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Nationwide coverage from the best news team in Guyana Issue No. 2883 guyanatimesgy.com

THE BEACON OF TRUTH

June 12, 2016

Guyanese killed by bandits in Venezuela … father suffers heart attack after shooting

Surveyor drowns in Berbice River Page 8

Page 7

National Youth Policy could be ready this month – President Page 9

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WHAT'S INSIDE:

Elderly couple injured in P7 Lamaha Street smashup

Mora Camp, Kalcoon students slush through trails to school P12

World Day Against Child Labour

Region 5 flooding

Water receding slowly – Regional Chairman …medical team deployed to Moraikobai

Guyana’s work force no place for children – CCPA Director P12

Page 10

Expulsion of Swami Shivashankarananda P19

Guyana Sevashram Sangha explains action

With water levels still high in communities such as Mora Point, Pine Ground and Gordon Table in the Mahaicony area, on the East Coast of Demerara, regional officials say the water is slowly receding. A medical team was dispatched to the Indigenous vilage of Moraikobai, after an outbreak of water borne diseases was reported

ILO Conference

Children foundation honours outstanding community leaders

GTUC slams Govt for non-attendance

– Guyana Times journalist awarded Page 14

…says labour issues being neglected

Page 9

... ex Swami registered new body to maintain control

Madewini murder

1 in P8 custody as investigation intensifies

– best friends questioned

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SunDAY, june 12, 2016 | guyana-times.com

NEWS

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SunDAY, JUNE 12, 2016 | guyana-times.com

BRIDGE OPENINGS

The Demerara Harbour Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Sunday, June 12 – 10:30h-12:00h and Monday, June 13 – 11:30h-13:00h.

The Berbice River Bridge will be closed to vehicular traffic on: Sunday, June 12 – 09:20h-10:50h and Monday, June 13 – 10:30h-12:00h.

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

WEATHER TODAY Heavy rain showers can be expected in the morning and throughout the afternoon, with light rain showers expected in the later afternoon and evening hours. Temperatures are expected to range between 24 degrees and 29 degrees Celsius.

Wind: Easterly to East North-easterly between 1.78 metres and 3.57 metres.

High Tide: 09:57h and 22:35h reaching maximum heights of 2.23 metres and 2.21 metres respectively.

Low Tide: 03:29h and 16:00h reaching minimum heights of 1.02 metres and 0.97 metre respectively.

Saturday, June 11, 2016

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Hope Canal Project costs over $4B – forensic audit ... says cost was deliberately underestimated

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he forensic audit conducted into the Hope Canal Project has revealed that a whopping $4.1 billion was expended on the project that was initially pegged at $3.6 billion.

According to the audit report of the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA), conducted by Nigel Hinds, the budgeted cost of the project was $3.6; however, upon its completion in May 2015, the purported cost was listed as $3.4 billion.

“However, our findings indicate the cost of the project was over $4.1 billion,” the auditor stated.

Hinds explained that Hope Canal was substantively funded from the PetroCaribe Fund and all payments for the project were done through the Finance Ministry. He noted that the Ministries of Finance, Agriculture nor the NDIA were able to locate the contract agreement or loan terms for such a massive contract.

Nevertheless, Hinds said they reviewed the documentation that was available at the Finance, Procurement and Engineering Offices at the NDIA during which several revelations were made.

It was pointed out that in addition to the monies paid by the Finance Ministry, the NDIA also paid significant sums from its own funding for the years 2013 and 2014 in the sum of $166,596,644 and $90,817,833 respectively. This total amount of $257,414,477 excluded the cost of fuel supplied.

The auditor noted no information was available for years 2010, 2011 and 2015.

Moreover, they stated that the NDIA supplied some

Hope Canal

1,927,844 litres of fuel to the Hope Canal Project between June 2011 and May 2015, which amounted to a total of $402,919,396.

In addition, Hinds said that 14 super long reach excavators were purchased between 2009 and 2012 for the Hope Canal Project at the cost of $441,628,000, but the Finance Office is showing $466,862,450 were paid for 13 excavators and one bulldozer between 2009 and 2012.

“The dates do not correspond with the information shown for the Hope Canal Project. Documents were not available to verify dates of acquisition and amounts paid for equipment purchased directly for Hope Canal Project,” the auditor pointed out.

He went on to outline that from a list prepared by staff of the Finance Ministry, it showed that 18 units of machinery were dedicated to the Hope Canal Project over the years of construction.

Then an additional four units with an estimated value of $90,000,000 were added.

Furthermore, two pick-ups were purchased for $8,400,000 from AINLIM for the project; however, registrations and invoices to verify ownership and

cost were not available.

According to the auditor, the information provided to them indicates that the project cost of the Hope Canal Project amounts to $4,119,294,616.

“We were not able to obtain any information from the Ministry of Agriculture to confirm whether any payments for the Hope Canal Project were made through its records as was done in the case of NDIA. We were unable to obtain all the documentation to compute the actual cost of the project as it would appear that deliberate efforts were made to understate the actual cost,” Hinds posited.

He stated that the NDIA, the Agriculture and Finance Ministries were unable to access the Loan Agreement to determine the parties to the

contract, the terms of the loan and the method of repayment.

The auditor pointed out that any finance cost would increase the cost of the project as it has to be capitalised; and given the non-availability of critical information, it is reasonable to infer that the Project exceeded its original cost from the information gathered. He said additional work needs to be done to access all information to determine the true cost of the project and the sources of finance.

Hinds pointed out that the Chief Executive Officer had explained that part of the increased cost was maintenance work done because of the prolonged time to complete the project and should not be treated as part of the project cost. “We did not share this opinion because project cost will include all cost incurred up to the point of completion,” the auditor said.

He also noted that the Project was supervised by external consultants CEMCO and SRKN, who provided monthly reports on the progress of the Project which were reviewed by Wordsworth.

Additionally, the NDIA hired two consultants namely Paul Sarran and Surendra Singh to assist with various aspects of the Project.

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guyana-times.com

SunDAY, JUNE 12, 2016

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

Editorial

Cuyuni contretemps

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t the end of last month, officials of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC), travelling in a boat in the Cuyuni River, Eteringbang area, reported that Venezuelan soldiers from their “bank” of the river, fired shots at them which luckily or deliberately missed. Guyana immediately lodged a protest to which the Venezuelans responded three days ago, rejecting the charge.

“It is important to note that the investigations carried out by the Venezuelan military authorities have not reported of any incident in the above mentioned area and our military units confirm not having carried out any military exercise in that location,” the statement from the Venezuelan Embassy asserted.

This incident is only the latest in a series of confrontational moves by Venezuela towards Guyana during the past year and Guyanese need to keep focused on the pertinent issues so that the interests of our country and nation are safeguarded.

The bottom line for us is Venezuela unilaterally created a controversy in February 1962 when at the UN they disputed the “full and final” Arbitral Award made in 1899 that settled the border between Venezuela and Guyana.

As a prerequisite to granting independence to Guyana in 1966, Britain as the colonial power participated in a three-way conference in 1965 that produced the “Geneva Agreement” outlining the procedures that must be mutually agreed to for the Good Office of the UN Secretary General to address the Venezuelan controversy.

After following two approved methods for the last half century, Guyana has proposed that the controversy be placed before the World Court for a full and final juridical decision. As part of the Geneva Agreement both parties were instructed not to enlarge their claims.

In March 2015, after the US oil giant ExxonMobil had been requested to begin drilling for oil in the Stabroek Block off the Essequibo Coast, Venezuela wrote the company objecting to the move. Guyana protested this interference in its internal affairs. Back in October 2013, the Guyanese Government had hired the oil drilling company Anadarko to conduct studies for future oil concessions in the Roraima Block off Essequibo’s coast, where it was concentrating on petroleum exploration.

The Venezuelan Navy intercepted the ship and forced it into a port at Venezuela’s Margarita Island. The captain, a Ukrainian national, was charged with violating Venezuela’s Exclusive Economic Zone while the rest of the crew were released.

In the subsequent effort to deal with the matter, the Foreign Ministers of Guyana and Venezuela met on October 2013 in Trinidad and hashed out an agreement that a technical team would meet within four months, “to explore mechanisms within the context of international law to address the issue of maritime delimitation”.

As Foreign Minister Carolyn Rodrigues-Birkett noted at the time, both sides restated that their individual and contradictory claims were valid, but in an evident coup for Guyana, the maritime demarcation was delinked from the fallacious claim Venezuela had been making for Essequibo.

However almost immediately after the ExxonMobil rig struck oil in May 2015, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro issued a presidential decree, No 1787, and published in their Ordinary Official Gazette No 40,669, dated May 27. The map claimed Venezuela’s sovereignty of all waters within the 200 miles range hence blocking Guyana’s access to resources in that area of the Atlantic Ocean. Guyana and Caricom protested this decree when it was uncovered in July 2015 and Venezuela withdrew it and replaced it with one that did not mention coordinates.

The point to be made is while Venezuela has complained that the US is behind the heightening of present tensions, the Maduro administration has taken initiatives to raise its border controversy independent of that country and its obvious strategic concerns over the Venezuelan oil reserves.

While there is a dispute over facts in the latest skirmish at Cuyuni, the border controversy must be settled through a judicial settlement.

We are heartened the government has hired two highlevel legal experts in this area.

An afternoon stroll along the Kingston Seawall, Georgetown. In photo: This father takes his son for a play ride as the sun sets

Problems at NA Hospital Dear Editor, New Amsterdam Hospital is drastically going downhill: dogs and cats have become visitors since the stench is extremely inviting; patients have to fork out monies to buy basic medications; some patients who cannot afford to buy will have to dangerously await the arrival of drugs; x-ray films have now become a luxury; and the operation theatre also seems to be joining the show once in a while.

Patients used to complain about the delay in receiving medications because of the long lines at the pharmacy, now they are complaining about the long lists of drug shortages.

At the last Health

Committee meeting it was explained that some of these shortages stem from the fact that they can only be singlesourced while the Tender Board is demanding at least three quotations. Since this criterion cannot be met then no approval is given to purchase the drugs. However, while this may be so it is the Minister’s responsibility to ensure that this anomaly is rectified.

Another problem which was raised is the malfunctioning or non-functioning of the Materials Management Unit (MMU). This has been the complaint for a long time now and I have repeatedly made call for the Coalition Government to recommend a Commission of Inquiry into the declining Health

Sector.

While no one seems to have a clue how to stem this downward slide, the CEO of New Amsterdam Hospital seems to be getting more adept at his unprofessional conduct.

Arrogance and aggression seem to be the only weapon in his arsenal of management skills.

On 2 June, 2016, the Medical Superintendent Dr V Sharma became his latest victim when she was verbally abused by CEO Bynoe and was told to get out of his office. According to a letter of complaint written by Dr Sharma, such a tirade was ‘unprovoked, unnecessary, unwarranted and disrespectful’. She merely went to apprise the CEO

with regards the non-functioning of the Main Theatre.

She was very assertive in saying that it has become challenging to work along with the CEO whose unprofessional behaviour has become unbearable.

It was this same incident which caused the CEO to upbraid the REO, Dr Ramayya, for entering the NA Hospital without his permission. It is unimaginable that the REO must now make an appointment to visit the hospital!

Only recently the CEO allegedly assaulted another doctor at the said medical facility.

The only pertinent question is: Who is next?

Sincerely, Haseef Yusuf

Barbadian PM honoured for admiring Burnham?

Dear Editor, The late dictator Forbes Burnham was pariah throughout the world, particularly among progressives throughout the Caribbean region. His name is still pariah among progressives.

Yet the Barbadian Prime Minister Freundel Stuart said he was and is a great admirer of the dictator who was responsible for murdering political opponents. Is this the reason why Stuart was brought to Guyana?

Was Stuart used to help rehabilitate Burnham?

The PNC has been making a desperate effort to rehabilitate their hero Burnham who was an ally of imperialism. Stuart

was brought to Guyana to say positive things about Burnham so that the PNC and AFC can put him on a pedestal.

Here are some things of which Stuart was probably proud about Burnham: collaborating with Britain and the US to delay Guyana independence; rigged elections to give himself a magic majority; establishing a minority dictatorship for his supporters; discriminating against people who were not PNC supporters; confiscating property and products from non-supporters; banning flour and various spices and other foods denying people their cultural diet; bankrupting the

Caribbean Development Bank; etc.

Because of his practices and murder of Rodney, the South African government withdrew an award that was to be given to Burnham for his support of the antiapartheid movement.

How could Freundel Stuart express admiration for such a character?

The hero and Father of Independence movement was Dr Cheddi Jagan; several others also fought for independence, playing a greater role than Burnham.

Yet Stuart could not find a positive word to say about the great liberator Jagan.

Was Stuart influenced by ethnic consideration?

Any objective speaker on independence would lavish praises on the most important figures (several of them) of the independence movement. Clearly Stuart was biased.

Stuart has not made any worthy contribution to Guyana or the Caribbean region. If anything he is responsible for the anti-Guyanese attitude in Barbados.

He could not be worthy or deserving more than so many others of Guyana’s honours. The only reason why he was honoured by the ruling PNC is his inaccurate views on Burnham.

Yours truly, Vishnu Bisram

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SunDAY, JUNE 12, 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

Moral health of society has a CCJ ruling on gay Caricom lot to do with Govt's behaviour nationals historical

Dear Editor, It is an accepted fact that the general behaviour of a society is heavily influenced by the words and deeds of leaders in government and society as a whole. We can point to several examples throughout the world to confirm. Right here in Guyana we have an abundance of examples.

The lowest ebb of general morality in Guyana had coincided with the period of rigged elections and the paramountcy of the party (PNC). Those that led the government then had set a bad example - corruption, bribery, abuse of power etc. were permissible.

This is a legacy that we are still fighting against, the legacy of the PNC dictatorship.

Unfortunately this regime, led by the PNC, is going in the same direction. Words and deeds are wide apart. This is suggesting that deception is allowed and not frowned upon. Indeed, they are practiced by the leaders in government.

This could be seen in relation to the regime’s practices in the hiring and firing of persons.

The reason many people say that “politics is dirty” is because of some of the practices that this regime is displaying.

We would recall how much both parties now in government railed against contract workers when they were in the opposition. Even though the PPP/C government went at great lengths to explain to them that it was just offering people choice and not trying to undermine the public service.

When they had the oneseat majority while in opposition they voted to cut the budget that was providing salaries for contract workers.

One would have thought that if that was a very principled position of those two parties, then they would have moved to stop or cur-

tail at the beginning of this practice at the commencement of this administration.

Alas, this is not the case.

