Kaieteur News

Kaieteur News

PAGE 04

Kaieteur News Printed and Published by National Media & Publishing Company Ltd. 24 Saffon Street, Charlestown, Georgetown, Guyana.

Publisher: GLENN LALL Editor: Adam Harris Tel: 225-8465, 225-8491. Fax: 225-8473, 226-8210

EDITORIAL

One year ago One year ago the people took the first step to change a government that had been in place for 23 years. Indeed, there was the view that the government could not ever lose another election in Guyana. The fact that the change came, was a shock. The People’s Progressive Party once more contended that it was cheated out of office, just as it has been doing over the years whenever it was voted out of office.

Looking back over the past year there are those for whom the euphoria has died. It has been a most interesting year especially since the nation expected to see the corruption that they were led to believe was widespread, being nailed.

There have been the forensic audits that exposed myriad irregularities but to this day no one has been brought to book. The government, acting on information provided from a variety of sources, did remove some people. One man who admitted to nepotism, claimed that he was in fact saving the company millions of dollars.

There were others who were accused of operating as politicians rather than as public servants. These were sent home. These dismissals all sparked charges of witchhunting, something that the opposition has vowed to provide to the public as soon as it has detailed the extent of the witch-hunt. None of these people has gone to the courts to challenge the dismissal and this tells a story.

The forensic audits found that many of the irregularities were initiated by the Cabinet. Cabinet decisions sparked many of the decisions. And in almost every case whatever decision it was, it represented a case of exceptionally high spending.

It could have been that the contractors overcharged the government who could not take the time to seek second opinions. It could also have been that people in the government accepting the higher prices because there was always the case of somebody releasing a few dollars as a token of appreciation for the award of the contract.

This much has been made clear by the audits but prosecution is a remote possibility. Those who were most named in the irregularities have taken evasive action. They have left the country. But for all that it is becoming clear that these people could claim that they were executing the bidding of the government.

But no country is run by a government that is bent on chasing after the deeds of the previous administration. It must chart its own course. So we had the new government reviewing some of the existing programmes and actually attempting to put a lid on them only to reverse its decision.

One such is the Specialty Hospital.

The new government had announced that it was scrapping the project but it soon learnt that if it wanted the money then it had to continue with the project. It was the same with the hydroelectric project. The government wanted out but the international agencies shouted, “Not so fast.”

The expansion of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport was another inherited project. Again there were reviews; again there were plans to modify the contract; and again, the new government must continue with the project.

The government has undertaken no major projects largely because there are others in the pipeline that it must undertake. There are the road programmes - the expansion of the East Bank Demerara and the East Coast Demerara highways.

These have been underway for at least four years and are nowhere near completion. The new government is saddled with them and will be blamed for their non-completion. One plus is the environmental enhancement. Guyana is nearing its pristine best, courtesy of the private sector support that greeted the government when it acceded to office. Public perception is that crime is rampant but the truth is that the government is slowly getting a lid on criminal activities.

There are still the robberies, too many for one’s liking.

They feed the perception of rampant crime and in the coming days the police would have to be at their best.

Thursday May 12, 2016

POLICE-SOLDIER CONFRONTATION IN GOLDEN GROVE

DEAR EDITOR; The Disciplined Forces, better known as the Joint Services, seemed to have lost the will to exercise the meaning of the word “joint”, hence there is a constant battle for superiority.

On Friday last while at the Golden Grove Market square, the events that took place will probably change the hearts of soldiers towards police forever.

As it happened, the police ranks were carrying out a random search at the said market area, which is known for having scores of patrons on Friday nights. Police officers some dressed in uniform and others in plain clothing, sporting long hair and beard, stormed the area forcing persons to lie on the ground and brace against walls, in a very terrorizing manner.

Guns were all over the place and persons feared for their lives, because of the way in when the law men were operating.

I thought it was a robbery attack. A group of men who were standing not too far off, was approach by the police and

was told to brace the wall. I clearly heard one of the men said; “We are soldiers, why must we brace the wall?”

One of the officer dressed in plain clothes said; “I don’t care brace the wall”.

The soldiers then took out their identification cards to prove they were soldiers, but a constable in uniform shouted ;”we don’t give a F**k, brace the f**king wall.” Then one of the soldier whom I later found out is a major said; “You cannot be talking to me like that.” Then one of the plain clothes ranks said; “I’m ASP Grant and we can do whatever we want.”

This was discomforting to the soldiers and there was a confrontation.

At this time the police officers seemed ready to beat or shoot the soldiers that identified themselves.

Another plain clothes rank could have been heard saying; “Burst them head man, we don’t care”. The major tried to calm things down by pleading with the plain clothes officer who said he is ASP Grant, without showing an ID card as the soldiers did. At this time, a

large crowd gathered. People were stunned by the way the soldiers were being treated and they started using terrible remarks at the police because of the way they were behaving.

The soldiers allowed themselves to be searched, which to me and many others of the public was embarrassing.

A Major and two (2) sergeants being treated like that by an ASP and constables which to my knowledge the military men out ranked.

It makes me wonder why the soldiers have to assist the police in the maintenance of law and order, when they are being treated like that by the very people they are assisting. Also the police are not friendly to society because of those hostile approaches.

I wish H.E Mr. David A Granger President of this beautiful country, the Minister of Public Security, the Chief of Staff and the Commissioner of Police address this matter, because it will be “chaos” in the future if the soldiers who are well trained and disciplined, continue to be treated like this.

It was very embarrassing for the soldiers and my mind and the minds of many other civilians were left confused.

Concerned citizen

ENTITIES LIKE AFC AND WPA WILL HANG ON TO LARGER PARTIES DEAR EDITOR; A reply to my letter in SN 18th April 2016, “Burnham’s Revolutionary Ideas had the Country Buzzing;” has generated its own buzzing of a sort.

According to one writer the (intellectual Black people, my words) in the WPA who were fighting Mr Burnham down, were only trying to point him in the direction of great Caribbean thinkers like Franz Fanon, and C L R James. For good measure I would throw in another name of that era John Paul Sartre, to make a good trifecta.

Now based upon what the writer wrote, one would assume and correctly

so, that the brilliant minds in the WPA were au-fait with all the knowledge of the aforementioned great Caribbean thinkers. Hence the reason why they thought it imperative to introduce Mr Burnham to them or them to Mr Burnham. But what we must not forget is that none of these great Caribbean thinkers ever ran a country.

Now, just a question, what did these brilliant black thinkers do after the death of their champion? Seeing that they were all indoctrinated by the classic writings of these Caribbean thinkers, what did they do? Surely their leader would have involved his lieutenants in

the type of government he envisaged w h e n h e t o o k o v e r, a n d t h e methodology of doing same. The liberator he was surely would have done that. So what happened? Did they forget the script? The intellectuals had seven years to show the people of this country why they were attacking Burnham, who at that time was trying to mold a country under enormous constraints both internal and external.

Seven years the intellectuals had to build a case against Hoyte’s laissez-fair.

Back to colonial era government, (which they obviously liked) and the (Continued on page 23)

THE ENTITLEMENTS AWAITING WOMEN TRADE UNIONISTS

DEAR EDITOR; The role of women and empowering women within the Guyana labour force has been a matter of controversy for over decades.

The GPSU has a vibrant Women’s Committee, and has been on the front burner of advocating for women and their empowerment not just to fulfill the goal of gender equality. They have also done so to promote leadership amongst women within the working class.

Due to my perseverance and enthusiasm as a public service employee and a young woman, I was given the opportunity to represent Guyana and the Caribbean at official meetings and conferences both at regional and international levels.

These platforms have afforded me the opportunities of speaking out and making significant contributions, while achieving the pertinent personal and

professional advancements.

It should be noted that women has been and continues to be empowered as their civic, economic, social and political participations at decisionmaking levels continue to expand within the work force. For women in today’s society their role can be termed threefold, in that we are capable of managing our jobs, homes and childcare relatively. Thus, striving to create a family-oriented work environment, and realizing that empowering women has a “domino effect”, in that it could eventually lead to improved living conditions and childcare investments.

With much valued representation by the GPSU, women’s status has moved from discrimination (right to vote denied) to legislation (gender equality policies) to capacity building. As we reflect on the challenges and progress made thus far, in my opinion, greater

attention should be placed on doing our part as women by claiming such rights instead of awaiting a platter.

The fact remains that women are currently serving, and have in the past served at varying decision-making and executive levels within the union, as many can attest to such awareness.

The Guyana Public Service Union is indeed devoted to making substantial contributions towards the empowerment of women and women’s issues. On this note, I urge other organizations that have not yet included women’s role as a pertinent aspect to review their approach, since it is one of the seventeen sustainable developmental goals that our Government would have signed onto in seeking to realize the human rights of all and to achieve gender equality and the empowerment of all women.

Ronda Floris

Thursday May 12, 2016

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Kaieteur News

Police misbehavior at His Holiness, Swami Shivashankaranandaji Sisters Village in Berbice DEAR EDITOR; The Guyana Sevashram Sangha – Cove and John East Coast Demerara celebrates its 60th anniversary by honoring over 60 mothers for mother’s day activities.

His Holiness Swami Shivashankaranandaji the administrator along with its trustee and dormitory boys of the Guyana branch perform the celebration with a pooja followed by placing the mothers to sit in front of the alter.

Their feet were washed, aartie and teeka was placed on their foreheads. Mala (Garlands) was put around their necks and fed with boojan (food) prepared by the ashram.

Gifts were distributed to them to take home.

The Ashram wishes all mothers a blessed mother’s day and expressed the importance of a mother in a home. A home without a mother is like a ship without a sail. The mothers were honored today because of their contribution to society and home in general.

His holiness Swami Shivashankaranandaji, in his speech quoted from the Ramayan of mother Seeta when she was kidnapped by Ravan, that despite all temptation (wealth and power), by the demon king she did not lose hope that her husband

Lord Rama will rescue her. Swamiji said that woman needed to be respected more, especially by their husband and closed relatives.

Mothers are the most powerful source of life in today’s world and society and we tends to sometime forget the basic principle of life.

That God exist in our home and we keep looking elsewhere for him/her.

Mothers on the other hand need to understand their role in a home and society said one of the trustees of the Ashram Mr. Deonarine Ricky Ramsaroop.

He further explained that the recent rise in suicide is because there is a breakdown of communication between parents and children.

Parents supposed to be the closest friend to any child.

The Ashram would like to invite all Guyanese to attend its Sunday satsang (programme) starting from 7am to 10 am to listen to religious teaching from scarce scripture. There will also be a number of activities planned by the ashram for the remaining of the year. These will be published publicly for all to attend.

Deonarine Ricky Ramsaroop Trustee, Guyana Sevashram Sangha )

The lovely days in these villages are gone DEAR EDITOR; Pleased offer me space in your letter column to offer advice to the crafters of our youth policy. I grew up in the village of Bachelors Adventure on the East Coast of Demerara a village that felt the brunt of the attack on the enslaved Africans who were agitating for their freedom from slavery on the plantations in Demerara on the 20th of August 1823.

On this day over 200 Africans were slaughtered by colonial solders which was ordered by the then Governor of Demerara. Today this event is remembered as the Demerara revolt of 1823.

This village has not totally recovered from that brutal act, and it is because of this that His Excellency, the President Brigadier David Arthur Granger was instrumental in erecting a monument on the lawns of the Paradise /Bachelors Adventure/Melanie Community Center situated at Public Road, Bachelors Adventure over five years ago with the cooperation and support of families of those

martyrs. With the emancipation of slavery in 1834 (apprenticeship lasted 18341838) the freed Africans bought villages, built mainly churches and schools.

It was common to use the schools for community meetings, weddings, indoor games , gym, etc. Youths in and out of school who are members of the community would also use the building for evening group study, and as such the security of the buildings was ensured. We all benefitted immensely. Our young men and women excelled during the reign of the PNC. Government implemented free education from nursery to University. Crime was at an all time low through an amnesty granted after the riots of 1964 guns were taken off the street. However, when the PPP came to power in 1992,

the guns were back, the school buildings which our forefathers built were declared off limits to the young people of these villages.

Guards were employed to enforce this act. The education standard plummeted.

Youth groups which once used those schools at weekends are now prohibited since many of these villages do not have community centres, and where they may have a center as in the case of the Paradise, Bachelors Adventure ,Melanie Community Center, there are a few who proclaim ownership of this building using political influence.

These school buildings should be used for training young people who no longer attend school but who are keen to acquire skills that will render them employable.

Aaron Blackman.

DEAR EDITOR; Permit me space to express my disgust and dissatisfaction with the way police officers at the Sisters Police Station perform their duties to law abiding citizens in this community. Recently, there was a break and enter at the Brothers Masjid where an amplifier was stolen.

The matter was reported at the Sisters Police Station.

Based on information, police held one suspect. He was later released. Another individual returned the stolen article to the President of that Masjid.

Police at Sisters Police Station summoned and informed him that he will be charged and placed before the court for “obstructing police work”.

This happened two weeks after the matter was reported.

The police were given accurate information as to where the stolen article was yet they failed to uplift it and lay charges against the perpetrators. The very morning before the buyer of the stolen article returned it to the President of the mosque, the President went to the Sisters Police station to inform them where the article was. Unfortunately, not one police officer was there.

The police failed miserably in dealing with this matter. They knew who stole the article and who purchased it yet no charges were laid against these people. This would cause one to become suspicious.

What is happening at the Sisters Police Station? Then there is another matter that was reported, whereby, it is alleged that an individual used threatening language to another.

The police said that he has to charge both parties and placed them before the court. The individual who was threatened has three witnesses who did not hear him saying anything to the ac-

cused yet he insisted in charging the man who was threatened.

One of the witnesses even gave an officer a statement to that effect. I really can’t begin to comprehend the way in which these officers at Sisters Police Station would carry out their duties. Aren’t police supposed to be peace officers? In this case one cannot go and report to the police that bandits came into his house and cart of any item because they will charge him for not securing his place and the bandits walk free.

I have lost faith in the police in Guyana. This entire force needs revamping. Is this is how police do it in Guyana?

Should someone threaten you or steal from you, you shouldn’t go to the police because you will be charged and placed before the court.

I honestly believe that these officers at the Sisters Police Station do not carry out any investigation at all and sometimes very poor investi-

gation.

Many innocent people are placed before the courts because the police do not carry out any investigation. Why is this so? Is this how they “serve and protect”? At present, illegal gambling is prevalent in Sisters Village East Bank Berbice.

I wrote two letters in Kaieteur News on January 13, 2014 and May 22, 2015 calling on the police to look into this because our children are now seen doing same at various locations in this community.

What are the police being paid for? It is over two years now since this illegal practice began yet nothing was done.

If this continues, would our youths be the future of tomorrow? I doubt it. I wish that the Commander in charge of Berbice look into these issues and have his officers at Sisters Police Station to serve and protect the people in that community the way they ought to.

Concerned Resident (named supplied)

Confusion over toilet facilities DEAR EDITOR; Never in my wildest dream or imagination have I ever – not even remotely entertain the thought of a public convenience – a toilet facility to be precise could have become a cause of so much contention in Linden Town. With so many other issues that abound and crying out for real attention, it is laughable that the Linden Town Council can expend time and energy to create so much hullaballoo over a timely and long overdue much needed public facility nearing completion at the Mackenzie Market/Car park where there was once that unsightly and unhealthy

garbage dump. Had it been something out of the ordinary-some grave violation or health hazard as was the dump site that would have been understood but its nothing of the sort.

Question: could this new Mayor and his recently installed councillors really be serious, tell us just what is/ was the reason, the justification for wanting to revoke the permission given by the former administration and the dismantling of this structure?

No one seems to know the basis for wanting to do so, except that “we don’t want it”.

It’s hard to figure out, one is (Continued on page 23)

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Thursday May 12, 2016

Kaieteur News

Rice farmers planting thousands of acres less in new crop - RPA - GRDB says too early to pronounce on decrease While there has been a slight increase in rice prices, farmers have adopted a wait and see attitude, with options to expand their crops limited.

In fact, they have planted thousands of acres less than the 2016 first crop.

This is according to the General Secretary of the Guyana Rice Producers’ Association (GRPA), Dharamkumar Seeraj.

According to Seeraj, the decrease in planting was evident in Region Two and elsewhere.

“This season, in terms of payment and price for rice, is better than last season, but not that much better. Of course, nowhere near that $3000 per bag which farmers

are accustomed to.”

He pointed out that in Region Two, farmers had planted approximately half less than what they would normally plant in the region.

Seeraj stated that when one compiles the reduced acreages across the country it comes up to 57,000 acres, which he described as a significant amount.

“But a number of farmers I spoke with basically have a wait and see attitude. They are not expanding and they cannot expand because the prices are not good. And some of the incentives that would lessen the burden of a sector that is coming under price pressure have been removed.”

