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“I did the best I could” ISSUE NO. 350

WEEK ENDING june 18, 2017

- says Dr Roopnaraine on removal from Education Ministry - confirms WPA was not consulted

See story on Page 3

Dr Rupert Roopnaraine being cornered by media operatives at Parliament on Thursday.

APNU/AFC bent on dismantling sugar industry Page 5

…regardless of consequences, says Jagdeo

U.S. artiste is inspired by her Guyanese heritage See feature inside

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NEWS 3

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“I did the best I could”

- says Dr Roopnaraine on removal from Education Ministry - confirms WPA was not consulted

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he Working Peoples’ Alliance (WPA); the political party that Dr Rupert Roopnaraine represents in the coalition A Partnership for National Unity, Alliance for Change (APNU/ AFC) Government was not consulted in his removal from heading the Government’s largest Budget Ministry to heading a Ministry within the Ministry of the Presidency (MOTP).

Dr Roopnaraine confirmed this minutes before Thursday’s sitting of the National Assembly was convened, but was evasive as reporters attempted

to get clarifications.

According to the Former Minister of Education, “I didn’t request it,” the move— seen as a demotion by many—to the Ministry of the Presidency.

He told reporters, “your serve at the pleasure of the President.”

The Minister did indicate to reporters staking out the sitting of the National Assembly that “it’s a new challenge…

Well I must say I am looking forward to the new Ministry.”

Recalling his tenure at the Education Ministry, Dr Roopnaraine told media operatives, “I did, I be-

lieve, the best I could in the education Ministry, we got some things achieved. “ He declined to offer a comment on speculations that the move was in relation to his declining health.

The Minister also confirmed for media operatives that the WPA—the party he represents in the APNU/ AFC coalition—was never consulted and instead pointed to a meeting with the President, Head of State David Granger, at which point the request was made.

The announcement of Roopnaraine’s demotion comes on the

same day of Dr Walter Rodney’s 37th death anniversary.

WPA executive, political activist and professor, Dr David Hinds has since indicated that the party will be writing to the President expressing its concerns about the shake-up and to request a meeting.

According to Dr Hinds, one of the party’s concerns relate to the lack of consultations.

Meanwhile, Speaker of the National Assembly, Dr Barton Scotland at the beginning of the sitting of the Assembly formally indicated to the members of

the House, the creation of the Ministry of Public Service to be headed by Dr Roopnaraine.

Dr Scotland, read out the instrument issued under the Ministry of the Presidency designating Dr Roopnaraine as Minister of Public Service effective June 14, 2017 and shall remain a member of the Cabinet Counsel of Ministers.

Minister Nicolette Henry, has since been elevated to the Substantive post of Education Minister this past week, declined to speak with media operatives when approached.

She instead, scuttled past reporters gesturing a comment at another time.

The announcement of the Cabinet reshuffle was announced by government this past week

by Minister of State, Joseph Harmon who stated that President David Granger had full confidence in the ability of his Ministers and in Roopnaraine.

At the time of the announcement, he said that Roopnaraine’s transfer followed a discussion the former Education Minister had with Granger.

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EDITORIAL

That Oil Contract

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he adamant refusal of the PNC-led APNU/AFC coalition to release details of the oil production contract it negotiated with the ExxonMobil-led consortium is more than troubling; it is frightening.

This obdurate stance comes in the face of calls by a wide swathe of civil society organisations – including the local Transparency International (TI) body and the Guyana Bar Association (GBA) – and not only the Political Opposition, the PPP, but a member of the coalition body that makes up APNU – the WPA. At a minimum, one can say the majority of the country is demanding that the contract details be made public. It is not that the citizens of Guyana believe the consortium, comprised of the US companies ExxonMobil and Hess Oil, and the Chinese CNOOC, is particularly rapacious; but it is just that they are au fait with the standard practices of oil companies across the Third World – particularly in Africa, where countries are at a state of development that is similar to Guyana’s. And those practices demonstrate that countries have to be vigilant.

Realising that the rationale offered by Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo for non-disclosure – it would jeopardise ongoing negotiations on the Venezuelan Border controversy – was risable, Minister of State Joseph Harmon attempted what can only be labelled “damage control”. He offered, in addition to the “security concerns” articulated by the PM, that there were also “legal” barriers raised by the governing 1997 Petroleum Act. He was presumably referring to Part II, Section 4, which states: “no information…by a licensee shall be disclosed to any person who is not a Minister, a public officer or an employee of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission, except with the consent of the licensee”.

But even at a most cursory examination, the terms of the contract are not “information (by the) licensee”, to which the Petroleum Act refers. From the practice of the industry, “information (by the) licensee” is, for example, proprietary information gleaned by the licensee in its exploration activities or from its plans on developing and exploiting the field. In other words, it is information that can offer its competitors on the market a competitive advantage.

What are the salient aspects of the contract that Guyanese are interested in? The royalty percentage is one – and that this has been the one detail revealed by the Government is very disturbing. It is disturbing because the average royalty imposed on oil production in Africa – which were “frontier” oil territories like us because of the undeveloped infrastructure – is over 10%. And these are countries that regularly complain of being given the short end of the stick in negotiations with oil companies. If the PNC-led APNU/AFC Government is willing to boast about negotiating a measly and pitiable 2% royalty rate, the mind boggles at the details it refuses to reveal.

To rub salt into the wound of non-disclosure, the Government is being quite dishonest – not disingenuous – when it insists on labelling the 2% royalty as a “200% increase of the 1% imposed on the original contract negotiated by the PPP in 1999”.

The PPP had signed a contract even before anyone had any evidence there was oil offshore. The US Geological Survey had not yet released its data gathered from space-based mapping.

Tullow was not to discover oil off Ghana until 2007, and then speculate that across the coast of South America, from which Africa had split off eons ago, there might be “mirror fields”.

In 1999, the PPP Government had to be on its knees to entice Exxon to commit to exploration. But last year, when the PNC-led APNU/AFC Government began negotiating with Exxon, the contract had expired by its own terms, and the billion-barrel oilfield had already been confirmed. The Government was now in a stronger position to negotiate.

If a 1% increase in royalty is the best the Government can do, imagine what the figures on “cost-oil vs profit oil” or corporate taxes on Exxon’s profits will be. All Guyanese must demand this information.

Capoey Lake is one of the three largest lakes on the Essequibo Coast. The Amerindian village is located near Anna Regina, Region Two, and is a very scenic and quiet area.

The community is accessible by road and boat. One will have to travel along a two-mile long road which branches off from the Essequibo Public Road close to the village of Taymouth Manor, followed by boat across the Capoey Lake. (Photo by Girendra Persaud)

Political optics in reassignment

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ccording to a release from the Ministry of the Presidency, Education Minister, Dr Rupert Roopnaraine has been “transferred” to a department that is being created within the Ministry of the Presidency to “oversee” the public service, which is presently within the remit of Minister of State Joseph Harmon. For a senior Minister, in one of the most critical ministries in Government, to be made a “department head” cannot be seen as anything less than what it is – a demotion. The question is “why”?

The State-owned Chronicle suggested the move was precipitated by the inability of Dr Roopnaraine to fulfil his mandate as Education Minister because of “poor health” and that on several occasions, he had to be represented by Junior Education Minister Nicolette Henry. This information, however, was not contained in the official announcement, if for no other reason it would have contradicted the official rationale.

To wit, that with his responsibilities for the Public Sector, Roopnaraine would be adding to the “quality of service which is provided to the people of Guyana.” If Dr Roopnaraine is ill, why would the Government saddle him with as key institution as the public service?

It is conceded by most analysts that one of the major fetters on Guyana’s development has been the poor quality of service and professionalism delivered by our public service. One of the key variables why Singapore, for instance, was able to reach “first world” status after starting at the same level as us in the 1960’s, was their professional and incorruptible public service. As far back as 1989, when the then People’s National Congress (PNC) govern-

Dr Rupert Roopnaraine

ment under Desmond Hoyte, signed onto the Economic Recovery Programme of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), one of their “conditionalities” was the downsizing and professionalising of the public service.

Hoyte started the threshold process of downsizing, but when the People’s Progressive Party (PPP) replaced the PNC as the Government in 1992, they halted it because of the PNC strident cries of “ethnic cleansing”. They were caught in a bind since many “square pegs in round holes” in the public service did not have the requisite skills for optimum performance. They had only been hired because of the PNC’s policy of hiring based on the possession of a PNC “party card”.

The PPP got around that hurdle in acquiring needed skills by employing “contract workers”.

While the PNC/APNU and AFC had criticised the practice, they have actually increased the number of contracted employees in the public service, even as they announced the formation of the Bertram Collins College of the Public Service for training. The Government has to get serious about public service reform especially since they have the critical credential for that job with public servants being part of their “constituency” and can “bite the

bullet” with the least disruption. An ailing Dr Roopnaraine, then, in charge of improving the public service, would not allow the Government to make the root and branch shakeup of the public service. Joseph Harmon would still be effectively in charge of a pliable but moribund public service, while Nicolette Henry will be in charge of education.

But there was another elephant in the room on the “reassignment” of Dr Roopnaraine, who represents the WPA in the APNU coalition: the fact that it was done on the anniversary of the assassination of Dr Walter Rodney, de facto leader of the WPA. The CoI into Rodney’s death had bluntly stated “…we conclude that Prime Minister Burnham knew of the plan and was part of the conspiracy to assassinate Dr Walter Rodney.”

In the past week, Dr David Hinds, and Executive member of the WPA had made representation in the State Chronicle that the Government – which includes the WPA – should not “marginalise” the contributions of Rodney towards building “social cohesion”. He asked, “Where are the Rodneyite ideas in the praxis of the Government?”

Maybe the “reassignment” of Dr Roopnaraine was an answer to Dr Hinds.

NEWS 5

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APNU/AFC bent on dismantling sugar industry …regardless of consequences, says Jagdeo

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l t h o u g h Government has announced plans to close the sugar industry, former President and current General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party/ Civic (PPP/C) Bharrat Jagdeo has called on all Guyanese and people living in the sugar belt to continue to fight to save the industry.

Jagdeo made this plea while addressing residents of Enmore, on the East Coast Demerara, during a public meeting held on Wednesday to mark Enmore Martyrs Day, which will be celebrated on Friday.

The former Head of State slammed the Government for the unconscionable decision, stating that it has the potential to create great difficulty for many citizens across the country.

“We’ve been growing sugar in Guyana for 300 years and in two years of this Government, not even under (Forbes) Burnham, they have decided to dismantle sugar,” he told the large gathering.

According to him, the decision to shut down the industry was made way before the coalition Government sought

A section of the large gathering that assembled at Robert Square, Enmore, East Coast Demerara at a public meeting held on Wednesday to mark Enmore Martyrs Day, which will be celebrated on Friday. Speaking to the gathering were former President Bharrat Jagdeo and high-ranking officials of the People's Progressive Party

to have consultation with the relative stakeholders, including the Opposition.

He read a letter that he received from the Government on November 16, 2016, which outlined that authorisation was given to discuss any possible sale of the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) in part or in its entirety.

“So, when they started this perfunctory, this show of consultation that they were listening to GAWU and us (opposition) and they wanted to engage us on a way forward, they had already

made the decision to sell the entire industry and this exposes the duplicity of this Government,” he remarked.

The former President told the large gathering that the David Grangerled Administration cannot be trusted as they have never negotiated in good faith, explaining that in spite of the promises made to the electorate during the last election, they are determined to dismantle the sugar industry regardless of its consequences.

He said, “Today we see an expression of their callous behaviour

by their refusal to say what they will do with the 10,000 workers and their families when they lose their jobs,” he added.

Jagdeo said the closure of the industry, however, has the potential to affect close to 50,000 people, which in his view is a “political, discriminatory decision on the part of the Government.

Jagdeo reiterated that the sugar industry could be sustained and can become viable if more attention is placed on fixing the current problems that exists. He recalled that between 1976 and 1996, sugar made a

huge contribution to the Treasury and paid for the sugar levy.

“At one time, one fifth of total Government revenues came from the sugar industry. We carried Guyana for a long period and even after that, when the sugar levy was ended in 1996 we then got GuySuCo to continue to make a positive contribution to the industry,” he noted.

The PPP/C General Secretary also pointed out that it was only when there was a cut in the European Union (EU) prices for sugar, it led to the industry loosing G$8 billion per annum in revenue. It was at that point that Government had to start looking to begin pumping revenue in the industry.

However, the EU had given Guyana over €100 million as part of the transitional arrangement, which according to Jagdeo, was more than the cost of Skeldon Sugar factory. “And so today it is not true that sugar cannot be restored in the future. It’s not true that sugar cannot be profitable. If we work real hard and we look at the multidimensional contributions of sugar to the economy we will, through

an economic analysis, see that sugar makes a bigger contribution to Guyana than the subsidy it gets in this difficult period,” he asserted.

Contrary to what is being done with the sugar industry, Jagdeo said the PPP/C Government ensured that when the bauxite industry needed help, they pumped money into that industry to keep it alive.

Jagdeo said this was mainly because the Government was compassionate and caring and did not want to affect the lives of those who were directly dependent on the industry for their livelihoods.

“We were concerned about Kwakwani, Ituni and Linden and the residents there, and about how they will keep their families going and we made sure that we worked with those communities and the industry to keep bauxite alive in those places.

However, he argued that this Government, because it views everything through a political, racial discriminatory lens, it will shoot the country’s prospects of improving lives just to satisfy a political agenda.

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Roopnaraine’s ouster a slap in the face of WPA

Dear Editor, I am both puzzled and appalled at the firing of Dr. Rupert Roopnaraine and the reasons given. The spin is that Dr. Roopnaraine has not been fired and that his ouster from Education is simply a Cabinet reshuffle in which he has assumed other responsibilities.

This is simply kerfuffling and insulting the Guyanese people.

The fact that this happened on the day Guyana is observing the death anniversary (the murder anniversary) of Dr. Walter Rodney, a genuine Guyanese patriot and hero, the founder-leader of the WPA and a friend of Dr. Roopnarsine is intriguing. I believe that it is a slap in the face of the WPA, it is an insult to Dr. Roopnaraine and it is another dagger into the heart of Dr. Rodney. I believe it is deliberate and is intended to let the WPA know that they are still regarded as outsiders and interlopers and they no longer serve any useful purpose for APNU+AFC. Already, Nagamootoo and Ramjattan are simply holding on as Trotman completely incorporate the AFC into APNU. This is just another step in reaffirming the People’s National Congress (PNC).

The fact is that Dr. Roopnaraine has been fired as the Minister of Education, a senior Ministry in the Cabinet. He has been assigned to a junior role as a Minister in the Ministry of the Presidency, meaning he must report to Minister Harmon. APNU+AFC from the inception regarded the public service as not important enough to have a Minister and that the public service will be handled as part of the assignment of the Minister of the Presidency. Now Dr. Roopnaraine has a title as a Minister in the Ministry of the Presidency, but for all intents and purposes will be doing the work of a PS with limited duties under Harmon.

Not only have they fired him from the Ministry of Education, they heaped insult on him by saying that they are seeking a more efficient way to manage Education. In so doing, they have made Dr. Roopnaraine a fall guy for the mismanagement of Education.

They make it appear that he had to be removed from his role as Minister of Education so that they could do a better job of managing education.

Not only have they fired and scorned him, they have assaulted his dignity.

It is disrespectful to treat Dr. Roopnaraine this way. Not only is Dr. Roopnaraine a distinguished scholar, but he has been in the struggle for freedom and democracy. While I was disappointed that Dr. Roopnaraine joined the APNU coalition, and while I believed he was misguided in his justification for doing so, we remained friends. I have always

admired Dr. Roopnaraine, even if I could not agree with him all the time. No matter what our disagreement, I always gave him the benefit of the doubt that he was genuinely looking out for the interest of our people. I remembered in 1997 when I was an MP with the PPP sending him a note that I am proud of his struggle and his courage fighting for what he believed in, after one of his speeches in Parliament.

Between 2011 and 2015, as Minister of Agriculture, I hosted Dr. Roopnaraine many times in my office in his role as shadow Minister of Agriculture for APNU+AFC. We always mutually and in the interest of Guyana addressed concerns that he raised and, as far as possible, I sought to find a comfort zone where we placed politics aside and find solutions to concerns that may have existed.

A Government makes changes. A president has the right to change his Cabinet and every Minister serves at the pleasure of the President.

No one is too sacred that they cannot be touched when you serve as a Minister. But either you remove that person as a Minister or shift him or her to another Ministry of the same rank. When Minister Jeffrey was shifted from the Ministry of Health in 2001, he was shifted to the Ministry of Education, a Ministry with the same rank. When the same Minister was shifted from Education, he was made Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade.

In this case a Senior Minister has been shifted downwards, not even being given his own Ministry.

There is no “ands, if and buts”. Dr. Roopnaraine has been dumped and the shift as a Minister in the Ministry of the Presidency is just to placate the WPA. But Dr. Roopnaraine and the Members of the WPA will be dishonoring Dr. Rodney if they cannot see that APNU+AFC has just heaped absolute scorn on the party, on those party members serving the government and most disgusting a deliberate insult to the memory of Dr. Rodney.

It is a signal that APNU does not need the WPA and people like Rupert Roopnaraine anymore. They were used, just as the United Force was used in 1964, to help secure political power.

Now that they have begun to take control of the State and they have made progress in consolidating a repressive machinery to reinstitute dictatorship, there is no place for the WPA and Dr. Roopnaraine.

The spin and the kerfuffling will be wild in the next couple of days, but Guyanese are not foolish and are not fooled. Dr Roopnaraine has been fired and silenced.

Dr Leslie Ramsammy

Much more needs to be done to attract tourists to Guyana

Dear Editor, For me, Guyana is a really extraordinary country but one that is neglected for various reasons. The majority of the blame I personally put on the Administration that got elected by the people of Guyana to govern properly. Some tried and some got stymied by others and, in the end, Guyana suffers tremendously.

Every country tried various methods to develop itself, utilising what is available locally and the most successful means; that is rapidly increasing its tourism. From all indications and my humble opinion, Guyana does not seem to be even preparing to enter that race.

Looking at many other countries and the way they promote themselves, I believe if Guyana is to do the same, we would be a far way in the tourism race. The little pickings that enter Guyana is comical but given the amount in the past, it seems to be sufficient reason for them to lay back and celebrate.

Tourism offers many forms of benefits, including employment, increased spending in communities, marketing for our produce/products, development of communities, opportunities, etc, but why more concentration is not being given there boggles my mind. There’s no worthy preparation taking place to motivate tourists to visit Guyana, except a few relatives and friends returning and being classed as tourists.

There is an abundance of wildlife, awesome sceneries too numerous to mention, adventures to experience; but incredibly, Guyana cannot be

marketed to attract tourists. Apart from attracting visitors from other countries, there seems to be no leverage for locals to visit tourist attraction sites throughout Guyana. The cost does not change for locals and that is bad because when you ask someone living in Guyana about certain places in Guyana, they cannot answer. This is because they have never visited and chances are they cannot afford to, even though they are interested in going. There should be some flexibility for people living here that would give them the opportunities to visit places and I’m quite sure they will assist greatly in marketing/promoting Guyana freely, using the various social media sites.

Editor, recently I visit Lake Mainstay in Essequibo and, as usual, I was just in awe at the location, the design and the views going there.

Going to the resort, you’ll see small villages before reaching and I do not see anything on display that would attract tourists like art, craft, etc.

One of the biggest sore points that is hampering that resort is the road to reach the resort.

It is in such a deplorable condition that it would deter anyone in just a few minutes from leaving the public road. As it is now, it takes almost one hour to reach Lake Mainstay from the Anna Regina main road.