The APNU/AFC regime did not only expand the contract workers immensely, they also increased their pay greatly, sometimes by more than one hundred percent.

The amount would have been far greater, but like the three card tricksters the regime did some manipulation to disguise the real amount being given as salaries.

Here is a classic example of job for the boys syndrome.

One Advisor on Education is being paid $1 per annum.

However, he has a duty allowance of $180,000 per month and an entertainment allowance of $ 20,000 per month.

This person also has another job with the government where he is also getting a hefty salary, n addition to a big pension from the public service.

Another advisor also has a high position of chairman of an important corporation. He has a big allowance there and operates like the CEO. He is now an advisor with a salary of $250,000 per month, 42 days leave per annum, 22 ½ % of gross salary gratuity, one month tax free pay leave allowance.

These are but a few examples. The Ministry of the Presidency alone has two hundred and ninety two (292) contract employees.

These 292 contract employees to the Ministry of the Presidency alone is costing the tax payers of the country almost one billion dollars per year.

This is only one ministry.

The regime also gave to the members of the National Assembly a list of persons they call “Honorary Ministerial Advisors”. The list has thirty three names of persons living abroad.

They claim that these persons are working pro-bono.

However they have not said how these persons expenses would be covered. It is felt that it is where they

will pay millions without having to report this to the people of this country as emoluments.

The destruction of morality will also continue as we see that they are employing almost only Afro-Guyanese.

Indo-Guyanese have far less chance in getting employment in the public service now since 1992. Once more, they are made to feel they are second class citizens in their own land.

Indeed, more than ninety percent (90%) of those dismissed from the public service by this regime are Indo-Guyanese.

When racial discrimination is practiced by the government, then the message to the population is that it is all right to behave as though some are superior to others.

This does not help with inter-racial relations.

The other message being sent is squandermania. Money is being wasted on friends and PNC/APNU/ AFC top brass, and this sends a dangerous signal to the society.

For this behaviour is also party corruption. That is what has led to every petty officer in government demanding bribes, sometimes small like lunch money etc., but it erodes the morality of the society as a whole.

We have also seen the Kaieteur News reporting a full scam involving high ranking government officials and several persons in the private sector. They had promised to release their names, but never did.

This suggests that they were warned or threatened to shut up.

This is extremely worrying and is another indication of what is coming as far as freedom of speech is concerned.

This is just the beginning of another undermining of the morality of the society.

We should stop this before it is too late.

Sincerely, Donald Ramotar

Dear Editor, The Caribbean Court of Justice has made a ruling that homosexual Caricom nationals have a legal right to freedom of movement essentially on the same terms as any other Caricom nationals. The CCJ made the decision following an application by well-known Jamaicaborn homosexual, Maurice Tomlinson to the Court naming the governments of Belize and Trinidad and Tobago as the Respondents.

The CCJ however refused Tomlinson’s application because he was unable to show that he had ever been or would be in danger of being prejudiced by the existence of the challenged provisions of the Immigration Acts of Belize and Trinidad and Tobago.

The Jamaican through his prominent lawyers argued the immigration laws in these two states discriminate against homosexu-

als who are categorised as a class of prohibited immigrants.

He argued that the mere existence of such a law prejudiced the exercise of his right to free movement as provided by Article 45 of the Treaty of Chaguaramas and the 2007 decision of the Conference of the Heads of Government as elaborated by the CCJ in the wellknown Shanique Myrie case.

The CCJ noted that both Trinidad and Tobago adhere to the freedom of movement laws, but nevertheless cautioned that Member States should strive to ensure that national laws and administrative practices are consistent with the right of free movement of all Caricom nationals, and this is a necessary component of the rule of law which is the basic notion underlying the Caribbean Community.

The Court also empha-

sised that continuing inconsistency between administrative practices and the apparent meaning of legislation is an undesirable situation as the rule of law requires clarity and certainty, particularly for nationals of the other Member States who are guided by such legislation and practice.

Tomlinson, an attorney is a prominent member of the lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, trans and/or intersex.

Ten prominent attorneys were engaged in the case.

Lord Anthony Gifford QC was the lead counsel for Tomlinson while Seenath Jairam SC headed a battery of lawyers for the twinisland republic, and Nigel Hawke led the Belize team of lawyers. Five judges headed by President of the CCJ, Sir Denis Byron, heard arguments.

Sincerely, Oscar Ramjeet

What was the justification for this?

Dear Editor, It is sad that after so many new radio stations were launched in Guyana, that Berbicians still cannot receive the signals of 98.1 FM on their radios.

For years upon years too, the online broadcast of this station has been on and off.

CEO after CEO have been changed at this entity, yet none of them can get the job right... there’s a poor availability of the online broadcast of VOG, RR, and none at all for 98.1 FM. I think it’s time government pay a close eye into this matter and allow NCN to relay its radio signals in a clearer manner to Berbice.

Another matter I would like to raise is in the form of a question:

What has happened to the Basil P Show aired from 18:00h (6pm) to midnight on Sundays on 98.1 FM for over a decade?

This much-loved show was stopped. What was the justification for this?

I know GTT was a major sponsor for a few hours of the programme. If this company has pulled its support, I am kindly ask-

ing them to rethink their decision - also NCN to bring back this programme to the nation.

Basil Persaud is a very talented disc jockey that has made a huge contribution to the world of music and radio.

Please, NCN. Sincerely, Leon Suseran

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SunDAY, JUNE 12, 2016

Page

Foundation

Obstetrics and maternal health Giving birth and being born brings us into the essence of creation, where the human spirit is courageous and bold and the body, a miracle of wisdom.

– Harriette Hartigan

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Anu Dev

s I mentioned last week, this month I’m in my Obstetrics/ Gynaecology rotation. Now I want to make it clear that these reports will be just the reactions of a callow fourtyear student. DOCTORS perform the actual tasks and we just observe and perform some grunge work like “clerking” (taking patients’ info) and “taking blood”. It does seem sometimes like I’m preparing for “Dracula 101”!

Now for some preliminaries that I wasn’t aware of: what exactly is the difference between Obstetrics and Gynaecology? Well an obstetrician deals in the management of pregnancy, labour, and the period directly following childbirth (pueperium). A gynaecologist, on the other hand, focuses on the overall health of the female reproductive system, including the diagnosis and treatment of disorders and

guyana-times.com

diseases. So if you have “female” problems with no pregnancy issues, see your gynaecologist! Typically, the education and training for both fields occurs concurrently and specialists in this area will undergo years of specialised training.

If I’ve learnt one thing from my time in Obstetrics so far, it’s that regular check-ups during pregnancy are extremely important.

In fact, one of the first chapters we were instructed to read was on ‘antenatal care’.

You see, there’s a whole lot that can go wrong during pregnancy, apparently. And there are certain risk factors that may predispose mothers to having a particularly difficult pregnancy.

Actually, the unit I ended up on for my Obstetrics rotation specifically deals with those ‘high-risk’ groups.

Factors like advanced maternal age, high blood pressure, obesity and diabetes significantly increase the chances of complications during pregnancy, and the doctors must be especially vigilant to monitor those patients and their developing babies.

And modern medicine has come a long, long way in helping doctors to moni-

tor the progress of the mother and her baby every step of the way. I’ve been amazed at the amount of details the ultrasound can reveal about babies - apart from taking away the drama of the obstetrician announcing “It’s a girl/boy”!!

But it is true that sometimes the unexpected happens, and a complication pops up that couldn’t be predicted. And in those cases, good doctors should be able to step up, think on their feet and manage their patient to the best of their abilities. I saw one Caesarean or C-section - where the baby is delivered through an incision in the mother’s abdomen and uterus - that had to be performed as an emergency because of problems with the placenta or umbilical cord of the baby.

Unfortunately, in some cases, there just isn’t enough the doctors can do, and the patient can’t be saved. But those cases should be the exception, they shouldn’t be the norm. The incidence of mothers dying in childbirth is measured as the maternal mortality rate.

From reading the heart rending reports of our local papers when I was back home, and the comments

without even knowing the technical definition, I figured the rate in Guyana was way too high as it was in most developing countries.

In 1990, the UN crafted 8 Millennium Development Goals for developing countries, one of which was to reduce maternal deaths by 3/4 between 1990 and 2015. We missed this by far - in 1990 23 mothers died while in 2015 the number remained stubbornly at 17.

In that last year, a UN report ranked Guyana as second on the list for highest maternal deaths in the Caribbean after Haiti. The main direct causes recorded last year were haemorrhagic conditions, hypertension in pregnancy, eclampsia and adverse effects relating to bleeding.

Acknowledging that Guyana was unable to meet its commitment to the maternal MMG, the Minister of Health promised to focus on increasing the number of Ob/Gyn specialists in the health system as well as tightening up on procedures. Whatever it takes we should all insist on reducing the deaths of women at that special time when they are giving life.

Physical and spiritual enhancement through Yoga

By Hindu SwayamsevakSangh – Guyana (Hindus for selfless service)

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ummer is rapidly approaching and everyone wants to trim some fat off before they hit the lakes and beaches in beautiful Guyana. Our hectic lifestyle and workloads do not let us live in a healthy way. The craving for junk food and a stress-filled environment gives us an unhealthy body.

The area around the waist and thighs would usually get flabby.

The high risk of diseases and illnesses increases with the fat around these areas. A fitness routine and a good diet will help to reduce these risks. Since some people prefer not to perspire too much while exercising, yoga is the best option. By adopting the methods of yoga, one can reduce weight, control the body and soul. Along with these benefits, one can also experience mental peace. Losing weight and staying i n shape will also build self-

esteem and reduce the stress level.

In today’s edition, we will be looking at three intermediate postures that will help us get in shape.

Boat pose

Sit down on a mat, and stretch out your legs. Your knees should be pulled up, thighs should be tight and your toes should be pointed out. Now try to raise your feet off the ground and bring your legs to a 45 degree angle. Inhale while you raise your feet and avoid bending your knees. The spine should be straight and your body should make a V shape.

Raise your arms to the shoulder level. This pose will increase your stamina and also cut down tummy fat. It will increase your lower and upper body strength.

Yoga bridge pose

Lie down on your back, bend your knees. Your feet should remain on the ground. Put your hands on the ground, the palms should be straight. Now lift your hips from the ground and balance yourself on your hands and feet. This pose will increase your muscle strength. If you like to add a variation to this pose.

Try to lift up one leg in the air for

20 seconds. You should repeat the same with the other leg.

Yoga cobbler’s pose

The cobbler’s pose is one of the easiest and helpful poses of yoga. You need to sit with your spine straight. Your knees should be bent and the soles of your feet should be facing each other. You should press the soles together and hold this pose for at least a minute.

Yoga camel pose

Sit on your feet with your knees and calves close together.

You need to use some soft cloth under you to prevent pain. Now come onto your knees and place your hands on your hips.

Stretching out the torso, look above. Hold your heels slowly, one hand after the other. Bend backward and stretch out the chest and tummy. You can feel the weight in your arms. This position is useful to melt the fat in almost all the areas of the body.

T h e

instructions above will assist you in effectively stretching the muscles around the hips, waist, abdomen, legs and hands. This will eliminate excess fat and give you a healthier, lighter body. These postures help you to lose unhealthy fatty tissue in the body. Constipation, stress and nervous tension are all reduced by these poses. Following these yoga poses for weight loss will help you get a sound mind and a sound body.

On the June 19, 2016, we would like to see you participating in our International day of Yoga event hosted at the Leonora Secondary School from 13:00h. All the yoga postures that we will be introducing to you from here onwards will be on demonstration and you, yes you, will be doing them on that day. So get those yoga mats out and start working. Let us make thoughts become reality. Let us be fit. Let us do YOGA. Southland International is the official beverage sponsor.

They are the “Home of Blue Water in Guyana”.

We welcome feedbacks from our reader, so like and comment on our Facebook page: Hindu SwayamsevakSangh Guyana.

Do have a peaceful day.

news

Guyanese killed by bandits in Venezuela

…father suffers heart attack after shooting

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Dead: Miguel Alehandro Brito

oments after witnessing his son shot to death during a robbery in his Puerta Ordaz, Venezuela, home, the father collapsed and died of heart attack.

Dead are Miguel

Alehandro Brito, 23, and his father, Artuo Brito, 60, formerly of Vergenoegen, East Bank Essequibo.

According to reports, the young man was in the living room when armed bandits invaded the property. His father was in another section of the house while his mother was in her bedroom.

At the time of the attack there was a power failure.

Upon gaining entry, the bandits saw the young man sitting on a chair and shot him to the head.

The father on hearing the gunshot, ran towards the living room only to find his son’s motionless body with his brain scattered. The father reportedly raised an alarm and immediately collapsed.

The mother, a relative explained to this newspaper,

A

Deputy Mayor questions legitimacy of contracted companies

By D evina S amaroo And R amona L uthi

E Dead: Artuo Brito

also ran out of her bedroom and found both her son and husband dead.

The dead young man was born in Guyana but became a citizen of Venezuela.

The family had migrated to Venezuela years ago.

The car that was involved in the accident

was trapped in the car after it landed in the canal but were rescued by public spirited citizens.

The elderly man was reportedly in an unconscious state when he was pulled from his motorcar. The minibus, BTT 2088 ended up crashing into an electric pole in the area. The minibus at the time was carrying one passenger in the front seat. An eyewitness told Guyana Times that the minibus was speeding when the accident occurred.

“It looks like the driver ignored the traffic light and although the amber light was blinking, he did not stop as a precautionary measure… he just drive straight over… the car came from the direction of the Passport office and was turning into Lamaha Street.”

The driver of the minibus who was taken into Police custody and a breathalyzer test was conducted. The re-

Parking meter systems

… Director assures validity, says company is international

Elderly couple injured in Lamaha Street smashup

n elderly couple is now nursing injuries about their bodies following a two-vehicle collision at the corners of Camp and Lamaha Streets, Georgetown on Friday evening. The names of the two injured people were not immediately available but Guyana Times understands that they were taken to a private medical institution.

Reports are a minibus was seen leaving the 704 Sport bar at about 22:00h and shortly afterwards collided with a car bearing registration number PNN 6766.

This newspaper was told that the car was crossing the intersection at Camp and Lamaha Streets when the minibus allegedly slammed into the left side of the vehicle causing it to spin several times and ended up in the nearby canal.

Guyana Times understands that elderly couple

7

sunDAY, JUNE 12, 2016 | guyana-times.com

sults reportedly showed that the man was above the legal limit.

Speaking briefly with this newspaper the driver of the minibus, said that he was driving along Lamaha Street heading to Main Street when the motor car made a sudden turn in front of himas he approached the intersection at Camp and Lamaha Streets.

