Guyana Inc Magazine Issue 24

YOUR FREE COPY TO KEEP! - ISSUE 24

Highlights of the work of Guyana’s Fisheries Department Taking a closer look at the performance of the controversial NDIA

Dennis Kerpaul Charran Taking the business of comfort to an international level

Guyanese students deliver outstanding performance at CXC/CAPE exams Guyana’s economy continues to benefit from strong macroeconomic policies

CONTENTS Founder and Publisher Teshawna Lall, BA, MBA Managing Director Frank Sanichara Marketing Innovative Marketing & Publishing Inc. Design Innovative Marketing & Publishing Inc. Editorial Contributions Kiana Wilburg Franklin Wilson Sharmain Grainger Suraj Narine Omesh Balmacoon Tammy Quail Brian Ramsey Saarah Gajraj Jarryl Bryan Teni Housty, LLM, MBA Ministry of Education

8 FEATURE

18 Business

Highlights of the work of Guyana’s Fisheries Department................6

Selecting supervising firms for construction works.................................24

24 Saffon Street, Georgetown Guyana, South America.

Tel: (592) 665-2206 or (592) 223-2169

Dennis Kerpaul Charran: Taking the business of comfort to an international level............................8

What to look for beyond the application.........................................26

For Subscription in Guyana and the Caribbean Contact: (592) 223-2169 North America: 347-599-6426

Suicide: Do Caribbean Businesses have a responsibility for Prevention.......14

Email: guyanainc@gmail.com Website: www.guyanainc.biz

Guyana’s economy continues to benefit from strong macroeconomic policies.........................16 Export analysis of crops as managed by the Guyana Marketing Corporation..........................18

While every effort has been made to ensure that information is correct at the time of going to print, Innovative Marketing & Publishing Inc. DBA Guyana Inc. cannot be held responsible for the outcome of any action or decision based on the information contained in this publication. The publishers or authors do not give any warranty for the content, explanation or opinion. It is advisable that prospective investors consult their attorney/s and/ or financial investor/s prior to following/ pursing any business opportunity or entering into any investments.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form without prior written permission of the Publisher.

Taking a closer look at the performance of the controversial NDIA.................................20 Technical Vocational Education and Training -The key to Regional and Global Competitiveness...................22

Guyanese students deliver outstanding performance at CXC/ CAPE exams..................................28 Pay keen attention to those warranties......................................30 Work Related Law: Knowing Your Entitlements when it comes to NIS........32 Praxis, Olympics and the Guyana Judicial System...........................33 COMMUNICATION SECTOR - 4G Service Hits Guyana’s Shores.........34 The talented Poonam Singh wages war against suicide.......................36 Your Mental Health and You..................38 Confronting the issue of Breast Cancer...........................................40 Guyanese Olympians! Rallying a nation through their perseverance.....................42

40 HEALTH

Highlights of the work of Guyana’s Fisheries Department

T

he fisheries sector of Guyana consists of three aspects: marine fishery, aquaculture, and inland fishery. Most of the fisheries activities are concentrated on the nation’s continental shelf, as well as the continental slope (to a small extent).

Marine fishery is mostly concerned with shrimp trawling and utilizing ground-fish resources.

Managing this sector is the Fisheries Department, which is located within the Ministry of Agriculture.

While the main Administrative Office (Head Office) of the Fisheries Department is located in the Ministry of Agriculture’s compound in Regent and Vlissengen Rds., Georgetown, Region Four, the Department also has out of town bases.

These areas are: • Houston, East Bank Demerara – The staff there form the Legal and Inspectorate Unit.

• Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara – The office in this area is known as the Satyadeow Sawh Aquaculture

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Station (SSAS). The majority of the staff’s activities revolve around the operations of this facility. They form the core of the Aquaculture and Inland Fisheries Unit.

• Anna Regina, Essequibo Coast – The Anna Regina Fish Station (ANFS) is located in that area. The purpose of this facility is to provide fingerlings, as well as information and extension services to the fish farmers in Region Two. It also functions as base for the staff activities in Region Two (both marine and aquaculture related).

• Rosignol and New Amsterdam (Berbice) – The few staff in Berbice are tasked with coordinating the Fisheries Department’s activities (both marine and aquaculture related) in Regions Five and Six. In addition to this, the Fisheries Department has several subprogrammes. These include Resource Assessment and Statistics, Aquaculture and Inland Fisheries, Program Administration, and Extension.

While its work has been extensive in its sub programmes, the Department revealed that permission was granted to one industrial company (Pritipaul Singh Investment Inc.) to convert one vessel and equip one trawler type vessel to explore deep seas long line fishing, to determine the feasibility of this practice, after which consideration will be given to granting full licenses for this method of fishing.

Meanwhile, it was also noted that revenue collected from other licenses was $ 25.24 million. This represents 17.43% decrease from the G$ 30.75 million revenue collected in 2014.

With regard to exports, it was observed that in 2015, USA received the large majority of the fish products (58%) exported by Guyana, with Jamaica receiving 26% of the total export.

It was noted too that in 2015, grey snapper continues to be the most exported species according to individual licenses that were issued, and patwa was the inland fish species that had the highest quantity exported.

As it relates to Marine Production, the Fisheries Department revealed that total production for marine fisheries in 2015 was 35,835 mt. Officials said that the Guyana Private Trawlers Owners and Seafood Processor Association (GPTOSP) had its fourteen annual closed seasons for seabob.

However, no fishing was done during the six weeks period. Officials said that when the fishing period was reopened there was a decrease in the quantity of shrimp caught.

The Department is still analyzing the data submitted and will address the period for closed season with a scientific approach.

Furthermore, there was a 5% increase in sea bob industrial production and an overall 7 % increase in total shrimp production. For finfish, there was an overall 12 % decrease in production when compared with the previous year. Prawns had 18% increase compared to 2014.

The Fisheries Department felt that it is necessary for readers to understand some of the constraints facing its Legal and Inspectorate Unit which eventually led to a number of setbacks in the sector.

These include: • The lack of enforcement operations and prosecution of operators of unlicensed artisanal has led to numerous artisanal vessels being unlicenced over the reporting period of 2015. Only two specific enforcement and surveillance exercises were conducted with the Guyana Defence Force Coast Guard.

These exercises resulted in the zoning of some thirty fishing vessels engaged in the anchor seine method of fishing.

• Lack of a dedicated vehicle and driver for the Unit hampers some activities; particularly visits to landing sites and wharves (which are often done early in the morning) and inspection of processing plants.

• The tendency to submit data late by some processing plants severely affected the Unit’s ability to conduct analysis of trends within the industry.

• There is a lack of communication/ coordination between the Guyana Coast Guard, Maritime Administration Department, the Fisheries Department and other related government agencies.

An improvement in this area, officials believe, will lead to better management of the fisheries sector.

Aquaculture is one of the subprogrammes handled by the fisheries department. In Guyana, it is done along the coast (mainly) and some of the farmed species are shrimp (Penaeussubtilis), tilapia (Oreochromis sp.) and tambaqui (Colossomamacropomun).

Inland fishing activities are conducted in freshwater areas such as rivers and lakes; these include capture fishing activities, as well as sports fishing and aquaculture.

However, most inland fisheries activities are mainly subsistence activities, although ornamental fishes are utilised for commercial purposes.

Managing the performance of this area is the Aquaculture Unit. The mandate of this Unit is to operate aquaculture research, fingerling production and training facility, and facilitate the development and expansion of aquaculture and Inland Fisheries.

The Fisheries Department’s involvement with Aquaculture development is spearheaded by the Satyadeow Sawh Aquaculture Station (SSAS) of the Fisheries Department.

The facility is used to execute research activities, train farmers and students, and produce fingerlings (young fish).

The SSAS also provides extension services and free technical advice to farmers. There is also an aquaculture facility in Region Two, Anna Regina Fish Station (ARFS), which also provides fingerlings and some extension services to aquaculture farmers.

The Responsibilities of the ARFS include providing information on site selection, pond preparation and farm management; technology transfer and training for local farmers; conducting trials on feeding, growth rates, and other parameters regarding species with aquaculture potential; and collecting data from aquaculture farmers.

With regard to fingerling production and fingerling sales, it was found that SSAS has been producing tilapia fingerlings (Oreochromis Sp.) at subsidized cost to farmers for several years.

In fact, it was noted that in 2015, 83,352 fingerlings, valuing at $1,166,928 were

sold to 34 farmers from Region Two, Three, Four, Five and Six. Officials said that Region Six and Region Four farmers bought the bulk of the fingerlings provided by SSAS. Additionally, 2251 fingerlings were donated for use at Agriculture Month activities, and to University of Guyana for research purposes.

The total fingerlings sold by the ARFS facility amounted to 698, valued at $9,772.

However, ARFS is being severely affected by indiscriminate dumping of sewage into their main irrigation canal, lack of breeding stock, poorly laid out ponds for fingerling production and the need for another pond attendant.

As for the area of Aquaculture production, this is gathered from select farmers, particularly in Region Six but also from Regions Four, Five and Nine.

However, officials said that it is important to note that some of the figures are estimated due to a lack of sufficient data.

Additionally, the officials within this area said that data was requested from some aquaculture companies but they were not provided. Also, based on the data received so far, the aquaculture production for 2015 is 2.55 mt., while 4.09 mt was produced last year.

Furthermore, the Guyana Private Trawlers Owners and Seafood Processor Association (GPTOSP) had its fourteen annual closed seasons for seabob. No fishing was done during the six weeks period. When the fishing period was reopened there was a decrease in the quantity of shrimp caught. The Department is still analyzing the data submitted and will address the period for closed season with a scientific approach.

There was a 5% increase in seabob industrial production and an overall 7 % increase in total shrimp production. For finfish there was an overall 12 % decrease in production when compared with the previous year. Prawns had 18% increase compared to 2014.

In 2015, USA received the large majority of the fish products (58%) exported by Guyana, with Jamaica receiving 26% of the total export. It was noted that in 2015 grey snapper continues to be the most exported species according to individual licenses that were issued, and patwa was the inland fish species that had the highest quantity exported.

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Dennis Kerpaul Charran Taking the business of comfort to an international level

A

t a very young age, all the odds were against him. He watched his mother, Nyleptha Charran, work untiringly to make ends meet and put food on the table for him and his brother Derrick.

With unconditional love and an appreciation of her sacrifices, he joined the world of work the first chance he got. He endured numerous sleepless nights to break through the chains of poverty in his Riverview, Ruimveldt neighbourhood. And breakthrough he did.

Today at age 52, Dennis Kerpaul Charran is easily considered the leader of Guyana’s mattress industry. Reflecting on his rough beginnings, the shrewd but humble businessman said those obstacles only made him a stronger, more dynamic and principled individual, who is ready to surpass any future challenge with finesse.

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Building a relationship with your customers, letting them know that you care, that you are genuinely interested in helping them find the best product to suit their needs, goes a far way and that is something I keep lamenting on to my workers. A customer’s loyalty is not only bought with high quality products but also with how you treat them and I firmly believe in this.

Mr. Charran and his loving wife Sabita

Charran and his beautiful wife Sabita share a family moment with their children and grandkids

CHILDHOOD Delving into the details of his life story, Charran shared that the core teachings, which served to transform him into the upright man he is today, can be traced back to his very humble childhood days.

The astute businessman recalled living with his mom and older brother in a time that was filled with difficult circumstances. He shared that one of the most disheartening realities he had to deal with as a child was when his father just one day opted to walk through the door and never looked back. It was heartbreaking for him.