Giving some examples, he referenced the Value Added Tax (VAT) exemption on capital equipment and accessories like tractors, plows, milling equipment. He stated that whatever are the costs of those items now, the farmers have deal with the 16 percent VAT. In addition, he added that milling fees have gone up.

“So that really has become burdensome and you find that people are not recapitalizing,” Seeraj related.

“A few days ago I had a conversation with major suppliers of farm equipment to the sector, both rice and sugar. And he said that if not for gold he would have been out of business. So there is

First year in office - Minister Gaskin gives coalition Govt. good rating Business Minister Dominic Gaskin has described the first year for the APNU+AFC coalition Government as a good one.

He said that investors are regaining confidence in Guyana.

Minister Gaskin said that it has been a good year, but added that the work has just begun. “We are a government that has been elected for a five-year term, and it will indeed take us five years to significantly improve what we have inherited.”

It is against this background that the Ministry of Business has set out its commitment towards improving the “ease of doing

business” in Guyana and is currently in the final stages of developing the Ministry’s five - year strategic plan.

“We have been placing a lot of emphasis on improving the ease of doing business in Guyana. As most people, especially business people will know, we have not done very well on the Global ease of doing business index over the years,” Gaskin said.

The Minister pointed out that the Ministry recently received aid from a World Bank team in identifying multisectoral issues that affect Guyana’s ranking on the “Ease of doing Business” index.

In addition to this, the

Ministry has received Cabinet’s approval for the implementation of a single windows automated processing system (SWAPS).

This is a trade facilitation programme where companies can transact business with Government agencies through a single electronic window. It allows a submission to be automatically processed by a number of different agencies.

Minister Gaskin noted that all of the sub- agencies and boards under the Ministry of Business have benefited from improved leadership and changes, and there is improved performance from these agencies.

this additional burden on them.”

UNFAIR According to the General Manager of the Guyana Rice Development Board (GRDB), Nizam Hassan, statements to the effect that farmers are planting significantly less than the previous crop would be unfair and premature, as harvesting is still ongoing in some areas.

Acknowledging that sowing has restarted at a small level, He made it clear that in some cases farmers planted late and are now harvesting, after which they would replant. Hassan emphasized that it was thus too early to pronounce definitively on a reduction in replanting for the current crop.

He estimated that 27 percent more of the first crop remained to be harvested.

However, Hassan pointed out that 84 percent of the targeted

GRDB General Secretary, Nizam Hassan

GRPA General Secretary, Dharamkumar Seeraj

crop, 90,000 hectacres, was sown. He explained that this amounted to approximately 77,000 hectacres.

Back in February, Hassan had reported that just about 84 percent of the spring crop that was targeted had been sown and that this

demonstrated the resilience of the farmers and all other support services He had stated that according to the data provided, Regions Three and Five were the most affected by the dry weather conditions known as El Nino.

Assuria Insurance gives support to GTU

GTU President Mr. Mark Lyte (left) helps to display the donated computer systems.

Some teachers have little access to computers. It is for this reason that moves are apace to set up a computer department at the Woolford Avenue, Georgetown Headquarters of the Guyana Teachers Union (GTU).

The initiative was fast tracked yesterday when Surinamese Insurance Company, Assuria, handed over three computer systems to GTU. GTU President Mr. Mark Lyte, in expressing gratitude to the company said that GTU already has identified an area to be transformed into the computer department.

He anticipates that some 30 computers will eventually be available to teachers.

He is hopeful that other entities and individuals will emulate the move by Assuria.

“With the computer department in place, we expect that teachers will be able to come in here and access computers.

“We have many teachers attending classes and some may not have their own computers to do their assignments so we are hoping that we can facilitate them coming in here to do that.

We hope to allow them to access the internet too, and in some cases even help them with printing,” said Lyte.

Assuria is considered a partner of the GTU. Currently 306 public school teachers are enrolled in the company’s health and life insurance plan, according to a representative.

A number of teachers have also taken out fire and motor insurance with the

company. Among those who have secured motor insurances are Lyte and GTU General Secretary, Ms. Coretta McDonald.

The unique feature of the Assuria insurance company, it was disclosed, is that once persons are insured to drive here, they essentially have coverage to drive in Suriname as well. Suriname is Guyana’s neighbour to the east.

For teachers who are planning to buy vehicles or are already in possession of vehicles they too can take advantage of the insurance service, a representative said.

Assuria Insurance headquarters is located at Lot 78 Church Street, Georgetown with branches at Vreed-enHoop, Berbice and Giftland Mall.

Thursday May 12, 2016

Kaieteur News

Islamic State bombs kill 80 in deadliest Baghdad attacks this year

People gather at the scene of a car bomb attack in Baghdad’s mainly Shi’ite district of Sadr City, Iraq, yesterday (Reuters/Wissm Al-Okili) (Reuters) - Three suicide bombings claimed by Islamic State across Baghdad killed at least 80 people yesterday, Iraqi police and hospital sources said, in the deadliest attacks in the Iraqi capital this year.

Security has gradually improved in Baghdad, which was the target of daily bombings a decade ago, but violence against security forces and Shi’ite Muslim civilians is still frequent. Large blasts sometimes set off reprisal attacks against the minority Sunni community.

The fight against Islamic State, which seized about a third of Iraq’s territory in 2014, has exacerbated a long-running sectarian conflict in Iraq mostly between Sunnis and the Shi’ite majority that came to power after the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.

Such violence threatens to undermine U.S.-backed efforts to defeat the militant group.

Wednesday’s bombings could also intensify pressure on Prime Minister Haider alAbadi to resolve a political crisis that has crippled the government for more than a month.

The first attack, a suicide car bomb at a bustling market in the Shi’ite Muslim area of Sadr City, killed 55 people during morning rush hour and wounded 68.

Two more blasts struck at the end of the working day. A suicide bomber stormed a security checkpoint leading into Kadhimiya, a northwestern area housing one of the holiest sites in Shi’ite Islam, killing 17 and wounding more than 30.

Another bomb went off at a checkpoint on a commercial thoroughfare in a predominantly Sunni district of western Baghdad, killing eight and wounding 20.

BRIDES AND GROOMS A pickup truck packed with explosives in Sadr City went off near a beauty salon in a bustling market. Many of the victims were women including several brides who appeared to be getting ready for their weddings, the sources said.

The bodies of two men said to be grooms were found in an adjacent barber shop.

Wigs, shoes and children’s toys were scattered on the ground outside. At least two cars were destroyed in the explosion, their parts scattered far from the blast site.

Rescue workers stepped through puddles of blood to put out fires and remove victims. Smoke was still rising from several shops hours after the explosion as a bulldozer cleared the burnt-out

chassis of the vehicle used in the blast.

Islamic State said in statements circulated online by supporters that a car bomb had aimed at Shi’ite militia fighters gathered in the area and two fighters wearing explosive vests targeted security forces in the later attacks.

Since 2014, Iraqi forces backed by U.S.-led air strikes have driven the group back in the western province of Anbar and are preparing for an offensive to retake the northern city of Mosul. A spokesman said on Wednesday Islamic State had lost two-thirds of the territory seized by the militants in 2014.

Yet the militants are still able to strike outside territory they control. The ultrahardline Sunni jihadist group, which considers Shi’ites apostates, has claimed recent attacks across the country as well as a twin suicide bombing in Sadr City in February that killed 70 people.

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Thursday May 12, 2016

Kaieteur News

Guyana moves to recover lucrative - overseas missions told Venezuelan rice market to sell more rice, rum Guyana’s missions abroad have been given the express mandate to push the country’s local products aggressively.

According to President David Granger yesterday, there is a renewed focus on penetrating new markets.

Among some of the more well-known products will be the country’s rice and rum products.

Granger was fielding questions yesterday from reporters during his weekly televised programme, ‘The Public Interest’, at the Ministry of the Presidency.

Since taking office last

year, the new coalition had shaken up the Foreign Service with several ambassadors and High Commissioners replaced, including for key postings like the US, Canada, China and the United Kingdom.

Questioned yesterday, the President admitted that new diplomats have all been given tough assignments of finding new markets.

While several persons have been announced for postings, the accreditation process that would have allowed them to start their jobs, has not gone smoothly.

For example, former

Wa s h i n g t o n - b a s e d Ambassador, Bayney Karran, who has been assigned to China, is still to start his duties. So too is former Parliamentarian and Attorney-at-Law Clarissa Riehl who has been named High Commissioner to Canada.

It was only last week that Guyana’s new Ambassador to Venezuela, Cheryl Miles, was able to meet with that country’s leader, Nicolas Maduro to formalize her posting there.

According to Granger, a new direction for the diplomatic missions is

important as Guyana continue to remain reliant on the traditional exports of sugar, rice, gold, timber and fish. The Foreign Service is expected to sell more of Guyana, he said.

Last year, Guyana lost its rice market in Venezuela after that country, amidst icy relations with this country, refused to renew a five-yearold agreement.

It had rocked the local rice market with Government scrambled to find new markets in Latin America.

The new Ambassador to Venezuela along with Minister of Finance, Winston

Jordan, and Foreign Minister, Carl Greenidge, has been asked to look into recovering the Venezuela rice market, President Granger disclosed yesterday.

However, the official was quick to point out that it would be up to Venezuela to renew the agreement in which that country exchanged oil for rice and paddy shipments.

Rice has been a major earner for the country but farmers have been taking a beating with prices and markets. With regard to tougher mandates for Ambassadors and High Commissioners, the President

made it clear that he expects that their jobs to be more than just processing passport and birth certificate applications.

Granger also batted for the new appointed diplomats, noting that many of them have tremendous experience and expertise.

“And they will be able to do much more than the consular work that has bogged down previous Ambassadors,” he said.

“So it may not look like a new foreign service but I think the motivation of our new representatives to open the markets will be greater than in the past.”

Professor Eon Nigel Harris shortly after receiving the mace

meetings with President David Granger about transforming the university.

“Although I know he (President Granger) has written extensively about UG, based on an association with the institution of more than four decades, I was impressed by his considerable grasp of the major issues facing the university and his suggestions for addressing them.

“He actually handed me a one-page document in which he captured the five major challenges facing the University. These coincided with those identified by the Task Force, namely governance, financing, quality assurance, the student experience, enhancement of UG’s research and community engagement and problems with infrastructure and maintenance. In addition, President Granger made some bold suggestions for change, which I believe can create the environment for some of the sweeping efforts needed.” The Professor stated. As a result of the (Continued on page 25)

Ninth UG Chancellor installed

Guyanese, Professor Eon Nigel Harris, former ViceChancellor of the University of the West Indies, was yesterday installed as the ninth Chancellor of the University of Guyana, Turkeyen Campus.

Though he has already begun carrying out his duties as Chancellor since August 26, 2015, he was officially installed last evening in the presence of President David Granger, Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, and other members of Parliament, Student-body organisations, Heads of several Caribbean Universities, University of Guyana Staffers and students.

Prime Minster, Nagamootoo welcomed the professor whom he referred to as “a son of the soil”. He stated that his government commends the University for its choice in naming Professor Harris as the new Chancellor of Guyana’s premiere Tertiary Institution.

“His selection has fulfilled great hopes of higher learning since he brings to our national university impeccable

credentials as a prominent and preeminent scholar and outstanding academic leader” Nagamootoo said that he was reiterating that the government is committed to making the University a worldclass institution of higher

learning and with a leader like Professor Harris; he said that the government looks forward to the University’s rapid transformation.

Professor Harris has held many leadership positions, including his most recent

post as Vice-Chancellor of the University of West Indies (October 1, 2004 to April 30, 2015); President of the Association of Caribbean Universities and Research Institutes (UNICA)from 2012 to 2015, and Chairman of the Associa-

tion of Commonwealth Universities for a two-year term (2011-2013). He is internationally known for his work as a Rheumatologist.

The Professor stated that during the last few days, he had separate one-on-one

IMF praises Guyana for maintaining growth path From page 3 the revenue base and strengthen tax administration were encouraged.

The IMF Executives welcomed the efforts to reform public enterprises, notably the sugar and electricity companies, in order to improve efficiency and reduce reliance on government support.

In their review, they encouraged the government to move toward greater economic diversification by advancing reforms to promote competition and improve the business climate. The Directors said, “Given that the high costs of electricity, transportation and telecommunications have been longstanding impediments to growth, they supported well targeted public investment and liberalizing reforms to lower

costs and raise productivity.”

The IMF Members added that the largely concessional nature of debt contributes to resilience and should be preserved. They commended the authorities for taking a cautious approach in factoring in possible future oil income in their medium term fiscal plans.

The Directors also concurred that the monetary policy stance should remain accommodative, as lower prices for imported goods, including fuel, continue to ease inflationary pressures.

While noting that the banking sector appears well capitalized, the Directors recommended heightened vigilance given the rise in nonperforming loans, as well as tightening of provisioning require-

ments and close monitoring of related party lending. They looked forward to a more granular analysis of financial sector challenges by the upcoming FSAP mission.

The IMF Team also emphasized the importance of strengthening the anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism framework. They noted that remaining deficiencies amplify the vulnerability to de risking, which will require greater international effort to address. They urged the prompt implementation of the action plan agreed with the Financial Action Task Force.

As for the macroeconomic outlook, the officials said that this is generally positive for Guyana this year. They said that growth is projected at four percent in 2016, sup-

ported by public investment and two new large gold mines.

It said that twelve-month inflation is expected to remain low, around 2.1 percent by year-end. The IMF team said, “Lower oil prices improve the outlook for the current account deficit, which is projected to remain at about four and half percent of GDP in 2016, financed by investment inflows and donor-supported investment. Reserve cover is projected to increase to 3.8 months of imports at end-2016.”

It added, “Real economic activity expanded by three percent in 2015. Lower export commodity prices and budget delays weighted down on activity, while the opening of two new large gold mines helped support growth. Consumer prices contracted

by 1.8 percent in the 12 months ending in December 2015, reflecting lower import prices and a one-off increase in VAT exemptions.”

The team noted that the overall non-financial public sector deficit narrowed to 0.2 percent of GDP in 2015 from 5.7 percent in 2014. It said that despite the slowdown, revenues as a share of GDP increased by 4.2 percentage points, buoyed by fuel excises (which were raised as the international oil price declined), and one-off increases in non-tax revenues.

The IMF Executives articulated as well that expenditures as a share of GDP declined by one percentage point, driven by a 30 percent decline in capital expenditures due to election-related budget delays.

Thursday May 12, 2016

AG hands over Rodney COI report to House Speaker

Minister of Legal Affairs Basil Williams presents a copy of the report to Speaker of the National Assembly, Dr. Barton Scotland Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Basil Williams, yesterday, handed over a copy of the Commission of Inquiry Report into the death of Dr. Walter Rodney to Speaker of the National Assembly, Dr. Barton Scotland.

The handing over ceremony was held in the Chambers of the National Assembly in the presence of Minister of Public Security, Khemraj

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Kaieteur News

Ramjattan and Clerk of the National Assembly, Sherlock Isaacs.

The AG said, “Upon receiving the report from the Commissioners, the President set in train a process which was more or less a road map which would have eventuated with the report being laid in the Parliament.

“That process involved disseminating copies of the report to Mrs. Rodney, the

Dem boys seh ...

Soulja Bai come, flooding done Rain fall bucket a drop Tuesday night. When Wednesday morning come de rain still falling. Dem boys couldn’t understand how de rain refuse to stop and that was when a man decide to light he sister house afire.

And fuh all de rain de house still bun down but that wasn’t nutten. Dem boys seh that it look like if de water affect Jagdeo because he had to go out and eat. He couldn’t eat home. One man suggest that he cooking gas run out. Anyhow he didn’t cook in he house.

But even before that Soulja Bai organize a prayer session.

He seh that rain chase in State House and rain gun keep he government alive.

And was true. Last year this time after he win de elections de Creatah send down showers to wash away all de evil that Jagdeo and Donald lef behind.

It rain so much that water nearly carry away Soulja Bai. That morning he roll off he bed. De security hear he holler and then he choke. That was when he drink some flood water.

Yesterday morning he tek de rain because he seh it was blessing. People join him and by de time de session done people realize that something good happen. Nowhere ain’t flood.

That is another thing that had Jagdeo pun de road. He drive all round Georgetown looking fuh see wheh flood and he cuss.

He go into Oasis Café and he complain how when he was president rain use to flood de city. He seh that he spend $1 billion fuh clean up de city and stop flooding and flooding didn’t end. Now that he out de place rain falling more hard and nowhere ain’t even holding water.

He people had to be thiefing de money, like if he didn’t know.

