Kaieteur News

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Kaieteur News

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

Begging has become

A WAY OF LIFE Guyana is very rich in natural resources, but begging has become a major issue in Georgetown and other areas of the country. Indeed, something has gone terribly wrong in Guyana where in recent times there has been an upsurge in begging based on the large number of persons, including children, who are asking the public for money daily.

This issue is so sensitive that no one wants to discuss it for fear of being seen as attacking instead of helping the poor.There is hardly a street in the city without beggars.

They are everywhere.The public is likely to encounter them at shopping centers, supermarkets, fast-food restaurants, rum shops and night clubs or at the markets. It appears that begging has become the new growth industry in Guyana.

Begging has become a major social issue, a public nuisance, an obvious personal tragedy. It is a tragic situation for the unfortunate in society to be in. The previous administration was oblivious of it, now it is up to this government to get to the root of the problem and solve it before it becomes more of an irritant in society. It should be noted that the survival of the rich depends on the actions and behavior of the poor.

Once upon a time, there were a few street beggars mostly around Georgetown. For some of them, it was a profession of sorts, for others, it was for their survival. Then there are a few who reportedly earned more money from begging to deposit into a bank account than many hardworking persons in gainful employment.

In Guyana, begging has traditionally been a difficult decision for the average citizen, especially for women, even in cases where they had fallen on hard times. Pride was a major factor that prevented women from begging.

They had preferred to suffer in silence and perhaps die of starvation before becoming a beggar. They would only ask close relatives and friends for help. The bonds of family and friendship were so strong back then that people felt it was their responsibility to assist those in their community who had unfortunately suffered setbacks. Today, times have changed, as people have become more individualistic and selfish and no longer believe in being their brothers’ or sisters’ keeper.

A number of beggars who are roaming the streets are young men. Most are without proper clothing and their appearance and behavior leave little doubt that they need money to satisfy their appetite for illegal drugs. Others have mental issues and would not seek treatment. But not only young men are beggars, quite a number of senior citizens on fixed income are also asking relatives,friends and even strangers for help, mainly to buy food or pay for other necessities. In these tough economic times, the government subsidies they were getting for utilities were slashed by the new government in return for G$3,875increase in their pensions which is some cases is less than the subsidies.

Generally, most beggars have always claimed to be hungry so as to get sympathy from the public and would be donors. But when they are offered a meal instead of money, they would become upset and abusive because their preference is for cash.

The plight of some beggars is compounded by the fact that relatives and friends who previously may have assisted them, are also struggling to make ends meet, and are no longer able to help out as they did before.

The government has to devise a strategy to help some beggars return to a productive life style. Agencies aligned with the Ministry of Social Protection are ideally suited to take the lead in this regard.

The government is obligated to put an end to widespread begging. Their plight must be addressed with a sense of urgency and compassion by the government to help return them to a normal life. Guyana would be betteroff without beggars.

Friday October 23, 2015

Letters... Where your views make the news

Time for President Granger to intervene in this Diwali row DEAR EDITOR, For more than a week now, Guyana and especially the Hindu community have been assailed by the tug-of-war that is ongoing over the Diwali date.

One group, the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha, is insisting on November 11th being the date for Diwali.

Another group- the Viraat Sabha, backed by the Pandits’s Council and Gandhi Youth Organization, says it is November 10th.

This is a major embarrassment that has taken a life of its own in the public.

For 40-odd years, the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha, has been setting the date.

The Hindus are now watching in disbelief as tempers flare and the Minister of National Security, Khemraj Ramjattan, saying that the date is November 10th.

Mr. Editor, Hindus are now observing an annual tradition of

fast…an auspicious time in which we ponder on our existence. It is not good what is playing out now.

I am calling on President David Granger to get involved, in bringing the Hindu groups to the table urgently so that a resolution can be reached.

It is a time for unity and we cannot afford to waste any more time.

It is not a time for politics but a time for our leaders to step up to the plate.

Frustrated Hindus

The M&CC should consider implementing a Community Service Programme for Litter Offenders DEAR EDITOR, The recently launched ‘name and shame’ anti-littering campaign by the Mayor and City Council (M&CC) has been praised by some and condemned by others. However, I believe the campaign is not the most effective and can be interchanged with a Community Service Programme. Litter can be expensive to clean up, so the act of littering has been made a fineable offense by statute in many places. Litter also harms the environment, property values and other economic activities hindering national development.

The most common type of litter found in the city are food packaging materials, Styrofoam, bottles, cans, plastics, papers, metals and large collect of waste materials.

In order to discourage littering, it is imperative that criminal penalties be enforced that punish unwanted behaviour. In some countries, these penalties vary whereby the weight and

volume of litter determines the severity of the crime while in others the penalties vary based on the type of litter, imposing penalties for dumping large items. In Guyana, we have the Litter Enforcement Regulations, 2013, which is enforced by the Environmental Protection Agency through its Enforcement and Compliance Division.

The Regulations speaks about the penalties under the following litter offences: 1.Depositing litter in a public place 2.Disposal of litter from a motor vehicle 3.Failure of owner of bus to provide receptacle for litter 4.Offenses of litter premises There is also the Municipal District Councils Act, Chapter 28:01 which governs the work of the M&CC. The M&CC handles waste matters by enforcing the provisions of the City of Georgetown (Collection and Disposal of Waste) and Offensive Matter (Removal) By-laws and the Public

Health Ordinance. However, Guyana still lacks specific legislation on Solid Waste Management and current legislations are said to overlap each other. A draft Solid Waste Management Bill was taken to Cabinet in February 2014 for discussions.

The bill sought to bring order to the way in which solid waste is managed through a solid waste management authority and provides for enforcement and penalties.

Perhaps attention should be refocused on the draft Solid Waste Management Bill as soon as possible.

In the meantime, I commend the M&CC for embarking on several cleanup programs to restore Georgetown as the Garden City. And as mentioned, I have observed the scores of attention gained by the current ‘name and shame’ anti-littering campaign.

It is my view, if the campaign is a temporary one then the impact it seeks (Continued on page 31)

Friday October 23, 2015

Kaieteur News

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Letters... Where your views make the news Letters... Where your views make the news

Contextualizing the Ministerial salary increases DEAR EDITOR, The criticisms rage on against the 50% pay increase for APNU-AFC Ministers.

But is the increase judged on its merits, or against APNUAFC political declarations and promises and alleged PPP’s excesses, as perceived by a sensitive and alert electorate? PPP’s alleged excesses are one factor against which the increases were condemned.

S n i f f i n g a n electioneering opportunity the PPP said that it will not accept salary increases for its Parliamentarians. This looks like a cheap political stunt.

Recall it started out by describing its share of the increase as “chicken feed”.

There are many dimensions to this case, including context and the way it was handled and the amount involved. The negative political impact from

criticisms is obvious for the first two. However, the elements of affordability and failure to deliver a 20% increase to deserving civil servants seem less persuasive. First, “context is everything” (Freddie K i s s o o n ’s i n s i g h t f u l contribution to understanding the mood of the electorate in this matter is welcomed).

Machiavelli thought that ‘appearance is everything’.

J o s e p h H a r m o n ’s explosion was a significant transgression (unapologetic looks arrogant: public perception), which added unnecessary pressure to the APNU-AFC cause. One is almost certain that he regrets that moment, and probably wishes he could take it back.

The trouble is he still could, and the time to do so is now. Part of the public relations failure was the

trooping-out of APNU-AFC spokespersons one after another, offering different explanations. It looked like they were finding excuses in light of withering criticisms, and their approach turned into a spectacular public relations fiasco. In cases like these, most of the time, the damage comes from subsequent ridicule, rather than from the gravity of the initial act itself.

Second, the criticism that Mr. Harmon “misunderstood his role” (justification r e q u i r e d n o t a p o l o g y, Lincoln Lewis) is politically consequential. Reasonable justification is a critical factor in the public space.

Did Mr. Harmon assume that the electorate would excuse the act( 50% increase) by judging it far less harshly when set against the string of alleged excesses and illegalities by

Chinese Leaders institute new measures to stamp out corruption DEAR EDITOR, The Chinese Communist Party, in their ongoing efforts to stamp out corruption, has taken a decision to ban its members from membership to golf clubs or from playing golf.

This was done in order to prevent party members from interacting with others who are perceived to be wealthy and could potentially influence them in politically immoral ways.

Party members and government officials are already prevented from engaging in highly conspicuous lifestyles and the hosting of extravagant social events at the expense of taxpayers.

Further, no gifts are to be accepted by public officials whether in cash or kind regardless of how modest they might be. Several high ranking officials including senior party leaders have

been sent to jail on corruption charges and for a b u s e o f p o w e r. T h e Communist Party of China must be given credit for the no-nonsense approach it is taking to minimize corruption in China.

Hydar

the PPP and because, the beneficiaries will earn the money openly and lawfully, and not through any shady act, such as embezzlement?.

These are costly misunderstandings of public perception. Indeed, the condemnations seemed to have been provoked in light of alleged PPP excesses, which the APNU-AFC provided political leadership to condemn, and the electorate supported them.

The increases therefore appear to be hypocritical to the electorate. Even if the issue is different, the mood seems to be that we will not tolerate more of the same.

Timing is also an issue, not because there is anything intrinsic about timing, but because of how it is perceived (they just got in and they are already helping themselves. Look out, worse is to come). Third is the amount. What seemed to have drawn the most anger from critics is the perception that the increase is extravagant, especially when judged against the low salaries of public servants.

The large numbers in Guyana dollars actually betray its real value however.

A basic salary of about US 250,000 over a five year term in office for a Senior Minister is not extravagant.

If one were to consider a politician as a person who must do a professional job in the field of national policy making and implementation, with major consequences for the future of the country, then the question is whether the amount is unreasonable.

In most cases salary is a function of responsibility and competencies required.

Why should Ministers of government be different?

When viewed from the perspective of what a Minister is accountable for the increase is not unreasonable, given the starting point. If the starting point was (US 360,000) a year (the salary of the former CEO Bharrat Dindyal of GPL) and 50% was added then there may be a real problem. Another source of anger is a perception of affordability. The country may be able to afford to pay the Ministers more now, but can it afford the whole increase to both the Ministers and the rest of the Civil service in one fell swoop? Unlikely! But is this a sufficient reason not to grant the increase to the

Ministers? If it is not possible to grant a promised 20% increase to civil servants at once, this cannot be because of the 50% increase granted to Ministers. Indeed, the 50% increase amounts to a rather small proportion of what will be needed to pay a 20% increase to all public servants.

Finally, the idea that the amount of salary makes no difference to corrupt tendencies may be true for the kleptomaniac, but not necessarily for most normal people. The assumption would have to be that everyone is corrupt, a very offensive assumption. Like most offenses, corruption is not natural human behavior, it is learned and deviant and a function of opportunity and circumstances. Unless corrupt practices are tolerated/accepted/encourag ed throughout a polity the amount paid, given standards of living, could make a difference since deviants are the ones likely to act corruptly, irrespective of amount paid.

Ivor Carryl

Friday October 23, 2015

Kaieteur News

Arrest should serve as warning, says St Kitts-Nevis foreign minister BASSETERRE, St Kitts (WINN) — The arrest of former Antiguan ambassador John Ashe in the United States should serve as a warning to others, according to St Kitts and Nevis Foreign Affairs Minister Mark Brantley.

US authorities earlier this month charged the former United Nations General Assembly president with taking bribes from a Chinese billionaire.

Ashe is accused of taking $1.3 million, spending the cash on luxury goods.

Brantley says diplomats as well as politicians should take note.

“It is a warning to all of us, diplomats, politicians and others, that we are to conduct matters in accordance with the law in a fair and transparent manner, and I feel that, if there is any lesson to be learned from this, it is that all of us need to be careful and cautious and ensure that at all times we scrupulously adhere to the best practices, and conduct ourselves in accordance with the law,” Brantley told WINN.

Former United Nations General Assembly President Dr John Ashe (left) and St Kitts and Nevis Minister of Foreign Affairs and Deputy Premier of Nevis Mark Brantley The Ashe situation continues to attract comments.

Political advisor Dr Isaac Newton says Antiguan Prime Minister Gaston Browne was too quick to throw Ashe “under the bus”, especially since the former diplomat has not yet been convicted of wrongdoing.

Newton, who is a former ambassador as well, described Browne’s actions as “unfortunate.”

He charged that the Antigua and Barbuda Labour Party (ABLP) has had a long

history of corruption allegations, and if he applied the same practice to the party, there are people who he would have to distance himself from too.

Brantley says he hopes the Ashe matter will be resolved in accordance with the law. “I do not know... the particulars of this matter, but it is my hope that the matter however, will be resolved in accordance with the law there, and I hope that that is a signal to all of us.

(Caribbean News)

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Kaieteur News

Friday October 23, 2015

Billions siphoned off from Transport Kamla’s leadership on and Harbours Dept. in 2003-2007 the line - December 5 – Min. Patterson tells Parliament Trinidad Express - The United National Congress (UNC) has set a date for its internal election. All positions will be contested, including that of political leader, a post Kamla Persasd-Bissessar has held since defeating contenders Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj and Basdeo Panday in January 2010.

Persad-Bissessar’s post is expected to be challenged, and there is a growing lobby for Panday’s daughter and former member of parliament for Oropouche West Mickela Panday to offer herself for the leadership position.

In April 2014, Jack Warner resigned as Chairman of the UNC, a day after giving up his ministerial portfolio in government.

He was replaced by acting chairman Khadijah Ameen.

That same year, Lyndira Oudit, who along with Dr Roodal Moonilal and Suruj Rambachan were elected as deputy political leaders, quit the UNC and her post as Senate vice president.

The failure of the UNC to hold executive elections when constitutionally due, has been widely criticised by party insiders and political pundits.

And Persad-Bissessar’s leadership is in question, since after winning the May 2010 general election, she led the UNC to a series of defeats, culminating in the Peoples Partnership losing government on September 7 2015.

In a statement on We d n e s d a y, t h e p a r t y ’s disclosed that at a meeting held that day at Rienzi Complex, Couva, it was decided that the election would be held on December 5. Voting will take place between the hours 8a.m. and 8p.m at venues to be announced.

Nomination Day is November 20 and forms must be delivered to Rienzi Complex, Couva by 4p.m. on that day.

Nomination form will be available from Friday between 8.30a.m. and 4p.m at Rienzi Complex, Couva.

By Abena Rockcliffe Major discrepancies have been found in a few of the Auditor General’s reports on financial statements of the Transport and Harbours Department over the years 2003-2007.

It appears as if billions of dollars have been siphoned off from the revenue of this Department, which falls under the Ministry of Public Infrastructure previously known as the Ministry of Public Works.

The money went unaccounted for under the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic, while Anthony Xavier was Minister of Public Works.

Yesterday, Minister of Public Infrastructure David Patterson, despite being disrupted by Opposition Chief Whip, Gail Teixeira, read excerpts from the reports.

He indicated that over the years, the Department’s income was grossly understated and the expenses were inflated.

Patterson was then interrupted by the Speaker of the National Assembly, Dr.

Barton Scotland who told the Minister that he would not allow the reading of the excerpts, since the document he was reading from was not circulated, neither was it on the Order Paper.

Patterson had to momentarily take his seat, but the Clerk of the National Assembly, Sherlock Isaacs, quickly clarified that it was indeed on the Order Paper and was likewise circulated.

Given the opportunity to speak again, Patterson indicated that the document he read from was available since 2012 but the PPP/C, “for obvious reasons,” refused to have it laid in the House.

In 2003, the amount of $597M was reported as income for the Transport and Harbours Department.

However, a review by the Auditor General disclosed an income of $639M – a difference of $43M between the actual income and the stated amount.

In addition, daily revenue returns that were prepared and sent by the outstation were not presented for audit verification. As a result, details of revenue collected at

Minister of Public Infrastructure, David Patterson outstations could not be verified.

Also, amounts totaling $156.4M were stated as expended for the administrative expenses.