He noted the he attempted to avoid the collision but it was too late. Both vehicles, he noted collided and spun several times before coming to a halt. According to him he was immediately taken into Police custody and later learnt that the elderly couple was admitted to hospital.

When asked if he was consuming alcohol, he responded claiming “I had two beers”. The Police have launched an investigation into the accident. (Bhisham Mohamed)

ven after being told he has no right to speak on behalf of the Mayor and City Council, Deputy Mayor Sherod Duncan refused to be muzzled and is now raising some grave concerns over the legitimacy of the companies awarded with the multimilliondollar contract to install parking meter systems across Georgetown.

In a Facebook post on Saturday, Duncan disclosed that he was provided with little information by the National Parking Systems (NPS)/Smart City Solutions; the two companies contracted to execute the project in a joint venture.

The Deputy Mayor is questioning the companies’ capacity to execute the scope of the project to be undertaken, given that he is without concrete evidence that these companies exist and have undertaken similar projects like they claimed to have done.

With suspicions high, Duncan said he resorted to his own research on the companies, but nothing substantial was found.

“In my research I have not found any company by the name ‘Smart City Solutions’ associated with parking meter systems, in any of the places the company is purporting to have done business like Panama,” Duncan highlighted.

Research on one of the Directors of Smart

Deputy Mayor Sherod Duncan

Director of NPS Kamau Cush

City Solutions Simon Moshevilli also revealed nothing. “There is no evidence that such a company actually exists,” the Deputy Mayor stated.

However, Duncan said research shows that a “Simon D Mosheshvili” is a Director of a company called ‘Movilot’ which operates in places like Panama and Haiti. Its website says, “Movilot is a leading “DBO” (DesignBuild-Operate) Technology firm providing turnkey solutions to the mobile lottery and mobile gaming markets.”

Movilot’s other products and services include “Street Vending and POS”.

“The Movilot vending platform is a boon to existing street vendors and shops as it creates new income streams based on the commissions that can be earned on various services from lottery sales, to cash in – cash out, to airtime sales, and other services.”

the operations of Smart City Solutions.

Cush, who is also a Director of Smart City Solutions, claimed it is headquartered in Mexico City and has been operating in most of Latin America, and South America, including Argentina, Lima, Peru, Panama and Mexico City.

He boasted that the company has, for the past five years, operating and managing about 20,000 spaces in Mexico City.

He also claimed that the company has been involved in parking meters consultancy in Chicago, USA. Later in the interview with this publication however, he disclosed that Smart City Solutions was specifically established for the purpose of installing parking meter systems in Guyana.

“Smart City Solutions is a locally formed company, it’s a locally registered company, corporation. It was established specifically for this project, a special purpose vehicle,” he stated.

Inconsistencies

During a recent interview with the Director of NPS Kamau Cush, many inconsistencies arose over

turn to page 11

8

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SunDAY, JUNE 12, 2016 | guyanatimesGY.com

Madewini murder

1 in custody as investigation intensifies – best friends questioned

A

s investigations continue into the murder of Puranand Baljit, 25, who was stabbed to death while sleeping at his home, the Police have arrested one person as robbery has been established as motive.

Acting Crime Chief Hugh Jessemy told Guyana Times Saturday that several persons were questioned.

He pointed out that while he could not divulge much information about investigations, he is optimistic of a breakthrough sooner rather than later.

Meanwhile Guyana Times understands that two of the dead man’s close friends were detained on Friday but subsequently released. In addition, one girlfriend was also questioned.

A source claimed that the young lady was arrested and is being grilled for the murder but the acting Crime Chief refuted the claims, reiterating that no one was arrested.

Guyana Times was told that the person in custody is a Soesdyke, East Bank Demerara resident.

The suspect is said to be of Amerindian descent and

Murdered: Puranand Baljit

had allegedly removed a lap top and mobile phone from the dead man’s room.

However, as investigators continue their probe, it was also confirmed that the 12inch knife found on the ledge of the window is not the murder weapon. The knife did not have any blood stain thus leaving Police them to believe that it was planted but was not used.

In addition, while a pink mobile phone was reportedly found in the room of the dead man, the police have confirmed that it was not handed over to investigators

as they continue their probe.

Although the young man repaired computers and mobile phones at home, his relatives cannot confirm if the phone was collected by the young man to be repaired.

In addition, friends of the dead man are arguing that Baljit always leaves his bedroom door open and it was very strange that on the night he was killed, it was locked, and more surprisingly, the windows were left opened.

Friends and relatives of Baljit are also re-examining the stabbing incident. As they ponder over the stabbing, there are more questions than answers.

The motive for the murder is yet to be established since the parents claimed that he did not have any enemies. The young man was successful at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate by gaining 10 subjects but resorted to assist his father in the family business.

His biological mother died when he was just twoyears-old and was raised by his grandmother, who resides in Berbice. He moved to Soesdyke when he was 13.

The young man, also called Andrew, was stabbed at least seven times to his neck, chest and abdomen while he was asleep on Thursday evening at about 21:30h. Based on reports, the perpetrator(s) used concrete blocks (for height) to gain access through his bedroom window.

His stepmother Simone Baljit and his father Jackie told investigators that they retired to bed after watching a movie on television at about 21:00h and was awaked by a loud scream emanating from Baljit’s room.

They waited for some time and as the place remained quite, they rushed out to check on him but the door to his bedroom was locked. The father rushed back into his room and jumped through his bedroom window into the yard.

When there he went to his son’s window and as he looked in he saw blood everywhere. He climbed through and found his son lying in a pool of blood on his bed.

He was already dead but was taken to the Diamond Diagnostic Centre where doctors confirmed his demise.

(Bhisham Mohamed)

Surveyor drowns in Berbice River

T

he body of a 25-yearold surveyor was on Saturday afternoon recovered from the Berbice River with blood oozing from its mouth and ears.

Dead is Seon Hughes of Lot 133 Friendship, East Coast Demerara, who was last seen on Friday afternoon after he allegedly fell into the river while walking close to a koker.

Reports are that the father of two was carrying out a survey at Lansdale, East Bank Berbice, along with six others when he lost his balance and fell overboard.

One of the dead man’s colleagues reportedly told

Police that Hughes was walking backwards when he slipped into the water and was pulled away due to the current. Two of his colleagues went after him but the now dead man went under the water and never resurfaced.

Guyana Times was told that his colleagues were able to grab him but were unable to save him. Another report stated that the man was swimming and he was pretending that he could not swim but was not taken seriously. Hughes was described as someone who usually “pulls a lot of pranks and makes a lot of jokes”.

Dead: Seon Hughes

While the reports remain conflicting, a relative told

Guyana Times that the family intends to get to the bottom of the circumstances surrounding the man’s death.

The relative explained that the family was told that it was only after some time had elapsed and he did not resurface, that two of his colleagues went into the water to save him but their efforts proved futile.

Despite several searches, the man’s bloodied body was pulled a short distance from where he was last seen. The Police have launched an investigation into the incident.

The man leaves to mourn his wife, two children, parents and siblings.

Eyew tness It’s a dog’s life... ...with western media bias

Once again the “Lychee and Dog Meat Festival” in the Chinese city of Yulin has drawn outraged protests and worldwide reportage - even here in Guyana. Over the course of ten days about 10-15,000 dogs would’ve been savoured. The consumption of the lychee goes unremarked. Even your Eyewitness raised a jaded eyebrow and felt a slight squirm in his stomach at the mention of eating “dog meat”.

Cause he’s a fella who just loves his Labba in pepperpot! Just goes to show there’s still a lot of truth in the old saw “One man’s meat is another man’s poison”!

The British philosopher Julian Baggini considered western meat-eaters “hypocritical” for being outraged by the Chinese eating “cute animals”: “The double standards at play here are numerous, complicated, and not always obvious...Vegans are the only group who can oppose the festival without any fear of hypocrisy”.

But Baggini’s point about vegans raise a deeper question: what’s the reason behind the revulsion towards dog mean? Is it just because they’re cute, as he says? Well rabbits are just as cute, don’t you think...but millions of them are turned into stew and consumed with relish. Pun intended! And how about all those millions and millions of cute sheep that Mary used to frolic with that are then turned to mutton? They’re fair game?

Is the line drawn with dogs by the West because they’ve served humanity for eons as fellow hunters back in the day? Well horses also served us well, didn’t they? Both in war and in work. Didn’t stop the west from enjoying their horse meat. Even if it’s on the sly because they’re a bit sheepish about it. Pun intended!

Then of course, “dogs are man’s best friend”...that’s the rationale most often thrown up. But have you ever gone to India and seen how the billion or so Hindus treat their cows? They’re more than even “best friends” - they’re part of the family...with names and everything.

Even called “mother” for their sustaining roles. Yet the west regularly castigates Hindus for rather starving than eating their cows. “Superstitious” is a kind appellation.

One doesn’t have to even wonder how they’d answer the analogous question, “Would you rather starve or eat your dog?” In every western city there are annual food fairs where the meat of thousands of cows and sheep are consumed.

The real question we should publicise is whether we can literally afford to eat meat - and especially beef.

Each cow needs 2 acres of space ...plus fresh water.

Of which the world is running out, as we and China switch to beef.

...to “woo” investment

Did you notice, dear reader, our movers and shakers in government always have to “woo” investors. It’s not by accident, you know. In these matters our leaders have to literally “put out” to get those foreigners to plunk down their money to develop Guyana. You say, they don’t have to “put out” too much after the Bai Shan Lin brouhaha? We’ll see.

Our government worthies just finished their latest courtship of investors at the “Harvard Club” in midManhattan. Last October there was a high-level team that visited Toronto on the same mission and we were told they were “inundated” with offers of investment.

Some of the attendees were made “Business Advisors” - no pay, though - to presumably assist the “inundated” officials to prioritise the deluge of investment opportunities. It ain’t easy, is it?

In Toronto, the high level delegation had met at the Riverstoen Golf Club. With Harvard Club they probably had to shell out a pretty penny. But we’re sure the investments will exceed the Toronto deluge.

Avalanche?

... In flooded villages

Wouldn’t it have been better to install pumps in West Berbice with the billion dollars spent on the Jubilee Bash?

Don’t these coalition supporters - who’ve been living with their animals under water for more than a month - count?

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

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SunDAY, JUNE 12, 2016 | guyana-times.com

ILO Conference

GTUC slams Govt for non-attendance …says labour issues being neglected

G

overnment’s failure to make representation at the International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) Annual Conference compounded by its meagre reason for nonattendance has definitely ruffled the feathers of the Guyana Trades Union Congress (GTUC).

In a statement issued over the weekend, the GTUC said it was extremely disturbed at the failure of government to attend the Conference for two consecutive years, noting that is sends a strong signal of the nonimportance being placed on labour issues in the country.

The ILO conference is where governments, employers and workers organisations meet to discuss issues that impact the wellbeing of each group. These discussions guide the con-

ceptualisation and development of conventions and programmes.

The 2016 Conference is being held from 1 to 13 June in Geneva, Switzerland.

The GTUC argued that it would have been to the nation’s advantage to be represented at such a high forum where involvement would have taken place in the discussions and shaping of policies and programmes.

Guyana would have also benefitted from the input of other participants.

No money to attend GTUC said when it discovered Guyana was not attending, efforts were made to ascertain the reason(s) for non-participation.

The umbrella union said it was appalled when it was advised that government was not attending because there were not enough fi-

Junior Communities Minister Keith Scott

nancial resources.

“GTUC finds it instructive that while the government claims it could not find the funding to attend and participate in the con-

National Youth Policy could be ready this month – President

F

ollowing years of constant delays on its completion, the National Youth Policy might finally come onstream sometime this month, according to President David Granger.

Prompted for an update on this much talked about matter, President Granger explained that a white paper on the National Youth Policy is being prepared and will soon be laid in the National Assembly.

While noting that this is a cautious pronouncement, the President said the document could be ready sometime in this month.

Finance Minister Winston Jordan during the presentation of Budget 2016 announced that the National Youth Policy was finalised.

In August 2015, Presidential Adviser on Youth Empowerment Aubrey Norton had announced that the National Youth Policy draft had

President David Granger

been completed and was awaiting review from the President and Education Minister, Dr Rupert Roopnaraine.

The National Youth Policy is supposed to be a comprehensive policy document that states the vision of the Government of Guyana (GoG) for the youths of the country, and also how this vision would be realised by the

Government. The Policy caters for the needs of the youths in the age group of 15-35 years, which constitutes over 50 per cent of the population.

It also identifies the vision and the five key objectives that are further sub-divided into several priority areas for youth development. It further suggests policy imperatives that should be implemented in each of these identified priority areas.

The National Youth Policy 2015 seeks to achieve a nation where all the young people are safe and healthy, have equal access to opportunities, can participate in public life, and are empowered to meaningfully contribute to Guyana’s sustainable, national development.

The previous Administration had held numerous consultations on this initiative in an effort to finalise and subsequently implement the policy

ference, at the same time Minister Keith Scott who has responsibility for labour and was identified to be at the conference, has travelled to Europe, for only God knows what,” the statement registered.

The GTUC said it recognises that every government operates with limited and scarce resources, nonetheless it is calling on this administration to make judicious determination in its spending and the prioritisation of events.

“The ILO Conference should be within the top priority,” GTUC said.

It continued: “This Government is put on notice that it has to be mindful of labour’s role and importance in any developmental agenda and its responsibility to participate at regional and international bodies that would impact this most vital resource of every country.”

GTUC reminded that it is of concern to labour that workers continue to be treated as incidental to production and productivity, even though neither can be achieved without their input.

Rejected complaints and a Labour Ministry In addition to the nonattendance at the ILO Conference, the GTUC is perturbed over reports of labour complaints be-

ing rejected when reports are made at the Social Protection Ministry, Labour Department.

“GTUC continues to receive complains from workers that they are being turned away from the Ministry of Social Protection when they seek to lodge complaints against employers. The process in industrial relations on matters of such nature is not to turn away complainants

ing of ministries, President David Granger did not include labour, which in the previous administration fell under the Ministry of Labour, Human Services and Social Security.

The human services portfolio has now been renamed the Social Protection Ministry, but the word labour has been dropped. Administration officials said the Social Protection Ministry will

but to activate a process to investigate and resolve the complaint,” the organisation related.

In this regard, GTUC renewed calls for government to re-establish a Labour Ministry.

The union had previously pleaded with the President to restore the Labour Ministry.

In announcing Cabinet portfolios and the renam-

carry the labour portfolio.

In response to these calls however, Granger maintained he made a right decision to not have a separate ministry for labour issues. He emphasised that the Social Protection Ministry is perfectly capable of dealing with matters that would otherwise have been dealt with under a Labour Ministry.