It would appear that resources allocated to this location are being stifled.

Sincerely, Sahadeo Bates

Leaders should work towards creating a modern elections commission

Dear Editor, An impending visit to Guyana by a major delegation from the Trinidad Energy Chamber prompted an article in the Trinidad Guardian (June 9, 2017) captioned “Guyana: trouble again?”

The article focused on Guyana’s turbulent electoral history, and culminated in the following manner: “Oil revenues should start to flow from 2020. And 2020 is also election year. Stakes are high.”

Linking investor interest in oil and gas to Guyana’s threadbare electoral system captures what is at stake between the leaders of Guyana’s two major political formations in Monday’s meeting, which is aimed at resolving the impasse over nomination of the Chairperson for GECOM. If the exchanges leading up to that meeting are a guide, one side will be haggling about the phrases “fit and proper person”, and “fitness to be a judge”; and the other side will be issuing veiled threats about ‘consequences’. This is neither what the vast majority of Guyanese need nor want. They want national leadership that is aimed at creating a modern, independent, de-politicized Elections Commission; not tribal leadership aimed at prolonging elections as an ethnic census.

The Carter-Price Formula has been debased into a tool for prolonging a tribal census. It is outdated, and should eventually be replaced by a modern, professional hiring-and-selection process that is completely out of the hands of the political parties. Nothing less can either guarantee Guyanese their right to genuine democracy, or investors the assurances they need.

The Carter-Price Formula, however, still allows huge improvement in the Elections Commission, if the political will is available to so interpret that formula.

The formalities of the Leader of the Opposition providing a list to the President, as required by Section 161 of the Constitution, imposes no restrictions whatever on how that list is generated.

Nor need it be restricted to the Chairperson. An agreement by both men to create a professional, public, transparent and impartial process which generates a list of people who are capable and willing to be commissioners could then, as a formality, be presented by the Leader of the Opposition to the President for his acceptance.

All of this is entirely feasible within the current constraints of Article 161 if the national interest were motivating the exercise.

Barricading themselves within a pedantic interpretation of Section 161 of the Constitution, or invoking the need for constitutional reform as a way of avoiding electoral reforms, would be unacceptable to everyone, except the leadership of the two major parties.

An authoritative review of electoral practices around the world concluded that “Conclusive evidence from all regions of the world shows that, in 80% of all democracies, elections are run by independent electoral commissions either in a full manner (53%) or by supervising the work of agencies from the executive branch of government (27%).” In other words, Guyana’s current arrangements are associated with the more backward and autocratic minority countries,

rather than with the range of modern approaches employed in established and emerging democracies around the world.

A reformed selection process could ensure selection of men and women who are perceived to be level-headed; impartial; possessing managerial capacity; collectively understand logistics, human resource management, technology, media and the country’s contemporary history. In terms of character, they must have sound leadership ability, an even temperament, be persons of integrity, and persons who are able to strengthen inclusivity. The key requirements are not legal; legal advice should always be independent, in any case.

However, given the bizarre current arrangement of appointing GECOM Commissioners for life, the process outlined above should be accompanied by a request from both leaders to all the current members of the Commission to voluntarily resign.

The GHRA is under no illusion that those steeped in ethnic politics would have difficulty finding ample excuses to prolong the current arrangements.

However, should the two leaders fail to provide the national leadership required for electoral reform, they must accept the responsibility for the inevitably prolonged race downwards to a 2020 election that is embroiled in ethnic antagonism and fuelled by desperation to control the new El Dorado of oil and gas.

Sincerely, Executive Committee Guyana Human Rights Association

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WEEK ENDING JUNE 18, 2017| guyanatimeSinternational.com

Irate man shoots Detained Haitian nationals in Guyana could be allowed to stay another for ...after businesspersons agree to sponsor work permits “interfering” T with wife

Police ranks recovered a spent shell when they arrived on the scene shortly after the suspect opened fire

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olice in Georgetown rushed to Norton Street, Wortmanville, on Wednesday afternoon following the discharge of a gun in the area.

According to information reaching this newspaper, the incident occurred about 15:00h. The shooter has been identified as “Yankee” and “Cuzz” of Norton Street and West Ruimveldt, Georgetown.

Eyewitnesses related to this newspaper that the suspect had opened fire on another Norton Street resident, Troy Brandt, accusing him of “interfering” with the mother of his child.

The woman, who also lives on Norton Street, had gone to the shop with a younger relative. At the time, Brandt was sitting on a corner of Norton and Hardina Streets along with two others.

As the woman was returning home, Brandt

reportedly asked if she wanted an umbrella to which she did not respond. However, when they got home, the younger relative allegedly informed the suspect about what transpired.

The angry man was subsequently seen riding a bicycle to the spot where Brandt and his friends were sitting. The suspect dismounted the cycle and reportedly told Brandt “don’t breathe!”

He then whipped out a firearm and cranked it.

Upon seeing this, Brandt ran towards his home, which is four houses away as the suspect discharged a round in his direction. Luckily, he escaped unhurt.

The suspect then jumped onto his bike and rode away. About five minutes later, three vanloads of Policemen arrived on the scene, but were unable to apprehend the suspect.

Investigations are ongoing.

he Haitian nationals detained in Guyana for suspected human trafficking are expected to be released very soon, since a group of businesspersons is initiating the process to have the adults granted their work permits so they can remain in Guyana.

Fifteen Haitian nationals (eight children and seven adults) who were detained by the immigration authorities last month can now breathe a sigh of relief since a group of businesspersons will begin the formal application process to have them granted the permits. The businesspersons will also be providing accommodation and employment for the Haitians.

A group, led by activist Mark Jacobs met with Citizenship Minister Winston Felix, on Wednesday at his Waterloo Street office in Georgetown and informed him that they would be taking full responsibility for the detainees.

“We’ve been given an opportunity to apply for these persons to stay in Guyana. There are persons here willing to accommodate these persons with employment and place to stay. I am not sure how long the process would take, but we are back here tomorrow with the applications to begin that process,” Jacobs informed.

The persons were detained on the grounds of arriving in Guyana as part of a human trafficking ring since their hotel appointments were cancelled and they were reportedly on their way to other loca-

Alleged wife abuser gets 4 years for guns, ammo, cocaine possession

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taxi driver of Campbellville, Georgetown, will now spend the next four years of his life behind bars after pleading guilty to trafficking 11.363 kilograms of cocaine and the illegal possession of three unlicensed guns along with matching ammunition. Trevor Rodriguez appeared before Magistrate Annette Singh on Tuesday.

Rodriguez was on Independence Day (May 26), busted with the illicit drug and weapons when Police descended on his home following a report of domestic violence. On the day in question, Rodriguez had threatened to shoot his wife, Amanda Rodriguez, who, in fear, reported the incident to a co-worker who readily came to the rescue of the woman.

Trevor Rodriguez was jailed for 4 years

Prosecutor Simmons had related that the co-worker took the gun away from the perpetrator and contacted Police officials, who swooped down on the couple’s premises.

The woman reportedly handed the pistol over to ranks who conducted a search on the said premises, leading to the discovery of the two other guns and cocaine con-

cealed in two cylinders with false bottoms.

Rodriguez also faced other charges relating to the use of threatening language and behaviour towards his wife, but these were dropped after the woman disclosed to the Magistrate that she no longer wished to offer evidence against her husband.

Magistrate Singh slapped the accused with a four-year jail term for trafficking in narcotics, handing down a 24-month sentence for each of the six counts of gun and ammunition charges; these terms will be served concurrently.

Based on reports reaching this newspaper, Rodriguez is in the habit of abusing his spouse and had even threatened to kill her several times.

(Paula Gomes)

Human rights activist Mark Jacobs

tions. The detained persons are being housed at a Night Shelter in East La Penitence.

However, Jacobs said that the authorities have been unable to ascertain whether the persons were brought to Guyana as part of the trafficking ring or for other purposes. He added that the group, comprising business folk, members of the Guyana Bar Association and civil society, are working assiduously to ensure that those detained are given back their possessions so that they can stay in the country.

“The Police position has been that these persons were trafficked and that has changed, because they

have not been able to verify that these persons are being trafficked,” he said.

Humanitarian approach Since the news of the detainment of the Haitian nationals got out, several persons on Facebook and other social media platforms expressed their disgust at the Government’s handling of the situation.

There is the call for a more compassionate approach in dealing with the issue, since children are involved coupled with the fact that the detainees could not communicate with officers.

Jacobs said that the only reason they were being allowed to remain in Guyana was because the Government was refusing to pay for their return airfares and the persons did not have enough money.

“Concerned persons would have stepped forward to sponsor these persons and have them stay in Guyana and they have expressed their willingness to stay in Guyana,” he said.

Two of the three recommendations include halting the deportation of the persons in custody and that they be released.

However, the group was informed that the Guyana Police Force is handling the

matter, it is being treated as a criminal investigation, and as such, they would have to consult the Crime Chief, Wendell Blanum on the way forward.

“The Minister didn’t make any offers per se, we requested it. From the beginning, there were persons who stepped forward as a humanitarian gesture and said that we need to get these out,” Jacobs said when asked whether Minister Felix offered to grant the detainees work permits as an option to remain in Guyana.

Of the eight children detained, the parents of one child could not be found and as such, he was basically considered an orphan, because it was unclear how and who he came to Guyana with.

Those detained are: Limat Naiomi Cherubin, Jeannot Simeon; Guirant Dafeline; Denise Clement, Alterique Marizier, Nicholas Duclevil, Vilege Jacquet, 11-year-old Blondina Julien, 10-yearold Sandine Jerome, 16-year-old Gueraldine Clement, 12-year-old Carline Clement, 9-yearold Grego Clement, 11-year-old Sanite Jacquet and 12-year-old Diuenne Jacquet.

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WEEK ENDING JUNE 18, 2017 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Govt sounds land repossession Essequibo rice giant Guyana warning to private developers Kayman Sankar sells T off properties

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ayman Sankar, a popular rice company, has sold a number of properties including Essequibo Coast and Blairmont, Berbice rice lands less than three years after the Kayman Sankar passed away.

Sankar was acclaimed as Guyana’s most successful rice farmer/miller, who rose from poverty to become a millionaire and a household name on the Essequibo Coast and Guyana as a whole.

The late rice miller’s son, Beni Sankar, confirmed to Guyana Times International on Wednesday that several properties were sold, pointing out quickly that the decision to sell had nothing to do with issues facing the industry.

Among the properties sold the Hampton Court Airstrip, aquaculture farms, rice fields, estate houses and cattle.

“It has nothing to do with the decline it was for different circumstances,” he explained.

While Beni Sankar did not want to comment further on the sale of these properties, he said as it currently obtained, the rice industry was in a good state, but there were a few issues that could be addressed.

“Maybe the farmers are not getting the preferential treatment they used to get. So, maybe that is a big issue. What has mostly happened there is that their profits have gone down,” he emphasised.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Kayman Sankar and Company

Beni Sankar

Limited told this publication that in most instances, when rice farmers take their capital to the bank, they were more likely to receive three to four per cent interest.

“And most farmers clear 20-25 per cent. And now if they don’t make that a crop or so, that’s a big scream. And what you have to bear in mind also, is that there are too many small farmers,” he opined.

According to him, farmers, who operate with 25-30 acres of land, cannot earn a living wage in Guyana, adding that with no other form of employment, this could lead to a lot of societal problems.

“It’s not an easy situation, but I think the industry is in a relatively good state,” he added.

Questioned whether there was need for more markets, Sankar said even if more markets were opened up, it all boiled down to the price offered for rice and paddy.

“You can sell how much rice you want, but it’s the price. As a mat-

ter of fact that applies to any product. If you give it away at a low price, people will take it,” he further stated.

Guyana recently reached an agreement with Mexico which will allow for the export of an estimated 150,000 tonnes of rice and paddy to Mexico duty-free before year-end.

Despite this, there has been a general decline of rice prices on the international market over the past few years.

This trend has had more consequences for some rice-producing countries than others.

The implications for the Caribbean and Guyana have already been realised, and have already threatened the comparatively high prices that were enjoyed in years gone by.

Nevertheless, Agriculture Minister Noel Holder had revealed that rice production was expected to increase by 1.3 per cent in 2017, although there was a decline during 2016 by 12.7 per cent to 600,000 metric tonnes due to El Niño weather conditions.

Holder said that a number of farmers had exited the industry owing to the loss of the high-priced Venezuelan market, but explained that 3311 hectares were lost out of the 76,717 hectares sown.

It was reported that production for 2015 was 1,058,129 tonnes, which was equivalent to 687,784 tonnes. That was 80,840 tonnes or 8.27 per cent higher than the production for 2014.

he Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA) has warned that it will soon repossess lands from those private developers and house lot beneficiaries, who have breached their agreements. This comes as the CH&PA moves to pave the way for the development of more low- and middle-income housing solutions for Guyanese.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the CH&PA, Lelon Saul, said the Authority is set to go after those developers who acquired vast tracts of lands under the previous Administration, but have since failed to develop them. “We are currently engaging these developers. We are encouraging them to develop those lands, to live up to the agreement of sale, and I should say that in some cases it is likely that we would move to repossess some of those lands,” Saul said at the CH&PA’s midyear press conference on Monday.

He pointed out that many of these private developers still owe the CH&PA money and this would make it easier for the Authority to repossess the lands. Saul said the CH&PA has commenced the repossession process. “I can tell you that I would have instructed our Corporate Secretary to initiate actions to repossess lands from private developers who have failed to deliver.”

The CH&PA has also forwarded many of the developers’ agreements to the Attorney General’s (AG’s) Chambers for legal consideration before engaging other defaulters. This was done after a review of the agreements was conducted by CH&PA’s Corporate Secretary, Hannifah Jordan.

Jordan explained that the agreements were reviewed in two batches – one for discrepancies and

CEO of the Central Housing and Planning Authority (CH&PA), Lelon Saul

two towards strengthening the document. “When we review the agreements, there were two batches; the batches that were done in 2010-2011 and the set that was done in 2013 and beyond. There were issues regarding the strengthening of those agreements and that is why the agreement in 2013 and beyond had additional penalties and conditions to cater for us in terms of whether you wanted to repossess or penalise the developer,” Jordan explained.

The CH&PA is also going after those persons, who, in an attempt to defraud the system, obtained more than one Government house lot. Based on the CH&PA’s allocation policy, a person is only entitled to own one property or lot from the Government.

CH&PA’s Operation Director, Denise KingTudor explained that once the Authority establishes that someone is the owner of more than one Government house lot, they will move to repossess one of the lots, in accordance with their repossession policy.

“Sometimes you find instances, where persons change their names (to obtain a lot) or they use another name or they are already married to someone and our policies say that if you are married or not if your spouse, should own then you are not eligible to the Government’s housing programme,” King-Tudor

explained.

According to a GINA report, she explained that these instances are either reported to the CH&PA by concerned citizens; in other instances, it is unearthed and there are cases where persons report this information, when the Authority conducts data cleansing. “We will find that persons in Region Five or Six, they acquire a lot in Region Four and so once we would have established that and we would have done our research and assessment of the situation, we would determine which one of the properties that person should have,” KingTudor explained.

In determining which of the lots that the person should be left with, the CH&PA takes into consideration such ramifications as the investment made and where the persons actually works and resides, Tudor-King said. “You would find that if that person would have acquired a house lot in Region Six and Region Four, because maybe there is a shift in where they work, they have constructed on the lot in Region Four and so we would repossess the lot in Region Six,” she was quoted by the Government Information Agency as saying.

Concerns over the approximately 25,000 applications on file have led the CH&PA to review some of the mechanisms used to enable home ownership.

The Authority is also reviewing the use of those lands that were disbursed to private and other landowners but to date remain undeveloped. In addition to using these lands to meet the huge demand for house lots, the Authority may also seek in the future to utilise them, to expand their pilot project of constructing apartments, condominiums, and wooden houses for Guyanese that are within the low- to middle-income brackets.

Woman cites ‘domestic violence’ as reason for killing man

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urder accused Zalena Whittington has cited her being subjected to domestic violence as the reason for killing her partner Azad Ghani on May 22, 2013.

She appeared on Monday before Justice Navindra Singh in the Demerara Assizes and admitted to killing her partner, appealing for forgiveness for killing the man but pleading not guilty to murder, but guilty to the lesser count of manslaughter.

Breaking down in tears several times, the woman told the court she was unwell and was finding it difficult to comprehend the charge she faces.

After her extensive pleas, Justice Singh sentenced the woman to eight years’ imprisonment for the offence of manslaughter, telling her that despite her domestic violence explanation, he still had to impose such a sentence,

Zalena Whittington said domestic violence was her reason for killing Azad Ghani

because a man had lost his life. The Prison Service was, however, ordered to deduct the years that Whittington has spent awaiting trial.

State Prosecutor Tamica Clarke led the State’s case, while the accused was represented by Defence Counsel Debra Kumar.

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WEEK ENDING JUNE 18, 2017| guyanatimeSinternational.com

Berbice teacher, contractor Lindener fatally struck charged with rape by alleged drunk driver – in separate incidents

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Zafiel Yusuf

wo men – one a contractor and the other a school teacher – were on Tuesday placed on a total of G$360,000 bail for allegedly having sexual relations with three teenagers. The men appeared at the Albion Magistrate’s Court charged for two separate and unrelated cases but were both granted bail.

Zafiel Yusuf, 25, a teacher and the son of a former AFC Regional Councillor, was charged with the rape of a 14-year-old girl and her 15-year-old brother.

It is alleged that on April 19, 2017, he had sexual penetration with the teenagers at a Corentyne village.

Yusuf, who operates a private school on the Corentyne, was granted bail in the sum of G$120,000 on each of the two charges. He will return to court on July 27, when the Police are expected to file statements.

It was alleged that Yusuf went to the teenagers’ home and requested to see their mother and told her that he had hampers to give to poor people and if she wanted one she will have to send her children with him to collect it.

The children got into his car and he stopped at a Chinese restaurant and asked them if they wanted beer to drink.

The girl said she did not want a beer but would accept a bottle of juice.

It is alleged that the siblings were later taken down a dam and next to a clump of bushes where she was told to perform a sexual act on Yusuf. It was also reported that she refused and was cuffed and told that she would be killed if she did not comply. Out of fear, the teenager performed oral sex on the school teacher.

It is alleged that her brother was also forced to do the same after his sister.

After the teenagers returned home, the matter was reported to the Police.

Meanwhile, also appearing before Magistrate Marissa Mittelholzer on Tuesday was Dexter Philadelphia, also called “Dexter Clerk”, 43, a contractor.

He is accused of having sexual intercourse

Dexter Clerk

with a 12-year-old in August 2015. He was granted bail in the sum of G$120,000 and will return to court on July 4.

It was reported that the victim and Philadelphia were known to each other. On August 16, 2016, she was in the bathroom at their Corentyne home which is located at the back of the yard when the suspect came into the said bathroom and began to touch her. She told him to stop but he allegedly continued. After the bath, she went upstairs to her bedroom and Philadelphia went after her.

At the time she was wrapped in a towel. The towel was pulled off and she was allegedly raped.

At the time, Philadelphia was involved in a relationship with the teenager’s mother.

When the matter comes up again on July 4, the Police will be expected to file statements.

Foreign Ministry improving management of missions’ financing

MoFA Director General Audrey Waddle

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he Foreign Affairs Ministry (MoFA) has improved the financial management of its overseas missions, according to MoFA Director General Audrey Waddle.

Waddle appeared before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Monday to answer to financial discrepancies highlighted in the 2015 Auditor General’s Report.

She noted that the MoFA has since strengthened its Economic Planning and Management Unit (EPMU) and installed home based accountants to ensure timely submission of reports. This Unit was

not functioning, Director General Waddle pointed out.

