Guyana Times

Nagamootoo hurls racial slur at Jagdeo in House

Medical student among 2 busted with cocaine strapped to body at Ogle

6 in custody following ganja bust in Rosignol Advocacy blogging competition for youths launched

FFTP to get hectares of land, duty-free concessions from Govt Suspect claims he was promised $700,000 to kill Montrose granny

SunDAY, AuguSt 23, 2015 | guYAnAtimeSgY.com

Out of control crime rate

Robbery victims fearful after mastermind released

AWest Berbice family in now living in fear after the alleged mastermind behind a robbery and attempted murder perpetrated on the family was released from police custody on Friday.

The family is now alleging that they are receiving threats from the known excon.

On August 16 three men, two armed with cutlasses and one with a gun, went into the home of Abdool Kadir at Zee Zight Village (Number Two), West Coast Berbice, Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice) and robbed his wife and two daughters of a quantity of jewellery, in the process chopping Kadir and his wife.

One of the alleged attackers was on Friday refused bail when he appeared in the New Amsterdam Magistrate’s Court to an-

swer to three charges in relation to armed robbery.

However shortly after the court appearance, the family started to receive threats.

Police had initially arrested two men during the investigation and only one was taken to court.

Eyewitnesses did not give a positive identification for the other. Information was subsequently passed on to the Kadir family that the man in custody was the mastermind and had supplied the firearm which was used during the robbery. That information was passed on to the Police. However by the time the investigating ranks attempted to act on the information, another officer had set the man free.

Reports are that the mastermind recruited four men to carry out the robbery on his aunt and uncle. The men met at about 22:00h on

Saturday and received directions and the equipment to do the job and then left the masterminds home and went and smoked $14,000 worth in cocaine.

One of the four departed and went to another location and consumed alcohol. When the mastermind called, the recruit was too intoxicated to carry out the job.

The other three robbed the family of one wedding band worth $40,000; two pairs of gold bangles worth $16,000; and a gold chain from each from the two teenage girl children worth $20,000.

Abdool Kadir was treated at the Fort Wellington Hospital and sent away. He received several shots to his head, two on his hand and one along his tummy together, with other injuries. His wife, Neeranie Kadir, had been admitted to the Georgetown Public Hospital.

Meanwhile, the family is accusing the West Berbice Police of not responding in a timely manner. According to Abdool Kadir, information had been supplied to the Police on the identity of two of the men who went into the Kadir’s home. By the time the information reached the Police one of

them had already been remanded after attempting to rob a man who was sitting in a car at Rosignol.

However, the other man was seen at the Rosignol Fishing Complex which is on the same street with the Blairmont Police Station. That information, Kadir said, was passed on to the Police; however they never went in pursuit of the criminal.

The family is scared and claims that they have since received threats from more than one person. Even as these developments take place, the recruit who did not go on the robbery, the family say could provide vital information for the Police.

Neeranie Kadir was released from the Georgetown Public Hospital on Monday and is now being treated by nurse at her home. She received several chops and was on the verge of losing one of her hands, and is expected to revisit the hospital on August 31 for further inspection. “I am very thankful to the doctors at that hospital; they really do a good job to make me back.”

Meanwhile, residents of at Zee Zight Village have formed a vigilante group which patrols the community at nights.

Mainstay Beauty to represent Region 2 at Miss Amerindian Pageant 2015

– is confident about bringing home the crown

By IndrawattIe natram

Very passionate about finding a solution of curbing the social ill of suicide in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam), Areeka Ramnarine will be vying under that platform representing Region Two at the Miss Amerindian Pageant slated for September 22, 2015 at the National Culture Centre.

In an exclusive interview with Guyana Times, the 17-year-old, who hails from Lake Mainstay Amerindian community, said that she is confident about winning and wants to make Region Two proud. Ramnarine said that suicide is very prevalent in her region and that has prompted her to choose the platform “The Escalation of Suicide and its Prevention”.

Ramnarine, who is from the Arawak tribe, said that she believes that everyone is beautiful in their own ways, but her main reason for participating in the pageant is to spread as much information on how suicide can be prevented. She hopes to change the current suicide situation by reaching out to young people and enlightening about this issue. She said sometimes all it takes is a conversation and a positive thought to change

someone’s mood.

Ramnarine stated that she loves poetry and enjoys participating in dramatic plays. She is therefore urging all Essequibians to support her as she vies for the Miss Amerindian Queen 2015 against nine other delegates. The beauty is sponsor by the Mainstay/Whyaka Amerindian village. She was a former student of the Cotton Field Secondary where she attained 7 subjects at the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate examinations.

Jagdeo’s presentation leaves Govt reeling – exposes their betrayal of the Guyanese people

BY DEVINA SAMAROO

t was high drama in the National Assembly on Friday night when Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo unleashed a thunderous verbal attack on the Government; exposing various elements of untrustworthiness, lack of transparency and its inclination for corruption already evident after only three months of governing the nation.

Jagdeo also brought attention to the Government’s tarnished track record of backpedalling on most of its promises it made to the Guyanese people; a clear and ominous sign that the coalition Administration has no coherent vision for the country, the former President said.

Focusing on the many broken promises in the Cummingsburg Accord- the binding agreement which brought the A Partnership for National Unity and the Alliance For Change together, Jagdeo explained that a Government that cannot even be faithful to its own partners, simply cannot possibly be faithful to the people of the country.

“The key thing is trust; do people trust the new Government? Let’s look at the creditworthiness of the new Government. The Cummingsburg Accord says the Prime Minister (Moses Nagamootoo) should have responsibility for domestic affairs and chairing the Cabinet; recommending ministerial appointments and providing the organisational structures for Ministries for approval of the President (David Granger); appointing Heads of Agencies and Constitutional Commissions; and domestic security. I don’t need to tell you what the reality is,” Jagdeo ridiculed.

The reality is, he elaborated is that Prime Minister Nagamootoo’s responsibility in Government has been diminished to being in

charge of the information sector; his portfolio is the National Communications Network, the Government Information Agency and the Chronicle Newspaper, Jagdeo noted.

“If you can’t be faithful to your partner, if this Government cannot be faithful to their partner in government, how are they going to fulfil the promises to the people of this country,” he posited.

More interestingly, Jagdeo pointed out that the Prime Minister is going to cost taxpayers some $90 million a year, while the other Vice Presidents will cost them some $60 million a year. With them earning these exorbitant figures, their pensions, should they retire now, will equal the pension the former President is receiving.

“I served this country for 12 years...as President and my pension is a pint of what the others get. Frankly speaking, three months the Prime Minister serves the country and his pension, if he retires today, will be close to mine, almost I think, bigger than mine and guess what portfolio he has. I had to manage the entire country as President; he has a portfolio that Kwame McCoy had from our side. There must be some justice in this world,” Jagdeo challenged, pointedly referring to all those who ever so of-

ten criticise him for receiving a comfortable pension.

Jagdeo also highlighted that the Government, after accusing the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) Administration of pocketing too high salaries, were guilty of considering the possibility of raising theirs, in less than a year in Executive Office.

“Then they say they were not even considering it and I perfectly understand if that is true. So will the Minister of Finance

give us the assurance that Ministers are not going to get an increase above that of public servants in the five years of them being in office,” the Parliamentarian challenged.

The Government has become completely notorious for continuously backtracking on its promises and forever changing its mind of policies and strategies it has initially implemented, Jagdeo highlighted.

“When we pointed out that the increases for public servants were paltry in this budget, the Honourable Mr Harmon said the wages are temporary so we are waiting on the final payments to the public servants since the Honourable Member Joe Harmon said that the increases given in this budget are temporary,” he listed.

Then, Jagdeo highlighted that the Government backpedalled again with regards to the firing of the

1972 Community Support Officers (CSOs) in the hinterland; after having Ministers justifying the firing, they are now claiming that they did not do the firing but rather, the PPP/C did.

On this topic, Jagdeo chastised the Government for depriving those vulnerable people of a decent job which allowed them to provide food and other essentials for their families, noting that the Administration clearly does not care about the wellbeing for all of Guyana.

He also pointed out that the Government, after receiving heavy criticisms from various sectors about the selection of members on the State Boards, they are now “backpedalling” and the Board’s composition may very well be changed. He also mentioned the Cheddi Jagan Airport Expansion Project, noting that this is another prime example of the Government not having a clear vision for Guyana. “The airport project they said they were against, now they are for and then they were against and suddenly I saw they were for again.”

Moreover, Jagdeo said the recent declarations by the Finance Minister, which claimed that Guyana is bankrupt, could do severe harm to the economy as it will deter investments from investing in Guyana.

Sunday Editor: Michael Younge

Tel: 225-5128, 231-0397, 226-9921, 226-2102, 223-7230 or 223-7231. Fax: 225-5134

Mailing address: 238 Camp & Quamina Streets, Georgetown

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Editorial

The majestic Crime Fighting as Test Cricket

National Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan is facing mounting and trenchant criticisms in the face of a crime wave that shows no sign of dissipating, or being dissipated. They have culminated in calls for his firing, and during the ongoing Budget Debate in Parliament where he attempted to answer his critics. He made a good beginning by admitting that the statistics were indeed "depressing" but claimed that the trend had already begun back in February, before the new Government took office.

The critics were unimpressed and pointed out that if indeed his allegation were true, then his APNU/AFC coalition had more than ample time to craft a "crime fighting plan" even before he took over the Security sector in May. He should have been in a position to hit the ground running, especially with the administration having the largest number of members of the Disciplined Forces in high governmental offices, since independence. Ramjattan alluded, en passant, to "capacity building" of the Guyana Police Force, which is part of the previously announced "Five Point Crime Plan".

This "plan" had been hastily cobbled together after President Granger, evidently in exasperation over the lack of results on the crime fighting front, convened a 4 am meeting with Ramjattan and his (the President's) top security officials. Rather than concrete initiatives with timelines, the "plan" was more strategic in nature and simply proposed broad approaches such as sealing our borders, patrolling our waterways, identifying crime "hot spots", boosting police training, administration and organisation of the forces. It was not surprising that Ramjattan did not expand on this plan, which obviously would still be in the process of being "fleshed out".

In his speech, Ramjattan, the cricket aficionado, asserted that that crime fighting was not a 1Day "T-20 match" but rather a 5 Day "Test Match". It was a very revealing analogy since the two forms of the game exemplify completely different approaches toward the end goal. In T-20, the rules of the game are deliberately structured for there to be a clear winner or loser within a limited time. Test cricket, on the other hand, is very conservative and the goal is not to lose the match which can drag on for days. A "draw" is an honourable outcome.

It is our contention that the citizens of this country see crime fighting as an endeavour that must be won in the shortest possible time and a draw is not an option. While no one will assert that winning the war against crime will be easy, if those in charge of our crime fighting resources begin by not believing that risks must be taken and that a draw is feasible, then winning that war becomes impossible.

But we can now understand Ramjattan's insistence on expatriating on the "root causes" of crime and highlighting "greed" as one of the primary ones. He incredibly set as his goal in fighting crime, the elimination of "the culture of greed". If proponents of every religion through the millennia and one secular ideology for seventy years tried and failed to accomplish this goal, we wonder how long it would take Security Minister Ramjattan, to succeed. This will be a long Test Match.

But Ramjattan did mention one specific project: 100 CCTV installed in high crime areas in Georgetown to join the 130 that the previous administration had acquired. He revealed, however that this initiative would have to come as part of the second phase of the Citizens Security Programme (CSP), which had been initiated by the PPP and under which the first batch of CCTV had been acquired. The first phase had been funded by the IDB and while negotiations had been initiated, will now have to be picked up and consummated.

All of this will of necessity take time. In the meantime calls for results and the Ministers resignation are sure to also intensify.

This Government has no respect for Guyana’s first peoples

Dear Editor, Everyone seems hyped about the ongoing parliamentary budget debate, especially since the PPP/C has assume its 32 seats in Parliament. Indeed, one cannot deny that after 23 years of cumulated mandates, seeing the party on the opposite side of the House arouses curiousity.

However, another important event began on Monday and lasted throughout the week: the National Toshaos’ Council (NTC) Conference. It wouldn’t be surprising if many Guyanese were unaware, considering the insufficiency of information disseminated, especially by the media houses.

This year round, the recently renamed Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs Ministry appeared to have literally hijacked the event which was supposed to have been organised and communicated by the Executive Committee of the NTC and published at least one month in advance in at least one national newspaper, as ordained by the Amerindian Act.

Several reasons seem to have caused the Ministry to rush into the Conference, one of the most obvious being the race to achieve the APNU/AFC 100 day action plan. Another reason might

be the need to hush the NTC, drowning the voices of the Toshaos, many of whom were upset with the Allicock administration for the rash actions it undertook during the past few months.

While many Guyanese who are not well informed might not grasp the importance of NTC, Amerindians look forward to this annual event with earnest, since it is the ideal opportunity for each of their leaders to unite and engage the Government of Guyana in a forum where matters of prime socioeconomic importance are discussed. It is why ample time is required to ensure that the Toshaos, elected leaders of each Amerindian village, accurately represent the needs and views of their peoples in their entirety.

Unfortunately, Toshaos and Village Councils were forced into a Conference which saw coverage by only two media houses: the Guyana Times without which the general public would have not even gotten wind of the event, and the Government Information Agency (GINA).

The importance of Amerindians in Guyana is not limited to the fact that they are the first peoples all other Guyanese would have encountered upon their ar-

rival on the South American continent. It also extends to the extremely rich cultural diversity that they add to Guyana, coupled with their non-negligible contribution to the economy and hinterland development. Amerindians to date, represent, preserve, protect and drive the Hinterland economy.

This is why all Guyanese should receive adequate information through the responsible Government institution, the Indigenous Affairs Ministry, on event of premier importance to Amerindians, as these are of premier importance to Guyana.

The previous administration provided the space required for Amerindians to be represented in national and international forums, empowering them and enabling them to address issues which for decades had hindered their progress.

These efforts were translated by accelerated development in the hinterland, and the increased awareness of Amerindians on their indigenous rights and the important place they have in society, as prescribed by the national Constitution.

The Government in an attempt to involve Guyanese of all walks of life in the celebration and acknowledge-

ment of Amerindians consecrated a month of activities to honour Amerindian heritage and to display the wealth of Amerindian nations in Guyana. One could almost say that the empowerment of Amerindians has given way over the years under the PPP/C to a surge of indigenous pride, preserving thus the very important indigenous identity of our first peoples.

However, Minister Allicock and his team of advisors who profess to be activists for indigenous peoples, have hushed the voice of the highest legal indigenous body in this country on Monday, August 17. They have disrespected the will of the Executive body of the NTC. The Ministry has snobbed the authority of the Executives, has forced a snap election for a new Council and had deprived the NTC of its voice.

In so doing, Minister Allicock, ex officio member of the NTC Executive, has shown that he has very little respect for Amerindian leaders. Subsequently, he reflects the values of a Government that has little respect for the first peoples of Guyana, much less for other Guyanese.

Sincerely, De Sá

Jagdeo stunningly exposed the fluff of the 2015 budget

Dear Editor,

On Friday August 21, Bharrat Jagdeo made a stunning presentation in Parliament. It was much anticipated. He is a brilliant man, an expert in leadership, development, finance and economics. It is this brilliance of his and his penchant for speaking truth fearlessly that frightens the Government. Why else would they move to muzzle him from speaking?

I listened to his impressive presentation of this man as he schooled the Government and the APNU/AFC strong heckling throughout the presentation reflected their fear.

Prime Minister Nagamootoo must have been relieved after the Opposition left the House.

Editor, the smart Guyanese will see that 2015 budget was nothing but fluff and a bungle. It is not a prodevelopment budget. It is not a pro-people budget. It is not a pro-unity budget. It is divisive and doesn’t ben-

efit the small man. When it gives with one hand it takes away with the other. The budget is visionless, lacking in direction and the few projects contained therein are a copycat of the projects of the previous PPP/C. This is why demolishing the budget was easy for Jagdeo. Hopefully, Guyanese would realise that the APNU/AFC Government has hood-

winked them on promises for the future development of this country. Guyanese will soon begin to feel the impact of such a poor budget that promises no cohesion for the people and no development, as the months dragged on, Guyanese people will begin to feel the squeeze far more than they are feeling right now.

I wish to publicly praise Jagdeo for a job well done

in his presentation. He has helped to put the budget in perspective, pointing out that it will not benefit the development of Guyana, its economy and its people. He exposed the fluffed budget of the APNU-led coalition Government.

Finally, I wish to call on the media, the private sector, the business community, social groups and transparency groups to demand that the Government provide a valid explanation for the reduction of the days allotted for scrutinizing the budget estimates. These were the same people who harped in the past about corruption and lack of transparency and accountability. Yet a mere three months into government has revealed attempts at corruption with a view to avoid transparency and accountability. Yet, none of these groups are saying anything.

Respectfully,

K Matthews

The Opposition should cooperate in Parliament

Dear Editor,

I would like to issue a call to all my fellow Guyanese to rethink the situation on the national level in which we find ourselves from a fresh perspective, and make an effort to resolve once and for all the relationships we share so that we can really join together and contribute to the mutual development of our people.

This would entail each of us, of whatever political persuasion, community or grouping we identify with, putting aside our several interests and differences and striving to find a way by which we could cooperatively make the greatest contribution to our national progress. We all know that our

most unsurmountable obstacles relate to whatever political and ethnic group we belong to, and so we must realise that these are the areas in which we must make the greatest efforts to achieve national cohesion. It is clear that our politicians have been the greatest villains in both of these areas, as we carry on the policy of “divide and rule” that we have inherited from our colonial past, that has been the code of our own political culture since our Independence, and the “We and Them” tradition that they have encouraged among our two main ethnic groups which has permeated all other areas of our lives.

I have always decried the tradition of our political

interaction in Parliament by the Opposition, which has been responsible for those members believing that they are doing their duty when they simply oppose. It would be such a boon to our progress if all our elected representatives should cooperate and work constructively on the various projects towards fulfilling the responsibilities that have been entrusted to them by our people.

I would now appeal to the present Opposition to bite the bullet and make an unprecedented effort to change this parliamentary culture by doing their part in bringing into reality the Cooperative nature of our Republic, which I am sure will earn them kudos from

GRDB extension office should be more effecient

Dear Editor,

Many rice farmers complain about the allegedly poor services provided by the extension department of GRDB.

If one should ask rice farmers if they know or have already seen the extension officer within their respective district for the cropping season, their answer would most likely be “no”.

This has been the case for many years and the reason for this seems to linked to the fact that most of these officers employed by the GRDB or under the RPA are engaged in other business ventures and private work such as farming (both cash

crop and rice farming), operator of bus or taxi services, politics and others, while their role as extension officers to provide the necessary services to the farmers is being neglected.