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guyana-times.com

News Region 5 flooding

Water receding slowly – Regional Chairman …medical team deployed to Moraikobai

Saving Guyana

S

Farm lands in Mahaicony still inundated

By Shemuel Fanfair

R

esidents and farmers in various communities in Region Five (MahaciaBerbice) are finally getting some relief as floodwaters began receding, though slowly.

Guyana Times learnt that the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) in collaboration with

needed excavation due to clogged drains with overgrown weeds.

On Saturday a medical team was deployed to the indigenous settlement of Moraikobai to assist in the outbreak of water borne diseases.

According to reports, persons in the village complained of itches about the body.

Regional Chairman

Cash crops under threat

Mahaica-Mahaicony-Abary/ Agricultural Development Authority (MMA/ADA) deployed excavators to the affected areas to relieve the flooding. Additionally, small tractor driven pumps are also operational. However, this newspaper was told Bush Lot Village

A home in Mahaicony still under water

ed that a team visited several communities along the Mahaicony River, most of which have flood waters remaining.

Ramphal related that because of the flooding in Moraikobai, villages such as Mora Point, Pine Ground and Gordon Table are also flooded.

Many farmers in these villages said they have lost cash crops

ernment officials to meet with them and address their concerns over the prolonged flooding.

Regional officials met with residents of Moraikobai on Tuesday after reports surfaced that residents were expressing that more should be done to address their concerns. Guyana Times reported Thursday that in Trafalgar, the canal and

Regional officials meeting with affected persons

Vickchand Ramphal told this publication on Saturday that the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) is closely monitoring this situation. It was explained that flood waters remained high in this particular community.

The chairman further not-

while their livestock continues to be threatened.

The regional head stressed that many houses in the Mahaicony area are also under water and noted that some rice crops have been affected.

It was explained that some residents are calling for gov-

sluice were heavily silted up.

Guyana Times was told that the NDIA would have provided an additional pump, which was done.

Almost two weeks ago, reports surfaced of flooding in Lovely Lass, Mahaica, due to a faulty pump installed by MMA/ADA. It was noted that the heavy downpours caused this situation to escalate to the point where some roads had begun to deteriorate.

Over the last few weeks, Guyana Times has been highlighting the challenges communities in Region Five have been facing as a result of flooding.

A breached dam along the Perth Canal in Branch Road, Mahaicony, led to significant acreages of rice lands being inundated last month. Farmers there had the costly undertaking of pumping the water out of their rice lands.

atiricus liked weekends. He liked weekends because he could throw back much later into the night at the Back Street Bar. And he liked it even more when someone else was picking up the tab. Filling that role was his cousin Georgie, who was winding down his visit for the Jubilee Bash. Their friend Cappo, the Canecutter was also enjoying the freeness as they created a jungle of beer bottles on their table.

“Budday!” said Cappo effusively as he slapped Georgie on the back. “Suh wha’ de lates’.”

“The latest, Cappo, is Guyana now saved!” replied Georgie with a grin, as he signalled for another round.

Georgie drank “foreign” while Satiricus and Cappo drank local.

Satiricus’ interest was aroused. “I didn’t hear about any new Preacher coming to town.”

“Not that kinda “saved”, Sato. This is even better.”

Georgie paused for effect. “The Government just had an Investment Conference at the Harvard Club in New York and man...you won’t be able to deal with all the investment coming down!”

“New York? I thought Harvard was in Massachusetts,” pointed out Satiricus.

“They have a fancy club in Manhattan where you can rent fancy rooms to impress clients,” replied Georgie with a knowing smirk.

“Me bet ‘e mussee cast “fancy” money, na Jargee!”

Said Cappo slyly.

“You need fancy bait to catch fancy fish. US$100,000 for the day!” said Georgie, who rented apartments in Richmond Hill. “And New York has all the big, fancy, financial fishes, you know!”

“Suh dis diffrent fram dem fancy big fish who bin suppose to come fram Toronto last year and save abee?” Cappo also smirked as he winked to Satiricus.

“My friends,” said Georgie expansively, “Those people in Toronto deal in Chicken Feed. Not like us in New York.”

“Suh who and who show up fuh invest in Guyana?”

Cappo wanted to know. “All dem big fish who own Bank and t’ing?”

Georgie paused before answering. “Well, is only Guyanese show up. We own apartment buildings and grocery stores.”

“Suh yuh na had fuh rent fancy Harvard Club fuh fancy money,” pointed out Cappo. “Me bet dem na even put de Large pan de table fuh dem bais drink.

Dem gi’e yuh by de shat! And alyu real estate chaps na like da.”

“Well me hear some a dem bais did behave bad,” confessed Georgie. “Dat night dey move de sport to Sylvie’s by Church and Flatbush!”

“Suh wha’ dis about “Guyana save”?” demanded Cappo.

“Well yuh na hear de guvment want suggestions fuh save Guysuco?” Georgie stared at Cappo the Canecutter directly. “Abee real estate guys can sell aff de land!”

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sunDAY, JUNE 12, 2016 | guyanatimesGY.com

Govt recommits to introducing Deputy Mayor questions modern copyright legislation legitimacy...

T

hough concrete measures are not in place, President David Granger assured that his government is committed to introducing modern copyright legislation.

For years, those in the creative industries have been feeling stifled owing to the absence of modern copyright laws.

These outdated laws paved the way for the creation of a lucrative enterprise in intellectual piracy and counterfeit products.

The current legislation, the 1956 Copyright Act, which Guyana inherited from Great Britain following Independence in 1966, has never been revised since, even though its former colonial master had long repealed the legislation that deemed copyright infringement a civil wrong.

Though the current Act does provide protection of literary, musical, dramatic and artistic works, the fines are extremely low, ranging mostly from £5 to £50 (G$1750-G$17,500). Given the time and cost to pursue an infringement in court, some artistes view the exercise as a loss rather than gain.

Former Attorney General and Legal Affairs Minister Anil Nandlall had expressed that his administration is cog-

from page 7

nisant of the need for copyright reform, however nothing substantial ever came on stream.

The A Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) coalition during the campaign trail promised to update the laws in order to help develop the creative industry.

The

Government recommits to introducing modern copyright laws

then APNU Member of Parliament and Youth, Culture and Sport shadow minister Christopher Jones had emphasised the need for updated copyright laws but guarded against persons thinking that the implementation of such laws would completely eliminate the problems related to plagiarism and piracy.

During a recent interview on ‘The Public Interest’, President Grange expressed that he is uncertain about how soon the legislation will be introduced but assured govern-

ment will definitely move in this direction.

“I cannot say for sure when that legislation will be laid but it is a commitment on our part to protect the rights of artistes and publishers of other forms of material…we are committed to suppressing piracy,” he stated.

According to the US Department of Commerce, about five to seven per cent of all world trade involves counterfeit products, and estimates the cost to the global economy at more than US$650 billion per year.

The income raked in from pirated DVDs, CDs, the unauthorised photocopying of books and other intellectual materials here is a tiny, if not invisible, sum of the global counterfeit trade.

Local artistes have raised their concerns about the lack of legislation to protect their work and had issued countless calls for those in authority to take urgent steps to address the situation.

Soca Road March champion Melissa “Vanilla” Roberts had previously told this publication that the competition is starkly unfair.

“Most locally produced CDs will retail at a price of $1500, but consumers can get the best of any artiste in the world for $200. Now how can a Guyanese artiste compete with that when you have to

spend no less than $50,000 to produce a song?

“Next, an artiste will spend no less than $150,000 to produce a music video to be aired on television, but because television stations basically get free video content from around the world, why should they be obligated to play ours.

“I gave those two examples to say this: if we had updated intellectual property rights legislation in place, radio and television stations will have to be paying millions of US dollars to foreign companies for content. This will in turn force them to revert to more local content, making way for competitive, productive and economic growth for the creative industries in Guyana,” she said.

In 2014, Mosa Telford, who has won several literary awards, had also expressed that the present Copyright Act is a dagger in the side of the creative industry.

Gavin Mendonca, member of the band Keep Your Day Job (KYDJ), which is part of an advocacy group called Guyana Music Networks, also noted that the current Act needs to be updated as it cannot fully protect the work of creative professionals.

From all indications, the issue of copyright will continue to be an ongoing subject of debate and will remain so as long as members of the creative industry believe that more needs to be done to protect their work.

The other company, NPS was established sometime in the 1900’s, according to Cush. He explained that a proposal for the parking meter system project was made since 1995, when Hamilton Green was Mayor.

He said the proposal was accepted in 1996.

“For the past 20 something years, the company has been in the bands, but it’s been around, it’s been in the bands, we work in collaboration with other companies... In the global scheme of things, companies merge and demerge and come together so that’s how we work,” he stated.

However, Cush was unable to say why the proposal was never acted upon after all these years.

“I’m not going to presume, this is how I respond to that question, and I’m not going to presume to get into the minds of decisionmakers of the time. As to why they didn’t sign off on it. Had they done that, we would not have been in a position that we’re in today in terms of our city being afflicted with filth and gridlock and over crowdedness and the type of dysfunction that one finds in other cities of the world where there is this shanty town mentality, but it wasn’t done but you know, given the fullness of time, I think you

know, we now have a new Administration with the type of vision,” he stated.

He explained that in 1994, he observed that the city of Georgetown was crowded and there was total chaos and that something needed to be done to address the situation.

“So I went to new York and I placed a call to one of my colleagues and I said listen here, there is an opportunity here to install and operate parking meters in the city of Georgetown and I sat down and with them, we put our heads together and we came up with a proposal, and so in 1995 we submitted the proposal, and in 1996 it was approved. But I’m an entrepreneur at heart, I always seek out opportunities and figure out ways that I can add value to those opportunities and that’s precisely what I did here, I did then but unfortunately there was no buy in from the previous Administration,” he said.

Cush explained that shortly after elections in May 2015, he resubmitted the proposal to the M&CC and it was accepted in November.

Moreover, he said the two companies will be sourcing the parking meters from a company called Parkeon, a company based in France.

12 news

SunDAY, june 12, 2016 | guyana-times.com

Mora Camp, Kalcoon students slush through trails to school sludgy track because it is a much shorter distance. This route is called “Benjie Road”.

Mayor of Bartica Gifford Marshall during an interview with Guyana Times on Saturday was saddened by the awful state those residents have to endure.

He explained that while the situation is considered more heart wrenching for the children, adults too have to live through the hardship.

Marshall said he is currently engaging central government with the aim of addressing the situation.

He said representation will be made for a high-rise bridge to be built at a strategic point along Benjie Road and for a concrete step to be constructed along the eroding hill.

The project is estimated to cost some $40 million.

Students slushing through Benjie Road

By Devina Samaroo

I

magine almost every morning on your way to school having to take off your shoes, socks, lifting your clothing slightly over your knees and slushing through inundated trails.

Children of the neighbouring communities of Mora Camp and Kalcoon in Region Seven (Cuyuni/Mazaruni) do this on a regular basis whenever it rains or whenever there is high tide.

In some cases, parents transform into human vehi-

cles, strapping their children on their shoulders as they hike through knee-high waters en route to school.

The situation is just as deplorable during the drier climate, as they have to trek through the blazing sun, climb steep hills and cross creeks on feeble makeshift bridges.

Just at the end of the trail, there is an eroding hill which the children have to scramble down to complete their journey.

Mora Camp and Kalcoon are located approximate-

ly two miles off the Potaro Road, along the bank of the Mazaruni River on the opposite side of the Mazaruni Prison.

They form part of the municipality of Bartica.

The two villages combined have a population of 300, with some 100 who use the swampy trail to get in and out of the communities.

There is an alternative route called “Monestry”, a longer stretch of road which is also in a deplorable condition.

Residents opt to use the

Students after a tiring journey through the trail

World Day Against Child Labour

Guyana’s workforce no place for children – CCPA Director

By Rennella Bourne

A

s Guyana joins with the rest of the world to observe World Day Against Child Labour today, Director of the Child Care and Protection Agency Anne Greene says the workforce in Guyana has no place for children.

Traversing the streets of Georgetown, children can be seen selling water, plantain chips, chicken foot, fruits and several other small items.

A 10-year-old boy was observed selling plantain chips in the heart of the city and at the seawall many nights, way past normal bedtime for children. While on the seawall the boy would usually walk back and forth in the vicinity of the Band Stand shouting “plantain chip for sell! Plantain chip for sell!”

Despite this child is not being taken to the seawall with parents and being catered to like the children he is selling to, he has never acted shy or unconfident of what he is doing.

Speaking with Guyana Times the child disclosed that his mother would make the plantain chips while he and his other siblings are at school. Standing confidently as he spoke with this newspaper, the child said when he and his siblings return home from school, he being the eldest, he would have to head to the streets to secure an income for his single-parent family.

The boy is a brilliant child whom one can never confuse with his sales money. Many times the child is seen traversing the seawall until his basket is empty.

This is routine for this child. His basket seems to be larger on weekends and he said he gets to go home earlier on the weekends since people are quicker to buy his plantain chips.

This publication observed that a man, who seemed very dissatisfied with the work the child was doing on the seawall, called the child and asked him how many plantain chips he had remaining, to which the child responded 13. The man then took out $1300 from his wallet, paid the child, and sent him home immediately.

The emotional child could not have stopped thanking the man for his kind deed: “Thank you uncle, thank you so much, good night.” The child then went his way.

In an interview with Guyana Times, CCPA’s Director Green was dismissive of such actions by parents of sending their children to help make ends meet at their homes.

“Let the parents themselves come out and sell, children should be at home preparing for school the next day, not selling things on the road.

These parents have to be careful, a lot of parents that are vendors say that these children are only helping out and

it is better to keep them close to them after school rather than to have them go astray at home,” added Greene.

There is a compulsory age for education and as such any child working under the age of 15 is in violation of the legislation, Greene noted.

Additionally she said: “We know that poverty plays a major role in child labour but you cannot send out children to work at the expense of their education. We are currently working to address the issue of poverty in homes because it is horrible to have our children working when they should be at school.”

Recently, a 16-yearold student who is just a year above the Protection of Children Act law was shot during a failed robbery at a Chinese Restaurant and is still hospitalised and awaiting surgery to have the bullet lodged in her throat removed.

Onika Luke of Vryheid’s Lust, East Coast Demerara, worked part-time at the Chinese Restaurant after school to gain resources for her development.

Greene commenting on the matter noted that this is an unfortunate incident that the teen had to endure: “I am really sorry that she had to work in that environment which is vulnerable to such activities, however she is of age that can do a little work.