Talk half and watch how times really change

Leader of the Opposition, members of the Coalition and other interested parties…Therefore we have no difficulty in laying over this report at this point.”

Speaker of the National Assembly, Dr. Barton Scotland, who accepted the report, stated that it will be laid in Parliament through the normal course of the proceedings in the House.

The report which was first presented to the APNU/AFC Government in February 2016 is a compilation of the findings of a Commission of Inquiry (COI) that was established by former President Donald Ramotar to probe the circumstances surrounding the death of historian, Dr. Walter Rodney.

The report was completed following close to two years of public hearings, and additional extensions were granted

by President David Granger.

Jagdeo owns the PPP There is no power struggle within the People’s Progressive Party. That party has one leader and one owner; both are one and the same person. The PPP is led by and owned by Bharrat Jagdeo. He is in full command of the PPP. He has been in command for many years now.

Stabroek News is imagining conspiracies where none exist. It is reporting on a power struggle within the PPP. That is a figment of someone’s imagination.

There is no threat to Jagdeo’s powerbase.

He is the supreme leader of the PPP. He is so powerful that at one stage he could have afforded the luxury of describing the matriarch of the PPP and one of its founder leaders, Mrs. Janet Jagan, as a private citizen.

Many before him had, to their detriment, been sent into political exile for lesser indiscretions towards Mrs. Jagan.

He said it because he knew that there was nothing standing in his way within the PPP and within the PPPC government at the time.

Jagdeo owns the PPP. He is the throne and the only power behind the throne.

Things in the other political camps are different.

Over at Congress Place there is an elected leader who is now President of Guyana.

But everyone knows that if Uncle Joe decides to challenge for leadership he will win it easily. Uncle Joe has the support to win the leadership of the PNCR whenever and if ever he pleases.

I will tell you another secret. If Uncle Robert decides to return, there is nothing standing in the way

of him retaking the leadership of the party.

The PNC and the PPP are two sides of the same pod.

Do not worry about party democracy.

That is for the American and British political systems.

In Guyana, leaders are like matriarchs and patriarchs.

They dominate their political parties for a very long time.

The General Secretary of the PPP has long been considered its de facto leader.

That was, of course, before Jagdeo took control of the party.

Congress will have no effect on the changes in the leadership of the party. There will be no challenge to Jagdeo’s leadership. He is too powerful a leader. He is secure in the knowledge that there are not many persons willing to challenge him.

The AFC is in a mess. This is where the major squabble is. The party has a leader but is being challenged all around. There are others waiting in the wing to take over.

They are rebelling against the party and its leader. They are challenging positions that the leaders has taken within the government and this is embarrassing and catching the leadership off guard.

There are political daggers being pulled within the AFC. There are ambitious people within the AFC some of whom may have already crossed over to APNU. There is an expectation that come the next election, the AFC is likely to go with a different leader into the coalition government.

There are persons lining up for that position. There are also persons within the AFC who are interested in becoming the next Prime

Minister.

They might all be surprised. Burnham dumped his coalition partner in the run-up to the 1968 elections.

The present government is one year in office.

Everything that it has done, including the unnecessary fight with Venezuela, is a rerun of Burnham’s early years.

Burnhamites are all over the government these days and Burnham’s policies are being revised and repackaged.

Things are being renamed after insignificant ministers in the Burnham cabinet. The Ogle Airport was renamed after a man who has nothing to show for his times in government.

What did he ever do as a Minister to warrant an airport being named after him? Did he build any airport or buy any plane?

He was not even good enough to be retained after 1968 when Burnham rigged his way to power. Yet, an airport is named after him.

The coalition will hold for as long as it takes to ensure that the PNCR holds power.

Once the PNC is convinced that it no longer needs the AFC, it will dump that party faster than it dumped the Venezuelan rice market.

The real power struggle is taking place within the AFC is response to jockeying for positions to see who should be the one to dissolve the AFC into the PNCR. And guess what? The WPA is seeing opportunities for itself and is attempting to exploit the disunity within the AFC camp. Talk about political opportunism!

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Thursday May 12, 2016

Kaieteur News

=== The Freddie Kissoon column ===

From 93 to zero; 57 to 8; 6 to 1 There is a famous saying about coalition politics and it comes from one of the 20th Century’s most successful woman leaders.

Not Indira Gandhi from India; not Golda Meir from Israel; not German Chancellor Angela Merkel, once said that in an election after a coalition government, it is the small party that always gets smashed.

Merkel’s coalition partner, the Free Democrats lost all of its 93 seats in the 2013 federal election. Over in the UK, the

Liberal-Democrats (the equivalent to the Free Democrats) got a taste of power they didn’t have since 1945. In the 2010 election, they teamed up with the Conservative Party in a joint government.

In 2015, the Lib-Dems went from 57 seats to a mere eight. In Trinidad, Congress of the People (COP) joined up with one of the two big giants, United Nation Congress (UNC) in government in 2010.

In 2015, it went from six seats to one. Why do the smaller

parties get “smashed,” (Merkel’s word)? There are basically two explanations.

First, if the smaller party is of the same ideological orientation, then voters see it as an appendage. Voters figure it is best to do away with it and give the larger partner a handsome mandate.

That is quite logical. Why would citizens want to give the junior guy a free ride when he/she is a replica of the bigger brother? The second explanation has absolutely nothing in common with the first factor.

When a coalition in government takes place between two parties that have different ideological complexions and philosophical orientations then the partnership is not going to a blissful wedding.

It cannot be – core values are at the heart of an organization.

Core values are its raison d’etre.

The PNC-UF Coalition in 1964 could not have been serene and happy-going. The UF was a dogmatic, doctrinaire right-wing party that catered for bourgeois European and Portuguese interests.

The PNC on the other hand was essentially a people’s party with extensive interests in working class economics. Uneasiness had to characterize such a covenant.

From 1968 the PNC ruled Guyana until 1992. From that year up to May 2015, the PPP ruled despite masquerading as a unity regime with an invisible organism named “The Civics.”

Not since 1964 have we had a coalition administration. The situation since 2015 is a sensitive one particularly with the WPA having Cabinet inclusion.

Although the WPA has one Minister (Rupert Roopnaraine), many of its leaders hold important state positions – Clive Thomas is in charge of the assets recovery programme; Maurice Odle is the chairman of NICIL. The WPA has never exercised state power since its formation in 1979 as a political party. Based on an ideology called Rodneyism taken from the soulful politics of Walter Rodney, the WPA is living in uncertain times. It can hardy be said that it

replicates the ideology and philosophy of its huge partner, the PNC. The praxis of the WPA differs significantly from the PNC. One does not have to read the mountains of adumbrations of Walter Rodney to know that the WPA would change the marijuana laws tomorrow if it was the largest decimal in the coalition.

It would certainly not approach the Stabroek Market vendors the way the APNU-AFC regime did. It would not have tolerated the Rusal trade union horror show if it was the major partner in government.

Sadly, we are witnessing the demise of the WPA. As Merkel said, the small party gets smashed.

If the WPA continues to obfuscate its core values as the Coalition continues in office, by 2020, no one will want to hear from it. It will be so invisible and moribund that it will not bring anything to the 2020 election table. The WPA prides itself on its historical symbolism.

But the longer it stays in government and is overshadowed the way the Lib-Dems, Free Democrats

Frederick Kissoon and COP have been, then death awaits it. I think this country is seeing the final moments of the WPA despite the gargantuan bravery of its iconic leader, Dr. David Hinds.

This is one David that will get a bad beating from Goliath.

I am not too sure the AFC will be strong enough in 2020 to recapture its performance in the 2006 and 2011 general elections. But unlike the WPA, the AFC is not philosophically different from the PNC. Both have middle class leadership that embraces neo-liberal economics.

But not surprisingly, the PNC is more rooted in working class politics.

The longer the AFC stays in government and appears to be dominated by its larger partner, the quicker it will lose its symbolism as the democratic third way.

Thursday May 12, 2016

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Kaieteur News

New leads in GEA’s employee 3-year Cops misplace Babita Sarjou’s file - mother disappearance - Crime Chief - Fresh statements taken as investigation re-opened

- Suspect questioned, placed on bail as investigation continues The family of 25-year-old Guyana Energy Agency (GEA) employee, LeVoy Taljit, may finally get to go to bed at nights, knowing what really happened to their loved one almost four years ago.

Taljit, of Anira Street, Queenstown, was last seen on December 23, 2012 leaving his home in his Toyota Raum, PNN 8315. He was wearing a burgundy tee-shirt and faded blue jeans. He has not been seen or heard from since that day.

Yesterday, Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum confirmed that detectives are working on some new leads into the disappearance of the GEA employee.

He explained that based on the new information police received, they have arrested a suspect—that individual was questioned and placed on bail as the investigations continue.

Kaieteur News was unable to confirm whether the suspect who was recently arrested is the same individual police had detained days after Taljit went missing.

Almost a week after the young man disappeared, his vehicle was found in a trail at Yarrowkabra, about a mile off the Soesdyke/Linden Highway.

Police had detained a 32year-old Soesdyke resident who reportedly confessed to stashing Taljit’s vehicle along the highway. The man, who was in possession of the missing man’s debit card also allegedly admitted to selling Taljit’s phone for $40,000.

With all this information at hand, police still released the man after 72 hours.

Basil Taljit, the missing man’s father, had accused the police of conducting a “sloppy” investigation into his son’s disappearance.

He is hoping that now, after almost four years, a thorough investigation can be done so that they can finally get some answers.

Recalling what happened the day his son disappeared, Basil Taljit said that his son was home all day, before leaving around 14:00hrs on December 23, 2012.

“He would normally leave

Missing: LeVoy Taljit home and come back, so we didn’t think anything. His mother called him later that day after he didn’t return… but no answer, so she kept calling him until the following day,” the missing man’s father recounted.

He said that after his son did not show up on the third day, he went to his workplace to enquire, and when he did not get any positive information, he made a missing person report.

After getting “no assistance” from the police, the senior Taljit said that (continued on page 23)

Just one day after police signalled their intentions of re-opening the investigation into Babita Sarjou’s disappearance six years ago, it has been revealed that the original file, with statements taken after the woman went missing in 2010, cannot be located.

As such, the woman’s mother, Champa Seonarine, and other relatives were forced to give new statements on Tuesday to the Guyana Police Force (GPF)’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) at Eve Leary.

Seonarine, in an interview yesterday, said that she was summoned to the police headquarters on Tuesday where she was informed by the Commissioner of Police, Seelall Persaud, and Crime Chief, Wendell Blanhum, that the original file could not be located.

The woman was also briefed of the police’s intentions of reopening the case into Sarjou’s disappearance.

“I had to give them statements and they took DNA samples,” the woman revealed.

She is now hoping to get some information which would

enable her to know what really happened to the woman almost six years ago.

Seonarine had previously accused the police of conducting a sloppy investigation into her daughter’s disappearance.

Now that the original file cannot be located, she is even more convinced that there was something “fishy” in her daughter’s case.

Sarjou, 28, disappeared on November 4, 2010 after telling her mother, that she would be meeting with her estranged husband and fouryear-old son at the Kitty Seawall to view the annual Diwali Motorcade.

Sarjou was expected back at her mother ’s Timehri residence around 21:00 hrs that night but never returned.

The Caribbean American Domestic Awareness Organization (CADVA), a Human Rights Organization, has been pressing the police to have the Sarjou case reopened.

During a recent press conference, Chief Operations Officer Dianne Madray

Missing: Babita Sarjou criticized the police for the investigation they had conducted into Sarjou’s fate.

“Every little clue they get, the organization would forward the information to the police,” she said.

“When she disappeared, we gave her phone to the police, where she was threatened by her estranged husband. We showed them Facebook messages, but none of those things can be found now,” the woman said.

Kaieteur News was told that the police never attempted to obtain a printout of all the calls made to and from Sarjou’s phone.

Madray said that in 2012, CADVA had appealed to the Director for Public Prosecutions (DPP), ShalimarAli- Hack for (continued on page 15)

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Thursday May 12, 2016

Kaieteur News

Govt. considering log export restrictions Government is seriously considering the reduction or even elimination of log exports as part of the measures to help improve local processing.

Speaking on the weekly televised programme, ‘The Public Interest’, President David Granger yesterday argued that his administration has been pushing for more value-added processing.

The President was at the time responding to questions about the need for cheaper energy, a major complaint over years by manufacturers who said that it is too high.

Guyana depends heavily on imported oil for its energy needs but has rolled out a ‘green’ programme that will develop alternative energy sources including hydroelectric, wind, solar and even bio-mass.

Acknowledging that the

country would be stagnated with cheaper and dependable power, the Head of State pointed out that the country has the resources to become a regional power house.

There cannot be “competitive manufacturing” without cheap energy, he said.

Guyana has become too addicted to oil, he said, with too much dependence on gasoline and diesel.

Already, the administration is taking steps to convert the energy needs of the state-owned offices to go green, using alternative energy. This initiative is nothing new as it is happening throughout the Caribbean.

For the manufacturing sector, the use of alternative energy to allow more processing will be the way to go, President Granger said. It will allow for goods to be

produced cheaper and thus become more competitive.

Granger highlighted the gold sector, insisting that more jewelry needs to be produced.

He urged jewelers and other investors to seriously consider introducing a gold refinery. It will help the wholesale export of gold and cut down on smuggling.

With regard to the timber industry, the official said that there was a time when the country had lumber that was properly processed, allowing homes to last longer.

Today, there is a need to ensure proper processing that will not see poor quality lumber being sold, leaving homeowners and others with headaches. Over the years, the timber industry has been heavily reliant on exports of raw logs for profits with little attention to local processing.

The previous administration had been talking about more valueadded but save for a few sawmills, kiln ovens and a plywood manufacturing factory at Land of Canaan, East Bank Demerara, there has been little progress in this direction.

As a matter of fact, log exports have shown an increase in recent years, with the operations of a number of Asian companies, like BaiShanLin, which has exported thousands of containers, not helping much.

This was despite the previous government introducing a disincentive

Government is seriously considering more restrictions on log exports to help push more value-added. program that saw export taxes being increased annually.

Loggers have been resisting talks about a total ban.

According to President Granger, yesterday, he agrees with proposals for some levels of restrictions on log export. Some of the ideas being mulled even include a

total elimination of the exports of raw logs.

Of course, there should be more sawmills with encouragement for more university programmes that will see graduates focusing on forestry and value-added.

Guyana, he said, has the potential to become a furniture hub of the

Caribbean. But furniture making is the only thing.

Guyana has the possibilities of even using rice to make cereals and sugar for candies. Jewelry making also has potential, he said.

Manufacturing, he stressed, will be the way to go if Guyana is serious about economic prosperity.

Thursday May 12, 2016

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Kaieteur News

Lured, beaten and forced to have sex with foster parent …woman tells her story of abuse By: Jeanna Pearson A young woman was lured, beaten and forced to have sex with her former foster parent while his wife looked on. Someone allegedly videoed the entire episode of abuse.

This woman is ashamed to be photographed because, she says, she feels less of a person after the video of the act was posted on the internet.

“He called me and told me to come to the guest house.

When I reached there and opened the door him, his wife and another person was sitting on the bed waiting for me,” the 20-year-old said.

“Then his wife grab me and ripped my clothes and tell me that I wanted her husband so she will give me a licking.

Then she tell me to perform oral sex on him while they watch.”

The young woman, who was 19 years old at the time of the abuse, said she quickly obeyed because it was three of them against her and she was afraid that they would kill her.

She said that she went to live with the couple after her parents died and her family “split up” when she was 14 years old.

She would clean the house and complete her chores on time, she said. But afterward when she would retire to her room, she recalled, the man would come and try to touch her.

Complaining did her no justice, she stated, remembering that every time she told her foster mom, the woman would chide her for lying.

“She never believed me.

She believed everything he told her,” she said.

She said that right after the recent assault she called a friend and they went to the Brickdam Police Station, where a statement was taken and a medical certificate was provided. Yet, eight months later, the police have failed to bring her justice. She is continuously being harassed with death threats.

She said the police had informed her that the file would be taken to the Director of Public Prosecution for advice on the matter. She said that she was being bombarded by the couple that if she pushed the issue there will be fatal consequences.

She said that the police might not have done anything if the video was not uploaded on the internet. ‘A’ Divisional Commander, Assistant Commissioner Clifton Hicken, stated that the police were aware of the matter and are investigating.

However, now she is forced to not only battle the trauma of the assault but also that the video has gone viral.

She has been receiving counseling since the traumatic incident. She has contemplated suicide and she had suffered bouts of depression after the video went viral. “When I saw the video I felt really bad. I wanted to kill myself but I didn’t do it because I was receiving counseling. They wanted to ruin me. I didn’t have any relationship with that man,” she said, nervously rubbing her hands against the side of the chair.