So these persons are accused of treating their permanent and full time employment as a part time job while the poor farmers are the ones to suffer because from the inadequate services. These officers are hired by the Government and the rice board, and are supposed to spread the message on the aspect of rice cultivation.

In my view, the service provided by the extension is poor and the rice indus-

try will once again plunge in the gutters, since the farmers need the extension force to work with them and provide the necessary advice in a timely manner.

I call on the Government and the GRDB to conduct an independent investigation and to ensure that officers who are assigned and paid by taxpayers’ money, provide the services for which they were contracted, and if they cannot live up to expectations, then suitable replacements should be found.

As a farmer, I stand ready to support this.

Faithfully, T Ross

The behaviour of APNU/AFC MPs is thuggery at its best

Dear Editor, I express my utmost shock and disgust at the behaviour of APNU/AFC’s MPs throughout the budget debates in Parliament. It has been customary in our Parliament, for subtle and humourous heckling to take place.

However, what APNU/ AFC has done in Parliament over these past few days, especially on Friday night during the presentation of the Hon. Dr Bharrat Jagdeo, is deprived decency, law and order. It was thuggery at its best. Ever since the debates started on Monday, citizens have been subjected to excessive noise and rancorous behaviour from the APNU/ AFC MPs.

Although the PPP MPs did also heckle, there was a marked difference in the behaviours of both sides of the House. For example, when Minister Gaskin spoke, The PPP MPs didn’t heckle. Never was it to the point that the speaker was compelled to stop unless he breached a Standing Order. This reflects the campaign attitude of the APNU/AFC.

all Guyanese.

I also issue an appeal to all Guyanese to always bear in mind that colour is skindeep and as such we should strive assiduously to remove this scourge of racial prejudice, which is the greatest hindrance to our national aspirations. If I should venture the solution to this problem, I would like us all to consider that the only permanent answer is that we should earnestly strive to spread love among our people. All other attempts at unity are only perfunctory and temporary and will fizzle out eventually.

May God bless our nation and help us to achieve this national peace and progress.

Sincerely,

Roy Paul

It was most disturbing to observe what Dr. Jagdeo was confronted with during his 90- minute presentation. As he stood there exercising his constitutional right to represent Guyanese people in the highest, most respected forum in the country, and throughout that entire 90 minutes was subjected to the most lawless behaviour, disruption and distraction from the Government’s mob.

Dr Jagdeo’s was the presentation the country was waiting anxiously for and which lived up to expectations. He should be commended for the way he reacted to the heckling.

He spoke brilliantly on major issues, backed by facts, truth, boldness, stamina and determination.

The APNU/AFC’s MP’s behaviour was so disturb-

ing the voices of Amna Ally, Carl Greenidge, Khemraj Ramjattan, Winston Jordan and Cathy Hughes could have been heard clearly over the radio broadcast, although they were seated across the floor from Dr Jagdeo.

Although heckling does come from both sides of the House, that which comes from the APNU/AFC MPs are utterly disproportionate and disrespectful.

Perhaps a greater travesty is the fact that the Speaker of the House either could not control the APNU/ AFC MPs or did not want to control them. But the Speaker should have been able to contain the heckling, instead of appearing incapable of imposing his authority.

Then came the deskbanging by the APNU/AFC when the PPP MPs walked out behind Dr Jagdeo after he delivered his speech.

Throughout the entire debates APNU/AFC seemed to have forgotten that they were sitting in the seats of Government, which require correct and appropriate attitudes, conduct and language befitting their office.

However, APNU/AFC manifested quite the contrary, and could not do away with the lawless behaviour it adopted when it was in Opposition and on the campaign trail. It is the behavior of people who are bullies and do not obtain what they want. It is the behaviour that marks their style of leadership, which in itself is a disrespect to the people they govern.

This is their behaviour in the dispensation of their responsibilities as we have witnessed during these past three months. Without a shadow of a doubt, this will continue to be their behaviour in the present and in the future.

Yours faithfully,

Jannis Pandey

Page Foundation

Anu Dev

My brother and I have been re-viewing (literallyboth watching them again and dissecting) the Harry Potter movies. We’ve gone through 7 of them and we’re poised for the 8th one. It’s like we’ve turned the clock waaayyyy back. Looking at the movies is a bit of an event- we have a running commentary full of reminiscences and the occasional fact-checking of something with the other. It’s good fun and here at the tailend of the holiday I’m wishing I had one of their magical time-turners to take me back to the beginning of the holiday.

But I suppose at some point everyone wishes they could turn back the clock and go to a simpler time. If not a simpler time, I think most of us would like to at

Time-Turner

“Whether you come back by page or by the big screen, Hogwarts will always be there to welcome you home.” ― J.K. Rowling

least travel back in time to see what the dino saurs really looked like. And not in any genereplicated and tweaked Jurassic World!

In retrospect, the movies themselves are a time-turner in their own right. They’ve thrown me back to when I was reading the books for the very first time. It was like remember ing memories of old friends. There was that fa miliar feeling of long ing to go to Hogwarts and getting way too emo tionally in vested in the lives of the characters.

Of course, I had to re-read all of the books for what must be the millionth time. I was in Primary School the first time around and while I was sure I "got" everything then, I must say that age does add perspective and depth! And while the pur-

ists might not place Rowling in the "canonical" western texts...we have to give her credit for bring back so may millions of young people to the excitement of reading.

So this time around I’m savoring every page. Now if only I could muster up the interest to read my textbooks with such rever-

I remember my first time viewing the Harry Potter movies and by the time they made the 4th one, there were so many deviations from the book and omissions that I had whipped myself into a fren-

zy of angst and frustration by the end of it. And the following movies did nothing to ease my anguish. But this time around, I can appreciate the movies for what they are - another way of conveying a narrative, with its own traditions and gestures - and thoroughly enjoy them. Could it be that I’m gaining some of that maturity that is promised with advancing age?

If it is, I suppose it’ll come in handy for the upcoming school year. There’s always this mixed feeling at the end of the holidays and the beginning of a new school year. One phase has ended but the new has not yet emerged. On the one hand it’s the end of the long, carefree summer days that you want to go back to. And on the other, there’s that feeling of excitement of what the new school year will bring.

If last year was a very good year, you’ll want to keep that momentum going. Or if the year didn’t go quite as well as you’d hoped, perhaps this year you’ll make some changes.

So here’s to all of the new things the new year will bring!

Take back your children: How to teach and get respect

WILLIAM J DOHERTY (Part two)

The therapeutic culture of parenting

We also live in the era of therapeutic parenting. The parent becomes a junior therapist, and the child is seen as requiring special treatment that only a professional – or a trained parent – can provide. Starting back in the 1970s with Parent Effectiveness Training, a then popular book by Thomas Gordon, parents have been taught to act like therapists with their children.

A therapist is supposed to be consistently attentive, low key, accepting, non-directive, and non-judgmental. When the child acts up in a therapy session, say, by speaking disrespectfully to the therapist, the therapist’s job is to explore the underlying reasons rather than focus on the child’s immediate behavior.

In addition to distorting parents’ reactions to their children’s misconduct, the therapeutic culture of parenting suggests that children’s

tivity. They are also more likely to study hard.

How to teach teens respect

We can restore parents’ confidence in their authority without returning to authoritarian parenting. There is a middle way between being dictatorial and insensitive on the one hand, and cajoling and debating with children on the other hand.

A personal example: When my son Eric was 13, we had a brief but memorable encounter in the kitchen. I was on the telephone with a friend in the early evening. Unbeknownst to me, Eric wanted to make a phone call to one of his friends. When I hung up the phone, Eric said to me, in an irritated, peremptory tone of voice, “Who was that?”

How do you think I should have responded? Consider several possible responses I could have made, and then I’ll tell you what I actually said.

psyches are fragile, easily broken by a parent who says the wrong thing.

The reality, according to loads of research, is that, if underlying parental care and attachment are present, most children are resilient in the face of ordinary mistakes in parenting. If children can handle most of our non-abusive mistakes, they can certainly handle our strong responses to them when these responses are fully called for. Children mostly know when they are off base, and feel safer when their parents step in assertively.

We know from research and observation that parents have a strong influence on their teenagers’ behavior. Teenagers whose parents talk to them regularly about avoiding drugs are much less likely to use drugs. Teenagers whose parents give them both nurturing and firm limits are less likely to be involved in sexual ac-

Response 1: (delivered in a mildly defensive tone): “I was on the phone with Mac. I didn’t know you wanted to use the phone.”

The problem with this response is that it accepts the child’s right to grill the parent about adult activities. The key is not the question itself, but the disrespectful demand.

Response 2: (delivered with a mild reprimand): “I didn’t know you were waiting to use the phone. You should let me know. How am I supposed to know?”

This might be an appropriate response to a spouse or another adult peer who has equal rights to the telephone and is therefore free to express annoyance if you are clogging its use. Said to Eric, however, it would have accepted his implied claim of peer status, like a sibling he competes with for use of the shower or TV.

(www.catholiceducation.org)

Nagamootoo hurls racial slur at Jagdeo in House – calls him

“pompous

and arrogant Coolie Bully”

Later Friday night, Moses Nagamootoo, Vice President and Prime Minister, after forcing the House of Assembly to break its tradition and convention to have him rather than the Opposition Leader be the penultimate speaker, used the occasion to hurl the racial slur “Coolie Bully” at the former President as the latter departed the Chambers after making his presentation, along with other PPP MP’s. Jagdeo had not only presented a masterful critique of the Budget as presented by Minister of Finance Winston Jordan but had also addressed some of the other issues that had been gratuitously introduced by Government speakers, in their efforts to denigrate the ousted PPP administration. Jagdeo had warned them earlier that by ranging so far from the usual parameters of Budget presentations, they were open-

ing a can of worms that they might live to regret. His warning was prophetic. Obviously stung by the devastating exposure of the yawning chasm between the promises of the Government and their about turns on issues such as VAT, but more so by the facts presented by his own hypocrisy on several per-

Banks DIH honours NGSA performers

On Saturday Banks DIH Ltd hosted their annual Bursary Award Ceremony for the children of employees and shareholders who have performers exceptionally well at the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA) 2015.

The 25 students will all be attending the top schools in Guyana, namely Queen’s College, the Bishops High School and St Stanislaus College. The ceremony was hosted by the com-

Banks DIH Ltd; he also congratulated the students and urged them to make the best of their high school years. Seepaul encouraged them to strive towards being well rounded individuals, meaning that they have to continue to excel academically and also in extracurricular activities. He told the 25 awardees that through extracurricular activities, students learn to be more discipline and rounded individuals. Seepaul encour-

sonal issues, Nagamootoo could not contain himself. For instance Jagdeo had Nagamootoo’s silence over the degutting of his PM’s role as per the Cummingsburg Accord and his focus on swelling his salary and perks.

In tones dribbling with hate, Nagamootoo opened up his presentation as

Jagdeo left, by claiming that Joey Jagan “had written an article entitled “Coolie Bully”...and tonight we have seen the bluster, the pomposity, the arrogance and above all, the love of power” (cries of “Coolie Bully in background”.

Nagamootoo was clearly alluding to Joey Jagan’s controversial statement on the day before Indian Arrival Day this year, when Jagan had called former President Bharrat Jagdeo “the Coolie Bully of politics” while endorsed the APNU/ AFC coalition. The impetuous Joey Jagan had received tremendous criticism for his racially charged statement, but some claimed that it was done in the heat of an elections campaign.

A senior PPP politician, who promised that the party will be using all the avenues available to in within the law to have Nagamootoo be sanctioned,

pointed out that this racial slur was made in the House, which had explicit rules as how MP’s would address each other. He was quite disturbed that even in the absence of the PPP MP’s not being present to protest the outrage, not only to Jagdeo, but to a whole group of Guyanese people, the Speaker should have

sanctioned Nagamootoo by at least have him apologise for his incendiary remark.

In the Guyanese context, the word “Coolie” is equivalent to the “N” word in the U.S. and everywhere people of African Origin resides. The PPP official wondered what would have happened if a PPP MP had used the “N” word to refer to an APNU MP of African Guyanese origin, in the House. In Guyana people avoid using the word in public in front of Indian Guyanese because they know the disdain and insult it signalled.

The Official hoped that the GHRA, the PSC, the IAC, ACDA, and all other NGO’s and private citizens would condemn Nagamootoo for injecting such a racially charges expression especially when the society is already tense over the firings of members of certain ethnic groups by the present government.

Ragoobeer. The other 15 students awarded were the children of the shareholders and they were Malloann Fraser, Naomi

pany’s Communications Manager, Troy Peters, who congratulated the student and their parents for the job well done. He went on to add that it is the company’s distinct pleasure to acknowledge the success of the young scholars.

The feature address was made by Deonarain Seepaul, who is Finance Controller and the Assistant Secretary of

aged the future leaders of the country to be whatever they want to be, stating that “what you visualise, you will become”.

The names of the 10 employees’ children are Ajani Merchan, Aaron Allison, Mariah James, Macasey Barclay, Aleonce Cameron, Patrica Gobin, Joshua Ceres, Latisha Blair, Andre Dennis, Shemeala Adonis and Jaya

Fraser, Jaya Ramkumar, Latoya Woolford, Shomari Wiltshire, Dominic Chana-Sue, Arun Mangar, Hansvahini Maraj, Raul Khan, Johnathan Peters, LeeChoo-Shee-Nam, Nikel Moses, Kemuel Grant and Jayde Da Silva. They all received their tokens from the company’s co-managing director George Mc Donald.

SunDAY, AuguSt 23, 2015 | guYAnAtimeSgY.com

Medical student among 2 busted with cocaine strapped to body at Ogle

Amedical student attached to the University of Guyana and another Barbados bound passenger were nabbed at the Ogle International Airport with a quantity of cocaine strapped to their bodies on Friday evening.

The medical student, Lovern Hendricks, 39, of Lot 3592 Phase Two West Minster, West Bank Demerara (WBD), was busted with six parcels of the illegal substance, which weighed 1.372 kilograms, strapped to her body. On the other hand, Angel Smith, 23, of Lot 945 Phase One West Minster, WBD, was also found with six parcels of cocaine which weighed 976 gramsstrapped to her body.

Both Fredericks and Smith were about to board a LIAT flight out of Ogle

International Airport destined for Barbados at about 20:40h. According to information received, ranks of the Police Narcotics Branch made the bust after the ladies were seen acting in a suspicious manner while at the check-in counter.

The ranks immediately went over to the young ladies to enquire if everything was okay,suspecting that something was amiss. The two ladies were taken into a room where they were patted down by female ranks who found the drugs concealed in their bras and crotches.

They were immediately taken into custody and the cocaine was weight in their presence. The amountweighedtoyalled over two kilograms. They were taken to the Narcotics Unit at Eve Leary where they will be in-

terrogated. Charges are expected to be laid shortly.

In May, Zainad Mohammed, 29, of East Ruimveldt, Georgetown, who was about to board a LIAT flight to Barbados was busted at the Ogle International Airport while attempting to smuggle 1.462 kilograms of cocaineout of the country.

The woman, based on reports, had already checked in and was about to clear immigration when the ranks of the drug enforcement agency suspected that something was amiss. The housewife was pulled from the queue and questioned, during which she started to act in a suspicious manner.

She was then patted down by a female rank and the cocaine was found tightly strapped to her abdomen. She was placed before the

court and was remanded to prison.

Two days prior to Mohammed’s arrest, a Surinamese national was arrested attempting to smuggle 214 grams of cocaine on her person. Again, the interception was made by members of the Police Narcotics Branch while the woman was at the check-in counter.

It was reported that based on her suspicious movements, the Police asked to conduct a search of her person. The cocaine was discovered and weighed.

At that point, the woman also admitted to swallowing a quantity of cocaine pellets. She was taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital where she subsequently excreted 25 pellets. She was charged and remanded to prison.

6 in custody following ganja bust in Rosignol

Six men are in Police custody following the discovery of 1.510 kilogram of marijuana in a minibus in Rosignol, West Coast Berbice on Saturday at about 1:00h.

Based on reports, the minibus was stopped and search during a Police operation in Rosignol. The marijuana was found in several plastic bags in various sections of the minibus. The six men, including the driver, have been arrested.

According to information received, the driver claimed the he was hired to transport the men to a location on the West Coast of Berbice. The men are assisting with investigations and are expected to be charged shortly.

The Police in B Division (Berbice) have declared “war” on the illegal drug trade, which has been dominant in the Berbice and Canje Rivers. To date, several marijuana fields have been destroyed in the Canje

River and along the Berbice River, but the real drug dealers have managed to evade law enforcement.

Earlier in the month, member of the Police Narcotics Branch and ranks of B Division destroyed about 300,000 marijuana plants at Hendrax, Berbice River. The ranks were conducting a drug eradication exercise in the area, during which four fields of marijuana measuring about 20 acres of the plants, between

one and eight feet in height, were discovered.

Along with the 20 acres, another 880 pounds (lbs) of dried marijuana and 13 nurseries were destroyed. In addition, six camps were also burnt.

This operation came one day after Police at D Division (West Demerara/ East Bank Essequibo) found 21 kilograms of compressed marijuana at the Vriesland Foreshore, West Bank Demerara.

Advocacy blogging competition for youths launched

Aiming to influence critical thinking among young people, the Youth Advocacy Movement of the Guyana Responsible Parenthood Association (YAMGRPA) in collaboration with the Society Against Sexual Orientation and Discrimination (SASOD) launched an exciting blogging competition where youths can submit blog entries on various advocacy topics.

The blogging competition will challenge young thinkers to submit blog entries on the topic “Youth Civic Engagement on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights in the Post-2015 Development Agenda”. Blog submissions should focus on addressing the active role of young people in advocating for sexual and reproductive health and rights issues. Blog entries are encouraged to be inspirational and reflect the writer’s own perspectives on the topic.

The competition is open to young people between the ages 16-35 who are active members, affiliates or volunteers of a youth group

of a youth-oriented organisation. Blog entries must be between 750-1000 words and submissions will be accepted both from seasoned and novice bloggers/writers. Only one entry per person is allowed. Blog posts will be judged on the categories of originality, inspiration, critical thinking, accuracy and relevance to Guyana.

The three best blog posts will receive advocacy cash awards of $100,000, $75,000 and $50,000. These cash awards must be used to implement an advocacy initiative under the topic Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights. Both YAM-GRPA and SASOD will work with the winners to aid in the executions of the chosen projects. The top three winning entries will

also featured on the SASOD blog.

To enter, bloggers must email the link of their blog entries along with their name and contact number to advocacy@sasod.org.gy as well as post a link to the blog on the SASOD-Guyana Facebook fan page (https:// www.facebook.com/sasodguyana) with the comment, ““I just entered the Post 2015 #YouthSRHR2015 blogging competition. What do you think of my blog post?”

