GUYANA
The Chronicle is at http://www.guyanachronicle.com
No. 104214 MONDAY JUNE 8, 2015 GUYANA’S MOST WIDELY CIRCULATED NEWSPAPER
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BORDER CONTROVERSY FLARE-UP...
Brigadier Mark Phillips
ARMY READY, ABLE to defend Guyana’s territorial integrity
– Brigadier Page Phillips 3
‘Unstable’ teen disarms, shoots cop in head
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– Colleagues respond, take assailant down in shoot-out
Celebrating with GPSU
Water vendor executed in North Sophia drive-by Page
Victor Fausette
– was shot 15 times
President David Granger being greeted by a parishioner at the St Andrew’s Kirk, on High Street and Brickdam after fellowshipping there with members of the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) to mark the start of their 92nd Anniversary celebrations (Photo courtesy of GINA)
Gov’t grants Venezuela’s Conviasa ‘one-off’ permission to land here 3 Page
– to take stranded countrymen home
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday June 8, 2015
Charlotte Street residents join city beautification drive – rids community of over 14 truck-loads of refuse By Michel Outridge THE prevailing clean-up verve has also encompassed Charlotte Street residents, who have emb a r k e d o n a v i g o ro u s campaign to beautify and sanitise their environment, so much so that they have gotten rid of more than 14 truck-loads
of refuse. Businessman Bunny Singh told this publication yesterday that their efforts started when the neighbours came out and decided to come together to cleanup their surroundings last Friday. Singh is the owner of the Hardware Depot Store on Charlotte Street, and he
is spearheading the exercise between Albert and Oronoque Streets. The businessman said so far they have de-silted the concrete drains and cleaned the parapet of weeds and garbage, and even began scrubbing the road. He stated that they have managed to put in more than 20 hours of cleaning,
and they will continue the exercise tomorrow after taking a break today. Singh added that there are eight full-time employees hired for the job, while about 20-25 men, all residents, are assisting in the clean-up effort, in which they have expended $10,000 per truck-load of garbage to be taken away.
He said, “The concrete drains are so clean, one woman told us she is very happy to see them that way, because in about 30 years, she never saw the place so clean, much less the drains, which were clogged with refuse, including plastics.” Singh is also encouraging other business people to step forward and follow suit, and is willing to lend his support, since he is familiar with the ‘know-how’ in the clean-up campaign.
He stated that if people are cleaning they must do a thorough job and that approach is working well so far. Singh, however, is urging others to come out and do the same for their environment and also to maintain cleanliness and desist from dumping garbage. He said they will also clean the canal by Albert Street and the feeling is very good because the place is so clean.
Charlotte Street residents pitching in their lot yesterday in the ongoing drive to return Gergetown to its former glory (Photos by Samuel Maughn)
Second bandit still hospitalised after foiled Grove robbery – dead accomplice’s relatives say ‘he was a good boy’ By Leroy Smith N I N E T E E N - y e a r- o l d
Curtis Castello, who was wounded on Saturday following the robbery and
shooting of a businessman, was still receiving treatment yesterday under police guard at the Georgetown Public Hospital. However, the Guyana Chronicle understands that the teenager is not in a critical condition although his
injuries are serious. Castello was rushed to the institution from the Diamond Hospital for emergency treatment for gunshot injury to his neck and hand. His accomplice Michael Grant died at the Diamond Hospital from a gunshot
wound to the chest after their robbery victim, a businessman who is a licensed firearm holder, returned fire. A third bandit was able to escape but he is being sought by the police. On Saturday the men pounced on a drinking spot where the businessman and other friends were hanging out. They proceeded to rob
the businessman of his gold chain and a ring while one of them discharged a shot hitting him on the hand. Meanwhile, relatives of the dead bandit told the Guyana Chronicle that the young man “was a good boy who never mixed up with other persons, never liked parties, and hardly would go out.”
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday June 8, 2015
BORDER CONTROVERSY FLARE-UP...
Army ready, able to defend Guyana’s territorial integrity
– Brigadier Phillips By Leroy Smith and Ravin Singh CHIEF of Staff of the Guyana Defence Force, Brigadier Mark Phillips stated firmly yesterday that the Army will not sit idly by and allow any illegal incursion of this country’s territory. Brigadier Phillips in an invited comment was speaking specifically to the latest posture by Venezuela in issuing a decree claiming sovereignty over Guyana’s territorial waters in the Atlantic Ocean off the Essequibo region. The Chief of Staff is of the firm view that any claim
to Essequibo is illegal, and thoughts to the contrary must not be entertained by any Guyanese, Venezuelan or international body. He added that the ruling in 1899 was binding, and still remains legal, and more so an international law that has to be honoured. Asked specifically about the ability to defend Guyana should the issue get out of hand, Brigadier Phillips made it clear that the nature of the GDF is to defend Guyana, and it is in the psyche of the men and women who serve in the Army. Brigadier Phillips dismissed the notion of limited manpower and resources, as
Gov’t grants Venezuela’s Conviasa ‘one-off’ permission to land here
– to take stranded countrymen home THERE IS some relief in sight for the more than 40 Venezuelan passengers who were stranded in Guyana following a decision by the Guyana Government, via the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), not to allow Venezuelan State-owned airline, Conviasa, to land in the country over the non-payment of bond. Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson, who has portfolio responsibility for the transportation sector, informed the Government Information Agency (GINA) yesterday that permission has been given for a “one-off flight” to take those who were stranded back to their native country. It was revealed previously that Conviasa owed landing and administration fees to the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) and the GCAA. In addition, the airline has never lodged a bond for its operations in Guyana. Minister Patterson stated that while the airline has paid the monies owed to the CJIA and GCAA, it is still to lodge the bond with the Guyana Government. It is standard procedure that airlines operating out of Guyana would usually have to lodge a bond in case there is a need to cater for passengers affected by issues which may negatively affect their flights in and out of the country. (GINA)
he maintained that Guyana is ready and capable of addressing any invasion. Last year, heavily armed soldiers from Venezuela were found in Guyana at an area in Essequibo where they were reportedly providing protection to a group of Venezuelans who had boated into Guyana and were conducting some form of survey in the same disputed area between the two countries. Back then, many persons thought that the then Government’s approach to addressing the issue was a very soft one that sent a message to the Government of Venezuela that Guyana will tolerate their intrusion uninterrupted. The Government of Venezuela had however claimed that the presence of the soldiers and other personnel on Guyana’s soil was not sanctioned by that country, even as the presence coincided with a State visit by President Nicholas Maduro. There were suggestions that the group was part of
Brigadier Mark Phillips
a Venezuelan Opposition move to provoke a situation between Guyana and Venezuela, and that those persons were attempting to undermine the Maduro administration. Meanwhile, Venezuela’s State-owned airline, Conviasa, has since been barred from landing at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport for want of the deposit of a security bond in keeping with regulations of the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority.
The passenger bond is usually to offset any expenses, should the airline cease operations suddenly, leaving stranded passengers. Venezuela’s President Nicholas Maduro, just a few days ago issued a decree claiming sovereignty over Guyana’s territorial waters in the Atlantic Ocean off the Essequibo region. In the Venezuela Official Gazette of May 27, 2015, President Maduro authorized sovereignty over Guyana’s coastal waters which include the Stabroek Block where the US oil company, ExxonMobil recently announced that they had found significant deposits of oil. Twice, Venezuela has written to the local subsidiary of Exxon-Mobil, warning against the oil exploration venture by the company in what they consider Venezuelan waters. Dr. Odeen Ishmael, former Guyana Ambassador to Venezuela, also weighed in on the issue, disclosing that this new extension of Ven-
ezuela’s claim to Guyanese territorial waters was made official in the presidential decree, No. 1787, and published in the Ordinary Official Gazette No. 40,669, dated May 27, 2015. Dr. Ishmael further related in his blog that this is not the first time a decree of this nature is being made, as it was done previously by President Raul Leoni 47 years ago in July 1968, where he purportedly claimed “sovereignty” over a twelve-mile strip of Guyana’s continental shelf along the Essequibo coast. Since these developments, the Government of Guyana has informed the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR), the Organisation of American States (OAS), the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the Commonwealth of Nations and the United Nations (UN) Secretary General Ban Ki-moon about these recent acts of aggression by Venezuela.
CARICOM critical to Coalition administration’s foreign policy – President Granger tells T&T-based WIN TV THE A Partnership for National Unity+Alliance for Change (APNU+AFC) Government will be prioritising regional integration, President David Granger told Trinidad-based media entity, WIN TV, on Saturday during an interview. Asked about future cooperation between Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana, the president said that as someone who studied in that country, he was very grateful and respectful of the hospitality shown to him. His first meeting on taking office was to engage with CARICOM Secretary-General Dr. Irwin LaRocque, and President Granger said he gave his assurance that the
Caribbean Community will be at the forefront of his administration’s foreign policy. He added that all are aware of the close bond among Trinidad, Barbados, Jamaica and Guyana, as they were the first four independent States in the region. “I will be going to the Caribbean Heads of Government meeting next July, and I look forward to meeting with the Heads of all 14 countries, so that we can advance the Caribbean Community,” President Granger said, adding that doing so is a top priority of his, as all of them can learn a lot from each other in terms of improving their economies. “I must admit,” he said,
“that things have not been going quickly enough, in my view, and I hope that one of the things we will be able to achieve is the quickening of the pace of the Caribbean Integration Movement. Trinidad is pivotal to what happens in the Caribbean.” President Granger, who will be accompanied to the July meet by Foreign Affairs Minister, Mr Carl Greenidge, said he fully intends to translate talk into action, hence his reason for choosing an economist to head that key post, as they will be primarily “talking economics”. Asked further about efforts to have as many Diasporans as possible return
home, the president said that given the fact that many overseas-based Guyanese came home to vote, the APNU+AFC Administration has already commenced attracting members of the Diaspora to return on their own. In terms of cooperation on the national level with the former government, he explained that with the Political Opposition gaining 32 Parliamentary seats, a large portion of Guyanese supported them. It is with this in mind, he said, that the PPP/C has been written to, with the aim of forming “a Government of National Unity”. This, President Granger said, was part of “the strategy of forming a government of national unity.” (GINA)
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday June 8, 2015
Water vendor executed in North Sophia drive-by --was shot 15 times
By Leroy Smith
COLIN Kendall, also known as “Bow foot”, a 27-year-old water vendor of North Sophia Squatting Area, was last evening gunned down while sitting playing cards with his friends at a shop on Pike Street, in the said North Sophia. According to eyewitnesses, Kendall, who was shirtless at the time, and only clad in slippers and short pants, was clearly the target. They said the lone gunman, who was travelling in a white motorcar, just concentrated his fire on the young man before making his getaway.
The shop where Kendall and his friends were enjoying a quiet game of cards when tragedy struck man’s mother, June Watts,
Kendall’s mother, June Watts, speaking with the media at the hospital last evening (Photos by Leroy Smith)
Persons who were at a nearby shop explained that the vehicle’s number plate carried the PMM series, but no one could recall the registration number, as they were all busy ducking for cover from the hail of bullets. It was also reported that another person, who was
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liming spot for some youngsters who would show up from time to time to play board games. At the crime scene, the cards with which Kendall and his friends were playing at the time of the shooting were scattered every which way, the fast congealing blood on the ground indicating that he had been lying there for some time before he was rushed to the hospital. Over at the Georgetown Public Hospital, the slain
only identified as Keith, was also struck by a bullet during the gunfire. Last evening when this publication visited the area around 22:30hrs, the shopkeeper explained that she was inside when she heard the loud and rapid gunfire. She said when the shooting subsided, she went to the façade of the premises where she saw Kendall lying in a pool of blood. The woman said that her shop, which is primarily a grocery store, is also a popular
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said she was at home on the back street when a little child came running to her relating that her son was shot. “I was at home; a li’l boy come and call me, and tell me he just get shoot up,” Watts said. She said she arrived just in time to see one of her older sons lifting his injured brother, with the help of another person, and placing him in a taxi preparatory to taking him to the hospital. According to Watts, when she arrived at the hospital, she was told he was already dead, and was advised by the doctors that he was shot 15 times. Persons in the Sophia neighbourhood however related that the now dead 27-year-old was no peach, and that he was just last year implicated in the rape of a young lady following an outing at GuyExpo. Indeed, Watts herself had conceded that her son had had his fair share of run-ins with the law, but that he’d never been convicted. Last evening, the Guyana Police Force reported that the shooting had occurred at approximately 21:40hrs; and that investigations into the matter are ongoing.