She said the man had

BANDIT KILLED

BY ACCOMPLICE A bandit identified as a former rank of the Tactical Services Unit, Eric Angel was on Monday night killed by his accomplice during an attempted robbery.

Around 23:00 hours the armed bandits attempted to rob a Brazilian shop owner at Eterinbang, Upper CuyuniMazaruni.

According to Commander of ‘F’ Division Ravindradadt Budhram, the two suspects attacked the shop owner and the man put up a fight.

During the scuffle, one of the bandits accidentally stabbed his accomplice in the abdomen before escaping.

A source from the area told this publication that Angel, a father of two, hailed from Number 10 Village, West

Coast Berbice. He had been laid off from his job as a private security guard just over two weeks ago.

It is reported that he got into an argument with another man. This resulted in him being asked to return his service weapon and leave the camp.

Instead of returning home he stuck around the “landing” and reportedly got involved with bad company during which they conspired to perpetrate a robbery.

Police ranks who were dispatched to the area on Tuesday have since retrieved the body and are making arrangements to have it flown back to the city. A search is on for the second accomplice to the robbery.

started “touching” and “rubbing her foot” when she was 16 years old. “The police are saying they don’t have enough evidence and it is disappointing.

I felt disappointed with the police because they did nothing to help me get justice.”

Psychologist Dr. Dawn Stewart, who has been counseling the young lady, stated that she suffered significant emotional trauma after the assault and it escalated further when the video was posted on the internet.

“This mother who has a one-year-old child wanted to kill herself and her child. She thought no one was listening to her, no one trusted her, no one believed her and she still has trouble sleeping at nights. She wakes up in the middle of the night, remembering the gruesome assault.

“She said the video became her only evidence yet nothing moving on the law enforcement side. She said the persons were brought in for questioning by the police but was later released on bail.

“Why aren’t these persons prosecuted for their action? She hasn’t been given justice. Women need protection from the State!”

Stewart said.

“The police need to investigate and bring charges against these people. The justice system is too slow…I believe that they don’t care and they take women for granted and this is a perfect example. When her first complaint was lodged it was completely ignored,” she indicated.

Stewart added that even if a woman “puts herself in a place where she can be raped or sexually assaulted, it is still unlawful for the perpetrator to commit the act.

“Because someone was raped or sexually assaulted that doesn’t mean that they dressed a way to attract that sort of attention or they acted a way that they should be raped. Rape is rape regardless of whatever the situation they find themselves in. Women’s lives matter. We need to be assertive and aggressive about taking care of our women,” she said.

She stated that Public Security Ministry should start adopting a “swift justice” method in handling cases of violence against women.

“This young lady needs to start her life over but she cannot do that if these people are not brought before the legal system.”

According to the United States Department of State

2015 report on this country’s human rights, local NGOs in Guyana observed that in most cases domestic violence reports were not taken confidentially but rather were discussed in the open at police stations. They were not treated as a matter of urgency.

For last year, law enforcement received 233 reports of rape and only 36 persons were charged. There was a large court backlog. A Judge has discretion to issue a sentence of any length in a rape conviction, depending upon the circumstances and severity of the act committed.

The police received 2,170 reports of domestic violence cases, and 1,131 persons were charged, resulting in a lack of confidence in the judicial system.

The report indicated that there are reports of police accepting bribes from perpetrators and other reports of Magistrates applying inadequate sentences after conviction.

Child Counselor Abigail Loncke told Kaieteur News, that she was left sickened by the content of the video. “I cannot imagine the emotional and psychological trauma that young lady must be going through,” she said, highlighting the woman not

only has to deal with the trauma of the assault but also that the video was viral.

“It is painful enough to be abused but then to have the whole country know about that abuse…that you were beaten and then forced to perform sex on someone while others watched on that’s not only sadistic, but a life scar.

These people were once entrusted to protect her - that too is traumatic. The mother figure forcing a girl to have sex with the father figure— that is unacceptable,” she said.

The United Nations Organization had reported that as many as seven in ten women in various parts of the world report having experienced physical and/or sexual violence at some point of their lives, most times at the hands of persons close to them.

The Heads of the organization have since called on Governments to honour their obligation to end violence against women and girls as outlined in the Convention of the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women.

Rape victims and victims of sexual assault face bouts of low self-esteem, high risk behavior, while some of them exhibit suicidal behaviour.

Ex-cop granted bail for gun theft An ex- police constable was yesterday charged for stealing a .32 semi-automatic Browning pistol while he was on duty at the Tactical Service Unit last year.

Macurty Simpson, 23, of 28 West Coast Berbice, pleaded guilty to a simple larceny charge when he appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan at the City’s court.

The court heard that on September 11, last year while Simpson was employed as an officer at the Tactical Services Unit, he stole the firearm from George Edwards Hanover who had lodged it to have his licence renewed.

According to the Prosecutor, Simpson was tasked to assist with the process of renewing the man’s licence when he appeared at the TSU compound.

However, Prosecutor Dinero Jones said that the virtual complainant did not present himself with his national identification card that was required of him and he subsequently informed the defendant that he urgently needed to go to the interior.

Hanover left the gun for the defendant to lodge it and

Macurty Simpson

he made a promise to return with his identification card, but, “Instead of lodging it, the defendant kept it in his possession”, the Prosecutor said.

Prosecutor said the defendant was questioned by police after the virtual complainant returned and could not find his weapon. He told the police that the gun was at his residence, Prosecutor Jones said, but when investigations were carried out, the gun was never recovered.

Jones said that legal advice was sought in the matter and the defendant was subsequently charged for the crime.

Simpson, who is now a gold

miner, told the court that on the day of the incident Hanover informed him that he would return within a few days but he never returned.

He told the court that he took the weapon home in a bag and kept it on his wardrobe.

He added that after a few days he gave it to someone he knew who worked at the Criminal Investigations Department for safe keeping until further notice. After a few days that person whom he identified as “Sinclair” called him to uplift the weapon.

“I took it back with the intention to lodge it back but it was because of my

negligence your worship…” he said “I’m just asking for you to see through this,” the defendant said as tears slid down his face.

His lawyer, Darren Wade, then advised his client to stop explaining lest he further incriminate himself. But the Chief Magistrate gave him permission to continue since he was explaining his guilty plea.

She then asked the defendant if he told the police officers of this person who worked at the CID Headquarters.

It was revealed that when the defendant told the officers, it had no effect. He told the court that the man is still working at the compound and when he was contacted in the matter he kept denying that he was ever entrusted with the weapon.

The Chief Magistrate then entered a not guilty plea on his behalf.

The defendant’s Attorney then made an application for his client to receive reasonable bail. He informed the court that his client, who is the sole bread winner for his daughter, is anxious to prove his innocence. He was subsequently granted bail in the sum of $200,000 and the matter was adjourned until June 2.

PAGE 22

SALON - Make-up Courses with Mac, Bare Minerals, etc.

- Cosmetology Courses: $120,000 - Technician Course: $45,000.

Call: 647-1773/660-5257 SERVICES

WANTED

PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY, ETC. – CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620

Wamara Logs, fresh cut Call: 648-1619; 664-5150

Visa Application: U.S.A, Canada & UK; Guyana passport application. Graphics design, advertisement. Tel: 626-7040; 265-4535.

INNOVATIVEMARKETING& PUBLISHINGINC–TEL:6004212: We create A/works, logos, business cards, posters, etc, placements of ads included.

Repairs at low cost: Fridges, air- conditioners, washing machines, TVs, microwaves, freezers- Call:6294946 or 225-4822 We repair fridge, freezer, AC, washer, dryer-Call: 231-0655; 683-8734. Omar Stunning designs with largest variety of plants by experienced landscapers!

Call: 219-0468 / 648-1821 Building Construction: house plans & estimates, floor sanding, lacquering & painting, boat for Santa Mission –Call: 650-4362 Passport, permanent & visitor visa application, Professional Immigrant Consultant – Sabita Immigration Services. Call: 225-6496; 662-6045 Qualified Electrician Available: general services, installations, wiring, pervencial maintenance, emergency, residential, commercial & industrial. Call Ray: 653-4013

Male janitors/porters -$2,000 per day-Call: 225-2618 Experienced cashiers, counter servers, waiters, roti/puri cook, pastry maker/ .Apply at Hack’s Halaal Restaurant, 5 Commerce St.

American pool table – Call: 277-0578

One able bodied male clerk – Call: 231-2029; 219-4533 Experienced Mechanic preferably on East Bank-Call: 666-8121; 265-3424 Cashiers/salesperson to work in general store on East Coast. Call Nalinie: 625-8662; 699-0143 Salesgirls, Porters & Watchman. Apply with written application @ Best Buys Food Supplies, 1E Dennis & Middleton Streets, Campbellville.

GR TAXI SERVICE. CALL: 219-5000; 227-1982 & 225-7878 (24HRS) MASSAGE Relaxing Massage Therapy Services. Call: 674-8147

VACANCY Popular East Coast Gas Station Day/Night: pump attendants, sales clerk & office assistant. Contact: 6719570; 695-9880,Non-Pareil Exist at Confidential Cabs for one experienced dispatcher.

Call: 231-5784

One boy to assist in a shop in the Interior. Call: 678-0565 Experienced taxi driver must have proof of address and police clearance. Call: 6112414; 601-4250

Female secretary must be 2535yrs, computer literate & at least Grade 2 in English. Call: 643-4049

Attractive live in waitressCall: 327-0252/674-4665

One Driver and one cashier: apply @ Mike’s Pharmacy, Lot 1 Bel-Air, Embankment Road.

Experienced dispatcher and hire car drivers @ Princess Hotel Providence. Call: 2657075; 616-5419 1 Live in waitress must have secondary education, know to use cash register -$70,000$80,000 monthly. Call: 610-3974

Land to buy in La Parfaite Harmonie, Uitvlugt, Zeelugt and Tuschen, Best Price offer. Call: 642-1252 Experienced general domestic to work in G/town.

Must know to prepare Indian dishes, honest & pleasant.

Call: 656-6388

FOR SALE

FOR RENT

Flat house in Grove, (corner property) 1 Block from main road, price negotiable. Call: 1905-6262572

LARGE QUANTITIES OF HIGH PURITY MERCURY (QUICK SILVER) 99.99995% PURITY$19,000 PER POUND CALL: 592-227-4754.

PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY, ETC. CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620

Sheep! Sheep! A flock of sheep (Texana), foreign blood line. Call: 699-6499; 6652139; 442-0299

1 Business to rent, 1-2 bedrooms new houses to rent immediately @ W.C.D. Call: 276-0818

1 Week Sale! Dell/HP computers with 19" flat screens -$49,000, lap tops $55,000 - (6 months warranty) @ Future Tech. Call: 2312206; 644-6760

Apartments for rent @ Nandy Park 1 &2 bedrooms, recently renovated, free WiFi -$70,000. Preferably working individuals. Call: 641-3318

One 125CC XR for sale $270,000–Call: 699-7870; 6988503

2 Bedrooms apartment to rent in Diamond for more information. Call: 676-0037

Complete range of household items, owner migrating, items available immediately & Toyota Voxy 4WD mid-PTT. Call: 609-8640

Vreed-en-Hoop Junction: church, office, lessons place, storage bond, private school, others -$20,000- Call: 603-6400

Transported property @ Grove $16M negotiable. Call: 625-5461 Vreed-en-Hoop -$45M, Anna Catherina -$9.5M, $12.5, Boreseree -$6.5M, Uitvlugt $4.5M, Tuschen -$4.5M. Call: 642-1252 Prime Business spot @ Anna Catherina, Public Road. Call: 667-2536; 628-0016

Property @ Block 8 Mon Repos, East Coast Demerara -$16M. Call: 654-4312; 657-5330 Property @ Cummings Street; 4 storey building, club, 8 self contain rooms. Call: 628-0016; 667-2536 Transported property in Regent Street between Wellington & Camp. Call: 625-1514

Cook/baker for the Interior location, applicants must be experienced. Call: 618-2020 Need a job? Call JFWW (local & international) earn -$5,000$20,000 daily –#233-6517; 638-0595; 622-1957 MondayFriday 9am-5pm/ www.jobfairworldwide.com

One female domestic must know to prepare Indian & English Dishes to work in the Bel-Air area. Call: 223-9888; 664-3507

PROPERTY FOR SALE

Brand new 2 storey concrete building in 5th Avenue, Diamond, E.B.D, all modern amenities –Call: 662-9335; 612-3244

1 General Domestic age 28-45 with cooking experienced – Call: 614-4358

Live in waitress to work in a bar @ Berbice- Call: 6046606;692-4649 TAXI SERVICES

Earn certificate in: cosmetology, nails, wig designs or hair cutting, etc.

Register Now! Call Abby: 666-5241; 619-7603 Signature Sensation Beauty Salon: 50/50 special on services for $1000. Call: 2258701; 622-2643

1 Female cleaner @ Technical Services –Call: 233-2783

Gasoline and light diesel mechanic needed. Call: 6230318

FOR SALE/RENT

Thursday May 12, 2016

Kaieteur News

One Toyota Minibus (BJJ series). Contact Kelvin: 6777910 Mouldings, spindles, hand rails, pine cupboard doors 16X27 -$3200 (knot free)- Call: 621-1278 1 Complete high volume 3 stage water purification system, UV light, water tanks, reasonably price, owner migrating. Call: 649-8430

TO LET One bedroom semi- furnished apartment in La Parfaite Harmonie -$22,000. Call: 6947817; 668-0306 3 Bedrooms apartment for rent at Alberttown -$75,000 monthly. Call: 613-7555 Large 6 bedrooms house with toilet and bath, fully furnished @ Soesdyke Linden Highway. Call: 6000036/223-1273 Rooms in guesthouse, selfcontained -$35USD per night @ Kuru Kururu- Call: 2616456/600-0036

CAR RENTAL PROGRESSIVE CAR RENTAL: CARS& SUV FOR RENTAL- $4,000 & UP PER DAY- CALL: 643-5122, 6560087 , EMAIL: PRO_ AUTO RENTAL@YAHOO. COM DOLLY’S CAR RENTALCALL: 225-7126/226-3693 DOLLYSAUTORENTAL@ YA H O O . C O M / W W W. DOLLYSAUTORENTAL.COM

1 Security – Please apply at Humphrey’s Bakery & Farm Products, 38 Ketley & Sussex Streets Charlestown.

Call: 225-7864 Sales Representative (with valid license); Labourers & Driver (with valid license)A p p l y : jkeshwani.alesie@gmail.com Call: 269-0026/269-0058

Outdoor Driver/salesmen for established brands. Must Have Lorry/Car/Van License & Merchandisers with experience. Call: 617-1809

XBOX one (newest model), XBOX 360E, 250GB with games and controller. Call: 683-8386

YAMAHA 600CC BIKE 2013 FULLYREGISTERED.CALL ELIAS: 628-3003; 6674845; 610-0068

CLEANING LADY FOR O F F I C E : M AT U R E , HONEST& FOCUS ON THE JOB. POLICE CLEARANCE & REFERENCE A MUST. CALL: 231-8529/ 2318344

Female office assistant for 2 months -$28,000 per month – Call: 626-6722

Whole sale pork for sale-Call: 644-8396

Aidan’s Car & 4WD Vigo pick up, cheapest rate, low security- Call: 698-7807

FOR OUR ADVERTISING RATES - CALL US ON TEL: 2268210

Wing’s Car & 4WD Vigo pick up rental- Call: 690-6494 LEARN TO DRIVE Soman Son & Outar Driving School at Maraj BuildingTel: 644-5166; 622-2872; 6150964; 689-5997

Fully furnished 2 storey house with 3 AC bedrooms, security & sensor lights, etc @ Gated Community. Call: 668-8714; 685-5845

LAND FOR SALE Land @ La Grange Public Road to Sea Dam 4 Acres for commercial or Housing Scheme-Call: 625-1514 High value transported land, Greater Diamond, E.B.D $8.5M. Call: 684-7234 Tuschen -$1.2M, Zeelugt $1.2M, La Parfaite Harmonie -$1.2M, Herstelling –$5M. (All prices negotiable). Call: 642-1252 (Continued on page 23)

Thursday May 12, 2016

PAGE 23

Kaieteur News

New leads in GEA’s employee Bank of Guyana 3-year disappearance... launches $50 note..

From page 11 family members, with the assistance of a friend from one of the telephone companies, were able to determine usage of LeVoy Taljit’s phone.

“The person (who hid Taljit’s car) and who had my son’s phone called a female and we were able to get the female’s number. She told us who called her and we went to the house with a police, but he was not there,” Basil Taljit explained.

He added that some time later, the individual they were looking for showed up at the police station with his lawyer.