According to a press release from the oganisers, in order to increase chances of winning, participants should post their blogs on Twitter and Facebook with the hash tag ‘YouthSRHR2015” and should encourage friends to like, favourite, comment,

Zero...

...as "Prime" Minister

Is a lamp a lamp if it can't give light? In life one has to distinguish between an object and its function. If the lamp can't give light, as far as the fella who is in darkness and spent a fortune for it, it just ain't a "lamp". It is no different from the lump of rusted iron in his garbage pail that also can't give light.

Last night after quivering behind his desk as Bharrat Jagdeo delivered his masterful riposte to Winston Jordan's Budget speech - and after Jagdeo and the other PPP MP's had walked out - all Moses Nagamootoo could bluster was, "He is Opposition Leader and I am Prime Minister". And there in a nutshell, is what Moses Nagamootoo's all about - kidding himself that having a title means that he's finally become "somebody".

So the question arises: "Is a "Prime" Minister a Prime Minister if he isn't "Prime" in any of what're supposed to be the functions of the Prime Minister? In Nagamootoo's case we don't even have to seek precedence in what transpired with other Prime Ministers - here or elsewhere. There was a document negotiated between Nagamootoo's party, the AFC, and the party of President Granger as what was to be the meaning of "Prime Minister". Since it's possible that Nagamootoo has forgotten about this agreement (he is getting on in years, poor chap, and senility does creep up!) it's called the "Cummingsburg Accord".

By this document, the Prime Minister was supposed to chair the Cabinet. Has Nagamootoo been "chairing" any "Cabinet" - save for the one in which he found some dead rats at the Prime Minister's residence? It was reported by his bodyguards that he jumped on a chair when he spied the dead rats! By the much touted Accord - which was to usher in APNU's regime of "power sharing" - Nagamootoo was also supposed to be in charge of "governance".

Whatever else he may be "governing" he sure ain't governing this country or Cabinet! In fact, the governance portfolio was subsequently given to Raphael Trotmanthe same fella who'd been made Speaker by Granger over Nagamootoo in 2011. This has to be the unkindest cut of all: not only to be eunuched but by the same man who'd done it before. Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. Nagamootoo should hang his head in shame.

repost and share the blog posts.

This initiative was launched during a Youth Interaction Conference which was hosted in collaboration with the United Nations and various youth groups in Guyana in observance of International Youth Day on Wednesday 19.

The conference saw representatives from the United Nations Population Fund, Social Protection Ministry and the Ministry of Governance.

In addition, over 30 youth representatives from 15 youth groups and organisations were present.

The Youth Interaction Conference was aimed to educate and empower young people on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights; sensitise young people on the rights of Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals and Transgenders (LGBT); examine existing processes and opportunities for youth engagement; influence national policies and political will; and encourage youth participation in decisions which affect their lives.

Now you'd think that the Prime Minister could surround himself with a couple of trusted advisers, no? After all, look who the President's around himself with. But "Prime Minister" Nagamootoo couldn't even appoint his fellow villager, and AFC's live wire, Ramayah, as dogcatcher! Nagamootoo's not even a "Prime Number" - he's just a big, fat "zero"....

...reality checks

This Eyewitness gave new Finance Minister Winston Jordan the benefit of the doubt. He thought Jordan, as an old backroom numbers-cruncher in the Finance Ministry, would stick to the numbers. But it's become obvious that Jordan is having to sing for his supper - albeit, very, very off key.

Imagine he claimed that the budget was "pro-people" and people were impressed “not only by the length and lucidity of (his) delivery”! And where and who were these "people"? As the old spiritual advised: "Oh, brothers you oughter been dere/ A-sittin' in the Kingdom/To hear ol' Jordan roll."

"Roll Jordan Roll", and sing some mo' for your supper!

...shame

The PPP leased Red House to a Special Purpose entity to ensure Cheddi Jagan's papers are preserved. Kinda like the US's Presidential Libraries. But seeking to score cheap political points, the Government claimed the PPP "stole" the building. Screamed Amna Ali, “thief, shame, barefaced thieves and bam bam.”

The only problem, as was pointed out by the PPP, the PPP man who did the deed (literally) was Moses Nagamootoo, her PRIME Minister!!!

He didn't even have the grace to hide under his desk!!

Ministerial Salary increases… Nagamootoo admits to demanding pay hike –

insists on earning more than AG

As the National Assembly wrapped up the 2015 Budget Debates, Prime Minister and First Vice President under A Partnership for National Unity + Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) coalition Government, Moses Nagamootoo, in his presentation admitted that he proposed an increase in salary for Government Ministers but clarified that he did not ask for a 100 per cent hike.

Nagamootoo’s contribution to the debates on Friday came after that of Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo but preceded Finance Minister Winston Jordan’s presentation. He insisted on the arrangement even though it was a flagrant violation of Parliamentary norms and conventions. These discarded that the Opposition leader, who would summarise his parties positions and present as a coherent critique of the Budget.

Nagamootoo was at the time insisting that the ruling administration had promised in its Elections Manifesto to deliver on a 21-points plan within its first 100 days in Office and has manage to fulfill many of these promises while in the process of implementing the others, and this was done with (three) days to spare. According to the First Vice President, the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) opposition has commented about his perks including the number of guards he has, when the former Prime Minister under its administration had some 18 body guards. Additionally, Nagamootoo underscored that he is not getting a greater salary than what was being paid to the former Attorney General Anil Nandlall. Nagamootoo did not make it clear as to why his salary ought to be higher than the AG/Minister of Legal Affairs. He disclosed that in addition to Nandlall’s salary as AG being higher than the Prime Minister, it was also tax-free.

“I’m a lawyer and if the Attorney General could have

Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo delivering this Budget Debates on Friday

tax free, I didn’t demand taxfree… All I asked for was $100 increase more on the Prime Minister’s salary… not a 100 per cent. So what you hear the allegation trying to throw aspirations to this side of the House, it was a total untruth that we were trying to perk our salaries,” he told the Legislature. He did not mention that in demanding greater than parity with the Ag’s salary, he would be increasing his salary by over $200,000.

On August 4, the Prime Minister had denied having any knowledge about Cabinet’s plans to dish out a 100 per cent pay hike for some government officialsGovernment Ministers and other Members of Parliament (MPs), failing miserably in the process to justify any increase ahead of the presentation of the National Budget.

Nagamootoo’s pronouncement on the issue came at a time when public outrage was growing after the Guyana Times broke a story last week which exposed a plan by the David Granger Government to approve a significant increase in the salaries and benefits of its serving Government Ministers and MPs even though it has only been in power for three months now.

When contacted by the Guyana Times about the issue, Nagamootoo was upset that this newspaper succeeded in breaking the story.

Asked for a justifiable

reason for this increase, the Prime Minister feebly stated, “I think the Guyana Times needs to give an explanation to the Guyanese people why they would want to say that the PM will be paid some … increase in salary. I am not aware of 100 per cent increase…” He would not counter with what might be an alternative percentage increase.

All efforts to get a reason as to why Government wanted to give it an increase in pay – given that on its campaign the A Partnership for National Unity/ Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) coalition spoke vigorously against the wastage of taxpayers’ monies and exuberance associated with occupying Executive Officer, proved futile as the Vice President kept avoiding the question.

“All I can tell you is that I am not getting 100 per cent increase…don’t ask me to speculate, I am not going to get 100 per cent increase… I cannot respond to you,” he said, just before referring the reporter to the Finance Minister.

Efforts to contact other key Government officials on the matter proved futile.

However, President David Granger was quoted in other sections of the media as saying that the salary increases are being done to basically differentiate between the payments received by the various levels of officials.

Jagdeo's presentation leaves...

“Let me tell you, do not underestimate what that signals, when you say something like that what it means to the rest of the world. If investors hear you are bankrupted as a country, they will start thinking well the Government will raise taxes, if the insurance companies will start pushing the premium up, the cost of loans and interest rates go up. One little statement of that nature can make a huge difference and this country is not bankrupted by any stretch

of the imagination,” he posited.

Jagdeo also made reference to statements from Business Minister Dominic Gaskin regarding having a change in the framework in order to attract reputable investors.

“Is he saying ExxonMobil is not reputable…CGX Energy is not reputable…Guyana Goldfields is not reputable,” he asked, noting that the framework of the country under the PPP/C was already attracting reputa-

Suspect claims he was promised $700,000 to kill Montrose granny

The Police have reportedly arrested another suspect for the murder of 77-year-old Carmen Ganesh of Montrose, who was found dead in the kitchen of her house at Montrose, East Coast Demerara (ECD).

Information reaching this newscast reveals that the suspect admitted to killing the woman since he was offered $700,000 to get rid of her. He also claimed that the money would have been handed over to him by a relative of the woman with whom she had a land issue. Initially, the Police arrested a neighbour of the woman, who was subsequently released. The man and the now dead woman had a long feud over a piece of land. The possibility exists that the man might be rearrested as Police continue their investigations.

With the new claims made by the suspect in custody, Police think that they have a breakthrough in the murder. Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum, when contacted, confirmed that they have a suspect in custody and that investigators are working with the leads at their disposal. He did not divulge any information with respect to the particulars of the investigations.

The body of Ganesh, of Lot 121 Montrose, was found in a pool of blood with a gash to her head and a cloth tied around her neck on Saturday, August 1. A knife was found close to the

elderly woman’s body.

Information reaching this newspaper revealed that Ganesh’s daughters did not see her for the entire Saturday morning, which was unusual; hence, they went to the house and called out to her. However, their calls went unanswered and the gates were locked, therefore they could not get into the yard.

The daughters’ suspicions were aroused, so a grandson of the now dead woman was summoned, who scaled the fence. As he entered the yard, he saw his grandmother lying in a pool of blood in the kitchen and immediately raised an alarm. The Police were summoned and launched an investigation into the gruesome murder.

The grandson explained that his grandmother worked with the owners of the house for quite some

time and when they left the country, they entrusted the house to her.

He added that the perpetrators probably thought that there was money on the property since the yard housed several vehicles, a speedboat and an outboard engine.

The CCTV footage that was obtained from the premises showed the perpetrator spending almost an hour in the house after attacking the elderly woman upon his entry into the house.

Investigators had issued a screenshot image of the suspected killer, seeking the public’s assistance in identifying and locating him.

The following day around 11:30h, Police arrested a suspect, who matched the description of the CCTV, at a house in Georgetown. However, he was released after investigators verified his alibi.

page 3

ble investments. At the end of his presentation the Government side was clearly reeling from the facts that Former President and now Opposition Leader Jagdeo was able to marshal against their claims made earlier. Because the Government insisted on violating Parliamentary norms and conventions and preventing Jagdeo from being the penultimate speaker, the PPP/C walked out of the National Assembly after his presentation.

More emphasis to be placed on non-traditional agriculture sectors

By Kristen MacKlingaM

While highlighting the fact that rice contributes to 61 per cent of agricultural Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and 21.3 per cent of export earnings in Guyana, Agriculture Minister Noel Holder, on Friday during his budget debate presentation, stated that the country’s non-traditional sectors need to be organised to perform similarly to that of the rice industry.

Minister Holder explained that the changing dynamics of a globalised economy, the shrinking natural resources and ever changing climate/weather, coupled with the demand for greater agriculture production and intensification, are factors for the future growth of the sector.

“That is why research is such an important area, as well as technology and innovation. Therefore, over the next five years we must place greater attention on the intensive production of high value agricultural commodities. Diversification towards these high value commodities will result in higher incomes and attention will be given to post harvest handling and agro-processing and value added technologies,” he posited.

According to the Agriculture Minister, the ongoing agriculture diversification programme will be advanced with the full implementation of the Food and Nutrition Security Strategy, while providing much needed added support to small farm-

ers.

Guyana Times was told that the promotion of large scale investments in agriculture, expansion of the production of targeted crops and livestock as well as improving the extension services, marine regulations and incentives for value added agriculture are also high on the Ministry’s priority list.

The National Assembly was also told that cost effectiveness in production and post-harvest management with the latest adaptable technology is necessary; proper storage, packaging, handling and transportation must be effect for the agricultural thrust to be realised, the Minister maintained.

“Agro-processing facilities for agronomic produce would be located in the proximity of points of production to promote off farm income and agricultural cooperatives must play a critical role if this is to be realised. As for technology, that is one of the main drivers of improving competitiveness,” the Government Official noted.

It was further explained that technological advancement of the sector would be ‘crucial’ in improving soil mapping methods, means of attracting investors to inland areas and means of developing regions away from the coastland.

The Agriculture Minister emphasised that his Government will work towards developing the Savannahs, and there will be the establishment of successful models in both Intermediate and Rupununi Savannahs that investors/

farmers should adopt.

Meanwhile, the production of corn and soybean in the Savannah areas will also be intensified. “Guyana currently imports 60,000 tonnes of corn and 30,000 tonnes of soybean meal, as such these commodities will be utilised as sources of animal feed… The Agriculture Ministry will not approach diversification narrowly. We will be developing the non-sugar, non-rice agriculture in a commodity value chain approach,” Minister Holder said.

This publication was further told that the Ministry is poised on developing a coconut sector roadmap to improve the contribution of the coconut industry to incomes, livelihoods, rural development and the economic development of the country.

According to Minister Holder, this roadmap aims to address the key issues that affect productivity and production of coconuts, as well as promote strategies which enhance competitiveness of the sector, namely through

development of higher valued produce.

There will be the expansion of the cultivation of fruits and vegetables and roots and tubers. “Targeted crops include pepper, cassava, sweet potato, plantains, pineapples, avocado, soursop, citrus, cherries and passion fruit to satisfy the local market demand and for processing. We will support the development of an agro-processing industry in Guyana. The production of juices, concentrates, purees, dehydrated products, chips and vegetable mixes will be promoted,” he related.

It is hoped that, through the new Guyana Marketing Corporation (GMC), agroprocessors and prospective agro-processors will be encouraged to develop new, innovative and diversified products.

The National Assembly was also told that Government will pursue the development of a spices industry in the country as Guyana currently imports in excess of US$2 million on commodities such as turmeric and black peppers.

Guyana Times understands that the aim of this is for Guyana to become self sufficient initially for these commodities and emphasis will also be placed on commodities such as cilantro, beet, parsley, etc to satisfy local demand.

The Agriculture Minister, in his speech, stated that his Ministry will work towards reducing the importation of specialty crops such as sweet peppers, cauliflower, broccoli, sweet corn and carrots so that local production would enhance the livelihood of farmers.

It was also explained that there will also be the production of disease free planting material with target crops including plantains and pineapples.

“We will also work towards the protection of Guyana’s agricultural resources from exotic pest introductions and eradication

The Closer

Satricus admired professionals. They made whatever they did so effortless. Satiricus knew he could never be a professional. At best he'd become a journeyman hack. All this was brought to the fore as Satiricus watched the Naga Man in action in Parliament during the Budget Debate. Satiricus was speechless in admiration. Naga Man was a professional.

The Government had moved mountains - and broken all sense of propriety, not to mention decency - to have Naga Man speak AFTER Jag Desh, the new Opposition Leader. Even though Jag Desh was a trained economist and had been Finance Minister, and Naga Man's closest encounter with economics was when he tried to "economise" on his drinking before coming to Parliament - he insisted he could take on Jag Desh.

And as the words flowed from Naga Man's mouth, Satiricus knew why Naga Man had insisted on following Jag Desh. He was a "closer" - the bowler who could mow down the tail end; the businessman who could "seal the deal" and the speaker who could break down whatever came before to its bare essentials and throw light on it. He would show that Jag Desh!!

Naga Man didn't refer to a single item, number or quantity from the Budget. As a closer, Naga Man knew that the Budget numbers were all "fluff and stuff" - pulled out from a hat to make it seem the Government look like they knew what it was doing. Naga Man went into his professional role: to shut up his old nemesis Jag Desh, by "throwing talk".

He revealed that back when he was in the PPP, he was literally Jag Desh's water boy. Jag Desh, being busy with matters of State, would have Naga Man type up his speeches. Not knowing a single thing about economics, Naga Man would invariably mix up the numbers. He couldn't understand why Jag Desh yelled at him about numbers. "Numbers were numbers," reasoned Naga Man, "once you seen one, you've seen them all."

Satiricus gasped when Naga Man revealed why Jag Desh now had to shut up. He explained that the APANU/KFC MP's all had "fertile ears" that Jag Desh couldn't "penetrate".

"That'll throw Jag Desh for a loop!!" thought Satiricus. "Knowing only about numbers, Jag Desh never realised Naga Man knew the fertility of his people's ears would produce so much wax, they wouldn't even hear Jag Desh!"

"Was Naga Man a closer, or what?" chortled Satiricus. "That'll show Jag!Desh!"

of quarantine pests such as carambola fruit fly, red palm mite and papaya and pink mealy bugs. There will also be the establishment of a farmers’ database to quantify acreages and crops under cultivation in order to obtain reliable information for local consumption and quantities available for export and for value addition.

The compilation of crop production statistics, a quarterly/annual basis to determine

levels and trends of production will also be instituted,” the Agriculture Minister also noted.

It was further explained that the new GMC is the agency which provides marketing services to stakeholders in the non-traditional agricultural sector and that the marketing of marine fish and aquaculture will also be incorporated, while the Guyana Livestock Development Authority will assume a more proactive approach in the marketing of livestock commodities.

“Through the new GMC, the Guyana Shop will be expanded nationally, regionally and internationally. In expanding the Guyana Shop, private-public partnerships will be fostered at all levels. This is where collaborations will be done between the new GMC and owners of retail and wholesale outlets to have local products shelved and promoted.”

This newspaper was also told that by availing local products nationally, regionally and internationally in places such as Toronto, London, New York and Miami in the United States of America consumers will have easier access to Guyanese products.

Amerindians sceptical about Govt’s 10-point plan

At the opening ceremony of the National Toshao Council (NTC) Meeting at the Arthur Chung Convention Centre on Tuesday, President David Granger introduced to members of the NTC a proposed “10-point plan of action” for development of the hinterlands, however

some Amerindian leaders are sceptical of the success of the president’s proposal.

Granger told the Amerindian representatives that the Administration was proposing a new partnership between the NTC which represented the 72,000 Amerindians and the Central Government.

“We propose to work together for the improvement of the quality of life for all indigenous Guyanese. Your Government is committed to the development of the hinterland and indigenous community,” the Head of State informed in his address.

Several components of the Government’s action plan includes the Hinterland Education Support Programme, the Hinterland Employment Community Service, Hinterland Language Culture and Sports Service and development of the Hinterland Tourism Programme.