The 2015 Auditor General’s Report highlighted a substantial sum of unspent balances that were not paid over to the Consolidated Fund.

The Director General told the PAC that all unspent balances were repaid to the Fund in 2016.

Meanwhile, the Foreign Affairs Ministry has also improved its system for reconciling advances to missions. The audit report noted outstanding advances that dated back to 2009.

According to a Government Information Agency report, Waddle explained that the Foreign Affairs Ministry is working closely with the respective missions to clear outstanding advances. Guyana’s most senior diplomat explained that the advances are usually approved for emergency or late notice travel to meetings from the Missions’ funds. Late submission of clearance forms were highlighted as a reason for the outstanding balances.

Currently, the MoFA has implemented a system that holds further advances until Missions submit their clearance forms.

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Linden, Region 10 (Upper DemeraraBerbice) man was struck and killed by an alleged drunk driver at Half Mile Public Road, Linden.

Dead is 38-year-old Sherwin Hermanstien of Lot 534 Canvas City, Wismar.

Reports are that on Tuesday at about 22:45h, Hermanstien was in the process of crossing the road when motorcar PSS 5865, driven by an Industrial Area, Mackenzie resident, proceeding North along the western side of the road, struck Hermanstien.

After being hit, the pedestrian fell onto the

Dead: Sherwin Hermanstien

road and was in an unconscious state. He was picked up by the driver of the vehicle and rushed to the Linden Hospital Complex where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Police investigators in a statement revealed the driver of the vehicle was apprehended and was found to be over the legal blood alcohol limit after the administration of a breathalyser test.

Meanwhile, at the home of the deceased on Wednesday, friends and family gathered in shock and disbelief as they expressed their grief over what they described as the “sudden death” of

their loved one.

They noted that the Hermanstien was with his brother at the time of the accident.

His aunt, who broke down in tears said she visited the hospital after learning of the accident on Tuesday evening.

Hermanstein’s relatives described him as a very jovial individual who loved children.

“He don’t be in no problem. All he do is drink and play he music. Very, very nice person. He would past one hundred times and talk to you”, a grieving relative noted.

Meanwhile, investigations are continuing.

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WEEK ENDING JUNE 18, 2017 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Several acres of rice lands Commentators say social cohesion talk “pure affected by floodwaters propaganda” in Region 2

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One of the flooded rice fields

ver 460 acres of rice within the Sparta, Windsor Castle and Hampton Court backdams in Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam) are currently affected due to excessive water. This was reported by Regional Vice Chairperson, Nandranie Coonjah, at the Regional Democratic Council’s (RDC) statutory meeting for the month of June.

Coonjah in a report to the RDC stated that over 160 acres of low lands in the Sparta area and 300 acres in the Windsor Castle and Hampton Court areas are inundated due to poor drainage, compounded with heavy rainfall. This, she said, is affecting farmers in those areas as 18,400 acres of rice lands were already sown.

Coonjah informed the Councillors of the RDC that farmers need help to drain water

from the low lands.

After the presentation of her report, Region Two Chairman and head of the region’s RDC, Devanand Ramdatt, said a team comprising engineers and officials from the National Drainage and Irrigation Authority (NDIA) visited the areas recently and inspections were conducted. Ramdatt said he had communicated with Agriculture Minister Noel Holder on the issues affecting the farmers and in response, the Minister said the NDIA would be repairing the Hampton Court sluice. Ramdatt said currently, the areas have three sluices, however, only one is operable, thus contributing to poor drainage.

He however opined if the sluices are maintained then that could bring relief to the affected rice farmers.

Bandit gets 25 years for traffic light murder

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eeks after a 12-member jury found him guilty of manslaughter, Travis McDougal was on Monday sentenced to 25 years’ imprisonment for his involvement in the shooting death of 43-year-old dredge owner Ashok Raghu.

The businessman was killed outside the Botanical Gardens on Vlissengen Road in August 2014, during the course of a robbery committed by two bandits.

Defence Attorney Nigel Hughes said his client had no run-ins with Police prior to Raghu’s killing, stressing that McDougal did not know that his accomplice had intentions of attacking anyone.

Hughes, in appealing for a lesser sentence, said that his client stayed on the “straight and narrow” path for most of his life, except for his association with his accomplice, Jermaine Otto, called “Fungus”, a porkknocker.

In July 2015, McDougal was committed to stand trial with the porkknocker, but Otto was one of the prisoners, who died in the deadly Camp Street Prison fire, following riots in March 2016.

At Monday’s sentencing, McDougal maintained his innocence and begged for the Judge’s mercy. He noted that while incarcerated, he enrolled in church programmes and was even chosen as prisoner in charge of taking care

of his dormitory.

State Prosecutor Tuanna Hardy stressed that McDougal’s actions put the public in danger as a gun was used in “broad daylight”.

After hearing addresses by both sides, trial judge Navindra Singh admitted that he came to the bench with a sentence in mind, but reasoned that McDougal could still contribute meaningfully to society as he was only in his 20s.

“I think I am a very fair judge,” Justice Singh expressed, telling the court that he was “deeply criticised” by family members of both the accused and deceased when sentences are imposed.

Justice Singh then stressed that he took into consideration that the jury found McDougal guilty of manslaughter rather than murder – the charge for which he was originally indicted. The Judge, however, maintained that it was very hard to be flexible in this instance. As such, he sentenced McDougal to 25 years, ordering deductions for time spent on remand.

After being sentenced, the accused, clinging to a Bible, was in tears as Police led him away to the prisoner’s holding cell.

Police had contended that one of the two bandits had grabbed a haversack containing G$4 million, but Raghu’s

Guilty: Travis McDougal

wife, Shyrazadi, held onto the haversack before she too was shot. She had testified to seeing McDougal on the night in question. The businessman died from a perforated lung due to a gunshot.

The jury had heard that McDougal knew “Fungus” from the time they attended Lodge Secondary School together. Otto was said to have asked the accused to drop him in Kitty, Georgetown, because McDougal had a driver’s licence.

During the trial, McDougal had recounted that when the two were on the motorcycle and had reached the traffic light at Regent and Vlissengen Roads, Otto jumped off and proceeded to a car.

“All I hear is shots,” the accused was quoted in an alleged confession to Police.

Otto then contacted him and reportedly said: “I hope my name ain’t get call.”

The State’s case was assisted by Prosecutor Siand Dhurjon.

n light of Guyana’s state of affairs with respect to the appointment of former Guyana Defence Force officers and predominantly one ethnicity of Permanent Secretaries, social commentators are of the belief that the Administration is not serious or genuine about its national unity and social cohesion agenda.

This position was taken by former Alliance For Change (AFC) Executive Member, Sase Singh, who last week had highlighted that 16 of the 17 Permanent Secretaries within the public service are AfroGuyanese. Singh had accused the coalition Government of creating a “situation of ethnic bias”.

However, Minister of State Joseph Harmon, who has responsibilities of the public service, refuted the situation was a deliberate one, saying that the economist was being “factious”. Harmon had justified the situation, explaining that his Administration did not bring any one to take up the Permanent Secretary positions but merely promoted public servants that were already within the system.

“There is nobody that we brought into the system and put them as PSs. Many of them were PSs before in the previous Administration and we took them over… All we’ve done is move some of the PS from one Ministry to the next. So to say we have deliberately gone around looking for one race group to put them there, Mr Singh is being very factious,” the State Minister had said.

But in rebuttal, Singh pointed out that the Minister is not making any sense with his explanation, questioning if whether public servants of other ethnicities were not qualified to be promoted.

“So there are no Indians or no Chinese or no Amerindians in the Public Service that are promotable? Is that what he’s saying, that there is no Amerindians, no Chinese, no Portuguese that are promotable in the public service,” asked the economist.

According to the former AFC Executive, back on the 2015 campaign trail, the coalition had painted a picture of a new Guyana for young people; one with social cohesion and national unity.

“Now how will you promote social cohesion and national unity if you impose an executive leadership on the nation that is so stacked with people from one race. What happened to the other people of the country? Don’t they deserve an opportunity to climb, don’t they deserve an opportunity to be able to serve at the highest level?” he further questioned.

Singh went on to point out that President David Granger preaches about national unity and social cohesion at every occasion he gets but when one looks at the state of affairs in the country, the reality is that this Government seems to be doing everything that is against social

Sase Singh

cohesion and national unity.

“There’s a grave inconsistency in the Granger Administration at the highest level, between their words and their actions. And this needs to be addressed because the inconsistency is causing great harm to the moral fibre of the nation,” the economist said.

Moreover, Singh challenges Minister Harmon to prove that he is being “factious” and provide the correct information to support that majority of the Permanent Secretaries within the Public Sector are not AfroGuyanese.

The coalition Government has come in for much criticism over its appointments to State positions – whether it is about racism or the apparent militarisation of the country. This latter criticism comes in light of frequent appointments of ex-Army men to high Government posts.

Local commentator, Ramon Gaskin, has since cautioned that Government needs to be careful of this practice.

“It is also clear to me that this Government when they have a vacancy and when they looking for people, they always go to some retired Army officers to put in those positions,” he posited.

Gaskin clarified that he is not saying that any retired Army officer should be denied a job in the public service, especially if he is young and qualified. But at the same time, he added, Government needs to be cautious of the message it is sending the public.

“They have to be very careful of this militarisation of the public service and while we have to make sure that trained and qualified military men should be allowed to continue to serve their country, it has to be done in a proper competitive manner.

And they must advertise the positions just like the others and the army officers get the positions on their own merits,” the local commentator asserted.

Furthermore, Gaskin opined that the whole talk of social cohesion coming from Government is nothing but “pure propaganda, it’s all nonsense.” He noted that the coalition Administration has not done, and is not doing, anything to promote social cohesion.

To this end, Gaskin touted that in order to get or improve social cohesion in Guyana, Government first has to determine the factors that are hindering this.

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WEEK ENDING JUNE 18, 2017| guyanatimeSinternational.com

RadioShack to open store in Guyana

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he first RadioShack store in Guyana will be opened today (Friday) at the Giftland Mall as part of Unicomer Guyana’s network of retail stores, a release from Unicomer said on Wednesday.

The Unicomer Group recently opened three similar RadioShack stores in Trinidad and one in Barbados.

The company noted that Radio Shack will now join the company’s retail network of stores in Guyana, which includes Courts and Lucky Dollar.

The new retail store is expected to deliver advanced resolutions to the everyday needs of patrons shopping technology, as well as create an interactive and one of a kind shopping experience.

“The exciting range of products

available at the RadioShack stores includes Bluetooth speakers and transmitters, notebook computers, tablets, power banks, headphones, android boxes and fitness trackers. Additionally, the chain also offers affordable and flexible financing plans to its customers,” the statement explained.

The Unicomer Group’s parent company, Regal Forest Holdings (RFH) attained the RadioShack brand and licensing rights for Central America, South America and the Caribbean in 2015. As such, over the years, an estimation of 72 Radio Shack entities has been established in several locations.

These include El Salvador, Barbados, Trinidad, Nicaragua, Curacao, Honduras and Guatemala.

Political commentator urges Govt to “stop marginalising Rodney”

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olitical commentator and executive member of the Working People’s Alliance (WPA), Dr David Hinds, on Monday issued a call for Government to put aside partisan differences and honour the memory of the late political leader, social activist and scholar, Dr Walter Anthony Rodney, as a true Guyanese patriot.

Saying he understands Government’s reluctance to touch the recommendations contained in the controversial Walter Rodney Commission of Inquiry (CoI), Dr Hinds asked, “Are we doomed to be forever imprisoned by partisan instincts?”

He elaborated: “How can we boast of a unity Government that includes Rodney’s party and comrades, yet the very Government continues to marginalize him in such blatant ways?

The Government has not seen it fit to implement the very non-partisan recommendations of the CoI, some of which its constituents have in the past called for,” Dr Hinds said.

Questioning the whereabouts of the Rodneyite ideas in the praxis of the

Guyanese customs, immigration officers warned not to be tempted by bribes

Dr Walter Anthony Rodney

Government, Hinds said there was never a more enlightened activist of “what we now call social cohesion” than Walter Rodney. Yet our Government publishes a Strategic Plan on Social Cohesion without a single integration of his ideas or those with which he had been associated. “We must do better than that,” Hinds appealed.

He said Government has a historic duty to be a Government of all Guyanese.

“There can be no social cohesion and good governance outside of constitutional reform that targets excessive presidential powers, the sharing of executive power, and the return of proper local democracy,” Hinds said.

According to Hinds, Government must find

a way to witness more for the poor. He said Government has to find space for investment in the Guyanese people even as it navigates the dictates of the IMF regime. According to him, the coming of the oil economy will not be automatic salvation for the poor, as experience has shown that oil wealth, like other forms of wealth, ends up benefiting the privileged.

He said Walter Rodney’s critique of the politics and economics of underdevelopment is still relevant today, and should be utilized as a rallying point of departure for those willing to confront neo-liberalism.

Controversy

Rodney was killed on June 13, 1980, when a communication device he had earlier collected exploded in his lap while he sat in his brother’s car some distance away from the Camp Street Prison in Georgetown.

The previous People’s Progressive Party (PPP) Government had convened a CoI back in 2014 to determine the circumstances that led to his death, but that investigation was cut short when the Government changed in 2015.

Top Police, immigration and customs officials including Police Commissioner Seelall Persaud (fourth from left); and Citizenship and Immigration Minister Winston Felix (centre)

everal customs and immigration officials participating in national border security training were on Monday warned against taking bribes, as this could undermine security.

Caricom Assistant Secretary General, Dr Douglas Slater urged officials working in the area of border security to resist the temptation to accept bribes.

While addressing the opening of the workshop at the Police Training Centre, the Caricom official said law enforcement agents were vulnerable to inducements for many reasons.

Assistant Secretary General Slater told officers that they had a

responsibility to act professionally, and to be vigilant and compassionate. He said if they stepped aside from these values, it had the potential to create great chaos.

“With the economic situation in our Region, you are going to be faced with a challenge – the temptation of corruption and I am saying that plainly because we know that our workers within our border protection agencies, they do have that temptation and the criminals are out there making offers,” the official said.

He also urged the officers to become familiar with the Caricom Single Market and Economy (CSME) framework and

the rights of the free movement of Caribbean people, as this was an important issue that must be taken into account by all border control officials across the Region.

M e a n w h i l e , Guyana’s Citizenship Minister Winston Felix, a former Police Commissioner, echoed similar sentiments, urging the officials not to fall prey to corruption.

“Fight the corrupt elements; don’t let them get to you. They get to you, they destroy you and, by extension, they destroy the image and reputation of the Government,” he asserted.

Felix also highlightcontinued on page 16

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Much more needs to be done Juvenile JusticeReform Bill to foster investor confidence by October – Ramjattan in Guyana – Gouveia … cost analysis currently being

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Captain Gerry Gouveia

he Private Sector Commission (PSC) Governance and Security Sub Committee Chairman, Captain Gerry Gouveia believes that the creation of jobs is the single greatest challenge facing Guyana, and the various stakeholders; especially Government, can do more for the thousands of graduates from the University of Guyana (UG).

Gouveia made these comments during the 25th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the PSC at the Marriott International Hotel late last week.

He said this was a

reality in Guyana, noting that hundreds would form lines outside the US Embassy daily, hoping to secure a better life elsewhere. “We have thousands of persons graduating from the UG annually and they can’t find jobs,” noted Gouveia.

According to Gouveia, while “a good life” was promised, such a life must be created together. He noted that although governments do not create jobs per se, they were responsible for creating an enabling environment that would bring investors to the respective country.

“The leaders in Guyana – the political,

Private Sector, church and even youth leaders – every day, we must work hard to create, enhance and foster investor confidence, both local and foreign. And I daresay we are not doing a good job.”

He said the promise of job creation remained an elusive dream, and that must end and be replaced with actual moves to attract investor confidence to Guyana.

Meanwhile, Gouveia, who is also Chairman of the Roraima Group of Companies, said that any change of government should not in any way affect the continuation of investment in Guyana.

He said the relationship between Government and the Private Sector should be laid on the platform that was set up by the InterAmerican Development Bank (IDB). He recalled that the IDB had brought some 50 consultants into the country to work with the Private Sector and establish a working relationship.

Miss Guyana-World contestant hosts health fair

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Miss World Guyana 2017 delegate, Vena Mookram

s Guyana gears up to select a queen to represent the country at the Miss World Pageant on the international stage, an 18-year-old finalist on Sunday hosted a health fair to officially launch her Beauty with a Purpose Campaign.

The regional ambassador of Demerara-Mahaica (Region Four), Vena Mookram has embarked on a journey to promote physical fitness and nutrition in an effort to prevent chronic diseases as she vies for the local crown.

The event on Sunday was hosted at the M&M Snackette on the East Bank of Demerara and saw the attendance of scores of patrons who cashed in on the services made available at the fair. These included blood pressure and sugar testing as well as dietary and nutritional counselling and advocacy. Members of the National Blood Transfusion Service were also present at the event and even facilitated a blood drive.

In an interview with this newspaper, Mookram expressed delight over the execution of the health fair and fit-

ness initiative and dubbed the event a success. The 18-year-old explained the objective of the undertaking. “I chose to undertake this project, because the two major chronic diseases in Guyana are cardiovascular and diabetes and they account for the top one and four causes of death respectively in our country. I see this as a major problem.”

The beauty queen went on to say, “Apart from that, I love and I live this lifestyle and I want to motivate and encourage others to do the same. The aim of the fair was to promote good health.”

Mookram pointed out that the event was the result of a collaboration with a number of public organisations and business entities, and expressed her gratitude. “The turnout of about 250 was a lot more than I ever expected, but I was more than grateful.”

The young activist indicated to this publication that in addition to the health fair hosted over the weekend, “I will be having a fitness walk in collaboration with Xtreme Fitness Gym on June 17.” Moreover, “I will be a part of the Miss World Guyana Finalists Beauty with a Purpose Fair in order to bring about awareness to my project and raise funds for my charity,” Mookram related.

She, along with nine other contestants, will be competing for the Miss World Guyana title on June 25 at the Marriott Hotel, Georgetown. The successful queen will go on to represent Guyana, alongside scores of international beauties, in China, later this year.

Anticipating the showdown later this month, Mookram relayed, “Even after the pageant has ended, I will try my best to continue promoting my cause to be a part in making Guyana into a healthier nation.”

done by UNICEF

By Jarryl Bryan

T

he long awaited Juvenile Justice Reform Bill is expected to be laid in the National Assembly in October, with the Public Security Ministry currently awaiting a cost analysis being done by United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

This is according to Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan, who gave this assurance during a recent interview with Guyana Times International. He said the Bill has been completed and had been reviewed by himself and a committee that included the parliamentary Opposition.

The recent fire at the Sophia Detention Centre reinforced the need for alternative holding methods According to Ramjattan, the cost analysis being done by UNICEF will be completed by July. This, Ramjattan said, would give the necessary information on expenditure needed to provide supporting mechanisms for the Bill in place, such as recreational and training centres.

In addition, the analysis will likely give figures on how much training for those who process these juveniles will cost.

He noted that he, along with the Attorney General, the Social Protection and Public Health Ministers, were on the committee.

“After I get the costing, I can be better prepared to tell people when we pass it in Parliament, that these are the things that we have to do to get the Act implemented, whether it’s new centres that we have to create, recreational facilities and diversion measures to take young people away (from being jailed).”

Ramjattan stressed that whenever bills are passed in the National Assembly, budgetary allocations are necessary in order to administer it. In this case, the Minister pointed out that the Juvenile Justice Bill represents a major overhaul of the juvenile justice system.