According to the father, the man told the police that he and the GEA employee were friends and that LeVoy Taljit had visited him before

he vanished and gave him the phone. “He said that my son went to him and told him that he and his family had story and that he was moving to Suriname.”

Kaieteur News was told that after LeVoy Taljit’s car was discovered, the suspect then said that he (Taljit) had given him his car, bank card and phone, which he later sold.

“When we found the car he said that my son gave him the car and asked that he hide it, because he still owes for it, and the people will come and collect it,” Basil Taljit recounted.

According to the father, a bank source informed him that money was withdrawn twice from his son’s account after

he went missing.

“This man confessed that he took out the money at two locations – Parika and Carmichael Street. Up to now the police can’t get information from the bank.”

According to Basil Taljit, if it wasn’t for him, his sources and family members, the police would have never even detained the suspect.

“How can the police let go of a man who had my son’s phone; who confessed that he took money from my son’s account, and who hid my son’s car. I believe if the police had pressured him a little, he would’ve talked,” the father lamented.

Detectives are now hoping to solve this case so that the family can get justice.

Mentally-ill man sets fire to...

From page 13 caused the fire to spread. When he light the fire, the boys tried to stop him and he started to scream that people want to take away his mother's house.”

He stated that James eventually escaped on foot.

Cupidore is now contemplating her next move since all of her belongings were destroyed in the fire and she is currently residing at a friend in the village.

She estimated that over $3M in household items were lost in the blaze.

On a tour of the building, several of the woman's household appliances were burnt to the ground. Left standing are concrete walls

on the lower flat.

Cupidore stated that she is still trying to come to grips with everything that took place.

She is seeking the public's assistance with rebuilding her home and said that she would be grateful for any kind of construction materials. She is looking to enclose the bottom flat and said that any help with household items and clothes would be appreciated.

The woman is also pleading with the police to apprehend her brother since he poses a threat to himself and others. Up to late yesterday after, Cupidore said she had not seen or heard from her sibling.

Persons desirous of rendering assistance can contact Cupidore on 592-602-6578.

Entities like AFC and WPA...

From page 4 PPP/C divisive politics. So what happened? With all that capital they failed to penetrate. Pass electoral results show how enticing they were to the electorate. One of the intellectual leaders, (who opposed Mr Burnham) speaking at an anniversary in Grenada recently said; “ the Caribbean has stood still in developmental terms because our Governments have avoided revolutionary changes.”

This is the problem that I have with these intellectuals who allow their ambition to blind them. With revolutionary changes staring him and his cohorts in their faces right here, they preferred to look away because Burnham’s intransigence was overbearing.

He ignored the political economy, he “dissed,” these competing groups who were stumbling all over each other in fighting for scarce resources, power and an entitlement to direct or make policy.

He wanted all consuming power; that was his Achilles heel. I doubt that anyone would be surprised to know that to these Caribbean thinkers, Mr Burnham needed no introduction.

He surely would have known these thinkers and

their works on Imperialism, Colonialism, Neo Colonialism, Third World Politics. Based upon the writings I would think that the WPA reason for wanting to introduce him was to impress upon him the need for inclusivity in all that he was espousing. I will allow Mr Burnham to speak for himself; “ They are Guyanese and our Comrades whom and whose services we need.

They are covered by the term “all Guyanese” and are automatically involved as a group in the call to unity.” “ From Nursery to University free Education for all Guyanese.” Some thoughts from Franz Fanon; “ we know of course that the capitalist way of life is incapable of allowing us to achieve our national and universal project, better the choice of a socialist regime.” “If we want to increase the Gross National income, reduce the imports of certain USELESS, even harmful products,” “ National service can be civilian or military, but national service is essential,” The COI (on Rodney’s demise) exposed some shenanigans within the WPA, I guess these thoughts of Fanon resonate with them.”

To wage war and to engage in politics are one and the

same thing.” John Paul Sartre said; “It is imperative for the Third World to find a way to disengage from Europe.” C L R James, who was once put under house arrest by Dr Williams (for his ideas) in his home land of Trinidad and Tobago said, “What do they know of Cricket who only Cricket knows.”

Are these the most profound nationalistic words ever to be uttered by a West Indian? Was Mr Burnham a nationalist? Finally I would like to point out that I know that the PNC has a political constituency, and also the PPP/C, is there a political constituency for the WPA and the AFC and if so, where is it located?

Political Scientist Maurice Dureryer, has classified political parties like the WPA and AFC as cadre political parties meaning “parties with hardly any pull and few members who cling to larger and more well known parties.”

Their member leadership knows quite well that they will never win an election to form a national government. This knowledge however does not deter the intellectual; their personal ambition is to become a member of parliament in any type of Government.

Milton Bruce

From page 3 coin is struck in silver and plated in gold while the $2,000 coin is struck in a metallic alloy and plated in gold. These coins were struck by the Mint of Norway.

Dr. Ganga, stated that it's customary for the Bank of Guyana to issue commemorative coins in observance to Guyana's significant events and achievements.

The Governor said that the Banks sees Guyana's Golden Jubilee as a momentous occasion and is delighted to be a part of the celebration.

He stated that over the past 50 years, the Bank has been playing a “significant” role in the Guyana's development through the promotion of “financial evolution that encompasses monetary and financial stability, as well as safe and efficient payment

system.” The first commemorative coin, he said, was the $1coin which became popularly known as the “Cuffy Dollar”. That same time there was the $100 gold coin. It was issued in 1970. The second commemorative coin was issued in 1976 to mark the country's 10th Independence Anniversary several others followed from1979 to 2015.

Minster Jordan lauded the officials of the Bank of Guyana for their creativeness.

Also, he extended his gratitude to the Mint of Norway for “a job well done”.

Jordan stated the note encapsulates perfectly, the national symbols of Guyana.

He continued that the launch was an auspicious occasion which he opined, was a fitting way to celebrate Guyana's collection and the Golden Jubilee concurrently.

Confusion over...

From page 5 beaten all ends up and flabbergasted to hear some of the mindless argument that are/ were being raised in opposition to this project.

If this is an indication of how this new body of councillors and Mayor is going to function then I’m afraid we are running on quicksand.

This is what I like to refer to as cooking with smoke – why! To all those folks who are up in arms against this facility, in all fairness, wisdom and decency tell me would you have preferred? that sick, disgusting unsightly and unhealthy stench of garbage to remain even to our detriment!

Just what exactly would you have wanted? Isn’t the erection of this public convenience at least some quality of improvement, a thoughtful, decent and meaningful investment and contribution towards the upliftment of this town, don’t we all desire im-

provement, the best of whatever? Sure we do!

Come on fellow Lindeners let us put aside monkey business and stop being myopic.

This facility as I have observed is a simple and nicely constructed moderate building, built to a quality acceptable standard, divided into two sections that caters for both male and female with 11 receptacles bowls installed, 6 in the female section and 5 in the male section along with 4 wall urinals and two bathrooms – one in each section and of course a dressing compartment with flooring and walls are neatly tiled. I am willing to bet pennies to pins that the benefit and demand during certain activities in the Town will be so overwhelming that many will be forced to view it from an entirely different perspective hence a more positive and enlightened outlook and appreciation.

Frank Fyffe

From page 22

VEHICLE FOR SALE Very low prices on unregistered cars: Allions, Bluebird, Mazda, Fielder, used Rav4. Call: 626-7478; 676-8876 Toyota WILL VS-low mileage, 2010 Kawasaki Ninja 250r- imported from the USA, low mileage. Call: 674-9002 We buy & sell vehicles for cash, also parts available & 30 seater buses; Extra Cab pickups; 2006 Tacoma- Call: 680-3154 AT192, 212, Allion, Premio, Hilux Surf, BRR, RZ & Pitbull,Pajero Junior: Cash / terms- Call:680-3154 One Toyota IST 2007 Model, PRR series, female driven, in excellent condition. Call: 6782495 & 692-1999 Toyota Fun Cargo, AT212, AT192, RZ, 4 Door Canter, Wagon (Suzuki Viatara 4WD) Nissan pickup 2008 unregistered. Call: 644-5096; 697-1453 15 Seater pit-bull -$2M- Call: 697-2550; 613-1810

EDUCATIONAL Private Tutoring is available for all age groups-Contact Ms Cort on 672-0348 for details.

Earn a Diploma in Computers (9 Courses) -$20,000 off for 2016 CXC students @ MicroGraphics, Vreed-enHoop. Call: 264-3057 Compuerizes Accounting (4 Courses): QuickBooks, Peachtree, POS, Excel 2016 @ MicroGraphics, Vreed-enHoop. Call: 264-3057 Computer Classes for Common Entrance 2016 Students (9 Courses) @ MicroGraphics, Vreed-enHoop. Call: 264-3057

PAGE 24

Thursday May 12, 2016

Kaieteur News

Guyana hosts inaugural National Day of Prayer Despite the inclement weather, scores of Guyanese gathered yesterday at D’Urban Park, Homestretch Avenue, Georgetown to participate in the Ministry of Social Cohesion’s inaugural National Day of Prayer.

The event held under the theme “Working Together, Building Bridges” is a part of the calendar of events planned to celebrate Guyana’s Golden Jubilee of Independence.

For many, yesterday’s National Day of Prayer was considered timely. Prayers were offered by leaders in the Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Bahai and Rastafarian religious communities.

President David Granger and Minister of Social Cohesion, Amna Ally, Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, First Lady Sandra Granger, Mrs. Sita Nagamootoo, Speaker of the National Assembly, Dr. Barton Scotland, members of the Cabinet and members of the Diplomatic Corps were all present at the event. Notably absent were members of the opposition party, PPP/C. Delivering the feature address, President Granger said, “Social cohesion is about fostering greater integration in our nation…integration is

intended to create a sense of belonging. It is intended to give recognition to all groups and to allow them to freely practice their culture. Integration expands the space for diversity.”

The President added, “Social Cohesion Day presents the nation with a golden opportunity to discard its divisive political culture and to deepen its commitment to a more inclusive society.” He added that the day creates a sense of inclusion and combats exclusion, celebrates and appreciates the people of different backgrounds and recognizes that our nation is now and always will be multireligious, multi-ethnic and multi-cultural.

“Our diversity is an asset…not a liability,” President Granger emphasized. He went on to highlight those things that make Guyana diverse such as its rich flora and fauna, the six ethnic groups, traditions, culture and heritage.

The President recognized that Social Cohesion respects the differences among groups. “It acknowledges, however, that if left unattended, those differences can threaten mutual trust and can weaken people’s sense of belonging; Social Cohesion can prevent social instability – arising from social,

economic, political and class divisions between groups – from festering,” he said.

He also said that Social Cohesion can create an environment in which accords and agreements, beliefs and laws are respected and enforced and society is not allowed to degenerate into distrust, disharmony and, worst of all, disorder.

He said that our generation has an obligation, at this celebration of our Independence Jubilee, to repair past damage, to restore trust and to rebuild the bases of a ‘moral community. .”Social cohesion does not require people to abandon their cultural practices and adopt another culture. It accords greater recognition to every ethnic group and encourages the promotion of their practices.

Everyone will feel more accepted and, thus, will be imbued with a greater sense of belonging.”

Minister of Social Cohesion, Amna Ally, in her presentation noted that the event was a part of a day of activities; last evening an exposition was held at the National Cultural Centre where Guyana’s historical legacy was on display.

The National Day of

Corentyne woman charged with obstructing justice A woman who is well known to the authorities for her nefarious living and close association with criminals is now behind bars.

Samantha Bhagwandin, called “Coolie Girl”, 20, of Tain, Corentyne, Berbice has been charged with attempting to obstruct the course of justice. The woman appeared on Wednesday at the Reliance Magistrate’s Court before Magistrate Mauricia Mittelholzer, and was remanded to jail.

According to Prosecutor, Sergeant Orin Joseph, the woman who is the reputed wife of notorious criminal, Daniel McLennon, had first given the police information about some of the man’s notorious activity including his involvement in the Rose Hall Town robbery/ murder of 21-year old Hare Krishna devotee, Chaitanya Kishundyal, who was attacked and shot on February 4, allegedly by four men as they tried to rob him.

Their actions were subsequently captured on CCTV. She then reneged on the story. She was also caught in a car at No. 2 Village with

President Granger and First Lady Sandra Granger write personal messages on white helium balloons which were subsequently released at the event.

Prayer is not only being held in Georgetown, but similar activities are being held in each administrative region. This is the first event of its kind.

“What (happened) this morning will be spiritually transformative for this great nation of ours,”said Minister Ali. Minister Ali recognized that “since May, last year, our administration has promised to do all within its power to ensure that Guyana becomes a functionally transformative and sustainable nation in every aspect.”

With regard to the day’s event, the Minister acknowledged that prayer has always been significant to the Guyanese culture as most Guyanese, regardless of their religious or cultural differences, have long turned to prayer to seek protection, peace and exhibit appreciation.

“On this National Day of Prayer we must rededicate ourselves to building a unified and socially cohesive nationstate,” Minister Ali posited.

Aside from the prayers, the large gathering was treated to

cultural presentations and performances by the National Steel Orchestra, the Joint Forces Band, the First Assembly Choir, the ISA Islamic School, Mariam Williams, AFF Nashe Group Guyana, Roshini Persaud and Pastor Sean Sobers from the Destiny Empowerment Worship Centre.

Prior to the official start of the programme, 10 Regional flags, representing each Administrative Region, were hoisted by members of the Guyana Scouts Association.

Fabulous Mother's Day Show ...

Samantha Bhagwandin Mc Lennon as she tried to escort him out of the area and to safety knowing that he is wanted by the police. The woman, a mother of two, is no stranger to the law having been involved in a number of misdemeanors including theft of a motor car.

She was remanded to jail until May 16, when she will have to return to the New Amsterdam Magistrate’s court.

From page 19 position today, after serving in the bauxite industry for forty-plus years.

Moore said that being a woman who has worked for so long among men, it is difficult to find her-self working with women. She is the proud mother of one. SUE ROGERS a mother of six began working in a male dominated trade in 1989 after she was selected for a training programme to become an electrician.

She subsequently gained employment in the rewinding section of the Electrical Shop.

In 2003 she was retrenched

from Linmine, but regained employment when OMAI took over the bauxite industry in 2004. She is still presently employed with the bauxite industry.

Her main task has been rewinding and testing starters. Rogers acknowledged that this proved a great challenge and threat, as the means of testing left much to be desired with 440 Volts always being a concern should things go wrong LORRAINE INNISS was a Guymine apprentice between the years 1980 and 1985.

At the end of her apprenticeship stint, she commenced her work life as a welder with the bauxite industry in 1985.

She worked in the Mines Division mostly among men, and therefore had to prove that she was as competent as them when it came to getting the job done.

In late 2000, she switched for a temporary job, and worked as a volunteer Lecturer at the Linden Technical Institute (LTI).

She was later accepted as Lecturer at the same institution in 2001. Inniss described her early days as a welder as very challenging.

She said that she was called all sorts of names, including 'tom boy'. She is a keen sportswoman and has excelled at throwing the discus and shot putt, and enjoys swimming.

This lecturer said that in her quest to be a good mother, her children, Auduel, Latoya and Carryl had to learn fast by themselves, as she was out working and not having the regular time for them.

The curtain to the night's proceedings came down early Monday morning, with explosive performances by veteran vocalist Winston Caesar and Calvin Burnett whose mission it was, to trounce the older singer.

Did he succeed? Most don't believe so! However their lively exchanges, which took the form of a lyrical and vocal debate, ensured patrons remained glued to their seats!

Thursday May 12, 2016

Kaieteur News

PAGE 25

PAGE 26

Thursday May 12, 2016

Kaieteur News

Georgia begins U.S.-led military exercise, angering Russia The Georgian army began two weeks of military exercises with the United States and Britain yesterday, drawing an angry response from former Soviet master Russia which called the war games “a provocative step”.

About 650 soldiers from the United States, 150 from Britain and 500 from Georgia were taking part in the maneuvers, with Washington dispatching an entire mechanized company including eight Bradley infantry fighting vehicles and, for the first time, eight M1A2 Abrams main battle tanks.

Georgia’s Defence Minister Tina Khidasheli said the drills were an important event for the South Caucasus republic.

“This is one of the biggest exercises that our country has

ever hosted, this is the biggest number of troops on the ground, and the largest concentration of military equipment,” Khidasheli told Reuters.

But the exercises went down badly in Moscow where the Russian Foreign Ministry last week warned they could destabilize the region, a charge denied by Georgian officials.

“These exercises are not directed against anyone.

There is no trace of provocation,” Georgia’s Prime Minister Georgy Kvirikashvili said in a statement.

Russia defeated Georgia in a short war in 2008 over the breakaway Georgian region of South Ossetia, and Moscow continues to garrison troops there and to support another breakaway region,

Abkhazia.