“It was a very saddening experience for me and my brother. Of course, we wanted our dad to be there for us and to be there for our mom. But even though he made that decision to leave, it did not deter my mother from her role for one second. Instead, she worked hard every day to ensure we had all that we needed. Her strength was admirable and she was there for us every step of the way.”

Charran said, too, that he admired in particular, his mother’s insistence on his acquiring an education. He said that daily, she would insist that he should equip himself with all the tools that would enable him to build a brighter future.

The business leader expressed, “I attended the Carmel Roman Catholic School and from there, I went on to the Government Technical Institute which was also known as GTI. Throughout that period, my mom was always my biggest supporter. She was stern and ensured that I always got my homework done and got assignments completed on time. She was caring and pushed me to always believe in myself and never doubt my capabilities. I can safely say that she gave all the guidance and teachings I needed to not only be a great son and a husband, but a supportive and dedicated parent.”

Charran also shared with Guyana Inc that his mom, who worked as a Clerk, instilled in him the importance of being patient, disciplined, kind and respectful to elders.

He stressed that these very qualities are essential to any successful business.

The factory owner said, “My childhood was indeed tough, but I would say that the teachings of that time of my life were really instrumental in shaping my mindset and the road I chose to walk. In fact, the most important lesson I have from my childhood is the fact that in those days you had to do what it took to survive.”

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was the one.”

The young trader at that time said that he and his wife after tying the nuptial knot moved into a family home in Waterloo Street, Georgetown, where they shared the first few blissful years of their marriage.

Charran said that marriage was and still is, a fulfilling experience. He expressed gleefully that he is one of the luckiest men alive to have found his soul mate.

“She is a fantastic mother and wife and I praise her every day for her strength, love, support and for all that she has done for us.

Her love for me holds me together as well as the family. I am so grateful for all she does. She has made me a better person.”

The entrepreneur explained that in those days, he experienced the hardships of a political era that was led by the late President Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham. Charran recalled that in the “Burnham era”, certain products were banned. As a consequence, the citizenry he said was forced to “make life from what was produced domestically.”

“We were living in a political era which saw many having to grind rice to make flour, or eating provisions every day. But the hardships of that time did not break me, my brother or my mother. In fact, it transformed us into innovative people; a people who were stronger and self sufficient because you had to make life.

You had to think, you had to push yourself to make it.”

Charran recalled however, some happy moments during his childhood which were shared with his friends in Albouystown.

To date, he still visits his favourite spots in that community to reminisce about the old days, play friendly card games and “have a few drinks with the boys for old time’s sake.”

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“I always enjoy the crazy fun in that area,” Charran expressed with a warm smile.

MY TRUE LOVE The businessman also spoke of his undying love and appreciation for his stunning wife of 28 years, Sabita. Being the romantic that he is, Charran said that his happiness is only complete when his wife is a part of all that he does. “She completes me,” he asserts unashamedly.

“I still remember that fateful day we met in Albouystown. That’s where she grew up.

At that time, I was only 21-years-old and she was 18. She was a gorgeous gem then and years later, she is the most prized diamond I can ever hope to have.”

Charran said that he met his first and only true love during a visit to his relatives in Albouystown.

“I met her in Albouystown where I had relatives living at the time and she and I would often meet there for lunch. She lived in that area too. When I met her, I just knew that she was going to be my world and just about six or seven months after, we got married on May 13. I just knew she

THE BIRTH OF COMFORT SLEEP The former student of the Guyana Technical Institute expressed that he got involved in the trading business in his early 20s.

The entrepreneur said, “I started trading out of Suriname in my early 20’s.

I imported items such as chowmein, soap, flour, and toothpaste and I sold it in Guyana. Starting out at the time was a challenge for me but that did not deter me from ensuring that I got the job done.

Many times I slept at the wharf because I could not afford a room to stay in at a hotel or so.”

Eventually, his relatively young merchandise businesses saw expanded relationships with companies in Trinidad and Tobago.

Charran said that when it came to his trading relations with the Twin-Island Republic, this led to the exportation of unique pieces of clothing and the profits from that venture were used to purchase car parts and pharmaceuticals. These, he explained, were brought back to the Guyanese markets and sold.

“Eventually, I got involved in importing foam sheets and mattresses and from the profits made, I was able to open a store in La Penitence in 1994, retailing the foam and mattresses, household appliances, among other items,” Charran related.

He shared, however, that he was forced to close his first store due to several internal issues.

Having imported a lot of foam from Trinidad, the entrepreneur said that the regional company decided to open an operation in Guyana in 1995. And having been a good customer to them, Charran said that the company representatives gave him the distributions right for the company.

The shrewd businessman also stated that alongside providing international and high quality products to his customers, he believes in the power of customer service and appreciation.

“Building a relationship with your customers, letting them know that you care , that you are genuinely interested in helping them find the best product to suit their needs, goes a far way and that is something I keep lamenting on to my workers. A customer’s loyalty is not only bought with high quality products, but also with how you treat them, and I firmly believe in this.”

Charran during one of his charity events

Mr. Charran and one of his adorable grandchildren

“That venture however, only lasted for about eight years and due to some internal issues, they decided to close shop in Guyana. With what little I had, I offered to buy their machines and they agreed to sell them to me and boom— that led to the birth of Comfort Sleep on August 1, 2003.” The company’s Head Office is located at 49 Eccles, Industrial Estate, East Bank Demerara (EBD).

The successful businessman stated that Comfort Sleep offers the best mattress in Guyana, and he is proud to say that.

“And I am not saying that because it is my company but on a daily basis, my company receives hundreds of calls from our customers who express nothing but love and satisfaction with their product and that is what drives me. I know the value of a good night’s rest and the importance of sleeping in comfort. Also, we value people’s hard-earned money so for me, giving them quality is priority.”

Charran shared that his mattresses can be found in, Linden, Essequibo, Bartica, Berbice, Lethem, Port Kaituma, and Georgetown; pretty much just about all across the country.

BOUNCING BACK One of the biggest and perhaps most devastating challenges Charran has ever faced was back in 2013, when a fire completely destroyed his factory; this included all of his machines, stocks, records, etc., with the exception of two trucks.

“I would say it was my biggest challenge in life, but with the Grace of God, my dedicated staff, loyal and dear customers, suppliers, friends and my family, I was able to re-build and open the Comfort Sleep doors in eight months time, which was in July 2014.”

CHARITY WORK Though Charran may be required to keep a stern face in the business world, he has a soft spot for children. He simply adores them and it comes as no surprise that he is involved in numerous charity activities on an annual basis.

He said, “I started my humanitarian work over 18 to 20 years ago, but for the past eight years, I have been involved in a lot of school feeding programmes, feeding about 500 children. We feed the less fortunate kids during the school year. We also supply monthly groceries to Ruimveldt Children’s Home and Ptolemy Reid Rehabilitation Centre.”

In an effort to give back to society, and as part of assisting the less fortunate and disabled, Comfort Sleep some years ago embarked on a programme to assist the Ptolemy Reid Rehabilitation Centre.

Charran said that for the past 18-20 years Comfort Sleep has been rendering assistance to the rehabilitation centre, and on a yearly basis, a Christmas party is held for the children housed by the centre and also those visiting for therapy.

According to Charran, the company would also assist the centre with whatever they need during the course of the year.

Meanwhile, as it relates to the feeding programme in Malgre Tout, West Bank Demerara, he explained that the company commenced the programme through the Malgre Tout Catholic Church, which receives groceries each month and the church staff prepares the meals.

However, over the years the programme expanded and as such, the church has now started to feed four schools on the West Bank – Malgre Tout, La Grange and Bagotsville, ParFaith Primary Schools. These are given lunch three days per week, compliments of Comfort Sleep.

Its other school feeding programme is in New Amsterdam, Berbice, feeding three days per week, the children of Edun-Burg and Friends Primary schools.

An annual Christmas party is hosted for all the children on the school feeding program, Charran added.

Mr. Charran said these Christmas parties are his favourite part of charity work because of the joy and excitement he sees in their eyes and faces.

GUYEXPO Guyana’s annual exhibition for trade and businesses of all types usually sees Comfort Sleep as one of the main attractions. According to Charran, the event is one which gives the company the opportunity to explain to the Guyanese public all the intricate details and effort that go into producing quality products for them.

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“We try our best to take advantage of that event because we get the chance to really interact with the public on a deeper level.

We have discussions about many topics that relate to what we do and how much time and effort we put into ensuring that they are satisfied. We also try to answer as many questions as possible.”

He continued, “From that experience and edification, we are able to better our selves, services, and to continue doing what we do best. Also at that forum, we let them know why our mattresses are of a better quality than the imported ones with the big brand names.”

Charran’s company also takes part in various GuyExpo’s which are held in other parts of Guyana, such as Berbice, Linden, Essequibo, and Bartica. He noted too, that his company takes part in the trade exhibitions which are held in Suriname. Charran said that his company’s products are available there too.”

INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION Comfort Sleep is not only recognized for its commitment to quality products and services within its homeland, but also abroad.

In fact, it was awarded in 2015 for its excellence at the International Star Award for Quality (ISAQ) Convention in Switzerland.

The award came as a surprise to the company even as it was working at the time to recover from hundreds of millions of dollars in losses following two fires at its Eccles, East Bank Demerara (EBD) bond.

The company was singled out for its commitment to ensuring the best quality product that directly impacts lives for the better through its well trained and highly experienced employees.

Charran, in explaining how his company was selected for the award said, “We did not submit any proposal and we did not even think of doing what we do for any award, but we just got a mail telling us that after research we have been selected because we create the best sleep through our comfort sleep brand.”

He shared, too, that the experience was one that was simply astounding. Charran said, “It was truly an amazing experience and being there and walking up that stage to receive that award made me think ‘Wow .. Your hard work has paid off’…It really is a humbling experience when the quality of your work receives international acclaim and I am grateful for all those who were part of the process.”

“From that experience and edification, we are able to better our selves, services, and to continue doing what we do best. Also at that forum, we let them know why our mattresses are of a better quality than the imported ones with the big brand names.”

The Managing Director, expressing elation, said he owes the award to his customers and the hard working and committed employees. His employees, he noted, are dedicated to ensuring people sleep in comfort.

It is through these people that the company has been internationally recognized.

The International Star for Quality Convention is part of the annual programme of BID (Business Initiative Directions) awards, designed to recognize the prestige of the outstanding companies, organizations and businessmen in the business world.

Last year, the International Star for Quality Convention took place in Geneva, from September 19th to 20th and the ISAQ awards were handed out at a ceremony in the Inter Continental Genève Convention Center.

The event was attended by prestigious companies from 74 countries, together with leaders from different business fields, professionals from the worlds of economics, the arts and corporate image, quality experts, as well as academic personalities and representatives from the diplomatic corps.

Charran was the only Guyanese to walk away with the award for that year.

LOOKING AHEAD Reflecting on his life, all that he is involved in, and the growth of his empire, Charran says that his family remains his biggest accomplishment. He is the father of NateshaSohan, Namanda, Nakita and a grandfather of two beautiful children; Narissa and Nathaniel Sohan.

Charran said that he thoroughly enjoys spending time with his wife and children. He added that since his family resides in Canada, he would often times have to travel to be with them.

The businessman noted that while he is proud of his company and wants the best for it , he always tries to find a balance between that and his family life.

He said, “My wife and kids are very, very important to me. What I work for is for them. When I’m in Guyana I talk with them every morning, every night, and during the day. I always ensure I’m with them for their birthdays, graduations, and any special and important activity in their life. They mean everything to me.”

Furthermore, Charran said that he has some plans for his business in the future which involves expansion but time, money and some other important factors need to be in place before it can become a reality.

For those who wish to enter Charran’s field, this seasoned business tycoon has one piece of advice; “Work very hard and most of all be honest.”