NOC

The New Opportunity Corps (NOC) is one of Guyana’s better known juvenile correctional and rehabilitative institutions. While the ju-

Public Security Minister, Khemraj Ramjattan

veniles in this institution would have been detained for various infractions, they are eventually trained in different skillsets.

Former UNICEF country representative, Marianne Flach, had expressed concern over the large number of juveniles (75 per cent) who were in the institution for wandering.

UNICEF has consistently argued that preventing contact with the law is a crucial element of a juvenile justice policy.

According to UNICEF Guyana’s website, “investing in preventing children from coming into contact with the law, through the provision of adequate human, financial and institutional resources, and strong policies and partnerships at all levels for enforcement (including with parents, children, government, civil society and development partners) is essential to the protection of children’s rights.

The provision of quality social services, including Health and Family Life Education, and programmes which support protection, health and adolescent development, will empower children and reduce their vulnerability when coming into contact with the law whether as perpetrators, victims or witnesses,” the website states.

Consultations

Last year, a number of consultations throughout Guyana had been held to familiarise members of the public with the Bill. These consultations also served the dual purpose of getting feedback from the public on what the Bill ought and ought not to contain.

It is expected that the Bill will seek to make sweeping changes to existing legisla-

tion, including removing status offences such as wandering. There were even proposals to raise the age of criminal responsibility from 10 years.

Some of the measures the Bill is expected to contain are an emphasis on alternatives to detaining delinquents. More alternative sentencing has for some time been advocated by rights groups and international organisations.

In 2016, a Commission of Inquiry into a deadly prison fire had recommended strong programmes for alternative, community based sentencing be put in place. This was recommended because of rampant overcrowding in the prisons and the risks of first time offenders being corrupted by hardened criminals.

At present, an international expert is in Guyana to conduct a study on alternatives to pre-trial detention.

The expert was hired through the Citizen Security Strengthening Programme (CSSP).

The consultant’s tasks include conducting initial meetings with key stakeholders and identifying the strengths and weaknesses of Guyana’s approach to the provision of alternatives to incarceration, along with opportunities for reform and development.

It was only last week that juveniles in the Sophia’s Detention Centre set fire to a mattress. According to reports, three inmates tampered with a light switch at the facility and used the wires to ignite a fire on tissues which they then used to set the mattress ablaze.

The trio allegedly moved the burning mattress into the hallway so as to prevent access by any rescue party.

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Former T&T police prosecutor guilty of raping child in station

Complaints rise over alleged neglect of patients at West Dem Hospital

-case took 16 years

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West Demerara Regional Hospital, the centre of patient neglect allegations

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The San Fernando Police station where the rape of the child happened.

The building has since been gutted by fire (Photo: Trinidadexpress)

former police prosecutor has been found guilty of raping a then 17-year-old virgin at the police station when she went with her mother to make a report.

Former acting Seargent Harry Ramlochan was 50 years at the time he raped the child. He is now 65 years old.

It took 16 years for the case to be completed.

The attack has severely scarred the victim for the rest of her life, prosecutor Sabrina Dougdeen-Jaglal said.

She said she hoped that through her resilience, the victim will be able to overcome the effects of the incident. After spending an hour and a half in the jury room, jurors found Ramlochan guilty on the charge of rape. The trial had lasted almost a month before justice Althea Alexis-Windsor in the San Fernando Second Criminal Court.

The jury heard from the victim and the accused during the proceedings.

The victim testified that on Saturday May 5, 2001 she went with her mother to the San Fernando police station to make a report that her mother had been beaten that morning.

Ramlochan took the mother inside to make the report and then said he wanted to take a statement from her daughter. Her mother advised her to go with him.

In her evidence the victim said that Ramlochan took her to a dormitory where he asked her if she had ever had sex. She told him she was waiting until marriage.

While speaking to her an officer came into the room and left. Ramlochan then tried to hug and kiss the girl and she pulled away.

He took victim by taxi to get change for $100 at upper High Street, San Fernando and returned and bought her a soft drink. The victim said he offered her a drink of rum but she refused. She also refused the money Ramlochan offered her when he took her to the Courts and Process Office.

He became upset and closed the door and pushed her against a cabinet and forcefully kissed her and bit her lips.

He then pushed her against a wall and pulled down her pants and underwear.

He pushed her on a sponge on the ground where he raped her.

He told her that should she tell anyone both of them will get in trouble. He then dropped the victim and her mother home and spoke to her father at a bar.

The victim spoke to her teachers the fol-

lowing Monday and the next Wednesday she and her father made a report to the Police Complaints Authority (PCA).

Inspector Christine Mc Millan took her to a doctor who gave a medical report that stated the victim’s hymen was recently ruptured. Back at the police station the sponge was pointed out to Mc Milan and the presence of human sperm was found after it was sent to the Forensic Sciences Complex. Mc Millan charged him with rape.

The prosecution team of Sabrina Dougdeen-Jaglal and Sarah De Silva brought ten witnesses during the trial.

In his defence, Ramlochan denied having sex with the then 17-year-old. He said that on the day she came to the police station she insisted that he arrest her father.

He said when she arrived at the station, her lip was already swollen and she held a towel over her mouth. He said she told him that while her father was beating her mother, he slapped her on her mouth. He said he changed the money to give to the then teen because he felt sorry for her after she told him her father never gave them money.

Ramlochan was represented by attorneys Kevin Ratiram and Chris Ramlal.

They brought a doctor and a pastor as defence witnesses.

In his plea for mitigation, Ratiram asked the judge to consider his client’s age, that he had an unblemished disciplinary record since he joined the police service in 1972. He also said that his client was heavily involved in the church and had raised two of his five grandchildren as his own after their father drowned.

The aggravating factors in terms of the offender, Ratiram said, included that he was in a position of trust and was 50 years-old at the time. Ratiram said the range of sentence for his client could be between ten to 15 years behind bars.

Dougdeen-Jaglal however gave a starting point of 15 to 20 years. She said the only mitigating factor in terms of the offence was that no weapon was used.

An aggravating factor in terms of the offence was that it was the victim’s her first sexual encounter. Dougdeen-Jaglal said.

She said the victim was still suffered psychologically and had been severely scarred by the rape but had shown “tremendous resilience and made something of herself.”

Ramlochan will be sentenced on June 28. (Trinidad Express)

espite patient demonstrations and staff protests, the woes at the West Demerara Regional Hospital are still continuing as members of the public have condemned the poor service offered by the medical facility.

Guyana Times International recently caught up with a number of patients who sought treatment for various aliments at the Hospital located at Best Village, West Coast Demerara in Region Three (Essequibo Islands-West Demerara).Their complaints, while varied, all pointed to the same issue – medical staff at the facility continue to neglect the needs of patients.

This publication was reliably informed that an elderly male patient (name provided), said to be in his 90s, complaining of respiratory problems was accompanied by family members to the West Demerara Regional Hospital.

This newspaper was told that nurses were reportedly reluctant to offer the man the requisite apparatus to assist his breathing for several hours.

After family members raised concerns, the doctor pleaded with nurses repeatedly before they complied with the request to give the elderly man oxygen. The man, however, reportedly died moments after he received the treatment last week Wednesday.

Another patient who was rushed to the facility with complications associated with high blood pressure on Wednesday last revealed that nurses at the Hospital tested her blood pressure some four hours after she arrived in pain. The woman observed that she had arrived around 08:00h and was attended to after 12:00h that afternoon.

On Tuesday morning, this newspaper again visited the Hospital and got a glimpse of the reported issue at the Region’s main medical facility. At that time, there were a small number of patients seeking medical attention for various ailments. One such patient was a young man who was complaining of chest pain. There were also an elderly woman and a young child.

During the visit, it was observed that the armed security officer who was recently put in place after some doctors were attacked by members of the public, was sitting in the company of nurses and the doctor on duty in the emergency unit. Family members complained to this newspaper that they had to make repeated requests to the medical personnel before they attended to affected patients.

The nurses and the doctor for the better part of two hours were seen sitting down and engaged in extensive conversations and at times hearty laughter instead of attending to patients. Another observation made was that there was no porter on duty early Tuesday morning to assist patients in wheelchairs. In fact, family members of the elderly woman had the arduous task of transporting the patient down a ramp to a waiting car.

Another problem unearthed in that short period was that hospital staff reportedly sent the test results of a sick child with an unrelated individual who had also retrieved separate results.

In an apparent breach of protocol, the woman was heard enquiring about the family members of the child, saying that the lab had sent the results with her.

However, the mother of the child and other relatives had left the facility moments before. Some patients suggested that the family perhaps sought the services of an alternative hospital owing to the unprofessional behaviour of staff at the West Demerara Hospital.

Another woman, aged 61, highlighted the relaxed attitude of staff by asking the nurses to have her pressure tested early that Tuesday morning. She waited for over half an hour despite few patients being present and the nurses sitting engaged in deep conversation.

Unbeknownst to staff at the hospital, one of the patients who sought medical attention last week was said to be an official at the Public Health Ministry.

For years, members of the public have condemned the poor services offered at the West Demerara Hospital, but the facility was in a state of panic late last month when doctors downed their equipment and refused to work.

The doctors had said that they were disappointed, frustrated, disgusted and fed-up with the way in which their daily verbal grievances were handled by the Public Health Ministry.

The doctors had called for better security at the facility following a number of incidents where doctors were either physically attacked or verbally abused by patients and others. An incident had seen two doctors being attacked by a patient and his relatives and even spat upon. Other improvements the doctors called for included better sanitation at the hospital, tools to work with and for a drug shortage issue to be rectified.

Woman caught at Itaballi Police checkpoint with ganja

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39-year-old woman from Kitty, Georgetown was nabbed by alert Police ranks at a checkpoint at Itaballi, Region Seven (CuyuniMazaruni) with four parcels of marijuana (weed).

In a statement, Police said that around 13:00h on Tuesday, ranks of

the Guyana Police Force on duty at the Itaballi Police Checkpoint conducted a search of a jacket belonging to the Georgetown woman and found in its pockets four taped parcels of cannabis weighing in excess of one kilogram.

The woman is being processed for court.

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Caricom clamping down on returning Isis fighters A

co-ordinated Caricom clampdown concerning returning Foreign Terrorist Fighters (FTFs)— including targeting their assets— is in the works.

In the next three weeks, Caricom leaders will move to finalise plans for a Caricom arrest warrant regarding FTFs and sharing of recovered assets, as well as regional anti-terrorism legislation. The latter will be based on T&T’s proposed anti-terrorism legislation.

The matters are proposed for signature at Caricom’s upcoming July summit in Grenada.

Prime Minister Keith Rowley chairs Caricom’s Security Committee.

Caricom Secretary General Irwin La Roque and National Security

Minister Edmund Dillon spoke about the developments yesterday at a Caricom CounterTerrorism Strategy conference.

Stakeholders all stressed the need for an urgent Caribbean anti-terrorism thrust.

“The question for the region (on terrorism) isn’t a matter of ‘if’ but ‘when’,” Dillon warned.

IMPACS executive director Francis Forbes said Impacs and the US are tracking “several hundred” from the Caribbean and South American who’ve gone to the Islamic State (Isis) terror network.

Forbes said 200-plus Caricom nationals have travelled to Isis territories—fighters and families—and 130 are being tracked as alleged FTFs. Exact means of recruit-

Minister of National Security Edmund Dillon delivers an address during the formal opening of CARICOM Counter Terrorism Strategy two day conference held at Hyatt Regency Hotel yesterday. Looking on, from second left, are United Nations Resident Coordinator & UNDP Resident Representative T&T Richard Blewitt and CARICOM Secretary General and Chief Executive Officer Ambassador Irwin Larocque.

ment wasn’t clear, but all belonged to close personal networks.

Several returning FTFs are being actively monitored by regional law enforcement agencies, he added.

Yesterday’s conference at the Hyatt, hosted by Caricom’s Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS), involved Caricom stakeholders plus experts from the

US State Department, Interpol and Europe.

Dillon said main security concerns for the region posed by terrorism include the FTF phenomena – persons travelling from this region to regions of conflict, and their subsequent return.

Also at issue is the increasing influence of radical clerics and radicalised Isis sympathisers in Caricom states, the growing volume/accessibility of terrorist group propaganda online and via peer-to-peer networks; and the potential exploitation of the banking system to fund terrorist networks.

Forbes noted calls had been made by Caribbean -born FTFS (in Isis’ Dabiq magazine) for home turf attacks. He said returning FTFs hold battlefield expertise and the potential for “lone wolf” attack and can spread radicalisation. He also noted the “push” such influence can have on transnational crime.

La Rocque, who said no country was immune to terrorism, add-

ed Caricom’s July summit will discuss the draft plan for the region concerning a Caricom arrest warrant and sharing of recovered assets of FTFs. “Our region can’t afford complacency – one act of terrorism in one state will resonate and have implications across the region,” La Roque added.

Dillon said, “The development of Caricom’s Counter terrorism Strategy, as a road map identifying how the region should address the issue, isn’t only timely but crucial for its survival.”

“In Caricom’s (2013) Crime and Security Strategy, terrorism and attacks on critical infrastructure were identified as Tier Three risks – significant, potential risks.

With the progressive nature of attacks by groups like Isis and ‘lone wolf’ supporters overseas recently, the risk of terrorism has become far more evident in 2017.”

Dillon added, “Caricom countries must seek to criminalise and penalise acts of terrorism by nationals and non-nationals in a coordinated manner and regional anti-terrorism legislation must be equally stringent and consistent.”

“As such, the Caricom Model Anti-Terrorism Bill and the proposed Agreement on the Return (of FTFs) and/ or sharing of Recovered Assets are important tools which the region should seek to finalise as a matter of urgency.

These are proposed to be opened for signature at Caricom leaders’ upcoming meeting.” (Trinidad Guardian)

Guyanese customs, immigration...

from page 11

ed the fact that many people were caught daily with false immigration stamps in their passports and this was an issue in many countries.

In his comments, Police Commissioner Seelall Persaud observed that Guyana has the political will to stamp out terrorism and other forms of organised crime.

He said this was fully supported by the Government. “In Guyana, we are fortunate to have the political will to deal with crime and violence.

That is a necessity – political will is a necessity to deal with the crime and violence problems that exist today,” he

said.

The workshop is being organised by the Caricom Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS); the European Union and the United States Customs and Border Protection.

The training will enhance the capacity of border security officials to identify and intercept persons, goods or vessels travelling across borders by illicit means or with illicit intent.

The workshop’s training tools and manuals have been developed to facilitate harmonised standards and practices, policies and procedures to be used

by Caribbean countries.

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Georgetown resident seeking assistance for second kidney transplant surgery

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Reena Sultan

eena Sultan of Charlotte Street, Georgetown had undergone a kidney transplant surgery in India nearly 8 years ago, but is now experiencing remission and is seeking public assistance to offset the expenses associated with a second kidney transplant surgery she is required to take.

The 38-year-old mother of one related that she had had a kidney transplant surgery done in India in 2008, after she had been diagnosed with renal failure, but she went into remission about a year ago, and currently relies on dialysis to remain alive.

She indicated that

she needs dialysis at least three times a week, but severe repercussions attend this temporary treatment, and she sometimes even considers “giving up” as a result of the pain.

The ailing woman and her husband related that her entire family is sympathetic to her plight, and a nephew would be donating a kidney for this second transplant. Several relatives were tested, but her nephew has been the best match. Her 17-yearold son had also offered to donate a kidney, but he is not yet of age.

The woman is accordingly pleading with the public for assistance to afford her a new lease on life. The overall cost of her surgery is about G$5 million, but the cost of her dialysis has already left the family strapped for cash.

Those wishing to contribute to Sultan’s second kidney transplant are being kindly asked to place their donations in Republic Bank Account number 298-935-8.

Grand Coastal wins Hotel of the Year award

Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Kevin Day receiving the award from THAG’s President, Andrea De Caires

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he Grand Coastal Hotel has bested a number of Guyana’s prestigious hotels to cop the 2017 Hotel of the Year award at this year’s Tourism and Hospitality Association of Guyana (THAG) President’s Awards held on Saturday last.

The ceremony and reception which was held at the Marriott Hotel, Georgetown brings together hotels, resorts, eco-lodges, tour operators and logistic tourism companies from across Guyana to honour key players in Guyana’s hospitality and tourism market.

By copping the award, Grand Coastal Hotel, which offers a unique service experience in Guyana’s hospitality industry, has now been recognised as a high-quality service provider.

Presenting the award to Grand Coastal’s Deputy Chief Executive

Officer, Kevin Day, was the President of THAG, Andrea De Caires.

In accepting the award, Day said his company is thrilled with the recognition it received.

“To receive this accolade from our peers in the industry, THAG, is very rewarding. We are thrilled to be recognised for the level of service we painstakingly strive towards each and every day.”

Grand Coastal is a 43-room boutique hotel located on the East Coast of Demerara.

Founded in September 2001, Grand Coastal Hotel is ranked as one of the top three hotels in Guyana.

The Hotel has also copped the TripAdvisor Certificate for Excellence three years in succession and currently serves over 200 clients; both on the local and international levels and employs 64 people in the Greater Georgetown area.

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Guyana gov’t moving to fully All Housing Expo units on verge of being sold – CH&PA liberalise telecoms sector

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overnment is working feverishly to ensure the full liberalisation of the telecommunications sector in Guyana, says Public Telecommunications Minister Cathy Hughes.

The Minister gave her assurance that Government was working towards a July deadline to have the country’s first Telecommunications Agency operationalised.

“We at the Ministry, we are working to create the new regulatory body…that will manage this new environment,” she stated.

Hughes said the most important step was to pass the legislation that would allow for other parties to join the local telecommunications market and to increase competition, which would hopefully lead to lowered rates.

The Minister also disclosed that negotiations with both Atlantic Tele Network (ATN) and GTT on the matter were ongoing. “…We are working towards a July timeframe.

Even if we miss it, I am hoping that before we get into the final quarter, we would have created an environment where more players come into the market.” At least two

Public Telecommunications Minister, Cathy Hughes

verbal enquiries from two other companies who are seeking to set up business here have been made with the Public Telecommunications Ministry. The Minister did not disclose the names of the companies, because she said there was nothing concrete to report.

Hughes also used the opportunity to praise both GTT and Digicel, stating these companies have made huge contributions to mobile services in Guyana.

“We are very grateful that GTT and Digicel have both played an important role in the development of our telecommunications industry.

And we could not be doing what we are doing now without the ground-

work they have done,” she added.

T h e Telecommunications Bill was first introduced in 2011. However, it was revised in 2013 before being sent to a Parliamentary Special Select Committee in the 10th Parliament, and was near conclusion when that Parliament was prorogued in 2014 by the then President, Donald Ramotar.

When the legislation was taken before the National Assembly by the Government, the Opposition People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) had called for the Bill to be sent to a Special Select Committee for further consideration, but Minister Hughes had argued that the Bill had been long promised and was overdue.

The sector, she emphasised, must be an open one, so that the country can progress and not lag behind its sister Caricom countries and the rest of the world. The legislation provides for the fostering of an open, competitive telecoms sector to which investors will be attracted, and in which a fair, competitive environment for sector participants is created.

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entral Housing and Planning Authority Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Lelon Saul said that all the units displayed at the Housing Expo have attracted the interests of prospective homeowners and the Authority is currently vetting and shortlisting applicants.

Saul made the disclosure at a press conference, on Monday, to provide the mid-year report of the CH&PA. He informed that in order to take advantage of the CH&PA’s housing solutions interested persons must have an active application in the system and be able to make payments.

“For you to become eligible for one of the houses, you have to have an active application in the system and if you are dealing with a private contractor, the private contractor must confirm with us that there is an active application in the system and then we would shortlist you,” he said.