However, the general ledger reflected the amount of $154.5M, giving a difference of just over 1.9M. As a result, the accuracy, completeness and validity of the amount expended could not have been ascertained.

Again in 2004, the operating income was stated as $332.1M. However, the AG’s report showed an income of $639M – a difference of $307M. The trend continued in 2005. In that year, $362.8M represented the operating income earned but an analysis

of the revenue reflected the amount $658.3M. It was found that the revenue collected was understated by $295.5M. The year 2006 was no different. In that year, $488M was declared revenue but an analysis reflected the amount $805.2M was understated by $317.2.

Then in 2007, $718M was declared as the revenue for that year but it was actually $830.4M understated by $112.3M. “Because of the significance of the matters described in the preceding paragraphs, I do not express an opinion on the financial statements,” said the Auditor General in his report.

Friday October 23, 2015

Kaieteur News

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THE GOOD LIFE AND BECOMING A LAWYER The legal profession was given a tremendous boost when it was recently announced that a junior lawyer was earning more than a Minister of the government.

Soon after this announcement, it is understood that a great many young people began to eye the legal profession. No wonder so many of them are upset that the establishment of a full law school in Guyana is not high on the agenda of the government.

This is denying them a shot at the good life, especially the good life working as a junior partner in a law firm.

Now that we have an idea of what some lawyers are earning in private practice, the debate should be reopened on the amount that is prescribed for the payment of professional tax certificates for lawyers.

If someone as a junior counsel is earning more than a Minister used to earn, then surely there can be little objection to the payment of the fee proposed by the Guyana Revenue Authority for the professional tax certificate for lawyers.

The fact, however, is that not all junior lawyers are not

earning above what Ministers earn. Many of them are “catching tail”. Many of them are not earning enough to pay their rentals.

So the legal profession is not as attractive as it is sometimes made out to be.

Many junior lawyers, for example, cannot branch out on their own because they may not get clients.

As such, a great many of them are seeking government jobs. They should first consider a career in the military, even if it is as a sentry.

This will enhance their CV and allow them to nail down a big job eventually within the government.

Many others are trying out for attachments with major law firms which normally get the big cases that would allow them to pay their lawyers attractively.

Regardless of the difficulties, a great many young people are keen on becoming lawyers. Many of them are doing Law at the advanced level in school in the hope of gaining admission to the law degree programme of the University of Guyana which is far cheaper than having to enter either Hugh Wooding or

Mona. Unfortunately, there seems to be limited spaces to the University of Guyana’s Law Degree programme, with the result that even students who excel in Law at the advanced level are unable to gain acceptance into the programme.

Many of those denied places are complaining and amongst the complaints are comparisons of the qualifications of those who got in with those who did not.

A few weeks ago, a young man was admitted to the Bar. In the report in the media on his admission it was stated that after passing his CSEC subjects he applied to the University Law Degree programme and gained admission, did his four years and then proceeded overseas to complete his training.

In this context, it will create some consternation amongst applicants that only a few years back someone could have gained admission into the University of Guyana’s Law Programme with CSEC subjects but today, even good passes at CAPE, would not allow for admission. It is disappointing for a young person to have the

dream of going to Law School, gain an ‘A’ grade in Law at the CAPE, have other decent passes at the same level and yet be unable to gain acceptance to UG’s Law Degree programme.

There is no evidence that the selection system is unfair.

What I do know is that many young people are not able to pursue their dreams

because of the limited number of places available for the Law Degree programme at the University of Guyana.

It is suggested therefore that the University clearly indicate the minimum qualifications needed to gain entry into Law School and at the same time try to increase the number of places available so that no one is left out.

Everyone deserves a shot at the good life and that includes all those hoping to one day become Junior counsel.

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Kaieteur News

Friday October 23, 2015

=== The Freddie Kissoon column ===

TWO DANGEROUS MISTAKES RULERS CANNOT HELP MAKING

Time passes and the unruly things governments do are quickly forgotten. They say time is a great friend to people who want the world to forget about the shame they brought upon themselves.

Most polls would probably find Bill Clinton either as the most or second most or third most popular politician in the US. Gone from the memory of the Americans is the Monica Lewinsky scandal.

As the APNU-AFC Government settles in, and the years move on, it is doubtful that Guyanese will remain an-

gry about the untidy and secretive way the salary increase for the governmental leadership was done. But it could have been avoided. No regime wants to do things to a country that would cause national vexation.

It happens but regimes do not set about doing it just for fun or because they don’t care. Two factors make governments do unpalatable things. And it is doubtful that the newly elected Canadian and Trinidadian Prime Ministers will be exempted.

One is that an unimagin-

able workload divorces politicians from the prevailing mood of their supporters unlike when they were in opposition. This comes close to being a scientific process.

Travels, meetings, horrible office hours just dominate leaders’ days and nights and they become incredibly distant from the lives of their constituencies.

They simply lose touch with the people of their country. By the time they realize it, they would have made some dangerous mistakes. I think the salary increase is the out-

come of this situation.

Here is a pyrotechnical example. When you are on the streets denouncing the heartless government, truck drivers invite you to their homes and discuss how onerous is the restricted hours for them to transport sand. You promise them solutions. After the elections, you become a Minister and you may never encounter those truckers in a long, long while.

In the meantime their problem festers and you and your party earn their wrath. It was Dr. David Hinds who argued forcefully that the new administration lost touch with the feelings of the nation, so it could not anticipate the rush of blood from Guyanese after the salary increase was announced.

The APNU-AFC politicians were no longer on the ground so they couldn’t understand that people didn’t expect big salary hikes for the Ministers so soon after they took over the reins of office.

There is no alternative for politicians who take up office.

They simply have to shape their time to make sure they are never far away from the pulse of the nation. Frankly, I do not see that quality in our present school of rulers and in the opposition PPP. We

have not produced such Rodneyite politicians; maybe in the future but they do not exist at the moment.

The second inherent failing in rulers (among others of course, one of which must be mentioned – the tendency to become obsessed with authority because you now have power) is the inability to treat popularity with cautiousness.

I believe the fantastic popularity of the new administration has contributed to the salary increase mistake.

Guyana had twenty three years of a very uncaring cabal. People were emotional about the NagamootooGranger unity team.

When the unity train toppled the PPP, national euphoria effervesced like the Champaign when the cork was released. The danger with popularity is that it can go to your head and you believe you can do anything because after all you are well loved. I suspect this was the psychology at the time the salary increase was planned.

The APNU-AFC team probably thought, maybe in honest ways, that it would be accepted because people had feelings for the new kids on the block, and would understand and approve the moves

Frederick Kissoon of their leaders.

The nation will have to wait and see how the APNUAFC handles these two bedeviling instincts that are inherent in the possession of power. As a friend of the new government I would like to see them remain on the path of righteousness.

I also know many of the Ministers for a long time now.

But my first loyalty is to my conscience and the people I live among. I owe it to the Guyanese people to point out when lapses are made that can affect my country, adversely.

The nation cannot expect educated leaders to work for the low income that has dogged this country for so long. Ministers are entitled to a paypacket that carries respect.

The salary fiasco wasn’t in the money itself but in the timing, explanation and strategizing. Time is going, Christmas is around the corner and this mistake will fade into the wind. But is there more to come?

Dem boys seh...

When man let a small thing control him Some things does act like magnet pun a man brain to de extent that sometimes people does wonder whether man got a brain at all.

De most important and powerful man in de world at one time, Bill Clinton, end up allowing he digit to rule his head. It nearly cost him his wuk and his marriage but he manage to survive.

De man who head de prison had de same leadership problem as Clinton. He see and he eye ketch fire. De next thing that happen is that he digit get in de way. He is not de most powerful man in Guyana and he didn’t name Clinton. He was de most powerful man in de jail system. He and Clinton had one thing in common—all two of dem TON up since dem ain’t got much difference

between Clin-ton and Wel-ton.

But de digit cost him his wuk. Dem boys seh that dem wonder wha de digit was doing when he appear before Soulja Bai to collect he national award. He luck run out when Soulja Bai win de election.

When de digit get he in trouble in January, Jagdeo cover it down. In fact he cover it down so deep that Rohee couldn’t even do nutten. Jagdeo was he protection and he was Jagdeo rod and staff.

De frightening thing is that he was in de force and right now it look like all dem senior police officer allowing dem digit to mek dem do things to lose de wuk. Dem got a senior one who mek de same mistake till in de Rupununi.

When dem boys ask a big one he seh that somebody mek a mistake when he was sharing brains. He put de brains in de wrong place. Cricketers start to wear de box long before dem start to wear helmet. That is how important de digit is but Wel-ton mustn’t tell de magistrate that when he go back before she.

He got to be on he best behavior. Is a woman who land him before de court; is a woman who seh he must get charge and is a woman who gun try him. De PS who tell him to go home is a woman. He didn’t learn from some of dem who end up in jail fuh de same kind of trouble.

Talk half and beware of de digit.

Friday October 23, 2015

Kaieteur News

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Process to re-accredit UG School of Medicine will be very costly - Dean

The process of regaining accreditation of the University of Guyana School of Medicine will be a very costly undertaking, says Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences, Dr Emmanuel Cummings.

The School of Medicine earlier this year lost its accreditation status from the Jamaica based accreditation body, Caribbean Accreditation Authority for Education in Medicine and other Health Professions (CAAM-HP).

This development will in essence reduce the value of the degrees of 46 students who will graduate this year end. Without accreditation, the UG medical degree will no longer be on par with similar degrees in CARICOM territories.

Reclaiming the accredited status, Dr Cummings said, could cost over US$35,000; the equivalent of G$7 million.

“The last time that CAAM-HP came here the visit cost US$25,000 and that was back in 2012 and we usually have to pay that up front,” Dr. Cummings said. Payment, according to him, is usually made by UG but could very well be too steep for the University on this occasion. Dr Cummings said that the support of Government will be instrumental in funding the process.

The visiting CAAM-HP team usually travels first class to the country requesting accreditation and is accommodated at a five star hotel.

The visit usually lasts for one week, but because of the loss of accreditation, CAAMHP is likely to undertake a more intense process of verifying that the School of Medicine is in order.

“The last time they stayed at the Pegasus but this time they will stay at the Marriott, so funding the visit could see about US$10,000 being added to what was paid in 2012,” Dr. Cummings speculated.

This cost, however, will not include the funds that will be required to put in place the recommendations of CAAMHP to improve the School of Medicine ahead of the visit.

According to Dr. Cummings, moves are already apace for the institution to commence a self study of the School of Medicine, which will culminate with the compilation of a very detailed report outlining what measures were put in place to remedy all concerns of the accreditation body.

According to Dr. Cummings, money will have to be expended to hire consultants, upgrade facilities and prepare documents, among other things.

It is expected that the School of Medicine will be able to complete the selfstudy by this year end and submit a report to CAAM-HP by early next year. But accord-

ing to the Dean, “this thing is not just about submitting a report. You have to have evidence, you have to show your development, you have to show changes, the improvements, you have to show that you are upgrading the facilities, you have to show a commitment from Government to do this, you have to show that the Medical School is an important part of the University and therefore you have to show that the University administration is on board.”

“The report, when completed will be a big thick document with information that can full an average size carton. You have to send five hard copies of these documents to CAAM-HP.” Dr. Cummings disclosed the information provided will be thoroughly scrutinised before CAAM-HP designates a date to visit the Medical School.

“They will then put together an ad hoc five-member team of medical educators and they will be accompanied by the Executive Director.

“When they come to visit, they are coming to verify what you have in your report. If you say that you have reviewed your curriculum that is what they will come to see...that evidence. They want evidence that there were lots of meetings, you did workshops and that you hired a consultant. You can’t just tell them, you have to show minutes of all the activities that you did and how you went about doing it...it is a very expensive process.”

CAAM-HP’s pending site visit, Dr. Cummings noted, would therefore be one that seeks to ascertain that all of the 144 standards as detailed by the body are adhered to by the School of Medicine.

The standards are divided into sections that address institutional settings, medical students, educational programme, educational resources, faculty, internship and professional development.

Stressing the importance of accreditation, Dr. Cummings said that because Guyana is a signatory to the Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME), which al-

lows for professionals to work within the CARICOM region without a work permit, the School of Medicine was required to be accredited by CAAM-HP. This process is done in order to ensure that

the degrees throughout CARICOM are equivalent.

According to the CAAMHP website (www.caam.hp. org), the body is the legally constituted body established in 2003 under the aegis of the

Caribbean Community (CARICOM), empowered to determine and prescribe standards and to accredit programmes of medical, dental, veterinary and other health professions on behalf

of the contracting parties in CARICOM. Dr. Cummings therefore pointed out that “you have to meet certain minimum standards in order for your degree to be worth anything...”

Page 12

Kaieteur News

Friday October 23, 2015

Guyana Civil Aviation Authority understaffed, lags behind the technology curve - Director General (ag) The Guyana Civil Aviation Authority (GCCA) is woefully understaffed, behind the curve with technology, and its regulatory framework is in urgent need of revamping.

These were among some of the critical observations coming out of the first ever Aviation Conference held locally, with participation from the Regional and International fraternity.

Acting Director General, Chaitranie Heeralall detailed some of the challenges facing the GCAA last Monday, while addressing attendees at the opening of the conference at the Arthur Chung International Convention Centre.

According to Heeralall, GCAA’s staffing strength has never been revised since its

establishment some 14 years ago. Her call for the strengthening of the agency was made in light of the recognition of the importance of the industry to the country’s national development.

To this end, Heeralall said, “we must pay attention to all the pillars of aviation…the pillars of aviation are airlines, airports, air navigation services providers and the Guyana Civil Aviation Authority, which is the safety oversight body for all aviation activities.”

She noted that as it relates to airlines, airports and air navigation services providers, these sectors have all ‘taken flight’ while the safety, oversight and regulatory body—GCCA—

has been stagnated.

According to Chaitranie, the Civil Aviation Body which was founded 14 years ago still operates under the same structure.

The GCAA Director (ag) said that “while the aviation industry has grown ten-fold,” the human capacity of the Civil Aviation Authority “is still where it was (14 yearsago) at the formation of the authority.

“This we certainly need to address; this is one of the most critical areas and the challenges of this industry.”

According to the GCAA Director, it is imperative to ensure that all of the various sectors that fall within the industry grow together, “so that we can have a strong system.”

TECHNOLOGY On the matter of the use of technology, Heeralall said this was another area that also needs to be urgently addressed.

She observed that “aviation has gone miles ahead of a lot of other industries where technology is concerned.”

The GCAA Director (ag), in seeking to point out the disparity in the use of existing technology recalled a confab where pilots had publicly empathized with air traffic controllers, since the avionics (flying) technology, “has run away and left the air traffic control aspect of it.”

“In the cockpit, when the pilot has all the bells and whistles to point out when things are going wrong, the air traffic controllers do not.”

The Director General’s concerns were also shared by Minister within the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Annette Ferguson, who, in addressing the opening of the aviation conference, also lamented the state of affairs.

According to Ferguson, “despite its noted importance in Guyana’s national development, the sector faces numerous challenges such as, a weak regulatory regime, shortage of skilled personnel, underdeveloped search and rescue system, limited international routes and global connectivity, no national airline, poor state of hinterland aerodromes.”

Increased capacity in its aviation sector is among the obligations Guyana would have signed onto through a

number of international conventions.

According to Ferguson, Guyana must once again find itself among the countries of the world that are compliant with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Standards and Recommended Practices.

“We must invest in infrastructure that will aid our efforts to meet the timelines established in the global aviation safety plan and the global air navigation plan.

“Key to achieving this is a successful completion of Guyana’s ICAO Compliance Project, which has received my Government’s support.”

“I am confident we will achieve the much talked about US FAA Category One status.”

Broomes orders probe into alleged exploitation of Princess Hotel employees - physical assault, no overtime Exploitation, adverse working conditions and physical assault were among the plethora of complaints that employees leveled yesterday against management of the Princess International Hotel and Casino.

The complaints were made to Minister with responsibility for Labour, Simona Broomes, who immediately dispatched a team to investigate the allegations.