Any 16-year-old can enter the work force to some extent and provide for themselves.”

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SunDAY, JUNE 12, 2016 | guyana-times.com

Winning from racism Association advocates for cultivation

By Ryhaan Shah

W

e all agree that Guyana’s underdevelopment is rooted in the racial/political divide and with no political will on either side to heal that divide, it stands to reason that both our major parties must profit from it.

Many were fooled by the APNU/AFC Coalition’s campaign for change. They have since realised that they had been completely taken in since the country is experiencing a renewed vigour in racism at every level of society.

From the time the Coalition won, African-Guyanese took to the streets to taunt the “coolie” with their victory in a naked show of racial triumphalism and with the tacit approval of the Coalition partners. The Ryhaan Shah “coolie” of course has been in the crosshairs of Guyana’s racial/political violence since the 1960s.

Premier Cheddi Jagan and Home Affairs Minister Janet Jagan were both aware of the issue of Indian insecurity since then.

During the two-day spree of brutalities known as the Wismar Massacre, the Jagans knew from official reports that AfricanGuyanese police stood by and watched as Indian women and girls were raped, and Indians were assaulted and their properties burned.

Both the International Council of Jurists’ and the Disciplined Forces Commission’s reports – compiled over three decades apart – recommended that the country’s armed forces must reflect the diverse racial composition of the society if ethnic stability and peace are to be secured.

The PPP/C during its 23-year tenure effected no such reforms. The million dollar question is: why?

The party must feel that it profits from Indian insecurity as much as the PNC does. Indians huddled together in fear of the PNC and its supporters must be easy political pickings for the PPP. Ensuring a common enemy is the laziest strategy ever used to unite people.

The PPP might win office but they never hold power. Its appeasement policies towards African-Guyanese are limited in their effectiveness and even the manufacturing and commercial sectors, seen as PPP supporters for being Indian, invest cautiously since their business premises are often targets for destruction during PNC-led political protests.

Perhaps, if African-Guyanese owned city businesses the threat of “matches being lit”, as was openly voiced in the days after the last general elections, might be tempered since they would also stand to lose. But with city vendors who have held “spots” for upwards of one or two decades not translating profits into business expansion or property ownership this might not happen anytime soon.

For the PNC, keeping the racism alive also works for them in their quest for political dominance. They have discovered that they can actually get away – and literally – with murder. They control the armed forces, the public service and the country’s streets and even when they are not in government their formidable force of “kith and kin” are always at their beck and call.

They have a battery of African-Guyanese leaders ready to justify their political/racial violence through sycophantic media outlets with cries of marginalisation and victimisation, neither of which ever holds up to scrutiny.

Also on their side are the Indians whose psychosis of selfhatred is given much media space where they display their inverse racism in order to gain acceptance from African-Guyanese. The universal idea that Africans are the world’s victims by way of slavery and racial prejudice plays well for African-Guyanese.

Perhaps, the PPP’s appeasement arises from an acceptance of this narrative of African victimhood which always puts Indians in the defensive position of having to explain themselves even when they are the targets and victims of African-Guyanese terrorism.

It’s understandable that the diplomatic community of former slave-owning colonies might well support this world view. They helped to leverage the PNC back into power through the farce of AFC “unity” which has since unravelled. The local government elections, on which they insisted, simply endorsed the ethnic arithmetic that never changes anything but which satisfied them of our democratic credentials.

And the concept of social cohesion borrowed from Europe which has to craft policies to deal with an influx of immigrants is mere talk here. However, the talk show is probably all that is required since the divide keeps us poor and dependent on international aid, and makes Guyana vulnerable to foreign manipulation.

Given that the key political players gain from Guyana’s racial divide, the racism will continue even as our pattern of migration northward shows that we, the people, do want to live in progressive countries where fairness, merit and justice are the guiding principles of nationhood.

We must ask ourselves, then, why we continue to support the divide that furthers Guyana’s failure.

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

of industrial hemp in Guyana

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ver 250 persons on Saturday passed a resolution and signed a petition calling on the Government to amend the relevant laws of Guyana and give its no objections to the cultivation of industrial hemp locally.

This was done at the Guyana Hemp Association (GHA) national consultation, which was held at the Critchlow Labour College on Saturday to discuss the production of hemp in Guyana. The Association’s objective of producing this herb is to eradicate poverty which will vastly increase employment and build Guyana’s economy, it said.

Several presentations were made to the US-based experts on hemp production and legislation.

Co-founder of Neurvana, Vijay Doerga, addressing the audience and the USbased experts disclosed that it is important to sensitise people about the herb

in order for them to make an informed measurement between the rice and sugar industries and high income potential that hemp can contribute towards the economy.

“What we are doing here is sensitising you and letting you know that you were misled decades ago. The western world is greatly adjusting to it and Canada and other coun-

tries have become large exporters of hemp. There is the shortage of hemp. I know hemp will do great here because we are people that know agriculture. We are asking the Government to implement hemp to see a turnaround in the economy.”

According to CoChairman of the GHA, Michael Kirton, a meeting to discuss the production of

the product in Guyana with President David Granger is in the pipeline.

In attendance at the meeting on Saturday were Co-founder of Neurvana, Clayton Williams; Vice President of Green Acres Team, Stanilav Sharmayey; Guyanese expert on Hemp, Peter Williams and President of the Guyana Hemp Association, Dr Turhane Doerga.

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SunDAY, june 12, 2016 | guyana-times.com

Children foundation honours outstanding community leaders Younge’s Take

I'm with her

– Guyana Times journalist awarded

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Dr Gregory Harris of the Linden Hospital Complex receives his award

Guyana Times journalist Utamu Belle receives her award

n observance of its 14th anniversary, the Linden-based Non Governmental Organisation (NGO), For the Children’s Sake Foundation (FCSF) recently hosted a youth empowerment concert and award ceremony in the Region 10 (Upper DemeraraBerbice) community.

The occasion was observed under the theme “Unity is strength. When there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved.” The event saw numerous awardees from across the region being honoured for their outstanding contribution in the areas

Chiedum Okei-Nwabuokei was awarded for volunteer service, among several others in the various categories.

The concert provided an opportunity for secondary school students from within the community to be educated on prominent issues including suicide and poverty, through music, dance, poetry and other art forms.

Exciting performances by Youth For Change, songstress Diana Chapman, Code Red artistes Lil Colwyn and Davey Marley and motivational speeches set the tone of the event held at the Linden Concert Hall and School (LICHAS).

I

of journalism, civic responsibility, community building in and around Region 10, youth development, awards of service and excellence, and volunteer service.

Some awardees included Dr Gregory Harris of the Linden Hospital Complex, who was awarded for his contributions in the area of community building and Guyana Times journalist Utamu Belle was also awarded for her contributions in journalism.

Meanwhile, E Division (Upper Demerara-Berbice) Commander Calvin Brutus was awarded in the civic responsibility category, while

Speaking at the ceremony, Mayor of Linden Carwyn Holland provided encouragement to youths, telling them to always reach for higher heights regardless of their present situation.

He also shared his experiences as a youth growing up in difficult circumstances, while motivating the youths to never give up.

A co-founder of the organisation, Vernon Todd also spread the message of youths being leaders in today’s society, stressing that they are not only future leaders but also the leaders of today.

his week, Hillary Clinton made history in the United States of America. She became the first woman to secure the nomination for a major political party to run for the post of President in that country.

Clinton's success did not come easy and came after a long fight with her party comrade Bernie Sanders at the level of the primaries.

Her triumph also came against the backdrop of an unprecedented wave Michael Younge of attacks on her integrity, trustworthiness and overall political background.

Before clinching the Democratic nomination, Mrs Clinton also had to deal with reoccurring scandals associated with her husband's Presidency and discontent in part with some policy positions she articulated while serving as US Secretary of State and President Barack Obama's Chief Advisor.

In short, Clinton faced attacks from many organisations and politicians because she was a woman and viewed as weak and subordinate to her male political counterparts, and because of her past perceived transgressions while serving at various levels of Government.

In the end, she emerged victorious and appeared to put all of those criticisms aside for the time being to turn her attention to becoming the US' first woman President.

It must be noted that while President Obama's endorsement of Clinton's bid to become President is solid, it will not help her secure the votes she needs to block a highly popular Donald Trump from outperforming her in the States that matter in November.

Clinton needs to do more at this point to reach out to Sanders as his full endorsement of her will fully unite the Democrats and keep them in the White House. Sanders has the critical support that Clinton needs and should be made her running mate.

Also, Clinton needs to strengthen her political rhetoric and focus more on explaining her policy positions on key issues that are of concern to the American electorate. These include revamping and expanding key health laws, improving social security, reducing unemployment, strengthening immigration laws, dealing with measures to boost the country's sluggish economy and reforming Obama's foreign policy agenda while addressing the interests of America's Private Sector.

So far Clinton has been soft on Trump and her campaign has been weak at painting him as incompetent and unfit for the presidency. The current spate of ads need to be reworked to expose the craziness behind Trumpism while constantly reminding Americans that Trump is power drunk and no different from Adolph Hilter in some respects because he believes that Americans especially pure Whites are superior to other races and creeds of people.

She also needs quickly to become more open and transparent with the media, making more time to hold press conferences and engagements with the hope of setting their agenda and the public's agenda by extension.

Clinton has to demonstrate that she has the testicular ability to romp with Trump and must take some hard shots at him using his own unconventional political dialogue with fully descending into the proverbial trenches.

If she wants to win over the millions of Republicans who are dissatisfied with Trump's nomination, then Clinton must also campaign not only as a Democrat but a person who will respect Republicanism and their viewpoint on important issues.

The next few months will prove intriguing and Clinton may burn out if she does not focus herself on image management and appearing more grassroots oriented. She needs to define how her presidency will differ from Obama and what aspects of his legacy she will be happy to continue while going after the youth votes.

These elections this time around will impact the world agenda and the health of US and Middle East relations, US and Latin American relations and US and Asian relations.

It will also send a signal to developing and under developed countries about the pysche of the American people and their outlook on domestic as well as international affairs.

For Guyana, these elections are also important because while ruling Democrat Governments have been more sympathetic to our needs and challenges, history would show the opposite for many Republican Governments.

We also have a large number of Guyanese residing illegally and legally abroad and if Trump wins, his immigration laws could lead to increased levels of deportation and a further decline in remittances and foreign direct investments from the US. Trump cannot and must not become the next US President. Hillary must do all that is possible to ensure that his success and winning streak ends in November.

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SunDAY, JUNE 12, 2016 | guyana-times.com

Political unwillingness persists on LGBT matters – SASOD … reflections in observation of 13 years in Guyana By: Lorraine Ince-Carvalhal

Understanding how we learn best can help teaching

I

t certainly is heartening news that the curriculum is being revamped, but honestly, no matter how diverse the curriculum is and how good the content is, without using a variety of good teaching styles to deliver it, children will not enjoy the benefits.

The style of teaching employed by many schools is not engaging to enough of the students, nor does it encourage critical thinking, and instead students are being fed copious amounts of information that only some are able to recall to pass exams. What happens when these children are called upon to apply that knowledge or to think outside the box?

The continued reliance on classroom and book-based teaching, repetition and pressured exams for reinforcement and review can often result in a divide between students who are considered bright and those who are not. In fact, the divide is often more accurately - those who favour the delivery style and those who do not. Many very bright students fail to reach their potential due to this, and from an early age they fail to learn, find themselves in lower classes, have negative labels attached to them, and sometimes receive lower quality teaching. This can create negative spirals that are difficult to redirect and can also lead to disruptive behaviour from those who are failing to engage.

In order to reach all of the students the importance of preferred learning styles needs to be accepted and applied. Learning styles group common ways that people learn. There are many different types of learning styles but the three basics are Visual, Auditory and Kinaesthetic.

Within the visual style there are two sub-channels; visual –linguistic and visual-spatial. Learners who like to learn through written language, such as reading and writing tasks are known as visual-linguistic. They remember what has been written down even if they do not read it more than once. They benefit from the current styles most broadly used but their learning can be further enhanced by the use of detailed hand-outs if students do not have access to the materials used in a lesson with space for note taking and key points emphasised.

Also the use of flip-charts or details on the board of what has been presented and what is to come next helps reinforce learning.

Learners who are visual-spatial usually have difficulty with written language and do better with charts, demonstrations, videos and other visual materials. Teachers can integrate this style into the learning environment by using more graphs, charts, illustrations, or other visual aids. Include outlines, concept maps, agendas and illustrations whenever possible. Brainstorming, using questioning to draw out thinking, encouraging dialogue and group discussion is all beneficial to this preferred learning style.

Kinaesthetic learners do best while touching and moving. If there is little or no external stimulation or movement their concentration is easily lost. They like to take colourful notes; using pictures and diagrams. While many may see this as difficult practice past kindergarten, getting learners up and moving during activities is good for this type preferred style and all other students. The use of colour to emphasise key points on the board or on flipcharts makes the points more memorable. Frequent breaks keep the concentration levels high.

Everyone has a mix of learning styles. Some people have a dominant style of learning, with far less use of the other styles. Others use different styles in different circumstances.

There is no right style or right mix. Nor are styles fixed. By recognising and understanding learning styles techniques better suited to students can be employed.

Using a variety of practices the speed and quality of learning will be improved, teaching and learning will be more interesting for both teacher and student, pupils will be more likely to reach their potential and develop application skills.

In turn the behaviour of the pupils will improve, more respectful relations will be built and the access to learning will be greater.

E

ven after 13 years of robust advocacy and campaigns, the Society Against Sexual Orientation Discrimination (SASOD) Guyana observed that the political will to address issues affecting the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community remains largely unchanged.

SASOD Guyana hosted a discussion forum in observance of its 13th anniversary on June 7, where LGBT human rights advocates and organisations reflected on the struggles and progress made in reducing the discrimination against those vulnerable groups in society.

The discussions were moderated by SASOD Managing Director Joel Simpson and the panel included Lecturer in the Department of Sociology at the University of Guyana, Dr Jewel Thomas, transgender advocate Antonio Paul, and University of West Indies student of Sociology and Gender and Development Studies Derwayne Wills.

Politics

According to the panelists, the LGBT movement in Guyana is bound to make little progress unless the country’s political leaders demonstrate genuine willingness to reduce instances of discrimination and violence against LGBT persons.

Wills posited that the movement needs to start with politicians and that the lack of political willing to make the necessary changes and the fear of losing constituencies have contributed significantly to why homophobia persists in the Guyanese society.

“They are afraid to speak out in defence of the weak and poor because they might lose a few voters,” Wills remarked.