Mr. Charran receiving the International Star Award for Quality (ISAQ) in Switzerland

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Suicide T

Do Caribbean Businesses have a responsibility for Prevention

By Brian Ramsey – Amalgamated Security

here is a common belief throughout the Caribbean region that if someone wants to commit suicide, they will find a way to do it, even if it is at their job or someone else’s business place.

But is it possible however, that at some future date, a bereaved family member could sue a business on the basis that they could have prevented the person from committing suicide?

Even without the possibility of a lawsuit, which business wants the negative publicity of someone committing suicide on their premises?

In addition, dealing with the aftermath of a suicide can be considerable and would involve; blocking off the area where the suicide occurred, dealing with the police, having to clean up the affected area, providing counseling for employees or other persons on the premises who witnessed the suicide, providing medical assistance to anyone who might have been injured during the suicide, maybe having to go to court if there is a coroner’s inquest and if it is in a hotel possibly having to provide rebates to guests who witnessed the suicide, along with the negative publicity.

Suicide on a Company’s premises is therefore clearly a potential issue that all businesses should address, with the focus being on suicide prevention.

Within the overall issue of suicide prevention there are however two issues to address; persons who use a business place to commit their act of suicide and employees who commit suicide and the claim that they were driven to it by their job. The first issue is clearly a security issue and dealing with this begins with a security assessment that recognizes that suicide on premises is a potential risk.

There are several means by which people commit suicide with the most common in the Caribbean being the ingestion of a poisonous substance, by hanging or by jumping from a high location. Other methods used, though less common in the Caribbean include, willful drug overdose, carbon monoxide poisoning from car exhausts, purposely

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inhaling fumes from an oven that is on, slitting of wrists and shooting one’s self.

According to the National Suicide Prevention Strategy for England 2006, “research has indicated that the likelihood of taking one’s life will depend to some extent on the ease of access to, and knowledge of, effective means.

One reason is that suicidal behavior is sometimes impulsive so that if a lethal method is not immediately available a suicidal act can be prevented”.

Consequently, any suicide prevention strategy for a business in the Caribbean must take cognizance of the methods used for committing suicide and then identify systems to prevent it without impairing the overall operation of the business.

Clearly where a business uses poisonous substances in their daily operation, the business must have

operational procedures in place that ensure that access to these substances are controlled and only allowed to persons to who have a legitimate need to use these substances. The procedures must however go beyond simply being written procedures but be actively enforced. Too often in the Caribbean, we see where an area is supposed to be kept locked and instead the area is left open sometimes with the keys hanging in the lock, simply because the person in charge finds it too onerous to have to repeatedly get up and open then close the area. The excuse that is sometimes given is that “I am sitting here near to the entrance so I can see who goes to the entrance”. While that may sound plausible, is the person really looking at the entrance all the time or are they periodically distracted by telephone calls or persons coming to speak with them?

Recognizing that jumping from high

places is another common method of suicide; businesses need to consider how they can limit the access to these high places. The most obvious conclusion would be to simply ensure that the doors leading to rooftops or high ledges are always kept locked. However, while it might seem both obvious and suicidepreventative to lock exits to high ledges or seal doors to some hallways, it may not be allowable under certain fire and safety codes.

As a result, other options should be explored. Many years ago, I was staying in a hotel in Germany and noticed that

outside all the windows was mesh netting. Upon enquiry I was told it was to stop persons from jumping out the windows in a suicide attempt. Now this netting gave the hotel exterior an appearance of being encased in a giant fish net. Since that time hotel designers have developed more aesthetically pleasing suicide prevention devices.

Among these are artistic metal bars and also angled nets below windows that are based on the premise that you cannot jump far enough outward to escape being caught by the net. Some international hotels now seal the windows to all guest

rooms so that they cannot be opened or only allow windows to be opened by several inches so fresh air can enter but a person cannot jump out.

Any suicide prevention strategies for a business must include staff awareness through education. Staff ought to be taught what the potential signs to look for are and then what action to take.

Very often companies train their staff to alert for various things and then tell them to inform their supervisor. The poor supervisor, however, has no idea of what to do when staff comes to them with the concern. Any training therefore must also extend to providing supervisors and managers with clear guidelines on actions to take.

About the Author

Brian Ramsey has a B.A. in Accounting & Management, along with an M.B.A. in Finance and over 29 years in the Caribbean security field. He is the Regional Development Director for Amalgamated Security Services Limited which operates in Grenada, Barbados, St Lucia, Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago. He can be contacted at bramsey@assl.com.

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Guyana’s economy continues to benefit from strong macroeconomic policies

I

n an environment of heightened uncertainty and downside risks in the global economy, Guyana remains vigilant and focused on strengthening macroeconomic and financial resilience.

According to the Ministry of Finance, Guyana’s economy continues to benefit from strong macroeconomic policies and a strategic reform agenda designed to promote environmentally sustainable and inclusive growth.

Beyond the short term, the Ministry noted that measures include structural reforms to raise productivity and labor participation, strengthening institutions and physical infrastructure, and further advancement of regional and global integration.

Economic Developments and Outlook Despite numerous challenges and a difficult external environment, the Finance Ministry says that Guyana’s economy remains resilient, as evident by a decade of steady growth.

It noted that the decline in oil prices has had a significant

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positive effect on the economy.

Along with accelerated activities in the rice, sugar, gold and construction sectors, this has renewed optimism and confidence in the business community. In addition to this, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) projects that the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth would increase to 4 percent in 2016 from 3 percent in 2015.

However, the authorities here are of the view that growth would accelerate at a faster pace this year to at least 4.4 percent, as the impact of the services sector is being underestimated by the IMF officials in their assessment.

The public investment program is expected to provide a significant boost to the construction and manufacturing sectors.

Despite the decline in contribution from the rice and sugar industries as a result of external shocks, the authorities are currently assessing the viability of diversifying these sectors towards downstream value added products, which can boost GDP growth over the medium term and become

an important source of fiscal revenue.

Pertaining to the significant oil and gas discoveries off the coast of Guyana, the Government took the initiative to undertake exploration and other capacity building efforts.

They are currently assessing the feasibility of developing an LNG facility to refine the gas.

This investment is expected to bring fruitful rewards to the Guyanese people through increased fiscal revenues, employment and income, which will propel Guyana towards achieving sustainable development goals and mitigate the country’s exposure to any subsequent increase in oil prices.

In addition, an Oil and Gas Committee was established in February 2016 and charged with developing the sector.

Also, external assistance is being sought to establish a Sovereign Wealth Fund and supporting legislation.

It should be noted that the authorities have taken an extremely conservative stance and have not factored in the possible future revenues from oil and gas into their mediumterm framework.

On the external front, reserve coverage is expected to remain broadly adequate and the authorities agree with IMF staff that the current account deficit is broadly in line with its norm and that the real exchange rate is appropriate.

The Finance Ministry also notes that the current exchange rate regime has served the country well. In this regard, it noted that the exchange rate is market determined and the Bank of Guyana (BOG) intervenes on occasion, but only to smooth excess volatility in the foreign exchange market.

Furthermore,the Government is also determined to promote robust economic growth while committing to prudent fiscal policies. Towards this end, it was related that Guyana’s fiscal balance improved considerably in 2015, underpinned by the rebound in revenue collection.

Given the ambitious development agenda undertaken to bridge the significant infrastructure gap and address unmet social needs, the Government

intends to carefully calibrate their consolidation strategy to limit the adverse impact on the debt-to-GDP ratio, without forfeiting their objectives.

They continue to improve their debt management strategy and emphasize that they will refrain from utilizing non-concessional external borrowing.

Also, Private sector funding would be mobilized through the increased use of welldesigned private public partnerships.

The Ministry of Finance has since instituted a macro-fiscal framework to aid in the fiscal diagnosis of the economy and to enhance projections for the real sector over the medium term.

The outlook is positive for the coming years. Prudent and targeted expenditure, coupled with more effective revenue collection and a sustainable debt position, will continue to underpin fiscal policy, the Ministry said.

The government is determined to push ahead with its diversification drive in all sectors of the economy, upgrade infrastructure and promote structural reforms, to lay the foundation for progressively higher and inclusive growth.

These measures will also mitigate the country’s exposure to volatile global commodity prices and climate-related challenges.

Additionally, the authorities stressed their plans to strengthen tax administration.

While they acknowledged that some tax measures approved in 2015 and envisaged for 2016 would decrease revenue, they expect the effect to be small and offset by improvements in tax administration. The authorities also noted that they expect stronger growth over the medium term, which will raise revenue. The authorities also indicated their wish to have technical advice from

staff and signaled their intent to solicit CARTAC support to conduct a detailed review of the application of the VAT since its inception to present with a view of benefitting from the resulting recommendations.

The Government noted that the large increase in current expenditure is due to one off reclassification changes and an adjustment in wages. In respect of the former, they clarified that the increase in transfers was due largely to a consolidation of expenditure items of constitutional agencies into a single category and higher capital expenditure at public enterprises, while the increase in spending on other goods and services could be viewed as a one-off change.

As for the latter, they pointed out that wage growth will moderate in the future.

The authorities also noted that they remain committed to restructuring public enterprises to reduce their reliance on government support. With regard to the public utility company here, the Guyana Power and Light, a recent network modernization project has reduced some transmission losses. Further progress is expected under a new IDB project. Lower oil prices have reduced electricity generation cost and tariffs ensure cost recovery.

Furthermore, the Government has indicated that they would continue to refrain from non-concessional external borrowing, and expressed interest in developing domestic debt instruments. The authorities agreed that major public investment projects should continue to be donor financed on concessional terms.

They also intend to mobilize private sector funding, including through well designed private public partnerships.

The administration

expressed interest in developing long term domestic debt instruments with a view to developing financial markets and mobilizing domestic savings. In this regard, technical advice from the IMF on debt market development has been sought.

The authorities took note of staff’s view that domestic borrowing should be pursued with caution as it could raise the interest burden and crowd out private investment. They also reiterated that they are not factoring in possible future oil income in their mediumterm plans.

Additionally, Guyana’s financial sector is dominated by commercial banks. There are three foreign banks and three local banks, whose combined assets correspond to about 70 percent of financial sector assets, and are equivalent to 68 percent of GDP. The largest bank is Trinidadbased, followed by a domestic bank, accounting for 40 and 22 percent of commercial bank assets, respectively.

That domestic bank plays a relatively large role in lending to businesses.

Among non-bank financial institutions, the New Building Society (NBS), a deposit taking institution that focuses primarily on mortgage loans, is the largest entity accounting for about 7 percent of financial sector assets and over a quarter of non-bank financial institution assets.

In addition to this, vulnerabilities to foreign exchange and interest rate risks appear limited. A depreciation of the exchange rate would improve the financial position of the overall banking system since banks in aggregate carry net long positions in foreign exchange (84 percent of capital and reserves as of December 2015). Interest rate risks are mitigated by banks’ ability to adjust interest rates on existing

loans, although a higher interest rate burden on debtors can increase credit risk. However, banks are exposed to credit risk in their CARICOM securities.

Stress tests conducted by the authorities also suggest that the weaker banks are also vulnerable to downgrades on their investment portfolio.

In light of the aforementioned, the IMF has encouraged the authorities to continue to strengthen financial sector supervision. The international body also argued for improved coordination of supervision of insurers and banks within the same business group. Risks from global banks’ de-risking activity should continue to be monitored. A Financial Sector Assessment Program (FSAP) mission visited Guyana in May, and provided a more granular analysis of financial sector challenges and assisted the authorities with strengthening the prudential toolkit.