The exercises were run out of the Vaziani military base near Georgia’s capital Tbilisi.

Russian forces used to be based there until they withdrew at the start of the last decade under the terms of a European arms reduction agreement.

“The importance of these exercises is to improve interoperability between Georgia, the United States and the United Kingdom. ... It enables us to prepare Georgia’s contribution to a NATO response force,” Colonel Jeffrey Dickerson, the U.S. director of the exercises, told Reuters.

The United States has spoken favorably of the idea that Georgia might one day join NATO, something Russia firmly opposes.

After British corruption slip, Nigeria demands stolen assets back (Reuters) - Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari demanded yesterday that Britain return assets held there by corrupt Nigerians, pointing the finger back at London after Britain’s prime minister suggested Nigeria was “fantastically corrupt”.

David Cameron’s remarks during a conversation with Queen Elizabeth, caught on camera on Tuesday, have so far dominated the build-up to a global anti-corruption summit he is hosting today, which Buhari will attend.

During a pre-summit event in London, Buhari was asked to respond to Cameron’s comment that Nigeria and Afghanistan were “possibly two of the most corrupt countries in the world”.

He has since noted that the leaders of both countries are working hard to combat corruption.

“I am not going to demand any apology from anybody.

What I am demanding is the return of assets,” Buhari said at an event, to applause from Nigerians in the audience.

“What would I do with an

apology? I need something tangible,” he said, rubbing his fingers together in a gesture commonly used to refer to money. The audience laughed.

Buhari has a reputation for personal probity and has pledged to crack down on corruption in Nigeria, Africa’s top oil producer and most populous nation where generations of politicians have looted public coffers for their personal gain.

Buhari did not specify which assets he was talking about.

British police have conducted several investigations in recent years into assets held in Britain by Nigerian politicians, including two former state governors and a former oil minister. One of the ex-governors is serving a prison sentence in Britain after pleading guilty to moneylaundering.

Nigeria is listed at number 136 out of 167 in campaign group Transparency International’s latest Corruption Perceptions Index, an annual ranking of countries in which a higher number indi-

cates a higher level of perceived corruption.

RUNAWAYGOVERNOR Britain lies equal 10th with Germany and Luxembourg.

But British opposition politicians and anti-corruption campaigners have said Cameron was ill-placed to criticise Nigeria when Britain’s own record on combating corruption was less than glorious.

They have said that corrupt politicians and business people from Nigeria and many other countries have laundered their ill-gotten gains in Britain’s property market, while London also has ties to numerous tax havens routinely used to hide stolen money.

In his remarks on Wednesday, Buhari alluded to the case of Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, former governor of the oilproducing state of Bayelsa in the Niger Delta, who was arrested in London in 2005 on suspicion of money-laundering. Alamieyeseigha skipped bail and fled back to Nigeria dressed as a woman. He was later impeached, tried and convicted in Nigeria of stealing millions of dollars of public money.

“He (Alamieyeseigha) had to dress like a woman to leave Britain and leave behind his bank account and fixed assets which Britain was prepared to hand over to us. This is what we are asking for,” Buhari said.

Britain’s Department for International Development (DFID) could not immediately provide details of any assets returned to Nigeria.

Thursday May 12, 2016

Kaieteur News

US raps T&T on women’s and LGBTI rights US Ambassador to T&T, John L Estrada, left, with Guardian’s Editor-in-Chief Orin Gordon during a recent interview in Port-ofSpain. Photo: MICHAEL RAMSINGH

Trinidad Guardian - United States Ambassador to T&T John Estrada has told the Guardian that one of the priority policies of the US government in T&T is the promotion of human rights.

Describing it as a “really, really big” part of America’s coming engagement with T&T on his watch, he zoomed in on women’s rights, domestic and gender-based violence, the rights of people with disabilities and LGBTI rights.

The 60-year old ex-marine, who was born in Laventille and left T&T for the US when he was 14, sat down on Friday with the Guardian

at the US embassy for his first, exclusive newspaper interview since taking up his post last month. He said it wasn’t just the Obama administration policy towards T&T—it was personal. “That touched me when I was growing up as a kid,” Estrada said.

“I personally witnessed domestic violence to a close family member. As a young kid...I probably was about ten, maybe 12 years old.

That stuck with me at that young age, because I remember my brother and I having to try to weigh in.

“I have very strong feelings on it,” said the father of young twin daughters.

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Thursday May 12, 2016

Kaieteur News

Sleep-In hotel to open without casino for Jubilee - owner optimistic of being granted licence The Sleep-In Hotel chain in Guyana is set to introduce a third hotel, this one on Church Street, Queenstown at a cost of US$8M. It will feature 150 rooms when completed.

However, only a fraction of those rooms will be open in time for the 50th Jubilee celebrations this month. In addition, a casino is being built, as part of the hotel’s attraction.

For Sleep-In owner, Clifton Bacchus, however, he will be going ahead with construction of the Carnival Casino despite not having the requisite casino licence from the new Gaming Authority Board, which was sworn in last month.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between Bacchus and the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) administration. With the change in government, however, the MoU was put in limbo after pronouncements

Local businessman Clifton Bacchus stands in the unfinished dining room. were made that agreements made under the PPP would not be honoured.

Opposition had come from former Magistrate K.A. Juman Yassin, who had objected to a casino going up on the Church Street location. He had complained about its proximity to a mosque,

church and residents.

Minister of Natural Resources, Raphael Trotman, had pointed out in an interview that the government which had signed the MoU was no longer in office. He had stated, however, that the agreement would have to be objectively reviewed by the

Gaming Authority.

Under the law, only three casinos are allowed in each Region in Guyana. For Region Four, Ramada Princess has one, while another has been earmarked for the Marriott Hotel at Kingston. This means that the remaining casino licence will be in high

Brazil Senate debates impeachment trial as Rousseff’s removal looms Reuters - The Supreme Court rebuffed a last-ditch bid

by President Dilma Rousseff to halt a vote in the Senate yesterday that is expected to put her on trial for breaking budget laws and end 13 years of leftist rule in Latin America’s biggest country.

If her opponents garner a simple majority in the 81-seat Senate in a session that last late into the evening, Rousseff will be replaced today by Vice President Michel Temer as acting president for up to six months during the trial.

There were signs Rousseff was preparing for defeat: she plans to dismiss all her cabinet and has given instructions that there should be no easy transition for a Temer government because she considers her impeachment illegal, presidential aides said.

With a change of government imminent, Temer plans to swear in new ministers this afternoon, Senator Romero Jucá, head of his Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB), told reporters.

Rousseff, who has been in office since 2011, has seen her popularity crushed by Brazil’s worst recession since the 1930s and a two-year probe into a vast kickback scheme at state-run oil company Petrobras (PETR4.SA).

The prospect of business-friendly Temer taking power has driven Brazilian financial markets sharply

Dilma Rousseff

Michel Temer higher this year, on hopes he could cut a massive fiscal deficit, restore investor confidence and return the economy to growth.

The political crisis has deepened Brazil’s recession and comes at a time when Brazil hoped to be shining on the world stage as it prepares to host the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in August.

A Supreme Court judge denied an injunction Rousseff sought on Tuesday to halt the Senate vote. Justice Teori Zavascki rejected as “legally implausible” the government’s argument that impeachment was flawed because it was started out of revenge by the former speaker of the lower house.

In a momentous session followed by many Brazilians live on television, each senator was given the chance to

speak. A final vote could take place after midnight (11 p.m.

ET today). Brasilia-based consultancy ARKO Advice projected that the upper chamber would vote 57-21 to try Rousseff. The figure amounted to 78 votes rather than 81 due to absences and abstentions.

That would indicate Rousseff’s opponents may already have the two-thirds of the vote needed to convict her at the end of the trial and remove her definitively from office. If that happened, Temer would then fulfill the remainder of her mandate until elections in 2018.

The president’s plan to dismiss all her cabinet if and when the Senate suspends her will force Temer to hit the ground running, since he was counting on a gradual transition to a new cabinet.

Two Rousseff aides said, however, that the dismissal of her cabinet would exclude Central Bank Governor Alexandre Tombini, and the current sports minister, who is scrambling to prepare for the Rio 2016 games.

Senate leader Renan Calheiros, of Temer’s PMDB party, said he would not vote to remain neutral.

But he was already using the past tense to refer to Rousseff ’s presidency.

“Temer needs the backing of Congress to carry out deep reforms, above all reform of the political system, if he becomes president,” he told reporters. Opinion polls show an overwhelming majority of Brazilians want to see Rousseff impeached.

But the surveys also indicate scant popular support for the 75-year-old Temer.

A completed hallway demand.

Yesterday, Bacchus was determined to continue with his construction. He was not only optimistic of the hotel’s potential to attract guests and hit a 95 percent occupancy rate, but was also confident that he would be granted his licence.

“I don’t really see a controversy. I think there are two licences for Region Four and I am building to suit (with) 150 rooms. So I am very confident that I will get it, because I will reach all the requirements. I have an MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) with the Government and the MOU states you build in accordance with the MOU and you will eventually get the licensing for the casino.”

“The reason why it has 150 rooms is because it (features) a casino. And the law for the casino is that you must do 150 rooms. So we are going ahead with the (construction) for the casino. We only could have finished 40 rooms for the jubilee, because construction takes time.”

“But we’ve finished 40 rooms just for the jubilee. That is the first phase. And the second phase is the casino and the other 110 rooms, which will be finished for July.

The complete project is US$8M but I’m doing it in phases.”

Describing some of the setbacks in construction which has been ongoing for the past four years, he stated that these included challenges with human resources, tiling and importing certain materi-

als. “But most of the furniture is local. Whatever could be done locally, was done.”

Bacchus stated that with the project, at least 300 people will be employed for the casino, restaurant and other components. He pointed out that his workforce will operate on eight-hour shifts. He also stated that he would provide security, using his own firm, for the premises.

Asked about the existing relationship between himself and the nearby mosque, he stated that most of the letters in opposition to the casino were not from the mosque but from passersby and non- attendants of the mosque.

“The mosque never (agitated). Most of the letters were from persons passing and KA Juman Yassin, I don’t think he is a member of the mosque. But the mosque itself never said anything. They never made a statement.”

Bacchus stressed that his proposed casino would be soundproof and enclosed, eliminating noise nuisance on the street. In addition, the businessman provided assurances that parking would be made available for residents and other businesses in the area, including the religious establishments.

The businessman hinted that the machines coming in for the casino would have a unique Guyanese flavor and that the entire interior décor would represent the festive Mashramani spirit. He is aiming for the casino to be completed by July.

Thursday May 12, 2016

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Kaieteur News

Ninth UG Chancellor...

From page 08 discussions, The National Task Force made recommendations in three major areas: Governance; Resource Mobilisation and Finance; and Quality Assurance and Student Services. These recommendations he said, are available online at the University of Guyana website or they can be obtained from the UG Registry.

Getting a new Vice Chancellor to lead these transformational efforts was an imperative, Professor Harris stated. He continued that last March, a process was completed that enabled the University to select one of three “excellent” short listed candidates for the post of Vice Chancellor.

The Professor graduated with a BS degree in chemistry from Howard University (1968) and proceeded to Yale University, where he received

a Master of Philosophy degree in Biochemistry (1973).

He earned his medical degree from the University of Pennsylvania (1977) and returned to the Caribbean where he completed his residency in internal medicine at the University of the West Indies at Mona. He was subsequently awarded the post-graduate degree, Doctor of Medicine (DM) in 1981. He has also acquired many notable awards including the Cacique’s

Crown of Honour from Guyana in 2011, the Martin Luther King International Award that was received in Washington DC in 2010. And the 11th Congressional District of the USA declared February 11, 2015, the “Eon Nigel Harris Day” in recognition of his contributions to Medical Research. He is married to Dr C. Yvette Williams-Harris, a general internist and they have three children and five grandchildren.

Thursday May 12, 2016 ARIES (MAR. 21APRIL 20) Your trendy style and unique way of doing things will entice new acquaintances. Residential moves will be favorable, and larger quarters the most probable direction.

TAURUS (APR. 21MAY 21) Family outings will make you feel secure and happy. You should sit down with someone you trust and work out a budget that will enable you to save a little extra.

GEMINI (MAY 22JUNE 21) You will be in a high cycle regarding work.

You will find that friends or relatives may not understand your needs. You can enjoy entertainment if you join in and follow the crowd for a change.

CANCER (JUNE 22JULY 22) Don't overspend to impress others. Sudden romantic encounters are quite likely, but discretion will be a must.

LEO (JULY 23-AUG 22) Things are looking good for you, so open your eyes and get to it. Uncertainties about your living arrangements may be unnerving.

VIRGO (AUG. 23 SEPT. 23) Try to control your irritability if you're experiencing emotional problems with your partner. You may want to take another look at the investment you are about to make. Try to be fair in your dealings with acquaintances.

LIBRA (SEPT. 24 -OCT. 23) You'll be prone to tears if your mate is harsh with you today. Don't jump too quickly regarding an investment that appears to be good. Avoid boredom by being creative in your endeavors.

SCORPIO (OCT. 24 NOV. 22) Make sure to arrange in advance to spend quality time together. The emotional state of peers may cause a problem for you.

You need to lie back and enjoy a little rest.

SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 23 -DEC. 21) Help with your aspirations is likely, and profits could follow. Your knowledge and good sense will help more than you think. Your fickle nature may cause jealousy.

CAPRICORN (DEC 22.- JAN. 20) Don't divulge secret information. Get involved in creative projects that could turn into moneymaking ventures. Do not jump to conclusions concerning your romantic partner.

AQUARIUS (JAN. 21 FEB. 19) Be careful while traveling. You will probably have to defend your mate.

Take time to catch up on overdue correspondence.

PISCES (FEB. 20-MAR. 20) Be cautious who you d e a l w i t h f i n a n c i a l l y.

Travel may be confusing.

You may experience financial loss if you don't use good judgment.

Jubilee U-15 Inter school male and female football in Berbice

Inclement weather, administrative jinx force postponement With the inclement weather and constant usage leaving the Scott Church Ground at Princess Elizabeth Road in New Amsterdam in a bad state.

The organizers of the 50th Anniversary Inter School male and female U-15 football competition for school teams in the New Amsterdam / Canje areas has decided to postpone the event.

The activity, which was organised by the Hearts of Oak Masters Football Club and the Region Six Jubilee Committee, was expected to kick off on Monday last.

The schools which were expected to participate were in Group A -Berbice Educational Institute (BEI), Canje Secondary School (CSS) and New Amsterdam Multilateral Secondary School (NAMS).

Group B will comprise of Berbice High School (BHS), Vryman’s Erven Secondary School (VESS) and Tutorial Academy Secondary School (TASS).

The teams in each group

Tony Cozier gone at...

From page 32 transistor Radio hidden under my pillow in the wee hours of the mornings when Cozier and Reds described the action for Australia.

It was a great honour when, much later, I was privileged to meet the icon and work with him in the commentary booth and to listen his advice. I unconsciously pattered my cricket writings after him.

If had three words to describe Cozier they would be professional, informative and compassionate.

My one lasting memory of the great man had nothing to do with cricket. When I had to do a brain surgery in 2012 Cozier organised a telethon to raise funds on a Barbados Radio station. Reds and Andrew Mason were the others involved in that act which helped me to be here today instead of dead.

May his soul rest in peace he will be greatly missed by the West Indian cricket media.

will play each other once with the teams with the highest points advancing to play the winner of the other group in the finals in both categories.

The matches will be one hour each with trophies and

15 medals going to the winning team, while a trophy and 15 silver medals will be presented to the runner up.

There will also be prizes for outstanding individual players. (Samuel Whyte)

Entries for GSCL Inc...

From page 31 Persaud, Yunnis Yusuf and Eon Abel. The first six teams to be registered in the open and eight in the masters will be accepted, and teams can contact GSCL Inc Assistant Secretary/Treasurer Russel

Jadbeer on 225-4802, Mahendra Hardyal on 6107902 or Samuel Kingston on 619-5103 for registration.

Among the sponsors so far onboard are Regal Stationery and Computer Centre and Regal Sport.

PAGE 30

Thursday May 12, 2016

Kaieteur News

From violence to the Olympics, Regional Dragsters to renew all in their hometown rivalry in four days

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) The future looked anything but bright for Brazilian sisters Lohaynny, 4, and Luana Vicente, 6, when their father, a drug dealer, was killed in a shootout with police.

But sixteen years later, the two sisters are elite athletes and rising stars in badminton, a sport little played in a country better known for soccer and surfing.

They have come so far that Lohaynny, now 20, qualified to compete in the upcoming Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, a city that is not just their hometown, but the host of the first Olympics in South America. “It’s the first time Brazil will compete in Olympic badminton and I am the first woman chosen to compete,” says Lohaynny, eagerly awaiting the games, which start Aug. 5.