Saul added that for the year so far, the housing body has been on par with achieving the targets set for the year 2017. He further stated that thus far they have

CH&PA CEO Lelon Saul

been able to allocate and distribute house lots in both coastal and hinterland regions; convey certificates of titles and transports; engage in infrastructural development works in several schemes; review and approve or reject planning.

Director of Operations, Denise King-Tudor, noted that persons were taking advantage of the housing solutions offered by the CH&PA. “The target that was set this year with respect to housing solutions is 2000 in terms of the target and to date we have achieved 355 of that target. So 355 persons have already acquired housing solutions

from the Government.

Secondly, in terms of the distribution of titles and transport to persons allocated, the target set for this year has almost been achieved… “because 1855 (of 2000) persons are in receipt of their titles or transport,” King-Tudor informed.

“With respect to the housing solutions talking about the duplexes, townhouses and the range of solutions we plan to offer to applicants who are in the process of acquiring such for use, we would have received over 3000 persons. They have registered to be a part and to obtain solutions from us. We’re in the process of disaggregating that data,” she added.

Acting Director of Projects, Omar Narine, informed that out of the 12-component programme for 2017, the CH&PA has been able to achieve three components thus far. Those components include the infrastructural development in existing schemes, completion of rollover projects, retendering of terminated contracts, electrification of schemes and hinterland housing developments.

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US-based medical team completes UG students over 120 surgeries in Guyana remanded for

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Davis Memorial Hospital CEO Beverly Chan joined by some of the Legacy of Healing (LOH) medical outreach team

United Statesbased medical team during their one-week visit to Guyana successfully conducted in excess of 120 surgeries, all free of cost.

The Legacy of Healing (LOH) team of 35 medical practitioners was housed at the Davis Memorial SeventhDay Adventist Hospital where the surgeries were conducted.

The LOH team, headed by Ohio-based Plastic Surgeon Dr Steve Schmidt, comprised sur-

geons, anaesthesiologists, nurses and one dentist all specialised in corrective procedures for a number of conditions.

Ailing citizens were afforded the opportunity to complete life-altering procedures, some of which were previously hindered by the high cost for the surgery or lack of resources in Guyana during their team’s visit to Guyana.

The procedures completed were mostly in the field of plastic surgery and included hydrocele,

cleft palate, hand deficiencies correction surgeries. One of the cases even involved the construction of an ear for a child who was born without.

Speaking to media operatives after the completion of the surgeries was the Chief Executive Officer of Davis Memorial Hospital, Beverly Chan, who expressed delight over the successful execution of the mission. Chan noted that the medical institution was pleased to align

itself with such charitable initiatives and pointed out that the pro bono surgeries were much welcomed by citizens, especially given that such procedures are highly priced and sometimes not readily available to persons seeking attention in Guyana.

The Legacy of Healing is a religious medical outreach programme that offers health care to underserved communities around the world. The mission is also aimed at providing dental care and drinking water for poverty stricken families, all as a non-profitable undertaking. The team has this year returned to Guyana for the second time with a goal of completing 150 surgeries. Even though the set target was not achieved, LOH still managed to record a noteworthy total, completing 126 surgical procedures without any complications.

During their prior visit to Guyana in 2010, 154 local patients benefited from their expertise. Adding to the work accomplished at the hospital, the LOH outreach team had previously volunteered their services at several organisations across the country.

narco-trafficking Defence C o u n s e l Patrice Henry, in an application for bail that was overruled, contended that his clients had “no knowledge” of the presence of the narcotics in the car, which he added had Avishkar Rambarran been rented and did not v i s h k a r Rambarran and belong to them. He also Michael Sukhu, alleged that the rented two Civil Engineering car had been fingered as students of the the motor vehicle used University of Guyana, in a recent robbery, this were on Friday arraigned being the sole reason for before the Georgetown the police pursuing the Court 10 Magistrate, vehicle. Moreover, he jointly charged with al- said the UG students are legedly trafficking 254 close acquaintances, are grammes of cocaine on both 20 years of age, and the Grove public road, both reside on the East East Bank Demerara on Coast of Demerara.

But Police Prosecutor June 8th.

Investigating ranks Adoni Innis related that, had reportedly busted upon being busted, the them with the narcot- men pleaded with the ics allegedly contained ranks to be released and in several transparent given a second chance, packets stashed in the while explaining that glove compartment of the operation was “just a the vehicle in which they lil hustle”. The men have were travelling along the been remanded, and the Grove Public Road, East case will continue on June 26.

Bank Demerara.

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AG’s presence at New York’s CAL confirmed as official fundraiser attracts protest airline of HERO CPL

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A section of the protesters gathered

visit by Attorney General Basil Williams, SC, and other officials of the coalition Government to New York to attend a fundraiser quickly turned ugly, as members of Guyana’s Diaspora turned up in their numbers to protest the AG’s presence.

The protest occurred on Saturday outside the Zen Lounge, a restaurant and night club in Richmond Hill, New York.

In footage seen by this newspaper, which was posted on social media, Williams could be seen approaching and exchanging words with the visibly upset protesters.

However, when the protesters shouted for Williams to “go home” and to “stop wasting taxpayers’ money” a chastened Williams retreated back to the lounge.

The Attorney General has faced criticisms from several corners, particularly after the now infamous case involving High Court Judge, Justice Franklin Holder, among others.

Justice Holder walked off the bench without adjourning a case. This happened after an exchange of words with Williams, who was present in the courtroom as the State’s representative.

The Judge, in a report complaining to the Judiciary, said he walked out of the courtroom without adjourning the matter because of Williams’ behaviour.

He had also requested an apology, but Williams had on different occasions said there was no need for him to apologise and instead suggested that the Judge recuse himself.

The case had involved embattled Trade Unionist Carvil Duncan, who had moved to the courts to challenge the tribunal set up to determine if he should be removed from several constitutional posts in light of charges which were laid against him.

However, the High Court proceedings were left at a standstill because of the impasse between Holder and Williams. Justice Holder subsequently did recuse himself from the case, but accusations of interference in the Judiciary surfaced since the Judge’s recusal came days after Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo also requested that he does so.

Justice Holder had subsequently insisted that he made this decision in the interest of the administration of justice.

The Judge, giving reasons for his recusal, had explained to the court

that the matter became politicised, and accused Williams of “egregious and disrespectful” behaviour which was contemptuous.

Meanwhile, the Government has come under increased scrutiny for its expenditure on overseas trips, after it was revealed that President David Granger used a chartered plane to fly to The Bahamas on a State visit in March.

The President had arrived in The Bahamas on March 2, as part of a three-day State visit which has been dubbed an ‘economic mission’.

Transparency Institute of Guyana Incorporated (TIGI) had called for Government to disclose the costs of the trip. TIGI head, Dr Trevor Tomas, had stressed that if questions are raised about the spending of tax payer monies, the Government has a responsibility to respond to them.

TIGI has not been the only individuals calling for full disclosure. The parliamentary Opposition has also questioned the expenditure. And explanations from Government officials that the chartered plane was the most feasible option appear to not even scratch the surface, as the Opposition wanted specifics.

Miner chopped to death at Omai Landing A

miner was on Friday morning chopped to death during an argument at Omai Landing, Essequibo River. Dead is Carlos Wong, 46, of Half Mile Wismar, Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice).

Reports are Wong and the two male suspects had a misunderstanding over a water pump, when one of them, who was armed with a cutlass, chopped him to his right hand.

As a result of the chopping, it is believed that the man bled to death. After the chopping incident, the two men fled the scene.

The man was picked up and taken to the Linden Hospital Complex where he was pronounced dead on arrival. The Police are hunting the two men.

Meanwhile, the Police in a release in May reported that a total of 35 murders

were recorded up to the end of April when compared to 53 during the same period in 2016. This saw a 34 per cent decrease.

Of the 35 murders, 20 were as a result of disorderly behaviour, four as a result of domestic dispute, five stemmed from robberies under arms and three were as result of execution style killing. The Police are yet to determine the circumstances surrounding the remaining three.

Fourteen of those murders were committed in A Division (Georgetown-East Bank) followed by 10 in F Division (Interior locations); six in B Division (Berbice) and four in D Division (West Demerara). One of the heinous crimes was committed in C Division (East Coast Demerara).

For the entire month of May and up to June, several other murders were committed.

aribbean Airlines will once again be the official airline carrier for the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL T20) in 2017 and will be instrumental in connecting enthusiastic cricket fans and teams participating in the events throughout the Caribbean and North America.

As official airline partner, all teams and officials travelling to CPL matches and related activities will travel on Caribbean Airlines flights to and from events. Mr. Séan Quong Sing, Vice President Commercial (Ag.) said: “As the airline that knows the Caribbean best, Caribbean Airlines is delighted to partner with CPL for the fourth consecutive year. This year Caribbean Airlines celebrates 10 years of providing consistent and reliable service to the people of the region and this CPL partnership is a natural alliance for us, given the importance of cricket to the region. As the official airline partner, we look forward to flying the teams, officials and fans to various games throughout the region to experience the excitement of this premier cricket league.”

According to an article published on the CPL website, Commercial Director, CPL T20, James Stewart said: “Players, Officials and Fans all

rely on Caribbean Airlines to get them safely and punctually around the islands during CPL, on a schedule that is sometimes very demanding. Their efficiency and friendly service is greatly appreciated by all and it is a pleasure to have Caribbean Airlines back as the Official Airline of CPL.” Caribbean Airlines looks forward to flying the teams and customers to various games throughout the region to experience the excitement of this premier cricket league.

Caribbean Airlines offers an all-inclusive in-flight experience with complimentary authentic Caribbean meals and signature cocktails. Also, all passengers first checked bag always flies free and economy passengers can pay just US$35 for a second checked-bag, which is one of the lowest rates in the global airline industry.

Education Ministry PS in hot water …as investigation launched into G$500,000 guard hut

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PS Vibert Welch

hould the allegation prove true after thorough investigation — that Permanent Secretary Vibert Welch of the Education Ministry had used public funds to build at his private residence a guard hut which cost more than G$500,000 to construct — he could find himself seriously immersed in proverbial hot water.

Minister of State Joseph Harmon, responding on Friday to queries on the issue, said the matter had come to his attention, and he had sought and received an explanation from the Public Service Ministry.

He said Government has steadfastly advocated cost-cutting, and that each public official needed to ensure that the dollars allocated by the state under his/her charge should be made to “go as long as they can”.

“All employees of the state in the public sector… are required to act in accordance with the law. And anybody, once they step outside of that (obligation), they are exposing themselves to be sanctioned or

Minister of State, Joseph Harmon

disciplined,” Harmon told reporters.

Harmon said once an investigation is done and due process is followed, “then any person within the state sector that acts outside the law will be subject to discipline.”

The story was broken earlier this week in another section of the media that more than half a million dollars had been expended by the Education Ministry (MoE) to construct a guard hut at Welch’s Bent Street, Georgetown residence.

The report stated that the structure is approximately five feet in width, five feet in length, and about eight feet in height. It already has all its electrical components in place, and judging from its appearance, it had recently been painted.

According to the report, the contract was awarded to Linden Ogle, listed among the contractors who had submitted proposals for the construction of the hut.

The MoE is also reportedly paying G$20,000 per month to rent a toilet for the security guards.

The report has said that

Permanent Secretary of the Department of Public Service Reginald Brotherson

Welch has since distanced himself from the project, declaring that he had played no part in awarding the contract or formulating the methodology that was used to arrive at its seemingly exorbitant price.

Welch said that all he did was to sign off on the documents after the relevant technical persons, including the engineer and the Chief Works Officer, would have given their approval.

PS Welch has explained that his signature of approval was needed, since he is the accounting officer, and all disbursements of funds have to be approved by him.

This project was reportedly endorsed by PS of the Department of Public Service, Reginald Brotherson, some days ago.

Meanwhile, Welch is embroiled in another guard hut scandal which reportedly cost G$1 million. This hut was allegedly built while he was serving as PS for the Indigenous Peoples Affairs Ministry.

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Govt has done very little to create new jobs, investments …living off of past investment initiatives, says Jagdeo

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he parliamentary Opposition is contending that after being in office for over two years, the coalition Government has done little to create new jobs as it inherited most of the major job creating-investments currently in place.

Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo took a swing at the Government when he questioned what new jobs were being created by the Administration, noting that most major investments currently contributing to Guyana’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and creating jobs were brought in under the People’s Progressive Party (PPP).

“Almost every single (investment they have,) they’ve inherited.

This Government has done nothing new to create jobs since it took office. After criticising us for selling out the land on the public road at Liliendaal, we see now a major construction activity going on there (Movietown),” Jagdeo said at a recent press conference.

“And after criticising us about the land policy in relation to the Marriott Hotel, there’s a structure there today that this Government enjoys. And Teleperformance started under the PPP. And now the latest thing is Qualfon campus. That land was given by the PPP to Qualfon to construct that facility, as a result of which you got a US$5 million investment and a thousand

Business Minister Dominic Gaskin

Guyanese will be employed there. What have they done?”

Jagdeo pointed to the recent investment conferences in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom that have been attended by President David Granger, Business

Minister Dominic Gaskin and other senior officials.

“The President goes off on investment conferences, not a single investment. We’ve had investment conferences to Miami, Canada, London; (and) nothing materialises out of these fre-

quent visits abroad.

They’re living off of past investments and past flows, not creating new values or new jobs.” The Opposition Leader added that two of the thriving gold fields along with the oil and gas sector investments were all negotiated under the PPP Administration.

“What have they done? They’ve not done anything. They have no plans for the future because when you ask them, they’re still working on plans for the future. This is their third year in office,” Jagdeo asked.

Investments

Despite Guyana’s abundance of natural resources and acres of arable farm lands, the dire state of foreign direct investments in Guyana is one that even Minister Gaskin has acknowledged.

During the recent Heads of Mission conference in Guyana, Gaskin had told the gathering that Guyana had no investment opportunities to offer for the time being. He had noted that while the Guyana Office for Investment (GOInvest) is promoting Guyana’s image, GOInvest faces challenges.

“Investors generally want to know what specific projects we have for them to invest in. And we have none. And therefore we tend to lose the interest of the investor because there are other countries competing for those limited investment

funds that have tangible investment projects to offer,” he said.

“So the truth is that right now we’re not speaking a language that investors are looking to hear. You may have noticed that for the most part investors are looking for some kind of partnership with the Government. That is their preference because it gives them the confidence and security they are looking for. This is especially so for foreign investors including Diaspora investors,” the Minister had added.

Jobs

Last year, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) revealed in its annual report that unemployment in Latin America and the Caribbean reached 8.1 per cent in 2016.

This, ILO had said, represented the highest unemployment rate in a decade. And due to slow growth forecasts for 2017, the organisation had warned of a potential increase in the job less.

Since the rate was 1.5 per cent higher than the rate in 2015, they had adjudged that some five million people had joined the ranks of the unemployed.

There is no updated data at present on the rate of unemployment specific to Guyana. However, the Government has plans to conduct a Labour Force Survey in the second quarter of 2017.

Sixty-five Guyanese among 15,042 illegal immigrants in T&T

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here are 15,042 people residing illegally in Trinidad and Tobago—the majority of them being 1,015 Venezuelans, acting National Security Minister Dennis Moses confirmed on Friday.

According to a Trinidad Guardian report, Minister Dennis gave the figure in Parliament while replying to Opposition queries. He also disclosed that among the illegals are sixty-five Guyanese

nationals.

Moses said T&T had granted permanent residency to some 30,200 people up to May 2017, the Trinidad Guardian article stated.

However, between January 1 and May 1, 2017, he added there were 15,042 illegals.

This comprised 1,015 Venezuelans, 326 Colombians, 217 from the Dominican Republic, 183 Chinese, 65 Guyanese, 39 Nigerians and 20 Jamaicans.

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versation she had with a T&T Air Guard.

“I enrolled at BRIKO Flight School under one condition: I had to maintain good grades and finish my BSc. at UWI or my parents threatened to stop paying for flight school,” Yearwood recalled.

‘Be positive’

W

Yearwood at pilot training in Trinidad

hile Guyana is noted for its brain drain, 23-year-old Michael Yearwood is one of the few young people who is enthusiastic about returning to live and work in his homeland.

Pursuing his commercial pilot license in Trinidad, Yearwood, who is also an award-winning University of the West Indies (UWI) graduate, is already looking for opportunities in Guyana.

“I love Guyana and I have always planned on coming back someday,” Yearwood stated in an interview with Sunday Times Magazine, emphasizing his desire to significantly contribute to his homeland, instead of pursuing opportunities abroad.

Yearwood resides in Freeport, Trinidad, but was born in Georgetown.

His parents divorced when Yearwood was just three-years-old.

His mother later remarried, and the family subsequently migrated to Canada when Yearwood was eight. After living there for about seven years, the family returned to the Caribbean, but settled in Trinidad, where Yearwood advanced his education.

Some of his fondest memories of Guyana were spent on a Pomeroon farm owned by his grandparents, Jumrattan and the late John Dennis Gildharie of Jacklow. And when his 82-year-old grandmother was at the Eugene F.

Correia International Airport, Ogle, to welcome him on his inaugural flight to Guyana in May 2017.

The pilot usually flies throughout Trinidad, to Tobago and Grenada, and while training in the United States earlier last year, he flew to several states.

The young man holds a Private Pilot License (PPL) with Instrument Rating Add on from the Trinidad and Tobago Civil Aviation Authority (TTCAA-TT) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA-USA).

He secured the TTCA license while training part-time at the BRIKO Flight School in Trinidad during his final year studying at UWI. He later secured the FAA license at the American Flyers Flight School in Ft. Lauderdale. He is now in the final stages of commercial pilot training at the Aerial World Services Limited in Trinidad.

UWI Awardee

Last year, Yearwood graduated from UWI with a Bachelor’s Degree in Chemistry (Major) with Biology (Minor) and Analytical Chemistry (Minor). He was awarded the Cheryl Bowles Prize for the Best Final Year Student Project in Analytical Chemistry.

His research was based on the cancer-causing parabens in hand sanitizers.

Previously, he completed a two-year CAPE Diploma.

“My plan includes ob-

With his grandmother, Jumrattan Gildharie, at Ogle Airport

taining a job as soon as I am qualified, and to pursue higher ratings on as many different types of aircraft as possible. I dream of one day being the Captain of an Airbus A380 which is the largest Commercial aircraft carrier,” Yearwood said.

The talented young man was inspired to become a pilot while in his final year at UWI, when his mother related a con-

When not flying, Yearwood enjoys playing guitar and keyboard. He also continues to volunteer, which he has been doing since high school.

“I was taught to be humble, kind and generous. Giving monetarily and volunteering my time to helping others is a part of me. I especially love teaching and sharing knowledge,” Yearwood noted.

He has on several oc-

Michael Yearwood at Ogle

casions participated in charitable events benefiting children and young people.

“My mom is my biggest role model. She is the epitome of positivity. From growing up on a farm in the Pomeroon River to becoming the woman she is today, mom taught me that you can achieve anything in life by working hard, being humble and positive,” Yearwood expressed.

His advice for other young people: “Let your parents guide you.

They have maturity, experience and wisdom.

Also, read, any and everything.

Young people need to know that we all have the ability to achieve anything we set our minds to. But, be prepared to do the necessary work, and be patient. Most importantly, put God first.”

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Alisha “Sasha Melody” Hamid

A

l i sha Hamid, popularly known by her stage name ‘Sasha

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Melody’, is an international recording artiste who hails from a musical background. Her passion for music began since she was just three years old.

Alisha is the first in her family to be born in the U.S. She credits her parents, natives from Guyana, as her influence for pursuing music at an early age. Her father, who liked to DJ in his spare time, would play soca music from renowned artistes such as Byron Lee, Arrow and Sparrow, which is how she discovered her love for soca music.