The mission encouraged the authorities to further strengthen the business climate in priority areas. The World Bank’s 2015 Doing Business Report ranked Guyana 137th out of 189 countries in terms of ease of doing business. Staff noted several areas in which Guyana lags regional peers, notably access to electricity and credit, and resolving insolvencies. The 2015–16 World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report ranked Guyana 121st out of 140 countries in terms of competitiveness, noting weaknesses in transport infrastructure, electricity and telecommunications, institutional quality, ICT, and innovation. The mission said that the public investment program can help relieve structural bottlenecks such as transportation and electricity that have long been identified as impediments to growth and economic diversification.

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Export analysis of crops as managed by the Guyana Marketing Corporation

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arket analysis provides essential information on prices, exports and imports to determine the attractiveness and dynamics of nontraditional agricultural commodities in the domestic and international markets.

Market Analysts and Marketing Officers attached to the Guyana Marketing Corporation collect, monitor, analyze and disseminate information for both fresh and processed commodities within the nontraditional agriculture sector.

This information includes price movements, export and import trends which is provided to policymakers and other relevant stakeholders such as exporters, agro-processors, farmers, service providers etc.

Here is an overview of how some of Guyana’s crops performed for the year 2015.

VEGETABLES At the wholesale markets under review, the highest prices for most vegetables were recorded in the third quarter of 2015.

Evidently, the vegetable that recorded the highest price increase from 2014, at most of the markets, was bora.

At Bourda market, bora increased by 85%, while at Stabroek market, the price was 135% higher than that recorded in 2014. Furthermore, at Parika Farm gate and Open gate, there were 30% and 95% increases, respectively. However, the most notable change in the price of bora occurred

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at Charity market, where the price of the commodity increased by 148% from 2014.

There were other notable changes in the prices of vegetables at the markets under review. There were increases in the prices of cabbage (21%) and squash (26%) at Bourda market while at Stabroek market, cabbage and pumpkin increased by 24% and squash increased by 27%.

Furthermore, there were significant increases in the prices of cabbage (24%) and pumpkin (27%) while tomatoes and carrots fell by 20% at Parika Open gate. The prices of vegetables at Parika Farm gate were more volatile, there were significant increases in the prices of boulanger (25%), cabbage (31%), cucumber (20%), pumpkin (32%) and corilla (24%) and declines in the prices of tomatoes (22%) and carrots (21%).

At Charity market, the prices of cabbage, pumpkin and pak choi increased by 23%, 22% and 30% while the price of calaloo fell by 23%.

FRUITS The average wholesale price of fruits at Bourda market has generally increased. The most outstanding increases were evident in the prices of grapefruit (20%), mango (38%) while there was a significant reduction of 20% in the price of avocado.

At Stabroek market, there were also some very significant increases. These increases were evident in the prices of tangerine (40%), grapefruit (32%), mango

(44%), lemon (29%) and passion fruit (22%).

Furthermore, there were significant declines in the prices of golden apple (31%) and avocado (22%).

There was also an upward trend evident in the prices of most fruits at Parika Opengate market. Notably, the prices of round lime and breadfruit increased by 22% and 20% respectively.

In addition, there were notable reductions in the prices of watermelon (27%) and grapefruit (26%). Fruit prices at Parika Farmgate market have also changed significantly.

There was a notable increase in the price of round lime (75%) while there were reductions in the prices of sour fig banana (34%), mamey (22%) and passion fruit (69%).

At Charity market, there were significant increases in the prices of tangerine (49%), watermelon (27%), grapefruit (64%), lemon (23%) and bilimbi (68%) while the price of round lime fell by 20%.

SEASONING The average wholesale price of seasonings generally increased at Bourda market. The major price increases over the period 20142015 were for eschallot (32%), hot pepper (37%) and wiri wiri pepper (28%). There was also a 44% decrease in the price of ginger.

Generally, the prices of seasoning also increased at Stabroek market. Notably, there were increases in the prices of eschallot

(25%), hot pepper (36%) and wiri wiri pepper (34%) while there was a reduction in the price of ginger (46%). There was a similar trend at Parika Open gate market, the prices of most of the seasonings increased.

The most significant increases were evident in the prices of eschallot (29%), hot pepper (34%) and wiri wiri pepper (38%).

Additionally, there was a 42% reduction in the price of ginger.

At Parika Farmgate market, there were increases in the prices of eschallot (27%), hot pepper (44%) and wiri wiri pepper (52%) while there was a reduction in the price of ginger (41%).

At Charity market, seasoning prices have also increased. This was led by hot pepper price which increased significantly by 33% and eschallot which increased by 26%. There was also a 45% decline in the price of ginger.

  ANALYSIS OF EXPORTS In 2015, Guyana’s exports of non-traditional agricultural commodities have totaled 10,999 MT valued at G$1.9 billion or US$ 9.5 million, which reflects a 21% decrease in exports from 2014.

In 2014, exports of non-traditional agricultural commodities totaled 13,922 MT. Of the total exports, 415 MT or 4% was exported by air representing a 43% decrease from 2014. Additionally, 10,584 MT or

96% was exported by sea reflecting a 20% decrease from last year.

The major importing countries regionally were Trinidad and Tobago (785 MT), Suriname (489MT), Barbados (354MT), Dominica (150 MT) and Antigua (119MT).

The major importing countries extraregionally were Dominican Republic (6,489MT), USA (1,448MT), France (775MT) and Canada (373 MT).

ROOT CROPS Root crop prices have remained relatively stable over the past year at most of the markets under review. However, there was a notable 22% increase in the price of cassava at Parika Farmgate market while there was a 22% decline at the same market. At Charity market, there was a 26% decline in the price of yam.

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Taking a closer look at the performance of the controversial NDIA

W

hile the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) has experienced its fair share of challenges like any organization would, an objective analysis of its performance for the year 2015 would certainly show that it has implemented its work plan creditably.

This was manifested with the construction of several drainage pump stations, clearing of numerous canals, and the installation of pumps countrywide.

It was observed that the NDIA improved the drainage network across the country which was a major part of its mandate. As a result, construction of drainage pump stations were completed at Windsor Forest, Canal No. 1 Polder, Paradise/Enterprise, Pine Ground, Rose Hall and GuySuCo No. 66 Village Eversham BBP, No. 43 Village BBP, Bengal BBP, Gangaram, and Lima.

That aside, the primary focus of NDIA continues to be to improve and upgrade drainage and irrigation services countywide, thereby enhancing the competitiveness of

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the various sectors and improving productivity.

With this in mind, it was observed that NDIA carried out a number of maintenance work during 2015. There was maintenance of approximately 24,350 rods of drainage and irrigation canals within Wakenaam, Leguan and Cane Grove NDC; maintenance of 106,177 rods of drainage and irrigation channels and canals within Community Development Councils areas such as Greenfield, Hope, Anns Grove, Two Friends, Bellfield, Nabaclis, Golden Grove, Haslington, Triumph, Friendship, Kuru Kuru, Mocha, Barnwell North, Bell West, Friendship, Lusignan to Vryheid’s Lust Area, Canals Polder, etc.

There was also maintenance of 129,376 rods of drainage and irrigation channels and canals within Water Users Associations’ areas such as Cane Grove, Golden Grove/ Victoria, Blankenburg/ Den Amstel, Vergenoegen/ Naamryck, Lot 52 – 74, Black Bush Polder, Crabwood Creek, Vreed-en Hoop/La Jalousie.

Based on its records, it was noted

that the 2015 capital budget of $4.295 billion entailed the provision of $1.701 billion for the maintenance of Drainage and Irrigation (D&I) infrastructure and the operation of pumps, excavators, etc.; $2.051 billion for the construction and rehabilitation of D&I infrastructure; $311 billion for the construction of the East Demerara Water Conservancy (EDWC) channel at Hope/ Dochfour and $232 billion for the rehabilitation of the EDWC structures.

After an examination of its recently updated records, it was noted that NDIA was able to execute its 2015 recurrent work programme according to plan.

The NDIA also continued to work along with the Mahaica Mahaicony Abary – Agricultural Development Authority (MMA-ADA) to bring relief to rice farmers along the coast.

It was discovered, however, that the finance department was faced with a number of constraints during 2015 as a result of a financial audit, resignation of the finance manager and two assistant accounts and issues with transportation.

Furthermore, 2015 also saw Guyana experiencing both flooding and drought like weather conditions which resulted in the NDIA having to undertake a number of emergency operations to aid farmers and residents in general.

In fact, documents reveal that in May 2015, the NDIA was tasked with bringing some level of relief to rice farmers who were suffering from flooded rice lands on the Essequibo Coast.

With the continuing El Nino period, the NDIA was further tasked with conducting continuous works across the country to provide irrigation to farmers given the limited water resources available.

Officials from the NDIA also met with members of the Civil Defense Commission (CDC), GWI and other officials to discuss the way forward impeding the El Nino conditions.

During 2015, NDIA also saw a total of 169 project activities being undertaken under the local capital funded component. 130 of these projects have been successfully completed, with the remaining 38 projects rolling over into 2016.

It was noted by NDIA, however, that one project had to be abandoned due to a shortage in material. Pump station constructions were completed at Windsor Forest, Canal No. 1 Polder, Pine Ground, Paradise/ Enterprise, Joppa, Eversham, Gangaram and Lima.

In addition to completing pump stations, NDIA carried out repairs to a number of sluices, culverts, revetment and bridges.

As it relates to administrative matters, in July the CEO of NDIA, Mr Lionel Wordsworth, proceeded on administrative leave and Mr. Fredrick Flatts was appointed as the acting CEO. Furthermore, President David A. Granger introduced a National tree planting exercise in October last which saw the staff of the NDIA partaking in the activity by planting trees in and around the compound and around pump stations across the country.

On a lighter note, two NDIA engineers rescued a stranded flamingo from the Essequibo River while conducting routine visits to drainage and irrigation structures.

The animal was brought to the city and immediately donated to the Zoological Park. The NDIA staff also participated in the Ministry’s annual cook off and inter-ministry sports activities.

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Technical Vocational Education and Training -The key to Regional and Global Competitiveness

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ccording to UNESCO and the International Labour Organization, Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) involves the study of technologies and related sciences; and the acquisition of practical skills, general education, attitudes and an understanding of occupations in various sectors of the economy.

With this in mind, it is clear that TVET plays a critical role in shaping human and national development. In fact, a country with skilled human capital is an economy that shows significant growth potential.

Over the years, Guyana has been paving the way for thousands of young people with comprehensive TVET programmes. In this regard, the Ministry of Education believes that the success of any developing country can be considered a key indicator of the country’s advancement in development.

Moreover, it can be argued that any country that evolved into a technologically advanced one must have witnessed the critical role of TVET education in equipping its work force with the requisite skills and training.

A survey by the technical arm of UNESCO—UNEVOC showed that worldwide, some 80% of all occupations require TVET certification. The Caribbean Association of National Training Agencies, (CANTA), also supports this. According to CANTA, the role and positioning of TVET as an economic activity (well integrated within the education system) must be imperative for CARICOM’s sustainable development and prosperity.

In Guyana, there are 10 public TVET Institutions within the Ministry of Education. These public Technical Institutions offer programmes in a wide range of areas including: Business Studies; Electrical Installation; Electrical Engineering; Arts and Craft; and Cosmetology. In addition to this, TVET programmes are also offered at the level of Secondary Schools through the Secondary Competency Certificate Programme (SCCP) as well as CXC. The Ministry of Education intends to help students gain the skills they need to compete anywhere in the Caribbean and beyond. What is also important to note is the fact that TVET programmes are designed for everyone including those who may have a disability.

Over 1000 persons graduate annually from these TVET Institutions with skills ranging from entry level to supervisory level skills and have helped to maintain and encourage the growth of the Guyanese economy.