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday June 8, 2015
Proud image of teaching profession will be restored - Education Minister By Tajeram Mohabir THE high esteem teachers were once held in years ago has significantly deteriorated but all may not be lost. New Education Minister Dr Rupert Roopnarine has promised to work with all stakeholders in the education sector to restore pride in the profession. There was a time when teachers were held in high regard, were highly respected, carried themselves with dignity and were good role models to young people in society. Though these standards are still upheld by some teachers, in general, the high standards once upheld have fallen. The drop in elevated values once embraced by teachers can be compared, but to a lesser extent to the deteriorating standards of the Guyana Police Force. Dr Roopnarine pointed out that he recalled a time when a person dares
Educataion Minister Dr Rupert Roopnarine not ride his bicycle without lights in front a policeman, but it happens at times today. The same, he said is with teachers, noting that it was a gross travesty in his days as a student for a student to be openly disrespectfully to his teacher. “A lot of these high standards deteriorated over the years. I am hoping that a lot of it can be restored through serious and systematic work. I have not given up on the re-creation of standards and to bring back into the education system the qualities
that once drove it,” Dr Roopnarine, a former university professor, told the Guyana Chronicle. The Minister was reluctant to say the possible reasons that contributed to the dampening of the image of the teaching profession, but contended that it is a “complicated thing” which needs a good sociological explanation since generally it did not happen in isolation. “I can’t isolate what has happened to teachers to what happened to the police and other figures of authorities. I think that there has been a general breakdown… I don’t think that there is a single reason for the breakdown. I think that they are a number of complicated factors that come together, releasing this kind of phenomenon,” he reasoned. MUCH WORK Getting back on track, he said will require much work but no effort would
be spared to ensure that the teaching profession enjoyed the respectful status it once enjoyed. “A code of conduct for teacher is not a bad idea to start with. It is something I would want to work out with the Guyana Teachers’ Union. The union must be consulted in creating such a code. And once we have an enforceable code, we should enforce it. “We don’t need pedophiles in our school system; we don’t need sadist in our school system. There are lots of thing we don’t need in our school system. We need people who can really bring out from the child the best within the child and they are not going to do this by coercion and bullying, but through love and care.” Since assuming office, Dr Roopnaraine has received scores of letters from persons, many highly qualified, both locally and abroad, expressing an interest in vol-
Trio slapped with firearms, ammo, and drug charges A TRIO slapped with unlawful possession of firearms, ammunition and drug charges, on Friday made their appearance before city Magistrate Fabayo Azore. Security guard Eustace Thomas of Lot 606 East Ruimveldt; 57-year-old Irvin Paul, a security guard at the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and his wife, 52-year-old Waveney both of Lot 596 East Ruimveldt, all pleaded not guilty to the charges. It is alleged that on June 4 at Warlock, East Ruimveldt, they had in their possession 482 grammes of cannabis-sativa (marijuana) for the purpose of trafficking. The second and third charges stated that on the same
day at Warlock, they had in their possession one .38 revolver, when they were not licensed firearm holders. Another charge against the trio stated that at Warlock on the same day, they had in their possession one Mac 11 9mm firearm. And lastly, it is alleged that on June 4 at Warlock, the trio also had in their possession 11 rounds of Mac 11 9mm ammunition, when neither of them were licensed firearm holders. Police prosecutor Simone Payne related that on the day in question, the police received information and went to the home of the defendants where a search was conducted on the house. Thomas, Paul and his wife were present at the time
the search was conducted. The prosecution’s facts revealed that in one of the rooms, a bag belonging to the number one defendant (Thomas) was also searched and the illegal substance was found. A further search revealed firearms and ammunition and all the defendants were told of the offence and subsequently arrested and charged. Magistrate Azore questioned that if the prohibited drug was found in possession of Thomas, then why were the other two persons charged. However, Police Prosecutor Simone Payne asked that the file be sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for advice and also requested three weeks for completion of the file.
Attorney-at-Law Mr. Paul Fung-a-Fat requested bail for both of his clients in connection with the narcotics charge. He urged the court to find that there is special reason, since his clients occupy a room on the lower floor of the house and the alleged drugs were unearthed in the upper flat of the building. Thomas was refused bail on the narcotics charge; meanwhile, both Paul swere granted $150,000 bail each on the said charge. However, the trio were denied pretrial liberty for the firearms and ammunition charges. The prosecution was granted the requested time for all investigations to be completed and the matter was adjourned to Tuesday, June 30.
unteering their services to help raise the standard of education delivery. The Minister said he is heartened by the interests shown in this regard, noting that it is a good sign that with all working together, Guyana will enjoy a bright future. Aside from the expectations from teachers, Dr Roopnaraine said the school system needs to be more supportive in helping children to overcome challenges they face as teenagers, and other problems. “I don’t’ believe that we have enough or sufficient trained and motivated social workers in the school system. Frankly, every school needs a social worker; not enough counselling is taking place in the school system.
“Children are going through stages of development, and for some, the movement from one stage to the next is traumatic. Children undergo psychological and physiological dislocations and interruptions that need to be dealt with professionally. “I want children to have access to trained professional counselling. It is a vital in the staffing of schools and in ensuring a smooth delivery and receipt of education,” Dr Roopnaraine told this publication. The Ministry of Education is grappling with a number of challenges including truancy, teenage pregnancy and violent students.
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday June 8, 2015
EDITORIAL Taking a novel approach A 14-YEAR-old student of Wakapoa in the Lower Pomeroon River has allegedly been impregnated by her father. Now five months pregnant, the child has been admitted to the Suddie Hospital, while her father is in custody at the Charity Police Station. Reportedly, her mother and other relatives seem to have been complicit in the crime, having tried to keep the horrible act a secret until the enforced hospitalisation of the teen. Another child from Wakapoa, then 13 years old, recently gave birth to twin babies at the Suddie Hospital. According to reports, the latter child was raped and subsequently discovered pregnant by her teacher after her parents had been imprisoned, and she was left alone with her siblings. A few days ago, a distressed mother reported that her teenage daughter, who had been having sexual relations with an adult male since she was aged twelve, was locked up in the Bartica Police Station. The Police had charged her for wandering, and refused to release her into her mother’s care. Where are the child welfare authorities, the community leaders, family members, neighbours and even teachers when these lechers are preying on the vulnerable children in society? Surely any sort of abuse of children should be the concern of everyone. Child abuse is when a parent or caregiver, whether through action or failing to act, causes injury, death, emotional harm or risk of serious harm to a child. There are many forms of child maltreatment, including neglect, physical abuse, sexual abuse, exploitation, and emotional abuse. Close relatives and even strangers also abuse children. According to Wikepedia, there are many signs to look
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out for if one suspects that a child is being abused. It is important that if anyone sees these signs in any child that they get help right away. Physical abuse of a child is when someone deliberately causes physical injury to a child. There are many signs of physical abuse, including marks or injuries, or signs that a child is in pain that is not due to illness. Some signs are bruises, blisters, burns, cuts and scratches. Physical abuse includes striking, kicking, burning, biting, hair pulling, choking, throwing, shoving, whipping or any other action that injures a child. The result of abusing a child can be internal injuries, brain damage, broken bones, sprains, dislocated joints, emotional and mental harm, lifelong injury or even death. Sexual abuse occurs when an adult uses a child for sexual purposes, or involves a child in sexual acts. It also includes cases when a child who is older or more powerful uses another child for sexual acts or excitement. When someone harms a child’s mental and social development, or causes severe emotional harm, it is considered emotional abuse. While a single incident may be abuse, most often emotional abuse is a pattern of behaviour that causes damage over time. Emotional abuse is rejecting or ignoring a child; telling a child he or she is unwanted or unloved; showing little interest in a child; not showing or returning affection; not listening to the child; not caring about the child’s feelings; breaking promises, cutting a child off in conversation, shaming or humiliating or calling a child names, criticising, belittling, using language or taking action that makes a child feel worthless. Emotional abuse is also blaming, insulting, punishing a
child without cause, keeping a child away from people he/ she loves, encouraging a child to lie or do wrong or criminal acts, telling lies to a child. Child neglect is when a parent or caregiver does not give the care, supervision, affection and support needed for a child’s health, safety and well-being. If a child is being abused, it is important that someone reports this abuse to the authorities, because if this continues, the child may never recover, or may become an abuser because of such exposure to depraved actions by one or more adults in his/her life. A police station is no place for a 13-year-old girl. Not very long ago, policemen at an East Coast police station had reportedly sexually molested two teenage girls whom they had forcibly kept overnight. This scenario has allegedly been replicated in various communities across the country. Punishment for abusing any child should be so severe, that the mere thought of it should in and of itself be a deterrent to predators; but for sexual deviants who violate children, especially fathers, who are supposed to be the bastion of protection for their children, taking them away from their homes and families is not the answer, because most often than not, these fathers are the sole breadwinners, and the entire family oftentimes are left in pecuniary circumstances. Sexual predators should therefore be clinically dealt with; such a remedy would solve their proclivity to sexual aberration, while leaving them accessible to their families and remain capable of earning their own living instead of being dependent as a burden on the State’s coffers.
An open letter to the new Minister of Public Health YOU have my sincerest gratitude for providing me with the opportunity to pen my letter to the new Minister of Public Health. Earlier during the course of last week, the Honourable Dr. Norton had mentioned that he will ensure that justice be served to mothers who had lost their babies through malpractice and negligence of health-care professionals. However, from my perspective, every second that passes by another mother and child are placed at risk; which begs the question: should we just sit and allow those acts of malpractice and negligence to continue, with no degree of sanctions taken against those responsible? Please allow me to bring to the forefront two cases where there is clear evidence of negligence. I am strongly convinced that an immediate investigation should commence and have those responsible sanctioned
accordingly. Firstly, the case of Teresa Lalltoo, the 30-year-old mother of one who lost her expected second child after what were described to be bad calls made by both doctors and nurses. After coursing through a full term of pregnancy, Teresa was overjoyed at the fact that all was well with her child, but little did she know that the same persons she put her trust in would cause her a great tragedy. She was taken to the West Demerara Regional Hospital after experiencing severe pain and seen by nurses who were hesitant in providing her with care. This escalated throughout the course of her stay at the said hospital when not only was she given oxytocin drips with full knowledge of a lack of theatre staff, should there be a worst-case scenario, but her water bag was clipped without the consent of any physician. It was apparent also that while
having all of this done, one of the doctors had denoted his interest in her condition, even up to the point in calling it an “experiment” because she was not experiencing pains even when on the drips. Clipping her water bag marked the beginning of greater problems, since the umbilical cord presented itself first, getting lodged in the vagina causing a cord prolapse leading to a diminished supply of blood to her baby. Noting this emergency, and knowing well that there was a lack of theatre staff on such a day at what was supposed to be a premier health institution, the doctors were still hesitant in transferring her to the main referral hospital, the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation. It was not until her unborn baby was in a dire state that they made the choice to have her transferred, but by the time she arrived, it was too late. Her baby had succumbed due to an
inadequate supply of blood. Her tragedy did not end there, as she was then put in a position where she had to give birth to a dead baby; followed by being placed on a ward full of happy mothers who were successful in giving birth as well as having to share a bed with another mother. This had dire psychological effects on her, yet still no investigation was done to have those responsible brought to justice. Secondly, it is indeed sad how the previous Administration has failed Natalie Caseley, who continues to fight for justice for her four-year-old son, Jaden Mars, who died at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) over one year ago. The toddler was merely taken to the hospital for a few stitches after biting his tongue during a fall, but died shortly after spending a total of six days on life support. For such a simple case,
death should not have been the outcome causing Caseley to strongly believe that her son may have been overdosed or the right procedures may not have been undertaken. Casely has subsequently been campaigning against those responsible for her child’s death, constantly reiterating the prevalence of negligence by the health sector which are being overlooked on too many occasions. I have campaigned with both Teresa Lalltoo and Natalie Caseley through social media and picketing exercises from which I can conclude that these mothers are determined and eager for justice to be served in a most timely manner. Both parties had submitted written reports to the Chief Medical Officer (CMO). However, the excuse was always that reports were not submitted by either hospital or that the issue was still being investigated.