While Luana did not make the cutoff in global rankings, she is proud of having introduced Lohaynny to the sport and playing beside her in doubles, winning a silver medal together at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto.

“Everyone can go as far as they want,” says Luana, dismissing their early hardships. “You have to want it. I wanted this and worked very hard for it.”

As toddlers, the girls moved around frequently with their father as he hid from police and rival drug gangs in Rio’s notorious favelas, slums that often lack basic services, including police.

After their father died in the western part of the city, the girls’ mother moved them to Chacrinha, a favela in northern Rio. Though badminton rackets and shuttle-

cocks are as rare as police in some favelas, a coach had set up a programme to teach the sport to kids in the community. First Luana, then Lohaynny, excelled.

Now, they live in a house paid for by the Brazilian Badminton Federation in Campinas, near São Paulo.

They earn a salary from the federation and enjoy sponsorship deals.

After practicing all day, they study. And occasionally, they get home to Rio, where there mother now lives in a house in a middle-class neighborhood, not far from the favela where they first swung their rackets.

Standing recently under a set of Olympic rings installed in a Rio park, Lohaynny marvels at their good fortune.

“At times I can’t even believe I qualified,” she says. “It will only sink in when I’m there with the other athletes, when I begin to compete.”

Pre-Independence Heroes: International Basketball Series 1962

British Guiana Historic Series Win Over Suriname Statistician Charwayne Walker continues his look back at sporting events around the period that Guyana gained Independence from Great Britain in May 1966.

Today we reflect on a basketball series prior to 1966, in fact in 1962 when Guyana (then British Guiana) triumphed over Dutch neighbours, Suriname (Dutch Guiana).

Led by Hewley Henry and Coached by the iconic Ken Corsbie, British Guiana defeated arch rivals Suriname for the first time at International Basketball in April 1962. Suriname arrived in British Guiana with six Olympic players and trounced local boys Les Freres 64 to 42 at Parade Ground for Suriname.

Eddie Zaal scored 10 pts, Hesdy Van Willigen 12 pts, Rayman Kreiger 10 pts. Stuart Spence scored a game high 15 pts for Les Freres. He was supported by Michael Mitchell and Bolton Applewaithe, both players finished with 11 pts each.

International series: game one played under lights at the Chinese Court, Cosmos, Albert Street: British Guiana drew first blood with a commanding 64 to 42 points victory.

Skipper Hewley Henry top scored with 14 pts, Ovid Jackson supported his skipper with 10 pts, Orson Forbes 8 pts, and Eldon Vaughn 8 pts. For Suriname, Hesdy Van Willigen top scored with 14 pts, Rudy Nyman 8 pts, and Frankie Liewie 6 pts.

Game two, Suriname won 66 to 52. Hesdy Van Willigen was unstoppable; he finished with a game high 28 pts, Eddie Zaal 10 pts, Arnie Breeveld 10 pts, Van Gemd 9 pts, and Rudy Nyman 4 pts.

For British Guiana, Brian Dummett top scored with 11 pts, skipper Hewley Henry 8 pts, Rudolph Speedy Franklyn 8 pts, Godfrey (Chin) St. Hill 8 pts and Ovid Jackson 6 pts.

Game Three series decider played at the Chinese Court, Albert Street. British Guiana won a thriller by one point 61 to 60 to take the first lien on the Coca Cola trophy presented by the Rahaman’s Bottle Plant.

Skipper Hewley Henry 17 pts and Ovid Jackson 15 pts were the outstanding players

Ken Corsbie

for British Guiana. Hesdy Van Willigen 22 pts and Eddie Zaal 19 pts were Suriname’s star players.

The Historic 1962 British Guiana Basketball Team Hewley Henry – Captain Eldon Vaughn Ovid Jackson Godfrey ‘Chin’ St. Hill Binky Archer Compton Nicholson Brian Dummett Orson Forbes Rudolph ‘Speedy’ Franklyn Joseph Small Carl Sylvester Walter Petrie Ken Corsbie- coach Suriname National Basketball Team which lost the lost the 1962 series to British Guiana Hesdy Van Willigen Carel Nelson Henry Sibilio Rudy Nyman Edward Leal Rayman Kreiger Arnie Breeveld Frankie Liewie Eddie Zaal Vam Gemd Leewin Percy Tjon Liem Sang – Manager

Part of the action at the last Drag Meet.

In four days time, Guyanese dragsters will renew their rivalry with regional counterparts in what has now become an enduring battle for supremacy in the sport of motor racing.

After spending much time carefully fine tuning their respective machines local dragsters along with those from Suriname will take to the track, at the South Dakota Circuit in another highly anticipated showdown that is sure to create much excitement for the fans.

As part of Guyana’s ‘Golden Jubilee’ celebrations the Guyana Motor Racing & Sports Club (GMR&SC) International Drag Race Meet is anticipated to produce some scorching times and breathtaking competition.

The locals have always had stiff opposition from the Surinamese and while the respective parties have exploited home court advantage expertly, the quality of machines

that are coming from the Dutch territory is a strong indication of how serious they are taking the Meet. Local competitor Anand Ramchand who had hinted about competing in four categories with a similar amount of cars, also has his sights set on obliterating the current records in the respective categories, while Rondell Daby’s lightening fast Evolution is always a treat to watch.

Some of the other competitors expected to live up at the starting grid are: Chet Singh, Shairaz Roshandin, Syed Ali, Danny Persaud and Sanjay Persaud.

The Porta Tree Timing System which is equipped with specialized starting lights will be in effect come race day.

The first race start at 09:00 hrs and admission for adults is $1000, while children under12 and vehicles are free.

Laptop presentation to Junior SPORTSMAN OF THE YEAR National Junior Sportsman of the Year and World Ranked Badminton Player Narayan Ramdhani was presented a Laptop computer from Vishnu Panday and Associates Inc. to further prepare him for his Studies in Vancouver Canada where he will be heading in September. Ramdhani was offered a 5-year Scholarship form Shuttle Sport Badminton Academy who will be putting him through college and university. The GBA is expressing thanks to Mr. Panday for his kind gesture in recognizing our sports men and women in Guyana and welcomes his contribution.

Ms. Bibi Narine Executive Assistant of Visnu Panday & associates Inc. makes the Presentation to Narayan Ramdhani.

Weather permitting Mayor’s Cup football programme set for Saturday Hampered by the current weather, the organisers of the Mayor’s Cup Football tournament is hopeful that the weather permits them the chance to start this year’s competition on Saturday at the Victoria Ground on the East Coast of Demerara with a doubleheader.

The 22nd edition of the tournament is being coordinated by former national

player and coach Lennox Arthur and coincides with the country’s 50th Anniversary Jubilee celebrations.

Saturday’s action is set to commence from 6:00pm with Buxton Bakewell facing Grove Hi Tech of the East Bank, while at 8:00pm Golden Grove are up against another East Bank side Agricola.

The action continues n e x t We d n e s d a y a g a i n

weather permitting, at the same venue and times.

Ann’s Grove tangle with Eagles of Linden, while in the nightcap, BV/Triumph battle Federal Winners Connection also of Linden.

The teams are battling for the Mayor’s cup and $700,000 for the winner, while the other top finishers will cash in on $300,000, $200,000 and $100,000 rewards.

Thursday May 12, 2016

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Kaieteur News

Queensway Security Service arms Curry voted NBA’s GuyanaNRA with $100,000 cheque first unanimous Most Valuable Player

Quality Control Officer of Queensway Security Service, Mr. Ron Marks (2nd left) hands over sponsorship cheque to GuyanaNRA Secretary Ryan Sampson in the presence of Mr. Mahendra Persaud (3rd right) and ranks of Queensway Security Service.

With just days remaining before the reigning Caribbean Short Range shooting champions head to Antigua and Barbuda to defend their title, businessman and fellow shooter Mohamed Qualander has headed to a call to assist the team.

A constant supporter, Qualander through his company, Queensway Security Service made the timely donation of $100,000 to GuyanaNRA Secretary Ryan

Sampson in the presence of Fullbore Captain Mahendra Persaud.

Quality Control Officer of Queensway Security Service, Mr. Ron Marks in handing over the cheque said they have always been supportive of the GuyanaNRA Fullbore Team which has been very dominant in the region for many years.

He noted that they saw the GuyanaNRA in need of support in order to make its

budget of over four million dollars for Antigua and they decided to chip in as they also wish the team every success at the West Indies Fullbore Shooting Championships which would be held from May 16-22 in Antigua and Barbuda.

Marks also stated that the company recognizes the consistent high level of performance of the team for regional and international competitions whilst assur-

ing that Queensway Security Service will continue to support.

Sampson expressed gratitude on behalf of the GuyanaNRA to Marks and Queensway Security Service for their continued support pledging that the team is ready for next week’s action.

The final team practice match is set for Saturday at the Timehri Range whilst the team will wing out on Monday for Antigua and Barbuda.

8th Edward ‘Screw’ Richmond Mem. Football Championships

(Reuters) Stephen Curry on Tuesday scaled heights never reached by NBA greats such as Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan and LeBron James when he became the first unanimous winner of the league’s Most Valuable Player award.

A day after returning from injury to playoff action with an explosive performance for the Golden State Warriors, Curry swept all 131 first-place votes to earn the game’s highest individual honour for a second straight season.

He joined Johnson, Jordan and Steve Nash as the only guards to win the honour in consecutive campaigns, having dazzled NBA fans during the regular season with one astonishing display of shot-making after another.

Already established as one of the league’s greatest ever three-point shooters, Curry led the NBA in scoring with an average of 30.1 points and a record 402 three-point baskets as he led the Warriors to an unprecedented 73-9 mark.

The 28-year-old shot a career-high 50.4 percent from the field and achieved a free throw percentage of 90.8 while averaging 6.7 assists and a career-high 5.4 rebounds in 79 games.

Curry became just the fourth player in NBA history to average at least 30 points, six assists, five rebounds and

two steals in a season, following Rick Barry (1974-75), Jordan (three times) and Dwyane Wade (2008-09).

A pivotal figure for the Warriors as they clinched the NBA championship last season, Curry earned a total of 1,310 points in balloting for the 2015-16 MVP award.

San Antonio Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard (634) was second, followed by Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (631).

Curry’s 2015-16 season is by no means done as he bids to lead the Warriors to a successful defense of their NBA title.

Having played in only two of Golden State’s first eight playoff games after being sidelined by an ankle injury and then a sprained knee, the inspirational point guard returned to action with devastating effect on Monday.

After a successful warmup, he came off the bench and poured in 40 points to lift the Warriors to a 132-125 overtime win against the Portland Trail Blazers and a commanding 3-1 lead in their Western Conference semi-final.

“I don’t think anyone could have predicted the explosion,” Golden State coach Steve Kerr said of Curry, who scored an NBA-record 17 points in overtime. “That was crazy. “The guy had played one basketball game in three weeks.”

New champs to be crowned tomorrow; Entries for GSCL Inc/ NSC Independence Mackenzie High and Wisburg face off A new champion of the Edward ‘Screw’ Richmond Memorial Football tournament would be crowned tomorrow in the Bauxite Mining Town of Linden when Mackenzie High comes up against Wisburg Secondary.

Mackenzie High are chasing their first title, while Wisburg is going after their second; the match is anticipated to be a humdinger of a battle between the archrivals.

The third place match which precedes the championship game will see former champs Christainburg/ Wismar Secondary taking on the Linden Technical Institute from 17:00hrs at the Mackenzie Sports Club ground.

In semi final action on Tuesday at the same venue, three-time and defending champs Christainburg/ Wismar Secondary went down to Wisburg Secondary on account of Brentley

Cup close tomorrow

Anthony Allicock (left) and Jessie Marshall Allicock’s 15th minute strike which ended up being a golden strike.

Finding themselves trailing on account of an own goal, Christainburg/Wismar tried their utmost to squeeze out an equalizing goal but smart and stoic defending by

the Wisburg side ensured they held on for the win and their third try at a championship, which they won once already. In the other semifinal, Mackenzie High School (MHS) put together masterful touches coupled with expert midfield build-ups to

Brentley Allicock dominate a feisty Linden Technical Institute squad which at times seemed mesmerized by their opponent’s play.

MHS went on to win the match 2-0 thanks to goals from Anthony Allicock in the 36th minute and Jessie Marshall in the 62nd minute.

Teams desirous of participating in the Georgetown Softball Cricket League Inc/ National Sports Commission Independence T20 tournament have up until tomorrow to register.

The competition is set to commence on May 20 and conclude on May 22 with matches being played at the Malteenoes SC and GNIC SC. The tournament will be played in the open and masters’ categories with an entrance fee of $50,000. The winning team in the open segment will pocket a trophy and $100,000 and the runner up a trophy and $50,000.

The masters’ champion will take home a trophy and $150,000 and the runner up a trophy and $50,000.

The launching and draw will take place on May 17 at 17:00hrs at GNIC SC. This year marks Guyana’s

50th independence anniversary and the competition has already started to generate much hype among the fans since some of the nation’s leading players will be on show. Double Guyana Softball Cup champions Regal is definitely one of the favourites, but they are expected to face stiff opposition from the likes of Wolf’s Warriors and Floodlight among others.

Among the players expected to grace the tournament are Guyana Softball Cup 5 open MVP Richard Latif, Chien Gittens, Safraz Esau, Fazal Rafiek, Amrit Rai, Azeez Azeez, Vishun Tammechandra, Greg Singh and Lennox Marks in the open division. Likely to feature in the masters category are Mahendra Hardyal, Raymond Harper, Ricky Deonarine, Mike Singh, Mohamed Rafeek, Richard (Conrinued on page 25)

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Thursday May 12, 2016

Kaieteur News

Director of Sport Tony Cozier gone at 75 extends condolences An irreplaceable loss to cricket broadcasting following the death of Tony Cozier Says Sean Devers

On June 10, 1940 Winston Anthony Lloyd “Tony” Cozier made his entry into this world and died yesterday morning at the age of 75 leaving a huge hole in the West Indies cricket media which would be difficult to fill.

The veteran cricket journalist was admitted to a hospital in Barbados on May 3 for tests related to infections in the neck and legs and eventually succumbed to a prolonged period of illness.

Cozier was West Indies’ most revered Radio and TV commentator and cricket journalist, ultimately changing the image of cricket coverage in this part of the World with his calm and eloquent description of shots from Sobers to Chanderpaul.

Born in Bridgetown to Journalist Jimmy Cozier, the Managing Editor of the St Lucia Voice and Founder of the Barbados Daily News, Cozier, like a duck takes to water, naturally gravitated to Journalism. His son Craig also writes on cricket and is a statistician for TV networks covering International matches.

Cozier, a ‘white Bajan’ represented Barbados as a Hockey Goalkeeper and played a bit of cricket at the

Winston Anthony Lloyd “Tony” Cozier

club level. He got into cricket commentary in 1958 and did his first International game in 1965 when West Indies played Australia.

Cozier worked for BBC’s Test match special, Channel 9 in Australia and Sky Sports and was the voice of cricket for the West Indies. He was later joined by another West Indian Broadcasting icon, Joseph ‘Reds’ Perreira, as the only Caribbean voices when West Indies played overseas in the early days.

Cozier narrated ‘50 years of West Indies cricket’ on VOB

and was Editor for West Indies Cricket Annual for 22 years.

The press booth at the Kensington Oval is named after him and in 2011 he was awarded an honorary life member of the MCC for his outstanding contributions to cricket.

During his last days as a writer he was very unhappy with the state of West Indies cricket and the manner in which it was managed by the WICB. He even contemplated suing WICB President Dave Cameron for suggesting he was blind as a reason for not

being considered for TV work.

Cozier is a firm believer in standards and is the consummate professional. “Whatever happens off the field is reflected on the field or in a work place. For instance let’s take the dress code. ‘Doesn’t matter, they only need to be dressed when they go on the field. When they are off the field, they’re young people they would want to dress in the modern way’. Even if it means dressing in arm-hole shirts and looking rugged, not cutting their hair and so on,” Cozier once lamented.

“But yet why has the Police force got uniforms? Banks, you name it, so many areas where you are uniformed because you are part of a team off the field as well. When you are not in a team environment, it’s your business. But when you are travelling with the West Indies team, when you’re in the team - and the team is not only on the field and that’s a big problem we have, the team off the field in hotels, travelling in the team bus, showing themselves to the world not only on the ground but off it,” Cozier stressed, not so long ago.

This writer fell in love with cricket commentary as a nineyear old from listening to a (Continued on page 29)

Director of Sport Christopher Jones has extended condolences following the death of veteran journalist and cricket commentator Tony Cozier.