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A survey by the technical arm of UNESCO - UNEVOC showed that worldwide some

80% of all

occupations require TVET certification.

TVET graduates continue to make a valuable contribution to the socioeconomic development. Chefs, Arts and craft specialists, engineers, lawyers, business tycoons, doctors, pharmacists, economists, bankers, ministers and officers of government, and many other professions have passed through the hands of the highly skilled staff of the TVET centres.

List of TVET Centres:

1. Carnegie School of Home Economics, Durban and High Streets-Georgetown (226-2441) 2. The Craft Production Division, Durban and High Streets-Georgetown (225-5728) 3. Government Technical Institute, Camp RoadGeorgetown (226-2468/227-1197) 4. Guyana Industrial Training Centre, Woolford Avenue-Georgetown (226-6196-7) 5. Essequibo Technical Institute, Anna Regina-Region 2 6. Leonora Technical Institute, Leonora-Region 3 7. Linden Technical Institute-Region 10 (444-3333/6719) 8. New Amsterdam Technical Institute, Berbice-Region 6 (333-2562/2702) 9. Upper Corentyne Technical InstituteBerbice-Region 6 (339-2210) 10. Mahaicony Technical Institute, MahaiconyRegion 5 (221-2190/2198/2199) MINISTRY OF EDUCATION-GUYANA Web address: www.education.gov.gy Telephone: (592) 223-7900 or 231-8815 Email address: educationministrygy@gmail.gy HOTLINES: (592) 223-7891, 623-4010, 623-0550

Ministry of Education

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Become a plumber, a caterer, a contractor, or specialize in arts and crafts. Graduates have also specialized in building and civil construction, auto-repairs and maintenance, masonry, electrical installation and more.

ENROLL TODAY! For information on TVET Centres Call 231-8815, 227-3094 or 227-8784 or email us at educationministrygy@gmail.com

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Business Industry

Selecting supervising firms for construction works

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hen a Government Ministry or agency, through the National Procurement and Tender Administration Board, seeks a contractor to carry out works, evaluators are in charge of ensuring that the firm has the capacity to carry out the job.

Things can go wrong after the fact, and, if one seeks to lay blame for defective works, the automatic assumption is that the contractor bears responsibility. This assumption is fair, but there is a crucial and often overlooked player in ensuring on site value for money.

This factor is the supervising agent or firm. When the firm’s work gets underway, someone has to be the Ministry’s so called ‘eyes and ears’ on the ground. It can be a consulting firm, which is also selected through a public tender process. Or, it can be an individual; a trusted engineer seconded to the project by the Ministry itself.

The power of the superintendent of works, as they are sometimes referred to, largely depends on the Terms of Reference contained in the agreement which they signed with the government. An example of this was when consultants were sought to supervise the reconstruction of the northern dam of the East Demerara Water Conservancy (EDWC).

The notice inviting tenders had specified that their work would be general contract administration and quality assurance.

It had also specified that this would be done in accordance with the Construction Supervision and Quality Assurance Plan.

The consultant was expected to ensure that works were in line with the bills of quantities.

The Bill of Quantities The Bill of Quantities is a document detailing the costs associated with procuring materials, parts and even labour to carry out works stipulated in a contract. When carrying out their works, contractors must adhere strictly to the bill of quantities that they submitted to evaluators. This means that to deviate from the official priced list is to breach the terms of the contract.

As the superintendent or consultant of the project, one thing he/she/the firm will have to be on the lookout for is

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the materials which were listed on the bill of quantities, being substituted for substandard materials. To the contractor, this is an excellent way to cut costs and turn a tidy profit.

To the government, however, this is one of the worst ways it can be shortchanged.

Selecting a Superintendent of Works The superintendent will most certainly have to be impartial if they are going to be able to perform their duties. And whether it is a single engineer or a consulting firm, there is always a possibility that professional duties will clash. And this can happen in ways not immediately apparent.

Not only are consultants likely to have a diverse portfolio of clients they worked with in the past, they can have multiple clients at the same time. Hence, there is a need to do thorough checks to ensure that there is no conflict of interest.

A case in point is a firm which has undertaken to provide consultancy service to a civil engineering job. It is a direct conflict of interest should the firm also have to prepare an independent environmental assessment report on the project.

While the firm must not have any existing conflict of interest with its clients, it cannot be overstated that a supervising firm has to have experience, especially experience

relevant to the particular project it will oversee. In the case of a firm, it should also be able to demonstrate the capacity in the form of personnel to oversee the project.

One of the most important responsibilities of the supervisor of works is to verify that the contractor’s work is proceeding at a satisfactory pace. The supervisor of works then has to certify, on the payment voucher, his/her approval before funds can be released to the contractor.

Because of this, trustworthiness is paramount. The firm/engineer must have an unblemished record. Because again, if the supervisor of works is induced to turn a blind eye to defects as they unfold, it can cost life and limb.

Many countries have incorporated an organized system of blacklisting and scoring firms based on their Key Performance Indicators (KPI), racked up over the time they have been active and bidding for government contracts.

Debarment mechanisms are used in the Caribbean in countries like Jamaica and international funding agencies such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

There have been calls for its enforcement in Guyana and efforts are ongoing to make this happen.

When this happens, it is expected that companies performing sloppy jobs and supervising firms vetting this sloppy work will be debarred from receiving contracts under similar considerations.

When contracts are defaulted on and collusion occurs, the police do not just come for the contractor. The supervisor who was responsible for giving the contractor’s work a stamp of approval is just as culpable.

An example of premature defects is the Supenaamstelling which, just three years after its commissioning in 2010, started falling apart.

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Business tip…

What to look for beyond the application

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ou may have this impressive application in front of you but do not be fooled. There are several key components that an employer must look for beyond the application form. And perhaps, it is for this very reason the whole idea of an interview arose. Anyone can agree that what is written and what is heard, are two completely different scenarios.

Everyone can write, but not everyone can speak. And in today’s competitive business realm that we operate in, communication, presentation and timing are key.

A sore point of contention in the Guyanese society is a serious respect for time. It is almost de rigeur to be half hour to an hour late for most occasions (as most of us operate on ‘Caribbean time’). However, in the business environment, this is a strict no-no. An employer when scheduling an interview should pay attention to the prospective employee’s reverence for time.

It means that if an interview is scheduled for 9 am, the employee must and should be there before the appointed time, at least 5-10 minutes before. Bear in mind that time is money, and as cliché as it may seem, it is the utmost truth. It signals to the employer that this prospect is serious about the opportunity.

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After noticing the punctuality of the prospect, the employer should then pay attention to the person’s attitude; they should ask to be seated, greet the employer with a salutary greeting of the day- good morning etc. and if a prospect knocks at your door, and waits for you to tell him or her to enter, it is a positive indication of a polite and respectful person. First impressions are key, and you only get one opportunity to make a positive one.

Furthermore, an employer when coming face to face with that prospective employee should pay attention to two vital aspects, one being body language and the other comportment, as it is also said that one should dress to suit to the job one is applying for. As an employer in an artistic based field can state, their clothing should reveal hints of their personality and flair. On the other hand, in a corporate environment, a suit and tie is the order of the day.

Maintaining eye contact can be an indicator of a prospective employee’s level of confidence and a point for the employer to determine whether the prospect is telling the truth, as a lie is often accompanied by a telling avoidance of the eyes.

Employers should also deviate from normal procedures, for example, instead of asking

a prospect about his current life status, an employer should ask about a prospect’s past or background and also focus on their future plans and career goals. This will enable the employer to determine whether the prospect has intentions to grow within the organization and make a meaningful long-term contribution.

An employer should ask a prospect about the other jobs he or she might be hoping to land. A prospect that scatters applications here, there and everywhere is just interested in any job, whereas a prospect that had conducted research on potential fields of employment and organizations suited to their qualifications, experience and future plans already has a vested interest in your organization and wants to be a part of it.

This is why that key interview question: “what do you know about this company and this job” is critical. Any prospect should have done their research prior to attending the interview.

Most employers do not hire employees on the spot, most are told to wait for confirmation or for that all important call back to be informed of whether they were hired or not. An employer can learn a lot about a prospect during this period. If the prospect is proactive, their persistence on checking up on the status of employment indicates their high interest in the job.

For today’s employers, social media can be quite a revelatory tool with respect to divulging information on a prospect, and indeed most employers have started utilizing this tool to great success. A simple google search on a person’s name will link an employer to all the sites the prospect has registered on and shows their public interest profiles. This can then be used to determine whether the prospect is a good fit for your organization. This is why most employers utilize Facebook, Instagram and twitter to conduct background checks on prospects.

There are many tools that an employer can use in today’s business environment to ascertain the overall good prospects from the ones that are just “good on paper”.

Whilst a stellar application can get a prospect’s foot in the door, there are many ‘tells’ and information to utilize from the interview, conducting background research and from the prospect’s follow-up. All these pointers can enable an employer to make the right decision when hiring for their organization resulting in candidates that will enable your organization to be a cut above the rest.

Guyanese students deliver outstanding performance at CXC/ CAPE exams

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n August 12, 2016, the wait for thousands of Guyanese students was finally over. They were finally about to know what was the results of their months of grueling studies, extra lessons and sleepless nights.

On that fateful day, the Caribbean Examination Council (CXC) unveiled the

in Guyana, after much deliberation, chose to reveal the national results on August 17 at the National Centre for Educational Resource Development. There, officials basically gave a rundown of the statistics that concerned the exams.

For CSEC, it was found that there was an increase in the number of candidates who registered to sit the exam than in previous years; with entrances from private schools accounting for approximately 35 per cent of all candidates. That is, a total of 12,809 students having sat the exams, 4540 were from private schools.

In contrast, CXC reported that for the Caribbean, there was a vast decrease in the amount of candidates from 132,824 in 2015 to 132,674 this year.

Taking into consideration the area of subject entries, there was a total of 73,303 in Guyana, with a reported pass rate of 63.39 per cent. This would therefore mean

results for this year’s Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate Examination (CSEC) and Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE), written in the May/ June period.

The long anticipated results had come just in time for students to plan their next moves, as the new academic year was quickly approaching.

Despite the date that the results were revealed by CXC, the Ministry of Education

In terms of the top students for this year, of the 12,809 who wrote, a total of 46 were able to obtain Grade Ones in 11 subjects and over. Further, topping that list was a student from St. Rose’s High School, Fatima Karim, who managed to obtain 19 Grade Ones and 1 Grade Two. The teen, who attended Marian Academy in her early high school life, had transferred to The Bishops’ High School,

a marginal increase from the previous 62.72 per cent in 2015. Yet again, Guyana’s performance contrasts that of the region, which, even though it had a total subject entry of 585,223, it had a pass rate of 66 per cent. This represented a decrease from 2015’s 68 per cent. It is important to note however, that the pass rate was strictly dependent on attainment of Grades One to Three.

In English A, one of the two core subjects, Guyana saw an overall pass rate of 59.3 per cent, an increase from the lower 49.36 per

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cent in 2015, reflective of CXC’s increase in the pass rate for said subject from 60 per cent in 2015 to 67 per cent this year.

There was also a positive correlation between the decrease in the pass rate for Mathematics for both the Caribbean and Guyana, with 57 per cent in 2015 to 44 per cent in 2016 and 45.07 per cent in 2015 to 38.37 per cent in 2016, respectively.

Deenauth Mohabeer 6 Ones, 1 Two (CAPE) where she spent her third form year. She made her switch to St. Rose’s High School after learning that Bishops’ had a limit to the amount of subjects that a student could write.

Her intention from the inception was to be the best, as she stated “students should be allowed to write as many subjects as they can and that is my belief.