Distrust of the Government’s plans had started the very day of the announcement when recently elected Secretary of the NTC, and Toshao of Batavia, Region Seven (Cuyuni-Mazaruni), Eyon Boyal had stated: “To me

it’s a full plagiarism; a full copy of what was already in place. They now bring it to the new Toshaos thinking they could fool them. But we who were there before know what’s going on and it’s just like if they’re taking the old Administration’s plan as their plan.”

On Friday, Mike Williams, a Toshao from Region 8 (Potaro-Siparuni), on Friday begged the question, if the Government has been saying that there are currently no funds and not much was mentioned in the budget for Amerindians, how will all of this be done? Williams added that the Amerindians have been given empty promises for years and they are not sure what to believe. Others Toshaos shared similar beliefs, but hopes that the Government keeps the promises made to Amerindians.

Ansa Mcal employee wins Pepsi “Rock in Rio” Promotion

May 2016 will be a rocking month for one lucky young lady after winning two tickets to the Rock in Rio Concert 2016 on Saturday at DSL’s annual Big Win Promotion.

Shaneza Alli, 23, could not contain her excitement as she held up the slip that declared her the winner of Pepsi Co’s “Rock in Rio” Promotion at DSL’s Supermarket in Ruimveldt, Greater Georgetown. She punched into a hole on a Pepsi board her after picking quite a lucky number out of a bag.

Ansa Mcal employee Alli told Guyana Times that she had to buy a 20 oz bottle of Pepsi to qualify for the promotion. She gleefully told DDL’s Marketing Director, Larry Wills, about her daily Pepsi splurges.

Even though the young lady said that she did not

Brazil. Alli is not exactly a rock and roll fan, but she said that it would be “nice” to meet performers such as Rihanna, Sam Smith, and particularly Katy Perry.

each other if the other wins the tickets.

During the draw, Wills explained to the winners that the Rock in Rio concert is one of the most “legend-

On the trip next May, Alli said she had initially planned to take her best friend if she won, but she will be taking Feonia

buy to win, she was quite glad she did as a trip to Brazil would be totally “awesome”. She thanked DSL for the promotion and said cannot wait for next May for her time in Rio De Janeiro,

Younge, another contender for the “Rock in Rio” Promotion. The Ansa Mcal employee said she really wanted the trip, and when herself and Younge got talking they decided to take the

ary and world famous” concerts which is sponsored by Pepsi every year. He stated that the promotion is a global promotion of Pepsi Co, where persons all around the world win a chance to experience what has become the concert of the year.

The Marketing Executive said that DSL usually has a number of small promotions, but they have one major promotion every year for their customers to showcase how thankful they are for their support. He said the Rock in Rio concert does just this as it says what DSL is all about, ensuring our customers get an experience of a lifetime.

From the drawing, there were three finalist including Alli. Ivan Chow-yen, who was just as excited at winning his Sony Playstation 4 and Abdool Aziz, who took home a Beats headphone. Other contenders, such as Decima Yarris and Younge won the Pepsi hamper that included drinks, and a variety of Pepsi paraphernalia.

Jagdeo says PPP/C will return to power –

vows never to become “victims”

of new Govt

Opposition Leader and former President Bharrat Jagdeo demonstrated his lack of faith in the A Partnership for National Unity/ Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Administration to succeed in governing the nation, expressing great optimism that the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) will victoriously return to Government following the next General and Regional Elections.

“We will be back on the campaign trail soon. We are coming back for power because we know that you are going to fail. We know that with this sort of budget, you cannot succeed; you will flat-line the economy,” Jagdeo’s words echoed throughout the Parliamentary Chambers on Friday as he delivered his budget debate speech ahead of Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo.

Jagdeo briefly reflected on the series of events surrounding the May 11 Elections, expressing his dissatisfaction with the outcome but nonetheless committed his Party to work with the Government for the betterment of the country.

However, he sternly noted that the PPP/C will not sit back and allow the Government to push them over.

“We are watching the members on the other side carefully… I will never, and the people on this side will never allow the members on the Government side to make us victims. We are never going to allow you to take away from us, rights that would have been earned through sweat and blood in this country,” Jagdeo posited.

He made reference to the lawless and ruthless behaviour of the People’s National Congress Reform component of the APNU/

AFC party following a lost the General and Regional Elections in the past, and exemplified the unmistakable contrast with the PPP/C, noting that his Party surely demonstrated a fresh approach to maturity.

“We filed our petition and we will fight them,” he stated.

Jagdeo committed the PPP/C to defend the interest of all Guyanese, be it sugar workers or bauxite workers; he said the Party will represent everyone.

He promised too, that the PPP/C, now that they are the Opposition, will not oppose for opposition’s sake – like the APNU/AFC was guilty of doing.

“If an initiative is good, we will support it. If it brings benefit to our people, we will support it. But we are going to hold you accountable,” Jagdeo warned.

Further, Jagdeo frankly stated that Budget 2015 cannot benefit the country or its economy.

“This budget cannot move the Private Sector forward, it does not change the circumstances as in the country and it will never deliver the good life that the

minister spoke about,” he stated flatly.

On that note, he pleaded with the Government to keep its promises to the Guyanese people particularly, the Amerindian people.

Additionally, he underscored the importance of the Low Carbon Development Strategy, urging the government to keep the initiative alive.

Jagdeo stated that the monies received would have gone towards development projects that can help Guyana. These include projects that can transform some 100 village economies, computerising villages in the interior and the establishment of a diversity centre of international studies which can generate a new type of export to create jobs.

He also urged the Government to stay committed to the Information and Communication Technology projects, that is, the laying of the fibre optic cables which will support the E-governance initiative which would allow internet connect for all government networks. Also, this project was aiming to make available free public wifi.

SPISE wraps up 4-week summer programme

The Caribbean Science Foundation’s (CFS) flagship Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) programme, Student Programme for Innovation in Science and Engineering (SPISE), has wrapped up its four-week summer programme on a high note.

The programme, which commenced on July 18 and ran until August 14, saw 16 to 18-year-olds interested in pursuing careers in science and engineering, participating from across the Caribbean. Some 18 students from Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago were selected from 66 applicants.

The programme was conducted at the University of the West Indies (UWI) Cave Hill Campus in Barbados, where the students were challenged with classes that included university-level calculus, physics, biochemistry, entrepreneurship and Mandarin, and hands-on projects in under-water robotics and renewable energy/electronics.

On the final day of SPISE, the participants made their final project presentations, which was open to the public. The audience included: Dr DeLisle Worrell, Governor of the Central Bank of Barbados; Dr Esther Byer, Minister of Labour, Social Security and Human Resources Development of Barbados; Jacqui Cuke of the Sandy Lane Charitable Trust; Dr Tony Rossomando of Alexion Pharmaceuticals; Roger Beckles of Emera Caribbean; Jeff Barrus of the United States Embassy for Barbados, the Eastern Caribbean and the OECS; other business professionals and several parents of the students.

During the event, the robotics, renewable energy, and entrepreneurship projects were showcased,

and for the Mandarin presentation, the students sang “Jasmin Flower” in Mandarin (one of the most popular and mainstream traditional Chinese folk songs) which speaks out against corruption by praising the fair and pure Jasmin. The robotics projects required the SPISE scholars to build a basic model of an under-water robot, and then to use innovation and creativity to endow it with movable arms that could collect balls in a water-filled tank.

For the renewable energy presentation, wind turbines were built by student teams, each with its own unique blade design. The designs competed against each other as the audience got excited and involved in how different blade designs affected the effectiveness of wind turbines in producing electricity. The entrepreneurship class concluded with a business plan competition in which groups of students pitched their unique and personalized product and business plan to the audience. Several members of the audience were given CSF money to invest in the team of their choice, and the winner was decided by the amount of money invested.

The products conceived by the students include a portable handheld printer; Haztag, a GPS device to locate any household or miscellaneous object; a wrist

Man talks to dead wife –

after she committed suicide

“W

hen I reach home I push open the door and I tell she that I get the Idex and I gon rub she foot fuh she. Then ah tek off me shirt an ah notice she standing on the chair so ah ask she if she wan fall down but she ent ansa. Same time the phone ring an I go and answer it right next to she, an while I talking I hold on to she hand but she ent responding so I look up to she…”

That was when Gopaul Bisram discovered that his

wife was actually suspended and there was a rope leading from her neck.

Pulmattie Bisram’s 58-year- old lifeless body was discovered at about 17:45h on Friday at her Cumberland, East Canje, Region Six (East BerbiceCorentyne) home. She hung herself.

Earlier Pulmattie had asked her husband to purchase Idex and some pain killers for her. The Guyana Sugar Corporation worker returned with the items and was going to collect his wag-

es. At about 17:45h, when he returned home, the woman was already dead. According to Bisram, several years ago his wife was diagnosis with diabetes, a heart condition which was very painful and she also had an irregular blood pressure which required frequent medication. She also recently had two surgeries to her breast.

“Last week she fall down and cut away inside and outside of her mouth.” That injury caused her to visit the New Amsterdam Hospital

where she had been a frequent patient.

Neighbours say that Bisram had to do almost everything for his wife.

The couple had been married for 21 years. “She was not a burden to me; if she want something I would do it... I don’t know why she had to go and do this now,” a saddened Bisram told this publication.

The man said he recently spent $27,000 on medication for his wife. A post-mortem examination is expected to be performed on the body.

band to replace intrusive diabetes monitors; malleable shoes that harden as they are put on but soften when off for easy storage; a component for portable computer and communications devices to allow for built-in projection; and a mobile app to write essays for you on-the-go.

SPISE is an intensive four-week residential summer programme in Barbados for gifted Caribbean high school students and is designed to nurture and groom the next generation of technology entrepreneurs in the Caribbean, in an effort to assist with the economic developmental issues facing the region. Through this programme, CFS is aiming to help address the low numbers of Caribbean students pursuing advanced degrees in Science and Engineering, while at the same time grooming the next generation of Science, Engineering Technology and business leaders in the region.

Those who are accepted for the programme are said to be among the top scholars in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). Under the programme, students were afforded the opportunity to attend classes, which were taught by leading Professors from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

GOVERNMENT BY COMMITTEE

And now there is yet another Commission of Inquiry and this one will investigate TIP (Trafficking in Persons). There is a COI for the sugar industry and another that will look into the public service. There may be others that I am missing, but taken together with the countless advisers, consultants and ongoing audits it is clear that President Granger has ushered in a style of government that is new to Guyana: government by committee.

Ryhaan Shah

Commissions or committees comprising our best minds can play a major role in the making of public policy and their investigations and reports can help avoid the pitfalls of previous policy failures and recommend the best future options.

At first glance, commissions appear to be a good democratic practice. After all, soliciting advice and having people meet around a table do have the appearance of engaging stakeholders and ensuring that the best decisions are taken.

And it is good management practice for the president and his many ministers to seek advice before taking key decisions. However, the decisions, regardless of consultations, must be theirs because an elected government is expected to be strong, capable and able to take responsibility for its actions and decisions.

The administration is already being criticised for its corruptions, its cronyism and burgeoning bureaucracy, and its moves to subvert parliamentary democracy as evidenced by its behavior in the national assembly. Even those who voted for the Coalition in good faith now feel that they had been badly misled by its campaign promises.

Because of this sense of betrayal, government’s every move has become suspect and there are many raised eyebrows at the number of commissions that are being established.

To the public, it appears that government is clueless. The common remark everywhere is: “They don’t know what they’re doing.” Because of the numerous advisers, consultants, and commissions, the ministers and junior ministers appear as incompetents who are incapable of making decisions without advice and guidance.

There is also the suspicion that government will use its many consultants and commissions to leverage its prejudices and biases into new directives and policies.

With a government by committee, the decisions arrived at will always be a consensus position and there is a perception that these decisions will invariably favour government’s agenda. The commissions will be used as convenient rubber stamps rather than as any real investigative devices to help create better policies.

The consultations will thus be reduced to being mere fig-leaf democratic processes that are meant to deceive and they will defeat the very purpose for which they were intended.

Management by committee is an organizational response to the fear of making decisions and the fear with this government seems to stem from its acceptance that it is incapable and incompetent. With commissions and advisers at hand, any blame for missteps will be shared making no one inherently responsible.

The chairman of a commission will ensure that he or she has on board friendly faces who will not object too strenuously to government’s agenda. The commission’s work will take weeks, even months, because the objective of committees is to arrive at a consensus on all the key matters being considered.

After endless meetings and deliberations, the commission will present its report. There will be few surprises since government would have made its agenda clear, and the commission will support government’s policy directives and give them authenticity. It is always more difficult for the public or even the parliamentary opposition to object to committee findings than to a lone minister of government pronouncing new policies.

Besides the time involved, which results in a sluggish pace of government, the commissions, advisers and consultants all cost money. No one doubts that the country faces serious problems, all of which demand good policies and strategies, but a government is expected to position competent and knowledgeable ministers to lead the way on the changes and reforms needed.

The administration’s overly consultative style of governance acknowledges a high level of incompetence and, as if to prove the point, there are already calls for the removal of National Security Minister Kemraj Ramjattan and Agriculture Minister Noel Holder for being ineffective in their respective portfolios.

In the private sector, management by committee is viewed as a weakness. A vital and prosperous business has strong leadership who will consult and exchange ideas but whose final decision will not reflect a consensus position. In fact, management by committee is viewed as a symptom of a business that is on its last legs.

Is the Granger government already faltering?

Readers are invited to send their comments by email to shah@guyanatimesgy.com

Spurious State newspaper reports pressuring GTimes

– correlated with Minister Broomes’ private lawsuit

Junior Social Protection Minister

Simona Broomes appears to be part of a plot to pressure and muzzle the Guyana Times for ply reporting the news independently of Government influence

After this newspaper carried a series of articles on the Minister’s sector which exposed the ad hoc manner in which the new Government was carrying out its business and the publication of an article, which touched on a conflict of interest issue which developed with the private interests of the Minister, on Monday last Broomes sued the Guyana Times

On that same day, a spurious news report emanated in another section of the media written by a cub reporter, Leroy Smith in which he alleged that the Minister, during a Labour Ministry meeting with media operatives, related that Guyana Times was breaching Guyana’s labour laws.

According to the media report, Broomes had alleged that there were numerous complaints made by reporting staff and workers attached to this media entity with the Ministry.

However, representatives from this media house,

which attended the meeting with the Minister and her Assistant Chief Labour Officer Lydia Green, confirmed that no discussions ensued around Guyana Times specifically. Other media representatives also confirmed the position of this company’s representatives to the meeting.

When contacted during the week by the Editor of the Guyana Times (Acting) Michael Younge, the Assistant Chief Labour Officer declined to comment on the matter and was pointed in the direction of the Minister.

Several calls to the Minister’s mobile phone went unanswered. The Guyana Times caught up

with Minister Broomes at Parliament and solicited a comment on the matter from her.

Broomes did not confirm making the comments to the cub reporter, but instead stated that she made general comments about the media at a meeting. She also urged the newspaper to get a copy of the recording, which she said was made of the meeting last week.

She declined to confirm whether the comments in the reports carried by Inews, an online news agency, and the stateowned Guyana Chronicle Newspaper under the pen of Smith were indeed hers.

When contacted, officials at neither entity were able to produce the recordings or any information to support Smith’s report or confirm that the Minister had made those comments.

The Guyana Times is also not in receipt of any formal requests from the Social Protection Ministry to discuss worker’s issues nor is aware of any staff complaints against the company. Additionally, the newspaper was never subject to any sanctions from the Government on the issue of labour laws.

When asked for a

comment, acting Editor Michael Younge said, “The Guyana Times will not be muzzled and will not allow agents directly or indirectly aligned to the new Minister, new Government or any entity to put barriers in the way of its objective to report on all matters of national import”. Younge strongly condemned the articles carried in the other sections of the media and the comments attributed to the embattled Minister explaining that “the journalists at the newspaper will continue their work without fear”. He noted that he found it “alarming” that a Minister might be using her public position as a Minister of Government to pursue her private interests.

Young entrepreneur launches health-care business

Interior Rapid Diagnostic and Vector Control Services and Supply (IRDVCSS) on Saturday officially launched a new type of service that will revolutionise Guyana’s Heath Care system.

Some of products being sold are rapid test kits that can detect all tropical infectious diseases, HIV Aids, drug abuse, cardiac markers, fertility hormones, cancer markers; enzyme immunoassay test, urine test strips and many others.

The proprietor of the business is Jayson Aaron and his entity is the sole distributer of the “Limiquick” brand and other reputable pharmaceutical item from companies in United Kingdom and India. The aim of the entity is to provide quality healthcare to Guyanese at a very low cost.

Speaking to members of the media at the 238 South Road, Lacytown, Georgetown location, Aaron said that “technology has gone to another level and it is nice to have upgraded technology in the country and rapid tests is the upgraded way”.

He went on to explain that these tests are the new alternatives to having a nurse or blood specialist withdraw your blood

and take it into the lab for hours of testing, since each test takes about eight to 10 minutes before it is completed.

As it relates to the accuracy in result, Aaron said that every one in 5000 would go wrong, and that indicates that it is very reliable for accurate information. The product would have been tested, inspected and approved by the United States of America Medical Board.

IRDVCS demonstrated how easy to use the product is, and it also comes with instructions that will ensure an accurate result. Each rapid test kit, namely the

HIV test kit, comes with 50 strips so that you can test 50 persons with one kit (at a very low price).

These services can be done from the comfort of your own home and the results only take approximately 10 minutes maximum; so this deal is ideal for persons who are scared to go to the health centre or hospital for certain services.

The company is presently only selling the items at a wholesale price to small pharmacies, and since the item is relatively new to the local market there are not many retail businesses that have the product as yet. For

businessmen who are interested in selling the product they can contact the distributors at 697-6790.

As it relates to IRDVCS, they are currently preparing to expand their services and provide hardware for laboratories at a very low price and other health care equipment that will ultimately make the heath care system better in Guyana.

The company promises that they will be donating a few of these kits to the Public Health Ministry, so that healthcare providers will be more knowledgeable about the improvements to the industry.

Mashabo residents want agriculture sector

– say logging revenue slow

Residents living in the lumbering community of Mashabo, an Amerindian village located some eight miles from the Essequibo Coast in Region Two (PomeroonSupenaam) are calling on the a Partnership for National Unity/Alliance For Change (APNU/AFC) Administration to assist the community in venturing into the agriculture sector.

Residents, during a recent community meeting at Mashabo mission, said that lumbering is not profitable and as such they would like to venture in the field of agriculture. Speaking on behalf of the community, logger Michael Charles said that lumbering has become unprofitable and revenue is very slow. Charles went on saying that he thinks the village’s economy can be boosted if they venture into cassava cultivation.