It was also observed that extreme homophobia and punitive laws are still being enforced by the State, creating a difficult society as discrimination and prejudice with extreme homophobia supported by the State stifles and chokes many vulnerable communities, especially in rural areas. She said though this is a terrible social ill, it can lead to stronger inter-personal relationships and people who feel weak or voiceless can come together to find community support – much like what is seen in the LGBT community with SASOD and the Guyana Trans United (GTU).

“Homophobia robs people of the right to speak and participate in societies. What we see is that LGBT people will then have to navigate in their own space and are effectively being made refugees in their own countries.

It really is a difficult society when homophobia is left to foster, much less endorsed

Panellists: From left, Dr Thomas, Antonio Paul, Derwayne Wills and Joel Simpson

by the State,” Dr Thomas lamented.

Living in a “difficult society”

Paul, a community advocate, commonly known as “Sir Paul” in her Vreed-enHoop neighbourhood reminisced on her experience growing up, knowing since the age of 11 that she – a male-to-female transgender – felt different.

She explained that for her, there were many challenges in the Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) community where she grew up, but she used her education to progress in society and attached to influ-

ential community leaders like teachers to gain more knowledge and eventually respect.

“You have to establish yourself,” she said.

A trained Cyril Potter College of Education teacher, Paul taught in the West Demerara region, sits on the Regional Health Committee, and manages various projects in the Region Three administration. “The West Side is one of the best places in Guyana to live and belong, we have a strong transgender community and we are all in it to develop the entire re-

gion as a whole,” she commented.

Media

Calls were also made for the media to play a more integral role in the fight against LGBT discrimination and violence.

“The role of the media, particularly the State media,” Wills, also a member of the media fraternity, expressed.

He continued, “The media should be really be giving voice to minority groups, marginalised communities, and really legitimising the existence of these vulnerable groups in our society.”

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SunDAY, JUNE 12, 2016 | guyana-times.com

Leonora Hospital road Region 2 Department of Education in deplorable state raises awareness on child labour

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he road leading to the Leonora Cottage Hospital, West Coast Demerara (WCD) is in need of urgent rehabilitation.

The road is in a poor condition with numerous potholes. The Leonora Cottage Hospital is one of the leading hospitals in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara) and as such the road should reflect such, Regional Chairman Julius Faerber told this publication.

According to the chairman, he has made numerous calls to have the road rectified but to no avail.

Thus he is calling once again for urgent attention to be placed on the road by the Public Infrastructure Ministry.

Health officials at the hospital have also been calling for the road to be rectified as it proves difficult for vehicles, especially ambulances that use the road.

The Public Infrastructure Ministry could not be reached for a comment on the issue on Saturday.

Regional Chairman Julius Faerber

A section of the gathering at the spelling bee competition

By Indrawattie Natram

T

he Region Two (Pomeroon - Supenaam) Department of Education over last weekend conducted several activities throughout the Region and in the Pomeroon River, raising awareness on Child Labour.

According to senior School Welfare Officer Haimraj Hamandeo, the Region has joined the rest of Guyana to observe International Day against Child Labour, which is today.

According

to Hamandeo the first activity was a child labour spelling bee competition which saw participation from all primary schools. Copping first position was Taymouth Manor while Suddie and Hampton Court came in second and third, respectively.

He added that the second activity was an impromptu speech competition, which saw the participation of the dormitory students from within the region. The topics were centred on child labour and child sexual abuse.

Charity students collected the first place prize while Anna Regina Multilateral Secondary collected second and third prizes.

The week of activity concluded at Lower Pomeroon with a workshop at Wakapoa Secondary.

The workshop saw the participation of approximately 40 parents and community members. Facilitating the workshop was Hamandeo, Labour Officer Jason Narine, and School Welfare Officer, Meenawattie.

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SunDAY, JUNE 12, 2016 | guyanatimesGY.com

Anna’s

The South Indigenous Group and FPIC

By Anna Correia

T

he amendment of the Amerindian Act 6–2006 has been on the agenda of the Amerindian Peoples Association (APA) for years, initially supported by Minister Allicock and acolytes in their former positions. And it is a worthy cause insofar as the Anna Correia Act does reveal itself to be incomplete in some aspects, (for instance where mining encumbrances on Amerindian lands are concerned) and that legislation in general, must always be subject to adaptations synchronised to the rhythm of progress in a society.

However, the true motive behind the urge to reform the Act can be object to scepticism, as it stems principally from the notion of ancestral lands. In a recent Guyana Times article, the Minister avoided discussing the titling of ancestral lands, perhaps because he already knows that his Government will not make such commitments. Instead, he emphasised the importance of having the Act reinforce Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC), a concept which he stated to be “enshrined in the Act” but “ignored over the years”. Interestingly, the Minister seemed unaware that the term FPIC does not figure at all in the Act, and is therefore not an “enshrined” principle. Instead, one may deduce that processes set out by the Act are responsive to the concept of FPIC, such as the land titling process directed by Part VI of the document. While reinforcing FPIC makes for valid revision, it is just a mask for other motives.

Incidentally, the Minister in his deliverance, spoke of the necessity to include stakeholders in the process of amendment of the Act, and highlighted the importance of the “South Indigenous Group”, presumably the South Central Peoples Development Association (SCEPDA). If it is that he is indeed referring to SCEPDA, then it comes as a surprise to those who are informed of the group’s agenda, as well as of the fact that is an extension of the APA. The group is headed by Nicholas Fredericks, son-in-law of the APA’s very own Tony James. It purports to defend the land rights of the Amerindians of South Central Rupununi. Yet, the majority of villages in the Rupununi are titled and many have already applied for extension under the Amerindian Land Titling Project. So the question is, what land rights exactly is this group fighting for, so that it should suddenly be considered such an important element to the revision of the Act? Evidently, Minister Allicock for the sake of tempering public reaction, omitted that the group is actually fighting for some 17 villages in the Rupununi to merge their lands, so that the Wapishana people (mainly) would become owners of the entire portion of Guyana extending from Central Rupununi downwards. In order to achieve this, the group relies directly on the support of the APA which through its lawyer – a nonGuyanese who has had a hand in most of the land cases supported by the organisation - is lobbying Toshaos. Toshaos are reportedly being bought without the Free, Prior and Informed Consent of their people, in violation of the UNDRIP. This by itself should warrant an investigation from Minister Allicock who is so dearly concerned about FPIC. Reports also indicate that the group so far, is unable to obtain the consent of all the Toshaos required to support this malign initiative, for different reasons which range from their objection to the idea, to the fact that they do not wish to be part of SCEPDA. Such is the case of Toshaos in the Deep South, who have already indicated that their lands are not geographically located in South Central Rupununi, and therefore cannot be represented by SCEPDA. Some of these Toshaos have reported the immense pressure to which they are being subjected by the said group and the supporting APA. There have been documented instances in the recent past where Toshaos of South Central made decisions in support of SCEPDA’s agenda, without the knowledge of their Village Councillors. If SCEPDA and the APA are encouraging this, then clearly, they are more prone to disregarding the Amerindian Act than reforming it in the best interest of all Guyanese.

Article 25 of the Act speaks against decision-making of Village Councillors without the informed consent of the entirety of the Council.

It is dangerous for the Ministry to engage stakeholders who do not represent the interests of all Amerindians combined, more so if these stakeholders disregard the fact that the Act is not just a matter of indigenous rights, but of national interest to which all Guyanese are stakeholders.

Send questions & comments to sundayarrow@gmail.com

Diamond residents complain of water woes again

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esidents of Diamond/ Grove Housing Scheme, on the East Bank of Demerara, on Saturday voiced their frustration over the non-supply of potable water to the community for two weeks.

According to residents, for the first week, no water was running through the pipelines and after numerous complaints, the community began receiving water at a low pressure. However, residents stated that the water that finally came through their taps was unclean and unusable.

One Diamond resident who identified herself only as Shanty told Guyana Times “the water stop come for a whole week. No water at all.

Then by the next week, it coming lil bit then cut off and next four hours it gon come for about five mins and gone again. Plus we cant even use the water. It coming out red, red and grumsy and sometimes I does got fine worms

The water provided by GWI to Diamond/Grove residents

in it.”

Other residents asserted that while some persons had stored water in their water tanks, others did not have capacity, and as such, many children were forced to stay at home away from school since there was no water available for them to shower.

“My daughter is 15 years old, she does go town school. I

can’t send the child to school.

Is nah like she is a lil girl. It aint got no water to bathe and we try asking the neighbours fuh water but we can’t do it all the time cause they in the same struggle too,” a mother pointed out.

Another villager highlighted to this publication that as a single parent, her expenses have raised since

the lack of water has forced her to buy distilled water on a daily basis to cook and drink.

“I work domestic right.

I cant use that grumsy water to cook. Before I used to boil the water and cook and throw bleach in it for my children to drink but watch this water. I cant use this. It putting me in nuff expense, I have to buy two big bottle water from the water truck every day, that’s $240 a bottle, $480 a day and I does work for $2500 a day. That’s nuff money because I know how hard I does gotta work for my money.”

Several residents told this newspaper that numerous calls were made to the Guyana Water Incorporated (GWI) and they were informed that the water shortage was due to the breakage of a pipeline within the area. The representatives of GWI however were unable to state when this matter would be rectified.

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SunDAY, june 12, 2016 | guyana-times.com

Region 1 Chairman to move No-confidence motion against REO

By Kizzy Coleman

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egion One (BarimaWaini) Chairman Brentol Ashley has announced that he will be moving a no-confidence motion against the Regional Officer (REO) Executive Leslie Wilburg, as disputes between the REO and the Regional Democratic Council (RDC) spirals.

Speaking at a press conference at Freedom House on Saturday, Ashley said the REO has refused to follow the mandates given to him and is moving beyond his legal authority.

At a recent RDC statutory meeting a number of issues were raised by the various standing committees that were to be addressed by the council.

According to the chairman, as a result of the questions being posed by the RDC

councillors regarding the nonimplementation of works programme in the region, Wilburg became defensive, causing the meeting to be adjourned.

“He and his officers became defensive for their inaction and their slowness in implementing works for the region. And also they were very reluctant to give clarity to questions when it comes to the usage of finances in the RDC,” Ashley said.

According to the chairman, the REO has made it clear to Council that he and his officers do not have to carry out instructions given by the RDC, which is contrary to the Constitution in Article 28:01.

“The REO on Thursday last in his capacity of cooperate council would have clearly shown great disrespect for the authority of the RDC and also disrespect for the office of the Regional Chairman and Vice Chairman and would have

Regional Chairman Brentol Ashley along with Vice Chairman Sarah Browne

also made it very clear that he and his officers do not have to carry out any instruction given by the RDC because they are not mandated to do so. The constitution in article 28:01 as well as the Manual of Guides to be followed by the regional chairs, vice chairs and council-

lors indicates differently from what he would’ve said.”

The chairman went on: “The committee reports that were being discussed at the time of the abrupt adjournment of the RDC meeting was finance and it came out of one councillor from the APNU/ AFC Coalition, questioning the Clerk of Councils/REO to give clarity as to why close to $800,000 was spent without permission,” Ashley added.

Additional complaints

voiced by the Regional Chairman divulged that himself along with the Vice Chairman have been without vehicles for a considerable period as the money to acquire this cannot accounted for by the REO. “When questioned on this, the REO puts himself in defence as to why he was spending the money, making it clear to Council that as the Accounting Officer of the region he can spend money because he is the one that approves it. This is contrary to what is actually the case, the money that is given by Central Government is not given to the REO, it is given to the RDC and is implemented by the REO and the other staff with the guidance by the RDC.” The Chairman is calling for the ‘disrespect and undermining’ by the REO to cease as the decision have been made to file for a no-confidence motion if the matter continues.

“We at the level of the RDC will not be subjected to disrespect or undermining of the authority of such an elected

body and more so will not give way to anyone being insubordinate and not carrying out the function that they are appointed to do”.

The RDC councillors are calling for the REO to become acquainted with the rules and responsibilities to be carried out and to act within the confines of what the constitution prescribes.

They are also calling for the council to be able to carry out its mandate as they are the representatives of the people of the region.

“Allow us, the council to carry out its mandates because the council is there to represent the people of region irrespective of their political affiliation, their religion or their ethnicity, and we will continue to do so. So we will not give up the struggle for the people of Region One because we firmly believe that the people of Region One deserves better, they must have better; and those that are entrusted with the responsibility to do so, to carry it out in a very sober and very professional manner.”

News

19

sundAY, june 12, 2016 | guyana-times.com

Radio Mabaruma to be officially launched today

Expulsion of Swami Shivashankarananda

Guyana Sevashram Sangha explains action ... ex Swami registered new body to maintain control

E

xecutive Members of the Guyana Sevashram Sangha have explained their recent decision to expel Swami Shivashankarananda, previously known as Suraj Singh, the administrator of the Cove and John Ashram.

On Friday, the executive body announced via an advertisement in a local newspaper the expulsion of the Swami (monk), upon instruction by the board of directors of the parent Bharat Sevashram Sangha, based in India. The Sangha founded in 1917 has many ashrams around the world including Guyana.

In accordance with the Sampradaya principle of Hinduism, authority in the organisation is based on the guru-shishya (mentor-student) tradition in which senior monks train individuals called Bramacharyas who are then invested with authority as Swamis or monks at some appropriate time. The authority always flows downward from the most senior monks of the Sangha at the Indian Main Ashram.

Speaking with Guyana Times on Saturday, longserving member and Advisor to the local executive board governing the Guyana Sevashram Sangha, Nawrang Persaud, explained that even though the Singh was relieved of his “Swami” title and asked to leave the Cove and John Ashram premises, former Swami Shivashankarananda has refused to accept a decision transmitted by two senior swamis who were appointed by the India-based Head Office to take over the management of the Guyana Sangha.

It is understood that there is a group of individuals who are behind the ex-Swami to seize control of the Ashram which has vast holdings of land and property. They have registered an organisation at the Deeds Registry under the Miscellaneous Deed process, whereas the Ashram, under its present trustees and board, is properly and legally registered under the Friendly Society Act. Persaud related that following the death of his predecessor, Swami Vidyanandaji Maharaj, (former Head of the Cove and John Ashram) in October last year, former Swami Shivashankarananda was appointed administrator of Guyana Chapter, in accordance with the authority structure flowing from India.

However, Persaud noted that while he was there for a number of years as a Brahmachari he was elevat-

Expelled Swami Shivashankarananda, previously known as Suraj Singh

ed to the position of swami somewhat as a matter of expediency.