Once they have the ability and they can do it then they should go for it.” Her statement came after comments over the sheer quantity of subjects that she and other students undertook to write.

Coming in second for the country was Kayshav Tewari from Queen’s College, with 19 Ones, and in third was Aadilah Ali also from Queen’s College, who obtained 18 Grade Ones, 3 Twos and 1 Grade Three.

The remainder of the top ten are as follows: Ramkumarie Ramdass of Saraswati Vidya Niketan, who obtained 18 Grade Ones and 1 Grade Two; Sariah Singh of Queen’s College with 18 Ones; Joshua Indarjit of Skeldon Line Path Secondary School with 17 Ones; Kimberly Najab also of Saraswati Vidya Niketan with 15 Grade Ones and 3 Grade Twos; followed by Kevin Lall of Anna Regina Secondary School who managed to obtain 15 Grade Ones.

Joash Gobin 6 Ones (CAPE)

Larissa Wiltshire 6 Ones (CAPE) And lastly, PritishaBaldeo and Narindra Persaud, both from Saraswati Vidya Niketan and both obtaining 14 Grade Ones, 3 Grade Twos and 3 Grade Threes.

This year also, the pass rates of specific schools were commended, having topped their respective regions. For Region two, it was Anna Regina Secondary School with a pass rate of 87.78 per cent, Zeeburg Secondary School for Region three with 85.14 per cent and for Region four it was President’s College with 89.23 per cent.

In Region five, Rosignol Secondary School came out with 66.05 per cent; Region Six, Berbice High School with 89.52 per cent; Region Nine, St. Ignatius Secondary School with 84.55 per cent and in Georgetown, Queen’s College managed to top the list with 96.1 per cent closely followed by The Bishops’ High School with 95 per cent, a difference of 1.1 per cent.

In terms of the Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE), 898 students partook, with a total of 4062 subject entries. The recorded pass rate was found to be 86.74 per cent with 478 of the 4062 subject entries providing Grade Ones, 746 Grade Twos, 860 Grade Threes, 689 Grade Fours and 535 Grade Fives.

Ashley Anthony 6 Ones (CAPE)

Carissa Kissoon 6 Ones (CAPE) The tope CAPE student came from Queen’s College, being Deenauth Mohabeer, who obtained 6 Grade Ones and 1 Grade Two. Eighteen year old Mohabeer is an aspiring artificial intelligence designer and so hopes to further his studies in the field of Computer Science.

Following close behind him in second place was Larissa Wiltshire, an aspiring dentist, also of Queen’s College, who obtained 6 Grade Ones.

Joash Gobin, Ashley Anthony and Shannon Woodroffe, all from Queen’s College as well were each able to acquire Grade One passes in six subjects as well.

The Bishops’ High School’s Carissa Kissoon was also able to obtain 6 Grade Ones.

Those who obtained 5 Grade Ones and over included the likes of Jonathan Gobin, Elisa Hamilton, Lisa John, Aliyah Rasheed, Vishnu Singh, and Abigail Somrah, of Queen’s College and Steffan Ageda, Nandani Ramdass and Malena Ramdeo of The Bishops’ High School. Vamadev Hiralall of Saraswati Vidya Niketa was also among the top scorers obtaining 5 Grade Ones and 3 Grade Threes.

Shannon Woodroffe 6 Ones (CAPE) Guyana Inc. - Issue 24 P.29

Pay keen attention to those warranties

N

ow if you are daring enough to purchase an item without a warranty simply because the price seen is too good to pass up, don’t bother to complain if it becomes defective within a matter of days.

This is in light of the fact that without a warranty you essentially have no grounds to protest. So you’ll have to count your losses, move on and hopefully learn from your mistake.

We have all had or at least seen a warranty at some point in our lives. It might have been a solid year-long warranty or a mere three-month promise by the company or individual offering an item for sale to repair or replace your item of purchase.

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In simple terms, a warranty is an assurance by one party to another that certain outlined measures will be fulfilled under ‘outlined terms and conditions’.

But the downfall of many consumers, is that they fail to pay attention to some of these ‘outlined terms and conditions’ before making a purchase.

Some business folks can be unscrupulous to a point where it could even be deemed criminal.

It is for this reason that consumers are urged when making purchases, especially of electronics and vehicles, even with an offered warranty, to have them examined thoroughly preferably by a trusted qualified technician/ mechanic.

Don’t be deceived by brands that may be printed on the item of purchase (these could be misleading) and don’t be fooled by apparent good condition.

If the price appears too good to be true, sometimes it very well is. Ask questions. Why should you be offered a three-month warranty, for instance, on a cellular phone built to last several years?

It’s your prerogative to ask the obvious and the not so obvious questions when making a purchase, after all it is your money being spent.

If sales clerks or business owners are not accommodating, you can always move on to the many other stores that offer practically the same items.

According to the Guyana Bureau of Standards (GNBS) “a warranty shall be a written or verbal undertaking and a standard written document issued

to the purchaser by manufacturer, distributor, supplier, agent or vendor, stating that the defined item shall be repaired, replaced or a refund shall be given to certain conditions.”

The Bureau has made it clear too that a warranty is an assurance that goods or services offered is of a specified quality and durability. A warranty therefore must stipulate the name and address of the guarantor; the duration of the warranty; what exactly the warranty covers (whether the whole product or part); the warranty performance (whether the item would be repaired, replaced, or cost will be refunded).

GNBS has further outlined that since warranties can vary from company to company, an informed purchase decision can only be made if warranty options are examined in detail ahead of the actual purchase.

Read the fine prints!

“Sometimes consumers do not pay attention to such factors, but most of the time they regret such decisions after purchases are made. If not immediately, they regret later when the item become defective and they experience difficulties when seeking redress,” GNBS has shared.

Moreover, consumers are urged to not only walk away from items without warranty but understand fully the conditions of the items that are sold with warranty. Remember, you are the boss when shopping. Only make that purchase when you are absolutely comfortable with what is being offered.

Work Related Law: Knowing Your Entitlements when it comes to NIS What is N.I.S. and what does it do?

The National Insurance Scheme, known to most of the Guyanese population by its abbreviation N.I.S. is a social security organization made necessary through Chapter 36:01 of the Laws of Guyana, titled National Insurance and Social Security.

Its purpose is threefold, including establishing and maintaining a system of Social Security in which there is a secured store of income, that, should one’s employment or earnings be interrupted by sickness or accident, it could serve as a substitute.

The scheme’s second objective is to make provisions for retirement through age or in the event of the sudden and untimely passing of a breadwinner within a family as well as to meet certain exceptional expenses as those that relate to birth or death.

Finally, N.I.S. seeks to make certain that whatever monies that are collected and have to be utilized for payments in the future are further invested in such a manner that there would be great benefit to the economic climate of the country.

Evidence for this is seen in Chapter 36:01 of the Laws of Guyana, National Insurance and Social Security Act which states: An Act to establish a system of National Insurance and Social Security providing Pecuniary Payments by way of Old Age Benefit, Invalidity Benefit, Survivor’s Benefit, Sickness Benefit, Maternity Benefit, and to substitute for compensation under the Workmen’s Compensation Ordinance, a system of insurance against injury or death caused by accident arising out of and in the course of employment or resulting from disease due to the nature of employment; to establish a National Insurance Fund; and to provide for matters connected with or incidental thereto.

How does NIS work?

The National Insurance Scheme covers for Social Insurance on an obligatory basis to anyone falling between the ages of sixteen (16) and sixty (60) years who is engaged in what is termed as Insurable Employment, as stated in The Laws of Guyana, Chapter 36:01, part III, 11. (1) which simply says: Subject to this Act (stated above) every person who on or after the appointed day is (a) Sixteen years of age or over and under sixty years of age; and (b) Gainfully occupied in Insurable Employment, shall be insured under this act, and shall remain so insured for life.

This coverage is also extended on a voluntary basis, to those persons who discontinue employment even before the age of sixty (60). Others exceeding this age range are also covered but only for industrial benefits whereas those who are self-employed are not covered for Industrial Benefits.

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When it comes to contributions towards the scheme, both the employer and employee are expected to pay those to the scheme based on an established Payroll System. For the employed contributor, the total contribution is 14% of the salary paid.

This is obtained from a deduction of 5.6% of the employee’s pay and the remaining 8.4% is paid by the employer on behalf of the employee. In the case of self-employed persons, 12.5% of their declared income is expected as contribution, while voluntary contributors pay a total of 9.3% of their insurable earnings from the last two years of employment.

After all of this, what then are you the employee entitled to?

A majority of persons who have joined the world of work in Guyana would know about the deductions made on their salaries.

They remain quite au fait with the terms associated with their employment under certain laws, such as the Pay as You Earn deduction as well as the deduction for N.I.S., among others.

However, quite a few of them actually know what those deductions mean for them; especially for N.I.S. The scheme, in fact, can and will provide payments for benefits under three categories; Long Term Benefits, which includes benefits for Old Age, Funeral, Invalidity, Survivors’ and Constant Attendance, as well as Short Term Benefits, inclusive of Sickness and Maternity Benefits along with Sickness Benefit Medical Care.

Industrial Benefits include benefits for Injury, Industrial Death, Disablement and Injury Benefit Medical Care. Each of these require the fulfillment of specific criteria before benefits can be claimed; the majority of which depends on the amount of contributions as well as the sum of the contributions made throughout the course of one’s working life.

Knowing one’s entitlement is key to knowing what claims you can make as well as when you can make them. This however, is only possible if you are fully aware and updated with the amount of contributions that you have made to the Scheme. Many simply go through the motions of paying their contributions without keeping track of them and as such they miss the chance when it comes to rightfully claiming benefits from the N.I.S. Thus, as a measure to prevent the hassle of having to go to the office and waiting in long lines to get that sort of information, in 2015, they introduced a method of checking the amount of contributions that would have been made for any one person. The database, which was promised to be updated on a quarterly basis, shows the number of contributions for persons registered with the N.I.S. The scheme’s website, www.nis.org.gy, also holds valuable information when it comes to knowing what one’s benefits and entitlements are.

Praxis, Olympics and the Guyana Judicial System Prepared by Teni Housty Attorney-at-Law, LL.M.; MBA

Introduction In 2011, the author was introduced to an article written by Ann L. Cunliffe (2004) entitled “On Becoming a Critically Reflexive Practitioner.” Cunliffe (2004) highlights the notion and power of praxis to be: “Questioning our own assumptions and taken-for-granted actions, thinking about where/who we are and where/who we would like to be, challenging our conceptions of reality, and exploring new possibilities”.

It is with this notion of praxis in mind that this contribution examines aspects of the judicial system in Guyana through what has emerged as the reality of the Rio 2016 Olympics. This contribution continues with a discussion of Ceremonial opening, followed by a perspective on medals, recognition and reflections. New events and New Rules are then explored with the necessary discussion of technology, challenges and delays. As all Olympic events end with a victory ceremony, the victories of opportunities are highlighted with a few concluding thoughts.

Ceremonial openings For those who witnessed the Opening ceremony of the Rio 2016 Olympics, there may be mixed reviews. The fact that Guyana was not clearly featured on the ESPN broadcast highlighting Caribbean countries was somewhat disappointing, in the praxis context: where were we?

For the criminal aspect of our judicial system, there are quarterly ceremonial openings of the Criminal Assizes in Demerara, Berbice and Essequibo. As the past few days have indicated, it is not the ceremony but the actual events in the various disciplines.

The opportunity is to focus on the cases, the reduction of delays, the retrials and not so much on the ceremony.

Medals, recognition and reflections Swimming was the dominant event in week one. Michael Phelps’ medals were a highlight.