Charles however, explained that cultivation will be expensive and asked the Agriculture Ministry under the new Government to assist with machinery, cutlasses and achoushi baits. He posited that many of the

lands are under achoushi ant attacks, and that they do not have anything to combat the situation.

Other residents who supported the agricultural initiative opined that their community needs an employment boost via a cassava or pepper sauce factory. They stated that this would be a good place to help females keep occupied and learn to improve their craft.

Logging unprofitable

Speaking about log-

ging, Hermon Charles said the lumbering field is getting difficult daily and noted that they are being pushed around from Forestry Officers.

Charles stated that many loggers in the area become frustrated as they have to pay exorbitant transportation fees to access a lumber yard, and to reach the Forestry Office at Supenaam. They described the process as lengthy and tiresome.

Like Charles, other res-

idents who depend solely on the forest for survival said that often the Forestry Office in Region Two is unreasonable. “Although we are harvesting lumber from the reservation sometimes we are being charged; we feel we are thief on our own land...We are poor people, we have to survive; Forestry Officers are often unreasonable”.

Residents said they do not often get their money as soon as they sell their lumber, and are sometimes being charged when they fail to provide the permit from stump to destination of sales within 24 hours. They explained that approval has to be granted by the Forestry Department, certifying that the lumber was truly moved from the reservation.

Residents further explained the process as very lengthy and burdensome to wait, or travel to Supenaam to get approval from the Forestry Department. It was also noted that residents are out of business on Fridays and Saturdays since the Forestry Department is usually closed and approval cannot be granted.

Science Camp begins on August 24 …using science to teach language

Then Education Ministry, in collaboration with the International Language Institute, will be hosting a Science Camp for students which will incorporate the teaching of foreign languages through scientific means.

According to a press release from the organisers, this approach is a best practice used by the popular school in France, the La Main A La Pait.

The Camp will form the prerequisite for students to resuscitate the science clubs in their respective schools in keeping with the Ministry’s strategic plan to promote Science, Technology, Engineering

and Mathematics (STEM) as a critical tool for national sustainable development.

Having science clubs in the schools, the press release noted, will aid in getting students more interested in science through hands-on activities and fieldtrips, resulting in more and more Guyanese pursuing a career surrounding science and technology.

During the Camp, lecturers will provide participants with career guidance sessions in STEM.

Also, since the infusion of practical science in schools has become increasingly important in the development of scientific literacy, the Camp will focus

on experiments that can be done from low-cost and locally available materials.

Topping it all off, through these activities, students will be exposed to learning the foreign languages of Portuguese and Spanish. “This camp will demonstrate a new integrated approach to education that fosters the development of critical thinking skills,” the organisers promised.

“Key topics, such as the chemistry of water and sustainable management of water resources, will be covered. Students will be engaged in learning about the environment, learning through the environ-

ment, and learning for the environment. It is hoped that this camp will build a culture of science and innovation among Guyana’s youth,” the release stated.

Fifty secondary school students are expected to participate in the Camp, which will be held at the Watooka Complex, Region Ten (Upper DemeraraBerbice) from August 24-28.

Meanwhile, the International Language Institute, located on the corner of Laluni and New Garden Streets, Queenstown, offers classes where Guyanese children can learn Portuguese and Brazilian children can learn English.

Younge’s Take

A Ghetto Parliament?

Democracies in the commonwealth are rich with traditions, customs and practices which outline in great details how parliamentarians are expected to conduct themselves while participating in debates on public policies and issues in their Assemblies.

There is also no shortage of formal and scholarly literature on the workings of Assemblies after members would have taken their respective oaths and would have been inducted into the rich parliamentary cultures and customs.

As a matter of fact, on the issue of Rules and Order of Decorum in the Canadian Parliament, Speaker Gilbert Parent during the parliamentary debates on March 6, 1998 on page 4902 of his workings said “regardless of how dramatically our opinions may diverge or how passionately we hold to convictions that our political opponents do not share, civility must be respected in the House of Commons. This means that each member is entitled to speak and each member can expect a fair hearing, whether or not we agree with what they say or what they stand for”.

Speakers in these democracies must refrain from the use of unparliamentarily language and are not allowed to personally attack each other as everyone is "honourable" until proven dishonourable via a formal hearing.

Additionally, members of the Executive arm of Government are expected to hold themselves up to the highest standard because of the dual responsibilities they hold and the offices they occupy.

Even during the most heated debates and periods of heckling, words such as "lying, racist, and thieving" are not allowed. Parliamentarians are not allowed to scream at each other and hurl racial, divisive, below-the-belt rhetoric.

In Guyana, however, the situation appears to be vastly different as some parliamentarians here could care less about civility, rules of engagement and ethics governing our August house.

The deterioration of the Assembly started in the Tenth Parliament under the stewardship of then Speaker Raphael Trotman who was elected by the Alliance for Change and A Partnership for National Unity to the post.

During that session of the Parliament, opposition members ran wild and were given a free pass to castigate and sometimes personally attack the integrity and reputation of sitting Members of the Government under the Speaker’s watchful eyes.

Many times, Trotman attempted to end the unparliamentarily behaviour and rancor which characterized the sittings of the Parliament between the two sides to no avail, forcing him once to walk out the Chambers bringing the session to a standstill.

In the eleventh Parliament under the nose of the current Speaker Dr Barton Scotland, the then opposition which now sits on the Government side continues their assault on the parliamentary norms and practices.

Sadly, this parliament is slowly being reduced to a fish market and a place where Members apparently have no respect for each other personally or as parliamentary colleagues.

It would not be difficult for any Caribbean or International observer to deem the behaviour of some members as outright “Ghetto”. For instance' any given time, the most obnoxious and sometimes rude things can be heard emanating from mouth of the Government’s Chief Whip and Minister of Social Cohesion Amna Ally.

While it is entertaining and amusing for some to hear Ms Ally brand of cross talk and heckling, for others its annoying as many times her heckling could be deemed out of place, disgraceful, bitter, lacking class and most times ‘ghetto’.

Others who have no doubt failed miserably to contain their posture and decorum in the house as far as their own presentation, rebuttals and brand of hecklings are concerned are Vice Presidents Moses Nagamootoo, Carl Greenidge and the infamous KhemrajRamjattan.

There is nothing diplomatic about some of the slurs that come from the mouth Greenidge who has responsibility for Foerign Affairs nor his collagueRamjattan who is tasked with looking over the domestic security sector. In fact, Ramjattan was heard calling PPP members “thieves” and all manner of defamatory labels.

Another wild and rogue parliamentarian appears to be SimonaBroomes whose confrontational approach is distasteful as that of her colleague Annette Ferguson. They could learn from politicians such as Dr Rupert Roopnarine, Catherine Hughes and Noel Holder about civility in debates and politics.

The Speaker must upbraid these parliamentarians or Guyanese must commence arrangements for a wake and funeral to mark the death of proper Parliamentary conduct and behaviour.

A done talk!

Puran Brothers Disposal Service to relocate Lima dump site

– residents raised concerns with RDC

Puran Brothers Disposal Service will be relocating their dump site to a further location away from residents at Lima in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam). This move came immediately after several residents living within the Lima area complained to the Region Two Administration over the stench emanating from the present site.

The decision to relocate the present dump site will be a win-win one according to Region Two Chairman Devanand Ramdatt; one which will enable residents to be in a more comfortable environment and the disposal company can conduct their tasks easier.

Ramdatt accompanied by Regional Vice Chairman Nandranie Coonjah, and

Regional Engineer Kenrick Marslow on Wednesday evening met with supervisor of Puran Brothers (Essequibo), Matthew Munroe at the new site. The site was inspected and several recommendations were made by Munroe to the Region Two Administration. As it is, the new site is away from residents and is the ideal location for the disposal of garage. However, to get to the site, a road will need to be upgraded for proper access.

The Region Two Chairman gave his commitment from the Administration to find the most suitable solution.

Ramdatt said the Regional Democratic Congress is receiving cooperation from Puran Brothers and he

can assure residents that the situation will soon be brought under control. The Administration has also pledged support in upgrading the access way.

The newly elected Chairman however urged residents in the area to cooperate with the Region Two Administration along with Puran Brothers and desist from grazing animals on the new disposal site. Puran Brothers disposal promised to clear and clean the previous location where garbage was dumped before moving to the new location.

In the past, residents bitterly complained over the stench and the unhygienic conditions under which the present dump site exists. Many residents fell sick due to the careless dumping of garbage in the area.

Mother pleads for locked-up son to get dialysis treatment

By KrIsten macKlIngam

The mother of murder accused Sheldon Chase is pleading with the Government and high ranking officials to allow her son to be released from prison so he can receive the necessary medical treatment to stay alive after he was diagnosed with kidney failure.

In an interview with Guyana Times on Friday, Sharon Mars stated that her son who has been imprisoned since early last year, recently began suffering from kidney problems and that she was not aware of his condition until a few weeks ago.

She stated that it was when she was at the court waiting for her son to appear for his case that one of the four others who were charged with him for the murder of Foulis businessman, Rajendra Sunil Singh, told her that her son was very ill and could not “make it to court”.

According to the distraught mother, the other prisoners told her that she needed to “do something” be-

cause Chase was not receiving proper medical treatment in the prison and that he could “barely move”.

The mother told this publication that she immediately went to the prison and pleaded with the officers on duty to allow her son to be taken to a doctor, since she was unaware as to what was

Zorg Annual Village Day

Residents optimistic about the hosting; says it will keep youths occupied

By IndrawatttIe natram

In an effort to keep the youths living within the confines of Zorg community in Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) actively involved and away from idle activities, the Zorg Commemoration Committee will be hosting the first Annual Zorg Village Day.

The activity is a brainchild of newly elected Regional Chairman Devanand Ramdatt. To

extensively to get many projects executed. The late Gobin earned himself a masters in Information Technology and also served as a Cuso International volunteer in Guyana.

Ramdatt further related that some of the activities planned will pay tribute to Gobin while other activities serve to earn the participation of youths, as well as elders. He further explained that the response from the village is positive and everyone is throwing in their

ry presentation of the village by Shevon Simon; stories from village elders and a tribute to the late Clive Gobin.

On Sunday August 30, activities such as the village run, bird whistling competition, a booth with village memories, along with old photographs will be on display. A health booth and anagriculture booth will also be on display, as well we exciting games for the young and young at heart. Talent and Karaoke singing

date, the activities have been receiving overwhelming support and residents are optimistic and hyped over the activities that are slated for August 29-30.

During an interview with Ramdatt, who is a resident of Zorg, he said the activities planned will also pay tribute to a outstanding stalwart of their village – the late Clive Gobin.

The Regional Chairman said Gobin was a very active person in the community in his youth and worked

ideas and support.

On Saturday, August 29, the activities will kickoff with a villager fitness walk; followed by an interfaith service,led by the three main religious groups in Guyana;the feature address by Region Two Chairman Devanand Ramdatt, the final of Clive Gobin hardball competition; tape ball cricket competitions – “six aside, three overs; domino competition; Zorg Princess Pageant for under 12 girls; a histo-

will be also be held. Apart from the twodays of activities,presentlythere are best essay, best pet competition, best yard, and kitchen garden competitions in progress. Persons interested in the competition are asked to contact Ruplall on telephone numbers 602-3822 for further information. Awards will be presented to the winners of the competition on August 30. The activity is the first of its kind and will be an annual feature.

causing his ailment.

It was until the following day that she received news that her son was taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) and admitted for kidney failure issues.

“He has been in GPHC since March this year receiving dialysis treatment

because they said that both of his kidneys are no longer functioning and he needs treatment three times a week. The doctor there told me that I need to see what I can do too because he (Chase) cannot stay in the hospital forever and if he goes back to prison like this he will die soon. My son is innocent and I know he did not kill anyone. All I want is someone to help me keep him out of jail so he can get his treatments because I am not asking for money; I am asking for him to get the chance to get treatment,” the visibly disturbed woman told this publication.

According to Mars, the medical officers at the prisons were only treating her son by giving him painkillers, and when he was taken to the GPHC the doctors reported that his blood pressure was close to 280.

She explained that Chase can “barely move” due to his illness and is still shackled with a heavy chain on his foot/feet.

To see him in such a terrible state health wise and to witness the condition in which he is facing as a prisoner is unbearable, the mother sadly explained.

Guyana Times was also told that Chase is a father of six children, the eldest being 13 years old, and that his children are very concerned about his present health condition.

“All I want is for someone to help me to keep him out of prison so he can get his dialysis on a regular basis and get a better opportunity of living longer. I know it will be hard, but I am his mother and I will have to try with him. I am the one who bore him and had him in my stomach and I just want him to get his dialysis. Nobody

has to pay for it; I will pay the expenses if I have to for his treatments,” Mars added.

In April last year, five persons were charged for the murder of the Foulis businessman, Rajendra Sunil Singh.

Doednauth Ketwaroo, a 27 year-old contractor of Good Hoop, East Coast Demerara; Tony Thomas, 27 of Bel Air Park, Georgetown; Michael Lewis, a 36 year-old taxi driver of Sheriff Street, Georgetown; Adony James, 31 of Roxanne Burnham Gardens, Georgetown; and Sheldon Chase, a 34-yearold miner of Pike Street, Kitty, Georgetown, were all remanded to prison by Magistrate Ann Mc Lennan. They were not required to plea to the indictable charge which stated that between April 5 and 9, they murdered Singh at the Le Repentir Cemetery.

Employer fails to pay NIS contributions, report workplace accidents in Mahaicony

A25-year-old welder from Mahaicony, East Coast Demerara is now contemplating his next move, after suffering a severe injury at his workplace in July last, as he is yet to receive adequate compensation from his employers.

Stephen Clarke told Guyana Times on Saturday that he had been employed with a construction company called AIM Persaud & Sons Construction Site in Mahaicony since March this year and met into an accident on duty at the location early last month.

He stated that the blade from one of the machines at the side sliced his foot with the blade hitting into his bone almost cutting the foot completely off.

The young man was rushed to the Fort Wellington Hospital where he was subsequently transferred to the Georgetown Public Hospital for treatment.

Due to the fact that he was injured on site and then hospitalised for a while Clarke was unable to rectify any financial business on his part.

He told this newspaper that when he was finally released from the hospital and visited the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) to file his report and handle matters relating to his insurance he was stunned with the news he received.

“I have been working since 2008 and until March this year I started working at AIM Persaud’s Construction, all the time my contributions have been paid. But they told me that from the period I started working at AIM Persaud’s, no contribution had been paid. I thought my employer was paying the contributions as he should have been. When I asked him about it, he whatsapped me to tell me not to say anything to NIS, except to tell them that I only worked with him for two weeks,” the young man claimed.

He alleged that his employer explained that if he were to reveal to NIS that he was employed there longer he would not receive any money from NIS for sure and that he (the employer) would not give Clarke any

money either. This left the young man confused, upset and worried.

“My boss only sent me $15,000 twice after I got in the accident, but nothing more than that. I told him that I am telling NIS the truth, and NIS gave me a paper for him to fill out to return to them but he isn’t filling it out. So I went into the Labour Ministry to report all of this and at first they were helpful, but I don’t know what happened now,” Clarke told Guyana Times He said that his employer whom he identifies as ‘Max Persaud’ is the son of the owner of the company, and that Max visited the Labour Ministry after the report was filed. Max allegedly told Clarke that all he would have to do is “pay a fine” to the Ministry and nothing more would come out of the matter.

The injured man told this publication that shortly after Max went into the Labour Ministry, he re-

ceived a telephone call from the said organisation where someone advised him to “just collect the money and forget about NIS”.

However, the young man is contending that this is not the first time an accident of this nature occurred on the site. He further explained that prior to his employment there two other men encountered serious accidents with the same machine that injured him but that he was unaware of this until his accident took place.

“The Labour Ministry asked me if it had other accidents there. I told them yes, but they said how my boss said there was never any before. The men working there told me about these accidents after I was hospitalised and said one man was cut into his stomach and another almost lost his foot like me. I want this matter dealt with appropriately and my rights addressed; that is all I want,” Clarke told this publication.

Ramotar’s promise to Orealla fulfilled

– river ambulance supplied to Orealla and Siparuta

Acommitment made by Former President Donald Ramotar to residents of Orealla and Siparuta has been fulfilled. The former President visited the two rivers in Amerindian communities along the Corentyne River, Region Six, (East BerbiceCorentyne), on April 13 and promised to issue them with a boat ambulance.

Back in January 2014, Region Six Chairman David Armogan had disclosed that Government was making moves to improve the lives of residents in those communities. “We also purchased an [All-Terrain Vehicle] ATV and boat and engine for the Orealla people. The boat will be delivered before the end of the month. The whole idea is to convert this boat into an ambulance boat to

be used by the Medex and Nurse at Orealla,” Armogan said back in 2014.

The $4.17 millionriver ambulance was handed over to the Toshao of the Orealla David Henry in August 2015.The boat is

fully equipped with everything that is needed in an ambulance, including oxygen tanks and a stretcher. According to the Chairman, the boat will be stationed at Orealla and will be used to transport patients from Orealla, situated 50-miles up the Corentyne River and the neighbouring village Siparuta. A doctor and nurse will be aboard. Patients will be transported by the river ambulance to the Skeldon Hospital. The lack of adequate river transportation has resulted in the loss of lives as many persons who fall seriously ill at night could not receive needed medical attention on time, since travel by night was almost impossible.This is expected to be alleviated with the introduction of the river ambulance.

2 plead not guilty to weed possession

Two men pleaded not guilty to weed possession on Friday in Court 11 of the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts after they were allegedly busted with the illicit substance.

Mark Solomon and Omale Denny – both rastafarians from East Ruimveldt, Georgetown, were brought to court as prisoners to answer to the charge of narcotics possession.

In detail, Solomon was

Nagamootoo admits to...

Finance Minister

Winston Jordan confirmed that Cabinet was actively considering a salary increase for not only Ministers of Government but advisers as well as MPs.

He would not confirm nor deny the figures that have been floated in the public over the past two days.

The proposed pay hike would see Nagamootoo earning approximately $2.2 million monthly, inclusive of benefits, while the three other Vice Presidents will earn a total of $5.4 million altogether monthly. Although, the Prime Minister has since denied these figures, he has failed to mention the percentage of increase being considered.

Nagamootoo was responding to a request by Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo for the Finance Minister to give the public assurance that the new Government would not increase the salaries of its Ministers, members of Parliament and other advisory above what was been given to public servants.

Budget presentation Meanwhile, some of

those promises that the APNU+AFC has claimed to have “fulfilled” includes: the reduction of the Berbice River Bridge toll; salary increase for government workers; measures to ease the impact of VAT, significant increase in old age pensions and public disability assistance, reduction of Presidents’ pension benefits, while noting that the establishment of passports and birth certificates licensing offices in Berbice, Essequibo and Linden is currently being executed.