Kaieteur News was told that a number of employees from the International Hotel and Casino in recent days have been lodging complaints

with the Ministry over the now seemingly unbearable situation.

Among some of the complaints lodged with Minister Broomes were the erratic manner which some employees are being paid, compounded with the fact that overtime and other allowances are not paid.

According to one of the employees, the company is in the habit of sometimes paying some of the staff every other month.

In what also appears to be a violation of the local labour laws, the Minister also heard

that employees at the International Hotel are being forced to work beyond the stipulated minimum working hours per week.

The Minister at this stage inquired as to overtime payments, and was informed that employees are not paid overtime.

This, she said, was unacceptable and would not be condoned as it constitutes a violation of Guyana’s labour laws.

The Minister was also presented with a number of testimonials signed by other employees at the

paid among litany of complaints International Hotel complaining of maltreatment.

At face value, according to Minister Broomes, the documents appear to constitute evidence of victimization and discrimination.

The employees also complained of physical assault. Some of those lodging complaints claimed that they were sometimes shoved, while being ordered to attend to the tables of certain customers. Some customers, according to the

employees, are afforded extra special treatment as dictated

by Management. These, they said, included, but were not limited to, Ministers of the previous administration.

Some employees said that incidents of sexual assault have stopped since the recent widespread publication of an incident which occurred at the entity.

After listening to the allegations, the Minister took a decision to dispatch a team to the hotel to investigate the

alleged breaches immediately, with a view to taking affirmative action should the allegations prove true.

The Minister said that she was informed that similar complaints were previously lodged against the hotel’s employers; complaints which appear to not only have been ignored, but were also repeated to the alleged perpetrators.

Those employees would have reportedly found themselves on the receiving end of being victimized but Minister Broomes sought to assure those lodging complaints now that “this Minister ain’t want meals write off, this Minister ain’t want gifts, this Minister ain’t want anything, this Minister come to serve the people of Guyana.”

“I am not going to have this one run over, I am going to deal with this one,” Minister Broomes assured the employees, while stating that the probe would be a thorough one.

The Minister in seeking to send a message to both employers and employees said that “anywhere you go and work in Guyana, anywhere in this country employers and employees will have to take a different tone.”

She said workers in Guyana must not be made to work as slaves merely to profit employers. “You are providing a service, you have a right, your rights need to be protected and your wages that you work for need to be paid to you.”

Friday October 23, 2015

Kaieteur News

Page 13

Local comp. claims harassment - forced to send

by Food and Drugs Dept. home employees Local manufacturing and distribution company, Sueria Manufacturing Inc., has been forced to downsize its operations, sending home at least 10 of its staffers from its Distribution Department in the process.

Frank Sanichara, the company’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), said the move is as a result of the entity facing months of discrimination and harassment by the Food and Drugs Department.

Speaking with Kaieteur News yesterday, Sanichara said that he is at his wit’s end and is contemplating closing down his distribution unit since he believes products that he imports from the United States and Canada are being unfairly targeted.

To date, the company has incurred losses to the tune of millions of dollars as a result of moves by the department.

The regulatory body, Sanichara said, constantly changes either its requirements for importation or finds other unconventional ways of placing a hold on his stocks.

The businessman said that he cannot continue sustaining the losses.

Sueria Manufacturing Inc. is the local company owned by Sanichara and his businesswoman wife, Teshawna Lall. They remigrated to invest in Guyana.

Based at Eccles Industrial Site, East Bank Demerara, the company has been producing Kaieteur Candies.

It holds the exclusive rights to import several international brands including Guzzler Juice, Juicy-Juice and Tropical Delight.

According to the CEO, since the company opened its doors, there have been costly hiccups with the Food and Drugs Department. This year recorded the worst instances of such hiccups.

COSTLY MISTAKE Sanichara was forced to dump millions of dollars worth of potato chips back in June after the department claimed that the goods were expired.

This occurred despite his efforts to prove they were not.

By the time the department realised its “mistake”, the items had expired. “I had to watch as millions of dollars in investments were being dumped.”

Again, Sueria Manufacturing incurred losses when the department, in September, pussyfooted on clearing goods imported for the Berbice Exposition

Businessman, Frank Sanichara

Head of the Food and Drugs Department, Marlan Cole

and Trade Fair.

The company had planned to launch its new product – Tropical Delight 10 Oz Juice from Canada.

Sanichara said that the containers arrived early on the wharf with hundreds of thousands of dollars spent on advertising and promoting the juice. The department held up the juice, affecting hundreds of customers at the expo.

It did not end there. Earlier this month, the businessman said, the department held up a container of Nestle Juicy Juice and refused to accept an authentic Certificate of Analysis. Instead, the department requested a Free Sale Certificate.

“They had accepted the same Certificate of Analysis only a few weeks before and rejected the Free Sale Certificate that they were now asking for. It’s a clear demonstration of their vindictiveness. After I submited the Free Sale Certificate which they refused in an earlier shipment, they released my container.”

Sanichara claims that after he wrote the department complaining about the apparent discrimination, sending copies to at least two Ministers, things got worse.

“Last week, they held up all my stuff at the wharf. I called the department over 100

times. I spoke to the Deputy Director at least three times per day. The only answer I got was that the documents are being processed.”

The businessman said that the requirements shifted yet again. The department has now started demanding original copies of certificates even though scanned copies were accepted on all shipments in the past.

“I personally don’t have a problem with providing the originals…but they just can’t simply change their policies at the last minute. They are also asking for me to have the manufacturers amend the format of their Free Sale Certificate to state the quantities shipped per container. The manufacturers will not do that. It’s impossible…the purpose of a Free Sale Certificate is not to list quantities.”

Sanichara explained that big companies like American Beverage probably exports more than 100 containers per day making the issuance of such Free Sale Certificates, daily, an impossibility.

“I spoke to all my suppliers and manufacturers.

They said they will not amend their certificates. It is accepted all over the world. It is in keeping with international and free trade agreements standards.”

The businessman also

made it clear that the laws of Guyana do not say anything about quantities being listed on the Free Sales Certificate, as is being demanded by the Food and Drugs Department.

Moreover, Sanichara has pointed to the Law of Guyana which stipulates that no article of food, drug, cosmetic or device shall be imported to Guyana unless the article wholly conforms to the laws of the country it was manufactured or produced.

“Nothing is there that says quantity. A Free Sale Certificate basically is a letter saying that the product is good for human consumption. It confirms to the laws of the country in which it was manufactured, signed and notarized by the relevant authorities. That’s all there is to it. The certificates I provided to the Food and Drugs Department in Guyana clearly says that.”

STRANGE The frustrated businessman said he believes that his company is being victimized by the Government department. “It seems as though this department has

many high-paying friends.”

Sanichara also questioned how is it that such a large quantity of Guzzler juices are being imported into the country when he is the sole authorized distributor.

“How are these items managing to pass the Food and Drugs Department when I am the only one with a Free Sale Certificate and a Certificate of Analysis from American Beverage who is the manufacturer? What more evidence do we need that this department is being vindictive?”

The businessman complained about his growing frustration at doing business in Guyana.

“At this point, I really don’t care to continue to invest in Guyana. I was in the process of starting up a stateof-the-art plantain chips factory but with the way the system operates in Guyana, I do not want to stick around.

Their (the department) actions are affecting my cash flow. It is also affecting the Guyana Revenue Authority from collecting their revenues.”

With millions of dollars in

Health Minister, Dr. George Norton goods sitting waiting for clearance, the businessman said he has been forced to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on demurrage charges.

To make matters worse, Sanichara fears that the money he has invested in the latest shipments of products which are date sensitive may be lost owing to the delays at the wharf.

Sueria earlier this week sent home 10 employees as there is no work. “It’s not something I am proud of...but (Continued on page 29)

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Kaieteur News

Friday October 23, 2015

Jagdeo still avoids declaring wealth The Opposition Peoples Progressive Party (PPP) has drafted a motion in the National Assembly, looking to have Members of Parliament declare to the public their tax returns to the Guyana Revenue Authority for the past 10 years, but its leader will be exempt.

The PPP is looking to have the National Assembly resolve to make available to the public their tax returns to the Guyana Revenue Authority for the last 10 years on or before December 31, 2015.

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo, who has been on the receiving end of public demand in an attempt to have him declare his assets, has however paid no taxes since his salary as

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo President was tax free and he has been earning a pension since demitting office which would account for more than 10 years.

The maneuvre is but one

in many employed by the former President to avoid declaring his accumulated wealth during his more than two decades in public office firstly in the Ministry of Finance and as President.

According to the PPP motion, all Members of Parliament are required to file annual income tax returns to the Guyana Revenue Authority in compliance with the Income Tax Act and that Government has publicly declared that it will uphold greater transparency in government and accountability and scrutiny of persons holding p u b l i c office.

The PPP is also looking to have the House resolve to urge the government to expeditiously table legislation to give effect to the motion.

Just last month, the Opposition leader spelt out some conditions under which he would be willing to declare his wealth.

He had said, however, that he is not prepared to be the

only one travelling in the boat of accountability and transparency.

He had declared that he would only make the disclosures if all other politicians in Parliament are prepared to do the same.

On the matter of his wealth and seaside mansion, Jagdeo had claimed that his “affairs is a public book.”

He said that at a meeting with President David Granger, he told the President that based on the fact that there

have been lots of charges about people sloshing money abroad, “Why don’t we get all of our Members of Parliament to make public, not just to the Integrity Commission, but to make public their assets held outside of Guyana.”

Jagdeo told the media that he heard members of the new government saying that while it may be relatively easy to ascertain the extent of politicians’ wealth in Guyana, it may be quite a task to track

down those assets around the world.

The Opposition Leader said that he is prepared, as well, to work with the government to make it a policy that every Member of Parliament must make public their payment of taxes for the past 10 years.

“I am prepared to subject myself to any of these things.

In fact I am advocating it; I am not worried about a Christopher Ram and an Anand Goolsarran”.

Venezuela threatens gold mining...

From page 3 questioned, “Who is the aggressor? Who owns the Corvette?”

Granger said that Venezuela, apart from sending its navy to expel vessels from Guyana's waters, also promulgated decrees purporting to annex Guyana's maritime spaces; augmented its military manpower and exhibited

offensive weapons and materiel to unprecedented levels; conducted provocative manoeuvres on Guyana's borders; recalled its ambassador to Georgetown and suspended the process of acceptance of Guyana's Ambassador-designate to that country.

“Guyana reacted to these provocations with dignity and firmness and on the basis of

compliance with international law.

It has always been respectful to the government and people of neighbouring states, confident in the correctness of its policies and in the justice of its cause.

Guyana has no need to resort to force to advance its rights,” the President concluded.

Friday October 23, 2015

Kaieteur News

Alleged rape at Timehri…

He was not sodomized, he has piles - Neighbours By: Romila Boodram One day after a 34-yearold man made damning allegations against a police detective stationed at the Timehri Police Station, his neighbours are speaking out and are willing to do whatever it takes to clear the cop’s name.

On Tuesday, Stephan Phillips claimed that he was sodomized by a young detective at the police station. He said that the blood on his underpants could prove his story.

According to the man, in exchange to have a break and enter charge made against him dropped, the cop asked him to perform ‘deep throat’ (fellatio) and the policeman then sodomized him repeatedly.

However, when this newspaper visited Phillips’ neighbourhood yesterday, almost everyone in the community said that the 34year-old’s story was fabricated.

They claimed that the HillFoot, Soesdyke/ Linden, East Bank Demerara (EBD) resident suffers from haemorrhoids (piles).

Piles are swollen blood vessels in or around the anus and rectum.

“When he wants money, he would irritate the pile and it would bleed and then he would go around the neighbourhood and beg for money to go to the hospital but when we give him, he don’t go to the hospital, he does smoke out the money,” one neighbour claimed.

She explained that about two months ago, the man went to her and told her that he suffers from piles.

“I advise him to go to the doctor and he said that he doesn’t have money so I give him $300 to reach to the hospital but he went and buy dope.”

The woman further explained that the 34-year-old man would use his medical

“He thief, lie and sleep with men for money”

Stephan Phillips condition to obtain money from people in the community.

“He also break and enter neighbours’ home and then he would disappear for a couple of weeks and when he appears, he behaves like nothing happened,” one woman said.

Another neighbour claimed that before she moved into her home, she was informed that he had robbed the persons who were living there.

Also, the woman said that she heard that the 34-year-old man plotted with another resident to cut her grill and enter her home whenever she is away.

“Look, this boy is no saint. He spends most of his life in the lockups. He does break and enter people house in this area. He sleeps with men for money,” another resident explained.

Meanwhile, a source stationed at the aforementioned police station said that the man is providing conflicting details as to what really happened. The source said that while the man told the media that he was sodomized in the ablution area, he told detectives that he was raped in the station’s passage way.

“This man is ridiculous.

He comes at the station and shows us how he bleeds and we sorry for him and give him money to go to the hospital and this is what he is going to do now. The police he said raped him, is small built. He (Phillips) is twice the policeman’s size,” the source said.

Explaining what happened on Saturday when Phillips was arrested, the source said that a report was made that he (Phillips) break and enter someone’s home and stole a television set. He was seen with the television trying to sell it.

“We went and arrested him. He was in the lock ups.

On Tuesday, two policemen went and escort him from the lockups to CID and then he was taken to court. He is claiming that he was raped in the pathway leading to the CID office but that’s impossible because people does normally be there and then too, it’s not one police who was with him, there were two ranks,” the police source lamented.

Stephan Phillips is the individual who claimed that he witnessed when Colwyn Harding was sodomized with a baton by a police in November last but a day later, he changed his story, stating that he did not see anything and that he had lied.

It did not e nd there.

Three days later, Phillips returned to this newspaper and claimed that he was paid by a police to change his story the second time.

He then stated that he actually witnessed the rape.

Meanwhile, following the allegations, Commissioner of Police, Seelall Persaud has ordered an investigation into the incident.

$962M unlawfully spent without...

From page 21 emergency cases, like if there is a serious flood in Mahaicony and we need to remove citizens, money would be used in that case.

But I understand that they are using the Contingencies Fund to relieve the National Communications Network.

He had even appealed for the former President, Donald Ramotar, to assent to the amendment made to the FMA Act.

“The amendment seeks to clarify a part of the Act which has to do with officers who can be prosecuted for the abuse of the Fund. But it is the Minister (Former Finance Minister, Dr. Ashni Singh) we understand to be giving such directions.

“He gives the permission for the money to be used, and as such he needs to be held accountable. The (former) President, by not assenting to this amendment, is also condoning this and al-

lowing criminality to continue.

“I am begging the people of this nation to understand that it is their money that is being abused and to realize what kind of government they had,” Ramjattan had said.

The Fiscal Management and Accou n t a b i l i t y (Amendment) Bill 2015 was tabled by Finance Minister, Winston Jordan in the National Assembly and was passed.

Page 27

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Kaieteur News

Friday October 23, 2015

Previous Govt. waived US$303M in taxes on vehicles, other items in 2014 - Auditor General report The 2014 report of the Auditor General has finally been released and its findings are raising shocking questions over the amount of money the previous Government was waiving on vehicle duties.

Last year alone, the report said, a whopping $63.2B was granted, as compared to the $55.5B for the previous year.

The figures would speak volumes when it is taken into account that the country’s total budget for last year was $221B. In 2013, the National Budget was $208B. It is the first time that Guyana is learning about an area that had remained a closely guarded secret under the previous government.

The biggest group to benefit was the companies or businesses. Some $41.5B in duties was waived last year.

In 2013, it was $34B. The report did not go into details as to which

GRA’s head, Khurshid Sattaur

Former Finance Minister, Dr. Ashni Singh

businesses and organizations benefited.

Ministries and government departments were the next biggest beneficiaries, receiving $4.4B, Just over $1.7B was exempted based on applications from remigrants while churches and charitable organizations received almost $1.68B.

Other categories which received tax exemptions were diplomats, public and contracted officers and foreign funded projects.