For supporters of gymnastics like the author, the medals of Simone Biles were memorable. Week two was punctuated by the unprecedented individual accomplishments of Usain Bolt and the precedent following submission of Elaine Thompson in the finals of the 100m and 200m.

For legal practitioners, the medals for distinction from one perspective would be the award of silk (appointment as senior counsel). Since 1996, there have been six Olympic Games. However, there have been no medals awarded in the legal profession in Guyana. As we are dealing with the power of praxis, should other perspectives be adopted to measure the achievements of practitioners in our judicial system? Is it better to the holder of an Olympic medal or the holder of a world record? Who would we really like to be?

decades to finish; there is a tremendous backlog of matters; judges take notes by hand and give decisions in writing as opposed to written decisions.

For the players in the Guyana judicial system, the suggestion must be to look for opportunities among the challenges, therefore we must adopt and utilise the benefits of technology both for real time events, replays and decisions on challenges.

It is time to perform beyond our lowered expectations. Efficiency, effectiveness and truth would be the likely results.

New Events and New Rules Several events have entered the Rio 2016 Olympics. The choice for comparison is Rugby Sevens. An event introduced only after there was equality between men and women in the sport. The new events in Guyana have been introduced by the New Family Procedure Rules. Who are the likely preferred teams, males or females or mixed?

It is noted that there is at least one mixed sailing event in which Aruba competed from the Caribbean region.

In the gold medal game of the Rugby Sevens the men from the Fiji Islands defeated the men from the United Kingdom, through the eyes of a lawyer, the Fiji victory can be seen as a symbolic triumph of an indigenous legal system over common law origins and colonial masters. Are we truly ready for the liberation of our legal system?

A further opportunity to break the shackles of colonialism may be with the eventual passage of the Civil Procedure Rules in this Olympic year to replace the Rules of Court of 1955. A point to note is that the sport of golf has returned to the Olympics. Forward ever, backward never? Or one step forward two steps backwards? Through a praxis lens, where are we?

The victory of opportunities It has been an Olympics for bans, appeals, lawyers, investigations, injunctions and restraints of movement. Though the arenas may be different there are similarities between the Olympics and the judicial system. Like it or not, lawyers are always needed.

For the author, 2016 has been a year of accomplishments in many sports. The images of victory are unforgettable, these include the win of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA finals, the win of the West Indies in the World T20 finals, the days of wins of Jamaican athletes in multiple Olympic events, not to forget the merger of two Olympic elements (land and water) usually kept separate (except for the triathlon) with the golden dive of Shaunae Miller from the Bahamas in the 400m females finals.

At the same time there is nothing attractive of the faces of losing, the power of praxis allows us to perceive the situation to our benefit, the suggestion is that application of praxis for the challenges of the judicial system in Guyana. Usain Bolt’s victory in the 200m race and then the team victory in 4x100m relay are most telling. Strive for the best, be the best, if the rest do not push you, that is fair because at the end of the day you are still a winner.

Technology, challenges and delays Replays and challenges were highlighted as innovations in both versions of the sport of Volley Ball, so much so that China was recalled to finish a preliminary match based on the use of the challenge and replay system. In the Guyana judicial system much needs to be done to incorporate the benefits of technology. The present assumptions include that: a matter once filed will take

Conclusion For the judicial system in Guyana, there are multiple disciplines, several venues, numerous athletes, so let us all strive for Gold in whatever that is done, conceive our own reality.

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Communication sector 4G Service Hits Guyana’s Shores

W

ithin the past 20 years, technology has played a major role in keeping Guyana connected to the global happenings of the world, as well as contributed significantly to its advancement to the 21st century.

In demonstration of the aforementioned, Guyana’s two leading communication giants, Digicel and the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph (GTT) Company, have brought the long awaited 4G service into play.

This service has improved Guyana’s internet capabilities ten times over.

Prior to this, it was a third generation- 3G service that Guyanese depended on for many years and this led to an outcry by those who had experienced better.

But on May 8 and 9, 2016, Digicel and the renamed GTT+ unveiled their versions of the 4G service respectively. This promised much faster mobile internet speeds as well as a guarantee that there would be an increase in the data cap of both service providers; adding to which there was an expectant possibility of other improved services such as rates for talk time and texts.

With Digicel, to complement their all new superfast 4G network, they had introduced a system called the 4G smart bundles consisting of bigger data bundles as well as free talk and texts to all local numbers.

Their promise maintained that customers throughout Guyana would be able to enjoy a

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completely upgraded mobile experience with reliable high speed internet.

In the case of GTT+, they promised a service that would be thirty times faster as well as three times the amount of data for the same low price. The equation; More Data + Same Prices = Best Value was alluded to, thereby making it easier for customers to choose.

The Chief Commercial Officer of GTT+, Gert Post, posited that it was an excellent time to switch to GTT+ and do MORE with your money, but that decision is all left up to the customers.

What does this now mean for the Guyanese population?

Well, this simply means that citizens can now enjoy faster internet on the go, whether it be for social media, education, work, keeping in contact with loved ones and even gaming.

They can enjoy a better and more reliable means of communication, thus making the world an even smaller place, one megabyte at a time. The plane of connectivity has been redefined with the new 4G networks which means, that for Guyana, the best is yet to come.

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The talented

Poonam Singh wages war against

suicide

S

he carries herself with such sophistication that she easily exudes an aura that appeals to the masses. It might have been acquired over time but she owns it so well you’d think she was born with it.

She is Poonam Singh. Singh is swiftly becoming a true Guyanese icon - a patriotic personality who sells Guyana very well.

If you don’t know of her then you have been under a rock in a land very far away that is void of technology.

One listen to her soulful and very catchy vocal single and you would immediately want to know more about this young lady.

Her lyrical masterpiece has understandably been making waves throughout Guyana and even further a field and you’ll have no question about her origin when you hear it, or see the supporting video for that matter. It is appropriately titled G.U.Y.A.N.A and basically tells a story about the beauty of Guyana, a country touted to have six united races.

Singh, who is of East Indian descent and hails from the West Bank of Demerara, first shot to fame in 2011 when she competed in the Guyana Telephone and Telegraph (GTT) Jingles and Song competition.

She placed second but her voice and stage presence certainly left an indelible mark in the minds of many.

This stunning songbird was not fazed because she didn’t claim the coveted jingles crown, in fact, she was satisfied that she had done her best and that was good enough for her.

Born on February 19, 1995, Singh revealed that she had long embraced the notion that “when I get older I will never pursue something that I don’t love.”

She, moreover, has been living by the Maya Angelou inspired mantra “success is liking yourself, liking what you do and liking how you do it”.

Still a very young and vibrant young woman, she ventured off to pursue tertiary education at the University of Guyana.

Communication Studies was her choice as she saw this as an initial step to venturing into law studies. She has since graduated with a diploma and is now pursuing her law degree from the University of London through Nations University of Law. It might have been the genuine exposures about herself on social media that made her rather suitable to represent Guyana at a level the she would have never imagined.

Poonam was randomly, or so it may seem, selected to represent Guyana as Miss Global International-Guyana. Had she been told she was born for a life of pageantry she would have fiercely disagreed.

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Suicide is not funny, it is not something that should be taken for granted or ignored.

“If you told me in 2015 that I was going to be the next Miss Global InternationalGuyana, I would’ve stared at you until you changed your statement. Mainly because, I always thought, ‘oh pageants are for tall, beautiful girls with perfectly light skin and an exquisite body’. But now that I’m the new Queen I realize that it is really and truly not about a perfect body or a perfect face,” Poonam explained.

She was selected for the task through a screening process by the directing manager of Miss Global InternationalGuyana, Mr. Hashim Ali. And according to Poonam, “I was very happy because I thought it would’ve been a perfect way to get my voice out there...”

She hopes through this avenue she would be able to speak up about something that she recognizes as a challenge to her homeland - suicide.

Guyana has long been dubbed ‘the suicide capital of the world’.

The World Health Organisation in its 2009 Report rated Guyana as the country with the highest rate of suicide in South America and the Caribbean. Although Government has disputed some of the

claims about the local suicide rate, the number of cases reported has been viewed by Poonam as entirely too many for her native land.

Moreover, armed with the Miss Global International-Guyana Title, Poonam anticipates that she will be able to start a movement that will ultimately help to bring an end to suicide in this part of the world.

Her aim is to create a group where persons overwhelmed by suicidal thoughts or would have lost someone to suicide can reach out to others who are suffering. Among her primary targets will be school children. Moreover, Poonam has a plan to visit schools across Guyana and have motivational talks with children.

She revealed that her intent is to “ensure at the end of the day, they can at least see that life is a precious gift that should be valued.”

Poonam in her noble quest embraces the notion that, “People will forget what you say to them but they will never forget how you made them feel. So if I can make them feel better, then my mission will definitely be accomplished.”

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Your Mental Health and You

M

ental or emotional health refers to your overall psychological well-being. It is the way you feel about yourself, the quality of your relationships, your ability to manage feelings and deal with difficulties, and how much meaning and joy you get from your life.

Good mental health isn’t just the absence of mental health problems such as depression or anxiety. It is the presence of positive characteristics, such as being able to cope with life’s challenges, handling stress, building strong relationships, and recovering from setbacks.

People who are emotionally healthy are in control of their emotions and their behavior. They are able to deal with the challenges of life, establish and maintain strong bonds with others and get back on track after periods of distress. But just as it requires effort to build or maintain physical health, so it is with mental and emotional health.

Improving your emotional health can be a rewarding experience, benefiting all aspects of your life, including boosting your mood, building resilience, and adding to your overall enjoyment of life.

However, many things that happen in your life can disrupt your emotional health and lead to strong feelings of sadness, stress, or anxiety. These things include: • • • • • • • • •

Being laid off from your job Having a child leave or return home Dealing with the death of a loved one Getting divorced or married Suffering an illness or an injury Getting a job promotion Experiencing money problems Moving to a new home Having a baby

The connection between Mind & Body Good changes can be just as stressful as bad changes, and when you are stressed, anxious, or upset, your body reacts in a way that might tell you that something isn’t right.

Your body can react in the following ways: • • • • • • • •

Back pain Change in appetite Chest pain Constipation or diarrhea Dry mouth Extreme tiredness General aches and pains Headaches

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• • • •

• • • • • •

High blood pressure Insomnia (trouble sleeping) Lightheadedness Palpitations (the feeling that your heart is racing) Sexual problems Shortness of breath Stiff neck Sweating Upset stomach Weight gain or loss

Poor emotional health can weaken your body’s immune system, making you more likely to get colds and other infections during emotionally difficult times. Also, when you are feeling stressed, anxious, or upset, you may not take care of your health as well as you should. You may not feel like exercising, eating nutritious foods or taking medicine that your doctor prescribes. Abuse of alcohol, tobacco, or other drugs may also be a sign of poor emotional health.

Improving your Mental Health • Try to recognize your emotions and understand why you are having them. Sorting out the causes of sadness, stress, and anxiety in your life can help you manage your emotional health.

• Express your feelings in appropriate ways. If feelings of stress, sadness, or anxiety are causing physical problems, keeping these feelings inside and bottling them up can make you feel worse. It’s OK to let your loved ones know when something is bothering you. However, keep in mind that your family and friends may not be able to help you deal with your feelings appropriately. At these times, ask someone outside the situation, such as your family doctor, a counselor, or a religious advisor, for advice and support to help you improve your emotional health.