In almost every instance, the promises were diluted to such an extent that the promises were fulfilled more in the breach that in reality.

The Prime Minister mentioned that much criticism have been directed towards Government for an enormous Budget of $221 billion to cover only the four remaining months of the year, however he explained that the budget was structured to roll over and cover the excessive spending by the PPP/C administration over the past eight months.

Nagamootoo went on to debunk “scandalous destablisation” allegations against

the APNU+AFC administration, accusing them of practicing “ethnic cleansing”. He underscored that such antics are not only painful and odious, but seeks to destroy the country’s ethnic fabric. He further pointed out that the coalition has retained many of the employees hired under the PPP/C regime and has not discriminated against any particular race or gender, as they are being accused of. He illustrated his incredible assertion by pointing to a few low level employees such a s cleaners and secretaries being retained.

“Just to show how mischievous and malicious is this charge of ethnic cleansing… I wish to place on the record, my condemnation of this politics of intimidation, this politics of ethnic and racial incitement, this politics of national treachery that we have seen rearing its ugly head in our beloved land,” he outlined. Adding also, the Prime Minister stressed that the previous administration never intended into kept the 1,900 plus Amerindian youths beyond the elections period as they had only allocated monies to pay them up to April,

charged for being in possession of one gram of cannabis sativa (marijuana) on August 19 while Denny was charged for smoking a ‘joint’ of the illegal substance. The men were in a shop in Warlock, East Ruimveldt at the time of their apprehension. Police Prosecutor Adduni Inniss explained that the Police had received information about the cannabis and had gone to conduct a search. They found the men in the shop with the

a decision that was taken by the PPP/C Cabinet.

On a separate note, the First Vice President stated that his heart bleeds knowing that everyone is watching the front of budget document but is not looking at the back, which portrays all of “beautiful Guyana”. The Prime Minister further noted that in spite of reference being made twice in the 2015 Budget Speech on the spurious claims of Venezuela to Guyana’s territory, none of Members on the opposition side of the House sought to extend their support of the country’s sovereignty except for the Opposition Leader.

“It saddens me that those who claim to love this country, could come here and criticise our government and our President for saying that this is an unjust claim, for saying that there is no legality to the claim, for saying that we refused to talk when the record is clear that we have said we want bi-lateral talks with the government of Venezuela on matters of mutual interests but we are not talking about the border because our border has been settled by law, by Treaty in 1899, which has been deemed final on the Treaty. If those who claim our territory wish to question the validity of that trea-

weed on their persons. They were arrested and subsequently charged. However, even though the charges carry a penalty of only a fine of $5000 with community service, both men denied being in possession of the illicit substance. Both opted to pay $10,000 bail instead, which was granted by Magistrate Annette Singh. The duo are expected back in court on September 5 to face trial.

ty, they must go to a court of Law to reverse it but we are not discussing it because it does not exist as a claim; it is a controversy which they have raised,” he declared. Nagamootoo further stated that that he was expecting Jagdeo to condemn the aggression by the Spanish-speaking neighbour against Guyana’s economy, but instead “he speciously tells the House that this Government’s diplomacy is flawed”. The Prime Minister said that with he was hoping with the support of the Opposition, together they would have been the “Magnificent Seven” but it appears as though the PPP/C is unwilling to engage in that level of cohesion and unity, adopting a “sledge hammer” approach.

Hide original message Moreover, touching on the very heated topic of crime in Guyana, the First Vice President questioned the premise upon which the former ruling administration is lecturing the APNU+AFC regime in tackling crime. He pointed out that all the Opposition has to show in their efforts of fighting crime is the association with a number of people who are in jail or are about to be jailed.

Inmate found dead after being granted bail

An inmate of the New Amsterdam Prison was on Friday evening pronounced dead when he was taken to the New Amsterdam Hospital.

Dead is Winston Grant of 117 Main Street East Canje, Region Six (East BerbiceCorentyne).

Earlier on Friday, Grant appeared before Magistrate

Mauricia Mittelholzer on an assault charge and was placed on $10,000 bail. He could not post bail and was remanded to the New Amsterdam Prison situated on Penitentiary Walk. Reports are that Grant was placed in a cell with other prisoners, who reported his abnormal behaviour. Grant was then taken

and placed in a holding area where prisoners who seem to be mentally challenged are kept. This publication understands that inmates in the holding cell also reported Grant’s abnormal behaviour.

It was reported to prison authorities that he was hitting his head against the walls, among other strange

acts. He was then removed and placed in a cell by himself. When prison officials made a check on Grant at about 21:00h, he was observed lying motionless on the floor. He was taken to the New Amsterdam Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

An autopsy is expected to be performed on the body.

FFTP to get hectares of land, duty-free concessions from Govt

The Food For The Poor (FFTP) Guyana, a non-profit and charitable organisation, will be receiving several benefits from the Government to aid in the execution of its operations to better achieve its goal of assisting the disadvantaged and help in the eradication of poverty.

President David Granger, during the organisation’s fundraising dinner on Friday evening, announced that Government will make avail-

able two hectares of land for the construction of a new and larger facility, duty-free concessions on all vehicles being imported to conduct its work, and a fixed annual subvention to aid in the administrative expenses.

“My Government is committed to the objective of eradicating extreme poverty from our country within the next five years…it is a bold and ambitious goal but it is a necessary duty if we are to reclaim our dignity, if we are

to reclaim our self-esteem and self respect, and if this country is to be developed,” President Granger related.

He applauded the work of the organisation in rendering assistance to the less fortunate by providing medicine, food or equipment and encouraged everyone else to do the same. He particularly called on corporate Guyana to assist in this regard, noting that with sufficient support, FFTP’s work can be even more impactful.

“Communities must begin to play their parts in assisting its members to escape from the vertex of poverty. Corporate Guyana must recognise its special responsibility to assist those in need, individual citizens must lend a helping hand, I appeal to all to support the work of the organisation,” the President stated.

He highlighted that the organisation goes beyond providing handouts to the needy, but it also empowers individuals and assist in earning incomes by provid-

Violation of FPIC is a discrimination against Amerindians

Ting the necessary equipment to help people help themselves. He noted too that the organisation assists in income generating activities in communities to help groups of persons with various economic enterprises, all geared towards eliminating poverty in society.

On this note, President Granger appealed to all to support the cause of the organisation in any little way they can, as Guyana can only prosper if all Guyanese can contribute to its development. “If we do not break the cycle of poverty, our country will remain underdeveloped and the children of the poor will remain marred in poverty,” he said.

Food for the Poor Guyana has become the leading charity in Guyana since its establishment in 1991. Its services span persons of all race and religion, and its reach extends to all corners of Guyana; providing food, medicine, clothing, shelter and other essentials.

France train shooting: Hollande thanks

‘heroes’ who foiled gunman

French President Francois Hollande has thanked three American men hailed as heroes for overpowering a heavily-armed gunman on a train in northern France.

The incident happened on the high-speed Thalys service near Arras on Friday. A 26-year-old Moroccan man was arrested.

One of the Americans said they took an AK-47 assault rifle and a handgun from the attacker as they saw him walk down the aisle of the train. One of the Americans and another passenger were seriously hurt.

In a press conference on Saturday, French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said the suspect’s identity had yet to be confirmed, but it was believed that he had radical Islamist beliefs.

Two of the American men who overpowered the gunman, Spencer Stone and Alek Skarlatos, are members of the Air Force and the

National Guard respectively. They were travelling on the train from Amsterdam to Paris on Friday evening with a childhood friend, Anthony Sadler, who also helped restrain the attacker. When a French passenger tried to enter a toilet on the train, he encountered the gunman, tried to over-

power him and the gun was then fired, Cazeneuve said.

A French-American passenger was injured by the bullet, and the American passengers intervened shortly afterward, he said.

“Spencer got to the guy first and grabbed the guy by the neck,” Skarlatos said.

“I grabbed the handgun, got that away from the guy and threw it. Then I grabbed

the AK-47, which was at his feet, and started muzzlebumping him in the head with it.

“Everybody just started beating the guy while Spencer held the chokehold until he went unconscious.”

Sandler said: “I came to see my friends on my first trip in Europe, and we stopped a terrorist. Kinda crazy.”

here’s much talk of ethnic discrimination since the May 11 election, due to the hundreds of State employed Guyanese who were dismissed. While the Government fumbles in its justification for such drastic measures against employees and contracted workers, what Guyanese understand is that these actions are rooted in the perceived political persuasion of workers and/ or their ethnicity. Neither can justify the removal of workers since both are highly discriminatory.

However, the majority of those who were removed from their jobs are not Indo-Guyanese as many seem to believe, but Amerindians, who include the 1972 Community Support Officers (CSOs) and regional workers. Regardless of the Government’s justification that there was an absence of contracts for the services of CSOs, these young Amerindians were engaged by the Government of Guyana and as such, shouldn’t have been abruptly discarded when the administration changed. It is the duty of the Government to apply corrections where needed, and to pursue or enhance policies which in this case, promote indigenous rights. If contracts were needed and arrears had to be paid then Minister Allicock should have been advised accordingly.

Perhaps, the most flagrant discriminatory action by the Government so far, is the desecration of the principle of Free Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC). FPIC is a concept with which Amerindians are familiar, a concept entrenched in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), evolving from the development of an international framework which guarantees the land rights of indigenous peoples. It was adopted in the practices and exchanges with Amerindians under the previous administration. FPIC entails that for a decision affecting indigenous peoples to be taken, they must benefit from ample consultation which fully informs them of the issue at hand, only after which their consent should be given independently from coercive pressure from other stakeholders. The Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs Ministry being a stakeholder and national custodian of Amerindian rights, should subsequently be the first to adhere to and promote the principle of FPIC.

Yet, it has has failed miserably to apply FPIC in matters of prime concern to Amerindians. For instance, if the CSOs were indeed unlawful as the Government claims, then they should have been duly consulted, informed and compensated. If the Ministry concluded that the Toshaos’ and Village Council elections in several villages had to be postponed, then the leaders, highest authorities in an Amerindian village, should have been duly informed and their consent obtained. In the cases of St. Ignatius and Four Miles which are titled Amerindian villages, this resulted in gross disrespect and neglect of FPIC and the recognised authority of quasi autonomous Toshaos and Village Councilors, and by extent of the people they represent. In the case of Eclipse Falls Top, the defense engaged by the Indigenous Peoples’ Affairs Ministry through the person of MervynWiliams, has proven baseless, since ToshaoEmmanuel Henry is a member of the National Toshaos’ Council, democratically elected by his community. In Rockstone, Toshao Rudolph Simon heads theRockstone Village Council, despite the forceful presence of a Community Development Council (CDC) which appears to be pushing the agenda of nonAmerindian interest groups which have opposed the granting of communal land to the Amerindians. Consequently, bypassing the authority of the Village Council increases the vulnerability of the Amerindians of Rockstone.

Third but nonetheless discriminatory, is the move of the Government to deliberately ignore the protest from the Executive Committee of the National Toshaos’ Council (NTC) as it was excluded from the organisation of its own annual Conference. Lack of ample prior notice and consensus from the Council and insufficient time allotted for the presentation of the NTC report are all forms of disregard for Amerindians and their elected leaders.

The hushed election of a new Executive Body on Monday August 17, was accompanied by an opening ceremony the following day, strategically attended by President Granger in his choice to address the new heads of NTC specifically.

Au finale, the disrespect for internationally recognised core principles of indigenous rights condoned by the Government of Guyana is the basis for all discriminatory actions against our first peoples.

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Guyana’s top athletes weigh in on men’s 100m at World Championships

By TreisTon Joseph

With anticipation rife for the World Championship men’s 100 metres final set for today in Beijing, China a number of Guyana’s top athletes weighed in on their favourite for the event ahead of the final.

With Gatlin clocking the fastest heat time of 9.83s while Usain Bolt who is the defending champion cruising into the semifinal with a time of 9.96s, some of the

Guyana

Guyanese athletes seem split on their favourites especially with Asafa Powell running 9.95s and Tyson Gay a comfortable 10.11s.

World junior 400m silver medalist and overseas based Guyanese, Kadecia Baird is firmly behind Gatlin who she believes is in great form.

“I got Gatlin for sure, I think he is in great shape and I’m not the biggest fan of Usain Bolt,” Baird told Guyana Times Sport.

National Senior sprint cham-

pion, Rupert Perry stressed that Gatlin is in the man in form, “man it’s tough but all these guys are running but I just think its Gatlin, Powell, Bolt in that order because Gatlin is peaking is peaking and I don’t think Powell can hold him off,” Perry noted.

Overseas based sprinter, Jeremy Bascom has Gatlin winning but expressed he hopes Bolt or Powell wins the event.

“I have it Gatlin, Bolt, Powell, Tyson in that order but I want Bolt

to face Cuba in a crucial Olympic Qualifier today

Despite their 8–0 win against St Kitts and Nevis in their opening game, Guyana’s senior National Women’s team will not take their next game against Cuba lightly when the two sides meet today in Group Four of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) leg of the Olympic Qualifier.

A victory against the Cubans will solidify the Lady Jags’ entrance into the next round of the qualifiers since only one team will advance.

While Head Coach Mark

Rodrigues was pleased with St Kitts result, he made was quick to note that the team has shifted gears to their match against Cuba, highlighting that the team cannot become complacent. This is not the first time the two countries are meeting. In fact, it was at the expense of the Cubans that Guyana qualified for the 2010 Gold Cup in Mexico, after winning a home (0–1) and away (3–1) playoff to become the first Guyanese team to feature at the Gold Cup; the pinnacle of

CONCACAF football.

Otesha Charles’ hat-trick (23rd, 25th and 46th minute), followed by a goal each from Mariam El-Masri (52nd minute), Kayla De Souza (65th minute), Alison Heydorn (85th minute), Calaigh Copeland (77th minute) and Olivia Gonsalves (87th minute) propelled the Guyanese women to an easy win but now, a clash against group favourites Cuba stands between Coach Mark Rodrigues side and the next round.

or Asafa to win… I think it will be one of the most competitive 100m in recent history. For Bolt to win I believe he will have to run something spectacular, maybe 9.6s low or 9.5s but Gatlin is a warrior and he will not go down without a fight,” Bascom hwho trains in America stated.

Current 400 metres junior champion, Arinze Chance expressed confidence in Bolt, “Well I’ll always support Bolt because he has done it several times before

Mo Farah made it six global distance titles in a row as he retained his 10,000m crown despite a last-lap stumble to win Britain’s first gold of the 2015 World Championships.

Seven years ago in this stadium in Beijing, Farah crashed out of the Olympics after failing to qualify from the heats of the 5,000m.

But the 32-year-old Olympic champion saw off the determined team effort of his three Kenyan challengers before producing a last lap of 54.15 seconds to come away from Geoffrey Kamworor and Paul Tanui in the home straight.

It is a familiar sight now with Farah, an athlete transformed from the undisciplined also-ran of 2008, but it was no less impressive: a last 800m in one min 56.01 secs and a last mile of 4:06.6 to win in 27:01.13.

Kamworor took silver and Tanui bronze with Farah’s training partner Galen Rupp fading into fifth, the two Kenyans and teammate Bedan Muchiri attempting to negate Farah’s fast finish by pushing the pace early on.

But in warm, sticky conditions - around 25 C and 60% humidity despite the race finishing after 10pm local time - Farah sat in behind his rivals as they produced a series of laps around 64 seconds and then kept

and he has the competition edge apparently over everybody else,” the smooth 400m specialist stated. Former, Junior 200 metres champion, Elton Bollers tipped Gatlin to win the event in a close race, “I believe it will be very close and given that Gatlin is in tip top shape and race fit as well as consistent this season I will give him the upper hand but I’m not discounting the possibility of a Bolt win, he has done wonders in the past,” Bollers noted.

closer order still as the pace dropped away in the heat.

The Briton went briefly to the front with four-anda-half laps to go and then again with 1200 metres left, before surging definitively with 500m to go, a lead he would never relinquish despite a trip as he overtook a lapped runner.

With a series of allegations made against his coach Alberto Salazar - there is no suggestion Farah has done anything wrong, and his American coach denies the claims - this has been a difficult summer for the man who won the 10,000m and 5,000m double at both the last Worlds in Moscow and the London 2012 Olympics.

But Farah, an uncomplicated man, has retreated into what he knows best: disciplined training, tactically perfect racing.

Describing it as his toughest championship race, Farah said he knew his Kenyan and Ethiopian rivals would attempt to negate his kick finish by running quickly early.

“I knew the guys were going to do that, too many years now they’ve left it slow so they had to do it and it did happen,” the world champion said.

“It was a matter of digging in and hopefully it didn’t take too much out of me for the 5,000m. It’s not easy running 27 minutes in this heat.

“The last lap, that was close - I honestly thought at one point I was gone because I stumbled. The Olympics were pretty tough because of the pressure and being at home, but at the same time it was never that quick.” (BBC Sport)

And with the 5,000m final in a week’s time, he has the chance to leave Beijing as arguably his nation’s greatest ever athlete. It wasn’t easy - Farah

Murray to face Federer in Cincinnati semi-final

Britain’s Andy Murray fought back to beat Frenchman Richard Gasquet and set up a semifinal against Roger Federer at the Cincinnati Masters.

The third seed, who saved a match point against Grigor Dimitrov on Thursday, won 4-6 6-1 6-4 on Friday.

Murray said: “I fought and gave everything I had, but thankfully it’s just been enough in the last two days.”

Federer beat Feliciano Lopez 6-3 6-4, while Novak Djokovic and Alexandr Dolgopolov reached the other semi.

Murray makes it 56 and counting

The Scot has now won more matches in 2015 then any other male player, 56,

ance, he was distracted by the lengthening shadows and the spider camera situated above centre court and momentarily lost his composure and then his serve.

The world number two continued to look threatening on the Frenchman’s serve and earned three break points in the ninth game. Although Gasquet saved one of them, he double-faulted to give Murray the opportunity he needed to serve for the match.

Murray added: “I was sluggish at the start, but as the match went on I was striking the ball better and was dictating a lot of points without having to do as much running.

“Physically I’m tired and

the first player to complete the set of nine if he wins.

“My performance came at the right time against one of my biggest rivals and the guy I lost to last time we played in the finals of the French Open,” said the Serb.

“Obviously I approached this match very seriously in trying to prepare myself and get myself in a good position to win.”

Williams back on Wimbledon form

In the women’s quarterfinals, world number one Serena Williams overcame stern opposition from Serb Ana Ivanovic to win 3-6 6-4 6-2.

“I was lethargic in the first set and she played incredibly well; I just had to do

and with the US Open beginning on 31 August, he will be looking for a third Grand Slam title.