The message reads: “On behalf of the Government and people of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana I extend deepest condolences to the wife Jillian, children Craig and Natalie, relatives, friends, Government and people of Barbados, West Indies cricket and the global cricket family on the passing of the legendary Tony Cozier.”

“Cozier was unquestionably the leading cricket commentator and writer in the Caribbean. His passing will leave a void that will not be filled.

He was a cricketing institution who graced our shores annually to report and commentate on cricket. He loved Guyana and our people and the Guyanese cricketing fraternity and cricket fans everywhere will certainly miss his insight into the game.

He had a lifelong passion and love for cricket that exuded in his commentary and writings. We pray that his soul rest in peace and his rich

WICB and GCB pays Tribute to Tony Cozier BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) on Wednesday paid tribute to Winston Anthony Lloyd Cozier. The legendary cricket journalist, died on Wednesday morning in Barbados. He was 75 years old. Tony Cozier, as he was known worldwide, was the “voice of West Indies cricket” and covered the game for over 50 years.

He reported on all major events in world cricket during that period and was globallyrespected for his outstanding work as a journalist, writer, historian, radio commentator and television analyst.

He was the editor and publisher of the West Indies Cricket Annual for over 20 years and the Red Stripe Caribbean Cricket Quarterly for a decade. He wrote for several publications in the Caribbean and was a contributor to the Wisden Cricket Almanack.

Tribute from the Office of the President, Board of Directors, and Staff of the WICB reads: “On behalf the

WICB and the various stakeholders in West Indies Cricket we offer sincere condolences to his wife Jillian, his son Craig, his daughter Natalie, his grandchildren and other family and friends. “ “The lifelong work of Tony Cozier centred around West Indies cricket and he made a lasting contribution to the game. He ensured that West Indies cricket fans all around the world received

information and knowledge about their beloved team and their favourite players. His life was dedicated to the game in the Caribbean and we salute him for his outstanding work.”

“He was not just a great journalist, but also a great ambassador. He represented West Indies wherever he went. He educated people around the world about our cricket, our people, our culture and who we are. His voice

was strong and echoed around the cricket world. He enjoyed West Indies victories and shared the pain when we lost. He gave a lifetime of dedicated service and will be remembered by all who came into contact with him.”

Cozier was a member of the Wanderers Cricket Club, where he played cricket alongside Test players Geoffrey Greenidge and Richard Edwards, as well as the late Peter Short, former

President of the WICB. Meanwhile, the executives and staff of the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) are deeply saddened by the passing of Mr. Cozier.

A release from the GCB stated that Cozier was one of the most respected cricket journalist, analyst and historian in the world and was among the best that came out of the Caribbean.

His name goes simultaneously with West Indies cricket as he covered almost every series they played in since 1962.

His passing is a great loss to the cricket fraternity across the world. It is safe to say that in many years to come, stories would be told about his exemplary and stalwart work.

To the family and friends of Tony, we at the GCB share your pain and grief and extend our most heartfelt sympathies for your loss. Our thoughts and prayers are with you at this difficult time. We will miss him, the Caribbean will miss him, the world will miss him and cricket will miss him. Rest peacefully Tony!

legacy lives on forever.”

Meanwhile, one of the country’s and region’s more dynamic sporting organisations, the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club MS, has also expressed sympathy on Cozier’s passing.

The club said in a release, “The Management and members of the Rose Hall Town Youth and Sports Club, M.S would like to extend our deepest sadness over the death of legendary cricket journalist, Tony Cozier. Cozier was not only a Caribbean icon but the voice of West Indies Cricket.

West Indies cricket, in its correct stage cannot afford to lose such a stalwart, whose contribution to the game in the Caribbean would never be forgotten.”

“Cricket to some were a passion but to Tony Cozier it was life and with his sudden death, the West Indies has loved a honest, hardworking and highly knowledgeable servant of the game. We shall all miss his legendary voice, his commitment to West Indies Cricket in good and bad times and his honesty in his commentary and articles. The commentary box in the Caribbean would never be the same as most listeners always looked forward to Tony Cozier and for most of us, his voice would always remain in our ears. Long before the advent of Television, it was legends like Cozier, Joseph ‘Reds’ Perriera, Henry Bolfied, Brian Johnson and Fred Truman who teased our imagination over the radio.”

“For the passionate cricket readers, the Sunday Stabroek News would not be the same again as we all looked forward to his weekly articles which were well researched, to the point and quite passionate about the future of West Indies Cricket.

It is the sincere hope of the RHTYSC, M.S that all of the administrators of West Indies cricket can unite as one and to work for the betterment of the game as an everlasting tribute to this outstanding West Indies icon.

We would like to extend our profound sympathy to the families and friends of Tony Cozier and hope that God would guide them during the difficult moment. The RHTYSC, M.S would honour the late Tony Cozier, a hero to most of our members in a special way later this year.”

Kaieteur News

Thursday May 12, 2016

PAGE 33

Every FOOTBALL STAKEHOLDER should applaud and appreciate Digicel’s effort

By Rawle Welch Schools have begun to prepare for the upcoming Digicel’s Schools’ Football Tournament showpiece which is unquestionably the biggest junior attraction in football.

The telecommunication giant’s vision which was unearthed in 2011 has become the most anticipated junior football spectacle in Guyana with matches being played in all ten regions of this beautiful land allowing scouts, fans and the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) the opportunity to spot the abundance of talent that reside in and outside the Georgetown environ.

Apart from the on-field activities, there are numerous other benefits that are derived from the hosting of the tournament since participants, media and other associated staff gets the chance to witness first hand the assortment ofdifferent cultures and customs in our multi-ethnic composition and not to mention the economic enrichment as well.

There is the advantage of teachers from the participating schools being educated on the rules of the sport which they can then take back to their respective institutions for the benefit of properly preparing the students some of who had no prior knowledge of such, but were eager to participate in this illustrious tournament.

The undertaking as we know is enormous and hats must be off to Digicel for not

The moment it all started in 2011. (Sitting) - The four principals that made it all possible are Digicel CEO Gregory Dean (2nd right), Head of Marketing Jacqueline James (right), Head of Customer Care Sherwyn Osborne and Head of the Organising Committee Lavern Fraser pose with participating schools representatives. only honouring its corporate responsibility, but also playing its part in helping to advance the development of the sport here.

Sport in Guyana has not been given its rightful recognition, but thanks to Digicel and a few other corporate entities who’ve understood the need to invest, quite a few athletes and sports organizations attest to the importance and caring attitude that they’ve demonstrated in the absence of many others.

The five years that the tournament has been played were exciting and beneficial to our young ball weavers and in an effort not to reduce the usual exhilarating anticipation that the event’s

Launch creates, the word around the schools is that four-times champion Christianburg / Wsmar will be the hunted from day one.

The likes of last year’s beaten finalist Chase Academic Foundation, Waramadong, Annai, Lodge Secondary, Dolphin, Berbice High School, Bishop’s High, Queen’s College among others are leaving no stones unturned in their quest to dethrone perennial powerhouse Christianburg / Wismar.

However, the defending champs are no strangers to adversity or even the underdog billing, but their resilience combined with the hunger for success have proven to be the two pillars

that opposing schools find difficult to breakdown.

What is certain is that more and more teams are beginning to commence preparations earlier than previous years and this is because of the increased excitement and level of competition caused by the rivalry among schools as well as the financial assistance that the successful institutions receive from the Company.

Judging from the tournament after six years, it

is clear to see that the standard of play has improved immensely in every Region and while the Top Brass of Digicel had given a timeline of 5-8 years to distinguish the real benefits of the Project, to most observers the success has come at a quicker pace.

After many years of sluggish growth in the sport, one can safely say that the Digicel event served as the force for action in the schools.

It exposed the glaring weaknesses in the development of the sport and

as we see now, there are many offshoots like the Scotia Bank and Milo tournaments and just recently we saw the launch of the GFF Under-17 IntraAssociation Competition.

The sport has never before enjoyed so many participants, it is now more visible in many far flung areas and the young players feel as though their dream of becoming a top flight player is closer to reality than ever.

The cost borne by Digicel to host the event lands in the vicinity of tens of millions of dollars and this effort should be applauded and appreciated by every football stakeholder and each stakeholder should ensure the integrity of the tournament is upheld at all times.

This year’s tournament is scheduled to be launched shortly in time for the 50th jubilee celebrations and many schools have already registered and training after the deal was sweetened by Digicel who provided tickets for the Guyana vs. Canada International game to the first 10 schools that registered, which will have the 2015 finalists from the Digicel’s Schools’ Football Tournament playing an exhibition game against the team they defeated in last year’s final Chase Academy.

Kaieteur News

PAGE 34

Thursday May 12, 2016

Junior Pan American Championships Team Selected T

he Guyana Hockey Board (GHB) has made its final selection of the 18 players, who will be representing the Golden Arrowhead at the Pan American Junior Championships, scheduled for Toronto, Canada from May 20th to 28th, 2016.

The team will now be at full strength after senior national players Hilton Chester, Daniel Hooper and Kareem McKenzie, were facilitated by the Ministry of Education Exams Division through an arrangement with the University of Toronto’s Athletics Department to write their CAPE and CXC exams that take place during the tournament, in Toronto.

Outstanding striker Aroydy Branford has also returned from his stint at Bishops Storford in England to add the cutting edge to a team full of talent.

The majority of the team is scheduled to depart on Monday, May 16 while the three players presently writing their CXC and CAPE examinations will

From Left - Standing: Robert Fernandes (Head Coach), Dwayne Alleyene (Assistant Coach), Ato Greene, Jael Gaskin, Andrew Stewart, Nyron Joseph, Omar Hopkinson, Shaquille Leung, Daniel Hooper, Leon Bacchus, Keon McKenzie, Paramanand Dindial, Mark Sargeant (Captain) & Barrington Browne (Physical Trainer).Kneeling: Hilton Chester, Meshach Sargeant, Michael Hing, Medroy Scotland, Rosario Ramsammy & Ian Burke (Standby Player). Absent from photo is Aroydy Branford. join the team on May 19th.

The core of the team has been together since August of 2014, competing in local tournaments as well as two warm-up tours of Trinidad & Tobago. On their first developmental tour in December of 2014, the team

won 3 of their 4 matches, while during their second tour in August of 2015 they won 7 of their 9 matches, placing second in the Player Tournament.

Eight players were also part of the senior national team which drew 2-2 with

Olympic qualifiers Brazil, on their way to a semifinal berth at the Pan American Challenge in Peru last year.

Experienced midfielder Mark Sargeant, will captain the side which also includes defensive stalwart Andrew Stewart and senior national

goalkeeper Medroy Scotland.

The three newcomers to the team are all multitalented athletes, 14 year old goalkeeper Michael Hing holds a black belt and has represented Guyana in Karate, while both Jael Gaskin and Nyron Joseph

are also squash players, with the latter a multiple national and junior Caribbean champion. The team will open their account against the tournament’s third ranked team, Chile on May 20th, before taking on Mexico the following day, then wrapping up their group play on May 23rd against number two seed Canada.

According to Head coach Robert Fernandes, “This has been my longest preparation period with any team, just about two years.

The boys are extremely fit thanks to the work of fitness trainer Barrington Browne and they need to be, to execute our team concept of out working every team we come up against.

We can’t control our deficiencies due to the lack of an artificial turf which all our opponents in Toronto have access to train and play on daily, but what we can control is our effort when we get on that field.

It will be quite a challenge coming up against the Pan American Region’s best teams but one thing Guyana can be sure of is that we will give everything we have every time we put on our national colours during the week of our 50th independence celebrations.

I would like to personally thank the Guyana Olympic Association for their support.

Wi t h o u t t h e O l y m p i c Solidarity Team Preparation Grant we would have never been able to prepare so well for this tournament and it is obvious that our investment in these players has developed the talent that will form the nucleus of our senior national team for at least the next 15 years.”

National Junior Men’s H o c k e y Te a m : M a r k Sargeant (Cap), Medroy Scotland (GK), Michael Hing (GK), Kareem McKenzie, Keon McKenzie, Daniel Hooper, Shaquille Leung, Meshach Sargeant, R o s a r i o R a m s a m m y, Aroydy Branford, Andrew Stewart, Leon Bacchus, Jael Gaskin, Omar Hopkinson, Hilton Chester, Ato Greene, Paramanand Dindial, and Nyron Joseph.

Standby Players: Ian Burke, Troy Hodge and Rahim Oliver (GK)

Thursday May 12, 2016

Kaieteur News

PAGE 35

Sports Hall upgrades underway ahead of CBC U-16 Championships The much needed upgrade to the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall (CASH) is moving apace as Guyana prepares to host the Caribbean Basketball Confederation (CBC) Under-16 Championship early in July with the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall being the central venue.

Director of Sport, Christopher Jones, Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation (GABF) President, Nigel Hinds, among other Commissioners of the National Sports Commission (NSC), visited the facility yesterday to inspect the works being done.

Jones expressed his satisfaction that those necessary upgrades to host an international tournament will be completed in time.

Currently, works on the players’ locker rooms, which includes setting up working showers and washrooms, is being done.

In addition, interior repainting was also ongoing during the visit; other works that was completed include getting all the interior lights in working condition, as well as fixing the fans for sufficient ventilation. The washrooms for patrons will be redone as well as rehabilitation works to the floor and the media and VIP rooms.

The focus of this process is to bring the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall in line with a facility with the capacity to host any international competition. However, according to an International Basketball Federation (FIBA) rule, the markings for other disciplines have to be removed.

Currently, the Sports Hall houses Badminton, Volleyball and even Futsal on occasion, but for the CBC U-16 Championships the only marking that must be visible on the floor is that of basketball and no other. This is part of the pre-requisite as the host country.

The entrance and exit protocol for the venue will also be changed from what currently occurs and the works to facilitate that has been completed; two new basketball goals will be imported for the venue and the old ones moved to the practice venue at the Gymnasium.

The Cliff Anderson Sports

Director of Sport, Christopher Jones (right) makes a point during yesterday’s inspection of works at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall with GABF President, Nigel Hinds (centre) and manager of the facility, Bashur Khan.

Hall is Guyana’s only indoor sports venue. It has already undergone a facelift externally.

The CBC Executive Evaluation Commission, which included CBC President, Glyne Clarke and CBC VP, Patrick Haynes was in Guyana two weeks ago and also inspected the facility.

Clarke stated that he is assured that the works to be done will be completed since they are mostly “cosmetic”. The male competition of the Caribbean U-16 Championships begins on July 3 while the female contest starts on July 12 at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.

t r o Sp

Tony Cozier gone at 75

An irreplaceable loss to cricket broadcasting

‘A’ Division rout TSU ‘B’ 5-0

Tony Cozier and Sean Devers in Antigua; “I learnt a lot from listening to him talk about broadcasting.” - Sean

Part of the action between D Division and E Division yesterday.

‘A’ Division registered a comfortable 5-0 victory over Tactical Service Unit B team when the Guyana Police Force Inter-Division and Branches 5-a-side football tournament commenced yesterday at Eve Leary.

‘A’ Division dominated the contest throughout and Shawn Josiah put them ahead early on before extending the lead with two more strikes. Andrew Charles then netted a double to give his team a comprehensive victory.

‘D’ Division overcame a spirited ‘E’ Division side to win 1-0. Both teams had several chances to score, but shots went just wide. After a goalless first half, the teams continued to battle feverishly, but Jermaine Castello expertly sent his left foot shot between the uprights to hand ‘A’ Division the

From violence to the Olympics, all in their hometown

lead. ‘E’ Division almost had an equaliser, but Keion Alexander shot went just wide of goal seconds before the final whistle.

Police Headquarters edged Special Constabulary 1-0 with Akeem Stuart finding the back of the net. Presidential Guard beat Swat 1-0 courtesy of a Javon Calobeaury strike while ‘B’ Division got the better of Felix Austin Police College 1-0 through a John Caesar goal.

Presidential Guard ‘B’ gained a walk over from FAPC ‘B’ Division and FAPC ‘B’ team got a walk over from TSU ‘A’ team.

The competition continues on Friday at 13:00 hrs while there will also be a 4-team female round robin competition involving ‘A’ Division, HQ, FAPC ‘A’ and ‘B’ teams.

(Zaheer Mohamed)

Brazilian badminton players Lohaynny Vicente (front), 20, and her sister Luana Vicente, 22, play against Japanese Chisato Hoshi and Naru Shinoya during the 31st Brazil International Badminton Cup in Sao Paulo, Brazil, March 12, 2016. (REUTERS/NACHO DOCE)

Curry voted NBA’s first unanimous MVP

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry with the 2014-2015 & 2015-2016 NBA Most Valuable Player trophies at Oracle Arena. (Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports)

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