• Live a balanced life. Try not to obsess about the problems at work, school, or home that lead to negative feelings. This doesn’t mean you have to pretend to be happy when you feel stressed, anxious, or upset. It’s important to deal with these negative feelings, but try to focus on the positive things in your life too. You may want to use a journal to keep track of things that make you feel happy or peaceful. Some research has shown that having a positive outlook can improve your quality of life and give your health a boost. You may also need to find ways to let go of some things in your life that make you feel stressed

and overwhelmed. Make time for things you enjoy.

• Develop resilience. People with resilience are mentally tough and are able to cope with stress in a healthy way. Resilience can be learned and strengthened with different strategies. These include having social support, keeping a positive view of yourself, accepting change, and keeping things in perspective.

• Calm your mind and body. Relaxation methods, such as meditation, listening to music, listening to guided imagery and yoga are useful ways to bring your emotions into balance. Meditation is a form of guided thought. It can take many forms. For example, you may do it by exercising, stretching, or breathing deeply. Ask your family doctor for advice about relaxation methods.

• Take care of yourself. To have good emotional health, it’s important to take care of your body by having a regular routine for eating healthy meals, getting enough sleep, and exercising to relieve pent-up tension. Avoid overeating and don’t abuse drugs or alcohol. Using drugs or alcohol just causes other problems, such as family and health problems.

Paying attention to the signs of Mental Illness Mental illnesses are serious disorders which can affect your thinking, mood, and behavior. There are many causes of mental disorders. Your genes and family history may play a role. Your life experiences, such as stress or a history of abuse, may also matter.

Biological factors can also be part of the cause. Mental disorders are common, but treatments are available.

Mental and emotional health problems often arise when your nervous system has been compromised by overwhelming amounts of stress. The body’s natural and most efficient method of coping with stress and rebalancing the nervous system is via face-toface social contact with a trusted person. This is why mental and emotional health is so closely linked with social health: helping yourself involves reaching out to others.

What are the symptoms of a mental illness? If a friend or loved one doesn’t seem themselves, how do you spot the difference between a bad mood and something more serious? Drinking too much, crying all the time or any other on going, significant change in a person’s behavior, thoughts or feelings could be telltale signs of a mental illness. Often it’s not a single change, but a combination.

The following signs are not to help you diagnose a mental health issue, but instead to reassure you that there might be good reason to seek more information about your concerns.

• • • • • • • • •

Feeling worried or anxious Feeling depressed or unhappy Emotional outbursts Problems sleeping Weight or appetite changes Quiet or withdrawn behavior Substance abuse Guilty or worthless feelings all the time Changes in behavior, thinking and feelings

In life we all face challenges from time to time and it is our reaction to these challenges that define how we are left feeling.

Sometimes our reactions are based on where we are as a person at the time and we sometimes react without thinking thoroughly about the issue at hand. However, if we try to attain a calm, balanced and measured attitude we may find ourselves making less

rash decisions and being in a better place mentally.

Many people who suffer from a feeling of a loss of empowerment often begin to feel irrational, down and depressed. Empowerment is a process that sets a goal that is personally meaningful and begins to work toward that goal.

To improve your sense of empowerment you can: Learn something new Learning is powerful and effective. When you gain new knowledge, it can help you feel prepared or inspire you to tackle something new. It can also make you feel as though you have a fresh perspective or different skill set to retry something that may have been challenging before. If nothing else, the act of learning can leave you feeling mentally stronger and more capable.

Give back It is easy to get stuck in your own world. We each get wrapped up on our own day-to-day problems and it can leave us feeling overwhelmed and sometimes powerless. When we help others, it allows us to see that we have something important to offer to the world around us. In the process of giving back, we can also empower others while helping ourselves.

Take charge We often have a tendency to rely on our routines, the competency of others or even chance to get us where we are going. Although there are certainly aspects of our lives that we are not able to control that are as simple as flight delays or as complicated as illnesses, there are many things we can control. Those things under our control include our behavior, thoughts, and feelings. If we take the opportunity to show up in our lives with the right attitude and focus on what we bring to the situation, we often find that we have more power than we thought.

Set goals Knowing what you want and going after it can go a long way in making you feel powerful in your own life. The first step in goal setting is to begin by thinking about what is meaningful in your life.

From there, think about what you may want to achieve or do that can bring a greater sense of meaning into your life. Start with goals that you know you can attain first. This can help build confidence and a sense of mastery. From there add goals that may be more challenging and keep going.

Make your own rules We all spend a lot of time worrying about what we “should” be doing. This tendency to live our lives according to the unattainable guidelines made up of absolute statements often leaves us feeling as though we are not good enough or that we have limited choices.

So begin to think about how many times a day you say to yourself, “I should…” or “I have to…” and simply stop to think about whether that statement is accurate. You will likely find that there are plenty of times where you are making a choice, which gives you the chance to do something else if you want to.

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Confronting the issue of

Breast Cancer W

hen most people hear the big ‘C’ word, cancer, a particular kind of fear takes over. And sometimes, this is because most of us don’t know much about this disease.

When it comes to breast cancer, there’s the risk of losing one or both breasts, which in terms of aesthetics, most women abhor.

There’s even the chance of death if not detected early and the cancer is allowed to spread.

In Guyana, among the cancers, breast cancer tops the chart, accounting for 17% of all cancers and 25% of all cancers affecting women.

Now what exactly is Breast Cancer?

Most know of breast cancer, but how much do they actually know about it? Breast cancer like most other cancers is a disease characterized by the uncontrolled division of abnormal cells but within the tissues of the breasts.

In normal body tissues, there is a balance in cell division and multiplication, in relation to natural cell death. This ensures that old worn out cells are gotten rid of and replaced by new, better functioning ones.

In breast cancer as well as other cancers, this programmed cell death, as it is called when the cells dies, does not occur, due to the abnormality of the cells themselves. As such there is continuous replication of the cells and growth of the cancer tissue over time.

Because of this constant growth, the cancer cells can spread locally, as in surrounding structures and tissues, or can even invade the blood stream or lymphatic system and spread through these means, termed hematogenous and lymphatic spread, respectively.

Therefore, it is possible for those persons with end stage breast cancer to have cancers at other parts of the body, quite distant from the breasts.

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What should you look for?

Self-examination plays a great role in the early detection of breast cancer. Hence, on any visit to the doctor’s office, all women are encouraged to examine their breasts at least everytime they get the chance, especially after the end of the previous menstrual period; when the breasts are less likely to be swollen and tender.

Though there have been debates over how helpful this is in diagnosis, it has proved very helpful to many who were able to detect small changes occurring before they were definitively diagnosed with the disease. With that in mind, it should be noted that earlier diagnoses leads to a better prognoses.

The first sign that most women notice on self-examination is an atypical lump, which feels different from the surrounding tissue.

However, not every lump is a cause of worry since most women have or will have lumps or lumpy areas in their breast at some point of their life.

Persons might even notice early subtle changes in the skin such as dimpling or what appears to be an orange peel texture of the breast skin (called peutd’orange sign).

Other signs that are common are the emergence of a red scaly patch of skin as well as either a bloody or semi-clear discharge from the nipples.

For those in whom the disease has progressed and there is distant spread of the cancer, there may be symptoms of bone pain, swollen and painful lymph nodes, difficulty breathing and jaundice.

Causes and Risk factors There has been ongoing research but none has been definitive in proving what exactly causes breast cancer. However, the disease has been linked to and shows a positive correlation with a number of factors, the most obvious being of the female gender.

Though the cancer can also affect men, females are by far the most affected. It has been shown that persons who engage in smoking and the consumption of alcohol are at a higher risk of getting the disease than those who don’t.

Further, the risk of getting breast cancer

increases if one is suffering from obesity or there is a lack of physical exercise. Women who are also on hormone replacement therapy or who have undergone radiotherapy are at a higher risk as well.

Another factor would seem to be the fact that having children at a later age or not at all puts one at risk for getting this cancer.

Early onset of menstruation, old age and a family history of breast cancer are among other risk factors; as well as a genetic predisposition in about 5-10% of cases who would seem to have inherited genes called the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes among others.

How is it diagnosed?

Breast cancer can be detected early if one is keen on self-examination whenever the chance presents itself. However, in a clinical setting, diagnosis of breast cancer can be achieved via imaging techniques such as mammography, ultrasonography or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

These all determine whether a biopsy is warranted or not. If needed, tissue samples can be taken from the breast to be analyzed.

These can be incisional, where just a small sample of the abnormal tissue is taken and investigated or excisional, where the entire mass of abnormal tissue is removed.

Sometimes a lump might actually be a cyst, in which case fluid is taken from the lump and microscopically analyzed. This is called fine needle aspiration.

Prevention and treatment In the case of breast cancer, prevention is indeed better than cure. Simply by achieving and maintaining a healthy body weight, regular exercise, minimizing drinking and smoking, as well as consumption of foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids can all help to reduce the risk of getting breast cancer.

In the case where the disease has already progressed, treatment depends on the stage, with simple excisional surgery or lumpectomy for the simple lumps to more severe cases where either one or both of the breasts have to be removed along with affected surrounding tissue. These are all complemented by a regimen of chemotherapy followed by radiotherapy.

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Guyana Inc. - Issue 24 P.42

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t is always a huge achievement for any athlete to be selected as a representative of their country at the highest possible level in sport, the Olympics.

At the 2016 Olympics that took place in Rio, Guyana was represented by six athletes in the form of swimmers Hannibal Gaskin and Jamila Sanmoogan and athletes, Troy Doris, Winston George, Brenessa Thompson and Aliyah Abrams.

Arriving in Rio, it was the intention of the Guyanese athletes to break a 36-year medal drought at the Olympics; Guyana’s last and only medalist to date being boxer Michael Paris who achieved a bronze medal at the 1980 summer games held in Moscow, Soviet Union.

While the Guyanese athletes did not achieve a medal, they represented with pride and dignity. Coming closest to giving his nation a medal was triple jumper Troy Doris, who reached the finals and ended as the 7th best in the world with a best jump of 16.90m.

The event was won by USA’s Christian Taylor with a leap of 17.86m, his countryman Will Claye took the silver (17.76m) while China’s Dong Bin copped the bronze medal with his 17.13m effort.

Doris in the process created history by becoming the first Guyanese to qualify for a final at the Summer Olympics, quite an achievement and has set the bar high for others to aim for in Tokyo in four year’s time.

In advancing to the finals, Doris had finished 6th place in qualifying with a leap of 16.81 m.

Sprinter Brenessa Thompson competing in the women’s 100 m heats round 1 and ranked at 53, posted time of 11.72s which was not good enough to take her forward as she ended in 7th place. In the women’s 200 m, round 1 with a rank of 59, Thompson clocked 23.65 which effectively brought her Rio sojourn to a close.

Winston George competing in the 400m one lap contest and ranked at 26 was timed at 45.77s which, he too made a first round exit despite placing fifth.

With a rank of 38 in the women’s 400m, Aliyah Abrams ended her quest for glory in the first round with a time of 52.79s which earned her 5th place.

Zooming in our swimmers, the duo of Hannibal Gaskin and Jamila Sanmoogan were in Rio through “Universality Places” and therefore were only allowed one event each.

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Rallying a nation through their perseverance

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Guyanese Olympians!

Contesting the 50m Freestyle, Sanmoogan achieved a time of 28.88s contesting heat 5 for 6th place, while Gaskin competing in the 100 m Butterfly (heat 1) which attracted 3 swimmers, achieved a time of 58.57 s.

Both Sanmoogan and Gaskin participated in the South American Swimming Championships in Paraguay, March 30 - April 3 which was the last qualifier that they went to prior to Rio. While no medals, all Guyana must be proud of the athlete’s achievements. The rallying call must be for government and the private sector to start a serious and real programme of investment in local athletes. Then and only then, would the nation be able to take it up a notch in search of that elusive second medal.