Against the dangerous Gasquet, he failed to convert a break point in the eighth game of the opening set and then paid the penalty when his opponent broke his serve in the next game to serve out for the set.

Murray recovered to earn a double break in the second and although he had break points against him in two of his own serve games, he took the set 6-1 in 31 minutes.

He broke Gasquet again to lead 2-1 at the start of the third, but just when he appeared to have broken his opponent’s resist-

my body hurts, but with the US Open coming up these matches are good for me physically and mentally to get through.”

Federer, 34, needed just 61 minutes to see off Lopez, with the Swiss chasing a seventh Cincinnati title.

Djokovic aims to complete collection

The world number one looked imperious in his 6-4 6-1 victory over his French Open final conqueror Stan Wawrinka, and will now face qualifier Dolgopolov, who upset world number six Tomas Berdych6-4 6-2.

Djokovic has won every Masters 1000 title except Cincinnati and will become

better,” said the American, playing her final tournament before she tries try to win the calendar Grand Slam at the US Open next month. .

“This was my best performance since (winning) Wimbledon. I hope to take the momentum into the next match.”

Williams will next play 14th seed Elina Svitolina, after the Ukrainian beat Czech Lucie Safarova 6-4 2-6 6-0.

Third seed Simona Halep of Romania saw off Russian Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova 7-6 (7-3) 6-2, and Serbia’s Jelena Jankovic beat Slovakian qualifier Anna Karolina Schmiedlova 6-4 6-2. (BBC Sport)

Woods shares Wyndham lead

Tiger Woods continued his quest for a first title in two years with a 65 to share the halfway lead at the Wyndham Championship in North Carolina.

It is the first time Woods has led an event after 36 holes since the 2013 WGC Bridgestone, his last title to date.

The 39-year-old has slipped to 286 in the world rankings but carded five birdies and an eagle to reach 11 under.

He shares the lead with 26-year-old Tom Hoge, in his first full season on the PGA Tour, who followed a 62 with a 67. Woods, who shot a 64 on Thursday, opened round two with a three-putt to bogey

the first hole but hit some impressive irons, a six-iron at the 235-yard par-three 12th finishing three feet from the flag. Then at the par-five 15th

Gatlin and Bolt into World Championship 100m semis

ontroversial

CAmerican sprinter Justin Gatlin underlined his status as 100m gold medal favourite at the World Championships with the fastest time in the first round.

Gatlin, who has twice served doping suspensions, clocked 9.83 seconds in the sixth heat, albeit with the assistance of a 2.1m/s tailwind.

Reigning world and Olympic champion Usain Bolt won the seventh heat in 9.96 into the slightest headwind and grinned afterwards despite a slow start.

Bolt, 29, has been beset by a pelvic injury for much of the season, producing only two sub-10 second 100m performances all summer, and he looked to be working hard for the first 60 metres as he continues to search for the magic of old.

“It wasn’t as great as I wanted it to be, but I wasn’t expecting the first one to be great,” said Bolt.

“I wasn’t trying to run fast. I wanted to save as much energy as possible. I am in wonderful shape.”

While Gatlin has been consistently running 9.8secs this summer, and arrived in Beijing on a 27-race unbeaten run stretching back two years, Bolt will go into

Sunday’s semi-finals and final hoping to hit a peak at exactly the right time.

Gatlin, 33, oozed the same confidence and easy form he has shown throughout the year, playing down his time, and once again he seems unaffected by the furore around his appearance here after those two drugs bans.

“I went out there and ran the first half of my race really well. I feel good,” said the American.

“Bolt did the same thing in 2012. He raced slower in the first round, picked it up in the semis and crushed it in the final.”

Also impressive was his young compatriot Trayvon Bromell, whose 9.91secs saw him win the fourth heat, while France’s Jimmy

Tyson

pion in Osaka eight years ago, cruised through the second heat in 10.11. But while British champion CJ Ujah came through as an automatic qualifier with a smooth 10.05 behind Bromell, there was disappointment for James Dasaolu.

Dasaolu has a personal best of 9.91 but got his heat totally wrong, shutting off too early before being swamped by his rivals.

The third Briton, Richard Kilty, made it through as a fastest loser and was again fortunate after easing off too early to drop down to fourth in the third heat in 10.12. (BBC Sport)

Hamilton secures pole trophy with 10 out of 11

Double world champion Lewis Hamilton clinched the Formula One pole trophy at the Belgian Grand Prix on Saturday with a flawless lap to take top slot on the starting grid for the 10th time in 11 races.

The Mercedes driver will have his closest rival and team mate Nico Rosberg, last year’s inaugural pole trophy winner, alongside on the front row.

was very close but my last two laps were the best I’ve had all weekend.”

It was the first time since Michael Schumacher’s domination with Ferrari in 200001 that a driver has chalked up six poles in a row.

Hamilton’s main concern now will be a clean and quick getaway on Sunday, with the champion’s last three races being marred by poor starts.

ahead of him.

Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen failed to make it into the final phase of qualifying, for his team’s 900th race, after his engine died and the car ground to a halt on the track.

he struck a three-iron over water to within 10 feet to set up an eagle.

“I wasn’t quite as sharp as I was yesterday,” said Woods, playing in the tournament at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro for the first time.

“I’ve been close for a few months now. I have had it going at times but this has been way more consistent.”

US Ryder Cup captain Davis Love is only one behind the leaders, the 51-year-old returning a 66 on an ideal morning for low scoring.

A further shot back is Brandt Snedeker, the 2007 champion, who posted nine birdies to equal the course record of 61. (BBC Sport)

The Mercedes pair will be determined not to repeat the fiasco of 2014, when Rosberg was on pole and they collided on the second lap. Hamilton kicked off a controversy after that race by accusing Rosberg of driving into him deliberately.

Rosberg, who had led the championship at the same stage last year, is 21 points behind Hamilton with nine races remaining including Sunday’s.

The German had been quickest in Friday practise but Hamilton banged in the quickest laps when it mattered to seize pole with a time of one minute 47.197 seconds and nearly half a second faster.

“I’m really happy today with the performance of the car,” the Briton said after his sixth successive pole and 48th of his increasingly stellar grand prix career.

“The car’s been feeling great on the circuit... Nico

To add to the uncertainty, the starting rules have changed since the last race with the onus more on the man behind the wheel now that engineers are no longer allowed to advise the drivers remotely on the grid.

A disappointed Rosberg, who suffered an explosive blowout on Friday and recognised Hamilton had been just too quick on Saturday, hoped the new procedures might mix things up.

“With the new start situation, and we’re having to do everything ourselves now, there’s a lot more opportunity tomorrow even at the start,” he said.

“On the run down to turn five here it is possible to overtake so my hopes are for sure still alive.”

Finland’s Valtteri Bottas qualified third for Williams and will be joined on the second row by Force India’s Mexican Sergio Perez due to a five-place grid penalty for Lotus’s Romain Grosjean

The Finn’s German team mate and four-times champion Sebastian Vettel, winner of the previous race in Hungary, qualified ninth but will start eighth thanks to Grosjean’s demotion from fourth.

Australian Daniel Ricciardo, last year’s surprise winner in Spa, will start in fifth place with the Williams of Brazilian Felipe Massa in sixth.

Toro Rosso’s Belgianborn Dutch 17-year-old Max Verstappen qualified 15th but will drop down after being penalised for an engine change.

McLaren duo Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button will start at the back after collecting a combined 105 place drop -- on a grid of just 20 places -- due to multiple changes of their Honda engines.

With the rules changed last month so that time penalties could no longer be imposed for untaken grid drops, McLaren took advantage of the situation by carrying out two engine swaps per car to stack up units for use without penalty at future races. (Reuters)

India seizes the day after Mathews' century

Angelo Mathews scored his sixth Test century and dominated a wicketless first session but Sri Lanka lost their way thereafter, losing their last seven wickets for 65 runs as India ran to a dominant position at the end of day three. Mathews and Lahiru Thirimanne resisted the steady drip of pressure exerted by India’s bowlers, adding 127 for the fourth wicket, but the rest of Sri Lanka’s batting couldn’t cope with it. Having secured a first-innings lead of 87, India extended it to 157 for the loss of just one wicket.

India lost KL Rahul in the first over of their second innings, bowled off the inside edge by a Dhammika Prasad inducker, before Vijay and Rahane saw them through to stumps.

They did this without too many alarms, though Rangana Herath troubled both batsmen with his straighter one, having two strong lbw appeals turned down.

Rod Tucker made the right decision each time, with one striking the inside edge and two seeming to be missing leg.

Just as they had done on day two, India’s bowlers probed away with discipline on a pitch offering them just enough to keep asking questions, but Mathews and Thirimanne were more than equal to the task. In all, it

The round-the-wicket angle, however, brought Ishant reward in his next over, though it was Thirimanne who succumbed, nicking behind while trying to drive one that straightened from a fullish length. He looked displeased with the umpire’s decision, but replays were inconclusive.

A short rain interruption followed, after which Ishant struck again to remove Dinesh Chandimal, who pressed forward and pushed away from his body at one that seamed away.

During his spell, Ishant’s use of the bouncer became less predictable and harder to play, and he struck Chandimal’s helmet and Jehan Mubarak’s glove while they ducked with their eyes off the ball.

Mathews moved to his hundred - his sixth in Tests - with the most audacious shot of his innings, reversesweeping R Ashwin against the turn, off a ball that straightened from middle stump, and finding the gap to the left of point.

But he was gone three balls later, poking at a goodlength ball outside off - a shot he may not have played had he not been batting on three figures - to give Stuart Binny his first Test wicket.

The frenetic action continued in the next over, when Mishra bowled a legbreak laden with overspin and bounce to force Dhammika Prasad to pop a simple catch to slip.

was riveting Test cricket, with Mathews using his nous and Thirimanne showing impressive patience to strengthen Sri Lanka’s position and leave them the happier of the two sides at lunch.

India seemed to be letting the initiative slide even further when, in the second over after lunch, Ishant Sharma went around the wicket to try and bombard Mathews with bouncers. He had long leg and deep square leg in place, but the deliveries he sent down were so lacking in venom that Mathews still managed to pull and glance him for three successive fours. Wisely, India shelved the short-ball tactic.

Five overs into the posttea session, Sri Lanka were all out. Mishra picked up two of the last three wickets, and bowled the ball of the day to ensnare Mubarak. The left-hander pressed forward to defend, not realising that late drift away from him had subtly changed the line of the ball; it pitched on off stump, rather than off and middle, and straightened past his outside edge to clip off stump.

It had taken India only 22.1 overs to pick up the last seven wickets. Sri Lanka’s situation had been utterly transformed from the calmness of the first session. (Cricinfo)

SCOREBOARD

India 1st innings 393

Sri Lanka 1st innings

FDM Karunaratne lbw b Yadav 1

JK Silva c Ashwin b Mishra 51

KC Sangakkara c Rahane b Ashwin 32

HDRL Thirimanne c †Saha b I Sharma 62

AD Mathews* c Vijay b Binny 102

LD Chandimal† c Rahul b I Sharma 11

J Mubarak b Mishra 22

KTGD Prasad c Rahane b Mishra 5

FIFA cannot be dominated by one continent, warns Blatter

Scandal-hit FIFA can never be dominated by one continent, outgoing president Sepp Blatter said on Saturday.

Without going into details or naming anyone, Blatter said that in the past one continental federation had tried to exert a dominance over the others, using proposed reforms as an attempt to grab the presidency.

“This is the key point which has (taken place) in the past years ... the takeover of one confederation towards the others,” he told a news conference. “But this cannot work in FIFA.”

Blatter did not make clear whether that meant it would never happen or that soccer’s governing body would not survive if it did occur.

He then added: “This was a movement, this was a movement to get back the presidency”.

That remark may have referred to proposals drafted by European soccer’s ruling body UEFA in the mid1990s for a radical reform of FIFA, which at the time was run by Brazilian Joao Havelange who had been in charge since 1974.

Amid bitter criticism of Havelange, UEFA produced documents known as Vision 1 and Vision 2 with proposals that included rotating FIFA’s presidency. Blatter’s comments came amid an increasing rift between FIFA and UEFA.

FIFA CONGRESS

Almost all of Europe’s national associations voted against the Swiss when he was re-elected for a fifth

Sepp

term at the FIFA Congress on May 29.

He won the election against Jordan’s Prince Ali Bin Al Hussein with the backing of votes from Africa, Asia and Oceania.

Blatter announced four days later he would step down as the organisation lurched into the worst crisis in its 111-year history with 14 sports marketing executives and soccer officials, including several from FIFA, were indicted in the U.S. on bribery, money laundering and wire fraud charges.

His successor will be elected at an extraordinary Congress on Feb. 26 and UEFA president Michel Platini, who has become a bitter foe of Blatter, is among the candidates.

European media have been critical of the system where each of FIFA’s 209 national associations hold one vote, meaning that four-times world champions Germany hold the same influence as Liechtenstein, the Cook Islands and St Lucia.

In June, German federation president Wolfgang Niersbach proposed that votes should be weighted,

based on “size and sporting relevance of the federations”. One of Blatter’s achievements as FIFA secretary general and president has been the creation of a match calendar that guarantees a set number of dates for international games each year.

The calendar ended a tugof-war between European clubs and South American and African national teams over who got priority when there was a clash of dates. However, European club managers still complain at having to release players for the biennial African Nations Cup.

European clubs scored a victory recently when FIFA abolished an international date for friendlies in August.

Blatter was speaking on Saturday at an annual soccer tournament he organises near his ancestral home in an Alpine valley.

Platini, who has attended in the past, was not present although Blatter said the Frenchman had been invited.

“All are always invited but he could not come,” said the Swiss. (Reuters)

Whyte, Green, Culson, Gibson fly Caribbean flag in 400 hurdles semis

7-289, 8-300, 9-306, 10-306

Bowling: I Sharma 21-3-68-2, UT Yadav 19-5-67-1, STR Binny 18-4-44-1, R Ashwin 29-3-76-2, A Mishra 21-3-43-4.

India 2nd innings

M Vijay not out 39

KL Rahul b Prasad 2

AM Rahane not out 28

Extras (w 1) 1

Total (1 wicket; 29.2 overs) 70

Jamaica’s Annsert Whyte and Leford Green are through to the semi-finals of the 400-metre hurdles but only just.

Whyte qualified automatically for the semi-final, finishing fourth in Heat three of the first-round in a time of 49.10.

fifth-place finish was good enough to get him into the semi-final as a fast qualifier.

Green’s tactic of going out hard and asking the field to catch him almost failed but it seemed to also disrupt the rhythm of Trinidad and Tobago’s Jehue Gordon who finished a disappointing seventh.

HMRKB Herath lbw b Ashwin 1

PHT Kaushal st †Saha b Mishra 6

Page 18

PVD Chameera not out 0

Extras (b 2, lb 6, nb 5) 13

Total (all out; 108 overs) 306

Fall of wickets: 1-1, 2-75, 3-114, 4-241, 5-259, 6-284,

To bat: RG Sharma, V Kohli*, WP Saha†, STR Binny, R Ashwin, A Mishra, I Sharma, UT Yadav

Fall of wickets: 1-3.

Bowling: KTGD Prasad 4-012-1, HMRKB Herath 11.23-23-0, PVD Chameera 4-014-0, AD Mathews 2-1-1-0, PHT Kaushal 8-0-20-0.

That time put him behind the United States, Kerron Clement (48.75), Niall Flannery of Great Britain (48.90), and Kariem Hussein of Switzerland (49.09).

Green came even closer to being out after his 49.33

The heat, the second of the event, was won by Kenya’s Boniface Mucheru Tumuti in 48.79, a personal best, while the United States’ Michael Tinsley settled for second in 48.91.

The Bahamas Jeffrey Gibson qualified from heat one with a third-place finish, clocking 49.09 behind Nicholas Bett of Kenya (48.37), and Timofey Chalky of Russia, who clocked a season’s best 49.05.

The other Caribbean entrant in that heat, Roxroy Cato, found the pace too much to handle and failed to advance with his 49.47 only good enough for sixth. (Digicel Sportsmax)

Puerto Rico’s Javier Culson, who has had an up and down season finished third in 49.02, ahead of South African hurdler L.J. van Zyl, who finished in 49.12.

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The Ashes… cook provides fight before falling shor t

Alastair Cook has never made a Test hundred against Australia in England. For a batsman keenly aware of his stats, and there is no shame in that, it was an omission to rectify in a career that compares with the best. The third day of the final Investec Test built inexorably towards filling that gap, the anticipated denouement gradually slipping into Sunday morning, until five minutes before the close of the third day the achievement cruelly eluded him.

Perhaps the last thing Cook wanted with three overs remaining was the sight of Steven Smith, Australia’s captain in waiting, cranking up his legspin. Two rank full tosses were duly delivered before Smith turned his last ball of the over into Cook’s pads and, crouching suspiciously, he inside-edged it to short leg. Smith’s 16th Test wicket came with a story attached. Cook was 15 runs short.

Personal achievements, or personal pride, seemed to be all England had left to play for in a Test that has tarnished their Ashes series victory. England, after following on 332 runs behind, still trail by 129 runs with four wickets remaining. The second new ball lies in wait, an over away, to be taken by Australia fast bowlers benefitting from a good night’s rest. They will expect to complete the job before the forecast storm arrives in early afternoon.

As defiance goes, Cook’s five-and-a-half hour resistance was more gallant than it was thrilling. Hollywood would have turned to the special effects team for a bit of value added. It is a fair bet that some spectators stared into their pints or did the crossword (the latter a more uncommon sight at The Oval than across the river at Lord’s). But it was a necessary rebalancing for an England batting side that with the Ashes won has become rather too besotted by its love of attacking cricket.

Cook is now an Asheswinning captain, but when it comes to his most major contributions with the bat, dutiful resistance in the face of adversity has been his lot. His highest knock in this series has been his 96 as England were defeated at Lord’s and he finishes with two half-centuries in a series where his solidity has been meanly rewarded.

If The Oval, in the phrase beloved of Henry Blofeld, looked a picture then Cook

was the still life at its centre, a study in passive concentration, every movement calculated for maximum resistance in stultifying heat. Batting in an England follow-on seems to suit his stubbornness: on the two previous occasions he has endured it he made a century both times, against Sri Lanka and India.

His defensive push could take the force out of a runaway train, not as much a stroke as a buffer, a shot that would be approved even by the most avid proponent of Health and Safety.

The internal voice telling Cook it might be time to resign from the captaincy has been banished, but runs for England’s record Test century-maker have been in short supply all the same. His very presence seemed to take the sting out of Mitchell Johnson; he looked willing to bat for a lifetime until the offspinner, Nathan Lyon, offered him one short and wide enough to cut safely; and his match-up with Peter Siddle was that of two old salts revelling in a stalemate. By tea, three England batsmen had succumbed. Lyth departed before lunch, his England place surely leaving with him. Ian Bell, whose statistics mark him down, at 33, as a batsman on the decline, and Joe Root followed on a drowsy afternoon, another England batsman undone by a desire to take on the short ball.