This inefficiency is inexcusable especially when dealing with human lives. Furthermore, we can question whether Dr. Shamdeo Persaud is the most appropriate person to be titled the CMO and assigned the duties of investigating cases of these natures. Additionally, it is just to ask, under his tenure and that of the previous Administration, has any case of negligence or malpractice been brought to fruition? In closing, I wish to acknowledge Kaieteur News and Stabroek News for channelling these cases through their various news reports and being at the forefront in publicising them. Also, thank you in advance to the Honourable Minister of Public Health and his team for picking these cases up and working assiduously to allow justice to prevail. DAVE LALLTOO
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday June 8, 2015
Engaging the Diaspora (Part II) By Keith Burrowes IN previous articles in this series, I mentioned and expanded upon a proposed tracking mechanism that would serve to monitor the development of our human resources. In addition to this, one area that we desperately need to look at in terms of transforming our human resource environment regards our engagement with our Diaspora. The Jamaicans have, within the CARICOM Region, gone the furthest, from the little I’ve observed and researched, in not simply courting but creating a mechanism of engaging Jamaicans living abroad, the Diaspora Advisory Board(DAB). What I want to note here is that among other things, the board is mandated to: “Increase the human resource potential available to Jamaica through skills and attributes of returned nationals.”This month, the DAB will be hosting its third Jamaica Diaspora Conference in Ocho Rios, under the theme: “One Nation: Jamaica and Its Diaspora in Partnership.” Now the argument can be made that Jamaica is physically closer to North America where the bulk of its Diaspora – as does that of Guyana and
virtually every other Caribbean territory – resides, and hence a sustained physical engagement with Jamaicans in America and Canada is more viable. That argument might have been valid about 15, maybe even 10, years ago but in this era of high-speed broadband internet, and free or cheap VOIP provided by virtually every online e-mail provider, and Skype, we have the tools at our disposal to leap distances and to coordinate across continents as we have never had before. If there is a single tool that has been designed to enable a network and da-
I’ve explored in columns previous to this series. Skilled, retired persons are a collective treasure trove of human resource skills and information, and a structured programme would serve to categorise and deploy those skills, the majority of which would be voluntary, in enhancing our human resource capacity. Another area of human resource development, as I touched upon in the last article, had to do with the management of foreign direct investment(FDI) in developing local human resource skills. My solution with regard to FDI – and indeed
have to state here that I am not speaking in my capacity as Chairman of GO-Invest – we should have a system where we could geographically map our human resources and skill sets. When an investor is seeking out information on Guyana, my belief is that the same sort of information that we make readily available with respect to the distribution of natural resources, should also be available with regard to human resources. With regard to donor fundKeith Burrowes ing, the reality of the situation now is that while some to correct, in this specific case, sources for the future, be the ministries – with ministries labour development. basis for a system that can being the main conduit for Granted that there are greattrack our human-resource er strictures which govern the capacity from secondary ‘If there is a single tool that has been designed to enable a network and final distribution of resources education to the workpool; supplied by the donor communithe enhancement database of skills within the Diaspora, it is the internet. And there is no ty, there is nothing that says that facilitate of our human resources by time like the present to proactively employ it in gathering in the scattered we cannot negotiate the TORs the continuous enhancement skeletons of our people, so that we could operate,as much as possible, as of certain, or all, donor projects of locally available skills and to reflect a more holistic mechthe proactive involvement one nation’ anism for their implementation. of those from the Diaspora; Finally, all this would be creatively utilise funding this is the subject that really tabase of skills within the donor-programme support – at- contingent upon a greater sofrom both foreign direct inspired the original article Diaspora, it is the internet. tract a large amount of support, phistication with regard to investment as well as doin this series – was the estabAnd there is no time like the others do not, due to the fact labour information and innor funding to prepare our lishment of a mechanism to present to proactively employ that their mandates may not fall telligence. What we need is workforce, whether local funnel funds into a training it in gathering in the scattered into the donor’s scope of out- a database that ascertains or or imported, for upcoming and skills-development mechskeletons of our people so that reach. What we therefore have determines the kind of labour industries; and, most imanism, a consolidated fund we could operate, much as is a situation where the tide of force that is needed across portantly, develop a culture that would distribute resourcpossible, as one nation. funding is not one which raises sectors. of forward- planning policy es as required within whatever Subsidiary to this idea is all boats equally, something a This would, to recap our formulation when it comes area of development. the specific engagement of holistic approach to negotiation key solutions with regard to preparing our human reTo modify that – and I remigrant retirees, something and implementation would seek to preparing our human resources for the future.
GNBS supports 2015 theme for World Environment Day AS Guyana joined the rest of the world to commemorate World Environment Day (WED) 2015 last Friday under the theme “Seven Billion Dreams. One Planet. Consume with Care,” the Guyana National Bureau of Standards (GNBS) continues to work towards the development and implementation of standards for individuals and companies to demonstrate care for the environment. The selection of this theme seems most relevant at this time, given the state of our planet and the need for everyone to take special care of it as we endeavour to achieve our dreams and aspirations
while considering the needs of future generations. Imagine the following scenario: an announcement that there is only a one- year supply of fresh water remaining worldwide!! No doubt, this would send persons into a frenzy, frantically making arrangements to acquire reservoirs to store water for themselves and immediate families. The reality is that in some countries persons are allowed the equivalent of one bucket of water per day to execute all their chores. In most cases, this water is not clean or potable, but that is all they have. In addition, approximately 700 million people in over 43 countries experience water
scarcity. On the other hand, there are persons who are a lot more fortunate to have very good water supply which they use in a manner that can only be considered as wasteful, uncaring and inconsiderate to those who would need this vital resource in the future. We can also examine how we dispose of our solid waste in Guyana as the onset of technology allows us to use Styrofoam to package our foods. However, over the years the indiscriminate use of this product has become so accepted that many do not think of its effects on the environment and human health. Styrofoam is non-biodegradable, it is light and floats easily (not to mention that one of its
ingredients is considered to be carcinogenic or cancerous). This product has become a majority component of what is considered “marine debris,” adversely affecting marine life. We can look inland, on our roadsides, in our drains, canals and rivers in Guyana and see how our efforts to properly dispose our garbage leave much to be desired. Nevertheless, the new drive to clean our environment is surely encouraging and must be maintained. Businesses that produce huge amounts of waste daily must begin to consider where it all goes. The discharge of waste water, waste oil, gases and other harmful chemical in quantities
that can have diverse effects on biological life must be curbed by ensuring systems and standards are in place to reduce further adverse effects on the environment. We must begin to recycle cardboard boxes and paper at the end of the working day so as to demonstrate how we care for our environment. Thousands of trees have to be cut down to manufacture these products. It is imperative that we consume with care to achieve a sustainable future. It is time to adopt better lifestyles in order to do more with less by simply turning off taps when not in use, recycling cardboard boxes and utilizing renewable resources. The GNBS will continue to lead
companies and businesses in the direction of implementing an Environmental Management System (EMS) to formally and consistently demonstrate care for the environment. The Bureau is currently in the process of revising the National Standard “Requirements for Effluent Discharge into the Environment,” which can be implemented by companies to improve and streamline current practices with the aim of preserving the environment for future generations. LLOYD DAVID Public Relations Officer Guyana National Bureau of Standards
GRA will contact those who passed customs-broker exam to collect their licences
PLEASE permit me space in your newspaper to respond to a letter which appeared in the Wednesday June 3, 2015 edition of the Stabroek News. The letter, captioned: ‘Those who passed customs-broker exam in October 2014 still waiting for licences’, highlighted the plight facing persons who had written and successfully completed the Customhouse Brokers exam in October 2014.
First off, the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) takes this opportunity to thank the letter writer for raising the issue and sincerely apologises to all successful candidates for the unusual delay which was resulted from several internal and external checks and balances that were necessary to ensure the high standards of the exam and by extension the integrity of licence holders.
The applicants may not be aware, but their exam sheets were marked and several internal processes followed to ensure that only suitable, upright candidates were selected in keeping with the provisions of Section 204k of the Customs Regulations. Further, in keeping with the GRA’s established Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) and as the letter writer
underscored, all relevant documentation and information were then sent to the GRA’s Law Enforcement and Investigations Division for routine background and verification checks, as well as to authenticate the information provided by the applicants to the GRA. Undoubtedly, the issuance of licences has been delayed as a result of these necessary investigations. The findings
of these investigations are now complete and the GRA has commenced the process of making contact with the successful applicants to have them visit the agency and pay the relevant fees. Persons who have not yet received any correspondence from the GRA, for the reasons stated above, are assured that they will be contacted by the GRA’s Training
Division shortly, since we are now in a position to do so. It should be noted that in order to be issued with the requisite licences, the successful candidates will first be required to pay the Gy$5000 annual fee. KHURSHID SATTAUR, CCH Commissioner-General Guyana Revenue Authority
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday June 8, 2015
YOUTH DIRECTOR EXPLAINS...
Youth representation not limited to National Assembly By Ravin Singh FOLLOWING observations that there has been reduced youth representation in the 11th Parliament, scheduled to commence this week, Director of Youth Trevor Williams has noted that youth representation is not limited to the National Assembly. Since the announcement of the names of the 33 Members of Parliament who were selected by the APNU+AFC government, some youths have expressed dissatisfaction that the youth representation in the National Assembly has been reduced. But, in an exclusive interview with the Guyana Chronicle yesterday, the recently sworn in Director of Youth, who is also a former MP, weighed in on the issue, although an official state-
Director of Youth Trevor Williams
ment from the President is still expected. Acknowledging that there have been “concerns raised” regarding the selection of persons to occupy the 33 allocated parliamentary seats to the APNU+AFC, Williams related
that the absence of youth at that level does not translate to the absence of youth work in the political environment. According to Williams, the youth agenda, which has been a focus of the new administration, will continue to take precedence in other political spheres which can meaningfully contribute to youth development. He further disclosed that the current administration is well aware of the work that needs to be done at the youth level, and will continue to work towards balancing the system and ensuring that youth representation at key levels are not neglected. In closing, Williams reiterated that representation of youths is not just limited to the National Assembly, as “there are many other areas for youths to be active in.”
As it relates to the National Youth Policy which has been in the making since 1992, Minister of Education Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine, who is responsible for youth, recently disclosed that work which will produce a draft of the youth policy, is currently underway. Dr. Roopnaraine had explained in an interview that consultations with various youth groups and organisations are currently being held to assist in drafting a comprehensive policy which will aim to redefine the role youths play in today’s society. Both Williams and recently sworn in Director of Sports, Christopher Jones are former MPs who served in the 10th Parliament for the AFC and APNU respectively.
‘Unstable’ teen disarms, shoots cop in head
– Colleagues respond, take assailant down in shoot-out By Leroy Smith POLICE Constable Victor Fausette was up to press time last evening fighting for his life at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation after being shot in the head, just above the left ear, by a man of unsound mind who was being held at the Wisrock Police Outpost. According to reports, the 18-year-old suspect, whose name has been given as Regan Richards, was seen wielding a cutlass in the One Mile Linden area as he threatened residents. The police were called
in, and on arrival assisted in arresting the young man, and took him down to the Wisrock Police Outpost. It was while at the Outpost that Richards managed to disarm Fausette of his .38 police service revolver and shot him in his head before calmly walking out of the precinct, gun in hand. Unfortunately, Fausette was the only rank on duty at the time of the incident. But the outpost being located in close proximity to the community, residents who heard the gun go off were able to hurry to the scene to see what was going on. On arrival, they
spotted Fausette lying in a pool of blood, picked him up, and rushed him to the Linden Hospital. Meanwhile, shortly after receiving a call saying that a man was walking in the One Mile area with a gun in his hands, members of the anti-crime patrol responded and found him hiding in his home. They called out to him to surrender and hand over the weapon, but he responded by opening fire on the ranks. As such, their only recourse was to return fire, which they did, fatally wounding him in the process.
The injured Constable Victor Fausette
Investigators have not yet been able to question the injured rank about what really transpired, as he was rendered unconscious after the shooting.