Duty free concessions have been a hot-button topic within recent years with the former Opposition accusing the previous government under the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/

The concessions granted last year as compared to the previous year.

C) of mismanaging it. There were reports that persons living overseas were abusing the concessions by claiming they were coming back to live but really had either sold the vehicle to family or friends or independent auto dealers.

With millions of dollars saved on every vehicle granted duty free concessions, there were huge profits to be made.

Still, there were foreign investors who also reportedly benefited from large amounts of duties waived.

The former Opposition had been questioning the assessment systems in place to gauge the benefit of the country from waived duties.

There has not been any clear answer coming from the previous administration.

What is known is that the Guyana Revenue Authority was tasked with the final release of the vehicles and items when tax exemptions are granted.

According to the Auditor General’s report, a special investigation was conducted

into allegations involving tax exemptions granted on luxury vehicles to remigrants between 2008 and 2013.

“Investigations revealed that fifteen remigrants apparently submitted fictitious documents for the importation of luxury vehicles, and also breached the conditions under which the relevant tax exemptions were granted.”

A preliminary report was issued to the Board of Directors of GRA with (Continued on page 29)

Friday October 23, 2015

Kaieteur News

Dharmic Sabha supports Christian prayers review in Public schools President of the Guyana Hindu Dharmic Sabha, Dr. Vindhya Persaud has expressed her support for the Ministry of Education’s commitment to reviewing Christian prayers within public schools.

Persaud said that sections of her organization had brought up the issue of having universal prayers in public schools with previous Minister of Education, Priya Manickchand.

She recalled that while promises were made, no follow up action was taken by the Ministry.

Persaud, a sitting People’s Progressive Party Member of Parliament, opined that exposing children of different religions to one specific religious prayer will most likely foster negative feelings towards other religions.

“It has always been a belief of mine that we should have universal prayers within our schools,” said Persaud.

“By using such a prayer, it promotes tolerance and respect for each other’s cultures, especially in a country such as ours.”

She said that she would like to see the Minister of Education, Dr. Rupert Roopnarine act on his

promise quickly. She suggested, however, that before he begins to make such changes within the school system, he should first hold meetings with various religious bodies and organizations.

Despite the various religions existing within Guyana’s society and the country’s position of being a secular state, children recite Christian prayers in most public schools, despite their religious affiliation.

According to the Constitution of Guyana, the practice of having Christian prayers in public schools across the country is in contravention of laws set out in relation to the separation of church and state.

The Ministry of Education has over the years never addressed the issue despite many requests for universal prayers. By allowing public education to accommodate the Lord’s Prayer, the Ministry was seen as being oblivious to the Constitution of Guyana.

Minister of Education, Dr. Rupert Roopnarine, stated that the practice is not one which will be condoned by his Ministry. He made his intentions clear to do away

with it and implement interdenominational prayers across the Public school system.

He added that the reciting of Christian prayers in schools may be a preference of the teachers and to his knowledge has never been the policy of the Ministry.

“If that’s the practice that is going on in these public schools,” the Minister stated, “it is not a practice we condone. We are a multireligious country and we have to realize that we have multireligious children so that whatever prayer is used in schools should not exclude any of the religions.”

Roopnarine said that the Ministry will soon review the practice which could possibly be detrimental to social cohesion. He revealed that he will soon start disseminating information countrywide to inform teachers of the need to have interdenominational prayers in the Nation’s schools.

Interdenominational prayers were said to be the only policy with regards to school prayers that the Ministry embraces as they can apply to all religions rather than to any single denomination.

Previous Govt. waived US$303M...

(From page 28) recommendations for appropriate disciplinary action against culpable officers, as well as taking action to recover taxes.

According to State auditors, at the time of reporting, the position remained the same.

GRA was slammed for not keeping a Remissions Register to record the amounts granted during the year. Heading the GRA is Commissioner-General, Khurshid Sattaur.

The Minister of Finance last year was Dr. Ashni Singh.

“Despite repeated verbal

and written requests, the administration presented only 100 exemption files for audit examination from a sample of 126 files requested. It should be noted that seventy-four of the files were only submitted on 18 September 2015. As a result, the scope of the audit was restricted due to the nonsubmission of all the files.”

GRA, in its response to the State auditor ’s note, claimed that all of its information is stored in its Total Revenue Integrated Processing System (TRIPS) network and reports can be generated by the Information

Technology Division for specific purposes.

“It was never a requirement to maintain a manual register. The CG Number has certain codes that allow Information Technology to generate reports if required.”

However, the Audit report insisted that GRA must take immediate steps to introduce a Remission Register and to put systems in place to ensure that there is adequate accountability for tax exemption files so that these are produced for audit in a timely manner.

Local comp. claims harassment...

(From page 13) there are no other options.”

The situation has forced the company to halt advertisements and cancel a number of charitable events planned.

“I am not encouraged to do these things anymore. It is a sad situation that I am being victimised by these people. My wife and I came from a very fast paced environment in the US. We both had very successful careers. But we invested in Guyana hoping to provide employment and contribute to our country of birth. We were expecting that the

system would have been friendly towards investors but from the very first month we had hiccups,” Sanichara stressed.

“We have employed more than 50 Guyanese. We have launched a Candy factory, and will be launching a Plantain chips factory within weeks, providing additional employment to hundreds of farmers. We are not here to ask for favours... All we are asking is that you to do the right thing; do the honorable thing.”

The frustrated businessman has written to Marlan Cole, Head of the Foods and Drugs

Department, at least two times over the matters.

The letters have been copied to Minister of Public Health, Dr. George Norton, and Minister of Business, Dominic Gaskin. To date, however, there has been no improvement in the situation.

Yesterday, calls were made by this newspaper to the Food and Drugs Department for a comment, but a female official, Miss Sears, said that Mr. Cole was not in.

She promised to pass the information. As at press time, there were no return calls from the department.

Page 29

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Kaieteur News

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Need to get rid of ants and roaches? Call:667-4604; 4421284; 647-0632 Permanent & Visitors Vi s a Applications, Professional Immigration Consultant Room D5 Maraj Building. visadocumentsgy@yahoo.com.

Call: 225-6496, 662-6045 School bus on E.B.D to G/ town and back. Get your children on Board. Call: 6873017

Experienced minibus & taxi driver @ Princess Hotel Providence- Call: 616-5419 WOODMIZER LT 15 AND LT 40 OPERATOR- CAL: 688-6579/653-9752 One live in domestic maid – Call: 675-5256/ 666-4153 Live in or live out babysitter/ domestic –Call 219-5354 (Monday- Friday) (8:154:15PM) One cleaner @ 4 First Street, Albertown, Apply in personCall: 225-3234 Experienced live in waitress – 18-25yrs – salary $60,000 monthly. Call: 610-5043 1 Live in domestic must know to cook 25-50yrs, salary $70,000- Call: 610-3974 Live in domestic, hardworking, single, dependable, and trustworthy with no health problem. Call: 650-8632 (9:00am-7:00pm) Experienced bartenders, waitress, cooks and bouncers needed at Eden’s Bar (East Bank). Call: 652-0074 Salesgirls for shop, on the ECD, age 17-24. Text your information to 661-8647 One experienced dispatcher for taxi service. Call: 6220722; 644-7032 Domestic wanted; must be a good cook, age 35-50. Call: 680-3667 One hairdresser needed, must know to do everything.

One nail station to rent. Call Mellisa: 610-1941 1Female housekeeper, to live in age 35-50years, must know to cook & clean. Call: 6939068 Experienced Roti/Puri cook, pastry maker, curry cooks, dish washers, apply at Hack’s Halaal, 5 Commerce Street.

Female to work at restaurant in the interior, salary -$80,000 monthly- Call: 674-1767; 6707043; 685-8720 One gardener for E.C.D residence must be 40years and older, preferably from E.C.D-Call: 225-4096; 6216006 Truck Driver wanted to work in Georgetown. Call: 218-1455 LEARN TO DRIVE Soman Son & Outar Driving School at Maraj Building- Tel: 644-5166; 622-2872; 6150964; 689-5997

FOR RENT PLANNING AN EVENT? BIRTHDAY PARTY, GRADUATION,WEDDINGS, ANNIVERSARY, ETC. CALL DIAMOND TENTS: 216-1043; 677-6620 Prime business place for rent @ MonRepos Public Road E.C.D, 2 (2) Bedroom apartment @ Block 8 Mon Repos E.C.D-Contact: 6181754; 681-1508; 220-6168 Canal No.2 Polder W.B.D, great condition -$35,000 monthly-Call: 613-1860 Top & bottom flat @ East Street opposite Balwant Singh Hospital, 2 bedrooms top & 2 bedrooms bottom flat, no children. Call: 2276776; 667-3062 One self contained room; preferably bachelor. Call: 2234545 GT TOOL RENTALS: COMPACTOR; CHIPPING HAMMER RANSOM & FLOOR SANDER, JACK HAMMER, CONCRETE SAW & MORE- CALL: 6672535, 627-5098 One bedroom apartment located at Better Hope, ECD; spacious yard, vehicle parking- $40,000 Call: 6721077; 672-0922

Friday October 23, 2015

VACANCY Work from home earn $5,000-$20,000 daily. Call monday-friday (9am-5pm): 233-6517; 638-0595 or www.jobfairworldwide.com Salesgirls and salesboys, apply in person @ R. Sookraj & Sons, Regent Street.

(Opposite GBTI Bank)

2 Bedrooms apartment located, Prince William Street Plaisance. Call: 674-0708

Porters, Ripsaw, re-saw and moulder operators, security guard @ Eccles Industrial Site EBD- Call Richard: 6097675; 624-1705; 233-2614 Porters: apply at Alabama Trading Ferry Stelling Georgetown, Stabroek.

Accountant, Bond clerk, male & female workers, drivers @ RA Soda Factory, Rosignol. Call: 330-2399; 6235920 Porters, Drivers, Mechanic (Melanie Branch) 1-Bond Clerk RA Soda Factory (Rosignol). Call: 330-2399; 623-5920 Caterpillar and Perkins mechanic contact 223-5273

TOURS Suriname Tour: Shopping, Tours, site seeing November 26th -29th.Old years into New Years December 30th – January 3rd –Call: 639-2663; 665-5171 Rock Stone Fish Festival: fish catching off all types, day of excitement 25th October- Call: 639-2663, 665-5171

PROGRESSIVE CAR RENTAL: CARS& SUV FOR RENTAL- $4,000 & UP PER DAY- CALL: 643-5122, 656-0087 ,EMAIL:PRO_ A U T O R E N T A L @YAHOO.COM Aidan’s Car & 4WD Vigo pick up, cheapest rate, low security- Call: 698-7807 Wing’s Car & 4WD Vigo pick up rental- Call: 690-6494 TAXI SERVICES Mario’s Taxi Service; Travel & Collect Coupons to win a smart Phone, Drawing Every Month from October- Call: 225-7686; 225-7689

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

One 52ft, complete snapper boat and one 38ft bore cruiser in excellent condition.

Call: 654-2817; 648-6815 Pool Tables and business property for sale- Call: 6216878 MILL CUT AND DRESSED GREENHEART FROM $160BM AND KABUKALLI FROM, $180BM- TEL: 6886579/653-9752 One flat bottom boat 32 feet, one 15 Yamaha, one hundred & seventy five (175lb) banga seine. Call: 691-7775 One Nissan Z20 Engine with gear box in working order.

Call: 667-7337 CRV 2000 Model, 1998 CC PLL5892, Burgundy, immaculate condition- Call: 684-5868 Prado 2000 model, 2700CC, PPP2872, pearl white & silver, next to new- Call: 684-5868

TO LET

House in Tuschen Main Road -$27M, 46ft fishing boat & 500lbs Nylon Seine -$2.3M. Call: 696-6074 One 40 outboard Tohatsu Engine, excellent condition.

Call: 687-8239 or 675-3004

Fully furnished luxury 2 and 3 bedrooms apartments to let (short and long term). Call: 603-9671

Brazilian Hair Special! 100% Natural, no fillings, feel, test & buy it @ Low prices. Call: 679-1174; 231-5700

FOR OVERSEAS VISITORS, FULLY FURNISHED 2 BEDROOM APARTMENT, ECCLES, FRIDGE, STOVE, MICROWAVE ETC-$US30 DAILY-CALLMAX: 611-8698 OR CLAUDETTE 685-4449

Deep fryer for fish or chicken, gas, 3 gallon with inner basket and cover. Call: 686-6379

CAR RENTAL DOLLY’SCARRENTAL-CALL: 225-7126/226-3693 DOLLYSAUTORENTAL@ YA H O O . C O M / W W W. DOLLYSAUTORENTAL.COM

-Make Up Courses with Mac, Bare Minerals, Black Opal, Mabelline.

-Nail Technician Course Call: 647-1773/660-5257 Affordable salon services: pedi, mani, wash & blowout, facials, etc $2,500 each. Vogue @ Kalyan Mall, Lamaha Street. Tel: 647-1773/660-5257

Welder/Fabricator: interested person can contact us on telephone number: 603-4094

Prime business space; lot 5/6 Enmore Public Road, Suitable for Dental/Doctor, clothing, parts store, pharmacy.

Contact: 629-4090 Apartments for rent @ Nandy Park E.B.D-Call: 227-5194

SALON

Apartment in Eccles, rooms in Albertown –Call: 225-3234 HEALTH Herbal treatment; get rid of your diabetes, get instant reliefs, stop using insulin & other doctor’s medication.

Call: 651-3560

Crazy deals! All Dell Desktop & Laptop computers-$55,000, free educational software and games. Call FuturetTech: 2312206 LAND FOR SALE Eccles (100FtX50ft) -$4.6M, Herstelling (110ftX61ft) $4.2M; low lands (East Coast) -$1.8M, Parfaite Harmonie -$1.2M. Call: 6042207; 611-7223

VEHICLE FOR SALE 2013 Mercedes C250 turbo AMG coupe, retractable glasstop, mileage 15K, alcantara leather interior, brush aluminum acc- Call: 650-5136 SALE! SALE! SALE One TOYOTA RZ MINIBUS GJJ series -$1.5Million.

One Econoline FORD 2005 GSS Series -$1.5M. Call: 6046108 One Ducati 1098cc motorcycle in excellent condition, will negotiate best offer-Call: 617-6934, 674-0137 AT192, 212, Allion, unregistered Premio, Hilux Surf, BNN, RZ & Pit-bull, 7 seater super custom. Cash / terms- Call: 680-3154 We buy & sell vehicles for cash, also parts available & 30 seater buses; Extra Cab pickups; 2006 TacomaCall:680-3154 Suzuki Escudo. Recently registered in excellent condition.

Lady d r i v e n . $ 4 . 3 M negotiable. Contact: 609 8425 1-Toyota 4WD extra cab, pickup LH drive –price $1.2M negotiable –Tel: 668-8431 45 Leyland DAF, GRR Series, price -$2.5M. Call: 696-2663 One RZ minibus RR SeriesCall: 685-2113 Toyota Rush, Raum,AT212, IST, L-Touring & Fielder Wagon, Tundra, Hilux 4 Runner, Nissan 4 Door Pickup. Call: 644-5096; 697-1453 Honda Fit, year 2003, PMM series, full body kit, OEM rims, excellent condition, price $1.3M negotiable. Call: 600-1435; 600-4402 One 1.5 Ton Toyoace Canter, GLL Series, good working condition. Call: 623-1202 One Honda CRV, immaculate condition, 17" mags, AC, CD, price -$1.750,000 negotiable.

Call: 626-2884 HB Yellow Toyota 192, good condition -$600,000 – Call: 617-7113 Black Nissan Bluebird 2006 $2.5M –Call: 681-3462 or 6925447 AT170 Toyota Carina Wagon, price $400,000-Call: 628-4386 ACCOMODATION Inner Retreat Hotel Restaurant & Bar, Retreat Road Parika. Indoor /Outdoor bar in Picturesque setting – Phone: 260-4504; 685-6934 Saturdays & Sundays after lunch @ Inner Retreat Hotel Parika: Bar-B-Que & games: pools, darts, table tennis etc – Phone: 260-4504.