“I come from a musical family. My grandfather is a pastor in Brooklyn, NY. At the age of three, I began singing on the church stage where my grandmother would play the organ and sing back-up vocals for me, and my uncles would play the guitar - forming a family band,” the 31-year-old recalled in an interview with Sunday Times Magazine.

In school, Alisha sang in the Monarch High School Concert Choir and began acting and vocal training at the Academy of Performing Arts School in Denver, Colorado at The Academy of Art. In 2000 Alisha competed in the World Championships of

With Shemar Moore on the hit show, Soul Train

Performing Arts where she was awarded three gold medals - one each for singing, acting and spokes modelling. These achievements landed her a role on the first nationally syndicated show in television history – Soul Train, hosted by Hollywood actor Shemar Moore. For three years Alisha remained on the show, which was filmed at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles, CA. At the age of 17, Alisha graduated from high school as a junior and was accepted in Five Towns College, New York. While in school, Alisha was an intern at Universal Music Group, Atlantic Records, and VP Records. Before her 21st birthday, she received a Bachelor’s Degree

in Business Management (Music Business).

In 2006, Alisha recorded “Whinin School”, “Fyah” and “Music”, which were all produced by Jason Lee (former band member of Atlantik), also the person who gave her the name ‘Sasha Melody’.

By 2008, the singer had performed in various cities in California, Louisiana, Florida and New York.

Additionally, she appeared as a dancer in the music video for T.C., featuring Capelton called ‘Bounce’.

In 2013, Sasha Melody recorded “Land of Soca” in Trinidad, which was released for the 2014 carnival season.

The award-winning artiste’s multiple hits include “Ah want ah whi-

na”, “Get on Bad”, “Fiya”, and “Whinin Away”, featuring soca artiste Ronnie Homer.

Outlining her future plans, Alisha said she aims to “put out more music; shoot a music video; and expand the Sasha Melody brand in other countries”.

Though not born in Guyana, the talented artiste proudly identifies herself as a “Guyanese”.

Notably, Alisha cherishes her Guyanese parents and heritage, which laid the foundation for her successful music career.

For more information on the artiste, visit Sasha Melody (Official Fan Page) on Facebook; @ sashamelody1 on Twitter; and Sashamelody1 on Instagram.

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t is said that the Guianas are considered the first to plant coffee on the continent of South America, with the Dutch introducing it on their Dutch Guiana territories before the French and later British.

According to some accounts, the Guianas were the first territories in the New World to cultivate and export coffee.

George Hanneman Bennett in his book, “An Illustrated History of British Guiana” wrote that coffee was cultivated on the colony since 1721 after it was introduced from what is now Surinam.

Inland and coastland plantations were laid out by the Dutch, where it was often cultivated alongside sugar, indigo and cocoa.

By the time of Bennett’s 1866 book, explorers were regularly discovering long abandoned Dutch coffee plantations in such places like “Ooropocary, some 120 miles up the Essequibo River”.

By Ramona Luthi

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n an effort to improve daily shopping experiences and promote local businesses, Guyanese inventor Larry Morgan is set to launch his debut app, MatrixShopping.

The 36-year-old Berbice resident’s aim is to provide a platform for entrepreneurs to promote their businesses and for buyers to shop hassle-free.

In an interview with Sunday Times Magazine, Morgan mentioned that via his app, which can be accessed worldwide, he hopes to “transform how Guyana does business, as we need to catch up when

1922 coffee map of the world. Inset shows areas of coffee cultivation along the Guianas coasts at the time

Eventually, for a period, both coffee and sugar plantations would dot the colony’s coastland before sugar became the main export, and coffee estates were sold, abandoned or converted to sugar plantations.

William H. Ukers writes in “All about Coffee” (1922) that the plants were brought first

into Dutch Guiana, but there was no planting in what was at the time British Guiana (then a Dutch colony) until 1752.

Twenty-six years later, 6,041,000 pounds were sent to Amsterdam from the two ports of Demerara and Berbice, and after the colony fell into the hands of the English in 1796, culti-

vation continued to increase. Exports amounted to 10,845,000 pounds in 1803; and to more than 22,000,000 pounds in 1810, he notes.

Then there was a decline, and the production in 1828 was 8,893,500 pounds and 3,308,000 pounds in 1836. In 1849 British Guiana exported only 109,600 pounds.

it comes to technology”.

Morgan pointed out that while the app has not yet been officially launched and is currently in a testing phase, it is being used by many.

“The app is on the Google Play Store and people are using it. We have received positive feedback. We plan on rolling out more exciting features of the app before the end of the year,” he stated.

When the MatrixShopping app is officially launched, main features such as niche markets and a forum connecting entrepreneurs and customers countrywide will be available. Additionally,

Morgan plans to establish an online transportation service and develop a social media platform.

“Normally people upload items in Facebook groups and try to sell them that way. But with our ‘formula’, you will be able to reach a bigger audience, therefore giving you a better chance of selling your items or services,” Morgan explained.

Morgan described the app as a “space for buyers and sellers to communicate quickly, as well as allow them to speak directly to the creator of the platform to make recommendations, if need be”.

Interestingly, being

in the tech field was not Morgan’s initial career plan. However, his ambition to be successful led him on such a path.

Now, his mission is to not only to be successful, but to do his part in the development of his country.

“This free app not only helps businesses to grow, but also the country in general. It also simplifies lives in that it offers customers a convenient and safe place to shop,” Morgan pointed out.

The Matrix Shopping app is now available for

A screenshot of the Matrixshopping app

In 1842, the London Gazette recorded that the coffee plantations Java and Recht-doorZee, Uitkourst, and Bourdeaux in Canal, No. 1 were up sale, while in 1844, Two Brothers and an estate called Mes Delices on the West Bank of Demerara were two other coffee plantations for sale.

Writing in 1922, Ukers notes that for a long period there was little production, and practically no exportation.

Exports in 1907, for instance, amounted to only 160 pounds.

With the next year, however, a revival of exportation began, and continued to increase.

In 1908, exports were 88,700 pounds, and by 1912 had increased to 144,845 pounds.

Despite a decline in 1913, exports reached 238,767 pounds in 1914; in 1916, 501,183 pounds and in 1917 reached 267,344 pounds. But coffee export never again reached the volume of the early-mid 19th century, and eventually ceased altogether.

Even at the time Bennett writes of the colony’s coffee plantations, he noted that there were few estates remaining, and coffee cultivation halted by “hostile tariffs”, while labour was too expensive to be profitable.

MatrixShopping app creator, Larry Morgan

download on the Google

Play Store.

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Alex Arjoon is a patriot on a mission to showcase the beauty of Guyana and promote a ‘green’ economy

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Alex capturing the beauty of Guyana's interior

ounded in March 2017, Reel Guyana, founded by Alex Arjoon, core business is primarily the acquisition of high quality raw video footage of the natural environment and rich culture throughout the length and breadth of Guyana.

This footage will be available to the national, regional and international markets.

In an interview with Sunday Times Magazine, the 24-yearold talks about what he hopes to accomplish via his company.

Sunday Magazine (SM): What prompted you to start Reel Guyana?

Alex Arjoon (AA): Throughout my childhood, my mom always made sure we were

aware of the environment and the consequences our actions have on the environment. This was a frequent life lesson that many Guyanese are just not exposed to.

Today, with the implication of the Green State Development Strategy, there are lots of factors that focus on environmental protection.

However, Guyanese don't quite understand these implications or why it's such an important feature.

Reel Guyana allows them to be exposed to parts of our beautiful landscapes, which not many people have traversed, and shows them what we have and why it should be protected as we continue to develop as a nation.

SM: What do you

hope to accomplish via Reel Guyana?

AA: I hope to use the company as a platform to voice positive messages to the public; use it to shine a light on the beautiful parts of our culture, which many have taken for granted; and to use it as a means to help solidify the Guyanese identity, which I believe has not yet been fully understood or defined.

SM: How do you overcome challenges?

AA: Every day I face challenges in life, most not being work related. I think in dealing with any type of adversity in life it's important to understand what's important to you. For me, it's my family. At the end of the day, the world could be falling apart and things can seem helpless, but knowing my family is behind me let's me know that things are going to be okay.

SM: What’s Reel Guyana’s contribution to the Green State Development Strategy?

AA: I think it definitely touches on many key concepts the Green State Development Strategy has. Obviously, environment is a big one, but we also have done work with education for sustainable development, so that ties in as well.

The company is proud

Deep in Guyana's jungle

to have been of service to the Ministry of Education with the development of an Education for Sustainable Development series, as its long term goal is to establish itself as a major production house that can effect real change, starting with youths.

SM: What’s your advice for youths who may want to pursue a similar path?

AA: I guess this profession is one where you have to constantly be thinking of concepts with meaningful messages.

Sometimes that doesn't always goes as planned, but it's really important to collaborate. I believe most people have some-

thing to offer, and something that can push me and make me better. You can have all the talent or ability in the world, but without the hunger to keep improving, you've automatically set a limit on your potential. I think collaboration and sharing of ideas can essentially be in a number of other aspects, not just video production.

SM: What are your future plans for Reel Guyana?

AA: I just want to be able to make a living doing what I love and knowing that I’m contributing to my country. Nothing surpasses my love for Guyana and Guyanese people, even though

things can become difficult here. But more than anything, I want to be an example for people like me who are just trying to find their way in the world. I want to let them know that it's okay to think outside the box and do or be something that doesn't conform to what's traditionally expected. We are such an amazing group of people and need to love ourselves a little more.

Reel Guyana had its launch at the Timehri Environmental Film Festival and would like to thank Conservation International, World Wildlife Fund and Iwokrama for their support.

Promoting Our National Patrimony

By Petamber Persaud

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he book has some inherent and generic functions. However, additional roles are sometimes thrust upon it, expanding its ambit and increasing its benefits. Increasingly, the book is being used to mark certain occasions like significant anniversaries and milestones, both public and private.

At a recent ceremony to mark the 51st Independence Anniversary of Guyana, three publications were (officially) released, namely: “National Bibliography of Guyana 1966-2016”, “50 Nations Builders” and “50 Creative Icons of Guyana”. These books were produced to mark Guyana’s Golden Jubilee of Independence in 2016. The last two books, in which I was directly involved, were attempts to inspire and encourage further research in order to acknowledge the contribution of our creative icons and nation builders to the development of Guyana.

Each book has its basic objective (s). For instance, according to Minister within the Ministry of Education

Nicolette Henry, “50 Nation Builders of Guyana” is “to pay homage to a number of outstanding stalwarts”, to ensure that we do not forget or do not show a lack of appreciation for the “rich legacy our progenitors have left for us to enjoy”, and it is hoped that “this book will awaken in all of us a sense of commitment as to what we can do to build on the legacy left by our ancestors”.

The scope and limitation of the book were outlined by its editor, Alim Hosein, in his introduction. Mr Hosein says the book gives “a concise account that will provide some idea about the efforts and achievements of these nation builders”.

He acknowledges the book’s limitations by stating “to make any list of nation builders is to invite controversy, especially when the list contains only fifty of them”, and that there are many other “less-visible nation builders” and unsung heroes.

The sister book, “50 Creative Icons”, is to elicit national pride by showcasing our creative men and women and

“their invaluable, if often unacknowledged contribution to Guyana’s development”. Minister Henry, states that the creative icons are not only regarded for their “beautiful works of art or exciting entertainment, but because they take us to different levels of thinking, stimulating reflection and change”.

The book’s editor, Mr Hosein, puts the contribution of creative icons in proper perspective: “Many persons regard songs, dances, novels, poems, plays and the like as mere entertainment… but not worth much more than this… However, the Arts and our creative people do make a major contribution to nation-building, and they are as important as public figures, business people and other such persons…

Indeed, it can be argued that our artists preceded our politicians, businessmen and others in the creation of the Guyanese nation.”

The editor also acknowledges the shortcoming of such a publication, saying this book “is not intended to be a

definitive compendium of creative Guyana” and therefore a list was appended to encourage the seeking out of others to be accorded some sort of recognition.

The “National Bibliography of Guyana” was a very ambitious and commendable production despite a few lapses.

The foreword, written by Ms Debra Lowe, gives a background to the compilation and eventual completion and publication of the current ‘National Bibliography’. Ms Lowe writes that the compilation of this National Bibliography “has a long history which began on the 9th October 1945 when His Excellency the Governor, Sir Gordon Lethem K. C. M. G. appointed a Committee for the purpose of ‘compiling and publishing a Bibliography of British Guiana’”.

Almost five decades later, Dr James Rose enters the picture during his tenure as Chairman of the National Library continued on page 35

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ime changes everything, and some things are forgotten, some remembered, and new memories made. This week, Times Heritage looks back at Guyanese historical architec-

ture, decayed by neglect, dismantled to make way for modern development, or tragically destroyed and now lost to the passage of time.

Sacred Heart Church in 2004 before it was completely destroyed by fire.

In 2015, a rebuilt Sacred Heart Church was officially opened to the public

Park Hotel

The Park Hotel was built during the 1900s and was owned by the Kissoon family. Its colonial architecture, evident in the use of timber, Demerara shutters and its veranda, was common at that time. Once located in Main Street in the heart of the city of Georgetown, this landmark hotel was destroyed by fire in May 2000.

The St. Barnabas' Church before it was demolished in 2011 (Photo by Amanda Richards)

St. Barnabas Church

Sacred Heart Church

In 1860, the construction of the Sacred Heart Church commenced to accommodate the vast numbers of Roman Catholics in British Guiana. Once designed in a rectangular shape, the original building measured 30.5m x 9.1m. An eastern façade, which became the main façade, was designed by architect Cesar Castellani and erected in 1872. This church, once situated on Main Street, Georgetown, was destroyed by fire in 2004.

Park Hotel, circa 1900s

The Anglican Church of St. Barnabas, where it once stood at Regent Street and Orange Walk, Bourda, opened as a rather small building in 1884. It was consecrated in 1938. The St. Barnabas Church with its flying buttresses and massive towers was sold and later demolished in 2011.

Guyana’s historical architecture, indigenous languages and various customs and cultures of our diverse ethnicities are just as susceptible to time since they all need to be maintained or remembered in order to survive over time. Looking back at sites, places and cultures past, whether recently or long ago, could be either a nostalgic experience or a deliberate rejection of a long ago ideal or way of life.

Remains of the old New Amsterdam Hospital (Photo was taken in 2010

by Amanda Richards)

New Amsterdam Hospital

The old New Amsterdam Hospital, once located in Region Six, Berbice, in the town of New Amsterdam, was one of Guyana’s outstanding historical buildings.

It was built in 1844 and designed by renowned architect Cesar Castellani, and described as a “timber architectural masterpiece”. The building was declared unfit to function as the primary hospital of the region and it was left abandoned where it collapsed over time due to constant vandalism and deterioration.

Promoting Our National...

and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Guyana making overtures to the National Trust and the Department of Culture to complete the Bibliography.

Eventually, the project gained impetus as part of plans for the celebra-

tion of Guyana’s Golden Jubilee of Independence when “the idea… was presented to the National Commemoration commission as a marquee Jubilee Project and it was readily embraced”.

Subsequently, in 2015 a new committee was

formed, leading to the document that is now in the public’s domain.

The foreword also explains why the Library of Congress Classification was chosen in preference to the exiting Dewey Decimal Classification.

A National

Bibliography is important for many reasons, but primarily, in this instance, showcases government’s policy, and public and private interest towards our literary output.

Included on the printed programme of this

event was a fourth book, “Guyana at 50”, edited by Arif Ali. It is touted as “the premium 50th commemorative publication that captures the essence of all things Guyanese” (more on this in a subsequent article).

All of the above books

from page 34

are important to our national patrimony in preserving, promoting and disseminating the country’s unique heritage.

Responses to this author telephone (592) 2260065 or email: oraltradition2002@yahoo.com

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This week's Crossword

This week's Puzzle

see solution on page 47

Holding fast…

Y

…on GECOM Chair

our humble Eyewitness isn’t one who likes to crow, “I TOLD YOU SO!” But he has to mention that the outcome of the widely heralded second meeting of Prezzie and Opposition Leader Jagdeo was predicted by him.

Not that he’s any analytical whiz or anything – it was clear that we’re looking at a game of “chicken” played out in bright daylight. And neither party (singly and collectively) is willing to jump off the rails as the speeding train of the integrity of our electoral machinery careens out of control.

Now some might say the whole issue of the criteria for selecting the GECOM Chair is moot – seeing as how the Chancellor’s promised to pronounce this Thursday on the petition of businessman Gaskin on the matter. But your Eyewitness is of those jaded types who just don’t believe in stories with all loose ends tied up and folks living happily ever after. Even those Brothers Grimm stories, after all, were REALLY grim, when you think about them! Like with wolves devouring children, old ladies boiling and eating same and all that!

From the very beginning, Prezzie had to’ve known it’ll come down to the Judiciary making the call. After all, it’s a matter of interpreting the Constitution. Even a lost-in-the-woods fella like Basil Williams couldn’t have told him otherwise – contrary to the florid asservations of the latter’s Court Jester, Maxwell E Edwards. Prezzie was just working the plan when he rejected Jagdeo’s first list at the beginning of the year.

The Chancellor then was still Justice Singh, who’s stubbornly stuck to the letter of the law – and his post! – even in the face of naked provocation and insults by Basil Williams. But Singh would be gone

by Republic Day when he delivered the judgement on what folks call ‘the third term case”. But that was just a feint – the main play was the chairmanship of GECOM, which after all, would deliver the kingdom for at least another five years! Then oil would be flowing and many sins would be covered (with money)!

And so a new Chief Justice and Chancellor were appointed – both “acting”. In Guyana, of course, “acting” is the name of our local “Sword of Damocles” – which the Government hangs over the heads of officials to keep them in line. Do it or its “off with their heads”!! The acting appointee doesn’t even have to be told what to do in this case.

With the selection of the GECOM chair playing out for six months in the public domain – the Chancellor knows from whence the wind is blowing!

From Vlissengen Road way!!

Will the centre hold? … on Praetorians This newspaper ran an interesting editorial on the PNC-led APNU/AFC Government talking on a “praetorian form”. “What the heck was that?” thought your usually well-informed Eyewitness. So as his (paid) duty – he duly looked into it. And lo and behold – as some of the more Biblically-minded among us may say – a lot of things made sense.

A Praetorian government is basically one that’s dominated by the military – because the originally civilian government considers it a “force for modernisation”. After WWII, Third World countries emerging from colonialism were seen as “backward” because they didn’t have the institutions to organise them for development. Armies were seen as possessing the requisite discipline from their training by the departing colonists.

Why not use them? Burnham – for several reasons – bought the line and expanded his militarised forces exponentially. But inevitably, the mean-ends dilemma pops up. Can you use fellas steeped in anti-democratic tradition to create democracy?

Very simply – history says the answer is “NO!!” …on welshing To ‘welch” on someone is not to keep your promise or word to them. Some think it’s a slur on the Welsh” who the English thought weren’t quite trustworthy.

The Education PS Welsh’s answers to the PAC’s questions hint at his antecedents?

WEEK ENDING JUNE 18, 2017| guyanatimeSinternational.com

I

Man in the Mirror…

…and the PM n charge of the State media, PM Nagamootoo awarded himself a column in this Sunday’s Chronic – “My Turn”. It’s a Freudian slip, since he promptly launched into an attack on his bete noir, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo. One wonders whether he’ll allow Jagdeo “his turn”. Your Eyewitness doubts it, ‘cause everyone in this Government sees their stint at the wheel as “their turn” to commit all the things they described as “despicable” under the PPP. But your Eyewitness would like to offer some wise advice to the PM from an unlikely source — Michael Jackson. But then a verse in the Book of Psalms in the Bible has this to say about God, “Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast Thou ordained strength”. In the “Man in the Mirror”, the lyricist (not Jackson, incidentally) says in the recurring chorus: “I’m starting with the man in the mirror/ I’m asking him to change his ways/ And no message could have been any clearer:/ If you wanna make the world a better place/ Take a look at yourself and then make a change.”