Miner granted bail for robbery under arms A TWENTY-year-old miner of Lot Q71 Guyhoc Gardens, Georgetown, was on Friday released on $75,000 bail after answering a robbery-under-arms charge. Before Magistrate Ann McLennan, Keyvin Cupidore denied the allegation against him. It is alleged that on Tuesday, June 2, at East Ruimveldt, Georgetown, being armed with a gun, he robbed Michael Jordon of a motorcycle, a BLU cellular phone, wallet and cash, together valued $473,000. Cipidore’s Attorney Mr. Paul Fung-a-Fat told the court that on the night in question, his client was home with his family watching television when the incident took place. He further stated that the description given to the police of the bandit was, “a man with a tear drop tattoo, wearing a red cap,” and that does not match his client. Police prosecutor Denero Jones said he did not receive any instruction, however, when he asked Jordan. He responded that he didn’t see the person’s face, but he recognised his voice.
Jordan said one of the men who robbed him had his hat pulled down in his face, and another one said, “Don’t shoot ‘Red Man’; he is a good man.” Prosecutor Jones opposed bail on the grounds of the nature and gravity of the charge, and pointed out that none of the stolen articles were recovered. Jordan, when asked by Magistrate McLennan, maintained that the place was dark, but he had recognised the voice of one of his attackers. He added that he was accompanied by someone on that night and the person saw the attacker’s face. Defence counsel argued that he would abide by the court and injustice will be done to his client if bail is denied, because he had been in custody since last Wednesday. The prosecution’s objection to bail was overruled and Cupidore was ordered to report to the East La Penitence station sergeant every Friday. The matter was put off to Monday, June 15 for statements.
Mazaruni teen refused bail for break-andenter, larceny E I G H T E E N - y e a r- o l d Johnson Charlie of Johala Village, Upper Mazaruni River, was on Friday refused bail by Magistrate Fabayo Azore on a break and enter and larceny charge. Charlie, also known as Mikey Charlie and “Blacks”, stood in the dock with his hands crossed at his back and shivering as the charge was read to him. The teenager hesitated to enter a plea for the offence that said between May 11 and 31 at Johala Village, he broke and entered the dwelling house of Dawn Hastings Williams and stole one iPod,
one MP player, one gold chain and a cellular phone among other items, together valued $127,000. According to Police Prosecutor Simone Payne, some of the items mentioned in the charge were recovered at Charlie’s home. The unrepresented man told the magistrate, “I don’t speak English; I don’t understand.” Charlie did not answer the magistrate when she inquired of him which language he speaks. However, a not guilty plea was recorded, and the matter transferred before Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry.
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday June 8, 2015
Sacked GuySuCo CEO to account for spent resources – PM Nagamootoo heads Cabinet-approved crisis control team By Gary Eleazar THE Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) has received another tranche of billions of dollars in transfers from the national coffers, but a good deal of this money is to be used to pay debt incurred by the Corporation. The debts at reference include monies owed as Pay as You Earn (PAYE) for the Corporation’s employees and monies owed the National Insurance Scheme (NIS). Minister of State of the Ministry of Presidency, Lieutenant Colonel (rtd) Joseph Harmon, gave the clarification over the weekend, and sought to give all assurances that former Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Dr. Rajendra Singh, whose contract was terminated this past week, will have to provide answers and account for the state of affairs of the industry’s finances. REPLACEMENTS Minister Harmon held a special briefing over the weekend at the Ministry of the Presidency, New Garden Street and also confirmed that two former executives of the sugar corporation, Paul Bhim and Errol Hanoman, have
Paul Bhim
Errol Hanoman
PM Moses Nagamootoo
Minister of State Joseph Harmon
been recommended to Cabinet to head the Interim Management Committee (IMC) that has been put in place. On Wednesday last, the Corporation’s CEO, Dr Raj Singh, was fired from the helm of the industry, while the entire Board of Directors were asked to tender their resignations with immediate effect. Minister Harmon told media operatives the Cabinet Counsel of Ministers had decided on the formation of a Cabinet sub-committee to be headed by Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo when it met recently. That sub-committee has
since been tasked with a number of critical areas to be addressed. “One had to do with the replacement of the CEO for GuySuCo; the other one had to do with terminating the Board itself,” Harmon said. The directives have since been implemented with an interim arrangement in place “that will put forward a plan of action for GuySuCo.” Minster Harmon did point out that the proposal from the IMC would be addressing GuySuCo’s short-term needs, “and finally, we are going to put in place a full Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the operations of GuySuCo.”
EMPOWERED He said the Cabinet sub-committee headed by Prime Minister Nagamootoo has been “fully empowered to ensure that there is no crisis in the industry.” Bhim, the Corporation’s former CEO, had stepped aside last year, thus paving the way for Dr Singh to head the sugar industry. Bhim had stepped in to fill the void after Hanoman parted ways with GuySuCo. Minister Harmon told media operatives that because of the way the previous administration conducted the affairs of the country and its
industries, “you will always have issues with management and with the Boards. The Minister accused the previous People’s Progressive Party Civic (PPP/C) government of complicity in running the industry to the ground. On the matter of the money to be transferred to the sugar corporation for which Cabinet recently approved, Minister Harmon said any monies being transferred would only be done under a new arrangement for the handling of finances. He said it was not a case of putting the money into the
Drunken biker hospitalised after pedestrian road fatality in Berbice A DRUNKEN motorcyclist is hospitalised with injuries under police guard following an accident that claimed the life of a pedestrian last Saturday night in Berbice. Police reported that a probe is underway into a fatal accident that occurred at about 19:30 hrs last Sat-
urday at Line Path, Skeldon, Corentyne, which resulted in the death of a pedestrian of Line Path, who has so far been identified by the call name ‘Ram’. According to reports, as ‘Ram’ attempted to cross the public road he was struck down by a motorcycle. He was pronounced dead on
arrival at the Skeldon Hospital. The driver of the motorcycle was found to be above the legal limit in terms of the consumption of alcohol. He received injuries from the accident and was admitted to the Skeldon Hospital where he is under police guard.
Cop among four held ater AK-47 find in vehicle A Police Constable and three other persons are in police custody following the search of a vehicle in which an AK-47 rifle and a quantity of ammunition was found on the lower
East Coast Demerara last Friday. Two men, including a Police Constable, and two women who were in the vehicle have been arrested and are assisting with the
investigations. Police said last Friday ranks intercepted a motor vehicle on the Mahaica Public Road, ECD, in which an AK-47 rifle with 32 rounds was found.
hands of the same people that would have handled the industry’s finances in the past. US$30M + ANSWERS Minister Harmon at the time of his media engagement over the weekend said he was unclear as to what account would have been given by the former CEO, with regard to the US$30M it received as part of the transaction establishing Skeldon Energy Inc. According to Minister Harmon, however, “At the appropriate time, Dr. (Raj) Singh will have to answer questions as to what he did with the resources given to GuySuCo. The Minister also used the opportunity to remind of the coalition’s pledge not to shutdown the sugar industry and said too that the livelihoods of the employees in the sector will not be placed at risk. He said the APNU+AFC government has taken the position that “sugar is an important aspect and the people who work in the sugar industry are important to all of us in this country.” Harmon added, “There will be no shutting down of the sugar industry, we are going to find a way to make it work and we are going to find a way to make it work better.”
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday June 8, 2015
Ministry of Citizenship to modernise birth registration system
– also upgrade current laws, policies governing citizenship
MINISTER of Citizenship Winston Felix is moving towards the implementation of electronic registration of births for Guyanese as well as the upgrade of current laws and policies under citizenship. He was at the time speaking with the Guyana Chronicle on Friday at his temporary office on Homestretch Avenue, G e o rg e t o w n , a n d h e also outlined the goals and objectives of the newly-formed ministry. Minister Felix explained that one of the main objectives of the ministry is to establish a long-term system of birth registration, immigration and naturalisation of Guyanese to tie in with Guyana’s laws and policies. He added that the move is to pave the way
for the removal of the former ‘one-man’ decision-making system regarding who gets citizenship, and it is also intended to manage the data of citizens from birth to death in a simpler fashion. Felix said it is a principal issue and different bodies will be put in place, in which the ministry will see that once a person is born there is some identity and number that should follow that person through their NIS, TIN, passport, driver’s licence, etc. He said, “In other words that number is accepted anywhere once your information is there, to rid Guyana of the long drawn out process - with technology we can do it, to computerise our information which will be
Monday, June 8, 2015 - 09:30 hrs Tuesday, June 9, 2015 - 10:30 hrs Wednesday, June 10, 2015 - 11:30 hrs
of an electronic birth record. The current system I have no serious criticisms with it although it is ‘old-timish’ and too labour intensive and I would want to see electronic records introduced. He also noted that he wants to concentrate on de-centralising the system to serve the public on immigration and birth registration matters in a hassle-free way.
Minister of Citizenship, Winston Felix
protected from inside or outside interference or hacking.” Felix stated that they want to ensure that once there is a birth whether in the city or in the far-flung hinterland locations, there must be some system to register the birth so that the person is known to the
ministry by a number and down the road they can get a birth certificate. He said, “Once these details are in and you are known by a number, a date of birth, place of birth or mother’s name at least the records can bring you up 50 years down the road because
CITIZENSHIP Felix pointed out that they have not gone to work yet but will establish the objectives and one key one is the harmonisation of the laws and procedures to simplify the process. He said that the laws must be so worded that there will be no doubt as to what is required to become a citizen of Guyana. The minister added that the system will be so designed as to allow the ministry to deal with everything for citizens from birth
to death. Felix said, “For instance there are several people who want NIS or claiming for benefits and do not know where to turn, issues faced by citizens. They will be guided as to what to do to get what they want in our ministry, we are geared towards a citizen-friendly system.” He told this publication that the recently formulated Ministry of Citizenship derives its entire role and functions from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MOHA) since that ministry dealt with births and deaths, and immigration matters in terms of extension of stay, grants of stay in the country and other immigration-related matters of citizenship. Felix said that they have heard stories before the 2011-2015 elections about the granting of citizenship under dubious means and “when you look at the law you see unfettered discretionary power given to ‘one man’ under the former administration and as such a number of things can arise. He said, “You can have allegations of the misuse of discretionary power and that is what we have heard about …when you examine the law it doesn’t give leadership on a set of criteria of which it (citizenship) should be granted. It is just left to the minister’s discretion. We h a v e t o re - e x a m i n e how we arise at leadership in Guyana and come up with a set of laws which would make it clear as to what criteria obtains before citizenship is granted.” (Michel Outridge)
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday June 8, 2015
Region One places 2nd at Physical Education Championships
By Shirley Thomas
REGION One (Barima-Waini) last Friday demonstrated their physical prowess when they ran away with the second place trophy and $30,000 in the National Physical Education Championships 2015 at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall, Homestretch Avenue. The event which marks the 16th annual National Physical Education Championships was conducted over two days, last Thursday and Friday, to commemorate Guyana’s 49th Independence anniversary. Region One, with a spirited and fantastic display in the Secondary Schools presentation of ‘Combinations’ amassed 123 points, a close brush away from the first prize winner, St. John’s Secondary with 123.5 points. Harmonie Secondary of Region Three placed third with 117 points. Overall six secondary schools participated in the ‘Combinations’ category. Hundreds of students participated with representation from all ten administrative regions. Schools participated in the following categories: Jump Rope, Skip-B-Fit and
The winning Region One team at the National Schools Physical Display Championships. At left is REDO, Mrs. Doreen Roberts, while at extreme right is Alicia Wong, the coach
Pyramids, along with a few ‘Combinations’ for Secondary Schools. Region One competed in the ‘Combinations’ (3-balance), displaying impressive and complicated balance. The objectives of this exercise are to expand the scope of Physical Education in schools; promote good sportsmanship among students and teachers; display the talents of children of primary and secondary schools from all Regions; and celebrate the 49th Independence Anniversary of
Guyana through the Expressive Arts. All the schools participating in the national championships would have participated in the Regional Championships held last February and therefore qualified for entry at this level. The National Schools Physical Display Championships began as a part of the Children’s Mashramani Events in 1992. The competitions involved a display of acrobatic movements put together for its aesthetic expression.