Continued on page 31

Friday October 23, 2015

Kaieteur News

Page 31

Letters... Where your views make the news

Rampant nepotism at City Hall DEAR EDITOR, The Government of Guyana through the relevant ministry should do something to bring an end to the alarming situation of rampant favoritism that exists at the Georgetown Municipality.

At City Hall there is the outright recruitment of relatives and friends of Councilors and senior officers for jobs they are incapable of performing well, by the Personnel Officer, seemingly as a policy now, rather than the occasional occurrence.

A visit to the Finance Department alone would reveal that the daughters of at least two Councilors along

with relatives of senior officers are employed there.

Even more worrying is the fact that the very Councilors are members of the Finance Committee, the oversight body for the same department to which their daughters are assigned, a clear conflict of interest.

These circumstances are replicated in every other department.

Additionally, there consists a gross ethnic imbalance in the staff structure which would suggest the employment of discriminatory practices by the personnel section during the recruitment process.

Surely in a multi racial society

No increase in NIS pension DEAR EDITOR, In the last Budget provision has been made for increases in wages and salaries for Public Servants both employers and employees are required and have to pay to the N.I.S . increase in their N.I.S. contributions Based on the level of wages and salaries paid and received this has been widely published in all of the newspapers and television stations and radios.

To date nothing has been said about the N.I.S . The N.I.S • Act provides for the Minimum Pension that a Pensioner should received

should not be less than 50% ( fifty Percent ) of the National Minimum W age payable to workers.

Now that the national minimum wage is $ 50,000 ) fifty thousand Guyana dollars per month then the new Minimum Pension payable to all N.I.S .

Pensioners should be not less than $ 25,000 ) twenty five thousand dollars per month.

I am now asking that the Hon Minister Social Security see to it that we get what we deserve and provided for by the Laws of The Republic of Guyana.

Pensioner

Dispute over the darkest night DEAR EDITOR, In response to Pandit Deodatt M. Tillack’s letter “Deepavali should be on November 11” (K.N 22/10). I wish to inform the “Learned” Pandit that the time of 13:47pm as given by the coordinated universal time (UTC) represents the ending

time of the new moon.

The dark forthnight ends at 13:47 pm on the 11th. How then can the night of the 11th which is after 13:47pm be the darkest night of the year?

It follows that the previous night on the 10th is in fact the darkest night.

Pt. R. Balbadar

such as Guyana, the applicants would be diverse and one would expect to see this diversity reflected in the workforce, but no this is not so. There is a feeling of inequality amongst many current employees which results in an attitude of defeat by these staff members as they assume that promotions and perks will always go friends and relatives rather than deserving persons resulting feeling less inclined to do their best work to distinguish themselves.

Resentment and indifference is now the order of the day at City Hall which leads to reduced productivity.

Media coverage of Burnham Foundation activities not adequate DEAR EDITOR, On Monday, October 19 the Chronicle Newspaper reported on the General Members Meeting of the Burnham Foundation which was held on Sunday, October 18.

For that the Foundation is grateful, since previously almost all of the dailies hardly covered the events of the Foundation. However, the Foundation is disappointed with aspects of the coverage given to it. The main presenter at the meeting was a young alumnus of, and teacher at, the college. She spoke on the Introspection and Prospects of the College.

Her presentation was balanced and spoke to the strengths and weakness of the college, including its de-

Service Programme alternative sentencing to non-violent offenders in relatively minor cases. The offender should be given the option of completing a set number of hours of unpaid work in the cleanup campaign in lieu of a fine or spending time in prison.

The M&CC will gain more workers at no cost and the community will be able to benefit from the initiative, it is a win-win for all.

However, in more serious cases, offenders should be subjected to a fine or imprisonment.

This type of strategy will be able to create a greater impact since offenders will really

cline. However, the coverage was done under a screaming headline:” President‘s College reduced to ‘nothing’ under PPP/C.” This was reiterated in the first and second paragraphs of the article.

This left the presenter in shock and dismay, since her presentation and its tenor never alluded to the college being reduced to ‘nothing’ nor was mention made of the PPP/C. The Foundation therefore wishes that this letter be given equal prominence with the article and that the newspaper acknowledges that the idea of nothingness was wrongly attributed to, or misrepresented the presentation of, the presenter.

Vincent Alexander Chairman

From page 30

LAND FOR SALE 365 Acres cultivated, 1135 acres-unclean, house 20X60 (porch)- Call: 657-0992 Land @ Lot 1856 Farm, EBD, size: 50X80- $2.7M negotiable-Call: 676-5229 33 Acres prime agriculture land located at Plantation Flensberg W.B.D-price negotiable-Contact Erick Boodhoo: Call: 654-6229; 6270556 Land at Parfaite Harmonie $1.1M, $1.4M, $1.6M, Tuschen 2nd Street -$5.5M, Phase 2, $1.4M- Call:604-6724

EDUCATION Princeton College Forms 1-5 CXC Adults Classes, Grade 1-6 Lessons: Phonic lessons @ East Street-Call: 690-5008; 619-7911 New Advanced Diploma in Computers office 2016, window 8/10, 9 courses @ Micrographics, Vreed-EnHoop-Call: 264-3057 Obtain a guaranteed distinction in CSEC Principles of Accounts. Call: 654-1723 for more information

Unbearable Noise Nuisance at Crane Housing Scheme DEAR EDITOR, I am writing this letter on behalf of myself and the other loyal citizens of

The M&CC should consider...

From page 4 to make will not be very great.

Additionally, I believe that those named and shamed could care less about the publication of their names and pictures in the newspapers and social media.

In Guyana, people now consider littering ‘normal’, therefore the embarrassment which the campaign seeks to make will be little to none.

Name and shame is inconsequential and is an easy escape of a fine or imprisonment I believe that a more effective and sustainable substitute to the name and shame campaign could be the implementation of a Community

The nepotism at City Hall is damaging not just a department or two, but the entire municipality. It is creating a sense of entitlement that is causing insubordination and disrespect for management and other employees.

It is also creating a drop in workplace morale. Friends of the Personnel Section are being placed at the top of their salary scales, and given acting appointments ahead of more qualified employees and those with much greater experience and longer service, resulting in the distortion of the pay scale.

Nadine Jerrick

feel the consequences of their actions and simultaneously learn a valuable lesson on ethical behaviour.

It irks people to take them away from their regular day to day routines and today, nobody wants to be in the sun, especially to pick up trash and clean drains around the city.

This alone should be able to jolt and shift the mindsets of offenders, hence creating an attitudinal metamorphosis that is so badly needed in Guyana.

However, these are just my views and it is hoped that the M&CC will make consideration for such a programme Marissa Lowden

Crane Housing Scheme and Best Village to express our annoyance with the noise nuisance that we are faced with regularly which results in many sleepless nights and this also gives school children severe headaches and causes a lack of focus when studying for important examinations.

It seems as if we, the decent citizens, have no one to represent us and are therefore being bullied by the indecent citizens of the community who are absolutely bent on making money in any way possible, this includes bullism, vulgarity/indecency etc. We are exhausted due to

the numerous complaints that we have made to the Vreed-En-Hoop and the Leonora Police Stations, which are to no avail.

We now turn to the media in hopes that the noise nuisance in our community will finally come to an end and to which ever relevant authority whom may read this letter, Residents of Crane Housing Scheme

PROPERTY FOR SALE Brand new 2 storey concrete building in 5th Avenue, Diamond, E.B.D, all modern amenities –Call: 662-9335; 612-3244 Property for sale, Grove $20M / Rent: $50,000 per month. Tel: 625-5461.

Pearl: Well Built 1,995 Sq. Ft concrete structure 45X165 lot, formerly meeting hall 13.5M. Call: 649-1670 #53 Village: East Berbice, concrete house and land for sale, please submit offers, Call: 674-2155 Property at Diamond New Scheme: 1-Three bedroom flat concrete house, price $9.5M negotiable. Call: 2663962; 667-1240 Two bedroom wood house for sale; located at Stwertville, W.C.D, serious inquiries one only –Call: 684-1838 1 Church & 2 Storey building at 180 Charlotte Street. Call: 624-7341; 2276817 3 Bedroom; 2 flat house for sale, Enterprise, Lincolin Street, Lot 135 -$14M negotiable. Contact: 597858-4554 (Suriname), Guyana: 602-3643 Transported property at Tuschen Housing Scheme, located around School -$7M negotiable. Contact: 2641050; 683-7045; 669-3553 2 Storey 45x35 concrete property, lower flat incomplete. Land 65x120 @ Diamond N/S 5th Avenue, E.B.D- Call: 664-5052 Property at Tuschen-Call: 669-9055; 674-1291 Yarrowkabra Linden, H/ Way, land size: 100’X200’ fully fenced, house, chicken & pig pen. Call: 676-0931 1 Flat house on 1 acre land with chicken pen & fruits tree at Unity E.C.D- $11MCall: 642-7898 One 2 storey 5 bedroom concrete and wooden house with two large self contained rooms, well secured –Tel: 692-8923 One Roadside, 2 storey house @ V/Hoop, ground floor, in excellent condition for restaurant or other businesses. Call: 692-8923; 614-0107

Page 32

Kaieteur News

Friday October 23, 2015

Obama meets Pakistan’s Sharif to stress nuclear worries, seek help on Taliban Reuters - U.S. President Barack Obama met Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif at the White House yesterday to stress concerns about Pakistan’s expanding nuclear arsenal and seek help in bringing the Afghan Taliban back to peace talks.

Washington has been trying to persuade Pakistan to make a unilateral declaration of “restraint” over its nuclear program but Pakistani officials said Sharif would tell Obama Islamabad will not accept limits on its use of small tactical nuclear weapons, given the threat posed by India.

A joint statement after the White House meeting referred to nuclear security and said both leaders had stressed the need for “all sides” to act with restraint and work towards strategic stability in South Asia. It also said Obama and Sharif expressed their commitment to advance the Afghan peace and reconciliation process and called on Taliban leaders to enter direct talks with Kabul, which have stalled since inaugural discussions in Pakistan in July.

The 14-year Taliban insurgency has escalated since

U.S. President Barack Obama meets Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington yesterday.

REUTERS/KEVIN LAMARQUE tens of thousands of U.S.-led NATO combat troops withdrew ahead of an end-2014 deadline, hampering Obama’s efforts to withdraw remaining U.S. troops.

Michael Kugelman of the Wilson Center think tank said that as well as seeking Pakistan’s help on the talks, Obama would have stressed the need for it to do away with militant sanctuaries inside its borders used as bases from which to target the U.S.-backed Afghan government and U.S. forces.

“Obama knows that a political solution is needed to end the Afghan war, and for that you need help from the Pakistanis,” he

said. However, Bruce Riedel of the Brookings Institution said it was not clear Sharif had the clout with his own army to get military leaders to pressure the Taliban back into talks.

Despite the tensions, the Obama administration sees Pakistan as vital to regional and global security and is preparing to sell Islamabad eight F-16 fighter jets in a bid to bolster ties, a U.S. source familiar with the matter said.

The joint statement made no mention of the sale, which Congress could block, but said Sharif “expressed satisfaction with the cooperation achieved in defense relations.”

Friday October 23, 2015

Kaieteur News

Page 33

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Kaieteur News

Friday October 23, 2015

Venezuela to assist Grenada in development of oil and gas sector

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro (2R) has promised to assist Grenada in developing its oil and gas sector ST GEORGE’S, Grenada (GIS) — Venezuela has promised to assist Grenada in developing potential that may exist in the oil and gas sector.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who visited the island last week, said he will immediately instruct his foreign minister, Delcy Eloina Rodriguez, to form a team to begin dialogue with St George’s.

The Venezuelan leader told Grenada’s Prime Minister Dr Keith Mitchell during a bilateral meeting, that Caracas and St George’s should not delay on this initiative.

“We can work together on this. I entrust the foreign minister to form this team and let us move as quickly as possible. We have vast experience in oil and gas,” Maduro told the meeting.

“The minister of energy will work with you on this. Tell us how far you want to go and we will go with you,” he added.

New talks between Grenada and Venezuela are expected to focus on boundary delimitation following initial discussion on the issue

some years ago.

Mitchell told Maduro that Grenada is just as eager to reach an agreement, particularly in light of the positive implications for the local economy.

“There is a necessity for delimitation of our boundaries so we can access the resources, as Venezuela has been able to do. We want to advance this as soon as possible because the indication is that there are serious resources to be accessed when this happens,” said Mitchell, who is also chair of the OECS authority.

“It is in the entire region’s best interest to settle any disputes, boundaries or otherwise in the most peaceful manner possible. Anything less would be disastrous. Venezuela, you have the resources, you have the infrastructure. We are not trying to get anything more than what our fair share is,” he noted.

Meanwhile, Grenada’s former energy minister, Gregory Bowen, reminded the Venezuelan leader that positive discussions on the

boundary delimitation had begun a few years ago with the late president Hugo Chavez. Bowen informed Maduro that a Grenada team is standing by to return to the table.

“We also discussed as part of that arrangement, moving directly to joint exploration and development in the unresolved area in the event that a boundary cannot be agreed upon by the parties,” recalled Bowen, in reference to the initial discussion between the two countries.

“With the great friendship between our two countries, it should be easily accomplished.

Our big brother has the knowledge and capacity to help us,” he added.

The Venezuelan team agreed to work together, with Maduro saying, “So we can develop and work together in relation to issues of oil and gas, using technology that PDVSA has.

That is Chavez’s order and we need to fulfill as soon as possible. That can be easily resolved.”

(Caribbean News)

Friday October 23, 2015

Kaieteur News

Page 35

Clinton defends her Benghazi record British support for EU in face of Republican criticism membership tumbles – poll Reuters - Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton yesterday deflected harsh Republican criticism of her handling of the deadly 2012 attack in Benghazi, Libya, and urged her questioners in Congress to put U.S. national security ahead of politics.

At a sometimes bitter daylong hearing, Republicans accused the front-runner in the 2016 Democratic presidential race of misinforming the public about the cause of the attack by suspected Islamic militants that killed the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans in Benghazi.

Clinton, 67, calmly avoided the fray during the most heated exchanges between Republicans and her Democratic allies, and stayed composed under sometimes hostile and aggressive questions from Republican lawmakers.

But hours of questioning uncovered no new revelations in a deadly incident that has been the subject of a halfdozen other congressional investigations and an independent inquiry.

In one of the most pointed exchanges, Republican Representative Jim Jordan said Clinton had misleadingly implied after the attack that it was a reaction to an anti-

U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton REUTERS/ JONATHAN ERNST Muslim video. Clinton, who denies suggesting the video was the cause, called Jordan’s accusation “personally painful.”

“I’ve thought more about what happened than all of you put together,” she told the Republican-led panel. “I’ve lost more sleep than all of you put together. I’ve been racking my brain about what could have been done, should have been done.”

The appearance before the Benghazi panel was a political test for Clinton, who has been on a hot streak with a strong performance in last week’s first Democratic de-

bate and the news on Wednesday that her strongest potential challenger, Vice President Joe Biden, will not seek the Democratic nomination for the November 2016 election.

The hearing also follows weeks of political brawling over whether the House committee’s real goal was to puncture her front-running presidential prospects. The committee is made up of seven Republicans and five Democrats.

Clinton told the panel the attacks must not discourage U.S. action globally and said the incident already had been thoroughly investigated.

“We need leadership at home to match our leadership abroad, leadership that puts national security ahead of politics and ideology,” Clinton said in her only early reference to the political controversy that has dogged the panel.

Opinion polls show Americans deeply split along partisan lines over the probe.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll this week found 35 percent of respondents viewed the Benghazi hearings as mostly or completely valid. The percentage among Republicans was 67 percent, independents 39.6 percent, and Democrats 16.5 percent.

