williams have all put their hands up. Williams has taken 15 wickets in the tournament so far and will be looking for a few more.

Nixon said the team was hurting from their performances in Florida and had tweaked with the team a bit to add one and two guys and they are motivated by playing on this big stage, adding that they have world class players

and the desire to win is there from the captain right down.

These two teams have met three times in the tournament so far with the Amazon Warriors having a 2-1 advantage.

The first ball of the final bowls off at 19:00h at Warner Park Stadium, Basseterre, St Kitts.

Guyana Amazon Warriors: Rayad Emrit (captain), Sohail Tanvir, Dwayne Smith, Chris Lynn, Nick Maddison, Adam Zampa, Jason Mohamed, Christopher Barnwell, Veerasammy Permaul, Orlando Peters, Assad Fudadin, Shimron Hetmyer, Anthony Bramble, Paul Wintz, Steven Jacobs, Steven Katwaroo, Muhammad Ahsan Ali Khan.

Jamaica Tallawahs: Chris Gayle (captain), Shakib Al Hasan, Andre Russell, Kumar Sangakkara, Imad Wasim, Dale Patterson, Rovman Powell, Chadwick Walton, Jon-Russ Jaggesar, Andre McCarthy, Jonathan Foo, Alex Ross, Keswick Williams, Nkrumah Bonner, Garey Mathurin, Timroy Allen and Oshane Thomas.

Annual Seven Seas 11-race cycling…

Anthony races to first place A

s the 13th Annual Seven Seas 11-race cycling met rode off on Sunday at the inner circuit of the National Park, Micheal Anthony emerged victorious in the 35-lap School boys and Invitational meet.

In the final event of the day, Anthony finished the race in 1 hour, 18 minutes and 15 seconds, surpassing last year’s winner Alonzo Ambrose’s time by 25 seconds. Anthony was followed by Marlon Williams and Orville Hinds in 2nd and third respectively. Christopher Griffith rode to fourth place while Mark Harris and Raphael Leung

finished in 5th and 6th respectively.

In the Boys BMX 6-9 years (2 lap) race, Jose Rodriques emerged victorious as Alex Leung trailed in second followed by John Nigs in third.

Shermin Sampson rode off with the 1st place prize in the BMX Boys 9-12 year three-lap race. Second place was awarded to Jeremih Harrison while Zab James copped third.

Adealie Hodge, Taran Garbaran and Sherwin Sampson finished 1st-3rd respectively in the three-lap boys BMX 12-14 year category.

Stephen Gobin won first place in the 5-lap mountain bike race as Jason Heabery got second.

Briton John won the Juveniles’ 10 lap race while Nigel Duguid rode in second and Raphael Leung in third.

Kennard Lovell won the 5-lap over 50years and was followed by Linden Blackmore and Donald Cranfeild in 2nd and 3rd respectively.

In the U-50years 5-lap meet, Ian Jackson, Lennox Jackman and Bochal Samaroo finished in that order.

National Cycling Coach, Mohammed Hassan extend-

Micheal Anthony (black helmet) pedals on his way to finish first

ed thanks to the riders who turned out to support this

event and encouraged them to continue their good work.

The next cycling meet is slated for August 21.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 7, 2016

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

guyana-times.com

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