Over the years, schools displayed a growing interest in this aspect of the programme, making it difficult to manage during the busy Mashramani Events. Thus, in 2005, it was separated from the Children’s Mashramani programme and made an individual National Event to be held during Independence, the ministry said. And in his addres to the gathering, Minister of Education, Dr. Roopnarine said that this year, the ministry will be focusing on Guyana’s 50th Independence anniversary (in
2016), adding, “So this will be the beginning of a yearlong preparation for a mega event. He described the event as a ‘test’ of the participants’ co-ordination, integration and physical skills. Meanwhile, speaking with the Guyana Chronicle, Regional Education Officer, Region One, Mrs. Doreen Roberts was elated over her students’ performance. She said the region will now be going back to the drawing table to start moulding younger students (aged 6-9) from Grade 1 upwards to the
secondary department. Roberts said the Regional Education Department places much emphasis on physical education, starting from Grade 1 and working their way to Grade 9. “Once we spot the talent, we will go after it and work robustly with the children,” she said. At Hosororo, for example the students have excelled in athletics, football, cricket and physical education. Commenting on setbacks, she observed that even though the coach, Ms. Alicia Wong did a wonderful job of training for the championships, the region lacks trained expertise. They are hoping for an Allied Arts Unit, since the region has the talent, and feels that with technical expertise they can get excellent performance. Following the championships, the students were taken on a tour of the Marriot Hotel on Saturday and to dinner at the New Thriving Restaurant on Saturday evening. They were scheduled to head back to Region One early yesterday morning. Meanwhile, the group would like to express appreciation to Ms Lorraine Banker-King, Co-ordinator of the Department of Education for facilitating their meals and accommodation while in Georgetown.
Consultation held to strengthen fishing industry’s contribution to food security A CONSULTATION on fisheries and aquaculture environmental monitoring was held Tuesday last at the Regency Suites Hotel, Hadfield Street, Georgetown. The objective of the consultation was to highlight activities necessary for strengthening the local fishing industry’s contribu-
tion to food security and facilitating increased income-generating activities for fishermen. The goal was highlighted by Agricultural Health and Food Specialist of IICA Dr Maxine Parris-Aaron, during the opening of the national consultation which aimed at capacity-building in environmental monitor-
ing programmes for achieving good Sanitary and Phyto Sanitary (SPS) standards for the fisheries and aquaculture sectors in Guyana and other CARIFORUM states. The SPS project is funded by the European Union (EU) with the aim of supporting the beneficial integration of CARIFORUM states into the world econo-
my and to increase production and trade in agriculture and fisheries in order to meet international standards while protecting plant, animal and human health and life and the environment. The fisheries component of the SPS project is being implemented by IICA in partnership with the Caribbean Regional Fisher-
ies Mechanism (CRFM) the CARICOM Secretariat (CCS) and the SPS Committee of The Dominican Republic. During the event, Dr. Susan Singh-Renton, Deputy Executive Director, CRFM Secretariat, disclosed that follow-up actions will include implementation of the proposals and recom-
mendations of stakeholders; development and delivery of training programmes; support for relevant short-term and long-term training; and support for strengthening laboratory capacities within the participating CARIFORUM states. The SPS project was launched in 2013 and is scheduled to end next year.
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday June 8, 2015
PSYCHOLOGIST ADVOCATES…
Tackling mental health issues should begin in schools – to enable early detection and treatment
By Tajeram Mohabir TO A large extent, there is still some confusion among members of the public regarding the difference between a mental health problem and being mentally unstable. These two illnesses are commonly viewed as one and the same. They are not. The simple difference being that persons with mental health issues experience physiological difficulty and impairment in cognition, which hinder their ability to reason and function in a logical manner. The Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO, 1999) defines mental health as a state of emotional and social well-being in which the individual can cope with the normal stresses of life and achieve his or her potential. It is a result of a complex interplay of biological, psychological, social, environmental, and economic factors. Good mental health is more than the absence of mental illness; it is a complete sense of well-being and quality of life on all levels, the United Nations body on health says. Victims who are mentally unstable, a condition which is referred to as “mad”, also have physiological difficulty, but it is due to a general medical condition. An example is neurotic disorder. According to the draft National Mental Health Strategy for Guyana 20152020, between 78,000 and 114,000 Guyanese are suffering from a mental disorder and require some level of mental health care service. In addition, 20,000 Guyanese suffer from severe mental illness. Unipolar depression is the fifth greatest contributor to the disease burden in Guyana; and suicide, a mental health issue, is the leading cause of death among Guyanese.
said, it is a matter of trust, or a matter of the heart. A common example, he said, is a person doing a good with the high expectation of receiving a reward. The unmet expectation often results in depression, a blow to the person’s self-esteem, and causes the person to lack confidence in his/her actions. Persons experiencing these feelings, the psychologist said, must seek professional help, since mental disorder does not improve on its own, and can get worse
‘According to the draft National Mental Health Strategy for Guyana 2015-2020, between 78,000 and 114,000 Guyanese are suffering from a mental disorder and require some level of mental health care service. In addition, 20,000 Guyanese suffer from severe mental illness’ and from time to time he displayed symptoms of abnormal behaviour. According to the young man, his father would be “loudly speaking to himself” and does other strange things, but “does
Damien Corvinus
Deodatt Muridall Tillack, a clinical psychologist and social worker, said that, in the line of his work, he interacts with hundreds of people on a daily basis. He believes that if a careful study is done, it would probably reveal that far more than 114,000 people in Guyana suffer from a mental disorder. PAST EVENTS A mental disorder, he explained, is caused mainly by past event(s) in a person’s life and by unfulfilled expectations. Typically, a person with mental health issues oscillates between feelings of happiness and sadness; is confused in thinking; withdraws from friends; is unable to cope with daily problems; and has trouble relating to situations and people. In treating affected persons, Tillack said, it is important to first identify the symptoms of their behaviour and their circumstance. These, he said, are important in diagnosing the cause
of illness. Tillack, who holds a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Psychology from the American Peace University on Sheriff Street in Georgetown, told the Guyana Chronicle that many persons who seek psychiatric help are not mad, but their illness is due to a particular situation. In most cases, he
Suicide is a mental health problem. More people die in Guyana from suicide than in any other country on the planet
over time, if left untreated. Damien Corvinus, 26, a student of the University of Guyana, did not take any chance when a problem in his home began to take a toll on him. Corvinus’s father is divorced from his mother,
Having a mental health problem is not the same as being mentally unstable
not look like a person who is mad”. Corvinus, who had a “rough” childhood, as he puts it, said he soon found himself doing the same things as his father (speaking loudly to himself), and even more. About a year ago, he told this publication, due to his own problems and taking on the issues his father was going through, he began experiencing extreme mood swings. He said he would, at times, scream at his fiancée; punch the wall, have bouts of anxiety, feel very uncomfortable, and have great difficulty sleeping. The young father of one told the Chronicle that he happened to meet Tillack at a gym, and through the advice of the psychologist, he started to return to a state of normalcy. Tillack related that when he met Corvinus, he looked
withdrawn and unapproachable; but when he spoke with him, he (Corvinus) was a far different man from the person he looked. On examining the young man’s condition, Tillack diagnosed the problem as agitated depression. A person with agitated depression experiences feelings of agitation, anger, irritation and depression all at once. Corvinus was able to persuade his father to seek treatment; and with the help of Tillack, both men today have returned to a comfortable state of mental semblance. THE ELECTIONS Guyana recently had Regional and General Elections, and from all indications, it was quite a good thing for members of the business community when the elections were over. At elections time there is a slowdown in business. According to Tillack, many do not know that the elections period also took a toll on the mental state of the electorate - those who are deeply swayed by the political leaders they support. During counting of the ballots, the leaders of both the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) and the coalesced parties of A Partnership for National Unity and the Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) told their supports they were confident of winning the elections. Many supporters of the PPP/C had high expectation that their party would have won the elections, and some never harboured the thought that their party would have suffered defeat at the polls. Tillack said many were Turn to page 14 ►
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First Lady outlines plans for enriching lives of seniors, vulnerable youths EXCITED at the very thought of making a difference in the lives of vulnerable youth and senior citizens who possess marketable skills but are stuck in a rut, Guyana’s First Lady, Mrs. Sandra Granger, is soon to roll out plans to introduce initiatives that would empower them to break free and lead exciting and productive lives. This proposal was brought to the fore during an interview with the Chronicle. The First Lady outlined her areas of interest and immediate priorities for introducing “participatory development” in communities where such needs exist. Even though the modalities have not yet been finalised, Mrs. Granger, as her platform, has opted to consciously use her influence in ways that she considers to be economically viable and more uplifting for both senior citizens and vulnerable youths. “I do have a concern about them; I have been thinking about it, and talking to a few people about how we can keep our seniors engaged, and merge their experience with the experiences, skills and expertise of our younger people,” Mrs.
First Lady Mrs. Sandra Granger
Granger told the Chronicle. BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS “It’s something I am thinking about doing,” she said, “but I want to do it in a holistic, participatory way and in discussion with the communities where I would
like to roll it out. I don’t want to jump in and say, ‘We will do X, Y & Z,’ because every community has its own priorities; and therefore, before I go in saying I want to do this and that, I would like to sit down and talk to the people in the particular community and see how
their views and mine can mesh.” Mrs Granger sees the result of that engagement as a possible platform to develop a relationship that can help build communities. “I think that, a lot of the time, we have some young people whose parents might have to work long hours, or they might be in a single-parent family. Maybe we can go to a centre or , say, a church building where they can meet with older people [who are skilled] and can connect with them – people who might be able to help them with their homework; teach them a craft or skill; explain things to them, or encourage them to read. It gives them structure and the assurance that somebody is there mentoring them and offering support through all the little vicissitudes of growing up. That will be a starting point,” Mrs Granger said. Likening the concept to what was once known as the ‘4-H Club’, the First Lady said it is not an attempt at re-inventing the wheel; it is just that sense of community. Mrs. Granger opined that so many skills would have been lost over the years, it really would make good
sense if we could rebuild those skills and market them. “It would be wonderful, because the kids could also start earning some money as they put these skills to work, and they could get some assistance to learn business practice,” she said. NICHE MARKETS Mrs. Granger touted the idea of bringing about a rebirth of locally manufactured candies of yesteryear, such as the once popular butter scotch, sour-drops, pepper mints and the like, and packaging them with attractively designed labels. That can add value to the item and attract more sales, she opined, adding that with good quality preparation and attractive packaging, the candies could be even marketed at the Cheddi Jagan and Ogle International Airports. “And my dream is to find people who can make those old boiled sweets that we used to get as children. If we could find people who have those skills, and they could teach it to others, that could be a good niche market,” she reasoned. The First Lady proposed that, in time, at the level of villages, there could be competition for the best prepared
and packaged products. “These are just things I am thinking about that can be done, but I feel if you engage the community and they buy into it, you will have a greater measure of success. I’m talking to people and I am thinking about how we can get the project started.” Mrs. Granger has expressed preference in going through a church or civil society group to have the project initiated. “Basically, I want to merge with be it a church group or whatever, and see how we can bring the two together. But essentially, the parents of the children and the seniors would need to buy into it.” She expressed confidence that the initiative would give the seniors something of interest in their lives, so they wouldn’t just be sitting there looking through the window or watching television; their lives would have meaning. Meanwhile, expressing her outrage earlier at the practice of child prostitution, which has reared its ugly head locally, the First Lady can also be expected to launch a foundation for the protection of children from sexual predators.
NAREI scientists confirm mite attack on Pomeroon coconut industry SCIENTISTS attached to the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) have confirmed that coconut trees in the Pomeroon in Region 2 (Pomeroon/Supenaam) are under attack from a pest that is suspected to be the dreaded red palm mite. The red palm mite pest, Raoiella indica, is considered a serious threat to coconut production, since trees cannot survive the attacks. The Pomeroon is considered the largest coconut-producing area, not only in Guyana but in the entire Caribbean.