The verses each describe real-life dire situations in the world that scream for change, and maybe we can take the same examples Nagamootoo used to flay Jagdeo to show where Nagamootoo should change himself and do something, rather than just blame others. HE is in government, and is the PRIME MINISTER, no?

Nagamootoo criticises Jagdeo for saying there can be poverty in Guyana IN the midst of expected oil revenues. If his govt destroys sugar, rice and forestry, aren’t they fulfilling Jagdeo’s prediction of a “Resource Curse”?

Nagamootoo brings up sugar, but wasn’t it he who had assured sugar workers they wouldn’t lose their jobs when Granger said the industry had to be closed down?? How can he now defend the arbitrary closure of three Estates with no alternative employment provided, or even in sight?? Has he gone to the hot and dusty streets of Wales and asked any of the men, women, or children — who have no income now that 1700 of them have been fired? Is he not bothered? “This wind is blowin’ my mind:/ I see the kids in the street, with not enough to eat/ Who am I to be blind, pretending not to see their needs/ A summer’s disregard, a broken bottle top/ And one man’s soul/ They follow each other on the wind ya know/ Cause they got nowhere to go/ That’s why I want you to know.”

Nagamootoo should realise, “I’ve been a victim of a selfish kinda love/ It’s time that I realize/ There are some with no home/ Not a nickel to loan/ “Could it be really me (Nagamootoo) pretending that they’re not alone?” …and forked tongue Nagamootoo boasts of being a writer, and he actually wrote a book. In “My Turn”, he confirms the book Henree’s curse was a piece of fiction. He opens thusly: “REACTING to a hurricane of negative statements being made by the Opposition, a coalition supporter advised: “Don’t worry wid dem, PM”. As I looked at her, she added: “They speaking wid forked tongue”!

Nagamootoo then goes into a long and laboured explanation of the phrase, “forked tongue”: “When a person is accused of speaking with a forked tongue, that person is said to be hypocritical, duplicitous and misleading. The statements by that person would be riddled with half-truths, falsehoods and distortions.

It is hard to believe someone who speaks with a forked tongue.”

Now, let’s get real, dear readers: which person who speaks to a Prime Minister in the vernacular, “Don’t worry wid dem, PM”, segues into allusions to “forked tongue”? If that expression were that common, why the tortured (and tortuous) explanation? Clearly it’s another Freudian slip.

Nagamootoo knows HE cannot speak, but with a “forked tongue”. …and broken dreams Poor Nagamootoo. All his angst is from not getting to be President. As Michael sang: “A willow deeply scarred, somebody’s broken heart… And a washed out dream.”

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The order line

By Ravi Dev

T

he “order line” is the spot designated on every sugar estate for the cane-cutters to assemble daily before “daybreak” — latest by 5 am — to be transported to the location of their day’s labour.

During my childhood, cane-cutters would be carried in punts pulled by mules, like the stalks of sugar cane they would “cut and load”. Those stalks of cane are taken to the factory to be ground and squeezed and boiled and centrifuged to produce sugar and bagasse. To my eyes, the workers themselves were being ground into bagasse that would soon be fuel for the cremation fires.

My Nana and Nanie, who raised me, both worked in the fields of Uitvlugt, starting as children in the “Creole Gang” at the age of six.

This was the gang that “seasoned” the workers into the discipline and punishment regime that was to structure their lives to the end of their days.

My Nanie would graduate into the Weeding Gang, from which she retired at the age of sixty, not long before I moved in with them. She received a pension of G$2 per week for the fifty-four years she had worked.

My Nana’s career was a bit more chequered. He had graduated into cane cutting, where he earned the sobriquet “Steel Rod” for his indomitable will to “cut and load” his “three tons” of cane despite his slim physique.

He left the industry for a while to launch a “sawpit”, but returned to finish his working life as a shovel man and receive a pension of G$5 weekly.

While most readers would probably pity my grandparents for their “poverty-stricken” lives; to the child they raised, they were anything but “stricken”. Most important to them was they “worked for their living” and did not have to ask anyone for anything.

They were very proud of that: they had “garv and izzat” – pride and dignity.

They insisted that I focus

on an education, because their successful “saw-pit” had to be sold because both of them were illiterate in English. The demands for conversions into “BM’, writing of receipts and keeping of accounts were too much.

He made a profit, but returned to the fields because not to work when you were healthy was not something he could conceive of.

I remember them frequently nowadays, when I think of the fate of the ten thousand sugar workers who will be thrown out of work with no provision made for them to find alternative employment. What will they do? What can they do? How will they be able to live lives of pride and dignity?

The Government blithely talks of “leasing land” to the fired workers to produce crops that will be identified by them (the Government).

If the Government had any idea of what they are talking about, shouldn’t they have started this project at Wales, which is already closed? Why have they started cultivating rice, for which there is no market?

I recently participated in a panel discussion wherein the question of the motive for the Government’s unilateral action was raised. I said we can never know what lies in the hearts of men when they act; we can only consider the impact of those actions. Accused once in the seventies by the PPP (during their “unity talks”) of racist discrimination against Indian Guyanese, Burnham said it was not “racial”, merely “political”.

In the present, with Indian Guyanese once again inordinately affected by a Government they see as “PNC”, we do not see them appreciating the fine distinction between the “racial” and the “political”. And this even though Wales has a large number of African Guyanese farmers and workers. From what is already happening there, we can project an intensification of all the pathologies that are endemic in rural Guyanese communities – alcoholism, suicide, and domestic violence.

It will be particularly harder on the females, who always bore the burden of providing for the family in their darkest hour. I can see a return of the 80s, when Guyanese fled to every port to escape their poverty by “doing a hustle”.

I exhort the Government to follow the recommendations of their own CoI — to gradually replace the “order line”, but not with the “bread line”. Leave the workers with their pride and dignity.

41

42 news

WEEK ENDING JUNE 18, 2017 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

Guyana govt signs G$922M pact with EU T he Government on Wednesday signed a €4 million Technical Cooperation Facility and Support Services Agreement with the European Union (EU) for the implementation of Guyana’s development strategies and policies.

The pact was signed

by Finance Minister Winston Jordan and Head of the EU Delegation in Guyana, Ambassador Jernej Videtič at the Finance Ministry’s office on Main Street.

The Agreement, which will see the National Authorising Officer (NAO) receiving G$922.8 million, assures EU support for the implementation of Guyana’s development strategies and policies.

It will also support the operations of, and improve the institutional capacity within, the NAO Task Force in the Finance Ministry for the efficient planning, implementation and monitoring of development projects and programmes financed by the EU. The Technical Cooperation Facility will be used to provide short

Finance Minister Winston Jordan and EU Ambassador Jernej Videtič after signing the multimillion-dollar pact

and long-term technical assistance, policy advice and studies as needed in the programming, preparation or implementation of actions, as well as for audits and evaluation and to support the country’s public financial management (PFM) reform agenda.

Guyana shares a

long standing relationship with the EU; the EU is the main provider of grant funding to the country.

Since the cooperation between the two countries began in 1976, the EU has committed over €500 million to development in Guyana.

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Rihanna and former Australian PM to raise US$3 Billion for education in Malawi

GeCome or GeGone?

Dear Diary, Dis is High-in-the-Field, and I tell you, dear diary, I enjoying dis questioning. I just came back from dis PacMan Committee who checkin’ out how we spend de money we get at GeCome. Like dey forget I is an ole army officer and was trained to not break down under interrogation! I also train in misdirection, since dat is a basic military manoeuvre.

Remember when de Auditor Marshall tell me to explain how come we buy $100M worth of radio equipment – but never used them? Well, how de arse I could use dem when none of dem ever wuk? Anyhow, I tell he dat I does report to de Pacman Committee, not to he.

And when de PacMan people ask me about de $100M radios, I tell dem de Auditor Marshall checking into dat!!

And dey fell for it!!

Den dey ask me why I bruk up de 8 contracts for paper and ink all less dan $15M! Dear Diary, imagine they ask me why I didn’t send the whole $90M contract to Cabinet? They think Cabinet woulda done things different? They crack me up!!

I just did it like dat because in de army we learn that those officers above us must always have “deniability”!!

And deh had this nonsense about dat $6000 pliers. Schuups! Do dey think an ordinary pliers can open dose ballot boxes to slip fake SOPs into dem? We need de right tools for our job!!

But, Dear Diary, I am surprised de Opposition wasting all their time submitting lists for the GeCome Chair.

Dat Chair already fixed!! And really, it just doesn’t matter.

Dey just appoint me to be in charge for another three years. Till 2020, Dear Diary. An’ I still got my special pliers!!

GeGone!!

CROSSWORD SOLUTION

B

arbados’ superstar Rihanna and former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard first came together for a good cause in 2016 and were reunited earlier this year while doing philanthropic work in Malawi.

Last week, a video of their January trip was released, showing the multiple Grammy award-winner and the former politician meeting with community leaders and schoolchildren as they seek to raise US$3.1 billion between 2018 and 2020.

“I’m really here to see it. It’s one thing to read the statistics, but I want to see it first-hand and find out all that can be done and where to start first,” Rihanna said in the clip.

“We’re here really to get a sense of the dimensions of change and what more needs to be done, and we know these challenges are profound,”

RIHANNA (LEFT) AND FORMER AUSTRALIAN LEADER JULIA GILLARD (RIGHT) IN A CLASSROOM IN MALAWI (Caribbean360.com photo)

Gillard added.

The pop princess and the politician previously joined forces for the Global Partnership for Education (GPE), a campaign designed to improve the quality of education in developing countries.

Gillard joined the charity in 2014 as chair of the Board of Directors, while Rihanna, who founded The Clara Lionel Foundation in honour of

her late grandparents, is an ambassador.

Also present on the trip was Hugh Evans, CEO of Global Citizen, an organisation committed to helping GPE raise money and help children access education in more than 60 impoverished nations.

Various issues impact the education system in Malawi, including a lack of skilled teachers and limited access to ed-

ucation.

“Statistically 70-75 percent of students get into primary school, but only eight percent get to complete secondary school,” said Angeline Murimirwa, Regional Executive Director of Camfed.

There is approximately one teacher to every 100 students in the south-east African nation. (Caribbean360. com)

Mindfulness

F

Anu Dev

or me, yesterday was just one of “those days”.

You know that type of day — when you’re all in your head, you’re just a tangled knot of anxiety, and it feels like nothing is going your way. It’s the type of day wherein you feel like maybe Zeus has gotten his toga in a twist and is taking it out on you personally.

Realizing that I really wasn’t managing to get anything productive done, I decided to take a moment and step away from the evergrowing mountain of things I needed to do.

I made a cup of tea, cooked myself a nice meal, and took some time to just relax.

Normally, when I cook, I put on some TV show to look at while I’m in the kitchen; but yesterday I decided to instead try out something I read about ‘mindfulness’. I’d been hearing a lot about mindfulness, and during my psychiatry

“The most fundamental aggression to ourselves, the most fundamental harm we can do to ourselves, is to remain ignorant by not having the courage and the respect to look at ourselves honestly and gently.”

– Pema Chödrön, When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times rotation, I learnt about it being a useful way to deal with stress.

Mindfulness is simply a Western adaptation of the ancient Eastern practice of “stilling the mind”, which is the goal of meditation.

It’s the psychological process of bringing one’s attention to the internal experiences occurring in the present moment.

So I decided to give it a go.

As I was cooking, different thoughts started popping into my head — most of them trivial and more than a little ridiculous.

But then the more serious ones started to bubble to the surface; thoughts like, “Did I fail my last exam?” And instead of doing the usual of just stuffing the thought into a drawer in the back of my brain, I decided to deal with it head-on. I needed to acknowledge the thought and how it made me feel.

Of course the

thought of failing an exam made me extremely anxious.

But would I be able to fix anything about that test now? No. All I could do is wait for results to come out. I needed to change my perspective — instead of looking at that test with regret and guilt, I needed to look at it as a lesson for things I could do differently moving forward. By acknowledging that, I was able to feel less anxious.

And, for the rest of the afternoon, I just tried to be in the moment. Instead of being all caught up and swept away in my thoughts, I acknowledged thoughts and worries as they cropped up, dealt with them as best I could, and moved on.

I finished cooking and enjoyed my meal. I lingered over my cup of tea, and really just tried to appreciate the little things.

When it was time for me to get back to work,

my head was clearer and I got much more done that I thought I would. I would say that the mindfulness experiment was a success. I also figured out why the Japanese have such an elaborate “tea ceremony” and why Hindu Pujas can be so relaxing.

I think everyone experiences anxiety at some point. And many of us tend to get into our heads about it and, as the old folks would say, just “gotay” the problem — make it revolve in a neverending series of circles.

It’s important to take a step back, examine our thoughts, and try to notice when our thoughts are derailing us. By acknowledging and being more selfaware about our anxieties, we can start to deal with that anxiety in a productive way, before it spirals out of control.

So maybe you should give mindfulness a try; you might find it helpful!

48 Bollywood

Kareena Kapoor Khan is working hard in gym with ‘buddy’ Amrita Arora

W

ho said pregnancy weight is hard to get rid of? Kareena Kapoor Khan is surely proving that every myth you have ever heard about pregnancy weight sticking to you is just a myth. Weeks after she gave birth to Taimur Ali Khan, Kareena embarked on losing all the extra weight she had gained during her pregnancy. In fact, for all those who have been wondering how the actor is back to her svelte shape so soon, Kareena’s new workout videos are

a perfect reply. In the videos shared by Amrita Rao, we see Kareena being so focused and dedicated that it is quite inspiring for her fans.

The actor has never shown a laidback attitude when it comes to fitness. She worked till the ninth month of her pregnancy and started shooting for magazines, brands right after the birth of Taimur.

And now, soon the actor would begin shooting for Veerey Di Wedding, the dream project of Anil Kapoor’s daughter Rhea Kapoor. The project will

also star Sonam Kapoor and Swara Bhaskar in the lead role and is said to be an Indian adaptation of Sex In The City.

There are rumours that the actor has already signed her next project, which is a biopic directed by Omung Kumar.

While there is no confirmation whether she has signed the film or not but if she does then Omung’s film will mark Kareena’s first biopic. For now, the new mommy of the town is having loads of fun being a working mother.

(Indian Express)

Irrfan Khan to star opposite Priyanka Chopra in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s ‘Gustakhiyan’

A

fter many speculation about who would become the on-screen poet Sahir Ludhianvi and his muse, the bohemian author Amrita Pritam, for Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s next dream project Gustakhiyan, it seems the director has finally found his man and lady.

According to some reports, Irrfan Khan has been zeroed down to play Sahir Ludhianvi while Priyanka Chopra would play his muse Amrita.

Earlier, the leading

man’s role was rumoured to be offered to Shah Rukh Khan. The actor had also admitted that he is reading the script and liked the story, however, what has led him to pass on the role is something that has not been revealed as of yet.

However, coming together of two stellar actors and those who have made a mark in Hollywood, Irrfan and Priyanka, is a news that’s worth a celebration.

Bollywood Hungama quotes a source saying, “Irrfan has been on

board from the start. He was our first choice and he remains our only choice to play Sahir Ludhianvi.”

Talking about Priyanka, the source said, ““With her smouldering sensuality, outgoing personality and husky diction, Priyanka is the perfect fit for Amrita Pritam.”

Another report that the source has quashed is about Bhansali directing the project. The source says the project would be producing the film as he is currently busy with Padmavati starring Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh and Shahid Kapoor.

Gustakhiyan will chronicle the tumultuous blow-hot-blow-cold relationship between the poet Sahir Ludhianvi and author Amrita Pritam, an association that lasted for nearly 40 years. (Indian Express)

WEEK ENDING JUNE 18, 2017 | guyanatimeSinternational.com

‘Indu Sarkar’: Neil Nitin Mukesh plays Sanjay Gandhi, his ‘most daring character’

M

adhur Bhandarkar’s Indu Sarkar might not have been able to keep the buzz around it so far, but with time, it is slowly being revealed that the film promises to be everything – interesting, intriguing and entertaining. Now another post shared by lead actor Neil Nitin Mukesh has grabbed our eyeballs. The actor, who is playing Sanjay Gandhi in the film, has an uncanny resemblance to his character.

It seems like the actor has taken his role too seriously and done everything to keep it real.

Neil shared the picture on Twitter and wrote, “In my most daring character portrayed on screen ever.” The actor also revealed that the film’s trailer would be out on June 16. Well, we definitely cannot wait to witness the mystery Madhur’s film will uncover this time.

Indu Sarkar also stars Supriya Vinod, Anupam Kher and Tota Roy Chowdhury in pivotal roles. Directed

by National Award winning filmmak-

er Madhur Bhandarkar, the film is based on the Emergency, a 21-month long period from 1975 to 1977 when Prime Minister Indira Gandhi unilaterally had a state of emergency declared across the country. The film is scheduled for July 28 release.

Indu Sarkar is an important film for Madhur who has been awaiting a hit

for since a long time. His last venture Calendar Girls did not do well at the box office.

Meanwhile, Neil is busy shooting for his next film, Golmaal Again, the fourth installment in the Golmaal franchise. The actor is currently in Ooty with his team. Other than this, Neil has also grabbed Baahubali actor Prabhas’ next project Saaho. He would be playing a villain in the film.

(Indian Express)

Salman Khan books 2019 Christmas for ‘Kick 2’

S

alman Khan is on a roll with different projects one after one. Before the actor can finish his commitments this year, the actor has already blocked dates for a film in 2019.

The actor has yet again collaborated with Sajid Nadiadwala for the sequel of Kick, which released in 2014.

Reports say that Sajid has been quietly working on the script for some time and will be giving Salman a narration next month. The

prequel revolved around Salman’s character as Devi Lal Singh aka Devil whose need for `kicks’ (excitement) results in him turning into a Robin Hood-like robber for ailing children.

The film was a remake of Telugu film with the same title, starring Ravi Teja. In fact, in Telugu, Kick 2 has already released and failed to perform well at the box office. Now, looking at how similar Telugu and Hindi films were, we are sure even the se-

quel would have a similar background.

In the Telugu film, the story takes 20 years leap and we are introduced to Ravi Teja’s character’s son who looks exactly like him.

Basically, Ravi Teja minus the grey hair. While in Kick, Ravi’s character finds excitement in doing something for the society, his son is impatient and aggressive who wants comfort over Kick in everything. He is mean and thinks only about himself but soon his fate turns upside down because of a woman, who leads him to her village seeking help from him to save the villagers who were losing their lives because of a villainous landlord.

So, as far as Salman is concerned, would he make the comeback in a double role? Well, wait and watch. (Indian Express)

‘Jagga Jasoos’: Katrina Kaif describes ‘a hair-raising thrilling tale of adventure’ while shooting

T

ill now Jagga Jasoos was all about a cute romance, some amazing dance and running away, but Katrina Kaif revealed that there is more to the film, and that is action. The actor in a video explained the kind of action sequence she is going to shoot with Ranbir Kapoor, and it is so confusing that we can just wait and

watch what it is all about. Katrina further confirmed that it is going to be “a hair-raising thrilling tale of adventure.”

Katrina might have made a social media debut quite late, but she is quick to learn some good tricks to use it as a promotional platform. She has been extensively active on Facebook and Instagram, keeping in touch with

her fans. Ever since the release of Jagga Jasoos was announced, the actor has been sharing some inside details about the film. Her dance video and selfie with Ranbir went viral instantly, making us wonder if the two are getting back together.