“He assumed head of this organisation without the full background and training and skills, and so on… But from the time he came on, the organisation started going downhill because he did not have the leadership skills, he did not have sufficient knowledge of Hinduism or the Sangha organisation,” Persaud said.

He went on to highlight that former Swami Shivashankarananda’s shortcomings became obvious as time progressed but he was not amendable to advice from elders at the helm of the local Sangha as is customary.

It was noted that complaints by the public and members against the now ex-swami for violations of the rules, to the Senior Swamis of the Order began even before his appointment as head of the Ashram.

“He was thrust into a position of authority but he did not have the capacity to handle that length of responsibility so a number of things went wrong, including two instances that have come to light about his personal life not being in synced with the behaviour of someone who is a religious leader… so all these things became known to the Head Office of this organisation,” the advisor stated.

Out of grave concern for his behaviour, the Head Office summoned him to India for a face-to-face meeting as an “attempt to rehabilitate” him from his conduct, but he refused to make the visit by the April 27, 2016 deadline.

Following this, a second attempt was made at his rehabilitation in May when the India-based Head Office ordered his transfer from the Guyana Sevashram to the Los Angeles Sevashram Sangha in the United States, where he would have been under the direct supervision of Swami Purnatmananda-

ji Maharaj, Secretary of all Western Branches of the Bharat Sevashram Sangha.

In that environment he would have been trained for tasks that he could not perform henceforth, within the guru-shishya tradition.

However, he again refused to be relocated and instead, accused senior Swamis Bhajanananda of Canada and Shiveshwarananda of USA, who were directly deputed by the Head Office to manage the affairs of the Guyana Chapter, of not having the authority of the Bharat Sevashram Sangha.

This forced the Head Office to send one of its more senior monks, Swami Atmajnanananda, the Secretary of the Dehli Branch, to personally deliver the letter (dated June 7) of his expulsion.

However, Persaud explained that before the letter was handed to him, Purnatmananda-ji Maharaj who also accompanied Swami Atmajnananda, earlier this week met with the former monk and pleaded with him to travel to Los Angeles to redeem himself.

“Swami-ji was telling him that even though you have this expulsion letter, we can still appeal for you to go to Los Angeles but he was abusive to Swami-ji, who was begging him with folded hands, pleading for him to go back with him…

He refused to acknowledge the need to improve himself and to become a better leader. He didn’t accept it.”

Persaud added.

The member told this newspaper that the decision was not an off-the-cuff one but was reluctantly taken after all other measures failed. In one of the correspondences from the Head Office to the former swami, which was seen by Guyana Times, several concrete instances of improper actions were cited.

Speaking to several prominent members of the local Hindu Community, both lay and ordained, Guyana Times was told that outsiders cannot overrule the authority of a Monastic Order such as the Bharatiya Sevashrama Sangh even through legal manipulations and technicalities.

Such an approach is antithetical to the fundamental tenets of Hinduism, which makes decisions based on the senior monks reaching consensus through discussion on issues.

The local officials of the Ashram emphasised that the avenue for the expelled swami to be rehabilitated and returned to the fold is still open once the guru-shishya tradition is followed.

T

he second community radio station, Radio Mabaruma 95.1 FM will be officially launched today. The official programme is scheduled to take place in the Mabaruma Sub-District, Region One

(Barima-Waini).

This will be the first radio station in the North West District.

It is anticipated that like Radio Paiwomak and Radio Lethem – local community produced pro-

grammes – will be broadcast in addition to national programmes.

On May 22, 2016, Radio Lethem 95.1 FM was launched in Lethem, Region Nine (Upper Takatu-Upper Essequibo).

Clinton leads Trump by 11 points in White House race: Reuters/Ipsos poll

H

illary Clinton leads Donald Trump by 11 points in the U.S. presidential race, showing little change after she became the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee this week, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Friday.

The online poll, conducted from Monday to Friday, shows 46 percent of likely voters support Clinton while 34.8 percent back Trump.

Another 19.2 percent support neither candidate.

Their parties hold conventions in July ahead of a Nov. 8 election.

Clinton's lead was nearly the same a week ago, before she had amassed enough convention delegates to win the nomination and before Trump drew criticism from leaders of both parties for questioning the impartiality of a Mexican-American judge.

Trump, 69, enjoyed a bigger boost after becoming the presumptive Republican nominee in May. Having trailed Clinton, 68, for most of the year, Trump brief-

Hillary Clinton

ly erased a double-digit gap and pulled about even with the former secretary of state.

Clinton this week defeated party rival Bernie Sanders, 74, in four of six nominating contests, most notably California and New Jersey, and won the endorsements of President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and other party leaders.

Trump this week sparred with party leaders and struggled with questions about his now-defunct

Trump University. A lawsuit accuses Trump and the for-profit school of defrauding thousands of people, including many who paid as much as $35,000 to learn Trump's real estate strategies.

A wealthy businessman who asserts the lawsuit is politically motivated, Trump said presiding U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel was biased against him because of Trump's plans to build a wall on the border with Mexico. Trump later added that Muslim judges could be biased against him also because of his pledge to temporarily ban Muslims from entering the country.

Trump's comments drew sharp criticism from Republican leaders, including House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Trump later said he would no longer talk about the judge.

Friday's results had 1,276 respondents and a credibility interval, a measure of accuracy, of 3.2 percentage points. (Reuters)

SunDAY, JUNE 12, 2016

20

England v Sri Lanka, 3rd Test, Lord’s

England in front as bowlers take control

C

hris Woakes took 3-31 as England bowled Sri Lanka out for 288 to take a grip on the third Test at Lord’s.

Woakes took the key wickets of Kusal Mendis and Angelo Mathews and was well supported by Steven Finn’s 3-59 as the tourists slumped from 162-1 overnight, as only Kusal Perera (42) resisted.

Under-pressure England man Nick Compton was out for 19 as the hosts lost three wickets for five runs in reply.

Nevertheless they closed day three on 109-4, leading by 237.

Jonny Bairstow was out for 32 before the close, one of three wickets for the impressive Nuwan Pradeep, but Alex Hales remains unbeaten on 41.

Victory in this match will give England the series 3-0 having won the previous Tests at Headingley and Chester-leStreet.

For much of this series, and indeed recent series, England’s main wicket-taking threat has come from the enduring class of James Anderson and Stuart Broad.

But instead it was Woakes and Finn who took centrestage as Sri Lanka’s habit of losing wickets in clusters once

from Pradeep - and, one ball later, Vince, bowled shouldering arms to the same bowler.

With 54 runs at 13.5, Vince has scarcely fared any better than Compton in this series, and while he will surely be given the series against Pakistan, he still has much to do to prove

Nuwan Pradeep struck in consecutive deliveries

again bedevilled them.

Woakes should have had a wicket with his first ball on Friday - only to see Dimuth Karunaratne dropped by Bairstow - but this time he did strike with his first delivery of the day, pinning Mendis lbw for 25, before he had Mathews caught at slip for three.

Finn, bowling with by far his best rhythm of the series, then had Dinesh Chandimal lbw for 19 and enticed Lahiru Thirimanne to edge to slip for 17.

Their form will pose a dilemma for the England selectors, with one of the two likely to lose their place when allrounder Ben Stokes returns from injury.

Having established a 128run first-innings lead, England were forced to turn to an unfamiliar opening combination, with Alastair Cook unavailable having gone for a scan on a knee injury sustained at silly point.

However, Compton’s promotion up the order to the position in which he played his first nine Tests for England did little to revitalise his fortunes, as he nicked Eranga behind.

Having mustered just 51 runs at an average of 12.75 in this series, the likelihood must be that 32-year-old Compton’s 16th Test will be his last.

He was swiftly followed back to the pavilion by Joe Root - bowled by a scuttler

extremely well. We just competed like crazy,” Warriors head coach Steve Kerr told reporters. “It was a great response from Game Three, where we were really embarrassed by our performance.”

Stephen Curry powered Golden State, who lost by 30 points on Wednesday, by scoring a game-high 38 while Kyrie Irving led the Cavaliers with 34 points.

James had 25 points and 13 rebounds for his 10th doubledouble of the postseason.

Of the 32 teams that have faced a 3-1 deficit in the NBA

Finals none have ever come back to win the championship.

Cavaliers coach But Tyronn Lue, well aware that the odds are stacked against his team, had a blunt message.

“If you don’t think we can win, don’t get on the plane. I just think we’ve got to come back anyway, so we might as well come back and play,” said Lue, about the possibility of forcing a Game Six. “We’ve got to come back to Cleveland, don’t we?”

mate Max Verstappen for fourth by 0.248secs.

Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen took sixth from Williams’ Valtteri Bottas and Felipe Massa.

Neither Mercedes driver improved on their final runs as Vettel, who until then had been more than half a second behind, got closer than he has managed all season.

But Hamilton and Rosberg had done enough

with their first laps, which were 0.4secs quicker than anyone else at the time.

It was exactly what Hamilton wanted as he seeks to close a still-significant gap on Rosberg in the championship after a difficult start to the season.

His Monaco win cut his deficit to 24 points - but that is still nearly a complete win behind.

Warriors beat Cavs and move to brink of NBA title

T

he Golden State Warriors bounced back from an embarrassing road loss two days ago to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 108-97 on Friday and move one win away from a second consecutive NBA championship.

The win was a devastating blow to LeBron James’s Cavaliers, who lost their first home game of the postseason and now trail the best-ofseven NBA Finals 3-1 with Game Five scheduled for Monday in Oakland.

“All of our guys played

Hamilton beats Rosberg to Canadian GP pole position

L

ewis Hamilton beat Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg to pole position at the Canadian Grand Prix.

The world champion, who took his first win of 2016 in Monaco two weeks ago, beat the German by just 0.062 seconds.

Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel was third, just 0.116secs off pole, as Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo displaced team-

himself in Test cricket.

It has been a tumultuous 24 hours for England captain Cook, who was made a CBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list announced on Friday.

But he was hit on the knee by a lusty drive from Perera and went to hospital for a

scan, meaning that - for the first time since 2006 - England opened the batting in a home Test without the Essex man.

However, the scan revealed nothing more sinister than bruising and Cook is expected to bat in the morning. (BBC Sport)

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21

Copa America Centenario, USA 2016

Argentina Maul Panama 6-0

2016 – HC – CIV-W-62. IN THE HIGH COURT OF THE SUPREME COURT CIVIL JURISDICTION BETWEEN: WAVENEY ABRAMS Plaintiff -AndDEXTER ABRAMS Defendant. TO: Dexter Abrams 675 “B” Field Sophia, East Coast Demerara. NOTICE OF n the face of Lionel Messi PUBLICATION: TAKE NOTICE that a writ of summons has been filed being criticized by legendin the Supreme Court Registry ary Dieago Maradona, (Demerara) against you on the 22nd The Argentine captain reday of February, 2016 by Waveney turned to shut down those critAbrams, for the following Orders: icisms with a master class sec a) Declaration that the plaintiff

is entitled to sever the joint ond half hatrick on Friday as

ownership of the property Argentina Mauled Panama

situated at Zone: E.C.D, Block: 5:0 in their group D encounter.

Even though Coach XXIV, Parcel: 400 Part of Buxton.

b) An order that the Plaintiff and Gerardo Martino declared

the Defendant have separate Messi fit to play, the five time

accounts with the Guyana Ballon D’or winner was named

Electricity and Guyana Water a substitute, Messi came off

Incorporated.

the bench to take the game by

c) An order that with the requisite storm.

permission a fence separating the Nicolas Otamendi took first

property in half into the Plaintiff’s blood in the Seventh Minute.

half and the Defendant’s half.

Anibal Godoy got a red card

d) An order that the Defendant with just past the half hour mark

the requisite permission have a allowing messi to capitalize on

separate entrance to the West of a 10 man team, scoring in the

the property and the Plaintiff on 68th minute.

the East of the property.

Messi came again ten mine) An order that the Plaintiff and the utes later to his 53rd interna Defendant are entitled to their

tional goal.

own transports.

Substitute Sergio Aguero

An order that if the Defendant is f)

desirous of selling his half that the scored from close range in the 90th minute as the spirited

Plaintiff be given first preference.

g) Such further or other relief that Panama side was blown away

in the second half. this Honorable Court deems just.

h) Costs.

Back-to-back wins saw

Argentina improve to six UPON APPLICATION in person or by letter to Mr. Jailall T. Kissoon, Ms. points, meaning the 14-time Rishi R. Kissoon, Mr. Sandil S. Kissoon Copa winner cannot be elimand Ms. Rishi R. Kissoon and Mr. inated as defending champiSatyesh S. Kissoon, Attorneys –at- on Chile and Panama sit three law of Lot 99 Hadfield Street, Werken-Rust, Georgetown, Demerara, points adrift ahead of their fiGuyana, a sealed and certified copy nal-game fixture. of the said application will be delivered and sent to you.

Chile Edge Bolivia 2-1 IF WITHIN twenty- eight (28) days afDefending champions ter the date of the second and final publication of this notice no applica- Chile, ended a three match tion has been made or appearance losing streak while extendentered the Court may proceed to ing Bolivia’s to six, as Chile hear the said Application and pro- defeated Bolivia 2:1 in the nounce judgment in your absence.

Group D clash on Friday night …………………………… For Registrar.

Dated at Georgetown, Demerara, as Arturo Vidal scored a contentious last-gasp penalty to This 18th day of May, 2016.

I

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break the hearts of Bolivia in Foxborough, Massachusetts.

Chile was awarded the penalty try after Luis Gutierrez was called for a hand ball.

Vidal gave Chile a 1-0 lead in the first minute of the second half when he corralled a Bolivia turnover and executed a give-and-go with Mauricio Pinilla and slid a goal past Carlos Lampe. Bolivia tied it the 61st minute when Jhasmani Campos hooked a left-footed free kick just inside the post from 30 yards out.

Chile had a controversial 101st-minute penalty to thank for Friday’s 2-1 win over Bolivia as the side’s Copa America Centenario campaign was re-ignited in Group D. Bolivia’s Jhasmani Campos cancelled out Arturo Vidal’s second-half opener when he scored an incredible free kick midway through the second half at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.

But just as Bolivia looked to have taken a share of the spoils, the assistant referee called a controversial handball in the box to award a penalty against Luis Gutierrez in the eighth minute of stoppage time and Vidal made no mistake from the spot as he dispatched the winner for the defending champion in the 101st minute.

Juan Antonio Pizzi made three changes to the Chile side that lost 2-1 to Argentina in their Copa America opener last week as Mauricio

Lionel Messi scored a hatrick coming off the bench in the second half vs. Panama

Pinilla, Fabian Orellana and Pablo Hernandez came in for Eugenio Mena, Eduardo Vargas and Marcelo Diaz respectively.