NAREI Director, Dr Oudho Homenauth said that a team of staffers from the institute visited the Lower Pomeroon and confirmed the infestation and the suspected source earlier this week. Those team members along with other agricultural personnel are to return to the area early next week and remain on site to assist farmers, whose coconut production is being severely threatened by the pest. The Red Palm Mite is a tiny red insect barely visible to the naked eye and feeds through the pores of the leaves of the coconut tree. The mite damages guard
Red Palm Mite
cells in the leaf, resulting in uncontrollable water loss from the plant. Leaves yellow, then turn brown and will eventually die. Without healthy leaves,
the trees cannot produce healthy nuts. Earlier this week, farmers on the Lower Pomeroon had reported damage to several coconut trees on their farms,
due to what they referred to as “coconut lice.” They reported that the pest had killed a large number of trees. Coconut farmers in the Pomeroon have recently been obtaining increased incomes from their coconuts, due to a growing demand for coconut water locally and regionally, Trinidad being a major customer for exports of fresh coconut water. They recently exported some 30,000 litres of coconut water from the Pomeroon to that twin-island republic. As such, the pest is a serious source of concern. Like most other
plant-feeding mites, the red palm mite species disperses on the wind. NAREI is calling on farmers to go on high alert and to provide any suspected damage from Red Palm Mites or provide mite specimens to the National Plant Protection Organisation or local extension agent or agriculture office. Coconut farmers countrywide are advised to contact NAREI and/or National Plant Protection Organisation (NPPO) Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara; Tel: 2205858, 220-2456, 220-2075. Email: nppogy@gmail. com for more information.
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Tackling mental health... so confident that the PPP/C would have won that the loss triggered a feeling of deep disappointment in them. On announcement of the results, he said, his phone went ‘off the hook’ with persons crying and screaming their disgust with the results announced by the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM). “I had to explain to them that the PPP/C losing the
elections should not be seen as a personal loss to them, since, in an election, one party wins, and by virtue of that, the others lose, if they want to see it that way. The loss is not a loss to Guyana, but an opportunity for the other side, the side that won, to make the lives of all Guyanese better, and for them to live happier. Crying and wailing would not bring them any personal benefit,
but having an open mind would help them to accept the situation and move on. The loss for the PPP/C is not a death sentence for the PPP/C; or, at least, they should not make it a death sentence,” he posited. Tillack also warned the populace about allowing “politicians to mentally control them”. He reasoned that this can be a recipe to set them up for disappointment,
depression, and other feelings associated with losers. START IN SCHOOL Tillack said Guyana can significantly reduce its mental health cases by instituting in the school system programmes that teach children to avoid situations that would ruin their spirit, and by teaching them to cope with stress and depression. It short, he said, it would
equip and empower persons at an early stage to identify and correct these problems. Also a life coach and parenting educator, Tillack urged the APNU+AFC Government to move in the direction wherein the Ministries of Education and Public Health work closely to nip in the bud issues related to mental health. Mental health disorder is a cause for suicide, he said, and Guyana is no stranger to the scourge. With a high rate of 44.2 suicides per 100,000 people when the global average is 16 per 100,000, Guyana has the highest rate of suicide in the world. Savitri Persaud, a doctoral candidate at York University who has done extensive research on mental illness in Guyana, recently told The Guardian, a popular UKbased newspaper that there is some issue concerning identifying the problem in this country. She related to the international newspaper that mental illness in Guyana is misunderstood, with symptoms often mistakenly attributed to witchcraft (known locally as obeah). Communities often ostracise sufferers, and on occasion have physically assaulted them, at times with the endorsement of religious leaders who are highly respected figures, Persaud noted. “Guyana is a place where most people live in villages and rural areas, so those who people tend to reach out to are religious leaders,” she told The Guardian, adding: “In some ways, religious leaders become first responders.” Tillack also noted this problem, and pointed out that affected persons need professional help; and, in many cases, religious leaders are not trained and equipped to handle them. Given its current state, which includes a lack of professional psychologists, Guyana will have much to do to adequately address the mental health problems of its affected citizens. According to the Ministry of Health, the National Psychiatric Hospital (NPH), a 200-bed mental hospital, is
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available in Guyana. Guyana has a population of about 750,000. SAME IN FIVE YEARS The NPH is organisationally integrated with mental health outpatient facilities, and the number of beds has not changed in the last five years. “None of the beds at the NPH are reserved for children and adolescents only. The patients admitted to mental hospitals belong primarily to the following two diagnostic groups: schizophrenics and persons with delusional disorders (45%); and others, such as epilepsy, organic mental disorders and mental retardation (19%). “The number of patients in mental hospitals is 24.4 per 100,000 populations. The average number of days spent in mental hospitals is 185: 15% of patients spend less than one year, 4% of patients spend 1-4 years, 14% of patients spend 5-10 years, and 67% of patients spend more than 10 years in mental hospitals,” the draft National Mental Health Strategy for Guyana 2015-2020 noted. It also stated that there is no forensic psychiatric facility and no designated forensic mental health beds in Guyana. However, within the correctional facilities, there are designated areas where inmates suffering from mental disorders reside. Mental health care services are provided to these inmates by the psychiatry staff from the GPHC psychiatric unit and the NPH. The strategy envisions that Guyana will be a country in which mental health is valued, promoted, and protected; where mental disorders are prevented; and where persons with these disorders are able to exercise their human rights, including access to health and social care that is timely and high-quality; attainment of the highest possible level of health; and ability to contribute to the well-being of all Guyanese families and communities. Tillack is hoping that the new Government will embrace this vision, and strive to make it a reality.
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Documents show ... From Backpage
Mr Warner in local currency. Jack Warner: The U.S. charge sheet Accused of racketeering, wire fraud, money-laundering, bribery. rom the early 1990s, he allegedly “began to leverage his influence and exploit his official positions for personal gain”. Allegedly accepted a $10M bribe from South African officials in return for voting to award them the 2010 World Cup Allegedly bribed officials with envelopes each containing $40 000 in cash; when one demurred, he allegedly said: “There are some people here who think they are more pious than thou. If you’re pious, open a church, friends. Our business is our business.” The BBC gave details of its investigation to Brent Sancho, Trinidad and Tobago’s sports minister and a former footballer. He said: “He (Mr Warner) must face justice, he must answer all of these questions. Justice has to be served. “He will have to account, with this investigation, he will have to answer for his actions.” The documents also show $360 000 of the FIFA money was withdrawn by people connected to Mr Warner. Nearly $1.6M was used to pay the former FIFA vice-president’s credit cards and personal loans. The documents show the largest personal loan Mr Warner provided for himself was $410 000. The largest credit card payment was $87 000. Mr Sancho says he is now angry and disappointed. “I’m devastated because a lot of that money should have been back in football, back in the development of children playing the sport. “It is a travesty. Mr Warner should answer the questions,” he added. ‘THE GLOVES ARE OFF’ Jack Warner is one of 14 people charged by U.S. prosecutors over alleged corruption at FIFA. The U.S. Justice Department alleges the 14 accepted bribes and kickbacks estimated at more than $150M (£97M) over a 24-year period. Mr Warner denies all charges of corruption.
GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday June 8, 2015
Russia, Qatar could lose World Cups - FIFA compliance head ZURICH, Switzerland (Reuters) - Russia and Qatar could be stripped of their World Cup hosting rights if evidence emerges of bribery in the bidding process, Domenico Scala, the independent chairman of FIFA’s audit and compliance committee, told a Swiss newspaper. The FBI’s investigation of bribery and corruption at FIFA includes scrutiny of how football’s governing body awarded World Cup hosting rights to Russia and Qatar, a U.S. law enforcement official told Reuters this week. “If evidence should emerge that the awards to Qatar and Russia only came about thanks to bought votes, then the awards could be invalidated,” Scala told SonntagsZeitung in an interview published yesterday. “This evidence has not yet been brought forth.” Russia and Qatar have denied wrongdoing in the conduct of their bids for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments, which were not the subject of charges announced by U.S. prosecutors last week against FIFA officials. Scala made similar comments in 2013 but events over the last two weeks, which included a dawn police raid in Zurich and the arrests of several FIFA officials on U.S. charges, have added urgency to his remarks. British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said he supported Qatar hosting the 2022 tournament but said Britain would work with another country if FIFA re-opened the bidding process. “We would offer our support to any country that has been chosen to host the World Cup,” Hammond told BBC World Service radio, saying the final decision would be for FIFA to make. He ruled out any British bid to host the 2022 competition if Qatar was stripped of hosting rights. Sepp Blatter unexpectedly announced on Tuesday he was resigning, just four days after securing a fifth term as FIFA president and shortly before it emerged that he too was under investigation by U.S. law enforcement. In a separate interview with Swiss paper Sonntags Blick, Scala floated the idea of term limits for the FIFA presidency. “If a FIFA president does two or three cycles that is enough,” Scala was quoted as saying.
New softball competition launched PETAMA Enterprise of 16 Delph Street, Campbellville and Motor Trend Auto Sales, Spares & Repairs of Old Public Road, Enmore are the newest sponsors of the next Guyana Floodlight Softball Cricket Association organised softball tournament. This Tournament will start June 28, 2015. Like all GFSCA tournaments it will be played in 3 Categories - Male/Female Open, and Male Masters. To qualify for the Male Masters, players must be born in 1970 or before. However, all Masters Teams can include a maximum of 4 players born 1971 and 1972 in their squad of 15 members. Essequibo Zones will be handled by Khalid Baksh, Tel #: 618-1905, and Berbice and Demerara Zones will be handled by GFSCA Chief Organiser Wayne Jones, Tel#: 6501790 and 685-6908. Prizes for the Male Open and Male Masters are: Winners $100,000 + Trophy, Runner-Up $25,000 + Trophy. For Females, Winner receive $50,000 + Trophy and Runner-Up $20,000 +
GFF unveils new Golden Jaguars kit THE Guyana Football Federation (GFF) yesterday unveiled their new kit ahead of their senior National Men’s Football team (Golden Jaguars) 2018 World Cup Qualifier against St Vincent and the Grenadines on June 10 and 14. According to the GFF’s marketing and communication director Rawle Toney, the Federation is more than pleased to partner with Admiral Sportswear to be its official uniform and kit provider for the next four years. “Admiral is a highly respected international brand and one which the GFF is proud to be associated with and to have our entire national and league teams outfitted in,” Toney said, while speaking to the media yesterday at the Guyana National Stadium where the simple but significant event was held. Admiral, the second-largest football brand supplying professional teams in the U.S. and Canada, in addition to supplying competitive and recreational teams will outfit our National sides with a unique kit for their 2016 Olympic qualifiers and 2018 World Cup qualifier. The Golden Jaguars will debut their new Admiral kit in their 2018 World Cup qualifier on June 10 against St Vincent. Both the Men’s and Women’s U-23 teams will also be wearing Admiral during the CFU 2016 Olympic qualifiers at the end of June and August respectively. “The deal was done in such a strategic way, that the GFF could benefit. Admiral will sell the products online and the Federation gets a percentage from that sale. But also, the GFF already has fan wear and those are being sold for $2 000 and the player’s replica will cost $6 000. All items are sold only at the GFF’s head office in Campbellville,” Toney said. Admiral itself is a legendary brand, being worn by some of the biggest names in the sporting world. The England National Team, Manchester United, New York Cosmos and most recently the West Indies Cricket team are just some of the teams that once donned Admiral. In fact, Admiral has supplied most of the current English Premier League (EPL) teams in addition to being the largest brand in the original North American Soccer League (NASL). Today Admiral is a major player in the North American and international markets.
South Africa Racing Tips Flamingo Park 08:50 hrs Wimoweh 09:25 hrs Il Palio 09:55 hrs Prolan 10:25 hrs Wolf’s Girl
Organiser Wayne Jones, centre, with Jailall Deodass right, Petama left, along with other members of the GFSCA Trophy. Player of the Series in all categories will receive a Trophy + $10,000. Player of the Match in Final will receive a Trophy + $5,000. The finals of this softball competition will be played on Sunday October 11th, 2015. Balls to be used by Males are the white GFSCA/Trophy Stall balls. Females will use the yellow Floodlight Balls. The Petama Enterprise/ Motor Trend softball competition serves as the perfect
build-up for the fifth GFSCA International Softball Tournament, “ Guyana Softball Cup 5” which will be held on October 30th, 31st& 1st November. Entrance fees for The Petama Enterprise / Motor Trend Tournament is $15,000 for the Male Categories, while Females are free. Petama Enterprise is a distributor for KYB Shocks, NPW Water Pump, Toyo Bearing, FIC Clutch & Break Product. Petama En-
terprise Managing Director Petamber Maharaj and Motor Trend Managing Director Jailall Deodass are very enthusiastic about sponsoring this Tournament. This GFSCA managed competition is also co-sponsored by Trophy Stall, Ariel Enterprise, Mikes Pharmacy, Romeo Oil Seal, Rohan Auto Spares, Ramchand Auto Spares, and Gainmart producers of Powerline Battery Acid &Powerline Battery Water.