Reuters - British support for staying in the European Union has tumbled over the past four months as an influx of migrants into Europe has pushed many voters towards opting for an exit, the Ipsos MORI pollster said yesterday.

Prime Minister David Cameron is seeking to renegotiate relations with the bloc it joined in 1973 ahead of a referendum on membership by the end of 2017.

In one of the starkest illustrations to date of how the migrant crisis may be polarising British views of Europe, an Ipsos MORI poll showed 52 percent of Britons would vote to stay in the EU, down from a record 61 percent in June.

Support for a British exit rose to 39 percent, the highest level since 2012, up from 27 percent in June. That more than halves the “in” lead to 13 percentage points from 34 points in June.

“We know that immigration has been the big issue over the summer and that has been partly driven by all the stories about migration from Syria and other places into Europe and the refugee crisis,” Gideon Skinner, head of political research at Ipsos MORI, said by tele-

David Cameron phone.

“This is part of what is driving this,” he added.

Cameron has said that he wants to argue for Britain to stay inside the EU if he gets the changes he wants from other European leaders.

But British public opinion on Europe is volatile: In 2012, Ipsos polling showed more Britons wanted to leave than stay.

That has since switched around but polling shows immigration is now voters’ top concern.

A British exit would shake the Union to its core, ripping

away its second largest economy and one of its top two military powers.

Pro-Europeans warn an exit from the EU would hurt Britain’s economy and could trigger the break-up of the United Kingdom by prompting another Scottish independence vote, while opponents of EU membership say Britain would prosper outside.

Over half of Britons said they could be persuaded to change their mind about membership.

Until Cameron has a deal, his government is refusing to back either the domestic “in” or “out” campaigns which launched over the past few weeks.

The most popular of Cameron’s proposed changes include bringing powers back to Britain, restricting free movement of labour and cutting benefits for EU migrants.

Just 37 percent of voters are confident he will secure a good deal, Ipsos said.

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Kaieteur News

Friday October 23, 2015

Sweden struggles to cope with migrant tide; Orban warns of threat

A girl looks on as migrants walk after crossing the border from Croatia in Rigonce, Slovenia, yesterday. REUTERS/SRDJAN ZIVULOVIC Reuters - Sweden said yesterday it expected up to 190,000 migrants this year, putting unprecedented strain on a country famous for welcoming refugees but planning to house many in tents this winter.

At the opposite pole of the angry debate on the migration crisis, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban urged European leaders to change their immigration policies and consult voters, or face a threat to the democratic order.

Thousands of refugees continued to pour into Slovenia in the hope of reaching prosperous northern Europe, and the tiny country appealed for other European Union states to send police to help manage the flow.

Europe is struggling to cope with its biggest wave of migrants since World War Two. According to the International Organization for Migration, more than 670,000 people have arrived by sea this year, fleeing war zones and poverty in the Middle East, Africa and Asia.

Sweden’s Migration Agency said more than 30,000 of the 140-190,000 people it expected in 2015 would be unaccompanied children. Such numbers are much higher, as a proportion of Sweden’s population of under 10 million, than even the 800,000-plus expected by Germany.

“We have seen pictures of people who are literally walking from Greece across the Balkans to Germany and

on to Sweden,” agency head Anders Danielsson told reporters.

The agency said it would need an additional 70 billion Swedish crowns ($8.41 billion) over the next two years to cope.

More than 100,000 have already arrived in Sweden this year, topping the previous record during the Balkan wars in the early 1990s.

Nearly 10,000 came in the past week alone.

“Last night all our places were full,” Danielsson said.

The Agency estimated it would face a shortage of accommodation for 25,00045,000 migrants by the end of the year.

Tens of thousands could spend the cold Swedish winter in heated tents.

China captures corruption suspect thought to have fled overseas BEIJING (Reuters) China has caught a top corruption suspect it thought had fled to the United States after discovering he had returned home to stay with his parents in Shanghai, state media said yesterday.

In April, Beijing published its “Sky Net” list of top 100 suspects thought to have gone overseas, having long maintained its anti-corruption fight was being hampered by Western countries’ reluctance to sign extradition treaties.

Authorities have since repatriated a handful of the fugitives, mostly from countries with close ties to China, but also from the United States.

“These years, I have been hiding here and there in distant places,” the official Sichuan Daily quoted Zhu Zhenyu, a suspect in the embezzlement of more than 1.4 million yuan ($220,000) through mortgage loan schemes, as saying after his capture.

“My life has been difficult,” he said, asking authorities for leniency.

The paper said Zhu, who had worked in security at Industrial and Commercial Bank

of China in southwestern Sichuan province, “fled to the United States” in 2002, beginning 13 years on the run from the law.

But he returned home in 2004, as his mother’s health was failing, and there is no record of his having left the country subsequently, it added. It is not clear why Zhu was not apprehended when he re-entered China.

After years of investigation, authorities persuaded his father to convince Zhu to give himself up, the paper said, and on Oct. 12, he surrendered at his parents’ Shanghai home.

He is the 15th person on China’s list of overseas fugitives to be caught.

Western nations have balked at signing extradition

deals with China, partly out of concern about the integrity of its judicial system and treatment of prisoners.

Rights groups say Chinese authorities use torture and that the death penalty is common in corruption cases.

Though China has redoubled efforts to bring back suspects from abroad, the epicenter of its anti-graft campaign is at home.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has been driving a sweeping crackdown on deep-rooted graft after taking over the party’s leadership in late 2012.

Since then, dozens of senior officials, military officers and executives at state-owned companies have been investigated or jailed.

Putin - Syria leadership must establish contact with opposition forces Reuters - The Syrian leadership must establish contact with opposition forces that are ready for dialogue, Russian President Vladimir Putin said yesterday, adding that Bashar al-Assad was ready for this dia-

logue.

Putin also said at a meeting with foreign dignitaries in Sochi, southern Russia, that domestic political problems were also partly to blame for Syria’s crisis, and not just Islamist militancy.

Friday October 23, 2015

Kaieteur News

U.S., allies demand U.N. council action after Iran missile test UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United States, Britain, France and Germany sent a letter to the United Nations Security Council’s Iran sanctions committee on Wednesday notifying it of Tehran’s recent missile test and demanded action in response to what they said was

a violation.

The letter, which was sent to the committee by the United States on behalf of the four countries, said the launch was in breach of Security Council resolutions and reiterated that the ballistic missile was “inherently capable of delivering a nuclear

weapon.”

“We trust that this information will assist the Committee in its responsibility to examine and take appropriate action in response to violations of U.N. Security Council resolutions,” said the letter, which was seen by Reuters.

Egypt loyalists take the lead in parliament elections CAIRO (Reuters) - A political alliance loyal to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah alSisi has scooped all 60 list seats up for grabs in the first round of a parliamentary election in which opposition parties were all but absent, official results showed on Wednesday.

The initial round of voting for what will be Egypt’s first parliament in three years was held on Sunday and Monday, with turnout at just over a quarter of the electorate and images of empty polling stations splashed across local media.

The vote has been hailed

by Sisi as the final step in a political transition that is meant to lead Egypt to democracy but critics say it has been undermined by widespread repression.

The main opposition Muslim Brotherhood, which won almost half the seats in 2011-12, has been banned and declared a terrorist group.

Thousands of its members

Abdel Fattah al-Sisi are behind bars and its supporters boycotted the vote.

A list of socialist and liberal parties which would have therefore presented the main opposition choice on ballot papers eventually withdrew, leaving the field dominated by Sisi supporters, former apparatchiks of ousted president Hosni Mubarak, provincial notables and wealthy businessmen.

The High Election Committee announced a turnout

of 26.56 percent over the two days, lower than the 2014 presidential election won by former military chief Sisi and much lower than the 2011-12 parliamentary election held just months after a popular uprising ended Mubarak’s 30year rule. The new parliament will comprise 568 members 448 elected on an individual basis and 120 through winner-takes-all lists.

All but four of the 226 individual seats up for grabs in round one will be contested in run-offs between leading candidates to take place on Oct. 26-27 after none of those running clinched more than 50 percent of the vote.

Three of those four seats were won by former members of Mubarak’s ruling party, the National Democratic Party (NDP), which was disbanded in the wake of the 2011 Tahrir Square revolt that inspired hopes of sweeping democratic and economic reform.

The fourth seat was won by a Sisi supporter.

After Netanyahu talks, Kerry says may be way to ease Israeli-Palestinian strife Reuters - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry yesterday voiced cautious hope there may be a way to defuse Israeli-Palestinian violence that has killed nearly 60 people this month. Speaking to reporters after about four hours of talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Kerry said he thought there were steps that could reduce the violence and said they needed to be discussed with Jordanian and Palestinian officials.

“I would characterise that conversation as one that gave me a cautious measure of optimism that there may be ... a way to defuse the situation and begin to find a way forward,” Kerry told reporters after he met Netanyahu at a Berlin hotel.

“If parties want to try, and I believe they do, want to move to a de-escalation, there are a set of choices that are available,” he told a joint news conference with German Foreign Minister Frank-

Walter Steinmeier.

Nine Israelis have been killed in Palestinian stabbings, shootings and vehicle attacks since the start of October. Forty-nine Palestinians, including 25 assailants, among them children, have been killed in attacks and during anti-Israeli protests.

Among the causes of the turmoil is Palestinians’ anger at what they see as Jewish encroachment on the al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem’s Old City, Islam’s holiest site outside Saudi Arabia, which is also revered by Jews as the location of two ancient temples. The area, also home to the Dome of the Rock, is known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as the Temple Mount.

State Department spokesman John Kirby said a number of constructive proposals were suggested at Kerry’s meeting with Netanyahu, including steps Israel could

take to reaffirm its commitment to maintaining the status quo at Temple Mount.

“Both agreed on the need to stop incitement, reduce tension and restore calm,” he added, describing the meeting as “lengthy and constructive”. Kerry made no reference to Netanyahu’s suggestion this week that Haj Amin al-Husseini, the Mufti of Jerusalem during the 1940s, persuaded Adolf Hitler to exterminate the Jews.

Those comments, which come after three weeks of Israeli-Palestinian violence, have attracted wide criticism from Israeli opposition politicians and Holocaust experts, who accused the prime minister of distorting the historical record.

It is not clear why Netanyahu launched into the issue of the late mufti’s role, with Israeli-Palestinian tensions at a new peak, notably over the Jerusalem holy site overseen by the current mufti.

Page 37

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Kaieteur News

BBC Inc. First Division 50-Over KO Cricket

Albion and Rose Hall Town to clash in final tomorrow at Port Mourant In what has become the norm now in Berbice Cricket, the top two first division cricket teams, Albion Community Centre and Rose Hall Town will once again clash in a Berbice Cricket Board (BCB) organised competition final.

This time it is this year’s Berbice Bridge Company Inc., First Division 50-Over final fixed for the Port Mourant ground. Defending champions, Albion Community Centre, even without their West Indies leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo and the hard hitting Jonathan Foo will start as favourites especially after easily defeating Rose Hall Town in a Tenelec Inc. preliminary match a few weeks ago.

Albion’s batting will be spearheaded by Guyana wicket-keeper-batsman Anthony Bramble, Berbice opening batsman Kandasammy Surujnarine who was recently drafted into the Guyana PCL squad, rising star David Latchaya, two Guyana Under-19 batsmen Balchand Baldeo and Sharaz Ramcharran and Guyana Under-17, Adrian Sukhwa.

Their almost all spin bowling attack will be spearheaded

by West Indies left armer Veerasammy Permaul, WI Under-19 off-spinner Gudakesh Motie-Kanhai, Baldeo, Ramcharran and Latchaya.

The Rose Hall Town batting will depend heavily on

former West Indies batsman Assad Fudadin who will be strong and eager to prove that he should be in the West Indies side. He will backed up by the hard hitting trio of former Berbice players, Delbert Hicks, Clinton Pestano and Jason Sinclair who can destroy any bowling attack on the day.

Their improved opening pacer Keon Sinclair together with fast bowler Pestano can pose problems to the Albion line up. They will be supported by leg-spinner Shawn Pereira, off-spinners Eon Hooper and Troy Mathieson.

The umpires named for the match are Imran Moakan and Zaheer Moakan with Omadat Samaroo as the stand by.

Game time is 09:30hrs.

Friday October 23, 2015 ARIES (Mar. 21–Apr. 19) The planetary energies today are emphasizing family. This may be a good time to do some research, delving more deeply into your roots.

TAURUS (Apr. 20–May 20) Your hard work is finally paying off. You can expect to receive acknowledgement and advancement, along with a possible salary increase or substantial bonus.

GEMINI (May 21–June 20) This is a day for good news, particularly regarding the home. It's likely that some positive changes are occurring or are about to occur. You may be considering a move or a major renovation.

CANCER (June 21–July 22) Good news from distant lands could have you feeling good about your life and eagerly anticipating the future. Your thinking is sharp and clear.

This is a good day to make plans, particularly if they involve travel or education.

LEO (July 23–Aug. 22) When you give your imagination free rein, you have a creative way of expressing yourself. Today you might feel like doing some public speaking or creative writing.

VIRGO (Aug. 23–Sept. 22) Your mental acuity is high today. A recent innovation of yours could bring you some much-deserved recognition.

LIBRA (Sept. 23–Oct. 22) Today you'll feel inspired to express yourself in fun, creative ways. Don't be afraid to let loose with your wild sense of humor. You could play a prank on a friend that makes him or her laugh and creates good feelings.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23–Nov. 21) Expect a visitor to put you in touch with people who could make a real difference in your life. Changes are manifesting more quickly than you realize.

SAGIT (Nov. 22–Dec. 21) Today's celestial configuration may leave you feeling more spiritually inclined than usual. As your thoughts turn to more positive horizons, you'll be optimistic about your future and the future of humanity.

CAPRI (Dec. 22–Jan. 19) This is bound to be an interesting day as you meet some new people who have fascinating ideas about esoteric subjects.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20–Feb. 18) It's time to admit that your hectic lifestyle is catching up with you.

PISCES (Feb. 19–Mar. 20) Your inbox is probably crammed with party invitations. There's no such thing as a simple RSVP for you. Every call to accept or decline results in a lengthy conversation as you catch up with relatives and old friends.

Friday October 23, 2015

Brilliant Taylor hands West Indies win Gros Islet, St Lucia, CMC – Captain Stafanie Taylor completed a brilliant all-round performance by picking up three wickets, as West Indies Women crushed Pakistan Women by 109 runs in the third One-Day International to take a 2-1 lead in the fourthmatch series here Wednesday.

Chasing an imposing 282 for victory at the Beausejour Cricket Stadium, Pakistan Women were reduced to 172 for nine off their 50 overs, with off-spinner Taylor claiming three for 26. Seamer Shamilia Connell (2-28) and off-spinner Hayley Matthews (2-32) both finished with two wickets apiece to help cripple the Pakistani innings.

Only Javeria Khan, with an unbeaten 73 off 127 balls, managed to make it past 20 and was one of only four batsmen in double figures. Pakistan Women had a terrible start, losing both openers with just 19 runs on the board in the fifth over and never really recovered.

Javeria Khan put on 32 for the third wicket with Nain Abidi (18) and a further 42 for the fourth wicket with Aliya Riaz (17), as Pakistan reached 93 for three at the half-way stage before losing their way.

Earlier, Taylor agonisingly missed out on her sixth OneDay International hundred as West Indies Women piled up 281 for five after they were sent in. The right-handed Taylor finished on 98 not out, facing 117 deliveries and striking six fours.

Keith Simpson team wins...

(From page 35) that the tournament would be played on a monthly basis along with a double wicket tournament and an individual tournament.

These tournaments he stated are being held as part of their developmental programme to assist the young cricketers to develop and to gain experience. The winning team collected the RHTY&SC/Pepsi Trophy and $10,000 cash. All of the tournaments would be held during normal practice time in the afternoon and would only be open to club members between the ages of 12 - 19 years.

Stafanie Taylor

She was given great support by former captain, Merissa Aguilleira, who stroked 68 from 90 balls, to record her second half-century in three

innings. Kyshona Knight chipped in with a brisk 45 off 40 deliveries while opener Matthews struck a breezy 35 from 34 balls.