Bolivia, meanwhile, was searching for its first win in seven games having lost the last six.

The side was unlucky to have Yasmani Duk ruled offside in the opening 10 minutes when he looked to be onside and through one-on-one only to be denied by the linesman’s flag as he bore down on goal.

Chile still dominated, however, with over 75 percent of possession and in the 39th minute the Bolivia penalty area looked more like a battle field as defenders made a number of scrambling blocks, the most impressive of which came from Zenteno who blocked a fierce Sanchez shot on the line, to deny Pizzi’s side a deserved opener and ensure parity at halftime.

But parity did not last long in the second half as Vidal opened the scoring just a minute after the break, netting his first goal for Chile outside of South America having started a delightful move.

Pinilla was released by Vidal into the box and got his head up in time to cut the ball back into a dangerous area, with the latter sharp enough to pounce, turning it into the back of the net courtesy of a simple finish.

But if anyone thought Chile would run away with the win after taking the lead, they were proven wrong when substitute Campos stood over a 61st-minute free kick having just been introduced by coach Julio Baldivieso.

Campos strode to the ball confidently and dispatched an incredible shot that looked to be going well wide before curling in and finding the back of the net via the cross bar as Claudio Bravo was left helpless.

Sanchez was turned away by a brilliant save from Carlos Lampe in the 72nd minute but the Chileans were not to be denied in contentious circumstances as Vidal stepped up and converted a penalty in the 11th minute of stoppage time after Gutierrez was adjudged to have handled the ball inside the area, much to the anger of Bolivia. (goal.com)

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guyana-times.com

sundAY, june 12 , 2016

CPL reunites families

MoH/Petra Organisation Soft Shoe Football…

Holmes Street Tiger Bay humble Sparta Boss

BY JOHN RAMSINGH

By Akeem Greene

he rush for tickets for local matches in this year’s Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) is on with fans buying for their extended family members form near and far.

The ticket office at Camp and Quamina streets in Georgetown which also houses the Guyana Amazon Warriors merchandise shop is a hive of activities since opening its doors on Thursday June 9 with the sale of tickets and merchandise matching each other pound for pound.

Guyana Times Sport spoke to a few patrons at the ticket office who stressed that CPL is really a family event.

Randy Persaud who is a local Drag Racer and auto dealer said he was mandated to purchase tickets early for the ‘perfect’ seats

he Ministry of Health/ Petra Organization Soft Shoe football tournament which is being played under the theme, “Against Gender Based Violence,” continued on Friday at the Parade Ground with 28 goals being scored during the evening matches.

During the goal spree, some huge upsets occurred as defending champions Sparta Boss suffered a shocking defeat to Holmes Street Tiger Bay. The Tiger Bay side powered their way to a 4-2 victory due a superb double by Akeem Saul in the 12th and 18th.

Saul was not the only Tiger bay player to treat himself to two goals, as Jamal Blackman notched goals in the 2nd and 23rd minutes.

Sparta’s goals came off the feet of Eusi Phillips in the 13th and Sheldon Shepherd in the 30th.

North Ruimveldt’s quest for their first win in the tournament continues to be put on hold as they drew 1-1 with Leopold Street.

Rondel Williams put Leopold Street in the lead with a 12th minute goal but in the dying minutes Anthony Sancho scored in the 25th.

Laing Avenue and West Back Road also endured

T

T

Graham Alli

ting together.

Alli stressed that this year he expects the Warriors to take the crown mainly due to the experience of Captain Martin

Randy Persaud

in the green stand where 15 members of his family can sit together and cheer on the Warriors. Most of the 15 Persaud mentioned are from Orlando Florida who asked him to also secure the original replica clothing before it’s all gone. His family who are ardent cricket fans will also be joining the biggest party in sport when the action bowls off in Florida on July 28 and they intend to wear the clothing there to show their support once again.

Graham Alli, club captain of the Georgetown Cricket Club (GCC) was high in praises for the new ticketing office and merchandise shop and stated that his club has a special relationship with CPL that he intends to maintain.

Alli, said that every year the club buys tickets for its members so that they can view the matches as the “GCC Family” all sit-

Guptil and the impressive young Australian legspinner, Adam Zampa. The GCC Executive went on to say that the CPL experience is second to none with knowledgeable fans who create a fantastic atmosphere beyond the boundary while on the field of play the cricket is usually of a high standard.

The Hack family is also growing with CPL and 2016 they are going to higher heights. Zahid Hack said his parents sent the children to pick up tickets early since the relatives from overseas are planning their vacation around the entire CPL, in and out of Guyana. Hack said his cousins who will be on school vacation are super excited to go back to CPL since they intend to watch matches in Guyana, Florida and the finals. On match days, there will be approximately 20 members

of the Hack family repping for the Guyana Amazon Warriors. Hack wasted no time in sharing his family’s experience with photographs of their previous experiences at CPL in Trinidad and Tobago.

Hack stressed that his family are somewhat disappointed that the Barbados Tridents with AB De Villiers will, not be playing at Providence but admitted that he is looking forward to the Warriors opening home game against the Jamaica Tallawahs.

Many of the fans confidently stated that CPL is as big as the Indian Premier league since many West Indian players play in both competitions while in the Caribbean the people know how to have fun when unconsciously creating an electric atmosphere that leaves the world waiting for more.

CPL opens on June 29 while the Guyana Amazon Warriors get into action on June 30 at Warner Park against the St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots. The Warriors will have four matches at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence – on Thursday July 7 at 19:00 Hrs they will open against the Jamaica Tallawahs then on Saturday July 9 they will clash with the St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots from 12:00 Hrs. The grudge match will be the next day (Sunday July 10) when the Warriors meet the Trinbago Knight Riders at 19:00 Hrs. The Guyana leg of matches will wrap up with a 19:00 Hrs meeting with the St. Lucia Zouks.

Tickets are on sale at the new CPL ticket centre at 238 Camp and Quamina streets, Georgetown where the merchandise shop is also located.

Tickets cost $4,000 for the Red and Green stands, $3,000 for the Orange stand and $2,000. Vehicle parking passes are $1,000 each.

Action between Laing Avenue and West Back Road

a one-all draw in a fiercely competed match. Roy Cassou (22nd) and Odel Williams (7th) supplied the goals for the respective teams.

The other matches saw Channel Nine Warriors down Campbellville 4-1.

Joshua Fiffee notched goals in the 15th and 17th and was supported by Ken Wilson, who etched his name onto the score sheet with a double in the 20th and 30th minutes; Adolph George was the lone scorer for Campbellville in the second minute of the match.

Darren Harris and Andre Kerr hit the back of the net in the 2nd and 22nd minutes respectively in Queen Street Tiger Bay 2-0 win over Ministry of Health.

In the final match, Kitty soared to a 5-3 win over Globe Yard despite a hattrick by Leon Richardson who recorded goals in the 18th, 21st and 23rd minutes.

A team effort was the

key in Kitty’s win, with Terrence Lewis and Alpha Sylvester both scoring a double. Lewis scored in the 5th and 27th while Sylvester scored in the 6th and 30th; Nigel Denny was the other scorer in the 17th.

Upon the conclusion of the group stage, the top two finishers from each group along with the four best third place finishers will advance to the knockout round.

The winning team will collect $300,000 and the Championship trophy while the second placed side will receive $200,000 and the runners-up accolade.

On the other hand, the third placed side will receive $100,000 and the respective trophy while the fourth place finishers will pocket $50,000 and the corresponding title.

The action resumes this evening at the Santos Training ground, Brickdam from 19:00 Hrs.

Teachers taught Table Tennis skills in Berbice

National Table Tennis Coach, Linden Johnson (extreme left) with participants at the Port Mourant Training Centre

A

nother successful Basic Table tennis Coaching Course was conducted by the Guyana Table Tennis Association in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Department of Culture Youth and Sports, Department of Allied Arts in Berbice last Thursday and Friday.

The six hour training session was conducted at the Port Mourant Training Centre, Berbice which was easily the most accessible venue for the 14 teachers who participated in the programme.

The programme of theory and practical was conducted by national Table tennis

Coach, Linden Johnson with the majority of the teachers assigned to primary schools in region six.

Johnson indicated to Guyana Times Sport that the programme was a bit of a challenge as most of the teachers were first timers but they gradually developed an understanding of the sport and hoped that the knowledge could be transcended to the students since it is the main objective of the programme to have the students benefit through the reintroduction of table tennis into schools.

The Programme provided the teachers with the ability to be self-supportive and develop a coaching and

administering perspective.

To add to the promotion of the sport each participant received table tennis rackets and six tennis balls to which can be used in the schools.

Johnson further explained that the programme was not the first but the third, having successfully completed the inaugural training in Essequibo, then moved to Bartica where 15 teachers trained and then to Linden having 18 participants.

The coaching course, however, does not end there but will be hoping to continue its next stint in Georgetown later in the year.

guyana-times.com

sundAY, june 12 , 2016

23

Venues change again for Slingerz, Alpha to clash in final Wolf’s Challenge Softball Cup GFF/Stag Elite League Finale...

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t will be a rematch of the Genesis League final when the rivalry between Guyana’ top two football teams clash in the final of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) Stag Elite League Finale after resounding victories in their semi-final matches.

Playing at the Leonora ground on Friday, Slingerz FC and Alpha United romped to comprehensive victories to book to place in the Final of the Elite League once more.

In the first semi-final, Slingerz made light work of Pele FC in their 3-1 win.

Slingerz scorers were Clive Nobrega in the 15th, Julian Wade in the 48th and Trayon Bobb in the 52nd. An own goal by Kester Jacobs in the 11th had given Pele the lead.

In the other match, Alpha “The Hammer United” disposed of Fruta Conquerors by a surging to a 4 nil victory.

Alpha would have played second fiddle to Fruta Conquerors through the League stages made sure they stamped their authority in this match.

Alpha’s goal were due to some skilful plays by the experienced quartet of Anthony Abrams in the 26th, Andrew Murray in the 29th, Delon Lanferman in the 86th and Daniel Wilson in the 93rd.

The final is slated for Sunday June 19 at the same venue and Alpha will have at the back of their minds last year’s 3-2 lost against Slingerz.

Alpha United were too much for Fruta Conquerors in their semifinal game on Friday night at the Leonora Ground

Frutra Conqueoers will still want to end the season on high after finishing second on the points standing as compared to fourth during the Genesis stage, with win over Pele in the third place play-off.

Winner of the League Finale round will pocket $4,000,000 while the second, third and fourth place teams will collect $2,000,000, $1,000,000 and $500,000 respectively. Similarly, the point’s leader prior to the knockout stage in the League Finale round will pocket an additional $1,000,000.

The winners of the Finale round final will be assured of a spot in the 2017 Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Club Championship.

If two different teams win the Genesis and Finale championships, they will face each other in a match to decide the overall champion.

Both teams will advance to the Club Championship.

Should Slingerz win both championships, the final will not be necessary.

In that case, Slingerz and Alpha United (the team with the best aggregate record

Cricket Guy Inc. acquires bowling machines for Coaching Education Program

C

ricket Guy Inc. (CGI) has acquired two bowling machine for the Guyana Jaguars and Academy players. The National age group players and National Female teams are also expected to benefit from this valuable asset.

The bowling machines are expected to benefit training sessions in a favorable way, since it allows for programs to be conducted in a more realistic and meaningful manner, with coaches being enable to structure net sessions in a systematic way that incorporates varying types of learning.

The bowling machine provides batsmen with an opportunity to enhance their strengths as well as explore the challenging batting areas they may face. The machine allows for batsmen to have extended batting practice that may not be otherwise presented by bowlers.

Further, the machine provides for an opportunity for coaches to simulate different types of deliveries that may not be readily available to batsmen base on the nature and quality of bowlers in a given squad.

In addition, the bowling

machine allows for meaningful practice both indoors and outdoors, generally providing a good mix between automated (abstract) practice and actual (real) practice and match context.

President, Mr. Drubahadur indicated that CGI feels delighted to be able to provide such an invaluable asset to the players gear inventory. The players and coaches have highlighted the need for such an equipment, and our organization is today honored to be able to provide such purposeful tool towards the CGI’s coaching education program. CGI continues to assess its pool of players and its available resources, and continually seek to take all necessary and realistic steps to add value to the coaching education process and by so doing, adding purpose and value to the players and team’s performance.

The Guyana Jaguars are the two time defending champions of the West Indies Cricket Board Professional Cricket League Regional Four Day Competition having won the tournament for the past two seasons under the leadership of Leon Johnson.

over both rounds, other than Slingerz) will advance to the CFU Club Championship The season champion will then be crowned when the winner of the League Genesis and League Finale respectively faceoff in a single matchup. That winner will then earn an automatic berth at the CFU level.

Similarly, if one team wins both sections of the championship, they will faceoff with an All-Star team instead of competing in a season playoff.

he long awaited resumption of the Wolf’ Challenge Softball Cup tournament for Male-Open and MaleMasters teams is set for today at two new venues.

Six matches in the Masters category were scheduled for the Everest Cricket Club ground in Georgetown today but are now shifted to the Malteenoes Cricket Club Ground on Thomas Lands

and the Tuschen Ground.

The tournament which is organized by the Guyana Floodlights Softball Cricket Association (GFSCA) started in February this year May with some teams only playing two games while others got in three. There are 12 Masters teams and five Open teams however only the Masters will be in action today.

The fixtures are as follows Malteenoes Ground

Pitch 1: 10:0 Hrs Floodlights vs. Wellman Pitch 1: 13:00 Hrs Fisherman Masters vs. Enterprise Legends Pitch 2: 10:00 Hrs Regal Masters vs. Superior Woods Pitch 2: 13:00 Hrs Tropical Spring vs. HS Masters

Tushen Ground

Centre Pitch: 10:00 Hrs Savage Masters vs. Wolf Warriors Masters Centre Pitch: 13:00 Hrs Parika Defenders vs. Wolf Warriors Masters Weather permitting the Open contest will resume next weekend.

Wayne Jones

SUNDAY, JUNE 12, 2016

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

guyana-times.com

CPL reunites families

Page 22

The Hack extended family supporting the Guyana Amazon Warriors at the Queen’s Park Oval, Trinidad and Tobago in 2015

Cricket Guy Inc. acquires GFF/Stag Elite League Finale... bowling machines for Coaching Education Program Slingerz, Alpha

to clash in final

Page 23 From left; GCB President Drubahadur, National Under-15 coach Julian Moore and National junior panel selector Aotto Christiani with the two bowling machines

Page 23

Semi-final action between Slingerz FC and Pele FC at the Leonora Ground on Friday night

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