English Racing Tips Thirsk 09:15 hrs Mr Lupton 09:45 hrs Multi Grain 10:15 hrs Bayan Kasirga 10:45 hrs Comino 11:15 hrs Tempting 11:45 hrs Rochambeau 12:15 hrs Exoplanet Blue Ayr 09:30 hrs King’s Pavilion 10:00 hrs Donna Graciosa 10:30 hrs Sir Domino 11:00 hrs Uncle Brit 11:30 hrs Sewn Up 12:00 hrs Quest Of Colour 12:30 hrs Boy In The Bar 13:05 hrs El Massivo Windsor 13:20 hrs Torment
13:50 hrs Mount Shamsan 14:20 hrs Tears Of The Sun 14:50 hrs Shackled N Drawn 15:20 hrs Atletico 15:50 hrs You’re My Cracker Irish Racing Tips Roscommon 12:30 hrs Galway Bay 13:00 hrs Snap Click 13:30 hrs Sofi’s Spirit 14:30 hrs Breenainthemycra 15:00 hrs The GAME Changer 15:30 hrs Dushrembrandt 16:00 hrs Speed Demon American Racing Tips Parx Racing Race 1 Bay State Justice Race 2 Early Glory Race 3 Harbor Breeze Race 4 Wild Oration Race 5 Total Thief Race 6 Little Often Anni Race 7 What the Frost Race 8 Winning Diamond Race 9 Up All Night
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Triumphant Wawrinka dashes Djokovic’s Paris dream erson, Andre Agassi, Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal -- by completing the career slam, Djokovic said: “I will be back next year to try again to win the title.
By Pritha Sarkar PARIS, France (Reuters) - As his blazing backhand skidded off from inside the baseline, Stanislas Wawrinka sent his racquet rocketing skywards after dashing Novak Djokovic’s French Open dreams with a victory barely anyone expected yesterday. It was a 4-6, 6-4, 6-3, 6-4 triumph only Wawrinka’s nearest and dearest saw coming as the Swiss was facing a player who had looked destined to join the all-time greats by becoming the eighth man to complete a career grand slam. But destiny and reality were not on the same wavelength yesterday as Djokovic, who had conquered nine-time champion Rafa Nadal in the quarter-finals and third seed Andy Murray in the semis, fell two sets short of the one title he so desperately desires. “I played the match of my life, it’s hard to believe. Playing against Novak was one of the biggest challenges. I know how much he wanted this Roland Garros,” a gracious Wawrinka told the crowd after adding the French Open title to his 2014 Australian Open success. The fans, who had tried to rouse Djokovic throughout the fourth set by chanting his
Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland kisses the trophy as he poses during the ceremony after winning the men’s singles final match against Novak Djokovic of Serbia at the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris, yesterday. (Reuters/Vincent Kessler) nickname “No-le, No-le, No-le” realised how crushing the defeat must mean for the Serb and gave him a prolonged standing ovation that reduced him to tears. “I want to say congratulations to Stan and it is not
very easy for me to speak now. There are things in life that are more important than victories and that is character and respect,” the eight-time grand slam champion said after coming off second-best at Roland Garros for the third time.
“I’ve got a lot of respect for you, Stan. You’re a great champion with a big heart, you deserve this title.” After failing to join the magnificent seven of men’s tennis -- Fred Perry, Don Budge, Rod Laver, Roy Em-
Hong Kong participation gives us the edge - coach Henry By Stephan Sookram GUYANA’S participation in the HSBC Hong Kong 7s series recently will give the unit a major boost ahead of the North American Caribbean Rugby Association (NACRA) Caribbean Championships and Olympic Qualifiers. So believes head coach of the unit Theodore Henry, who briefed the media last Friday. “I would say participating in Hong Kong this year. Every time we participate in tournaments above the NACRA standard, we tend to go into the NACRA tournaments and do pretty well. “I think that is going to be a deciding factor in terms of our performance this year and that’s our side of the toughness and resilience of the guys.” Henry said that after the Hong Kong 7s the technical director of the Guyana Rugby Football Union (GRFU) had identified some shortcomings, and they have been working to correct such. “Kick-off reception is a big challenge for us because of the fact that most of our players
Head Coach Theodore Henry are not 6-foot 4 (inches), like the U.S. and Canada and others that have the tall guys to return the kick but it’s something that we are addressing. We are going to be trying the mounted kick-off reception where one player gives another a boost in order to compete with the taller guys.” Meanwhile, questions surrounding the absence of key player Kevin McKenzie surfaced but were put to rest after it was explained that he (McKenzie) could not get time off from his job in Australia to attend the tournament. The head coach explained
that the absence of the player does not mean that the team won’t perform. “One thing about this team is that we always have a solid core of 15 players. And when I say core 15, I mean that at any given time, we can put our hands into a bag and select 15 players and be happy with the 15 that come out. We’ve been to many tournaments that we’ve played without key players. One player doesn’t truly define this team.” president of the GRFU, Peter Greene, said that his absence opens the door for others to step up. “That gives an opportunity to the young ones coming up to show what they are made of because Kevin has served Guyana rugby faithfully for years and he himself has said: When am I going to see someone called the next Kevin McKenzie? So let’s hope this NACRA round will answer that question.” On the question of fitness, Henry confirmed that he is satisfied with the players who have always prided themselves on fitness and
tactics, adding too that their confidence level in the camp is high. The team will departed this morning and will stop over in New York for practice games before heading to North Carolina for the tournament set for June 13-14. Guyana’s team includes Richard Staglon as captain as well as Dwayne Schroeder, Vallon Adams, Claudius Butts, Patrick King, Ronald Mayers, Avery Corbin, Lancelot Adonis, Rickford Cummings, Ryan Gonzalves, Travis Bascom, and Peabo Hamilton. John Lewis is the manager of the team, Henry is the coach and Phillip Browne is the strength and conditioning specialist. Guyana are drawn in Pool B alongside Canada, Trinidad and Tobago, the Cayman Islands and the Bahamas while the Pool B comprises Mexico, the United States, Barbados, Jamaica and St Vincent. The ruggers’ first game is against the Bahamas on May 13 at the Main Stadium.
MONSTER RALLY A year after Wawrinka drowned his sorrows at a popular Paris burger joint following his 2014 first-round humbling, the Swiss was all smiles yesterday as he enjoyed a champagne reception with his coach Magnus Norman in the Roland Garros players’ lounge -- toasting a remarkable turnaround in his fortunes. Victory certainly tasted sweet for the 30-year-old whose ending of Djokovic’s 28-match winning streak made him the oldest man to hoist the Musketeers’ Cup since Andres Gomez in 1990. “Magnus always found the words to make me believe in myself and made sure I go on court knowing and believing that I can beat the No.1 player in a grand slam final,” Wawrinka said. To do that he produced 60 winners, double the tally of Djokovic, in a brave, attacking display. The points he won included a monster 39-shot ral-
ly in the first game and a bone-crunching backhand fired into Djokovic’s body that brought the crowd to their feet. Nothing, though, dented Djokovic’s iron will as the Serb saved five break points over the course of the first two sets to leave a highly-strung Wawrinka whacking the net with his racquet. That released Wawrinka’s pent-up frustration as he finally broke on his sixth attempt, winning a 23-shot rally on set point to level the match -- prompting Djokovic’s anger to boil over. The top seed slammed his racquet to the ground but with his anger still out of control, he smashed it with even more brute force -- leaving the prop a mangled mess. The release he was looking for never materialised as Wawrinka continued to push him to the brink on his serve. A break for 4-2 was enough for the Swiss to win the third and when he broke again for a 5-4 lead in the fourth, he wagged his index finger high in the air knowing that victory was within sight. His attempt at firing down a flying ace on his first match point did not quite hit the mark, cutting short Wawrinka’s raised arm celebrations -- but not for long.
Hamilton takes easy win in Canadian GP
MONTREAL, Canada (CMC) - Reigning World champion Lewis Hamilton rebounded from the disappointment of his last race to pull off an easy victory in the Canadian Grand Prix here yesterday. Hamilton enjoyed a controlled victory by fending off team-mate Nico Rosberg in an unusually uneventful race as Williams’ Valtteri Bottas beat Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen into third. Rosberg came at him after their sole pit stops, but the world champion was never under threat leading comfortably through the first part of the race. “I love Montreal. I love this track. I love this city,” declared Hamilton, whose paternal grandparents are Grenadian. “Really just a fantastic weekend, great to get back on the top step.” In his last race in Monaco, he lost a dominant victory as a result of a strategic error by the team. However, this time around Hamilton led into the first corner from pole position and
Reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton pulls off an easy victory. built a four-second lead before his pit stop and then controlled the gap at a little over a second for the rest of the race. “I didn’t feel I had the most comfortable balance, I had a bit too much understeer,” he said. “Nico was quick but I didn’t feel under too much pressure. I felt I could pull it out when I needed to”. Hamilton’s fourth win in seven races extends his drivers’ championship points-advantage to 17.
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Fudadin anxiously awaiting start of CPL 3
By Rajiv Bisnauth WITH the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) just under two weeks away, out-of-favour Test batsman Assad Fudadin said he is eagerly looking forward to making his debut. The CPL is the Region’s premier T20 tournament, attracting sold-out crowds and millions of viewers across the globe are set to commence on June 20. Fudadin, who represented the West Indies in three Tests, was snapped up by the Guyana Amazon Warriors at the CPL Player Draft in Kingston, Jamaica, on February 5. He was bought in Round 15 for US$5 000,
… Tournament bowls off June 20
Assad Fudadin and is among eight Guyanese in the line-up, a clear indication that the Warriors management unit was keen to continue giving the local players an opportunity to showcase their talents. One of six players to represent the local franchise for the first time, Fudadin joined Australia’s Brad Hodge,
West Indies veteran batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Sri Lanka’s Thisara Perera and local superstars Devendra Bishoo and Paul Wintz as the newcomers in the Guyana Amazon Warriors outfit. “Obviously, it’s a great opportunity for me to represent the Guyana Amazon Warriors for the first time,” the 29-year-old Fudadin said during an exclusive interview recently. With three T20 games under his belt, Fudadin said he was excited to be part of the third edition.
The left-handed batsman said he was eagerly looking forward to tap into the vast experience of the international quartet – Sri Lankan trio Tillakaratne Dilshan, Lasith Malinga and Thisara Perera and the Australian Brad Hodge. “It will be a good experience for me, since I will get the opportunity to mix with a few international players, who are specialised in oneday cricket, so it will be a good opportunity for me to experience and I want to thank the management unit
for putting their faith in me,” he said. Guyanese Leon Johnson, Steven Jacobs and Robin Bacchus were not selected, along with New Zealander James Neesham, who was part of the team last season. Other members of the squad are Trinidad’s Sunil Narine, Lendl Simmons and Denesh Ramdin and Guyana’s Christopher Barnwell, Veerasammy Permaul and Ronsford Beaton. The third edition of the CPL, labelled by organ-
isers as the Biggest Party in Sport, will attract 33 action-packed matches and is set to conclude on July 26. The Amazon Warriors lost at the final hurdle in the previous two editions, to Jamaica Tallawahs in 2013 and Barbados Tridents in 2014. It will once again feature six Franchises, namely Barbados Tridents, Guyana Amazon Warriors, Jamaica Tallawahs, St Lucia Zouks, St Kitts & Nevis and Trinidad & Tobago Red Steel.