Friday October 23, 2015

Kaieteur News

Page 39

Fruta Conquerors boss to Benons retains GDF FC Presidency contest GFF presidency Commits to the restoration of the sport

Presidential hopeful Wayne Forde (2nd right) poses with Slate members (from left) - Committee member Dion Inniss, 3rd Vice-President Thandi McAllister and 2nd Vice-President- Rawlston Adams yesterday.

By Michael Benjamin Months of intense work to regularize the administration of local football will reach a climax when affiliates of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF) convene November 14 next to elect a President to conduct the affairs of the beleaguered sport; the submission of the respective slates expires tomorrow.

Several names have been bandied around as speculations rage of the respective aspirants. Yesterday morning, President of the Fruta Conquerors, Wayne Forde put rest to speculations of his candidacy when he convened a press conference at the Le Meridian, Pegasus Hotel and presented a slate of reputable persons, under the heading, ‘Team Integrity,’ who he believes has the competency, skill and character to occupy the administrative chairs of the GFF and push the sport forward.

Mr. Forde will be contesting the Presidential position while Brigadier Bruce Lovell is named for the 1st Vice President role. Rawleston Adams and Thandi McAllister are spotlighted for the positions of 2nd and 3rd Vice Presidents

respectively. ”This morning I am joined by my distinguished colleagues to declare our candidacy for the Executive Committee of the GFF,” Mr. Forde boldly stated before releasing his slate. The other aspirant that was named includes current President of the Referees’ Council, Deon Inniss, who has been nominated as a Committee Member.

Mr. Forde said that nominations for the other positions are filed but a decision has been taken to withhold those names until the right time. He boldly stated that his team is a competent one with all the attributes of leaders.

“We are ready to embrace the quality of leadership that has for so long eluded us,” he assured.

Mr. Forde admitted that the sport is undergoing turbulent times which has consumed the affiliates and left them feeling helpless but he remains staunch that his team has the expertise to manage the sport and reinstate normalcy among the affiliates. ”Today, I present to you the finest minds and the most respectable professionals, each with a solid record of service, discipline and integrity,” he

proclaimed moments after presenting his slate.

Mr. Forde then beseeched the support of the clubs and other stakeholders while assuring them that, “We pledge to serve you with distinction while working prodigiously to restore the image of the sport.

Mr. Adams indicated that he was somewhat reluctant to accept the nomination when he was asked to be on the slate and labeled this on past experiences while serving in a similar position in the GFF. However, he said that love for the sport coupled with his confidence in ‘Team Integrity’ has been the catalyst for his eventual decision to join the team. He committed to staunch service once he receives the nod from the electorate.

Earlier, Secretary of Fruta Conquerors, Daniel Thomas, spoke highly of Mr. Forde and his vision for the game. “He has traveled the length and breadth of Guyana, accompanied by members of his team, quietly listening to the issues affecting the clubs and associations and has been able to tap into some of the best minds to accompany him on these journeys,” said Mr. Thomas.

He labeled the team members as persons of substance and character that have bonded together towards the common cause of football development. Speaking directly to the electorate, Mr. Thomas said, “For too long our beloved game has been blighted by poor administration, lack of accountability, infighting, slander, malicious bickering and threats to life among other things. We must have the courage to unshackle ourselves from the past and be prepared to mold and forge a new era and Mr. Forde possesses all of the attributes to instigate such changes,” exhorted Mr. Thomas.

GDF President Loring Benons (4th left) with GFF NC Chairman Clinton Urling and GFF GS Diedre Davis (5th & 6th left) pose with other members of the GDF FC Executive.

Loring Benons has retained the Presidency of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Football Club on Wednesday last at Base Camp Ayanganna.

The full executive is as follows: President - Loring Benons; First Vice President

- Sherwin Scipio; Second Vice President - Dewayne Stephen; Third Vice President - Troy Cordis; Secretary Roshelly Grandison; Treasurer - Pamela Julian; Assistant Secretary/Treasurer Monique Skeete; Manager -

Dwaine Moses; Assistant Manager - Dwain Daniels.

The GDF team is one of eight that are competing in the inaugural Stag Elite League organised by the Guyana Football Federation which also conducted the elections.

Trophy Stall backs TSC dominoes

Kenrick Fraser (left) accepts the trophy from Devi Sunich in the presence of Mark Wiltshire.

The Trophy Stall of Bourda Market has thrown its support behind the Transport Sports Club (TSC) 18team dominoes tournament which is set for Sunday at TSC, Thomas Road. The entity yesterday presented the first place trophy to the organisers at a simple cer-

emony held at its Bourda Market location. The competition which commences at 15:00hrs will see all Guyana National Dominoes Association rules in effect. Entrance fee is $10,000. Apart from a trophy, the winning team will take home $120,000, runner up a trophy and $50,000 and third

place a trophy and $35,000.

In an invited comment Devi Sunich of Trophy Stall said they are happy to be associated with the sport while Kenrick Fraser of TSC thanked her for the support.

For more information teams can contact Mark Wiltshire on 665-5855.

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Kaieteur News

Friday October 23, 2015

Debutant Warrican takes four, Sri Lanka out for 200 West Indies 17 for 1 Buoyed by a quicker pitch with some live grass on it, West Indies’ three-pronged pace attack made light work of Sri Lanka’s top order before debutant left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican claimed four wickets to wrap up the Sri Lankan innings at 200, two hours into the final session on the first day at the P Sara Oval.

In response, the visitors lost Shai Hope lbw to Dhammika Prasad in the first over but Kraigg Brathwaite and nightwatchman Devendra Bishoo hung around before deteriorating light forced stumps.

Jerome Taylor had woken up a groin niggle but passed a fitness test and consistently hit speeds above 140kph. He struck with his fourth ball - a beauty that angled in and curved away, leaving Kaushal Silva prodding and edging to the wicketkeeper.

West Indies reviewed and the third umpire Marias Erasmus decided there was enough evidence to overturn umpire Rod Tucker’s on-field decision of not out. Silva was out for a duck and his lean patch was extended - he had failed to build on a start in the first Test against West Indies after managing only 87 in six

innings against India.

That wicket proved a scenesetter and each of the West Indies’ fast bowlers got extra bounce and zip before Warrican took over. Milinda Siriwardana, playing his second Test, scored his maiden fifty in the format, and Rangana Herath, promoted to vice-captaincy after Lahiru Thirimanne was left out, indulged in hacks and hooks to avoid a total wipe out.

The morning session was packed with action, containing as many as five reviews.

West Indies’ second review, coming after the Silva wicket, was also successful, and accounted for 20-year old Kusal Mendis for an edgy 13 on Test debut. Mendis had wafted at a Kemar Roach ball that straightened a touch and nicked behind.

Jason Holder’s first dismissal - West Indies’ second of the morning - had also involved a review. He had Dimuth Karunaratne lbw for 13 in his second over; Sri Lanka’s review going in vain this time.

The quicks rattled the batsmen and beat the outside edge regularly and reduced Sri Lanka to 59 for 4, six minutes before lunch. The session ended with West Indies bowl-

ing coach Curtly Ambrose welcoming his bowlers with warm applause.

Siriwardana helped Sri Lanka recover briefly, adding 31 and 37 with Dinesh Chandimal and Kusal Perera respectively.

With Siriwardana joining hands with another left-handed batsman in Kusal, West Indies’ premier spinner Bishoo was held back. He had come into the attack only after 36 overs in the Galle Test. Today, he came in after 46 overs.

Siriwardana was assured in defence and cashed in when fed with width. He carved Holder over covers, eased Taylor past the same region, and slashed Warrican behind point. He pushed on to bring up his fifty off 76 balls by dancing out and launching a straight six.

He had a life when he was shelled at square leg on 63 but added only five more to his tally before he miscued Warrican into Taylor’s lap at long-off. Warrican began with a half-tracker, which was dispatched by Angelo Mathews to the point boundary with a strong cut.

He settled down quickly, and twirled away in an uninterrupted 14-over spell after lunch. His reward came off a bad ball: Kusal Perera stepped out and spooned a return catch off a full toss, becoming Warrican’s maiden Test victim. Having received his Test cap from Garry Sobers, it turned out to a happy day for Warrican.

West Indies, who had spilled five catches to add to a sixth chance that was not attempted in the first Test, lifted themselves significantly on the field, with the only blip being the Siriwardana drop.

Marlon Samuels made a diving save at backward point while Holder threw himself around mid-off.

Brathwaite, though, produced the best piece of fielding when he bent forward from second slip to grab a sharp, low catch to snaffle Mathews for 14.

The catch was deemed legal after being sent to the third umpire. West Indies 17 for 1 trail Sri Lanka 200 (Siriwardana 68, Warrican 467) by 183 runs.

(ESPNcricinfo)

Milinda Siriwardana hits over the top ©AFP

GSSF launches Trap...

(From page 37) came in for praise from Vidushi, all giving voluntarily of their time and resources to promote the sport.

Trapshooting is a specific

form of clay target shooting utilising shotguns. It is a game of movement, action and split-second timing which requires the accuracy and skill to repeatedly aim, fire one shot in an attempt to break the 108mm clay discs which are hurled through the air at speeds surpassing 65kmh.

Other entities coming in for praise were the Govern-

ment of Guyana, Ministry of Education and the Department of Culture, Youth & Sport, PS Alfred King, the Management of National Hardware, Mr. Tulsi Ramnarine, Mr. Lennox Cush and the Management of Star Party Rentals, Mr. Hakeem Mohamed of H.Mohamed’s General Store & Firearms Dealers, Chief of Staff of the GDF,

Brigadier Phillips, GPF Commissioner Persaud, GPF Asst.

Commissioner Ramnarine, GPF Commander Hicken, GPF Mr. Bacchus, GPF OC TSU Superintendent Dehnert, Asst. Superintendent Mr. Todd and the ranks of the GPF Armoury and TSU. More information can be had from www.GuyanaSportShooting.com

Friday October 23, 2015

Kaieteur News

Page 41

Strathaven take Fort Ordinance, Overwinning, ECDCA/SPR 40-over title Friends Primary triumph GCB/Scotiabank Kiddy Progression One Cricket…

Fort Ordinance, Overwinning and Friends Primary registered victories in the New Amsterdam Canje zone Guyana Cricket Board (GCB)/Scotiabank Kiddy Progression one Cricket yesterday.

At Cumberland, Fort Ordinance held their nerve to beat Betsy Primary.

Betsy batted first and scored 95 for 12 wickets off their allotted 14 overs.

Toshar Kunkarang was the only batter offering resistance with 25.

In reply, Fort Ordinance found themselves in a precarious position at 93-6 requiring five runs off the final delivery of the match.

Nandani Baljit, who was tasked with bowling the last over delivered a no-ball which was str u c k b y Shamar Griffith for three and along with the no ball (two penalty runs) carried Fort Ordinance to 98.

At Edinburgh, Friends Primary registered a ninerun victory over the home

team. Friends took first strike and scored 126-7.

Abdool Seetaram struck 26; Natalia Clarke took 2-6.

Edinburg Primary managed 117-5 in reply.

Clarke completed a fine all round performance by scoring 24.

Number 5 Primary overcame host Bath Primary by 10 runs.

Number 5 made 107-3 with Tyrone Delph scoring 33 not out and Travis Layne 25. Bath Primary finished on 9 7 - 3 i n r e p l y. J u s t i n Bhokram smashed 38 (2x4 5x6).

Overwinning Primary eased past Gangaram Primary by 11 wickets at Cumberland.

Gangaram Primary batted after winning the toss and mustered 77-10.

Extras contributed 56; Jeselle Felix took 2-4.

Overwinning responded

with 81-2 in seven overs.

Tyrese Tim cracked 25 not out (3x4) and Aaron Lindie an unbeaten 22 (2x4).

In the West Berbice District, Lichfield Primary prevailed against Number 29 Primary.

Batting first, Lichfield Primary made 92-4.

Terry Gordon got 14 and Colis Hardcourt 13. Padmini Sookdeo took 2-1.

Number 29 replied with 82-2. Latifa Mc Almont scored 25 not out. Action continues today in the West Berbice District when Hope Town takes on Litchfield.

According to the competition regulations, each team shall be comprised of 14 players (eight males and six females), and each player must bowl one over.

Two runs shall be credited to the batting side for every wide and no balls.

Members of the victorious Strathaven team with their prizes Strathaven defeated host Fairfield SC by seven wickets to capture the East Coast Demerara Cricket Association (ECDCA)/SPR 40-over title played on Sunday last. Batting first in front of a fair-sized crowd, Fairfield’s decision to bat backfired as they were

bowled out for 82 in 20 overs. Only National Under17 batsman Ramnarine Chatura offered any resistance with 25 as Chanderpaul Hemraj captured 3-5 off seven overs, N. Samaroo 211, W. Persaud 2-12 and Goberdan Hemraj 2-21.

Strathaven replied with

86-3 in 15 overs. Sewchand Boodhoo struck an unbeaten 25 while Chanderpaul Hemraj who was given the man-of-the-match and best bowler awards made 19.

Both teams received trophies while Boodhoo received the best batsman prize.

Keith Simpson team wins historic 7-a-side tournament RHTY&SC Members Pepsi Challenge Cup The Area ‘H’ ground, Rose Hall Town was a hive of activity last Friday and Monday when the Rose Hall Town Youth & Sports Club (RHTY&SC) Cricket Development Committee held its first ever 7-a-side cricket tournament for club members.

The historic event was the first of three tournaments that the club would be hosting on a monthly basis for its junior cricketers as part of a developmental programme.

Five teams consisting of seven members each (male and female) took part in the tournament with the Keith Simpson led ‘A’ Team coming out victorious.

Played in a competitive atmosphere, club members turned out in their numbers to support the team of their choice. Batting first after losing the toss, the ‘A’ Team reached 54-1 off their 5 overs; skipper Keith Simpson hit 27 not out, Brandon Corlette 15 not out while Karran Arpaul made 10.

In response, the ‘E’ Team could only muster 49-3 to lose by 5 runs despite an attractive unbeaten 34 from Surendra Budhoo.

In results from the other rounds: The ‘E’ Team drew the bye in the first round which saw the ‘A’ Team defeating the ‘B’ Team by 9 wickets. Batting first the ‘B’

Team reached 31-4 off their allotted 5 overs; Quinton Crandon top scored with 14.

In reply the ‘A’ Team led by Karran Arpaul 19 not out and Joel Nike 10 not out, knocked off the runs in 4.3 overs. In the second game the ‘C’ Team led by a blistering 40 from national Under-15 player Kellon Anderson reached 75-2 off their 5 overs.

In response the ‘D’ Team reached 76 without losing a wicket; former national Under-17 player Brandon Prashad blasted his way to an unbeaten 57 (8x4) while skipper Junior Sinclair supported with 18 not out.

In the second round, the ‘A’ Team drew the bye to the

final. The ‘C’ Team created a huge upset in the lone semifinal when they defeated the favourites, the ‘D’ Team by 25 runs.

Batting first, the ‘E’ Team was led by 25 from skipper Chanderpaul Govinda reached 52-2 from five overs; extras supported with a healthy 16. In response, the ‘D’ Team could only reach 27-3. Skipper Junior Sinclair top scored with 12.

Club Secretary/CEO Hilbert Foster at the presentation ceremony said the tournament as a success and praised the junior members for their passion and discipline. He disclosed (Continued on page 38)

Keith Simpson and his team display the winning trophy.

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Kaieteur News

Friday October 23, 2015

Stag Elite League

Pele trounce Alpha; Slingerz maul GFC

By Franklin Wilson Pele came back with a bang after losing their first game of the Stag Elite League (SEL) when they handed Alpha ‘The Hammer ’ United their fist loss of the league via a 3-0 score-line in feature game of Wednesday night’s double header at the Guyana Defence Force ground, Camp Ayanganna.