In another Instagram post, Katrina shared a picture of her mother who

was teaching some students at a school of Mumbai. Well, as far as her film is concerned, people have loved the trailer which looks dreamy and whimsical.

Directed by Anurag Basu, the film’s trailer gives you Barfi throwbacks at many places but the actors have assured media that the both the films are extremely different. (Indian Express)

Hollywood 49

WEEK ENDING JUNE 18, 2017| guyanatimeSinternational.com

Ed Sheeran slept on my couch for six weeks - Jamie Foxx

A

ctor Jamie Foxx says that the Shape of You singer, Ed Sheeran had taken shelter at his house during his struggling days. The 49-year-old actor while promoting his new action caper, Baby Driver which also features Ansel Elgort and Jon Hamm, says as a creative person who has

now found a foothold in the industry, he felt that it was his duty to help a fellow artiste, reported Entertainment Tonight.

“I had Ed Sheeran sleep on my couch for six weeks. Before he made it, he came to my crib. So did Anthony Hamilton, Nick Cannon, all these.

You gotta press anybody that’s got that artistic

feel, that touch, you’ve got to lift them up,” says Foxx. The Django Unchained star was also praised by budding musician, Ansel Elgort for being “so supportive”.

Another young artist that Jamie Foxx helped is 23-year-old Elgort, who was all praises for the actor. He told ET, “He really spreads the love, and he’s so supportive of everything. As a young actor walking onto this set and this goes for Jon (Hamm) as well, I was so excited to do this movie, but I didn’t expect any kind of relationship with these guys, where they would be so supportive. (But) they’ve become mentors. He invited me to his house and said, ‘Come to the studio, I want to hear your music,”’ the Baby Driver actor recalled. (Indian Express)

Angelina Jolie-Brad Pitt’s children are being called ‘unruly’ by their neighbours

A

ctor Angelina Jolie and her six children have moved into a new house in Los Feliz here. However, their new neighbours are not happy with their arrival and think that it’s a nightmare, say sources. According to sources, Jolie’s house move is “causing chaos” in her new neighbourhood and nearby residents are questioning her suitability for the exclusive private estate, reports radaronline.com. The actor bought the mansion

for $25 million. Moving trucks and dozens of workmen were spotted at the property last week.

“There are tons of cars parked around her property every day blocking the roads. Neighbours are worried there will be security constantly going in and out and surrounding the house,” one source said. Her and Brad’s (Pitt) children (Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh, and twins Vivienne and Knox) are also known for being quite unruly and they don’t have formal

schooling.

“Which means they will probably be at home and running around in the garden every day.

There are other celebrities living in the enclave, but there is so much attention on Angelina it’s bound to cause problems,” the source added. In a recent news, it was also revealed that both Brad and Angelina are taking time off acting to spend time with their children and focus on being better parents. With Brad living in Los Feliz, it will be easier for the children to see their father even more. Brad and Angelina parted ways in October 2016. The two, over the next few months, were involved in a bitter legal battle for the custody of their six children.

(Indian Express)

Kim Kardashian ‘obsessed’ over having third child – source

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opular Hollywood couple Kim Kardashian and Kanye West are reportedly fighting non-stop over her desire to get pregnant with their third child. The reality TV star is said to be depressed about not having another child. “Kim is really depressed about not having another baby. Kim is not pregnant. Not at all. And she is really unhappy. All she wants in the world is to have more kids and she isn’t,” a source told radaronline.com.

While the couple went for a vacation for his birthday earlier this month, their relationship was already strained.

“Kanye is hardly around. He leaves the house for long periods during the day.

They’re not spending any time together,” the source added. Friends are worrying that Kim’s baby obsession will destroy her marriage to West.

“Kim can only think about having another baby, but Kanye isn’t nearly as obsessed as she is. It is driving them apart,” the source said. Recently, the two were spotted roaming the streets of Tokyo, Japan. Seems like they have taken the trip for Kanye’s 40th birthday. In a picture, which comes courtesy of Team Kanye Daily, we see Kanye and Kim rocking all black as they take a stroll down a Tokyo street.

The Keeping Up with the Kardashians star has been sharing her vacation pictures with her main man on Snapchat and also featuring some spectacular ensembles. Prior to their Tokyo trip, the duo reportedly spent four days at the exclusive, celebrity favorite Baker’s Bay Golf and Ocean Club near Great Guana Cay. (Indian Express)

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ctress Cameron Diaz has said she is lucky to have got married to Benji Madden as the Good Charlotte guitarist is someone who understands her in a way no one else does.

During a conversation with Gwyneth Paltrow at her Goop health and wellness conference, the 44-year-old actress, who married Madden in 2015, said she

and her husband are so different from one another but at the same time share similar values, reported Femalefirst. “I think it’s a matter of – I just hadn’t met my husband, you know? I had boyfriends before. And there’s a really distinct difference between husbands and boyfriends.

And I have a husband who is… just my partner in life and in everything.

We’re totally two peas in

a pod. We’re both just weird enough for each other,” Diaz said.

The actress praised her husband for being supportive of her in all aspects of life. “We women are objectified so much. And somehow my husband has just been able to kind of show me what it’s like not to have that be a part of a relationship and being an equal. “I never experienced that before.

I’d never been loved in that way. Where he and Joel came from and what they’ve accomplished in their lives…just the drive, for the purest reasons. They push themselves. I look at him every day and he inspires me. He works so hard.

I feel so lucky.” (Indian Express)

Nicole Kidman on 50th birthday: I don’t need big parties, I just need my family

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mbracing her 50s, actor Nicole Kidman says she is enjoying ageing every bit and taking life as it comes. She is all geared up to celebrate her 50th birthday on June 20 with only her family and friends. She told E!Online, “I want to hang with my divine husband and my kids and my sister.” Nicole and the country music star, Keith Urban are proud parents to two daughters, Sunday, 8, and Faith, 6.

Nicole also revealed that her younger sister, Antonia Kidman will be a part of the celebrations but her mom will sadly not be able to make it.

She said, “I’ve already been to Australia and saw my mom and it’s too

far for her to travel but my sister is coming over with all her children. She has six kids. That’s it for me, I don’t need any big parties; I just need my family around me. If I have my family around me, I am happy.”

On being asked about ageing and turning 50, she cheerfully said, “I’m absolutely embracing it.

I try to embrace all parts of my life now because I think you just go wow.

I’m so lucky, so blessed.

I’m making an effort to go back and see my mum in Australia and spend time with her. I’ve got the whole summer off so I’m just kind of relaxing.” The Big Little Lies actress adds she is looking forward to her birthday celebrations that will include a trip back to her native country, Australia. (Indian Express)

Julia Stiles to welcome child with Preston J. Cook

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ctor Julia Stiles is expecting her first child with fiance Preston J. Cook. Julia debuted her baby bump when she was spotted leaving a production house after an interview on Monday, reports aceshowbiz.com. Julia was in London to promote her new series Riviera, set to premiere on June 15.

The mother-to-be donned a black fitted dress which she paired with a red trench coat and green pumps. Nick Snaith, who interviewed Julia, took to Twitter to post a photograph of him with the Jason Bourne actress.

In the image, Julia can be seen cradling her baby bump as she posed for the camera. Later, Julia’s representative had confirmed that she is currently pregnant.

She and Preston will welcome their child later this year.

When the actor stopped by ITV’s This Morning, hosts Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield congratulated the star on her exciting news. Even though Julia didn’t let much slip about her pregnancy during the chat on This Morning, the two hosts did offer their best wish-

es at the start of the interview as a clear evidence of her pregnancy.

Julia Stiles appeared on the ITV show alongside co-star Phil Davis to talk about her new Sky Atlantic drama Riviera.

The Riviera star and her fiance Preston J. Cook are expecting their first child toward the end of the year, her representatives told People.com on Monday. Stiles and Cook first met in 2015 on the set of the movie Blackway, where Cook was working on the production team as a camera assistant. (Indian Express)

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Guyanese all-rounder Kohli reclaims top spot; Carmichael continues Hazlewood tops ODI to shine in England bowling rankings

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Kellon Carmichael

uyanese all-rounder Kellon Carmichael continues to enjoy his stint with English side Goring Cricket Club, registering a century and taking four scalps in last weekend match against hosts Stenying Cricket Club in the Sussex Premier League.

The former national junior player bagged 4-25 as he orchestrated the demolition against his counterparts, who folded for a paltry first innings score of 75 all out. He then returned with the bat to record a top score of 105 in his team’s total of 250-8 declared.

The 28-year-old has not disappointed since becoming a free agent earlier this year when he was snapped up by the English Club.

Earlier in the league Carmaichael was at the centre of Goring’s suc-

cess against Hastings and Leonard’s Cricket Club in the Sussex Premier League. The right handed batsman hit a cameo of 30 from 23 in his team’s innings of 290-5 in 45 overs .

He later returned to destroy the opposition with figures of 5-30 from six overs of medium fast bowling as they folded for 81.

In the Greater London League, the dapper Malteenoes Sports Club (MSC) player smashed 81 and took 4-35 in a sterling win for Sabina over Aztecs Cricket Club.

Against Seven Kings Cricket Club, Carmichael claimed three wickets and blasted 58 in a losing effort.

Carmaichael said his aim is focusing on finishing atop of the batting and bowling standings, so his team will fare well at the end of the season.

ndia captain Virat Kohli surpassed AB de Villiers and David Warner to reclaim the top spot in the ICC rankings for ODI batsmen.

Australia fast bowler Josh Hazlewood, meanwhile, topped the ODI bowlers' rankings for the first time in his career. South Africa quick Kagiso Rabada, who had gained the No.1 spot last month, dropped to fourth place.

Unbeaten knocks of 81 and 76 against Pakistan and South Africa in the ongoing Champions Trophy helped Kohli overtake Warner and de Villers, who had climbed to No.1 in March this year.

Kohli, who had briefly held the No. 1 ranking in January, has a onepoint lead over Warner.

De Villiers, who had scores of 4, 0 and 16 in the Champions Trophy, dropped two places, and trails Warner by

6, while Shakib Al Hasan retained his place as the top ODI allrounder.

Stokes did much better on the batting rankings, gaining nine points to climb to a career-best 20th, following an unbeaten 102 against Australia.

South Africa, who exited the Champions Trophy after two lossVirat Kohli es in three league matches, retained 14 points. Joe Root and Kane Williamson were their No. 1 spot on the ranked fourth and fifth team rankings, leading Australia and India respectively.

Hazlewood, who took by two points. England nine wickets in three gained two points to Champions Trophy climb to fourth and have matches, became the a three-point lead over first Australian to top New Zealand.

If the final of the the ODI bowlers' rankChampions Trophy is ings since Mitchell Starc in October 2015. Imran contested between India Tahir and Starc retained and England, and if their second and third India win, they will serankings respectively. cure a slim lead over Afghanistan legspinner South Africa and become Rashid Khan gained 18 the No. 1 ODI team.

The ICC's top 10 places to surge to sevBatsmen: 1. Virat enth.

India opener Shikhar Kohli, 2. David Warner, Dhawan, who is the lead- 3 AB de Villiers, 4 Joe ing run-getter in the Root, 5 Kane Williamson, Champions Trophy so 6 Quinton de Kock, 7 far, leapfrogged five of Faf du Plessis, 8 Babar his peers to return to the Azam, 9 Martin Guptill, top ten. Dhawan scored 10 Shikhar Dhawan Bowlers: 1.

Josh 271 runs in three innings during the league stage Hazlewood, 2. Imran of the tournament, with Tahir, 3 Mitchell Starc, two fifties and a century. 4 Kagiso Rabada, 5 In the allrounders' Sunil Narine, 6 Trent list, Ben Stokes gained Boult, 7 Rashid Khan, one place to displace 8 Chris Woakes, 9 Liam Mitchell Marsh at No. Plunkett, 10 Mohammad Nabi (ESPNCricinfo)

Pele, GFC reintegration begins T

he Guyana Football Federation (GFF) has commenced efforts to reintegrate the Pele Football Club and the Georgetown Football Club into the activities of the their Association, t h e Georgetown F o o t b a l l Association (GFA), following their r e l e g a tion from the Elite League.

A release from the federation noted that the new development will result in the named clubs becoming registered members of the GFA and participating in the activities of the same.

The release added that the next major activities of the Association are the GFF-Pele Alumni Frank Watson National U15 Tournament and the

GFF-NAMILCO Thunderbolt Flour Power National U17 Tournament, the latter scheduled to begin this weekend.

“These competitions will afford the youth players from the respective clubs the much needed opportunity to be engaged in active football.

Further, the senior team will be allowed to participate in the

Association’s tournaments and compete to regain their position in the elite league.

The GFF had taken the decision to relegate both clubs in accordance with Article; 13,1a and 13,1c of the Constitution of the Guyana Football Federation following their withdrawal from the senior league,” the release stated.

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India in West Indies 2017: Hopkinson excels Pant, Kuldeep picked in Grenada National HandGun Championship for West Indies tour

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eteran marksman Harold ‘Top Gun’ Hopkinson, returned from Grenada where he represented the Guyana NRA Smallbore Section and IPSC Guyana with distinction, having participated in the Grenada Gun and Rifle Association’s Second Annual six Stage, Level 2 IPSC competition, held at the associations range.

Hopkinson started the precision shooting category placing 7th from 15 seasoned shooters despite having a zero stage due to not having full functionality of his right hand.

In the IPSC sanctioned Level 2 competition, Hopkinson was successful as he won the B Class, topping the senior category. Shooting his newly acquired CZ Shadow 2 for the second time, Hopkinson said he was astonished after placing third overall,

Harold "Top Gun" Hopkinson

over seasoned shooters despite enduring a disastrous first day.

The veteran marksman said he had to dig deep and focus on the second and final day.

When the results were read at the presentation held at Dragon Bowling Alley, Hopkinson found out that he was only bettered by Barbados’ Regional Director and shooting sensation Keven Grant who won the event and Trinidadian Walt Reid.

Hopkinson who normally competes in the Super Senior category, designated for persons over 60 years of age, overwhelmed everyone by winning Stage 6, named “Telephone Call”.

Competitors were required to shoot 6 IPSC Targets and 3 plates; these were adorned with Two No Shoot penalty targets.

The other stages were, 1- Forest Monkey, 2 – 2 part IPSC Classifier,

3 – the Peep Hole, 4 – 60 point 12 round IPSC Classifier and 5 – “Breakfast Time”. The championship was attended by competitors from Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago.

Hopkinson, the lone shooter from Guyana was sponsored by Secure Innovations and Concepts Inc., Guyana’s premier aviation, land and Sea security service.

M e a n w h i l e , Hopkinson and Mohamed Qualander will be representing the Guyana NRA at the IPSC World Shoot to be held in August in France.

Hopkinson is publicly expressing gratitude to the Commissioner of Police Mr. Seelall Persaud, DSM and Commissioner General Guyana Revenue Authority Mr. Godfrey Statia, for expediting the necessary permits for the smooth export and import of his firearms used in these competitions.

icketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant and left-arm wristspinner Kuldeep Yadav have been picked for India's limited-overs tour of West Indies, which comprises five ODIs and a T20 international soon after the Champions Trophy ends in England.

Opener Rohit Sharma and fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah are the only members from the Champions Trophy squad who won't be making the trip to the Caribbean.

It is understood that Anil Kumble will remain India's coach for the West Indies tour. Kumble's one-year contract ends with the Champions Trophy but he has accepted the BCCI's offer to stay on until the board decides on the next coach. Kumble is one of the candidates in contention, after the BCCI invited applications for the job amid reports that Virat Kohli and some senior players were unhappy with Kumble's methods.

When India announced the squad for the Champions Trophy, the selectors had said they had discussed both

Rishabh Pant (ZeeNews photo)

Pant and Kuldeep, but went with experience for the big tournament. The two were part of the five players kept on standby should there be need for an injury replacement.

The chairman of selectors, MSK Prasad, had called them players for the future.

Pant has had the cricket community excited with his aggressive batting, which included a 326-ball 308 in the Ranji Trophy last season. Kuldeep made his Test debut in the same season, and took crucial wickets on day one of the Dharamsala Test and helped India win the series against Australia.

The BCCI did not state why Rohit and Bumrah had been left

out of the squad. Rohit had only returned to the India squad for the Champions Trophy, after missing the majority of the 2016-17 home season because of injury. ESPNcricinfo learned there are plans to introduce Bumrah to Test cricket on the tour of Sri Lanka in July-August and so wanted to rest him for a bit.

Squad Virat Kohli (capt), Shikhar Dhawan, Rishabh Pant, Ajinkya Rahane, MS Dhoni (wk), Yuvraj Singh, Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, R Ashwin, R Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav and Dinesh Karthik.

(ESPNCricinfo)

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Agard for SA Youth Championship

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Ramona Agard

amona Agard is set to create history for Guyana when she officiates in the Americas Boxing Confederation (AMBC) South American Youth

Championship later this year.

Agard, an AIBA certified One Star referee/judge was selected recently by AMBC to be in Chile in September to par-

ticipate in the tournament.

Her participation will mark the first time a Guyanese referee/judge will officiate in the South American Youth Championship.

Agard will join several other Caribbean officials in the Spanish speaking nation. Last December the experienced female referee and chairperson of the Guyana Boxing Association Referee/ Judge Commission picked up her One Star badge after being successful at the exams in Barbados.

She has since officiated in the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) Championships in April in St. Lucia and an international tournament in Grenada.

Agard’s last major tournament was the ALBA Games in Venezuela in 2011.

Campbell confident ahead of Sports World Classic in T&T

Emmerson Campbell and Hugh Ross after a recent training session

By Michelangelo Jacobus

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s local bodybuilder extraordinaire Emmerson Campbell prepares to jet off to Trinidad and Tobago to compete in the Sports World Classic competition slated for June 24, he revealed in an exclusive interview with Guyana Times Sports that his preparations are miles ahead of schedule, and he aims to “bring home hardware”.

“Everything has been on stream, I have no complaints. My training and nutrition have all been on point this preparation,” he explained.

Campbell pointed out that since becoming more knowledgeable about his body and its innate workings, “this is probably one of the easiest preparations I’ve ever done for a show, since I’m more knowledgeable of my body and its reactions to training, types of foods, and so forth.”

While he copped silver at last year’s Central

American and Caribbean (CAC) Championships last year, it was just by one point that he had missed out on gold.

With the competition a mere week away, Campbell noted, he has injected a bit more discipline into his routine this time around.

“I did more cardio and pushed myself more in the gym, and was a bit more disciplined this time around. Overall, I have a better physique in terms of muscle separation and conditioning than I had at CAC. I was ready to compete three weeks ago, so I am way ahead of schedule. I will be tough to beat, come game day,” he confidently stated.

Noting that sponsorship is not always available for local athletes, he expressed gratitude for “a great support system like Abdool and Abdool, Fitness Express, APT (Aesthetic Personal Training) Gym, and others who are confident in my abilities.”

Campbell, in continuing along that vein, pointed out that “Corporate Guyana can do much more in terms of using athletes to market their products. But that hasn’t been done to their fullest potential. Sport is a business that must be invested in. Corporate entities know that, but they also need a drawback; so it goes both ways.”

Exuding confidence in his ability, the Fitness 53 gym member noted, “It’s always me against the man in the mirror.

Once I can better my last performance, I have already won, regardless of the placing. But I am certain I will be returning with hardware. After all, it’s a subjective sport, and the judges will decide who wins. It’s just up to me to make it easier on them.”

The Sports World Classic is just a tier below the CAC Championships and is expected to attract some of the region’s top bodybuilders.

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