Canada beat China in Women’s World Cup opener By Shamoon Hafez STRIKER Christine Sinclair scored an injury-time penalty for hosts Canada as they edged out China in the opening match of the Women’s World Cup. The game looked to be heading for a goalless conclusion until China’s Zhao Rong was adjudged to have brought down Adriana Leon in the box. Watched by a record crowd for Canadian football, China’s Gu Yasha curled a free-kick against both posts. Josee Belanger then hit a drive for Canada which rattled back off the bar. The Netherlands beat New Zealand in the opening day’s other match with a curling strike by Lieke
Josee Belanger rattled the crossbar from long range for Canada netted 154 goals in 224 Martens from outside the international games, sent area in the 33rd minute. the fans into ecstasy with a The tournament opener between the hosts and China was watched by more than 53 000 inside the Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, making it the best-attended match in Canadian women’s MUMBAI, India (Reuters) football history, but it - Rahul Dravid has been was a drab encounter entrusted with shaping the until its dramatic con- future of Indian cricket clusion. and has agreed in principle Sinclair, who has now to coach the country’s Under-19 and A teams. The Indian cricket board (BCCI) last week named a three-member advisory committee comprised of former cricketers Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar and VVS (Monday June 08, 2015) Laxman but the absence of Compliments of THE TROPHY STALL-Bourda former captain and batting Market &The City Mall (Tel: 225-9230) & great Dravid had surprised AUDREY’S TASTY SNACKETTE-176 Charlotte many. Street, Georgetown (Tel: 226-4512) BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur laid the concerns Answers to Thursday’s quiz: to rest by confirming that Australia won 5-1 (in Australia) the modalities of Dravid’s ‘run out’ (277, Sydney, 1992-93) contract will be finalised in the next few days. Today’s Quiz: “The good news is that Who were the captains involved in the first ever tied Test? Rahul Dravid has agreed to Who is the first player to make over 500 runs in a coach India A and India Unthree-Test series? der-19 in the future,” Thakur told reporters in Kolkata after Answers in tomorrow’s issue a meeting with the advisory
CRICKET QUIZ CORNER
coolly-taken late spot-kick as Canada went top of their group. The 2015 tournament will be the biggest so far after the seventh edition was expanded to include 24 teams. Japan are the defending champions, while the final will take place on July 5 in Vancouver. There was controversy in the lead-up when 84
players from 13 countries were involved in a lawsuit against the Canadian Soccer Association (CSA) and world governing body FIFA over the use of artificial pitches in the tournament - and the ball rolled unevenly on Saturday. Englishman John Herdman’s Canada side went into the event having beaten England 1-0 in their
final warm-up game last month. Kadeisha Buchanan had a shot blocked by China goalkeeper Wang Fei, while star striker Sinclair nicked an effort wide. Both sides came within inches of grabbing the opening goal, but Gu Yasha and Belanger both hit the woodwork, before Sinclair’s late intervention. (BBC Sport)
Dravid to shape next generation of Indian cricketers
Former India captain Rahul Dravid committee on Saturday. The 42-year-old Dravid, who has over 13 000 runs in Tests and close to 11 000 in the 50-over format, will start by preparing the India A side for a home series against Australia A and South Africa A in July and August. Dravid said the role suited his family life fine and he did not see it as a platform to groom himself for the national team’s head-coaching job which remains vacant after the departure of Duncan
Fletcher in March. “I think it is really exciting because it has been an area I have always been interested in,” Dravid told ESPNcricinfo of his new role. “I feel it is a very important stage of development of a lot of cricketers, having been through myself, and I am just hoping that ... I will probably be able to help some of these young cricketers on their journey. “I don’t see this as any stepping stone, I just see this as an opportunity to work with young players over the next few months, six weeks of an A-tour and may be six or seven weeks, with the Under-19 team.” With India widely known as poor travellers, Dravid’s role will be crucial. The new advisory panel has recommended increasing the overseas trips of
junior teams and organising tours a year earlier in countries where the senior team would be scheduled to play a major tournament or series. “One of the suggestions by the legends was to increase the number of India A tours overseas so that we can give more and more exposure to our A players and they can play competitive cricket,” Thakur said. “In the past few years, the performance of the Indian team was not up to the mark overseas, so our focus would be on India A tour overseas. “For example, if we have to play Champions Trophy in England, then India A must tour England or nearby countries one year in advance.” The panel has also suggested identifying a pool of 30 bowlers, comprising 15 pacemen and a similar number of spinners, to be groomed for international cricket over a four-year cycle.
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GUYANA CHRONICLE Monday June 8, 2015
‘Tight squeezes’ produce Guinness final four
Part of the action in Saturday night’s palay at the National Cultural Centre. By Kizan Brumell ON Saturday, the second night of action in the Guinness Greatest of the Street National Championships saw the semi-finalists decided then were scheduled to do battle last night for the crown of National Champions and a chance to represent Guyana in Jamaica later this month.
West Front Road and Sparta Boss were matched to face off in one semi while North Ruimveldt were geared to take on Showstoppers in the other at the Demerara Park (Banks DIH). The winning team pocketed $500 000, runners-up $250 000, while third- and fourth-placers took home $150 000 and $75 000 respectively.
As the competition intensified on Saturday at the National Cultural Centre tarmac, Unruly Gang won 2-0 on sudden death kicks after drawing nil-all when the regulation time whistle went. West Front Road surged ahead in the fourth minute against Showstoppers compliments of Marvin Joseph but Randolph Warner,
Blake replaces Webb at the helm of Cayman Football GEORGE TOWN, Cayman Islands (CMC) - Bruce Blake has replaced Jeffrey Webb at the helm of football in the Cayman Islands, the governing body for the sport has announced. Blake, the vice president of the Cayman Island Football Association (CIFA), has been appointed as acting president on a provisional basis, said a statement released by CIFA. The decision was taken during an emergency executive meeting of CIFA following Webb’s arrest in Zurich, Switzerland, after being indicted by U.S. law enforcement officials on a number of charges. Webb was provisionally banned from any football-related activities by FIFA’s Ethics Committee following his arrest.
Bruce Blake takes over from Jeffrey Webb CONCACAF subsequently removed him as president of the organisation, which is the governing football body for North, Central America and the Caribbean. “As a result of the decision of the FIFA Ethics Committee on May 27 to provisionally ban Jeffrey Webb from carrying out any football-related activities on a national and international level, the CIFA executive
committee took the decision to appoint Bruce Blake as acting president on a provisional basis, pending the outcome of any ongoing investigation by the FIFA Ethics Committee, said the statement. CIFA says it is “concerned and disappointed” to learn of Webb’s arrest but has declined further comment on the probe. “As this is an ongoing investigation, it would be inappropriate for CIFA to comment further, as the presumption of innocence until proved guilty must prevail,” the statement said. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to Jeffrey and his family at this difficult time.” Cayman Islands are preparing to host the CONCACAF Boys Under-15 Championships in August.
scoring again in his second encounter, equalised in the seventh, as his team held the opposition until full time. Showstoppers then grasped victory 2-0 on penalty kicks. Sparta Boss battled keenly against Globe Yard and prevailed by a 1-0 margin thanks to a Jermin Weekes-strike in the 20th minute. Colin Daniels, playing for North Ruimveldt, scored in the 12th and 13th minutes to put Leopold Street out of contention for the championships. When the night continued with the second round of Group matches, Unruly Gang found themselves on the other side of the boat with a 0-1 loss to West Front Road. Wagner once again marked his name on the scoring sheet. Game six saw Showstoppers needle Melanie-B with the winning goal coming off the boot of Nathan Allicock in the 21st. The penultimate game of the evening was well matched and highly competitive as Leopold Street and Sparta battled to a 2-all draw before the latter won 2-0 on penalty kicks. Sparta Boss’ scorers were Dennis Edwards (5th) and Sheldon Shepherd (17th) while Okeene Fraser (21st) and Andre Sookhoo (24th) scored for Leopold Street. In the final match of the night North Ruimveldt lost to Globe Yard by a 1-0 margin but North Ruimveldt’s aggregate was greater which earned them a spot in the final four.
Lehmann wants more from Aussie batsmen
FOR ALL the excitement about Australia’s emphatic three-day Test win over the West Indies in Dominica, the performance of the top order has come into question. Australia came away with a nine-wicket victory in Dominica, but not before slumping to 126-6 in their first innings. Worryingly, it’s the 20th time in 46 innings that Australia have lost five or more wickets for less than 150 runs. Coach Darren Lehmann admits it’s a statistic that leaves him worried. “That was a disappointing output ... we need our top six making runs,” Lehmann said. “We know … how we want to perform in each Test match. “The tail got us out of jail here and they’ve done that a bit in the past. The batters will be working hard to get it right.” Australia’s saving grace has been their tail-enders as it was in Dominica. Adam Voges, who scored an unbeaten 130 on debut, combined with the last four batsmen to lift Australia’s first innings to 318. In the past year, Australia have added 100 or more runs after being seven down four times. Fast bowlers Mitchell
Shaun Marsh Starc, Mitchell Johnson and Josh Hazlewood as well as Nathan Lyon have all proved their worth with the bat as well as the ball. With several members of the batting lineup having their first red-ball bat in the first Test for months, Lehmann is hopeful Australia will be better for the experience in the second Test in Jamaica starting on Thursday. “We were a little bit rusty the first hour with the ball on the first day because blokes hadn’t played in a bit,” Lehmann said. “The same with the bat in the first innings. “Hopefully all the cricket we’ve played, with the tour game and the training, hopefully in Jamaica we’ll start to settle into that five-day Test mode. “It’s not a concern. It’s just about the batters adapting better.”(AAP)
Morgan sets world-leading distance and new Jamaica discus record
MISSISSIPPI, United States (CMC) - Jamaican athlete Jason Morgan has set a world leading distance for the discus after an outstanding display at the Peak Performance Track and Field Classic in Mississippi on Saturday. Morgan also set a new national record after throwing 68.19 metres which secured him qualification for the IAAF World Athletic Championships in Beijing in August. Morgan’s mark eclipses the 67.93m set last month by Germany’s Christoph Harting as well as the 66.40 set by his countryman Frederick Dacres. “I am definitely humbled by this performance. I definitely put in a lot of hard work, and God just showed me how good it is to stay determined and dedicated,” said Morgan, the 2014 Commonwealth Games bronze medallist. “Last week, I had a
Jason Morgan throws 68.19 metres
dream that I threw really far, but I couldn’t see what number I threw. Thank God that dream became a reality today.” Morgan has now reclaimed the national record from Traves Smikle (67.12), a boost to his chances at the national championships later this month. The record-breaking throw could also put him in contention for a medal at the World Championships.
Sport CHRONICLE
‘Tight squeezes’ produce Guinness final four GFF unveils new Golden Jaguars kit The Chronicle is at http://www.guyanachronicle.com
See Story on Page 23
See Story on Page 23
Some members of the Golden Jaguars show off their new kit, compliments of Sportswear supplier Admiral. (Samuel Maughn photo)
FIFA corruption :
Documents show details of Jack Warner ‘bribes’ By Ed Thomas, BBC News, Trinidad
A BBC investigation has seen evidence that details what happened to the $10M sent from FIFA to accounts controlled by former vice-president Jack Warner. The money, sent on behalf of South Africa, was meant to be used for its Caribbean Diaspora legacy programme. But documents suggest Mr Warner used the payment for cash withdrawals, personal loans and to launder money. The 72-year-old, who has been indicted by the U.S. FBI for corruption, denies all claims of wrongdoing. FIFA says it is cooperating with the investigation. And South Africa’s Football Association has issued a detailed statement denying any wrongdoing. The papers seen by the BBC detail three wire transfers Ed Thomas reports on what happened to by FIFA. In the three transactions - on January 4, February 1 and $10M sent from FIFA accounts controlled by March 10, 2008 - funds totalling $10M (£6.5M) from FIFA Jack Warner. Printed and Published by Guyana National Newspapers Limi ted, Lama Avenue, Bel Air Park, Georgetown. Telephone 2 2 6- 3243-9 (General); Editorial: 2 2 7- 5204, 2 2 7- 5216. Fax:2 2 7- 5208
accounts were received into CONCACAF accounts controlled by Jack Warner. At the time, he was in charge of the body, which governs football in North and Central America and the Caribbean. PERSONAL PAYOUTS The money had been promised by South Africa’s Football Association for its so-called Diaspora legacy programme to develop football in the Caribbean. The documents reveal how the money was spent and moved around. JTA Supermarkets, a large chain in Trinidad, received $4 860 000 from the accounts. The money was paid in instalments from January 2008 to March 2009. The largest payment was $1 350 000 paid in February 2008. U.S. prosecutors say the money was mostly paid back to See Page 20 MONDAY, JUNE 8, 2015