The opening game produced a huge 5-0 win for Slingerz FC over Georgetown Football Club as the former club continues to dig deep after losing three points for not taking the field for their clash against eh GDF last week.

Pele led the eagerly anticipated clash 2-0 at half time, when the two sides had faced off in the first round, the match ended 2-2 at the GFC ground. This time around however, the contest was different as Pele dominated for longer periods as they outmuscled Alpha.

While the tournament’s leading goal scorer Gregory

Alpha’s Clive Matthews (#3) and Pele’s Darren Harris competing for the ball.

Richardson was Pele’s trump card with both goals in the first encounter, on Wednesday night, Pele displayed much more depth in the attacking third with goals from Romel Gordon in the 15th minute, Jermaine Summerset four minutes later while the sealer came off the boot of Jamal Cozier four minutes to full time.

The win for Pele solidified their hold at the top of the points table with 17, they have scored as many

goals and have also recorded the most wins after eight rounds of competition.

Alpha remains in second place four points adrift of Pele and have conceded the least amount of goals so far.

GFC, having looked good in the earlier rounds was unfortunately taking on a Slingerz side that has looked one of the more organised units in attack and defense so far, their goal difference of +8 to Pele +9 being very instructive.

From the start of the

The Lethal Quartet! Slingerz marksmen from right, Julian Wade, Vurlon Mills, Dextroy Adams and Anthony Abrams.

match it was clear that Slingerz was in a no nonsense mood. Veteran Anthony ‘Awo’ Abrams sent them on their way in the 21st minute and it was no looking back as they dominated

G F C .

The Bourda boys did keep Slingerz at bay for the remainder of the first half but the flood gates opened in the second. Vurlon Mills in the 54th, Dextroy Adams

with a brace in the 60th and 61st and Julian Wade in the 63rd completed Slingerz’ dominance in the game, a performance which saw them moving from fifth place to third.

Paradise Sports Club to host 7-a-side football on Sunday The Paradise Sports Club ground, located at Factory Road, East Coast Demerara will on Sunday from 14:00hrs be the venue for an Under-17, seven-a-side football competition organised by Mr. O v i d G l a s g o w, S p o r t s Coordinator within the Ministry of Public Security aimed at keeping the youths occupied in meaningful activities.Making the tournament a reality is Choke Gas Station which is the lone sponsor. Proprietor, Mr. Martin Persaud on Wednesday last handed over the trophies to Administrator of Community

Policing in Guyana Mr. Dennis Pompey in the presence Community Policing Liaison Officers at the Ministry of Public Security, Brickdam.

Trophies will be presented to the first to fourth placed teams, the semi finals and final will be played on Friday October 30 commencing at 18:00hrs at the same venue.

Among the villages expected to participate apart from the host are, Anns Grove, Melanie, Buxton, Beterverwagting, Victoria, Plaisance, Golden Grove and Calcutta.

Proprietor of Choke Gas Station, Mr. Martin Persaud (right of trophy) seen handing over same to Mr. Dennis Pompey, Administrator of Community Policing in Guyana in the presence of Community Policing Liaison Officers.

Friday October 23, 2015

Kaieteur News

Coach Rodrigues cautiously optimistic about the Lady Jags’ chances With Guyana’s senior national women’s football team, the ‘Lady Jags’ eyeing a spot at next year’s Olympic Games in Rio De Janeiro, Head Coach Mark Rodrigues said that he’s “cautiously optimistic” about his team’s chances entering the Caribbean Championship round.

The Lady Jags will face Puerto Rico on Wednesday November 18, at the Ato Boldon Stadium in Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Women’s Olympic Qualifying final round.

Guyana, Jamaica and Puerto Rico had qualified for the ‘four team playoff’ by coming out on top of their respective groups.

The Lady Jags are expected to arrive in the Twin Island Republic on November 16 and should Guyana be victorious against Puerto Rico, they will advance to the finals on November 20.

In the final round, the four teams will play a single-elimination tournament.

The two finalists and the winner of the third place match will qualify for the 2016 CONCACAF Wo m e n ’s O l y m p i c Qualifying Championship as CFU representatives.

If the Lady Jags finish within the top three, they will face the likes of USA, Canada, Mexico and two representatives from the Central American region.

By virtue of reaching the 2010 CONCACAF Gold Cup in Cancun, Mexico, the Women’s national team is Guyana’s most successful football team.

Rodrigues says his caution comes with several factors; the USA based coach pointed out: “Trinidad has already encamped their players for over a week now, and will continue to work with them up to their first round of qualifying early in November, and thereafter into the Championships on Nov 18 – 20.”

He added, “Jamaica and Puerto Rico have also encamped their players in preparation for this all important round, as they know the importance of advancing to the C O N C A C A F Championships, having been there just a year ago in

Mark Rodrigues World Cup Qualifying.”

According to Rodrigues, Trinidad had failed to advance to the World Cup finals by just one goal against Ecuador and played exceptionally well against the USA despite losing 1-0 in the CONCACAF Championships.

The Lady Jags’ challenge to win their group in the Dominican Republic in August was primarily fitness which showed in the second half against Cuba, Rodrigues pointed out.

Limited time together to train as a team was also a huge factor, with the coach drawing on the players’ experience to quickly understand what was involved with their chosen system of play.

”Technical Director Claude Bolton’s extensive experience was invaluable in getting the players to quickly learn and adapt. The players’ experience allowed them to do a very good job of making numerous adjustments during the games on their own” Rodrigues said.

Since returning to their respective teams in the USA, Canada and the UK, the Lady Jags’ strength and conditioning coach David Lawrence has been working with the players using a structured system requiring the players to log and post online their results weekly.

Rodrigues informed that the players have all responded very well and the results have significantly shown in several players through their private online numbers. ”Along with Coach Lawrence’s fitness program, they have all continued to play in their respective leagues which are just coming to an end.”

Rodrigues and the Lady Jags are “old hands” at preparing for competition to the best of their ability with very limited time, and this time around is no different, except having the added bonus of having Bolton’s experience and knowledge to draw on.

(GFF)

Page 43

GSSF launches Trap Shooting

Some of the GSSF members at the Trap shooting launch pose with the Atlas Trap Machine in the mobile Trap house.

The Guyana Sport Shooting Federation (GSSF) in its quest to promote the various disciplines and art of sport shooting, on Saturday last marked another momentous day when the first clay was launched in a regulated manner at the GDF Range at Yarrowkabra.

GSSF member and renowned shotgun enthusiast, Mr. Gerard Mekdeci was invited to fire the first shot at a Clay target to mark the occasion. He held true to the task, hitting the biodegradable clay target with his first shot causing it to shatter in several pieces thus launching the sport of Trap Shooting locally.

The GSSF at the end of 2014 secured affiliation to the Amateur Trapshooting Association. Since then, it formed an internal Trapshooting Committee tasked with pioneering this sporting discipline in Guyana which ultimately

resulted in last Saturday’s official launch of the sport of ATA Trap.

President of the federation, Ms. Vidushi Persaud in her remarks expressed thanks on behalf of the body to the following persons who equally contributed in order to p u r c h a s e t h e AT L A S Automatic Trap Machine: Dr. Soumi SenGupta, Mr. Nicholas Deygoo, Mr. Vidyanand Persaud and Mrs. Dia Persaud.

I n r e g i s t e r e d trapshooting, the rules specify that targets must be thrown no more than 52 yards and should reach a height of between 8 and 12 feet at 10 yards from the trap house. Shooters stand a minimum of 16 yards from the trap houses and take turns at calling “Pull” for the targets to be launched when they are ready.

Usually there are about 4 types of shotguns which can

be used for trapshooting; those are over and under, single barrel, semiautomatic and pump action.

Regulations stipulate they must be no larger than 12 gauge.

Ms. Persaud alluded to the fact that several persons and organisations were instrumental in assisting the GSSF to introduce yet another stepping stone to an Olympic sport discipline to Guyana.

Gratitude was also extended to Mr. Richard Van Slytman of C&V Shipping who assisted in shipping the machine and clays to Guyana. Ms. Persaud also acknowledged the kind gesture from a well-wisher of the Federation, Mr. Anthony Mekdeci, who upon learning of our plans to launch this sport, donated two manual Trap Machines for practice.

Board members also (Continued on page 34)

Page 44

Kaieteur News

Friday October 23, 2015

GCB/Banks DIH/Digicel NSSL

Karim’s century powers Rosignol to huge win; wins for Bush Lot, QC A blistering century from Javed Karim handed Rosignol a 116-run victory over Belladrum when the Guyana Cricket Board/Ministry of Education/Banks DIH/Digicel National Secondary Schools League (NSSL) continued yesterday.

Karim slammed 133 to become the first centurion of

the competition as Rosignol posted 239 all out in 29 overs, batting first at D’ Edward ground, West Bank Berbice.

Despite wickets falling regularly around him, Karim kept his composure to hit 17 fours and 4 sixes.

Anthony Mc Pherson claimed 3-0, Orlando Lowenfield 3-37 and Curtis Maxwell 2-36 for Belladrum

who folded for 123 in 22.4 overs in reply.

Curtis Maxwell scored 48; Hemchand Singh bagged 5-23 off six overs. At Bush Lot Secondary School ground, the home team registered a comfortable 141-run win over Woodley Park. Bush Lot took first strike and was bowled out for 227 in their allotted 30 overs.

Collin Barlow

Avinash Boodram (left) and Navindra Persaud Marvin Persaud stroked 50 (3x4), Seon Glasgow 47 (6x4) and Navendra Peraud 24.

Tamesh Roopnarine captured 4-41from 4.5 overs, Tony Dalona 2-24 and Lookram Evans 2-39. In response, Woodley Park were bowled out for 86.

Clinton Grant snatched 4-33, Seon Glasgow 3-11 and Navindra Persaud 2-16.

At Thirst Park in the City, Queen’s College (QC) overcame Richard Ishmael by six wickets. Leg-spinner Persaud grabbed 4-19 to help bowl out Richard Ishmael for 86 in 14.3 overs after they opted to bat.

Persaud was admirably supported by Avinash Boodram 2-9 and Clarence

Baird 2-23. West Indies Under-15 player Collin Barlow hit four fours in his top score of 20 while Joshua Gardner made 15, Leonard Wilburg and Kevon Scipio 12 each.

QC responded with 86-4 in 14.4 overs. Persaud struck four fours and two maximums to lead the chase before he was caught off Saeed Alli for 34. QC Alli finished with 2-7.

The tournament continues today with St. Roses taking on Chase Academy at GNIC ground, Institute of Professional Education clashing with Golden Grove at Enterprise and Fort Wellington battling Wo o d l e y P a r k a t D ’ Edward.

Friday October 23, 2015

Kaieteur News

Page 45

Fourth Annual Digicel Breast Cancer Awareness Cycle Race set for Sunday Over fifty cyclists from twelve cycle clubs across Guyana have confirmed participation in this year’s Breast Cancer Awareness Cycle Race. The fourth edition of the Cancer Awareness Cycle Road Race was launched on Thursday October 14th at the Fort and Barrack Sts. Office.

The race which is scheduled for Sunday will see another stage being added to this year’s edition making it a two-stage race, rather than previous years which only featured one. The first stage will commence at 08:30hrs from Schoonard on the West Coast of Demerara, proceed to Bushy Park on the East Bank of Essequibo and return to Schoonard, covering approximately 40 miles.

Ladies and veterans will ride to Uitvlugt then back to the point of origin.

Stage two will commence at

12:30hrs and will see the seniors and juniors depart from Abary, while the ladies and veterans will start at Perseverance Halfway Tree and ride to the National Park where they will make two laps around, before the finish.

The first six top spots will be awarded, with the winner of the seniors carting off $150,000, top junior $80,000 and the top female and veteran $50,000 each.

Digicel has air-marked over $1.3M for the one-day event.

Keith Fernandes whose cycle club, Gillette Evolution is coordinating this year’s race contended that, he expects a clean, fair and competitive race. He further mentioned that r eg is tr atio n b eg in s at 06:00hrs sharp and his club is committed to ensuring that the race is properly coordinated.

Louanna Abrams, Senior

Part of the action in last year’s Digicel Breast Cancer Awareness Cycle Race.

Sponsorship and Events Executive of Digicel expressed the company’s pleasure at being involved in the event for a fourth consecutive year, adding “We at Digicel are pleased to be a part of this event

especially in this month of cancer awareness. We see it, as a part of a healthier society. We will be donating all the proceeds from the registration fees to the Cancer Society in addition to our sizeable donation, all in

the fight against breast cancer.”

This donation according to Abrams will help the Cancer Society take the fight to the hinterland regions of Guyana where it is difficult for persons to travel to

Georgetown for screening, testing and treatment.

In addition to the race, pink t- shirts will be distributed along the route to onlookers in keeping with the observance of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Nigel Hughes commits to GFF top job Nationals set for November month end The Guyana Teachers’ Union (GTU) and The Ministry of Education will host the 55 Edition of the National Schools’ Cycling, Swimming and Track and Field Championships scheduled for the week of November 23-27 at two venues in Georgetown.

The Management Committee for the National Schools’ Championships confirmed the date and the venues for the annual event yesterday after a meeting. Kaieteur Sport was informed that the National Stadium at Providence will host the Cycling and Track and Field Championships from Tuesday, November 24.

The Swimming Championships will be held on Monday November 23 at the National Aquatics Centre at Liliendaal. In addition to the swimming competition, two field events, Long Jump and Shot Putt along with the 10km Road Race, 40km and 25km Cycle Road Race will also take place on Monday, November 23. th

The Games Village will be established on Woolford Avenue with Tutorial High School, North Georgetown Primary and Secondary Schools, Richard Ishmael Secondary and Stella Maris being the residence of the 16 Districts from across Guyana that will compete.

According to Competitions Director, Ceon Bristol, the Games Secretariat will officially open on October 28 where the entries from the various Districts will be cleared and entered for a national showdown next month end. The Opening Ceremony for the National Schools’ Championships is scheduled for Tuesday, November 23 at 10:30am.

The Management Committee includes Bristol, Coleen Liddell, Lance Baptiste, Sumanta Alleyne, Desiree Ogle, Glendon Fogenay and GTU President, Mark Lyte, Permanent Secretary within the Ministry of Education, Delma Nedd and Edison Jefford.

Permanent Secretary within the Ministry of Education, Delma Nedd (right, head of table) chairs yesterday’s meeting of the Management Committee for the National Schools’ Championships. Others in photo from right are Ceon Bristol, Coleen Liddell, Lance Baptiste, Sumanta Alleyne, Desiree Ogle, Glendon Fogenay and GTU President, Mark Lyte.

rd

Team Unity Presidential candidate Nigel Hughes (3 right) flanked by from right, Troy Cadogan, Mark Waldron, Aubrey ‘Shanghai’ Major, Javid Ali and Odinga Lumumba.

Renowned Lawyer and politician, Nigel Hughes has accepted a lobby from a group called “Friends of Guyana Sport” to lead Team Unity in its quest to guide Guyana’s football.

Hughes, who represented Georgetown Football Association (then GFL) at the Sub Association level as a goalkeeper brings a passion for football and youth development to the job in addition to the legal and

political acumen.

The powerful Team Unity slate includes fellow lawyer Mark Waldron, Aubrey Shanghai Major, Javed Ali, Troy Cadogan and Odinga Lumumba.

Th e g r o u p w i l l b e taking their campaign direct to the community with a launch at the basketba l l c o u r t i n A lbouys tow n tomorrow morning from 11am.

t r o Sp

Debutant Warrican takes four, Sri Lanka out for 200 West Indies 17 for 1

Jomel Warrican in action against Sri Lanka ŠAFP

Sir Garry Sobers presents Jomel Warrican with his maiden Test cap Š WICB

Fruta Conquerors boss to contest GFF presidency Commits to the restoration of the sport

Presidential hopeful at the upcoming Guyana Football Federation Electoral Congress Wayne Forde addresses the audience that converged at the Pegasus Hotel yesterday.

Nigel Hughes commits to GFF top job

Nationals set for November month end

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