Gatlin refuses to stoke Bolt rivalry after Beijing

heats

The fastest man in the world this year Justin Gatlin played down his rivalry with Usain Bolt following the World Championship heats.

Justin Gatlin played down his rivalry with Usain Bolt after the world’s leading 100 metre runners cruised into the World Championships semi-finals in Beijing.

American Gatlin, who boasts the four quickest times in the world this year, has largely been cast as the villain of the piece in the sprint showdown on account of serving two suspensions during his career for doping offences.

On the track, Saturday

marked another impressive outing for Gatlin, who was the fastest qualifier with a time of 9.83 seconds in the sixth heat - albeit with the help of a 2.1m/s following wind.

The 33-year-old, who completed the 100m and 200m sprint double at the 2005 World Championships in Helsinki, declined to stoke the fires of any rivalry and told BBC Sport that it will be an “honour” to contest Bolt’s title.

“I’ve worked really hard for this,” he said. “It’s not about me, it’s about track and field, it’s about the 100m, to come out here and make one of the most exciting races

with Usain Bolt - it’s an honour.” Bolt clocked a comparatively pedestrian 9.96 seconds in winning his heat, underlining the Jamaican’s unfamiliar status as the underdog after an injury-hit season.

The 28-year-old ambled out of the blocks before working through the field courtesy of his familiar loping stride and felt he over-thought his work out of the blocks.

“I was thinking about the start too much,” Bolt told BBC Sport. “Overall it was okay.

“I didn’t use too much stress. I’m trying to get business done, that’s all.” (Digicel Sportsmax)

Guyana Mix Martial Arts Karate Association excels at Int’l tourney

Guyana Mix Martial Arts Karate Association emerged runners up when the Black Hawk’s Martial Arts Academy held their third international Champion of Champions’ Tournament last Sunday at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.

Thirteen students from the Black Cobra Karate Club and New Grove Housing Scheme Primary School represented the Guyana Mix Martial Arts Academy under the guidance of Master Lloyd Ramnarine.

From the Black Cobra Karate Club, nine were successful. Alliya Ramnarine secured first in the free style and third in the traditional kata.

Zafar Lee Ramnarine finished second in the traditional form, free style and self defence. Christopher

Mahadeo secured first in the traditional form, while Arif Chow finished second in the Kumite event.

Phillip Jaikissoon secured third in the traditional form, second in the self defence and third in the Kumite event.

Nickolas Ramkissoon secured second in both traditional form and Kumite, while Shloh Sydney secured first in the traditional Kata form.

Mark Ramotar secured second in the traditional Kata form. Tafare Reece secured first in the traditional form, first in self defence and second in Kumite.

Stephen Singh from the New Grove Primary School secured second and third in the weapon form and Kumite events respectively, Deigo Adams secured third in the Kumite event.

Black Cobra Karate Club secured first place in the team Kata form.

Master Lloyd Ramnarine, who is the Founder, President and Chief Instructor of the Guyana Mix Martial Arts Association, congratulated the students for their excellent performance. Meanwhile, Black Hawk’s Martial Arts Academy Guyana emerged winners, while Best of the Best School placed third; Harpy Eagle and Stanley Town Shotokan finished jointly in fourth position.

The other local teams that took part were Little Diamond, Team Torres, Police Training School and Guyana Martial Arts Federation along with team Canada and Black Hawk’s of Trinidad and Tobago.

Top official scolds WICB President over failure to stage Town Hall meeting

Aleading member of the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB), Patrick Rampersad, has scolded the president of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) Dave Cameron, over his failure to stage a TownHall meeting on the island.

Rampersad has also taken issue with Cameron for refusing to hold the meeting while in Trinidad and Tobago for the finals of the Caribbean Premier League.

Cameron’s letter to TTCB reportedly listed “a critic change in my schedule” and “pressing obligations” as the reasons for not being able to facilitate the meeting.

Rampersad, third vice president of TTCB, has also criticized the WICB for issuing a statement which erroneously stated that Trinidad and Tobago was among the countries which hosted Town Hall meetings.

“In any event the town hall meeting was not held in T&T and to suggest otherwise is misleading at best, and cynical at worst,” said Rampersad.

“It was disrespectful and dismissive of the local cricket community. Is it that the views of the local board and

the fans and stake-holders are not important?”

Meantime the WICB issued a statement on Saturday saying efforts to host a meeting in the T&T could not be finalised from as far back as June when the President’s office made contact.

The WICB statement referenced a letter from TTCB General Secretary Arjoon Ramlal, to WICB dated June 22, stating that affiliates could not agree on a venue for the meeting.

The letter objected to Queens Park Oval in Port of Spain as the venue for the Town Hall meeting on the grounds that it is not a central location and would not attract the wisest public participation.

The TTCB letter to WICB

GT Beer Futsal Tournament… Nothing but goals on night 2

By TreisTon Joseph

If you are a fan of defensive futsal this definitely was not the night for you as a combined 53 goals were score in the four games played on Friday evening when the GT Beer Futsal Tournament continued at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.

The first game of the night was a goal scoring fest between Sophia and Showstoppers with the former prevailing 11-7 for their opening win of the tournament.

Sophia’s Dwayne Lowe (4th, 6th and 22nd) and Akeem Jaikissoon (16th, 27th and 30th) scored hattricks while Shem Porter scored a double in the fifth and 18th minutes.

Sheik Kamal in the 11th and Joshua Kamal in the 17th were the other scorers while the final goal was an own goal in the 21st minute.

Simon Emmanuel scored a quadruple in the 20th, 24th, 26th and 28th for showstoppers while

Anthony Sancho had a hattrick in the 10th, 19th and 23rd during the loss.

Bent Street topped Beterverwagting (BV) 9-5 for their first win of the tournament as Colin Nelson led the way with a hat-trick in the 13th, 25th and 26th while Okeene Fraser had a double (13th and 14th) in the win for the Bent Street.

Daniel Wilson (12th), Steffon Ramsay (15th), Sheldon Profitt (17th) and Frank Crandon (30th) were the other scorers for Bent Street.

Scoring for BV came from Warren Gilkes with a double in the 20th and 24th while Delroy Dean, Devon Griffith, and Reon Hopkinson scored a goal apiece in the second, 27th and 28th minutes respectively.

In the third game of the night Festival City defeated Queen Street Tigerbay 7-5. Dwayne Lawrence had a phenomenal night scoring a quadruple in the 9th, 18th, 22nd and 28th minutes to lead Festival City to victory.

Eon Alleyne in the 8th and Solomon Austin in the 14th also scored goals while the seventh goal was an own goal that came in the seventh minute.

Quincy Hemmerding (4th and 29th) and Darren Harris (23rd and 24th) scored doubles while Alpha Fletchman registered his lone goal in the 15th minute of the game.

The final game of the evening saw West Front Road topping broad Street 7-2. Randolph Wagner scored a hat-trick for West Front Road in the 1st, 7th and 22nd minutes.

Hubert Pedro also had a double in the 9th and 10th minutes while Michael Oie scored a goal in the 19th minute. An own goal was also scored in the 11th minute.

Leon Richardson (2nd) and Ryan Jones (24th) were the two scorers for Broad Street in the loss. The tournament will continue on Monday at the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall.

Torres, GSSF launch...

Torres indicated he is very happy that he is working with a lot of beginners, so therefore no “bad habits” would already have been cultivated with respect to form, which is significantly harder to remedy.

The first phase of the seminar, which concluded Wednesday, saw participants instructed in hands-on fabri-

Colombia, Bolivia, Paraguay and Guyana.

The second phase of the seminar involves members receiving expert coaching in the correct form of archery, safety instructions using the several newly fabricated bows at both indoor and outdoor facilities.

Shooting sessions have commenced at the indoor fa-

Badal.

She also expressed thanks to Shameer Mohamed and the management of Ocean Spray International Hotel, Ryan Rahaman of JR Burgers, Sharda Veeren-Chand of Demerara Distillers Limited, Komal Singh and Lennox Cush of Starr Party Rental. Persaud stated that amidst

suggested that the meeting be held at the National Cricket Centre in Couva or at an Auditorium in Chaguanas.

“Any of these venues will draw much wider participation from our rich mix of cricket lovers,” the letter said.

“Suitable arrangements can be made by the TTCB in the event that this recommendation is accepted”.

However the WICB has said that it remains committed to hosting the meeting in Trinidad.

“The President while visiting for the Caribbean Premier League final, agreed to return to a venue and time suitable for all affiliates” the WICB release stated.

Trinidad and Tobago and Leeward Islands are remaining venues to host WICB Town-Hall meetings hosted by Cameron and Vice President Emmanuel Nanthan.

Barbados, Dominica, St Lucia, Guyana and Jamaica have already hosted meetings in which topics ranging from team selection and player relations to pitch preparation and governance issues have been raised. (CMC)

cation of PVC target archery bows, complete with stabiliser system. Members were trained in the safe use of power tools and handling chemicals in order to shape and assemble these low cost archery tools.

This phase materialised several PVC bows for use by the members of the GSSF. Nineteen individuals took part in this phase and are now able to continue the project, which is now present in four countries, namely

cility thanks to the assistance of the Government of Guyana, Education Ministry, Department of Sport and the National Sports Commission. These sessions are being held indoor at the National Gymnasium and at the Leonora Synthetic Track for outdoor shooting.

President of the Federation, Vidushi Persaud, recorded her delight at this project and her sincere thanks to members Ryan McKinnon, Gamal Mohamed and Robert

the busy week of coaching, shooting lessons and various seminars, plans are progressing full-steam for the official launch of Archery Guyana prior to the departure of Torres. In this regard, she expressed thanks for the additional support the GSSF has been receiving from the Education Ministry, Department of Culture, Youth and Sport and the Indigenous People’s Affairs Ministry to plan for an exciting launch of Archery Guyana on Monday.

Singh committed to improving cricket on East Coast

– ECCB’s annual cricket academy starts tomorrow

By Rajiv Bisnauth

Despite the many challenges facing cricket on the East Coast corridor, head of the East Coast Cricket Board (ECCB), Bissoondyal Singh remains committed to improving the state of cricket within the area.

Singh in an invited comment on Saturday disclosed that the board plans to focus on the development of the youths as well as create room for more female participation.

He noted that the annual summer camp which attracts 50-60 budding cricketers every year is undoubtedly the highlight of the ECCB’s calendar of events.

Established some 15 years ago under the presidency of S.K. Singh, the camp enables youths to interact with former stalwarts of the game who share their knowledge on the requirements of playing at the highest level.

The camp also aims to equip the participants with basic skills required to ‘kick start’ a career in cricket as well as expose the youths to etiquette training.

This year camp commences on Monday, and according to Singh the camp will focus especially on

teaching the participants how to deal with the press and the public.

It will also focus on discipline, a key trait required for success in any sport.

“The summer camp over the past 15 years has produced 23 cricketers who have represented Guyana at different levels so definitely the camp has had tremendous impact on the development of youths,” Singh said.

No subvention Singh, the former Vicepresident of the Guyana Cricket Board further highlighted that the ECCB has not received any subvention for the last five years, but continued to function effectively.

He pointed out that the various sponsors and clubs

are responsible for the ECCB’s success over the years.

Meanwhile, this year summer camp will be held under the theme “CricketProfessionalism and Healthy Lifestyle” and are for children 12-17 years of age.

Organisers have revealed that participants will enjoy interaction with senior and former national cricketers who will grace the forum with their presence.

While there, the seniors will introduce the youngsters to the technicalities of the sport while sharing their experiences on the national field.

Several resource persons will entertain thought-provoking discussions on cricket related and other topics during the proceedings. They include a statistician, who will speak on the history of West Indies cricket.

National umpire Davteerth Anandjit will discuss the laws of cricket and umpiring, while a qualified book scorer will deal with the intricacies of the scoring system.

Officers from the Cove and John Police Station will tutor the aspiring cricketers on road safety practices, while former executive of the Guyana Cricket Board, Ronald Williams, will dis-

cuss careers in cricket and discipline.

The participants will also receive tutoring in drugs and sports (by Darshanand Rampersaud) and Importance of Education (former school senior master Judister Rampersaud). Other topics will include Leadership and Sportsmanship, HIV and Teenage Sex, Food and Nutrition, Social Etiquette/ Grooming and Discipline.

It must be noted the more than 23 participants, who have attended the ECCB annual academy over the years went on to represent Guyana with distinction.

Director of Sports, Christopher Jones is expected to deliver the feature address and consequently declare the proceedings open. Activities of the academy, which concludes on August 28, will be coordinated by Secretary of the ECCB, Judister Rampersaud.

Clubs, parents and guardians are asked to make contact via telephone as early as possible for the necessary information on registration. Judister Rampersaud (259-0308), Raymond Barton (626-0223) or Davteerth Anandjit (6178502) can be contacted for the relevant information.

Home series won’t affect CPL 2016

West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) CEO Michael Muirhead has confirmed that a clash with next year’s West Indies home international season should not affect the playing of the 2016 Caribbean Premier League.

According the new Future Tours Programme (FTP) of 2014- 2019, the West Indies, from the June – August period have two marquee series during the traditional CPL dates.

First, in June they will host a triangular oneday international series when World Cup winners Australia and South Africa visit.

The West Indies last hosted a tri-series in 2000 when Pakistan and Zimbabwe were the opponents.

Afterwards they are scheduled to host India for four Tests, once the resolution with the BCCI over the US $42 million lawsuit is ar-

Former GFF official backs Nakhid’s...

Persaud said it is imperative Nakhid receive the necessary support from the Caribbean confederation CONCACAF in his bid to become the new FIFA head.

“I wish him well and I hope that Caribbean countries can see that we have someone who’s willing to go the distance. You cannot blame someone for taking such a bold step. I applaud him for this and I personally would support him,” Persaud stated.

Persaud, who was in charge of technical and tactical development during the Christopher Matthias administration, said he is familiar with Nakhid’s exploits as a former football captain of Trinidad and Tobago and his work as an assistant team coach of the twin-island republic.

I know of the camps that he is running, his academies [in Lebanon]. He’s someone in football over the years that did Trinidad well, did Trinidad proud, the Caribbean proud. If we can’t support our own we can’t expect other people to support us. If we see him as a future leader, maybe he might not win it this time around, but at least let us get him into the race and he will learn from thereon. I wish him all the best,” Persaud concluded.

The FIFA presiden-

tial vacancy arose on June 2 when the 79-year-old Blatter resigned amidst the recent FIFA corruption scandal, which saw various officials, including former T&T football administrator Jack Warner, accused by the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of wire fraud, racketeering and money laundering.

The elections will take place on February 26, 2016, at the FIFA headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland.

Nakhid confident

While in Guyana last week, Nakhid said of his chances, “I’m extremely confident. I’ve lived in the Middle East for close to 20 years. I have a very good base of support there. I’ve played in Europe, I’ve had consultations with people in Europe, but it’s only logical and strategic that I come out from my own confederation.”

He added, “And I think once that is done we can then try to attract support from other parts of the world, but it would be useless to enter a campaign where I can’t even come out of my confederation. I think once that is done, I think the Caribbean people will get a better sense of our message when it is placed on that global forum and

the rest of the world.”

Nakhid explained that his candidacy is geared to position the Caribbean where it needs to be, “where we have not been before.”

“We had the illusion of leadership- the illusion of someone at the head table of FIFA before, but we never saw anything that came down to us in the Caribbean, we need to change that. We need to posit ourselves in a position where we understand our true value politically, but also in terms of the development that is needed in the wider world of football,” Nakhid, who was accompanied his Campaign Strategy personnel Josanne Leonard, divulged.

Other notable names to announce their desire to run for the hot seat are the legendary midfield trio Michel Platini of France, who is the current UEFA president, Diego Maradona of Argentina and Zico of Brazil, as well as Musa Bility and Chung Mongjoon.

Nakhid, who appeared for Trinidad and Tobago in 35 international games between 1992 and 2005, will have to receive nomination before October 26. If he is successful in gaining nomination, Nakhid and his team will have five months to campaign to become the new president of FIFA.

rived at, as recent Caribbean media reports have suggested.

Muirhead explained that the tri-series is confirmed, but not the India series.

He further noted that with the India tour being solely Test cricket, the clash with CPL isn’t a problem.

“Contractually we can play Test matches during CPL next year,” said Muirhead. He continued by explaining: “We have plans to sit with CPL organisers and work out the dates. The Tri-Series is confirmed with dates already set, and we will announce that in due course, but not the India series.

“However, I must stress that since the India tour is Test matches, it would only be an issue if we had to play One-Day or T20 international during CPL dates,” Muirhead concluded. It is arguably very important to the WICB that the CPL not be interrupted, since the tournament contributes US$360,000 towards the annual retainer contracts for First-Class players in the Professional Cricket League.

Due to the lucrative financial income that domestic T20 leagues generate, other international boards such as Australia and England have incorporated ways to play their versions (the Big Bash League and Natwest T20 Blast) alongside their international home season. (Trinidad Newsday)

GT Beer Futsal Tournament…

Nothing but goals on night 2

22

– Sophia, Showstoppers have goal scoring clinic

Torres, GSSF launch PVC Archery Project in Guyana

The Guyana Sport Shooting Federation (GSSF), in collaboration with World Archery Americas, concluded phase one of its inaugural PVC Archery Development Seminar in Georgetown, conducted by international archer/coach Diego Torres of Colombia.

Torres is currently being hosted in Guyana by the GSSF to conduct various seminars for members of the federation, the focus of which will be archery safety, the fabrication of PVC bows and teaching the correct form for target archery.

The seminars are geared to give participants the knowledge as to how to further develop this longstanding Olympic sport by making these low cost bows, which will then be used for training and local competitions.

Shooting practice sessions have also been scheduled to ensure that members practice the fundamentals of the sport of Archery from the beginning.

Former GFF official backs Nakhid’s candidacy

x-Trinidad and Tobago midfielder David Nakhid’s bid to become president of football’s world governing body FIFA has found favour with former Vicepresident of the Guyana Football Federation, Ivan Persaud.

Earlier this month, the 51-year-old Nakhid expressed his desire to run for the FIFA hot seat, which will be vacated next year by the long-serving Swiss Sepp Blatter.

Persaud, in an exclusive interview with this publication, welcomed the move by Nakhid to vie for the most powerful position in global football.

“I think it is very significant for the Caribbean that we have what I would call a youngster, because as you know most executives in FIFA are aged and well-learnt people so I would like to first of all congratulate him for throwing his hat into the ring,” Persaud contended.